Great Britain claimed that she had a perfect right to fish in Bering Sea, and the United States insisted that she had bought all the rights to the fishing when she bought Alaska. After the quarrel had dragged on for five years, it was finally, in 1892, decided to arbitrate it. The Committee appointed for this purpose met in Paris, France, in 1893, and finally decided that Russia had never had any rights in the Bering Sea, beyond the usual rights which all countries have of controlling the seas for three miles out from their borders. Beyond the three-mile limit, the ocean becomes the "high seas," and is then open to anybody. It was decided that Russia could not sell the Bering Sea to the United States. The matter being thus decided, the question of caring for the seals was left as unsettled as ever, and it was most necessary that some arrangement should be made, unless the seals were to be totally destroyed. The decision at Paris made it necessary that Great Britain should be willing to agree to any plan that should be adopted. It was therefore shown to the Committee that the seal flocks were in danger of being destroyed, and a set of laws was made that proper care might be taken of the seals. England and the United States agreed to obey these laws, and it was decided that they should go into effect at once. As it was supposed that in course of time it might be wise to alter these laws, it was further agreed between England and the United States that they should be looked over every five years, and changed if it was necessary. The five years has still sixteen months to run, but the American Government has thought it advisable to ask that the two countries meet and talk the subject over once more, as the laws are not strong enough to protect the seals. The United States complains now that Canadian and British fishers are killing the seals in the same careless, ignorant way that they did before the Treaty of Paris, and that unless they are stopped there will be no seals in Alaska in a very few years. The Government says that the habits of the seals must be studied and understood, so that they may be protected, in order that all the fur necessary for market may be obtained, without interfering with the growth of the herds. Every year the seals arrive in flocks hundreds of thousands strong, and seek a sandy beach, or some nice sunny rocks, where they can spend the summer. In these places they establish rookeries, or villages, as they are sometimes called. The fathers of the families come first, arriving in April to seek out comfortable quarters. In June the mothers come to the island, take possession of the homes provided for them, and pretty soon each seal mother has a nice little seal pup to occupy her home with her.