Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1845-12-25

Indeed. so CONCLUSIVE ID IIlC CSidVuSS Ala LIS -
yor, that it has been attempted to evade our
claim on the novel and wholly untenable ground
that his discovery was made, not IN a'national,
but private vessel. Such, and SO incoEtestable,
is the evidence Of our claim, and against Great
Britain-from priority cf discovery, as to the
mouth Of the river, crossing lis BAR entering It,.
and sailing up its stream, on the voyage OF
Captain Clay alone; without taking into con-
sideration the prior discovery OF the Spanish
navigator, Heceta-which Will be more par
ticulary referred to hereafter.
s.Nor is the evidence Of the priority ct our
discovery of the Lead branches OF the river
and It's exploration less conclusive. Before
the treaty was ratified by which we acquired
Louisiana, in 1903, an expedition was plann-
ed-at the head of which Meriwether Lewis
and William Clarke-to explore the the river
Miss3ur and its principal branches to their
|sources, and then to seek and trace to its ter
mination in the Pacific some stream, ''achefheT
the Columbia, the Oregon, The Colorado, on
any other ,chich might offer the nscst direct
and practicable ,vater- communication across
the continent. for the purpose Of commerce. -
The party began to ascend the Missouri In
May, 1904, and, in the summer Of 1905, reach
ed the head-waters Of the Columbia river
After crossing many Of the streams falling in
to it, they reached the .Kooskooskee in latitude
43 degrees "a minu.es-descended that to the
principal southern branch, which they called
Lewis's-fullowed that to its junction with
the great northern branch, which they called
Clarke-and thence descended TO the mouth
of the river, where they landed. and encamFed
on the north side, On Cape Disappointment,
and wntered. The next spring they com
menced their return, and continued their expio-
ration up the river, noting its various branches,
and tracing some of the principal; and finally
arrived at St Louis, in September, 1906, after
an absence oftwo years and four months.
cit was this important expedition which
brought to the knowledge of the world this
great river-the greatest by far on the western
side of this continent-with its numerous BRAN
ches, and the vast regions through which it
flows, above the points to which Gray and
Vancouver had ascended. 1t took place many
years before it was visited and explored by
any subject of Great Britain, or Of any other
civilised nation. SO far as we are informed. 1t
as clearly entities us to the claim Of priority Of
discovery, as to its head branches, and the ex-
ploraton of the river and region through which
it passes, as the voyages of Captain Gray and
the Spanish navigator, Heceta, entitled us to
priority in reference to its mouth, and the en-
trance into its channel.
"Nor our priority of settlement less certain.
Establishments were formed by American citi
Zens on the Columbia river as early as 1909
and 1910. In the latter year, company was
formed in New York, at the head Of which
was John Jacob Astor, wealthy merchant Of
that city, the object Of which was to form
regular chain OF establishments on the Colum-
bia river and the contiguous coasts Of the Pa
cifc, for commercial purposes. Early in the
spring Of 1911. they made their first establish
nlent on the south side Of the river, few
miles above Point George; where they We're
visited in July following by Mr.. Thompson,
surveyor and astronomer Of the Northwest
Company, and his party. They had been
sent out by that company to forestall the A.
merican company in occupying the mouth Of
the river, but found they were defeated in
their object The American company formed
two other connected establishments higher up
the river one at the confluence Of the Okene-
gan with the north branch Of the Columbia:
about six hundred miles above its mouth; and
the other on the Spokan, stream falling into
the north branch, some fifty miles above.
'.These posts passed into the possession of
Great Britain during the war which was de-
clared the next year; but it was provided by
the first article of the treaty Of Client, which
terminated it, that ''aU territories. places, and
possessions 'chaterer taken By either party from
the ether during the ,car, or ,chich may be to-
Ken after the signing Of, the treaty, ercepting
the islands hereafter mentioned Gin the Bay Of
Fumdy) shall be restored ,cithout delay" I'm
der this provision, which embraces all the es-
Establishments of the American company on the
Columbia. Astoria was formally restored, on
the 9th of October, 1918, by agents duly au-
thorzed on the part of the British government
to restore the possession, and to an agent duly
authorized on the part Of the government Of
the United States to receive (which placed
our possession where it was before it passed in
to the hands Of British subjects.
sSuch are the facts on which we rest our
claims to priority of discovery and priority Of
exploration and settlement, as against Great
Britain, to the region drained by the Columbia
river. So much for the claims we have, in
our own proper right, to that region"
The above statement. we think. makes the
claims of the United States, SO far as priority
Of discovery and settlement are concerned, sufi-
GENTLY clear, at least to the minds Of AMERI-
CAN citizens. But there are other, and, we
think, no less just and reasonable grounds, up
on which the claims of the United States ITO
the whole Of Oregon" may safely rest,as good
against the pretensons of every other nation
whatever. And in the first place, we will
briefly refer 10 the rights which were acquired
by the U. S. by virtue of treaties. BY the
treaty with Spain in 1908, the U. S. acquired
''the country lying west of the Rocky Noun
tains, and north of line drawn on the AID par
allel of latitude, from point on the south
bank Of the Arkansas, in that parallel, to the
South Sea; that is, to the whole region claimed
by Spain west Of these mountains, and north
of that line" &C.; and the treaty with France,
by which Louisiana was ceded, .tgave us un-
disputed title west Of the Mississippi, extern
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