Mr. Olney to Lord Gough.
Washington, October 13, 1896.
My Lord: With reference to your note of the 21st ultimo, in which a detailed reply is made to the Department’s note of the 2d of July last, on the subject of the use of firearms in Bering Sea by pelagic sealers, I have the honor to inform you that I have received a letter of the 3d instant from the Acting Secretary of the Treasury reviewing the correspondence on that subject.
Without going into unnecessary details, I beg to say that Mr. Hamlin, in the course of his remarks, calls attention to “the somewhat surprising statement” in your note of the 21st ultimo, to the effect that Her Britannic Majesty’s Government has misgivings as to whether sealing vessels would be guaranteed from interference even if the propositions of this Government were accepted.
In view of the fact that the sealing season is now finished, so that it would be useless to give any instructions to sealers at this time, and inasmuch, also, as there is shortly expected a report from Professor Jordan and the other naturalists sent to the seal islands this summer, I would suggest that the whole question be postponed pending the receipt of said report, as each Government will then be in a better position to agree upon regulations for the season of 1897, after having examined the report of its own commission.
I have, etc.,