578 TESTIMONY. 



The time during which deponent has been in the business the skins 

 from all of the above mentioned localities have been practically infin- 

 itesimal in number. 



Third. That for many years last past the skins of fur-seals actually 

 comino' into the markets of the world have been derived 



Sources ot supply. ,, /? x- n 



Irom the lollowmg sources : 



I. The Lohos Islands sJcins, which are the skins of seals caught upon 

 J ^. the islands of that name, situated oft' the Eiver Platte 



and belonging to the Republic of Uruguay. These 

 skins are consigned by the persons having the contract to take them 

 with the Republic of Uruguay to Boulcher, Mortimer & Co., of London, 

 by whom they are sold through Goad, Rigg & Co., and catalogues of 

 the last-mentioned firm are published and have been inspected by 

 deponent from time to time as published. The total number of skins 

 derived from this source, as appears from an inspection of such cata- 

 logues, are during the years 1873 and 1892 inclusive set forth accurately 

 in the paper which is annexed hereto and marked Exhibit A. 



II. Cape Horn skins. — Prior to the year 1876 a small number of skins 

 ca e Horn skins ^^'^ supposcd to havc bccu obtained from this locality. 



ape orn s ins. rpj^^y .^^g ^^^ classiflcd iu our books or catalogues, nor 

 in the books of any other persons or firms, so that they can not now, from 

 examining the books and catalogues, be readily identified or separated 

 from skins coming from other southern localities, but from the year 

 1876 down to the present time they have been so classified, and a large 

 number have been sold by deponent's firm. A statement of the skins 

 obtained from Cape Horn is hereto appended and marked Exhibit B. 

 The number of skins derived from this locality, as appears by that 

 statement, fluctuated very largely in number, and I am informed that 

 the reason for such fluctuation is that the seals from which the skins 

 are obtained are killed mostly upon land, and that the weather in that 

 part of the world is so severe that it is at times impossible to effect a 

 landing upon or near the rookeries. So far as deponent knows, there 

 is no protection of any kind for seals at Cape Horn other than that 

 which is afforded by the difficulty of landing in order to kill the seals, 

 in consequence of the heavy Aveather. 



III. Cajje of Good Hope. — From this locality a small but steady num- 



ber of skins have been obtained during many years 

 BiS*.^ °^ ^""'^ ^'*^*' ^''^^^ past. These skins are not consigned to deponent's 

 firm, but to other persons in London whose catalogues 

 are published, and have been examined from time to time by dcpDiicnt; 

 and deponent is informed and believes from such examination of cata- 

 logues that the number of skins obtained from this source have been 

 for the last few years about 5,000 per annum. 



De[)onent understands that the seals from which these skins are ob- 

 tained are likewise killed mostly upon land, and he is also informed 

 that some regulations for the protection of seal life at the Cape of Good 

 Hope by regulating the killing of seals iu that colony of the Cape of 

 Good Hope have been established by the Government of the said 

 colony, but what those regulations are, if any such exist, deponent is 

 not in a iiosition to state. 



In addition to the supplies from the above-mentioned sources, from 

 1,000 to 2,000 skins are obtained annually in Australasia, which includes 

 New Zealand. 



IV. The principal sources of supply for the market at the present 

 time, and for many years last past, are the following: 



