NOTES ON NEWFOUNDLAND SEAL FISHERY. 363 



slight differences, said " they were the northern patch, which is 

 seldom if ever cut up." One would like to know more about 

 these northern Seals, and other departures from the normal, of 

 which we have heard before. (See 1893, p. 128, and 1897, 

 p. 71.) 



Twenty-two steamers took part in the last season's fishery, 

 the fleet being increased by the return of the ' Neptune,' a 

 vessel of 465 tons net, which was absent in 1904. The result 

 was 177,100 Seals, very unequally distributed, only three of the 

 twenty-two vessels having more than 15,000; the 'Eagle,' the 

 first to return, only fifteen days out from St. Johns, leading 

 with 32,064, and the ' Southern Cross ' making out with only 

 883. Two others had more than 10,000, and the remaining 

 seventeen vessels mostly considerably below that number, the 

 average for the whole being 8050, only seven of the vessels being 

 above that number and fifteen below it. The total net weight 

 of produce was 4189 tons, valued at £62,234. 



The ' Eagle ' was very fortunate in falling in with the young 

 Seals; at first she ran N.E., but found nothing, and, the signs 

 indicating an entirely different location of the main patch from 

 that of former years, she ran south ; and on March 16th, 130 

 miles E.S.E. of Cape Freels, struck a patch of " Whitecoats," 

 which extended for miles, and was quite undisturbed. On the 

 first day 7000 were killed, the next day 16,000, and on the two 

 following days 10,000 each. During three days she had a 

 monopoly of the pack, but was then joined by the ' Kite,' the 

 'Labrador,' and the ' Banger,' which shared in her good fortune. 

 Capt. Jackman describes the weather as intensely cold, and fifty 

 of his men were badly frost-bitten ; but there was a remarkable 

 absence of snow, which is essential to the well-being of the 

 young Seals, and they were, although above the average in 

 weight, not so heavy as they would otherwise have been. The 

 other vessels had varying fortunes, but the great mistake seems 

 to have been the time lost in searching for the Seals in too 

 northerly a direction. 



The two Gulf steamers were poorly fished, the ' Viking ' 

 having only 2280 old and young Hoods, and the ' Algerine ' 

 6855 of the same. The ' Viking's ' Seals were acquired under 

 circumstances of great hardship. On March 15th she struck a 



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