Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-02-07
The Treaty History OF the Navi-
CATION Of the M ississippi.

1t is now nearly century since queS
tions about the navigation of the Missis-
sippi were the subject Of negotiation and
compromise among European powers
These began when the vast interior was
an uninhabted wilderness the, banks of
the great river itself had but few and scat =
tered settlements, and its whole commerce
reached only few miles from its mouth,
and amounted to few thousands of dol
lars. When these States were colonies
of Great Britain, mere slip along the
Atlantic coast, when all beyond the Ale
ghanes was unbroken forest, and the low
er Mississippi, belonging to foreign pow
ers, was dotted along the coast with few
military posts, France, England and
Spain, in view of the prospective gran
deur Of the commerce of the great valley,
were contending against each other for
!, privileges in the river.
, Bv the peace of Paris, concluded in
. 1853, between Great Britain, France and
, whereby the old French war, as it
, is known in our colonial history, was clos
ed-Great Britain acquired, in addition
to her original colonies, Canada from
France and the Floridas from SPAIN
France retained and was confirmen in her
' dominion over Louisiana, which then in
cluded all the Territory on the west bank
Of the Mississippi from its source, and
the island Of Orleans on the east bank Of
the river, which reached from the bayou
Ibcrvile to the Gulf. France according
ly had possession Of both banks of the
river from Ibcrvlle down.
BY the treaty of 1903 the boundary be-
tween Louisiana and the British posses
sions ran through the middle of the Mis-
sissippi river, from its source to the
mouth of the Iberville, thence through
Lakes Maurepas and Pontchatrain to the
gulf
BY that treaty it was agreed that the
subjects of Great Britain should have tho
right forever of navigating the Missssip-
pi from its source to the sea, and all its
passages, in or out, "without being mo-
Tested or stopped, or subjected to the pay
mcnt of any duty whatsoever"
But France had, contemporaneous]v
with the negotiations which led to this
treaty, made secret treaty, ceding to
Spain the whole OF Louisiana as it remain
ed to her after the treaty. Spain there
upon succeeded to the rights and obliga-
tions towards England, including the
stipulation for the perpetual free naviga-
tion of the Mississippi river
BY the treaty of 1888 the independence
of the United States was acknowledged
by Great Britain. Contcmporancously
with a cession of the Floridas to Spain,
with the definitions of the thirty-fr de-
gree Of latitude as the northern boundary
| line Of the Floridas, from the Mississippi
river eastward to the Chata ahoochee. The
western boundary of the United States
was defined as it had been in the treaty of
1853, with France. except that the south
ern point on the river was fixed to be at
the intersection of thethirty-irst parallel
of latitude, instead of the mouth of the
Ibervile.
The eighth article Of the treaty was as
follows:
The navigation Of the river Mississippi.
from its source to the ocean, shall forever
remain free and open to the subjects of
Great Britain and the citizens of the Uni
ted States.
Great Britain had previously the same
stipulation with France, when France
possessed the whole right bank of the
Mississippi, and jurisdiction over one
half of the rivera stipulation, the obliga-
tons of which passed to Spain, which
had succeeded to the dominion. Great
Britain, on ccding her sovereignty to the
United States. stipulated for continu-
ance of the same privilege from the United
! States.
The United States also succeeded to the
rights of England. derived from the treaty
of 1853 with France, to which Spain had
succeeded.
Between 1888 and l795 this subject
was much contested by Spain: and caus
ed greater excitement in the western
country. Spain denied the right of nav
igation--and soon after the treaty made
regulations for the collection of heavy
Mississippi river, and establishing mill
tary posts and appointing officers with
instructions, collected the duties by mill
tary force. This was in furtherance of a
scheme of Spanish policy, to create dis
satisfaction with the federal Union, then
under the government Of the old confeder
alton. The intrigues for that object,
form, however, different branch Of the
subject from that which we are consider
ing, The claim of Spain was denied
very strcnuously by the government; but
Spain was unyielding, and the agitation
continued to the year l795, when the
treaty of Madrid was concluded, under
Washington's administration, between
United States and Spain.
That treaty contains two provisions in
respect to the navigation Of the Mississippi
The second clause Of the fourth article
provides;--
His Catholic Majesty has likewise
agreed that the navigation of the said riv-
er the Mississippi in its whole breadth,
from its source to the ocean, shall be free
only to his subjects and the citizens ofthc
| United States, unless he should extend
this privilege to other Powers by special
convention
BY the twenty second article the right
of deposit is regulated thus:-
His Catholic Majesty will permit the
citizens of tho United States, for the
space of three years from this time, to de-
| pOsit their mcrchandises and pilacts in the