THE DEPONENTS AND THEIR EXPERIENCE. 65 



Creoles and Aleuts. The native men and nearly all of the whites are 

 hunters. Wood Island, near St. Paul, has a population of 193, includ- 

 ing three whites, the natives being mostly hunters. Owing to a severe 

 winter and late spring, the men were still at home, and we were able to 

 procure affidavits from 35 whites and 55 native hunters, who had prac- 

 tical knowledge of the subject in the regions in which they were in the 

 habit of hunting. The regular work of the Albatross is deep-sea explo- 

 ration, the discovery and development of fishing grounds, and, not in- 

 frequently, purely scientific investigation in normal ocean depths far 

 outside of the range of economic species. 



I have been engaged in this work nearly fourteen years, during which 

 time it has been a part of my duty to acquire information concerning 

 the seal and its life. This has been done not only from personal expe- 

 rience and observations, but by questioning practical men, such as 

 intelligent mariners, fishermen, and hunters. Pelagic sealing has been 

 a frequent subject of conversation and argument with me since my 

 first northern cruise in 1888, and I have readied the following conclu- 

 sions : 



W. B. Taylor, of Omaha, Nebr., being duly sworn, deposes and says : I 

 am 41 years of age, secretary and treasurer of the 

 Globe Loan and Trust Company, of Omaha, Ne- w. B. Taylor, p. 175. 

 braska, and am not andnever have been in anyway 



connected with any company engaged in the seal-skin industy. In the 

 year 1881 I was assistant Treasury agent for the seal islands. I ar- 

 rived on the islands in the latter part of May of that year, and after a 

 week's stay on St. Paul Island was detailed to St. George, remaining 

 there until the latter part of August. Since then I have not been on 

 the islands. While on St. George I was on the killing grounds every 

 day during the season, and visited the rookeries almost daily, both in 

 connection with my official duties and for the purpose of studying; seal 

 life. 



Tcket-Chak, being duly sworn, deposes and says: Was born at Kil- 

 lisnoo and have lived here all my life, Am now a 

 very old man. My occupation is that of a herring- Tcliet-ChaJc, p. 254. 

 fisher and wood chopper. Have visited all the 



islands and inlets in Chatham Sound and other parts of southeastern 

 Alaska. 



Emil Teichmann, being duly sworn, doth depose as follows: 



First. That he is 4G years of age, a native of 

 the Kingdom of Wnrtemberg, and is now a natu- Emil Teichmann, p. 576. 

 ralized subject of Her Britannic Majesty. 



That since the age of manhood he has been engaged in the fur busi- 

 ness; that from 18GG to 1868, inclusive, he resided in America in that 

 business, and since 1868 he has resided in England and done business 

 in the city of London, and is now and has continually beeu during all 

 these years engaged in one way or another in the fur business. That 

 he is now a member of the firm of C. M. Lampson & Co., and has been 

 a member of such firm for the period of twelve years last past. That 

 prior to the time he became a member of such firm and from the years 

 1873 to 1880 he was a member of the firm of Martin & Teichmann, who 

 were then, and its successors C. W. Martin & Sons still are, the largest 

 dressers and dyers of seal skins in the world. 



C B S 



