Return of Russia to the Amur

Return of Russia to the Amur in the middle of the 19^th century was impetuous but not easy. In 1847 Russian Emperor Nikolay I said to the newly appointed Governor-General of Eastern Siberia Nikolay Nikolayevich Muravyov, “As for the Russian river Amur, we will talk about it later.”

In the middle of the 19^th century the interests of the leading European powers in the Far East were common, and these countries had been competing with each other for the right of a predominating influence in this world region. So the deterioration of relations between England, France and the North-American United States caused concern to the Russian government for its eastern lands.

In 1847 N. N. Muravyov just assigned Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, estimating the threat from the Anglo-French fleet wrote to the Minister of Internal Affairs :” I have seen many ports in Russia and Europe, but never seen anything like the Bay of Avacha. It would suffice for England to break relations with Russia deliberately for a couple of weeks in order to seize it and then make peace again, but it would never give Avacha Bay back to us, and if it paid a million pounds for it when concluding peace, it would compensate the expenses in a very short time through whaling in the Okhotsk and Bering Seas. Of course, England would allow nobody to enter these seas without taxation.”

The newly assigned Governor-General was much concerned with frequent voyages of various foreign emissaries, mainly English ones, to the Eastern Siberia, as well as occasional landings of animal hunters and whalers on the Pacific shore.

He was very bothered about the uncertainty in the problem of the Amur estuary which still remained the Achilles hell in his plans to settling of the Russians at the Eastern shores. He realized that if the Englishmen happened to know that the Amur lands were nobody’s possession, they would certainly occupy Sakhalin and the Amur mouth and Russia would be deprived of the entire Siberia.

On August 18, 1854 a military squadron of six French and English ships came to Avacha Bay, bombarded Petropavlovsk Port, which became the main Pacific port of the country, and attempted two serious attacks to capture the city and naval ships. But the enemy attack was repulsed in all points, and the city and ships were saved. The squadron, suffering considerable damage and losing some officers and up to 350 crew men, got away, leaving the English flag.

Commander-in-Chief of the English-French Fleet shot himself not to be taken prisoner.

But in the Russian government there were some opponents of Russia’s movement to the Amur. Those opponents were united by a powerful person, Foreign Minister; count Nesselrode*, who worried very much about the opinion and position of London, concerning every decision of the Russian government. According to evidence of documents he was concerned not so much about the opinion of Beijing, as that of London. The “English party” at the imperial court was powerful enough to postpone any undesirable project and stop any “self-willed” action for a long time.

Only in the middle of the 19^th century when above China there was a threat of territorial capture from England, France and the USA, Russia again had an opportunity to establish friendly relations with China and to solve the Amur question. This mission had to be fulfilled by the Governor - General of Eastern Siberia Nikolay Nikolaevich Muravyov.

In 1858 he signed the Аigun Treaty about delimitation of the lands up to the mouth of the Ussuri and development of free trade along the Amur, Sungari, and Ussuri Rivers.

In 1860 the additional Beijing Treaty was concluded. It defined the border from the junction of the Shilka and Argun Rivers up to the Pacific Ocean. According to these treaties the established border between Russia and China exists till nowadays.

The success of Russia’s business on the Amur was predetermined by joining of will and efforts of two great State figures – Nikolay Nikolaevich Muravyov and Gennady Ivanovich Nevelskoy, who acted carefully but decidedly. They deliberately continued business of their predecessors – discoverers, explorers and State figures. They also understood the importance of the Far East for Russia. They both risked their careers very much. Fortunately to us, history joined those talented and purposeful people, who met in the right time to return the great Amur territory to Russia.

Thus, in the middle of the 19^th century Russia finally secured not only the lands opened and developed by Russian people in the 17-18^th centuries but its eastern border.

7. Answer the following questions:

•How can you characterize the return of Russia to the Amur in the middle of the 19^th century? Why?

• When was N. N. Muravyov appointed a Governor- General of Eastern Siberia?

• What had the leading European powers been competing with each other for at the Pacific?

• Why was N.N. Muravyov very bothered about the uncertainty in the problem of the Amur estuary?

• What was the result of a battle for Petropavlovsk Port?

•Who was the main opponent of Russia’s movement to the Amur?

• What did the Аigun and Beijing Treaties determine?

8. Complete the sentence:

• Emperor Nikolay I ______________________________________________________

a) did not want to solve the Amur question

b) started some arrangement to solve that problem

c) postponed this question till better times

• Leading European powers wanted ____________________________________________

a) to establish a new republic in the Far East

b) to develop the Far East and China

c) to tap the recourses of the Far East and China

• Avacha Bay _______________________________________________________________

a) was located in a picturesque place

b) was the location of the Russian port

c) attracted whalers and various foreign emissaries by sea resources

•Amilitary squadron of French and English ships lost the battle for Petropavlovsk Port because _________________________________________________________________________

a) the number of the Russians prevailed

b) Petropavlovsk Port was fortified very well

c) Russian officers and soldiers were very courageous

•The opponents of Russia’s movement to the Amur __________________________________

a) got bribes from the UK

b) disliked Russian people

c) were afraid of the Minister of the Finances

•China agreed to solve the Amur question because ___________________________________

a) there was a new government

b) it had realized the profit of trade between two countries

c) it could lose all territories

9. Translate into Russian the letter of N. N. Muravyov to the Foreign Minister and analyze it. How is he describing the possible future of the Far Eastern lands?