314 REPORTS OF BERING SEA COMMISSION. 



Sources of iufor- and at Port Towiiseiid, Tacoma, and elsewhere 



llUltlOU. ' ' 



on our return, we availed ourselves of tlie testi- 

 mony of any person wliose coimection with this 

 industry was such as to render his statements of 

 real value. 



Return. "\Yg returned to Washington before the 1st of 



October and were ready at any time after that 

 to take up the discussion of the subject with the 

 representatives of Her Majesty's Government. 



Foiiuai appomt- ^j^g formal aoTCcment to the creation of a 



meut. o 



Joint Commission had not been entered into, 

 however, and it was not until the 4tli of Feb- 

 ruary, 1892, that we were formally designated 

 " as Commissioners on the part of the Government 

 of the United States. 

 Arrangenieut as Wg immediately called upon Sir Georo:e 



to meetiugs of .y j. o 



joiut Commission. i^a^jgn.Po^y ell ^^^^ j)j. George M. Dawson, who 

 had been similarly designated by the British 

 Government, and who had come to Washington 

 for the Conference, informing them of our readi- 

 ness to begin the joint consideration and discus- 

 sion of the subject at such a time as might suit 

 their convenience. We also stated that as it 

 was our understanding that the official existence 

 of the Joint Commission depended upon the 

 mutual agreement of the two Governments to 

 the articles of arbitration, and as the articles had 

 not yet been signed, only an informal conference 



