168 ARGUMENT OF THE UNITED STATES. 



(3) That the commander of any public vessel might seize, search, and 

 take any vessel so offending anywhere " within the jurisdiction of the 

 government of the colony of New Zealand." 



In other words, authority was conferred by these acts to seize vessels 

 for illegally tailing seals over an area of the open sea e tending at the 

 furthest point 700 miles from the coast; and the government of New 

 Zealand has since kept a cruiser actively employed in enforcing these 

 regulations. (The Fisheries Conservative Act, 1887, 51 Vict., No. 27; 

 Rep. of TJ. S. Fish Com.; Case of the United Stales, App., Vol. I, p. 440.) 



An ordinance of the Falkland Islands, passed in 1881, established a 

 close season for the islands and the surrounding waters, from October 

 to April in each year. Two of the islands lie 28 miles apart, and this 

 regulation is enforced in the open sea lying betweeu them. (Rep. of 

 U. S. Fish Com.; affidavit of Capt. Buddington; Case of the United 

 States, App., Vol. I, p, 435.) 



The Newfoundland Seal Fishery Act, 1892, passed in April of that 

 year by the legislature of that country, provides: 



(1) That no seals shall be killed in the seal-fishing grounds lying off 

 the island at any period of the year, except between March 14 and 

 April 20, inclusive, and that no seal so caught shall be brought within 

 the limits of the colony, under a penalty of $4,01)0 in either instance. 



(2) That no steamer shall leave any port of the colony for the seal 

 fisheries before six o'clock a. in. on March 12, under a penalty of $5,000. 



(3) That no steamer shall proceed to the seal fisheries a second time 

 in any one year, unless obliged to return to port by accident. 



This act extends and enlarges the scope of a previous act, dated 

 February 22, 1870, which contained similar provisions, but with smaller 

 penalties, and also the provision which is still in force, that no seal 

 shall be caught of less weight than 28 pounds. (Hi) Vict., Case of the 

 United States, App., Vol. I, p. 442.) 



The seal fisheries of Greenland were the subject of concurrent legis- 

 lation in 1875, 1870, and 1877 by England, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, 

 and Netherlands, which prohibits all fishing for seals by the inhabi- 

 tants of those countries before April 3 in any year, within an area of 

 the open sea bounded by the following parallels of latitude and longi- 

 tude, viz, 07° N., 75° N., 5° E., 17° W. (British and Foreign State 

 Papers, vol. lxx, pp. 307, 308, 513; vol. lxxiii, pp. 282, 283, 708. 

 "The Seal Fishery Act, 1875," 38 Vict., cap. 18.) 



Under the law of Uruguay the killing of seals on the Lobos and 



