Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-07-26

Ill That the northern limit Of this is again near
ly met by the Russian discoveries, which came in
l74l to 40 degrees and
| Nv. We may here add, that thus far there is not
a trace, not pretence, of any manner in which a
French right can have arisen that afterwards pass
ed to as. laF
We have already said that the next discoveries Of
the Spanards are in l774-oi the English, IT'S
and this brings us, with another suryey--that OF
general dates--to another great fact the lapse OF
time over which this series of discoveries along a
single coast runs. They occupy near two hundred
and thirty years. During that period, the shore
from Mexico up to Behring's Straits had been, in
the three several regions that we have mentioned
least as continuously discovered as was the Atlantic
coast of America before Spain and England and
France were considered, through their being the
earliest strike upon certain parts Of them the le-
gitimate owners the first, of the Wesl Indies Mex
leo, and Florida; the second, of Virginia and New
England the third, of Canada: In all these in
stances, the proprietary right is confessed to have
flowed from the having first seen the line Of coast
and taken formal possession OF some one part Of it,
1t was never held that all its bays or rivers must be
entered. To have waited for this would have bred
eternal counter-tes, incapable of ever being settled.
The principle of discovery, in word has ever been
that just stated; and upon it the national claims to
almost every greater eastern portion Of this CONT
nent were conceded, by the civilized world to each
nation Of which navigator first ascertained the
general existence there Of continuous land. All this
may be said to have been settled, down to Cape
Horn, within the first hundred years why must
the period be prolonged to two hundred and thirty
years upon coast only about half as long ?!
II, as isapparent, the three general discoveries of
that coast had been already made, why should the
time be prolonged Especially why, when the
proongation can only serve to augment the difficult
ties of adjustment and involve the claimants in dis
putes inextrcable!
Let us resume our historical narrative, and see
whether just the effect mentioned does not follow
from our conserving to look upon the coast, thus
generally discovered, as still open to discovery at
particular points-to discovery such could confer
general territorial right that could extingush
This is manifestly the great question
as to obtaining, through Capt. GRAYs discovery
of the mouth of the Columbia, title within shores
already Appropriated title giving the entire space,
north and south, from the mountains to the sea,
watered by the branches of that river This river
mouth doctrine is very bold one, if to be thus APP
piled; and would prove avery losing one, if brought
over to the Mississippi, of the first discovery of
whose mouth by the Spaniards there is not sha-
dow of doubt, near one hundred and fifty years be-
fore the French who granted it to u.s. ever saw one
rill Of its waters any where. But let proceed.
In 1863 the English acquired by treaty from
France all her Canadian possessions and their de-
tendencies the Spanish all her territory and claims
in the valley of the Mississippi. By this cession,
England came into undsputed proprietorship OF a.
region extending west, along the 10th parallel, at
least as far as the chain of the Rocky Mountains.
So all our own subsequent treaties with her have
admitted thus bringing her eastern territory into
the same contiguity as we in part found our claim
on with the disputed shores of the Pacific. Thus,
if contiguty be any basis of a right (which we
deny,) hers dates from 1853 ours at most from
1903.
From about 1900 r779 the Spaniards formed,
at eight different points along the shores of Calfor
MIA, settlements extending as far as San Francisco,
lin SO degrees)- most northern point which they
ever settled, even occupied, except Nootka, for
the short time during which they held it, after ex-
pelling MEAREs, CoLNETT, and others found there,
and until they restored it to England by the Nootka
Sound Convention.
We have already mentioned the Spanish expedi-
tons Of JUAN PEREZ and of HEcETA, in l774 and
ITS. In the former, Queen Charlottes Island,
Nootka Sound and few other points from 81 de-
grees north to 40, are supposed to have been
discovered.-(See Greenho,o, p. 1867 But Mr..
GREENHow, though evidently partial to the Spanish
as now comforting he thinks title on
us, thus sums up the results Of the voyage:
g In this voyage, the first made by the Spanards
along the northwest coast of America since 1903,
very little learned, except that there was land,
on the eastern side Of the Pacific, far north as
the latitude of fty-four degrees. The Govern
ment of Spain, perhaps, acted wisely in concealing
the accounts of the expedition, which reflected little
credit on the courage or the science Gifts navgators
bit ii has thereby deprived Itself Of the means Of
establishing beyond question The claim Of Peres
TO the discovery of The important harbor called
Nootka Sound, ,ctich is noio, by general consent,
assigned 10 Capt. Cook"
Here, we fear, is the recognition of new, though
seemingly rational principle, which it would have
been at least more polite to have left to our adver
saries TO discover. For the consequences are ex-
of necessity for the like
son, oil other discoveries Of Spannof by her made
kno,cn and within this category fall the voyage Of