258 FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



the people there as to morals ? — A. I have always found them of good 

 morals. 



Q. Of good moral deportment and habits f — A. Yes, sir. 



Q. Do you know Mr. Webster 'i — A. Yes, sir. 



Q. Is he a man of sober habits, or is he given to dissipation? — A. I 

 never knew him to be dissipated. Everybody liked him. The ladies 

 up there always thought a great deal of Mr. Webster. 



Q. Was he a man dissolute among women ? — A. No, sir; he is an old 

 man. He is a man nearly seventy years old. I know he is over sixty. 

 He is not that kind of a man at all. 



Q. Did you have any trouble with him there in performing your 

 duties as agent of the Government; did you find any resistance or ob- 

 struction in any way? — A. jSfot at all. 



Q. Did he co-opperate cheerfully with you °? — A. Yes, sir. 



Q. Was he a violent, bad-tempered man ? — A. j!s^o, sir; he was one of 

 the most quiet men on the island. I never saw him angry whde 1 was 

 there, nor any sign of it. 



Q. I believe you have stated there was no instance of fraud or vio- 

 lation of the laws of the United States on tlie part of the company or 

 its agents ! — A. Nu, sir. 



Q. Is there any doctor or medical attendance on the seal islands'? — 

 A. Yes, sir; there is a doctor on e^ch island. 



Q. Who supports the doctors there"?— A. The company, I suppose. 

 1 know the Government does not. It is in the interest of the company. 



Q. Are natives charged for medical attendance or drugs ?— A. No, 

 sir. 



Q. Does the company furnish them free, at their own expense ? — A. 

 Yes, sir. 



By Mr. Jeffries : 



Q. Does the companj^ supply liquor on the island so persons may get 

 drunk who want to?— A. No, sir, 



Q. How about liquor kept there and who keeps it ? — A. Liquor is 

 brought there for medicinal purposes. 



Q. Who has charge of it? — A. Sometimes the doctor and sometimes 

 the agent, bat I think generally the doctor. 



Q. Do you know anything about the efltbrts made by the company to 

 suppress the manufacture of quass ? — A. Yes, sir. 



Q. Did they take measures to prevent the making of it ? — A. Yes, 

 sir. 



Q. What did they do ? — A. In this way. When I first went on the 

 island there was a great deal of drunkenness from quass that is manu- 

 factured from sugar and tlour, a sort of beer. The company at that 

 time was selling so much sugar a week, perhaps half a pound to an 

 adult and one-quarter of a pound to a child. This •sugar was used by 

 the natives for manufacturing quass instead of using it for their tea 

 and coffee. The attempt was made by the Government agents to sup- 

 press the manufacture of quass without stopping the sale of sugar but 

 they found they could not do it, and at my own request the sale of su- 

 gar was stopped altogether. 



Mr. Macdonald. That stopped the quass ? 



The Witness. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Jeffries. The company could not carry on business if the na- 

 tives were allowed to drink ? 



The Witness. No, sir; they could not do any business there. 



Q. Let me ask you whether, at your request, the company superintend- 



