The Behring Sea.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7065, 17 January 1891, Page 2

The Behring Sea.

In all governing bodies there are intellects unscrupulous enough to escape from domestic complication by the gate which leads to foreign war. "Thou shalf, not kill " ia to them as the idle wind which blows on the cheek only of the " unco quid." For this reason the world wao excited when it found Mr Blame ordering his squadron to the Behring Sea fco capture the British and other sealers on the disputed ialanda, and Sir Julian Pauneefoto informing him that force would be met by force. This was coupled with the very decided tone of the President's mesaage.which claimed the island as territory bought from Eussia. But when the German, Russian and British squadrons had got their orders, and the British Prime Minister had formally denied that hie ambassador had sent any ultimatum, the certainty of arbitration came out of the war cloud like the sun when the mists of morning are Ecattered. What are we to think ? Probably that Mr Blame, anxious to reap a little cheap popularity in the hour of tariff distress, confided some nonsense to one of the tribe of sensational reporters who are the feature of American journalism, and, finding the result had put the world's back up, hastened to agree definitely to arbitration sooner than he otherwise would have done. Unless the Governments did exchange fierce notes— a thing not likely, Beeing that they were engaged in discussing arbitration — we can see no other way of accounting fox the curious flare-up in those Arctic regions. Mr Blame thinks that arbitration is the best way out of the difficulty, aud the New York press has been informed that there is no truth at all in its sensational reports of the approaching gatherings of American squadrons. The difficulty being over as far as danger is concerned, we may smile at the efforts of the enterprising American reporter to make asensation. We may give Lord Salisbury the credit of firmness, and then we can put the whole thing down to the American reporter, [it ia a question of putting down poaching more than anything else. The regular take every year is about 150,000, the poachers take 60,000 more, and as in both cases about one in six is the proportion used, thereat being wantonly killedand loßt, the slaughter every year represents over a million carcases. Under similar stresß, the muttons of New Zealand increase and multiply ; but the seals of Behring Sea are disappearing gradually. Killing with care is a science all the nations interested should seek to establish. A good many men who pay milliner's bilk only wish the scab would all disappear under the infliction of poaching. It is a Bhallow thought. The seals may all be killed, but the milliner's vocation will never be killed.