588 TESTIMONY. 



nent estimates, at least from two to three tliousaiid persons engaged in 

 tliis industry in Europe, and tlie natural consequence 

 forfabor ®"^P^'*y"'^"* of tlic productlou luivin g diminished by about one- half is 

 that only about one-half the number of x^ersons are re- 

 quired in the industry. 

 That the increased i^riee of sealskins two years ago, caused by the 

 fallin g- oft" in quantity, has not been maintained although 

 isiTin^tr^'Jfen'iaDV^"'"" 't^is ycar there is perhaps even a fewer number of seal 

 skins, which indicates, in the opinion of deponent, that 

 the article when offered at a high price is within the means of only 

 a very few persons and the demand for it will continue to decrease. 

 That the trade has every interest to bring about a regular produc- 

 tion, that is to say, the production to be approximately 

 swdy production always the same, as this would ob\iate the frequent 



change in price and render business less speculative. 

 Sealskins bongiitin Tlmt thc Said firm generally buys its sealskins at 

 kTpfris: ^'''■"^'^y^'' the London auctions in' their undressed state, and has 

 them dressed in Loudon and dyed partly in London 

 and partly in Paris. 

 That the said firm can distinguish very readily the source of produc- 

 tion of the skins when tlie latter are in their undressed 

 distinguishable.''"''''^-^ statc ; that for sevcral years besides the skins of the 

 regular companies, such as the Alaska Company (Amer- 

 ican concessionaire) and the Copper Company (liussian concessionaire) 

 the said firm has bought quantities of skins called Northwest coast, 

 Victoria, etc. That these skins are those of animals 

 peb4?c*^atch*femaief caught iu the opcu sca by persons who apparently de- 

 and pups. rivc thcrefrom large profits, and nearly three-quarters 



of them are those of females and pups, these probably 

 being less difficult to take than the males; that these animals are taken 

 by being shot. 

 That the seals taken by the Alaska and Copper companies are males, 

 y. , ,. , , the destruction of which is much less i)reiudicial to the 



Destruction of male.i ,. ^ .-, i i • i j? • t i i i j. 



less prejudicial. Bet- preservation 01 the race, and wluch furnish the best 



ter skins. skins, thcsc bciug finer and more furnished with down ; 



that they are killed on the islands with clubs. That every animal 

 killed by ball or shot bears the traces of such slaugh- 



ri?rcidwitVsiiot*' '^ ter, which marks greatly depreciate the value of the 

 skin. 

 That the said firm has often been informed that in order to capture 



one animal the persons engaged in the cliase are frequently obliged to 



kill or wound three or four. That under these circum- 



wasteofhfe. stauccs and in consequence of the destruction of the 



females, there is no doubt in the mind of deponent that the race is in 

 great danger of being exterminated, to the profit of a 



nawon"'''^ "^ ''''^"™"" few individuals and to the detriment of an important 

 industry which up to the x^resent has sux^plied the 



means of livelihood to thousands of x^ersons in Europe and America. 

 That the said firm believes it to be everyone's inter- 



nc^^sl^^y)'^'"'''''"'''^^ ^^^ that the countries interested in the question (Amer- 

 ica and Eussia) should take measures to safeguard their 



rights from the point of view ot the capture of the seals, and that if 



not, if this pursuit in the ox^en sea continues a^ in the i[)iiBt two years, 



the said firm firmly believes that in a short time the seal will exist only 



as a souvenir and will be completely exterminated. 



