ORAL ARGUMENT OF JAMES C. CARTER, ESQ. 39 



I had supposed that my uote of August 24 would satisfy Her Majesty's Govern- 

 nieut of the President's earnest desire to come to a friendly agreement touching all 

 matters at issue between the two Governments in relation to Behring Sea, and I had 

 further supposed that your mention of the ofBcial instruction to Sir Julian Paunce- 

 fote to proceed, immediately after his arrival in October, to a full discussion of the 

 question, removed all necessity of a preliminary correspondence touching its merits. 



Referring more particularly to the question of which you repeat the desire of your 

 Government for an answer, I have the honor to inform you that a categorical response 

 would have been and still is impracticable — unjust to this Government, and mis- 

 leading to the Government of Her Majesty. It was therefore the judgment of the 

 President that the whole subject could more wisely be remanded to the formal dis- 

 cussion so ne.ar at band which Her Majesty's Government has proposed, and to which 

 the Government of the United States has cordially assented. 



It is proper, however, to add tliat any instruction sent to Behring Sea at the time 

 of your original request, upon the 24th of August, would have failed to reach those 

 waters before the proposed departure of the vessels of the United States. 

 ^ have, etc., 



James G. Blaine. 



These letters, it will certainly be agreed, are diplomatic — one party 

 pressing for an answer to a qnestion, and the otlier gently deferring it 

 and looking to a period when a more satisfactory discussion should be 

 brought on. 



Sir Charles Eussell. The next letter from Lord Salisbury is 

 important. 



Mr. Carter. 1 have not marked it as important, but if you think so 

 Sir Charles, I will be glad to read it. 



Sir Charles Eussell. I wish you would. It is on the same page, 

 197. 



Mr, Carter. I will do so. It is from Lord Salisbury to Mr. Edwardes 

 and a copy was left at the Department of State. 



The Marquis of Salishury to Mr. Edwardes. 

 [Left at the Department of State by Mr. Edwardes]. 



Foreign Office, October 2, 18S9. 



Sir: At the time when the seizures of British ships hunting seals in Behring's 

 Sea during the years 1886 and 1887 were the subjects of discussion the Minister of 

 the United States made certain overtures to Her Majesty's Government with respect 

 to the institution of a close time for the seal fishery, for the purpose of preventing 

 the extirpation of the species in that jiart of the world. Without in any way admit- 

 ting that considerations of this order could justify the seizure of vessels which were 

 transgressing no rule of international law, Her Majesty's Government were very 

 ready to agree that the subject was one deserving of the gravest attention on the 

 part of all the governments interested in those waters. 



The Russian Government was disposed to join in the proposed negotiations, but 

 they were suspended for a time in consequence of objections raised by the Dominion 

 of Canada and of doubts thrown on the physical data on which any restrictive legis- 

 lation must have been based. 



Her Majesty's Government are fully sensible of the importance of this question, 

 and of the great value which will attach to an international agreement in respect 

 to it, and Her Majesty's representative will be furnished with the requisite instruc- 

 tions in case the Secretary of State should be willing to enter upon the discussion. 



You will read this dispatch and my dispatch No. 205, of this date, to the Secretary 

 of State, and, if he should desire it, you are authorized to give him copies of them. 

 I am, etc., 



Salisbury. 



Yes, it is quite important, and I am obliged to my learned friend for 

 the suggestion that it be read. 



These demands by the British Government, occasioned by the new 

 seizures, and this sort of diplomatic correspondence having been begun, 

 during which preliminaries the new Government of the United States 

 was occupied in considering the proper attitude to be taken, Mr. Blaine, 

 finally, on the 22ud of January, 1890, addressed Sir Julian Pauncefote 



