Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1846-09-03

OF MISSOURI,
Ia the SenateSecSet Session. June IT, 1646On the rati-
f-aiIon Of the Oregon Treaty.


6-aon Of The Oregon Treaty.
The 6rstarilce Of the reaty-and II is the main one,
and almost the whole treatyIs the very words <hich
I myself would have used il the governments had
left It 10 me To draw the boundary nc between them
The line established by that arurle-se prolongaiion OF
the boundary the side Of the Rocky monntaIns-
filoSs the parallel Of ~ degrees TO the with slight
drhecten through the Of Fuea, avoid cutting
the south end Of Vancouyers island All this IS night,
n my opinion Fofiy-hIne Is the line Of right and OF
mutual convenience, between the two powers, offered
BY the of Mr. Jefferson aud wonderfully
adapted the natural division Of the country and the
actual possessions of the parties. II parts The TWO
syslens of waters Chose 81 the Columbia aud OF rae,
Tlver) naturally and commodousiy on the west OF te
mountains il paris the east OF The same mountains
the Of which belong on one hand 10
The Gulf of Mexico, the other 10 Hudson bay ana
ON both sides Of The mountain II conforms TO the actual
discoveries aud settlements OF both parties There - not
upon the earth long line, aud straight,
AID so adapted TO the rights oil the parties aho us 'ei
lures of the country From the Lakeoi-the- W"ods 10
the Pacific twenty degrees OF Longitude (hy
miles to degree ia that latitude and throughout that
long distance the line follows the highlands which divide
great rivers and their basins cutting of nothing but the
heads Of streams of little consequence aud these exci-
sions most wonderfully balanced Ii is a maryellousy
proper hne and does great honor the discreon, or
illustrates the good lOrunc Of the French and bitsh
under the treaty OF Utrecht bs whom IL was
long ago established Mr. Jeerson offered this line
its whole extent 1907 Mr.. Monroe made the same
offer in 1878, and again Ia 1871 Mr. Adams offered II
in 1926 Mr. Tyler in 1912; and Mr.. Polk ia lol3 For
forty years. one this line has been offered by our
government 10 the British government; and by all,
except the last a line Of night adapted 10 TIE
actual possessions Of the Plrties aud tp the natural
divisions of the country. Since thirty years have
been accustomed to study the question Of ihis line,
and during all that time have been IN favor OF ~ As
often as had occasion 10 express my opinions about It
and these commenced with the reay OF Ohent
I6l5-I have declared uniformly in favor OF that line
but always basis an Iniisxible denaTca-
tion yielding accidents of land or wafer never
talked the every inch and up To AZ or
war knew the Straits Of Fuca, and that these straits
ned bouuf aQd also
from the island, and the fertile from The desc
late regions knew that The continental coast and The
iuhababe country terminated the south shore oil those
straits, and that the northwest archpeago-tle Thousand
desolae and volcanic islands, derelic OF all nations
commenced their north shore; aud wanted to go no
further the good land aud the continental coast went
We ALWAYS IN favor Of DETECTION OF line through
the OF Fuca but said nothing about 1t. ii was
detail, and confined myself the proposition Ol tile
line a basis. had expected the detection TO have
commenced further back-On the contnent-so as 10
have kept line little further off from Fort Langley
at the mouth Of Frazers almost in sight of which
II passes. Ii this had been asked, Tor one would
have been willing to grant it; but the British did not
ask II, probably Tor the that would have
granted IT. namely, the entire wOrhessness OF the DESC
late region about the mouth of Frazer's river.
The DETECTION leaves out Nancouvcr's island, and
glad Of it. Ii is of the most worthless OF The
thousand worthless islands which the northwest archpe
lagO presents aud the derelict of all nations. The
NOoka sound quarrel between Great Britain and Spain
for the island but for the insult 10 Great Britain
m the deportation and incarceration of her subjects by
the point OF the QUARREL and, that being obtained IN
treaty of and indemnity, both parties aban
dOned the island, and neither has since occupied IT. IL
IS now vacant and DESERT and want none OF IT, would
not accept Il as present, would the poorest lord OF
the isles that lived upon the coasts of Scot
land The fictitious importance lately attributed 10 this
island upon the dspaTagemen OF the mouth OF the Co
urnba has vanished upon the revelation of the true
character of that river The estuary of tile Columbia Is
now shown to be good port; and, with the advantage
Of lights buoys, beacons, pilots, and steam tow boats
10 bee nI fhp host IN The nrld
knowledge OF the true character of the mouth OF the Co
jumba puts end all preiext of go north
three hundred miles, to hunt substitute port in the
mote and desOlaie coasts OF NancOuvefs island That
island wanted by the United States for any purpose
whatever Above ALL the south end of it not wanted
command the straits of Fuca. Ii happens that these
straits are not liable to be commanded either fact
law. They from fifteen thirty miles wide-raihe
wide for batteries their shot and wide enough
like all The other great straits Of the world constitute
part OF the high seas aud be incapable Of appropriation
by any We nothing of the strait but boun
dairy, and that the treaty gives With that boundary
all that want IN that quarter, namely all the
waters of Puges sound and the fertile Olympic district
which borders upon them.
When the line reaches the channel which separate,
Vancouvers island from the continent, (which II does
within sight of the mouth of Frazers river il proceeds
the middle Of the channel and thence, turning south
through the channel De HarO (wrongulIy written 4rTt
the maPs) the straits of Fuca; aud then west
through the middle Of that strait the This is
fair partition Of those waters and gives us everything
that want, namely, all the of Pugets sound
Hoods canal, Admiralty inlet, Bengslam bay, Brci
bay and with them The cluster of islands, probably of nj
yalue between De HarO'S channel and the continent
Neither the Spanish discoveries discover,
and settlement of the Columbia, would have given VI
these waters Their British names Indicate their dis
coverers, and the line Of forty gives them
Tue proyiso 10 the article strikes some Senators al
being unequal and the prejudice Of the United States
but the provisO perfectly fair and equal
and will appear from the slightest examination oil any
map which shows the straits Of FUca and the waters con
nected with that strait Any map will show that the
straits open from the aud penetrate the continent
about due for hundred miles and then branch
south and north. The branch, rather branches (fo
they IN many channel which 60 soutb also extend
abOu. one hundred miles, making Pugets sound, ADM
rally inlet and and these waters being all narrow
and inland, become private waters, and subject
municipal jurisdiction. So OF the waters of The
straits which go north At first they open largely be
hind Nanconvers island, and make Gulf of Georgia
there they contract into and intricate channels
Insomuch that for long time, the island and conlinen
supposed to be united. These waters, lake
those Of Puget souud nc, private property subjec
TO the municipal jurisdiction Of the British whom they
belong. hold the proviso be conormabe the Law
of natOns and fair and equal in ITSELF aud fully approve
of IT,
am in favor Of the first article stands, and il i
the main article; and in fact, almost the whole treaty
1t settles the great point OF controversy between the
nations, qoets the territorial confess which has coDn
ued since Ic07 and which at the commencement Of hi
session OF Congress, supposed to se pregnant witt
inevitable The first article quets Ibatconiest tn
remaining three are subordinate and incidental, mere &C
cessories the first designed give it
execution. Each Of these may require few words Q
explanation, TO avoid untounded approximations.
The first of these remaining articles, being the
OF the treaty Is the most material of the three II relate
the free navigation Of the Columbia and falls ia
short Of what the British have heretofore demanded
of what ourselves have heretofore offered, that
booked 10 like REIMBURSEMENT Of the whole preten
sion The British have heretofore demanded not mere