APPENDIX TO COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



363 



Of the fur-seal catch you will 

 forward annually 6,000 skins to 

 Kiakhta by way of Ayan; 10,000 

 skins to Shanghae, and the re- 

 mainder to St. Petersburg on the 

 Company's ships. 



At the present time, the Board 

 of Administration orders tbe dis- 

 continuance of the present process 

 of salting skins, as being unfa- 

 vourable to the sale of fur-seal 

 skins. 



(Signed) V. Politkovsky, 



Presiding Officer. 

 V. Klupfel, 

 A. Etholin, 



N. KUSOF, 



Baron Wrangell, 



Members, 



Of the seals killed, G,000 must be 

 sent every year by way of Ayan to 

 Kiachta, 10,000 to Sbangbae, and 

 all that remain to St. Petersburg 

 by the vessels going around the 

 world. 



At the same time the Board of 

 Administration suggests that you 

 stop salting the seal- skins, as has 

 been done heretofore, since it has 

 a bad effect upon their sale. 



(Signed) Y. Politkovsky, 



Presiding Officer. 

 V. Klupfel, 

 A. Etholin, 

 ]Sr. KusoF, 

 Baron Wrangel, 



Members. 



46 



No. 24. 



Letter from the Board of Adminis- 

 tration of the Russian- American 

 Company to Captain of the First 

 BanJcand Knight Stepati Vassilie- 

 vitch Voyevodsky, Chief Manager 

 of the Russian- American Colonies. 

 Written fromSt.Petersburg, April 

 24, 1854. 



In his despatch No. 318, dated 

 tlie 30th May, 1853, Captain Ruda- 

 kof, in reporting the increase of 

 fur-seals on the Island of St. Paul, 

 and his action relating to the fur- 

 seal industry, requests a decision 

 from the Board of Administration 

 as to the number of seals to be 

 killed in the future, and the grade 

 of skins preferred. 



The Board of Administration, 

 therefore, . respectfully requests 

 your Excellency to order the kill- 

 ing principally of bachelors, the 

 older the better, since our custom- 

 ers are eager to secure large skins. 

 Small seals should be killed only 

 in numbers sufficient to snpply tlie 

 demand for oil and food for the 

 natives. Since, however, at pres- 

 ent, the demand for fur-seal skins 

 has somewhat diminished, the 



No. 24. 



Letter from the Board of Adminis- 

 tration of the Russian- American 

 Company to Captain of the First 

 Rank and Knight Stepan Vassilie- 

 vitch Voyevodsky, Chief Manager 

 of the Russian- American Colonies. 

 Written fromSt.Petersburg, April 

 M, 1854. 



Captain of the Second Class 

 Rudakoff, in his despatch No. 318 

 of the 30th May, 1853, reporting to 

 the Board of Administration the 

 increase of seals on the Island of 

 St. Paul, and the arrangements 

 made by him, in consequence, with 

 regard to killing them, inquires of 

 the Board of Administration what 

 number of them must be killed in 

 future, and what kinds are pre- 

 ferred. 



In reply, the Board of Adminis- 

 tration respectfully requests your 

 Excellency to order that bachelors 

 be killed in preference, the older 

 the better, as the ]>urchasers prefer 

 large skins. Hence small seals 

 must be killed only in such num- 

 bers as are necessary for obtaining 

 oil to supply the demand; and, as 

 at the ])resent time the demand for 

 seal-skins has considerably de- 

 creased, they must be killed, as a 



