a mission to the interior, who reiterated what was known
before, that the Indians were angry only with the " Boston r
people or Americans, who they had declared, should not
have their lands or take away their liberties. Such being
the truth beyond doubt, Dr. McLoughlin still urged the
policy of keeping away from them, and it was evident he
feared an uprising, so easily brought about by slight indis
cretions among these ignorant people.
But White and Hines kept on, arriving at Vancouver on the evening of the twenty-eighth. Says Hines con cerning what followed : " Called on Dr. McLoughlin for goods, provisions, powder, balls, etc., for our accommoda tion on our voyage up the Columbia, and though he was greatly surprised that, under the circumstances, we should think of going among these excited Indians, yet he ordered his clerks to let us have whatever we wanted. However, we found it rather squally at the fort, not so much on account of our going among the Indians of the interior, as in consequence of a certain memorial having been sent to the United States congress implicating the conduct of Dr. McLoughlin and the Hudson's Bay Company, and bearing the signatures of seventy Americans. I inquired of the doctor if he had refused to grant supplies to those Ameri cans who had signed that document. He replied that he had not, but that the authors of the memorial need expect no more favors from him. Not being one of the authors, but merely a signer of the petition, I did not come under the ban of the company; consequently I obtained my out fit for the expedition, though at first there were strong indications that I would be refused."
Thus the Americans in Oregon were furnished with the means of protecting themselves against the alleged hostile influence of the company whose acts they continually denounced in their memorials, furnished at a long credit besides, and the risk of disturbing the company s relations with the Indians and the home board, because Dr. McLoughlin was too magnanimous to oppose himself to a
