The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-03-12


and christened il Port San Lorenzo, in honor Of tn
saint on whose natal day he entered il. The yea
following his return the Spanish viceroy of Mckee
fitted out another expedition, the command o
which was assigned to Bruno Heceta, accompanied
by Perez and Quadra, and they proeeeded 10 IN
51th degree north. They erected monuments, al
fixed to them inscriptions, raised crosses TRADED
with the natives and took possession IN the name
the king of Spain Of the whole country south OF IN
57lh parallel In so doing, they complied Will
all the formaites known TO the age, and upon TN
principles which have guided the course OF England
on more than one occasion. These two voyages
would alone constitute perfect title by discovery
This last voyage, commanded by Heceta, was two
years prior 10 the voyage OF Captain Cook, OF
whose discoveries the English claim now rests. A
one time she defended her claim under the piratics
Voyage of Sir Francis Drake, 10 the Spanish pos
sessions on the Pachci history, however, has Ions
since assigned TO that renowned freebooter his ap
propriate place. Pillage and plumber were his in
centyes not the discovery and acquisition of terri
tory Il is exceedingly doubtful whether he pro
| ceeded high north as 46o. As the claim unde
his discovery is abandoned, il would be useless L
/ give II further notice.
In opposition to the conceded discoveries Of Spain
| England, at this day, comes in with the voyage o
Captain Cook the Nootka Sound convention, and
| the voyage Of Vancouver. A sufficient answer "a
the claim under Cook, is founded in the well-au
thentieated fact, admitted by Cook himself, tina
prior TO sailing from England an account OF the voy
| age Of Heceta had been published by Quudra anC
had been seen by Cook. This simple statement o.
fact is the most decisive and complete refutation o.
the English claim by discovery.
Her claims under the Nootka Sound convention
are no better founded. In the year 1889, all Eng
lish subject named Meares landed at Nootka sound
and erected some huts for the purpose OF trading
with the natives and shortly after an English YES
sci coming in, was seized by the Spaniards who had
a settlement there. Meares was sent in eonhne-
ment to Mexico, and the ships and cargo were con-
| fscated. An appeal was made TO the English gov
eminent by Meares, for her protection and interpos
ton; and To her honor he II spoken, that appeal
is never made in vain. She promptly addressed the
Spanish government; and Spain, in reply, alleged
that an English subject had trespassed on her do
mnions England armed, and threatened instant
hostiltiss unless Spain would make reparation for
the alleged injury. Spain, weak she was, and
controlled al that time by the weakest and most I'M
beetle monarch that has dishonored throne in mod
ern times, who was himself UNANIMOUSLY controlled
by the notorious and abandoned Godoy, miscalIed
Prince Of Peace-even Spain, ia her degradation,
refused the arbitrary exactons Of England. An
appeal, under the Family compact" made to
France by the Spanish minister. Count Nunez, de-
handing assistance and support, in accordance with
the terms Of that compact The reply Of France
was, that she was ready TO meet and discharge her
u.
settled condition of her affairs prevented the aid
that was invoked, for the fame was already kindng
which, three short years after, brought Louis XVI
to the block. Left alone, weak and feeble as she
was, Spain could not, single-handed encounter the
colossal power Of England, and was compelled to
submit TO terms.
But in so doing, she maintained to the last the
tone Of her minister in addressing the French gov
eminent for aid. That communication appealed 10
all Europe for the justification of her title to the
rltory in question. Its language is vigorous and
remarkable, and defes refutaion. With the per
| mission Of the Senate, will read a passage from
that communication. Here it isl
That by the treaties dcmokations taings Of pos
session and the most decided acts of sovereignty exercised
the spanias in these stations from the reign Of Charles
the second and authorized by that monarch 1922 the
original vouchers for which shall be brought forward in
the OF the negotiation all the coast TO the north OF
hey ond what is called Prince williams sound which Is in
the 6ls degree is acknowledged to belong exclusively to
3i That the state Of the possessions and exclusive
msTce the seacoas OF the southern ocean ss existed
in the time Of Charles the second had seen
by England in the eighth article OF the treaty
Of Utrecht"
Mr.. President, every communication which sub
| sequently passed from Count Florida Blanca, the
Spanish negotiator, to Mr.. FZherbert, the English
envoy, contains language equally, if not mere dec-
died. in the assertion of Spanish title than the pas
sage have quoted. And at the very moment Of
signing the Nootka Sound convention, to avoid al
subsequent fraudulent Interpretation, and in defiance
of the gauntletted hand impending over her. Count
Florida Blanca declares that Spain yields not one
title of soveregnty-of exclusive sovereignty over
the soil.
| If we add to this and the common consent of
Christendom before alluded to, the fact, that Mr.
Ftzherbert made assertion of title for England
but confined himself to vague and underlined ex.
preston Of rights, or "claims," up to the time OF
Il a, al haht pf Enp xIyo
have as clear title in Spap to Vancouver's island
and the adjacent coast and islands, can be
| found in history, to the attachment Of any newly
discovered country on earth That admission OF
right in Spain extended as high north as the 6ls
parallel.
Oh, what a picture would the secret history Of
English diplomacy present! | speak not in censurt
OF the master-spirs who for centuries have con
trolled her councils leading her step by step to the
| mastery of the world. Their far-sightedncss, and
their devotion to her interests, is worthy of common
dation and emulation. Perhaps no stronger in
| sixty years ago saw the vast importance that tn,
desert coast of the Pacific ultimately to affair
/ in the scale of empire. p ...-
The Nootka Sound convention gave to England
the right Ito land on the in places not ALREADY
occupied for the purpose Of carrying on their com
merce with the natives of the country, of making
settlements there" with the sole intention Of afford
ing her facilities in such intercourse with the natvei
and to enable her to repair her vessels. Thes,
secondary and permissive rights, in no manner in
volving the sovereignty, were all she acquired by
that convention--all that her statesmen Their
clamed--all that Spain conceded And yet sh,
has at this hour the efrontery to assert in the face
Of history that she thus acquired the right Of para
mount occupation and settlement. ! say all tina
her statesmen claimed for Mr.. Fox, in the British
Parliament, whilst the convention was under discus
sion, denounced it ga treaty Of concessions and
Of acquisitions" In another passage he asserts
that 1--WE had given up all right to settle except fo
temporary purposes, to the south of the Spanish
settlements or in the intervals between them, wher
they happened to be distant. "-Par. His. col %
p 995.
And in confirmation Of this language, Mr.. Pitt
under whose auspices prime minister the conven
ton had been negotiated, replied by saying, tina
England chad gained no new rights, but that sh
had gained new advantages" These new advan
tages in the language Of Mr., Pitt, consisted simply
in the acknowledgment by Spain "of the right o
England to carry on fisheries in the Pacific ocean
and to trade the coast Of any part of northwes
Of America
| Immediately after the execution Of this conven