Page:A History of the Pacific Northwest.djvu/218

 ileges desired by Britain, and the offer was refused by Pakenham without referring it to his government. Buchanan then withdrew the offer and intimated that no new offer would be made by the United States.

A tense situation. This left the question in a critical state, inasmuch as Congress was bound to do something for the protection of American settlers in Oregon and the temper of that body was by no means conciliatory. The saving thing in the situation was that the British government learned in time the reason behind the popular American interest in Oregon and so was able to gauge more accurately the concessions which would be demanded from her.

A nev^r argument; settlement of Oregon. In the discussion between Calhoun and Pakenham one new argument was brought forward by the American negotiator. He said: "Our well founded claim, grounded on contiguity, has greatly strengthened during the same period [since 1818] by the rapid advance of our population towards the territory; its great increase, especially in the valley of the Mississippi, as well as the greatly increased facility of passing to the territory by more accessible routes; and the far stronger and rapidly swelling tide of population that has recently commenced flowing into it,—an emigration estimated at not less than 1,000 during the past [year, 1843] and 1,500 during the present year [1844] has flowed into it., . . There can be no doubt, now, that the operation of the same causes which impelled our population westward from the