RELATING TO ST. GEORGE ISLAND. 163 



clotlies ; they lived in substantial frame houses heated by coal stoves ; 

 they liad become cleanly, and the children were attending- school eight 

 months in the year. Tliey were then as well off as well-to-do working- 

 men in the United States, and received much larger wages. No man 

 was compelled to work, but received pay through his chief for the work 

 accomplished by him. A native could at any time leave the islands, 

 but their easy life and love for their home detained them. When I tirst 

 went there tlie women did a good share of manual labor, but when J 

 came away all the hard work was done by the men. I do not recall a 

 single instance in liistory where there has been such a marked cluinge 

 for the better by any people in such a short time as there has been in 

 the Pribilof Islanders since the United States Government took control 

 of these islands. If the seals became extinct, I can not conceive what 

 these natives would do for a livelihood; they know no other occupation 

 save seal driving, which has been i)ursued by tliem and their ancestors 

 for a century. The destruction of the seal herd would 

 result in removing their sole means of sustenance and Extinction of seal 

 in tlieir being plunged into poverty, and pr(»bable re- baXrism^foTnLth cs! 

 turn to barbarism. Tiie only way to keep them from 

 starvation would be to remove them from the islands, and for the Gov- 

 ernment to support them. 



Samuel Falconer. 

 Subscribed and sworn to before me, a notarv public in and for the 

 District of Columbia, U. S. A., this 19th day of April, 1892. 



Sevellon a. Brown. 



Beposition of Samuel Falconer^ Assistant Treasury Agent in cliargc of St. 

 George Island. 



HABITS. 



District of Columbia, 



Citg of Washington, ss: 



Sauauel Falconer, being duly sworn, deposes and says: I am 61 years 

 of age, and am now a woolgrow(M* bv occupation. 

 My residence is Falconer, McLean County, State of ^^p''"''°'*- 

 North Dakota. In 18GS, during the month of October I went to Sitka, 

 being located there as deputy collector of customs, in which position 

 I remained until September, 1809. 



I then was employed until September, 1870, as purser on board the 

 steamer Constantine, plying monthly between Port Townsend and Sitka. 

 In October, 1870, having been appointed assistant Treasury Agent for 

 the Seal Islamls, I proceeded to said islands, and from that time until 

 August, 1870,1 remained constantly in charge of St. George Island, 

 excepting during the winter of 1874-'75. For a few days during each 

 one of these years I visited the Island of St. Paul, never remaining 

 there for any length of time, how(^ver. It was necessary, in order that 

 I might i'ultill the duties of my oftice as agent to make a very carelul 

 and full i-tudy of seal life; my obsei vatioii's being, of course, confined 

 to St. George Island, and I therefore examined the rookeries and their 

 occupants with the particular purpose of acquainting myself with the 

 habits and peculiarities of the Alaska fur seal, and I endeavored to 

 verily all my obMervatioiw^ by particularly interrogating the natives on 

 the ishmds as to each doubtful point. 



