THK nsJIElMKS. 151 



-.tlu" uuiuljer of swds taken was 81,000; in 1815, 120,31."); in 

 1821, 227,193 ; in 1829, 357,523 ; in 1830, 558,942 ; in 1831, 

 .686,836 ; in 1833, 350,155 ; in 1840, 631,385. 



These were the palmy days of tlie i^eal flsheiy to whicli the 

 .seal hunteis of to-day h)ok back Avitli sad regrets as " the good 

 .old times" tliat can never i-etuiii. I"]) till 1857 some four liitu- 

 dred vessels, of from sixty t(j two liundreil tons, their nniteil 

 .crews numliering thirteen thousand ni;'n, took pail in the tisli- 

 .eiy. After 1850 a decline seenrs to have set in. There wei'e 

 more failures and fewer succes-ful seasons. Occasionally the 

 .catch approaclicd lialf a million, and, as in 1858, somewhat ex- 

 .ceeded that numlu-i-. Wlidlicr the falling oif arose from an 

 actual diminution in the numlier of seals, or the unfavourahle 

 .condition of the ice and tlie winds, which jjrevented the vess(ds 

 fiom reaching them, or from lioih causes, cannot now he de- 

 termined. 



SKALING STKAMEKS. 



In 18G3 the great innovator, steam, entered the held aiid the 

 fir.st .steanu-r look jiait in this tishery. The value (jf steam in 

 .connection with Aritic exploi-ations had lieeu jireviously demon- 

 strated : and ere long its introduction c^tmpletely revolutionizeil 

 the seal hshery. It was soon found that steamers strongly l)uilt 

 .and sheathed for encountering ice, jiossessed a great superiority 

 over the old sailing vessels. They could cleave their way through 

 ice in which the sailing vessel would he powerless ; they couM 

 hold on to a "seal ^xxtch" when the other wouhl be blown ott" ; 

 and carrying larger crews, could bring in immen.se loads of pelts 

 when the seals were met with in abundance. In consequence, 

 the nitndaer of steamers rapidly increased, and sailing vessels 

 still more rapi<Ily diminished. 



In 1866, there were 177 .sailing vessels and five steamers ; in 

 1873 there were eighteen steamers, and in 1882 twenty-tive 

 steanu'rs. At present there are twenty-two steamers. They are 

 from 350 to 500 ton* burthen and each carries from 200 to 300 

 men. The larger class can In-ing in from 30,000 to 40,000 seals, 

 jvhen thev obtain a full load. In one instance 41,900 seals were 



