INVESTIGATION OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 549 



At the paragraph next to the bottom of page 140 is this : 



After this, when it was plainly seen that the seals were, on account of this wicked 

 killing, steadily growing less and less in number, the directions were observed for 

 greater caution in killing the grown seals and young females, which came in with the 

 droves of killing seals, and to endeavor to separate, if possible, these from those which 

 should be slain. 



In the first paragraph, cows were driven and killed; and young 

 females are here killed. That is a translation of the official record 

 of Russian conditions. 



Mr. McGuire. A translation by Mr. Elliott ? 



Mr. Clark. A translation by Mr. Elliott. 



Mr. Elliott. That is right. 



Mr. Clark. That Mr. Elliott did not misunderstand what Venia- 

 minof was saying, I quote from a footnote on page 143, which is 

 initialed by Mr. Elliott, "H. W. E.": 



These suggestions of Veniaminof were, however, a vast improvement on the work 

 as it was conducted, and they were adopted at once; but it was not until 1845 that the 

 great importance of never disturbing the breeding seals was recognized. 



That means that prior to 1845 the Russians disturbed the breeding 

 seals, if language means anything. 



The Chairman. Mr. Elliott suggests that the full quotation be 

 read. 



Mr. Clark. It is as follows, and refers to a hypothetical table com- 

 piled by Veniaminof: 



I translate the chapter of Veniaminof's without abridgement, although it is full of 

 errors, to show that while the Russians gave this matter evidently much thought at 

 headquarters, yet they failed to send some one on to the ground who, by first making 

 himself acquainted with the habits of the seals from close observation of their lives, 

 should then be fitted to prepare rules and regulations founded upon this knowledge. 

 These suggestions of Veniaminof were, however, a vast improvement on the work as 

 it was conducted, and they were adopted at once; but it was not until 1845 that the 

 great importance of never disturbing the breeding seals was recognized. — H. W. E. 



At page 166 Mr. Elliott says, referring to an old letter from a 

 "Creole" agent of the Russian- American Co., on St. Paul in 1847: 



This is interesting, because it is the record of the first killing on the seal islands when 

 the females were entirely exempted from slaughter. 



At page 167 Mr. Elliott comments further on this matter as follows: 



Is it not exceedingly strange that he (Veniaminof) never thought, during all his 

 cogitations over this problem, of the real vital principle — of letting the females entirely 

 alone, of sparing them strictly? I think that the worthy bishop would have done so 

 had he passed more time on the rookeries himself. I can not find, however, who the 

 Russian was that had the good judgment, first of all men, to inaugurate a perpetual 

 "zapooska" of the females on the Pribilof Islands; it was done in 1847 for the first 

 time, and has been rigidly followed ever since, giving the full expansion in 1857 to 

 that extraordinary increase and beneficial result which we observe thereon to-day. 



The effect to which he is referring is that which he saw demon- 

 strated on the rookeries in 1872-1874. 



Mr. Stephens. I fail to see the bearing it has on the question at 

 issue here. 



Mr. McGuire. Mr. Elliott has contradicted himself in his two 

 reports, pointedly and decisively. 



Mr. Clark. I wish to make another point. This is from the report 

 of 1890 by Henry W. Elliott also. 



The Chairman. You told us that people learn in this business as 

 they get more experience. 



