Howes described this work as containing “the only western color plates comparable in beauty to those by Bodmer”. It is a significant record of the American Northwest before it changed forever. The question of possession of the territories in the Pacific Northwest ultimately began with the War of 1812. Part of the international agreement settling claims in 1818. That allowed for equal access to the region but did not settle sovereignty. As expiration approached ten years later it began a long lasting diplomatic debate over the territory which rumbled on for over a decade and is otherwise known as the Oregon Question.

American expansionism was becoming more aggressive and the question of a formal border became more and more of a necessity. The British decided to send a reconnaissance mission to the area to learn more of the region to enable better negotiations. On 5 May 1845, Captain Henry James Warre (1819-98) left Montreal, in the company of Lieutenant Mervin Vavasour (1821-66) of the Royal Engineers, on a military reconnaissance mission to the Oregon Territory.

In the beginning they were accompanying Sir George Simpson, governor of the Hudson Bay Company, who was inspecting the Company’s outposts. Reaching Fort Garry at the confluence of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers they were then accompanied by Peter Skene Ogden (1790-1854), a fur trader for the Company and a man with considerable experience of the Pacific Northwest. Their travels took them to Fort Colville from which they travelled down the Columbia River reaching the Pacific Ocean on 25 August.

The winter was spent exploring the region including the Willamette River, Vancouver Island, Puget’s Sound, whilst visiting Forts George and Vancouver. As the weather improved in the spring they ventured inland again reaching Fort Walla Walla on 3 April 1846. Travelling to Fort Colville they then travelled up the Columbia until they set off on foot to cross the Rocky Mountains. On this portion of the expedition they very nearly ran out of food but were fortunately found by a search party sent out by the Hudson Bay Company. They reached Fort Garry by the 7 June where they met up with Sir George Simpson again from where they travelled together back to Montreal arriving on 20 July 1846.

Unfortunately for them, Britain and the United States had already signed the Oregon Treaty on 15 June setline the border at the 49th Parallel. With the military objective of his expedition now redundant, Warre turned a portion of his notes and drawings into the present, magnificent work. The plates are beautifully executed and depict the scenery and fortifications in the region. Contemporary advertisements show that the book was offered both coloured and uncoloured. The example offered here is not only in contemporary colour, but also contains the rare dedication to the Hudson’s Bay Company, which was not issued in all copies.

Warre went on to serve with in the Crimean War and in the Maori wars in New Zealand. He was knighted for his military services and retired as a General. Provenance: with bookplate of Thomas Bate. Abbey (1956) Travel 656; Graff (1968) 4543; Howes (1962) W114; Sabin (1868-1936) 101455; Wagner-Camp (1982) 157.