ALASKA. 
9 
America, as it was then called, was concluded March 30, 1867. 
The sum of $7,000,000 was originally agreed upon; but when it 
was understood that there was a fur company and also an ice 
company enjoying monopolies under the existing government, it 
was thought best that these should be extinguished; and the 
United States added $200,000 to the purchase money, in consid¬ 
eration of which the Russian Government formally declared the 
cession of the territory to be free of all incumbrances. 
Although there is no record of official correspondence on the 
matter, the eastern boundary line appears to have been the subject 
of informal consultation between the United States and Great 
Britain soon after the territory was annexed. In his annual mes¬ 
sage to Congress, December 2, 1872, President Grant recom¬ 
mended the appointment of a joint commission to determine the 
line; but no action upon the matter was taken by Congress. On 
May 17, 1886, President Cleveland transmitted to Congress 
copies of correspondence on the question between Secretary 
Bayard and Minister Phelps, and recommended the appropriation 
of $100,000 for making a preliminary survey of the frontier terri¬ 
tory. During the winter of 1887-88, informal conferences were 
held in Washington between Prof. W. H. Dali, of the United 
States Geological Survey, and Dr. George M. Dawson, both 
authorities on the Territory of Alaska, but the conferences led to 
no result. On August 20, 1895, Lord Gough inquired of Secre¬ 
tary Olney if a joint surveyor could not be appointed to act with 
Mr. William Ogilvie, who was then about to survey the intersec¬ 
tion of the one hundred and forty-first meridian and the Yukon 
River. The Acting Secretary of State asked if the proposed 
survey could not be delayed until Congress had had an opportunity 
to consider the question. This suggestion was transmitted to the 
Canadian government, which answered that the season was so far 
advanced that it would not be possible to communicate with Mr. 
Ogilvie before the next summer, when a considerable portion of 
