the sovereignty of all those coves and little bays which lie between latitudes 56° and 54° 45'. On this it is to be observed that the embouchure of Portland Canal as contended for by Great Britain was ascertained by Vancouver to lie in latitude 54° 45'. It is further to be remarked that Sir Charles Bagot does not appear to have considered that the concession of the boundary proposed by the Russians would have deprived the British of all the inlets above the 56th degree of latitude.

In this amended proposal Sir Charles Bagot suggested a line drawn along the middle of the channel which separates Prince of Wales Island and what was then known as the Duke of York's Island from the islands to the north of them, until it touched the mainland; thence in the same direction 10 marine leagues inland; thence northerly parallel to the sinuosity of the coast.

In their reply to Sir Charles Bagot's amended proposal, the Russian Plenipotentiaries re-stated their reasons for proposing as the boundary on the coast of the continent to the south ("sur la côte du continent au sud ") the Portland Canal, the origin of which inland ("dans les terres") they said was at the 56th degree of north latitude, and to the east the chain of mountains which followed at a very little distance the sinuosities of the coast. They observed that this would leave for British expansion (1) all that part of the coast ("de la côte") situated between the embouchure of the Portland Canal and the 51st parallel, contemplated as the boundary in the Ukase of 1821; and (2) all the territory situated between the English establishments at the 54th parallel and the origin of the Portland Canal.

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From the language held by the Russian Plenipotentiaries in making this proposal, it is perfectly clear that they did not regard the coast ("la côte"), as the word was used by them in these negotiations as extending up the waters of Portland Canal. Had they done so, it would have been impossible to describe the Portland Canal as the boundary on the coast of the continent to the south, nor would they have described their proposals as leaving free to British expansion all the part of the coast ("toute la partie de la côte") which lay between the embouchure of Portland Canal and the 51st parallel. Nor, again, would they have described the Portland Canal as having its origin inland (“dans les terres").

Sir Charles Bagot did not give way to the arguments of the Russian negotiators, but repeated his amended proposal (modified so as to give Prince of Wales Island to Russia). This the Russian Plenipotentiaries declined to accept, repeating that the possession of Prince of Wales Island without a portion of territory on the coast situated opposite that island ("sur la côte située vis-à-vis de cette île") would be of no use to Russia.

At this point Sir Charles Bagot suspended the negotiations, and by a despatch dated the 29th March, 1824, reported to Mr. Canning the communications which had taken place. A despatch dated the 17th April, 1824, was also addressed by Count Nesselrode to Count Lieven, in which he summarized and repeated the views he had pressed upon Sir Charles Bagot. He speaks of his proposal to make the southern frontier of the Russian dominions terminate upon the continent ("aboutir sur le continent") at Portland Canal, of which he says "l'embouchure dans l'Ocean" is in the latitude of Prince of Wales Island and the origin inland between the 55th and 56th degrees of latitude. From his language here it is again obvious that in his view the shore at Portland Canal is not "coast" and its waters are not "ocean."

In the same despatch Count Nesselrode emphasizes again and again the slender character of the lisière which it was desired that Russia should possess. He describes it as merely "une étroite lisière sur la côte même," "une simple lisière du continent," "un médiocre espace de terre ferme" only required to enable Russia to make use of-nay, to avoid losing the neighbouring islands (“le moyen de faire valoir— nous dirons plus, de ne pas perdre les îles environnantes"). Russia, he says in conclusion, only reserves to herself a "point d'appui," without which it would not be possible for her to preserve half her dominions.

22

The Russian proposals were laid by Mr. Canning before the Hudson's Bay Company, and on receipt of their Report Mr. Canning wrote to Count Lieven on the 29th May, 1824, announcing that Sir Charles Bagot's discretion would be so far enlarged as to enable him to admit with some qualifications the terms last proposed by the Russian Government. The qualifications would consist chiefly in a more definite description of the limit to which the strip of land required by Russia on the continent was to be restricted, in the selection of a some

what more western degree of longitude, as the boundary to the northward of Mount Elias, and in precise and positive stipulations for the free use of rivers, &c.

On the 12th July, 1824, the instructions referred to were sent to Sir Charles Bagot, with a draft Convention to which he was authorized to consent. Articles II and III of this draft Convention were as

follows:

"ARTICLE II.

"La ligne séparative entre les possessions des deux Hautes Parties Contractantes sur le continent et les Iles de l'Amérique du Nord-ouest sera tracée de la manière suivante:

"En commençant des deux points de l'isle dite du Prince de Galles, qui en forment l'extrémité méridionale, lesquels points sont situés sous le parallèle de 54° 40′ et entre le 131 et le 133° degré de longitude ouest (méridien de Greenwich), la ligne de la frontière, entre les possessions Britanniques et Russes remontera, au nord, par la passe dite le Portland Channel jusqu'à ce qu'elle touche à la côte de la terre ferme située au 56° degré de latitude nord. De ce point elle suivra cette côte, parallèlement à ses sinuosités, et sous ou dans la base vers la mer des montagnes qui la bordent jusqu'au 139o degré de longitude ouest du dit méridien. Et de là, la susdite ligne méridionale du 139o degré de longitude ouest en sa prolongation jusqu'à la Mer Glaciale formera la limite des possessions Britanniques et Russes sur le dit Continent de l'Amérique du Nord-Ouest.

"ARTICLE III.

"Il est convenu, néanmoins, par rapport aux stipulations de l'Article précédent— "1. Que la susdite lisière de côte sur le Continent de l'Amérique formant la limite des possessions Russes ne doit, en aucun cas, s'étendre en largeur depuis la mer vers l'intérieur, au delà de la distance de lieues mar

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itimes à quelque distance que seront les susdites montagnes.

"2. Que les sujets Britanniques navigueront et commerceront librement à perpétuité sur la dite lisière de côte, et sur celle des îles qui l'avoisinent.

"3. Que la navigation et le commerce des fleuves du continent traversant cette lisière seront libres aux sujets Britanniques tant à ceux habitant ou fréquentant l'intérieur de ce continent qu'à ceux qui aborderont ces parages du côte de l'Océan Pacifique."

By the covering despatch it was left to Sir Charles Bagot to agree to a distance (left blank in Article III of the draft) to which the breadth of the lisière was to be limited, provided that he was not authorized to agree to a greater distance than 10 marine leagues. The covering despatch also shows that this provision was due to the uncertainty as to the real position of the mountains which appeared almost to border the coast.

The Russian Plenipotentiaries delivered a counter-draft, in which Articles I and II were as follows:

"ARTICLE I.

"La ligne de démarcation entre les possessions des deux Hautes Parties Contractantes sur la côte nord-ouest de l'Amérique et les îles adjacentes sera tracée ainsi qu'il suit:—

"A partir des deux points qui forment l'extrémité méridionale de l'île dite du Prince de Galles, laquelle appartiendra toute entière à la Russie, points situés sous le parallèle du 54° 40′ de latitude nord et entre les 131 et 133° degrés de longitude ouest (méridien de Greenwich), la ligne de la frontière entre les possessions Russes et les possessions Britanniques remontera au nord par la passe dite le Portland Channel, jusqu'au point où cette passe se termine dans l'intérieur de la terre ferme au 56° degré de latitude nord. De ce point, elle suivra cette côte parallèlement à ses sinuosités jusqu'au 139 degré de longitude ouest (même méridien) et de là, la frontière entre les possessions respectives sur le Continent Américain sera formée par la ligne du susdit degré de longitude dans sa prolongation jusqu'à la Mer Glaciale.

"ARTICLE II.

"La lisière de la côte nord-ouest appartenante à la Russie depuis le Portland Channel jusqu'au point d'intersection du 139° degré de longitude ouest (méridien de Greenwich) n'aura point en largeur sur le continent plus de 10 lieues marines à partir du bord de la mer."

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It will be noticed that, at the commencement of the Article, the possessions of the High Contracting Parties are described as "on the northwest coast of America and the adjacent islands," instead of "on the continent and islands of northwest America," as in Mr. Canning's draft; and in the body of the Article, Portland Channel is described as terminating "dans l'intérieur de la terre ferme." It seems clear that, in the whole course of these negotiations, Count Nesselrode used the term "côte" as meaning the general line of the continent.

The draft Convention above examined was declined by Sir Charles Bagot.

In the meantime, Mr. Canning's draft had been submitted to Count Lieven in London, upon which he suggested that the line would be more conveniently drawn along the top ("la cime") than along the base of the mountains. He made this suggestion in view of the difficulty which there might be in defining the base of the mountains and of the possibility, having regard to the uncertainty of topographical information with respect to the region in question, that the mountains

named might extend to the very edge of the coast. The Memorandum in which Count Lieven embodied this suggestion was enclosed in a despatch from Mr. Canning to Sir Charles Bagot of the 24th July, 1824, in which Sir Charles Bagot was instructed to accept the alteration (if pressed), provided always the stipulation as to the maximum width of the lisière was adopted. Before, however, the despatch reached Sir Charles Bagot the negotiations had been suspended by his rejection, as before mentioned, of the Russian draft Convention. At this juncture, Sir Charles Bagot ceased to be the British Ambassador at St. Petersburgh, and Mr. Stratford Canning was named by His Britannic Majesty as Plenipotentiary to conclude and sign the Convention desired.

On the 8th December, 1824, Mr. George Canning addressed a despatch to Mr. Stratford Canning with the necessary instructions for continuing the negotiations. As regards the boundary, he drew attention to the fact that in the draft delivered by the Russian Plenipotentiaries to Sir Charles Bagot all reference to the mountains as a boundary had been suppressed, and that the 10-league limit which had been suggested as a corrective only, in view of the uncertainty as to the exact position of the mountains, had been adopted as the general rule. Mr. Stratford Canning was instructed that this could not be assented to; but he was empowered, where the mountains were the boundary, to accept the summit, and not the seaward base, as the line of demarcation. A draft "projet" was inclosed to serve as a guide in drawing up the Convention.

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Article III of the draft accordingly submitted to the Russian Plenipotentiaries ran as follows:

"La ligne de démarcation entre les possessions des Hautes Parties Contractantes situées sur le continent et les Isles de l'Amérique nord-ouest sera tracée ainsi qu'il suit:

"Commençant du point le plus méridional de l'Isle dite Prince of Wales, lequel point se trouve sous le parallèle de 54 degrés 40 minutes, et entre le 131me et le 133me degré de longitude ouest (méridien de Greenwich), la dite ligne remontera au nord (l'Isle Prince of Wales appartenant en entier à la Russie) le long de la passe dite Portland Channel, jusqu'à ce qu'elle touche à la côte de terre ferme au 56me degré de latitude Nord; depuis ce point-ci, où la ligne de démarcation touche au 56me degré, elle suivra la crête des montagnes dans une direction parallèle à la côte jusqu'au 141me degré de longitude Ouest (même Méridien).

"Pourvu néanmoins, que si la crête des susdites montagnes, dans quelque partie que ce soit, de leur étendue se trouvera située à plus de dix lieues maritimes de la Mer