36 CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



sea Avithin ran.ije of caunou-sliot from tlic shore; that they must not 

 extend that snrveilhmce beyond the sphere where the American Com- 

 jiany lias ett'ectnally exercised its riiihts of Imuting and fishing since 

 the (hite of its creation, as well as since tlie renewal of its privileges 

 in 1799, and that, as to the islands on which are to be found colonies or 

 settlements of the Comjiany, they are all indistinctively comprised in 

 this geuernl rule. 



. . . Your P^xcellenoy will observe tiiat these new instructions — 

 wliicli, as a matter of I'act, are to sus])end provisionally the effect of 

 tlie Imperial I'kase of the 4th Sei^tember, 1821— were sent from St. 

 retersbnrgh only in August of last year. 



See Appen.iix, Mr. Lyjill, Cliaimiaii of the Ship-owners' Society, of Loii- 

 Nos.^33, 34^ anticlon, wFOte Oil the I'Jth November, 18:23, to Mr. Cr. Cannings, 

 ^5- asking Avhether official advices liad been received from St. 



Petersbnrg- that the Uli;ase of 1821 had been annulled. Mr. 

 Canning having privately submitted his proposed reply to 

 Count Lieven for his comments, caused the following letter 

 to be sent, which had received Count Lieven's approval: 



Lord r. Con- I am directed by Mr. Secretary Canning to acknowledge the receipt 

 ynghani to Mr. of your letter of the 19th instant, expressing a liope that the Ukase of 

 •^6'i8'>3'^"''''™^'"' September 1821 had been annulled. 



" See'Appeiidix, ^^^'- Canning can not authorize mo to state to you in distinct terms 

 vol. ii, I'artl.Xo. that the Ukase has lieen " funiiilhd,'' because the negotiation to which 

 36. it gave rise is still pending, embracing, as it does, many points of 



great intricacy as well as importance. 



But I am directed by Mr. Canning to ac(|uaint you that orders have 

 been sent out by the Court of St. Petersburg to their Naval Connnaud- 

 ers calculated to prevent any collision between Russian sliips and 

 those of other nations, and, in elfect, suspending the Ukase of Sep- 

 tember 1821. 



See Appeji.iix, Qii the IHtli rlanuaiy, 1824, Mr. G. Canning >vrote to Sir 

 Ao.ii, ar o. ^ Bagot, the British Ambassador at St. Petersburg: 



. The questions at issue between Great Britain and Russia 

 are short and simple. The Russian Ukase contains two objecti(maljle 

 pretensions: First, an extravagant assumption of maritime suprem- 

 acy; secondly, an unwarranted claim of territorial dominions. 

 45 As to the tirst, the disavowal of Russia is, in substance all that 

 we could desire. Nothing remains for negotiation on that head 

 but to clothe that disavowal in precise and satisfactory terms. AVe 

 would much rather that those terms should be suggested by Russia 

 herself than have the air of pretending to dictate them; you will 

 therefore request Count Nesselrode to furnish you with his notion of 

 such a declaration on this point as may be satisfactory to your Govern- 

 ment. That declaration may be made the preamble of tlie conven- 

 tion of limits. . . . 



xVgain, in a despatch, 24th July, 1824, to Sir C. Bagot, 

 Mr. G. Canning says : 



See Appendix, . . . Your Excellency will observe that there arc but two points 

 >j"''<t!'' ^'"^^ ^' ^^'i'''^ have struck Count Lieven as suscejjtible of any (|uestion. The 

 "■ first, the assumption of the base of thonujuntaius, instead of tlie sum- 



mit as the line of l)oundary; the second, the extension of the right of 

 the navigation of tlui Pacific to the sea beyond Beliring Sf.iaits. 



As to the second ])oint, it is, ]>erha])s, as Count Lieven rennirks, new. 

 l?ut it is to be remarked, in rc^turn, that tlu^ circustances undtir which 

 this additional security is re(|uired will be n(!W also. 



By the ierritorial (ii'mnrcation agreed to in this ''])rojet," Russia 

 will become jiossessed, in acknowledged sovereignty ol' l>oth sides, of 

 I'.ehring Straits. 



The ]'ow«^r which could think oC making the Pacific a tiiarc clausiim 

 may not unnnturally be sujiposed (capable of a <lis))ositi(>n to aiiply 

 the same character to a strait com])r(diended lietween two shores of 

 \.-hich it becomes the undisputed owner; but the shutting up of 



