there be x doubt that these are the mountains, and that they were understood to run to the interior of the heads of all lays and inlets? Can it be said that the negotiators meant any mountains in the region of the coast althoneh they did not form a chain, mountains that ran perpendicular to any of the coast. mountains that did not form a substantially continuous barrier?!
They knew that there were mountain cliffs depicted as rising right up from the coast, that there appeared a mountain elevation. and mountain peaks far to the seaward of this supposed chain. They knew that this chain did not purport to represent any such mountains. Then how can it be said that they contracted with reference to such mountains, or that, if what they contracted with reference to does not exist, we must perforce vo to what does exist, although it is plain that they did not contract with reference to it, and although it would bring about a result essentially irreconcilable with what they had in mind, which in its essential feature that Russia should get all of the coast, was already understood and agreed to?
The mountains were a mere incident. They were to serve as a con- venience to give sceurity and detiniteness to what was fully agreed to, Misled by maps they thought that these mountains would serve their purpose, ‘They never intended them to detent it, and they never con- tracted in reference to any mountains that could defeat it. The fact that they contracted with reference to these mountains, which ran around all of the coasts, is, whether sneh mountains existed or not, a proof of the contention that hy coast they meant that coast running around all interior waters, and that the line was to he drawn parallel to the sinuosities of such coast.
This is made clear by the objection made by Mr. Canning, Tle thought the maps defective. and that ‘the mountains which are to serve as a frontier might by leaving the const beyond the line designated, invloxe a considerable extent of territory,” and more than wus intended. The mountains were those shown on the maps running around all the coast, but they might leave ‘the coast beyond the line designated.” that is on the maps, and so he wanted to guard avainst it. Tle then sought to make a change to the seaward lase of the mountains. In his letter to Sir C, Bagot of July 12, L824, he said:
After full consileration of the motives which are alleged by the Russian Govern- iment for adhering to their last propositions respecting the line of demarcation to
