152 THE riSIlICIMKS 



brought in by a .-iiigk' steamer tlie Xcphiiu-, tin- wi-iglit of fat 

 being 874 tuns ; A'alue §103,750. Cajjtaiu Hlanilfnid was cinu- 

 nianiler. In 1885 the steamer J'r.-iolntr brought in 34,628 st-als,- 

 the gross v.eiglit being 772 tons ; tlie averagr weight of tlie [)elts ^ 

 (fat ami skin) being 50 lbs. In llic sanu' yc-ai, ihc sir. Hmnji'r' 

 took 30,112 seals, the gross -wiMglil luMug 75.") tons ; ilu' average 

 weight of seal 47 ll)s. WJicu they i-ntereil poll tlic (k'l'ks of 

 these heavily laden vessels v.L-re hardly twelve inrlie.- abo\c water' 

 at nuil-ships. Every nook and ciaiiuy was iilleil with ]ielts. 

 The men's berths were tilled ; luo.-l of the coal had lieeii ihrown 

 (iverb(_iai'd to make room for the juvrioiis lal : and the decks were' 

 ])iled with }ielts, one of them having 7,100 on hei' <leck. These,- 

 of course, are rare instance- of success. Not infrei[Uent]y, how- 

 ever, a steamer I'eturus to port ''clean." In had years the catclp 

 may not exceed 200,000. In 1892 it was 348,024 ; a fair voyage.- 

 3'.ut in 1893 it fell to 129,001— tlie ]>oorest retuiii on ri'cord.- 

 The cause an as, not the sc:ircity of senls Imt the unfavourable" 

 condition of the ici' which \\"as A"ei y hea\y, and jammed togetlu'r' 

 in huge massi's which nevei- ojiened. In 1894, it is eslimaled 

 that the united catch of all the steamers (22 in number) will not 

 exceed 142,000 .seals ; but the strong easterly winds which "[lacked 

 the ice on the .shores and tilled nj) the liays, brought the young 

 seals within reach of the people on shoiv who took about 120,000. 

 Su(di are the uui'ertainties attending this jiei'ilous industry, 

 ■which is dei>endent on the winds and wa\es ami the movements . 

 id' the great ice-tields, annd which ihe young seals are born and 

 nin-tured, ami Avhere they must be sought. There can be no 

 doubt, however, that the intioduction of steamers has, at least 

 I'or the present, been injurious to the interests of the ]ioor seal* 

 liuuters. As in. all similar cases, the introiluctiou of machinery' 

 tends to eliminate man. The work is done by far i'ewei- h;uids,- 

 and those who are thus thrown idle have to seek i'or emjiloy- 

 ment elsewhere, and, in too many cases, can at first find none. 

 The gathering in of the seal harvest is now done wilh less than 

 half the nundier of hands emjiloyed in the days of .sailing ve>;- 

 i+el.?, and every year large nuinliers are unable to oV)tain berth? 



