45S ORAL ARGUMENT OF SIR RICHARD WEBSTER, Q. 0. M. P. 



eastern extremity of Asia. Beyond Behring Strait the shores of the two continents 

 recede from each other. The north coast of America lias been traced from Cape 

 Prince of Wales north eastward to Cajje Barrow. 



The relations of Beliring Sea to the Pacific Ocean are defined as fol- 

 lows in the ''Memoir": 



The part of the Pacific north of the Aleutain Islands which bathes those shores 

 is commonly distinguished as the Sea of Kamchatka, and sometimes as Behring Sea, 

 in honour of the Russian navigator of that name who first explored it. 



Then he refers to Cape Prince of Wales as follows: 



Cape Prince of Wales, the westernmost point of America, is the eastern pillar of 

 Behring Strait, a passage only 50 miles in width, separating that continent from Asia, 

 and forming the only direct communication between the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. 



The part of the Pacific called the Sea of Eamchatha, or Behring Sea, north of the 

 Aleutian chain, likewise contains several islands. 



In the year 1845 the Government of the United States sent Mr. 

 Greenhow's book "The History of Oregon and California and the other 

 territories of the Northwest Coast of America" to the Government of 

 Great Britain as being in some sense an official document, evidently 

 desiring it to be regarded as containing very accurate information. 

 We happen to have that original book here, the one which was sent at 

 that time; and it is at the service of any one of my friends or any one 

 of the Tribunal. It would simply be a matter of reading page alter 

 page and extract after extract in which you will find both the "'Pacific 

 Ocean" and the "Northwest Coast" are used by Mr. Greenhow in his 

 works as referring to the part of America extending right away from 

 about latitude 51° — perhaps a little lower than that; 50° would be 

 perhaps more correct — right away up into the Arctic Ocean. 



It does seem to me a little difficult for those who desire so to contend 

 that this indicates or supports the views that the Pacific Ocean was 

 commonly known as including Behring Sea. 



You will remember, Sir, that Lord Salisbury in his dispatch of the 

 21st February 1891 points out that it has been the constant practice all 

 over the world to call seas, bays and other parts of the ocean by local 

 names, and yet they may all be covered by the generic name which 

 covers the whole of it. There is a clear and important passage con- 

 tained on page 89 of part 2 of volume 3; but I will not trespass upon 

 your time by reading it at length. But Sir, it does appear to me a 

 little strange that the United States should raise this contention. 



The Tribunal here adjourned for a short time. 



Sir EiCHARD Webster. — Mr. President, a question was put to me 

 by Mr. Justice Harlan upon the maps, to which, perhaps, I ought to 

 refer only for one moment, just to show the impossibility of relying 

 upon matters of this kind without full examination. In page 205 of the 

 first volume of the United States Appendix will be found an extract 

 fi-om Mr. Blaine's letter with reference to the maps, and I refer to one 

 of them : 



English statesmen of the period when the treaties were negotiated had no com- 

 plete linowledge of all the geographical points involved. They linew that on the 

 map published in 1784 to illustrate the voyages of the most eminent English navi- 

 gator of the eighteenth century the Sea of Kamchatka appeared in absolute contra- 

 distinction to the Great South Sea or the Pacific Ocean. And the map, as shown by 

 the words on its margin was prepared by Lieut. Henry Roberts under the immediate 

 inspection of Captain Cook. 



If you will refer to the list of maps to which I was calling attention 

 before, namely, page 94 of the first volume of the Appendix to the 



