The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-02-09
ted in the following extract from Mr.. Buchanan,
desnateb. 10 which / have just referred

| despatch, TO which nave lustreieHed
nd In IN. irst place he cannot but commend the frank
ness ana eandor Of The British penpotensry 10 deparn,
from tbs Of his Predsess.er and rejecting all dis
psy,S. 80 RSii. s N .hs yea
coyery period 50 late, tbs spanish title on the
antiquity pfe.ent. srGss soaa,. e shs olorss. BIT
ing TACT which mlsthays an gPo,,aat bearing against III.
Jain Of Great Britain, that dl convention, ths SoOka
mpsirn the ultmals sovereignty which that power haa
asserted for nearly trse csnures over tbs whole
eTn side of North America far north the 6Et degree
ofatItnde and whch had been seriously quesoBed
BY any European nation fhis had been maintained by
eoysry Of the Amsricsh continent, and bad been se
quirseed ia BY all EnnoreSn g9yeFenshis IL had heen
| utss north by Russia, Thea the only power having
claims which could In collision with SPAIN
toe SSs 'I SsS sSS Historical net. ' hsI mo-
been they could not be, e0nirosrred ly the British
sthOosh they ys's souEs under md b; par
pToSsiiSa' los iks Jarps.s q the irOn.ssncy q
sysrsi s. Ssl5 y d. snss s stale. g a. r.
al rails 70 NJ d. Mokinoria ths secretary Of the foreign
department Of France under data Of June TO- l7soBy the
decided acts OF sovereignty sssi.sd BY tAs spassrds IA
those from the reign 81 chsrss H. and
ali 1hS coast 20 The uorth Of Dc western A-~s.s... ne
Williams sound which In the ost degree, acknow
edged to belong exclusively ~ spain
in by ali European nations Tor Centuries the claim Of Great
Britain founded on discoveries commenced late pc
Rod the year i77s must make an unsVoNbls first I'm
preston
This Spanish title, "aequiesced IN by all Euro
pean nations for centuries valid TO the 6lst de-
gree has been vested in the United States by the
treaties already referred 10, together with the British
and French claims prior TO 1863 BY the 7th article
Of the treaty Of that year Il was provided:
n order to reestabsh peace solid and durable Ioun
datons forever all subjects Of dispute with
gard the limits Of the British and French territories
the confines between The domnions Of his britannia Macs
" those Of his most Christian Majesty In that put
the middle OF the river Mississippi from Its to the
river ILsyilr, and thence, BY line drawn along the mid
die Of this DYER and the lakes MausPas and PoniehsrsiH
10 the sea"
This treaty, declared to be irreyocabe in It's terms
established north and south line across the CONT
nent Of America as the western boundary Of British
prosecutions, and estopped Great Britain from ever
setting up a claim west Of that line. In view oi
this fact, il may be asked what right she has to
claim any portion Of the country east of the Rocky
mountains even, and west Of line drawn due north
of the source of the Mississippi answer that she
has none, except the advantages she derived by the
| unfortunate oversight OF our government, by the
seeond article Of the treaty OF the Goth ofociober
1918, agreeing TO the 10th parallel as our northern
| boundary "ffom the Lake Of the Woods to III,
Stony mountains" do not intend to cast reproacf
on the authors Of that treaty. unfortunate il wa,
| for our country; for IL is well understood, that i
was agreed TO under the erroneous impression tina
the same parallel had been determined on under III,
treaty Of Utrecht the line Of demarkaton between
the British and French possessions. But for tina
unfortunate provision the British possessions II
North America could never have extended as IA
westward as the Rocky mountains. As it is, sh,
is limited by that natural boundary, and protes
against any act of our government which shall Civ
her permission to go beyond il. She must abide by
her own treaty stpuations, which have irreyocably
L.. ,nA
all our rights under the Louisians and Florida ,rea
ties which secure the Spanish title, and foreve
extinguish the French and British claims to an,
portion Of the northwest coast Russia is the only
remaining power whose rights and claims we hav,
not extinguished and secured to ourselves by treaty
She undoubtedly has title by discovery, exploration
and occupancy, as far south as Mount ST. Elias
and has at various times set up claims to the coun
try lower down the coast. Asy yet, no treaty of de
markaton and boundary between the United State
and Russia has been agreed upon. am aware tina
many arc of different impression; and withou
carefully examining the subject, have been led Il
suppose that the treaty signed at st. Petersburgh il
April, 1924, had fixed the line Of $40 40 as our per
manent territorial boundary in Oregon Any on
who will take the trouble to read the treaty, will dis
cover that such is not the case-that it makes
no provision in regard to the title or SOW
it was a mere temporary arrangement regu
latng trade and intercourse with the Indians
hunting, fishing, and navigation; and providing To-
such temporary settlements should be necessary
for these purposes lsarng the question title in abey
ance With the view of preventing collisions between
the citizens and subect of the two powers engaged
in the prosecution of these pursuits it provides tina
neither should be disturbed in navigation and fishing
and in resorting to the unoccupied parts of tn
coast for purposes Of trade with the natives; tina
neither should resort to any place where the othel
had an establishment without permission; that thu
tod shOuld norfh N
6hy-four degrees and forty minutes, and Russl
should form none south of that line; and tina
neither should sell spurious liquors. fire arms, pow
der, or munitions of war Of any kind to the ma
tives of the country. These were the substantial
prov isons of the treaty of l624-all temporary il
themselves, and relating to purposes of trade an'
navigation only Not word about the title, TIL
sovereignty, or the territorial boundaries. Thes
disputed points all reserved, and left in abey
ancc, MS they had previously been in the Nootk
convention, in $780, and the treaty Of joint occu
T pancy in 1918.
; | do not wish to be understood as raising AM
question relating to the territorial boundary between
this country and Russia All | desire u.s. that on
| government shall do no act which shall compromi
our rights in future, and which shall recognise the
right Of Great Britain to the sovereignty ofany por
, ton of the northwest.
As against England | have no doubt of the valid
ty of our claim, according to every principle by
which title to an unoccuped country may be &C
CURED. Hence l affirm, that while have no de
sire to raise question of disputed boundary will
, Russia, we have the right to maintain our CLAIM
to the whole country west Of the Rocky mountain
as against England She has no colony, no civi
government there now. 1t is not within the limit
: of the Canadas, or any British colony the cont
merit, of the Hudson Bay Company, specii
ed in the charter of King Charles II. None Of hos
> extended, by their charters, even TO the Rocky
mountains, much less to the country beyond. TIL
Hudson Bay Company was restricted by its char
ter to the "seas, straits, and bays, rivers lakes
creeks, and sounds, in whatever latitude they shall
be, that lie Whin the entrance ofthe straits con,monl
called Hdsons straits, together with all the lands
countries, and territories upon the coasts and con
fines of the seas, straits, bays lakes rivers, creeks
and sounds aforesaid, which are not now actuall
possessed by any of subjects, or by the subject
: Of any other Christian prince or State"
OF course no part Of the country west Of tn
Rocky mountains can be said TO be "within tn
= entrance Of the straits commonly called Hudson
straits" The act Of Parliament Of the ID Of July
1921, extending the laws Of England over he
subjects in the Indian territories in certain