The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-06-15

power which has always attended it; and this will
be another Of the advantages resulting from the &C.
eupstion of the Colu nbia.
| And now, Mr.. President this is the exact reason
| why the British want the Columbia. They want
it the indispensable link in their own projected
Il North American route TO India. This is shown In
| MeKenze's history Of his voyages Of discovery in
| 1883 and 1893. On both occasions he was seeking
| a river line of communication between Hudsons
bay and the Pacific In the first voyage he followed
the Unjgah, or Peace river, bearing northwest
| through the Great Slave lake and the Great Bear
| lake, and after two thousand miles Of navigation,
found himself at the Frozen ocean, north, rather
east Of Behring's straits. That was too far north
to answer any purpose. In the year l793 he sat
out again 10 find more southern river 10 the Pacf-
lc. On both voyages he sat out from the same
| point-For Chipewyan, on the Athabsca lake. In
stead Of descending the Unjigah, he now assembled
| it-Went up 10 its head in the Rocky mountains
| passed through low gap-found a stream flowing
west and followed it from its source 10 $50 Of north
autnde and followed Il down TO $50. Finding Il 10
GEAR south, and becoming a large river, Mckenzie
believed il TO be the Columbia already discovered
by Gray; and thereupon left it, and crossed over d.
rect to the Pacific ocean which he reached dis
lance north Of Vancouver's island. This voyage,
like the other had failed in its object; il found no
| DaVigable British river leading TO the Pacific. And
then new IDEA struck the disappointed explorer,
Il which he gave 10 the country, and impressed upon
the British government, eight years afterwards IN
| his History Of the Fur Trade That work. publish
ed in London in the year 1901, after lamentng that
| a northwest passage could not be found, and de-
claring that the Columbia the only line Of inte
rior communication with the Pacific ocean, boldly
proposed TO take H. other ground than that II
was ind lspensabe 10 the commercial communication
between Hudson's bay and the Pacific, and no OBJ
| stacle in the way but American adventures, who
you'd instantly disappear from before well-regu-
ated trade that is 10 say before the power OF the
BRUSH fur-trading companies, backed by the power
| If the British government. Here is the extract
4 from McKenzie's History, which very coolly rec
ommends all this policy, If the taking an Ameri-
| can river and making the Americans disappear from
II, Unsuitable an operation as that OF catching
| a beaver and killing him for his skin. Hero is the
proposition Of Mckenzie, earnestly pressed upon
| his government
The Russians who first discovered that along the coasts
II Asia useful regular navigation existed opened ar
interior communication by rivers, &C and through tina
ouS and wide continent the strait that ,ePa
from America which they passed TO the
Imrcan continsn Our situation is at length
ree similar theirs: the noneNsence OF practicable
usage by and the OF through the cont
en are CLEARLY proved and It requires only the couns
lance snd support Of the british government TO increase 10
very lie proportion, this national advantage and So
cure the trade Of that country to It's subjects by the ry
er that discharge themselves Into Hudsons Bay at Por
Nelson II proposed to carry the trade to their source
the head Of the saskatehiwne yer which rise, IN hf
lOcky mountain not eight degrees Of longitude from
| the Pacific The Columbia flows from the same
Mountains, and discharges it'e. from the Pacific in
north latitude I5 30. Bo,h Of them capable OF
csving ships at their mouths and are navgable through
| but for boats" But whatever may be taken from
the Atlantic TIE C0iuWbid Is he line of communication
from the Pacific pointed out by nature, II 10 the
only naygable river in the whole extent Of Vancouver
minute survey Of that coast its banks also, form the
irs level country all the southern extent Of continental
coast from Cooks entry and consequently the most north
By Opening this intercourse Atlantic Pacific
oceans and forming regular establishments through the in
Island. the entire command ofthe fur trade Of North Amer
might be obtained from latitude " to the pole, exesp
TO this may be added the fishing in both and the
kst Of the four quarters OF the globe Such would be the
field for commercial enterprise and would be
the produce Of when supported by the operations Of thai
credit and capital which Great Britain preemnently
Then would this country begin to be remsnsraed
for the expense sustained discovering survey
ing the coast Of the Pacific ocean, which is at present left to
American adventuers who without regularity capital
or the desire concang future confidence look aogeth
the interests Of the Such adventures land
OF them have been informed have been very
cessuD would instantly disappear from before weregua
ed trade" Many political reasons which is not necessary
| every acquainted with the enlarged system and ca
pacites Of British commerce. in support OF the
important advantages to the trade Of the United King
| doms."
Great Britain of the Mississippi Mckenzie proposes
latitude Of Is degrees because that latitude is necessary
to give the Columbia rverto Great Britain His words
Let the line begin where may on the Mississippi 1t
he continued west till terminates in the Pacific TO
| the south Of the Columbia"
1t was in the year 1901 that Mckenzie made this
eminent ventured to act upon the proposition
until after the joint occupation treaty Of 1918. Be-
fore that its ministers here limited vague Claims but
refused to write them down, or to sign them. After
that convention, and especially after its renewal in
1928 and after the disappearance of people from
the Columbia under the power and policy of the
Hudson Bay Company, then the government took
the decisive stand, and went the whole length Of
McKenzies recommendation. This is the origin
of the British claim to the Columbia! Because they
could not find northwest passage-because the
Uniigah went to the Frozen ocean-because Fra
Il zer's river was Observation-Disclosures the Columbia
river was the only practicable line Communication
with the Pacific ocean, and its banks the only situa-
ton fit for the residence of civilized people: for
these reasons, after long delay and great hesitation,
and aided by the mprovIdence of our government,
they set up claim to the Columbia! II was found
to be the only river on which commercial commu-
nicaton could be opened between Hudson's bay and
the Pacific ocean--the only British American road
to India! The command of the North Pacific ocean,
and the monopoly of its rich trade, depended upon
the acquisition of the Columbia; and, therefore,
they must take it. This is the origin of the Brit
sh claim to the Columbia river 1t was an indis-
pensabe link in their commercial line across the
continent. The other end of that line was in the
frozen and desoate regions of Lake Winipec and
Hudsons Bay, along the icy streams Of the Sas-
katchwine and Mssnippi, Nelson's river;) yet
even for such a route this Mckenzie invoked
the aid and protection of the British government,
and obtained it. That government now backs
, the powerful fur company-the instrument Of its
policy in America as the East India Company is
in Asa-in Its pretensions to the Columbia as the
substitute for the Northwest passage; and if they
had the 1.-THE of our title to it, would never surren-
der it, Even with end of their line terminating
in the icy and desoate waters of Hudson's bay, she
still struggles for it. What would it be if she had
the North Pass and the Missouri river, bearing
down south to the centre Of the valley of the Mis-
LASS Mt yvo fpht the
: world for such line that, and spend unnumber.
y ed millions in its improvement and protection; ye
we have turned our backs upon iteft it for thirty
years derect in the hands of our competitors; ant
| am now listened to with some surprise and ncre
duy when | represent this grand commercial rout,
to India upon the line Of the Missouri and the Co
q lumba, as one of the advantages Of Oregon-one o.
our Inducements to maintain our rights there.
The effect Of the arrival Of the Caucasian or white
race, on the western coast of America, opposite the
: eastern coast of Asia, remains to be mentioned
= among the benefits which the settlement OF the Co