BASKING SEALS.
To face p. 292.
From the termination of this contract up to the year 1858 this industry was worked by various tenants, but in this latter year the Government passed a Law imposing a tax of 20 centavos per skin and 4 centavos per 10 kilos of seal oil, to be paid in equal proportions to the municipalities of Maldonado and Rocha Departments, on whose coasts the islands are situated. A further Law in the year 1896 doubled these taxes, which were destined by the said Law to be applied by the municipal authorities to the public works and the creation of artificial parks.
The following tables will show the number of skins produced from these islands since the year 1873:
| Year. | Skins. | |
| 1873 | 8,190 | |
| 1874 | 9,449 | |
| 1875 | 9,204 | |
| 1876 | 11,353 | |
| 1877 | 11,066 | |
| 1878 | 14,493 | |
| 1879 | 14,093 | |
| 1880 | 16,382 | |
| 1881 | 14,473 | |
| 1882 | 13,595 | |
| 1883 | 12,483 | |
| 1884 | 14,872 | |
| 1885 | 12,245 | |
| 1886 | 17,072 | |
| 1887 | 17,788 | |
| 1888 | 21,150 | |
| 1889 | 15,700 | |
| 1890 | 20,150 | |
| 1891 | 13,871 | |
| 1892 | 15,870 | |
| 1893 | 14,779 | |
| 1894 | 20,763 | |
| 1895 | 17,471 | |
| ——— | ||
| Island Coronilla | Island Lobos | |
| 1896 | 11,096 | 12,543 |
| 1897 | 9,091 | 10,143 |
| 1898 | 8,908 | 8,778 |
| 1899 | 9,339 | 7,796 |
| 1900 | 8,983 | 9,845 |
| 1901 | 8,023 | 8,215 |
| 1902 | 9,785 | 11,468 |
| 1903 | 5,899 | 7,929 |
| 1904 | 5,114 | 5,765 |
| 1905 | 2,246 | 3,387 |
| 1906 | 4,871 | 7,212 |
| 1907 | 2,880 | 7,612 |
The islands inhabited by seals on the coast of Uruguay are:
| Castillos Rocks | 4 small islands |
| Polonio | 3 " |
| Paloma | 2 " |
| Lobos | 2 " |