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Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la derniire image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols ^^- signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmis A des taux de rMuction diff^rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est filmd A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. ita ura. ] !X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Wide World Magazine. VoL I. APRIL, 1898. Na The Romance of Seal Hunting, An Interview with Sir George Baden-Powell, K.C.M.G., Etc Bv William G. FitzGerald. E average man who knows little about the seal beyond what he has to pay for his wife's coat will, it is pretty safe to predict, be some- what astonished by the photographs and information set forth in this article. SIK CBOBCB BADEX-rOWEIX, K.C.M.G., ETC. I* .Vomot Jlmt * Co.. OnAlnkam. As far back as 1886 that well-known states- man and yachtsman, Sir George Baden-Powell, was staying on the coast of California when he heard that some American war-ships had seized three Bntish sealing schooners. Sir George at once went up along the coast interviewing the inhabitants and the American sealers at San Francisco, who were one and all very angry at the arbitrary proceedings of the United States (iovemment Our own authorities, however, did not seem particubrly anxious to move in the matter, and for the next two or three years the Americans still went on seizing schooners. They contended that Behring Sea Ix-longed to lliem. as they had bought all rights from the Russians. In 1891 the American Government gave notice that they were sending up several men- of-war to seize every vessel of any kind what- soever that came into Behring Sea. Then it was that Lord Salisbury decided to act. " Early one Sunday morning," said Sir George Baden-Powell to the present writer, as he paced his study in Eaton Square, " I was awakened from sleep by my man, who informed me that a messenger from ' Mr. Hatfield ' was waiting downstairs for an immedbte answer to a note he had brought. I told my servant I did not know anyone of the name of Hatfield, and didn't want to be disturbed. Noticii^ the word ' Hatfield ' on the envelope, I f<Mind the letter was a despatch from the Marquis of Salisbury, which I forthwith o[)ened. The Government had decided at once to send a British Com- missioner to inquire into the Behrii^ Sea troubles. Would I go ? I promptly consented, and the necessary arrangements were made so rapidly, that I sailed for \ew York a few days after the receipt of ' Mr. Hatfields' letter. On the steamer going out I had piles of papers and documents on the subject to read." After conferring with the British authorities "KLONDIKt" DAWSON, WHO ACCOX»A«m> M> from a PMo. fty Xutman d Ma THE ROMANCE OF SEAL HUNTING. Na i. jnd what- Then it t. >ir George i he oaced awakened me that a IS waiting to a note I did not tfield, and g the word the letter Salisbury, ovemment itish Com- hiing Sea consented, e made so , few days ettcr. On papers and authorities in Washington, Sir George went on to Ottawa, where he met Dr. George M. IXiwson, the well- known Canadian scientist, who was to be his fellow Commissioner. As everybody knows, Dr. Dawson is geologist for the Canadian Govern- ment, and so important a part has he taken in the development of British Columbia and the North-West Territories, that it is after him that Dawson City — the metropolis of the Klondike — is named. " After consulting the Canadian Ministers in Ottawa," pursued Sir George, " 1 crossed the Continent to Vancouver and Victoria, where I held pre-arranged interviews with experienced sealers. As soon as the chartered s;eamer Danube was ready, we sailed direct to the port of liiuliuk, in the Island of Ounalaska. Altogether, our cruise in the North Pacific occupied nearly three months, during which time, according to the log, we travelled some 9,000 miles, mostly in fogs, gales, and ver}' invigorating cold." The fur seal of the North Pacific is es.sen- tially a sea animal, but for sor: ■ part of the year it has to come on land at certaii. breeding-places where the young are brought fortli. The seals of the North Pacific travel north to the breeding- grounds in the spring and return southward in the autumn, following two main lines — one skirt- ing the western coast of North America, and the other the Asiatic coast. The seals which take the former route for the main part breed in the Pribyloff Islands in summer, and spend the winter in that part of the ocean near the coast of British Columbia. I'he seals that follow the second route mainly breed on the Commander Islands and winter off the coast of Japan. The breeding males begin to arrive on the Pribyloffs at various dates in May, and they remain continuously ashore for about three months. The females arrive nearly a month later. The " pups " are born in June and July, and commence to herd by themselves away from their mothers towards the middle or end of August. They frequent the l^each in great numbers, and bathe or swim in the surf. But the photograph which is here reproduced will give one an absolutely exact idea of how the seals bask on the beach in the sunlight on .Zoltoi sands in St. Paul's Islanu, one of the Pribyloffs. "The Americans had told us," remarked Sir George Baden-Powell as he looked at this photograph, "that the seals were pretty well exttrminated on the Zoltoi sands ; they told us that no seals would l^e found here. You can M« GEOBGE. SBAI.S BASKINIi ON THB BEACH IN ST. FAfUS ISLAND THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE. see for yourself what truth there was in this assertion. Fortunately, we had a Government photographer with us to obtain this indisputable evidence. I remember that in order to get this photograph we had to creep up carefully and noiselessly to the top of the dunes overlooking the beach. Had the basking seals heard us coming they would all have taken to the water. Most of the animals you see in this photo, are ' HoUuschickie" — that is to say, half -grown males or bachelors. These and a few old bulls are the last to leave the island." On the Pribyloff and Commander Islands in the North Pacific, large numbers of f-ir seals have been regularly killed for more than loo years since the first occupation of these islands by the Russians. In 1868 the FribylofTs passed into the control of the United States. Then came much indiscriminate slaughter, and, although for a great number of years certain restrictions were imposed, it was not until the year 1875 that the first note of warning was sounded about the economy of seal life. In 1870 the Pribyloffs were leased by the United States to the Alaska Commercial Company, who were allowed to kill 100,000 males annually. The result of this tremmdous slaughter was very quickly noticeable. Monsieur (Irebnitzky, Superintendent of the Commander Islands, and himself a great seal naturalist, declared that when the proportion of females exceeded ten to each mature male, he considered that too many males were being killed, and that each "harem' should in no case contain more than twenty females. " Now, however," remarked Sir George, " the harems in the Pribyloffs are yearly growing larger, so that, according to our own observa- tions, it was no uncommon thing to find a single male seal with a harem numbering from forty to fifty, and even as many as sixty to eighty females." By only killing males the natural proportion of the sexes has been upset, which is contrary to all suc- cessful experience on cattle ranches, sheep stations, or deer forests. There are, it seems, two distinct ways of hunting seals — land sealing and pelagic sealing. The former is a very simple business. Men go (k ivn in gangs to the beach, and simply drive a number of seals some way inland, and there club them to death and skin them. Pelagic sealing is a phrase applied especially to the hunting of the fur seal in the open sea, schooners or other small vessels being employed as the basis of operation. This method originated, and has been practised from time immemorial, by the coast natives of British Columbia, South- East Alaska, and the State of Washington. We asked Sir George whether the seals were in any way dangerous. " The younger seals of both sexes are harmless Enough," was the reply, "except that they bite and even kill one another in times of excitement, such as during a ' drive'; but I must say that the old imlls are rather unpleasant customers to deal with. Some of these actually attain the respectable age of twenty years and upwards, and are many times larger than the average female. I saw a great number of old bulls that were larger than a full-sized Polar bear, and one fellow was nearly as big as a cow. Moreover, strange as it may seem, one of these old bull seals will pursue and overtake a man in fifty yards. If, of course, a man has more start than this, he may possibly get away, as the seal cannot maintain a great speed for any distance. These old bulls, however, have been known to bite savagely at a man and hurl him backwards over their head." Here Sir George Baden-Powell .showed us the two very interesting photographs which we reproduce. The first photo, shows an old bull asleep on one of the seal rookeries of the Pribyloff Islands. " He was a huge, powerful fellow," remarked Sir George ; " probably weighing 7oolb. or 8oolb. When wt; first saw him he was fast asleep like this on the sands, but I fancy the movements of the photographer must have AN lll.l) ULl.l. StAI. ASI.KEI'. is a phrase of the fur or other the basis lated, and imemorial, bia, South- igton. seals were er seals of ; the reply, another in drive'; but unpleasant :se actually years and r than the ber of old i/ed Polar ^ as a cow. e of these e a man in more start as the seal y distance. known to backwards showed us > which we in old bull es of the ' remarked 7oolb. or e was fast fancy the nust have THE ROMANCE OF SEAL HUNTING. , H.ll lU I.I. -SKAr. li(H SKI) h^■ IMF I'HnI woke him up. At any rate, he did awake, and slowly raised himself up as you see in the second photo. We could not put a man by the side cf him for comparison — for very obvious reasons —but 1 can assure you that this bull seal was nearly as big as a donkey, ^\'hen he rais' d himself up like this, he gave vent to a hoarse roar, and made off in the direction of the sea." It was in 1878-7 that pelagic or sea sealing began to attract attention, and from four schooners at that time the sealing fleet in British Columbia increased, until in 1891 upwards of fifty vessels were employed in it. These were pro- vided with 370 boats and canoes, manned by 1,083 whites and Indians. The number of skins procured by this fleet in 1891 was 49,615. In the same year the sailing fleet of the United States numbered more than fort) vessels, and the value of the catch was latlier more than ^,^30,000. Since 1887 the decrease in the number of seals in the Pribyloff Island.s, which had been very rapid, has ceased, and the numbers are again steadily increasing. More females are being killed at sea, and not so many males on shir -. Wt need hardly say that during this prolonged cruise Sir (George bi'lield many strange spec- tacles ; but perhajis the strangest of all is repre- sented by the frontispiece of this Magazine, which is probably the most astounding photo- graph ever taken. Our frontispiece is repro- duced from an instantaneous photograjih of Borgosloff, the island which was thrust up from the sea in a single night slightly to the north of the Aleutian chain. " The natives in those parts," remarked Sir (icorge, "told us one night about strange, weird flames that had been seen rising out of the water far out at sea. Next day we came ujjon this awful and mysterious island, which was com- posed of lava and other volcanic material. The |)recii)ice facing you in the i)icture was upwards of 360ft. high. Fortu- nately for us a strong wind was blowing, other- wise we might have been choked by the very strong sulphurous fumes which you can see for yourself are being blown away from this wonderful island." It must be said that AiHi E(. avarice is the priii<;ipal cause of the diminution of the seals. The Alaska Commercial Com- pany exacted the utmost value out of their lease of the Pribyloff.s. Soon the larger seals became scarce, and then the standard weight of skins was. steadily lowered, so as to include the younger .seals in the "killables." Instead of skins weighing 7II). or 81b., those of 61b. and even 41b. were taken and accepted by the Company as early as 1889. The (lovernment, in the new 1891 lease, have increased the tax on skms from zdol.s. 25 cents to lodols. 25 cents. Init perhaps tV'o most serious cause of waste of seal life on the Pnbylofi"s just now 's the dying of the pups, due chiefly to the presence of "parasitic uncinaria," and also to accidental killing by over-driving and other violence inseparable from driving and clubbing ; the trampling to death of pups by the older seals in the stampede ; and, Instly, poaching and raids generally, 'i'lie extraordinary jihotograph of the (ireat Seal Rookery on Copper Island, which forms the subject of the full-page illustration reproduced on the next page, will enable the reader to realize that seal poaching, if it could be safely worked, is one of the most profitable kinds of theft imaginable. A glance at this wonderful photo, will show that the beach is literally alive with seals, while thousands more are seen playing in the sea. The Russian rookeries are now so carefully guarded, how- ever, that aching is practically impossible, but formerly i ns conducted in a wholesale manner and in an itj.jminably cruel way. On Cop])er Island the killing of young seals for native food has been prohibited for the Inst seventeen years, and a fine of one luindrcil roubles is exacted in the case of each female accidentally killed. The name of this island, by THE WIDE WORLD MAGAZINE. Q •A - U! < 8: i t u - u H C •< - ft! c X IT. U. O THE ROMANCE OF SEAL HUNTING. Q < a, ~ 5 o - -»: ^ w - H ? OS c ^ ij M < b O > the way, is due to the fact that native copper was originally found in little nuggets along the shore. Copper Island is watched by the Russians on the very best principles. A Cossack (iuard is kept there with orders to shoot ruthlessly any persons found illegally killing the seals. This severe order was given on account of the wanton way in which the sealers formerly worked. In the South Seas they used to club every seal, whether male or female, big or little, that scrambled ashore, and consequently in six or seven years' time there was hardly a seal left. Talking about poaching raids, these were at one time very common in the PribylofTs. On the night of June 8th, 1891, the special agent in St. Paul's Island reported that a schooner, supposed from her suspicious movements to be on a predatory mission to these waters, was sighted off the east end of the island. This proved to be the Inlying Mist, but seeing people on shore she stood out to sea again, returning, however, later in the season when the nights were longer, and killing and capturing seals during the night. In the autumn of 1889, the Allie Al^ar raided the Island of St. (leorge, and procured more than 800 .skins. Certain members of this same schooner's crew boasted' that, in the same year,Jifteen men had in one night in five hours killed upwards of 1,000 seals. Another poaching schooner was sur- prised in thi very act of raiding, and she departed hastily, leaving 190 female seals dead on the beach. One result of this policy of extermination has been to make the seal more jielagic or sea-going in its habits. Few people have any idea of the magnitude of the sealing industry, even at the present day. The buildings, plant, and equip- ment of the North American Company in the islands of St. Paul and St. Ceorge are estimated to be worth i3o,ooodols. The estimated total value of the British Columbia sailing vessels with their ecjuipment, as they sailed in 1891, was 359,ooodols. Add to this amount an estimate of the value of the United States Sailing Fleet in the same year — from 2 5o,ooodols. to 3oo,ooodols. — and we get a total for the com- bined fleet of about 75o,ooodols. In one year (1891) the American sailing fleet took 68,000 skins at sea. On the Pribyloff Islands, the whole native population employed in killing seals numbers about 300. At the present day the work is carried on in accordance with most rigorous regulations ; and in view of the fact that the virtual extinction of the fur seal in the South Seas is entirely due to the killing having been carri'^d out on shore during the breeding season, profitable sealing on the PribylofTs is limited to a period of two months. The " drives " are now made as short as possible— often not more than half a mile. There is no hurrying about this, and the "drives" are under the personal supervision and res|K)n- sibility of an officer. There is, however, still room for improvement. Sir (leorge Haden- Powell recommends that all seals not intended to be killed should be separated as soon as possible from each " drive." The actual clubbing, too, should be performed with greater care, so as to avoid injury or death to seals not intended to be taken. As to pelagic or sea sealing the use of rifles for shooting seals should be prohibited, and spears employed instead as the method of capture. Then, again, white hunters should have personal licenses, renewable annually. The maximum number of seals to be taken on the Pribyloffs was recommended to be fixed at 50,000 annually. A close time was also sug- gested, extending from September 15th to May I St in each year. During this period it was recommended that all killing should be ]iro- hibited, with the additional provision that no sealing vesset should enter Behring Sea before July ist of each year. Now, as to the question of the seal's food. The fur seal has been known to eat all kinds of fish, including cod, and even halibut. Its favourite diet, however, is small fish, of which the herring is the most important. Sir George Baden-Powell gathered some very curious facts about the animal's habits : — " An Aleut foreman in charge of the rookeries on Behring Island said that the young seals began to swallow pebbles when about four months old. It also seems that during the time the seals are on the islands they have a prolonged fast. Colonel J. Murray told us that he examined the stomachs of several hundred young seals killed by the natives for food, but he never found the slightest trace of food in the stomachs of the animals themselves. ' On their arrival in the spring,' Colonel Murray goes on to say, ' the se.nls are very fat and unwieldy, but when they leave after their four months' fast they are very often reduced to one-half their former weight.' The habiti? of the animal are such a saf(! terrestrial retreat at the which the young are born, and little ones may remain undisturbed for three or four months, until such time as they are able to assume the sea-going habits of their parents." In the next jihotograph which we reproduce we are looking down on one of the great seal rookeries of Copper Island from some distance up a precipice, whose total height is about 200ft. as to require .season during where the 10 THE WIDE WORLD MACAZINE. The view is a most extraordinary one. The sandy beach is dotted all over with seals, and our eye extends along the wild roast, where the surf is roaring and breaking amidst the rocks. BXTRAORDINARV VIEW OF A SEAL ROOKERY ON COPIER ISLAND — LOOKING DOWN ON THE HEACH FROM A HEIOHT OF 6or' ' The sea rookeries on St. Paul's Island are the most important in the I'ribylofTs. There is neither tree nor shrub worth speaking of in either St. Paul or St. ( leorge ; the surface is covered with grass, moss, and ichen. It seems that the seals are not par- ticular in their choice of a rookery. I'hc only two things they avoid are mud ;tnd loose sand. The animals have some curious enemies. On Robbcn Island large numbers of young pups are killed by the i)urgomaster gulls, which pick out their eyes. This is so well known that a rewArd of live kopecks is given for each gull killed. Another danger to the pups is when the adult bull runs amuck and fights. But the most terrible cause of seal mortality is the "killer- whale." Lieu- tenant May- nard s|)caks of a single killer- whale which was found with fourteen young seals in its s t o m a c h . I,;istly, young seals die of the disease and violence already men- tioned. "At Tolstoi Rookery, in St. Paul's Island," said Sir Cieorge, " we ourselves observed, on July 29th, I <S 9 I , h u n • dreds of dead ])ups on the smooth slo|)e some little dis- tance from the THE ROMANCE OF SEAI, HUNTINC;. ti shore. These, on furthor examination, were shown to have died of an exbanstinj; parasitic disease. " However well n-gulated," continiu'd Sir (leorgf, " the mt-tliod ado|)ted ol drivinj^ fur seals must be cruel and destructive. The animal goes at a short shufTlinn run, then rests. If the weather is at all warm 'luring the driving, indi- viduals droj) out and die ; others are smothered or badly bitten by their fellows. It is a grim fact that the killing ground to which the seals are tlriven is always close to the salting house, so that it may be said that the seals are com- pelled to carry their own skin from the beach to the warehouse. The drive on St. (ieorge's Island is about three miles in extent, the time occu- ()ied being from four to six hours, according to the we.ither. During the drive the ani- mils become very much exhausted, and (]uite da/ed through fear. The effects of driving may be seen along the routes by the significant frecjuency of skeletons and bones round each rocky place that has to be passed. During the drive the seals flop about in a helpless and frightened manner, emitting hoarse crie.s. When the killing ground is reached the men provide themselves with wooden clubs, .something like the capstan-bar of a shij) in size, shape, and weight. The animals are then struck on the head ; and expert killers only require to deal one blow. The animals are next skinned expeditiously, and the skins placed in piles on top of each other, with layers of salt in between." m Pvxperts assert that different localities produce different skins. The " Alaska " skin is supposed to come from the I'ribyloff Islands, whilst the "Copper" hails from the Commander Islands. Of these, the former has the longer and finer fur. Hut Sir Ceorge tested this by marked .skins he brought from the islands, and found the names were given to skins of a certain character, but not according to actual place of origin. The major [jortion of the I'ribyloff catch are two or three year olds, and when the skins are placed together in bundles of two, the separate packages weigh from ulb. to 151b. each. In the accompanying photograph we .see a great number of the skins are rolled up together in pairs in this way, ready for ship- ment. In this sha|)e they go into the hold of the coast steamer at St. Paul, and are counted out from it at San Francisco. The i)rocess of preparing seal skins for the market costing on the whole iSs. to 20s. p'T skin is a prosperous industry in London. After investigating affairs in all parts of K SKIN^ WAIltNt; Sllll'MKN I'. Hehring Sea, and consulting with the native and white [)elagic sealers from Sitka down to Seattle and with the authorities at Ottawa, Sir Cieorge, with his (Canadian colleague, proceeded to Washington, he having crossed to England to consult with l>ord Salisbury. He was then appointed, in December, i8yi, British member of the joint Commission in Washington, and assisted our Ambassador, Sir Julian I'auncefote, in obtaining the Treaty referring all matters in dispute to arbitration. Returning to England, the two Commissioners prei)ared their full Report to Her .Majesty, and then Lord Salisl)ury appointed Sir Oeorge adviser in the preparation of the British case before the Paris Arbitration, in which we achieved a victory particularly memorable, in that it is the only insiance in wliich we have ever won a:i Inter- national Arbitration. And it was acknowledged on all hands that this victory was principally due to the full and e.xact information obtained as to all right of navigation and fishery in Ik'hring Sea, and also as to fur .seals and their habits, by the British ('ommissiotier and his Canadian colleague, whose portraits aj)pear on the first page of this article. 230833