100 ARGUMENT OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



"3. That the waste of seal life resulting from pelagic sealing 

 is insignijicant.^' 



Pages 94, 95. Statements collected by the British Commissioners, and 

 here referred to, which assert the enormous loss of seals by 

 pela<;ic hunters, form ])art of a general discAission of losses. 

 British Com-Tj^e British Commissioners explain that they have been at 

 port, pp. 82, 614. paius to coIIcct and examine all the statements npon which 

 a theory of great losses at sea have been based up to the 

 date at which their Report was written. They have sum- 

 marized these in para. 014 of their Report, thinking it bet- 

 ter to trace such assertions back to their sources, rather than 

 to depend on the rhetorical expressions of newspapers, &g., 

 which afforded at the time the only other basis for the alle- 

 gations of extraordinary losses at sea. 

 Page 95. 122 In proceeding to set out the testimony of persons 



who have actually engaged in pelagic sealing, the 

 British ^Com- Commissioncrs point ont that tlie interest of such persons 

 port, paras. 615- is a factor to be allowed for; but they also point out that 

 ^2^- the statements are given over the signatures of those mak- 



ing them, in a formal way, and are to be considered of " a 

 much higher order of accuracy" than those before referred 

 to. Advantage is, however, taken, in the Counter-Case 

 presented by the United iStates, of this critical remark on 

 the part of the British Commissioners, to designate the 

 evidence as that of " interested parties." 



The assertion is next made in the United States Counter- 

 Case that — 



the Commissioners then present [on the subject of losses of seals at 

 sea] a number of statements collected from inexperienced individuals. 



A reference to the paragraphs of the Commissioners' 

 Report thus alluded to by the United States will show how 

 entirely incorrect the assertion as to "inexperience" is. 

 Page 96, It is scarccly nccessary to pursue in detail the discussion 



of the facts respecting losses at sea, on this page of the 

 United States Counter-Case. A few observations may, 

 however, be made upon it. 



In introducing their Table, showing the actual numerical 

 losses of seals by a number of sealers, the British Commis- 

 sioners do not say — 

 an endeavour was then made to "elucidate the question," &c. 



The statement made is as follows : 



British Com- It has been endeavoured, however, still further to elucidate the ques- 

 missioiiers' Re tion here considered by tabulating all the vrell-authenticated state- 

 port, para. 627. tnents referring to the actual number of fur-seals sliot, and the 

 proportion lost. 



Again, the white hunters do not — 



afiSriu that they lose but 4 per cent, of the seals they kill. 



This percentage is a calculation based on the numbers of 

 seals shot and lost, or shot and recovered, as stated by the 

 hunters. 



The affirmations as to the proportion lost are contained in 



the preceding statements, with respect to the value of which 



a remark made in the opening lines of para. 627 refers. 



Tiie numerical statements here combined and tabu- 



123 lated represent nearly 10,000 seals, and no criterion 



