The evening world., 1891-05-08
GRAND AND ORCHARD SITS,

may not the United States prescribe space
around the Pribvlofi lrlands IN which
similar prohibitions may be enforced? The
for such purpose BY Congress, and 1t is
but psraphrase of the act OF Par!iament
s tRe ReaS ssw Sy
% as %spe%arins, earl or hsrIooninEi or with arearms.
not 9s qssG n TIE
hehring sea end sail Board msy. from time to
Of b tom h
be OF any validity until II has been confirmed by
the Of tss %Eg uses such
%sshSd # sealing In con,Tayention OF such by
exceeding 400 for the first ohense and not ex-
ceeding $500 for the second or any subseauont
and % every se IN Sr g ARM
such bylaw may be seized and destroyed or
otherwise disposed OF as said Fur Seal Board
II must not escape observation that the
area of water outa de the three-mie line on
the coast OF Scotland, whose control IN az
snme1 by, Great Britain, is as large az
Cape Cod 10 Portland Harbor, on the New
England coast.
Lord Salisbury. reasserts bis contention
that the words ''Pacitic Ocean, " at the time
of the treaty between Russia and Great
Britain. did include Behring Sea. Undoubt-
edly the Pacific Ocean Includes Behring Sea
mcsss SS sfs " s Me- as'i sn Ss Ss'R
statement to ssy that the Mississippi
River flows mtg the Atlantic Ocean.
nize the common distinction between the
- Atlantic Ocean" and the waters OF the
Atlantic" While the Mexican Gulf is not
sure. .comport with general usage to say
that IL belonged to the waters OF the At
lantic. and whil Behring Sea " not techni-
cally part of the Pacific Ocean, IL nm
donbtedly belongs to the waters OF the
Pacific.
be 1nd95stood T sS included II the term A.;
Dover or Calais ia on the coast OF the Atlantic
Ocean, aud yet clearly the ENGLISH Channel
belongs to the waters Of the atlantic. In
usage OF tho world there is no dispute OF
any consequence between the two govern
meats me- on the Iopt un;
is The the one at issue. p, The az eS;
in She State Department of this
S%ney Ads@s dsrs "%d quoted in mS
note Of Dec. II, 1880, plainly, draws
distinction between the Pacific Ocean on
one hand and the Sea okhotsk, the Sea
other: and 30 long as Russia drew that dis
tlnctlon 1t must apply to and must abeo-
lntely decide all the con mentions between the
the two countries no far AZ the waters OF
the Behring Sea are concerned. To discuss
this point further would. in the opinion of
the freRldent. contribute nothing OF Valne
to- the general contention.
In tho opinion OF the President. Lord
Salisbury is wholly and strangely IN error
in making the following statement:
Nor do they tthe advisers of the Presidept) re-
ly. us a Justification for the seizure Of British
ships In the open tes, upon the contention that
the interests Of the zeal fisheries give TO the
United states Government any right for that
1t would not otherwise possess.
The Government. OF the United States has
steadily held lust the reverse oil the position
which Lord Salisbury has imputed TO it. II
holds thar the ownership Of the islands
upon which the seals breed. that the habit
OF the seals in regularly resorting thither
and rearing their young thereon. that their
going ont from the islands in search of food
and regularly returning thereto. and all the
facts and incidents OF their relation to tho
island. give to the United States a property
interest therein; that this property interest
WAS claimed and exercised by Russia during
the whole period OF its soyereignty over the
land and waters OF Alaska; that England
rect gnized this property interest so far IA
recognition is implied by abstaining from
all interference with it during the whole
period OF Russia's ownership OF Alaska and
during the first nineteen years of the sov-
ereiRnty o the United States. 1t IL vet to
be determined whether the lawless intrusion
of Canadian vessels in 1856 and sub eQuent
years has changed the 10 W and equity of the
case heretofore prevail ing.
have the honor to be. with the highest
consideration. sir, your most obedient SER
want, JAMES q. BLAINE.