ALASKA. 51 



fur-seal, which has been greatly enhanced in value by reason of 

 improvement in dressing, but the marten and the sea-otter 

 stand to-day at almost the same figures at which they were 

 bought and sold a hundred years ago in China, where the value 

 of mouey has remained the same; the native hunters, how- 

 ever, receive now three, four, and five times as much as they 

 were paid by the Russian American Company for their skins. 

 The following list may be taken as very nearly correct, and 

 shows the gross value of the fur-trade of the Territory to the 

 traders for the year 1873 : 



100,000 fur-seal skius, at an average of $7 $700, 000 



3,000 sea-otter skins, at an average of $75 225,000 



50,000 skins from the Yukon district, assorted, at an average of $2. 100, 000 

 30,000 skins from all the rest of the Territory, (this is a very un- 

 satisfactory estimate,) at an average of $2 60, 000 



A grand total of 1,085,000 



Which is more than double the annual receipts of any one of 

 the best of the last twenty years of the Eussian American 

 Company, so far as can be judged by reference to their state- 

 ments, as is shown in the table at the close of this article. 



It seems that the Seal Islands represent two-thirds of the 

 whole value of the fur-trade of Alaska, and that with the sea- 

 otter interest combined there is scarcely anything left. 



Matters are now so arranged on the Seal Islands that the Gov- 

 ernment nets a revenue of $300,000 per annum, with the pres- 

 ervation of its interest there in all of its original integrity. 

 With reference to the sea-otter trade, I think I clearly show 

 the necessity for protection from the Government in my dis- 

 cussion of the subject in this report, and, in regard to the 

 remaining interests, the country itself protects them. 



