nowy form berewiter on the northwest ooast all the territory sinated to the sonth of Porthind Channel.“
Can it, with even a show of pluastbilitv be contended that he understood the word ‘edte™ in the treaty to mean less than the whole extent, less than what bad been in dispute; that it left to the absolute sovereignty of Great Britain hundreds of miles of inland coasts and surrendered the right to fish. to hunt and to trade with the natives alone themes And yet it is seriously contended for Great Britain that be wnderstood and used the word in this sense, and with this efeet. The explanation in regard to the coutre-projet of Russia says:
England persists in demanding from Htuesia the following coteesions:
1. The free navigation of the bays, gulfs, ete,, and the right to fish, to lumt wed to teede diveetly with the natives of the countey forever, on all that pxurt of the northwest coast constituting the disputed ferritory, from kttitude 54° 30/ to fi0®, sniject to the rstrietions mentioned in our convention of April 4 (17), with the United “tutes concerning arms, gunpowder and spirituous liquors, &
This desienates expressly ‘tall that part of the northwest coast
.
constituting the disputed territory.” Great Britain certainly cannot say that the treaty ever contemplated yviving ber any territory that was not in dispute, Tere it expressly appears that Russia was to have allof the coast in dispute, and that Great Britain only sought certain rights along it.
THE FINAL NEGOUTLUTIONS
Mr. G, Canning, in his letter to Mi, 5, Canning of December 3, IS24. explains che status of the neyotiations, and gives instructions for eouelnding the treaty. In the most explicit terms he sets forth the demand that Great Britain shall secure the same rights us those secured to the United States by the treaty of 1s24. He sys:
Rnesia can net mean te give to the United States of Amerie: what she withholds from us; ner to withhokl from os anything that she has consented to give to the United States:
The uniformity of =tiywlations in pari materia gives clearness and force to both frrunigements, and will establish that footing of equality between the several contract- ing yaertics which it is ost desintble should exist between Cree powers whose inter- ests come so nearly in contact with each other ina part of the globe in which no
other penwer ix concerned, |
- ® * * %
es, Co Apyp., 204: cUL S.C. App., 210,
SUL C. App, 206.
