world. The country along the whole of the northwest coast of Americn was known to he bleak, inhospitable, mountainous and inaccessible, offering then no inducements for the acquisition of land for anything that might be gotten out of it, or produced by it. It was teuling in furs, and the development of fisheries that induced the adventurous spirits of that ave to exploit thiut remote region. The particular advantage that could arise from sovereignty over the coast in question was, from control of, and exclusive enjoyment of, the fur trade with the Indians inhabiting it.
Tt was known to all parties during the pendency of the negotia- tions for the treaty that the natives, with whom such trade was sarried on. lived along the rivers, Inys and inlets, Thus with a full understanding as to what was meant. by all the parties, by the expression “the whole of the northwest coast.” and also with a full understanding of the advantages that were to be secured through the exercise of territorial sovereignty, in appropriating exclusively the trade with the inhabitants, they proceeded to frame the treaty upon the sole principle of the ‘respective convenience of both conntries.”* 4
There are two important and controlling ideas which must be kept in view in interpreting the language of the parties. Great Britain had as her main object the disayvowal by Russia of her claim of control over the waters within 100 [talian miles of the coast, while Russia. having at the very outset privately declared her purpose of tntking such disavowal, sought to secure by the treaty the rights which she had asserted over the whole extent of the coust, at least from the 55th degree northward, It being understood by beth parties that, in any event as to the territovial honndaries, the objectionable features of the Ukase as to the 100 mile limit would he withdrawn, Sir Charles Bagot, in his letter to Mr. George Can- ning of March 17, 1824, stated the object had in view by the respective parties as follows;
This basis of negotiation being willingly acvepted by all parties, 1 stated that, so far ae FT tnderstood the wishes anil interests of Russia, her principal object must be te seeare to herself ber fisheries upon the istanils and shores of the northwest coasts of North America, and the posts which ele might have already extablished pon them; that, ou the other band, our chici abjects were to secure
eC. s, C. App, (54.