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


progress, add new empires 10 the sway Of Great
Britain; for Oregon alone is of thrice the extent OF
surface Of the British Islands.
To all this, counter suggestions may be made, OF
tie Inferior ac'tnh pocsr of the Hudson Bay Com
pany, as compared with the East India Company,
and, of course, its inferior dangerousness.
We reply, FIRST that the principles Of action are the
same IN both cases, and the ambiguous relation OF
each to the British government and TO foreign coun-
tries, is the same and their tendency in operation
are the same which, IL nothing else, would demand
the attention of Tire federal government.
Secondly, til the future, as well as The prestn,,
which we discussing in this matter. Ii concerns,
not the lifetime Of man, but that Of nation, ~
which centuries are but us a day. The destiny OF
vast regions of this continent is nyolvedof regions
which, destitute though they now be of population
and intrinsic power are one day to become the
abode of millions of men. And how long is 1t since
the East India Company was no more powerful IN
actually, than is the Hudson Bay Company now
A very, very short period on the page of history.
Thirdly, there is identity of character Of not
equality Of degree) in the danger to be apprehended
from the Hudson Bay Company This company
enters into Oregon foreign intruder, the East
India Company did into the territories of the Great
Mogu Though protesting 10 be nothing but a
commercial association, organized for purposes of
gain, yet according to the published reports of its
agents, addressed 10 the colonial Office, it acts lin
Oregon) for the acquisition of power alone, neglect
ing, nay, deliberately sacrificing, all considerations
OF pecuniary profit, in the execution of the plan OF
acquiring and establishing for Itself Chat is, for
England) the control of the navigation of the river
Columbia; in other words, of the yet unappropri-
ated mastery of the commercial capabilities of the
Pacific Ocean And if the company lose money in
this operations, Parliament assume its debts
| (and It's acquistons,) as IT has done those of the
East India Company IN similar circumstances.
For, indeed, very imperfect idea of the thing in
controversy between the United States and Great
Britain have they, who imagine that it is nothing
but certain number of acres Of wild land in
North America. If it were so, why should the
English government perseveringy refuse the offer,
! more than once made, so honorably, aud IN an
amicable spirit of compromise, by our government,
to divide the disputed territory into hro (neary)
equal parts by line, which, being the contin-
uation of our boundary up to the Rocky mountains,
has reasons in its behalf amply sufficient to justify
the English ministers, at least in agreeing to It's
extension to the Pacific We repeat, her refusal TO
do this, indicates sinister and most iniquitors
purpose, and one which we are bound TO Withstand
unyieldingl is, the purpose ofobtaining the
monopoly of the Pacific ocean, instead of fairparci.
patton of this with the United States And much as
we deprecatc war with Great Britain Cor any other
power,) we avow perfect readiness to meet Eng
gland in arms on this question, il she choose, upon
IT. to invade America; for war of aggression and
invasion on her part it will be, in which we enter
tain the most undouhted confidence of ulti nate
| triumph in past times, and of her ignominious
and utter expulsion from this continent.
| Alexander Won Humboldt saw, long ago, what
would he the effect of piercing the isthmus of Pan
ama or, which is the thing, establishing
either Anglo-Brannic or Anglo American power
on the west coast of North America:
''Quand Tin canal de communication sera Gabli
entire les deux OCEANS, les productions de Nootka
Sund ct de la Chine seront rapproches de Europe
ct des Etats Unis de plus de 1000 lieucs. &c nest
qu'aors que de grand cbangemens s'elfectucront
dams l'eat polhque de l'Asie orientale; car cetto
langue de erre contre aquele brisent les fos dc
locean Atantque est depuis DIES siecles, lie boule-
ward de l'indepondanoe de la Chine ct dd Japon."
True as this was, when the Essdi sur la .NourfHs
Espdgne was written, 1t is yet more true now, when
the steam engine has come, defy the resistance of
winds and of waves whilst indeed, the ever-placid
water of the tropical Pacific, with it's lovely islands,
seems to invite the voyager smilingly to its bosom,
to be waited by the eastery trade winds from Amer
| lea to Asia, aud in the variable attitudes the pre-
vaing westerly gales and currents carry him spon
taneously, as it were, along from Asia to America.
Newspapers, literary journals, pamphlets, parlia-
mentary speeches, books, even, in England, bu-
sy at the present time, in producing, pretending
to produce, the grounds of the British title to Ore
gon. All the patriotic sophistry of SO many writers
I is lost labor. The British government knows well
the nature of its own claims in Oregon, from long
and elaborate discussion of the subject with the
American government. We state those claims in
the deliberate official language of the British govern
ment itself:
"Great Britain claims no exclusive sovereignty
over any portion of that territory. Her present
claim, not In respect to any part but to the whole
is limited to right of joint occupancy, in common
trth other states, leaving the right of exclusive do
| minion in allegiance"
And the Qualified rights" thus claimed by Great
Britain, afterwards defined, in the same well
known document to be the rights of navigation SET
Element, and trade, recorded and defined in the con-
vention of Nootka."
And, on Analysing the Nootka convention it ap-
pears that these alleged rights of navigation, settle
| ment, and trade, stand on one of two foundations
namely, either, first, grant from Spain as the first
explorer or dscoverer of, and the first settler on, the
northwest coast; or secondly, the idea of Oregon be-
ing pacan territory to which Christian power has
title, in the same sense that st. Domingo or Cuba
was before the voyages Of Columbus.
| And, in Discussing the subject with the United
States, the British government settled down into this
view of its claims, after conclusive demonstration,
| and on full conviction of the utter untenabeness
nay of the mere absurdty of any pretence of its
having rights in Oregon by prior discovery, prior
settlement, treaty, extension of contguity, pre-
scription, conquest any other if there be other)
means Of acquiring territorial sovereignty.
OF the validity of those, the only pretended claims
of Great Britain we have nothing to say at present
We simply state the case, fully and fairly, in order
to come at the consideration Of the relations of the
Hudson Bay Company to the ultimate question of
the British lille in Oregon.
The Edinburgh Review, in an article on this sub.
ect, ascribed TO gentleman much respected on
both sides of the Atlantic, concludes an emnently
able investigation of the whole question with the
declaration that the only teDahle even plausible
ground of title in Oregon possessed by Great Britain
is that of extension by contigty in common with the
United Staesthat is, continuing our already estab
shed boundary along the forty.ninth parallel Of lat
tude to the Pacific ocean.
Some portion of the British press, in its amcnta-
BILE ignorance of the whole question, consequent
the fact that the official correspondence between the
two governments has never been published in Eng
land, has accused the author of the article in the
Edinburgh Review Of unpatrotic abandonment of
British rights, in thus placing the British title
ground which at shuts Great Britain out Of the
whole of that part of Oregon south of the forty
ninth parallel of latitude. Ifthis accusation of UNI
patriotic sentiment true, there would be gravi
ty in it; for while we concede to every man the
right of changing his allegiance, yet we hold that
in the country OF his allegiance, every man is moral
y bound TO patriotism of sentiment he is legally
bound to patriotism in act But this writer far