ARGUMENT OF GREAT BRITAIN. 79 



On this pae-e of the Ui)ited States Counter-Case, extracts ^^ge vs. 



,,. ^ ^ , T r ii- T>- 1 United States 



and disconnected fragments Irom Eussian correspondence counter- case, 

 rehiting- to the ishinds are referred to, apparently for the fglj'l^'gg*^'^- pp- 

 purpose of indicating that a high rate of killing was main- 

 tained under the Eussian regime from 1860 to 1806. An 

 examination of these communications (imperfect as they 

 are) shows, however, that they merely include requests or 

 instructions from the Board of Management or the Chief 

 Manager for the killing of certain numbers of seals for 

 skins. There is nothing to show that these projects for 

 killing were carried out. In fact, in one case, in 1860, the 

 Chief Manager, though instructed to get 50,000 to 60,000 

 skins, exin-esses his doubt of being- able to do so, owing to 

 certain unfavourable conditions in 1859. 



Of the years mentioned in this correspondence, for which 

 the number killed on the islands has been ascertained, the 

 following comparison may be made: 



For the remaining years to 1866, the numbers requested 

 or ordered to be killed was as follows: 



1863 80, 000 



1864 70, 000 



1865 (by Board ) 53, 000 



" (bv Manager) 48, 000 



1866...' 50,000 



The approximate numbers actually killed, and shown in ^ British com- 

 the second column, as ascertained from the best available port,'i)" 132. 

 data, are, however, in these years much lower. 



It is not to be supposed tliat in thus failing to carry out Eiiiott. Census 

 the instructions as to killing, the persons on the p^.^^s.^Vt"''*'"'*" 

 94 islands were unable to obtain enough seals. The 



difficulty arose chiefly, if not entirely, from the time rage 73. 

 consumed and the amount of labour involved in curing a 

 large jjroi^ortion of the skins by drying, as was then cus- 

 tomary. 



The special circumstances connected with the excessive British Com- 

 number taken in 1867 (75,000) are explained in the lieportj'.l.Tt/^paras.^ov,' 

 of the British Commissioners. ^^'■'• 



The British Commissioners are on this page of the United Page 74. 

 States Counter-Case charged with a flagrant violation of 

 their instructions as to impartiality, because they do not 

 quote the whole of a paragraph by Elliott referring to the 

 proportion of bulls to females. The part of the paragraph 

 quoted, however, gives Elliott's general conclusions. It 

 would not liave been pertinent to the point under considera- 

 tion to quote the exceptional cases also mentioned by him. 

 He notes both much larger and much smaller numbers of 



