INVESTIGATION OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 793 



The Chairman. And have it in your report ? 



Mr. Elliott. Yes. The pelagic sealers changed in 1886-1890 the 

 whole thought I had before in 1872-1874. I will say right now that 

 had we had no trouble in the water and on the high seas I would have 

 continued the relation of leasing, but by having better regulations, 

 which would be enforced, and the law obeyed. I say that frankly. 

 But, with pelagic sealers, it was impossible to have a lease. 



The Chairman. You mean if pelagic sealers happened to control 

 the sea as well as the islands ? 



Mr. Elliott. Yes; that is exactly what it was; and that ended 

 any idea of a lease. That dawned on me quickly in 1890. 



Mr. McGuire. Was it ever the practice to kill pups — that is, to 

 kill pups from 4 to 6 months old ? Was that the practice when you 

 were on the islands in 1872 and 1874 ? 



Mr. Elliott. They killed male pups for food in November, 4,000 

 or 5,000 of them. They had been doing that from away back — since 

 1804, annually. They separated them, male from female. That had 

 been the regular practice. 



Mr. McGuire. Was that when you were in charge ? 



Mr. Elliott. Why, certainly; but I was not "in charge." I was 

 only an assistant. Nobody objected to it, however. 



Mr. McGuire. Then it is a fact that 1872 and 1874 



Mr. Elliott (interposing). Yes. 



Mr. McGuire (continuing). They killed more than 5,000 pups from 

 4 to 6 months old, before they left the islands. 



Mr. Elliott. Yes, sir. That is all officially reported. They killed 

 them for food for the natives. They never killed any female pups. 

 They separated them. 



Mr. McGuire. Do they do that now ? 



Mr. Elliott. No. I urged in my monograph of 1884 that it be 

 discontinued as a waste. 



Mr. McGuire. And when you were there as the representative of 

 the Government, in 1872 and 1874, you did not speak of it? 



Mr. Elliott. No; because it did not seem to have any significance. 

 There were about a million and a quarter of pups on the islands then. 



Mr. McGuire. Since that time you objected very vigorously to the 

 killing of yearlings ? 



Mr. Elliott. Well, I objected at that time, but this idea of killing 

 five or six thousand male four-months-old small pups was like a drop 

 in the bucket, or a grain of sand on the seashore. Nobody paid any 

 attention to it. 



Mr. McGuire. That was done under your direction ? 



Mr. Elliott. No, sir; it was not done under my direction. I was 

 not in control there. I was not the agent in charge. 



Mr. McGuire. Then I misunderstood you. I understood you 

 were a representative of the Government. 



Mr. Elliott. Yes, sir; but I was a subordinate agent, an "assist- 

 ant agent," and really, I paid very little attention to those small 

 official matters which the chief special agent was charged with. 



Mr. McGuire. You made no objection at that time? 



Mr. Elliott. No, sir; there was no reason for it. It did not 

 amount to a row of pins. 



Mr. Stephens. Was there any rule or regulation prohibiting it ? 



