" Gentlemen,

"District of Alaska, United States' Marshal's Office, Sitka, November 1, 1888.

"I have the honour to inform you that I have received from the honourable Attorney-General of the United States orders to release to the rightful owners the schooner "Caroline," her tackle, apparel, and furniture, as she now lies at the Harbour of Ounalaska, in the district of Alaska. The order on the Deputy Collector of Customs at Ounalaska to deliver to you the property is herewith inclosed.

In the year 1887 the vessels enumerated on list on p. 178 entered Behring's Sea after finishing the spring season. The names of the schooners and dates of the seizure, together with dates of their sale at Port Townsend, W. T., where they were taken after postponements and delays, also appear. They were sold on the 26th March, 1889, currently report at the time disposed of at a nominal value.

All the vessels named on the list, p. 179, went to sea in 1888, proceeding to Behring's Sea, and were, with the exception of the "Araunah," which was seized, successful. This seizure was made on the 1st July of that year by the Russian schooner " Alexander II,” and taken to the port of Vladivostock Russian Siberia.

All the vessels enumerated on p. 179 went to Behring's Sea in 1889, and the return of the "Triumph" and capture of the "Black Diamond," and subsequent escape, are all fresh in the memories of our people, and need not be here repeated.

In conclusion, I have omitted remarks on the many questions arising in regard to the seizure of our vessels, feeling assured that the Government is doing everything to bring the matter to a speedy settlement. Also in regard to the habits of the seal, many erroneous opinions being given in the American press, and by the paid officials of the Alaska Fur Company as to the loss of seals by wanton slaughter (as they term it) of our sealers, I have made due and diligent inquiry as to the percentage of seals liable to be lost after being shot, and from what I have gathered, it amounts, at most to only 6 per cent.

The habits of the seal are now well understood. They travel singly and in pairs, not in droves or numbers as has been supposed by some, and to cover a large expanse of water. They are found 400 miles westward of Vancouver Island, and migrate to Behring's Sea in September and October. The pups leave later in November, the temperature of the water having some influence upon their movement, but they always return to Behring's Sea in June of every year.

VESSELS cleared for North Pacific Ocean, but did not enter Behring's Sca.

Besides our own twenty-four British vessels, it is said that thirty-two of other nations have cleared at San Francisco and Puget Sound ports, all intending to go to Behring's Sea this year.

ESTIMATES of the Amount paid for Wages, &c., of the Victoria Sealing Fleet, and the probable

Returns.

per cent.

Two thousand skins is a low estimate per vessel, and were it not for the interference of the United States' cutters in Behring's Sea, the catch would average quite 3,000 skins per vessel.

Appendix 3.

Declaration of Carl A. Lundberg.

City of Victoria, Province of British Columbia,

Dominion of Canada.

I, CARL A. LUNDBERG, of the city of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, late of the city of Yakohama, Japan, fisherman, do solemnly and sincerely declare as follows:

1. In the year 1883 I was ship-keeper of the schooner "North Star," of Yakohama aforesaid. The

said schooner was engaged in hunting and fishing in Okhotsk Sea and Kurile Islands.

2. In the month of September the said schooner was in the vicinity of Robin Bank, or Island, returning from Cape Patience. One day towards the end of said month of September, I, with a number of others from the said schooner, landed on a beach of said Robin Island.

On the island I met the mate of the schooner "Leon," a vessel in the employ of the Alaska Commercial Company as a watch vessel, about the said Robin Bank, or Island.

The said mate had with him about fifteen natives of the Aleutian Islands. While on shore we discovered a great heap of dead and rotten seals piled against the cliff at the back of a narrow strip of smooth beach such as seals haul up on. I examined the seals, and found that they had been driven into a heap, clubbed, and afterwards a great number had been cut and mutilated so as to destroy the skins and hasten decay. The said mate of the "Leon" was present, and I asked him why he had killed all of these thousands of seals-cows and pups. He replied, "That is to keep any of these Yokohama. fellows from getting anything this year." I asked him for his authority for being on the island and killing the seals. He showed me a document signed by the Alaska Commercial Company, directing him not to allow any persons to land on the island excecpt the servants of the Company. I asked him who gave him the paper; he replied, he could not tell. The document referred to was nailed to the wall of the house occupied by the mate and his men,

3. Next morning I went back to the beach with thirty-three men, the crews of my own vessel, and the schooner "Helena," which was also at the bank. We began at once to drag the dead seals to the water, and, after three days and nights hard work, we got the beach cleared. Every man was ordered to keep count of the number of dead seals he dragged off the beach, and when the work was done we found that the total number in the pile was between 9,000 and 10,000, nearly all cows and pups. There were thousands of seals in the water, but they would not pull out on the beach on account of the stench and filth. We washed the beach as clean as we could, and turned the gravel over as far as we were able. Shortly a heavy gale came on which washed the beach quite clean again, and the seals then began to pull out.

And I make this solemn declaration, conscientiously believing the same to be true and by virtue of the Act respecting extra-judicial oaths.

Declared and affirmed at the City of Victoria, British Columbia, the 5th day of October, A.D.

1889.

International Arbitration and Peace Association to the Marquis of Salisbury.—(Received December 7.)

40 and 41, Outer Temple, Strand, London, December 6, 1889.

My Lord, THE Committee of the International Arbitration and Peace Association have had again brought under their notice the very unsatisfactory state of affairs that has long prevailed regarding the seal fisheries in Behring's Sea and the adjacent coasts.

The proceedings of the United States' cruizers in seizing and sequestrating—and, in some cases, confiscating-the vessels and cargoes of British subjects engaged in fisheries on the open sea, have caused-as, no doubt, your Lordship is too well aware-excessive and prolonged irritation amongst our fellow-citizens of the Canadian Dominion, as it would appear that those in command of Her Majesty's vessels on the Pacific Coast feel themselves, for some reason, unable to check the high-handed proceedings of the United States' cruizers; while those measures of redress, long since demanded by Her Majesty's Government, and ostensibly conceded by the United States' Government, do not appear to have ever been carried out, or compensation made to the victims of admittedly lawless seizures.

Our Committee are more free ir addressing your Lordship on this subject, inasmuch as the principles of international law involved in these transactions, and the violation of established Regulations affecting the freedom of the seas, both seem so clear, that they feel persuaded that the whole subject has only to be brought afresh to the serious attention of the United States' Government to insure a settlement of the questions at issue and the termination of a grave occasion for irritation and complaint on the part of Her Majesty's Canadian subjects.

In venturing thus to press this international question on the attention of Her Majesty's Government, our Committee take leave to refer to your Lordship's despatch of the 10th September, 1887, in which the whole history of the case is clearly recapitulated, and the judicial principles concerned are cogently indicated.

Our Committee trust that now that public attention has been again drawn to this cause of prolonged friction, the arguments in the above-named valuable State paper will be again placed before the authorities of the United States, and feel persuaded that an amicable settlement may now be speedily sought for and attained.