THE RUSSIAN FUE SEAL ISLANDS. 



123 



Report of British Columbia sealing fleet sealing in "Asiatic" loaters in the season of 1892 



Auiiif C. Moore. 



I'lia . 



Agnes McDonjilil 



Urenda 



Carlotta G. Cox. . 

 C. H. Tupper.... 



Ca 



QCllil 



CD. Kaurt.... 

 Dora Siewerd. 

 E. B. Marvin.. 

 Enterprise. . .. 



Favourite 



G'-ueva 



Henrietta 



Ma 



Mascot 



Maud S.--- 

 May Belle . 



Lower 

 coast 

 cat<U. 



Ui)per 

 coast 

 catch. 



(seized.) 

 (seized.) 



Oscar and Hal 



Penelope 



Ivo.sie Olsen . . 



Sea Lion 



Sadie Turpie. 



Teresa 



Thistle (str.)- 

 I>1> 



Umbri: 



Victoria 



W. P. Savwnrd.. . 

 Walter A. Harle. 

 Walter L. Eich . . 

 W.P.Hall 



Lower 

 coast 

 catch. 



Upper 

 coast 

 catch. 



1,41)1 

 S(scized.) 



^ 472 

 1,707 



The total catch by the Caiiadiaus alone amounted to about 17,000 skius.' Out of 

 this luimber probably no less tlian 14,000 were skins of female seals. Adding- to this 

 the number of seals killed, but lost, those captured by the United States schooners, 

 and those shot during the northward migration during the spring of that year, it is 

 easy to conceive how enormous and irreparable must have been the blow intlicted upon 

 the hreeiling seals of the Commander Islands during the year 1892. 



With over 40 vessels scouring the seas around the islands, their boats and canoes 

 following the female seals as they went to and from the feeding-grounds, no wonder 

 that tlie latter were discovered by the sealers, and in these places undoubtedly most 

 of the damage was done. 



But not all the schooners were satisfied with taking the seals outside of the 

 territorial wateis of I'ussia; they adopted the tactics of sending the boats inshore to 

 hunt off the rookeries, and as a consequence many of them had to feel the claws of 

 the bear. The Russian authorities, evidently in anticipation of what would happen, 

 had several cruisers patrolling her seas, and no less than seven schooTiers, one hailing 

 from the United States and the other six owing allegiance to Great Britain, were 

 cai)tured by the commanders of the cruisers Zabialca, Captain de Livron, and Vifiar^ 

 Captain Zarine, and by Mr. Grebnitski on board the company's steamer Kotil: The 

 schooners were taken to Vladivostok, condemned, and sold, except the Ro.sic Olsen, 

 which was rechristened the Prize and given toCapt. W. Cop]), of the Vancoiirer JieUe, 

 on condition that he take 37 of the captured sailors to British Columbia. The other 

 sailors were sent home in the American ship }f(tjcstie, except the men of the schooners 

 Marie and Carmolite, who were taken to Vladivostok and then shipped to Japan. 



The schooners, whose capture created a great excitement in Canadian sealing 

 circles, were as follows: 



(1) C. H. White, of San Francisco, seized by the Zabiaka July 10, between Copper 

 Island and Bering Island. 



' Total of the "Asiatic catch" in the above table IJ, 804 



Seized by Russian war vessels 2. 41X 



Total 17, 222 



Some of the skins seized by the Russians were taken on the Northwest coast. 



