THE ALASKAN BOUNDARY 447 



to the Hudson's Bay Company the strip of territory on. the main- 

 land and " all the hays, inlets, estuaries, rivers, or lakes in that 

 line of coast " secured to Russia under the treaty, in considera- 

 tion of the abandonment or satisfaction of the claim for damages 

 on account of the Dryad, and also of an annual payment by the 

 Hudson's Bay Company.* This lease was approved by both the 

 Russian and British governments, and in accordance with its 

 terms the Hudson's Bay Company entered upon and occupied 

 the strip of territory, and at the expiration of the term of years 

 stated the lease was, with the approval of the two governments, 

 extended for another like term, and afterwards prolonged to 

 about 1865. 



The plenipotentiary on behalf of Great Britain and the Hud- 

 son's Bay Company who negotiated and signed this lease was 

 Sir George Simpson, governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, 

 who had assumed that office five years before the treaty of 1825. 

 He was fully conversant with the negotiations, and, as he testified 

 before the Parliamentary committee, was familiar with theleased 

 strip of territory, having traveled over it in the course of his 

 duties as governor. The language of the lease is sufficiently ex- 

 plicit as to the particular territory and waters to which it applied, 

 but we have in addition an authoritative ocular proof of what 

 land and water this lease embraced. 



In 1857 a select committee of the House of Commons of the 

 British Parliament was appointed " to consider the state of those 

 British possessions in North America which are under the admin- 

 istration of the Hudson's Bay Company, or over which they 

 possess a license to trade." t Among the members of this com- 



* Tin' following is a copy of article I of the lease : 



"Artk m: I. It is agi 1 that the Russian American Company, having the sanction of 



the Russian government to that effect,- shall cede or lease to the Hudson's Bay Com- 

 pany For h terra of ten years, commencing from the 1st of June, 1840, for commercial 

 purposes, the coast (exclusive of the islands) and the interior con n try belonging to 

 Ih- Majesty the Emperor of Russia., situated between Cape Spencer, forming the 



thwesl headland of the entrance of ( Iross son ml and latitude 54° 40' or thereabouts, 



Bay the whole mainland coast and interior country belonging to Russia, together with 

 Hi'' fri'i' iia\ igation and trade of tin' waters of that roast and interior country situated 

 to the southward and eastward of a supposed line to he drawn from the said Cape 

 Spencer to Mount Fairweather, with the sole and entire trade or commerce thereof, 

 and t hat the Russian American ( lompany shall abandon all and every station and trad- 

 ing establishment they now occupy on that coast, and in the interior country already 

 described, and shall nol form any station or trading establishment during the said 

 terra often years, nor semi their officers, servants, vessels, or craft of any description 

 for the purposes Of trade into any of the hays, inlets, estuaries, rivers, or lakes in that 

 line of coast and in that interior country." ( Russian archives, Department of State.) 



t Report from the Select Commit! hi the Hudson's Bay Compan y, etc. Ordered by 



the Hou-c ot t ominous to be printed : si July and 1 1 August, 1857, p. 2. 



