, 1855-01-20
About the Hudson Bay Co., sc.

About the Hudson Bay Co., sc.
We invite the attention Of our readers
to the following very interesting extract
Of letter from the Washington cores
pondent of the San Francisco Herald, of
Dee. 8, and ask for it that consideration
which the Importance Of the subject treat
ed of so justly demands:
"Sinee my last, some very interesting
questions Of much interest to the inhabit-
ants Of our Pacific borders, have been agi-
taied in diplomatic circles, although no
inkling of them has yet leaked out through
the Atlantic press. AS it is not improba-
bic that these questions, and the issues in
yolved, will become Of imminent practical
Importance very soon, it will be worth your
while to give them some attention, and to
anticipate, as far as may be, the events of
the future. The first Of these questions
arises under the first article of the treaty
Of lS46 with Great Britain, fixing the
boundary of the territory Of the United
States west Of the Rocky mountains. This
article provides that the boundary shall run
west on the forty.ninth parallel to the
middle of he channel which separates the
continent from Vancouver'S Island, and
thence southerly through the middle Of the
said cEunnel, and of Fuca's Straits, to the
Pacific Ocean" A serious controversy
has arisen between the United States and
Great Britain with regard to the proper
Interpretation Of this clause. Bot here, let
me remark, that a greater blunder was
never committed by any Government than
by ours, in consenting to give up Vancou-
vers Island to Great Britain. She neEer
had any right to It, and in retaining it, re-
tanned all she really cared anything about
in that region She only desired all easily
fortified standpoint on our northwest
coast, from which she could threaten us,
aud she secured IT, Look over the world,
and we find 1t the undertaking, never for
gotten policy Of England, to get such po-
sitions for such purposes in every quarter
II, is in pursuance Of this policy, this deter
mination to have in her hands the power
to hector all the world, on occasion-that
she holds Gibraltar, from which to bully
Spain, and threaten the commerce of the
Mediterranean,-COrfu, to hector Greece,
Malta, to hector Sicily,-Halifax, to
hector us on the northeast, and Jamaica,
to hector us on the south and south-east,--
while for similar purposes she seeks to set
q foOthold in Central America, where she
may control our isthmian communication
with California, while she intrigues against
our acquisition Of Cuba, the Sandwich
Islands, part of Dominica, or any other
spot on the habitable globe, where our in
Anence and energy may counteract her
schemes. 1t was blunder to make q
treaty permitting her to carry out this
cunning policy in our northwest and the
bIunder Is most keenly appreciated by the
present administration.
But TO return to the LIST article of the
treaty: Where is the "channel 7" The
waters lying between the continent and
Vancouver's Island is great Sound, full
Of Islands. How then are we to deter
mine where the middle Of the channel y
isl A query Of considerable Importance,
as the title to these little Islands-some
of them being quite important depends
upon its solution. Are we to 20 to work
anu uleaSuro Ine uepJu VI Tue DOunu anu
select the deepest place as the channel p
Article 4th stipulates that "the farms
lands and other property Of every descrip
ton, belonging to the Puget Sound Agri
, cultural Company, on the north side of the
! Columbia river, shall be confirmed to the
said Company !" bnt II the Government o
the United States choose, it has the righ
to take possession Of the whole or part o
this property, at proper valuation, to b.
! agreed upon between the parties Th'
question arises here, "How much propert.
has the Puget Sound Company 7" Sup
pose the British Government gives then
; paper grants covering nineteen-twentieth
of the land in Oregon,--We pay for tn
t whole of this ere we claim possession ?
e England SO claims, but our ernmen
f refuses to recognize the CompsAgs title
except to lands actually covered by i'm
proVements 1t is not difficult to see tha
here is serious bone of contention. Gu
t Government deems it important to get ri
' Of the. Puget Sound Company, and is dt
teri 70 do it, If the administratio
I can find courage to maintain its own col
'tszs H