Memorial of the Legislative Assembly of Oregon Territory, Relative to Their present Situation and Wants.

Pamphlet, 8vo disbound, 26 pp. Last leaf detached with some paper loss along gutter, but not affecting text. Early ink notation on first leaf, normal aging and toning, and ink notation on first leaf. Overall very good. Eberstadt describes this document as “invaluable”. While it contains a lot of information about the “Whitman captivity”, its real value rests in the contemporary view it presents of the Oregon territory prior to statehood. Because of recent Indian attacks, representatives of the state are asking for help from the United States government. Apparently these requests have been made before, but the citizens of the territory seem to feel politics had gotten in the way of any assistance. Now an uprising by the Cayuse Indians has made things even more difficult. A number of people have been killed in raids by the “savages”, including Dr. Marcus Whitman, a physician who was trying to help the tribe. Despite the fact that territory officials attributed the attacks as totally unprovoked, the document also points out that because of the high death rate among the tribe being treated by Whitman, the Indians felt he was poisoning them, and was killed for it. From the 30th Congress House document number 98. Eberstadt 122:269.