ALASKA. 



51 



when pelagic sealing began to be extended, those advantages were 

 exclusively enjoyed by Russia and the United States; and at 

 first, as I have said, this pelagic sealing did not extend into Bering 

 Sea, but was carried on in the North Pacific Ocean, and south 

 and east of the Aleutian chain. 



Why Bering Sea was thus carefully abstained from it may per- 

 haps be difficult at the present time altogether to say. It may be 

 for the reason that it was farther off, more difficult to reach. It 

 may be for the reason that the pelagic sealers did not at first sup- 

 pose that they had a right to enter Bering Sea and take the seals 

 there, for it was well known that during the whole of the Russian 

 occupation Russia did assert for herself an exclusive right to all 

 the products of that region of the globe; and it was also, of 

 course, well known to all Governments, and to these pelagic 

 sealers, that the United States had, when they acceded to the 

 sovereignty over these islands, asserted a similar right, and made 

 the practice of pelagic sealing, in Bering Sea at least — perhaps 

 farther, but in Bering Sea at least — a criminal offense under their 

 law. But from whatever cause, it was not until the year 1883 

 that any pelagic sealers ventured into Bering Sea. During that 

 year, a single vessel did enter there, took a large catch, was very 

 successful, and was not called to any account; and this successful 

 experiment was, of course, followed during the succeeding years 

 by many repetitions of the same enterprise. 



The extent to which pelagic sealing was thus carried on in 

 Bering Sea, its probable consequences upon the herds which made 

 their homes upon the Pribilof Islands, was not at first appreciated 

 either by the United States or by the lessees of the islands. There 

 was no means by which they could easily find out how many ves- 

 sels made such excursions, and they did not at first seem to sup- 

 pose that their interests were particularly threatened by it. Con- 

 sequently, for the first two or three years, no notice seems to have 

 been taken of these enterprises by the Government of the United 



