6 



Andrew Halkett, of Ottawa, couimissioners for Canada. These investigations were 

 independent of tljose nuder my direction, but all results obtained by us were placed 

 fully and freely at the dispoh^al of the foreign commissioners, and like courtesies 

 were extended to us by them in return. 



I have fnrther to acknowledge indebtedness for favors or assistance of one sort or 

 another received from the Ibllowing jtersons: 



Mr. .]osei)h B. Crowley, special, and Messrs. James Judge and Thomas E. Adams, 

 assistant, Treasury agents on the islands; ('apt. C. L. Ho()i)er, commanding the Bering 

 Sea patrol deet; Capt. W. H. Koberts and otlicers of the United States revenue cut- 

 ter JxUfih: Capt. H. I). Smith and ofticers of the Far)/ ; Ca])t. W. D. Roath and ofhcers 

 of the Corn-iit ; Capt. P'rancis Tuttle and otilicers oi^ the Heur, and Capt. J. A. Slamm 

 and ofticers of the draiit; Messrs. Garrett, Parmenter, Dubois, and other officers of 

 the Alhalraufi, and Mr. N. J5. Miller, assistant naturalist on board the same vessel; Mr. 

 Joseph Stanley-Brown, superintendent, and ^Messrs. J. C. Kedpath, Daniel Webster, 

 E. J. Baldwin, Harry Chichester, and Captain Nice, employees of the North American 

 Commercial Company on the Pribilof Islands and at Unalaska, and Drs. Otto Yoss 

 and L. A. Noyes, the company's resident pliysiciaus on St. Paul and St. George; Capt. 

 Albert C. Allen and officers of H. M. S. SaldJilc, and Capt. F. A. Garforth and officers 

 of H. M. S. riied^Kiil ; Col. Nicholas (irebnitzi, then governor of Komaudorski ; Major 

 Waxell, governor of Medni Island, and Mr. Emil Klnge, agent of the L'ussian Fur 

 Seal Skin Company on Bering Island. 



The general re]K)rtof the observations of the summer will a])pear later, and will 

 be of a monographic character, illustrated by charts and plates. The pieseut pre- 

 limin.iry ri'port deals briclly with the ]iractical (luestions involved in the investiga- 

 tion, and i)articularly with answers to the riuestions asked in the letter of instructions 

 from the Acting Secretary of the Treasury. The following is the full text of this 

 letter: 



Tkeasiuy Dki'.\htment, Offick of the Skcret.vuy, 



WaxhiiKj'oii, D. v., June 13, 1896. 



Dr. David S. Joiidax, 



Palo Alio, Cal. 



Sik: Further instructing you as to the scientific investigation to b<' made by you 

 of the ])re8ent condition of the fur-seal herds on the Pribilof, Commander, and 

 Kurile islands, I have the honor to .state that Prof. D'Arcy W. Tliomjison and Mr. 

 James ]M. Macoun have been designated by the British Government and Canadian 

 government, respecti\ely, to make an independent investigation relative to the 

 same subject. Having Ibund it impracticable to rely ujion the ordinary means of 

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

 tion and acconnnodations on board the steamer Alhatiofm. and will be granted the 

 same facilities as yourself and party lor conducting their inde]K'ndent investiga- 

 tions. As regards the investigation on behalf of tlie I'uited States (T()\ernment, 

 you are charged with the arrangement of the details both of the field work and of 

 the work to be performed by the gentlemen designated to assist you, reliance being 

 placed upon your judgment to utilize to the best advantage the means supplied for 

 accomi)lishing the objects of the expedition. You are authorized to direct the mem- 

 bers of your party to act conjointly with you on all matters, or you jnay assign them 

 severally to the study of separate subjects, or to ditferent localities, as yon consider 

 most expedient. The advisability is suggested for your consideration of sending 

 one of your i)arty upon the Albatross to the Kurile Islands and Koljbcn Island. 

 Should you need transportation by vessel during such absence of the Albatross, the 

 commander of the Bering Sea patrol fleet, Captain Hooper, will be instructed to 

 render you every lat-ility. 



Your final re])ort will be expected to relate more specifically to the grou]) of seals 

 which resort to the Pribilof Islands, but the Asiatic herd may be investigated to 

 such extent as seems a<lvisable in order to afford tiie opportunity for instituting 

 comparisons from which important deductions may be readied. 



The princi])al object of this investigation is to determine by precise and detailed 

 observations, first, the ])resent condition of the American fur-seal herd; second, the 

 nature and imminence of the causes, if any, which appear to threaten its extermi- 

 nation ; third, what, if any, benefits have been secured to the herd through the 

 operation of the act of Congress and act of Parliament based upon the award by the 

 Paris Tribunal of Arbitration ; fourth, what, if any, additional protective measures 

 on land or at sea, or changes in tbe present system of regulations as to the closed 

 season, prohibited zone, prohibition of firearms, etc., are re(|uired to insure the 

 preservation of the fur-seal herd. 



Your in(|uiries should furthermore be extended, in so far as the time and circum- 

 stances permit, to embrace the consideration of all important ((uestions relating to 

 the natural history of the seals, both at sea and on the islands, with special refer- 

 ence to their bearing ujjou the sealing industry. 



