Oregon free press., August 05, 1848, Image 2

OREGON FREE PRESS
Geo. L. Curry, Editor and Proprietor.
OREGON CITY, SATUKDAY AUGUST 5, 1848.
Another Vessel. The morning after the Honolulu
entered the river, the firing of cannon was heard at
the mouth. The weather was thick and foggy, and
not much of a view could be had seaward. It was
thought the firing might have been the II. B. Co's brig
Mary Dare, from the Islands, signalling for a pilot.
More Coal. We learn that a mine of excellent bi
tuminous coal has recently been discovered in the vi
cinity of the head waters of the Yamhill river. We
wish to know more about it.
More Conspirators. Ye learn that a meeting is to
be held to-day in Champorg co., at English's Mills, to
form a land ( h.im protecting Association. We are glad
to hear of such conspiring for the public good. Keep
the ball rwllin . The Committee of Arbitration for
Clackamas have prepared an address vviicb will be
placed before the public next week.
LATEST INTELLIGENCE.
The Sch'r Honolulu, Capt. Newell, arrived at Portland
on Thursday morning last from California. She brings
no papers or letters: having made her clearance for the
Islands instead of her real destination, Oregon in or
der to advance, we presume, some commercial opera
tions of those who chartered her. She comes in bal
last, consigned to Couch and Crosby. By this arrival
we have verbally received the intelligence that follows:
According to the latest news from the Stales, in Cal
ifornia, the Mexican Congress had adjourned without
having ratified the treaty. This is to be attributed, un
doubtedly, to the lamentable dissensions existing in our
own Congress, in regard to Mexican affairs, which
must have had a tendency to occasion the Mexicans
to hope that, through delay, they might possibly obtain
more favorable terms than the treaty gave them. We
do not hear of any more fighting the whole country
nearly, being in the militay possession of the U. Slates.
Intelligence had been received of the departure of the
Mail Steamers for the Pacific, and the arrival of one of
them is looked for in San Francisco early in the present
month. If such be Ihc fact, we may entertain the
pleasing idea of the arrival of one in Oregon before Ibe
month expires.
The Brig Henry, for whose safety apprehensions
have been fell, had made a trip lo Mazatlan, in gov
ernment employ, and as to sail from Monterey for
Oregon, about the time of the departure of the Hono
lulu. The A n ri x was also on the eve of departure for
this place, with munitions of war, cel., which it was
supposed would be of sen ire lo Oregon in the settle
ment of her Indian difficulties. The Janet was lying
in the harbor ot s.in f ranrisco, discharging cargo.
The Honolulu came into Ihc river at night, under Ihc
pilotage of Mr. Reeve. 1 'Up object of her trip here is
of course a matter of speculation .which time will re
veal. While, we wish all success to mercantile opera--ions,
especially those in which Oregon may he more,
-r less interested, we ought not to be blamed for rc
; 'ling that lh- cannot be conducted without such se
as to prf .imIc Uip transportation of a single
t.ipi'r, particularly when our situation is taken
into consideration that we arc almost completely iso
lated from the world our only channel of communi
cation with which, being through commercial enter
prisethat we are nearly dying- for news, and can't
get any. Such a state of things must be death to
newspapers, therefore we are full of regret, as selfish
as it may appear.
Now the Honolulu is a capital little caaft she came
from Boston to the-Islands in one hundred and fifteen
days, and has made the quickest trip from the Islands
to Manilla, and is favored with excellent officers, which
is as it should be and she could have brought us such
lots of 'news, and such great news, loo, only those who
chartered her couldn't allow it, if we only had them
here we would read them a lecture as long as
Rev. Mr. Griffin's editorial about ourself. However,
we'll endeavor to await patiently the next arrival
which may be in a few days, when we hope lo be
able to give the news all the news.
"What's theNews? Notwithstanding the late arri
val we havftjK) news of consequence in very desper
ation we have rubbed our head with maps of Califor
nia, Mexico, and the United Slates, and finally the map
of the world ; now if we could only get into a mes
meric trance, and become "clairvoyant," we might
rattle it off somewhat thus: At the lime of the sailing
of the Honolulu news had been received lhat occa
sioned quite an excitement in the produce and provi
sion markets Ihe crops of the two or three farms in
California "gone lo grass;" all Europe in a stale of
fermentation, and no grain lo keep it working; wheat
is up! flour is up!l all kinds of "grubb" are up! ! !
And if such were the case, wouldn't Oregon be up?
Wilh an active market for her surplus yield, this year,
Of ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND RL'SHELS OP WHEAT, sl)0
would indeed be up far up the hill-side of prosperity.
In the midst of Ihe uncertainly that surrounds us, it is
best not lo be loo hasty in concluding, yet we can safely
settle down in Ihe conviction thai something is up.
In the meantime, our Farmers need not dispose of
any more of their grain at present prices, 60 cents cash,
we believe, than their necessities require. Furlhcr
news will of course, control them in this respect.
News-Sheets in Oregon. Before the introduction of
the press in Oregon, some three years since, written
news-sheets were quite in vogue. They, were issued
as frequently as suited the lancy of Iheir makers, wilh
an object more for fun and entertainment generally
than any profitable instruction. Their satire, in which
they deal largely, was too severe and personal to bo
enjoyed; indeed, they appear to have displayed an ut
ter disregard for feeling they were no respectors, so
to speak, of persons or tilings, which was decidedly
their worst feature. The articles with which they
were filled, were entirely local in character, and
therefore any cleverness they had was of brief exis
tence. Yet notwithstanding all their defects they afford
us glimmering reflections of their limes, and for Ibis
we refer to one of them at this time, now lying upon
our table, which flourished under the euphonious ap
pellation of "Fluragudgcon Gazette, and Bumble-Beo
Budget," and declares itself lo be "a newspaper of the
Salmagundi order, and devoted to scratching and sling
ing the follies of the times." It is dated, August 20,
1845, being No. 8 of the 1st volume, and contains fivo
sheets of foolscap, with something like eighteen pages
of reading matter. It seems to have enjoyed the privti