KATHARINE
314
B.
JUDSON
taken possession of in His Majesty's name, and has been since considered as forming a part of His Majesty's dominions, I
have to request that you
will
do me the honour to furnish
me
with such explanation as you may judge proper of the object of the voyage of the Ontario, so far as it may relate
to establishments
that I
ment
may
upon the
territory to
which
I refer, in
order
be enabled to represent to His Majesty's governa measure in which His Majesty's rights and
...
interests appear to be so materially involved."
On December
1st,
Sir Charles wrote to
Lord Castlereagh, 28
as follows:
"Washington, December
1,
1817.
"Sir: private letter of the 3rd of last month, I had the honour to acquaint your Excellency with a report which has been in circulation here respecting the destination of the United
"In
my
States sloop-of-war Ontario. I have since had an opportunity of ascertaining that this report is well founded. "At an interview which I had a few days ago with the
Secretary of State, I communicated to him the information which I had received upon this subject, and I requested that he would inform me whether orders had been given to the Ontario, to proceed to the Columbia River, for the purpose of
making establishments in its vicinity, or of disturbing in any the trade of the North West Company. "Mr. Adams stated to me in reply, that the Ontario had certainly been directed to proceed to the North West Coast of America, and that she had been instructed to establish a settlement, which the United States had formerly possessed, at the mouth of the Columbia River, and which has not been
way
its capture in the late war, but that she has not received any orders to disturb or interrupt the trade of the
restored since
North West Company. "It
is
not necessary for
me
to trouble your Excellency, at
present, with any examination of the arguments which the American government may design to urge, in support of this ?JfF. O.
5,
Vol. 123.
