SEIZUEES OF 1886 AND 1887. 161 



have the hoTior to iuclose you two piiutecl copies oi the .jndicial pro 

 ceediugs in the United States district court for the District of Alaska- 

 in the several cases of libel against the schooners Onicard, Carolena, 

 and Thornton, for killing fur seals iu Alaskan waters. 

 Accept, etc., 



T. F. Bayard. 



(For inclosme see Senate Ex. Doc. No. 106, 50th Congress, 2d session, 

 pp. 17-48.) 



Sir L. 8. Saclcville West to Mr. Bayard. 

 > 

 Washington, Amjust ll, 1887. (Eeceived Angnst 12.) 

 Sir: I have the honor to inforui you that Her Majesty's Govern nieiit 

 have received a telegram from thecommander-in chief of Her Majesty's 

 naval forces in the Pacitlc, dated Victoria, British Columbia, August 

 7, re])orting the seizure by United States cruisers of three British Co- 

 lumbian sealing schooners in Behring Sea, a long distance from Sitka, 

 and that several other vessels were in sight being towed in. 



In conveying this information to you, I am requested at the same time 

 by the Marquis of Salisbury to state that, in view of the assurances 

 given in your note of the od of February last. Her Majesty's Govern- 

 ment had assumed that ])ending the conclusion of discussions between 

 the two Governments on general questions involved, no further seizures 

 would be inade by order of the United States Government. 

 1 have, etc., 



L. S. Sackville West. 



Mr. Bayard to Sir L. S. Saclcville West. 



Department of State, 



Washington, August 13, 1887. 



Sir : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 

 lltliinstant, received yesterday afternoon, informing me of a telegraphic 

 comnuinication from the commander-in-chief of Her Majesty's naval 

 forces in the Pa(;i{ic, dated at Victoria, British Columbia, August 7, re- 

 porting the seizure of three British Columbian sealing schooners "in 

 Behring Sea, a long distance from Sitka," and that " several other ves- 

 sels were in sight being towed in." 



The reference to my note to you of the 3d of February last, which 

 you make under the instructiun of the Marquis of Salisbury, has caused 

 me to examine the expressions contained therein, and I can discover no 

 ground whatever for the assumption by Her Majesty's Government 

 that it contained assurances "that ])ending the conclusion of discus- 

 sions between the two Governments on general questions involved, no 

 further seizures would be made by order of the United States Govern- 

 ment." 



Until your note of the 11th instant was received, I had no informa- 

 tion of the seizure of the sealing vessels therein referred to, and have 

 no knowledge whatever of the cii'cumstances under which such seizures 

 have been made. 

 21 



