The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1845-12-15


IL is unnecessary 10 enumerate the different places
IN the coast examined by these navigators, either IN
company separately. Suffice II 10 say, that they
anded al many places the coast from the 4ist 10
the 57th degree OF latitude, on all OF which occa-
sons they took possession oil the country IN the
name OF their sovereign, according 10 prescribed
regulation celebrating mass, reading declarations
asserting the right oil Spain 10 the territory, and
erecting crosses with inscriptions, 10 commemorate
the event. Some OF these crosses Were afterwards
found standing by British navlgators. In relation
10 these voyages, Baron Humboldt says elm the
following year, OTIS, after that OF Perez second
expedition set out from San Bias, under the COM
mand OF Heceta, Ayala, and Quadra. Heceta dis
covered the mouth OF the Rio Columbia, called it
h, tntrada de Heceta, the peak Of San Jacinto,
Mont Edge comb,) near Norfolk bay and the fine
sort of brcareh.. / possess two very curious small
maps, engraved IN l7SS, IN the city OF Mexico,
which give the BE- arlngs of the coast from the 9th
to the 5Sth degree latitude as they were discoV-
cred in the expedtio of Quadra:"
In The face of ,heses lncontestIble iacts the Bri
tlsh plenipotenary says' " that captain Cooke must
also be considered the di ecoVeIef o. Nool.d SOUND
IN consequence of the wa VI OF authehucity IN inc
ALLEGED previous discovery OF that port by Perez
And vet Cooke did not even SAIL from England until
the l2tl July, l776-neary two years after fefez
had made This discovery. VIE chef object OF
Cooks yoyege was the discov cry OF northwest
passage and he never landed NJ any point OF the
continent south of Nootka Sound IL is true that
This place. he had observed Cape .tlaitery but he
was entirely ignorant that this was the southern en-
trance Of the straits of Fuca. In his journal he
admits that he had heard some account OF the
Spanish voyages OF I774 and l715, before he lett
England and il is beyond question that before his
departure, accounts OF the voyage OF lluadra had
been published, both in Madrid and London. From
Nootka Sound, Cook did not again see land unul
he reached the 9th degree OF north latitude.
In l7S7 II is alleged by the British plenlpotentary
that Captain Berkeley, British subject, discovered
the straits of Fuca but these straits had been dis
covered by Juan de Fuca nearly two centuries be-
fore Besides, if there had been any merit in this
discovery of Captain Berkeley, ii would have
belonged to Austria in whose service he was, and
under whose coors he sailed, and cannot be appro-
priated by Great Britain
And here il is worthy of remark, that these dis
coveres of Cook and Berkeley, in ITS and 1857,
are all those which the British plenpote ntiary
relies, previous to the date of the Nootka Sound
convention, in October, 1870, to defeat the ancient
Spanish title 10 the northwest coast of America.
The undersigned will now take position which
cannot, IN his opinion. be successfully assaled and
this Is that discovery, exploration, settlement
made by Great Britain on the northwest coast OF
America. after the date OF the Nootka Sound con-
ventlon and before ii was terminal ed by the war OF
1886 can be invoked by that power in favor OF her
own title or against the title of Spain. Even
cordlng the British construction OF that conven-
On, the sovereignty over the territory was to re-
allegiance during its continuance, as well in
regard 10 Great Britain as TO Spain. IL would,
therefore. have been an open violation OF faith on
the part OF Great Britain, after having secured the
privileges conferred upon her by the convention TO
calculated to divest Spain OF her ultimate sove-
reignty any portion OF the country. The papabe
meaning OF the convention was, that during Its con-
the rights OF the respective parties, what
ever they may have been, should iemaln just as
they had existed at Its commencement.
The government OF Great Britain Is not Justly
chargeabe with any such breach OF faith Captain
Vancouver acted without instructions In attempting
take possession OF the whole northwestern coast
Of America IN the name OF his sovereign This
officer, sent out from England 10 execute the con-
vention, did not carry with him any authority TO
violate II IN this outrageous manner
Without this treaty, he would have been mere
intruder; under it, Great Britain had a right 10
make discoveries and surveys, not thereby to ac-
qulie nte, but merely to enable her subjects to
select spots the most advantageous, to the Ian
glage OF The convention, for the purpose OF carry
ing on their commerce with the natives of the
country, or OF making settlements there
II this construction OF the Nootka Sound conven-
ton be CORE Gland the undersigned does not per-
celve how IT can Experimentation Vancouver
passage through the straits OF Fuca, in 1892, and
Alexander Mackenzies journey across the CONT
nent, In l193 never b. transformed into ele-
ments OF title In favor of Great Britain.
But even II the undersigned could be mistaken in
these positions, ltwouid be easy to prove that Cap
teln John kendrck, IN the American sloop Wash-
Ington. passed through the straits OF Fuca IN 1883
three years before Captain Vancouver performed the
same voyage. The very instructions TO the latter
before he lett England, IN January 1I9l, refer to
this fact, which had been communicated to the Bri-
tish government by Lieutenant Meares, who has
rendered his name notorious by Its connexion
with the transactions preceding the Nootka Sound
convention. II Is, moreover, well known that the
whole southern division OF the straits had been ex-
plored by the Spanish navigators, Elisa and Quinn
per-the first in 1890, and the latter in 1871.
After what has been said, II will be perceived how
little the British plenpotentiary has for sta
ting that his government has, "as tar relates TO
Vancouver's Island, complete of discovery,
exPloration and settlement, well be present.
ed, giving 10 Great Britain IN any arrangement that
may be made with regard to the territory in dispute
the strongest possible claim to the exclusive posses
ion OF that Island"
The discovery thus relied upon Is that of Nootka
Sound, by Cook, in IT'S when it has been demon
strated that this port first discovered by Perez
N l174 The exploration is that by Vancouver, in
passing through the straits OF Fuce, 1892, and
aiming the coasts Of the territory dispute when
de Fuca himself had passed through these straits in
1892, and Kendrlck again in 1888, and a complete
examination OF the western coast had been made in
l774 and l775, both by Perez and Quadra As TO
possession, II Meares ever actually restored TO
his possessions al NOotka Sound, whatever these
may have been the undersigned has never seen anv
evidence OF the fact II is not to be found in the
journal OF Vancouver although this officer was sent
from England for the avowed purpose of Witnessing
such restoration The undersigned knows moi
whether any understand ng took place between
ect; but fact placed beyond all doubt that the
Spanlards continued in the undIsturbed possession
OF Nootka Sound until the year 1875, when they vo-
UNFAIRLY abandoned the place. Great Britain has
never al any time since occupied this or any othe
p,sltIon on Vancouver's Island. Thus, on the scor,
81 either discovery, exploration, possession, TIM
Island seems TO be the very last portion of the terri
tory in dispute to which she assert just claim
la the mean time, the United States were proceed
ing with the discoveries which served TO complete
and confirm the Spanish American title to tn
whole OF the disputed territory.
Captain Robert Gray, In June, 1859, in the sloo
Washington, first explored the whole eastern coas
Of Queen Charlote's Island,
Ia the autumn of the same year, Capt. John Ken
drck having In the mean time surrendered tn
command OF the Columbia to Captain Grey-sailed
rs has already been stated, in the sloop Washington
entirely through the straits OF Fuca
Ia l79l, Captain Gray returned to the North Pa
cllc IN the Columbia; and in the summer of ths
year, examined many of the inlets and passages be
tween ,he pam and Doth degrees of latitude, whlcl
Inc undersigned considers II unnecessary 70 specifv
Onthe !th May, 1892 he discovered and entere,
Builhnch's harbor where he remained at ancho
three DAYS, trading with the Indians