COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 243 



MR. W. B. TAYLOR. 



Again, in the case of Mr. W. B. Taylor, Assistant Gov- 

 ei'iiment Agent in 1881. This gentleman explains that, 

 when he received his appointment as Tteasury Agent, he 

 was Clerk of the Illinois House of Kepreseutatives. He 



says: 



I did not know where the Seal Islands were at that time; neither H. R., 50 th 

 did I know what my duties would be. All that I knew was that I ^c"Srt"No ^3^883' 

 should proceed at ouce to San Francisco to take the vessel. I madep'il^" "' ' 

 inquiry as to the whereabouts of the islands, but I could not get much 

 satisfaction anywhere. ... I landed on St. George Island hrst a 

 few hours, and then proceeded to Sc. Paul Island, and without any 

 positive instructions from the Treasury Department, except in a gen- 

 eral way I was an Assistant Agent, but I was not aware 



of it till I got there. I discovered that I was to be the Assistant 



Agent after I came in contact with Mr. Otis A Report 



which I made will explain, perhaps, the reasons why the associations 

 with Mr. Otis were not altogether agreeable to me. 



^o^ 



MR. T. F. RYAN 



Thus Mr. T. F. Eyan, First Assistant Agent on St. 

 George Island from 1885 to 1887, when asked whether he 

 had any instructions from the Treasury Department, 

 replied : 



No, Sir; I had none. When I left, I had some idea of matters up ibid., p. 215. 

 there and asked the Secretary about instructions, and he asked me to 

 Avrite my own instructions. I did not do so. I went up there and 

 found not a scratch of a pen anywhere except a record from day to 

 day, merely when it rained and when the sun shone and the state of 

 the thermometer and things of that kind, but as to the government 

 of the people, there was nothing. You had to learn for yourself. 



MR. W. GAVITT. 



So, also, Mr. W. Gavitt, Assistant Treasury Agent in 

 1888 and J 880, states that he was sent to the islands without 

 any instructions whatever from the Department. 



It would appear, however, tliat in some cases the Chief 

 Government Agent on the islands was expected to instruct 

 the Assistant Agents, for Mr. G. E. Tingle states that he 

 was provided Avith both written and verbal instructions 

 from tbe Treasury Department. In giving evidence before 

 the same Committee of Congress, the following 

 285 passage throwing further light on this point occurs: 



Q. Did you give Mr. Gavitt [the Assistant Agent on St. George h. E., 5 0th 

 Island] instructions when he entered upon his duties? — A. He was Cong., 2nd Sess., 

 assigned by the Department to St. George Island, and I was ordered ^^^.?l} ^r' "^^^^^ 

 to place him there and instruct him in his duties. I instructed him ^^' 

 as far as he was capable of receiving instructions, went ashore with 

 him, and showed him the books in the oflice, and how he was to keep 

 them. I placed a copy of the Law and Executive orders in the office 

 there, and gave him instructions as to the discharge of his diaties. 



the natives and the taking of seals on the 

 islands have been under the control of the 

 company's agents throuhout. 



Whatever the theoretical relations may have been as 

 between the Government officers and the natives, it is evi- 

 dent that the natives themselves, as well as the handling 



