Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1846-03-07

J, vancouver would nave lhem REFER, 10 III
date Of the alleged capture.
i, As an Offset to the evidence Of Captain
# Gray and lngraham, and, 50 far as II al
pears, as the sole warrant beyond tn
r words Of the convention, for his deman
, Of the whole settlement. of Nootka, Var
couver brings forward tIA deposition q
a certain Robert Dutiin, supercargo unde
Meares, and who was with him at Noot
ka in 1888. Vancouver gives, in his voy
T age, bat the substance Of this mans evi
dence; Of which the mate rial part, &C
cording TO his version, is as follows:
"Mr. Meares attended by himself (Du(
Ifn) and Mr.. Robert Funter, on the iii
or 18th Of May, 1888, went on shore ant
bought Of the two chiefs, MaquI,a nnC
CALHOUN, The whole ofM land that form,
The Friendly Cove, Nootka Sound, in his
Majesty'S name, for eight or ten sheets Of
copper, and some triing articles that
the natives were perlecMy satisfied, and
with the chiefs, did homage TO Mr.. MeareS
as their sovereign, according to the Gus.
tom of the country, &c. Voyage, Vol.
g, p. 37O-37l.
This statement Of Duiin's is an utter
laIsehood; whether suborned for the oc
Icaslon or not, we may not now determine
Great Brltain's own principal witness
shall dlSproVe it; the reputed sovereign,
the very man, who is said to have made
this important purchase, and who pub
Ilshed. the next year, the narrative of his
voyage and his claims and his wrongs;
even Mr.. Meares himself. Here he is, in
very respectable quarto form. And what
is his testimony? What says his daily
Journal of the proceedings at Nootka?
Under date the 10th May 1888 (DufIin has
it the 18th or lSth) Meares says, that be
had a visit from the two Nootka chiefs.
He adds:
"A present consisting of copper, iron
and other gratifying articles, was made
TO the chiefs MaquiIIa and CALHOUN; who,
IN receiving 1t, took off their soa-otter gar
nents, threw them, in the most graceful
manner, at our feet, and remained, in
he unatIired garb OF nature, on the deck -
FoydSf, p L io-ll4.
a present observe; and generously re-
urned, too. But is there no mention
made, on that day, or or the l7th or
9th, of the purchase ofNootka; nothing
ala otthe tatterlng homage done to Mr..
leares as sovereign? Not a syllable,
Iher on the l7th, 18th, 10Th, Goth, nor
ny other day. The sole foundation for
lis romance OF the supercargo, If founda-
on ii have at all, is to be found in
.eares's journal, under date Of the 25th
that month, where he says:
"Maquilla had not only most readily
'nsenled to grant us spot of ground in
S territory, whereon a house might be
alt for the accommodation of the people
e intended to leave there, but had prom. {
ed US also his assistance in forwarding
If works, and his protection of the par
, who were destined to remain at Moot, i.
during our absence. In return for q
is kindness, the chief was presented c
lh a pair oil pistols, which he mad re I
rded with an eye of soicitude ever
ice our ARRIVAL Voyage, p. ia.
Was ever, IN grave dispute between a
70 great nations, pretensions so idle h
pported by faIsehood so shameless 4
ne whole proceeding is type, but too u
richly faithful, OF England's preten. u
ons on the Northwest coast. Thus it h
ands: q
Meares, British trader in search of o
RS, puts into Nootka Sound. There
cordlng to his own story told his own o
~, the native chief "consents to grant," "
t TO sell, ''spot Of ground,n whereon u
may build; and sin return for hi S tt
1dness"-no pretence here, of payment, m
en- for that spot Of ground-the trader Of
axes to the chief a small present. In II
G commencement Of this mans memo ir
Il laid before Parliament two years ar. S
wards, 1t is still only "a spot of ground. c
lereon he built house for his occasion. q,
residence" but it is purchased from rc
aqulIla. Even before the memorial
1cIudes, however, this modest spot of T
ound mas swelIed into ''the lands belono. w
: toyour memorlaist." tb
The men in buckram increase in nun. n
as the drama proceeds By the month W
October 1890, and in the words of the III
INVENTION, it had become "buiI1ings and "
cts OF land" of which Meares had been a,
possessed; and when two years more nj
d passed over the transaction, nothing 81
'rt o: the whole settlement of Nootka,
n the recognition Of Aleares as SOW re
'lgn OF the territory, would satisfy the BY
'aciousIy increasing appetite of the N,
tlsh claim. NV NV
'Pa'n' as may we'll be supposed, was te,
prepared to keep pace with these dis
lrly increasing demands. Quadra and On
BRITISH navigator parted in persona III,
dness but after lruitess negotiation. m
Okla remaining in the possession Of hi,
N1nppuUnr