120 SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 
west and blowing a gale, followed by a heavy sea. On the morning of 
the 25d sighted the lower part of Akutan Island, the top of which was 
enveloped in a heavy fog. All through the day seals were plentiful, 
and many of them asleep. During the past few days enough seals 
had been seen to induce a vessel to lay by and wait until the weather 
should moderate, but the captain thought bad weather had set in for 
the fall, and accordingly had made up his mind to go home. He made 
a mistake in so deciding, for after we had lett and were on our way 
home good catches were made by all the vessels that remained. 
At 6 o’elock in the evening we had left Unimak Pass behind us and 
were Standing on an east by south course. The next day, when about 
75 miles from the pass, saw a sleeping seal, and 10 miles farther on 
saw two more. When about 200 miles off shore salmon were noticed 
jumping. They were so near that we could hardly mistake the species. 
Whales were also plentiful. For the first two or three days after leav- 
ing Bering Sea the weather was pleasant, but during the greater part 
of the voyage home heavy gales from the westward prevailed. On the 
evening of September 6 we arrived at Victoria, having been twelve 
days on the voyage home. 
|The writer was very kindly treated by the captain, officers, and crew 
of the Olsen, who did everything in their power to forward his inquiries. 
‘Had the Olsen encountered the favorable conditions which many of the 
vessels did, much more extensive and important observations could 
have been made. It was subsequently learned that during the time we 
were having exceedingly stormy weather, often hove to in a gale, many 
vessels of the fleet operating several degrees farther south were hay- 
ing pleasant weather and making good catches every day. 
SYNOPSIS OF THE SEALING CRUISE OF THE LOUIS OLSEN 
| ON THE JAPAN COAST IN 1894. 
The schooner Lowis Olsen, of Astoria, sailed on a sealing voyage, 
bound for the coast of Japan, January 1, 1894. Like the majority of 
sealers intending to hunt on that coast, she made a southern passage, 
‘going to the southward of the Sandwich Islands and close to the Bonin 
Islands. Sealers frequently call at the latter group for water and make 
such repairs as may be needed. These islands are situated not far from 
the sealing ground where seals are taken early in the spring. 
_ The boats were lowered for the first time on March 12. The next day 
and the following one 74 seals were taken. On the 16th a heavy gale 
from the southeast came on, but subsided on the 17th, when hunting 
Was resumed. 
On March 22, in latitude 37° 44’ north, longitude 144° 02’ east, a 
schooner was sighted bottom up, which proved to be the sealing schooner 
Mascot. She was afterwards seen by other vessels, and attempts were 
made to cut through her side and secure the skins, of which, it was 
understood, there were about 500 in her hold, but without success. 
It had been noticed that the current was very strong and very irregu- 
lar, making it difficult to trace the vessel’s track by dead reckoning. 
On the 25th a clear sky afforded the opportunity for a good observation, 
and it was found that the current had carried the vessel 75 miles to the 
north-northeast, although she had been headed southwest by south. 
An irregularity in the currents was subsequently noticed on all parts 
of the coast visited. 
