708 APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 
island this year, it may be necessary for you to mention it to the General Manager 
of the North American Commercial Company. 
Mr. A. W. Lavender arrived on the 26th, and immediately entered upon his duties. 
On the 12th July the watchman reported a schooner in sight off Zapodine, and I 
armed the men and sent a squad to exposed rookeries, Mr. Lavender going to Zapo- 
dine with four men, the second chief and four men to "East Rooker y; and I went with 
four men to Starri- “Arteel. We all watched until next morning without seeing an 
enemy. ‘To facilitate the guarding of the rookeries it is necessary to have some sort 
of shelter for the w atchmen ; asmall hut on each of the three rookeries would be 
sufficient, and they need not cost over 50 dollars each. 
On Sunday, 11th May, the schooner “ Alton” (Captain Worth), of San Francisco, 
touched at the island, and the captain came ashore and informed us of the new lease 
and new Company. On learning of the change the natives held several meetings, 
and afterwards came to the Government House to have my advice as to how they 
should act in case any material changes were made in their mode of working, gov- 
ernment, or the amount of their pay. 
The meeting was adjourned from time to time until they had thoroughly discussed 
the most important questions raised, and at the last meeting, held 23rd May, they 
unanimously declared that it was their firm belief and honest. opinion that the seals 
had diminished and would continue to diminish from year to year, because all the 
male seals had been slaughtered without allowing any to grow to maturity for use 
on the breeding ground. 
I made a note of the suggestion on the journal that day, and Iam now fully con- 
vinced by personal observation that it is onky too true, and that the natives were 
correct in every particular. 
In 1889 the full quota of 15,000 skins was obtained here, but I know now (what I 
did not understand then) that in order to fill the quota they lowered the standard 
towards the close of the season and killed hundreds of yearling seals, and took a 
greater number of small skins than ever before. 
The first seals of this season appeared upon the hauling-ground on the 26th 
20 April, and the first killing for food was on the 13th May. ‘The killing season 
for skins opened on the ond June, and they killed seventy-one. 
I inclose a full statement of all the killings of the season, from the 2nd June to the 
20th July, inclusive, and you will observe that the greatest number killed at one 
killing—excepting those of the 19th and 20th July—was only 394, although the driy- 
ing and killing were under the immediate supervision of Mr. Webster, who is admitted 
to be the most experienced and most careful sealer on the islands. 
Until the 19th July, an attempt was made to keep to a standard of not less than 
7-lb. skins, but when it was apparent beyond question that there were no large 
young seals on the hauling-ground, the standard was lowered and skins of 5-lbs. 
were taken wherever found. It was thus the last two killings were swelled to their 
present proportions. ; 
For the whole season we obtained a total of 4,112 skins, against a total of 10,138 on 
the same date last year. 
That the seals should have disappeared so oats sinee the Report of your prede- 
cessor in 1888 is so astounding that those who cannot sce the rookeries and hauling- 
grounds for themselves may well be pardoned for doubting what is, [am sorry to say, 
only painful though it be to all who are interested, the whole truth must neverthe- 
less be told, and that is that the seals have been steadily decreasing since 1880, and 
the days are passed and gone when they could be counted on the Tookeries by the 
million. I have carefully examined the rookeries and hauling-grounds at Starri- 
Arteel north and east, and I find somewhat less than half the eround covered when 
compared with former years. I accompanied the natives when they went to make 
a drive from East Rookery, and we walked along the beach from Little East to East 
Rookery without finding one seal till we came to the breeding-grounds proper. 
Either Mx. Lavender or I was present at every killing made; we saw the numbers 
that we turned away, and we counted the skins of all that were killed, and we find 
that what is true of one rookery is trae of them all—the seals are not on them. 
Now that the seals have disappeared the natives are very much alarmed, and they 
anxiously inquire what will the Government do for them in their destitution. ‘They 
have earned during the present season 1,644 dol. 90 c., which, I need scarcely add, 
will be entirely in: adequate to supply food and clothing for a year for a population 
of ninety people. I never knew a people so attached to a church as these poor crea- 
tures, and now they are in great tribulation because they have no means to contrib- 
ute to its support, nor to the support of the priest and his family. At one of their 
many meetings they req uested me to write for them to the Russian-Greek Church 
Consistory at San Francisco, and appeal for aid for their priest and church until such 
times as the seal fisheries should recover and make them self- supporting. In justice 
to the priest, I may tell you that he was the first to say he should not have any share 
of the earnings of this season, and that he would not take any money from the people 
