The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-07-25

live in perilous times.
Proposed Sale u Russian America to the
United states.
We have the best reasons for knowing that
dispatches from the Russian Government ar
rived here yesterday in the Pacific, offering to
sian territory in North America, comprising
the western littoral of the continent from the
Arctic Ocean to Observatory Inlet in lat. IS,
and extending inland as far as long 63 deg.
About three months ago. we drew the attention
of the Administration to the prospect Of these
possessions falling into the hands of Great Br-
tain, and pointed out the opportunity that was
then afforded us to make favorable terms with
Russia for their purchase. Shortly after our
remarks reached Europe, the British journals
stated that orders had been sent to the Pacific
feet to proceed with all haste to Sitka-the
most important point in the Russian territory
and to seize it and the adjacent country on her
Britannia Majesty's behalf. We have reason to
believe that simultaneously with this move on
the part of Great Britain, a negotiation be-
tween Russia and the United States was set on
foot tending to the disposal of the territory in
question and it seems not improbable that the
treaty or convention whose execution by Secre-
tary Marcy was noticed in our Washington
correspondence of yesterday, had more espe-
cial reference to this subject than to the really
unimportant point Of neutral rights. We call
this point unimportant because so long as
IF p,,cc
to be what it is, her outlets blockaded,
and her fleets locked up in the Gulf of Finland
and the harbors Of Sebastopol, it matters very
little what the Cars intentions may be to-
wards our merchant vessels and though his
concession of the doctrines Of maritime law
for which we have so long contended indicates
desire to cultivate friendly relations with us,
and, if not to win to his side, at least to en-
sure our neutrality in the pending conflict, it
can hardly be construed as meaning anything
more. Practically it can neither involve any
sacrifice for him, nor confer any benefits upon
us. We should therefore feel no surprise if it
were announced that this was only secondary
part OF the understanding at which the Russian
Minister and our Executive have arrived and
that the real gist Of that understanding was
the substitution of United States for Russian
sovereignty in all the American territory here
tofore ruled by the Cars.
Be this as it may, it is now beyond soubt
that Russia desires to sell. Her motives being
in brief knowledge of her naval inferiority,
and desire to concentrate her forces around
the vital parts of the empire-are too obvious
to require comment or explanation Having
to choose between seeing Sitka captured by
the British, or selling it to the United States,
Nicholas has very naturally preferred the lat
ter, and no one can question the propriety of his
decision.
May we add in plain words that his policy is
not clearer than our Own-that if it is to his in
tercst to sell it is at least as much to ours to
buy? As mentioned above, the Russian terri
tory extends along the shore from point near
longitude GA degrees in the Arctic Ocean to OBJ
servatory Inlet on the Pacific, being bounded
on the south and the east by the British posses
sions occupied by the Hudson's Bay Company.
1t comprises all the best whaling stations in the
Northern Pacific, and, if annexed to the United
States would give our whalers an advantage
which would at once enable them to defy COM
petition. Again, in political point of view,
its acquisition would make us masters of the
whole western coast of America, from the Arc
tic to the Mexican boundary, with the exception
of that portion lying between 40 degrees and
"a degrees 40 minutes, say some three hundred
and fifty miles. We should thus surround Great
Britain; and II, as seemslikely to occur in pro-
cess Of time, the Hudson's Bay Company were
dissolved. it would be manifestly for the interest
of Great Britain as well as the United States
that this intervening tract should be transferred
by sale from them to us. In this event, our ter
ritory would stretch in one undivided line from
the ice bound oceans of the north to the line
- degrees, such coast as no nation in the
world possesses, and one which the natural ten
dency of the events now occurring in-Asia can
not but render extremely valuable Even il |
Great Britain refused to part with vancouver's |
Island and the vicinity, the military value of |
these possessions would be manifestly dimin- |
ished to very considerable extent by our occu-
patton Of the coas. both north and south, in.
Gliding The whaling depot at Sitka on the one
side and the mouth of the Columbia on the otheiI