but let us not forget if we would have a city which deserves the pride and devotion we desire to yield it, that by increasing values, by amassing wealth, or even reaching luxury, we have not yet attained true civil greatness.

Amongst us there must arise men-high-minded men-who alone can "constitute a state", who with something of the zeal of the founders will lay out the path to civil virtue and advance

ment.

Spite the fact that there never was an age, and perhaps there never was a place, where there is more temptation to desert some of the higher ideals, nevertheless, I say only what I feel it is my right to say when I declare that in no community may we easier find the elements of a wholesome and magnificent citizenship.

As we learn to live "in scorn of miserable aims that end with self", as we approach the spirit of those intrepid fathers who counted naught a sacrifice so that it made for human betterment, so shall we build a city which shall merit and be accorded of all men the title great.

W. T. DOVELL.

DOCUMENTS.

It is of prime importance, in the reproduction of documents that great care should be exercised in reproducing them faithfully, errors and all; and that information be given as to the location of the document. In the last issue of the Quarterly the document about the first attempted ascent of Mount Rainier was explained as being in the possession of the Tolmie family at Victoria, British Columbia. All the other documents are in the collections of the University of Washington at Seattle, as are all the documents in this issue unless otherwise specified, as in the case of extracts from the old issues of the National Intelligencer of Washington, D. C.

Causes of Indian Troubles.

Governor McMullin wrote this interesting letter to President Buchanan and kept in his office at Olympia a signed copy, which is here reproduced:

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,

Olympia, Washington Territory, Oct. 20th, 1857.

To His Excellency, James Buchanan, President of the United States: Sir,

I have the honor to inform you of my arrival at this place on the 9th, and of my entering upon the duties of Executive of this Territory, on the 10th ultimo.

Immediately after my arrival, I availed myself of an opportunity to visit those portions of our territory bordering upon Puget Sound and Admiralty Inlet, as far north as the 49th parallel of north latitude, more particularly to acquaint myself with the relations existing between our people and the Indians, both native and foreign, and to inform myself with regard to the character of defense necessary to protect the settlers from the depredations of these children of the forest.

I visited all the important points within our territory bordering upon Puget Sound and the Straits de Fuca; and also Victoria on Vancouver's Island, for the purpose of conferring with his Excellency, Governor Douglas, to the end that some mutual action might be taken, and some system of policy adopted to

prevent any further incursions of the northern hordes of savages, inhabiting the Russian Possessions and British America. He informed me that he had neither the power nor means to punish those Indians for past offenses committed within the territory of the United States, nor to prevent similar incursions in the future; but that he would communicate the facts to the "Home Government", and had no doubt that such representation, sustained by a request on the part of the Government of the United States, would meet with early attention, and that one war steamer would be dispatched to co-operate with a similar force on the part of the United States, in keeping those Indians within the limits of their own territory, and preserving peace among the tribes located upon the navigable waters of the two countries on this Coast.

It is a source of sincere regret that I am compelled to inform your Excellency, that this territory of Washington, containing a Small and widely scattered population of about six or seven thousand souls, and lying upon our northern frontier exposed to the incursions of the numerous and warlike tribes of the north, is in an almost wholly defenseless condition. It is true that a few regular troops are stationed at isolated localities, remote from each other, and generally in numbers not much more than sufficient for their own protection. Aside from the smallness of the force, these troops can render but little service in the protection of the people here, or in repelling invasion from without, owing to the character of the Indians to be dealt with and the peculiar characteristics of the country.

The Northern Indians-a term which here includes all the aborigines residing north of the 49th parallel of latitude, on this Coast, and who are in the habit of visiting the interior waters of this territory are an intelligent, bold and athletic race, perhaps more so than any other tribes upon the North American Continent, and delight in war, rapine and murder.

Residing upon the various arms of the sea which project into the land, and upon those extensive channels which separate Vancouver and other islands from the main land, they are bred to the sea and are all very skillful navigators. They display much skill in naval architecture, and their war canoes, carrying from thirty to one hundred men each, and propelled through the 'water, against wind and tide, at from five to eight knots an hour, present an imposing appearance, and are really very formidable. to the present widely scattered population of the territory.

These Indians are found almost constantly prowling around the Sound-moving from point to point in their canoes, with great secrecy and celerity-killing the settlers here and there, as they find opportunity, and plundering houses, killing and carry

ing off stock and keeping the country in a state of continual alarm. The sense of insecurity felt to our citizens, particularly in the northern portions of the territory, has been greatly increased by the recent murder of Col. Isaac N. Ebey, late Collector of Customs for the Puget Sound District. A party of these. northern savages attacked the Col.'s house, on Whidby's Island, about midnight-killed him, cut off his head and bore it off in triumph. While they were engaged in plundering the house, the Col's family, together with G. W. Corliss, Esq., U. S. Marshal for the territory, and lady, who were guests of the family during the session of the U. S. District Court, barely escaped through a back window, and passed the remainder of the night in the woods.

Much alarm exists on the Island and through the surrounding country. Many of the people are collected in block houses for safety, while others have left, or are preparing to leave the territory altogether; and I fear that, unless energetic measures are speedily adopted to keep these murderers and marauders beyond. the limits of our territory, the northern portion of it, so rich in its arable lands, its timber, its coal fields and fisheries, will be abandoned altogether by our citizens.

The Indian tribes within our own territory, living west of the Cascade mountains, numbering about twelve thousand, are showing many signs of discontent, being unquestionably stimulated and encouraged to acts of outrage and violence by the tribes east of the mountains. They are located chiefly along the shores of the Sound and the Straits de Fuca, from which they obtain immense quantities of shell-fish and other marine articles of food, and by a general and simultaneous rising, could anihilate our settlements, with perhaps the exception of the more considerable villages, in a single night.

They complain that the government of the United States has been giving away, and is still selling their lands to settlers, without making them any sort of compensation-that they have, in good faith, made treaties with the Agent of the United States, whereby they were to receive a compensation for their lands, and that these treaties have not been carried out in good faith by our government. They also say that the "Nesquallies", at the head of the Sound, are being paid for their lands, and the treaty stipulations being carried out in that particular case, while they are put off with promises by the Indian Agents, with the sole purpose of keeping them quiet until the white population becomes strong enough to drive them off entirely. They further say that their lands are being gradually taken up by the settlersmilitary and other roads cut through their country without their consent their hunting grounds destroyed and their ancient

burial places desecrated. They do not understand by what right these things are done, nor upon what principles of justice, the government refuses to ratify the treaties and pay them for the land while it yet passes laws giving away and selling their homes, their hunting grounds and their graves. Reasoning thus, they regard the settlers as trespassers upon their domain, and consequently view them with extreme jealousy. This condition of things is daily growing worse, and the time may not be far distant when we may have a general Indian war, involving the tribes both east and west of the Cascades, with many of the powerful northern tribes as their allies.

I have before stated that the northern Indians are very skillful in nautical affairs. This is true, to a somewhat less extent, in relation to our own Indians who reside west of the Cascades, and on the borders of tide-water. Among these the whites have formed their principal settlements, and the waters of the Sound form the chief thoroughfares for both races. It will be readily perceived how formidable these Indians may become, who triple or quadruple the white population, should they unite with the more powerful northern tribes. Nearly all their journeys and expeditions are made in canoes; and the channels, straits and inlets which surround the numerous Islands and ramify the whole country, afford them fine opportunities for their nautical operations, as well as excellent places of concealment.

The character of the country here is unique and peculiar. The prairies are generally small and the country mostly covered with a dense growth of gigantic trees. Another forest. the growth of a former age, equally dense and much more troublesome to the traveler, is found in most places lying upon the ground. These gigantic and partially decayed, prostrate trees are covered with brush, vines and undergrowth of all kinds, which render it exceedingly difficult to traverse the country while, at the same time, they form admirable lairs for wild beasts and lurking places for the wily savages. It will be seen from this, that regular troops can rarely operate to advantage, except as they are transported from place to place by water, there being but few roads passable for footmen, and a still less number for wagons and horses.

On the other hand, Puget Sound and Admiralty Inlet are the great thoroughfares of the central and northern portions of the territory, so regarded and used by both whites and Indians. This great body of inland tide-water is perhaps the most remarkable of any in the world. It does not lie in a compact form. but is distributed into channels, inlets, bays and harbors, and interspersed with islands, so much so, that although only about one hundred and fifty miles in length, it has some sixteen hundred