Evening star., 1896-12-08

nary diplomatic treatment should be re-
ferred to arbitratidn:, The United States
proofs of their acqn.sscence IN the great
principle involved. rntronly by treaties be-
tween themselves. but severally by con-
Guiding Ing IKE ad5uss1tshts " with other pow
ing on law and fecE fhe subject was nat
urally approached In q benevolent spirit Of
agreement. and thsu negotiations have SO
satisfactorily progressfd as to foreshadow
practical agreemsht at an early date
upon the text Of a. convention to the de-
sired end. ''.3
teen appointed under the convention of
February g. 1895. oT'the settlement Of seal
ing claims presented by Great Britain
against the United States in virtue of the
commissioners will isit at Victoria, B. c.,
and possibly also at San Francisco, Cal
The Senls.
During the past year little has been ac-
complished in the matter Of additional pro-
lection for the fur seals. Unfortunately,
the legislation OF Great Britain and the
United States, enacted to carry out tae
Paris award. differs in important particu-
lars. Under the act Of Congress a vessel
seized. having in it's possession prohibited
arms or implements. or sealskins, or the
bodies of seals, In the closed season Is prc-
sumed to have violated the law, and the
burden Of proof rests upon the master to
known as the Bering sea award act, 1891,
on the other hand, there Is no such pre-
sumption.
The act of parliament known as seal fish
ing (Bering sea- act. 1891, under which the
n,cdus v:vendi of 1891 and also that of 1892
were agreed upon, contained such a pre-
suml tion. but this provision, as above stat
ed was omitted in the Bering sea award
act. 1894.
The fact that the British government for
the past two seasons has refused to permit
British sealing vessels to have their arms
placed under seal while in Bering sea has
also led to some friction regarding the
searching of vessels. 1t is to be hoped.
however. that this latter question is on the
verge Of an agreement which will more
effectually carry out the purpose of the
award
From incomplete returns received ii
would appear that the total catch of seals
from the so-called American herd has ma
terially decreased during the last year
The cause OF this Is. unQuest.onably. pklagic
sealil 6. Every effort has been mad9 to in
duce the British government to YGvise THE
regulations of the Paris award looking tb-
ward more stringent method 6f-rrofect-
ing the seal herd. The suggestion was
made of an International commission to
consider this whole question, said commits
SION TO consist of representatives of Russia
Japan. Great Britain and the United States
and, pending the report of said commission.
that Bering sea be closed to fur seal fish
irg. 1t Is to be regretted that to this the
British government refused its concurrence.
Last summer. however. the British gov
ernment requested permission to send nat
uralists to the Pribilof Islands to examine
into the condition Of the fur seal herd, and
this permission was promptly granted. The
British government appointed Prof. Darcy
Wentworth Thompson of University Col
lcge Dundee; Mr.. James NJ. Macoun of the
Geological Museum. Ottawa, Canada. and
Mr.. Andrew Halkett of the department of
marine and fisheries. Ottawa, Canada. Mr..
G. E. H. Barrett ariilton of Kilmannock.
rp1 n u Russian
Islands to make Independent investigation
there. These gentlemen went to the Prib-
ilof Islands, and have made or will make
provisions of the jo!pt resolution of Con-
sress approved June s. 1S:s6. Prof. David 8.
Jordan of the Leland. Stanford. jr.. Uni
by the Secretary Of the Treasury as an
expert to examine into the present condi-
ton Of the fur seal herd on behalf of our
government Therei,we associated with
Stejneger. both Of the L. S. National Mu-
scum; Mr. Charles H. Townsend of the
U. S. fish commission, Lieutenant Com
mander Jefferson F..aMoser. L. S. navy.
ard Mr. Joseph Murray. Professor Jor-
dan has not yet prepared his final report.
but from the preliminary report. which has
just been received, It would appear that
peiagic sealing is the cause of the great
decrease in recent years In the number
of fur seals. and ofAthe present critical
state Of the herd .
1he 1ur sea- nero ~ threatened with ut
ter ruin unless some changes are speedily
made in the award regulations. 1t is sin
cerely to be hoped that as a result of the
reports OF these experts to their respective
agreed upon which will effectuaily pre-
serve the fur seal and protect this va!ua-
BILE industry for the use of mankind.
The Alaska boundary.
A proposal for the immediate location of
the Alaskan boundary line along the one
hundred and forty-frst meridian by setting
international monuments thereon at or be-
tween convenient points already determined
by Independent American and Canadian
surveys. and by continuing it's demarcation
by joint survey, having been accepted, ne
gotiationS are in progress toward a cOIven-
ton with Great Britain or the organizatio
of an international survey commission. as
contemplated by the act approved Febru
airy 90 1896.
The prospects of immediate negotfa tions
for the precise demarcation of the coast
wise Alaskan boundary are good. The pre-
liminary survey of that region under the
convention with Great Britain of July -
1892. was completed within the stipulated
! time and. having before them the neces-
Sary Typographical data, the two govern
ments are now in a position to consider and
| establish the boundary line in question ac-
cording to the facts and agreeably to the
| true purpose of the treaties between Great
Britain and Russia and between Russia
and the United States whereby It Is de-
scribed.
Under authority of provision in the
sundry civil appropriation act of March 2
| lSs' commissioners have been appointed to
| confer with similar committee on behalf
of Great Britain and the Dominion of
| Canada to inquire into the feasibility of
constructing a deep waterway for seago-
ing ships between the great lakes and the
Atlantic ocean.
The assent of Great Britain and the other
| chief maritime states having been given
to the lately perfected international rules
] for the prevention of collisions at sea- and
| to the proposal of the United States that
those rules shall be put in operation on
July l. 1897. the protracted negotiations to
TINS humanitarian end have reached sat
isfactory result.
BROOkLAND.