ORAL ARGUMENT OF HON. EDWARD J. PHELPS. 309 



thelOtli July. The log- ends on the 30tli July; and perceiving where 

 the Pribylof Islands are — on the left hand lower corner of that map, 

 the map shows, at a glance, Avheieabouts this vessel had been sealing. 

 Turning over to page 531 you find the log of the "Annie", which entered 

 the sea on June -3 — a week earlier, — and the log ends August the 15th. 

 You see where the vessel was — at least 00 miles from the nearest i)oint 

 to the island that it reached; and almost all its cruise was a distance 

 round these Islands, 100 — 170 miles off. 1 am reminded by General Fos- 

 ter, that the island of Unalasi^a is 190 miles away; and you see from 

 the maj) that with the exception of one excursion that this vessel made 

 up and back again, her sealing was all from 100 to 170 miles from the 

 islands. 



The "Alfred Adams" map which will be found opposite to page 543, 

 shews where that vessel was taken. It approached somewhat nearer 

 the islands, but the great body of the seals were taken over 100 miles 

 away. That log begins with entering the sea on the 9th of July, and 

 ends on the 0th of August. 



Then the log of the "Ada", — the only other vessel we have — is found 

 opposite to page 574; and its nearest approach to the island was 46 

 miles distant. In the area that is marked within the dotted line along 

 on the 50 parallel or just below — between the 50th and the 55th parallel 

 of latitude — there are 550 seals taken in 18 days, an average of 30 a 

 day. Then down near Unimak and Unalaska, you will see a large 

 number of seals and a good deal of sealing done at that long distance. 



The President. — Is it confirmed that those are seals on their way to 

 the islands, or on their way from the islands? 



Mr. Phelps. — They must be from the islands by the routes I have 

 given, because while one vessel chooses to enter the sea as early as June 

 20th, all the rest are in it in July; so that the herd on the way to the 

 islands with their young must of course have reached the islands, 

 because they are all on the isl mds by that time. 



The President. — As regards females, these were not seals with 

 young? 



Mr. Phelps. — No, they are nursing females — females who have left 

 their young on the shore. 



Sir Charles iiussELL. — We say some never were on the islands at 

 all. 



Mr. Phelps. — One other observation on the cruise of the "Ada". In 

 the area that is indicated there which was nearest to the islands, the 

 average sealing was 30 seals a day. Down here at a distance of 175 

 miles or so the average of seals taken was 57. 



Marquis Venosta. — During the month of July or the month of 

 August? 



Mr. Phelps. — During the period between July the 14th and August 

 the 24th. This vessel entered the sea on the 14th July, and the log 

 that we have published and from which this is plotted, ends on the 24tli 

 of August. 



General Foster. — The map shows seals taken each day. It shows 

 for instance on August PJtli, 123 seals. 



Mr. Phelps. — In the British Commissioners Eeport we have followed 

 every trace that the evidence on either side enables us to furnish our- 

 selves with, where any sealing vessel was at any given time, as well as 

 to find out the proportions of catches. With tlieir Keport they submit 

 a number of Depositions which give distances from the islands at which 

 the deponents seal. I will just refer to that giving the page. 



