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Russian Expansion and Exploration in the Pacific

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2017

A. E. Sokol
A. E. Sokol*
Affiliation:
Department of Asiatic and Slavic Studies Pacific-Asiatic and Russian Program, Stanford University
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Extract

Russia Never Renounced its rights and the Soviet Government never gave anyone its authorization to dispose of territories discovered by Russian seamen.” These words were uttered during the 1949 meeting of the All-Union Geographic Society of the USSR by its president, L. S. Berg, a prominent geographer and historian of Russian discoveries in the Pacific. He spoke in connection with the extensive claims to the Antarctic which were voiced at that meeting and which were based on the explorations and discoveries of the Russian Bellingshausen expedition of 1819–1821.

It seems to have become the fashion in the USSR to claim for its own citizens of present and bygone days more and more of the inventions and discoveries of Western civilization. Meant chiefly for home consumption, such claims probably are not very important or dangerous to the non-Soviet world, except as they point toward a systematic building up of a national superiority complex and consequent aggressiveness.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Slavic and East European Review , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , April 1952 , pp. 85 - 105
Copyright
Copyright © Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies 1952

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References

1 According to a report of E. Stevens to the Christian Science Monitor from Moscow, February 16, 1949. Berg's speech was soon followed by articles of similar tenor, see Andreev, A. I., “New Facts Concerning Discovery of the Antarctic,” Pravda, April 1, 1949, p. 4 Google Scholar, English translation in Current Digest of the Soviet Press, I, No. 14, 68 and Kalesnik, S., “Russian Discoveries in the Antarctic,” Slavjan'e, No. 4 (1949), pp. 19–22 Google Scholar, condensed English translation in Current Digest of the Soviet Press, I, No. 24, 7–8. The latter said, “The right of priority in discovery of a number of Antarctic lands remains historically Russia's and, by succession, that of the USSR. Russia has never renounced her rights, and the Soviet Government has never given its consent for anyone to dispose of territory discovered by Russian seamen.” L. Berg has written an article for American readers, “Russian Navigators Were the First to Discover the. Antarctic,” U.S.S.R. Information Bulletin, X (June 23, 1950), 381–82. The Soviet Government sent a diplomatic note to the United States, Great Britain, France, Norway, Australia, Argentina, and New Zealand on June 7, 1950, reading in part as follows: “The Government of the U.S.S.R. cannot agree to such a question as that of the Antarctic regime being settled without its participation. In this connection the Soviet Government deems it necessary to call to mind the outstanding services rendered by Russian navigators in discovering the Antarctic.” For text, see U.S.S.R. Information Bulletin, X (June 23, 1950), 380. The note made no claim to any part of the region of Antarctica, nor has any Russian Government made such a claim. To the effect that the first Russian or Soviet whaling expedition ever undertaken in Antarctica was as recent as 1947, see L. P. Kirwan, “Russia and Antarctica,” Spectator, June 23, 1950.

2 On the general topic of Russian expansion to the Pacific and along its coasts see particularly Kerner, R. J., North Eastern Asia: A Selected Bibliography (2 vols., Berkeley, 1939)Google Scholar; Golder, F. A., Russian Expansion on the Pacific, 1641–1850 (Cleveland, 1914)Google Scholar; Berg, L., “Russian Discoveries in the Pacific,” The Pacific Russian Scientific Investigations, Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R. (Leningrad, 1926)Google Scholar; Baker, J. N. L., A History of Geographical Discovery in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (Cambridge, 1912)Google Scholar; Beaglehole, J. C., The Exploration of the Pacific (London, 1947)Google Scholar; Lloyd, C. M., Pacific Horizons: the Exploration of the Pacific before Captain Cook (London, 1946)Google Scholar; Mitchell, Mairin, The Maritime History of Russia, 848–1948 (London, 1949)Google Scholar.

3 Golder, Russian Expansion, pp. 71 ff.; Clark, H. W., History of Alaska (New York, 1930), p. 34 Google Scholar.

4 Kerner, R. J., “Russian Expansion to America: Its Bibliographical Foundations,” The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, Vol. XXIV (Chicago, 1930)Google Scholar.

5 Actually, the Russians must share the honor of discovering the islands, as far as Western nations are concerned, with the Dutch navigator, M. G. Vries, who came to the islands in 1643, but considered them a part of Jeso. Cf. Golder, Russian Expansion, pp. 121, 255.

6 On Bering's voyages see, in addition to the works mentioned before: Golder, F. A., Bering's Voyages (2 vols., New York, 1922–1925)Google Scholar; Lauridsen, P., Vitus Bering: the Discovery of Bering Strait (Chicago, 1889)Google Scholar; Davidson, George, The Tracks and Landfalls of Bering and Chirikof on the Northwest Coast of America (San Francisco, 1901)Google Scholar; Tompkins, S. R., Alaska—Promyshlenik and Sourdough (Norman, 1945)Google Scholar; Russian America (Materials for the History of the Russian Settlements on the Shores of the Eastern Ocean) (7 vols, of translations of Russian documents, Bancroft Library, University of California).

7 Golder, Russian Expansion, p. 134.

8 Riesenberg, F., The Pacific Ocean (New York, 1940), p. 296 Google Scholar.

9 Cf. Nozikov, N., Russian Voyages round the World (translated from the Russian) (London, 1945 [?]), p. viii Google Scholar; Mitchell, , Maritime History, p. 86 Google Scholar.

10 Bancroft, H. H., Works (New York, 1886), Vol. XXXIII (History of Alaska, 1730–1885);Google Scholar Priestley, H. I., Franciscan Explorations in California (Glendale, 1946)Google Scholar; Clark, , History of Alaska, pp. 44 ff.Google Scholar; Heawood, , History of Geographical Discovery, pp. 249 ffGoogle Scholar., 282 ff.; Mitchell, , The Maritime History of Russia, pp. 213 ff.Google Scholar; Tompkins, Alaska, pp. 58 ff.

11 Nozikov, Russian Voyages, p. 1; Tompkins, Alaska, pp. 84 ff.

12 In contrast to the severe criticism of Russian behavior found almost universally in non-Russian literature on the subject, Nozikov highly praises Russian explorers for their “compassionate and humane attitude” toward the natives with whom they had dealings and favorably compares that attitude with that of other nations, Russian Voyages, p. xviii.

13 Kerner, Russian Expansion.

14 Mitchell, , The Maritime History of Russia, p. 224 Google Scholar.

15 H. H. Bancroft, Works (San Francisco, 1886), XIX (History of California, 1801–1824), 64 ff.; Rezanov, N. P., The Rezanov Voyage to Nueva California in 1806 (San Francisco, 1926)Google Scholar; Langsdorff, G. H. v., Langsdorff's Narrative of the Rezanov Voyage to Nueva California in 1806 (San Francisco, 1927)Google Scholar; Chevigny, H., Lost Empire: The Life and Adventures of Nicolai Petrovich Rezanov (New York, 1939)Google Scholar; The Russians in America (San Francisco, 1933).

16 Ogden, A., The California Sea Otter Trade, 1784–1848 (Berkeley, 1941)Google Scholar.

17 Bradley, H. W., The American Frontier in Hawaii; the Pioneers, 1789–1843 (Stanford University, 1942)Google Scholar; Kuykendall, R. S., The Hawaiian Kingdom, 1778–1854 (Honolulu, 1947)Google Scholar; Golder, F. A., “Proposals for Russian Occupation of the Hawaiian Islands,” Hawaii—Early Relations with England–Russia–France (Honolulu, 1928)Google Scholar.

18 CaptainKrusenstern, A. J. v., Voyage round the World in the Years 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805 and 1806, by order of His Imperial Majesty, on board the Ships “Nadezhda” and “Neva” (original in German) (London, 1813)Google Scholar; Lisiansky, Urey, A Voyage round the World … in the Ship “Neva” (London, 1814)Google Scholar; Langsdorff, G. H. v., Voyages and Travels in Various Parts of the World, during the Years 1803, 1804, 180;, 1806 and 1807 (London, 1813)Google Scholar.

19 CaptainGolownin, I. R. N., Narrative of My Captivity in Japan during the Years 1811, 1812, 1813, with Observations on the Country and the People (London, 1818)Google Scholar, and his Recollections of Japan (London, 1819); Nozikov, Russian Voyages, pp. 24–43, 85–93.

20 Otto v. Kotzebue, Voyage of Discovery into the South Seas and Behring's Straits, for the Purpose of Exploring a Northeast Passage, Undertaken in the Years 1815–1818 …in the Ship “Rurik,” (translated from the German) (3 vols., London, 1821), and his A New Voyage Round the World, in the Years 1823, ’24, ’25 and ’26 (London, 1830); Choris, Louis, Voyage Pittoresque autour du Monde (Paris, 1822)Google Scholar; Chamisso, Adalbert v., “Reise um die Welt mit der Romanzoffschen Entdeckungs-Expedition in den Jahren 1815–1818, auf der Brigg Rurik …,” Samtliche Werke (Leipzig, 1902)Google Scholar.

21 Mahr, A. C., “The Visit of the ‘Rurik’ to San Francisco in 1816,” Stanford University Publications, History, Economics, Political Science, Vol. II, No. 2 (Stanford University, 1932)Google Scholar; Chamisso, A. v., A Sojourn at San Francisco Bay, 1816 (San Francisco, 1936)Google Scholar; Choris, Ludovick, San Francisco One Hundred Years Ago, translated from the French (San Francisco, 1913)Google Scholar.

22 F. P. Lütke, Voyage autour du Monde sur la Corvette “Le Séniavine” dans les années 1826–1829 (St. Petersburg, n.d.).

23 Debenham, F., ed., The Voyages of Captain Bellingshausen to the Antarctic Seas, 1819–1821 (2 vols., London, 1945)Google Scholar.

24 Bancroft, History of California, pp. 79, 310, 314, 318, 629 ff., 642, 650; on the other hand, cf. the entirely erroneous statement by Mairin Mitchell, in her Maritime History of Russia, p. 210, in which she declares that the American west coast from Alaska down to Fort Ross, less than sixty miles from San Francisco, had once been a part of the Russian Empire.

25 DuFour, C. J., The Russian Withdrawal from California (San Francisco, 1933)Google Scholar; Thompson, R. A., The Russian Settlement in California Known as Fort Ross … (Santa Rosa, 1896)Google Scholar.

26 Thomas, B. P., Russo-American Relations, 1815–1867 (Baltimore, 1930)Google Scholar; Golder, F. A., “The Attitude of the Russian Government toward Alaska,” The Pacific Ocean in History, Stephens, H. M. & Bolton, H. E., eds. (New York, 1917)Google Scholar;

Mazour, A. G., “The Prelude to Russia's Departure from America,” Pacific Historical Review, Vol. X, 1941.Google Scholar

27 R. J. Kerner, Russian Expansion.

28 Nozikov calls it “the cheapest land transaction known to history.” He also quotes Stalin, Problems of Leninism, 10th (Russian) ed., p. 445, as stating that the loss of Russian America, which had called for no little (Russian) sacrifice, was one of the numerous instances when Tsarist Russia had to pay for its all-round backwardness; see Russian Voyages, p. x.

29 Keller, A. S., Lissitzyn, O. J. and Mann, F. J., Creation of Rights of Sovereignty through Symbolic Acts, 1400–1800 (New York, 1938)Google Scholar.

30 Hinsdale, B. A., “Right of Discovery,” Ohio Archeological and Historical Publications, Vol. II (Columbus, 1888)Google Scholar. See also Hackworth, G., Digest of International Law (Washington, 1940), I, 393 and 398–401Google Scholar.

31 E. Korovin, ed., Meždunarodnoe Pravo 262 (1951).