Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 19.djvu/208

 196 LESTER BURRELL SHIPPEE their field but the government of the United States laid itself open to criticism for the laxity with which it enforced the stipulations about arms and liquors. As little comment outside of the State Department was caused by the promulgation of the Ukase of 1821, so the news that a treaty had been completed eliminating the whole con- troversy aroused little excitement. 20 Congress naturally found no cause for criticizing the treaty which was not at variance with the spirit of the Floyd bill which passed the House that session. At first the satisfaction was not quite so universal among the Russians who were likely to be affected by the convention. Baron Tuyl told Adams that the Russian American Company was extremely dissatisfied, and that this group had prevailed upon the Russian government to send a note of instruction to him on two points : ( 1 ) that the convention did not give liberty of trade to Americans on the Siberian coast and on the Aleutian Islands; (2) that he was to propose a modifica- tion of the agreement whereby the United States should pro- hibit vessels under its registry from trading north of 57 N. Lat. Adams told the Baron that there would be no trouble on the second point, and that it was better not to put the other notion into the heads of American traders, but let the treaty go to the Senate as it stood; Tuyl saw the significance of the hint and requested that the conversation be considered as not to have taken place. 21 While there is no reason to believe that the British govern- ment was disturbed by the conclusion of the agreement between Russia and the United States, nevertheless the fact was not viewed with the same complacency which obtained in American official circles. It was the continuing policy of the British 20 The National Intelligencer, 2 July, 1823, thought that the matter could easily be arranged with a man of Alexander's friendly disposition toward the United States. In the issue of 22 July, 1824, it quotes a paragraph from a Hamburg paper to the effect that the treaty had been concluded, and passes over the note without comment. Miles' Register contained three or four quotations re- specting the fact, but no editorial comment was added. The Intelligencer, 5 Aug. compliments Middleton on his success. Monroe (to Madison, 2 Aug., 1824, Writ- ings, VII, 33) thought that the Emperor had shown great respect for the United States by entering upon the negotiations alone, when England refused joint nego- tiations. See also Monroe to Madison, 8 Oct., Ibid,, 41. 21 Memoirs of J. Q. Adams, VI, 435-7; ntry of 2 December, 1824.