50 CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



The Imperial Goveruiiieiit, in assigning for limits to the Ji'itsaian 

 possessions on the north-west coast of America, on the one side Jlehring 

 Straits, and on the other the 51st degree of north latitude, has, &c. 



" I'ACll^IC OCEAN." 



I oiTght, in the last place, to request you to consider, sir, that the 

 Bussian possessions in the Pacific Ocean extend on the north-west coast of 

 America from Beliring Straits to the 51st degree of north latitude, and on 

 the opposite side of Asia and the islands adjacent from the same strait 

 to the 45th degree. 



Thronghotit this note tlie phrase "uorth-west coast" 

 includes the coast of Behring Sea, and the hist passage 

 shows unmistakably thatthelJussians at that time regarded 

 the Pacitic Ocean as extending to Behring Strait. 



The attention of the British Government was called to 

 the Ukase by the Hudson's Bay Company in the following 

 terms : 



''north-wkst coast." 



Hudson's Bay It has fallen under the observation of the Governor and Committee 

 Company to the of the Hudson's Bay Companj' that the Russian Government have 

 donde"^ ^'m -"l ™<'^^^6 ^ claim to the north-west coast of America from Jleliriiig Straits to 

 27, 1822. SeeAp- tlie 51st degree of north latitude ; and in an Imperial Ukase have pro- 

 pe'ndix, vol. ii, hibited foreign vessels from approaching the coast within 100 miles, 

 Part I, No. 10. under penalty of conliscation. 



Mr. Adams to Mr. Adauis, in 1823, dealt with the Eussian claim as 

 ^"^ma'^^meri- *^^^' ^^' Gxclusive territorial right on the north-west coast 

 can statePapers, of America, cxteudiug, as he said, from the "northern 

 tiou8!voLv,^^446; extremity of the continent." Articles in the " ];!^orth xVmer- 

 See ' Appendix, icau Revicw " (Vol. XV, article 18), and "Quarterly 



No "'see Ap- 64 Eevicw" (1821-'22, Vol. xxvi, p. 344), published at 



?fo&^!fandT^" ^' ^^^ ^"^^^' ®^ ^^'^ controversy, and already referred to 



as mentioned with approbation by Mr. Adams, in 1824-25, 

 use the words "north-west coast" with the same significa- 

 tion. 

 American state Mr. Adauis, in his dcspatch of the 22ud July, 1823, to 



EelaTions^v'a.^v! ^i'- Middlctou, referred to the Ukase of the Emi)eror Paul 



p. 436. ' 'as purporting to grant to the American Company the 

 See Appendix, " exclusive posscssion of the north-ivest coast of America, 



vol. n. Part n. ^i^j^^,]^ belonged to Bussia, from the 55th degree of north 

 latitude to Behring Htraity 



The fact that the whole, and not merely a particular 

 portion, of the territorial and maritime claim advanced by 

 the Ukase was in question, and was settled by the Treaties 

 of 1824 and 1825, also ap[)ears from the Memorial laid by 

 Mr. Middleton, on the ])art of the United States, before the 

 Eussian (lovernment on the 17th December, 1823: 



American State With all the respect which we owe to the declared iutentiou and to 



Pa))ers, vol. v, tlie determination indicattd by the Ukase, it is necessary to examine 



V- 452. fije two ]>oints of fact; (1) If the country to the south a ud east of Ilchritig 



See Appendix, Strait, asfarasthe51stdegreeofnortli latitude, is fouudstricfly unoccupied. 



vol. ii. Part II, (2) If there has been, latterly, a real occupation of this vast terri- 



'■ "*■ tory? . . . The conclusion wliicli must necessarily r(!snlt from 



these facts does not appear to establish tlii.t the territory in (|ue8tion 



had been legitimately incorjiorated with llie Russian l',m])ir('. 



Tlie extension of territorial riglits t*) Gie distance oi' 101) miles from 

 the coasts n])on two o])p()sito continents, and the prohibiiiou of ap- 

 proaching to the same distance from tliese coasts, or from those of all 

 the intervening ishmds. are iunox atioiis in the biw of nations, and 

 measures iinexamijled. 



