Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-09-02
THAT HUMILIATION.

The morning Republican organ is
grieyed at the prospect of what it terms
another humiliation, and cites the case OF
the seizure OF two English schooners by
the revenue cutter Corwin, for killing fur
bearing seals in Alaskan waters. The
case is plainly told in the following from
the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
The Treasury Department has received
from Captain Abbey, of the revenue steamer
Corwin, full report of the seizure of three
British vessels while catching seals in Alas
kan waters. He had previously seized the
American vessel San Diego, and taken arms
and ammunition from three others, all of
of which were engaged in seal-fshing. The
report says: Son Sunday, August l, 1856,
while cruising about sixty-gve miles south
east of st. George Island, the British schoon-
ers Thornton and Caroline were found with
boats down engaged in killing fur seal. AS
freshly-killed seal on board, the schooners
were seized for violation of section 1866, Re-
vised Statutes, and taken in tow for Ouna-
laska harbor. At a. M, on August I'd,
the British schooner Onward was spoken at
point about 120 miles south of st. George
Island, and as the master reported that he
was sealing and had taken about four hun
dred skins in the waters near where found
him, / caused the seizure of the vessel for
violation of section 1856 and took her in tow
also. AS each of these vessels had from
eight to ten breech-loading guns and ammu-
milton for the same, without permit. as pro-
vided by law, seized them for violation of
the executive order of July Sd, 1875, and
proceeded towards Ounalaska, reaching that
port on the night of August I'd, 1886, where
l anchored and secured the seized vessels,
taking the arms and ammunition on board
the Corwin for safety and safekeeping. l
have now four schooners and sixty prisoners,
with over 1900 sealskins and some other
property, on my hands,"
Captain Abbey says that as 1T was I'M
practicable for him to hold all the prison
ers on board the Corwin he released por-
tion of the rank and file, sending nineteen
to San Francisco. He was then to fit out the
seized American schooner San Diego and
order her to Sitka for delivery to the United
States Marshall with the remainder of her
crew and twenty Indians from the other
vessels, about thirty-tive in all The re-
manning masters and mates he would re-
tain on board the Corwin to hold as princi-
pals until he could reach Sitka and deliver
them in charge of the court.
The section OF the Revised Statutes re-
ferred to is as follows:
1856. No person shall kill any otter,
mink, marten, sable, or fur seal, or other
tur-bearlng animal, WITHIN the limits OF
Alaska Territory, or in the waters thereof;
and every person found guilty thereof shall
for each otfense, be fined not less than 2C0
nor more than $1,000, or imprisonment not
more than six months, or BOTH and all yes
sells, their tackle, apparel, furniture and
cargo, found engaged in violation of
this section shall be forfeited; but
the Secretary of the Treasury shall
have power to authorize the killing of such
mink, marten, sable or other fur-bearinG
animal, except fur-seals, under such regula
tions as he may prescribe; and it shall bt
the duty of the Secretary to prevent the
killing of any fur-seal, and to provide FOL
the execution of the provisions OF this sec
tion until it is otherwise provided by law
nor shall he grant any special privileges
under this section.
That these schooners were in Alaskan
waters was well known to the Corwin'
commander, hence the humiliation vii
be found in the sanctum OF the morning
| DaDer