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but he might take leave to supply some omissions he had 

 made with regard to the fisheries on the North Atlantic, 

 particularly those of Newfoundland, with which, perhaps, 

 not being familiar, he had not dealt to any extent. The 

 seal fisheries of Newfoundland were carried on on a large 

 scale, some 10,000 men employed in them. They were 

 formerly carried on by sailing vessels to the number of 400, 

 but steam had now been introduced, and the number of 

 vessels was reduced to about thirty, but the same number 

 of men were employed in twenty-five steamers. These 

 vessels left Newfoundland, on the loth March, to which 

 time they were limited by Act of Parliament, in order 

 that they might not capture the young seals before they 

 were sufficiently grown. They proceeded in search of the 

 young seals which were, as a rule, met with from the i/th 

 to the 2oth. When they were born they were about lolbs. 

 in weight, but in the space of three weeks they attained 

 a weight of 45lbs. to 5olbs. ; the seals had their young on 

 floes of ice about 300 or 400 miles from St. Johns. They 

 were killed by a blow on the head and then sculped, as 

 it was called that is opened out without barbarity, which 

 he was afraid some people supposed to be the case, the fat 

 and skin only being taken on board the steamers. The 

 first trip generally occupied three weeks or a month, and 

 he had known vessels in that space of time capture as 

 many as 42,000 young seals, worth some 25,000. Having 

 returned and deposited the pelts, they then went out on a 

 second trip to catch the old seals, if possible, but this was 

 much more difficult, as they were very astute ; they popped 

 their heads up, and if they saw any danger about they 

 soon popped them back again and escaped, and it required 

 skilful riflemen, as Newfoundland sealers generally are, to 

 pot them off. The whole season occupied about two months. 



