water's edge are more pronounced than the sea of mountains inter yvening between them, and the crest of the dominant ehain,
It would have been impossible for these maps to he examined with- out getting three distinet impressions;
1. That there was a general. continions. dominant range of monntiins, individualized and distinct from all other mountains shown.
2. That this range of mountains, except nenr the heads of some of the inlets, was approximately ten marine Jeagues from. and parallel to the general trend of the sea waters in that vicinity.
3. That this trend followed the eenernl lime of the const of the continent as far as the head of Lynn Canal, that it turned, still fol- lowing the coust of Lynn Canal. and thence proceeded northwardly following the veneral line of the continental coast.
This was the picture they had before them, The coast which they were proposing to divide along the parallel of 54° 40° was all of the northwest coast of America, and Russia was to have all the coast north of 54° 40,
If the negotiators read Vancouver's Narrative, which is not admitted by the United States, the narrative not betng put in as evidence or relied on by the United States. the impressions made by the maps as to the mountainous character of the country from the yery water's edge would haye heen contirmed. (See appendix to this argument, Title * Extriets from Vancouver's Narrative.”)
What the maps sufficiently showed as to the mountainous character of the country, along the coast and in the interior. hetween Portland Channel and Stikine River, and Stikine River and Taku Inlet, and between ‘Taku Inlet and Lynn Canal, without the narrative of Van- couver, is confirmed by subsequent explorations, and it may conti- dently be affirmed that the negotiators, desiring to give certainty to the boundary line. spoke aceording to what the maps showed, when they designated a line to be drawn from the point where it would strike the 56th degree, along the erest of the mountains situated par- allel to the coast. and that where the erest of these mountains, which extend ina direction parallel to the coast. from the 46th degree of latitude to an intersection with the L1st degree of longitude. should he at a distance of more than ten marine leagues from the ocean, they should no longer serve as a boundary.
