part05+-第4章

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mothers　make　long　excursions　to　fishing…banks　at　distances　of



from　one　to　two　hundred　miles。　The　return　of　these　seal　herds；



and　these　food　excursions；　were　taken　advantage　of　by　Canadian



marauders；　who　slaughtered　the　animals；　in　the　water；　without



regard　to　age　or　sex；　in　a　way　most　cruel　and　wasteful；　so　that



the　seal　herds　were　greatly　diminished　and　in　a　fair　way　to



extermination。　Our　government　tried　to　prevent　this　and　seized



sundry　marauding　vessels；　whereupon　Great　Britain　felt　obliged；



evidently　from　political　motives；　to　take　up　the　cause　of　these



Canadian　poachers　and　to　stand　steadily　by　them。　As　a　last



resort；　the　government　of　the　United　States　left　the　matter　to



arbitration；　and　in　due　time　the　tribunal　began　its　sessions　at



Paris。　Meantime；　a　British　commission　was；　in　1891…1892；　ordered



to　prepare　the　natural…history　material　for　the　British　case



before　the　tribunal；　and　it　would　be　difficult　to　find　a　more



misleading　piece　of　work　than　their　report。　Sham　scientific　facts



were　supplied　for　the　purposes　of　the　British　counsel　at　Paris。



While　I　cannot　believe　that　the　authorities　in　London　ordered　or



connived　at　this；　it　is　simple　justice　to　state；　as　a　matter　of



fact；　that；　as　afterward　in　the　Venezuela　case；＇1＇　so　in　this；



British　agents　were　guilty　of　the　sharpest　of　sharp　practices。



The　Russian　fur…seal　islands　having　also　suffered　to　a



considerable　extent　from　similar　marauders；　a　British　commission



visited　the　Russian　islands　and　took　testimony　of　the　Russian



commandant　in　a　manner　grossly　unfair。　This　commandant　was　an



honest　man；　with　good　powers　of　observation　and　with　considerable



insight　into　the　superficial　facts　of　seal　life；　but　without



adequate　scientific　training；　his　knowledge　of　English　was　very



imperfect；　and　the　commission　apparently　led　him　to　say　and　sign



just　what　they　wanted。　He　was　somehow　made　to　say　just　the　things



which　were　needed　to　help　the　British　case；　and　not　to　say



anything　which　could　hurt　it。　So　absurd　were　the　misstatements　to



which　he　had　thus　been　led　to　attach　his　name　that　the　Russian



Government　ordered　him　to　come　all　the　way　from　the　Russian



islands　on　the　coast　of　Siberia　to　St。　Petersburg；　there　to　be



reexamined。　It　was　an　enormous　journeyfrom　the　islands　to



Japan；　from　Japan　to　San　Francisco；　from　San　Francisco　to　New



York；　and　thence　to　St。　Petersburg。　There；　with　the　aid　of　a



Russian　expert；　I　had　the　satisfaction　of　putting　questions　to



him；　and；　having　found　the　larger　part　of　his　previous　alleged



testimony　to　be　completely　in　conflict　with　his　knowledge　and



opinions；　I　forwarded　this　new　testimony　to　those　in　charge　of



the　American　case　before　the　Paris　tribunal；　in　the　hope　that　it



would　place　the　whole　matter　in　its　true　light。　With　it　was　also



presented　the　concurring　testimony　taken　by　the　American　experts



who　had　been　sent　to　the　Behring　Sea。　Those　experts　were　Drs。



Mendenhall　and　Merriam；　scientists　of　the　highest　character；　and



their　reports　were；　in　every　essential　particular；　afterward



confirmed　by　another　man　of　science；　after　study　of　the　whole



question　in　the　islands　and　on　the　adjacent　seasDr。　Jordan；



president　of　Stanford　University；　probably　the　highest　authority



in　the　United　Statesand；　perhaps；　in　the　worldregarding　the



questions　at　issue：　a　pupil　and　friend　of　Agassiz；　a　man　utterly



incapable　of　making　a　statement　regarding　any　point　in　science



which　he　did　not　fully　believe；　no　matter　what　its　political



bearing　might　be。











＇1＇　See　my　chapter　on　the　Venezuela　Commission　for　the　trick



attempted　by　British　agents　in　the　first　British　Blue　Book　on



that　subject。











And　now　to　another　feature　of　the　case。　Before　leaving　Washington



for　St。　Petersburg；　I　had　consulted　with　the　Secretary　of　State



and　the　leading　persons　in　charge　of　our　case；　and　on　my　way　had



talked　with　Count　Shuvaloff；　the　Russian　ambassador　at　Berlin；



and　all　agreed　that　the　interests　of　the　United　States　and　Russia



in　the　matter　of　protecting　the　seals　were　identical。　The　only



wonder　was　that；　this　fact　being　so　clear；　the　Russian　Foreign



Office　constantly　held　back　from　showing　any　active　sympathy　with



the　United　States　in　our　efforts　to　right　this　wrong　done　to　both



nations。







At　my　first　presentation　to　the　Emperor　I　found　him；　as　already



stated；　of　the　same　opinion　as　the　Washington　cabinet　and　Count



Shuvaloff。　He　was　thoroughly　with　us；　was　bitter　against　the



Canadian　marauders；　agreed　in　the　most　straightforward　and



earnest　manner　that　the　interests　of　Russia　and　the　United　States



in　this　question　were　identical；　and　referred　severely　to　the



British　encroachments　upon　both　the　nations　in　the　northern



seas。＇2＇











＇2＇　See　detailed　account　of　this　conversation　previously　given　in



this　chapter。











All　went　smoothly　until　I　took　up　the　subject　at　the　Russian



Foreign　Office。　There　I　found　difficulties；　though　at　first　I　did



not　fully　understand　them。　The　Emperor　Alexander　III　was　dying　at



Livadia　in　the　Crimea；　M。　de　Giers；　the　minister　of　foreign



affairs；　a　man　of　high　character；　was　dying　at　Tzarskoye　Selo；



and　in　charge　of　his　department　was　an　under…secretary　who　had



formerly；　for　a　short　time；　represented　Russia　at　Washington　and



had　not　been　especially　successful　there。　Associated　with　him　was



another　under…secretary；　who　was　in　charge　of　the　Asiatic



division　at　the　Russian　Foreign　Office。　My　case　was　strong；　and　I



was　quite　willing　to　meet　Sir　Robert　Morier　in　any　fair　argument



regarding　it。　I　had　taken　his　measure　on　one　or　two　occasions



when　he　had　discussed　various　questions　in　my　presence；　and　had



not　the　slightest　fear　that；　in　a　fair　presentation　of　the



matter；　he　could　carry　his　point　against　me。　At　various　times　we



met　pleasantly　enough　in　the　anterooms　of　the　Foreign　Office；　but



at　that　period　our　representative　at　the　Russian　court　was　simply



a　minister　plenipotentiary　and　the　British　representative　an



ambassador；　and　as　such　he；　of　course；　had　precedence　over　me；



with　some　adventitious　advantages　which　I　saw　then；　and　others



which　I　realized　afterward。　It　was　not　long　before　it　became



clear　that　Sir　Robert　Morier　had　enormous　〃influence〃　with　the



above…named　persons　in　charge　of　the　Foreign　Office；　and；　indeed；



with　Russian　officials　in　general。　They　seemed　not　only　to　stand



in　awe　of　him；　but　to　look　toward　him　as　〃the　eyes　of　a　maiden　to



the　hand　of　her　mistress。〃　I　now　began　to　understand　the　fact



which　had　so　long　puzzled　our　State　Departmentnamely；　that



Russia　did　not　make　common　cause　with　us；　though　we　were　fighting



her　battles　at　the　same　time　with　our　own。　But　I　struggled　on；



seeing　the　officials　frequently　and　doing　the　best　that　was



possible。







Meantime；　the　arbitration　tribunal　was　holding　its　sessions　at



Paris；　and　the　American　counsel　were　doing　their　best　to　secure



justice　for　our　country。　The　facts　were　on　our　side；　and　there



seemed　every　reason　to　hope　for　a　decision　in　our　favor。　A　vital



question　was　as　to　how　extensive　the　closed　zone　for　the　seals



about　our　islands　should　be。　The　United　States　showed　that　the



nursing　seals　were　killed　by　the　Canadian　poachers　at　a　distance



of　from　one　to　two　hundred　miles　from　the　islands；　and　that



killing　ought　not　to　be　allowed　within　a　zone　of　that　radius；



but；　on　the　other　hand；　the　effort　of　the　British　counsel　was　to



make　this　zone　as　small　as　possible。　They　had　even　contended　for



a　zone　of　only　ten　miles　radi