ORAL ARGUMENT OF HON. EDWARD J. PHELPS. 21 



bury in 1890, I think tliey will find in which he was correct, and in 

 which he was undoubtedly mistaken. In that letter (you will remeuiber 

 those letters) he suji'^ested the 47th parallel. He states the agreement 

 to have been that both the dates were fixed, and the limits were fixed, 

 when now he seems to be of a recollection that all he agreed to was 

 something or other to be fixed hereafter. 



Now still on the point whether there could have been any misunder- 

 standing or rather want of information on the part of Lord Salisbury, 

 I want to call your attention to a letter on the 24th i)age of this book, 

 the third British Appendix, fi-om Messrs. Lampson the great fur house 

 of London through whose hands as it has appeared and will appear in 

 another connection all these seal skins passed. They are a very old 

 established house, and the letter I refer to is a letter from these gen- 

 tlemen to the Earl of Iddesleigh when he was Secretary for Foreign 

 Affairs, dated the 12th November 1880, almost two years before the 

 making of the Agreement between Lord Salisbury and the American 

 Minister: 



My Lord: We understand a question of intemationallaw has arisen between the 

 Government of the United .States on the one band, and the Governments of Great 

 Britain and ot the Dominion of Canada on the other hand, respecting the seizure by 

 the United States Revenue cutter "Corwin" of certain Dominion fishing- vessels 

 engaged in capturing fur-seals in the v^aters of Alaska. 



As the future existence of the fur-seal skin traffic, in which we have for years past 

 been engaged, largely depends upon the settlement of this question, we beg to sub- 

 mit for j'our consideration, the following facts: 



Situated in the waters of Alaska, latitude 57° north, longitude 170° west, is the 

 Pribilof group of islands, belonging to the United States. 



These islands, which are occupied every year from May to October by a large 

 nuuiber of fur-seals for the purpose of breeding, have been leased to an American 

 Company under stringent conditions, which restrict them from killing more than 

 100,000 young males per annum, and strictly prohibit them from killing any female 

 seals whatever. 



The fur-seal being a polygamous animal, the annual inc^rease is not affected by. the 

 killing of this limited number of young males; and it has been found that the wise 

 nursing by these means of this very important fishery has not only resulted in the pre- 

 servation of the seals during the past sixteen years, but has also given an ample 

 supply of skins for purposes of trade. 



During the last few seasons, however, fishing vessels have been fitted out from 

 ports in British Columbia and the United States, and have been engaged in the 

 wholesale slaughter of female seals, which, during the breeding season, swarm in 

 the waters round the island for a considerable distance out to sea. 



Last sunmier several of the Dominion vessels were seized by the United States 

 cutter, and it is stated that a case is being prepared by the Dominion Government, 

 for presentation to the United States Government, disputing the legality of the said 

 captures. 



Should Great Britain deny the right of the United States Government to protect 

 the fishery in an effectual manner, there can be no doubt that the Alaska fur-seals, 

 which furnish by far the most important part of the world's supply of seal-skins, 

 will be exterminated in a very few years, just as in the South Atlantic the Shetland 

 and Georgia fur-seals which used to furnish even finer i)elt8 than the Alaskas, have 

 already been. 



It is evident, therefore, that the benefit derived by the Dominion fishing-vessels 

 from the slaughter of these female seals will be short lived. 



We would next point out that the 100,000 skins, the annual produce of the islands 

 (worth I. 350,000 at present prices) have been shipped to us for sale and manufacture 

 in London for sixteen years past, thus aft'ording in this city employment for a large 

 amount of capital and means of subsistence to some 10,000 people, many of whom 

 are skilled workmen earuiug wages up to I. 3 per week. 



We need, therefore, hardly suggest that it would be a short sighted and disastrous 

 policy to allow such an industry to be destroyed, especially at a time when so much 

 distress is already prevalent among the working classes. 



We therefore earnestly trust the British Government will, after verifying the 

 above facts, see its way to give its friendly support to the United States in the 

 exercise of their right to protect and preserve an article of commerce equally efif'ect- 

 ing the interests of both countries. We have telegraphed to New-York for the 



