The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-04-03


was HIS well known custom to spend his afternoons
10 the libraries and bookstores Of that city, search
ing out all he could find which had any bearing on
this country. Mr.. Madison, under his direction,
and acting his Secretary OF State assumes Tie ac'
that the eommissaries had met; and had had proceed
ingsr in reference 10 the line and he sent paper
with memorandums and marginal notes, (Which ID
not now to be found } containing doubtless the rea-
| sonngs by which he TO make good his aTgu-
menI from that fact. Who drew up the paper Mr..
Madison does not say, sut II IL highly probable II
was Mr.. Jefferson himself. In giving these lnstrue-
TONS he knew and felt that he had new and delicate
ground TO tread; aud he therefore sent him all the
suggestions which might aid him in making himself
certain of his facts before he relied upon them IN ar
gument. MIR. Monroe did add TO what Mr.. Madl-
son had told him; he gave the particulars respecting
the line, and undoubtedly he had access 10 the rec
ords Of their proceedings then in London. Can il
be supposed that such men-and do but perform a
duty and obey patriotic impulse while speak
with Difference Of those who have gone before US
would ac as the senator seems 10 think that they did
in matter OF this weight and consequence There
never have been since their day, before IT, states
men more able, more calm, more just, more careful
more aborlous, more sagacious, or more patriotic,
than those who sieered US through the storm Of the
| revolution, and formed the government under
which wo live, Tbers ~sso dpaouesa In cur army
men whose deeds OF yalor entile them TO an eternal
| renown; but for years past my attention has IN
particular been turned to the acts OF those
who conducted the political part Of the revolutions;
| and am prepared 10 say that men moro wise, more
devoted, more regardless of themselves, or NOR
| careful to do nothing but what was right before
God and man, never were granted 10 nauon IN
i the hour of its greatest necessity, The men OF
| whom have been speaking in connexion with the
/ present question. were men Of the revolution. II
| was Jefferson who directed Madison what TO write;
il was Madison who directed Monroe what to do
and say. These men il is who say that the line OF
I II fha
treaty Of Utrecht, and directed Monroe to seek for
the particulars in the proceedings OF the commits
| sares TO be found in London. And is II at this
day to be admitted; and is it 70 be repeated here by
an American senator, on such an authortyas Green
| how; and is American Senate to sit and hear IT.
or any American bring himself TO suppose, that
James Monroe, an American minister thus instruct
ed-a Of the utmost lsbor-a man OF whom
have heard il said that he carried his Office with him
wherever he went-in the social circle in his walks
In his rides-and was so occupied, 80 engrossed by
| his business, that it never was out OF his mind
that such man as this would go TO the English
court and act like Beau Dawson, and, instead Of
going to the proceedings Of the commissarles, as
instructed should have recourse TO map pub
hshed in Boston-would found his official as.
| sertions and arguments to Lord narrowly on
a map made in Boston, No. 1t was not by
comparing piles OF maps that he was to con
vince Lord Harrowby. How could It be ex-
pected that he should make parade Of authorities
when the Br fish minister admitted the fact and all
its consequences at the first interview? Such pre-
| symptoms net 10 be tolerated. The senator
| contends that the map produced from Postewait
though constructed by D'Anville, and dedicated to
the Duke OF Orleans, is Of no authority, because 1t
contains note stating that the east end OF the line
| the end east of James's bay, is incorrect But how
| does that inference follow The inference was the
other way: that all is admitted 70 be correct except
the part objected to Of the ne-the residue was cor
| rarf
yindcation Of hiSory-of the truths OF history
and Of the intelligence Of the Senate and in refuta
tion Of the impeachment of such men as Jefferson,
ard Madison and Monroe, in book by one Mr.
| Greenhow-a book approved and vouched for by
| the senator from Michigan. That book denies that
the commssaries were appointed under the treaty Of
Utrecht, and that they did establish the line OF 40
| as boundary between the French and English pos
| sessions DENIAL which | under5toud 10 be en-
dorscd ty the senator himself knew that II would
be an mpeachm ent the intelligence of the Senate
| to let such statement go any further. What that
the members Of this body should be ignorant Of the
provisions and history Of treaty which put an end
] to the war between Queen Anne and Louis XIV,
which established the great landmarks which have
been guides to the policy of nations ever since'
| could not consent that our character should 60
TO the world branded with ignorance like this. The
senator endorsed the book and this would give It
! currency in Europe az if il authority on
which we relied. II was due to the Senate and to
the American character to show that such conclu-
sion would be utterly unfounded, and tina, the book
was entirely erroneous touching so great fact as
the establishment of boundary under that treaty
between the British and the French possessions in
| America. As to the question Of Oregon have not
touched it, nor shall | at present The time has
not yet come. expressly said after | had es.
| tablished the fact of the boundary, that would
have nothing to do with its application. | say
that the manner in which the senator commented on
| Greenhow's book rendered it proper that should
correct the error into which he had fallen. To do
that produced authorities bearing directly on that
pont---authorities not "recently met WITH" but
known and examined by me twenty years. ago.
Then, having began, had to go on to the end; and
this brought me to Mr. Jefferson, and to the great
fact that Mr. Jefferson pursued the line Of 40 de-
grees a boundary as far west as the limits of our
territories extended" When got there thought |
had got to place of shelter. With Jefferson before
us--thc virtual discoverer, the political father Of Or
cgon and its great rver the line which he agreed to
might well be agreed to by others. had two points
in vew--one was to show that MIR. Jefferson was in
favor Of carrying this boundary Of ago into Oregon
and to the Pacific, and the other was to show that
Mr.. Monroe under necessity to produce
the proof Of the acts Of the commissares, because
Lord narrowly seems at once to have admitted the
line!
E/Mr. WEBSTER then rose and said | wish to
propose to those gentlemen who intend investiga-
ting this subject hstorically-which | do not-a
question two which l desire to PROFOUND.
Ii is certain that the tenth article Of the
treaty of Utrecht provided for the appoint.
ment of commissaries to determine line of dvi
sion between the English and French possessions in
| America 1t is admitted on the authority Of Char.
levoix, that such commissares appointed
Ii a denied that there is any evidence Of any ae.s
performed by them under this appointment; in Other
words that they in any way determined
do not say "run," marked, or in any way
"designated," but ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS should be
the line Of division between the two coun.
tries. Now it is not doubted that in point of fact
after, not great while AFTER the date Of the
treaty Of Utrecht, Davs's straits, the Atlantic
ocean, became known, and were mentioned by few
!, or more geographers as the dividing point be-
tween the territories Of the two nations upon the
Atlantic shores. 1t is equally true that about the
same time this forty-ninth parallel of latitude wa,
mentioned and described in certain old maps more
or less authority the division line between these
two pewers and said to be established by the treaty
= Of Utrecht--after the termination Of curved line
which, beginning at Davss straits as they are call
: cd had run upon its curve till il had intersecec