Peter Skene Ogden, Fur Trader. 271 serving a term, as Governor of the Isle of Man. His career in Canada had been really brilliant but political changes had compelled a change of scene. Sir Geo. Simpson went to England that year and Mr. Ogden seems to have been waiting for some new appointment, for in a letter from Lachine to Mr. McKinlay in November he says : — "Before this can reach you young Miles from London on his way to teach them to keep accounts at Victoria will be with you and will give you all the particulars of my new arrangements — satisfactory to my feelings in almost every respect and I do hope will prove satis- factory to all concerned". Probably the new arrangement meant the transfer of Mr. MacTavish to Vancouver to assist him, although certain changes were taking place at Victoria incident to the retirement of Jas. Douglas from the Company's employ. After almost exactly a year upon the Atlantic sea- board he returned to the Columbia, of which journey the fol- lowing memorandum is found among his papers. "Feb. 5th (1853) Went on board the Steamer Georgia. Sailed on the 7th. Arrived at Aspinwall on the 16th in morning. Arrived at Panama at 8 oclk evening on the 17th. 19th Left Panama on the Steamship Tennessee for San Francisco^. Arrived at Accupulco [sic] on the morning of the 26th of February. Sun- day morning at 9 O'clk March 6th Steamer Tennessee stranded off Tellegraph Rock 4 miles north of the Heads. Monday Left the Wreck across the mountain for San Francisco. Ar- rived at the Oriental at one O'clock. Sunday March 13th Left for Oregon on steamer Columbia. 16th arrived at Astoria in the evening." An experience of this ship-wreck revealing the natural shrewdness of the man has been kindly furnished by Gen. Jas. C. Strong, (a brother of the late Judge Strong of Oregon) who is still residing in California. "Peter Skeen Ogden was one of God's noblemen. I had as good an opportunity to become acquainted with him, I think, as any American, as on his invi- tation, I occupied a room in the H. B. Co.'s stockade, and lived at his table a great deal of the time whenever I was in
