ASL-KF50.U58v15-p539
TREATY WITH RUSSIA. MARCH 30,
1867. 539
Treaty concerning the Cession of
the Russian Possessions in North America
by his Majesty the Emperor of all
the Russias to the United States of
America; Concluded March 30, 1867;
Ratified by the United States
May 28, 1867; Exchanged June 20,
1867; Proclaimed by the United
States June 20, 1967.
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA,
A PROCLAMATION.
Preamble
whereas a treaty between the United States of America and his
Majesty the Emperor of all the
Russias was concluded and signed by
their respective plenipotentiaries
at the city of Washington, on the thir-
tieth day of March, last, which
treaty, being in the English and French
languages, is, word for word, as follows:
Contracting powers.
The United States of America
and His Majesty the Emperor of
all the Russias, being desirous of
strengthening, if possible, the
good
understanding which exists between
them, have, for that purpose,
appoint-
ed as their Plenipotentiaries :
the
President of the United States,
William H. Seward, Secretary of
State; and His Majesty the Empe-
ror of all the Russias, the Privy
Councillor Edward de Stoeokl, his
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister
Plenipotentiary to the United
States.
And the said Plenipotentiaries,
having exchanged their full
powers,
which were found to be in due
form,
have agreed upon and signed the
following articles:
ARTICLE I.
Cession of ter
ritory by Russia
to the United
States
Boundries.
His Majesty the Emperor of all
the Russias agrees to cede to the
United States, by this
convention,
immediately upon the exchange of
the ratification; thereof, all the
terri-
tory and dominion now possessed by
his paid 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
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540 TREATY WITH RUSSIA. march 30, 1867.
Boundaries of
ceded
territory.
of
demarcation between the Russian
and the
British possessions in North
America,
as established by the con-
venlion
between Russia and Great
Britain,
of February 28-16, 1825,
and
described in Articles III and
IV of
said convention, in the follow-
ing
terms:
"Commencing
from the southern-
most
point of the island 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 de-
gree of
west longitude, (meridian of
Greenwich,)
the said line shall as-
cend to
the north along the channel
called
Portland channel, as far as
the
point of the continent where it
strikes
the 56th degree of north lat-
itude; from this last-mentioned
point,
the line of demarcation shall
follow
the summit of the mountains
situated
parallel to the coast as far
as the
point of intersection of the
141st
degree of west longitude, (of
the same
meridian;) and finally,
from the
said point of intersection,
the said
meridian line of the 141st
degree,
in its prolongation as far as
the
Frozen ocean,
"
IV. With reference to the line
of
demarcation laid down in file pre-
ceding
article, it is understood —
"1st.
That the island called
Prince
of Wales Island shall belong
wholly
to Russia," (now, by this ces-
sion, to
the United States.)
"2d.
That whenever the summit
of the
mountains which extend in a
direction
parallel to the coast from
the 56th
degree of north latitude to
the
point of intersection of the 141st
degree
of west longitude shall prove
to be at
the distance of more than
ten
marine leagues from the ocean,
the
limit between the British pos-
sessions
and the line of coast which
is to
belong to Russia as above men-
tioned
(that is to say, the limit to
the
possessions ceded by this con-
vention)
shall be formed by a line
parallel
to the winding of the coast,
and
which shall never exceed the
distance
of ten marine leagues there-
from."
The
western limit within which
the
territories and dominion con-
veyed,
are contained, passes through
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TREATY
WITH RUSSIA. march 30, 1867. 541
Boundries.
a point
in Behring's straits on the
parallel
of sixty-five degrees thirty
minutes
north latitude, at its inter-
section
by the meridian which pass-
es
midway between the islands of
Krusenstern,
or Ignalook, and the
island
of Ratmanoff, or Noonar-
book,
and proceeds due north, with-
out
limitation, into the same Frozen
ocean. The same western limit,
beginning
at the same initial point,
proceeds
thence in a course nearly
southwest
through Behring’s straits
and
Behring's sea, so as to pass
midway
between the northwest
point of
the island of St. Lawrence
and the
southeast point of Cape
Choukotaki,
to the meridian of one
hundred
and seventy-two west lon-
gitude ;
thence, from the intersec-
tion of
that meridian, in a south-
westerly
direction, so as to pass
midway
between the island of Attou
and the
Copper island of the Kor-
mandorski
couplet or group in the
North
Pacific ocean, to the meridi-
an of one
hundred and ninety-three
degrees
west longitude, so as to in-
clude in
the territory conveyed the
wliole
of the Aleutian islands east
of that
meridian.
ABTICLE
II.
Cession of ter
ritory and do-
minion includes
what.
Private property
Churches
Government arvhives
Copies will be
furnished
In the
cession of territory and
dominion
made by the preceding ar-
ticle
are included the right of prop-
erty in
all public lots and squares,
vacant
lands, and all public build-
ings,
fortifications, barracks, and
other
edifices which are not private
individual
property. It is, however,
understood
and agreed, that the
churches
which have been built in
the
ceded territory by the Russian
government,
shall remain the prop-
erty of
such members of the Greek
Oriental
Church resident in the ter-
ritory,
as may choose to worship
therein.
Any government archives,
papers,
and documents relative to
the
territory and dominion aforesaid,
which
may be now existing there, will
be left
in the possession of the agent
of the
United States; but an authenti-
cated
copy of such of them as may be
required,
will be, at all times, given
by the
United States to the Russian
government,
or to such Russian offi-
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542 TREATY WITH RUSSIA. march 30, 1867.
cers or
subjects as they may apply
for.
ARTICLE
III.
Rights of in-
habitants
of the
ceded
territory.
Those civil-
ized
shall be-
come
citizens of
the
United
States.
Uncivilized
tribes.
The
inhabitants of the ceded ter-
ritory,
according to their choice, re-
serving
their natural allegiance, may
return to
Russia within three years;
but if
they should prefer to remain
in the
ceded territory, they, with the
exception
of uncivilized native tribes,
shall be
admitted to the enjoyment of
all the
rights, advantages, and immu-
nities
of citizens of the United States,
and
shall be maintained and pro-
tected
in the free enjoyment of their
liberty,
property, and religion. The
uncivilized
tribes will be subject to
such
laws and regulations as the
United
States may, from time to
time,
adopt in regard to aboriginal
tribes
of that country.
ARTICLE
IV.
Agents for
formally
deliver-
ing and
receiv-
ing the
ceded
territory,
&c.
Cession to be
absolute
upon,
&c.
His
Majesty the Emperor of all
the
Russias shall appoint, with con-
venient
despatch, an agent or agents
for the
purpose of formally deliver-
ing to a
similar agent or agents ap-
pointed
on behalf of the United
States,
the territory, dominion, prop-
erty,
dependencies and appurte-
nances
which are ceded as above,
and for
doing any other act which
may be
necessary in regard thereto,
But the
cession, with the right, of
immediate
possession, is neverthe-
less to
be deemed complete and ab-
solute
on the exchange of ratifica-
tions,
without waiting for such for-
mal
delivery.
ARTICLE
V.
Fortifications
or
military posts.
Immediately
after the exchange
of the
ratifications of this conven-
tion,
any fortifications or military
posts
which may be in the ceded
territory
shall be delivered to the
agent of
the United States, and any
Russian
troops which may be in the
territory
shall be withdrawn as soon
as may
be reasonably and conven-
iently
practicable.
ARTICLE
VI.
Payment by
In consideration
of the cession
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TREATY
WITH RUSSIA- march 30, 1867. 543
the United States
for the
ceded
territory
Territory
ceded
declared
to be
unencum-
bered by
reser-
vations,
privi-
leges,
franchises,
&c.
Cession Con-
veys
what.
aforesaid,
the United States agree
to pay
at the treasury in Washing-
ton,
within ten months after the ex-
change
of the ratifications of this
convention,
to the diplomatic rep-
resentative
or other agent of his
Majesty
the Emperor of all the
Russias,
duly authorized to receive
the
same, seven million two hundred
thousand
dollars in gold. The ces-
sion of
territory and dominion herein
made is
hereby declared to be free
and
unencumbered by any reserva-
tions,
privileges, franchises, grants,
or
possessions, by any associated
companies,
whether corporate or in-
corporate,
Russian or any other, or
by any
parties, except merely pri-
vate
individual property holders;
and the
cession hereby made, con-
veys all
the rights, franchises, and
privileges
now belonging to Russia
in the
said territory or dominion,
and
appurtenances thereto.
article VII.
Ratifications,
when to
be ex-
changed.
When
this convention shall have
been
duly ratified by the President
of the
United States, by and with
the
advice and consent of the Sen-
ate, on
the one part, and on the oth-
er by
his Majesty the Emperor of
all the
Russias, the ratifications shall
be
exchanged at Washington within
three
months from the date hereof,
or
sooner, if possible.
In faith
whereof, the respective;
plenipotentiaries
have signed this
convention,
and thereto affixed the
seals of
their arms.
Done at
Washington, the thirtieth
day of
March, in the year of our
Lord one
thousand eight hundred
and
sixty-seven.
[l. S.] WILLIAM H. SEWARD.
[l. S.] EDOUARD DE STOECKL.
Exchange of
ratifications.
Proclamation.
And
whereas the said Treaty has been duly ratified on both parts, and
the
respective ratifications of the same were exchanged at Washington
on this
twentieth day of June, by William H. Seward, Secretary of State
of the
United States, and the Privy Counsellor Edward de Stoeckl, the
Envoy
Extraordinary of His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias
on the
part of their respective governments,
Now,
therefore, be it known that I, andrew
johnson, President of
the
United States of America, have caused the said Treaty to be made
public,
to the end that the same and every clause and article thereof may
be
observed and fulfilled with good faith by the United States and the
citizens
thereof.
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544 TREATY WITH RUSSIA- march 30, 1867.
In
witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal
of the
United States to be affixed.
Done at
the city of Washington, this twentieth day of June in the
year of
our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-
[L. S.]
seven, and of the Independence of the United States the
ninety-first.
ANDREW
JOHNSON.
By the
President:
william H. seward, Secretary of State.