ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 453 



to provide for themselves; all of which foregoing agreements will be done and per- 

 formed by the said company free of all costs and charges to said native inhabitants 

 of said islands or to the United States. 



The annual rental, together with all other payments to the United States provided 

 for in this lease, shall be made and paid on or before the 1st day of April of each 

 and every year during the existence of this lease, beginning with the 1st day of 

 April, 1891. 



The said company further agrees to employ the native inhabitants of said islands 

 to perform such labor upon the islands as they are fitted to perform, and to pay 

 therefor a fair and just compensation, such as may be fixed by the Secretary of the 

 Treasury, and also to contribute, as far as is in its power, all reasonable efforts to 

 secure the comfort, health, education, and promote the morals and civilization of said 

 native inhabitants. 



The said comjjany also agrees faithfully to obey and abide by all rules and regula- 

 tions that the Secretary of the Treasury has heretofore or may hereafter establish or 

 makein]>ur8uauceoflawconcerningthetakingof seals of said islands, and concerning 

 the comfort, morals, and other interests of said inhabitants, and all matters pertain- 

 ing to said islands and the taking of seals within the possession of the United 

 States. It also agrees to obey and abide by any restrictions or limitations upon the 

 right to kill seals that the Secretary of the Treasury shall judge necessary, under 

 the law, for the preservation of the seal fisheries of the United States; and it agrees 

 that it will not kill or permit to be killed, so far as it can prevent, in any year a 

 greater number of seals than is authorized by the Secretary of the Treasury. 



The said company further agrees that it will not permit auy of its agents to keep, 

 sell, give, or dispose of any distilled spirits or spirituous liquors or opium, on either 

 of said islands, or the waters adjacent thereto, to any of the native inhabitants of 

 said islands, such persou not being a. physician and furnishing the same for use as a 

 medicine. 



It is understood and agreed that the number of fur seals to be taken and killed for 

 their skins upon said islands by the North American Commercial Company during 

 the year ending May 1, 1891, shall not exceed 60,000. 



The Secretary of the Treasury reserves the right to terminate this lease and all 

 rights of the North American Commercial Company under the same at any time, on 

 full and satisfactory i)roof that the said company has violated any of the provisions 

 and agreements of this lease, or auy of the laws of the United States, or any Treasury 

 regulation respecting the taking of fur seals, or concerning the islands of St, George 

 and St. Paul, or the inhabitants thereof. 



In witness whereof the parties have set their hands and seals the day and year 

 above written. 



[seal.] William Windom, Secretary of the Trmsnnj 



[seal.] North American Commercial Company. 



By I. LiEBES, 

 President of the North American Commercial Company. 

 Attest: 



H. B. Parsons, Assistant Secretary. 



In both of these instruments it will be observed that the old and the 

 new lessees emphatically and unreservedly '■'■agree to abide by any restric- 

 tion or limitation upon the right to Mil seals under the lease that the act 

 prescribes or that the Secretary of the Treasury shall judge necessary for 

 the preservation of such seals J^ 



Had there been any refusal on the part of the lessees to thus cove- 

 nant and agree in this important regard, no seal island lease could ever 

 have been sustained by its friends. The powerful and jealous oppo- 

 nents of this system would have carried the day in 1870 and again in 1890. 



The wisdom and propriety of this express reservation in behalf of the 

 Government, is now apparent j there is no legal or moral obstacle in the 

 way of taking the action which I suggest for the restoration of these 

 interests on the seal islands themselves : and, I firmly believe that a visit 

 by sonie representative commission of Great Britain to these Pribilov 

 rookeries next season will result in securing the prompt, hearty cooper- 

 ation of that power with our Government in protecting these seals from 

 slaughter in the open waters of Bering Sea, and certain portions of the 

 North Pacific Ocean, during the breeding season of those animals. 



