present southern boundary of Alaska. This northern boundary of the Oregon Country was supposed to run along that latitude from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains.
From October 20, 1818, to June 15, 1846, the Oregon Country, under conventions between the United States and Great Britain, was free and open to occupation by the citizens and subjects of these two countries, being what was called "joint-occupancy." There were no laws made by either of these countries which applied to all the inhabitants of the Oregon Country, but Canada had some criminal laws which, in a way, applied to British subjects, including officers and employees of the Hudson's Bay Company.
In 1842, prior to the immigration of that year, the population of Oregon south of the Columbia River, excluding Indians, was about one hundred and two white citizens of the United States, men, women and children, of whom about seventy were men. These were called Americans. There were also about sixty-three French-Canadians, who were British subjects. These were mostly former employees of the Hudson's Bay Company. In these numbers are not included Indian women, who were wives of white men, and half-breed children.
October 5, 1842, there arrived at Oregon City the immigration of 1842, consisting of about one hundred and twentyfive persons, of whom a few more than half were men. May 30, 1843, fifty-three of these immigrants, of whom twenty-five were men, left for California.
May 2, 1843, at a public meeting held at Champooick [Champoeg], Oregon, attended by one hundred and two men, Americans and British, the latter being almost wholly French Canadians, by the close vote of fifty-two for, and fifty against, a 'provisional government was formed. Certain officers were elected and a legislative committee of six was appointed to report July 5, 1843. The report of this committee was adopted at a public meeting held at Champooick, July 5, 1843. ("Oregon Archives," page 23). It divided the Oregon Country into four Districts. After the creation of Clatsop and
