Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-04-26
FOREIGN.
Eng slish OpinIon OF the Russian Treaty
The Policy in Canada and British Co.
lu.nbia

English Opinion OF the Russian Treaty
The Policy in Canada and British Co.
| iu,nbia.
From the London Times, Arril g.
The present decade will be memorable ia
history for the changes it. has witnessed in
the political geography of the world. The
map of Europe has already been transform
ed. We have q new Italy and a new Ger
many: perhaps before three more Years
have passed we may have q new system of
States between the shores of the Black Sea
and the Adriatic. Though a veil of tradi-
tional ignorance still conceals the politics
of Central Asia from the eyes Of Western
nations, we know that Russia is steadily
advancing towards our Indian frontier. and
may at any moment find d pretext for an
nexing fresh province to the east of the
| Caspian Sea. In America, the destiny of
Mexico is trembling i'll the balance, and,
while the civil war has failed to disturb the
| frontier line of the United States, the Brit
ish provinces on the lakes and the Atlantic
will henceforth be united under the com
mon name of ;: Canada" Another remoy-
al of ancient landmarks is now contempla-
ted, which directly affects ourselves and
in times past might have been resented as
menace of future aggression. 1t was an
nounced in our telegraphic columns yester-
day that treaty had been sent by Presi-
dent johnson to the American Senate last
Saturday, (which cedes to the United
States, for a consideration of seven mil
lions, the whole of Russian America and
the adjacent islands," The Senate had
been convened for yesterday to consider
the treaty, which, by the Constitution of
the United States, requires for it's confirm
| alton the consent OF tWo-th;rds of that
| body. This is the first time, SO far as we
are aware, that Russia has ever receded
| from a territory once acquired, and by this
| treaty, if it should be ratified, the single
exception to the westward course of empire
in modern times would be converted into q
| fresh proof of the rule Without sharing
the excitement which it is said to have
| produced among British diplomatists at
| Washington, we cannot but recognize it as
an event of considerable importance, at
testing, as it does, the mysterious sympa-
| thy which Las long existed between Russia
and the United States, and establishing, as
| it will, republican instead of "Cossack !"
power on the northwestern frontier of the
new Confederation.
Measured by the extent of its surface, the
dominion thus ceded might appear to be
worth far more than is represented by the
| 1000, 900 alleged to have been stipulated
for it. The mainland of Russian America
spreads over more than ten degrees of lat
itude, and more than twenty degrees of
| longitude, besides the narrow strip of sea
| coast fringed with islands, which runs, like
Dalmatia, for. more than four hundred
miles along the western border of British
North America. We must remember, how
ever, that area is a very imperfect Jest of a
value in regions of which great part lies
within the arctic circle. In the whole of
this vast and dreary district there is not
one spot of which the name is known to
any but geographers and navigators, and
its total population is estimated in 1858 at
Y, 1915. What may be its resources in ports
and fishing stations we do not pretend to
say, but We can hardly suppose that it will
add much in this respect to the commercial
wealth of the United States. 1t is more
probable-nor is there any wisdom in dis
guising the probabihty--th it has been
purchased with view of asserting the
| claims of the Uuited States to supremacy
on the North American contitent. The
consolidation of Canada and the maritime
provinces into confederacy under the
British crown has awakened groundless,
but one not quite inexphcable, jealousy in
the United States. American politicians
have always labored under the delusion
that our zeal for the extension of monarch
ical or aristocratic institutions is equal to
their own zeal for the extension of repubh-
can or democratic institutions. While they
| admire Russian autocracy, and manage to
discover strange iatfinitles between it and
their own form of government, they fancy
that French imperialists and English con-
stitutionalists are in u conspiracy with each
other to propagate despotic principles in
the New World. In this light they regard
ed the French occupation of Mexico, and
here sthe presumption was lat least plau-
Sible but no such reason can be given
for regarding in the same light the union
of the Canadian provinces. Instead of rem
dering them more dependent on the Moth
er Country, it will have the very contrary
effect and Canada will be, to all intents
and purposes, a governing community,
with strong resemblance to the neighbor-
ing States of the Union. However, the re-
cent action Of Congress proves that some
irritation has been felt on the subject in
the United States, and it is not impossible
that the purchase of Russian America is
intended as sort of counter-demonstra-
ton against our supposed aggressive ten
dencies.
Whether this be SO or not, our policy IS
clear. Since we have no right whatever to
protest against an act entirely within the
discretion of the Russian and United States
Governments, let us not place ourselves IN
false position by vain remonstrances. 1t
is said that British Columbia is almost cut
off from the Pacific Ocean by the occupa-
ton of what ought to be portion OF its
seaboard. The sufficient answer IS, that it
was effectually cut off before, for America
has only bought what belonged to Russia,
and no Englishman ever dreamt that Rus
sia would part with it to u.s. We are ma
teirally no worse off than before, while our
moral right to our own possessions remains
absolutely untouched. The case is very
different in all essential points from that of
Luxembourg, which is claimed as German
SOIL and contains German fortress. We
have no locus stdndi in Russian America,
and by objecting to its transfer we should
be committing ourselves to a Monroe doc
trine of our own. AS for the secret consid-
Grafton which conjecture suggests to have
been given for it, we have no business to
assume what cannot be known as a fact,
and is not required to explain facts Rus
sis may we'll be willing to cement her friend
ship with America by accepting round
sum to content herself with large share Of
| two continents, without incurring the sus-
| of 1oui tO win q r,0werful alIV