The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-21


the latter presented them to King Ed
ward at Buckingham palace yesterday,
the king endeavored vainly to induce
Messrs.s Jettea and Aylesworth to say
tney were satisfied or that they accept
ed the situation. but the two Canadians
oecHned to IN any way express ac-
quescence with this view. They sim
ply shook hands TO, mally and bowed.
one of the Canadian commissioners
afterward said:
This award affects much more the
relauons between the Dominion and
the mother country than people here
seem to realize, and almost marks the
parting of the ways, at least so far as
leaving any such question for England
TO decide for u.s.
Messrs. Jette and Aylesworth, the
canadian commissioners, in a state
ment of their reasons for refusing to-
sign the award, say they consider the
finding of the tribunal regarding the
Islands at the entrance of Portland
channel and the mountain line, is not
judicial one. They add:
we urged our views as strongly as
we were able, but we have been COM
PEELED to witness the sacrifice of the
interests of Canada. We were power
less to prevent it, though satisfied that
the course which the majority was de-
termined to pursue in respect to the
matters above specially referred to
ignored the just rights of Canada"
Official Digest of Decision.
The following is an official digest of
the Alaska decision:
The decision of the tribunal is made
up Of answers to the seven questions
contained in the treaty of 1903 consti-
tuting the tribunal These questions
and answers are as follows:
F1rst-What is intended as the point of
commencement of tAe line?
Answer-The line commences at Cape
Muzon.
Second What channel is the Portland
channel?
Answer-The Portland channel passes
north of Pearse and Wales islands and
enters the ocean through Tongas passage,
between Wales and Sitklan islands.
Thlrd-What course should the line take
from the point of commencement to the
entrance of Portland channel?
AEswer-The straight line to the mid
die of the entrance of Tongas passage.
Fourth-To what point on the fifty-sixth
parallel is the line to be drawn from the
head of the Portland channel, and what
course should it follow between these
points?
Answer-A straight line between Sal
mon and Fear rivers direct to the fifty
sixth parallel of latitude
Fifth-In extending the line of demarca-
ton northward from said point on the
parallel of the fifty-sixth degree of north
latitude, following the crest of the noun
tains situated parallel to the coast until
its intersection with the 141st degree of
longitude west of Greenwich, subject to
the condition that if such line should
anywhere exceed the distance of ten ma
rlne leagues from the ocean then the
boundary between the British and the
Russian territory should be formed by
line parallel to the sinuosities of the
coast and distant therefrom not more
than ten marine leagues, was it the in
tent1on and meaning of said convention
exclusive possession of Russia a continu-
Gus fringe or strip of coast on the main
land, not exceeding ten marine leagues
in width, separating the British posses
sions from the bays, ports, inIets. havens
and waters of the ocean, and extending
from the said point on the fifty-sixth
degree OF latitude north to point where
such line of demarcation should inter
sect, the 141st degree of longitude west
of the meridian of Greenwich?
Answered in the affirmative.
Sixth-f the foregoing question should
be answered in the negative, and in the
event of the summit of such mountains
proving to be in places more than ten
marine leagues from the coast, should the
Width OF the lls1ere which was to belong
to Russia be measured % from the main
land coast of. the ocean; strictly so-caIled,
along line perpendicular thereto, or
% was 1t the intention and mean3ng of
the said convention that where the main
land coast is indented by deep inlets,
of Russia. the width of the lisiere was
to be measured (a) from the line of the
general direction of the mainland coast
tiers of the ocean from the territorial
waters Of Russia, or (c) from the heads
of the aforesaid inlets?
Required no answer after the fifth
question had been answered in the af-
firmative
Seventh-What if any exist, are the
lei to the coast. which mountains, when
within ten marine leagues from the coast
are declared to form the eastern bound
airy?
Answer-The majority of the tribunal
has selected the line of peaks starting
at the head of Portland canal and running
along the high mountains on the outer
edge of the mountains, shown on the
maps OF survey made in 1893, extending
to Mount Whipple and thence along what
is known as the Hunter line, of 1873
crossing the Sitkine river about TWENTY
four miles from its mouth, thence north
erly along the high peaks to Hates
Needle, from Hates Needle to the Dew
lis Thumb.
The tribunal stated that there was
not sufficient evidence, owing to the
absence of a complete survey to ident-
lily the mountains which correspond to
those intended by the treaty This con-
templates a further survey of that por-
ton by the two governments.
From the vicinity of the Devils
Thumb, the line runs to the continental
watershed, thence through White and
Taiya or Chilcoot passes, westerly to a
mountain, indicated on the map at
tached to the treaty at $50 feet, thence
to another mountain $500 feet, and
from that point in somewhat curved
line across the head of the glaciers to
Mount Fairweather.
This places the Canadian outposts on
the upper water ofe Chilkat river in
British territory and the mining camps
of Porcupine and Glacier creek in
American territory. From Mount Fair
weather the line passes north on. high
peaks along the mountains indicated
on the map by Mounts Pinta, Rukana
and Vancouver to Mount st. Elias.