to stretch themselves along the Yellow Stone and the Missouri, their faces turned towards the setting sun, but their feelings and sympathies following the flow of the waters.

But the Columbia is of immediate importance to this country, not so much on account of a deep interest, felt in the river and territory themselves, as for the questions with which they are connected. In that consideration are involved many difficult problems, regarding territorial rights;—the whole system of the intercourse with the Indian tribes ;with the fur trade, both on the north-west and in the interior, with the Pacific ocean fisheries, with the various and peculiar traffic, carried on with the islands in that sea; in short, with all the commerce, we drive round Cape Horn, -with a boundary to the south on Mexico, and till within a short time, with our relations with Russia.

By the 3d article of the convention of 1818, with Great Britain it was agreed, that all territory, to the westward of the Rock Mountains, should be left open, for the space of ten years, for the use of both countries. Great Britain had, in the same year, in the month of October, peaceably restored to an American officer the settlement at the mouth of the Columbia. And Spain, by the treaty of settlement and limits of February 1819, had surrendered all claims to territory, north of the parallel of 42 degrees from the source of the Arkansas to the South sea. It will be seen under the proper head, that, in September 1821, Russia issued an Ukase, asserting on the part of that government, an exclusive territorial right to the northwest from the northern extremity to latitude 51 degrees, and interdicting the commerce and fisheries of all nations within an hundred Italian miles of the coast. Against this unexpected pretension both the United States and Great Britain immediately and with firmness protested. It will, also, be seen, that in accordance with that friendly and conciliatory spirit, that has distinguished all the transactions of the Russian government with our own, a satisfactory adjustment of this difficulty was, after a discussion slightly protracted, fortunately accomplished. There is an obvious connexion between the Russian pretensions and 16

VOL. II.

those of Great Britain, and, we mention the circumstance for the purpose of introducing in a distinct and intelligible form an account of the negotiations, that have taken place with the latter government on this subject, referring the reader to the chapter on Russia for the proceedings on this head with that power.

The United States, in their discussions with England, claimed an absolute right and exclusive sovereignty and jurisdiction of the whole range and extent of country, west of the Rock Mountains, from the 42d degree, the parallel, established in the treaty of February 1819 with Spain, to the 51st degree of north latitude, nearly to the bottom of Queen Charlotte's Sound. This right and title was founded on the principles of settlement, applied by the European powers to their discoveries in America. The Columbia was first seen in 1790 by the American captain Gray, who entered its mouth in the sloop Washington, a trading vessel. Gray was subsequently found there by Vancouver, and, in the instructions prepared for that celebrated navigator (now in the archives of the British admiralty), the expedition by the Washington is particularly mentioned. This fact establishes priority of discovery, and the records of a foreign nation, now urging a claim to the same country, supply incontestable proof of it. The usages of nations make no difference between discoveries by private or public vessels. It matters not, who drops the anchor, who carves the inscription, who deposites the medal, who hoists the bunting, or who buries the bottle;-mysterious and cabalistic ceremonies, that, in the greedy, grasping spirit of modern practices set apart to an exclusive ownership thousands of square miles of rivers, plains and mountains. But though often accidental, always unmeaning, they have, in all cases of European construction, constituted sovereignty. This was the right of discovery from the sea. The sources of the Columbia were first seen by Americans and its whole course explored to the Pacific ocean. To this form, either of discovery or examination,

*

* Travels to the source of the Missouri river, with an account of the American continent to the Pacific ocean, performed by order of

neither the objection of chance or private adventure can justly be made. The expedition of Messrs. Lewis and Clarke was fitted out by the government at considerable expense for the purpose of exploring the courses of the great rivers from the Mississippi to the Pacific. Three years were devoted to the undertaking, and the service was faithfully and effectually performed.

"It had been ascertained, that the Columbia, extended by the river Multnomah to as low as 42 north, and by Clarke's River to a point as high up as 51, if not beyond that point, and to this entire range of country, contiguous to the original dominion of the United States and made a part of it by the almost intermingling waters of each, the United States considered their title, as established by all the principles, that had ever been applied on this subject by the powers of Europe to settlements in the American hemisphere. A nation, discovering a country, by entering the mouth of its principal river at the sea coast, must, necessarily, be allowed to claim and hold as great an extent of the interior country, as was described by the course of such principal river and its tributary streams; and that the claim to this extent became doubly strong, where, as in the present instance, the same river had, also, been discovered and explored, from its very mountain springs to the sea."

Then, in the third place, the United States possess the full advantage of a right, resting in actual possession and settlement; a sort of sovereignty more solid and effectual, than the bottle, or bunting confers. We shall conclude this brief exposition of facts with the remark, that whatever latitude north Drake, the English navigator, in the 17th century, might have reached, this ground of claim is certainly impeached by the stipulation of the treaty of 1763, by which England agreed to make the Mississippi her western

the American government in the years 1804, 5 and 6, by Capt. Lewis and Clarke. London 1815—3d vol. 800. The principal discoveries of these intelligent and entertaining travellers, as to the course of rivers, have been incorporated in Mellish's 1819 map of the United States.

boundary. And Cook in the last century did not see the Columbia, nor any part of the coast near it.*

* An account of the American settlement of Astoria.

"I beg leave, briefly, to state, that, contemplating to make an establishment at the mouth of Columbia river, which should serve as a place of depot and give further facilities for conducting a trade across this continent to that river, and from thence on a range of northwest coast, &c. and to Canton in China, and from thence to the United States, arrangements were, accordingly, made in 1810 for a party of men to cross the continent for the Columbia River. At the same time, I fitted the ship Tonquin, carrying twenty guns and sixty men, commanded by the late captain Thorn, lieutenant of the United States navy. This ship sailed in September 1810, having on board the means of making an establishment at Columbia, where she arrived on the 22d March 1811. They landed, found the natives friendly, and built a fort, erected a house, store, &c. &c. This being accomplished, captain Thorn left thirty men in possession of the place to await the party, which were to make a voyage over land; these, also, happily arrived, though not till several months after. On about the first of June captain Thorn left Columbia River with a view to make some trade on the coast, and then to return to the river, but unfortunately captain Thorn never returned. At about two hundred miles north of the Columbia he put into a bay to trade with the natives. Not attending to the precautions necessary, as he had been instructed to do, to guard against an attack, he suffered a whole tribe of Indians to come on board his ship; an attack was made, he was overpowered, fire was communicated to the magazine, the ship was blown up, and every soul on board, or near her, perished.

"In 1811 I fitted out another ship, the Beaver, carrying twenty guns, with a duplicate cargo of the ship Tonquin and sixty to seventy men. The captain (Sowle) was instructed to sail for Columbia River, and in search of the men, which were sent across the continent, as also the Tonquin. The Beaver sailed from this in October 1811, arrived in Columbia the May following, found the establishment, landed such men, goods, provisions, &c. as the establishment was in need of. My instructions to the captain were, that after supplying the establishment he should proceed to Chatka, a Russian settlement, for the purpose of trade, and then to return to Columbia, take what furs we had, and proceed to Canton and from thence to New-York. He accordingly left Columbia and most unfortunately Mr. Hunt of Trenton, NewJersey, my chief agent, left the river with him, sailed as directed for

In accordance with these general grounds, the minister at the court of St. James proposed, in the spring of 1824, to the British plenipotentiaries, (Mr. Huskisson and Mr. Can

the Russian settlement, effected their object, but instead of following instructions to return to Columbia, he sailed direct for Canton, leaving Mr. Hunt at one of the Sandwich Islands to await the arrival of another ship, which I had promised to send from this in 1812. The ship Beaver arrived in Canton and received there the news of war. I had sent orders to the captain to return to Astoria, but he was fearful of being captured, and remained safely at Canton till the war was over, when he came home. In consequence of the war, I found it inconvenient to send a ship in 1812, but I did send one (the Lark) early in 1813, with directions to the captain to sail for Columbia River and to stop at the Sandwich Islands for information. Being within a few days sail of those islands, the ship, in a squall of wind was upset and finally drifted on the beach of one of those islands, a wreck, ship and cargo totally lost. Here was met Mr. Hunt, who, after all the information he received, and my great desire to protect the establishment of Columbia River, procured an American vessel, took some provisions, sailed and arrived at Columbia River. Here he learnt that Mr. McDougall had transferred all my property to the Northwest Company, who were in possesson of it, by a sale, as he called it, for the sum of about $58,000, of which he retained $14,000 for wages, said to be due to some of the men. From the price obtained for the goods, &c. and he having, himself, become interested in the purchase, and made a partner in the Northwest Company, some idea may be formed as to this man's correctness of dealing. It will be seen by the agreement, of which I transmit a copy, and the inventory, that he sold to the Northwest Company 18,170 1-4 lbs. of beaver at $2, which was, at about that time, selling in Canton at $5 and $6. 907 Otter skins at 50 cents or half a dollar, which were selling at Canton at 5 to $6 per skin.

"I estimated the whole property to be worth nearer $200,000 than $40,000, about the sum which I received by bills on Montreal. Previous to the transaction of McDougall, we had already established trading ports in the interior, and were in contact with the Northwest Company. It is now to be seen, what means have been used by them to counteract my plan. It is well known, that as soon as the Northwest Company had information of my intentions and plan for conducting my commercial operations, they despatched a party of men from the interior with a view to arrive before my people at Columbia.