APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 657 
The old Alaska Company, which now holds a lease of Copper Island, on the Rus- 
sian side, killed no less than 42,000 seals. 
The present lessees of the Pribylov group, instead of taking 60,000 on the leased 
islands, and paying the enormous royalty of 10 dol. 25 c. upon each skin, took only 
21,000 from these islands. They, however, bought the whele coast and Sand Point 
catch of the pelagic sealers, at from 10 to 11 dollars for each skin, and so the price 
of skins in London is kept high. 
Appended to this Report is a Table showing the catch of— Appendix (C), 
1. The Canadian sealing fleet, 1890. 
2. Foreign vessels’ catch sold in Victoria, showing a total catch of 
the above (1 and 2) for 1890 of 43,315 skins, worth 493,160 dollars, 
against 35,310 skins in 1889, worth 247,170 dollars. 
3. Names and value of Canadian sealing-vessels, with outfit, crews, 
boats, and canoes. 
4. Vessels carrying part Indian crews. 
5. Vessels and catch of Victoria sealing fleet for 1890. 
The Minister of Marine and Fisheries desires to take advantage of 
this opportunity to draw attention to further testimony corroborating 
the views previously expressed by the Canadian Government upon 
the subject of the seal fishery, and given in the Memorandum to which 
reference has already been made in this Report. Since the date of 
that paper evidence taken by the Committee of Congress appointed Relations with 
to inquire into the relations of the United States with Canada has Canada, p. 314 of 
been published. Evidence. 
James G. Swan, Esq., of Port Townsend, is described before the 
Committee as a man who has given much attention to the fisheries of 
Bebring’s Sea, both for his own information and for that of the United 
States Fish Commission. 
He produced a Report of the Board of Trade of Port Townsend, yy:q p. 265 
Washington Territory,in which this Chamber of Commerce denounce peas 
the closing of Behring’s Sea as a ‘species of class legislation for the 
benefit of the wealthy few.” 
Mr. Swan advocated free fishing in the open sea, and explained at yy jq. p. 265 
length that a valuable Report of his, wherein he expressed views ers eS 
opposed to those of Mr. Elliot, was suppressed; and, he adds: ‘‘The  Ipid., pp. 268 
arguments and assertions of the Alaska Commercial Company that 269. 
the fur-seals all go to the Pribylov Islands, and would be extermi- 
nated if that Company did not have the care and protection of them, 
would easily be disposed of if both sides of the argument could be 
heard and the real facts made known.” 
Further on he says: ‘‘Congress and the country [have] been sys-  Ipbid., p.269. 
tematically kept in darkness regarding the fur-seal fisheries in Beh- 
ring’s Sea, for those who have had the information to impart have had 
an interest directly opposed to imparting it.” 
Mr. Swan denies there is any danger of extermination of seals,and yy iq p. 269 
produces sworn declarations touching the existence of seals at places taba 
which witness now claims the seals have abandoned. Finally, Mr. 
Swan is asked by Senator Pugh: 
“You do not think it is of any importance to prevent the destruc- yyjq. p. 289, 
tion of seals?” He answers, ‘‘I do, on the islands, but not on the 
outside, because the proportion of seals that are destroyed is a very 
sinall fraction of what the whole number is. ‘There are millions of 
seals in the Pacific Ocean. You have no conception of the vast 
myriads of thew.” ] 
The Statistical Agent of the United States Fish Commission, Mr, 1id., p. 215. 
Wm. A. Wilcox, was asked by Senator Hall, ‘‘ Do you think the seal 
is manifestly disappearing?” and he replied, ‘‘I have no reason to 
think so. I think they have been seen this past year in almost as 
innumerable numbers as ever.” 
Mr. Swan did not believe that for every seal taken several were Appendix (D). 
killed. He refers to the shyness and intelligence of the seal, and to Zr bnendix oo 
the fact that they are never taken when in motion. PSDs 
Captain Joshua Brown said as follows: Appendix (G). 
(See Appendix G). 
This testimony, it will be seen, supports the statements of the Canadian sealers 
already pleaded before Her Majesty’s Government, and affords further assurance 
69 that the pursuit of seals in the deep waters of Behring’s Sea does not tend to 
extinguish seal life, 
BS, PT V 42 
