THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY. 35 



in placing the fur trade of tlie Colonies under 

 the control of a single powerful organization/ 

 This was accomplished in 1799, in which year chartered iu 

 a ukase was issued, creating the ''Russian Amer- 

 ican Company" and containing its first charter.^ 



This ukase invested it with special and exclu- its rights and 



^ privileges under 



sive privileges for a period of twenty years on ^"^^^ charter. 



the shores of northwestern America between 



latitude 55° N. and Bering Strait, on the 



Aleutian Islands, the Kurile Islands, and the 



islands of the Northeastern or Bering Sea. To 



it was reserved the exclusive right to all products 



of the chase and of commerce in those regions; 



and it was specially authorized to take possession 



on behalf of the Imperial Government of newly 



discovered countries, both to the north and to the 



south of latitude 55° on the coast of America. 



It was authorized to establish agencies within 



and without the empire, and to use a seal and 



and a flag bearing the Imperial coat of arms. Its 



chief place of business, Avhich was originally at 



Irkutsk, was soon transferred to St. Petersburg, 



where its shareholders, none of whom were 



allowed to be foreigners, embraced members of 



the Imperial family and the high nobility. 



1 Vivien de Snint-Martiii, vol. I, p. 56, 



2 Vol. I, p. 14. 



