Lord Gough to Mr. Olney.
Newport, R. I., August 19, 1895.
Sir: Her Majesty’s Government have had under consideration your note No. 133, of the 24th of June last, containing a new proposal from your Government for the appointment of three agents by Great Britain, Russia, Japan, and the United States, respectively, to be stationed on the Kurile, Commander, and Pribilof islands.
In your above-mentioned note a lengthy criticism is made of the figures relating to the catch of seals in successive years which were given in the Earl of Kimberley’s dispatch No. 93, of May 17 last, to Sir Julian Pauncefote. A copy of this dispatch was left with Mr. Uhl on May 27 by his excellency. Those figures were taken from the Canadian official returns, the estimate of the total catch of 1891 (British and American) being that of the British Bering Sea commissioners. The statement that a small part of the catch of 1891 was actually made on the Asiatic side of Bering Sea has been noted, and steps are being taken to investigate this particular point.
I have the honor to state, however, at the same time, that in any case the criticisms of the United States Government do not appear to invalidate the contention of Her Majesty’s Government that there has been no such alarming increase in the pelagic catch of seals on the American side as to justify any extension of the regulations solemnly laid down by an International Board of Arbitration for a fixed period of five years, after an elaborate examination and an exhaustive discussion of the voluminous evidence presented on both sides. Nothing but the absolute concurrence of the two Governments in the necessity of a change, based on new and undisputed facts, could, in the views of Her Majesty’s Government, justify any departure from the regulations prescribed by that tribunal before the time appointed under the award for their revision, should such revision then be called for.
I have further the honor to point out that even on the figures given by the United States Government the catch of 1891 on the American side was practically the same as that of 1894, and that the greatly increased dexterity with which the sealers are credited, and especially the fact that the bulk of the catch was made with spears instead of firearms, justifies the conclusion that the catch of 1894 was secured at less cost to the herd than that of 1891.
[Page 666]I am authorized, further, to state, in reply to your above-mentioned note, that Her Majesty’s Government can not recognize that Russia and Japan have any interest in the seal fishery on the American side of the North Pacific, and that they can not, therefore, take part in any inquiry on the Pribilof Islands in which those powers are associated, but Her Majesty’s Government is ready to appoint at once an agent to inquire, conjointly with an agent of the United States alone, as already proposed; and they would also be ready to consider any request from the two powers concerned to join in an inquiry on similar terms with Russia and Japan, respectively, in the Commander and Kurile islands.
I have, etc.,