Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-05-06
Tuesday Morning, May t. u
orr RIGHTS TO OREGON.

OUR RIGHTS TO OREGON.
II is most extraordinary, that the lynS-'ycu
Wings could discern in the Presidents lhausu'
raj no spec al rar, until il had been 10 EnSiaA"
and returned The Inaugural was delivered Oh
the Iih March The Wing press gave vent 70
their 10Y al It's Wing character. They ooas'eu
tina, Democratic President had yielded 10 me
wisdom OF Wing policy-and particularly l'a'
his Tariff notions quadrated exactly with wing
doctrines. They said nothing OF his views on
Oreson-lhey deserted in his declarations on 'ld'
poinl no rash assumptions, calculated TO produce
war-and, By their very silence, sanctioned 'ne
language and the spirit OF MIR. Folks inaugural
In The meantime, this excellent document. al-
proved b. Wings and Democrats receives me
commentaries Of British Lords, is by them de-
cared 10 be full Of Sound and fury, The bolts 81
war are contained in lis fiery declaraions-ahd
sraighiway the Federal press oil lhls country
catch up the strain, denounce The fecklessness on
the President and sligmalize his declarations as
"bracsart and blu,lering"-(see Richmond Wing
Of yesleday) We shall not enter into an analy-
sis OF these contradictory moremevenis. we
simply refer 10 the fact, that the Wing press, WIN
4 "A
rema rka BILE unanimity, nor give 10 lhe inaugural
British exposition.
As is one OF the great questions OF The day,
il NAV moi be unnere>tins 10 give condensed
and hasly view OF The titles Of The United States
and Great Britain 10 The Oregon Territory, drawn
from the imperfect sources OF information 10
which we can have access. The British Lorus
in Parliament claim, by clear ana lndlspll'apie
lille" a greater portion Of The territory in dispute.
Than is allowed by onr Government. and base
their claims upon the discoveries Of Drake and
Vancouver, and on prior settlement BY British
subjects Now lei Us look al cur title by treaties
between the United States and other nations. BY
Treaty entered into in 1919 between the United
States and Spain, and ratified in 1921, al the time
of Mr.. Forsylh's Ministry al The Court Of Ma
| drid the Southern boundary between our posses
sions and those OF Spain, was line drawn rom
the source Of the Arkansas 10 the forly-second pa
ralle OF latitude and thence along said parallel,
/ westward 10 The Pacific, near Cape 81. Sebastian,
/ mis- Spanish Majesty surrendering all his rights
\ and claims 10 anv territories North OF said line
/ In 1928 the same boundary was confirmed IVA
/ Treaty with The new Slate 81 Mexico. In ISL.
/ il was agreed between Russia and our Govern
men, thai no establishment should ne formed by
ourselves North of the parallel OF "a degrees 40
| minutes and none under the authority OF Russia
South Of that latitude. The Treaty OF lS!3, te-
tween Russia and Great Britain, also recognizes
| this line The territorial claims of Great Br-
tain extend southwark from This parallel OF "a de-
erees 40 minutes, and those OF the United States
run northard from the parallel Of ~ deerees-bni
no dividing line has been agreed upon--lhough
| convention exists for the common occupation Of
the territory until twelve months notice IS given
by one OF the parties 10 The other. Is il not clear,
that il Spain had any RICH, 10 The territory con-
veyed 10 rs by Treaty, We have an unquesiionabe
tile 10 the country, as Tar North as latitude 81
degrees 40 minutes,
BIT HE British Lords claim prior discovery
hy Drake in 1880 The Washington Union
examines This point, and thoroughly DESTROYS all
the deductions which the English NAV make
from il, as calculated 10 give them even pretend
ed title and brings forward the evidence OF The
Spanish navigato,S, Cebfillo and Ferrelo, having
explored these coasts in l5i2-3, as far North As
the AID degree oi latitude and having landed in
MANY places, "having erected crosses bearing in
scrip,ions and performed various acts. asserting
the right Of their sovereign 10 The country" In
1892. Juan dc Fuca coasied along the Western side
OF America, Nonhward from Mexico, and found
a massage between The 4SIh and 10Th parallels
called the Strait OF Fuca In 1923 The Span
iards. under Sebastian riscaino, again examined
Inc Northwest coasts 10 the 1874 degree North, a
far Caps icaan and EiirGG6nean dd slc.6 co
the Spaniards founded Monterey aud oiher towns
on The Western side OF California. That nation
then, for The five succeeding years explored the
whole coast OF Oregon on The Pacific, including
the mouth OF The Columbia, md examined The
Western coast as far as The 56th degree, per-
forming the ceremonies oil taking possession.
In l71s only did the English Captain Cook vi.
sit these shores, near The l3d degree OF latitude
thence running along il 10 the Nootka Sound, in
49i degrees
We extract from the Augusta (Ga.) Con>rilu.
liona'ist the following sketch of>ulscquenl events
forming complete chain OF title on our part
$50 far the mouth Of the Columbia river wa,
not discovered It was reserved for an American
To make The discovery. The first VOYAGES from
the United States were those OF The ship Colnm.
hia, Captain kendrck, and sloop Washington
Capt Robert Gray. Both vessels sailed from Bo>-
ton, in Massachusetts, on the 30lb Of September
1888; visited Noolka Sound Gao deg) in Sept
1888 and returned 10 Boston in August 1920
But, on the 9Th September, 1898 Captain GRAY
in command OF the ship Columbia, sailed for the
Pacific. He reached The coast a little 10 The North
ward Of Cape Mendocino (l0 deg.) Coasling
along towards Noolka. he observed an opening in
latitude iG deg. lG min, di>charsing current 50
strong as 10 prevent an entrance, although he re-
manned nine days al hand in order 10 etIec, il. He
had discovered the mouth OF great river. In
September, 1891, he made Clyoquol his Winter
station, and built house of strength on the shore,
which he named Fort Defiance. Here also, he
built and launched schooner called the Enter
prise.
"Capt. Vancouver, with Lient Broughton. in
the British ships OF war the Discovery and the
Chatham, were despatched from England in 1871 +.
in order 10 receive from The Spanish authorities
the surrender OF port al Nootka Sound, under
the stipulation of 4 convention (averiing an i'm
pending war; made between the two courts in
| 1870. As Vancouver was sailing along the coas
towards his port OF destination, on the 9th April
1892, he passed BY, with bnl careless glance the
cape and seeming bay, 50 emphatcally named BY
Meares Disappointment and Deccpiioa and puiS
down, mo; considering this opening WORTHY OF
more attention. continued our course 10 the north.
west &c. Two days after, he met the Column
bia, Capt. Gray, who informed him, among other
! matters, "oi his having, in The words Of Vancou-
yer, "been OF The mouth Of river in latitude &c
degrees 10 minutes, when the onsel or reilux was
so strong as TO preventhis entering For nine days"
Vancouver proceeded northward strong in his in
creduliy, while Capt Gray again sought The
mouth Of the river. On his way he found and
entered harbor near The 41h degree 10 which he
gave the name Of Bulhnch's Harbor, 10 compli.
!, mcnt 10 one OF The owners. Leaving Bull.
fnch's Harbor on the llih OF May after
few hours sail he reached the mouth of the river,
crossed The bar, and found his ship on a broad
and rapid steam, the waters Of which we're so per.
teclly fresh that The casks OF the ship were filed
within len miles Of the Pacific. On leaving the
river, Capt. Gray bestowed on il the name of his
vessel The Southern point of land he called Cane
Adams and substituted the name of Cape Han
cock for that of Cape Disappointment. Neither
Cape Hancock nor Cape Adams, have taken an
assured place in the maps; and the name Of Cape
Disappointment remains. 10 preserve in rcmem-
brance for time, probably Short The agaeuy of
the sponsor. The name of the good ship Colum-
hia, il is not hard 10 believe, will flow with The
waters Of the bold river as long as grass grows or
water runs in The valleys Of The Rocky Noun
iains.
"Sir Robert Pee! In his speech on The subject,
calls frequently that river the Columbia, and very
seldom the Oregon.