Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1846-02-13

IN which, with the residue Of his followers,
he descended the Mississippi. the mouth
Of which he reached in seventeen day..
Thence putting to sea with his fruil YES
sells, he was fortunate enough to reach the
Spanish port Of PanucO. on the Mexican
coast. The right Of discovery clearly be-
longed to Spain: but she had neglected for
near one hundred and fifty years to make
any settlement on the great river or any
Of its tributaries. The French, coming
from Canada, reached the Mississippi in
the year 1890, and assembled it as high up
as st. Anthony's Fallsi and La Sale de-
scended it IN 1862 to its mouth. The
French Government did, in virtue Of that
second discovery, claim the country, Ssh
sequently founded New Orlesns. and form
ed several other settements in the interior.
on the Mississippi or its waters. Spain al
most Immediately occupied Pensacola and
Nacogdoches, in order TO check the progress
of the French eastwardly and weslwardly;
but she did no: attempt to disturb them in
their settlements on the Mississippi and its
tributaries. We have here the proof OF
prior right of discovery being superseded,
when tooIong neglected, by that Of actual
occupancy and dseuemeu:.
The French, 10y virtue of having thHs
discovered the mouth Of the Mississippi, oil
having ascPnded it more than fifteen hun
dred miles, Of having explored the Ohio,
the Wabash, and the Illinois, from their
respective mouths 10 their utmost remote
sources, and of having formed several set
llenRnts as above mentioned, laid claim to
the whole country drained by the main
river and its tributaries. TheyacCordingy
built forts at La Beuf, high up the Ale
ghaHy river, and on the site where Pitts
burgh now stands. On the ground Of dis
covery or settlement, GrPaE Britain had
not the slightest claim. General, then
Colonel Washington, was the frst who, at
the age oi twenty-five, and in the year
l754, planted the British banner on the
Western waters. The British claim was
founded principally on the ground of con-
tiguity, enforced by Other considerations
The strongest oil !hese was, that It could
not consist with natural law that the British
colonies, with population OF near two
Millions should be confined to the mar
row oeit oI lana between the Atlantic and
the A''eghsny Mo'nt''hs' and that the
right derived from the discovery OF the
man river should he carried TO such all eX-
tent as to allow the french colon'es, with
Il population ol nifty thousand, rghtinlly 10
CLAIM the whole valley OF the Mississippi
The contest was decided by the sword.-
By the treaty OF peace OF 1903, the MIsss-
siPpi' with the exception OF New Orleans
and It's immediate vicinity was made the
boundary. The French not only lost all
that part of the valley which lay east OF
that river, but they were compelled to cede
Canada 10 Great Britain.
1t may, however, happen that all the
various claims from which title may he
derived, instead OF pertaining to several
Powers, and giving rise TO conflicting pre-
tensions, are united and rightIully belong
to one nation alone. This union, if en-
tire. may Justly be considered as giving a
complete and exclusive title to the sover-
eighty OF thar part OF the country embraced
ly such united claims.
The position assumed hy the British Gov
ornment' that those various claims exclude
each other, and that the assertion OF one
torblds an appeal to the others, is obvious
y untenabe. All that can he said IN that