Warre and Vavasour, 1845-6. 8s ter from Sir George Simpson to Lieut. Warre and myself (Sir George Simpson having remained at Red River), which contains all the information or advice I have received from that gentleman. "While in the Oregon territory" [as per Sir G. Simpson's letter copied from W. O. records]. By the foregoing extract you will perceive that the points to which Sir George Simpson has drawn my attention are Cape Disappointment and Tongue Point. The former has been purchased by one of the Hudson's Bay Company, for the disposal of Her Majesty's Government, the latter is in the pos- session of an American citizen. The banks of the Willamette River, between the Columbia and the Falls, and also for the most part settled by British subjects and American citizens. Fort Vancouver on the north bank of the Columbia River in 45° 36 min. N. Lat., and 122° 39 min. W. Long., 100 miles from the Pacific Ocean, at the head of the ship navigation, is the principal post of the Hudson's Bay Company on the west of the Rocky Mountains. The present fort is placed near the end of a small plain on the bank of the Columbia River, which is nearly inundated by the spring freshets. A ridge of the high land on which the old fort was situated confines this plain on the north, in the rear of the present site, over which it has a command. This establishment contains several large store houses, made of squared timber, one small stone powder magazine and sev- eral framed dwelling houses ; these are surrounded by a picket fence 15 feet high and 226 yards by 106 yards. At the N. W^ angle there is a bastion block house 20 feet square, the two lower stories are loop-holed, the upper is an octagonal cap containing eight 3 lb. iron guns. The establishment was re- moved from the rising ground before mentioned in conse- quence of the inconvenient distance from the river side, for the conveyance of goods and procuring water, the latter de- fect has been remedied by sinking two wells in the present
fort, which are supplied by the river, the water filtering----
