Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-07
nrrcrAL,rrIrenAA TO THE DrsrArcH.,

fsPECIAL'TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPArcH.i
OTTAWA, August 6.-The Minister of
Customs was officially informed of the ar
rival of the Black Diamond at Victoria to-
day. The Deputy Minister of Fisheries
said to-day that he did not regret the seizure
of these schooners. as he believed the seal
fisheries should be protected from the whole
sale slaughter and devastation to which they
have for long time past been subjected.
He has no doubt that some joint arrange
ment will be arrived at between the mari
time powers to protect the seal fisheries,
which are now rapidly becoming extermi-
mated.
A prominent official of the customs de-
partment said to-day: "We shall not take
any action on the matter. What is there to
do? The United States authorities only put
aboard a,prize crew of one man on purpose
to allow'the Black Diamond to effect her
escape. They wanted to make it a warning
to other sealers, and, after doing this, it was
the easiest way of getting out of grave
difficulty but the Government
WILL TAKE NO ACTION
except to forward all the papers to the colo
nial Office, and the imperial authorities will
have the management of the case. 90 not
think. however, that they will do any
thing" Sir Hector Langevin, Minister of
Public Works, referred to the possibility of
the captain of the Black Diamond ordering
the arrest of the sailor placed in charge Of
his vessel by the commander of the Rush as
a pirate, which he believed would soon
bring matters to settlement between Great
Britain and the United States regarding
Behring Sea.
Another dispatch says: There was con-
siderable chuckling here at the news from
Victoria of the safe arrival there of the
sealer Black Diamond, although there is
naturally much resentment still existent at
the outrageous conduct of Captain Shepard
in forcibly boarding the vessel and break
ing open the ships lockers. Captain
! Shepard's action and that of his Govern
ment affords very remarkable contrast to
the treatment extended to United States
fishing vessels that have been seized or de-
! tanned for transgressions of the Canadian
fishery laws on the Atlantic. Take as an
instance the case of the schooner Matte
Winship, seized off Sydney in June last.
CANADIAN COURTESY.
That vessel was released on a bond for
$4,000. and subsequently the Canadian Gov
ernment intimated its willingness to give
the expenses, while in the case of the Cana
dian vessels seized in Behring Sea in 1887,
a number of them have been allowed to go
to decay, and in other cases when it was
proposed to bond them, the amount of Sc
curity demanded was so far In excess of
their actual value that their owners refused
to have anything to do with them. With
regard to others 1t Is learned that up to the
present it has been impossible to secure q
revaluation of the seized vessels.
Apart altogether from the recent seizure
the conduct Of Captain Shepard must of ne
cessity engage the most serious attention of
the home Government. In this case vessel
having British register, and flying the
British flag, is boarded on the high seas and
forcibly searched. Under these circum-
stances it is surely due to British vessels,
pursuing alegitimate calling, that the I'm
perial Government should, without further
procrastination, take prompt and decisive
measures to protect its commerce beyond
the territorial waters of the United States
or any other country.
Collector Hawley telegraphed the Minis
ter of Customs later that the Black Dia-
mond's papers, clearance, coasting license,
and certificate of registry. as well as her
salted skins, were taken from her.