APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 333 



English navigator is singularly explicit, wliileit is in complete harmony 

 with that of the Eussiau visitors and of Cook, who preceded. 



The Keport of Meares is similar, although less minute. Speaking of 

 the natives generally, he says "they live entirely upon hsh, but of all 

 others they prefer the whale." Then, again, going into more detail, he 

 says, "vast quantities of fish are to be found, both on the coast and in 

 the sounds or harbours. Amoug tliese there are the halibut, herring, 

 sardine, silver beam, salmon, trout, cod, all of which we have seen iu 

 the possession of the natives, or have been caught by ourselves." The 

 herrings he describes as taken in such numbers "that a whole village 

 has not been able to cleanse them." At Nootka the salmon was of a 

 very delicate flavour, and " the cod taken by the natives of the best 

 quality." French testimony is not wanting, although it is less precise. 

 The early navigator, who was on the coast in 1779, remarks that "the 

 fish most abundant is the salmon." La Perouse, who was there iu 1787, 

 meutions a large fish weighing sometimes more than 100 lbs., and 

 several other fish, but he preferred ^^ the salmon and trout, which the 

 Indians sold in larger numbers than could be consumed." A similar 

 report was made by Marchant, the other French navigator, who finds 

 the sea and rivers abounding in " excellent fish," particularly salmon 



and trout. 

 84 Alterwards came the Eussian navigator Billings iu 1792; and 



here we have a similar report, only difierent in form. Describ- 

 ing the natives of Ounalaska, the book in which this visit is recorded 

 says "they dry salmon, cod, and halibut for a winter supply." At 

 Kodiak. it says, "whales are in amazing numbers about the straits of 

 the islands and in the vicinity of Kodiak." Then, again, the reporter, 

 who was the naturalist Saner, says, "I observed the same species of 

 salmon here as at Okhotsk, and saw crabs." Then, again, "the halibuts 

 iu these seas are extremely large, some weighing 17 i)oods, or 012 lbs. 

 avoirdupois. The liver of this fish, as also of cod, the natives deem 

 unhealthy and never eat, but extract the oil from them." Then, again, 

 returning to Ounalaska, the reporter says "the other fish are halibut, 

 cod, two or three species of salmon, and sometimes one very common iu 

 Kamtchatka between 1 and 5 feet long." 



From Lisiansky, another Russian navigator, who was on the coast iu 

 1801, 1 take two passages. The first relates to the fish of Sitka. "For 

 some time," he says, "we had been able to catch no fish but the hali- 

 but. Those of the species which we caught were fine, some weighing 

 18 stone, and were of an excellent flavour. This fish abounds here 

 from March to November, when it retires from the coast till the winter 

 is at an end." The other passage relates to the subsistence of the 

 inhabitants during the winter. "They live," he says, "on dried sal- 

 mon, train oil, and the spawn of fish, especially that of herrings, of 

 which they always lay iu a good stock." 



Langsdorf, who was there at the same time, is more full and explicit. 

 Of Ounalaska he says "the princii)al food consists of fish, sea-dogs, 

 and the flesh of whales. Among the fish the most conunon and most 

 abundant are several sorts of salmon, cod, herrings, and holgbutt. The 

 holybutts, which are the sort held in the highest esteem, are some- 

 times of an enormous size, weighing even several hundred pounds." 

 Then, again, of Kodiak he says, "the most common fish, those which 

 fresh and dry constitute a principal article of food, are herrings, cod, 

 holybutt, and several sorts of salmon; the latter are taken iu prodigious 

 numbers by means of nets or dams." Of Sitka he says, "we have sev- 

 eral sorts of salmon, holybutt, whitings, cod and herrings." A goodly 

 variety. 



