The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-11-19

~HE fan and winter lecture ssMsan Of
the National Geographical soSiess
was inauguratea recently AZ me
Frs. CONGREGATIONAL church, "a
Washington, ID. g. when Mr.. Jonn
W. Foster. former secretary OK state ana
~ present a member OF the ADsio-AHahft-
can Joint high commission, read g. scaoiaf-
~ paper on the subject OF Ihe ALASKAN
Boundary" concerning which 80 n'IcA eiS-
eusslon has recently beer INDUCED 10 %
the entire world The church Auditorium
was crowded and earnest attention was
given the speaker
In Introducing his subject, Ar. Foste-
stated tina. the Alaskan BOUNDARY 10 'axeo
hy the treaty Of isz5 between Russia ana
Great Britain, growing out OF the issa-
suce by the emperor OF Russia OF an I'M
persai ukase in js2i, the p1rport or wnieb,
briefly stated WAS a claim b. Russia 20
exclusive Jurisdiction CD the high seq, ex-
t...sisrsx $50 miles from the ccast Of Asa
above latitude $50 north and from tbs
northwest coast OF America ABOVE latitude
81 degrees north: and g prohibition 20 all
foreign vessels TO land or trade with the
natives on any part OF the coast Indicated.
This uka.e. he declared. brought forth
prompt and vigorous protest from Doth
the United States and Great Britain. which
was soon followed by negotiations be-
tween Russia and the two latter govern
ments II was early made known that
Russia was prepared 10 withdraw It's claim
10 exclusive Jurisdiction In the Pacific
ocean and wcuid not insist upon it's terri
toriai claim To the coast Of America below
latitude Sc degrees.
As the United States was Advancing no
serious claim TO the territory north OF
that line. IL found little difficulty In reach
Ing an accord. and a treaty between Rus
Ella and the United States was signed April
IL, 1894 nearly year before an agree
menf was reached with Great Britain The
chief object had in view by Great Britain
In Its protest and subsequent negotiations
was to secure the withdrawal by Russia
Of her claim 10 exclusive Jurisdiction In the
Pacific ocean. With this object in view
the negotiations were initiated at st.
Petersburg.
The Early Negotiations.
From the first moment the boundary
was broached.'' continued Mr.. Foster.
RUSSIA had indicated that 1t would rest
Its claim TO territory on the line of latitude
g. being the limit fixed by the Emperor
Paul In the charter OF 1899 to the Russian
American Company, and which had never
been objected To BY Great Britain
Three propositions made by the English
were rejected by the Russian negotiators.
who. In paper Of some length. set forth
the situation Of the parties In interest.
This paper showed that the parties whose
interests were involved were, on the Brit
ish eide, the Hudson Bay Company. which
was pushing it's posts across the Rocky
mountains toward the coast, and the
Russian American Company. which was
in possession Of the islands on the Pacific
coast and maintaining profitable trade
with the natives on The mainland. ana
tina. aS,sss the hitter WAS projected by a
strip of the coast on the mainland that
company would be without a support, and
would be exposed TO the competition Of
establishments on the mainland which II
was their purpose TO exclude. The motive
OF the Russian negotiators in insisting
upon a strip Of the coast II also shown In
the report OF NJ. Poietica. one Of the Rus
dan plenlpotsntiaries. In which he said
the Russian American Company had
mainly In view the establishment OF
barrier at which would be stopped once
fer all, TO the north and TO the west Of
the coast allotted to the American COM
pany the entertainments OF the English
agents Of the Hudson Bay Company.
On the other hand the main purpose OF
the british plenipotentiary In the psrticti-
lar negotiation above referred to was 20
secure for the British traders foothotd
on the Pacific ocean as far above the TAIL
tuse of $40 as possible. The negotiators
were brought face to face with their con-
fflctlng claims. the one side insisting that
IL must have strip OF territory on the
mainland in order 10 keep the Hudson
bay Company from the ocean opposite
their islands and the other insisting thai
the Hudson Bay Company must have pos
session OF such part Of that territory and
the iniets as would afford il access to the
ocean Tho result was thst negotiations
were finally broken of.