THE SEAL-SKIN INDUSTRY. 



IN THE PAST. 



SOURCES OF SUPPLY. 



Page 264 of The Case. 



Second. That the seal-skins which have been sold in London from 

 time to time since deponent first began business 

 have been obtained from sources and were known Alfred Fraser, p. 554. 

 in the markets as — 



(A) The South Sea skins, being the skins of seals principally caught 

 on the South Shetland Islands, South Georgia Islands, and Sandwich 

 Land. That many years ago large numbers of seals were caught upon 

 these islands, but in consequence of the tact that no restrictions were 

 imposed on the killing of said seals they were practically exterminated 

 and no seal-skins appeared in the market from those localities for many 

 years. That about twenty years ago these islands were again visited 

 and for five seasons a considerable catch was made, amounting during 

 the whole five seasons to about 30,000 or 40,000 skins. Among the 

 skins found in this catch were those of the oldest males and the smallest 

 pups, thus showing, in the judgment of deponent, that every seal of 

 every kind was killed that could be reached. That in consequence 

 thereof the rookeries on these islands were then completely exhausted. 

 Once or twice thereafter they were visited without residt, no seals being 

 found, and about five years ago they were again revisited and only 30 

 skins were obtained. Deponent is informed that all the South Sea 

 skins were obtained by killing seals upon the islands above mentioned, 

 and that it is obviously everywhere much easier to kill seals upon the 

 land than in the water; and in the judgment of the deponent the seals 

 of the above-mentioned islands were thus entirely exterminated because 

 of the entire absence of any protection or of any restriction of any kind 

 whatever upon the number, age, or sex of seals killed, and not merely 

 as deponent understands has been claimed by some authorities, because 

 they were killed on land instead of in the open sea, which, moreover, 

 in that locality, deponent is informed, is practically impossible by rea- 

 son of the roughness of the sea and weather. 



(B) A considerable number of seal-skins were formerly obtained 

 upon the Falkland Islands; how many deponent is not able to state. 



(C) That a certain number of seals were also caught at Cape Horn, 

 and that more or less are still taken in that vicinity, though the whole 

 number has been very greatly reduced. 



Deponent says, from his general knowledge of the business inspection 

 of the catalogues of sales of C. M. Lampson & Co. 



and from the information derived from his prede- EmilTeic'hmann^.bn. 

 cessors in the firm, the chief of whom was the late 



Sir Curtis Lampson, who founded the house about sixty years ago, that 

 34 b s 629 



