Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-07-21
How England Came Near Getting Herself
Into Trouble,

lnto Trouble.
OTTAWA, July 20th.-No one knows how
near coming into collision the British and
American navies were up TO q month ago
Then the danger ended, and the Canadians,
now in possession OF all the facts, breathe
freely.
The official intimations given out here
make 1t probable that the United States has
intimated willingness TO agree to Eng
lands proposition made nearly a year ago
for the appointment of a mixed commits
sion TO adjust the claims for damages made
by the owners of the Canadian sealers
seized in Behring sea.
With the intimation given above are facts
which indicate that at one time there was
serious danger of 4 collision between the
war ships of the two countries. They are
as follows
THE CARoLINE's MYSTERIOUS MISSION.
Her Britannia Maiesty's warship Caro-
line, which has just gone north to shell
the Indian settlements in the Skeene river
country, arrived at Victoria, B. c., under
instructions to repair, coal and provision.
The nature of her mission no one knew,
She had just been seizing and raising the
British flag upon some islands in the Pa
cihc ocean, and it was surmised that she
was going back TO see that the Germans did
not interfere with them.
Here in Ottawa the Dominion Cabinet
was all in fut,er. Something was in the
wind, and that something was nothing less
than that the Caroline had been ordered to
get ready secretly and proceed to the
Behripg Sea. That every attempted exer-
cise of jurisdiction by the United States
officials beyond the three-mile limit was to
be met by actual resistance, and every Brit
ish vessel captured by American cutters or
seized by the American authorities in
Alaskan waters was to be recaptured by the
Caroline
AT THE MUZzLE OF HER GUNS,
If necessary. There was, it is alleged, con-
siderable double-faced dealing OF the mart
Of the English i'll this matter. For in
stance, early in April, when one of the
owners of the captured Canadian sealers
complained to the Dominion Government
that he bad no protection, the Deputy Min
lister Of Fisheries and Marine said the mat
ter had been submitted to the British Min
istry, and negotiations were then going on.
he also said that the Dominion Govern
ment had earnestly and repeatedly repre-
sented to the British Government the
gravity of The wrong to which Canadian
citizens had been subjected in the Behring
Sea, and had urgently pressed for a repara-
ton of such injuries.
This official added that the authority of the
Government of Canada was limited to the
protection of its territorial waters, and it
had no power to send armed vessels on the
high seas to defend its subjects or their
property. Immediately following this dis
avowal Of any intention on the part of
Canada of adopting resistance as mode of
settling the Behring sea seal fishery trouble,
the Government ordered the Caroline to
proceed to Victoria and act as told above.
THE DOLPHIN TAKES HAND.
Early in May the Dolphin, the new
United States dispatch boat, left San Fran
cisco for Alaska. 1t was given out at the
time that she was carrying instructions to
the Alaskan authorities from Washington,
but later it became known that she had
gone thither to see that the claims of the
United States to jurisdiction over those
waters were not disregarded.
Messages were flashed over the Canadian
Pacific line to Ottawa from Victoria, and
the cables to England were kept busy for
nearly q week.
Then member of Parliament asked in
the House of Commons whether the Secre-
tary OF the Colonies had any information to
the effect that the United States had sent
man-of-war 10 Alaska TO enforce its claims
to jurisdiction over the Behring sea.
THE CURTAIN FALLS.
The answer vas ambiguously framed to
the effect that the British Government had
not yet received any official notification
from Washington of such move Then
as result of all this hustle end excitement
the Caroline was ordered to discharge her
provisions and await orders So the pro-
jected trip to Alaska and the Behring sea
was given up. The times were not pro-
pitious for q collision with the United
States on either land or sea, and the Brit
ish Government dropped It's foolish idea as
if 1t were q piece OF hot iron.