, 1854-08-19

The HudsOm's Bay Company
The Oregon Land LaW.

The English Government lives only by
Eiving the world under contribution
Her Colonial system, her expeditions Of
discovery and commerce, and her chartered
Companies for adventure, haze combined,
constituted most subtle and powerful ma
chinery for extending her dominion, and
filling her national Golfers.
Her East India Company though organ
lied ostensibly for commercial cnterprize
merely, has become political power, hard
ly second to the empire of an Alexander ;
"having," in the language of Burke, sold
every Monarch, Prince and State, in India,
broken every contract, and ruined every
Prince and every State who had trusted
them.
In 1869, Charles II granteda charter to
an Association of London gentlemen and
merchants, under the designation of ''The
Hudson's Bay Company" for the purpose,
as expressed in the charter, of promoting
the Search Of northwest passage" But
if we may Judge from tire knOwnNpolicy Of
the British Government, and from the CON
duct of this, and other similar companies,
under Royal license, it may be fairly said
that its Initiation was designed, and its
progress intended, to take actual occupa-
ton of the northern portions of the Amer
lean continent, and, as far as possible, to
exercise such acts Of sovereignty over the
same, as would support q valid claim of
English dominion. 81 81
At this time, the British Government
claimed no territory in the far north, except
the country drained by the tributaries to
Hudson's Bay. The Canadas had been dis
covered and settled by the French, who had
an extensive fur company operating through
out their possessions. .r .. o.
The Hudson's Bay Company, instead of
directing their attention to ''the search for
q northwest passage" pushed their explo-
rations to the south and west, establishing
forts and trading-posts among the Indians,
and Introducing English manufactures
They encroached upon the. French provin-
ces, destroyed the trade of the French Fur
Company, and so entangled the relations of
the two countries, by their unwarrantable
assumptions, that war ensued. In l763,
Canada, with all other dominions of France
in North America, East of the Mississippi
was eeded to Great Britain by the treaty
Of Paris.
The wider field opened by this treaty, to
the operations Of a company, whose pur-
posely directed movements had rendered
the cession Of the Canadas expedient to the
French Government, was seized upon by
them, only as base for d still further en-
largement Of that corporate power which
tended at once to commercial monopoly
and English empire.
Stretching their arms still westward,
grasping prizes, and erecting their insignia
Of possession beyond their chartered limits,
they came into open collision with the North
West Company, composed Of French and
Scotch adYenturers, and fought bloody
battle, ia 1914, on the Red River Of the
North. They conquered, and were masters
Of the mountains and the plains. Previ-
ously to this, the Pacific Company, led out
BY Mr.. Astor, by accident Of the var of
: 1919, had, by foreign factors unfortunately
chosen to places of trust, been sacrificed
by sale for nominal sum to the North
West Company.
Beaten II their appeal to arms, the North
West, was merged in the Hudson's Bay
Company, by Act Of Parliament, in 1921.
Enlarged in its franchises, invested with
civil and military authority, and instructed
to take possession, and exercise Jurisdiction,
with the exclusive, right Of trade, over all
the unorganized territory Of North Amer
lea, claimed by the British Government,
this gigantic monopoly planted itself upon
the Columbia and its tributaries, and with
an assumption and sway known only TO the
divine right Of Kings, crushed every Amer
lean enterprise, and beggared every Amer
ican Company that dared lift its head in
Oregon,
To the mean time, negotiations were 60
ing on between the Governments of the
United States and Great Britain, for the
purpose Of adjusting their respective rights
on the North West Coast the former
grounding its claims 10 all the country
drained BY the Columbia River by the two
fold title Of purchase from the original dis
coSerers, by treaty with Spain in 1919
and of discovery and exploration by Gray,
in 1899, and by Lewis and Clark, in 1905,
which were followed up by actual settle
ment by the Pacific Fur Company, in 1911
the latter claiming equal right by discovery
and exploration, and superior right by vir-
the Of actual settlement and possession.
In all the diplomatic correspondence be-
tween the two powers, it is observable that
great advantage was sought to be taken by
the British Government, from the asserted
>-fact, that their Hudson's Bay Company had
actual occupancy Of the disputed territory,
and, bv Instruction, had treated all settlement
By Amsricans as eaerOaedments upon British
SOL.
BY the frmncss of Mr.. Polk, and the
patriotic vigor and ability of the American
cabinet, this national controversy was ter
minated by the treaty of 1876. fixing the