Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-09-05
RUSSIA As OUR ALLY.
Bearina on the Seal Hunting Controversy Of
Recent Russian Seizures.

oS1ftNU Vi luz mummy N~s'~'~S
Recent Russian Seizures.
WASHINGTON, Sept. i.--Tl.c capture ami
confiscatiou of several British scaling
srhoouers and one American vessel by a
Russian war ship has impaired a new SEN
sation into the Beliring sea dispute.
Tn TO this time the exact attitude of Rus
sia on the question of jurisdiction over
Behriuc sea beyond the three p'lie fmit has
been largely 4 matter of conjecture. The
old doctrine that Behriug sea MAS close
sea originated OF course. with her, and
there is no record of her formally abandon
Ing it. The drawing of boundary iuc in
the treaty for the ces,ipn Of Alaska through
Behriny sea may not itself imply that Rus
STA undertook 10 celc the waters rs we'll as
the land east of that line. hut at ieast 1t ac-
cords with the theory that She still claims
dominion over those waieis.
But while our revenue cutter, and crul>-
ers have for wears been patrUlling the entire
eastern part of BehIing sea. and ,rizlug YES
sels twenty. forty. and sixty miles from an!
land. Russia has apparently Hhstained from
exercising corresponding jGris lection. She
has made seizures, hut IN nearly or qHte
every ease up 10 the present year. they
have been for poacllng within The three
mile limit. where her jurisdiction is unqueS-
toned.
pI Even the American SCHOONER captured
last year and taken to Nla'iiyostOck for con
tlcinuatiun rs a prIze. although seized ap-
partntly more than half a dozen miles front
Russian TERRITORY. seems TO have been one
of the fleet of poachcrs whose crews had
actually landed at the Russian rookeries on
the Commander islands, and had killed seals
there. The bold poachers exchanged shots
with the Russian guards, and escaped with
their wounded in their boats.
When the alarm had been given the
steamer at the islands pursued the poachers
to their rendezvous, which, according to
one account, WAS about 10 miles from the
islands. and afterward overloaded and cap
tured one of them. But it is clear that this
was not the case of capture for sealing car
ried on long distance from land.
Ii i, also noticeable that Russia has hth-
erto taken no part with the nitcd States
in the seal hunting dispute of the latter
with England. She has gwen us no sup
port in the diplomatic controversy, and Is
not concerned in the molus yiNcndi. 1t
has been conceivable, in short, that SHE
might take the ground assumed by some
writer's that whatever the strength of the
mare elausum theory while Russia pos
sesacd all the land around Behring sea. II
lost its very foundation when she parted
with her ow ncrship of the eastern shore
thus putting the two coasts under separate
,uycreigntlCs.
But il the recent capture and contisca-
ton of the Rosie Olsen. the Ariel. the
Willie Mciowan. aud c. II. White are cor
rertlv reported, Russia now formally backs
UP by her example the extreme american
claim founded on jurisdiction over half the
sea. They are said to have been seized
forty or FIFTY miles from the Copper Islands,
and 10 the protests of the British and Amer
lean captains that they were i'll free waters.
the Russian commanding officer answering
that Russia jurisdiction cxtcnIcd over the
whole sea west of the treaty line.
Should it turn out that these vessels had
been pounding on the island, their pursni,
and capture would bring them under the
case of the American vessels seized last
wear; but the evidence mentions no such
offence and il seems probable that the case
is simply as the released crews, that have
now returned, put it,
Are we then to have Russia as an ally i'll
our Behring sea dispute with Great Brit
ain: II LOOK, very much as if this series
of arrests hv the cruiser Iabraka. ai.cr
wears of rrfraining from enforcing tie
claim to capture at Il long distance from the
Commander islands. had that purpose in
view. Russia may have expressly sough
an occasion this year for backing up the
| nited States in its contention with G,rcs
Britain.
q As to the immediate sequence of these
captures. there can he no doubt, of course
that Great Britain will undertake TO protpc.
her vessels III the right to XII seals Ill the
western half OF Bchring sea. beyond the
marine league from Russian shores. She
will demand inlcmrit, for the three NcsScls
seized by our revenue cutters under like
circumstances in the eastern half of Bch"ing
sea. The result may he u stipulation that
Russian viii hc bound hy the decision OF
the court of arbitration. and her tnt'anCr
mcanw hllc into the modus NIyendi agree
mcnt
The American schooner White can u.
course, expect very little help from t.
Washington authorities, unless unwai .ants
treatment of her captain and crew could be
established. Her offence is precisely that
for which dozen arrests and captures have
been made by our government. and it lies
at the basis of our present controversy with
Great Britain.
lnlccd, the >imilafit, between Russia's
position and ours on the Bebring Sea qucs
ton il remarkable even in details Her
,cal rookrry on the Commander group 81
couplct OF islands corresponds exactly t.
ours ON the Presbylov couplct. Each is the
central point of the rendezvous of the ami
mails on its side of the sea; each is yer,
valuable; each is under lease, aud each
also is ihrratc,icd with ruin from pelagic
hunting in its immediate ncighborhuod.
1t is chiefly. however, of late years, and
mostly since the m0dus ,ivcnl agreement
of lSol that Russia has been troubled by
scalers from British Columbia. The ten
porary prohibition which Great Britain and
the lrited States have agreed upon ha-
driven some of the Victoria vessels to the
western side Of the sea. and that has
brought Russia into tine contest with view
of protecting her own seal interests.