north Jatitude.” and that. in the spirit of conciliation. they were willing to vield their claims below the 55th degree. excepting that it was desired to extend the line fur chough south to inelude the whole of Prince of Wales Island. Tle ucdds:
This proposal will assare to us merely a narrow fisiére [strip] upon the const itself ani! will leave to the Englixh extablislonents ali the nevdiul space for inerease and extension.
By the word * coast.” as here used. it cannot he believed that he meant anything else than sovereignty over the entive const. which they hud insisted upon from the first and had never m the Jenst degree departed from. He then proceeds:
In the first place, pe nation has protested against the charter of the Fm- yeror Paul, and this universal stlewe may and shenkl be regarded as a recognition of our rights. The objection is raised thar we have not made estublishinents on the northwest cout below the 47th degree of latitile. This is trie, bot during the seasen of hunting and fishing the coast aul the neigh- boring waters are exploitel by onr American Company fir heyend the 54th degree aml Sth degree parallels, This is the only aanner of oceupation of which these localities admit, or, at least, the only one that fx nevesatry, with colonies founded and organized a litte farther north,
Thus, we wish to dey aml the Engtish companies wish to offain. This vir- Conitance alone is sufficient to jistity our propesals.[1]
As Russia stood immovable in regard to the coast. Great Britain acceded to her well understood demands ow this vitul point. and on May 2, ise4. Mr. George Canning wrote to Count Lieven that, after mature consideration of the dispatches from Count Nessel- rode, he bad the satisfaction of saving that he wonlid send such instructions. as would meet Ina ereat degree the wishes of Rissia, as io the tine of demareation to be drawn between lussian and Briti-h oecupation on the northwest coast of America. and to admit. with certain qualilications. the terms last proposed hy the Russian Government. These qualitications were to consist chietly, of a nore definite deseription of the limit of the land desired hy Russia on the continent. and the selection of a somewhat more western degree of longitude aboye Mt. St. Elias, and a precise stipulation for “the free use of all rivers which may le found to empty
themselyes into the sea within the Russian frontier. and of all
- ↑ U. S. C. App, 172–175.
