gunboat was sent up to the fisheries to see that the regula- 

 tions were adhered to. About three seasons ago, if he 

 recollected rightly, the large quantity spoken of by Captain 

 Temple was far exceeded, For Newfoundland and Green- 

 land together yielded 500,000 skins. Again there was a 

 most important fishery of fur seals on the North Pacific, on 

 the islands of St. Paul and St George in the Alaska 

 Territory. A few years ago that country belonged to 

 Russia, but it was ceded to America, and the American 

 Government leased it to the Alaska Commercial Company, 

 who had the sole right of fishing there, paying to the 

 American Government a certain rent and a royalty on 

 each skin ; the quantity was strictly limited to 100,000 

 skins a year. Again, there was the Copper Island 

 fisheries, which belonged to Russian America still, and was 

 nearly to the North of Japan, that yielded between 20,000 

 and 30,000 skins annually, and there were also the Japan 

 seal fisheries, the produce of which varied very considerably, 

 say from 5000 to 20,000 skins. On the whole, therefore, 

 he thought there was no likelihood of the supply falling 

 short 



The vote of thanks having been carried unanimously, 

 Captain TEMPLE, in reply, said he was quite aware that 

 he had not thrashed out the whole subject, and he had not 

 attempted to deal with any seal fisheries, except those 

 which he had actual experience of, trusting that some 

 gentleman, who knew the subject well, would come forward 

 and add to the information he had given, as Mr. Martin 

 had been kind enough to do. He was glad to hear from 

 Major Sewell-Gana, the Chilian Commissioner, that Chili 

 had at last recognised the fact that it was necessary to have 

 a close season, for when he was in the Straits of Magellan, 

 three years ago, the scarcity of seals was the subject of 



