Office of the Historian

Mr. Uhl to Mr. Bayard.

Department of State,
Washington, November 24, 1893.

Sir: Referring to the Department’s reply of the 21st of this month to your dispatch of the 11th instant, relative to the Bering Sea seal question, I enclose for your information a copy of a letter from the Acting Secretary of the Treasury, furnishing the information requested by you regarding the number of seals taken on the Pribilof Islands.

I am, etc.,

Edwin F. Uhl, Acting Secretary.
[Page 134]
[Inclosure.]

Mr. Curtis to Mr. Gresham.

Treasury Department,
Office of the Secretary,
Washington D. C., November 22, 1893.

Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 21st instant, wherein request is made for certain information regarding the number of seals taken on the Pribilof Islands, and in reply to inclose herewith a statement showing the number of seals killed on the islands of St. Paul and St. George, for all purposes;, from 1870 to 1892, both inclusive. Seals have not been taken by the lessees elsewhere than on the islands of St. Paul and St. George, and no other companies than the North American Commercial Company and its predecessor, as lessees of the islands (the Alaska Commercial Company), have been granted licenses or leases by the United States for sealing on the islands or elsewhere.

With reference to the number of seals taken in 1891 and to note 2 on the inclosed statement, I refer you for full information on the subject to the report of Special Agent W. H. Williams, dated October 10, 1891, a printed copy of which is herewith inclosed.

Respectfully, yours,

W. E. Curtis, Acting Secretary.

Number of fur seals Trilled on islands of St. Paul and St. George, Alaska, for all purposes from 1870 to 1892, both inclusive.

Year. Killed on St. Paul Killed on St. George Total killed on both islands.
1870 15,314 8,459 23,773
1871 81,803 21,157 102,960
1872 81,819 27,000 108,819
1873 81,987 27,190 109,177
1874 98,139 12,446 110,585
1875 94,960 11,500 106,460
1876 83,157 11,500 94,657
1877 67,810 16,500 84,310
1878 88,519 20,804 109,323
1879 80,321 22,190 110,511
1880 84,779 20,939 105,718
1881 83,774 21,289 105,063
1882 79,834 19,978 99,812
1883 63,295 16,214 79,509
1884 88,861 16,573 105,434
1885 88,880 16,144 105,024
1886 88,085 16,436 104,521
1887 89,092 16,668 105,760
1888 86,270 17,034 103,304
1889 87,392 15,225 102,617
1890 21,000
1891 13,482
1892 7,549
Total 1,622,091 355,246 2,019,368

Note 1.—The above statement for 1870 to 1889, both inclusive, includes all seals killed from all causes, either intentional or accidental, incident to the taking of sealskins on the two islands. The statement for 1890, 1891, and 1892, represents only those skins taken and which were received by the company as part of their quota. The stagy or defective skins are not included in 1890, 1891, and 1892.

Note 2.—The total for 1891 is made up as follows: 7,215 skins taken prior to signing of modus Vivendi and issuance of President’s proclamation. The remainder, 6,267, were taken after signing of modus as part of the 7.500 allowed them under the agreement.