cape him. "I have seen an old geographical chart," he wrote a friend, " which shows the eagle soaring in the air above the great extent of North America, with the numerous islands adjacent to both coasts. He is casting a penetrating and greedy look over the vast Canada and all its dependencies, and his open beak seems ready to snatch them up. All those immense regions of which the United States occupy the center rest under his shadow. His fine widespread tail covers all of Mexico. and the adjoining regions as far as the Gulf of Darien and the Bay of Panama; and the tips of his wings are dipped in the two oceans beyond San Domingo and the Sandwich Islands. And that is the grand future, perhaps not far off, to which the great American Republic aspires, and which she will attain if she is wise."
Many pages might be quoted from his letters to show how well he foresaw the future development of the West, but the following brief reference must suffice: " Are these vast and innumerable fields of hay forever destined to be consumed by fire, or perish in the autumnal snows? How long shall these superb forests be the haunts of wild beasts? And these inexhaustible quarries, these abundant mines of coal, lead, sulphur, iron, copper and saltpetre-can it be that they are doomed to remain forever undeveloped? Not so. The day will come, etc."
It was quite natural, considering Father De Smet's intimate acquaintance with the Columbia Valley, that he should take an active interest in the Oregon Question. Like his co-worker in those parts, Doctor Marcus Whitman,(1) he wanted to see this region fall into the hands of the United States. He was thrown a great deal with the
(1) Father De Smet and Marcus Whitman are the most distinguished names in the history of Protestant and Catholic missionary work in Oregon. There is now in possession of George H. Himes of Portland, Oregon, a "Douay Bible," dated ° Belfast, 1839," with the following inscription in Father De Smet's hand: " Presented to Dr. M. Whitman by P. J. De Smet."