The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-04-01

REPORTS or COMMITTEE
Mr.. ATCHIS0N, from the Committee on Pen
sions asked that said committee be discharged
from the further consideration OF the petition OF
Mary Ripley, widow of Jeremiah Ripley, and of
the petition of the legal representatives of Cornelius
Oakley; which was agreed to.
Mr.. PEARCE, from the COMMITTEES on Pensions,
submitted adverse report on the petition Of Jo-
anna Purcey; which was ordered to be printed.
Mr.. FAIRFIELD, from the Committee on Ma
val Affairs reported bill 10 change the distribution
Of the duties in the naval bureaus, with a report;
which was ordered to be printed
GENERAL ORDERS OF TIE DAY.
The resolution submitted by Mr. J. M. CLAYTON
in relation TO Oregon correspondence, announced
as first in order.
A SENATOR suggested that it should lie on the
table.
Mr.. J. M CLAYTON preferred that it should
be passed by informally which was agreed to.
The resolution submitted several days since by
Mr.. YULEK, in relation to calling upon the Presi-
dent fer tabular statements of the expenses of the
general government from liz organization TO the
present day, was taken up, and laid upon the table
without debate.
DEFENCE or NEW ORLEANS.
The following resolution, submitted some time
since by Mr. JOHNSON, Of Louisiana was con-
sdsred and agreed TO:
RssoIsd That the resolutions Of the legislature Of the
State Of Louisiana Of the 10th instant nstruens their sen
thu ssnon q the Of he Uni
ted States to the necessy OF erecting such
from Invasion Re referred to the secretary war and
he be Instructed TO report TO the senate plan lot the de
Irhes OF NsH Viissl,l S ~ hth ~. b. a.o
mendedin said plan.
The following resolution, hsretofors submitted by
Mr.. YUIrE, was considered and agreed to:
Resolved That tho Committee Finance be instructed to
share Of the surplus distributed TO the
der the act ofCongress ofJuns 10, 1880.
The following resolution, submitted a few days
since by Mr.. ASHLEY, was considered and agreed
Rss0irsS That the Committee on the Post once and
Post Roads be instructed inquire into the sxpedency
to the Senate Tor the establishment OF posToue and in
the petition the establishment OF post Offices the
dnty ofthe Secretary Of the Senate Post
master General such petition, provided the PosToute
therein pray for shall have been established by law
The Senate took up for consideration the adverse
report Of the Committee on Public Lands, on the
petition Of Elizabeth Pearce; which was concured
in.
Mr.. JARNAGIN moved that the vacancy occa-
stoned in the Committee Private Land Claims,
by his (Mr. J.'s) Withdrawal from said committee,
be filled by nomination by the chair which was
agreed to.
The PRESIDENT nominated Mr.. Ru,x.
MIR. SPEIGHT moved that the Senate proceed
to the consideration Of the special order; which was
agreed to.
SPECIAL oRDER-THE "NOIICE.n
The Senate then proceeded to the consideration OF
the special order-the joint resolution Of notice to
Great Britain terminating the convention Of 1927
relative to the Oregon territory.
| Mr. ASHLEY was about to address the Senate,
but yielded to
| Mr. BENTON who said he did not rise 10 make
any speech, but merely to vndicate history and the
intelligence of tie Senate, from an error into which
the senator from Michigan, not now in his seat,
| Mr.. CAss, had fallen yesterday, in relying on Mr..
Greenhow's book on Oregon. That book maintain.
ed that the commssaries 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.. Green
how TO be right, had adopted his opinion, and laid
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 commissaries had
acted and established the parallel of AGO and this
fact proved, he (Mr b. understood the senator
from Michigan to say that he would give up the
Russian limit Of $40 40, and never say anything
more about Oregon north Of ago. This is a penalty
| which Mr.. b. would not have imposed: il was Civ
ing TO the line of the treaty of Utrecht consequence
and importance which he would not have attributed
| to it. But the senator from Michigan had Judged
for himself, and judged deliberately; for his speech
was well prepared, and it was his own act to make
his future conduct dependent upon the correctness
of Mr.. Greenhow's opinion, which he had quoted
and adopted. Mr.. B would show, by the highest
evidence that the conmlssaries did act; that they
did establish the limits between France and Great
Britain IN North America; aud that the 49th parallel
was one of the lines established; and, having shown
| this, he would make argument upon it, would
make no application Of the fact hut content himself
with indicating history al essential point and
leave to the senator from Michigan to give it the
influence upon his own conduc: which he should
think proper.
Mr.. r. then made n staternent 10 ho
proofs which he meant to introduce, and showing
how the treaty Of Utrecht had become applicable to
this question Of boundary between the United
States and Great Britain. 1t grew out of the pur-
chase OF Louisiana, and was coevaI with that
purchase. Ii was known to everybody that the
northwestern of the United States could not
be claimed, because there was all impossible call in
| the treaty Of 1888 1t called for due west course
from the Lake of the Woods TO the Mississippi
when such course would strike the Missis-
sIpplthe lake being north of the head of that river
Upon the supposltion that the line due west from
the lake would strike the river the right to is free
navigation was granted TO the British by the treaty
OF peace but, on finding that the line would not
strike the river the struggle began between the two
counries--on the part Of the British to defect the
line, TO turn 1t down southwest, and thus get the
river, and with this arrival upon that stream come TO
the enjoyment Of its navigation The struggle on
the part Of the United States was to prevent this
consequential close the line without Welding the
ha'igation ana this contest had continued twenty
years, when treaty was signed in London to ter
inmate this contest. 1t in the year 1903, Mr..
Jefferson being President, and Mr.. Rufus King
minister in London; for, in these days, ministers
were not so rapidly changed upon change OF adj
mnstration as has sometimes since occurred
The fifth article of the treaty then aigned detected
the line 80 as to reach the Mississippi the short
eat course and this done in conformity TO in
strucuons from the government of the United States
ms treaty was signed in the spring of lsO3 and it
so happened that just about the same time-namely,
WE'VE days before the signature of this treaty in
hng, for the sale Of Louisiana to the United
States, was transmitted TO our government. The
Two treaties arrived in the United States togeth-
er, and Mr.. Jefferson Immediately saw the adyan
tage which the Louisiana treaty gave him in cut
ting off forever the British both from the naviga-
uon the Mississippi and from the whole valley
OF that river. The most accomplished diplomatist
in Amerca-perhaps equal to any in Europe-he
saw at once that the acquisition Of Louisiana put
US in the shoes Of the French all their treaties APP
r,lIr lie tn hath tb,., 4