The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-08

WARRINGTON, Aug. lord Salisbury In TO
Jecting the proposal made on April 10 last for q
Hrdus rircRdi for the suspension OF all seal
killing for the present season and for q joint
conference Of the powers concerned with a view
to the adoption Of measures necessary 10 pre-
serve the fur seal In the north Pacific, based
his decision upon the Conclusions reached By
Prof. Darcy W. Thompson, the British expert,
who Investigated the conditions and probabili-
ties Of seal life on tho Pribyloy Islands last
year. He visited the islands in company with
President d. s. Jordan, the American scientist,
but his report was not made public until no
had an opportunity, as Secretary Sherman's
famous note to Ambassador Hay says, ito ex-
anime that of DIR. Jordan, pass the latter in re-
view, criticise Its statements, and as far as pos
stble minimize it's unfavorable conclusions"
Secretary Sherman remarks, and this is doubt
less one Of the rude expressions in the document
that shocked British diplomatic ears: This
conduct recalls the incid emit which preceded
the Arbitration at Paris, and which came near
rendering the arbitration ~abortive, when a SINH
lar report Of n British Commission was with
held until after the case OF each Goyernnent' was
S So@miss;an 1 mad. the nshI Export OF the American
Writing OF the Thompson report, Secretary
Sherman said:
contracted his study far within the purview
OF his instructions. In the outset OF his report
the collection OF Information and statistics
with regard to the working and effectiveness
OF the ,regulation,' Of The Paris Tribunal. But
we LOOK IN vain in his report for any discussion
Of that all important subject. II all
the professor claims is admitted, II, does not
initiate against the contention that since
pelagic sealing became general the decline of
the herd has been steady and rapid.
partial ! dV character pieSstan' w u eSN It has 10 st been 'n wont tn to y.
tribute to the reports Of naturalists OF high
standing has been greatly impaired by the ap,,
nnranf rhfArttA ~ mi Az fa fhn
exigencies OF the situation. In
the conclusions the voice of the true scientific
While he regards the alarming statements Of
the herds decrease as overdrawn, he says
there Is still abundant need for care and for
terest Of a fa'" "'s:!. It IS NOT ditHeult 'I to be.
heve that the margin of safety is a narrow one,
stepped. We may hope for a perpetuation Of
the present numbers; we cannot count upon an
regulation OF mutual interests and a regard
for the common advantage may suggest meas
ures of prudence which shall keep the pursuit
and slaughter Of the animal within due and
definite bounds In view of such explicit
language it Is not easy to understand how Lord
tain the proposals Of the President with the in
terests Of his own countrymen, TO say nothing
maintain with the United States. Russia, and
Incidentally, Prof. Thompson's report con-
tatns some interesting discussion Of the state
way, is not Of the smithsonian Institution, re-
case before the Paris Tribunal in 1898. How
M. Elliott.s paper found its way into the hands
their inc case Ss'i is another oPsiA sto Sya f But they : adopted pSls
than nf!y. quotations from it in the afst 145
pages OF the British counter case. But Prof.
fore him. declines to take Sir. Elliott serious
f&s, as hm ao OF Sis recent An' eSaiii II Tns MT aFs' E hh11t
distinctly asserted: Il have a closer personal
%6 6,Sr. Of this pr Pses sa t question gaSs than any
made in .is7s.74. which he admits is BY far
estimate repeated by him in 1890" The es.
sence, Of Mr.. Elhott's computation, he adds.
efyes' S Sas,4 TO Il! %f. 'T Eiiiats: ." f'' quite OF . lGsf
e to epurg animal aRDn A on H the herd IN :s grounds i1dsf as the the
initial point upon which to base an Intelligent
computation OF the entire NUMBER Of seals"
mate that Mr.. Elliott ba. es his computation Of
5000 900 seals Of all age. on the breeding
! and OF 100, eT03or thnt'of 81. George. / believe.
after a careful perusal Of Mr.; Eiliott's work.
as to the number OF seals on the ground in 1890.
He certainly calculates the pOpala-
t feet = Inc In the hen light ase Of bis !, ONE own ,e esseTv amS Ssu and
True. and Townsend 4 OF the American commits
sion, Prof. Thompson cunludes: 1t il per-
fectly clear that Mr.. Elliott,s ~gtsantic computa-
ton can never again be upheld as a reasonable
statement of the numbers that once existed on
the islands or With which the present numbers
ought to be compared
Prof. Thompson finds equal difficulty in ac-
cepting Mr.. Elliott's regarding the
areas OF the rookeries, for. wherra, In 1880. ac-
cording to the figures furnished BY Elliott, the
lively covered I,757.ie4 and 100. s46 square
feet, in 1898, by the measurements of Messrs.
a.aos,s saa and lSWa ais.soe 'n square TeF feet te'g The e eis
travagance Of Eiliott's Statements, Prof.
homps says. he believes has been Aqeduate-
Mr.. Elliott's categorical statements regard
ing the condition of the rookeries in 1890 fare
no better at the hands Of his British col
league. They are:
l. There IS but one breeding bull now upon
the rookery ground. where there were fifteen in
1872, and the bulls OF to-day are nearly all old.
2. This decrease Of virile male life on the
breeding grounds causes the normal ratio Of
fifteen or twenty females to a male, as in 1872
"a, TO reach the unnatural ratio Of so or even
100 females to one male.
3. There Is no appreciable number OF young
males left alive to-day on these hauling or
non-breeding grounds to take their places on
for that purpose, or will be old enough il not
disturbed by man, even II left alone for the
next i've years.
Commenting on these statements, Prof.
Not one Of them II am not discussing the
frstl is true to-day. The bulls show no signs
of senility; they are not inert and somnolent,'
as MI. Elliott said two pages before; but they
are In the highest degree active, vigorous, and
bellicose. Every rookery is surrounded by old
bulls, most OF them to all Appearances as virtle
and robust and full grown as their more for
turned away a large proportion OF younger ones
to take their places in time. There Is no 'un-
natural ratio of 80 to 100 females to one
male"