Page:Alaskan boundary tribunal (IA alaskanboundaryt01unit).pdf/36

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
28
ARGUMENT OF THE UNITED STATES

southern point of Prinee of Wales Island. and on the same latitude, and that because the southernmost point of the ishind is about on the same latitide as the mouth of the body of water which the United Stites contends was designated by the name Porthind Channel in the Treaty. it follows that such body of water could not have heen meant, and that the couteution of the United States is therely overthrown. The contrary inference is to be disuwn from what Baron Tayll said. He was correct in stating that the mouth of Observatory Tulet was about at the 55th parallel. Observatory Inlet was indicated on the nips of Vancouver and Arrowsmith, according to the method of let- tering used by cartographers, as a minor body of water flowing into Porthind Channel at Ramsdens Point. This mouth fills directly under the 55th parallel. ‘The end of the archipelago of Prince of Wales was shown on these maps fo be wt about 540 44V,

Ile made a clear error when he suid that the point of this urchipel- ago was almost under the 55th parallel, When the parallel, given by him ws being the one at which Observatory Inlet was situated. is shown hy the maps to coincide with the mouth of the body of water indicated on them as Observatory Inlet. why should we ignore bis correct state- ment, and take his incorrect statement, asa basis for designating a body of water, which was not marked Observatory Inlet. on the maps. amd which even a enrsory examination of the maps would have shown to be a number of miles south of the mouth of the body which, accord- ing te the name on the map and the latitude, he had correctly located?

Therefore, his sngwestion, so far from demonstrating thit the Rus- sin plenipotentiaries understood Ohservatory Lilet to extend to Dixon Entrance, indicates just the contrure. At tost, however, the state- ment could only show that Baron Tuyl understood that the hody of water whose month was nearest opposite to the southernmost point of Prince of Wales Islind was Observatory Inlet. 1f this was bis idea, it does not follow that Count Nesselvode concurred init. TF he had concurred in it wd hac meant that body of water, he would baye called it Observatory Inlet instead of Portland Channel, for 54 40° was the latitude dong which he certainly expected the boundary to run. Rits- sin first suggested Porthind Chaunel, and it is not likely that he would have carried the line to a body of water further north without any pressure on the part of Great Britain (und none such appears to have heen brouyvht on this question), if Baron ‘Puyll had suguested Observa- tory Inlet as a proper body of waters and he had understood that