FINAL REPORT OF THE AGENT OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Agency of the United States, 



Paris, August 10, 1SD3. 

 Iloiiornblo W. Q. Gkesham, 



kSecretanj of State, Was-hi)ir/{o»., D. G. 



Sir: As agent of the United States, appointed under the treaty of 

 February 29, 1892, providing for the submission to arbitration of tlie 

 questions whicli had arisen between the United States and Great 

 Britain respecting the far seals of tlie Pribilof Islands, I now have the 

 honor to transmit to you the following- report of the proceedings and 

 results of the arbitration: 



When I entered upon my duties as agent, in May, 1892, it was found 

 that no steps had up to that time been taken to collect evidence iu 

 authentic form to support the claims put forward by the United States, 

 aiul which were, by the treaty of February 29, 1892, to be submitted to 

 the Tribunal of Arbitration. I conceived it to be my duty- under the 

 treaty, in the preparation of the (;ase of the United States, to embrace 

 in that document a presentation of all the questions of law aiul of tact 

 which were by the treaty submitted to arbitration, and to support the 

 claims of the United States in respect thereto by all the evidence in 

 the possession or within the reach of the Government. I therefore 

 proceeded with as much promptness and thoroughness as the time and 

 means at my command allowed to collect all the evidence which was 

 pertinent and proper to lay before the Tribunal of Arbitration, tending 

 to establish the position assumed by the United States res[)ecting the 

 five points set forth in Article VI of the treaty and embracing the 

 focts necessary to a determination of the regulations referred to in 

 Article VII. 



The printed case of the United States, accompanied by the docu- 

 ments, ofhcial correspontlence, and other evidence relied upon in sup- 

 port thereof, was delivered to the agent of Great Britain and to the 

 arbitrators between the 1st and 6tli of September, 1892, or within the 

 time flxed by the treaty; and the printed case of Great Britain was 

 in like manner delivered to me by the agent of that Government. 



When the i^rinted case of Great Britain was examined it was found 

 to contain no evidence whatever touching the nature and habits of the 

 seals, the consideration of which was necessary to the determinatioii 

 of the main questions submitted to the Tribunal, which were embraced 



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