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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1877)
56 THE WEST SHORE. December. explanation of the warlike Instruction! satisfactory, and ordered the Iphigcuia to be hoarded, her men, charts, instru ments and papers to be transferred to the Spanish ships and the vessel got ready to sail for San Bias as a prize. I inquired," says Douglas in his jour nal, "the cause of his not taking the ;-!oop Washington, as he had orders fojm the king of Spain to take every vessel be met out on this coast, hut he gave me no satisfactory answer," There were reasons enough probably why MartluCi was more suspicious of the Portuguese-English vessel than of the American. But when he reflected, or possibly was shown, that the Por tuguese authorities at Macao could have no means of knowing that the Spaniards intended to occupy this por tion of the coast, be came to the deter mination of releasing the tfhigtnia on condition that her officers would sign a declaration that she had not been interrupted, but had been kindly treated and SUppHcd during her stay at Nootka; and thai they should engage to pay her value on demand to the Viceroy of Mexico in case he should pronounce her capture legal. After some difficulty the officers of the IthigMh agreed to these terms, .uid on the 14th of May had tboir VCS- sel returned to them in good order fur siM, and well supplied with everything necessary, be ing really the better for She capture and on the ;i-t she ailed for Queen Charlotte's Is land, where, in a few weeks, he collected 135,000 worth of furs, and tailing thence arrived with her cargo in China in the following October. Hut lift- end was not yet. Oil the 8th rime a ichooner called the .WAv.-.v America, built the previous, year in Nootka Soityta, by the Portuguese-En- jlUll Co'y, arrived at Nootka, iaden with sea-otter skins. This ivaj al once seized by Marti new according! as he be tleved to nu agreement made with DpUglns, and whlc bhis ignorance of the English lan guage caused him to mlsunder and at Douglas had written it. I'.ight days after this there arrived from Macao the Priti cess Hoyal, bunging news of the ihUiire of the merchant on whom Douglas had given bills for the pay ment of the supplies to the I pliigcni.i. This determined Martinez to hold the schoonoi for the debt, which be did, transferring her valuable cargo to the Prinws Poyal for the benefit of her owners in China. After a friendly visit of two or three weeks, the Princess ftoynl was permitted to depart on her trading voyage, her officers having re ceived distinguished attentions. And still the end was not yet, for, on the evening of the same day, there arrived off the port the ship Argonaut, nlso from Macao, and belonging, like the ' incest Hovel to the "King George's Sound Company." She was nut by the Spanish and American of- uniform of the British navy, with his sword at his side. On being asked his designs in visiting Nootka, he boldly replied that he had come to erect a fort and settle a colony; to hoist the British Hag and take possession. "That, I have already done, in the name of his Catholic majesty," replied Martinez. Some discussion then ensued. Col nett was offered the privilege of erect ing any building necessarv for his coin fort; but when he again said it was his Intention to build a block-house, erect a fort, and to establish a colonv, Marti nez assured him he would not be per mitted to do so; that to allow such ac tion would be to be false to his king and his trust. Besides, he reminded Colnett that the Argonaut did not be long to the Knglish king, nor was he, Colnett, in the king's service. Then followed an altercation in which Col nett drew his sword on the Spanish commander; after which Martinez or dered his arrest, and the seizure of his vessel. No sooner was Colnett arrested than he was seized with a tit of insanity to Which he was hereditarily predisposed, and which lasted for several weeks, d iring which time hi- mate, D tiffin, acted for the proprietors- Meanwhile coveries extended, he returned to Noot ka in bis own vessel, in 1790, and find ing the place deserted, sailed for Ma cao, where he arrived the same year. Such were the stirring events happen ing on the Northwest coast eighty-seven years ago; events that helped to shape the destiny of the American peo ple in acquiring Oregon Territory. ( To be continued.) MAKING COLLECTIONS. Many boys and girls take a fancy to make collection1 of something. Some collect postage stamps, others coins, and 1 we have seen very large collections of buttons in which there were no two alike. The desire to make as large a collection as possible, without regard to anything else, we do not approve of ; but it is very pleasing to see voung people collecting specimens which shall teach them something. A collection of postage stamps made for the sake of getting the greatest possible number, is of no more use than so many pieces of newspaper; but if one will read about the country to which each stamp be longs, then something interesting and useful mav come of this postage stamp mania. So with coins collections of which, at least the foreign ones, very few young people arc able to make. These can lead to historical studies After all, we prefer much to see voung folks take to collecting natural objects. Those of you who live in the country SALMON FALLS, COLUMBIA RIVER. A short distance above The Dalles the Columbia river takes one of its pe culiar leaps, forming Salmon Falls, so named, perhaps, from the fact that thousands of salmon here find annually a watery grave. Many fine salmon, in their efforts to reach the spawning grounds, strike against the sharp, pro jecting rocks and fall back bruised and dying. The few Indians still left near The Dalles, find their chief subsistence at these falls, and it is astonishing how correct their aim is. A Ion? spear at tached to a rope is lightly flung at a salmon, in the act of leaping the falls. Nine times out of ten it islanded in al most the twinkling of the eye. Still even here, the Indian's proverbial cru elty is fully exhibited. After having dried and packed their winter's supply, they will still repair to these falls al most daily, and for mere wantonness and cruelty, spear the beautiful fish and throw them out on the stones to die there horribly, and to rot and infect the air. xrj-BMjgCTljS'iJssssy'-' '"vi- :' ffjlMtot' ' ' '1 1 aMi 0lht9jMi91'i''m lsssssB utift u ,y - EsfjslssiassgHMraa SALMON FALL'S, COLUMBIA RIYI-R. INDIANS SPEARING SALMON. flcera on the outside, and Invited bj Ntaitlnei t. enter. Her commander. Capt Colnett of the British navy, wai advised b) the American officers of the leisure of die tfkigmfa and NkHkwtsi America, upon learning which he hesi tated lo enter) but being assured by the Spanish commander that all would Iv riyht, .. itemed to come in. It would have been better had he staid out, 01 hid used mora discretion in hi conduct afterwards Iftrtjuos bad procured some supplici from the I'gonaut, and when thej won Aboard Invited Colnett to visit tin Priet t. He went accordingly, in the the cargo of the Ar'tj:,.' was t trans ferred to the Spanish ships, and on the 13th of July, she was dispatched as a prize tit s.ui Bias, with her officers and most of her crew a- prisoners. The Princtti A')'j, returning to Nootka from a cruise up the coast which she bad been permitted to make, was also seized, and her crew transferred to the Atgonaut as prisoners to be taken to San Bias. The sloop was then put in Spanish employ together with the Northwest America. The officers of the latter vessel, and some of those be longing to the Princess Royal were put on board the Columbia as passen gers to China and one hundred sea otter skii found in the Princess foyal were made to pay their transportation and wage". Such was the decided manner in which Spain' agent at Nootka sustain ed the claim of his king to American terrltory Taking all the circumstances into consideration, it is difficult to find much to blame in bis action. Hut out of it grew serious trouble, and the arming of two or three navies; demand-, and conferences; a commission, and finally the uNootka Treaty," by which the whole affair wis settled As for Colnett, he was kindly treated in Mexico, and after the settlement of the dispute whkh left Spain mistress of the American coast as far north M her dis- can find an abundance of things more interesting than postage stamps or even coins. We once saw a large collection we have forgotten bow many speci mens, of all the different kind of beans a dozen or so of each kind put 111 a neat little paper tray, and correctly named. A nice collection would be ail 1 the different kinds of wheat indeed, we should much like to have such a collection ourselves. Then how inter esting it would be to have specimens of the seeds of every kind ot trouble some weed. The eye having become accustomed to the appearance of these seeds, would be able to detect them at once among seed grain, or other kinds of seeds. Another collection we would suggest to the older boys, is one of all the native woods of the farm, or the neighborhood ; very few people know any but the larger kinds of wood. A collection w ith specimens to show the bark, the end of the wood and the grain would be something worth looking at. Then there are the insects which are injurious to crops, which would nuke not only a useful but a really handsome collection, and would lead' to a studv anil close observation of the habits of the insects. Of course, one will take a fancy to one thing and one to another, and in a family of several boys and girls, a museum may be formed which w ill be worth showing to others. Those who are old enough to study plants, minerals, insects, etc., will, of course, make collections of specimens to illus trate these studies. Our object was to suggest something that seemed to us better w orth doing than accumulating postage stamps or buttons. OREGON As SEEN BY A CALIFORNIA!, When one returns from a trip to Or egon and remarks that he has just visit ed the finest country on the face of the globe, people open their eyes with astonishment and ask von where InCallfornia you have pent your years. 1 ncn you icar such a tirade about u web feet a ul " moss backs" that you arc willing to give up the argument with out being halt convinced, rather than hear the pouty words and bear the unsatisfied looks of your dear neighbors. Now, Oregon has just what California lacks, a plenty of rain. Rain, O ! beau t i fu 1 rain, give us bountiful show ers of rain here and we can command the wealth of the world. Leaving California with about an inch of dust on my back, 1 arrived in Port land and Salem finding mud nearly ankle deep; The flocks and herds were luxuriating on pastures of red clover and timothy, and the green fields lo.ked very cheerful as com pared to our dry, dust cov ered hills and valleys at this s.aon. The farmers are busy threshing their stacked wheat, also plowing and sew ing, and those who are farther advanced with their fall work the pleasure of seeing their wheat out of the ground, growing finely. Ore gon is a timbered country, yet there are large prairies of rich, loamy, beautiful soil. These prairies skirted with oak, Br, Mh and maple timber, together with orchards loaded with ripe fruit, gives the country a beauty in autumn which would he hard to rival. About half way between Portland and Salem, in the beautiful Willamette valley, is Bar low's prairie. Here nre the homes of real luxury, where Nature's best gifts are dispensed and appreciated, and where the least effort of the husband man is richly repaid in the bounties of the golden harvest. r, in Rural Press. It is said that a very large amount of good farming land lies vet untouch ed by settlers, up the istoloquamish river,' W. T. Like most other rivers, this one has its jam which must be re moved before the rich bottom land above it can reach its proper valuation. It seems unfortunate that the attention of Congress has never yet been prop crly directed to the value of these lands, and the necessity of appropriations to remove obstructions in the rivers. Argus. Best Hook i or Every Day. The new illustrated edition of Websters Dictionary, containing three thousand engravings, is the best book for fiery body that the press has produced in the present century, and should be regard ed as indispensable to the well-regulated home, reading-room, library and place of business. Golden Era.