NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE award t the Court in the Behring Sea Arbitration was given i... Paris on Tuesday. The net result is,—(1), that America cannot claim any special control over the waters of the Behring Sea; (2), that a sort of game-law is laid down in 'the interests of the seals,—there is to be a close-time, no fishing within sixty miles of the Pribyloff Islands, and no taking of the seals by means of fire-arms or explosives, or by the use of steamships ; and (3), that certain facts are found in 'regard to the seizures of British vessels made by American cruisers. We have dwelt on the matter at length elsewhere ; but will note here that on many parts of the English case the Court was unanimous ; that on the claim of the United States 'to special and extraordinary rights in the waters of the Behring Sea, one of the American arbitrators, Mr. Justice Harlan, supported the English contention ; and that it was only in respect of the decision against the American claim to property in the seal-herds that both American arbitrators were against the English view. The arbitrators were :— Baron de Courcel (France) ; Mr. Justice Harlan and Senator Morgan (America) ; Lord Hannen (England); Sir John Thompson (Canada) ; Marquis Visconti Venosta (Italy) ; and M. Gregers Gram (Sweden).
