968: APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 
128. Q. Do you think that as the years pass along the Indians, as well as the 
Whites, get more expert in seal-hunting?—A. Yes, they do. 
129. Q. Notwithstanding all the ships in the fleet on the ocean, you would adhere 
to your statement that you don’t think there is any noticeable decrease in the num- 
ber of seals?—A. Yes; I do not think so. If the vessels had been let alone in Beh- 
ring’s Sea last year, we would have had a bigger catch than any previous year. 
130. Q. Do you think, Captain Laing, if they would cease killing seals in the 
Pribyloff Islands it would increase the number of seals on the coast?—A. I think it 
would. 
131. Q. If the rookeries were undisturbed by anything, you think the seals would 
be more plentiful?—A. I do. 
132. Q. Have you any opinion to offer as to killing seals on the islands doing more 
harm than anything else?—A. I think the American people are doing more harm by 
killing seals and interfering with them on their rookeries or seal islands than we 
hunters do on the coast. 
133. Q. You have never heard of any rookery along the coast?—A. I never heard 
of one. There is a rookery of sea lion off Queen Charlotte Island, but I never heard 
of any of seals. 
(Signed) A. D. LAING. 
Sworn before me, this 25th day of January, A. D. 1892. 
(Signed) A. R. Mine, Collector of Customs. 
January 25, 1892. 
William Cox, present master of the schooner ‘‘Sapphire,” of Victoria, called and 
examined by Collector Milne: 
1. Q. You are engaged in the sealing business, Captain Cox?—A. Yes, I have been 
master of the sealing schooner ‘‘ Sapphire” for the last four years. 
2. Q. How many boats do you carry in your outfit?—A. I carry canoes and an 
Indian crew. 
3. Q. With the exception of how many white men to navigate?—A. Seven white 
people I carry for navigating the vessel. 
4. Q. The number of Indians?—A. The last two years I have had twenty-eight 
north to Behring’s Sea. 
5. Q@. And how many canoes?—A. Fourteen canoes. 
6. Q. Had you more canoes on the coast?—A. Yes, I have had twenty-four canoes 
while on the coast. 
7. Q. When you finally leave for Behring’s Sea, you drop a number of the Indians, 
and only take about fourteen canoes with you?—A. Yes. 
8. Q. Do you prefer Indian crews to white men?—A. Yes, I do. 
9. Q. What are your reasous for the preference?—A. Well, I get along better with 
them for one thing; there is more honour among them than among the average white 
crew in this business. They don’t make an agreement to-day, and break it to-mor- 
row if they seé a chance to make a little more. 
10. Q. And they don’t quarrel among themselves?—A. No; and you can generally 
trust them more. 
11. Q. They are more profitable too, are they not?—A. Yes, a little more. 
12. Q. They furnish their own canoes?—A. Yes, and spears and boatmen; and it 
is not such a heavy outtit, but their canoes are light and easily broken by the heavy 
seas, 
13. Q. They are better then aboard a large vessel?—A. Yes, but you have to be 
very careful—the canoes are ‘‘dug-outs” and easily shattered. 
14. Q. Apart from getting along easier with the Indians, the experience is 
189 just about the same as with a white crew?—A. Yes, the skins cost about the 
same in the end. 
15. Q. Do the Indian crews venture out during the stormy weather as much as the 
white men?—A. Yes, almost as freely. I have had the same crew so long now that 
they will do anything I wish them to do. 
16. Q. Do you take them down the coast?—A. Yes, and up the coast and on into 
Behring’s Sea. 
17. Q. They spear all their seals?—A. The greater number of them, yes, but some- 
times shoot; they spear all the ‘‘ slecpers.” 
18. Q. What proportion do you think they shoot?—-A. They shoot, probably, twenty 
out of the hundred; but I think now the fleetis getting so large there are more wake 
seals, that consequently they did more shooting with me last year than ever before. 
They never shoot a sleeping seal. 
