OBSERVATIONS DURING A CRUISE ON THE SEAL- 

 ING SCHOONER LOUIS OLSEN, AUGUST, 1894. 



By A. B. Alexander. 



• LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 



U. S. Commission op Fish and Fisheries, 



Washington, D. C, January 5, 1895. 

 Sir: In response to your request of the 3d instant for copies of the 

 reports for 1892, 189,3, and 1S91 of Mr. Townsend on the seal rookeries 

 of Alaska, and the report for 1894 of Mr. Alexander on pelagic sealing, 

 I beg to state that no report on the condition of the seal rookeries in 

 1892'was made by Mr. Townsend, the subject having received the atten- 

 tion of Mr. J. Stanley-Brown, a special agent of the Treasury Depart- 

 ment. Mr. Townsend's report for 1893 was transmitted to the Secretary 

 of the Treasury on February 20, 1894, and a second copy, as also Mr. 

 Townsend's preliminary report covering the work of 1894, to the Assist- 

 ant Secretary, Mr. Hamlin, on December 4 and 5, 1894. Herewith I 

 have the honor to forward copy of the report of Mr. Alexander cover- 

 ing his observations during the summer of 1894 on pelagic sealing. 

 Very respectfully, 



Herbert A. Gill, 

 Acting Commissioner. 

 Hon. C. S. Hamlin, 



Acting Secretary of the Treasury. 



CRUISE OF THE LOUIS OLSEN IN BERING SEA. 



On May 28, 1894, 1 left Seattle, Wash., in the City of TopeTca for Sitka, 

 and from there took passage in the Crescent City for Unalaska. Soon 

 after arriving at the latter place I joined the Albatross and remained 

 by her until the evening of the 29th of July, when I joined the pelagic 

 sealing schooner Louis OlseUj of Astoria, Oreg., Captain Guillams, 

 master, who very willingly gave me passage for the purpose of making 

 observations on the seals taken by him during the ojjen season in 

 Bering Sea. 



The next day, in latitude 54° 38' north, longitude 107° 04' west, we 

 saw our first seals, 20 in number, 12 of which were "sleepers." In the 

 afternoon we saw seals about a half mile from the vessel playing in a 

 bunch of seaweed. The sea at the time was perfectly smooth, with a 

 light air stirring. Two hunters and myself started out in a boat to 



113 

 S. Doc. 137, pt. 2 8 



