FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 175 



reported having boarded tbescbooners Vanderiilt, Captain Myers , Sierra, Captain Lee, 

 and City of San Uiego, the tirst two about 20 miles from Oonalaska, and the last 40 

 miles from St. George Island. He took from the Sierra 4 rifles and 1,100 ronnds fixed 

 ammunition, and from the Cifi/ of San Diego 6 rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition. 

 The last-named vessels had seal skins aboard, salted, and plenty of salt and seal clnbs, 

 showing clearly they intended, if opportunity offered, to laud on the rookeries. 

 Captain Abbey notified the captains of the trading schooners that if again caught in 

 the waters with additional seal skins on board he would seize the vessel ancl car- 

 goes. On his arrival here, ytitli instant, he reported having seized the schooner 

 San Dieijo not far from Oonalaska, sealing, having some fresh-skinned sealskins on 

 board, and 574 in salt, 175 of which had been clubbed, and among the skins were some 

 small pups, this year's, showing conclusively the marauder had landed on a rookery 

 on St. George, as the pups had not yet gone in the water. The San Diego is an old 

 offender, and was captured once on Otter Island sealing. Captain Abbey proposes to 

 hand her over to the civil authorities. She is at present in custody of the deputy 

 inarshal at Oonalaska. 



This commencement of captures will do much toward breaking up the marauding 

 Inisiness about the islands this season; indeed the ('t»)-(tu('s presence here has un- 

 doubtedly kept ott' quite a fleet of schooners and destroyed their unlawful business 

 hereabouts. With the cutter Bear to remain until fall, after coming out of the Arctic, 

 seal life will be protected from pirates this season. It is the only means by whicli 

 good can be accomplished in that direction. I do earnestly hope the Department 

 will see the necessity of keeping a cutter around the fur seal islands every season 

 from the 1st of June to the Ist of November. 



Mr. Chairman, witb yonr perraisf^ion, I desire to read as part of my 

 testiQiony extracts from my reports of 1887, as follows: 



The time has come when, in my judgment, the lessees sliould be authorized by the 

 Secretary of the Treasury to employ additional natives, and teach them the business 

 of sealing in all its branches, as death has played sad havoc with the sealers of the 

 islands. The mortality among the men since 1870 has been fearful, and the small- 

 ness of the efi'ective force of able men and boys in 1887 to do the work of taking 

 ^!5,000 seal skins on St. Paul Island during the time allowed by law is insufficient. 

 Were it not for the fact that one-half the work pertaining to the taking, saltiug, 

 bundling, etc., of the skins is done by Oonalaska natives, brought up by the lessees 

 for the sealing season and returned to their homes at the close of the season's busi 

 ness, and eight white men, employes of the lessees, the work would not be done on 

 St. Paul Island without continuing the killing in the fall. About forty natives of 

 Oonalaska, tho same tribe of people who inhabit the fur-seal islands, are brought an- 

 nually to the islands, and paid by the lessees for saltiug, booking, bundling, etc., in 

 order to advance the work. 



The island natives receiving the full sum of 40 cents per skin, it would be en- 

 tirely just to take this extra expense from the sum total of the native fund and dis- 

 tribute the remainder to the sealers, as the work ])eiformed by the extra help is a 

 part of the duty imposed on the island natives under the contract and in considera- 

 tion of the 40 cents jier skin paid them. Experience has demonstrated that the 

 system of payment to the natives is not the best for their own interest, for the reason 

 that when the season's sealing ends and they each get their proportion of the com- 

 munity fund entered up to their credit in their pass-books, they feel the year's work 

 is ended. If called upon to work on a road over which they travel and wheel their 

 water, meat, and fuel, or asked to launch a boat to board the vessel in the spring, 

 they are paid by the hour; or when called out by the Treasury agent in the spring t<» 

 clean up the filth they have accumulated during the winter round their houses they 

 are paid for their labor. They earn their year's salary or pay in six weeks, and for 

 the remainder of the year feel they are free. If called on to do any work, even 

 though it may be as much for the benefit of the natives as the les.sees, they must bo 

 paid by the hour for it. The systeni of paymeiit by the piece or skin was adopted im • 

 mediately after the transfer of the country, as an inducement for the natives to secure 

 the. skins, rival companies occupying the islands sealing at the time. In my o])inion 

 it is not the best Avay to compensate the island natives, and is very unjust 1o their 

 brothers who are brought from Oonalaska to help them. 



The aveiage pay of the St. Paul native sealer this year is a little over $500, whilst 

 the Oonalaskans receive on an average $80 each. This small sum is tlie main su[i[)ort 

 of their fauiilies for the year, whilst the St. Paul man has, besides his $500 cash, all 

 the fresh seal meat he can eat, and salt, fuel, fish, house, medicines, physician, and 

 schooling free. It would be a simple act of justice to place the natives of Oonalaska. 

 employed to assist in sealing on the same footing with the St. Paul natives in the 

 distribution of the sum earned, as one set of men are just as essential to the work 

 as the other, I would suggest as fi Hiuch better plan tlie payment of a sum equal tio 



