302 DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE. 



Sir Julian Faunccfote to Mr. Blaine. 



British Legation, 



Washington^ May 5, 1f^9l. 



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

 yesterday, in which you liave formulated for the consideration of the 

 Marquis of Salisbury detailed proposals for a modus vivendi during the 

 approaching fishery season in Behring Sea on the principle of a cessation 

 of seal killing, both at sea and on land, an arrangement to which, as I 

 informed you in my note of the 20th ultimo, his lordship was disposed 

 to give his favorable consideration. 



1 have forwarded to Lord Salisbury by this day's mail a copy of your 

 note, and I have telegraphed to his lordship the precise terms of the 

 proposal with which it concludes. 



I much regret to find that a misconception has arisen as regards your 

 complaint of delay on my i)art in acquainting Lord Salisbury with second 

 alternative proposal for a cessation of seal killing at sea and on land, 

 which you originally made to me verbally. 



On t^iat occasion you may remember that I expressed some reluctance 

 at sending any fiu'ther proposals to his lordship while his dispatch qf 

 February 21 last (submitting amendments on the questions for arbitra- 

 tion) remained unanswered, and that I suggested that it would be more 

 satisfactory if this new proposal were made concurrently with your re- 

 ply to that dispatch, which I hoped to receive with the least i)ossible 

 delay. 



I understood you to assent to that suggestion, and to say that "you 

 would proceed in that order." 



If you had informed me that the President for any reason desired 

 that this alternative proposal should be telegraphed to Lord Salisbury, 

 I need hardly say that 1 should have complied at once with his wishes. 

 Bnt I can not call to mind that the President's name was ever men- 

 tioned at onr interview, which you correctly describe as "a conveisa 

 tional exchange of views." Fortunately, however, no appreciable loss 

 of time occurred. I acquainted Lord Salisbury with your alternative 

 proposal by the mail of the 7th of April (a few days only after it was 

 made), and I received a prompt answer by telegraph, which enabled me 

 to inform you by my note of April 20 that his lordship was disposed to 

 consider the proposal lUvorably. 



At an interview at your residence on the 23d of April you ex^^ressed 

 your satisfaction at Lord Salisbury's reply, and you stated that before 

 taking any further steps you desired to communicate by telegraph with 

 the President. 



At a further interview at your residence <m the 27th you informed me 

 that the President desired that the modvs vivendi should contain a res- 

 ervation of the right to kill a certain number of seals for the support 

 of the natives of the Pribilof Islands. At first sight this reservation 

 caused me some disappointment. It certainly appeared to me open to 

 exception as detracting from the ]mnciple of e(iuality, which was a 

 feature of the original proposal. But I was more concerned at your 

 stating that it never was the intention of the President or of yourscU 

 that the modus vivendi should be put in force until the terms of arbi- 

 tration had been settled. 



This, I feared, would prevent the timely application of the modus vi- 

 vendi, and t so informed Lord Salisbuiy by telegram on the same day. 



1 notice with satisfaction that no such condition is affixed to your 



