Produced by Adam Buchbinder, Pat McCoy and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (1st-hand-history.org) [Illustration: ASTORIA IN 1811.] A HISTORY OF OREGON, 1792-1849, DRAWN FROM PERSONAL OBSERVATION AND AUTHENTIC INFORMATION. BY W. H. GRAY, OF ASTORIA. PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR FOR SUBSCRIBERS. PORTLAND, OREGON: HARRIS & HOLMAN. SAN FRANCISCO: H. H. BANCROFT & CO. NEW YORK: THE AMERICAN NEWS COMPANY. 1870. CORRECTIONS: FIRST LETTER. 4th page, 2nd line from bottom, after the word horror, read _at_. 6th page, 2nd line from bottom, " quote. 7th page, end of paragraph, ". 23rd page, in place of 283, page 273. 24th page, after zealous priest of, read _the_. 26th page, 5th line, for missionaries, read _missions_. SECOND LETTER. 5th page, first word, for abrogate, read _arrogate_. 8th page, in this letter, read in _his_ letter. 23rd page, for unmbers, read _numbers_. 29th page, 1st paragraph, for dispersing, read _dispensing_. 30th page, 2nd paragraph, for barely, read _basely_ betrayed. 32nd page, for mith, read _with_ many thanks. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by W. H. GRAY, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the District of Oregon. INTRODUCTORY. The reader will observe that when we commenced furnishing the historical articles for the _Marine Gazette_, we did not know that they would be of sufficient interest to justify arranging them in book form; but few articles had been given, however, before there was a call for back numbers of the paper, which were not on hand. It was then decided to continue the articles, giving an opportunity to correct errors in statement of historical facts, and collect such as were printed, with all just criticisms, review the whole, and complete the manuscript for publication. As will be seen, we have endeavored to narrate events in plain language, and as nearly in the order of occurrence as possible. We make no claim to literary merit or attractive style; the facts we have collected, the proofs we are able to give of the policy and practices of one of the most gigantic frauds ever continued for a series of years by one professedly civilized and Christian nation upon another, in chartering and continuing to license a monster monopoly; and the manner in which they have sought for a series of years to prevent American trade and settlement of the western portion of our country, is contained in the following pages. We can only give the principal events, which in the future may be better arranged in an interesting and authentic history, which we must leave for others to write. The reader will find in the following pages:-- I. The American history of the Hudson's Bay and Puget Sound Agricultural companies.