98 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
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 
uj) 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 x>rices 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 
young ones, but the proportion between the two classes will probably never be known. 
Three sets of figures are given for the catch in these three years, as follows : 
Year. 
Elliott 
(MoiiooT.apb, 
p. 113). 
Niebmmi 
(Far Seal 
Arbitration, 
III, p. 202). 
British 
Bering Sea 
Commission- 
ers (Eep., 
p. 214). 
1868 
S'umber. 
12, 000 
24, 000 
24, 000 
Number. 
* 15, 000 
20, 000 
30, 000 
Number. 
12, 000 
21, 000 
27, 500 
1869 
1870 
Total 
60, 000 
65, 000 
60, 500 
* About. 
It is doubtful whether any of these figures are exact, but as they agree pretty well, 
and as the last set represents the official figures of the Eussian administrator, they 
may be taken as authentic.' 
Upon the arrival on the scene of the agents of Hutchinson, Kohl, Philippeus & Co., 
in 1871, it was found that the indiscriminate slaughter during these three years had 
again done sensible injury to the rookeries. Says Mr. C. F. Emil Krebs, who stayed 
on Copper Island from 1871 to 1881 (Fur Seal Arb., m, p. 195): 
Upon my arrival at. the island, in 1871, the native chief told me that the seals were not as 
plentiful as they had been formerly. I announced that we intended to secure 6,000 skins that year. 
They protested that it was too many, and hogged that a smaller number he killed for one year at 
least. We, however, got the 6,000 skins, as proposed, ^ and an almost constantly increasing number in 
every subsequent year as long as I stayed on the islands, until in 1880 the rookeries had so developed 
that about 30,000 skins were taken, without in the least injuring them. 
The history of the gradual increase of the yield of the rookeries during the fol- 
lowing twenty years, and the subsequent decrease until the present day, is plainly 
shown in the following tables. It should be remarked that the lower figures of 1876, 
1877, and 1883 are due not to a lack of seals on the rookeries, but to the fact that the 
company did not desire more (in 1883, in fact, not as many as they were obliged to 
take). The following comparison of the Commander Islands and Tiuleni catches 
with those of the Pribylof Islands demonstrates the correctness of this statement. 
H may here correct a mistake in the oft-mentioned table presented by the British Bering Sea 
commissioners (Rep., p. 211). They run a line between the years 1869 and i870 and mark it “Alaska 
Commercial Company’s first term began.” As a matter of fact the term (and onh/ term) of Hutchinson, 
Kohl, Pliilippeua A Co., the term andcompany meant, did not begin until 1871, and the catch of 27,500 
skins (luring 1870 is therefore to be ci'edited to the merchants trading during the interregnum. 
2 Only 3,611 of that number were shipped in 1871, the remainder in 1872. 
