530 IN THE PAST. 



fur-seal skins were formerly obtained in large numbers in the South 

 Pacific and Atlantic- seas upon the San Juan Fernandez and Falkland 

 Islands, upon Sandwich Island, South Shetland Island, Desolation 

 island, Goughs Island, and Kerguelen and Masafuero Islands, and 

 at Cape Horn. 



There were also in former years a considerable number of skins ob- 

 tained from Russian possessions in the North Pacific Ocean through 

 the medium of a Russian company, as hereinafter stated. 



The history of the Southern Atlantic and Pacific seal business shows 

 that at the localities above enumerated, and principally on South Shet- 

 land and the Kerguelen Islands, there must have been very large num- 

 bers of seals. * * * 



And deponent has been informed and understands that in conse- 

 quence of the indiscriminate and universal killing of seals in the local- 

 ities above mentioned, where no restrictions of any kind were then or 

 are imposed upon the killing of seals at any time, without regard to 

 age or sex, the seal rookeries in those localities were after a few years 

 of such killing practically exhausted. 



That about twenty years ago the South Shetland Islands were again 

 visited, and lor two or three years there were obtained from these is- 

 lands a considerable number of skins, amounting in the aggregate to 

 perhaps 50,000 skins. At the end of three years' catch of skins it was 

 reported that the rookeries were again exhausted and the islands were 

 not again visited for several years, not until five years ago, when de- 

 ponent understands that a vessel was sent to those islands by the firm 

 of C. A. Williams & Co., of New London, United States of America, 

 and that that vessel was only able to obtain 39 skins. 



The time during which deponent has been in the business the skins 

 from all of the above mentioned localities have been practically infin- 

 itesimal in number. 



The following statistics are gathered from the journals of early navi- 

 gators, and such commercial records as are now 



c. A. Williams, p. 540. available are submitted : 



Kerguelen Land. — An island in southern Indian 

 Ocean discovered about 177U. The shores of this island were teeming 

 with fur-seal when it fust became known. Between the date of its dis- 

 covery and the year 1800 over 1,200,000 seal skins were taken by the 

 British vessels from the island, and seal life thereon was exterminated. 



Crozetts. — The Crozett Islands, in same ocean and not far distant, 

 were also visited and hunted over and the seal life there was totally 

 exhausted. 



Masafuero. — An islaud in southern Pacific Ocean, latitude 38° 48' S., 

 longitude 80° 3P W., came next in order of discovery, and from its 

 shores in a few years were gathered and shipped 1,200,000 fur-seal skins. 



Delano, chapter 17, page 306, says of Masafuero: "When the Ameri- 

 cans came to this place in 1797 and began to make a business of kill- 

 ing seals there is no doubt but there were 2,000,000 or 3,000,000 of 

 them on the islaud. I have made an estimate of more than 3,000,000 

 that have been carried to Canton from thence in the space of seven 

 years. I have carried more than 100,000 myself and have been at the 

 place when there were the people of fourteen ships or vessels on the 

 island at one time killing seals." 



South Shetlands.—In 1821-1823 the South Shetland Islands, a group 

 nearly south from Cape Horn, became known to the seal hunters, and 



