342 ORAL ARGUMENT OF FREDERICK R. COUDERT, ESQ. 



States seal-skins of Alaska always bring a very mnch larger price, not 

 a mere passing, gentle fluctuation, but sometbing radical, sonietliing 

 recognized, something I would say phenomenal, then you would say, 

 of course, there is a distinction, — that an Alaska skin is one thing and 

 a Commander skin is another. 



Have we then proved this to the Court? The Conrt will be surprised 

 to find what the prices are. Of course, such of the Tribunal, if any, 

 as have had occasion in Paris to buy them, will know there is nothing 

 more expensive than a real " Peau d'Alaska"; but, apart from the 

 experience wiiich may be individual, isolated, exceptional and possibly 

 misleading, what idea have we upon the subject of the market? Here, 

 we read again from volume 2, from which I have been reading largely, 

 of that Appendix to our Case, page 572. Mr. Rice, a subject of Her 

 Majesty, wdio has been engaged in this business for 27 years, says: 



That the differeuco hetweftn the several classes of skins are very marked, aucl 

 enable anybody who is skilled in the business or accnstomed to handling of fur seal 

 skins to distinguish the skins of one class from the skins whiih belong to either of 

 the other two classes and these differences are evidenced by the fact that the skins 

 obtain diU'erent prices in the market. 



That the differences between the skins of the adult male seals and the adult female 

 seals are as marked as the differences between the skins of the two sexes of other 

 animals, and that in the Northwest catch from 85 to 90 per cent of the skins are of 

 the female animal. 



Deponent does not mean to state that these figures are mathematically accurate, 

 but they are, in his judgment, approximately exact. 



The difference between the Cop])er Island catch and the Northwest and Alaska 

 catches, which two last-mentioned classes of skins of the fur-seal apparently belong 

 to the same family, are such as to enable any person skilled in the business to dis- 

 tinguish the Coppers from the Northwest and Alaska skins, or what I may call the 

 Behriug Sea sealskins, but the manner in which the skins are distinguished is diffi- 

 cult to describe to any person not accustomed to handling skins. The difference 

 again between the Alaska and Northwest catches, although as deponent has said they 

 are of the same general family, are yet very marked by reason of the dilference of 

 the colour of the hair, the length of the wool, which is, of course, perceptible 

 mainly upon examination of the pelts and of the fact that the female skins show the 

 marks of the breast. 



The differences between the three classes of skins above mentioned are so marked 

 that the skins belonging to the three catches have always, since deponent had any 

 knowledge of the business, 



that is for 27 years, 



commanded, and do now command, different prices in the markets; for instance, the 

 Alaska skins of the last year's catch fetched about 125s. per skin ; the Copper skins of 

 the last year's catch fetched 68s. 6d. per skin. 



And that difference is not the difference of a year, which might be 

 explained upon the ground of scarcity, or over-abundance, or glut in 

 the market; but it is the general difference. What is the use of dwell- 

 ing upon or discussing the question whether they are the same after 

 this? 



Here is another of the same kind, Mr. Stamp, I read from volume 2, 

 page 574. This is Mr. William Charles Blatspiel Stam|>. He is a fur- 

 rier 51 years of age, and a subject of Her Majesty; he says that he 



is engaged in business at 28 Knightrider Street, London, E.-C. as a fur and skin 

 merchant. That he has been engaged in that business for upwards of thirty years 

 and has been in the habit of purchasing fur-seal skins during the whole of the time 

 that he has been in business. That he has personally handled many thousands of 

 such fur-seal skins and he has inspected the samples at practically every sale of fur- 

 ekins made in London during the whole of the time he has been in business. 



Surely this man has experience, and when we present him to the 

 Court and show that he has been cross-examined, we feel that we have 

 done our duty to the Court in the selection at least of the material that 

 we furnish. 



