OEAL ARGUMENT OF JAMES C. CARTER, ESQ. 89 



At a later period, Eussian navigators also explored the region south 

 of the pen insula of Alaska, and down as far, certainly, as the 54th degree 

 of latitude, and as the Russian authorities at the time claimed, down 

 as far as the 51st degree of latitude ; along this coast (here indicating on 

 the map), which I call the Northwest Coast. When I speak of the 

 "Northwest Coast", without saying more, I mean that particular coast 

 south of the 60th degree of North latitude, and extending down over 

 the whole of the Russian possessions, and of British America. 



A few words as to the characteristics of those regions. In the first 

 place, they were one and all absolutely incapable of agriculture. No 

 such pursuit was possible upon them. In the next place, they were at 

 that time almost uninhabited. Scattered tribes of natives, Esquimaux, 

 were to be found nearly as high up as the Bering Straits; and I sup- 

 pose, also, at other places farther South. Some of the Aleutian Islands 

 were inhabited by native races called Aleutians, and this more southern 

 shore and the islands were inhabited to a still greater extent by several 

 different tribes of Indians. On the Siberian coast there were very few 

 inhabitants, I mean in its more Northern parts. 



As tliere were no agricultural products, we may ask what other prod- 

 ucts were there. They were rich in one thing, and in only one thing, 

 and that was fur-bearing animals. There were sea otters, seals, and 

 many other animals, valuable for their skins, and at this early period, 

 that was substantially the only product of these whole regions which 

 was of any value to man. Subsequently, of course, fisheries were devel- 

 oped; but at that early period there was no product of these regions 

 valuable to man except animals, which were valuable on account of their 

 skins. 



How could this sole product of that region be gathered and turned 

 to human liuri^oses? It was only by employing the instrumentality of 

 the natives who were from time to time engaged in the pursuit of these 

 animals, and visiting them upon frequent, or upon stated, occasions for 

 the purpose of taking such store of the skins as they had previously 

 gathered, and giving by way of exchange and return such articles as 

 the natives might be in need of. That was the only way in which the 

 only product of these regions could be turned to human account; and 

 that involved the necessity of having trading establishments at various 

 points along the coast, and the furnishing of a certain number of vessels 

 sufficient to carry the subjects of the commerce backwards and forwards. 

 It required, also, the protecting arm of the Russian Government to 

 defend the trading establishments thus formed. Such establishments 

 were principally — and the largest of them — on the islands and shore 

 of this Northwest Coast. There is where the most important of them 

 were first placed. There was at an early period at least one establish- 

 ment as high to the northward as where the pointer rests now (indicat- 

 ing on map), and perhaps others along that coast; but as I now remem- 

 ber, I think not at that very early period. The Pribilof Islands were 

 not inhabited for a very considerable time after their discovery. They 

 were uninhabited when found. The i)opulation finally inhabiting them 

 was carried thither from some of the Aleutian Islands. 



Let me, in the next place, remark that according to the ideas of that 

 age and of that time, prior discovery gave to a nation the right and 

 title to the new regions which it had discovered. Ever since the dis- 

 covery of Columbus had revealed to the European nations the existence 

 of a new world, the ambitions of the different nations of the world, or 

 of many of the different nations of the world, were greatly excited in 

 turning these various discoveries to account. There were likely to be, 



