82 PERIOD SINCE THE CESSION. 



Vessels seized in of fur-seals, aoraiiist infractions of the law relatinor 



18S6 ami 1887. . 



to them; and that this hxw was not regarded as 

 a dead letter is attested by the fact that in 1886, 

 prior to which time vessels had not entered Bej;- 

 ing- Sea in any numbers for the purpose of pelagic 

 sealing, there were seized in those waters four 

 vessels, three of them British, while in the fol- 

 lowing year there were seized fifteen vessels, of 

 which six were British; the foregoing vessels, 

 with a single exception, being found at a distance 

 greater than tlii'ee miles from any land.^ 



In 1888 unofficial assurances were given to 

 the British Government that no seizures would 

 be made; for at that time negotiations were being 

 carried on looking to an amicable adjustment of 

 the points at issue with regard to Bering Sea.^ 

 Congress ratifies By act of Marcli 3, 1889,^ Congress in effect 



action of Execu- 



tive. ratified the interpretation heretofore made by the 



Executive as to the boundary of the United 

 States in Bering Sea, as well as the seizures of 

 vessels made under its orders in the ^'■ears 1886 

 and 1887. This is apparent both from the 

 language of the act and from the debates which 

 preceded its enactment. Its third section is as 

 follows: "That section 1956 of the Kevised 



* Table of vessels seized in Bering Sea, Vol. 1, p 108. 

 2 Mr. Edwardes to Mr. Blaiue, ^ol. 1, p. 199. 

 sVol. I, p. 99. 



