300 WHALING 



In June, 1894, the United States minister presented the same 

 claims again. No answer. He continued to ask, however, and 

 in October of the next year the Russian ministry sent word that 

 they had already answered — the year before. In addition they 

 demanded vouchers for the $3,500 expenses of captain and 

 owners. Again they were completely ignoring the claim of 

 $45,000 for whales the Cape Horn Pigeon had had no chance to 

 catch, and the patience of Messrs. J. & W. R. Wing was wearing 

 thin. They, the firm, considered it quite unnecessary to pro- 

 duce any vouchers and quietly awaited further developments. 

 But the Russians had no notion of going out of their way to pay 

 indemnity for a ''misunderstanding," so the affair rested for four 

 years. 



In 1899 our charg^ d'affairs, under instructions from the Gov- 

 ernment, wrote to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 

 offering, for the sake of immediately and definitely settling the 

 claim, to compromise on $42,000. Once more the same answer 

 came back: $2,500 was quite enough. 



So in 1900 they finally agreed to submit the matter to arbitra- 

 tion, and Mr. T. M. C. Asser, Counsellor of the Ministry for 

 Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, was pre- 

 sented with the statements of both sides of the case; also, be it 

 said, with further counsel and witnesses, sent over from New 

 Bedford at no small expense. 



And in November, 1902, after ten years of fighting for what 

 they felt was only justly due them, the owners received an award 

 of $56,675.73. Nearly a third of the sum was interest for that 

 long period. 



