ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 51 



In my report of September 30 I stated that previous to leaving the 

 island, August 9, arrangements had been made to secure the comfort 

 of the natives during the ensuing winter. From private correspondence 

 I learn that these have all been fully carried out and that they are now 

 all comfortably housed. 



I have the honor to remain, 



Charles Bryant, 

 Treasury Agent for iSeal Islands. 

 Hon. Wm. a. Eichardson, 



iSecretary of the Treasury. 



Speeial Agent H. W. Elliott: Affairs of natives, ISeal Islands. 



Washington, D. C, October 31, 1873. 



Sir: Three points connected with the general interests of the Gov- 

 ernment upon the Pribilof group of seal islands seem to call for your 

 immediate personal consideration, and as such I take them from my 

 general report and present them in this special communication to 

 yourself. 



First. The annual waste of seal oil upon the Pribilof Islands. One 

 hundred thousand seals are annually slaughtered, and the blubber suf- 

 fered to rot and waste away upon the killing grounds, owing to the 

 tax now levied by law upon every gallon of seal oil that may be made 

 and exported to home ports. 



In this way over 40,000 gallons of excellent oil are annually lost to 

 the aggregate of national wealth. As the matter now stands, no party 

 can protitably render this seal blubber into oil and transport it 13,500 

 miles to San Francisco for market, and enter into successful competi- 

 tion there with the makers of lard, rape seed, and other oils, who have 

 no such imi)ost to support. 



I would therefore respectfully suggest that, as this waste of seal oil 

 on the Pribilof Islands is a public loss, the tax now levied by law upon 

 its shipment from the islands to home ports be abolished. 



Second. With regard to the inhabitants of the Pribilof Islands, Avho 

 are the "natives," as specified in the law of the lease. This is a mat- 

 ter of great importance to these people, and to prevent confusion and 

 illegal action in the future I earnestly urge upon you the propriety of 

 settling this question beyond any possibility of evasion or misappre- 

 hension, for as the case now stands it is not clear or explicit as to what 

 class of the classes of people now living upon the islands are " the 

 natives" who are by law guaranteed, as they should be, the sole right 

 of independent residence on the islands and participation in the seal- 

 ing labor and reward. 



The people now living upon the islands may be divided into three 

 classes, viz: (1) The natives, properly speaking, or those who have 

 been born and raised upon these islands. (2) The people who were 

 living there but not born at the time of the transfer of the Territory. 

 (3) The people who were living and working upon the Pribilof Islands 

 at the time of the granting of the present lease. 



If you decide exclusively in favor of the first class, you will deprive 

 three-fourths of the present population of the right to live and labor 

 upon the islands. 



If you decide exclusively in favor of the first and second classes, you 

 will deprive six Kadiak and Aleutian tamilies of the right to live and 

 labor there, a loss which the peox^le could not well sustain, as their 



