the territory of Alaska from the Province of British Columbia and the NorthWest Territory of Canada, from the latitude of 54 deg., 40 min. north, to the point where the said boundary line encounters the 141st degree of longitude westward from the meridian of Greenwich, by Commissioners to be appointed severally by the High Contracting Parties, with a view to the ascertainment of the facts and data necessary to the permanent delimitation of said boundary line, in accordance with the spirit and intent of the existing treaties in regard to it between Great Britain and Russia and the United States and Russia."

The Commissioners appointed under this convention carried on their surveys in 1893, 1894 and 1895, and, on the 31st December, 1895, rendered a joint report of their operations, with which they submitted topographical maps showing the natural features of the country from the shores of the mainland back to the high mountains which form the watershed separating the smaller streams flowing into the Pacific from the waters of the Yukon and the upper tributaries of the large streams, such as the Unuk, Stikine, Taku, Chilkat and Alsak, which rise in the interior and cut through the mountains in their course to the sea. The maps show in detail the contours of the mountains which lie between the high range mentioned and the shore, so that from them can be selected the mountain summits required by the treaty. The high watershed mountains above referred to lie on an average about fifteen miles from the coast of the continent, and the mountains nearest the coast frequently rise abruptly from the sea, with their summits not more than two or three miles from it. The interruption of the regular succession of these last by valleys and ravines has, in some quarters led to the idea that the boundary line of the treaty is impracticable, and it has been rather absurdly imagined that the negotiators of the treaty of St. Petersburg, supposed that this mountain range, unlike any other mountain range in the world, presented an uninterrupted knife-like rid throughout its whole extent. On this notion of impracticability of determination and survey of the treaty line has been based a contention that the whole boundary must be traced parallel to the windings of the coast and ten marine leagues from it, thus receding to the extreme limit set by the treaty. Such a line again has been pronounced impracticable and a suggestion has been made of an alteration in the treaty to provide for a rectification of the frontier by a system of straight lines drawn between points to be established on the main routes to the interior in such a manner as to cut off an area equal to that which the United States is entitled to under the treaty.

An informal discussion of this last proposition took place between officers of the United States and Canadian Governments in 1888. In this discussion the difficulty became apparent of deciding what area each country was entitled to, and this could not be determined without a survey. At the same time it was evident that with a survey the necessity of adopting a system of straight lines to replace the natural boundary, would cease; a natural boundary, especially when it follows the summit of mountains, usually above the timber line, where it is forever unlikely that any settlements will be made or interests clash, is far preferable as a dividing line to any system of straight lines, which, moreover, would be difficult and expensive to lay out and mark in the first place and to maintain in the future, and the sole advantage of a survey in relation to the proposition of a compromise boundary would be to enable another natural boundary to be substituted for that of the treaty, should the survey show that to be impracticable. However, now that the survey has been made, it is believed that the information available is sufficient for the purpose of tracing out a boundary in accordance with the terms of the treaty.

In connection with this part of the boundary a question arises as to the

"

meaning of coast in the treaty. In Article III, the boundary line is to follow the summit of the mountains situated parallel to the coast, and Article IV provides that wherever these mountains are more than ten marine leagurs from the ocean, the line shall be drawn parallel to the coast and at a distance not exceeding ten marine leagues therefrom. There are three ways in which the word coast" in these articles could be understood. First, the "coast being the border of the "ocean by Article IV, the " ocean" might mean the "high seas," not including any land-locked water or channel which is less than six marine miles wide, in accordance with the rule that the sea for a distance of three miles from land is territorial water. The "coast" then would be the coast of the archipelago which, from below latitude 56 deg. to Cape Spencer, in latitude 58 deg., 15 min., fringes the continent, and the islands of which are separated from one another and from the mainland by channels in many places less than six miles wide. It is to be remarked that this coast line would be almost everywhere more than ten marine leagues from the mainland. Second: The line of coast may be the shore line of the salt water running up and down the inlets which penetrate the mainland. Third: The line of coast may be the general coast line of the continent without reference to the islands, and those inlets which are less than six miles wide at their mouths may be considered territorial or inland waters, so that the coast line crosses their mouths from headland to headland, and the line of the summits of the mountains behind can be followed as if the inlets were rivers.

The mainland from opposite Prince of Wales Island to Cape Spencer is indented by numerous inlets, cutting through the mountain range adjacent to the shore and extending to the lower slopes of the great watershed range behind. These inlets are all less than six miles wide, with the exception of Lynn Canal, twhich, while more than six miles wide at its entrance, narrows to less than six miles about twenty-five miles from its mouth, near Point Bridget, the southerly headland of Berner's Bay. From Berner's Bay northward the Canal becomes gradually narrower until, at Seduction Point, about twenty-eight miles from the first narrowing of the Canal, it separates into two inlets, which still retain, with slight divergence, the general northerly direction of Lynn Canal. These inlets are Chilkat Inlet to the west, 10 miles long, and Chilkoot Inlet, with its continuation of Taiya or Dyea Inlet to the east, 25 miles long. Hence, considering the coast line to be at Point Bridget, a line from summit to summit of the nearest mountains inland therefrom, would (since Lynn Canal is, along its whole length, bordered by mountains 5,000 to 6,000 feet high) place the whole of the upper part of the Canal in Canada. Or, again, a line parallel to this coast line and ten marine leagues from it will barely more than reach Seduction Point and will cut off nearly the whole length of both Chilkat and Chilkoot Inlets. On the other hand, if the shore line of the inlets is the "coast," all Lynn Canal, with Chilkat and Taiya Inlets, and the landing places for several much-used routes to the Yukon, namely Dyea and White Passes, at the head of Chilkoot, and the Dalton Trail, at the head of Chilkat Inlet, will belong to the United States, and the points where the boundary crosses these trails will have to be determined by the summits of the mountains parallel to the shores of the inlets.

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Whatever definition of coast may be adopted, it is evident that an early definition of the boundary in this quarter at least is much to be desired in the terests of all parties.

West of Cape Spencer the character of the coast is in many respects different from that to the east and south of the Cape. It is broken by comparatively few inlets; the archipelago comes to an end and the mountains rise abruptly

close behind to the coast, in the massive Fairweather Range and Mt. St. Elias Alps, which rise to heights much exceeding the mountains further east. The culminating point in Mount St. Elias, two and a half miles from the 141st meridian and over 18,000 feet above the sea.

In conclusion, it is hoped that a speedy settlement of this boundary question may be reached. It is now a quarter of a century since the Government of British Columbia first directed attention to the desirability of avoiding international disputes and friction by the demarcation of the boundary. The Dominion Government has several times pressed the Government of the United States to take action in the matter, but exaggerated estimates of the cost of survey, especially of the coast strip, have induced hesitation to embark in such an undertaking. It was estimated that the cost to each country would amount to $1,500,000 at least, and that for a modified scheme, not the whole of the line defined by the treaty. The joint surveys made in 1833 to 1895 under the convention of 1892 have shown that the difficulties were over-estimated. The cost of survey and demarcation need not be greater, nor indeed with improved modern methods, so much, as the cost has been of laying down many parts of the boundary line of Canada and the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific. By the last paragraph of Article I of the Convention of 1892, the High Contracting Parties agree that, as soon as practicable after the report, or reports, of the Commissioners shall have been received, they will proceed to consider and establish the boundary line in question."

CONGRESS OF CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE

In June, 1896, a meeting of the third Congress of Chambers of Commerce of the Empire was held in London, Eng. Previous meetings of this Congress were held in 1886 and in 1892.

One hundred and seventy-two Chambers of Commerce were represented, of which 32 were Canadian.

The following subjects were discussed (alphabetically arranged).

1. Arbitration for International Disputes.**

4. Boards of Labor Conciliation and Arbitration.***

5. Codification of Commercial Laws of the Empire.*

6. Consulative Imperial Council.***

7. Copyright.**

Decimal System, Weights, Measures and Currency.***
Emigration.*

8.

9.

10.

Imperial Commercial Relation.***

11. Interimperial Postal and Telegraph Routes.*

12. Light Dues on Shipping.***

13. Postal Facilities.**

14. Railway Extension of South-West China.**

15. Rates of Freight to South Africa.

16. Rules of the Road at Sea.**

*Discussed in each of the three Congresses.

** Discussed in the 1896 Congress only.

*** Discussed in the 1892 and the 1896 Congress.

RESOLUTIONS PASSED.

1. That in the opinion of this Congress differences or disputes arising between different governments, which cannot be adjusted by diplomatic agency, should, as far as possible, be referred to arbitration.

2. That in the opinion of this Congress the laws relating to Bills of Exchange should be made uniform in the British Empire, also that uniformity with the laws of Continental Powers should, wherever practicable, be established internationally.

3. That this Congress expresses strong disapproval of the method adopted in bills of lading of inserting clauses contracting shipowners practically out of all liability, and requests the London Chamber of Commerce to arrange conferences with shipowners in order to eliminate these clauses, or failing such conferences, that steps be taken by the associations forming the Congress to introduce bills into the respective parliaments defining the liabilities of shipowners. 4. That this Congress desires to express its satisfaction at the steady progress which has been made in advancing the principle of conciliation and arbitration in labor disputes and avoidance thereby, in many instances, of the disastrous effects of strikes and lockouts, and pledges itself to use its utmost endeavors to promote the extension of the movement throughout the Empire.

5. That the Bills of Exchange Act of 1882, the Partnership Act of 1890 and the Sale of Goods Act of 1893 and other consolidating statutes having established the practicability and benefit of codifying British commercial law, it is

highly expedient that the commercial law of the whole British Empire should now be embodied in a code; and that, therefore, government be memoralized by the Congress to initiate the steps necessary in order to the appointment for the purpose of drafting such a code, of a commission on which the United Kingdom and all the colonies and countries embraced in the Empire should be duly represented.

6. That as a first step towards Imperial Federation it is desirable that a consultative imperial council should be formed, whose members for the time being should be resident in the United Kingdom; that the council should be called together in the cases where the general interests of the colonies represented are affected in matters of trade, finance or imperial defence; that this council should consist of members elected by every self-governing colony in the same adequate and relative proportion to its electorate, and that its functions should be purely consultative; that the Crown Colonies should also be represented on this council.

7. That the law of copyright should be uniform throughtout the Empire. 8. Whereas the British system of weights and measures which vary constantly in every part of the British Empire, is a source of constant annoyance, loss of time and a formidable obstacle to local, imperial and foreign trade; and whereas the metric system has now been universally recognized as the most perfect decimal system and is generally adopted by nations of both continents with the exception of the British Empire and the United States of America; be it resolved that the metric system of weights and measures be adopted without further delay by the several governments of the Empire, the yard being extended to the metre, the quart to the litre and the two-pound weight to the kilogramme.

9. That this Congress views with regret the movement of the surplus population of Great Britain to foreign lands, thus drawing from the strength of the Empire; that this Congress looks upon such a tendency as not only wasteful of the vitality of the Empire but altogether unnecessary, seeing that the British colonies and dependencies offer fields for emigration as attractive as, if not more attractive than, can be found in any foreign country; that within the bounds of the British Empire the emigrant can find any variety of climate and reach success in any pursuit and yet retain all the privileges of a British subject; therefore, this Congress deems it the duty of the Imperial and Colonial Governments, as well as of all patriotic citizens of the Empire, to use every means available to encourage emigration to the colonies.

10. That this Congress of Chambers of Commerce of the Empire is of opinion that the establishment of closer commercial relations between the United Kingdom and the colonies and dependencies is an object which deserves and demands prompt and careful consideration; the Congress, therefore, respectfully represents to Her Majesty's Government that if the suggestion should be made on behalf of the colonies or some of them, it would be right and expedient to promote such consideration and the formation of some practical plan, by summoning an Imperial Conference thoroughly representative of the interests involved and by such other means as Her Majesty may be advised to adopt; that copies of this resolution be forwarded to the President, to the Prime Minister, the First Lord of the Treasury, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, the leaders of the Opposition in both Houses, the High Commissioner of Canada, and the Agents-General for the other colonies.

11. Whereas an extension of direct telegraphic communication throughout the Empire would considerably facilitate and increase the commercial relations of the mother country and her several colonies and be also a source of security and strength in maintaining uninterrupted hourly communication in the