EELATING TO THE RUSSIAN SEAL ISLANDS. 203 



sealing done by varions i^arties regardless of the iiiture of the rookeries. 

 The pernicious etfects of the methods pursued by them were at onee 

 observed, and measures immediately taken by me, aided by the natives, 

 over whom I had complete control, to correct their practices and bring 

 them within the reasonable customs already proved efticacious in pre- 

 serving the rookeries from annihilation. Tlie various gi^^^i^^gj. ^^ ^gr,^ 

 parties took that year about 230,000 seals, of which about ' ''°siero 

 140,000 were killed under my direction. Upon the Commander Islands, 

 as I have already said, the increase in seal life was constant for many 

 years, but in 1800, we noticed a decided disturbance in 

 the rookeries and a considerable decrease in their popu- ig^o!^'"^"''** noticed m 

 lation. This we subsequently attributed, when the 

 facts were ascertained, to pelagic sealing in the adjacent waters. There 

 were occasional raids made upon the islands by poachers j,^.^^ 

 during our twenty years' lease, but they were generally 

 unsuccessful in killing any considerable number of seals, and their raids 

 had no appreciable effect upon the rookeries. 



My first ideas of the areas of seal rookeries were gathered on the Prib- 

 ilof Islands. Afterwards, upon going to the Commander Islands, I 

 was struck with the comparative insignificance of the , . . 



rookeries upon the latter group; yet we have been able of'io^kSi^s'on Cim^ 

 to secure the catch, as shown by the appended state- |^j!°j|{g'" *°'^ I'libiiof 

 ment, not only without detriment, but, as I believe, 

 with positive benefit to the rookeries. I cannot think, therefore, that 

 the same methods pursued under my direction upon the Pribilof grouj) 

 worked any other result, and in this conclusion I am borne out by the 

 testimony of every one conversant with the matter. 



The history of sealing upon Eobben Island substantiates the conclu- 

 sion in regard to the other groups. From information 

 gathered from various sources, 1 learn that the Eobben ^^^^^H, ll\^^f^^^ 

 Bank was first visited and exploited by whalers about 

 1852 or 1853, and that in two seasons they obtained some 50,000 ro 

 60,000 skins, almost completely " cleaning it out." I understood for 

 several years thereafter the occasional vessel which touched there found 

 the rookeries practically deserted. In 1870 the expedition in the bark 

 Manna Loa went to the island and secured about 15,000 seals. There 

 was at this time no restriction upon the killing. 



In 1871, in August, I think it was, the lease being already in force, I 

 visited the island for the first time, having previously sent a guard 

 ship there to protect the rookeries. It is an insignifi- ^.^^ ^^ .gj^^^^^ 

 cant affair, being only about 2,000 feet long and 200 

 feet wide. The rookeries were also very small, and contained at that 

 time of all classes about 800 seals, as I ascertained by a careful count, 

 and, in addition, a small number in the waters adjacent. I prohib- 

 ited all killing from that year until such time as seemed prudent to 

 resume, so as to give the rookeries opportunity to recuperate, leaving 

 strict orders to the guard ship to protect them against molestation. 

 Two years afterward it was evident that the rookeries had sufficiently 

 recovered to warrant us in commencing sealing on a small scale, know- 

 ing that the killing of the useless male seals would accelerate the 

 increase of the herd. From this time forward the herd showed a steady 

 and healthy growth, enabling us to secure catches as per appended 

 statement until 1873, when our guard was assaulted by the combined 

 force of eleven marauding schooners and driven away. 

 The rookeries were again badly depleted by these 

 poachers. The following year the Russian Government stationed 



