[Inclosure with No.
982.]
Mr. Stevens to
Mr. Rives
.
Consulate of the United States of America,
Victoria, British
Columbia
,
October 8,
1888. (Received October 19.)
No. 374.]
Sir: Within the last week all but one of
the Victoria sealing fleet of fifteen vessels have arrived in port,
having completed the season’s cruise.
No unusual incident is mentioned save the seizure of the Araunah, belonging to Hall & Goepel, of
this city, off Copper Island, July 1 last, by the Alexander II, belonging to the Alaska Commercial Company
and floating the Russian flag, as stated by the public press in
reporting the seizure. Messrs. Hall & Goepel have given me
Captain Sieward’s statement, viz:
“That the Araunah was seized on the 1st of
July, 6 or 8 miles from the shore of the southern extremity of
Copper Island, by the Alaska Commercial Company’s [Page 1844] steamer Alexander
II, floating a Russian flag (not the national flag of
Russia, hut a Russian flag of some kind—possibly a revenue flag).
The Russian Inspector-General of the islands was on board the
steamer at the time of seizure. The ground of seizure given was that
Russia claims the sovereignty of the Behring Sea, and the inspector
stated that he would have seized the vesselhad she been even 100
miles further south. The Araunah was first
taken to Vladivostock and then to Petropaulovski, where the Indian
hunters were paid for their canoes, and at which port the Araunah now lies. Thence the crew were
shipped by the Russian Government in a vessel to Nagasaki, where the
captain noted protest. The British Board of Trade there forwarded
them to Yokohama, to be taken by the steam-ship Batavia to Vancouver.
Apropos of this, on the 12th July last, a boat’s crew from the Nemo, of Yokohama, was fired into from the
shore off Atton Island by the Aleuts, the captain killed and two men
wounded. This press print was attested as true by Mr. Gray, of
Yokohama, yesterday.
The total catch of the Victorian sealers Mr. Lubbe gives at 14,897
seal and 152 otter skins; for the last season (1887) 30,200,
including abont 12,000 seized. Only five American sealers have
reported here this season. They have had the same luck as the
Victorians. There has been an unusual period of heavy weather and
fog at the north. Seal skins are worth $6.25; otter $105.
I am, etc.,
Robt. J. Stevens,
Consul.