APPENDIX TO COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



371 



before the receipt of despatch 

 No. G97, for shipment to New York ; 

 thereafter there remained 3,600 dry 

 skins and 1,176 salted skins, which 

 are now sent per brig "Kadiak" 

 to San Francisco, for transmission 

 to Messrs. Lobach and Sheppler. 



In regard to the inquiry of the 

 Board as to the number of fur- 

 seals which might be taken annu- 

 ally in the Colonies without detri- 

 ment to the preservation of the 

 species and to the rookeries, I have 

 the honour to report that, accord- 

 ing to information received from 

 the Manager of the Pribylofit' Is- 

 lands, where the most important 

 rookeries are situated, and from 

 the Commander Islands, the num- 

 bers of seals on all the rookeries 

 have increased to such an extent as 

 to render the space quite inade- 

 quate, and that it would be quite 

 possible to take from all the rook- 

 eries a total of 70,000 skins in one 

 season, including the grays, but 

 that, in order to take such quan- 

 tity, it would be necessary to in- 

 crease the number of sealers on the 

 Pribyloft' Islands, and the supi)ly 

 of firewood for the drying of the 

 skins. 



It may be positively stated that 

 the taking of 70,000 skins each 

 year for a long period to come will 

 not result in the impoverishment 

 of the rookeries. 



prior to the receipt of despatch 

 No. 697 for shipment to New York, 

 and there still remain 3,600 dried 

 and 1,176 salted skins, which will 

 now be sent by the barque ''Ka- 

 diak" to San Francisco, to be for- 

 warded to Messrs. Lobach and 

 Shepler. 



With regard to the question of 

 the Board of Administration as to 

 what number of seals may be killed 

 every year in the Colonies without 

 detriment to the preservation of 

 the species and without impover- 

 ishing the rookeries, I have the 

 honour to report that, as is evident 

 from the Reports of the Governors 

 of the Pribylotf Islands, where the 

 principal seal rookeries are found, 

 and even those of the Commander 

 Islands, the seals have increased 

 in numbers on all the accessible 

 places to such an extent that the 

 areas occupied by them ai)pear 

 crowded, and it is evident from 

 these Reports that it would be pos- 

 sible to kill in all these places, in- 

 cluding the small gray seals, as 

 many as 70,000, and even more; but 

 for this it would be necessary to 

 increase the number of hunters, 

 and to furnish a sufficient supply 

 of wood to the Pribyloft Islands for 

 drying the skins. 



It may be said with certainty 

 tbatuoimpoverishmentof the rook- 

 eries will appear for a long time 

 from the killingof as many as 70,000 

 fur-seals. 



No. 29. 



Letter from Captain of the First 

 Ranh and Knight Ivan Vassili- 

 evitch Furuhelm, Chief Manager 

 of the Russian- A merican Colonies, 

 to the Board of Administration 

 of the Russian - American Com- 

 pany. Written from the Colonies, 

 May, 13, 1860. 



No. 29. 



Letter from Captain of the First 

 RanJc and Knight Ivan Vassili- 

 evitch Furuhelm, Chief Manager 

 of the Russian- American Colon ies, 

 to the Board of Administration 

 of the Russian - American Com- 

 pany. Written from the Colonies, 

 May 13, 1860. 



I have the honour to submit to I have the honour to present 

 you herewith a list of the furs ob- herewith a Table of the skins pro- 

 tained during the past year from cured last year fiom the districts 



