Mississippi Democrat., 1846-01-07

4
and The other on the Spokan, stream fall
ing into tho north branch, some fifty miles
above.
These posts passed into tho possession
of Great Britain during the war which was
declared during the next year; but il was
provided by the first article of the treaty
of Client, which terminated il, that all
territories, places, and possessions ,ohdt
eper taken BY either party from the other
during the 'edr, or ,rhich may be taken qf'
ter The signing Of the treaty, ercepting tht
islands hereinafter mentioned lin he Bay
Of Faadyl shall be restored without de.
lay" Under this provision, which EN-
braces all the establishments OF tho Anne.
rican company on the Columbia, Astoria
was formally restored, on the 9th Of Oc-
tober, ! ls, by agents duly authorized on
the part Of the British government 10 re-
store the possession, and 10 an agent duly
authorized on the part of the government
of the United States 10 receive it--which
placed our possession where it was before
il passed into the hands Of British subjects.
Such are the facts on which we rest our
claims 10 priority of discovery and priori-
ty OF exploration and settlement, as against
Great Britain, to the region drained by
the Columbia river. So much for the
claims we have, IN our own proper right,
to that region.
To these wo have added the claims OF
France and Spain. The former we OBJ
tanned by the treaty Of Louisiana, ratified
in 1903; and the latter by the treaty Of
Florida, ratified in 1910 By the former,
we acquired all the rights which France
had TO Louisiana "to The ertent il non has
(1s03) in the hduds Of Spain, and that il
had when France possessed Il, and such
as il should be after The treaties subse-
quentin entered into By Spain and other
States" BY the latter his Catholic ma.
jesty seeded 10 the United STATES all his
rights, claims and pretensions" 10 the
country lying west of the Rocky riioun.
tains, and north Of line drawn on tho
d2d parallel Of latitude, from point on
the south bank of the Arkansas, in that
parallel 10 the South Sen; that Ia, to the
whole region claimed by Spain west OF
those mountains, and north Of that line.
The cession of Louisiana gave US un.
disputed title west Of the Mississippi, OK.
tending to tho summit of the Rocky noun
tains, and stretching south between that
river and those mountains 10 the possess
sions of Spain, the line between which
and ours was afterwards determined by tho
treaty Of Florida. II also added much 10
the strength of our title to the region be.
yond the Rocky mountains, by restoring
TO US the important link of continuity
westward TO the Pacific, which had been
surrendered by the treaty of 1865
win be hereafter shown.
That continuity furnishes just found.
alton for claim Of territory, in connexior
with those Of discovery and occupation
would seem unquesiionable. Il is admit.
ted by all that neither of them is limited
by the precise spo. discovered or occupi
ed. II is evident that, in order 10 make
either available it must extend at cns
some distance beyond that actually disco
vered or occupied, but how far, as an alb
stract question, is matter Of uncertainty
II is subject In such case TO be influenced
by variety Of considerations. In thu
case Of an island il has been usually main
tained in practice to extend the claim oI
discovery or occupancy 10 the whole SO
likewise, in the case Of river, Il has
been usual TO extend them to the entire re-
gion drained by it, more especially In ca
ses Of discovery and settlement at Tho
mouth and emphaticaIly so when accom-
panied by exploration Of the river and re
gion through which It flows. Such, il il
believed, may be affirmed 10 be the opn
ion and practice in such cases since tn,
discovery Of the continent. How far tht
claim Of continuity may extend In othel
cases, is less perfectly defined, and can BE-
settled only by reference to the circum
stances attending each. When this cont
nent was first discovered, Spain claimet
the whole, in virtue Of the grant Of tht
Pope but claim so extravagant and un
reasonable was not acquesced in by otheI
countries, and could not be long maintain
ed. Other nations, especially Englan'
and France, at an early period, conieste,
her claim. They fitted out voyages O
discovery, and made settlements on ID
eastern coasts Of North America. The
claimed for their settlements, usually, spe
ciic limits along the coasts or bays OF
which they were formed, and, generally
region Of corresponding width, extend
ing across the entire continent to the Pa
ci6c ocean. Such was the character 0
The limits assigned by England in the char
tors which she granted to her former colo
MES, now the Uniied States, when Their
we're no special reasons for varying fromi
How strong she regarded her claim ;
the region conveyed by these charters, an
extending westward Of her settlements
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