ALASKA INDUSTEIES. 205 



admit of it, Captain Healey will remain at the islands until the sea is 

 cleared of the sealing vessels. The Bear was leaking badly when I 

 boarded her at St. Paul, on her way north, and indeed the captain 

 thought he would have to return from St. Michaels and proceed direct 

 to San Francisco. If such should prove to be the case, Captain Shep- 

 pard will have more than he can do during the month of August. I 

 desire to say in behalf of a faithful officer that Captain Sheppard has 

 displayed commendable zeal in the execution of his orders, and will make 

 a record of seizures this season which will demoralize the marauding 

 business. 



DESTRUCTION OF SEALS. 



I am now convinced from what I gather in questioning the men 

 belonging to captured schooners, and from reading the logs of the 

 vessels, that not more than one seal in ten killed and mortally wounded 

 is loaded on the boats and skinned. Thus you will see the wanton 

 destruction of seal life without any benefit whatever. I think 30,000 

 skius taken this year by the marauders is a low estimate on this basis — 

 300,000 fur seals were killed to' secure that number, or three times as 

 many as the Alaska Commercial Company are allowed by law to kill. 

 You can readily see that this great slaughter of seals will in a few 

 years make it impossible for 100,000 skins to be taken on the islands 

 by the lessees. I earnestly hope more vigorous measures will be 

 adopted by the Government in dealing with these destructive law 

 breakers. 



Dr. L. A. Noyes, left last fall as acting assistant Treasury agent on 

 St. George Island in place of J. P. Manchester, who returned on 

 account of sickness in his family, performed the duties of the office 

 faithfully until relieved, May 30, 1887, by the return of Mr. Manchester. 

 Dr. Noyes should be paid for the time he served the Government. If 

 there is no fund out of which he can be compensated, I respectfully 

 ask you to recommend the passage of a bill for his relief, or include it 

 in the sundry civil bill, in accordance with his account rendered. 



I left St. George Island in charge of Assistant Treasury Agent 

 William Gavitt, having fully instructed him in regard to his duties. 

 Mr. J.P.Manchester, assistant Treasury agent, is in charge of St. Paul 

 Island, with full instructions. Capt. A. P. Loud, assistant Treasury 

 agent, and myself return by the steamer St. Paul to San Francisco, 

 from which place we will report by telegraph and await your further 

 orders. 



I am, very respectfully, 



Geo. R. Tingle, 



Treasury Agent. 



Hon. C. S. Faiechild, 



Secretary of the Treasury^ Washington, D. G. 



supplemental report. 



San Francisco, August 19, 1887. 



Sir : We arrived from the islands at Unalaska August 5. The cutter 

 Rush came in same day, leaving early the morning of the 6th for the 

 fur seal islands. On the 7th the American schooner Anna, with 380 

 seal skins, was brought into port by a cutter officer, having been 

 seized by Captain Sheppard. She reported the seizure of the British 

 schooners Mary Ellen, 31)5 skins, and Alfred Adams, 1,400. The cutter 

 also took 400 skins landed on an island by the British schooner Lottie 



