The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1843-11-11

discovered and explored the head water.
of the Columbia River. and followed tina
river down to its mouth, where they pass
ed the winter Of 1905 g. That. in 1908
the .'imerican Missouri Fur Company rs
'ahl'shed several trading posts on the
River Lewis a branch of the Columbia
That, in ISL, Astoria was founded. Il,
the mouth of the Columbia River by
John Jacob Aston. of New York. That
in December, 1918, Astoria WAS captured
by the Brush sioop of war Raccoon
Captain Blake. ! hat. by the Treaty OF
Client, il was agreed that all territories,
SC, taken by either party from the other,
during the war, should be restored with
| out delay. And that Astoria was restore d
to The United States b, Great Briain in
| 1878. Now. the United States say mat
by virtue of the above discovery, (Which
was prior Ill point of time to any that
England can show by the settlement
| within a reasonable lime under all the cir
| cnm>lances of the case, and by the rpsio-
| ration, they have, independently of all
other considerations, a full and perfect title
10 all the land waered BY the Columbia
lIvtr, It's tributaries and head waters
1t will hence be apparent that The NJ
r., IN his statement of the American title,
has omitted many ofits important features
u appears strange 10 us, on this side of
The water, how NJ. P. should be igno-
ant Of the fact that The United States
dates her discovery of the Columbia Rv
er as far back AZ 1892, as above stated;
and not in 1905. as he Che NJ. p has
stated; seeing that whenever ire United
States have made known their claim to br
The frs; discoveries of the Columbia
River. the discoveries OF Captain Gray
aud "I Lewis and Cla IKE have been sim
uI'ane"usl y promulgated; aud it is equally
stran-e how per on so well informed.
a. NJ p. ought to he, should not know
that his own countrvman, Vancouver, an
officer IN The British Navy. admitted thar
Captain Gray had discovered the mouth
of The Columbia. and had informed him
(Fanc"mver) Of the existence of that river.
ct which he had no previous knowledge.
"AI'rr I'avlng N"nlka Sound (says this
English navlgalnr,) The serenity of the
weather encouraged him To hope tina; hy
might be enabled, on his wav south. to
re examine the coast Of New Albion. and
particularly river and harh0r discovered
by Nj Gray. in the Colu ba. between
the iortv-sl>tl, and tory-sevenlh degree,
OF north latitude"
Bur, perhaps, it was not polite for the
M. to speak If This discovery of the
mouth of the Columbia. bv an American
cIlzen, so early as 1892. as. in tina, cas-.
no answer could have been given to the
right OF the United States to claim The
sovereignty of all the land wstered by that
Iiver. It's tributaries and head waters, ac
cording Ia the law of nations
Having thus SET The VI P. straight in re-
gard to the briei of title of the United
States. let us see what further he has to
say upon This subject.
But pre-occupancv, under all circum-
stances. does not imvari title" sin or
der that ii shall have this ellecl. il is ahsu-
lutely necessary that no other substantial
clam should exist" This rule is admit
ted, provided by the wrms substantial
clam" is meant las it is presumed )Hitle.'
And II is earnestly requested that this rule
n'av he borne in mind. as it is intended,
hereafter, TO use it in our favor.
But, " lille tn" rule. as above explain
ed, is cheerlullv admitted, it is different
with the differences which tn. NJ. p. has
drawn 'herer"m. provided his course OF
reasoning has been rightly understood.
II will be observed that, in what fol
lows. the NJ. P. no longer uses The terms
substantial claim" which are above CON
sdeIcd synony nous to "lltIe." bu, in all
The rest oi the passage he "ses the word
"claim" only. II, by So doing, this VII
ter meant that the Uunlted Stales were
pfecluded ir' m discovering, taking pos
session of and se'lIlng Oregon, because
Engla had already cIajmed the terrific
~ without regard 10 the Hls of EngIar d
thereto, II is denied thai there is ary prn-
cIple OF the law oi nations Win, h recugni.
yes such aposilIon. The notion is so alb
.urd and dangerous that no nation IN
Christrndom would be wiling to snbslir
t" It's introduction. Suppose, Tor Instance,
GI.al Britain who, through one OF their
most popular writers, has recently decIar-
ed that 'lhe whole earth is her Inheritance
EdInburg Review should publish man
lieslo declaring tina. they ''cIa med" all the
Islands IN the Western Ocean. would thai
claim prevent other nations from making
subsequent discoveries of and appropra-
ing to themselves any island in that re-
glon which was before such discovery un-
known2
Ii, on the contrary, by the above passage
was intended by the "riaim" to mean
substantial claim" ("lille,") then The
l'nIted States are not obliged to enter the
list 81 lth England under the Disadvantages
ohscuiely pointed out hv the Nj p. bul