208 COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



strength of certain affidavits very recently obtained, while 

 the published records dealing with the islands are entirely 

 ignored. 



LIT'J'LE EVIDENCE IS CITED IN SUPPORT OF THE STATE- 

 MENT, AND IS IN MOST CASES DISPROVED BY PRE- 

 VIOUS STATEMENTS OF WITNESSES. 



The evidence actually quoted in the United States Case 

 in support of this new position is exceedingly slight. It 

 consists, iu fact, of certain statements made by Colonel J. 

 Murray, Major Williams, Mr. J. C, Eedpath, and Mr. J. 

 Stanley Brown, with that of two natives. But the two 

 natives alone directl}'- aftirm any scarcity of females, the 

 other witnesses coniiuiug themselves to remarks as to the 

 abundance of males. 



An examination of the contemporaneous Eeports made 

 by some of the deponents themselves afford the answer to 

 their present retrospective statements. 



Mr. J. C. Eedpath, an agent of tlie present lessees of the 

 islands, is in this part of the United States Case first cited, 

 to the following effect: 



United States A cleiiith of bulls on the breediuf^ rookeries Avas a pet theory of one 



Case, p. 172. or two transient visitors, but it only needed a thorough investigatiou 



of the rookeries to convince the most sceptical that tliore were plenty 



of bulls and to spare, and that hardlj' a cow could be found on the 



rookeries without a puj) at her side. 



COLONEL MURRAY IN 1892. 



!N"o comparative statement of an earlier date by the same 

 gentleman is in this case known; but it is submitted that 

 extiaets to the contrary effect given below cannot be 

 described as those of " transient visitors." 



Colonel J. Murray, Assistant Government Agent on the 

 islands in 1890 and 1891, is quoted iu the United States 

 Case as saying: 



Ibid., p. 173. J ^^^ nearly every cow Avith a pup by her side and hundreds of 

 vigorous bulls without any cows. 



240 COLONEL MURRAY IN 1890. 



In his official Eex)ort for 1890, however, the same gentle- 

 man wrote: 



NATIVES IN 1890. 



British Case, The meeting [of natives of St. George Island] was adjourned from 

 Appendix, vol. time to time until they had thoroughly discussed the juost imjiortant 

 sV't "^^**^o *l"6stions raised, and at the last meeting, hold on the 23rd May, they 

 (1891)," p. 19.' luianimously declared that it was their firm belief and honest opinion 

 United States that the seals had diminished and would diminish from year to year, 

 Senate, 5J stbecause all the male seals bad been slaughtered without allowing any 

 tong., 2nd Ses., ^^ grow to maturity for use on the breeding-ground. I made a note 

 ■ of the suggestion in the journal that (•ty, and I am now fully con- 

 vinced by personal observation that it is only too true, and that the 

 natives were correct in every particular. In 1889 the full quota of 

 15,000 skins was obtained here, but I know now (what I did not 

 understand then) that in order to till the (piota tliey lowered the 

 8tau<lard towards the close of the season and killed hundreds of 

 .yearling seals, and took a greater number of small skins than ever 

 before. 



