Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1845-05-03
ment show how much honesty there was in this,

the Columbia was formally surrendered by the
British TO the United States, as appears by the
following acts of surrender and acknowledg.
ment.
"In obedience to The commander of his ROYAL
lIighness the Princess Regent, signiiied by a
despatch from the Right Honorable Earl Ba.
thurst addressed TO the partners or agents of the
Northwest Company, bearing date 27th day of
January, 1918, and in obedience to subsequent
orders, dated on the 29lh of July last, from
W.f'iam II. Sheriff, Esq, Captain OF his Ma
js,ey's chip Andronachc, we the undersigned do,
in conformity with the first article of the treaty
of Client, restore to the Government of the u.
States, through its agent, J. b. Provost, Esd,
the settlement of Fort George, on the river Co.
lumbia
'Tlven under our hands in triplcate, at Fort
George, on the Columbia river, this 9Th of DC.
,ober, 1918. f. HICKEY,
Captain Of his Maies.y's ship Blossom.
JAMES KEITH,
Of the Northwest Company"
~ do hereby acknowledge to have this day
received. on behalf Of the government of the
United States, the possession of the settlement
designated above. in conformity with the first
article OF the treaty of Ghent
"Given under my hand in triplicate, at Fort
George, Columbia river, this 9th of October,
ISIS. J. b. PROVOST,
Agent for the United States"
Mr.. Provost, in his despatch to the Secreta.
ry OF State, dated October IL, ISIS, in giving
an account oithis transaction, says:
The British flag was ,hereupon lowered, and
that Of the United States hoisted in its stead,
where it now waves in token both of possession
and sovereignty"
Thus much for the honesty Of the first claim
made to Oregon by Mr.. Bagot, on the ground
that it had not been captured from the Amer,.
cans, but abandoned by them. The pre,cnsc
was so palpably false, that even the British
ministry had not sufficient cfirontcry 10 main
tain it {; but by solemn act OF surrender, sin
conformity with the first article Of the treaty
of Ghent," which provided only for the res,in.
tion Of territory which one nation had captured
from the other during the war, acknowledged
our possession before the war, and their capture
Of the post.
The inquiry will naturally arise how il should
happen that, after the British claim to the ter
ritory had been proved so palpably false by their
own acts, and the possession and sovereignty
-, Al ,J 10, "a In,,a, 4 IA.
question of sovereignty or possession should nj
forwards have been drawn into dispute Il
was accomplished IN this manner. The North
west Company had on the Columbia large a
mount Of property consisting OF turs, pctres
and goods of European manufacture, for the pur
pose of supplying those in their employment
and of trading with the natives. Being thus 10
Gated, alta great distance from any British post
| Mr. Keith the agent of the company. requested
that they might be permitted 10 remain and car
~ on the business under the flag of The Cnitet
States. To this request Mr. Provost answered
that he had no authority TO stipulate, but pre-
suned our government would not compel then
10 leave the country without giving srtlicien
notice to prevent loss. Thus were they per
mitted TO remain in the territory on mere sui
iersnce, and without even pretence Of right.
In the meantime the great value of the coun
try became manifest to the British ministry. al
though our Secretary OF State (Mr Adams
looked upon 1t as so minute question as uu
worthy TO be referred to commissioners with tn
question of remuneration for few miscrabl
negroes which the British carried off during tn
war
Accordingly, in le22. we find the Britis
ministry again intima,ng to Mr. Adams tha
they had claims 10 the territory, but, with chs
racterlstic diplomatic tact, refusing to dlsclos
the nature or foundation on which they wer
based. BY pertnaciously insisting on lhes
: new, underlined and mysterious claims, OF
Government, which had not sagacity enong
TO perceive the value of the couhtry, were sui
sequenlly induced to enter into that most sue
dnl arrangement for joint occupation, which h;
been continued for the last twenty years, ar
under which the British government has bee
enabled to magnify an occupancy, commen
ing in mere suferance in 1918 without even
Pretence pfright, into formidable CLAIM, Il
+. settlement OF which now threatens the peace
; two OF the most powerful nations OF Christe
dom.
t Such is the origin Of the British claim to Il
: Oregon. Such is the result of the bold al
: shameless assumption of the diplomacy, and Il
e short-sgh,ed and yielding policy of our ow
e government. Had we done as the Brltu