Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 19.djvu/202

190 LESTER BURRELL SHIPPEE few trappers and fur traders, and this despite the efforts of Floyd and a few others. Negotiations were proceeding simultaneously although intermittently between the United States and Russia on the one hand, and the United - States and Great Britain on the other, from 1822 to 1824. Since the Russian interest in that portion of the Northwest Coast coming to be known as Oregon ceased in 1824, that aspect of the diplomatic issue may well be treated first. On February 11 (N. S.) 1822, Pierre de Poletica, the Rus- sian minister to the United States, handed to the Secretary of State a copy of the Ukase of September 4, 1821 (O. S.). 1 Included in the long list of regulations dealing with the matter of trade in the North Pacific waters were two propositions which astonished Adams : 2 in the first place it was announced that all commerce, whaling, hunting, etc., along the coasts of Asia and America from Behring's Strait to the fifty-first degree of north latitude belonged exclusively to subjects of the Czar; secondly, all persons not Russian subjects were warned not to approach within 100 Italian miles of the coasts under penalty of confiscation of all property. Here was an unex- pected claim to the American continent to an extent of four degrees, and the pronouncement that the open sea was mare clausum; the first proposition assumed to treat as non-existent the claims of Great Britain and the United States to a portion of the region which these states considered a matter of con- cern to themselves alone ; the second would make a new rule as to the high seas. While de Poletica attempted to explain to Adams that the Russian pretensions were well founded 3 the latter could see no basis for the first assumption other than a settlement made at New Archangelsk on an island, on the strength of which the coast half way to the American settlement at the mouth of the Columbia was called Russian. 4 Even this assumption was nullified by the fact that the 1 Given in full in Am. S. P. For. Rel., IV, 857-61. 2 Adams to de Poletica, --- - - - * 5. f. for. Kel., IV, 857-61. , 25 Feb., 1822, Annals, 2152-3. 5, 28 Feb., & 2 Apr., Ibid., 2153-* 3 De Poletica to Adams, 28 Feb., & 2 Apr., Ibid., 2153-60. 4 Adams to de Poletica, 30 Mar., Ibid., 2157-8.