820 INVESTIGATION OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 



Mr. Elliott. Read it; I can not say. 



The Chairman. You should read the contents of the letter so that 

 he can refresh his recollection. 



Mr. McGuire. Yes; I will. 



Mr. Elliott. I have written several letters to Secretary Carlisle, 

 but I do not remember asking for employment. I do not think I did. 

 s Mr. McGuire. I have here a copy of a letter which I will read: 



317 Detroit Street, Cleveland, Ohio, 



November 6, 1893. 

 Hon. J. G. Carlisle, 



Secretary of the Treasury. 

 Dear Sir: The annexed press dispatch tells me in language plain that the com- 

 mercial ruin of our fur seal preserves on the Seal Islands of Alaska has been thoroughly 

 effected during the last year; it was well under way when I left the islands in 1890 — 

 the brief respite given to the animals on land since then has not and will not preserve 

 the value of the rookeries — terrible slaughter at sea will continue next year and there- 

 after for a few seasons more until the millions of female seals and their young which I 

 saw in 1890, together with the 80,000 or 100,000 young and older males 



Mr. Elliott (interposing). I did not say ''millions of females." 

 That is a mistake. 



Mr. McGuire. It says, "until the million of female seals." 



Mr. Elliott. No; there were then about 549,000 females — a 

 million females and pups altogether. There is a mistake there. 



Mr. McGuire (continuing) : 



until the million of female seals and their young which I saw in 1890, together with 

 the 80,000 or 100,000 young and older males — until they are so reduced in number 

 that it will not pay to pursue them. 



I am well satisfied, from my long experience, that were I to start out with the pelagic 

 sealing fleet next January from Victoria and Puget Sound, follow it up to its rendezvous 

 at Unalaska, and watch its work around the islands during next August and Sep- 

 tember, that I could lay before you a statement of facts that would clearly show the 

 utter uselessness of attempting, under the existing regulations 



Mr. Elliott. That is right. I recall that letter. 

 Mr. McGuire (continuing) : 



to restore these rookeries to a paying basis in so far as revenue to the Public Treasury 

 is concerned. 



To carry out the police regulations on sea that the Bering Sea decision calls for will 

 cost this Government of ours not less than $250,000 to $400,000 annually, provided 

 they are moderately undertaken — much more, if fully undertaken. 



The revenue from the islands next season will not go over $200,000, even if you give 

 the lessees permission to kill every male seal that they can find up there over 1 year 

 of age and under 5, and make them pay their full $10 per skin taken; they possibly 

 might get 25,000 such seals— if they do, you can depend upon it, they will not be able 

 to get 15,000 such seals in 1895, and still less in 1896, winding up in 1897 with a com- 

 plete collapse. 



I am, very truly, your friend and servant, 



Henry W. Elliott. 



P. S. — If yearling male seals are taken on the islands next summer, I believe that 

 between 25,000 and 30,000 such seals, or 4£-pound skins can be secured also; but such 

 killing will be the end of the business. — H. W. E. 



Mi - . Elliott. I will say right there, that my idea in the writing of 

 that letter was to get Secretary Carlisle so thoroughly informed that 

 he would set aside the Bering Sea rules and see the nonsense of them, 

 and move to have a reopening of the case — anything to get these men 

 to understand that we had got to stop killing both on land and sea 

 for seven or eight years. 



Mi-. McGuire. I understood you to say that there had been very 

 little killing since 1S90. 



