52 AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC QUESTIONS 



ously considered ; it actually passed the Lower House, though 

 it failed to reach a vote in the Senate. 



However discouraging the failure to gain English consent 

 to modify the sealing regulations for the season of 1897, a 

 hope still lingered that some form of action might yet be 

 taken by the two governments during the summer and au- 

 tumn of 1897, which would anticipate by one year the revision 

 of the sealing laws, and spare the diminishing herds the last or 

 fifth season's (1898) slaughter. Mr. John W. Foster and 

 Mr. Charles S. Hamlin, whose familiarity with the Bering 

 Sea questions especially fitted them for the duties involved, 

 were appointed in April, 1897, "Seal Commissioners"; they 

 were instructed to bring about, if possible, and at an early 

 date, a general conference of delegates from the various 

 powers interested, to meet in Washington for the purpose of 

 coming to some understanding and settlement of the seal 

 question. Russia and Japan promptly accepted the invita- 

 tion to participate at such a conference, but Great Britain 

 demurred. The foreign office granted a willing consent to 

 a joint meeting of scientific experts to take place in the 

 autumn, " in order by due consideration of the reports drawn 

 up by the said experts to arrive at correct conclusions respect- 

 ing the condition of the seal herd frequenting the Pribyloff 

 Islands." It will be remembered that Professor Thomp- 

 son and Dr. Jordan were again in the field making final 

 observations upon the conditions of seal life, and their return 

 to their respective countries was expected in the autumn. 

 The British Government, however, was decidedly opposed to 

 a meeting at that time of regularly appointed diplomatic 

 agents with plenary powers to make a treaty as it objected 

 to a convention of agents whose admissions would be in any 

 manner binding upon their governments. Even at such a 

 meeting of experts, Lord Salisbury objected to the presence 

 of delegates from Russia or Japan, which nations he declared 

 had no experts "in a position corresponding to that of the 

 commissioners who have been carrying on their investiga- 

 tions upon the Pribyloff Islands during the past two years." 

 He further asserted as a sufficient reason for the exclu- 



