The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-08-15
Lord stirling,s Claim.

Lord Strings Claim.
This claim to the Fisheries of the British
North American provinces-which the Bos-
ton Post calls glorious nibble"-is ex-
citing good deal of attention. It is mag
nifcent claim indeed Besides the right to
the Fisheries, the claim stretches over the
public and unoccupied lands of Nova Scotia,
New Brunswick, Prince Edwards Island, the
Canadas, in the Northern part of Wisconsin
and Michigan, Including the copper mines of
Lake Superior y in Maine, and strip of
country three hundred miles broad from
Lake Superior to California, and California
to boot This ought to be enough to crafty
the heir of the house of Stirling; but he
claims beside of the British government
10000, stirling we supposed with interest
from 1852, and all the proceeds of the mines
of Nova Scotia, estimated at 100000. The
Fisheries in the catalogue of claims bring
up the rear. This we should regard very
respectable claim so far as the amount and
value of property is concerned. paren-
thetical remark in the catalogue of claims
may startle the copper miners of the Lakes.
This is to the effect that these mines, as well
as the lands in Michigan and Wisconsin, will
be the subject of compromise with the United
States as they have not been in possession of
the mining companies tseenty yearsi
The grants are dated from 1921 to 1885,
They were made to Sir WIN. ALEXANDER,
Earl of STIRLING, who, according to one YER
sion attempted to establish colony in Nova
Scotia, but abandoned the enterprise in de-
spair, and made over his whole right and title
to one La Tour, a Frenchman.
The New York Express says, however, that
the privileges granted to the Earl of STIRLING
more than two hundred years ago, were re-
cognised and confirmed by acts of Parlia-
ment, and have never been denied by the
British Government. The Erpress says it is
an important feature in the case that Great
Britain has frequently used the legal rights OF
the Earl of STIRLINGin vindication of her own
claims. As soon however, it says, as the
claimant made demand upon his Govern
ment for his rights, the Crown began legal
resistance Lord STIRLING is said to have pre-
sented his claim to the House of Lords in
Ie45, when his title was admitted to be good
by Lord BRoUGHAM, and acquiesced in by
The present Earl of STIRLING is an old gen
tleman He has come to Washington with
his son, and is understood to have been en-
couraged by Mr.. ROBERT j. WALKER, our
Minister to China, in the validity of his claim.
Indeed, it is understood that he has associated
with him, at least in the matter of the Fishe-
ries, Mr.. WALKER, Mr.. HODGE, late assistant
Secretary Of the Treasury, and men of CAPT
tai in New York.
There are various reports as to how this
company of Lord STIRLING & Co. propose to
approach the great claim of the Fisheries
One that they wish our Government to put
forward their claim and take shelter behind
it. Another is, that they design fitting out a
vessel and sending her there to test the claim:
And another is, to license fishing vessels from
Maine and Massachusetts to prosecute their
business within the limits from which they
are now excluded by Great Britain. What
ever they may choose to try, we are sure our
Government will have nothing to do with
their claim. That is between ST1RL1NG& Co.
and Great Britain.
This is as much space as we can spare to
Lord STRINGS story, which is a long one
and we question very much whether the
paper it is written on won't cover more
ground or water either than he will ever ac-
quire title to under his many venerable
grants.