62 



Government of the United States at once proceeded to check this 

 movement, which, unchecked, was sure to do great and irreparable 

 harm. It was cause of unfeigned surprise to the United States that Her 

 Majesty's Government should iuimediately interfere to defend and 

 encourage (surely to encourage by defending) the course of the Cana- 

 dians in disturbing an iiidiistry which had been carefully developed for 

 more than ninety years under the Hags of Kussia and the United States — 

 developed in such a manner as not to interfere with tlie public rights 

 or the private industries of any other people or any other person. 



" Whence did the ships of Canada derive the right to do in 1880 that 

 which they had refrained from doing for more than ninety years ? Upon 

 what grounds did Her Majesty's Government defend in the year 188Ga 

 course of conduct in the Bering Sea which she had carefully avoided 

 ever since the discovery of that sea? By what reasoning did Her Mnj- 

 jesty's Government conclude that an act may be committed with impu- 

 nity against the rights of the United States which had never been 

 attempted against the same rights when held by the Russian Empire? 



''•'So great has been the injury to the fisheries from the irregular and 

 destructive slaughter of seals in the open waters of the Bering Sea by 

 Canadian vessels that, whereas the Government had allowed 100,000 

 to be taken annually for a series of years, it is now compelled to reduce 

 the number to 60,000. If four years of this violation of natural law and 

 neighbor's rights has reduced the annual slaughter of seal by 40 per cent, 

 it is easy to see how short a period will be required to work the total 

 destruction of the fisheries. 



"The ground ui)on which Her Majesty's Government justifies, or at 

 least defends, the course of the Canadian vessels rests upon the fact 

 that they are committing their acts of destruction on the high seas, viz, 

 more than 3 marine miles fi-om the shore line. It is doubtful whether 

 Her Majesty's Government would abide by this rule if the attempt were 

 made to interfere with the pearl fisheries of Ceylon, Avhich extend more 

 than 20 miles from the shore line and have been enjoyed by England 

 without molestation ever since their acquisition. So well recognized 

 is the British ownership of those fisheries, regardless of the limit of 

 the 3-mile line, that Her Majesty's Government feels authorized to 

 sell the pearl-fishing right from year to year to the highest bidder. 

 Nor is it credible that modes of fishing on tlie Grand Banks, altogether 

 practicable, but highly destructive, would be justified or even permitted 

 by Great Britain on the plea that the vicious acts were committed more 

 than 3 miles fiom the shore. 



