170 DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE. 



to double them, because they break at the folds, by which advice I will 

 be guided in future in shipping goods around the world. 



The salting of the sealskins, which was stopped by order of the board 

 of administration, will be recommenced next year; but as the instruc- 

 tions on this subject will reach the islands of St. Paul and St. George 

 only in the summer of next year, it is impossible to guarantee that we 

 shall be able to procure a sufficient quantity of salted sealskins next 

 year. 



The experiment of salting the skins at New Archangel will also be 

 made. 



With regard to the small gray sealskins, I have the honor to express 

 the opinion that only such a number of them have been killed hitherto 

 as was necessary to procure the oil, the demand for which, without 

 speaking of the unavoidable necessity of supplying the Aleuts on the 

 islands and of shipping a quantity to Fort Michael for exchange for furs 

 with the savages there, is increasing in New Archangel itself, owing to 

 the increased number of steamers and steam engines. 



The oil purchased costs very dear; hence, having in view the great- 

 est possible economy in the expenditure of money, I made arrange- 

 ments on the islands of St. Paul and St. George to procure oil from 

 the seals, and about 250 buckets of it have been received. The pur- 

 chase of this quantity of oil at San Francisco would have cost about 

 8,000 paper roubles. 



For the above-mentioned reasons, although I am making arrange- 

 ments for stopping the killing of small gray seals, so far as possible, 

 they being only fit to furnish oil and supplies of meat necessary for 

 the winter, still, I find it necessary to respectfully request the board 

 of administration to give me definite instructions with regard to en- 

 tirely stopping the killing of this kind of seal; but if the board of ad- 

 ministration should see fit, in consideration of the circumstances men- 

 tioned, to permit me to kill so many of the small gray seals as may be 

 necessary to procure oil and supplies of meat for the winter for the in- 

 habitants of the islands of St. Paul and St. George, in that case the 

 question would arise as to the disposition to be made of the skins of 

 these small animals. 



At the present time there are about 5,000 of them in the warehouses, 

 and by taking 3,000 every year a considerable number may accumu- 

 late in a few years, requiring a corresponding space for storage. 



I suggest that, if it is not yet expedient to send gray sealskins to 

 Russia and to foreign markets for sale, then we might try the experi- 

 ment of using them in the colonies for robes and overcoats, which, 

 after being well dressed, might take the place of the common sheep- 

 skin coats. 



By way of experiment a few robes might be made of these skins, 

 which so far remain unused in the warehouses. 



In conclusion, I have the honor to report to the board of administra- 

 tion that, from information which has now been received, the seal 

 rookeries everywhere, and especially on the island of St. Paul, have 

 increased to such an extent that all the places which they frequent are 

 entirely filled, and there is such a need of room for them that it is nec- 

 essary to increase considerably the number of seals killed; and this 

 shall be done next year. 



