APPENDIX TO COUNTER-CASE OP GREAT BRITAIN. 675 



number of seals destroyed. I replied, "iSTot more than 10 per cent." 

 In this 1 included those that I knew^ were killed and would sink, and 

 those that Avere badly wounded and I thought would die afterwards. 

 The actual number I see sink is much smaller than that. Last year not 

 more than 1 of 9 sank. This year I got 384 skins, and 10 seals sank 

 and were lost. I don't remember the actual figures for former years, 

 but the percentage was about the same. That night my brother and 

 Captain Lavender had a talk about sealing matters. Lavender told him 

 that I said I had lost 30 per cent, of the seals I killed. I never said 

 that I lost 30 per cent.; it would not have been true had I said so. He 

 asked me, I think, about the proportion of males and females. I don't 

 remember if he took down my answer. I kill more females than males; 

 there is a majority of females as a rule, both on the coast and in Beh- 

 ring Sea, but this year our catch did not contain more than 10 per cent, 

 of females, I think. I took about 10 per cent, of females. We thought 

 we were all to give our evidence, but no one was examined but mj^self. 

 Captain Lavender said that his type-writer was sea-sick, and that he 

 would not be able to take down the evidence of the other men. We 

 spoke here again a day or two afterwards, but no one was asked to give 

 evidence. The weather was fair. If he had given us a list of questions 

 to answer, we would have written out our ideas on sealing matters and 

 would have given them to him. We thought it strange that he had 

 not asked all of us to give evidence, and all agreed that it was because 

 he thought it would not suit him. 



I know Brown, who was a hunter on the "Corwin." I have never 

 been out with him myself, but know his reputation as a hunter. He is 

 reputed to be a very poor hunter. I want the " very " emphasized. He 

 is a nervous, excitable man. A good hunter must be cool. I would 

 never think of hiring him as a seal-hunter, for he was not only nervous, 

 but he had had no experience. The officers on the " Corwin " admitted 

 that he was no good. He had taken one seal while we saw him. He had 

 shot at several seals, but got only the one. The men in his boat with him 

 said to me, " We don't know what is the matter; Brown says they sank." 

 They thought that Brown had missed them, but they didn't like to 

 say so. 



1 have sealed three seasons on the Copper Island side of Behring 

 Sea. 1 have tried to tell the difference between the seal on the Ameri- 

 can side and on the Russian side, but putting the skins side by side, I 

 cannot see any diftereuce. I have not noticed that male seals have 

 teats, but don't know they have not. 



I have never seen seals so plentiful on this coast as they were this 

 year. 



I have seen seals attempting to cohabit in the water, but do not know 

 that they succeed in having proper connection with one another. 



I think that pregnant seals are more on the alert than the young seals 

 and older males. We always find barren females among them we take. 



I have read over all the statements written down in this affidavit, 

 and swear that they are all true, and that I have received no consider- 

 ation for the evidence that I have given. There is nothing further con- 

 nected with seals that I wish included. 



(Signed) G. E. Miner. 



Sworn to at the city of Victoria, British Columbia, this 2nd day of 

 October, a. d. 1892. 

 Before me : 

 [seal.] (Signed) A. L. Belyea, 



A Notary P-uhlio by Royal Authority in and for the 



Frovince of British Columbia. 



