APPENDIX TO COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 811 



ber I was transferred to the schooner "Ohallenj^e," an American ves- 

 sel registered at Sea home or Whatcom, Washington. We entered 

 Behriug Sea about the 10th November, the object being to raid the 

 rookeries on St. George Island. We landed on the north-east rookery 

 on that island about 1 A. M. We found the seals in great numbers; 

 they were so thick that they tumbled down the cliffs and killed one 

 another. The night was clear and bright, although there was a heavy 

 sea raging. I don't know whether there was any one on guard or not, 

 but I didn't see any one, and we were not interferred with. Had the sea 

 been calm we would have got from 750 to 1,000 seals. As it was, we 

 had to leave most of those we killed, and get on board our vessel and 

 steam away. The "Challenge" is a small steam-schooner of 37 tons. 

 We saw some seals while crossing Behring Sea, and others again on the 

 20th November at Makushin Bay. We spent the day after the raid in 

 Garden Cove, but at 5 p. m. we saw a man on shore, and made oft. 

 The vessel was seized in January at Ounalaska, and on the 18th April 

 we were sent to Sitka, reaching there on the 28th Ai^ril. 



2. That while we were in gaol at Sitka, we were sent for to give evi- 

 dence before a gentleman who was taking evidence for the United 

 States Government — Captain Lavender, I think his name was. I did 

 not go. The other men, when they returned, were laughing at the 

 stories they had told — "fairy tales" they called them. He seemed 

 anxious to prove that not more than one seal out of fifteen shot is 

 secured, and asked them if this were not the case. There were no regu- 

 lar seal-hunters among the men, and if they had all told the truth they 

 could not have given information of much value. 



(Signed) John Coles. 



Sworn before me, at the city of Victoria, in the Province of British 

 Columbia, this 2nd day of June, 1892. 



(Signed) A. E. Milne, Collector of Customs. 



Victoria, B. C, June 2, 1892. 



Declaration of Robert Hope. 



I, Robert Hope, of the city of Victoria, sailor, make oath and say: 



That in the year 1891 I went on a sealing voyage in the schooner 

 "Mascotte." I was engaged as boat-steerer when on her until the 24:th 

 October, when I engaged as hunter on the "Challenge." 



As steerer, I could see the seals plainly when they were shot, and 

 the boat I was in lost only one in the entire season. 



We took more cows than bulls, I think, but no record was kept. 



The boat went up to from 10 to 30 feet of a sleeping seal before it was 

 shot at. I kept no record of things when on the schooner, and can tell 

 no more than this. 



I was one of those who took part in the raid on St. George Island 

 last November. We went close in to the shore with our steam schooner, 

 and the boats were then sent ashore. There were a great many seals 

 there, and had the sea been smooth, so that the seals could have been 

 taken to the vessel, we could have killed 700 or 800. The sea grew so 

 rough that we had to hurry away, leaving about 100 there besides those 

 we took. We did not see any watchman on shore, and we were not 

 interferred with by any one. We went around to Garden Cove for 

 shelter, intending to return to the rookeries the next night; but about 



