including Lieutenant Barnard, an English officer of Her Majesty's ship "Enterprise," one of the ships engaged in "Encyclopæ dia Britannica," the expedition in search of Sir John Franklin. The vol. xix, p. 321. "Enterprise" passed Behring Strait on the 6th May, 1851. The United States whaling fleet is said to have been as numerous as in 1849.

The interval between the close of Tebenkof's adminis- Alaska, p. 586. tration and the beginning of that of Voievodsky was filled by the temporary appointment of Rosenburg and Rudakof. In 1852, buildings at the Hot Springs, near Sitka, were destroyed by the Indians.

Ibid., p. 574.

The value of catch of the whaling fleet in the North Ibid., p. 669. Pacific in this year is estimated at 14,000,000 dollars.

After 1852 the whaling industry gradually decreased.

In 1853, war impending between England and Russia, Ibid., p. 570. the Hudson's Bay and Russian-American Companies influenced their respective Governments to prohibit hostilities on the north-west coast of America.

Instruc

In the same year the Russian-American Company again Tikhmenieff. See Appendix, specially requested the Government to prohibit whalers vol. i, No. 5. from entering Okhotsk Sea, but without success. tions were, however, issued to Russian cruizers to prevent whalers from entering bays or gulfs, or from coming within 3 Italian miles of the shores.

Tikhmenieff gives the following details:

Some time before the Company had written to the Foreign Office (22nd March, 1853):

If it is found impracticable entirely to prohibit for a time fishing by Ibid. foreigners in the Sea of Okhotsk, as an inland sea, would it not, at any rate, be possible officially to prohibit whalers from coming close to our shores and whaling in the bays and among the islands, detaching one of the cruizers of the Kamtchatka flotilla for this service?

87

The instructions to cruizers were approved on the 9th December, 1853. The cruizers were to see that no whalers entered the bays or gulfs, or came within 3 Italian miles of the shores of Russian America (north of 54° 41'), the Peninsula of Kamtchatka, Siberia, the Kadjak Archipelago, the Aleutian Islands, the Pribilof and Commander Islands, and the others in Behring Sea, the Kuriles, Sakhalin, the Shantar Islands, and the others in the Sea of Okhotsk to the north of 46° 30' north. The cruizers were instructed constantly to keep in view that

Our Government not only does not wish to prohibit or put obstacles in the way of whaling by foreigners-in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, but allows foreigners to take whales in the Sea of Okhotsk, which, as stated in these instructions, is, from its geographical position, a Russian inland sea. (These words are in italics in the original.)

In 1854, 525 foreign whalers were in Behring Sea and its vicinity. In the same year Voievodsky was elected Governor for the Company.

In 1855, the Abo Whaling Company went into liquidation. In 1856, 366 foreign whalers were reported as in Behring Sea and vicinity.

Bancroft reports that in the year 1857—

Alaska, p. 584.
Ibid., p. 585.

Ibid., p. 585.
Ibid., p. 584.

Of the 600 or 700 United States whalers that were fitted out in 1857, Ibid., p. 668. at least one-half, including most of the larger vessels, were engaged

in the North Pacific,

including, of course, Behring Sea.

50th Cong., 2nd

Sess. Sen. Ex.

Captain Manuel Enos, of the United States barque Doc. No. 106, p. "Java," stated in 1867 that he had whaled unmolested in 251, Seward to the bays of Okhotsk Sea for seventeen years previously.

Clay, February

24, 1868. See Appendix, vol. ii, Part II, No. 12. See p. 114 of Case.

Alaska, p. 592.

Ibid., pp. 578,

579.

Ibid., p. 580.

In 1859, the cession of Alaska to the United States began to be discussed privately.

In 1860, the Russian-American Company applied for a new Charter for twenty years, to date from the 1st January, 1862, and Reports as to the condition of the Company were called for by the Government.

The Russian population of the American Colonies at this date, apparently including native wives, numbered 784: Creoles, 1,700; native population estimated at over 7,000. Alaska, p. 669. 88

tries of the

In 1862, the value of the catch of the North Pacific whaling fleet was estimated at 800,000 dollars. Fishery Indus- In 1863, the United States brig "Timandra" was engaged United States, in the cod fishery off Saghalien Island, Okhotsk Sea. sec. v, vol. i, P. succeeding years a number of vessels resorted to this sea for the cod fishery.

209.

Alaska, p. 579.

Ibid.

210.

Alaska, p. 580.

In

In 1864, Maksutof took temporary charge for the Russian Government of the Company's affairs.

In 1865, negotiations between the Russian Company and the Government continued, but terms such as the Company would accept could not be arrived at.

Fishery Indus. In the spring of this year, the "North Pacific cod-fish tries of the United States, fleet" was organized. It comprised seven vessels, all of sec. v, vol. i, p. which are believed to have fished in Okhotsk Sea. In 1866, the Russian Government still contemplated renewing the Company's Charter on certain terms. A Californian Company entered into treaty for a lease of the "coast strip" of Alaska, then held by the Hudson's Bay Company.

Fishery Industries of the

Eighteen vessels were engaged in the Okhotsk Sea cod United States, fishery. The "Porpoise" initiated the fishery in the Shusec. v, vol. i, P. magan Group, Alaska, finding there "safe harbours, fuel, water, and other facilities for prosecuting this business." Several British Columbian schooners also fished in Alaskan waters.

210.

Ibid., p. 210.

North American

In 1867, Alaska was sold by Russia to the United States for 7,200,000 dollars.

Nineteen United States vessels fished for cod in Okhotsk Sea or in Alaskan waters, the Shumagan fleet consisting of three vessels. The total catch amounted to nearly 1,000,000 fish.

"Philadelphia In 1867, before the cession of Alaska, the whaling interest dazette, " Fri- of the United States in these seas are thus referred to by a April 12, Philadelphia paper:

No.177, 2nd Sess., Our whaling interests are now heaviest in the seas adjacent to Rus40th Cong., p. 39. sian-America, both above and below Behring Strait.

Alaska, p. 669.

Ibid., p. 593

The value of the catch of the North Pacific whaling fleet was estimated at 3,200,000 dollars.

In 1868, the lease of the "coast strip" of Alaska to the Hudson's Bay Company by the Russian-American Company expired.

89

STATISTICS OF UNITED STATES WHALING

INDUSTRY.

NORTH PACIFIC GROUNDS, INCLUDING OKHOTSK AND BEHRING SEAS
AND ARCTIC OCEAN.)

tries of the

84-85.

The growth and decline of the whaling industry during "Fishery Indus. the years discussed in this chapter may be conveniently United States," illustrated by the following table, which shows the number sec. 5, vol. ii, pp. of United States vessels in the North Pacific whaling fleet from 1841 to 1867. It is taken from "The Fishery Industries of the United States," 1887, section 5, vol. ii, pp. 84-85.

The whaling vessels frequenting Behring Sea and the Ibid., p. 314. Arctic Ocean, from the first, engaged to a certain extent in walrus hunting, and about 1860 such hunting began to be an important secondary object with the whalers. In subsequent years many thousand barrels of walrus oil and great quantities of skins and ivory were secured. The facts stated in this chapter establish

90

That from the year 1821 to the year 1867 the rights of navigation and fishing in the waters of Behring Sea were freely exercised by the vessels of the United States, Great Britain, and other foreign nations, and were recognized as existing by Russia;

That the waters of Behring Sea were treated by Russia as being subject to the provisions of the Treaties of 1824 and 1825.

The Cession of 1867 and what passed by it.

The fourth question or point in Article VI of the Treaty is as follows:

Did not all the rights of Russia as to the jurisdiction and as to the seal fisheries in Behring Sea east of the water boundary, in the Treaty between the United States and Russia of the 30th March, 1867, pass unimpaired to the United States under that Treaty?

This question may conveniently be treated under the following heads, as proposed on p. 10:

(E). What rights passed to the United States under the Treaty of the 30th March, 1867.

(F). The Action of the United States and Russia from 1867 to 1886.

(G). The contentions of the United States since the year 1886.

HEAD (E).- What rights passed to the United States under the Treaty of March 30, 1867?

TEXT OF TREATY OF CESSION, 1867.

The following is the text of the Treaty of Cession of Alaska as signed:

United States Sa Majesté l'Empereur de Toutes les Russies et les États-Unis Statutes at Large, d'Amérique, désirant raffermir, s'il est possible, la bonne intelligence pp. 539-543. For English version, qui existe entre eux, ont nommeé, à cet effet, pour leurs plénipotenAppendix, tiaires, savoir:

see

No. 8.

vol. ii, Part III, Sa Majesté l'Empereur de Toutes les Russies, le Conseiller Privé Édouard de Stoeckl, son Envoyé Extraordinaire et Ministre Plénipotentiaire aux Etats-Unis; et

Le Président des États-Unis, le Sieur William H. Seward, Secrétaire d'État;

Lesquels, après avoir éxchagé leurs pleins pouvoirs, trouvés en bonne et due forme, ont arrêté et signé les articles suivants:

Sa Majesté l'Empereur de Toutes les Russies s'engage, par cette Convention, à céder aux États-Unis, immédiatement après l'éxchange des ratifications, tout le territoire avec droit de souveraineté actuellement possédé par Sa Majesté sur le Continent d'Amérique ainsi que les îles contigües, le dit territoire étant compris dans les limites géographiques ci-dessous indiquées, savoir: la limite orientale est la ligne de démarcation entre les possessions Russes et Britanniques dans l'Amérique du Nord, ainsi qu'elle est établie par la Convention conclue entre la Russie et la Grande-Bretagne, le 16 (28) Février, 1825, et définie dans les termes suivants des Articles III et IV de la dite Convention:

"A partir du point le plus méridional de l'Ile dite Prince of Wales, lequel point se trouve sous le parallèle du 54° 40' de latitude nord, et entre le 131me et le 133me degré de longitude ouest (méridien de Greenwich), la dite ligne remontera au nord le long de la passe dite Portland Channel, jusqu'au point de la terre ferme, où elle atteint le 56me degré de latitude nord; de ce dernier point la ligne de démarcation suivra la crête des montagnes situées parallèlement à la côte jusqu'au point d'intersection du 141me degré de longitude ouest (même méridien); et

finalement, du dit point d'intersection la même ligne méridienne du 141me degré formera dans son prolongement jusqu'à la Mer Glaciale la limite entre les possessions Russes et Britanniques sur le Continent de l'Amérique Nord-Ouest.

"Il est entendu, par rapport à la ligne de démarcation déterminée dans l'Article précédent:

"1°. Que l'île dite Prince of Wales appartiendra toute entière à la Russie: (mais dès ce jour en vertu de cette cession aux États-Unis).

"2°. Que partout où la crête des montagnes qui s'étendent dans une direction parallèle à la côte, depuis le 56me degré de latitude nord au point d'intersection du 141me degré de longitude ouest se trouverait à la distance de plus de 10 lieues marines de l'océan, la limite entre les possessions Britanniques et la lisière de côte mentionnée ci-dessus comme devant appartenir à la Russie (c'est-à-dire la limite des possessions cédées par cette Convention): 'sera formée par une ligne parallèle aux sinuosités de la côte et qui ne pourra jamais en être éloignée que de 10 lieues marines.'

La limite occidentale des territoires cédés passe par un point au Détroit de Behring sous le parallèle du soixante-cinquième degré trente minutes de latitude Nord à son intersection par le méridien qui sépare à distance égale les Iles Krusenstern ou Ignalook et l'Ile Ratmanoff ou Noonarbook, et remonte en ligne directe, sans limitation, vers le nord, jusqu'à ce qu'elle se perde dans la mer Glaciale. Commençant au même point de départ, cette limite occidentale suit de là

un cours presque sud-ouest, à travers le Détroit de Behring et 93 la Mer de Behring, de manière à passer à distance égale entre le

point nord-ouest de l'Ile Saint-Laurent et le point sud-est du cap Chonkotski jusqu'au méridien cent soixante-douzième de longitude ouest; de ce point, à partir de l'intersection de ce méridien, cette limite suit une direction sud-ouest de manière à passer à distance égale entre l'Ile d'Attou et l'ile Copper du groupe d'ilots Kormandorski dans l'Océan Pacifique Septentrional, jusqu'au méridien de cent quatrevingt-treize degrés de longitude ouest, de manière à enclaver, dans le territoire cédé, toutes les Iles Aléoutes situées à l'est de ce méridien.

ARTICLE II

Dans le territoire cédé par l'article précédent à la Souveraineté des États-Unis, sont compris le droit de propriété sur tous les terrains et places publics, terres inoccupées, toutes les constructions publiques, fortifications, casernes, et autres édifices qui ne sont pas propriété privée individuelle. Il est, toutefois, entendu et convenu que les églises, construites par le gouvernement russe sur le territoire cédé, resteront la propriété des membres de l'Église Grecque Orientale résidant dans ce territoire et appartenant à ce culte. Tous les archives, papiers, et documents du gouvernement, ayant trait au susdit territoire, et qui y sont maintenant déposés, seront placés entre les mains de l'agent des États-Unis; mais les États-Unis fourniront toujours, quand il y aura lieu, des copies légalisées de ces documents au gouyernement russe, aux officiers ou sujets russes qui pourront en faire la

demande.

ARTICLE III.

Il est réservé aux habitants du territoire cédé le choix de garder leur nationalité et de rentrer en Russie dans l'espace de trois ans; mais s'ils préfèrent rester dans le territoire cédé, ils seront admis, à l'exception toutefois des tribus sauvages, à jouir de tous les droits, avantages, et immunités des citoyens des États-Unis, et ils seront maintenus et protégés dans le plein exercice de leur liberté, droit de propriété, et religion. Les tribus sauvages seront assujetties aux lois et règlements que les Etats-Unis pourront adopter, de temps en temps, à l'égard des tribus aborigènes de ce pays.

ARTICLE IV.

Sa Majesté l'Empereur de Toutes les Russies nommera, aussitôt que possible, un agent ou aux agents chargés de remmettre, formellement, à l'agent ou des agents nommés par les Etats-Unis, le territoire, la souveraineté, les propriétés, dépendances, et appartenances ainsi