Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-05-03
Vol. XXXIV...

point out the wisdom of selling the whole
of this great territory to the United Statess
THE AMERICAN NORTHWEST FUR TRADE
jeIn the infancy of1our commerce a few
far1seefhg New York and Boston merchants
recognized the Importance Of thetrade and
commerce of what was vaguely knetwn as
the Northwest coast" Fhe Columbia river
and Oregon were then the .uttermost ends
of the earth unknown solittldes, which
only few Ofour hardy pioneers and naviga-
tors had ,pene trated; and it is.to those early
adyenturers that's due the credit of found
ing our splendid possessions along the Par
cifie which now crown the republican |
emRl5s3& E@EE syRsauo1G EE0
ldasI.sl OUR RUSSIAN TREATY OF lS24,os,sq |
from the chaos 0fbthe- -NaPoleonic war, our |
Government, In 1924, entered into q treaty |
with the Emperor Nicholas, by which the |
United States was prevented from making |
any settlement north, and Russia south of
"a 40. but the ships of both powers might, |
for term. of ten years from that date, ire
quent the harbors and coasts for the pur-
pose Of fshing and trading with the ma
tives. At the expiration of this term of ten
years the Emperor declined to- renew the
treaty or allow our vessels to- trade on the
udocoupieds coasts north of 81 40,ss Our
pleTlipobehtiarips atSt. Petersburg werein-
stFacteds in 1885, to inquire into the cause.
The only reasons offered to our minister's
MessFs. Wilkins and Dallas successfully
by Count NesselrOdes then Russian Minis
ter of Foreign Affairs, was thatthe renewal
of the fourth article of the treaty of 1924
would enable the Americans to furnish the
natives of the coast with spiritueus liquors
and firearms This result was doubtless
produced / by the represent ptations of the
Russian American Trading. Company, who
regarded with the deepest jealousy the adj
vent of a people whose enterprise and keen
Intelligence boded no good to their PRINCE
There vas, however, some som f. foun dation. dti for
[ this xciusiyeness, as the rum sold to the
/ Indians had already demoralized the coast
tribes, and hostile bands had been found
armed with muskets bought from the
American traders. |. President Van Buren,
as in duty bound, alluded to this very del
| icately in his message to Congress, in De-
cembef, 1888, and from that time the whole
subject quietly subsidized, and no treaty has
ever been signed since that, time. The inn
periaf concessions to the British American
Company gained them the exclusive right
| to trade in5those regions,l and, consequent
! ly, American trading vessels couId. not be
permitted toviolabe the privileges of that
i grant. Thus, while Russian ships were adj
j mitted freely to all American waters, the
Russian Government found itself unable,
1 without violating private rights, to concede
/ the same privileges to US. This has at times
sian ambassador at Washington.
RUSSIAN AMERIcA OFFERED TO Us DURING
4 a4H44 zu- THE cRIAIEAN WAR. A azfykH
In the summer of, 1854, during the Crime
an war, the Russian GoveFnment,s 1coasid-
ering the opportunity :faVorables resolved
to take step, which, as above stated, had
been long in contempl plation. This was to
hem In the British possessions on the
lBorthwest coast by conveying the Russian
4 fO Qn
/ proximity Wouldcreate powerful Tivalsto
I England inthe North Pacific! Baron StOec-
i lzel at that time formally proposed the
I sale Of the whole OF Russian America to
|, the United States.rs .ti7sa oef5 10 sis.iz4 Ge
llTHE OTTER REFUSED BY PIERCE AND HIS
ls.s.,s s..eg F,s,.e-e.a CABINET. zer-g ~ S4s
II President Pierce declined the offer, for
Il reasons never made public, but which also
7 induced him about the same. time to refuse
I the gift of the whole of the republic oi
I Honduras, which, under the administration
! of President Cabanas, was rendered to the
I United States through S nor Barrundia
& the special agent sent hither for that pur-
I pose. The proposed cession of Russian
II Ameriaa was regarded as the first step to-
E wards the acquisition of all the northern
n part of the continent by the great republic
q But at that time the timid Fierce and his
e Cabinetfeared complications with England
elI land the United States was not so sure of hel
I ,,lIimperial positions as at present. ,1owhen tbs
y war of the rebellAon has raised her into ths
first power on the aglpbe.q Perhaps, too
Z Russian America was considered WORTHLESS
i by persons then, as now, Ignorant of it!
{ positive value bus, commercially and poll
4 tically.aH 4p7 7a1 fs - .xoI sBo ssf 1ss az 70
e This was as great a mistake as that un
s happy treaty which, after the Northwest
boundary dispute, gave Vapconyer's 1slanG
q to Eugland-a concession which -woul(
J, scarcely have, been made had its immeps,
: Estratetici value been sfully comprehended
. IA greater blunder was never committed bl
Q any government than by ours in consent
. ing to give up Vanc0uVer's. Island t,
: Great Britain. She neverIhad any right II
: it, and in retaining it retained about all sh
{ then really cared for in that tregion. The de
: Ivelopment of the mineral and other re
+ lsourcessof British Columbia has since dem
lS OnstFated gthesMisdOm and foresight %
e her persistencyssu1 ,sfesrE ps7sso 81 asa;q.ai
l cEssIoN OF RUSSIAN CAL 1FoRNIA CLAIMS
q Fs Tt has for some time been the policy I q
4 Russia to head off England In the NortI
\ Pacific, and this cession OF her Americal
: possessions is but in pursuance of her or
. Piginsil designs This policy of yielding he
n american possessions TO as commenced a
! far back as in 1847, shortly after the treat,
e tof Guadalupe Hidalgo and our acquisition
4 of California. Reference has already beei
h made to the extension of the Russian trad
le tingposts early in the present century to th
d bsouthward lin California by special treat
Z with the Spanish Government, che RUSSIA
l. hAmerican n Trading Company availing itsel
u ofatbat treaty. located a trading, maHufac
q turing, and agricultural station at Bodega
= inst north of San Francisco, and erected
VI fort there, This settlement was givenIul
j to the United States; but before the ces
!. sion, and just prior to the discovery Of colo
n the Russian Admiral Wrangel was sent on
"a n1x
q its value, with the view, probably, of ask
I'll ing q consideration for the lands cedeC
~ Admiral Wrangel reported the country Q
i mo value and the Russians sold out 70
Ie a song to private parties (the pioneer Sut
ie ter being the principal purchaser of tn
= crops and cattle). This grant of land face
10 for many leagues on the Pacific coast, i'm
n mediately in front of the richest gold mine
a in the word. which were discovered yer
h soon afterwards, and although the terms
m the grant prescribed the boundaries mort
=, and souths. there was no limit to its exter
~ into the then unknown interior. It ma
20 be questioned whether Russia would haV
= lso gracefully presented us withthese lane
IN had she known the priceless value of VIII
r she ceded.
"a GOVERNORS FUzUJELM AND MAksoUToF
al The Governor of Russian America h,
be his residence at Sitka. His powers are al
,ir solute, embracing the death sentence. TT
mt former Governor, who lived there for man
us years, was Admiral Fuzujelm, whose nan
ho is known to all Caliiornians for his gene
r. Gus hospitality to strangers visiting Sitk
Nv and especially to Americans, His wife,
no lady of st. Petersburg, and remarkable Fl
d. her personal beauty and elegant accon
e piishments, ably seconded the Governor
wv his philsnthropic efforts towards instruc
Ling the people anu forming establishment
of for their comfort and dgeneralimprovemer
,ot Admiral !. Fuzujelm and family passt
= through San Francisco and New York
n SlS e. % 1 ts GItI L. " M M O PC "a