Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1846-04-15

to remain in abeyance. And yet tits
assumed in lItis discussion, that if the
treaty of Nootka had been terminated
by the war of 1896, all the claims of
England have terminated. Here a SEN
tence was lost. Now. permit me to say,
that we are binding ourselves by argu-
ments plausible enough;< we are i'm
posing upon ourselves and The people of
the United States. Ibelieye the Moot
ka Sound convention was terminated by
the war of 1896. believe that It has
never been revised. And believe that
the claims OF Great Britain ale just tliat
much stronger. Noorka Sound conven-
tion; so far as it recognised the. hisIorit
cal and great leading fact that The couti-
try was open TO settlement bv all nations,
has no, been repealed. There stands
the acknowled ghent of Spain aud the
surrender of Nootka Souhd-tlie rendef-
ing up of that to the British captain in
1895, and The abandonment BY the Span
iards. There is clear acknowledgment
on tue part of Spain herself that the
country was open TO settlement by Great
Britain ard all other nations equally
with Spain. What results, then, from
the termination Of thar cohvehtion7 Il
places the two countries exactly where
they sood before. In 1896, Spain had
abandoned the country. She never re-
turned. / believe even the trading YES:
sells OF Spain never returned tottbat
cnast after 1895, when it was abandon
ed by her 10 The British. We pufchas-
ed what claim she had: She crded 10
US in 1919 all her rights; claidis, and
pre.ensions. What were they? Claims,
and pre'ensions are nothing. What
were the righls7 She had claimed the,
countryside had NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
doned ii far IS or 80 ayeats.-a total ast
bandonment-indicdting no iutentiUn0fs
ever retaining: or claiming any part
the county; and in this statefo Of facts
whist WeSwere actually neg otialing viii
England ora claim of our own aotaiI
disregarding that Of Spain, siief made aas
treaty Of Florida, ceding III. eaisss'
lSclaims and preie ensions. / regard, lhere.S
fore, the claims of the United States 5iatE
lhe treaty with Spain as Of no value at
all; and if we never had the discovery
Ey Gray. and the Subsequent explora
lien . Lewis and Clarke, | do moi know
that the United States would ever have
dreamed Of sptting UP a claim to- that's
country. lshall dwell no longer onthis
part of The subject: | shall fiowsproceeda
TO express my opinion with r"gardnorhs
limits Of the title Of the two connriifs.a
shall say nothing about the Fredch
title. Snme are of opinion THAR the liz
lie of France extends to The Pacific.
That may be so. confess | have never
heen able to see il. If it be- so, how.
ever, il fixes the parallel of 49 degrees;
as the boundary: MY 0wn opinion;
howeusr, is, that zoe haze no title at all
except tron tile discouery of Gray; aid
Think our title, if not clear and uaesa
quiyocai, is certainly title sufficient
to stand Upon, and s5en to fight up0a.t
am aware that there is some diiicut- :.
ty to encounter in maintaining this title
The writer's on the law OF nations speak
Of discoveries made by officers commits
stoned by the sovereign authority as
comforting this right, and it has been
cuiilended, know, that Gray, although
a citizen of the United States, was
merely The master OF trading vessel,
and could not come Under that applica-.
ton Of the law that, lhei elore. his dis
covery was not OF so much value as lfh
ii had been made by a commissioned OIL
fcer. But even admitting that ttl'ero7
was force in that objection, the subse-s
ouent exploration of Lewis and Ciafke;.
extending believe up to 4e degrees,
places this on unequivocal grounds, mas
much as that exploration was followed
in a reasonably short time by the settler
ment OF Astoria. Now, sir, thus far oufis
,iile--asI proved three years ago-is. a.
very clear and satisfactory title. ] do
no, say. tha. it is title of that character
which We have in the city of Washing
ion, to the soil on which this Capitol
stands. Ii is an uninhabited country,
and whatever title we have of il, even i,
perfectly clear, would still be a fair SUBJ
jecl for negotiation and reasonable4coIifsa
promise. BY that Imean thatwe should'
not absolutely claim any,hingsouthofihats
line, but upon certain principles Of cons
cessionand liberality; certain temporary
advantages and water privileges conced:
ed TO Grea,Blilain. And having thus sta
ted my clear opinion Of the title Of theg
United States under the discovery Off