454 TESTIMONY 



Hliorc than tlio Indian canoes can safely follow tliem, orioinatod in San 

 Francisco. A single schooner was iitte<l out and met 

 la^i'seafin^ stM^ted ^^^^ succcss. She was afterward joined by others, and 

 agic sta ing 8 ar e . ^j-^j^j|y |^y j^ Small tlcct, ncaily all American vessels. 

 I feel confident that this entire seal-hunting business would have re- 

 mained in tlie hands of Sail Franciscans, and been controlled from 

 this port under the American tlag, had it not been for the action of 

 our Government in discouraging and forbidding the participation of 

 American vessels in the taking of seals. When it became known that 

 British vessels then engaged in the trade were receiving protecti(m and 

 privileges denied to American sealers, steps were at once taken to 

 Transfer of An.ori- pl'^'CC many of tlic American fleet under the British 

 can \<',8seis to the flag. If tlic busiiicss had been kept in San Francisco 

 British flag. J ^^^ ^^^ believe it Avould have reached its present 



l)ro])ortionR. But if it had we should still have the pleasure of deriving 

 the benefit from it which now goes to the Canadians. 

 I am very well ac(iuaiiited with the class of vessels engaged in 

 sealing. The most of them are of less than 100 tons 

 eef •uiV outtiT*^^ ' "^ burden, and a fair (estimate of their average value 

 would be, I should say, about .$4,500 per vessel, for 

 both the American and British fleet, and about |2,000 would cover the 

 average cost of an entire outfit for a season's work. The total value 

 of the Canadian sealing fleet is not, after all, as much as the sealers 

 would Iciid us to sup])()se from tlieir representations. 

 Tlie quantity of northwest or "Victoria" seals that were dressed and 

 dyed in the United States for home consumption, and 

 of^kins '""'""'^'''"" never reached the Bondoii market, I estimate as fol- 

 lows: 1889, 0,000; 1800, 4,500; 18in, 2,100. These es- 

 timates are made up from memoranda I have been accustomed to keep 

 from time to time of the nuinber of skins offered for sale, and which did 

 not go forward to London as shown by the trade sale catalogues. 



I iiave known of several expeditions that have been fitted out for the 



y. I f >• ,.T pvu'iiose of following and capturing the seals after they 



tioiis to'' luint'' seals Icavc tlic Pribilof Ishiiids and are making their sonth- 



iVimiV^'^^™" ^^'^ '^' *^^"" «^iii''*^<^- ^11 these expeditions have proved utter 



failures, which is accounted for by the fact that the 



female seals at that period of the year are not heavy with y(mng as 



they are in the spring, nor as fat as at a later period, and the hunters 



can not easily get within gunshot distance of them. They are much 



less likely to be found asleep at this season, and traveling seals are 



difficult to shoot and still more difiicult to take in before they sink. 



The hunters have an idea that the sleeping seals are buoyed up by an 



inflated internal air bladder. Wliether this is so or not it is certain 



that a "sleeper" is more likely to be secured after it is shot than a 



"traveler." 



-, , , , The male seals of merchantable size do not interinin- 



Males and cows do . j. ■l.^ J.^ i i. jy. 



not mingle in herds off glc, I bclieve, to any cxteiit With tlic COWS caugiit on: 

 ''•'"*'*'• the coast of North America. They make their north- 



ern passage separate from the otliers, and i'urther ofi' shore. As tiiey 

 are more constantly on the alert than the females, the sealers have met 

 with little success in hunting them. It is only the cow, heavy Avith 

 pup, which, in consequence of her condition, is less active and alert, 

 that falls an easy prey to the hunters. 



I have never known of any pup seals being caught in the water (except 



those in embryo) that were less than several months old, nor are any 



. such ever oflered to the trade, showing conclusively to 



orn m wa or. ^^ ujjud tluit tlicy are uot bom at sea. The Indians 



