Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 8.djvu/68

 60 DOCUMENTS. the desires of this government, again visited the Columbia and the western ocean, twelve miles from which they built Fort Clatsop, yet to be seen these establishments made by the United States, not so near the settlements of California as manifestly to encroach upon them, entitles them to the whole country north of Columbia. And, in applying the principle known to govern in such cases, the point equi- distant from the Spanish actual settlements, and the mouth of that river, is the true point at which a line drawn separat- ing the two countries, should commence. The actual settle- ments of Spain are believed to have been, at that time, upon the Colorado of California, in latitude 32 degrees north; but, even supposing the point to be the extreme south of the claim of the United States, which is believed to be 36 degrees, then the line of separation would fall at 41 degrees. And if any doubt arose as to the claim of the United States to the full extent of the Spanish title, to the north of Fort Clatsop, as high as 60 degrees of latitude, there could remain no doubt, as far as the equidistant point, which would be at the com- pletion of the 53d degree of latitude, leaving us twelve degrees of coast on that ocean. From every information which can be obtained, worthy co be relied upon, our coast on the Pacific, for years past, has been the theatre of much individual enterprise, stimulated by the rich returns of numerous whale ships, and the great profit of the fur trade, together with the flattering accounts of Messrs. Lewis & Clark, relative to the resources of the in- terior, though no regular trade or well organized system of commerce existed until the year 1810, in the course of which year a vessel was fitted out in the city of New York, well supplied with provisions and seed of every description neces- sary in a permanent occupation of the coast, which they con- templated. This little colony consisted of an hundred and twenty men when it arrived in the Columbia; and after as- certaining its soundings, they removed some miles above Fort Clatsop, and built the towji of Astoria, where a portion of them cultivated the soil, whilst the other engaged in the fur