No. 23.
Sir L. S. Sackville
West to Mr. Bayard
.
Washington
,
October 12, 1887.
(Received October 13.)
Sir: In connection with the representation which I
was instructed to make to you respecting the seizure of the British
schooners Onward, Carolena, and Thornton, by the United States cruiser Corwin, in Behring’s Sea, I have the honor to inform you that I am
now further instructed to make similar representations in the cases of the
British Columbian vessels Grace, Dolphin, and W. P. Sayward, seized lately by the United States
revenue-cutter Richard Rush, and at the same time, as
in the cases of the Onward, Carolina, and Thornton, to reserve all rights to compensation on
behalf of the owners and crews.
I am also instructed to point out to you that according to the deposition of
the mate of the W. P. Sayward, a copy of which is
inclosed, no seals had been taken by her crew in Behring’s Sea, as is
alleged in the libels of information filed on behalf of the United States
district attorney in the district court of Alaska.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure.]
Deposition of Andrew Lang, mate of the schooner W.
P. Sayward.
declaration.
I, Andrew Lang, of Victoria, mate of the British schooner W. P. Sayward, do solemnly and sincerely
declare—
That I left Victoria, British Columbia, in the schooner W. P. Sayward on the 16th day of May, 1887, bound on a sealing
voyage, with a crew of seven men and sixteen Indian hunters, with eight
canoes.
We commenced sealing off Cape Scott, on the north of Vancouver Island,
and killed 479 fur seals in the Pacific Ocean, and entered the Bering’s
Sea on July 2, 1887, passing between Umnak Island and the Island of the
Four Mountains. The weather was very thick and foggy, and we did no
sealing in Bering’s Sea in consequence.
On the 9th July we were captured by the United States steamer Richard Rush, being then from 30 to 40 miles off
the nearest land. We were taken in tow to Ounalaska, where we arrived on
the 10th of July, and they laid us alongside the steamer St. Paul, belonging to the Alaska Commercial
Company. They removed the seal skins and took them ashore to the wharf
and put them in the company’s warehouse, and they resalted the skins
with salt taken from our vessel. They put an officer from the Rush on board and towed us out to sea and told us
to go to Sitka.
We arrived there on the 22d July, and on the next day an investigation
was held before Judge Dawson, who bound us over to appear on the 22d of
August for trial [Page 1796] The vessel
was left in charge of the United States officers, and we were only
allowed to remove our clothing. The Indians were left to find their way
home as they could. They were about 700 miles from their villages.
I further say that when we were taken I spoke to the captain of the Rush, and told him we had not taken a seal in
Behring’s Sea. He replied, “I am sorry for you; I have to obey orders,
and take everything I come across in Behring’s Sea.”
And I make this solemn declaration by virtue of the act passed in the
thirty-seventh year of Her Majesty’s reign, entitled “An act for the
suppression of Voluntary and extra-judicial oaths.”
Taken and declared before me at Victoria this 8th day of August,
1887.
M. W. Tyrwhitt Drake,
Notary Public.
