THIRTIETH DAY, MAY 31^'^, 1893. 



Sir Chaeles Russell. — Mr. President, I wisli to begin by correct- 

 ing an error into wliicli I seem to liave fallen a few days ago. At page 

 762 of the Print I find that I uttered an economic heresy. I was deal- 

 ing with the question of the economic effect of the tax imposed by the 

 United States, upon each sealskin brought into its territory, and I 

 think I did misconceive the economic effect of that imposition. My 

 error, which I now wish to acknowledge, was kindly pointed out to me 

 at the time by certain questions addressed to me by you, Mr. President, 

 by Mr. Justice Harlan, and by Senator Morgan. 



Another matter I also wish to set right is this. You will recollect, 

 Mr. President, that I was referring to the fact of the length of timeand 

 the extent of territory over which the Hudson's Bay Company had for 

 many years carried on the business of collecting the skins of fur-bearing 

 animals of all kinds including fur-seals, principally through the agency 

 of the native population. In that correction, I stated, more widely 

 than the facts justified me, the extent of Alaskan territory which the 

 Hudson's Bay Company in point of fact leased from the Eussian 

 Company. 



I have now ascertained what the x)recise facts are; and it amounts to 

 this, that the lease which the Hudson's Bay Company had was of that 

 part of the Alaskan territory which we have been calling, for brevity's 

 sake, the lisiere, or margin of coast south of the Aleutian Chain. The 

 facts are that, in 1839, the first lease was granted for a payment in kind, 

 consisting of, among other things, 2,000 otter skins, and certain sup- 

 plies of food, and other commodities. That was a lease for 10 years. 

 It was renewed from time to time; in 1819, in 1853, and finally contin- 

 ued, under one or other agreement with the Coinmercial (yompany, down 

 to the time of the cession of Alaska by Eussia to the United States in 

 3867. Now, with these two corrections, I pass on to the conclusion of 

 my Argument. 



Mr. Phelps. — 1 beg your i^ardon, I did not understand the first one 

 that you desired to correct. 



Sir Charles Russell. — It is unimportant in the consideration of the 

 general question. I only wanted to set myself right with the Tribunal. 

 It was the suggestion that the imposition by the United States of the 

 tax now amounting to some 42 shillings per skin, affected economically 

 the price in the market. That was the point. 



Now I pass on to the conclusion of this very long discussion. I said 



yesterday that upon this subject of the rights of self defence or 



1191 self-preservation, as they are indifferently called, I desired to 



refer to one modern authority who is in complete agreement with 



every textwriter whom I have had the opportunity of consulting. There 



are none so far as I have been able to discover that differ from him. 



I have examined among others Kent, Martens, Manning, Heflter, 

 Wheaton and Twiss, and I find no discrepancy of opinion upon the 

 subject to which I am now addressing myself, namely, what are the 

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