364 REVEREND EZRA FISHER Society to occupy this town, or I might say city, and Oregon City. I trust we shall soon see Br. Cramb, and that man of God will soon be on his way for Portland. Yours in the bonds of the gospel, EZRA FISHER. N. B. I shall order you to pay three or four dollars to the editor of the Mothers' Journal soon, also to pay my subscrip- tion for the Christian Chronicle to the end of the present year. Received May 25, 1854. Oregon City, Ore. Ter., June 17th. Rev. Benjamin M. Hill, Cor. Sec. A. B. H. M. Soc. Dear Br. Hill : Yours of Apr. 3d, announcing my reappointment, and one a few days later, condoling me on account of my late bereave- ment and answering my request to remain at Oregon City a few months, came duly to hand. I now take my pen to present before your Board the importance of immediately occupying Portland, but before stating my views I would refer you to Br. Taggert, Br. Failing's old pastor, for information on that subject, as I understand that he has written a long letter to said Taggert, giving a general view of things in Portland. Br. Failing was deacon in 10th St. Church, N. Y. There some- times are times in the history of a town in the new portions of our great missionary field where it really seems that things form a crisis, and one opportune movement of a religious de- nomination may give them all the advantage of years of hard labor in establishing a permanent interest. Such appears to be the door now opened in Portland. I have it from the Methodist minister in charge at Portland that he wonders why the Baptists do not occupy Portland. Why, he says that the Baptists have more wealth and influence in Portland today than any other denomination of Christians. Yet the Methodists have expended within the last four years more than $8,000 on that place and the Congregational Church
