322 ORAL ARGUMENT OF CHRISTOPHER ROBINSON, Q. C. 



preventing your subjects from exercising them". Is it possible tliat 

 tbat can be a reasonable result of such a submission as the present? 

 There must surely be some diflerence in the rights and regulations 

 which are proper with property and whicli are proper without pr<)i)erty. 

 And upon what principle — because I am not now talking about power — 

 upon what princi])le do you take away from a nation lawful rights 

 which you have by your award decided to exist, except upon the prin- 

 ciple that they cannot possibly be exercised without exterminating the 

 senl race. 



The President. — How many of the people are there on the English 

 side who have an interest in the sealing besides the sealers — the fur- 

 riers, for instance. 



Mr. KoBiNSON. — Oh none worth speaking of in the sense of money. 

 That extends to this: The people who have an interest in the sealing 

 besides the sealers are the Indians, who get to the extent of $30,000 a 

 year. That is the whole story. We speak for the Indians as well as 

 for the English interest. 



I may not know exaetly what the learned President meant. Did you 

 mean citizens of the United States or citizens of England? 



The President. — I mean people in England. 



Mr. Robinson. — Furriers? 



The President. — The furriers; yes. You speak for them quite as 

 well as for the Canadian sealers? 



Mr. EOBiNSON. — Oh, certainly ; we speak for them also. 



The President. — I say that must be a cause for the interest that 

 England takes in the preservation of seal life. 



Mr. Robinson. — Oh yes; I suppose she has an interest in the pres- 

 ervation of seal life on that account. 



Senator Morgan. — What interest could England have in the preser- 

 vation of seal life if her interests were only those of Canada? 



Mr. Robinson. — Canadian interests are English interests. How can 

 any body say the interest of Canada is not the interest of England? 



Senator Morgan. — I do not mean that. The interest of Canada 

 seems to be to take the seals. 



Mr. Robinson. — To preserve them also. 



Senator Morgan. — And the interest of the English seems to be to 

 preserve them for the purpose of maintaining a trafi&c and industry 

 that is based upon the seals. 



Mr. Robinson. — With great deference, Mr. Senator, the interest of 

 Canada is precisely the same. The interest of Canada is to keep up 

 this industry which we have founded, and to preserve the fur-seals for 

 the purpose of kee^nng up the industry. We have no wish to destroy 

 the race. Why should we? But if you speak of the interest of any 

 one else in England all that can be said is that England is here repre- 

 senting their interest; and that those furriers, almost to a man, have 

 put themselves upon record under oath as saying that they do not wish 

 pelagic sealing put down, that in their judgment it would be detri- 

 mental to their interest to have it put down, for reasons which are per- 

 fectly sensible and sound. 



The President. — We are led to understand certainly that both par- 

 ties, both England and the United States, have evinced their wish of 

 preserving the race, whatever may be the motives and whatever may 

 be the particular interests which are the reason of this submission of 

 the treaty. 



Mr. Robinson. — That is perfectly true, by proper regulations. 



