EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION

OREGON, the land of the mighty pine and the abounding salmon; California, the land of gold and luscious fruit; Idaho, whose output of valuable ore is matched by the product of her grazing plains;] Washington, whose possibilities are limitless; Alaska, the vast empire wherein men have found for their labor rich rewards of precious metals and hardly less precious furs; all these make up the Pacific Slope of which we read in the present volume of THE HISTORY OF NORTH AMERICA. The importance of these sections is undeniable; the Slope as a whole demands the constant attention of the Union. Its vast resources, though richly rewarding those who are exploiting them, are but beginning to be appreciated by those not in close touch with them.

Strange as it may seem to those to whom the greatness of the Pacific Slope is known, the literature upon the section is scanty; particularly is this condition realized by those who desire to obtain an adequate presentation of the Slope in one volume. Indeed, they might search in vain for such a work, for until its production by Professor Schafer there was none. Now, however, the reader may in one correlated presentation follow the exploration, settlement, colonization and development of that vast stretch of land whose southern boundary is the Gulf of California and whose northern limit is the Arctic Ocean; whose eastern border is the Rocky Mountains and whose western curb is the Pacific Ocean.

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The history of this land concerns itself with three widely differing sections populated by antagonistic peoples. For to California the Spanish first came; English-speaking people settled the Oregon country; subjects of the Muscovite came to the land north of "fifty-four-forty." The story of the beginnings of each of these sections is full of romance. Its interest puts that of modern novels to blush. Naught can take away from the glamour that tradition and history have thrown around those Spanish adventurers and devoted mission priests who first came to the "isle of delight," as the Spaniard called California. Neither can aught dim the light of romance that surrounds the stalwart trappers and explorers who first brought to the banks of the lordly Oregon the message of Eastern civilization. Nor can Norse saga rival the tales of the Russian fur traders and their despotic masters whose deeds in the early days of Alaskan colonization were as barbarous as they were brave.

It is because of the vast treasure of romance which has been spread before the student that the sober truth of several histories is the bedfellow of fable, and the attractive probabilities of appealing episodes have in great measure clouded the clear judgment which it has always seemed to us should be the first qualification of a historian. For this reason the general reader, besides being confronted by the lack of a history in convenient form, found in those sectional histories to which he had access such a large number of inaccuracies that his conception of the Slope and its peopling was, to say the least, incomplete. It was, then, to supply a positive need that the present volume was planned.

The plan was comprehensive. It included the various stages of the development of the vast region. It not only related the history of the sections, but it comprised a presentation of their relations, individually and collectively, with each other and with the Eastern States. This plan has been carried out in its every detail with a thoroughness. that the editor expected from the competence of the author. The narrative is clear and interesting, and withal accurate.

EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION

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Save with the single exception of the mystery surrounding the operations of Frémont in 1846-1847 there is little argumentative matter; there we have a necessity for a treatment of conflicting theories and the presentation of a conclusion. But the author, without argument, is able to present much new light upon moot points of Pacific Slope history. Among numerous examples may be mentioned, "the Whitman ride," the missionary influence in Oregon, the seizure of Monterey, the Mormons in the gold fields of California, the attitude of the English in the boundary disputes. We feel that in these matters the conclusions of Professor Schafer settle controversy. GUY CARLETON LEE.

Johns Hopkins University.

AUTHOR'S PREFACE

THE story of the discovery and exploration of the far West, the exploitation of seacoast and interior by the fur traders, and the planting of new communities along the shores of the Pacific has a peculiar charm for the student of American history. The writer felt it long before the present work was undertaken, and when he was still residing in a distant portion of the country, away from the influences generated in a Pacific coast environment. Now the reason seems obvious enough. Americans have long been accustomed to look upon the Pacific as the goal of national expansion, and something of romantic glamour surrounds all participants in the successful movement to bring these vast regions to the knowledge of the world, to master the forces opposed to their occupation, and to make them a part of the United States. Besides, the contemplation of the obstacles overcome in the process brings into sharp relief certain traits of American manhood which are everywhere admired, namely, native intelligence, strength, courage, fortitude, and above all a pervading, hopeful idealism.

Recent events in the history of the nation emphasize the importance of our Pacific outlook; but these events themselves are, so far as the development of trade is concerned, steps in an evolutionary process that began more than a century ago, when first the Northwest Coast became an object of interest to the merchants of Boston and New York. The