New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-11-14
THE TESTIMONY or THE MAPS.


which the Hon. John w. Foster has just made
to the Alaska boundary dispute in the current
number of 1.-THE National Geographic Maya
zine" We have already reproduced IN Inc
Tribune the salient features of his article. or AT
least Of its text. which we doubt not nave
proved to our readers strongly corroboratlve oil
the United States boundary claims. unfort-
unately 1t was not practicable to reproduce Ill
the crowded columns of a daily newspaper the
series of detailed historical maps with when
the article is illustrated and OF which MI.
Foster makes effective use. 1t Is to he wished
that all who are interested in the subject OF
who have any doubts whatever concerning the
absolute Justice of the United States claim
might see and study these maps. The result
could scarcely fail to be absolute conviction.
The United States claim. which down to
few years ago was fully conceded by The Brit
ish is based upon the Anglo-Russian Treaty OF
1926. which document is particularly precise
and lucid in its terms. The Canadian claim.
which Is of recent origin. 5 based upon the
theory that the makers Of that treaty did not
know what they meant, or did not mean what
they said. and that especially when they Salh
Portland Canal they meant either Benin Canai
or Pease Canal. or as the Canadian Minister OF
Justice now saws Clarence Strait. This Cana
dian theory is in turn based upon the pretension
that in 1925 those regions were not well known
they had not been accurately surveyed. ana
names were loosely and indefinitely applied.
We shall see however. in the testimony Oh
these maps that geographical knowledge or tha'
coast was sufficiently complete and that tncre
was No reasonable possibility Of the treaty
makers committing so gross blurder as 10
mistake Portland Canal for Clarence strait. or
the reverse.
Here. for example. on Map No. ! are shown
the various proposals made by Sir {. Bagot in
1924 which were successfully rejected by
the Russians. First. he wanted the line run
from Cape Ommaney up Chatham Strait to the
head of Lynn Canal. giving TO England the
Prince Of Wales kuid. Kupreanoif. Admiralty
and Douglass islands ard all the coast mp to
Dyea. Second. he proposed 10 run it through
Sumner Strait 10 the mouth of the Stklne
River. and. third hc would have drawn II up
Clarence Strait to the Stkne. That he knew
what he was milking about is evident from the
old maps made by Vancouver thirty years be-
fore the date of that treaty. which those neeoti-
ators had before them. and which are repro
duced I'm Mr.. Fosters article: for these show
tho various straits and canals just rs we know
| them to-day. and with the same names Port
land and Benin canals and Clarence Strait he
| ing especially conspicuous.
Sir Charles RagOt recalled. and Sir STRAIT
| ford Canning took his place and completed the
| negotiations We need not here repeat the
| terms of the treaty. which have so often been
rehearsed. But we may proftaby note how the
| maps show ii to have been understood and APP
| piled Mr. Foster shows us In facsimile an
| official map prepared for the Russian Govern
| ment In 1897. two years after the treaty, in
which the present Portland Canal is conspicu-
! ously marked as Canal de Portland. with the
| boundary line running from its head. Clnc-
| deDtaly we may also note that around the head
| of Lynn Canal and all the way up to Mount
| St Elias the line precisely comedies with that
| claimed by the United States) The next map.
prepared for the British Hudsons Bay Com
pany in 1880 by Arrowsmith. the foremost
| photographer of that day. agrees with the Rus
| sian map in running the line up Portland Canal
and around the head of Lynn Canal practically
agreeing with that now drawn by the United
States The next. year earlier than Arrow
! smiths was made by Joseph BOuchette, IT,.
| Deputy Surveyor General Of Lower Canada. In
| 1881. and it shows Portland Canal to be the
| boundary. and thence all the way up gives
Russia an even wider strip Of coast than Rus
| sas own map claims. Another map. prepared
by order Of the Canadian Toronto) Government
| by Thomas Devne. Provincial Land Surveyor
and Draughtsman. in 1851, shows in the clear
| est possible manner the line drawn from the
head of Portland Canal and far north of and
| inland from the head OF Lynn Canal. Another,
an official French Government map Of 1914.
with wealth Of detail. names Clarence Strait
and Benin Canal and Portland Canal just as
we know them to-day. and runs the boundary
line I'D Portland Canal and swings it in bold
curve far above the head Of Lynn Canal. ex-
| actly in accord with our present claim. The
| same Is to he said Of orr own State Department
map. prepared in 1861, on our purchase OF
| Russian America. Even In 1898 William Ogil-
vie. surveyor Of repute. published in "The
Scottish Geographical Magazine" detailed map
with the boundary line agreeing with that
claimed by the United States. Finally, the
last Of the maps reproduced by Mr. Foster in
numerical though not in chronological order, a
Hudson's Bay Company map. made in 1857 by
order Of the House Of Commons, might well
be mistaken for the latest product of the eX-
tremest American expansi0nist. cOnceding to us
as II does. the fullest measure OF our demands.
The testimony OF treaties. leases and other
official documents has already been dwclt upon
in these columns. Mr.. Foster makes good use
OF It in his article The testimony of these
maps reinforces IT and makes II perfectly con
vincing The English and Russian negotators
of 1922 knew what they were about They
meant the boundary line TO run up what was
then and IL now known as Portland Canal. Il
follow the wIndings of the coast at a distance OF
thirty knots inland from the edge Of the main
land. and TO swing round and over the head OF
LYNN Canal at n similar distance from II. IN
brief they laid down the line with singular
explicincss just where the United States now
places it, And diplomats and merchants and
travellers and soldiers and the map makers OF