THE SPECTATOR.
M. A. . Ul, EPWMU J. FUUU1W, WU.
curt ? He '
- Late IatoUlfcace.
By the mini of the H. B. CV afalp Columbia, we
are eaahM to give UwfelktwiH Hems of news:
The Cohanhla left tha Downs In the British CnVa
aal, ob the 11th Oetoktr lost, end arrived at'Sitka on
the 9Mh Much, ftelfhtei with nqfliee for the Rndan
AaMrieaa campaay, tombing et bo intermediate port.
She hrsogaopaf or letter Ma chartered ship was
reeehriaf ouge for the Sandwich Islands end thia
country, tad tastetad to aeil daring the month.
All waaank ia the poUUcal horfsoa. Mr. McLean,
(if fill to he jadga McLean of Ohio,) had been ap
pstntei Mhtieter from the U. 8tatee, and had just ar
rhrod ia Kaglaad, to arraage the Oregon question, and
from aa kaowa moderate aad decisive character, it
'was caaUeatly booed aa amicable arrangement would
The Captain aaw a large frigate entering the etraita
DoFaeaas he left Victoria, supposed to be the Brit
ieh frigate America, bat did not apeak her.
The French army bad experienced a defeat atAl
gisa, their lea amoaatag to 5000 men.
Two fm'f !""" area had occurred at Qutbec, Cana
da, by which 26 etreeta wero entirely destroyed.
Bishop Blaacbetto, upon arriTing in Europe, had
proceeded to Canada from thence bo returned to
France. He expected to freight a vessel with sup
paaajec the Catholic Mkeione in Oregon.
Qaeea Victoria waa daily expected to add to the list
of lonpontlHlttiia for England's benefit
Waked Up!
W,e addressed a few word ia our laat, to our political
frieade, rtaagand to awake them from the peaceful
ahaabemof indifertnct into which they aeemedto
havefalea. It haa taken effect, and aroueed at least
ma, who sahacrhes himself - A spectator of the pro
ceeeaaaiorthtOregoBlegiolatBre.N We feel gratifi
ed that the eUeatkw of nu even haa beea arretted,
whOe w Mgret that ear " oearraiag " friend, 'in the
Ink iniaiiitiianiiT of" the waking moment, ao far for
et hhaoatf. at to ram from hb dumber ia dithabile
before he had wiped from, hie opening eyee the dampa
of elamher. thai tTf'g liimetlf to the chancet of
pahkta observation. Wo hope, however, our friend will
rub hb eyee a little, and re-peruse thoao remark, be
lieviag he cannot fail, when wide wake, to "perceive"
a Hfentut between a bill or (in hie own language) a
ii Uw " aad a seecrfc Doiitical wiacioJe involved in that
dUL The object to which we invited the attention of
the tattman,ia not Mr. Baawtt'a bill, but the prin
ciple or jaWgry of taxing Utigation," aa our very " ob
serving" friend wffl " perceive" by referring to oar re
mark m the 7lh No. of the Spectator. But tale ia
quite a trifiag atJstake, compared with our friead'a
' ncolectioa" of the hoi ia which thia aubject waa in
troduced ia our lagialatare, which he teUe us wu "head
ed a bffl to jnvatat litigatioa.n Now the truth if, that
bill aaid aot a word about taxing Utigation, ai may be
eta by a reference to the fVo of papera in the eecre
tary'somce. The poUcy waa proposed in the rtvtnw
hill, aad If the uahatrving tptttator" will take the
trouble to examine the 3d aection of thia law, aa pub
liahed the 3d No. of the Spectator, he will find a relic
of the principle ia question; aad, if he be really oft
tenant, be will find another amall miatake of hla cor
rected, L e. the litigation tax was never propoaed to be
paid into the "territorial," but into the county tree
eary; aad consequently, could na go to "augment"
the aalariea of territorial officers. Theae are alight
hhaiirr. for eae jatt'emergiag from the murky twi
hght ef dopartiag mental slambs rs; and aince our friend
"nhaii to hat thing fairly itated," we hope be will
lumaaY ia future, make aomo little effort to elate thinga
aa mneUg aa clrcuraetiiinea will allow. Finally, he
proaant QmrnlJ he be elected) to "guard the right
of the ham and tint af the country." That ia
rfght-re vat him great aocceee in ouch laudable
tJawsevawtfeare confideat that, upon the bone
aad eiaew" aalaVafcaoad the atrtngtk of the country.
mm Oreg Cemrt.
at: John and James Johnson.
' -- -a f tL. TahiMnni John and Jamea
Jetaaal JeaaaadJaaaiJehaton! come into court.
iSraaoao.atV; ,
M-Ceent oae at afiiael pome one at a time!
CoatofMatatieae! r'rMtsii
CUrkr-Ym'va M Mwft" :
8htrt l-Yaa aeedtriaaavlhayre fix'd it with
rtyoa! Yea atfIpfc U without
We left abow IMC wme.
Om the ItHBatv
Oa Monday aext, (I9thp ,the aeveral candidate! ef
Claekaaaa eoaaty wW addreae their feUowHiaena,
rmlJUramjhiaOfOBCity. ,
Thai wiU be aamothtaf nt ia Oregon, and aa Mon
day win he the feet day of the ooatyi court, we e
peel io aee quite a crowd of voirrt , and not a few
candidate, though we know of but eight for the Io
gialaturc. The Ceirremcy.
It ia a aad truth that, at present, there ia much com
plaint of the currency of the country, eapeciaily among
the farmera and mechanica; and it ia a fact, equally
lamentable, that there ia but too much ground for ouch
complaint ; but the queation ia, who ia to be blamedl
Where ia the fault T Many peraona charge it to the
merchant othera to the legi-lature while othen, do
ing a more tektUtate burineaa, fix the blame upon every
one but then-elves. That merchants and traders
should avail themselves of the advantages afforded by
the peculiar circumstances of any country, to profit by
them, is nothing but Auaian afur that the legisla
tors, though honest and wishing to do the beat for the
country, should err through ignorance, ia equally con
sistent with the character of maw, and, to complete the
series of axioms, to etmplain is one of man's natural
and unalienable rights, claimed and exeld by all
at their own discretion, from Adam in his coat of
leavr.f down to the situ-clad settler ia Oregon. Thus,
by a coain of self-evident truths, we arrive at the con
clusion, that the whole matter ia perfectly natural
and ctntUtent icith tk pertertity ef Auman nature.
Perhaps the greatest fault of the few merchants we
have k, that they have been too liberal with their fa
vors of credit, and thereby induced, or at least allowed
us to go too extensively in debt The legislature, f ully
apprised of the fact that the people were generally iu
debt, and fearing a general enort to force payment
would be made by the merchants, and knowing there
was not a sufficiency of thjo precious metals to pay the
debts of the country, thought it their duty to do some-1
thing to save the debtor from a ruinous sacrifice of pro-1
perty; consequently, they 'passed an act, making gov
ernment eerip,accepted order on tolcent merchant,
and wheat, a legal tender for taxes and all judgments
and decrees, die- &c. There is nothing in the Or
ganic Law to prevent the ps age of such an act; yet
we all know that it is contrary to the constitution of
the United States, and that, should that government
favor us with their jurisdiction, this law would, of
course, become nulL The immediate effect of this act
of the legislature, as might have been seen from the
first, has been to check the credit system, and litis
checking has, doubtless, called forth the murmuring
complaints of the real, aa well as the would-be debtors.
We regard the whole affair as a tnufortune, the
evils of which are felt by all classes in Oregon. We
still, as we have ever been, opposed to making the
ncy a subject of legislation, for we think it almost
impossible to make any change of the " legal ten
der," without affecting, more or less, private contracts.
Could we have our own' Individual choice of a legal
tender, it should be the precious metals only, and to
this we believe we will be compelled to come ulti
matelyperhaps the sooner the better.
Oar Prospect.
Wo have recently been presented with a specimen
of red paint, said to bo found in considerable quantities
on the waters of the Clackamas river. This paint, wbsn
calcined, ground with oil, and properly applied to wood,
forms a good body oa the surface, of a clear red color,
resembling red lead. We have also seen some iron ore,
found near this place. Sand stone, of the best grit for
grind-stones, as well aa of a quality suitable for building
purposes, is found in considerable quantities oa the Co
lumbia river, and lime-stone has been discovered in
different places. While the news of these discoveries
comes pouring in upon us from every quarter, like a
shower of national blessings, we can but exclain, what
is there of utility or convenience, that will not soon be
discovered in Oregon? As these sources of wealth,
comfort and convenience, develops themselves oae af
tor another, in rapid succession, the mind ia naturally
led into a train of pleasing anticipations of the future'
wealth aad glory of our now infantile republic. With
an article of wheat, inferior, perhaps, to none in the
world, for our main staple a soil and climate by na
ture, perfectly adapted to its production pastoral ad
vantages equal to any on the green earth exhaustlesa
forests of pine, fir, spruce .and hemlock timber, not only .
suitable for an excellent quality of tawed lumber, but
also for masts, spars, ita., numbers of which are al
ready being exported by the Hudson's Bay Company
streams which not only afford no facilities for interior
navigation, but bring us annual supplies, in vast abun
dance, of that most excellent fish, the salmon; with all
those natural advantages placed in the hands of the in
dustrious and enterprising immigrants, who are fast
spreading over the fertile plains, which seem still to in
vite, by their beauty and convenience, the annual in
gress of American settlers, whai may we not expect of
Individual wealth, commercial interest, and national
distinction? With1 these resources, give us a good and
efficient government, well administered, or rather, give
ui the protection and jurisdiction of the United States,
aad aothiag but a raoviDurrut wterporitkut, or a
criminal sapateaess, can prevent our national, a well
as our loetridaal prosperity aad happiness.
Theatre at Taaeeaver.
That happy ship, (H. B. M. S. " Modesle,") was a
scene of mirth and amusement upon Tuesday even
ing, the " Corps Dramatique" again performing before
a fashionable and crowded audience. The mutical
and favorite comedy of " Love in a Village," followed
by the " Mock Doctor" and the Mayor of Garrett,"
were the plays of the evening, and wa have to con
gratulate tho whole performers in having so ably sus
tained their characters, and to thank these " tars" for
tho rich treat afforded ut, in the far wett, upon this
occasion, as well as for the variety of attractions dur
ing thrj past winter. A Plain Man.
UTThe theatrical performances aboard the " Mo
desto" were followed up ou We dnesdoy by a choice pie
nic party given by Captain BaiUie, to a numerous cir
cle of his friends in Oregon. The weather was threat
ening in tho morning however, the produce of the
purveyor was early conveyed to the lovely spot picked
out upon the "Dairy Plains," and the "good things of
this life" tastefully laid out upon the green award.
Gallant steeds were in readiness for the company, and
gentlemen vied with each other in politenetM to assist
the "blooming fair" to and from their saddles. A caval
cade of about 40 storted, and it was really a pleasing
scene to witness them scampering acros the plains.
Ail were .soon transported to the lovely banks of the
big lake, and squatted in true pic nic iftylo around the
festive board happiness depicted in every counten
ance the sun shoue forth iu all his glory just a tli
feast began, adding lustre to the rosy checks prrseut
A few hours were thus possrd in the most agreeable
manner, when tho company again returned to Van
couver, delighted with this novel variety of amusement
A ball and supper followed the ubove report, given
by the Captain and officers of the ehip. The " fati
ex" were more nui.icrous, and even more bewitching
in their -tiremes, step, and grace, than on former occo.
on. Dancing was kept up with great livelino, anil
it was pleasing to urn the spirit of urbanity and hap
piness that prevailed m this brilliant assembly. Com.
U" Vancouver has, during the week, prescnti-d a
display of beauty, fashion, and gait)'. One can hard
ly walk a hundred yards without meeting pretty luces
and gay costumes. The weather, generally fine, and
the Modeste's entertainments seem to have brought out
the " butterflies," and made our locality quite u scene
of animation. We send you a lint of arrival to attend
the sport. A CoaartroNur.NT.
LIST.
Mr. A. I- Lewis, from Lewis creek.
Mr. dc Mrs. o-'Misses Biroic, from Fort (irorgi:.
Mr. McPhemon, front Hcnppoosc.
Mr. Roe, do? do.
Mr. Buck, do. do.
Mr. ic Mrs. T. Smith, from Tualaty Plain-.
Mr. St. Mrs. Raines, do. do.
Mr. St. Mrs. C. McKay & family, do.
Mr. Burston, do.
Mrs. A. McKay, , do.
Miss Mary Spence, do.
Captain II. M. Kulgbton, from Oregon City.
Mr. Phineas Hunt, do.
Captain .Newell, from Chumpoeg.
Captain Cook, of the " CallipooTah."
Miss Buck, from Tualaty county.
Miss Anny Raines, do.
Mr. St. Mrs. William McKay, from tho Full.
Mrs. Solomon Smith, from Clatsop.
Mr. at Mrs. Burris, from Tualaty Plain.
Mr. William Flet, do.
Mr. dc. Mrs. Roumia, do.
Mrs. Logio, Souve's Island.
For the Spectator.
Mr. Editor Tho attention of tho politicians
ofVregon has been called to a certain law of.
fered by Mr. Bassett in tho Missouri legisla
ture, which tho writer, in the 7th No. of tho
Spectator, informs tho public had been call
ed up in our legislature, and after a partial
discussion, condemned; but which ho thinks,
under a mora enlightened invcstigation,would
result in a different verdict. Although we
may not claim to be one of tho class whoso
attention is called to this subject, wo never
theless feel ourselves interested in having
things fairly stated, that correct conclusions
may be arrived at. Being an observing spec,
tator of tho proceedings of tho Oregon legis
lature, wo were present whon the bill refer
rod to waB under consideration ; but cannot
Bircelve the analogy it bears to that of Mr.
aasett's law, which had for its object the
retrenchment of the salaries of nearly all the
officers belonging to tho county of St. Louis,
Missouri, and raising a fund of 93 per suit,
expressly to pay jurors while that of the
Oregon legislature wax headed "A bill to
prevent litigation," and required tho party
unsuccessful to pay into the territorial trea
sury for each suit brought before a justice of
the peace 93, and for each suit before the
county court 97, besides perquisites allowed
Klerks, dsc, amounting, if wo recollect right,
to about 910 or 912, If an appeal bo taken,
which was over and abovo the ordinary ex
pense of u.ts in these courts, and inlonded,
as tho heading of the bill would indicate, to
act as a bar to further proceedings at court,
or to crcato a territorial fund, not for jurors
alone, aa Mr. Bassott's bill proposed, but,
for aught we know, to augment the salaries
of tho very officers Mr. Bassctt's law propo
sed to diminish, while thoro wus a strong ef
fort made by somo of tho friends of that bill
to ropcal tho luw allowing jurors their pre
sent per diem allowance, and an exclamation
against the small sum allowed by tho laws of
Oregon to judicial officers. Judgo now how
much nnalogy this law has to that proposed
iu tho Missouri legislature, and then, if it !
necessary to raise u jury fund from tiersons
litigant, why not adopt tho old and usual
plan by summg up in tho cost tho fee of each
juror, and authorise tho shorifTor constable,
as the cusc may be, to collect and disburse
tho same without having it fleeced by the
host of officers through whoso hands it must
ymi before it reaches tho honest juror. Hail
si the honor to be ono of the class whosujit.
tcntion has been called to this subjective
should strictly go against creating salaried
offices, which is tho parent to those office
seek drones, or gentlemen of loisurv, who m
frequently fill the cities and pillages of the
states, und who become political demagogues,
exercising, in somo instances, a controlling
influence over the unxiiHpcctiiig bono und
sinew of the country, while wn should con
hidor it our duty, in every instnnee, t guard
tho rights of that hone und sinew, not onl
in their just dues from tiu government, hut
iu the just amount they should 'contribute to
iu upxrt. A SrrtTATou.
or the Spectator.
Mr: Editor The ieoiln of Oregon being
of different nations, and in u laud over w Jiicli
mi iMiwer exercised exclusie wivereiguty
their numbers increasing, and their inteieMs
bringing them in collision with each other,
without uny laws by which to adjust dispute",
punish crime, or keep the enee found it ab
solutely necessary to estiiblish Mime rules, by
the observance of which they could live to.
gctlier iu peace and harmony.
Tlicso rules our article ofrompari ha ve
been established, and though in muny re
spccM defective, ure in spirit just and equit
able, and howevor weak u base tlioy may be
for a government, yet, u.s tliny are founded
upon just principles, tliny will sene us it
guide to honest men iu the adjustment of dif
ferences, and iinmso at lenst a moral re.
struint upon the vicious; and mi lout; as they
uro udhered to, the grpaiJttjrtSTiiVovhicii
governments are insjkuted, will Im wrund
to the ptoplo of Oregon.
I am opposed to the pmiosed amendments
to tho Organic Law, not only for their actual
bad policy, but also on account of Micir ten
dency to prevent tho inviolate maintenance
of this compact, to which all parth s in Ore
goiMiavo given their sanction.
1 hold to tho doctrine, that, though u con
stitution may provide for its own amendments,
by the concurrence of certain majorities, yet
an amendment changing the fundamental
principles of tho government, oppressive to
tho minority or depriving them of rights so
cured to them by tho original compact, can
not be binding upon that minority ; therefore,
amendments, though in themselves of ittln
imiortance, should bo ventured upon with
cxtrcmo caution, as they open tho way to
more serious inroads upon tho original instru
ment, by which a minority, by oppression,
may be driven to dofend themselves by force,
which, if successful, is revolution if unsuc
ccssful, rebellion.
Tho people of tha British colonics in Anion
ca, though a minority in the empire, claiming
tho rights scoured to British subjects by their
constitution, resisted a tax imposed upon them
by a parliament in which they wore not re
presented success gave birth to a great na
tion will any one say a contrary result to
our revolutionary struggle would havo chan
god tho prinoiplo contended for 1
But aa principles, like mathematical truths,
are in their nature immutable and eternal, if
it over has boon, it-forevor will be, just for
minorities to resist oppression. Therefore,
any chango in our Organic Law,,dcpriving
any portion of tho citizens of rights secured
to them by the original compact, cannot
bo binding upon them ;' and if the Oregon
government, in the plenitude of its power,
cannot exert physical forco sufficient to ar.
M
M