ORAL AKGUMENT OF JAMES C. CARTER, ESQ. 233 



deal shortly with another aspect of the question of property, namely, 

 with the industry that is established on the islands, irrespective of any 

 right of propert}^ in the seals themselves, I shall postpone a discussion 

 of the rights of protection and defence which a property interest would 

 give until I have concluded what I have to say upon that aspect of the 

 question which relates to the industry carried on npon the islands. 



[The Tribunal thereupon took a recess.] 



The Tribunal resumed at 2.10 p. m.] 



Mr. Carter. There is one extract from the Report of the British 

 Commissioners which I intended to read in the course of my argument, 

 showing, that a husbandry is possible with the seals, and that it is car- 

 ried on on the Pribilof Islands. It is found on page 159. It is a news- 

 paper extract (reading) : 



The American fur-seal had a narrow escape of shariug the fate of its southern 

 kindred. In a paper dealing with this subject, a writer gives the following account: 



"Early in this century tJie seals were almost exterminated in many of the islands 

 in the North Pacific, and were there as ruthlessly slaughtered as they were in the 

 Bass Straits and tlie New Zealand coast. The extermination was, as it were, com- 

 menced, had not Russia first, and the United States afterwards leased the exchisive 

 right of kill'iig seals on the Pribylof Islands — a famous sealing place — to a single 

 Company, by which means the seals were saved, as the Company had an interest in 

 keejiiug up the supply of furs." , 



This single experiment, the writer states, has proved conclusively that fur-seals 

 can be farmed as easily as sheep, and that sealing should not be thrown open with- 

 out restrictions. Seals are a property the State should jealously guard. On the two 

 Pribyloft' Islands it is computed that 5,000,000 seals I'esort annually. These islands, 

 from the value of the fur-seal, were discovered in the year 178G, when the slaughter 

 commenced, and was prosecuted without [?] until the year 1839, when the nnral)er 

 had been so reduced that the business threatened to be entirely destroyed within a 

 few years. 



The President. Do you know where that paper comes from? 



Mr. Carter. The substance of it is a newspaper extract. 



Sir Richard Webs fer. It is referred to in the letter on page 58. 



Senator Morgan. And is a reply to a circular from the Governor of 

 Tasmania. 



The President, That is a British official — Mr. Martin — is it not? 

 Does not the British Government endorse liis views? 



Sir Richard Webster. On page 154 you will find that the British 

 Commissioner sent a circular of inquiry. 



The President. But that implies no approbation of the views — it 

 is merely for the purpose of inquiry? 



Mr. Carter. It is a paper x>resented by the British Commissioners 

 as having been received from persons familiar with the subject. (Read- 

 ing again :) 



The destruction was then stopped until 1845, when it was gradually resumed, 

 though, instead of the indiscriminate slaughter which had before been permitted, 

 only the young males (2 years old) were allowed to be killed. The rookeries con- 

 tinued to increase in size until 1857. 



The President. All that is in agreement with your own contention, 

 Mr. Carter. 



Mr. Carter. The general tendency of it is in accordance with our 

 evidence, but it must not be taken as minutely in accordance with our 

 contention. I read thesQ extracts for the purpose of showing the con- 

 clusions of the compiler of this information. (Reading again:) 



The Company who leased the right of sealing in these islands were restricted about 

 the year 1860 to 50,000 seal-skins annually. From 1821 to 1839, 758,502 lur-seals were 

 killed, and 372,894 from 1845 to 1862. From another authority, Mr. Hittel, I find that 

 when the United States Government took possession of the islands in 1867 several 

 American firms took possession, and the wholesale slaughter of seals began afresh. 



