Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1859-09-29
THE OCCUPATION OF SAN JUAN BY THE
UNITED STATES TRpDpS

ffohs the London Post, Government orgdn,) Sent y
We confess that We cannot view without apprc-
hension and drust the possible occurrence of another
boundary dispute between this country and the United
States OF America BY the last mail learn that gen.
Harvey has taken possession of the Island of San Juan
or Bellevue, the British call it, which lies in Puget
Sound, and Is claimed by both nations The Island il
important as IL commands the entrance Fraser river
We do not know whether Mr.. Buchanan, whose of
Office is about to expire is anxious initiate or rather
We should say, To surpass the hgh-handed policy which
Mr.. Pok pursued in lS45 towards this country At that
time the vast regions which extend from the back OF the
L ned states proper aud Canada the shores of the
Pacific were comparatively OF little political CONNER
ciA Importance The discovery Of gold had then at
racted the enterprise and cupidity oi Europe and of
America TO that part of the world and all that Wa
known OF the territory be collected from the ac
counts of voysgers who had visited the coast and from
the statements OF the employees of the Hudsons BAY
and Northwestern Companies Who in the pursuit of pei
tries, had raversed this huge hunting ground The trea
~ by which England recognized the independence of
the United states did not mark ont the boundaries of
the two countries west of the Rocky Mountains Toe
subject however did escape the attention of the B
tsh and American governments. In the year 1918
ls22 and 1896 Lord Castlereagh and Mr.. Canning er
deavored to decide the claims of England and the Unit
cd States To the territory which bore the name of Ore
gon. After some discussion a temporary arrangement
was hrst made IN and subsequently indefinitely con
tnued by which the subjects OF the countries were
TO have kind Of joint occupation of the territory
Three years after he Ashburton capulaon" by which
England without consideration, surrendered to the
United States valuable district, and which now forms
portion of the State of Maine Mr.. President Polk was
pleased that 1.-THE title
the whole territory ofOregon was clear and unonsso
ble" Lord Aberdeen then Secretary of stare FORGET
ting that the award OF the King of the Netherlands on
the subject of the Maine boundary had been conienp
ously ignored by the Cabinet AZ Washington ofr.J ~,
refer the Oregon dispute TO arbitration This ocr s
refused angry aud menacing language was belJ in
America towards England and war was mentone in ,h
British Parliament improbable alternative Lord
Aberdeen, however, gave way.
The mouths of the Columbia we're coded 10 the Tni,ed
States and line following the parae drawn fror, ,b
Lake of the Woods coast near Fucas Straits was
determined upon as the future boundary of the oin;o
OF the two countries This line has never been marked
but the present time detachment of royal engineers
engaged in surveying the country and fixing the bouu
dairy. The only persons who derived beueht from the
ore Convention we're the shareholders of the Hud
sons Bay Company who we're quite willing TO receive n
million of dollars the United States for the surrender
of British territory the value of which A. buntin
ground they had long before exhausted The discover
of gold in California and British Columbia has however
given interest to the entire northwestern portop
S'b;Ue, =, w. 80, 80 - % 10 years ago, the
80, -, y sGn a. ue'e'Hneu 10 enforce ITS eE
NO on % ~, re- ans eonparsl'eiy VAneesS
corn.nJ ,I =, ~ r. ol an isAh1 winch
,I ~ 70 'he East riVer and therefore the