436 THE ALASKAN BOUNDARY 



Portland Channel as far as the point of the continent where it 

 strikes the 56° of north latitude." The United States holds 

 that under this provision the line starting from the extremity 

 of Prince of Wales island shall enter the broad, deep, and usually 

 navigated opening of Portland canal or channel and pass up to 

 its head, and thence on the continent to the 56° of latitude. 

 The present contention of Great Britain is understood to be 

 that the line from the extremity of Prince of Wales island 

 should enter the tortuous and narrow channel now known on 

 the British admiralty and American charts as Pearse canal, and 

 thence up Portland canal to the 56° of latitude, thus placing 

 Wales, Pearse, and a few small islands in British territory. 



The second portion of the line in dispute is described in the 

 treat}' as follows : 



" From this last- mentioned point [the 56° above the head of Portland 

 canal] the line of demarcation shall follow the summit of the mountains 

 situated parallel to the coast as far as the point of intersection of the 141° 

 of west longitude. . . . Whenever the summit of the mountains 

 which extend in a direction parallel to the coast . . . shall prove to 

 be at the distance of more than 10 marine leagues from the ocean, the 

 limit between the British possessions and the strip of coast which is to 

 belong to Russia, as above mentioned, shall be formed by a line parallel 

 to the sinuosities of the coast, and which shall never exceed the distance 

 of 10 marine leagues therefrom." 



This language of the treaty presupposes that there existed a 

 defined mountain chain, to repeat its terms, '' situated parallel 

 to the coast " or " which extend in a direction parallel to the 

 coast; " but the surveys of the region made since the territory 

 of Alaska was ceded to the United States have established the 

 fact that there is no such defined chain or watershed within 10 

 marine leagues of the sinuosities of the coast except at two 

 points, namely, White and Chilkoot passes ; hence the United 

 States claims that the boundary of the strip is placed 10 marine 

 leagues from the coast at all points except at White and Chil- 

 koot passes, and that the strip is an unbroken belt of territory 

 on the mainland, following the sinuosities of the coast around 

 the inlets of the sea. On the other hand, the British claim is 

 that the line from the 56° runs directly to the coast and follows 

 the mountains nearest to the outer shore line and crosses not 

 less than ten or twelve arms of the sea or inlets, thus breaking 

 the strip of mainland into as many different sections, and trans- 

 ferring all the water of the bays and inlets to the British pos- 

 sessions (see map No. 12.) 



