The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1843-11-18

pany, the great corporate agent of Great
Britain, has taken lease from Russia of
a part thereof
In every civilized country with which
we are acquainted, when one man seeks
to deprive another of an acre o! ground,
the demandent is called upon to make
proof Of has title, as condition precedent
to his recovery. Upon the same principle
of right, it may not be esteemed too bold
to inquire, when England is eking to
take from the United States the soverei-
gnty OF country having an area of three
hundred and fifty Thousand square miles,
what ridencc she produced of this rule,
of stretching indefinitely westward, upon
which our Nj. p. so firmly relies? Is ut
part of the law of nations, binding, by COM
mon consent, upon all civilized commu-
mites? This is not pretended. Can it
be traced 10 any treaty made
between those nations who were respects
lively concerned in the discovery and set
clement of N orth America No such treaty
has been nor can be vouched. "This rule
Says the NJ. P.) the European powers in
America tacitly aud mutually pledg ed
themselves to observe" He acknow-
lodges, then his inability to refer TO
any such convention, contract or agreement
between the parties in interest, and relies
upon inference implication, a very frall
and dangerous base wherein to build so
important superstructure as the pledge
in question. lie has, moreover, first as
cprtol thoI % slp, 4
mltled. Sin order to form correct udg- |
ment says our M.P. we must throw our
selves upon those principles which at the
time OF western discovery were UNIVERSAL |
y admitted to regulate the practice of
European powers in 'Amerlca.'" Yet,
Immediately afterwards, he tell US that,
although it was the recognized principle, |
there were many instances in which it was
widely departed fom.' And two instance,
of great importance, have been above no
iced, viz, those Of the lands watered by |
the Mississippi and Cali ornla' which are
in direct opposition to such rule. Our
NJ. p. then proceeds to point out some in
stances in which Gas he says England
acted upon the principle Of this rule; but
in order to make all agreement or con-
Fact, it will not suffice to show the acts
or words of one party, it requiring the con-
sent OF at least Two to make an agreement
fany kind. Besides which, the instances
which the NJ. P has ;dduced in proof of
rule of stretching westward 10 the Pacific |
Ocean, are none OF them to the point, since
they turn out, upon examination, to he |
nothing but English charters to their own
coonlsts, without given western limits;
pra ii which arose out oil an ignorance
OF The North American Continent.
The two grounds upon which Geat
Britain claims title to Oregon, relied upon
by the NJ. p, have now been examined
and what is the resull2 That she has
not The shadow of clam. They shall
be briefly recapltualed. lst. The'sup-
posed discovery Of Oregon by Sir Francis
Drake. I'd The right olthe discoveries
OF lands upon the Pacific Ocean. Both
these have been fairly discussed and com
ple'ely answered.
Now let lis glance al the other side
The United Sales claim the whole of
Oregon Territory under a solemn treaty
made with Spain, and afterwards confirmed
by Mexico. The M. P. says that, under
the transfer Of Spain,lhe United States can
derive no better title than Spain herself
had. Admitted. But Spain made the
first discoveries of Oregon Territory, from
1913 TO l775-and the Parliament OF
Great Britain has acknowledged her title
10 the same. See my first ure-the
proceedings in rel alton 10 Nootka Sound
And as to the discovery OF the Columbia
River by Captain Gray and Lewis and
Clarke, i, is not and cannot be denied
The Nj. p. admits lhal the United States
was in possession of Oregon i'll 1905.
He ought to have said 1892. And it is
only since 1905 that Grcal Britain has
attempted to occupy the same.
But it is obvious that in whichever
way England claims Oregon, whether by
The discovery OF Sir Francis Drake in 1879
or by the discovery and settlement of her
Atlantic colonies, the last of which, viz,
Pennsy lvania, was colonized in 1851. that
if she ever had any title at all she must
have had it previously to 1863, Now, in
that year Great Britain, France and SPAN
made solemn treaty settling dcinilively
the parts of the N orth American Continent
that belonged to them respectively and the
English historian Bissell, in Chs" conlin-
uation of Hume's History of England,iels
LIS what was extent of her territory on this
continent at that Gate, including all her
discoveries and acquisitions and Oregon
is not included And have now in my
possession map, which is enlded "An
Accurate Map OF North America, descrlb
ing and distinguishing the British, Spanish
and French Dominions on this great con-
tnent according to the Definite Treaty,
concluded at Paris 10Th ofFebuary, 1863
| alSn al lilo WoSi II,li., Inla,,Ic Ill