68 RUSSIAN CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO 



:so. 14. 



Abstract of communication from Count Nesselrode^ Minister of Foreign 

 Affairs, to the Minister of Finance. Written from 8t. Petersburg A wjust 

 18, 1824. 



I consider it my duty to inform your Excellency that His Imperial 

 Majesty lias most *iraciously deigned to agiee fully and eoini)letely 

 witli the opinion of the majority of the members of the committee ap- 

 pointed by His Majesty to consider the interests of the liussian Amer- 

 ican Company in connection with the convention of April 5/17 of this 

 yeai', in which opinion your Excellency has also been i)leased to concur. 



Consequently I hereby forward a copy of the proceedings of the com- 

 mittee, and I have the honor to inform you, most gracious sir, that 

 instructions have already been forwarded to our ambasT^ador in con- 

 formity with the conclusions reached by the mend)ers of the c(mimittee. 



I must iu)t onnt to add also a coi)y of my humble opinion on the 

 complaints of the Russian American Company presented to His Maj- 

 esty at your Excellency's request. 



I flatter myself with the thought that these documents will convince 

 you, most gracious sir, as well as the board of administration of the 

 Eiussian American Company, that it is His Majesty's firm determina- 

 tion to iirotect the company's interests in the catch and preservation of 

 all nuirine animals, and to secure to it all the advantages to which it 

 is entitled under the charter and privileges. 



[Inclosiire.[ 



Proceedings of the conference held July 21, 1824. 



Count Nesselrode oi^ened the conference by a detailed ex])lanation of 

 the present status of the business most graciously submitted to the con- 

 sideration of the committee by His Majesty the ]^]mperor. He referred 

 to the paragraphs or articles of the agreement concluded with the Minis- 

 ter of the United States concerning the Northwest coast of America, 

 and also to the representations made and protests presented against 

 this act by the Kussian American Company in two connnunications 

 submitted to the Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Eoreign 

 Affairs. Einally he submitted a project which had been presented for 

 discussion in the name ot his Excellency Lieut. Gen. Kaidcrin, inclosing 

 also the reply from the Minister of Foreign Affairs to the above-men- 

 tioned representations. This project, having been submitted to His 

 Majesty the Emperor, has met with highest approval. At His Majesty's 

 wish the matter was now laid before the members of the committee for 

 their consideration. 



During the reading of these papers, to which was added a copy 

 of the two letters of the Eussian American Company, the members 

 directed their greatest attention to the causes, reasons, and risks, as 

 explained by the Company, as well as the reasoning which had led to 

 the conclusion of the convention, together with the statement of the 

 plenipotentiary of the Washington cabinet. Due attention was also 

 paid to the means pointed out by the Imperial ministers as most prac- 

 ticable and available to prevent evil conseiiuenccs and nnjiist dis])nte. 

 By a majority of votes the iiu'nd)ers of the committee agreed upon the 

 folU)wing: 



1. That the agreement of April 5/17 establishes for Hussia rights 



