Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1845-12-11

TO make had no such negotiation been instituted.
Congress appropriated at the last session. the sum
OF two hundred and seveny-ve thousand dollars for
the payment of the April and July nstalments of the
Mexican indemntes for the year 1874: provided it
shall be ascerained the satisfaction of the Ameri
can government that said insalments have been paid
by the Mexican government, to the agent appointed
by the United States TO receive the same, in such
manner as TO discharge all claim on the Mexican
government, and said agent to be delnqueH; n re-
hitting the money to the United States. y
i The unsettled state Of our relations with Mexico
has involved this subject with much mystery. The first
information, in an authentic FORM from the agent of
the United States, appointed under the administration
of predecessor, received at the State Depart
ment on the ninth OF November last This Is contain
ed in a letter, dated the seventeenth of October ad.
dressed by him to of citizens then in Mexico
with the view of having it communicated to that de-
parment. From this it appears that the agent on the
twentieth of September, 1874, gave receipt to the
treasury of Mexico for the amount of the April and
July instalments Of the indemnity. In the same CON-
munication however he asserts that he had not re-
ceived single dollar in cash. but that he holds such
securities warranted him at the time in giving the
receipt and entertains no doubt but that be will even
tually obtain the money. As these instalments ap
pear never TO have been actually paid by the govern
ment of Mexico to the agent, and that government
has not therefore been released to discharge the
mcnt to be made to tie claimants out of the treasury,
without further legislation Their is, undoubt-
edly, one of much hardship; and it remains for Con-
gress decide whether any, and what relief ought to
be granted to them. Our minister 10 Mexico has been
instructed to ascertain the facts of the from the
Mexican government in authentic and official
FORM and report the result with little delay pos
sible.
My attention early directed to the negotiation
which, on the fourth of March last found pending
at Washington between the United States and Great
Britain the ubject of the Oregon territory Three
several attempts had been previously made to settle
the questions in dispute between the two countries,
by negotiation, upon the principle of compromise; but
each had proved unsuccessful
These negotiations took place at London. in the
years 1915 1921 and 1926; the two first under the adj
ministraton of Mr.. Monroe and the last under that
of Mr. Adams The negotiation of 1918 having failed
to accomplish its object resulted in the convention of
the 10Th of October of that year By the third arl-
Gle of that convention, 1t was agreed, that any
try that may be claimed by either party the north
west coast of America westward of the Stony noun
tains shall together with its harbours bays and creeks
and the navigation of all rivers within the same be
free and open for the term of ten years from the date
of the signature of the present convention the
sels citizens and subjects of the two Powers it being
well understood that this agreement is to be con-
srued to the prejudice of any claim which either of
the two high contracting parties may have to any part
of the said country shall ii be taken to affect the
claims of any other Power State to any part of the
said country the only object of the high contracting
parties in that respect being to prevent disputes and
differences among themselves"
The negotiation of 1924 was productive of no result
and the convention of 1918 was left unchanged.
The negotiation of 1896, having also failed to eec
an adjustment by compromise, resulted in the cont
vention of August the sixth, 1897, by which it
agreed to continue in force for an indefinite period the
,,oft ird IF
twentieth of October 1918; and it was further prov
ded that sit shall be competent, however either of
the contracting parties, IN either should think fit
any time after the twentieth of October, 1923,
giving due notice of twelve months to the other con-
tracing party to annu and abrogae this conventions
and it SHALL in such case be accordingly entirely
nued and abrogated after the expiration of the said
term of notice." In these attempts 10 adjust the con-
troversy the parallel of the orynnth degree of north
latitude had been offered by the United States to Great
Britain, and in those of 1918 aud 1896, with further
concession of the free navigation of tie Columbia
river south of that latitude The parallel of the forty
ninth degree, from the Rocky mountains to its inter-
section with the northeasternmost branch of the CO.
lumbia and thence down the channel of that
the sea, had been offered by Great Britain, with all
addition of small detached territory north of the
Columbia. Both of these propositions had been
jected by the parties respectively.
In October 1913, the Envoy Extraordinary and
Minister Penipotentiary of the United States in Lon
don was authorized to make similar offer to those
made in 1913 and 1896 Thus stood the question,
when the negotiation shortly afterwards transfer
red 10 Washington; and, on the ODD of August 1874
was formally opened, under the direction of my i'm
mediate predecessor. Like all the previous negotia-
TONS it was based upon the principles of compro-
mise " and the avowed purpose of the parties was
" to treat of the respective claims of the two parties
to the Oregon country, with the view to establish
permanent boundary between them westward of the
Rocky mountains to the Pacific ocean, According
", on the twenty-sixth of August 1914, the British
Penipotentiary offered to divide the Oregon territory
by the 49th parallel of north latitude from the Rocky
mountains TO the point of its intersection with the
northeastermost branch of the Columbia river, and
thence down that river to the sea leaving the free
navigation of the river to be enjoyed in common by
both pares-the country south of this line belong
to the United States and that north of 1t to Great
Britain At the time, he proposed in addition,
to Weld to the United States detached territory
north of the Columbia. extending along the Pacific
and the Straits of Fuca from Bul6nche's harbor in
elusive to Hoods canal and to make free to the Uni
ted States any port ports south of latitude 40 de-
grees, which they might DESIRE either the main
land, or on Quadra and Vancouvers island With
the exception of the free ports this is the same offer
which had been made by the British and rejected by
the American government in the negotiation of 1896
This proposition properly rejected by the Amer-
can penipotenary on the day it was submitted This
was the only proposition of compromise offered by
the British plenipotentiary The proposition on the
part of Great Britain having been rejected, the Br-
tish plenipoentiary requested that proposal should
be made by the United States for an equitable ad-
iustment of the question:"
When into Office, found this to be the state
of the negotiation Though entertaining the settled
conviction that the British pretensions of title could
not be maintained to any portion of the Oregon terri
tory upon any principle of public law recognized by