Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-03-12
ARBITRATION.
A Favorable Turn TO the Beh-
ring Sea Controversy.
Lord Salisbury Accepts Secretary
Blaines Terms
With the Exception OF a Few
Minor Reservations.

Indications of a Settlement of the Long.
Standing Dispute-The British Premier
ina Lengthy Communication Mptrs q
/ Futile Effort to Deny the Claims of Our
Secretary of state, ana Finally "Throws
Up the Sponge"
WASHINGTON, March 12.-The Behring
sea negotiations have taken most ia
vorable turn, and the governments Of the
/ United States and Great Britain appear
to have at length reached a basis upon
which TO settle their difficulties, as is
evidenced by the following cOmmunica-
ton from Lord Salisbury to Sir Julian
/ IauncefOte, the British minister here,
which was laid before Secretary Blaine,
and has been made public by him:
FOREIGN OFFICE, Feb, II, 1891.
To Sir Julian Pauncefote:
SIR--The dispatch Of Mr. Blaine, under
date of the 18th Of December, has been
carefully considered by her maiesty's gov
ernment The effect of the discussion
| which has been carried on between the
two governments has been materially to
narrow the area of controversy. 1t is now
quite clear that tha advisers of the prcsi-
dent do not claim Bchring sea a "a
mare clausum,' and indeed that they re
pudiate that contention in express terms
Nor do they rely, as a Justification for the
seizure of British slips in the open el
upon the contention that the interests Of
the seal fisheries give to the United States
government any right for that purpose
which, according to international law, 1t
would not otherwise possess, Whatever
importance they attach to the preServa-
ton Of the fur seal species-and they
Justly look on il as an object deserving
the most serious solicitude--they do not
conceive that it confers upon any mari
time powers rights over the open ocean
which that power could not assert on
other grounds.
The claim Of the United States to Ire
vent the exercise of the seal fishery by
other nations in Bchring ssl ros's now cN
clusycly upon the interest which by pur-
chase they possess in q ukase issued BY
the Emperor Alexander l., i'll the year
1881, which prohibits foreign vessels from
appro ching within one hundred Italian
miles Of the coast and islands then belong
ing to Russia in Behring sea. 1t is not, as
! understand, contended that the Russian
vernment, at the time of the issue OF
this ukase possessed any inherent right
to enforce such prohibition, or acquired
by the act of issuing it any claims over the
open sea beyond the territorial limit OF
three miles which they would not other
wise have possessed. But it is said that
this proclamation, worthless in itself, ac-
qured validity and force against the
British government because that govern
ment can be shown to have accepted its
provisions. The ukasa was a mere usurpa-
tion, but it is said that it was converted
into a valid international law, as against
the British government by the admission
Of this government itself,
am not concerned TO dispute Ihe con
tentlon that an lh'allu oltihl may "S
against ano'net government ACQUIRE
validity Willch IN lJS INCEPTION 10 'l,' noV
pos 'ess, II 1t IL formally or GliccC'Ee'S aC
cepted by that government huu 'le Ni'a'
question lor decision is "ne'"eT any "'Ie
government anu osPtC'allE WheVu'' the
government OF "r'al hr'tAIl.' mas nc
cepted tde clalm put forward III 'u.s uN"'p'
Our contention u tha' ho' o''l C'h IT. 'ot
be shown that the government OF Great
Britain at any 'llhe since Le-l as "'ll'Il.e"
the soundness OF the pretrhlIoh put lor-
ward by tne uk'Eo' o"U th3t IL can DC
shown that 1T has CIegoncally uehieu II
on more than one orc or
To sustain this contention, Lord Sails
bury quotes from a letter (January,
1922 from ord Londonderry to Count
Lieven, the Ru sian ambassador III
London, reservation of British rights
to the naVigations Of the waters de
SERTED i'll the ukase, and also from
-. I,,-t IN {
Nesselrode October, Io32h refusing 10
admit Russia llght TO exclude foreign
vessels for one hundred miles IRON the
coast.
Continuing, Lord Salisbury says;
II is evident. therefore. that So far as
dinlnr,,tir rrprrsantatiou won, the kinr's
Government of that date took every slep
Which if was in f,pir mower 10 take in
o,d - IN mako IL cloqr to tie Ru4sfau coy
ernr,an, that Grpot Britain aid NOT accent
tbn claim to .rxclud her subjects for ore
bundrrd milo, from the cogst. which had
Ioon n,,f forward i'm the ukasr of 1921,
AIR RIainc doe. NOT draI with These rro-
+c.t. which aippa1. 4, h.. naie.fy,, ray
.,.r,,n,rnt IN he in tbrm.olye. mo.tl, eum-
ci,,t tn decide tho question whether lireat
I,..t,i, dil nldi,l uot. ,cuIlies.r i'm thp Rms
SION rI,in u1t forward bv the uLasp lie
cnrliups himself mainly i'm the dispatch
nndrr consideration totbpeln .f,Iprgtinn of
tlntn.ri.s ~, bfrl, ,yrr, .iii.-rylrcutIy ~ made
Lefvn,n Crput Britain and Russia and
A,,or;co md Ru.4io in is b and c.uerialiv
Of tbat brtAe an Russia and Great britain.
Tbi- treaty of which the tex Is printed
al fine close of Mr.. Blaine. dispatch. does
NOT contain a word to signify tIe nruui
a.corra of Great Britain i'm tba calm ra
cpntI,. mt forward by Russia to control
,,i,os n"I % .from tLa co1,t There is no