The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-02-24
THE FoRTY.NINrH PARALLEL.

ninth parallel OF Latitude was W" eaoPteo oy COM
issioners under the treaty OF Utrecht as the line Of
separation between the Husson's bay territories and
the French possessions farther south, We present
our readers with the following article on the subject,
from the forthcoming edition of Mr.. Greenhow's
history of Oregon and California, which contains all
the proofs and references TO all the authorities on
both sides In this, and in other paris If his ns1 sd-
ttOn, of which we have been permitted to see the
proof sheets, material changes and additions have
been made 90 as to render the work far more yalua-
BILE as historical record, and 40 tho support Of our
claims to the possession OF the vast and important
regions Of the Columbia. f.
"Mr. Monroe, minister plenipotsntiary OF tho
United States in London, in his letter Of September
| s. 1904, published with President Jeferson's mes
sdge to Congress OF March 80, lo0o,) makes the
following statement with regard 10 the adoption of
the 49h parallel Of latitude as the northern bounda-
ry of Louisiana;
:" 'By the tenth article of the treaty Of Utrecht il
is agreed that France shall restore 10 Great Britain
the bay and straits Of Hudson, together with all the
lands, seds seacoas,s rivers, and places situate in
the said bay and stats, which belong thereto; and
il is also agreed on both sides 10 determine within
year, by commissioners to be forthwith named by
each party, the limits which are to b fixed between
the said bay of Hudson and the PLACES appertaining
to the French, which limits both the British and the
French subjects shall be wholly forbid to pass over
or thereby TO 20 TO each other by by land; the
same commissioners shall have orders TO describe
and settle In like manner the boudsFes between the
other British and Freoeh colonies "a those parts
Commisseres were accoasagly sf,sinS1s by each
power, who executed the sqpulatio6s n the treaty,
in establishing the boundaries proposed by IT, They
fixed the northern boundary Of Canada and Louis
lana by line beginning on the Atlantic, at a cape
or promontory in So degrees 80 minutes north lat
itude, thence sOuihwestwardly to tho Lake Mis-
tssn, thence farther southwest 70 the latitude Of
10 degrees north from the equator, and along that
line indefinitely. This statement was made agreea-
bly, TO the instructions Of Mr. Madison, the Secretary
Of State, contained in his letter Of February l4th
1904, in which he refers 10 accompanying paper,
as showing the authority which the decision of
the commissioners under the treaty Of Utrecht
rests This paper was not printed With the other
documents, and no copy Of II cm now be found, so
that the authority for the statement is not known.
"Mr. Madison, however, seems to have derived his
opinion chiefly from the Summary, Historical and
Political of the British settlements in North Ameri-
ca, by William Douglas, published at Boston in
l749, which contains the assertion, IN the words
used by Mr. Monroe; and Douglas probably
derived II from the 3lst volume Of the Modern Uni
versal History, by Salmon published in 1888. Sal
mon, in his Geographical Grammar, Published soon
after, positively declares that those lirnithas never
been settled, provided by the treaty OF Utrecht
"The map Of America attached to the first volume
Of Postlethwayl's Dictionary OF Commerce, pub
lished IN l75l, was also probably consulted Mr..
Monroe refers TO that work in another part OF his
letter to Lord HarowbyI this map presents the line
nearly, though not exactly, described by Douglas,
with note near II, stating that II was settled by
commssaries after the peace Of Utrecht though, in
the dictionary itself, the boundary is expressly de.
clated mot TO he ascertained' page $751; The iopo-
graphical description Of Louisiana, by Hutehins,
published in 1874; the map of North America by
PalaIret and Dearche, 1885, that OF Bowen and Glib
son, IT'S, and some other maps and books Of that
period, also present the forty-ninth parallel the
dividing line between the French and the British
possessions, west Of point north oCLakc Superior,
with variations from each other, and from those pre-
vlousy cited as to the remainder of the boundary
"On the other hand, Milchell's large map Of
America, published in l755, under the patronage Of
the colonial department Of Great Britain, which
consulted and adopted as authority by the British
and American plenipotentinries in regulating the
limits Of the United States, in the treaty of 1888,
present line drawn along the highlands, sep
uroting the waters flowing to Hudson hay from those
Of the St Lawrence and the lakes, Ike boundary
Of Hudson's bay by the treaty of Uikecht' and the
same line appears the map Of wtrca. in Smol-
ctt,s History Of England, published u on ths,
Of Bennett, in ITO, that in the Irstory Of the
British Empire, by Wynne, in i779, on that of
Faden, in Ill., and on some other maps, all highly
esteemed in their day.
ofseporation whatsoever, between the Hudson's bay
territories and the French possessions is to be found
on the large and beautiful map Of America, by Pop
pie, publ shed in 1885, also under the patronage Of
the colonial department, and bearing the certificate
of DR.. HALEY to it's correctness; nor on any map
in the atlas Of Maxwell and Senix, published
in. 1921; in Boyer's Political State. l72l; in
the History Of Hudsons Bay, by Dobbs, 1744
in the Historic de la Nouvele France, by
Charlevoix, l744; in the System Of Geography,
by Bowen, l747; in the American Traveller, l769;
in the American Atlas, by Jeffrss, It's; in the
History of the French Dominions in America, by
Jeifries $780, in the Map of America, from the ma
teriaIs by Governor Pownal, 1874; nos is there
any allusion 10 such a line in the works to which
these maps are attached, or in any other work or
map Of reputation published during the last CEN
tury save those above mentioned. 81. g..
"None Of the works above named are authorities
the subject, proceeding they all do from per
sons unconnected with the transactions Of the
Utrecht treaty, and possessing no better means, 30
far as known, of information respecting them than
| other people; these, indeed, only show that the
| boundary was supposed by Some persons to have
been so settled at the time when they were written.
| OF the works which may be considered author-
ties the following, comprising, it is believed all in
which record or notice of such transaction II
| il had taken place, should be found, entirely
silent with regard to any decision other act Of
commissaries, appointed under the treaty Of
|
Hudsohs bay territories and the French possessions,
viz: The collections Of treaties by Dumont, Boyer,
Martens. Jenknson, Herstlet and others; Aces,
| Memories &c, concernant la Paix d'Uuecht, l7l6;
and Actes, Negotiations, &c, depuis la Paix d.
Utrecht l745--two voluminous works, containing, 1t
may be supposed, every public document and notice
Of every act connected with the negotiation of the
treaty of Utrecht, and the consequent proceedings;
Collection des Edits, Ordinances &c, concernant
lie Canada, Quebec, 1909 apparently complete as
semblage of all the most important public documents
relative to Canada and the fur trade Memories des
Commlssaires Francois ct Anglais, sur les Posses
sions des deux Couronnes en- Amerique, 1854 to
1857, which could not have thus omitted to notice
this settlement of boundaries f II had taken place;
the Historic de la Diplomatic FRI fnaieo, by Elassan,
1911, the Historic des Tfait6s De bfdx by Koch and
| Schoel, 1917. To these authorities may be added
equally silent on the subject, the Histories Of Eng
land by Tindal, Smollet Belsham, Hughes, Mahon,
Wade, the Parliamentary History, and the Pictorial
History; the Histories OF France, by Sismondi, An
quetil, and Lacretee; Lord John Russels Affairs OF
Europe since the peace of Utrecht; the Histories Of