Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1843-02-17
WHOLE NO. 100.

se"sioH u thO UNIT 10 our TERRITORIES aud NOS
TO those Of Ga1hs Britain" -" leave nest.ero
Cor future pretensions south Of 49"--a tho pro.
tensions Of tho British Government may ON
This occasion. be disclosed''--.s we know not
precisely wha, they are - Upon these exotes.
sions. and others, Mr.. 3. relied and cominens.
ed. to show that up TO the date Of that ietlee
Of Mr.. Adams, (,o-wit, July es,h l8l8.) tho
the British had shown or suggested no claim
of any kind whatever to any part Of The valley
OF the Columbia /; that they were trusting 70
the arts OF diplomacy to generats something
which could ba hatched into claim; and that
their design was TO encroach upon our settle.
ments south Of 40.
This was the state Of the question in july,
1918, when the negotiation was commenced
in London. which ended in the convention Of
October Of that year, for a ten years joint pos.
session OF all the country west Of the Rocky
Mountains. The negotiation was conducted
hy Messrs Gallatin and Rush, and. Of course,
was calculated to constraiu the British to make
IA disclosure Of the grounds Of their preten.
sions. Mr.. Adams had notified them that. on
this occasion. the British claim must be dis
closed and disclosed il was and what dis
closure! Listen TO il, as communicated TO our
Government by Messrs. Gaila,in and Rush in
their despatch Of October 90, 1918. Here it is:
8 The British plenipoten,iaries asserted that
former voyages. and principally that Of Cap.
tain Cook, gave to Great Britain the rights
derived from discovery; and they alluded TO
purchases from the natives south OF the river
Columbia, which they alleged to have been
made prior 10 the American revolution
This was the claim disclosed, and in sup
port Of this, not one name, fact. or specihca-
ton Of any kind was submitted. Discovery
and purchase was the ground Of their preten.
sion. But who discovered, aud when, and
from whom the purchase was made, The Brit.
ish commissioners could mol tell. They did
not attempt TO tell; but proposed to comprom-
Use the question by taking the river for the
boundary, and getting the Use of the harbor at
its mouth. Their proposition 10 this effect IL
thus stated. in the same despatch, by Messrs.
GaIIa,in and Rush:
.They did no, make any formal proposition
for a boundary, bu. in,imated that the river it.
self was the most convenient that could be
adopted. and that they would not agree TO any
tina, did not give them the irarbor at the nne.sa
of the river in common with fh-- U. STATES. s
lbs s52's AID "a 10 This ia.ima,ion ws recos-
nIze The precise policy witch Mckenzie had
marked our, and by which the B;itIs,s wuze to
become the masters Of the Columbia, and 10
exrel the ''American adventures" from it.
Our commissioners did not agree T. this
boundary. and TO this jointtenancy in the ilnr-
Dor; but they signed ths convention Of 1918.
according to their instructions, which arrested
the line Of the 49th degree at the Rocky Noun
tains. and gave joint occupation Of the coun.
try beyond the mountains 10 both parties.
Their instructions authorized them to do this /;
and the point 10 be now ho'ed is, that up to
-
40 degrees, "a established under the treaty Of
Utrecht. 10 define the possessions and limit tho
acquisitions by discovery Of France and Great
Britain in North America. remained in full
force! That line was in force until we ratified
the convention and by that line, withou, re-
yard to other barriers, Great Britain was bar
red ont from all the valley Of the Columbia.
and all the cost Of North America south of
40 degrees. The convention abrogated the
abrogased it-from the Rocky
Mountains TO the Pacific ocean. But it did so
with a reservation. that the claims Of The par
lies were not 10 be affected by il. The abro.
cation was unfortunate; but the reservation
was stipulation to prevent mischief-a slip.
ul"-,ion 10 Battle the designs Of subtle diplo-
macy. a'-'ays seeking to deposite the seeds Of
a new contesta,s.n in the simulated settlements
Of an old one; add r was equivalent 10 an ex.
press declaration that tho british claim was 10
be made no better, and ours 10 be made no
worse, by this arresla,ion OF the i..e OF 10 de-
grees. and the joint occupation OF tue N.lum.
ha. which will result from il.
We have now (@aid Mr.. B. traced tho
British pre,en,ion up 10 the conclusion Of tho
convention Of 1878; and we have seen that, up
10 the month Of July Of that year. they had
stated or suggested 10 claim, or even shadow
or color Of claim. TO the COLUMBIA; that being
pressed, they then in,ima.ed laimres'lng
on discovery and purchase, but without stating
a single particular by which this pretended
discovery and purchase could De brought 70
the touchstOrs Of proof and reason. They
were evidently absurd, and even Ridiculous.
All the world knows that Capt Cook never
saw The Colombia /: all the world knows that
no other British navigator ever saw il. until
after Capt. Gray showed il 10 them land. az
for the fndian purchases south Of that river.
hefors the Revolution, il is story Of { man IN
the moor add has no name. date. place. sum.
sign, trace, circumstance, fact. or supPosltIon
10 rest upon! Sc
The ose,ension, then, Of this Rightly dis
,yery. and by purchase. so tardlly brought
forward n October. 1918. are absnrdiiles
which the British could not, and did not. sup
norl and which they have Stree totally absn-
Toned. This abandonment was made 10 1897
"a, the tune wnen the convention Of 1878,
being about 10 expire npon discrimination OF
ten years-was renewed until one Of the par
ties chose 10 i. by giving twelve months. no.
,ice. II was made by Messrs Hnskisson and
Arlington. in their formal negotiations with
Mr.. GalIa,in, for the renewal OF the conven.
ton or 1873. In that negotiation. they delsv-
ef,d paper 10 the American neg"tiator, IN
Z -. NJ -. sa.4
which the British claim TO the Columbia = re-
ferred- and for the first time u refeIred-to
,he Noo,ka Sound convention Of 1890! Hear
..'rhe rights Of Great Britain are recorded
and defined in tho convention Of 1890: they