SEAL HUNTING. IIISTOnY OK TIIK GROWTH OF AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY. Damage Done by Reckless Killing 500,000 Seals Slaughtered In One Year Present Hestrletlons Our Fleet of Cutters. . LL of 'the vessel 7 United States patr Bering Sea are n J" cruising ground, vessel of the i patrol fleet for now oa the snvs the Vew York Times. The headonnrters of the fleet is nt L'nalnskn. At this point tho A 1 risk a Commercial Com pany hns n large conl supply, npon which the floct is permitted to draw. Unnlaskn is also the most western mail point belonging to the United States. Mail roaches there during the laismcr ftt least once a month. The most western limit of thecrnis ins ground of the fleet is Attn Island. This island is in east longitude, and is distant from the Japan coast but a few hundred miles. Attn Island is the most western possession of the United States. It is nt a greater distance to the west than is New York to the east of San Francisco. The islands of St. Paul and St. George, or, generally speaking, the Fribilof or Sjal Inlands, nre distant some 200 miles from Unalnskn. It is oround theso latter islands that the zone exists in which no sealing craft are permitted to enter for the pur pose of catching seal. This prohibi tion zone extends around the Pribilof group, every portion of which is dis tant sixty miles from land. Although there are four islands in the Fribilof KILLING SEALS OX group St. Taul, St. George, Otter and Walrus the two islands St. l'nul and St. George are the ones selected by the senls for their breeding pur poses. On the other two inlands the seals occasionally hnnl up, but do not breed. So fnr ns ia known, the Isl ands of St. Pnul and St. George are the only land points where the fur seal haul ont. The Pacifio and An tarctic Oceana have been sconred by sealers in the hope of finding the winter homes of the animal, but to no purpose. It is now the generally ac cepted opinion that the seals betake themselves on the approach of winter to some of the high plateaus on the bottom of the ocean, where it is possi ble fo? them to live on small fish, and there remain nntil the instinct of re production forces them to seok the breeding rookeries. The discovery of the Pribilof Is lands dates back to 17S5, and is credited to Russian hunters. In the succeeding yenr over 500,000 seals were killed by Russians. For twenty years alter thut awfnl slaughter in 1780, the fur seal almost entirely dis appeared from the Pribilof Islands. It is said that more than half of the skins taken in the year 1786 were sub sequently thrown into the sea in an advanced stage of decomposition, be cause of careless curing, and the waters were so poisoned as to drive way the seals for successive seasons. The Rnssian-Amerioan Company ob tained control of the Pribilof Islands in the early part of the present cen tury, and prompt measures were taken by the representatives of this company to stop further killing. For five years, A FUR SEAL. frnm 1 S07 tn 1812. tli killing of seals -was interdicted by the BuBsian author ities, with the result tuat at the ex piration of that time the animals had returned, aud showed signs of increas ing in considerable numbers. Before many years passed the revenue in seal- . .ubinu ntin.. inurA liAnama nrafitablA. The skins of the seal were first shipped to London and to New York, in the early fifties, and these shipments continued at the rate of nearly 00,000 skins per annum nntil the transfer of the Russian possessions to tne United Tltivintf tliA nrlv atTtinsihA TttigiuAn Government reeeived reports from its agents on the mtuioi islands to tne fitlimt that the seals were increasing at . an enormous rate, that the rookeries were orowded beyond their oapaoitv, and nArmliminn was aarain and aiain aliaH in iunrA&MA tha number of seals allowed to be killed annually, in order to make room for the apparent mill ions whioh were coming. From the - time of the purchase of the Pribilof ajH wm Islands by the United States nntil twenty yoars subsequently, the limit of scats to bo killed nnnnally was placed at 100,01)0, Even with this large number destroyed each year, the seals showed no signs of decrease, and it would seem that the conditions which prevailod in 1780 must have again rctnrned. There is no telling how long this annual killing of 100,000 seals might have been continued without complete decimation of the herd had it not been for the operations in late years, par ticularly of Canadian seal hunters, who make a practice of striking the seal herds when on their way to the Pribilof gronp, and killing in the open ca femalo as well as male seal young and old. Furthermore, as tho Cana dians hunted the seals reconrso was had to the shotgun, loaded with buck shot, and it is estimated that ont of every five teals shot in the open sen, not more, on an average, than one was soenrcd. The remaining four usually sank to the bottom before their bodies were seized or, if wounded, made away and died subsequently. This wholesale slaughter ou the high seas has well-nigh exterminated the teal, and it has been tho direct cause of the restrictions imposed during late years on the sealing work of hunters. Under the present restriction the com pany which leases the Pribilof Islands from the United States is not permit ted to kill dining a single season more than 7500 seals. The restrictions im posed on hnn'ers prohibit the capture of seals in Bering Sea and within cer tain limits of the North Pacillo prior to July 1, and after July 1 seals can not be taken inside of the sixty-mile zone surrounding the Fribilof group. In addition, sealers are not permitted ST. TAUL'S INLAND. to kill seals with shotguns, and the fact that a sealing craft caught in Her ing Sea has skins on board which give evidence ol having been taken by shooting the animals is sufficient to insure the soizure of the vessel by the United States revenue cutter which comes up with her. Every craft in Bering Sea will be overhauled dnring the present sum mer by the officers of the revenue cut ter fleet, and a thorough examination will be made of all vessels boarded. If the craft overhauled be an English vessel, and it is evident that the seal ing regulations have been violated. the vessel making tue seizure, it she be a United States revenue cntter, will turn the onendor over to the senior British warship of the English fleet patroling Bering Sea. The British naval commander win send tne onend ing sealer to Victoria, B. C. to be dealt with there by the conrts having urudiotion. Up to the present time one Cana dian sealer has been seized, the Uni ted Statos revenue ontter Corwiu mak ing the oapture. The Chinese appear to nave taught the methods of curing sealskins. ' It was the Chinese who first impressed upon the Russians of Eastern Siberia the valued the skin, and it Is said that years ago, when Chinese mer chants traded along the Siberian coast, they would take in exohange for their wares nothing exoept sealskins. The English apear to have learned the art of curing during the first half of the nineteenth oentury. The killing of the limited number of seals by the lossees oi the seal isls ands is done entirely on laud, and only on damp and cloudy days. The young males are usually round grouped by themselves, wnue tne older males generally surround them' selves with a number of females, often fifty. There is always a general fight going on among the older males as to which shall have in its particular group certain of tho foniale seals. The latter are actually whipped into group by a male, if there is evidence of any sign of bolting to come more attractive set. The seal killers on a killing day crawl along the shore, and, getting between the young males, who are'left undisturbed, and the males and their respective croups, drive the latter in land, often to the nnmber of 1000 to 8000. The objective point of the drive is the killing ground and Mr. Seal is made to carry his own pelt to the vi oinity of the storehouse. The driving has to be conducted with great care, otherwise the seals will reach the killing ground in an overheated con' dition, and with a consequent iniuri ous effect upon the skins. Arrived in the vicinity of the storehouse, tb seals are divided off into groups of twenty or thirty, and in these groups are surrounded by their executioners. There is sharp rap over the nose with alnb, the seal is stunned, and second later in dispatched with a knife, The killing is done entirely by Aleut Indians, the descendants ol those Aleuts whom the Russians, many years ago, brought to the- Pribilofs from the Aleutian Islands for this very work. ihe Aleut killers are very proud of their skill. They are expert' killers, and do their work in an astonishingly rapid man' ner. While a number of them kill the seals others follow and remove the pelt. The pelt is tossed into a wagon, and is carted to the curing house, and there cured. For the time being it is merely saltud. Later on the brine is removed and pressed ont of the skin, and two pelts with the fur in are rolled np together, securely strapped, and are thon ready for shipment. Before the Aleut killers begin their work thoy glance ovor the seals in the group, and if .one is discovered which is either under or over age he isgivon tap on the nose, and is sent scurry ing toward the beach. The Aiont em ployes receive from the lessees of tho seal islnuds forty cent for each pelt removed. Lifelong practico hns made these Indians expert in stripping skins, and they carry their pride to the ex tent of stoutly refusing to demean themselves with any other form of ork. White mon, asido from Oovernment officers, are not permitted to land on the seal islands. Occasionally, late in the fall, and during a tog, aome dnring sen! hnntcr will attempt a dash at one f the seal islands. In the course of a couple of undisturbed hours ho may be able to kill a couple of hundred seals. Usually, however, the natives of the islands are able to tnke care of such poachers, but to make matters doubly safe it has been the practice in late years for at least one United States revenue cutter to remain off St. George and St. Fnul until as late as December The revonne ontter Boar is the vessel generally atsigned to this late patrol work. She is a sturdy, able craft, and is able to weather the heavy blown which are prevalent in the tier ing Sea in the late fall. To see that the number of seals permitted to be killed by the lessees is not exceeded, the United States Inspectors from the Treasury Department nre constantly on hand, and they remain ou the Isl ands throughout the year. A Famous lilt ol Carpet. The Empress Frederick once worked bit of carpet on which all her chil dren knelt when confirmed ; the late Emperor's coffin rested upon it; the present German Emperor and the Vincesses Charlotte, Sophia and Vio toria were married standing upon it, This pieoe of work is religiously pre served in the palace of the Kaiser. Boston Transcript. Carpets Made by Hnnil. The manufacture of carpets in Syria is carried on exclusively by women and children. The trade, although important in its way, is not large, and power looms do not exist in the coun- Biggest Wheelman on Earth. L. H. Bliss, "the biggest wheelman on earth," is one of Chicago's euriosi- ies in the bicycle line. It is hard to believe, says the Chicago Times-Herald, that a man six feet 6 inohes tall and weighing 487 pounds can ride a twenty-five pound bicycle and not break it to smithereens, miss does it, though, and enjoys it. In foot, he seems to be getting rat on it. lie is not one of tho "fast brigade" among the Chicago riders, but he can get over the boulevards with great ease and oomfort to himself and at a paoe that sometimes makes his riding com panions "puff bard. The reoent road race was too muoh for him, though. He started and fluished, too, but he didn't go over the entire course. l. n. BLISS. "THE UttAND OLD MAS" OUT OF POLITICS, WILLIAM E. GLADSTONE FROM BIS FAVORITE PHOTOaitAril. , Cable dispatob.es deolare that burden ol deolintng years, the public ended. "For the first time in more heard, his stately figure is unseen ia An Ai-mlrM Arilt. Whn a man without arms becomes na artist there is considerable evi dence that he has a strong and natural inclination for the career. This is the case of Bertram Hiles, a young TnB ARMLEPS ARTIST AT WOnif. Englishman, whose pictures have been on exhibition in London. Mr. Hiles is not the only armless artist of merit now living. Charles Felu, of Antwerp, has long been known as an excellent painter. Mr. Felu wields the brush with his mouth. The Englishman lost his arms at the age of eight, in a street car aooident ; the Belgian was born armless. The former is only twenty-eight years old, and is principally distinguished as a landscape painter ; the latter is sixty ton r, ami is a figure painter. Mr. Hiles combines a vast amount of perseverance and cheerfulness with unmistakable artistio ability. Only two years after his accident, he had so far mastered the control of his pencil held in his month that he was placed in the first-class division of the second grade of free-hand drawing of the National School at Bristol, and he was only six teen when he exhibited a work a study (of a sycamore leaf at the local Academy of Pictures. For the next few years he studied, both in Bristol and in Paris, so assiduously and successfully that in 18'JO he car ried away a scholarship, open to the competition of the United Kingdom, of a hundred guineas, and tenable for two years, offered by the National Art Department ot Mouth Kensington. Since then further honors have been won by him on equal terms with other competitors. Mr. Hiles Is a cheery, good looking and intelligent young man. He seems to suffer but little inoonvenienoe oa account of his misfortune. His lips appear to serve him nearly as ef ficiently as do our hands. At the re quest of a visitor he took up a pen in his mouth aud wro)e his signature. Immunity Against Snnko Poison. We understand that Professor Eraser will probably make a further communication to the Boyal Sooioty of Edinburgh at its next meeting with regard to the production ol immunity against snake poison. Since the pres entation of the paper, an abstraot of which was published in the British Medical Journal, Professor Fraser has obtained, we are informed, definite proof of the antidotal properties of the blood serum of venomous ser pents. This result was not unantici pated, as will have boen gathered from the statements already pub lished, but its establishment is a mat ter of great interest, and, perhaps, of some practical importance, since never before probably have the bane and the antidote been brought so near to gether. British Medioal Journal Just Candles, A scientist of note, in disousslng the eleotrio light reoently, observed that if it were in universal use at the pres ent dav, the candle, if suddenly intro duced, would be .thought a wonderful invention, as it enables a person to ob tain light in its simplest and most portable form, and without the use of cumbrous machinery or the necessity of attaching the lamp to any fixed point by means of wire before itoould be lighted. New lork Uecordor. by reason of physical Infirmities and the career ol William JS. uiadstone n than half a century bis voice ia un the forefront of the fray." FUTURE FASHIONS. OMJirSRS OF roMINO ATYLKS IN WOMI0.V9 OARMKNT3. The Relxn of the Ttlg Sleeve la Not Yet Over New Ilodleci Louts XVI. lints Revlved-Nov-city In Ui'i-'s. A 7T LTIIOY till It is asserted now and then that the reign of the large sleeve will soon be over, nil of the newest French dresses have immense sleeve. Tho leg-o'-mnttoD, however, except on jackets, seems quite to have disap peared, the forearm part being quite distinct from the puff, and mnde very tight. Four or five buttons, with loops, fasten the sleeve at the wrist, and when unbuttoned allow the arm ingress and egrers. In many cases the sleeve thi summer are short to the elbow, the arm being covered with longglovest A charming toilet by Felix, of Paris, which has- recently Mme over, certainly shows no- diminution of the sleeves. It is of the pretty Dresden patterned taffetas so- much la vogue this year a white ground sprinkled with yellow buttercups. A broad corslot ot pale green satin conflues the waist, which- has a Inrge bow of green ribbon to' match at the side, with long ends. Tho blouse- waist is full, and is fastened under the arms and finished with a green satin collar, the most ornate part ot the dress be ing the sleeves,, which have two double ruffles of buttercup' yellow chiffon superadded to the balloon puffs of the silk, which come only to' the el bow. The upper- part of the sleeve has the fullness held down' by epau lettes of the green' satin,, from which puff out the ruftles of the ohiffon ; on the top of each epaulette is a. bow of green satin. It is altogether a- very itriking-looking oostume. The majority of the new bodioes seem to have the opening under- the arm with the fullness of the material HATS AND BONNETS pleated into the waist in front a most' becoming fashion to a slender figure. Another popular way ot cut ting the waist lately is to have a very square pouch-like effect in front,, the folds turned up an even' line,, and showing a deep waistband. This style gives a still more Blonder look to the hips; in faot, everything is done to make the bodice broad, and fluffy as possible and the hips and waist small. Amateur dressmakers will do well to remember these rules shoulder slop ing, sloeves vory wids and short, bodioe full and a great deal trimmed, waist well definod and hips fitted per fectly smooth. Whatever the design or cut of a toshionnblo gown, of the season, these should be the character istics. Braiding and silk embroidery are coming into use, and are seen on some of the most stylish costumes, une dross ot fine Endora has an apron front, braided inelaborato arabesques. The cuffs, which extond to the elbows, are covered with embroidery, and the vest is similarly nuistod. I he collar and revers are perfectly plain. FASHIONS IN SHOES. No toilet is complete for the summer withont plonty ot pretty shoes. The summer belle should have her evening shoos to match all dresses, and in them even an ugly foot can be made good looking. There is a fascinating glace kid juct now, which comos in tuoh delioale tints as eau de Ml, and these are ornamented with the smallest pos sible rosettes. There is muoh diversity in satin evening shoes. Home of them are em broidered with jewols and psilettes on the instep aud are laoed np above this in an open fashion, which allows the stocking to be seen, while supporting the foot, doing away with all (ear that in dancing they may slip off. Many have straps over the instep, and buokles are importaut; nearly every shoe displays them, but for evening they are used very small. The brown shoes are darker now and brown glace kid has almost ban ished any other ; it keeps well in or der aud does not need tiresome clean ing. This class of shoe is to be had in evory variety plain, laced and but toned t it is singularly inexpensive. A Greoian slipper for indoors or dressing slippers in tan, scarlet or gray are charming, and of late a new baby shoe bos been brought out in French kid and patent leather, with a strap aoross the instep, which is a vast improvement on the old model REVIVAL OF fBB LOUIS XVI. HAT. More and more are Parisian women adopting the fashion of Louis XVI. in hats whioh are loaded, or rather over loaded, with flowers, bowsand ospreys, and soft folds of laoe or gauze. Some made for shade have a floating sasrf of tine tulle or other delicate fabrio, whioh renders a veil unnecessary. Wings for trimming are wider, aud it spread themselves ont toward the sides, whore folded ribbons ami clns tors of flowers are massed, and large upstanding loops of broad tnffeta rib bon renr themselves. For bonnets, toques and smaller forms of millinery a high aigrette is placed to one side, A LOflS XVt. HAT. and a coronet passes across the brow. These coronets are formed ot large flower, pompons of straw, or ohoux of quilled gnttxe or baby ribbons, and with them bonnets and hats in simple good taste are made, which contrast pleasantly with the vulgarity of pres ent fashion in general. The hair to suit all ths hats is worn in a soft fringe or else waved, while the knot behind is arranged in Henry II. or 1830 style. Some few fashionable women have- adopted the waved bnndoatix Ujolie femme, but this makes its wearers look old, and it is exceedingly difficult to And hats or bonnets which go well with it. XiFNE BUTT0W9 AND SBiRT STUDS. Studs for the summer girl's waist FOR MIDSUMMER WEAR. are shown in great variety. They are sold in sets of three, attached to a fine gold chain. For the sentimental young woman there are heart-shaped gold studs, with a tiny seed-pearl m the centre. Others show a very small green garnet, inoased in gold, while still others are of white enamel, deco rated iu gold to match the link cuff buttons. The most elaborate ol these are of gold studded with jewels. The lute and gold eflects, with rooooo decorations oost $12. Silver link cuff buttons oater to all tastes. The young woman devoted to Yale may fasten her cuffs this summer with link buttons of silver showing a blue enameled flag on bich a "X in white enamel is con spicuous. A NOVELTY IS PARASOLS. Foremost among the aooessories of the Parisian toilet, the sunshade has assumed a position ol importanoe whioh hitherto it has hardly pos sessed, and is being improved upon to its yet great advancement with all our ultimate refinements ot taste. In fact, the parasol, now of immense size, of graceful shape, in delicate-hued silks, and its soft drapings, is only to be SUNSHADE LIKE A Bid FLOWER. oomparod to some huge flower rising upon its stem, and is to be seen in all possible colors red, violet, straw, Eeaob, carnation pink and cornflower lue, or blue pain de sucre, as it used to be called, is the color thst is now in favor, and despite its hard, crude aggressiveness and almost unbearable oflense to the eyes, it is to be seen oa all hands and is worn by everybody. LACI GREATLY USED. The whole world of fashion contin ues to be draped, interwoven and veiled with laoe. Shawls and Bounces that have been snugged away ia laven der for years may be brought forth with propriety and impunity now. Statistics have suoceexlect in proving that laok of money is the. oalej oa.as of tuMde. ia Franoe, 3w
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