offered seemed t«»<> paltry t-*r s great
a possession. Negotiate >11 • w«re never
wholly broken off’, however. aid by
1st»7 another definite offer came from
St l’ete»aburg to Washington ip re
giinl to the empire. Russia agreed
to sell Alaska for the sum -f fT.bbb,
onn, with an extra *2* *0.000 whi» h whs
to g.. to settle the claim* of Russians
a r» t ly residing in Sitka and its vi
cinity, and b- cover the c st f the
transfer. This sum represented ft
payment of nb »ut t wo cents an acre
f -r the vast Country offered.
I .ate one night, the Russian mil*
bassndor, Ibir-n Stoeekl, calm* to the
house of Wi linm II. Seward, our
Secretary ..f State, and told him that
he had received dispatches from the
(-/ar authorizing him to make a trea
ty tooh s« tlui bargain which had been
arninged. In vi-w f the s < i
the h »ur he said he won d come to
the Mate Department on the morrow
t • draw up the l: censary papers. To
tins \Ir. Sewartl r-p ied:
‘ Why should \vo wait until tu
rn rrov, Mr A * n *' • »•* oh r'r Let ns
• *!»*• treaty to-ni^Vtt
H,.* UussWn iiol*l* mnn demurred.
“Y -\ir •lep irtiuent i* eh n»ed, said he;
*• y ii hh v** no olorh* and my Boereta
ri. * •• r*- ^altered nbou! * ho town.
•*Ni*' or mind a few 1itt1e oiroutn
8»ni,( . w likf» that,** Secretary Seward
i-.-pl wd “I ohii on wily get all the
cl i Uh * o m fd, Bi d if you ran get
f • “member* of your l**c ition (o
y, j iv mid night, tou will find ui
v f. t a i n at tin S f atc iJopart
i ui, u11d we will settle this bind*
i
it nod a hit hasty to the Ru«
ei mi, hut he <• n sen ted to the plan.
The party met at twelve o’< lock and
b\ four A. M. the treaty was on
grossed, signed, sealed, and ready
for transmission to the Senate. With
in :i few weeks, Ihe treaty ha 1 h. * i
approved and Alaska was ours.
Then* were ninny in the cmuitr;
wlin thought even th*• small •* un |*
l\ WRHte of MlolM’V. “I»n«RlM?l All" •
VaS to them oTliY H»I I1IU' xpioi • d
aiid liiirr'-n wio'i* of mount.mm hi*
ijlfici* rs Th»*t*• wan in* i.»iijm » r •
territory hnd do/Mim . .f r- 1 * I ■ i *
began t«* he i end t fii
enrrei * y thr ugh t to* p»p«r*. A
large nutnhi r *f pr *j l«» p» * «!* 1 i
spea Hi it of the ’and hi* “>*• • «i
Id 11 v. " ( filers r. f.ri »*d t * l
“Andy Johnson's 1 *• *i • r K* ir '»»r
deli." Other IIHIIIM hat s *n«■. *
ji • pulur fancy were “The /.*o 1 *
lands," and “WmInn*- *da " the
name “Alaska" whs dually eh
jit t he su* i«>n i >t f haries N n m :•* 1
tvhi. said it " ns th** t»♦ 1 •* tf11* i n '
\igf ii and meant, transbit* • ■, “•
great main land. ’
On Frida). the* lsth of ()«•»• 1 •
lsr.T, the Russian flaw " i* r
f 1. > T1 at Sitka ftl’d t||. St-* r?*
Stripes vv».rf» ii-'is’i d I'rin . A’
ntl’, the Rugs mu comnUHaioiM r, tend,
the formal transft r of th.* U»m *v
11 * t i * • t i * • r m I UoiiMi'Mi, ret reseii tin. ti,,
t utted States tjovernno i t Aim r
ii )iii gunboats in the harbor and lb •*
sian batteries oil «-ii shore e*.-hano*- 1
salutiand a big transaction was
eompVted.
Thus, there came into our p< *
si'ii m territoiN one fifth as iar.;*
that of the l ni*ed St %fei proper. -
t:»inii’ fcf a 11 ktmis of natura 1 ' e»« I ’ h.
f rnni wlindi \-o b l v • . r.- id v d r •'
in *re than ^*1*! ‘O.t •’ '< >,< fW\ ith t pi * •
tieallv certain pr *p* et of bi In’is
more in the Years to ouuih.
; The /iovs World)