ALASKA. 



America, as it was then called, was concluded March 30, 1867. 

 The sum of $7,000,000 was originally agreed upon; but when it 

 was understood that there was a fur company and also an ice 

 company enjoying monopolies under the existing government, it 

 was thought best that these should be extinguished; and the 

 United States added $200,000 to the purchase money, in consid- 

 eration of which the Russian Government formally declared the 

 cession of the territory to be free of all incumbrances. 



Although there is no record of official correspondence on the 

 matter, the eastern boundary line appears to have been the subject 

 of informal consultation between the United States and Great 

 Britain soon after the territory was annexed. In his annual mes- 

 sage to Congress, December 2, 1872, President Grant recom- 

 mended the appointment of a joint commission to determine the 

 line; but no action upon the matter was taken by Congress. On 

 May 17, 1886, President Cleveland transmitted to Congress 

 copies of correspondence on the question between Secretary 

 Bayard and Minister Phelps, and recommended the appropriation 

 of $100,000 for making a preliminary survey of the frontier terri- 

 tory. During the winter of 1887-88, informal conferences were 

 held in Washington between Prof W. H. Dall, of the United 

 States Geological Survey, and Dr. George M. Dawson, both 

 authorities on the Territory of Alaska, but the conferences led to 

 no result. On August 20, 1895, Lord Gough inquired of Secre- 

 tary Olney if a joint surveyor could not be appointed to act with 

 Mr. William Ogilvie, who was then about to survey the intersec- 

 tion of the one hundred and forty-first meridian and the Yukon 

 River. The Acting Secretary of State asked if the proposed 

 survey could not be delayed until Congress had had an opportunity 

 to consider the question. This suggestion was transmitted to the 

 Canadian government, which answered that the season was so fiir 

 advanced that it would not be possible to communicate with Mr. 

 Ogilvie before the next summer, when a considerable portion of 



