The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-12-24

: tU1qutTOT
displayed in his true coors, no longer act with
success the part Of Tertufie.
II But IN the more dilfused notice which events on
the other side Of the Atlantic now receive among Ms,
and with our better knowledge OF the nature OF the
East India Company, have we paid due attention to
what has been, or yet may be done, by a similar
company in North America
i In the reigns of Elizabeth and Of the Stuarts the
whole universe was distributed among various COM
panies of adventure By some Of these Tor under
their nominal authority were several of the now
United States coIoniied and established. In all
these cases the colonsts brought with them or as
sumed here, the powers of political administration;
and they became localized at oace as political COM
| muntes or governments But the "Adventurers of
the Hudson Bay Company established under a
vgation fisheries and the fur trade, on the bay of
that name, continued to wear the form of foreign
sovereignty, not of colony or naturaized govern
ment, Separated AS the territory of the Hudson
| Bay Company was from the then British colonies,
by the nterposition of the French establishments on
the ST. Lawrence, it could not well maintain itself
! during the war Of the Spanish SUGGESTIONS but it
was restored to Great Britain by the treaty of
Utrecht, and thus acquired recognised treaty -exis-
tence, as between France and England. And when
the French and English commissioners met under
that treaty, it was found that England, under the
name of the Hudson Bay Company, put forward a
claim of that company to new territory, by extension
! Of conhguity, which brought down the company's
domain in the rear Of Canada, to the boundaries of
Louisiana. Such extension was, indeed, il the prn.
clple admitted at all, natural one in point of
course, being directly inland from Hudson Bay
But nothing was then finally determined in this re-
spect; and 1t was not until the year 1873 that the
relative boundaries of the Hudson Bay Company
and of Louisiana were virtually fixed; and then it
was by the treaty between the United States and
Great Britain defining respective limits on the
line from the Lake of the Woods, along the forty
ninth parallel of latitude to the Rocky Mountains.
In this vast region, then, between the Arctic sea
on the north, Hudson Bay on the east, the forty
ninth parallel on the south, and the Rocky noun
tains on the west, might the Hudson Bay Company
roam, expatate, and, If it pleased oolonize, under
the charter of Charles, which made them absolute
lords and propretors of all The lands on The coasts
and confines Of the seas, lakes and rivers iptin the
| Hudson straits, not actually possessed by the SUBJ
jects of any other prince state. To be sure after
the conquest of Canada by England, the Hudson
Bay Company became subject to the competition
and the intrusion of new fur company, organized
in the British provinces, deDominated the North
| west Company; and these rival companies proceed
ed to carry on actual war, though on petty SCALE
in those wide boreal districts Of America. These
quarrels terminated by an act of Parliament
of the year 1921, and 2 Geo. w., CHI. &C. which
united the two companies, and which with the new
charter grained under it) materially affects the inter-
ests ofthe United States
In the first place, the act itself gives the courts
OF Upper Canada, the same civil jurisdiction, in all
respects, in The parts Of North .4merica, within
the limits of Upper or Lower Canada nor Of any
cirt government Of the United Siaies as they have
within the limits of Upper Canada. This provision
IS manifest usurpation of the rights Of the United
States; for, by the words the parts Of North .4nerca
not ,oitn any civil government Of The United States il
confers on the Canadian courts jurisdiction, not
only over the original and proper territory of the
Hudsons Bay Company, but over the ,ohoie of the
country Of Oregon IN open violation of the spirit, if
not the letter. of the convention between the
two governments agreeing that for years CATER
wards extended indefinitely until notice) the
! try OF oregon should remain free and open to the
vessels, citizens, and subjects Of the two powers
without prejudice TO the ultimate sovereignty of
either In Oregon, of course, under this conven-
ton, the United States had established no ''civI
government, - conceivng that to do so, would be
an infracton of the agreement to leave the sover-
eighty in allegiance. But this act of Parliament at
once, and by expressions artfuy framed, it would
seem for that very purpose, extended the sover-
| eighty of England over the whole of Oregon, not
withstandng the agreement.
In the second place, the new functions assigned
| by charter to the Hudson Bay Company were, in
operation, still more injurious to the United States.
his company received the exclusive privilege ms
against other British subjects, of trading with the
Indians IN all such parts Of North .aerica to The north
tcdrd 10 the westward Of The territories Of the United
States, us do not form part of the British Provinces
or OF the territories of any European power This
grant carries the Hudson Bay Company for the
purposes Of trade, into Oregon, nay, into California,
where il has actually gone, for California is west.
ward OF the territories of the United States and
forms, now, part Of The territories of any Euro
pean power. In the region east of the Rocky
mountains, the company continues to be lord of the
soil, and virtual sovereign, by force of the original
charter from King Charles. West of the Rocky
mountains, the company has no legal interest in the
soil, no authority to make settlements, and no rights
OF trade, except in fur, or with the Indians. In
oregon, therefore, the company is literally and IN
the familiar language, squatier. And here come
III play those extremely convenient and valuable
qualities, Of trading corporation INFESTED trth The
popers % Sovereignty, which have made the East
India Company so potent, and enabled England to
do without seeming to do, many bold and am
bilious things in the East, and which, for that rea-
son, render the East India Company and the Hud-
son Bay Company far more dangerous neighbors
than even the British government itself.
For, under cover ofthe Hudson Bay Company
though that company be in Oregon but mere
SCATTER in law, having no rights of settlement, and
but limited rights of trade, the British government
IS able to send into Oregon, by indirection, what
she would not, and could not, have done directly,
her courts, her coonists, her government, and a
commercial monopoly Of the fur trade, and NEST
other trade, OF all Oregon.
Great Britain commissions magistrates for
Oregon; but che gives uridicial commissions there
to the officers of the intruded Hudson Bay Com
pany.
Great Britain dispatches no political function
aries into Oregon; but the proper territory of the
Hudson Bay Company is vast province of the
British empire, and the company is, by the very
nature OF It's organization and functions provincial
government and also department or bureau Of The
British gorernmsnt and acts thus political power
in Oregon, though an ntruded and usurping one
Great Britain establishes no military posts in
Oregon in her own name but the Hudson Bay
Company has sovereign attributes by charter, and
officers and flag of It's own and the right to enlist
armed men; and the company, thus intruder though
it be, throws network Of British military posts
over all parts of Oregon.
Great Britain would not openly assume to have
the exclusive control Of the Indians of Oregon; but
she effects this by means of the Hudson Bay Com
pany.
Great Britain would not profess to erpd American
traders from Oregon; but the Hudson Bay Compa-
ny does il ntrusivey with her knowledge and sane
ton. British rivals, says the Edinburgh Review,
the company excludes by law; Russians and Amer
cans by reckl less cnmneiiiinn. LIZ an American most