File:Heroes of discovery in America (1919) (14596540798).jpg

Identifier: heroesofdiscover00morr (find matches)
Title: Heroes of discovery in America
Year: 1919 (1910s)
Authors: Morris, Charles, 1833-1922
Subjects: Explorers
Publisher: Philadelphia and London, J. B. Lippincott company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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ssued an ukase in whichhe claimed the whole northwest coast down to the51st parallel of north latitude, and even forbadeany foreign vessel to come within one hundred milesof its shores. A Russian settlement had also beenmade on the coast of California, and it seemed likely,if Mexico should gain its freedom from Spain, thatRussia would take possession of California. This act of Russia was a main cause of the dec-laration in the Monroe Doctrine that the Americancontinents are not to be considered as open to futurecolonization by any foreign power. The Russianclaim was settled, however, before the Monroe Doc-trine was issued. The autocrat of Russia did notcare much for his American possessions, which seemedthen of very little value. So when a protest was madeby the American minister he readily withdrew hisclaim, and the southern limit of Russian America wasfixed at the parallel of 54° 40. In 1867, when the United States offered to pur-chase the whole of Russian America for $7,200,000 in
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IN AMERICA 253 gold, the Russian emperor was quite willing to sell,probably thinking he was getting a good price for anunprofitable piece of land. If Alaska, as this countryis now called, were in the market to-day, one hundredtimes this figure would doubtless be considered toolow a price. To the Russians it was valued only asa fur-yielding country. Furs are still obtained there,but its great value to the United States is for its fish-eries, its abundant timber, and its gold and other min-erals, the full extent and abundance of which is stillfar from known. 254 HEROES OF DISCOVERY THE HUDSON BAY COMPANY AND THEWORK OF THE FUR-HUNTERS We have elsewhere given the first chapter in thehistory of Hudson Bay, that great ocean cup whichdips far down from the Arctic Sea into the north-east section of America, reaching from the realm ofice well down towards the Great Lakes. We havetold how Henry Hudson, its discoverer and explorer,was set adrift on its waters by his mutinous crew, toperish by s

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