APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN, 345 
[Inclosure 5 in No. 222 
In the Matter of the Seizure of the Sealing- schooner “Black Diamond” by the 
United States Revenue-cutter “Richard Rush,” on the 11th day of July, 1889. 
Deposition of Owen Thomas. 
I, Owen Thomas, of the city of Victoria, British Columbia, master mariner, do 
solemnly and sincerely declare that— 
1. Lam amaster mariner, and was at the time of the occurrences hereinafter 
811 mentioned and still am the master of the schooner ‘‘ Black Diamond,” of the 
port of Victoria, British Columbia. 
2. On the 11th day of July, A.D. 1889, whilst Iwas on board and in command of the 
said schooner, and she being then on a sealing expedition, and being in latitude 56° 
22’ north and longitude i70° 25’ west, and ata distance of about 35 miles from land, 
the United States Revenue-cutter ‘‘ Richard Rush” overhauled the said schooner, 
and, having hailed her by shouting, a command which I could not distinctly hear, 
steamed across the bows of the said schooner, compelling her to come to. A boat 
was then lowered from the said cutter, and Lieutenant Tuttle and five other men 
from the United States vessel came aboard the said schooner. I asked the Lieuten- 
ant what he wanted, and on his stating he wished to see the ship’s papers, I took him 
down to my cabin and showed them to him. He then commanded me to hand the 
papers over to him. This I refused to do, and locked them up in my locker. 
At this time there were 131 sealskins aboard the schooner, 76 of which had been 
salted, and 55 of which were unsalted, and Lieutenant Tuttle ordered his men to bring 
up the skins, and to take the salted ones on board the ‘‘Richard Rush.” The cutter’s 
men accordingly transferred all of the salted skins from my schooner to the ‘‘ Richard 
Rush,” and also took aboard the cutter two sacks of salt and arifle belonging to the 
schooner. Lieutenant Tuttle then again demanded me to give up the ship’s papers, 
and told me that if I would not give them up he would take them by force. As I 
still declined to part with them he signaled to the cutter, and a boat came otf with the 
Master-at-Arms, who came on board the schooner. Lieutenant Tuttle asked me for 
the kevs of the locker so that he might get the papers out, and upon my refusing to 
give them to him he ordered the Master-at-Arms to force open the locker. The Master- 
at-Arms then unscrewed the hinges of the locker, took out the ship’s papers, and 
handed them to Lieutenant Tuttle. Lieutenant Tuttle then returned to the “ Richard 
Rush,” and came back to the schooner again, bringing on board with him one whose 
name I have since heard to be John Hawkinson, and who believe to be a Quarter- 
master of the ‘‘ Richard Rush.” Lieutenant Tuttle then told me to take the schooner 
to Sitka. I told him that I should not go unless he put a crew on board to take the 
schooner there. He gave Hawkinsen directions to take the ship to Sitka, and gave 
him letters to give to the United States authorities on arrival. 
Lieutenant Tuttle, before leaving my schooner, ordered twenty Indian spears 
which were aboard for sealing purposes to be taken on to the ‘‘ Richard Rush.” I 
asked the Lieutenant to give me a receipt for the papers, skins, &c., he had taken. 
This he refused to do, and he then returned to the “ Richard Rush,” taking the said 
spears with him, and leavi ing the man Hawkinson in charge of the ‘schooner. 
Shortly afterwards the cutter steamed away, without returning the ship’s papers, 
sealskins, and other goods before-mentioned. 
Aiter the departure of the United States vessel, I directed my course to Ounalaska, 
hoping to meet with an English man-of-war. We arrived there on the 15th day of 
July. My crew at this time consisted of a mate, Alexander Gault, two white sea- 
men, deck hands, and a white cook, and twenty Indians. The Indians, thinking 
we were going to Sitka, became mutinous, and told me the best thing I could do to 
avoid trouble was to take the schooner home. They also warned the other white 
men on board that if they thought I meant to take the schooner to Sitka, they 
would throw us all overboard. There being no man-of-war at Ounalaska I left 
there and directed my course to Victoria, and arrived at that port at about 7 P. M. 
on Saturday, the 8rd August last, having on board the said John Hawkinson, who, 
during the eruize to Victoria, had not tried to give me any directions, or made any 
suggestions as to the course to be taken by the schooner. On arrival at Victoria 
Hawkinson was put ashore by one of my boats. 
And I make this solemn declaration, conscientiously believing the same to be 
true, and by virtue of the Oaths Ordinane e, 1869. 
Declared at the city of Victoria, British "Columbia, the 7th day of August, 1889, 
before me, 
(Signed) OwEN THOMAS. 
(Signed) Ernest V. Bopwett, 
A Notary Public for the Province of British Columbia. 
