132 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 



shall be arrested in as peaceful a iiianner as possible and sent to Hako- 

 date, acconii)anied by guards, and delivered to the Consul of" the coun- 

 try of their nationality." During- these years, foreign vessels were 

 frequently encountered engaged in sealing. Besides many vessels from 

 the United States, a Danish vessel, the "Mattee," and others, are 

 mentioned. 



In 1875, on Itrup, the Russians actually commenced putting up huts, 

 as did the Americans at a place called Maroko, for the purpose of 

 killing seals. Tliey were, however, arrested and sent to Hakodate. 



491. The head-quarters of the Protection Establishment originally 

 set up on Itrup Island were afterwards transferred to ISTemuro, with 

 branches on Oonebetsu, ISTauneho, and Toshimori. In 187G, in conse- 

 quence of the agreements come to with liussia in 1874 concerning the 

 Kurile Islands, new reguLations were issued, prohibiting fishing for 

 seals by foreign vessels within gunshot of the Hokkaido shores; new 

 branch offices established on Shikotan and elsewhere, and measures 

 were taken by proclamation and otherwise to notify foreign vessels that 

 sealing was prohibited. Endeavours were also made to improve the 

 native methods of preparing the sealskins. In addition to this, special 

 regulations as to the methods of slaughter were issued, deprecating the 

 use of fire-arms and the killing of "p^^P*^?" limiting the number of seals 

 to be taken along the coast, and establishing a close season between 

 the months of May and November in the territorial waters. Special 

 inquiries were also to be instituted into the facts of seal life. 



492. The Ja)>anese M^ere thus inclined to adopt wise Regulations, but 

 foreigners, and especially Americans, were far more reckless, and con- 

 tinued to maraud along the shores and to use fire-arms, eagerly seeking 

 the profits of to day, but ignoring all risks of depletion on the morrow. 

 In 1877, 1878, and 1879, the Japanese made establishments successively 

 in Kunashir, Iriribush, and others of the less inhabited islands, to 

 secure for themselves the fur-seal industry. But foreigners followed 

 them closely, and by the year 1880 or 1881 serious apprehensions existed 

 that the seals were hopelessly diminished in numbers. The Japanese 

 Re])ort states: "The foreigners do not in the least care about the 

 decrease of breeding or the extermination of the species; they freely 

 use their guns in hunting, and, as the result, they kill the greatest num- 

 ber. Thus, we are obliged to throw aside the old instruments, such as 

 clubs, bows and arrows, and gaffs, and to adopt the gun, as it would 

 be most foolish to keep to the old system, which left others to make the 

 greatest gain. Thus, the use of guns is the main cause of the present 

 decrease." 



493. Over all these years, and up to the present, seals were known to 

 breed in numbers on at least three points on the Kurile Islands, viz., 

 the Srednoi Rocks, off the Island of Ushishir, on Raikoko Island, and 

 on the Mushia Rocks. Indeed, in 1881, quite an impetus was given to 

 sealing by the nnexpected discovery of a small rookery on the Srednoi 

 Rocks, holding 20,000 to 25,000 seals. 5,000 skins were taken there in 



that one year. 

 87 494. Seals were known to frequent the adjoining ocean in large 



numbers from November to May, especially off the coast of Japan 

 between Inabosaki and the east part of Yezo, and it was reported that 

 during the remainder of the year the seals travelled away northwards 

 into the Okotsk and Behring Seas to breed on Robben Island and the 

 Commander Islands. They were never molested ont at sea. 



495. The native fishermen, in open boats, along the Nambu and Yezo 

 coasts north of Inabosaki, habitually take the seals by spearing, by 



