Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 08.pdf/176

 The Landward Boundary of Alaska. limit on the Pacific was keenly appreciated. Hon. Cassius M. Clay (minister of the United States to Russia from 1863 to 1869), writing in May, 1867, says that Hon. Robert J. Walker, Secretary of the Treasury under Polk's administration, told him, in 1863, that the Emperor Nicholas had, shortly previous to our war with Mexico, offered to cede Alaska to the United States if the nation would " close up its territory to 540 40' " (the limit fixed in the treaty of 1824) — which would shut Great Britain out of the Pacific Ocean. " But the slave inter est," says Clay, " fearing the new accession of ' free soil,' yielded the point and let England into the Great Ocean." This was done in the settlement of the "Oregon Question," in 1846. We had in the previous year annexed Texas; and fol lowing this, President Polk proclaimed a war with Mexico because of her encroachments on Texan Territory. It was apprehended that there would soon be a European in tervention on the western coast, and that England would seize the harbor of San Francisco and the Gulf of California in sat isfaction of her claims against Mexico. There are many persons now living who doubtless remember that " Fifty-four forty, or fight" was one of the favorite election eering mottoes of the Whig party and the new Liberty party in the campaign which resulted in the election of Polk. The Brit ish fur companies, up to this time, had traversed the unsettled regions of the North west without let or hindrance until they came to the Russian lines, — establishing their stations in every quarter which yielded them profit. The British government en couraged their enterprise, then claimed as their own territory every region in which the mark of their fur traders had been set. Astoria, on the Columbia River, near its mouth, was one of their important stations; but an American captain was the discoverer of this river, and the American expedition of Lewis and Clark had explored it; so, by in


 * 53

ternational law, Oregon was United States ter ritory; but all northward of latitude 490 was given up. In consequence of actual and threatened difficulties, Mexico, in the treaty which closed the war, ceded to the United States the territory of New Mexico and California; for which our government paid her $15,000,000. Thus a large portion of our northwest territory was sacrificed to keep British hands off, while, in the interest of the slave power, we acquired the much richer territories at the southwest. The bargain was not a poor one, as matters have since turned, — if, indeed, we should have completed any arrangement with England regarding our northern boundary at that time. The first price set by the emperor for Alaska was $5,000,000. After the line of Oregon and the United States west of the Rocky Mountains was fixed as at present existing, and England had secured a long seacoast on the Pacific with several excel lent harbors, this nation was no longer an aid in holding the English at bay; and the price of Alaska rose to $7,000,000, — ulti mately to $7,200,000. In the treaty with England — thanks to the enterprise of the British Hudson's Bay Company —-Russia yielded more territory than the United States had thought of claiming. East of the mountain chain run ning southeastward from Mount St. Elias, the country was unknown, — having been traversed only by the hunters of the British fur company; accordingly Russia ceded to England all territory east of these high lands and of the 141st degree of west longi tude (meridian of Greenwich) northward to the Arctic Ocean. The free navigation of the Stikine River was also granted. This river is navigable for steamboats about one hundred and eighty miles, and furnishes drainage for almost the entire area between the Rocky Mountains of the north and the sea, from about 530 (the parallel of Queen