Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-09-11
From the ". Y. Herald.
The Amoor COIOny-Our Trade with
Russia and China.

Among the passengers who sailed from this
port on Saturday, in the steamship Ariel,
bound for Havre and Southampton, was Mr..
=. Med. Collins United States agent to
AmOor. 1t is not for the first time that Mr..
Collins goes to visit these regions on the
confines of northern China and Siberia. Some
wears since he was sent out there on special
mission by the United States government, to
report upon the commercial and other features
of the Amoor; and the results of his observa-
tons were embodied in a report presented to
Congress at its last session, in which he speaks
in high terms of the future Importance OF the
colony, in connection with the trade and COM
merce of the United States.
The Russian government most heartily
favors the views expressed by Mr.. Collins and
offers every encouragement to the develop
ment of American trade and commerce at
the Amoor. A year or two ago that govern
ment had several small steamboats, built in
our city for the navigation of these waters;
and it still does everything in its power to
stimulate American enterprise there. The
appointment by our govenmernt OF Mr.. Col
lins to the commercial and political agency
of the AmoOr, is another move in the same
direction-the building up Of prosperous
colony on the Amoor river.
The province laying between the Stanovoy
Mountains and the river Saghalien or AmOor,
formed part OF the dominion Of the old
Russian empire, but many years since the
government finding it difficult and expensive
to exercise jurisdiction over the province,
withdrew its pretensions over it, or at least
allowed them to sleep, and China, by the
tacit, if not expressed consent, of Russia,
extended her jurisdiction over it. But when
Russia saw that the Japanese empire was in
way of being opened up to trade and COM
merce, and that there was danger of the
European Powers gaining foothold on those
coasts, she then realized the Importance of
this old, abandoned province, and re-pOsses-
sed herself of it. 1t will be recolleoted that
during the Eastern war a Russian feet es-
capped from the fort of Petropolowski and
took refuge up the Amoor river, where the
allied fleet could not pursue them. This
river is uavigable. or can be made navigable,
as high up "a Vertchinsk on the western
boundary of Siberia, or in other words half
way to st. Petersburg. BY having the COM
mand of the river, too, the Russians are able
to have a fine port on the Pacific ocean.
defended from iceburgs by the island Sag
halien, and the half of the trade of the
Russian empire will find an outlet on the
Pacific. The recent treaty with China con
cedes the right of Russia to the AMOR 10y
making that river the northern boundary of
the Chinese empire.
Neither the Russian nor American govern
ments are blind to the Importance OF this
river in commercial and military points of
view; and both governments seem to act in
accord with one another in regard to it.
Years hence great trade will be carried on
through this channel, and hourishing COM
munities-Russan and American-will be
settled on its shores. The Amoor colony is
an important feature in our relations with
Russia and the great Pacific.