ORAL ARGUMENT OF HON. EDWARD J. PHELPS. 291 



or younger males also appear. In fnrtlier proof npon this point an 

 examination of the table of killiiii;-s from 1880 to 1889, shows that the 

 killing season opened every year in May, and for the greater number 

 of years on or before May the 20th and by June the 15th large numbers 

 of bachelors had already been taken. 



The United States Commissioners say the cows begin to arrive early 

 in June, but in immense numbers between the middle and end of the 

 month, and the harems are complete early in July. 



The British Commissioners say a few gravid females usually land as 

 early as the 1st June but it is under normal circumstances between the 

 middle of June and the middle of July that the great body of the females 

 come ashore. 



All the difi'erence is that the American Commissioners say the harems 

 are completed early in July, and the l>ritish Commissioners say between 

 that and the middle of July ; the difference is very slight. 



There is a good deal of testimony also about the seals swimming more 

 rapidly than any hsh, and that they usually travel I'OO miles in one day. 

 Tliis is confiimed by the Canadian Fisheries Eeports. 



The British Commissioners state that in the latter part of June or 

 about July 1st, the female seals in pup which have entered Beliring Sea 

 are found making their way rapidly and directly to the breeding Islands, 

 li^ow before alluding to a good deal of testimony on these points I want 

 to point out on the map what is very striking. 



In the British Counter Case we have the logs of 19 Canadian vessels 

 engaged in pelagic sealing in 1892, duly authenticated by the aflidavits 

 of the master or other officers of the vessels. These logs show the 

 period of time occupied by each vessel in sealing, the locality of the 

 vessel on each day when seals a^ ere taken, and the number of each 

 day's catch. That is found in the 2nd A^olume of the British Counter 

 Case from ])ages 187 to 212. We have plotted on the map 



Mr. Justice Harlan. — Is that a map made from these logs'? 



Mr. Phelps. — Yes. 1 will descril)e it. 



We have put on to the map the location where each of these vessels 

 was on the 1st day of May; their exact course through the months of 

 May and June, the points at which their catches were made, and, in the 

 case of most of them, not all, the number of the catch. Now, as to 

 those 19 vessels, of which we have an exact record, I will ask the atten- 

 tion of the Tribunal while General Foster points them out. 



The Umhrina, No. 1, was off Sitka on the 4th day of May. 



Sir Charles Eussell. — The latitude and longitude were given in 

 the log. Has that been verified f 



Mr. Phelps. — Yes : this has been verified exactly. We have followed 

 the latitude and longitude and the course, to know where they started 

 from and where they went. The Umbriva started on the 4th February; 

 on the 4th of May, she was off Sitka; on the 30th of May, she was south- 

 west of Middleton Island; and, on the lOth of June, she was east, off 

 the centre of Kadiak Island. There is the course of that vessel from 

 February to April. 



General Foster. — She went out in February, and sealed throughout 

 the season. 



Mr. Phelps. — That is the way she came. From February to April, 

 she took 296 seals. 



General Foster. — As her log shows. 



Mr. Phelps. — In May and June, a;");") seals. So that out of a catch 

 of 851, 555 were taken between the localities which have been j^ointed 

 out, Sitka and Kadiak. 



