152 INVESTIGATION" OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 



commissioners on board, Prof. Mendenhall, Dr. Merriam, Messrs 

 Brown and Lavender, came from St. George. 



Wednesday, July 29, 1891.— * * * In the evening the British 

 and American commissioners held a joint meeting at the Government 

 house. The meeting was a private one. 



This "private" meeting was not private in so far as the British 

 commissioners were concerned. They demanded the reason why the 

 killing was going on for food seals then, when there was no need for 

 it. Why more than 7,500 seals had been killed up to date of their 

 arrival, and was still in progress ? 



Thereupon Williams and Stanley Brown told them that they had 

 not received their instructions to that effect until the arrival of the 

 Corwin on the 9th of July last, and that the killing had not exceeded 

 that instruction. The official journal quoted above convicts these 

 tools of the lessees of telling an untruth to the British commissioners, 

 who at the moment could not deny their- falsehoods. 



That is why this "meeting" is called a "private" one in the 

 Williams-Brown journal, and as above entered therein by Joseph 

 Murray, assistant agent. H. W. E. 



Monday, August 3, 1891 (p. 393). — Drove seals from Reef rookery 

 and killed for food 118, one of which was cut. All were accepted. 



Sunday, August 9, 1891 (p. 397). — The Albatross sailed for St. 

 George with the American commissioners, Prof. Mendenhall and Dr. 

 Merriam, aboard, also Mr. J. Stanley Brown. 



Monday, August 10, 1891 (p. 400). — Drove seals from Reef, 

 Lukannon, Tolstoi, and Middle Hill and killed for food 408, of which 

 number 405 were accepted. Two given to the natives. 



Tuesday, August 11,1891. — * * * The sealskins were counted 

 by Maj. Williams and they counted to 10,782 for which receipts were 

 made out in triplicate. * * * After the division was made Maj. 

 Williams went on board the Farrallon, and the following employees 

 of the North American Commercial Co. also went aboard to go to 

 San Francisco: George R. Tingle, B. Liebes, A. Hansen, Dr. Hereford, 

 and G. Lee. Mr. Redpath went on board to go to Unalaska for a few 

 days. The plan is to sail about 2 o'clock tomorrow morning. Before 

 leaving Maj. Williams instructed Assistant Agent Murray to write 

 instructions for the assistant agents who are to remain on the island 

 of St. Paul and St. George during the winter. 



Thursday, August 13, A. D. 1891 (p. 402). — In pursuance of an 

 assignment of Maj. W. H. Williams, representing the United States 

 Treasury Department, I this day entered upon the duties of assistant 

 agent in charge on this island. * * * 



Milton Barnes, 

 Assistant Agent in Charge. 



At page 406, under date of Friday, August 28, 1901, the following 

 entry appears: 



Office of Special Agent, 



Treasury Department, 

 St. Paul Island, August 21, 1891. 

 Milton Barnes, 



Sir: Before leaving for "Washington, D. C, Maj. W. H. "Williams instructed me to 

 write instructions for the assistant agents who will have charge of the fur seal islands 

 during his absence. 



* * * No seals are to be killed for food or for any other purpose prior to Novem- 

 ber 1, nor even then if it be known they are stagey. * * * The whole number of 



