TESTIMONY RELATING TO THE RUSSIAN SEAL ISLANDS. 



Deposition of John G. Blair, maste)' of the Leon^ note in service of Rus- 

 sian ^SeaIs]iin Company. 



pelagic sealing and russian islands. 



State of California, 



City and County of San Francisco, ss : 

 Jolm G. Blair, of Sau Francisco, having been clnly sworn, deposes 

 and says: I am 57 years old, and an American citizen, and am now 

 and have been for the past 14 years, until recently, master of the 

 schooner Leon, formerly in the service of Hutchinson, Oole, Philipeus 

 & Co., and now employed by the Eussian Sealskin ^^ ^ .^ 

 Company. During all this time I have been constantly xpenence. 

 engaged in the fur-sealing industry, and am familiar with the habits 

 of these animals both on the land and in the water. I was in charge 

 of and attended to the killing of seals upon Robben 

 Island for the lessees from 1878 to 1885, inclusive, bel^isilmfml-fsss." 

 taking from one to four thousa.nd seals j)er annum in 

 each of these years for their skins, and have visited the islands in the 

 Leon every year except two since 1885 to the present date. During the 

 two years excepted I was sealing on the Commander Islands. In 1870, 

 as I am told by Capt. Daniel Webster, who was familiar with the facts 

 and interested in the expedition, the island was occupied by the crew 

 of the bark Mmina Loa, who killed every seal that 

 could be reached, taking about 16,000 skins. A suffl- , i^f4o°,Ro^^e.iii8- 



, , ' * T ' . 1 i_ 11 land m 1870 by the 



cient number, however, escaped, so that several hun- MaunaLoa. 

 dred appeared in the following year. They were not, 

 I believe, again molested until 1873, when a few hundred per year were 

 Idlled in that and each of the following years until 1885. It was esti- 

 mated that 12,000 seals were born upon or visited the islands in 1881, 

 previous to which there had been no poaching. Since 1885 a Russian 

 officer and guard has been kept there during the sealing season, and no 

 seals permitted to be killed, but nearly every year since 

 1885, late in the season, after the guard had been Avith- 

 drawn, poachers have visited the islands and killed all that could be found 

 at that season of the year. They secured in this way 4,700 skins in 1890, 

 and left the carcasses lying on the beach. Five hundred and forty seals 

 were killed last year, and it was estimated that some 5,000 of all ages came 

 to the islands, including the pups born during the season, or about one- 

 half the number found therein 1880. I am told and be- ,^.„ 



,. J.1 1. ii Ti 1 1 T 1 1 1 1 T j_- -11 Difference between 



neve that the Kol)ben Island seals can be distinguished iiobben and com- 

 by experts from those on the Commander Islands, and manderseais. 

 am satisfied that they do not mingle with tliem, and are ^o not mingle. 

 a separate and distinct herd. They remain on and about the islands in 

 2710— VOL II 13 193 



