SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS.

The South Shetlands constitute a numerous group of small islands situated about 300 miles south of Cape Horn. Sealing began here in 1819, when the American brig Hersilia, from Stonington, Conn., and an English vessel from Buenos Ayres obtained cargoes of very fine furseal skins. News of the discovery of this new sealing ground quickly spread, and before the end of the following year a fleet of thirty vessels (eighteen American, ten English, and two Russian) had reached the South Shetland to gather in the valuable pelts of the hapless seals. Captain Weddell, writing in 1825, gives the following account of the slaughter which ensued: "The quantity of seals taken off these islands by vessels from different parts during the years 1821 and 1822 may be computed at 320,000, and the quantity of sea elephant oil at 940 tons. This valuable animal, the fur-seal, might, by a law similar to that which restrains fishermen in the size of the mesh of their nets, have been spared to render annually 100,000 fur-seals for many years to come. This would have followed from not killing the mothers until the young were able to take the water, and even then only those which appeared to be old, together with a proportion of the males, thereby diminishing their total number, but in slow progression. This system is practiced at the river of Plata. The island of Lobos, at the mouth of that river, contains a quantity of seals and is farmed by the Government of Montevideo, under certain restrictions, that the hunter shall take them only at stated periods, in order to prevent extermination. The system of extermination was practiced, however, at the South Shetlands; for whenever a seal reached the beach, of whatever denomination, he was immediately killed and his skin taken, and by this means, at the end of the second year the animals became nearly extinct. The young, having lost their mothers when only three or four days old, of course died, which at the lowest calculation exceeded 100,000.” (Voyages, etc., pp. 141, 142.) The history of the South Shetland seal fishery since this indiscriminate and exterminating slaughter is thus given by C. A. Williams in his report to a committee of Congress on Merchant Marine and Fisheries in 1888: "In 1872, fifty years after the slaughter at the Shetland Islands, the localities before mentioned were all revisited by another generation of hunters, and in the sixteen years that have elapsed they have searched every beach and gleaned every rock known to their predecessors and found a few secluded and inhospitable places before unknown, and the net result of all their toil and daring for the years scarcely amounted to 45,000 skins; and now not even a remnant remains save on the rocks off the pitch of Cape Horn. The last vessel at South Shetland this year of 1888, after hunting all the group, found only thirty-five skins, and the last, at Kerguelan Land, only sixty-one, including pups. So in wretched waste and wanton destruction has gone out forever from the Southern Seas a race of animals useful to man and a possible industry connected with them. And it is plain that without the aid of law to guide and control no other result could have been expected or attained."

The narrative is brought down to date by the following testimony from the affidavit of Capt. James W. Budington: "The shores of these islands were once covered with seals, but there are practically none there now. I don't think 100 skins could be taken from there at the present time, while I have known of one vessel taking 60,000 in a season." He adds that in the season of 1871-72, six vessels took about 12,000 skins, and that in 1873-74 a fleet of seven vessels took about

5,000. Up to 1880 from 100 to 200 were taken annually. Since 1880 the rookeries were not worked until 1888-'89, when Captain Budington took 39 skins, and 1891, 41 skins.

SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND.

The island of South Georgia is situated about 300 miles east of Cape Horn in about latitude 55° south. When the island was first discovered sea-elephants and fur-seals were abundant on its shores. Capt. Edmund Fanning, of the American corvette Aspasia, visited this island in 1800 and secured a cargo of 57,000 fur-seals, and states that sixteen other vessels procured, at the same island, between November, 1800, and February, 1801, 65,000 fur-seal skins, making a total of 112,000 skins taken there in a single season (Fanning, Voyages, p. 299). The slaughter continued during succeeding years until the supply of seals was exhausted, the total number of fur-seal skins taken here during these early years being estimated by Captain Weddell at not less than 1,200,000. He also states writing in 1822: "These animals are now almost extinct." (Voyages, p. 53.) During many years following this period of slaughter the island was rarely molested by sealers, but so few seals had been left alive that their increase was very slow. Captain Morrell, in November, 1822, vainly searched its shores for several days for fur-seals. (Voyages, p. 58.) Capt. James W. Budington states (affidavit) that on visiting the island in 1874 he took 1,450 skins, and that in 1875 five vessels secured 600; the next season (1876) four vessels obtained 110. The island was not worked again till January, 1892, when Captain Budington took 135 fur-seal skins, "none, however, coming from the old rookeries," which had become practically exterminated long before. "The seals of South Georgia," says Captain Budington," are practically extinct." (See also affidavit of Alfred Fraser, of the firm of C. M. Lampson & Co., London.)

Mr. George Comer who visited the island in 1885 and 1886 as mate of a sealing vessel, says (affidavit), "We heard reports of the number of seals formerly taken there, but we did not get a seal, and saw only one." He took three there, however, in 1887.

SANDWICH LAND.

Early in the present century many fur-seals were taken at Bouvette Island and Sandwich Land, small islands a few hundred miles southwest of South Georgia, but when visited by Captain Morrell in 1822, he found not a single fur-seal at Sandwich Land, and succeeded in procuring only about 200 at Bouvette Island. (Morrell's Voyages, pp. 58, 59, and 66.)

According to Captain Budington (affidavit), in 1875-'76, the southern island of Sandwich Land was searched unsuccessfully for seals, but about 2,000 were taken that season on the northern island, where also in the season of 1876-'77 six vessels took about 4,000. The next year's catch, however, did not exceed 100 skins. During the season of 1880-'81 the island was again visited but no seals were taken. In 1891-'92 about 400 were obtained and about 200 more were seen. Prior to 1871 the Sandwich Land group of islands had not been worked for twenty-five or thirty years, during which time the seals had greatly increased in numbers and had become very tame. At first they were easily killed with clubs, but since 1880 it has been necessary to shoot them. Old and young were killed indiscriminately, only the young pups being left,

which were killed by buzzards or died of starvation. Captain Buding ton further adds that "seals in the Antarctic regions are practically extinct, and I have given up the business as being unprofitable. The whole annual catch for seven vessels has not exceeded 2,600 skins for the last four years."

TRISTAN DA CUNHA ISLANDS AND GOUGH ISLAND.

The Tristan group of islands, situated in the South Atlantic, about midway between South America and the Cape of Good Hope, was first visited for fur-seals in 1790, by Captain Patten, of the American schooner Industry, of Philadelphia, who secured 5,600 skins. Large numbers are said to have been subsequently obtained there, probably mainly from the smaller islands of the group, Inaccessible and Nightingale islands. The latter is apparently still frequented by a few furseals.

Gough Island, somewhat to the southward of the Tristan group, formerly abounded with fur-seals. Captain Morrell, Gough Island. writing in 1829, says: "This island used to abound with fur-seal and sea-elephants; but they were so much annoyed by their relentless persecuters that they have sought more safe and distant retreats, perhaps some lonely isles in the southern ocean as yet unknown to that fell destroyer, man. These places might be easily found, however, if merchants were willing to risk the expense of the attempt." (Voyages, p. 356.) Fur-seals appear to have survived at Gough Island, however, till the present time. Mr. George Comer states (in his affidavit) that his vessel put six men on the island in 1887, where they remained nine months, taking about forty or fifty skins. He adds: "Years before the English had had the working of Gough Island and had run the business out, so there were practically no seals there."

PRINCE EDWARD AND CROZET ISLANDS.

The Prince Edward Islands are situated about 900 miles southeast of the Cape of Good Hope. They formerly yielded a large supply of both fur-seals and sea-elephants. About 1806 Capt. H. Fanning, in the American ship Catherine, of New York, obtained a full cargo of furseals at these islands, as did other vessels the same year. At that time the islands were frequented by vast numbers of seals, but definite statistics respecting the number taken are not available. (Fanning's Voyages, pp. 336 and 338.)

The Crozet Islands are in the same latitude (about 46° S.) as Prince Edward Islands and Kerguelen Land, and about half Crozet Islands. way between these two groups. The first sealer to visit them was Captain Fanning, in 1805; but, although he found an abundance of fur-seals there, he passed on to the Prince Edward group. Later both sea-elephants and fur-seals were taken in large numbers, seal hunting being carried on here for many years. At Possession Island, the largest of the group, Capt. Lindesay Brine, R. N., refers to finding, in 1876, "hundreds of seals, which were resting on the damp grass bordering on the stream which at this point enters the sea.” (Geogr. Mag., 1877, p. 267.)

In 1887, according to George Comer (see his affidavit), a sealing party was left by him on these islands for five months, but they took only three seals. The English at Cape Town, says Mr. Comer, had recommended us to go there, because they said that "formerly they had taken a great nubmer of skins there."

KERGUELEN LAND.

*

This large island, also known as Desolation Island, which lies in the southern Indian Ocean, in about latitude 49° S., and in about longitude 69 E., has long been celebrated for the great numbers of seaelephants taken there. It has also furnished a small supply of furseals. Sealing began here as early as 1830, and has continued till the present time, mainly for sea-elephants. Mr. H. M. Moseley, of the Challenger expedition, states that in January, 1874, two of the whaling schooners then at the island "killed over seventy fur-seals on one day and upwards of twenty on another at some small islands off Howes Foreland." "It is a pity," he adds, "that some discretion is not exercised in killing the animals. The sealers in Kerguelen Land kill all they can find." (Notes by a naturalist on the Challenger, p. 189.) Respecting its still more recent history, the following may be cited from the affidavit of Mr. George Comer, who spent five months there in the winter of 1883 and 1884, obtaining six seals. He says further: "About 1850 this island was visited by an American who practically cleaned off the seals. The captain I shipped with, Joseph Fuller, visited the island in 1880 and took 3,600 seals, practically all there were; and this was the increase for thirty years from 1850." Heard Island, about 300 miles south of Kerguelen Land, which has been a noted hunting ground for sea-elephants, appears to have never been much of a fur-seal resort.

BORDER'S ISLAND, ANTIPODES ISLANDS, BOUNTY ISLANDS, AUCKLAND ISLANDS, ETC.

About the beginning of the present century the occurrence of fur and hair-seals in considerable numbers along the Southwest Pacific. southwestern coast of Australia and in the vicinity of

Border's Island.

Tasmania and New Zealand was made known by Cook, Bass, Flinders, Anson, Peron, Ross, and other early navigators. A little later, stimulated by these reports, the adventurous sealers discovered an apparently almost inexhaustible supply of these animals on the numerous small islands off the southeastern coast of New Zealand. Border's Island was discovered by Captain Pendleton, of the American brig Union, of New York, in 1802. Although he reached here toward the end of the sealing season, he secured some 14,000 fur-seal skins. He also visited Antipodes Islands, where he left a crew of men to take seals and await the return of the vessel from Sydney, New South Wales, which, however, was lost on a subsequent cruise to the Feejee Islands. On the receipt of this sad news at Sydney, "Mr. Lord chartered a ship and proceeded with her to the island of Antipodes. At this place the officers and crew whom Captain Pendleton had left there had taken and cured rising of 60,000 prime fur-seal skins, a parcel of very superior quality." (Fanning, Voyages, etc., p. 326.)

Antipodes Island.

Polack states that Macquaric Island was discovered by a sealing master in 1811, who procured there a cargo of 80,000 Macquaric Island. seal skins. (Polack, New Zealand, II, p. 376.)

Mr. A. W. Scott states, on information furnished by a professional sealer named Morris: "In New South Wales the sealing trade was at

For a detailed compilation of these early accounts, see Clark (J. W.) in Proc. Zoöl. Soc. London, 1875, pp. 653-658.

his height from 1810 to 1820; the first systematic promoters of which were the Sydney firms of Cable, Lord, & Underwood, Riley & Jones, Birnie, and Hoak & Campbell. To so great an extent was this indiscriminate killing carried that in two years (1814-1815) no less than 400,000 skins were obtained from Penantepod, or Antipodes Island alone, and necessarily collected in so hasty a manner that very many of them were imperfectly cured. The ship Pegassus took home 100,000 of these in bulk, and on her arrival in London the skins, having heated during the voyage, had to be dug out of the hold, and were sold as 'manure, a sad and reckless waste of life." (Scott, Mammalia, Recent and Extinct, Pinnata, pp. 18, 19.) According to other authorities, the New Zealand sealing industry ceased to be a paying investment prior to 1863.

Respecting the Auckland Islands, Morrell says: "In the year 1823, Capt. Robert Johnson, in the schooner Henry, of New Auckland Islands. York, took from this island and the surrounding islets about 13,000 of as good fur-seal skins as ever were brought to the New York market. Although the Auckland Isles once abounded with numerous herds of fur and hair-seals, the American and English seamen engaged in this business have made such clean work of it as scarcely to leave a breed; at all events, there was not one fur-seal to be found on the 4th of January, 1830." (Morrell, Voyages, p. 363)

Bounty Isles.

Early in the present century many fur and hair-seals were taken from the Bounty Isles, near the southern end of New Zealand; from the Snares and the Traps, from Stewarts, Chatham, and Campbell's Islands, and also from other islands to the Southward of New Zealand; but at most of these points they ap pear to have become very soon practically exterminated. A few survived the general slaughter, and in recent years, under the protection of the Government of the Colony of New Zealand, have so far increased that there have been of late years a small annual catch of furseals in the New Zealand waters, amounting to from 1,000 to 2,000 per year. (Affidavit of Emil Teichmann.)

ST. PAUL AND AMSTERDAM ISLANDS.

These islands, situated in the southern Indian Ocean (about lat. 38° S., long. 77° 35' E.), midway between the Cape of Good Hope and Australia, were first visited by Capt. Henry Cox in May, 1789. He says: “On first landing, we found the shore covered with such multitude of seals that we were obliged to disperse them before we got out of the boat. . . We procured here a thousand seal skins of a very superior quality, while we remained at the island of Amsterdam, besides several casks of good oil for our binnacles and other purposes." (Cox Voy. to Teneriffe, Amsterdam, etc., p. 10.)

Lord Macartney, who touched at Amsterdam in 1773, found five men hese collecting seal skins for the Canton market. He says of the seals: “In the summer months they come ashore, sometimes in droves of 800 or 1,000 at a time, out of which 100 are destoyed, that numl er being as many as 5 men can skin and peg down to dry in the course of a day. Most of these which come ashore are females, in the proportion of more than thirty to one male." (Sir G. Staunton, Acc. of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China, I, p. 210.)

I find no definite references to sealing at these islands in later years,