Zl^ 



The National Geographic Magazine 



as the northern boundary west of the 

 Rocky Mountains, seemed to be a recog- 

 nition b}' the United States of the im- 

 portance of the British pretensions suf- 

 ficient to warrant mention on the map. 

 The Treaty of 1 8 1 9 (the Florid a Cession ) 

 had alread}^ served as a conclusive re- 

 Hnquishment by Spain of any claim in 

 this quarter. Therefore the conference, 

 considering these facts, together with 

 the historical narrative of discoveries 

 and occupations on the northwest coast 

 of America by both Spanish and British 

 explorers and adventurers, and the part 

 played b}' traders, explorers, and set- 

 tlers from the United States within the 

 territor}' known under the name of Ore- 

 gon in the eighteenth centur}', deter- 

 mined to place as a legend on the face 

 of the map, to describe 'briefly and with 

 historical accuracy the area in question, 

 the following words : Oregon Territor}^ 

 discovered and settled ; British claim 

 extinguished, 1846. 



TEXAS 



Texas was next in order for discus- 

 sion and determination, and the confer- 

 ence decided, almost without debate, 

 that the northwestern boundar}^ of that 

 territor}', as admitted to statehood in 

 the Union, should be that defined on the 

 map of the General Ivand Ofiice — the 

 line there shown coinciding closely with 

 the line on the Disturnell ' ' Map of the 

 United Mexican States," 1847, ^^^ 

 with the Treat}^ of 1 848 as a part of that 

 convention. 



THE FIRST MEXICAN CESSION 



The southern boundar}^ of the United 

 States west of the Rio Grande, 1848, 

 was determined in the same manner 

 but with a different result, the line 

 adopted being that indicated on the 

 Disturnell map, according to the con- 

 ference's interpretation of that chart. 

 The facts are adequately stated b}^ 

 Major Emory at page 16 of his Report 



on the United States and Mexican 

 Boundary Survey, volume i, as follows: 



" It is proper for me, however, be- 

 fore closing this chapter, to refer to a 

 publication issued by Mr. J. R. Bart- 

 lett, one of the late commissioners on 

 the part of the United States, which 

 professes to give an accurate account 

 of the affairs of the commission. It is 

 not my purpose to review that work, 

 and expose its errors, but simply to cor- 

 rect some statements affecting myself. 



" Mr. Bartlett's principal achieve- 

 ment on the boundar}^ was the agree- 

 ment with General Conde, the Mexican 

 commissioner, fixing the initial point 

 on the Rio Bravo (z. c, Rio Grande), 

 in the parallel of 32° 22', instead of a 

 point as laid down on the treatj^ map, 

 about eight miles above Kl Paso, which 

 would have brought it to the parallel 

 of 31° 52'. That agreement is no less 

 remarkable than the adroitness and suc- 

 cess with which Mr. Bartlett convinced 

 the authorities at Washington of its 

 correctness. 



" The question has been so thor- 

 oughly discussed that a reproduction 

 of it is not called for. It is sufficient 

 to say here that it was disapproved by 

 the astronomer and surveyor on the 

 commission at the time, and was finally 

 repudiated by the Government. 



" . . . My signature as surveyor 

 was only required, as alleged, to perfect 

 the official documents ; the words of 

 the order were : ' You will sign the 

 map of the initial point agreed upon by 

 the two commissioners.' 



' ' By reference to the treaty it will be 

 seen that an}^ agreement of the kind 

 required the action of the joint com- 

 mission, and that the joint commission 

 was to be composed not only of the two 

 commissioners, but of the two survey- 

 ors also. 



' ' I refused to recognize the act as 

 that of the joint commission, and 

 signed the map as the order directed, 

 carefull}' and studiously attaching a 



