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privileges of the government of Russia, as will enable our fish¬ 
ing vessels to visit the harbors of its possessions, to the end 
that fuel, water and provisions may be obtained ; that our sick 
and disabled fishermen may obtain sanitary assistance ; together 
with the privilege of taking and curing fish and repairing vessels 
in need of repairs. Your memorialists further request that the 
Secretary of the Treasury be instructed to forward to the Col¬ 
lector of Customs of this, Puget Sound district, such fishing- 
license, abstract journals and log-books, as will enable our hardy 
fishermen to obtain the bounties now paid to the fishermen in 
the Atlantic States. Your memorialists finally pray your Ex¬ 
cellency to employ such ships as may be spared from the Pacific 
naval fleet in surveying the fishing banks known to navigators 
to exist from the Cortez Bank to Behring Strait.” 
This memorial, written by a fisherman in behalf of the fishing 
industry on the north-east coast, passed both branches of our 
territorial legislature with commendable unanimity and dispatch. 
In forwarding a copy of the above named memorial to the Sec¬ 
retary of State, we imparted such information touching the 
fisheries around the Russian possessions, and the impulse which 
the opening of those resources to our fishermen would impart to 
the commercial development on the north-west coast. In ac¬ 
knowledging our humble services the illustrious secretary assured 
us that “ in cosummating the recent purchase, I was strongly 
fortified by the letters which you wrote to me touching the valu¬ 
able fisheries in those waters.” The New York Times of April 
1st, 1867, (the acknowledged organ of Secretary Seward,) said, 
“ that a memorial from the Territorial Legislature of Washington 
Territory, dated January, 1866, asking the President to obtain 
certain rights for the fishermen, was the foundation of the 
present treaty.” 
On the eighteenth of October, 1867, the transfer of this vast 
territory from Russia to the United States was oflicially con¬ 
summated by the respective commissioners of the two govern¬ 
ments, at Sitka, in the presence of the Russian population, who 
cheerfully welcomed the few Americans there also present. The 
union has been very cheerfully accepted by the people of the 
territory. Our government, on assuming possession, found 
numerous adventurers from the Pacific States domiciled in 
various parts of the territory engaged in trade and in developing 
the resources in those regions ; vessels laden with ware entered 
