82 ARGUMENT OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



loff Islands in 1800, and sliowino- a want of virile male 

 seals there, appear in the ])art of Mr. Elliott's statement 

 given to the press by him, after his signatnre. As it is 

 stated in the publication in question that the figures were 

 furnished by Mr. Elliott, it is to be assumed that they were 

 an additional excerpt from his full Keport. If they are 

 not, the United States is in a position, by producing the 

 Ileport, to prove that they are not contained in it. The 

 British Commissioners do not vouch for the accuracy of 

 the "actual figures " quoted. They say expressly in this 

 case that Mr. Elliott — 



Para. 433. does not explain in what way this numerical estimate was arrived at. 



But they fail to see any evidence in Mr. Elliott's attempt 

 to put the circumstances of the decrease of male seals in 

 figures, to do otherwise than illustrate these circum- 

 stances to tlie best of his ability. 



In the second paragraph on this page of the United 

 States Counter-Case, a remark made as subsidiary to 

 olliers included under paragraph 44 of the Report of the 

 British Commissioners is chosen for attack. This remark 

 is brought into special prominence for the purpose of 

 attempted rebuttal, in the following terms: 



The second mode by which they endeavour to show a decrease in the 

 Bcal herd prior to 1880 is by i)ointing to an alleged recognition thereof 

 on the part of the lessees in the reduction made by them of their catch 

 in 1875, and to an alleged lowering of the standard of weights of skins. 



m^sioners' ^1™" ^''^ Statement made by the Commissioners as to reduced 

 port, para. 44. number of skins taken in 1875 is denied by the United 

 States. In thus denying, they cite the British Com- 

 Page76. 98 missioncrs' Report (p. 132), where a Table is given 



showing the total killing in each year on the Priby- 

 loff Islands. But on referring to this Table, it is found tliat 

 the number killed in 1875 was, as stated by the Commis- 

 sioners, less than that in 1872, 1873, and 1874 (over 6,000 

 less than in the last-mentioned year). 



Reference is further made in this connection to vol. ii of 

 the Appendix to the United States Case, in contravention 

 of the British Commissioners' statement, but the Tables 

 there found (pp. 558-585) are those of salted seal-skins sold 

 in London. Such sales do not correspond with the actual 

 number of seals taken on the islands in the same year, as 

 skins have often been held over from one year to the next 

 in London; and a part of the skins taken in the autumn 

 have almost invariably been held over till the next year in 

 the Pribylolf Islands themselves. 



The third reference given in support of the denial of 



this particular statement of the Commissioners, is to a 



Table on p. 427 of the United States Counter-Case. It 



must be explained that the statistics of killings on the 



Piibylofi" Islands to wliich the Commissioners were able to 



refer, were those which had been i)ul)lished by the United 



States. Therefore, when, as in this instance, the United 



States now i)roduce new and more detailed figures, alleged 



Senate, sist tf> havB bccu ou file 'u the Treasury Department, no proof 



Cong., 2ii(i Sfss, of unfairness or inaccuracy can justly be urged as against 



p.'29. "'^' "'^^'the Commissioners. Thus, in tlie Tables of killings here- 



