From Oregon

We have befo re us a long and interïsting letter from Oregon, written by a respectable gentleman now a resident of that country, from which we make an extract: "Heathenism shows itself here sometimes, and ït needs only to be seen to be dreaded. I will give you a case, but before I proceed let me teil you that the Indians here are divided into small tribes, and these tribes often war with each other, and the prisoners taken in these wars are slaves. An Indian near here lost a son; he owned a slave nearly the age of the deceased boy, about ten years of age. The deceased son thought much of this slave, and now his father determined that the living slave should be interred with the body of the dead boy. The custom with these natives is to bury their dead in boxes or sepulchres above the ground, in which thev place the dead from timeto time. The living boy's wrists were tied together behind him; his ancles also were tied together, and he put into the sepulchre, with his face downward, upon the bodiesofthe dead already deposited there. The corpse of the' dead boy was then laid on him. It was said that the slave was thus placed with the body of the boy that he might wait on him hereafter. In this terrible condition the poor slave remained one long night, when Mr. P. heard of the painful case, and made arrangements early in the morning to save the boy, if it were possible. Afteï a long parley he purchased him, not knowing whether he was alive or dead, for three blankets and one shirt. The boy was found nlive, and is now in the family of Mr. P. He is a smart, active y outh, and is enjoying life finely, yet with his wrists and ancles not recovered from his efibrts to break from his bed of deaih. The man who directed the boy to be buried with his deceased s"on always kept áway from the influencie of the missionaries. The Indians who had mingled with them, and who had been obedient to the preaching of the gospel, were horrified when they heard of the tragical affair. - It must be borne in mind that the place at which I am now writing is one hundred miles from cirilized society. I think, however, a brighter day is dawning upon the spiritual condilion of the red man." - Ex. Paper.