JURISDICTIONAL RIGHTS IN BERING SEA. 267 



Russian Aineriiiaii Companv was at an end are tliiivS described in Ban- 

 croft's "History of Alaska:'" 



* * * " lu tlie variety and extent of its operations," tleclare the members of the 

 Imperial Council, "no other company can compare with it. In addition to a commer- 

 cial and industrial mono2)oly, the Government has invested it with a portion of its 

 own powers in governing the vast and distant territory over wliich it now holds con- 

 trol. A change in this system would now be of doubtful benefit. To open our ports 

 111 all hioilcrfi jirinnisciioiis]// would he d. dmlh blow to ilw, fur trade, Avliile the Government, 

 having transferred to tlie company tlie (•ontr<dof the colonies, could not now resume 

 it without great expense and trouble, and would have to create new financial re- 

 sources ibr such a pur])ose." 



The Inii)erial Council, it will be seen, did not besitate to call tbe Rus- 

 sian American Conii)any (t monopoly, wliicb it could not bave been if 

 Lord Salisbury's construction of tbe treaty was correct. Nor did tbe 

 Council feel any doubt tliat to (>i)en tbe ports of tbe Bebring Sea " to all 

 bunters i)romiscuously would be a deatb blow to tbe fur trade." 



Bancroft says furtlier: 



* * * This opinion of the Imperial Council, together witli a charter defining 

 the ]»rivileges and duties of the company, was delivered to tlie Czar and received 

 his signature on the 11th of Octoljer, 1844. The new charter did not differ in its 

 m-iin features from that of 1821, though the boundary was, of course, changed in 

 accordance with the English and American treaties. None of the company's rights 

 Avere curtailed, and the additional privileges were granted of trading witli certain 

 ports in China and of shipping tea direct from China to St. Petersburg. 



Tbe Russia American Company was tbus cbartered for a tbird period 

 ot twenty years, and at tbe end of tbe time it was fimnd tbat tbe gross 

 recei])ts amounted to 7r),77(),(>0() rubles, a minor part of it from tbe tea 

 trade. T]u>, exi)ens(^s of administration were very large. Tbe sbare- 

 bolders received dividends to tlie aniount of 10,210,000 rubles — about 

 000 per cent for tlie wbole period, or 45 per cent per annum on tbe 

 original capital. At tlie tiine tbe tliird period closed, in 1862, tbe Rus- 

 sian Government saw an opportunity to sell Alaska, and refused to 

 continue tbe clnirter of tbe company. Agents of tbe United States 

 bad initiated iiegotiations for tbe transfer of Alaska as early as 1850. 

 Tbe company continued, practically, bowever, to exercise its monopoly 

 until 1807, wben Alaska was sold by Russia to tbe United States. Tbe 

 enormous ])rotits of tbe Russian American Comj)any in tbe fur trade 

 of tbe Bebring Sea continued under tbe Russian flag for more tban forty 

 years after tbe treaties of 1824 and 1825 bad been concluded. And 

 yet Lord Salisbury contends tbat during tbis long i^eriod of exceptional 

 profits from tbe fur trade Great Britain and tbe United States bad as 

 good a rigbt as Russia to take i)art in tbese bigbly lucrative ventures. 



American and Englisb sbips in goodly numbers during tbis wbole 

 period ainiually visited and traded on tbe Kortbwest Coast on tbe Pa- 

 cific Ocean. And yet, of all tbese vessels of tbe United States and 

 (xreat Britain, not one ever sougbt to disturb tbe fur fisberies of tbe 

 Bering Sea or along its coasts, citlier of tbe continent or of tbe islands. 

 So tar as known, it is believed tbat neitber American nor Englisb sbips 

 ever attempted to take one fur-seal at tbe Pribilof Islands or in tbe 

 open waters of tbe Bebring Sea during tbat period, Tbe 100-mile limit 

 was for tbe preservation of all tbese fur animals, and tbis limit was 

 observed for tbat purpose by all tbe maritime nations tbat sent vessels 

 to tbe Bebring waters. 



Can anyone believe it to be possible tbat tbe maritime, adventurous, 

 gain-loving people of tbe United States and of Great Britain could bave 

 bad sucb an inviting field oi)en to tbem for forty years and yet not one 

 sbip of eitber nation enter tbe Bebring Sea to compete witb tbe Bus- 



