69 



settlement. The sole possiltle basis of adjustmeut must be the protection of the fur 

 seals through mutual concession," international courtesy, and self-respect. 



So long as pelagic sealing exists the restrictions governing it are of slight impor- 

 tance, and the relations between the owners of the Pribilof Islands and the nations 

 whose ships have the right to destroy its herd must be in some degree strained. 



The nltiuiate end in view should be an internatiouiil arrangement whereby all 

 skins of female t fur seals should l)e seized and destroyed by the customs authorities 

 of civilized nations, whether taken on laud or sea, from the i'ribilof herd, the Asiatic 

 herds, or in the lawless raiding of the Antarctic rookeries. In the deetructiou of the 

 fur-seal rookeries of t!ie Antarctic, as well as those of the . Japanese islands and of 

 Bering Sea. American enterprise has taken a leading pai't. It Avould be well for 

 America to lead tiie ^^■ay in stopping jielagic sealing by restraining her own citizens 

 witht)ut waiting for the action of other nations. We can ask for protection with 

 better grace when we have accorded unasked protection to others. 



As to this, Mr. Hamlin has made the folit)\\ing strong statement, t which I fully 

 indorse: 



"Before tlit- Paris award our counsel contended pelagic sealing was an inhuman and 

 immoral pursuit. By that award it was legalized, so to speak, and both English- 

 men and Americans were allowed to take part in it. I believe tirmly, however, the 

 United States (Government should prohibit pelagic sealing by its own citizens. I 

 think it ought to go into this controversy with clean hands. It is an immoral pur- 

 suit; Toper cent of the seals killed at sea are I'ereales; 7.5 per cent of the females 

 killed are heavy with young or (and also) have pups on the islands. Iheir young 

 thereupon die with them or starve on the islands. It is an inhuman butchery, and 

 I believe it is the duty of tlie United States to stop it as regards at least its own 

 citizens. 



"Of course the criticism is at once made that if we do that it would leave it open 

 to Englishmen as a monopoly, but I still feel, in spite of that, we owe a duty to 

 humanity to put an end to it as regards our ])eoi)le and then proceed as best we can 

 to have it discontinued by Englishmen. I icel very strongly and very keenly that 

 until we do that we do not enter this controversy with clean hands. It was our 

 whole case a])road that the butchery was inhuman; that it was simply torturing 

 females, and the whole moral sentiment of the world is against such cruelty to 

 dumb animals. * ' " I think it would be most desirable to have such a prohibi- 

 tion enacted into law." 



THE SEA OTTKi;. 



A (losed zone should be extended by international agreement about the Trinity 

 Islands, Sanuak Islands, Chirikoff Island, and the seas ai)out other islands inhabited 

 by the sea otter, and provision should be made to insure the sea-otter herds of Alaska 

 from destruction. The sea otter can only be protected by international agree^nent. 



PROPOSED SL.\UGHTER OF THE SEAL HERDS. 



I may here express my feeling that the monstrous proposition to destroy the seal 

 herd because it has been injured by pelagic sealing ought not to be considered for a 

 moment. It would be a confession of impotence unworthy of a great and civilized 

 nation. Its result would be to transfer to ourselves any odium which has deservedly 

 fallen upon those who would recklessly destroy a most useful and a most interesting 

 race of animals. 



If extreme action be thought necessary the safe and effective method of branding 

 the female pups could be tried. But this ought never to become necessary. 



David Starr Joud.a.n. 



Palo Alto, Cal., November 7, 1S96. 



*In this connection, we may note that the average price of pelagic fur-seal skins 

 in London is about $8 each. From this the cost of capture and transportation is to 

 be deducted. The average value of the female for breeding purposes under proper 

 protection would be about $40 to the owners of the islands. The value of pelagic 

 skins is only about half that of skins taken on land. This difference is due to their 

 lack of uniformity, the staginess of those taken after the middle of July, the pres- 

 ence of shot or si^ear holes, and the inferiority of the methods by which the skins are 

 pr(!served. 



t There is no difiQciilty in distinguishing the sex of salted skins, if proper care be 

 taken. Female skins are best known by the presence of the nipples. 



X Hearings before Committee on Ways and Means. (Dingley bill, 1896, p. 8.) 



