No. 15.
Sir L. S.
Sackville West to Mr. Bayard.
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that Her Majesty’s Government have received a telegram from the commander-in-chief of Her Majesty’s naval forces in the Pacific, dated Victoria, British Columbia, August 7, reporting the seizure by United States cruisers of three British Columbian sealing schooners in Behring’s Sea, a long distance from Sitka, and that several other vessels were in sight being towed in.
In conveying this information to you, I am requested at the same time by the Marquis of Salisbury to state that, in view of the assurances given in your note of the 3d of February last, Her Majesty’s Government had assumed that pending the conclusion of discussions between the two governments, on general questions involved, no further seizures would be made by order of the United States Government.
I have, etc.,