Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 19.djvu/221

 FEDERAL RELATIONS OF OREGON 209 Gallatin was inclined to view this position as a bit inflexible and thought there might be allowed some latitude on two points : 40 in the first place it was probable that the "Caledonia" (Eraser's) River was cut by the forty-ninth parallel near its mouth so that while almost the whole course of the stream would be in British territory the mouth would be commanded by the United States; if this should be the case, Gallatin thought "a deviation not greater than that what may be suf- ficient to give them the mouth of that river would be of no importance to the United States, and might facilitate an ar- rangement." In the second place, five years to be allowed the British for closing their affairs south of 49 was too short a time and it would be more equitable to allow ten or even fifteen years. Adams was obdurate as to the territorial limits, but if British pride would be served Gallatin might for the first time offer free navigation of the Columbia in common with the United States ; as to the extension of time, that was a minor point and might be yielded if need be. 41 In studying the whole topic at a later date it is easy for us to see that there could be no common ground so long as Canning directed affairs, or his policy guided Englishmen, on the one side, and John Quincy Adams determined the course of the United States on the other. The interest in the negotia- tions of 1826-7 lies, therefore, in the manner in which the claims of the respective parties were presented, and especially in the views entertained by those close to the affair on the part of the United States. As to the former point it may be said that, while nothing absolutely new to support the pretensions of either side was brought out, both were able to present their arguments in a more logical form than had been the case in the earlier discussions but neither was able to convince the other of the soundness of his own position. 42 A hint of the ultimate settlement is contained in Huskisson's 40 Gallatin to Clay, 29 June; Writings of Albert Gallatin, II, 312. 41 Clay to Gallatin, 9 Aug., Am. S. P. For. Rel., VI, 646. 42 For the British argument see Gallatin to Clay, 16 Nov., Ibid, 650-2; th American arguments are given in Gallatin to Clay, 25 Nov., Ibid., 652-5. The relative merits of the presentation in 1824 and 1826-7 are expounded in Bancroft, History of the Northwest Coast, II, ch. 16.