384 



APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN, 



that, iu such an extent of coast, some i^racticable communication with 

 the sea will be discovered which would save the expensive transport of 

 goods and furs through tlie interior of America. 



A direct communciation by sea is found to be advantageous in the 

 country to the south of NewCaledouia situated on the various branches 

 of the Columbia Eiver, where this Company have extensive trading- 

 Establishments extending to the head waters of that river in the Rocky 

 Mountains, and the same advantages would be derived from a direct 

 communication by sea Avith New Caledonia. 



This Comj^any has trading Establishments also iuMcKenzie's River, 

 which falls into the Frozen Ocean as far north as 6i\° 30' north latitude, 

 which carry on a trade with those Indians who inhal)it the country to 

 the west of that river and to the north of 60° of north latitude, and who, 

 from the nature of the country, can communicate more easily with 

 McKeuzie's Eiver than with the trading posts in New Caledonia. 



I have thus given a brief outline of the British trading stations on 

 the north-west coast of America, and I feel confident that His Majesty's 

 Government will take the proper measures for protecting the interests 

 of this Company and of tlie British fur trade in that quarter of the 

 world. 



I have, &c. 



(Signed) J. H. Pelly, Beauty Governor^ 



[Inclosure iu No. 13.] 

 Memorandum, 



The grounds on wMch the Russian Gov- 

 ernmeut claim the whole north-west coast 

 of America from Behring's Straits to the 

 51st degree north latitude, are detailed in 

 a correspondence which took place at 

 Washington iu the months of Fehruary, 

 March, and April, 1822, hetween the 

 American Government and the Russian 

 Amhassador, the Chevalier Pierre de 



Politica. 

 19 1. The discoveries made by the 



Russians during the reign of JPcter 

 the First, 



2. The discoveries made by Behring and 

 Tchiricoii' iu 1741, during tlie reign of the 

 Empress Anne and the Map published by 

 the Imperial Academy in 1758, the result 

 of the labours of the Academicians who 

 accompanied the expedition, viz., Miiller, 

 Steller, Fischer, De I'Isle do la Crayere, 

 Krasilnicoll, Asc. 



It does not appear that any discov- 

 eries were made during the reign . , . 

 though this Monarch formed uiauy plans 

 for discoveries. 



The Empress Catherine, however, in 

 conformity to her deceased husband's in- 

 structions, ordered an expedition to be 

 fitted out in 1728, and gave the connnand 

 of it to Vitus Behriiig, a Dane by birth, 

 who ascertained the separation of the 

 two continents as high as 67^ on the coast 

 of Asia; in the following year he made au 

 attempt to discover the coast of America, 

 but was unsuccessful, and Irom this period 

 no attempts at discovery were made till 

 the year 1741. (See Coxe's account of 

 Russian discoveries.) 



Miiller, who gives an account of this 

 voyage, and who is the authority on which 

 the Russian Government relies, states, 

 "That lichriug came in sight of land in 

 58° 28' north latitude, and 'i'chiricoft" in 

 latitude 56. That Behring did not land 

 oil the mainland . . . but sent a boat 

 ou shore for water on a large island." 



