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British Columbia Historical Books Collection
Fur seal arbitration
Bering Sea Tribunal of Arbitration
"United States no. 2 (1893). Behring Sea arbitration. Reports of the Behring Sea Commission, and report of British commissioners of June 21, 1892. With five maps and diagrams, and appendices. Presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty" -- First page. "([United States] 53d Cong., 2d sess. Senate. Ex. doc. 177, pts. 1-16)" -- Lowther, B. J., & Laing, M. (1968). A bibliography of British Columbia: Laying the foundations, 1849-1899. Victoria, BC: University of Victoria, p. 126.
333 pages : tables, maps (folded), graphs (1 folded) ; 24 cm
application/pdf
FUR SEAL ARBITRATION. PROCEEDINGS Tribunal of Arbitration, CONVENED AT PARIS TREATY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND GREAT BRITAIN CONCLUDED AT WASHINGTON FEBRUARY w, 1892, DETERMINATION OF QUESTIONS BETWEEN THE TWO GOVERNMENTS CONCERNING THE JURISDICTIONAL RIGHTS OF THE UNITED STATES WATERS OF BERING SEA. VOLUME VI. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTINO OFFICE. 1895. S3B4- S.6 TJISriTED STATES. ISTo. '2 (1893). , BEHEING 'SEA ARBITRATION. REPORT THE BEHRING SEA COMMISSION, REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS OF JUKE-21, 1892. WITH FIVE MAPS AND DIAGRAMS, AND APPENDICES. PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT BY COMMAND OP HER MAJESTY. MARCH, 1893. TABLE OF CONTENTS. (B.) Specific scheme o (C.) Methods of givin 244-2' (C) ? 277-283 (D.) Anni fe 284-291 (E.) Ages 292-294 (IP.) Eequ 298-302 (H.) Age I §'808-818 (I.) Dista I 317-325 (J.) Hahi 32-34 38-42 4 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. graph Page. 396-446 474-525 1 ESSSiSi^s^s]« MAPS AND DIAGRAMS. I. Track Chart of Routes followed by tbe British. Bel July to 8th October. 1891. II. Sketch Map, illustrating Resorts and Migration Ro Pacific. III. Sketch Map, showing approximately the Area fre IV. Sketch Map,eshowSing0approxiinately the Areffrf V. Diagrams illustrating Number of Fur-Seals Killed L APPENDICES. ppendix(A). List of Persons and Authorities supplying evidence 151-153 (B). Circular to and replies from Colonial and Foreign Governments 154-169 (C). Various letters and communications relating to the Fur-Seals of tho British Columbian and neighbouring coasts 170-178 (D). Miscellaneous correspondence and Memoranda 179-192 (E)., Seal Preservation Regulations and Ordinances 193-203 (F). Particulars of Pelagic Catch of British and United States Sealing-vessels, 1871-91 204-212 (G). Miscellaneous Tables 213-218 (H). Affidavits relating to Pelagic Sealing 219-241 BEHRING SEA COMMISSION. INSTRUCTIONS TO BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. No. 1. The Marquis of Salisbury to Sir G. Baden-Powell and Dr. Dawson. Foreign Office, June 24,1891. Gentlemen: The Queen having been graciously pleased to appoint you to be her Commissioners for the purpose of inquiring into the conditions of seal life in Behring Sea and other parts of the North Pacific Ocean, I transmit to you herewith Her Majesty's Commission under the Sign Marfual to that effect. _ The main object of your inquiry will be to ascertain, "What international arrangements, if any, are necessary between Great Britain and the United States, and Bussia or any other Power, for the purpose of preserving the fur-seal race in Behring Sea from extermination?" Her Majesty's Government have proposed to the United States that the investigation should be conducted by a Commission to consist of four experts, of whom two shall be nominated by each Government, and a Chairman, who shall be nominated by Arbitrators. If the Government of the United States agree to this proposal, you will be the Delegate's who will represent Great Britain in the Commission. But, in the meanwhile, it is desirable that you should at once commence your examination of the question, and that for that purpose you should proceed as soon as you conveniently can to Vancouver, from. whence the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have been requested to provide for your conveyance to the various sealing grounds and other places which it may be expedient for you to visit. Application has been made to the United States Government for permission for you to visit the seal islands under their jurisdiction, and a similar request will be addressed to the Bussian Government in the event of your finding it necessary to visit the Commander Islands and other Bussian sealing grounds. Your attention should be particularly devoted to ascertaining— 1. The actual facts as regards the alleged serious diminution of seal life on thePribyloff Islands, the date at which such diminution began, the rate of its progress, and any previous instance of a similar occurrence. 2. The causes of such diminution; whether, and to what extent, it is attributable— (a.) To a migration of the seals to other rookeries. (b.) To the .method of killing pursued on the islands themselves. 8 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. H To tlie increase of sealing upon the high seas, and the manner in which it is pursued. _ . • I need scarcely remind you that your investigation snould be carried on with strict impartiality, that you should neglect no sources of information which may be likely to assist you in arriving at a sound conclusion, and that great care should be taken to sift the evidence that is brought before you. . It is equally to the interest of all the Governments concerned m the sealing industry that it should be protected from all serious risk of extinction in consequenceof the useof wasteful and injudicious methods. You will be provided with all the documentary evidenee in the possession of this Department which is likely to be of assistance to you in the prosecution of your inquiry. Mr. A. Froude has been appointed to be your Secretary, and wdl accompany you on your tour, vi Separate despatches will be addressed to you with regard to the expenses of your mission, aud the form in which your correspondence with this Office should be conducted. I am, &c. (Signed) Salisbury. • Commission passed under the Boyal Sign Manual and Signet, appointing Sir George Smyth Baden-Powell, K. C. M. G., M. P., and George Mercer Dawson, LL. D., F. B. S., to preventing the extermination of the Fur-seal Species in Behring Sea and other parts of the North Pacific Ocean. o of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and ■ of the Faith, Empress of India, &c, to all and singular Whereas, we have deemed it expedient that Commissioners should be appointed for the purpose of inquiry into the conditions of seal life and the precautions necessary for preventing the extermination of the fur-seal species in Behring Sea and other parts of the North Pacific Ocean: Now, know ye, that wo, reposing especial trust and confidence in the diligence, skill, and integrity of our trusty and well-beloved. Sir George Smyth Baden-Powell, Knight Commander of Our Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, Member of Parliament; and of our trusty and well-beloved Professor George Mercer Dawson, Assistant Director and Geologist of tho Canadian Geological and Natural History Survey, have nominated, constituted, and appointed, and do by these presents nominate, constitute, and appoint them our Commissioners to undertake the inquiry aforesaid: And we do hereby give to our said Commissioners full power and authority to do and perform all acts, matters, and things which may be necessary and proper for duly carrying into effect the object of this our Commission. In witness whereof we have signed these presents with our Royal hand. Given at our Court at Windsor Castle, the 22nd day of June, in the year of our Lord 1891, and in the fifty-fifth year of our reign. By Her Majesty's command, No. 2. The Marquis of Salisbury to the Behring Sea Commissioners. Foreign Office, January 15,1892. Gentlemen: I have to inform you that Her Majesty's Minister at Washington has sent home the text of seven Articles, signed by himself and Mr. Blaine on the 18th ultimo, which are to be embodied in a formal REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 9 Agreement between Her Majesty's Government and that of the United States for referring to Arbitrators certain questions at issue between the two Governments in regard to the jurisdiction claimed by the latter over the waters of Behring Sea in connection with the fur-seal fisheries therein. Sir J. Pauncefote has also forwarded the text of an Agreement signed on the same day for the appointment of two Commissioners by Her Majesty's Government and that of the United States respectively, to investigate, conjointly with the Commissioners of the other Government, all the facts relating to seal life in Behring Sea, and the necessary measures for its proper protection aud preservation. A copy of Sir J. Pauncefote's despatch, inclosing both 'these documents, is forwarded herewith for your information. I now transmit the Queen's Commission under the Sign Manual appointing you to be Her Majesty's Commissioners in accordance with the provisions of the Joint Commission Agreement, and I request that you will proceed to Washington as soon as you can conveniently do so, in order to draw up the Beport indicated in the second paragraph of the agreement, vii The information which has been obtained by your American colleagues and yourselves during your recent visit to Behring Sea will supply you with material for the preparation of your Beport. There are, however, a few points to which Her Majesty's Government consider it desirable that your special attention should be directed. You will observe that it is intended that the Beport of the Joint Commissioners shall embrace recommendations as to all measures that should be adopted for the preservation of seal life. For this purpose, it will be necessary to consider what regulations may seem advisable, whether within the jurisdictional limits of the United States and Canada, or outside those limits. The Eegulations which the Commissioners may recommend for adoption within the respective jurisdictions of the two countries will, of course, be matter for the consideration of the respective Governments, while the regulations affecting waters outside the territorial limits will have to be considered under clause G of the Arbitration Agreement in the event of a decision being given by the Arbitrators against the claim of exclusive jurisdiction put forward on behalf of the United States. The Beport is to be presented in the first instance to the two Governments for their consideration, and is subsequently to be laid by those Governments before the Arbitrators to assist them in determining the 'more restricted question as to what, if any, Eegulations are essential for the protection of the fur-bearing seals outside the territorial jurisdiction of th e two countries. In the event any points arising on which the Commissioners are unable to arrive.at an understanding, they should report jointly or severally to each Government on such points. In conclusion, I have to state that Her Majesty's Government place every reliance on your tact and discretion in the conduct of your investigations with your American colleagues, who will, no doubt, be equally desirous with yourselves of arriving at a common agreement on the questions to be discussed. I am, &c. (Signed) Salisbury. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Commission passed under the Bo^ al Sign Manual and S Baden-Powell, K. C. M. G., M. P., and Professor ■ Director and Geologist of the Her Majesty's Commissioners u Great Britain and the United states of the 18th Decern Victoria, by the Grace of Gc d, of the United Kin land, Queen, Defender of theFf ith, Empress of India lar to whom these presents sha 11 come, greeting! fo^hfpulp^se of inquiring ir toThe conditions oiW between Great Britain and the Knight Commander of our mo t distinguished Order And we do hereby j and perform all acts, carrying into effect t' Given at our Court and in the 55th year > By Her Majesty's c BEHRING SEA COMMISSION. JOINT REPORT. The Behring Sea Commissioners to the Marquis of Salisbury.—(Received March 19.) Washington, March 4,1892. My Lord : We have the honour to transmit herewith a Beport signed this day by the Commissioners of Great Britain and the United States appointed to investigate the condition of seal life in the North Pacific Ocean. Under the instructions contained in your Lordship's despatches of the 24th June, 1891, and of the 15th January last, and in accordance with the terms of the Agreement arranged between the two Governments, the requisite investigations have been carried out; the Joint Eeport, as now submitted, has been agreed to; and we are at present engaged in drawing up our "several" Eeports dealing with those facts of seal life, and measures necessary for its proper protection and preservation, on which no agreement was come to in the Joint Eeport. We have, &c. (Signed) George Baden-Powell. George M. Dawson. BEHRING SEA COMMISSION JOINT REPORT. ment having been entered into between the Governments of Great Britai-.v ited States to the effect that— Jovernment shall appoint two Commissioners to investigate, conjointly ommissioners of the other Government, all the facts having relation to Behring Sea, and the measures necessary for its proper protection and ir Commissioners shall, so far as they may be able to agree, make a Joint lacb. of the two Governments; and they shall also report, either jointly or » each Government on any points upon which they may be unable to teports shall not be made public until they shall be submitted to the Arbi- :t shall appear that the contingency of their being used by the Arbitrators And we in accordance with the above Agreement, having been duly c by our respective Governments, and having communicated to each other our respectiv powers, found in good and due form, have agreed tO~the following Report: r 12 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSION 1. The joint investigation has been carried out by ns, an sources of information available. 2. The several breeding-places on the Pribyloff Islands, ha the general management and methods for taking the seals upe investigated. REPORT OP THE BRITISH BEHRING SEA COMMISSIONERS. The Behring Sea Commissioners to the Marquis of Salisbury.—(Received August 14.) Foreign Office, August 13,1892. My Lord : With reference to our despatch of the 4th March, 1892, inclosing the Joint Eeport of the Joint Commission, we now have the honour to submit, as the "several" Eeport contemplated in that despatch, the Eeport which we have had the honour to make to Her Majesty the Queen under the Commission appointing us to investigate seal life in Behring Sea. We have, <&c. (Signed) George Baden-Powell. George M. Dawson. REPORT. To the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty. May it please Your Majesty, We, your Majesty's Commissioners, appointed to undertake an inquiry into the conditions of seal life and the precautions necessary for preventing the extermination of the fur-seal species in Behring Sea and other parts of the North Pacific Ocean, beg to submit the following Report. 2. The main object of our inquiry was to ascertain what iuternational arrangements, if any, were necessary between Great Britain and the United States and Russia, or any other Power, for tbe purpose of preserving the fur-seal race from- 3. We were further instructed that Her Majesty had proposed to the President of the United States that the investigation should be conducted by a Joint Commission of the two nations, and that, on the conclusion of an Agreement providing for this, we were to be the Delegates who would represent Great Britain on the Commission. 4. It was also understood that the investigations and conclusions of this Joint Commission would be ultimately laid before the Arbitrators, who were to adjudicate on the international rights involved, and on the establishment of Regulations for the proper protection and preservation of the fur-seal in or habitually resorting to the Behring Sea. 5. Wherefore, in carrying out the terms of our Commission, it has been our object to acquire and record the most complete information available, in order to promote, in the true interests of all concerned, an equitable, impartial, and mutually satis- 6. The necessary means ot transport over the North Pacific Ocean was provided for us by the Lord Commissioners of the Admiralty, and the requisite permission to visit and examine the seal rookeries situated in American or Russian territory was obtained at our request from the respective Governments. 14 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 7. We formed complete plans for visiting such places situated in, and such areas of the North Pacific Ocean, and holding personal interviews with such persons as 4 should satisfy us that we had neglected no source of information which might be likely to assist us in arriving at sound conclusions. 8. Care was taken before commencing our local investigations to complete our personal knowledge of all documentary evidence to which we could procure access, including the previous ofiicial correspondence, and a mass of public and private publications, descriptions, records, and opinions. - 9. Requests for information were also addressed to several countries outside tuie probable scope of our personal inquiries, from which collateral information ot importance could be derived. With the aid of the Canadian and Imperial Governments a series of questions were sent to the various Governments who now hold the chief resorts of the fur-seal in the Southern Hemisphere, namely, the Argentine, Uruguayan, Chilean, and Brazilian Republics, and the Colonies of the Falkland Islands, the Cape of Good Hope, Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria, and New Zealand. T> . 10. Inquiries were also made for information in regard to the iNorth Pacific seal fisheries to the Governments of Russia and Japan, to Her Britannic Majesty's Consuls at Shanghae, Canton, Honolulu, and San Francisco, and to the Canadian Indian . Agents along the coast of British Columbia. 11. In regard to personal work, a brief account of oi the plan of action adopted, and we append a Chart of o the 9th July we consulted with the Canadian Ministers in Ottawa; we then crossed the continent by train, and at Vancouver and Victoria held prearranged interviews with those who were engaged in the practical work of sealing, and with the Commander-in-chief of the Pacific Station and the port authorities. So soon as the chartered steamer "Danube" could be got ready for .sea, we left on a direct course for the port of Iliuliuk, in Unalaska Island. 12. The "Danube" made tffe passage of about 1,400 miles in seven and a-half days. After consulting at Unalaska-With the Senior Naval Officer, Commander Turner, of Her Majesty's ship "Nymphe," we made the best of onr way to the Pribyloff Islands, where we spent several days carrying out our first inspection of the seal rookeries in company with Professor Mendenhall and Dr. Merriam, the Commissioners-designate of the United States, every hospitality and courtesy being afforded by the officials both of the Government and of the lessees of the islands. 13. At this date the rookeries were still at their fullest, and the organization had not yet broken up. After careful inquiry into the various questions connected with the habits and treatment of the seals on these islands, we started on the 6th August on a cruize of 1,450 miles to the eastward and northward in company with her Majesty's ship "Pheasant," to satisfy ourselves as to the limits of the range of the fur- seal in those parts of Behring Sea. We visited the native and-other Settlements on Nunivak Island, Cape Vancouver, St. Matthew Island, St. Lawrence Island, and Plover Bay in Eastern Siberia, near the entrance of Behring Straits, returning thence for a second inspection of the Pribyloff rookeries and to note the difference in their appearance after a fortnight's interval. 14. Thence we proceeded to Iliuliuk Harbour,Unalaska, to communicate by appointment with the Commanding Officers of the English and United States war-ships as to future movements. Leaving that port on the 24th August for the westward we cruized along the Aleutian chain, calling at the Islands of Atka and Attu, on which are the only remaining native Settlements in the western part of the Aleutian chain. 15. We then crossed to the Commander Islands, and there received from the Russian authorities every facility and courtesy in our task of learning all we could concerning seal life on those islands. Thence we proceeded down the coast of Kamschatka to Petropaulouski, where again the Russian authorities gave us every information. On this cruize Her Majesty's ship "Porpoise," sailing in company,'proved of the greatest assistance. „ -.?• nL®aYinS Petropaulouski on the 10th September our course was shaped for the Fribyloff Islands, so as to strike them from a westerly direction, and continue across that portion of Behring Sea our observations of seals seen at sea. A third and final examination of the Pribyloff rookeries was then made after a further interval of twenty-six days, and Unalaska was again reached on the 17th September. J,oCeavlIlg B.ehnng Sea ou the 20th September, we visited Kadiak Island, Sitka, and. tehakan, making inquiries of both the native and White residents as to the fur- seal fishery m this distant territory of the United States. Continuing our cruize of investigation, we called at the following places on the coast of British Columbia, viz., Port Simpson, Metla-kat a, Port Essington, Masset (Queen Charlotte Islands), Bella-Bella, Nawitti, Clayoquot Sound, and Barclay Sound, where, by per- 5 sonal inquiries, we were enabled to amplify the written statements which, in compliance with our previous request, had been forwarded to us by the Indian Ka *SJh! T?" ,lan S*™*™^ at Neah Bay, on the United States shore ot tbe straits of 1-uca, was also visited, where we likewise obtained valuable infor- REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 18. The facts thus obtai ned afford both past and pres.-nt, a s it affec Columbia. 19. We completed our lo Vancouver, and Seattle, i eluding our task by obtaii ling auth the fur-seal fishery on the facts of s ;gations by obtaining from the sealers in Victoria, dence as to their opinions and wishes, thus con- ritatively the views of all persons connected with al life and on the protective measures they would 20. The cruize in the North Pacific occupied nearly three months, and the log shows a distance covered of more than 9,000 miles. 21. -We were thus enabled to examine for ourselves all the principal seal rookeries, and especially to inspect the typical rookeries on the Pribyloff Islands at three different seasons, at the widest intervals of time possible within the period at our command: to learn, by personal inquiry, knowledge of the limits eastward, northward, and westward of the present habitat of the fur-seal, and to satisfy ourselves as to the peculiar features of the localities which the fur-seal did or did not select as shore resorts. 22. In regard to the important point of the facts and reasons of the presence of the fur-seal in particular portions of the ocean at particular seasons of the year, a point on which we could find little or no previous descriptions or recorded observations, records were collated from schooners engaged iu sealing, and for 1891 we formulated a plan of seal logs and seal track-charts based on recorded observations of seals seen at sea, which has been very efficiently carried out on the British men-of-war "Nymphe," " Porpoise," and "Pheasant," and on our own chartered steamer, the "Danube,"—similar work having also been carried on by the United States men-of- war and revenue-cutters employe/l in Behring Sea during the same season. For this purpose also special inquiries were made as to the kinds of fish constituting the ifavourite food of the fur-seal. Photographs were also taken by us of the seals, their [breeding places, and surroundings. 23. It may be observed further, that in obtaining evidence from persons of experience or knowledge of tbe subject, we adopted, in general, the informal plan of free interviews and independent conversation. In this way we acquired very distinct and trustworthy knowledge of their opinions and experiences. 24. The witnesses who thus gave evidence included officials of the Governments and the Companies, and ex-officials now otherwise employed, owners, captains and hnnters engaged in pelagic sealing; natives, chiefly Aluet and Russian half-breeds, engaged in killing and skinning seals on the Pribyloff Islands; natives, such as Indians, Innuits, and Aluets, who habitually hunt and kill fur-seals, and merchants and others connected with the trade in furs. 25. In the following statement of the results of our investigations, we propose, first of all, to present in summary, in Part I, a general view of the conclusions at I which we have arrived as to the condition of seal life in the North Pacific Ocean, and as to the measures necessary for the preservation of the fur-seal industry. We would then, in Part II, deal in a more systematic manner and in detail with the various divisions of the subject, and subsequently give, as Appendices, such correspondence and statistics as may be needed to complete our account of the subject Part I. SUMMARY OP FACTS AND CONCLUSIONS. ^•The Former, Present, and Prospective Condition of the Fur-seal Fishery in the North Pacific Ocean. (A.)—General Conditions of Seal Life. >« 26. The fur-seal of the North Pacific Ocean is an animal in its nature essentially pelagic, which, during the greater part of each year, has no occasion to seek the land, and very rarely does so. For some portion of the year, however, it naturally resorts to certain littoral breeding places, where the young are brought forth and suckled on land. It is gregarious in habit, and, though seldom found in defined schools or compact bodies at sea, congregates in large numbers at the breedin g places. Throughout the breeding season, the adults of both sexes—if not entirely, at least, for very considerable periods—abstain from food, but during th'e remainder of the year the seals are notably influenced in their movements by those of the food-fishes upon which they subsist. 27. Such movements are, however, subordinate to a more general one of migration, in conformity with which the fur- seals of the North Pacific travel northward to the breeding islands in the spring and return to the southward in the autumn, following two main lines, one of which approximates to the western coast of North America, while the other skirts the Asiatic coast. Those animals which pursue the first-mentioned migration-route, for the most part breed upon the Pribyloff Islands in summer, and spend the winter in that part of the ocean adjacent to, or lying off, the coast of British Columbia. Those following the second route breed, in the main, on the Commander Islands, and. winter off the coasts of Japan. The comparative proximity of the breeding islands frequented by the seals pertaining to these two migration-tracts during the summer insures a certain interrelation and. interchange of seals between the two groups, to an extent not fully known, and which doubtless varies much in different years. | 28. The fur-seal of the North Pacific may thus be said, in 1_ each case, to have two habitats or homes between which it REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. migrates, both equally necessary to its existence under present circumstances, the one frequented in summer, the other during the winter. If it were possible to confine the fur- seal to the vicinity of the northern islands resorted to during the breeding season, or even within the limits of Behring Sea, the species would become extinct in a single year; but if, in any way, it were to be debarred from reaching the islands now chiefly resorted to for breeding purposes, it would, ^ according to experience recorded elsewhere, speedily seek out other places upon which to give birth to its young. 29. The fur-seal of the Southern Hemisphere, while recognized as distinct in kind, resembles that of the North Pacific in its habitual resort to littoral breeding places and in other respects, but is not known to migrate regularly over such great tracts of sea, or to have definitely separable summer and winter habitats. 30. With reference to the length of the period during which the ftuSseals resort to the shore:—The breeding Eron males begin to arrive on the Pribyloff Islands at varying deeding dates in May, and remain continuously ashore for about three inonths, after which they are freed from all duties on the breeding rookeries, and only occasionally return to the shores. The breeding females arrive for the most part nearly a month later, bearing their young immediately on landing, and remaining ashore, jealously guarded by the males, for several weeks, after which they take every opportunity to play in the water close along the beaches, and about a month later they also begin to leave the islands in search of food, and migrate to their winter habitat. The young males and the young females come ashore later than the breeding seals, and at more irregular dates, and "haul out" by themselves. Lastly, the pups of the year, born in June and July, commence to "port," or herd together away from their mothers, towards the middle or end of August, and after that frequent the beaches in great numbers, and bathe and swim in the surf. They remain on the islands -until October, and even November, being among the last. to leave. 31. While resorting to or remaining on the land, the fur- seal is practically defenceless, and it is, therefore, on uninhabited islands or rocks that large numbers of seals are known to congregate during the breeding season. SuchplaJ;aee places alone have afforded the necessary security from various predaceous animals and from man, and all the noted seal "rookeries" of both hemispheres have been 7 found on unpeopled insular areas. The latitude and corresponding climate of such breeding places has doubtless been a circumstance of some importance, in rendering certain localities congenial to the fur-seal, but even the single species inhabiting the North Pacific shows a considerable range of adaptability in this respect, provided that thenecessary security against disturbance and destruction be afforded for adults and young. 32. Until -the discovery by the Bussians of the Commander Islands in 1741, and the Pribyloff Islands in 1786, B S, PT vi 2 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. these were doubtless, in the average of years, fully peopled with seals up to the limits imposed by natural conditions, ii. such as food supply, areas available for breeding grounds, '& and the counteracting effects of destructive agencies at that time affecting seal life. Among the latter, particular mention may be made of predaceous marine animals such as the killer whale and shark, and to hunting carried on in the southern portion of the migration-range of the seal by various native tribes. These agencies were almost continuous in their operation, but, in addition, certain occasional causes of destruction of seals must not be lost sight of. Among these are, inclement seasons in which the breeding islands, or some of them, remained so long ice-bound that the females were unable to land in time to give birth to their young; autumn storms, fatal to young seals, and also the recurrent inroads of murrains or diseases of various kinds. Of the two first of these last-mentioned causes, instances which have resulted in great damage to seal life have been recorded on the Pribyloff Islands. In regard to the third, though elsewhere observed, there is a remarkable absence of notice in the records of these islands. :a- 33. The separate or concurrent effects of such causes, s' even before the era of the seal hunter, must have produced great fluctuations in the total volume of seal life in certain years or terms of years. There are of course no data available in actual proof of this, but that such must have occurred is sufficiently obvious from analogy with the known facts relating to other animals, and particularly those of a similar gregarious habit. ce 34. In all parts of the world the discovery of the breed- "• ing islands of the fur-seal has usually been followed by unrestricted slaughter upon these breeding places, and this has invariably resulted in general depletion, often approaching extermination, but in no known case within historical times, has it actually resulted in complete extirpation. (B.)—Killing on the Breeding Islands. ii- 35. The discovery of the breeding islands in the North Pacific, and the slaughter of seals upon them by man, introduced a more important factor in regard to their seal life, the general effect of which, under what regulations soever, tended inevitably towards a reduction in the aggregate number of seals frequenting the islands. In other words, the initiation of commercial killing on the breeding islands interfered with the previously established balance of nature. It formed a heavy new draft upon seal life, while no compensating relief was afforded against the active depredations of other enemies or against other natural occurrences which had heretofore set limits to the increase of the seals. Their former places o f secure retreat were invaded by. man, while, during the greater part of each year, they remained exposed on the open ocean as before to innumerable accidents, and entirely beyond the control or possible protection of those in charge of the breeding islands. The inroads of the seal killers on the REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 19 islands might be modified in kind or in degree, but their general tendency could not be reversed. 36. The Pribyloff and Commander Islands of the North Regulations on Pacific have, however, continued to be the resorts of large Ceding islands. numbers of fur-seals for more than 100 years subsequent to their discovery and occupation by the Bussians. Almost from the first, regulations restricting the slaughter of seals ou land were instituted and carried out by the Bussian authorities, and similar measures have been continued in the case of the Pribyloff Islands by the Government of the United States. Though continuous, or nearly so, in their general operation, such regulations have varied much in their nature, and even more with regard to the degree of efficiency with which they have been enforced, and in the latter respects they have at no time been entirely satisfactory for the purposes intended. 37. During the early years of the Bussian control, the improvements conditions of seal life were very imperfectly understood,inregulations' and but little regard was paid to the subject. A rapid diminution in the number of seals frequenting the islands, however, eventually claimed attention, and improvements of various kinds followed. Among the first of the more stringent measures adopted was the restriction of killing to males, which followed from the discovery that a much larger number of males were born than were actually 8 required for service on the breeding "rookeries." The killing of females was practically forbidden on the Pribyloff Islands about 1847, and on the Commander Islands probably about the same date. 38. The obvious fact was also recognized that the killing for food alone of large numbers of young seals or "pups," when their skins came to possess no commercial value, was ' a useless waste of seal life. On the Commander Islands this practice ceased after the year 1874. It was strongly protested against as early as 1875 on the Pribyloff Islands, but was not actually forbidden there until the year 1891. 39. The number of seals annually killed on the Pribyloff Numbers kin- Islands during the earlier years of the Bussian regime is ie0dff0i8iand's>riby" not accurately known, though fairly exact statistics are extant from the year 1817. Sufficient is known, however, to show that the number killed in various years before this date differed widely, and was in some years excessive. The whole numbers of seals killed in eertain terms of years has been recorded with approximate accuracy. A study of the figures thus available indicates that the average annual killing during the twenty-one years, 1787 to 1806, both inclusive, was about 50,000; during the nine years, from 1807 to 1816, it was approximately, 47,500; and during the years from 1817 to 1866 was 25,000. Combining the whole period covered by the figures above quoted, and adding the year in which the islands were discovered, we find that the killing on the Pribyloff Islands averaged for this term of eighty-one years about 34,000 annually. The exact figures, in so far as these can be obtained, are given in a tabular form (§771). REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. " 40. The excessive killing of seals in certain years of the 1 Bussian period of control, together with the nearly promiscuous slaughter (for the first part of this period) of seals of both sexes and all ages, doubtless had much to do with the alarming decrease in seal life which occurred more than once during this period. It is to be noted, however, in this connection, that as both males and females continue to be productive as breeders for a number of years, the effect of excessive killing of any particular class of seals, such as young males or young females, for two or three consecutive years, could only produce its full effect on the breeding " rookeries " after the lapse of four or five years. It is thus instructive to observe that even to maintain the comparatively low average number killed during the Bussian period, it was found absolutely necessary on several occasions to institute periods of rest or " zapooska," in which all killing of seals was-prohibited for some years. I 41. It is also noteworthy, that for many years previous s"to the close of the Busssian control (probably from about 1842) under a more enlightened system of management than that of the earlier years, the number of seals resorting to the islands was slowly increasing, and that the average number taken annually was gradually raised during these years from a very low figure to about 30,000,-without apparently reversing this steady improvement in the numbers resorting to the islands. 42. In 1867, the last year of the Bussian tenure, a sudden and great increase in the take of seal-skins was allowed to occur, and the number arose abruptly in this year to about 75,000. 38 43. In the next year, being the first in which the Pribyloff Islands passed into the control of the United States, an almost promiscuous slaughter occurred, in which it is estimated that over 242,000 seals were killed. In 1869 about 87,000 seals in all were killed, making an average number for each of the three years, 1867 to 1869, of over 130,000, and including large numbers of females. 44. The effect of the irregular and excessive killing on the breeding islands in these three years (long before pelagic sealing had grown to be of any importance) became ^apparent in two principal ways: (1) the number of seals "diminished on the breeding islands to an extent much greater than could be accounted for by the actual number slaughtered, and.at about the same date the seals were seen in unprecedented abundance off the British Columbian coast to the southward (facts clearly shown in the diagrams and by figures elsewhere given for the catch); (2) the number of young produced in the three following years was much less than before, and this, in conjunction with the extraordinarily high limit of 100,000 allowed by law to be taken each year, commencing in 1871, speedily brought about a very marked decrease in males of killable age. Thus, in 1875, notwithstanding the generally optimistic tone maintained in official reports, we find a first significant note of warning, and economy of seal life is inculcated. In the same year the number of skins obtained was consider- REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. aoly reduced in face of a steady market, and before the decline in prices of the two succeeding years, which decline, no doubt, accounts in part for the still smaller number of . skins taken in these two years. 9 45. It is particularly important to note the effects of the excessive killing, of the years 1867-68-69, which, combined with those ensuing from the slaughter of male seals of particular ages in various years to 1876, can be closely followed, chiefly by means of Captain Bryant's intelligent notes on this period, which are elsewhere summarized (§ 810 et seq.). 46. It is clearly apparent, and is borne out by the expe- . rience of later years, that any severe disturbance of thetu natural conditions on the breeding islands is at once reflected iu changes of habits of the seals and in the irregularities and overlapping of dates in the annual cycle of seal life. Such changes are not prevented by the restriction of killing to males, for an excess in number of males is a part ot* the natural conditions; and any change in the proportion of males, eve,n if not pushed so far as to become in itself a cause of decrease in numbers born, constitutes a true cause of change in habits, and has a very special effect on the time and place of landing of the females (§ 396 et seq.). An excess in number of males, with the consequent competition for females, must, in all probability, further be regarded as a provision for maintaining the strength of the race as a whole by means of natural selection, and in the case of the fur-seal it is not possible to substitute for such provision the artificial selection of breeding males, as is done with animals under the control of man. 47. In 1870 the Pribyloff Islands were leased by the United States to the Alaska Commercial Company, and the at number of seals to be killed for skins was fixed empirically at 100,000 annually. This number was admitted at the time by the best authorities to be experimental (§§ 810,815), and it was provided by Congress that the Secretary of the Treasury might reduce the number allowed for killing if mattered, 48. As e ing. for si 49. Th< ) limit thus food at s( chantabh on the it actually y, aud, as a lands in ea exceeded 1 while'tw< first year ) are consid , the numb axed did not include seals killed for ,ges at which the skins were not mer-6: esult, the total recorded take of seals :h full year of the lease but three, (0,000. Of these three exceptional 100,000 by a very small amouut only, rably below it. Thus, excluding the r known to have been killed in each REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. of the nineteen succeeding years of the lease averages 103,147. The official figures for the entire twenty years of the lease further show that, during this term, 129,530 seals, including about 93,000 unweaned young, or "pups," were killed for food or otherwise, of which the skins were not marketable; this waste alone being more than 7 per cent, of the whole number killed. 50. These totals, however, do not include seals lost or destroyed in various ways incidental to the modes practised in driving and killing (§ 704 et seq.), nor those taken or killed in raids (§ 727 et seq.), or other illegal ways consequent on the imperfect protection of the islands. These together would raise the figures representing the annual killing by a very material though unknown amount. Lieutenant Maynard, in his report' written in 1874, estimates the total number of seals killed each year about that date at 112,000. According to Bryant ("Monograph of North American Pinnepeds," p. 410), the total number of seals actually killed upon the islands during the first six years of the United States control amounted to 110,000 annually. 51. The killing since 1867 of so large a numoer of seals on the Pribyloff Islands thus constituted a draft ou their seal life of a character never before attempted, and more than twice as great as any similar demand of which comparable records have been preserved; the annual average, as above stated, for the previous eighty years, having been about 34,000. 52. The various reports on the condition of the seals resorting to the Pribyloff Islands in different years, and other published information bearing on the same subject, are often contradictory, and sometimes so manifestly inaccurate, particularly in respect to the crucial point of the jfford number of seals, that it is difficult from these alone to form ory any satisfactory or coherent idea of the actual state of seal life during much of this period. These discrepancies in part arise from the frequent changes which occurred in the personnel of the Government Agents and Company's officers, in consequence of which no single method of ascertaining the condition of the "rookeries," or of estimating the number of seals frequenting the islands, was long maintained : in part from the appearance in several cases of the same individual, now in the capacity of an employ6 10 of the Company, and again as a supervising officer of the Government. There are also, unfortunately, certain groups of years during which no serious attempt appears to have been made to record the true condition of the breeding islands. This is particularly the case in years between 1880 and 1889. =e of 53. The killing on the islands was, however, by law confined to male seals, and it is, rather from the collateral evidence afforded by allusions to the proportion of virile males to females, together with other incidental references, the meaning of which becomes clear when coupled with local knowledge, than from many of the direct statements published, that a true idea of the actual condition of seal life on the islands during these years can be formed. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 54. The proper proportion in number of virile males to Proportio adult females is a matter of importance, and in estimates,malea t0 fem made while the rookeries of the Pribyloff Islands were still in excellent condition, there is a satisfactory measure of agreement on this point. Bryant placed this proportion at one male to nine to twelve females, while Elliott states the mean number of females in a harem in 1872-74 at from five to twenty ("Monograph of North American Pinnepeds," p. 390; United States Census Beport, p. 36). M. Grebnitzky, Superintendent of the Commander Islands, and a naturalist of pre-eminent experience in the facts of seal life, informed us that when the proportion of females exceeded ten to each mature male, he considered that too many males were being killed, and that each harem should in no case contain more than twenty females. When, therefore,#wc find the harems in the Pribyloff Islands growing yearly larger, till at the present time they surpass the proportions above mentioned from four to eight times, it is reasonable to conclude that in this change the effect of an excessive slaughter of young males is rendered apparent. 55. Our own and all other local observations on the rookeries during the last few years prove that it is no uncommon event to find a single male seal with a harem numbering from forty to fifty, and even as many as sixty to eighty, females. 56. Further evidence with the same meaning is afforded ^W by the increasing number of barren females; by the dis- ° in °™at turbance and change in the habits of the seals; by the actual dearth of "killable" seals in the vicinity of the nearer rookeries, and the extension of driving (as early as 1879 or 1880) to places which had previously been held in reserve and which had seldom or never been drawn upon in earlier years; by the driving of "killables" from the very margins of the •breeding rookeries, which should have remained undisturbed ; by the longer time during which the killing required to be continued in later years in order to enable the full quota to be obtained, and by the larger number of undersized and otherwise ineligible animals, including females, ruthlessly driven up in recent years and turned^away from the killing grounds in an exhausted and bewildered if not actually injured state. The proportion thus turned away, according to the report of the Special Treasury Agent in 1890, actually rose to 90 per cent, of the whole number driven. 57. A critical investigation of the published matter, ti^c(^r, • together with the evidence personally obtained from many sources and an examination of the local details of the rookeries and hauling grounds on the Pribyloff Islands, leads us to believe that there has been a nearly continuous deterioration in the condition of the rookeries and decrease in the number of seals frequenting the islands from the time at which these passed under the control of the United States,- and that although this decrease may possibly have been interrupted, or even reversed, in some specially favourable years, it was nevertheless real, and in the main persistent. 24 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Number fixed 58. There can be no doubt that the number fixed by law forMiiing tooftnd maintaine(i for commercial killing on the breeding islands has been much too great, and that the resulting slaughter of more than 103,000 male seals in each year has been more than the total volume of seal life could fairly stand. The sparing of females in a degree prevented, for the time being, the actual depletion of seals on the islands, and this, with the fact that the killing of immature males does not immediately produce its effect on the « rookeries," caused the apparent decrease to be at first gradual. As, however, this effect was of a cumulative character, it could not very long escape observation, and it was observed by the natives, as we personally ascertained from them, to be distinct and serious at least as early as 1882 or 1883, while Colonel Murray, thS Government Agent, and Mr. Elliott, the Special Treasury Agent, in their several reports to the Treasury, trace the beginning of the notable diminution back as far as 1879 or 1880. Other evidence of a circumstantial rather than a direct character, elsewhere detailed, enables the earlier effects of the general decrease to be followed still further back (§ 674 et seq.). Not adaptable. 59. It is particularly necessary to note that the adoption of a high fixed number to be killed each year, practically prevented such a system of adaptable control, based 11 on the enable i the rved fac alts toh ih year, as ave been c would have btained aud duep effects dition purely s affect r artific al, a cable sea jal life, nd one n The sysf ot suited to the nat unteract the I was in fact ural reciuire- ments of the case. (C.)—Sealing at Sea. pelagic sealing 60. From the circumstances above noted, the maintenance se^iriiferdraftou of seal life in the North Pacific was threatened and reduced to a critical state in consequence of the methods adopted on the.breeding islands, where the seals were drasvn upon annually to, aud even beyond, the utmost limits possible apart from depletion, and where, in consequence of the enlarged season of commercial killing and the allowance of " food killing" during the entire time in which any seals resorted to the islands, these animals had practically no undisturbed season of respite. At this time a new factor also tending towards decrease appeared in the form of ing of the fur-seals on the open sea, schooners or other small vessels being employed as a base of operations, its origin and 61. This particular method of sealing originated as a eve opmen . naturai outgrowth from that practised from time immemorial by the natives of the coast of British Columbia, and parts of South-eastern Alaska and the State of Washington. In this industry these natives have from the first been largely interested, though it has been taken up, fostered and directed by the Whites. It was thus in its mode of origin a perfectly natural and legitimate development of the native modes of hunting (§ 571 et seq.). REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 62. Pelagic sealing, as thus by degrees expanded into an Important industry, was an essentially novel method of taking the fur-seal consequent on the peculiar habits and maritime genius of the native peoples of the west coast of North America, and particularly of those in British Columbia, and the vicinity of Cape Flattery in the adjacent State of Washington. It was from the first, aud still is, au important source of revenue to a native population, numberinglnany thousands, as well as a help to their advancement in civilization. 63. Under the circumstances above described as prevailing on the breeding islands, the growth of this new industry, however, meant a further acceleration of the rate of diminution of the fur-seal of the North Pacific as a whole. 64. The hunting of the fur-seal by the native peoples in their own canoes, and using the shore as a base of opera-n! tions, had been practised from times which are prehistoric for the West Coast; but the total number of seals thus taken (save in certain exceptional years) was always small, and it was not till about the year 1869 that the first practical essays were made in taking the seals at sea with the assistance of schooners provided with Indian hunting crews and canoes. This method of hunting was initiated almost simultaneously, about the time mentioned, in British Columbia large on the sea-surface had ever befoi e frequent* ,d any seas The vessels sailing from New Eng land and from some British ports, which formerly, iu ci usiderable numbers, made sealing voyages to the Southei n Hemisp lere (§ 834 et seq.), slaughtered the seals there on! y on shore breeding places, and this without any reSPtht *° the rights ands they frequented. The < < sealing fleet» emp a Southern Hemisphere has, therefore, at no ti me been o f the same character with that engaged in pelagi e sealing ii the North Pacific. 66. For several years subsequent to its incepti on, pelagic sealing remained iu the hands of a i ew person 3, and was to so great an extent a trade secret t hat little i aformation can now be obtained respecting it. T his is parti jularly the case in regard to the sealing-vessels sailing fr< m United States ports, some of which, although sealing proper, are known to have ob ained man y skins by illegal raiding on the breeding islar ds from t ie earliest years of the control of these islands 1 >y the Uni ted States: d 1879 (al >out which time'the new development of sealing to attract some attention), the sealing fleet own ed in Brit sh Colum- bia gradually increased, till in 1889 twenty-thr se, in 1890 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 12 twenty-nine, and in 1891 fifty vessels were employed in it. So far as known, the first of these vessels to enter Behring Sea for purposes of sealing was the " Mary Ellen," in 1884. In 1885 two of the British Columbian vessels continued their voyage into Behring Sea, and in the following year the entire fleet, then numbering eighteen vessels (excepting two which were wrecked), did so. The fifty vessels employed, in 1891 were provided with 370 boats and canoes, and were manned by 1,083 Whites and Indians. 68. The number of skins thus obtained grew in proportions corresponding to the growth of the fleet from 35,310 in 1889 to 43,315 in 1890, and to 49,615 in 1891. Only a portion of these catches were, however, made within Behring Sea, and of this portion an increasing percentage was obtained in the western region of that sea. 69. At least one vessel registered in the United States is ic known to have entered Behring Sea for legitimate pelagic k" sealing as early as 1881, and, in this particular extension of the industry, the British Columbian sealers cannot therefore claim to be the pioneers. 70. The United States have for many years past strenuously endeavoured to build up native maritime industry. In this pelagic sealing they undoubtedly have on the Pacific coast a useful nursery for seamen. The industry of whaling has shown a serious falling-off in recent years, but that of seaUng has exhibited a marked and steady increase. In 1885 there were not ten vessels so employed. In 1891 the sealing fleet owned in the United States numbered more than forty vessels, and the value of the catch is reported to have exceeded 30,000J. (D.)—Additional points connected with Sealing at Sea or on Shore. ' • 71. The decrease in the number of seals resorting to the Pribyloff Islands is reported to have been more rapid since 1886 or 1887, and this has been attributed to the growth of pelagic sealing. At the same time, the chief complaint has been that a great proportion of the seals taken at sea are females, whereas the most noticeable decrease observed on the islands is in males. While, therefore, it may be admitted that pelagic sealing must be held accountable for its share in the total effect, the above-mentioned incom- . patible complaints cannot be received without question. When a decrease became apparent on the islands, prudence should have dictated some curtailment of the annual slaughter there in correspondence with the effect of the new factor tending towards diminution. * 72. No such curtailment, however, occurred. The Company holding the lease of these islands on fixed terms were not interfered with, but continued to take their full legal quota of skins without regard to the risk to seal life as a whole. Not only so, but instead of reducing the catch, the standard of weight of skins taken on the islands was- REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. steadily lowered so as to include a younger class of seals under the designation of "killables." Instead of skins weighing 7 or 8 lbs., those of 5 lbs. and (as we have ascertained on excellent authority) even of 4 lbs. and of 3£ lbs. have been taken and were accepted by the Companv as early as 1889. This is in marked contrast with the conduct'of affairs on the Commander Islands, where no seals yielding skins below 7 lbs. in weight have been allowed to be killed for some years, and where in 1891, in order to afford a factor ol safety, the limiting weight of skins was raised to 8 lbs. 73. The Company holding the lease of the Pribyloff Islands had, of course, its own interests in view, and the period of its lease was drawing to a close; but it must be added that no explanation has been offered by the Government Agents in charge of the islands of the principles under which they were guided to allow this lowering of standards, with the concomitant encroachment on the limits of breeding rookeries, and the extension of the. area of driving to places hitherto held in reserve. 74. Summarizing the causes of waste of seal life involved in the methods actually practised in killing seals on the * Pribyloff Islands (§ 659 et seq.), we find the following to be the most serious: (i.) The killing of unweaned " pups " and of " stagey " seals for " food," which together reached an average amount equalling 7 per cent, of the total annual catch. The skins of such seals are unmerchantable, and their slaughter is now admitted to be unnecessary, but ifc has been allowed to continue till the year 1891. (ii.) Accidental killing of seals, due to over-driving, and other violence inseparable, from the mode of " driving " and clubbing the seals. These evils had been fully dealt with by the United States Special Agent in his report for 1890. 13 (iii.) "Stampedes" upon the breeding rookeries, caused by efforts to secure "drives" too close to their borders, or to carelessness of various kinds. These are especially destructive to " pups," which are trampled to death by the older seals. (iv.) Effects of disturbance on the breeding rookeries, and of distress and fright resulting from "driving," which, it is believed, causes many mothers with young, as well as other classes of seals, to leave the breeding islands prematurely. (v.) Surreptitious killing of seals by unauthorized persons on the islands. This may not have reached great dimensions, but is known to have occurred, and no statistics can be obtained respecting it. (vi.) Baids upon the rookeries, rendered possible by the . laxity of control and supervision, which prove most destructive to all classes of seals engaged in breeding, and especially to nursing mothers and "pups." 75. The official statistics show, besides the seals killed of which the skins were accepted for shipment, only those killed for " food," and of which the skins were rejected. r REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. All the i counted f ing the a thu : skii adete is believed to have exceeded 10 ] have reached 20 per cent, on the accepted. ,t 76. It is thus clear that the slac :e breeding islands is in itself an esse ugh established by ulations wl ich have h< >retofore been theoretically altogether : out existing show clearl j removed s nsufficient c r regulation ach dangers. ' i; and the facte as to permit such rules the most sei legally killabl the young ma for some years killable males 79. The pre the character along various discussed at g maybe heren ing from the dered the killi less harmful been. ire killed witho f killing upon 1 allm Iwhe hichl hthe ill seals of suit- ofsex. This is, the shore n persistei atse; effect tha pelagic catch made n Behring Sea are § 633 et seq.), but it is of females, result- , has certainly ren- ers of these at sea oth hav so. To assume that the killing of animals of the female sex is in itself reprehensible or inhuman, is to make an assumption affecting all cases where animals are preserved or domesticated by man. Most civilized nations in accordance with the dictates of humanity as well as those of self- interest, make legislative provision for the protection of wild animals during the necessary periods of bringing ' forth and of rearing their young; but the killing of females REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. is universally recognized as permissible if only to preserve the normal proportion of the sexes. This is the case in all instances of game preservation and stock raising, and in the particular example of the fur-seal, it is numerically demonstrable that, in maintaining a constant total of seals, a certain proportion of females should be annually available for killing. The killing of gravid females must, however, be deprecated as specifically injurious, and in any measures proposed for the regulation of seal hunting should receive special attention. 81. Eespecting the number of seals lost after being killed £f at sea, a large mass of evidence has been accumulated, notof sei alone directly from the pelagic sealers proper, but also from independent native hunters, both Indian and Aleut, and from other sources of a disinterested character. The result of this goes to show that the asserted wastefulness of the methods employed is gravely exaggerated by 14 common report, and that there has been marked improvement in this respect due to the increasing experience of the hunters (§ 613 et seq.). >sed med ths )frepre it the number of rounds of ammuni- ents the number of seals killed. We ight 314), sidei resul nthe re re he p it well 1 legatioi and cai numbe ws of tl 0 follow up all the statements upon is and hypothetical calculations are r all of these are summarised else- 1 for no further comment here. It is need hunters miss many seals, and ^portion of those hit, but such purely ot rightly be assumed to have any r lost by skilled hunters, such as con- le successful sealers. k further accusation has been made of pelagic sealing, to the effect that reki % die of fern lied at Thee seal lift ales, with young upon the breeding >ea, and that in consequence many of onsideration of this point involves so that it cannot be treated at length loff Islands in 1891, we ourselves were the first to note and to draw attention to the occurrence of a considerable number of dead "pups »in certain parts of the rookery grounds. Various explanations of this fact were offered by the residents of the islands, both Whites and Aleuts, but in no instance was the killing of the mothers at sea at first voluntarily advanced by them as a principal cause. The actual circumstances, closely investigated by us, were, indeed, such as to call for some other explanation, as elsewhere detailed (§ 344 et seq.). It is, nevertheless, certain that mothers are sometimes killed at sea, especially in proximity to the shore fronts, and it is chiefly upon this REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. ground a radius of protection about the breeding islands, Extending beyond the ordinary limit of territorial jurisdiction, is advocated as a measure of material benefit. ,h 84. In addition to the circumstances obtaining on the breeding islands, and the inception and growth of pelagic sealing, the high prices ruling for skins during the past few years have to a considerable extent stimulated the all along the coast. They have the part of the more lawless hores of the breeding islands have proved successful in con- adequate protection which has > these'shores; but, so far as we kin, no schooners sailing from e British flag have even been n such raids on the Pribyloff mdition of the Industry. 3 result of the above-men- jracing the disturbance of ds consequent on close and >aucity of males, on raids ands, and on hunting at sea n of the seals, has been to han before strictly pelagic ;ed in breeding,-including ither not landed upon the islands, or have remained there for but a short time; and thus the aggregate number to be seen on shore at any one time has of late years become notably reduced. >r 87. At the same time, the general consensus of the statements obtained from persons occupied in pelagic sealing goes to show that there has been no similar decrease in the number of seals found at sea, but rather a possible increase during the corresponding years. The evidence of a general kind to this effect does not stand alone, but is fully confirmed by an analysis of the annual catch of the British Columbian sealing fleet for the past few years, as exhibited in the subjoined table, in which the average number of skins obtained to each canoe or boat, and to each man employed in the pelagic sealing industry is given: hunting of se lis byi lativ also tended to inc te, c sealers, raids u pon the themselves, n aati f wh sequence of th€ wi oily heretofore be 311 accc rded have been a to asce British Colun abi a u ader detected as par tici pants Islands. (B.)-For me -an dpre m- 85. Perhap <\ t nost lc'tioned co-ope rat ing caus conditions on th e br eedii persistent dr VI Ig c md made upon tl e e hor BS Of during the n lwa render that a nin mi jven in habit. 86. Seals r act ually though matu lies, VmRnnv I Number of Canoe Seals or Boat. PerMan. L REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 31 Weather and other obvious circumstances, including those connected with the uncertain status of the sealers in respect to seizure, have of course affected the figures for the various years to a considerable extent; but speaking generally, the results show a remarkable uniformity, and taking into consideration the measures adopted in 1891 under the modus vivendi, the results of pelagic sealing in this year are particularly noteworthy and to the point, seeing that of the fifty schooners employed, nearly all were turned back before the expiry of the usual hunting season. 88. At sea, however, it is generally acknowledged that m«« mm the seals are becoming from year to year more and more an ormer V difficult of approach and capture, facts specially noted by the native independent hunters, because specially affecting their catch by reason of the greater distance from shore to which it is now necessary to go in search of seals. 89. While, therefore, it is certain that, in recent years, Dy"}"
Fishery Industries of the United States,
Fishery Industries of tbe United States,
600 or 700 skins; these were all older ones.
Fisbery Industries of tbe United States,
Contribiftions to North American Ethnology,
have been variously estimated at from 1,000,000 to 15,000,000.
t Captain W. O'Leary says, in the same year:
not bearing,or not served last year and this,
Voyage to the North-west Coast of America,
in Behring Sea, says of thepelagic sealers:
Issued to-day to my boats 300 rounds of ammunition, all expended, and one seal-skin;
Seven seals shot from the deck, but only secured one.
Further Correspondence relating to Fur-seal Fisheries in Behring's Sea,
Report of United States Senate Committee on Relations with Canada, 1890,
four years the number of seals on St. Paul
* REPORT OF BRmSH COMMISSIONERS. 185 small local additions as could be made, insufficient, and when exhausted the people often found it necessary to purchase more coal from the Company, of which the price was fixed at 30 dollars (6t) per ton! 726. This particular abuse has fortunately been remedied under the present lease, for in 1890 the amount of coal for St. Paul was increased foinHUe?*6.^ very clearly how insufficient that previously accorded actuaUy was. (G.)-Raids. 727. In forming an adequate estimate of the number of seals killed from time to time in the North Pacific Ocean, and especially on the Pribyloff Islands, it is necessary to take into consideration the numbers taken by "raids," an absolutely illegal form of seal killing, which has for years past been in active operation. 728. This form of sealing has distinct historical connection with the original seal hunting of the South Seas in the latter years of the last and the earlier years of the present centuries. There seal hunting is and was conducted entirely by the crews of vessels landed on various islands or reefs where seals were to be found, the seals being shot or clubbed on shore, and the skins shipped away in the vessels. 729. Such a form of sealing was obviously the most destructive that could be devised. The seals are easUy herded together on shore by very few men, and can be driven slowly inland, and there guarded until, if need be, every single one of those thus herded is killed. But in the process of herding them together on the beaches thousands upon thou sands of seals around are and must be stampeded, and in their wUd rush to the sea not only do they do themselves much physical injury, but they overrun the smaUer seals, and especiaUy the pups, that chance to lie in their path. We have ourselves seen the evU after-effects of such rushes in the corpses of pups lying thick along such tracks. More over, in this form of MUing it is usuaUy the plan to pay no regard what ever to sex, age, or condition, and certainly females are not spared. catchalong the^ookery fronts where1 thousands^ seals \nd especially of females in milk, habitually disport themselves, and even play around any passing boat. The consequent shooting by the raiders greatly dis- rookeries close by. There thus seems to be no limit to the numbers of females and other seals that may be easily taken or destroyed by schooners cruizing close in shore. 731. Eaiding is a purely piratical and Ulegal form of sealing when sovereignty, and particularly where regulations have been established for the preservation of the fur-seal. 732. At the present time, this Ulegal and destructive practice is car ried on in various parts of the South Seas—for instance, in a paper by Mr. T. E. Chapman on "The Outlying Islands south of New Zealand," contained in the transactions of the New Zealand Institute for 1890, though it is stated that the fur-seal is now very scarce on these islands; Auckland Mandsfc'ampbell Island, Antipodes Island, and the Bounty Islands. The name "poacher" is here applied to sealers killing on the islands, in contravention of the laws of New Zealand. Some of the 186 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. men thus referred to come from New Zealand itself, but the only vessel specifically alluded to in 1889 is the "Sarah A. Hunt," a seal-poacher from America (p. 512). 733. Again, in the Straits of Magellan, the British Vice-Consul at Sandy Point reports in April 1889, that the United States- schooners pay no attention to the interdiction on sealing enacted by the Chilean Government. Indeed, the frequent presence of sealing-vessels, most of them hailing from ports in the New England States of North America, is a matter of much concern to the different Governments now endeavouring to preserve the seals in these waters. 734. There has been wholesale and most destructive raiding on Bobben Island, and other islands in the Okotsk and Japanese Seas; and there have been persistent and more or less successful raids made on the rookeries both of the Commander and Pribyloff groups. 735. In recent times, in the North Pacific Ocean, the greatest instance of the revival of this form of seal hunting occurred during the interval of the transference of the Pribyloff Islands from Eussian to 126 American control. Some vessels equipped for the purpose at once visited these celebrated islands and landed sealing parties. Various Companies of United States sealers occupied the islands in 1868, chief among them bands of Connecticut sealers, all of whom entered into armed combination to drive off the sealers under Pfliigel, who had come up from the Sandwich Islands to raid. The general result was that afc least 75,000 skins were secured in 1867, 242,000 in 1868, and 87,000 in 1869, or a total of more than 400,000 skins in these three years. 736. It is necessary for our present purpose to review the details only of raids made or attempted on the Pribyloff Islands since the United States Government leased these islands to the Alaska Commercial Company, and this Company took formal possession under estabUshed Eegulations in 1870. 737. The existing records are irregular, often insufficient, and frequently consist of mere allusions or indirect testimony. It is, therefore, probable that but a small proportion of the whole number of raids have actually been recorded, but the notices, such as they are, amply indicate what has been doing. In September 1870, the Secretary of the Treasury gave written authority to the Company to use fire-arms in protecting the rookeries against marauders. 738. Between 1871 and 1880 several actual raids were reported, one of the earliest being one by the " Cygnet," of San Francisco, caught on the 30th August, 1874, shooting seals close to Otter Island, and which raided the rookeries at Zapadnie, St. George Island, on the 1st September,. 1874, and again in 1875. In July 1875, the "San Diego" was seized off St. Paul Island with 1,660 skins taken on Otter Island. On the 21st June, 1876, the "Cygnet" and the " Ocean Spray" raided the same rookery. 739. In 1877, the " Industry" was reported as hovering around St. Paul Island, and a raid was made on Otter Island. 739.* In the same year, therevenue-cruizer " Corwin" was instructed specially to look after the seal fisheries. In the Eeport of her Captain for 1879 occur the following remarks: In 1877, our first year in these waters, there was a vessel (the schooner "Industry") about the islands late in September, which, without doubt, intended to take seals. She touched at St. George under the plea that she was short of water, but hearing that the "Rush" was still about the islands, left very abruptly without waiting to water ship. I would respectfully state that, in my opinion, it is only necessary that a REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 187 revenue-vessel should be known to be in these waters during the season for the protection of the islands, that it is not necessary to locate an officer and men from the vessel on Otter Island, and that now—there being two special agents during the season on-each island—an occasional visit by them m their boat from St. Pauf to Otter Island would be sufficient. 740. In 1879, the revenue-cruizer " Bush " received her orders " to cruize in the waters of Alaska and among the islands of the Aleutian Archipelago . . . , with a view to protecting the seal-fisheries and sea-otter hunting grounds." The Captain reported "that in June 1879 he landed 3 tons of coal on Otter Island, and left Lieutenant Wyckoff and two men on St. Paul with instructions to proceed to Otter Island as soon as the Company could furnish him with two men and a whale-boat, this same arrangement having been made every year." He added that in the end of September (1879), "Lieutenant Wyckoff reports that quite a number of seal would haul ashore at Otter Island during the summer. They were not inclined to stop there, but probably would if there was no one Uving on the island. He had seen four or . five pups which were born there, but later in the season quite a number of young cows came there with the male seals." 741. In 1880, the Captain of the revenue-cruizer "Corwin" reports that he visited St. Paul on the 18th September: Special Agent H. G. Otis informed me that he had visited Otter Island several times during the summer, and that no vessels nor unauthorized parties had been seen anywhere in the vicinity of the seal islands. 742. In 1880, Mr. Webster, according to his own statement to tis, found clubs, hauling-hooks, and dead seals on the Great Eastern Eookery, St. George Island, all left there by raiders. 743. In 1880, the Captain of the revenue cruizer "Corwin" reported to the Secretary of the Treasury his seizure of the schooner "Leo" in the Arctic for whiskey selling to the Eskimo, adding, "There were also found on board the'Leo'several persons . . . : five were natives of Kodiak, employed, probably, for the purpose of taking seals around the seal islands in the fall." 744. In 1881, the Captain of the revenue-cruizer "Corwin" reported that on the 23rd May, at St. Paul Island, " Colonel H. G. Otis, the Special Treasury Agent in charge, came on board, and, after a consul- 127 tation with him, it was decided unnecessary to detail an officer for duty on Otter Island, as it was believed that the force on St. Paul Island would be ample to protect both islands." 745. In the same report the Captain states that, on the 19th June, 1881, he overhauled the schooner "Flying Mist" at St. Michael's, and found 25 gallons of whiskey on board, " also complete outfit for taking seals, .... seal clubs for killing them, and salt for preserving their skins, and was apparently on a predatory cruize around the seal islands later in the season." 746. The Captain of the " Corwin" also reports that the Special Treasury Agent on St. Paul wrote to him that, " on the night of the 8th June (1881) a schooner, supposed from her suspicious movements to be on a predatory mission in these waters, was sighted off the east side of the island bearing in a northerly direction, and next morning at 2 o'clock she was discovered by the look-out at East Point standing close in shore. Later in the morning, after the men on shore commenced moving about, she stood out to sea." On this the Captain remarks: "As . parties on board the ' Flying Mist' acknowledged to having been in the vicinity of the seal islands, she was undoubtedly the vessel referred to 188 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. by Colonel Otis, and our suspicions as to her intentions were confirmed. She had probably been frightened off by seeing men o"n shore, and would return later in the season when the nights were longer, and endeavour to take seals during the night, and stand off shore before daylight." Mr. Wardman reports that he noted raids on St. George Island in 1881, the first being on the 2nd September: "A gap was created in the rookery which was not filled that year." Mr. C. A. Williams reported that vessels hunted often around Otter Island, where, in 1881, sixty carcasses were found at one time. 747. Special Agent D. B. Taylor states that vessels have been poaching around the islands for years, landing under cover of fog, arid that no protection is afforded against their poaching right on the rookeries. He adds that, in 1881, the Company was powerless to protect the seals against marauders; but that, if a harbour were built and a steam- launch stationed at each island, the protection would be ample. He states that vessels visit the islands, and kill in all 10,000 to 15,000 seals each year.* Treasury Agent Gliddon, there from 1882-85, reports that the trouble consists in the marauding which takes place every moonlight night. 748. In 1884, the "Alexander" was captured by the Treasury Agent George Wardman off Starry Arteel rookery, St; George Island, but he reported "he had to release her because he could not hold her, being unable to navigate, and there being no harbour at St. George, permitted of no other course under the circumstances." In the same year the "Adele" was captured and sent to San Francisco. 749. The Captain of the "Corwin" sending in, for 1885, his " general report of operations of vessel for the protection of the seal fisheries and sea-otter grounds," states: Mr. Tingle, the Government Special Agent, with a representative of the Alaska Commercial Company, came on board (11th September, 1885), and both stated that during the absence of the "'Corwin" in the Arctic, vessels had been cruizing in sight of the islands for the purpose of killing seals; but anticipating the "Cor- win's" return and the heavy weather incident to the lateness of the season, none had heen seen within three weeks of that time. These gentlemen estimated that about 15,000 seals had been killed by the marauding vessels'. 750. The Captain proceeds: In previous Reports I have called the attention of the Department to the importance of greater protection to seal life in Alaskan waters, and especially in the vicinity of the Pribyloff Islands. Last year (1884) the schooner "Adele" was seized by ail officer connected with this vessel for unlawfully killing seals, and delivered by him to the United States authorities at San Francisco. Instead of being prosecuted, as provided by section 1956 of the Revised Statutes, she was subsequently released on technical informalities. The same vessel has pursued her illegal occupation during the past summer, and her release from justice has very generally led to the belief that the seizure of the "Adele" was an act unwarranted by law. Other vessels had previously been seized for the same offence, but in no instance has punishment been inflicted. The Department can readily see what the result will be if this state of affairs be allowed to continue. During the year, quite a number of vessels have raided Alaskan waters for seal The Eeport for 1885 concludes with the urgent recommendation "that i. revenue-cutter be sent to cruize in the vicinity of the Pribyloff Islands * House of Representatives Report, No. 3883, 50th Congress, 2nd Session, p. 58. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 189 ng season. One vessel cannot >esides .... While > can be done by maraud- and Aleutian grou p during the. sealii protect the islands < the cutter is absent in the Ar he Arctic ( otic, much ing vessels to the s jal island 751. In 1885, Mr Lieutenant Lutze a Webste ad his tw r, the Com o men left tured three schoone rs, one th >■ "Adele." found that the schot mers left 3oats ashoi in Pirate's Cove, St George I sland, for t the shore. Many vessels w ere seen fr ,rd on Otter Island, cap- i same year, Mr. Webster the men actually camped )ose of taking seals along ly hovering around the 752. In 1886, Starrv Arteel rookery was raided, and many hundred seals taken. Mr. Morgan found the carcasses of 800 female seals on the shore, as well as the cargo-hooks used for haulin g them.' The raiders actually camped on the beach and were seen there by the natives, but it was not discovered to what vessel they belonged. Mr. Tingle, before the House of Bepresentatives Committee, stated that the "San Diego" captured by the "Corwin" in 1886 had on board 175 skins of seals that had been clubbed, and some skins of pups, showing that a raid had been made on St. George Island. We also have sworn testimony that in 1886 and 1887 the "Lookout" raided on the islands. The "C. S. Fowler" is also mentioned as a known raider. 753. In 1887, Mr. Webster saw as manv as from four to eight schooners in sight, and hovering around from 3 to 6 miles off. "Many a night has he walked round with his rifle, and seen their boats out shooting seal. One night in 1887, in a thick fog, boats were shooting away so close to shore as to scare aU tbe seals on the beach." At St. Paul Island on the 18th, 21st, and 25th July, a schooner was seen shooting seals close along the shore off the North-east rookery. On the 28th July a schooner appeared close to Otter Island, the crew ashore killing seals. She proved to be the "Angel Dolly," afterwards captured, because her Captain and one of the crew were accidentally wounded. On the 4th August a steam schooner was reported off Northeast Point, and was fired at by the watchmen. She was captured by the revenue-cutter " Bush," and proved to be the " Kate Anna." In August the Starry Arteel rookery was raided, but nothing was known of the occurrence until some time afterwards. Mr. Webster found all the unmistakable signs of what had been done, either at night or in a fog, but unknown to the authorities. Mr. Tingle, Treasury Agent on St. Paul Island in 1887, reported a schooner lying off the Beef Bookery killing seals, and she was represented to have taken altogether 4,300 seals. In his report for 1SS7, he strongly urged that a 20-ton steam-yacht, armed with one gun, should be provided to chase and board the schooners sealing along the islands. He writes: "While the 'Bush' was busy taking care of marauders round St. George, those schooners were MUing seals near St. Paul," being frequently in sight, but beyond the reach of the Treasury Agent. 754. In 1888, many vessels were seen hovering around the islands. One schooner anchored in broad daylight in S. W. Bay, St. Paul Island, and boldly sent several boats ashore. 755. In 1889 there are several records, especially around St. George Island, of schooners coming along shore, and of strange men being seen on the beaches in September and October. On the 21st November, a schooner, supposed to be the "Angel Dolly," anchored half-a-mile from the shore, a ad sent four men ashore who killed seals. On the 22nd November at Zapadnie, St. George, the authorities discovered that 190 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. three separate landings had been made, and found two clubs, seven dead female seals and one bull wounded with buckshot. In the autumn the "AUie Algar" raided on St. George, and procured more than 800 skins. A report in the "New.York Herald" states that certain members of a schooner's crew boasted that in this year fifteen men had in five hours of one night killed 1,000 seals on St. George. Practical sealers, giving evidence under oath, testified that to their certain knowledge in the year 1889 and 1890 raids were made on the islands by the " George E. White," the " Daniel Webster," the " Mollie Adams," and the " Adele." 756. In 1890, off the North-east rookery, St. Paul Island, on the 15th and 16th June, there were two schooners hovering, with boats out. From the 1st to the 4th July the whaling barque "Lydia" was cruizing along close in shore. Mr. Tingle, the Company's agent, saw a 129 boat in a fog sealing within 200 yards of the beach; he fired at it with his rifle; an unseen vessel at once began to blow her foghorn, the understood signal of recall to all boats out. On the 28th August a schooner anchored close to North-east Point. Next day the revenue-cruizer "Bush" boarded her. She proved to be the "Kate Anna," but had no skins on board. For the next eight days a schooner was reported off the same rookery, anchoring close in, lowering her boats, and continually shooting seals within half-a-mile of the shore. Nothing appears to have been done to stop her, although Colonel Murray afterwards reported that there were any number of dead pups found at a later date along the beach. In August the schooner "Adele" was boarded and captured, all her crew being ashore raiding. She was brought into the bay. The schooner "C. D. Band" was taken by the cruizer "Bush," in North-east Bay. Her Scotch captain, declaring himself to be a member of the Salvation Army, protested he was not and could not be sealing, because it was Sunday. The only evidence given by the watchmen onshore was that they "had seen a boat." The schooner was released. In September 1890 a large white schooner sailed into North-east rookery to land a party. The Aleut watchmen fired four shots from Martini-Henry's across her bow. She returned about 100 shots and sailed away. 757. In the same year, on St. George Island, numerous raids or attempts were reported. Four distinct attempts were made at Zapadnie rookery. The "Helen Blum" and "Unga" failed to secure any seals. The " Flying Dutchman" ["Adele"] secured many skins, and it is actually reported that she would have made a great haul but that her crew at the critical moment obtained access to liquor. One schooner was surprised in the act, and departed leaving 190 females killed on the beach, the skins of which were taken and salted by Mr. Webster, on beha# of the Company, as we were informed by Captain Lavender. On the 17th September no less than three schooners were in the offing, and one attempted a landing, but retired when fired at by the watchmen. In the same year, it was also reported that one of the district salt-houses had been broken open by the crew of a vessel, and all the salted skins carried off. 758. Colonel Murray, the cautious Treasury Agent on St. George informed us that he had examined the traces remaining of many raids that had taken place, unknown to the authorities. On one occasion he had seen the fresh blood-stained tracks down which the carcasses had been hauled to the boats; on another, he and his companion, on a REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 191 fairly dark night, had come across thirteen dead seals, clubbed the night before. They had fired twenty-five shots to warn off the raiders, and had noticed, incidentaUy, that these shots did not in the least disturb the seals around. 759. In 1891, we found all the resident officials and natives persistent in their complaints of raids, and their reports of schooners hovering around the shores with intent to raid, and of that being reported espe- ciaUy on foggy days. When we first arrived at St. Paul Island, on the morning of Monday, the 27th July, the Treasury Agent, Colonel Murray, came off at once in a boat, and besought us to proceed without delay to the North-east rookery, as shots had been heard there repeatedly on the previous day, and at night close along the shore. Major Williams, the Chief Treasury Agent, and Mr. Bedpath, the manager for the Company, had driven over 12 mUes to the North-east rookery to see what could be done. When we went to the Company's house, Mr. Tingle, the general superintendent of the Company, was perpetually working the telephone to North-east rookery and reporting that schooners were there. The vivid impression produced on us at the time was that whatever the actual amount of raidiug in progress, both Government and Company were absolutely without proper means to stop it. On the 29th July we saw a brigautine sail boldly right past the settlement, but there were no means at hand either to detain or even to identify her. In the late autumn the revenue-cruizer "Bear" remained near the islands for thirty-six days, and then proceeded to coal at Ounalaska; the day after she left the islands a steam sloop raided the Great Eastern rookery on St. George Island. 760. Corroborative evidence has been afforded in 1891 by the newspaper correspondents who visited Behring Sea. According to their accounts, Captain Alexander Carlson, of San Francisco, had been a persistent raider since 1884. Captain Hansen, in the "Flying Dutchman" ["Adele,"] perpetrated many raids, until his vessel was wrecked last year. In 1891 he wished to obtain a coasting clearance for the "Borealis," but his openly-avowed intention to raid led the Collector of Customs at Victoria to refuse him a clearance to Behring Sea, and he went off to Okotsk Sea. Captain Downs, of the "Hattie Gage," made a sworn affidavit that his mate Adams, who superseded him when he was forciblyput ashore on the Shumagin Islands, was proceeding to make raids on the Pribyloff Islands, and that in 1890 the Captain of 130 the "Hattie Gage" had been reUeved of the command because he refused to make raids ashore. Captain Beilly, of the "Otto," said that if he had his owner's nermission he would willingly make raids. 761. It will thus be seen that raiding on the Pribyloff Islands has been carried on persistently at least since 1868, and that from that date the authorities have known of the raids, and from the earliest time urgently demanded precautions in prevention. 762. The evUs of raiding are very great. It is by far the most destructive form of sealing, combining all the disadvantages and none of the advantages of the other forms. The killing is chiefly of breeding females, as the raiders cannot penetrate far enough inland to obtain the young bachelors or immature female seals. Thus, the skins they obtain are those of females which are either still with pup or are suckling their young. Moreover, the process implies disturbance of the breeding rookeries; the scaring of the seals during their breeding time, male, female, and young; and the stampeding of whole rookeries, whereby, without doubt, there ensues that great kiUing of helpless pups which we have already reported we observed in certain rookeries. 192 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 763. We ourselves noticed the great ease with which, under present arrangements, raids might be successfully carried out, and nothingwhat- ever be known to the residents at the moment, while after discovery depended merely on accident. Even on the rookeries immediately under the settlements no look-out is kept. For instance, we steamed into the anchorage of the settlement at St. Paul, close past the Zapadnie and Tolstoi rookeries, one bright moonlight night (14th September), and moved early the next morning by daylight round the Gorbotch and Eeef rookeries to the other landing, without our presence becoming known in anyway at the settlement. On the outlying rookeries no watch whatever is present, except at North-east Point on St. Paul Island and Zapadnie on St. George Island. All the other rookeries on both islands are, as a rule, absolutely without any watch or guard. On North-east and Zapadnie rookeries the'guard consists of two or three native Aleuts who have rifles, but are instructed not to fire at men. Moreover, we are by no means assured that bribery by money or drink has not been actually practised over some of these distant guards. Evidence was afforded of numerous instances of the signs of recent raids being discovered, although as to the actual occurrence nothing whatever was known to those in authority at the time, and we are not at all surprised to see that in recent years the reports that schooners are hovering off the island, anchoring close in, and sending boats ashore, are rapidly growing in frequency. As the prospects of a heavy catch ashore or along the rookery fronts are great, so is the temptation great, especially as chances of detection are few and innocuous, and chances of capture most remote under the present system. In short, under present regulations and arrangements, there is no difficulty or danger whatever to vessels raiding along shore any night, or in any of the frequent fogs at several of the best rookeries, except when a revenue-cruizer chances to be close by, an occasional occurrence well known to everymarauding schooner. Moreover, the United States cruizers never interfere with " whalers," some of which undoubtedly, at all events, report the movements of the cruizers, forming as it were both watch-houses and store-houses for the raiders, even when they do not themselves engage in actual raiding. 764. It is, perhaps, needless to reassert that this form of taking seals is entirely illegitimate, and although it is a very severe and disastrous drain on-seal life, it is, nevertheless, one for which the national government and the administration are entirely and solely responsible. Thus, the British men-of-war which in 1891 entered Behring Sea for the purpose of assisting in stopping sealing at sea were expressly and properly precluded from taking any step within the ordinary j urisdictional limits around coasts and islands. 765. It may be pointed out that in no case yet has it been shown or proved that any British vessel ever engaged in raiding on the Pribv- loff Islands. " 766. There is no valid reason whatever why the local authorities should not be provided with ample means for stopping raids. It should be remembered also that the San Francisco sealers have asserted that the possibility of raiding, a most profitable operation, encourages sealers of a certain class to fit out sealing-schooners and enter Behring Sea, and if the local authorities made raiding the great risk that it should be, they would take one practical step towards reducing the number of vessels which engage in this illegitimate and most destructive methods of sealing. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 767. While we were visiting the Commander Tslamls it board, and now a gun-boat is detailed to cruize round the islands during I the sealing season. We found the system of watching and reporting by the Aleuts to be in admirable order. When we first arrived we found even the mastheads of the "Porpoise" and the "Danube"'had been reported as having been seen above the fog on the other side of the island, and on Copper Island our presence in a bay at one end of the island had been at once reported by special messenger to the settlement seventeen miles distant. 768. Among measures to this end most frequently advocated is that of having a revenue-cruizer permanently stationed at the Pribyloff ^Islands tliroughout the months of, June, July, August, and September. But we found, in 1891, that the revenue-cruizers were often far distant from the seal islands, perhaps in Iliuliuk Harbour, waiting for mails or coals, or away cruizing around Nunivak or St. Matthew Island, or on duty at St. Michael's or other distant points. We also noticed that, in the frequent fogs and the dark loom of the land, schooners can very easily elude even the sharpest look-out from seaward. In our opinion, the most effectual, as well as the most economical, method of guarding against raids would be to have an armed police force with details permanently on guard near each rookery, and with specific orders to fire on all persons landing or taking seals. The rookeries are limited in number, and moderately weU defined in area, and could easUy be thus defended with effect. 769. We would also point out that, in so far as disturbance of seals is concerned, it would be well if greater restriction was placed on the number of persons allowed to visit the rookeries and outlying islands. We found that Walrus Island was regarded practically as a shooting resort for all Government officials and all officers of Government ships. Again, when on the 4th August we went in a steam-launch from St. Paul anchorage quietly to note whether there were any seals on Otter Island a revenue-cruizer happened to come in, and while we were proceeding dead-slow along the shore carefully looking for seals she landed a boat's crew, and the officers at once began with shot-guns and revolvers shooting at the foxes and sea-fowl on shore. This appears to be a common practice in all years, and is quite sufficient of itself to scare aU seals from these particular islands. We might here also mention that the day before we paid our first visit to the North-east Eookery (on the 5th August), American officers had been driving up and shooting sea- lions there for scientific purposes. 770. In regard to the practical effect of these raids on the total catch of seals, it would appear that, from the annual recorded totals of the American catch landed from schooners, very material deductions must be made and transferred to the annual total catch on the Pribyloff on the Pribylofl part of the pelt of seals thus kU material drain of ope dform It is n ds, to ing, there ft , proper sely the total num = ' life' ff the P] that •iby off Isla nds, prob ably r 194 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. I amounting in some years to many thousand seals; that the practice involves the barbarous slaughter of very large numbers of females and pups of immature growth; and that it is an evU for which the remedy is extremely simple and easy of application, consisting merely of the most rudimentary police arrangements for insuring the execution of the local laws. V.—Number of Fur-Seals Killed upon the Pribyloff Islands. 771. While the foregoing account of the methods of control and the manner in which seal killing has been and is conducted on the Pribyloff Islands shows that the official returns cannot absolutely represent the whble annual slaughter, these returns are of great interest for the purpose of instituting general comparisons as between the amount of the killing in various years, and particularly in their bearing on the fact of the unprecedented character of the draft which has been continuously made on the seal life of the islands since they passed under the control of the United States, which has already been referred to at length. Much care has been given to the compilation of the subjoined table, which, it wUl be remarked, does not represent either the number of accepted skins actually got in each year or the shipments of such skins actually made, but is intended to show, as far as the returns admit, the whole number of seals killed according to the official count. The unrecorded causes of loss and waste would, of course, add considerably to the figures actually given: 132 Table showing the Number of Fur-seals killed on the Pribyloff Islands in each year, from 1817 to 1891. Tea, Number of Seals killed. Number of Pups kffled. Year. Number of Number of Pups killed. ius'.'.\V'".'.'.'.'.'.'"". 1819 60,188 59, 856 52,225 25] 400 2.% 250 23J228 ie, 034 16,446 16,412 15,751 8! 000* ll| 240 11,924 15^ 070 U, 650 21,450 6|564 Includes pups. 1855 8,585 23,550 2lj 590 25,'000? 40!000? 42, 000? 75,000 lOlj 698 10l] 394 100| 634 10l! 736 10l! 013 100| 450 12,071 1829 1831..... 1832 1833 1869 1834 1836 1837 ]"' , , ,'„ Average 1810 1811 kiUingof 1842 1843 1845 eluded. 1840 1847 1848 1850 Not including pups. lUt:~:.::::: 1891 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 195 Total Shipments of Skins (by periods) made by the Bussian American Company and the succeeding Alaska Commercial Company. Includes some skins from the Commander Islands and elsewhere— Silns Russian-American Company (and Antecedent United American Company), 1799 to 1821 (both inclusive), 23 years 1 232 374 (Elliott, Census Report, p. 70.) ' ' Russian-American Company (second period), 1822 to 1841 (both inclusive), 20 years 458 5Q2 (Bancroft, p. 563, from Techminoff; Elliott, Census Report'^p" 70.) ' Russian-American Company (third period), 1842 to 1861 (both inclusive), 20 years 338,600 (Bancroft, p. 582, from Techminoff.) Pribyloff Islands alone— Interregnum (1862 to 1867), being years between last term of Russian- American Company and period of United States control (about) ... 242 294 (See Table of annual killing.) In 1868 there were taken about 240,000 (Elliott, Census Report, p. 70.) In 1869 there were taken about 87 000 (Elliott, Census Report, p. 70.) Alaska Commercial Company, 1870 to 1889 (both inclusive), 20 years. 1,840,364 (Parliamentary Paper [C. 6368], p. 45.) — Total, 1799 to 1889 (91 years) 4,439,134 Average annual shipment of skins 48,782 133 Sources of Information Utilized in the above Tables. 772. 1786. Shelikoff (quoted by Bancroft, vol. xxxiii, p. 192) states that 40,000 skins were secured in the first year of hunting. 773. 1787 to 1806. Taking Eesanoff's estimate of total killing of seals on Pribyloff Islands to 1806 at 1,000,000, the annual killing during this period seems to have averaged about 50,000, though known to have been irregular from year to year. 774. 1807 to 1816. In 1817 Veniaminov's account of number of seals kiUed on Pribyloff Islands begins. No exact data have been found for the years between 1806 and that date, but from the figures quoted in Bancroft's History (vol. xxxiii, p. 418) from Materialui Istor Buss, a rough approximation may be arrived at of annual killings in Behring Sea from 1745 to 1822, a period extending from the beginning of sealing for seventy-six years. The total number of skins obtained in this period was, according to the above figures, 2,324,364. Deducting from this Veniaminov's figures for seals killed on the Pribyloff Islands from 1817 to 1822 (both inclusive), the number remaining for the years 1745 to 1816 (both inclusive) is 2,056,880, or an average of 28,970 per annum. This of course includes skins taken on the Commander Islands, with some obtained from natives in trade elsewhere. It also includes the years 1745 to 1785 antecedent to the discovery of the Pribyloff Islands, during which it is known that more than 93,000 fur-seal skins were obtained, chiefly from the Commander Islands (Bancroft, pp. 111-191). It, however, does not include seals killed for food on the Pribyloff Islands, and of which the skins were not kept. It thus appears probable that, allowing the differences in opposite senses to offset each other, the total average annual killing on the Pribyloff Islands from 1807 to 1816 (both inclusive) was not far from 30,000. Another approximate value for the kiUings in these years may be obtained from Techminoff's figures, which are official, and are quoted by Elliott. , [ Techminoff gives the total shipments for the years 1798 to 1821 (both inclusive) as 1,232,374.* Elliott states that about 5,000 of this amount * Bancroft, however, gives the figures for 1799 to 1821 (both inclusive) as 1,767,340 (p. 418), and no explanation has been found of this discrepancy. r 196 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. each year came from the Commander Islands. Deducting these and also the skins accounted for by Veniaminov for 1817 to 1821 (both inclusive), the average annual product in skins from the Pribyloff Islands is found to be 44,468. The period thus accounted for includes only nine years antecedent to the period beginning with 1807, which it is wished to bridge. It is probably nearer the fact for these years than the foregoing estimate, with which it, however, agrees fairly well. It also tallies well with the earlier years of Veniaminov's table. Techminoff s figures do not include seals killed for food or otherwise of which the skins were not kept, but it is scarcely probable, even including these, that the average annual kiUing on the Pribyloff Islands for the years in question reached 50,000. It may reasonably be assumed to have been between 45,000 and 50,000, or, say, 47,500. As in the years before 1807, the number killed from year to year is, however, known to have been irregular. 775. 1817 to 1837. The figures for these years are Veniaminov's, as ascertained by Mr. Elliott from an inspection of ShisenekofPs journal, and includes pups in the numbers given for 1835-36. It may, therefore, probably be assumed that pups are included throughout. 776. 1838 to I860. The figures for these years are taken from the Correspondence relating to Fur-seal Fisheries, printed in Washington in 1890. 777. 1861. Bancroft's total for years 1842-61 (both inclusive) is 338,600. The total for years 1842-60 (both inclusive) is 308,901. This being deducted from total for 1842-61 gives the number of seals taken in 1861. 778. 1862. Elliott (p. 165) gives the total catch for 1842-62 (both inclusive) as 372,894. Bancroft's total for 1842-61, 338,600, being deducted from this sum gives the number of seals taken in 1862. 779. 1862 to 1867. Both inclusive, being years of interregnum between last term of Eussian American Company and United States control of Pribyloff Islands, have been fiUed hypotheticaUy by Elliott, who explains that, guided by information obtained from the natives, he has proportioned the number of skins in the salt-houses on the islands iu 1867 (40,000 to 48,000) back to the latest figures given by Techminoff (1861). . The figures for these years are therefore far from satisfactory. A more complete examination of .the subject has enabled moderately exact figures to be obtained from 1861 and 1862, as explained above, while Bryant gives the number for 1867 as 75,000 (Allen, "Monograph of North America Pinnepedia," p. 389); but for the years 1863 to 1866 Elliott's approximate estimates must still be taken. It is to be 134 presumed that these figures represent only marketable skins, not including pup skips and other rejected skins. As confirmatory of the approximate correctness of these estimates, Dall may be quoted. Writing in 1868 (Alaska and its Besources, p. 496), he says that of late years the Bussians had not been aUowed to take more than 50,000 annually. Bryant, quoted by Allen, referring to this same period, says that for many previous years the Bussians took but few seals, but the number has increased, so that in one year 40,000 were taken. (Monograph of North America Pinnepedia, p. 389.) 780. 1868 and 1869. The figures for these years are those given in EUiott's Census Eeport, p. 70, and are doubtless the most trustworthy that can be procured. 781. 1870. The figure for this year includes pups, 4,000, and a large number of rejected skins. (Ex. Doc. No. 83,44th Congress, 1st Session. p. 63.) s ' REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 197 1871 to 1889. The figures for these years were taken from Correspondence relating to Behring's Sea-seal Fisheries, Parliamentary Paper [C. 6368], pp. 44U47, and include all seals, other than pups, kiUed for any purpose. From 1870 to 1889 (both inclusive), 92,864 pups were kiUed for food, an average annual killing of 4,643. VI.—Historical Notes on the Condition of the Fur-seal EOOKEREES OF THE PRIBYLOFF ISLANDS IN VARIOUS YEARS* 782.1786. Pribyloff discovered the islands now known by his name in June of this year. He returned to the Asiatic coast with 31,100 fur- seal skins. It is elsewhere recorded that about 40,000 fur-seal skins in aU were taken on the islands in this year. (Bancroft's works, vol. xxxiii, pp. is* jM»J 193.) In the first years (after the discovery of the islands), the seals in St. George Island were only five or six times less than those on St. Paul, i. e., equal to one-sixth or one-seventh of those on St. Paul. (Venia- minov, quoted by Elliott in Census Beport, p. 147.) From 1786 to 1797 or 1799, several Companies were engaged in taking seals, without count or list. Veniaminov estimates that 50,000 to 60,000 skins were obtained annually on St. Paul and 40,000 to 50,000 on St. George. He characterizes this as "horrible killing." (Quoted by Elliott. Census Beport, pp. 70, 140, and 147.) 783.1799. The islands came under the control of the United American Company, which was organized at Irkutsk in August 1798. 784. 1800. First year of control of Bussian American Company, an out-growth of the last, organized in 1799. 785.1803. Baranoff ordered Banner to go to the Pribyloff Islands, which "had not been visited for many years" (by traders), and where a vast number of skins must have been accumulated by the natives. (Bancroft, p. 417.) 786.1804. Between 1801 and 1804, the Bussian American Company are said to have accumulated about 800,000 skins, many of which rotted for want of care. (Bancroft, p. 477.) 787. 1805. Veniaminov states that no care as to the preservation of seal Ufe on the islands was exercised tiU this year. (Census Eeport, p. 141.) 1806. Eesanoff visited St. Paul Island in July. He found that a very wasteful kiUing of seals had been in progress, that 30,000 had been billed for their flesh alone, while over 1,000,000 in all had been killed up to date. He was informed that the seals had decreased 90 per cent, in number since the earlier years, and concluded that if the slaughter was not reduced a few years would witness extirpation. He ordered the kiUing to be stopped; but from the season of his visit it is certain that some seals had been kUled in 1806 before his arrival. (Bancroft, pp. 445, 446.) 788. 1806-1807. Following Eesanoff's order, no seals were killed on the Pribyloff Islands during these years (with the probable exception above noted). Nearly aU the natives were removed to Unalaska. (Census Eeport, p. 140.) * Notes given below which have ments, but have been obtained a brackets, thus [ ]. 198 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 789. 1808. Killing was recommended on St. George and in 1810 also on St. Paul, but not till 1812 did it amount to half the number killed in former years. Females as well as males were taken. Killing without proper supervision continued from this time tUl 1822. (Veniaminov, quoted by Elliott. Census Eeport, p. 140.) 790. 1817. The fur-seals on St. George were estimated to amount to a quarter of those on St. Paul; seals on the latter island having decreased more in proportion. (Veniaminov, quoted by Elliott. Census Eeport, p. 147.) 135 791. 1817 to 1837. A gradual diminution of seal life on the islands stated to have been in progress in these years, visible in each year, but not always equal, according to Veniaminov. This is also indicated by Veniaminov's quoted figures of annual catch. (Census Eeport, pp. 143, 147.) 792. 1820. Veniaminov characterizes the annual kiUing of 50,000 seals, which occurred at about this date, as excessive and leading to diinunition. (Census Beport, p. 147.) 793. 1822. First year of second term of Bussian American Company. Moorayveff ordered the killing to be limited, so that instead of 40,000 or 50,000 not more than 8,000 or 10,000 were taken. (This appears to refer to St. Paul Island only.) (Census Beport, p. 140.) 794. 1822 to 1824. Period of rest or restricted killing on St. Paul. (Veniaminov, quoted by Elliott. Census Beport, p. 142.) 795. 1824. Stated that between 1822-1824 the seals on the islands were estimated to have doubled in number. (Eeport upon the Condition of Affairs in Alaska, p. 107.) 796. 1826-1827. Both years inclusive. Period of rest or restricted killing on St. George Island. (Veniaminov, quoted by EUiott. Census Beport, p. 141.) 797. 1826. Veniaminov states that the seals on St. George equalled about one sixth those on St. Paul, those on St. George having increased more in proportion since 1817. Also, that Chestyokhoff, estimating that the seals had doubled in number as a result of restrictive measures, ordered 40,000 to be killed annually. But with aU possible effort this number could not be obtained. Greater caution in kiUing females, &'c, was ordered, but the number of seals on the islands nevertheless remained stationary, or continued to decrease. (Veniaminov, quoted by Elliott. Census Eeport, pp. 140,147.) 798. 1832. Veniaminov incidentally states that in this year an excessive number of females were observed on the islands without young. (Quoted by Elliott. Census Eeport, p. 141.) 799. 1834. The number of seals to be taken at St. Paul was largely reduced, the killing being limited to about 4,000 instead of about 12,000. (Veniaminov, quoted by Elliott. Census Eeport, p. 142.) From Veniaminov's table the reduction ordered in 1834 took effect only in 1835. This rest or "zapooska" continued on St. Paul Island during 1835,1836, and 1837. 800. 1835. [E. Astomonoff, a native on St. Paul Island, informed us that he remembered being at North-east Point in this year, when the Bussians allowed only seven -seals a-day to be killed there for food.] 1836. EUiott, from information received from natives on the Pribyloff Islands, states that the winter of 1835-36 was exceedingly severe. Great quantities of ice surrounded the islands, and remained heaped on the shores till August 1836. A great mortality of seals resulted, so that, according to native count, only 4,100 seals of aU classes, exclusive of pups, remained on the rookeries of St. Paul. (Census Eeport, p. 49.) REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 199 Mr. Elliott has informed us that, according to a journal by the Eev. K. Shisenekoff, only lOOboUuschickie were obtained in 1836, the remainder of the catch for this year being pups. Bryant, also according to native evidence, gives the date of this destruction of seals as 1842. (AUen, Monograph of North American Pinnipeds, p. 388.) 801. 1842. First- year of third term of Eussian American Company. Bancroft states that a system of "alternation" in hunting grounds was adopted, which, in the case of the Pribyloff Islands, led to great increase of numbers of seals. (Bancroft's Works, vol. xxxiii, p. 582.) 802. 1842 to 1861 (inclusive). The Bussian American Company's shipments showed a heavy decrease in fur-seal (and other) skins, as compared with the preceding period of twenty years. This is mainly attributed to the encroachment of foreign traders—particularly American whalers. (Bancroft's Works, vol. xxxiii, p. 582.) 803. 1845. The great importance of never disturbing the breeding seals was first recognized in this year. (Census Beport, p. 143.) 804. 1847. Up to this date males and females had been killed indiscriminately for skins; thereafter only males were killed. (Census Eeport, p. 49.) 8()5. 1802 to 1867 (both inclusive). Interregnum on.Pribyloff Islands | following the close of the Eussian American Company's third term. 806. 1862. Techmainoff says, referring to this year: " In earlier times more (seal-skins) were taken than in the later; at present there are taken from the Island of St. Paul 10,000 annually, without diminishing the number for future killing; on St. George, 6,000." (Quoted by Elliott. Census Beport, p. 163.) 807. 1867. Bryant speaks of the judicious administration and 136 gradual increase of seal life on the islands under the Bussian rule for many years previous to this date. In the spring of 1867, however, the Bussians, knowing that the islands were about to be surrendered to the United States, took a much increased number of seals, amounting to 75,000. (Monograph of North American Pinnipeds, p. 389.) 808. 1868. Following the cession of Alaska to the United States in 1867 a period of lawlessness ensued on the Pribyloff Islands, and in 1868 a very great number of seals was killed. The number so killed in this year is estimated- at 242,000 by Elliott; at 250,000 by Bryant. Eival Companies were at work, and the kiUing appears to have gone on without count, list, or supervision. In the autumn of this year, however, Congress passed a special Besolution, prohibiting the killing of seals until further action of Congress. (Census Beport, p. 25.) Bryant states that, previous to 1868, the selection of seals killed had, under the Eussian regime, been left to the natives, and that most of those killed were under 3 years of age, including many yearlings. The killing being from this more numerous class plenty of males were left to reach maturity, and the rookeries were well supplied with active males. The males of aU ages not engaged in actual breeding were about equal in number to the combined totals of beachmasters and females so engaged. Of these excluded males about 30 per cent, were virile, and there was thus one efficient male to every three or four females, or about three times as many as actually required. As a consequence, all females were served before the 10th August. (Monograph of North American Pinnipeds, pp. 390,398, &c.) ! *£. *& [Messrs. D: Webster and T. F. Morgan were on the island in this year. They informed us that the seals were clubbed then as now, firearms being used only in self-defence among the rival sealers. The kUl- 200 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. ing was directed to young males, but about 40,000 females were killed iuadvertently. The limit to the number killed was reached only when salt was exhausted. Seals were more abundant at this time than ever since. It also appears that the numbers above quoted as representing seals killed in this year do not include St. George Island, where some 30,000 skins are supposed to have been taken.] 809. 1869. Practically indiscriminate killing appears to have continued in this year, though it is stated that seals were taken only for the subsistence of the natives, and under direction of the Treasury Department. (Census Beport, p. 25.) The gentlemen in charge do not seem to have known the number of seals actually killed. Agent Wicker stated that 150,000 skins had been taken on the two islands. Bryant states that this was impossible, as when he left the islands in August only 16,000 skins had been obtained. Mclntyre says that, under the orders given by him, 42,317 seals were to be killed for food on the two islands. Major-General Thomas afterwards ordered that as many seals as should be required for native food be killed. (United States Senate, Ex. Doc. No. 32,41st Congress, 2nd Session, pp. 24,37.) In consequence of this slaughter in 1868-69, seals are reported to have " disappeared rapidly from the Pribyloff Islands, but two or three years later began to return in vast numbers" (Bancroft's works, vol. I xxxiii, p. 638). Coincidently with this, Bryant states that fur-seals were very abundant along the coasts of Oregon, Washington Territory, and British Columbia as compared with former years (Monograph of North American Pinnipeds, p. 332). Bryant estimated the total number of seals on the islands at this date at 3,230,000. (Monograph of North American Pinnipeds, pp. 390,392.) Mclntyre, Government Agent, after stating that for some years succeeding the discovery of the Pribyloff Islands 100,000 skins were annually taken by the Eussians, adds, " But this it seems was too large a number, for the decrease in the yearly return was constant until 1842, when they had become nearly extinct. In 1858, 31,800 were taken, which was the largest catch in any one year until 1867, when, as I am informed, 80,000 or 100,000 were secured. From the most careful computation I have been able to make, I am of the opinion that no more than 100,000 can be taken annually without incurring the risk of again diminishing the yearly production." (United States Senate, Ex. Doc. No. 32,41st Congress, 2nd Session.) The Alaska Commercial Company was incorporated in this year. 810. 1870. The general conditions of seal life on the islands remained as described above (under 1868), according to Bryant. An Act was passed by Congress providing that seals should be killed on the Pribyloff Islands only during the months of June, July, September, and October, that killing should be confined to males, and that the number killed for skins in each year should not exceed 75,000 on St. Paul and 25,000 on St. George. Eespeeting the number thus fixed, Dall says: "It is probable that 100,000 might be safely kiUed," but suggests that the number should be increased or diminished as experience proved to be necessary. (Alaska and its Eesources, pp. 496,497.) 137 This was the Alaska Commercial Company's first year of lease of the islands, but no fuU control was achieved till 1871. Bryant states that in this year the natives, to purchase supplies and for their own food, killed 85,000, mostly 1- and 2-year-old seals. (Monograph of North American Pinnipeds, p. 398.) REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSK 811. 18Y1. it was discovered that the skins of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old . seals were most in demand, and the killing was changed to suit this demand; but no material change was observed in the habits of the seals. (Monograph of North American Pinnipeds, p. 392.1 Brvant else- Congress, 1st Session, p. 65.) 812. 1872. The killing was directed as far as possible to seals from 4 to 6 years old, and some of 7 years old were kiUed. This, taken in con- not actually on the breeding grounds, but doing duty along 1 j 5 per c annually. (Bryant in Monograph of North American Pinnipeds.) Lieutenant Maynard, accepting the method of estimating the seals advocated by Elliott, makes the whole number iu this year nearly oV000,000. (House of Bepresentatives, Ex. Doc. No. 43,44th Congress, 1st Session, p. 5.) Elliott estimated that the seals on St. George Island were only one-eighteenth of the whole number, or, as compared with those on St. Paul, as 1 to 17. (Census Report, p. 157.) [Mr. Dirks stated to us that in this year it seemed as if the killing of 100,000 seals annually could not injuriously affect the rookeries.] In this year Captain Lewis, of the Hudson's Bay Company, reported very great and entirely unprecedented number of seals off Vancouver Island and the entrance to Fuca Strait, chiefly grey pups and yearlings. (Elliott. Census Beport, p. 166.) This appears to have been in connection with the change in habits observed on the rookeries in the following summer. 813. 1873. It was now found that the 3-year-old seals afforded the best marketable skins, and the kiUing was directed to those. The "reserves" became reduced to half their former number, and each beach- master had on the average fifteen females. When the rookeries broke up at the close of the breeding season, the females Ungered instead of leaving them as before. In September and October a few young were born, showing that some females had not been served at the proper time in 1872. The females were still increasing 5 per cent, annually in number. (Bryant in Monograph of North American Pinnipeds.) 814. 1874. The condition of seal Ufe remained about the same as in 1873. The " reserves" were in about the same numbers, but contained more young as compared with fully mature males. The females appeared in similar number, and, on the whole, there was an evident improvement in the condition of the rookeries. (Bryant in Monograph of North American Pinnipeds.) An Act of Congress, approved March 1874, authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to rearrange the proportion of catch to be taken from St. Paul and St. George respectively, and to designate the months of killing. Under this provision, the time of kiUing was extended to include the first half of the month of August. (Bancrofts Works, vol. xxxiii, p. 638.) 815. In 1874, Lieutenant W. Maynard, U. S. N., investigated the conditions of seal life ou the Pribyloff Islands as Special Government A gent. He recommended that enlarged copies of maps of the breeding grounds should be furnished to the agents in charge of the islands, 202 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. who should be required to compare these each year with the respective breeding rookeries. "This, if carefully done, will afford data, after a time, by which the fisheries can be regulated with comparative certainty." Eespecting the number of seals killed, he says: "Since 1870 there have been killed on both islands, in round numbers, 112,000 young male seals each year. Whether this slaughter has prevented the seals from increasing in number or not, and, if so, to what extent, can only be deduced from their past history, which, unfortunately, is imperfectly known." He is inclined to think that no decrease had occurred between 1872 and 1874, but states that the period was too short to decide whether the killin g was excessive. He adds j " The number now kiUed annually is entirely experimental, and we have nothing to start from as a basis." Maynard further states that the number of bulls in this year was not more than one-tenth that of the females. (House of Bepresentatives, Ex. Doc. No. 43, 44th Congress, 1st Session, pp. 5, 6.) 138 [Mr. D. Webster states that the skins taken in 1874 and 1875 ranged in weight from 6 lbs. to 11 lbs.] Elliott believes that the number of seals did not materially alter in the twelve or fifteen years previous to 1874. He estimated the number of breeding seals on the islands at 3,193,420, the whole number of seals on the islands at 4,700,000. (Census Eeport, pp. 57-67.) 816. 1875. The killing was this year confined to seals less than 5 years old, and more 2-year-olds were taken than in any year since 1870. This left a large number of males to mature. Many young were, however, born as late as August. (Bryant in Monograph of North American Pinnipeds.) In his official Eeport for this year, Bryant protests against the killing of pups for food, characterizing it as " a great waste," and adding, " I can find no precedent for this previous to the transfer of the island .to the United States, only that the former Bussian Fur Company allowed, as an extra indulgence to the natives, after the close of the season's sealing, to take 500 of these young seals for feasting." (House of Bepresentatives, Ex. Doc. No. 83,44th Congress, 2nd Session, p. 174.) Bryant also states in the same Eeport (p. 175) that a residence of seven successive seasons on the islands had convinced him that the killing of 100,000 annually did not leave a sufficient number of males to mature for the wants of the increase in the number of females. He explains his reasons for this in some detail. 817. 1876. No marked change in the conditions this year, but many females landed to bring forth their young after the 20th July. A heavy gale with snow occurred on the 30th October, driving seals into the water, from which only a small number returned, many pups being lost. Bryant anticipates that the result of this loss wiU appear in 1880, when the pups should reach maturity. The decrease in breeding males, consequent on excessive slaughter of 1868 and 1869, was in this year greatest. (Bryant in Monograph of North American Pinnipeds, p. 399.) Bryant again states that he believes the number 100,000 fixed for killing to have been too high, and that in his report he had recommended that it be reduced. by 15,000. (House of Bepresentatives, Ex. Doc. No. 623, 44th Congress, 1st Session, Beport on Alaska Commercial Company, p. 99.) John F. Miller, President of Board of Directors of Alaska Commercial Company, says: "Our agents report a very considerable increase in the number of females since 1871. We cannot tell that there is much increase in the number of males." (Eeport on the Alaska Commercial Company, p. 41.) REPORT 818. 1877. in the numb( 1,800,000 br (Monograph Bryant stal eeding seals of North A BRITISH COMMISSIO „_eds,p.410.) 819. 1878. [Mr. D. Webster informed us that he did not observe much decrease in the number of seals till this year.] 820. 1879. [From evidence obtained by us, it appears that in this year it became necessary to extend the area of driving for the first time, so as to include Polovina and Tolstoi rookeries, and that the salt- house near Polovina was built at or about this time.1 821. 1880. The number of seals on the Pribyloff Islands is said to have been greater than ever before, the increase being particularly observable in young seals.' (Cruise of the "Corwin" in 1880, p. 55.) Colonel J. Murray dates the beginning of a steady decrease of seals from this year. (Senate, Ex. Doc. No. 49,51st Congress, 2nd Session.) 822. 1881. ElUott, in his report printed in this year, strongly protests against the unnecessary slaughter of pups for food purposes. He states in the same report that the breeding rookeries have been gradually increasing since 1857. (Census Eeport, pp. 119,170.) W. B. Taylor, Assistant Agent of Treasury Department on St. Paul in 1881, says that according to information received from those who had been a number of years on the Island of St. George, there were as many seals there as ever. (Ex. Doc. No. 3883; 50th Congress, 2nd Session, Fur-seal Fisheries of Alaska, p. 44.) 823. 1882. Dr. H. H. Mclntyre, after June 1870 Superintendent of the Seal Fisheries of Alaska for the lessees, states that since 1870 the number of seals on the Pribyloff Islands has increased every year. (Fur-seal Fisheries of Alaska, p. 116.) Speaking in 1888 (see under, 1888), he, however, places the beginning of decrease in this year. The same gentleman reports that at this time the desired number of large skins could no longer be obtained. (Fur-seal Fisheries of Alaska, p. 118.) Mr. G. Wardman's statement, however, respecting the number 139 of " killables" on St. George Island indicates a decrease in the number of this class as between 1881 and 1882. (Fur-seal Fisheries of Alaska, p. 39.) [Natives on St. Paul Island informed us that they noticed seals to be "a year.] iecial Agent of the Treasury Depart- n 1877 to 1885, says that between inks, an increase in the number of lr-seal Fisheries of Alaska, p. 255.) ormed us that from 1874 to 1884 he thought the seals increased." He noticed a decrease in 1884, accompanied with an irregularity in habits.] 826. 1885. Jacob H. Moulton states that between 1883 and this year there was no increase of seals on the islands. (Fur-seal Fisheries of Alaska, p. 255.) H. A. Gliddon, Agent of the Treasury Department on the Pribyloff Islands from 18S2 to 1885, says that from 1882 to 1885 no change in the number of seals on St. Paul was noticed, but they vary in different years, especially on St. George. (Fur-seal Fisheries of Alaska, p. 27.) 827. 1886. George E. Tingll, Treasury Agent on the Pribyloff Islands, states that a frequent inspection of the rookeries on the islands showed _ decided increase in the number of cows, with an ample supply of bulls. markedly rec luced in num 824. 1883. Jacob H. Mc ment on the Pribyloff Isl 1877 and this year there ^ seals ou the Pribyloff Isla 825. 1884. [Mr. T. F. Mc (" Fur-seal Fisheries of Alaska. 204 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 828. 1886-87. George H. Tingle, using Elliott's method of estimating the seals, makes the number on the Pribyloff Islands 6,357,750. He states, however, that he considers this result too great by about one- fourth, which reduces his estimate to about 4,768,300. (Fur-seal Fisheries of Alaska, p. 177.) [From information obtained on the islands", it appears that the reduction in average weight of skins taken was well recognized in these two years.] 829. 1887. [Mr. T. F. Morgan told us that he noticed a marked decrease in this year. In this or the preceding year, according to Mr. J. C. Eedpath, the standard weight of skins was lowered to enable the Company to complete its quota.] 830.1888. Dr. H. H. Mclntyre, Superintendent for Alaska Commercial Company at the time on the islands, states that the number of seals has decreased since 1882; that the rookeries do not produce enough to bear the killing of " 100,000 by marauders in addition to the 100,000 killed lawfully." He recpmmends that the permission accorded to natives of killing seal pups for food should be rescinded, and, speaking particularly of 1888, says: | There are at present, in my opinion, too few bull seals to keep the rookeries up to their best condition." He adds, further, that the size of skins ruled still smaller than in 1883. (Fur-seal Fisheries of Alaska, pp. 116, 117, 127,132.) In the same year T. F. Morgan, in the employment of the Alaska Commercial Company, says that there had been a large increase in the number of seals on the islands since 1868, and also since 1874. The breeding rookeries occupied more territory. S. M. Biiynitsky, Special Treasury Agent on Pribyloff Islands in 1870, states that there may be 3,000,000 or 7,000,000 seals on the islands; no estimate can be made within 1,000,000 or so of the actual number. George Wardman, Treasury Agent on Pribyloff Islands from 1881 to 1885, estimates that the seals on St. George numbered 165,000 at most. He thinks that the number of seals has been over-estimated. (Fur-seal Fisheries of Alaska, pp. 12, 39,69.) [In this year, according to Mr. D. Webster, the standard weight of skins was lowered from 6 lbs. to 5 lbs. and to 4J lbs., because of scarcity of 6-lb. skins. Thus, all males from 2 to 5 years old became, and thereafter continued to be, accounted kUlable.] 831. 1889. Last year of lease of Alaska Commercial Company. [To complete the catch in this year, we ascertain that some 40,000 very small skins were taken, including even yearUngs.] 832. 1890. First year of control of North American Commercial Company, under new lease. Colonel J. Murray, First Assistant Government Agent, reports that the seals on the Pribyloff Islands have been steadily decreasing since 1880, and attributes this to the excessive slaughter of males 2 to 5 years old. Mr. Goff states that no 2-year-old seals brought to the killing grounds were turned away in this year. (Senate, Ex. Doc. 49, 51st Congress, 2nd Session.) Elliott estimates the number of seals on the islands in this year at 959,393. He attributes the decrease in number of seals to: 1. Over-driving on the islands, begun in 1879, dropped till 1882, and then suddenly renewed and continued to date. 140 2. To pelagic sealing, which, according to him, was begun as a business in 1886, and carried on to date. (Parliamentary Paper London, June 1891, p. 53.) I REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 205 The bearing females on the rookeries are estimated at 350,000, but it is stated that there are also 250,000 not bearing, and not served in 1889 or 1890, owing to dearth of virile males. He states that the condition of seal life on the islands is like that which occurred in 1834 under the Bussian regime. George E. Tingle, now in charge of the islands for the North American Commercial Company, states that late in this season there was a marked increase in the arrival of seals on the islands. (Ex. Doc. No. 49, 51st Congress, 2nd Session, Exhibit P.) A. W. Lavender, Assistant Treasury Agent, notes that large schools of killer whales were about the islands in October, destroying great numbers of pups. (Ex. Doc. No. 49, 51st Congress, 2nd Session.) 833. 1891. [The result of our investigations and evidence obtained elsewhere detaUed shows that the rookeries were this season in better condition than in 1890.] VII.—The Fur-seal Fishery in the Southern Hemisphere. 834. In dealing with the question of the preservation of the valuable fur seal iu the North Pacific Ocean, it is desirable to utilize all the experience that may be obtained in regard to the treatment of the fur- seal in other parts of the world, and the records of these seal fisheries are peculiarly abundant. 835. There are several varieties of seal which have been taken in large numbers south of the Equator which yield that particular close fur so valued in commerce. The three chief varieties are respectively known as the Otaria Australis {== Otaria Falklandica, Arctocephalus Australis, Arctocephalus Falklandicus), of the South American coasts; the Otaria Pusilla (=Arctocephalus Antarcticus) of the South African coasts; and the Otaria Fosteri (=Arctocephalus cinereus, Euotaria cin- erea) of the Australasian coasts. But there is much variety in nomenclature, ever since the fur-seal on Amsterdam Island were described as the Phoca Ursinus in 1770. Professor Flower, the Director of the Natural History Department of the British Museum, has kindly sent us a Memorandum (Appendix D), descriptive of these differentiations. The southern fur-seals differ specifically, and according to some naturalists genetically, from those in the Northern Hemisphere. The fur-seal north of the Equator differs in structural character, and especially in the form of the fore part of the skull, from all seals found south of the Equator. 836. But their habits and manner of life are practically identical, and there are certain conditions common to the presence of all these varieties. For breeding purposes they need rocks in close proximity to the sea, where fogs are frequent. For feeding purposes they require a wide range of ocean, yielding small fish, and squid. For temperature, they. prefer temperate and even sub-tropical latitudes, and rarely if ever approach the zone of ice. Ever since the first navigators from Europe entered those seas the fur-seal was found all over the great Southern Ocean in very great abundance from the Galapagos Islands, under the Equator, in the Pacific, the Islands of St. Paul and Amsterdam in the Indian Ocean, and along the shores of Africa and America to the southward of the paralM of 20° south latitude in the Atlantic away south to the groups of islands in 60° and 63° south latitude. But their continued existence in such habitats depends on their not being destroyed or disturbed by man, murrains, or predacious animals. J r 206 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 837. In the North 'Atlantic at the present day there exists no known species of the fur-seal, although fossil remains indicate their existence in the tertiary period. 838. Extensive sealing operations were conducted in the South Seas about the close of the last century and the first part of the present century. For all this period there are extant many of the actual logs and journals of those engaged in the pursuit. These " sealers" of the South Seas hailed for the most part from British ports or from those on the east coast of North America, and very considerable profits accrued, although the work was of a particularly arduous and venturesome character. 839. It is noteworthy, however, that South Sea sealing,as agreatindus- try, undoubtedly had its origin in the closing of the fur trade of the North Pacific to English traders and sealers when the Bussians prevailed on China, at that time the one chief market for such furs, to close her 141 ports absolutely against all furs brought across the Pacific from the islands and coasts of North America, the monopoly of the whole trade being accorded to the Bussians at their great mart of Kiat- cha, on the Amoor. Englishmen had become convinced of the great value of the China fur trade, and this policy of restriction on the part of the Eussians at once turned maritime enterprise to the South Seas for the necessary supply of furs, and in a very few years made secure the footing of theEnglish and Americans in the China and other markets. 840. At a very early period, the English were already endeavouring to collect fur-seal skins for the China market in the seas known to their regular East India traders. Thus in February 1773, when the vessels conveying Lord Macartney to China called at the Islands of Amsterdam and St. Paul, in the Southern Indian Ocean, in latitude 39° south, they found a sealing party there engaged in carrying out a contract to supply 25,000 skins of the Phoea Ursina for the Canton market. The description sent home was as follows: The seals are found here in greater numbers in the summer than in the winter . . . . In the summer months they come ashore, sometimes in droves of 800 to 4,000 at a time, out of which about 100 are destroyed, that number being about as many as five men can peg down to dry in the course of the day In general they are not shy Most of those that come ashore are females, in the proportion of thirty to one male. Whether in these animals nature has fixed on such apparent disproportion between the sexes, or whether, while the females have occasion to seek the shore, the males continue in the deep, has not hitherto been observed by observations here.* In 1789 the Island of Amsterdam was visited by Captain Cox, of the "Mercury," who reported as follows: " On our first landing we found the shore covered with such a multitude of seals that we were obliged to disperse them before we could get out of the boat We procured here 1,000 skins of very superior quality." t 841. Theseal-skin for long found its chief market in China and Eussia, where it became a coveted and fashionable fur, but its gradual introduction into Europe and America dates from the time when South Sea sealing was first taken in hand as a regular industry. It has been calculated that from first to last not less than 17,000,000 skins were thus placed in the market, and without doubt it was the threatened faUure of this enormous supply from the south which about the year 1840 led the Eussians, British, and. Americans to pay special attention to the supply of fur-seals known to exist in the North Pacific Ocean. «J,G,\w-°lark<>n Eared Seals.—"Proceedingsof the Zoological Society of London, 1875," p. 652. . _*, / tlbid.,p.651. fc^, A\0J REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 207 842. The conditions in the South Seas differed categoricaUy from those now prevailing in the North Pacific. The various islands resorted to as breeding places by the fur-seal were not only absolutely uninhabited by man, but were also at the time in the political category of " no- man's-land." As a consequence there was no possibility of instituting any regulation of methods of slaughter, restrictions of numbers or kinds taken, or any limitation of place or season. 843. There were practically no natives (as on the west coast of North America) to lead the way in pelagic sealing. The method of slaughter universally adopted was precisely that of the White raiders of the North Pacific. No labour or effort was wasted in any endeavours to capture or kill the seal at sea. The simple method was invariably adopted of establishing parties of men on all likely beaches, camped in wooden huts or under canvas, and engaged in slaughtering and skinning all the seals that landed, without distinction of age, size, or sex. Captain Weddel pithily writes of the killing in the South Shetlands in 1821-22: | Whenever a seal reaches the beach, of whatever denomination, he was immediately killed and his skin taken; and by this means, at the end of the second year, the animals became nearly extinct. A vessel of from 200 to 400 tons brought out from the home port the men and camping equipment. She would land parties on various beaches, and then would be herself safely moored in some handy harbour. Boats, and even tenders of 30 and 40 tons, would travel between this vessel and the various islands until the season's fishery was over. Occasionally the work of destruction was more expeditiously performed when the barge or brig carrying such landing parties came upon a large rookery already well filled out with seals, for then the whole work of the cruize would be accomplished in a few days." Such sealing parties were found at work by several exploring expeditions, as, for instance, by Her Majesty's ships " Erebus" and " Terror." 844. The more detailed records of these South Sea adventurers yield many points of interest, and it may be well to quote from the earlier descriptions of the fur-seal as indicating how rapidly so valuable a fur secured the notice of the early adventurers, and how speedily their successors brought about the commercial extermination of the seal. 142 845. In the sixteenth century, Sir Francis Drake, the first Englishman who penetrated to the South Seas, frequently reports the presence and comments on the peculiarities of seals. These formed indeed a chief source for the supply of fresh meat. On his great voyage of circumnavigation in 1577-78, seals were taken in the Bio de la Plata, and again in latitude 47° 30', at an anchorage eventually named Seal Bay; about the middle of the month of May seals were found so plentiful that 200 were slaughtered in one hour.* In the same neighbourhood some years later, in December 1586, Cavendish reports in detaU on the seals found in a bay he named Port Desire.t 846. In the observations of Sir Bichard Hawkins on his "Voyage into the South Sea" in 1593, we read, in his notes made in the Straits of Magellan: " Of Seals or Sea-Wolves—One day, having ended our hunting of penguins, one of our mariners, walking about the island, discovered a great company of seales or sea-wolves (so called for that they are in the sea as the wolves on the land), advising us that he left them sleeping with their beUies tosting against the sunne. Wee provided ourselves with staves and other weapons and sought to steal upon them at unawares to surprise some of them, and coming down the » "Hakluyt," vol. iii, p. 733. tlbid., p. 804-5. 208 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. side of a hill we were not discovered till we were close upon them; notwithstanding their sentinell, before we could approach, with a great howle waked them, wee got between .the sea and some of them, but they shunned us not, for they came directly upon us, and though we dealt here and there a blow, yet not a man that withstood them escaped the overthrow. They reckon not of a musket shot, a sword pierceth not their skinne, and" to give a blow with a staffe is as to smite upon a stone; only in giving a blow upon his snowt presently he falleth down dead. " After they had recovered the water they did as it were scorne us, defie us, and danced before us untill we had shot some musket shott through them, and so they appeared no more. " This fish is like unto a calfe, with four legs, but not above aspanne long; his skinne is heyre like a calfe, but these were different to all that I have ever seene, yet I have seene of them in many parts, for these were greater and in their former parts like unto lyons, with shaggy heyre and mostaches. "They live in the sea, and come to sleepe on the land, and they ever have 6ne that watcheth, who adviseth them of any accident. "They are beneficiall to man in their skinnes for many purposes; in their mostaches for pick-tooths, and in their fatt to make traine-oyle. This may suffice for the seale, for that he is well known." 847. In the seventeenth century these notices still continue frequent. Thus Henry Brewer landing at Valentine Bay on the 9th March, 1642, writes: "Saw among the rocks several sea lions and sea dogs, about the bigness of a good European calf; some of a greyish, some of a brownish colour, making a noise not unUke our sheep." 848. Dampier, in 1683, gives the following very full general description of seals :* The seals are sort of creatures pretty well known, yet it may not be amiss to describe them. They are as big as calves; the head of them like a dog, therefore called by the Dutch, the "sea hounds " Under each shoulder grows a long thick fin; these serve them to swim with when in the sea, and are instead of legs to them when on the land, for raising their bodies up on end by the help of their fins or stumps, and so having their tail parts drawn close under them, they rebound as it were, and throw their bodies forward, drawing their hinder parts after them, and then again rising up and springing forward with their fore parts alternately, they lie tumbling thus up and down all the while they are moving on land. From their shoulders to their tails they grow tapering like fish, and have two small fins on each side the rump, which is commonly covered with their fins. These fins serve instead of a tail in the sea, and on land they sit on them when they give suck to their young. Their hair is of divers colours, as black, grey, dun, spotted, looking very sleek and pleasant when they come first out of the sea. For these at John Fernando have fine short fur, the like I have not taken notice of anywhere but in these seas. Here are always thousands, I might say possibly millions, of them, either sitting on the bays, or going and coming in the sea round the island, which is covered with them (as they lie at the top of the water playing and sunning themselves) for a mile or two from the shore. When they come out of the sea they bleat like sheep for their young, and though they pass through hundreds of other's young ones before they come to their own, yet they will not suffer any of them to suck. The young ones are like puppies, and lie much ashore, but when beaten by any of us, they, as well as the old 143 ones, will make toward the sea, and swim very swift and nimble, though on shore they lie very sluggishly, and will not go out of our ways unless we beat them, but snap at us. A blow on the nose soon kills them. Large ships might here I and trane oyle, for they are extraordinarily fat. s in hot climates. 849. In the British Museum are kept the admirably written MSS. oi certain other voyagers, and in that relating the experiences of Captian Strong in the "Welfare," in 1689, the writer, named Simson, states that * " Dampiert Voyages," vol. i, p. 89. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 209 on the 12th September, at the Island of Juan Fernandez, "We went on shore, but could hardly sett a foot down, the seals lay so thick on the place. Besides we saw a great number of sea-lyons, not unlike other lyons in countenance, colour, and fierceness. They had no ffeet but ffins.. "As for the seals they were of a dark colour and grissled, but under the long pile there was couched a fur of an incomparable fineness, that if it could be felt it would answer aU ye ends of beaver furr, wherefore a great many of their skins were brought to England." This is probably one of the earliest accounts of the commercial value of the fur-seal skins. 850. In the eighteenth century navigators continue to report the abundance of seals. Thus Captain Wood Sogers, taking Alexander Selkirk off the Island of Juan Fernandez in 1709, records a lengthy description of the fur-seal seen there at that date.* 851. The amount of information at this period extant on the fur-seal is weU emphasized by Chaplain Eichard Walter, of Lord Anson's flagship which refitted at Juan Fernandez from June to September 1740. This chaplain gives a very full and elaborate account of aU the natural features of the islands and of their Fauna and Flora, but he dismisses seals in the single sentence: "The seal, numbers of which haunt this island, hath been so often mentioned by former writers that it is unnecessary to say anything particular about them in this place." 852. Captain Carteret, writing of Masafuera in 1767, says: "The seals were so numerous that I verily think if many thousands were killed in a night they would not be missed in the morning; we were obUged to kill a noted number of them as, when we walked the shore they were continually running against us, making at the same time a most terrible noise. These animals-yield excellent train oil, and their hearts and plucks were very good eating, being in taste something like those of a hog, and their skins were covered with the finest fur I ever saw of the kind." 853. Captain Cook, in his official Eeport of the voyage of the "Eesolution" in 1771, caUing attention to the great number of fur-seal on New Georgia, is generally credited with being first to direct the attention of the English adventurers to the commercial advantages of South Sea ■ sealing. But before this period, and probably following on the suggestions made as early as 1690, Englishmen were already at work on this new harvest of the sea. Thus, when Bucareli, the Spanish Governor at Buenos Ayres, sought to recover the Falkland Islands for Spain in 1770, his first task was to forcibly eject from their established port and station the "English sealers" at port Egmont, an act for which Spain afterwards made full restitution. 854. Before the end of the eighteenth century sealing in the South Seas had assumed very extensive dimensions. Not only were the furs regarded as of great value, but the oil, technically known at the time as " train-oil," assumed an important commercial position. Attention seems to have been first directed to the islands and coasts of South America. We hear of no less a number than 1,000,000 skins being taken to Canton, from the neighbourhood of Masafuera in one year, in 1798 whUe before the seals were exterminated oh that one island in 1807! no less than 3,500,000 skins had been taken. 855. All along the coast of Chile and Peru, even as far north as the Islands of St. Felix and on the Galapagos group, seals were hunted. 'Kerr's "Voyages," voL xi. B S, PT VI 14 210 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. By the end of the century there were not less than thirty New England vessels so employed on that coast. Meanwhile, in 1783, Dame Haley, of Boston, had sent a 1,000 tons ship, the "States," down to the Falkland Islands, where she procured a cargo of 13,000 skins of fur-seal which were sold in Boston at 50 cents apiece, shipped to Calcutta, where under the name of " sea-otter" they were sold for 2 dollars, and eventuaUy reaching Canton, where they fetched 5 dollars per skin. 856. The methods of slaughter involved rapid extirpation in any given breeding place, and sealers came to be perpetually discovering and exhausting in succession every place to which seal resorted. 144 The islands around South America, Tristan d'Acunha, the South Orkneys, South Georgia, and Sandwich Land, were aU in turn discovered, and hundreds of thousands of skins taken from each for a long series of years. Thirty vessels—eighteen being under the American, ten under the English, and two under the Eussian flag, in the three years 1819-22, took more than 600,000 seals from the South Shetland group, completely exhausting the seal race there for the time. 857. Sealing-vessels had as early as 1790 crossed the Atlantic and worked up the coast of Western Africa as far as 20° north latitude, obtaining many seals. Others worked steadily along the open sea to the south, successively landing upon the various groups of islands— Bouvet and Lindsay, Marian, and Prince Edward, the Crozets, Kerguelen, and MacDonald. Yet further to the eastward, seals were obtained on the following islands: Eoyal Company, Emerald, Antipodes, Campbell, Macquarie, Auckland, and Bounty, whUe one vessel reported in Sydney a catch of 40,000 from the Fiji Islands, probably a locality named to shroud the real kUling place. 858. At this period, and especially from 1810-20, there sprung up a very large transhipment trade in fur-seal skins in the new port of Sydney, reaching hundreds of thousands in five years. Enterprising men chiefly on the Eeports of Vancouver and Cook had already found .their way to the coasts of "New Holland," and away round the islands of New Zealand. Bass had reported the reefs off Cape Barren Island, off the north coast of Tasmania, "covered with fur-seal of great beauty." Cook had found seals in great numbers on the rocks in Dusky Bay in New Zealand in 1773. 859. But the severe process universally adopted speedily exhausted the different rookeries, and by the year 1830 we meet with strenuous complaints that all the known kUling grounds were depleted, and that new grounds must be discovered. Fanning and others pointed out, however, the significant fact that vast numbers of seals were still to be seen cruizing about at sea, a remark of special and new significance to the owners of the North Pacific rookeries in 1892. 860. It is a matter of some difficulty to estimate the total number of seals taken in the South Seas during the period of the excessive energy of the great sealing industry. But there are actual records which, added together, bring the acknowledged total to more than 16,000,000. These seals were taken from about thirty different island groups or coast districts on the mainland, and they were all taken by the one method of indiscriminate slaughter on shore. It is probable that this wholesale slaughter did not extend over more than seventy years, but it is certain that-at the end of the period the fur-seals were so terribly reduced in numbers that even the sixty years of subsequent rest and total cessation of kiUing have not sufficed to bring about anv effectual restoration of the numbers of years gone by RE] SH COMMISSIONERS. 211 861. Pacific seal be Fron fitfully Equa i thai lly val ughtei seldoi uable for th bo the t •eatment of the seals in th r of sealing in the South Sea m on the breeding islands al rmination of the once abunc i-ty years sealing was carried oss, writing of Kerguelen 1 'North on bat 1840, s of seal ber of comple descrip these o Id-tin 'Of m nnihU. of th< ,ted." J meth Majes AU othc ty's ship ;he furs he sea-elephant and several eal in 1832^34, and contribi species vebeen peak in 862. It is instructive to notice, however, that in later years, as civilized nations began to assert sovereignty over these wUd shores, so did they claim the right to the seals and to control the breeding places. Augustus EarJe, who has published an interesting account of Tristan d'Acunha iu the year 1834, thus recounts the experience of one of the fence of her occupation being unlawful, and her crew (for whom Eich- ard had the honour of cooking) were lodged in durance vile, and 145 the only chance they had of escaping from perpetual imprisonment was by entering the Republican army." 863. All accounts speak of change in the habits of the fur-seal. In Tristan d'Acunha they are described as having deserted the open beaches and taken to haunting caves and ledges inaccessible to man. On the Auckland group they now resort to the beaches and ledges below the steep cliffs on the western shores, where the perpetual heavy surf renders it impracticable for man to land. But on some islands, as on Adam's Island, the sealers have made roadways for themselves over the rocks and ice of the interior down on to these beaches. This is, however, not always practicable, and it is said that under the protec- plentiful on MacDonald's Island, one of the Kerguelen group. 864. A traveller, Mr. Chapman, visiting Adam's Island in 1889, writes: " We landed at the cave where the seal huts are. . . . These sealers make an easy road across the island, and when they arrive at the cliffs at the other side, lower some of their number to the ledges and caves where they slaughter seals. The slayers and the skins are then nearly exterminated." 865. The naturalists on the "Challenger" frequently observed fnr- seal in 1873-74. Of Nightingale Island it is reported: "The caves, but the island was visited regularly once a-year by the Tristan people. J 212 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. The Germans killed only seven seals at Inaccessible Island during then- stay, but the Tristan people killed forty in December 1872."* 866. Of the Crozet Island the report was: "The islands are frequented by elephant- and fur-seals, although they are not so plentiful as formerly The flesh of the seals and birds, the eggs of the latter, together with, the Kerguelen cabbage, form a nourishing diet on which the sealers residing at times on one or other of the islands have usually lived." 867. Of Kerguelen Island it is said: " Two of the whaling schooners killed over seventy fur-seals on one day, and upwards of twenty on another It is a pity that some discretion is not used in killing the animals." 868. Another entry tells us of the Messier Channel: "The steam- pinnace left Gray Harbour at 4 A. m. with several naturalists and officers, and joined the ship in the evening at Port Grappler" (in January 1876). " On the way landing was effected at several spots, and a number of birds were procured; a very large number of fur-seals (Arctocephalus) were seen, and six were shot, the skins and skeletons of which were preserved." 869. In regard to Australia, Sir F. McCoy, kindly supplying us with information from the National Museum, Melbourne, states of the Euo- taria cinerea: " The decline or destruction of the fishery is certainly attributable to the indiscriminate slaughter of the seals on the few islands off the south coast, especially in Western Port, where the old males and gravid females resorted in the summer to bring forth and tend the young. .... The fur-seal fishery was conducted simply by manning a boat suitable for landing on the islands, the landing usually taking place at night, and then the seals were killed indiscriminately by clubbing them on the nose with large sticks The Australian fur-seals were never fished for in the open ocean." 870. Thus, over all these forty years, vessels, most of them under the United States flag, have continued to haunt the breeding places of the fur-seal in the South Seas for the purpose of killing all that could be killed, regardless of sex or condition. The records show that the number of vessels fitting out in New England ports for this fishery averaged since 1840 from six to ten or twelve ■ each year. 871. At the time of the revival of sealing in the North Pacific in 1867 and following years, several more vessels were dispatched to the South Seas and very considerable catches were made, although not in numbers at all comparable to those of the old days. Nevertheless, vessels returned with cargoes of 1,000,1,600, and even 2,700 choice skins. 872. A summary and authoritative account of what occurred was given in 1889 by the Honourable C. A. Williams, of Connecticut, before the House of Bepresentatives: "People who had been previously engaged in the sealing business revisited these southern localities after a lapse of nearly fifty years, and no seals were found on the Island of Desolation The Island of South Shetland, and the Island of South Georgia, and the Island of Sandwich Land, and the 146 Diegos off Cape Horn, and one or two minor points, were found to yield more or less seal. In this period of fifty years in these localities seal life had recuperated to such an extent that there was taken from them in the six years from 1870 to 1877 perhaps 40,000 skins To-day they are again exhausted I do * "Challenger Expedition Report," vol. i, p. 264 et seq. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. " 218 not think that 100 seals could be procured from aU the localities mentioned by a close research." 873. According to authentic records, the sealers from New London obtained from the South Shetlands and the neighbourhood of Cape Horn and Tierra delFuego 92,756 fur-seal skins between the years 1870 and 1880, but sealers are still at work, by their wasteful and indiscriminate slaughter, preventing the fur-seal of the South Seas from recuperating and being restored in numbers. 874. Thus, the actual experiences of South Sea sealing unmistakably emphasize the serious dangers of indiscriminate and wholesale slaughter on shore, and prove conclusively that, in the entire absence of pelagic sealing, it is perfectly possible practically to exterminate the seal race. 875. This serious result, actuaUy achieved, is brought into stiU greater prominence when we bear in mind the measures adopted by several Governments of territories in the Southern Hemisphere, by special regulations or otherwise, to restore and preserve the fur-seal rookeries. The Governments which have set up such regulations are those of the Uruguay, Argentine, aud Chilean Eepublics, and of the British Colonies of the Falkland Islands, the Cape of Good Hope, Victoria, New Zealand, and Tasmania. 876. In the Uruguay Eepublic, for many years the Government have protected the seals resorting for breeding purposes to the Lobos, the Espinillo, and the CoroniUa Islands. According to a special report, furnished to us by Tour Majesty's Minister, Mr. Satow, these fisheries have been very carefully looked after. They are now leased to a private company for a term of years, but without Umitation of the numbers to be taken. The company have the sole right of taking seals, and there is no Government tax levied on the skms. The killing of seals is only permitted between the 1st June and the 15th October in each year. All the seals are kiUed on shore, chiefly by means of clubs, and there is no pelagic fishing. It is the general opinion that no diminution is observable in the number of seals frequenting the rookeries. Mr. Lafone, M. P., has kindly supplied us with much very valuable information. The chief rookeries have been, to his knowledge^ in good condition for more than forty years past. In Appendix (G)'we give the figures of the numbers actually taken in recent years, from which it will be seen that the average annual take, with no apparent injury to the numbers of seals frequenting the rookeries, is nearly 15,000 seals; but that of these more than one-third are " smaU pups." In 1888 strong representations were made against kUling pups. It may be added that in the medium sizes many females are included without injuriously affecting the total number of 877. In 1889 the Government of the Argentine Eepublic absolutely forbad the taking of seals along its coasts, and also commenced negotiations with ChUe for co-operation in the same direction, especially with the view to stopping United States vessels which habitually poached on the rookeries, notably the " Sarah W. Hunt" and the " Martha Gale." ■_ _ _ 878. The Chilean Government has from time to time considered the question of protecting the fur-seals. In 1883 they abstained from enforcing regulations. Up to 1889 the seal fishery was free to any Chilean subject or foreigner residing in the country, but not open to vessels and their crews coming from foreign countries. It has, however, been found hitherto impracticable to guard the fishing districts during the breeding season, and the British Vice-Consul at Punta Arenas, in the Straits 214 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. of Magellan, reports in 1889 that the American schooners take no notice of the interdiction, although only one of them, the " Sarah W. Hunt," has as yet been specifically prohibited from such iUegitimate sealing. He also reports that the Chilean Government are contemplating more stringent measures of protection for the few remaining seals. 879. The Chilean Government has always recognized the value of the seal-fishery, although since the earlier years of the century it has been felt that the seals were nearly extirpated. We have frequent allusions to Government control. Thus, in 1866, Her Majesty's ship "Topaze," visiting the Island of Juan Fernandez, reports ten inhabitants engaged in sealing under licence from the Chilean Government. In 1875 Her Majesty's ship "Challenger" reports finding a Chilean leasing the right from this Government for 200?. a-year, and employing fifty or sixty men on Juan Fernandez and Mas-a-Fuera for the purpose of coUecting sealskins. 880. In all these places, and especially in the districts around the Horn, the enforcement of strict regulations, especially instituted 147 for avoiding the taking of gravid females and disturbance of males, females, and young during the early portion of the period they spend ashore, is certain to permit of a great increase in the supply of fur-seal. 881. In some of the several British Colonies where the fur-seal is found, specific regulations have been in force for some time past. 882. In the Falkland Islands there is legislative provision embodied in the Ordinance No. 4 of 1881 for the protection of the fur-seal, which is already having an excellent effect,iSO far as it can be enforced. Its main provisions (see Appendix E) are a close time from the 1st October to the 1st AprU, and penalties and forfeiture against individual owners of vessels and others kilUng or permitting to be kiUed any fur-seals during those months. 883. Eecent inquiries made of those experienced in seaUng in those islands elicited the invariable opinion that the main causes of the present depletion has been the reckless and indiscriminate slaughter of the seals whenever they land, and especially during the breeding season. In some cases the stocking of farms and people taking up their abode in the neighbourhood of the seal rookeries has certainly driven the seals to other resorts. But the killing of seals has never been attempted at sea, and is entirely confined to parties of sealers landed from boats and schooners, who club, shoot, and spear the seals on shore. The most serious complaints are that foreign schooners cruize along the coast and land sealing parties regardless of the statutory close season. 884. Experienced men in the Falkland Islands assert that the fur- seal are known not infrequently to desert favourite landing places when • they find they are molested for others where they rest and breed in peace. 885. The Government of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope has for very many years paid attention to the fur-seals frequenting the coast and islands under its authority. Thus, on the 12th AprU, 1844, a Proclamation was issued: His Excellency the Governor, having been pleased to decide that the Seal Islands in Mossel Bay shall not be granted on lease for the present, hereby prohibits all persons from disturbing the seals on the said island, and warns them from trespassing there after this notice on pain of prosecution. 886. A special Beport from Mr. C. H. Jackson, the Government Agent in charge of the Seal and Guano Islands (Appendix B), speaks of indiscriminate slaughter on shore as the chief cause of the present deple- REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 215 tion; and points out that, for lack of a close time during the breeding season between November and January, a great number of females have been destroyed "either about to give birth or suckhng their young." Pelagic sealing is unknown, the system of kUling adopted being that of landing men in boats, armed with clubs. He speaks specially of the ease with which seals are scared from their resorts by steamers and other vessels coming close in. He also mentions that "by a happy provision of nature a female seal wiU suckle any young one, whether her own or not." 887. There are no special protective laws, but the islands are Government property and are leased upon short leases, so that the Government has power, if it wUl, to control this profitable fishery. 888. In the AustraUan waters fur-seals were found on the coasts and islands of Victoria, Tasmania, and New Zealand in very great abundance, and they are still seen and obtained. 889. In regard to Victoria, Sir F. McCoy reports as follows: (1.) The seal fishery of Australia was never so extensive as that of the North Pacific, and for more than thirty years the trade in Australian fur-seal skins has entirely ceased, although of some extent in Sydney a little before that time. (2.) In Victoria, the only fur-seal is the eared seal (Euotaria cinerea), the size, shape, and habits of which very nearly recall those of the North Pacific. The decline or destruction of the fishery is certainly attributable to the indiscriminate slaughter of the seals on the few islands off the south coast, especially in Western Port, where the old males and gravid females resorted in the summer to bring forth and tend the young. At present a few islands only are frequented by those seals, now in the breeding season, and the number of individuals is too small to furnish any trade. (3.) The fur-seal fishery was conducted simply by manning a boat suitable for landing on the islands, the landing usually taking place at night, and then the seals were killed indiscriminately by clubbing them on the nose with large sticks. The skins were chiefly exported from Sydney. (4.) No measures effective for the protection of the fur-seal fisheries have been undertaken on any large scale by any of the Australian Colonies, but some years ago I recommended the Victorian Government to prohibit the killing of seals on the 148 small islands which they frequent near Phillip Island, and although the number has somewhat increased in consequence, it is far too small to furnish a trade. (5.) The Australian fur-seals were never fished for in the open ocean. (6.) Generally the life history of the Victorian fur-seal exactly resembles that of the North Pacific, following shoals of fish in the open ocean, but coming on the islands to breed in the latter part of the si 890. Sealing was a leading industry in New South Wales, especially in the years 1810-20. Several firms fitted out large schooners, and great numbers of skins were secured, especially from places like Mac- quarie and the Antipodes Islands. Some years ago the Government issued an order prohibiting the killing of seals on the mainland and islands of the Colony, and they are reported as increasing in numbers, as, for instance, around Port Stephens. 891. From Tasmania seaUng has been conducted on many neighbouring islands, the seals all being shot or clubbed on the shore. No measures of preservation have been taken untU 1891, when a Government Proclamation was issued: "The taking of seals, known by the name of seals or any other local name, in Tasmania and its dependencies, is hereby prohibited for a period of three years from the 26th July, 1891." The chief difficulty found is with schooners from other parts marauding on the rookeries. 892. In New Zealand at the beginning of this century seals were numerous in several places along the coast around Port Chalmers, along the west coast, near Westport, round Stewart's Island, and in other places. All the neighbouring islands, such as the Chatham, Macquarie, Bounty, CampbeU, and Antipodes groups, were well-known haunts. 216 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Mr. Yate, a missionary, writing in 1835, tells of several establishments for the seal fishery on the coast of New Zealand. But fifteen or twenty- years of persistent and indiscriminate slaughter on shore had practically exterminated the seal in 1840. 893. As to the causes of the depletion, Mr. F. Chapman, writing from Dunedin, says: "As to the cause of this there is but one answer: reckless kUling and disturbance in the rookeries. Mr. Dawson need not trouble himself about pelagic sealing; there is not and never was such a thing in these waters." 894. In the early years of this century the port of Sydney did a large trade in seal-skins, and it is undoubted that with rise in market prices of more than ten-fold over that period, the industry may weU be revived by judicious Government regulations' duly enforced. The main difficulty in these seas, as elsewhere, is the raiding ashore, especially in the breeding season, by unauthorized persons. It is to be hoped that the outcome of the Behring Sea negotiations may be international agreement as to the illegality of all such proceedings, and thus all territorial Powers will be empowered to execute regulations against all comers, so necessary to the preservation of so important an industry as that of sealing. 895. It will be well if the Governments of New Zealand, Tasmania, Victoria, the Cape of Good Hope, and the Falkland Island, as well as those of the Uruguayan Eepublic- and Chile, take steps to secure for themselves any international advantages for the proper protection of the fur-seal in the South Seas which maybe determined to be applicable under international sanction in the North Pacific. As a commencement, each of these Governments should forthwith make statutory provision for close seasons, restriction of numbers taken, and other matters affecting seal life within their territorial dominions and the waters thereof. 896. A further point in connection with South Sea sealing remains to be dealt with. Some of the older sealers who gave us evidence mentioned their opinion that the fur-seal of the Pribyloff Islands were the overflow of the fur-seal of the South Sea when disturbed and harassed by the indiscriminate slaughter above detailed. We observe also that the United States authority, Mr. Elliott, in his " Monograph on the Fur-seal" (p. 6), writes: "It appears as if the fur- seals had originally passed to Behring Sea from the parent stock of the Patagonian region, up along the coast of South America, a few tarrying at the dry and heated Galapagos Islands, the rest speeding on to the northward, disturbed by the clear skies and sandy beaches of the Mexican coast, on and up to the great fish-spawning shores of the Aleutian Islands and Behring Sea. There on the Pribyloff group and the bluffy Commander Islands they found that union of cool water, well- adapted landing, and moist foggy air which they had missed since they left the storm-beaten coasts far below." 897. We have, however, received from the Director of the Natural History Department of the British Museum a very valuable Memorandum (Appendix D), pointing out the structural and other differences which distinguish the various species of fur-seal, and 149 which clearly indicate that the seals frequenting the North Pacific do not migrate south of the Equator. Nor can we hold out any hope that, as was expressed by a New Zealand authority, the persecution of the fur-seal in the North Pacific may drive them south to replenish New.Zealand rookeries. 898. The relative importance of the South Sea fishery is insignificant at the present day in comparison with that of the North Pacific. In REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 217 the latter the last full years gave a total catch of about 190,000, whereas the total catch south of the Equator only reaches 25,000. But the South Seas, during the first seventy years of the fisheries, produced at least 16,000,000 seals, whereas from the North Pacific it seems probable that not more than 5,000,000 have been, in all, secured in 110 years. To reinstate in some degree the South Sea fisheries would thus be to revive, if only partially, a great and most profitable industry. 899. At the same time, in the immediate matter of the preservation of the fur-seal in the Northern Pacific, it is well to bear in mind that actual experience in the South Seas proves incontestably the foUowing among other facts: (i.) Excessive slaughter on shore, in the entire absence of any pelagic sealing, results in commercial extermination. (ii.) Excessive slaughter and disturbance causes absolute depletion and desertion in given breeding places, leading the surviving seals to seek other resorts. (in.) As Fanning has recorded, while old rookeries are being depleted and new ones being taken up, more seals are seen at sea than ever. 900. This is a timely object lesson for the North Pacific, where from ^two known breeding resorts, for the past twenty-five years, so great a number of skins have been taken (§ 43 et seq.) by excessive slaughter on shore, and complaints are now made officially that unless strong measures of rest and recuperation are promptly adopted the seals frequenting these resorts wiU disappear. Undoubtedly, they wiU seek other breeding places. 901. Mr. Blaine has done good service in drawing attention, in his despatch of the 17th December, 1890, to the disastrous results in the South Seas foUowing on indiscriminate and unrestricted slaughter of the fur-seal. There has never been recorded any more self-evident and striking example of the consequences of excessive slaughter by man. It is therefore useful to bear in mind the precise character and circumstances of the seal fishery of the Southern Y Vni.—Marketing the Seal-skins. 902. The process of preparing the seal-skins for the market, costing, on the whole, 18s. to 20s. per skin, is the work of a prosperous industry in London. The skins are landed in the docks, and sorted for size, quality, and kind, ready for the sale-room. Eventually they arrive, thus graded, at the factory, and are dealt with in batches. The process commences with the removal of the fat and flesh left on the skins by careless skinning; the next step is thoroughly to cleanse the skin by hot-water washing and stretching, after which the skins are deftly shaved down to the requisite thinness. They are then treated in a hot chamber, and the outer hair taken off. The completing stages are those of dyeing to a uniform colour, and finaUy shaving the skin down to the necessary thinness. At every stage much technical skiU and judgment are required. 903. It is a noteworthy fact, that nearly aU fur-seal skins are taken to London to be dressed and sold. The fur-seal industry thus gives employment to much shipping on the Pacific, to railways across the American continent, and to shipping on the Atlantic; while in the business of insurance, and in the sale of the raw and finished skins, both wholesale and retail, as well as in the processes above described, very considerable profits are realized. Part HE. CONCLUDING REMARKS. 904. In commencing our Eeport, we explained the steps taken to carry out the duties assigned to us. In Part I we have given the conclusions to which our investigations have led us in regard to the facts and conditions of seal life in the North Pacific Ocean, and to the measures necessary for the proper protection and preservation of the fur-seal. In Part II and in the Appendices there are presented, in fuller detaU, the results of our investigations, together with such collateral information or evidence as appears to be necessary to enable just conclusions to be arrived at. 905. In conclusion, we would wish to record our hirh appreciation of the ready response afforded to our inquiries by the numerous persons to whom we addressed them, whether in correspondence or by word of mouth. 906. To the officials of the United States Government, to the Commanding Officers of the men-of-war and revenue-cruizers, as well as to the representatives of the Alaska Commercial and North American Commercial Companies, we are greatly indebted for the hospitality an ! courtesy they uniformly extended to us, as well as for the zealous and ready assistance they rendered us in our endeavours to obtain the information of which we were in search. 907. From the Admiral in command of the Pacific Station and the Commanders, officers, and men of Her Majesty's ships "Nymphe," "Porpoise," and "Pheasant," we received every assistance and aid, and they secured for us much valuable information. 908. We would venture specially to commend the industry, zeal, and abibty with which, throughout our investigations and negotiations, Mr. Ashley Froude has conducted the arduous duties of Secretary to the Commission and Joint Secretary to the Joint Commission. We would also beg that the Government of Canada may be informed of the painstaking, capable, and thorough manner in which we have been assisted throughout by Mr. James Macoun. AU of which we humbly submit, for the gracious consideration of your Majesty. (Signed) George Baden-Powell. George M. Dawson. (Signed) Ashley Froude, Secretary. June 21,1892. _j 15 JULY-8 OCTOBER, 1891- _4 r L II. \_m^ •—_ ^* VTA HE NORTH PACIFIC. r L III. IN THE PERIOD iv: IN THE PERIOD 1880 1890 300,000 I 1 I 1! i lis j 1 tl 5 *4| . II _m lyilj V \ 80,00ol 60,000.1 20,OO0J 1 i^n /"" \ 20,00oj 0 j COA8T, FROM 18B2 TO 18( 11, I - -i - 1 - io,oool 20,000] ro 1891. ^ 60,000 J 40,000 j 20,000 o1 200s' I \ iS 80s _ 0 . ^m U 80 it J90 Appendix (A). List of Persons and Authorities Supplying Evidence List of those who gave Personal Evidence and Information to the Behring Set No. Kame. 1 Place and Profession. 2 3 6 Dr.Acland.... Mr. Alexander. Mr.Ayde Mr.Andieuko. Mr.G.ABaldw Mr.Bentzon... Captain Blair.. io'.Y.'.'J Bookkee^ei :::::::: #5£££Fye oer, St Panl Island. set, Queen Charlotte Islands. 3ommandant PetropanlousW. •reaaury Agent, St. Panl Island. ^^e=nlBoanysfi°mPany'POr Mr.R.H.HaJl.. r "Maggi n¥ Hit of Alask "his iconver, Bri ish Colni ector of Cns ?» ted States si ■iitk da Chief, Ma Columhi ly employs rcialboip iconver, British Colnn ibia n rTnl '. Comma ands. rial Com] II- rd of Tr *'e Tit- toria, Briti 220 REPORT OP BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. List of those who gave Personal Evidence and Information, etc.—Contin No. Name. Place and Profession. fi" MKlu e Agent of Russian Seal-skin Company, Copper Island. Treasury Agent, St. George Island. Agent for Hutchinson, Kohl, and Co., Petropaulouski. Hudson Bay Company, Port Simpson. fi? Captain Lavender..... 1 58 60 Martin Lunherg Mr. Milne Captain Miner Quartermaster, steam-ship " Danube." Sealing-schooner "Henry Dennis," Seattle. Steam-ship "Danuhe." Assistant Treasury Agent, St. Paul Island. Agent of Russian Seal-skin Company, Behring Island. Late Agent, Alaska Commercial Company, Behring Island. Newspaper reporter, sealing-schoonet "Otto." United States ship "Pinta." Fur-trader, Masset, Queen Charlotte Islands. Sealing-steamer " Eliza Edwards." 64 Mr. Malan wanski Mr. McManns Captain Maynard 68 Captain McKenzie Owner of sealing-schooners, Victoria, British Columbia. Sealing-schooner "Favorite," Victoria, British Columbia. Agent of Alaska Commercial Company, Unalaska. Owner of sealing-schooners, Seattle. Mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia. Manager of North American Commercial Company, St. Panl Island. 73 74 75 76- 77 Captain L. Maclean Mr. E. B. Marvin Mr.R. Neumann Mr. Newman Mr.J. C.Nixon :. Mr. Oppenheimer 81 Mr. R. Rohertson Mr. Justice Swan...... Ditto. Port Townsend. Port Essington. Ship-owner, Yokohama. • 85 Mr. E.R. Smith 87 Mr. G. R. Tingle Superintendent, North American Commercial Company, Pribyloff Russian Government Agent on Copper Island. 90 91 Captain Warren Mr. Walsh Victoria, British Columbia. Navigator of sealing-schooner "Wanderer." Agent of Alaska Commercial Company, Kodiak Island. Resident Agent of North American Commercial Company, St. George United States Treasury Agent, St. Paul Island. 94 Major Williams About 100 natives, Aleuts and Indians, t I Aleut natives Indians (Tlinkit) (Haida) (Kwakiool).... (Aht) ' Shakaan (Hanega tribe, fron Port Simpson. Bella-Bella. Clayoquot Sonn_. Masset, Queen Charlotte Islands. Neah Bay (Makah tribe). Indian O'fflce, Victoria, British Columbia (varion 153 The following are the sources from -which -written i obtained by, or at the request of, the Behring Sea Comrr 1. Colonial Governments. Cape of Good Hope. Falkland Islands. Newfoundlan d. New South Wales. New Zealand. Victoria. REPORT OP BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 2. Foreign Governments. Argentine Republic Monte Video. Brazil. Russia. Chile. Uruguay. Japan. 3. Her Majesty's Consuls abroad. 4. Officers of Her Majesty's Ships and Canadian Government Officials. Admiral Hotham, C. B., Senior Naval Officer, Esquimalt. Commander Turner, R. N., Her Majesty's ship "Nymphe." Commander Burr, R. N., Her Majesty's ship "Porpoise." Lieutenant-Commander Hadley, R. N., Her Majesty's ship "Pheasant." Mr. A. R. Milne, Collector of Customs, Victoria, British Columbia. Indian Agents on coast of British Columbia, through Mr. A. W. Vowell. 5. Miscellaneous. Mr. de Bunsen, British Legation, Tdkid. Earl Brownlow. Captain Devereux, Graving Dock, Esquimalt. Professor Flower, C. B., Natural History Museum, London. Captain David Gray. Dr. Giinther, Natural History Museum, London. Hudson Bay Company. Mr. A. W. Huson. Sir George Curtis Lampson, Bart. Mr. A. Lafone, M. P. Mr. J. W. Mackay. Professor Sir P. McCoy, Melbourne. Sir R. Morier, G. C. B. Mr. Murray, "Challenger" Office, Edinburgh. Baron Nordenskiold. Mr. Sclater, Zoological Society, London. Mr. Justice Swan. Mr. E. Maunde-Thompson, British Museum. Mr. W. C. Van Home. Appendix (B). . from, Colonial and Foreign Governments. The Cape of Good Hope. Chile. The Falkland Islands. Argentine Republic. • New South Wales. Brazil. Victoria. Uruguay. Tasmania. Japan. New Zealand. ouch replies as have been received are given below. In addition to this Circular, direct correspondence was entered into with the authorities o: Circular of Inquiry. of Fisheries of the Dominion of Canada, in connection with o the fur-seal fisheries of the North Pacific, is desirous of obtain- tll possible information relating to the fur-seal fisheries of the Southern Hemis- e. The southern fur-seal, or "sea-bear" (of thefamily of eared seals, or Otarid<e), iown to have formed the object of an important industry in the early part of 222 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. the present century, but the islands on which it once abounded are now reported, and believed to be, almost entirely depleted of seals. As the habits and life-history of the fur-seal of the North Pacific appear to be closely similar to those of the allied seals of the Southern Hemisphere, it is thought probable that the history of the decline of the southern fisheries may afford some facts having a direct bearing on the fur-seal fisheries of the North Pacific, and may serve to indicate a proper mode of protection to be accorded to these fisheries, if such should be found necessary. In this connection, it would be of particular interest to know for each of the seal islands or sealing-grounds of the Southern Hemisphere: 1. Whether the decline or destruction of the fishery is attributable to the slaughter of the seals while on shore at their breeding-places, or to their pursuit at large on the circumjacent ocean. 2. In what manner the fur-seal fishery has been or is conducted in each particular locality. 3. Whether any, and, if any, what measures have been taken by various Governments towards the protection of the fur-seal fisheries in their territories or in places within their jurisdiction; and, further, if any such measures are known to have proved successful in preserving or rehabilitating the fisheries. 4. Generally, any particulars as to the life-history of the animal, its migration, season of bringing forth its young, and the habits of the seals while engaged in suckling'and rearing the young. It is also particularly requested that copies of any printed documents or Reports referring to the fur-seal fisheries, or embodying Regulations provided for these fish- Beply to Circular received from the Government of the Cape of Good Hope. In acknowledging the receipt of his Excellency the Governor's Minute of the 25th August last, inclosing a despatch from the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies, requesting to be supplied with certain particulars respecting the fur-seal fishery of this Colony for the information of the Canadian Government, Ministers have the honour to submit herewith a Report which has been received from the Government Agent in charge of the seal and guano islands, affording the desired particulars. (Signed) J. W. Sauer. Cape Town, October SO, 1891. The decline of the seal fishery in these waters is attributed by practical experts entirely to the destruction of the females in the breeding season, and but for the fact that there are many places almost inaccessible, and others where landing is difficult, the seal in these waters would probably have been exterminated, as no protection or legislation of any kind has ever been considered necessary. 155 During the " springs," as they are technically called, at certain seasons of the year, the seals are destroyed with clubs by men landing upon the islands I from boats. The winter or shedding season commences in June and ends in August, during which period numbers of male seals are killed, but very few females, who do not appear to come out of the water at this season of the year. The summer or breeding season, which extends from November to January, is, however, by far the most important as regards the number of seals destroyed, and of these the larger portion are females, either about to give birth or suckling their young. Of course, in the former case, all these seals are lost; in the latter, the greater number perish; and but for a happy provision of nature, whereby a female seal will suckle any young one, the destruction of the new-born seal would be com- As the Colonial Government np to the present have always contented themselves with letting out the islands upon short leases, with no restriction upon the lessees as to the killing of seal, &c, no official information or statistics of any kind can be furnished. The life of a seal in the south _' ddhlfiderable period, and it an REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 223 seals, called "bulls" or "wbigs," attain an enormous size, and fight desperately among themselves. The females generally produce two pups at a birth, and immediately atterwards take the male. Tbe " cow" will suckle any of the young seals, whether her own or not, and this period of nursing continues more or less for about six months. As regards their migrations, it is difficult to give an opinion, as seals are always to be found in these waters, although they do not take up upon the islands in any numbers except at the seasons I have mentioned; but I think it may be naturally assumed that their migrations, whatever they may be, are regulated solely by the food supply. Unfortunately, as I have stated before, there are no printed documents or Reports of any kind referring to the subject, but I have availed myself of information kindly furnished by the best practical experts in the Colony, with whom I have been associated, who are unanimous in their opinion—first, that the seals are decreasing in these waters; and, secondly, that the sole cause of this decrease at the present time is to be found in the destruction of the females during the breeding season. We have practically no pursuit of ihe animals in the water on these coasts. At one period, most of the islands were inhabited by seals, but there are comparatively few at the present time upon those islands in the immediate vicinity of Cape Town, and this may be accounted for by many reasons, besides the most important Which I have already mentioned. Seals are very timid, and the noise of a steamer will scare them away; in fact, passing to windward in a sailing vessel, within 2 or 3 miles of au island which they frequent, will generally disturb them. It requires considerable experience to approach them, and old sealers never attempt to do so on these coasts when an easterly wind is blowing. Upon several islands, especially in the Ichaboe group, are to be found the remains of vast numbers of "seal," probably the effects of an epidemic disease at some distant period. In many places, the hair, which is practically indestructible, has been found mixed with earth to the depth of several feet, and this when sifted gives a fair percentage of ammonia and phosphate, probably the residue of the bodies and bones of the dead animals. The average value of seal-skins in the rough state in the London market, taken in these latitudes, is about 25s., but many fetch a much higher price. No attempt has been made in the Colony to dress the skins, and there has been no sale for them locally except for export. The system of killing the seals is the same throughout all the colonial islands, namely, with "clubs," by men landing in boats. The skins are salted upon the spot, folded up, tied, and sent to Cape Town by coasting craft, from whence they are shipped to Europe. (Signed) C. H. Jackson, Government Agent in charge of the Seal and Guano Islands. Cape Town, October 9,1891. Beply to Circular received from the Government of the Falkland Islands. GOVERNOR 8IR R. GOLDSWORTHY TO LORD KNUTSFORD. Government House, Stanley, October 26,1891. MY Lord : I have the honour, in reply to your despatch of the 31st July, inclosing a despatch from the Governor-General of Canada asking for information regarding the seal fisheries in these seas, to forward a precis of the replies to the questions asked, which I have been able to obtain here. I regret that the information is not as full as might be desired, but,-unfortunately, Captain Hansen, an old and experienced sealer, from whom I had hoped to obtain full particulars, was accidentally drowned before my letter, requesting his views on a matter on which he was looked upon as an authority, reached him. I have been given to understand by those conversant with these matters—indeed, it is referred to in the accompanying precis—that foreign vessels destroy the seals in the close season, which exists here from the 1st October to the 1st April. The foreign vessels alluded to are American sealers, and formed the sub- 156 ject of correspondence between Governor Kerr and Captain Musgrave, feenior Naval Officer on the Sou th-East American Station. . I shall probably, when better informed on the whole question, be able to submit my views on the subject. At present I refrain from doing so. (Signed) Roger Tuckpd. Goldsworthy. 224 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Prieis of Beplies to Circular of Inquiry emanating from the Department of Fisheries of the Dominion of Canada relating to the Fur-Seal Fishery of the Southern Hemisphere which have been received from Besidents in the Falkland Islands. Question 1. Whether the decline or destruction of the fishery is attribiytable to the slaughter of the seals while on shore at their breeding places, or to their pursuit at large on the circumjacent ocean. Honourable J. J. Felton.—The main cause is due to the reckless and indiscriminate slaughter of the seals during their breeding season; the death of the mothers,leaving the young to perish, and the numbers who are driven from their resorts bring forth their young in the water, which naturally perish. It has not been the practice to shoot the seals in the water. If so shot, they sink. J.J. Goodhart sends cutting from the "Field," which he thinks fully answers the first three questions. E. Nilsson.—The decline is to be attributed to the stocking of the land and people taking up their abode in the neighbourhood of the rookeries. H.H. Waldron.—The decline in the Southern Hemisphere, including the Falklands, is to be attributed to the indiscriminate slaughter of the females during the breeding season, whereby the young perish. Pursuit in the high seas is not carried on to any extent. Question 2. In what manner the fur-seal fishery has been, or is, conducted in each particular locality. J. J. Felton.—Formerly, by means of whale-boats; later on, by cutters and schooners. They would be fitted out for the "pupping" and the "shedding" seasons; as many men would be taken as possible, armed with clubs, spears, and guns, and, landing at the breeding places, they would Hue the beach and endeavour to turn tho seals from taking to the water. If successful in this, the seals fell an easy prey. Has repeatedly heard it said that so many were killed that numbers had become useless before they could be skinned. Now that the seals have taken to outlying rocks and cliffs, the work is less profitable and more dangerous. J. J. Goodhart.—See answer to Question 1. E. Nilsson.—They have been usually captured by shooting or clubbing. Henry Waldron.—By men landed from schooners, who remain on the rookeries until calm weather permits them to be taken off. Question 3. Whether any, and, if any, what measures have been taken by various Governments towards the protection of the fur-seal fisheries in their territories, or in places within their jurisdiction; and, further, if any such measures are known to have proved successful in preserving or rehabilitating the fisheries. J. J. Felton.—In the Falklands, since the close season was enacted, there has been an increase of seals; but foreign schooners occasionally break the law. J. J. Goodhart.—See answer to Question 1. E. Nilsson.—Does not see any improvement since the Law enacting a close season was passed. H. Waldron.—To the same effect as J. J. Felton. Question 4. Generally, any particulars as to the life-history of the animal, its migration, season of bringing forth its young, and habits of the seals while engaged in suckling and rearing the young. J. J. Felton.—Does not think the seal migratory. The breeding season is about midsummer, when both male and female make for a suitable place. The "shedding" season is in the fall of the year, when they frequent rocks, and the yonng, which before were valueless, become marketable. J. J. Goodhart.—Has not studied the subject sufficiently to be able to give particu- E. Nilsson.—The seal generally is a timid animal, and recedes from advancing civilization, and migrates to any place where it can remain undisturbed. H. Waldron.^Owing to keen pursuit, the seals prefer caves and ledges of rocks nnder high cliffs to form breeding rookeries. The fur-seal hauls up to breed in January, the young leaving in May for other rookeries with both "whigs" and " clap- matches."* There is no regular migration, but it is probable that, when hard pressed, they leave the South Shetlands and mainland for the Falklands. "They are peculiar in liking some places for several years, and then at once going away and not hauling up there again, apparently without cause, in some instances where but few were killed and in others quite unmolested." 157 When sealers leave carcases on the rocks, seals desert the place. se in tho Southern Hemisphere until the Chilean and a close time and see it enforced. (Initialled) V. S. S. October 28, 1891. ' 'Whig ," male seals; "clapinatches," female seals. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 225 Beply to Circular received from the Government of Neio South Wales. GOVERNOR LORD JERSEY TO lord knutsford. Government House, Sydney, October SO, 1891. My Lord: I have the honour, in reply to your despatch of the 30th July last, to state that I can obtain no information concerning the fur-seat fishery as the fur-seal is not found on the coast of New South Wales. Beply to Circular received from the Government of Victoria. GOVERNOR LORD HOPETOUN TO LORD KNUTSFORD. Government House, Melbourne, October 27, 1891. My Lord: I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's despatch of the 30th July ultimo, requesting information on certain points connected with the fur-seal fishery iu this Colony, and to transmit a copy of a letter dated the 20th instant, from Sir Frederick McCoy, Director of the.National Museum^ which embraces all the available information on the subject. I have, &o. (Signed) Hopetoun. SIR F. M'COY TO MR. MONRO. National Museum, Melbourne, October $0,1891. Sir: In reply to your letter of this date, I have the honour to report as follows: 1. The seal fishery of Australia was never so extensive as that of the North Pacific, and for more than thirty years the trade in Australian fur-seal skins has entirely ceased, although of some extent in Sydney a little before that time. 2. In Victoria the only fur-seal is the eared seal (Euotaria cinerea), the size, shape, and habits of which very nearly recall those of the North Pacific. The decline -or destruction of the fishery is certainly attributable to the indiscriminate slaughter of the seals on the few islands off the south coast, especially in Western Port, where the old males and gravid females resorted in the summer to bring forth and tend the young. At present a few islands only are frequented by these seals, now in the breeding season, and the number of individuals is too small to furnish any trade. 3. The fur-seal fishery was conducted simply by manning a boat suitable for landing on the islands, the landing usually taking place at night, and then the seals were killed indiscriminately by clubbing them on the nose with large sticks. The skins were chiefly exported from Sydney. 4. No measures effective for the protection of the fur-seal fisheries have been und er- taken on any large scale by any of the Australian Colonies, but some years ngo I recommended the Victorian Government to prohibit the killing of seals on the small islands which they frequent near Phillip Island, and although the number has somewhat increased in consequence, it is far too small to furnish a trade. 5. The Australian fur-seals were never fished for in the open ocean. 6. Generally, the life-history of the Victorian fur-seal exactly resembles that of the North Pacific, following shoals of fish in the open ocean, but coming on the islands to breed in the latter part of the summer. I have, &c. (Signed) Frederick McCoy, Director of Museum. Hobart, i\ Sir: I have the honour to report, for the information of the ment, the following, in reply to the queries laid down in their Cir 9th July, 1891: Query 1. Sealing in Tasmania and her dependencies (almost sol islands in Bass Straits and the Macquarie Islands, situated to the land) has been carried on by the seals being killed on shore at thei and not by "pursuit at large on the circumjacent ocean." B S, PT VI 15 ¥ 226 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Query 2. The seal fishery has been conducted by means of boats of 4 or 5 tons register fitted up amongst the islands in Bass Straits, the crew being equipped with clubs and rifles, the seals being shot upon the rocks when practicable, or followed upon the shore aud clubbed. Occasionally, large vessels come to Bass Straits from other Colonies, but the same mode of killing is adopted. In the Macquarie Islands the same principles are adopted with larger vessels. Query 3. No measures were taken by the Tasmanian Government towards the protection of the seal fisheries in their territories until the early part of the present year, when, at the request of the New Zealand Government, seal fishing was prohibited on the Macquarie Islands, and in October of the present year the Commissioners of Fisheries, fearing the total extinction of the seals in Tasmania, consequent upon their unrestricted slaughter, submitted a Regulation (copy attached, marked A) totally prohibiting the talcing of seals in Tasmania and its dependencies for a period of three years. Query 4. 1 inclose a newspaper copy (marked B) of a paper prepared and read by Mr. Alexander Morton, F. L. S., one of the Tasmanian Commissioners of Fisheries, at a late meeting of the Commission, which will, I think, fully answer the query, as well as give interesting particulars of the history of the seal fisheries, and habits of I have, &c. Matthew Seal, (A.) The Governor in Council has been pleased, in accordance with the provisions of section 12 of " The Fisheries Act, 1889" (53 Vict., No. 11), to amend and. approve of the following Regulation, the same having been made by the Commissioners of Fisheries, and published in accordance with section 13 of the said Act. By his Excellency's command, (For Chief Secretary, absent), (Signed) Alfred T. Pillinger. Chief Secretary's Office, October 26,1891. 1. The taking of seals, whether known by the name of seals or any other local name, in Tasmania and its dependencies, is hereby prohibited for a period of three years from the 20th day of July, 1891; and any person committing any breach of this Regulation shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding 51. (B.) Mr. Morton then said that Mr. A. W. Scott, M. A., of New South Wales, was for many years prior to his death a trustee of the Australian Museum, and. acting under instructions from the New South Wales Government, published a most comprehensive work on the classification and habits of the seals found frequenting the Australasian shores, including the Macquarie Island. Three species of seals are found in these waters: the grey Australian fur-seal (Arctocephalus cinereus), the sea-leopard (Stenorrhycnhus leptonyx), and the sea-elephant (Morunga elephantina). The latter is only found on Macquarie Island, although it is supposed at one time to have been met with in the islands in Bass Straits. Mr. Scott, in his work, divides the genus Arctocephalus into two main divisions—the northern fur-seal of commerce, and the southern fur-seal of commerce—(Arctocephalus ursinus and Arctocephalus Fallclandicus). If, as has been stated by Mr. Scott, that the fur-seal found on our coast is similar, if not identical, with the fur-seal of Alaska, the proposed Regulations recommended by this Board are absolutely necessary for their preservation. 159 At the Fisheries Exhibition, held at London in the year 1883, considerable interest was taken in the collection of seals sent by the trustees of the Australian Museum. The skull of one of the seals sent to London was compared with the REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 227 one at the Paris Museum, and found to be identical. It was'the first time that the southern fur-seal (Arctocephalus cinereus) had been seen in England. Representations were made to the New South Wales Government some few years back that this seal was rapidly becoming extinct. The Government issued an order protectino- them on the islands and the mainland of New South Wales, the result being that" they are now on the increase, and a number may be seen inhabiting the Seal Rocks a little to the north of Port Stephens. Iu New South Wales the sealing trade was in full swing from 1810 to 1820, the firms engaged being Sydney firms, viz., Messrs. Cable, Lord, Underwood; Riley, Jones, and Birnie; Hook and Campbell. These firms had crafts manned by crews of from twenty to twenty-eight men to each vessel, and were usually fitted out for a twelve months' cruize. Owing to the want of proper restrictions, the indiscriminate slaughter was terrible. It is recorded that in the years 1814-15, 400,000 skins from one island, the Antipodes Island, or, as it is sometimes called, Pennatipod, were taken. These skins being obtained in such a hasty manner were but imperfectly cured, and a writer states that the ship "Pegasus" took home 100,000 of these in bulk, and on out of the hold, and were sold for manure. As early as 1801-2 Perou says he found British seamen in Bass Straits killing all that came in their way. In tue years 1803 and 1804 upwards of 36,000 skins were sent from the islands in Bass Straits, the slaughter being made without regard to sex. At the present time iu Macquarie Island are only to be found the sea-elephant (Morunga elephantina), yet when Macquarie Island was discovered by a sealer in 1811, the sealing master who discovered it procured a cargo of 80,000 skins, aud another sealing party 100,000 skins, iu one year. With such a reckless killing, it is no wonder that the seals have become scarce round our shores, and unless steps are immediately taken, it will only be a question of time when their extermination will be completed. Along t'he shores of New Zealand, as well as the southern shores of Australia, large numbers of seals were found. In New Zealand a vessel from Boston, called the "General Gates," landed a party of six men near the south-west cape of the Middle Island on the 10th August, 1821. In six weeks the party got 3,563 skins. For about twenty years enormous numbers were captured without any respect to age or sex, and in the year 1839 only a straggling seal was occasionally seen along the shores of New Zealand. The American fur-seal had a narrow escape of sharing the fate of its southern kindred. In a paper dealing with this subject, a writer gives the following account: menced, had not Russia first and the United States afterwards leased the exclusive right of killing seals on the Pribyloff Islands—a famous sealing place—to a single Company, by which means the seals were saved, as the Company had an interest in keeping up tho supply of furs." This single experiment, the writer states, has proved conclusively that fur-seals can be farmed as easily as sheep, and that sealing should not be thrown open without restrictions. Seals are a property the State should jealously guard. On the two Pribyloff Islands it is computed that 500,000 seals resort annually. These islands, from the value of the fur-seal, were discovered in theyear 1786, when the slaughter commenced, and was prosecuted without [ ? ] until the year 1839, when the number had been so reduced that the business threatened to be entirely destroyed within a few years. The destruction was then stopped until 1845, when it was gradually resumed, though, instead of the indiscriminate slaughter which had before been permitted, only the young males (2 years old) were allowed to be killed. The rookeries The Company who leased the right ef sealing in these islands were restricted about the year 1860 to 50,000 seal-skins annually. From 1821 to 1839,758,502 fur-seals were killed, and 372,894 from 1845 to 1862. From another authority, Mr. Hittell, I find that when the United States Government took possession of the islands in 1867 several American firms took possession, and the wholesale slaughter of seals began afresh. In 1868 not less than 200,000 seals were killed, and for 1869 it is said the number was not far below 300,000. The United States Government, fearing their r 228 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. the Government might*be recommended to lease the islands, allowing only a certain number to be taken annually, and on no account to allow the females to be killecl. In New ZealUnd, from the year 1855, tho statistics of the export of seal-skins show: In 1855, from Wellington, 580 skins were exported; in 1857, 376. From then until 1868 there is no record. Then, in 1868,*675; 1869, 14; 1870, 269; 1871, 755; 1872,2,012; 1873, 1,602; 1874, 1,061; 1875, 2.767; 1876, 3,417; 1877, 1,503; 1878, 820; 1879, 2,484; 1880 2 618; 1881, 1,259; 1882, 353; 1883, nil; 1884, 374. i Professor J. H. Middleton states that the annual value of the fur-seal fisheries of the world is about 185,000Z. The male seal does not attain his full size till he is about 6 years old, and the female when she is about 4. There is, says Mr. J. Clarke, in a paper printed in the " Contemporary Review," a remarkable disparity of sizo and build between them. In a species where the male would be 7 feet or 8 feet in length, aud weigh 500 lbs. or 700 lbs., the female would not be more than 4 feet 160 long, and weigh from 80 lbs. to 100 lbs. The males, when aged, are whitish grey, and between 7 feet to 8 feet in length; when adult, brown-grey to black- grey, and'about 6 feet in length: young, grey, upper portions soon assume darker colours; pups, black. The females when adult are ash-grey to silver-grey, at times golden-buff, frequently spotted: from 3 ft. 6 in. to 4 ft. 6 in. in length, even more when aged; pups, black. The under-fur of both sexes is rich reddish, diversified by deeper or lighter shades, and variable iu length and abundance, the whole being influenced by health, sex, and condition. He thought the Government should step in now, as the sealing industry might prove a valuable source of revenue to the Colony in the future. Viscount Kawase to the Marquis of Salisbury.—(Beceived December 15.) Legation of Japan, London, December 14,1891. M. le Marquis : I have the honour to inform your Excellency that, at the request of Sir George Baden-Powell, one of Her Majesty's Commissioners ou the seal fisheries, I obtained from my Government a rapidly prepared Memorandum as to such fisheries in Japan. I have the pleasure to hand your Excellency herewith a translation of this Memorandum, which may be of interest to the above-named Commissioner. I may possibly receive a further more detailed Report on the same subject, in which case I will forward a translation of it to your Excellency. I have, &c. (Signed) Kawase. [N. B. —In this Memorandum " seal ''does notalways mean " seals proper," hut includes sometimes all ("ken"), but sometimes it is meant for the division ("kuni'Tofthe old system.1]"1 ° Seals are considered among the most important products of Hokkaido. They are found in every part of the Kurile group, from Shimshu in the north to Shikotan and Kunashir in the south; Urup and Itrup being their favourite haunts. Although the history of the origin of seal-hunting cannot be accurately traced, it appears that about 170 years ago a few natives of Akishi, in Kushiro, emigrated to Shibetoro, in Itrup, and occupied themselves in hunting seals, eagles, bears, &c, which they brought back to Akishi every year when the sea was free from ice (after April and May), in order to barter them for rice and other necessaries of life; while the natives of Akishi visited this new Colony for the exchange of these com- In the course of time the emigrants increased by degrees, settling down in such places as Toshiruri, Rianshi, in that island, and became hunters of seals and other sea animals in the neighbourhood. In 1765 (about 120 years ago) seal fishery became very prosperous, and the natives of Rashua, as well as the old islanders of Itrup, carried on their hunting business in the Isles of Horomoshir, Makaruru, Shimsir, Urup, &c. In the same year the Russians first made their appearance in the Islands of Rashua Won aboTt^heU]oclS "w"1'' ^ haVh'g obtained informa- ahver8tcnfel maimedj^^^^^^'^J*™™6*"'8™ the<y JS** th^naUvlsTn REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 229 In the summer of 1770, while the natives of Itrup, with their Chief, were hunting in tho Island of Urup, the Russians came there and ordered them to ship all their catch to Russia, and, on their refusal, their two Chiefs were killed by the Russians In the same year, while the Chief of Rashua, together with a host of natives, were hunting in Urup, the Russians again made their appearance, and seized all their catch, at the point of their guns. At last the anger of the natives was aroused to such a pitch by the Russian outrages that they resolved to avenge themselves aud in 1771 they gathered in great numbers, each carrying some weapon and attacked the Russians in Urup, killing eight of them; aud thence from the western coast they passed over the mountains to VVanino, where they attacked some Russians who were living in caves. Only seven of the Russians escaped slaughter. From that place the natives sailed to Makarusi, where they also slaughtered seven- At that time the chief instruments used by the natives for killing seals were the .bow and harpoon, while the Russians used guns. After this defeat the Russians did not come for a long time. During the years of the Anyoi period (1772-80) the natives of Urup were constantly cruizing aud hunting round Urup aud its neighbouring islands, and this prevented the Russians from catching seals so freely, although now and then they made their appearance. But towards the end of the Anyei period they came in a great nnmber, and made a good catch. In the years of Teumei (1781-88), as the natives ceased to hunt for seals, all the islands of the Kuriles except Itrup were monopolized by the Russians. 161 In 1795 Government caused some thirty men and women to emigrate to Itrup, and there were good catches made. Nets were then first used. In 1800 Takataya Kab.6, a native of Awaji, emigrated to Itrup, and there employing the natives started a settlement for seal-hunting and other fisheries. In the years of Kiowa (1801-3), Suwara Koyeinon and Date" Rinyemon, of Fuku- yama, Matsuinaye" having taken over the fishing establishment and plants from Takataya Kah.6, aud building new fishing dep8ts in several places, carried ou the fishing of sea animals. At that time the seal-skins were bartered with the natives as follows, viz.: The best = 20 sacks of rice (each sack'containing 8 sho*) per skin; the middling = about 10 sacks, and the common skins were severally valued according to their qualities; aud the natives were paid according to the skins they produced at the time of counting their catch. The skins thus bought were called "karimono," and were annually sent to the Prince of Matsuinaye, whose Government paid for them at the fixed rate of 0.56 sen for 1 sho of rice, which was the standard of barter; and there were strict penal regulations against smugglers. In the years of Keio (1865-67) the Russian Government sent Alaskan natives to Urup, and the Russian fishing settlement became more and more prosperous. Seal-skins were a special product of Japan, and from olden times they were transported to Nagasaki, where they were sold to the Chinese. In modern times seals and other sea animals, once famous products of Japan, being mostly caught by the Russian hands, are now looked on as Russian products, and are imported into Peking direct from Russia. In 1869, at tho time when "Kaitakushi" (Colonization Department) was newly established, its branch office was set up in the Island of Itrup, aud some officials were seut in order to check foreign poachers, and superintend the fishing industry. As to the mode of buying skins, the old regulations were adopted, but on account of the old rate of exchange at 1 sho of rice at 0.56 sen being out of date, the fisheries incurred much loss. In April 1873 the official rate was raised to 1.68 sen per 1 sho. In June of the same year for the first time a special office was established in Itrup, whose duty it was to suppress seal-poaching, and Commissioners wore sent there. In August instructions were given to these Commissioners to keep strict vigilance as to poaching-vessels of foreign countries and the unlawful sale of seals in the vicinitv of the island. As seals mostly congregated in the seas neighbouring to Itrup, the ingress of foreign vessels to those waters, not only Russian, but also British, American, Dutch, aud other countries, increased year after year, and oftentimes these vessels used to anchor in the neighbouring harbours. In such cases the Commissioners informed them of the national prohibition, and requested them to leave, but under such pretexts as ship's repairs, or want of water and fuel, they did not obey the remonstrances, and when there was a shipwreck, which occurred very often, it gave a great deal of trouble and annoyance to the Commissioners, who had to look after the wrecked crews, and to have them escorted to the port of Hakodate. r 230 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. For instance, when the "Isalie" [*], an American vessel, stranded on a reef near Itrup, the natives rendered as much assistance as they possibly could to the unfortunate vessel, but all efforts having proved fruitless, this vessel was wrecked at last, and damages were claimed on the ground that it was lost on account of sufficient assistance not having been rendered. Such unlawful and unreasonable action on the part of foreign vessels was of frequent occurrence. All these foreign poaching-vessels being of a much more improved type than the ordinary Japanese fishing-boats, it was very difficult to watch their movements in lishments in'the whole island being very few, it was no wonder that watch could not be effectively kept by a few Commissioners with only two or three fishing-boats to cruize with. Under these circumstances, in consultation with the Navy Department, two ships of war were commissioned, and one of these two was stationed at the port of Nemuro, one replacing the other in alternate years, and they were ordered to cruize round the Kurile group in order to watch the poachers. Besides, the " Kioriomaru," of Kaitakushi, was sent to Itrup every year from May to October (season for seal-hunting) to cruize and watch in the vicinity of the island. In March 1874 Mr. Alcott Brookes, His Imperial Majesty's Consul in San Francisco, reported to the Foreign Office that six boats were being prepared in Canada to start for seal-hunting in the islands of Hokkaido, and soon afterwards he also reported that some sealing-vessels had left the port of San Francisco. In May of the same year, upon consultation with the Foreign Office, Regulations, consisting of three clauses, controlling the fisheries in the waters near the islands of Hokkaido, were issued, viz.: "1. Along the coast-lines the limit of the territorial right of Japan is fixed at 3 ri (1 ri=2.4403 miles) from the shore; in case of bays, the line of limit shall be measured from a straight line drawn between the two capes at the extreme ends of the bay; but this applies only to cases where the space between the capes does not exceed 3 ri. "If any foreigners be found fishing within the above-mentioned limit they shall be arrested in as peaceful a manner as possible, and sent to Hakodate-, accompanied by guards, and delivered to the Consul of the country of their nationality to be' dealt with in a proper manner. "2. If foreigners do not submit themselves to the authorities, or any violent resistance be offered by them at the time of such arrest, necessary force may be employed to carry out the foregoing Regulations. "3. Inasmuch as there maybe some foreign vessels arriving in harbour in 162 consequence of stress of weather or want of water or fuel, a careful scrutiny shall he made as to the true circumstances, and, upon ascertaining their good faith, they shall be treated in accordance with the 'Regulations for Assistance to Foreign Vessels in Distress.' And if His Imperial Majesty's subjects be found poaching, their fishing apparatus aud catches shall be confiscated according to the existing Regulations, and they shall be delivered to the branch office at Nemuro, there to be properly dealt with," &c. The "Kioriomaru" and "Genbumaru," beloi aging to Kaitakushi havi ag on board Commissioners, were order ed to cruize ithM. Benlin [,], n aster of a Danish ing back, she met * nth s x American Iu June, when the "Kioriomaru" w vessels, and there were various interviews respecting them. In July His Imperial Majesty's ships " Hoshio" and " Osaka" were sent over, and the "Kioriomaru" again sailed to the islands. In August an American ship "Snowdrop" -was found at Tankam Bay, and some investigation was made. Five foreign vessels at Ounebetsu Bay were also subjected investigation. But these are only a few vessels out of many which were not ing of foreign poachers, they, all of them, would enter and , ii the morning and entering another in the evening, their movements being so alert that it was a matter of no wonder that a siugle watch-ship was unable to keep them under observation. But, on the whole the Island of Itrup was found unfavourable for the purpose of promoting our fisheries and of watching for foreign poachers. The climate is very iuclement; during summer months there is dense fog, and when the autumn approaches the fog begins to lift, but only to be succeeded by a violent northwesterly gale, causing a heavv sea. And there is no good harbour. Thus the navigation in these waters is very difficult.' OMMISSIONERS. g, the natives used t :ocks. In winter, wl nd killed them witl one coup, its whereabouts conld always be known, as the pole to which the other end of the string is tied acted as a float, and the seal was dragged out and clubbed to death, and then gaffed into the boat. This mode was considered to be the best way of catching seals, but in modern times it is superseded by the use of guns. But seals are very averse to the sound of firing, and the use'of the gun is sure to drive them away from the vicinity to some far distant places, and tho flocks are thinned year by yoar. The natives, knowing this by long experience, abstained from using gnus, but at the present time, as all foreigners poach with guns, our mode of hunting was also obliged to be similarly changed. In April 1875, at Beretarubetsu, near Shibetoro, Itrup, a Russian boat was found anchored, and its master, with three Russians and three Japanese, were seen constructing a hut on the coast. They were consequently warned off by the Commis- Again, an information was given to the Commissioners that at Moroco, in the same county, the Americans Ramion Jean(?) and three others built houses, and were carrying on poaching business since October of the preceding year. They were consequently arrested and senfrto Hokadate-, and delivered to thehands of the United - the " Asaina" returned, and the " Kioriomaru" and " Genbumaru" uize around Itrup. a schooner, built at Muroran for seal-hunting, was completed and t of Nemuro. ! This schooner was named the " Chishimamaru." ons for controlling seal fisheries which were issued some years ago, after consultation with the Foreign Office, had to be amended, owing to the territorial boundaries being definitely marked out, consequent upon the exchange of the Kuriles (with Russia) having been effected in September, 1874. Consequently, in April 1876, new regulations for controlling the fisheries in Hokkaido, consisting of three clauses, were issued. The first clause prohibited any foreign vessels from fishing with any line, net, guns, &c, any fish or sea animal within the range of a gun-shot from the coast of Hokkaido or of other islauds belonging to the Empire of Japan. The second clause decreed that the officials appointed under the Regulations for controlling fisheries in the territorial waters of Japan shall order to clear out 163 of the boundary any foreign vessel which is suspected of infringing upon the prohibition mentioned in the first clause, or if such vessel is thought to have already infringed the prohibition, that they shall board the vessel and inspect her The third clause decreed that when there is any foreign vessel which has actually infringed the prohibition in the first clause, or refused to clear out of the boundary or to submit to the inspection of cargo mentioned in the second clause, the officials under In June if th jast of K In Septe >t out lor In Decen »nt to the The Reg ltati t, shall ( lelivei it to tl e Consul g clearl he Consu ing and IS ed to be nflictio in the ,-house agofdue°p sland of were buil r rence, and has a good natural h e, and the peo pie of the mainh g to the diffi culty of commun rarhoodofNei nuro; and at the sland. Thus ;he island became s made the ha rbour their restin vere favourab e for their unlawf mce laving been experienced by e differe of langu s or making nqm ;o th e superi ing offic en in foi eign langu ag< uty of Hanasaki Nemuro Hok- n-itir atior ality of vessel, son of c uel, snce of* v* ind or rants are satisfied or the w eather REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. In old times mauy natives used to i used to come for fishing purposes; I time it is rare to find any inhabitant: shelter for foreign poachers, and mai whence to sail, and when the time an Accordingly, some Superintending Commissioners were sent over to guard the neighbourhood. In June an office-house and a store-house were built in the Bay of Tankamu, m the county of Furubetsu, Itrup. In July His Imperial Majesty's ship "Moshun" cruized about the Island of Itrup In August, in consideration of the diligence and hardships of the superintending officials of Itrup in discharge of their duty, day and night through all seasons, a sub-regulation was made rewarding them by special grants of money, classified In May 1878, in consequence of much inconvenif the officials in discharge of their duty on account such occasions as when interviewing foreign vesse poachers, the following instructions were given Shikotau, and were posted in conspicuous places, "1. This island ia the Island of Shikotan, cot kaido, belonging to the Empire of Japan. "2. You are requested to report in detail, in v its name and that of the captain, the number of If for temporary anchorage, in want of water or f tide, you are requested to leave as soon as your vi "Hunting of sea animals is prohibited in the neighbouring seas." The skins of the seals prepared according to the mode of tho locality were very thin, and the process of tanning was imperfect. In June of the same year a skilled tanner of TokiO was consulted, and it was advised that the skins shall be left as thick as possible, and to prevent the change of fur-colour, that they should be painted with coal-water in such a manner as to allow the colour of the leather to be seen, and when dry to be painted again twice in the same way. In summer, there being fear of moth, they were to be painted with camphor-water after being painted with coal-water. Heretofore, as there was no restriction as to the mode of,seal-hunting, and fears were entertained of the extermination of the species by wanton hunting, Hunting Regulations were issued in October with a view to promote the increase of seals, as well as to check poaching; aud four superintending officials and thirty-six hunters were added. The Regulations run as follows: " Article 1. In view of protecting seal-hunting and checking foreign poachers, a vessel of foreign type shall be commissoned to cruize in the neighbourhood of Itrup. ' Chishimamaru' shall be commissoned for this purpose for the time being. "Art. 2. The mode of killing shall mainly be by clubbing, and the use of guns shall be avoided as much as possible. "Art. 3. Young seals shall be spared as much as possible. "Art. 4. The number of seals to be caught within 1 ri of coast-line shall not exceed forty-five per annum. "Art. 5. Between the months of May and November the killing of seals within 1 ri of coast-line is prohibited. "Art. 6. Any person who catches wounded or crippled seals washed ashore, even within'the prohibition limit, shall be paid in money or in kind according to the quality of the 6kin. "Art. 7. To prevent the decrease of seals by careless chasing a special care shall always be taken, and the preventive method sh„.. . "Art. 8. The number of seals taken will be inspected, and their skins shall fix the proof of their ages. "Art. 9. The covering and breeding seasons, &c, shall be carefully ascertained by practical observations. tical observations and investigations shall be made as to the truth of the seals los o differei 3.11. An actual investigation shall bo made as „„ ght annually it the use of guns be discontinued, and clubs and bows and a idopted instead. Art. 12. While out hunting, if anything occurs likely to form au object for i jstigation, a minute record shall be kept. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. In June 1879 a hunting depot was built at Iriribush, in the county of Furubetsu Itrup. In May 1880 His Imperial Majesty's Consul at San Francisco reported that a schooner had left that port for the purpose of seal-hunting in the neighbouring seas of Itrup. On observing the general aspect at this time, and comparing it with former years, the number of seals caught was found to be on the decrease, and it is evident as a matter of course that the more they are killed the fewer will be bred; while, year after year, increased influx of foreign poachers competed in the fishing, there being uo means of checking them outside the 1 ine of territorial limit fixed by international law. Besides, as the foreigners did not in the least care about the decrease of breeding or the extermination of the species, they freely used their guns in hunting, and, as the result, they killed the greatest number. Thus we were also obliged to throw aside the old instruments, such as clubs, bows and arrows, and gaffs, and to adopt the gun, as it would be most foolish to keep to the old system while letting others make the greatest gain. Thus the use of guns is the main cause of the present decrease. In February 1882, after Kaitakushi was abolished, seal fishery affairs were transferred to the Agricultural and Commercial Department, together with the superintending officers, fishing implements, and everything connected with the fisheries. From this time the fishing was carried on by the authority of the above-mentioned Department until 1887. And, in 1889, the "Dainippon Suisan Kaisha" (the Marine Produce Company of the Empire of Japan) was given the exclusive permission of luvting seals and sea-otters; and the several Regulations in force at the present "decrhe no. 16. "May 23, 17th year of Meiji (1884). "In future/the hunting and catching of seals and sea-otters in Hokkaido is prohibited ; the offenders will be punished by 373rd clause of the Penal Code, and their catches will be confiscated; but those who are in possession of the special permission of the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce shall be exempted." '■<imperial decree no. 80. "Article 1. Any person who is in possession of the special permission of the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, pursuant to the Decree No. 16 of the 17th year of Meiji (1884), shall be allowed to hunt and catch seals and sea-otters within such area and season as may be fixed by Hokkaido Cho, provided that the person shall always carry the special permit when he is engaged in hunting, and that wherever he may be, on land or on water, he shall at once produce and show the same to the superintending officials or police officers when they ask him to do so. "Art. 2. When any person engaged iu seal and sea-otter hunting arrives in Hokkaido, he shall renort the name of his boat, its tonnage, and the names of crew, to the branch office named bv the Hokkaido Cho, and shall always keep fixed to the mast, or other conspicuous part of the boat, a certain sign specially provided for 6U"ArtU3.1 Any person wishing to sell raw hides of seals or sea-otters shall first present and have them stamped (branding stamps can be used) by the proper officers at the branch office mentioned in Article 2. No hides without this official stamp shall "Art. 4. If any person who has imported into any port of the Empire, or anchored <o sell these hides in a market, be found out, the Customs authorities or the police J REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. e the articles, and shall at once prosecute the offender: provi es of seals or sea-otters caught within the territories of Russi s of America, with due permission of the respective Governme into the Empire upon the owner or the captain of the ship proi te given them by the proper authority of their Government or tificate of the Russian or the United States Consuls residing in I'o his Excellency Enomotto Takeaki, "Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, 4'c. "Hokkaido, CiiO, July 10, 21st year of Meiji (1888). "Sir: I have the honour to inform yonr Excellency that the details of procedure carry out the Regulations controlling seal and sea-otter hunting por notification i. Ko. 15 of Hokkaido Cho (December) 19ih of Meiji (1886) have been revised, as own in the inclosed copy of Chorei No. 35, dated 10th May of the current year. "I have, &c. (Signed) "Nagayama Takeshiro, "Director of Hokkaido Cho." "Article 1. The open season for seal and sea-otter hunting shall be from the 15th April to the 31st October in each year. "Art. 2. The area of hunting shall be all the islands situated eastward of Itrup, and southward of Shimshu/of the Kuriles, and it will be divided into three sections, and every year only one of these sections shall be opened for hunting. "The first section includes seven islands, i. e., Itrup, Chirihoi, Buteflichelboa [,], Broughton, RaikokS, Mushir, and Chirinkotau. " The second section includes six islands, i. e., Shimshir, Shiritoi, Ushishir, Sleto- nepa [?], Rashua, and Matsua. "The third section includes twelve islands, i. e., Shannekotan, Yekkerma [?], Karreukotan, Ounekotan, Anos, Makarushi, Shurenwa [?], Paramushir, Holt, Cocks- car, Araito, and Shimshu. "Art. 3. When a boat is going out for hunting, her name, tonnage, and the names of the crew shall be reported for inspection to the branch office of seal and sea-otter hunting superintending authorities, either at Nemuro, in the county of Nemuro, or at Shikotan, in the county of Chishima. "Art. 4. When the branch office of seal and sea-otter hunting superintending authorities find the report mentioned in Article 3 in due form on inspection, it will give to the boat a flag hereinafter shown. "Art. 5. Any person who wishes to export and sell the raw hides of his catch shall produce them to the Shikotan branch of the seal and sea-otter hunting superintending authorities, and shall have them stamped." REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 235 ~_Bed.2 IWh ite grov nd.} _i shaku.] Number of Seals and Sea-otters caught. Tear. Year. Number of Sea-otters Number of 1873 288 1 1883 53 31 99 1881 53 47 33 Memorandum respecting Japar, 1. The only known rook( dominions are the followin; Srednoi Rocks (off Ushishia). Raikok6 Island. Mushia Rocks. The first of these hauling grounds, all of which are situated ii some 100 yards long by 60 yards wide, and the others are not i the time of their discovery in 1881 they must have harboured am 25,000 fur-seals; 5,000 were actually taken there by one vessel in Since then they have gradually declined in productiveness, and at the present time they yield catches of only a few scores in the There can be no doubt that this result is exclusively due to slaughter-of the seals at their breeding place. No "rookery" i many years such wholesale destruction as these were exposed t' the successful venture of 1881. Nor is there any other way of a depletion, for it is known that the two or three foreign sealers worth their while to equip at Yokohama do not engage in pelag eeed to the more extensive haunts of their quarry beyond Japan Robben, Behring, and Copper Islands, where they hope to elude Russian guard vessels, hauling grounds of the fur-seal within Japanese i the Kuriles, is-only nuch larger; but at mally some 20,000 or the year mentioned, it may be said that place of thousands, the indiscriminate uld withstand f( jounting for their ehich now find it sealing, but pro- e vigilance of the 236 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Large numbers of seal from the Russian "rookeries" are scatte over the ocean Iving off the north-east coast of Japan, but they ai foreign or native sealing-vessels, and only the fringe 6* <u fishermen in their open boats along the Nambu and Ye: 3,000 are taken annually. 2.—IN WHAT MANNER THE FUR-SEAL FISHERY HAS BEEN OR IS CONDUCTED IN EACH 2. The coast fishery by the Japanese in the immediate neighbourhood of Yezo and off the mainland'north of Inabosaki has just been alluded to. It is carried on in native open boats by means of spearing or nets. The catch (2,000 or 3,000 skins • a-year) is disposed of to Chinese merchants at Hakodate. Other pelagic soaling there is none in the oceau lying off Japan. The few scattered seals still to be found about the exhausted breeding grounds of the Kuriles are occasionally taken by the schooners of the Japanese "Marine Products Company," but only two fitted out this year, and their catch was sixty seals between them Of British and other foreign sealers only three were equipped at Yokohama this year, but the sphere of their operations lies to the northward beyond Japanese jurisdiction. According to figures furnished by the British Consulate at Yokohama, between eleven and eighteen of these vessels left Yokohama annually for the seal fisheries in the years following the discovery of the Kurile breeding grounds, namely, between 1882 and 1885 inclusive. After 1885 theirnnmbers gradually dwin- dlod, owing to the depletion of the Japanese fishery and the greater risk and uncertainty attending a cruize to more northerly waters. 167 It is stated by the Japanese Agricultural Department that "the fur-seal appears to be reared on the rocky coasts, and, in consequence, they are generally caught while swimming at a distance not more than 1 nautical mile from the' It may be that a few are so taken about the Kuriles, but the fishery—now almost extinct—of those islands was carried on, in the years of its prosperity, entirely by clubbing the animals on the beach. 3.—WHETHER ANY, AND, IF ANY, WHAT MEASURES HAVE BEEN TAKEN TOWARDS THE PROTECTION OF THE FUR-SEAL FISHERIES, AND, FURTHER, IF ANY SUCH MEASURES ARE KNOWN TO HAVE PROVED SUCCESSFUL IN PRESERVING OR REHABILITATING 3. The measures tardily taken by the Japanese Government in 1884 to protect the Kurile rookeries have remained entirely inoperative. Elaborate Regulations were framed in that year and in 1886, establishing a close season between the 1st November and the 15th April, and dividing the Kuriles into three groups, in only one of which was fishing to be allowed in any one year, and then only on the issue of a licence by the authority constituted for the purpose. There is no means of enforcing these Regulations, which, indeed, were not devised until after the ruin of the hauling grounds had been effected. A Japanese guard- ship was told-off this year to watch over their observance, but she never left her station at Nemuro, and, except the Japanese "Marine Products Company," now rapidly approaching bankruptcy, no one dreams of applying for tho regulation licence, or of limiting his operations to the group in which the fishery is legally permissible. But, as stated above, the Kuriles no longer attract the seal fishermen to any extent worth mentioning. The Japanese Regulations in question have no bearing on pelagic sealing, which, as already stated, is not engaged in by Japanese or foreign sealing-vessels. 4.—GENERALLY, ANY PARIICULARS AS TO THE LIFE-HISTORY OF THE ANIMAL, ITS MIGRATION, SEASON OF BRINGING FORTH ITS YOUNG, AND HABITS OF THE SEALS WHILE ENGAGED IN SUCKLING AND REARING THE YOUNG. 4. The vast bulk of the seals now found in Japanese waters, and more especially in that portion of the ocean extending eastwards from the coast between Inabosaki and the eastern point of Yezo are from the Russian breeding grounds in the Behrine Sea and in the Sea of Okhotsk. B They follow the fish southwards about the beginning of November and remain scattered over a large expanse of ocean, where they are quite unmolested, throughout the winter and spring months. It is a matter of some surprise that no attempt is made to take them in the open sea, as is done on such a large scale in the case of the seals resorting to the breeding grounds of the eastern portion of Behrine Sea Possibly they scatter more in the Western Pacific, and are less easv to find. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 237 After their sojourn in the south, the first to repair to the northern rookeries are the old bulls, arriving about the middle of June. They await the cows, which follow them towards the end of the same month. Yearlings and other non-breeding seals arrive at any time later. The young are brought forth in the beginning of It is sometimes stated that the females are in the habit of leaving the rookeries to catch fish within 10 or 20 miles of the shore for the support of their young, but the experienced authority on whose remarks these notes are founded is not of this opinion. He has never found food inside the female fur-seal taken on the hauling- grounds. . ° (Signed) M. de Bunsen, TA,-tA «L__,t_J_ „«, Her Majesty's Secretary of Legation. Mr. Wyndham to the Marquis of Salisbury.—(Beeeived Novimber 21.) (No. 107. Commercial.) Rio de Janeiro, October 27, 1891. My Lord : With reference to your Lordship's Circular despatch No. 30 of the 10th August last, and to my despatch No. 114 of the 25th September, on the subject of the fur-seal fisheries of the Southern Hemisphere, I have the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship copy of a despatch which I have recei ved from Her Majesty's Consul at Rio Grande do Sul, in which he states that, having made inquires in both States of his Consular district, he finds that no expeditious are sent thence to the fisheries, and that nothing is known about the conditions under which the fisheries are carried o I have, CONSUL HEARNE TO MR. WYNDHAM. Rio Grande do Sul, October 14,1891. Sir: With reference to your despatch of the 9th September last respecting certain information with regard to the fur-seal fisheries of the Southern Hemisphere, 168 I have the honour to inform you that I have made inquiries in both States in this Consular district, and find that no expeditions are sent hence to the fisheries, nor is anything known about the conditions under which fisheries are carried out, or the habits of the seal itself. I have, &c. (Signed) W. R. Hearne. Mr. Wyndham to the Marquis of Salisbury.—(Beeeived October22.) (No. 114.) Rio de Janeiro, September 25,1891. My Lord: With reference to your Lordship's despatch No. 30 of the 10th ultimo, desiring certain information respecting fur-seal life in the Southern Hemisphere, for the use of the Government of Canada, and to my despatch No. 109 of the 9th instant on the same subject, I have the honour to report to your Lordship that I have received a note from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in reply to my request for the information desired, in which he states, on the authority of the Minister of Marine, that seal-fishing is unknown in Brazilian territorial waters, that no laws respecting the same exist in Brazil, and that hitherto no vessel engaged in this trade has touched at any Brazilian port. Ihave,&c. (Signed) Hugh Wyndham. Mr. Pakenham to the Marquis of Salisbury.—(Beeeived January 18, 1892.) (No. 51.) Buenos Ayres, December 22,1891. My Lord: With reference to your Lordship's despatch No. 24 of the 10th Angus on the subject of seals aud seal fishery on the Argentine coast, I now have th, honour to inclose translation of the reply of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to m: inquiry on the subject, whereof copy is likewise inclosed. 1 I Excellency will k indly cause as to the pursuii waters for transm ssion to the 238 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Apparently the taking of seals is at present prohibited by law, as also th ing for profit of any natural product of the south coasts, though it is inipli before very long certain fishery privileges may be conferred in various quar I believe there is an extensive industry in the seal fishery off Maldona( Monte Video, and, in fact, I well remember, twenty-five- years or so ago, tha concerned in the fishery gravely petitioned the Government that tho lightl Maldonado should he closed, as the light appeared to alarm tho seals. Buenos Ayres, September 1 M. le Ministre: I have the honour to place in your Excellency's hands a Circular issued by the Department of Fisheries of the Dominion of Car which Lord Salisbury has directed me to lay before the Argentine Governm the request that, if it is possible, they will kindly furnish the informatioi asked, which is to the effect that fears being now seriously entertained total destruction of the fur-seal, or sea-bear, a series of queries has been : this interesting subject with a view to their protectio: I have therefore the honour to request that your steps to be taken to obtain tho desired information preservation of these valuable animals in Argentine •* Governor-General of the Dominion. I avail, &c. (Sigi [Translation.] Buenos Ayres, December 14,1891. . SeSor Ministro: In reply to your note addressed to my distinguished predecesso on the 12th September last, I have the honour to inform your Excellency that tho tak ing of seals, as also the working for profit ("exploitacion ") of any natural produc of the south coasts, is prohibited by law, and for a long time thishas been the casi with this branch of national industry. Further, from what I can judge of the case, I am able to tell your Excellency tha the Executive Power has asked Congre" J~ 169 Memorandum on the Seal Fishery in Uruguay, by Mr. Ernest Satow. The seal fishery in the Republic of Uruguay is carried on at three points on the Atlantic coast, namely, Lobos Island, at the entrance to the Rio de la Plata, at the Castillos Islands further north, and at Corouilla group, near the Brazilian frontier. Two kinds of seals are known there, namely, the fur-seal, and the "common single- hair seal. The male of the latter species is large, and of a dark brown colour, while the female is much smaller, and of a yellow colour. At Lobos Island there is an establishment for steaming down the oil and salting the skins, besides huts for the accommodation of the sealers who live there during the killing season. At the highest point of the island is a large " corral," or inclosure, capable of holding several thousand seals. When not engaged in killing, the sealers remain in the vicinity of their huts, but when the superintendent sees a favourable opportunity, which happens usually dnring cold winds from the southeast, in consequence of the seals coming high up out of the water, he sends the men down to intercept them, and'-l by making loud noises to drive them into the corral. Then, as convenience suits, a' certain number of seals are let ont by a door on the opposite side to that by which they entered, and driven to the killing ground, where they are quickly dispatched REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 239 by a blow with a club.' The establishment for the Castillos Islands is at Polonia on the mainland, whence the sealers proceed in boats when they judge that there is a favourable opportunity. The general opinion seems to be that there has been no diminution in the number of the seals, at any rate of recent years. In 1876 a Decree was issued establishing a close season from the 16th October to the 31st May, and this Law is strictly enforced A copy intranslation is annexed. As has been seen above, there is no pelagic seal-fishing off the coast of Uruguay. The figures of the export of seal-skins aud nutria skins (the latter is a large freshwater rat, Myopotamus Coypus, inhabiting the rivers) for the last six vears nrecedina- 1891 are as follows: l fe 1885 25,885 1886 24 191 1887 42 348 1888 22 542 1889 30,211 1890 38,462 Although there is thus considerable variation in the yield of the fisheries, there does not appear to be any ground for supposing a constant diminution. The female fur-seal produces one at a birth, the male pups being the more numerous. The pupping season begins in November. The mothers are very careful of their young. When the latter are about a fortnight old the mothers take them down to the water and teach them to swim. They suckle their young for nearly a year. The seals never entirely abandon the islands, but go to and fro their fishing banks, which are not far off. The mating season is in December and January. During this time the males often fight savagely for possession of the females, and numbers may be seen lying on the islands or shore of the mainland helpless from their wounds. The fisheries in Uruguay are leased to a private Company, of which Don Guillermo Lafone is Managing Director. The Government being unable to remain indifferent to the denunciations of the periodical press with reference to the abuses committed in "exploiting" the amphibious animals that populate the Islands of Lobos, Espinillo, and Polonia, and the regulation of this industry, implying not only an advantage for the Company which pursues it, as well as' a duty appertaining to the public Administration charged with the preservation and development of those factors of the national wealth, the Provisional Governor in Council decrees: Article 1. The slaughter of seals on the above-mentioned islands shall commence on the 1st day of June, and terminate on the 15th day of October in each year. Art. 2. The Civil Administrator of the Department of Maldonado is charged with the execution of the present Decree, and he will take the necessary measures for its due execution. Art. 3. Let this be communicated, published, and deposited in the public archives. (Signed) Latorre. (Countersigned) Juan A. Vasquez. Monte Video, May IS, 1874. 170 Appendix (0). Various Letters and Communications relating to the Fur-Seals of the British Columbian and Neighbouring Coasts. Questions addressed to District Indian Agents on the Coast of British Columbia. [These questions, prepared by Dr. Dawson, were kindly ^warded byMr. A.W. J^^P^^nd- 1. Are fur-seals found or hunted by Indians in any part of your district? If: soj at what seasons are they found in greatest numbers, and about what dates are they fir28t Are totals knXto' give birth to their young on or about, any part of the coast in your district, and, if s 240 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. If young pups are observed, please state whether the Indians know their mode of birth, i. e., whether born on shore or at sea. 3. Do any of the Indians in your district know of breeding places formerly resorted to by the fur-seal, or do they remember to have heard that such breeding places iorrn- crlv existed? ' . '* & 4. Have the fur-seals been more or less abundant oh the coast within the past tew years? Information received in reply to the foregoing Questions. West Coast Indian Agency, Nanaimo, July 30,1891. Sm: In answer to Circular of the 20th July, received from India Office, I have the found in great numbers in February. Are first seen in December and last in April— that is close in shore. After that they begin to travel along the coast of Vancouver Island and Queen Charlotte Islands towards Behring Sea. Fur-seals are not known to give birth to their young on any part of the coast in my Agency. All Indian sealers inform me that seals are born on shore (from their experience in Behring Sea, where many females are killed), and that the mothers leave the young on shore in daytime,-going some miles out to sea in search of food, returning at night. Indians in my district do not know of any breeding places formerly resorted to by the fur- seal, nor do they remember to have heard of such places. With regard to the last query, I should say that the fur seal have been less abun- dant on the coast the last few vears as the schooner coast c itch has been less than formerly. From the Barclay Sound Indians report the sea- s have been unusually abundant this and last season, but were scarce for three seas ms before. The reason given to me by one of the best Indian sealers in Barclay Sc und for the number of seals in the mouth of the Sound this year was that the in who seal farther from shore than the Indians shoot at the seals so much that it frightens them in shore, of which the Indians, who use only spears, take advantage, and get the skins they want without frightening them awaj ; also the seals follow the herrings for food. Some 1,300 skins were taken to Vict" ria this spring at one time speared by Indians in or near the mouth of Barclay Son I have, &c. id. (Signed) 11a rry Guillod, Agent. Kwaw Kewlth Indian Agency, Alert Bay, August IS, 1891. Sir: I have the honour to forward, as requested, the information which I have obtained from the Indians at the north end of Vancouver's Island, viz., the Nuwitti Indians on the east, and the Kwatseno Indians on the west side, as these are the only two tribes in my Agency who hunt the fur-seal. The fur-seal is found in greatest numbers about the last week in December, and continue to be seen for about a month or six weeks, when they decrease in numbers, and are only occasionally seen after that time. The Indian's have never known them to have young during the time they are in the neighbourhood, and none have been kilted younger than about six months old. They have never heard of any breeding grounds in the vicinity. They say that during the last two years the fur-seals have not been nearly so plentiful as in former years, and this year few have gone out to hunt them on that The Indian name here for the fur-seal is " ka-wha." (Signed) R. J. Pidcock, Indian Aqent. Dr. Dawson, Meilakahila. 171 North-west Coast Agency, Metlakahtla, B. G, September 4, 1891. Sir : In reply to a Circular letter from the Superintendent of Indian Affairs at Victoria, dated the 20th July, 1891, requesting my answers to certain questions concern ing the habils and haunts of the fur-seal in British Columbia waters, after full and Letter from Mr. A. W. Huson, ii : C. Todd. , B.C., August 17,1891. sitive that the fur-seal do not bring forth their pups on (Signed) A. W. Huson. ing sixty in one day. However, this was an ea and the young seal seemed to be falling m ai ascend Knight's and Kingcomo Inlets. April. The number usually killed by the natives d I have traded in as high as 600 skins from t; There are no rookeries about the north end The natives say the females go off into the 1 Extracts from Letters to Dr. G. M. Dawson from Mr. J. W. Mackay. B S, PT VI 16 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. sho Cha ndt> 172 remain further at sea, but numbei during stormy weather. I have seen them <; January. They were first systematically hunted 1 Indians took to hunting them some two or three yes merely killed them when they happened incidenta did with most other wild animals; up to that perio< otter and sea-otter were the only animals which th for the: " India as the starting point andfo c shelter. Th nted t i him the diffi far from land in ope s, and asked 1 acceded to their dem ands, a nd success fol i above quoted stated that the fur-seal bred on the Race Rocks, on Smith's Island (Wash.), and on several islands in the Gulf of Georgia. They used to have their young to within a recent period on the Haystack Island, off Cape Scott, Vancouver Island. It is probable that a few individuals still breed there, these islands being very inaccessible to small -craft, on account of the strong tides and cross currents which prevail in that neighbourhood." A further inquiry addressed to Mr. J. W. Mackay on the subject of the former breeding of fur-seals on Haystack Island, elicited (under date the 7th January, 1892) the subjoined additional particulars on this and other points previously referred to; "Respectihg your query of the 1st instant, I got my information from the late Captain Hugh Mackay, of the schooner 'Favourite.' Mackay was the first person to practise the taking of the fur-seal in the open ocean, and using a seaworthy vessel " 'dea was suggested to him by the Indian ilties and dangers of following the seals n to take them out in his schooner. He wed the operation. Mackay died about twelve years ago. He was an intelligent Scotchman from Sutherlandshire, a cooper by trade; be collected much trustworthy information during the twenty years in which he was occupied trading on the west coast of Vancouver Island. I believe his statement respecting the fur-seal on Haystack Island, as it agrees with the accounts which I got in early days respecting individual fur-seals having their young in the unfrequented parts of the coasts of Vancouver Island. Mr. Huson is probably correct as regards the landing of sea-lions on the Scott Islands. In former times these animals extended their peregrinations all round Vancouver Island. I was one night kept awake for hours by the roaring of the male animals on Smith Island, off the south entrance to Rosario Strait. The sea-lions would not interfere with the movements of the fur-seals, and both varieties might herd together." From a further correspondence respecting the date at which Captain Hugh Mackay first attempted sealing at sea the following are extracts: January 20,1892.—" The date of Hugh Mackay's beginning to take the fur-seal at sea may be arrived at approximately by an examination of the Customs Records at the port of Victoria, British Columbia. Mackay owned the sloop ' Ino;' with her he traded oil and furs from thelndians of the west coast of Vancouver Island. He made his first experiment on the fur-seal at sea with the ' Ino;' finding this vessel too small to carry two or three canoes on deck, he built the schooner 'Favourite,' of 75 tons burthen. The ' Favourite' was registered at the port of Victoria. The date of her register will be about eighteen months subsequent to the'Ino's'first fur-sealing cruize. I shall write to Mr. Milne, the Customs Collector at the port of Victoria, to give me the date of the 'Favourite's' first register, and shall communicate results January 31,1892.—" I am informed that the schooner 'Favourite' was launched at Sooke, British Columbia, on tbe 28th April, 1868. She was registered in Victoria on the 18th June, 1868. Hugh Mackay was registered owner and master; on this data we may conclude that the first attempt at taking the fur-seal at sea was made by Hugh Mackay in the spring of 1866, say, February 1866. The above information is from the Collector of Customs at the port of Victoria., British Columbia." Extracts from Letters from Judge James G. Swai REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 243 I have had to rely upon the recollection of individuals, which has proved verv unsatisfactory To-day 1 received a note from Captain E. H. McAlmond, of New Dun- geness, Washington, in reply to a letter from me. Captain McAlmond writes, 1st November, 1891: 'The first schooner to take Indians that I know of was the schooner ' Lottie' in 1869 from Neah Hay; believing that we were the pioneers I afterwards understood that a vessel from Victoria was also taking an Indian crew'' "On the 28th October last I received from Mr. Charles Surinsr of Victoria a letter dated the 27th, in which he writes: ' The first attempt at sealing in anractieal wav with schooners and Indian hunters was made in or about 1869 bv James Christiensou in the schooner " Surprise," owned by the late Captain Williani Spring, of Victoria, No record of catch has been kept by any one that I have ascertained^and the recol- for many years a Puget Sound pilot stationed at Neah Bay, was q^ite certain that schooner ' Potter,' of Port Townsend, took Indians with canoes to the sealing grounds in 1861. But Captain McAlmond, who was at Neah Bay the same time, writes in the letter received from him to-day: < Captain Norwood, in the g Potter," took Indians 173 "The only official account of the seal catch at Cape Flattery that has ever been kept is the one I had charge of for the tenth census of the United States under instructions from Professor Spencer F. Baird, to make a full Report on the fisheries of Cape Flattery, including fur-seals. This Report, in full, may be found in 'The Fisheries and Fishing Industries of the United States,' section 5, vol. ii. This is the most complete and reliable Report ever published of the Neah Bay fisheries, and was compiled by me during the entire year of 1880 while I was in the official capacity of Inspector of United States Customs, stationed at Neah Bay. Since that time no account has been kept of an official nature, and any attempt to make up a statement would be mere guesswork, and utterly unreliable. I think Captain Charles Spring, who was with us during our interview in Victoria, is a thoroughly reliable man, and his statement of seal statistics the most correct that I have known. I have endeavoured to obtain statistics from parties at Neah Bay, but without success. "The whole of the seal catch by the Indians of Cape Flattery has been sold in Victoria, and I think, classed with other skins procured from the west coast Indians. I would have supposed that the Indian Department at Washington, ever mindful of the good effect on members of Congress it is to make a good showing of Indian industries, would have instructed the Indian Agents to have kept a record similar to mine, so that they could show to Congress that the Makah Indians of Cape Flat- tm7e woumLvTbePen appreciated', butU sTemstoTaTe beentiie^oiicy ofthe authorities at Washington to ignore all knowledge of seal industries except those of the Pribyloff Islands; hence the impossibility at the present time of reaching any reliable results." Under date of the 10th January, 1892, Judge Swan writes: "Your kind letter of the 22nd'December was received on the 31st. Since then I have been endeavouring to'obtain past statistics of the seal business at Cape Flattery, but without success. I have, however, arranged with an intelligent half-breed Makah Indian, who has the agency store and trading post at Neah Bay, to keep an accurate account of the catch during the present season. "Yesterday a number of Makah Indians came to my office, and I had a long interview with them. They told me* that they had come to fit out their schooners ' Lottie' and 'James G. Swan' for sealing. These schooners are in winter quarters in Scow Bay, opoosite the city. Those Indians say that seals are unusually plentiful at Cape Flattery and Barclay Sound, and if the weather is good they hope to make a large catch." Under date of the 6th February, 1892, Judge Swan writes: " I have seen several Makah Indians who have been here, and they tell me that Indians lose very few seals, whether they spear or shoot them, as they are always so near the seal at such times that they can recover them before they sink. " Captain Lavender, formerly of schooner 'Oscar and Hattie,' who is a fine shot, told me that he secured ninety-five seals out of every hundred that he shot. He said that poor hunters, of which he had several on his vessel, wonld fire away a deal of vessel that they killed a seal each time they fired, but that all the seals sank except the few which they brought on board. Captain Lavender was of opinion that not over 7 per cent, of seals killed were lost." REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 5 of Washington, December IS, 1891. nd 1891, with the number of seal-skin /essel. 189°- Sch°sTan_ 136 Lottie::":"::::::":".""'.: : 120 Teas6r 250 C.C.Perkins 30 536 1891. Swan 160 Lottie 480 C.C.Perkins 190 Teaser 195 1,025 The schooner "Teaser"is owned in Seattle, the "Swan," "Lottie," and "C. C. Perkins" are owned by Indians at Neah Bay. Yours truly, (Signed) James G. Swan. 174 Under date of the 28th November, 1891, Judge Swan writes: " Thesame letter informs me that schooner' Lottie,' Captain Peter Thompson, was the first vessel which took Indians and canoes from Neah Bay to hunt seals. This was in 1869; the 'Lottie' was a pilot-boat at that time. She is now owned by Captain James Claplanhoo, a full-blood Makah Indian, and Head Chief of the tribe. Last spring the 'Lottie' went to Behring Sea and did very well. Captain Claplanhoo, after paying all costs of the voyage, had 7,000 or 8,000 dollars left. He deposited 5,000 dollars gold in the Merchant Bank in this city. He will buy another schooner and try his luck again next season. " I am amused with reading the remarks of correspondents of the eastern press about seals. They only know what they have seen and been told on the rookeries, but of the migratory habits of seals they know nothing and care less. I have always contended, and still hold my opinion, that the seals are not in one great band, but in countless herds, like flocks of wild geese or the bands of buffalo. Geese do not all fly to the Arctic, as was once supposed, nor did the buffalo of Texas go north to the Saskatchewan in the summer, or the herds of Winnipeg visit Texas in the winter. "All the bands of fur-seals in the North Pacific do not go to the Pribyloff Islands, and there are thousands which do not visit Behring Sea at all. But these writers, who assume to know all the facts, never discuss this question, Where do the seals go when they leave Behring Sea? "If the killing of fur-seals is prohibited on the Pribyloff Islands during the breeding season there will be no fear of extermination. That butchery is driving off the seals more than the so-called poaching. "I inclose an article from the 'Seattle Post Intelligencer' of the 5th on fur-seals, written by myself. It was published in the Sunday issue, but the demand was so great that every copy was sold, and another edition published in their weekly the following Thursday. The editor told me that it has been extensively copied in the leading journals of the east." Extract from the "Seattle Post Intelligencer" of November 5, 1891, REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. on those islands, the officers and employes of the Alaska Commercial Comi the present lessees of these islands. These reports are the only ones t obtained credit in Washington City. All adverse reports of sealers o engaged in the fur trade outside of the powerful monopolies have be ignored or set aside with contempt. The controversy so far has been oiganized capital seeking to secure a monopoly and private traders and _ profit. These latter have never combined or formed associations for their tection, so as to have their side of the question fairly considered and dis> Washington City. Both parties have been stimulated by greed, and not b; When the Reports of the United States and Royal Commissioners are 1 enough new facts will be produced to make a material difference between been dogmatically and persistently asserted by interested writers in the ( the Alaska Commercial Company, and the real state of the case, enough 1 a modification of the present stringent Sealing Laws. It is persistently asserted by the lessees of the Pribyloff Islands that the disappearing, and that they are being exterminated by the sealing schoone careless writers term poachers. Poaching cannot be done where there is no and the only preserve is on those islands leased by the United States Go to the Sealing Companies. The open sea is not, and cannot be, in any sei serve. Hence to call sealing-schoouers poachers is an evident error whh be corrected. These vessels are not poachers on the Pacific Ocean any r thev were poachers on the Atlantic Ocean before they came around Cape I The full sealing fleet list to the 20th June, 1891, amounted to 79 vessels, 47 are under the British flag; 30 are under the United States flag. All are American build. The British vessels mostly came from Nova Scotia; a built in British Columbia, and the rest were purchased from citizens of tl States. The American vessels were mostly from Massachusetts, some from ! cisco, and a few were built ou Puget Sound. Other vessels have been ad( fleet, but their names and tonnage I have not been able to ascertain. It ii by the lessees of the islands that these 79 vessels have destroyed so many i have driven so many off the islands, that they are in danger of being extei and the wailing of these unfortunate capitalists has induced the Governme United States aud Great Britain to send their armed cruizers to Behring S a scop to the killing of seals by private enterprise, so that the lessees of tl specious assertions, urged with eloqueut sophistry, have deluded eastern pc especially those at Washington City, into a belief that our hard-working : and hunters upon the high seas are working a great wrong to the monop Now let us see who is really working an injury to the monopolizing cs and the real causes why the intelligent fur-seal is leaving the leased rooker Pribyloff Islands. A writer in the London "Weekly Times," of the 12th September, 175 was in Behring Sea as a reporter on the steamer "Danube" during summer, says of the decrease of the seals ou the Pribyloff group: "Tho cause of this is, no doubt, the indiscriminate slaughter of these ai the islands by the Alaska Commercial Company and the present Company's which has driven the seals to other parts of the sea for breeding, and air present season, considerable numbers have made their appearance on St. h Island, where formerly they did not resort, the two islands St. Paul and S being the great rookeries." arch. Last winter was very mild, with but little snow, but the prev: s, which were south and south-west, were exceedingly violent, preve ig-schooners from doing much hunting. The mildness of temperature, with the direction of the prevailing winds, drove the seals toward the credible numbers. They gradually work up the coast toward Queen Cha d, when the larger portion of the herds move along the Alaskan coast t< ,'ahoweverrpas°s%nLo^ Cross Sound and Cook's Inlet, and do not go to Behring Sea, but have the skins sold to dealers. The great body of the seals, howe 246 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Sea where they are followed by the sealing-vessels. They usually take to the islands about the first of June, the breeding cows and bulls being earlier than the rest of the herd. The breeding goes on about four months. The writer in the London " Times" before alluded to says of the method adopted on the islands for taking the seals, that: "It is cruel and unsportsmanlike. The animals have no chance for their lives, but are slaughtered like sheep in the shambles. A portion of the herd is separated from the main body by a party of men armed with clubs. These men—they can hardly be called hunters—by shouts and blows drive the part of the herd they have surrounded away into the interior of the islands, a mile or so from the beach. Here, on a clear space, the unfortunate seals are at once clubbed to death and skinned, the carcases being left as they lie. These slaughters are carried on until the number of skins required are secured. Latterly the seals seem to have an instinct that there is something wrong, as the squads driven into the sand-hills never return, only the stench from the slaughter coming down to the beach when the land breeze former years. This has given rise to the assertion of the monopolizing Company that the taking of seal by the private vessels is causing a depletion of the seals on the breeding islands. " When the methods adopted by the hunters of the sealing-vessels are compared with those of the licensed killers, those barbarous butchers, it does not require much consideration to give an intelligent judgment in the case, and determine which method is the most humane and which method is the real cause of the seals leaving the rookeries. ea she has a number of small boats of a canoe heu a seal is sighted a boat is launched over- ___j to pull the boat, quietly take their places. The hunter is armed with shot-guns and rifle. The boat is pnlled quietly toward the seal. In nine cases out f ten the animal takes alarm and dives out of sight before the boat is near enough for the hunter to shoot, and in no case does a hunter shoot until he is near enough to be certain of the game. As soon as a seal is shot it begins to sink slowly, and the boat is pulled rapidly up to it, the carcase is gaffed and hauled aboard. This is repeated as long as a seal can be seen. In many instances only one or two will be killed during a whole day's hunting, but at other times as many as twenty or thirty will be taken. After a day's hunt the boats return to the schooner, the seals are skinned, and the pelts laid in salt in the hold. This goes on from day to day during the season. A small boat is not a very safe craft in the boisterous water of the Northern Ocean, and the thick fogs often spring up and hide the schooners from the hunters' sight, when days may elapse before the boats are picked up, and sometimes they are never found. Thus these hardy sealers pursue the obj ects of their chase in the open sea. The seal has a chance of escaping, and the percentage killed is very small. When it is considered that an extent of ocean of nearly 12,000 square miles is hunted over, the chance is slight of the seals being exterminated by the fleet of sixty or seventy vessels engaged in the seal-hunting business. "It has been asserted that only a few seals out of every hundred shot are captured by the hunters, aud the balance sink or escape wounded to die later on. This is not so. The ample evidence collected by the Commissioners this season proves that a seal hardly ever escapes when shot. Of course, a few do, but not over five or six out of the hundred. " The sealing monopolists of the rookeries have had reports made by so-called 'experts' on the condition of the sealing business and on the probable effect on seal life if the present rate of killing is to be kept up. AU, ornearly all, of these'experts' have reported that but few seal are left; that the piratical poaching schooners had killed them off, and yet the whole of the persons interviewed by the Commissioners, masters of sealing-schooners, Indians along the coast, and traders admitted that the seals are in no ways diminishing in numbers, but that the present season of 1891 the fur-seals in the North Pacific have been more numerous than for the past twenty years. There is, however, much greater difficulty experienced in capturing them. The wary animals have learned what a sealing-boat is, and at the sound of a gun the animal is on its guard, and it is harder for the hunter to get in range of his quarry The Indians kill the seal by paddling the canoe silently close to the sleeping animal', and then with unerring aim hurling a barbed spear with a Une attached, with which the seal is hauled in aud taken aboard the canoe. Seldom or never does a seal esoaue The white hunters use the "■"" a«/1o«^kq,i « md recent accounts from London show that the t the great trade sales did not average over 13 dol- REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. ledti maintained by the monopolists and their mendacious hirelings that all tho fur-seals of the North Pacific Ocean congregated on the rookeries of the islands of the Pribyloff group, and if they are aUowed to be killed by the poachers and pirates, whom the geueral public know as honest, industrious, energetie fishermen and hunters— the fur-seal will become extinct, and Miss Flora McFlimsey will have nothing to wear, poor girl! But the scientific investigations of the United States and Royal Commissions, and particularly the latter, who have made the migrations of the seals a special study, will show that the habits of aU migratory animals, both birds and beasts, are governed by natural laws. The seals, like the great herds of buffalo, formerly so abundant, and the myriads of wild fowl from the north, are not (each kind) one single great body. The buffalo were found in great droves from Texas to the Assiniboiue and the Red River of the north, but they were not all in one band. The herds from Lower Texas never went north to the upper limits, nor did the herds of the extreme north ever seek their feeding ground in Southern Texas. Every band had its own range. So of the Canada geese aud other wild fowl, which were popularly declared to visit the regions of the North Pole every spring to propagate their ybung. No one thought or dared to assert to the contrary, but when Colonel Goss, the celebrated ornithologist, found the nests and eggs and young of the Canada goose in Kansas, aud other observers have discovered these so-called Arctic breeders rearing their young at the head-waters of the Missouri and Mississippi, it was found that popular belief regarding natural history is not always scientific fact, and so as to the habits of the fur-seal. They do not move in one immense herd to Behring Sea, but in droves and bands or schools like fish, all over the great expanse of the North Pacific Ocean. Dr. Dawson, of tho Royal Commission, said, as reported in the Victoria " Colonist" of the 13th October: "Very little has been published about the migrations of the seals on the North Pacific coast before they enter the Behring Sea, and this point is one from which we got a lot of interesting matter. We have taken a good deal of evidence about the presence of seals at Cape Flattery, and have been told that they were more numerous last spring than they have ever been before I find a peculiar idea existing among those who claim to be authorities in regard to seals found in the waters of South America, especially about Tierra del Fuego and the Straits of Magellan. The notion that they are the same species of seal as those found in Behring Sea and the North Pacific is quite erroneous. They are of a different genus altogether." So also will these scientific investigations show that a portion of the so-called California seal, which comes north every season, does not enter Behring Sea at all, and that its habits in many respects differ essentially from those which visit the rookeries on the Pribyloff Islands. These California seals do have pups somewhere While I join with all d that ther e should be a close season on the be killed 01 1 those islands or in Behring Sea, telligent an d observing of these sealers that Washingto n, British Columbia, aud South- ct the seal jatch on the Pribyloff Islands, as eastern Alaska does not in any ..„,, When we consider how the development of the fisheries of the North Pacific have been paralyzed by this seal controversy, and our fishermen have been driven by the mistaken policy of our Government to seek protection under the British flag, we may well exclaim, "This is a sorry sight." The fishermen of Gloucester and other eastern ports, who were protected by our Government in their fisheries on the Atlantic, almost to the verge of hostilities with Great Britain, find that when they come around Cape Horn to engage in the same peaceful and honourable vocation in the North Pacific, Behring Sea, and the Arctic Ocean, they are denounced by the same Government as poachers and pirates. They take nothing but the products of the ocean. They rob no man. Yet because a powerful^ Syridicute^of^capitalia demands the right to monopo'' irticles of 1 r I REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS, fishermen and hunters are harried and worried by revenue-cutters ;Awwi%Uavariceof°the wealthy few who have secured from our f seal-catching on Pribyloff Islands, which they arrogantly assume gives tnem tne monopoly of the whole ocean, as well as Alaska. When the Hudson Bay Company, which for more than 100 years had lorded it with despotic sway across the whole continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, sought to renew its Charter, those far-seeing statesmen, Gladstone, Labouchere, Lord Bury, and others opposed granting a renewal, and Parliament refused. The course of those wise statesmen against that gigantic monopoly opened to the Dominion of Canada all that great region which had been represented by the Company as a land of 177 ice and snow, of fogs and cold, fit only as an abode for wild beasts and the still wilder Indian. But it has been found an agricultural region of immense value, which has been opened and demonstrated by the Canadian Pacific Railroad to be a fit abode for thousands of industrious white persons, who have found within its borders happy homes, and have thus added to the wealth of the Dominion. So, too, when we can have statesmen in Congress who can rise above the sordid motives of filthy lucre, and look into this seal question and the development of Alaska, and of our great fisheries, they will see that the sum paid by the Company for the lease of the Pribyloff Islands is not a feather's weight in thescales of justice, when we compare this amount, great as it is, with the vastly greater amount of good the nation will derive by giving every encouragement to our fishermen to bring in the rich products of the ocean, the whales, the seals, the fish, and to our miners and others to open up and develop the rich treasures of Alaska. All this development is retarded and paralyzed by the action of the monopolizing Companies, just as the Hudson Bay Company retarded the development of British Columbia and aU that great region, clear through to Hudson's Bay and the Atlantic. Instead of emulating the example of the British Parliament and abrogating a powei ful monopoly, we seem to have gone back to feudal times and granted rights and privileges to the moneyed Barons which are denied to the people. Better that every fur-seal be exterminated than the United States should enter into this unholy alliance with a monopoly to paralyze our industries and rob the people of their inheritance. On the North Atlantic Ocean the hair-seals have been hunted for more than two centuries, and every year more vessels and larger ones are engaged in this business. Yet the hair-seal is not exterminated. The habits of the fur-seal and hair-seal are analogous—both live on fish, both are amphibious; but the commercial value of the fur-seal is the greatest, and while our fishermen can kill all the hair-seals they wish the fur seal must be reserved for those who have longer purses and can cajole Congress by their sophistries. The fur-seals never will be exterminated. They may and have been driven from their rookeries, but they have found others, and if they are being driven from the Pribyloff Islands, as is asserted, I predict that when the wholesale butcheries are stopped a.nd the stench of the rotting carcasses no longer pollutes the atmosphere of St. Paul's and St. George's rookeries, the seals will return to their old haunts, as they are now returning to their former rookeries at Cape Horn and other places in the South Pacific. In all the preceding years of the history of the sealing on the Pribyloff Islands, the Captains of the revenue-cutters have not been required to make specific Reports on their observations of fur-seals off the rookeries, and any voluntary statements they may have made were either pigeon-holed or not considered good form, hence we have no knowledge of any such Reports. This season, however, the Captains have been required to make Reports on their observations of fur-seals and their habits off of the rookeries, and their testimony, .added to the Reports of the Commissioners, will furnish much interesting information which has hitherto been Suppressed. If the Government will prohibit the killing of fur-seals on the Pribyloff Islands and in Behring Sea during the breeding season, and will encourage our fishermen as they are encouraged on the Atlantic, the seals will not be driven off lior the market overstocked, and, better than all, encouragement will be given to the development of our fisheries by furnishing a motive for a fishing fleet to congregate on Puget Sound, and by the products of their labours to enrich our State. If such a course is pursued one will hear no more of American vessels being driven under the British flag for protection from the United States Government, which should protect them. Our Government is very jealous of injuries and insults put upon our citizens m "aid of the injuries and losses our citizens staining and protecting a monopoly on the 1 partnership between the United States and these issolved. It is an old adage that " when thieves fall and I hope that the present feud between the two " i~ a clear understanding of this matter, and s and encouragement that they have in the (Signed) James G. Swan. ay foreign nation s, but not a wor have incurred by our Governmem seal islands. It i a disgraceful p h should be diss out honest men g t their dues," an rival Companies (nay bring Congi inr fishermen aUowed the same nr North Atlantic. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 249 Letter from Captain John Devereux, addressed to Ashley Froude, Esq., Secretary, Behring Graving Dock, Esquimalt, November 10, 1891. Sir: In reply to your letter of the 28th ultimo, respecting the habits of the fur- seal along the coasts of British Columbia and Alaska, I beg to report as follows: 1. From the early part of December to the beginning of June they are found near the edge of the bank of soundings along the coast from south of the Strait of De Fuca to Cape Scott Islands on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and that about the middle of June they disappear altogether, and are seldom seen again until late in November or early part of December, when the weather is then too rough for all practical purposes to catch them. 2. The distance from the shore where they are to be found most plentiful—say off Cape Boale, where the bank extends furthest from the land—is from 30 to 100 miles and in Borne cases to 150 miles; but these figures must not be taken by.any means as a fixed limit, because they are frequently found inshore and up the sounds some 8 or 10 miles inside the headlands, and, in fact, I have seen them in the Strait of Fuca, aud on rare occasions in the Gulf of Georgia even. 3. When they are found along the bank on the west coast of Vancouver Island they are feeding on their natural feeding grounds, where they feed upon all kinds of fish, in season—of which we have a variety on this coast of some thirty odd species—however, the herring is their principal food, and then comes the salmon and other varieties, and so long as the fish are plentiful the seal never leaves 178 the feeding ground, but when the herring, salmon, smelts, and others proceed northward and into the inlets, harbours, rivers, &c, to spawn, the seals follow them, but so soon as they find shoal water they go to sea again. Now some of our inlets on the west coast are from 50 to 100 fathoms deep, and the seal is quite at home in them. he west coast of British Coluii heir feeding grounds, for th< chich is by no means so plenti As to the distance they prest to the history of seal-fi Appendix (D). 2. Her Britannic Majesty's Co 3. Her Britannic Majesty's C onsul-General^tlhaT ghaft oDIe 4. Her Britannic Majesty's Co SSSSSNltJS'offl™ er, Esq uima 8: Extract of letter from Bar 9. Letter from Mr. John Murr 11. Memorandum by Sir Samu " Reports. lead Seal Pup by Dr. ( 3] Wilson, M. P. (Shee Jiinthei p-breed ng). 250 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 12. Memorandum by Earl Brownlow (Deer-breeding). 13. Memorandum by Professor Flower, C. B. 14. Letter from Captain David Gray, Peterhead. 15. Mr. W. Palmer, on the Killing of Seals upon the Pribyloff Mat 16. Extract from the Melbourne "Argus," December "" Chapman). 17. Extracts from Pamphlet by Mr. A. W. Scott o Hemisphere, 1873. : 17 1887, (r« l the Fm e Majesty's Consul-General Government House, Ottawa, November 16,1891. Sir: Having been appointed British Commissioners to investigate the facts and conditions of fur-seal life and the sealing industry in the North Pacific Ocean, we find that our inquiry would be much assisted if you could furnish ns with information on the following points: 1. As to the names and number of vessels sailing from Chinese ports in any given years, which have taken fur-seal at sea or on the rookeries, together with the number of skins taken and other particulars, such as the nationality of the vessels, and the 2. Anyinfor market prices [t3. Any in f the: o the number of fur-seal skins landed at Shanghae, and the e iu any given years. n, or names of authorities for, the very considerable trade un the North Pacific and the South Seas, which appears to lanton during the earlier years of the present century.] iged if the above information could be forwarded to us as 3d to the Behring Sea Commission, care of his Excellency -Let rfro Her Brit e Majes s Consul a o the Behring S San Francisco, January 5, Sir: I am in receipt of your despatch, dated Foreign Office, the 10th ultimi ing me to obtain for the Behring Sea Commissioners the forms of clearance is the Custom-house at San Francisco for vessels proceeding on whaling, fishii sealing voyages to the North Pacific, including Behring Sea. The precise phrases used in clearing vessels at this port upon these voy shown on the inclosed forms of clearance obtained from the Custom-house, that go hunting and fishing procure a clearance, which states that they are ' for hunting and fishing voyage, having on board stores," and those that go v Deputy Collector of Customs, who clears all vessels here, that these are tl two forms of clearance given, and that no sealing or trading clause is inserted forms. He says no vessels are cleared for Behring Sea. The steamers of the Commercial Company clear for Unalaska, and receive permission from the Ci of Customs there to proceed to the Islands of St. George and St. Paul. As regards a statement of the number of vessels clearing from this port for and hunting, I inclose a Memorandum which I have procured from the Custon at this port. I am, &c. - (Signed) Denis Donc 1892. sued at ' Those 'bound o the Behring ,entlemen : In reply to your letter of the 16th November last, just received, ask- for certain information with regard to vessels clearing from Chinese ports which 'e taken fur-seal, I have the honour to inform you that, as far as I can learn, no sels have cleared for that purpose from this country, though vessels registered e may possibly have left for Yokohama with the ultimate intention of engaging * Sent also to Her Majesty's Consuls-General at Honolulu and Canton. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Year. Pieces. Yalne. 2, 381 3,450 860 ffn els. U 1888 5,097 1889 1891 The Haikwan tael is, roughly speaking, equivalent to 5s. These skins have all been imported from Japan, and I am unable to s; they had their origin in that country, or had been previously imported tc I am sending copy of your despatch to Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at 'U doubtless furnish you with all the information obtainable. Ih Nieiioi -Lei • fro Her Brit s Majes mi-General, Canton, to the Behring Sea Canton, December 28, 1891. Gentlemen: I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 16th ultimo, in which you ask for information about the fur-seal trade of this port. In reply to your first query, I have to state that, so far as can be ascertained, no vessel sailing from a Chinese port has ever gone on sealing expeditions. As to the second point on which you ask for information, I cannot trace any record of fur-seal skins having eyer been lauded at this port. On the third point also I have been unable to obtain any information. None of the records accessible here have even a mention of a "very considerable trade in fur-seal skins, both from the North Pacific and the South Seas." In a Consular Report on the trade of this port in 1843, Mr. Thorn writes: "Twenty years ago the fur trade (which was almost entirely in the hands of the Americans) carried on with China amounted to upwards of 1,000,000 dollars annually. But, owing to the indiscriminate slaughter of the animals of the chase, it has dwindled away so much as to be no longer worth pursuing,'and, indeed, during these last two or three years no skins or furs whatever have been imported into China." Mr. Thorn gives thi* names of the furs imported into China, and fur-seals is not among them. Further, in a Return of United States imports into Canton in 1846, other furs are enumerated, but not fur-seals. In a previous Return (1831) of the United States trade in furs, I find in like manner the names of the furs exported to China, and fnr- B seals is not among these. But in another account I find it stated that the furs usually imported into China by United States traders in the early part of this century were rabbit, seal, sea-otter, land-otter, beaver, and fox. The archives of this Consulate-General do not go back to the period at United States trade in furs with China flourished. Consequently, thei archives to shed light on the subject. The books which I have referred t to give precise information, and it is doubtful whether anything c< about it can bo learned here. 1 have, &c. (Signed) T. Wat hich the md definite -Behring Sea Commis r Naval Officer, Esquimalt. Ottawa, July 8, j Sir: As Her Maj We therefore venture to s matters which we have.to ii We have, &c. appointed to inves is that information ssion if gathered 1 252 181 Bee REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. eredin a Separate Seal Log. 1. Place of each recorded observation (possibly, marked off on separate chart by 2. Points to be noted in regard to seals: <i.) Whether playing, resting, or'travelling (if travelling: (a) direction, (/?)pace, (y) whether single or in schools). (ii.) (a) Sex, age, and size; (/3) whether accompanied by pups or not. (iii.) State of weather and sea at times of observation. 3. Obtain corresponding information from any sealing-schooners visited for any immediately preceding dates, and generally record any information applying to seal life. This Memorandum was communicated to the commanding officers of Her Majesty's ships "Nymphe," "Porpoise" and "Pheasant," who kindly caused accurate observations to be made on the points indicated. The results of these observations are, so far as were considered essential, embodied in our Report. 6.—Extracts from Beportof the Scientific Besultsof the Exploring Voyage of Her Majesty's Ship " Challenger," 1873-76. " The caves (on Nightingale Island), with the sloping ledges leading up to them, are frequented, as was said, by fur-seals. Four years before the visit of the expedition, 1,400 seals had been killed on the island by one ship's crew. Seals were very much scarcer in 1873, bnt the island was visited regularly once a-year by the Tristan people, as was also Inaccessible Island. The Germans kUled only seven seals at Inaccessible Island during their stay, but the Tristan people killed forty there in December 1872." (Narrative, vol. i, part i, p. 264.) " From all sides of the precipitous black cliffs cataracts fall over into the sea, and water is found in numerous ponds aU over the group. The islands* are frequented by elephant- and fur-seals, although these are not so plentiful as formerly, and as there is* no lack of water, there is no danger of shipwrecked mariners dying of starvation. The blubber of the elephant-seal and the skins of penguins, with the adherent fat, furnish the material for fire, and the flesh of the seals and birds, the eggs of the latter, together with the Kerguelen cabbage, form a nourishing diet, on which the sealers residing at times on one or other of the islands have usually lived, and with which they appear to have been contented." (Narrative, vol. i, part i, p. 321.) "Two of the whaling-schooners met with at the islandt killed, over seventy fur- seals on one day, and upwards of twenty on another, at some small islands off Howe Island to the north. It is a pity that some discretion is not exercised in kiUing the animals, as is done in St. Paul Island in Behring Sea in the case of the northern fur-seal. By killing the young males, and selecting certain animals onlyfor killing, tbe number of seals may even be increased; X the sealers in Kerguelen Island kill all they can find." (Narrative, vol. i, part i, p. 355.) "In 1866, when Her Majesty's ship 'Topaze' called at the island, § there were only ' [ ■'"""■"fl and the 'Challenger! found forty or fifty under the o paid 200?. i " VFu« md; he ), vol. i, part ii "The steam-pinnace left Gray Ha officers, and joined the ship in the ei was effected at several spots, and a number of fur-seals (Arctocephalus) -v tons of which were preserved." (Ns > the Chilean "Government, and " is engaged principally with the 1 p. 827.) 'ho hac mtiug of the hour fl at 4 a. m. with several naturalists and ening at Port Grappler. On the way, landing number of birds were procured; a very large ere seen, and six were shot, the skins and skele- rrative, vol. i, part ii, p. 865.) In the narrative of the voyage it is stated that fur-seals frequented Nightingale ad, one of the Tristan da Cunha group; the Crozet Islands, Kerguelen Island, a Fernandez, the Messier Channel, and Elizabeth Island, in th» Strait of Magel- Specimens of eared seals, which did not possess the elongated concave pafate * Crozet Islands, Peng t Kerguelen Island. I J. A. Allen.—The eai J Juan Fernandez. II Visited by "Challeng. if Visited by " Challeug lin or Inaccessible Island, visited 1873-74. 3d seals. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. ii, pp. 1-88,1870-71. vol.xxvi,partlxvii,p.37.) la ted fr om D inedin, 24th '1 ha m able j tirpat ion of answer Mr. ( nformation, , thai from a gene ie aland and from books a I will come to Nev r Zealand. at the numbers taken here ies of old m ercantile houses ii lys, &c, if any of them exisi which were veryn ad may hav lentiful wh and was, h , the home in quiet pJ aces. ' 'here was ort lightho n£r we nt^utina6 ten years before that repeats the protests of the French whalers, who were numerous here, against the disastrous practice of the Sydney people, who mainfainedehore stations, and so utterly destroyed the whales. It is difficult to realize that in 1843 there were fourteen whale ships lying in this port, with all their boats out daily, and four shore stations in active operation, in face of the fact that during the nineteen years I have lived here only one whale has been killed. I have digressed from • the seals, but the fact of the whale explains, and more than explains, that of the S6"Captain Turnbull, whose book I have never seen, writes in 1810 of 46,000 seals taken at the Fiji Islands. We don't hear of seals there now. It is quite possible that that locality was mentioned to lead others off the scent. At Macquarie Island REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. nd left to k This is enough to The Chatham Isl All this relates to while, as you kn by a very few oh youth of whales, "Sealing hash u that once i i another sea which happ >ed 8,000 seals. led with seals, ow very little. like d fself, i !, before which the Maor ,nd though poaching nev sapient Government has ids. One reports getting n the Auckland, but the. tied the fm nd other fi : in the si ley were h a tkim 3almday ver heafc and alw got, 9 the c ,ny yeai ndha >ng rope and lower one of the party over the cliffs hundreds of feet high. He gets off at the mouth of the cave where the seals lie, and cuts off their retreat. He then proceeds to club them, and send up their skins by the rope. This is done because it is so dangerous to put in a boat on the open coast with a fearful sea running. The whales, so enormously plentiful prior to 1840, are, as I have said, almost extinct. This is due to slaughtering them in the breeding bays, and to the occupation of these bays as shipping ports. The off-shore whale (sperm whale) is still lively, though greatly reduced in numbers. Disturbance, as you know, is as great a destroyer as actual killing. I believe it will pay our Government some day to restore the seal fisheries. It would be interesting to experiment with northern seals: as they might migrate, and so people the islands and coasts, while the facts I have mentioned, and the direct testimony of Captain Fairchild, who assures me that this is the case, seem to show that ours keep very much to the native spot. If I can see Captain Fairchild I will get some further facts from him. I think Filhol could give Mr. Dawson some information, as he told me a great deal about seals when he was here, which I have forgotten. "This is about all I can tell you at present. Of this I am certain, that unless the American seal fisheries are subjected to some kind of management, they wiU foUowjll the f'af cs, tho ill take ; in the , dated Stockholm. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 255 9.—Observations on Sealing in the Southern Hemisphere in the years 1873-76. In addition to the notes contained in the published volumes relating to the "Challenger" expedition, Mr. John Murray has been so kind as to furnish the following information: ° "'Challenger' Expedition Office, 45, Frederick Street, "Edinburgh, September 2, 1891. " Dear Sir : I have been from home for some time, otherwise your letter of the 2nd July would have beon answered long before this. " I fear I have very little information to convey with reference to the seal fisheries of the south. All the fur-seals that wo procured were killed on land, and it was the habit of the seal-fishers we mot thus to capture all their animals. We saw very few seals far from their breeding places. We saw only three or four on the southern ice. All the seal-fishers we encountered in the south were from New London, U. S. A. In our time there were no Australians engaged in the trade. There were immense numbers of sea-elephants killed every year on Long Beach at Herd Island. Men wintered there for the purpose of killing them when they came on shore in the early spring. We saw the sealers kiU twenty-four fur-seals one day by landing on Swain's Islands where they were breeding. " We found that some fur-sealing was done at the Falkland Islands. You could get information as to the present state of the trade by addressing a letter to Air. Deans, Stanley Harbour, Falklands, or you might address a letter direct to tho Governor of the islands. "Trusting that you will have had a pleasant trip to the west, yours, &c. (Signed) "John Murray." 10.—Eeport of Examination of Seal Pup, by Dr. Giinther, F. B. S., British Museum. The pup fur-seal submitted to my examination was labelled " Found dead on northeast rookery, St. Paul's Island, 5th August, 1891." 1. Its length from end of nose to root of tail 23 inches: umbilical cord closed at its distal end; milk-dentition perfectly grown. Apparent age of animal about 17 days. 2. Fur in perfect order; no signs of external or internal mechanical injury. Body well nourished, with a fair amount of fat in the subcutaneous tissue; no fat about the abdominal organs. 3. Organs of digestion and other abdominal organs healthy. Stomach entirely empty, with the exception of a smooth black pyramidal pebble, size of a small bean, and of two or three very small corroded pebbles; intestine empty, with some slight accumulations of mucus in various parts. The animal could not have taken any sustenance for at least two or three days before its death. 4. The chest had not been opened, consequently partial decomposition had 184 set-in before the preservative fluid could act upon the organs. It is therefore difficult to distinguish between pathological signs and post-mortem appearances. But sO much is certain, that the lungs were in an inflammatory condition, especially at the base of the right lung. The inflammation extended also some way up the wind-pipe, the mucous membrane of which was covered with a granular deposit in the portion affected. 5. Both the absence of food as well as the condition of the respiratory organs are sufficient to account for the death of the animal; but which of the two was the primary cause preceding the other is impossible to say. 6. A small and thin nematoid worm, from 1 to 1_ inches long, was found in considerable numbers in the lower half of the smaller intestines; one specimen to, perhaps, every 2 inches of intestine. They could not have caused any inconvenience to the animal, and, in fact, there was not the slightest sign of irritation in the membrane. % S (Signed) A. Gunther, M. D. ish Museum, January 26, 1892. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. P. S—80 per cen A flock of ewes and a-half years fo ars old, leavin would proba The breedi Octobei 20th Septet md lasts tiU late : e the stags eat very little. In a wild state they begin n off the rocks early in October. If yon kill a stag then you will fi 8 stomach mixed with lichen, and later there will be no grass, and f lichen. In a park where^they cannot get lichen they will rush im They soon get thii ethi lite The ed, - ithout fat no rest, a rith spend a offer REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. At other times of the year the stags and hinds keep separate in small her very young stags keeping with the hinds. A hind has one calf as a rule, which is born about May. The stags cast their horns every year, and will eat the old horns if they c them to supply lime for the growth of the new horn. Although a, great deal might be written on this subject, no other infor strikes me which would be likely to be of any assistance to you in your inqu (Signed) Brown: 13.—Memorandum on the Place of the Fur-Seal in the Classification of Mammalia, by Professor Flower, C. B., F. B. S., Director of the Natural History Departments, British Museum. AU the animals commonly spoken of as seals are divided into two very distinct . groups: (a.) The true seals (Phoddce), distinguished mainly by having no external ears, and by not using their hiud limbs when walking on land. (b.) The eared seals (Ota "' smaU external ears, and wh soles of their hind as well as their fore Umbs. None of the first-named group have the fine under-fur which makes the skin of some of the species of the second group such a valuable article of commerce; it is therefore not necessary to speak further of them in the present Report. Up to the year 1816 both groups of seals were included under the generic name of Phoca (Linnaeus), but in that year the eared seals were separated by Peron* from the others, under the name of Otaria, a name which zoologists, whose tendencies in questions of nomenclature are conservative, still retainfor the wholegroup.t Others have divided it up into nearly as many genera as there are species, founded on trifling modifications of the teeth and skuU and the length of the ears, and thus such names as Arctocephalus, Callorhinus, Euotaria, Zalophus, Eumetopias, Phocaretos, Halarctus, Neophoca, Arctophoca, and Gypsophoca occur as generic appeUations of various members of the famUy in zoological treatises on the subject. As the various authors who have made a special study of this group of animals do not agree as to the relative importance of the characters upon which these distinctions are founded, there is much difference of opinion as to the extent and limits of these so-called generic divisions, and consequently as to the name to be applied to many of the species, hence the confusion of nomenclature which is obvious *o any one who compares the different monographs and treatises on the natural history of the seals. Besides the difficulties as to the most, appropriate names, there are others which arise from our ignorance of the animals themselves, especially the distinctive characters and geographical distribution of the various species. The number of species is not even accurately determined, as variations due to sex, age, or season have often been mistaken for those due to specific distinctions. Indeed, until more complete materials are collected in our museums, including skins, skeletons, and skulls of animals of both sexes and various ages, and from different and well-recorded localities, a complete zoological monograph of the family will be impossible. which, in addition to the stiff, close, hairy covering common to all the group, possess an exceedingly fine dense woolly under-fur, does not coincide with divisions based on other and more important structural characters. Though all true seals (Phocidce) are "hair-seals," some of the Olariidai are "hair-seals," and others "fur-seals." It is the skins of the latter, when dressed and deprived of the longer, harsh, outer hairs, which constitute the "seal-skins" of commerce so much valued for wearing In habits aU the Otariidm, whether hair-seals or fur- As might be inferred from their power of walking on a of locomotion on shore, and range inland to greater 6 the breeding season, though even then they are alway to seek their food, and the rest of the year is mainly from land. They are gregarious and polygamous, ai much larger than the females. They are widely dis * "Voyage aux Terres Austra + Flower and Lydekker: "T Extinct, 1891," p. 593. B S, PT VI 17 al s ap oear to he much alike. ley are bett pable lis at the ifar away tear ult males a uaily ib ited, especiaUy i a the tem- 258 perate Atlanti African Sofa: distribi of thi REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. is of both hemisph* 186 The mds lgh their entire absence from the North las ever been found either on the European, a definite and limited area of geographical irs. In this respect they follow an almost ;h animals and plants, although the causes le amount of precision when a sufificit is cannot be said to be the case at prei itisfactory ;ion three, described elsewl The distinctiv inhabiting the s formerly in all s as stated above unravel this pur palate. This is not a fui cephalus australis and/aZ the month of the Rio de 6. The South Afric from the Cape of Good I 7. The Australian 1 tralia, New Zealand, Auc 8. -The Australian Se the Australian coasts. 9. Hooker's Sea-Lion Also a hair-seal. Mat 1892. *See especially the es J. A. Allen, Washington, i), formerly abundant on the Falkland le, extending as far north as the Gala- the Northern or Steller's Sea-lion, but he skull, especially of the bones of the la australis= Otariafalklandica= Arcto- lerican coasts, from Lobos Islands near to the Galapagos on the west, -ia pusilla=Arctocephalus antarcticus), REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 259 14.—Letter from Captain David Gray, Peterhead. Peterhead, June S, 1892. Sir: I had the honour yesterday to receive your communication, asking for information regarding the hair-seal fishing in the North Atlantic. The Jan-Mayen Convention provides that no seals are to be killed within the limits detailed in the Act, namely, from latitude 68 N. to latitude 75 N., and from the meridian of Greenwich west to the Greenland shore. The penalty for kiUino- a seal before the 3rd April is 500J., payable to the informant. There are no ptilice required to enforce the close time; each ship's crew looks after their neighbours, so that the close time in the Greenland seas has been verv strictlv kept. J J The effect of the close time on the seals is to protect them during the time they are bringing forth their young, and gives them a few days' quietness to nurse them, and is beneficial in so far that it prevents the old seals being killed before the young are born, and also allows a proportion of mother seals to escape to continue the species; beyond this the close time does not go. The young broods were very often clean swept up, so that not one escaped. The Newfoundland seal fishery is conducted in a different way; the St. John's people, having the control of the fishing themselves, do not allow the ships to leave before a date. This year the 15th March was the day fixed for the steamers 187 leaving. Sailing-ships are aUowed to sail eight days sooner. The Newfoundlanders are becoming more strict every year; the sailing day was five days later this season than last, and they have to stop fishing on the 20th April. To sum up, the position is this: at Greenland the close time will prevent tho seals being exterminated, but it will not allow them to increase. At Newfoundland their present mode of fishingmeans, in a few years, extermination. I have, &c. (Signed) David Gray. Sir George Baden-Powell, M. P., Foreign Office, London, S.W. 15.—Mr. W. Palmer on the killing of Seals upon the Pribyloff Islands. The following are extracts from a paper read by Mr. William Palmer, Taxidermist to the Smithsonian Institution, before the Biological Society of Washington, in October 1891. Mr. Palmer visited the Pribyloff Islands in an official capacty in 1890. The first part of the paper from which these extracts are made gives some general account of the habits of the seal, together with remarks on pelagic sealing, with which subject, however, Mr. Palmer was not personally familiar. The portion of the paper quoted below is that giving the result of Mr. Palmer's own observations made on the breeding islands, and is, therefore, of value as a record of the conclusions thus arrived at by him : Natural History. fate of the fur-seal I tRead before the Biological Society of Washington, District of Columbia, October 17, and illustrated by Lantern Slides.] The present condition of the Alaskan fur-seal islands is but another illustration of the fact that the ignorance, avarice, and stupidity of man have succeeded in reducing an overwhelming abundance of animal life, that by careful aud considerate treatment would for ever have been a sdurce of immense wealth, to such a condition that it becomes a question of great moment to devise means to prevent its extermination, and adopt measures to restore its former abundance. But pelagic seal fishing is not the only cause of the decrease of seal life on the Pribyloff8. Probably, an equal cause is the unnatural method of driving seals that has been followed on the islands since the first seal was captured. The mere kiUing of seals as conducted on the islands is as near perfection as it is possible to get it. They are quickly dispatched, and without pain. One soon recognizes, as in the kiUing of sheep, that in the quickness and neatness of the method Ues its success, all things considered. J But the driving is a totally different matter. I doubt if any one can look upon the painful exertions of this dense crowding mass, and not think that somewhere and somehow there is great room for improvement. It is conducted now as it always has been: no thought or attention is given to it, and, with but one exception, no other method has been suggested, or even thought necessary. 260 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. e of these dri Each day during the season, which lasts from the 20th June to the 1st August, there are three killings: one on St. George, one at the village of St. Paul, and another at North-east Point, St. Paul. I have marked on outline Maps of the islands the extent of s< which are as foUows: „ , Monday, from the Reef; Tuesday, from Lukannon; Wednesday, lolstoi; at Half-way Point (the drive being brought from Polavina); Friday, ai (when the water is smooth the MUers go by boat to Zapadnie, but in rouj the seals are driven to the village); Saturday and Sunday drives are ma* some of the places driven from earlier in the week, or a number of small < several plaoes are united. At North-east Point drives are made, common end on Monday and continuing round where— ' George drives are made from each rookery in i below the viUage. Some of these driving t but the longest, from Zapadnie, is 5 miles. The fur-seal is utterly unfitted by nature a land. It will progress rapidly f ing at o •ativel; Wh d clear exhaustion, the motion i 1 and 2 in the morning, several natives make their way between the seals hauled out near a rookery and the water, and cut out as large a drive as possible. As it is the habit of the seals when alarmed to get as far as possible from any strange object, it follows that they are easily driven in any direction by simply walking behind them waving the arms and making a noise. The character of the ground over which the seals are driven is in many places utterly unfit for the purpose: up and down the steep slopes of sand dunes, over cinder hills studded with sharp rocks, some places being so bad that they are avoided by the people themselves; but the seals have been driven over the same ground for many years, and on some of the hills deep paths have been worn by the passing of tens of thousands of seals. 188 No attempts have been made to remove the rocks or to lessen the difficulties of the passage, and the,sea]s are stiU driven pell-mell over huge rocks and down steep incUnes, where many are crushed and injured by the hurrying mass of those behind. When the drive reaches the killing ground it is rounded up and left in charge of a man or boy to await the kUling, which begins at 7 a. m. A pod of perhaps sixty seals are then cut out of the drive and driven to the kiUers, who with long wooden clubs stun those seals that are of proper size and condition by a blow or two on top of the head. The seals that are not killed are then driven away by tin pans and a great noise, and while in an excited and over-heated condition rush, as fast as it is possible for a seal to go, into the icy-cold waters of Behring Sea. It will thus be seen that these seals are subjected on an average from 2 o'clock in the morning until 10 to a long drive over very rough ground, then to a dense herding, where they are continually in motion and crowding each other, thence to an intense excitement on the kiUing ground, and finally in a condition little better than madness rushing into icy cold water. Uncivilized and partly civilized man has no id as these drives are conducted entirely by the natives, who vUlage to the discomforts of a drive in the fog and rain, it e often driven much faster than thev should be, and abso- But this is not all. The seals that f dumb brutes deaths of these Mrha e obUe and, a t of thr of vital i that the a sudden bath in icy cc imachs of the fur-e many of them hav water tne seals are weak from i con secure food they must rest most vital necessity of these £ curiosity for the cause of deat beach. Externally there was n revealed instantly what I am < i ■ oi irom 1 to 4 or 5 inches 3 the fur. I think it wiU be readily seen thigh ground, up and down hills, and over ith a subsequent herding, and then afti ;y cold water, must of necessity disturb to the good health of any anini . the i fasted for s drive and lack of food; bef only obtainable at the expense ". fat. I remember looking wit dead seal that I found stranded ticate it, but the first stroke of. t. i been the cause of death of c REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 261 thousands of fur-seals. It had been chilled to death; not a trace remained of the fat that had once clothed its body and protected the vital organs within Since the day that it had escaped from the drive, it had consumed aU its fat in the effort to keep warm, and nothing remained but to lie down and die. I opened many after this, and always discovered the same, but sometimes an additional cause a fractured skull perhaps. I have even noted those left behind in a drive, and watched them daily, with the same result in many cases. At first they would revel in the ponds or wander among the sand dunes, but in a few days their motions became distinctly slower, the curvature of the spine became lessened; eventually the poor brutes would drag their hind flippers as they moved, and in a few days more become food for the foxes. In every case the fat had disappeared. It will be seen also that by this driving process the 2- or 3-year-olds, which are the only ones killed for their skins, are culled out almost completely from the seals which visit these islands, and therefore that very few male seals ever reach a greater age; consequently, there are not enough young bulls growing up to supply even the yearly loss on the rookeries, much less to provide for any increase. It should also be thoroughly understood that until a cow seal is 3 years old she is hut a cypher so far as natural increase of the rookeries is concerned, and that a male seal must be at least 7 or 8 years old before he can possibly secure a footing on the rookeries. During these 3 and 8 years they have to run the gauntlet of the poachers. If they escape the driving—and this seems impossible—they have their natural enemies to encounter, sharks and killer whales, so that taken altogether, nearly everything is against this increase. During the eight years' minority of the few male seals that have escaped their enemies it is safe, I think, to assume that at least four summers were spent in getting an experience of the drives. Does any one think that they were then capable of filling their proper functions on the rookeries ? But some one is not satisfied with the accidental landing of the seals on the beaches, from whence they can be easily driven. Along the sea edge of the rookeries are many small outlying rooks, on which the young male seals congregate iu large numbers and survey the rookeries from which they are disbarred by their inferior size and strength. An old buU seal will suffer himself to be slaughtered rather than yield an inch of his chosen location. The cows are so timid that only the greatest exertions of the bulls prevent their being stampeded, while as to the " holluschickie" the sight, even the scent, of a man or strange object will drive them peU-meU instantly into the water. The natives have been provided with whistles, and when a boat finds itself near a rookery (and a pretence for its presence is easily found) good use is made of them with a consequent confusion among the seals, and a probable increase in the next morning's drive. And yet a stranger on the islands is bamboozled with the information that his presence a few yards from the village is fraught with great danger to the Company's interests. The breeding seals on the rookeries represent the principal of the sealing industry, while the quota of 100,000 skins taken annually for the past twenty years is the interest on the principal. Owing to poaching and the effects of driving and culling the principal has become seriously impaired, so that it is no longer possible to pay this large rate of interest. The work on the islands has been directed entirely to collecting this interest at any cost. The principal was left to take care of itself. The decrease in seal life began about ten years ago; before then it was an easy matter to secure 100,000 skins a-year from St. George's Island, the rookeries 189 near the village of St. Paul, and at North-east Point. The rookeries at Polavina and Zapadnie were then never driven from. But ten years ago it became absolutely necessary, in order to secure the full quota of skins, to make drives from these places, and the custom has been continued since, to the great injury of the seal But these drives from Polavina and Zapadnie, and the decrease in seal life, seem to have been carefuUy concealed from the Government and others interested in the welfare of the seals; in fact, it has been strongly put forth in the Reports of the Treasury Agents in charge and elsewhere that the seals have actually greatly increased in numbers; but a comparison of the sketches alone in Mr. Elliott's "Monograph of the Seal Islands," made in 1873-74 and 1876, with the actual condition of affairs at present on the islands, will convince any one that the opinions and Reports of political appointees are almost worthless when dealing with the fate of the fur-seal. How can it be otherwise? Their tenure of office exists only with that of the Secretary of the Treasury; with every change of that office new men who know nothing of seals are sent up, and these men are entirely dependent on the seal Company ev«rt for their passage and board while there. All visitors to the islands are regarded interlopers and meddlers. It may be interesting for a moment to compare the management of the Rus of Behring Sea with our own. Dr. Stejneger, of the National Museum, who has spent r 262 REPORT OP BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. several seasons on the Commander Islands, assures me that, instead of decreasing, the fur-seals there are actuallv increasing in numbers. A comparison of the Russian ideas of seal management with our own will readily show the reason. The necessity for great care in the driving and management of the drive seems to be a fixed fact in the minds of the Russian officials and natives of the Commander Islands, while on the Pribyloff Islands not the slightest interest is taken in the matter. On the Russian side the natives are firm in the belief that their interests lie in the proper care of the seals; consequently, when a drive is made, it is composed of many smaU drives carefully selected and slowly driven, so that the large and small seals unfit for kiUing are gradually weeded out, and when the drive reaches the killing grounds it is composed almost entirely of killable seals. On the American side, on the contrary, the seals are driven as fast as possible, the only ones weeded out being those too weak to go further, whUe of those rounded up on the kiUing ground by far the greater number are aUowed to escape. Out of a drive of 1,103 counted by me only 120 were killed; the rest were released. On the e Company only. The native! support, and while having a v ; thing, they naturally look t< about the fate that would be their lot if caught poachin ordingly * on the Commander Isla given them a wide berti Pribyloff [slands, and e the islam I have have byn that if an industry, whi one of the kind America years the ur-seal has be ntheonehanc s they pleased about the ^fenceless, and liable at any time to be raided, ightly upon several questions of the sealing industry, and ited the subject; but enough has been said, I think, to show :h eighteen month ago was expected to pay the Government I per cent., and is, besides, a great natural exhibit, the only ian produce, is to be saved, reform is necessary. For twenty in the spoil of politics and the victim of the poacher. Inex- , and avarice on the other, have weU nigh ruined the indus- hief causes of the decrease of seal life on the Pribyloff beginning to be accepted as true. There should also be a close time for at least five years to aUow the rookeries to b ernment, trained in the knowledge and care of animal Ufe, a rich and profitabl industry wiU be saved. (Signed) William Palmer. United Sta 190 16.—Extn SEALERS AT A [By James M'Gliie, s When I wrote the account appeared in " The Argus," I p seals when she visited Port Ro It did not become me to tell tal tain's admission of the poachin weU describe how seal huntii REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 263 arduous that men can do. It is besides so ill-paid, that few but Maoris will undergo the risk and the hardship on the terms which custom has assigned to the enterprise The owner of the sealmg-vessel gets nearly all the benefit if many seals are taken, and if the trip ,s uusuccesstul-which is very seldom the case, owing to the surl prising boldness and endurance of the Maoris—he loses comparatively little. The Maoris agree to ration themselves, to work the vessel, and to catch the seals at so much per skin, less the cost of the provisions put on board the vessel uiion the requisition of the crew at the time of commencing the cruize. If only enough skins are secured to pay for the stores the Maoris get nothing for their work while the owner has the profit of the skins at the price they are worth in the London market to recoup him for the use of the vessel and for paying the captain's wages The rule, I believe, is that the sealers have far worse than a sailor's life at less than a sailor s pay, but year after year crews are found ready to engage in the chase. The men are engaged by a Headman, to whom alone they are subject, and who directs the sealing operations. The crew (through their Chief) determine what places shall be visited, and when they shall return home. The captain has simply to navigate the vessel from one haunt of the seals—called a "rookery''—to another, in order that the men who are on shares may have the best opportunity of doing well as far as they are inclined out of the trip. We agreed to go with the sealers, and forthwith all hands set about preparing for the expedition, repairing the whale-boat, cutting seal-clubs, making bullets, and packing up. ! Then a start was made for a " whig rookery" at Enderby Island. A "rookery" is a home of seals in the interstices of rocks near the water's edge. What sealers know as a " whig rookery" is one which is only occasionally the haunt of adult seals, and is not a breeding place. The "take " depends upon whether the seals happen to be "at home" or not. They were not "at home" on this o--""; — The next "rookery" chosen for a visit was at North-west Cape, 7 miles from Port Ross, and across mountains over 1,000 feet high. We found the track blocked up with snow, so while we were waiting for the snow to melt on the hills hunting excursions were made, and three wild pigs were killed. The sealer is armed with a club, which is a stick with a hook at one end. The club is used to stun the seals by striking them on the nose at close quarters, and the hooik serves to bring to a halt seals which are escaping from their holes, or rookeries, into the sea when they are attacked by the hunters. To reach the rookeries, which are on the face of steep cliffs, invariably on the weather side of the islands, the sealers have to travel over the mountains from the sheltered side, wheV.e their vessel lies at anchor. These journeys, which are made in winter while the snow is falling heavily, and over almost impassable country, are toilsome and exhausting in the extreme. The men can carry little food or blankets in addition to the equipment for circumventing the seals, and half starved, and without any shelter beyond what the rocks afford, they for several days pursue the seals until all the prey is either killed or driven away. But it is in descending the cliffs to reach the rookeries that the most dangerous part of the work is done. Sometimes there is a sheer descent of 1,000 feet to the sea, on the edge of which the seals make their home. The men are let down one'after another hy their companions, some of whom remain above to haul up their comrades and the skins when the hunt is over. When the scene of action is reached the boots are replaced with a sort of plaited slipper, made by the Maoris, and which gives a better foothold on the slippery rocks when leaping about after the escaping seals. The rookeries are formed by masses of rock falling from the cliffs. In time they get covered over with earth, so as to form a sort of roof. It is only in these places that the fur-seal, which is the valuable article of commerce, is found. The hair-seal is of no value, as the hide is too oily to tan into ordinary leather. The seals go into the rookeries to breed and to sleep after a spell at sea, and the hunters have to creep into the holes and crevices between the rocks to get them. The seal will fight hard when put to it. The old seals are mostly spared, as their fur is often torn from fighting or worn off by rubbing against the rocks, and they are left to multiply the species? When an old seal is met with the hunter lies perfectly flat, and allows the animal to creep over him. Sometimes the seals get so far back in the rocks that a man cannot follow them, in which case they are pulled out to a more open space by means of the hook and clubbed. While the hunters are raiding the interior of the rookeries some of the party stay outside to intercept any that may try to escape, like fox terriers watching the holes of a warren till the rabbits bolt. After knocking all the seals on the nose and sticking them in the first onslaught, the hunters nroceed to skin the animals. The carcasses are thrown into the water. If they were left on the rocks the seals would avoid the place for a considerable time. The North-west Rookery, which, as I have said, was one of the first visited by the n only be reached by crossing a "razor-back," or conical-shaped causeway, oint with the sea, 700 feet below, on both sides, borne 264 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 191 of the men walked it, but others of less iron nerve crossed astraddle. The danger is increased owing to the friable nature of the soil, which slips from under the feet. The 7 miles walk to the rookery and back to Port Ross is one of the most severe on the island. A fog came on, and the party lost their way among the hills. They divided into pairs, and some did not get hack for hours after the others. A rough trip was made in the whale-boat to the Government depdt at Carnley Harbour, in the hope that some boots would be obtained for our party, who much needed them, but there were no boots there; but we got some clothes. A start was made across the island next morning to the Red Rock Rookery on the western side. Our longest rope (1,000 feet) required three men to carry it, each having a coil on his shoulder, with a slack piece between the bearers. The total descent to the rookery was 800 feet, and it was undertaken in two lengths, the first landing-place being at a drop of about 500 feet. The first man who (tied by the waist) is let down runs great risk from dislodging loose stones, which may fall upon his head. As he goes down, a lookout man, on a projecting point, gives the signal to " stop " or to "lower away" from time to time. When five men got on to the first ledge, they helped each other to get to the bottom, while communication was maintained with those overhead by means of notes stuck in the strand of the rope, which was hauled up on a signal being given. If firewood is to be got it is thrown down onto the rocks, but at the rookery I am speaking of the shore was Uned with plenty of fuel from the wreck of the " Derry Castle." After the sealing party had descended, their comrades made another trip back to the boat for more requisites for camping as comfortably as possible, as this place is the head-quarters for attacking all the rookeries in the locality, aU of which are within a radius of 15 miles. On the fourth day the hunters reappeared, and signified to those who had kept a constant watch on their movements to see if they wanted anything sent down, that the hunting was over. They -sent up forty-two skins, which was more than they expected, and when the whole of the party mustered again on the top of the mountain, they were in very good spirits accordingly. The next rookery chosen for a raid was caUed "The Point," because the lowering is down from the end of a promontory. The landing-place is a narrow piece of sward sloping towards the sea, which is about 100 yards lower down. The "Cave" Rookery, so designated because the seals are found in a natural cave, and the Nineteen Rookery, whose title indicates the number of skins taken when it was first visited. These were assailed in turn, and while waiting for snow, which put a stop to further active operations, to melt, the skins were duly salted and rolled up in the peculiar manner which prevents the inside of the pelt touching and injuring the fur. The next and last rookery visited was of a different nature to aU the others. It is ■ "The Swinger," because the sealers have to swing 80 yards across a chasm, through' which the sea surges with great fury, to get to where the seals are. The cliff is close on 1,000 feet high, and overhangs the sea. The art of getting safely across the chasm is to place the loop for the foothold in the rope at exactly the proper length for the leap, so that you will strike the landing-place, instead of being dashed by the momentum of the swing against the rocks if the loop is too long, or swing fruitlessly back if it is too short. Only a few skins were got, and the party were greatly disap;- pointed after all their risk and labour. The total take of skins was 178. A start was made to return to the vessel. Again heavy snow fell, and it was not possible to leave Norman Inlet for two days, but finally the schooner was reached. On arriving at the boat from Norman Inlet the question was debated whether we should proceed to the Campbell Islands and prolong the trip at least two months, or close it at once and get back home. Captain Drew was in favour of coming away chiefly because the young seal-skins, which were the greater portion of the take! were not properly "primed" by age and salt water to be of the full value. on the Fur-seals of the Southern Hemi- In "Mammalia, Recent and Extinct," published in Sydney by the Government of New South Wales, Mr. A. W. Scott writes as follows: "I have endeavoured . . . , by devoting as much space as my limits would permit, to the consideration of the animals whose products are of such commercial I value to man, and whose extinction would so seriously affect his interests, to point out tbe pressing necessity that exists for devising the means of protection for the fur-seals and the sperm and right whales of the Southern Ocean. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 265 "The islands of the Southern Seas, now lying barren and waste are not onlr numerous, but admirably suited for the production and mana°-ement'of these valuable animals, and need only the simple Regulations enforced by the American Legislature to resuscitate the present state of decay of a once remunerative trade and to bring into full vigour another important export to the many we alreadv noss'ess "A detailed account of the habits of the fur-seal of the Auckland Islands'has recently been given by Mr. Musgrave" (narrative of the wreck of the "Grafton " Melbourne, 1865) "which he acquired during a compulsory residence in their midst of nearly twenty months. Of the females, he relates that 'their nose resembles that of a dog, but is somewhat broader; their scent appears to be very acute. The eyes are large, of a green colour, watery, and lustreless. When on shore they appear to be constantly weeping. " 'In the latter part of December, and during the whole of January they 192 are on shore a great deal, and go wandering separately through the bush, and into the long grass on the sides of the mountains above the bush constantly bellowing out in the most dismal manner. They are undoubtedly looking out for a place suitable for calving in. I have known them go to a distance of more than a mile from the water for this purpose. "' Females begin to breed when 2 years old, and carry their calves eleven months, and suckle them for about three months. "' Before they have their calves the cows lie sometimes in small mobs (from twelve to twenty), as well as while giving suck, and there are generally one or two bulls in each mo.b. The cows are evidently by far the most mumerous.! " Of the habits of the very young, he says: '"It might be supposed that these animals, even when young, would readily go into tho water—that being one of their natural instincts—but, strange to say, such is not the case; it is only with the greatest difficulty, and a wonderful display of patience, that the mother succeeds in getting her yonng in for the first time. I have known a cow to be three days getting her calf down half-a-mile, and into the water; and, what is most surprising of aU, it cannot swim when it is in the water. This is a most amusing fact. The mother gets it on her back, and swims along very gently on the top of the water, but the poor little thing is bleating all the while, and continually falling from its slippery position, when it will splutter about in the water precisely like a little boy who gets beyond his depth and cannot swim. Then the mother gets beneath it, and it again gets on her back. Thus they go on, the mother frequently giving an angry bellow, the young one constantly bleating and crying, frequently falling off, spluttering and getting on again, very often getting a slap from the flipper of the mother, and sometimes she gives it a very cruel bite. The poor little animals are very often seen with their skins pierced and lacerated in the most frightful manner. In this manner they go on until they have made their passage to whatever place she wishes to take her young one to.' • " The males are described thus: '"One of a medium size will measure about 6 feet from nose to tail, and about 6 or 7 feet in circumference, and weigh about 5 cwt. They by far exceed these dimensions. The fur and skin are superior to those of the female, being much thicker. On the neck and shoulders he has a thicker, longer, and much coarser coat of fur, which may be almost termed bristles; it is from 3 to 4 inches long, and can be ruffled up and made to stand erect at will, which is always done when they attack each other on shore or are surprised, sitting as a dog would do, with their head erect, and looking towards the object of their surprise, and in this attitude they liave all the appearance of a lion. They begin to come into the bays in the month of October and remain until the latter end of February, each one selecting and taking up his own particular beat in a great measure; but sometimes there are several about the same place, in which case they fight most furiously, never coming in contact with each other (either in or out of the water) without engaging in the most desperate combat, tearing large pieces of skin and flesh from each other; their skins are always fuU of wounds and scars, which, however, appear to heal very quickly. " 'At this place we saw hundreds of seals; both the shores and the water were literally swarming with them, both the tiger and black seal, but in general the tiger seals"keep one side of the harbour, and the black seals, which are much the largest, the other side, but in one instance we saw a black and a tiger seal fighting.' . . . "Mr. Morris, of Sydney, for many years a sealer by profession, in addition to the information already quoted in p. 15, has kindly furnished me with the following interesting particulars of the history of the southern fur-seal fishery and the habits of the animal, which have the advantage of being derived from his own personal experience. "From him I learned the following particulars: _*_,*&_ '"The females in September come on shore to pup, and remain until about March. The pups are born black, but soon change to grey or silvery grey. The herd then go to sea for the remaining portion of the year, returning again in September with regularity. 266 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. "'During this absence in the sea the male pups have changed from the grey to a lio-ht brown colour, while the females remain unaltered. " 'In New South Wales the sealing trade was at its height from 1810 to 1820, the first systematic promoters of which were the Sydney firms of Cable, Lord, and Underwood; Rilie and Jones; Birnie; and nook and Campbell. Tho vessels employed by them were manned by crews of from twenty-five to twenty-eight men each, and were fitted out for a cruize of twelve months. " 'The mode of capture adopted was: The men selected for the shore party would number from six to eighteen, this being regulated by the more or less numerous gath- scent of the animal is very keen, and cautiously keep along the edge of the water in order to cut off the possibility of retreat; then when abreast of the mob they approach the seals and drive them up the beach to some convenient spot, as a small nook or naturally formed inclosure; this accomplished, one or two men go in to tbe cient number have been slain to erect a wall of the dead, then ail hands rush in to the general massacre.'" Appendix (B). Cape of Good Hope. Greenland Seas. whicPhitThallbe1un?fwx,ilJCkill ^SSSSabS rithixithe this Colony and its dependencies. Be it therefore enacted by the G< kland Is their dependencies, with the adv of the Le Council thereof, as follows: 1. No person shall kill or captui e, or attempt to k ill or cap seal within the limits of this Co the days hereinafter mentioned (w iiich interval is h 31-einaftei to as the close season), that is to say, between the 1st day of October and the 1st day of April foUowing, both inclusive, and any person acting in contravention of this section shall forfeit any seals killed or captured by him, and shall, in addition thereto, incur a penalty not exceeding 100Z., and a further penalty of 51. in respect of every seal so killed or captured. of 2. Any owner or master, or other person in charge of any ship or s- vessel, who shall permit such ship or vessel to be employed in killing or capturing seals, or who shall permit any person belonging to such ship or vessel to be employed in killing or captnrino- as aforesaid during the close season, shall forfeit any seals so killed or captured, and, in addition thereto, shaU be liable to a penalty not exceeding 3001. for each offence. 0f 3. Every offence under this Ordinance may be prosecuted and everv penalty under this Ordinance may be recovered, before'the Police by action In the Supreme Court of this Colony, together with full costs of suit: Provided that the penalty imposed by the Police Magistrate or two Justices shaU not exceed 100/., exclusive of costs REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 267 One-half of every penalty recovered under this Ordinauce shaU be paid to the person who prosecuted the offence or sued for such penalty. All fines, forfeitures, and penalties recovered under this Ordinance where not otherwise hereinbefore provided, shall be to Her Majesty, her heirs and successors, and shall be paid to the Treasurer for the use of the Government of this Colony. For all purposes of and incidental to the trial and punishment of the jurisdiction of any Court, or of any constable or officer with reference to such offence, the offence shall be deemed to have been committed either in the place in which it was actuaUy committed, or iu any place in which the offender may for the time being be found. • 4. Where the owner or master of a ship or vessel is adjudged to pay T. ..... , a penalty for an offence under this Ordinance, the Court may, in audi- ^tf^J&y? tion to any other power they may have for the purpose of compelling payment of such penalty, direct" the same to be levied by distress or arrestment, and sale of the said ship or vessel and her tackle. "sea-otter," the "hair-seal," the "sea-elephant," the "sea-leopard," «2|i.»ltlon of and the "sea-dog," and includes any animal of the seal kind which may he found within the Umits of this Colony and its dependencies. 6. This Ordinance may be cited as "The Seal Fishery Ordinance, Short title. 1881." [seal.] (Signed) T. Kerr, Governor. Passed the Legislative Council this 27th day of December, 1881. (Signed) John Wright Collins, Clerk to the Council. the Governor, having been pleased to decide that the seal island in not be granted on lease for the present, hereby prohibits all persons he seals on the said island, and warns them from trespassing there f his ExceUency the Governor, (Signed) John Montague, Secretary to Government. Cape of Good Hope, April 1 [T ued by the Japanese Governm* urliood of Itrup. use of guns shall Art:. 5.eBetwe1ennthe months of May and November the kiUing of seals within 1 ri of coast-line is prohibited. ■ Any 1 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. rson who catches wounded bition limit, shall be paid i: ) the within the prohi quality of the skm. Art. 7. To prevent the decrease of seals by careless chasing ana wanton Killing, special care shall always be taken, and the preventive method shall be estabUsnea. proof of their ages. <•" . .. Art. 9. The covering and breeding seasons, &c, shall be carefully ascertained by practical observations. Art. 10. Practical observations and investigations shall be made as to the trutn ol the seals losing or changing the colour of their fur according to different seasons. Art. 11. An actual investigation shall be made as to how many seals can be caught annuaUy if the use of guns be discontinued, and clubs aud bows and arrows be adopted instead. Art. 12. While out hunting, if anything occurs likely to form an object for future investigation, a minute record shall be kept. Art. 13. While the present Regulations shall be strictly obeyed by all those who are responsible for seal-hunting, they can address themselves to the authorities to effect required amendments in case practical inconveniences shall have been experienced. We hereby nd for the i mlgated. The 16th day of the 12th Seal and Otter Catching. ation of their raw skins, and order the same to be pro a Imperial Majesty's Sign-Manual] [Privy Seal.] mnth, 19th year of Meiji (1886). Countersigned by Count Pro Hirobumi, Minister President of the Cabinet. Count Yam AG ata Aritomo, Minister of State for Home Affairs. Count Matstjkata Masayoshi, Minister of State for Finance. Count Yamagata Aritomo, MinUter of State for Agriculture and Commerce. Imperial Ordinance No. 80. NX* SEALS AND SEA-OTTERS, AND FOR THE SALE AND Article 1. Persons who have obtained the special permission of the Minister of State for Agriculture and Commerce, in accordance with the second paragraph of Decree No. 16 of the 17th year of Meiji, may engage in catching seals and sea-otters during the term, and within the limits of the places, specified for the purpose by the Hokkaido Local Government. Every person catching seals and sea-otters shaU at all times carry a certificate of such permission,'and whenever, whether at sea or on shore, any officer supervising seal aud sea-otter catching, or any police officer, demands to inspect the certificate, the same shall be immediately produced. Art. 2. Any person engaging in catching seals and sea-otters shall, on arrival in Hokkaido, report the name and tonnage of the vessel and the names of her crew to an officer designated by the Hokkaido Local Government Office for that purpose, and shall at all times exhibit, on the mast or in some other conspicuous position in the vessel, a signal specially adopted by the Hokkaido Local Government Office for vessels engaged in catching seals and sea-otters. Art. 3. Any person desiring to sell the raw skins of seals and sea-otters shall produce the same to the officer mentioned in Article 2 hereof, and shall have the seal (a brand' may be used instead of a seal) of the said officer stamped thereon. No person shaU be permitted to sell skins not bearing such stamp. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 269 Art. 4. Whenever it is found that any person is importing the skins of seals and sea-otters not stamped by the officer, as provided in the preceding Article, into any port of the Empire, or is staying in any port of the Empire with such skins laden on board a vessel, or is seUing, or attempting to seU, such skins in the market, the Customs or police officers shall seize the same, and shall immediately make complaint to the competent authorities. But the raw skins of seals and sea-otters caught within the territory of Russia or of the United States of America, with the permission of the Governments of those countries respectively, may be imported into the Empire, provided the owner or master of the vessel first produces a certificate issued by a competent authority of Russia or the United States, or by a Russian or United States Consul residing in Japan. b Details of Procedure to cc Hunt Article 1. The open season for seal and sea-otter hunting shall be from the 15th April to the 31st October in each year. Art. 2. The area of hunting shall be all the islands situated eastward of Itrup, and southward of Shimshu, of the Kuriles, and it will lie divided into three sections, and every year only one of these sections shall be opened for hunting. . The first section includes seven islands, i. e., Itrup, Chirihoi, Butettchelboa [?], Broughton, Raikok6, Mushir, and Chirinkotan. The second section includes six islands, i. e., Shimshir, Shiritoi, Ushishir, Sleto- nepa [?], Rashua, and Matsua. The third section includes twelve islands, i. e., Shannekotan, Yekkerma [?], JKar- reukotan, Ounekotan, Anos, Makarushi, Shurenwa [?], Paramushir, Holt, Cockscar, Araito, and Shimshu. Art. 3. When a boat is going out for hunting, her name, tonnage, and the names of the crew shall be reported for inspection to the branch office of seal and sea- otter hunting superintending authorities; ei ther at Nemuro, in the county of Nemuro, or at Shikotan, in the county of Chishima. Art. 4. When the branch office of seal and sea-otter hunting superintending authorities find the report mentioned in Article 3 in due form on inspection, it will give to the boat a flag hereinafter shown. Art. 5. Any person who wishes to export and sell the raw hides of his catch shall produce them to the Shikotan branch of the seal and sea-otter hunting superintending authorities, and shall have them stamped. In reply to an inquiry as to the Regulations for the protection of the hair-seal fishery in Newfoundland, information to the following effect was kindly furnished by Sir Terence O'Brien, K. C. M. G., the Governor of that Colony. The accompanying Acts wiU furnish the whole legislation on the matter. The Regulations extend to aU vessels under the British flag, there being no foreign vessels engaged in the fishery. The Regulations are acknowledged to be effectual, and were much needed for the preservation of the seals. The means taken to enforce the Regulations will be found in the Acts above mentioned, which, it may be added, have no force in extra-territorial waters as such. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Newfo Acts respecting the Prosecution of the Seal Fishery. iNNO QUADRAGESIMO SECUNDO VICTORIA REGINiE Cap. I.—An Act respecting the Prosecution of the Seal Fishery [PASSED Fi g Be it enacted by the Governor, Legislative Council, and Assen in Legislative Session convened, as follows: D, I. The Act passed in the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Her ent Majesty, entitled "An Act to regulate the Prosecution of the Fishery," is hereby repealed. 0 II. No steamer shall leave port for the seal fishery before the h day of March in any year, under the penalty of 2,000 dollars, 1 sel shall have been sent to such fishery. tobe IV. No seals shall be kiUed by the crew of any steamer or saUing 3 vessel before the 12th day of March in any year, under a penalty of '. dollars for every seal so killed, to be recovered from the owner or othei person as aforesaid, or from.the master or crew of the said vessel, oi from the parties receiving the same respectively: Provided, that ii case of the owner or other person as aforesaid, that such owner or othe: person received such seals with notice or knowledge that the sam< had been kiUed before the 12th day of March in any year, to t>e V. No immature seals, known as cats, shall be killed by the crev of any steamer or sailing-vessel at any time, nnder a penalty of 4 dol lars for every such seal so kUled, to be recovered from the receiver o alty provided bv this Act after twelve months from the time such pen- " alty shall have been incurred. r- VII. No officer of Her Majesty's Customs in this Colony shall clear any steamer for a sealing voyage before the 9th day of March, or any sailing-vessel for a sealing voyage before the last day of February: Provided, that in the event of either of these days falling on Sunday, such vessel maybe cleared on the preceding "Saturday. >f VIII. All penalties incurred under the provisions of this Act shall be sued for and recovered in a summary manner before a Stipendiary > i; Magistrate, by any person who may sue for the same; one-half of such I penalty shall go to the party who shall sue for and prosecute the same, and the remainder to the Receiver-General for the use of public IX. If any person shall feel himself aggrieved by any Judgment of a Stipendiary Magistrate, under this Act, he shall have liberty to appeal therefrom to the then next sitting of Her Majesty's Supreme Court at St. John's: Provided, that notice of the same be given to the Magistrate within twenty-four hours after such Judgment shall have >■ been delivered, and within five days thereafter recognizances, or other ' sureties, at the option of such Maj shall be entered i such amount as may be awarded, with costs. prosecute the same without delay, and pay REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. ANNO QUADRAGESIMO SEXTO VICTORIA REGIN2E. 1 I-jT4n/iet t° amend an Act passed in the 4_nd year of the Reign of Her prei Majesty, entitled "An Act respecting the Prosecution of the Seal Fishery.'" [Passed Makoh 3,1883.] 1. 42 Viot., cap. 1, 2. Steamers not tc 3 Sailing-vessels i Be it enacted by the Administrator to the Government, Legislative E n a o t i n s Council, and Assembly, in Legislative Session convened, as follows • clause. I. The second and third sections of the Act passed in the forty- 42ndYict cap second year of the reign of Her present Majesty, entitled "An Actl, sees. 2 and 3, respecting the prosecution of the Seal Fishery," are hereby repealed, repealed. II. No steamer shall leave port for the seal fishery before the hour steamers not of 6 o clock in the forenoon on the 10th day of March in any year, to sail hefore 6 under the penalty of 2,000 dollars, to be recovered from the owner or A.M.,ioth March,- other person on whose account such steamer shall have been sent to proviso' such fishery. Provided that, in the event of the said 10th day of March falling on Sunday, any steamer may leave port for such fishery at any time after 6 o'clock in the forenoon of the previous day. HI. No sailing-vessel shall leave port for the seal fishery befpre the Sailing-vessels hour of 6 o'clock in the forenoon on the 1st day of March in any year, not to sail hefore under the penalty of 400 dollars, to be recovered from the owner or 6^M.,istMarch; other person on whose account such vessel shall have been sent to Penalty; such fishery. Provided that, in the event of the said 1st day of March Proviso, falling on Sunday, any sailing-vessel may leave port for such fishery at any time after 6 o'clock in the forenoon of the previous day. ANNO QUINQU IMO VICT ORIJ3 BEGIN2B. Cap. XXIII. -An A ate the taking of, andB ightofProp [PASSED 4 . Right of pre . When seals '. Penalty; _<r . Masters' pei perty in eals. killed Penalty. ^s folio< . I. In any action or proceeding for the recovery of, or in relation to, the property in seals, or seal-pelts, killed by persons engaged in or ei prosecuting the seal fishery in steam-vessels going from, or coming to, the ports of this Colony, it shall be held that no property, or right of property, shall have accrued except in seals killed, sculped, panned, or bulked by and in the actual and personal charge of the claimants, or some person or persons for them watching or engaged in carrying away such seals or seal-pelts. II. No seals shall be killed by any crew of any steamer, or by any member thereof, before the 12th day of March, or after the 20th day of t April, nor shall seals, so killed, be brought into any port in this Colony or its dependencies as aforesaid, in any year, under a penalty of 4 dollars for every seal so killed, to be recovered from the master and crew by, and paid to, any informer who shall sue for the same, in a summary manner before a Stipendiary Magistrate. III. No steamer shall be permitted to go upon a second or subsequent trip to the seal fishery after the 1st day of April in any year: Provided s' that, if it be shown to the satisfaction of the Collector, Sub-Collector, or other Customs officer of the port from which the said steamer sails, that a steamer has been forced, hy any accident, to return to port during the first trip, she shall not be deemed to have gone upon a second trip if she again leaves port before the 10th day of AprU. 272 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Penalty; IV. The master, owner, and crew of any steamer, which shall go on a second or subsequent trip contrary to the third section of this Act, shall be liable to forfeit double the value of their respective interests in the seals which shall be brought in on such second or subsequent trips, to be recovered and paid to any informer who shall sue for the Proviso. same, in a summary way, before a Stipendiary Magistrate: Provided that, in case the owner or purchaser of such seals, having had notice that such seals were killed on such second or subsequent trip, shall be liable and responsible for the payment of such penalty, to the extent of the interest of the owner, master, and crew of such steamer: Provided that, in cases in which a larger sum than 100 dollars 198 shall be adjudged, against any defendant, he may appeal to the Supreme Court, upon (if required) giving good and sufficient security within ten days after conviction, to prosecute the appeal and abide final Judgments. Masters' pen- V. Sealing-masters violating the third section of this Act shall be alty. incompetent, for two years after conviction for any offence thereunder, to be employed to command vessels of the seal fishery, or to be cleared at the custom-house, as masters of such vessels. Term "second VI. For the purposes of this Act, vessels shall be deemed to be on t«P-" a second or subsequent trip if they shall engage in killing seals on the coast of this island and its dependencies, after clearing and sailing for Davis Straits or Greenland fishery, and the master and owners shall be liable to the same penalties as provided in fourth and fifth sections of this Act. Any complaints, on information under this section, may be made within three months next after the return of the said vessel to a port of this island. Complaints yil. Any complaint or information, under the foregoing provisions with in three °^ *^is Act, must be made within three months of the time of the months. alleged breach thereof. Anno Quinquagesimo Secundo Victoria Regine. Cap. I.—An Act to amend the Law relating to the taking of Seals and Bight of Property therein. [PASSED MARCH 7, 1889.] Enacting Be it enacted by the Governor, Legislative Council, and Assembly, clause. in Legislative Session convened as follows: Repealing I. The first section of the Act passed in the fiftieth year of the clause. reign of Her present Majesty, cap. 23, entitled "An Act to regulate the taking and right of property in Seals," is hereby repealed. mdum respecting the Seal Fishery of the Greenland Sea, prepared at the Board of Trade at the request of the Behring's Sea Commissioners. Roughly speaking, this so-caUed fishery used to be carried on between Spitzbergen and Iceland, its chief centre being the neighbourhood of the Island of Jan Mayen. As early as the month of February 1873 the late Mr. Frank Buckland, by a letter to the "Times," entitled "A Plea for the Seals," and otherwise, called public attention to the abuses connected with the pursuit of this fishery. The circumstances would appear to have been as follows: About the time of the Spring Equinox, the seals congregate in immense numbers, and the females give birth to their young upon the ice. The young at birth are very helpless, and weigh about 4 lbs., but they grow with astonishing rapidity, and it is said that in about a fortnight the weight of each young seal is some 70 lbs. Owing to competition in the fishery, it had become the practice to take (i. e |Vkill) seals immediately upon the birth of the young. In this way the mothers were slain or often scared away from the young before the latter were of age to take care of themselves. The young were of small value for commercial purposes at this stage ot their existence, and though some of them were kUled and shipped, enormous numbers were left to die of starvation. Conducted in this manner the fishery was a scene of revolting cruelty, the cries of the thousands of young dying seals being said to resemble the cries of hundreds of thousands of human infants, and the destruction of the fishery by the scattering or vtArnunation of the seals seemed not far distant. The seals in question are not REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 273 ose from whioh the fashionable fur is obtained, but their skin is much used for a^ng hoots,especially patent leather boots, and the oil obtained from them is As regards the United Kingdom, the fishery was prosecuted from the ports of undee and Peterhead. Norway was the foreign country mostly interested. In 74 the Swedish Government suggested to our Foreign Office that some international rangement might properly be attempted with a view of imposing restrictive Relations to remedy the evils above referred to. The earlier action of the Board of Trade upon this proposal is set forth in Par- imentary Paper No. 73 of 1875 (copy herewith). The result so far was to obtain incurrence on the part of those interested, both in Great Britain and in Norway to the necessity for a close season about the time of the birth of the young seals! it there was considerable divergence of opinion both as to the date for ending and e duration of such close season. Subsequently, the Board of Trade, in consultation with the Foreign Office, framed BiU, which they introduced into Parliament, and which became law as "The Seal shery Act, 1875" (38 Vict. cap. 18). This Act empowered Her Majesty, by Order Council, to fix a day before which it would be illegal for British subjects in any lar to kiU or capture, or attempt to kill or capture, seals within an area specified the Schedule to the Act, and the Act provided heavy penalties for those contra- ining its provisions. The area in question was that included between 67° and 75° >rth latitude, and 5° east and 17° west of Greenwich, in adopting which the Board Trade were chiefly guided by Captain David Gray, of Peterhead, one of the most ntations Mr. Buckland had been put in motion. In the meanwhile, the Foreign Office were making representations to other coun- 9 rocal legislation on their part. As already indicated, the fishery was chiefly nd Sweden were also, t In the course of the spressed a wiUingness lought weU to provide ark, or the United Sta ^pressed tha ay do, to fisl fc, in the et within th eign countries I. It was also ,, France, Den- of these latter e of this, th 3 obtained a would, in consequence, be tal left to die of starvation after make it perhaps unnecessary ground of preventing cruelty, preventing the extermination thought themselves bound i B S, PT VI 18 274 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. enough, during the progress of the Bill, there was some idea of making it apply to a larger area than that contemplated by the English Act, it being held in Norway that such an area was an unduly restricted one, and the Bill was passed on the understanding that a modification on this point should hereafter be made, if necessary. In November 1876 a fresh Order in Council was obtained in England again fixing the 3rd April as the day for opening the fishery, and steps were taken for circulating copies of it and of the Act amongst those concerned in the United Kingdom, and for informing the foreign Governments interested. By about the end of March 1877 the Governments of Norway, Sweden, Germany, and HoUand had all taken legislative steps similar to those adopted in Great Britain, and the close season until the 3rd April thus established has been duly observed by parties of these nationalities and by British subjects, who were all that were engaged in the fishery, except possibly some Russians. It has not been necessary to organize anypoUce for the enforcement of the Act. No date was fixed for the commencement of the close season, though Germany raised the point, the advisableness of fixing a date for that purpose being then doubted by the Board of Trade. In 1879 Russia intimated that she had imposed simUar restrictions on her own subjects. In 1885 Captain Gray and others of the Peterhead- interest represented that the close season which had been imposed had had most beneficial results, but that further restrictions were to be desired. They intimated that a new branch of the fishery, i. e., that for "hooded seals," had been created between Iceland and Greenland, extending as far south as the latitude of Cape Farewell; and that, with a view to more effectually protect the breeding seals and immature young, the close season should be extended. They accordingly proposed that the area for restrictions should in future be that comprised between 60° and 76° north latitude, excluding Iceland and its territorial waters, and between the Greenland coast on the west and the ice margin on the east,. that the close time should end on the 10th April, and that a definite date (10th July) should be fixed for commencement of the close season. They added that there was reason to believe that the Norwegians, as the only foreigners then engaged in the fishery, would be ready to concur. These proposals were supported by the Fishery Board for Scotland, the only part of the United Kingdom from which ships were known to. proceed to the fishery. At the instance of the Board of Trade the proposals were submitted by the Foreign Office to the Governments of the five foreign countries who participated in the existing restrictions. By November 1886 replies were received from all those countries, with the exception of Russia. These replies were to the following effect: GERMANY AND HOLLAND. The Governments expressed themselves as disposed to favourably regard the Scottish proposals but as awaiting information as to the course contemplated by other Powers. Those interested received the Scottish proposals rather favourably, hut wished, in consideration of young seals moulting in April, that opening of fishery should be not later than the 7th of that month, and, further, that closing day should be the 7th July. Those interested thought the 10th April and 10th July inadmissible as dates for opening and closing, and did not wish Iceland and its waters excluded from the protected area. They also had proposals of their own widely divergent from those of.Scotland. These were: (a.) That to prevent destruction of females, it should be forbidden to kiU old seals before the loth April (6 a. m.) at the places where the young are taken. (6.) That in consideration of hooded seals having no young to need protection towards end of close season, the fishery for these seals between Cape Farewell and Spitzbergen should be free until the 15th July (6 p. m.), after which date it was, according to them, pursued only by one or two ships under conditions ruinous to tbe fishery, as the seals having by that date become very wild, immense numbers ^^x^l31 destr°yed by shooting at long range without many being actuaUy taken. >!!''■ i. to obviate dangers incident to opening the fishery immediately after midnight, the opening should be at 6 a. m. on the 3rd April! or. if that dav is a Sunday, at 6 a. m. on the 4th. - ' ' J (d.) That the hmits of protected area should be 60° and 78° north latitude, the east coast of Greenland, and 10° east longitude (Greenwich). REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 275 _ These views were conveyed to the Scottish Office by the Board of Trade, with an intimation that they were unable to see that future steps towards establishment of new restrictions could be taken unless some course could be suggested for reconciling the respective views of the Scottish, Norwegian, and Swedish interests. Early in 1887 the reply of the Scottish interests was received. They thought the point raised by Sweden in connection with young seals moulting not material, as the short hair skins had now become more valuable than the fur-skins. They were willing to accept the area as defined by Norway, and that, on the day of opening, the fishery should commence at 6 a. M. They agree as to need for protecting female seals, but thought opening on the 10th April would insure this, as later the females would get too wild to allow of their being shot, and they agree as to need for protecting hooded seals late in the season. They were, however, firm as to the need for making the opening and closing dates for the fishery as near the 10th April and 10th July as possible, and did not see how hooded seal fishery could be made free during general close time without endangering the observance of close time for other kinds of seals. These views were communicated to the Foreign Office by the Board of Trade in the hope of an understanding being arrived at between Norway and Scotland, so as to form a basis for negotiation with the other Powers. At the same time, it was pointed out that the including of Iceland and its waters in the protected area would involve inviting Denmark to join in the arrangements. In March 1888 a further communication was received from Norway. It now appeared that, owing to a change observed in the last two or three years in the condition of the ice off Greenland, the Norwegian interests no longer wish the hooded seal fisheries to close on the 15th July. They declined to make any concession as regards the day for opening the seal fishery generally, and it was doubtful whether they would adopt any date for closing. On other points they now acquiesced with Scotland, to which country these views were conveyed. Later in the year Russia intimated that she concurred with Norway on all points. Subsequent correspondence afforded no prospect of reconciling the divergent views of Scotland and Norway, whUst Denmark took exception to the territorial waters of either Iceland or Greenland being included in the area of protection. In these circumstances, the negotiations came to a standstill, and the arrangements made in 1875-79 have been maintained. Copy of the English Act, with the Order in Council, in handbill form, as circulated in the past amongst those interested and now in force, is annexed. (InitiaUed) J. M. N. February 11,1892. Seal Fishery (Greenland).—38 Vict., Cap. 18. • applying "The Seal Fishery At the Court at Windsor, the 28th day of November, 1876. Present: The Queen's Most Excellent Majesty in Council. Whereas by "The Seal Fishery Act, 1875," it is enacted that when it appears to Her Majesty in Council that the foreign States whose ships or subjects are engaged in the seal fishery in the area mentioned in the Schedule to that Act, or any 201 part of such area, have made or will make, with respect to their own ships and subjects, the like provisions to those contained in that Act, it shaU be law- . ful for Her Majesty, by Order in Council, to direct that that Act shall, after the date mentioned in the Order, apply to the seal fishery within the said area, or such part thereof as may be specified in the Order: And whereas it has been made to appear to Her Majesty in Council that the foreign . States whose ships or subjects are at present engaged in the seal fishery in the area, mentioned in the Schedule to the said recited Act have made or wiU make, with respect to their own ships and subjects, the like provisions to those contained in the 8aNow,°therefore, Her Majesty, in exercise of the power vested in her by the said recited Act, by and with the advice of her Privy CouncU, is pleased to direct that "The Seal Fishery Act, 1875," shall, after the date of this present Order, apply to the seal fishery within the area mentioned in the Schedule to the said Act. And Her Majesty, in exercise of the same power, by and with the like advice, is further pleased to fix the 3rd day of AprU in every year as the day before which the 276 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. master and person in charge of, and every person belonging to, any British ship, and every British subject, shall not kill or capture, or attempt to kill or capture, any seal within the area mentioned in the Schedule to the said Act. "The Seal Fishery Act, 1875," is as follows: 38 Vict., Cap. 18.—An Act to provide for the establishment of a Close Timeim, the Seal Fishery in the Seas adjacent to the Eastern Coasts of Greenlomd. [June 14,1875.] Be it enacted by the Queen's Most ExceUent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: Application of 1. When it appears to Her Majesty in Council that the foreign State's Act by Order in whose ships or subjects are engaged in the seal fishery in the area men- Council in con- tioned in the Schedule to this Act, or any part of such area, have foreign1 States made or will make, with respect to their own ships and subjects, the like provisions to those contained in this Act, it shall be lawful for Her Majesty, by order in Council, to direct that this Act shall, after the date mentioned in the Order, apply to the seal fishery within the said area, or such part thereof as may be specified in the Order. Her Majesty may, by the same or any subsequent Order, limit the operation of the Order, and render the operation thereof subject to such conditions, exceptions, aud qualifications as may be deemed expedient. So long as an Order under this section remains in force this Act shall, subject to any such limitation, condition, exemption, or qualification as aforesaid, apply to the seal fishery within the said area, or such part as may be specified in the Order. Her Majesty may from time to time, by Order in Council, rescind, alter, or add to any Order made in pursuance of this section, and make a new Order in lieu thereof. Every Order in Council made in pursuance of this section shall be laid before both Houses of ParUament within six weeks after it is made, or if Parliament be not then sitting, within six weeks after the then next meeting of Parliament, and shall also be published in the "London Gazette." Close time for 2. When an Order in CouncU has been made for applying this Act, seal fishery. then, so long as suoh Order remains in force, the master or person in charge of or any person belonging to any British ship, or any British subject, shall not kill or capture, or attempt to kill or capture, any seal within the area mentioned in the Schedule to this Act, or the part of the area specified in the Order, before such day in any year as may be fixed bythe Order, and the master or person in charge of a British ship shall not permit such ship to be employed in such kiUing or capturing, or permit any person belonging to such ship to act in breach of this section. Any person who is guUty of any breach (by any act or default) of this section shall be Uable to a penalty not exceeding 5001. for each Prosecution of 3. Every offence under this Act may be prosecuted, and every pen- offences, alty under this Act may be recovered— (1.) In England, before two Justices of the Peace in a summary manner, or by action in any of Her Majesty's Superior Courts at Westminster, together with full costs of suit; and (2.) In Scotland, by action as for a debt in the ordinary Sheriff Court or in the Court of Session; and (3.) In Ireland, before two Justices of the Peace in a summary manner, or by personal action in any of Her Majesty's Superior Courts at Dublin. r Provided that the penalty imposed in a summary manner by two Justices shall not exceed 1002., exclusive of costs. • One-half of every penalty recovered under this Act shaU be paid to the person who prosecuted the offence or sued for such penalty. For all purposes of and incidental to the trial and punishment of any person accused of an offence under this Act, and the proceedings and matters preliminary and incidental to and consequential on his trial and punishment, and for all purposes of and incidental to the jurisdiction of any Court or of any constable or officer with reference to such offence, the offence shaU be deemed to have been committed either in the place in which it was actuaUy committed or in any place in which the offender may for the time being be found. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 277 4. Where an offence under this Act is committed, then— (a.) If the same is committed by the fault or with the connivance &$_??■ , of the master of any ship, that master, and— liability of 202 (b.) If the same is committed by the fault or with the con-Z^of.^i^lt nivance of the owner of any ship, that owner tain cases. shaU be liable to the like penalty to which the person committing- such offence is liable under this Act. 5. Where the owner or master of a ship is adjudged to pay a pen- Liability of alty for an offence under this Act, the Court may, in addition to any sMP *° penalty. other power they may have for the purpose of compelling payment of such penalty, direct the same to be levied by distress or arrestment and sale of the said ship and her .tackle. 6. In this Act the expression " seal" means the harp or saddleback seal, the bladdernosed or hooded seal, the ground or bearded seal, and | Definition of the floe seal or floe rat, and includes any animal of the seal kind which may be specified in that behalf by an Order in Council under this Act. 7. This Act may be cited as "The Seal Fishery Act, 1875." Short title. Area to which Act applies. ■•Xew* The area included between the parallels of 67° and 75° of north latitude, and between the meridians of 5° east and 17° west longitude, reckoned from the meridian of Greenwich. We, Oscar, by the grace of God King of Norway and Sweden, the Wends and Goths, hereby notify that a Resolution passed by the Ordinary Storthing now in session, on the 25th April of this year, of the following tenour, has been submitted to us: 1. When it shall appear that the foreign States whose ships or subjects are engaged in the seal fishery in the area included between the parallels of 67° and 75° of north latitude, and between the meridians of 5° east and 17° west longitude, reckoned from the meridian of Greenwich, have made or may hereafter make the Uke provision, it shall be lawful for the King to fix a time of year during which it is forbidden either for the crew of a Norwegian vessel or for a Norwegian subject within the area aforesaid to kill or capture seals, including Cystophora cristata. 2. Any one guilty of a breach of the prohibition enacted by section 1, or who shaU in any way aid or abet such breach, shall be liable to a fine of from 200 to 10,000 kronor. But none of the crew shall be held liable except the master in case the said breach took place either by his order or with his knowledge, and without his having done everything in his power to prevent the same. The provision in the Criminal Law of the 3rd June, 1874, 2nd chapter, section 40, last sentence, is not applicable. 3. In the event of a breach of the present Law taking place, it will be dealt with by the Police Court. The vessel will be Uable for any fine that may be incurred by either the master or owner. One-half of the fines shall go to the informer. We have, therefore, accepted and sanctioned, as we hereby accept and sanction, this Resolution as law. . Given at our Palace at Stockholm, the 18th May, 1876, under our hand and seal of the realm. * (Signed) [l. s.] Oscar. Ordinance of the King of Sweden and Norway to establish a Close Time for the Seal Fishery by Sioedish Vessels in the Arctic Seas.—Stoekholm, November 30,1876. We Oscar by the grace of God King of Sweden and Norway, of the Goths and the Wends, make known that, considering that the seal fisheries in the Arctic Seas, especially in the neighbourhood of Jan Mayen's Island, are conducted in such a manner as to threaten the extermination of the seal in those waters, and the total destruo- J 278 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. tion of the fisheries, negotiations have been initiated by our Kingdom of Norway with the Governments of those foreign countries whose inhabitants take part in the said fisheries, and those Governments having now promulgated, or declared their wiUingness to promulgate, suitable Ordinances to the above effect, and seeing that a certain small number of Swedish ships also take part in the fisheries, and that, in so far as these Ordinances are calculated to work the desired effect, it is essential that, as has already been ordained elsewhere, the liability for their violation should be of such a character as to outweigh the benefit to be derived from a breach of the law, we have now thought it right, in so far as Sweden is concerned, to participate in the said Agreement, and we have therefore graciously ordained as follows: $ 1. In the Arctic Seas, between 67° and 75° north latitude and 5° east and 17° west longitude from Greenwich, all Swedish shins and aU Swedish subjects are forbidden until further notice to kill or catch seal (including the Phoca eristata) earlier in the year than the 3rd April. 203 § 2. AU persons infringing the Regulations contained in the foregoing paragraph, or being in any manner parties to such infringement, wUl be liable to a fine of from 200 to 10,000 kronor, with the proviso that, should the said infringement have taken place either in obedience to the orders of the captain of the ship or with his knowledge, or without his having done everything in his power to guard against it, he alone of all the crew shall be liable to the penalty incurred. Of the fines imposed, half goes to the informer and half to the Crown. Failing means to meet the fine, the corresponding legal penalty shall be enforced. § 3. In cases of violation of the prescriptions of this Ordinance, jurisdiction lies with the ordinary Courts. Let this be obediently observed by all whom it may concern. For further certainty we have hereunto affixed our hand and seal. (Signed) (l. s.) Oscar. Stockholm Palace, November SO, 1876. Appendix (F). nd United States Sealjng- Memorandum on the Number of Fur-Seal Skins taken at Sea in 1891. From the Returns (Table A) compUed by Mr. Milne, the Collector of Customs at Victoria., British Columbia, and from information furnished by Mr. D. Oppenheimer, the Mayor of Vancouver, it appears that the number of British vessels engaged in sealing in 1891 was fifty, and that their total catch for the year was 49,615. These Returns have been compiled with the greatest care. With regard to the catch of the United States sealing-vessels for the same year, there is much difficulty in arriving at an estimate of the number of skins taken, owing to the fact that practically no records were kept by the United States Customs authorities of the number of skins landed. The only official Returns supplied to us are those derived from a telegram from the Custom-house at-San Francisco to the Treasury Department at Washington (Table B), which gives certain particulars as to the catch of sixteen vessels, and statements from the Collectors of Customs at San Francisco, Port Townsend, Astoria, and San Diego, giving the number of sealing- vessels that cleared from those ports in 1891 (Table C). From the latter Table it appears that the number of United States vessels engaged in sealing in 1891 was forty-two, but no details as to their catch are given. It has been ascertained that 62,500 seal-skins were sold in London in 1891, under the classification of "North-West," this being the termed used for skins supposed to be taken at sea. If we assume that these represent the whole pelagic catch for the season of 1891 in all parts of the North Pacific Ocean, and deduct from this nnmber those known to have been taken by British vessels, i. e., 49,615, there remains a balance of 12,885 skins to be accounted for. A certain number of these may have been taken hy the Indians in canoes on the coasts of Washington, British Columbia, and South-East Alaska, but their number would probably not amount to more than 3,000 This would leave about 10,000 as the catch of the United States sealing-vessels. It must, however, be borne in mind that the above figure of 62,500 does not represent the total number of skins taken, as a portion of those sent to London are re-exported after having been dressed, and thus would not appear in the sales list, and that, besides, many skins are not sent to London at aU to be dressed but are prepared in America. ' REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 279 It appears, therefore, that in the absence of su ble to form anything more than a very approximate e: skins taken by the United States sealing-vessels. Taking the average catch of the British Columbian vessels as 1,000, and allowing a sumlar catch to the United States vessels, their total catch would amount to about 40,000, but from information derived from unofficial sources this estimate appears to be too great, and after careful consideration it may be estimated that the catch of the forty-two United States vessels engaged in sealing in 1891 was between e (A).—British Columbian Sealing Fleet, 1891. H 1 Cre*. Catch. Name of Vessel. £ 1 1 1 1 H Date of Date of 1 113 42 37 37 80 ii 12 10 6 _' 12 9 23 5 21 5 20 15 23 5 6 18 5 24 23 19 23 23 26 27 23 20 22 15 23 46 406 1,588 i,"682" 1,547J 2,076 'l54 2,419 July 7 Juue 30 June 29 July 23 Aug. 30 July 27 0. 'O. I. Bettecl'(VaiicouVer')' 22 59 473 25 July 12 •■ ' 8 July 1 (Seized July 6) Aug. 12 July 16 " 18 517 462 337 191 1,519 1,639 49 2,381 l!l00 2,036 50 2,753 1,415 61 695 1,424 942 48 l!525 2! 358 3,439 l!013 385 909 1,992 1,722 2,067 537 Sepf:32° I. Eliza Edwards, steamship 20 ie 12 3 July 27 Sept. 18 Aug. 30 ge°eva I. 19 6 46 12 7i 7 43 5 40 2 23 6 374 61 22 79 July 18 " 17 " 15 Aug. 28 July 14 Aug. 29 Nov. 16 Aug.' 21 Sept. 17 Aug. 29 20 "_' 308 21 373 Maseotte 394 701 65 '241 48 l!o62 1,484 June 30 58 83 70 35 124 63 147 48 92 59 68 25 79 5 7 6 9 t 15 "e 6 "x<T 170 54 229 162 886 354 568 712 176 July 7 1. July 24 1 974 • 684 294 2,435 985 171 82 659 28 98 1,021 21 Aug. 6 July H •' 12 " 23 Sepl 27 Aug. 5 Sept. 9 '• 17 1. 1. '26' ;i2 1. "V anconver Belle (Vancouver) July 5 June 30 H " 15 '734 "*848" 519 Sept. 17 Aug. 22 " 11 Sept. 2 " 17 July 27 0. 25 "12" 187 3,401 369 715 368 3,565 17,162 28,888 49,615 1,953 Skins purchased from In- REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. B (B).—Particulars of United States Sealing Fleet, 1891. N. B.—These particulars are derived froi Mr. J. Stanley-Brown at Washington ii to collect from official sources. ealing-vessels cleared from San Francisco in 1891, E. B. Jerome, February 25 and 26, 1892: NAlbert Walker. Mattie T. Dyer. Hattie Gage. C. H. White. Helen Blum. City of San Diego. LUy L. J. H. Lewis. C. G. White. E. E. Webster. Lizzie Deri ,s per telegrams from Collector Sophie Sutherland. La Nimfa. Louis Olsen (s. s.). John Hancock. Alexander. Mary Gilbert. Thistle (s. s.). ling-vessels cleared fror. Wasson, February 25 anc a Port Townsend, as per telegrams from Collector A. 26,1892: AUie Alger. Emmet Felix. Challenge. George R. White. Henry Dennis. Mist. J. G. Swan (Neah Bay). Mayflower. Lottie (Neah Bay). ding-vessels cleared froir February 25 and 26, 1892 Astoria, as per telegrams from Collector E. A. Taylor, Bessie Butter. Kate and Ann (Yakina Bay). i from Collector John R. Sitka (2). Leo. Sitka. 42 total number of vessels. s United States ports: Kadiak Island (3). Nellie Martin. Undaunted. F. F. Feeney. I^g^.:::::;;:::::;;::;;;;;:;; ■ ■ ffl rr 7,1891 17^ " 2l| " 28! " 148 C.H.White'.".".!!!.....'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'. 0.G-. Wilson Mattie Dyer 465 Ditto |Dece 10 Helen Blum-. . E.E.Webster !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!;;!!!!!!i Novc 31 Emma and Louise !!.".!!! | REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 281 ten to ports in Alaska, and arrived at San Francisco Year. Number of Catch. 3^ Approximate Catch of Foreign Vessels. A?r Z1] About 3 21 ?2,000 H.800 ?4,800 ?12l00fl 113,500 116,500 21,18S 20! 26e 24,329 27, 868 39, 547 49,615 eSS?^ 1878$ 4,800 1883 ^*& (inBehring2Sea) 1 German (catch unknown). " 1,756 !! -605 " l! 214 j' 1,701 16,000 36!000 37,500 25,000 42, 870 1886 1887 1888 i89o!!!!!! 13 33 12 llj', 000 Unknown 13, 300 11, 000 18,000 Since 1885 correct data of the British Columbian sealing-vessels have been preserved; previous to that year the figures given are approximate. All figures given for the United States seaUng-fleet are approximate, no reliable records having been kept. The catch of the German vessel ("Adele") are correct, she having landed her cargo at Victoria. Annual Beports of Number and Catch of British Columbian Sealing Fleet from 1871 to 1890. SEALING REPORT FEOM YEARS 1871 TO 1878. Vessels. *» Urew. Eavo Thor i 14 . 8 The above vessels at this time were not regularly engaged in seal-hm were visiting the trading stations of their owners, where many of the fi obtained by barter from the Indians along the west coast of Vancouv* Queen Charlotte Islands, Bella BeUa, Bella Coula, and other points on tl Columbian coast. . The owners being very reticent, no reliable information could be obtai sequently, the number of skins and the extent of the industry v The probable catch of the Indians and above vessels would be about froi to 5,000 skins yearly, and the price at this tim per skin. e not knc 3 low, about fi 282 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. It was reported in the years 1874 and 1875 that the American schooner if Cygnet," Captain Kimberly, went to Behring Sea and obtained good catches. This is probably incorrect, as the chief objeot of her voyage was sea-otter hunting, she once bringing them to Victoria. SEALING REPORT EOR "X Vessels. Tons. Crew. 29 35 14 a These vessels were engaged in the coast sealing only, with an average catch each of about 1,200; price of skins then in Victoria from 4 to 5 doUars each, the Indian catch being about 2,000 to 2,500 skins yearly. SEALING REPORT, 1881. Vessels. Tons. Crew. 80 29 35 63 14 These vessels were only engaged in sealing on the west coast of Vancouver Island, about 1,200 skins being the average catch. Value at Victoria about 5 dollars per No official Report made by above vessels, and no memoranda at Custom-house. About this time the Indians would kill and bring to Victoria for sale about 2,500 skins yearly. SEALING REPORT, 1882. Vessels. Tons. Crew. 80 36 35 59 14 -Thornton 12 These vessels were only engaged in sealing on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and did not go to Behring Sea. The average catch would he about 1,500 skins for each vessel, and the prices low, about from 5 dollars to 5 dol. 50 c. per skin. isting trade, and no official Report kept. Vessels at this time considered in the c REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. SEALING REPORT, 1883. Vessels. Tons. Crew. ^Mary Ellen 63 59 60 58 12 Grace W. P. Sayward 12 10 Dolphin 12 Kate !.! Alfred Adams ^Favourite V...". None of these vessels cleared for or entered Behring Sea, but confined their operations to hunting on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Number of seals taken by , each schooner not recorded. The average catch for each vessel would be about 1,500 skins; value at Victoria about 6 dollars each. In this year the American schooner "City of San Diego," Daniel McLean, master, and his brother Alexander, mate, and a crew of thirteen men, entered Behring Sea to hunt seals, and had a successful catch of 2,500 skins. This vessel fitted out in San Francisco and proceeded direct to Behring Sea. In this year the German schooner "Adele," which came from Japan, was caught trespassing near seal islands in Behring Sea, and was seized, but was afterwards released. The seizing vessel confiscating the skins, reported the skins taken at about 300. SEALING REPORT, 1884. Vessels. Tons. Crew. to 59 63 80 9 All the above reported as having entered Behring Sea, but no returns reported. Average in 1884 about 1,500 skins per vessel. Have carefully examined the records, and can find no particulars of catch. The foUowing foreign vessels also cleared from Victoria, BritishjColumbia, but aid not return: Vessel, Tons. Crew. City of Sa. TV 88i 10 German. 284 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. CATCH OE BRITISH COLUMBIAN SEALING-VESSELS, 1 Vessels. Tons. Men. . Catch. Coast. Behring Sea. Total. tl r 58 77 63 5 18 16 9 6 18 1,450 1,675 l!094 1,833 l!800 1,425 1,900 l|489 1 450 1,675 300 1,812 500 teen vessels.) (Thii 701 166 20,389 800 21,189 OTHER SKINS LANDED AT VICTORIA. CATCH OE BRITISH COLUMBIAN SEALING-VESSELS, 1 Tons. Boats Crew. Catch. Coast. Behring Total. 63 66 70 59 80 58 29 6 5 22 28 18 16 '750 1,040 600 541 650 '378 2,000 1,700 1,142 1,090 500 700 (Sixteen vessels.) | 101 314 gg 'l32 e|| d by the United States Gov REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. CATCH OE BRITISH COLUMBIAN SEALING-VESSELS, 1 285 . Catch. Crew. Coast. Behring Total. W P Sayward* 59 Anna Beck* 36 ■4 12 210 jjg- 336 Dolphin* Alfred Adams* 1 5 18 18 330 i 6x8 Lottie Eairfleld Mary Taylor Pathfinder ! 64 5 18 512 1,364 2,600 3^000 Triumph Black Diamond i| 28 250 l.|57 1,887 Mountain Chief Teresa 26 | 15 23 550 1246 Mary Ellen 69 8 24 515 945 1,460 (Seventeen vessels.) 1,143 361 50 5 20 630 1,350 * Seized hy United States Government in Behring Sea. CATCH OP BRITISH COLUMBIAN SEALING-VESSELS, 1 Tons. Boats. Crew. Catch. Coast. Behring Total. 40 26 71 66 68 71 12 13 12 6 13 12 12 30 28 22 20 24 20 30 13 22 26 23 20 1,410 177 1,200 231 392 l'017 825 3,347 Sapphte- 2,069 Mary Taylor. 2,470 l]834 125 100 600 209 335 Mi!' ?CWl6r 525 731 (Twenty-one vessels.) 1,350 8 442 7,670 20 392 '822 24, 329 1,214 * The Behring Sea catch for tl the coast of British Columhia t( of landing the skins hefore ent( t "Araunah " seized hy Russi; lehring Sea. ir Copper Island (Parliamentary Pap J 286 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. CATCH OP BRITISH COLUMBIAN SEALING-VESSELS, Tons. u it* Catch. Vessels. Spring. Coast. BSeanS Total. P thfind r 113 123 46 26 10 70 6 18 11 13 11 2 2 23 21 5 29 25 384 384 330 103 200 280" 347 624 558 48 2! 182 990 Annie C. Moon; 2,120 610 486 32 364 2,990 29 164 500 841 844 74 55 1,764 1,685 282 340 g 557 1,643 500 700 613 1,329 179 481 6,129 240 6,242 15,497 2i'toi JUMBIAN SEALING-VESSEL! Tons. C rew. Catch. Vessels. Boats. "White. Indian. Spring. Coast. Behring Total. T lor 43 66 98 117 124 71 63 46 83 70 23 28 11 5 11 6 12 6 lltfc! 20 23 23 6 23 5 4 5 22 20 23 5 18 23 15 18 104 235 262 182 119 302 716 436 1,018 878 1,378 571 981 797 710 345 592 984 2,015 473 918 745 230 998 36 2,242 26 25 18 20 156 165 220 122 148 154 897 2,453 854 945 445 752 770 1,137 1,467 774 1,670 578 339 '311 703 349 764 562 1,171 16 f___\ 16 97 175 300 122 1,423 Minnie"!!!!!"!!;:!!!!!!!!!! 24 16 1,706 1,426 15 115 70 94 951 12 60 70 (Thirty vessels.) 1,994 246 372 293 '220 16,732 18,165 39,547 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 287 Approximate Number and Catch of United States Sealing Fleet, 1886-91. City of San Diego ) Skins- SylviaHandy > Landed at Victoria _ fiis Vanderbilt ) J'b4S About ten others, with total catch of, say 8 500 Total for 1886 (thirteen vessels) .... H qoo 1887— ===== City of San Diego )T , , ,„,t . Vanderbilt £ Landed at Victoria 2,487 About thirty others, with total catch of, say 13,500 Total for 1887 (thirty-two vessels) 16, 000 Walter L. Rich San Diego Venture AUie Alger Henry Dennis Lottie MoUy Adams Bessie Butter J. H. Lewis About twenty-four other vessels, with total catch of, say 7,600 Total for 1889 (thirty-three vessels) 13, 300 1890— Mattie Dyer San Diego Geo. A. White ^ Landed at Victoria . Henry Dennis Venture About seven others, with total catch of, say 8,000 Total for 1890 (twelve vessels) 11,000 > Landed at Victoria 5,741 213 Appendix (G). Miscellaneous Tables. I A££Xn. 2. Statement of Fur-Seal Skins obtained in trade from Indians by the Hudson Bay Company on the coast of British Columbia between Port Simpson and the northern end of Vancouver Island, 1852 to 1890. 3. Skins taken for Shipment from Commander Islands, 1862 to 1891. 4. Shipment of Fur-Seal Skins from Lobos Islands, communicated by Mr. Alfred Lafone, M. P. f „, _ 5. Particulars of Fur-Seal Skins in London Market, from Messrs. C. M. Lampson and Co. J 288 1.—Average Prie REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. es realized for Alaska Salted Fur-Seal Skins at Public Auction in Londoii, furnished by the Hudson Bay Company. Tear. Skins. Price. Tear. Skins. 100,100 9»! 994 100! 037 Price. *. d. 42 2 52 0 69 2 91 5 1 - 96 9£ 75 9! 724 634 276 IS! 4M 1 Note.—Previous average prices. o 1871 fu r-seal skin s were sold privately, and it is imposs ble to obta m correct Vancouver Island, 1852-90. Year. Nnmher of Skins Number of obtained. 1852 1858!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.!!!!!!!!!!!! i86i!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1873!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1 65 28 99 187 62 71 243 381 768 367 1J229 i83i!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1887!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1889!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Total number obtained in 39 Average number obtained each 3^551 1,545 102 646 289 1,117 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 289 —Skins taken for Shipment from Commander Islands, 1862-91, Notes. Tear. Number. Notes. f 1862 4,000 Only grey pupa killed J 1868.'!!!!!!!!!! 1,000 4,000 12,000 _f Alaska Commercial Company's first i87i!!!!!!!!!!! 27,500 Stopped killing pnps for food 1873.'!!!!!!!!!! 1874 29,318 t Including Robben Island. 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 43,^522 Approximate estimate Approximate estimate 1888!!!!!!!!!!! 44| 500 -Without Robben Island, from ny 1890 ! Including 1,453 taken on Ro bhen pany's lease. 1891 27,467 lis- Total... t872,408 figures obtained by us oi •aiders upon Robben Islai which merely represent i Commander Islands. 1 and on the Command Notes on the Killing of Fur-Seals on the Commander Islands. The facts available for the .earlier years after the discovery of these islands are very incomplete, but the following notes may be cited: In 1751-53, Jugot, among skins brought from Behring Island, had 2,212 fur-seal skins, and in 1752 and 1753 the crew of a vessel belonging to Trapeznikoff, an Irkutsk merchant, took 2,500 fur-seal skins ou the same islaud. ("Neue Nachrich- ten von denen Neuentdecken Insuln," quoted by Nordenskiold, in "Voyage of the Vega," vol. ii, p. 270.) Returns of cargoes of skins from the Commander Islands, quoted by Bancroft (Bancroft's Works, vol. xxxiii, pp. 111-191), show that between 1752 and 1786 (the last year not included) at least 93,708 skins were shipped. Most of these were obtained from the Commander Islands, upon which alone the actual killing doubtless exceeded this figure, probably very considerably. It was not till 1886 that the first skins were taken on the Pribyloff Islands. Elliott states that he believes there was an interregnum between 1760 and 1786, during which the fur-seals were driven from the Commander Islands, and no skins- were taken (Census Report, p. 109). This is, however, manifestly an error, in view of the statements of individual cargoes upon which the above total amount is based, and from which it would appear that the Commander Islands never ceased to produce a certain number of skins. Elliott further states that he does not know when the seals returned, but is " inclined to believe" that they did not reappear in any considerable number till 1837 or 1838. In 1867 the Russians did not think that more than 20,000 skins could be secured on the Commander Islands annually. Since 1867 (to 1880) the capacity of the Commander Islands gradually increased from about 15,000 - to 50,000 skins per annum, doubtless because of the careful management of the industry on these islands. (Census Report, p. 109.) B S, PT VI 19 290 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 215 4.—Shipment of Fur-Seal Skins from Lobos Islands, communicated by Mr. I Lafone, M. P. __■ 1 s l ^ | 1 rB_ Hg, I _& 1 Total. 1887 301 155 175 224 163 255 134 154 266 558 1,489 741 968 694 1,195 1,660 1,651 l!093 5,660 7,088 5,955 5,901 6,488 5,915 ""93* 344 488 502 10 106 40 14,849 13,205 14, 244 12,778 Totals... 1,101 842 2,344 4,450 6,683 30,937 24,319 93 1,677 285 1 72,789 T«ar. Skins. Tear. Skins. 1876 11,353 13, 066 12, 301 14! 865 13! 200 12,422 1884 14 580 5.—Particulars of Fur-Seal Skins in London Market, from Messrs. C. M. Lampson and Co. I 64, Queen Street, London, May 28,1892. Dear Sir: We have the pleasure to inclose herewith particulars of fur-seal skins sold in London, for which you asked us when we had the pleasure of seeing yon ' We are, &c. (Signed) C. M. Lampson and Co. Sir George Baden-Powell, K. C. M. G., M. P., &c, 8, St. George's Place. (A.)—Salted Lobos Island Fur-Seal Skins sold in London. Tear. Skins. Year. Skins. 1873 11! 353 12! 295 12] 861 1884 16,258 10,953 13,667 11,068 20,747 18,541 1881 247,777 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 291 (B.)—Sales of Cape Horn Salted Fur-Seal Skins. Tear. Skins. Tea, Skins. 1876 6,308 8! 227 12,180 17, 562 13,164 11,711 4,655 6,743 1886 909 illl;:::::::::::::::!!!:::::!"::!:::::: 1880!!!!!!! 3,'021 3,114 3,966 1882 1892 (todate). 1884 112,208 (C 1.)—Salted North-west Coast Fur-Seal Skins sold in London prior to Pelagic Sealing in Behring Sea. Tear. Skins. Tear. Skins. 1872 1,029 1880 1873 jUj J||| 11,727 2,319 Total.. 12,212 64,366 Tear. Skins. Tear. Skins. 1872 578 1880 4 562 Total. Tear. Skins. Tear.. Skins. 1868 2,141 1,671 684 1,173 1878 912 1872 ill': ' 321 390 Total 42,767 arge proportion were the accu Recapitulation. Salted fur-seal skins sold in London, 1872-84 " - - " dressed and dyed in London, 1872-84.. Dry fur-seal skins sold in London, 1868-84 64,366 46,215 42,767 292 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 217 (C _.)—Dry North-west Coast Fur-Seal Skins sold in London after commencement of Pelagic Sealing in Behring Sea. Yea, Skins. Tea, Skins. 1520 1890 699 2,843 Total Yea, Skins. Tear. Skins. 16,667 15, 087 1888 1930 Total 39,290 In addition to the above it nated that from 25,0( - Tea, Skins. Tear. Skins. 1889::!!!!!!.!!!!!!!"!!!!":!:::!!:!!!:: 171909 39,563 1890 Total 54| 180 Recapitulation. Dry skins sold in London, 1885-91 Salted skins dressed and dyed in Loudon, but not sold there, 1885-8S " " United States, estimated, 1885-89.. Salted skins sold in London, 1885-92 . 8,604 . 39,290 . 30,000 . 254,068 Grand total 33i; 962 (D.)— Sales of Alaska Salted Fur-Seal Skins. Tear. Skins. Tear. Skins. iwl:..' ::': 96^ 283 1883 Ill: 75,914 99, 994 99| 947 100! 031 lili:;:::::; .: : .. •: Total.. 1,883,897 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. (E.)— Sales of Copper Island Salted Fur-Seal Skins 293 Tea,. Skins. Tear. Skins. 1873 22,198 30,349 34,479 25! 380 18,086 39] 311 36,480 1884 26, 675 48, 929 41,750 54,584 3*8so "".::"" 1118. ;; : ; ;; ||t 30,680 Total 761,219 Appendix (H). 3 Relating to Pelagic Sealing. saling r Mr. Milne to Mr. Tupper. Customs, Canada, Victoria, B. G, January 22,1892. Sir: I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 7th instant relative to a joint letter from Sir George Baden-Powell and Dr. George M. Dawson, Behring Sea Commissioners. I beg to state that I have endeavoured to supply the information, and herewith transmit the first lot of affidavits of some of the most reliable of ou and I am continuing to take all I can obtain, which will he forwarded fi I trust the information is what is wanted, as I have endeavoured to frame the ques tions so that the answers would show reasons for their intelligent answers on thi three questions: 1. The proportion of seals lost as compared with hit. 2. The proportion of females to males killed in the different months. 3. The abstention of Canadians from all raiding, &c. I have, &c. (Signed) A. R. Milne, Collector. Depositions taken before A. B. Milne, Collector of Customs, Port of Victoria, B. G. Cereno Jones Kelley, master of the Canadian schooner " C. H. Tupper," of Shel- bourne, Nova Scotia, having been duly sworn— 1. Mr. Milne. How many years have you been engaged in sealing, Captain Kelley?—A. I have been sealing for two years as master of the "C. H. Tupper." 2. Q. Have your voyages been reasonably fortunate, in comparison with those of other vessels f—A. About an average. 3. Q. Have you gone south of Cape Flattery in hunt for seals?—A. Yes, Sir; and have followed the seals all along the coasts of British Columbia to Behring Sea. 4. Q. During last year, to your observation, were the seals as plentiful from the coast of Shumagin Islands as they were the previous year?—A. I think there was no material difference. 5. Q. Did the seals last year appear to be frightened or more timorous than in previous years on account of the number of vessels?—A. I observed no material differ- 6. Q. In shooting seals, what is your experience?—A. My experience is that unless a seal is mortally wounded—hit in- a vital spot—it is practicaUy uninjured, and appears to be as full of vitalitv as before it was shot. The shot-wounds will rapidly close up, if not made in a vital part, and the seal will swim away as though nothing had happened. The flow of blood stops very quickly, and the seal moves off at a very rapid rate I picked shot from the bodies of seals, previously wounded in other than a vital part, and the animal in every other way appeared to be in a healthy condition. 7. Q. So you believe that a seal when shot, if not mortally wounded, does not sink or seek a place—a rookery, or some.place to die?—A. A wounded seal will not alter its course in the slightest. It will go along the same as before, its wounds healing rapidly, very rapidly, too. It is astonishing how quickly such wounds will heal. I once shot a seal which had been speared by Indians, and the spear had made an 294 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. apparently mortal wound. There was a cut about 2_ by 3 inches side behind the flipper. This wound appeared to have -been _ previously, and in that time it had healed half-an-inch all rou„u. 8. Q. Are there more seals shot sleeping than in motion?—A. I should say that the larger proportion of seals are shot whilst sleeping, that is, as far as my own experience goes. 9. Q. What do you consider the vital part of a seal? Where do the hunters aim for generally—the head or the heart ?—A. It depends largely upon the position of the seal. The vital parts are in the head, in the vicinity of the heart, and, if a seal is shot so as to bleed internally, the hunters are sure of securing it. The head is the 10. Q. What is usually a safe shooting distance?—A. It depends largely upon the circumstances of the case. Somewhere between 10 and 30 yards would be about the distance. I should say that it is the average with sleeping or travelling seals. The sleeping seal is often approached to within even less than 10 yards, but the average is from 10 to 20 yards for sleeping seal, and from 10 to 30 yards for travellers. 11. Q. The seal is very sensitive, is it not?—A. Yes; we have to approach them from the leeward always. Their sense of smell is very acute. 12. Q. Do the seals generally travel far when wounded?—A. That will depend upon where it is wounded. If it is vitally wounded in the head, it will hardly move from its position, for it is likely to die right there, but it will not sink. This is, from my own observation. There is only one way that a seal will sink after being shot, that is, when it is shot in such a manner as to be thrown backwards, sinking tail first, thus allowing the air to escape out of its mouth. I might say, further, that I have never seen a seal sink which was shot while sleeping. 13. Q. Will you state the proportion of seals lost as compared with those hit in sealing?—A. My own personal experience during the past two years is that 220 my loss by seals sinking would not average 3 per cent. During the last year (1891) I actually lost only two seals out of seventy-seven—that is, I shot seventy-nine, and secured seventy-seven. 14. Q. In hunting seals, what is the direction in which they usuaUy travel?—A. In the spring months they are leisurely traveUing towards the north, when they change their position. 15. Q. In hunting seals, have yon ever met with pups in the water?—A. Not generally ; but during the season of 1890, while off Middleton Island, the hunters reported seeing two seal pups, probably a week old, but they appeared to be only just born. 16. Q. What is your opinion of the proportion of males to females killed during the hunting season? Are there any months in the year when there are more females than males killed?—A. It depends upon circumstances. My experience is that groups of bachelor bulls will travel together, and sometimes groups of females, including barren cows, will travel together, and again groups of yearlingpups apparently travel together. That is my experience, and the experience of a number of others. The catch of any schooner coming into contact with groups of bulls, or of females, would be no criterion of the catch of other schooners as regards the number of females. In the year 1890, while in Behring Sea, one day we took seventy-five seals, and the next day we took eighty, and in the whole of that number I observed only one female, and the hunters particularly informed me that they did not see any female seals at aU; that they were all vigorous young bulls. 17. Q. Would anything lead you to think, Captain Kelley, that there is a likelihood of more females than males being killed between here and Shumagin Islands? That is, from January to June?—A. I can safely say that my personal experience has been on the side of the males, largely—both on the coast and in the Behring Sea the number of seals caught is made up largely of males. 18. Q. Are there any months of the year during which there are more females caught than males?—A. I should say that, as far as my own observation has gone, there is no difference; but in every month, during my voyages, I have had more males than females. 19. Q. Do you know of any Canadian vessels who have raided the seal islands during any year in which you have been engaged in the sealing industry ?—A. I have every reason to beUeve that none of the Canadian fleet have ever raided^ or attempted to raid, or made any preparations to raid, any seal islands in the Behring Sea. If any such a thing had happened, I should most certainly have heard of it, and I believe it to be true that the American schooners "George R. White" and "Daniel Webster" did raid these islands, as also the "Mollie Adams." That they did raid the seal islands is a fact well known to all Canadian sealers. I also heard that the German schooner "Adele" raided the Pribvloff Islands, which action met with the strong disapprobation of every Canadian sealer. (Signed) C. J. Kelley. Sworn to at Victoria, British Columbia, this 22nd day of January, 1892. (Signed) A. R. Milne, Collector of Customs. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 295 Before A. B. Milne, Collector of Customs, Victoria, B. G, January 28,1892. Captain WiUiam Petit, present master and part owner of the steamer "Mischief" having been sworn: • S—A <^' -afa"e-)—Captain Petit, how many years have you been engaged in seal- 2. Q. Continuously.—A. Yes, Sir. 3" jS; .What veSi*els did you command?—A. In 1886 I commanded the <*W. P. Sayward, in 1887 the steamer " Grace," in 1888 the schooner " Sapphire," and in 1889. 1890, and 1891 the "Mary Taylor." vv ' ' 4. Q. Have your catches during these six years been reasonably successful in comparison with other vessels?—A. About an average. 5. Q. You have sealed south of Cape Flattery, have you not, and foUowed the seals along the coast of British Columbia and into Behring Sea?—A. Yes. • „ ?1" Q- During last year, to your observation, were the seals apparently as plentiful from the coast to Shumagin Islands as they were in previous years? A. I found them more plentiful last year than I have any year since 1886, that is, Cape Flattery north. 6. Q. How did you find them in Behring Sea?—A. I found them there iu Behring ' Sea as plentiful as in former years. 7. Q. Are the seals now more frightened or account of more vessels, or from any other c ference. 8. Q. In shooting seals, what is your experience?—A. My experience is that unless a seal is mortally wounded—hit in the head or in the region of the heart—the shot does not appear to injure it. 9. Q. Do you believe that a seal, when shot, and not mortally wounded, does not sink, or seeks Some place to die—a rookery, or some such place?—A. No, Sir; a wounded seal will not alter its course in -the slightest. It wiU move along as before, its wound healing rapidly. 10. Q. What do you consider the vital part of a seal? Where do the hunters generally aim for?—A. For the head or the heart; it depends upon the position of the seal, but usually the head. 11. Q. What is the distance at which you shoot seals?—A. It depends upon circumstances. 12. Q. Are more seals shot while sleeping than in motion?—A. There are more shot sleeping, Sir. It is my opinion that the larger proportion of seals are shot while sleeping. The seals taken by the Indians are nearly all killed while sleeping. 13. Q. What is the shooting distance?—A. It depends upon circumstances; 10 to 20 yards for sleepers, and a little more, 10 to 30 yards, for travellers. 221 14. Q. You have seen the hunters and Indians approach even nearer than 10 yards, have you ?—A. Yes, I have seen them approach to within less than 10 feet. 15. Q. When seals are vitally wounded, say in the head, will they move far from the position in which they are shot.—A. No, Sir. 16. Q. They are likely to die right there, are they?—A. Yes, Sir. 17. Q. And they will not sink?—A. With few exceptions, such as when a seal is shot and thrown backwards, thus allowing the air to escape out of its mouth. 18. Q. WU1 you state your opinion, Captain Petit, of the proportion of seal lost by sinking after being shot?—A. My personal experience during last season with white hunters would not exceed 5 per cent., and with Indians in former years I doubt if it amounts to even 1 per cent. The reason of this percentage in favour of Indians is because they were caught with a spear, and consequently could not get 19. Q. Have you ever seen a seal shot while sleeping sink.—A. I have never known one to sink. 20. Q. Then you are clearly of the opinion that seals will unless thrown backwards?—A. I am. When they do sink, e~ can be reached with the gaff. ' 21. Q. When the hunters return to the vessel at night, do they usually discuss their day's proceedings, and particularly mention the loss of seals, when such loss occurs?—A. Yes. 22. Q. Then, Captain Petit, you conscientiously adhere to the statement that the loss by sinking of seals hit will not exceed 5 per cent. ?—A. I certainly do; but there are seals hit and not mortal lv wounded, and these escape, but they are not lost, as they are quite as vigorous as'before, because their wounds heal very rapidly. I have often found shot in the skin. . 23 Q. What is your opinion of the proportion of females to males kiUed during the last hunting season?—A. Last year, out of my catch of 765,1 had only 18 females carrying young—not quite 2_ per cent. Of course, as in other seasons catcnes, 296 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. we had a number of barren cows—about the usual run, 10 per cent., and 12_ per cent, of grey pups. These grey pups are always bulls, and one year old. 24. Q. Your catch, then, would be about 75 per cent, of males last season?—A. Yes, Sir; including the yearlings it was more than 75 per cent. 25. Q. You say grey pups are always males; wUl you explain tins?—A. ibe Indians called my attention to this fact years ago, but the reason is not quite known, still it is a fact. I have observed very closely, and have never yet seen a female grey pup one year old. I try to account for this by the supposition that the yearling grey male pups are driven early out of Behring Sea by the old bulls. 26. Q. Last year, did you hear any remarks about the number or proportion of the males to females caught from any one or any source?—A. Yes, Sir; 1 heard that a much larger percentage of males were caught last year than in any former year. 27. Q. I would ask you, Captain Petit, if in any former years there was a similar preponderance of males—do you remember of any such fact?—A. Yes, I do. In 1886, when off Barclay Sound, in one day we had taken 104 seals, of which 3 only were females. In the following year, 1887, when off Portlock Bank, we took 79 in one day, and only 2 females were found in that number. 28. Q. How do seal cows travel? Singly or in pairs?—A. They travel singly or in 29. Q. How do buUs travel?—A. They travel in bands, as do also the buU pups. They travel singly too. 30. Q. Are female seals carrying young very timid?—A. 1 sink their bodies so that nothing but their noses and eyes a therefore smaller marks for the hunters. 31. Q. Barren cows travel with bulls, do they?—A. Yes, Sir; barren cows usually travel with the bulls. 32. Q. Are there any months iu the year during which there are more females than males killed? Any particular time that you have observed?—A. No, Sir. 33. Q. Is it your caudid opinion that there are more barren cows killed than seal- bearing cows?—A. Yes, Sir; I think there are more. 34. Q. Do these barren cows, from the knowledge you have of seals—do you think that they ever become bearing?—A. I think they do. 35. Q. That they will have periods of bearing ?—A. I don't think that a seal will bear before she is 4 years old. 36. Q. How long does a seal carry her young?—A. It is understood to be eleven months. 37. Q. Were there any circumstances occurred to you upon your last voyage which would indicate a marked decrease in the number of seals?—A. None whatever, Sir. On the contrary, I should say there were more. There seemed to be more last year, at least we saw more that year than for several years previously. 38. Q. In your observation as to the habits of the seals, they appear to be like the salmon—that they return from no known cause in larger numbers?—A. Well, I don't know, Sir; I think that they have their annual migrations; but there is question whether they follow the same track every year. You will find them on some grounds one year, and in other years on other grounds. 39. Q. Do you think that the number of female seals killed in the hunt is materially injuring the reproduction of seals?—A. No, Sir. 40. Q. Can you give a reason for that?—A. From the small percentage of females kiUed, I don't think it would injure reproduction in any way. 41. Q. Were you in Behring Sea last year, and were you ordered out?—A. And was ordered out by the United States ship Before beiug ordered out, wl L 60 to 100 miles, found seals all along that distance from land?-—A. Yes, in large .Jaip"Cor..._. 42. Q. Before being ordered out, what was your usual fishing disti land?—A. 60 to 100 miles. numbers. 44. Q. You had the prospect of a fair catch?—A. Yes, Sir; I had the prospects of a very fair catch up to the time I was warned. 45. Q. You consider it a very material loss, being warned at the time out of Behring Sea?—A. I do, Sir; I consider it a very heavy loss. 46. Q. You still adhere to the statement that the seals between 60 and 100 miles from land were as plentiful as in any previous years in your experience ?—A. As -plentiful as they were in any year since 1886. 47. Q. Did you observe in your catch in Behring Sea any preponderance of females over males, or vice versa?—A. Yes, Sir; the males were in excess. 48. Q. Can you state from recollection an average day's hunt in Behring Sea?—A. Forty-eight was about the largest I made while in Behring Sea. 49. Q. Do you remember hearing any of the hunters speak of losing any seals by sinking?—A. No, Sir; I don't remember any instances of such loss. 50. Q. Did you cross from the American side of the Behring Sea into the Russian gide?—A. No, I didn't; I came straight home to Victoria through Ounimak Pass. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 297 you hear from any source that any Canadian vessels my of them?—A. No, Sir; I never heard of any British r any year I have been engaged in 51. Q. During the year, < had raided the seal islands < or Canadian vessels, not during'the past y sealing. 52. Q. Captain Petit, do you believe any of the stories that are told about the Geo. R. White," the "Daniel Webster," and the "MoUie Adams" raiding these islands?—A. Yes, Sir; I believe those reports. 53. Q. These were aU American vessels, were they not?—A. Yes, Sir. 54. Q. During the last two years, it is reported that the American schooners "J. HamUton Lewis," formerly the British schooner "Aida," and the "City of San Diego," raided the Copper Islands?—A. Yes, Sir. 55. Q. Do you believe that is true?—A. I do, Sir; and also in 1886 or 1887, the American schooner "Look-out " raided the Pribyloff Islands, so that the history of raiding the seal islands is peculiarly American, and solely by American schooners. 56. Q. Was not the British schooner "Aida" seized by the American Government and sold?—A. Yes, Sir. In 1887, and renamed the ft J. Hamilton Lewis." 57. Q. Is not this same vessel, the " J. Hamilton Lewis," the same vessel as was seized by the Russians this year, in the vicinity of Copper Island?—A. Yes, Sir; and served her right too. 58. Q. If any of the Canadian vessels had raided either the American or Russian seal islands, your long experience in the sealing fleet here would have insured your being aware of it?—A. Yes, Sir; I should certainly have heard of it—learned it from hunters, masters, or seamen. It would have been sure to have leaked out. 59_. Q. Is it your opinion that ship-masters or ship-owners have been most careful in instructing their masters or captains to avoid any interference whatever with the seal islands?—A. I have served with different owners, and I have been instructed to carefully avoid approaching "the islands within the international limit. In fact, all the sealing I have conducted has been done outside at least of the 20 miles from land. Mr. Milne.—That will do, Captain Petit. Thank you very much. (Signed) William Petit, Master. Before A. B. Milne, Collector of Customs, Victoria, B. C, January 22, 1892. Captain Wentworth Evelyn Baker, present master of the Canadian schooner "C. H. Tupper," and formerly master of the schooner "Viva," of Victoria, being duly tgaged in sealing, Captain Baker ?— 3 have you commanded during those four years?— 1. Mr. Milne.—How many years have y A. Four years. 2. Q. What Canadian schoor A. The schooner "Viva." 3. Q. During the four years have you been more than reasonably successful as a seal-hunter?—A. Yes, Sir. 4. Q. How many whitemen would your vessel usually carry?—A. Twenty-three, all told. 5. Q. You have hunted all along the coast, and also every year in Behring Sea?— A. Every year except 1891. During last year I was always outside of the line of demarcation between Russian and American waters. 6. Q. During last year, to your observation, were seals as plentiful along the coasts to Shumagin Islands as they were the year before?—A. In some places I found them as plentiful; in others I found them more plentiful. In some places where I never found any before I found them last year, and I found none where I had previously found some. ! 7. Q. Then, Captain Baker, you think there is no material difference, on the average, during the four years? That is to your observation?—A. I should say, to my observation, there was no material difference. 223 8. Q. Your coast catch last year was equal to that of former years, was it?— A. It was equal to the first two years, and better than the third year by almost as many more skins, having 698 skins in 1890, and in 18911 had 1,260 skins. 9. Q. Owing to the nnmber of vessels, do the seals appear to be more timorous?— A. Well, I did not find them so, except in some places. It is a great deal owing to the position in which vou find them. I found that the nearer the eoast the wilder they are, and the further at.sea you go they don't seem to be any wilder than previously. I think that what makes them wilder along the coast ir " " traffic, steamers and so on being very numerous. 298 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 10 Q. It is said that seal travel in groups of females and groups of bachelor buUs and young bulls—not mixed. Is that so?—A. I have always found it so. 11. Q. So you think that the number of male or female seals caught would depend entirely upon the schooner falling in with groups of males or females?—A. Entirely. 12. Q. How is that?—A. It is much harder to keep the run of females than of the males or barren cows. Females with young appear to be much more timid, and when you get among them and commence shooting, they disappear very quickly, and show only the nose and eyes above water when travelling, and do not expose their bodies as much above the water as the bulls and barren cows do, as if the maternal instinct to preserve their young was apparent. This fact is well known to all seal-hunters. I have often been in a group of cows with pups during the afternoon, and at night they would all disappear, and, apparently from maternal instinct, they wiU travel away as quickly as possible. 13. Q. Do you consider it more difficult to shoot females, so little exposed as they are, than males?—A. It is decidedly more difficult, particularly on the coast. 14. Q. You have observed a number of barren females?—A. Yes; quite a [ ? ]. 15. Q. How do they travel?—A. Usually by themselves, or mixed with bulls; I have never found a cow with pups among the bulls. 16. Q. Have you any idea what the percentage would be of the number of barren cows to the nnmber of seals caught?—A. I could not say exactly, but the percentage is considerable. 17. Q. What is the accepted theory among the sealers as to the barrenness of cows?—A. I don't know as I have heard of any theory—unless they are like other animals. 18. Q. When yon speak of barren cows, you mean those who have been more than one season barren?—A. Yes; because before that they are called pups. The barren cows are those who are old enough to have pups, but didn't. 19. Q. You are quite of a clear opinion, then, Captain Baker, that there is a considerable percentage of barren cows ?—A. Yes, Sir. 20. Q. Are there more seals shot whilst sleeping than in motion?—A. Yes, Sir; my experience has been that there are more seals shot whilst sleeping, and that is the experience of most of my hunters, by- their report. 21. Q. What do you consider the vital part of a seal?—A. The head or the heart, or in the neck. 22. Q. Do your hunters prefer to shoot the seal in the head?—A. Yes, Sir; on account of preserving the skin, and also that, the mowient the seal is shot in the head, the head sinks and the wind cannot escape. Then, if the seal is not killed, the shot will stun it, and its head will drop below water, so that it cannot sink. 23. Q. What is usually a safe shooting distar tance would be about 10 yards, and for travellin 10 to 30 yards. 24. Q. Considering that the seals are shot in the head, and the greater portion whilst sleeping, will you state the proportion of seals lost, as compared with those hit, in sealing?—A. The proportion is very small, because, as the usual distance for shooting is about 10 yards for a sleeping seal, we most always kill them instantly, and being so near the seal—even if they are inclined to sink—they are gaffed before they have time to sink. If they even did sink 15 feet, say, we could catch them, as when sinking they go very slowly. The only time I know of when a seal is likely to sink is after it has been chased around in the boats and winded, then shot again, so as to be. thrown backwards, allowing the wind to escape from its mouth, when it sinks tail first. Every boat is supplied, with a long pole, about 15 feet, and a spear and gaff on the end, so that we can reach that distance. It is very seldom that a seal will get away. I would say, therefore, from personal experience that the percentage of loss, as compared with those hit in sealing, would not exceed 3 per cent. Last year I killed, myself, on the coast, fifty-five seals, and ont of that number I lost only one by sinking. 25. Q. As a general thing, is the percentage of loss more now than it was four years ago, or is it smaller?—A. From personal experience, I think about the same, and from the reports of the hunters I should judge it was the same, as they all report their experiences on their return to the vessel each night, and when a seal is lost it is always spoken about. From a record kept by hunters during two voyages the aggregate loss by each hunter is shown, and the percentage is not greater0 on an average, than 3 per cent. ' 26. Q. How many hunters do you usually carry?—A. Six; and I hunted myself. The ship's company consists of twenty-three persons. 27. Q. What size shot do you use iu shooting seal?—A. No: 2 buck-shot or " S" Canadian shot; and the guns are of the very best material and verv expensive cost- • ing from 70 to 100 doUars. ' , .„•$• 5rha*i0 y°u think is the proportion of females to males in the number killed in the different months of the fishing season?—A. I don't know I am sure. L REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 299 It depends upon circumstances. My experience last year was very largely on the bull side on the coast; that is, the proportion taken were largely male seals. I can conscientiously say that it must have been three bulls to one female, and I had a larger number of seals than any other vessel on tho spring catch. 29. Q. In the Behring Sea, to your observation, were the males or females in the preponderance?—A. My experience is that they are very much as they are on the coast. Sometimes I would meet with groups of all bulls, and again with groups of 224 30. Q. While in Behring Sea last year what would be your usual sealing distance from the land?—A. I was not in Behring Sea last year, but in previous years it would be from about 30 to 90 miles from land. The usual distance is about 60 miles. Sometimes we are inside of that, sometimes outside of it. 31. Q. Last year, I understand you to say, Captain Baker, you were not in the Behring Sea on the American side?—A. No. 32. Q. Do I understand you to say that on the Russian side the same observations ■will apply to the habits and shooting of seal as on the coast?—A. Precisely the same as to their grouping and habits. 33. Q. During the four years that you have been sealing, Captain Baker, I would like you to state explicitly if you saw or heard of any Canadian vessels raiding the American seal islands?—A. No, Sir. To my knowledge I have never heard of any, and I have every reason to beUeve that there has never been any Canadian schooner raiding any of them. 34. Q. If anything like this had happened, you would have heard of it?—A. Most certainly I would have. 35. Q. You have never heard any information of any of our sealers conniving to raid the seal islands?—A. I never did. 36. Q. Two years ago it was reported that some American schooners had raided seal islands. Did you hear such a report ?--A. Yes, Sir; I heard a report that certain American schooners had raided these islands. The " Geo. R. White," "Daniel Webster," "Mollie Adams," and for two years the "J. Hamilton Lewis," have been raiding the Copper Islands on the Russian side, and it is reported that the American schooner "City of San Diego" also raided the Copper Islands last year. 37. Q. You have heard of the German schooner "Adele" raiding these islands?—A. Yes; in 1889, with poor success. These Ulegal acts meet with the strong disapprobation of every Canadian sealer. 38. Q. And if Canadian sealers had done acts of that kind, you think it would most certainly have leaked out?—A. It most certainly would have. 39. Q. You are quite satisfied, then, that not a single Canadian schooner at any time has raided the seal islands?—A. Not to my knowledge. I don't know of one 40. Q. What was your entire catch last season ?—A. 1,991 for the whole season. 41. Q. Giving your opinion in confidence, what is your opinion of the seals on the coast and in Behring Sea? Are they decreasing or increasing?—A. From my experience, I have not seen any decrease, but I have noticed also that they change their grounds from time to time, and where you find them this year you may not find "them the next. This was very remarkable during the year 1890, for the seals were aU found to be eastward of Pribyloff Islands, while in former years they were found to the westward. 42. Q. When did you find them to the eastward of St. Paul's Island? Iunderstand you to say that you found them very numerous?—A. More so than I ever did before. 43. Q. Have you any opinion to offer as to the return of the seals to the coast last year?—A. I have no direct opinion, but certainly the seals were more plentiful on the northern coast last year than the previous years. (Signed) W. E. Baker, Master. Sworn to before me, at Victoria, British Columbia, this 22nd day of January, 1892.. (Signed) A. R. Milne, Collector of Customs. January 19,1892. Clarence Nelson Cox, master of the schooner "E. B. Marvin," of Victoria, examined by Collector Milne: . . . 1 Q. What vessels have you commanded on this coast and in Behring bea, Captain Cox?—A. I have been two years master of the " Triumph," and one year mate of the "Sapphire" with my brother. | ,-»'?- T „„ 2. Q. This makes your fifth or sixth year?—A. This makes my fourth year. I was in Behring Sea so late last year; that is probably why it may seem I have been out oftener than others. 300 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 3.. Q. The inquiry, Captain Cox, is to elicit, first, the number of seals lost by being hit' It is aUeged that you lose a large proportion of those that are shot, and we wish to get at the facts. Also to estabUsh the number of females caught during the last and previous years, and also to investigate if there were any Canadian sealers raiding the seal islands. In the spring of the year, when you leave port, you go down to meet the seals along the coast?—A. Yes. 4. Q. I have been given to understand that theseals travel in bands?—A. Yes; all the cows together, and all the bulls together, and the grey pups together. 5. Q. I suppose they are quite distinctly separated?—A. Yes; we get the grey pups closer to shore, always inside of the large seals. 6 Q. As a matter of fact you do not find many female seals bearing young travelling with the bull seals?—A. I have never seen them in company together. I have found the barren cows and bulls in company. 7. Q. This separation is from natural selection, or instinct?—A. Yes; whUe carrying their young they are never found with the bulls. The barren cows occasionaUy do travel with the bulls. 8. Q. During what months have yon found more females carrying young as compared with other months of the sealing season?—A. In the winter, when we first go out—February, March, and April. 225 9. Q. That is, both bearing cows and barren cows, too?—A. No; bearing cows. There are also grey pups about at that time. 10. Q. What do you mean by " grey pups"?—A. The yearling seal. After that it is called a "brown pup," then a "two-year-old." 11. Q. Along the coast, from the time you strike them in the spring, do yon shoot the larger proportion of the seals sleeping, or are there more shot while travelling?—A. Yes; the larger portion of theseals killed during the season are shot while sleeping. 12. Q. You say you find the bearing cows travelling continuaUy?—A. If the weather is rough, they are travelling, but if fine, they are usually seen sleeping or resting. 13. Q. Is it a fact that the females with young swim low down in the water?— A. Yes; the bulls and barren cows keep their heads well up, looking around. 14. Q. When you come upon a group of seals, your catch, then, wiU depend upon whether the group is composed of males or females?—A. Yes; very much. 15. Q. As a matter of experience, Captaiu Cox, have you come upon more groups of males than of females during the last year, say ?—A. I have caught more bulls the last season—a great deal more. I had 848 seals coming up the coast before entering Behring Sea, and of these about 75 per cent, would be males. 16. Q. Have you any private opinion as to the reason of this preponderance of the males last year as compared with previous years?—A. I cannot account for it. In fact, I could hardly advance any idea of the cause. I get the most of them from Queen Charlotte Island coast northwards. 17. Q. You think, though, with some of the other sealers, that at about May the cows are weU in advance, going to Behring Sea, to the breeding grounds, consequently the males would be left behind?—A. That is the only reason I can see for it, because we get very few females " with pup" in May. 18. Q. What do you consider a sufficient shooting distance, that is, sufficiently close range for sleeping seals ?—A. A great many are shot inside of 15 yards. I think about 15 yards. 19. Q. As a professional sealer, what is your honest and candid opinion about the percentage of seals lost, that is, the number lost after being hit—those that sink?— A. With the Indian hunters it would not amount to one in a hundred. They kiU with the spear, and I know it would not amount to 1 per cent. I was only one season with Indian hunters. Last year I had Whites. I do not,think the loss would be more than 4 or 5 per cent, with shooting by the white hunters. 20. Q. The spear of the Indian sealer is barbed, is it not, and fastens in the animal?—A. Yes, it has two barbs and a line attached, so that they are sure of their seal unless their line breaks, or the spear is not stuck in far enough to hold, neither of which happens often. 21. Q. You can quite confidently state that the loss of seals kiUed by whitehunters would not exceed 4 or 5 per cent. I—A. I can. 22. Q. This you base upon your own personal knowledge?—A. Yes. 23. Q. How many of a crew do you carry on your vessel?—A. Six boats, that is, six hunting boats and a stern boat; seven in all. 24. Q. Your ship's company would be how many?—A. Twenty-three men. 25. Q. And the number of hunters ?—A. Six hunters, or, counting the stern boat 26. Q. Your catch last year was how many skins?—A. On the coast 848 skins. 27. Q. Of that number how many would be breeding seals?—A. I do not think - there would be more than 15 per cent.—about 126 female skins. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 301 28. Q. What percentage of them would be barren female skins?—A. About 10 per 29. Q. Is the percentage of bearing cows greater than that of barren cows ?—A. qo; ^Ter7i.year m my exPerience there have been more bearing cows than barren. 30- Q- About 15 per cent., then, would be bearing cows, and 10 per cent, barren 32. Q. And you base your figures upon four years' experience ?—A. Yes. 33. Q. Then you know the percentage of bearing cows would be 15 per cent., and the barren cows 10 per cent?—A. Yes. The first year I was with my brother I believe we had not more than 10 per cent of cow seals; one of our seasons we had at least 90 per cent, bulls. 34. Q. That statement applies to Behring Sea?—A. Yes. 35. Q. What year was that?—A. 1889, when I was with my brother as mate of the Sapphire." The catch on the coast up to Behring Sea was about 90 per cent, bulls. 36. Q. In the Behring Sea, what percentage of females had you, as compared with males—I am told there are less buUs ?—A. I think the percentage of bulls in Behring Sea is less than on the coast. 37. Q. Bachelor bulls?—A. Yes. The greater percentage would be cows—bearing cows; after they have dropped their young we don't get them in Behring Sea. 38. Q. Do you not find a lot of bachelor buUs hovering about the outskirts of the groups of seals?—A. Yes, we get some, but there are m< 39. Q. Did you find it so last year?—A. Of course, I w enough to know. 40. Q. Your remarks, then, would not apply to last sea 41. Q. You think there would be about an equal nui Behring Sea?—A. Yes; I think that the bulls and cows 42. Q. It is well known among sealers that the old bulls keep their herds, and drive the "bachelor" bulls off?—A. Yes. 226 43. Q. Do you find many groups of bachelor bulls in Behring Sea ?—A. We do not find them so much in groups as on the coast. 44. Q. Taking your whole catch for the past year, skin for skin, what percentage of females had you?—A. We had not more than 25 per cent, barren and bearing cows. That would leave us about 75 per cent, bulls. 45. Q. 25 per cent, females, including barren cows?—A. Yes. 46. Q. In the years before last would that percentage hold good?—A. I think the previous years would not differ very much. 47. Q. In the months of February, March, and April, you think that the females kiUed are more numerous than in Behring Sea?—A. I think so. We get a good many more grey pups in the winter. 48. Q. Among aU the hunters it is pretty well known that the average of loss by being hit would not exceed 3 to 5 per cent. ?-*-A. Yes; that is well known. 49. Q. Wounding a seal so that it escapes, you don't consider that lost?—A. No; they carry a lot of shot, and'the hunters don't just shoot at it and leave it if it does not die on the spot, but give chase, and if wounded badly it has not much chance of getting away. 50. Q. Considering the hazardous occupation of sealing, the men get very expert in it?—A. Yes; I have a man aboard who does not lose five seals during the whole 52. Q. That is one reason why the percentage of females is so small, I suppose?— 53. Q. In Behring Sea you say the percentage of loss would be more than on the coast?—A. I think the percentage of loss in Behring Sea is less than on the coast, because the sealers get more seals asleep in the sea. They seem to be right at home there, and not travelling about so much. 54. Q. Have you at any time known any of our vessels (that is, Canadian vessels), registered Canadian vessels, landing on the seal islands for the purpose of raiding and killing seals? A. I can conscientiously say that I have never known of any of our vessels landing there. 55. Q. And have never heard our masters or sailors encourage that sort ot practice?—A. No. S 56 O Have you heard of any vessel having done so?—A. Yes; I nave. 57! o! What vessels?—A. The "MoUie Adams," "George R. White," and the "O S Fowler," of San Francisco, I heard, raided the Pribyloff Islands. 58. Q. That fact is weU known to the whole fleet?—A. Yes, Sir. ''","3, \ 59. Q. Yon were not iu Behring Sea last season ?—A. I was m, but didn't stay long; I was ordered out of it. 302 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 60. Q. You left as soon as ordered to leave?— 61. Q. Who warned you?—A. The British ste 62. Q. You didn't try to seal after that?—A. No. 63. Q. Or lowered your boats?—A. I didn't lower any boats after receiving the 64. Q. You have heard of some American schooners raiding Copper Island?—A. I 65. Q. Do you know the McLean brothers?—A. Yes; and the "City of San Diego" here, and the "Webster" and "J. Hamilton Lewis," three American vessels who raided Copper Island. 66. Q. You have no idea of why the seals were more plentiful along the coast last year than other seasons?—A. I have no idea. 67. Q. There has been no practical theory advanced as to why last year the seals were more plentiful close in shore than in other years?—A. I have none, except that it is on account of their food fish. The seal follows the food. The earlier those fish strike along the coast, and the closer in shore, the earlier and closer to the coast we get the seals. (Signed) C. N. Cox. Captain Alfred Bissett, master of the Canadian schooner " Annie E. Paint," of Victoria, British Columbia, being duly sworn, says: 20. Mr. Milne.—How many years have you been engaged in sealing?—A. Two years; this is my third year—have been master, mate, and hunter. 21. Q. You have had about average luck?—A. Yes; about the average. 22. Q. You have followed the seals from south of Cape Flattery north, haven't you?—A. Yes, Sir. 23. Q. During the last year, to your observation, were the seals as plentiful along the coasts as they were the previous years ?—A. They were. 24. Q. Did the seals appear more frightened than usual?—A. I think not; I noticed no difference. 25. Q. Did you notice last year, or any year, in hunting seals, that the cows travel together by themselves, and the buUs by themselves, in herds?—A. I did notice that the bulls, in a general way, travel together, and the cows together, and small seals— as a rule, pups—travel together. 26. Q. When hunting, of course, if you struck a band of buUs the catch that day would he principaUy buUs?—A. Yes; principally bulls. 27. Q. Do you think more seals are shot while sleeping than when in motion ?—A. Oh, yes; far more; about 80 per cent., 1 think. 28. Q. What do you consider a safe shooting distance for a sleeping seal?—A. For a sleeping seal about 20 to 30 feet is a sure distance. 227 29. Q. And when they are on the move, what is the distance?—A. Well, from 25 to 30 yards. 30. Q. What is your opinion of the proportion of seals that are lost after being hit?—A. I think from 3 to 5 per cent, would cover everything. 31. Q. Where do you aim for in shooting a seal?—A. -I aim for the head. 32. Q. So when a seal drops his head down, the air is stopped from escaping?— A. Yes; that is the reason we shoot in the head. 33. Q. During last year did you notice the proportion of females to males kiUed ?— A. From counting the skins, and noticing the seals coming on board the ship, I I should form 75 to 80 per cent, were bulls, and the remainder females. 34. Q. Do you know the reason of that?—A. I don't know, unless the cows travel a little faster than the bulls, who follow the coast. I have always noticed that there are more bulls killed on the coast than there are females. 35. Q. Have you ever noticed when the number of females predominate?—A. I hardly know, but I have noticed that during the months of March and April that there were more cows than males than in the months of May, June, and July. 36. Q. Can you form any idea, from what you have heard, whether there are more females killed than males?—A. I should say that there are decidedly more males. That is from what I have heard and seen myself. There is no doubt that the low price obtained in London this year is due to the large number of small bull skins taken, the skins of the females being larger and better. 38. Q. During the two years that you have been engaged in sealing have you ever known any Canadian vessel to raid any of the seal islands?—A. No, Sir. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 303 a 3t+ Q' ILtherxe .hadJ>«en any such thing going on, it would have leaked out?— A. It would certainly have leaked out, and I would have heard of it. It is almost impossible to keep it quiet. J_%e xHVe ^ving b«en oarefuUy read over to Captain Bissett, he corroborates and enbstantiates the same.) (Signed) Alfred Bissett. Swornbeforeme at Victoria, British Columbia, this 18th day of November [sic], 1892. (Signed) A. R. Milne, Collector of Customs. January 19,1892. Captain Theodore M. Magnesen, in command of the schooner "Walter A. Earle," of Victoria, examined by Collector Milne: 1. Q. HowmanyyearshaveyoubeensealinginBehringSea,CaptainMagnesen?— A. Three years; this wUl be my fourth. 2. Q. You have had very good success last year?—A. Yes; very fair success. 3. Q. Did you notice last year any perceptible decrease in the number of seals compared with previous years ?—A. I think they were more plentiful last season than - I ever saw them before. 4. Q. Do you mean in Behring Sea?—A. Yes; both along the coast and in the Sea. The biggest catch I ever made was last year, on the coast as weU as in the Behring Sea. 5. Q. You have noticed the habits of the seals—how they travel?—A. They travel in batches, the hull seals by themselves, and the cow seals by themselves, and the yearling pups by themselves. 6. Q. As a matter of fact, are there more seals shot while sleeping than while they are travelling?—A. That is hard to say; but I think there are just as many shot while moving as there are sleeping seals. 7. Q. When you shoot seals by sleeping, what is the safe shooting distance?—A. About 25 yards. 8. Q. And when travelling?—A. About 45 to 50 yards. 9. Q. The usual mark you shoot at is the head of the seal?—A. Yes. 10. Q. When hit in the head, the seal does not sink?—A. No; sometimes he does, though, if he is shot when short of wind at the moment, and he wUl sink if you are too far away to pull it out. 11. Q. You have noticed them sinking?—A. Yes; they generally sink tail first. 12. Q. If the seal is shot in the head, he drops his head, and that confines the breast, and it floats?—A. Yes; that is the way I have accounted for them floating. 13. Q. How many seals, in your experience, do you think a hunter loses out of say, 100 shot at?—A. I know my head hunter killed 498 seals last year, and 17 of them sunk. "J^L-s. 14. Q. That would be about 3f per cent?—A. Yes. 15. Q. Do you consider that a fair average on the number of seals lost?—A. As an experienced hunter, I think it is a fair average. 16. Q. Would you say that a man who loses, say, 5 per cent of the seal he shoots would not be an experienced hunter?—A. He could not lose more than that. 17. Q. Will that percentage of loss apply to the travelling seals as well as to the sleeping seals?—A. Yes, the most of the seals lost are the ones shot by the ones moving or travelling. 18. Q. Your boats carry pole, spear, and gaff?—A. Yes; and if the seal sinks down 10 or 15 feet they are easily recovered. 19. Q. If you were on your oath, now, and heard any one say that for every seal that was killed, male or female, one was lost, you would say it was a misstatement ?— A. Yes; that is not so. 20. Q. If any one came here and said that for every seal you hit you kiUed another seal ?—A. That is nonsense. 21. Q. The highest percentage of loss, you say, would be 5 per cent, for 228 sinking seals?—A. Yes; and I may say that I have taken seals with shot in them, dropped out when skinning, and they seemed as strong and healthy 22. Q. That is to say, that unless you shoot a seal in a vital part, the wound heals auickly?—A. Yes; and unless you hit it hard the seal gets away. 23. Q. You have seen females with young?—A. No; I never saw them carrying their young in the water. 24. Q. Down the coast the seals are pretty well divided, are they not?—A. Yes. 25 O The cows travel by themselves, and the bulls by themselves?—A. Yes. 26! O. Did you say that you have caught more bull seals than cow seals during the season?—A Yes along the coast; but when I got up and up I got more bulls than 304 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 27. Q. What months have you seen more cows in proportion than other months?— A. In February, March, and April. •«■"&"=&,•'< WJj ,_.„,.. 28. Q. But even when you see more cows the average of the seals killed is in favour of the buUs, is it not?—A. No; it is about equal. 29. You say the cows travel quicker towards the Behring Sea?—A. Yes; when w« get further up the cow seals seem to leave the bulls behind. 30. Q. Has it always been so ?—A. Yes; I have got 181 seals in a day, and not a cow amongst them, but you sometimes get one. I think the average is about 1 in 90. 31. Q. You always get more bulls than cows?—A. Yes, up there. 32. Q. How many out of every hundred seals you had on board your vessel last year would be females?—A. I think fully a half of them would be cows. 33. Q. How many of them would be bearing cows, and how many of them would be barren cows?—A. Of bearing cows, I think about 18 or 20 per cent, would be bearing cows. I do not think there would be so many as that. I had 2,000, and I think there would be only about 12 or 14 per cent, with pups; the others would be what are called barren cows, and a lot of them would be dry cows. 34. Q. With the barren cows and the ones bearing young you say would make up about half your catch?—A. Yes; about half and half. 35. Q. The proportion of males and females, though, depends upon the crowds or groups you get into ?—A. Yes; it depends upon th« band you strike. 36. Q. You never, at any time, had more females than males in any of your catches?—A. No; never. 37. Q. While in Behring Sea during the last four years had you ever heard of any Canadian schooners "raiding" the Pribyloff Islands?—A. No. I never heardof any of my crew being engaged in such. Several of my crews told me of the American sealers raiding them, hut I never heard of a Canadian vessel doing so. 38. Q. If you were bound to make a statement on your oath, you would say you believed no Canadian vessels ever raided the Pribyloff Islands for seals?—A. Not as far as I know. 39. Q. You believe, as a matter of fact, that the owners of Canadian sealers and their masters have never countenanced this raiding?—A. I beUeve that is the feeling that prevails among them aU. 40. Q. You have heard mentioned the names of the American vessels that raided those Islands?—A. Yes; Iheardof the "MolUeAdams" and"GeorgeR. White," but not any others. 41. Q. You have not heardof any others?—A. No; I have not heard of any others. 42. Q. You have heard of vessels raiding the Copper Islands?—A.. Yes; I have heard of the "Hamilton Lewis" and "Webster" raiding Copper Island. 43. Q. Those vessels you name are aU American vessels?—A. Yes. 44. Q. Manned by American crews?—A. Yes. 45. Q. Have you any recollection of seeing any of those vessels in this (Victoria) Harbour?—A. No. (Signed) Theo. M. Magnesen. Sworn before me, this 23rd day of January, a. d. 1892. (Signed) A. R. Milne, Collector of Customs. Henry Crocker, hunter on board the schooner "Annie E. Paint," having been 65. Q. How long have you been engaged in sealing?—A. I have been hunting now for three years; this is my fourth. .66. Q. From your observation, do you think that the seals were as plentiful last year as they were during the previous seasons?—A. Yes; from what I saw of them I am sure they were just as many as before. 67. Q. In what months do the female seals seem to be the most plentiful in the sealing grounds?—A. I believe that from February to May the females seem to predominate in numbers; that is, when the cows are getting heavier with young thev make for the Islands sooner than the bulls. 68. Q. Is it more difficult to shoot a female seal than it is a bull?—A. The males are more easily kiUed than the females, owing to the inquisitiveness of the males, and the females being more shy, and also as they move along the water with onlv their nose visible. J 69. Q. As an experienced hunter, what percentage of loss have you had by seals sinking ?—A. It is very rarely that a seal will sink. I have been a whole season and have not had more than half a dozen sink during the whole season. 70. Q. Can you form any estimate of what your loss has been?—A. I would say not more than 3 or 4 per cent. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 305 229 71. Q. Was the loss last year more than in previous years?—A I could see no difference. 72. Q. As a reason for the small percentage of loss, you get very near the seals before shooting?—A. Yes, Sir; the usual distance is within about 20 feet to the sleeping seal. J3; Q- If » man has a higher percentage of loss than that, he must be careless, you think?—A. Yes, I should say so, and not a first-class hunter, for there is no necessity for losing a seal. 74. Q. Does your percentage of loss agree with other hunters with whom you have conversed?—A. Yes. 75. Q. So that on the coast and in Behring Sea the same percentage would apply?— A. WeU, on the coast one does not very often sink a seal; but in Behring Sea, if a cow, having delivered her pups, is shot, she will be more apt to sink, as the blubber is very much thinner. But, on the whole, I think the percentage will not he more than 3 or 4 per cent, of loss. 76. Q. Have you taken notice in hunting whether there are more females than males, or the reverse, taken?—A. There is fully 80 per cent, of bull seals killed off * the coast, as well as in Behring Sea. I think the reason for this is that the younger bulls are driven off by the older ones, who guard their particular herds. 77. Q. In the three years you have been in Behring Sea has it always been your experience that there were more males caught than females? And in what proportion?—A. I say about the same as this year; I don't see any difference. 78. Q. Does your percentage of females taken agree with that of other hunters with whom you have conversed ?—A. Yes. 79. Q. As an experienced hunter, then, you adhere to the statement that for the whole season's catches for the years you have been hunting, that the percentage of seals caught will be about three males to one female?—A. Yes; about that. 80. Q. Do you include in that statement barren cows?—A. Yes. 81. Q. Have you any idea or reason of your own why the males come to predominate so much ?—A. I think it is because the females make for the islands earlier than the young bulls and barren cows. 82. Q. Have you ever heard of any Canadian vessels raiding the seal islands?—A. No, Sir. 83. Q. You have never heard of any Canadian master or owner offering any inducement to hunters to raid the islands?—A. No, Sir. 84. Q. There has never been any bonus offered you to raid the islands?—A. No, Sir; while in Behring Sea we are always too anxious to get away from the islands. 85. Q. If any Canadian vessels had raided the islands you would have likely heard of it?—A. Yes. I think it is impossible to keep it as quiet as that. 86. Q. Yon have heard of American vessels raiding the Copper and Pribyloff Islands?—A. I have heard it. I have known of the American vessels going into Sand Point just after they had raided the islands, and I was in Sand Point when one vessel was fitted out for the purpose of making a raid. 87. Q. The masters with whom you have sealed all seem to have avoided the islands?—A. Oh, yes; they keep away from the islands between 50 and 100 miles. (The foregoing having been read over to the said Henry Crocker, he corroborates and substantiates the whole of the said statements.) (Signed) Henry Crocker, Hunter. Sworn to before n George Roberts, hunter on board the schooner "Annie E. Paint," being duly 55. Q. How long have you been engaged as a sealer?—A. I have been at seal- hunting for three years, one season as a hunter. , , „ 56. Q. Were the seals more plentiful last year than in previous years?—A. They were just about the same as regards number. 57 Q How do the seals generally travel—in mixed numbers, males and lemales together?—A. The seals travel in bands of bulls and bands of cows, both by them- 58. Q. What is the proportion of seals lost by -Inking after being shot?—A. WeU, I should say that 3 to 5 per cent, would cover the whole loss. It is not more. 59. Q. What is the distance you are off a seal when you shoot, generally?—A. WeU, from 20 to 30 feet for a sleeper, and for a traveller from 25 to 30 feet. 60. Q. What part ojf/the seal do you aim at?—A. I aim at the head, as the best place, being thesurest. B S, PT VI 20 306 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 61. Q. Do you think there were any more female seals shot than males last year?— A. No; I think there were more males shot; in fact, I think that since I have been engaged in the business there have been more males killed than females. 62. Q. What months have you noticed more females than males?—A. In the months of March and April there are more females than at any other time. There are more females kiUed during those months than there are any other time. 63. Q. Have you ever heard of any of the Canadian vessels poaching on the seal islands?—A. I never did; I would have heard of it if there had been any. I have heard of the American raiders; but I do not know of a single Canadian vessel raiding a seal rookery. 230 64. Q. Ifa seal is sinking, does it go quickly or slowly?—A. If it is not too far away it can always be secured, as it does not go too quickly to get it. (The above having been read to the said George Roberts, he corroborates and substantiates aU of the foregoing statements.) (Signed) George Roberts, Hunter. Sworn to before me at Victoria, British Columbia, this 18th day of January, 1892. (Signed) A. R. Milne, Collector of Customs. Richard Thomson, hunter on board the schooner "Annie E. Painter," being duly sworn, says: 40. Q. flow long have you been engaged in seaUng?—A. I have been engaged as a hunter for two years. 41. Q. Were the seals as plentiful last year as they were the previous year, to your observation?—A. Yes; I believe they were. 42. Q. Were the seals apparently harder to approach than they were in previous years?—A. No; I can't say that I saw any difference. 43. Q. How do theseals generally travel?—A. As a rule the bulls travel separately, and quite a distance apart generally. 44. Q. What is your experience in hunting as to the number of seals lost after being hit?—A. I should think from 3 to 5 per cent, would cover all. 45. Q. What is the usual manner in which seals are lost?—A. Well, if the seal is in a certain position and shot so as to allow the air to escape, the seal wiU be lost.' As long as the head sinks below the water first, the seal will not sink. They very rarely sink in any case. 46. Q. You carry a spear on a gaff, don't you?—A. Yes; it is carried to spear the seals when they are going down. 47. Q. From your experience in sealing, you consider that from 3 to 5 per cent, would cover the total loss of seals, after being shot, through sinking?—A. Yes. 48. Q. When you shoot a seal at a distance, and do not shoot them in a vital part, they make off, do they?—A. Yes. 49. Q. You don't consider that lost, then?—A. No; we don't consider the seal lost unless it sinks. 50. Q. Have you handled more males than females during the past two years?— A. I should say more males. 51. Q. Have yon any idea of the proportion of males—would there be two males to one female?—A. I should say from 70 to 80 per cent., or about three males to one female. 52. Q. In what months do you consider that there are most females kiUed?—A. During the months of April and May. There are apparently more females, but not as many as males. 53. Q. You have never known of any Canadian schooners raiding the seal islands, have you?—A. I have never heard of a Canadian, but 1 have of the American. 54. Q. During the time that you have been to Behring Sea, you would have heard of it?—A. I would certainly have heard of it. 55. Q. You have always sailed out of this port?—A. Yes, Sir. • (The above having been read over to Richard Thomson, he corroborates and substantiates the same.) (Signed) R. Thomson, Hunter. Sworn to at Victoria, British Columbia, before me, this 18th day of January 1892 (Signed) A. R. Milne, Collector of Customs. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 307 Victoria, B. G, January 22, 1892. Andrew Laing, called and examined by Collector A. R. Milne: 1. Q. Yon are one of the oldest seal-hunters in the province, Mr. Laing?—A. I have been ten years at it. 2. Q. Your knowledge of sealing reaUy goes beyond the present knowledge of the average sealer ?—A. I have had as much experience as any of them. I think I know as much as any of them. 3. Q. Your observations on the west coast extend beyond the advent of the sealing business in Behring Sea?—A. Yes. I went on the coast in 1871, and have been seaUng with natives for the last twenty-one years. 4. Q. Yon had ample opportunity of observing the life and habits of the seals'— A. Yes. 5. Q. From those observations last year did you notice any perceptible or material decrease in the number of seals ?—A. None whatever. 6. Q. It was generaUy reported last year they were more numerous than the year before?—A. Yes. I think, if anything, they were a little more numerous than 1890. 7. Q. Does that remark apply to full-grown?—A. To full-grown and mid-sized. 8. Q. What direction do the seals on the coast usually come from?—A. They come from the south, foUowing the herring, which spawn on the west coast and different places, and the seal foUow those fish into the shore or far out, as the case may be. The natives get a great number of these seals among a school of herring. 9. Q. What is the usual distance which the nativeshunt away from shore?— 231 A. In the spring they wiU hunt 10 or 15 miles off, later in the season 20 or 25 miles. I have seen them 40 miles from the land. 10. Q. How long does the hunting of the seal on the west coast usually last?—A. Commences in February, or latter end of January, and lasts till the 1st June, when you get more or less seals; you can get a few stragglers in July. 11. Q. And the tendency of the seals is from the south?—A. Yes, following their food fish. 12. Q. Yon have been down the coast to where you meet the seals in their migration?—A. I have gone down as far as Shoal Water Bay, Columbia River. 13. Q. How do you meet the seals—in large bands or batches?—A. Yes, in schools, from two to twenty in a school. 14. Q. Do they seem to travel in pairs ?—A. No, Sir. 15. Q. Do you find in these schools, or bunches, they are all males or females?—A. They are mixed. I remember an instance—I think in 1886—when we got on the coast off Cape Flattery either 104 or 109, am not positive, and out of that there were over 100 bull seals, and the next day we got about 86, and out of that number over 70 were bulls. That was in the year 1886. 16. Q. Would your observation lead you to suppose that your catch would depend entirely npon the group of bulls or females as to which your catch would be composed of principaUy ?—A. As we get amongst them; yes. • 17. Q. But taking one year with another—from 1886 to the present time—have you seen any more females killed than of bulls?—A. No, Sir. I think wehave got about three males in five, and when we get up about the Bank, about Middleton Island, I think they wiU average more males than females. 18. Q. When you strike the seals on the coast abont 40 or 50 miles from shore, do you find a large proportion of them sleeping ?—A. They are generally sleeping. The Indians get none but sleeping seals. I have never been working with Whites. 19. Q. The natives approach the seals very close?—A. Yes; and he comes to the leeward of them, and if there is any sea on they get into the trough of the sea and make no noise. If he went to windward the seal would scent him, and get away. 20. Q. When he gets close enough he throws his spear, and seldom misses?—A. Yes; he don't miss one in ten. 21. Q. And when once his spear is fastened, the seal never gets away?—A. No. 22. Q. If an Indian loses more than what you say, he would not be a good hunter?— A. No good at aU. It would not pay to "pack" him. 23. Q. Do the Indians ever shoot?—A. Sometimes. They never shoot if the seal is 24. Q. Does that percentage of loss apply to the sleeping seals only ?—A. Yes. 25. Q. You mean by "loss"—what?—A. By sinking. 26. Q. If the seal is wounded so it gets away, yon don't consider it lost?—A. No. 27. Q. If speared and wounded, and scurried off, you don't consider it lost?—A. Oh, no; not lost. 28. Q. The Indian hunter is very close to the quarry, and rarely n A. Well, he wiU get within 25 or 30 yards of it. , 29 O Have you noticed any marked difference in the manner m which the females carrying young travel as compared with the males?—A. The only difference I could see is that they wiU travel very fast for a Uttle distance, and then turn up and rest 308 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 30. Q. I mean, do they sink their bodies more?—A. No; they do not. 31. Q. Do you think that the female is more shy than the male, that is, those 'with young" ?—A. No; I think they are not any more shy. The female is always inclined to be sleepy. The male is always on the watch, and wiU rise till his head and shoulders are out of the water. . 32. Q. One hunter has said that the female Ues deep in the water, exposing only a portion of her head?—A. I have never noticed that. When lying asleep one-half of the head is under water. 33. Q. Then you will say that the percentage of loss of the Indian hunters is not more than how many in the hundred ?—A. Not more than one in ten; not more than 10 per cent. 34. Q. You say you never hunted with white men until this year?—A. No. 35. Q. If any person made a statement that there is a greater amount of loss than what you say, you would not regard it as correct?—A. I would say it was not correct, with Indian hunters. 36. Q. Your statement is based upon actual experience?—A. Yes. 37. Q. In going down the coast in the spring, in February, March, and April, have you noticed that females are more plentiful than in the following months?—A I do not think they are. 38. Q. But as they come from the south, you think they are not?—A. Between January and June, and between the south and the Shumagin Islands, have you noticed any time or place where there were any more females killed than others?— A. I think in May, I have noticed one thing: you will not find, take one in ninety, you will never find, a female pup. Where the female young go to is something that the Commissioners ought to have found out before they came down from the sea. 39. Q. It has been stated that the Indians say there is no such thing as a female grey pup?—A. I have never seen one yet, and cannot account for it, unless the females go one way and the males another. 40. Q. Among all yearling grey pups, there has never been any one known to have found a female?—A. Yes, it is a fact. I have heard a great deal of talk of females having young on the kelp, too, but I don't think that is so. Some hunters report of seeing pups off Middleton's Island, but I think that is impossible. 41. Q. Have you ever seen them cut a pup out of the female seal?—A. Yes; and I have seen the pup so cut out walk or move about the deck of the vessel, and I have tried to raise it. I have also thrown it into the water, and have seen it swim about like a young dog; I have seen it keep afloat for fifteen minutes, as long as the 232 vessel was within sight. On the islands, the mother seal will take the young and force them into the water to teach them to swim. They will never take the water freely themselves for from six weeks to two months. 42. Q. You think they will swim 50 yards probably, or 100 yards?—A. Yes; but don't think they could Uve continually in the water if they were born in it. 43. Q. When you strike the seals on the west coast, what would you say was the usual distance per day that the seals travel?—A. That is impossible to say; it depends upon their food. 44. Q. That is, they linger longer over good food than otherwise?—A. Yes; I remember in, I think, 1888, where an Indian threw his spear at a seal, and his line broke; it was near the Shumagin Islands, and he took the same seal the next day— we lay-to all night—and he recovered his own iron spearhead. That might show the distance they move in, say, a night, because it did not travel far. 45. Q. When you lower your boats two Indians go to a canoe?—A. Yes, and both 46. Q. The Indian in the bow keeps his spear right before?—A. Yes. 47. Q. And he throws it at the animal, and strikes it where?—A. It makes no difference where they are hit. They try when shooting to hit in the head. 48. Q. When a seal is struck, or wounded, what time does it require to heal?—A. It heals very rapidly. 49. Q. What time does it require to get the seal aboard after it is speared?—A. Not more than two minutes when they spear, and not as long as that when they shoot it. 50. Q. What is the usual length of the sealing-boat?—A. About 20 feet. 51. Q. And the canoe?—A. About 22 feet. 52. Q. Is it not a fact that sealing in these small boats in the stormy sprino- months is a very hazardous undertaking?—A. Yes. 53. Q. It is commonly reported that our seal-hunters, both Whites and Indians are more, expert than any others on the coast?—A. That is so. They are the most expert. 54. Q. It is said also that unless the weather is very tempestuous nothing will I retard them?—A. Yes; they go out every chance they can get. 55. Q. The loss of a full-sized skin meant the last two years how much to the hunter?—A. About 3 doUars per skin. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 309 56. Q. What is the largest number which you ever saw an Indian canoe brine aboard in one day?—A. Forty-eight in one canoe, in Behring Sea. 57. Q. On the coast, how many ?—A. Thirty-four; t1"1-* io "-""• +T*~ — 58. Q. In leaving the schooner, how far do the hunt go?—A. They go as far as 10 or 12 miles, sometimes they can just see tbe tops of her sail. 59. Q. And this in pretty rough weather?—A. Yes; pretty rough. It might be smooth when they go out, but it often comes on rough before they can get back. 60. Q. In following the seals up the coast ir "^ and June, where do you begin to get them in lotte Islands. 61. Q. At this time, are the females in adva to the sea?—A. They get through as soon ae females—they haul out first. 62. Q. Some sealers think the cows go ahead?—A. The males haul out, and each one gets his batch of females, and as the cows come in they make up their herd of 63. Q. Have you ever, when with sealers, heard the percentage of loss talked of?— A. No; I have never heard it mentioned with sealers. 64. Q. You speak from your experience with Indians? Your percentage of loss of 1 in 10 would be based on actual experience with Indian hunters?—A. Yes; 1 in 10. 65. Q. You have stated that in the month of May you think there would be more females than in the other months of the season? At that time what part of the ocean would you be?—A. Up off Queen Charlotte Island. 66. Q. You have also stated that the more plentiful the food, the slower the seals travel.—A. Yes; they stay longer where the food is. 67. Q. At the end of any of your seasons, have you actually counted the number of females you had in your cargo?—A. I have never done so. 68. Q. Have you any idea of your last year's catch, what proportion of females you had in the coast catch?—A. I think there would be about 3 males in 5—3 males 69. Q. That applies to the const catch only?—A. Yes; up to Kodiak. 70. Q. In the Behring Sea, what proportion would it bear?—A. I think about 4 males in 5—4 males to 1 female. 71. Q. Were you in Behring Sea last year?—A. The vessel was. The way I account for getting so many males was, during the beginning of July and August, when the females would be ashore nursing their young the greater part of the time. 72. Q. At any time in Behring Sea, what has been your nearest point of hunting to the seal islands?—A. I have never been closer in hunting than 30 miles—usnaUy 30 to 90 miles off. We got blown in there once, the only time I saw the island; we were within 10 miles of them then. 73. Q. You never saw or heard of any schooners, or spoke any schooner, who made aboastof raiding the islands?—A. None belonging to us. I heard of the "Webster," "Mollie Adams," the "Hamilton Lewis," and the German schooner "Adele" raiding the islands. 74. Q. All these were American schooners?—A. Yes; except the "Adele." 75. Q. There is no doubt, then, among sealers, that these vessels did actually raid the islands.—A. It has been commonly reported, and I have no reason to disbelieve it. 76. Q. Did any of those vessels at that time belong to Victoria?—A. No; they did not. 77. Q. Can you advance any idea as to when the seals leave Behring Sea?—A. To the best of my knowledge, about the middle of October. 233 78. Q. Is it the accepted idea that those seals which leave Behring Sea in the fall are the same that return in the spring?—A. That is my opinion. 79. Q. You have never heard at any time any inducement ever offered by a captain or sailor from Victoria to ship men or to perform any work with the intention of raiding those islands?—A. Not from a Canadian vessel. 80. Q. It is a fact that every ship-owner and master of Canadian vessels has deprecated the raiding of the islands, that is, have never agreed with it?—A. Thoy do not agree with it at all. Every one I have spoken to are very well satisfied to go into tiie sea and get their catch legitimately. 81. Q. You think there is ample field for hunting seals without raiding the islands?—A. Yes, I do. . 82 Q. Is it your opinion, Captain Laing, that, with the increased number of schooners here and in San Francisco, there will be any material injury to the sealing industry?—A. I do not think so. . . _0_m 83. Q. From observations made last year, you are quite of the opinion tha., tne seals were more plentiful than you had ever seen them before?—A. They were more plentiful last year, 1891, than the year before, 1890. g Sea the this, yoi males preponderate?—A. Yes i say, except it be that the fe e get in the sea are aU 3- or es" along the coast of any extent?—A. g, then, lo yon find them traveUing ale he'perce th India not killec a hunters?—A. How do yon m is not lost if it escapes?—A. 310 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 84. Q. Is there any way you can account for that?-A. None whatever, unless it is the same as with any species of fish; some years you get more than otners. mere is no accounting for it. . ,, ., 85. Q. Referring to the number of females caught m the spring, there are quite a number of the female seals barren, or have never borne young? You have noticed it?—A. Yes; some are barren that have had young, and others that have not borne. 86. Q. When you speak of the proportion of females killed, you mean the barren cows as well as those that are bearing young?—A. Yes. 87. Q. Have you formed any idea of the general average or percentage of females carrying young killed in April and May ?—A. I could not form any idea. 88. Q. Nor of barren cows?—A. No, Sir. 89. Q. Would you hazard a statement that cows, were certainly i-— ■■ 90. Q. If any one were to make the bold statement that for every m there is a female killed, would it be correct?—A. That would not be c 91. Q. You have not heard any estimate of the percentage of barr compared with the bearing cows killed?- ' n in the spring than there are in the fall, the cows that bear young. 92. Q. You say that in Behri 93. Q. You cannot account f( ashore bearing young?—A. Tl which the old wigs would not. 94. Q. Are there any " rooke: heard of one this side of the SI 95. Q. Year after year, hunti course?—A. Yes, where their f 96. Q. Your opinion is that would not exceed 10 per cent, i 97. Q. You say a seal hit anc 98. Q. Then the proportion of loss in proportion to those kiUed is much—10 per cent. ?—A. It does not exceed that. 99. Q. In the number killed during the different months of the seas the proportion of males to females?—A. Three males to two females. 100. Q. As to the abstention of Canadian sealers from raiding the seal are quite positive that from your knowledge of sealing-vessel owners a you give it as your direct opinion that no Canadian sealers ever raided tl You would say so upon oath in Court?—A. Thev never did to my know! 101. Q. If such a thing had been attempted,' it would, as a matter o leaked out?—A. Yes; it stands to reason the crews would, have been uni it to themselves. 102. Q. They would tell it either to their associates on board or ai ashore?—A. They could not keep it. 103. Q. After the hunters get aboard at night, they nsuaUy recount w lost any seals, and in speaking of their loss it would mean those seals sink, not those that escape?—A. If they lost any, they would not teU il if they sunk any, they would speak of it. 104. Q. You are at present a ship-owner, Captain Laing?—A. Yes. 105. Q. You have had great opportunities of hearing from all sources tive to the seal fishing?—A. Yes. 106. Q. Has it been noticed that the skins taken last year in the Behri smaller than usual?—A. About the same general size. 107. Q. Is it generaUy known that the seals caught on the Copper Islan than the average?—A. I have never seen them, but it is reported thev a 108. Q. It is reported also that seals caught in January, March and Api than any in Behring Sea; they say the fur is better?—A. They say so know that you can see any difference. 109. Q. It has been said that the fur of the seals caught during the spring months is light ? The fur of all animals in cold cUmates is thicker i A. I have never noticed that with seals. 234 110. Q. A few years ago it was said that the Behring Sea ski best?—A. It has been so reported, but I don't think there is anv d 111. Q. The "grey pup" of this year wUl be a "brown pup" next yea a "2-year-old" or "brown pup." 112. Q. Do the hunters usually follow the grey pups with the same ze- the other seals?—A. They can't tell the difference tUl they are actually 113. Q. And they are apt to shoot Uttle as well as big? A. Yes; ever come acroRR. . The only difference is that the schooners, considered, ers?—A. It is. ler carry?—A. About s don't you ix and the -A. Yes, a hunter, a b oat-puller, itfit?—A. Yes, the who en, and pays the hunt le outfit of REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Jfflj! Q. Were the Indian hunters more successful last year than Whites will risk more than the Indians6 ^^ 115. Q. The expensive wages, cost of outfitting think that 4 doUars per skin a high figure for hunt 116. Q. How many boats does the average school stern boat. 117. Q. And each boat takes three white men?- aud a boat-steerer. 118. Q. The ship furnishes the boat, guns, and oi guns, ammunition, provisions, wages for the two n per skin. 119. Q. At the present time, how much per skin?—A. 3 to 4 doUars. 120. Q. With Indian crews?—A. They furnish their own canoe, spears, and outfit; one Indi an steers; but the vessel finds them in provisions only. The last two or three seasons some vessels have supplied guns and ammunition. 121. Q. Does the Indian get 4 dollars per skin; does he out of that pay his own boat-helper?—A. Yes, he pays out of his rate per skin. The ship pays the steerer 122. Q. Therefore, if the Indian crews were as profitable, they are the cheapest; if they get as many skins?—A. Yes, if you can get them. 123. Q. Is the Indian a good hunter, in your experience?—A. Yes, Sir. 124. Q. Bold and intrepid?—A. Yes, when he is in his canoe nothing wUl scare him. I have seen an old bull seal capsize a canoe, and the Indians would get into it again, bail the water out, and go on hunting as though nothing had happened. 125. Q. Is the Indian lazy, or does he seem anxious to proceed in the hunt from day to day?—A. In fine weather, yes, but when the sea is "choppy" he would usually rather stay aboard. 126. Q. His canoe is not quite so strong as the sealing-boat?—A. No, not quite. 127. Q. Have there been many accidents among the Indians—loss of life?—A. Not since, 1 think, 1887, when a schooner foundered with all aboard. 128. Q. Do you think that as the years pass along the Indians, as weU as the Whites, get more expert in seal-hunting?—A. Yes, they do. 129. Q. Notwithstanding all the ships in the fleet on the ocean, you would adhere to vour statement that you don't think there is any noticeable decrease in the number of seals?—A. Yes; I do not think so. If the vessels had been let alone in Behring Sea last year, we would have had a bigger catch than any previous year. 130. Q. Do you think, Captain Laing, if they would cease killing seals on the Pribyloff Islands it would increase the number of seals on the coast?—A. I think it wouid. 131. Q. If the rookeries were undisturbed by anything, you think the seals would be more plentiful?—A. I do. 132. Q. Have yon any opinion to offer as to kiUing seals on the islands doing more harm than anything else?—A. I think the American people are doing more harm by killing seals and interfering with them on their rookeries or seal islands than we hunters do on the coast. 133. Q. You have never heard of any rookery along the coast?—A. I never heard of one There is a rookery of sea-lion off Queen Charlotte Island, but I never heard Sworn before me, this 25th day of January, a. d (Signed) A, January 25,1892. WiUiam Cox, present master of the schooner "Sapphire," of Victoria, caUed and examined by Collector Milne: . „ „ ; _ T, . 1 O Yon are engaged in the sealing business, Captain Cox?—A. Yes, I have been master of the seaUng-schooner " Sapphire" for the last four years. 2. Q. How many boats do you carry in your outfit?—A. I carry canoes ana an ' 3. Q. With the exception of how many white men to navigate?—A. Seven white people I carry for navigating the vessel. _'__? „;„%+ 4. Q. The number of Indians ?-A. The last two years I have had twenty-eight north to Behring Sea. 5 O Ajad how many canoes?—A. Fourteen canoes. 6. q! Had you more canoes on the coast ?-A. Yes, I have had twenty-four canoes while on the coast. J 312 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 7 Q When you finaUy leave for Behring Sea, you drop a number of the Indians, and only take about fourteen canoes with you?—A. Yes. 8 0 Do vou prefer Indian crews to white men?—A. Yes, I do. 235 9! Q. What are your reasons for the preference?—A. WeU, I get along better with them for one thing; there is more honour among them than among the average white crew in this business. They don't make an agreement to-day, and break it to-morrow if they see a chance to make a little more. 10. Q. And they don't quarrel among themselves?—A. No; and you can generally trust them more. ,.ja, 11. Q. They are more profitable, too, are they not?—A. Yes, a little more. 12. Q. They furnish their own canoes?—A. Yes, and spears and boatmen; and it is not such a heavy outfit, but their canoes are light and easily broken by the heavy 13*. Q. They are better than aboard a large vessel?—A. Yes, hut you havfr to be very careful—the canoes are "dug-outs" and easily shattered. 14. Q. Apart from getting along easier with the Indians, the experience is just about the same as with the white crew?—A. Yes, the skins cost about the same in the end. 15. Q. Do the Indian crews venture out during the stormy weather as much as the white men?—A. Yes, almost as freely. I have had the same crew so long now that they will do anything I wish them to do. 16. Q. Do you take them down the coast?—A. Yes, and up the coast and on into Behring Sea. 17. Q. They spear aU their seals?—A. .The greater number of them, yes, but sometimes shoot; they spear aU the " sleepers." 18. Q. What proportion do you think they shoot?—A. They shoot probably twenty out of the hundred; but I think now the fleet is getting so large there are more wake seals, that consequently they did more shooting with me last year than ever before. They never shoot a sleeping seal. 19. Q. Do you think the seals are getting more shy on account of the larger fleet of vessels?—A. Yes, they are much more shy. 20. Q. Dothelndiansapproachthesealsfromleeward?—A. No; the Indian always goes "across on the wind;" he pulls up almost in range of it/and goes across the wind. They have a sort of idea that the seal sleeps with one eye open, hence the 21. Q. When they heave the spear, the barb holds fast?—A. Yes; if they strike the seal at all, they cannot lose it. 22. Q. Therefore the percentage of seals MUed by Indians and lost would be very smaU?—A. I would reaUy count it nothing. If they did lose one by the spear pulling out of the blubber it would not kill the seal, as it heals so quickly again. 23. Q. The barb holds them, and they have no chance to sink?—A. Yes. 24. Q. Therefore the percentage of loss is nothing?—A. I would, not reckon it anything. 25. Q. The loss they make is only when firing at a traveUing seal?—A. Yes. 26. Q. And that loss would be by the animal escaping?—A. Yes. 27. Q. You would not consider it lost, then?—A. No; if not hit in a vital part it is not lost, for the Indian fires at a close range, and there are two in a boat, and almost sure of it before the shot is fired, because they can't sink far before they are right on to it. 28. Q. So the percentage of the seals lost by Indian hunters, "sleeping" and not "travelling," would be how much?—A. With sleeping seals there is no loss. In traveUing seals there are none lost, only in escaping. Last year I saw a great number of seals brought in that had been shot before. 29. Q. From personal knowledge and observation, you are satisfied that a flesh- wound made in the seal would heal rapidly and not injure the seal?—A. Yes; the shot seems to strike in the fatty parts or blubber, and does not seem to hurt the animal, as it closes over and soon heals. 30. Q. In the months of February, March, and April, have you seen a marked number of female seals bearing young kiUed?—A. Yes; in winter there are a number 31. Q. Does that mean "barren" cows?-A. No; on the coast we get them "with young." I have not seen many " barren cows " out here in winter 32. Q. During the months of February, March, and April, what would vou sav was the proportion of males to females?—A. I have only done one winter's sealing and that winter they would be fully one-half females durine Februarv and March 33. Q. That is, there would be as many females as bulls and grey pVpsf-AYes ■ I have never seen a female grey pup on the coast. That is a yearling grev female? I seal; that is corroborated by the Indians. All the yearlings seen bv me have been males. J ^4. Q. That is weU known, you say, by the Indians?—A. Oh, yes. They remark REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 313 t 38' ft' ABnt tll6re is a 1;tTger nnmber of males killed than females in April, May, and June?—A. Yes; m those three months we get a larger number of males; bulls from 3 to 4 years old; all about the same size. 39. Q. Your opinion is that the females, after the month of Mav, hasten on to the Behring Sea?—A. Yes. ■"' 40. Q. Now, from the beginning of the sealing season, when yon start out this time of year (January), till the time you enter Behring Sea, what is your opinion as to the percentage of female seals, including both bearing and barren cows, killed? What would be the proportion of female seals, including both bearing and barren cows, killed? What would be the proportion of females as compared with the bulls?—A. Right up to the Shumagin Islands? 41. Q. Yes. Would it be 60 per cent., or 70 per cent., or what?—A. Yes, I think it would be about 65 or 70 per cent, of males, and the remainder mixed cows—bearing and barren cows. 42. Q. About what percentage of barren cows?—A. I think about equally divided; about 15 per cent, of barren and 15 per cent, of bearing cows, and 70 per cent, of buUs, would pretty near represent the catch on the upper and lower coast. 43. Q. There is an opinion expressed that a seal pup will not swim; some people say so ?—A. I have seen three with their dams in the water on the Alaskan coast. 236 44. Q. How far from shore?—A. 40 or 50 miles from shore, in the month of 45. Q. Is it your opinion that they would be born in the water?—A. Yes, or on the kelp. Seals mate in the water, sleep in the water, and I have seen pups taken from the dead mother on the vessel, and thrown overboard and swim about awhile in the water. I have watched such pups swim about for half-an-hour or more. They seemed to have no difficulty in swimming. 46. Q. You have never seen or heard of a Canadian sealing-schooner attempting to raid the Pribyloff Islands?—A. I have never heard of one. 47. Q. If such a thing had been done or attempted it would be sure to be known among sealers?—A. Yes; it would be impossible to keep it a secret. 48. Q. Is it your opinion that our ship-owners and masters have done everything they could possibly do to discourage anything of that kind?—A. Yes; everything. 49. Q. What has been the general distance you have sealed—the distance from the seal islands?—A. From 100 to 140 miles. I was within 80 miles of them last year; that was the nearest I was to them. 50. Q. Of course your men on board would, if they had ever been engaged in such raiding of the islands, certainly have told their fellows ?—A. Yes, it would soon have become known. 51. Q. It is well known to all sealers that certain schooners have raided those islands?—A. Yes, during 1889 and 1890. 51*. Q. Do you remember what their names are?—A. Yes; the American schooner " Mollie Adams," " George R. White," and others. 52. Q. Do you remember any other schooner raiding the islands?—A. Yes; the German schooner "Adele." 53. Q. It was well known that it was a German vessel?—A. Oh, yes. 54. Q. Those American vessels that raided the Pribyloff Islands' recruited their crews—where?—A. I think the "Mollie Adams" recruited her crew at Gloucester. 55. Q. In the United States?—A. Yes; she fitted up in Port Townsend, Washington. 56. Q. Did yon ever hear of any American vessels fitting out at Sand Point to raid the islands?—A. I do not remember it. 57. Q. Were you ordered out of Behring Sea last year ?—A. Yes. 58. Q. By whom?—A. The British steamer "Porpoise." 59. Q. On being ordered out of the Sea, you immediately complied?—A. Yes; I came right away. „..„•,.=, . T • t.x x * 60. Q. Did you lower your boats afterwards?—A. I did not. I came right out ot the Sea. 61. Q. What month was that?—A. 9th August. \ 62. Q. Had you not been ordered out, were you in good hunting ground T—A. un, y<63. Q. Were the seals plentiful at the time you were warned; that is, as plentiful as you had previously seen them?—A. Yes; just as thick as ever. , 64. Q. What was your catch up to the time you were warned out?—A. J,4d4 m B65rUQS What was your coast catch?—A. 1,008 on the coast, and 2,434 in the Sea. 66' O. Had you been unmolested for another thirty days your chances were good for a large catch?—A. Yes; our chances were good for quite doubling onr catch. 67 Q Your principal ground for sealing you found-where t—A. About 100 miles westward of the Islands of St. George an! St. Paul. I took 1,000 in four days there. 68. Q. During that time, when you were getting seals so quickly, was your per- ™ -«. ^^.x & , „ „„„-+» a «•„. +y,_- wa™ vsrv ouiet. centage of 1( n the coast?—A. No; they were very quiet. 314 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 69. Q. You have stated that, from your personal obser were as plentiful last year as you have ever seen then much more so than I ever saw them before. 70. Q. More so at a distance of 100 to 130 miles from the nearest seal island?—A. 71. Q. What course would that lie from the Pribyloff Islands?—A. About west. 72. Q. At the time you were sealing there were there any other Canadian schooners in your company ?—A. Yes; the "Annie C. Moore," the " Carmelite," and the "Ariel." They had all an average catch. 73. Q. Have you overheard of the McLeans raiding Copper Islands?—A. Yes. 74. Q. Do you believe they did actuaUy raid them?—A. Yes. 75. Q. Did you hear the story of their going, with three boats of the "Webster" and "City of San Diego" in a crowd, landing at a passage between the rocks and the mainland of the island, and standing there, where the water was swift, and shooting the seals as they passed through?—A. Yes; but they lost a great many. The captain of the " San Diego " said that they didn't get one-tenth of what they shot. 76. Q. It is the prevailing opinion among the sealers that the "J. Hamilton Lewis " was seized for landing on the islands?—A. Yes; the Russians had been watching her. She was seized for actuaUy raiding the islands. 77. Q. You didn't go to the Copper Island side at all?—A. I did not. 78. Q. In leaving Behring Sea, where did you come ont through?—A. Through the Four Mountain Pass. 79. Q. After you had been warned out, did you speak any other cutter ?—A. I did 80. Q. Did you see any seals from the time yon were warned out till the time yon came through the pass?—A. They were Just as thick as ever within 40 miles of the Four Mountain Pass. We were two days saUing through them. It grieved us very much, I can tell you, to sail through seals and couldn't touch them. 81. Q. The Four Mountain Pass is about what longitude?—A. "172 Pass" we caU it. 82. Q. But you say there were plenty of seals from the time you were warned up to within 40 miles of this pass?—A. Yes; just as thick as where we had left. 237 83. Q. Will you state in direct evidence, as though in Court, that, as far as your knowledge goes no Canadian sealer, directly or indirectly, ever raided or attempted to raid the seal islands?—A. I have had ample opportunity of learning if Captain Cox, continuing, said: I didn't take one "bearing" female seal last season in Behring Sea. I have taken a few which were evidently " with milk." 84. Q. What percentage do you say ?—A. There might be 5 per cent, of what I took which had had young; there was evidence of having had young; whether they had last year or not I do not know. (Signed) William Cox. Sworn before me this 25th day of January, 1892. (Signed) A. R. Milne, Collector of Customs. Victoria, B. C, February 15,1898. SEAL-HUNTING IN NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN AND BEHRING SEA. Captain Charles Hackett, master and managing owner of the schooner "Annie C. Moore," of St. John's, New Brunswick, being duly sworn: Q. How many years have you been sealing?—A. This is my fifth year. Q. You have followed sealing from San Francisco to Behring Sea?—A. I have. Q. What has been the number of your crews?—A. Twenty-three men all told. Q. The number of boats your vessel carried?—A. Seven altogether. Q. You have had every opportunity of seeing seal life?—A. I have. Q. On the coast did the seals appear to be as plentiful last year as former years ? A. I have found them so. Q. Please state how the seals travel?—A. As a rule we find the bearing females bv themselves. J Q- Did the seals appear more timorous last year than former years?—A. I don't Q. Are there more seals shot whilst sleeping than t experience has been that about seven-eighths, that is s< to one traveUing. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 315 Q. Please state about the average distance that seals are shot whUe-sleenin"-?— A. From 10 to 15 yards. v ° Q. What do you consider the proportion of seals lost as compared to the whole that are hit in pelagic seaUng?—A. One of my hunters, named Folder killed over 400 seals during the'season, and only lost five seals; the exact number is hard for a master to say, but I believe that 5 per cent, would be the outside. Q. Captain Hackett, would you consider that a hunter that lost more than five in the hundred would not be a good hunter?—A. I certainly do. Q. Do you mean by being lost, that is by sinking?—A. When I say lost I mean by Q. When a seal is shot in the head you generally get him, and mostly all the seal are shot in the head?—A. They are; and when we shoot them from the deck of the schooner, to lower the boat and bring the vessel to generally is from ten to fifteen minutes; but we always get the seal floating. Q. From actual observation, then, you would say that the actual loss during the seasons you have been sealing will not exceed 5 per cent. ?—A. I certainly say so. Q. Are there more lost on the coast than in Behring Sea?—A. In the Behring Sea the percentage of loss would not be 5 per cent. Q. Have you observed in any month a greater number of females than in other months; that is, on the coast have you observed a greater number of females taken during the months of April and May?—A. I have not observed any difference. Q. What proportion of females were in your catch last year (1890), and also in 1891?—A. In 1890 about one-quarter were females, and in 1891 about half and half. Q. Would this percentage apply to your catch in Behring Sea as well as on the coast?—A. Yes; the percentage of females in 1890 would be about one-quarter, and in 1891 about half and half. Q. What was your catch in 1890?—A. About 1,500. Q. What was your catch in 1891?—A. 2,070 seals. Q. What proportion of females with pup did you observe taken on the coast during the past two years?—A. About half and half. Q. What proportion of females with pup did you observe in Behring Sea?—A. In a catch of 1,555 seals in Behring Sea last year I had only ten females withpup; those with pup were taken between the 15th and last of July, and that those females killed with pup appeared to come from the westward and goff mixed with.groups of other female seals which had their young and were entirely dried up. Q. Do you find many yearling pups in Behring Sea?—A. No; I have found no yearling pups in Behring Sea; we get what we call the white-beUy pups; they are from two- to three-year-old pups, and we get quite a number of barren cows. Q. What do you mean regarding barren cows?—A. I mean those who have not borne young during that year. Q. Did you notice if the seals were smaUer in size last year?—A. I did not; they were as large as any year. 238 Q. Whilst in Behring Sea last year were the seals as numerous as you have seen them before?—A. They were more numerous than I have ever seen them before. Q. What age is a seal-skin at its best?—A. I consider at 3 years old. Q. What has been the distance from the Pribyloff Islands that you were while seaUng any year in Behring Sea?—A. Frem 50 to 100 miles, and was never nearer than 50 miles. Q. You were warned out of the Sea last year?—A. I was. Q. Were the seals plentiful at the time?—A. They were quite numerous. Q. How far were you from land when warned?—A. About 100 miles to the westward of Pribyloff Islands. Q. Had you not been ordered out of the Sea your catch would have been good?— A. My catch would have been at least 3,000 seals. Q. Have you ever heard of any Canadian vessels during the years that you have been employed in the sealing industry raiding the Pribyloff seal island in Behring Sea?—A. I have not. | Wk__%\wt' _'\_t:'i'_ Q Yould would have certainly heard of it had it occurred?—A. Had that been done, I would have heard it; I am acquainted with all the principal sealing men. (Signed) Chas. Hackett. Sworn before me this 15th day of February, 1892. (Signed) A. R. Milne, Collector of Customs. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Vietori i, B. C, February 8,1892. utheNoi Caleb McDougall, master of the schooner "Pioneer," of Victoria, Bnti«h Columbia, personaUy appeared, and being duly sworn, doth depose and say: That this is the third year that he has been engaged in hunting seals r ern Pacific Ocean and Behring Sea. That he has had every opportunity of watching every peculiarity of seal-hunting. That it is his opinion, from actual observation, that the number of seals lost, as compared with those hit in pelagic sealing, is about one in fifty, that is, one seal is lost to fifty caught. That the loss of seals is by sinking. That the greater number of seals are killed while sleeping. That seals travel in groups, that is, groups of males and groups of females, also of grey or yearling pups. That in Behring Sea during the year 1890 in one place the hunters would bring 110, and 120, and 130 each day, all males and no females, that is, in that one place, and the greater number of his catch (1890) were male seals, that is, his vessel had 1,100 in Behring Sea, of which 800 were males aud the rest females. That there is no doubt but that the old buU seals drive the younger males away from the islands, and that is the reason why he considers that more males are caught than females in Behring Sea. That the proportion of barren cows is about one in ten to the bearing cows, that is, there is one barren and ten bearing in Behring Sea. That since he has been engaged in sealing he thinks the seals are increasing, and that he found the seals in Behring Sea thicker last year than he ever found them. That it depends entirely upon what portion of the Sea that the vessel is in and striking a band, of males or females, but with all vessels in Behring Sea the catch is always more males than females. That he does not know of any single instance of a British sealing-vessel raiding the seal islands in Behring Sea, and he is quite sure that no British vessel in any case attempted to raid the seal islands. If they had, he would have heard of it. (Signed) C. McDougall. ■ of Customs. been sealing?—A. This rity of seal-hunt- Victoria, B. G, February 1,1892. 1. Q. Captain WiUiam O'Leary, how many years have yoi is my sixth year. 2. Q. You have been generally successful?—A. Yes. 3. Q. You have had all opportunities of watching every peculi ing?—A. Yes. 4. Q. What is your opinion of the proportion of seals lost as compared with those hit in pelagic sealing?—A. My opinion is that only 3 to 5 per cent, are lost. 5. Q. Do you mean those who are lost by sinking?—A. Yes. 6. Q. Are there any lost in any other way?—A. Yes; by escaping. 7. Q. What is your opinion of the proportion of females to males taken during the season on the coast?—A. My experience on the coast has been that the females and males are about equal, and of the females there are an equal number of barren cows and bearing cows. 239 8. Q. Whatis your opinion about the proportion of bearingcows?—A. About half and half, that is, half barren and half bearing cows. 9. Q. In Behring Sea is your catch chiefly male seals?—A. Yes; about three to one; that is, three males to one female. 10. Q. Captain O'Leary, what is your opinion about the increase or decrease of seals?—A. I think the seals were as plentiful last season as I have ever seen them 11. Q. Captain O'Leary, being one of the oldest sealing captains, do you know of any single instance of a British sealing-vessel raiding the seal islands?—A. I have never heard of one, nor do I beUeve that any British vessel raided or attempted to raid the seal islands; I would have heard it if such had been attempted. (Signed) William O'Leart. Sworn before me, this 1st February, 1892. (Signed) A. R. Milne, Collector of Customs. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 317 Victoria, B. G, February 16,1892. RE SEALING IN PACIFIC OCEAN AND BEHRING SEA. t, 4?e» ^°S?la,s' Presettt master and managing owner of Canadian schooner "May Belle," of Victoria, British Columbia, being duly sworn, in answer to the foUowing- questions, says: ' 6 Q. How many years have you been sealing?—A. I have been seven years. Q. You have been reasonably successful in the sealing industrv?—A. Yes, I have. Q. You have followed the seals along the west coast and in Behring Sea?—Yes Sir; I have. ° ' Q. How many men composed your crew last year?—A. Twenty-one men, all told. Q. The number of your boats carried?—A. Six boats. Q. You have had every opportunity of being acquainted with the habits and Ufe of the seals?—A. I have. Q. On the coast, did the seals appear as plentiful last year as former years? A. I have seen no decrease; in fact, I saw more seals last year, but they appeared a Utile Q. In Behring Sea, did the seals appear as plentiful last year as formerly?—A. I saw more seals and larger bodies of seals in Behring Sea last year than in any year before. _Q. Did the seals appear more timorous in Behring Sea than formerly ?—A. No, they did not, but seemed quite quiet, and not frightened. Q. On the coast do the females travel by themselves?—A. The females generally travel by themselves; think the males don't travel so far south. We find the males appear more plentiful towards Alaska. Q. Are.there more seals shot sleeping than travelling?—A. Yes, Sir. Q. What is the usual distance that seals are shot while sleeping?—A. About 40 to 45 feet. Q. What would be the distance shooting at a traveUing seal?—A. About 30 to 40 Q. Where are the seals usually struck when shot?—A. In the head and neck. Q. From your long experience, what do you consider the proportion of seals lost as compared to the whole that are hit in pelagic sealing?—A. I am quite sure that not more than from three to five in the hundred, in one year in Behring Sea; out of 216 seals taken by myself, I never lost a single one; and last year I lost seven out of 205 killed by myself; the loss was by sinking. Q. Having personal experience hunting every year, how quickly do you reach the animal shot sleeping?—A. About five to ten minutes if the seal has been shot sleeping. Q. Sleeping seals don't sink quickly, do they?—A. Sleeping seals very seldom sink. The loss by sinking is altogether the travelling seals. Q. Then you would say that the percentage of loss, that is, three to five in the hundred, has been your experience for several years?—A. Yes; it has been about the same. Q. Is the loss greater on the coast than in Behring Sea?—A. No, Sir; very few are lost on the coast. Q. On the coast, have you taken a greater number of females in some months than in other months; say, have you observed a greater number of females taken in April and May?—A. No, Sir. Q. Where do you find the yearling grey pups?—A. Always on the coast. Q. Do you find many pups in Behring Sea?—A. No; I have only found two grey pups in Behring Sea. Q. Do vou find any brown pups, about 2 years old, in Behring Sea ?—A. Very few. Q. Have you observed in Behring Sea that the females have delivered their young?—A. Yes, Sir. Q. Do you take any females with pup ii two in the season. They hav- -1 Behring Sea. Q. Did you observe auy difference in the size of seal-skins last year?—A. .None; they are the same as former years. " ' Q. What has been the distance from the seal islands that you usually hunted in Behring Sea in the past years?—A. From 60 to 100 miles generally to the west- 240 Q. You were warned out last year, and by whom?—A. Yes, Sir; and by the United States ship "Mohican." Q At the time you were warned, what distance were you from the seal islands?—A. At the time I was warned I was 115 miles to the north-west of the seal islands. Q. At the time you were warned were the seals plentiful?—A. I have never seen the seals so plentiful in Behring Sea. 318 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Q. Do you say that had you not been forced out of Behring Sea that you would have had an excellent catch?—A. I certainly would have had a good catch. Q. Then you consider that having been ordered out of Behring's Sea last year that it has been a serious financial loss to you?—A. It has been a great loss to me and a very great hardship. Q. Have you ever heard of a British vessel, during the years that you have been engaged in the sealing industry, raiding, or attempting to raid or take seals in any way on the Pribyloff or seal islands in Behring Sea?—A. I have not at any time heard of any British vessel taking any seals from the seal islands. Q. If any vessel had attempted to do so you would have certainly heard of it ?—A. I certainly would; for I am acquainted with aU the principal sealing men sailing from this port. (Signed) Abel Douglas. Sworn before n.., ._ ■ ■ ■' ie, Collector of Customs. Victoria, B. C, February 20, 1892. RE SEALING IN PACIFIC OCEAN AND BEHRING SEA. Laughlin L. McLean, present master of the Canadian schooner " Favourite," of Victoria, British Columbia, and master of the same vessel for the past seven years, personally appeared, and being duly sworn, in reply to the foUowing questions doth depose and say: Q. Captain McLean, you have been master of the "Favourite" during the past seven years?—A. Yes; for seven years. Q. You have been reasonably successful in the seaUng industry?—A. Yes; I have. Q. Yon have had every opportunity of observing the seals and seal life ?—A. I have had every opportunity. Q. What number of men compose your crewusuaUy?—A. From thirty to thirty- two men, all told. Q. How many Whites and how many Indians?—A. Seven Whites and about twenty- five Indians compose my crew. Q. Have had Indian hunters every year?—A. Every year but one, that was 1887. Q. Do you prefer Indians to Whites for hunters?—A. I do. Q. Were the seals to your observation as plentiful last year as former years?—A. They were more plentiful. Q. Were they as plentiful on coast?—A. Yes. Q. Were the seals as plentiful in Behring Sea as in former years?—A. In my experience I have never seen the seals as plentiful in Behring Sea. Q. Did the seals in Behring Sea appear to be more timorous?—A. No; they did not; but appeared quite tame. Q. From your long experience, what do yon consider the proportion of seals lost as compared to the whole number that are hit in pelagic sealing?—A. I would say with Indians about one in ten, and with good white hunters about 5 per cent. Q. Have you observed in any months more females than males?—A. No; but I think there are more males in the month of April on the coast. Q. Did you have more males than females in the coast catch?—A. Yes; I had more males than females on the coast. Q. What percentage of males to females did you have in Behring Sea last year and any year?—A. About half and half, and every year about the same. Q. Did you notice that the females taken in Behring Sea had delivered their young?—A. Yes; they had aU their young some time before that. They give up their young about the end of July. We never get them with pup after July. Q. What proportion of females taken in Behring Sea are barren?—A. About 5 Q. Do you ever find yearling or grey pups in Behring Sea?—A. No; we never find Q. Do you find brown pups (2 or 3 years old) in Behring Sea?—A. We find a few; not many; occasionally one or two. Q. From your long observation, do you think that the females taken in Behring Sea have remained long enough with their pups so that they care for themselves on the land?—A. Yes, I do. Q. You mean by barren cows those that have not borne that year?—A. Yes, I do. Q. In Behring Sea do they aU travel together, that is, males and females?—A. They are pretty weU mixed up. REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 319 241 Q. Then you s females taken in Q. Do I understand you clearly to say that the catch on the coast was mostly males?—A. Yes, I do. Q. Captain McLean, would you please say in what proportion the males were to the females in your catch on the coast?—A. About two-thirds males, that is, two males to one female. Q. Did you observe any change in the habits of%the seals' last year from former years ?—A. On the coast I do not observe any difference, but in Behring Sea I find the seals further from land; a few years ago I found them 25 or 30 miles from land, that was our favourite fishing ground; but the last two or three years my best catches have been from 140 to 150 miles from land. Q. Have you ever known or heard of any British vessel engaged in the sealing industry raiding or attempting to raid or to take seals in any way from the Pribyloff or seal islands in Behring Sea?—A. I have not heard that any British vessel in any year attempted any such thing, as I know all the principal men engaged in seaUng, and I would certainly have heard it if such had occurred. Q. You have heard of some American vessel raiding the seal islands?—A. Yes, two years ago. Q. Yon were ordered out of Behring Sea last year?—A. Yes, by Her Majesty's ship "Porpoise." Q. Were yon in good hunting ground when warned?—A. Yes, the seals were very thick. Q. Had you been let alone your catch would have been very good?—A. Yes, my catch would have been an extraordinary good one, for I had 2,183 when ordered out, and 1 had a fuU month to go, and my catch if let alone would have been at least 3,500 seals. Q. On your way out did you observe that the seal were plentiful in Behring Sea?— A. They were thick all the way out to the pass coming out of the sea, and it was very annoying to see so many and not be able to touch them. Q. Where did Her Majesty's ship " Porpoise" speak you and order you out?—A. In 173° west longitude, about 135 miles from nearest land. Q. Then you consider that being ordered out last year has been great financial loss and hardship to you?—A. I do, most certainly; my vessel was equipped for a voyage two months longer. (Signed) Laughlin L. McLean, Master, Schooner "Favourite." Sworn before n INDEX TO REPORT OF BEHRING SEA COMMISSION, AND REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Paragraph. Page. A0]and(Akerly)Dr an A. adpup 352 Baker* Captai ii" W. E". 210-241 Cox, C.N Douglas, a ;;;.:;;;;;:.:;;;:: i? Laing, A.D '■ McDougall, C McLean,L. L '''"*.""....'""" Magnesen, Captain T. M 1 237 227 238 Alaska Catch'— 1 228 230 Seals E Barren Femalei Behring Island- Description of B S, PT VI 21 J 322 REPORT OP BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Index to report of Behring Sea Commission, eto.—Continued. Para jraph. Page. Behring Sea- Date of en Early explc WMM 649 205,206 216 Range of? Bonilla Island- Bra£plytoin ding unknown in 167,108 tiSfP*** 524 248 30 225 407 27,186 172 Posfihte^tebltahinfntoro'nco^teof liritish Columbia or Breeding Rookeries- Brib£Stdbnirreptoyed^r^a.flsh ery of (1887-91) Pelagic catch.^and ^'fXJJ-81^- nd'otlier re's'i dent si'ii'. 207-212 600 'So^Sfnquiry:::::::::*.::::::::::::::*.:::::::::::::::*.'. v,™ Brownlow, Earl— 337,338 665 328 184,185 Bulls (see Males). Burgomaster Gulls— C. Cape Horn- 216 Cape of Good Hope- Catch— Composition of (see Pelagic Sealing). "Challenger"— Charts (see Maps and Diagrams). Chile- Early seal fisheries on coast of 1 183 C1° B^ombfiTed ^rittfxfum&r limit On Falkland Islands Only applicable to pelagic seaUng 131 169 155 Clubbing— Greater care recommended 147 In Falkland Islands REPORT OP BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 323 Index to report of Behring Sea Commission, etc.—Continued. Paragraph. Page. Coal sold to natives- 725 635 231 247 706 197 244-276 167 Cod- Numerous near Behring Island Commander Islands- Date of discovery Different from Pribyloff Islands Length of drives on Migrations little recorded Physical characteristics of Protection against raids on 283 202 214 Communication between seals on Pribyioff and Commander 645-647 444 309-312 187 207 309 317-325 320 248 278 352 354 348 355 __\ 348 356 57, 94 71 94 87 89-91 674-693 Composition of Catch (see Pelagic Sealing)— Copper Island- Cows (see also Cows suckling)— Cows suckling- Dead pups- ^ Al d Ak j Decrease— 2 Deer-breeding— . „ , t> Analogous to seal-breeding. Information fromEarl Brown- 184,185 282 117 326-313 Depfetion (see also Extermination')— Depositions (see Affidavits). Destruction— 177 Facing 22 •• of numbers killed on land and sea from early times to present '• 15S 324 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Index to report of Behring Sea Commission, etc.—Continued. Paragraph. Page. Bi=s^rg^ Dri7&sa--OUC3b83:?Taaoil85n 223 Mortalit' Professol srgyofjeals isification of furs Migration habits depend 01 Only bachelors and cows le Principal kinds of ms "74*704- ' 710 337 452 REPORT OP BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 325 Index- to report of Behring Sea Commission, etc.—Continued. Paragraph. Page. Fowlor, Mr.— Opinion as to dead pups in 1891 348 Abundance of, affected by weather 408 in sea near rookeries 447-450 Breeding-places of .'.'.'.".'.'. 396-446 " on each side of Pacific"'"!*..'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'".'.'.'. 207 " " produced by disturbance Contents of stomachs examined 234 402-407 Date of arrival at Pribyloff IsVands'.'.'.'.""'' \* .*.'*''." *'"'""'!'. 174 Does not migrate in Southern Hemisphere Early takes of, on Pribyloff Islands 772-779 Excess of breeding males in 1871 678 Excessive killing of, in 1868 Food of (see Food). Habitats in winter and summer (see Migration) 26 Hunted by Aleuts Indians from time immemorial Increased wariness of 397,393,412-414 Migration range of (««"« Migration j!' I'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'..'.'.'".'.'.'.'.'.'.'.".'..'. Most abundant near rookeries Motives for landing Northern limit of * Number killed on Pribyloff Islands 771-780 " seen atseanotproportionate to distance from islands. Of eastern side of North Pacific; extreme southern range of. 190 Of North Pacific identical in habits with those of South Seas. 836 Old.breeding-grounds of, on- Gulf of Georgia Haystack Island Kace Rocks (near Victoria) 171,172 ' Smith's Island (W ashington Territory) 185,186 harassed..--"- 446 Scarcity of, on Pribyloff Islands, iu 1835-36 Table of number killed on Pribvloff Islands, 1817-91 771 Used as food by Indians .' 582 Varieties of, in Southern Hemisphere 835 Furriers- Evidence of 653 Gaff— °* Used to secure wounded seals 004 Goff, Mr.— Opinion on drives erxx.ate?es*te of, in sealing industry. 103 ^Vindication of rookery area 384-387 Killed off Queen Charlotte Islands Killing of, deprecated by pelagic sealers °80 Number in pelagic spring catch 643 Seldom killed in Behring Sea Travel rapidly in Behring Sea Gray, Captain-. tetter on hair-seals 186,187 Grebnitzky, M.— , E , Views asto migration of seals.......... " " "stagey " skins '--■ 202 Greenland- affectin 198-203 Nor^fglanLaw^ndOrdxnance.'.'';.';.'; ■ 202,203 326 REPORT OP BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Index to report of Behring Sea Commission, etc.—Continued. Paragraph. Page. Greia^8numbersseeninl870xnKnight'sandKxngcombexnlets. 179 Giinth-r. Dr.- 183 Jackson, Mr.— JanMayen—6"eSa aP6° Regulations for hair-seal fisheries. .elp- iirth of pups c REPORT OP BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Index to report of Behring Sea Commission, etc.—Continued. 327 Paragraph. Page. 334-336 47-51,662 35,44,45,669 40 117 611 Killing of Seals on Pribyloff Islands- Average annual slaughter under United States management Evil effects of Immediate cause of danger to seal life Methods employed in, cruelty of (*ee Drives) Mr. Palmer on bad effect of. 39, 771 76 147,148 121,166-168 J*fc'lT7. 151-160 Killing on Breeding Islands- Only method ever employed in Southern Hemisphere Klawak- Kurile Islands— 160 167 Ii. 256,273 Lampson, C. M., and Co.— 215 217 Licences-^ .^ ^ ^ ^^ ^^ 380-382 130,131,137 130,141-144 Lichen— ^imic_iT1JLf_aliiae by~ Number of seals taken (see Number Limit) Lobos Islands- 169 Skins shipped from (1887-8*1) 215 183-185 287 Loss of seals at sea (see Pelagic Sealing) Lnkannon and Ketavie Rookeries, St. Paul Island Lutke— Mackay, Mr. J. W.— Male SealsVe* Killing of Seals on Pribyloff Island's)." Males- Manatee (see Sea-Cow). 3! Areaof seals, July and August | : 5.' Diagram showing number of seals killed, and price of •' 151 Maynard, Lieutenant— ■(Observations on seal life Report on Pribyloff Islands...- 328 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Index to report of Behring Sea Commission, etc.—Continued. Okhotsk Soa;- Ofcter Island- Facing 22 and 150 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Index to report of Behring Sea Commission, etc.—Continued. 329 Paragraph. Page. . ^i^^^^^^1^-^0^-' 108,507 207 Pelagic Sealers- 612 657 Pelagic Sealing- 585 106,114 Conflictin g evidence as" to sexes' taken "'*'"*'' V.'.'.'.'.'".'.'.'."'. .610-612 U9.596 Fu-a^of""1'68 by hai"A Stat3° -c"3?nme":' 599 601-612 61-63, 66-68, 571-600 571-580 613-632 118, 655 600 165 244-276 . I Value of United States and British Columbian fleet's, isiii... Periods of Rest— Physfcaf Siaracteristics of Pribyloffand Commando! Islands... 612 427 247 230-253 Poachers- Precautions on Island?- P 6 Pribyloff Islands- 187-189 244-276 109 145 ProtecHo^^Protec"!,!^ Measures and Regulations)- Duty of, affirmed 2 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Index to report of Behring Sea Commission, etc.—Continued. Parag raph. Page. Protection (see Protectiv eMeasur es and Rogulat) on 8)—Cont'd. 115 116 129 145 145 must-fee ___%$ ran"^:::::::: 129 126,145 Precedents for Protective Measures (se< Cape of Good Hope Falkland Islands.. also Pro ection and Reg ulations)- 194 Birth ot, on Queen Charlotte Islai Do not know their own mothers.. Period of sue Probably dro TJnweaned sk n Charlotte Ish •upsbornon... Seals seen on, in Destruction of seals on Robben Island by Drain on seal life caused by Ease with which they canDe made Illegality of Insufficient protection against, on Pribyloff Isla List of, on Pribyloff Islands Means taken to check, on Commander Islands .. Rendered possible by la Similarity of methods t< Seals killed by, in waters near rookerie Range of fur-seal (see Migration). Rcdpath, Mr. J\ C— General conditions i Ne* Spe ■foun cifio: Hand on of killing on one ecommendations for Hill .I ii: ^biuor.f killing- 730 163-168 156-158 ::::::::::::::::::: REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 331 Index to report of Behring Sea Commission, etc.—Continued. Regulations (see also Prol 3t decrease. Methods ol Mutual concessions necese Should be based on indue IS mmended ling, should be prohibited.. Means taken by Russ Migration routes of seals frequenting.. Rookeries— Area of (see Area of Rookeries). Former extent of is for, exii On Behring Island, North ai <n St. GeorgeIsland"(G'r"eatEas'torn,'Li'ttle'Eas'te'i -' " - d Zapadnie) •olavina, Reef, Tolstoi, and Zapadnie')...... letter on Commander than Pribyloff Island Increase of seals on Pr. Robben Island protect* Reply to inquiries mad« Scarcity oFseals "(seeKiili'n' Due to over-killing of 1 Sea-cow- Extermination of Former abundance of.. Seal Fisheries- Argentine Republic ... Falkland Islands.. Lobos Islands ; New Zealand Sealing Industry (see also Interests involved). Capital employed in Former and present condition of German, Japanese, Russian, and United Si Interests on sea and shore. Suggestc iallife- Becomin 515-517 . 510,513 [ General c Gradual i Natural ( Should b. iminution of, on islands... editions interfered with., studied atsea as well as o 332 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Index to report of Behring Sea Commission, etc.—Continued. y Her Majesty's and United ! ng (see also Food)— 'ul whether by night or day.. Sinking when sho md... be protected more easily than the fu r rookery of, at Cape Lopatka ... luate protection of, by United Statei number of, in early days ______&£: •--•• on- Vj" - - ;-■■■ i8-|n-, ' skins of.. s by United States Government- Shanghae- Reply to inqt Sheep- Copper Island, sales of... Differences between "All From Cape Horn mnZSif. r^aZrf-fS^""™::: 834-901 S°D Ac™unt ofSlur6se^l8 in earl tim Falkland Islands destroye South Sea Sealing"^" Spears used by Indians for kUling seais."'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'. 1 by Ameri- 155,156 134,631,632 74 74,331-333 "S" Never t^kenlt sea StaDPeath"of pups caused by.... ^^it^^^^^0^0 f Good Hope. 317-325 371-375 130-138 256 Thinks seals'ar"e"fo*Md"noarCa"?"e'Fl"a'tVo"i^-'"i'th T. Table showing normal increase of seats eyeaVround! 172-177 i^S^^^^^^ „»,* 158 158,159 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. Index to report of Behring Sea Commission, etc.—Continued. Paragraph. Page. u. United States- Sealing fleet, 1891 " incomplete Returns of cateh of 597* 206 Uruguay- V. Veniaminov, Bishop- 712 284-291 426 74,75,667 Virgin females difficult to distinguish from young males W. Wark Inlet— "Western side of North Pacific— 229 Whale Food- Wilson, Sir Samuel, M. P.— 184 "Worms— 343 Yezo- I 199 X. Zapadnie Rookery, St. George Island St. PaulTtsland Zapooska (see Periods of Rest). Zone of Protected "Waters- r Maps, Ms 1 to 5 to face p. i50 No. 1. TRACK CHART OF ROUTES FOLLOWED BY THE BRITISH BEHRING SEA COMMISSIONERS, 15 JULY-8 OCTOBER, 1891- (_000.3f93.H9i.) F II. No. 2. SKETCH MAP ILLUSTRATING RESORTS AND MIGRATION ROUTES OF FUR SEALS IN THE NORTH PACIFIC. SUMMER HABITATS. f"~"T~n8"l WINTER HABITATS. NORTHERLY MIGRATION ROUTES IN EARLY SUMMER -" ... SOUTHERLY MIGRATION ROUTES IN AUTUMN. (NOTE.—THE SUMMER HABITATS OF SEALS IN THE VICINITY OF ROBBEN ISLAND AND THE KURILE ISLANDS ARE MERELY INDICATED AS THEY CANNOT BE DEFINED.! (2000.6JS-i.m7.) F.O. i III. No. 3. SKETCH MAP SHOWING APPROXIMATELY THE AREA FREQUENTED BY FUR SEALS IN THE PERIOD EXTENDING FROM JULY 15th TO AUGUST 16th, 1891. 1 1. AREA CHARACTERIZED BY ABUNDANT SEALS 1 I AREA CHARACTERIZED BY SCATTERED SEALS. (NOTE.-THE AREA OF ABUNDANT SEALS IN THE VICINITY OF THE COMMANDER ISLANDS, IN THIS PERIOD, IS NOT INDICATED, AS THE AVAILABLE INFORMATION RESPECTING IT iS INSUFFICIENT. SMALLER AREAS OF SEAL OCCURRENCE IN THE VICINITY OF ROBBEN ISLAND AND SOME OF THE KURILE ISLANDS ARE NOT SHOWN FOR THE SAME REASON.) iv: No. 4. SKETCH MAP SHOWING APPROXIMATELY THE AREA FREQUENTED BY FUR SEALS IN THE PERIOD EXTENDING FROM AUGUST 16th TO SEPTEMBER 15th, 1891. ..AREA CHARACTERIZED BY ABUNDANT SEALS. AREA CHARACTERIZED BY SCATTERED SEALS. (NOTE.-THE AREA OF ABUNDANT SEALS IN THE VICINITY OF THE COMMANDER ISLANDS, IN THIS PERIOD, DEPENDS UPON A VERY LIMITED NUMEER OF OBSERVATIONS. SMALLER AREAS OF SEAL OCCURRENCE IN THE VICINITY OF ROBBEN ISLAND AND SOME OF THE KURILE ISLANDS ARE NOT SHOWN AS NO INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE RESPECTING THEM.) (_ooo.3/93.ii9i.) r.o 1840 1850 1860 DIAGRAM REPRESENTING THE NUMBER OF FUR SEALS KILLED ANNUALLY ON THE COMMANDER ISLANDS, FROM 1862 TO 1891. Number Ailled on CommjZfiderIs la/ids ui earlier yeocrs, n,ot ascertained,. DIAGRAM REPRESENTING THE NUMBER OF FUR SEAL SKINS PURCHASED BY THE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY AT POSTS ON THE COAST, FROM 1852 TO 1891, BEING A PORTION OF THE INDEPENDENT INDIAN COAST CATCH FOR THESE YEARS. JVo record, of Indian, Coast Catcfc in, earlier years. DIAGRAM REPRESENTING THE NUMBER OF FUR SEAL SKINS OBTAINED ANNUALLY BY CANADIAN SEALING VESSELS, FROM 1871 TO 1891. (THE NUMBER OF SKINS TAKEN BY UNITED STATE8 SEALING VESSELS IS NOT INCLUDED, THERE BEING NO TRUSTWORTHY STATISTICS FOR IT.) 4-0,000. 20,000 0" 60,000. 40,000. 20,000 o" DIAGRAM SHOWING THE AVERAGE AUCTION PRICES OF FUR SEAL SKINS IN LONDON, FROM 1871 TO 1891. 1820 1B30 (2000.3/93.1197) F.0.305. 1840 1850 1880 1890
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Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. JX238 .F8 1895
Bering Sea controversy
Sealing
Fur seal arbitration. Proceedings of the Tribunal of Arbitration, convened at Paris under the treaty between the United States of America and Great Britain concluded at Washington February 29, 1892, for the determination of questions between the two governments concerning the jurisdictional rights of the United States in the waters of Bering Sea. Volume VI
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