The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-02-18

north west coast north of the Spanish post al Moo
ka, will not be disputed; though it would hay
been subject to the right Of free and trade
served 10 the subjects of Spain. But she neglecte
TO assert her right She formed no settlements i
pursuance OF the convention; and, in 1876, Spain
by declaring war against her. put end 10 the trea
IT, sgreeably TO theacknowledged principle Of inter
national law, that the permanenee Of treaty stpu
lstions can only be secured by express agreement
and that without such an agreement they cease
BE- binding the occurrence OF hostilities between
the contracting parties unless there Is something II
the nature OF the questions settled which Is, 0
necessity, permanent and final. Having billed
then, TO rake any settlement on the coast from
1880 TO 1886, all righs conceded by the convention
ceased with the declaration Of war, by which il wal
terminated. From that time forth, Great Britain
stood in precisely the same relation oSpain al
though the convention had never been formed; ana
in order 10 establish any claim she may advance Il
territorial nights tho northwest coast, she must
sort to those general rules founded upon discover,
and occupation which were briefly adyered to a
lhs ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Of my remarks.
will not discuss the question whether the treaty
Of the Escurisl was revived by the treaty OF Mad.
rid, In 1914. l consider il put at rest by the able
argument OF the American negotiator.
Let me nov revert to the progress OF discovery
and exploration, which ! was briefly sketehing, and
which wa. interrupted by the events Of the Nootka
Sound controversy.
In 1859, the American sloop Washington com
handed by Capt. Gray, who afterwards discovered
the Columbia river entered and sailed fifty miles In
the strait Of Juan de Fuea. Meares, in his nara"
tive, Describes voyage by the Washington entirely
through the strait TO the north Of the islands Of
Quadrs and Vancouver, and thence into the Pacific
II such voyage was ever made, Il must have been
under Capt. kendriek, who was, at another period
in the command Of that vessel. But be this as il
nay 10 certain that the Washington the first
vessel which penetrated the strait beyond It's mouth
saef is discovery BY DE Fucs A subsequent ex-
animation was made in 1890, as high as 500 by or
der Of the Spanish commander at Noolka sound so
that il shores well known in their general out
lines before the examinations made by Vancouver
Two years afterwards.
| In 1872, Vancouver arrived on the northwest
coast with instructions TO examine and survey the
whole shore Of the Pacific from the 35Ih TO the 60th
parallel OF latitude and particularly TO examine the
supposed strait Of Juan de Fuea, "through which
the slooP Washington rs reported to have passed in
1853, and 10 have come out again the north ward
Of Nootka." He passed the mouth Of the Column
ba river, which he considered an opening unde-
serving Of "more attention." and came TO the con-
,uson that between the 10th and 18th parallels Of
altitude, the rivers which had been described "were
reduced" u use his own words) "to brooks insult
keisnt for vessels TO navigate, TO bays inap
phesble harbou, for Tektting." On the 18th Of
April, he met Capt Gray, In the ship Columbia,
from Boston, and informed by him that he had
"btcn on NOUN OF liver latitude OF 40
10, where the outset or rehux was 10 great To
prevent his entering for nine days" And Yancou-
yer adds: This was probably the opening passed
BY US on the forenoon Of the 9th, and was appa-
satly inaccessible, not from the current but from
the breakers that extended across it."Vol. g page
g. Notwithstanding this communication by Gray, |
Vancouver, relying on his own examinations still
remained Of the opinion land he so records ) that,
III any inlet or river should be found it must be
very intricate one and inaccessible to vessels Of our
burden, owing TO the reefs broken water,n &c; |
and he concludes that he was thoroughly con-
Unced" that he could mot possibly have passed |
any cape, nsvigable opening, harbor or place Of
eurity for shipping on this coast, from Cape Men
decino to the promontory Of Classet" the entrance
Of the strait Of Fuca.-Vol. 2, pages % and 50.
Only eight days after parting with Vancouver,
Gay discovered Bulhnch's harbor, between the
mouth Of the Columbia and the strait Of Fuca, and
remained three days IN i, On the llth May, 1892,
the day after he left Buhnehs harbor, he saw, to
use his own words, 'the entrance of our desired
port,n and IN few hours was anchored in "a large
river Of fresh water" he terms it, to which he
gave the name Of the Columbia. He remained in |
the river ninc days, and sailed more than twenty
miles up the channel from the bar at lis entrance
Thus was verified the conjecture Of Hece,s, who,
seventeen years before, opening in the coast
which on the Spanish maps called the river OF
st. Roc. Meares and Vancouver had asserted, in
the most positive manner their conviction that no
such river existsd yet when the fact was clearly
cerained by Captain Gray, who had given copies of
his charts to Qusdra, the Spanish commander at
Nootka. Vancouver having procured copies from
the latter, sent Lieutenant Broughton to examine
III, river and take formal possession Of it. Brough
not only performed both these services but for
the purpose Of earning for himself the reputation of
adiscoverer, he aborcd IN his account of his expe-
dtion, to rob Captain Gray Of the merit of discover
ing the river, by the unworthy device of drawing
distinction between the bay in which il debouches
| and the upper part of the stream. Public opinion
has rejected this unmanly attempt; and Captain
Gray is admitted by all fair-minded men to have
been the first person who entered the river and solved
the doubt which had long prevailed with regard to
lis existence while Vancouver, twelve days before
the discovery, had not hesitated to deny, on the
| strength of his own personal examination, made
under the most favorable circumstances Of wind
and Weather. to use his own language, TINT no
such great river existed. This attempt the part
Of Broughton is the more unmany, from the fact
that he actually entered the mouth Of the Columbia
with the aid of Gray's chart. am disposed to ac-
quit Vancouver, in great degree from oil partici-
patton in the odium of this act The account Of the
examination of the Columbia by Broughton, con-
| tanned in Vancouver's journal, though in the Ian
guage Of the latter, is in fact, a report made by
BroughtoD, the commander Of the party may
be seen by reference TO the journal, volume
8, page IS, Vancouver more than recognises
Gray distinctly az the discoverer Of the Columbia.
Al page 800, volume =, ne expresses the nope that
he may be able, in his route to the southwark "to
| re-examne the coast of New Albion, and parcu-
hrly river and a hsrbor discovered by Mr.. Gray
IN the Columbia, between the 46th and 47th degrees
Of north latitute, of which SefYor Quadra had ia
| vored me with sketch" At page 1893, same vol
ume, no says he directed that ..Mr Whidbey, Ia
king one Of the Discovery's boats should proceed in
the Dedalus to examine Gray's harbor, said to be
situated in latitude AGO So, whilst the Chatham and
Discovery explored the river Mr.. Gray had discov-
cred in the latitude Of 400 l0."
The explorations of Vancouver, though they re-
suited in minute and critical examination Of the
shores of the strait of Fuca led to the discovery
ofno new territory; and it is singular fact, thai
while this naval officer of Great Britain, himself
an accomplished navigatar, furnished with all the
means Of making scientific investigations, was
pursuing the examinations, which were the great
purpose ofhs expedition, Captain Gray, in a trad
ing vessel, and in the prosecution Of commercial OBJ
ccts alone, discovered the only two important open
lngs the Columbia river and Bu6nch's harbor, the
northwest coast, from the 10th to the 45th parallel
Of latitude where Vancouver, after the most critical
survey, had discovered none. ,.... s.....a
1t is indeed an extraordinary circumstance that
he we Ill al, .,i. al