Mobile register and journal., 1845-02-14
From lhs \. '. Gallfl.r and EnouI,or.

a map, in connexon with what we have already stu. ted, embraces the whole territory between our rec- ognized boundary with Mexico, and the line of 54o 40', on which the Canoe river, the head waters of the Columbia, takes It's rise. Great Britain ressts this claim, but claims herself exclusive sovereignty over any portion Of tue territory between the 42dand 49h degrees, cOntendng that she has right 10 nay Isate The waters oi those coann ies, settle in and over any part o them, and trade with their inhab itan.s It is admitted by them that the United States possess he same ughs, but no more. This is the ex tent 9t the British claim laid down by Messrs ""skisson and Addington, in the discussions which resulted m the Convention of 1927.
 Having stated first the geographical limits and character of the territory. and the general of the claims of both parties we next enquire,
 II. What do the United States claim, and on asiiat grounds! Their general claim, as already stated, is to the absolute and exclusive possession of ths regions dra'Rsd 6y the rirr Columbia; and they defend this claltn on the following asserted facts:-
 Because the mouth of the Columbia was first dis covered by an American citizen.
 z Becaue the territory dramed by the Columbia WIS hrst explored by the American government.
 S. Because the first ports and settlements in the territory were made by citizens of the United States
 l. Because the B itish go,eI nment has virtually recognised ieit title by restoring the pert at the mouth oi the Cohmb'a, captured by them during the last war.
 D. Because they have acquired by the treaty all the lities oi Spain. which derived from the discoy- eiN anu tkiorAiOn Of the coasts by Spanish subIerts, be'ore they had been by the people of any other civilized nsllou
 D, Because tbe fact that this territory is contiguous to inat 9i Ae United States gives them stronger right 10 II than aaai hn a-. aih.. y....-
 brief exposition of these several grounds of claim may throw additional light upon the genera aspect of the controversy.
 First. The United States claim that the mouth offhe Coiamba f1Sr discopered by on Amrican citizen. The first voyages from the U. s. t0 the northwest rna Sfa ,ia h of the saop Washington, of 90 ions, under the command respectively of John Kendrck and Rob Tt Gray.- They were fitted out by association Of merchants at Boston, and sailed from Boston Sept. 90, 17S7 with sea letters from he Federal Government and passports from the authorities of Massachusetts - The two vessels proceeded first to the Cape Verde Islands and thence to 'he Falkland Island, where they passed fortnight They then doubled Cape Horn and were separated by storm. The Wash- ington arrived at Nootka Sept. IT, l7S8. The Co., lumbla, though detained by accident, joined her before the end or the same month; and both vessels spent the winter at N0otka Sound between the 49ti and Doth parallels. The Columbia nader Capt. Gray again elt Boston Sept. 27, 1790, another voyage aud m May of the next year, reached the coast lit tie north of Cape Mendocino. Sailing along the coast towards Ncotka. Capt. GRAY observed al opening, in latitude 46o 16. from which issued rent so strong as to prevent his entrance, though h remained nine days in its vicinity endeavorng 10 ef
 feet that object. Being fully convinced that he hal | discovered the mouth of river, he continued h course north and the 9th of June l79l, arrived il the harbar or Clvoquoi, near Noo,ka, where aller short voyage to Queen Charlotte's Island, he winter ed, in a fortified habiiaiion, called Fort Defiance | While there, he also built and launched schooner | called the Enterprise.
 About this time Capt. Kendrick the sloop Wash ington, purchased of the Indian Chiefs several iarg tracts of hand Nootka Sound, for which he pro | cured deeds authenticated at Macaoj and SD latel | as 1858 memorials before Congress pray ing tin Government to purchase his right; and the claim we believe, is still urged KendrIck afterwards sail ed to the Sandwich Islands, originated the trade Il sandal wood, and m l793 was killed at Owyhee b the natives.
 In the middle of April I792, Captain Vancouver with two British ships, arrived on the coast nea Cape Mendocino. Proceeding North he careful observed the part the 43d degree, and that nea the 10th, where an opening was laid down in tn Spanish charts, in search of the river which wa sand to have been discovered there, by Mr. Meares
 lie dd not succeed, howerer; and records in his jour nal that, ''nOt considering the opening Worhy of nor attention" he continued his pursuit to the norhwes On the 26th of April he met Capt. Gray in the Col urnba, who informed him, (accordng to MT. Van couyer's journal )hat he had been "of the mouth 9 |" riUr in the latitude of 46deg. lOmin. where th outset or refux was strong as to prevent his en " tering for nine days" This account Vancouye evidently dscredted for he afterwards recorded 1T h,s journal that he had thoroughly examrned Una part of the coast, ''under the most favorable crcn
 - Hs .-winu aud wea atsnr; --that@ his uiaziec tion mad been SO thorough that 'the surf had beeI " constantly seen to break the shore: apd thu no appearance f''any opening had been seen,
 ' the whole coast forming compact, solid ane
 ' ne rly straight barrier against he sea-" With ref | erenoe to what Captain GRAY had told hIm, he ex pressed lncredulty, and added: "Be that, however " as it may, was thoroughly convinced, wer, " also most persons of observation on board, iha " we could not possibly have passed any sate naw gable opening, harbor place of security for ship '' ping, on this Coast from Cape Mendocino to Cap' Flaltery,', that IS from latitude 4ldeg. to 48deg l is evidfn nt from this that Vancouver placed not thu slightest confidence in the statement of Capt. Gray and he accordingly proceeded to the Survey o | the Strait of Fuca al the North.
 Gray, on the other hand, confident that he had no been mistaken, returned to the mouth of the rive which he resoved if possibIe to enter with his ship | On the 7h of May, l792, he found and entered harbor near the 47th degree, where he remained four days giving it the name of Buifn;h harbor, 1T compliment to of the Boston owners Of the ship I It is sometimes called Gray's harbor; ;-though Brit ish geographers, with their usual regard for justice l towards American discoverers, always name il l Whde6y's harbor, from British officer who after wards visited il. It is so named on Arrowsmith'i ! map as well as Blacks. On the 18th of May Capt Gray left it. he reached the mouth of the river dashed through the breakers which extended entire lv across the bay, and found himself on broas and rapid rlver the water of which was fresh that ten miles from the Pacific, he filled his casks with it On the l4th he ascended the river twenty miles where he anchored, repaired and traded with the natives. On the 20tI, he left the harbor and ngaiu passed into the ocean. All these incidents are minutely noted in the Coumba's log book ;-and under date of May l9, we find the entry, "Captaii Gra, gave this river the' of Coiumbia Rper '' and the north side of the entrance Cape Hancock " the south Adams Poni."
 Such are ihe circumstances of the discopry of the Columbia ripe, the first ground on which the United States claim it's ownership The reply of the British Government is, that the discovery actually made by British Lieutenant, Meares, four years before.
 With regard to this. il seems from authentic histo ", that the opening first August l4,, l775 by Capt. Bruno Heceta, commander of ihe Spanish ship Santiago which had been despatched explore the whole Pacific coast He discovered, but did moi enter it though it was laid down m Spanish maps as the Enrada de Hecea. Capt John Meares, com mander of the Felce, from Macao, in l788, sailed for the express purpose of dscovring te rip thns laid down Spanish charts. In the account of his voyage, which published at London, in l790, he says he discovered headland in latitude 46 deg ~ min, which he called Cape Shoalwater. Thence sailing South he a high bluff promonory four leagues of, which he doubled, and found "large bay "as he imagined, having very promising appear Hauce, and into which he seered with every "aeIng expectation" He found, however, the water growing shallow and some "breakers were seen from 'the deck right ahead, and from the t-head they swere observed 10 extend across the bay he here- fore, hauld and directed his course the oppo- site shore. He gave the name of Cape DsappOinf- 10 the promontory, and 10 the bay the title of Deception Bay, in token of his utter failure in the search for the river. In his . k he says: We can
 now sqfely that srs such rver that of "Saint Roqus, erisfs, laid deun in fhe Spanish "eharts This is sufficiently decIaralive ofhis opin- ion that such rirer, as that now known by the name of lle Coiumbia. erisfed