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LIST OF ACCOMPANYING PAPERS.

No. 1. Mr. Edwardes to Mr. Blaine, August 24, 1889.
No. 2. Mr. Blaine to Mr. Edwardes, August 24, 1889.
No. 3. Mr. Edwardes to Mr. Blaine, August 25, 1889.
No. 4. Mr. Edwardes to Mr. Blaine, September 12, 1889.

No. 5. Mr. Blaine to Mr. Edwardes, September 14, 1889.

No. 6. The Marquis of Salisbury to Mr. Edwardes, October 2, 1889.

No. 7. The Marquis of Salisbury to Mr. Edwardes, with an inclosure, October 2,

1889.

No. 8. Mr. Edwardes to Mr. Blaine, October 14, 1889.

No. 9. Mr. Blaine to Sir Julian Pauncefote, January 22, 1890.

No. 10. Sir Julian Pauncefote to Mr. Blaine, February 10, 1890.

No. 11. Mr. Blaine to Sir Julian Pauncefote, with an inclosure, March 1, 1890.

No. 12. Sir Julian Pauncefote to Mr. Blaine, with an inclosure, March 9, 1890. No. 13. Sir Julian Pauncefote to Mr. Blaine, with an inclosure, received April 30, 1890.

No. 14. The Marquis of Salisbury to Sir Julian Pauncefote, with an inclosure, May 22, 1890.

No. 15. Sir Julian Pauncefote to Mr. Blaine, May 23, 1890.
No. 16. Mr. Blaine to Sir Julian Pauncefote, May 26, 1890.
No. 17. Mr. Blaine to Sir Julian Pauncefote, May 29, 1890.
No. 18. Mr. Blaine to Sir Julian Pauncefote, June 2, 1890.
No. 19. Sir Julian Pauncefote to Mr. Blaine, June 3, 1890.
No. 20. Mr. Blaine to Sir Julian Pauncefote, June 4, 1890.
No. 21. Sir Julian Pauncefote to Mr. Blaine, June 6, 1890.

No. 22. Sir Julian Pauncefote to Mr. Blaine, extract from telegram from the Marquis of Salisbury, received June 9, 1890.

No. 23. Mr. Blaine to Sir Julian Pauncefote, June 11, 1830.

No. 24. Sir Julian Pauncefote to Mr. Blaine, June 11, 1890.

No. 25. Sir Julian Pauncefote to Mr. Blaine with an inclosure, June 14, 1890.

No. 26. Sir Julian Pauncefote to Mr. Blaine, June 27, 1890.

No. 27. Mr. Blaine to Sir Julian Pauncefote, with map, June 30, 1890.

No. 28. Sir Julian Pauncefote to Mr. Blaine, with an inclosure, June 30, 1890.
No. 29. Sir Julian Pauncefote to Mr. Blaine, June 30, 1890.

No. 30. Mr. Blaine to Sir Julian Pauncefote, July 2, 1890.
No. 31. Mr. Blaine to Sir Julian Pauncefote, July 19, 1890.

No. 1.

Mr. Edwardes to Mr. Blaine.

BAR HARBOR, August 24, 1889.

SIR: In accordance with instructions which I have received from Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, I have the honor to state to you that repeated rumors have of late reached Her Majesty's Government that United States cruisers have stopped, searched, and even seized British vessels in Behring Sea outside of the 3-mile limit from the nearest land. Although no official confirmation of these rumors has reached Her Majesty's Government there appears to be no reason to doubt their authenticity.

I am desired by the Marquis of Salisbury to inquire whether the United States Government are in possession of similar information, and further to ask that stringent instructions may be sent by the United States Government, at the earliest moment, to their officers, with the view to prevent the possibility of such occurrences taking place.

In continuation of my instructions I have the honor to remind you that Her Majesty's Government received very clear assurances last year from Mr. Bayard, at that time Secretary of State, that pending the discussion of the general questions at issue no further interference should take place with British vessels in Behring Sea.

In conclusion, the Marquis of Salisbury desires me to say that Sir Julian Pauncefote, Her Majesty's Minister, will be prepared on his return to Washington in the autumn to discuss the whole question, and Her Majesty's Government wish to point out to the United States Government that a settlement can not but be hindered by any measures of force which may be resorted to by the United States.

I have, etc.,

H. G. EDWARDES.

No. 2.

Mr. Blaine to Mr. Edwardes.

BAR HARBOR, August 24, 1889. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of this date, conveying to me the intelligence "that repeated rumors have of late reached Her Majesty's Government that United States cruisers have stopped, searched, and even seized British vessels in Behring Sea outside the 3-mile limit from the nearest land." And you add that," although no official confirmation of these rumors has reached Her Majesty's Government, there appears to be no reason to doubt their authenticity."

In reply I have the honor to state that the same rumors, probably based on truth, have reached the Government of the United States, but that up to this date there has been no official communication received on the subject.

It has been and is the earnest desire of the President of the United States to have such an adjustment as shall remove all possible ground of misunderstanding with Her Majesty's Government concerning the existing troubles in the Behring Sea; and the President believes that the responsibility for delay in the adjustment can not be properly charged to the Government of the United States.

I beg you will express to the Marquis of Salisbury the gratification with which the Government of the United States learns that Sir Julian Pauncefote, Her Majesty's minister, will be prepared, on his return to Washington in the autumn, to discuss the whole question. It gives me pleasure to assure you that the Government of the United States will endeavor to be prepared for the discussion, and that in the opinion of the President, the points at issue between the two governments are capable of prompt adjustment on a basis entirely honorable to both. I have, etc.,

No. 3.

JAMES G. BLAINE.

Mr. Edwardes to Mr. Blaine.

BAR HARBOR, August 25, 1889. SIR: I had the honor to receive yesterday your note in which you have been good enough to inform me, with respect to the repeated rumors which have of late reached Her Majesty's Government of the search and seizure of British vessels in Behring Sea by United States cruisers, that the same rumors, probably based on truth, have reached

the United States Government, but that up to this date there has been no official communication received on the subject.

At the same time you have done me the honor to inform me that it has been and is the earnest desire of the President of the United States to have such an adjustment as shall remove all possible ground of misunderstanding with Her Majesty's Government concerning the existing troubles in the Behring Sea; and that the President believes that the responsibility for delay in that adjustment can not be properly charged to the Government of the United States.

You request me at the same time to express to the Marquis of Salisbury the gratification with which the Government of the United States learns that Sir Julian Pauncefote, Her Majesty's minister, will be prepared on his return to Washington in the autumn to discuss the whole question, and you are good enough to inform me of the pleasure you have in assuring me that the Government of the United States will endeavor to be prepared for the discussion, and that, in the opinion of the President, the points at issue between the two Governments are capable of prompt adjustment on a basis entirely honorable to both.

I shall lose no time in bringing your reply to the knowledge of Her Majesty's Government, who, while awaiting an answer to the other inquiry I had the honor to make to you, will, I feel confident, receive with much satisfaction the assurances which you have been good enough to make to me in your note of yesterday's date.

I have, etc.,

H. G. EDWARDES.

No. 4.

Mr. Edwardes to Mr. Blaine.

WASHINGTON, September 12, 1889. MY DEAR MR. BLAINE: I should be very much obliged if you would kindly let me know when I may expect an answer to the request of Her Majesty's Government, which I had the honor of communicating to you in my note of the 24th of August, that instructions may be sent to Alaska to prevent the possibility of the seizure of British ships in Behring Sea. Her Majesty's Government are earnestly awaiting the reply of the United States Government on this subject, as the recent reports of seizures having taken place are causing much excitement both in England and in Canada.

I remain, etc.,

No. 5.

H. G. EDWARDES.

Mr. Blaine to Mr. Edwardes.

BAR HARBOR, September 14, 1889.

SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your personal note of the 12th instant, written at Washington, in which you desire to know when you may expect an answer to the request of Her Majesty's Government, "that instructions may be sent to Alaska to prevent the possibility of the seizure of British ships in Behring Sea."

I had supposed that my note of August 24 would satisfy Her Majesty's Government of the President's earnest desire to come to a friendly agreement touching all matters at issue between the two Governments in relation to Behring Sea, and I had further supposed that your mention of the official instruction to Sir Julian Pauncefote to proceed immediately after his arrival in October, to a full discussion of the question, removed all necessity of a preliminary correspondence touching its merits.

Referring more particularly to the question of which you repeat the desire of your Government for an answer, I have the honor to inform you that a categorical response would have been and still is impracticable, unjust to this Government, and misleading to the Government of Her Majesty. It was therefore the judgment of the President that the whole subject could more wisely be remanded to the formal discussion so near at hand which Her Majesty's Government has proposed, and to which the Government of the United States has cordially assented. It is proper, however, to add that any instruction sent to Behring Sea at the time of your original request, upon the 24th of August, would have failed to reach those waters before the proposed departure of the vessels of the United States.

I have, etc.,

JAMES G. BLAINE.

No. 6.

The Marquis of Salisbury to Mr. Edwardes.

[Left at the Department of State by Mr. Edwardes.]

FOREIGN OFFICE, October 2, 1889. SIR: At the time when the seizures of British ships hunting seals in Behring's Sea during the years 1886 and 1887 were the subjects of discussion the minister of the United States made certain overtures to Her Majesty's Government with respect to the institution of a close time for the seal fishery, for the purpose of preventing the extirpation of the species in that part of the world. Without in any way admitting that considerations of this order could justify the seizure of vessels which were transgressing no rule of international law, Her Majesty's Government were very ready to agree that the subject was one deserving of the gravest attention on the part of all the Governments interested in those waters.

The Russian Government was disposed to join in the proposed negotiations, but they were suspended for a time in consequence of objections raised by the Dominion of Canada and of doubts thrown on the physical data on which any restrictive legislation must have been based. Her Majesty's Government are fully sensible of the importance of this question, and of the great value which will attach to an international agreement in respect to it, and Her Majesty's representative will be furnished with the requisite instructions in case the Secretary of State should be willing to enter upon the discussion.

You will read this dispatch and my dispatch No. 205, of this date, to the Secretary of State, and, if he should desire it, you are authorized to give him copies of them.

I am, etc.,

SALISBURY.

No. 7.

The Marquis of Salisbury to Mr. Edwardes.

[Left at the Department of State by Mr. Edwardes.]

FOREIGN OFFICE, October 2, 1889.

SIR: In my dispatch No. 176 of the 17th August last I furnished you with copies of a correspondence which had passed between this department and the colonial office on the subject of the seizure of the Canadian vessels Black Diamond and Triumph in the Behring's Sea by the United States revenue cutter Rush.

I have now received and transmit herewith a copy of a dispatch from the governor-general of Canada to the secretary of state for the colonies, which incloses copies of the instructions given to the special officer placed on board the Black Diamond by the officer commanding the Rush, and of a letter from the collector of customs at Victoria, together with the sworn affidavits of the masters of the two Canadian vessels.

It is apparent from these affidavits that the vessels were seized at a distance from land far in excess of the limit of maritime jurisdiction which any nation can claim by international law.

The cases are similar in this respect to those of the ships Caroline, Onward, and Thornton, which were seized by a vessel of the United States outside territorial waters in the summer of 1887. In a dispatch to Sir L. West dated September 10, 1887, which was communicated to Mr. Bayard, I drew the attention of the Government of the United States to the illegality of these proceedings, and expressed a hope that due compensation would be awarded to the subjects of Her Majesty who had suffered from them. I have not, since that time, received from the Government of the United States any intimation of their intentions in this respect, or any explanation of the grounds upon which this interference with the British sealers had been authorized. Mr. Bayard did, indeed, communicate to us unofficially an assurance that no further seizures of this character should take place pending the discussion of the questions involved between the two governments. Her Majesty's Government much regret to find that this understanding has not been carried forward into the present year, and that instructions have been issued to cruisers of the United States to seize British vessels fishing for seals in Behring's Sea outside the limit of territorial waters. grounds upon which these violent measures have been taken have not been communicated to Her Majesty's Government, and remain still unexplained.

The

But in view of the unexpected renewal of the seizures of which Her Majesty's Government have previously complained, it is my duty to protest against them, and to state that, in the opinion of Her Majesty's Government, they are wholly unjustified by international law.

I am, etc.,

SALISBURY.

[Inclosure 1.]

Mr. Bramston to the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

COLONIAL OFFICE, September 10, 1889.

SIR: With reference to previous correspondence respecting the seizures of Canadian sealers in Behring's Sea, I am directed by Lord Knutsford to transmit to you for communication to the marquis of Salisbury a copy of a dispatch from the governorgeneral of the Dominion with its inclosures on the subject.

I am, etc.,

JOHN BRAMSTON.

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