yi&tar''"
IVPVIMWPViiHIVF
j
xmmm
mTWTWr&TtrFi E.TIK V f"x
, X? W .' "WmS :.'. ,,t'Mf!?ammmmmmmmmmmm1
7 -r . BjajssHr TT 'i53f1l?8lBiBssssssssssl
w.- ' . - ' -i- -M
, iju c V7 ... rmrn
ggfameg isj gsggammpammggMSmmmmM
opinion
rouru
SPEECH OP MR. HRNTON.
On me RtUJieathn e ike Ortgm Dr'eatfy
D THX BIKATX, MCUTtION.JVliKill.'4fi
Theflrst article of tho trcatyacf it k
tne main one, andaimoHt tho whole treaty
it in ins very wonu which l myseir would
havn used 'if the two Government had left
It to me to draw the boundary line between
uiem. ine line eetaousnea oy that article
the prolongation of the boundary on the
eaat sMe of the' Rooky Mountain fbllpws
the parallel of 40 decreea to the tea. wkh a
allfht deffeotion through the Strain of Tm
so avow MMfna aouia eoaypjvancou
yer'a Wand. All thk la right In my
rony-aiae is toe una or runt,, ami o
! convenience, between the two powers, o
ferod.by ue since the time of Mr. Jefferson,
and wonderfully adopted to the natural divl--atone,
of the country and the actual posses
ions of (he (wo partiee. It parte tho two
etreams of waters (thoeo of tho Columbia
and of Prater's rirer) ae naturally and com
modiously on the west of tho mountains, an
it pafts" on the east of the samo mountains
the two systems of waters which belong on
ono hand to tho Gulf of Mexico, on the oth
er to Hudson's Bay; and on both sidesof the
mountains it conforms to thb actual discover
ies and settlements of both parties. There
is not upon the face of tho earth so long a
line, and so straight, and so adapted to the
rights of this parties and the features of the
country.- Prom the Lake of the Woods to
tho Pacific Ocean is twenty degrees of Ion
gitude, (fifty miles to the decree in that lati
tudo.l and throughout that long distance the
line follows tho highlands which divide great
rivers and their basins, cutting off nothing
but the heads of rivers of little conscqucnco,
and these excisions .most wonderfully bal
ancod. It is a marvclouslv proper, line, and
docs great honor to the discretion, or illus
trates the good fbrtuno of the French and
British commissaries , under the treaty of
Utreoht, by whom it wait so long ago eetab
lianad. Mr. Jefferson tiered this line, in
Its whole extent, in ISO; Mr. Monroe made
the same ofer in 181 G, and again in 1824.
Mr. Adanjeoffcrcditln 1896; Mr. Tyler in
1842, and Mr. Polk in 1645. For forty
years save one, this line has been offered by
our Government to the British Government ;
and by all exoepf the last, as a lino of right,
adapted to the actual possession of tho par
ties and to the natural divisions of the coun
try. Since thirty years I have been accus
tomed to study the question of this line, and
during all that time I have been in favor of l
40. As often as I had occasion to express
my opinions about it and these occasions
commenced with the treaty or uhent in 1810
1 nave declared uniformly in favor of tnat
line but always as a basis, never as an in-
flexible demarcation, yielding to no acci
dents of land or water. I never talked the
iwoseaaeoY7yTfanraTid-acre up to 49, or
war; Tanew the straits ofxruca, and that
these Straits formed a natural-boundary for
jis, and also divided the continent from the
and the fertile from the desolate re-
knew that the continental coast and
oHabitable country terminated on the
south shoro of those Straits, and that the
VP"M,r V . , ' 'mOrs'' fiU lb oMwh iMwt't waul) lr il inSBfaT'-'lsslilViiiif i I'fTaTnhaP '$$$
ltBBBsl'JJBBBlVU. ' l.lBW. '.JBBBBBBV aTiBm.afjaw"f f mM f "mWamBtSL. - km - A, .mw - - I PllmmmmWlmmVm"ffammmW"',W,,1t'.J IP""""?""" !&
MM 4fcsmmlM4M Wff'IAmmtoVmVaffceMlvUeMeK
VI UCUtt MPWU lultfi jssilMmvS8tm- ,
iuJBjPBK
TiLE 0nf0i0ils,(
,0s, and
north-west Arohipelago the thousand deso
late and volcanic islands, derelict of all na
tion commenced on their shoro ; and I
wanted to go no farther than tho good land
and continental coast- went. I was always
In favor of a deflection of a line through the
Straits of Fuca ; but I said nothing about it.
It was a detail, and I confined myself to tho
proposition of the line a a basis. I had ex
pcotod the deflection to have commenced fur
ther back on tho continent so as to have
kept our line a littlo farther off from Fort
Lancloy, at the mouth of Prater's river, al.
moat in slttlit of which it now passes. If
this had been asked, I for one would have
been willing to grant it; but the British did
not ask It, probably for tho same reason that
1 would have granted it, namely, tho 'entire
wprthlessaess of the deeotato region about
tho mouth or Praxer's river.
The defeotion leaves out Vancouver's Is
had, and I am glad of it. It is ono of the
Meet worthless of the thousand worthless is
lands which tho north-west archipelago pre:
Ants, and la the derelict of all nntlons.
The Nootka Sound quarrel between Great
Britain and Spain was not for the island, but
for the laault to Greet Britain in the deporta
tion "and Inearaeratloa of her eubjeoU by the
Vloanv af Maikw. Reparation for that la-
suit, wa the point of the quarrel; and, that
being obtained in a treaty or raasariussi M
indemnity, both pirtiea abandoned tbe tslaad
and neither has since occupied It. It it Ww I at the?
ivacant and desert, and I want bom of ft. I lgr
would not aooept it as a present, nor weadd
the poorest ford of the iilea that ever shrad
upon the western coast of Scotland. The
fictitious importance lately attributed to this
island, upon the disparagement of the
mouth of the Columbia, has vanished
upon the revelation of the tine character of
mat river, rne. estuary or tne uenmiDia
is now shown to be ia good port;' and, with
the advantage 'flights, buoys, beacons, pi
lots, and steam tow-boats, ready to become
ono of the best in the world. This know),
edgo of the true character of the Columbia
puts an end to all pretext of necessHyto go
north three hundred miles, to hunt a substi
tute port in the remote and desolate ooastsof
Vancouver-Island. That island is not
wanted by the United States for any purpose
whatever. Above all, the south end of it is
not wanted to command the Straits of Fuca.
It so happens that these straits are not liable
to be commanded, either in fact, or in law.
They are from 15 to SO miles wide rather
too wide for batteries to cross their hot, and
wide enough, like all other great straits of
the world, to constitute a pah of the high
seas, and to be incapable of appropriation by
any nation. We want nothing of that strait
but aa a boundary, and that the treaty gives
us. Wkh theft boandary comes all flat we
want in that quarter, namely, all the waters
of Puget's Sound and the fertile Olympic
district which borders upon them.
When the lia reaches the channel which
separatee Vancouver's Island from the eon
lias, (wheal) k doea wfcMa aa4.ef
mouth of Praxer's river,) it prooeede to the
middle of the channel, and .thence, turning
south, through the channel De Haro, (wrong,
ly written Ark) on the maps.) to the straits
of Fuca ; and then weet to the middle of
that strait to the eea. This is a fair parti
tion of those waters and give us every
thins that wa want, namely, all the waters
of Puget's Sound, Hood's Canal, Admiralty
Inlet, BelliBgham'a Bay, Birch Bay, and with
them the cluster of islands,Jarobably of no
value, between De Hero's Channel and the
continent. Neitbe'r.the Spanish discoveries,
or our own discovery ana settlement of the
Columbia, would have given us these waters.
Their British namee indicate their discover
ies, and the line of 49 give them to us.,
The proviso to the artiole strikes some
Senators ia being unequal to the prejudice
of the United Statee; W it is not so; the
proviso ia perfectly fair and equal, and so
will appear Rom the slightest examination
of any map whioh shows the straits of
Fuca and the waters connected with that
trait. Any map will, show that the straits
open from the eea' and penetrate the conti
nent about due east for one hundred mitee,
and then branohea south and north. The
branch, or rather branches, (for they are in
many channels,) which go south, also extend
about one hundred milee, making Puget'a
Sound, Hood's Canal, Admiralty Inletand
so on ; and these Waters being all narrow
and inland, bocomo pur private water and
aro subject to our municipal jurisdiction.
So of the waters of the strait which go north.
At first they open out largely, behind Van
couver's Island. and make the Uulf or ucor
gla ; there they contraot into narrow and in
tricate channels, insomuch that the island
and continent were for a long tlmp supposed
to be united. These narrow waters, like
Tm.).1mrm. u, nil ;
SBlT- '
fcha
ft tMaeiikji
oommoed eUee IMTT,
Ai,Sk 4.
those of Puget's Sound, ceo., are private
property, subject to the municipal jurisdiction
of the firitieh, to whom they belons. I hold
-. m r n f
the proviso to do coaiormabie to tno law oi
natMoe aMMir ana equal in itself, and tuny
approve of it.
I am in ravor oi tne nrtt antcia aa it
stands, and it ia the main artiole;. and in
lact aimoat tne wnoie treaty, it settiea tne
great point of controversy between the two
whist
ofOosL.'
rgress, was supposed to be pregaisBt with in
erkaMewar. The llret artiele qaiets that
eeatest the rwiwehilng three araaa sardines
and ineidenul, mere asnsaserisa W thafmt
andaVslawtdtogiTekeenveaJeaitexeeikifl:
lEaoh of thee may reewire a fow' words of
expiaaatioa, to avaM Marian sis' ssprnhsa
skew. - ; -v... ..J., y&u...xi
The first of the remaiaief artiole, b.
lag the second of the treaty, is the meat me
ferial of the three": it relatee te the free nav:
Igation of the Columbia, and folk so for
short of what the British have heretofore de
manded, and of what we oaredves have
beretofore offered, that it looks io, be Hke a'
relinquishment of the whom nrotonahm' '
The British have heretofore dWaailiigjot
merely the navigatku .of the rirer, but- fts
sovereignty the sovereignty of its right
bank in its. whole extent and the joint use of
the stream. We offered the free navhration
of the river, in perpetuity, to all the subjects
of the British crown. This offer, made by
Mr. Gallatin in 1826, and repeated eiace
baa been, steadily refused by the British.
Instead of pefpetual navigation to off British
subjects, the present treaty bring down the
firivuegeio a temporary use or a mere band
ill of British subjects. The article k in
these words: .
From the point at which the 4flth oaral-
lel of north ktitude shall be found ta later
sect the great northern breach of tha.Cktap?
wa river, tna navigation of tha'amU hraah
shall be free and open to tho Hasina's Bar
Casayany aad to all Bekkh.aUsam uaiwg
wkmmi, Um plraaWela
oraaoa meeu tne mats stream eftae Colum.
bla, and tbenoe dowai the said mam atrearo
to the ocean, with Jfree aoeee ktbaqd
through the aaid river or rivers ; ft being un
denroodtnatallthecaualpoftageeaJeagthe Ikw thus deocribed shall hi lmaaoe be
free. and onen. In navicatinsr the mld.tivmr
or rivers, British subjects, with their goods
aad produce, shall be treated da the same
tbetiiur as citiaeasof the UaMed States: it
being, however, always uadsrawod that noth
ing in this article shall he iouslmidaa pre
venting, or intended to prevent, ah Govern
ment of the United Statee from aiakkg any
regulatkaa reapecting the navkjatkn ef the
said river or rivers not inosaaktent with the
present treaty."
By the terms of thk article, the privilege
of navigation k oaafwed to the Hadsssi Bay
Opmpaay and to the Britkh suhjeeta trading
with them; aad they are to he anbjeot to the
laws aad reguktioaa whioh apply ta our own
oitiaena. Mow, there happeas ta be two
Haosoa Bay Compaake, and those who do
net attend to that little- met may fU into
great error The first ooaapaay haa a ar
petual charter, from Charlee Uw islsad, to
trade with the Iadiansonall the waesrssms
tying into the Bay of Httdm. Thk own
pany baa noTights, ander thaa oharter, be
yond the Kooky; Mountain. The eeooad
company k of reoent date, and k formed ef
the Hudson Bay and the old NerthweetOoni.
pany united, and exiat; under a lieasjaa of 21
years, nailed by, the Crown, imdera aot
of ParliamMt. It bean the nama af Hud
son Bay Company; but it k so eawbaly die
tinct from the chartered oompaay r Kiag
Charlee, that it oan carry on no trams on the
waters, of the Pacific oosaa. Thk Ikaased
company was first oreatad ia lMl.aaid con
tinued .by a new lioeaee for, aasamsd term of
twenty-ana years in the year 184S. It is,
therefore, now in the fourth year of ke pres
ent exkteaoe, and haa evea4aaai. year to
live. It k of thk eeooad or lieaaaed oamaa-.
ny, that tea treaty apeakat ami, or
iaaref ms saaeV.a aajewsl
S aMsSF&sm9awlBS'
S21j'"" uwaasw.wsg.
SLSasB''-''
i m w j- t . . i t tv "v n i jt"t- -t ii if r -i i j" v . "inn
LimalM wistmaat tMjmtt'amsmmmsmi l
. w . sssspt .jv asmaaW'iai' aaaaspaa
who ' aiaa if oaajifj mwmVmilsmi vPlilP-' ' k
bjbj-L fLffBflw'BUv' Hajsii jtMXmaV'ammmmmBU
"wml 9aTPP VW aaamwf) W9 fvw HB .
wiUsha uinmj .vThj ladiin tfjsJ& ;
flVJsfasaWUaAl eaW vaBAatfaaaaBaiBk' eaBiarhsBaiBSk bbbBibbbC v f-' f t
that tl UUer)W'rjiaV ,
msisi s"sit hsai s smi "aist ssmfT i i7' i T Ismmmffmmfmmmmmmmmmmml '
WB iVJBBBnBjsTQsjmV smVfTfr9HHHHltt'
ha easisBss the naansaWshJel atfr -
enaatee. am thaaah aaaVjaa ?
...!- - -. ,
-'-fciSif.-cQBnaar. '
Uermmmma'1
IIBBBV K'K
jii'iici ajaarT
gWuK t
'- .. a 'jr
Br. "
ShrjTOr?
' MMkamaaafew-
Ia.faraliii lasl I
TaaammMa
M . .- i'i
aNflmm'n
all the privikfergraated by U treaty rafor
to it. ThO treaty stipukte fbr.the ooaapa-
ny, aa it is, under ita prcaaat Ikaaja r note
it may or saay not ha, under as lkease.
It stipuUtea for a oompaay whsoo aaleknes
peraonew
vants,'aad
sons who oan,aBiavthk
different from the twenty-fiv
ropean and American British'
MynotUngoftbeiHUMiredaad
Asiatio W aai saMeees.! wad
.. . . .. I ' .iZ.
joyea tme eame7aa:
made during aw.
repeated siace
:.. t. k... - .TilmsXi
KfcW. Wm WtUV AUHBOT
enjoy tneir pritliega, tale
instance or its see. moat
toft. Ifof thaoompejry
tbemeehrei to ha Brllmittl
with thr treapaay: iAad,
oar owa oeatsiwi'amairj'tjay.
than
ktaoohesMsfor
or the
such reatrietkas; ' ., r:&-?y
a ne ins or ooaaamoo wtiaa:
ny carries oa k aaeehara
tatioa upon the Wa ef thk
II ! I ! I I 21 JtMA AkJ - -
iuiuikivs ta Mmtmmmm pnav.t..v
carried up the rivar ia itho
mrsare orougai uowa w urn aw t
two voyaces per atmwmwill WaJeast
maximum of thk '1-Mt nuigs tisa
xnejunaoi veeseas wmon aro
in this navuration uj a'furtber
it. These vcesel (and theY have
lag up thai rivar aiaaa the jektuea
wwn oi loioj arafamasi. aattaaaa.!
enough toi ha, aarrkd ea ha-ahsjsjkaM
and shallow wough'of aVaugktoaaaSI
the head etreams of the river, to, thek IPiPawa
in ue rnounwiaa. -t ilia pa.mvar oft!
Ue barks that the privikfs of aavi
granted, aad it k liaated to them;
fioticu vwi; ntMW ju, ina RBfj.
cariywg piaoe; oinat, waan.i
made around the folk and itiaiaV
- l . '1 - '
river ana ue carrying piaoee
lata'wUl still be cteJTiud
atrktad to tho light Umu now
uuiw m uiwiul Teaseii
much damaga during the sevi
may oa earned on.' to a oal
our rivera aad tho rivara ofaH aiv
tknVvaro entered by fcraka
our maporte, within praotkmhk
the sea, aro se entered. -Ia tsatotoii
'WH'aatr
m H -m nwn win.' "'
heetik vaseek ore exeluded.
hto4a takreeaeot will ha. to u.
naviMtioa, like the MkakaaaLaW
the Dekware aad otherat aaV
.L. U. .1 .1 -l VTuTT".
ummmj wm uw.Bjagf Q AN
hnmuib pon. ar , vi t i,,:.i 'tsv:
n - r m "V'M ,ay,
"'--- Ikla ! - 'S: g". '- li'W,
i- - malm -ii:mt.iJ JTr"'-
t
.4i'
1
r." jtit
W "M
' ' .5 &J
s, Vf
:vjuitf?2
stew
K
msaaaaav
aaaaaai
mmM
9
:T4UI'-
fTTS
uiMU
te Mr.Mslaas,sthfe
liejUMtfr . t
Vl ax aaaaaaaaar
m mMbiuH i r aaaaaaaiL ,ia
MriMeLwe tkat a aadakeaaBsaaeammmmma. ' -ham
mm the sBass-haasaaTmBSmmmmmav
M IssmiaaaBami laamvaaakXassmmmsL
t4.Mm ."ma7fcfSiSB3smmmmmmV'
vtmiti 'eli'mmatip. ' viJ
fr
f Tj-van1 o J. -,
r
Wrxji
' ly J(
Wvi
lrti.V.Jo
m
.'ffl.?f'sVv-'- ,.-J!i'.cifaisWi;ifi.-,.
fil if
l iU ... jfL