490 APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



No. IG. 



Mr. Hoffman to Mr. Frelinglmysen. — {Received June 6,) 



Legation of the United States, 



St. PetersMirgh, May 22, 1882. 



Sir: Referring to your No. 120 and to my Nos. 211 and 215, I have 

 the honour to forward to you herewith a translation of a note recently 

 received from M. de Giers upon the subject of hunting, fishing, and 

 trading in the Pacific waters. 



I do not see that there is anything in the Eegulations referred to 

 that affects our whalers, nor our cod fisheries either, except that when 

 they go ashore to catch small fish for bait in the streams, they expose 

 themselves to interruption from the Eussian authorities, who, finding 

 them in territorial waters, may accuse them of having taken their fish 

 therein. 



I will endeavor to procure and forward you a translation of the 

 Articles of the Code referred to by M. de Giers, that you may have 

 the whole matter before you. This cannot be done, however, under 

 several days. 



I am, &o, (Signed) Wickham Hoffman. 



[Inclosure in No. 16.— Translation.] 

 M. de Giers to Mr. Hoffman. 



Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Asiatic Department, 



May S {20), 1882. 



Sir: Referring to the exchange of communications which has taken place between 



us on the subject of a Notice published by our Consul at Yokohama relative 



20 to fishing, hunting, and to trade in the Russian waters of the Pacific, and in 



reply to the note which you addressed to me, dated the 15th (27th) March, I 



am now in a position to give you the following information. 



A Notice of the tenour of that annexed to your note of the 15th March was, in fact, 

 published by our Consul at Yokohama, and our Consul-General at San Francisco is 

 also authorized to publish it. 



This measure refers only to prohibited industries and to the trade in contraband; 

 the restrictions which it establishes extend strictly to the territorial waters of Russia 

 only. It was required by the numerous abuses proved in late years, and whicli fell 

 with all their weight on the population of our sea-shore and of our islands, whose 

 only means of support is by fishing and hunting. These abuses inflicted also a 

 marked injury on the interests of the Company to which the Imperial Government 

 had conceded the monopoly of fishing and hunting ("exportation") in islands called 

 the " Commodore" and the "Seals." 



Beyond this new Regulation, of which the essential point is the obligation imposed 

 upon captains of vessels who desire to fish and to hunt in the Russian waters of the 

 Pacific to provide themselves at Vladivostok with the permission or licence of the 

 Governor-General of Oriental Siberia, the right of fishing, hunting, and of trade by 

 foreigners in our territorial waters is regulated by Article 560 and those following 

 of Vol. XII, Part II, of the Code of Laws. 



Informing you of the preceeding, I have, &o. (Signed) 6i£B>. 



