Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 19.djvu/207

 FEDERAL RELATIONS OF OREGON 195 Emperor would use all his influence to bring other nations to the same view. The treaty may be considered as practically embodying the utmost American demands : the Russian pretension of making the Pacific a closed sea was definitely abandoned; only 20 minutes of latitude lay between what the United States de- manded and what was obtained as a line of delimitation; and, most difficult task of all, freedom to trade with the natives on the coasts clearly within Russian control was secured for ten years. With reference to this last concession Middleton wrote Adams, in explaining his course : we must hold that this iright is always held subject to extinguishment whenever maritime dominion is acquired by the nation upon those shores ; when the liberty of trading expires (according to the limitation in the treaty) and the coasts remain unoccupied, then they fall into the general category of unoccupied coasts of the great ocean, for, said he, he had always resisted the introduction of the Russian proposal of a substantive stipulation that the trad- ing privilege should cease after ten years. Even such con- cessions as were made, said Middleton, were yielded because he feared England and Russia would settle their delimitation question first and then the United States would have had no equivalent to offer for the trade. 18 Well might President Monroe say, in his Annual Message of 1824, in speaking of the treaty which he was about to lay before the Senate for ratification : "It is proper to add, that the manner in which this negotiation was invited and con- ducted on the part of the Emperor has been satisfactory." And something of official relief that the issue was cleared up is expressed by Adams in his diary : "Brown mentions a letter from H. Middleton of May 2/14, saying he has con- cluded a satisfactory Convention on the North West Coast question. Blessed be God, if true!" 19 The trading privilege was not renewed when the ten year limit had expired, for, not only did Russian traders object to this encroachment upon 1 8 The treaty is given in No. 58 H. Ex. Doe, 18th Cong., 2d Ses. 19 Memoirs, VI, 400. Nevertheless Adams had some anxious moments over the question of ratification, and at times feared there would be trouble in the Senate.