New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-10-28

and not strait OF the sea, eAteHulIlg loll liC
Tropic of Cancer to lat 80 deg as he supposed.
[ have in my possession map, published in Lon
don in 1906, eighty-nlne years after this pretend
ed discovery Of Sir Francis Drake, wherein all
the land on this coast, north of latitude AZ deg.
is marked as g Terra B0realis lncognita, +" which
map never could have been published in England
at that time, if Sir F. Drake had previously dis
covered Oregon Territory. Is 1t not ridiculous
for England to lay claim to Oregon under such
discovery, when they are obliged to admit, from
Brakes own confessions, that he knew nothing OF
he coast beyond lat IS deg and Oregon Terri
tory commences at ~ deg?
In the next place, let US examine the dlscove-
ries of Capt. Cooke, under which Great Britain
claims Oregon In 17176, two years after the
Spaniards had discovered Nootka Sound, and
after the news of this discovery had actually
reached England, Capt. Cooke was sent to disco
yer Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the
Pacific Oceans. He had positive Instructions not
to lose time in search Of ner lands, nor to stop at
any fallen in with, except to wood and water,
until he had reached lat 65 deg. and not to take
possession of any countries already discovered or
visited by any European power. He touched"
lsays an English historian, Bissett,) at Nootka
the discovcrer-he was aware of the prior discov-
cry of Perez and Martinez, and found among the
natives articles Of European manufacture. This
place might never have been again visited by an
Englishman, but for All accidental circumstance.
Some of Cookies crew purchased some furs OF the
natives, which were sold to some advantage IN
China. Captain King, who wrote the history Of
Cookies voyage, mentioned tins circumstance,
and recommended it to his countrymen as lu-
cratfvc trade In consequence, John McPher-
son, Governor General of India, acting under in
structons from the British Cabinet, fitted out two
small vessels, and sent a few adventures to Moot
ka Sound in 1888. In 1889, about seventy Chi
nese were transported thither. Mears, who had
the command, built house and fortified it. In
1889, Martinez, Spanish captain, discovered
these intrudcrs took possession of their building
and ship, sent the crews to a Spanish port, took
down the English colors and raised the Spanish
in their place. From the English account Of
this transaction, as recorded in Bissetts continu
alton of Hume's History Of England vol. page
264, the following inference may fair be drawn:
Ist That no prior or conflicting discovery to
that of the Spaniards, of the Oregon Territory,
was ever made by Drake or Cooke, or any other
Englishman: for, 1st, the Spanish nation Says
this English hstorian) claimed exclusive sore
reignty navigation, and commerce in those tern
tories, coasts and seas. This claim was made, IN
London by the Spanish ambassador, under full
conviction of the right of his nation. The Brit
ish King, George III. Immediately demanded
what? Restoration to him Of the invaded terri
tory, his sovereignty of which had been made in
dsputablc by prior discovery Not at all. He
demanded adequate satisfaction to the indiridu-
MS injured and for the insult offered the nation
through the subjects. Now, it is inquired whc-
her, according to the rule Of erpressio anus est
,u clusio altcrius, by the enumerating of these
George ILL., did not admit that there
we're none others to be redrcssed, and that, there
orc, the British had no title to the sovereignty Of
Oregon Territory!
But, secondly, the King complained to Parlia-
ncdt; and what was the grievance of that COM
olaint "Thc message Of the King (says this
English historian) stated the injury, d. e. the in
ury before stated, for had there been any new
,ne it would have been mcntioned) the insult,
he satisfaction demanded, and the reply" The
King, thcn in this formal paper, again admitted
hat the British nation had TO title to the sore
.eignty Of Oregon. Then came Mr.. Pitts
speech. Now, if the King, in his message, had
omitted to state a fact so important as ms right
IF sovereignty, or to refer to event so striking
had it occurred so recently as their prior disco
very of Nootka Sound, which would have been
conclusive answer to the ercluSire claim of the
Spanards, now was the time to supply that def
cheney, and Mr.. Pitt the fttest person for that
purpose But he said that ';the British subjects
had been forcibly interrupted in traffic, mot the
King in right of souercignty.) he asserted
that his countrymen had ga right TO trade (not
TO the so) in places to which no country could
claim an exclusive right Of commerce and ndulgd
ton" mot of Sorereignty) Here, then, we find
this acute minister admitting, totS riribuS, that
Great Britain had no title to the Sorercignty of
OREGON; but, admitting the title to the sovereign
ty thereto to be in Spain, he set up fright Of
trade and traffic. in his countrymen.
Mr.. Fox followed Mr.. Pitt, and agreed with
him in these views. Not member Of either
house of Parliament made the slightest suggestion
to the contrary, and address, corresponding
with the message, passed without a dissenting
voice. From these proceedings, 1t is inferred
that the British Parliament confessed that Spain
had an exclusive title to the sovereignty Of Ore
gon
A million of pounds sterling were voted to
carry into execution warllke preparations to sup
port this trade.
In the mean time, the British minister sent
Mr.. Fltzherbcrt to Madrid, to browbeat the Span
iards. But still no claim of title to the sovereign
ty of Oregon was asserted in answer to that of
the Spaniards to the exclusive right by virtue Of
their prior discovery The claim of a night to
land and build houses for the purposes of trade,
at Nootka Sound, part of Oregon Territory,
lunfounded, as we shall presently show to be- is
an acknowledgement of the want of title to the
sovereignty to the whole. II they had title to
the sovereignty OF the whole territory why was
it not disclosed as it would have been sufficient
warrant for occupying part No reason can
be assigned, except the consciousness that none
then existed and yet England has the efffontery
now to assert title by virtue OF discovery prior