Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1853-04-28

france aud Treat Britain, which broke
out in 1854, deprived the former of all its
possessions in this country, Canada was
ceded to Great Britain, as conquered
country. which included the Upper Miss
issippi Valley, ard that of the Ohio and
| Wabash, and Louisiana was ceded to
! Spain.
But Great Britain, previous to this
war, set up claim to the Illinois aud
/ Wabash country, from a cession made By
the Iroquois Confederacy. The Iroquois,
or Five nations" as they are known in
early aboriginal history, were the Romans
of North America. They claimed this
country by right of conquest from its ma
tive tribes, the Illinois Confederacy The
truth of this conquest, and the legality
of this claim, are exceedingly doubtful.
But in l70l, by deed of sale, the Iroquois
surrendered to Great Britain the vast tract
of territory lying south and east of the
following boundary: beginning at the
Mississippi, up the Illinois river and run
ming south and east through Illinois to
Lake Michigan across this lake; thence
the west end of Lake Huron, and embra-
cling the country of the Messasaugua In
dians. on the north side of Lake Huron,
into Upper Canada" &c. The validity
of this title rests wholly on the justice of
the claims of the Iroquois to this coun-
try by conquest, which is extremely doubt
full At the treaty betwixt France and
Great Britain in 1863 this country as a
portion of Canada, fell into the possess
ion of the latter, and the British flag in
! 1894, was hoisted at Kaskaskia, Fort
! Chartres, Cahokia, Post Vincent, Detroit,
and throughout the Canadas, while Spain
as an ally of Great Britain, received her
title to Louisiana.
This brief sketch of colonial history,
shows that the Upper Mississippi Valley,
on the east side of that river. including
Illinois, held an undivided political rela
tion with Canada 1t stood in this rela
tion on the fourth of July, l776 Its
population was not represented in the A
mercan Congress, and had no more part
in the Declaration of Independence than
that of the Canadian provinces 1t be-
comes, then an interesting question, how
this vast and beautiful country became
disconnected from the Canadas, and made
a part of the United States aud Terrific
ries
1t is true, the treaty of 1888 defined
the boundary between the United States
and Great Britain, by line drawn thro
! the great northern lakes to northwest cor
ner of the Lake of the woods But why
was this country surrendered to Great
Britain. and Canada retained Why has
not monarchial power and colonial subjec
| tion been held over this fair portion of the
American Republic2 What claims could
the United States urge to country, for
the most part a wilderness, and not in
dence2 True, Virginia had a claim on
this country in 1888, which the next year
she ceded to the United States, but how
came Virginia by this title2
Fellow Citizens, have furnished these
memoranda of the political history of this
country, and raised these questions, pre-
paratory to sketch of one of the most
important incidents of our Revolutionary
history-one of the most daring, selfde-
nying and chivalrous enterprises of the
war. [ allude to the Conquest of Hi
nois in l778, by General George Rogers
! Clark
! [ know not which to admire the most,
the boldness of the plan, the secrecy of
the enterprise, the fortitude and indOmi
table perseverance in its prosecution, the
adroitness with which it was managed, or
| the signal success which crowned the
whole expedition.
At the period of Clark's expedition,
Fort Chartres was the principal British
post on these waters This forti6cation,
now heap of mouldering ruins, had been
erected by the French Government about
1920, at an expense of nine millions of u
UreS or one million seven hundred and fif-
ty thousand dollars of our currency An
other fort was situated on the bluffs, east
of the Kaskaskia river, and commanded
the town. A third was at Cahokia. These
Notifications were much out of repair, and
had but few soldiers. No apprehension
was entertained of an invasion, and least
of all did the commanding officer, VI. Ro-
cheblave, or his subordinates, dream of an
attack from the quarter from whence it
came. At Post Vincent, there was but
small number of regular troops station
ed.
The object of maintaining these from
tier posts, so far removed from the thea
tre of the war, was to protect the trade,
and hold an influence over the Indians
The confederacies and tribes from the
Mississippi and northern lakes to the Allie
ghany mountains, were the friends and
allies of Great Britain. They resorted
to these posts for their supplies and were
thus furnished with the means of annoy
ing the infant settlements of Kentucky
Henry Hamilton, Lieutenant Governor at
Detroit and commander-inchief over this
whole region, opened regular market for
the purchase of American scalps, hence
denominated by Clark, the 'Hair-b buyer
General" Such was the state of affairs
in relation to this country, before it was
subjugated by Virginia
The year l775 was memorable for the
arrival of George Rogers Clark to the
settlements of Kentucky His appear
ance, as described by Fl. Marshall, the
historian of that State, was well calculat-
ed to attract attention. 1t was rendered
particularly agreeable by the manliness
of his 5anortmapt ba infaliIcenaa Of his