Los Angeles herald., 1891-05-08

wears ago-the British parliament en-
acted a law, the effect of which is fully
shown by map enclosed herewith. Far
outside the three-mile line, the parlia-
ment of Great Britain has attempted to
control body of water situated beyond
the northeastern section of Scotland,
27O0 square miles in extent, and to
direct that certain methods of fishing
shall not be used within the great body
of water under a prescribed penalty.
The prohibition is not alone against
British subjects, but against ANY per-
son."
SAUCE FOR THE GOOSE, ETC.
Secretary Blaine quotes from the par
liamentary act in question, and adds !;
"If Great Britain may thus control an
area of 2700 square miles of ocean on
the coast of Scotland, why may not the
United States prescribe space around
the Pribyloff islands in which similar
prohibitions may be enforced? 1t must
not escape the observation that the area
of water outside the three-mile line of
Scotland, whose control is assumed by
Great Britain, is as large as would be
found inside a line drawn from Cape
Cod to Portland harbor.
'Lord Salisbury reasserts his conten-
ton that the words Pacific ocean, at
the time of the treaty between Russia
and Great Britain, did include the Be-
ring sea. Undoubtedly the Pacific ocean
includes the Bering sea in the same
sense thut the Atlantic ocean includes
the Gulf OF Mexico, and yet it would be
regarded very inaccurate statement to
say that the Mississippi river flows into
the Atlantic ocean.
NOT A QUESTION OF GEOGRAPHY.
Gin point of fact, therefore, according
to the usage OF the word, there is no dis
pute of any consequence on the geo.
graphical points under consideration.
The historical point is the one at issue.
"An explanatory note from Russia,
on file in the state department, especial
ly referred to in John Quincy Adams
diary, and quoted in my note of Deem
ber 18th, last, plainly drawsa distinction
between the Pacific ocean on the one
hand, and the sea of Okhotsk, the sea OF
Kamtschatka and the Icy sea on the
other, and so long as Russia drew that
distinction, it must apply to and abso-
lutely decide all contentious between
the two countries, so far as the waters Of
tne berlng sea are concerned.
SALISBURY IN ERROR.
"In the opinion of the president, Lord
Salisbury is wholly and strangely in
errorin making the following statement:
Nor do they (the advisors of the presi-
dent), rely as a justification for the
seizure of British ships in the open sea,
upon the contention that the interests
Of the seal fisheries give the United
States government any right for that
purpose, which, according to the inter-
law, it would not otherwise
possess
"The government of the United States
has steadily held just the reverse of the
position Lord Salisbury lmputes to it.
It holds that the ownership of the
slands upon which the seals breed
that the habit of the seals in regularly
thither and rearing their
young thereon; that their going out
from the islands IN search of food and
returning thereto, and all the
facts and incidents of their relation to
the islands, give to the United States
interest therein that this
interest was claimed and exer-
cised by Russia; that England recog-
nized this property interest, SO far as
is implied, by abstaining'
from all interference with it during the
whole period of Russia's ownership, and
during the first nineteen years of the
sovereignty of the United States. 1t is
vet to be determined whether the law
less intrusion of Canadian vessels, in
1886 and subsequent years, has changed
the law and equity of the case thereto
lore prevailing"