Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1894

Mr. Gresham to Sir Julian Pauncefote.

Department of State,
Washington, January 23, 1895.

Excellency: I have the honor to transmit to you an official statement of the American pelagic fur-seal catch of 1894, taken from the records of the custom-houses at the ports of San Francisco, Port Townsend, and Astoria, for transmission to your Government in compliance with Article V of the Bering Sea arbitration award.

It will be observed by reference to this statement that in many instances the latitude and longitude have been omitted. In explanation of this omission I am informed by the Secretary of the Treasury that the collector of customs at San Francisco has reported the masters of the vessels deposed under oath, that they cleared without notice of the pending award, and consequently were ignorant of this requirement.

In addition to the number of seals officially entered as mentioned in the statement above referred to, namely, 26,095, information obtained from the annual sales of fur-seal skins in London indicates that there were, in fact, sent to London about 139,000 skins, Asiatic and American, taken in the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. Adding to this the skins estimated as retained in the United States, about 3,000, the total catch would appear to be about 142,000. The number of skins entered at Victoria, according to a report transmitted by the United States consul, is 95,048. The total of the American and British entries therefore is 121,143, being about 20,000 skins less than the total catch as appears from the statistics of the London sales and estimates of skins retained in this country.

Presumably these 20,000 skins were transshipped by American or British vessels at Yokohama, reaching London via Suez Canal. The Secretary of the Treasury reports that there is no record of any transshipments received in the United States ports, except as regards 6,760 skins which arrived in the port of San Francisco and appear in our official returns herewith transmitted. These skins were presumably taken off the Japanese and Russian coasts. All of the skins of which the sex is indicated in the accompanying statement were carefully examined by an inspector at the time of their entry.

I have the honor to request the following official information from your Government as to the pelagic catch of fur seals for the years 1893 and 1894:

1. The total number of seals taken by British vessels in the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea, both on the Asiatic and American sides.

2. The total number of skins lauded at British ports by said vessels.

3. The total number transshipped in Japanese or Russian ports, including any that may have been ultimately entered at Victoria.

4. The total number of skins landed as entered at Victoria by American vessels.

5. A report as to the sex of all skins taken in Bering Sea and the North Pacific Ocean.

6. Location of the place of catch by latitude and longitude.

7. The names of all vessels employed, tonnage, number of the crew, and number of seal hunters, indicating whether whites or Indians.

I have the honor to further request that your Government inform me whether the pelagic skins taken by its vessels were examined as to sex by expert inspectors, as was done in the case of skins entered in United States ports.

I have, etc.,

W. Q. Gresham.

Summary of pelagic seal catches for 1893 and 1894, based on the official returns from ports of entry.

Year.	Nationality.	British Columbia and Northwest coasts.	Bering Sea.			Japan coast.	Russian coast.	Locality undetermined.	Total.	Grand total.
1893	American		{	Modus Vivendi in operation.	}			8,432	8,342
	Canadian	28,613				29,173	11,955		69,741	* 78,083
1894	American	12,398	5,160			1,500	201	6,836	† 26.095
	Canadian	11,703	26,425			49,483	7,437		95,048	† 121,143
	Total	24,101	31,585			50,983	7,638	6,836

* Notes concerning catch for 1893.

† Notes concerning catch for 1894.

The United States consul at Victoria states (Consular Reports No. 161, p. 279) that American schooners in 1893 transshipped at Yokohama and Hakodadi between 17,000 and 18,000 skins. These skins, added to those which in all probability were transshipped by British Columbia vessels on the Asiatic coast, and including the estimated number retained in America for treatment, would swell the total catch to about 109,000. The accuracy of these figures is corroborated by the fact that the trade sales of London (all seal skins are sold there) account for the disposition of 109,669 skins in 1893.

The catch of 6,836, noted in column headed “Locality undetermined,” were skins, 76 of which were landed at Astoria without statement as to place of capture; 641 were transshipped at Unalaska, and the remaining 619 were transshipped from Yokohama. All were entered and recorded in American ports of entry, and they are quite certainly a mixture of Northwest coast and Japan skins.

It has been ascertained from the sales of seal skins in London that about 125,000 skins were actually sold and about 14,000 withheld for future sale in 1894. In addition thereto it is estimated that about 3,000 skins were retained in this country and elsewhere for treatment. It thus appears that about 142,000 is a figure much more closely representing the number of skins taken in 1894 than the official returns of 121,143. The balance, about 20,000 skins, was probably shipped to London via Suez Canal from the Asiatic Coast.

Number of schooners reported as having taken skins.

Year.	American.	Canadian.	Total.
1893	28	* 56	84
1894	35	* 60	95

* Indian canoe catch counted as one vessel. In destructive effects the canoe catch is about equal to three average schooner catches.

Number of schooners reported as having made catches in Bering Sea.

Year.	American.	Canadian.	Total.
1893*
1894	10	27	37

* Modus vivendi was in operation.