158 DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE. 



The majority of tiie members of the committee could not but observe, 

 on the one hand, that, as the Russian American Company has founded 

 many settlements in the said latitude, Article 2 of the treaty of April 

 5-17 gives it the desired security on this subject; that even if it had 

 simply organized hunting and fishing in those regions it is extremely 

 doubtful whether American subjects would undertake the expense 

 necessary for voyages to those northern latitudes, in which they can 

 enjoy their privileges for only ten years, and whether in that case they 

 would expose themselves to dangerous competition and would visit 

 those waters for hunting and fishing, where they had long been antici- 

 pated by the compauy, as there would be little hope for them of indem- 

 nifying themselves for their expenses and losses. 



But seeing, on the other hand, that the restrictions stated in the 

 the opinion of the Minister of Finance and of State Councilor Drushinin 

 put an end to all the complaints of the American Compauy, the ma- 

 jority of the members of the committee have found it necessary to in- 

 vestigate the nature of those restrictions, in order to ascertain how 

 far it is possible to insist upon them without prejudice to the rights 

 and advantages accruing from the treaty of April 5-17. 



As the proposed restrictions refer to two chief points lying under 

 different parallels of latitude, namely : 



First. To Yakutat (Bering's) Bay, under parallel 59° 30'. 



Second. To Cross Bay or Sound (Cross Sound) under parallel 57° — 

 the American Company desires that subjects of the United States may 

 not be permitted to hunt or fish in those bays; therefore, the majority 

 of the members of the committee resolve : 



That, as regards the first of these points (Bering's Bay), it lies in a 

 latitude where the rights of Russia have never formed a subject of 

 dispute, and that this important circumstance permits us to include it 

 in the general declaration concerning the Aleutian Islands and the 

 other northern places. 



That, as regards the second (Cross Sound), however, as it lies under 

 the fifty- seventh degree of north latitude, and consequently within the 

 limits of those islands and regions to which Russia's right of sover- 

 eignty has been disputed, it is impracticable to apply the same rule or 

 to base the claim, of which it must be the subject, on any other satis- 

 factory proof. 



That apart from this, in order to exhaust all the measures showing 

 the care of the Government of His Imperial Majesty for the interests 

 of the Russian American Company, it is still possible to instruct Gen. 

 Tuyll to use every effort to persuade the Washington Cabinet that, by 

 accepting this restriction relating to Cross Sound, it will prevent all 

 unpleasant collisions between the subjects of the two powers. That 

 Gen. Tuyll must not, however, make this last proposition until he is 

 convinced that it will be accepted, and that it will not deter the Gov- 

 ernment of the United States from ratifying the treaty of April 5-17. 



This resolution was unanimously adopted by all the members of the 

 committee. 



St. Petersburg, July 21, 1824. 



Nesselrode. 

 G. L. Kankrin. 

 Speransky. 

 Dri shinin. 

 Pole tic a. 



