the
world's naval energy.

Our relations with Great Britain, always intimate and important, have
demanded during the past year even a greater share of consideration than
is usual.

Several vexatious questions were left undetermined by the decision of
the Bering Sea Arbitration Tribunal. The application of the principles
laid down by that august body has not been followed by the results they
were intended to accomplish, either because the principles themselves
lacked in breadth and definiteness or because their execution has been
more or less imperfect. Much correspondence has been exchanged between
the two Governments on the subject of preventing the exterminating
slaughter of seals. The insufficiency of the British patrol of Bering
Sea under the regulations agreed on by the two Governments has been
pointed out, and yet only two British ships have been on police duty
during this season in those waters.

The need of a more effective enforcement of existing regulations as well
as the adoption of such additional regulations as experience has shown
to be absolutely necessary to carry out the intent of the award have
been earnestly urged upon the British Government, but thus far without
effective results. In the meantime the depletion of the seal herds by
means of pelagic hunting has so alarmingly progressed that unless their
slaughter is at once effectively checked their extinction within a few
years seems to be a matter of absolute certainty.

The understanding by which the United States was to pay and Great
Britain to receive a lump sum of $425,000 in full settlement of
all British claims for damages arising from our seizure of British
sealing vessels unauthorized under the award of the Paris Tribunal of
Arbitration was not confirmed by the last Congress, which declined to
make the necessary appropriation. I am still of the opinion that this
arrangement was a judicious and advantageous one for the Government,
and I earnestly recommend that it be again considered and sanctioned.
If, however, this does not meet with the favor of Congress, it certainly
will hardly dissent from the proposition that the Government is bound by
every consideration of honor and good faith to provide for the speedy
adjustment of these claims by arbitration as the only other alternative.
A treaty of arbitration has therefore been agreed upon, and will be
immediately laid before the Senate, so that in one of the modes
suggested a final settlem