84 EUSSIAN COERESPONDENCE RELATING TO 



No. 2G. 



Letter from the Board of Administration of the Fussian American 

 Company to Captain of the first ranlc and Knight ^tepan VassiUe- 

 vitch Voyevodsly, Chief Manafjer of the Russian American Colonies. 

 Written from St. Fetershnrg, June 5, 1857. 



In reply to your Gxcolleiicy's despatcli No. 41, of Marcli 9, concerii- 

 iiiji- tbe shipineiit of furs to New York nud Sliaugliai, the board of 

 administration luis the hon(u^ to inform you tliat the annual dejuaml 

 for fur-seal skins in Ivussia has now increased to 15,000 dry skins, of 

 which 5,000 are for tlie Kiakhta market; at this place only 2,000 

 heavers will be required. Tlie remaining number of fur-seals, 12,000 

 or more, principally salted (in which shape they are preferred), you 

 will dispatch in the autumn to Messrs. Lobach & Scheppler of New 

 York immediately after the arrival of the shii^ from the districts, with- 

 out subjecting the skins to any kind of treatment at New Archangel, 

 leaving them just as they are when they arrive from the districts, and 

 in the same packages. 



At the same time the board of administration places upon the men 

 in charge of sealing' gangs the strictest injunctions to discontinue the 

 killing of small gray seals, and in no case to ship tliem away from the 

 Colonies, since they seriously interfere with profitable sales of fur- 

 seals in Kussia and in foreign markets, where only the larger skins 

 secure good prices. 



V. POLITKOVSKY, 



Presiding Officer. 

 V. Klupfel, 

 A. Etholin, 

 M. Tebenkoe, 



]\Le}iihcrs. 



No. 27. 



Letter from the Chief Manager of tlie Russian America >i CoJouies to the 

 Board of Adutinisfratiou oftheliussian American Company. Writtub 

 from the Colonies, October 7, 1857. 



CONCERNING FUR-SEALS AND BEAVERS. 



Eeferring to the dis])atches of the board, Nos. 035 and C50, dated re- 

 spectively June 5 and 10, and received on the 7th of September of this 

 year, I have the honor to report that the instructions contained therein 

 in regard to fur-seals and beavers will be carried into effect at once. 

 From the fur-seal skins on hand 10,000 have been packed and forwarded 

 by the ship Czareriich to Kronstadt; 5,000 skins will be put aside for 

 shipment to Kiakhta by way of Ayan; and the remainder, about 5,000 

 skins, not including grays, will be lorwarded to Is'ew York, together 

 with all the beaver skins which can be collei'ted, except the 2,000 skins 

 destined for Kiakhta. 



The fur-seal skins require no working over in New Archangel, but 

 when the fact is taken into consideration that they will have to stand 

 the passage across the equator and the tropics twice, it will hardly be 

 safe to seiul them to New York, as indicated in the disi)atch of the 

 boartl, in the same packages in which they are received from the vari- 



