THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY. 89 



packed in bales contaiiiiiio- from 50 to 100 skins, according to size, and 

 finally the bales are bound with sea-lion straps. 



The salted fur-seal skins are treated as follows, in accordance with 

 the instructions of Mollison, inclosed in a dispatch of the board of 

 administration, l^o. 81, of January 25, 1800, 



After the skins are removed and strijiiied of ]neat or fat, they are 

 strewn with salt and stacked in kenches. Later, when tlie laborers 

 have more time the skins are taken from the kenches and the inner side 

 of each skin covered with a thick layer of salt. Another skin is laid 

 on toj^ of this with its inner side down. Any protruding- edges of the 

 skins are apt to spoil, being removed from the influence of the salt; 

 consequently they are carefully doubled in and both slcins together 

 rolled into a cylindrical shape. This roll is then lashed with strong 

 seine twine. Finally the rolls are again tied together in bundles of from 

 five to ten. 



Though the labor of carrying the .skins on the shoulders of men and 

 women, the carrying of salt from the beach to the salt houses, and later 

 the carrying of the heavy salted skins from the magazine to the beach 

 to be loaded into bidaras for transmittal to the ship is very great, yet 

 the process of drying presents still greater difficulties on account of 

 the constant fog and rain prevailing on the Pribilof Islands. It may 

 be positively stated that of the 25,000 dried skins i)repared annually 

 on these islands less than one fifth can be dried in the air. The re- 

 mainder are dried in sod houses by the means of fires, or in the huts of- 

 the Aleuts, which are anyway too small and ill ventilated. For this 

 reason and also on account of the difficulty of obtain! iig Avood in quan- 

 tities sufficient for the drying of seal skins, the salting by the Mollison 

 method offers the greatest advantage. 



No. 31. 



Letter from the Chief Manaaer of the Rassian American Colonies to the 

 MmnKjer of the island of St. Paul. Written from Sitlca May 1, 1864. 



Your reports forwarded last year by the steamship Konstantin and 

 the bark Prince Menshilcof hn\e been received, and in reply I give you 

 the following instructions : 



As to No. 29. Last year you were instructed to fill requisitions ot 

 the manager of Unalaska Island in a certain contingency. Instructions 

 have now been given to the manager of the island of St. George here- 

 after to furnish Unalaska with local products, and it will be your duty 

 as heretofore to see to the supply of local products for Sitka and St. 

 Michael's redoubt. 



As to Nos. 30, 31. For want of sjiace on the brig ShcliJiof I was 

 unable to grant permission to Mrs. Iraida Herman to visit this year 

 the island of St. Paul, and for the same reason I could not send you a 

 cow or a bull. 



As to No. 32. In my instructions No. 249 of last year I determined 

 the number of fur-seal skins to be taken by you in each j^ear. By 

 order of the board of administration I revoke said instructions No. 

 249, as Avell as all previous instructions concerning the catch of fur- 

 seals. I now direct you to take hereafter annually about 70,000 fur- 

 seal skins, of which 25,000 shall be dried and the remaining 45,000 

 salted according to the new directions in your possession. 

 12 



