376 



APPENDIX TO COUNTER-CASE OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



lengthwise and packed in bales 

 containing from 50 to 100 skins, 

 according to size, and finally the 

 bales are bound with sea-lion 

 straps. 



The salted fur-seal skins are 

 treated as follows, in accordance 

 with the instructions of Mollison, 

 inclosed in a despatch of the Board 

 of Admiiustration, No. 81, of the 

 25th January, 18G0: 



After the skins are removed and 

 stripped of meat or fat, they are 

 strewn tvith salt and stacked in 

 kenches. Later, when the labour- 

 ers have more time, the skins are 

 taken from the kenches, and the 

 inner side of each skin covered with 

 a thick layer of salt. Another skin 

 is laid on top of this with its inner 

 side down. Any protruding edges 

 of the skins are apt to spoil, being 

 removed from the influence of the 

 salt; consequently they are care- 

 fully doubled in and both skins 

 together rolled into a cylindrical 

 shape. This roll is then lashed 

 with strong seine twine. Finally 

 the rolls are again tied together 

 in bundles of from five to ten. 



Though the labour of carrying 

 the skins on the shoulders of men 

 and women, the carrying of salt 

 from the beach to the salt-houses, 

 and laterthe carrying of the heavy 

 salted skins from the magazine to 

 the beach to be loaded intobidaras 

 for transmittal to the shii) is very 

 great, yet the process of drying 

 presents still greater difficulties on 

 account of the constant fog and 

 rain prevailing on the Pribyloff 

 Islands. It may be positively 

 stated that of the 25,000 dried 

 skins prepared annually on these 

 islands less than one-fifth can be 

 dried in the air. The remainder 

 are dried in sod houses by the means 

 of fires, or in the huts of the 

 Aleuts, which are anyway too 

 small and ill- ventilated. For this 

 reason, and also on account of the 

 difficulty of obtaining wood in 

 quantities sufficient for the drying 

 of seal-skins, the salting by the 

 Mollison method offers the greatest 

 advantage. 



packed in bales containing from 50 

 to 100 skins, according to size, and 

 finally the bales are bound with 

 sea-lion straps. 



The salted seal- skins, in accord- 

 ance with Mollison's process, 

 inclosed in the despatch of the 

 Board of Administration (No. 81 of 

 the 25th January, 1860), are pre- 

 pared in the following way : 



After the skins are removed and 

 stripped of meat, they are strewn 

 with salt and stacked in kenches 

 with the others; later, when the 

 labourers have more time, the 

 skins are taken from the kenches, 

 and the inner side of each skin is 

 covered with a thick layer of salt. 

 Another skin is laid on top of this 

 with its inner side down. The 

 edges of the skins are turned up on 

 the outer side, so as not to let the 

 salt fall out; they are rolled itp 

 into round bundles with the fur 

 side out, and are strongly tied 

 with seine twine. Afterwards t hese 

 bundles are tied together in pack- 

 ages of from five to ten bundles 

 each. 



Though the labour of carrying 

 the skins on the shoulders of men 

 and women, the carrying of salt 

 from the beach to the salt-houses, 

 and later the carrying of the heavy 

 salted skins from the warehouse to 

 the beach, to be loaded into baida- 

 ras for transmission to the ship, is 

 very great, still the process of dry- 

 ing presents still greater difficul- 

 ties on account of the constant fog 

 and rain prevailing on the Priby- 

 loff Islands. It may be positively 

 stated that of the 25,000 dried skins 

 prepared annually on these islands, 

 only one fifth can be dried in the 

 open air. The remainder are dried 

 in sod houses, by means of fires, or 

 in the huts of the Aleuts, which are 

 already cramped and suffocating. 

 For this reason, and also on 

 account of the difliculty of obtain- 

 ing wood in quantities suflticieut 

 for the drying of seal-skins, the 

 salting by the Mollison method 

 offers the greater advantage. 



