510 FAMILY PHOCID^. 



pressed it, the real capital was being ruinously expended, and 

 the profits had wholly disappeared. 



Steps were now, however, promptly taken to remedy the evil, 

 but apparently years must elapse, even with the stringent ex- 

 ercise of every i^recaution for the due preservation of the Seals, 

 before the golden harvests of the pre\T.ous decade can again be 

 realized. 



In June, 1875, as appears by the British ''Law Eeport" for 

 that year, the British government passed a statute known as 

 the "Seal Fishery Act, 1875,"* which prohibits any British sub- 

 ject from killing or capturing, or attempting to kill or capture, 

 any Seal within the area included between the parallels of 67^^ 

 and 75 north latitude, and the Greenwich meridians of 5 east 

 longitude and 17 west longitude, under a penalty not exceed- 

 ing 500 for each offense, one-half to go to the j)rosecutor. In 

 this act the term " Seal " is defined as meaning " Harp or Saddle- 

 back Seal, the Bladder-nosed or Hooded Seal, the Ground or 

 Bearded Seal, and the Floe Eat, and includes any animal of the 

 Seal kind which may be specified" by an " Order in Council" 

 under the act. The beginning of the close-time was left to be 

 determined by the Order in Council. The act was made opera- 

 tive by the Queen in Council the 5th of February, 1876, the 3d 

 day of Ai^ril of every year being fixed as the time when Seals 

 may first be captured. 



A few months later a similar act was passed by the Norwe- 

 gian government, fixing the limits of the protected district by 

 the same boundaries, and prescribing the same date for the be- 

 ginning of the hunt. The penalty for the violation of the act 

 is 200 to 10,000 crowns. The law received the King's signature 

 the 28th of October, 1876, and was to become operative on the 

 25th of the following April, upon condition that the other in- 

 terested governments agree to join with Norway in the enforce- 

 ment of similar protective legislation.t 



* The following is a transcript of a portion of tlie act in question : 

 " . . . The master or person in charge of or any person belonging to any 

 British ship, or any British subject, shall not kill or capture, or attempt to 

 Mil or captitre any seal within the area mentioned in the schedule to this 

 act, or the part of the area specified in the order, before such day in any year 

 as may be fixed by the order, and the master or person in charge of a Brit- 

 ish ship shall not permit such ship to be employed in such killing or captur- 

 ing, or permit any person belonging to such ship to act in breach of this 

 section. " 



+ See Acts of 1876, Nos. 13 and 32. For copies of these acts I am indebted 

 to Professor S. F. Baird, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 



