ORAL AKGUJIENT OF SIR RICHARD WEBSTER, Q. C. M. P. 141 



How that bears on mirsiug-females, it is difficult to say. Then the 

 next is. — 



The seals canoht along the coast after 1st of April are mostly pregnant females, 

 and those caught in Beliring Sea were females that had given birth to their young. 

 I often noticed the milk flowing ont of their breasts when being skinned, and have 

 seen them killed more than 100 miles from the Seal Islands. I have seen live pups 

 cut out of their mothers and live around on the decks for a week. 



For all we know, and for all the affidavit tells us, that may apply to 

 Belli iiig Sea in the month of May; that may apply to Behriiig Sea in 

 the month of June, that may ajiply to the catching of females in 

 Behring Sea within a few miles of these Islands; neither date nor 

 distance is given. 



I was in the Behring Sea in 1889 on the schooner ".Tames G. Swan", but did not 

 use shot-guns. Most all the seals we caught were cows giving milk. 



Again, no statement of place, and no statement of number. 



We entered Behring Sea in the middle of May, and captured 300 while in there. 

 Most of those were mother seals with their breasts full of milk. 



Why, Mr. President, if this had been something done close to the 

 islands, within 5 or 10 miles off', and they were the seals that had gone 

 out, as the evidence shows clearly they do go out from time to time, to 

 play in the water near the islands, it would be nothing remarkable, and 

 would prove nothing. 



We did not capture any gravid seals in the Behring Sea. Nearly all the seals 

 taken in Behring Sea were cows in milk. We captured a few young seals, in the 

 sea, of both sexes. 



Then 



I hunted in Behring Sea in 1889, that being the only year I ever went to that sea 

 and hunted seals with spears, about 70 miles south-west off the islands, and onr 

 cat h was nearly all cows that had given birth to their young and had milk in their 

 teats. 



iNo statement of how many they caught, and no statement of when it 

 was. I would read every one of these extracts if necessary. 



The President. — Some of them have a statement as to dates. 



Sir EiCHARD Webster. — There is none that I have passed. I have 

 read consecutively, and none combine all three elements of date, num- 

 ber and place. 



The President. — There is Niels Bonde. 



Sir EiCHARD Webster. — I read that I think. 



The seals caught along the coast after the 1st of April are mostly pregnant females, 

 and those caught in Behring Sea were females that have given birth to their young. 

 1 often noticed the milk flowing out of their breasts when being skinned, and have 

 seen them killed more than 100 miles from the seal islands. I have seen live pups cut 

 out of mothers, and live around on the decks for a week. 



l^either date nor number given I have not intentionally passed any 

 one; I thought I read the whole of that page. I have only one or two 

 more observations to make upon this head, and, as I do not want to 

 trespass unduly upon tlie Tribunal, perhaps they will keej) till 

 to-morrow. 



Lord Hannen. — I understood you to say that you passed Niels 

 Bonde, and said it had nothing to do with it? 



Sir Richard Webster.— Well, if I did, my Lord, I did it uninten- 

 tionally. What I did mean to say was, that Niels Bonde had nothing 

 to do with it so far as pregnant females were concerned. Perhaps I 

 read it too fast; I did not know that I had i)assed it — I had no inteu- 



