184 CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



AFFIDAVIT OP WILLIAM MUNSIB. 



City of Victoria, Province of British Columbia, Dominion of Canada. 

 I, William Munsie, of the city of Victoria, in tlie Province of British 

 Columbia, Dominion of Oanada, merchant, do solemnly and sincerely 

 declare as follows : 



1. I am a member of the firm of Carne and Munsie, merchant, of the 

 said city of Victoria, the said firm being composed of Frederic Carne, 

 Junior, of the same place, and myself. 



2. The said Frederic Carne, Junior, is the registered owner of sixteen 

 shares of the hereinafter-mentioned schooner "Pathfinder," of the port 

 of Victoria; I am the registered owner of sixteen shares of the said 

 schooner, and the said firm are registered owners of the remaining 

 thirty-two shares. 1 am the managing owner of the said schooner. 



3. The said schooner "Pathfinder" cleared at the Custom-house, 

 Victoria, aforesaid, on the I7th day of April, A. d. 1889, for a hunting 

 and sealing voyage in the North Pacific Ocean and Behring Sea, and 

 sailed on the 18th day of April, A. D. 1889. 



4. On the said voyage William O'Leary was master, and Andrew 

 Davidson was mate. The crew consisted of a cook, twelve seamen, and 

 five hunters. 



5. On the 24th July last I received from the said "Pathfinder" by 

 the schooner "Wanderer" from the north, 558 seal-skins which had 

 been caught by the "Pathfinder" in the Pacific Ocean on her way 

 northward to Behring Sea. 



G. On the 30th August last the said " Pathfinder" returned to Victoria 

 aforesaid, having on board an officer from the United States steamer 

 "Kichard Kush." Captain O'Leary reported to me that on the 29th 

 day of July last the said United States steamer "Richard Rush" 

 hailed him in Behring Sea about 57° 24' north latitude and 171° 55' 

 west longitude, and ordered him to heave-to. The "Pathfinder" was 

 immediately boarded by officers from the said "Richard Rush." 

 41 The officer in charge seized the "Pathfinder" and took away all 

 the seal-skins on board (854), eight shot-guns, four rifles, six 

 boxes of ammunition, a quantity of salt, and the ship's papers. He left 

 an officer on board in charge, and ordered Captain O'Leary to take the 

 "Pathfinder" to port of Sitka, in the Territory of Alaska. 



7. At the time of such seizure the sealing season in Behring Sea was 

 less than half gone, and I verily believe that had the "Pathfinder" 

 remained unmolested in Behring Sea until the close of the season she 

 would have caught not less than 2,100 seal-skins. I have this on infor- 

 mation given me by the said Captain O'Leary and by Captain Baker, 

 of the .schooner " Viva," also owned by us atid managed by myself, 

 who was in the Behring Sea the whole season of 1889. The hunting 

 equij^ment of the said two schooners was about equal. 



A few days before the " Pathfinder" was seized as aforesaid, she was 

 spoken by the " Viva." At that time the " Pathfinder" had 449 seal- 

 skins on board, and the " Viva" 420. The " Viva" caught in the full 

 season in Behring Sea 2,182 seal-skins, and for the year a total of 3,641 

 skins. 



8. In the year 1888, and this year 1889, the said firm of Carne and 

 Munsie shipped their seal-skins to London on their own account, and 

 hereto annexed, marked (B), is a copy of the account sales of i)art of 

 the catch of the " Patlifinder" for the year 1888; and hereto annexed^ 

 marked (C), is a co])y of the account-sales of the said "Pathfinder's" 

 catch of seals in the spring of 1889, before going north. The sealskins 



