Thus  stood  the  question,  when  the  negotiation  was  shortly
afterwards  transferred  to  Washington ;  and,  on  the  twenty-
third  of  August,  1844,  was  formally  opened,  under  the  direc
tion  of  my  immediate  predecessor. Like  all  the  previous
negotiations,  it  was  based  upon  the  principles  of  "  compro
mise  ;"  and  the  avowed  purpose  of  the  parties  was,  "to treat
of  the  respective  claims  of  the  two  countries  to  the  Oregon
territory,  with  a  view  to  establish  a  permanent  boundary  be
tween  them  westward  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific
Ocean."  Accordingly,  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  August,  1844,
the  British  Plenipotentiary  offered  to  divide  the  Oregon  terri
tory  by  the  49th  parallel  of  north  latitude,  from  the  Rocky
Mountains  to  the  point  of  its  intersection  with  the  northeast
ernmost  branch  of  the  Columbia  River,  and  thence  down  that
river  to  the  sea ;  leaving  the  free  navigation  of  the  river  to
be  enjoyed  in  common  by  both  parties — the  country  south  of
this  line  to  belong  to  the  United  States,  and  that  north  of
it  to  Great  Britain. At  the  same  time,  he  proposed,  in  addi
tion,  to  yield  to  the  United  States  a  detached  territory,  north
of  the  Columbia,  extending  along  the  Pacific  and  the  Straits
of  Fuca,  from  Bulfinch's  Harbor  inclusive,  to  Hood's  Canal,
and  to  make  free  to  the  United  States  any  port  or  ports  south
of  latitude  49  degrees,  which  they  might  desire,  either  on  the
main  land,  or  on  Quadra  and  Vancouver's  Island. With  the


1845.]  FIRST    ANNUAL    MESSAGE. 177

exception  of  the  free  ports,  this  was  the  same  offer  which  had
been  made  by  the  British  and  rejected  by  the  American  Gov
ernment,  in  the  negotiation  of  1826. This  proposition  was
properly  rejected  by  the  American  Plenipotentiary  on  the  day
it  was  submitted. This  was  the  only  proposition  of  com
promise  offered  by  the  British  Plenipotentiary. The  propo
sition  on  the  part  of  Great  Britain  having  been  rejected,  the
British  Plenipotentiary  requested  that  a  proposal  should  be
made  by  the  United  States  for  "  an  equitable  adjustment  of
the  question."

When  I  came  into  office,  I  found  this  to  be  the  state  of
the  negotiation. 