APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN, 833 
No. 104. 
Sir It. Morier to the Marquis of Salisbury.—(Receéved July 17.) 
[ Telegraphic. ] 
St. PETERSBURGH, July 17, 1891, 
I have been informed by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign 
Affairs that he felt certain that, as soon as a decision had been come 
to by the three Ministries interested in the question of the visit of our 
Commissioners to the Russian seal islands in the Behring’s Sea, tele- 
graphic instructions would be sent to the Governor of Vladivostok to 
see that all facilities for the investigations required shall be accorded 
to them. 
65 No. 105. 
The Marquis of Salisbury to Sir R. Morier. 
FOREIGN OFFICE, July 17, 1891. 
Sir: I have received your Excellency’s despatch of the 7th instant, 
inclosing a note from the Russian Government on the subject of the 
Agreement which has recently been concluded between this country 
and the United States for preventing the killing of seals during the 
present season in a certain specified portion of Behring’s Sea. 
In the course of this note M. de Giers alludes to the fact that the 
text of the Agreement is not known to him otherwise than through the 
public press. 
Copies of the Agreement in the form in which it was signed were 
forwarded you in my despatch of the 9th instant. I have to request 
your Excellency to communicate a copy to M. de Giers, and to state 
that, in order to guard against any possible inaccuracies, Her Majesty’s 
Government were awaiting the receipt of the signed original from Her 
Majesty’s Minister at Washington before instructing you to place its 
text in the hands of the Russian Government. 
With regard to the conditions on which M. de Giers states that Rus- 
sia would be willing to become a party to the Agreement, you are 
authorized to state that, although Her Majesty’s s Government would be 
very willing to enter into an arrangement with Russia and the United 
States to prohibit sealing during this season to the west as well as to 
the east of the line of demarcation mentioned in the Agreement, they 
understand that the United States Government are unable to "do So 
without fresh legislation, which is not possible at this moment, as Con- 
gress is not in session. Any agreement of this nature for the present 
season could therefore only be made by Russia and England alone, 
and it would have the effect of leaving the western portion of Behring’s 
Sea open to United States citizens, while closing it to British and 
Russian subjects. 
For this reason Her Majesty’s Government do not think that such 
an arrangement as M. de Giers. proposes would be desirable, and they 
believe that his Excellency, on consideration, will concur in their view. 
Lam, &c. 
(Signed) SALISBURY. 
Bs, PD y¥——o3 
