636 



OREGON 



ORENBURG 



wide, every foot of which is arable and fertile 

 adapted by soil and climate U> grain and fruit. 

 The valley is situated between tlie Coast Kiinx' 1 

 and the Cascade Kango of mountains. South of 

 thU are the I'mpqua anil Rogue I liver valleys, 

 both of which produce large quantities* of fruit. 



The climate of Oregon is mild, in spite of its 

 northerly Mutation, owinj; first to the oceanic cur- 

 rent from Japan, which, .storting witli a tempera- 

 ture of 90, U from 49 to 54 off the coast here. 

 Moreover, the cold Arctic winds are warded nil 1 by 

 the Cascade Range, and no blizzard can cross the 

 Rocky Mountains. The range of temperature from 

 summer to winter is smalL On tne coast the 

 climate is mild and varies little, but there is fog 

 in summer and excessive rain in winter ; in the 

 Willamette valley the summers are pleasant, the 

 winters wet, and spring and autumn foggy in the 

 mornings; the l'm||iia valley has a delightful 

 climate, with some snow in winter ; and the same, 

 with greater heat and cold, U true of the Rogue 

 River valley, the lake region in the south-east, and 

 Eastern Oregon, where there is a good deal of 

 snow in winter. The average mean temperature is 

 60 F., the rainfall 36 inches 17 at Linkville, iu 

 the interior, and 59 at Astoria, on the coast. 



The grain-crops of Oregon are wheat, oats, 

 barley, rye, and maize, in this order. Flax- 

 seed, hay, potatoes, tobacco, and hops (principally 

 along the rivers Willamette and Mackenzie) are 

 also raised. From three to four million pounds of 

 butter and cheese are produced annually. Great 

 quantities of fruit, both green and (tried, are 

 annually shipped from the state, especially from 

 the western districts ; but in Eastern Oregon, too, 

 excellent fruit is produced, and, as the bunch-grass 

 is fast disap|>earmg, and the herds of cattle are 

 diminishing, agricultural and horticultural pursuits 

 are receiving more attention. The lands best 

 suited for fruit-farming are mainly limited to the 

 valleys and foot-hills ; but these are of vast extent, 

 and the extreme richness of the soil and the mild- 

 ness of the climate make the state's productive 

 powers almost inconceivably great. The demand 

 abroad for Oregon fruits more than doubled annu- 

 ally from 1885 to 1890. The most successful fruits 

 are the Italian prune, apples (Oregon is called ' the 

 land of red apples'), pears, peaches, grapes, and 

 cherries ( the Royal Ann cherries grow too large for 

 one bite). The wealth of Oregon in timber is 

 remarkable. The Oregon Pacific Railroad, in 

 crossing the Cascade Range, passes through a great 

 tiiul)er oelt extending for 90 continuous miles ; and 

 it is stated that careful examination shows in one 

 locality enough timber on one square mile to 

 supply for twenty years a mill cutting 150,000 feet 

 a day. 



Among the other industries of Oregon may be 

 mentioned the catching and tinning of salmon 

 (430,000 cases were shipped from the Columbia 

 I liver in 1S90), the rearing of sheep (Eastern 

 Oregon produces large quantities of wool of good 

 quality), and mining. The minerals of the state 

 comprise coal (29,000 tons in 188o), jron ore, gold 

 (14,905 ounces), copper, nickel, quicksilver, fire- 

 clay, chrome, silver, manganese, zinc, lead, and 

 platinum. Trade is facilitated by numerous lines 

 of railway, and the navigable rivers have steamers 

 running all the year. In 1891 there were three 

 through linen connecting Oregon with the east and 

 south, and another was in construction. 



Under the title of Oregon was formerly included 

 all the land between the Rocky Mountains and the 

 Pacific Ocean north of 42 N. lat. John Jacob 

 Astor established Astoria (q.v. ) in 1811 ; in 1813 

 it was sold to the North-western Fur Company, 

 and it afterwards passed into the possession of the 

 Hudson Bay Company. Great Britain's claim to 



the territory was based on Drake's discovery of 

 the coast in 1579, Cook's visit to Juan de Fuca 

 Strait in 1778, the explorations of Captain John 

 Mean's in 1788-89, and Vancouver's survey of 

 the entire coast from 30 to 60 N. hit., and' dis- 

 covery and ascent of the Columbia River, in 1792. 

 A treaty of joint occupation was agnt-d to lieiween 

 Britain and the I nited Slates in ISIS, and en. lured 

 until 1846. Settlement by the New F.nghinders 

 began in 1832, and an Indian mission was planted 

 at Salem by the Methodists in 1834. The Oregon 

 question was a prominent feature of the presidential 

 contest in 1844. In 1846 the dispute was com- 

 promised, the boundary line with British America 

 Iieing fixed at 49 N. lat. Oregon became a terri- 

 tory in 1848, and, with reduced limits, a state in 

 1859. It has thirty-three counties, and sends two 

 representatives to congress. The judges of the 

 supreme court are elected by popular vote. The 

 valuation of property in 1898 was $133,533,571. 

 The public school system consists of district 

 schools (3675 teachers in 189S, with an average 

 daily attendance of 61,234) free to all between the 

 ages of four and twenty, the state university at 

 Eugene, the state agricultural college at Corvullis, 

 and four normal schools, U'sides institutions for 

 the blind, deaf and dumb, and orphans. There 

 are also thirty-three private and denominational 

 institutions. The principal cities are Portland 

 (pop. 1900, 90,426), Salem, the capital (4258), As- 

 toria, Albany, Baker City, Eugene, Oregon City, 

 The Dalles, Pemlleton (town), \e. Pop. (1860) 

 52,465; (1880) 174, 768; (1890) 313,767; (1900)413,536. 



Oregon River. See COLUMBIA. 



Orel, a town of Russia, stands on the Oka, 222 

 miles by rail SSW. of Moscow, has manufactures 

 of ropes, tallow, bricks, machinery, and verdigris, 

 and a busy trade in grain, ropes, and tallow. It 

 was burned down in 1848 and again in 1858. Pop. 

 (1883) 76,601 The government of Orel, an agri- 

 cultural and busy industrial region, has an area of 

 18,036 sq. m., and a pop. ( 1883) of 1,918,342. 



Orellana. See AMAZON. 



Orelll. KASPAR yox, scholar, was 1mm at 

 Zurich, 13th February 17S7. Ordained in 1806, he 

 next year liecame a Reformed preacher at Bergamo ; 

 in 1813 a teacher in the cantonal school at Coire ; 

 in 1819 professor at Zurich, and in 1833 professor 

 of Classical Philology in the newly-founded univer- 

 sity. He died at Zurich, 6th January 1849. Orelli 

 edited many classical authors with great learning, 

 taste, and acute discrimination, in particular Horace 

 ( 1837-38), Tacitus ( 1846-47), and Cicero ( 1826-31 ). 

 His Onomtuticon 'i nil,, mum (1836-38) and In- 

 scHptidiuim l.utiititriim Selecturum Collectio (1828) 

 also deserve mention. 



Ori'lll. KONRAD VON, theologian, was born at 

 Zurich, 25th January 1846, and studied at Lausanne, 

 Zurich, Erlangen, and especially theology at 

 Tubingen, and oriental languages at I..-ip/.ig. In 

 1869 he became orphan-house preacher at Zurich, 

 privat-docetit in 1871, professor extra-ordinary of 

 Theology at Basel in 1873. and ordinary professor 

 there in 1881. Among his writings are Die Ait- 

 testamcntliche Weii>a<intui >;,n ,',-r \'ullendtinq del 

 Gottesreicfu (1882; But, trans. 1885) and admir- 

 able Commentaries on Isaiah (1887; trans. 1889), 

 Jeremiah (1887), Ezekiel and the Twelve Minor 

 Prophets (1888). 



Orenburg, a town of European Russia, stands 

 on the river Ural, by rail 727 miles ESE. of 

 Moscow. Founded (1743) as a frontier fortress, 

 it is now of importance for its commerce only ; it 

 imports cotton, silk-stuffs, cattle, hides, &c. from 

 Bokhara, Khiva, and Tashkent. Corn, metnls, 

 sugar, woven goods are the principal export*. The 



