Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1846-04-18
CONGRESS-.

SPeight requested Mr.. a. 10 give way, IN
order that Col. Benton might make an ex-
PLANTATION. Col. BENroN then rose and made
long speech, prefacing il with the re.
mark that it was merely intended to vindi-
cate history from the blunders of Mr.
Greenhow's book on the Oregon title, of
which Gen. Cass had become the dupe and
victim.
"That book maintained that the commissaries
had never acted under the treaty Of Utrecht; had
never established the limits between the British
and French possessions in North America; had
done nothing on the subject. And the Senator
from Michigan holding Mr.. Greenbow to be right,
had adopted his opinion, and laid so much stress
upon the fact Of the action OF these commissaries
as to make his future conduct upon the Oregon
question dependent upon it. If Mr.. Greenhow
was wrong, and the commissares had acted end
established the parallel Of 40 deg, and this fact
was proved, he mr. B. understood the Senator
from Michigan to say that he would give up the
Russian limit of 81 deg. 40 min., and never say
any thing more about Oregon north OF 49 deg
This is penalty which Mr.. B. would not have
imposed: It was giving to the line OF the treaty
Of Utrecht a consequence Of importance which
he would not have attributed to it, But the
Senator from Michigan had judged for himself
and judged deliberately; for his future conduct
dependent upon the correctness OF Mr. Green.
how's opinion, which he had quoted and adopted.
Mr.. B. would show by the highest evidence. that
the coinmssaries did act; that they did establish
the limits between France and Great Britain in
North America; and that the 49th parallel was
one Of the lines established and. having shown
this. he would make no argument upon it, would
make no application Of the fact, but content
himself with indicating history at an essential
point, and leave it to the Senator from Michigan
10 give it the influence upon his own conduct
which he should think proper.
ICol. Benton then went into an elaborate
dence 10 show that the Commissioners under the
treaty Of Utrecht ran the line OF 40 deg. The
terms Of the treaty show that that line was not
70 extend beyond the Rocky Mountains. He
then said]
The great fact is now established. The com.
mi ssioners did meet under the treaty Of Utrecht;
they did execute the stipulations Of that treaty;
they did determine the limits between the French
and British possessions in North America; and
the parallel OF forty nine, from the Lake OF the
Woods indefinitely to the west, was ono OF the
boundaries established by them.
make no application of this fact. Idraw no
argument FRONT it. do not apply it to the ques.
ton Of title. l am not arguing title, and will
not do it; but am vindicang history. assailed
at vital point by the book which has been quo.
ted and endorsed; an, vindicating the intelli.
gence Of the American Senate, exposed 10 con-
tempt in the eyes of Europe by supposed ig.
norance OF a treaty which is one OF the grea.
political landmarks in Europe and America; and
tho e., Ill:
gan that the condition has become absolute on
which he bound himself yesterday to reverse his
Oregon position.
Mr. President, the Senator from Michigan
gives US some ust and wise observations on the
frivolous and ridiculous causes which have some.
times involved great nations in terrible war. But
! think that, in one Of his illustrations. he fell
into msapplcation OF an historical fact, and
that wthou, the aid Of Greenhow's book II
was the case Of the war resulting from the water
On the lady's gown. The incident, suppose, OF
the water and the gown in which two ladies wers
dramotis persona, and little dog promn ent
.fguraate, took place in the court Of Queen
Anne; took place--not transpired. Do no,
write me down transpired, or ! shall certainly
expire. This incident took place 10 the Cour,
Of Queen Anne, the imperial Sarah, Duchess OF
Marlborough. call her imperial who could say
| " inc pouucsI Vi INC olu GngliSn DUKES inst
the widow Of John, Duke Of Marlborough. mar
ried no man, not even an emperor. This lady
and her dog was party on one side, and Mrs.
Masham on The other--snd was the opposite of
producing war. 1t actually led 10 peace; for
the Queen, taking part with Mrs. Masham quar-.
relied with the Duchess and then with the Duke
OF Marlborough, and so recalled him from his
command, stopped the career OF victory, and then
made peace-the very peace whose benefit we
are now claiming, that Of Utrecht And thus the
incident OF the gown and the water throws its
point and power on the other side, and actually
connects with the very point have been es,ab
fishing.
M. B. had not voted for the purchase OF Green.
hows book he had but poor opinion OF books
compiled in closets for the instruction Of men
Of business. They were generally shallow, OF
no use 10 the informed, and dangerous to the
uniformed, whom they led astray; and to the
indolent, who would trust to their superficial
CLOSES, without going TO the fountain head, and
seeking truth at the bottom Of the we'll. So Of
the book in question. Had it not been for
Greenhow's Oregon, the Senator from Michigan
would have sought the history Of the treaty of
Utrecht in the authentic documents which our
library contains, and would have found the truth,
and would have been today freeman, and not
prisoner, as lie constituted himself yesterday.
in the hands Of the Forty. Mines. He is now
their prisoner, doomed to dwell at 49, He is
not killed, but taken. We may say OF him as
the consoling messenger said 10 Penelope:
''The great Ulysses is not dead,
"But, far from wife and son,
"He lines prisoner, on a desert Isle,