are separated from our native land by a range of moun
tains whose lofty altitudes are mantled in eternal snows;
although three thousand miles, nearly two-thirds of which
is a howling wild, lie between us and the federal capital,
yet our hearts are unalienated from the land of our birth.
Our love for the free and noble institutions under which
it was our fortune to be born and nurtured, remains un
abated. In short, we are Americans still, residing in a
country over which the government of the United States
has the sole and acknowledged right of sovereignty; and
under such circumstances we have the right to claim the
benefit of its laws and protection."
The bill providing for a messenger authorized him to proceed with all dispatch, by way of California, to Wash ington City, and lay before the executive of the United States such official communications as he should be charged with. It required him to take an oath faithfully to perform his duties to the best of his ability, but left him to be compensated by the government of the United States; authorizing him to borrow, if he could, on the faith of the Oregon government, five hundred dollars for his expenses, and requiring him to give bonds in a thousand dollars for the faithful execution of his trust.
The borrowing of five hundred dollars for this purpose, in addition to the amounts secured by the loan commis sioners, was a task nearly as great as that of conveying the official documents to their destination, as may be learned from references to Meek s efforts in letters found in the Oregon archives. It was a task requiring time and industry, and often failed to bear the hoped-for fruit.
Meek s credentials from the governor were contained in this brief letter of introduction:
OREGON CITY, December 28, 1847. To His Excellency, James 1C. Polk, President of the United States:
SIR: The bearer, Joseph L. Meek, Esq., has been appointed by the legislature of Oregon territory, special messenger to carry dis-
