REPOET OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 289 



214 3. — Skins taken for Shipment from Commander Islands, 1863-91^ 



*1865 to 1891 from official figures obtained by us on Commander Islands. 



t The skins obtained by raidors upon Robben Island and on the Comtnauder Islands are not included 

 in the figures above given, which merely represent the annual catch as officially recorded. 



Notes on the Killing of Fur-Seals on the Commander Islands. 



The facts available for the earlier years after the discovery of these islands are 

 very incomplete, but the following notes may be cited: 



In 1751-53, Jugot, among skins brought from Behring Island, had 2,212 fur-seal 

 skins, and in 1752 and 1753 the crew of a vessel belonging to Trapeznikoff, an 

 Irkutsk merchant, took 2,500 fur-seal skins on the same island. ("Neue Nachrich- 

 ten von denen Neueutdecken Insuln," quoted by Nordenskiold, in "Voyage of the 

 Vega," vol. ii, p. 270.) 



Returns of cargoes of skins from the Commander Islands, quoted by Bancroft 

 (Bancroft's Works, vol. xxxiii, pp. 111-191), show that between 1752 and 1786 (the 

 last year not included) at least 93,708 skins were shipped. Most of these were 

 obtained from the Commander Islands, upon which alone the actual killing doubtless 

 exceeded this figure, probably very considerably. It was not till 1886 that the lirst 

 skins were taken on the Pribyloff Islands. 



Elliott states that he believes there was an interregnum between 1760 and 1786, 

 during which the fur-seals were driven from the Commander Islands, and no skins 

 were taken (Census Report, p. 109). This is, however, manifestly an error, in view 

 of the statements of individual cargoes upon which the above total amount is based, 

 and from which it would appear that the Commander Islands never ceased to pro- 

 duce a certain number of skins. Elliott further states that he does not know when 

 the seals returned, but is "inclined to believe" that they did not reappear in any 

 considerable number till 1837 or 1838. In 1867 the Russians did not think that more 

 than 20,000 skins could be secured on the Commander Islands annually. 8ince 1867 

 (to 1880) thecapacity of the Commander Islands gradually increased from about 15,000 

 to 50,000 skins per annum, doubtless because of the careful management of the 

 industry on these islands. (Census Report, p. 109.) 



B S, PT VI 19 



