SEAL-HUNTING JAN MAYEN SEALING-GROUNDS. 509 



of the seals caught in those fifteen years was 650,000, or at an 

 average per year of 43,350, and the aggregate net gain (sur- 

 plus) of the trade for the shipowners was 62,200, or at an 

 average per year of 7,150. 



" In the last three years from the same part of Norway were 

 employed in the seal trade : 



" 1872. Ten steamers and sixteen sailing-ships, with an aggre- 

 gate tonnage of about 7,000 tons, and manned with 1,200 sailors. 



" 1873. Sixteen steamers and eleven sailing-ships, with an 

 aggregate tonnage of about 8,500, manned with 1,500 sailors. 



u 1874. Sixteen steamers and nineteen sailing-ships, with an 

 aggregate tonnage of about 9,000 tons, and manned with 1,600 

 sailors. 



" In these three years all the ships together caught 142,500 

 young seals, and 128,000 old ones, or at an average per year of 

 47,500 young seals, and 42,700 old ones. 



" The value of the seals caught in three years, 1872-74, was 

 16,000, or at an average per year of 60,300 [sic]. The steam- 

 ers engaged in the trade gave in those three years a net gain 

 (surplus) for the shipowners of 9,500; the sailing-ships a loss 

 of 27,500; steamers and sailing-vessels together a loss of 

 18,000. 



" I give you the numbers pursuant to a report in a Norwegian 

 newspaper (Morgeribla-dt) of the 26th April this year. If you 

 compare these numbers concerning the fifteen years (1860-74) 

 and the last three years '(1872-74), you will see that the catch- 

 ing of the old seals has considerably increased, but that the 

 catching of the young seals, although the tonnage and the value 

 of the ships employed in the trade has been almost doubled, has 

 only been maintained at the same rate, and that the small sur- 

 plus of former years has been changed into a considerable loss 

 in the last three years."* 



These statistics show the actual occurrence of what Melsom 

 four years before clearly showed must happen under the then 

 prevalent system of indiscriminate slaughter. With the rapid 

 increase of the sealing-fleet was a corresponding decline in the 

 profits of the trade, which soon changed to a considerable an- 

 nual loss. The relatively small catch of young Seals, and the 

 disproportionate increase in the number of old Seals killed show 

 plainly the state of the business, and expose clearly the ruinous 

 way in which it was prosecuted. As Melsom figuratively ex- 



* Land and Water (newspaper), August 28, 1875, p. 160. 



