88 FUE-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



most natural suggestion to my miud, the Govern ment having acquired 

 these islands, that I should send a seal vessel there; so I arranged to 

 ha^•e one of my vessels go there immediately, and an experienced cap- 

 tain from the East came out. Mr. Morgan came also with him. That 

 vessel proceeded to Sitka, to take out the necessary jjermit there from 

 the officer in charge. 1 think it was General Davis who was in charge. 

 Parties in San Francisco — Hutchinson, Kohl, and others — were im- 

 pressed with the same idea, and, I think, also sent their vessels to Sitka 

 and on to the seal islands. 



One or two parties in a smaller way also ventured, antl the result was 

 that at the opening of the seal season in 1868 there were gathered 

 there, mostly at St. Paul Island, some live or six vessels for the first 

 installment of seal hunters. They were independent of everybody but 

 themselves. Every man was for what he could get, and the vessels of 

 Messrs. Hutchinson, Kohl & Cc, and Captain Morgan and mj' people, 

 each pursued their own way and got what they could; but they realized 

 if such action was continued it would lead to the same results that oc- 

 curred in the South Atlantic, viz, extermination, 



Q. How long did they continue hunting ? — A. That year alone. 



Q. How many seals were taken? Have you any idea?— A. 1 think 

 we took 42,000, and I think Hutchinson, Kohi& Co. took something like 

 80,000 odd, and perhaps 20,000 or 30,000 more were taken by other 

 parties. 



Q. My recollection is that Professor Elliot puts down the taking of 

 seals for two years prior to the enactment of the statute in 1870 creating 

 a reservation and restricting the killing, at something like 300,000. 

 Have you any knowledge of that ?— A. I think he puts it too high, for 

 I lind there was no killing in 1869. This year of 1868 was the year 

 which opened the ball, so to speak, and brought a realization to the 

 minds of the San Francisco people aud myself that if some restriction 

 was not placed upon this indiscriminate slaughter by every person who 

 chose to go there, these rookeries woidd soon be exhausted. Eepresent- 

 atives of Hutchinson Kohl & Co. and of my own house came on to Wash- 

 ington and made representation to the Government of the effect of this 

 course, and stated what would be the result there and the ruin that would 

 ensue, and recommended that this very law, or a similar one, should be 

 passed for the preservation of these rookeries. That was the initial 

 step with regard to governmental action looking to their preservation. 

 I do not think, when the Government made the purchase from Eussia, 

 that any one outside of a dozen people, perhaps, who had been ac- 

 quainted with the sealing heretofore, had the slightest knowledge of 

 there being any value in those islands, or that the Government was 

 going to get anything of value outside the mainland of Alaska. 



The suggestions which were made were acted upon and resulted in 

 the present act, in 1869, prohibiting seal killing on those islands. There 

 was no killing there except such seals as were killed for food for the 

 natives by permission of the Treasury Department or its agents on the 

 on the. islands. 



Mr. Jeffries. As I understand you, in 1868 a few people took those 

 seals, and you came here to Washuigtou aud caHed the attention of 

 Congress and the Treasury Department to the facts existing there, and 

 that the seals were in danger of being destroyed if the islands were 

 left open for the i)eople to come there aud take them ? 



T!ie Witness. Yes, sir. 



Q. The people who now form the Alaska Commercial Company called 

 their attention to tlie facts? — A. Yes, sir. 



