173 



motion. Sir John Rose was very familiar to them on the 

 other side of the water, and they all appreciated his efforts 

 in connection with the fisheries of Canada. Whilst he 

 held public office there he was continually mindful of the 

 fishing interests of Canada, and did everything in his 

 power to promote them. He had also taken an interest in 

 the seal fisheries of that region. With regard to the sub- 

 ject referred to by Mr. Martin, as to the seal fisheries 

 belonging to the United States, and leased to the Alaska 

 Commercial Company, the islands there though small were 

 literally covered with seals during certain portions of the 

 year. They came in in enormous quantities, and were then 

 surrounded by the natives, who, in preference to killing 

 them with the gun, as described by Mr. Birkbeck, drove 

 them several miles inland by means of bones which they 

 used as clappers until they got into some convenient place 

 called a butchering ground. They then separated them 

 into what the fishermen called small pod, a pod being a 

 sufficient number to be disposed of in one day. They were 

 despatched by clubs and skinned, and the natives were so 

 expert in taking off the skin that several were stripped 

 in the space of one minute. Those skins were carefully 

 rolled together, and sent off to be prepared for the market. 

 As stated by Mr. Martin, the fisheries were limited to 

 100,000 annually, that being considered a fair number to 

 prevent the seals being exhausted. 



The vote of .thanks having been carried, 



The CHAIRMAN, in reply, said it was a very easy task 

 which he had undertaken that day ; the success of the 

 Exhibition did not depend upon those who gave a few 

 minutes to it to take the chair, it was due mainly to the 

 untiring energy and great administrative ability of Mr. 

 Birkbeck. Those who had inspired this Exhibition, and 



