CllUISE OF THE STEAMER CORWIN. 19 



were captured altogether, and I understand that the natives are to be removed elsewhere this 

 fall, it having been demonstrated that a continuation of the settlement was unprofitable. The 

 crowded condition of the Corwin prevented a visit there this year, but I am confident it would 

 have been fruitless in results if made. 



VALUE PLACED UPON OUR SEBVICES BY WHALEMEN. 



That the whalemen fully appreciate the services of the cutter in Arctic waters is beyond ques- 

 tion. On every side one hears favorable comments on the spirit of enterprise that has led the 

 Department to send one of its vessels yearly to these waters with the partial object in view of 

 being of assistance to whalemen in case of disaster. The former distrust and professional jealousy 

 of the service, due to the natural dislike men have of being kept under surveillance, have almost 

 entirely disappeared, the fact being generally recognized that we are friends in need, and while 

 we will conscientiously uphold the laws we have taken an oath to enforce, we are ever ready to be 

 of such assistance as lies in our power to those who are in danger or distress. 



As soon as the Bowhead was crushed steps were taken to communicate with this ship, and I 

 believe that I am justified in saying that the prompt response of the Corwin merited the meed of 

 praise that she has received. Pushing to the northward through fog and snow and ice, her efforts 

 to be of service did not cease until the northern limits of navigation had been reached, the 

 wrecked crew all on her decks, and every vessel in the fleet found to be safe. 



While among the fleet the services of our surgeon were daily called iuto requisition to attend 

 the sick and disabled. In a climate so rigorous and in the pursuit of a business so liable to acci- 

 dent there are cases occurring frequently that require more than the simple attention of a master 

 of a vessel. We have been able to supply this need, and I am pleased to report that I believe the 

 amount of good accomplished has far more than repaid the outlay of time and attention and has 

 been fully appreciated by those upon whom it was bestowed. 



THE SEA- OTTER. 



This fur-beariug animal is gradually leaving the grounds it formerly frequented and is now 

 being found principally on the kelp banks outlying the Choumagin Islands, in the vicinity of Cape 

 Flattery, and even as far south as the coast of California. The persistency with which they have 

 been hunted by the natives, by whites married to native women, and by vessels fitted out for that 

 purpose has materially reduced their numbers and caused them to seek safer feeding grounds. 

 Not only have these hunters used the breech-loading rifle in taking this animal, but I am credibly 

 informed that nets made of salmon-twine, set en echelon along the beaches where the otter is accus- 

 tomed to haul out, are now being used. If this practice is continued for a few years longer none 

 will be found among the islands, and, as the Aleuts live almost entirely upon the profits derived 

 from the sale of the skins, extreme poverty, if not actual starvation, must follow upon their exter- 

 mination. 



Quite a number of breech-loading arms are in the hands of the people here, and more are being 

 brought in each year. Some are smuggled in by fishermen and other vessels coming here, and the 

 large extent of territory i^recludes the possibility of stopping it entirely. Every year a few are 

 brought in on permits obtained by parties in San Francisco, and either the persons who obtain 

 these permits allow others to use them or on leaving the Territory are tempted by the high price 

 of arms to dispose of them. This evil may be remedied somewhat by the presence of another 

 vessel in these waters, but that it can be wholly stopped under the present law is extremely 

 doubtful. 



Allowing white men who are married to native women to hunt is but offering a premium for 

 bigamy and desertion. While the law is commendable in theory, it will not work in practice. 

 Unprincipled white hunters, tempted by the great value of otter skins, come here and marry the 

 simple girls, force them to accompany them on their hunting trips and do their cooking and work 

 for them, bring two or three children into the world, and then leave their families to get their 

 living as best they can, while they themselves return to enjoy their earnings with other wives iu 



