stand then taken by Governor Stevens been supported by the national government, the matter would undoubtedly have been settled at that time as it should have been, but it was held in abeyance until further acts of British aggression made a final settlement indispensable. The following letter written by William L. Marcy, then secretary of state, to Governor Stevens will explain the position taken by the government.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, WASHINGTON CITY, July 14, 1855.

He (the president) has instructed me to say to you that the officers of the territory should abstain from all acts on the disputed grounds calculated to promote any conflicts, so far as it can be done without implying the concession to the authority of Great Britain of an exclusive right over the premises.

The title ought to be settled before either party should exclude the other by force, or exercise complete and sovereign rights within the fairly disputed limits. Application will be made to the British government to interpose with the local authorities on the northern borders of our territory to abstain from like acts of exclusive ownership, with the explicit understanding that any forbearance on either side to assert the rights, respectively, shall not be construed into any concession to the adverse party.

By a conciliatory and moderate course on both sides it is sincerely hoped that all difficulties will be avoided until an adjustment of the boundary line can be made in a manner mutually satisfactory. The government of the United States will do what it can to have the line established at an early period. W. L. MARCY.

On July 17, 1855, Mr. Marcy, in a note to Mr. Crompton, of the British. legation, suggested that, pending negotiations and settlement of the conflicting claims in Oregon, means should be found to prevent a conflict between the citizens of the two governments.

By this letter it will be seen that the national administration favored a policy of "Joint Occupation" such as had prevailed in regard to the original Oregon territory for so many years, until the boundary lines could be finally determined, rather than insist upon its rights in the premises.

Although Mr. Marcy promised to have the line established at an early period, nothing definite was done until 1859, when Archibald Campbell was appointed United States commissioner to establish the northwest boundary line between the United States and the British possessions. Captain Prevost, Royal Navy, commanding her Majesty's corvette, the Satellite, was commissioned to establish the water boundary from the forty-ninth parallel to the middle of the Straits of Fuca, assisted by Captain Richards, Royal Navy, commanding her Majesty's steamer Plumper, and Major Hawkins, Royal

Engineers, to determine and mark the forty-ninth parallel. The credentials of the British commissioners were not satisfactory and much time was lost in adjusting them, nor were they ever entirely clear and satisfactorily definite.

Prior to this time Henry Webber, an American, was first appointed a deputy collector of customs for San Juan Island. He was succeeded by Oscar Olney, and in 1859 by Colonel Paul K. Hubbs, a well known resident, at that time, of Port Townsend, and still a highly respected citizen of San Juan Island. In the life of Governor Stevens, written by his son General Hazard Stevens, appear the following paragraphs:

"A row over a pig precipitated a crisis in the San Juan dispute. An American settler, Lyman A. Cutlar, shot a Hudson's Bay Company's porker found rooting in his garden, whereupon Governor Douglass promptly dispatched a steamer to the scene, bearing his son-in-law, who was a high official of the company and also of the colony, and two members of the colonial council. Landing, they loudly claimed the island as British soil, and ordered the settler to pay one hundred dollars for the slain pig, on penalty of being taken to Victoria for trial if he refused. But the settler, who had already offered to pay the reasonable value of the pig, did refuse, and boldly defied arrest, revolver in hand. The British officials retired, baffled for the time, but declaring that the settler was a trespasser on British soil, and must submit to trial by a British court for his offense. A few days after this episode General Harney, returning from a visit to Governor Douglass, stopped at San Juan, and the American settlers there invoked his protection against British aggression, relating the story of the pig. They also begged protection against the raids of the northern Indians, who had committed many depredations on Americans, while they never molested the English or Hudson's Bay Company people, whom they regarded as friends. The old soldier realized the defenseless condition of the settlers. His blood was stirred at the attempted outrage. On his way back to Vancouver he stopped at Olympia and dined with Governor Stevens, and discussed with him what action the emergency required. Immediately upon reaching his headquarters at Vancouver, General Harney ordered Captain George E. Pickett-the same who, a Confederate general, led the famous charge at Gettysburg—to proceed with his company of the Ninth Infantry from Bellingham Bay to San Juan Island, occupy it, and afford protection to American settlers. Pickett landed on the island, July 27, and at once issued a proclamation declaring that, in compliance with the orders of the commanding general (Harney), he came to establish a military post on the island, notifying the inhabitants to call on him for protection against northern Indians, and stating that this being United States territory, no laws other than those of the United States, nor courts except such as are held by virtue of said laws, will be recognized or

allowed on this island.' This was throwing down the gauntlet at the feet of the British lion with a vengeance; and Governor Douglass, a bold, haughty and determined man, hurried three warships to the island, with positive orders to prevent the landing of any more United States troops; but Pickett took up a position on high ground, threw up intrenchments, and notified the British that he would fire upon them if they attempted to land.

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Governor Douglass now issued his proclamation, protesting against the 'invasion,' and reasserting that the island was British soil; and, armed with this document, his three naval commanders waited on Pickett, and formally demanded his withdrawal. On his refusal, they proposed a joint occupation. But the dare-devil American officer was equally obdurate in rejecting this compromise, and repeated his warning to them not to land. Nothing remained for them but to report their mortifying failure to Governor Douglass. It happened that Admiral Baynes, commanding the British Pacific fleet, had just put into Esquimalt Harbor, the naval station on Vancouver Island, four miles from Victoria, with a strong naval force. Sir James, his indignation at white-heat, and fiercely determined to expel the Yankees from the coveted island, now ordered the Admiral to take his whole force and drive them from it. As governor of a British colony, Sir James was authorized to give the order, and it was the Admiral's duty to obey it. But Admiral Baynes took the responsibility of not obeying it. It would be ridiculous, he declared, to involve the two great nations in war over a squabble about a pig. But he reinforced the ships blockading San Juan, and renewed the orders to prevent the landing of any more American troops. Five British ships of war, carrying 167 guns and 2,140 men, closely beset the southeastern end of the island, charged with the execution of these orders.

"Governor Stevens visited San Juan soon after Pickett landed, and on August 4, left it in the steamer Julia. Captain Jack Scranton, with dispatches from Captain Pickett to General Harney, reached Olympia the next day, and at once forwarded the dispatches by special messenger to General Harney at Vancouver. In return, Harney's orders reached Olympia on the 8th, were forwarded immediately by the Julia to Steilacoom, and in pursuance of them Colonel Casey embarked on the steamer with three companies, hastened down the Sound, silently stole through the blockading fleet in a dense fog, and effected a landing on San Juan on the 10th. The sight of the empty steamer anchored close to the shore in the gray of the morning, and the cheers of the reinforcements as they marched into Pickett's fort on the hill above, first apprised the British navy of the successful landing. Soon afterwards Admiral Baynes withdrew his ships and relinquished the blockade, leaving the American forces in undisputed possession.

"While the British were omnipotent on the water, they were ill prepared to sustain a contest on land, and undoubtedly the knowledge of this fact influenced Admiral Baynes, and Governor Douglass, too, after his first indignation, in their forbearing attitude. Victoria and all the points on Frazer and Thompson rivers and other places on the mainland were thronged with American miners, attracted by the recently discovered gold fields. The British were but a handful. The brave and adventurous pioneers of Washington and Oregon, the Indian war volunteers, were close at hand. The first clash of arms on San Juan would have signaled the downfall of every vestige of British authority in northwest America, except on the decks of their warships. There is no doubt that Governor Stevens and the American commander intended to press their advantage to the utmost in case of conflict."

On August 1, 1855, Colonel, then Major Granville O. Haller, proceeded, under orders from Lieutenant Colonel Silas Casey, from Steilacoom with a company of United States troops to reinforce Captain Pickett on San Juan Island. On his arrival, however, his assistance was not considered necessary, and, without landing his soldiers, who were conveyed on the United States steamer Massachusetts, he continued his voyage to Semiahmo, where they were employed as a guard for the party of United States commissioner, Archibald Campbell, which was encamped at that place, and in some danger from the hostile incursions of northern Indians. For nearly half a century Colonel Haller was a prominent and highly esteemed soldier, citizen and pioneer of the Puget Sound Country, dying at Seattle May 2, 1897.

"Alarmed at the risk of war, and the scarcely veiled threats of the British minister, the government hastened to send General Scott to the seat of war, big with compromise. He withdrew Captain Pickett and all the troops save one company from the island. Admiral Baynes established a post of an equal number of marines on the opposite or western end, and the joint occupation was maintained thirteen years, or until terminated by the Emperor William's award in favor of the United States."

CHAPTER XXV.

HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES.

In the earlier ages of the world men of unusual genius and enterprise devoted their energies to the concentration of great armies, to the conquest and subjugation of adjoining provinces or nations, or to the building up of what they called a great world power, which ordinarily ended in a military despotism. All this was only accomplished by the destruction of the blood and treasure of unnumbered thousands of people, and brought distress, poverty and woe to other countless thousands of widows and orphans, while the benefits derived therefrom were few in number and enjoyed by comparatively few people.