COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 31 



One of the poiuts on which the Russian Plenipotentiaries 

 refused to yiekl was tlie proposal, embodied in Article V 

 of the British "Projet," in so far as it permitted British 

 subjects to visit, for a stated period, the gulfs, havens, and 

 creeks in places not already occupied on the north-west 

 coast of America from 60° north latitude to Behring- Straits. 

 This coast they declared to be the absolute and undisputed 

 territory of His Imperial Majesty, and they added that it 

 was not the intention of His Imperial Majesty to grant to 

 any Power whatever for any period of time the liberty 

 which was required. 



RUSSIA DOES NOT OBJECT TO BRITISH "PRO JET " ON 

 GROUND OF EXCEPTIONAL RIGHTS IN BEHRING SEA. 



But the stipulation for the free navigation of the high 

 seas, which m as afterwards embodied in Article I of the 

 Treaty, was not one of the points upon which differences 

 arose, and the Russian Plenipotentiaries do not appear 

 33 to have raised any objection to the British proposal, 

 on the ground that Russia possessed exceptional 

 rights over the non -territorial waters of Behring Sea. 



Article VI of their '• Contre-Projet" indicates that they 

 had no claim to exclude foreign vessels from waters south 

 of the Arctic Ocean and Behring Strait. This Article pur- 

 ports, as a concession, to waive any such rights in respect 

 of the last-mentioned ocean and strait, but Behring Sea is 

 not n'amed. 



Sir C Bagot, on the suspension of the negotiations, British casp, 

 reminded the Russian Plenipotentiaries that the claim to p.fr'J,7,'p^'G8!^'"' 

 maritime jurisdiction assumed by Russia in the Pacific, 

 Avhich he had hoped to see revoked in the simplest and 

 least unpleasant manner, by mixing it with a general adjust- 

 ment of other poiuts, remained, by the breaking oft" of the 

 negotiations, still unretracted; and that his Government 

 would i)robably be of opinion that, upon that part of the 

 question, some arrangement must nevertheless be entered 

 into. 



With reference to the sixth Article of the "Coutre- ibid. 

 Projet," he Avrote as follows: 



I gave the Russian Plenipotentiaries distinctly to nnderstand that 

 neitlier His Majesty's Government nor those of the other Maritime 

 Powers of the world wonld, as I thought, bo likely to accept the free 

 navigation of Behring Strait as a concession on the part of Russia. 



CONFERENCE OF RUSSIAN DIGNITARIES. 



In the United States Case great stress is laid upon the united statea 

 fact that Russia, after the execution of the Treaty with the ^'^^^' p- ^^• 

 United States, and before the conclusion of the Treaty with 

 Great Britain, sought to place an interpretation upon the 

 former Treaty which is not in accord with the interpreta- 

 tion now put ui)on it by Great Britain. This interpretation 

 is contained in a Report, dated the 21st July, 1824, of the 

 Conference of a Special Committee of certain Russian dig- . ^^^,^^l^^f2 ^°^' 

 nitaries, which Conference had been brought together for *' "^^ 

 the purpose of replying to certain questions raised by the 

 R ussian- American Company uj)on the Treaty. 



