of latitude, and is nearly twice as broad across its entrance as the Bay of Bengal. The Aleutian islands, lying southward of Alaska, are scattered between the continents of Asia and America, and extend to the latitude 51°. The large island of Kodiac, on which are the principal Russian settlements, lies near the eastern side of the peninsula Alaska, between the parallels of 57° and 58°. Having no disposition to question the claims of Russia, where they have a plausible foundation, we shall, in this discussion, fix the boundary at Behring's Bay, in latitude 59° 30', and longitude 140°; and leaving her in undisputed possession of that bay, and the whole country northwestward of it, shall confine our remarks to that part of the coast lying to the southward and eastward of it; which we undertake to prove was first seen and explored by the navigators of other nations, and that a commerce was carried on by them with the native inhabitants, long before the Russians had any intercourse with them whatever.

According to M. de Poletica the rights of Russia' to this coast rest upon three bases,' viz: the title of first discovery,' the title of first occupation,' and 'upon that which results from a peaceable and uncontested possession of more than half a century.' We shall examine these titles,' in the order in which they are placed.

It is not pretended that Behring extended his excursions beyond the bay which bears his name, and his discoveries are therefore irrelevant to the discussion; but the assertion that 'his second captain, Tchiricoff, (in 1741,) pushed his discoveries to the 49th degree of north latitude,' is deserving particular consideration, because, it will be found that the asserted Russian title of first discovery,' rests wholly on the voyage of this navigator. We have not met with any account of this voyage from which the slightest inference can be drawn that Tchiricoff saw the American coast in the parallel of 49°; but, on the contrary, all the accounts which we have seen concur in fixing the southern limits of his continental researches, north of 55°. The earliest account we can find, is in a memoir of Philippe Buache, read to the French academy in 1752, and published at Paris, in 1753. This memoir is accompanied by a chart, prepared by M. De Lisle, formerly first professor of astronomy in the imperial academy of St. Petersburg, and brother to Delile de la Croyere, one of the academicians who accompanied Tchiricoff. On this chart is

marked the route of that navigator from Kamtschatka to America, and of his return. It appears from this that they discovered the coast of America on the 15th July 1741, about the latitude of 55° 30', and sent a boat, with the pilot, Dementiew, and ten men, with orders to land. This boat not returning, after several days a second one was sent, with four men, who shared the fate of the first, and nothing was heard of them till 1822, when they were fortunately discovered by M. de Poletica, in the latitude of 48° and 49°! After waiting in vain for the return of his boats, Tchiricoff left the coast of America, and on his return, discovered land in latitude 51°. This could be no other than the southernmost of the Aleutian islands; and the circumstance of the natives coming off to him in skin canoes confirms this supposition, as no canoes of that description have ever been found on the American coast in that parallel. The authenticity of this account of Tchiricoff's voyage can hardly be questioned. It was published a few years only after his return, and it is stated that M. De Lisle had received the manuscripts of his brother, who died at Kamtschatka shortly after the termination of the voyage. Possibly this chart and memoir may not have met the eye of M. de Poletica, or he would not have asserted that the first chart of these countries was published in 1758.' Müller, who was in the expedition, on board Behring's ship, gives nearly the same account as the above, of Tchiricoff's voyage, placing his land-fall in latitude of 56°. Cox, Burney, and all writers on this subject, whom we have met with, have adopted these accounts, and we cannot even conjecture on what authority M. de Poletica pushes Tchiricoff's discoveries to 49°.

The formidable host of navigators, cited by M. de Poletica, does not appal us. If our readers will look into Cox's account of the Russian discoveries,' and examine the relation there given of most of these voyages, they will find it difficult to believe that any discoveries, resulting from them, remain unpublished, or that they have any bearing on the question before us. There is not the slightest probability that any of those. navigators penetrated so far eastward as Behring's Bay. In support of this opinion we have the authority of the learned M. Fleurieu, the most intelligent writer, on this subject, of the last century. In his historical introduction' to the voyage of Marchand, published in 1801, speaking of the Russian navigators alluded to by M. de Poletica, he says, 'the principal

object of all these voyages was the examination of that long archipelago, known under the collective name of the Aleutian or For islands, which the Russian charts divide into several archipelagoes, under different names; of all that part of the coast which extends east and west under the parallel of 60°, and comprehends a great number of islands situated to the south of the main land, some of which were visited, and others only perceived by Behring; lastly of the peninsula of Alaska, and of the lands situated to the north of this peninsula as far as the 70th degree. It is on these Aleutian islands, and on upwards of three hundred leagues of the coast, which extends beyond the polar circle, that the indefatigable Russians have formed those numerous settlements,' &c. From all these facts we feel fully warranted in the conclusion, that no Russian navigator, excepting Tchiricoff, had seen the coast, eastward of Behring's Bay, previous to the Spanish voyages of Perez, in 1774; Heceta, Ayala, and Quadra, in 1775; that of Cook in 1778; or even so late as 1788, when it was first visited by vessels from the United States. Thus much for the Russian 'title of first discovery: that of first occupation' comes next. We have no doubt but Russian fur-hunters formed establishments, at an early period, on the Aleutian islands and neighboring coast of the continent; but we are equally certain that it can be clearly demonstrated that no settlement was made eastward of Behring's Bay, till the one at Norfolk Sound in 1799. The statements of Cook, Vancouver, Mears, (Mirs,) Portlock, and La Perouse prove, what we readily admit, that previous to 1786 the Russians had settlements on the island of Kodiac and in Cook's River; but we shall take leave to use the same authorities to establish the fact that none of these settlements extended so far east as Behring's Bay. Vancouver, when speaking of Port-Etches in Prince William's Sound (June, 1794) says, (vol. 3, page 173,) from the result of Mr Johnstone's inquiries, it did not appear that the Russians had formed any establishments eastward of this station, but that their boats made excursions along the exterior coast as far as Cape Suckling, and their galiots much farther.' Again, page 199, we however clearly understood that the Russian government had little to do with these settlements; that they were solely under the direction and support of independent mercantile companies; and that Port-Etches, which had been established in course of the preceding summer, was the most eastern settlement on the American coast.'

In a subsequent letter to Mr Adams, M. de Poletica says, 'but what will dispel even the shadow of doubt in this regard (title by occupation) is the authentic fact, that, in 1789, the Spanish packet St Charles, commanded by captain Haro, found in the latitude FORTY-EIGHT and FORTY-NINE, Russian establishments to the number of eight, consisting in the whole of twenty families, and four hundred and sixty individuals. These were the descendants of the companions of Tchiricoff, who was supposed till then to have perished.' This, if true, is, we allow, conclusive evidence of the Russian title by occupation.' It is certainly the most important fact brought forward by M. de Poletica. In truth it is the only one that, in our opinion, has a direct bearing on the question, and on its correctness we are willing to rest the issue. Nootka Sound lies in latitude 49° 30', Člayoquot or Port Cox, in 49°, and Classet, at the entrance of the Straits of Juan de Fuca, in 48°. Nootka was first visited by the Spanish navigator, Perez, in 1774, by Cook in 1778; from 1784 to 1789 it was frequented by English, Portuguese, and American vessels; in 1788 captain Mears built there a vessel, and made the settlement which, subsequently, came near causing a rupture between Great Britain and Spain; in 1789 a Spanish settlement was made by Martinez, and continued till 1794. During this period Nootka, Clayoquot, and Classet were the common rendezvous for the ships and fur-traders of all nations; vessels were built by citizens of the United States, both at Nootka and Clayoquot; in 1790 the settlements at Nootka became the subject of investigation in the British parliament, and volumes were written on it. Now we ask M. de Poletica, or any man of common intelligence, if it is within the bounds of probability-if it is even possible, that eight Russian establishments, containing four hundred and sixty-two individuals, should have existed in 1789, in the centre of these operations; on the very spot for which two powerful nations were contending; and no allusion be made to the circumstance during the whole discussion, no mention be made of them by any of the numerous writers on the subject, and no intimation of the fact in the journals of Cook, Mears, Dixon, and Vancouver, who speak of Russian establishments on other parts of the coast, and are altogether silent respecting these, which, had they existed, would have been of more importance than all the other Russian settlements, in that quarter of the globe!

We have recently conversed with a son of captain Kendrick, who was with his father, in the Columbia, in 1787, and remained a considerable time at Nootka, in the Spanish service, and with another individual, of great respectability, now residing near Boston, who, in 1792, built and equipped a small vessel at Nootka for commercial purposes. Both these individuals were personally intimate with captain Haro, at Nootka, but never heard an intimation of his having discovered Russian establishments in that vicinity; yet such a fact must have been highly interesting to the Spaniards, who intended their settlement to be permanent, and to the Americans, who were actively engaged in the fur-trade; and therefore very likely to become a subject of discussion.

In 1799, the writer of this article visited the northwest coast, on commercial pursuits. In the course of that year he entered the several ports situated in the 48th and 49th degrees of latitude; was personally acquainted with the chiefs, and many of the natives; acquired considerable knowledge of their language and customs, but saw no vestige of M. de Poletica's Russian establishments, nor perceived the slightest indication of Russians having ever set foot in the country or visited its shores. These facts might be deemed sufficient, but we shall offer one still more directly to the point. In the summer of 1799, the writer, then off Behring's Bay, in latitude 59° 30', fell in with M. Baranoff, at that time, and for many years before and afterwards, commander in chief of all the Russian establishments in that part of the world. He visited the American ship, and passed a day on board. Through an Englishman in his service, who acted as interpreter, a full and free communication took place. M. Baranoff stated that he was from Onalaska, which he left in company with a galiot and a large fleet of skin-canoes, from whom he separated, in a fog, a few days before; and that they were all bound for Norfolk sound, for the purpose of forming a settlement, or huntingpost. Learning that the writer had been at that place a short time previous, he showed great solicitude to obtain information, particularly respecting the native inhabitants, of whom he appeared to be much in dread, declaring his apprehensions that they would destroy his hunters, and defeat his plans. He further stated, that a hunting party having a short time before extended their excursion to the neighborhood of Norfolk sound, had found the sea otters so abundant as to induce him to unNew Series, No. 12.

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