ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 87 



attorney for the district of California that my presence was required 

 there as a witness for the United States in the case pending in the court 

 for trial in the seizure of schooner San Dief/o, I lost no time, but pro- 

 ceeded at once to my home in Fairhaven, Mass., from which I started 

 for San Francisco March 30, arriving there April 7. 



The sailing of the steamer was delayed until Ajnil 137, and arrived at 

 Unalaska May 10. After coaling and discharging freight, tbe vessel 

 again left for the seal islands, arriving at St. George on the evening of 

 May 17 and ancnored, when a boat came off, and after a brief inter- 

 view with the officer in charge. Assistant Agent Samuel Falconer, he 

 returned to the shore with mail. 



Daring the night a severe gale came on, preventing all communica- 

 tion with the .shore next day; and on the day following the steamer 

 was driven to sea again, and after two days' storm she arrived at St. 

 Paul Island. 



In my brief interview with Assistant Agent Samuel Falconer, in 

 charge St. George Island, I learned of the general good health of the 

 people during the winter and that the affairs of the island were in a 

 satisfactory condition. I have just received his report, copies of which 

 will be submitted by next mail. 



I am pleased to be able to state that I found the general condition of 

 the people of this island in an equally satisfactory condition, and a 

 more detailed report will be forwarded next mail. 



The winter has been very severe and large bodies of ice were driven 

 from the north down around the island during March a.nd April, which 

 has delayed the seals in their landing, but they are now arriving in 

 greater numbers and promise to be present in as large numbers as usual 

 by the 1st of June. 



In my report to the Department on the affairs of the seal islands, 

 dated October IL, 1875, for reasons therein set forth, I recommended the 

 number of seals to be taken the present year on the St. Paul Island be 

 limited to 70,000 instead of 90,000 as heretofore. I believe the change 

 necessary for the preservation of sufficient numbers of male seals for 

 breeding purposes, but as I have received no communication from the 

 Department and have therefore no authority to act in the matter other 

 than by recommending to the general agent of the Alaska Commercial 

 Company, a voluntary action on their part, and am informed by him that 

 so well assured is the Alaska Commercial Company of this necessity 

 that they will take only 75,000 seals on St. Paul Island the present year. 

 I also recommended that the number to be taken on St. George Island 

 be fixed at 15,000 instead of 10,000 as heretofore. This increase is 

 warranted by the increase of male seals on that island the past two 

 years, and seems the more necessary from the fact that the number of 

 people residing on that island is so large in proportion to the number 

 of seals taken there that the compensation received for taking 10,000 is 

 barely sufficient for them to purchase the necessities for their living 

 with the greatest economy. 



In my letter to the Department dated March 6, 1876, 1 requested that 

 there should be furnished for the use of the offices of the Treasury 

 agents on St. Paul and St. George islands each a copy of the Revised 

 Statutes of the United States; also two blank books for the keeping of 

 the records of the islands, and a scale for weighing mail matter. As 

 none of these have been received, or any communication from the 

 Department, I must conclude they have gone to Sitka. If this is so, I 

 shall not get them for at least one year and possibly longer, and 1 would 



