ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 377 



Notwithstanding this admitted error, the original denial of the Brit- 

 ish Government is still maintained in said lei ter of June 4. Sir Julian 

 calls attention therein to the facts that in the return of the pelagic 

 catch for 1894, the Indian catch off the British Columbian coast (3,989) 

 was included ; he claims, therefore, that the Indian catch of 1891 should 

 also be added to the returns of that year. This catch he states to be 

 1,953 skins. It should be noted, however, that although the report of 

 the British Commissioners (Appendix F) contained in the proceedings 

 of the Paris tribunal, does give 1,953 skins as purchased from the 

 Indians at Victoria in 1891, in addition to those killed at sea by British 

 vessels, yet the official report for 18!)1 of the Canadian department of 

 marine and fisheries, page 171, states the total catch of Indians in 

 canoes to be only 404. Assuming, however, the figures 1,953 to be cor- 

 rect, and adding these figures to the corrected British returns as shown 

 by your letter of June 24, the total pelagic catch would be 61,521 for 

 1891, while that of 1894 was 61,838; thus even on the British conten- 

 tion the catch of 1894 was larger than in 1891. 



Sir Julian in his letter deduces the conclusion from the report of the 

 collector at Victoria that in 18U1 7,570 more skins were taken by British 

 vessels than in 1894. Your original statement, however, was not con- 

 fined to British vessels, but to the total pelagic catch, both of British 

 and American vessels. 



The estimate of the number of American herd skins in the 6,836 skins 

 entered at American ports as "undetermined," contained in your let- 

 ter of June 24, is also disputed in said letter of Sir Julian. It is 

 respectfully submitted, however, that said estimate is substantially 

 correct. It was reached by dividing the said 6,836 skins in the same 

 proportions between the American and Asiatic herds as the other skins 

 landed at American ports where the location was definitely determined. 



It would thus appear that your proposition that the slaughter of 

 seals from the American herd in 1894 was greater than in 1891 is 

 maintained. 



As regards the number of vessels employed in the seal fisheries in 



1891, the number stated, 115, was obtained from the appendix to the 



United States Government's case before the Paris tribunal, volume 1, 



page 591, and is believed to be as accurate a statement as can be made. 



Respectfully, yours, 



CHARLES S. HAMLIN, 



Acting Secretary. 



The SECRETARY OF STATE. 



JUNE, 13, 1896. 



SIR: Further instructing you as to the scientific investigation to be 

 made by you of the present condition of the fur-seal herd on the Pribilof, 

 Commander, and Kurile islands, I have the honor to state that Prof. 

 D'Arcy W. Thompson and Mr. James M. Macouu have been designated 

 by the British Government and Canadian government, respectively, to 

 make an independentinvestigation relative to the samesubject. Having 

 found it impracticable to rely upon the ordinary means of reaching the 

 fur-seal islands, they have been offered and have accepted transporta- 

 tion and accommodations on board the steamer Albatross, and will be 

 granted the same facilities as yourself and party for conducting their 

 independent investigations. As regards the investigation on behalf of 

 the United States Government, you are charged with the arrangements 

 of the details both of the field work and of the work to be performed by 



