THE ALASKAN BOUNDARY 431 



that the Emperor's final decision was " that they must continue, 

 to insist upon the demarcation as described by them," he an- 

 nounced that lie should " consider the negotiations as necessa- 

 rily suspended," and they were accordingly broken off.* 



Count Nesselrode sent to the Russian ambassador in London 

 an account of the negotiations and their abrupt termination, a 

 copy of which was handed to Secretary Canning. In this re- 

 port he insists that Russia had gone to the extreme of liberality 

 in its concessions to Great Britain. These were, first, an agree- 

 ment to disavow the maritime jurisdiction ; second, to yield its 

 claim to territory from latitude 51° to 54° 40' ; third, to grant 

 free access to the British posts in the interior by the rivers which 

 may cross the Russian strip on the mainland; and, fourth, to 

 open Sitka to British trade. The count, after showing that his 

 country was only seeking to hold what its enterprise had gained, 

 and, contrasting the spirit of the two nations, " we wish to keep 

 and the English company wish to obtain," referred to the point 

 upon which the negotiations were broken off — the strip of terri- 

 tory on the mainland — and impressed upon the ambassador the 

 necessity which impelled the Emperor to insist upon it, and 

 then made the following emphatic declaration : " Russia cannot 

 stretch her concessions further. She will make no others, and 

 she is authorized to expect some concessions on the part of 

 England." t 



The expectations of Russia were not to be disappointed, for 

 in the month following Secretary Canning informed the Rus- 

 sian ambassador in London that Sir Charles Bagot would be 

 instructed " to admit, with certain qualifications, the terms last 

 proposed by the Russian government." The qualifications re- 

 lated to the width "of the strip of land required by Russia on 

 the continent," to the boundary in the vicinity of Mt St Elias, 

 and the free use of the rivers, seas, straits, and waters which the 

 limits assigned to Russia would comprehend. t In his instruc- 

 tions to Sir Charles Bagot, Secretary Canning said : " There are 

 two points which are left to be settled by Your Excellency : " 

 the first, " the eastern boundary of the strip of land to be oc- 

 cupied by Russia on the coast," and, second, the right of resort- 

 ing to the territory and waters conceded to Russia. \ 



The second negotiations were mainly confined to the second 

 point. In the interval a treaty had been signed between Russia 

 and the United States, whereby the latter had secured the right 



* lb., Air,. f lb., 401. t H>., 432. \ Hi., 433. 



