Oregon spectator., August 20, 1846, Image 1

j. H. COIVGRKNH.
('orrciiiondencn of Ilia Journal of Commerce.
Waiiiinuton, January H, I8-1C.
Tlio committee of foreign nilalioiiH, to
lay, reported tho joint resolution for giving
tlio notice of tlio termination of tho conven
tion, with a HtiliHtituti! for thu measure, which
Hornowhut chunges iln UMM!ct ; whether for
tlio better or worse, as to its effect upon tho
relations of thu two countries or thu Oregon
nucstiou, you can determine. Koine ure of
I ho opinion that it is more courteous to Groaf
llritum than in thu original lorm ; out it
M-eiiiH to me to ho rather mure deiiionstiativi;
of our determination to tuke xnmnbu of
thu country tit thu unl of the twulvu months.
Tlio substitute provides that thu conven
tion of IH'JT, mo fur as it relates to Oregon,
bo entirely annulled and abrogated ; irovid.
cd, that this resolution shall take effect after
thu expiration of the term of twelve months
from the duy on whiuli due notice hIiuII Iiuvo
lrt-en given So Great Britain, of the passage
of this resolution ; and thu President of thu
United States is hereby authorized and re
quired to give such notice, and also, at the
expiration of said convention, to issue his
proclamation Netting forth this fact.
It uears to me, however, that the pur.
nose of thin modification is to make the al.
rogation of th' convention a legislative net,
and make it peremptory, without leaving any
discretion with the President. It iIih-s not
wlmr the President to do it, hut the act does
it. Thin is to prevent the President from
" harking out" i. . from cvorci.-dng any
discretion, We, Congress, annul the conven
tion ; now compromise, if you dare.
At the end of tin- term, the President is
to issue his proclamation to set forth the fact.
What fact That we intend to take Hisses,
sion of the territory and the whole of it.
Tins seems to Im! the meaning of the act.
Mr. Allen said he had hecn notified by a
senator that he would raise a preliminary
iicstiiu on this resolution, and that must
le first ilisiM!il of. lie ould then move to
assign a da) fur the discussion of the resolu
tion. I d not know what the preliminary
question is, hut I conjecture that it is uheth-
r the legislative (tower extends to the ahro.
gatiou of a treaty.
Aftr all, the form in which this notice is
to he given, is Hrliajis, of little account. It
is Mini to lc a measure of peace any how,
mid I trust it will hring ca e with it.
.Mr. Adams isvhurged with iucoiisistuicy
in uyiug that the notice is a peace measure,
liecuue, last February he said it was a "war
measure. Hut I must do Mr. Adams the
justice to say that I did not so understand him,
last February. He said the hill, which was
on its passage in the house, was u war mea
sure, or tantuinojint tothe declaration of war.
lie had himstdf, earlier in the Mission, moved
the notice; which was rejected. He opKs.
ed the Oregon occupation hill, with thu no.
tice tacked to thu last section, for tho reason
that it was not preceded hy thu notice. He
wouhrflikti no step that might have tho scm
hlance of infringing on an existing treaty.
Thu Oregon dchatc was routined, in com
mittee of the whole, hy Mr. (Johh, of Go.
who took the whole ground for Oregon ;
though, as ho said, ho ilifforcd on this ques
tiou from most of his southern hrethren. Mr.
(Johh did not undertake to say that wur would
not arise from thu assertion of our rights ;
hut he did not think that we ought to look
hcynud our duty, in this question, to any
consequences. If wo wuro right in claiming
tho whole of Oregon, as ho thought wo were,
we ought to adhere to and maintain it.
Mr. McClemand, of Illinois, mado an ex
cellent and instructive speech on tho same
side. His views as to tho geographical and
commercial importanco of Oregon aro im
jHirtant. Mr. McC. was entirely opposed to giving
up thu country north of 40, and for reasons
which ho gave. Ho condemned Mr. Polk's
oiler of tho 4Uth as an original proposition,
hut excused him 'hy advorting to a fae
which, if true, had escaped my attention.
Ho supposes thai' Mr. Tylor had offered,
through Mr. Everett, to tho British govern
ment, tho 40th together with tho frco navi
gation of tho Columbia ; that thin offer had
not been withdrawn, though not accepted ;
that tho negotiation wan transferred to tho
U. States, while this olTor was still ponding ;
and that Mr. Polk folt himself bound to offer
'something, but did it in an abridged form
.leaving out the froo navigation ot tho Co
lumbia. Mr. McC. inforred this from the
statements in the mossage, and, upon turn
Oregon Spectator.
" Wentward the Htar of Empire ukea iU way."
Vol. I. Oregon City, (Oregon Ter.) Thursday, August 20, 1846. No. 15.
ing to it, I find that his inferenco is a fair
one.
Please to read, in connection with the
other passages on thu subject, in the mes
sage, the paragraph in which the President
refers to thu offer authorized hy his predeces
sor, "in October, 184.J."
I would like to know why the British gov
ernment did not take that offer. I can
now see why Mr. Kvcrett showed so much
reluctance to make his diplomatic eirorts the
subject of a fiopular dinner Hpccch ; and
give him ujredit for having something of im
rortaucc to reserve.
WAsiujiOTON, Friday, Jan. 0.
It is whispered that, a new project for ad
justing thu Oregon question, in such a man
ner as will secure to us thu continuance of
peace, without thu loss of any part of our
territory, is now on foot. The character of
the senator who has taken tho project in
hand, uud the quarter whence he comes,
promise success. I am not now at lilierty
to state what it i, but will do so, should it
be found that it is likely to receive sufficient
encouragement to warrant thu author of the
project himself a strong friend to Oregon
to projio.se it in the senate. It will, should
it succeed, disembarrass the administration
from its present awkward osition ; prevent
a rupture with Knghuid ; and secure to us,
without a struggle, the whole of Oregon.
Alter saying so much, I scarcely need add
that the project supioscs that Great Britain
will not herself jiv- us the notice of the ter
mination of thu convention ; that she cannot
well do it, for the reuson that she docs not
even claim anv sovereignty over the territo-
rv, and merely demands the continunnco of
her temporary interest, until the country
shall he settled.
If the project should take as well in some
quarters as it has already done in others, I
shall again allude to it.
Thu House then went into a committcec
of the whole, and resumed thu consideration
of tho joint resolution from the committee
on Foreign Affairs, authorizing the Presi
dent to give the Oregon notice.
Mr. Giles, of Mil., was in favor of tho
notice and of asserting our title to tho wholo
of Oregon. Ho dd not think the notice
would hasten war. If Great Britain want
ed to go to war with us, sho Would do so,
whether we gave the notice or riot. Ho did
not think Great Britain would agree to any
compromise that we could offeror accept,
and it was annoying that bIio would not talco
our late offer, for it gavo her more than any
impartial judge would deem her to bo enti
tled to. He regretted the rash and incon
siderate rejection of that offor by tho British
Minister, and remarked that ho feared that
tho consequences would bo such as to cause
hamantty to weep.
Mr. G. went into an argument in support
of our titlo to Oregon.
Several dozen members next attempted to
get tho floor, and Mr. Leven was tho lucky
man.
Mr. Levin spoke in favor of expelling all
foreign ruin out of Oregon, at all events and
at all hazards. Ho considered tho country
well prepared to meet any hostile forco that
Europe could send against us. Bravery and
union wore the best defence.
From tho New Orieuu Bulletin, January 17.
An interesting debate, turning on tho mer
its of tho Oregon question, sprang up in tho
houso of representatives on the 2d instant,
on which occasion tho venerable John Q.
Adams defined his opinions and position.
We have thought his remarks on the subject
to bo of sufficient importanco to insert them
in full as reported for the Washington jour
nals. A satisfactory sketch of the remain
der of tho dobato is given in our Washing
ton letters. Mr.-Adams, it will be seen,
takes strong ground in favor of tho Ameri
can titlo, and tho expediency of asserting it,
to the whole of Oregon.
On a perusal of the full report of the re
marks of Mr. Calhoun, delivered in the sen
ate on the 31st ultimo, wo do not discover
that they indicate any thing further than
the opinion that it is inexpedient to take
legislative action on the subject of Ore
jon which will preclude the settlement of
it by negotiation, should Great Britain
come forward with an acceptable offer,
all chance of which Mr. Hannegan's rem
lutions are calculated to foreclose. Wc
do not infer, eithcrYrom Mr. C.'s speech or
resolutions, that he is in favor of any great
delay in such specific legislative measures
in regard to Oregon as arc required for the
protection of settlers and emigrating parties,
and as will suffice to bring the joint occu
pancy to a termination, inasmuch as the
adoption of these measures would not shut
tho door to a diplomatic arrangement, we
think it is fairly inferable, however, that his
motion and remarks were based on an ex
pectation of further overtures from Great
Britain, or on information that such had
already been presented. The impression
seems to be very general and very strong,
that propositions on the basis of the forty
ninth parallel have been or are about to bo
offered by thu British government, and there
scruns to be much reason for the belief; at
the same time it is scarcely credible that
Great Britain would thus resign at a 'stroke
and without a struggle the character and
pretensions that constitute so large a part of
her strength and renown, and impart to her
name a certain fascination, of itself a source
of power.
Wo obscrvo that the Union, (formerly tho
Washington Globe) commends tho action of
the senate in laying the resolutions of Mr.
Hannegan and the substitutes of Mr. Cal
houn, which of course followed the rcsolu
tions, on the table. The official paper is
against the adoption of any abstract resolu
tions or declaration of opinion on the sub.
jeet, urging instead the adoption of tho prac
tical measures recommended in the Presi
dent's message, viz : the authorization of the
President to give notice of our desire to ter
minate tho joint occupancy ; the extension
of our laws over American settlors; tho es
tablishment of military posts, etc. This is
tho course also that Mr. Adams contends for,
and is the course, we think, which will be
adopted in both houses. Tho passago of
theso measures will not interfere with any
negotiation that may havo arisen or may be
about to arise, but will be so much of an ad
vanco toward a crisis of the question, should
no diplomatic arrangement succeed. It will
not, however, escape the attention of tho
reader, that there is a large party in Con
gress, (in both houses) who are opposed to
any concession wnatever, ana wno wouiu
consequently not consent to a division of tho
territory at the 40th parallel. The Union
draws attention to this fact (far, wo would
say, from being insignificant) that the por
tions of Mr. Adams' speech which contem
plate prompt action and tho assertion of tho
American titlo to tho whole territory, elicited
so much responsive feeling, both on the floor
and among tho spectators, that tho utmost
exertions of tho Speaker could not entirely
repress its exhibition.
From tlio Polynesian, Honolulu, 8. 1.,) June 13, 1846.
News fbon the United States. Through
tho politeness of Captain Dupont, o$ tho
Congress, we have been put Into possession
of files of New York and Washington pa
pers to March 12th, and a Jamaica paper of
April 14th. They are mainiy nueu wim
discussions upon the Oregon question, which
appears to create almost as much discussion
jn Europe as between the rival claimants
themselves. Articles of any length are
immediately translated into German and
Frenoh. The general impression appears
to be favorable to a peaceful termination, but
" preparations" on either side are going on.
Oregon if tho all-important topic peace.
I makers, fighters, and merchants all talk
about it. ,
The Wnthinaton corresnondent of the Bal.
timoro Patriot writes as follows ccacemiag
the opinion of tho British Admiral Seymour,
concerning; war with England : .
" One of the evidences that England is
not going to war with us about Oregon, Is to
be found in the fact that none of her saval
officers believe it. Our late charge d'afhlrss.
to Lima had a friendly conversation in that
city a few months ago, ho informs me, with
Sir George Seymour, .the commander of die
British fleet in the Pacific ocean. In that
conversation, Sir George, who is a brave1,
clear-headed man, who has seen much ser
vice, and had half of his face shot away U
battle, informed Judge Bryan that Engfaus?
would not and could not go to war with tbs
U. States about Oregon, and that the British
Admiralty had not a thought about it."
Vessels for California akd Oeiso.
The ship Brooklyn sailed to-day, (Feb. 4)
for the mouth of the Columbia river, Oregon
territory. She carried out 175 pssssessrs,
chiefly Mormons, who were not fully dsaUsi
whether they would ultimately settle hi Or
egon or California. They seemed tothbk,
however, that when they reached the Head
wich Islands, that they would procure a ves
sel to take them to the Bay of San Frasclsae,
Upper California. Among the emigrants
were forty-five heads of families. Among
their professions, I noticed one oar finisher.
with several cabinet makers, house carp
tcrs, farmers, millwrights, upholsterers, stair
builders, masons, blacksmiths, and one dress
maker. They carried out with them ploughs,
hoes, and all other necessary tanning sitsa
sils, besides blacksmith's, carpenters, shoe
maker's and other tools. They also carried
out a great many articles of household ftti
niture, valued all together at 97,000. Dst
Brooklyn was cleared by Messrs. A. O. BsVi
son it Co., 60 South street."
The ship Angelo, S. J. Hastings, was to
sail from Boston to this place ana Oregon,
April 1st.
The ship Xylon, C. Mfllington, was to
leave New York about the middle of April,
for California via Valparaiso and this
with more Mormon emigrants.
Ma'nv coods are already retailed
Honolulu, Sandwich Islands, at lees then
home prices. What will be the eflbot of
such a glut of goods as this year, will pro
duce, on our markets, we leave our merean
tile friends to calculate. Prices of every
description of foreign goods are rapidly as.
predating, while native labor and produce ie
rising. rolynerianf June 13.
II. B. M.'s steamer Cormorant left our
harbor on Saturday last, attracting about s
much attention as when she came in. Hair
destination Was not made known, but nuttor
ascribes it to Puget's Sound and the Oregon,
where, it is said, Admiral Seymour hssgoas
with his military stores, with ths iajsatto
fortify. Late arrivals from Tahiti, speak of
the expected arrival of the CoUhWwssi
there. At this Juncture nothing is kaswa
definitely of tho destination of H. B. M.'s
vessels by the public, as some motive, of se
crecy exists, probably growing out of the
state of affairs in regard to Oregon. Peh
nesian, June 0.
Good or Bad Foetunb. When Louis
Phillipo was in this country, obtaining S
scanty living by teaching school, he MI hi
love with a lady in Philadelphia who was
favorably disposed, but her paresis epukl
not consent to her marrying a sohoolssistor,
however illustrious his origin. The. Mj
supposes at this day that she missed a crown,
Sho is mistaken. When these royal sokes
marry an honest American lady, they sever
elevate her to tho throne, if even they oas
reaoh it. She is considered of too mean
origin, and is divorced, to prepare for a
queen of royal blood. It is birth, notsneriL
When Jerome Bonaparte visited this coun
try, tho poorest of his race, he married a
Baltimore lady of great respectability, but
whnn made kins of WestBhalis-lshswasnot
permitted to share his slevaUsa, but was di
vorced, ana sent nome.; y
always remember that the;
leoitiniate aovertumt wheals
to American nitlzni.-.lv0B YtHc SsfSS U
Kr According tothe statement of Uis. ess
rotary of tho treasury, thelTJtfted States pto.
eminent had on deposit in its Various iijisj
tories, on tho 20th December, subject te the
draft of the secretary, 8,290,686 50..
r. sebeMbW ssjiy
Li jTT s?SJBBBm sT
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