THE FIRST CASE. 237 



corporation duly established under the laws of the State of California, acting by John 

 F. 31 i HIT, its president and agent, in accordance with a resolution at a meeting of its 

 board of trustees, held January 31, 1870, witnosseth: 



That said Secretary hereby leases to the said Alaska Commercial Company, 

 without power of transfer, for the term of twenty years from the 1st day of May, 1870, 

 the right to engage in the business of taking fur seals on the islands of St. George 

 and St. Paul within, the territory of Alaska, and to send a vessel or vessels to said 

 islands for the skins of such seals. 



And the said Alaska Commercial Company, in consideration of their right under 

 this lease, hereby covenant and agree to pay for each year during said term, and 

 in proportion during any part thereof, the sum of $55,000 into the Treasury of the 

 United States in accordance with the regulations of the Secretary to be made for 

 this purpose under said act, which payment shall be secured by deposit of United 

 States bonds to that amount, and also covenant and agree to pay annually into 

 the Treasury of the United States, under said rules and regulations, an internal- 

 revenue tax or duty of $2 for each seal skin taken and shipped by them in 

 accordance with the provisions of the act aforesaid, and also the sum of 62 cents for 

 each fur-seal skin taken and shipped, and 55 cents per gallon for each gallon of oil 

 obtained from said seals, for sale in said islands or elsewhere, and sold by said 

 company; and also covenant and agree, in accordance with said rules and regulations, 

 to furnish, free of charge, the inhabitants of the islands of St. Paul and St. George 

 annually during said term 25,000 dried salmon, 60 cords of firewood, and a sufficient 

 quantity of salt and a sufficient quantity of barrels for preserving the necessary 

 supply of meat. 



And the said lessees also hereby covenant and agree during the term aforesaid to 

 maintain a school on each island, in accordance with said rules and regulations, and 

 suitable for the education of the natives of said islands, for a period of not less than 

 eight months in each year. 



And the said lessees further covenant and agree not to kill upon said island of 

 St. Paul more than 75,000 fur seals, and upon the island of St. George not more than 

 25,000 fur seals per annum; not to kill any fur seal upon the islands aforesaid in any 

 other mouth except the months of June, July, September, and October of each year; 

 not to kill said seals at any time by use of firearms or means tending to drive said 

 seals from said islands; not to kill any female seals or seals under 1 year old; not to 

 kill any seal in water adjacent to said islands, or on the beach, cliff's, or rocks, where 

 they haul up from the sea to remain. 



And the said lessees further covenant and agree to abide by any restriction or 

 limitation upon the right to kill seals under this lease that the act prescribes or that 

 the Secretary of the Treasury shall judge necessary for the preservation of such seals. 



And the said lessees hereby agree that they will not in any way sell, transfer, or 

 assign this lease, and that any transfer, sale, or assignment of the same shall be void 

 and of no effect. 



And the said lessees further agree to furnish to the several masters of the vessels 

 employed by them certified copies of this lease, to be presented to the Government 

 revenue officers for the time being in charge of said islands, as the authority of said 

 lessees for the landing and taking of said skins. 



