The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-08-16
THE ALASKAN BOUNDARY.
Quotations from British Documents
ERectually Disposed Of Canada's

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Claim.
Chicago Inter Ocean: In the Review
Of Reviews for August, William H.
Lewis proves the American case re-
garding the Alaskan boundary by
quotations from documents published
by the British foreign office. Volume
II Of the appendix to the case OF the
British government, submitted to the
Boring Sea tribunal, gives all docu-
ments referring to the negotiations be-
tween Russia and Great Britain as to
the Alaskan boundary, and 1t is from
this volume that Mr.. Lewis draws his
material.
The correspondence shows that Rus
sIa's intention in asking that the boun-
dairy line should follow Portland Canal
was TO secure a strip OF the continent
opposite Prince Of Wales Island and the
adjacent islands. In the correspondence
Portland Canal was described as at
the height Of Prince Of Wales Island"
to indicate that the mouth OF Portland
Canal was opposite the southern ex-
tremIty OF Prince OF Wales Island,
and It was specifically stated that the
channel had It's "origin in the interior
between the flfty-fifth and fifty-siXth
degrees OF north latitude" This de-
scribes Portland Canal exactly, and
not Benin Canal
In all the correspondence relating to
the ten marine leagues from the coast,
Russia insisted that these marine
leagues in width were not to be Of Is
lands, but OF terra firma. England en-
deaVOred to secure compromise, but
Russia refused to yield. Negotiations
were broken of for q time. On their
resumption Russia insisted on her
point and II was admitted on both sides
that the boundary line was to give her
ten marine leagues ION the continent"
1t was also understood that the propos-
ed line should run along the mountains
which follow the sinuositles OF the
coast.
on the 18th of July. 1924. Mr.. Cam
ming, for the British government, d.
reCted the re-openlng Of the negotla-
lions, and lnclosed draft OF n treaty
which would be acceptable to Great
Britain. This accepted the line OF de-
mnrcRtIon proposed by Russla, except
that 1t provided that the line should
follow the ''slnuOsltIes of the coast
along the base Of the mountains near
est the sea-" The Russian plenipoten-
tlurieR submitted n counter draft OF the
treaty, in which the description OF the
boundary line differed from that sug-
gested by Great Britain only in that 1t
prescribed an arbitrary width Of ten
marine leagues regardless Of the noun
talns.
In December. 1924, British envoy
went to ST. Petersburg to conclude and
sign the trenty with the Russian gov
eminent. His instructions were TO OPP
pose Russla's plan OF making the coast
strip ten marine leagues In width re-
gnrdless OF the mountains, to abandon
the former contention OF the British
government for the scaward base OF the
mountains as the boundary line, to
agree to the summit. as suggested nll
nlong by Russia. The Russian govern
ment still insisted on the ten-lenguc
clause. At last, on February 10, 1895,
the treaty was agreed upon and signed,
the portions dealing with the boundary
line being those proposed by Russln in
the beginning. A little later the line
was mapped out by Russia and WINS nc-
cepted by Great Britain.
The correspondence and record pub
llshcd by the British foreign office de-
Btroy not only the Canadian case rs to
the Alaskan boundary but they destroy
also tho pretense Of good faith with
which that case was put forward. In
the negotiations with Russia England
made a demand for Lynn Canal. 1t
was refused by Russia. England con-
tended for boundary line that would
be ten murine Leagues from the coast Of
the Islands. Her proposition was re-
iccted. England objected to the use Of
tho word "SlnuoRlles.' but the word
was retained. The boundary line ms
mapped out by Russia followed the
wlndlngs OF the const This was the
boundary recognized by Great 3ritnin
80 long ns Alaska was Russian terri
tory. It II the boundary line MAIN
talned by the United States to-day.