COAST OF AFRICA. 319 



Island, and made an attack upon tbose on Mercury Island. " The rush of my little 

 party," he says, "was simultaneous; every nerve and muscle was exerted, and we 

 reached the opposite side of the rookery, killing several seals on our way, when we 

 found that the other party, under command of Mr. Burton, had been stoi^ped in 'mid- 

 course' about the center of the rookery by the immense number of seals that began to 

 pour down the steep rocks and precipices like an irresistible torrent, bearing down 

 their assailants, and taking several men nearly into the sea with them. * * * 

 Several hundred fur seals were left lifeless on the shore and rocks." Owing to a fatal 

 accident to one of his most valued men, due to a heavy breaker engulfing three of the 

 party, the island, with its wealth of seals was immediately abandoned and the vessel 

 returned directly to the Cape of Good Hope, having taken in all about 4,000 seals.' 



In 1830 Oapt. Gurdon L. Allyn, with the sealing schooner Spark, of New London, 

 Conn,, visited Ichaboe Island, but arrived too late in the season (January 14) to 

 secure many fur seals. He found the carcasses of about a thousand from which the 

 skins had been removed by sealers who had preceded him the same season. He says, 

 speaking of the coast generally: 



The coast was well sealed, and we could only glean a few from the roughest rocks. * * * We 

 found a few seals at each landing, » * » and by the 6th of September had taken 600 seal skins. 



He secured small catches at intervals during the following months, and started 

 for home on March 31, 1831, with a cargo of 3,700 skins. In 1834 he made another 

 voyage with two vessels to the same coast, visiting Ichaboe, Mercury, and Bird 

 islands. The first season's work amounted to only 800 skins, the seals being scarce 

 and shy. Respecting the next season (1835) he says: 



The seals having been harassed so much, the prospect was slim for the next season, but by 

 patting men on the small rocks to shoot them, and by great diligence we managed to secure about 

 1,000 skins to both vessels, which was a slim season's work.'^ 



Sealing seems to have been abandoned for some years following on the African 

 coast, owing to the low price of seal furs and the scarcity of the seals. It has, 

 however, since been resumed and placed under restrictions by the government of the 

 colony of the Cape of Good Hope, the seal islands being rented to a sealing company 

 under certain stipulated conditions, and poaching rigorously prohibited. The yield 

 is small but steady, averaging about 5,000 skins per annum.^ 



' Morrell, Voyages, pp. 304-306. 



- Capt. G. L. Allyn. The Old Sailor's Story, as (quoted by Mr. A. Howard Clarke. 



3 Affidavit of Emil Teichmaun, of the London firm of furriers, C. M. Lampson & Co. 



