APPENDIX TO COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 799 



Declaration of Arthur Louis Belyea. 



Dominion of Canada, 



Province of British Columhia, City of Victoria. 



I, Artliur Louis Belyea, of the city of Victoria, in tbe Province of 

 British Columbia, Dominion of Canada, barrister-at law, do solemnly 

 declare : 



1. That on tlie 29tli day of November last I went to the Indian vil- 

 lage of ISTeah Bay, in the State of Washington, United States of Amer- 

 ica, on the Dominion of Canada steamer "Quadra," for the purpose of 

 securing the evidence of the Indians there for use before the Arbitra- 

 tion on the Behring Sea Fur-seal question. 



2. That I took with me as an interpreter one Andrew Laing, and 

 immediately upon arrival at Neah Bay I sent Laing on shore to inquire 

 of the Indians whether they were willing to give the evidence. On his 

 return to the "Quadra" he informed me that the Indian Agent there 

 had forbidden the Indians to give any evidence to the British side with- 

 out his permission, and that the Indians were willing to give evidence 

 if the agent would permit them. 



3. That I immediately went on shore and called upon the Indian 

 Agent, one John P. McGlynn. I told him what I wanted. His reply 

 in effect was that the Indians had an idea that the sealing on the coast 

 would be stopped, and would not say anything to me, as it might injure 

 them. I told him I understood that to be one of the objects of the 

 American Government, and if the Indians wished to prevent it they 

 would be acting in their own interest to give me their views. He then 

 said the Indians had already given evidence to the officers of the 

 United States Government for use on the Arbitration, and he did not 

 consider it fair to either the Indians or the United States Government 

 to have them examined by the British. I told him I was willing to 

 take the statements of the Indians in his presence, and he then said he 

 refused under any circumstances to allow the Indians of his Agency to 

 give me any evidence about seals or seal-hunting. He further said 

 that he did not intend to subject the Indians to an exainination by the 

 British side, as they might stultify themselves. He said the Indians 

 were easily misunderstood, and quite as easily induced to say things 

 that were not true. Finding it useless to prolong the interview, I left 

 him, and went up to the Indian village. 



4. That at the village I had a conversation with one Chestoqua Peter- 

 son, who spoke English fluently, and appeared to me to be an intelli- 

 gent half-breed. He told me that the Indians were under strict orders 

 from the Agent not to talk about seals to any stranger who came there 

 without the permission of the Agent, Mr. McGlynn. He said the 

 Indians were quite willing to state what they knew to me, but that 

 they dare not disobey the Agent. 



5. That while I was on shore at Neah Bay as aforesaid an Indian 

 policeman, under orders of the Indian Agent, as I was afterwards 

 informed, and do believe, followed me about for the purpose of pre- 

 venting any of the Indians talking to me. He followed me into the 

 store where Peterson was, and as soon as he entered said sometliing in 

 a threatening manner and in his own language, and Peterson at once 

 ceased talking to me. I was informed afterwards, and believe, that 

 had I attempted to talk with any of the Indians the policeman would 

 have arrested any such Indian and myself. 



G. On my return to the "Quadra" I found on board an old Indian 

 from the village selling baskets and other articles. I directed my 



