270 APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



borrowed froin the Treaty between Russia and Great Britain in 1825, 

 establisliiiig" the relations between these two Powers on this continent. 

 It will be seen that this boundary is old; the rest is new. Startin.i^ 

 from the Frozen Ocean, the western boundary descends Behring Straits, 

 midway between tlie two islands of Krusenstern and liatmanov, to the 

 I)arallel of 65° 30', just below where the Continents of America and 

 Asia approach each other the nearest; and from this i^oint it proceeds 

 in a course nearly south-west through Beliring Straits, midway between 

 the Island of St. Lawrence and Cape Chonkotski, to the meridian of 

 172° west longitude, and thence, in a southwesterly direction, travers- 

 ing Behring Sea, midway between the Island of Attou on the east, and 

 Copper Island on the west, to the meridian of 193° west longitude, 

 leaving the prolonged group of the Aleutian Islands in the possessions 

 now transferred to the United States, and making the western bound- 

 ary of our country the dividing line which separates Asia from 

 America. 



Look at the map and see the configuration of this extensive region, 

 whose estimated area is more than 570,000 square miles. I speak by 

 the authority of our own Coast Survey. Including the Sitkan Archi- 

 pelago at the south, it takes a margin of the mainland, fronting on the 

 ocean 30 miles broad and 300 miles long, to Mount St. Elias, the highest 

 peak of the continent, when it turns with an elboAv to the west, and 

 then along Behring Straits northerly, when it rounds to the east along 

 the Frozen Ocean. Here are upwards of 4,000 statute miles of coast, 

 indented by capacious bays and commodious harbours without number, 

 embracing the Pejiinsula of Alaska, one of the most remarkable in the 

 world, 50 miles in breadth and 300 miles m length; piled with moun- 

 tains, many volcanic, and some still smoking; penetrated by navigable 

 rivers, one of which is among the largest of the world ; studded with 

 islands which stand like sentinels on the coast, and flanked by that 

 narrow Aleutian range which, starting from Alaska, stretches far away 

 to Japan, as if America were extending a friendly hand to Asia. This 

 is the most general aspect. There are details specially disclosing mar- 

 itime advantages and approaches to the sea, which properly belong to 

 this preliminary sketch. According to accurate estimates the coast- 

 line, including bays and islands, is not less than 11,270 miles. In the 

 Aleutian range, besides innumerable islets and rocks, there are not less 

 than fifty-five islands exceeding 3 nnles in length; there are seven 

 exceeding 40 miles, with Ouuinuik, which is the largest, exceeding 73 

 miles. In our part of Behring Sea there are five considerable islands, 

 the largest of which is St. Lawrence, being more than 90 miles long. 

 Add to all these the group south of the Peninsula of Alaska, including 

 the Shumagins and the magnificent Island of Kodiak, and then the 

 Sitkan group, being archipelago added to archipelago, and the whole 

 together constituting the geographical (;om])lement to the West Indies, 

 so that the north west of the continent answers archipelago for archi- 

 jielago to the south-east. 



DISCO VJ^RY OF RUSSIAN AMERICA BY BEIIRTNa, UNDER INSTRUC- 

 TIONS FROM PETER THE GREAT. 



The title of Eussia to all these possessions is derived from prior dis- 

 covery, which is the a<lniitted title by which all Euroi)ean I'owers have 



held in North and South America, unless we except what I<]ngland 

 44 ac([uired by con(|uest from France, but here the title of France 



was derived from prior discovery. liussia, shut up in a distant 



