The native American., 1838-06-23
From the Northern Statesman.
CONGRESS-.

CONGRESS-
DEBATE ON TIE OccupArIoN or THE Mourn
or COLUMBIA R1vER.-We abridgc the following
Interesting sketch Of the above debate.
The House took up the Message Of the Prcsi-
dent in relation to the occupation Of the territory
ofthe United States west Of the Rocky Mountains
by Great Britain. ta
Mr.. Gushing moved to commit it to the Com
mittce on Foreign Affairs, with instructions to
establish post at the mouth Of the Columbia,
and to prevent the interference Of any foreign
power with the Indians there. lie presented
some very Interesting details Of the subject. He
maintained first, the right Of the people Of this
country to the territory in question, in virtue of
discovery; and second, that, as it was ours, il
was consistent neither with national honor nor in
tercst to trelinquish the claim. The first disco
very and exploration was made by Captain Ro-
bert Gray, of Massachusetts, who arrived there
III the brig Columbia, and who gave to the river
The name Of Columbia. Hc stated that tile Country
was, however, in actual possession Of the British
Northwestern Company. He also maintained
our right to the country by a treaty with Spain
and France. But Great Britain nov pretended
that it was abandoned, unclaimed territory. and
had set UP her flag there. He appealed to Mr..
Adams as living record Of the political history
of the country, to say whether the country did not
belong TO us by treaty with France &c. .aE" NJ
Mr. Adams made some remarks supporting his
colleagues opinion OH the subject as 10 the qucs-
ton Of title. He went into review Of the orr
gin of the European titles to different parts oftls
Continent, in order to show the foundation Of their
own title to the country iii question. Spain
claimcd the right TO these territories in virtue Of
a grant from the Head Of the Church, the foun-
20 &.r
lspot Of land as large as this nkstand, said Mr..
A., she claimed the whole continent in virtue Of
grant from the Pope, excluded all the rest Of
mankind from it, and prohibited their entrance
upon it, upon the pain Of death. This dislrib,l-
ton Of the Pope was not always asscntcd to by
other powcrs--and particularly by England
which country, even before the reformation, re-
sisted these claims. After that time the sove
rcigns Of England, as the assignces Of the power
before exercised by the Pope, claimed the same
power Of granting lands; and all grants were made
in virtue of the character Of these Sovcrcigns as
propagators of Christianity. The characters o
James lst, Charles Cd, and George I'd, were all
based on the idea of a power to claim lands, fol
the purpose ofchristanizing their inhabitants. So
| all these titles, when analized, rested upon
the Pope, and his power was like that Of the
Indians resting place for the globe. The big
tortoise stood upon nothing at all. i,
Louis XIV, Of France, made grants upon the
ground that he was equal 10 others; and had as
good a right as others. Mr.. A. went into histo-
ry of the grants to the merchant Crozat, and also
tlat,made to .c Sale. lie Sale, circumnavigated
tic great Lakes; from them descended the Illinois
river to the Mississippi; went down that river in
a boat TO New Orleans, and there established the
! fort at New Orleans, and set up tic standard Of
i II /, f,rt u, # III,
sissippi, and established his discovery OIL the 7th
obtained an appointment to discover the mouth OF
the Mississippi, and the distance to il from the
ocean. But this he never discovered. n, .@+
i Mr.. Adams went on with long argument OH
4 the claims Of Spain and France, maintaining the
then right of France to the country which we
i purchased Of her. The point of his remarks was
j that whatever claim any other country may have
to the mouth Of Columbia river, England ha0
none. He stated the grounds of our claim 10 the
Icountry, astlerivcd from Spain and Franco, and
gave notice TO any person who might hereafter be
entrusted with negotiation on the Inject of right
j to the Northwestern Coast, that we must claim
and have right to claim, from latitude l42 ia
i I51 north.
IIc alluded to the old boundary between us and
Spain, or the western boundary Of the United
States, and again stated that he was the last ma,
in the cabinet of Mr.. Monroe, who consented 10
make the Sabine the boundary between the Uni
ted States and Mexico, and then he did assent to
make the treaty this basis, at the express order
of Mr.. Monroe. Every line Of the treaty was
submitted, day by day, to the cabinet Of Mr..
Monroe, and he never agreed to one line of it,
except under the express injunction Of Mr.
Monroe. As abolition has been mentioned in CON
pnct;on with tbis subject bc would COW no. IA arc
were two persons in the cabinet who were from
\ Inon-slavcholding States; while the President the
Secretary of War, (Mr. Calhoun,) the Secretary
of the Treasury. (Mr. Crawford the Attorney
General, (Mr. Wirt) were from slaveholdine
States, and asscntcd to the treaty. He repeated
also what he some two years ago asserted, Vat