purchase of Louisiana—“ gave us great, though undefined, rights on the side of the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific.*

During the preliminary negotiations for the sale of Louisiana by Napoleon, when the obscurity of the western boundary was mentioned to him by Marbois, Napoleon is reported to have said: “If an obscurity did not already exist, perhaps it would be good policy to put one there." †

When Canada was granted to Great Britain in 1763, the French certainly ceded only what they possessed. "It is," says Marbois, "as a consequence of that treaty that England has occupied territory to the west as far as the great Northern Ocean." As against England, then, on the same principle, we might claim, by virtue of this cession, to the Pacific with equal force and justice. But Marbois plainly says, in speaking upon this point: "The shores of the Western Ocean were certainly not included in the cession." And again he says: "The treaty of cession to the United States meant to convey nothing beyond the Rocky Mountains." ||

"It is well known that the Spanish Government protested against the transfer of Louisiana by France to the United States, but their opposition was abandoned, and the next year (1804) a negotiation was commenced at Madrid between that government and the United States, looking to the adjustment of the lines which separated their respective territories. In this negotiation our country claimed the whole coast upon the Gulf of Mexico as far west as the Bravo Del Norte, now the Rio Grande, which the United States then claimed was the north-east boundary of Mexico, with all the intermediate rivers, and all the countries drained by them." T

Thus early did our government establish itself upon the general ground that the Louisiana purchase extended only to the Rocky Mountains. It is clear also that it claimed Texas as a proper portion of the purchase. But in the Florida treaty it was stipulated that, in addition to buying the Floridas of Spain, we should waive our claim to Texas, and she should yield her claim to Oregon. This claim was considered of such importance that from that moment, as we have seen, our government ever maintained that she had an absolute and perfect right to Oregon.

From all the foregoing considerations we therefore conclude that our claims to Oregon consisted:

(1.) In our own right, coming from discovery, exploration, settlement and contiguity:

(2.) From purchase of whatever right France had in it, which, however,

*N. A. Review, vol. 1., p. 95.

Marbois, p. 286.

Marbois, p. 286.

Marbois, p. 290.

Marbois, p. 285. Greenhow's History of Oregon, p. 280.

is the smallest, least important and most questionable of all our claims; and

(3.) From our succeeding to the right which Spain might have set up to all that coast north of latitude 42°.

It is possible that, had we not purchased this right of Spain, we might have maintained successfully our exclusive jurisdiction, especially as against Great Britain, but after the Florida treaty our statesmen never entertained any doubt but that our title was perfect and that we could maintain it against the world.

At this day it is difficult to overestimate the value and importance to the United States of that great country, and while the party alliterative cry in 1844 of "Fifty-four-forty-or-fight" only aided in the defeat of one candidate and the election of another to the presidency, and did not prevent that same President from negotiating the treaty on 49°, thus yielding to Great Britain a valuable country of no mean magnitude and importance, because the American people would not approve of a third war with the mother country for the possession of a territory so little known and so far away, yet it did settle amicably with Great Britain a controversy of great moment and long standing, and gave us undisputed possession of what is now Oregon, Washington and Idaho-one of the most healthful, fertile. and altogether delightful countries on the globe, extending through seven degrees of latitude and ten degrees of longitude, and containing in round numbers 300,000 square miles, a country larger than France or Germany or Italy.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

William A Mowry

AN EARTHQUAKE IN KENTUCKY

The celebrated naturalist, John James Audubon, has left a most graphic and picturesque description of an earthquake in Kentucky, followed by a succession of shocks, which occurred while he was there prosecuting his researches in ornithology in 1825. The sketch is little known, having been printed in 1831 in his Ornithological Biography, and we quote it entire for the benefit of our reading public of to-day. He says:

"Traveling through the Barrens of Kentucky in the month of November, 1825, I was jogging on one afternoon, when I remarked a sudden and strange darkness rising from the western horizon. Accustomed to our heavy storms of thunder and rain, I took no more notice of it, as I thought the speed of my horse might enable me to get under shelter of the roof of an acquaintance who lived not far distant, before it should come up. I had proceeded about a mile when I heard what I imagined to be the distant rumbling of a violent tornado, on which I spurred on my steed, with a wish to gallop as fast as possible to the place of shelter; but it would not do, the animal knew better than I what was forthcoming, and, instead of going faster, so nearly stopped, that I remarked he placed one foot after another on the ground with as much precaution as if walking on a smooth sheet of ice. I thought he had suddenly foundered, and, speaking to him, was on the point of dismounting and leading him, when all of a sudden he fell a-groaning piteously, hung his head, spread out his four legs, as if to save himself from falling, and stood stock-still, continuing to groan. I thought my horse was about to die, and would have sprung from his back had a minute more elapsed, but at that instant all the shrubs and trees began to move from their very roots, the ground rose and fell in successive furrows, like the ruffled waters of a lake, and I became bewildered in my ideas, as I too plainly discovered that all this awful commotion in nature was the result of an earthquake.

I had never witnessed anything of the kind before, although, like every other person, I knew of earthquakes by description. But what is description compared with the reality? Who can tell of the sensations I experienced when I found myself rocking as it were on my horse, and with him moved to and fro like a child in a cradle, with the most imminent danger around, and expecting the ground every moment to open, and present to my eyes such an abyss as might engulf myself and all around

me? The fearful convulsion, however, lasted only a few minutes, and the heavens again brightened as quickly as they had become obscured; my horse brought his feet to the natural position, raised his head, and galloped off as if loose and frolicking without a rider.

I was not, however, without great apprehension respecting my family, from which I was yet many miles distant, fearful that where they were the shock might have caused greater havock than I had witnessed. I found, with much pleasure, that hardly any greater harm had taken place than the apprehensions excited for my own safety.

Shock succeeded shock almost every day and night for several weeks, diminishing, however, so gradually as to dwindle away into mere vibrations of the earth. Strange to say, I for one became so accustomed to the feeling as rather to enjoy the fears manifested by others. I never can forget the effects of one of the slighter shocks which took place when I was at a friend's house where I had gone to enjoy the merriment that in our western country attends a wedding. The ceremony being performed, supper over, and the fiddles tuned, dancing became the order of the moment. This was merrily followed up to a late hour, when the party retired to rest. We were in what was called, with great propriety, a log-house, one of large dimensions, and solidly constructed. The owner was a physician, and in one corner were not only his lancets, tourniquets, amputating knives, and other sanguinary apparatus, but all the drugs which he employed for the relief of his patients, arranged in jars and phials of different sizes. These had some days before made a narrow escape from destruction, but had been fortunately preserved by closing the doors of the cases in which they were contained.

As I have said, we had all retired to rest, some to dream of sighs and smiles, and others to sink into oblivion. Morning was fast approaching, when the rumbling noise that precedes the earthquake began so loudly as to waken and alarm the whole party, and drive them out of bed in the greatest consternation. The scare which ensued it is impossible for me to describe it would require the humorous pencil of Cruikshank to do it justice. Fear knows no restraints. Every person, old and young, filled with alarm at the creaking of the log-house, and apprehending instant destruction, rushed wildly out to the grass enclosure fronting the building. The full moon was slowly descending from her throne, covered at times by clouds that rolled heavily along as if to conceal from her view the scenes of terror which prevailed on the earth below. On the grass-plot we all met, in such condition as rendered it next to impossible to discriminate any of the party, all huddled together in their night-garments. The earth waved like

a field of corn before the breeze; the birds left their perches, and flew about not knowing whither; and the doctor, recollecting the danger of his gallipots, ran to his shop-room, to prevent their dancing off the shelves to the floor. Never for a moment did he think of closing the doors, but spreading his arms, jumped about the front of the cases, pushing back here and there the falling jars, with so little success, however, that before the shock was over, he had lost nearly all he possessed.

The shock at length ceased, and the frightened people fled to their several apartments. These earthquakes produced more serious consequences in other places. Near New Madrid, and for some distance on the Mississippi, the earth was rent asunder in several places, one or two islands sunk forever, and the inhabitants fled in dismay towards the eastern shore."

John J, Audubon