THE QUARTERLY of the Oregon Historical Society Volume XXIV DECEMBER, 1923 Number 4 Copyright, 1923, by the Oregon Historical Society The Quarterly disavows responsibility for the positions taken by contributors to its pages. MORE ABOUT ASTORIANS* By Stella M. Drumm, Librarian, Missouri Historical Society On April 30, 1813, there arrived in St. Louis seven exhausted men returning from a journey of which more than 1500 miles was on foot. Included in this party were Ramsay Crooks, Robert McClellan and Benjamin Jones. They had left Astoria June 29, 1812, with im- portant dispatches for John Jacob Astor. The little expedition was commanded by Robert Stuart. 1 John Day had also started with them, but because of a mental breakdown was sent back to the Fort. Ramsay Crooks and Robert McClellan had been partners in the Pacific Fur Company, but being dissatisfied gave up their part- nership interest and withdrew. 2
- Address before the annual meeting of the members of the Oregon
Historical Society, Portland, Oregon, October 28, 1923. iln the Pacific Fur Company Minute Book is this resolution: Resolved that it being necessary to send an express to New York and all the papers and other things being prepared, Mr. Robert Stuart is hereby instructed to have and to take charge of them, with which lie is to go as directly to N. Y. as circumstances will admit, and there to be governed by the directions of Mr. Astor as to the time of his returning to the Northwest coast. It is also resolved that John Day, Benjamin Jones, Francois LeClerc and Andree Vallee accompany Mr. Stuart as far as St. Louis where he is to pay them the balance due each by means of drafts drawn by our W. P. Hunt on John Jacob Astor. June 27, 1812. (Missouri Hist. Soc. MSS.) * 2 Ibid. "Resolved that Robert McClellan having expressed his intention
