Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-05-17

leced together number Of articles from OF the Leading
Western papers indicative of the public sentiment with re-
gard 10 this great question. II is gratifying to see the
cordial unanmy Of opinion with which is taken up, and
the universal determination that rights to the territory
should be souty and ably advocated There is but one
sentiment and voice the subject What is clearly
ours will be claimed and maintained let Great Britain
take offence she may "-Neo York Evening Post.
Undoubtedly, what is clearly ours" ought to
be $50 claimed and maintained" at proper time
and in a proper manner But the very question at
issue, in this case, between the United States and
Great Britain, deemed fit subject for negotiation
by all previous Administrations of this Govern
ment, and now admitted by the present to be such,
is, What is clearly ours The universal deter
mination," the Evening Post will grant, cannot de-
termine question of right That is not ques-
ton of feeling, but Of fact to be decided not by
popular demonstration, but upon evidence.
The Evening Post from which the above paragraph
is copied, having shown, in regard to another great
National question, proper sensibiity to the national
honor and the national interest, compromised by
the late Administration in the affair of Texas we
suppose that it is not unwilling to listen to reason IN
AeiA
its attention to one view of the subject which
seems to have been overlooked by it and others.
We refer to the state of the Oregon question (which
nothing has since occurred to change or alter) as
understood and admitted by the United States about
twenty years ago. For this purpose we avail our
selves of the authority of the Hon. RICHARD Rush,
in work published after his return from his honor
&c u,
| British Court; from which we make the following
extract and ask for it the attention Of readers:
FROM nusH's "REsIDEscE IN LONDON"
"The British Plenipoteniaries asserted thai
earlier voyages of English navigators, amongst
them Cooks, gave to Britain the rights of prior
discovery on this 1.-THE Northwestern coast. They
alleged also that purchases of territory had beer
made by Britain or her subjects from the natives
south of this river before the American Revolution
| They made no formal proposal of boundary in
these regions, but intimaed that the river Itself
| was the most convenient and said they could
agree to none that did not give them the harbor at
its mouth, in common with the United States. To
this we could not assent, but aDere Uiling to leave
things west of the mountains at large for future
settlement. To this they objected, and made in
turn propositions Objectionable in our eyes. Fl
naly it toas agreed that the country the North
| west coast Of America, westward Of the Rocky
| Mountains, claimed by either nation, should b
open to the inhabitants of both for years FOL
purposes of trade, with the equal right of navi
eating all its rivers.
q cannot leave this part of the negotiation with
out remarking that the important question Of fer
riorial rights ,chich IL invotUes befoeen the too
nations is STILL OPEN ONE; and do not fear {,
record the prediction that it will be found ques
ton full of difficulty, under whatever admnistra
ton, either of Great Britain of the United States
:. it may hereafter be approached"