Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-10-15
From the London Times, September d.

| find the old subject of dispute emerging once
more Fortunately this affair is in good
hands, and we trust that the governments of
| the two countries will proceed to decision
| in the same spirit of moderation and equity,
| by which their views of the question have
been hitherto characterized. II will not re-
uuire many words to place the public in pos
session Of The several aspects of the case.
The treaty of 1916 put an end to the ..Ore-
| gon question:" by declaring that the bound
| ary between the British territories on the
| north and the American territories on the
| south should be determined by the 49th
paralleI of north latitude, q conclusion which
| NAV naturally appear both distinct and final.
| 1t happened, however, that the detachable
| ground did not terminate with the mainland
| of the continent. At short distance from
| the point where this line struck the coast of
| the Pacific lay an island of considerable
value, and if the boundary had been carried
right over the straits and across this island
| it would have cut off its southermost head
| lands find ceriai small portion of its terri
| tory. This it was naturally considered unde-
sirable 20 do. and the island in question,
/ being in fact VancOuver's Island, was left in
| the undivided possession of the British.
| although its southern angle fell below the
/ 49ih parallel.
| After that point, however had been settled,
| il became necessary to provide some new
boundary in place of that which had been
abandoned, and it was then determined that
the boundary line. proceeding from The point
| where the 49th parallel struck the coast
| should thence be carried to the middle of the
| channel separating Vanconver's Island from
| the continent; that it should there be defect
| ed to the South, and that it should be thus
continued. still along the middle of the said
| channel, to the Pacific Ocean.
| This was d very fair and REASONABLE de-
cision, but it unfortunately involved an am
| biguity in one of its essential terms. The
| channel y between the island and the con-
tinent was neither q single nor simple sheet
| of water. In its centre was situated an island
or n cluster of islands, which lay in the very
| middle of the stream. and so left one channel
| towards the east and another towards the
west The question therefore soon arose as
! to which of these should be taken for the
channel along which the boundary line was
| to be continued. II the westernmost, called
| the Haro Strait, was assumed to be the
| channel indicated by the Treaty, from the
central island. known as San Juan, would
pertain to the United States; whereas if the
I easternmost or Rosario Strait, should be
I fixed upon, San Juan would be thrown across
| to the Vancouver side and to belong to the
British. That the British and American
authorities should adopt respectively those
views of the question most favorable to their
particular interests will not be thought sur
|
| contention soon became visible.
| Although, however, these differences of
| opinion were entertained. the Governments
| of the two countries displayed much lauda-
Bile wisdom in their proceedings on the oc-
| casIon. The disputed point was left to the
| cogniZance of Commissioners, and in the
| meantime fOrbearance was to be exercised by
the authorities on both sides. Some four
wears ago the views of the American Govern
ment in the matter were distinctly EXPRESSED
! in despatch from Mr. Secretary Marcy to
| Governor Stevens. the chief officer of the
| Union in the territory of Washington. i'm
mediately adjacent to the districts in dispute
| In this document the American Minister oh
| serves THE President has instructed me
| to say to you that the officers of the territory
| should abstain from all acts on the disputed
| grounds which are calculated to provoke any
| conflict, so far as it can be done without ap-
plving the concession to the authority OF
| Great Britain of an exclusive right over the
| premises. The title ought to be settled be-
fore either party should exclude the other by
| force, or exercise complete and exclusive
sovereign rights within the fairly disputed
| limits" 1t is obvious that nothing could he
more rational or statesmanlike than this
view of the case. and it is only pity that
the g settlement of the title " was not finally
concluded before any accident could occur
to disturb so prudent compromise. This,
however. was not accomplished; and now the
mail has brought us intelligence that the
Island of San Juan has been occupied by
small detachment of United States troops,
whose commander has proclaimed the abso-
Int sovereignty of the Union over its terri
tory.
We are still without any sufficient informa-
ton of the circumstances in which this pro-
ceeding originated. The pending claims of
the Americans to this little island had not
| been allowed 10 sleep; for it is said that in
! 1854 the civil authorities of Washington
| Territory assessed the district taxes on prop
| erty in San Juan,-and even made seizures
| to recover the amount of their lives. 1t APP
| pears, however, that in July last, the Ameri-
| can residents in the Island (only thirty in
! numbcr,) complained grievously of the at
tacks of the Northern Indians, and preferred
petition to General Harney--the chief
military officer of the United States in those
parts for protection against such assaults.
| Whether this petition produced the move
ment in question, or whether the resolution
| had been previously adopted, we cannot say,
but some time during the month of July
| detachment of the 9th United States lnfan-
! try, &c in number. with three brass field
| pieces, landed on the island, and on the 27th
| of the month the Captain in command of the
! detachment, acting under the authority of
| General Harvey, issued an order, in which
the Whole territory is claimed for the United
| States without hesitation or reserve.
| Ii was under these circumstances that the
proceeding was brought to the know ledge of
| Gov Douglas. the Queens representative in
British Columbia. Happily, that officer act
| ed with great prudence and judgement.
| He could not. OF course, forego the acknowl-
| edged claims of his Sovereign, but, as he had
no reason to suppose that the United States
| Government contemplated any departure
from its avowed policy, he wisely decided
| to consider the dispatch of Mr.. Secretary
| Marcy as of mere Importance than the ord
] of General Harvey. Accordingly, though
| he made formal communication of the facts
| to the Legislature of Vancouvcrs Island. and
gave the necessary instructions to the British
| officers under his command, he still assumed
| that the Government OF Washington was not
cognizant of the proceedings. and took every
step to prevent the misunderstanding from
| becoming worse while reference was made to
| the supreme authorities at home. We sin
cerely trust that the policy may be success
full. and that the two Governments may dis
Germ in the affair only a motive for proceed
| ing with greater expedition in that equitable
course of settlement TO which they both
! rented. We shall not follow the local Jour-
mails in estimating the value of the island. or
the comparative Importance of the possession
| to- Great Britain or the United States. IL Is
| not qestion of convenience, but OF justice.
| The decision should depend on the terms Of
the treaty fairly interpreted, and it was evil
| IDENTIFY not doubted by either Government. a
short time ago, that this Interpretation could
| be discovered. Ii however, il should prove
that the existing convention cannot be so
applied as to satisfy the contracting parties,
tn r. can surely be no reason why two States
which have now adjusted their respective
| limit across an entire continent. from The At
| laotic To the Pacific should not complete the