Although McLoughlin had taken no open part in these proceedings, he was naturally and rightly supposed by the rebuked and offended originators of the provisional government idea to be responsible for the attitude taken by the French settlers, and a feeling of hatred toward him had much to do with the drawing-up of the Shortess–Abernethy petition, the history of which has already been given.
Meetings were likewise held in other parts of the colony; one at the Oregon Institute, where Gray resided, being ostensibly called for the purpose of devising means of protecting the herds of the country from wild animals,[1] but really as a device by which the settlers, French and American, might be brought together, and the plan of a provisional government broached.[2] The minutes of the meeting occupy less than half a page, the only business accomplished being the appointing by Babcock, the chairman, of a committee of six, to give notice of a general meeting to be held at the house of Joseph Gervais on Monday the 6th of March.
- ↑ 'When we came here the wolves ate up many horses—fourteen for one company. Cattle would fight them, but horses would run, and the wolves would run them down.' Waldo's Critiques, MS., 11. Parrish also remarks upon the loss of stock of every kind by panthers, wolves, and cougars. Or. Anecdotes, MS., 99. White speaks of being driven into a tree by wolves, and of being rescued by his wife and hired man. Ten Years in Or., 88–9.
- ↑ Applegate remarks: 'It is new to me that Gray was a prime mover in this matter.' Marginal notes in Hist. Or., 264.
of March, to which it was addressed. Gray, Hist. Or., 273, says that he is sure address was not brought before any public meeting of the settlers. This suggests an explanation of the absence of records touching this portion of the proceedings of the missionaries, namely, that when they found these reasonable objections of the Canadians so well stated, they quietly suppressed their reply so that it might not affect the feeling of the American settlers, whom they had more hope of bringing over. A compilation of the public documents of the provisional government of Oregon was made in 1853 by Lafayette Grover, by order of the legislative assembly. Here is what Grover says about his work: In the 'preparation for publication of the Oregon Archives, the commissioner has met with many obstacles to the perfect success and early completion of the important work assigned him. Within the proper depository of the public papers he had not been able to find entire and satisfactory records of all that, he is satisfied, has transpired in Oregon of a public, general nature, and which would be of eminent historic importance. In this case, he has spared no pains to search out from other authentic and reliable resources all such information as would fill existing blanks or furnish sufficient explanation of seeming discrepancies and wants.' Preface to Grover's Or. Archives.
