Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-09-27
Daily Tiroiuiaa.
The Occupation of San Juan Island by the
Americans-L,ord Palmerston's Opinion
of tho Difficulty.

Americans-Lord Palmerstouss Opinion
of tho Difficulty.
From tho London po., (sovern't organ) Sept 81
We confess that wo cannot view without somo
apprehension and distrust tho possible occurrence
oi another boundary dispute between this coun-
try and the United States of America. BY tho
last mail we learn that "Gen. Harney has taken
possession of the Island of San Juan. or Bellevue
as the British call it, which lies in Puget Sound.
and is claimed by both nations. The island il i'm
rortant as 1t commands the entrance to Fraser
river We do not know whether Mr.. Buchanan
whose term Of Office il about to expire. is anxious
to initiate, or rather We should say. to surpass the
high-handed policy which Mr.. Polk pursued in
1915 towards this country.
AT that time tho vast regions which extond
from tho back of the United States proper and
Canada to the shores ofthe Pacific were oompar-
lively of lttle political or commercial Importance
The discovery Of gold had not then attracted the
enterprise and cupidity Of Europe and Of Ameri-
ca to Tint part Of the world. aud all that was
known Of the territory was to bo collected from
tho accounts oi yoyagors who had visited the coast
and from the statements Of tho employees of tho
Iludsons Bay and Northwestern Companies. who
III the pursuit If pctries. had traversed thin hugo
hunting ground. The treaty by which England
recognized the independence Of the United States
did not mark out the boundaries OF tho two coun-
tries West Of tho Rocky mountains. The subject
however did not escape tho attention Of the Brit
sh and American Governments.
In the years lSlS, 1922 aud 1896 Lord CASTLE
rengh and MIR. Canning endeavored to decid tho
claims of England aud tho United States to tho
territory which bnre tho name of Oregon. After
some dscussionn temporary arrangement was
first made in 1918. and subsequently indefinitely
continued by which the subjects of the two coun-
tries were to have kind of joint occupation of
tho territory. Three years after ''the Ashburton
capiiulaton,' hy which England without any
consideration, surrendered to the United States q
valuable district and which form portion
Of the State of Maine, Mr.. President Polk was
pleased To assert that "the titoo the United
to the whole territory OF Oregon was clear and
unquestiounblc.
Lord Aberdeen, the Secretary of State, forget
ting that the award of the king oi tho Netherlands
on tho subject of the Maine boundary had hcen
contemptuou.ly ignored by the Cabinet Mt Wash
ngton offered to refer the Oregon dispute to nrb-
tratinn. This offer was reusod angry and mcna-
cling language was held in America towards Eng
nni, and war was mentioned in the British Par
lament ~ not improbable alternative. Lord
Aberdeen, however, gave way. Tho mouths Of
the Columbia river ceded to the United
States, and limo following tho parallel drawn
from the Lake Of tho Woods to the eoast near the
FucaS Straits was determined upon the fh-
ture boundary of the dominons of the two coun-
tries.
This line has never been marked, but at the
present time a detachment of royal engineers is
engaged in surveying the country and fixing the
boundary. The only persons who derived benefit
from the OREGON Convention were the ,hnrehold-
crs IF the IIudson's Bay Company, who were quite
willing to receive million Of dollars from the Uni.
tod States fr the surrender of British TERRITORY the
,alne of which as II hunting ground they had lnp
bcinre exhausted.
The discovery Of gold in California and in Brit
ISL Columbia has, however, given new interest
to the entire Northwestern portiops of North
America. and it. some ten or fifteen yenrs ago Tho
Cabinet Mt Wnsbinrton was determined IN enforce
il, extreme rights over terri,orics then comunr,
tiycly ynlue,cs.. no one can imagine that the oc-
cuuntion of an ,,la-l which commands the en-
trnuco to the F,u.er River md therefore the ,ol3
rerions of British Columbia IL moi an iuJicaf,ou
ofILat cousfl,t yol,cy Of o1,,,ess;ou ,rLi,L d,Ls
from Me enuaciaiion Of lie Celebrated Monroe doc
rjac.
The Americans have asscrtc1 that tho limo if
extended beyond the continent. would include not
only this island but the mouth of the Fraser riy
or. If the assumption Ms to the mouth Of Fraser
river be correct. and it is one which cannot he de-
ally marked. free access by means of n riyerain
convention must be accorded to the subjects of this
country. But the right of England TO nm island
ry and occunation.
II the title of England to the Island of Srn Ju-
an, or Bellevue, has to be determined, the conven-
tion of the Escurial. the ancient claims Of Spain.
ard the present rights of England will have to be
considered The boundary ocMe U.tlcd States
Must of necessity hare a termination on Tie TaciGc
coas The whole territory Of Now Albion. or New
Caledonia, now called British Columbia. was first
added to the British Crown by Drake; formal pos
session of the same territory was next taken BY
Cooke and Vancouver. and against this the Amer
leans have only to adduce the visit of Capt Gray,
pjndo a chan nj al ,,b
in no sense represented the nationality of tho flag