CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 

 1^0. 11. 



179 



'Triumph." — Ordered not to enter Behrhifi Sea hji United States steam-shij) "Richard 



JiHsh," August 4, 1SS7. 



For— 



For illegal boarding anfl sear(liiii<i of " Tri- 

 umpli," as set forth in affidavit. 



1,000 seal-skins 



Legal and other expenses 



Claim of owner, with interest at 7 per cent, to 

 date of payment. 



Amount of 



claim as 



put forward 



by owner. 



$2, 000. 00 



8, 000. 00 

 250. 00 



10, 250. 00 



Evidence in support of claim. 



Affidavit of George Byrnes. 



Do. 

 Do. 



DECLARATION OF MR. GEORGE BYRNES. 



Province of British Columbia, City of Victoria. 



I, George Byrnes, of tlie City of Victoria, Province of lUitisli Colum- 

 bia, Dominion of Cuiiada, commissiou mercliant, do solemnly and sin- 

 cerely declare as follows: 



In the year 1887, at the time of the occurrences set out in paragraphs 

 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and G of this dechiration, I was the owner of the IJritish 

 schooner "Triumph," registeredattheportof Victoria, British Columbia. 



1. On the 20th day of May, 1887, the said schooner sailed from tlie 

 said port of Victoria on a fur-seal hunting- voyages in the North Pacific 

 Ocean and Behring Sea, having lirst been duly cleared at Her Majesty's 

 Customs for that purpose. 



2. On such voyage one George Erringtoii, who is now out of this 

 country, was master of said schooner " Triuiii])li,'' and one Herman 

 Smith, mate. 



3. In the month of Sei)tember the said schooner returned to the 

 37 i^ort of Victoria with 480 seal-skins on board, and the master, 

 Captain Errington, and mate. Smith, reported to me the follow- 

 ing* occurrences, which I verily believe to be true. 



4. Upon leaving- Victoria on the 20th May, 1887, the "Triumph" sailed 

 for the west coast of Vancouver Island, and she resliipi)ed a number 

 of Indian seal-hunters and sailed northward. 



5. On the 4th day of August the "Triumph" was about 10 miles off 

 the southward of Ounimak Pass, one of the entrances to Behring- Sea. 

 About 8 o'clock on the morning of that day the "Triumph" was boarded 

 by Lieutenant Tuttle, of the United States revenue cutter "Bichard 

 Bush." He demanded the ship's papers, which were handed to him. He 

 also asked if there were any sealskins, liquor, or guns on board the 

 "Triumph." He was told that there were forty-nine seal-skins and one 

 rifle on board, but no liquor. He then searched the "Triumph" all 

 over. He also asked where the seal-skins were caught, and upon being- 

 told, demanded the log-book, and took the position from that as to where 

 the seal-skins were caught. Lieutenant Tuttle then went back to the 

 "Bichard Busli," but soon returned saying that Captain Shepard could 

 then seize the " Trium[)h, " but thinking the crew were working for them- 

 selves, he would not do so, provided the "Triumph " went back at once to 

 Victoria, and would leave the rifle, provided that there was no ammuni- 

 tion for it on board. He then went on board the "Bichard Bush," but 

 returned in a short time to ask if the captain had made up his mind 

 what he would do, and denuinded a decided answer. He was told that 

 no answer would be given, and about the same time the Captain of the 



