REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 127 



for any purpose Avliatever. This reserved area tlius comprises about 

 five miles of tlie nortliern eud of Copper Island, with Suikovslvy Point 

 and the Bobroti roclvs and reefs lyin^- off this point. Here the sea- 

 otters are taken at designated times and under Government supervision 

 in twine nets, except in certain years in whicli the natives get a permit 

 to make a drive of otters upon the rocks, and kill them therewith clubs 

 like the fur-seals. This was allowed in 1890, and twenty sea-otters were 

 got in the drive, though more might have been secured but for some 

 mistakes which occurred during the operation. One hundred and eighty 

 sea-otter skins in all were obtained from Copper Island during the year 

 1890. 



4G6. Vigilance is required in guarding this sea-otter colony from 

 raids, and it is said that in 1887 or 1888 Captain Snow, in the schooner 

 "Nemo," from Yokohama, and flying the British flag, attempted to, 

 raid the place, but Avas fired at and driven off. Snow was reported 

 wounded, and two Japanese sailors killed. Since this time no raids 

 have been attemi)ted here. 



467. Near Cape Lopatka, the southern extreme of Kamschatka, a 

 sea-otter colony or rookery existed till recent years, but it was raided 

 and destroyed by vessels from San Francisco between 1880 and 1882. 

 There is also stated to have been a similar colony at Pirat, or Yellow 

 Cape, not far from the lastr An effort was made to protect this by sta- 

 tioning a number of Aleuts at the place to guard it, but many of these 

 people died, and the remainder were withdrawn at their own request, 



after which the sea-otter colony was raided and destroyed. 

 83 ids. Some attempt has also been made by the United States 



Government to protect the sea-otter. Section 1958 of the Revised 

 Statutes of the United States provides that no i)erson shall, without 

 the consent of the Secretary of the Treasury, kill any otter, mink, 

 marten, sable, or fur-seal, or other fur-bearing animal, within the limits 

 of Alaska territory, or in the waters thereof. This is furtlier explained 

 by a Treasury Department Notice, dated 21st April, 1870, which reads 

 as follows : 



No tur-l)cariug auiniala will, tlierclbre, be allowed to be killed by persons other 

 than the natives, within the limits of Alaska territory, or in the waters thereof, 

 excei)t fnr--ieal8 taken by the Alaska Commercial Company in pursuance of their 

 lease. The use of iire-arms by the natives in killing other tban during the months 

 of May, June, July, August, and September, is hereby prohibited. No vessel will 

 be allowed to anchor in the well-known otter-killing grounds except those which 

 may carry parties of natives to and from such killing groundo; and it will be the 

 duty of the officers of the United States who may be in that locality to take all 

 proper measures to enforce all the pains and penalties of the law against persons 

 found guilty of a violation thereof. White men lawfully married to natives, and 

 residing within the territory, are considered natives within the meaning of this 

 Order. 



469. Inquiries at Ounalaska, however, show that no attempt had 

 been made to enforce the law against the killing of fur-seals by the 

 Aleuts in that vicinity till 1800, when instructions were received that 

 it must be enforced, although no means were j^rovided for its enforce- 

 ment. The law against the killing of sea-otter and the riding as to 

 the months in which fire-arms shall be prohibited in hunting this 

 aninml is also, as a matter of fact, inoperative. The prohibited months 

 include all those in which it is ])ractically possible to hunt the sea- 

 otter, and it is well understood that if the Aleuts of the Aleutian 

 Islands were interfered with in this, their only means of obtaining a 

 living, they must either suffer great hardships, or their support must 

 be undertaken by the Government. 



