, 1888-03-22

Pribloff Islands. Soon after the
ratification OF tie treaty between the
United States and Russia cading
Aiaska TO the United States, March
18th 1867. company was formed
under the name of Hutchingson
Kohl q Co. who proceeded to Sitka
and bought, OF Governor Aaxsou
toff, all the property OF the Russian
American Company. 4 nominal sum
was paid and the Schooner Grower
belonging to the firm was loaded
with promiscuous cargo OF most
valuable merchandise. This was
shipped On board the vessel in such
haste that 70 account was taken. L
had been appointed agent here by
liz. LutchiDgson and on the arrival
OF tie GroWiar ! assorted and in
voiced the cargo and TesAipped IT
~ San francisco, Wbare It sold at
satisfactory prices and enabled the
firm 10 make payment OF their first
Ins5a!imeut on the purchase. Otaei
parties were taken into the firm Eho
now took the title of Alaska Com
marcial company, and III July 1870 Il
lease Of the Islands of st. Paul snd
ot George was made between the
Secretary OF the Treasury and tae
Alaska Commercial Co. for twenty
years, which lease expires by limita~
ton July Isl 1890.
Elr. hutchinson went 10 reside IN
" a7Airgton to look after the com
pany'5 interest and secure such leg
isia;ion a. hs wished. lie was
skilled dipIOmdtist, genial, CONS
pauionable gentleman OF rare con
yersationsl powers, and. with unlim
itad means at his disposal, he secured
the good will of members of Con
gresS and others IN authority. Those
whose brains were reached through
their pockets, received satisfactory
Innings. Those who were reached
by their stomach, lie dined and
wiaed With marvellous dinners and
suppers, and Others not to be ap-
preached through these channels
were converted to his views by read
ing the apocryphal tales of his paid
writers. There was no one to op-
pose him, and so the Alaska Com
mercial Company, from their twenty
years lease OF the small islands of
st. George and St. Paul, have grown
so bold that they now lay claim to
tho whole OF Behring sea aid all the
waters OF the North Pacific. to the
boundary of British Columbia.
One of the specious arguments
is that the fur seals of the North
Pacific ocean congregate on the
.Ni If Il L. 70 -
naly slaughter them would extermi~
nate the race The part of this as
sertion is a physical impossibility
the fur seals Lave SO wide geo.
graphical range extending from
Cape Horn to the Arctic and are
found in such countless myriad6 at
their special resorts, that it is an
utter impossibility to collect them all
on those two small islands. It Is as
impossible as it would be to collect
all the flies in Alaska on the carca5e5
these fur seals. One of their most
remarkable traits is their wide geo.
graphical range. 70 give clear
idea Of their varied haunts as re-
CARDS climate and diversity Of local
ity, ] will mention the following:
The coast of Patagonia. west coast
of Africa, Falkland Islands, New
South Shetlands, South Georgia,
Southern coast OF Chill, Masafuaro
and Lobos Islands on the coast of
Peru, Galapagos Islands, off the
coast of Eucador, San Benito IslaDds,
Lower California, the Islands OF
Desolation, Crozets and st. Paul In
the Indian Ocean, and st. Paul and
| st. George in Behring sea, Copper
Island on the Siberian coast, and
Robin and Jonas Islands in the Ok
hotsh sea and along the islands of the
japanese group.
Thus 1t will be seen that those GU
Tious animals are Inhabitants OF the
antipode5 OF the globe and 5ask in q
! tropical sun, as well as endure the
rigors of the icy regions Of the Arctic
and Antarctic oceans. But the in
discriminate slaughter OF fur seals on
Masafuero, Peru, and the San Benito
Islands on the coast of lower Cali
fornia in early days broke up the
rookeries and drove the seals to
other places and forced them to
adopt new habits, one of which is
that the seals from the Gulf of
| Tehuantepec and Gulf of California
which come north every season in
countless myriads, do have their
pups on the kelp beds in the ocean as
is proved by the little pups taken
with their mothers by the Indians Of
Cape Flattery Those pups swim as
soon as born, and even when taken
alive from oat their mothers, which
have been killed by spears of the ma
tives. In this respect the southern
seal differ from those of Pribloff
Islands, where the seals haul out
and the pups are born on land 1t is
said that these pups cannot swim,
but will sink like stone If thrown
into the water, showing the differ
once between the habits of the seals
of the Pribloff Islands and the south
ern seals taken off Cape Flattery-
In the spring of 1880 l was in
structed by Professor Spencer Z
Baird to make q full report on the
fur seal fishery off the entrace to
Fuca Strait and West coast of Wash
ington Territory for the U. S. Cen
sus Bureau for tenth census, which
report was completed and sent to
Prof Baird July 20, 1880. In that
report l gave full account OF the
fur seal pups, verified by Prof Da-
vid l.. Jordan of the U. S. Fish
Commission. and now President of
the University of Indiana, who was
with mo nj Neah Bay. This reDort
did not suit MIR. Henry W Elliott. a
hreling writer Of the Alaska CONNER
cial Company, who is a Monograph
on the fur Seal Islands of Alaska
published by the U. S. Fish Com
mission in special Bulletin 176,
from the report of the Fishery in
dustries of the tenth census, takes
me severely to task for my statement
and in most dogmatic manner
without any evidence. pronounced
my statement erroneous. It would
not have done to have Let my ranoy,