PROPOSED INTERNATIONAL MEASURES, 1887-'88. 181 



3[r. WJiite to Mr. Bayard. 



No. 78G.] Legation of the United States, 



London., June 30, JSSS. (lieceived June 30.) 



Sir : I have the honor to inform you thnt I availed myself of an early 

 o])portunity to acquaint the Marquis of Salisbury and the Russian am- 

 bassadcu" of the receipt of your instructions numbered 804, of May 3, 

 aud shortly afterwards (Miiy IG) his excellency and I called together at 

 the foreign ofhce for the purpose of discussiug with his lordshij) the terms 

 of the proposed convention lor the protection of seals in Behring Sea. 

 Unfortunately Lord Salisbury had just received a communication from 

 the Canadian Government stating tliat a memorandum on the subject 

 would shortly be forwarded to London, and expressing a hope that pend- 

 ing the arrival of that document no further steps would be taken in the 

 matter by Her Majesty's Government. Under these circumstances Lord 

 Salisbury felt bound to await the Canadian memorandum before pro- 

 ceeding to draft the convention. 



I have inquired several times whether this communication from Can- 

 ada had been received, but it has not yet come to hand. I was informed 

 to-day by Lord Salisbury that an urgent telegram had been sent to 

 Canada a week ago with respect to the delay in its expedition, and that 

 a rej)ly had been received by the secretary of state for the colonies 

 stating that the matter would be taken up inimediately. I hope, there- 

 fore, that shortly after Mr. Phelps's return this Government will be in a 

 condition to agree upon the terms of the ])roposed convention. 



I have the honor to inclose lor your information the copy of a ques- 

 tion asked by Mr. Gourley aud answered by Sir James Fergusson in 

 behalf of the British Government with respect to the seal fishing in 

 Bebring Sea. 



1 have, etc., 



Henry White. 



(For inclosure see Senate Ex. Doc. ISTo. lOG, Fiftieth Congress, sec- 

 ond session, p. 103.) 



Mr. Fhelps to Mr. Bayard,. 



Ko. 825.] Leoation op the United States, 



London., September 12., 1S8S. (Received September 22.) 



Sir: Referring to the subject of the Alaskan seal fisheries, and to 

 the previous correspondence on the subject between the Department 

 and this legation, 1 have now the honor to acquaint you with the pur- 

 port of a conversation which I held with Lord Salisbury in regard to it 

 on the 13th August. 



Illness, which has incapaciated me from business during most of the 

 interval, has prevented my laying it before you earlier. 



One of the objects of the interview 1 then sought with his lordship 

 was to urge the completion of the convention between the United States, 

 Great Britain, and Russia, which under your instructions had previously 

 been the subject of discussion between the secretary for foreign affairs, 

 the Russian ambassador, and myself. This convention, as I have be- 

 fore advised you, had been virtually agreed on verbally, except in its 

 details 5 aud the Russian as well as the United States Government were 



