IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A 1.0 1.1 11.25 Iii|2j8 12.5 US ^^ ^^ ■ttitt |22 2.0 U ■4.0 ^U4 ^ '/ Photographic Sdenres Coiporalion 73 WEST MJ.IN STRIET WI«:<'T'K,N.Y. 143M ,716)«72-4S03 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICIVIH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microroproductions / Institut Canadian de microraproductions historiquas C Technical and Bibliographic Notaa/Notea tachniquaa at bibliographiquaa Tha Inatituta haa attamptad to obtain tha baat original copy availabia for filming. Faaturaa of thia copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua, which may altar any of tha imagaa in tha raproduction, or which may aignificantly changa tha uaual mathod of filming, ara chaclcad balow. D D D D D D Colourad covara/ Couvartura da couiaur r^ Covara damagad/ Couvartura andommagia Covara rastorad and/or laminatad/ Couvartura raatauris et/ou paliiculAa □ Covar title missing/ La titre de couverture manque □ Coloured maps/ Cartes giographiquas en couleur □ Col« Enc Coloured inic (i.e. other than blue or biacit)/ re de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) I I Coloured plates and/or illuatrations/ Planches et/ou iilustrationa en couleur Bound with other material/ ReliA avec d'autras documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La re liure serr6e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge intirieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever poaaibia. these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajouties iors d'une restauration apparaissent dans la texte. mais, iorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont paa 6t4 fiimies. Additional comments:/ Commentaires supplimentaires; L'Institut a microfilm^ la meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a AtA poaaibia de se procurer. Les details da cat exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mAthode normale de filmaga sont indiquAs ci-dessous. n to I I Coloured pagea/ D This item is filmed at the reduction ratio chaclced below/ Ce document est fiimi au taux de reduction indiquA ci-dessous. Pages de couleur Pagea damaged/ Pages endommag^aa Pages restored and/oi Pages restaurias et/ou pellicui6es Pages diacoloured. stained or foxei Pages dicoiortes, tacheties ou piqutes Pages detached/ Pages d^tachies Showthroughy Transparence Quality of prir Qualiti inAgaia da I'impraaaion Includes supplementary materii Comprend du materiel aupplimentaire Only edition available/ Seule Edition diaponibla I — I Pagea damaged/ I — I Pages restored and/or laminated/ r~] Pages diacoloured. stained or foxed/ I I Pages detached/ r^ Showthrough/ I I Quality of print varies/ I I Includes supplementary material/ I — I Only edition available/ Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc.. have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partieilement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata. une pelure. etc.. ont M fiimies d nouveau de fapon d obtanir la meilleure image possible. n po of fill Of bfl thi sic oti fir sic or Th sh Til wl Ml dil an be rifl rei mi 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X J 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X Th« copy fllm«d h«r« hat bean raproducad thanks to tha ganaroaitv of: Library Division Provincial Archives of British Columbia L'axamplaira fllmA fut raproduit grica A la gAniroaltA da: Library Division Provincial Archives of British Columbia Tha imagaa appaaring hara ara tha bast quality possibia considaring tha condition and laglbility of tha original copy and in Icaaping with tha filming contract spacifications. Original copias in printad papar covars ara filmad baginning with tha front covar and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad impras- sion. or tha bacit covar whan appropriata. All othar original copias ara filmad baginning on tha first paga with a printad or illustratad impras- sion. and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad imprassion. Tha last racordad frama on aach microfiche shall contain tha symbol — ^> (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha symbol V (moaning "END"), whichever epplies. Las images suivantas ont 4tA raproduites avac la plus grand soin, compta tanu da la condition at do la nettet* do I'exemplaira f ilmA. at en conformitA avac las conditions du contrat da filmage. Lea exemplairaa originaux dont la couvartu.e en papier est imprimAe sont filmAs en commen^ant par la premier plat at en terminant soit par la derniire paga qui comporta une empreinta d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par la second plat, salon la cas. Tous lea autras axemplairas originaux sont f limAs en commenpant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration at an terminant par la darniire page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboies suivants apparaitra sur la dernlAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — »> signifie "A SUIVRE". le symbols Y signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning In the upper left bond corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc.. peuvent Atre filmte A des taux da reduction diffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul ciichA. il est film* A pertir de I'angle supArieur gauche, de geuche A droite. et de haut en bas. en prenant le nombre d'imagas nAcessaire. Les diagrammas suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 H'^r^: »? mi' '. m ' 1 „ -'. • . .('■, ■ ' .■■■ - ._ J/ .•' ■,■■,'■ . ..-»/• .V '.' *•, .1 ■ • j" ;■;■■■' A^^H' .'•'' '- v..; ' r ":*t- ir.> ■■■•I'?:.'; .-,'■ •/• -■ i' ■: i^i ■ .,. r ( // '■■ .^v-^^^C'^'HS-,?:,- ;,..-.^.„. Cm ■x;:.\ ,v,.. . - ': 42#^fe?V ■■/■ / ■ :// ./H: v-^ ■•<^-' ; ■" ■' ?;s.v.-r*^: I '■ .;/;.#! ^y-^^^'<-^ ':''-'-'■-- ^:^- ■ ■ ■ l"* if: v., ■ '-V^.-.^-''^^.' ^ , .'■ ^: \, : ,. .■■ •fTi^'|r'•^:n!^,■\^ ^V'';T':^tv- ' ■■■•■■ .' < ■■ ; . ■ ■ ■ ' ' : \ V,V V.1 a{ii.y''*5 *:'.- .r;^!^ '^,."^>^ . C*-s' iJ.U'..'..L ■'" -' '■'■'■ ■'(•'. t, Vj., . ^1 n-. , .-■v . V .;■■■ ' , > -t The Disputed Boundary between Alaska and British Columbia. Till-, houmlary line l)etvveeii the United Slates and the British possessions in North America once more threatens to become the subject of international dispute, conference, and arbitration. A half century ago " Fifty- four Forty or I'ight " was a campaign cry, and the c n- ingconlroversy i)egins at that line, from whicli Presimnt Polk retreated, the once northern boundary of Oregon Territory being the southern boundary of our territory of Alaska. The discussion of the ownership of Revilla- gigedo, I'earse, and Wales Islands, and of the line of the Portland Canal, will rival the contest over San Juan Island and San Rosario or De Haro Straits, decided in favor of the United States by the limperor of Germany as arbitrator, in 1872. Each year that the boundary line between Alaska and British Columbia remains in question increases the difliculty of determining it. Each year settlements are 41938 T^ [^:JL^d!:'^iiS. .4 j'!d.'«r ! j^.i^ .'s .. m T7T rrr XS3C •""TaHTTT— ! OPEN LETTERS, increasing in numbers, more private interests are in- volved, and liie region in dispute becomes more valu- able to either claimant. There is great indifference to the question on our side of the line, but in the Domin- ion it is well understood, and Parliament and public opinion have taken their stand. Canadian maps now differ from Uniterl States maps of that northwestern re- gion, and this boundary question promises to provoke more international bitterness than the present Bering Sea dispute concerning the interests of a single com- pany of fur-tr.-xders. By his ukase of 1821, forbidding all foreign vessels from approaching within one hundred Italian miles of his possessions on either shore of the North Pacific, the Kmperor of Russia purposelybrought about the confer- ences of 1824 and 1825. Then were adjusted the claims of Russia, England, and the United States to various sections of tlie northwest coast of America. As the result, Russia was secured in the possession of the coast and adjacent islands, from the Arctic Ocean down to tiie line of 54° 40', on the ground of Russian discov- ery and settlement, together with the northernmost third of the uninhabited and useless interior. All overtures from England for the purchase of" the thirty mile strip " of coast accorded 10 Russia and now known as Southeastern Alaska were refused, but the tract was leased by the Russian government to the Hud- son's Bay Company until 1867, when the Treaty of Washington, consummating the Seward purchase, once more defined its boundaries : Article I. His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias agrees to cede to the United States, by this convention, immediately u|5on the exchange of the ratifications thereof, all the ter- ritory and dominion now possessed by his said Majesty on the continent of America and in the adjacent islands, the same being contained within the geographical limits herein set forth, to wit : The eastern limit is the line of demarca- tion between the Russian and the British possessions in North America, as established by the convention between Russia and Great Britain, of February 28-16, 1825, and described in Articles III and IV of said convention, in the following terms : " Commencing from the southernmost point of the is- land called Prince of Wales Island, which point lies in the parallel of 54 degrees 40 minutes north latitude, and be- tween the 131st and the 133d degree of west longitude (meridian ofGreenwich), the said Tine shall ascend to the north along the channel called Portland Channel, as far as the point of the continent where if strikes the 56th flc- grec of north latitude ; from this last-mentioned point, the line of demarcation shall follow the summit of tne moun- tains situated parallel to the coast as far as the point of intersection of the 141st degree of west longiturje (of the same meridian); and finally, from the said point of inter- section, the said meridian fine of the 141st degree, in its prolongation as far as the Frozen Ocean. " IV. With reference to the line of demarcation, laid down in the preceding article, it is understood — "1st. That the island called Prince of Wales Island shall belong wholly to Russia" (now, by this cession, to the United States). * " 2d. That whenever the summit of the mountains which extend in a direction parallel to the coast from the 56tli degree of north latitude to the point of intersection of the 141st degree of west longitude shall prove to be at the dis- tance of more than ten marine leagues from the ocean, the limit between the British ])ossessi()ns and the line of coast which is to belong to Russia as above mentioned (that is to say, the limit to the possessions ceded by this conven- tion) shall be formed by a line parallel to the winding of the coast, and which shall never exceed the distance of ten marine leagues therefrom." The first contention as to the position of the boun- dary line between Alaska and British Columbia arose in 1873-74, when thousands of miners of different nation- alities rushed to the Stikine River and the Cassiar re- gion at its head-waters. Gold commissioners, cusi-^ms oflficers, and sheriffs were alike defied ; mining camps on the Stikine were first under one flag and then under another ; the custom house was moved from place to place, and criminals escaped trial upon mere technical- ities, until a temporary and approximate iine on the thirty mile basis was agreed upon by the British Co- lumbian officials and the United Slates military author- ities, then in control of Alaska. The custom house and Hudson's Bay Company's post still remain, as then placed, at a distance of sixty miles from the mouth of the winding river. Since 1878, prospectors, often to the number of five hundred in a single season, have crossed the Chilkat Pass to the rich placer regions along the Upjier Yukon. Coarse gold and dust to the value of §40,000 or $50,000 have been carried out each year. A few seasons since, the Canadian gold commissioner visited the camps on P'orty Mile Creek to collect fees and prevent unlicensed miners from working. The men claimed that they were within Alaskan boundaries, and as they were a rough and muscular set the commissioner retreated, and the question of miners* licenses in that region was waived until the two governments should determine and mark the line of the 141st meridian, which there forms the international boundary line. The official Canadian map of 1887 places Forty Mile Creek that many miles within British limits. Although no official publication has been made, returning miners have brought word that the Turner and McGrath parties of the United States Coast and Geodetic Sur- vey have determined that the meridian line crosses the Yukon almost at the mouth of Forty Mile Creek, leaving those rich placers in Alaska. During the sessions of the Fisheries Conference at Washington, 1887-88, an informal discussion of this boundary question was arranged by Secretary Bayard and Sir Charles Tupper. Dr. W. H. Dall of the Smithsonian Institution and United States Geological '11 * ■f- ■ »■ mf f^m ■^■(^^p •^w> OPEN LETTERS. 475 Survey, nnd Dr. (». M. Dawson of the Dominion (Jeological Survey were chosen as conferees, l)oth be- ing personally acquainted with the region in dispute. Dr. Dall is the most emin nt authority on Alaskiui matters, his close connectioi. ..ith the territory dating from his camping on the Upper Yukon in 1866-68. I )r. Dawson has for almost the san,:; time devoted himself to surveys and scientific work in British Columbia. By the Canadian interpretation in 18S7 of the treaty's phrases, a considerable portion of the " thirty mile strip " which Russia had declined to sell to Great Britain, and which had always been mapped as Rus- sian or United .States possessions, is now claimed as British territory. Dr. Dawson's arguments were re- inforced by a report and map made by M.ijor-Cleneral R. D. Cameron of the British army, and parliamentary instructions had l)een given him to insist upon Gen- eral Cameron's lines and yield nothing. Dr. Dall's report and memoranda of the discussion, including the papers and charts pertaining thereto, were published as " Extra Senate Document No. 146, 50th Congress — 2(1 Session," and there the subject was dropped. The official Canadian map of 1887 shows General Cameron's lines, which disregard the old acceptation of the meaning of the treaties' clauses, previous maps, and even British admiralty charts. Dr. Dawson claims that " the crrst (or summit) of the mountains situated parallel to the coast " means the summit of the first range of precipitous foot-hills, " everywhere rising immediately from the coast and which borders upon the sea .... and probably at an average dis- tance of considerably less than five miles from it." The phrase " Ten marine leagues from the coast " is never considered, and as the coast presents no windings nor indentations to General Cameron's eye, he draws his line from Mount St. Pllias southward without regard to such irregularities, or to the explicit instructions that the boundary line should run parallel to those windings. The Cameron line leaps bays and inlets, and breaks that portion of the Alaska coast into alter- nating patches of British and United States territory. This line does not even follow " along the channel known as Portland Channel " (to quote the treaty), but along Clarence Strait, Boehm Canal, and Burroughs Bay, thus including within British limits Revillagigedo and many smaller Alaskan islands, and a great penin- sula as well. By this picturesque method of partitioning Alaska, the boundary line would cross almost at the mouth of Glacier Bay, of Lynn Canal, and Taku Inlet ; and on the Stikine River the boundary line would slip fifty miles down stream. Were it accepted, many canneries and settlements, the mining camps of Ber- ners Bay and Seward City, the rich Silver Bow and Dix Bow basins back of Juneau would pass under the British flag, and die Muir, Taku, and other great tide- water glaciers — our most unique scenic possessions on thi^ continent — would be taken from us. On the first of July, 1891, the citizens of Alaska may, for the first time, enter town sites, purchase and obtain titles *o their holdings, other than mineral claims, and lega' cut timber ; and this recent exten- sion of the general land laws will rapidly attract set- tlers and investors into the region claimed as part of British Columbia. The completion of the Nowell tun- nel and other costly pieces of mining engineering. opening basins back of Juneau, the erection of new st.nnp mills in remote canons, and further discoveries of g