MR. GIBSON BOWLES (Lynn Regis)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury if His Majesty's Government have undertaken to send a British man-of-war to protect, against attack, the Russian pssessions in the Pribyloff Islands, the Copper Islands, or other islands in the Behring Sea, or Russian property in seals on or 978 about those islands; have they arranged with the Russian Government that this man-of-war shall coal at Petropavlovsk; if so, seeing that Russia is at war with Japan, and that Japan is consequently free to exercise her right of attacking, capturing, and confiscating any Russian territory or property, on what ground was the decision taken to intervene in the war by protecting Russian possessions or property against Japanese attacks; have His Majesty's Government taken the advice of the Law Officers of the Crown, and are they satisfied by that advice that such action does not constitute a breach of neutrality.
MR. GIBSON BOWLESI beg also to ask the First Lord of the Treasury were conferences held at the Foreign Office in March and April as to the proposed defence of certain Russian islands and seal fisheries in the Behring Sea, between British, Canadian, and Russian delegates; if so, was any Japanese delegate present or invited to be present at those conferences; and, if not, why not; have His Majesty's Government applied for the assent of Japan to the interference of Great Britain for the defence of Russian territory and property against Japanese attacks; and, if so, when was their assent asked for and given; and, in view of the precedent thus to be set of action by a neutral Power, in derogation of the rights of war recognised by the Law of Nations, will the correspondence with Russia and Japan respectively, and an account of the conferences be laid upon the Table
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI am quite ready to answer my hon. friend to-day on these two Questions; but would not his purpose be sufficiently satisfied if I were to assure him that any steps we have taken have been taken with the full knowledge and assent both of Russia and Japan, and that no international question can arise? If he wishes for more detailed information I will give it now.
MR. GIBSON BOWLESNo, Sir; but perhaps the right hon. Gentleman can promise me the correspondence I have asked for. It does raise an intensely important question of international law, and if we could have the correspondence regarding that important question, that would entirely satisfy me.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI do not think there is any correspondence upon the point in which the hon. Member is chiefly interested. I think he has asked these Questions under a mistake, but I will give him a full Answer. The first Question relates to certain islands. He is under a mistake in thinking that the Pribyloff Islands belong to Russia. As a matter of fact they belong to the United States. One of His Majesty's ships is about to proceed, as usual, to the Commander Islands, to enforce, under the Seal Fishery Act, 1893, so far as British vessels are concerned, the provisions of the agreement with Russia. This agreement was laid before Parliament in 1893. His Majesty's ship, as in former years, will be furnished with a supply of coal at Petropavlovsk. No jurisdiction will be exercised by His Majesty's ship over Japanese vessels, but the Japanese Government have requested that any raid may be reported to them and they will themselves deal with such case. No breach of neutrality can take place, and there has been no occasion to consult the Law Officers of the Crown. The action of His Majesty's Government has been taken at the request of Russia and Japan.