ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 317 



can be duplicated from year to year, provided suitable arrangements 

 are made for doing so. 



Recommendation. — The appropriation under whick the work is now 

 carried on being a continuing one and made to meet an emergency, has 

 very properly been discontinued from June 30, 1893. In view of this 

 iact, it is earnestly urged that the attention of Congress be drawn to 

 the matter, with the recommendation that in the appropriation bills of 

 the U. S. Fish Commission an allotment be made for and a clause 

 inserted requiring an annual report concerning the condition of seal life 

 upon the Pribilof Islands. This seems to be a task that would with 

 peculiar propriety be performed by this Bureau of the Government, as 

 it is already equipped for such service both with vessels and trained 

 experts, and any statements emanating from it would be beyond 

 reproach. 



ITINERARY. 



In accordance with my instructions, the journey was made at once to 

 San Francisco to take passage on the steamer St. Paul, which Avas sup- 

 posed to leave this city on May 20. Arriving on the morning of that 

 day, it was found that there was no probability of the vessel sailing 

 before the first week in June. Knowing the imj^ortance of Major Wil- 

 liams leaving the islands not later than June 10, and that the United 

 States revenue steamer Coricin was still at Port Townsend, passage was 

 secured on that vessel on May 27 and Unalaska reached on June 7. 

 Eemaining at that port only long enough to transact some business for 

 the State Department, our luggage was transported to the United States 

 revenue steamer Eush^ and we proceeded by way of the native villages 

 in the vicinity of Unalaska to the Seal Islands, arriving there on the 

 afternoon of June 9. Major Williams was thus enabled to leave the 

 islands on the following day. The letter of instructions given him was 

 handed me for my guidance. (See iuclosure, Exhibit A.) 



During the summer my entire time was given to the study of the 

 ])robleras connected with seal life, and to the duties incident to the 

 administration of the islands of St. Paul and St. George. On August 

 14 the homeward journey was begun, and en route a short cruise was 

 made in the Corivin to the southward of the islaiids and among the 

 native villages of the Aleutian chain. On August 24 final passage was 

 taken from Unalaska on the British Columbia collier Danube, bound 

 for Victoria. This was the only conveyance at hand, as the Rush was 

 ])revented from making the trip to the coast at this time as had been 

 planned by the necessity of retaining her in Bering Sea to perform the 

 duties of the disabled Albatross. Keaching Victoria on the 2d of Sep- 

 tember, my arrival was telegraphed to the Department, and, after wait- 

 ing forty-eight hours for instructions, I proceeded directly East. 



REGULATIONS. 



Their absence an embarrassment. — On entering upon my duties as 

 agent in charge there was encountered the embarrassment which arose 

 from the almost total absence of any formulated expression of the De- 

 partment's views concerning the business management of the islands, 

 nor were there any formulated rulings indicating the oflicial construc- 

 tion of the terms of the lease. So far as could be found, the only guide 

 upon which the agent could rely was the information contained in the 

 annual letter of instructions or such traditional lore as had been handed 

 down orally by former agents. Agents come and agents go from year 

 to yearj the views of one Government representative to the islands 



