THE UKASE OF 1821. 43 



edict upon the coasts and waters of Bering- Sea,^]^['^^l?^ n^nse of 



i o 1799 ioreio-u ves- 



and the Aleutian Ishmds was to strengthen and J^^;; j;;;*,;;*^™;**<?;J 

 confirm the jurisdiction theretofore exercised by '^'^^"^"^ ''^^^• 

 Russia, and this is made clearly to appear from 

 the official documents of that period. 



On April 9, 1820, the Russian Imperial Min- Request of Min- 



ister of Finance in 



ister of Finance, upon a report of a committee of 1820 and 1821 tJiat 



cruisers be dis- 



ministers appointed by the Emperor to obtain patched to protect 



•^ ^ Company's inter- 



information respecting the Russian American ^^^^ ^^ Bering Sea. 

 Colonies, from which report it appeared that 

 illicit visits of foreign vessels to Alaskan waters 

 were being made, addressed an official commu- 

 nication to the Imperial Minister of Marine, in 

 which, after referring to this report, he states 

 that " it appears of the most imperative necessity 

 for the preservation of our sovereignty in the 

 northwestern part of America and on the islands 

 and waters situated between them, to maintain 

 there continuously two ships of the Imperial 

 fleet." He suggests that these two vessels should 

 be dispatched during that year, one to cruise from 

 Sitka westward and northward, and after " hav- 

 ing thoroughly examined the shores of the Aleu- 

 tian Islands, the coast of Kamchatka, the Kurile 

 Islands and the intervening waters," to winter in 

 Petropavlovsk on the Asiatic coast. '^ The other 

 ship, however, (sailing from Petropavlovsk), hav- 

 ing examined the eastern coast of the Kamchatka 



