Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1846-03-07


our favor.
England, pending this negotiation, has
virtually abandoned all claims founded on
discovery or prior settlement; and very
sufficient proof, that she does not consider
them tenabe In the official statement by
her plenipotentiaries, appended to the
protocol Of the sixth conference held in
December, 1926, they declare:
"Whateyer title may have been, how
ever, either on the part Of Great Britain,
or on the part of Spain, prior to the con
venion OF 1890, it was, from thence for
ward, no longer to be traced in vague mar
ratives Of discoveries, many of them
apocryphal, but in the text and stIpula-
tions of that convention itser."-Doc. 1891
H. r. 2Oh Cong. Isl session p. SO.
This proposition, il ii be admitted, mar
rows down the whole controversy to al
very simple point; to an examination,
namely, OF the "text and stlpulatlons"
of the convention in question, as the only
Just source Of title, in either nation, TO
territory on the Northwest coast.
Our negotiators have argued, that this
Convention, being but temporary char.
acler, was annuiIed by the war between
Spain and Great Britain, declared in 1896.
| But Mr.. Pakenham still Stout y maintains
the CONTRARY. In his letter to Mr.. Blu
chanan of July last, he says:
"rhe Noolka Sound Convention has
continued in full and complete force up to
| ,bo rroSapt poorOantT
He argues, in another part OF the same
letter, in regard to this Convention, that
"lt must be considered as an acknowl,
e4gment Of existing rights, an admission
+ Of certain principles of international law,
not to be revoked at the pleasure of eth
er party or TO be set aside by cessation
of friendly relations between them"
In s. far as the Convention actua Iy re.
cogaises territorial rights, then eriSting
there is force in the above view. And, al
all events, after such declaration, Eng
land is forever barred from demurrlng tc
any conclusion, to which, following The
f text and stipulations of that Convention
y we may justly arrive.
Now, taking the words Of that ConVen
e ton thus expressly appealed to by drea
Britain, interpretingthese in their plan
q and obvious sense, corrOborated aud elu
d cdated by the most authentic cotempora
. neous commentaries thereon, assert
. broadly and positively, that this yer.
document recognises in Spain-and con
0 sequeplIy in US SPANS assIgnee-an ABB
SoLuTE AND UNDIVIDED RIGHT OF TERRITORY
2 UP TO THE LATITUDE OF FORTY-NINE AND
HALF; and, IN BOTH NATIONS, A JOINT RICH
OF SETTLEMENT THENCE TO THE BoUNDAR
q SINCE AGREED UPON WITH Russia.
II repeat it: by the Nootka Sound Con
ven,ion, England wholly abandons Il
j.. Spain all territorial right south of Iatl
s tude forty.nne and half; and acknowl
e edges in that country equal rights will
t her north Of tina parallel
As to the accuracy and justice of thi
4 view of the case, submit it, without on
: doubt as to the result, alike to scrupuIou
q friends at home, and to ust-mlnded enc
/ mics abroad lfto the learned gentleman
from Virginia, Mr.. BAYLY,] who did no
. IIude to it yesterday in his argument OF
title, or to any one else, it seems over
stained, his attention ask to the proofs
: am about TO adduce. Let him suffer me
> 10 the first place, to refer him to an epI
= sode in British history, instructive IN 1t
= self, as a specimen of the temper anC
i policy of that powerful government, ant
especially interesting in connexlon will
| her din omacy at the present day.
r 1t was in 1890. William Pit, the ables
e OF tory statesmen, the best friend of ne
n gro freedom in England and of leudal sa
e very in France, William Pitt was prime
r minister. In May Of that year, a royo
message declared TO Parliament, that Ger
= tain British vessels had been seized or
n the northwest coast of America, by Q
, Spanish officer, aud that demand fol
a satisfaction had been Gruitless y made up
S on Spain. The message therefore re
e commended vigorous preparation Tor war
: In confirmation Of this alleged outrage
}, on the British flag, a memorial was, a lev
a days afterwards, presented TO Parliament
r signed by one John Meares, commander o.
! the vessels 10 question, in which he stated
tndL ne Uuu ICdCuCu ANOOtho; Oi U tluo'HS
: voyage, in 1888; that he had then purcha
sed from Maquina, the native chief, "a
spot of ground wherein he buIlta house
for his occasional residence;n that he al
, forwards proceeded to China; and in 1889
sent two vessels TO the northwest coast;
hat these had been seized in the name oil
f the Spanish King, while at anchor IN
r Noolka Sound, by Don Martinez, who had
previously made a Spanish settlement
there; that their crews had been sent, as
, usurpers, to Spanish prison; and that
the flag of Spain had been hosted on "'he
, landsn boIon ging to the memoraIlst'
A negotiation ensued SPAN offered 10
subuit the matter to arbitration, by any
one Of The Kings OF Europe to be chosen