CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 181 



AFFIDAVIT OF CHARLES E. CLARKE. 



City of Victoria, Province of British Colnmhia, Dominion of Canada. 

 I, Charles E. Clarke, of the city of Victoria, in the Province of British 

 Columbia, Dominion of Canada, master mariner, do solemnly and sin- 

 cerely declare as follows: 



1. I am the duly registered owner of sixteen sixty-fourths of the 

 British vessel '' Juanita," schooner-rigged, of the port of Victoria afore- 

 said, the other owners of said vessel being llichard Hall, merchant, 

 William J. Goepel, merchant, both of the said city of Victoria, and 

 Hans Helgeson, of the same place, fisherman, each owning an equal 

 number of shares in said vessel. 



2. On the 7th day of May, A. d. 1889, 1 cleared the said "Juanita"at 

 the custom-house at the said port of Victoria for a sealing and hunting 

 voyage in the'ISTorth Pacific Ocean and Behring Sea. On the said voy- 

 age 1 was master of the said vessel, and had a sailing crew of four men. 

 The "Juanita'- sailed from the port of Victoria on the 8th May last, 

 and was equipped and provisioned for a full season's voyage and pur- 

 poses above mentioned. 



3. On the west coast of Vancouver Island I took on board fourteen 

 Indian hunters, and then sailed northward. 



4. On the 2nd day of July last the "Juanita" entered Behring Sea 

 through the Ounimak Pass. 



5. Early in the morning of the 31st July last theUnited States revenue 

 cutter " Kichard Kusli" steamed up to the "Juanita" and demanded 

 that I heave my vessel to. I did so, and was at once boarded by three 

 officers from the " Eush." Tlie otticer in cliarge asked me if 1 had any 

 seal-skins on board, and asked me if I had taken any seal in Behring 

 Sea. I told him I had come into the sea on the 2nd July, and had about 

 (500 skins on board. He then reported to the Captain of tlie " Eush," 

 informing me that he would have to seize my vessel and lier cargo. 



G. Tlie Captain of the " Eush " ordered the seal skins to be taken from 

 the "Juanita" and ])ut on board the " Eush," which was at once done, 

 the number taken being 600. A demand was made by the boarding 

 officer for my ship's i)apers, and all guns, ammunition, and spears on 

 board. He obtained the siiip's papers and spears (twelve in number), 

 which were taken on board the " Eush." 



7. Hereto annexed, marked "A," is a copy of the certificate of seizure 

 given to me by the officer from the said steamer " Eichard Eush," who 

 also instructed me to proceed to Sitka, in the Territory of Alaska, and 

 to deliver a sealed letter, which he then handed me, to the United 

 States District Attorney of that place. 



8. Being unable to continue sealing and hunting, I sailed out of Beh- 

 ringSea, and arrived at Victoria aforesaid on the oOth day of August last. 



y. On my arrival at Victoria I handed the said sealed letter to the 

 Collector of Customs. 



10. Had the " Juanita" not been seized, and her hunting implements 

 taken away, I verily believe that the said "Juanita" would have made 

 a total catch in Behriug's Sea the full season of 1889 of not less than 

 1,800 seal- skins. 



Declared at the city of Victoria, British Columbia, by the said Charles 

 E. Clarke, the 15th day of October, A. D. 1889. 



(Signed) Charles E. Clarke. 



Before me, 



(Signed) Arthur Louis Belyea, 

 A Notary Piihlic h/ Royal authority in and for the Province of 



British Columbia, rcsidiny and jyracticing at Victoria aforesaid. 



