REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 225 



BcpJij to Ctrcnlur received from the Government of New South TVales. 

 GOVERNOR LORD JKUSEY TO LORD KNUTSFORD. 



G0VERN!\iENT HousE, Sydney, Octoher SO, 1S91. 

 My Lord: I have tlie honour, in reply to your despatch of the oOth July last, to 

 state that I can obtain no inforniatioa concerning the Inr-seal fishery, as the fur-seal 

 is not found on the coast of New South Wales. 



I have, &c. (Signed) Jeksey. 



Reply to Circular received from the Government of J'icloria. 

 governor lord HOPETOUN to lord KNUTSEOliD. 



Government House, Melbourne, Octoher 27, 1S91. 

 My Lord: I have the houour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's 

 despatch of the 30th ,luly ultimo, requesting information on certain points ccm- 

 viected with the fur-seal iishcry in this Colony, and to transmit a copy of a letter, 

 (hitcd the 20th instant, from Sir Frederick McCoy, Director of the National Museum, 

 which embraces all the available informatiou on the subject. 



I have, «&c. (Signed) Hopetoun. 



SIR F. M coy to mi;, munro. 



National Museum, Melbourne, Octohei- 20, 1891. 

 Sir: In reply to your letter of this date, 1 have the honour to report as follows: 



1. The seal iishery of Australia was never so extensive as that of the North Pacific, 

 and for more than thirty years the trade in Australian fur-seal skins has entirely 

 ceased, although of some extent in Sydney a little before that time. 



2. In Victoria the only fur-seal is the eared seal (Euotaria cinerea), the size, shape, 

 and habits of which very nearly recall those of the North Pacific. The decline or 

 destruction of the fishery is certainly attributable to the indiscriminate slaughter of 

 the seals on the few islands off the south coast, especially in Western Port, where 

 the old males and gravid females resorted in the summer to bring forth and tend the 

 young. At present a few islands only are frequented by these seals, now in the 

 breeding season, and the number of individuals is too small to furnish any trade. 



3. The fur-seal fisherj^ was conducted simply by manning a boat suitable for land- 

 ing on the islands, the landing usually taking place at night, and then the seals were 

 killed indiscriminately by clubbing them on the nose with large sticks. The skins 

 were chieHy exported from Sydney. 



4. No measures effective for the protection of the fur-seal fisheries have l)een under- 

 taken on any large scale by any of the Australian Colonies, but some years jigo I 

 recommended the Victorian Government to prohibit the killing of seals on the small 

 islands which they frequent near Phillip Island, and although the number has some- 

 what increased in consequence, it is far too small to furnish a trade. 



.5. The Australian fur-seals were never fished for in the open ocean. 

 6. Generally, the life-history of the Victorian fur-seal exactly resembles that of 

 the North Pacific, following shoals of fish in the open ocean, but coming on the 

 islands to breed in the latter part of the summer. 

 I have, »&c. 



(Signed) Frederick McCoy, 



Director of Museum. 



158 Reply to Circular received from the Government of Tasmania. 



MR. SEAL TO THE CHIEF SECRETARY, HOBAUT. 



HoiSART, November 30, 1S91. 



Sir: I have the honour to report, for the information of the Canadian Govern- 

 ment, the following, in reply to the queries laid down in their Circular letter of the 

 9th .July, 1891: 



(Jurry 1. Sealing in Tasmania and her dependencies (almost solely confined to the 

 islands in Bass Straits and the Macquarie Islands, situated to the south of New Zea- 

 Innd) has been carried on by the seals being killed on shnre at their breeding places, 

 and not by "pursuit at large on the circumjacent ocean." 



B S, PT VI 15 



