The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1845-12-16
WHOLE NO. 251.

received single dollar in each: but that he
holds such securities as warranted him at the
time in giving the receipt, and entertains no
doubt but that he will eventually obtain the
money. As these instalmehts appear never
10 have been actually paid by the govern
ment it has not therefore been released so as
10 discharge the claim, do not feel myself
warranted in directing payment to be made
to the claiments out of the treasury, without
further legislation. Their case is, undoubt-
edly, one ofrmuch hardship, and it remains
for Congress 10 decide whether any, and
what, relief ought to be granted to them.
Our minister to Mexico has been instructed
to ascertain the facts of the case from the
Mexican government, in an authentic and
official form, and report the result with as
little delay as possible.
My attention was early directed to the
negotiation, which, on the fourth of March
last, found pending at Washington between
the United States and Great Britain, on the
subject 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 hadproved
unsuccessful.
These negoti atoms took place at London,
in the years 1918, 1924, and 1926; the two
first under the administration of Mr.. Monroe,
and the last under that of Mr.. Adams. The
negotiation of 1918 having failed to accom-
plish its object, resulted in the convention of
the twentieth of October of that year. BY
the third article of that convention, it was
attested, that any country that may be
claimed by either party on the northwest
coast of America, westward of the Stony
mountains, shall, together with its harbors,
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, to the
vessels, citizens, and subjects Of the two
powers; it being we'll understood that this
agreement is not TO be construed 10 the
prejudice of any claim which either of the
two high contracting parties may have TO any
part of the said country, nor shall it be taken
to affect the claims of any other power or
State 10 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 1926, having also failed
TO effect an adjustment by compromise, result
ed in the convention of August the sixth,
1927, by which it was agreed TO continue in
force, for an indefinite, period the provisions
of the third article of the convention Of the
twentieth of October, 1878; and it was fur
ther provided, that it shall be competent,
however, to either Of the contracting parties,
in case either should think fit, at any time
after the twentieth Of October, 1928, on Civ
ing due notice of twelve months to the other
contracting party, to annul and abrogate,
this convention, and it shall, in such case
be accordingly entirely, annulled and abrogat-
ed after the expiration of the said term of
notice." In these attempts to adjust the
controversy, the parallel of the forty-ninth
degree of north latitude had been offered by
the United States to Great Britain, and in
those of 1918 and 1926, with further con-
cession of the free navigation of the Colum-
ba river south of that latitude. The parallel
of the forty-ninth degree, from the Rocky
mountains TO its intersection with the north
easternmost branch of the Columbia, and
thence down the channel of that river to the
sea, had been offered by Great Britain, with
an addition of a small detached territory
north of the Columbia. Each of these pro-
positions had been rejected by the parties
In October, lS43. the Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United
States in London was authorized to make
similar offer to those make in 1918 and 1925.
Thus stood the question, when the negotiR-
lion was shortly afterwards transferred to
Washington; and, on the twenty-third of
August, 1914, was formally opened, under
the direction of my immediate predecessor
Like all the previous negotiations, il was
based upon principles of :" compromise" and
the avowed purpose of the parties was, g to
treat of the respective claims of the two
countries to the Oregon territory, with the
view to establish permanent boundary be-
tween them westward of the Rocky noun
tpins to the Pacific ocean," Accordingly,
on the twenty-sixth Of August, 1874, the
British plenipotentiary offered to divide the
Oregon territory by the forty-ninth parallels OF
north latitude from the Rocky mountains to
he point of its intersection with the north
eastern most branch of the Columbia river,
md thence down that river to the sea; leav-
ng the free navigation of the river TO be en-
Dyed in common by both parties--the coun-
ry south of this line to belong TO the United
States, and that north of it to Great Britain.
AT the same time, he proposed, i'll addition,
10 yield to the United States detached ter
,itorv, north of the Columbia, extending