The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1844-02-29
EVANSVILLE, INDIANA THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 90, is44

Idary; AIDING, however, that, as they mus
confess there was not single good harbo
from latitude forty-two to the mouth of tn
Columbia, they would cede to the Unite'
States the harbor Of port Discovery, in Flu
cas- inlet, together with small rocky 18th
mus, lying southeast from Cape Flattery.
know not whether the name of the cape sug
gested the selection of this particular spot
but Captain Wilkes, Commander Of the re
cent exploring expedition, informs me, HI
considers the entire tract ofvery trifing val
ne. 1t excludes Admiralty inlet and Puge
sound, and not unlikely, some day, to b.
the principal port ofentry for the Columbia
valley.
The offer ofGreat Britain was, of course
refused; and so terminated the second at
tempt at negotiation. Do you find in 1T
details or in its result, much encouragement
to engage in third?
This negotiating about what already be
belongs to us, not only improbable but a
dangerous affair. We offer to concede and
TO compromise We forbear TO claim oul
Just due. And straightway our concessions
and forbearance are setup as foundation fol
title, which has no other ground to rest up
on. know that, in strictness of law, a valid
title is not prejudiced by any offer to com
promise, made for the sake ofpeace. [ ana
aware that the permission granted by treaty
to Great Britain, jointly with us TO occupy
this territory, cannot ripen into title. Yet,
in point of fact, concession ever weakens
a claim. 1t has already done so in this very
case. Mark, sir, pray the admission made
by Albert Gallatin, in his official conference
with the British plenipotentiaries. find il
in his reply to NJ Clay, as follows:
"Our never having refused to agree tor
line of demarcation with Great Britain was a
sufficient proof that we admitted that she also
had claims which deserved, and to which we
paid, due consideration. 1t was on that acE
count that the United States had reduced
the extent of their own TO the boundary line
they had offered, and had added to it the
proposal of allowing TO British subjects the
free navigation of the Columbia"
Is that plain, sr7 That we agreed to ne
gotiate, says Mr. Gallatin TO the British min
lister, prove that we admit you have some IL
tie; and therefore, for that reason, because
we have been weak enough to negotiate with
you for our own, the United States offer you
upwards of a hundred millions of acres of
their territory TO keep the peace, and say
Our own most enlightened statesmen are
sometimes, for the moment, led off from the
true issue, by this temporizing diplomacy
At the last session of Congress, distinguish
ed Senator from South Carolina, now no long
er member of the body which for so many
years he had graced by his severe and logl-
cal eloquence, made remarkable declara-
ton | read from the speech of MIR. Cal
houn, delivered in the Senate. After stat
ing that we had proposed 10 Great Britain
the forty-ninth parallel, and she hadin return
offered US the Columbia river, entering the
Pacific about latitude forty-six, as bound
airy, Mr. Calhoun adds:
at follows that the portion of territory
really in dispute between the two countries
is about three degrees Of latitude; that is;
about one-fourth the whole.n
Do you perceive whittier all this tends? p
We are plrced in false position. Our
claims north of the forty-ninth parallel are
grown up, and the question is made to be,
how much more, south of that parallel, we
we will consent TO sacrifice, in addition?-
Will it be replied, that the sentiment quoted
il only remark incidentally falling from an
individual member Of Congress, which cam
not be used against US? And do you inn
agine, sir, that the words of John c. Calhoun
passed not across the Atlantic? Can you
believe, that even the chance admissions of
such man, on subject SO interesting to
England as Oregon, are not noted by the
British minstry-are not registered at St
James's? Do you suppose that Mr.. Packen-
ham, the expected British envoy, has not
read that speech? And can you doubt, that
he will arrive among us prepared to settle,
not whether Oregon is ours or Great Brltain's,
but how these three degrees of latitude are
to be parcelled out betweenus?
What, that is satisfactory or desirable, can
result from negotiation commencing under
auspices like these? We are informed, it is
true, in that portion of the Presidents mess
age which refers to the hitherto unsuccess-
full negotiations for anorth western boundary,
that ''our minister in London has, under in
structions, again brought the subject to the
consideration of that government" | am
sorry for it. Twice we have approached
Great Britain in spirit of the most liberal
concession. Twice she has rejected our adj
vances. The next proposition should come
from her. We have made too many already.
The chief objection entertained by the
Committee on Foreign Affairs to the pro-
posed resolution, we may presume to be, that
it is likely to cast difficulties in the way of
the expected negotiation. If there were
reasonable promise of benefit to these Unit
ed States from this diplomatic encounter,
the argument would be good one. But
Europe is an overmatch for us in the courtly