RELATING TO FUR-SEALS AND SEALSKIN INDUSTRY. 397 



Treasury, wherein I was directed to extend every courtesy to them. 

 In pursuance of such instructions I did everything pos- 

 sible to aid them in getting information on the seal „ *>? n i ties ? xt, " ,1,(l 



• i i t i j i.i !• j. j.i /-i j_ .British Commissioners. 



islands. I had the natives come to the Government 

 House whenever they desired, that they might question them in regard 

 to the "habits and conditions of seal life. I also gave them free access 

 to all records on the islands, including the daily Journals, showing 

 what transpired on every day of the year, and their secretaries spent 

 several days going through these records by themselves, making such 

 notes and extracts from them as they pleased. They were invited to 

 visit the rookeries, observe the drives and killings, to note the methods 

 of counting the skins into the salt-house, and to make any examinations 

 they pleased on the Islands. 



Wm, H. Williams. 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 20th day of December, 1892. 

 [seal.] Chas. L. Hughes, 



Notary Public. 



Deposition of William H. Williams, United States Treasury Agent in 

 charge of Pribilof Islands. 



District of Columbia, 



City of Washington, ss : 

 William H. Williams, being duly sworn, deposes and says: 

 I am the U. S. Treasury Agent in charge of the Pribilof Islands; I 

 was in charge of the Government interests on those 

 Islands in 1891, and was present on St. Paul Island, Ex i ,erieilce - 

 Alaska, July 27th, 1891, the date ot arrival of the English Commission- 

 ers, to wit, Sir George Baden-Powell and Dr. George M. Dawson. I 

 again went to these Islands in the same capacity in 1892. 



At the time of the arrival of the British Commissioners in 1891 the 

 breeding grounds did not present the com pact form they 

 did about the 12th of July, for disintegration and spread- pri^condnion. 6 " in 

 ing had been going on for several days, thus making 

 their appearance as to size very misleading. In 1891 I instituted the 

 practice of frequent visits to the breeding rookeries by myself and Assist- 

 ant Agents Murray and Nettleton, and from about the 1st to the 20th of 

 July I required these visits to the rookeries to be made daily. Each 

 agent made careful note of his observations and reported to me the result 

 at the close of his day's work. United States Treasury Agent J. Stanley- 

 Brown also cooperated with me in this work, and his statements con- 

 firmed the reports of the other agents. One of the objects of these visits 

 to the rookeries was to determine the condition of the harems and at 

 what date in that year the cow seals appeared in the greatest numbers 

 on the breeding rookeries. It was the unanimous opinion of all the 

 Government Agents that the breeding rookeries were at their fullest 

 July 12th, and the following entry was made at the time in the Govern- 

 ment Journal on St. Paul Island, to wit: "Sunday, July 12. — During 

 the past five or six days the rookeries have been carefully scanned, and 

 it is believed that at this date they are at their very best for this year. 

 To all appearances it may with safety be piesumed that the pups are 

 fully 95 per cent of the cows," thus leaving only 5 per cent of the cows 



