Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1845-12-31

| ~ ~ uery ttoefdt dssceKnt made to these Wh6
advertise by the year. sat @
U Advertisers are reuacst.d IN l.sva ,he:, Al.
vertisements at the Office an earlv AZ Tussd.s
morning before publication.
lGreat Britain shall not be disturbed or.
] molested, either in navigating or carry
j ling on their fisheries id the Pacific o.
ceaD. or in the south seas. or in landing
on the coast of those seas and places
not already occupied, for the purpose
OF carrying on their commerce with the
natives OF the country, or of making
settlements there; it being subioined.
THAT in any settlements to be made by
either party, tho subjects of tho other
shall have access, and shall carry on
their trade without molestation.
| Under this convention, Great Britain
claims the right. by concession from
Spain, now to make settlements in Ore.
gon as against the United States. so far
as we hold from Spain.
The United States reply, that the
conditions ofthis convention are nothing
but commercial stipulations of tempo.
rary occupancy for the purpose of fish.
ing or trading, leaving the Spanish sove-
reignty unimpaired, or at least only in
abeyance. and that upon the face ofit.
also. the convention is Of the class Of
treaties which cease with war. and il
was accordingly extinguished by the
war. which soon afterwards broke out
between Great Britain and Spain.
Such are the claims and pretensioas
Of the two governments.
On this part Of the subject, then. the
question stands, in BRIEF thus:
We of the United States have. az wa
think. good title to the wAok of Oregon,
from 40 deg. 80 m. 60 sec.
l. In our own right.
3. Under Spain.
3. Under France.
Great Britain, on the othor hand. moi,
ther has nor pretends to have any titla
whatever to any part Of Oregon, but
claims the right to TEA Oregon as an
aboriginal, wild country, and to settle il
in common with all the world, or a, leas,
1.-The joint right, under concession from
Spain, to make settlements in that coun-
try. in common with Span, or with Us.
the SUCCESSORS of Spain.
We Of the United States exclude this
pretension Of Great Britain; FIRST, by
showing our general title; and second.
; by denying that Great Britain now pos
| sesses any rights whatever under tho
z Nootka convention.
1 At all events; Great Britain's whole
; claim is now reduced to her rights (if
: any under tho Northern con vention: for
, that convention itself recognises [impli-
t edlyl the sovereign rights Of Spain.
f During the many years the Oregon
, question has existed, the United States
, have, as before stated, at all times man
Tested fair and amicable spirit towards
Great Britain, especially in repeated
offers to divide the disputed territory
between Us in almost equal parts, by
the parallel Of 40 deg. notwithstanding
the comparative weakness ofthe rights
of Great Britain.
=. These offers ofthe United States were
: based upon the supposition that tho par.
t allel of 40 deg. had been established by
the treaty Of Utrecht, by France and
, England, as the northern limit of Louis
lana; upon which supposition, in the
year 1918, the line between Louisiana
i. and the Hudson's Bay Company, on this
side ofthe Rockey mountains, was fixed
i by the British and American govern
} ments. When came 10 investigate tho
: subject eight or nine years ago, in Con.
8 gress, ] discovered, to my surprise, that
0 no evidence existed, in any work Of
}. history, or any diplomatic papers. tha,
s the line had ever been fixed, in tho
i. manner supposed, under the treaty ol
Y Utrecht. Following up this doubt,
t addressed TO the keeper Of the archives
e of France Through The French minis
/. teri note of inquiry on the subject;
r and his reply, certifying to me that no
decision Of this line is to be discovered
, IN the French archives, confirmed ma
, in the conviction that the current idea
concerning it was erroneous, and tina.
Of course the United States were under
, no obligation to stop at 40 deg. as the
|, northern limit of Louisiana.
| This offer Of the American govern
:nent, which has been twice deliberate
: ly made, was, in my opinion, extreme
ly liberal, in all views Of the case, con-
sidering that Great Britain admits that
she has no title whatever in Oregon, and
that every successive Administrations
of the federal government has main-
tanned and felt that we have a good title
10 the whole Of Oregon. Great Britain
, on the other hand whilst admitting th :,
she has no title as proprietor to o., acre