158 FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



to measure tliis area witli the life as massed upon it, with a tapeliue, is 

 equally abortive aud ludicious. 



But, my aii,i;les, taken with a tine i)rismatic compass from my several 

 stations established with initial base lines, locate these herds just as 

 they rest upon the ground to-day. By having the topography all fiii- 

 ivshed June 2 and 4, 1 now rapidly and accurately plat upon it. as I 

 traverse the field, these herds, Just as they lay under my eyes. 



Thus, all guesswork is wholly eliminated, as it should be, from the 

 exact location of the position and area of these rookeries. Then, u])on 

 this known ground of occupation, a sensible rule for estimation can be 

 based. 



July 26^ 1800. — Daniel Webster is the veteran white sealci- on these 

 islands. He came to St. Paul in 1868, and, save the season of 1870 

 (then on a trip to the Russian seal islands), he has been sealing here 

 ever since, being in charge of the work at Northeast Point annually 

 until this summer of 1890, when he has conducted the killing on St. 

 George. He spoke very freely this afternoon while calling on me, and 

 said there is no use trying to build these rookeries up again so as to 

 seal here, as has been done since 1868, unless these animals are pro- 

 tected in the North Pacific Ocean as well as in Bering Sea. On this 

 point the old man was very em])hatic. 



Webster came ashore on St. Paul Island in the spring (April) of 1808, 

 an employee of Williams cS: Haven, of New London, Conn. He took 

 charge of the sealing then begun in behalf of this firm, at Novastoshnah, 

 or Northeast Point. Hutchinson, Kohl lS: Co. had the only other party 

 up there at that time. This was the first irregular sealing ever done 

 upon this island since 1801. 



Webster said that Hutchinson, Kohl *.S: Co. and he took over 75,000 

 young male seals at Northeast Point alone, that summer of 1808: and 

 only stopped work from sheer exhaustion of their men, who were not 

 only physically "used up," but had used all of their salt, and had no 

 suitable means left for saving any more skins. 



When both parties stopped work, he said, that then no apparent dimi- 

 nution of the number of holluschickie was evident to any of them: and 

 that this fact created much comment. He declared that there had never 

 been so many seals on that ground since; that "although there was a 

 fine showing of seal, Mr. Elliott, when you were there in 1872, yet there 

 never has been so many there as in 1808." 



He said that ever since 1870-77 he had observed a steady shrinking 

 of the hauling grounds at Northeast Point. — a very rapid contraction 

 during the last six years, especially rapid since 1887-88. 



He never agreed with the statement recently made of the great 

 increase of seals over my record of 1872-1874; but on the contrary has 

 always held that no increase ever followed it: and that he always told 

 both the Treasury and company agents, whenever questioned, that 

 there was a steady diminution. He said that when down in San Fran- 

 cisco last (about five years ago, winter ot 1885-80) he wi>s not asked 

 any questions by anybody as to the increase of seals : and he volunteered 

 no information. If he had been asked he Avould have spoken his mind 

 freely. 



Webster said that in 1872-1874 he was able to get all the holluschickie 

 he wanted from that sand beach on the north shore of the neck at 

 Northeast Point. "Never went anywhere else for them, or near a 

 rookery." He said that the holluschickie never again came down u])on 

 the southern slope ot Hutchinsons Hill after the season's work of 1808 

 closed. 



