Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-07-24
BEHRING SEA,
The Correspondence Between Blaine and
the British Government.
SOME VERY POINTED LETTEy IS.
The Secretary Claims t'aat the
United States and TXussia
Own the Fishe' fies.
luxcAI DlrArcHrs TO II 4 n.oonD.us,ou,,

fEPxCIAL plEPATcHEs TO II n RxcoRD-us1oa.l
WASHINGTON, July 23d.-The President
to-day sent to the b .ouse of Representatives,
in answer to the resolution introduced bv
Representative Hitt, the official corre-
spondence between this Government and
Great Britai q touching the seal fisheries of
the Behriy.g Sea.
In the accompanying letter of trans.
initial to the President, Secretary Blaine,
under date of Bar Harbor, July 19th re.
grets the delay in the transmission which
the President directed on the 1lth instant,
and says that correspondence is still in
progress. The correspondence includes
thirty separate papers, beginning with g
letter from Edwards. First Secretary of the
Legation and Charge d'Aaaires, after Min
lister Vests recall, dated August "a, 1885,
closing with one from Secretary Blaine to
Sir Julian Pauncefote, the British Minister,
dated July 10Th, 1890, The opening letter
from Edwards says he is instructed by his
Government to call attention TO the fact
that repeated rumors had reached the Brit
been searched and seized by United States
cruisers in Behring Sea, outside of the
three-miie limit, and asks the United
States to send stringent instructions to its
officers to prevent the possibility of such
occurrences taking place, in accordance
with the assurance of Secretary Bayard
that, pending negotiations, no such inter-
ference should take place, and adding that
Sir Julian Pauncefote, on his return to
Washington, would be prepared to discuss
the whole question.
To this Blaine replied on the same day
that the same rumors, probably based on
truth, had reached the Government of the
United States, but that up to date there
had been no official communication re.
celved on the subject. He adds "It has
been and is the earnest desire of the Presi-
dent OF the United States to have such an
adjustment as shall remove all possible
ground of misunderstanding with her
Majesty's Government concerning existing
troubles in Behring Sea; and the President
believes the responsibility for the delay in
the adjustment cannot be properly charged
to the Government of the United States.
In the opinion of the President the points
at issue between the two Governments are
capable of prompt adjustment on a basis
entirely honorable to BOTH"
SEIZURES CAUSING MUCH EXCITEMENT.
September 18th last Edwards asked when
ne might expect an answer to the request
of his Government made August oath, that
instructions be sent to Alaska to prevent
the probability of the seizure of British
ships In Behring Sea. He says the recent
reports OF seizures having taken place are
causing much excitement, both in England
and Canada.
Blaine, September 14th, replied that he
supposed "her Majesty's Government was
satisfied of the Presidents earnest desire to
come to friendly understanding, and that
official instructions to Sir Julian Paunce-
tote 10 proceed Immediately after his ar
rival in October to the full discussion of
the question removed all necessity for pre-
hminary correspondence touching its
merits. A categorical response would have
been and still is impracticable, unjust to
this Government and misleading to the
Government of her Majesty. Therefore the
judgment of the President was that the
whole subject could more wisely be re-
manded to the formal discussion so near at
hand. 1t is proper, however, to add that
any instruction sent to Behring Sea at the
time OF your original request would fail to
reach those waters before the departure of
the vessels of the United States
PROTEST FROM SALISBURY.
The next communication is a protest
from Lord Salisbury TO Edwards, favoring
the proposed international agreement for a
close season on sealing grounds. In an
other letter to Edwards, October ID, the
Marquis transmits copies of affidavits bear
ing on the seizure of the British sealers the
Black Diamond and Triumph by the
United States revenue cutter Rush He
says: ut is apparent from these affidayits
that the vessels were seized at a distance
from land far in excess of the limit of the
maritime jurisdiction which any nation can
claim by international law. The cases are
similar in this respect to those of the ships
caroline, Onward and Thornton, seized by
vessel of the United States outside of ter
ritorial waters in the summer of 1872 He
adds: The illegality of this was brought
10 the attention of the United States, and
though no official reply was made, Bayard
gave unofficial assurance that no more
seizures would be made pending negotia-
tions," and says, "but in view of the unex-
pected renewal of the seizures of which her
MaJestys Government has previously COM
planned it is my duty 10 protest against
them, and state that in the opinion of her
Malesty's Government they are wholly un-
justified by international law"
OPENING OF THE CORRESPONDENCE.
The correspondence between Blaine and
the new British Minister began January
22d of this year, with very long letter
from the Secretary to Sir Julian Paunce-
fote. The Secretary opened with the ac-
knowledgement of the receipt of the papers
bearing on the seizures made by the Rush.
he says: in the opinion of the President
the Canadian vessels arrested and detained
IN Behring Sea were engaged in the pur-
suit in itself contra b0ROS nores, q pursuit
which OF necessity involves serious and
permanent injury to the rights OF the Gov
ernment and the people of the United
States. To establish this ground it is not
necessary to argue the question of the ex-
tent and nature of the sovereignty of this
Government over the waters of Behring
Sea. 1t is not necessary to explain, GER
tainly not to define, the powers aud priv
ileges ceded by his Imperial Majesty, the
Emperor of Russia, in the treaty by which
the Alaskan territory was transferred to the
United States. The weighty considerations
growing out of the acquisition of that ter
ritory, with all the rights on land and sea
inseparab.y connected Herewith, may be
safely left out of view, while the grounds
are set forth upon which this Government
rests its justification for the action COM
planned OF by her Majesty's Government
RIGHTS OF TEE UNITED STATES.
The Secretary then speaks of the value of
the seal fisheries which were controlled by
Russia without interference or question
until the cesSion of Alaska to the United
States in 1867. This undisturbed possession
continued TO the United States until 1856,
even passing whaling vessels abstaining
from seal capture. He says that this uni
form avoidance of sll attempts to take fur
seal in those waters had been the constant
recognition of the right held and exercised,
hrst by Russia snd subsequently, this Gov
ernment. 1t had also been a recognition of
the fact now held beyond denial or doubt,
that the taking of seals in the open sea
rapidly leads to their extinction. This, in
brlef, was the condition of the Alaska fur
seal fisheries down to the year 1886. Prece-
dents, customs and rights have been estab-
lished and enjoyed either by Russia or the
United States for nearly century. The
two nations were the only powers that
owned foot of land on the continents that
bordered on the islands included within
the BehIing waters where seals resort to
breed. In this peaceful and secluded
field OF labor, whose benefits were so
equitably shared by the native Aleuts
of the Pribyloif Islands, by the United
States aud England, certain Canadian
vessels in 1856 asserted their right TO
enter and by ruthless course destroy the
fisheries, and with them destroy also re.
sulting industries. valuable to this Govern