The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-08-20

| ana that these straits formed natural boundary
for US, and also divided the continent from the isl
ands, and the fertile from the dssOlate regions
knew that The continental coast and the inhabablC
country terminated on the south shore OF those
straits, and that the northwest archipeago-tht
thousand desOlate and volcanic islands, derect Of
ali nations-commenee on their north shores and
wanted 90 no further than the good land and the
continental coast went | was always in favor OF
DETECTION of a line through the straits Of FuCa;
but said nothing about IL. IL was detail, aud
confined myself TO the proposition Of the line
basis. | had expected the detection 10 have CON-
menced further back-on the eontinent--so as to
have kept our line a little further OFF from Fort
Langley at the mouth of Frazier's river, almost in
sight Of which il now passes. Ii this had been
asked, |, for one would have been willing to grant
it, but the British did not ask il, probably for the
same reason thai would have granted il, namely,
the entire worthlessness Of the deso!ate region
about the mouth Of Frazer's river.
The detection leaves out Vancouyer's island,
and am glad oft. II is one Of the most worthless
OF the thousand worthless islands which the north
west archipelago presents, and is the derelc Of all
nations. The Nootka sound quarrel between Great
Britain and Spain not for the island, but for the
insult 10 Great Britain in the deportation and ncar-
eeraton Of her subjects by the yieeroy Of Mexico.
Reparaton for that insult was the point fthe quar-
re and that being Obtained in a treaty Of restora
ton and indemnity, both parties abandoned the ISL
and, and neither has since occupied Il. IL is now
| vacant ana DESERT anu want none OF ". Il WOulu
not accept II as present. nor would the poorest lord
of the isles that lived upon the western coasts
Of Scotland. The fictitious importance lately attrib-
ued to this island, upon the disparagement of the
mouth Of the Columbia, has vanished upon the rev.
citation Of the true character Of that river. The es-
tuary Of the Columbia Is now shown 20 he a good
| port; and, with the advantage OF lights, buoys,
beacons, pilots, and steam tow-boais, ready 10 be-
| come one Of the best in the world. This knoWl-
edge Of the true character Of the mouth of the Co
umbla puts an end TO all preIext Of necessity To 90
north three hundred miles, to hunt Substitute port
| in the remote and desoate coasts Of Vancouyer's
island. That island is not wanted by the United
States for any purpose whatever. Above all the
south end Of il is not wanted 10 command the straits
of Fuea Ii so happens that these straits are not
liable TO be commanded, either in fact or in law.
| They are from hheen to thirty miles wide-rather
too wide for batteries TO cross their shot, and wide
enough, like all the other great straits OF the world
to constitute part Of the high seas and to be IN
capable Of appropriation by any nation. We want
nothing Of that strait but as boundary, and that
the treaty gives US. With that boundary comes all
that want in that quarter, namely All the waters
OF Puget's sound and the fertile Olympic district
which borders upon them. 30
| When the line reaches the channel which sepa-
| rates Vancouver's island from the continent (which
It does within sight Of the mouth Of Frazers river
il proceeds 10 the middle Of thechannel and thence
turning south, through the channel De Hro wrong
and then west, through the middle of that strait
the sea. This is fair partition Of those waters,
and gives us everything that we want, namely, all
the waters of Puget's sound Hoods canal, ADM
rally inlet, Bellingham's bay, Birch bay, and with
them the cluster Of islands, probably Of no value
between De Haro's channel and the continent
| Neither the Spanish discoveries, nor our own dis
covery and settlement Of the Columbia would have
given these waters. Their British names indi-
cate their discoveries, and the line OF fory-nne
gives them TO
| The proviso to the article strikes some senator's
as being unequal, and to the prejudice Of the United
States but is not the provso is perfectly fair
and equal, and so will appear from the slightest ex
animation of any map which shows the straits Of
Fuca, and the waters connected with that strait
Any map will show that the straits open from the
sea- and penetrate the contnen, about due east for
one hundred miles; and then branch south and
north. The branch, or rather branches, (for they
are in many cannels,) which GO south also extend
about one hundred miles, making Puget's sound
Hoods canal, Admiralty inlet, and on; and these
waters being all narrow and inland, become our pr-
vate waters, and subject our municipal juris-
dlctlon. So of The waters Of the strait which go
north. At first they open out largely behind Van
couyer's island, and make the Gulf of Georgia;
there they contract into narrow and intricate chan
nels insomuch that, for a long time, the island and
continent were supposed to be united. These mar.
row waters, like those of Puget's sound, &C., are
private property, subject TO the municipal jurisdic-
ton Of the British, to whom they belong. | hold
the provso to be conformable to the law OF nations
and fair and equal in ITSELF and fully approve of it.
am in favor OF the first article it stands and il
is the main article; and, in fact almost the whole
treaty 1t settles the great point Of controversy be-
tween the two nations II quiets the territorial con-
test which has continued since 1907, and which, at
the commencement of this session of Congress,
supposed to be pregnant with inevitable war. The
first article quiets that contests the remaining three
are subordinate and incidental, mere accessories to
the first, and designed to give it convenient execu-
ton Each of these may require a few words Of
| explanation, to avoid unfounded apprehensons.
The first of these remaining articles, being the
second of the treaty, is the most material of the
three: it relates to the free navigation Of the Colu
bia and falls far short Of what the British have
heretofore demanded, and of what we ourselves
have heretofore offered, that it looked to me like
REIMBURSEMENT of the whole pretenson. The Brit
ish have heretofore demanded, not merely the navi
CATION Of the river, but its soveregnty-the sover-
eighty Of its right bank in its hole extent and the
joint use of the stream. We offered the free navi-
CATION of the river, in Perpetuity, to all the subjects
| of the British crown This offer, made by Mr..
Gallatn in 1926, and repeated SINCE has been stead,
lily refused by the British. Instead Of perpetual
navigation to all British subjects, the present treaty
brings down the privilege to temporary use, and
mere handful of British subjects. The article is in
these words:
"From the point at which the 49th parallel of
nOrtn bndH DC lOunu 10 lUerSeCl tie Srcut
northern branch of the Columbia river the naviga-
ton Of the said branch shall be free and open to the
Hudson Bay Company and to all British subjects
trading with the same, TO the point where the said
branch meets the main stream of the Columbia ard
thence down the said main stream to the ocean, with
free access into and through the said river rivers;
it being understood that all the usual portages along
the line thus described shall in like manner be free
and open. In navigating the said river or rivers,
British subjects, with their goods and produce, shall
be treated the footing citizens Of the Uni
ted States it being, however, always understood
that nothing in this article shall be construed as pre-
venting or intended to prevent, the government of
the United States from making any regulations re-
speeding the navigation of the said river rivers not
inconsistent with the present treaty"
BY the terms of this article the privilege of navi.
CATION is confined to the Hudson Bay Company and
to the British subjects trading with them; and they
are to be subject the laws and regulations which
apply "a. our own citizens. Now, there happens to
be two Hudson Bay Companies, and those who do
not attend to that little fact may fall into great
The first company has perpetual charter, from