The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-07-13

Opinion OF the Russian
Treats.

Ircats.
Tie present decade will - memorable i'm Lis
tory for the changes il has witnessed 4 IN the rali
al geography Of the world. The map Of EuroJ<
ha- already been Transformed. We have n new
Italy and . new Germany PERHAPS before three
more years have passed. We NAV have n new
systcm If State between the shores If the Black
IA and the -Adriatic. Though q veil IF uadi-
tiuual ignorance still c1nccals the POLITICS OF
Central Asia from tie ewes Of Western nations.
We know that Russia j. steadily advancing toward
our Indian frontier. and may at any moment
find a pretext for annexing a fresh province To
the East of the Caspian Sea. In America. the
destiny of Mexico i trembling in the balance,
and. while the civil war has failed to- disturb the
frontier line of the United States, the British
Provinces ON the Lakes and the Atlantic will
henceEorth be united under tie common name OF
Canada Another removal of ancient land
marks II n0w contemplated. which directly affects
ourselves, and in times past might have been re-
scntcd a. Il menace of future aggression. Ii was
announced in oCr Geographic columns that a
treaty had been sem by President johnson To the
American Senate last Saturday. which codes Ia
the United States, for Il consideration of seven
millions, the whole Of Russian America and the
adjacent Stands The Senate had been con-
vcncd for yesterday to consider the treaty. which.
10y the Constitution of the United States. requires
for its confirmation the consent of two thirds of
that body. This IL the first time, 80 far a. We
are aware, that Russia has ever reccded from Il
territory once acquired, and by this treaty, if
it should he ratified, the single exception To the
westward the course of Empire in modern times
would bc converted into Il 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 il a. an
event of considerable Importance, attcsting, as it
does, the mysterious SYMPATHY which has long
existed between Russia and the United States.
and the establishing. a. it will, Il republican in
gN.lI LIn - -na 49, 80 IL
frontier of tEc confederation.
Measured by the extent of it's surface. tho dos
minIUn thus cciol might appear to be worth far
more than l. represented by the * 600 600
alleged To have been stipulated for it. The main
land Ol I.U-sIan Amcric, spreads over more than
ten degrees Uf latitude 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
tine western border of North America. We must
remember, however, that area l. a very impCr-
feet test of value in regions Of which IL great
Fart lies within the Arctic Circle. la the whole
Of that vast and drcary district there il not one
spot OF which the name il known To any but
gcographers and uayisitOrs. and its total popu-
lation was estimated in ISIS at 12.31J. WHAT
may he it, resources III ports and fishing stations
We do not pretend Ia say, but we can hardly
suppose that ii will add much. in this respect, To-
the commercial wealth of the United States. 1t
II more prUisIbic-nOr IL there any wisdom in
Disgusting the pr"lEIbility-tlat il has been pur-
chased with a view of asserting the claim of the
United States 10 the supremacy ON the Nortl,
American continent. TIE consolidation of Canada
and the maritime provinces into a conftSlcracy
under the British crown has awakened Il ground
less, but not quite incxplicibic jealousy in the
United States. American politicians have always
labOrcd under the dclusiUn that our zeal for the
extension of monarchical or aristocratic rule is
equal To- their own zeal for the extension of re-
publican or democratic Institutions. While they
admire Russian autocracy. and manage To discover
strange ~aihnitics between il ami their own form
of government. they fancy that French imperial
lists and English con~tituticnlistS are in Il COLI
spiTacy to- propagate dcspOiic principles in tie
New World. In this light they regarded the
French occupation of Mexico; and here the pre-
sumption was mt least plausible; but no such
reason can be given for regarding in the same
light the union of Canadian provinces. Instead
al rendering them more dependent on the Mother
Country, it will have the very contrary effect.
and =. CANADA will DE, To all intent and purposes.
n scls-goyerning community. with a strong rcscm-
blancc tn tine neighboring States of the Union.
However, the recent action of Congress proves
that some irritation has been felt on tue subject
in the United States, and it is not impossible
that the purchase of Russian America il intended
n "A sort of eounter-dcnonstration against our
supposed aggressive tendencies.
neither this bc so ar not, oar policy is clear.
Since we have no right whatever 10 protest against
an act entirely within the discretion of the I;us-
sian and United States Governments. let us not
place ourselves in Il iil-c position by vain rcmon-
stranccs. Ii l. said that British Columbia il
almost cut off from the Pacific ocean by tie occii-
patton of what ought To be Il portion of her sea-
beard. The sufficient answer Is that il was cilos-
tuaily cut oil before, for America has only bought
what belonged Ia Russia, and no Englishman ever
dreamed that Russia would part with it To US.
w are materially no worse OF 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 III German soil, and contains Il
German fortress. We have no locus Sfond in
Russian America, and 10y objccting To It's transfer
should lac committing ourselves To- n Monroe
doctrine of our own. As for the secret consider
alton which conjecture suggests To- have been
given for it, We have no business To- assume what
cannot he known as n fact, and il not required to
facts. Russia may well he willing To
cement her friendship with America by accepting
round sum To- content herself with Il large share
of two continents, without mourning the suspi-
cinn of desiring tn win u powerful ally in a COM
ing European war. The aspiration Of the United
States to absorb the whole of North America is
nO secret but that design IL not really furthcred
by this purchase. We retain our hold upon
Canada more To- please the Canadians than our
selves and though we certainly shall not initiate
the example of Russia by selling it to the Amcri-
cans, we shall be happy To make it independent
~ soon as it plcascs, and leave it to choose its
future destiny for it-clf. Even our tenure of
British Columbia, which has - lately voted for
into the Confederation, Is not prcju-
diced 10y tine ccssion of these waters To- the north
ward. Its connection with California was already
much closer than with any of our colonies, and
large proportion of its inhabitants were already
American. III these influences are destined To
overcome the spirit of loyalty and attract it into
the Union, the substitution of the American for
the Russian flag ON the shores of the North Pa
cifc will but hasten their operation 10y Il year or
two. Let us, then. without shutting our eyes To-
the Possible cnnscquenccs of this unexpected
transaction. iorbcIr To- fhstcn upon it Il hostile
cln.irmctinn. or To- insist mInm ri,hts and intcrc.t.