PERIOD FROM 1825 TO 1867. 67 



Under date of June 20, 1861, the chief man- Fnrtiicr instmc- 



tions as to cvuis- 



ager of the Colonies wrote to Benzeman, of the i"g- 

 Im|jerial navy, commanding- the steamer Alex- 

 ander the Second, in part, as follows : "It has 

 come to my knowledge that in the present year 

 two whaling vessels have sailed from San Fran- 

 cisco for the purpose of trading on the Pribilof 

 Islands or of hunting in their vicinity. Conse- 

 quently I would suggest that during your j)res- 

 ence in those waters you will exercise the duties 

 of an armed cruiser, to prevent any unlawful 

 acts on the part not only of these vessels, but of 

 any others which you may find in Bering Sea."^ 



Lastly, there was issued from Sitka in the vear rrociaTnation of 



, . . " 1864 as to trade iu 



1864 the following proclamation : "It is hereby i^"«s'ii'^ territory 



aud waters. 



proclaimed to all whom it may concern, that if 

 any person or persons after reading these pres- 

 ents does not immediately abandon Russian ter- 

 ritory or waters, or if they continue forbidden 

 trade or traffic, they shall be seized immediately 

 upon the arrival of the first Russian vessel upon 

 the scene of their illegal transactions and taken 

 for trial to New Archangel (Sitka); and all goods, 

 as well as the vessel found in possession of such 

 persons, shall be confiscated."^ 



1 Vol. I, p. 74. 



2 Vol. I, p. 80. 



