Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1846-02-20

MR.. RlvEss LETTER.


StStLtutb. r.
They could not help oyins to then selves,
II the Spanish title were Of that high. absolute
aud imposing character which Mr. Buchanan
represents IL To have been. then oil the acts at
our sutn6sy mn end government on which
we have hitherto "a confidently relied as con-
s,itu,ings an imprcgmsbse title ior us--thc hardy
and succcssfui adventure of Capt Gmy-thc
noble expedition Of Lewis ant CLARK, set on
loot by our own Goxcmment-thc settlements
made in the territory by our enterpiisiug cit
izcus-all these were but lswicss violations Of
the rights of another Power. which could not
give US the slightest scmblance oi claim, but
exhibit u to tue world Ina the odious character
oi land pirates.
Thinking men. too. became curious to know
OIL what foundation this exclusive and over
shsdowing title to vast unsettled regions,
which Was ~ much dwvlt upon By Mr.. Buch-
anaa. could reposc. They turned viii, eager
ness, therefore, To his second letter. i'm which
he undertakes To trace the origin and vindicate
the Legitimacy OF the Spanish title. He gives
a long account OF the voyage of Spanish uavi.
gators, beginning two and three hun ired years
ago, (somc Of them Of disputed authenticity,
and one of them, of lcsdin1 importance, irea-
ted as fabulous by our ~ncgotiator in ls2t,s)
and tells us that onc navigator landed AMI
scesf on shore at such a place. another anchor
ed ina certain harbor. and. finally, that Others
went through the prescribed ceremony cf tax.
ing possession, a. IL WAS called, of the ountry
In the name oi their sovereign, by celebrating
mass and erecting crosses with Inscriptions
And here the story ends. No actual occupam.
cy, no settlements made any where, no real
permanent bona fde appropriation of the
country. such as has always been held neccs-
sary Ia consuminatc tbs inchoate title derived
from discovery. In the absence of all such
.et. fh.s t.apis xxha annrrttafs .t.hxtanee
more than form, have NOT been able To com
prcllend how the ray Ing of mass AMI setting
up OF crosses, and then abandoning the coun.
try, eau form nh ellcctual taking possession OF
il any more thauthe celcbrated achievement
of the Spanish ma, igalo who first discovered
the Pacific ocean, and who, a. Robertson
states, advancing up Ito the middle IN the
waves. with his sword and buckler, took
possession OF the watcry domain in the name
ol the king hts master, and vowed To deirnd
II with its arms against all his enemies, could
be- a valid appropriation OF that highway oi
nations. The rule SETTLED by the law aud
usage, ot nations in all such cases IL clearly
laid down M the statement of the American
claim submitted To the British commissioners
by Mr.. Galla,in la lS26. az follows: Prior
discovery gi,css right TO occupy, provided that
occupancy takes place within a reasonable
time, aud is ultimately followed by permanent
SCtitfintlltN uii ~ the CULTIVATION OF the sui.
but. much a. MIR Buchanan makes OF the
title, he fails, | apPnhrnd, To do full
justice to its history. lie does not trace ituP
TO It's original source in the ball at Pope Alex
andcr VI; by which that pontin. sacuiegious-
" claiming, as vicar aud representative OF
Christ, a right of dominion over all the king
Of the earth. granted to Spain la 1893
the year after the discovery oi America) all
hc countries inhabited by indiels ~hich shc
lad discovered or should discover, and. draw
n a meridian line from pole To pole a hun
red leagues 10 the westward of the Azores.
cs,owed in tho plcniiude at his power and
oil 10 the wcsl 81 this imaginary line
pom Spin, and all To the east OF IL upon Por-
ugal. This, doubtless, was the real iounda-
ion Of all the absurd aud uaicuious pre,sn.
ot Spain in the New World. She claim |
ri the whole continent oi America, its Allan
tic as well a. it's Pacific side. How this title
was regarded by the sober sense of the rest of
mankind, the successive settlements made and
by Bnglond. France. and Holland.
all along the Atlantic coast (that which natur-
ally hrst attracted the 81 Eusoy-au
enierPrise) have sufficiently proclaimed to
poSteuty.
Mr.. Buchanan. however, SAYS that the right
oi sovereignty, which ''Spam had asserted
Tor near three centuries" corresponding
with the debate OF the Pepal grant just refer
rel to- cover the whole western side of North
America, as lar moth a. the sixty hrt deyrce
OF latitude, had never b:en seriously question.
el BY any European nation before The Nootka
convention" MIR. Gsllatin, la the able let.
tiers recently written by him ani published ut
Washington, states very sppositely hat these
exclusive Prctensions OF Spain were prsciicsl-
y questioned and wholly d~isreganled in all
the British colonial charters OF the seven
4 80 a "a sA. - Il
pressly described ssextending from sra 60 sea.
But, to como down the later times, il is a ne.
markable and instructive circumstance, that
when Spain appealed to France. in virtue oi
The family compact. Tor aid and support Ia the
Nootka controversy. her own ally and friend
denied her claim of sovereignty on the north
wcsi coast Of America. In a report Of the al.
plomatic committee of the constituent Assem-.
bly, on the subject, of which the celebrated
Mifalssu was rspporteur, or chairman, il i,
expressly declared that 1.-The territory in dis
ppte between the TWO Powers in truth belong.
la neither; IL is the property Of the inhabitsnl,
whom Nature originally placed there" And
then the committee adds: This line Of dis.
junction appears a little more consonant "a
justice than that marked out 10y the Pore: AMI
these people distant from us as they are, Al
they are oppressed, are they not oar ~allies7"
Mr.. buchanan expeDds a great deal Of in
genioos labor upon the terms OF the Nooiks
convention. io show that Spain did mo-, express,
~ rcnounce her claim OF exclusive sovereign
y upon the northwest coast Of America b
The letter OF that convention; and he also con
; tends that the convention was nulifed by ia
3 subsequent war which occurred between IA
b contracting parties in 1916. has never sine
e hccn revived, and u therefore no longer
e forte. With great Difference, these seem
b mc to be immatchal questions. The impor
g ant inquiry - ~ 10 the operation and effect
}, isct-, not woris. SpsiD, claiming TO b. II
absolute sovereign oi the northwest coast
< America, captured certain British ves-e
which she found 81 Nootka, and took p-Isse
sicns oi a trading establishment aud buildin,
g erected there by British subjects, expsessel
on the ground that her right OF soseeigniy Ia
been violated by what she considered az az