130 



SIBERIA. 



to be noticoablo, Aiin'riciui iiivcsiigjiiuii ot tiiu >ijal iiiilnsiiy plaoo tlii,> ';ucuin>iaiic<i in 

 (lopondcncc upon tht; oiiliaiicoil destruction of tini animal on the Pribylov Islamls, in couse- 

 qu(!nc(3 of which tlio soals iin; bof^iiiiiiiif^ to avoid i,hi;ni, prefcininj,' the Commander Islands 

 and the remotest parts (»f Kamchatka. But however it may be, during recent years .seals have 

 begun to app(;ar more freijueiitly on Russian possessions, the quality of the skins it would seem 

 at the same time becoming bettor. The cause of such a change is as yet not sufficiently 

 elucidated, hut the fact ils(;lf only is established. 



Although do jure the Alaska Company was the only firm possivssing ricli seal fisli-.-i- 

 ies, yet do facto the London market was furnished with the goods in question from othei 

 sources. Skins wen; obtained from various parts of the Southern, Indian and Pacific oceans. 

 In the majority of cases however the goods proved to be contraband, that is, they consisted 

 of seal skins, taken without distinction of seX or age, on every convenient opportunity on 

 land and sea. In consequence of sucli piratical character of the industry, the goods could 

 not only not bo prepared properly, but couKi not even be kept in good condition. They came on 

 the London market in the majority of cases in a very bad shape, and there had to be 

 elfected the diiricult task of sorting and dressing them. Of the best quality were consid- 

 ered the skins from the Scottish Islands, in the Antarctic Sea, next the product of the Prib- 

 ylov, Commander, Tiulen, and lastly, those obtained near the shores of Victoria, upon 

 the Kuril Islands, and near Cape Horn. 



The dressing of the fur consisted of three processes, the plucking of all the long hair, 

 the tanning of the skin and the dyeing of the short down that was left. The last operation 

 was considered the most difficult and the secret of the process was long the property of one 

 firm only. The whole treatment of the skin cost from 5 to 15 roubles, according to its siz^- 

 and ([uality. The selling piices were subject to great fluctuations, but on the whole, Amer- 

 ican skins were valued higher than Russian, the former fetching 30 to 45 roubles apiece, 

 the latter only 20 to 25 roubles. According to the data of 1882, skins from the Pribylov 

 Islands, vsrith an average weight of s.2 pounds, were valued at 41*62 roubles; those from 

 Tiulen Island, weighing 9.3 pounds, 23.50 roubles; and from the Commander Islands, 9.5 

 pounds, 23 roubles, that is, little more than half the American. When finished, sealskins from 

 London find a sale, mainly in America, namely about 100,000 skins per annum; next in 

 England, 80,000; France, 15,000; Germany ;ind other counties, 7,000; and Russia, 1,000. 



Thanks to the measures referred to as taken by the Alaska Company the London fur 

 market became more lively; in 1860, some 20,000 skins were sold there; in 1867, 

 52,000; in 1869, 108,000; in 1872, 129,000; in 1875, 136,000; in 1830, 148,000: in 

 1885, 141,000. 



Almost the whole of this quantity of furs was furnished by the Pribylov and Commander 

 Islands. 



