Reports of Agents, Officers, and Persons, Acting Under the Authority of the Secretary of the Treasury, in Relation to the Condition of Seal Life on th

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1896 edition. Excerpt: ...The skins purchased at that sale were then put into the hands of the dressers and dyers, where they would be retained, as above stated, in process of treatment four or five months. During this interval it appeared that instead of there-being a short supply the poaching vessels had caught a large number of skins, 50,000 or 60,000, which, being unexpectedly plumped on the market, brought the price down so that there was a loss of perhaps 25 shillings per skin on the skins bought at the October sales; and deponent further says that it is of course obvious that the business can not be maintained unless the herds are preserved from the destruction which has overtaken the South Sea herds, which formerly existed in such large numbers, and so important has the seal-skin business become that if the herds were exterminated deponent says it would hardly be worth while to remain in the fur business. Deponent says while he does not wish to express any opinion upon the matters which are in controversy, that nevertheless, looking at the question of preserving' the seals from a natural-history point of view alone, and having no regard whatever to the rights of any individuals or nations, but looking at the matter simply from the point of view of how best to preserve the seals, he has no hesitation in saying that the best way to accomplish that object would be to prohibit absolutely the killing of all seals except upon the islands, and furthermore to limit the killing of seals on the islands to the male species at particular times, and to limit the numbers of the males to be so killed. If, however, the rights of individuals are to be considered, and sealing in the open sea is to be allowed, then deponent thinks that the number of Vessels to be sent...