374 



APPENDIX TO COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



The female seals came this year in May 

 at the usual time after the "sekatches" 

 had landed. Only a few had come ashore, 

 when, with a strong north-west wind, the 

 ice came from the north. It closed around 

 the islands and was kept there by the 

 wind for thirteen days. The ice was 

 much broken and was kept in motion by 

 the sea. 



It is an actual fact, most gracious Sir, 

 that the ieniales could not reach the 

 shore throujih the ice. Some of the 

 Aleuts went out as far as it was safe to 

 go on the larger pieces of ice, and they 

 saw the water full of seals. When the 

 north-west gale ceased, the ice remained 

 for nearly a week longer, being ground 

 up in the heavy swell, and no females 

 could land. A few "sekatches" tried to 

 go out to sea, but did not succeed. On 

 the 10th June the first females began to 

 land, but they came slowly, and it was 

 very late when the rookeries began to 

 fill. Very few of the females — no more 

 than one out of twenty or twenty-five — 

 had their young after they came ashore. 

 Nearly all must have lost them in the 

 water, as for many weeks since the ice 

 went away the bodies of young seals have 

 been washed up by the sea in thousands. 

 This misfortune I must humbly report to 

 you. It was not the work of man, but 

 of God. 



Your very humble servant, 



(Sigiaed) Ivan Repin, 



Manager of St. Paul Island, 



^0. 30. 



Letter from Captain of the First 

 Rank and Knight Ivan Vassilie- 

 vitch Furuhelm, Chief Manager 

 of the Russian- American Colonies, 

 to the Board of Administration 

 of the Russian- American Coin- 

 pany. Written from the Colonies, 

 July 16, 1863. 



In reply to the communication 

 addressed to my predecessor by the 

 Board of Administration on the 

 31st January of this year, No. Ill, 

 I have the honour to submit, for 

 your consideration, the subjoined 

 statement of the cost of preparing 

 the dried and salted fur- seal skins: 



Fo. 30. 



Letter from Captain of the First 

 Class and Knight Ivan Vassilie- 

 viteh Furuhelm, Chief Manager 

 of the Russian- American Colonies, 

 to the Board of Administration 

 of the Russian- American Com- 

 pany. Written from the Colonies, 

 July 16, 1863. 



Noting, for immediate execution, 

 the contents of despatch No. Ill 

 of the 31st January, 1863, from the 

 Board of Administration, I have 

 the honour to submit,for the Board's 

 consideration, the following esti- 

 mates as to the cost of preparing 

 the dried and salted seal-skins: 



