Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 19.djvu/206

 194 LESTER BURRELL SHIPPER same rule south of that line. These were the extreme demands of the United States, and pretensions which the Administration did not hope to obtain in full, since Middleton was authorized, on the territorial side of the issue, to conclude an agreement similar to that made with Great Britain in 1818. Neverthe- less these were the stipulations essentially as they appeared in the treaty which closed the negotiations. Russia did not grant these terms without a struggle, although the doctrine of mare clausum was dropped at the beginning without a comment. As to the second proposal the Russian commissioners would prohibit trade not alone at the points where Russian establishments existed, but at all points north of the line of delimitation, agreeing to recognize the same principle for the benefit of the United States south of the line. Moreover a Russian settlement, Port Bucarelli, ex- isted upon an island south of 55 and no agreement could be reached which placed this outside Russian jurisdiction. Middle- ton, although it exceeded his instructions, was not unwilling to allow the line to run on 54 40' instead of 55, but on the matter of trade he was obdurate. His tenacity was rewarded by having included in the treaty an article whereby for ten years the citizens and subjects of each of the two powers respectively might frequent the coasts claimed by the other, except where there were settlements, for the purpose of fishing and trading with the natives. He agreed, however, to a proviso that "all spirituous liquors, firearms, other arms, powder and munitions of war of every kind" should not be legitimate articles of trade, and that both powers should exert themselves to prevent such trade. Nesselrode flatly stated that the Emperor would never agree to a treaty if the trading provisions did not prevent the sale of arms to the natives, and he added that the prohibition of the sale of liquor was a matter near to his sovereign's heart. To Middleton's objection that other traders, English and Dutch for instance, would sell the prohibited articles and so place themselves at an advantage over the Russians and Americans, Nesselrode replied that Great Britain was ready to agree to the proposition and that the