Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1846-04-15

+ HISTORICAL TACT that have been able Il
discover giving he slightest evidence llta
anysnaa.ianiof Europe having right II
contestfhisgc claim, or any interest 10 Dc
So, Of anynation having no such righ'
had ever acknowledged the title Of tht
Spanishgovernment: The antiquity o
these discayeries, therefore, even j
made, totally destroys all claims founded
upon them. To be sure, in l774, Pc
rez discovered. very specifically, Moot
ka Sound--he made no exploration. In
1775, Hecela landed at the mouth Of
the Columbia river, or rather the bay,
and infe,Tsd that there must be river.
These we're the first Spanish discoveries;
but il win be remembered that they
weie ot.pubIished TO tn. world until
1902 Afterwards. Couk discovered
Noo,ka Sound and explored il; and if
this werc amere question Of discovery,
winch il is NOT, should regard the
British claim about as good as the Snan
ish 10 Noelka Sound, for the Spaniards
noloriousiy kept their discoveries secret;
never published them till long after.
wards; and before they were published
Cook discovered and explored Noolka
Sound. The narrative Of his discovery
was published, and it then became fre-
dnanted by navigators Of the United
States and England, Spain and Russia
also and'it was NOT until the S pansh
authorities IN Mexico had rumor thai
the Russians we're making settlements at
Noolka Sound, that they sent out an
expeditions, unler Martinez, TO take
possessiun.. La 1889, Mearrs, an Eng>
Iish captain, made settlement at Moot.
ka Suund.f f. represents thar ie pur-
chased a large tract OF land, and erected
buildings. There is controversy on
this subject, bur il is wholly immalerial
whether 10 erected hut, or fort, or
a palace-whclher he purchased an
aelc or he whole bay, is, in my judg-,
menr, entirely immaterial. Wha. is
material, however, is what was done
afterwards by the Spanish and British
governments. .Meares presented me-
mnrial to The P arliament Of Great Bri-
tain, relating that bis ships had been
captured ssad his. possessions seized upon
si,t.ss III 49, 2 ii Ii iiis:.in,-
nlediatefy took steps to avenge the in
sue supposed had been inHict>
ed, and TO restore the rights taken away.
And here | shall call the attention of
the Senat4 distinctly to the grounds upon
which Great B'ilain acted in that pro.
ceeding. Size did nd. merely claim an
indemnity for injuries done mol mere
Iy restoration Of the ships captured !;
she claimed--as all the members OF
Parliament who participated in the dis
cussion declared-thal Spain should re-
nouuce her false and ridiculous right of
exclusive dominion in that county,
Sne then claimed, and has ever since
claimed, that the country was open to
the settlement Of all ndtions-tllat Spain
had no right whatever PARAMOUNT 10 the
tile of other naiions-she never had
settled the country. l have been sur
prisrd at the universal assumption of
thnse who have discussed this question
on thus side Of the house, in favor of the
higher claims Of the United States, that
The Nnotks Sound convention Was un.
derstood and intended BY the parties as
comforting cerlain rights upon Great
Britain who had none before; and If
that convention was terminated by the
war OF 1896, then with it Terminated all
the rights which Great Bilain had on
the northwest coast Of America. Pres
ciseIy the contrary. Great Britain,
from he very beginning, contendcd that
Spain had no exclusive right of posses
sion-she contended correctly, that ac-
cording 10 the law Of nations, discovery
withou, settlement gave no tito; and
she has been scrupulous in all her nego-
tiations since, 10 maintain, on that
ground, not only her own rights, but
those of other nations. Let this matter
BE- understood. Great Britain never
had any other. object-sho has not now,
I believe, any other object-than to car
ry on the fur trade in this part OF The
continent. 1 believe that when that
trade is exhausted she will be quite red
dy 10 abandon The country # let alone,
and if anything induces her to make a
permanent agricultural settlement there
I believe it will be the contest with the
United States. II has been said in this
discussion that this territory is lwenty
thousand miIes-at least fifteen thousand
miIes-distant from England, and that II
is So remote ,l,atit ishardly concelvable
,fsIs. ~ IL. ,,.,1n tho foundatlQn OF