The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-16

N0
atrial period Of Eve years.
Bad manners, according to the British
view, seem to consist in telling England
unpleasant truths, and in describing her
policy and conduct exactly as they are. Mr..
SHERMAN informs Ambassador HAY that
the President has been deeply disappointed
at her refusal to suspend pelagic sealing
in Behring Sea for this year and to
confer on the adoption Of better rules
for seal hunting. In doing this he
points out that while the report OF DIR.
JORDAN, the American expert Commls.
sioner Of last year, was made available
promptly after his return from Behring
Sea, ait seems to have better suited the
purposes Of her Majesty's Government to
withhold Prof. THoMPsoN's report until an
opportunity was afforded to examine that
of DIR. JORDAN. and thus enable the for
mer to pass the latter in review, c~riticise
It's statements, and, "a far as possible, min
imize its conclusions"
This is one of the bitterest Of the asser-
tions in a report characterized as "ugly"by
the Daily Netrs of London but is 1t not the
exact fact? II so, 1t deserves to be noted,
because the delay OF the British reports for
months beyond the American did not allow
ample time for discussing them before the
opening of another sealing season. Mr..
SHERMAN resents this treatment Of scien-
tifc Investigations, and notes that our
Government had no nance to examine
Prof. THoMPsoN's report before the final
rejection of the Presidents proposals, based
mainly upon It's conclusions. "This con-
duct" says Mr.. SHERMAN, recalls the
;p,slant xvh;,h rrocaloI th, orhttrotfnn at
Paris, and which came near rendering that
arbitration abortive, when a similar report
of the British Commission was withheld
until after the case of each Government
was exchanged and the report of the Ameri-
can Commission made public"
Mr.. SHERMAN further notes that even
Prof. THOMPSON admits, in regard to the
%diminution of the Pribylov seal herd. hat
now "the margin of safety is a narrow
one, IL it be not already In some measure
overstepped;" and further, that he advises
" measures of prudence which shall keep
the pursuit and slaughter of the animals
within due and definite bounds" Mr..
SHERMAN also says that n forthcoming
and final report of DIR. JORDAN will show
that the seal herd last year had lost one
tenth from the year before, one-half from
1890, and about four-ffths from it's size in
1872 and 1874. Yet the Presidents pro-
posals were rejected.
We suppos that it is another instance of
so-called bad manners for Mr.. SHERMAN to
set forth n fact familiar here, although per-
haps not so in England, that, although the
police duties are equally obligatory upon
both nations under the Paris award, ours
has lone nearly all the patrolling, Great
Britain furnishing only two vessels in n
year, and sometimes only one, OF about
enough to receive the captures of British
vessels we might make. A like needed eX-
posture has been made of the refusal of Great
Britain to require the sealing up Of fire.
arms and the inspection of skins, measures
which our Government considers essential 10
the execution of the present imperfect rules.
The simple fact is that, with the first
seasons trial, the ~inadequacy of the
Paris rules to effect their purpose became
manifest, and accordingly our Govern
ment at once urged their prompt re-
vision. This request Great Britain has
pcrsistently refused for nearly three
years, although the "marpin Of safety. ="
when pelagic sealing becomes Improbable,
has nearly been reached, as Mr.. SHERMAN
shows. He Is wise, too, in suggesting to
the Victoria sealers the folly of killing the
goose that lays them golden eggs. Indeed
there are indications that his sharp remon.
strances against further delay to protect
the seals will not be fruitless, and that the
desired conference may be held before the
close OF the year.