APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 827 
ment Impérial ne verrait probablement pas d’empéchement 4 interdire aux sujets 
Russes la chasse des otaries a lest de cette région si le Gouvernement de Sa Majesté 
Britannique, dans un esprit de juste réciprocité, interdisait également a ses sujets la 
chasse susmentionnée & Vouest de la méme ligne. Les croiseurs des deux pays pour- 
raient, en ce cas, étre autorisés 4 arréter les contrevenants en pleine mer, Anglais ou 
Russes, sans distinction, dans les eaux de Behring et d’Okhotsk, et de les livrer aux 
autorités nationales compétentes. 
En portant ce qui précede a la connaissance de votre Excellence je m’empresse 
@ajouter que le Gouverneur-Général de la Province de Amour recevra dans tous les 
cas Vordre de prendre les mesures nécessaires pour la protection des chasses Russes 
@Votaries contre les dangers qui pourraient les menacer de la part des chasseurs 
étrangers. 
Veuillez, &c. 
(Signé) GIERS. 
[Translation.] 
Sr. PETERSBURGH, June 14 (26), 1891. 
M. L’AMBASSADEUR: [ have had the honour to receive your Excellency’s two notes, 
dated the 23rd May (4th June) and the 29th May (10th ‘June), relating to the hunt- 
ing of seals. 
In the first of these notes you are good enough to acquaint me that the Govern- 
ment of Her Britannic Majesty have come to an Agreement with the Government of 
the United States of North America with regard to the prohibition of seal-huntinge 
until the month of May next year, and that they invite the Imperial Cabinet to join 
in that measure. Lord Salisbury was good enough to add that without the assent 
of Russia there could be no question of putting this arrangement into practice. In 
the second of the two notes above mentioned, your Excellency modifies the proposal 
ot your Government in the sense that the prohibition of seal-hunting would only 
hold good to the east of the maritime line of the Treaty of 1867 concluded between 
Russia and the United States. The Government of Her Britannic Majesty conse- 
quently asks us to prohibit Russian subjects on our side from the seal-hunting which 
is forbidden to the east of that line, and to authorize English ecruizers to seize such 
vessels as may pursue that industry under our flag. 
While thanking your Excellency for these communications, I think it right to 
remark that it would be difficult for us to agree to proposals of which the official 
text is only known to us through the newspapers, and which, moreover, have only 
been made to us by one of the two Contracting Parties. With regard to the mari- 
time line of the Treaty of 1867, the Imperial Government would probably see no 
difficulty in prohibiting Russian subjects from hunting seals to the east of that 
region if the Government of Her Britannic Majesty would, in a spirit of just reci- 
pr ‘ocity, equally prohibit their subjects from hunting to the west of the same line. 
The cruizers of the two countries could in that case be authorized to arrest the 
offenders in the open sea, English or Russian, without distinction, in the waters of. 
Behring’s Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk, and to hand them over to the competent 
national authorities. 
In making the above communication to your Excellency, I hasten to add that the 
Governor-General ot the Province of the Amoor will in any case receive orders to 
take the necessary measures for the protection of the Russian seal-hunting grounds 
against the dangers by which they may be threatened on the part of foreign 
hunters. 
I have, &c. 
(Signed) GIERS. 
No. 98. 
Sir R. Morier to the Marquis of Salisbury.—( Received July 13.) 
ST. PETERSBURGH, July 9, 1891. 
My Lorp: I received your Lordship’s telegram of the 8th instant 
early this morning, and at once addressed a note, of which I have the 
honour to transmit a copy herewith, to M. de Giers. 
60 Not being able to spare the time, owing to the dispatch of my 
messenger, I requested Mr. Howard to take it himself to M. Chich- 
kine and to urge on his Excellency that the matter might be at once 
taken in hand, so that a telegram of consent might be dispatched to 
