480 APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 
to this theory, and shows that a loss of 6 per cent. is all that ever takes place, while 
Indian hunters seldom lose one. Solemn declarations to this effect have been made 
under the Canadian Statute relating to extra-judicial oaths. 
In confirmation of this, reference may be had to Mr. H. W. Elliott, in the United 
States Fish Commissioner’s Report, vol. ii, section 5, p. 489, where he says: 
“The Aleuts fire at the otter at 1,000 yards range, and that, when hit in the head, 
nine times out of ten the shot is fatal.” 
In the case of hunting the seals, the practice of the white hunters, al] expert shots, 
is to paddle up to the seal while asleep in the water, shoot it in the head, and at once 
haul it into the boat; while the Indians approach it in a canoe and spear the seal, 
the head of the spear separating itself and being attached to a rope by which the 
seal is dragged into the canoe. 
Reference is made on p. 4 of the Appendix to Mr. Blaine’s letter to the limitations 
in the lease of 1870. These conditions, it is contended, are most inconsistent with 
the present view of the United States regarding the danger to the preservation of 
seal life. With respect to this the following facts should be carefully noted: 
1. Up to 1862 no Law in Russia existed prohibiting or forbidding the killing of 
seals, and in that year an inoperative Law was promulgated. (See “Russian Memo- 
randum, M. de Staal to Lord Salisbury, 25th July, 1888.) 
Mr. McIntyre, a Special Agent of the Treasury ‘Depart tment (H. R. Ex. Doc. No. 36, 
41st Congress, 2nd Session, p. 18), records the catch taken from the Pribylov Islands 
under the Russian-American Company, as follows: 
Table showing the Number of Fur-seals taken by the Russians on St. Paul and St. George 
Islands from 1817 to 1860. 
= | Number of | ro Number of 
“ear. Seals. Year Seals. 
DSU Tio meieeiateinieials eiaialwis ai iste sails stewie =e miets GOl188ai\) 1810 soso erento eciea =e eae eee eeese *8, 000 
SESS ces ere secon Sees nceeiionscn eo ecie UP stolon he: be A Sos oneenaaseSaa Done stS esac *8, 000 
PBLO RAE Zecca ce ete see eee ecene by Feral lia ts? PRE SS Sana sone epdcoacaaecea aac 10, 370 
S20 Eemiatmicece ieee erinitice seeeeeeeeaecaer SP PAU | IRE BSS See Ho sBe bose see sodas eos aos 11, 240 
UCP ile Shine pspcaacsaconngocaaoaseanar Ss Ce ia | Il ko) pe ee reer Se se 11, 924 
36; 469 1) 184be0 6s Spee ao ceeee ode see 13, 637 
2978785|| WSAGS eee oe ore ote ee tsata rinse ere 15, 070 
205400) ASAT ee te ee ae eee ein eecetineee 17, 703 
OO; LOOM pLO4 SE == Roce sce nents eee ee er 14, 650 
203°200:5]|) W849 EF Pee Soe ean on laps ae iterate are 21, 450 
ON 700 | W850 bes sek acs aoe ae eee =e meee 6, 770 
23;228° || ISSA So are cota Sees See amici aerate 6, 564 
QU ASTE | W852 a2 l58 ected toe woe oth seceiies sett 6, 725 
WSK O84 || 853-822 sjscke ses. eee esc eee oe eee 18, 035 
TAUB? Bl Uy aS sec Oey we anseeciasa Seqacicos 26, 146 
SG A46 0 LSD De eee cee eae ee eee eerie 8, 585 
16) 42) S56: A ee eras chee eee ite erie at See are 23, 550 
A5e 751) CURD Tess Ae cc et ye saeco eater ees aced 21, 082 
GF080 8 (PSO Se see sice mene sees eee eee ae 31, 810 
655905) | PUSsOe eer eee spose ce eee eee . 22, 000 
Bi BOO ABO. cote Ue cet ee see ee ea 21,590 
*6, 000 || — 
*6, 000 Total in'44 years: \.. scsece-cieee 765, 687 
* A pproximutive. 
458 Referring to this Table, Mr. McIntyre says: 
“The number of seals on St. Paul Island is variously estimated at from 3,000,000. 
to 4,000,000, including all classes, and on St. George at about one-third as many. I 
think it may be safely stated that-there are not less than 4,000,000 on the two islands. 
The Table from the records of the late Russian-American € Jompany, appended to this 
Report, exhibits the number of seals taken from each island from 1817 to 1837, and 
from 1842 to 1860. Previously to 1817, says the late Bishop Veniamnoff, no records 
were kept. From the same authority we learn that during the first few years fol- 
lowing the discovery of the islands in 1781 over 100,000 skins were annually obtained ; 
but this, it seems, was too large.a number, for the decrease in the yearly return was 
constant until 1842, when they had become nearly extinet; and in the next decade 
the whole number secured was 129,178, being in 1852 but 6,564; but from 1842, under 
judicious management, there appears to have been an increase, and in 1858, 31,810 
were taken, which was the largest catch in any one year, until 1867, when, as I am 
informed, some 80,000 or 100,000 were secured, under the supposition that the terri- 
tory would soon be transferred to the United States. ‘The decrease from 1817 to 
1838,’ says Bishop Veniamnoff, ‘averaged about one-eighth of the whole number 
annually, so that in 1834 there were produced on both islands, instead of 60.909) to 
80,000, only 15,751, and in 18387, 6,802.’ From the most careful computation I haye 
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