PROTOCOLS. 63 



Sir Joliii Tlu)iii])S()i) tlicn iii;>\r(] a sicnnd aiiieiKlinoiit, worded as 

 follows: 



That tlic words : From Maij lat lo Juhj Slut bu struck out and replaced hy the words : 

 From Jcniuarif lut to JitJji Lst. 



Mr. Justice Harlan and Senator IMorjian expressed tliemselves 

 sti'ongly against allowing pelagic sealing during the month of July, 

 and voted against the aniendnient. 



Lord Hanneu abstained tenii)orarily from expressing an opinion. 



Marquis Visconti Venosta found it difficult to accept the date of 

 July 1st. In case a majority of the arbitrators adhered in princii)le to 

 the amendment of Sir John Thomi)son, he wouhl ask that this date be 

 replaced by that of July IHth. It was during the month of July that 

 the work of reproduction of tlie seals took p'ace, chietly during the 

 tirst fortnight of that month, during which many of the gravid fenmles 

 were still on the track between the i)asses of the Aleutian Islands and 

 the Pribilof group. 



r>ut, he said, the (juestion of tlie close season was, according to his 

 view, intimately connected with that of the prohibition of the use of 

 firearms. 



The establishment of a closed season, extending from January to 

 July, meant that practically there would be no pelagic sealing outside 

 of IJering Sea, and that the use of lirearms being, according to Article 

 VI of the project, prohibited in that sea, all iielagic sealing in future 

 would only be allowed by means of spears or harpoons. 



He had already had occasion to make known his ])oint of view. He 

 felt disposed to place serious limitations upon pelagic s(;aling, but he 

 did not intend to suppress it, neither in principle nor in ])iaetice; 

 neither opetdy, nor by indirect means. He did not think that the 

 Tribunal could withdraw by the regulations all that it had conceded by 

 its decisions on the (piestions of right. 



He did not possess sufticient information to form an opinion in regard 

 to the practical effect of the prohil)ition of lirearms and the exclusive 

 use of spears and harpoons. If the i)rohibition in (juestion had ai)plied, 

 as was i^roposed in the j)roject, to one zone only of ])elagic sealing, the 

 consequences, whatever they might have been, would have affected but 

 one portion of the fisheries; and in this way the prohibition would have 

 been but a restriction. But if it was to be applied to all pelagic seal- 

 ing, he could not fVn-esee its consequen(;es any longer, and under such 

 conditions he would be compelled to reserve his vote respecting the 

 interdiction of the use of firearms. 



He would feel inclined rather to examine whether, in acce])ting- a 

 closed season from January 1st to July 15th, in place of the said prohibi- 

 tion, it would not be suitable to decide that every three years pelagic 

 sealing be suspemled for the period of a whole year. This would be 

 only a restriction, the consefpieiu-es of which he would feel prepared 

 to appreciate, at least by comparison. 



