APPENDIX TO COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 815 



Deposition of William Bendt. 



StATE OF California, City and County of San Francisco. 

 William Bendt, of San Francisco, being duly sworn, deposes and says: 



1. I reside in San Francisco, and am by occupation a boarding house 

 and saloon keeper. Live on Clay Street, near East Street. 



2. Have been engaged in managing and fitting out sealing-vessels 

 for the past ten years, and am now the owner and manager of the 

 schooner "Bowhead." 



3. Have never been out seal-hunting myself, and personally know 

 nothing whatever about the loss through siukage of seals that are shot, 

 nor have I any knowledge personally as to whether the seals are 

 decreasing, or where they are caught. 



4. This year I sent my vessel, the " Bowhead," to the Japanese coast, 

 and she returned on or about the 16th August, and within twenty-four 

 hours after her arrival back in port I sold her cargo of sealskins, num- 

 bering 1,830 to the firm of Liebes and Co., of this city, who do busi- 

 ness as merchant furriers on Post Street, in this city. 



5. The cargo was immediately removed to their place of business 

 without any inspection whatever having taken place on board said ves- 

 sel the " Bowhead." The skins were taken from the hold of the vessel, 

 and immediately piled on drays and removed to the warehouse of said 

 firm of Liebes and Co., and no person was present for the purpose of 

 inspecting them during such removal, as I was there and would have 

 seen any one had it been done, but I was told afterwards that the lot 

 had only 30 pups in the whole 1,830 skins. 



6. I think that, in order to protect the seals, a close season should 

 be established, and perhaps it would be well to close the Behring Sea 

 altogether; but should this be done, killing should be prohibited at the 

 rookeries on the islands, and any close season should apply to those 

 islands. 



(Signed) W. Bendt. 



Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 8th day of December, 1892. 

 [seal.] (Signed) Lincoln Sonntag, Notary Public. 



187 322, Washington Street, 



San Francisco, December 7, 1892. 

 Dear Sir : We have examined the records in the Custom house, and 

 find that the schooner "Alexander" was owned from 1879 to 1891 by 

 Herman Liebes, as sole owner. 



That she cleared from this port on the 16th February, 1880, in charge 

 of C W. Littlejohn, as mastei', and returned to this port from Yoko 

 hama on the 8th November, 1883, in charge of A. F. Carlson, as master. 

 The schooner "Otter" was documented on the 21st March, 1881, with 

 the following ownership viz.: H. Liebes, one- third; Charles J. Behlotr, 

 one-third ; and G. W. Littlejohn, one-third; and Gr. W. Littlejohn appears 

 as master.* 



Yours truly, 



(Signed) Gardner and Thornley, 



Ship and Custom-house Brolcers. 

 To C. D. Ladd, Esq., 



539, Kearney Street, City. 



•Littlejohn was lost in "Otter" in 1888. 



