Warre and Vavasour, 1845-6. 39 [No. 10.] Report of Lieuts. Warre and Vavasour, Dated 26 Octo- ber, 1845, Directed to "The Rt. Hon. the Secretary of State for the Colonies." Received July 6, 1846. H. B. Company's Fort Vancouver, Oregon Territory, October 26, 1845. My Lord: In continuation of the report, dated June 10, 1845,* 2,nd forwarded from Red River, referring to the par- ticular service entrusted to us, by order of His Excellency Lord Metcalfe, the Governor General in B. N. America: We have the honor to inform your Lordship of our arrival at this post, in the Oregon Territory. The overland journey from Red River to the Columbia occupied 62 days, having left the i6th of June, we reached Fort Colville on the i6th August. There are two lines of communication from Red River to the Columbia, viz.: 1st. The route by which we have lately passed to a defile in the Rocky Mountains, in about 50° 30' north latitude (from whence [to?] the head waters of the north branch of the Columbia) [which?] is seldom used except by small par- ties requiring dispatch, and is quite impracticable for the transport of troops, with their provisions, stores, etc. The country on the east side of the Rocky Mountains pre- sents a succession of undulating plains, intersected by numer- ous belts of thickly wooded swamps, and many dangerous rivers. The passage of the Rocky Mountains alone would form a sufficient barrier to prevent the transport of stores, etc., on account of the high, steep and rugged nature of the mountain passes; the same insuperable objections, increased by the denseness of an almost impenetrable jungle, and more numer- ous rivers, and mountain torrents, exists on the west side, fol- lowing the course of McGillivray's River (which is unnaviga-
- In Lord Metcalfe's, 26 July, 1845.
