Office of the Historian

Mr. Gresham to Mr. Bayard.

[Telegram.]
Department of State,
Washington, May 4, 1894.

Following special instructions relative to sealing vessels lawfully navigating area of award approved to day:

I.
No sealing vessel shall be seized or detained by reason of the [Page 190] absence of a license or of a distinctive flag or merely on account of seals, seal skins or fishery implements being found on board, but unless there be evidence of unlawful seal hunting the commander of the cruiser visiting such sealing vessel shall deliver to the master a certificate of the number of seals and seal skins found on board on that date (keeping a copy of such certificate), and allow the vessel to proceed on her way.
II.
Any sealing vessel lawfully traversing or intending to traverse the said waters during the close season for the purpose of returning to her home port or of proceeding to any other port or to or from the sealing grounds, or for any other legitimate purpose, may, on the application of the master, have her fishery implements sealed up and an entry thereof made on her clearance or log book, and such sealing up and entry shall be a protection to the vessel against interference by any cruiser in the said waters during the close season so long as the seals so affixed shall remain unbroken, unless there shall be evidence of seal hunting notwithstanding.
III.
The sealing up of fishing implements and the entry thereof may be effected by any naval officer, or customs officer, or (in Japan) by any consul of the nation to which the vessel belongs. It may be also effected at sea, as regards United States vessels by the commander of a British cruiser, and as regards British vessels by the commander of a United States cruiser.