\\Q TESTIMONY 



J)Q)0}iition of AJcd-andcr Jfansson, employe of leasees on St. raid Island. 

 PELAGIC SEALING. 



State or California, 



Cihf and Conuf;! of San Franciseo, ss: 



Aloxaiulor llanssou, iiavinn- boon duly sworn, doposos and says: I am 

 31 yoais of asio, a natixo ol" iSitka, Alaska, and was 



KMu-ricuce. ediioatod in tlio pnblic schools of California, and aftor- 



Avards attended school six years in Lovisa, I'inland, rotnrnino- to the 

 llnited States in 1875, when 18 years old. J ininioduitely took service 

 •IS second nuite on the schooner Matiheir Tiirner, and later on the 

 steamer Vora. vessels of the Alaska Commercial Company sailinji' to 

 \laska, and was employed a -reater i)art of the time, for two years and 

 a half in the Ihialaska. district. In 1SS(; I went to St. Tanl Island ot 

 tlie rribilof uronp, and have since remained there constantly Irom that 

 time until \n-nst, ISIH. 1 was employed there in varums occupations 

 in connection with sealin--, but chielly in handlin-- sealskins and as one 

 of the '' killinu' uanu," and am familiar with every i)hasc ot the business. 



In 1880 ami 1887 there ai)peared to be enoiis;li seals, and the men 

 were kepi pretty steadily at work alter the hrst lew 



vioiity ol- soi.is in ,].,yj. ^)f the scasoii until the catch was coiu])leted. 



1S8C.1887. ^,^j^^^^ ^.^^^^^ ^j..jj^ ^^.^_.j.^, ^.^j.^.,, ^jj IIjj,^^^, y^>.^i.j, -imi there 



was no trouble in licttiu- them, but larjie seals groNV very scarce on 



the island in 1888, and still more so m the three loUow- 



iHHivaso. Ijjj,. y^..^!-;^. The orders of the ''boss'' of th<' lianji", in 



which T worked in'l888 and 1881), under the uiana-viient of the Alaska 



(\>mmercial t\)mpany, wore uot to kill the r.-ycar eld bulls, because 



they were, he sail!, needed on the rookeries. 



There were a iiood numv dead pups on the rookeries every year 1 



was on the island, aud they seemed to grow more 



Poa.ipups. luuuerous from year to year. There may not, in fact, 



have been nu)re of them, because the rookeries were all the time i;row- 



in<' smaller, and the dead pups in the latter years were more numerous 



in'^l.roportion of the live ones. They were tliiii and poor,aud appeared 



to have starved to death. . rxx r. i i i i 



1 am sure the si/.e of the rookeries on St. t aul Islana 



Ko..i.o.ios .u.aiiov. ,^^^^^ ^^^^^ muiiber of seals on them in 1801 were less than 



one half of their si/e and number in 188l>. 



The natives for whom 1 am entitled to speak, as bein-- one of tliem, 



and receivinu- a share from the proceeds of the sealeries, protest that 



the Cnited States Ciovernment oujiht to have protected 



iviagic s^xniiuo. ^^^^^ rookeries ajiainst deep-sea si>al fishing, because we 



believe tbft seals riuhtlv beloug to us and sliould not be kdled when 



vn.t.Hti.m lUHos- tlicv a 10 awav from their island home. AN e earnestly 



s;uy. prav tor the protection to which we are Justly entitled. 



Alex. Hansson. 



Subscribed and sworn to belore me this oOth day of April, A. 1). 1802. 



Noiari/ rublic. 



^-gj,^L.] OLEMEKT JiE>NETT, 



