Report of the Secretary of State.

The President:

The undersigned, Secretary of State, to whom was referred on the 6th ultimo a resolution of the Senate, in the following terms:

In the Senate of the United States,
December 18, 1895.

Resolved) That the President is requested, if not incompatible with the public interests, to communicate to the Senate all diplomatic correspondence and other information officially possessed by this Government, respecting the establishment or attempt to establish post routes by Great Britain or the Dominion of Canada over or upon United States territory in Alaska; also respecting the occupation or attempted occupation by any other means of any portion of such territory by the military or civil authorities of Great Britain or the Dominion of Canada; also respecting any other attempt by Great Britain or the Dominion of Canada to assert any claims to territory of the United States in Alaska—

Has the honor to report as follows:

The Department of State is not officially possessed of any diplomatic correspondence or other information respecting the establishment of, or any attempt to establish, post routes by Great Britain or the Dominion of Canada over or upon United States territory in Alaska.

Deeming it possible that the Postmaster-General might be able to impart some information touching this particular feature of the Senate’s inquiry, I addressed a letter to Mr. Wilson on the subject. I inclose a copy of his reply, of January 31, 1896, from which it appears that one round trip by carrier was contemplated from Yictoria, British Columbia, via Juneau, Alaska, to Fort Cudahy.

The Department of State is not officially possessed of any authentic correspondence or other information respecting any occupation or attempted occupation, by other means than the establishment of post routes, of any portion of United States territory in Alaska by the military or civil authorities of Great Britain or the Dominion of Canada. The only diplomatic correspondence on file having even a remote relation to this branch of the Senate’s inquiry was exchanged in June, [Page 578] 1895, when, at the instance of the Governor-General of Canada, the British ambassador at this capital asked that customs facilities be accorded a detachment of twenty mounted police en route for the Canadian section of the Yukon country, passing to its destination by way of Seattle, in the State of Washington, and St. Michaels, Alaska, and thence ascending the Yukon River to the boundary. The desired facilities were promptly accorded by the Secretary of the Treasury, and the British ambassador was so informed. Copies of the correspondence in question are appended.

The Department of State is not officially possessed of any diplomatic correspondence or other information respecting any other attempt of Great Britain or the Dominion of Canada to assert any claims to territory of the United States in Alaska, either by occupation or attempt to occupy such territory or otherwise.

Respectfully submitted.

Richard Olney.