Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-12-20
THE OREGON QUESTION.

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THE OREGON QUESTION.
Documents accompanying the President Message
s-ssesTl
CORRESPONDENTS OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE
AND THE BRrrIsH MINISTER. Concluded.
(B.)--.americGn Statement, 5y Mr.. Calhoun.
DEPARrmIsr OF SrArE.
WAsHISGT0N, SEPTEM Der 20, 1874.
The undersigned American Plenipotenary, has read with
attention the of the British Penpotsnay,
but without weakening his confidence in the validity Of The
title of the United States to the territory, forth in bis
statement mared Al As therein FORTH rests In the
first place, priority Of discovery sustained by their pro-
per Claims and those derived from Spain through die treaty Of
Florida. pafsa
The undersigned does not understand
denying that the Spanish ndvgatOrs 1ks st TO dis
cover and explore the entire coasts of the Oregon Territory
that Hccea the first who discovered the mouth Of the
Columbia river that Captain Gray the pass
its bar its mouth and sail that these
jointly held by the United States would give them the p
oy of discovery which they claim. On the contrary would
that the statement from the ground takes adj
ms such would be- the tt supposition for
that Spa by the Nootka Sound convention of $780,
Invested herself Of all claims TO the territory founded the
prior discovery and explorations Of her navigators and
she could consequently transfer to the United States by
the treaty Of Florida Having put aside the claims Of Spain
by this assumption, the attempts to OPP
pose the claims of the United States by those founded the
voyages of Captains Cook and Mears and supesede the
discovery of Captain Gray the ground that Vancouver sail
ed further up the Columbia river than be did, although he eff
feced il by the aid of his discoveries and charts NJ
will not be expected of the undersigned he should Sc
ously undertake to repel what he constrained regard
mere assumption, unsusaned by any 1T is su-
Gent on his part ~ that in his opinion, there is nothing
IN the Nooka Sound convention, in the transactions which
led to it. the circumstances attending the
assumption The contention relates wholly other SUBJECTS
and contains not word in reference to the claims Of Spain
Il this assumption that the counter rests its OBJ
lection to the weunded American claims priority dis
cove Without it. there would not be plausible objection
left 10 them.
The two claims which the United States rest their
title to the territory set forth in statement A. founded
their proper right and cannot possibly be affected by
the assumed claims Of Great Britain, derived from the Nootka
convention \
the headwa and upper portions Of the Columbia river by
Lewis and Clarke BY which that great brought
TO the knowledge Of the world, with the exception small
portion the ocean, including its mouth This the
reinstatement admits but attempts on against il the prior
discovery Of Mackenze Of the headwaters of Fazes river
quite an inferior strea which drains the northern portion of
the territory u y clear that whatever right Great Britain
may derive from his discovery, can, degree affect the
right Of the United States the gon drained by the Co
lumbia, which may be alphabetically called the river Of the
territory. a
The next Of these founded on thsr own proper sht i
priority Of settlement denied by the commensurate
me that formed the first settlements in the portion of the
territory drained by the Columbia river does itdeny that
Actia, the most considorshc Of tcm che
third article Of the treaty Of Ghen by agents the part
Great Britain duly authorized make the restoration to an
agent the part of the United States duly authorized
ceve it. Nor does itdeny that in thereof they have
the right be rentasd and considered party posses
sion while treating Of tina title, admitted BY Lord Cas-
tlereagh in the negotiation of 1918 that the convention
Of 1915 signed few days after the restoration that Of
1897 which still in ce, have preserved and perpetuated
until now all the rights they possessed to the territory at the
time including that Of being reinsated and considered the
party possession while the question Of title depending, as
is the is true, attempts weaken the effect
Of these implied admssons-n the first place. by designating
positive treaty spulaons understanding the
twoovenmens;" bua change phrsseology cannopossby
transform treaty obligations into understanding and in
the place. by stating chat have not the
ton of Astoria, actually occupied but that possibly
affect right to be reinsated and be considered in pos
session. secured to by the treaty Of Client implied in the
act Of resoraon and by positive treaty spu
laions Nor the remarks OF the in
reference Lord Castereagh admission weaken our right Of
posseson secured by the treaty, and its formal and uncond
tonal restoration by duly authorized agents. Il il these,
md the denial of the authenticity of Lord Casereags
despatch, that the United States their right Of possession
whatever verbal communication the British Minister may have
made at the time to Secretary Of State and these
that they may safely it. setting aside altogether the adms
sion Of Lord Caslereagh.
The next claims on which our title TO the territory rest are
those derived from Spain by the treaty cedng Louisiana
the United States including those derived from Great Britain
by the treaty Of 1888. Il established the Mississippi the
evocabe boundary between the territories of France and
Great Britain and the latter surrendered to France all her
claims this continent west Of that river, including, Of
course all within the chartered limits Of her then colonies
which extended to the Pacific On these united with
those of France the possessor Of Louisiana rest
claim Of continuity, extending that ocean, without
opposing claim except that Of Spain which have since
acquired and consequently removed by the treaty of Florida
The existence Of these claims the denies
on the authority Of Mr. jefferson but appears the
undersigned without adequate He does not under
stand Mr. Jefferson denying that the United States acqu
ed any can to the Oregon territory by the acquisition Of Lou
sana either in his letter Of l803 referred the
statement and from which gives extract or in the docu
ment of 1907, to which also refers II Is manifest from
the extract ITSELF that the object Of Mr. Jefferson was not to
state the extent of the claims acquired with Louisiana but
simply to state how far its unquesoned boundaries ertede
and these he limits westwady by the Rocky Mountains II
is in like manifest from the document a. cited bv the
that his object to deny that our
claims extended to the territory but simply 10 express hs
opinion Of the mpocy in the then Of our relations vim
SPAIN Of bringing them forward Tha 20 far from denynr
that had claims, admits them BY the cleares implication
IT. indeed in either case his opinion had becn equivocalv
expressed the prompt by him explore the
territory, after the treaty negotiated but before ra
titled clearly show that il his opinion only that we
had acquired claims it but highly important claims, which
deserved prompt attention. la
In addition to this denial Of claims to the territory
the authority Of Mr. Jefferson which the evidence relied
does sustain, the intmass
objection 10 continuity the foundation Of right the
ground that may properly Be considered (to his
own wor) misunderstanding the greater degree of the inter-
est which the United Stes possessed BY Of cenguiy
in acquiring territory in westward direction. Coniguity
may indeed be rsgaded - Of the elements constituting