ORAL ARGUMENT OF FREDERICK R. COUDERT, ESQ. 343 



In cousequence of these facts and of his knowledge of the fur-seal skiu business 

 he has a general and detailed knowledge of the history of the business of dealing in 

 fur-seal skins in the Cit.v of London, and of the character and diiferences whicli 

 distinguishes the several kinds of skins coming on the market. 



Theu iie goes on: 



That for many years last past the fur-seal skins coming on the London market have 

 been known as the Alaska catch, which are the skins of seals killed upon the Pri- 

 bilof Islands situated in the liehring sea; second the Copper island catch which are 

 the skins of seals killed on the Kommandorski and Robben Islands in the Russian 

 "waters. 



He theu proceeds and I shall read what he says as to distinction: 



The skins of these several catches are readily distinguished from each other and 

 the skins of the dift'erent sexes may be as readily distinguished from each other as 

 skins of the different sexes of any other animal. 



I beg your Honors to notice that, although it may not be directly 

 upon the point that we are now examining, this is material and very 

 material indeed in the case. 



I should estimate the proportion of female skins included within the north west 

 catch at at least 75 p. cent and I should not be surprised nor feel inclined to contra- 

 dict an estimate of upwards of 90 per cent. 



Senator Morgan. — That Korth-West catch is the pelagic catch. 



Mr. CouDERT. — Yes, it is distinguished from the Alaska product in 

 that way, when it is sx^oken of in this connection, but the seals are in 

 fact the same seals. 



The President. — Yet there is a diiference in price. 



Mr. CouDERT. — Yes, there is this difference between the skins of the 

 animals killed on our islands and the pelagic catch, that is, ours are 

 slain without wounds; the animal is knocked on the head and is easily 

 killed in that way. 



Sir Charles Eussell. — And not shot in the skin? 



Mr. CouDERT. — The others are shot with a shot gun, and the skin is 

 often riddled with the shot, and a great destruction of the beauty of the 

 skin necessarily follows. In the Copper Islands the same process is 

 followed by Eussia. We adopted the Eussian system, and it is carried 

 on, as I think, with certain improvements, on the Pribilof Islands; but 

 it is the same thing — when an Alaska skin is found riddled Avith shot 

 or a Commander skin is found riddled with shot, it is known that it is 

 the result of pelagic hunting. 



Now, to come back to a point from which I had somewhat deviated: 

 as to the price. I was calling the attention of the Court to the differ- 

 ence between the skins, and reading from the deposition of Mr. Stamp. 

 His deposition was so interesting and important in another asi^ect of 

 the case, that I allowed myself to be tempted into reading it lor the 

 I)urpose of showing the enormous number of females in the pelagic 

 catch. It is irrelevant to the point under discussion, but I take the 

 opportunity of giving the Court the evidence. 



As to the difference in price, let me, in connection with this, repeat 

 the important statement that the seals on the Commander Islands are 

 treated and killed in the same way, so that, if there is any large, mate- 

 rial, overwhelming, difference, it must, of course, be due to the innate 

 quality of the Alaskan skin, and the real inferiority of the Commander 

 Islands skin. In fact, as General Foster reminds me, and as the evi- 

 dence shows, until 1890 this was strongly the case, because the lessees 

 were the same and it was the same company that managed the busi- 

 ness on both sides; it is fair to assume they did it practically in the 

 same way. 



