THE RUSSIAN PUR-SEAL ISLANDS. 65 



The Uriip Aleuts, who had never Lad any experience with the driving of fur-seals, 

 were afraid of the vast numbers which blocked the way, so that no landing was 

 effected, and Liniachevski had to sail away. 



In 1870, however, the seals did -not fare so well. In that year at least two 

 schooners raided the island. Mr. D. Webster, of Tribylof Island fame, arrived 

 there in the schooner Maiina Loa, and the number of skins taken on Ilobben Ishiiid 

 was ])robably more than 20,000.' 



The island was "practically cleaned out" again, so that when the representatives 

 of the lessees of the Russian Seal Islands arrived on Tiuleni in 1871, "there were 

 not over 2,000 seals to be found on the entire island." Capt. G. Niebaum, a member 

 of tiie lirm, landed there in August, and seeing the depleted state of the rookery 

 ordered that no killing should take place there that year, nor, in fact, until "such 

 time as seemed prudent to resume, so as to give the rookeries opportunity to recu- 

 perate, leaving strict orders to the guard-ship to protect them against molestation." 

 The result of this wise order was that in 1873, not more than two years after, the 

 rookeries had so far recovered that sealing could be commenced again on a small 

 scale, and about 2,700 seals were taken that year by the company, "knowing that the 

 killing of the useless male seals would accelerate the increase of the herd. From this 

 time forward the herd showed a steady and healthy growth,"- and would probably 

 have continued so had it not been for the unparalleled boldness of the seal pirates. 

 They titted out in Japan and sailed under various Hags, British, German, Dutch, 

 United States, etc., and from about 1879 paid special attention to searching lor 

 hitherto unknown seal rookeries on the Kuril Islands and elsewhere in the Okhotsk 

 Sea, as well as raiding those already well known. Kobben Island, being conveniently 

 located, poorly ])rotected by a single schooner and a few Aleuts, and absolutely 

 uni)rotected later iu the season, after the company had finished the legitimate catch, 

 was particularly exposed to the ravages of these marauders. The total number of 

 seals indiscriminately slaughtered by them on that lonely rock will never be known, 

 nor, jirobably, the names of all the vessels that took part. The following few 

 particuhirs, however, will give a good idea of the slaughter and the methods. 



In 1880 the company's schooner Leon, Captain Blair, landed at Eobben Island 

 witli the Aleut workmen on June 13 and found there already two schooners, the Otscfio 

 and the North Star, though they had been unable to do anything, as the seals had not 

 yet arrived. During the summer schooners were scarce. On June 22 the Vladimir 

 touched there; on July 16 the Stella came around, and on July 20 the Flyiny Mint. 

 On September 4 the company's steamer Alelcsander IT, Captain Sandman, called and 

 took off the 3,330 skins. Sandman records in his log that he found " on shore a con- 

 siderable number of pups and females, but very few killing seals." After the lessees' 

 vessel left, however, things became lively. When Capt. A. C. Folger arrived in the 

 sciiooner Adele he found 11 schooners alreadj' assembled there, and he states (Fur 

 Seal Arb., viii, p. 062) that " altogether we got 3,800 seals; we killed them all or drove 

 them away." It is possibly to the raids of this year that W. F. Upson refers (torn, vit., 



' Webster, according to the British Bering Sea Commission, put the numlier of skins he asslstetl 

 in takiui; at 15,000, bnt they add that " Ivhige's estimate of the number talien was 10,000." When 

 reading this report on Bering Island last summer, Mr. Kluge stated to me that he understood 

 Wel)ster's catch in 1870 to have beeu about 20.000, and that he did not '•estimate" 10,000, as alleged 

 by the commissioners, he not having been there at the time. (Kep. Brit. Bering Sea Comm., p. 89). 



-Niebaum, Fur Seal Arb., iii, p. 203. 



