river, and when the difficult waters are reached unloading part and proceeding with the remainder, repeating this lightening in some cases for three or more trips, and then bringing forward what had been so left, the right to navigate is of no value. The whole distance from Fort Wrangle to Glenora is about one hundred and fifty miles. You will please lay our grievance before our government at once, meantime taking such steps as you may deem proper to protect us in the enjoyment of our rights as citizens of the United States. Your obedient servants, JOHN C. CALLBREATH, CHAS. H. Low, Master, Owners of the steamer Nellie, of Port Townsend, Wash. Terr. Maj. W. G. MORRIS, United States Revenue Dept. Port Townsend, Wash. Ter. P. S.-No charge is made of an attempt to evade revenue or port regulations, or that the Dominion Government is wronged in any way. It is simply a move to drive American vessels from the river. J. C. C. [Enclosure.] Mr. Johnson to Mr. Hunter. OTTAWA, May 18, 1878. SIR: In reply to your letter of the 25th instant, I beg to inform you that it is contrary to the coasting regulations for the United States steamers or vessels to unload part of their cargo at the first Canadian custom station on the Stickine River, and after going higher up and landing the remainder to return again and reload what has been unladen and return therewith to the higher point. This course is not allowed to Canadian vessels in any similar circumstance in the United States. The steamer might properly take freight for the two points, and be allowed to land the quantity consigned to each; but no foreign vessel has the right to reload freight once landed in Canadian territory for delivery anywhere else in the Dominion, and if that practice has really been allowed by the custom officials, it must be discontinued at once. The general question to the right to navigation by both nations is not open to question, but that right must always be exercised with due regard to customs laws and regulations. I have the honor to be, yours, etc., J. JOHNSON, Commissioner of Customs. Mr. Callbreath to U. S. Treasury Agent. FORT WRANGLE, July 11, 1878. DEAR SIR: I will take it as a personal favor if you will bring this matter to the notice of our government as soon as possible, and if possible to get instructions so as to send by the next California. Of course this can only be-done by using the telegraph. As soon as the water falls, the restrictions imposed upon us will drive everything but Canadian vessels from this river. Of course this is the object of the Dominion authorities. I think our government might at least demand a suspension of the restrictions until the matter can be discussed, as the full and unrestricted right has been heretofore enjoyed by American vessels coequal with Canadian. By attending to this you will place me under renewed obligations. Yours, truly, Major W. G. MORRIS. JOHN C. CALLBREATH. U. S. Treasury Agent to American Petitioners. OFFICE SPECIAL AGENT OF THE TREASURY, SIR: I am in receipt of your communication, signed also by Benj. Stretch and Capt. Chas. H. Low, dated Glenora, July 6. I fully appreciate all the difficulties under which you labor and the obstacles which are being placed in your way by Canadian Customs officials in the prosecution of your business. I can see, however, no way to relieve you. The rule laid down by Mr. Johnston, the Canadian Commissioner of customs is the law. The treaty of Washington guarantees to the subjects of Her Britannic Majesty and to the citizens of the United States the free navigation of the Stikine River, "subject to any laws and regulations of either country within its own territory not inconsistent with such privilege of free navigation." The Dominion Government has its own laws governing its coasting trade, and we cannot directly or indirectly violate them. Mr. Johnston is correct when he says the privilege you seek would not be accorded Canadian vessels by the United States. Our Customs regulations relating to the coasting trade are very rigid, and under no circumstances would a foreign bottom be permitted to engage in the trade you desire. The only way out of the difficulty is for you to transfer the title of your boat to a British subject. This, however, should be done with caution, for should the Stikine trade die out, you would not be able to again procure American papers for your boat without special act of Congress. The verbal instructions of Mr. Hunter in regard to the point on the river where freight must be landed involve quite a different proposition. The boundary line between Alaska and British Columbia is the same as laid down in the convention of 1825 between Russian America and British North America. It is vague and undetermined, and will always remain in dispute until the respective governments settle the question by joint commission and survey. I have devoted no little time and attention to this matter, and shall devote a large portion of my forthcoming report upon Alaska to its discussion, and endeavor to impress upon Congress the necessity of immediate action. I presume the point settled upon by Mr. Hunter is that located by Mr. Hunter, the railway engineer, in his recent survey. The report of the latter has not vet reached me, but I learn casually he has run the line much farther down the river than has heretofore been supposed to be the boundary line. When the Dominion Parliament was prorogued on the 10th of May last, Lord Dufferin used the following language: I am happy to be able to state that, pending the final settlement of the question of boundary, a conventional line has been adopted by my government and the Government of the United States between Alaska and British Columbia on the Stikine River. Whether this is in accordance with the Hunter survey I am unable to inform you, but will write to Washington for information, and when reply is received will duly notify you. As you have specially asked me to lay your grievances before our government, I shall this day send your correspondence and a copy of my reply direct to the Secretary of the Treasury. I have given you my view of the case, and in the meantime would advise you to let matters remain in statu quo, until the department can be heard from. Your suggestion about using the telegraph is impracticable; the department would not act unless the whole case was properly presented, and this can only be done by transmitting all the papers. I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, JOHN C. CALLBREATH, Esq., WM. GOUVERNEUR MORRIS, Wrangel, Alaska. Special Agent. Governor of the Colonies A. E. Etholine to Commander of Steamer Nicolai I, Volunteer Pilot Lindenberg, [Translation.] JULY 23, 1840. No. 75. I recommend you to sail from here on the steamer entrusted to you through Peril Strait to Icy Strait for trading purposes with the Kolosh, where you will cast anchor in a safe and convenient place or at the point indicated to you by the Kolosh Ya-Khu-gan of the ley Strait going back to his home with you and who volunteered to pilot you and to show you the place where upon receiving information as to the arrival of the steamer all the Icy Strait Kolosh will assemble for the purpose of trading with us. As far as I could understand from the words of that Kolosh the most convenient place is Port Frederic or Saviour Bay; at all events I wish you to keep in view to trade with the Kolosh on the southern coast of Iey Strait and not on the northern, which at present according to the agreement, belongs to the English and not to us. I have been informed that the Kolosh there have over 60 skins of sea otter which they want to sell to us and I instruct you therefore to employ 7-8 days for trading with them during which time I suppose it will be possible to buy all their furs; should you not succeed in this I authorize you to sacrifice 2-3 more days to this matter in order to endeavor to purchase from them not only sea otter, but other remarkable furs that they may have. Upon having finished trading in the Iey Strait the steamer must sail along around the northern point of Admiralty Island (or Khuznoo Island) to the English settlement near the mouth of the river Taku (this settlement according to Mr. Duncan, Captain of the Hudson's Bay Company's vessel Vancouver, is situated in latitude 58 6'); but as this route between the above mentioned Admiralty Island and the continent is very narrow and but little known, I recommend you to find a convenient anchoring place in Barlowe Cove, which is at the extreme northern point of Hoolznoo Island and there sound the narrows of the channel as far as Stephen Strait, and then only shall you sail with your steamer to that strait. At Taku you will deliver to Mr. Douglas, Chief of the English settlement the herewith enclosed letter from me to him, the map of our survey of the Stikine River mouth, and order to have delivered to him 59 pairs of boots sent him from here on the steamer (which according to accounts we are to pay them for blankets brought on the Brig Chichagoff) as well as the 54 boards left here from Vancouver for delivery and which are loaded on board the steamer. Deliver also to Mr. Douglas the furs sent on with you from the Novo Archangelsk office, bought by us from the Chilkat Kolosh who were recently here, in exchange of which take from the English as many skins of river beavers or otters and in general all the furs they have had time to trade from the Kolosh inhabiting the islands situated within our possessions during their stay at Stikine and Taku. For greater convenience and clearness in the accounts, I found it necessary to propose to Mr. Douglas to proceed with the trade between the English and us by the piece, i. e. fur for fur of equal quality, the remaining quantity to be put down on the accounts between us, which I communicate to you for your guidance as well as that, according to an agreement made by Mr. Douglas and myself, all skins of sea otters without exception, bought by the English from the Kolosh of these regions, will be delivered to us for the price they were purchased. Report of Expedition to Cassiar District. [From "Journals & Sessional Papers, British Columbia, 1873-4".] To the Honorable the Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works, British Columbia. SIR: From Fort Wrangle to the mouth of the Stickeen river the distance is about five miles; from the mouth of the river to the Big Bend, distance about eighteen miles: and the average course east. From the Big Bend to the Great Glacier seven miles-average course north by east. From the Great Glacier to the Hudson's Bay Company's post, distance about thirty-eight miles; average course north by east; portion of this part of the river is a great deal cut by sloughs, snaggy and shallow in the fall of the year. From the Hudson's Bay Company's post to Salmon Creek, six miles; average course west; also a portion of this part of the river is cut by sloughs, snaggy and shallow. From Salmon Creek to the Little Cañon, about seventeen miles; average course north. From the Little Cañon to Klutchman's Cañon to Clearwater River, about fourteen miles; average course north-east by north. From Clearwater River to Collins' Bar, eight miles; average course north by east. From Collins' Bar to Shakesville, about seven miles; the average course north-east by north. From Shakesville to Miller's Bar, about nine miles; average course north-east by north. Three and a half miles above Shakesville there is one riffle, not navigable for steamboats at low water; with high water it is good; and with middling stage can go through the slough, leaving the riffle to your right. From Miller's Bar to Telegraph Creek, foot of the Great Cañon, distance nine miles; average course north east. The ice leaves the river from the 24th April to the 5th or 6th of May. From that time, suitable river steamers can run the river until the first or middle of October; some seasons they may run later; from Collins' Bar to the first North Fork. Vegetables and good potatoes are raised to good advantage. From the Little Cañon up, the snow falls light, from two to four feet. From the Cañon down, snow lies after it has settled, from five to nineteen feet deep in places on the river bottoms. On the Upper Stickeen, the spring opens early; the snow disappears in the latter part of March or the first of April. The weather, from the 1st of May, and through the summer months, is at times excessively warm. When my sons and I arrived at the foot of the Great Cañon, on the 22nd May, 1873, where we expected to get an Indian for a guide; after a day or two's delay, we started without a guide. As there were no Indians on the Stickeen at that time of the year we could gather very little information about the trail. The Trail follows the Stickine River for about twenty-five miles along a bench country, cut up by numerous deep gulches, including the first and second North Forks At the second North Fork, we were detained two days and a half building a bridge; then the country is tolerably level and dry for twenty miles; then travelling through swamps for twelve or fourteen miles further, we came to a mountain which we were obliged to climb; we travelled on these mountains for about fifteen miles, and found ourselves getting into a slate range, which we followed for ten miles or more. This ridge of mountains runs about north and south. The waters of these mountains, as you will perceive by the map, run into the second and third North Forks of the Stickeen River. [NOTE.-Here follows a description of the remainder of the route to the Cassiar District.] On the 24th September, the weather turned cold, with a northeast wind, and continued so until the 29th; then it started to snow, with a north-east wind; all the miners leaving the creek. It continued cold. and snowing heavy, until the 1st October: we then packed up and left. Found Mr. Rath and brother at the mouth of the creek, and travelled out together; weather very cold, and blowing a heavy north wind, with snow. On the 3rd October, it moderated. By this time the snow was from twenty to thirty inches deep; the same day it commenced to rain. On the 7th we arrived at Buck's Bar. Dease's Lake opens from the 15th to 25th May. Yours respectfully, WILLIAM MOORE. VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, 29th November, 1873. |