Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1846-02-12

=. spot of ground, whereon he built house for his
occasional resdence;" but II Is purchased from Ma
quilla Even before the memorial concludes, howev-
er, this modest spot of ground has swelled into the
lands belonging to your memoriaLst. "
The men in buckram increase IN number as the
drama proceeds BY the month of October 1870. and
in the words Of the Convention 1t had become bnlld
ings and tracts of land, - of which Meares had
been dispossessed; and when two years more had
passed over tie transaction, nothing short of the
whole settlement of Nootka with the recognition If
Meares sovereign of the territory. would satisfy
the voraciously increasing appetite OF the British
claim.
Spain, may well be supposed, was not prepared
to keep pace with these yearly increasing demands
Quadra and the British navigator parted in personal
kindness, but after frniesS negotiation Nootka
naming ~ the possession Of Spain. Van couver ex-
pressly says
Il requested in conversation the day (Sepember
l6, 1897 to be informed, if he (Quada) positively
resolved to adhere in the restitution of this country to
the principles contained in his last letter and rscev
ing from him reply in the affirmative, acquainted him,
that should consider Nootka Spanish port and
requested has permission carry the necessary employ
ments shore, which he very politely gave.-VoyGge,
roL. ., D. 367, 36s.
Two years after this negotiation namely in Sep
tember, 1894, Vancouver returned to Nootka, found
the Spanish flag still flying there and Quadra having
died meanwhile, found Senior Alava appointed COM
mandaut Of Nootka. From this gentleman he learnt,
that he (Alava) had been appointed for the partcu
lar purpose of finishing the pending negotiation
But no instructions from England had reached Van
cOuver; and he left Nootka without cfecting any
thing.
Two months later at Monterrey, Vancouver says
that Alava received Instructions Of which he confded
part to the British navigator and these Instructions,
50 Vancouver tells US, would enable an amicabe
adjustment . nearly on the terms offered to Senior
Quadra in September, 1892" But still, no instruc-
tons to Vancouver; who accordingly returned to
England, leaving the whole matter open before.
So far, then it is confessed that for more than four
years after the signature Of Convention wrung from
Spain by menace and lavish warlike preparation she
remained in peaceful and undisturbed possession of
the entire settlement of Nootka. Nor is there any
evidence unless consider such vague report al
luded TO by undstingushed navigator that foot of
land in that Sound, surrendered bv Spain to
England. Captain Broughton, in his Voyage to
the Pacific" in $50, tells us that in March, 1885,
he made the harbor of Nooka and he adds:
Il officer into the cove for intelligence; who
returned noon, and reported there vessels ia it
that the spot which the Spanish formerly
stood occupied by Indian uiiGge"-VOyGge,
p. so.
He then goes on to say
"Maquinna. the Chief of Noo,ka. paid visit here
and he and Cupanuch another chief brought several
letters dated March 1895 which informed me- that Capt.
Vancouver sailed from Monterrey the LIST December 1894
for England and that the Spaniard had delivered up the
port Of NOOka &c. TO Lieutenant Pierce of the Marines
agreeably to the mode restitution settled between the
Courts. letter from the Spanish officer, Brigadier
Aava informed Of their sailing in March, 1875, from
hence"
"Several letters" Captain Broughton says; from
whom we not even Informed and Senior Alava
mentions nothing of the surrender, but only thai the
Spaniards had left the place.
A recent English historical work of reputation,
with the name of the Queen and most of the nobility
on its list of subscribers, varies this story, thus
1T may be mentioned here that, in 1895 this territory
formally taken possession Of 10y Lieutenant Pierce Of
the British navy, and received the of King Georges
SOund." -.adOIphu Reign Of George Ill., roll 4, p. 502
Nothing about a surrender, here. 1t was formally
taken possession of" and named; a very easy thing
for Lieutenant Pierce or any one else to do, after
the Spaniards had vacated the settlement.
i Whence this g Lieutenant Pierce of the Marines "
sprung all of sudden, does not appear. Vancouver
says not word, in his voyage of leaving any one al
NOOtka. And, on the face of it, 1t is a thing most
unlikely that England should entrust the ultimate
settlement of dispute that cost her millions and had
bafled the diplomacy of Vancouver, to simple Lieu
tenant of Marines.
But, further, even conceding all these garing i'm
probabilities, neither know what amount of land
restored, under what conditions or limitations
the surrender is alleged 10 have been made. NoI
could the simple surrender of any /" buildings
and tracts of land there alter the fact that Nootka
was, in October 1890 " already occupied by Spain "
nor the express stipulation of the Convention that
north of that point of occupation only was the coast
to be free for settlement to both powers.
Yet even this is not the entire case. Two histori-
ans-the only two | have found whose works date
within few years OF this transaction-one French
authority, the other British-agree in denying that
there any restitution whatever. Segur the elder
French ambassador successfully at the Courts of ST.
Petersburgh, Berlin and Vienna, writing in 1901 a
political picture of Europe from l7S6 to 1885, says
"EngIand, under the fmsy Pretence of retaining
contraband ships taken by the Spaniads the
of North America threatened to declare against
Spain" a." France, after a short hesitation,
notwithstanding the disorder of heF finances determined
support Spain against the English. And the Cabinet
of London, nmdaed by this energetic and unexpected
resolution postponed its ambitious projects cOnfeted itself
Nth the restitution of The English ressels that had been
captreds and agreed 4vih the Court Of .lfadid
ally TO sarm"-SegHrs Reign Of Fred UiAIGm UO:-
9, b. 1853 and III.
The motive may be incorrectly inferred but as to
the fact can hardly suppose 1t unknown to one of
the most noted diplomatsts of the day.
The testimony of the British historian Besham,
writing in 1885, but ten years after the date of the
affair, is still distinct. In summing up the
history of the Nootka affair, he says
$50 insignificant was The Obectln contest that no one,
either in out of Parliament has, far appears.
thought worth while enquire whether restoration has
really been made in The mode prescribed by the treaty
II is certain nevertheless from the most authentic
subsequent Information that the Spanish flag flying at the
fort and settlement of Noolka never struck and that
the territory has been virtually requshed 10y Great
Britan."-BeishGms History IF England, col s, page
1878.
And again in the appendix to the same volume after
giving tie official documents connected with the dis
pute, he adds:
But though England. at the expense of three millions
extOred from the Spanards promise of restoration and
separation we'll asceTained FIRST that the settlement
in question restored by SPAIN the Spanish