82 EUSSIAN CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO 



No. 23. 



Letter from the Board of Administration of the Russian American Com- 

 pany to Captain of tJw Imperial Havy of the second ranTc Alexander 

 Hitch Rmlakof. Written from ^t. Petersburg, April 22, 1853. 



From dispatches received from your Excellency's predecessor we learn 

 lliat the fnr-seals in the Colonies are rapidly increasing, and as there is 

 every appearance of a i;ood market for the same, the board of adminis- 

 tration instructs yon herewith to make all necessay arrangements for 

 carrying on the sealing industry ou all the islands frequented by these 

 animals to the full extent of tlieir capacity, without depleting the rook- 

 eries. The rules for the i)rotection of females, etc., will be strictly ob- 

 served as heretofore. 



Of the fur-seal catch you will forward annually 6,000 skius to Kiakhta 

 by way of Ayan; 10,000 skins to Shanghai, and the remainder to St. 

 Petersburg on the Ojmpany's ships. 



At the present time, the board of administratiou orders the discon- 

 tinuance of the present process of salting skins, as being unfavorable 

 to the sale of fur-seal skius. 



V. POLITKOVSKY, 



P residing Officer. 

 V. Klupfel, 

 A. Etholin, 

 N. KusoF, 

 Baron Wranciell, 



Members. 



No. 24. 



Letter from the Board of Administration of the Russian American Com- 

 pany to Captain of the First Rank and Knight tStepan Vassilievitch 

 Voyevodsky, chief manager of the Russian American Colonies. Written 

 from St. Petersburg, A2)ril 24, 1854. 



In his dispatch, No. 318, dated May 30, 1853, Captain Eudakof, in 

 reporting the increase of fur-seals ou the Island of St. Paul, and his 

 action relating to the fur-seal industry, requests a decision from the 

 board of administration as to the number of seals to be killed in the 

 future, and the grade of skins preferred. 



The board of administration, therefore, respectfully requests your 

 excellency to order the killing principally of bachelors, the older the 

 better, since our customers are eager to secure large skins. Small 

 seals .should be killed only in numbers sufficient to supply the demand 

 for oil and food lor the natives. Since, however, at present, the 

 demand for iur-seal .skins has somewhat diminished, the catch may 

 belimite<l to such a number as will not interfere with aregnlar increase, 

 until a greater demand has again been created. To this end the board 

 of managers is devoting all its energies. 



V. Klupfel,, 



Presiding Officer. 

 A. Etholin, 

 N. KusoF, 

 Baron Wrangell, 



Members. 



