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Another　of　these　big　Romanoff　grand　dukes　was　Alexis；　the　grand



admiral。　He　referred　to　his　recollections　of　the　United　States



with　apparent　pleasure；　in　spite　of　the　wretched　Catacazy



imbroglio　which　hindered　President　Grant　from　showing　him　any



hospitality　at　the　White　House；　and　which　so　vexed　his　father　the



Emperor　Alexander　II。







The　ladies　of　the　imperial　family　were　very　agreeable。　A　remark



of　one　of　thema　beautiful　and　cultivated　woman；　born　a　princess



of　one　of　the　Saxon　duchiessurprised　me；　for；　when　I　happened



to　mention　Dresden；　she　told　me　that　her　great　desire　had　been　to



visit　that　capital　of　her　own　country；　but　that　she　had　never



been　able　to　do　so。　She　spoke　of　German　literature；　and　as　I



mentioned　receiving　a　letter　the　day　before　from　Professor　Georg



Ebers；　the　historical　novelist；　she　said：　〃You　are　happy　indeed



that　you　can　meet　such　people；　how　I　should　like　to　know　Ebers！〃



Such　are　the　limitations　of　royalty。







Meantime；　I　made　visits　to　my　colleagues　of　the　diplomatic　corps；



and　found　them　interesting　and　agreeableas　it　is　the　business



of　diplomatists　to　be。　The　dean　was　the　German　ambassador；



General　von　Schweinitz；　a　man　ideally　fit　for　such　a　positionof



wide　experience；　high　character；　and　evidently　strong　and　firm；



though　kindly。　When　ambassador　at　Vienna　he　had　married　the



daughter　of　his　colleague；　the　American　minister；　Mr。　John　Jay；



an　old　friend　and　colleague　of　mine　in　the　American　Historical



Association；　and　so　came　very　pleasant　relations　between　us。　His



plain；　strong　sense　was　of　use　to　me　in　more　than　one　difficult



question。







The　British　ambassador　was　Sir　Robert　Morier。　He；　too；　was　a



strong　character；　though　lacking　apparently　in　some　of　General



von　Schweinitz's　more　kindly　qualities。　He　was　big；　roughish；　and



at　times　so　brusque　that　he　might　almost　be　called　brutal。　When



bullying　was　needed　it　was　generally　understood　that　he　could　do



it　con　amore。　A　story　was　told　of　him　which；　whether　exact　or



not；　seemed　to　fit　his　character　well。　He　had　been；　for　a　time；



minister　to　Portugal；　and；　during　one　of　his　controversies　with



the　Portuguese　minister　of　foreign　affairs；　the　latter；　becoming



exasperated；　said　to　him：　〃Sir；　it　is　evident　that　you　were　not



born　a　Portuguese　cavalier。〃　Thereupon　Morier　replied：　〃No；　thank



God；　I　was　not：　if　I　had　been；　I　would　have　killed　myself　on　the



breast　of　my　mother。〃







And　here；　perhaps；　is　the　most　suitable　place　for　mentioning　a



victory　which　Morier　enabled　Great　Britain　to　obtain　over　the



United　States。　It　might　be　a　humiliating　story　for　me　to　tell；



had　not　the　fault　so　evidently　arisen　from　the　shortcomings　of



others。　The　time　has　come　to　reveal　this　piece　of　history；　and　I



do　so　in　the　hope　that　it　may　aid　in　bettering　the　condition　in



which　the　Congress　of　the　United　States　has；　thus　far；　left　its



diplomatic　servants。







As　already　stated；　the　most　important　question　with　which　I　had



to　deal　was　that　which　had　arisen　in　the　Behring　Sea。　The　United



States　possessed　there　a　great　and　flourishing　fur…seal　industry；



which　was　managed　with　care　and　was　a　source　of　large　revenue　to



our　government。　The　killing　of　the　seals　under　the　direction　of



those　who　had　charge　of　the　matter　was　done　with　the　utmost　care



and　discrimination　on　the　Pribyloff　Islands；　to　which　these



animals　resorted　in　great　numbers　during　the　summer。　It　was　not



at　all　cruel；　and　was　so　conducted　that　the　seal　herd　was　fully



maintained　rather　than　diminished。　But　it　is　among　the



peculiarities　of　the　seals　that；　each　autumn；　they　migrate



southward；　returning　each　spring　in　large　numbers　along　the



Alaskan　coast；　and　also　that；　while　at　the　islands；　the　nursing



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　h