Fonds consists of records spanning the period 1888-1937 relating to Charles Spring’s claims for financial losses as a result of the renewal of the “Modus Vivendi” banning pelagic sealing in the Bering Sea for the 1892-1893 season, and supporting documentation both prepared by and compiled by Spring. Records relating to Spring’s pursuit of his claims include draft and final statements of claim; draft and final petitions, memorials, statements, memoranda, and declarations; incoming and outgoing correspondence; notebooks; accountings and lists of expenses; Pelagic Sealing Commission oaths; reports; newspaper clippings, receipts, and other ephemera; and related notes and documents. Supporting documentation compiled by Spring was generated by the sealing industry, his own sealing enterprise, and as a result of the collapse of his business. These records include ledgers and journals; log books; certificates and licenses; sales, ownership, and insurance documents; receipts and financial documents; reports; court papers and police charges; correspondence and notices; and related notes and documents. The fonds also consists of personal papers not directly related to Spring’s sealing claims, including correspondence, copies and originals of photographs, and other documents.