are not deserving of any favor. If I may presume to give you an opinion allow none of these men about any of your missions and praying that our heavenly father may Bless and prosper your labours.
I am, etc.,
JOHN McLOUGHLIN.
Vancouver, Oct. 14, 1844.
Reverend Father DE SMET
Reverend and Dear Sir.- I forgot to mention to you that we have a trading establishment on the Umpqua about 200 miles to the south of this. The country is fine, the plains extensive, and we have forty head of cattle there and raise abundance of grain for the use of the establishment and there is a fine place for a mission on the banks of a river (we are going to place the establishment there) about eighty miles from the ocean and to which we believe vessels of loo tons may come, taking it altogether from situation, means of living and population (there are about 150 persons) which is quite manageable - from a long intercourse with our people-It appears the best situation for a mission that I know and besides this you can establish a mission in another place farther south from which you can open a communication with California at once and where you are so desirous to penetrate and where I am certain you and your worthy colleagues would do a great deal of good - besides the great advantage it would be to those missions to have a communication through the country and with California. But besides the places to which I allude there are several small rivers along the coast between the Columbia and San Francisco which are accessible to small vessels and afford excellent situations for missions. I regret much it did not occur to me to mention this to you when you were here, but your sickness and occupation and my occupation pre-