The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-08-17
BEHRISG SEA DECISION.
Comments of the British Press-As the "a
nndians Sec 1t.

LONDON, August 16-The Pall-Mail
! Gazette. commenting editoriaiiy upon the
| decision Of the Bchring Sea tribunal OF
arbitration, says: The award is satisfac-
! tory to England and need not be re-
GREETED by the United States. II rectlies
| the tnalienable right of vessels to sail me
high seas free and undisturbed. The sta
b!li;y IF this primary canon law Of ma
tions IS Of more value to the United
States than many seaiskins. The decis-
ion, which viii result in the pres aTvation
of the seals. is wise, humane and far
reaching. 1t may cause n present fall
ing off in the income Of sealers, but II
VIII sec ure TO the world a regular supply
of q precious luxury.
The st. James Gazette rieicules the idea
that the award is n triun pin for Great
Britain or for international arbitration.
The American people. Il says. would
have never gone TO war for such an ab-
surdity; that Behring Sea was a mere
clausum. What the award has dona, the
paper adds, is TO give ;he sanction II the
tribunal to n set OF reg iatioDs that would
probably have been better framed by a
commission OF British, Canadian and
American Representatives.
The Globe says Great Britain gets the
best Of the business on the whole. There
fore Canada IS wholly eatlsfed, but Il
would be hard 10 say what more the arbi-
traitors could have dom
BOSTON, August 16.-The Herald's
Ottawa, Ont, dispatch says: Hon Mae
kenzie Bowel acting Premier, has re-
ceiyed the following cable from the Pre-
mier, Sir John Thompson:
Behring sea arbitration concluded and
award delivered at noon. All questions
Of right decided in favor Of Britain. Flu
ture sealing prohibited in May, June and
July, and firearms forbidden in Behring
sea. Upper and L sail on Partisan on
Thursday.
Asked II he thought the decision satis-
factory. Mr.. Bowel replied that he had
no comment TO make until the full text
OF the award was received
"Sir John Thompson does not men
tion any stipulation about a G0-mlle pro-
tected zone, az the press dispatches DO
and that is an excellent reason to with
hold comment. At the same time | have
no reason TO doubt the correctness OF
the press report"
Hon. Mr.. Bowelrs reticence is emuiated
by the other members Of the cabinet,
but there is reason to believe that the
outline Of the award does not give much
satisfaction I'm official circles here The
feeling seems 10 be that Great Britain
has cracked a nut OF which Canada gets
the shell and the United States the
kernel. What the Dominion wanted was
the utmost possible Latitude for its seal
ers. Ii did not care for questions OF IN
ternational right I'm Behring Sea, save I'm
80 far as these facilitated the British
Columbian sealers I'm securing big car
goes OF the most valuable FUR In the
world. But in the award now rendered
while Britain II is true, seems TO have
had It's international contentious as TO
rights and Jurisdiction sustained, Canada
apparently sees the sealing Industry dis
appearing into Uncle Sans vest pocket.
The close season imposed. the entire
prohibition OF the use Of firearms and
the establishment Of a zone OF sixty miles
diameter around the Pribylon Islands.
within which the seals must not be killed.
save on the islands themselves-these
stipulations terribly restrict the seal hunt
Ing everywhere save on the islands, and
these. OF course are exclusively Am-ri-
can.
While the members Of Government and
department officials do not care to say
much. some privately lay stress on this
view. One prominent official states that
the Fisheries Department quietly but Wig
orousiy opposed up TO the last moment the
idea or Britain consenting TO discuss the
protection Of seal life at all until the
questions OF right were decided
The department, at the head Of which
is Hon. c. II. Upper. who has been the
British agent at the arbitration tribunal
was confident that the decision Of right
would be in Engiand's favor and then. It
was argued, the Americaps could be met
far more favorably on the question OF
joint sealing regulations
An official. high I'm the department said:
at is gratifying. Of course. that the
ward Is adverse TO the United States
claims OF exclusive Jurisdiction over either
Behring Sea or the seals. But IL, as the
press dispatches intimated. II is decided
that there might be protected zone OF
sixty miles around the Pribyoff Islands
there appears a possibility that the Ame-
ricans have really gained the main point,
as far as Canadian seaiers are concerned.
Practically all the best sealing IN Beh-
ring Sea is done OF the Pribylofr Islands.
These belong to the United States. and,
therefore. are unattainable TO Canadian or
other foreign sealers. II, IN addition,
miles around the islands. II would appear
to give the Americans almost a monopoly
of the seals. This will be particularly
the case when II is forbidden TO hunt the
seals with firearms anywhere In Behring
Sea, as 1t Is much more difficult 10 hor-
poon them than 10 shoot them"
These opinions indicate pretty accurate
iy the prevailing feeling here at present.
stu there is general satisfaction that the
long standing and danoarnuS dtsautq has