1844.] GENERAL REVIEW. 395 



and probably much farther, and of the western sides of the west- 

 ernmost islands flanking that continent, between the 49th and 

 56th degrees, is due entirely to the Spaniards ; that these coasts 

 were subsequently explored more minutely by the navigators of 

 Great Britain, Spain, and the United States, previous to their 

 more complete survey by the subjects of Great Britain under Van- 

 couver ; after which, the vast territories of the interior, drained 

 by the Columbia, were first traversed and examined by the citizens 

 of the American Union, under Lewis and Clarke, in 1805-6 

 With regard to occupation, it has been proved conclusively, that no 

 establishment whatever was made by any civilized people except 

 Spaniards and Russians, in any part of the western section of North 

 America, until 1806, when the first British post west of the Rocky 

 Mountains was founded on the upper waters of Frazer's River, near 

 the 54th degree of latitude ; and that the earliest establishments 

 in the countries drained by the Columbia, which had been first 

 discovered and first explored by the Spaniards and the citizens of 

 the United States, were made in 1809 and the four succeeding 

 years by the people of the latter republic. 



Of the international questions, arising from these discoveries and 

 settlements, the only serious one now remaining undetermined is 

 that between the United States and Great Britain, involving nothing 

 less than the right of possessing the vast territories of the Colum- 

 bia, commonly called Oregon. Concerning this question, it has 

 been shown, that the United States asserted their right against 

 Great Britain in 1815, as founded upon the discoveries and settle- 

 ments of their citizens, made prior to any by the other party ; and 

 that having obtained by the Florida treaty, in 1819, all the titles of 

 Spain to those countries, their government has ever since claimed 

 the exclusive sovereignty over them, though it has more than once 

 offered, for the sake of peace, to surrender to Great Britain all north 

 of the 49th parallel of latitude. On the other hand, it has been 

 shown that the British government first claimed the possession of 

 the Columbia regions in 1815, on the ground of their having 

 been early taken possession of in the name of their sovereign, and 

 ever since considered as part of his dominions ; and then in 1824, 

 in virtue of settlements alleged to have been made by British sub- 

 jects, coeval with, if not prior to, any by American citizens ; after 

 which, repeated and direct assertions of positive right, that power 

 declared officially in 1826, — that she claimed no exclusive sovereignty 

 over any portion of those territories, limiting her pretensions re- 



