The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1878-04-10
The French In the Ohio Valley
Settlement at GallipOlis.
BY v. A. LEWIS.

nOuncSu 10 EUROPE tue eAistehVe VI
the Western Continent and all ma
tions from Scar dinavia to the Strait
Of Gibralter engaged in trans.Atlan-
tic discovery and colonization. The
widest excitement prevailed, A
new world was as it were to be add.
ed to the old. Monarchs, adventur-
ers and discoveries rushed forward
in quest Of the "Eldorado" to be
found somewhere in the Western
Continent. Spain at once began a
series Of splendid triumphs in the
Southwest and the indigenous civ
ililation of the lucas and Montazu-
mas persisted from the earth.
Far away, hundreds of miles to-
ward the Attic Circle, France took
possession of the country along the
St. Lawrence and was planting colo
MES in the Northeast. England de-
termined to possess the intervening
country lying between the Spanish
possessions on the south, and those
of Franco on the north. She hoped
thus to prevent the Spanish mon
archs, and the equally intolerant
French court from colonizing the en-
tire continent, and spreading their
hcretical doctrines over the same.
In 1907 a permanent settlement was
founded at jamestown, and the Eng
lish at once began to spread west
ward toward the Ohio Valley, and to
prevent this; France at once deter
mined to erect q Gordon Of Forts ex-
tending from the st. Lawrence to
the Gulf of Mexico, and accordingly
established posts at Frontenac, Nj
agra, Detroit, Green Bay, Vincennes,
Kaskaskia, Natchez and Biloxi. In
1920 she erected Fort Chartres, In
Illinois, one of the strongest fortifi-
cations ever built on the continent
of North America. The English on
the other hand under the patronage
of "The Knights Of the Golden Horse
Shoe" were crossing the lofty Allie
ghanies and pouring into the Ohio
Valley, and it became evident that
the final struggle for territorial SUI
premacy in America was near at
hand.
CLAIMS OF THE TWO NATIONS.
The claim Of France to all the
country drained by the Ohio, and
its tributaries was based upon the
recognized law of nations, "that the
discovery of the mouth of river
should entitle the nation making
the, discovery to the country watered
by that river and its tributaries.
The claim thus set up by France,
and resisted by Great Britain, is pre-
cisely the same upon which the
United States subsequently, based
their claim to the Territory of Ore
gon.
England claimed that aside from
her title by purchase, she held un-
der the discovery of John and Sebas.
tian Cabot, (149S) the entire region
lying between the 3Sth and 9th
parallels of north latitude,-a zone
extending across the entire CONT
nont from ocean to ocean, She also
set up another claim,-priority of
discovery claim utterly absurd,
and entirely untenable.
France convinced of the business
of her claims, after addressing an APP
peal to the nations of the world, dc.
termined not to yield before the
threatening attitude of her power,
full rival; and Immediately set about
adopting the most effective measures
for maintaining her claim to the
great valley of the West.
In 174S the British Parliament
passed laws authorizing the forma-
ton of many new settlements, and
issued many land grants in which
the interest of British commerce
were consulted, rather than the ar
ticles ofthe treaty of Aix,la. Chapellc.
Prominent among these movements
was the organization of the Ohio
Company, (the formation and action
of which we shall have occasion TO
notice in future chapteD the set.
Element of the upper Ohio Valley,
and others of an aggressive charac-
ter The French naturally became
alarmed at these encroachments up
on her soil and addressed "a Sum-
,rnrsU IN tl,a COnnn,nndnr IF Iho