New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-10-28
But fourthlv. The United States has tide

But, fourthly. The United States has a title
rics and settlement.
It is a well known primer pie of the law Of ma
tons, in regard to discovery, that the nation who
discovers the mouth Of a river is entitled to the
sovereignty to all the land which Is watered by
such rivers, its tributaries and head waters.
In 1853. Mr.. De La Sale, Frenchman, navi-
gated the Mississippi river from Canada to It's
mouth. In virtue whereof, France claimed the
sovereignty to Louisiana, on both sides OF the
rive, from the Gulf of Mexico to the49th deg.
Of latitude. And this title of France was &C
knovledged by Great Britain in the treaty OF
Utrecht. of17l3, and of Versailles, in l1b3.
In 1892, Capt. Gray, of the American snip
::Columbia,n discovered the Columbia rver.
which he named after his ship. He landed, held
an interview with the natives who had never De-
fore seen a white man or ship.
In 1904, Lewis and Clark, in the employ OF
the United States, assembled the Missouri, passed
the Rocky Mountains-up to that time uneS.
plored by a white man-dlscovered and explored
the head waters of the Columbia Rlvcr-and tol-
lowed that river down to its mouth, where they
passed the winter of lS04-5.
In 1905 the American Missouri Fur Company
established several trading posts, one on the River
Lewis, a branch of the Columbia.
In 1911, Astoria was founded, at the moath OF
the Columbia River, by Mr.. John Jacob Astor OF
New-York.
In December. 1913, Astoria was captured by
the British sloop of war, Raccoon, Capt. Blake.
By the treaty of Client it agreed that all
Territories. Sc taken by either party from the
other durino the war, should be restored without
delay. 800
astoria was restored the 9th October, ISIS.
Bv virtue of the above mentioned discovery,
settlement and restoration, the United States,
without the aid Of any other titles, have Ilghl
to the sovereignty and soil of Oregon Territory
Great Britain pretendS to say that Alexander
Mckenzie, one of their subjects, discovered a
North Branch of the Columbia River prior to our
discoveries. But Mr.. Mckenzie himself has SAID
that his discovery was in May, 1893 whereas
that of Captain Gray was in 1892; and II any
impartial person will read Mckenze's account,
he will be convinced that the river he saw was
not head water of the Columbia. See Report
Of Committee on Military Affairs, made to eth
Congress, the third session, No. 81, p. III They
also contend that Mr.. Thompson, astronomer, OF
the North West Fur Company, established posts
amono the Flatheads and kootanle Tribes OF In
dams on the head waters or main branch OF the
Columbia, in the same and subsequent years as
the discovery of Lewis and Clarke. But when
the evidence upon this point IS examined, 1t turns
ont that Lewis and Clarke reached the Paclhc
Ocean, after exploring the Columbia River, on
the 18th November, 1901, and that the earliest
post established by Mr.. Thompson, was IN the
spring of 1906. Great Britain, we'll knowing
that she had no title to the sovereignty of Oregon,
proposed to the United States to divide the Ter
rtory between them, making the Columbia River
the boundary they (the British taking the coun-
try North and West of that line, leaving the
Americans the other side. To this proposition
our Ministers dissented. The true mother never
consents 10 divide the child