Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-05-08

from the shores Of the PribyloG Island, dirty
miles IN the Boring go. and sHid board nav.
from time 10 time, make, alter and revoke by-
la~s for the purpose Of thi. section, but no
been confirmed by the Secretary Of the rrcs,-
ury.
second Any person who uses any such
method Of sealing In CONFIRMATION Of such by
laws shall be liable on conviction 70 fne not
exceeding sl00 for the first offense and not
exceeding $500 for the second or any subse-
quent ofense. and every spear, harpoon or fire.
arm attempted TO be used in contrayentiou OF
any such bylaw may be seized aud destroyed
or otherwise disposed Of ~ said fur seal board
may direct.
IL must not escape observation that the area
OF water outside the three-mile line on the
coast OF Scotland. whose control 10 assumed by
Great Britain. is as large as would be found IN
side q line drawn from Cape Cod 20 Portland
harbor on the New England coast
DEFrNDISo TEE PACIFIC ockAx"
Lord Salisbury reasserts his contention that
the words Pacific ocean" at the time OF the
treaty between Russia and Great Britain did
include Bering sea Undoubtedly the Pacific
ocean includes Bering in the same sense
tnat the Atlantic ocean includes the Gulf OF
Mexico. and yet il would be regarded very
inaccurate statement TO say that the Mississippi
river flows into the Atlantic ocean. i think
that Lord Salisbury fails 10 recognize the CON-
mon distinction between the Atlantic ocean"
and 1.-THE waters OF the Atlantic" While the
MEXICAN gull lie not part Of the Atlantic
ocean, II would, / am sure. comport with gem
eral usage 70 say that IL belonged 20 the waters
OF the Atlantic, and while Bering sea is not
technically part Of the Pacific ocean, IL un-
doubtedly belongs 60 the waters Of the Pacific.
The English channel would not ordinarily be
understood as included in the term Atlantic
OCEAN One would not say that Dover or Ca
lais is on the coast of the Atlantic ocean and
yet clearly the English channel belongs 20 the
waters of the Atlantic. In point Of fact, there
fore, according 10 the usage of the world, there
is no dispute of any consequence between the
two governments ON the geographical point
under consideration. The historical point 10
the one at issue. The explanatory note from
Russia, filed in the State Department Of this
country. especially referred to in Mr.. John
Quincy Adams diary and quoted In nv nots Of
December IL, 1880, plainly draws Q distinction
between the Pacific ocean on the one hand and
the Sea of okhotsk, the Sea Of Kamschstka and
the Icy sea" on the other, and % long as Russia
drew that distinction IL must apply &C. and must
absolutely decide all the contentious between
the TWO countries AS FAR Ne the waters Of the
Boring sea are concerned To discuss tins
point further would, in the opinion Of the
President, contribute nothing Of value 20 the
general contention.
TIE Governments POSITION.
In the opinion Of the President Lord Sails
bury is wholly aud strangely in error in max
ing the following statement:
Nor do they (the advisers Of the President)
reply, as justification for the seizure of British
ships in the open sea, upon the contention that
the interests of the seal fisheries give 20 the
United States government any right for that
purpose, which, according TO international law,
1t would not otherwise possess-
The government OF the United States has
steadily held just the reverse of the position
which Lord Salisbury has imputed TO it. IL
holds that 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 out from
! the islands in search Of food and regularly re-
turning thereto and all the facts and in
cidents of their relation 10 the 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 it's sovereignty over the
land and waters OF Alaska: that England rec
ognized this property interest, far AZ recog-
milton is implied by Rbstaining from all inter
ference with 1t during the whole period of
ltusslas ownership Of Alaska and during the
first nineteen years Of the sovereign tyof the
United States 1t is yet to be determined
whether the lawless intrusion of Canadian
vessels in 1856 and subsequent years has
changed the law and equity Of the case there
tofore prevailing.
have the honor TO be, with the highest con-
| slderatlon, sir, your most obedient servant
JAMES q. BLAINE