The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-04-03
MIR WERsrER,s TWO QUERIES

Mr.. Webster in the course OF the debate yester.
day, on the Oregon matter, made the following OBJ
servations, embracing two questions to which we
will most respectfully take the liberty Of replying.
That no mistake may be committed to the mean.
ing of the senator from Massachusetts,, will pre-
sent the whole Of his Short but clearly expressed
speech. 1--WE choose the version of the National
ntelligencer, in place Of the one prepared by our
own excellent reporter)
"Mr Webster said that he wished those gentle.
men who proposed to go into the history Of this
matter (Which he did mott To turn their attention TO
two questions which he would state.
at was certain that, by the tenth article Of the
treaty of Utrecht, it provided that commssa-
res should be appointed to determine line Of sepa
ration between the French and English possessions
in the northern part OF tho continent OF America.
And it was admitted the authority Of Charlevoix,
hat such comnissaries were accordingly appointed
But is denied that there exists any evidence Of acts
performed by them under such appointment, and
that they did in any way determine such dividing
line.
Now, it was not doubted, in point Of fact. that
some years after the date of the treaty, Davs's
straits on the Atlantic ocean, (then known as
Oavs's nlet,) became known and mentioned by
fewer or by more geographers as the dividing point
between the territories of the two nations. 1t was
equally true, that the line of ago north was laid
down on certain old maps dividing line between
French and English territory, and said to have been
established by the treaty of Utrecht after the termi.
nation Of curved ine beginning at Davs's straits
and running in curve until 1t struck the parallel Of
ago.
stThe two questions he wished to ask were these
|. How came Davis's straits to be known and de-
scribed in any map the dividing point between
the territories Of England and France, unless from
something agreed to under the treaty Of Utrecht
The treaty designated starting point at the ocean,
how did the makers Of these maps get that lne' And
if the parallel Of 49o did receive its character
dividing line from that authority, on what author
ity was such character given 1t in those maps'
Why was not $50 or 500 taken as the line' And
why was Ago?
THE second question this: Suppose that no
mistake could be shown in this designation and that
no other account could be given of it but that it
done under the treaty of Utrecht, taking the two
facts together, that the treaty did provide that
missares should be appointed to determine divid-
ing line, and actually appointed for that pur-
pose and that such line was laid down on the
maps professedly on that authority, and no other
account could be given of it, did they not raise a
clear and strong presumption, and such as would
prevail in all tribunals, that this point Of Daris's
straits, and this line of 40, fixed and deter
mined by those, and those alone, who had authority
to determine them!"
Now, we respectfully say, Mr.. Webster is in the
first place in error in considering Dapis's inlet
Identical with Dapss strails The former is a small
bay or sound, on the coast Of Labrador, near the
latitude of Sc degrees; while Davis's strait is the
passage Of communication between the Atlantic and
Baffin's bay, under the 5Sth parallel.
Dari,'s strait is we'll known as separating Green
land from the countries north of Huasons strait,
and could not by any possibility have been at any
time considered as dividing the British possessions
from those of France Dauis's inlet is, the con-
trary small and rihing slip Of seawater, only to
be found on large and minute maps.
Presuming that Mr. Webster refers to Daviss
inlet and not to Davis's strait, and passing to the
consideration of his first question: we will first cite
in answer the general fact that nearly all the old
maps Of America ffer regards all lines Of bouu
daries between the territories Of different European
powers; this difference being observable not only
between maps node by subjects OF different nations
but also, though in less degree, between those
made by people of the same nation, and even by the
same geogrnpher about the same time. Why Da-
vs's inlet should have been chosen in one or more
maps as the starting place on the Atlantic for line
of boundary, it is impossible to say unless that it il
situated nearly midway between the ST. Lawrence
and Hudson's strait, and would therefore be a very
fair point for that purpose. But this inlet docs moi
seem to have been by any means frequently givsn as
tss eastern terminus Of the said supposed line; for,
the great majority Of maps during the 6y years afel
the treaty of Utrecht line Of separation appears
between the Hudsons bay territories and the French
possessions; and in those containing such line It'll,
not often made TO end at DtVis's inlet In fact nj
map or book has been found in the course Of tn,
present Search which carries the line to that point
except the map in PoglcihwayL Douglas, from
whom Mr.. Monroe evidently derived the descripto,
Of the boundary presented in his statement to Lort
4 u,rrovbv, makes the line begin 10 lstitud