RESTORATION OF ASTORIA

257

"In order to give the Expedition as much as possible the Air of a Voyage of Discovery, and to make it appear as if they were exploring and taking possession of an unknown Country, though in fact the Country in the Interior was well to the Traders from Canada, the Americans as they went along, bestowed new Names on Rivers, Mountains, &c., such as Jefferson's River, Madison's River, and so forth, for-

known

getting or affecting to forget that the Columbia River had already been surveyed by Captain Vancouver and that a route

Ocean had already been traversed by Sir Alexander McKenzie, both of whom as well across the Continent to the Pacific

had taken possession of the Country in the name of His Majesty as hereinbefore mentioned. "Uniting this project of the extension of Territory, with as Captain Cook,

another favorite object, the obtaining possession of the Fur Trade, and detaching the Indian Nations from their partiality

and Canadian Traders, the American Government, soon after the return of Captains Lewis and Clarke, established a Chartered Company at New York to prosecute the Fur Trade of this New Country under the name of the to the British

Pacific

Fur Company

Jacob Astor of

head of which was Mr. John and this Pacific Fur Company

at the

New York

their operations in the Summer of 1810, when Ships were sent to the Coast, a Fort Built at the mouth of the Columbia River, the Country taken possession of as Ameri-

commenced

can Territory, and named Astoria and the rights of Great Britain disregarded.

"Representations upon this subject were from time to time

made

Government by the North West ComLondon. Upon this subject they pany's representatives have had the honor of conferring with several of His Majesty's Ministers 12 at different times and they all expressed their to His Majesty's

in

opinion that the country in question belongs of right to Great Britain and that the United States had no just claim whatever The ministers particularly alluded to as having 12 [iMote by McGillivray] given decided opinions on the subject are the Earl of Harrowly, the Marquis of Wiellesley, Lord Viscount Castlereagh, Earl Bathurst, Mr. George Rose, etc

,

etc.,

etc.