St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-06-23
Appointment Of Suitable
Persons to Study the
Seal Question.
These Men Are Not Apbiters
Of the Behring Sea
Difficulty.
Negotiations Have Not Pro-
crossed to the Point Of
Arbitration.
Capital News Of General In
tereSt to Citizens and
Officials.

WASHINGTON, June 22.-The depart
ment OF state has been notified that the
British government has appointed Sir
George Baden-Powell and w. Dawson
agents for that government to visit
Alaska and collect information respect
ing the seal fisheries. The state ment
coming from London that these men had
been appointed arbters is erroneous.
The negotiations looking to arbitration
OF the claims made by the United States
toJurisdictIon over Behring sea have not
yet progressed to point that would
permit of the appointment of arbiters.
and, in fact, the nature of the ar
bitration itself has not been agreed
upon. Presumably it will be entrusted
to board composed of two representa-
tives of the United States, two of Great
Britain. and fifth member to be select
eddy the first four. But this presump-
ton may be negatived by an insistance
upon russian representation, or it may
be that some neutral power will be
called i'll. These are matters that will
doubtless be arranged without difficulty
when Great Britain and the United
States have finally agreed upon
ne Exact QuestEOnS
to be submitted to arbitration. Messrs.
Powell and Dawson were appointed
under the terms of Acting Secretary
WhartOn's letter of the ninth of the
present month containing the modus
yIvlndi and the following paragraph:
In order to facilitate such proper in
quiries hs her majesty's government may
desire to make with a view to presentation
OF the case of that government before arbi-
traitors and i'll expectation that an agreement
Tor arbitration may be arrived at, it is agreed
that suitable persons designated by Great
Britain will be permitted at any time, upon
application, TO visit or TO remain upon the
seal islands, during the present sealing sea-
son, for that purpose"
The United States statutes forbid any
unauthorized person to be upon a re-
served tract without special authority,
and 1T Is therefore necessary for the
British government to obtain the con-
sent of this government before agents
can land on the seal islands. 1t may
be that Messrs. Powell and Dawson
will hereafter serve as representatives
of the British government upon the ex-
pert commission which the two nations
are bound to send TO Alaska this sum-
mer, but it is altogether improbable
that they will be appointed arbiters, as
their previous duties might be supposed
W uuuI luelil W ACT JuulClaIly III Il HAT
ter where they had formerly acted as
partisan experts.
The London Report.
Following is the dispatch referred to
in the above statement as erroneous:
London, June 22.-Sir George Baden
Powell, K. c., M. g., member of parlia-
ment for the Kirkdale division of Liv-
erpool, and DR.. w. Dawson, of the
Canadian survey department. have
been appointed arbiters in the Behring
sea reference decided upon between
the government of the United States
and the government of Great Britain.
1t is expected that the first meeting
of the board of arbitration
will take place in October next.
The British members of the board will
meet almost Immediately at Ottawa,
whence they will proceed to Vancouver
island. British Columbia, with the in
tention of spending two months on
board a man-of-war cruising In the
Behring sea, visiting the Pribyloff ISL
ands and all the principal stations fire.
Guented by sealers. At the expiration
of their cruise it is expected that the
British arbiters will be sufficiently we'll
acquainted with the details of the seal
hunting business and with the needs
and intereste of the seaers to be able to
meet the American arbiters as experts.