336 EEPORTS OF BERING SEA COMMISSION. 



Extracts froiiiGeorge sinco 1884: ''There has been a great 



testimony taken. 



falhng off during the past lew years. 



3Ir. Emmons, collector of the port at Una- 

 laska: gets his information from the officers and 

 men of the schooners and other craft engaged in 

 pelagic sealing; thinks that if the present state 

 of affairs is allowed to continue the herd of seals 

 will soon be destroyed. 



NicoU Krukof, born in Sitka, came to the 

 island of St. Paul two or three years before the 

 time of the Alaska purchase ; is now second chief 

 on the island; speaks English very well. Seals 

 began to decrease in number about seven years 

 ago and have diminished rapidly since. It is his 

 opinion that not more than one-fourth as many 

 seals are now on the rookeries as were to be 

 found ten years ago. 



Kerrick Artomanoff, aged sixtj^-seven years, 

 born in St. Paul ; his father was a sealer under the 

 Russian regime, as was he also up to the time 

 of the Alaska purchase. In all he has been em- 

 ployed in seal killing for forty-five years. His 

 testimony is interpreted by Nicoli, the second 

 chief 



The number of seals has dhninished very 

 greatly within the last few years. He has seen 

 the rookeries so full that a cow could not g-et 

 ashore in time for tlie birth of her young, in 



