The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-11-16
Observation-Disclosures.
OFFICIAL TRANSFER OF THE COUNTRY TO TIE UNI
Ed STATES GOVERNMENT.
New ARoHANaE1, October,


Victoria, Sunday, November III.
The formal transfer and delivery OF huss.arl, ial,
America to the United States Government tooA
place to-day by Captain Festrehouf, acting i oon-
missioner on behalf of tho Russian GovernlnTeHis'
and Major-General Rosseau on behalf OF the unlo-
At o'clock, P. NJ, battalion of United States
troops, under command Of Major CHARLES ~. ",
Wood OF the Ninth Infantry, was drawn up III Ilno Ii
in front of the Governors residence, where the
transfer took place. BY $50 large concourse Oh
people had assembled, comprising AmerlcanIIii ri
Russians of all classes, Creoles and Indians an
eager witnesses of the ceremonies. ;.,
P ecsey at the last named hour the @, h9sS,an 1sua
forts and fleet fred salutes in honor OF tn iowea
ing of the Russian flag; but the flag wouie M, nUS
come down. In lowering it tore its entire si wla.n
close by the hayards. and foated from the a Grose
trees, some forty feet from the ground, dnieS e,,
Russian sailors then attempted TO ascenu tns Lt
and half guy ropes supporting the f1as-staH, Dg'
each failed to reach his national emblem ioti aan
ascended in boatswain's chair, selzed tno HaS
and threw it in direction directly beneath nun;
but the motion of the wind carried II OH an
and caused sensation IN every neart. P!so se, tbe
stars and stripes went gracefully up, noa.lhE
handsomely and free MIR. George Lowell housseau
having the honor of finging the flag to the breeze
the United States steamers Osslpee ana hesIca a'
the same time honcring ito event Dy nrln9 Salu.es
AS the Russian flg was lowered Captain Pestre,
choff stepped forward and addressed Ueloi"i
Rousseau as follows: -. 1o;oI
"(;enoral: AS commissioner Of his Imperial
Majesty the Emperor OF Russia, now traslsa ahu hu
deliver the Territory OF Rus ian America ceueu ~
his Majesty to the United States'
General Rousseau in response, as the Amorlcan
flag ascended, s9id: H.
Captain: As commissioner on behalf OF tne tne
United States Government receive anu acceP'
the same accordingly"
The commissioners spoke in tone OF common
conversation, and were only heard by Governor
Makesatoff General j #. G. Davis, Captain husKoi
and few others, who formed tho groupe.
Several ladies Witnessed the ceremonies, among
them Princess Makesatof, Mrs. General DAVIS and
Mrs. Major Wood. The Princess wept audiDly as
the Russian flag went down.
The transfer was concluded in purely diplo-
matte and business like manher, neither pouquets
nor speech-makng folio wing. The entire transac-
ton was concluded in few hours, the Ossipee,
with the commissioner on board, >teamlng INTO
the harOor at II o'clock this forenoon, and 81 &
O'Clock in the afternoon dozen American nags
hoated over the newly-born American clty Oh
Sitka.
The United States steamer Ossipee was nearly
wrecked on the night of the 9th ultimo, when
forty mics southeast OF Archangel, IN the most
terrific hurricane witnessed on the coast during
the past seventy years. She lost all her poats,
and considerable OF her sails and rigging vas car
red away, ber chronometer was destroyed,
and all the fires but four were put out ; those
remaining were kept alive by burning oil, tai
low, grease, lard candles and Like substances.
She shipped an immense sea, doing great ln] ury
to the powder in the magazine Forty-six sailors
we're wounded while on duty but provldentially
none were killed.. General Rousseau and his sJn
George, and also the Generals staff were on
board. The hurricane lasted eighteen hours, and
the entire storm between thlrty-slx and 1orty
hours. Lieutenant commander Crossman g. q
boatman, VIM. Green, saved the ship by their
heroic exer.ions in battening the hatchways when
the storm ragged with the greatest fury. The en-
gineers and tirenen all behaved nobly The Ossi-
bee put into Sitka harbor on the 18th ultimo,
having left New Archangel on the 26th.