500 INVESTIGATION OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 



Mr. McGuire. That is all right so far as the chairman is concerned. 

 This is all news to me and I want to know about it. 



Mr. Elliott. I invited him to join us and come in on everything 

 we were doing and he did so. 



Mr. Clark. As I say, I first invited Mr. Elliott informally and in 

 in the presence of Mr. Chamberlain, and when he did not accept, 

 then I wrote him this official letter, because I deemed that my in- 

 structions made it mandatory upon me to reach some kind of cooper- 

 ation. This is dated St. Paul Island, Alaska, July 13, 1913: 



Mr. Henry W. Elliott, 



St. Paul Island. 



My Dear Sir: 



Instructions received by me from the Commissioner of Fisheries contain these pro- 

 visions : 



"During the visit of Henry W. Elliott and assistant to the seal islands next month, 

 facilitate their inquiries in every possible way and extend every courtesy, and with 

 at least one other department representative accompany them in their visits to all 

 parts of the islands and make a simultaneous observations and records, these to be 

 duly certified and forwarded so that the department may be fully advised of con- 

 ditions this season." 



In accordance with these instructions I invited you this morning to duplicate with 

 Mr. Chamberlain, Mr. Whitney, and myself the height of the season counts of haiems, 

 idle bulls, and young bulls. Notwithstanding your declination to do this at the time 

 I formally tender the invitation again, hoping that you may reconsider the matter 

 and accompany us to Zapadni, Tolstoi, and Lagoon to-morrow. We will cheerfully 

 go over Gorbatch, Reef, Kitovi, and Lukanin — the rookeries covered to-day — if you 

 will join in the work. You will note that we were prevented from joining you in this 

 work by reason of delay in reaching the islands. There is, furthermore, time at least 

 to go over Zapadni and Tolstoi before your work at Northeast Point and Polovina, 

 which is set for the 15th. 



In the meantime we shall be prepared to join with you in the work at Northeast 

 Point and Polovina in accordance with your kind offer, the work to begin on the 

 morning of the 15th. 



I shall be glad to have you join us in the counting of the fur seal pups and the study 

 of pup mortality, and any other work we may undertake, and if there is any way in 

 which I can assist you or facilitate your work, through my experience in 1902 and 1912, 

 it will be a pleasure to me to do so. My field notes for the latter season I have placed 

 at your disposal. 



I should appreciate a written reply to this letter. 

 Very truly yours, 



George A. Clark, Special Assistant. 



I may say that I did not receive a reply to that letter. 



I am offering this letter as an expression, in a measure, of my dis- 

 appointment that we were not able to get together and do this work 

 together, and I want to show it was not my fault that we did not 

 do that. 



Mr. McGuire. You say after you wrote Mr. Elliott and presented 

 him a copy of the letter you have just read you did some counting; 

 that is, you did your counting after that time? 



Mr. Clark. Yes. 



Mr. McGuire. Did he do any counting after that time? 



Mr. Clark. Yes, sir. 



Mr. McGuire. At what time in the day did you give him that 

 letter' 



Mr. Clark. Well, the ship landed us about 7 o'clock in the morning 

 and we were one day late, so I wanted to get immediately on the 

 rookery. I went personally to Mr. Elliott and asked him to accom- 

 pany us and then we went on because we had a heavy day's work 

 before us. 



