SEALSKIN INDUSTRY IN UNITED STATES. 513 



that there is now and always has been a difference in the price of the 



two of from 300 to 500 per cent. For example, at the ^.„ 



last *ales in London, on the 22d day of Jannary, 1892, of m^inndYemail 



there were sold 30,000 female skins at a price of 40 '''""»• 



shillings apiece, and 13,000 male seals at a price of 130 shillings apiece 



on an average. 



Second. Tliat from the year 1864 down to the present day deponent 

 or his firm have been large purchasers of sealskins on 

 the western coast of America from the Indians and res- bim^'.si'nc^Tser'''*^ ^^ 

 idents on the British coast; and deponent believes that 

 he has handled nearly three-fourths of the c.^tch from that time down to 

 the present. That during the whole of this period he has purchased 

 from 3,000 to 40,000 seal skins a year, and that he has personally in- 

 spected and physically handled the most of the skins so bought by him 

 or his firm. 



That from the year 1880 he has been in the habit of buying skins 

 from American and English vessels engaged in what is now known as 

 poaching, and that he has personally inspected every cargo bought and 

 seen unloaded from the poaching vessels, and subsequently seen and 

 superintended the unpacking of the same in his own warehouse; that 

 the most of the skins above mentioned as purchased by him have been 

 bought from the poaching vessels, and that of the skins so bought from 

 the vessels known as poachers, deponent says that at 

 leaat 90 per cent of the total number of skins were those skh!r*boSghWrom 

 of female seals, and that the skins of male seals found poachers those ot 

 among those cargoes were the skins of very small ani- ^^™'*®^- 

 tnals, not exceeding two years of age, and furtlier, that the age of the 

 seal may be told accurately from the size of its skin. 



Third. That the skins bought at Victoria from the poaching vessels 

 are shiiiped by him largely to the firm of C. M. Lamp- 

 son & Oo., in London, who are the largest sellers of , .^^1°^ bought by 



, . • ,1 11 1 ii j_ f 1 j_, i. lum from poachers are 



skins in the Avorld and the agents or deponent's firm, consigned largely to 



That he has been through the establishment of C. U. Lo^don"'"^'"" "^ ^"■' 



Lampson & Co., in London, very frequently. That he 



has frequently heard stated by the superintendent thereof that the 



great majority of the skins received by them from what 



is called the "northwest catch," that is, the northwest „„^,';''P''y*\"."^ °f 



, ..^T- ^ ■ j_i 1 • ' X. 1 1x1 northwest skins and 



coast 01 Victoria, are the skins ot seals caught by ves- those of females la 

 sels in the open Pacific or the Bering Sea, and that M^tampson & co. ^" 

 a large proportion of said skins, amounting to at least 

 90 per cent, were in his, the said superintendent's, judgment obviously 

 the skins of female seals. 



Fourth. That deponent has frequently requested the captains of the 

 poaching vessels sailing from the port of Victoria and 

 other ports to obtain the skins of male seals, and stated inducements to 



J.-, , 1 1 1 • J. • 1 poachers to procure 



that he would give twice as much money, or even more, male skins. 

 for such skins than he would pay for the skins of fe- 

 male seals. Each and all of the captains so approached laughed at 

 the idea of catching male seals in the open sea, and 

 said that it was impossible for them to do it, and that ^^ "^^ ^^^° ' 

 they could not catch male seals unless they could get upon the islands, 

 which, except once in a long while, thej^ were unable to do in conse- 

 quence of the restrictions imposed by the United States Government; 

 because they said the males were more active and could outswim any 

 boat which their several vessels had, and that it was only the female 

 seals who were heavy with young which could be caught. Among the 

 captains of vessels with whom deponent has talked, and who have 

 2716— VOL n 33 



