F UK-SEAL, FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 259 



entiliscbarged oue or two men to whom you objected? — A. The superin- 

 tencleiit discharged the doctor. The first winter I was there 1 had, not an 

 oflicial difficulty, but a personal difficulty with the doctor sent there by 

 the comi)any, but in fact I did not request his removal. 



Q. Did you report the lact ? — A. Never. I reported to the agent sta- 

 tioned on the island, and he reported to the general agent the facts of 

 the case, and the general agent asked me if that was thetjase, and 1 said 

 it was, and then he promptly discharged the doctor. 



Q. There was never any conflict between you and the agents of the 

 company f — A. Never. 



Q. Did they do all that you asked them to do, or asked to be done ? — 

 A. Yes, sir. 



Q. Cheerfully '?— A. Yes, sir. 



Q. For eight years ?— A. Yes. 



Here the committee took a recess until 2 p. m. 



AFTER THE RECESS. 



TESTIMONY OF JOSEPH B. JOHNSTON. 



Joseph B. Johnston, sworn and examined. 



By the Chairman : 



Q. State to the reporter your name and place of residence, and the 

 official i^osition that you occupy, if any. — A. My name is Joseph B. 

 Johnston, United States commissioner, stationed at Oonalaska. I re- 

 side there, and I have resided there for the last two years. 



Q. Have you occupied that official position during those two years ? — 

 A. Yes, sir. 



Q. Have you visited the islands of St. Paul and St. George during 

 your residence there ? — A Yes, sir. 



Q. Have you familiarized yourself to any extent with the character 

 and habits of the white and native population there? — A. I was only 

 there for a short time — only four days I think at St. George and two 

 days at St. Paul; but I know a number of the natives of those places 

 who come to Oonalaska, and 1 have talked frequently with them. 



Q. What was your observation as to the condition of the natives upon 

 those two islands'? — A. I thought it was excellent. 



Q. Do you know something of the former history of their former con- 

 dition before the Territory was ceded to the United States '? How does 

 their present condition compare with their former condition ? — A. Most 

 favorably. 



Q, Have they advanced and improved? — A. Yes, sir; both morally 

 and physically. 



Q. Have they improved in education ? — A. Yes, sir. 



Q. Were they living comfortably and well i)rovided for ? — A. They 

 were comfortably housed and comfortably clothed. 



Q. From your observations, from what you saw and heard, what do 

 you think of the moral condition of the natives there, as to — in other 

 words, you have read the recent reports in the newspapers ? — A. Yes, 

 sir. 



Q. About their loose moral condition and a sort of wholesale de- 

 bauchery of women, and so on ; were any of those reports correct, do 

 9984—18 



