APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 435 
accept the proposal of the United States. The President now awaits with deep 
interest, not unmixed with solicitude, any proposition for reasonable adjustment 
which Her Majesty’ s Government may submit. The forcible resistance to which this 
Government is constrained in the Behring’s Sea is, in the President’s judgment, 
demanded not only by the necessity of defending the traditional and long-estab- 
lished rights of the United States, but also the rights of good morals and ‘of good 
government the world over. 
In this contention, the Government of the United States has no occasion and no 
desire to withdraw or modify the positions which it has at any time maintained 
against the claims of the Imperial Government of Russia. The United States will 
not withhold from any nation the privileges which it demanded for itself when 
Alaska was part of the Russian Empire. Nor is the Government of the United 
States disposed to exercise in those possessions any less power or authority than it 
was willing to concede to the Imperial Government of Russia when its sovereignty 
extended over them. The President is persuaded that all friendly nations will con- 
cede to the United States the same rights and privileges on the lands and in the 
waters of Alaska which the same friendly nations always conceded to the Empire 
of Russia. 
Ihave, &c. 
(Signed) JAMeES G. BLAINE. 
399 No. 273. 
The Marquis of Salisbury to Sir J. Pauncefote.—(Substance telegraphed.) 
FOREIGN OFFICE, January 28, 1890. 
Str: I have received your telegram of the 25rd instant, giving the 
substance of a note you had received from Mr. Blaine, in reply to the 
proposals made to the Government of the United States for the reopen- 
ing of negotiations on the Behring’s Sea question. 
Her Majesty’s Government will be prepared, when the text of the 
note reaches them, to give it their careful consideration, and to return 
a formalreply. So far as they are at present able to judge, it lays down 
doctrines in international law to which they would be unable to sub- 
scribe. 
Meanwhile, they would be glad to know whether, in your opinion, it 
would be desirable that, in reply to Mr. Blaine’s assurance that ‘the 
Government of the United States await with deep interest, not unmixed 
with anxiety, any suggestion for a reasonable adjustment of the points 
at issue between the two Governments,” you should now make proposals 
in the sense explained in your despatch of the 1st November last, with 
the modifications which, after consultation with the Colonial Office, have 
been considered necessary. 
The following are the terms which Her Majesty’s Government would 
be prepared to authorize you to propose to Mr. Blaine: 
(a) That the tripartite negotiation for securing a close time in Beh- 
ring’s Sea for the protection of the fur-seals should be resumed at 
Washington. 
(b) That all well-founded claims for compensation on the part of 
British subjects for seizures in the past of their vessels by authorities 
of the United States should be dealt with by a separate negotiation as 
speedily as possible, but that it should be understood that Her Majesty’s 
Government must be satisfied on this point before they can come to any 
settlement in regard to a close season. 
(c) Lastly, that an assurance should be obtained from the Govern- 
ment of the United States that there shall be no further seizures of 
British ships in Behring’s Sea while negotiations are proceeding. 
Lam, &e. 
(Signed) SALISBURY. 
