CHAPTER VI. 



THE CONDITIOX OF AFFAIRS ON THE SEAL 

 ISLANDS, PEYBILOV GKOUP. 



THE DISCOVERY OF THE ISLANDS. 



When the Eussians first came into the country, in 1700-'G5, 

 the abundance of sea-otter skins and their immensely-greater 

 value than that of any others found, caused very little atten- 

 tion to be paid to the skins of fur-seals or those of other aui- 

 mnls; but the great diminution of otter-skins toward the end 

 of 1777-'78 raised anew the question, often asked the natives 

 but in vain, as to where the fur-seal bred, such numbers of 

 them were seen every year in the spring passing north and in 

 the autumn going south through the narrow channels, straits, 

 &c., between the Aleutian Islands. This regular routine of 

 travel followed by these animals every year pointed to some 

 unknown breeding-ground in Bering Sea, and search was made 

 for it, resulting in the discovery of the group under discussion, 

 in 1786-'87, by Gehrman Prybilov, commanding a small schoon- 

 er, and serving one of the twenty-eight different trading-com- 

 panies and traders then about the Aleutian Archipelago. The 

 islands were without population, or the traces even of human 

 habitation. 



The island of Saint George was first discovered and named 

 after the little vessel commanded byPrybilov,* and in the follow- 

 ing year, July, 1787, the island of Saint Paul was noticed by 

 the men stationed at Saint George looming on the northwest 

 horizon, twenty-seven miles distant. 



Prybilov endeavored to keep the discovery to himself, but in 

 less than a month after his return to Ounalashka it was well 

 known. The competition there was so lively, that as many as 

 six companies established themselves at once on the Seal Islands, 

 and a number of irregular visitors now and then appeared. The 

 rapacity and shiftlessness of their management is well described 

 by a Russian historian, from whom I have translated extracts 

 bearing upon this subject, and which will be found in its proper 



* Prybilov died at Sitkii while ia comiimud of the ship " Three Saiuts," 

 March, 1796. 



