ORAL ARGUMENT OF SIR CHARLES RUSSELL, Q. C. M. P. 19 



But not only that, but the evidence further establishes the fact that 

 the death of pni)S was found to be confined to particular rookeries on 

 that particular island of St. Paul, again showing- that if the death of 

 the pups in 1891 had been attributed to the killing by pelegic pursuit 

 of the mother they would have been found to be distributed over both 

 the islands and upon the rookeries of each of the islands, where as it 

 was found confined to one island, and only to the rookeries on that 

 island. But in the next i)lace, and conclusively on this point, the 

 evidence establishes, and I will read it to-morrow morning that the same 

 thing was to be found existing and to the -same extent in the year 1892, 

 when there was no pelagic sealing at all in Behring Sea. 



It follows from these facts which I have mentioned, and which I will 

 make good tomorrow morning, that this charge of this enormous death 

 which occurred in these two years to pup-life upon the Pribilof Islands, 

 was due to pelagic sealing, will be found to be entirely without support. 



Lastly, there is this extraordinary comment; they now get a number 

 of witnesses, Aleuts and others, who make affidavits that they had 

 noticed deaths of pups in previous years which they connected with 

 pelagic sealing and with the killing of the mothers at sea, which they 

 say began to be serious in 1884, and went on increasing in 1884, 1885, 

 1880, 1887, 1888 and 1889. And yet, wonderful, to relate, in no official 

 Eeport is there any reference to that fact; and although Professor 

 Elliott was there in 1890 for the purpose of examining and reporting 

 upon the whole of the question, not one of the Witnesses upon the Island 

 ever drew attention to this question of the death of pups in any way 

 suggesting directly or indirectly that it had anything to do with pelagic 

 sealing at all. The result is, his Report is entirely silent on the question. 



Senator JNIorgan. — You do not dispute the fact that the pups died? 



Sir Charles Russell. — No; on the contrary, the British Commis- 

 sioners appear to have been the very first to call attention to the fact. 

 There was a large number of dead pups in the neighbourhood of the 

 Rookeries. 



Senator Morgan. — How do they account for the death? 



Sir Charles Russell. — I will read tomorrow morning what is said 

 about it. 



The President. — If You please. 



(The Tribunal then adjourned till to-morrow morning at 11,30 o'clock.) 



