T04 APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 
On the 31st July, in company with Mr. Tingle and Professor Elliott, I visited Otter 
Island, and found, to my surprise, that there were no seals hauled out, as was usual 
in the past. 
The United States cutter ‘Richard Rush,” Captain W. C. Coulson, arrived here 
on the 17th of July, and reported ‘‘no pirates in Behring’s Sea.” Professor H. W. 
Elliott, your recent appointee as Treasury Agent, has spent the season here, dividing 
his time between the two islands, and giving his entire attention to the state of the 
rookeries and the methods used at present in driving and killing the seals, and his 
Report will, no doubt, be of the utmost importance, and of great value to the 
Department. 
Mr. William Palmer, a representative of the Smithsonian Institution, has, by your 
permission, spent the season on St. Paul collecting specimens of various birds and 
animals, and his incessant labours have been abundantly rewarded. 
‘The merchantable seal-skins in the salt-houses on St. Paul and St. George Islands, 
taken from the seals killed for food for the natives during the winter of 1889-90, will 
be shipped as per instructions bearing date the 5th May, per United States cutter 
‘Richard Rush,” Captain W. C. Coulson commanding, which will leave here early 
in September, consigned to the Collector of Customs at San Francisco, The matter 
will be reported directly to you by Mr. Joseph Murray, who has charge of St. Paul 
Island for the coming winter. The accompanying communications from the repre- 
sentatives of the Alaska Commercial Company and the North American Commercial 
Company will fully explain my actions in the matter. ; 
The total number of fur-seals killed and accepted upon this island by the lessees 
was 16,830, and the total amount earned by the natives and distributed to them was 
6,783 dol. 30 c. Your instructions to me upon the subject of dividing the earnings of 
the natives, and looking after their welfare financially, I endeavoured to follow, but 
was prevented from doing so by Mr. George kK. Tingle, general manager for the les- 
sees. His reasons for so doing are inclosed. 
I regret that Iam compelled to report that the seals are rapidly diminishing in 
numbers, and to such an alarming extent that to check the decrease will require, in 
my opinion, the most careful consideration of the Department. 
To have a correct understanding of how the annual catch is taken, it will bo 
necessary to bear in mind the following facts: (1) By the Acts of Congress govern- 
ing the seal fisheries the season opens on the Ist June and closes on the 31st July, 
unless otherwise restricted by the Secretary of the Treasury. (2) The bull seals 
arrive at the island between the 1st May and the 10th June, and the cows between 
the 10th June and the 10th July. (8) The large young seals, whose skins are mer- 
chantable, commence coming about the middle of May, gradually increasing in num- 
bers as the cows appear, and with the large young seals come a small portion of the 
pups born the summer before; but the greatest majority of the yearlings put in their 
appearance in the month of July. Now, in opening the season it is customary to 
secure all the two-year-olds and upwards possible before the yearlings begin to fill 
up the hauling-grounds and mix with the killableseals. By so doing it is much easier 
to do the work, and the yearlings are not tortured by being driven and redriven to 
the killing-grounds. Heretofore it was seldom that more than 15 per cent. of all the 
seals driven the latter part of June and the first few days in July were too small to be 
killed, but this season the case was reversed, and in many instances 80 to 85 per cent. 
were turned away. The accompanying percentage examples will show the disposi- 
tion of this year’s drive. ‘The first killing of fur-seals by the lessees was on the 6th 
June, and thescarcity of killable seals was apparent to all. 
The season closed on the 20th July, and the drives in July show a decided 
16 increase in the percentages of small seals turned away, and a decrease in the 
killables over the drives of June, demonstrating conclusively that there were 
but few killable seals arriving, and that the larger part of those returning to the 
islands were the pups of last year. The average daily killing for the season was 400, 
or a daily average of 522 including only the days worked. 
In 1889 the average daily killing from the 1st June to the 20th July inclusive was 
1,516, or a daily average of 1,974 including only the days worked. With this unde- 
niable decrease in merchantable seals, and knowing the impoverished condition of 
the rookeries and hauling-grounds, and believing it to be inimical to the best inter- 
ests of the Government to extend the time for killing beyond the 20th July, Iadhered 
to the letter and spirit of your instructions to me, and elosed the killing season on the 
20th July, against the bitter protestations of Mr. George R. Tingle, General Manager 
for the lessees; his communication to me upon the subject and my reply are inclosed. 
Had there been a reasonable probability of the lessees securing their quota of 60,000 
seals, I should have deemed it my duty to extend the time for killing to the 31st July. 
The killing of the 6th June, the first of the season, was from the Reef Rookery, 
with drive of about 700 seals: the total killed, 116, 834 per cent. being turned away 
as too small. On the 11th June, the drive was from the Reef Rookery, about 1,000: 
total killed, 574, 424} per cent. turned away. On the 24th June the drive was from 
