which, with equal impropriety, is denominated occupation. The Russians cannot possibly say, that they discovered the north west, and they are not even entitled to the inferior merit of having explored it. But if, hereafter, the Russian doctrine shall prevail, and this vast and valuable territory shall be vested in the nation, whose subjects first saw the land, it can, by no means, fall to the share of the imperial government, for Alexander de Humboldt has clearly proved, in the chapter already quoted, that the Spaniard Francisco Gali, in his voyage from Macao to Acapulco in 1582, discovered the north west in latitude 57° 30. We have already mentioned the voyage of Sir Francis Drake.

We have now come to the third title, that of possession. We shall solicit the attention of the reader to some account of the present state of the Russian settlements on the north west, as far as the scanty materials within our reach will enable us to obtain. At the same time, this relation has a material bearing on the point in discussion, and, as we are indebted for it altogether to Russian works, the statements will be received with full faith. Every syllable, concerning the company, is extracted, either from the work of Langsdorff, aulic counsellor to his Majesty the Emperor of Russia, or from the voyage of Krusenstern, captain of the imperial navy and commander of the first expedition, sent round the world by the Russian government. This voyage took place

in the years 1803, 4, 5 and 6.

Towards the close of the last century, the Russians had no permanent settlement on the continent, but in 1799 M. de Baranoff, who was well known to Vancouvre, set out from Kodiac to found an establishment, we believe, in Norfolk Sound. We suppose such was his intention, because the Russian hunters had not penetrated beyond that point, but we have no positive authority for that opinion. Most people, indeed, would suppose from the state of navigation at that time amongst the Russians on the north west, that Baranoff did not possess the means of determining upon any particular spot, but would have been glad to run his vessel into the first smooth water and fair and promising harbour.

We shall not, however, deal in guesses, opinions or assertions, but proceed at once to a fact, which will astonish the reader, and do more to unsettle the faith of the credulous in the credibility of Russian discoveries than a folio of investigations. These arctic argonauts fell in with an American vessel, that happened, at the time, to be on the coast, and as the weather was foggy, the Russian hailed to know, where they where. They told the Americans, they had not a man on board, who could take an observation. Here was the superintendent of the Russian embassy, a man who had been on the coast nearly a score of years, doubtless, in possession of all the maps and charts, which Russian navigators and academicians had compiled since 1741, setting sail, fiftyeight years after the Russians had discovered the continent, from their principal establishment, with 68 or 70 men on board his vessel, to found a colony,—and he had not a single man in his ship, who understood the simple and indispensable art of ascertaining the latitude. It is true, this is no absolute evidence against his predecessors, but is there any probability that Russians, fifty years ago, could discover and determine much, when the principal person in those parts of the world in 1799, was not in a condition to ascertain any thing. Von Baranoff is a good and respectable man, and he has been exceeding ill used by the company. We quote from Langsdorff: "For several years he remained in this miserable part of the world, almost entirely neglected, without receiving any support or intelligence from the company. Pursued by hunger and thirst, he and his companions had sometimes no other resourse than to live on sea dogs, fish and muscles. Sometimes, by the unexpected arrival of a ship from the United States, his most pressing necessities were relieved."

At last, Von Baranoff reached the Sound with his Aleutians and Promuschleniks,-built a fort and warehouses and gave presents to the Kaluschians. While Nanok (as they call Baranoff) remained there, the natives were quiet and peaceable, but, in about three years, they fell upon the settlement and massacred all the Russians and many of the isl

anders. Again, in 1804, Von Baranoff founded another colony at the same place, now called Sitcha, or New Archangel.

Langsdorff, in the suite of the chamberlain Von Resanoff, passed the winter of 1805-6 there.

The colony was then want of food, and, we

in the most deplorable state from the have no doubt, would have perished from disease and hunger, but for the timely purchase of the American ship Juno, containing a great variety and quantity of provisions. In relation to this settlement, we shall extract a short passage from that writer to show what the Russians, themselves, thought, at that time, of boundaries. "It is probable, that Russia neither can, or ever will establish a claim to the islands, lying south of Norfolk Sound and Cape Tschirikoff." We shall quote another to prove, that the principal Russians, employed by the emperor, have never regarded their right to the north west, as restricted to any particular latitude. The same argument in the mouth of an American or Englishman, would go to show that, if they were not restricted to any part, they were not entitled to any part. "We soon discovered Cape Disappointment, in latitude 46° 20′, and, the favourable north west continuing, we expected soon to anchor. Our chief, Von Resanoff, had already sketched his plans for removing the settlement from Sitcha to the Columbian river," &c. But a change in the wind saved a long controversy and, perhaps, a long war. We know that the Russians are quite ignorant of the nature and extent of the coast, but the last extract demonstrates, that they had no fixed and determinate notions as to their own rights and claims, because they must have known that, if by the law of nations they are entitled to the 51st degree, the Spaniards possessed an equal right to the 46th.

It

The Russio-American Company was established in 1799, and, in 1801, possessed a capital of 2,747,000 rubles. was allowed, in the first instance, to establish settlements to latitude 55, but lately they have been extended to 51. They, moreover, forbid all vessels from approaching on the

high seas within one hundred Italian miles of their possessions. This unreasonable and despotic and intolerable, regulation is a poor and weak imitation of an ordinance of the Spaniards, which commands all vessels to abstain from taking others within thirty leagues of their coasts. We shall not repeat again, that an imperial ukase cannot affect the rights or subvert the laws of nations. It is, however, well known, 51st degree as their limit.

why they have fixed upon the

The fur trade is worth nothing below that latitude.

Though we have entered into this business with more than usual detail, it never could have been expected by the United States, that an honourable and perfectly satisfactory adjustment of the controversy would either have been delayed or denied, whenever the subject could have been presented, fairly and fully, to the consideration of the Russian government. The American government relied, with confidence, on this occasion, as they have done on all others, on the sense of justice and friendly disposition of the Russian cabinet; well persuaded, that the claim, asserted in the imperial decree, already quoted, would be speedily renounced, when the matter was properly understood. After, therefore, an amicable discussion, a convention* was concluded, in 1824,

* "In the name of the Most Holy and Indivisible Trinity :--The President of the United States of America and his Majesty the emperor of all the Russias, wishing to cement the bonds of amity which unite them, and to secure between them the invariable maintenance of a perfect concord, by means of the present convention, have named, as their plenipotentiaries, to this effect, to wit: The President of the United States of America, Henry Middleton, a citizen of said States, and their envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary near his Imperial Majesty and his Majesty the emperor of all the Russias, his beloved and faithful Charles Robert, Count of Nesselrode, actual privy counsellor, member of the council of state, secretary of state directing the administration of foreign affairs, actual chamberlain, knight of the order of St. Alexander Nevsky, grand cross of the order of St. Wladimir of the first class, knight of that of the white eagle of Poland, grand cross of the order of St. Stephen of Hungary, knight of the orders of the Holy Ghost and of St. Michael, and grand cross of the legion of honour of France, knight grand cross of the orders of the

at St. Petersburg, by which this business was regulated in a manner altogether satisfactory to the United States.

black and of the red eagle of Prussia, of the annunciation of Sardinia, of Charles III. of Spain, of St. Ferdinand and of Merit of Naples, of the elephant of Denmark, of the polar star of Sweden, of the crown of Wirtemburg, of the Guelphs of Hanover, of the Belgic lion, of Fidelity of Baden, and of St. Constantine of Parma; and Pierre de Poletica, actual counsellor of state, knight of the order of St. Anne of the first class, and grand cross of the order of St. Wladimir of the second; who, after having exchanged their full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed upon, and signed the following stipula

tions:

"ART. 1. It is agreed, that in any part of the Great Ocean, commonly called the Pacific Ocean, or south sea, the respective citizeus or subjects of the high contracting powers shall be neither disturbed nor restrained, either in navigation or in fishing, or in the power of resorting to the coasts, upon points which may not already have been occupied, for the purpose of trading with the natives, saving always the restrictions and conditions determined by the following articles:

"ART. 2. With the view of preventing the rights of navigation and of fishing, exercised upon the great ocean by the citizens and subjects of the high contracting powers, from becoming the pretext for an illicit trade, it is agreed that the citizens of the United States shall not resort to any point where there is a Russian establishment, without the permission of the governor or commander; and that, reciprocally, the subjects of Russia shall not resort, without permission, to any establishment of the United States upon the North West Coast.

"ART. 3. It is moreover agreed, that, hereafter, there shall not be formed by the citizens of the United States, or under the authority of the said states, any establishment upon the Northwest coast of America, nor in any of the islands adjacent, to the north of fifty-four degrees and forty minutes of north latitude; and that, in the same manner, there shall be none formed by Russian subjects, or under the authority of Russia, south of the same parallel.

"ART. 4. It is nevertheless, understood, that, during a term of ten years, counting from the signature of the present convention, the ships of both powers, or which belong to their citizens or subjects, respectively, may reciprocally frequent, without any hindrance whatever, the interior seas, gulfs, harbours and creeks, upon the coast mentioned in the preceding article, for the purpose of fishing and trading with the natives of the country.