Science fiction, French -- Translations into English
"The Arctic region situated within the eighty-fourth degree could not
heretofore have been sold at auction for the very excellent reason that
it had not been discovered as yet.
"The extreme points reached by navigators of different countries are
the following:
"82� 45' , reached by the English explorer, Parry, in July, 1847,
on the twenty-eighth meridian, west, to the north of Spitzberg.
"83� 20' 28" , reached by Markham, with the English expedition of
Sir John Georges Nares, in May, 1867, on the fiftieth meridian, west, in
the north of Grinnell Land.
"83� 35' latitude, reached by Lockwood and Brainard, of the
American expedition under Lieut. Greely, in May, 1882, on the
forty-second meridian, west in the north of Nares Land.
"The property extending from the eighty-fourth parallel to the pole on
a surface of six degrees must be considered an undivided domain among
the different states of the globe and not liable to be transformed into
private property through a public auction sale.
"No one is compelled to live in this section, and the United States,
relying on this non-ownership, has resolved to provide for the
settlement and use of the domain. A company has been founded at
Baltimore under the name of the North Polar Practical Association,
representing officially the American Union. This Company intends to
purchase the said country according to the common law, which should then
give them an absolute right of proprietorship to the continent, islands,
inlets, waters, rivers, etc.; in fact, of everything of which the Arctic
region is composed. It is well understood by the law of nations that
this title of proprietorship cannot be touched under any circumstances,
no matter what shall happen.
"These conditions having been laid before all the powers, the Arctic
region is to be sold at public auction for the benefit of the highest
and last bidder. The date of the sale is set for the 3d of December of
the current year, in the Auction Hall at Baltimore, Maryland, United
States of America.
"Address for information Mr. W.S. Forster, Temporary Agent for the
North Polar Practical Association, 93 High Street, Baltimore."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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