Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1846-06-04

mentioned,
parallel the wndings Of the coast, and which shall
exceed the distance Of ten marine leagues there
from And the line Of demarcaon shall follow the
NIT Of the mountains situated parallel TO the coast as far
the point of intersection Of the 14ls degree Of west
longitude, (of the meridian } and finally, from the
said point Of intersection the said meridian line of the
IN ITS proongaon as lar as The frozen ocean
shall form the limit between the Russian and British
sessions the continent of America the northwest
These are the proofs. these the conventions which
established limits the northwest coast of America
between the United States and Russia in 1924, and
between Great Britain and Russia In 1925. They are
identical in object, and nearly in terms they grow
out of the same difficulties and terminate in the same
way By each the Russian claim is confined to the
coast and the islands by each the limit is given
both the United States and Great Brain and that
limit fixed at the south end of an island, to the
latitude of which supposed to be in 30 deg but
found to be in fty-four fory) the Emperor Paul had
granted the privileges of trade to the Russian Amer
can Fur Company Ii a limit wholly in the wa
ter at all the land. The American line never
touches land the British only reaches Thy gong north
through Portland channel to 56 deg, and thence to
pursue the ten leagues from it northwardy to
81 deg, and thence due north to the Frozen ocean,
leaving to the Russians only the projecting part of
the continent which approaches Asia and the
ocean into the strait which Behring found, and which
bears his This is the Russian line on the con-
tinent with Great Britain the United States have no
continental line either with Russia or with Great
Britain.
have shown you the limits established with Rus
STA in 1898 have produced the treaties which es-
tablished them and here also, is map which Illus
them, and shows everything precisely as have
read il from the treaties.
1t is the map Of Mr. Greenhow, a clerk in the De-
partment of State, who, long as he confines him
self to the business of copying maps and voyages,
does very well but when he goes to issuing opinions
upon national subjects and setting the world right
about the execution non-executlon OF greattreaty,
that the line of forty-nine not established
per the treaty of Utrecht when he goes at this work,
the Lord deliver us from the humbug But here is
the map, with the lines all right upon it, drawn in
the water and along the coast according to the rea-
ties First a few dots in the water at the end oil
Prince of Wales island, in latitude Al deg 40 min.
then dotted line up north, through the middle OF
Portland channel to latitude SO then enthusiastically
along the coast, and ten leagues from it, to 81 deg
and then north to the Frozen ocean. No line at
all along "a deg. 40 min. to the Rocky mountains
and that is right for the treaties put there
And here is another map which illustrates error,
and shows you line paper where there is none on
EARTH and of which the Senate has ordered ten thou
sand extra copies to be printed for the instruction OF
the people. Here it goes, running straight through
from the sea to the mountains caring for nothing in
Its course-cuting lakes in two, dividing neighbor-
ing posts from each other and reckless of everything
except to follow ffty-four forty. That 1t pursues
with undertaking fidelity and the engraver has mark
ed strong the map, that no one may overlook it
In all this there is but fault, and that is that
there is no such thing no such line upon earth !
never was, and be, by any principle recog-
nized the time that the Russian convention of 1924
was made.
Well, there is no such line and that would seem
to be enough TO quiet the excitement which has been
got up about il but there is more to come. / set
out with saying that although this ffty-four forty
was never established as northern boundary for the
United States yet it was proposed to be established
northern boundary not for us, but for Great Britain
and that proposal was made to Great Britain by
selves. This must sound like strange statement in
the ears of the fty-our forties, but it is no more
strange than true; and, after stating the facts
to prove them. The plan of the United States a
that time was this that each of the three powers
(Great Britain Russia and the United Sates) having
claims on the northwest coast Of America should d.
vide the country between them, each taking third
In this plan of partition each to receive share
of the continent from the sea to the Rocky mountains
Russia taking the northern slice, the United State.
the southern and Great Britain the centre, with fifty
four forty for her northern boundary and forty-nnt
as her southern. The document from which now
read will say ffty-one; but that was the first offer
forty-nne was the real one as will hereafter show
This was our plan. The moderation of Russia de-
feated it. That power had no settlements on thai
part of the continent, and rejected the continenta
share which we offered her. She limited herself tC
the coasts and islands, where she had settlements
and left Great Britain and the United States to share
the continent between themselves But before th
known we had proposed to her fftyfo forty fo
the Russian southern boundary, and to Great Britain
the same for her northern boundary. say 6fty-fou
forty for, although the word in the proposition wa:
ty-fve, yet it was on the principle which gave fifty
four forty-namely, running from the south end o
Prince of Wales island, supposed to be in ffty-ive
but found to have point to 1t running down to fifty
four forty. We proposed this to Great Britain. Sh,
refused it, saying she would establish her northern
boundary with Russia, who was on her north, and no
with the United States, who was on her SOUTH This
seemed reasonable and the United States then, anC
not until then, renqushed the business of pressing
fty-four forty upon Great Britain for her northern
boundary. The proof is in the Executive documents
Here it is-a despatch from Mr.. Rush, our minister
in London, to Mr.. Adams, Secretary of State dated
December 10, 1923:
al unfolded to him (Mr. Canning) the propo
sails Of my government, which were L. That as re-
gaded the country lying between the Stony mountains
and the Pacific ocean, Great Britain the United States
and Russia, should jointly into a convention, SINH
lar in its nature to the third article of the convention OF
the 10Th October 1918, now existing between the two
former powers, by which the whole Of that country
westward Of the Stony mountains, and all its waters
would be free and open TO the citizens and subjects OF the
three powers long the joint convention remained
force. This my government proposed should be for the
term Of years. 2 That the United States were will.
ing spulate to make settlements north of the 81
degree of north latitude that coast provided Great
Britain stipulated make south Of ST. or north Of
So, and Russia TO make south of S."
Here Is the offer, in the most explicit terms in
1929 make ffty-fve, which in fact fifty-fou,
forty, the northern boundary of Great Britain anC
here is her to that proposition 1t is the nex
paragraph in the despatch from Mr.. Rush to Mr.
Adams
"Mr. Canning expressed opinion any Of these
points, but his inquiries and remarks, under that
proposes TO conhne the British settlements between 81
and S. were evidently Of nature 10 indicate strong on
econs on bis side, though he proessed speak onI,