The Portland daily press., 1893-05-15
ALASKA.
Continued from Fourth Page.

Continued from Fourth Page.
slaughter and follow it up until the poor
creatures reach the Behring Sea. Did
they use the same care in selection that
is used on the islands, their ravages
would not be SO harmful But bache-
lors, bulls and females alike are struck
down by their rifles. And since the dead
seal sinks quickly, only one is saved of
every three that they kill. Even shonld
they wish to preserve the bulls and fe-
males, it would be difficult to tell them
apart from the bachelors, because only
the head of the seal shows above water
when he is swimming. And at this sea-
son of the year the killing of each female
seal of manageable age keeps one baby
seal from coming into the Behring Sea.
The pelagic sealers
Eyen Invade the Behring Sea.
Vessels fitted out in the United States
and Canada for years have carried on nm
lawful seal fishing there. The United
States could seize vessels of her own
citizens who were transgressing her laws.
But the Canadians claimed that, being
more than three miles from
shore, they were on the high
seas and subject only to the
laws of their own country. Information
al law grants jurisdiction to any country
over the waters within three miles of it's
own shores. 1t also permits that country
to claim all seas, bays and lakes included
in its boundaries. The United States
believes, though she does not claim, that
the Behring Sea is a Mare clausum" or
closed sea, included between Behring
Straits and Aleutian Isles, and hence is
included in the boundaries of Alaska.
The Canadians claimed it is nothing of
the kind, and they called upon Great
Britain to back them up.
Great Britain started to do this but ran
up against Mr.. Blaine. The subject is
now in dispute pending settlement and
meanwhile we shave obtained from our
British cousins an agreement to keep the
Canadian vessels, if possible, out of the
Behring Sea on condition that we keep
our pleagic sealers therefrom. An agree
ment which we are very happy to ratify.
1t we catch any of them there, we may
seize them, and British warships may do
the same to our vessels if found there,
SO the United States has fleet of three
revenue stemers and three men-of-war
constantly .patrolllng the Behring Sea
during the sealing season. But such
havoc has been caused by
These Sealing Pirates.
that the new company has been unable to
catch more than eight thousand seals per
year at the Pribyloff Islands. And this
agreement with Great Britain, which you
have seen referred to as the 'Modus
Viyendi," permits the capture of no
more than that number of seals on these
islands each year.
But the ''Mare clausum'' discussion is
merely side issue. To be sure, Russia
claimed it when she owned Alaska, and
England acquesced in the claim. When
we bought the territory, Russia decided
the Behring Sea to us and the boundary
line on the west ran from the middle Of
Behrlng Straits to a point midway be-
tween the Island of Attu and the Com
manderoff Islands which still belong to
Russia, although they are part of the
Aleutian Archipelago.
But our main claim is that the seal be-
long to the islands, and when away from
them they are merely like cattle straying
from their pasture. They are a source
of great revenue to the United States,
rnd we claim that nobody, not even our
selves, has right to exterminate them,
So you see, if this claim holds good, we
may protect the seal in the Pacific Ocean
as well as in the Behring Sea.
About July 18th the seals arrive at the
rookeries in large herds. First the full
grown males, or bull seals, land and Sc
lect their quarters for the season. They
prefer a large flat rock that can be de-
Tended from all sides. And dreadful bat
ties are fought for the possession of
such place. When the. question
of possession has been finally set
tied, each seal brushes off the dust
of battle and tries to make him
self attractive to the ladies. He is large
and fat, perhaps big as an OK. His hair
is coarse and bristly. He does not com
pare in beauty with the young bachelor
seals. But beauty is rot the desidera-
tum. The female seals are attracted by
masculine strength and prowess. They
want lord who can govern them, one
who can protect them; and above all,
one who can take and maintain a com
Portable habitation for, them. So the
females swim toward the rocks, and each
seal selects his wife and calls her unto
his home
l grieve to say that Mr.. Seal
Is Decidedly Polygamous
He keeps right on selecting his wife I'M
til he has about ten of them living con-
tentedly about him on the fiat rock
which he has taken, The bachelors,
young females and those older female
seals who have not found favor in the
eyes of the Ian ded proprietors, haul out
on the beaches and unoccupied rocks
wherever they can. The seal is far from
faultless, and as he grows older his evil
instincts are accentuated. He is dread
fully jealous of his own wives, but that
does not deter him from coveting those
or his neighbor. He is confirmed wife
beaten. But perhaps that is somewhat
justifiable for his wives are inclined to
be unruly. But the females are very af-
fectionate. When they land on the soil
tary rock of their new master, they Law