When Mr. Foster was in London last July, he told the British officials
that he had just returned from St. Petersburg, having obtained the
consent of the Czar to send a representative to the meeting. England
consenting to join the conference soon after this, it was thought that
the consent of the two other countries had influenced her to come to a
like decision.
In the same month of July, our ambassador in England wrote to Lord
Salisbury, told him of the arrangements that had been made, and asked
whether Great Britain would surely be represented.
The Prime Minister kept this note unanswered until September, and then
said he could not possibly take part in any discussion to which Japan
and Russia were also to be admitted.
Every one wondered what this refusal could mean, and it caused a very
bad impression, as it came right after the publication by the Foreign
Office of a book in which the letters and despatches which had passed
between the two countries in the seal dispute had been printed.
This book contained some very unfriendly remarks about the United
States. Among other things it was said that we ought not to be making
such a fuss about the kind of sealing that is now being carried on,
because in 1832 we practised the same methods ourselves in the South
Atlantic Ocean.
This accusation is absolutely true, but Mr. Chamberlain, in his book,
did not add that bitter experience in the south had taught us our
lesson, and that it is because of the destruction we had worked to the
southern herd that we are so anxious to take better care of the
northern.
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