The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-10-16
PoLITIo GAL.
From the Pennsylysnisa.
THE OREGON NEGOTIATION O.
Stale u the question from is4l 10 ls45, during Mr.
TpIsy,s administration.


la our paper of Thursday the history Of this sub
lect was brought downto the accession OF General
Harrison. The first movement afterwards IN regard
10 the negotiation, appears TO have been made oy
the British government When Lord Ashhurton
came out to this country, in the spring OF 1912, he
entrusted with full powers 10 settle the Oregon
question as well all other matters in dispute be-
tween the two governments; and that question
cordingy became of the subjects Of conference
between his lordship and Mr. Webster This con-
clusiyely appears from Lord Aberdeen's note 10 Mr.
Fox, OF the 18th October, 1912, published with the
documents. In this Mr.. Fox il told: 'YOu
aware that Lord Ashburton was furnished with spe-
cihc and detailed instructions with respect to the
treatment OF this point OF difference (the Oregon
queston) between the two governments, in the gen.
era negotiations with which he was entrusted, and
which he has brought to a satisfactory issue. For
reasons which u is not necessary here to state at
length, that Joint after having been made the sub
ject of conference with the American Secretary OF
State, was not further pressed"
j. would be deeply interesting to know the nature
and character Of these conferences. Mr. Webster
has left no trace of them behind him. What were
the demands OF Lord AshbuTton, under his specific
and detailed Instructions" and what were the offers
OF MIR. Webster, viii be forever buried in oblivion,
unless the report Of them, which was undoubtedly
made by Lord Ashburton to Lord Aberdeen, should
hereafter the light. That the British government
still persisted in demanding the Columbia river as
the general boundary, may be eonclusiyey inferred
nom all we know upon the subject. This knowl-
edge Is confined to the statement made by Mr..
Iyifr IN his message 10 the Senate Of August III,
1872 communicating the Ashburlon treaty to that
body, In this he states, that "uller sundry in
Formal communications with the British minister
upon the subject Of the claims Of the two countries
To territory west of the Rocky mountains, SO liule
probability was found to exist of coming TO any
agreement on that subject al present, that II was
not thought expedien u make 1t the subject OF for
NAL negotiation, 10 be entered upon between thus
gov, rnment and the British minister, part Of his
dudes under his special MISSION"
On the 9Th October, lS43, Mr.. Webster, having,
IN the mean tme, len the Department Of State, his
successor, Mr. Upshur, instructed Mr.. Everett,
then our minister 10 Great Britain the subject OF
The Ore2on negotiation. In this instruction he says;
.'The uiicr Of the 18Th parallel OF latitude, although
o. has once been r. jecled may be again rendered,
together with the right Of navigating the Columbia
upon equitable terms. Beyond this the President
is not nov prepared to CO. Nevertheless, you may
propose or receive, subject to the approval Of this
government, any other terms Of compromise which,
IN the progress Of your discussions, may appear TO
promlse satisfactory adjustment Of this important
question" II appears, from Mr.. McLlnes letter to
Mr. buchanan ~ the 18th May, 1886, that Mr.
Everett had acted on this dIscreto nary power, and
hal suggested TO Lord Aberdeen "the extension OF
the lu,e the 49h parallel the strait Of Fuca,
Que no thought his government might accept
This, Of course yielded TO Great Britain the south
ern cap of VanooHyers island, and was the first
sugees III OF the kind, so far as we know, ever
made on the paH Of the United States.
The negotiation having been afterwards transfer
red To Washington, was formally opened by a pro-
Iocoi, on the 23i August, 1874, between Mr.. CAL
houn and Mr. Pakenhnm. And here 1t ia worthy
OF special remark, that by the very terms Of this
protocol, the American negotiator excluded himself
from claiming the whole territory up to the Russian
line OF 81 40. He confined himself ''to treat of the
respective claims Of the countries to the Oregon
territory, with the view to establish permanent
boundary between the two countries westward Of
the Rocky mountains to the Pacific ocean" thereby
expressly admitting that Great Britain entitled
10 territory south Of $40 40', and extending to the
Pacific. To make this admission doubly strong,
the protocol proceeds TO state that "the conference
was opened by assurances, both sides, of the de-
ARE o: their respective governments TO approach the
question with an earnest desire, and in the spirit OF
compromise, TO effect an adjustment consistent with
the ho0or and Just interests Of either party"
After this beginning, inauspcious for the Uni
ted States, the British government firm to its pur-
pose, and adherlng with unwavering infexiblity to
the boundary Of the Columbia, repeated, through
Mr.. Pakenham, the identical offer which had been
rejected by Mr.. Gallatin in 1926, with this addition
only, ITO make free to the United States any port
ports which the United States government might
desire, either on the main land or on Vancouver's
Island, south of latitude 400" This proposal was,
On the Cd Of September, 1874, Mr.. Calhoun pre-
scented a note to Mr.. Pakenham, containing pow
erfui argument, which, however, did not extend be-
You'd the defence Of the claims Of the United States
TO the portion Of the territory drained by the wa
tiers of the Columbia river" In this he makes
no aliuson Whatever to our claims to the territory
north of the valley Of the Columbia, except the fol-
lowing: "The undersigned plenipotentary, abstains,
Tor the present, from presenting the claims which
the United States may have to other portions Of the
territory"
81 Mr.. Pakenham, in answering this note on the
I2th September, 1874, calls upon Mr.. Calhoun ito
define the nature and extent Of the claims which the
United States may have 10 other portions of the ter
ntory, to which alluson is made in the concluding
part OF his statement, IA ii is obvious that no ar
rangement can he made with respect to part Of the
territory in dispute while claim is reserved to any
portion of the remainder" Mr.. Calhoun, in his
response, makes reference to this appeal except
by saying: "ln reply to the request of the Brit
lsh plenii- otenuary that the undersigned should
define the nature and extent of the claims which
the United States have to other portions of the ter
ritory, and 10 which alluson is made in the con-
GLIDING part of statement A. he has the honor to ia
form him, In general terms, that they derived
from Spain by the Florida treaty, and are found
ed on the discoveries and explorations of her navi
gators; and which they must regard giving them
right to the extent to which they be establish
ed, unless a better can be opposed" Was there
more feeble assertion of title than this? He
studiously avoids the mention of $40 40. He does
not attempt to show how the Florida treaty gave us
right up to that, or any other line; to state
what were "the discoveries and explorations" Of
Spanish navigators, to which he had referred, as
vesting title that had been transferred to the United
States by Spain, under the Florida treaty His sit
uation, in this regard, embarrassing in the ex
treme; for having, in the first protocol, admitted
that the boundary to be established between the two
countries would assign to Great Britain portion of
this territory south Of that parallel the Pacific
ocean, he had precuded himself from asserting IL
tie to the whole territory up to $40 40.
In this position of the negotiation, four days utter
the date of this note, in the protocol of the Oath Of
September, 1874, the claim to territory north of 49o
which had been 40 feebly asserted by MIR. Calhoun
was substantially abandoned. Mr.. Pakenham, en-
couraged, doubtless, by this feeble assertion Of
claim, and having, probably, in the mean time, re-
ceived new instructions from his government, not
withstanding he had formally called upon Mr. Cal
houn but twelve days before, "to define the nature
and extent OF the clans of the United States north
Al e ~ 1. a.