[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.,
