ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 351 



In return for a remocTeliug of the convention of 1894 in this sense, the Imperial 

 Government would cooi)erate earnestly with tlie United States Government in its 

 efforts havinj^ for their object the enlargement of the rcfrulations prepared hy the 

 Paris arbitration. 



January 29, 1896. 



Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communi- 

 cation of January 22, inclosing a memorandum left with you by the 

 Russian minister at this capital, and asking- my opinion as to whether 

 there is any objection to tlie proposed remodeling of tlie convention 

 with Kussia of 1894, except the obvious one of the inducements and 

 advantages it would afford Canadian sealers; also, as to whether the 

 arrangement proj)osed by the Russian minister would be advantageous 

 for the United States, provided Great Britain's concurrence could be 

 secured. 



I have the honor to reply that I see no objection to the proposed 

 remodeling of the convention with Russia of 1891 other than the one 

 mentioned to you. It is my farther belief that it would be for the 

 distinct advantage of the United States if the existing regulations 

 provided by the Paris Tribunal were extended so as to embrace all the 

 waters from the Asiatic to the American shores in the North Pacific 

 Ocean, the Sea of Okhotsk, and Bering Sea north of the thirty-fifth 

 degree of north latitude. 



Under the terms of the Paris award the killing of fur seals is prohib- 

 ited during the three months of May, June, and July. In practice the 

 sealers start out early in January and hunt seals along the coast of the 

 United States and British Columbia until the closed season begins on 

 May 1. Between January and May they are tlius able to take seals, 

 but on account of the inclemency of the weather the catch is necessarily 

 restricted. Sealing can not be lawfully carried on after May 1 until 

 the 1st of August. At this time the fur-seal herd has left the North 

 Pacific Ocean and is in Bering Sea. The masters of sealing schooners 

 have, however, learned by experience that they can spend the months 

 of May, June, and July sealing on the Russian and Japan coasts and 

 procure good catches, after which they can reach Bering Sea in time to 

 hunt during the month of August, when sealing is again permitted 

 under the Paris award regulations. If, however, the Paris award regu- 

 lations should be extended so as to embrace the Asiatic shores, there 

 could be no sealing whatsoever in the North Pacific and Bering Sea 

 between May 1 and August 1. This would undoubtedly oi)erate to 

 make it more expensive to maintain a sealing fleet, and would probably 

 result in a large falling off of the number of pelagic sealers. In this 

 connection I would respectfully call to your attention the suggestions 

 made by Hon. James C. Carter, to the effect that pelagic sealing be 

 absolutely forbidden to American citizens, for the reason that such seal- 

 ing (as was contended before the Paris Tribunal) is cruel and inhuman, 

 a large portion of the seals killed being females heavy with young. His 

 suggestions will be found in a letter of the late Secretary Gresham 

 to Ambassador Bayard of October 6, 1893, which is No. 14 in Senate 

 Executive Document No. G7, Fifty- third Congress, third session. 



As regards the further suggestion of the Russian minister, that "the 

 Imperial Government would be specially gratified if the time of the closed 

 season could be made to begin one month sooner and to end one month 

 later," I have the honor to state that I approve such a suggestion as 

 being a step in the right direction. 



