110 FUE-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



are two places in America where the skins are as well dressed and dyed 

 as they are in England. One is the establishment of Treadwell & Co., 

 in ZS^ew York, who have their works in Albany, and who have turned 

 out as good work in garments dressed and dyed as can be found in Eng- 

 land. They do but a very limited amount of work. They j)ositively 

 refused to increase their works or extend their trade. They make a 

 secret of their process. Time and again efforts have been made to in- 

 duce them to enlarge their works, but they have refused to do it. The 

 other is an establishment in Brooklyn, the name of the man I forget for 

 the moment, but he does about three thousand skins a year, and that 

 almost exceeds his capacity. He does them very well, indeed. When 

 his limit is reached he does not care to increase it. In fact, the feeling 

 of most American buyers — and they buy more than half the skins — is 

 that they prefer to have their work done in London, possibly from a 

 prejudice or tradition, and certainly from the fact that it can be done 

 there, whereas there is no capacity to do it here. But, in fact, the ex- 

 penditure, I fancy, would be close on $1,000,000 to put up in this coun- 

 try such a work and instruct the men to do the work as it is done in 

 England. 



STATEMENTS AND STATISTICS EELATIVE TO THE FUR-SEAL FISHERY. 



[Submitted to Committee of Congress on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 1888.] 



Examinatiou of tlie earliest records of the fur-seal fishery shows that from the date 

 of man's recognition of the value of the fur the pursuit of the animal bearing it has 

 been unceasing and relentless. Save in the few instances to be noted hereafter, 

 where governments have interposed for the purpose of protecting seal life, having in 

 view benefits to accrue in the future, the animal has been wantonly slaughtered with 

 no regard for age, sex, or condition. The mature male, the female heavy with young, 

 the pup, dependent for life on the mother, each and ail have been indiscriminately 

 killed or left to die of want. This cruel and useless butchery has resulted in com- 

 plete extermination of the fur seal from localities which were once frequented by 

 millions of the species ; and, so far as these localities are concerned, has obliterated 

 an industry which a little more enlightened selfishness might have preserved in per- 

 petuity to the great benefit of aU ranks of civilized society. Nothing less than 

 stringent laws, with will power to enforce them against all violators, can preserve 

 for man's benefit the remnant of a race of animals so interesting and so useful. 



The most valuable " rookery " or breeding place of these animals ever known to man 

 is now in the possession of the United States. How it has been cared for in former 

 years, and brought to its present state of value and usefulness, will be shown later on. 

 But the matter of its preservation and perpetuation intact is the important question 

 of the moment, and that this question may be considered intelligently the evidence 

 is here presented of the wanton destruction that has befallen these animals when left 

 unprotected by the law to man's greed and selfishness, which, it is fair to say, is all 

 that could be expected from the unlicensed hunter, whose nature seeks individual 

 and immediate gain, with no regard for a future in which he has no assurance of per- 

 sonal advantage. 



The following statistics are gathered from the journals of early navigators, and 

 uch commercial records as are now available are submitted. * 



Kerguelen Land. — An island in southern Indian Ocean, discovered about 1772. The 

 shores of this island were teeming with fur seal when it first became known. Between 

 the date of its discovery and the year 1800 over 1,200,000 seal skins were taken by 

 the British vessels from the island, and seal life thereon was exterminated. 



Crozeits. — The Crozett Islands, in same ocean and not far distant, were also visited 

 and hunted over and the seal life there totally exhausted. 



Maasafuero. — An island in southern Pacific Ocean, latitude 38° 48' S. longitude 80° 

 34' W., came next in order of discovery, and from its shores in a few years were gath- 

 ered and shipped 1,200,000 fur-seal skins. 



Delano, chapter 17, page 306, says of Massafuero : " When the Americans came to 

 this place in 1797 and began to make a business of killing seals, there is no doubt but 

 there were 2,000,000 or 3,000,000 of them on the island. I have made an estimate of 

 more than 3,000,000 that have been carried to Canton from thence in the space of 

 seven years. I have carried more than 100,000 myself and have been at the place 



