THE UNDERSTANDING OF TUE UNITED STATES AND GREAT BIGTAIN THAT THE URASE APPLIED Ta THE ENTIRE COAST.
This ukase was officially communicated to the governments at Wash- ington and London.”
Sir Charles Bagot, in transmitting an English translation of it to the Marquis of Londonderry, also sent as he himself expresses it, ‘a map of the northwest coasts of Americ.” published by Russia.’
‘This map is No, 5 of the Atlas of Great Britain. and shows all the coasts of the bays, inlets. ete., now in controversy. ‘The Marquis of Londonderry understood that, by the deseription used in the ukase, of the “whole of the northwest coust of America.” Russian asserted “exclusive sovereignty over the territories therein described.” In his letter to Count Lieven of January 18, Ls22, he siuys:
In the meantime, upon the snlject of this Ukuse generally, and especially npon the two main principles of claim: aid down therein, viz., an exclusive sovervignty allege] to belong to Russia over the territories therein described, as also the excla- sive right of navigating and trading within the maritime limits therein eet forth, his Britanuiv Majesty must be nnderstaod as hereby reserving all his rights, not heing prepared to admit that the intercourse which is allowed on the face of this instra- ment to have hitherto subsisted on those coasts, and in those seve, can he deemed to be illicit, or that the ships of friendly Powers, even sopposing an wnqualitied sov- ereiguty was proved to appertain to the Imperial Crown in these vast and very imperfectly oveupied territories, could, by the acknowledged law of nations, be excluded irom navigating within the distance of 100 Ttalian miles as therein Laid down from the coast, the exclusive dominion wf which is assume! (but, as His Majesty's Government conecive, in crror) to ielong to His Loyperial Majesty the Einperor of all the Russias, ©
The effeet of the meaning of *eéte.” as used in the Ukase, was set forth by Pelly, Deputy Governor of the ndson’s Bay Company, whose judgment was stimulated by the keenest interest to protect that company’s trade. In a letter to the Marquis of Londonderry March 27. 1822. he suid:
The fur trade of Great Britain, by an Act of last Session and grant from Tis Majesty, is vested in the Hadson's Bay Company: T cannot, therefore, refrain from calling your Lordship’s attention to this matter as of considerable impor-
tance at the present moment, and not unlikely to lea to very mopleasant oeeur- renevs at some fatere period, if nv notice is taken of these proceedings of the
- 5. Cc. App., SE, i. eUL8. C, App, 105,
60,8. C. App., 101-102,
