The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-06-08
MIR, SINNER on RUSSIAN AMERICA.

Mr. Charles Sumner has made public
his speech on the Russian America trea-
tv. delivered in executive session of the
United States Senate. 1fprinted in full
it would occupy about two and half
pages of The Tribune. We have there
fore consulted the comfort of our rea-
ders by republishing only the most inn
portant parts OF it.
Mr. Sumner is not able to say when
the idea of this cession first took shape.
He has heard that it was as long ago as
the administration of Mr.. Polk. He
knows that advances were made to the
Russian Government in the time of Mr..
Buchanan, when the sum of So, 100000
was offered; but the Gar thought it
not enough, and the matter was allow
ed to drop. The revival of the subject
seems to have been owing to the efforts
of the people of Washington Territory
TO obtain licenses to fish in Russian
waters, and of certain persons in Ca
lifornia Company to secure from the
Imperial Government the trading fran
chise now held by the Russian Ameri-
can Company, but soon about to expire.
Negotiations respecting these privileges
had been carried on for some time
through our State Department, when
an offer suddenly came from St. Peters
burg to sell out the whole concern, and
Mr.. Seward promptly concluded the
bargain. The e considerations which
prompted the Secretary of State to this
ready acceptance Of the Cars propo-
sal are summed up by Mr.. Sumner as
follows: l. The possession of Russian
America will be good thing for the
Pacific coast, and will help us in secur-
ing the trade of the East. 2. We have
always had a passion for extending our
domain. 3. Our buying this land will
contribute to the spread of R epublican
institutions. 4. It will bother the Bri-
tish. s. 1t Will please the Russians.
These reasons are not all as good as
might be, but they are the best to be
had; and having diJated upon them at
some length, Mr.. Sumner proceeds to
examine at much greater length the
character and value of Our new acquisi-
tion.
The territory is under the absolute
control of the great Russian American
Trading Company. The receipts of
this company during the ten years from
1850 to lSee amounted to 9,52s, ,551 sill
Yer roubles, $6,426,4I3 of our money,
nearly one half being derived from the
tea-traffic, and over one-quarter from
commercial licenses. Its expenditures
during the same period were 7,173,947
roubles, leaving 1,394,6O4 roubles, or
about Sl,01z0eO, to be divided among
the shareholders What capital the
company now have invested in their
mammoth adventure we do not know;
nut IN 1888 it was about $2,OOO,OOO
and Oh this SUM the diyidents we have
mentioned would be equivalent to only
per cent per annnm.
lhe population probably does not
exceed $4,000, all told and of these
Ine Russians and balfbreeds number
about $500 That there are so few of
these settlers is perhaps one of the best
things Mr.. Sumner has told us about
ene colony for, as he very sensibly re-
marks, "the early Russians here were
h hoC PAgrims,' y and Russian America
a. u oCcn CeleNTaIeO as d SCHOOL Vi
Ine Ind; Virtues Of the Esquimaux and
antians, an4 quick, intelligent, ingenious,
p; rds. a' learning, and ready to copy the
mnealents ra" Of civilization. He draws
tbro?s bSs picture, into which, however, he
tho hns some pretty dark shadows for
ders ~sages' 1t appears, are all slavehol-
crnoi anu many of them warlike and
haIs Iei' ~ilie there are stories OF canni-
oa1S rs, In the interior.
assa1 W. may eondense lIr. Summers long
iooas ina On the climate by saying that ow,
tbserI s .oIarlous causes, and especially the
muoh Iiai current of the Pacific, it is verv
VIZ WI. mllder both in Summer and in
latitudo ,uGt than that Of regions in the same
temnaDs. on the Atlantic coast. The
exaa+i expIila[1re of Sitka in winter is almost
almosts Ike that of New York; but the
there perpetual rains which prevail
cllarasct%"ai;Ih %iIh the fogs and dampness
vert t,salstlc eTals of the climate, must con
Maptali;eefiy inhabitant into what Mr..