FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA 1 33 



sea-otter hunters on our vessels, knowing that they were to engage in 

 business in opposition to us. 



He quotes Mr. Petroff's statistics of the fur business of western 

 Alaska. Those statistics were correct enough for 1880, bat the trade 

 has fallen off until tbey are entirely erroneous for 1888. I do not see 

 anything else that requires an answer. 



By the Chairman : 

 Q. Is there anything to prevent any other individual or company 

 from going into the fur trade if they choose to do so! — A. Nothing 

 whatever. The entire Territory of Alaska is as open to the world as 

 any other part of the United States. 



By Mr. Jeffries: 



Q. Please tell the committee w^herein the contract with the Govern- 

 ment has any connection with the condition of trade with the natives. — 

 A. It has no connection whatever. The contract relates exclusively to 

 the seal islands and the seal fisheries. 



Q. Will you tell the committee what relation this man has ever had 

 with the Alaska Commercial Company, or what his grievance is, if he 

 has any?— A. I don't know what his grievance is, but the company has 

 a grievance against him, because he left without paying his b^lls, amount- 

 ing to $1,000 or more, for board and borrowed money. 



I should like to point out how I know the seals are diminishing in 

 number. This chart [exhibiting chart] shows the lanes through which 

 the killable seals, in going back of the rookeries, pass to the grounds 

 from which we take them. The increase of seals from 1872 to 1883 closed 

 up these lanes, so that the killable seals were unable to get through, and 

 this occurred as the result of the increase of the female seals and con- 

 sequent extension of the breeding rookeries. The bachelor seals were, 

 therefore, obliged to go to some other point to haul up. Since the ex- 

 cessive killing began, these lanes have again commenced to open wider 

 and wider, until they are now open so wide as to allow the bachelor 

 seals to pass through their old grounds back of the rookeries, while the 

 places from which we drove seals for killing a few years ago have been 

 In turn again partially abandoned. The bachelor seals haul up at a dis- 

 tance from the rookeries only when they are unable to reach satisfac- 

 tory ground near by them. 



By Mr. Felton : 



Q. In this letter Mr. Seeber says : " Revenue steamers are kept at 

 the expense of the Government throughout the summer months con- 

 stantly in attendance about the seal islands, and any unfortunate ves- 

 sel discovered in Bering Sea is searched, and if found to contain 

 any furs, it matters not how or where they were obtained, is seized and 

 subjected to condemnation and sale." Is that a fact ?— A. I have never 

 known a vessel to be seized unless it had furs on board which were rea- 

 sonably presumed to have been obtained in Bering Sea, contrary to 

 law, and the fact that they are condemned and sold seems to prove that 

 they were violating the law, 



Q. Then it is not true ? — A. It is not true that vessels are seized when 

 pursuing legitimate business; and I would like to add, that the agents 

 of the Alaska Commercial Company never solicit the officers of the 

 Government, as he states, to do anything more than their duty in pro- 

 tecting the seals and the interests of the Government, for the interests 

 of the Government and of the comi^any are identical in this business. 



