Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 9.djvu/416



1. Speech of Senator J. Semple of Illinois in the Senate of the United States, January 25, 1844, on the resolution introduced by him to give notice to Great Britain of the desire of the Government of the United States to abrogate the treaty of Joint Occupation of the Oregon Country.

2. Report of an "Oregon" public meeting held at Alton, Illinois, November 8, 1842, and Mr. Semple 's remarks at that meeting.

3. Report of an "Oregon" meeting held at Springfield, Illinois, February 5, 1843, with Mr. Semple 's remarks on that occasion.

4. Extract from a letter from Messrs. Smith, Jackson and Sublette.

5. Declaration of the Oregon Convention, held at Cincinnati, July 5, 1843.

On the 8th of January, 1844, Mr. Semple introduced the following Resolution:

"Resolved, That the President of the United States be requested to give notice to the British Government that it is the desire of the Government of the United States to annul and abrogate the provisions of the Third Article of the Convention concluded between the Government of the United States of America and His Britanic Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, on the 20th of October, 1818, and indefinitely continued by the Convention between the same parties, signed at London, the 6th day of August, 1827."

On the 25th of January, the resolution was called up for consideration, when Mr. Archer, of Virginia, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations, moved to have it referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Mr. SEMPLE said—

Mr. President: I did not suppose, after the delay which has already attended the consideration of the resolution which I had the honor to introduce, that there would be any desire for a further