The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-31 00:00:00

THE SUN:. LONDON, WEDNES D A MORN] N'G, I3ECE Al BE It 31, 1845.

'Pbe Viiit,daStalei can found •no claim on discovery,
'exptoratidn, fttlement:.effected,_lDreviousty.
Florida treaty, without admitting the principles of the
Nootha convention, arid with the• consequent validity of
the pa rand ,claimof.CitreAt.Britain founded on like acts.
nor can they appeal to any exclusive right as acquired
by the Florida treaty, without upsetting. all claims ath,
duced in their own..pcuper,right, by reason :of,disealiery,-
exploration, aud.settlemeot, antecedent to that Arrange-
ment. _ _ _

The undergigned.tru.sts that he has now, shown that thee
convention. of 1790 (the gootka Sound convention), has
continued in full and "complete force up to the iiresent:

moment :

By reason, in the first place, of the co. dtm.ir,,,:elrclistl:fhat-
racter of some of its. provisions, as suchexpressly..re-
ne wed by thß convention of August, 1814,lietween Great.
Britain and Spain
By reason, in. the next place, of the.aciltnescetaooE,
Spain in various transactions to which Win not to:be.
supposed that that power would have assented, lad she
not felt bound by the -provisions of the convention in
question : .
And, thirdly, by.reason of repeated acts of %the Go-
vernment of the United States, previous to the conclu-.
sion of the Florida treaty, manifesting adherence to
the principles of the.Nootka convention, or at least dis-
sent from the exclusive pretensions of Spain.
Having thus replied, and he hopes satisfactorily, to
the observations of the American Plenipotentiary with
respect to the Nootka Sound convention and the Florida
greaty, as bearing upon the subject of the present dis=
cussion, the undersigned must endeavour to show that
even if the Nootka Sound convention had never existed,
;the position of -Great Britain in regard to her claim,
whether to the whole or to any particular portion of the.
Oregon territory, -is at least as good as that of the
United States.
This branch of the subject must be considered, first,
with reference to principle—to the right of either party,
Great Britain or the United States, to explore or make
settlements in the Oregon territory without violation of
the rights of Spain ; and next, supposing the first to be,
decided affirmatively, with reference to the relative value
and importance of the acts of discovery, exploration, and
settlements effected by each.
As relates to the question of principle, the undersigned
thinks he can furnish no better argument than that con-
tained in the following words, which he has already once
quoted, from the .statement of the American Pleuipotenr
tiary -
" The title of the United States to the valley of the
Columbia is older than the Florida treaty of February,
1819, under which the United States acquired all the
' rights of Spain to the north-west coast of America, and,
exists independently of its provisions." And again
"The title of the United States to the entire region
drained by the Columbia river and its branches, was
perfect and complete before the date of the treaties of joint
occupancy of October, 1818, and August, 1827."
The title thus referred to must be that resting on dis-
covery, exploration, and settlement.
If this title, then, is good, or rather was good, as
a gainst the exclusive pretensions of Spain, previously to
the conclusion of the Florida treaty, so must the claims
of Great Britain, resting on the same grounds, be good
also.

'Thus, then, it seems manifest that, with or without the
aid of the Nootka, Sound convention, the claims of Great
Britain, resting 9n discovery, exploration, and settle-
ment, are, in point of principle, equally valid with those
of the United States.

Let us now see how the comparison will stand when
trued by the relative value, impoi:tance, and authenticity
of each.
Rejecting previous dicoveries north of the 42d parallel
or latitude as not sufficiently authenticated, it will be
se en on the side of .Great Britain that, in 1778, Captain
Gook discovered Cape Flattery, the southern entry .of
the Straits of Fuca. Cook must also be considered the
discoverer of Nootka Sound, in consequence of the want
or authenticity in the alleged previous discovery of that
port by Perez.
In 1757, Capt. Berkeley,. a British subject, in a vessel
under Austrian.colours,, discovered the Straits of Fuca..
In the same year, Captain Duncan, in the ship Princess
Royal, entered the straits, and traded at the village of
Cla sset.
Jan 1788, Meares,a British subject, formed the esta-
blishment at Nootka, .which gave rise.to the memorable
discussion with the Spanish Government, ending in the
recognition, by that power, of the rght of Great Britain
to form settlements in the unoccupied parts of the north-
west portion of the American continent, and in an en-
gagement, on the part of Spain, to reinstate Meares in
the possession from which he had been ejected .by the
Spanish commanders. • _
In 1792, Vancouverovlio had been sent from England.
to witness the fulfilment of the aboi,e-mentioned engage-.
meat, and to effect a survey of. the north-west coast de-
parting from Nootka Sound, entered the Straits of Fuca
and, after an =ciliate survey of the .coasts and inlets on
both sides, discovered a passage northwards into the
Pacific by which he returned to Nootka—having thus ,
circumnavigated the -island which now bears his name.,
And here we have, asifar as relates to Vancouver's Island,
as complete a case .of gliscovery, exploration, and settle-,
went as, can well-be. -presented, giving to Great Britain,
in any arrangement that may be made with _regard to
the territory in dfspute, the strongest possible claim- to
the. exclUsive possession of- that island.
While Vanconver was prosecuting discovery and ex-
-ploration by -sea, Sir Alexander Mackenzie,. a-partner
in the North-West Company, crossed the Rocky Moun-
tains, discovered the head waters of the .river since
called Trazees River, and following for some time the•
course of that river, effected a passage to the. sea—
• being the first civilised man who traversed the continent-,
-of America from sea to sea in those latitudes. On the-
return of MaCkenzie to Canada, the North-West Com-
pany established trading posts to the country to the
westward of the Rocky Mountains. ..
In 1806 and 181-1 K sepectiyejy- thA AA AaA
UU ...acouLce, ♦-Jesse, ana tue

lumbia. - ~ :
In the year 1811,-Thompson, the astronomer of the
North-West Company, discovered • the northern head
waters of the -Columbia, , and following its course till,
joined by the rivers-previously discovered by Lewis and/
Clarke, he continued his journey to the Pacific.
From •that time until the year 1811, when the ar-•
rangement for the joint occupancy of the territory-was
concluded, the NortheWest Company continued to ex-,
tend their operations • throughout the Oregon territory,
and to occupy," it -may be said, as far• as occupation
can be effected in- regions so inaccessible and destitute
of resources.. •-- .- . , .
While all this-was passing the following events occur,
red, which constitute the American claim in their own
proper right.-- • -, •' • , .
In 1792 Gray entered the mouth of the Columbia river.
•In 1805 Lewis and Clarke effected a passage across
the Rocky Mountains, and discovering a branch of the
Columbia river,-followed it until they reached the ocean. ;
In 1811 the trading post or, settlement of Astoria was,
established at the-mouth of the Columbia, on the northern
side of that river., •
This post or settlement passed during the last war into
British hands by the • voluntary act of • the- persons-in,
charge of it—a- fact -most clearly established.. It was
restored to the-United States in- 1818, with certain well-,
authenticated-zteservations; but-it -was never actually
re-occupied by- American citizens, -having from the
moment -of the original-transfer er sale continued to-be
occupied by British subjects.
These are the acts of discovery, exploration, and sattle-
item referred-to-by the United States as giving them•a.
claim to the -!villey of -the Columbia, in their own
proper right. • .. ,
The British, Government are disposed to view them in
the most liherateensef and to give -to them the utmost
value to which ehercan in fairness be entitled; but there
are circumstances attending each and all of them which•
muse-- in the-opinien of any impartial investigator of•
the -subject,. take-from -them a great deal of the effect'
whit!' the American negotiators - assign -to them as'
giving ""to this—oenntry a claim -to-, the entire region
dtainedby the Columbia and its branches. - ~,f,
In the first-place, as relates to the discovery of Gray,
it must be remarked that he was a private navigator,
sailing'prineipally t for the purposes of trade; Which fact
establishes aviidedifferenee, in a national point of view;
between the discoveries accomplished by him and,tilose-
effected by Cook 'and Vancouver; who sailed in ships of
the royal navy of Great Britain, and4who were -sent-to4
the north-west coast for the-express•purpose of explore-
Lion and 4iSeovery.- . - ,- •. - i • - ,• ..
In the next piece, it is.a circumstance not to be-lost
sight- of,, that it was not for several-years followedans
by any act Whioh could give it value in a nationel point •
of view ; it *as not, in truth, made known to the World
either by the-discoverer himself or by his Govermtent.
So recently as the year 1826, the American Plenipoten-
tiaries in Ltmilen, remarked with great. correctness; ire
one'oe their reports, that." respecting the mouth of' the,
Columbia riser we know nothing of-Gray's discoveries
but through-British accounts:" - • •
In the next -place, the' connexion of Gray's discovery
with that of Lewis and Clarke, is interrupted bye in-
tervening exploration of •Lientenant Broughtore-of the
Britislesurveying-ship Chatham. - •,- e,,,- 3'
• With respect-to the expedition of Lewis and •Clerke'
it must, on e close examination of the route pursued- by
thene 'be • confeesed that, neither on their outward
journey to the Pacific,• nor on their homeward journey
to the United-States; did they touch upon the head
wateesof the principal branch of the Columbia river,--
which lie far teethe north of the parts cpt the country tree,
versed and explored by them. • '• .
Thompson, of the -British North-West Companye-wis .
the first civilised person who navigated the 4rorthern, in-
reality the ntaitebranch of the Columbia, or traversed
any part of the country drained by it. • ' '
It was by a tributary of the Columbia that Lewis-and
Clarke made their way to the main stream of that river,
which they reached at a point distant, it is believed,not
more than 260 miles from the point to which the river
had alreadybeen explored by Broughton.
These facts, the undersigned conceives, will be found
sufficient to reduce the value of Lewis and Clarke's ex-
ploration on the Columbia to limits which would by no
means justify a claim to the whole valley drained-by that
river'and its branches. '
As to settlement, the
.qualified nature of the rights de-
volved to the United States by virtue of the restitution
of Fore/es-eerie has already been pointed out. . •
It will thus-be seen, the-undersigned confidently:be%
Heves, that en -the • grounds of diseoveiy, exploration,
and settlement, Great Britain has nothing to fear from
a comparison of her claims to the Oregon'territory, taken
as.a whole, with those of the United States.
That, reduced to the valley drained by the Columbia,
the facts on which the United States rest their•case are
far from being of that complete and exclusive character
which would justify a claim to the whole valley of the
Columbia ; and , . ,
That, especially as relates to Vancopver's Island,
taken by it.se4: tee preferable claim of Great Britain in
every poilit 0; view, seems to have been clearly degion-
grated. ~ , ,
After this exposition of the views entertained by the
British government respecting the relative nine and

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