SEAL SKINS FKOM COMMANDER ISLANDS. 



125 



write to St. Petersburg that according to the reports of the officials of "even those of. 

 the Commander Islands, the seals have increased in numbers on all accessible places 

 to such an extent that the areas occupied by them appear crowded." It is evident, 

 however, that the managers proceeded with caution, notwithstanding, for in the years 

 from 1861 to 1867, the year of the final dissolution of the Eussian American Company, 

 only 4,000 to 5,000 seals (gray pups) a year, are said to have been taken. These figures 

 are from the following table, which is copied from the report of the British Bering 

 Sea commissioners (p. 214), those from 1865 being official : 



Skins taken fw sUpment from Commander Islands, 1862-1867, ly the Bussian-American Company 



after the expiration of its third term. 



This taking of gray pups only on the Commander Islands is very curious in view 

 of the difficulty the company had only a few years previously in disposing of such 

 skins and its attempt to stop taking them at all on the Pribilof Islands.^ The 4,000 

 gray pups were probably only taken for natives' winter food as was the similar 

 quantity (3,000-5,000) on the Pribilofs (Fur Seal Arb., i, pp. 84-85). 



The table of the British commissioners in the note says "including Eobben 

 Island," but no skins were regularly taken there in those days. 



During the so-called "interregnum" — that is, the years 1868-1870, inclusive — from 

 the time the Eussian- American Company abandoned the management of the islands 

 until Hutchinson, Kohl, Philippeus & Co. assumed control, no restrictions except 

 such as the natives themselves might impose and enforce were placed upon the 

 slaughter, which in these three years averaged about 20,000 annually. The seals taken 

 up to that time were exclusively gray pups, but during the interregnum at least one 

 of the traders, viz, Mr. J. Malovanski, had become aware of the increased demand 

 and higher prices for bachelor seals, and he consequently induced the natives to bring 

 him skins of the latter. However, of the 60,000 killed, a great many must have been 



' In NordenskiolcVs " Voyage of the Vega," Am. ed., p. 609, there is a table of figures relating to 

 the catch of seals on the Commander Islands involving several errors. Aside from the fact that 

 it purports to give the catch on Bering Island only, while in reality the figures represent the catch 

 on both Bering and Copper islands, it gives the catch for the year 1867 as 27,500 seals. Here is 

 apparently a double error. Compared with the corrected figures given by Elliott (Monogr., p. 113), 

 27,500, is evidently meant to include the catch from 1862 to 1867, inclusive, in which case, however, 

 the statement is 2,000 too high. 



^" At the same time the board of administration places upon the men in charge of sealing gangs 

 the strictest injunctions to discontine the killing of such gray seals, and in no case to ship them away 

 from the colonies, since they seriously interfere with profitable sales of fur seals in Eussia and in 

 foreign markets where only the larger skins secure good prices." Letter (No. 26.) from Board of 

 Administration to Chief Manager Voyevorski, dated St. Petersburg, June 5, 1857 (Fur Seal Aib., i, 

 App., p. 84). 



