APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 425 



for all the legitimate objects which Eussia could have in view, and quite 

 as much as she could pretend to with any shadow of real claim or justice. 



So far, however, from this being the case, my amended proposal was 

 met at our next Conference by observations which I again requested 

 might be reduced to writing, and which will be found in the inclosed 

 paper (Inclosure 3). 



As, in this pai>er, ])arts of the main continent to which Eussia 

 54 cannot by i30ssibility have ever acquired any claim, and of which 

 Great Britain is at this moment actually inpartial occupation, are 

 offered to His Majesty in the light of concessions, it became necessary 

 for me to reject any such otters as a boon in the most exxDlicit terms, 

 and you will find that I have not tailed to do so in the inclosed paper 

 (Inclosure 4), with which 1 replied to the paper in question. 



As, however, I felt strongly tlie importance of adjusting this business, 

 if possible, at the ])resent moment, and as I felt also that, although the 

 Eussian Plenipotentiaries had, in consequence of my former remarks, 

 agreed to waive altogether all question of national dignity in discuss- 

 ing it. His Imperial Majesty might yet possibly feel an invincible repug- 

 nance to retract from the pretensions advanced by the Emjieror Paul 

 in the Charter given to the Eussian American Company in 171)9 (however 

 unacknowleged by other Powers such pretension might have been), I 

 thought that I should not act in opposition to the spirit at least of my 

 instructions if, in delerence to such a sentiment on the part of the 

 Emperor, and with a view to finish the business quickly, I ventured to 

 makeyet one other x)ropositi<ni which, while it saved this ])oint of dignity 

 to Eussia by giving to her the o5th degree of latitude as her boundary 

 upon the islands, might preserve also uninterrupted our access to the 

 Pacific Ocean, and secure to His Majesty the 50th degree of north lati- 

 tude as the British boundary upon the coast. 



The proposition by which I had hoped to effect these objects will also 

 be found in the paper (Inclosure 4), in delivering which I gave it 

 clearly to be understood that it contained my ultinuite proposition. 



It was not till the day before yesterday, that is, nearly ten days after 

 I had given in this paper, that I was invited to another Conference, 

 when I was informed that the Imperial Government had, after anxious 

 consideration, taken their final decision, and that they must continue 

 to insist upon the demarcation as described by them in the first paper 

 (Inclosure 1). 



Finding this to be the case, I repeated that I had already gone far 

 beyond the utmost limit of my instructions, and that I was sorry to say 

 that I must now consider our negotiations as necessarily suspended, so 

 far at least as the question of territorial demarcation was concerned. 



Count Nesselrode then inquired whether I should object to transmit 

 to my Court the final decision of himself and M. Poletica as it is 

 declared in the inclosed paper (Inclosure 5), and whether I did not 

 think that His Majesty's Government, seeing how slight our disagree- 

 ment was, might not be dis])osed to furnish me with such further instruc- 

 tions as would enable me to meet the views of the Eussian Government, 

 informing me, at the same time, that it was intended to acquaint Count 

 Lieven by the courier, who is to be dispatched to-night to London, with 

 the course which the negotiation had taken, and to instruct him to 

 hold some conversation with you upon the subject. 



I told Count Nesselrode that I should of course feel it to be my duty 

 to transmit this and all other papers connected with the negotiation to 

 you without loss of time, but that I could not by any means take upon. 



