Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-03-13

very Temporary character, aud OF no more co.,se
oDenca than those which probably every o.".'
trader who preceded him made. !! Is very e.,
Tain he c,ca,ly magufed The character "i hi'
establishment, and his wrongs. An EnShsn au
thoriiy says: p.;
"Cap,. Vancouver was despatched BY 'he -, ',
tish Government, 10 receive The snIIthue, " a.,
tracts of land mentioned in The hfst aiucie' o
his arrival at Noc!ka Sound, no"eNei, =" orarsd
Iracis nj land were Identified. hui was offered
which he refused He lett Noolka Souiu III 'Ne
possession Of The Spaniards; and there q cons
derabe doub, whether any lands were ever i g
stored 10 Meares or whether there were any ~ ~
restore All that we know is, that III 49, d,
parties. Snaniards and English, had aoahuo'i1u !,
Noolka Sound, and il has not been re-oecuP,en n;
On The subject Of settlement, The br''is" 'e"''
poientiary says: ,,.,,Lwas,
an IStlG and 1911, respectively, The NoI'hwes'
Company established posts on me ldco"''"'
Jesse. or Fraser, and the Columbia.
AIN the year 1911 Thompson, Inc as'Iol'o N1'.
Of the Northwest Company, discovered Inc Noi
, ,hern head waters ofthe Columb 4, ana, following
is course ill Joined BY the rivers previously US
covered by Lewis and Clark, he continued MS
tourney tolhe Pacific. 90 ~ a.
"From that lime till the year 1918, When 'ne
Arrangement Tor the Joint occupancy Oh me 'eiIi-
tnrv Was concluded the Northwest Company
he Oregon territory, and 10 occupy, II may DC
sail as lar as occupation can be effected III re-
oions 81 inaccessible and destitute OF resources.
These facts are not disputed on our parl, nor
are line following upon The same subject MADE py
our ncgo,ia.or:
establishments were formed By American
ci,izcas on the Columbia as early a. lo29 anu
1870 In The aer year, company was 'oTheu
in New York, al the head OF which was JON, ~,
Jacob Astor a wealthy merchant OF that Guy, lhe
object of which was 10 form regular chaih VI
establishments on the Columbia river ana !hs con-
lpuouS coasts Of The Pacific, for coInnlercial PuI-
p9.es Early in The Spring al 1911, they maze
their first establishment on The South side oil The
river = few miles above Point George, where
lLey were visited, in July following, by Mr..
Thomson. a surveyor and astronomer OF me
NorAvrs, Company, and his party. They had
been sen, out by that Company TO ioresiall the
American Company in occupying The mou'n oil
The river, but found themselves defeated IN lheir
object. The American Company formed Two
other connected establishments higher up Tic
Overcome at The confluence OF The Okenegan
with the North branch Of The Colombia, about
six hapdrca miles above its mouth, and The
other on the Spokan, stream ldllDs into
The North branch some tIfy miles above
TEes,. posts passed into the possession al Great
Britain during the war which was declared The
next wear. hu, il was provided by the iirsi arti-
Gle of the treaty 0; Gnen!, which terminated i,
that an te,r:!orirs TiacfS and p'sseSsgN' lrhat-
ercy. tol.n hg citt:r Paria from ne 0ifcr dung
nc may. or 1cl,ci mGp5e t0iln oi.er ne signing II
ne tcriy crc.piing tic lSands Hereafter mentioned,
lin he Ian OF F'andv) siaA be rcstors& rRiont
dciup' Under this provision which embraces ell
the cs,ablishmenso al he American Company on
,he Columbia, Astoria was formally restored on
the 9Th OF October 1918 by agents duly author
lied on the rarl OF the British Government 10
restore The possession and 10 an agent duly au-
thorized On the pail of the Government OF the
Unilcj States 10 receive II, which placed our pos
session where il was before II passed INTO the
hands Of British subjects
! All settlements made since, are under the con-
yen.iun of 1918. which will be hereafter referred To-
and do not at al affect the question OF tile.
Upon the subject OF con,iguitv, is sufnciento
| say that east Of The Rocky mountains the 49th de-
grfe Of north latitude is the boundary between the
United States and Great Britain; and that the on
| " practicable pass in those mountains is the
South, or Fremont's, which is an exceedingly ca
sv one This is within our Territory.
! In immediate connection with this head, is the
use and advantage which the counlrY in dispute
may become 10 the respective parties. For rea-
sons which shall hereafter give, England new
er can COLOMBO it; il il is ever 10 be settled and
cultivated, i, must be by our own citizens IL
never can be of any great use 10 England IN
commercial point of view, as II does not lie IN
| the track of her commerce. To our commercial
Intercourse with the countries OF the PACING, II is
ol much consequence.
will next, Mr.. Chairman, proceed to consider
The treaties affecting Oregon. In The first place,
| by treaty with Russia, entered into by ourselves
and BY similar one made by her with England
81 deg. 40 min, which is far south Of The point OF
discoveries made by Spain, by ourselves, and by
/ ENGLAND is fixed as her southern boundary.
will next refer TO those treaties upon which We
rely. And first, the treaty by which we acquired
Louisiana And here, permit ne TO remark, that
il is upon his treaty, as | understand him, that
MIR. Benton, so well informed upon all subjects
OF this Sort principally relies tor our title 10 Ore
! eon
By the treaty OF FEBRUARY 10, l163, between
| Great Britain, France and Spain, England was
confirmed in her possession Of French provinces
on The ST. Lawrence, and in her claim 10 The er.
riory between The Allegheny mountains and The
/ Mississippi and she relinquiShed 10 France all
claim 10 territory beyond il. And here was tr-
umph ofiitle by conisuity over title by discovery
and settlement France had uDquesl;unably first
discovered and settled the Mississippi and lis wa
,crs; but England had included all the country from
the Atlantic 10 The Pacific in her colonial char
lers. A dispute arose as to the extent OF Their re-
spective rights, and they were settled as have
+! stated.
| Spain acquired Louisiana from France, and
held il until October | 1900; she then retroceded,
in The language ofthe treaty, 10 France, "the same
in extent as il now is in the hands OF Spain. as II
was when France formerly possessed IL, and as ii
| should be according 10 the treaties subsequently
made between Spain and other nations"
In April, 1903, Bonaparte ceded Louisiana 10
the United States, "with all its rights and appnr
tcnances, as fully and in the same manner as il
had been acquired from Spain in 1900"
Mr.. Benton insists that these treaties made Us
a parry 10 the treaty of Utrecht, The 10Th article Of
which provided for The appointment Of commits
sioners 10 mark and define their possessions;
| which commis siuners, he says, did their work
and fixed the 49lh degree OF North latitude as The
boundary between France and Great Britain from
lne Lake OF the Woods 10 the Pacific Upon this
subject, in speech made in The Senate On The 18th
OF January, lSl3, he says:
"Mr. B. said he would not res,ale the Amcri-
can title To his country; il had Dcen well done BY
others who had preceded him in The debate. He
would only give little more development 10 two
poniS-lhe treaties of 1903 and 1919; The former
with France, BY which We acquired Louisiana; the
olhrr with Spain, by which We acquired all her
rights on the Northwest coast North Of AZ de-
Srees. BY the first of these treaties, we became
party 10 The 10Th article oil the Treaty OF
Utrecht between France and England the Treaty
of peace OF lila, which terminated the wars Of
Queen Anne and Louis XIV end seafled all their
differences c! every kind in Europe and. Ameri-
ca, and undertook 10 proven, the recurrence Of
future differences between them. The 10Th arii-
Gle of this Treaty applied 10 their settlements
ard territories in North America, and directed
com,niSsaries TO be appointed 10 mark and define
their possessions. These commssaries did their
work. Thcy drew a line from ocean 10 ocean, 10
Sc, arale the French and British duminions. and
TO prevent future collisions and encroachmcn!s.
This line began on the coast OF Labrador, and
followed course slightly South OF West, TO The
centre o. North America, leaving the British SCI
Elements Of Hudsons Bay TO The North, and the
French Canadian possessions TO the South. This
line took for landmark the Lake 81 the Woods,
which was then believed 10 be due East from the
head Of The Mississippi and from lha, point tool;
La il.L rllGl af Nar.h iit,.ia .r.LaGrii al: