826 APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 
No. 97. z 
Sir R. Morier to the Marquis of Salisbury.—( Received July 13.) 
(Extract. ] 
ST. PETERSBURGH, July 7, 1891. 
I have the honour to transmit to your Lordship herewith the inclosed 
copy of a note, dated the 14th (26th) June, in which M. de Giers replies 
to my two notes of the 23rd May (4th June) and 29th May (10th June), 
transmitted in my of the 10th ultimo. 
Owing to some accident in transmission, which is not yet explained, 
this note only reached my hands yesterday. In it M. de Giers points 
out, in reference to my second note, that it would be difficult to accede 
to propositions the official text of which is not known to him otherwise 
than through the public newspapers, and which have been brought to 
his notice by one only of the two Contracting Parties. Nevertheless, 
the Imperial Government would probably see nothing in the way of 
prohibiting Russian subjects from hunting seals to the east of the 
maritime line of 1867 if Her Majesty’s Government, in a spirit of just 
reciprocity, would equally prohibit British subjects from fishing to the 
west of that line. The cruizers of both countries could, in that case, be 
authorized to stop on the high seas English and Russian subjects alike 
found contravening this arrangement in the waters of the Behring’s 
Sea and the Okhotsk. 
The note closes by the significant hint that, under any circumstances, 
the Governor-General of the Amoor had been instructed to take all 
necessary measures for protecting the Russian hunting-grounds against 
any dangers that might threaten them on the part of foreign hunters. 
When I saw M. de Giers on Saturday he did not advert to the ques- 
tion, being probably under the impression, as he must have supposed 
that I had received his note, that I would be the first to introduce it. 
I have therefore not had the opportunity of obtaining from his Excel- 
lency any elucidation of the note. 
{Inclosure in No. 97.] 
M. de Giers to Sir R. Morier. 
SAINT-PETERSBOURG, le 14 (26) Juin, 1891. 
M.’AMBASSADEUR: J’ai eu Yhonneur de recevoir les deux notes de votre Excel- 
lence en date du 23 Mai (4 Juin) et du 29 Mai (10 Juin) relativement A la chasse des 
otaries. 
Par la premiére de ces notes vous voulez bien m’informer que le Gouvernement de 
Sa Majesté Britannique est tombé d’accord avec le Gouvernement des Etats-Unis de 
Amérique du Nord quant 4 la prohibition de la chasse des otaries jusqu’au mois de 
Mai de année prochaine et invite le Cabinet Impérial 4 s’associer a cette mesure. 
Lord Salisbury a bien voulu ajouter que sans l’assentiment de la Russie il ne saurait 
étre question de la mise en pratique de cet arrangement. Dans la seconde des deux 
notes susmentionnées votre Excellence modifie la proposition de son Gouvernement 
dans ce sens que la prohibition de la chasse des otaries ne s’étendrait plus qu’ lest 
de la ligne maritime du Traité de 1467 conclu entre la Russie et les Etats-Unis. Le 
Gouvernement de Sa Majesté Britannique nous demanderait en conséquence 
59 d’interdire de notre c6té la chasse prohibée & Vest de cette ligne a des sujets 
Russes et d’autoriser les croiseurs Anglais 4 saisir les bAtiments qui se livre- 
raient 4 cette industrie sous notre pavillon. 
Tout en remerciant votre Excellence de ces communications je crois devoir observer 
qu’il nous serait difficile d’accéder A des propositions dont le texte officiel ne nous est 
connu que par les journaux et qui d’ailleurs ne nous sont faites que par l’une des deux 
Parties Contractantes. Quant 4 la ligne maritime du Traité de 1867, le Gouverne- 
