86 RUSSIAN CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO 



No. 28. 



Letter from the Chief Manager of the Russian American Colonies to the 

 Board of Administration of the Russian American Compatiy. Written 

 from the Colonies, January 13, 1859. 



CONCERNING FUR-SEALS. 



In accordance with tlie instructions of the board of administration 

 in dispatch No. 097, dated June 5, 1858, and received on tlie 2d of No- 

 vember, there were sent by the sbi]) Kamchatka^ in addition to the 10,000 

 ordered by former instructions, 10,064 skins which had been prepared 

 and packed before tlie receipt of dispatch No. 097, for shipment to New 

 York; thereafter there remained 3,000 dry skins and 1,170 salted skins, 

 which are now sent per brig Kadiah to San Francisco, for transmission 

 to Messrs. Lobacli and Sheppler. 



In regard to the inquiry of the board as to the number of fur- 

 seals which might be taken annually in the Colonies without detri- 

 ment to the preservation of the species and to the rookeries, I have 

 the honor to report that, according to information received from 

 the manager of the Pribilof Islands, where the most important rook- 

 eries are situated, and from the Comumnder Islands, the numbers of seals 

 on all the rookeries have increased to such an extent as to render the 

 space quite inadequate, and that it would be quite i:)0ssible to take from 

 all the rookeries a total of 70,000 skins in one season, including the 

 grays, but that in order to take such (piantity, it would be necessary 

 to increase the number of sealers on the Pribilof Islands, and the sup- 

 \)\y of firewood lV>r the drying of the skins. 



It may be positively stated that the taking of 70,000 skins each year 

 for a long jieriod to come, will not result in the impoverishment of the 

 rookeries. 



No. 29. 



Letter from Captain of the first rank and Knight Ivan Vassilivitch 

 Furuhelm, Chief Manager of the Russian American Colonies, to the 

 Board of Adminisiration of the Russian American Company . Written 

 from the Colonies, May 13, 1800. 



I have the honor to submit to you herewith a list of the furs obtained 

 during the past year from the districts of the colonies, from which the 

 board will learn the following: 



Eight hundred and ninety two more sea-otters were killed than in the 

 year 1858. There has not been so good a season since 1811, and the in- 

 crease is C()nf1n<'d to the Kadiak district, Unalaska. and Urupa. 



With r(^feren(;e to the sea-otter industry, the Jvadiak oftice reports to 

 me that puisuant to the arrangements made by my i)redecessor the 

 Chngatch p('o])le living in the vicinity of the Konstantin redoubt, have 

 been iiermittcd to hunt indeitendcntly of the general hunting i)arty, in 

 ])la('es known only to themselves. On their arrival at Kadiak, liow- 

 ever, it appealed that they hail been hnnting on grounds upon Avhicha 

 close season had been ])ro('lainu'd lor 1S59, and where our i)rinc*ipal 

 ])arty was to Inive hunted daring the current year. Under such unfor- 

 tnnate circumstances, 1 can not hope to meet with the same success in 



