THE KUSSIAN FUK-SKAL ISLANDS. 5 



Miistniin, aiul I partook iu the drive, wbicli lasted from 2 o'clock iu the morning to 10 

 a. 111. At 1 p. m. 1 embarked again on the Albatross and steamed at on(!e away for 

 Ficriny' Island; anchored off the main village on Jnly 3, and on the -Itli, with Captain 

 Drake and Mr. G. H. Townsend, went per dogslodge to the great North Itookery. 

 After having landed my effects, the AWatrons left on the following day. 



]\ry next trip to the North Rookery was per boat, iu comjiany with Governor Greb- 

 nitski, on July 7. On July 15 1 again proceeded to the same rookery in dogsledge, 

 returning to the main village by the same means July i'O. Bad weather prevented 

 tlie carrying out of my intentions of visiting the South Eookery at this time. On 

 -Inly 27 I took passage on the liussiau Seal Skin Company's steamer Kotik, Capt. C. E. 

 Liiuhiuist, for Copper Island, and on July 30, in company with the governor, Mr. 

 Grebnitski, who bore the expense of the trip, started from the main village on an oiien- 

 boat expedition around the island. Spent the evening and the next morning at the 

 sea otter rookery. July 31 and August 1 were devoted to inspecting and photograph- 

 ing the Karabeliii rookeries and August 2 to 11 to the Glinka rookeries, the latter 

 being the more inixiortant ones, finishing the circumnavigation August 12. On the 

 steamer Kotik I then returned to Bering Island, anchoring off the North Kookery 

 August 13. Visited the South Itookery August 17, securing x)hotograplis and a map 

 of the rookery. On August 18 I called on board tlie British cruiser of the third class 

 i'(»;7W()>c, Coinmander Francis It. Pelly (doing patrol service on the 30-iiiile limit), then 

 at anchor off' Nikolski. On August 21 1 went iu dogsledge to the North Kookery, 

 returning two days later. The captain of the Po;7>o/s(^ having kindly offered to take 

 me to I'etropaulski, I gladly accepted his offer, as it was .somewhat doubtful whether 

 tlie Kotik, iu which I intended to return to San Francisco, would be able to call at the 

 islands before going home, and I did not dare to risk the possibility of wintering on 

 Kcring Island. I arrived in Tetropaulski August 25. The company's agent having 

 decided to make another trip to the islands, I returned in the Kotik and was thus 

 enabled to again inspect the Bering Island South Eookery on September and the 

 North Eookery September 10, being back in Petropaulski September 18, which port 1 

 left on September 24 in the Kotik, bound for San Francisco, where I arrived on 

 October 11. 



The weather was uuprecedentedly stormy and rainy during my entire stay at 

 the islands and interfered greatly with my work. The great distances between the 

 habitations and the rookeries aud tlie primitive means of transportation also added to 

 the difficulties, while much valuable time was lost owing to the uncertainty of the 

 movements of the steamer. 



Under such adverse circumstances I should have been unable to accomplish even 

 what I did had it not been for the kind assistance I received on all sides. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 



In the hrst place, it gives me great pleasure to acknowledge the aid and courtesies 

 received at the hands of Governor N. Grebnitski, the administrator of the islands, 

 without which I should have been seriously embarrassed iu my work. The following 

 report would undoubtedly have been more replete with official data and statistics 

 relating to the sealing industry on the islands had not the documents velating thereto 

 been either sent away already or packed ready for shipment in anticipation of Mr. 

 Grebnitski's prospective departure for St. Petersburg. 



