ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 365 



Falkland Island catch. The schooner Director arrived here from Halifax, Nova 

 Scotia, on the 2 1st of May, and while in the vicinity of the Falkland Islands, or 

 between that and Staten Island, obtained 620 seal skins, which were brought to this 

 port. The circumstances of this were conveyed to you in iny letter of the 10th of 

 August. I have seen Capt. F. W. Gilbert, and he has nothing further to add to the 

 information conveyed to you in my letter, only that he affirmed that the hunting 

 was done on the sea, and that no attempt was made to take skins on the land; that 

 he was outside the jurisdiction of any foreign Government, and that if the weather 

 had been more moderate he could have obtained many more, but he desired not to 

 delay there, as he wished to proceed to Bering Sea. 



Sealing of arms. After careful inquiry in regard to this matter, I find that the 

 majority of our sealers would desire to have their firearms sealed up before entering 

 Bering Sea, to avoid interruption and seizure for trivial and doubtful causes, but this, 

 I do not think, they would mean to apply to the Pacific Ocean proper. 



Official logs. All vessels leaving this port have been carefully notified to keep their 

 official log books in conformity with the instructions of article 5 of the Paris regula- 

 tions, and they have been fairly kept, recording each day the number of males and 

 females taken; but I might suggest that an additional sealing log or an addition to 

 the present official log be made whereby the sealers might record daily some other 

 items of interest that might be of use to the Government. 



Agreement with Russia. I had the honor, on the 16th of January last, to receive your 

 letter, and, in compliance with the wishes of the honorable the minister, I promul- 

 gated in every possible manner the renewal of the provisional agreement with Rus- 

 sia, providing a protective zone of 30 miles around the Komandorski Islands, Tuleuew 

 Islands, or Robben Reef, in the Okhotsk Sea, and a protective zone of 10 miles along 

 the shores of the Russian mainland. 



Results of 1895. The catch for the British Columbia fleet of British vessels being 

 71,359, and there was likewise landed from American vessels 2,255, making a total of 

 73,614 skins which have passed through this port. 



The ruling price during the month of August and the early part of September was 

 $9, but during the latter part of September and October the price went up to $10.50. 



I thought the price was very good, being a considerable advance on last year, and 

 those who were fortunate enough to sell at the latter price will do very well, as 

 information has been received here from London that the skins will not reach that 

 figure after deducting the expenses. 



It may be that some of the skins may be kept over for higher figures, but I think 

 it safe to say that the value of the present year's sealing will amount to about 

 $700,000, or, say, $730,000. 

 I have, etc., 



A. R. MILNE, Collector. 



WM. SMITH, Esq., 



Deputy Minister of Marine and Fisheries, Ottawa. 



APRIL 29, 1896. 



SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note, 

 inclosing a report from the minister of marine and fisheries of Canada, 

 with reference to the catch of British sealers, and copies of British 

 log books for the season of 1895. 



In this connection I desire to call your attention to two significant 

 statements in the report of Mr. A. E. Milne, collector at Victoria, to 

 the deputy minister of marine and fisheries, as bearing on the implied 

 claim of the British Government, contained in a letter and inclosures 

 from the British ambassador to yourself, dated April 23, 1896, of which 

 you inclosed me a copy, that the fur-seal skins were injured by the 

 frequent searches of our revenue cruisers. 



On page 4 of said report the collector states that, from the excellent 

 condition of the skins when landed at Victoria, no damage, in his judg- 

 ment, had come to them flora the searches by revenue cruisers. On 

 page 5 the further statement is made that, after careful inquiry, the col- 

 lector found that a majority of the British sealers desired to have their 



