The Arkansas banner., 1846-02-18

gives the valley drained by river and it's branches, to the nation which had first dls- covered and appropriated its mouth.
 But. for another reason, this alleged dis covery of Thompson has no merits what ever. His journey was undertaken on be- half of the Northwest Company, for. the mere purpose of anticipating the United States in the occupation of the mouth oi the Columbia--a territory which no nation, unless it may have been Spain, could, with any show of justice, dispnte their right They had acquired il by discovery and by exploration, and were now in the act of ta- king possession It was in an enterprise un- dpraken for such purpose, that Thomp- son. in hastening from Canada to the mouth of the Columbia, descended the North, ar bitrarily assumed by Great Britain to be the . main branch of this river. The period was 2 far too late to impair the title of either Spain or the United States, by any such proceed tug.
 ~ Mir. Thompson on his return, was accom- panied by party from Astoria, under MT. David Stuart, who established post at the confluence of the Okinagan with the North branch of the Columbia, about six hundred miles above the mouth of the latter.
 In the next year tlSl2) second trading post was established by party from Asto- ria, on the Spokan, about six hundred and fifty miles fronlthe ocean.
 l. thus appears that, previous to the cap- ture of Astoria by the British, the Americans had extended their possessions up the Co., hmhia six hundred and fifty miles The mere intrusion of the Northwest Company into this territory, and the establishment of two or three trading posts, i'll lSll and lSl2, on the head waters of the river, can surely not interfere with, or impair the Spapish- Amercan title. What this company may have done in the intefmedate period until the 20th October, lSlS--the date of the first treaty of joint oecupaton--is unknown to he undersigned, from the impeneHable mysv tery in which they. have yelled their pro- ceedngs. After the date of this treaty, neith- CT Great Britain nor the United States could have performed any act affecting their claims to the disputed territory.
 To sum up the whole, then, Great Britain cannot rest her claims,o the northwesteoast of America upon discovery. As little will her single claim by settlement al N Nootka Sound avail her. Even Balsham, her own !. historian, forty years ago, declared f to be certain, from the most authentic information, '.lhat the Spanish flag flying al Nootka was never struck, and that the territory has been sirtually relmquished by Great Bfiiain.o
 The agentssof the Northwest Company, penetrating ihe continent from Canada, in 1906, established their first trading postwest of the Rocky mountains, at f'razier's lake in the 5ith degree of lati:ude; and this,--- with the trading posts established by Thomp- .on---to which the undersigned has just ad- vertea--and possibly some others afterwards, previous 10 October, ISIS, constitutes the claim of Great Britain by actual settlement,
 Upon the whole-irom the most careful and ample examination, which the under signed has been able 10 bestow upon the subject, he Is Saiisfisd thatthe Spansh-Ameri- can title, now held by the United slates,-- embracing the whole territory between the parallels of 42 deg. and 54 deg. 40 min, is the best title in existence to this entire re- zion; and the claim et. Great Britainto to any portion of it has sufficient feundation.- Even British geographefs have not doubted our title to the territory in dispute. There is large and spleadid globe now in the De- paytment of State, recently received .fropi London, and ppblished by Nalby and Com pany s'nlaaaaciurers and publishers to the q Spciely for the Diffusion oi Useful knowl- edgeao which assigns this territory to the United States.
 Notwithstanding such was and still is the opinion of the Presidens yet, in the split of compromise and concession, and in de- ference to the action of his predecessors, the undersigned; m obetlience to lis Instructions, proposed to the British plenipotenlary to settle the controversy by dividing the terri tory in dispute by the 19ih parallel of lati- tutie, offering at the same time, 10 make, free 10 Great Britain any port or ports son Van couver's island, South of this latitude, which the British Government might desire. The British plcnipo;entiary has correctly suggas- ted that the free navigation of the Columbia river wa not embtaces in this proposal to Great Britain; but, on the other hand, the use. of free ports on the Southern extremity of this island had not been included in for mer offers.
 Such proposition as that which has been made, never would have been authorized bv the president, had this been new question.
 Upon his accession to office, he found the presentnegotalion pending. It had been in- s,ituetd in the spirit and upon the principle of compromise. It's object, as avowed by the negotators, was not to demand the whole territory in dispute for either country but ill the language of the first protocol, 'sto treat of the respective claims of the two countries to the Oregon territory, with the view to estab- fish permanent beunlary between them Westward ofthe Rocky mouotains to the Pa cifc c.ocean.n s
 Placed in this position, and considering that presidents Monroe and Adams had, on former occasions. offered to divide the terriio- " n dispute by the forty ninlh parallel oi latitude. he felt Ii to he his dusynot abruptly to arrest the negotiations bat so far to yield his ownsopinionas once more 10 make similar offer
 Not only respect for the conduct of his predecessors, but sincere and anxious desire 10 promote peace and harmony between the two countries. influenced him to pursue this course The Oregon question presents the only intervening cloud which imefcepts ,he prospect ofa long career of mutual Friendship