, 1856-10-17
CONGRESSIONAL DISCUSSION
ON THE SUBJECT OF
The Boundary Line between Washington
Territory and The Possessions Of Great
Britain.
House OF REPRESENTATIVES, I
Monday, August 4, 1856. !

hON 81 VI hEPRESENTATlN rs,
lIoRday, August 4, 1856. !
The SPEAKER stated the first ques
ton in order to be the motion 10 reconsider
the vote by which was referred to the Com
mittee Of the Whole on the state Of the
Union, the bill Of the House (No 73) to
provide for carrying into effect the first
article Of the treaty between the United
States and her Majesty the Queen of Great
Britain and Ireland, of the 18th day OF
June, 1856.
Mr.. PENNINGTON. / had the floor
last Monday for the purpose of calling up
the motion to reconsider the vote by which
that bill was referred to the Committee oi
the Whole on the state Of the Union, but
was obliged to give way to q privileged
motion for the suspension Of the rules and
TO 60 into Committee of the Whole on the
state Of the Union. now ask the unani-
nous consent of the House to discharge
the Committee Of the Whole on the state
Of the Union from the further considera-
ton Of this bill and / will state here
briefly to the House the character Of the
bill. 1t Immediately concerns the peace Of
the country, as the gentleman from Wash
ington Territory Mr.. ANDERSON, well
knows, and ought not to be further delayed.
It. will be recollected, that in the year
lS46 a treaty of limits was concluded be-
tween the United States and Great Britain,
establishing the boundary line between the
British North American possessions and
the United States. The object Of this bill
as reported, is to carry into effect that
treaty, so far as to locate by survey the
boundary line in the Gulf of Georgia and
the Straits of Fuca, between Washington
Territory and the British possessions.
Mr.. CULLEN, (interrupting.) VIII
the gentleman yield me the floor for single
moment?
Mr.. PENNINGTON. l cannot yield
the floor now. have made half dozen
efforts to get this bill before the House,
because Of its urgent necessity, and l can
not give way now my sense of public
duty forbids it. It'is now ten years since
this treaty was made, and yet no part Of
this line has been surveyed The boundary
line, as established by the treaty, begins
at the Lake of the Woods, on the forty
ninth parallel of north latitude, and runs
thence westward along that parallel to the
middle OF the channel which separates the
continent from VancouVer's Island, and
thence southerly through the middle Of the
said channel, and Of Fuca's Straits, to the
Pacific ocean. In the Gulf of Georgia,
which constitutes part Of the waters be-
tween Vancouver's Island and the main
land, is a group of small islands, more or
less important, known as Lummi, Waldron,
Orca's, Shaw's, Blakely, Cypress, Guemes,
Sidney, San Juan, Lopez, Decatur, Fioalgo,
Chatham, Discovery, Blunt's, Whid6y's
McDonOugh's and others not named
Upon the ascertainment of the true line Of
boundary in the gulf, Or, in other words,
" the middle of the channel which Sepn-
rates the continent from Vancouver's
Island" depends the question Of the title
to the Islands, and the settlement of such
OF them as may be habitable, of which
there are several Of considerable value and
Importance. There are two principal chan
nels in the gulf, one or the other of which
is the true boundary. One Of these is known
as the Rosario, and the other as the AFRO,
strait. If the Rosario strait be the true
channel, the islands Of Waldro, Orca's,
Shaw's, San Juan, Lopez, Decatur, and
Biakely, will fall to the British Govern
ment T; and if the AFRO strait be-the true
channel, these islands, will fall to the Uni
ted States. The Rosario strait is claimed
as the true channel by the British Govern
ment, and the AFRO strait by that of the
United States.
The Legislature of Washington Terri
tory, claiming these islands to be portions
of that Territory, have included them within
the limits Of some one or more Of its coun-
ties. In April, 1855, the sheriff Of What
com county, Washington Territory, seized
lot of sheep on the Island of San Juan,
belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company,
and sold them for the payment of taxes,
levied under the authority Of the Territorial
government For this act Of the sheriff
damages are claimed, estimated at about
$1,000 and considerable correspondence
has been had between Gov Douglass, Of
Vancouver's Island, and Gov. Stevens, Of
Washington Territory and also between
Mr.. CHAMPION, the British Minister, and
our Secretary of State, on the subject Of
this claim for damages, and the demarka-
ton of the boundary. As early as l948
the attention ofour Government was called,
by the British Minister, to a proposition
for the appointment of a joint commission
to run and mark the entire boundary under
the treaty but nothing has, as yet, been
done, either as to this claim fogs damages,
or the demarkation Of the line 1t is I'M
possible that the present state of things
can continue without danger to the peace
OF the country ; and, in view Of the peace
ful termination Of recent difficulties with
Great Britain-a source of congratulation
to the great body Of the people of both
countries, whose interests are so intimately
blended, and whose mutual sympathies are