THE RUSSIAN FUR-SEAL ISLANPS. 
101 
Shipment of skins from the Commander Islands {exclusive of Bohben Island), hy periods. 
1746 to 17G0, 15 years (period of plenty of sea-otters, foxes, and sea-cows), annual 
average about 1,333 total about.. 20, 000 
1761 to 1786, 16 years (other fur-bearing animals becoming scarce and sea-cow 
exterminated) annual average about 6,250 total al>out.. 100, 000 
1787 to 1798, 12 years (I'roin discovery of Pribylof Islands to Riissiau-American 
Company), same annual average total in rouml ligures about. . 50, 000 
1799 to 1826, 28 years (from Kussian-American Company to establishment of 
Atkha district), annual average about 476. . .total in round ligures about. . 15, 001) 
1827 to 1841, 15 years (to expiration of Russian-Americ.au Company’s second 
term), yearly average about 10,000 or total about.. 150,000 
1842 to 1861, 20years (Russian- American Company’s third term), yearly average 
476 total about . . 9, 526 
1862 to 1867, 6 years (hold-over of Russian- American Company), yearly average 
4,250 - totalabout.. 25,500 
1868 to 1870, 3 years (interregnum), yearly average 20,166 total about.. 60, 500 
1871 to 1891, 20 years (lease of Hutchinson, Kohl, Philippeus & Co.), yearly^ 
average 36,791 total.. 735,828 
1891 to 1895, 5 years (lease of Russian Seal Skin Company to date), yearly 
average 27,077 total. . 135, 385 
Skins seized within territorial waters, 1891 and 1892 2, 568 
Grand total about.. 1, 304, 307 
As previously stated, some of these figures do not pretend to be more than guesses. 
Most of them are explained iii the foregoing pages, but the figures for the years from 
1787 to 1801 need some exiilanatory remarks as to how these guesses were made. 
From 1787 to 1798, inclusive, 12 years, 1 have assumed the animal average to have 
equaled that of the foregoing 26 years, giving 40,152, or, in round figures, 50,000. 
From 1799 to 1826, the iieriod of 28 years during the lease of the Russian- American 
Company when the yield was not sufticient to induce the company to establish settle- 
ments on the islands, I have assumed that the annual average can not have exceeded 
the yield between 1842 and 1801, when the comiiany still maintained the settlements, 
or, in round figures, 15,000. 
For tlie 15 years from 1827 to 1841, inclusive, I have made tlie following guess: 
Assuming that Wrangell at the end of 1838 had 30,000 skins on hand, about 25,000 
(Wrangell shipped, 1827-1833, 132,160 -f assumed surplus on hand, 30,000=162,000 — 
Veniaminof’s figures for killed seals ou Pribylofs in years 1826-1832, 137,503=24,658) 
must have been taken on the Commander Islands from 1827 to 1832, inclusive. In 
1840 the Russians had a demand for not over 30,000 skins annually (Simpson, Overl. 
Journ., p. 131). Probably they were nearly able to till it, for Mr. E. Teichmann states 
(Fur Seal Arb., iii, p. 579) that “up to tlie year 1853 about 20,000 skins were annually 
received in London” from the Russian-American Company. It is probably safe to 
assume, then, that 6,000 went to Kiakhta. (N’ow, during the nine years from 1833 to 
1841, inclusive, the Pribylof Islands yielded only 80,1.35. The assumed sale being 
234,000 skins, and there being only 30,000 ou hand and 80,000 killed ou the Prib 3 dofs, 
it follows that a yearly average of about 14,000 would have to be obtained on the 
Commander Islands, or about 125,000, to which should be added the 25,000 assumed 
to have been taken from 1827 to 1833, giving a total of 150,000.i 
' Figures thus obtained do not i)retend to any accuracy. How misleading the process may be is 
clearly illustrated in the table presented by the British Bering Sea commissioners (Re]) , ]>. 132) and 
the explanation concerning the sources of information. They utilize the total given by Bancroft I'or 
1842-1861, viz, 338,600 (the identical figures utilized above), and from this deduct the number of skins 
taken from 1842 to 1860, according to a diiferent source, thus obtaining the number taken in 1861. Cor- 
recting an apparent error in the subtraetor, the number for 1S61 would be 19.699. October 14, 1861, the 
chief manager of the colonies, Furuhielni, writes home to the board of administration that “in the 
course of this year 47,940 seal skins Lave been taken from the islands of St. Paul and St. George.” 
19,699 calculated, but 47,940 taken ! This is a sad commentary rqjon the ijrobable accuracy of the 
calculated ligures. 
