APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 709 
until times mended, and that he could afford to pay; otherwise he shouid apply to 
the Consistory for a position in another locality. 
Ihave endeavoured to impress upon them the fact that they are not to be abandoned 
to their fate; that the Government will not allow them to starve or sutfer, but will 
take care of the people and of the rookeries until the rookeries are built up and fully 
replenished, when prosperity and happiness will return to the island once more. 
All of which is most respectfully submitted. 
(Signed) JOSEPH MuRRay, 
Iirst Assistant Agent, St. George Island. 
Hon. CHar_LeEs J. GOrr, 
Agent in charge of Seal Island, Alaska. 
(C.)—Teport of A. W. Lavender, Assistant Treasury Agent. 
OFFICE OF SPECIAL AGENT, TREASURY DEPARTMENT, 
St. George Island, Behring’s Sea, July 26, 1890. 
Sm: [have the honour to make you the following Report of this season’s sealing 
by the North American Commercial Company, and to offer such recommendations as 
in my judgment should be enforced by the Government for the protection of these 
rookeries during the next six or seven years; also to report to you the condition of 
the natives and their houses, and to ask that such repairs to their houses as are 
21 absolutely required be furnished as soon as possible; also to request of you in 
your Report to the Secretary of the Treasury to ask for 350 dollars for repairs 
to the Government House, and such other articles as I shall mention in this Report. 
In accordance with your letter of the 20th instant, asking me to ship the 630 food 
skins in the United States Revenue Marine cutter ‘‘ Rush,” I will state that I have 
complied with the same, and inclose you a receipt signed by the Captain, a dupli- 
cate of the same I have in this office on file. I will also state there are twenty road 
skins here in the salt-house. 
The killing of seals on this island was stopped on the 20th; a list of each number 
killed out of each drive I inclose also to you, and you will see that the last drive 
from North and Starri-Arteel Rookeries and also from Zapodine that there was a 
larger number of seals killed than from any other drive; this I will assure you was 
not owing to the greater number of large seals being driven at this time, but the 
standard weight of skins being reduced on that day from 7 to 5 lbs., and even less. 
The writer was surprised when he first visited the rookeries to find no young bull 
seals upon them; this looked strange to him, and he began to look up the cause, 
and it occurred to him that the constant driving of young male seals and the killing 
of all the 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds, that there were no young bulls left to go on the 
rookeries, and without young blood the fur-seal industry will be something of the 
past in a very few years. 
The Government should take absolute control of these islands and permit no seal to 
be killed more than are needed by the natives for food for the next. six or seven 
years, and then all the male seals driven should be killed, as it is my opinion that 
not over one-half ever go back upon the rookeries again. In this way there would 
be killed upon this island about 2,500 each year. These skins sold in the market 
would pay all the expenses of the island and furnish such supplies to the natives to 
keep them from want, and they would be as well satisfied as they are now under 
the management of the North American Commercial Company. Without something 
of this kind being done, the natives will soon have to move from these islands, for 
there will be nothing to keep them here. 
The North American Commercial Company has landed and turned over to this 
officer 30 gross tous of coal for the use of the natives and ten barrels of salt salmon, 
and also state that there are 10 tons of coal in the coal-shed for the Government 
house. 
Most all of the native houses need repairing; some need a new floor, others a new 
roof, and I would recommend that at least four of these houses be made larger by 
the addition of one more room. 
The Government or Company, whichever has charge of this island, the next season 
should send at least 10,000 feet of siding and-10,000 feet of flooring on the first 
steamer that comes up in the spring; also 35,000 shingles, and nails enough to do 
the work. 
The natives are in better health than they have been for the past year. I am not 
aware of there being a sick person on the island. Their sanitary condition is bad, 
and to each house there should be a small outbuilding, which they could use for a 
closet. Such a thing seems to be unknown here. 
