324 



APPENDIX TO COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



be worked on one of the islands, 

 in turn. For instance, if on one 

 island the first "prival" is spared, 

 killing from this "prival" is done 

 on the other; and, again, when a 

 period of rest is observed on the 

 second island, all three "privals" are 

 worked on the first island to make 

 up the annual catch determined 

 upon for both islands. In this way 

 the people will not be idle during 

 any year, since they can easily 

 be carried to whichever islaud is 

 designated for working all three 

 "privals." 



If, however, the islands to the 

 northward are discovered, and are 

 found to be available for sealing, 

 we may, in conformity with Mr. 

 Yanovsky's opinion, instruct the 

 officials of St. Paul and St. George 

 to work them every fifth year, lim- 

 iting the annual catch in the in- 

 terval on St. Paul Island 

 22 to 40,000 and on St. George 

 to 10,000. We must sup- 

 pose that a total suspension of kill- 

 ing every fifth year will effectually 

 stop the diminution of the fur-seals, 

 and that it will be safe at the expi- 

 ration of the close season to resume 

 killing at the rate mentioned above. 

 By strict observance of such rules, 

 [and a prohibition of all killing of 

 fur-seals at sea or in the passes of 

 theAleutia'n Islamls, fwema^h^ope 

 to make this industry a permanent 

 and reliable source of income to the 

 Company, without disturbing the 

 price of these valuable skins in the 

 market. Great care must be taken 

 to prevent the burning of skins 

 subjected to artificial drying. This 

 process must not be resorted to with 

 salt wood (driftwood), and if no 

 other can be obtained, the greatest 

 care must be taken to regulate the 

 fires. The non-observance of strict 

 rules upon this point has already 

 been the cause of losses to the 

 Company, amounting to millions 

 of rubles. The latest shipments 

 of fur-seals to Eussia were in fair 

 condition, consequently we may 

 hope that equal care will be taken 



ing at the Island of St. Paul shall 

 be spared, and the same in the case 

 of the Island of St. George. The 

 following arrangement should be 

 adopted. During the season when 

 the first batch is to be spared on 

 the Island of St. Paul, the killing 

 of all three batches of seals should 

 go on on the Island of St. George, 

 and conversely. Not more than 

 40,000 seals should be killed on 

 the Island of St. Paul, or more 

 than 10,000 on the Island of St. 

 George, in any one year. If this 

 arrangement is adox)ted, the men 

 will never be idle; for when the 

 time comes for one batch to be 

 spared on one island they can all 

 go to the other, where all three 

 batches are to be killed. If the 

 small islands supposed to exist to 

 the north are discovered, and are 

 found to be visited by seals, you 

 should, as suggested by Mr. Y an- 

 ovsky, give instructions for the 

 employes of the Company on St. 

 Paul and St. George to go and kill 

 seals there every sixth year, and 

 to continue to kill 40,000 on St. 

 Paul and 10,000 on St. George 

 every year. At the end of every 

 five years, the killing should cease 

 on St. Paul and St. George for one 

 year, for the propagation of the 

 species; during that year the catch 

 on the small islands to the north 

 will indemnify the Company for 

 what it loses on St. Paul and St. 

 George; and the following year the 

 usual operations will be resumed, 

 and 40,000 seals killed on St. Paul 

 and 10,000 on St. George. 



These measures will preserve the 

 fur-seal industry and advance the 

 best interests of the Comi)any by 

 preventing the price of the furs 

 from falling in the market. Great 

 care should also be taken that 

 the skins are not si)oilt by exces- 

 sive drying in ovens, if the adop- 

 tion of that method is sometimes 

 made necessary by persistent bad 

 weather ; the managers of the 

 islands should be very careful that 

 the ovens are not over-heated, and 

 should be called ui)on to pay for 



