cession at the thirty-second parallel of latitude. The due north and southeastern boundary of the strip ended at the source of the Arkansas whence it ran southeasterly with the Arkansas to a point near the present town of Pleasanton, in Fremont county. Thence, the boundary of the projection follows the northeasterly course of the river until it is not far from Canon City, and then with it nearly east to the Kansas line. The general course of the Rio Grande is southeasterly from its source to a point just beyond Alamosa, whence it runs nearly south into and through New Mexico to El Paso-at the northeast corner of the present Mexico and near the northwest corner of the present Texas. The principal part of the Texan cession in Colorado lies south of the 38th parallel of latitude and east of the Rio Grande as far north as Alamosa and of a line continuing north from that place to the 38th parallel.

All of New Mexico lying east of the Rio Grande, approximately two-thirds of the area of the state, was derived from the Texan cession. The part of the cession now in Colorado lying west of the continental divide was taken from Utah; all of the part now in Wyoming and the part immediately south of it as far as the divide, now in Colorado, was taken from the Territory of Nebraska. All of the cession bounded on the east and north by the Arkansas River from its source to its intersection by the hundredth meridian, on the east by that meridian, on the south by the thirty-seventh parallel of latitude and on the west by the mountain divide, except the jog of northeastern New Mexico, was incorporated in the Territory of Kansas; but the part of this area lying west of the one hundred and second meridian, containing about 8,500 square miles, was included in the territory and the state of Colorado. The part bounded by the thirty-eighth parallel of latitude on the north, the thirtyseventh on the south, the one hundred and third meridian on the east, and the summit of the Sierra Madre Mountains on the west-the jog of New Mexico-was transferred to Colorado. That part of the state of Kansas lying south of the Arkansas River and west of the one hundredth meridian, which runs a short distance east of Dodge City, was included in the Texas cession. This corner, acquired in the momentous struggle in which Kansas so conspicuously bled and in whose throes she was born, contains about 6,600 square miles. The cession embraced also the contiguous strip on the south, between the hundredth and the one hundred and third meridians, which was called No Man's Land, and the Public Land Strip, and now constitutes the northwest appendage of the state of Oklahoma comprising the counties of Texas, Cimarron and Beaver-which contain 5,727 square miles.

A pretentious and comprehensive history of New Mexico er

roneously says that "The territory thus organized in 1850, included the New Mexico and Arizona of to-day with a small portion of Colorado"-overlooking the Gadsden Purchase of 1853, adverted to above. It also repeats, without credit, Bancroft's inaccurate statement that, "There was a little strip of the territory acquired from Mexico lying between latitude 38°, the mountains, and the Arkansas river, that does not seem to have been provided for in the final settlement of 1850." 14 This strip, described above, was simply left as unorganized territory of the United States. Its expanded continuation eastward to the hundredth meridian, afterward incorporated in the Territory of Kansas, and the northern part of the projection of Texas lying east of the Rocky Mountain divide which was designated as the eastern limit of Utah in its organic act, were in like manner left for future territorial organization.

Members of Congress at the time in question possessed little accurate knowledge of the territory acquired from Mexico, so the discussion of the bills to establish the territories of New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado, throw only a dim light on the reason for running the north boundary of New Mexico east of the mountain divide up to the thirty-eighth parallel while the principal part of it, west of the mountains, followed the thirty-seventh parallel. In the discussion of the bill to establish the Territory of New Mexico, the following colloquy occurred between Senator Underwood and Senator Douglas, chairman of the committee on territories:

Mr. UNDERWOOD. I see that the amendment only proposes to run as far north as the 38th degree of north latitude. Is that the case? Mr. DOUGLAS. It was the old boundary of New Mexico. Mr. UNDERWOOD. It will leave out the territory between 36° 30' and the Arkansas river, which is not embraced by the Texan bill. What reason is there, I ask, for leaving it out, and also the country about the sources of the Arkansas river, up to the 42d parallel? Is there any reason for it? I do not see any particular objection to it, but I desire to know the reason for it.

Mr. DOUGLAS. I will state the reasons which induced me to throw that away. The old boundary line between the United States and Spain was run up the Arkansas to its source, and thence due north to the 42d parallel. The boundary claimed by Texas, was the Rio Grande to its source, and thence due north to the intersection of the old Spanish boundary. If the source of the Rio Grande was further east than the source of the Arkansas, then there was no such strip of land as has been indicated. If, on the contrary, it was further west, then there was such a strip. In establishing a territorial government for Utah, we have made the summit of the Rocky Mountains the eastern boundary of that territory. That summit being the boundary, all west of it will fall to Utah, and all east will fall to the Indian territory. We have taken the summit of these mountains, instead of an unknown line, and in forming the Territory of New Mexico, we run

14 Twitchell, The Leading Facts of New Mexican History, II, 281, 282; Bancroft, History of Arizona and New Mexico, 458.

the boundary, as established by the bill which passed the Senate for adjusting the Texas boundary, to the 130th [103d] degree of longitude, and thence north to the 38th parallel, which goes as far north as New Mexico ever claimed, and thence across to the eastern boundary of Utah. It leaves the Territory in a convenient compact shape. The bill is to go into operation only when the Texan boundary bill shall have done so, when the territory will all belong to us, and we shall be at liberty to put it in any shape we may think best. It is for that reason we have taken the degree of latitude, instead of an unknown line as the boundary.

The amendment was then agreed to.15

In the first bill to establish the Territory of Colorado this notch or jog was left to New Mexico, but Senator James S. Green, of Missouri, who had succeeded Douglas as chairman of the committee on territories, caused the bill to be amended so as to confine all of the southern boundary to the thirty-seventh parallel. In explaining the change he said:

Mr. GREEN. There is a slight change in the boundary suggested by the friends of the adjoining Territories of New Mexico and Utah; and as it seems to meet with general acceptance, I send it to the Secretary's table to be read.

I will briefly explain it, and the Senate will understand it in a moment. It proposes only two changes. The reason for that is, that a portion of the inhabitants of Utah Territory have settled there, and this would have a tendency, if the bill remains as it now is, to divide them. They had better all remain together. I have no objection to that modification. The other change is to take off that notch above 37° of New Mexico. I am opposed to that; but still I move it, because I want the thing all settled; and I see no good reason why it should not be adopted. The only thing I can say is this: the Delegate from that Territory says a portion of his people-natives of New Mexico, speaking that language-have settled up there, and he wants a homogeneous people all kept together. There is some force in that; but still, I think, in parceling out and shaping Territories and States, we ought to have reference to the permanent good of the Territory, rather than a temporary accommodation.

The Secretary read the amendment; to strike out in the first section the following words: "The said boundary line of New Mexico to the point of intersection of its easterly part with the thirty-seventh degree," and to insert in lieu thereof, the words, "the thirty-seventh parallel of north latitude," so that it will read:

Thence south on said meridian [to the northern line] of New Mexico; thence along the thirty-seventh parallel of north latitude; thence easterly on said parallel, &c.

The amendment was agreed to.16

May 30. Notes that the Kansas and Osage Indians have been deliberating on the terms of the treaty proposed by the United States. The object was to have them

15 Congressional Globe, first sess. 31st Cong., XIX, pt. 2, p. 1583. 16 Ibid., second sess. 36th Cong., pt. 1, p. 728.

give up their lands to make room for the settlement of such Indian tribes within the states as can be induced to emigrate thither, "the extensive tract of country west of us." That is, in furtherance of the general removal scheme.

August 22. Prints a letter from "Jac. Brown", general in chief of the U. S. army, dated "Head Quarters, Washington, 21st July, 1825." Addressed to "Brig. Gen. H. Atkinson."

The first paragraph: "The attention of the War Department, has been called to the subject of the fur trade of the Missouri, and the necessity of preserving it from the encroachments of British skill and enterprize." The letter then suggests that it might be desirable that "four or five companies of the number comprising your expedition" be "so located as best to favor the objects proposed." It gives Atkinson authority at his discretion to establish such a post. "It is suggested that the extreme north bend of the Missouri, approaching as it does most nearly to the British boundary and settlements, might afford a position embracing the greatest advantages.

"I am aware that the War Department is every way disposed to promote all the just views and interests of our fellow citizens of the Western states; and I address you this letter, conferring upon you the discretionary power it contains, from the conviction that it could not be placed in better hands."

In a letter to General Atkinson, dated February 6, 1824, the secretary of war, John C. Calhoun, approved the general's suggestion that a movable instead of a stationary force should be employed on the Upper Missouri. It seems that General Atkinson preferred his own judgment to the opinion of the generalin-chief. On the demonstration in 1843 that the cut-off to the Columbia, soon after named the Oregon Trail, was practicable, the high or Missouri River route was abandoned, and no military posts were established in that region until they were needed many years afterward for the protection of settlers and internal lines of travel.

Oct. 3, 1825. Is informed by a letter received from

Franklin that "our enterprising citizen Gen. Wm. H. Ashley passed that place on his way down with a very valuable cargo of Beaver. It is stated that he has from 80 to 100 packs, worth from 40 to $50,000. He may be daily expected. From the same source we learn that the Missouri Expedition had returned to the Bluffs, and that the Commissioners will be here in a few days."

Oct. 10. "It gives us pleasure to state, that the reported success of Gen. Ashley, noticed in our last, is not exaggerated. The quantity of beaver brought down by the General, exceeds, in fact, the amount stated, and is a just reward to his enterprize."

The editor of the Republican is impartial to capitals and "lower case", but not so to s and z in spelling "enterprise."

Oct. 24. Notes the return to St. Louis of the "Commissioners of the Missouri Expedition (gen. ATKINSON and maj. O'FALLON)" on the 20th instant, "having proceeded up the Missouri as far as 2000 Mile Creek, about 120 miles above the Yellow Stone. They have formed treaties with seventeen different tribes of Indians."

Learns "from Mr. Gamble, secretary of the commissioners for marking a road from the frontier of Missouri, to the confines of New Mexico, and for treating with the intervening Indian tribes, that the survey has been completed to the boundary line of the United States.

"The road commences a mile or two south of Fort Osage, upon a line run some years ago as the boundary of the Indian lands, in lat. 39° 10′ 19′′, and lon. 93° 51' 5" from London. It follows the neighborhood road until it crosses the Little Blue Creek; it then enters upon those extensive prairies which reach, without intermission, to the mountains of New Mexico. At the distance of 26 miles from Fort Osage, the road crosses another stream of the Missouri, called the Big Blue, a creek about 20 yards wide, and which at the season of high water might require a ferry boat. After crossing this creek, the route pursues the ridge which divides the waters of the Kansas.