EEPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 193 



767. While we were visiting the Commander Islands in ISOl, we paid 

 special attention to the means adopted for preventing- raids. The liiis- 

 sian anthorities acknowledged tliat the danger was great. At oik. 

 time, sixteen Cossack soldiers were stationed on each island authorized 

 to fire on all raiders, and at the present time this force consists of 

 thirty-six armed native watchmen under four Cossacks. The 

 131 Company's trading steamer was specially authorized to seize 

 schooners when she had the proper Government officials on 

 board, and now a gun-boat is detailed to cruize round the islands during 

 the sealing season. We found the system of watching and reporting 

 by the Aleuts to be in admirable order. When we first arrived, we 

 found even the mastheads of the "Porpoise" and the "Danube" had 

 been reported as having been seen above the fog on the other side of 

 the island, and on Copper Island our presence in a bay at one end of 

 the island had been at once reported by special messenger to the set- 

 tlement seventeen miles distant. 



7G8. Among measures to this end most frequently advocated is that 

 of having a revenue cniizer permanently stationed at the Pribyloff 

 Islands throughout the months of June, July, August, and September. 

 But we found, in 1891, that the revenuecruizers were often far distant 

 from the seal islands, perhaps in Iliuliuk Harbour, waiting for mails or 

 coals, or away cruizing around IS^univak or St. Matthew Island, or on 

 duty at St. Michael's or other distant points. We also noticed that, in 

 the frequent fogs and the dark loom of the land, schooners can very 

 easily elude even the sharpest look-out from seaward. In our opinion, 

 the most effectual, as well as the most economical, method of guarding 

 against raids would be to have an armed police force with details per- 

 numently on guard near each rookery, and with specific orders to fire 

 on all persons landing or taking seals. The rookeries are limited in 

 number, and moderately well defined in area, and could easily be thus 

 defended with effect. 



769. We would also point out that, in so far as disturbance of seals 

 is concerned, it would be well if greater restriction was placed on the 

 number of persons allowed to visit the rookeries and outlying islands. 

 We found that Walrus Island was regarded practically as a shooting 

 resort for all Government officials and all officers of Government ships. 

 Again, when on the 4th August we went in a steam-launch from St. 

 Paul anchorage quietly to note whether there were any seals on Otter 

 Island a revenue-cruizer happened to come in, and Avhile we were pro- 

 ceeding dead-slow along the shore carefully looking for seals she landed 

 a boat's crew, and the officers at once began with shot-guns and revol- 

 vers shooting at the foxes and sea-fowl on shore. This appears to be a 

 common practice in all years, and is quite sufficient of itself to scare all 

 seals from these particular islands. We might here also mention that 

 the day before we paid our first visit to the North-east Eookery (on the 

 5th August), American officers had been driving up and shooting sea- 

 lions there for scientific purposes. 



770. In regard to the practical effect of these raids on the total catch 

 of seals, it would appear that, from the annual recorded totals of the 

 American catch landed from schooners, very material deductions must 

 be made and transferred to the annual total catch on the Pribyloff 

 Islands as being the result of operations on and around the rookeries 

 on the Pribylofi' Islands, and forming, therefore, properly speaking, no 

 part of the pelagic catch. It is not possible, owing to the scantiness 

 of records kept on the islands, to estimate jii'ecisely the total numbers 

 of seals thus killed. It is certain, however, that raids constitute a very 

 material drain on the seal life of the Pribyloff' Islands, probably 



B S, PT VI 13 



