IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 
 /. 
 
 // 
 
 ,> 
 <" w^.. 
 
 <p 
 
 
 :/. 
 
 (A 
 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 |45 
 
 i4l 
 
 IIM ill 2.5 
 
 ^ lillitt 
 
 [2.2 
 
 1.8 
 
 
 1.25 
 
 1.4 
 
 1.6 
 
 
 .« 6" - 
 
 
 ► 
 
 V] 
 
 <^ 
 
 /a 
 
 
 /.< 
 
 % ■> 
 
 // 
 
 '/ 
 
 /^ 
 
 Hiotographic 
 
 Sdences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 21 WEST KK\H STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, NY. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4«03 
 
CIHM/ICMH 
 
 Microfiche 
 
 Series. 
 
 CIHIVI/ICMH 
 Collection de 
 microfiches. 
 
 Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions 
 
 Institut Canadian da microreproductions historiques 
 
 1980 
 
Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques 
 
 The Institute has attempted to obtain the best 
 original copy available for filming. Features of this 
 copy which may be bibliographically unique, 
 which may alter any of the images in the 
 reproduction, or which may significantly change 
 the usual method of filming, are checked below. 
 
 L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire 
 qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details 
 de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du 
 point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier 
 une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une 
 modification dans la mdthode normale de filmage 
 sont indiquds ci-dessous. 
 
 D 
 
 Coloured covers/ 
 Couverture de couleur 
 
 I I Covers damaged/ 
 
 D 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 D 
 
 n 
 
 D 
 D 
 
 Couverture endommagde 
 
 Covers restored and/or laminated/ 
 Couverture restaurde et/ou pellicul6e 
 
 Cover title missing/ 
 
 Le titre de couverture manque 
 
 I I Coloured maps/ 
 
 D 
 
 Cartes gdographiques en couleur 
 
 Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ 
 Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) 
 
 Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ 
 Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur 
 
 Bound with other material/ 
 Reli6 avec d'autres documents 
 
 Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion 
 along interior margin/ 
 
 La reliure serr^e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la 
 distortion le long de la marge int^rieure 
 
 Blank leaves added during restoration may 
 appear within the text. Whenever possible, these 
 have been omitted from filming/ 
 II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutdes 
 lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans ie texte, 
 mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont 
 pas 6t6 filmdes. 
 
 Additional comments:/ 
 Cemmentaires suppl^mentaires; 
 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 
 Coloured pages/ 
 Pages de couleur 
 
 Pages damaged/ 
 Pages endommag^es 
 
 Pages restored and/or laminated/ 
 Pages restaur6e? et/ou pelliculdes 
 
 Pages discoloured, stained or fo.xed/ 
 Pages ddcolordes, tachetdes ou piqudes 
 
 Pages detached/ 
 Pages d^tach^es 
 
 I V^Showthrough/ 
 I ^ Transparence 
 
 I I Quality of print varies/ 
 
 D 
 
 Quality indgale de I'impression 
 
 Includes supplementary material/ 
 Comprend du matdriel supplementaire 
 
 Only edition available/ 
 Seule Edition disponible 
 
 Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata 
 slips, tissues, etc., have been refiSmed to 
 ensure the best possible image/ 
 Les pages totalement ou partiellement 
 obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, 
 etc., ont 6X6 filmdes 6 nouveau de fagon d 
 obtenir la meilleure image possible. 
 
 This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ 
 
 Ce document est filmd au taux de reduction indiqu6 ci-dessous. 
 
 IPX 14X 18X nx 
 
 I I I I I I I I I I I I |y| 
 
 26X 
 
 30X 
 
 12X 
 
 16X 
 
 20X 
 
 24X 
 
 28X 
 
 32X 
 
The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks 
 to the generosity of: 
 
 Library of the Public 
 Archives of Canada 
 
 L'exemplaire film6 f ut reproduit grdce k la 
 g6n6rosit6 de: 
 
 La bibliothdque des Archives 
 publiques du Canada 
 
 The images appearing here are the best quality 
 possible considering the condition and legibility 
 of the original copy and in keeping with the 
 filming contract specifications. 
 
 Original copies in printed paper covers ara filmed 
 beginning with the front cover and ending on 
 the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All 
 other original copies are filmed beginning on the 
 first page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, and ending on the last page with a printed 
 or illustrated impression. 
 
 Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le 
 plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et 
 de la nettetd de l'exemplaire iWvni. et en 
 conformity avec les conditions du contrat de 
 filmage. 
 
 Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en 
 papier est imprimde sont film6s en commenpant 
 par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la 
 dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second 
 plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires 
 originaux sont film6s en commenpant par la 
 premidre page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par 
 la dernidre page qui comporte une telle 
 empreinte. 
 
 The last recorded frame on each microfiche 
 shall contain the symbol — ^ (meaning "CON- 
 TINUED"), or the symbol y (meaning "END "), 
 whichever applies. 
 
 Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la 
 dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le 
 cas: le symbols ^^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le 
 symbols V signifie "FIN". 
 
 Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at 
 different reduction ratios. Those too large to be 
 entirely included in one exposure are filmed 
 beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to 
 right and top to bottom, as many frames as 
 required. The following diagrams illustrate the 
 method: 
 
 Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre 
 film6s d des taux de reduction diff^rents. 
 Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre 
 reproduit en un seul clich6, il est filmi d partir 
 de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche A droit*, 
 et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre 
 d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants 
 illustrent la m^thode. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
THE WORKS 
 
 00 
 
 HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT. 
 
y 
 
THE WORKS 
 
 OF 
 
 HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT. 
 
 VOLUME xxxni. 
 
 HISTORY OF ALASKA. 
 
 1730-1885. 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO : 
 
 A. L. BANCROFT & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS, 
 
 1886. 
 
Bntered scoording to Act of Congress in the Tear 1886, by 
 
 HUBERT H. BANCBOFT, 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
 
 All Sights Reserved. 
 
 i 
 
PEEFACE. 
 
 On the whole, the people of the iTnited States have 
 not paid an exorbitant price for the ground upon wliich 
 to build a nation. Trinkets and trickery in the first 
 instance, followed by some bluster, a liUle fighting, 
 and a little money, and we have a very fair patch of 
 earth, with a good title, in which there is plenty of 
 equity, humanity, sacred rights, and star-spano-led 
 banner. What we did not steal ourselves we bought 
 from those who did, and bought it cheap. 
 
 Therein we did well, have that much more to be 
 proud of, and to confirm us in our own esteem as a 
 great and good nation; therein lies the great merit— 
 the price we paid. Had it been dear, as have been 
 some meagre strips of European soil, over which 
 France, Germany, and the rest have fought for cen- 
 turies, spending millions upon milHons of lives and 
 money, all in the line of insensate folly, and for that 
 which they could not keep and were better off with- 
 out—then we would cease boasting and hold our 
 peace. But our neighbors have been weak while wo 
 are strong ; therefore it is not right for us to pay them 
 much for their lands. 
 
 Ignoring, as we do, the birthright of aboriginal 
 races, that have no Christianity, steel, or gunpowder 
 we may say that the title to the Mississippi Valley 
 
 (V) 
 
m 
 
 VI 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 was settled, and the Oregon Territory adjudged to be 
 ours by divine right. Texas came easily; while one 
 month's interest, at the then current rates, on the gold 
 picked up in the Sierra Foothills during the first five 
 years of American occupation would repay the cost of 
 the Mexican war, and all that was given for California 
 and the adjoining territory. 
 
 In the case of Alaska we have one instance where 
 bluster would not win ; fighting was not to be thought 
 of; and so we could pay for the stationary icebergs 
 or let them alone. Nor with money easy, was Alaska 
 a bad bargain at two cents an acre. It was indeed 
 cheaper than stealing, now that the savages receive the 
 teachings and diseases of civilization in reservations. 
 
 In 1867 there were few who held this opinion, and 
 not one in a hundred, even of those who were best in- 
 formed, believed the territory to be worth the pur- 
 chase money. If better known to-day, its resources 
 are no better appreciated; and there are many who 
 still deny that, apart from fish and fur-bearing ani- 
 mals, the country has any resources. 
 
 The area of Alaska is greater than that of the 
 thirteen original states of the Union, its extreme 
 length being more than two thousand miles, and its 
 extreme breadth about fourteen hundred; while its 
 coast-line, including bays and islands, is greater than 
 the circumference of the earth. The island of Una- 
 laska is almost as far west of San Francisco as San 
 Francisco is west of the capital of the United States; 
 while the distance from the former city to Fort 
 St Michael, the most northerly point in America 
 inhabited by the white man, is greater than to the 
 city of Panamd. 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 5 
 
 I 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 v.i 
 
 With the limits of tlie continent at its oxtrenn! 
 north-west, tlio limit of the history of western Xortli 
 America is reached. ]iut it may be asked, what a 
 land is this of which to write a history^ J-Jleak, 
 swampy, fog-begirt, and almost untenanted except by 
 savages — can a country without a people furnish ma- 
 terial for a history? Intercourse with the aborigines 
 does not constitute all of history, and few exce[)t sav- 
 ages have ever made their abiding-place in the wintry 
 solitudes of Alaska; few vessels aave bidarkas hav(! 
 ever threaded her myriad isles; few scientists ha^■l! 
 studied her geology, or catalogued her fauna and flora ; 
 few surveyors have measured her snow-turbaned hills ; 
 few miners have dug for coal and iron, or pros[)ecte' I 
 her mountains and streams for precious metals. Ex- 
 cept on the islands, and at some of the more accessible 
 points on the mainland, the natives arc still unsubdued. 
 Of settlements, there are scarce a dozen worthy the 
 name; of the interior, little is known; and of any cor- 
 rect map, at least four fifths nuist remain, to-day, 
 absolutely blank, without names or lines except those 
 of latitude and longitude. We may sail along the 
 border, or be drawn by sledijre-doijs over the frozen 
 streams, until we arrive at the coldest, farthest west, 
 separated from the rudest, farthest east by a narrow 
 span of ocean, bridged in winter by thick-ribbed ice. 
 What then can be said of this region — this Ultima 
 Thule of the known world, whose northern point is 
 but three or four degrees south of the highest lati- 
 tude yet reached by man? 
 
 Such is the general sentiment of Americans con- 
 cerning a territory whicli not many years ago was 
 purchased from Russia, as before mentioned, at the 
 
 IIisi. Alaska, 'i* 
 
Vlll 
 
 PnEFAfE. 
 
 into of alxHit two cents on ncrc. and was oon.siderecl 
 dear at the price. 
 
 To answer tlie.se questions is the purpose of the 
 jirc.scnt volume. This Anieiiea of the Russians has 
 its little century or two of history, as herein we see, 
 and which will ever remain its only possible inchoation, 
 interesting to the story of futui'e life and proi^ress on 
 its l)orders, as to every nation its infancy should he. 
 
 ThouL'h it must be admitted that the (greater por- 
 tion of Alaska is practically M'orthless and uninhabit- 
 able, yet my labor has been in vain if I have not made 
 it, appear that Alaska lacks riot resources but develop- 
 ment. Scandinavia, her old-world counterpart, is pos- 
 sessed of far less natural wealth, and is far less grand 
 in natural configuration. In Alaska wo, can count 
 more than eleven hundred islands in a single group. 
 AVo can trace the second loni^est watercourse in the 
 Avorld. We have lai'ijc sections of territory where the 
 average yearl}' temperature is higher tlian that of 
 Stockholm or Christiania, where it is milder in win- 
 ter, and where the fall of rain and snow is less than in 
 the southern portion ( ^ Scandinavia. 
 
 It has often been stated that Alaska is incapable of 
 supporting a white po[)ulation. The truth is, that her 
 resources, though some of them are not yet available, 
 are abundant, and of such a nature that, if j)roperly 
 economized, they will never be seriously impaired. 
 The most habitable portions of Alaska, lying as they 
 do mainly between 55' and GO' x., are in about the 
 same latitude as Scotland and southern Scandinavia. 
 The area of this portion of the territory is greater tli;in 
 that of Scotland and southern Scandinavia combined; 
 and yet it contains to-day but a few hundred, and 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Ix 
 
 has never contalnod more than a thousand white 
 inliabitants; while the j)o))ulatiou of Scotland is about 
 throe millions anil a half, and that of Xorway and 
 Sweden exceeds six millions. 
 
 The day is not very far distant when the coal meas- 
 ures and iron deposits of Scotland, and the mines and 
 timber of Scandinavia, will be exhausted ; and it is not 
 improbable that even when that day comes the re- 
 sources of Alaska will be but partially opened. The 
 little develo[)meiit that has been made of late years 
 lias been acconn)lished entirely by the enter[n-ise 
 and capital of Americans, aided by a fi \v hundred 
 hired natives. Already with a white ])opu]atiou of 
 five hundred, of whom more than >ur Tifths ai'e 
 non-producers, the exports (^f the territi ry exceed 
 $3,000,000 a year, or an overage of !;i>G,OriO [)er capita. 
 Where else in the world do we find such results ? 
 
 It may be stated in answer that the bulk of those 
 exports comes from the fur-seal grounds of the Prv- 
 Mlof Islands, which are virtually a stock-farm leased 
 by the government to a counnercial company; but the 
 ])resent value of this industry is due mainly to the 
 careful fostering and judicious management of that 
 company; .and there are other industries \\hich, if 
 ]»ro])erly directed, promise in time to f)rove equally 
 profitable. Apart from the seal-islands, and apart 
 from the trade in land-furs that is diverted by the 
 Hudson's Hay Company, the production of wealth 
 for each white person in the territory is greater than 
 in any portion of the United States or of the world. 
 This wealth is derived almost entirely from the land 
 and pelagic peltr}', and from the fisheries of Alaska; 
 for at present her mines are little developed, and 
 
X PKEFACE. 
 
 her for(!sts almost intact. And yet we are told that 
 the country is without resources! 
 
 It may be su])posed that for the history of such a 
 country as Alaska, whatever existin<if information 
 there might be would be quite accessible and easily 
 obtained. 
 
 I have not found it specially so. Here, as elsewhere 
 in my historic fields, there were three classes of mate- 
 rial which might be obtained : first, public and private 
 archives; second, printed books and documents; and 
 third, personal experiences and knowledge taken from 
 the mouths of livincj witnesses. 
 
 Of the class last named there are fewer authorities 
 here than in any other part of my territory north of 
 latitude 32°, though j)roportionately more than south 
 of that line; and this notwithstanding three distinct 
 journeys to that region by my agent — a man tlior- 
 oughly conversant with Alaskan affairs, and a Rus- 
 sian by birth — for the purpose of gathering original* 
 and verbal information. All places of historical im- 
 l>ortancc were visited by him, and all persons of his- 
 torical note still living there were seen and ques- 
 tioned. Much fresh information was thus obtained; 
 but the result was not as satisfactory as has been the 
 case in some other quarters. 
 
 The chief authorities in print for the earlier epochs 
 are in the Russian language, and published for the 
 most part in Russia; covering the later periods, books 
 have been published — at various times in Europe and 
 America, as will be seen by my list of authorities — 
 and have been gathered in the usual way. 
 
 The national archives, the most important of all 
 
 ■1 
 
PREFACE. j5| 
 
 sources, are divided, part hc'mg in Russia and part in 
 America, though mostly in the Russian langua<ro. 
 Some four or five years were occupied by mv assist- 
 ants and stenograpliers in making abstracts oV mate- 
 rial in Sitka, San Francisco, an(l Washington. Fur 
 valuable cooperation in gaining from the archives of 
 St, Petersburg such material as I required, I am spe- 
 cially mdebted to my esteemed friend M. Pinart, and 
 to the leading men of letters and certain officia'ls in 
 the Russian capital, from whom I have received every 
 courtesy. 
 
CONTENTS OF Tins VOLUME. 
 
 Pai:p, 
 
 CHAPTEP. I. 
 
 INTUOljlCTDRV. 
 
 Russia'-s Share i,i Amcrica-I'liysical Features ,.f Alaska-Coiin.'.untiou 
 an.l Chniatc-Thc .Soutl.ern Crescoiit-Tlie T.iml.le.l Mountains- 
 \ olcanoes an.l Islands-Vegetation-California-Japaii Current-An- 
 tic 8eal)oara and the Interior— Condition and Character of the Ru-- 
 «ians in tlic Sixteenth Century-Serfs, Merchants, and XoMes-Th.; 
 Far Currency— Foreign Comniereial Relations— ].:n,rlan,l in the 
 AUute and Caspian Seas-Fastern Progress of tlie Itussiau Fninirc- 
 Ibe JSTorth-east Tassage 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE CEXTUltV-MAKCII OF THE COSSACKS. 
 
 lo7S-1724. 
 Siberia the Russian Canann-From the Bhick an.l Caspian Seas over th.> 
 Iral Mountains-Strogan.)f, the Salt-miner- Visit of Vernrdc- 
 Occupationof the 01. l,y the Cossacks-Character of the Conm.er- 
 ors-Thcir Ostrog on the Tol.ol-The Straight Lineof Mar.'h tiunce 
 to Okhotsk on the Pacific-Tiu. I'ron.yshloniki-l.ena Itiver Reached 
 -Ten Cossacks against Ten Thousand-Yakutski Ostro--].;,;,,],,,-! 
 tion .)f the Amoor-Discoveries on the Arctic Seahoar.lllvory vcr 
 sus Skins-Tho Lan.l .,f the Chukchi Inva.led-Okhotsk Kstah- 
 hshcd-Kamchatka Occupied-Rumors of Realms Reyon.I ] i 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE KAMCIIATKA ):XIM;DITX0X.S. 
 
 17-'j-17lO. 
 
 Rmposes of Refer the Great-An Expedition Organiml-Sets out fron. 
 Stleterslmrg-Death.,f the Tsar-IIis Etibrts Secon.h.l bv Calh- 
 cnne an.l Klizabeth-Rcring and Chirikof at Kamchatka- Tlu.y 
 Coast ^ortlnvnr.1 through Bering Strait an.l Prove Asia to be S, pa- 
 
 ratedlromAmerica-A.lventur..sofShcstakof_Expedilionsof|l,.ns, 
 
 (xiii) 
 
^«* 
 
 sir CONTENTS. 
 
 PAOE 
 
 Ft'doi'of, mid (xvozdcf — Auieriea Sighted — Orgiuiizrtion of tlio Scc- 
 oud ( liiiiTal Exiieilitioii — Hihliugr.'ipliy — I'oisoiinul of tlu^ Kxpcdi- 
 tioii — llcriiig, Cliirikcjf, SpaiibiTg, Walton, Croyorc, Stolkr, .Miillfr, 
 Fi-.|u'r, and Otlicrs — llnssiau Religion — Easy !M<jrality — Model Mis- 
 t^ionarii.'S — I'ho Long Weary Way across Siberia — Charges against, 
 lieiiug — Arrival of the Expedition at Okhut»k 35 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 DISCOVEHY OF ALASKA. 
 
 1740-1711. 
 
 Tlic Day of Departure — ^Vi rival of Imperial Despatches — They Set Sail 
 from Okhotsk— The Sv Petr aud the So Pnvcl — Bering's and 
 Chirikof'a llespective Commands — Arrival at Kamchatka — Winter- 
 ing at Avatcha ISay — Embarkation — 111 Feeling between Chirikof 
 and Bering — The Final Parting in Mid-ocean — Adventures of Cliiri- 
 kof — Ho Discovers the Mainland of America in Latitude 5.")' -1' — 
 Tiie Magnificence of his Surroundings — A Boat's Crew Sent Ashore 
 — Another Sent to its Assistance — All Lost! — Heart-sick, (.'hirikof 
 Hovers about the Place — And is Finally Driven Away by the Wind 
 — He Discovers Unalaska, Adakh, and Attoo — Tlie Presence of Sea- 
 ottt'rs Noticed — Sickness — Return to Avateha Bay — Death of Croy6re 
 — Illness of Chirikof 03 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 DEATH OF n E 11 1 N O. 
 
 1741-1742. 
 
 Discovery by Rule — The Land not where It ought to be — The Avateha 
 Council should Know — Bering luicountera the Mainland at Mount 
 St Elias — Claims for the Priority of Discovery of NorUi-westernmost 
 America — Kyuk Island — Scarcity of Water — The Return Voyage — 
 Illness of Bering— Longings for Home — Kadiak — Ukamok — Sickness 
 and Death — Intercourse with the Natives — Waxel's Adventure — 
 Vows of the Dane — Amehitka, Kisidia, Semiche, and other Islands 
 Seen — At Bering Island — Wreck of the Su I'e'r — Deatli of Beiing 
 — Gathering Sea-otter Skins — The Survivors Build a Small .Vc J''(r 
 from the Wreck — Return to Kamchatka — Second Voyage of Chirikof. 7o 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE SWARMING OF THE rUOMYSHLEXIKr. 
 
 174.3-17(i2. 
 EiVect of the Discovery in Siberia — Hunting Expeditions in Search of 
 Sea-otters — Voyages of liiissof, Nevodchikof, and Vugof — Rich Har- 
 vests of Sea-otter and Fur-seal Skins from the Aleutian Archipelago 
 
CONTEXTS. 
 
 XV 
 
 PAXlE 
 
 35 
 
 — The Cunning Proniyslilcniki and tlie Mild Isljuidcrs — The Old 
 'J'jilt; of \VroiiL( and Atrocity — IMoodsIicd on Attoo Island — F.arly 
 Monopolies — Chuprof'H and Khohjdilv;*'' Adventures— Russians Y)e- 
 fi';ited on Unalaska and Andia — Yngof's Unfortunate Sjieculation 
 — Furtiicr Discovery — The Fate of Golodof — Other Adventures Di) 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 FCKTHER ADVKNTURKS OF TUE PROMYSIILEKIKI. 
 1700-1707. 
 
 Tolstykh's Voyage — Movcmouts of Vessels — Sta'Min's Map — Wreck of 
 the Andreian i Natalia — Catherine Speaks — A Company J'Vu'niod 
 — Collecting Tribute — The Neiie Xachrkhten — Voyage of the Znl:- 
 har i EHzavt'ta — Terrible Retaliation of the Unalaskans — Voyage 
 of the Sv Triiitska — Great SutTerings — Fatal Onslaught — Voyage 
 of Glottof — Ship Nomenclature — Discovery of Kadiak — New Mode 
 of Warfare— The Old Man's Tale— Solovief's Infamies— The Okhotsk 
 <iuvernnient — More St Pi'tern and St Pauls — Queen Catherine and the 
 Merchant Nikoforof — End of Private Fur-hunting Expeditious 
 
 1-27 
 
 G3 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 IMPERIAL EFF0RT8 AND FAILURES. 
 
 17G4-1779. 
 8ynid's Voyage in Bering Strait — Stashlin's Peculiar Report — The Grand 
 ( !u\ernment Expedition — I'romotions and Rewards on the Strength 
 of Prospective Achievements — Catherine is Sure of Divine Favor — 
 Very Secret Instructions — Heavy Cost of the Expedition — The Long 
 Joui-ney to Kamchatka — Dire Misfortunes There — Results of the 
 Etiort — Death of the Commander — Journals and Reports — More Mer- 
 cantile Voyages — The Ships Sv Xil.-ola'i, Sv Andrei, Sv Prokoj), and 
 Others — The Free and Easy Zaikof— His Luck 157 
 
 to 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 EXPLORATION AND TRADE, 
 
 1770-1787. 
 Political Changes at St Petersburg — luxiles to Siberia — Mic Long Weary 
 Way to Kamchatka — The Be nyovski Conspiracy — TI'o Antaor Bad 
 Enough, but not So Bad as He would Like to Appear — Exile Regula- 
 tions—Forgery, Treachery, Robbery, and Murder — Escape of the 
 Exiles — Behni Appointed to Succeed Nilof as Commandant of Kani- 
 eluitka— Further Hunting Voyages— First Trading Expedition to the 
 ^laiuland— I'otop Zaikof— Prince William Sound— Ascent of Copper 
 
xvi CONTENTS. 
 
 PAOB 
 
 River — Tread 1 croiis Cliut'JicIics— PHi/Iitof the Russians — Ilomcof the 
 Fni'-Hcals — Its Discovery by Ger.issim Prihylof — Jealousy of Rival 
 Compuuies 1 75 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 OFFICIAL EXrt.ORATIONS. 
 
 1773-1779. 
 Russian Supremacy in the Farthest Xortli-wist — The Other lunopcan 
 Powers would Know What It Means — Perez Looks at Alaska for 
 (Spain — The Santiaf/o at Dixon Entrance — ( 'uadra Advances to 
 Cross Sound — Cook for England Examines the Coast as Far as Icy 
 Cajic — Names Given to Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet— Rev- 
 elations and Mistakes — Lodyard's Jouniey — Again Spain Sends to 
 the North Artcaga, Who Takes Possession at Latitude 59" S' — liay of 
 La Santisima Cruz — Results Attained 194 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 COLONIZATION AND TUE FUK-TRADE. 
 
 1783-1 787. 
 First Attempted Settlement of the Russians in America — Voyage of fl ri- 
 gor SheliUof — Permanent Estahlishment of the Russians at Kadiak — 
 Return of Shelikof— His Instructions to Samoilof, Colonial Connnand- 
 cr— Tlie Historic Sable and Otter — Skins as Cuirency — Tiajipiiig 
 and Tribute-collecting— Method of Conducting the Hunt — Kcgula- 
 tions of the Peredovchiki — God's Sables and Man's— Review of tho 
 Fnr-tradc on the Coasts of Asiaand America — IVrnicious System In- 
 troduced by the Promyshleniki — The China Market — Foreign Ri- 
 ^■al3 and their ilethod — Abuse of Natives — Cooks and Vancouver's 
 Opinions of Competition •nnth the Russians — Extirpation of Ani- 
 mals 222 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 FOUEION VISITORS. 
 
 175>G-1794. 
 
 French Interest in tho North-west — La Pt-rousc's Examination — Discov- 
 cry of Port des Francais — A Disastrous Siu'Vej- — English Visitors— 
 ;Meares is Caught in Prince William Sound — Terrible Struggles with 
 tho Scurvy — Portlock and Dixon Come to tho Rescue — Their Two 
 Years of Trading and Exploring — Ismaihif and Rocharof Set F(jrth 
 to Secure tlie Claims of Russia — A Treaclierous Cliief — Yakutat 
 Bay iOxplored — Traces of Foreign Visitors Jealously Suppressed — 
 Spain Resolves to Assort Herself — Martinez and Haro's Tour of In- 
 vestigation — Fidalj.'), Marchand, ami Caaniafio — \'ancouver"s Expe- 
 dition 253 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 xvu 
 
 175 
 
 194 
 
 ping 
 4ula- 
 
 1 
 
 ■ the 
 
 i 
 
 1 lu- 
 
 J 
 
 i j;i- 
 
 
 voi-'a 
 
 
 Ani- 
 
 
 '122 
 
 
 ISCOV- 
 
 ors — 
 witli 
 Two 
 'orth 
 kutat 
 sed — 
 jf lu- 
 L^xpe- 
 
 CHAPTEll XIII. 
 
 THE BILLINGS SCIKNTIFIO EXl'EDITIOX. 
 
 1 785-1703. 
 
 I-AQB 
 
 •loo 
 
 J 
 
 Flattering Prospects— Costly Outfit— The Usual Years of Trcparation — 
 Au Expectant ^Vu^lll to be iMiliglitenecl — (lathering of tlio lv\pedi- 
 tion at Kamchatka — Divers Winterings nml Ship-lmihling — rrtlini- 
 inary Surveys North ami South — At Unalaskaund Kailiak — Ilussian 
 Eewanls — I'erioilie I'roniotiim of Hillings — At St Lau leiRO Island — 
 Billings' Land Journey — Wretched Condition of Russian Hunters — 
 Eud of the Tribute System— Result of the ]'].\puditiou— Saryuhef's 
 Surveys — Shclikofs Duplicity — Priestly Perfonuauce 282 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ORdANlZATION OK MONOl'OLY. 
 
 1787-1705. 
 Shclikofs Grand Conception — Governor-general Jacohi Won to the 
 Scheme — Slielikof'.s Modest Itequcst — Alaska Laid under Monopoly 
 — Stipulations of the Empress — Ilumano Orders of Ivozlof-Ugrcniu 
 — Public Instructions and Secret Injunctions — Delarofs Administra- 
 tion — Shel.kof Induces Baranof to enter the Service of his Com- 
 pany — Career and Traits of the New Manager — Shipwreck of Ba- 
 ranof on Unalaska— Condition of the Colony — Rivalry and Other 
 Troubles — Plans and Rcc(jnimcndations — Engagement with the Kal- 
 jushcs— Ship-building — The Englishman Shields — Launch and Trib- 
 ulations of tho Phwiiix , 305 
 
 CHArXER XV. 
 
 .STRIFE BETWEEN' RIVAL COMPANIES. 
 
 1701-1794. 
 The Lcbedef Company Occupies Cook Inlet — Quarrels between the Lcbc- 
 def and Shelikof Companies — Hostilities in Cook Inlet — Comjilaints 
 of Kolomin against Konovalof — War upon Russians and ludiaus 
 Alike — Life of the Marauders — Paeidc Attitude of Baranof- -His Pa- 
 tience Exhausted — Playing the Autocrat— An-cst of tiie Ringleatlcrs 
 — Etfcct on the Natives — Baranol'a Speech to his Hunters — Exjicdi- 
 tiou to Vj'kutat — Meeting ^^itl^ Vancouver — The Lebcdef Company 
 Circumvented — Troubles with Kaljuslics—Purtot'sliesolute Conduct 
 — Zaikof 's Expedition 33-t 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 COLONIZATION AM) MISSIONS. 
 
 1794-1790. 
 Mechanics and Missionaries Arrive at Pavlovsk — Andjitious Sciiemoa of 
 Colcjnization^ Agricultural Settlement P'ounded on ^ .'dvutat Bay — 
 Shipwreck, Famine, and Sickness — Golovnin's Itcport on the All'aira 
 
xvm 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAQK 
 
 of the Sliolikof Company — Discontent of the Miasionaries — Com- 
 plaints uf tlio Arcliiniandi'ite— Fu,tlier !Makur in Unalaska — Father 
 Jiivrnal in Kudiak— Divine Service at Tlirec .Saints — Juvenal's Voy- 
 age to Ilyamna — His Reception and Missionary Labors — He iV.ttenipt8 
 to Al)i)lisli Polygamy — And Fails a Victim to an Ilyamna Damsel — 
 He iti Butchered by the Natives 351 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE E0a«IAN A5IKUICAN COiirANV. 
 
 17'JG-1799. 
 
 Tlircatened Exhaustion of the Seal-fisheries — Special Privileges Given to 
 Siberian Merchants — Shclikof Petitions for a Grant of the Entire 
 North-west — He is Supported by Rczanof — Muilnikof's Enterprise — 
 The United American Company — Its Act of Consolidation Ccntirmed 
 by Iiiij)crial Ou'"az — And its Name Changed to the Russian Ameri- 
 eau Company — Te.xt of the Oukaz — Obligations of the Company 
 
 iiiy 
 
 II : ' 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE FOUNDING OF SITKA, 
 1798-1801. 
 
 Baranof'a Difficulties and Despondency — Sick and Hopeless — Arrival of 
 tilt! Elizaveta— An Expedition Sails for Norfolk Sound — Loss of 
 Canoes — The Pax-ty Attacked by Kolosh — Treaty with the Sitkans — 
 Yankee Visitors — A Fort Erected — The Yakutat Bay Settlement — 
 Baranof Desires to be Relieved — His Official Tour of the Colonics — 
 The Chief ^lanager's Piety — His Comjilaints of Foreign Encroach- 
 ments — British Aggressiveness 384 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE SITKA MASSACRE. 
 1802. 
 
 Rumors of Revolt among the Kolosh — They Attack Fort Sv Mikhail — 
 Testimony of Abrossiin Plotnikof — And of Ekaterina Lebedef — 
 Sturgis' Equivocal Statement — Captain Barber aa a Philanthropist — 
 Khlebnikof's Version of the Massacre — Secret Instructions to Bara- 
 nof— Tidings from Unalaska — Further Promotion of the Chief Man- 
 ager — He Determines to Recaptui-e Sitka — Preparations for the Expe- 
 dition 401 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 SITKA RECAPTURED. 
 1S03-1805. 
 
 The Nndeshda and Neva Sail from Kronatadt — Lisiansky Arrives at 
 Norfolk Sound in the Nrva — Baranof Sets Forth from Yakutat — 
 His Narrow Escape from Shipwreck — He Joins Forces with Lisiansky 
 
PAOB 
 
 351 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 xlx 
 
 PAfiK 
 
 — Kniitlesa Ncgotiatioim-Dcfoat of the Russiaris-The Fortress Bom 
 banled -A.ul Kvacuated by tlie ,><avaKos-Tlie Natives Ma.s«acro 
 then- Clul.lren-Lisiansky's Visit to Ka.liak-Ilis Deserij.tion of tlio 
 Settlements— A Kf.losli Embassy— A Dinner Party at Novo Arklian- 
 gclsk— The Kcuu's Homeward Voyage— Bibliography 40^ 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 kezanof's visit. 
 1804-ISOC. 
 Voyage of the XculcMa~A Russian Embassy Dismissed by the Japan- 
 ese-Kezanof at St I'aul Island-Wholesale Slaughter of Fur-seals- 
 TheAmlumador's Letter to the Emperor-The Envoy Proceeds to 
 Kad.ak-And Thence to xNovo Arkhangelsk-His Report to the 
 Russian American Company-Further Trouble with the Kolosh- 
 Ihe Ambassadors Instructions to the Chief .Mauagcr-Evil Tidiu-s 
 from Kmliak-Iiezanof's Voyage to California-llis Compiaiu'ts 
 against ^aval Ollioers-His Opinion of the Missionaries-! lis L-ist 
 
 Journey 
 
 •^ 443 
 
 384 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 SEVE\ MOllK YEAItS UK ALASKAN ANNALS. 
 
 1800-1S12. 
 Ship.buil,ling at Novo Arkhangelsk-The Settlement Threatened by 
 Kolosh-A Plot against the Chief Manager's Life-The Couspira 
 tors laken by Sur,, rise -Arrival of Golovnin in the Sloop-ol" war 
 l>mna~lhH JJescription of the Settlement-Astor's Vess.d tlie 
 Lulerprm, at Novo Arkhangelsk-Negotiations for Tra,le-(;'c,l.,v- 
 mu s Account of the Mattcr-Farnum's Journey f,.„n. Astor.a 
 to St I otersburg-AA reck of the /««.-S,il}er,ngs of her Crew 4.il 
 
 401 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 FOREIGN VENTCKES AND THE KOSS COU)NY. 
 
 180:}-1S41. 
 
 Baranof's Want of Mcans-O'Cain's Expedition to California-And to 
 
 eTsril" r "T ? '■■"' ^^"-— -Trading Contracts with A„,e, • 
 
 can Sk.ppors-Kuskof on the Coast of New Albion-The Ross 
 
 Colony l.ounde,l-Seal-lnmting on the CW of California-Sl in- 
 
 Sii' "17 '''■ «"''r"~"^'"''"""'^ "*■ ^^'-''•^'''^ t« Novo Arkhangelski 
 ortieulture-Stoek.raising-Losses Incurred by the Commny- 
 Huntmg.pos Established at the Farallones-Failure of the E ter- 
 prise-Sale of the Colony's Effects. .-„ 
 
 4/6 
 
XX 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 C'TIAl'TER XXIV. 
 
 FCllTIIEH ATTKMITS AT lOllElOX COLONIZATION. 
 1808-1818. 
 
 PAUB 
 
 iriigrtiicister in the Samlwiuli Islands — I'aranof Again Desires to be Tle- 
 lioved — l-lliot Sails for California in the Ibncn — Ilis Captivity — 
 Kotzelau! in tli'! Iliirik in Scanli <if a North-east I'assayo— His Ex- 
 plorations in Kotzelme Sound- He Proceeds to Uiialaska — Ami 
 thenoo to California and tlie .Sandwich Islands — Kinn Kanichainelui 
 — A Storm in the North Pacific— The I'lirik lletnrns to I'nalaska 
 — Ifei- Homeward Voyaj,'e— IVuinctt'sTrij) to the Sandwieli Islands — 
 Cai)tain Lozaref at Novo Arkhangelsk — His Disputes with tlie Chief 
 Manager — Shefl'er Sails for Hawaii — And thence for Kauai— His 
 A'^'recnunt with King Tomari — .Jealousy of American and English 
 Traders — Flight of the Ilussians 490 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 CLOSE OF BAKAN01''S ADMINISTRATION, 
 1SI9-1S21. 
 
 Ilagcmeistcr Sails for Novo Arkhangelsk— He Supersedes B.iranof — 
 Transfi'r of the Company's Eirects — The Accounts in (!ood Order — 
 Si.kness of the Ivx-manager — Baranof Takes Leave of the Colonies — 
 His Deatii— Ilemurks of Kldehnikof and Otiiers on ]>.iranof — Kor.a- 
 sokovsky's l']xpedition to t-ho Knskokviin — llociuefenil's Voyage — 
 Massacre of liis Hunters— Fiirtlier JCxplorations— Dividenila and In- 
 crease of Capital — Commerce — Decrease in the Yield of Furs — The 
 Company's Servants CIO 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 SECOND PERIOD OF THE UlSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S OPERATIONS. 
 
 1821-184-2. 
 Golovnin's Report on the Colonies — The Company's Charter Renewed — 
 New i'rivileges Gi'anted — Mouravief Appointed Gcjvernor — Alaska 
 Divided into Districts — Threati;ned .Starvation — Chistiakof Super- 
 sedes ^Mouravief — Foreign Trade Prohibited — Tiic Anglo-Kussian 
 and Uiis.iii-American Treaties — ^lore Explorations — Wraiigell's Ad- 
 ministration — He is Succeeded l)y Kuiiriancjf — iJisjmtes with the 
 Hudson's Bay Company— Tlieir Adjustment— Fort Stikeen — Etholen 
 Appointed Governor — A Small-pox Epidemic — Statistical 530 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE RUSSIAN AMEUIl'AN COMPANY'S LAST TERM. 
 
 1842-1800. 
 The Charter Renewed— Its Provisions — Tiie Adair at Petropavlovsk — 
 Outbreaks among the Natives— The Nulato Mass;iere — A Second 
 I\ia,Uduci'u ThiLa.,c;;eu at Novo Aikliaugelsk — ICxploratioua — The 
 
COXTKNTS. 
 
 XXI 
 
 Western Union Tflograpli Ci)i)ii)iin3- — ^Vl•.st(l:lIl^H TxiHTii^ncc— The 
 Comitaiiy llt'iiut'sts Aiiotlie/ Itcnuwal (if its (,'iiarttT— Ni'i^otiatitiiia 
 Avitli tlic liiiixiial (iovfi-niniint 'I'lirir I'"ailiiro--ri)puliiti(in — l''iioil 
 Suii]iIii'S - 'I'lif Viuld of Fiiis--\Mialiii','- J)ivii[(ii(i.s~Ti'ailo— llib- 
 liogiai)liical '>i'>S 
 
 490 
 
 CHArTi:ii XXVIII. 
 
 ALASKA AS A fSITKI) STATE;! COLONY. 
 18li7-lS,S3. 
 
 Xlotivcf, for the Transfer liy the Rnssian rjovernnicnt — Xcpotiation:^ Coin- 
 nicmt'cl Senator ('ok' 's I^H'orts — 'I'hi; Treaty Si;.'n<'il and Katiliri! — 
 ]\easons for luul against tiie rnrciia.se — Tlie Territory as an liivest- 
 nieiit — Its Formal Cession — Inlhixof American Adventurers — Meas- 
 ures in Congress — A Country without Imw or I'roteetion ~l-A-il Ell'eot 
 of tiie Military Oeenitation — An Janeute at Sitka— Furl her Tronlilua 
 witli the Xativi^s — TlicirC'ause — Ilootchenoo, or Mohisses-runi — liev- 
 euue — Su;_'gestion8 for a Civil Government — Want of Mail Facilitiea 
 — Surveys and Exi^lorcations 590 
 
 ■The 
 
 510 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 COMMKllCE, KEVKNCE, AND ICKS. 
 
 18GS-IS84. 
 Imports and F.xport.s — Cost of Collecting IJevenuo— The llndson's Bay 
 Coiujiany — Smuggling — Tlic Alaska Connnercial Coniiiany — It Ob- 
 tains a Lease of tiie I'rx liilof Islands — Tlie Terms of the Contract 
 — Kenuineration and Treatment of the Xatives-Tlieir Mode of Life 
 — huesligation into the Comiiany's Management — Statements of 
 Rohert Desty — Ancl of tlio Secretary of the Treasury — Increase iu 
 the Value of I'uis — Itemarks of If. W. IHliott — Lundin:,' vf the I'ur- 
 seals — Tlieir Combats — Metiiod of l)riving ami Slaugliteiing — Cur- 
 ing, Dressing, and Dyeing — Sea-otters — Land IVlti'v <J.'iO 
 
 ... 530 
 
 CHArXJlli XXX. 
 
 ri.s i[ i; i: i r. s. 
 1S( 17-1 SSL 
 
 Salmon Fa eking— Price and ^Veil.dlt of the I.'au I'ish— Yukon Piiver 
 Salmon — Alaskan Canneries — Domestic Consumpti(ni and Waste — 
 Tlu^ Cod-bank.s of Alaska — Large Increase in the Catch of Cod-fish 
 and Decrea.so in its Value— The llalibnt-llsheries— Herring and Her- 
 ring-oil -Mackerel — Tiie iMihnhon or Candle-fish — \'ahie and I'l-os- 
 peets of the Alaskan l''islieries — Wlialing Fnterprise—Tho Xorth 
 Pacific Whaling Fleet— (iradual Decrease in the Catch— TIn'eatened 
 E.shaustidii of the Whaling-grounds GGO 
 
xxU 
 
 C0NTKNT3. 
 
 CHAPTEK XXXI. 
 
 SETTLEMENT!!, iXOKICULTIKE, SHII'-UCILUINO, AST> MINING. 
 
 1704-1884. 
 
 Pill 
 
 Sitka (lurinj,' tliu Ruasiun Occupation— The Town Half Deserted — Social 
 Life at the Capital— Tlic Sitka Liln'ary- Ncwspape^^'— Fort Wian- 
 gcU — 'ronj,'a8!i— Ilarrislmrg — Settlements on Cook Inlet — Kailiak — 
 Wood Island — Spruce Islanil-Tlirce Saints — Afognak — Tlie AliMitiaii 
 Islandu— Volcanic Kruptions and Karthi[nake8 — Saint Michael— i''ort 
 Yukon — Agriculture— .Stock-raising— TiinlxT — Shi|)-building — Coal- 
 mining — Petroleum, Copper, Quicksilver, Lead, and Sulphur — Silver 
 and (Jold 071 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 CnURCIIES, SCIIOOUS, AND IlOSl'ITALS. 
 
 1705-1884. 
 The First Cliurchea in Ru.4sian America — A Diocese Established — Vcni- 
 auiinof— The Sitka Cat licdral — Conversionof the Indians— 'I'lic Clergy 
 Hehl in Contempt — I'rotcsfaint Missions — Schools — Tlio Sitka Semi- 
 nary — Tlic (Jeneral Colonial Institute — Meteorological— Diseases — 
 Hospitals — Tlie Company's Pensioners — Creoles — Bibliographical. . . . 099 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 ALASKA AS A CIVIL AND JUDICIAL DISTRICT. 
 
 188.3-1885. 
 The Organic Act— A Piiantom of Civil Government— Proposed Indian 
 Keservations— Educational Matters— Appointment of United States 
 Olhcials— Iveport of Governor Kinkead— His Successor Appointed — 
 Scliwatka's Voyage on a llaft — Evorette's Exploration— Stoncy's 
 Expedition— Mining on the Yukon and its Tributaries— The 'I'akoo 
 Mines- Tlie Treadwell Loile— Fisheries— Commerce and Navigation 717 
 
AUTTIORITnLS orOTED 
 
 IN 
 
 THE HISTORY OF AI^VSICA.. 
 
 Aita Potropnlitann, 17">0otsof|. In T,il)rn!'y of roiiOTCss. 
 
 Akacliiiiii' (lor Wi.ssunHuliat'tcu .Sitziiiig.shfrioiito luid Aljliaiullungcii, Berlin, 
 
 lS."i!» I't si'i|. 
 Alaska, Ari'iiiv<;s from I'nalaska and St Puiil. MS. 
 Ala.ska, Army Sketclics l>y an Oiiiccr oi the I'. S. Navy. In Army and 
 
 Xavy .Fimnial, ISIJS !». 
 Alaska, History of tiio Wroiifcs of. San Francisco, IS75. 
 A!,i-ka, Ilcport of tin; Jcckuulic ( 'onimitlcc. W'asliiii^'ton, 187i>. 
 Alaska, Trailers' I'rotcctivo As-iociation. San Fiaiicisco, IS(i!(. 
 Alaska ComiMcicial t'oiiniany, Alaska Fnr-Scal. n.iil.,n.(l.; I'y-law?. S. F., 
 
 Isyo; Kxtiaorilinary I i(\clo]iiiii nts in rcgar<l to the Monopoly. n.[il., n.d. 
 Ala.ska Conuuurcial Company, Taylor vs A. C Co. [I'Jtli Dist. Court, l!S71|. 
 
 MS. 
 Alaska Fuv-Sc d Fisheries, Letter of tlio Secretary of the Trea.iury [Ust 
 
 Con^',, -J.l Ses.s., II. Ex. T)oc., \-2U]. Washinu'ton, 1870. 
 Alaska Scrap I'look, l.S(iS-7'>. I>y Airapius Honeharenko. "J vola. 
 Alasli.i Ship J'.iiililini,' Comiiany, I'etitiuu jjiayin^; for grant of certain lands. 
 
 H:{d Cong., 'M Sess., Sen. ".Mis., i:5.J Wa.sUington, 1875. 
 Alliany (Or.) Kegistc r. 
 Alegre ( j-'rancisco .Javier), Ilistoria dc la (^'ompaiiia de .Iesn.s en Xueva E.spania. 
 
 "Mixico, ISII. ;} vols. 
 Altiiias (Cal.), Modoc ludependeiit. 
 
 A'var,id(» (.liian J5autistat, ] I istoriji dc California. MS. .') vols. 
 American (!<'ographical an<l Statistical Society. Xew York, 1850 et seq. 
 American C>iiaiterly Review. J'hiladelphia, lS27etsei]. 
 American State Papers. IJoston, 1817 1'.'. IJ vols.; Washington, lS3'2-4; 
 
 I8.'p8-(il. folio, lif) vols. 
 Aiial;eini (Cal.), ( Jai'titl;'.'. 
 Anderson (.\d,inil. Historical and ( hronolo;;ical Deduction of the Origin of 
 
 Commerce. lyondon, ISOI. folio. -1 vols. 
 An<k'rson (Alexander C. ), Xorthwest Coast History. MS. 
 Anderson (.Mexandtir (J.), Notes on Indian Tribes of IJritish Xortli America. 
 
 In Historical Mag., vii. 7.'$. 
 Annals of ('(ingress, [l.st to 18th Congress.] Washington, 1S34-5G. 42 vols. 
 Antioch (Cal.)." Ledger. 
 
 A[>ost6licos Afanes do la Compania dc .Jesus. Barcelona, 1754. 
 Anti>, Log lHj„k. 18-21-5. MS. 
 Archivo del .Arxohispiulo do San Francisco. MS. 5 vols. 
 
 Uisx. Ai,.vtiKA. 3* (zxiii) 
 
SXIV 
 
 AUTHORITIES QUOTED. 
 
 Arehivo do C.ilifomia. MS. 273 vols., and a f.Tont mass of loosp papers. 
 
 Documwits iiris'-Tved in the U. .S. .Siirvcyor-yii.crars ollici- at San Iraii- 
 
 cisc'o. (J())iit's in my Collection. Diviilwl ua follows: Piov, St. lap.; 
 
 I'luv. lice; Dc'pt. St. Tap.; Dupt. lice. 
 Aivliivo de las .Misionua. MS. "2 V(j1s. 
 Arcliivo dul (Jljiiipado du ^Monterey y Los Angeles. MS. 
 Arcliivo do Santa Jiarhara. MS. 11 vols. 
 Aruistroni; (.Vloxander), Personal Narrative of the Discovery of the Xorth- 
 
 \ve«t I'as.sa^-o. London, IH.iT. 
 Artcaira (Iirnaeio), Tercera E.xi)loracion, 1770. MS. 
 A:itoria (Or.), Astorian. 
 AitliiKiJjKi. .lournal of the Ship. !MS. In Lilnary of Department of State. 
 
 WuMliingtcjn, 1). C. 
 Atlantic Monthly. IJoston, 1858 et serj. 
 Axanxa (Virey), Ynstriiucioii, 1800. ^iS. 
 
 I'aer (Karl Fr. von). See Wrangell (Contro Aihniral V.), Statisti'^che, etc. 
 
 liaird (Spencer F. ), Fish and Ful'.cries [lls'^ (.'on;;., "Jd Sess., Sen. Mi.s. Doc, 
 108; 4,")th(J(mg., lid Sess , Sen. Mis. D.ic, 4')|. \Va;:>hin^'toii, I.S7i), 1S77. 
 
 l!alhi (Adi'ien), Jntroduetiou ;l I'Atlas ei.hno';i-a])hi(jno ihi glohc. Paris, lSj;i. 
 
 Ijanerol't (U'lhert Howe), History of the Paciiie States of Nortli .\nieriea. 
 San Fraiu'--;o, 1SS2 et se(p L'S vols.; Native Jiaees of the Paeilie States. 
 New Vori 1)S7">. ") vols. 
 
 Bancroft Lilirary, MS. .Scrap-books, containing classified notes used in writ- 
 ing Jiancrolt's works. 
 
 iSnrnnuva (Ale!;. .\. ), Shi/neopisanie. fBiographj'.] St Pytcr.-;l)urg, IS.'!.'). 
 
 XJarher (.Iohn\ and Henry Howe. History of Western States and Terri- 
 tories. Cincinnati, 18(17. 
 
 Barrington (Daine.-), Miscellanies. London, 1781. 
 
 Barrow (.1.), Cook's Voyages of Discovery. London, 1S7I. 
 
 Baslmiakof (Feodor), Papeis relating to Trial for Sorcery, IS'29. MS. 
 
 Bayly (W'illiiini), Tlu; Original A; tronoi:iic;d Ohsei'vatioiis made hy Capt. 
 Cook and Lieut, .las. King, 1770-8i). London, 17.'i-'. 4to. 
 
 Beanian (C. C), Our New Northwest. In HarjierVi Montldy. July, 18(57. 
 
 liearih'.lee (L. A.), Keport on condition of aUair-i in Alaska [4(>lh Cong., 'id 
 
 Sess. 
 
 L'n. Ex. Doc, 1()")J. Wasliington, 1880. 
 
 Beechey (F. \S'.), Narrative of a Voyage to the Paciiie, etc, in IS'J.VS. 
 
 Be 
 
 London, 1S:<1, 2 vols. ; Philadelphia, 18:?2. 
 
 Bclelur(K 
 
 i.y(F. W.), / 
 
 lOologv o: 
 
 f \"ov; 
 
 Sec Piichardson (J.) et al. 
 
 ■d). N 
 
 don, 1813. •! vols 
 
 irrati.ve ot a\ oyage ronm 
 
 the Woild in 18;!()-f2 
 
 Lou- 
 
 Bell (.!.• 
 
 : ). A 
 
 Systi'm of (Jeograiihy. 
 
 (:;ia 
 
 18n 
 
 !(. t) vols 
 
 d. Or., 1S7:1. 
 
 Bc'.l ( \V. C. ), 'J'he (Jaiddities of lui Alaskan Tr _ 
 
 IW'liiiont (Nov.), Cou.rier. 
 
 Benton (Thomas IL), .Abridgment of Debates in Congress, 17">9-18u(}. New 
 
 York, l8.")7-(i:!. Ki vols'. 
 Benyovsid (Maurice A.), Mi'Uioirs and Travels. I^ondon, 17!H). 
 Berenn (l'',vgeni .\.K J'uteshestvii" kor:d'lai;. \. Kotnpaniy X'tlolm. fVoyago 
 if the Kiissian Ann rican Company's f-liip XitJu'i, 1S;!7-!'.] In Z:ipiski 
 
 Hy.lr. 
 Berg (Vassili), Kliroiiologich 
 
 Discovery of the Aleutian Isl'ini 
 Berrv(M. P.), Dcvdopments in Alaska. MS. 
 r>:d\vell (.b.hn), California, 1841 8. MS. 
 
 Tstoria. |(?!ii'ono!o'.;ical History of tho 
 St Petersburg'; 1820. 
 
 Bil^'llMl' 
 
 ■lohn 
 
 I, A U 
 
 ISIO. 
 
 iphical and Historical View of the World. Lond( 
 
 ]'<laehke (L. ), Topographia niodica portuu Novo-Archaugclscensis. Petropoli 
 
 I8P2-S. 
 lUagdon (Francis William), The Modern Ceogiapht 
 
 Loudon, 11. d. 5 vols. 
 
AUTHORITIES QUOTED. 
 
 XXV 
 
 • (Tlieoilnrs A.), rjem^ral Topograpliii;.".! iiiiil rjeologicr.l Feiitiircs of Twjvt'i- 
 
 wt's.'L'ni ('oust (if America [lOtli C> 
 Wll.sllin''t:Jll, l.S(W. 
 
 •_M .Si.'ss., H. Mx. l)o( 
 
 I7:.J 
 
 is-j.vs. 
 
 Lou- 
 J. Ncvr 
 
 \'ov;i:ro 
 Z-ii-isUi 
 
 of tlio 
 
 B!:ik'' (William P.), (loograpliical Xotes upon liussiau AuK'rica. Was'ii;!,'- 
 
 toii, IHIW. 
 JV.oilgi'tt (Loiiuc;), Alaska, what is it won Ii ? Ju Lippiucott'.s .Mail. i. ]; 'JS. 
 liloo<l,u'oo.l (('. ])'.). l''i;^l't Months inSitka. In Ovcrlmd Moutlily. Fob. I'i ) •. 
 IrHku'a y C'liailiii (Jivni Fiaucisco), Couicuto dc la Xuvcjation, 177.'). .'I ■>. 
 ]jji[cL,';i }• L'liadra (.luau IVanuisco), Navcgacior. y l)c:iL'ulji'iniicnto, 177'.'. 
 
 MS. 
 Boih'u'a y C'uadi'a (.Fiiau Francisco), Sci^unda Salida, 177!). I^IS. 
 l!o k'ga y Cnadra (.Juan Francisco), Viaj,'c do 1775. .MS. .: 
 
 I'.oono (.i. If. A.), r.ussian Auiorica. Jn Atlantic Monthly, June, 1807. 
 lliston (.Mass.), Daily Ailvcrtiscr, I^vcuin;,' Transcript, Herald. 
 Jlmton in the Xorthwtst, Solid Men of. MS. 
 i;roikett (L. P.), Our Western Empire. Philadelphia, etc., 1881. 
 llrooks (Charles Wolcott), Japanese Wrecks in Xorth Facilic Oceau. S:''i 
 
 Francisco, I.S7(). 
 Ihoimhton (W liliani R.), A Voyaj,'e of Discovery at the Xorth Pacilic Ocean. 
 
 Jiondon, 1804. 
 J'.rowne (.J. Ross), Lower California. Sec Taylor. Alex. S. ; Peport upon (ho 
 
 •Mineral Resources of the States and Territories AVest o! tlie Rcr'icy 
 
 -Mount.'uiis. Wasliin;,'tou, I8()7; Washington, 18{iS; San l'"rai!ci---co, iSiiS. 
 r.ryant (Charles), and II. II. Mclutyrc, Report ou Alaska. [4 hit Cong., "Jd 
 
 Scss., Sen. Ex. Hoc. ;>l'.J Washington, IS(i!). 
 lluike ( Ednunid I, An Account of the Eiu'opcau Settlements in Amcrii :;. 
 
 J>ondon. 17f!(). -2 vols.; Id., 1771). 2 vols. 
 Ruriiiy f. lames), (Jhronolo'^'ical History of Xorth ]']asteni Voyages of Dis- 
 covery. London, Isl'.t. 
 Uusclim.in (.roll. Carl), Die Pinia-Spracho und die Sprache der Kolosoheu, etc. 
 
 I iu'riin, iSoO.j Uo. 
 lUiss,', .Jiujial Fiir lUissland. St Petersburg, 1 794. 
 Jliistamanto (Carlos Maria), Suplcmento d Loa Tres Siglos dc Cavo. Jalapa, 
 
 !S7(). 
 Puller (William F.), The Wild X'orth Land. Philadelphia, l;-i74. 
 
 California. Iv-itablecinnento y Progresos de las Misiones de la Antigua C.iii- 
 
 foniia. In J,>oc. Hi.-;t. Mcx , .serie iv. tom. iv. 
 California, Journals of Asse/nMy and .Senate, 1st to •24th .sessions, RSoO-Sl ; 
 
 with Ajipendices— 10;{ volumes in all. 
 Calvo (Ciiiirles), Recucil Complot des Traites de rAmerique Latine. Paris, 
 
 1S()L'-!I. Hi vols. 
 ('-.'.'.uv (I>avid, V,'.), Anic 'can Year Rook. Hartford, lS(j',». 
 Campbell (Archil)ald), A Voyage rouml the World from lS0(;-l-2. ]',dinburL;h, 
 
 isKi: lioxbury, bSJ,"). 
 (-'auip'ie!! (Joseph 15.1. Letter concerning,' importation of breechdoadim' riiles. 
 
 L44thCong., IstSess., ]l. Ex. Do.■.^S;^,.| Washington, isTd. 
 CaiiCi'lada (Jiuui Lopez), JJuina do la \ueva F^pana. Cadi/, l.sll,- Tel.gnifo 
 
 MoNicano. Cadix, 181.'{ et seq. 
 Can- (.John A.), Connn, mica'. ions to Sec. of War in relation to illicit t.;it;ie in 
 
 li.pior. |4;!d Cong., 2d Sess. Sen Docs. '24, 27.] Wa.duiigtoii, ];■.;, .. 
 <'ar-on City (N\ v.), Stati; JJegi.ster. 
 
 (V.rtas Ediiicantes, y Cuiiosas. Madrid, 17"i.'!-7. l(i vols. 
 <artography of the I'acilic States. San Franci.sco, lS7;i. ;MS. .T V(,1s. 
 Casta liares (Manuel), Colcccion de dociimentos rel.uivo.s al departamcnto do 
 
 Californias. Mexico, 1n45. 
 Castro (.Mamiel^. Documentos parft la llistoria do California. ilS, 'z vols. 
 <'iistroville (Cal.). Argus. 
 Catalii (Mjigiu), Carta sobro Xootku, 1794. M;S. 
 
IHHI 
 
 xxvi 
 
 AUTII0niTIE.'5 QUOTED. 
 
 C'liamisso (Loui i C'jai-les A. Ton), Ail< "icrt von ( 'iiarnisso'.i ^Yc'!■kc. Vierte 
 
 Aiill;ii,'e. ]5craii, l.S.")(}. (J vols. ; iluisc includuil in pi(_'>'uiliiig. 
 ('|]Uji|i(' ilAnteruclic, Vi)yago eii SiltOrie. i'jiris, 1708. '.i vols!.; Amstenliuii, 
 
 I77i). •_' vols. 
 (.''iate;uil)ri;iii(l I F. A.), Voj'ac^cs eu Amt'iinuc. Paris, KS().'>. 
 ('.lica^o (I11.^ liitur-Oci'iiij, Tiilmiio. 
 C'liirikot (Aloxc'V), Zluirnal I'litcshostvia. [Journal of Voyag (.] In Impel ial 
 
 Naval Archives. St. I'etcr.shui-L.'. Bninlle xvi. 
 (.'i'.i:HtiaUof (i'l'ter Y.), r'atcsliostvit' Uoialilu II. A. !\oiiiniiiiiy A7<'//((. [Voyage 
 
 of the Jvutssiaii Aiiierieau C )iiiiKi;iy"s slui) ].'/ciia l,S_'l— 0.] lu Ziipiski 
 
 Hy<lr. viii. 
 Clioris (Louis). Voyai^c I'ittores.iue autour du Moml •. l\iri-i, ]H2'2, foHo. 
 (.lavigci'o (Franeisco Saverio), Sturi.i ilelLi CaliiOi'iiia. \'eiie,:ia, ll^'.i. 2 
 
 vols. 
 ("levelaiiil (iiielianl J.), Xanative of Voyages. C:uiil);iil ,'e, 184"2. 2 vols.; 
 
 l}ostoii, 1S.')0. 
 (.'offiu (lames lleiiiy), Winds of the (!lol>e. Vwishiu'itiin, IS7o. 
 (Aileeeion ilo Docuihentos iii('>ilitiis jiara la lli.jtoria de Espai'ia. Madrid, 
 
 lS42-8(). 71 vols. |S. F. J.aw Libraiy.] 
 Collinson {It.], .\eeount of tlie I'roeeedin'^s of II. ,M. S. Enfrr/irisi from Beh- 
 
 riii,.; Strait tu Cainliiid^ie liay. In Load. (leog. Soi-., .Juur. x.vv. 11)4. 
 ( 'ilunilii:!, l>f]i:irtment of. (ieucral Orders. ISli.") et sei[. 
 
 Coiyer (\'inceiitl, l)omh;iriini( nt of \Vrani;ell. Wa.-li.. IS7(': Fiir-se;il I'ish- 
 "eries of Alaska [41st ('onj,'. '2<1 Hess.', II. Kk. Doc. 114.J Wash., 1,S70; 
 
 Ke])ort on Indian Allhirs. n.pl.. ii.d. 
 (' -aanr (t'harles T. ). Letter eoncerning the killing of fur-bcariug animals. lu 
 
 S. V. ISulletiii, Marcli I'J, 1S77. 
 Congressional < ill il)e. Wa^liint/ron. lS.Srtetsei|. 4to. 
 ('::ngrossional Keeord. Washington, IS74etse(|. 
 Cuok (James), Troisiemc \'oyage ;i l"Ooeau raeitiijuc 177()-SO. I'aris, 178"). 
 
 4to. 4 vols. 
 ('..ok (.Tame-;), Voyage to th" Paei lie Ocean 177<>-SO. T/imlou, K-^^. Ito. .S 
 
 vols, plates in folio; London, 1784, 4id. 4 vols.; Phila.iolpliia, l8ls, 'J 
 
 vols. 
 ( ooley (W. D.), Maritime and inlaiul discovery. London, 18;10-1. 3 vols, 
 (ones (Elliott), 'J'lio l''ur-l)earin',' .\nimals of N'cjrth Ameiica. I'ostoii, 1.S77; 
 
 also in I'. S. (!eol. Smv. of the 'i'erriiorii s. Ilaydin, .Mis. Pal), viii. 
 (' i.:e (William*, A('(.'onnt of the Uussian Discoveries between Asia and .Vmer- 
 
 iea. London, 17^7. 
 (■■■•jpi (.luan). Diariode la lv\prdicion de Mar., 1774. In Palon, Xot.. i. (I'Jl. 
 ('r.nis' (Tiiiis Fi y), Xatinal Wealth of California. San Francisco, IbUS; Id. 
 
 with illustrations and eonections. 
 
 ■i. 
 
 I> :1 (William llealey). Alaska and its '-esonrces. Boston, 1870; Ts Alaska a 
 paying invest. neut. In Harper's Moi'thly, .Jan., 1S7'_'; Letter concerning 
 <!encval Thomas' Alaska report. In i>oston Daily Advertiser; Letter to 
 l",l!iott anil Maynard on condition of all'aii's in .Maska. Wash., 1^7•''>; On 
 the relative value of Alaaka to t!ie I'nitwl States. In Wasii, Piiilosop. 
 Soc. Bull., M.iy lS7i; Keport upon tiie agricultural resontces of Alaska. 
 Wash., ISlii); Keporton Mt. St. ICiias. In L'. S. Coast Survey Kjit. IS7.""), 
 
 Ji.-.llas (.\. (1.), San .hum, Alaska and the nortU-west boundary. London, 
 
 is7;i. 
 
 iVi'les (Or. \, Alountiunicr. 
 
 IfM/y ((Jliarles P.). .\unnal Adilress .Tan. 2."), 1870. In American (Jeog. and 
 
 Stat. Jour.. \-ol. ii., jit. ii. 'wxiii. 
 jMv.dof ((Javi'ila I.i, Dvukratnoie Puteshestvie. [Two \'oya;vs to Anurica.] 
 
 St Peter.l.il!-L'. 1810. 'J v.. I-. 
 
 ] 
 
 i,;vii 
 
 Ison (( 
 
 eo"i,'e), (';kis 
 
 t P 
 
 Alaska. Wash.. ISd:!; Direrto"v for 
 
 C:.a.t. \\ 
 
 I8( 
 
 ]Ma.'., l8(io, Xov. 4u~ 
 
 S; Scieatilic Expedition to Alaska. In Lippincoti,';! 
 
AUTHOR ITIE 3 (:U( )TED. 
 
 •kc. Vicrte 
 Auistenliiui, 
 
 In Iiuiievi;;! 
 
 „(. [Voy;i<j;c 
 111 Z^ipi-ski 
 
 ^■2'2. foH.). 
 Si-1. -2 vols.; 
 
 r,a. Mailriil, 
 
 i.ic from ]5eli- 
 xxv. l'.)4. 
 
 ■'iii-su,il rish- 
 Wush., IMO; 
 
 ' imiiuiils- 111 
 
 I'aiis, ITS.-.. 
 
 , 17S4. ito. 3 
 Iphia, 151S, -J 
 
 -1.3 vols. 
 l',ii.^ton, 1S77; 
 •;il), viii. 
 ia anil .Vmcr- 
 
 ,Xoi:..i. (•.•_'4. 
 isco, lyOtS; h\. 
 
 1; ;>i Alai^ka a 
 i>r L'lUK'i'Viiiu;,' 
 mt: l.ctttT to 
 
 ,-',i.. is;.")-, v'li 
 
 isli. I'liilosop. 
 ,.^^ of A!as!;a. 
 
 nv. LoiuUin, 
 
 lu (Jeo),'. ami 
 
 to Anil .■ii-M.l 
 
 !,:■>• for r:;cili_c 
 n LipiiiiK'iiti, -i 
 
 1)."^ i.j (ITorr.oo), r.^L'onl of Japanese vosrfcl.s drivou up.on Xorllnvosi Const. 
 
 \Vo.i;j.sli;r, IN7-'. 
 iVivis (Wi'liani I!.), (JlinipsoH of t!io I'a.-it in California. MS. •_' voV:. 
 ]<a\v.-<on ((icorgc -M,), Xoto on .some of the most liecent Cllange^^ in ievcl .if 
 
 the C.)a.st. M'ntreal, li77. 
 lJca.se (L'c.ti.r Wjirnn), ami Tlionia.s Simiison, Actount of lleoent Arctie l)i.s- 
 
 eovcricH. In Lond. (!e'\!,'. ."sje., .lour. viii. •_');!. 
 i'elafiiM (.I'lim .Ir. ), An Imjuiry into t!ie oriLjin of the Antinuitie.sof Anieiic.i. 
 
 Cinci nati, ISi'.*. 
 l)e]iartinental Ito-'orils. .MS. 14 vols. In .Vrehivo de Cal. 
 l)iliart;injiital .State I'aper.s. MS. "JO void. In Areliivo de (^"al.: Til. Benieia 
 
 ( 'ii.sto:n-Hou.'<e. .S\iils.; Id., IJeuicia .Military, vols. .">:! t j .^7. 
 l)e I'oktiea (Pienv de), ( Ntrrespondenee witii See. of Stiite, Ap. "J, IS'i'J. In 
 
 Annals of (.'on.-;. lS-2_', ii. 'JM.'. 
 ] le Smet (I'. .1.), .Missions de TOregon. (land. n.d. ; (lre,i,'on Missions. New 
 
 V'.irk, I.S47: Voyages aux Montayncs Koelicuses. Lille, l.>"!>. 
 Oiroet.iries, I'.Kiiie L'oast IjUsIucss, Langley 1871-.'); Puget Sound. Murp!;y 
 
 and Harnet. 
 l)isturnell (■!.), lulluenee of Climate in North ami South Ameriea. Xi .\- 
 
 York, 18U7. 
 l)ixon (tJeiirge), Remarks on the 'N'o.yagea of .lolin Meares, Ksi). Lond ,:i, 
 
 17'.)!'; Voyage atitour du blonde 17.S"i-S. I'.avis, I7S'.). '2 vols.; \'oy,i .o 
 
 iMiind the World 17.S.")-S. London. 17!S!). 4to. 
 l)ohl).s (.-Vrtlinr), Aecount of tlie Countries adjoining to Hnilson"s ISav. Lo i- 
 
 don. 17-14. 
 I"od''<'(\Vm. Sunnier), dration at Sitka .Inly 4. isos. San l''rancisi'o. IS ;. 
 Dokhturof (I'avel A.), I'uteshestvie Kroiisiitadta do Annrikanskikli I'ol i- 
 
 ni <kh. [Voyage from Ki'onstadt to the (.'olonies IS'_'0-_'.J In Z:;, i^M 
 
 lly<lr. viii. 
 l).)klad Koiniteta ol> Ustroistvo liusskikh .\iiierikanski!ili Koloniy. [Repo t 
 
 of Conimittoe on Iteorianization of liussian-.Viiieiicun Colouies.J ; t 
 
 I'e'arsliui'.', l.S(i.S-4. "J vols. 
 DuU'daa iSn- -lame.sK .Tournal 1.S40-1. MS. 
 
 I ' U'^las (Sir .lames). Private raiuis, 1st .ind '2d series. M<. 2 vol-. 
 I>ai\l;is (Sir .lames), Voyage to the \ortii«est ( 'oa-t. In id, .lourual M ■'. 
 |).mg!ass (William). SuimiKuy, liistorieal ami Political, etc. of the j>rili !i 
 
 S..ttleuKnts in Xortii-.\nieriea. Unston, 17o"). "J vols. 
 l)..\v;ii('ville (lal.), .Mountain Messenger. 
 l!u ll'iiilv ( Ivlouardi, I/Kxpi'dition de Petropavlosk. In IJevue des J..i:x 
 
 -Moii.'les, IS.VH. 
 I'aliant-Cilly (A.), Viaggio intoriio al (lloho. Torino, ISH. '2 vols. 
 Hiuiii (.lohn). The Oregon Territory and tlie Driti.-ih X. American fiu'-tra le. 
 
 Philadelpiiia, KS4,-). 
 
 lMinl>nrg!i lieview. Ivlinlmrgh, l.SO'J, ct sof|, 
 
 I'.Iis.i, (l''raiieiso:>), .Siilida de los trcs lui'iues para X'ootk.a ano d,^ M'X'i. 1"S. 
 
 I'^li-ia ( i''raneiseol, 'J'alila diaria de los liiunies para il tiuerlo de Xootlia, 17. \ 
 
 .MS. 
 Klisa (I'vaneiseo^, Voyage 1701, Extracts from. In Papers relating to Trcaiy 
 
 of Wasli. v.. 17fi; also in Keply of the rnitdl Stiites, <)7. 
 i:!liot ((;(M.rg<> 11.). The Presidio of , Sin I'raiieiseo. In Ovnlund, iv. ;;:',:;. 
 KlHoit (FTenry Wood), The History and Present (.'oiidition of the I'i^he y 
 
 liidiixtries. Wa.-li., ISSI; Hejiort niioii eondition of ult'aii's in A!a.-:;'i, 
 
 lllth ('ong., 1st Sess., II. Kx. Doe. :!:t.) Wash.. 1.S7.'>; Ten ^.a < 
 
 ae.|uaintaiiee with .Alaska. In Harper's Montlily, ls77. 
 Ellis (W.). Aiithentie .Xarrative of a Voy.ige in search of a Xorth-west Pa.;- 
 
 sa-e in I77li-S(>. London. 17^4. "J vols. 
 Eiigel fS.iniuel). (icograiihisehe und kriliscla. Xachriehteu und .Vmnerk'iii- 
 
 gen iiliir die Luge der nordlieheii Cegenden Vou Asien und Anie"'- 
 
 jlitau, 1772. 
 
r 
 
 XXVIU 
 
 AUTHORITIES QUOTED. 
 
 Iv'iinn (A.I, Arcliiv fur wis.iciichaftliehc Kiindc von Rnssl;in<l. Eeiliii, IPi"^. 
 Ikiiolin, lv\tr;iLts IVoiii Icttei's to tlic Uoaid of Miiiiagcrs of the Kussiiui 
 
 AiiK-M'icaii ( 'iiMipiuiy, concuruiiig lloss Colony. ISH. MS, 
 JIuivka (('ill.) N'ortiicrn lnili')n;n<le;:'., Wcat Coast Signal, 
 l^ans (Khvood), History of Oroyon. ^IS. 
 lv:t.!icts from ^Vcooiiu'us of Unaoian Auiuricaii Company conccniiu;./ lies 
 
 Sottluuicnt in 1S47 and 1S30. MS. 
 
 I I 
 
 Fiik'oner (Tlionms), On t'u' Di.sfovcry of the ^ligsissippi. London, 1S44; TIic 
 
 Ore^iin (jtiicstion. London, IS-lr). 
 Farnliani (J. T. or Tiios. J.), Life, Adventures and 'IVavolsin Cal. Pictorial 
 
 cd. \l:\v York, l.S,")7. 
 IVdix {V. A.), J/()r('";,-on ct Ioh cotos do IMctJan l'aeili(juo. Paris, 184G. 
 Icrnandcz (.losf), Cosas dc California. M.S. 
 
 I'\ rnaiidcz (.Tom'), llocinncMiios ]y.ir:\ l:i Ilistcria do California. !MS. 
 Fidal'.'o (Si'.lvadorl, 'J'alila do 1 >cscubriniicnto.s do IT'oO. ..MS. 
 Fidalgo (.Salva.lor), Via-o do I7!!0. MS. 
 Filiitof (Xikaadcr I.), i'utcslu'stvio na koralili Ai(il:>i na, Sovoro-zapadnoni 
 
 Ijorogu Amciiko. [Voya'.ro of tlio Ain/.n toward tlio nortli-wo.st coast of 
 
 Aiuorica. l>-)i21.| In Zajiisl.i llydr., viii. 
 Findlay (-Vloxandor ( ;.), Dirootory lor tlio Xavigation of tiio Paciiio Oooaii. 
 
 Lontlon. IS.")L 'J vols. 
 l'i:dayson (Kocloriolv), \'aneouvor Tsliind and tlio Xortliwcst Coa^t. M.S. 
 Fiii!ior(.L Fborhard), Siliirisclio < Ic-chichtc. St IVtcr.^bnr'^', ITiW. U v b.. 
 Hint ( Timotliy), lli.itory and (ioograpliy of the Mississippi Valley. Ciuoi;i- 
 
 nati. ls;jj. -2 vol.?. 
 Forbes (.Moxandcr), < ':dift)rni:i. A li'.story of. Tjo;idon, IS."!:). 
 Fonstor (.((jIhi lioiidiold), lli.story (jf \'oyages and l>iscoverieH niado in the 
 
 Xoi'th. F.onilm, IT'"'!', -luo. 
 Frano'.icro ((iabriol), Xarrativo of a Voyage to the Northwest Coa^t ^»f 
 
 Anurioa, U)ll-14. Rodiiold, lS;i4. 
 Frciniann ((i.), Lottor.-j. In Zapi.ski llaask. Ceogr. Obsliostvo, i. 
 
 Cahixy ('I'lu'). Now York, 1 SCC* ct .^oq. 
 
 Cnielin (lohanii), Flora Sibcrica sivc historia plantaruin. St Potersbur;:, 
 
 17">l"-. 4 Vols, N'oyairo en Sit)('i-io. Paris, 17i)7. 'J vols. 
 Coddard (i''rcdcri(lc ]).). \Vii<ro to I'Jniigrati', and Why. New York, 1S(;0. 
 Cold Hill iX.v.KXows. 
 
 (lold'-chinidL (Albert I, Sco Cartofrraphy of the Pacific Coast. 
 C,)id:'.;oni' ({..oui.'i). Mi'inorial r(>!;;tivo Li) .Alaska seal lisliory. [12d Cong. ]st 
 
 Scs.-!.. II. Mis. Doc. ■").] Was!iin,"ton, liull 
 (iolovnin (Y. M.). Pute.shestvio na sidoopo /■Cnmchufbi, l.Sl."-i;); fVoya!;o of 
 
 t'lif K'i,iii//(if!.ri.\ In Ma.tcrialui, ]it iv. ; iicview of Kussivn (.'olonii.'s; ]\\ 
 
 Iiu.--H. Am. (,''il., iii. •_'; Z.'i|ii.<ki. [Letters on eonditiou of l!u.-:sian Amer- 
 ican (.'olonie.-i.l In -Materialui, ]it. i. 
 C<-rd.!n (.Fanies IJintlcy), Hi.- toric;'.! and Ccographical ilcnioir of t'.io X, 
 
 .\nioriean ( " )ntin"nt. Uubliu, lSi2). 4t'i. 
 (!r;u;.! V.dli'V ('';.l.^, I'"oot Ilill Tidings, Xalional. Unimi. 
 Creonhow (Itobert). Hi.;.tory of Oregon and ('.ilifornia. lioston, IS!4; London, 
 
 LSI!: Xev.- York, b'-4."i; JJoaton, IS4'); iJostun, I.'vl7: Memoir, liistorie:.! 
 
 and Political, on the Xortliwcst Coast of X'orlh Anierici. ['Jdui Conir. 
 
 1st Sess., Sen. Doe. 174.1 AVash. 1S40. 
 Crowingk (C.), Ikitrag /ur Kenntni.ssder orographischcn, etc., dir Xordv.c: t 
 
 kiiste Auierikas. St I'otcrsburg, IboO. 
 
 Ilabcrsliani (.\. AY.), Xoi-th Paciiic Surveying .and Kxploiing ]].\pedition, 
 
 Pliila<1el])hia, b'CS. 
 Haiisai'd (T. C.K L'arlianicnttiry Debates from ISO.'l. Lomhni, lSl'J-77. ["'■ 
 
 F. Law Library. | 
 Ilarpcr'.s Now .Monlhly Magazine. Xew Y'ork, ISoO et seq. 
 
AUTHORITIES QUOTED. 
 
 XXIZ 
 
 tlic Kussii'.n 
 
 cerning lio°s 
 
 »ii, 1844; Tlie 
 
 i 
 
 a\. rictoiiiil 
 
 i 
 
 s, 1840. 
 
 W' 
 
 MS. 
 
 i 
 
 ■tTo-zapadiraii 
 -west fuast ot 
 
 4 
 
 raciilo Ocean. 
 
 1708. -J vr>l-.. 
 illcy. CiiK'i-.i- 
 
 s made in the 
 west Coait -tif 
 
 ^t Petevsburjr, 
 w York, 18li9. 
 
 "l_M Cong. l:;t 
 
 10; [V'oya;'p i>f 
 ■ n ( '(iliniic.'; I'l 
 Uussian Aiucr- 
 
 oir o{ t'.ic N. 
 
 18!4; Lrmtloii, 
 
 \vm\ iiistovic: 1 
 
 , ['iCHli Cong. 
 
 (Ill- Nonlv.c: t 
 
 ng Kxiieilitiou. 
 , LS12-T7. L'^. 
 
 i 
 
 ITartfonl (('.inn.). Tourant. 
 
 ii'.'vey (Mi:i. J'aiiiil). Life of .Tohii McLouglilin. MS. 
 
 JFasw jl (Robert), Voya^ie of the ColHrnhla IfnUrim, 1787, 1791-2. MS. 
 
 Hazlitt (Wm. Carcw), ISi'itish Columljiii ami Vaiicouvur's lalaiul. Lomlon, 
 
 l.S."i8 
 lleal(lshu.\' (Cal.), Russian River Flag, 
 lleceta (Br mo), Diaiio del Viage de 177."). MS. 
 J!(eeta (Urunc), Ks])C'lieii«n Maiitinia. In I'alou, Xot., ii. 220. 
 ][eeeta (15ruuo\ Sugiuul.' b;x])linaeion, 177.'>, MS. 
 Heeeta (Brni) )), Viaye clo 177'). MS. 
 
 llineH ((Justavu.s), Oregon: It.s Hiscoi'y, Condition, ete. IjufFalo. IS.'iI. 
 JListcjrical Magazine and Notes and (Queries. Bo.ston, etc., lS.")7-li'.). I,') vols. 
 liittell (.(oim ,S.), The (Jonnnerce ami Industries of tht; I'aeilio Coast. Sail 
 
 Fr'iMeisi-o, 1882. 4to. 
 l[od','edon (l>. 15.), Report of Aseent of Makii.shiii Mountiiin. [4()th Cong., 
 
 2d Sess., II. K\-. Doc. 177.1 Wasliington, ISiii). 
 Holnilierg (II. J.), 10thnograi)lii.selie .Slvizzen iiber die Volker d ^s Riussi.seluMi 
 
 Anierika. lleLsingfovs, lS'>o. 
 llonohihi, Fiiend, 184;{ et {*<-•<[.; Polyne.sian, 18r)7 <'t seq.; Sandwicli I-land 
 
 <iazette, IS,'{ii et seq. ; Sanilwicli l,;lan<l News, 1810 et seq. 
 Iloncharenko (.\gapius), Address to tiio People of .\laska. In Alaska Her- 
 ald iMiS; (.'oniinereial Coircsimndeneo to Opjuniieini &; Co. of LoucUia 
 
 frtiiii Oct. 18(J8 to Jan. 187."?; Scrap liook, see Alaska. 
 Hooper (W. H. ), Ten Montlis aiiioin; liie Tents of thi; Tuski. London, 18.">;>. 
 Howard (O. O. ), Report of I'onr in Alaska, June 1875. [44th Coug. lat 
 
 Sess., Sen. lloe, 12.] Washington, I.s7l'>. 
 Hudson's Bay Company, Rejiort from s])ecial eoinniittee. London. 18.'')7. 
 Humboldt (.\lcx. de), Essai I'olitiquo sur le lioyaunie do la Nouvellc Espagne. 
 
 Paris, ISll. fo'iio. 2 vols, and atlas. 
 Hunt's .Merchant's .Magazine. New York, 1 8.'}!) et .seq. 
 Huleliings' Illustrated California .Magazine. San Francisco, 18o7-0L 5 vols. 
 
 Tni'iicrial Xaval Archives, St Petersburg, 1704 et scq. 
 
 Innay (.lames F.}, Sailing Directions for the West Coast of XortU America. 
 
 J^oudon, 18()S. 
 Intercolonial Correspondence of Sitka. Oiliee of Russian American Com- 
 
 jiany, in Sitka Archives. M.S. vols. i.-.\.\iii. 
 International Ri'vicw. Xew York, l.SSL et se((. 
 ]'.viii_r (\Vasiiin;.;lon), Asbaia. Xcw York, LSiiO. 
 l.ilciiicf, .Noiivellc carte des dceoiivertcs fait^'s jjar des vaisaeau.x Russicns. 
 
 Moscow, 177.5. 
 Ismadof (Stepan), Zhurnal. [.lourual] MS. In Library of Department of 
 
 State. Washington, D. C. 
 Ivashint.sof (\.), Rus.ikia krii;,'osvetniiia putcshesl-le. [Russian Voyages 
 
 round the World.] in Zapiski ilydr., vii. vii'. 
 
 Jackson (Sheldon), Alaska, and Missions on Xorth Pacilie Const. Xcw 
 York. IS;;0; Alaska, and its inli.ibitants. hi .Viiicricnn Autiq., ii. Oct., 
 Dec. 187!). lit"): Education in Ahiska [47th Cong. 1st Sess., Sen. E.x. 
 Doc. ;!(•]. Was!iingt)n, ISsl. 
 
 Jr.cksonvillo (Or. ), Reveille, Sentinel. 
 
 J -.ikinsf.rohn S.), V. S. i;.\ploiing lApeditions. Aulmrn, 1S.")0. 
 
 Jcv.itt (.John P.), Xarrative of lui .Vilventures. Lhaea, 1S4!). 
 
 JnuiiKil iind Proceedings of the Jniiierial Academy of St I'ctersburL' from 
 178f»to |S!;7. 
 
 Juarez (Cayctano), Xotas .sobre Asuutos de Cal. !\IS. 
 
 Juvenal, Journal, 17!(fi. MS. 
 
 Kadnikof (XikcliM K.I, Pntes'eilvie I;oral)l,i, R. A. Kompaniy .V/K'«;, IS.'IO- 
 41 . I \'. ya'c of the Pussiau Anuiricau Company "a ahip NiLolai, lb;j»-41.] 
 In Zapiski liydr., viii. 
 
XXX 
 
 AUTIIORITIKS QUOTED. 
 
 Kamcliatka, Areliivo.s, 179-2 -1804. :MS. ar.I print. 
 
 J'kiuiicliatku, History (if. tllict'siur, I7ii^ 
 
 Kamili;itkii, <l<s Isles Ivurilski et ik-s c-oiitrces voisines, Histoire ile. Lyon, 
 
 17t>7. - vols. 
 Kane (Tlionias J,.), .Alaska and tlio I'olar Ilcions. Xcw York. IS(JS. 
 Karta Vkliodi.f K. Novo .\rkliaii.;,'fNk.)inu rurty.ctc, ISO't, ISSS, 1S48. 
 Ki'lly (Walter), History of Kiissia. Lonilon, Is."i4. 2 vols. 
 Kerr (Uolnrt), (leiieral History ami Collection of Voya},'es. Edinburgh, etc., 
 
 l.Si.'4. 18 vols. 
 Khleiiiiikof (K.), Zapiski o Anierika. [Letters about America.] St I'etcrs- 
 
 Imry, ISO I. 
 Kliiaiii(/.of (A.), Diary. ^[S. In Library of Jienartmeiit of State. AVash- 
 
 iiiU'ton, J). C; also printed in Morskoi Sborr.iik. 
 Khronitelienko, I'utesliestvie v Kossiyskoui Aiiierikii. [Voyage to liussian 
 
 Auicriea.] Li St l'(?ter.sb\iii,' Areliives of History. 1S'J4. 
 Khrushclief (Ste|)an), I'utesliustvie Voiennago shloopa Ajmllon, lS'21-'24. 
 
 I N'oyage of tlie vl//o//(«(. 1S21-24.J Li Zajiiski Hydr., viii. 
 Kirln' (\V. \V.), .loiirncy to tlu^ Yukon. Li Sniitiisonian Kept.. 1S()4. 41(5. 
 Kislakovski (Ivan M.), J'utes'iicst\ ie iz Kronslitadta do Sitkhi, b-.M '2. 
 
 I A'oyage from Kionstadt to Sitka. l.s21-'2. ] In Zapiski Hydr. , viii. 
 Kittlitz (F. H.), Deidiwiiriligkeiten ciner Leise iiacli deni Ivussiselien .Vnier- 
 
 ika. (iotlia, IS.kS. '2 vols. 
 Kloclikof (I'llini A.), I'utesliestvie iz Khronlist.idt;i do Sitkhi, bS2L'2. [\'oy- 
 
 ago from Kronstadt lo Sitka, lS2i-'2.J In Zapiski Hydr., viii. 
 Knox ('I'lioinas \\'.), The liussian American Tclegrapli. In Kxcel.sior Mag., 
 
 i. \o. 7, bS(ii). 
 Kohl '4. (1.), A History of the Discovery of the ]''ast Coast of Nortli Amer- 
 ica. I'ortland, l^(i!»; i'opuhir History of the Di.scovery of AniL'rica. 
 
 I.,oiidon. Ls02. '2 vols. 
 Konny-gen (Ivan), Statement in reganl to Xnlato Massacre. MS. 
 Kostlivtzof (N'.). \'\Kidomost o na-toiastcliem polczheuij' rossiysko-Amcri- 
 
 kaiiskikli Koloniy. [Report of present condition of Kussian American 
 
 Colonies.! St I'etei'.sburi;, ISOO. 
 Kosti'omitin (I'eter), ]]arly 'J'imes in the Aleutian Inlands. MS. 
 Kotzebue (Otto \dn), \'ova;.'e of I )isco\ erv into tlie South Se.i und Becring's 
 
 Straits. Rerlin, bSl'!(,'and London, l"s2L ."{vols. 
 Kotzebue (Otto von), Xew Voyage round the World. London, ISIU). "2 vols.; 
 
 \'oyage of Discovery. London, ISifl. 3 vols. 
 Krasheninnikof (Sti.pan I'.). History of Kamchatka. Glocestcr, 17<>4. 
 Kruuer (.Mfred), lleminiscenccs. 2\IS. 
 Krusenstern (A. J. von). Voyage round the WorM, ISn.Vn. Lon.lon, 1S1.1. 
 
 •2 vols.; Wtirter-Sannnlungen. St IVtei-sburg, lsl.3. 4to. 
 
 La Harpe (JeanF.), Abrege de THistoire Oenerale des Voyages. Paris, ISIO. 
 
 '2t vols, and atlas. 
 Langsdorir (O. H. von), Voyages and Travels, 180.3-7. Lond., INI.VM, '2 
 
 vols. 
 La I'l- rouse (J. (J. F. de), ^'oyago antonr du Monde. Paris. 17I1S. 4 vols. 
 
 atlas folio; Voyage round tiie ^Vorl^l, 17S,")-S. Lond., 17^18. IJ vols.; 
 
 l!<iston, ISOI. 
 Laphu'e (C. P. T.), Cam]iagne de Circumnavifration. Paris, IStlot. (i vol.i. 
 Li'.liiam (IJobt. (b), The N'aiivt' Jiaci's of the Russian Lniiiire. L.Midon, Pu'^. 
 Lazarc f (.V.), Opis puteshestvia vokrug svieta na shloojie Lfnlojn, bS22-4. 
 
 [ 1 >eseiiption of a N'oyage rouml the World in the sloop LitUiui, IS22- 
 
 '21. 1 In Matcri;dui. 
 Lcdvard ( lohn), A .lonrnal of Ca[)t. Cook's hist Voyage to the Pacillc Ocean. 
 
 'Hartford, bS7:b 
 Lesseps (lean 15. lb). .Fouvnal histi>riiine du vj^yau'c dans IVxpciiition do la 
 
 IVrouse. Paris, 17!!0. "2 vols.; Travels in .'\iinuschatka, 17.s7-y. London, 
 
 17'.W. 2vok 
 
 ii 
 
 m 
 
AUTJIORITIE.S QUOTED, 
 
 XXXI 
 
 Lyon, 
 
 t vols. 
 I li VI lis.; 
 
 (') \i,h. 
 lii. 1'..".4. 
 
 \i. IS-J2- 
 
 Dcoiiii. 
 
 u di' l;i 
 
 Lottrps E'lifinntc"? ct C'uriei'.sps. I.yon. 1'>1!). 14 vols. 
 
 LiiipiiK/otl'ti Miigiizim'. l'liilaik'l[iliiii, Isiis ct .«l([. 
 
 l^'l.slc iI. X. <K'C Kxplicatiiiii do la C'artu (k'.s Xuiivcllos PcconvPrte-i .in Xortl. 
 
 Paris, 17.VJ. 4 to. 
 T.isiaiisky (Uri), A Voyage round tlio World, 1 SO.'i (i. London, 1.S14. 4to. 
 J^<jl; Books of Vossols of Itussian-Aniurican Coni;iany. In .Sitka Aivliivus. 
 
 ■^.M.S. l.-| vols. 
 London, ])aily (ira].!iio, (dcphe, Tinu's. 
 
 London (icograpliical Socioty .lonrnal. London, 1831-70. 40 vols. 
 Los Anu'plfs ((VI.), Kxi>i-css, News, Star. 
 Lutki' (I'Vodor 1'. I, l'\itL>la'stvie vokni^' svictu, etc., Siii^nr'ii, lS'J(iO. rT'>"i'- 
 
 ni'V ronnd tlic World on tlii" slooj) Siiiiarhi, l<Si.'(J-!l. | St IVtcr.slmr;,', 
 
 \Ki'>: Vovagc autoiir du nionde snr la corvetto lo tiniairinc. I'aris, 
 
 LS;i3-(J. 
 
 McC-die (.rainc's I).), A t'ompreliensive View of our t'ountryand it.s lIcHonrce.s, 
 
 riiiladtliiiiia, etc. n.d. 
 Mol>onald (.1. L.). Hiildon Ti'nasurcs, etc. CJlonecster, 1S71. 
 ?1( Farlane (•lanies). 'Jlic ("oal-rej,'ions of America. Xew ^'ork, 1S7:?, 
 Mo( iifiriir (.Folml, The l'ro_'ress of Aiiieriia. London, 1S47. "_' vols. 
 Maekenzie (Alexander). VovHi^'o froui Montreal to the I'rozen and Pacific 
 
 Oceans, 17.S'.>'.i;$. Lonclon, ISOI. 4to; New York, 1.S14. 
 MeKonoehie, A .Summary \'iew of the Statistics, etc., of the Paeilie Ocean. 
 
 London, Isl.S. 
 ^Macpherson (li:u id). Annals of Commerce. London, 1 SOL 4to. 4 vols. 
 M.daspina. Disertacion sohre la letritimidad de la navejraeion hetlia en l."i<S,S, 
 
 In Col. ]»(ic. lnc(l.. XV. 2'JS: Viaje, 17'.l">. Li Xavanete, Viaj^es. 
 Mahliinailo (Lorencio I'errerl, Jxelaeion del Desculiriiniento del Isslri'i'ln) ^\\^ 
 
 Anian. hi I'acheco and Cardenas, Col. Doc, \. 420; Voyage de la ^ler 
 
 At!;uitii|ne a I'Ocean Paeiti(]ue. I'laisanee, ISIl!. 4to. 
 iMalte-Prun (V. A.t, I'leeis de la (!eograj)hic Universelle. Brnxelles, l,s;5'). 
 
 (i vols, and atlas. 
 Maiiulave ( Kngene de). Resume de I'llistoirc do ^Iexi(jne. Paris, 1S-2(k 
 Marcliand (Ktieniiei, N'oyage antonr du Monde, 17'.K>-2. Paris, n.d. o vols. 
 Markof (.Vlcxev), Puskie na Vostotehnoni, Okeane, etc. [The liussians on 
 
 the Eastern Ocean.] St. Peterslmrg, IS,")(i. 
 Mai'niier (Xavicn. \'a\ Amr'rii|ue et en Europe. I'aris, IS'iO. 
 Martin (I!. M.). The llnd-^ou's I?ay Territories, etc. London, 1S40. 
 Martinez (Esti'Van Jom'), and (ionzalo J..opez de ILiro, Cuarta Exploraeion, 
 
 17.S.S. MS. 
 I\hirysville(('al.). Appeal, Cali.'"onua Exjiress. 
 
 Mass.iehusctts Historical Society. I'roceedings, 1.S(n'{-4. Boston, 1S()4. 
 ]\iaterialui il'a Istoriy Lnsskikh Zasseleniv. [Material for the Ilistorv of 
 
 Kussian Settlements.) St Peterslnu'g, "iSCl . 4 ]iarls. 
 Mam-elle ( I'l-ancisco Antonio), Compendio do Noiicias, \'iagi! de, 1774. MS. 
 Main-ellc (Francisco Antonio), Diario del X'iage de la Sonora. 177"'. ^I"^. 
 Mani'elle (Francisco Antonio), .lonrnal of a \'<iyage in 177"). London, 17!S0. 
 Mamelle (Francisco Antonio), Navegacion, 177i>. M>!. 
 Maury (M. F.). The Physical Coogriipliy of the Sea. Xew York, IS.'m; Id., 
 
 ls.")(>; LI., l^.">7, niany other editions. 
 Mayir Manuscripts. A i;olleetion of .SO copies fiom Mex. arcliixcs. 
 Maynard (Washhurn), Jtepoiton Alaska seal-lisherie.s [14th Cong., 1st Sess., 
 
 II. Ex. Doc. 4.SJ. Washington, 1S7."). 
 Meavf s (.Tohn). Accoinit of Traiie lietween North West Coast of Anui'ic.'i and 
 
 China. Li .M cares' \'oy.. ed. London, I7!I0, Ixvii.; Aii;werto ?.lr Ceoi-'.ro 
 
 Dixon. Lou. loll, 17t(|; Voyages in I7SS-S!) from Cliiiia to tlie N. \V. 
 
 Coast of America. London. I7!l(>. 4to; Id., 17!n. 2 vols. 
 Melantres Pusses Tires du Bulletin Ilisturico i'hilologi.iue. St Peter.sl)iir'', 
 
 Ibo.'i. 
 
xxxu 
 
 AUTHORITIES QUOTED. 
 
 Miimiio Gosudarstvcniifivo sovieta, ISOo and lS(i(». [0[>iuion of Imperial 
 
 ( 'ouiu-il. I MS. ciiiiius. 
 Mofiii.s (lOii^'eiiu Diillot (If); Exploration de FOri-goii, dts Califoniics, etc. 
 
 Paris, 1S44, 2 vols, and atlas. 
 Mohan ( II. ) ft al., IVii I'ictuivs of our Representative Afen. Sac, ISSO. 
 Morris (William (I.), Rupoit upon tlio rosjiircus of Alaska [t.")tli Cong., 3d 
 
 Suss., Sen. Ex. Doc, :><).] W.isli., 1S7!(. 
 ?dorskoi Shiirnik. [Marino INlisccllany. ] St Pctcvsbur^f, 1S4.S tt st'ij. 
 ^liiller (t l»'rliard !•'.), Sannnlnny i iissisulicr (Icsoliiclitcn. St I'clersliur;,', )7.'5-- 
 
 M. {(vols.; Voyages from Asia to America. London, 1701; Voyagi.s tt 
 
 dcconvtrtc's failes )'ar los Russus. Anistcnlam, 17li(i. 
 Muraviuf (Matvui I.), Puti.shcstvie korald. R. A. Romiianiy I'lenar/, Sitkhi. 
 
 (\'oyag(! of tlio Rii.-!sian Amcricun Company's .ship Li' iia from Sitka, 
 
 lS_*('i. ] 111 Zapi.ski llydr., viii. 
 Miirpliy (T. (I.), History of Alaska. In Ala'-ka Ti!n<'3. 
 ^Murjiliy and Ilarnet. See l)irtetorii's. I'uget Sound. 
 
 ^Murray (Hugh), Historical Aix'ount of Discoveries and Travels in X. Amer- 
 ica. London, IS-it. 'J vol.s. 
 
 Xanaimo (R. C), Free Presa, Gazette. 
 
 Xajia City (Cak), Xapa County Reporter. Register. 
 
 Narrative of Occurrences in the Indian Countries of X. America. London, 
 
 KSI7. 
 Xavarrete (Martin Fernandez), Introduccion. In SuUl y Mi'xicana, Viage; 
 
 V iagcs Aiu'icrifos. In Col. Due, Im'd., xv. 
 
 Xi 
 
 X; 
 
 iMciiten V 
 
 ron d' 
 
 euen neuentdektcn Insuln in der kcc zwischeu Asien 
 
 mid Ainei'ika. llaii 
 
 'tc, ]77d. 
 
 (Cal.), iloiirnal, 'J'ranscript. 
 
 Xew Helvetia, Diarv of Invents in ISl.'i-S. ,MS. 
 
 Xew York, Cnniiiiercial .!( 
 
 il. Forest and Stream, Craphic, Hi'rald, Illui 
 
 trateil Cliiistian Weekly, Journal of Coinmerce, Post, Sun, Sumlay 
 
 Times, Times, Tribune. 
 X'icolay ((.'. (!.), The Oregon Territory. London, IS40. 
 Xiles' Register, lialtimore, etc., ISl 1-4(1. 7() vols. 
 Xordenskjold (A. K. ), 'Jhe X'oyage of the Vega. Xew York, 1882. 
 Xorlh .\ineiiean Review. Rostoii, ISl!) et i^. (|. 
 
 Xorthein P, 
 
 ity of Success. Lond( 
 
 ge, Siiiiimary ()l)seivatiou.s and Facts to Show the Pr.acticJibil- 
 
 7(J. 
 
 Xotice sur la Caledoiiie Oceidentale. In X'ouv. An. Vov., xiv. 47. 
 
 velk'S Aunales des Voyages. Pi 
 
 lsi,)-ii). 
 
 II,S vo. 
 
 Xovosti Literatura. [Literary Xovelties.] St Petersburg, IS'J.S et scq. 
 
 Oakland (Cal.), Xews, Press, Transcript. 
 
 Ogorodnikof (Ivan), Ot Xiu Yorlia do San Francisco. [From X'ew York to 
 
 San Francisco.] St Peter:d)ur;;-. ISiii). 
 Ob*'-- Jii J.Jon), Alaska Lysing a landi og Lands-Kostnm, etc. AVa.sliington, 
 
 1875. 
 Olympia (Wash.). Comniercia 
 
 1 Age, l'^,clio. Paci 
 
 TribuiK', Paget Sound 
 
 Courier, 'i'erritorial lU'publican, TraiiJ-eript. 
 Overland .Monthly. San Francisco, lS(J.''^7r). l'}\( 
 
 I'aeheco (Joa(jniii ]•'.), and Cardenas et al.. Coleciion tie Documeiitos Iiu'di- 
 
 relativos al i)i'Scubriinieiiio. Ccin<|uista 
 
 Col 
 
 onixaeion ile 
 
 las 1'. 
 
 sioiics 
 
 naiiolaa en America. Maihid, l.s()-i-Si. .'Si vols. 
 
 Pacilie Jledic.l and Surgical .loiiriial. San Fraiii isco. 1S,")S et seij. 
 
 I'allas (Peter S.), Russiyskikh Olkrytiakh, etc |Dcscriplion of Xortliern 
 Archi]Kdago. ] In Subranie, Xordi.<clie ReitriiLie. St IVtersburg, etc., 
 17''-1 !H>. 7 Mils.; Reiso durcli verschiedeno piovin:.;cii der Russischen 
 
 lieiei 
 
 >t iVtersbi 
 
 1771-0. ;j vols. 
 
AUTHOR ITIi:.S QUOTED. 
 
 XX.'vlU 
 
 rainier (A. IT.), !Mcin(/ir, Cli'Otrnipliical, Pdlitirii!, mv\ rnmmcrcial. on t!io 
 jircM'ut sialo, vie, of Silieria. [li.lili Cong., I.st .Scs.s., Son. Mi.-i. J)oi'. <SI). J 
 Wr.h., ISIS. 
 
 I'nlou I I'ninricilo), Xoticias do la Califoniia. ^Icxioo, l.S.")7. In l)oi'. lli^t. 
 ^Ilx., SL'i'. iv. loni. vi. -vii.; San 1 raiicisco, 1^74. 4 vols.; lioliicion Jiia- 
 to'.ira do Li Vida olo. do .Innipi To So;Ta. Moxioo, 17^7. 
 
 Tapers iv'alint; to llio TroiUy of \v'ashington. Vol. v. Ikiliii Arbitration. 
 Washington, 1S72. 
 
 I'atti r^on ^.•^anllu■l), Narrative of Adventures and SuH'crings iu I'acilic Ocean, 
 rainier, 1SI7. 
 
 I'avno {.lolin), A \e\v and Complete .System of Uuiverrial Ceography. New 
 ' York, 171KS. 4 vols. 
 
 I'eiroo ( 1 linry A.), .(oiirnal i>f Voy.igcs, l>sn!)-4'_'. MS. 
 
 Tuirco (Henry A.), l!on-h Skoteli. .MS. 
 
 IVHuini (Cavendijli), Tlie World. London, 1808. 4to. •_» vols. 
 
 IVna (i'oin/is). 1 )iari(j de Viago do I'ere/, 1774. MS. 
 
 IVreksliin (Nikolai), Doidad. [Report. J In Morskoi, Sitornik. 
 
 ] 'en.;'; (.hum), Kcl.ieicin del \'iagc, 1774. MS. 
 
 I'erez (.Juan), 'J'ahLi Diaria. 1774. .MS. 
 
 I'erry (M. C.), Xarra.ive of tiie Ivxpjdilion of an American Stpiadron to the 
 ( 'liina Sea. Wa.^liin;;ton, ls,")(i. 41o. ;$ v o's. 
 
 IVtalunia (Cal.). Ar,.;uti. CreseenL, .Journal and Ar'^us. 
 
 I'elit-Tliouars (Abel), \\)yago autour da .Monde, KS;!(5-9. Pari.s, 1840-4. 
 .■) vols. 
 
 I'ctrof (Ivan), -Vlaxka as it is, In International Review. I'd). iJv'-d; Limit 
 of the lunuit Tribes on the .Ma^^ka (',ia:-.t. In Anierieau Xatnr.ilist, .July 
 ISS-J; I'o]iulation anil Rosourees of .Ma>ka. |4uth t 'ong., I5d Se.^.j., 1 1. Lx. 
 Due. 40.J WaL^h., l;.SI. 
 
 I'etrof (Ivan), The Management of the Russiun .American Company. MS. 
 
 I'hiladelphia, Inquirer, 
 
 rieolo (I'Vancisco M.), Memorial .sobre id estado de lis iiii<iones nuevamenle 
 cst;ib!ecidas en la Calit'ornia. la (.'arta.n Udiiicanto.s, iii. l!.')7. 
 
 I'iuart (Al[)hon:3c), Lcs Aleoutes et kiir Origine. In Revue Orientale, xii. 
 1")."); La Caverno d'.Vkananlc He d'Ounga. I'ari/s, l.S7">; liskimaux et 
 Koloehes Idees Reiigieuses, etc. l'ar::<, 1S7.''; Xotes sur lea I'ioloelics. 
 Paris, lS7o; Xoto sur les .\tkalis. I'aris, 187;'; Voyages ;i la (',) to Xord 
 Oucst de I'.Am 'rique. I'aris, lS7i"). folio; La eiiasse I'.n.x ainmanx marin.s 
 et Icspecherieschezles Iiidigeuca dcla eOteX. O. Roulogue, S. M., 187r). 
 8vo. 
 
 Piukerton (John), (Jenerril CoUoction of Voyages and 'j'ravels. Lundun, 
 1808-14. 4to. 17 vols. 
 
 Piochc (Xev.), Record. 
 
 Placcrvillo (Cal.), Mount.ain Democrat. 
 
 Ple;Hchdef (Sergi I.), Survey of the Ru.j.iian Empire. London, 17!'-. 
 
 Politol'.iky (X.), Kratkoio Istoriclieskoio ()bi);:r;;iiie Obra/ovaiiie y Deistvio 
 Kossiysko-Amerik., etc. [Rrief historical review <jf origin and transac- 
 tions of Russian American Company. J ,St Petersliurg, bilJl. 
 
 Ponafidin (Z:dchar I.), Pute;Viiestvie i/, k;,lh-.() do Siiklii LSl!;-18. [Voyage 
 from Callao to Sitka, 1SU;-18.J In Z;ij;i.-.ki Hydr. vii. 
 
 Portland (Dr.), Ree, llulletin, Cummercial, Deutelic Zeitung, Herald, Ore;;on 
 Hendal, Oregonian, Standard, Telegram, \Ve.st .'■^hore. 
 
 Portloek (Nathaniel), Voya'.;(! round tlu^ World, 17S,")-8. London, 178.")-S. 4to. 
 
 PortTownscnd (Wa:-h.), .Vrgus, DeuKJcratic I'l'e.ss, ,Mess:ige. 
 
 Potechin ( v.), Settlement of Ross. St Petei-.sbiirg, l;../,l. 
 
 Pons in ((t. T.), (,)uestion de POregon. Paris, 1840; The United States. 
 Philadelphia, 18.")L 
 
 Prescott (.Vriz. ), Arizona ^liner. 
 
 Quarterly Review. London, 1800 et seq. 
 
" 
 
 >:x::iv 
 
 AUTHORITIES QUOTED. 
 
 r.iullo (T-.), Einifjo Xachriclitcii iilior <lic Si>rnc!ic dcr Kai,!.'ancn. SL Peters- 
 
 lim;,', IS.iS. 
 llaiiil()l|'li (IvIiiuhkIK Oriitiiiii lifforc Souiuty of C'al. JMniicors, Scj)t. ISIiO. 
 
 Ill llutfliiiiy.s' Ma.!,'., V. •_'(;;{. 
 liaviiioiid (CliarloH \V.), Ituport of Viiknu I'ivur ami island nf St I'aiil. .laii. 
 
 1, lS7()|MHt('nii'.'., -Jil Scss., H. j;x. I)(.c. \\-2\. Wasliiii-toii, is;,). 
 Kayiial (O. T.), Ilistoirc l'liil.is(i]ilii<|\a'. Paris, ISl>()-|. \2 vols. an. I atlas, 
 licilii rclif.H I'liilosDjiliiqucs sill' Ics .\iiK'iicaiii.s. Lomloii, 1770. '_' vol.s. 
 Ivi'il Dliiir (C'al.), In(k>|iuiiik'iit, Sontiiicl. 
 Itcvilla (iigcilo (N'irey), Iiifoniio tic 12 Abril, 1~'M. In IJii.'itaniantc Suplo- 
 
 nicnto, iii. ] IJ. 
 JJcviic lies Doiix Monik'S. Paris, IS.'iO et seq. 
 ]tcvu(\ Oriontalo ct Anii'vicaine. Paris, 1S.7.( vt avq, 
 Picliai-ilsoii (.Sir, John), Arctic Soarcliinf^ J'^.xijoditioii. London, ISol. 2 vols.j 
 
 'J'lic I'dlar Itt'u'ions. Kdinbiirfih, 1801. 
 Ricliiir<ls(iii I.I.) I't al., Zoiilogy of IVcclit-y's Voyage. Lund., 1h:!!I-I0. 
 I'.idpath (.lolin (".), A Popnlai' History of tliu I'. .S. New \'nik, 1~>77. 
 Piviims (Ivlward F. ). Atlantis, .lournal (k's Xeiitsten und Wisscnswiiidigaten 
 
 ito. l.ciii/.iLr. lS-_'7. 
 Rocky Mountain l'rcsl)ytcriMn. Denver, 1877 et seij. 
 IkK;(is (Coiiuiiander Jolui), J.,etters on Surveying ]v\peditioii to Xortli Pacilio 
 
 Ocean, ISerin^f.s Straits, ami Cliina Seas, -Vug. lo.i4 to .June 18.")."). Td.i. 
 
 'JmjIs. In I'. S. Xavy I )ipaitnicnt. \V.:sliington, 1). C 
 ]lo(]Uefeuil (Caniille). .Toni'ual d'unVoy.'ige autoui'du Monde^ 18l(')-l!(. Paii:^, 
 
 lS'j;{. -2 vols. ; Voyage lound the World, lSl(i-li». London, l.S-';}. 
 ]!osel)Uig (Or. ), Western Star. 
 1I.OSS (.loJHi), Narrative of a second voyage in search of a X. W. Passage. 
 
 ].,oniton, ls,'{."). 
 Poss ("iilony. Documents vi'lating to. In Ihissian Anier. Col. v. 
 ]L()>si I L',\bi)e), Souvenirs d'un X'oyage en OrJguu et en Californie. Paris, 
 
 IS()4. 
 Potclief (Alex.). Dee.lof Ross to Sutter, 1841. MS. 
 
 Potlirocii (.loscjih T.), Flora of Alaska. In Smithsonian Report 18(i7. 4.'>I5. 
 Riiuhaud ( llippolyte), Les Regions Xouvelles. Faris, 18t)8. 
 l!ussia. Imperial (k'ographical Society. St Fetershuvg, etc., ISOJ^) et sen. 
 Russia, Oliicial Documents. Dcpuitnient of Foreign All'airs; Ministry of the 
 
 Interior; Ministi'V of War. 
 Russia, Treaty with. Report of Connnitteo of Foreign Aflairs, May 18, 181)8. 
 
 I litth Coiig., 'Jd Se.ss., ][. Report :i7.\ Washington, 18(J8. 
 Russian America, A Collection. 7 vols. MS. 
 Itussian America, Message of the President of the U. S. Feb. 17, 18()8. [-!(>tk 
 
 i.'>m:^., -Jd Sess., H. 'K\. Doc. 177.) \Vashington, 181)8. 
 I'ussiai) American Comjiany, Archives. St Petersburg, 17'.K>-1SC7. 
 liussian American Ciimj)aiiy, Charters of 170!*, 1821, 1842. In Tikhmeiief 
 
 1st. Olioz. and Mati'iialui. 
 I'ussian Ami'rican l'"ur ( 'omiiany. Accounts, 1847-50. M.S. 
 liussian Amc'rican Telegraph, .Statement of the Origin, Orgaukatiou, etc. 
 
 Rochester, 18(j(). 
 
 Sacramento (Pal.), Pee, Record, l^-cord-L'^nion, Reporter. 
 
 Saint Amant (M. de), ^'oyagc8 en Californie et dans FOregon. Paris, 18j4, 
 
 Saint I'etersburg, Archives of History. 
 
 f-ideui (Or.), ('a])ital. Chronicle, ^lercury, Oregon Statesman, Record. 
 
 .Sal;. Fake City, Herald. 
 
 I'-'alvatieria (.luan !Maria), Cuatro Cartas sobre misionos en Californias, Xov. 
 
 l(j|)7. In ]>oc. Hist. Mcx., .seiio ii., tom. i. 103; Infornie al Vircy, T.Iay 
 
 2."), 170"). In ^'enegas, Xoticia ii. 
 ''aiTiiiilung J'.lkr Reiscbeschreibnngcu. Leipzig, 1747-74. 4to. 21 vo';j. 
 (■j.in I'ranciseo Newspapers. Alaska Ap]iea!, Alaska Herald, Alaska Tiilnr.ic, 
 
 Alta California, Argonaut, Call, Christian Advocate, Chronicle, Com- 
 
 '^1 
 
 .*: 
 
AUTIIOniTIKS QUOTI'D. 
 
 XXXV 
 
 tmrciiil TTcnilil niid Maikct Hcvicw, llvcniiij,' llulli'tii), K-.aniiiicr, f JoMcii 
 Ilia. Ili'!:il(l, •liiui iKil (if ('oiiiiiii'ii'i', Miiiiii',' jiml Sriciititic I'lvss, Niv.s 
 Li'tti-r. Ocuiili'iit, i'.n'itii' Cliuiilmiini, I'.icilif llni'.il I'lcss. I'dst. Scioiuiiic 
 Press. Stars anil Strijifs, Ti'iniHTaiici! Ailvorati', Tinas, Trilnino. 
 
 Sim .liis(' (<'.il), Ai'irns, .NIcri iiry, Patriot, Saiitu Clara Argua. 
 
 S iiilit I'.'tci'sliurt,"'!' Kiiliiiilcr I7.">(), ot slmj. 
 
 San I.r.is ()lii.s]Ki (Cal.), 'I'rihiinc. 
 
 Si-nta IJ.irluuu (Cal.). Trt'ss. 
 
 ^;ailt:l Clara (Cal.), N'fws. 
 
 ^;•l!lta- Cruz (Cal.), County Times, Sentinel. 
 
 Savyclicf ((Javrila A.), Vuteslicstvie i koraM OlkniHi'. [Voya^'i; of Klotip 
 ' OlL-nilic] St IVterHhnri,', ISO-J. 4to. 2 vols. 
 
 .Saner (M.'irtin), Aeconnt of u ( !<'ograiiliic;il ami .Vstrononiical ICxiieditioii to 
 the Xorthern Parts of Russia. London, IS()2. 
 
 Seala (Coiute ile), Inlliienee de I'Ancien Coinptoir Kusse eu Californio. In 
 N'onv. An. \'oy., exliv. .ST"). 
 
 Seanniion (Cliarlvs M.). Cod-i"iHliery, in Overlaml, iv. 4!{() : I'lir Seals, in 
 Overland, iii. :!!):>; Wlialini,'. Xoitliern, in Ovt'rland, v. .".^s : A Jtus.-iiiii 
 J5oat-\'oyai,'e, in Oveiland, xv. TmI. 
 
 Solierei' (dran 15.). Iteclu'relies Jlistoriijui'S et (!eo'^'riii)lii((Ues suf le Xouveau 
 Monde. Paii<. 1777. 
 
 Sclilii/er (.\n,!,'n»t L.), Ailu'enieine <!<'si'liielito von dein Xorden. IlalU', 1771. 
 
 S<h;no!der (Cajjt. J!.), Xeuer Pralviisclni' We^wtiser fiir X'ord-.V.rierika. 
 .Main/. 1S4!I. 
 
 S( attle (W'asli.). Intelli,i,'encer, Paeillo Trilmne, Pun;et Sound Dispateli. 
 
 Seeniaii (iiertiiold), X'arr.itive of the Vova,L;i' of the //< nilil IS4.'>-.')I. l^ondon, 
 is.-;). •„' vols. 
 
 Sewar 1 (William 11.). ( 'oniinuiiierition upon the suhjeet of an intereontinenliil 
 tek'i^raiih. Wash.. i.sf;4; Our Xorth Paeilic State.s (SpeeelK-s,, A-,;g. U,(J'.). 
 Wasli., IS(i!». 
 
 Sjihnef (.\le.N. S.), Istoriehuskie Ouherki. [Historical Sketches.) In M(jr:,koi 
 Shornik, Vol ci-eiii. 
 
 Shalielski (.\chille). Voyage anx colonies rns.ses IS'Jl-l!:?. St Petershurg, IS-Jli. 
 
 Shaw (Francis A.). P>rief History of Russia. J5oston, 1S77. 
 
 Shelikiif (( Jrigor), IVrvoie Stranstvovanie, etc. | Fii'st Voyages of tlu> Russia)i 
 .Merchants, 17,s;{and 17>i7. ) St Peterslmrg. 17ii(); I'lodolsheiiie | Furtlier 
 Voyages 17SSJ. St Pi-tci'shurg, 17'.!-; Puteshestoiu [Voyages]. St Peters- 
 lmrg, ISl-J. 
 
 Sibir Zolotni l)no. fSiheria's ("lolden Soil. | .St Peterslmrg, l7tiS et secj. 
 
 Sihirslcaia Istoria. [History of Siberia.) St Petersburg, 17.')!) et .sei|. 
 
 Si'ii!-si;yo ^■iestnik fSilierian Messen!;er|. St Petersburg, bSIS et f.eii. 
 
 Siniinonds (I'. L.), Sir .li^hn I'ranklin and the Arctic Regions. JUiUalo. JS./J. 
 
 Simpson (Si)' Oeorge), X'arrative of a Journey round the World. London, 
 bS47. 2 vols. 
 
 Sitka, Alaska Times, M.S. and print; I'ost, .MS. and j)rint. 
 
 Sitk;i Archives. In J.,ibrary of ])cpartuieiit of State, Wasliington, D. C 
 
 i.s(i2-(i7. 1.S2 vols. :ms. 
 
 Smith.sonian Institution, .Vimual Reports. Washington. ISo.'l et seq. 
 
 Sobranie Sochinenii; (Literary CoIK'ctions). .St Peter.U)nrg, I7<i()etseq. 
 
 Societe de (Jeogi'aphie, IJuUetin. Paris, IS'i.") et se(|. 
 
 Sokolnf (.Mexandcr), Pxi'ing and Chiiikof. St Petersburg, 1S4!I; Istoria 
 .Severuyikh Puteshestviy [Histoiyof Xorthern expeditions l7;!.'>-4;![. iu 
 Zapiski llyilr. ix.; Khvostof and Davidof, in Zapiski llydr. \.; I'roisk- 
 hoshdenie Okhotsk:' [Origin of Okiiotsk], in .Morskoi Sbornik; Zanic- 
 ehaniy o Sevriiiiili Kkspedit/iy 17;W-4.'{ [Remarks on the Account of 
 t!ie northern exi)editions of 17.i'i-4;>|, iu M(nsk(n .Sbornik; Russischo 
 iMitdeekungsreisen nach deni nordostliciien Asien, etc. Ijerlin, IS.')."). 
 
 Sokolof (Sasili), \'oyagc of Alexander Markoll' from Okhotsk to Cal., 1S35. 
 -MS. 
 
 Sonora (Cal.) Herixld, Union Democrat. 
 
Xa?;vi 
 
 AUTFIOIUTIES QUOXrD. 
 
 11 
 
 ! I 
 
 Ulill! 
 
 SoutlKa'ftora Alaska, Memorial nf tlip jtoojilo tr) the PresicUiil ami Con,TCS3 
 
 • it ilic U. S. All;,'. 1(1, iNiSl. 11.1.1., Issl. 
 SoutliiTii (jMiartcily licviuw. Xcw Oiltiina I'to. , l.S-1'2 ct sorj. 
 S|anl)i'rj,', Joiirinil, in 'IN-lxiLslc .Arcliivcn, (jnotod liy Sokolof. InZapislii Ilyilr. 
 Niiailv 1 (•lii''''<l), l.iii! <)( ,li)liii Lcilvaril. Cuiiil)rid',t', lo'J.S. 
 8tae!iiiii (J. von), Au Account of tho New Isortliuni Archipelago. London, 
 
 1774. 
 State I'Mjicrs, Saciiinicnto. MS., IJ) vols, in ArcLivo do Cal. ; LI., Mis.siona 
 
 aiiil ('i)loni/ati(in. '2 vols. 
 StclliT ((!c'or;,'e \\'.), IJesclirt'ibiin',' von dciii Landc Kanit.scliatkii. J'^rankfiirt, 
 
 t.tc, I77i; licisc von lianitscliatkanacli Auarika. St. IV'tci.sljiir^,', I7l';{. 
 Steven 1 (Isaac L), NortliwcHt America, adilrcss Dec. '2, lurtii. Vv'ashington, 
 
 is.-,,s. 
 
 Stocliton (Cal.), fiazcttc, IleraM, Lidepeudent, San Joafiiiin Itepiiblieaii. 
 Stir.'gi.s (William), Noitlnvest I'ur 'I'radc Li JIunt's Mercli. Ma;;., xiv. tt',\'2, 
 Stnr|,'i3 (William), J>em:iil;.s on Xortlnvest C'oa.st. MS. [Li po.s.-ieji«ioii of 
 
 |)r Miiiil J'.essels.J Wa.sliiiigton, 1>. (J. 
 Sumnci- (Ciiarli.s), Sjieeeh on the Cussiion of Russian America to the I'. S. 
 
 Wasliiiigton, 1S(;7. 
 Sutil y Moxicana, Jielacion del Viage liecho por las Goletas. ^Lldrid, 1802. 
 
 atlas. 4to. 
 Sutter (.lolin A.), Examination of tho Russian Grant. Sacramento, KSiJO. 
 Sutter (John A.), IVisonal Itecollections. MS. 
 
 Syn Oteclicstva. [Son of the Fatherland.] St I'eterylmrg. ISiOetscq. 
 .Syn<l, .see Jierg (V'asili). IvhronologicheskaTa Istoria, etc. tSt I'eterbuig, 1S20. 
 
 Taylor (Alexander S.), Historical Summary fif Lower Califi.riiia. Li lirowne'a 
 
 ^lin. lies.; Specimens of the I'res:;. [luS. F. -Mcic-nitili' Lihrary.J 
 Taylor (.lnnKS \V.), Northwest British America. St I'aul, ISO ). 
 Tciiitehiiiiif (Zakahar), Adventures of an I'hnploye of tho liussiun Ainei'ican 
 
 J'r.r i'onijiany. IS0_'-7S. MS. 
 Tcbenhof (.MikliaTl ]>.), Atlas of the Northwest Coast of America. Sfc I'etcrs- 
 
 liuri:, l,S.V2. 
 Teleskoii (Tlu' 'i'elescope). Moscow, l>S2."i et seq. 
 
 'Jhornton (.f. Quiiin), Orcrjon and California in IS-IS. X. Y., 1840 2 vola. 
 Tiioma:! ((ieorgo JI.), Repoit of tour in Alaska, loO!). [41st Cong., 'Jd Sess., 
 
 II. K\. Doc. 1. 1 Washington, ISGt). 
 Tikhmenef (1*.), lytoricheskoio Obozranic Ohrazovanio l{(\sKiysko Amei'ikan- 
 
 skiii Ivompaniy [Historical review of the origin of the Russian Ameiicaa 
 
 ('om|)anyJ. St I'eter.sburg, 1801, JSO.'i. 2 vols. 
 Tilliu!,', Reisu un <lie \V'elt. Asehnllcnburg, lSo4. 
 Tobolsk Archives. In Zapiski Ilydr. 
 
 Tooko (William), View of the Russian Empire. Dnbliu, ISOl. 3 vols. 
 Truman ( Benjannn C.), Occidental Skctclie.t. San I'r:. uci.sco, IS.Sl. 
 Tulubief (Irenarkh), I'uteshcstvic shloopavl/.o/f -«n, R'21-24. [Voyagoof the 
 
 A/>oll:.n. 1S21-24.] In Zapiski Hydr, viiS, 
 Tuscarora (Xcv.), Times Review. 
 
 I'lithill (Franklin), History of California. i'-n\ r'raneisco, 18GG. 
 Twiss (Ti-avcrs), Tho Oregon (Question. J. .ii'.on, 1841J; The Oregon Terri- 
 tory. Xcw York, lS4(i. 
 Tyler (iiobert ().), Revised outline descriptions of the posts and stations of 
 
 troops in the military division of the I'aciiic. San l''ranei;'.co, 1S72. 
 Tytler (I'atrick Fra",cr), Historical View of the Progress of Discovery. Edin- 
 
 bui'gli, 1833; New York, lSu5. 
 
 Ukiah (Cal.), Democratic Dispatch, Mendocino Democrat, Mendocino Her- 
 ald. 
 Uml'rcN ille (Edward), The Present State of lludiwn'a liay. London, 1790. 
 Uuionville (Xev.), Register. 
 
m 
 
 AUTiiouiTirs quoti:d. 
 
 xxxvu 
 
 ! vob. 
 (I Sfsi;., 
 
 uei'ik;!!!- 
 liueiicaa 
 
 ■40 of the 
 
 Torri- 
 ations of 
 Ellin- 
 no Her- 
 1700. 
 
 Uni.'cil St;itc.4 fVwfit nml fionilctii; Siirvcy, V. V. Vut\.n-:m'.\ Siiiit. Pacific 
 CcMiMt I'ilot, Alu:;l;a. \Va.shiii.;t<)ii. IsT'.t. 
 
 I'liituil Sial;.4 Kxpliiriii;,' Kxpcditioii [WiliiciJ. J'hihuli'liiliia, 1S44-."S. It.), 
 17 vols. ; fdli.i, M vols. 
 
 Uuittil Stall's (aiili'L'ii'al Siirvcy.f of tilt' 'J'crritorics, F. V. Ilaydfii. AiiiMial 
 JIi'lMnts, IjiillL'tins, MiscL'llaacuus I'uljlioatiuii:*, t'to, \\'a.sliiiiL;tni, \s',l 
 i't«i'i{. 
 
 United States fiC'olof^ical untl Ouoftrapliical Siii'veys, .1. W. I'dwcU. t'luilri- 
 Imtiiius to N'urtli AiiitricaM luliiii)lii;^'y. \\ asliiiiu'ton, l.'i7i>. 
 
 United States (lovirniiieiit I'oeiinuiit-i. A;,'iieMltiui', liineau nf StatislieH, 
 Census, ('i>ast Survey, CninnieiN'e and Navigation. ( 'iiiiiiiien.ial Kelatioiiii, 
 J'Mueatiuii, I'iiianee, Indian Atiiiirs, liiterinr, i,aiid Oiiieo, Navy Ueji'irt 
 of Secretary, ro.stniaster ( loneral. Secretary of War, Signal Service llu- 
 jiorts. Tieasiiry. Cited liy their liatis. 
 
 United States < ii.vetiiiiieiit Pncununtr'.. I!')\iho I'lxec. lloc., li'iu^e donrii.'d, 
 House -Miseel. J)<ic., Ji(pusc Ilejioits of Coni., Messa','e aiul l)<icuinents, 
 Senate J'^xec. Doi?., .Journal, .Mi-eel. Koe., Kept;;. Ci.ni. Cited l>y con- 
 gress iin<l session. .Many of llie.se documents have, however, sepumto 
 titles, for which see author or topic. 
 
 V.illejo (.Tosc do .Tesus), Reniinisconcias Historica. ^IS. 
 
 \ .•illejo (.Mariano (I.), (/orrespondeiuia Ili.stnrica. M.S. 
 
 Nallejc) (.Mariano (i.), Docunicntos para la llistoria do California, 17(19-1850. 
 
 Sis. .'i7 \.)Is. 
 \'aneoiiver ((leorge). Voyage of Discovery to the Pacific Ocean. L' iid., 1798. 
 
 H vols. -Ito. iitlas in folio; Lond., 1801. (i vols. ; Voyage et 1 '1 coiivertea 
 
 ;'i rOci'an I'aeiliijiie, etc. Paris, An., viii. .'t vols. -ko. atle. ; iu lolio. 
 \'assilii f (Ivan P.), Vuipiski iz Zliurnuh.' etc. [Extract from log-liooU of ship 
 
 J'iii/aiii/.] In Xovosti Literatura, IJSL'.'}, vi. 
 Vassilief (Mikhail X.), () jdavanie, vU\ [Voyage of Olkrnitiv and Duhriiie 
 
 X'lnim nil'.] In Syn (Hcehestva, ISJO. 
 ^'ell('v;as (.Miguel), Xoticia do la California y de su CoiKpii^sta Temporal, etc. 
 
 .Madrid, 17-"»7. 'A vol.'. 
 \'eiiiaminof (loaiiu), Sclireiheu aus Kanitschiitka [f:o:ii ti'.c .Moskow ^'icdo- 
 
 ii:o:-t|; Z.'i]iisky ol» Ostrovakli ()i);iala.shkiiiskago Otdii l.i [Letters ou 
 
 Islands of L'lialaska Di.strict]. St I'etershurg, lis4v). -J vols. 
 'Veritas,' I'^xamination of the lius.jian Cirant. n.jik, n.d.; Is the tn'.de of 
 
 Alaska to be wrested from general competition, etc. San Francisco, 
 
 JS71. 
 Via'^-ero Univcnsal (El). Madrid, 17W1-1S01. 4^ yah. 
 A"ia','e;3 en la Costa al X'orte do Califoniias. Cojiy from .Snanish Archives. 
 
 "".MS. [From Prof. <;co. David.son.J 
 Victoria (15. C.), British Colonist, Chronicle, Express, Standiii'il. 
 Villaviceiicio (.luan J.), Vida y Virtutles de el venerahlo P. .Juan da Ugartc. 
 
 Mexico, 17.V2. 
 Virginia (Xcv.), Evening Chronicle, Tcri'itorial Enterprise. 
 \"o\a'.;es, J F.istorical Aeeouiit of, i-ound the World. L.'Ud., 177i-Sl. G vols. ; 
 
 Xew Collection. London, 1707. 7 vols. 
 
 Vwdlacc (D. Mnekcnzio), Russia. Xew Vork, 1.S7S, 
 
 Walla Vwdla (\Vas!i.), Statesinan. 
 
 V\ird (.lames C), Three Weeks in Sitka. :MS. 
 
 A\'a.^lnii'4ton (1.). ('.), Capital, (.'hrouicle. Critic, Evening .Star, Moniin" Xew-s, 
 
 o: I, i rihiine. 
 Westdahl (Fenii'tand). Ala.ska. :>f.S. 
 Wliit(! (,). W.), A Cruise in .\Jaska [JOth Coug.^.^l Se.si?., Sen. Ex, Doc. 8], 
 
 Washington, ^^^)i». 
 ^\'hitl.l■y (.1. ]).), X'otioe of the Mountain Heights iu the U. .S. .San Fran- 
 
 ci.-;co, lSti2. 
 
XXXVIU 
 
 AUTHORITIES QUOTED. 
 
 Whynipcr (Frcdprick), Journey from Xorton Souml to Fort Yukon. In Lond. 
 (Jeog. fioc. .Fi)ur., xxxvi'i. •210; Triivcl iiinl .Vilvcnt.iie in tlio Toi-ritory of 
 Alaska. Xuw York, ISt'!*; Voyage ct Aventurus duns rAlasku. I'aris, 
 1871. 
 
 Wilkts (diaries), Xarrative of tlie U. S. Explorini,' Expedition, riiiladcl- 
 pliia, KS44, 4to. ;] volt*. ; I'liiladtdpliia, lS4o, .")voIs.; London, KS4."i. 
 
 Woodland (Cal.), Xuw.s, 'I'olo DcnioLiat. 
 
 Wrauj^'fll (Ferdinand 1' 1, Tiio Americans of Upper California. In Telcskop, 
 1S3.">, Sketch of a Journey fi'oni Sitka to St l'etersl)niy. St IVternliiug, 
 lS;iO; Statistisclio uml Etlniogra|)lii.selio naclirioliten iilier die Jlussiselien 
 Uesitzungen. St I'eter.shuij,', \S',H); N'oyago to tlio uovtliern shores of 
 Sil.eria, etc., 1>S-J()-1'4. St rctersl.urL;. KS41. 
 
 Wythe (W. T. ), Cook's Inlet. In Overland, xiii. (J4; Kodiak and Soutlieru 
 Alaska. In Id., viii. o05. 
 
 
 Yermolof (M. ), Extrait d'une note sur rAmoricpic russe. In Xouv. An. Voy., 
 
 cxi. 
 Yozlieniesiechnaic Sochinenie [Monthly Magazine]. St I'etcrsburg, 17.jO 
 
 et acq. 
 Yreka (Cal.), .loiinial. Union. 
 Yuba City (Cal.), Sutter ISanner, Sutter County Sentinel. 
 
 Zahriskio (.Tames C), The l'ul)lic J^and La«3 of the U. S. San Francisco, 
 KS70; Su))p!enieiit. San J''ranei: lo, JS77. 
 
 Zagoskin (A.), I'ieshekhodnaia Opis Cliasty llusskikh Vladeniy v Amerikii 
 [I'eiU'strian I'^xploi-atinn (if Parts of tiie Iius:.iaii Possessions in America, 
 1.S4-2-4J. St I'etersourg, IS47, -J vol.s. 
 
 Zaikof (Stepan), Kr.-itkoio olxizi'aniu puteshestviy ua Ostrovakh, etc. [Sum- 
 mary of tiio voyages to the islands situated between Asia and America.] 
 In Sobranie Soch. 
 
 Zapiski Admiralti'istkago Dep.aitamenta. [.Journal of the Adnnralty Depart- 
 ment.! St IVtersburi.'. lS()7etse((. 
 
 Zapisl;i Jl yilro','raliclieska_o Dcpartamenta. [.Journal of Hydrograjihie l)e- 
 j)artmeiit.] St IVter.sburg, JiS42etse(|, 
 
 Zapiski Ixiisskago Ceogialiclieslcago Olishestva. [l'ulilicati(jns of the Russian 
 ( Jeouraphical Society.] St Petersburg. IM.SS et seep 
 
 Zapiski mhenago komiteta moiskago slital)a. [.luurnal of Connnittee on In- 
 struction of Xaval Staff.] St I'eteisburg, IS'JS et Kei|. 
 
 ZarendM)(l>ioiiis F. ), j'uteshestvie iz KinonshtadtadoSitkhi, 1S40-41. [Voy- 
 
 airo from 
 
 (itadt to Sitka, lM()-4i. | In Zapiski lly.lr. vii 
 
 Zavalishin (Uniitri I.), Dielo o Kolouiy Ross (Affairs of the Ross Colony). 
 
 ■ik 
 
 S(i{). 
 
 Zeleniy (X.), Correspondence. In Sitka Archives, MS., vols, i.-vii. 
 Zinirnal dcpai'tamcnta naro<lnago prosvieshclienia. [.Journal of tlie Dcpa 
 niout of Public Instruction.] St I'etcrsburg, 1S2J et se(|. 
 

 m 
 
 1. In Loiiil, 
 
 
 'IVi-iitdiy cjf 
 
 •*,. 
 
 sliii. riiris, 
 
 * 
 
 . Pliila.kl- 
 
 
 u, 1S4."). 
 
 
 n Tflcskoj), 
 
 ^^ 
 
 IVtcrHlniig, 
 
 'jBR 
 
 JkU.s.si.sclieu 
 
 
 11 shorcsi of 
 
 W 
 
 111 Soutlieni 
 
 
 ■. An. Vuy., 
 
 
 sburg, ]7o[) 
 
 
 <A,% A. B W^Jk. 
 
 L'tc. [Siiin- 
 1 AiiKiica.J 
 
 Cvmpilril hy 
 I VAX l'ETH(»F, \ 
 
 Spffial Uoent Tenth /'aishs. 
 
 
 *i* Hl l W tJ I— H lWWW .ey>MB«t^'Wrr*^t-: 
 
^teM 
 
135 
 
 B5 
 
 i.';o 
 
 1«5 
 
 wo 
 
 13J 
 
HISTORY OF ALASKA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 Russia's Share in America — Pht^ "»i:. Features of Alaska — Configura- 
 tion AND Climate— The Southekn Crescent— The Tumbled Moun- 
 tains — Volcanoes AND Islands — Vegetation— California-Japan Cur- 
 rent— Arctic Seaboard and the Interior— Condition and Charac- 
 ter of the Russians in the Sixteenth Century — Serfs, Merchants, 
 and Nobles— The Fur Currency— Foi.£Ign Commercial Relations — 
 England in the White and Caspian Seas— Eastern Progress of 
 THE Russian Empire — The North-east Passage. 
 
 i 
 
 In the great seizure and partition of America by 
 European powers there was no reason why Russia 
 should not have a share. She was mistress in the 
 east and north as wei e France and Spain in the west 
 and south; she was as g-^asping as Portugal and as 
 cold and cruel as England; and because she owned so 
 much of Europe and Asia in the Arctic, the desire 
 was only increased thereby to extend her broad belt 
 quite round the world. It was but a step across from 
 one continent to the other, and intercourse between 
 the primitive peoples of the two had been common 
 from time immemorial. It was but natural, I say, in 
 the i^ioantic robbery of half a world, that Russia 
 should have a share; and had she been quicker about 
 it, the belt might as well have been continued to 
 Greenland and Iceland. 
 
 Geographically, Alaska is the northern end of the 
 long corilillera which begins at Cape Horn, extends 
 
 (1) 
 
2 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 through the two Amcr'cas, and is hero joined by the 
 Xevada-Cascadc range; the Coast Kange from Lower 
 Cahfornia brcakinij: into islands before reaching this 
 jx)int. It is not always and altogether that cold and 
 desolate region which sometimes has been pictured, 
 and which from its position wo might expect. Its 
 configuration and climate are cxceetlingly v^aried. 
 The southern seaboard is comparatively mild and 
 habitable; the northern frigid and inhospitable. 
 
 Standing at Mount St Eliasas the middle of a cres- 
 cent, we sec the shore-line stretching out in either 
 direction, toward the south-east and the south-west, 
 eiuling in the former at Dixon Inlet, and in the latter 
 sw(>eping off and breaking into mountainous islands as 
 it continues its course toward Kan., hatha. It is a 
 most exceedingly rough and uncouth country, this 
 part of it; thri shore-line being broken into fragments, 
 with small and sj^reat islands tjuardino- the labyrinth of 
 channels, hoys, soinids, and inlets that line the mam- 
 land. Back of these rise abruptly vast and rugged 
 mountains, the two ijreat continental chains coming 
 together here as if in iinal struggle for the mastery. 
 The coast range alonu: the Pacilic shore of Alaska 
 attains an elevation in ]>laces of eiL^ht or nine thou- 
 sand feet, lying for the most part under perpetual 
 snow, with here an/* there glistening white peaks four- 
 teen or sixteen thousand feet above the sea. And the 
 ruggedness of this Sitkan or southern seaboard, the 
 thirty-miles strip as it is sometimes called, with the 
 Alexander archipelago, continues as we pass on, to 
 the Alaskan Mountains and the Aleutian archipelago. 
 It is in the Alaskan Range that nature assumes the 
 heroic, that the last battle of the mountains appears 
 to have been fought. The din of it has as yet hardly 
 j)assed away; the great peaks of the range stand 
 there i)roudly triumphant but still angry; grumbling, 
 smoking, and spitting tire, they gaze upon their fallen 
 f )es of the archipelago, giants like themselves, though 
 now submerged, sunken in the sea, if not indeed 
 
 ^» 
 
 % 
 
PHYSICAL FEATURES. 
 
 lunblinir, 
 
 hurletl thence by tlieir victorious rivals. Tliese sfrcat 
 towerini,^ volcanic peaks and the quaking islands aro 
 superb beyond description, filling the breast of the 
 beholder with awe. And the ground about, though 
 told enough upon the surface, steams and sweats in 
 synipathy, manifesting its internal warmth in geysers 
 an<l hot springs, while from the depths of the sea 
 sometimes belches forth fire, if certain navigators may 
 be believed, and the sky blazes in northern lights. 
 
 All ah)ng this sweep of southern seaboard Euro- 
 peans may dwell in comfort if so inclined. Even in 
 midwinter the cold is seldom severe or of long dura- 
 tion. An average temperature is 42°, though ex- 
 tremes have been named for certain localities of from 
 li)' to 58 , and again from 58"^ below zero in January, 
 to 95^ in summer. Winter is stormv, the winds at Sitka 
 at this season being usually easterly, those from the 
 south bringing rain and snow. When the wind is from 
 the north-west the sky is clear, and the cold nights 
 are often lighted by the display of the aurora borealis. 
 Winter breaks u]> in March, and during the clear cold 
 days of April the boats go out after furs. Yet, for a 
 good portion of the year there is an universal and dis- 
 mal dampness — fogs interminable and drizzling rain; 
 clouds thick and heaw and low-lyiuLj, •'iviniif a water 
 lull of six or eijxht feet in thickness. 
 
 ]\[uch of the soil is fertile, though in jilaces wet. 
 IJehind a low wooded seaboard often ri.se abruptly icy 
 steeps, with here and there between the glacier canons 
 broad patches of sphagnum one or two feet thick, and 
 v.x'U saturated with water. The perpetual snow-lino 
 of the Makushin volcano is three thousand feet above 
 the sea, and vegetation ceases at an altitude of twenty- 
 five hundred feet. Grain does not ri|KMi, but grasses 
 tiirive almost evervwhere on the lowlands. Berries 
 are plentiful, particularly cranberries, though the sun- 
 light is scarcely strong enough to Havor them well. 
 Immense spruce forests tower over Prince William 
 ^ound and about Sitka. Xadiak is a good grazing 
 
 o 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 't ! 
 
 country, capable of sustaining large droves of cattle. 
 On the Aleutian Islands trees do not grow, but the 
 grasses are luxuriant. In a word, here in the far 
 north we find a vegetation rightly belonging to a much 
 lower latitude. 
 
 The warm Japan current which comes up along 
 llie coast of Asia, bathing the islands of the Aleutian 
 archipelago as it crosses the Pacific and washing the 
 shores of America far to the southward, transforms 
 the whole region from what would otherwise be inhos- 
 pitable into a habitation fit for man. Arising off the 
 inner and outer shores of Lower California, this stream 
 first crosses the Pacific as the great northern equa- 
 torial current, passing south of the Hawaiian Islands 
 and on to the coast of Asia, deflecting northward as 
 it goes, and after its grand and life-compelling sweep 
 slowly returns to its starting-point. It is this that 
 clothes temperate isles in tropical vegetation, makes 
 the silk-worm flourish far north of its rightful home, 
 and sends joy to the heart of the hyperborean, even 
 to him upon the strait of Bering, and almost to the 
 Arctic sea. It is this that thickly covers the steep 
 mountain sides to the height of a thousand feet and 
 more with great growths of spruce, alder, willow, 
 hemlock, and yellow cedar. It is the striking of this 
 warm current of air and water against the cold shores 
 of the north that causes nature to steam up in thick 
 fogs and dripping moisture, and compels the surcharged 
 clouds to drop their torrents. 
 
 Chief among the fur-bearing animals is the sea- 
 otter, in the taking of whose life the lives of thou- 
 sands of human beings have been laid down. Of fish 
 tliore are cod, herring, halibut, and salmon, in abun- 
 dance. The whale and the walrus abound in places. 
 
 Go back into the interior if you can get there, or 
 round by the Alaskan shore north of the islands, 
 along Bering sea and strait, which separate Asia and 
 America and indent the eastern border with great 
 bays into whkh flow rivers, one of them, the Yukon, 
 
 
 t 
 
 ? 
 
 .% 
 
 '^ 
 
i 
 
 3f cattle. 
 
 , but the 
 
 the far 
 
 o a much 
 
 up along 
 Aleutian 
 hing the 
 ansforms 
 be inhos- 
 g off the 
 is stream 
 )rn equa- 
 Q Islands 
 hward as 
 iig sweep 
 this that 
 •n, makes 
 Pul home, 
 3an, even 
 st to the 
 ;he steep 
 feet and 
 willow, 
 of this 
 d shores 
 in thick 
 rcharged 
 
 ;he sea- 
 of thou- 
 Of lish 
 in abun- 
 1 places, 
 here, or 
 islands, 
 ^sia and 
 h groat 
 Yukon, 
 
 
 RUSSIAN CHARACTER. f 
 
 having its sources far back in British Columbia; ascend 
 tjliis stream, or traverse the country between it and tlie 
 Arctic Ocean, and you will find quite a different order 
 of things. Clearer skies are there, and drier, colder 
 airs, and ice eternal. Along the Arctic shore runs a 
 line of hills in marked contrast to the mountains of 
 tlie southern seaboard. Between these ranges flow 
 the Yukon with its tributaries, the Kuskokvim, Sela- 
 wik, and other streams. 
 
 Mr Petrof, who traversed this region in 1880, 
 says of it: " Here is an immense tract reaching from 
 Bering strait in a succession of rolling ice-bound 
 moors and low mountain ranges, for seven hundred 
 miles an unbroken waste, to the boundary line between 
 us and British America. Then, again, from the crests 
 of Cook's Inlet and the flanks of Mount St Elias 
 northward over that vast area of rugged mountain 
 and lonely moor to the east, nearly eight hundred 
 miles, is a great expanse of country ... by its position 
 barred out from occupation and settlement by our 
 own people. The climatic conditions are such that 
 its immense area will remain undisturbed in the pos- 
 session of its savage occupants, man and beast." 
 
 Before speaking of the European discovery and 
 conquest of Alaska, let us briefly glance at the con- 
 dition and character of those about to assume the 
 mastery here. 
 
 It was in the middle of the sixteenth century that 
 the Russians under Ivan Vassilievich, the Terrible, 
 tlirew off the last yoke of Tartar Khans; but with the 
 independence of the nation thus gained, the free cities, 
 principalities, and provinces lost all trace of their 
 former liberties. An empire had been wrung from 
 the grasp of foreign despots, but only to be held by a 
 despotism more cruel than ever had been the Tartar 
 domination. Ignorance, superstition, and servitude 
 were the normal condition of the lower classes. The 
 nation could scarcely be placed within the category 
 
I ■ 1 
 
 6 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 of civilization. While in Spain the ruliiiiif .spirit v.'as 
 fanaticism, in Russia it was iluspotisni. 
 
 Pro<jfross was chained; it' any sought to inipro\o 
 thoir lot they dareil not show their gains lest their 
 master should take them. And the j)eople thus long 
 accustomed to abject servility and concealment ac- 
 quired the habit of dissimulation to a remarkable 
 degree. There was no recognition of the rights of 
 man, and little of natural morality. It was a preiis- 
 tablished and fundamental doctrine that the weaker 
 were slaves of the stronger. In feudal times the main 
 difference between the lowest class in Russia and in 
 other parts of Europe was that the former were not 
 Ixnind to the soil. Their condition however was none 
 the less abject, their slavery if possible was more ct)m- 
 plete. And what is not a little singular in following 
 the progress of nations, Russia, about the beginning 
 of the seventeenth century, introduced this custom of 
 binding men to lands, just when the other states of 
 Europe were abolishing it. Freemen were authorized 
 by law to sell themselves. Insolvent debtors became 
 the property of their creditors. And howsoever bound, 
 men could obtain their liberty only by purchase. 
 
 Women, even of the better class, were held in ori- 
 ental seclusion, and treated as beasts; husbands and 
 lathers might torture and kill them, and sell the oli- 
 spring, but if a wife killed her husband she was buried 
 up to the neck and left to starve. 
 
 Pewter was unknown; only wooden dishes were in 
 use. Each man carried a knife and wooden spoon tied to 
 the belt or sash. Bedding was scarcely used at couit; 
 among rich and poor alike a wooden bench, the baio 
 floor, or at the most a skin . ? bear or wolf, sufficed 
 for sleeping. The domestic ties were loose; since the 
 crimes of individuals were visited upon the whole kin- 
 dred the children scattered as soon as they were able. 
 The lower classes had but a single name, which was 
 conferred in baptism, consequently the nearest rela- 
 tives soon lost sight of each other in their wandering 
 
 
;.'t 
 
 .pirit was 
 
 iuiprovo 
 lest tluiir 
 thus louLj 
 Imcnt ac- 
 jiiiarkaljlc 
 riijlits of 
 
 a j)reus- 
 10 woakur 
 
 the iiiaiu 
 ia and in 
 
 wore not 
 
 was none 
 
 noro coin- 
 
 followin;j^ 
 
 bctjinniii'^ 
 
 custom ot 
 
 states of 
 LUthorized 
 "s became 
 
 or bound, 
 
 ase. 
 
 d in ori- 
 
 ands and 
 
 1 the olV- 
 
 as buried 
 
 s were in 
 l)ontied to 
 at court; 
 the bare 
 , sufficed 
 since the 
 hole kjn- 
 
 A'erc able, 
 hich was 
 
 rest rela- 
 
 r'anderiny; 
 
 
 .^ 
 
 CUSTOMS OF THE RUSSIAXt. 7 
 
 life. Subse(jueiitly the serfs were nttached to the 
 soil, but even to the present day an almost irresistihle 
 disposition to rove is noticeable among the Ilussian 
 jjoople. 
 
 The nobles, reared by a nation of slaves, were scarcely 
 more iiitelli<^eiit than they. But few of the priests 
 understood Greek ; and reading and writing even among 
 the nobles was almost unknown; astronomy and anat- 
 omy were classed among the diabolic arts; calculatit>ns 
 were made by means of a string of balls, and skins of 
 animals were the currency. Punishments were as 
 barbarous as manners. The peculator was publicly 
 branded with a hot iron, then sent back to his place, 
 thus dishonoring himself and degrading his office. 
 When a person was punished for crime, all the mem- 
 bers of ins family were doomed to suffer likewise. 
 ]Cvery Kussian who strayed beyond the frontier be- 
 came a rebel and a heathen. 
 
 Nobles alone could hold land; the tillers were as 
 slaves. True, a middle or merchant class managed 
 amidst the general disruption to maintain some of 
 their ancient privileges. The gosti, or wholesale deal- 
 ers, of ^loscow, Novgorod, and Pleskovo might sit at 
 table with princes, and go on embassies; they wore 
 free Irom imposts and many other exactions. Even the 
 small traders preser'ved some of the benefits which had 
 originated in the free connnercial cities. The priests, 
 seeing their iniluence at court declining, cultivated tlie 
 n)erehants, and married among their families. 
 
 Thus all combined to streni»then the tradinsx class 
 as compared with the agricultural. Taxi's and salariis 
 were paid in furs; in all old charters and other docu- 
 ments penalties and rewards are given in furs. The 
 very names of the early coins of Novgorod })oint to 
 tluir origin; we see there the g rive rnik grivnu I, from 
 tile mane or long hairs along the back; the ous/iLii 
 and polnuslika, ear and half-ear. This i'eature in tlie 
 national economy explains to a certain extent the 
 slow spread of civilization over the tsar's dominions. 
 
^1 ! 
 
 I 
 
 i INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 In a country where furs arc the circulating medium, 
 aiicl hence the great desideratum, the people must 
 scatter and lead a savage life. 
 
 The same cause, however, which impeded social 
 and intellectual development furnished a stimulus for 
 tlie future aggrandizement of the Muscovite domain. 
 For more than two and a half centuries the Hanscatic 
 League had monopolized the foreign trade; but the 
 decline of Novgorod, the growing industry of the 
 Livonian cities, and the appearance of the ships of 
 other countries in the Baltic were already threatening 
 the downfall of Hanscatic commerce, when an unex- 
 pected discovery made the English acquainted with the 
 White Sea, which afforded direct intercourse with the 
 inland provinces of th o Russian empire. The Hanse, 
 by its superiority in the Baltic, had excluded all other 
 maritime nations from Russian commerce, but it was 
 beyond the roach of their power to prevent the English 
 from sailing to the White Sea. In 1553, at the sug- 
 gestion of Sebastian Cabot, England sent three vessels 
 under Sir Hugh Willoughby in search of a north-east 
 jiassage to China. Two of the vessels were lost, and 
 the third, commanded by Richard Chancellor, entered 
 the White Sea. No sooner did he know that the 
 shore was Russia than Chancellor put on a bold face 
 and said he had come to establish commercial rela- 
 tions. The tsar, informed of the arrival of the stran- 
 gers, ordered them to Moscow. The insolent behavior 
 of the Hanse League had excited the tsar's displeas- 
 ure, and he was only too glad of other intercourse 
 with civilized nations. Every encouragement was 
 offered by the Russian monarch, and trade finally 
 opened with England, and special privileges were 
 granted to the so-called Russia Company of English 
 merchants. 
 
 The English commercial expeditions through Rus- 
 sia, down the Volga, and across the Caspian to Persia, 
 were not financially successful, though perhaps valu- 
 able as a hint to the Portuguese that the latter did 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 -:S 
 
RUSSIAN FUR-TRADE. 
 
 mecHum, 
 pic must 
 
 jd social 
 [lulus for 
 domain, 
 [anscatic 
 but the 
 { of the 
 ships of 
 'catening 
 an uncx- 
 with tlie 
 with the 
 e Hanse, 
 all other 
 ut it was 
 D English 
 ; the sug- 
 pe vessels 
 orth-east 
 lost, and 
 ', entered 
 that the 
 jold face 
 ial rcla- 
 he stran- 
 behavior 
 displeas- 
 ercourso 
 ent was 
 e finally 
 cs were 
 English 
 
 |gh Rus- 
 
 Persia, 
 ips valu- 
 itter did 
 
 not hold the onl}' road to India. To Russia, also, 
 this trafHc proved by no means an unalloyed blessing. 
 The wealthy merchants of Dantzic and other Ilanso 
 towns along the Raltic, who had enjoyed a mono})oly 
 of Russian commerce, looked on with jealous}-, and it 
 was doubtless owing to enmity in this iniluential 
 quarter that Ivan failed in all his attempts to secure 
 Esthonia and Livonia, and gain access to the Baltic 
 seaports. On the other hand, English enterjniso 
 brought about commerce with different nations, and 
 introduced the products of north-western Europe into 
 the tsar's dominions. Further than this, the ^lusco- 
 vites copied English craft, and became more proficient 
 in maritime affairs. An incident connected with this 
 traffic may be considered the first link of a long chain 
 of events which finally resulted in Russia's stiide 
 across the Ural Mountains, and the formation of a 
 second or reserve empire, without which the original 
 or European structure might long since have lUllen. 
 On the return of an English expedition from Persia 
 across the Caspian, in 1573, the ship was attacked by 
 Cossacks, who gained possession of vessel and cargo, 
 setting the crew adrift in a boat furnished with some 
 provisions. The Englishmen made their way to Astra- 
 khan, and on their report of what had befallen them 
 two armed vessels were sent out. The pirates were 
 captured and put to death, while the cargo, worth 
 between 30,000 and 40,000 pounds sterling, was safely 
 landed at Astrakhan. The tsar then despatched a 
 numerous land force to destroy the nest of robbers 
 infesting the Lower Volga and the Caspian. His 
 army spread dismay. The Cossacks saw that sub- 
 mission was death, and many leaped from the blood- 
 stained deck of their rude barks to the saddle, being 
 equally familiar with both. Then they banded under 
 determined leaders aiid set out for countries beyond 
 the reach of Russia's long arm. Yermak Timofeief 
 headed one of these bands, and thus the advance of 
 the Slav race toward the Pacific began. Rude and 
 
? ;i 
 
 
 ' I 
 
 10 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 spasmodic as it was, tlie traffic of the English laid 
 the foundation of liussian connnerce on the Cas})ian. 
 Previous to the appearance of the English the Rus- 
 sians had carried on their trade with Bokhara and 
 Persia entirely by land; but from that time they 
 began to construct transport shi[)s on the Volga and 
 to sail coastwise to the circumjacent harbors of the 
 Caspian, 
 
 Before following the tide of conquest across the 
 Ural ]Mountains, it may be well to cast a brief glance 
 over the contemporaneous efforts of English and Dutch 
 navigators to advance in the same easterly direction 
 by water, or rather to thread their way between the 
 masses of floating and solid ice besetting the navigable 
 channels of the Arctic, demonstrating as they do the 
 general impression prevalent among European nations 
 at the time, that the route pursued by Columbus and 
 his successors was not the only one leading to the in- 
 exhaustible treasures of the Indies,and to that Cathay 
 which the Latin maritime powers were making stren- 
 uous eftbrts to monopolize. 
 
 The last English expedition in search of the north- 
 cast passage, undertaken in the sixteenth century, 
 consisted of two barks which sailed from England early 
 in 1580, and were fortunate enough to pass beyond the 
 straits of Vaigatz, but made no new discoveries and 
 brought but a moderate return to their owners. The 
 Rust'ians njoanwhih^ kept up a vigorous coasting- 
 trade, their ill-shaj)ed and ill-appointed craft generally 
 being I'ound far in advance of their more jjretentious 
 competitors. 
 
 In ir)i)4 the states-general of Holland offered a 
 premium of twenty-five thousand fiorins to the lucky 
 navigator who should open the much desired high- 
 way. A squadron of four small vessels connnantled 
 by Corni'lis Nay was the first to enter for the prize. 
 A merchant njuned Linschoten, possessed of con- 
 siderable scientific attainments, accompanied the ex- 
 
THE NORTHEAST PASSAGE. 
 
 n 
 
 
 podition as commercial agent, and AVillem Barentrc, 
 who commanded one of the vessels acted as pilot. 
 They sailed from Holland on the 15th of June 151)4, 
 and arrived safely at the bay of Kilduyn, on the 
 coast of Lai)land. Here they separated. Nay heading 
 for Vaigatz Straits and Barcntz choosing a more 
 northerly route. The latter discovered and named 
 Ys Hoek, or Ice Cape, tho northern extremity of 
 Novaia Zendia, while the other vessels passed througlv 
 the straits, where they met witli numerous Russian 
 hxl/cas, or small craft. This southern division entered 
 the sea of Kara, called by Linschoten the sea of Tar- 
 tary, on the 1st of August. Wooden crosses were 
 observed at various points of the coast, and the inhab- 
 itants bore evidence of intercourse with the Russians 
 by their manner of salutation. The Samoiedes had 
 come in contact with the advancing Muscovites in the 
 interior as well as on the coast. 
 
 On the 11th of August, when their astronomical 
 observations placed the vessels fifty leagues to the 
 eastward of the straits, with land still in sight toward 
 the east, this part of the expedition turned back, evi- 
 dently apprehensive of sharing the fate of their Eng- 
 hsh predecessors, who had been unfortunate in those 
 latitudes. The two divisions fell in with each other 
 on the homeward voyage, and arrived at Amsterdam 
 on the 25th of September of the same year. 
 
 A second expedition sailed from Amsterdam on tlie 
 same errand in 1505. It consisted of not less than 
 .^even vessels. Willem Barentz was chief in c>)m- 
 niand, assisted by Heemskerk, Linschoten, and Cor- 
 nells Rijp. The departure of this squadi-on was for 
 some reason delaved until Julv, and after weather- 
 mg the North Cape a few of the vessels staled di- 
 rectly for the White Sea to trade, while the others 
 l>i'oceeded through the straits of Vaipitz. Tlu'y met, 
 as usual, with Russian lodkas, and fo»' the first time 
 definite information was obtained of the o-reat liver 
 
 enisiiii, which the Russians had already reached 
 
 flS 
 
!|^ 
 
 'i ( 
 
 '< I 
 
 '!i 
 
 ^\ 
 
 i'; 
 
 ' Ul 
 
 19 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 by land. After prolonged battling against ice and 
 contrary winds and currents, the expedition turned 
 back on the 15th of September and made sail for 
 Amsterdam. 
 
 After this second failure the states-general washed 
 their hands of further enterprise in that direction, 
 but the city of Amsterdam still showed some faith in 
 ultimate success by fitting out two ships and intrust- 
 ing them respectively to Barentz and Rijp. This 
 expedition made an early start, sailing on the 2 2d of 
 May 159G. Their course was shaped in accordance 
 with Barentz' theory that more to the north there 
 was a better chance of finding an open sea. On the 
 9th of June they discovered Bear Island in latitude 
 74° 30'. Still keeping on their first course they again 
 encountered land in latitude 79° 30', Spitzbergen, and 
 in July the two vessels separated in search of a clear 
 channel to the east. On the 2Gth of August Barentz 
 was forced by a gale into a bay on the east coast of 
 Novaia Zemlia, on which occasion the ice seriously 
 damaged his vessel. Here the venturesome Hol- 
 landers constructed a house and passed a winter full 
 of misery, a continued struggle with fatnishing bears 
 and the deadly cold. Toward spring the castaways 
 constructed two open boats out of remnants of the 
 wreck, fitted them out as well as they could, and put 
 to sea on the 14th of June 1597. Six days later 
 Barentz died. In July the unfortunates fell in witli 
 some Russian lodkas and obtained provisions. They 
 finally reached Kilduyn Bay in Lajjland, one of the 
 rendezvous of White Sea traders. Several Dutch 
 vessels were anchored there, and one of them was 
 commanded by Rijp, who had returned to Amster- 
 dam and sailed again on a private enterprise. He 
 extended all possible aid to his former companions and 
 obtained passage for them on several vessels. This 
 j)ut an end in Holland to explorations in search of a 
 northern route to India, until the attempts of Hudson 
 in 1G08-9. The problem was partially solved by 
 
 
 :! i 
 
THE FEAT ACCOMPLISHED. 13 
 
 Deshnefs obscure voyage in 1648, and after another 
 failure by Wood in 1676, Russia made the attempt, 
 Vitus Bering starting from Kamchatka; afterward 
 were the efforts of Shalaurof and of Bilhngs. Finally 
 a Swedish expedition under Nordenskjold accom- 
 plished the feat in 1879, after wintering on the Arc- 
 tic coast. 
 
 a 
 
? ;! 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 I . I 
 
 u ■ 1 
 
 THE CENTURY- MARCH OF THE COSSACKS. 
 1578-1724. 
 
 SiBF.KIA THE RCSSIA.V C.VNAAX — FrOM THE BlACK AND CASPIAN SeAS OVER 
 
 THE Ural Mointai.vs— .Stroganok, the Salt-miner — Visit ov Ykr- 
 
 MAK — OccrPATION OF THE Ob BY THE CoSSACKH— CHARACTER OF THE 
 
 CoNQiERoRs — Their Ostroo on the Tobol — The Strakjiit Line of 
 March thence to Okhotsk on the Pacific— The rROMYsiiLEMKi — 
 Lena River Reacued— Ten Cossacks against Ten Thcisanu — Va- 
 KUTSKi OsTROG— Exploration of the Amoou — Discoveries on the 
 Arctic Seaboard — Ivory versus Skins — The Land of the CiirKciii 
 Invaiii;!)— Okhotsk Established— Kamchatka Occupied — Rumors of 
 Realms Beyond. 
 
 While tlic maritime nations of north-western Eu- 
 i-opo wore tliiis wemliiijif «hip after ship into the Arctic 
 ice-Helds in the hope of finding a nortli- eastern passage 
 to India, the Russians were slowly but surely forcing 
 their way over Siberian rivers and steppes, and oven 
 along the Arctic coast from river-mouth to river- 
 mouth, and that not in search of any India, or other 
 grand attainment, but oidy after skins, and to get i'ar- 
 ther and farther from parental despotism. Their an- 
 cient hoiues had not been abodes of peace, and no 
 tender reminiscences or j)atriotio ties bound them to 
 the soil of Russia. It was rather a yearning for per- 
 sonal freedom, next after the consideration <jf the 
 Siiho/, that drew the poor Slav farther and farther 
 through forests and swainj)s away from his place of 
 birth; he did not care to band for general indepen- 
 dence. Rulers were of God, the church said, anil he 
 would not oppose them, but he would if jiossible es 
 cape. In view of these pecuhar tendencies the open- 
 
 :t 
 
 I I 
 
A CENTURY SABLEHUXT. 
 
 15 
 
 :s. 
 
 [.\>f Seas over 
 I'lSIT OK Yeh- 
 ACTER OF the 
 
 iiiiiT Line op 
 
 MYSHLENIKl — 
 IICUSAM) — Va- 
 ERIES ON' THE 
 THE ClUKCHI 
 U — llUMOlW OF 
 
 tern Eu- 
 
 le Arctic 
 
 •n passage 
 
 y lorcing 
 
 aiKi even 
 
 to river- 
 
 or other 
 
 ) get I'ar- 
 
 Tlieir an- 
 
 ancl no 
 
 them to 
 
 r for [)er- 
 
 ot' tlie 
 
 I farther 
 
 place of 
 
 indepcn- 
 
 l, and lie 
 
 ssil)le OS 
 
 the open- 
 Ill 
 
 •n 
 
 ing of the boundless expanse toward the cast was a 
 blessing not only to the oppressed but to the oppress- 
 ors. The turbulent spirits, who might have caused 
 trouble at home, in early times found their way to 
 Siberia voluntarily, while later the * paternal ' govern- 
 ment gathered strength enough to send them there. 
 
 A century sable-hunt half round the world this re- 
 markable movement might be called. It was at once 
 a discc)very and a conquest, which was to carry Cos- 
 sack and Kussian across t)»e vast continent, and across 
 the narrowed Pacific to the fire-brcathin<i: islands, 
 and the glistening mountains and majestic Ibrests of 
 Alaska. The shores of the Black and Caspian seas 
 was the starting-[)oint. Russia's eastern bound was 
 then the Ural Mountains. Anika Stroganof set up 
 salt-works there, and the people at the east brought 
 him furs to trade. Thcj'- were pretty little skins, and 
 yielded the salt-miner a large profit; so he sent his 
 traders as far as the great river Ob for them. And 
 the autocrat of the empire smiled on these proceed- 
 ings, and gave the salt-merchant lands, and allowed 
 his descendants to become a power and call them- 
 selves counts. 
 
 In 1578 the grandson of the first Stroganof received 
 a visit from a Cossack chieftain or (ttanidn, niMneil 
 Verniak Timofeief, who with his followers had in 
 Cossack fashion led a life of war and ]>lunder, and 
 was then Hying from justice as administered by Ivan 
 A'assilievich II. 
 
 Yermak's mounted followers numbered a thousand, 
 nnd Stroganf)f was anxious they should movi' oii; so 
 111' iold them of places toward the east, line spots for 
 inliiiiT-knights to seize and settle on, and lie sent 
 i;ieii to guide theni thither. This was in ir)78. At 
 the river Ob the Cossacks found a little Tartar sov«'r- 
 eigiity, a fragment of the great monarchy v)f Cenghis 
 Kliiui. The warlike spirit with which Tamei-lane had 
 once inspired the Tartars had long since Hed. Their 
 little kingdom, in which cattle-herding, the chase, and 
 
» I- 
 
 F 
 
 le 
 
 THE CENTURY-MARCH OF THE COSSACKS. 
 
 traffic were the only pursuits, now remained only 
 because none had come to conquer them. The Cos- 
 sacks were in the full flush of national development. 
 They had ever been apt learners from the Tartars, 
 against whom they had often served the Muscovites 
 as advance guard. Now Yermak was in a strait. 
 Behind him was the wrathful tsar, to fall into whoso 
 hands was certain death. Though his numbers were 
 small, he must fight for it. Attacking the Tartars, 
 in due time he became master of their capital city, 
 though at the cost of half his little army. And now 
 he must have more men. Perhaps he might buy 
 friendship of the tsar. A rich gift of sables, with in- 
 formation that he had conquered for him the kingdom 
 of Kutchum Khan, accomplished the purpose. Re- 
 enforcements and confirmation of rulership were the 
 response. Thus was begun the long journey of the 
 Russians across the contment. 
 
 1 :; 
 
 II 
 
 tr 
 
 ' ! 
 
 ■I ' ■ 
 
 Vast as is the area of Siberia its several parts are 
 remarkably similar. Plants, animals, and men; cli- 
 mate, conditions, and customs, are more alike than on 
 the otiier side of the strait of Bering. The country 
 and its contents are upon a dead level. A net-work of 
 navigation is formed by the upper branches of rivers 
 flowing into the frozen sea through the tundras, or 
 icc-morass, of the north, so that the same kind of boats 
 and sledges carry the traveller across the whole coun- 
 try. The fierce and cunning Cossacks of Russia were 
 in marked contrast to the disunited semi-nomads of 
 Sil)oria, busy as they were taming the reindeer, hunt- 
 in<x with doffs, or fiffhtinjj with the bow and arrow and 
 lanco; and if they could conquer the Tartars of the 
 Ob tlicro was no reason why they could not march 
 on to the Pacific. 
 
 They were a singular people, brave as Spaniards 
 and tougli as gypsies. Their weapons, the later Eu- 
 ropean kind, of iron and gunpowder, gave them a vast 
 superiority over the tribes of Siberia, and their boats 
 
THE SIBERIAN LINE OF OSTROGS. 
 
 w 
 
 inecl only 
 The Cos- 
 elopment. 
 B Tartars, 
 [uscovites 
 
 a strait, 
 iito whoso 
 bers were 
 B Tartars, 
 pital city. 
 
 And now 
 [light buy 
 s, with in- 
 e kingdom 
 pose. Rc- 
 ) were the 
 ney of the 
 
 I parts are 
 men; di- 
 ce than on 
 le country 
 et-work of 
 3 of rivers 
 undras, or 
 id of boats 
 hole coun- 
 ussia were 
 lomads of 
 leer, liunt- 
 I arrow and 
 irs of the 
 lot march 
 
 Spaniards 
 1 later Eu- 
 lem a vast 
 Iheir boats 
 
 and liorses seem to liavo been made for the purpose. 
 The l;itt«T were small and enduring, adequate to the 
 long (lav's march, and like their masters accustomed 
 to cold, hunger, thirst, and continuous fatigue. Like 
 the chamois^ and reindeer they would scrape off the 
 SHOW from their scanty nourislunent, or if grass was 
 wanting they were glad to get i'rozen fish to eat. 
 
 The invaders found it well to divide their forces, 
 and advance in small scattered bodies, a dozen war- 
 riors sometimes subjugating a tribe; then again some 
 lumdreds were rerpiired for the occu})ation of a river- 
 tenitory or a kingdom. There was no need of a laige 
 united army, or of any great discipline. This also 
 suited C'ossaek ideas and habits, as they were repub- 
 liean in their way. ]>orn eipial, they everywhere met 
 on a common footing. They chose their atamans and 
 f<i>f)iiL-s,()r centurions, who, if they ilid not rule to suit, 
 were (piickly deposed and others elected. The liighest 
 position was ojten to the humblest aspirant. 
 
 It was on the Tobol that the Cossacks and Hus- 
 ^ians built theii- liist ostrofj, or fort, which later became 
 '^fobnlsk, the head-(juarters of their oiganized govern- 
 ment, and the starting-point of their expeditions, 
 'ilienee their con(|uerin<'" march was strain'ht throut>:h 
 the middle of Siberia, the line being erpiidistant I'rom 
 the m()untains of the south and the morasses of the 
 noith, and it later became the principal line of traffic. 
 On this line, cutting through the vari()us river re- 
 giims, the chief colonies of the country were founded. 
 I'^astward from Tobolsk, in the territory of the river 
 Ol), the city (jf Tomsk; eastward i'rom this, on the 
 \enissci, the city of Yenisseisk; then Irkutsk and 
 Yakutsk in the Lena district, and finally, on the 
 slioics of the l*acitic, Okhotsk, which stands u|)on 
 about the same })arallel as that of the starting-})oint. 
 Tlu'se cities grew successively one out of the other, 
 and ibr every new river province the last served as 
 a jKHHf ihijipni ibr the various enterprises, military 
 
 UUT. ALASKA, 'i 
 
^ 
 
 IS 
 
 TnE CKNTURY-MARCII OF THE COSSACKS. 
 
 or coimiiercial. At every important river a luilt was 
 made, diiriiiL;' whieli they settled themselves more 
 finnlv, and organized their new territory. Thev built 
 bouts, explored up the rivers, and down them even 
 to the Irozen oeean, where they tbimded little settle- 
 ments. 
 
 The Cossacks themselves were a light troo|), but 
 they were pieeeded by a still lij^hter, a Hyinjj;- advance 
 <^;nai'd, called the promijshlciii/ci, a kind of Ivussiaii 
 ciinn'iirs dcs hois. They were freebooters who hunted 
 oil their owr^ account and at their own risk. Xo one 
 could control them. They ilittcd everywhere in the; 
 v.'oofls and morasses, com})anions of wild beasts. They 
 made the several first discoveries in Siberia, and 
 broui-ht home the earliest information of hitherto 
 unknown parts. 
 
 In the spriuij^ of 1G28 the Cossacks reached Lena 
 I^ivei". Tile party consisted often men under Vassili 
 IJngor, who had crossed over from the Yenissei on 
 snow-shoes. Arrixed at the Lena, tlu^ great central 
 stream, lyinn' midwav between the beiiiiminij and end 
 of their century-march, they built a boat and went 
 down and up the river foi" some distance, spreading 
 <iisniav and colK'ctin'>' their tribute of sable-skins. 
 Ten Cossacks au'ainst the iidiabitaiits of that jjfreat 
 valley! 1 know of nothing in Ameiican history that 
 e(|uals it. After making the ])oople swear submission, 
 ])Ugor })osted two of his nun at the middle point on 
 the i-iver, and t\\'o eadi at i)oints two hundred miles 
 above and two hundred miles below. After three 
 years of bluster and tratiic l^ugor returned to the 
 ^'enisst i. ]n KI.'l'J a Cossack chii'i'tain named Beke- 
 tof sailed far down the J^ena and built the tirst ostroj'- 
 on this I'ivt'r, an:ong tlu^ Yakut nation. This was 
 the Yalad>.ki Ostrog, out of which rose later the city 
 of Yakutsk, the capital of eastern Sil)eria, and which 
 tinally scr\i'd as head-quarters for e\j)editions to the 
 Arctic and to the Pacific. From the Lena, Siberia 
 
 1 
 
 ■I 
 
FROM UIVER TO KIVER. 
 
 10 
 
 L halt was 
 ves more 
 riioy built 
 
 lu'lll C'Vt'll 
 
 ttlo scttlc- 
 
 ti'f)0[), but 
 io- jidvanci' 
 t' Ivussiaii 
 ho hunted 
 
 Xo OIH' 
 
 [VVG ill tht! 
 sts. T\wy 
 hoi'ia, and 
 if hithcrU) 
 
 c-hod Lena 
 idci- A^'issih 
 fcuissci on 
 at fcnti-id 
 f and end 
 and wtnit 
 spreadini,^ 
 ilde-skins. 
 tliat great 
 dory that 
 ubniission, 
 e point on 
 h'etl n)iles 
 fter three 
 ed to the 
 ned Beke- 
 irst ostroi;' 
 Tliis was 
 _'r the city 
 uid whieh 
 
 Ions 
 
 le 
 
 to tl 
 
 Sibtnia 
 
 
 
 extends, gradually narrowing, abiAit five or six hun- 
 dred lea-^iies iurther to the east. The length of the 
 riviTs decreases with the breadth of the land, and the 
 niightv Lena is followed by the smaller Yana, Indi- 
 giika,'K(»niiia, and at last, in the farthest corner by 
 the Anadir which en^jties into the Tacilic. The dis- 
 
 r- . ... 
 
 
 *> Itnui.-.A i:ui. 
 
 ■■■ J, T /I/',./..,./ 
 
 ^- J^ NliU-k:liM,l.lti 
 
 C Ll.li^A 
 
 EasTI.UN SlIiKUIA. 
 
 covcM'v of these more distnnt rivers of Silu'i-in brgnu 
 in Ki.'lS. Some Cossacks, under the leadershi]> of a 
 certain Ihisa, reached the Yana by water fi-oiii the 
 nioiUli of (ho Lena, while others, inider the sotnik 
 Ivanof, jjenet rated t>n horseback to ita auurces from, 
 
20 
 
 THE CRXTURY-MARCII OF THE COSSACKS. 
 
 Yakutsk. ][ore tlifv lioanl of the IiuliLjiika, and the 
 year lollowiny: thev trotted on to the river. 
 
 Tn IGHO tlic ru!!^i^ed inountaiiis on tlie eastern bor- 
 der of Sihc'i'ia weie crossed on horsehark and on 
 snow-shoes, and an ostroj^ was built on the sea-shore 
 to whicli the nanii* of Okhotsk \vas given. Thus the 
 I'aeifie Oeean Wiis first readied by tlie ]^ussians on 
 the shore of the Okhotsk Sea, a plaee destined to ])lay 
 an inijxtrtatit part in the advance toward Aniei"ica. 
 'Die discovery was achieved by Aiuhe'i Kopilof, a 
 Cossack leader, who made his way thither from the 
 JjCUH at the head of a small pai'ty, thus conipletiiiLi;- 
 the march across the continent of Asia, in its broadi'st 
 jKirt, in about sixty years from the time of Yermak's 
 visit to Strogan(»f. 
 
 The ascent of the Lena brouujht the Russians to 
 Ijake Baikal, and showed them another route to the 
 l*acilic, through China by way of the Amoor. The 
 lich silver deposits in that rpiarter dr(>w population 
 iVom the north-western ostroys, something after the 
 manner of a California mining rush. The ^lantchoo 
 Tartars were most of them ahsent Irom lu^me at the 
 time, completing their concpUist of the celestial empire, 
 Mhich left the Amoor I'cirion conn)arativelv defence- 
 less. On the return of the Tartai's the llussians were 
 obliged to relin(piish some of their pretensions, though 
 thev retained their hold on the mines, and continued 
 trade witii China. In 1 <")4:) ^^assili Posharkof set (»ut 
 irom Yakutsk with oni' bundled and thirty-two men, 
 and following the course of the Amoor to its mouth, 
 and thence j)roceeding north and westward some dis- 
 tance along the coast, returned to Yakutsk in 1G4(! 
 b}' a different route, and one direct from the Okhotsk 
 Sea. 
 
 Sixteen Cossacks on the Indigirka took captive Uu: 
 ruling prince <jf the country. On their neighing steeds 
 
EASTERN SIBERIAN SEABOARD. 
 
 21 
 
 11, and the 
 
 stern bor- 
 ic and on 
 
 soa-sliori! 
 
 Thus the 
 ussians on 
 10(1 to ]>lay 
 
 Anici'ica. 
 K()[»ilor, a 
 • from the 
 'onipletinn' 
 s hroadest 
 
 Yeruialv's 
 
 Uissians to 
 ute to the 
 loor. The 
 popuhition 
 ; after the 
 Mantchoo 
 Mne at the 
 ial empire, 
 y defence- 
 ■(sians were 
 lis, tlionyh 
 
 continued 
 
 kof set out 
 
 r-t\vo men, 
 
 its mouth, 
 
 some dis- 
 -;k in 1G4(» 
 le Okhotsk 
 
 captive the 
 hing steeds 
 
 ^' 
 
 tliev ('harijed ]iis forces, armed witli only h<nvs an<l 
 arrows, and vniKpiislicd them witli ^ivat shuij;hter. 
 J II I fUO thev liad eomi)leted the conquest of the wliole 
 river, ciyht lunuh'ed miles Ion*,'. Forthwith they aj^^ain 
 hcuan to listen to tales of new streams in the east, of 
 tlie Aliseia and the Kolima. Streiiijfthened hy addi- 
 tional troo[)s they proceeded in l(!4(! to suhdiie this 
 region. East of the Kolima, where Siheria approaches 
 its termination, dwelt the warlike Chukchi, the Tsehuk- 
 tschi of (Jernian writers. Their land did not allure 
 witli sahles or silver-mines, hut a lU'W attraction was 
 found for the J'^uro))ean. Datiiii;' existence from [)ri- 
 iiieval revulsions, were found on the sliores and aloiijj^ 
 tlie hanks of I'ivers vast de|)osits of i'ossil ivory, the 
 tusks of the ancient mammoth elephant. Similar de- 
 ])osits had heen i'ound before in other [)arts of Sibi'ria, 
 but the largest were in the far north-east aloiiL^ the 
 shores of the land of the Chukchi, '^fhis substance, 
 which was called precious and a staj)le, exercised a 
 powerful iiillueiice in the con([Uest of Siberia and in 
 attract injjf emigrants to the noi'tli. l^veii at tlu' pi'es- 
 eiit day it j)lays an inijtortant |)art in Siberian tratlic, 
 and is also found in the northern i-e^ioiis of America. 
 
 Is.ii l^•llatief, with a company of ])roniyslileniki, 
 si't out in search of mammoth tusks toward the Chuk- 
 chi country. l''rom tlie mouth <)1' the Kolima hu 
 jiroceeded a short distance aloii:^ the Ar<'tic seaboard 
 ill hoats. "^riie natives were shv at lirst, but aftiT 
 some liaihc they told the I'ussians of a larme moun- 
 tainous land which lay westward and toward the north 
 j'olc, and the outliiu> of whose c(.asts could be seen 
 iVoiii time to time from the Siberian shore. This land, 
 tlu'y said, was rich in ivory, and there were the most 
 beaiitiriil tusks heajied up theiu^ in \\\v^v hanks and 
 mounds. ^lany bcdieved that it was peopled and 
 connected with Novaia Zenilia in the west and with 
 America in the east. 
 
 With a dariiijLif \\hich the well preiiared Arctic ex- 
 plorer of our time can searcelv understand, the Kus- 
 
r 
 
 i ! 
 
 -I 
 
 ^ 
 
 22 THE CnXTURY-MAnCII OF TTTH COSSACKS. 
 
 !-iaiis r'()iiH!iitti'<l tlunisclvcs t<> tlii-if fniiu^ilc hid/:/', f)r 
 • •[)rn sail-lMtats, ot' )'()Iil;1i ])laiiks tird foMft her with 
 thnii'ns, ;tii'.l stnif'lv or.t t'di- that land of ivoiy toward 
 tlif IK 111 h jiolc. They sailed without coiiiiyass out 
 into that sea; Ihoy hattlcd with tho ioo found there; 
 their harhs were shattercMl: they were frozen in at si a 
 liundicds of \(fsts iVoin land. Tluy even wintered 
 lh(re that they niit^ht advanee a little i'arther the fol- 
 low in;^^ summer. AVhat can science oi- modern adven- 
 ture show as a paralk'H fjost on a wild<'i-ness of ice, 
 all warmth di-parted, hun<j;!y, ill-clothed, with scarcely 
 any shelter, y»'t still deterniim'd to achieve the land of 
 ivory. l*erha[)s some of them <lid reach it ; let us hoj>e 
 so, and that they ohtained their till of ivoiy. Nearly 
 two centuri(\s later the tlrst lii^ht eoncei-niiiL'' this land 
 came throuL^h the travels of JJarttn \Vi'ant,all, when it 
 v/as reco'.;'nize(l as a j_;'rou|> of islands and named New 
 hiiheria. 
 
 T^'Patief could hardly Ix' said to have made the 
 ac(|uaintance of the ('hukchi, so ea^ 'r had he heeii 
 after ivorv. Jint hetrer success attended the etl'orts 
 of (he llussians a litdc later. ]>y order of th(» tsar 
 .\le.\is. seven hotcln-s, a small decked craft, were sent 
 alonn' the shore in search of the uiouth of tlu' river 
 Anadir, whose head-waters had heen sighted hy the 
 veutui'esome jiromyshleiiiki. The expedition set out 
 from the mouth of (he Kolima .lune "JO, 1(;48. Of 
 four of these vessels nothiui^' further is mentiont'd; hut 
 Ave know that the vemainiuL,'" thi'ee were connnand(-d 
 respectively hy Simeon 1 )eshnef and ( ierassim Anku- 
 diiiof, ( 'ossack chiels. and l"\'dot Alexeief, /tt'rrilorc/iik, 
 that is to say, K-ader of jiromyshleiiiki. ])eshnef, who 
 i'orwarded a (K-tailed account of his advi'iitures to 
 Yaluitsk, s])eaks hut incidentally of what hapi)une;l lu^- 
 foi'e reaching- Cape Chuketsk. Then he says: "This 
 isthmus, is (juite dili'ei'ent iVom that which is hoiuid hy 
 the Hiver Tsehukotschia west of the llivin* Kolima. 
 It lies hetween the north, and north-east, and turnsi 
 
rnsiixr.F's voyace. 
 
 r /(*(//./, or 
 thur with 
 u y towtml 
 iipass (Hit 
 iind tluTc; 
 II in iit sc-;i 
 I wintered 
 ler the tol- 
 ern julven- 
 ncss of ice, 
 til scarcely 
 tlic land of 
 let us lidjic 
 y. Nearly 
 vr this land 
 rll, when it 
 lanied Xew 
 
 made the 
 
 id he hi'eli 
 
 the ('fl'orts 
 
 oi" the tsar 
 
 , were sent 
 
 r tlu' river 
 
 ted 1)V the 
 
 ion set out 
 
 KMS. Of 
 
 itioni (1; Init 
 
 (i\nniande<l 
 
 ssini Ankn- 
 
 itrcdovc/nk', 
 
 eshiK'f, who 
 
 ventures to 
 
 ;i])j)(;ned he- 
 
 ;ays: "This 
 
 is hound hv 
 
 :oi' Kolinia. 
 
 t, and turns 
 
 cii'iular towai-ds tlie livcr Anadir. 0\\ the ]»nssian, 
 that is. t!i'.( west sitle of it, t'aere falls a hrook into 
 the sra, hy which the Tst-huktschi have erected a 
 scallMtl like a tower of the hones of whales. ( )v»'l'- 
 a'^'ainst t!ie isthmus (it is not ment.Kned on which 
 side) tlicrc ai-e two i-laiids in the sea, upon which 
 wi're seen j'cojilc of th(; Tschuktsehi nation, thr;)' 
 whose li|!s were nm ]ti<'ccs of the teetli of tlu^ sea- 
 liDi-se. ( )nc mi,i;ht. s.-iil from the isthnnis to th.e river 
 Anadir, with a fair v.iinL in three days and nights, 
 and it mi'^ht, he ti'avelled hy land within tlx! same 
 time." The kotche eonunanded hy ^Vnkuchnof was 
 wrecked at the eapi', but the inmates wei'e sa\'ed hy 
 lh- other vesst'ls. On the L'Oth of Septend^'r J)esh- 
 m f and Alexeief made' a landin>^^ and had an enj4ai;e- 
 ment with the Chuken!, (hiriuL;" which Alexeief was 
 woniided. After this the two kotehes lost si^ht of 
 e.M h oihei-jind did not meet a'^ain. Deshm f «hift<'d 
 al)ont until (Jctohi'r, an<l at last lu; was also wi'eelved, 
 as itapjiears, some (hstanco to the south of the Ana- 
 dir, in the vicinity of the I'iver Olutoi.sk. He had 
 onl;. \venty-li\t> men lefl^, and with these ln' set out 
 I) ■ I:ii 1 in search olthe .VnacMr; hut having- no i;uide, 
 he w;mdere(l ahout for ten wetks ;ind at last reached 
 its h;nd;s not far from the mouth. ( )ne half of his 
 connnand started u|> the i-ivt-r, hut hunLfcr compelled 
 theiii lo retiu'U. Tlu^ iollowiuL,^ sunnner J)eshnef as- 
 cended the Anadir in hoats. ]Ie met with a trihe 
 called th<' Anaidi, made thetn trihutai'v aft<'r con- 
 s'.derahle I'esistanct', and I'oimded tlu; settlement ol' 
 cstroi;- Ai;a(hrsk. Here he reinaine<| till lOaO, when 
 he was joined on the 2:U\ of Api'il hy the Cossack 
 ^I<»tera with a volimteei" espedition Irom Ivolimslv. 
 Another expedition imdei- Mikhad Stadukhin followed 
 inniiediately after: hut the latter, jealous of the suc- 
 cusses .dready achieved hy tlu^ others, went more to 
 the southward for furthei- discoveries and was never 
 heard of a;4ain. ])eshnef sid)se(iuently encoimtered a 
 Yakut woman who had heeii with Fcdot Alexeief 
 
94 
 
 TIIK CKNTURYMARCH OF THE COSSACKS. 
 
 and was told l)y lior that Fodot and Ankudinof liad 
 boon wiv<'k(.'d and tiiat both had died of scurvy anion<^ 
 th(i Koi'iaks.* No mention is made by any of this 
 party of havinij^ soon the Aniciican continent, thou<j^h 
 it is not impossible that some of them did sec it. 
 Thov were obliij-od to huij the Asiatic shore, and the 
 oj)jiosite coast can be seen from there oidy on a clear 
 day. 
 
 Another account of Deshnofs voyage places it at 
 a still earlier dati', between 1580 and laDO, but the 
 inaccuracy of this is cvident.- 
 
 Last of all this rejjfion to l)c unvi'ilod was that 
 narrow south-t>astorn strip of Siberia, the Kamchatka 
 pt-ninsula, which, about the size and shape of Italy, 
 projt'ctssix hundred ]L^eot;raphical miles j'rom the con- 
 tinent into IJeiint^ and (>khotsk seas. The Cossack 
 Lnka ^Forosko startt-d tVoni Anadirsk in ]('(][) with 
 a rovinijf biuid and ponotratod far to tho southward, 
 but what ho saw was not known until some tinu' aftor- 
 wai'd. Tho name Kamchatka was known in \'akutsk 
 by report from 1(>1)0. Some years later tlu' lirst party 
 of riders set out thither under tho leadership of the 
 C»)ssack colonel, Atlassof, who passes for the actual 
 
 ' Tin- v<)y!ij,'c i)f iK'sliiU'f was almost for^'otti'ii wlu-n MmIIit foninl a 
 ri'fonl of it ill Koiinisk. MorsLni Slmriiik, l^'i't, ;{7~4!l; J'ff' rys' MiiIIci-'h 
 r<)(/., v.- ix. 
 
 -All aiio'iviiions iirtitl(! in a litiTary inoiitiily pulilislii'il in St I'l'tcislnir;^ 
 in 17<>I> ciiiitiiKis till' followin;;: ' Tlif liiinnr of liaviii),' taUfii tlic lirst stf'|:s 
 
 n IIJII 'II llir« r^i ill null mil i:i-np*oi , I mil I i-iivii I .., ^...^ ...- 
 
 of tin' t'sisti'iuf of tho Polar Sea on tlio nortJH'rn sliori of Sihi-rin, anil nnothi-r 
 vast (H'i'an in tin rnst. In sonu- of the olil SiU'vian archivi'.i il(K'uiiu'nta have 
 I i:. .....I ..'i,:..i. .......... »i,..f ti... ., I,. .-..., ...,..,<: i .,v.,.,.iu: .».i.. ......... 
 
 of tho usiir|i(>r iSoris '. •ouunot, ami of the I'ulso Pniitn alter liiiii, niinle it 
 inipusbihlo to ti'liiK of fiirtlicr cxitloratioiiR of the Kanicliiitka (.'oiuitry, ami 
 i'V( n tin- iiaiiif was ahiiost foivottni after the liipHu uf u few jcuch.' Yithe- 
 '"•"--irhiinia Sochhu'iiin, Murtlt, 170[t, .'l;lG-7. 
 
 vitaxiiitc 
 
 f-"f~. 
 
:s. 
 
 THE RUSSIANS ON THE PACIFIC. 
 
 88 
 
 idiiiof had 
 rvv anioiiuf 
 ny of this 
 lit, thou <j^h 
 lid see it. 
 'c, and tlio 
 on a clear 
 
 was that 
 Kamchatka 
 o of Italy, 
 m tlio i-ini- 
 lo Cossack 
 UWH) with 
 loudiward, 
 ^iuK' aftrr- 
 i \'akutsk 
 irst party 
 lip of tiio 
 the actual 
 
 illor fimiitl ft 
 
 T< /•//.<" MuIIii-'h 
 
 St I'l'tt'tsliiir}? 
 
 till' lirst Ht('|;s 
 
 " tlicii' iiiiiiiImt 
 I N'assili''-, it'll 
 I to kiiuw its 
 4r-oir rcjiidiis. 
 'il (liiriii); till! 
 tilt' lii-st news 
 I), and nnotlicr 
 K'uiiii'iitH liavu 
 
 I'll lli;iilr KiiliK' 
 
 its hIiui'i'm to 
 
 'vti'i'iiif pKiiit, 
 
 'I'lii! tritiiliK'il 
 
 lilwIcHM rri^'IIH 
 
 liiiii, iiiiiili! it 
 
 fiiiiiitry, anil 
 
 yc'iii-H. ' )'<iiAe- 
 
 discovorf)r and conqueror of Kamchatka. The Rus- 
 sian,^ found in Kamchatka Japanese writ inj^s and oven 
 some Japanese sailors cast ashore there hy shipwreck. 
 From the latter they learned that the land stretched 
 far away to the south, and were at first induced to 
 hclicve that Kamchatka nvu'hed as far as Ja[)an, as 
 iiitk'cd it is laid down on the oldest maps. 
 
 Like the Spaniards in Mexico, the first Russians in 
 Kamchatka were highly honoi'cil, almost d(>ified, hy 
 till' natives. That the ah.U'ij^inal Americans should 
 have asciihed divinity to the first Spaniards is not 
 stniii'^c. They came to them from off the limitless 
 and mysterious water in huge wh'.te-winged canoes, 
 in martial array, with gaudy wrappings and glittering 
 armor; the}' landed with im|)osing ceremonies; their 
 hadei-s were men of digiiilied bearing and suwe man- 
 ners, and held their followers in control. The first 
 apjtearance of the Russians in Kamchatka, however, 
 l»r(sents an e itirely dilferent aspect; sui ly the Kam- 
 chatkans of that day were satislied with ungaiiily 
 
 gods 
 
 riic Cossacks who came with Atlassof were rough- 
 Inoking fellows, ol" small size, clad in furs like the 
 Kauuliatkaiis, most of them the oflspi-ing of unions 
 hetween half Tartars and women from tin,' native 
 trills of Si!)eria. j'hev were filthv in their habits, 
 and had ju.-t completed a wearv ride of manv months 
 l!ii'ough the wiklerness. Tlu>v wei'e naturally cruel 
 and j)lace(I no restraint on their beastly propen- 
 sities; nevertlu'less thev wi're called ix*'ds by bein<js 
 ot a lower order than themselves, and it were wi'll 
 to propitiate them. Indeetl, they did jiossess one 
 attiihute of the deity: they could kill. A fe.v rusty 
 firelocks, a few jumnd.s of powder, and they were 
 onniijiotenf. (iods are prone to (piarrel as well as 
 men, but can Hieydii'? The Kamchatkans thought 
 not; so when tlu'y saw one of Atlassofs men struck 
 down by another, sawthe warm red blotni <>ush from 
 
 ' 1 I • • • 
 
 u mortal wound to .stain the virgin snow, the spell 
 
20 
 
 THE CFA'TURY-MARCH OF THE COSSACKS. 
 
 Ava« broken. Tlieso were no lUfods; and thenceforth 
 the RussiiUis liiul io fiyht for the su[)reniacy. After 
 many exjieditions and many hattles, for the.se people 
 were in truth ln-avc and lovens of lil)erty, the Rus- 
 nians, in ITOO, ivaclied the sontliei-n extremity of 
 thi' Kamihatka penin.sula, whi'n; they saw th(! nortli- 
 t'l'mno.st i.slands of the Kurile ehain which points to 
 Jijtan. 
 
 Thus did tlie Russians, after tlie lapse of a rentury 
 full of toil and ravages, reach the I'xtreme end of the 
 Old World. .\t th(; bei^inning of tlu! eighteenth 
 century they f«>und themselves on a separate strip of 
 coast, twelve hundred miles lonjjf, laciiiL,^ another 
 twelve hundred miles' stilp, the north-west end of 
 Amerii-a. It was hardly to he expectt.'d that they 
 would rest contented where tlu'V were. 
 
 The natives of Kamchatka did not appear to have 
 any knowledge of America, so that the Jvussians were 
 left to learn of the Jtolshdin z<'m(i<f, (»r 'j^reat land' 
 toward the (>ast, slowlv and as thev were aole. Ti\]\ 
 trunlvs of iir and other tri'cs whicli did not grow in 
 Kamchatka were thrown from time to time l»y cur- 
 rents U])on the shores along the east side of that 
 country. J^aige ilocks of land-l)irds came to the coast 
 
 • (ccasio.ially from the east iind disap[)earetl again in 
 tiie sami' diiH^ction. W'h.iles came fr<»m the east with 
 sj)ear-heads in their l)acks dilleient iVoni any used in 
 Kamciiatka; and now and t!ien foreign-huilt hoats 
 and otlier uausual ohjects w<-re wasiuMl uj)on the 
 easti'rn coast. ICven the waves carryiriijf these tokens 
 did not have as long a swtll as those to the south. 
 Jlence tiiey said this land nnist front a sea wholly 
 
 or i)ai 
 
 •tiall 
 
 y enclosed, and tliat toward the north the 
 
 sides must bo nearest together. Surely the Chukchi 
 should know souK^thing about it. Indeed, often in 
 their lights with these peopl*' the Russians had taken 
 (•aptives with j)ieces of v.ah-us ivory thrust through 
 their lips and cheeks, and speaking a langUi'ge dilfei- 
 ent from thut of the Chukchi. And the stor}' was 
 
Tli:. CHKAT LAND' TO THK EAST. 
 
 27 
 
 )ar to liavo 
 
 tliat til*' '^Yvat laiul was no island, hut liad rivers and 
 cliains of* niountaiiis v.itlioul iiul.'' 
 
 AI>out this time t\\v stn/i,ik L-iiias, Vassih Tvanovidi 
 (Ja^arin, was |)ivsc'nt at Yaluitsk, sent thither hy his 
 mult', tlieu^overnor, Prince ^latvci Petrovich Ciagarin, 
 to DKike (hscovcries. ]lv issued several oi'ders to the 
 rtiirnd, or nol)leni;n\, Trauei-nicht, who coininanded in 
 tJKit seetion, one of lluni heiiii^ that he should " niaki> 
 diliu'eiit iiKiuiry ahout the inlands situated o|)|)osit(> the 
 iii'iiith oi .:ie river IColima, and the land oC Kain- 
 rlialka; wliat people inhahited them; under whose 
 jiulsuielion they were; what was their eniploynient; 
 
 •"• Miitvf'i Strrhykliin, coniniiindor of tlicostro-^ of Anadirsk, was instruotcd 
 in 1711 to colli ft iiifoniiJitioii <'oiucniing tlic ( liiilvt'lii ;m(l an island or conti- 
 lu'iit Ijiiij,' to tlic i'ast\v;inl ot tliiir louiitry. CiU' ot tlif ivsulti of tliis invea- 
 ti;,':itio:i was a ilcpositioii inadc iiiid swoi-n to l>y tlic N'akout ('ossatk Tettr 
 I'.lianox iili l'o|ioi', ilu' ])n)iiiysld('tiik Yc^or Vassilu viili 'I'oiiliii, aiid the newly 
 I ■II1V4I till Vuka^'ir ]\an Xassilirvii'li TiTi'shkin, and dilid Anadii:-k, Scjit. 
 •_'. 1711. It was to the itl'irt lliat on tlio i;ith of .January 1711 I'ojiof and 
 tlic two otliiTS, who .stTVi'il as inti rini'tt'is, wcii: sent opt l>y ( lovt'iiior I'Vdor 
 Kotov.-koi to visit tin' v;dli'y of tin- Anadir and nffi\ o trilmtc Ironi .loiiio i.f 
 ll'c Cimkchi trilii's. This doiii- fliry witc to proi'i'cil to tin' capo, (.'h.'.ikotskoi 
 .\c).-4s, in order to ])ir.siiailc th'- < luikchi living there to hecoine tlilmtary t > 
 l;;!:-sia. INijiof nut everywhere with a ]>ereiii]itory refusal to pay tiiliiite. 
 '1 he ('iiukehi said that foiiiieily the llil.xsiaiis had come to their country in 
 ^ Iiip.H, and tiiev paid no trilmte tlicii,and tlierefore they would not do it now, 
 .Mid I'opof nni^t expect no hostages froni tlieiii. 'J"he (liiikihi w lio dwell 
 mar the cape keep tame reindeer, and in order to tlnd pasture for their animals 
 liny fieipicntly ihaiiue tluir lialiitalion. (>pi>osite the caiic on either side, 
 ill the sea of Kolima as well as in tliat of .\ii;iilir, islands have liccn seen, 
 which till' Chukchi call ii lai-ge country, iiiiil tiny say that the juiiiilu living 
 t.'i re have large teeth in their mouths, piiijectin;,' llinnigh the clici'ks. i'opi f 
 f lund ten of tliese men, prisoners aiiinng the Chukchi, with their cheeks still 
 ilistignred liy the jirojectiiig ivory. Jn sinnnier time they sail across to tho 
 tin at Land in one day, and in the winter, a swift n iudeer team can make it 
 ill one day over the ice. in the otlu'rlainl there are saldes, wolves, and hears. 
 Tlie people are, like the Chukchi, without any government. I'luy liavi' the 
 \,u<m| iif 1 idar, larch, and l!r trees, which the ( liiikchi sometimes olitain for 
 till ir liidar.s, weapons, and huts. Alioiit 'J, (KM) people live at and near tlui 
 cape, Imt the iiilialiitanls of the other coiinlry aie s:iid to he three tiine-i 
 that nnniher. which is conliiiiied not only Ly )irisMiiers Imt also liy oin' of tho 
 ( hukclii, who li.'is often heeli there. Another statement was essentially as 
 toiluu.<: Opjiusite the cape lies an i.sland, within .-i-lit, of no great extent, 
 
 devoid (,t timlier. and inhiihited by | |ile reseinhliiig the Cliukcld, though 
 
 till y speak tluir own kingua^'c. Jt is half a day's voyjigo to the island from 
 the cape, ll'youdtlie island there is a large eontin« lit, scarcely to he seen 
 Irom it, and that only on very clear days. In ealni .. .itlicr one may row 
 over the sea to the continent, which is iniialiited. 'I'liere are large forests, 
 and .L'fcat rivers fall into the sea. The inhaliiiants have fortiliid dwclliii'.'s 
 with ramparts of earth. 'I'lieir clothes are the -kins of sahle iind fox. 'I'iit! 
 Chnkchi ,ir<' often at war with them. )'tH/iei;i!a.imtrhiiitia Suchiiieiiid, HSii, 
 i:.J-(i; .l/i,7(r'« Voj., 24-0. 
 
28 
 
 THE CENTURY-MARCII OF THE COSSACKS. 
 
 ! ', 
 
 how large the islands were and how distant from the 
 continent." Tlie coinrnandcrs and Cossaeks ordered 
 to those regions were all commissioned with such in- 
 quiries, with the promise of s[)eeial rewards for such 
 service from the emperor, who should be inft)rmed of 
 any discoveries by express as soon as any authentic 
 rej)ort was forwarded to Yakutsk. 
 
 Orders had been issued as early as 1710 to the 
 commanders of Ust-Yana and Kolima to give these 
 discoveries their special att(!ntion. In answer, a dep- 
 osition was sent in by the Cossack Yakov Pcrmakof 
 of Ust-Yana, stating that he once sailed from the 
 Lena to the l?iver Kolima, and tliat on the east side 
 of Sviatoi Noss he had sighted an island in the sea, 
 but was unable to ascertain if it was inhabited. Tlieie 
 was also an island situated directly opposite the river 
 Kolima, an island that mi<;ht be seen from the conti- 
 nent. Mountains could be seen upon it, but it wii.i 
 uncertain whether it was iidiabited. 
 
 The voivod Tniernicht was further one )uragi'(l,* 
 and prepared two expeditions, one from the mouth of 
 the river Yana and one from the Kolima, simultane- 
 ously to search for the supposed islanil; for which 
 purpose the men were either to go in boats or ti'avel 
 on the ice till it could l)e definitely ascertained if such 
 an island existed. Concerning the first-named expedi- 
 tion, which was begun by Merkuri A'^agin, a Cossack, 
 ^Iiiller fouM<l several reports at Yakutsk, but in hii 
 opinion the documents did not deserve mu(di consiil- 
 cration. 
 
 A^-igin de[)artod from Yakutsk during the autiunn 
 of 1711, with eleven other Cossacks, and in ^lay 
 
 *Knia8 Matvc'V Oiifiarin wroto to the voivod, under ddti- of .Tiinunry 'Js, 
 1711, iix follows; '1 liiivo heard hy Cohsiich and Oworaucs from .Jiikut/I; 
 tliJit yon intend to neii(l a party of Coshjk's and soliinteerw to the new o'lmi- 
 try or island oiii)OHito tlie month of tiie river Kolima, Imt tliat you hesitateil 
 aliout doing it without orders; therefore I have found it ncce.ssary to tell you 
 th:it you kIiouIiI liy no nienns ne;^'Ieet to do it; and if oilier iiilaiids m„y \f 
 discovered, you will he jileiiHed to do the saUK! with respect to them. Uut 
 altove all tliingH the expedition is to he nuide tills presiint year, 1711. This 
 I write to you by order of his Czuriuh .Majesty.' Mitller'n Toy., Intr., xv. -xvi. 
 
s. 
 
 b from tho 
 vs ordered 
 ,h such ill- 
 Is for suoU 
 iforiiicd of 
 authentic 
 
 '10 to tlio 
 
 give these 
 
 vver, a dcp- 
 
 Perinukof 
 
 I from tho 
 e east side 
 
 in the sea, 
 ted. There 
 te the river 
 1 the coiiti- 
 
 but it \va;i 
 
 nouraged,* 
 o moutli of 
 , simultane- 
 ; for which 
 ts or travel 
 ned if such 
 lied expedi- 
 
 a CossacK, 
 , hut in iTn 
 
 ueh consid- 
 
 Lhe autumn 
 hd in May 
 
 ii" of .Tiinunry 2S, 
 
 Is fnmi Jiikiitzli 
 
 ) the iit'W O'lUii- 
 
 \t yiin liosttiitfil 
 
 srtiiry to tell yi'ii 
 
 irtliiiKls iii-y '"' 
 
 \ii to tlllMl. lill! 
 
 ir, 1711. Tl'i/ 
 liitr., xv.-xvi. 
 
 EASTERN EXPLORATIONS, SO 
 
 \7\'2 lie made a voyage from Ust-Yanskoie Simovie 
 to the frozen sea. On tliis occasion the Yakov Per- 
 makof, jxeviously mentioned, served as his guide. 
 The i>a)ty used sledges ih-awn \>y dogs, and al'ter fol- 
 lowing the coast to Sviatoi Xoss, they emerged ujkui 
 the frozen ocean and travelled directly north. They 
 cai'ie to a desert ishmd, without wood, which Vagin 
 estimated to he from nine to twelve days' ti-avel in 
 circiimi'erence. From this island they saw, farther to 
 the north, another island or land, hut as the s})riiig 
 was already too far advanced, Vagin dared not pro- 
 ceed, and his provisions running short the whole party 
 returned to the continent, to [n-ovide themselves with 
 a sutllcient supply of fish during tho summer. Tho 
 ])oint wlu're he reached the coast was hetweeii Sviatoi 
 Xo.ss and the river Khroma. A C'osstick had I'ornierly 
 erected a cross there, and after him it was named Ka- 
 taief Krest. Being out of provisions, they failed in 
 an attempt to reach the Khroma, and were com[>elled 
 to eke out an existence on the sea-coast, devcuiring 
 I'vcn the sl(,'dg(,'-dogs. Vagin, however, still intended 
 111 j)rosecute his i'X|»lorations; hut his Cossacks, renieni- 
 Ixiiiig thcii- sufferings, t<» prevent a repetition, rose 
 against their leader and murdered him, his son, tho 
 guide l*ermakof, and on<^ ])romyshli'ni!<. Tho crime 
 w .s revealed hy one of the accompli«'es and the of- 
 ciidi IS were hroui»ht to iustice. During the trial it 
 ap|M;n-ed that the guid<.' Vakov I'ernuiUof did not 
 helieve the supposed large island to \)v ivally an island, 
 hut only vaj)or. 
 
 The other expedition, that from the Kolima, met 
 A\ith no hitter success. It consisted of a single vessel 
 coiiiittaiided hy the Cossack A'assili Stadnkhin, with 
 twenty-two men. If(( merely ohserve*! a single jiioni- 
 '•ntoiy, extending into tl'e sea to th«^ east of Kolima, 
 surr(iuiide<l hy ice, ini[)enetra,l)le hy their vi'ssels.'' 
 
 •'' 'I'liiv nsoil -hHil:!, orlMUits, tlu ]>liil\U.s of wliicli were fnxtoiicd tojrctlicr 
 M-ilii liiwliidi' striijitt iiiul tlioiins. 'I'licy iiuiusunil al>o>it, ;i() tVet in lcn;;tli iiiul 
 I'J In t Ininl, viihu lint lK)tl()iii,culktil with inoM. 1 L j siiiis coiisisti il ot soft, 
 
t 
 
 I I 
 
 80 
 
 THE CENTLTA'-MAKCn OF TITE COSSACKS. 
 
 I I 
 
 AnotluT expedition was undertaken by 'i Coswiick 
 named AniossoK Ho started in \72'.i with a parly 
 to search for an island reported to extend from the 
 mouth of the Yana heyond the mouth of the Tndiuirka. 
 He proceeded to the Kolima, and was jirepared to 
 sail in July 1724. Accordint^ to his account ho found 
 such shoals of ice before liini that lie chanjj^ed his 
 coursti and sailed aloni^ the coast eastward to the so- 
 calle<l habitation of Kopai, which he reached on tlu! 
 7th of Au*4"ust. Hereai^ain ice drove him back, and he 
 returned to the Kolima. The dwellinLj of Kopai was 
 about two hundnd versts east of that river. Aniossof 
 al.>o mentioneil a small i-^land situated near the conti- 
 nent, anil durinuf th<i followiuLT winter ho made another 
 joui'ney, with sled^'es, of which he sent an account lo 
 the chancellery of Yaksitsk. The rejjort was to the 
 ellect that on the "A of Xovendier 1724 he set out 
 from ^^lshnoie Kolimskoio Simovie, and met with 
 land in the frozen sea, returniui; to Kolima on th(^2;i(l 
 of the same montii. Upon this land he saw nothini;- 
 but old huts covered with eaith; it was unknown 
 to what people tliey IxlunLjed, and what had be- 
 come of them. Want of provisions, and especially 
 of dog-food, had obli<jfe<l him to turn back without 
 ujakinj^ any fui'iher discovei-ies. This journey was 
 also imi)i'ded by lidges of ice ])iled to a g'lvat height, 
 \\hich had to be crossed with the sledges. The j)lace 
 where Amossof left the continent to go over to the 
 island is betwet-n the Chukotcha and the Alisein, 
 rivers. It was an island, iii cii'cunderenci! about a 
 day's travel with dogs, and about the samct distanc( 
 from the continent, Vvln-nce its high UKtuntains can 
 easily 1m) seen. To the north were two other islands, 
 likewise mountainous an«i sejiarated by nai'row straits. 
 Those ho had not visited and did not know thi^ir ex 
 tent. The first was without trees; no tracks of animals 
 
 •Irc'ssed vcindtier-skin, ami in lAucc i)f ropt'u. Btnipn of t'lU-nkiii were used. Tli 
 fliii'liiit'M Writ! jiiruM of wood, to \\ liicli lioivv Htoiii'8 wvvv fiisti'iicd. MuUi r' 
 I'vi/., liitrotl., xviii. 
 
ILVMCIIATKA REACIirD BY SEA. 
 
 81 
 
 n C(>sy;ick 
 tU a iKU'ty 
 (1 from tlic 
 
 pn'pan'fl to 
 lilt ho I'ound 
 •haiij^cd I'.i^-i 
 (I to tlic so- 
 chcd oil tlio 
 l);ick,!Ui(llie 
 t' Kojiai Nvas 
 ?r. Aniossot' 
 :ar the coiiti- 
 iiiulc aiiothor 
 111 account to 
 t was to the 
 jl ho sot out 
 u(l met Nvith 
 lui on tht!2;')d 
 . saw nothiii;,;' 
 vas unknown 
 lilt ha(l_ he- 
 ld (spocially 
 ack without 
 jouvnoy was 
 '.•i-cat hoij;ht, 
 Tho place 
 ) over to the 
 the Alisei;i 
 'ucc' ahout !i 
 aine distance 
 lounlains can 
 othei- iskmds, 
 larrow straits, 
 now their ex- 
 iks of animal;^ 
 
 (kin wore uscil. Tli" 
 fasU-ued. MuU<r< 
 
 were seen hut those of reindeer, whicli live on niosr,. 
 Tlie olil huts had heen constructed of drift-wood and 
 covered wi'Ji eaith. It is prohahle that they had 
 heen made hy Vukagirs or Chukchi, who liad lied 
 hefore the iirst advaiu-e of the Iiussians, and suhse- 
 (juently ri'iuiiu-d to the continent." 
 
 Ivopai, meiitioiiod in Amossof's narrative, Mas a 
 chief amoiiLC the Shelaj^es, liviii;^ at the mouths of the 
 IColima and Ali.seia rivers, lie iirst ])aid trihuto to 
 Jiussia at the retjuest of A'^ilegin, a ])roniyshlenik, and 
 in 17:^4 he paid tiihutu to Amoss(j|'. Suhseciueiitly, 
 however, he liroke his allegiance and killed some of 
 Amossof's party. 
 
 Tlie fii'st jiassai^c hy sea from OklK)tsk to Kam- 
 chatka took place in 171G. One of the sailors, a 
 native of lloorn in Holland, named Bush, was alivo 
 vv hen MiilKr visited Yakutsk in 173G, and he related 
 to him the circumstaiici's. On the 2'.U[ of May 17I4 
 a ]>.'nty of twenty Cossacks and sailors arrived at Ok- 
 hotsk under command of Kosiiia Sokolol". These were 
 lollowed in July hy some c;ir|)enters aiul shipwri<,dits. 
 T\h) carpenters Ijuilt a vessel lor soa-servico, resem- 
 hhni^ the Ilussian lodkas in use hi-tween Arkhangel, 
 ]'ustozersk, an<l \ovaia Zemlia. Tiie vessel was (hi- 
 lahle — lirty-oiu; fi'et loU'LJC, with eighteen feet heam, and 
 drew when laden only thiT'o and a half feet of water. 
 ]aiiharkinLj in .lune 17I(), they i'ollowud the coast 
 uoith-easterlv till thev camo to the mouth of t!ie river 
 ( 'la, where a contrary wind drove tluMn aci'oss (he .sea 
 to Kamchatka. The land first sighted was a j)romon- 
 |t liy north of the river 'i'ii^il, where they cast anchor, 
 {^"iiie w«'iit ashore, hut found only empty huts. The 
 il\;imchatkans had watched the ap[>roach of the vessel 
 find tied to tlu^ mountains. Tlie navij^ators a^'aiii 
 Bet sail. j)assed the Ti'gil, and arrived in one day at 
 
 " Mfi!li r iliK'S not Kit-ni to liiiv<» j)l;ircil nnuli fiiitli in Ainossofn n|iiirt. 
 II'' t:\|ii( s;( s til)' (i]iiiiii)n tliat it «a» Iraincd to hrr\r juivutc imiiium's uml 
 •iil)si'miintly altciuil tusuit ciiLunistanci'N. If//., lutioil., xx. 
 
If 
 
 1 
 
 ,1 
 
 'I 
 
 (J; 
 
 ! 1 
 
 t, ■ 
 
 I i 
 
 I i 
 
 i s 
 
 83 
 
 THE CENTURY-MARCII OF THE COSSACKS. 
 
 tlic mouth of tlio little river Khariiizobka, in the 
 vieinity of two small islantls, Fiom Kliarinzobka 
 they went the following day to the river Itcha, keep- 
 in<; tin; sea at niiiht and making ft»r the land in the 
 morning, llei-e, again, some men were put ashore, 
 luit they could iind neither inhabitants nor houses. 
 They soon returned and the vessel sailed (l(»wn the 
 coast till they came to the river Krutogorova. They 
 inten<led to make this river, but missed its mouth, 
 ami linding a convenient bay a little to the south 
 tliev anchored. On searching the countrv, they met 
 witli a girl who was gathering edible roots in the 
 iield, and she showed them some huts, inhabited by 
 twelve Kamchatka Cossacks, stationed tiiere to receive 
 tribute. The Cossacks were sent foi", and servetl as 
 guiiles am.! inter] ire ters. The vessel was then brought 
 to the mouth of the river Kompakova, and it was 
 resolved to winter there.^ 
 
 Earl}- in ^Tay 1717 they put to sea, and on the 
 fourth day became lodged between fields of ice, an<l 
 ■were held theie for over five weeks. At last they 
 re'jfained the coast of (Mihotsk between the river Ola 
 and Tanisky ostrog, where they stayed several days, 
 and then retuined to Okhotsk al)out the middle of 
 July. From that tinu; there was constant ni'vigation 
 between (Jkhotsk and Kamchatka. 
 
 In 171i) the Ivussian government sent two naviga- 
 tors or surveyors, Ivan V'evreinof and Fcdor Lushin, 
 to make geogi'aphical observations, and specially to 
 fiiKJ, if possible, among the Kurile Islands the one 
 fiom which the Japanese were said to obtain gold and 
 silver. They arrived at Yakutsk in May 1720, crossed 
 over to Kamchatka the same summer, and leturned 
 to Yakutsk in 1721.* Y^evreinof left Lushin in Sibc- 
 
 ' During the stay of Sokolof nntl liush on tlie Kompakova, a wliale vm3 
 onHt ashore, \vhic'li had in itH Itoily a harpoon of Europuaa niaku, niarketl with 
 KuMiaa k'ttfi-s. Mitllir's I'nj/., liilrod., xlii. 
 
 •■'J'he itKultH weiT kept m'cri't an<l ^Uilll'^ ooiihl not ^vt aocess to tlii'if in- 
 struetions. so that nothing more i» known about thia voyage. JJtttli r^s f "//•) 
 Iutro<l., xliii. 
 
 f 
 
 t 
 t 
 
THE AMERICAN SIBERIA. 
 
 88 
 
 ria and proceeded to Russia to report to the tsar, tak- 
 in<«- with hiiu a map of the Kurile Islands as tb.r as he 
 had exj)l<)red them. For the next tiirey years, that is 
 to sav to 17-4, rumors and ideas concerning the east 
 assumed more and more detiniteness in Kamcliatka, 
 and at Okhotsk, Yakutsk, and otlier Russian settle- 
 ments, at last reachinjjf Moscow and St Petersburg, 
 there to find attentive listeners." 
 
 Ol)viouslj the Great Land opposite, if any such 
 there was, would present aspects quite different to the 
 tough C(jssacks and to the more susceptible Europeans 
 from the south. The American Siberia, this farther- 
 most north-west was once called, and if to the Amer- 
 ican it was Siberia, to the Siberian it was America. 
 The eastern end of Asia is lashed by the keen east- 
 ci-n tempests and stands bleak and bare, without 
 vegetation, and the greater j)art of the year wrapped 
 in ice and snow. Tlie western shores of America, 
 tiiough des(»latc and barren enough within the limits 
 of Bering sea, arc wonderfully dilferont where they 
 are washed by the Pacific and protected from the east 
 bv high <'hains of mountains. Here they are o})en to 
 tiii3 mild westerly winds and warm ocean currents; 
 tliev have a damper climate, and, in consequence, a 
 more vi"'orous jxrowth of trees and i)lants. In com- 
 ])aratively high latitudes they are eovered with tine 
 I'orests down to the sea-shore. This is a contrast 
 which rej)eats itself in all northern countries. The 
 ludtr Sweden in the east contrasts in a like manner 
 MJlh the milder Norway in the west; the desolate 
 
 " Miillcr relates ' that in the year 1715 tin re lived ;it Kamchatka a in;in of 
 a foiiiu'ii nation, wlio, upon account of tlie Iviinicliiitliaii ocilariiuta ami tliu 
 Inw t-ldiilis on whii^h they glow, saiil that he laniu from a cinuitry to the cast 
 V hero ihcic were large cciL' ■> which bore lii;;;,'er nuts than tlio.'sc of Kam- 
 cliatka ; til It hi.s country was L-tuatcil to the caat of Kamchatka ; that there 
 Avero foiMul in it jjreat rivers where ho livid whiili <lischar,'i'(l tiiem.sehe.s 
 wesiward into the Kaiiicluitkan sea; tiiat the inliahitJints callcil tliemHclvei 
 'I'ontoli: they reseinl)!eil in their manner of livin;,' the jieople (;f Kameliali»a 
 and made use of fikiii l)oat.s or Ixtlilarr-i like those of the Kanuhadales. That 
 m.iny years ii.;i> he went over with some more of las eounlr\;ucn to Kara:;- 
 iiiskoi osticiw ulnre hi.s coinitanionn weie slain liy ih'' inhahiiunt.s and ho 
 uloiio made Ium escape to Kuiiiciiutku.' I'oy., iutrud., xxviii. 
 Uisr. AukHKA. a 
 
r I, 
 
 34 
 
 THE CENTURY-MARCH OF THE COSSACKS. 
 
 eastern coast of Greenland buried in polar ice, with 
 its western coast inhabited, and at times gay with 
 flowers and verdure. Thus the great eastern coun- 
 try, the hohhaia zemlin, rich in harbors, shelter, 
 woods, and sea and land animals, might well become 
 l)y report among the north-eastern Asiatics a garden 
 of paradise. 
 
 'I f 
 
 i f 
 
 « 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE KAMCHATKA EXPEDITIONS. 
 
 1725-1740. 
 
 PrnrosEs or Petek the GnEAT -An Expedition Oroanized— Sets orr 
 FKoM St PETEusiirud— Death ok thk Tsau— His Effokts Seconded 
 
 BY CaTIIEKINK ASU Ki.IZAIIETH — IJEKINd AXI) ChIKIKOF AT KAMCHAT- 
 KA — They Coast Xokthwakd thkoi (;h JSKKisci Stkait and PiiovK 
 
 A.HIA TO HE SeI'AKATEI) Fllo.M AmeIUCA — AUVENTIKES OF SlIE.STAKOK— 
 
 Expedition of Hens, Fkhohof, anp (Jvozdef — America Siohteu-Ok- 
 
 OANIZATION OF THK SECOND (iKNEKAI. Exi'KDITION- 15l UI.IciOHAI'HV— 
 
 pEiisoNNEi-oF THK Expedition — IJKitrMi.CiiiiiiKoF, Spaniikk(i,\\ ai.ton, 
 
 CUOVEKE, STELLEK, Mi LLEIl, FiSHEK, AND UTIIEKS— lllSSIAN IvKLKlION - 
 
 Easy Mouai.ity —Model Missionaries — The Lonh \\'KAiiY Way Aciio.^s 
 
 SlDEKIA— ClIAKCilW AliAINST BeKI.NO — AUKIVAL OF THE EXPEDITION AT 
 
 Okhotsk. 
 
 Thp: excessive niriosity of Peter the Great extended 
 further than to iship-builcHuir, astrouoiny, and <;eiieral 
 <(e()gra[)liy. Vast as was the addition of Siberia to 
 the Russian cin[)ire tliere kiy soniethinj^ more beyond, 
 still indistinct and shadowy in the world's mind, and 
 tht! astute Peter determined to know what it was. 
 The sea of Okhotsk had l)een found, and it was iti the 
 same latitude as the l^altie; the ostroj,^ of Okhotsk 
 luul been built, and it stood upon almost exactly the 
 s.iini' i)arallel as St PetersburLf. Mii^ht not there bo 
 I'T hnn an American Russia, as already there was a 
 European and an Asiatic Russia? And might not 
 this new Russia, occupying the same relative position 
 to America that the old Russia did to Europe, be 
 worth more to him than a dozen Siberias? He would 
 see. And he would know, too, and that at onct>, 
 whether the continents of Asia and America joined. 
 
l! 
 
 % 
 
 ■li: 
 
 ! I 
 
 30 
 
 TIIK KAMCHATKA i:XJ'i:i)iTIONS. 
 
 Tills would 1)0 fi ufood f»j>|t()rtuiiity likcv.iso to try liis 
 iM'W ships, liis ijcNV (liscijdiiio, ami see what tlio skilkd 
 j^iiivN'iiK'ii whom Ik' had invited iVom Austria, and 
 Prussia, and Holland could do lor him. ^J'hcro were 
 many around him whom his eiithusiasn) had inspired, 
 !;nd who wished to try their mettle in strange ad- 
 Acnture. 
 
 Such were tlie thoULjhts arlsin«^ in the fertile hrain 
 of the great I*eter which led to what may Ix- called 
 the two Kamchatka, expeditions; that is, two prin- 
 cipal expeditions IVom Kamchatka, with sc\cral sub- 
 ordinate and collateral voyages, the lirst of which 
 was to asci'rtahi whether Asia and Aujcrica joined or 
 were 8ej)arate, and the second to thoroughly explore 
 I'astern Siberia, to discover and examine the American 
 coast opp(»site, and to learn sonuithing morc^ ot" the 
 ]vuriU; Islands and Japan. iJoth exploiations wei'e 
 undir the eonunand of Vitus JJering, a J)anish caj»- 
 tain in the Ilussian service, who was engaged on the 
 iii-.^t about live yeai's, the second series occupying 
 some sixteen years, not wholly, however, under this 
 conunander. 
 
 l\)r the guidance of his admiral. Count Apraxin, 
 the tsar drew U[) instructions with his own hand. 
 Two decked boats were to be built at Kamchatka, 
 and, to assist leering in the commaJid, ruiutenants Mar- 
 tin S[)anbirg and Alexei Chirikof were ajiixjinted. 
 Other otlicers as well as ship-builders and seamen 
 were chosen, and on Februai-y a, 17"jr),the expedition 
 set out ovi'iland through Siberia. Thi-ee days there- 
 alter the monarch died; but his instructions we're 
 i'aithf'ully carried out by his succes.sors, Catherine the 
 wile and Elizabeth the daughter. 
 
 ^luch ti'ouble was experienced in crossing the con- 
 tinent, in obtaining provisions, and in making ready 
 the ships; so that it was not until the *21st of August 
 1 7'J7 that jeering with Chirikof set sail in the Furtiniti. 
 tV<»m Okhotsk, for the southern t^nd of the Kamchut 
 han peninsula, where by July of the following year 
 
r.nrjxo's iin.-^.T V(yv.\<;n. 
 
 .17 
 
 tlu'V Im'l rc'idv auotlicr vi'ssci, the (Inrril, or Calnlol. 
 Lcjiviiij,' till- liver KMimliatka tlio L'Oth of July, tlu-y 
 coasted the eastern sliui-eof the |)eiiiiisula iiortliwani, 
 lill oil the Stll of AuL,'Ust tliey r<)UII(l tlielMSclves ill 
 latitude CI' .".o', at the I'iver Anadir. The Chukehi 
 there told tlxiM that after roundiuLj I'jist (^api^ tin? 
 <'oast turned toward tlie west. ContiMuinij, <li<y 
 jiasscd and named St Fiawrenee Island, and the 
 h'lfh til' Au'j^ir-t tluy wt-re in latitude (17 is', haviii;^ 
 |iassed the east rmniost jtoint of Asia, and throii^di the 
 strait of IJerinLi^. There the coast turned al)ru|>tly 
 westward, as they had heeii told. 11' it continued in 
 that direction, as was more than pi-ohahlc!, Asia an<l 
 Aiaeiiea weiv not united.* IJerin^'s mission was ae- 
 complislied, and he therefore returned, reach iuLj Ivam- 
 chatka in Septemher. 
 
 ]n c«»unection with this first voyaLj*' of Heriu'nc, two 
 expeditions wire undd-taken in the sanu; dire<-tiou 
 under the au.-jiiees of Afanassiy Shestakof, a chief of 
 the \'akutsk Cossacks. This hold man, whose energy 
 was of that I'eckless, olistinate typ*' that knows no 
 <lcteat, Weill to St I V'teishiir^- and made .several ]>ro- 
 ]»osals to the senate I'orthesuhjectiouof the inde[:endent 
 ("hukclii and Koriaks and the unruly Kauichatkaiis. 
 The elo(pienc(! with whirji he advanced his scheiiK! 
 jiiocured him apj)lausc and siu'cess. I le was a])poiiited 
 chief of an ex[)e(lition in which toaccoiii|»lish his heart's 
 desire. 
 
 The admiralty aj)pointed a Hollander, Jacoh Hens, 
 jiilot; Ivan l'\'doi'of, .second incomm.uid. .Nf ikhaYl (Jvo/- 
 def, " t;(M)desist," or surveyor; I lerdchal, searcher of 
 oics, and ten sailors. He was t<» proceiul hotli l>y 
 land and hy sea. I*'rom the arsenal at ( 'atherinel)urL% 
 Sihciia, he was to \)o provided w itii small cannons and 
 mortars, and ammunition, and a <'aptain of the Siheiiau 
 rej^Miiicnt of dragoons at Tobolsk, J)uiitri ravlul/ki, 
 
 ' Miillir, Voy. 4, is in i-rmr wIumi lie nays tliat 'tlic ciicumstanccs on \\ Iii( U 
 Uic caiitiiiii ftuiiiili'il his ju(l„'iiifiit wore false, hi- luiut; ll'i'" i" »• ''a.V "liuli, 
 altln)ii>,'li u\w. shoiu <liil tifinl to the west, the opposite .slii.re ran aj^aiu tti tlio 
 t;ast.' Ikiiiiy'a HupiKjsitioiwi Were contjct iu every iMurtieiilur. 
 
m 
 
 > h 
 
 :|l 
 
 
 i 
 
 1 
 
 ss 
 
 TIIK KAMCHATKA KXrHDITION'S. 
 
 ^v.•;.s (l^^'n■ll to jui'-, liim, cadi rocfiviiiL,'' CDiiinianfl 
 <:\( r WfAV Iiiiiulrcd Cossicks, wliilc at, the same tiiiir 
 all lilt' Cossacks stallomd in osti'o'^s and siuiorirs, of 
 Y.iiitcr-(|iiarti'rs, in tlio CliuUclii district, wrw |tlac»'i| 
 at their disposal. Witii these iiistruet ions Sht.'stakol* 
 roiurned to Siberia in .luiie I7"J7. At Tobolsk he re- 
 mained till late in Xoveinher, wiutcicd on the U|i]ier 
 li iia,and arrived at \'ak".tsk the next sum niei-. 'I'here 
 a dispute ai'ose hetwei'U She^takol' and l';ivhit/ki. 
 v.Jiifh caused theii- se])aration. In 1 7"J'.) Shestaliol" 
 Mr'iit to Okhotsk and there took jiossessioii, jbr the 
 ]>ur|ioses of his exjx'dilion, of the vesst Is with wliicli 
 JJiiinn" ''•"' lately retuiMied iVoni Ixamdiatka. On the 
 1st of Septt inlK'l- he des]iatche(l his cousin, the s>/,i- 
 hnt/<irs/,''\in- hastai'd nolilc, I van Shestakot", in the ( liinil 
 to the l»i\« !• I'd, whence' he was t<» |»roceed to Ivain- 
 oluitka anti hei^in exploi-ations, while he himseir sailed 
 iii ill"- /•'./■/////(/. This \rssel was wi'ecke(l near Tauiski 
 ostioM-, and nearly all on hoard ]ierished, Shestakoi 
 harely saxiuL,' his life in a canoe. With a. small rem- 
 nant of his men and some iViendly Tuii'^iises and Kor- 
 i.Ml.s he set out, for Iviuiehatka on foot, i)Ut on the 
 I nil of March I7.">() he was over] towered ne;ir the 
 _L;iiir of j'cnshinsk I»y a numeidus hody of Chukchi 
 }':id recilvcd a mortal wound. ( )nly three days helbri' 
 this Shestakoi' lind sent oi'dei's to Tmiiski osti'oLC th.it 
 the ( 'ossack 'I'ryl'on Ivru'iiscln T should enihark t'oi- 
 ]Jol.sherit>k in a scM-^oiu^' \cssel, thence make his 
 way rouml the southern point, of t!ie j»eninsuln, tou<'h 
 at Nishekainchiitsk, and jiidcccd to the ii\-er Ana- 
 (!ii-. Tlu! inliahilaiits of the " lar^c c(»unti'y lyin^ 
 opposite to this liver" he must ask to pay trihutu to 
 llu^-sia. (iso/d.l'. till' na\ i^'ator. was to l»e take)i on 
 IxKiid it he ilesii'tid, and shown «'Very lespect. 
 
 Al'ter hattlin'4 with advers»> winds and misl'ortuiK^s 
 j'or ahout two years, the e\|iIoi'ers passed northward 
 alon'4' the Asiatic slioi-e. hy the <j^uir of Anadir, noting 
 till' I )iomede Islands, and piihaps catchiii!^^ a j.;linipse 
 oi'tlie Ami lican shore. The K adi.'1's were (]iiarrt.-llinL; 
 
WHAT MIKHAIL (JVOZIMCF SAW. 
 
 80 
 
 1 coinniand 
 Hjuuc tiuK; 
 sniioi'ics, or 
 vri'c |»l;ic('(| 
 i Slicstakol" 
 )i»lsk lie rv- 
 \ (lie Up]icl- 
 
 IK r. Tlit-rc 
 
 l';tvliit/ki. 
 
 SIicstal\(»r 
 iiiii, I'lii" the 
 with wliirli 
 ka. Oil the 
 in, tlir .s'////- 
 1 ( 111' ( Id rril 
 ■<l to Kani- 
 liiscir sailed 
 lear Taiiisl^i 
 , Shfstukol 
 
 small iH'ih- 
 ■s aii<l Koi- 
 iait; oil the 
 tl iM;ir the 
 of Chukchi 
 (lays het'ori' 
 ostroLj that 
 eiiihark lor 
 1- liKike his 
 islll.j, touch 
 
 ii\'cr Aiia- 
 .iniry lyiuL; 
 y trilmtu to 
 he takc)i oil 
 eet. 
 
 lllisloi'tuiies 
 ! northward 
 a»lir, Motiii;4 
 
 I'^r ;i MliuijtSl' 
 
 (]UaiTelUiiy 
 
 : 
 
 yy-. 
 
 
 li 
 
 A ' 
 
 './\.-. 
 
 
 1^1 
 
 \ ■ I. 
 
 I .' 
 
 
 . 
 
 r 
 til 
 
 o 
 
 I 
 
 c 
 ;» 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 I 
 
 z 
 
 
 / 
 
 /-sit % / 
 
 
 ) 
 
 
 ^.^^'Jv « 
 
 
 rK y& 
 
 c^ 
 
 :r. 
 
 'Ji 
 
 P9 
 
 N. 2 : iP i 
 
 « ! 
 
 K 
 
m 
 
 ^ 
 
 40 
 
 TIIK KAMCHATKA EXrKDITIOXS. 
 
 !-l| 
 
 J i 
 ] 
 
 
 ft. 
 
 if 
 
 rontiiiujilly, mikI l'^e(l<»n)f, the ii;ivin-;it<>i' in cDinuiand, 
 was lame and couliiu'd t(» his ln-d diiriiin" in-arlv all 
 tlu; voyajj^t'. ( Mi tlicir rctiuii (<» Kaiiicliatka tlicy iiiadi 
 tli(> most coiitradictorv statements lieloi-e I lie autlim 
 ifies. From (l\(>zdel's re|K»i-t we are told that at sonn 
 time durinLf tlie year 17:!() he lonnd himselC hetween 
 hititude (I.")" and iU> , "on a strange coast, sitnadd 
 opposite, at a, small distance IVoni the conntry ol" th 
 ( 'hnkchi, and that he I'ound people there, hut could 
 not speak witli them (of want ol'an interpreter.'"-' 
 
 'i'lie land e.Npedition was more successl'id. in S(|i- 
 temher I7e() .lacoh liens, the pilot, ri-cdved inlelli 
 «;ence from Pavlntx.ki. dated at Xislmekolimsk, to 
 thi^ oirect that Shestakol's death wouM nt»t delay the 
 expedition, liens was to i^o with one of the \es 
 seis lel't at; Okhotsk l»y llerin-^-, to tlu' river Anadir, 
 t(» tlu! head-waters of which l'a\lut/ki was sjiortly ti> 
 march. Wheri'Upon I lens pii iceedcd in i\\c ( I'lirri/ \i> 
 the mouth of the Kamchatka, where he ariixcd in 
 July I7.'M, and was told that a rehellious Iwuid of 
 Kam<'hatkans had conie to Nishnek;imchatsk ostricj. 
 Killed most of the L'ussi.nis there, and set lire to the 
 lioiise.s. The few remainini^ iJussiaiis took shelter la 
 the vessel, and liens sent men and reduced the Ivam 
 <-h;itkans to ohrdience. This, however, |ire\(nted his 
 j^(»in;4 to the ^Xnadir lii\i r. 
 
 'MhIIii-'h I'kii'KJi 1, S 11. Of tll<' r(illilM!lll(lif (if tlli:* rXlU'(lilii)Il, Iv.lll 
 l''i'i|(il'iif, \\v liavc lillt liltlc infot'lllllliiill li<\ili<l tlir t'lU't tli.ll lie iliril III 
 l''rlii iiiii'V IT'I-I. iiml tlitit lie hail licii uitli .^li<'staki>t's ('\|ir(lili(iii in IT'JT: 
 til, It III' liail liri II niiliii'il III jiiiii liiiii lii;:('tli<r \\h\\ till' inati' ilrliM, .'i:i>l 
 tlic hiii'vi V(ir (i\ii/i|i I'. Jlis ri>iii|>aiih>ii ainl a—iiHl.-mt, ami liiially Miii't'SN^i' 
 iti riiliiliiaiitl, .Mikhail S|>ji hl>>li<i\ irli I n'o/ilil', li(';.'aii Ills ciliicat inn ill ITHt. at 
 till' s<li<iii| iiC iiavii.':itii>ii, mill in ITIil atti ihIhI tlic St I'di islun;,' Nav.il 
 Aiadt'iiiv, Ixiii;: in tlir .•*iir\«> iiii; rlasn. In IT'.!! lu' wn'< ^t'lit mi (^ovfi'iinuii' 
 duty til Niimi;^'1|imI, wlifif In- ii'MiaiiK'il 'ill ITJ'V In ITJ7 In' ^'i!n'ii:ito>l a < 
 biiiM'.Vor, ami was unit In Silirria to juin SImmI.iI. >\. Alu r lii < I'Niilur.itiiiii in 
 !'•' I iii>; Mr.iit. lit' was arrcstril in I7;t.'< liy iIk' u'i'^i'II'T ol Sihci ii at 'rulml i>, 
 1l;i(ill nil ri rolicoim iii'i'ilHalliiii, ainI Sfiit l>a('k tn OiJiiit>k ill ITilli. In ITU 
 III' r\|il<ii'i'il a I III Hiirxi'Vi'ii till' t Ikliot.'tiv i'i>a>t lor '.'IK I \i'rr<ts Miiitliwanl, iiinl i!i 
 171- li<' ari'oiiipaiiicil iiiiili»lii|>iijiiii Sriii'ltiii'; to tlic Miaiitar JNlttiiil-i, at lli'' 
 iiioiitli of till' AiiiiMii'. Allii' till' <li)il>a!iiliiirnt of tin I'ianu'liatka <'\|>i'iliti<'K 
 III' rem.'. mill in Siliiiia till I7'>-I. mIk'ii hr wa.i a|i|>olnU'i| triii'ln r in tiir nav-l 
 4oi|iHof I'aik'iM. Till' ilali' of liin tli^itli Is iml klloWli. /.'(//"'•■'^ <', ////'//•"(/cni • 
 
 4'li' slvijo l>i /iiirtiiiiii iiiii, ix. 7> •"<7. 
 
 Jt in jio.'i.iilili' t!iat (iviiiiiit't'it viiy*),'!.' wiut of {,iratLr iiiiiHutaiii'i tliun th'^ 
 
poininiuid, 
 ■ iicaily nil 
 
 . (lirV llKldr 
 
 lit' autli<»r- 
 
 lilt Jlt S<»lll<' 
 
 •ir hctwiiii 
 ^t, situ:iti',l 
 IltiA ol" til • 
 
 '. l)llt, coilll 
 
 iri'ttT."" 
 I. ill Siji- 
 iv»'<l iiilcHi 
 l;i)!imsk, 1" 
 )t (I. -lay tlir 
 
 ..r till' \<'s- 
 
 V( r Aiiadii', 
 IK slmrtlv li' 
 lu* (I'lirnl ti> 
 .! aiiivi-d in 
 |ius liainl til 
 si; ( tstr< »'-!.'• 
 
 lil'f to <lli' 
 
 . s!u'l(<T ill 
 
 (lie lv;iiii 
 
 •viiitoJ liis 
 
 •\)M(Hlii)ii. Iv.iti 
 
 l':al lir tlifil i;i 
 
 ^K.litiiiii in I7-T-. 
 
 'lliair ll«Il^^, aiiil 
 lllially hlUM'OHKiil' 
 
 ciilitin ill I7l<t> i'' 
 'fi. i^lmi;; Niiv.il 
 it I, II (;()\(i'iiiii' ■■ ' 
 hi' ^'riiihiati'<l 1* 
 \.^ iv\pliilatioli \'i 
 ilM'iii at 'I'lilml K. 
 ill I7:H'>. li> IT 1 1 
 untii^Miril, mill I > 
 II IsIiiimI'*, lit til' 
 ■halUil rXlH'iliti' i; 
 II Iw r ill till- nii^'l 
 
 jiidi, Itililiiiilf; ■ 
 
 j,..ili.ii<> tliaii ti ' 
 
 m 
 
 ii::x.s AM) PAVi/JT.-^icr. 
 
 «l 
 
 ?J.;inv hilc r;ivlut/l<I Ii.id :r.'i'iv<"<l a( A iiadiislcoi 
 ()^,t^(l■4• ill Sc|»l«'iiil)ri- rr:'.<>, ail. I t!ic rullDwiii;^' year Ik; 
 iiii(L'i1i»<'iv .'I caiiipiii.'^ii ai^aiiist tin- (il)Ntiiiai(' ('IiiiU- 
 rlii. Oil thr l-tli <>!■ March I7;!l lu- jmt in motion 
 Ills cdIiiiiiii, coiiiixisctl iA' 'J! .") IJiissiaiis, h'lO Koriaks, 
 and '■'(> N'uka'^irs, nioxiii'^ al(>ii<^' the head-watt is nl* 
 s line <il" the iiDi-thfni t rihiit.iiics of tlio Aiiadij-, aiiil 
 ill. 11 tiiniiii!^ northward to the coast of the Arctic 
 Alter iiiar.liiii'4' two nioiiths at. the I'ato ol' nhotit, 
 1(11 vci'sts a day, stopiHULC l"r('(|iiciitly to rest, J*a\- 
 liit/ki arris rd at tlu' fVo/,(Mi sea, near the iiio'itli 
 .ifa i-ivcr. l'"or t\\.» weeks he tra\'elie I eastward ajoii'^ 
 ill.' roast, mostly upon the ire and liar iVoiii the shore. 
 This was done, jtrohahly. lor the pur|)ose nl" ;i\ oidiniij 
 ;"!i eiicMimter with tin- iiativ.'s, hiit ;it last, on tli.- 7t!i 
 < I .lime, a iai'^e hudy of ( jinkchi \\;is seen advanein;^', 
 
 uiitcrndf that iktIimI iisciilicil tn it. lu t!ii' ymr 17 l"t • 'I'lit-iiii S|iiiiil><'i;:; .>f 
 riiiii;;'.* .■\|i<'ili,ii)ii was I'liiiiliiissiciiicil liy tlic iiiiiuiial j^om'i iiiiifiit ti illVi r.- 
 !;raU! t!ic |•l■^llll.^ uf tliist Viiya;;c. In rase nf a tailiiri' ti> ulitaiii hali.-ilai'lin'y 
 riliMiiiatiiiii, Sjiaii'ifi;; was t.t lakt? ,'ciiiiiiiaii(l ut' aimtln f I'Xiniii.icMi l')iv\ii'\v 
 jMiil oc'ii '. tlu' wiirU iif <lv(i/i|i r ami l''i'ili)ii)t'. S|iaiili<'f;,' r\iili iilly .'iitiTcil 
 1 p lU I ..i ■! ly w iili lii:i u-iiai « in r /y, iiinl as ii|hi;i liis n|iiirt tlio iinln- 1 ir ;i 
 iiiw I' '.• 'ion «as «(piiiiti rniaiiil' il finin St I'lliT Iiiii,;, \\i' iii:;y «!iiii»«^it 
 tiiiil S|itiiib('r;; lit least Was sat I si i. 1 1 tliiit tlii^ iiifiiriiiatioii ulitailiol l>y 4 IVw.:.). f 
 ..inl IVil(ili>f «as wlli^l.u•tllIy. Slialllicl;,' tuillnl in iiiMltliiii til two (ii'IiosiliiintJ 
 liiaili' t I (Ivii/dcf nil (111- Mllij.M'l an nii'.iii.il jouiiial LcmI liy i'lclniiit' iilnlii', 
 I 'I' III 1 own lu'i -"oiial I'fiiiciiilii'aiii'''.' \\ itii tlii' lit'l|nil' tliisi'Mriinictit ii iliaiu 
 \- .i< 1 oiii|iiic.l liy Spalili'i ,' undi'i' ( ivo.'.lt I'.s Nii|irmniiiii. iil'.isJraiivi; <'f lliii 
 \<iviiL'<! ill .|ii.'slii>n. 'I'iic flialt was liiially liaiispiilt.'il to lli.i nilliiival'y 
 1 '111' !!■. wluTi' ciiiiii .s were «'\c('iit«'il, lull llu' .iiiLJMal f.iii lin luii'.'i r li.' t'.tiinii. 
 I.'i lil< jiiiii'iial wi' liiiil, iit'dr a <li'taili'<l a>'. nratu <l.'M'i'ijili<in iif t!ii' iMoiiiiilo 
 I iaiiils, li'a\ iiii; iiii nii'm f,ir ilmilit rs to (ln'ir iilnility, ,iii ciiliy to tlic i tiivt 
 tliat afiri' laiiiii'j I nan the iiioulli cf tii.' Anadir llivt i' tluy t-tt.'n il in an < a:it- 
 1 vly diivi'lioii, ,111(1 allrr ^allill;; li\c days Willi f.iviiialilr wind, tlu y Haw land 
 c'l ili.'T U'it xiilc (imrtlicily sill. 'I, iind Iio|h'(I to liiid it nil i land. 'I'lu'y ni.vilo 
 • iiiniiy inr this laihl, imt wlicii tlicy lind iipiiroailnd witliin \\:M a Mist, 
 I'l' ;. saw tliat it was not an i.ilaiid, Imt a <'on;iiiciil. Tin; coasl was mnd r.iiil 
 I Iif! (' W.M'.' dW(lllli'.;s oil til.' xlioii', anil II IlllMllMr of ]icoJili', 'riicn? W;rt u'::'» 
 iiinlii'i' tiM this laiul, spriifr and lairli. Tiny coasUil aloii^ this land, l..s ;ii:i;( 
 il I'll ihi! U'M side till- livr da\s, and tlion, hot si-cjiil,' Hi.' . nd of it, llliy .lid 
 not dare to j;o iiny tiirtliiT in that dii'i'cti.m lii'i'aiis.' tli.' wa'.T Ihim'iih t<r» 
 ^ll.l!l"vv lof tli.ii" Mnall .rait. Tin' s.iiii.' Htatiiiii'iit was roiiliniu il in th<i 
 '!< |io«itioii of .Sliiiiilihiii, IX nii'inlirr of tin- .-spcditioii, also f\iiniin. d liy Span- 
 l"iV'. <;\i)/.|«f, I'ldorof, ami Sluiiikhin a^'iri' iti tlui htjin'im iit tli t t'lO 
 naiivis.f till' 'I'.tntiiH'iit' 11.^. si ulun hoats r.iM'icd on lop or t'ln l^il.iimt'd 
 kiak, whi.'ii is fonml only on tin- Anuriraii sidf of Hi.- Mtiait. Th.- <1« swi >- 
 ti'Mioi tin; land would lit will tlio I'oiiiitry ahoiit Noiloii Sound, tlin «i:ii,' 
 point on all lliiit I'Misl wh.'ii' the tiinln r aiymurhi's lli<' .'lioif, Tho .•.lia'.liiv.' 
 w.ilir loiiii 1 piini; to lh< h..uihwaii|, w..nlc| al-o iinliiuto thai, tin y approa> !u.il 
 tin- rt'iimikiihlr hli..als lyiii ,' < 11 ih.- iiioutli., ol th.' Yukon l.iMr. .V../ii«i';/', 
 ialin-Hl, Mm •km SJi'jfiiik, |iuaallil. 
 
■^ 
 
 42 
 
 THE KAMCHATKA EXPEDITIONS. 
 
 II 
 
 I 
 
 P 
 fi 
 •I 
 |n j 
 
 1^ 
 
 and as tlicy would not listen to ]^lvlutzki'.s KUinnioii> 
 to oliodicnci', \h' uttuckctl and put them to iliglit. 
 Altout the last of .June an(»tlier battle was I'oUijKi 
 junl with the same result. After a rest of three davs 
 the march toward Chukotskoi Noss was resumed, hut 
 another laii,'er hody of natives was met with there ainl 
 a third haltk,' ensued, duriuLj whieii some articles weir 
 iccoveied which had \)vv\i in possession of Sheslakol". 
 ]*avlutzki claimed this en:L;aL,a'ment, also, as a victoiy 
 and declai'ed his total loss in the three battles to ha\(' 
 ])een but three liussians, one Yukaii^ir, and five Ku- 
 riaks killed. J Jut the ('Iiukchi ^^vv^) by no niean^ 
 subdued. After I'eaehiiii^f the capt^ the exjieditioii i( - 
 turned ao'oss the countrv in a south-easterly diiectinn 
 and in October reached ostren' Anachi'skoi.'' I'a\- 
 liit/.ki fuially died at Yakutsk with tlu' I'aidv of voi\(i 1. 
 ]iis exploiations were cai'iied on with indomitab! 
 eourai;(' and rai'e aliilitv, an<l altoL^etiiei- his acliic\i 
 meiits furnish a worthy prehuK' to thosi- <»f inriii.; 
 and ( 'hirikof a few years latci-. The feat of marchin.' 
 across the countiy of tlu) warliki; Chuki'lii was n. t 
 repeated tii-l half a century later, when a jiarty und i 
 r.iHin'_;s, not as an army defying;' interfei'enct', but ;i- 
 an hiunble e\|K'dition, wei-e sulfei'ed to [lass by t!i 
 iijsdlcnt natives, who robbed them at every Hte[) willi 
 jnipimity. 
 
 The second Kamchatka expedition, under t' 
 auspices of t!ie emj)ress J']li;';alKth, was tlu^ ni<'-' 
 l)i'illiant ellbrt towai'd scic-ntilic diseovt-ry which \\\ 
 to this time bad birn madi! I»y any government.'' I 
 
 ' ,l/i///( /•'•' ]'i'ii., II IT); Coxr'n /'iiK^irin DhcovfrirM, 2;i7; Ihirnry'H (Vi <■' 
 Jilt.. I'JS ;!7, ilM* <t m'i|, 
 
 ' riir soiiiiis (if iiitiiriimtiiiii I'liiii'ii'iiiiij^ tins fXjKKlition nrc luimproiis, '■ ■ 
 iiut iiiti'i,'! tlu r satisl'actiirv. 'J'ln^ lii«t mcnuiit, liiicf and ulidlly iiiiii li.i 
 V;i.-i |iiilili>li( cl liy till! I'aii>i,'ili ^'I'u^'iiiiilifl' l)u I, "Isle, iu IT.VJ, in ii |iiiiji| 
 ciititli'il l,.i /i/iitilidii ill' III Ciiilr ilfii \iiiirillis I til iiiiri villi nii .Xor/I (/<■ li '■' 
 (//( Siiil. Ill I7."i;t tlicTc was jirinti'il at iii'ilin, nlsti in {"icmli, jind iiiim 
 at«'ly traiislatol into l'ji^'li>li ami ( li rniaii, tliuiiuii ncvir pulilislHcl m Uii 
 II I. I'll I- (i/ (I Hii.-siiiii .\itiiil iiilinr, wliiiji was ai'i'iilntl («> Miiller, wlm 
 trailh'tcti till' Ntati'iiit iits of ])(• J/l.--lc, anil finw liis own vcrsicm. l-My 
 Ilia Uio'jnuiltinvhi uiid Krit'ische Smhr'nliti n, ii. i4, 47, ihikuvurs to j 
 
 la 
 
 no 
 
 Hi, 
 
AIICTIC fiEOGP.APHY. 
 
 48 
 
 s sunnu(>i;< 
 
 .vus Iwu-l.t 
 •ilirci; ilavs 
 L'SUllU'J, l>»it 
 
 as a victory 
 ttles to liiivi; 
 ii\(l liviJ K"- 
 ,y no nu'iiii- 
 ■ xiiedition V' - 
 (ily (lii-ucli"" 
 
 rskoi.' )**'^- 
 uik oi" v«>iv«"l' 
 
 V iiuloinil:i'> ' 
 
 Y his Mchiryr- 
 ,,se" (.f IWriiiu 
 it of n»:uvl>iii: 
 ukclii was M' I 
 
 I |)iuiy vind'i 
 
 \.irnci". but a- 
 
 . J. ass Ity th 
 
 vrrv stLL will 
 
 xvas tlif IH'-' 
 .i-i-y \vl\i<l> I'.; 
 
 iVi'VMIlKMlt.'' I 
 
 j;;7; lliiriif'/x '''' 
 
 ion nvc Humorous. !■ 
 aiil uh..lly univlu 
 
 rnii.li. im.l 1111111 
 ,,ul.li^li''l '" ''" ■ 
 ,1 t>. Mull^'i'. wli" 
 
 wii vt rsinn. 
 
 Kii'.'' 
 
 17, ludcuvoia l" I 
 
 liii!>t lir 111. nil.' ill iiiiiid that Sih^-ria, discovi-n d and 
 
 iiahhd hv the C'ossacks ill the sixti'ciith (Tiitiirv. 
 
 Sv.is ill tin- carhn- jiait oi" the rii;htct'iith hut httlc 
 
 Ivii'iwii to J'^uropean liussia, and the rej^iou round 
 
 vMiiIKr ti> 111' till' iiiitlior i.f till' Ii'ttiT. Tu 1T.")S MiilliT piililislicd .-i v.iliiini' 
 Jeii'i'liil i iniKiJn I'li'l Jlis'ortrii i <■/ llir Jt'iissimis in the Arrtir Snt, iii.il Ilif 
 ■ rii < I.f III, in l"'tli 111 riuiiii iiml Kil.--si;iii. wlii.li was Iraiisliitt'il into liii;;- 
 ,i.-!i III 1771. !i:i(l iiitii l'"iriu!i in I77(>. 'I'lu- vnliiini' is in-(iim|iiiiiii «l liy iiiii|is, 
 lit. I . •'\ lis till' entire f,'ininiil, witlmiit, liiiwever, j,'iiin_' into niinur iletails, i nil 
 iiliM.iit iliiilii.' jtisliL'e til the \a«t w.nU |ieif..iine.l liy (lie iittimlalit siieiit ists. 
 - w.is tlieeiiii 1 ailtllDiitV unlil Sukulcf tm.k n|i the sillij.et ill II lelii^tliy 
 
 jiniiiiiiiiiatiiiii t.> the Zapi.ski ily lriii:ia(i(hiskaj,"> I iiiiartaiiienta in l>>."il. 
 Ill I •>.'(> aiiiither lui.l des riiitinn i.f the e\|.e,|iti.pn was tiillii-.iieil liy 
 \.hel', miller the title iif Viiiliojn of Itutain d .S'liiiil M//V,-, /•.< (';/ ///r .l;'<7(V' 
 
 . h-i'iii !',--'fl'i l^ '/,.', luiiiteil in viil. iv. nf the |iiililieatiiiii.s of the Klls^iall 
 i.iity cle|iaitliirnt. In tiie mean time other ]iiililii;ilions eo'iiieeleil willi 
 
 tCi' ' ' iiitiiii,' ti"iii tile e\]irilition, tlioiiu:h not. tieiiiiiiy: of it, a]i|ieari il .'it \ari- 
 
 <©ii ii'iiis, surli as tliu /''li.ni Silii rifii, liy t iiiielin, |iiiMishiil seiially lietvvo'ii 
 J7l'' ainl I7'''.l; -I I '),'/';/'' fliriiii'ih Silii ri'i, n].iit iiy (Imeii'i, in IT.i-; A liis- 
 toi ■ "I Silieiia, llinlei' the title of •S'liiiiiihiii'l riii.^iii'/n r .ji srhirliti ,i, liy Miiiler, 
 ill i,.ij li; !'( «rijili"ii I j' I III' KiiiiKlidikii i 'miii/ri/, liy Kiaslu iinikof, it; IT.'i."; 
 J/ ■ 1-1/ !•/ Sihiri'i, l.y rislier, in 17l>H (this was in (Jeiinan, the Jtiissiau 
 tr.i' lation iiii|ieai'iii;,' <iiily in 1774); Ih'siiiiit'iiin n/ ihi' Kumihuih'i <'iiinil'-ii, 
 \>\ " > n. r. ill 1771; Ji'iiriiiil if n i Di/tuji' irom Knnuli'i'kii In . I »/(■/■/''. i, also liy 
 6i' '■ r. piililislieil in 17!l.t, in /'nl/n-i, S'( m .\i<ci/. liiiir.; .1 /iiini/nl Ihiiriji- 
 ti' ifihr Viiii'iijiH friim l/ii' \\/iilv Sen Ui i/if tliilf if > il,i apjH'areil in tlio 
 
 ,Ji, ■ VkiihiJh if J.iill,!, in lS-_'(); in 1S41 Wiiinuell jiilliiisheil il l'i:iiti;if In 
 'Ib''"'''' "'^'i fri'Miii'iit 1 'lusioiis to tilt! seeoml Kam.liatka exp.'ilitieii. A 
 
 Tfe« .1 tii'le.s on the results of till' ex^ieilition in the lieMs of n;itural liistofy, 
 ■et ij'. my, anil history apiii ateil in papers of the linpeiial Aeaileinv of Sei- 
 ^1' ,iiiil tliiMloennieiit.s eoliei'teil hy M iiller fi'olil t lie SilMji.i :. ;irehi Ves for 
 
 S,- ' lory of Silieria liavi! lieeii piililisheil from time to time in the proeie.l- 
 J.' ■! t!ie iiMjH'iial liii.ssiaii liistorie.'il ami arcliM'ol'wical .•oiiimis-ioii. 'I lie 
 II- I. i;ilile Noiiree of iiilormalion ii]ion this siiliji i t has lieeii toiiiiil in tin; 
 tkt'< lis of the Unssian naval ilepai tiinnt. 'I'lie iloeiimeiits eonei ruin;,' the 
 dpi) ^ of the lleiiiiL,' expedition comprise '2't laru'i! hiindles of over Hi>,(>(l(» 
 
 fH; ' ; these iloiiimeiits extend over a perioil of 17 yeais. Iietween I7'll) and 
 7l7 'J'lie airhi\is of the liydroL;rjpliie deparliiient of the Unssian navy 
 Milt I in the journals of naviL'.'itiun of nearly all tin' mss-Is eni'i^'ed. all in 
 ai|ii ■ only. The ori'.'inal journals and maps were ,«eiit in I7."i4 to Irkutsk 
 'll pl.Hi d in the liiinds of Miallef, j.'(ivi rimr of Silieria, witii ii view to a. 
 |U' ptioii of llii' l.iliors of the expedition; theliee the piipi'is Were traiis- 
 J-i'! 11 l7.V.t to ( ioveriior Saiiiiiiiiof at 'I'oli.ilsk, and tiny were tiiially j'ivni 
 l..|, alio\e meiitioni d, l>y N. \. Mnravi. f, ;/o\. inor jri iieral of easti rn 
 L'ii;i, for the piirfio>e of wriiiiiifan aiH'oiiiit of the expeilition. The I'reiitiT 
 oi these iliH'imeiif.s Were copies made liy pupils of the naval c.rps of 
 Bts iiiid of the nautical iic'idemy, and tlioii;4li written dearly and care- 
 
 tiny liri; fui! of e;.'re;.'ions errors. The lollection comprises over I'll) 
 
 |\ls. iipt x.iliiines. The cipies ot the ori'.'inal llia|is aceoinpaMyili;,' the 
 
 ' Were also carelessly mad". In tlii> iircliives and lilnary of the 
 
 in.d ac, demy there exist.s tin; no-called '.Midler I'ortl'olio,' contaiiiiiii,' ii 
 
 iiumlicr of reports, letterN, and juirnals of meniliers of the acadciiiy 
 
 mpoiN mi,' the expedition, written in Itiissian, I^'reneh, t iernian, mil l,.itiii. 
 
 jinils iKival jimi'iial tound in this collection w.is k« nl liy .M.isfer Kliiii'of, 
 
 i< the most valiialile tiling in the portfolio. Sokoloi's iieeoiint of the 
 
 llld Kaiacli.itka e'^jiedilion lie;;ili.; with '.he f.illow i;i'.' dciicati'ii .f hi 
 
 ' IVicr tliu (iiual; 'To lliue 1 ikdiculc li.id Wuik, to tlm- williout 
 
 
T 
 
 «4 
 
 TIi:: KAMCHATKA KXI'KDITIOX^!. 
 
 
 ii 
 
 JvaiiH'TiMllcu scarcely ;\t all. The maps of Ili(> <l.iv 
 Avc'iv problematical, 'i'lic .><'iMi-;^cnLjia|)liic;il mission 
 of tlic surveyors Lu-liiii and Vrxrciiiof" to llic Kuiilc 
 l.-ilaiids i;i 171 1» lM had Ih-.m harrtii of i-csiilts. 'i'lu- 
 lij'st ('Xi>((liliiin ol' IJcriiiLj iVnm \7'2') to I?;)') had 
 advanced aloOL,^ the river routes to Okhotsk, theiKi; 
 l»y sea to ]\.;iiii<'li;itka, atid iiortiiward to the straits 
 sul>si(|uciitly iiaiiitd al'ter him, l)Ut made lew <lisc(»\- 
 e)'ies of i!M[iei't;iIice, (leteriiiiliili;^ the astroMomicil 
 |t(»sitioiis of ](oiiits and j>l;ices only hy lat itude without 
 JouLjitude, hut revealiiiL,' the trend of tile Kamchatka 
 coast to the Morthwjird. Tin- expedition of SIiestak«4' 
 IVom 17'J7 to I7:'._' was more of a miht;irv nature, 
 and resulted in little seimtilie informat ion. The; cn- 
 ploration ol" liens, i''edoi-of. and (ivozdef, made ahoi:t 
 the same time, was scarcely nioro satisfactory in in 
 I'esulfs, thouLdi it seiA'ed to coiijirm some tilings I'e- 
 jioit((l hy JJeiiU'^f durin'4 his first vovai^'e. 
 
 Jiiissia wislied to know nioi-c (if tiiis vast uncovend 
 n^L^io!), wish<'d to map its hoiiudarics, and mark ell' 
 her ^iaim. 'I'iie ( 'aliiornia eoa-t liad l>ren explored 
 as far as ('ape Meji(ioeino, l»ut over tlie l»ri>ad ai( i 
 tilelice to tile .\rclie lilele .stiii \i\U\'^ tlie i^feat Xortli- 
 <'rn Mystery,'" wit Ii its Aidan Strait, and silver moun- 
 tains, and diveiN otlier fahuloiis tales. Tlie noillieru 
 jtrovinces of .lapan were likewise uid^nown to tli' 
 eiili^^iilciird World; and now the Muscovite, who iial 
 sat so ion;_j in d.t p darkness, would ttiuli e\nn tin; 
 t'i'lt and ."-^aNon a I liiiiLT or two. 
 
 Soon after tlif rituiii of iJii-inLr from ids first cxp'- 
 dilion, namely, on ilic ;;(uh of April I7.*)(), tlio com- 
 mander presi'ilted to till- empres.s two letters call' I 
 I13' Idm, ".Proposals f-r tin- ( )r^,^anizatioll of t!: ■ 
 
 vliiim it wmild not cxi8t, piiioo tlio tliMjoveri*-* «li'i«crilic(l in tlio snino im V>i' 
 
 IViiit lit I lie ^rcat idi^im < (nuffiviil l>y tint', tiie Iiomiartiir, f;if In r, mid rii'>,Miii • r 
 iif (Ills Mi.st I'ln;' !■; to tln'r an; thy ftnl>jicfH iiiiUlitt'cl f.n- law, (.mhmI diilc •, ii. I 
 iiilhu'iiii' williiii and uiilpiilt, ii* \\v\\ n-* U>r iiiorality. kn<p« li'i|;;c, and c v( i • 
 tliin:.' <'!hi' tliat niakrs n iiatinii I'urtiiii.tU'anil iiM|Mii'tant.' /i>ijii.-</.i I/yili'iij)' ■ 
 ilii.flti;/!! I 'I /'iirliiiiii iiiti, i\. Ili'.l. 
 
 *l'iiia full <\|><>Kiln)uol' whwUave //isf. Xorthicctl t'ou»l,i. ,iiiH\ /Hat, Cu., 
 i., |>MMi«iin, lliU tti'i'iuit. 
 
SCIKNTISTS IN SIBEIIIA, 
 
 45 
 
 ' <>r <ii(> <],iv 
 
 liical iiiissiuii 
 to <1mj Kiiiilc 
 •.suits. The 
 in I7;50 li.i.I 
 K'tslc, llic'lici; 
 i» tilt! sfci-ait.s 
 W'W <lis('()\- 
 
 ilst|-()Iinliiic,il 
 tlldi' \\itli(»iit 
 ■ Kainrliatk;i 
 of Slit's takot' 
 itaiy iialinv, 
 
 >M. T\U' CN- 
 
 , inado alioKt. 
 ;u't'»ry ill its 
 o tllin^^s re- 
 st UMoovori d 
 inl mark ell" 
 
 ■rll ('.\|il(HV(| 
 
 ' Itroad ail i 
 :i'('at Xortli- 
 ■iiKiT luoiiii- 
 
 IlC ll()|-tll('lll 
 
 own to til' 
 tc, wlio li.il 
 II L'Vrll til ■ 
 
 s (irst oxj).- 
 (*, tlic coni- 
 tt.Ts call. 1 
 loll (if t!.' 
 
 fill' Miiinc nv( { '"• 
 ir, mill orn.'iiii ' r 
 
 pioil ((idrv, ii;i<l 
 
 t'ilt;i', mill rvi'i .• 
 
 'ii,il,i I/i/ilf'MJii'- 
 
 .,aiul l/iMl, O 
 
 Oklmlsk and Kaiiicliatka oomdrv," and advised an 
 iniun diati' <l:-i-<Arry ol" routes to Anierica and Japan 
 \'nv tin; |»ur[»o.>.e «>r c'staMisliiiiLi; ( Dinnien ial relations 
 with these coiuitries. Jlealso n-coiiiuieiideil that the 
 ni'lthein roast of the enij»il'e hetweell the ii\eis Oh 
 and Lena l>e thorou'^ddy exjiioied.'^ 'I'he oinani/.ation 
 of the C'o'intrv already known, eoninianded iIkj lirsl 
 nttention of the enil»re.>s, to whieh end siie issued, (til 
 ilie lOtii of Mav IT'M, an ouka/ ordiriii'-' the f)i-iner 
 <]iii f jtrohn'nr, (»r sir'^eaiit-at-arnis of the senate, 
 Skoi'iiiakof l*i>iaref, then in uxiie, to assume control of 
 the extreme eastern eouiiti-y, and he fnrnish(-'d with 
 tlu' lu'cessary means to ad\anee its intirests. The 
 j'esidence of the new olHeial was to he ()khotsk, to 
 whieji point laborers and settlers were to he sent from 
 Yakutsk, to;^etlier with a l>oat-huilder, three mates, 
 and a few meehanies/ The exile-noNcnior did not 
 howi.ver lonv^ hold Ids pthsltioii. Se;ireely had he 
 a-snnied oliiei- when the second Jvaniehatka expedi- 
 tion was decided njtoii and \'itus Heriiii^ reeeivi'd the 
 supreme command of all the tc-rritory ineludeil in his 
 eNjiloi-ations. 
 
 .\t that tinu' several circumstances comhined to 
 carry forwartl the pla is of JJeiiiii;' to theii- hiohest 
 consummation. The eiUj»ire was at peact; and. the 
 imperial caltiuet was pie itetl over hy Count Oster- 
 iiiami, who had t'orniei ly heeii seeretiuy of Admiral 
 ( 'iiice,and 1 1.1(1 lie Voted coiisiderahle attention to nasal 
 afi'airs. In tlu^ senate the expeilition was <'arnestly 
 siip|iorted l)y the chief seert;tarv Jxiiihif; in tlu' ad- 
 iiiiialty college Count Col(»\in pie->id( d as the ruliiiLj 
 
 "Ajiliciiilix to .Si.koluf'g Secoiul ExiK'dition. Jin/ii.ski llittlrii<irnliihmkuijo 
 l'i]«ir''iii,i 1,'n. ix. A'.W. 
 
 'liiii,'!)!- Slinituakiif Pi-anf wiis !i]i|"iiiitril tn oi'iiiiii nul Olvlint.-u; »>■ nil iii- 
 i!'l»iiikiit ilotiii t. Win, iiiiiiiiil Nilaiy w.im tixiil at WW) riil.lc.-i, 1(1,1 hii.sliil.s nf 
 r.yi' iiical, mil 1(M» lnukcta nf liramly. 'i'liis imlis iilnal hail ii clii-rUirol 
 I'iirn I'. Ill I71,"i ill' wa.-i n i-aiitam in tli.' i'lrnhrasli. ii.'ki lifr-uanis, miij 
 altai livil (•( the ncaiU-niy of iia\al aitilliiy: in 17I!*, 1." \\a.< iiuulr cuiiiii an- 
 ill r I I llii; naval acmU'iny ; in IT-H lif imlilioluil u liuul., J'nirt!, a' Miiinini >j 
 S"iliy«:t (t, il M,rti<iii''-s; in 17-- III' was iiii.ilc 'rlil" f | Kikunir' nf till' ). iiati'; 
 in IT'J.'I 111' «a.i iiliiviii from tin- iiraiUiny liy Caiitain Naiislikiii; in IT'-T. liii 
 M IS imiu'lii.l with th- kiiKiil aii<l Mint to Siliiiia iia an t \ili'. MoisL.i Suui- 
 »«i, 1. II, 17. 
 
48 
 
 TIIK KAMCHATKA EXrKDITIOXS. 
 
 
 
 pirii, while the piolcuror mms Saiinonot', the rival of 
 ^virilol'. Tlic loiri'-ii iiu'ml)ors of the Acudeiiiy (»f 
 SeicDcc'S, ill ordir to pivsei'vc tlu-ir j)r(-'stij;(', woio 
 lookiiiif al)out lor fields of activitv, anxious to servo 
 their new I'atherlaiid. "^rhe spii'it of Pett-r tlie (Jre.it 
 ^vas yet alive aiaoiiL;' the leadiiit;' suhjects of tho 
 t'liipire; his ])htiis were still fiesh in the memory of 
 men, and all wei'e i^a^er to execute his pro^Ljjressivc 
 |)ni-|)oses. And soon all Siheria was ilooded with nnii 
 of seien('(^ searchiiiL,' <»ut things hoth lari^n-r and smallif 
 than sal)li\s, and tlirowiiiL"- Cossack and promyshlenilc 
 fompletely into the shade. l>y toilsonu; processes 
 the necessary means of suhsistence and matei'ials 
 were collect I'd at (he centi'al stations thr(»UL;hout 
 Siheiia, and aloiiL( t he thirteen hundred lea;^ues of Arc- 
 tic sea-coast Were |»laci'd at \aiious jtoints maLii^a/Zmcs 
 of Hn[)plies for exploi'crs. Fmni six to seven months 
 were sometimes occupied in transjiortiii'n' from the 
 forest to the seaports trees lor shipd)uil(linL(. And 
 many and wide-s])i-eail as were the |)urposes, evciy 
 man had his jtlace. To every scientist was L,'iven hi^ 
 wt»rlv and his held, to every ca[)tain the river lie was to 
 reconnoitre, or the! ('oast he was to explon*. i\nd when 
 tho apjiointed tinu; came theie set foi'th simultane- 
 ously, from all the chief river-mouths in Siheria, liko 
 hirds of jiassa'^e, little exploi'iiiL;' expiMlitions, to hen'iii 
 their battle with the ice and the moriiss. Some brought 
 their work t(» a ipiick and .successfid issue; otheivs 
 encountered the sternest diiliculties. 
 
 Ihit the ad\enturi's which <-hii'lly concei'ii us aro 
 those pointing" toward (he Anieiii-an continent, wiiich 
 were indm^d the central idea of all these undertaking'^, 
 and by fai- the most important outcome from this 
 Siberian invasion by the scientists, lieforcs embark- 
 inu on the first <'-r(.'at (.lawtern vova'jfe of discovery, k t 
 us elance at the pci'soiuiel of tlu; expedition. 
 
 ( 'a|itain-commander l\an I\ano\ich l>i'rin<.,^ so t'.' 
 liussians calli'd him, notwithstanding" Ids bapti^•1'l:'l 
 
 name u 
 
 f \'i(i 
 
 U-, Vtas a I )ane l»v Imili.a; 
 
 II 
 
 lave sail 
 
 l,\\l. 
 
rr.TrcR's ixstiu'ctioxs. 
 
 47 
 
 tlio rival of 
 Vcadi'iiiy (if 
 
 )iis to servo 
 ;r the ( I re -at 
 ji'cts of tlio 
 ; iiieiuory of 
 |>roj^j-rssi\(! 
 c'd with iiH'u 
 ' and sinallrr 
 roiMyslileiiik 
 
 K! lirocrsscs 
 
 id mat I rials 
 
 throughout 
 
 i!i;iic8ot' All- 
 
 ts iiiau^a//mcs 
 
 uvt'ii months 
 
 i!jf from tho 
 
 IcHiiLj. And 
 
 poses, cvt'iy 
 
 ■as t,'i\('n his 
 
 or Ik; was to 
 
 And when 
 
 simuhaiit- 
 
 Siheria, Hko 
 
 lis, to l)('i,'iii 
 
 nu! l)roiii;iit 
 
 siiu; others 
 
 icern us aio 
 nent, wiiieh 
 iiiK'itakin'4--, 
 e from tills 
 »!•(! eml)arK- 
 iseovery, K t 
 ion. 
 
 ■1 itiL;', Ko t';i' 
 s l)a|iti>'.iu: 1 
 
 \ r Slill, W h • 
 
 4. 
 
 lind heeii in the Kiissiaii naval service ahout thirty 
 vcai-s.advaneiiP^Ui'a<inallyfrom the rank of sul)-heu ten- 
 ant sineo I70t. lie was strong in hody and clear of 
 mind even wlieii nearly sixty; an ackiiowhulncd man 
 of iiitelh'^-ence, honesty, and irre|troachaliIe conduct, 
 ihoii'di in his later years he disnlaved excessive care- 
 fuliiess and indecision of chai'acter, governe(l too much 
 l'\ temper and caprice, and suhmittiiiL;" too easily to tlio 
 iiitliiencoofsuhordinates. '^rhisniayha\'el»een the effect 
 of a^cc, or of disease; hut what(;ver the cause, he Avan 
 niidei'ed tliertliy less tit to command, especially so im- 
 portant and hazardous an adventure in so inhospital)lo 
 a region as Siheria at the he^-inning of the eighteenth 
 c. lit my. lie had heeii selectt'd hy IVter the (jreat 
 to command the first exj)edition ujion the ri'[)re.senta- 
 tioiis of admi.als Seiiiavin and Sievers, hecause "ho 
 had heoii to linliaaiid kiKnv all the ap[ir(taclu's to that 
 coiintrv."'* Alter his return ho had ailvanced oradu- 
 
 " In tli(! nreliivcs of tlio ailniiralty eomuil in St I'otcrsbnrff tlicrc i.s .ttill 
 jirusfrvt'ij I niiiiiiiM'i i])t I'dpy ul' tlic (iiiL'iiial iiiMiiiirtii)iis iiiditcil liy I'cU r tlio 
 < iiciit fur tlic lirst r.i tiiiL,' iNiHililiiin. 'I'lic iiistnu iii)ii.< mcio liii:iily pioiiiul- 
 (.Mtcil liy tin' fiiliuirjilty r<illcL,'i', tir ])('iiiii|is liy Coimt .\iirii\in, ami lutil hi'iii 
 uiimi'tfcl in till." (.'icat t.sar'.s <i\vn liiimlwi itiiiL', to nail as IoIIuwm: 
 
 'I. 'I'll sfli'i't Kiuli HiirvcyiiiM as liaxi: hccu in Silnii^i iiml iiavo iTtni'n(.Ml 
 tiii'licc; njinn wliiili, at rciiiii'st uf tlio hcnati', tin' full"\vin'j; htirvcyors wuio 
 (iiili'icd to tliu iiniviiift' iii SiliLiia: Ivan Kvniiicil' (lUcili, I'V'Dilur J.ns.Iiin, 
 I'ltti- SKnliclt/in. Ivan SvoHlunof, Dmitri Ikinkaktif, Viuisili .Slietilof, and 
 (liiui)i' I'litilof. 
 
 "J. 'J'i> sclcit I'riiiii naval licutunnnt.H or second lieutenants, Hitelia.saro lit to 
 l)e sent to Si!)ei i,i iiiid K.iinehatka. In the opinion ol \'iee-iidiiiir;il Sii'vers ,:nil 
 C Miitreadiniral Seniavin, the most tKsiralile iiidivitiualsof that i'la.s:Mvere li. u- 
 !■ ni'Mts StMijIii r;,' (Sjianl.oi-;;?!, Zx'eief or Ke.s-eii;>ot', and the suhdieiitenant^j 
 ( li'.rikof aiicl l.ii|iti( f. It won hi not l)e had to ]il:iie over lie .-e a < eon una in hr 
 
 I itlier < '.ijitain lierii.;.' or \dn \'erd; lierin;,' ha.s lieiii to I'last Itidiaand knows 
 llie routes, iiMiI \'on \'< nl was his mate. 
 
 'It. To seieet from the niasfer-meeliaiiios or apjirentiees sneh aNni'eahle to 
 hiiiidii decked lioataecordiiif,' to our model used wilh lii^shiiis; and for thesamo 
 ]'Uipo>e to select four carpenters witii their instniinents, as yoiinj,' as possiMc, 
 and one ipiarteniiastei- and eiirht sailors. The hoat Imihlei- iippleiitici', Vvo- 
 tier Ko/lof, hiis all the rei|uirecl i|Ualilii'ations, liein;; alile to drau^dit plans of 
 di. ked lioats and to Imild them. (In I'eter the Cleat's own liandNoitiii;;: 
 
 II is ahsolutely nccussiiry ti> have some mate or necontl niato who Iiu8 been to 
 Mordi .\inerica.) 
 
 '4. 'J'he usual coinpleineiit of sails. Mocks, ropes etc., niul four falconets, 
 vith the necessary aininunition, siiould lie increaseil by luilf— doubled, iu 
 I'ctc I's own haudwiitiii;:. 
 
 ' .'). I f Slid. II mate cannot l)c found in tliu fleet it h nocossary to write ini- 
 inediiitely to Holland for two men, expeiieneed iiavi^rators in the Northern or 
 Japan Kcas, and to forv>ard them at once by way of Auaduak. N'loe-ududral 
 

 48 TIIK KAMCHATKA KXl'liniTIOXS. 
 
 jillv !•• Iln' lank nf ••.•qitaiii-coiMiiiiUKlfi', iiiul lia<l i( - 
 ni\(.| ii ca.sli icwai'd of a tlioiisatiil rul)l(>s, all aiiioiliil 
 cniiiiiioiily ^^raiitfd at ihat tiim- to tii\<»vs ittuiiiiiii;' 
 iVdiii ilistaiit coinitrirs. lie was now anxious to oh 
 tain tlif rank of (•(Hitic-adniiral lor Iiis loii;^ s« rvicc > 
 and »lisfo\«i'ics. 'i'lic adiiiiiallv tollct;»' mad*; it'|trt - 
 m-ntatioiis to that tHri-t to thr iniiifrial ruhiiict, but iii 
 l-f|tly was icftlscd.'* 
 
r.KHiNc A\n Ills oi-i'K i:r.s. 
 
 ■10 
 
 ml liiid !•( - 
 ail iiiMoiiiit, 
 s riUiniiii.; 
 ioUM to oil- 
 )ii!^ servifcs 
 iiiitif ri'|H't - 
 iiul, I»ul ii'» 
 
 v^, and wlio 
 ('<litioii, ami 
 , ^\\\^' of tin 
 
 nt'tlu- lilt t. 
 
 iiuliiii'tl l>i 
 
 run l>i- fiMinil III 
 
 VI uili:: 'III'' I ' 
 
 !:;ti III lit I'l lull I , 
 
 •Vtlal <1"« llllll'l:'^ 
 
 ly, \\ 1 i> h liiiiV I 
 l.irt \^ lie iinil t'liil 
 i\f ill tin- lity '1 
 
 'llii' \s 111-, Aiiiii 
 not wiilioiit inll' 
 V. II tliiit ill ((111 1 
 
 |il( iiiIki' M'M I > 
 M licr way l'i"'ii 
 
 to I'l tlllll, III I 
 
 1* jiiMxcil to !■ 
 \\ (^iiricil ill li' > 
 
 |iii\M \t I', (III ll' 
 |i|(M'llt.S til ti 
 
 lIullliCll tin- I 
 
 liiiii,'. Ill '7 ' ' 
 III lialid'H Mil.i' 
 I \',.>\i, « 111 II ^ ' 
 
 lliit nil Ulll'll 
 
 i luiliil, Siijo 1 I 
 ||.>:it tliiit tun . 
 
 IJlul.siv. I'ImII' I 
 
 if is,' lie wril' 
 I IS \\:iy ill iii(' ' 
 
 1,1 M It ^.lUirwIi I 
 
 \i ni|it IkiIii I'l' 
 
 liilcl', >"11 ^*"' I 
 iiiilir \N lint >*' • 
 I'ciiiciiilit'r I ■ ' 
 Mll'C licid. N 
 as liii' liii|>|ii I' I 
 (■.ill(;<f, I. lit I 
 liioU .'ll Sliiilii . 
 ur lalc-l 111'' 
 
 I'lll L'Oll.SdlalK I 
 
 liiM'-iiilV till' Iniilts of Ufi-iiiLf till- Dam- as well as the 
 :iii lits nl" ( 'liirikol" the Jiiissiaii. 'I'lic laflrr they say 
 v.a^ wi II f(lticat('<l, nnira,i,n'ous, aixl stcaiu'Iiti'orwanl, 
 l)ri.;lif 111" iiiti llt'ft as wi-ll as tlionj^litriil, ;«ii(l whose 
 l.iiicj lirai t tlic f\ii,'»'m'i('sor llu'ci'iicl naval sci'vicc had 
 ni \i r Im'iii ahlr w Imlly to dchasc. I !«> had i^'iiidilalcd 
 ri'iiMithc naval acadi'iiiy ill !7i,*l,and had hccii a( oner 
 |iniiii(>ti'<! til a Mihdiciilt'ii.'im'y, slvi|»|iinL;' the rank of 
 iiii(l-hi|iinai.. ll*- was a( lirst attaclifd to (he licet, 
 hilt siihse(|iiently received iiii a|Hiolntniciit at the naval 
 academy as iiist nictm- nj' the inaiiiies nl' the L,niard. 
 While in that ]Mi>iiii»n he was jircsenled to JN-ter the 
 (Ij-cal hy Sievers and Seniavin as one ol' tlu^ ollicers 
 .'.lii'ttd to jiiin the first iJeriii'L,' exjiedition. lie was 
 ] lact d niidi i- the iniinediate coniiiiand ol' i>eriii<4-, to- 
 ;^(tlici- with S|ianherL;'. in l7"Ja. IJclorc setting' <>ut 
 he was luoiniitcd to lientciiant, and i;ave e\ ideiicc 
 throiinhoiit the expedition of c rent (•onra!L,'^e and coni- 
 ni<in-M'iise. ( )n his letmn in I7;l<> he was made a 
 ca|>taindieiitenant ; two years later, in I7;J"J, he was 
 a-^aiii proiiioted and made full captain, " not hy seii- 
 i'lily iiiit on iiccoiint of superior kiiowledm' and 
 woi'ili," as they saiil. ^Vt the time of his appoint- 
 iiiciii he was on special <liity at. Kazan, and iic re- 
 tiii'ind to St Petcishiir^' only a lew days liefoi-i' tin; 
 depaitiire of the expedition ill I'^ehiiiaiT I7;!."t; hut 
 he si ill loinid time to ,L;ive most vahiahle assistance in 
 iVaiiiini;; the linal inslriictioiis.'" 
 
 The third in ciimmand wast 'aplain Marl In l*etro\ icli 
 I'palihei''. a conntrviiian of I>eiiiii4. a lialiM'or |)en- 
 
 111.11 \r.'ir lie «iis (iiiii'i'i'<l ti> .>t I'l IcrslPiir;,', ami iii«iii liisai'iival was a 'a,ii 
 ii| |Hiiiii(.(l tn the naval aca.li my. In tiic xaiiic year lie was ti'aiihf( I'n >! i i 
 .Ml. ((i\> 111 ll Ilk a ltd' Miinc naval alliiirs nf ini|iiiltan(c, ami cii tl.at (.ci'.i.^i. ii 
 III niailc nvd-al |ii'"|.(isitiipn> I'm' tlic (iij/.'.ni/atioii <.|' liirtlid' i \|i!()rin.L' v\\.i- 
 ciiii'iis. !).■ iliiij ill 1747 villi lanU of t'aiitnin-c'iiniiiiimld' . .1/(./W.(/( .s/ti/-- 
 /'-/., iv. •Jl;; I I. 
 
 lll«T A I M1K\. 4 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 IIM III 2.5 
 
 2.0 
 
 1.8 
 
 
 1.25 1.4 1.6 
 
 
 •• 6" 
 
 ► 
 
 Kiotographic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 ?) WESi MAIN ITREET 
 
 WEBtT.:R,N.Y. 14580 
 
 (7 1 6) 872-4503 
 
 \ 
 
 iV 
 
 '4^ 
 
 <t>^ 
 
 ^\ 
 
 ^^'^^^ 
 
 <<; 
 
 O^ 
 
 
 rv 
 
 '^^ 
 

 6^ 
 
50 
 
 THE KAMCHATKA EXPEDITIONS. 
 
 life 
 
 mark. It is not known when lie entered the Russian 
 service, but he accompanied tlic first expedition as 
 senior officer. He was illiterate, with a reckless au- 
 dacity, rough, and exceedingly cruel, avaricious and 
 sellish, but strong in mind, body, and j)urpose, of great 
 energy, and a good seaman. His bad reputation ex- 
 tended over all Siberia, and was long preserved in the 
 memory of the people. Sibiriaks feared him and his 
 wanton oppression. SomiC of them thought him a 
 great general, while others called him an escaped ex- 
 ecutioner. He was always accompanied by a dog of 
 huge dimensions, which it was said would tear people 
 to pieces at his master's command. Chirikof thought 
 him possessed of some sparks of a noble ambition, but 
 all was put down by his subordinates to a love of 
 tyranny. His knowledjjfe of the Russian lan<jtua<>-o was 
 exceedingly limited. Having been made a captain- 
 lieutenant during the first expedition, he was now a 
 captain, like Chii'ikof, but higher on the list Little 
 is said of his share in the work performed by the expe- 
 dition, but his name occurs in hundreds of complaints 
 and j)etitions from victims of his licentiour.ness, cruelty, 
 and avarice. He was just the man to become rich. 
 On h's return from Siberia he brought with him a 
 thousand yards of army cloth, a thousand bales of fur, 
 and whole herds of horses. He carried to Siberia 
 his wife and son, and they accompanied him at sea.^^ 
 Such is the character of the man as presented by 
 Russian authorities, which are all we have on the 
 sul)ject. Again it will be noticed that while Chirikof, 
 the Russian, is highly praised, Spanberg, the Dane, 
 is roundly rated, and we may make allowance accord- 
 ingly. 
 
 " Ho returned to St Petersburg from Siberia without orders in 1745, and 
 M'ns promptly plaeed under nrrest and remanded for trial. His sentence was 
 deatli, but in tiie mean time other charges had been preferred, based njion eoin- 
 pliiinta <jf the peojjle of Siberia, and tlie sentence was postponed. After many 
 delays be was released at tlie rc(|Uest of the DanisJi and)assador. In 17-1!> he 
 ■was jriven the connnand of a newly constructed man-of-war, which foundered 
 on Uaviuf; tlie harbor of Arkhangelsk; for this he was again tried by court- 
 martini ! ml again ac(|uitted. lie died at bust in 17(il, with the rank of cap- 
 tain of the lirst class. Sokolcf, in /^aji. llydr., ix. '^lo-'iO. 
 
 iill 
 
THE GREAT MAP-MAKER. 
 
 T)! 
 
 Of the other officers of the expedition there is not 
 much to be said, as tliey were not prominently con- 
 nected with the discovery of the American coast. 
 Lieutenant Walton, the companion of Spanberg, was 
 an Englishman who had entered the Russian service 
 only two years before. Midshipman Schelting was an 
 illegitimate son of Contre-admiral Petrovski, a Hol- 
 kiTider. He was twenty-five years of age and had 
 been attached to the fleet only two years. Lieutenant 
 Lassenius, the senior officer of the Arctic detach- 
 ments, who was instructed to explore the coast beyond 
 the Lena river, was a Dane. He had also but recently 
 entered the Russian service. According to Gmelin 
 he was a skilful and experienced officer; later he was 
 relieved by Lieutenant Laptief, also an old lieutenant 
 who had been recommended to Peter the Great for 
 the first expedition as a considerate and courageous 
 man. The less said of the morals of any of these 
 mariners the better. Neither the age nor the nation 
 was conspicuous for justice or refinement. Drinking 
 and gambling were among the more innocent amuse- 
 ments, at least in the eyes of the sailors, among whom 
 were the most hardened villains that could be picked 
 out from the black sheep of the naval service. There 
 can be no doubt that an almost brutal discipline was 
 sometimes necessary, but the practice of it was com- 
 mon. In regard to honesty, we must not suppose that 
 the appropriation of public property by officers of the 
 government was then regarded as a greater crime than 
 now. 
 
 Upon the request of the senate the imperial acad- 
 enjy had instructed its member, Joseph de L'Isle, 
 to compile a map of Kamchatka and adjoining coun- 
 tries; but not satisfied with this, the senate demanded 
 the appointment of an astronomer to join the expedi- 
 tion accompanied by some students advanced in astron- 
 omy, and two or three versed in mineralogy. Two 
 volunteers for this service were found among the 
 
THE KA:VICnATKA EXPEDITIONS. 
 
 |;; . ■ 
 
 n 
 
 tli: 
 
 acadomicians, Jobann Gmolin, professor of elicmi.stry 
 and natural history, and Louis do L'Islo do la Croycre, 
 a brother of the map-maker and professor of astron- 
 omy. These were joined by a third, Gerhard Miiller, 
 professor of history and geography. The senate 
 accepted these, but ordered further twelve students 
 from the Slavo-Latin school at Moscow to be trained 
 in the academy for the proposed expedition. The 
 admiralty college urged the necessity of extending 
 the exploration over the whole northern coast of 
 Siberia, and it was then that were appointed as com- 
 manders subordinate to Bering, Spanberg, and Chi- 
 riicof, one lieutenant, three sub-lieutenants, and a 
 command of servants and soldiers numbering one hun- 
 dred and fiftv-seven in all. A few members of the 
 college proposed to send the whole ex})edition to the 
 coast of Kamchatka round the world by sea, the 
 earliest plan toward circumnavigation conceived by a 
 Russian; but their counsel did not prevail." 
 
 The command of the proposed expedition to Japan 
 was given to Captain Spanbei'g, assisted by Lieuten- 
 ant Walton and Midshipman Schelting. The ex]jlor- 
 ation of the northern coast was intrusted to lieutenants 
 Muravief and Pavlof; lieutenants Meygin, Skuratof, 
 and Ovtzin were also appointed but subsequently re- 
 lieved by jMasters Minnin, Pronchishchef, and Las- 
 senius. The two latter died and were replaced by two 
 brothers, the lieutenants Hariton and Dmitri Laptief. 
 Another detail consisted of three lieutenants, VVaxol, 
 Plunting, and Endogarof, four masters, twelve master's 
 mates, ship and boat builders, three surgeons, nine 
 assistant surgeons, a chaplain, six monks, connnissarics, 
 navigators, a number of cadets and sailors, all num- 
 bering five hundred and seventy men. From tlie 
 academy the final appointuK^nts were the naturalist 
 (hnelin and the historian Miiller, who were subse- 
 quently relieved by Steller and Fisher; the astronomer 
 
 '■' I'rfjth Yiorff, in liis Liirnnf Athiiinil.'i, ii. *2;]8, and Gmclin, in his Voywje 
 in dilicrUi, imike mention of these proposals. 
 
SOMETHIXG OF THE SCIENTISTS. 
 
 S3 
 
 .1 
 
 su hi3 Voyatje 
 
 Dc L'Isle do la Croy^ro, with five students, four sur- 
 vcvors, who were increased in Siberia bv four more, 
 an interpreter, an instrument-maker, two artists, and 
 a special escort of fourteen men. An engineer and 
 arcliitect named Frederick Stael was also attached to 
 the expedition for the construction of roads and har- 
 bors, but he died on his way to Siberia. 
 
 ^Iiiller and Gmelin were both young men, the first 
 being twenty-eight and the other twenty-four. They 
 were leanied and enthusiastic German scientists who 
 had come to Hussia several years before, one as a 
 doctor of medicine and professor of chemistry and 
 natural history, the other as professor of history and 
 geography. Both attained distinction in the scientific 
 world. De L'Isle do la Croyere was also well edu- 
 cated, though conspicuous rather as a lover of good 
 eating and drinking, than as a learned man." 
 
 Another scientific member of the expedition, who 
 joined it somewhat later, was George Wilhelm Steller. 
 He was born in Winsheim, Franconia, on the lOtli 
 of March 1709. He studied theology and natund 
 science in the universities of Wittenberg, Leipsic, and 
 Jena, and settled in Halle, devoting himself chiefly 
 to anatomy, botany, and medicine. He proceeded to 
 Berlin and passed a brilliant examination, and in 1784 
 lie joined the Russian army before Dantzic, doing 
 duty as staft-surgeon. In December he was sent to 
 St Petersburg with a ship-load of wounded sohliers. 
 Here he accepted the position of leih niedicns, or body- 
 Hiirgeon to the famous bishop of Novgorod, Theo- 
 jilianos Prokopovich, a favorite of Peter the Great, 
 iuid with him ho remained till his death, except when 
 serving in Siberia. 
 
 When Bering left St Petersburg to enter upon his 
 
 " According to Berg and Sokolof, Gmelin returned to his own country 
 sliortly after rotuniiiig from this expedition in tlio year 1749, having ohtaincil 
 liis liniil disc'liarge from the Russian service. Ho died in ITSS. Midler Mi>a 
 iipiiuiuted historian in the Academy of Science in 1747; from 17i)4 to ]7(i") ho 
 Wiis conference secretary of the academy; in 170.") he was appointed director 
 of the Foundling House of Moscow, and in 17<»(> he was placed in charge of 
 the Moscow archives of the foreign oiUcc, Ho died in 17S3. 
 
M 
 
 THE KA3*ICHATKA EXPEDITIOXS. 
 
 ii:'i! 
 
 socoiul expedition, Stoller, then of tlie imperial acad- 
 einy, was ordered to join the expedition specially to 
 examine the natural history of Kamchatka. He 
 reached his new field in 1738. In 1740, after givini^ 
 ample proof of his ability and energy by making fre- 
 quent and valuable shipments of specimens for the 
 nmseiun of the academy, he forwarded a petition to 
 the senate for permission to accompany Lieutenant 
 8])anberg on his voyage to Japan. While awaiting 
 an answer he was im[)ortuned by Bering to join his 
 expedition. Steller replied that in the absence of 
 orders he would draw upon himself the displeasui'o 
 of the authorities, but the commander said he would 
 assume all res[)onsibility and provide him with an 
 oHicial memorandum to that effect, and a regular ap- 
 pointment to take charge of the department of natural 
 science in his expedition. Steller finally consented, 
 and we arc indebted to him for some of the most re- 
 liable inl'ormation concerning the Russian discoveries 
 on the American coast." 
 
 In consideration of distance and privations the 
 empress doubled every salary. The departure of the 
 ex})cdition began in February 1733. Bering and 
 C'hirikof were instructed to build at Okhotsk or in 
 Kamchatka, wherever it was most convenient, two 
 vessels of the class then called packet-boats, and then 
 to proceed, in accordance with the [)lans of Professor 
 ])e la, Croyere, without separating, to the exploration 
 of the American coast, which was supposed to lie but 
 a short distance from Kamchatka. After reachinij" 
 that shore they were to coast southward to the forty- 
 fifth parallel, and then return to the north, crossing 
 
 '* Those scientists had a way of marrying, with the view of throwing soiiu; 
 part of their infelicities upon tiieir wives. Steller tried it, as Miillcr ami 
 I' 'sher had done, and as the rough old sc;i-eaptjuns used to do, hut ho found 
 his wife one too many for him. She was the widow of a certain Doctor Mes- 
 fierehmidt, and <lanf,'hter of a Colonel Von Biicliler, and did not at all object to 
 l)ec(jme the wife of the rising young scientist, hut to go to Siheria, Kamchatka, 
 perhaps to th(! north pole, was quite a different matter. True, she jirfuniseil 
 him, liiit that was l)cfore marriage, which of course did not count. And the 
 Boiiowful Steller was at last ohligetl to goMifeless to his iee-lields, leaving his 
 spouse to llirt the weary hours away at tlic gay capital. Alomkoi Sboriiik, c. 143. 
 
 9 
 
ACROSS SIBERIA. 
 
 )rial acarl- 
 pocially to 
 tka. Hu 
 "tor giving 
 taking tVe- 
 is for the 
 [)ctition to 
 lieutenant 
 ) awaiting 
 ;o join liis 
 ibsence of 
 lisploasure 
 I he wouUl 
 n with an 
 •cguhir ap- 
 of natnial 
 consented, 
 le most re- 
 discoveries 
 
 ,tions the 
 are of the 
 ering and 
 lotsk or in 
 lient, two 
 , and then 
 
 Professor 
 xph)ration 
 
 to He but 
 reachhig 
 
 the forty - 
 
 , crossing 
 
 Llirowiiig SOUK! 
 liiH Mtiller unci 
 
 but he found 
 ki Doctor Mcs- 
 It all object to 
 li, Kiuncluitkii, 
 J she ])roini.sc(l 
 lint. Anil till' 
 
 Is, leaving liii 
 ibornlk, c. l-ko. 
 
 back to Asia at Bering Strait. If the season proved 
 too short they were authorized to go into winter-quar- 
 ters, and conclude the work tlie following season. 
 Ca])tain Spanberg was to proceed from Okhotsk in 
 the direction oi' Japan with one ship and two sl(«)))s, 
 beginning his explorations at the Kurile Islands. In 
 order to facilitate the ]>rogress of the cx{)edition the 
 local Siberian authorities were instructed to erect on 
 the banks of the principal rivers, and on the Arctic, 
 bi'acons to indicate the location of the magazines of 
 pi'< (visions and stores for the various detachments, and 
 also to inform all the nomadic natives of Siberia and 
 the promyshleniki, that they must assist the members 
 of the expedition as far as lay in their ])ower. 
 
 One important purpose of the expedition was to 
 disc.'over a new route to the Okhotsk Sea without 
 ])assing Yakutsk, by going through the southern dis- 
 tricts of Siberia, and striking the head-waters of the 
 Yuda, which had been reported navigable. A warn- 
 ing was attached to the instructions against crossing 
 tlie Amoor, "in order not to awaken the suspicions of 
 the Chinese government." The academicians (jJmclin 
 and ]\Iuller were intrusted with the exploration of 
 llie interior of Siberia and Kamchatka, assisting each 
 otlier in their researches, and making a general geo- 
 graphical survey with the assistance of the cadet en- 
 gineers attached to their detachment. Croyere, with 
 some of the students who had been in training at 
 the observatory of the academy for several years, was 
 to make astronomical observatit)ns along the route 
 of jjrogress, and accompany Bering to the coast of 
 America. He was granted great liberty of action, and 
 I'uinished with ample means, the best instruments to 
 be oi)tained at that time, and a numerous escort of 
 soldiers and laborers. 
 
 It was an unkninvn country to which they were 
 all going, and for an unknown time. Tlu; admiralty 
 college liad thou»;ht six vears sufficient, i)ut most 
 Were gt)iiig for sixteen years, and many forever. Be- 
 
86 
 
 THE KAMCHATKA EXPEDITIONS. 
 
 ?<■■;' 
 
 V ' 
 
 sides ncarl}" all the officers, a number of the rank and 
 file were taking with them their wives and children. 
 Lieutenant Ovtzin and one naval officer were the first 
 to leave for Kazan in order to begin their prepara- 
 tions. Captain Spanberg with ten mechanics set out 
 next to erect temporary buildings along the road and 
 in the towns of Siberia, for the accommodation of the 
 expedition. In March 1733 other members took their 
 departure, followed by lengthy caravans loaded with 
 supplies from the storehouses of the admiralty. The 
 scientists from the academv tarried in St Petersburg 
 till August, and then proceeded to Kazan to join their 
 companions. At the beginning of winter the whole 
 force had advanced as far as Tobolsk, where they went 
 into winter-quarters. In the spring of 1734 the ex- 
 pedition embarked on small vessels built during the 
 winter on the rivers Ob, Irtish, and Yenissei. The 
 main body arrived at Yakutsk in the summer of 1735, 
 after having wintered at some point beyond Irkutsk. 
 Bering himself luid proceeded by land from Tobolsk 
 and reached Yakutsk in October 1734, in advance of 
 nearly all his assistants. Here the winter was again 
 utilized for the construction of boats, and in the spring 
 of 1735 the lieutenants Pronchishchef and Lassenius 
 proceeded northward down the Lena River, with the 
 intention of sailing eastward along the Arctic coast. 
 The transportation of men and stores to Okhotsk 
 was accomplished partly in boats, and partly on horse- 
 back over a rugged chain of mountains. This proved 
 to be the most laborious part of the journey. Captain 
 Spanberg had been the first to arrive at Okhotsk, 
 having travelled in advance of the expedition; but 
 on arrival he discovered, to his dismay, that nothing 
 had been done by the local commander to prepare for 
 the reception of so large a body. Not a building had 
 been erected, not a keel laid, and the only available 
 logs were still standing in the forest. Spanberg went 
 to work at once with his force of mechanics, but lack 
 of provisions caused frequent interruptions as the men 
 
YEARS OF PREPARATION AND TROUBLE. 
 
 57 
 
 wero obliged to go fishing and liunting. After a 
 while the commander of the Okhotsk country, Skor- 
 iiiakof Pisarcf, made his appearance. He olfercd no 
 excuse and his presence did not mend matters. Pisa- 
 rcf and Spanberg had both been invested with extra- 
 ordinary powers, independent of each other, and both 
 were stubborn and inclined to quarrel. The former 
 lived in a fort a short distance up the river, while 
 the latter had built a house for himself at the mouth 
 of the river, where he intended to establish the port. 
 Each had his separate command, and each called him- 
 self the senior officer, threatening his opponent with 
 swift annihilation. Each lorded it over his dependants 
 and exacted abject obedience, and we may well im- 
 a^nne that the subordinates led a wretched life. 
 
 Bering at Yakutsk encountered much the same 
 difficulties as Spanberg, but on a larger scale. His 
 supplies were scattered along the road from the fron- 
 tier of Asia to Yakutsk awaiting transportation, and 
 the most urgent appeals to the Siberian authorities 
 failed to secure the requisite means.'" It had been 
 the captain-commander's intention to facilitate his in- 
 tercourse with the natives of Kamchatka by means 
 of missionary labor. Immediately after his return 
 from the first expedition, he had petitioned the holy 
 
 '* Sgibnef, in hia History of Kamchatka, gives the reasons for the delay. 
 It would seem after all that government was none too rigorous in Siberia. It 
 appears that the quarrels between Spanberg and Pisarcf were preceded by 
 petiy altercations between the latter and the voivod in command at Yakutsk. 
 As early as 1732 Pisaref had been instructed to draw all necessary supplies 
 fvum Yakutsk, but the voivod Shadovski refused to give hitn uuytliiiig. 
 Pisarcf complained to the governor at Irkutsk and received an oukaz cnipow- 
 eiiiig him to confine Shadovski in irons until he issued what was needed for 
 tlie jirosecution of work at Okhotsk. Subsequently anotlier oukaz came to 
 Tobolsk ordering Shadovski to arrest Pisaref, which was no sooner done than 
 the order was revoked. Meanwhile working parties were forwarded to 
 Okhotsk every year, but want of provisions forced them to desert before any- 
 thing had been accomplislied. Numbei-s of these workmen died of starvation 
 on the road. Morskoi Sbornik, cv. 25-7. Under date of October 7, 1738, an 
 order was issued from the chancellery of Irkutsk providing for the preparation 
 of ' sea-stores ' for the Bering expedition in Kamchatka. The quantity was 
 •ktermined to the pound, as well as the quality, and special instructions were 
 given for the manufacture of liquor from saramt, a kind of fern, and for its 
 preservation in casks. If necessary, the whole population of Kamchatka was 
 to 1)0 employed in gathering this plant, and to be paid for their labor in 
 tubacco. Sgibuef, in jUomkoi Sbornik, ci. 137-40. 
 
h I 
 
 11'/ 
 
 h 
 
 t 
 
 
 !i!: ■) 
 
 mm 
 
 C8 
 
 THE KAMCHATKA EXPEDITIONS. 
 
 synod for missionaries to umlortuke tljo conversion of 
 tlie Kanicliatkans. The senate })roniulgated a law 
 exempting all baptized natives of that country for ten 
 years Irom the payment of tribute to the government. 
 The iirst missionary selected for the new field was the 
 monk Filevski, a great preacher and pillar of the 
 church, but before reaching Kamchatka he was 
 ariested on the river Aldan, for assaulting and half 
 killing one of the monks of his suite, and for refusing 
 to hold divine services or to ri^ad the prayers for the 
 im[)erial family. Religion in Siberia had seemingly 
 run mad. After his arrival in Kamchatka he added 
 much to the general confusion by acts of violence and 
 a meddlesome spirit, which stirred up strife alike 
 among clergy and laity, Russians and natives. 
 
 The position of Bering was exceedingly trying; on 
 him must fall the odium attending: the faults and 
 misfortunes of them all. Throughout the journey, 
 and afterward to the end, complaints were forwarded 
 to Irkutsk, Tobolsk, and St Petersburg. That he 
 was a foreigner made it none the less a pleasure for 
 the Russians to curse him. The senate and admiralty 
 college were exasperated by reason of the slow move- 
 ment, being ignorant of the insurmountable obstacles. 
 First among the accusers was the infamous Pisaref, 
 who charged both Bering and Spanberg with licen- 
 tiousness and "excessive use of tobacco and brandy." 
 He re[)orted that up to that time, 1737, nothing had 
 been accomplished for the objects of the expedition, 
 and nothing could be expected beyond loss to the 
 imperial treasury; that the leaders of the expedition 
 had come to Siberia only to till their pockets, not 
 only Bering, but his wife, who was about to return to 
 ^Moscow; and that Bering had received valuable pres- 
 ents at Irkutsk from contractors for supplies. An- 
 other officer in exile, a captain-lieutenant of the navy, 
 named Kozantzof, represented that Bering's force w;is 
 in a state of anarchy, that all its operations were 
 carried on at a wasteful expenditure, and that in his 
 
ATTITUDE OF AFFAIRS IN OKHOTSK. 
 
 50 
 
 opinion nothing would couio of it all. Spanbcrg him- 
 Hclt" began to rofiiso obodiouco to Boring, complaining 
 bitterly of the delay in obtaining stores for liis voy- 
 age to Japan. Bering's immediate assistant, Chirikof, 
 received instructions from St Petersburg to inquire 
 into some of these comidaints. Another of the othcers 
 of the expedition, Plunting, being dissatisfied with 
 lii'ring's non-interference in his ([uarrel with Pisaref, 
 insulted the former and was tried by court-martial 
 and sentenced to the ranks for two months. To ' o- 
 vi'nge himself, the young lieutenant sent charges 
 tt> St Petersburg, reflecting on Bering's conduct, one 
 of which was illicit manufacture of brandy and the 
 expenditure of powder in making fireworks, as well as 
 the "emjiloyment of the drum corps for his own amuse- 
 ment, though there was nothing to rejoice over." 
 
 The members of the academy also became dissatis- 
 fiL'd and com[)lained of abuse and ill-treatment on the 
 part of Bering, asking to be relieved from obedience 
 to him as commander. In 1738 the expense of the 
 exj)edition, which had not then left the sea-coas^, was 
 over three hundred thousand rubles in cash paid from 
 the imperial treasury, without counting the great 
 (juantities of supplies furnished by the various dis- 
 tricts in kind. At this rate Alaska would cost more 
 than it could be sold for a hundred years hence. The 
 empress issued an oukaz on the 15th of September 
 17;58, instructing the senate and the admiralty col- 
 lege to review the accounts of the Kamchatka expe- 
 dition, and ascertain if it could not be carried on 
 ■without such a drain on the treasury. The senate 
 rc})orted that the cost thus far made it necessary to 
 continue the work or all would be lost. ]Much time 
 was wasted in correspondence on these matters, and 
 only at the beginning of 1739 did the main body reach 
 Okhotsk. In July an officer named Tolbukhin arrived 
 witli orders from the empress to investigate the "doings 
 of Bering." He was followed in September by Lari- 
 onuf, another officer who had been ordered to assist 
 
•!ii 
 
 !;■;: 
 
 60 
 
 THE KAMCHATKA EXPEDITIONS. 
 
 liim. Tlie supply of provisions at Okhotsk was alto- 
 gether iiiadequato to the large number of men stationed 
 there. During the winter following the suffering 
 became so great that Bering was obliged to send largo 
 detachments away to regions where they could support 
 themselves by hunting. At that time the whole loroo 
 consisted of 141 men at Okhotsk, 192 employed in the 
 magazines and in the transportation of stores, 70 at 
 Irkutsk, 39 in attendance upon the various officers 
 
 Plan of Okik ik. 
 
 and scientists, and 141 on the three vessels already 
 built, in all 583 men. Under Spanberg's active super- 
 vision two vessels had been built, the brigantinc,yl;7i7i- 
 cmgel Mikliail, and the double sloop, Nadeshda, or 
 Hope; and two old craft, the Fortuna, reconstructed 
 in some degree from the first of that name, and the 
 Gavril, had been repaired. Spanberg was ready to 
 go to sea in September, but lack of provisions detained 
 him.^" In October the sloop Fortuna was sent to Kam- 
 
 '* According to Bering's report of November 29, 1737, the qu.intity of 
 provisions ou imnd in uU his magazines in Okhotsk and Kamchatkii consisted 
 of l0.4i;'J pounds of flour; 1,784 lbs. grits; 240 lbs. hard bread; fi.'iO lbs. siilt; 
 18'J lbs. dried fish; 21 1 Uis. butter; 48 lbs. oil; and GS.1 buckets of briuuly. At 
 the sanio tinif) he forwarded a requisition for 1733 for: 1,912 lbs. Hour; 2,5Gli 
 
 11 
 
 Id I h 
 
 \\ i ¥ 
 
ALL READY. 
 
 CI 
 
 (liiiika for a cargo of j)itcli for tlio aliip-builcling at 
 Okliotsk. The mate Koiliclief, and the surveyor 
 S\ itunof, ill c'har;^e, were in.strufteil to carry the pro- 
 visions that hail aocuinidatecl in the Kainchatkan 
 magazines to ]>olsheretsk, as the Uiost convenient 
 j)i)rt from which to transfer them to the vessels of 
 lloring's expedition. The student Krashennikof also 
 wont to Kamchatka in the Fort iota. On the 13th 
 of Octobei-, when about to enter the river at Bol- 
 sherctsk, the wretched craft was overtaken by a gale 
 and thrown upon the shore. The future historian of 
 Kamchatka, Krasliennikof, reached the land "clad in 
 one garment only." 
 
 Dcs[)ite the apparently insurmountable difficulties 
 resulting from want of trans[)ortation and lack o( sup- 
 plies, Bering and Chirikof found themselves i'; readi- 
 ness to <xo to sea in the month of August 1740. At 
 that time +^^' number of men at OklK^tsk belon-jfin-'' 
 to the expedition waK IGG, with 80 engaged in Ihe 
 tran.sportation of stores over the mountain trails. 
 During the summer the astronomer Croyuro with 
 his suite had arrived at Okhotsk, accompanied by the 
 naturalist Stcller. Toward the end of Aug-ust an 
 event occurred that filled Bering and his officers with 
 joy. The great stumbling-block of the exjicditionand 
 its most persistent enemy, Pisaref, was relieved from 
 his official position by another exile, Antoinc Deviere, 
 a former favorite of Peter the Great, and chief oi' 
 police of St Petersburg.'^ xVccording to Sgibnef, 
 3.)evicre was the first honorable and efficient com- 
 
 11 s. iiical; 2,?,m lbs. liiinl bread; l.O'JO lbs meat; 41011)9. fish; fj.Vtlbs. butter; 
 T"i ll>.s. {lil; and 3*20 biu'lvots of bnindy. For the yciir I7.'{!* liis rciiuisition for 
 liis own ,inil for Spanbery's expedition was: !K>0 lbs. Hour; '2,r)G5 lbs. meal; 
 -I.C.IT II1.S. hard In-cad; 1,0-J.") lbs. meat; 410 lbs. lisli; 'flC, lbs. butter; 103 lbs. 
 salt, and (!00 buckets of brandy. With the flour it was not only necessary 
 to liiake kvass, but to bake hard bread; the meal was oatmeal, which was 
 i.s.ii'.rd liccausc jM'ase and barley could not be obtained. Znp. JJi/ilr., ix. 337. 
 '" It was in 1738 that Antoine Peviere was chief of police of the lUissiau 
 capital, but falling into di.syraee lu; was sent to Siberia. In 1741 he was 
 made counnander of Okhotsk, and in 1742 recalled to St Petcr.sburg by 
 ]',li/ab('th, made a count, and restored to his former \ sition. He died iu 
 17-Ij. Mofifkol Sboriiik; ev. 31, 33. 
 
:l1. ': 
 
 01 THE KAMCHATKA EXPEDITIONS. 
 
 inandcr of Okhotsk. Ho sold the property which liis 
 predecessors harl dishonestly obtained, and with the 
 proceeds paid the arrears of salaries. Under his 
 active supervision buildings were erected, a school 
 established, and everything arranged for a quick 
 despatch of the American expedition.^^ 
 
 '" It was at the auggestion of Bering that Devitre opened this the first 
 school in Kamchatka in 1741; it was located at Bolslieretsk and began ita 
 operations with 20 pupils. Morskoi Sbornik, ci. 142. 
 
 ji:;i 
 
 m 
 
 It; 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 DISCOVERY OF ALASKA. 
 
 1740-1741. 
 
 TuE Day of Departure — Arrival of Imperial Desi'atciies — They Set 
 Sail from Okhotsk— The 'Sv Petk' and the 'Sv Pavel'— Keuixo's 
 AND Chip.ikof'.s RicsPEtrrivE Commands — Arrival at Kam( hatka— 
 
 WlNTEUINO AT AVATCIIA BaY — EMBARKATION — IlL-FEELIN(1 P.ETWEEN 
 
 CiinuKOF AND Beuing — TiiE Final Paktino in JIid-ocean — Adven- 
 Tru'^; OF CiiiRiKOF — He Discovers the Mainland of Amf.isica in 
 Latithde Tm" '21'— The Magnificence of his ScRKOUNi>iN(is — A 
 Boat's Cuew Sent Ashoke — Another Sent to its Assistance— All 
 Lost! — IIeakt-sick, Chirikof Hovers aiioct the Plac^e — And is 
 finally Driven Away p.y the Wind — He Discovers Unalaska, 
 Adakh, and Attoo— The Presence of Sea-oiters Noticed — Sick- 
 ness— Retcrn TO Avatcha Bay — Death jf Croyep.e — Illness of 
 Chirikof. 
 
 vSix years the grand expedition had occupied in 
 crossing Siberia; no wonder subordinates swore and 
 the imperial treasurer groaned. But now the de- 
 vinitly wished for hour had come, the happy consum- 
 mation was at liand. New islands and new seas should 
 pay the reckoning, while the iiatives of a new conti- 
 nent should be made to bleed for all this toil and 
 trouble. 
 
 The 15th of August 1740 had been fixed as the day 
 of (k^parturc, but just as they were al)out to embark 
 Captain Spanberg arrived i'rom Yakutsk with the in- 
 telhgence that an imperial courier was at hand with 
 (le.'^patches recpiiriiig answers. This delayed the ex- 
 pedition till the 1st of September, when the double 
 sloop with stores was despatched in advance. At the 
 mouth of the river she ran aground, and the transfer 
 
 (68) 
 
64 
 
 DISCOVERY OF ALASKA. 
 
 ir"^ 
 
 of cargo became necessary, after which slic was agahi 
 made ready. On the 8th of September the exi)edition 
 finally embarked. Bering cornumnded the Sv Pctr, 
 and Chirikof the Sv Pavel, the two companion vessels 
 having been named the St Peter and the St Paifl. 
 Bering's second was Lieutenant Waxel, Avhile with 
 Chirikof v.ere lieutenants Chikhachcf and Blunting.^ 
 The double sloop was commanded by Master Khitrof 
 and the galiot by second mate Btishchef Passengers 
 on the (k)uble sloop were Croyere, Steller, the sur- 
 veyor Krassilnikof, and the student Gorlanof. The 
 vessels were all fitted out with provisions for a year 
 and eight months, but the grounding of the double 
 sloop caused considerable loss in both provisions and 
 spare rigging. 
 
 In crossing the Okhotsk Scathe vessels parted com- 
 pany, but they all reached the harbor of Bolsherctsk 
 in safety about the middle of September. Here they 
 landed the two members of the academy for the pur- 
 pose of exploring the Kamchatka peninsula, and took 
 on board the mate Yelagin. The little fleet then 
 passed round the southern end of the peninsula to the 
 gulf of Avatcha, where the Sv Pavel arrived the 27th 
 of Se])tomber, and the Sv Petr the Gth of October. 
 The sloop met witli a series of disasters and was com- 
 pelled to return to Bolsheretsk on the 8th of October, 
 and to remain there for the winter. The galiot also 
 returned fisr the winter, unable to weather Capo Lo- 
 patka so late in the season, and this renderetl it neces- 
 sary to transport supplies overland from Bolsheretsk 
 
 ■ With Wiixel was a younc; son. The other ofllcers of the Fiv Petr wore 
 
 I'lselbcrg, luiito; Yu:-hin, second mate; LKigiuiof, coiiiiuissary; Khotialiitzof, 
 master; .fanseii, boatswain; Ivanof, lioatswain'a m.itc; llossilius, sliip'a con- 
 stiiMe; l'Vui.:h, surycon; IJetye, assistant surgeon; Tlcuianer, artist and corporal 
 of Cossacks; and anion;:; tlic sailora tlie former Lieut. Ovtzin, who had been 
 reduced to the ranks. In Kamchatka the force was increased by Khitrc f, the 
 marine, and .Johann Synd, a son of Feieh, tlie fatlier returning to St I'cters- 
 burg on account of ill-health. On the Svl'unl were: Dementief, master; 
 Shiganof and Vurlof, second mates; Chaglokof, commit^sary; Korostlef, 
 master; Savt'icf, boatswain; Kachikof, ship's constable; the monk Lau, who 
 also 8crve<l as assistant surgeon , the force beiny further increased in Kam- 
 eliatka by Yelagin, mate, and the marine Yurlof. The second nmto Shiijaiiof, 
 and Yurlof, were subsciiueutly promoted in Kunicliatku. 
 
 I i 
 
BE L'ISLE'S CHART. 
 
 m 
 
 pedition 
 Sv Pctr; 
 I vessels 
 U Pad. 
 ile with 
 iiinting.^ 
 Khitrof 
 sscngers 
 the sur- 
 )f. The 
 r a year 
 3 double 
 lions and 
 
 ted com- 
 l.sheretsk 
 ^cre they 
 the pur- 
 aiid took 
 cet then 
 la to the 
 the 27th 
 October, 
 vas coui- 
 )ctober, 
 liot also 
 ipc Lo- 
 it ncccs- 
 Isheretsk 
 
 li' Pdr were 
 llu)tiaIiitzof, 
 sliip's coii- 
 liul corporal 
 Jo hail been 
 |\liiti< f, the 
 St I'ctcrs- 
 (of, master; 
 Ivorostk'f, 
 Ik Lull, who 
 lid ill Kaiii- 
 Lo blii^auuf, 
 
 to Avatcha during the winter, an operation attended 
 with great difficulties and loss." Bering aj^proved of 
 the selection of Avatcha Bay as a harbor, by Yelagin, 
 it beinu: the best on the coast. A few buildinijs had 
 been erected, and to these the commander [)roceeded 
 at once to add a church. The place was named Pe- 
 troi)avlovsk.^ 
 
 ])eaching his vessels for the winter, Bering secured 
 tlic services of tlie natives for the transportation of 
 supplies from Bolsheretsk, and then distributed his 
 connnand in small detachments, requiring them to 
 live for the most part on such game and fish as they 
 cniild catch. Removed from the interference of local 
 autliorities, which had been troublesome at Okhotsk, 
 Bering passed a quiet winter and concluded the final 
 ])r('parations for sea in accordance with his plans. 
 (Voyere and Steller joined him in the spring; and 
 with the opening of navigation, in accordance with 
 instructions, on the 4th of May 17-11 the connnander 
 assembled his officers, including the astronomer, for 
 general consultation. Each present was to give his 
 ^ie^vs, and a majority was to decide. All were of 
 o[)inion that the unknown shore lay either due east 
 or north-east; but this sensible decision, tlie ado})tion 
 of which would have saved them much sullering and 
 disaster, was not permitted to prevail. Science in 
 Bvissiii, was as despotic as government. The renowned 
 astronomer De L'lsle de la Croyere had made a map 
 i;r('s('nted by the imperial academy to the senate. 
 
 - Tlie sloop finally rciU'hcd Av.itclia the follow iiiij siiiiinier Imt only after 
 two cj.jilorinj; vcscels had f'(,'nc to sea. Aeeordiiig to Steller a sniiiily-sliip 
 met the vetitiels of the cxpiditioii in tlu; outer harlior, and the jneater ]M)rtic ii 
 of tl.o e.irp) was transfernd to the iVc /'ih: St<lh)\ Jlr.'rlin iliiin'i rcii Kmii- 
 t--r!ii:iL(i,\. I I'J. The jraliot returned to (lkllol^k (hiring,' tlie Mininiei' in ihiiri'o 
 of second mate Shi^'cnof, and earryinu'an passenj-'ers Krashennikof, with a vaiii- 
 al)!i' iiijleetion of notes as the result of hut in\eHtiuations, y:fiji. Ili/ilr., ix. .'i7l. 
 
 •'' Aeeording to Mlillcr the ehiireh was dodieatc d to the a]iostles I'eter and 
 Tanl, i!iid the harhor derived its name therefrom; hut K\dise(|iient invesii'a- 
 tioiiii of thu loeal archives hy Sokolof and I'olonski seenud to in<li<-'ate thit 
 the church, a .'mall wooden strnetiu'e, was erected in memory of the Mrlli cf 
 tho viri.in, and that the hnrlior was named after the two fihi])s. Its i:;i:, o 
 occurs on the (arliest jiagcs of the journals of the expedition. J/iiIIit, Sdinni- 
 hiiij i-w-Mycliif ijcuvhichli'ii, i. '22; {iokulo/, in Zaj>. Jlydi:, ix. 37-. 
 Hist. ALAtiKA. S 
 
06 
 
 DISCOVERY OF ALASKA. 
 
 That auGfust body had forwarded it to Bcrinj^, and 
 the author's brother, present at the council, also had 
 with him a copy. No land was set down upon this 
 chart toward the east, but some distance south-east 
 of Avatcha Bay, between latitudes 40° and 47°, there 
 was a coast extending about 15° of longitude from west 
 to east. The land was drawn in such a manner as to 
 indicate that it had been sighted on the south side, 
 and the words Tcrreft vnes par dom Jean de (rama 
 were inscribed upon it. The absurdity of sending out 
 an expedition for discover}^ requiring it to follow 
 niapi^ed imagination, seems never to have occurred to 
 the Solons of St Petersburef, and this when thev 
 knew well enough that the continents were not far 
 asunder toward the north. 
 
 The mariners thought it safer to go by the chart, 
 which after all must have some influence on the land, 
 the drawing having passed through such imperial 
 processes, and hence arrived at the fatal determination 
 to steer first south-cast by east in search of the Land 
 of Gama, and after discoverinii' it to take its northern 
 coast as a guide to the north-east or east; but if no 
 land was found in latitude 4G", then the course shouM 
 be altered to north-cast by east till land was made. 
 The coast once found, it was to bo followed to latitude 
 G5°. The action of the several officers under every 
 conceivable emergency was determined by the council. 
 All Were to return to Avatcha Bay by the end of 
 September.* Yet with all the care, when put into 
 practice, their plans Avere found to he exceedingly de- 
 fective. Steller went on the Sv I\'tr, while Croyeie 
 was attached to Chirikof's vessel. The crew of the 
 
 *lt is not known who Juan do Tiama was, nor when the prctcntled discov- 
 ery was niiuh! by him. Jn l(i4t) Ti'xoini, cosnio^'raphcr to the king of I'ortii- 
 gal, piihlishi'd a map on whicli 10 or I'J dep'ees north-oast from Japan, in 
 latitudo 44' and 4t")\ were represented a nniltittulo of ishinds and a eoast on- 
 tt'iidiny toward tlie ea.st, laholled: 'Terrc vuc par Jean de (Janri, Indicii, en 
 nlhmt di' hi. t'liine h hi Is'oiivolle Kspagno.' Ilie situation of the 'Landnt' 
 Gania,' on 'I'oxoira's maps, sooms to ho the same as the 'Company's Land' 
 iliseovend hy tlie Kd/ilriLam under Martin (ioiitzin de Vries, in l(i4;f, m- 
 perhaps earlier. Midler's ]'t>y., i. u7-S; lluniojK L'hrouol. IJiat., lU'2-3. 
 
IN MID-OCEAN. 
 
 6T 
 
 ing, and 
 als(j had 
 ipon tills 
 )uth-cast 
 17°, there 
 rom west 
 incr as to 
 luth side, 
 f/e G(imn 
 ndiiig out 
 to follow 
 'currod to 
 he 11 they 
 •e not far 
 
 the chart, 
 1 the laiid, 
 1 imperial 
 irmiuatioii 
 the Land 
 northern 
 hut if no 
 Irse shouM 
 l,vas made. 
 () latitude 
 Idcr every 
 lie council, 
 le end of 
 put into 
 linufly <lc- 
 le Croyero 
 :W of the 
 
 tended discDV- 
 Liiig of roitii- 
 lom Jiipun. i'l 
 Jul a ooiist t'N- 
 |ii-i, liidicn, I '1 
 the 'LuikI >'! 
 Jipniiv's LiiU'l ' 
 Is, ill Hi-t;i, '"• 
 1, Wl-'i. 
 
 Sr Pcfi' nunihercd seventy-seven, and tliat of tlic >SV 
 Pare/ seventy-live. Both ships had still provisions 
 kft for live and a half months, with one hundred 
 barrels of water, sixteen cords of wood, and two boats 
 each. 
 
 On the morning' of the 4th of June 1741, after 
 sok'nni prayer, the two ships sailed from Avatcha ]>ay 
 with a liufht southerly wind.^ Xoon of the second 
 (lav saw them thirty miles from Liglit House Point. 
 Chirikof, wl;o was about five miles to windward of 
 ])eriiig, noticed that the latter steered southward 
 (»t" the course pro])Oscd. Signalling Bering that he 
 would speak with him, Chirikof proposed that they 
 should keep as near together as possible to avoid final 
 separation in a fog. He also spoke of the manifest 
 cliange from the agreed course, whereat ]3ering ap- 
 ])eared annoyed, and when later Chirikof signalled to 
 speak with liiin a second time the commander paid no 
 attention to it. As we proceed wo shall find serious 
 defects in the character of both of these men. For a 
 connuander-in-chief, Bering was becoming timid, and 
 ])erhaps too much bound to instructions; for a sub- 
 ordinate, Chirikof was dogmatic and obstinate. Aixmt 
 noon of the 6th of June Bering ordered Chirikof 
 to jtroceed in advance, trusting a[)parently more to 
 his skill and judgment than to his own. On the 7th 
 of June the wind changed to the nortli and increased. 
 Ill the course of the next few days the two shi})s 
 approached each other occasionally and exchanged 
 signals, but Chirikof remained in the lead. In the 
 afternoon of the 12th thoy found themselves in lati- 
 tude 4G.° and came to the conclusion that there was 
 no (jaiij , ..and sutdi as given in the chart, and at l> 
 o'clock tliey changed tlieir course to east by north. 
 On the 14tli the wind drew ahead, bhnving strong 
 
 ' Detiiila of Berinct's voyage in the areliives of St Petersburg consist of 
 rcpditH and journals liy Waxel, Yufki-i, an<l Kiutnif, the lirst two in cojiics, 
 tlio liitter ill the uri;;inal. Of Chirikuf's voyajre there are copiea of jouniidsi 
 liy liiinself iiiid liy yelagin liis mate. A few other detuila have been obtained 
 from Steller and Miiller. Zap, Ilydr,, passim. 
 
14-: 
 
 m I 
 
 !:i: 
 
 68 
 
 DISCOVEr.Y OF ALASKA. 
 
 from the caRtwrinl, and conipcllihi!^ to a more nortli- 
 erly course for nearly two days, till they found them- 
 selves in latitude 48", Berini^ keeping to the windward 
 of Chirikof on aceouiit of the better sailing qualities 
 of liis vessel. Chirikof finally signalled for instruc- 
 tions, and asked how long the northerly course was 
 to be pursued. Bering's answer was to follow him 
 and he would see. 
 
 A few hours later the cour.se was changed to the 
 southward. On the 15th the wind was a little more 
 to the south and the northerly course was resumed. 
 On the 18th, in the morning, Bering informed Chiri- 
 kof that as they were in latitude 49° they must turn 
 fiouth, but Chirikof said that with the prevailing wind a 
 <-hange was impracticaljle, and it would be best to con- 
 tinue the course east by north. The fjljowing day in 
 latitude 49" 30' tlie winil increased, blowing violently 
 iVom the east, and sails were shortened thuinLT the niijht. 
 Xext mornini«; Chirikof sighted the Sv Pctr about 
 three leagues to the nortli, but Bering did not see 
 him, and tliiriking himself to the v>indward shaped his 
 course to the north-west. This manoeuvre completed 
 the separation of the vessels forever. Bering made 
 every effort to find the consort; he spent three days 
 between latitudes 50° and 51°, and finally sailed south- 
 east as far as 45°, but all in vain. Chirikof had talceii 
 an easterly course and his subsequent movements were 
 entirely distinct from those of his comniander. 
 
 First let us follow the fortunes of Chirikof, who 
 must ever be regarded as the hero of this expedition. 
 
 After losing sight of the Sv Pctr, which he thought 
 v.'as to the nortliward, Chirikof alhjwed the Sv Paccl 
 to drift a while, so that his commander mi»]fht find 
 him. Then he steered south-east in search of him, 
 and after making two degrees of lon-dtude to the 
 eastward, on the morning of the 23d of June he found 
 liinis(df in latitude 48°. A council of ofBeers decided 
 t'.:at it was folly to Vv^atte time in search of Bering, 
 
 :!;•■■ 
 
ADVENTURES OF CHIRIKOF. 
 
 60 
 
 •e north - 
 kI thein- 
 /indward 
 qualities 
 instriic- 
 urse was 
 How him 
 
 )d to the 
 ttlc more 
 resmiied. 
 lod Chiii- 
 luist turn 
 nii' wind a 
 •st to con- 
 nsx (lav in 
 violently 
 the night. 
 \tr about 
 1 not see 
 ;haped his 
 completed 
 in;:; made 
 liree days 
 ed south- 
 lad taken 
 ents were 
 :r. 
 
 ^kcf, who 
 
 :pcditi<)n. 
 
 thouii;ht 
 
 I Si' Pair/ 
 
 iorht find 
 
 \ • 
 
 I of hmi. 
 Ic to tlu' 
 
 ihe found 
 
 deoi<led 
 
 f Bering, 
 
 a!id that they would prosecute the object of the voy- 
 age, whicli was to find land toward the east. Heuco 
 with li'dit, favorable winds, the So Pairl went for- 
 ward, occasionally shaping her course a little more to 
 the north, until on the 11th of July signs of land 
 wore seen in drift-wood, seals, and gulls. Without 
 slacking his speed, but casting the lead constantly, 
 Chirikof proceede<l, and during the night of the lat'a 
 liu si'dited land in latitude 55° 21.' Thus was the 
 great discover}^ achieved. The high w^ooded moun- 
 tains looming before the enraptured gaze of eyes long 
 accustomed to the tamer glories of Siberia, were at 
 once pronounced to belong to the continent of Amer- 
 ica." 
 
 J)ay broke calm and clear; the coast was visible in 
 distinct outlines at a distance of three or four miles; 
 the lead indicated sixty fathoms, and the ship was 
 surrounded by myriads of ducks and gulls. At noon 
 it was still calm, and an observation gave the latitude 
 as 55° 41', A boat was lowered but failed to find a 
 landing-place. In the evening a light wind arose, 
 and the vessel stood north-westward alonn; the shore 
 under short sails. Toward mornini; the wind increased 
 iVom the eastward with rain and fog, and the briLjht 
 green land which they had found was lost to them 
 again. At last, some time after daylight, high moun- 
 tains once more appeared above the clouds, and at 
 noon of the 17th the entrance to a great bay was 
 oiiscrved in latitude 57° 15'. The mate, ])ementief, 
 was ordered to explore the entrance iu the long-boat 
 manned with ten armed sailors.'' 
 
 The party was furnished with provisions for sover;d 
 days, with muskets, and other arms, including a small 
 
 "Sokolof declares emphatically tliiit the point of land mailc was .a sliglit 
 pfojietion of the coast b(!t\veeu caiies Addington and Ijartlioloniew of Vaji- 
 univi'i's map. Zap. llydi:, ix. 3!)!). 
 
 "The mate, Abram Mikhai'lovicli Dementief, is spoken of by Mtiller in Vx-J 
 l.itier i,f a /'iiDnian Namrl OJfirrr, aa a man of good fandly, yonn^', good-iool;- 
 iii:.', kind-hearted, skilled in his profession, and anxious to servo his conntry. 
 Siikolof ill his history of the expedition liifits at a love ailair at Okhotsk, 
 Viliicli had ended unhappily. Moi-fkoi SboniiL, ev, 113; /iap. Ihjdr., iv. -100-1. 
 
n 
 
 DISCOVERY OF ALASKA. 
 
 H^ 
 
 *ii 
 
 brass cannon. Chirikof issued instructions to meet 
 prc»!)al)l(j eui(3r<^cncics, and oxi)lainod how tlicy were to 
 coninuinicate with the ship by signals. The hoat was 
 f>ecn to reach tlie shore and disappear behind a small 
 })rojection of land; a few minutes later the precon- 
 certed signals were observed, and it was concluded 
 that the boat had landed in safety.^ The day passed 
 without further information from the shore. During 
 the next and for several successive days, signals were 
 observed from time to time, which were interpreted 
 to mean that all was well with Domentief. At last, 
 as the party did not return, Chirikof began to fear 
 that the boat had suffered damage in landing, and on 
 the •2;3d Sidor Savelief, with some sailors, a carpenter 
 and a calkcr, was sci.t ashore to assist Dementief, and 
 re})air his boat if ncccf-^sary." The strictest injunctions 
 were issued that either one or both of the boats should 
 return immediately. Tlieir movements were anxiously 
 watched I'rom the sliip. The small boat was seen to 
 land, but no preparation for a return could be observed. 
 A great smoke was seen rising from the point round 
 which the first crew had disappeared. 
 
 The night was passed in great anxiety; but every 
 heart was gladdened when next morning two boats 
 were seen to leave the coast. One was larger than 
 the other, and no one doubted that Dementief and 
 •Savelief were at last returning. The ca})tain ordered 
 all made ready for instant departure. During the 
 bustle which followed little attention was paid to the 
 a])j)roaching boats, but presently they were discovered 
 to be canoes filled with savages, who seemed to be as 
 much astonished as the Russians, and after a rapid 
 survey of the ap[)arition they turned shoreward, 
 shouting Agail Aufail Then dread fell on all, and 
 
 ^ Sokolof omits in his account the mention of Dementief 's signal after reach- 
 ing the land, but the fact is confirmed by Chirikof's own journal in both the 
 oiiuinal, and the translation in SumntluiKj aUer lii'inhe-olir., xx. 372. 
 
 "Tliis date is dillerently given liy diflfcrcnt authors; in the Sammlttiiil 
 the date is the 'Jbst; the number of Savelief'a companions is also variously 
 placed at from three to six. MUller's Voywje, 41j Zcq). Jli/dr., ix. 401. 
 
rVN'O BOATS' CREWS LOST. 71 
 
 Cliiiikof cursed himself for permitting the sailors to 
 appear on deck in such numbers as to i'righten away 
 the savages, and thus prevent their seizure and an 
 exchange of prisoners. Gradually the full iori-o of 
 the calamity fell upon him. His men had all been 
 seized and nmrdered on the spot, or were still held 
 i'oi- a worse fate. 
 
 He was on an unknown and dangerous coast, with- 
 out boats, and his numbers greatly reduced. A 
 strong west wind just then sprang up and compelled 
 liiiu to weigli anchor and run for the open sea. His 
 heart was very sore, for he was a humane man and 
 warmly attached to his comrades. He cruised about 
 the neighborhood for several days, loath to leave it, 
 though he had given up the shore paities all as lost, 
 and as soon as the wind permitted he again apiroached 
 the point which had proved so fatal to his undertak- 
 ing. But no trace of the lost sailors could be discov- 
 ered. A council of officers was then called to deter- 
 mine what next to do.'*' 
 
 All agreed that further attempts at discovery 
 were out of the question, and that the}'' should at 
 once make for Kamchatka. With his own hand 
 C'liirikof added to the minutes of the council, "Were 
 it not for our extraordinary misfortunes there would 
 ho ample time to prosecute the work." The Sv Pavel 
 was then headed for the north-west, keeping tlie coast 
 ill sight. The want of boats prevented a landing for 
 water, wdiich was now dealt out in rations; they tried 
 to catcli rain and also to distil sea-water, in both ot 
 whicli efforts, to a certain extent, they were success- 
 M. 
 
 On the 31st of July, at a distance of about eighteen 
 miles to the north, huge mountains covered with snow 
 were seen extending apparently to the westward. The 
 
 '"Sokolof gives tlic tlate of this council as the 2Gth, 11 days after the dis- 
 covery of hniid. Cliirikof and Miillcr, as well as the Simimliiixj. ni:ike it 
 tlie'-VUi. All accounts agree tliat the latitude observed on the day of the 
 cdinicil was i)H" 21'. The nuantity of water on hand was tlien 4ii caska. 
 J. i/lcr'ti I'vi/aije. 4'2; Zap. llydr,, ix. 402. 
 
72 DISCOVERY OF ALASKA. 
 
 wind inorcnsod and veered to the westward, with rain 
 and foLf. Tlie course was chanijed more to the south- 
 ward, and on the 2d of Auj^fust they again sighted 
 land to the westward,'^ but it soon disappeared in 
 the fog. 
 
 On the 4th of Se])tember in latitude 52° 30' they 
 disco\'ered high land in a northeiiy direction, proba- 
 bly the island of Unalaska. Two days later, after 
 considerable westing with a favorable wind, land was 
 again sighted in latitude 51° 30'; and on the evening 
 of the 8th, while becalmed in a fog, they were alarmed 
 by the roar of breakers, while soundings showed 
 twenty-eight fathonis. Chirikof anchored with diffi- 
 culty owing to the hard rock , bottom, and the follow- 
 ing morning when the fofj lifted he found himself in 
 a small shallow bay less than a mile in width and 
 surrounded by trementlous cliffs, probably Adakh 
 Island. The mountains were barren, with here and 
 there small patches of grass or moss. While await- 
 ing a favorable wind, they saw seven savages come 
 out in seven canoes, chanting invocations, and taking 
 no notice of the presents flung to them by the Rus- 
 sians.^^ A few canoes finally approached the ship, 
 bringing fresh water in bladders, but the bearers re- 
 fusetl to mount to the deck. Chirikof in his journal 
 describes them as well built men resembling the Tar- 
 tars in features; not corpulent but healthy, with 
 scarcely any beard. On ihvAr heads they wore shades 
 made of thin boards ornamented with colors, and 
 feathers of aquatic l)irds. A few also had bone carv- 
 ings attached to their head-dress." Later in the day 
 the natives came in greater numbers, fourteen /iv/rt/ix, 
 or small closed skin boats, surrounding the vessel, 
 
 *' Sokolof in Zir/). Ifyifr., ix. 40.1, insists tlint this land wiis the point dis- 
 covorcd liy Borin<; 10 days before; but there can be but little doubt that it 
 was the island of Kadiak. 
 
 '- Sokolof on the authority of Chikhachef asserts that these natives refused 
 beads, tobaoco, pipes, and oilier trilles, asking only for knives, but how the 
 savaj.'eg expressed this desire ho does not explain, nor does he show bow they 
 knew anytiiing about iron implements. Zap. J/i/i/r., ix. 404. 
 
 " Chiriko/'n Journal, iu Imperial Naval Archives, xvi. 
 
SETV'ERE SUFFERINGS. 73 
 
 wh'wh tlioy cxaniiiiofl with n^rcat curiosity, l)ut they 
 ivt'iisecl ti) <!;■(> on board. Toward ovoiiiii;^ by slip- 
 1)1111,' an anchor they <;ot to sea, and on tlie 'J 1st liii^li 
 laud was sighted again in latitude 52° I3G'," ])rol>ably 
 the island of Attoo, the westernmost of all the Aleu- 
 tian chain. Chirikof supposed that all the land ho 
 sow hereabout was part of the American continent; 
 for when he pressed northward, indicati()ns of land 
 were everywhere present, but when he turned south- 
 wiii'd, such indications ceased. The presence of sea- 
 dttors was frequently remarked, though they could not 
 realize the important part this animal Mas to l)lay in 
 shaping the destinies of man in this region. The 2 1st 
 ( if August orders were issued to cook the usual quan- 
 tity of rye meal once a day instead of twice, and to 
 decrease the allowance of water. As an ofl'set an 
 extra drink of rum was allowed.^'* 
 
 Despite the scurvy and general despondency disci- 
 ])line was rigidly enforced, and finally, when the water 
 lor cooking the rye meal could be spared but once a 
 week, no complaints were heard. Yet cold, excessive 
 moisture and hunger auJ thirst w^ero makiiiu: con- 
 stant and sure niroads. By the IGth Chirikof and 
 Ciiikhachef were both down with the scurvy, and one 
 man died the same day. Five days later the captain 
 was unable to leave his berth, but his mind remained 
 clear and ho issued his orders with regularity and 
 precision. Midshipman Plunting was also unable to 
 ajipear on deck. The ship's constable, Kachikof, died 
 the 2Gth, and from that time one death followed 
 another in quick succession. On the Gth of October 
 J lieutenant Chikhachef and one sailor died, and on the 
 8tli Plunting's sufferings were ended. The sails wero 
 
 ' ' In his description of the expedition the astronomer, Croy6rc, becomo3 
 ronfused, saying tliat after losing sight of land on the 4th, uo more was setu 
 I'll the "20th, when the ship came to anchor illH) fathoms from a mountainous 
 c(iast ill latitude 51" VI', where 'Jl canoes appeared. SammUnKj, xx. lil).'). 
 
 '■'From the journal of the mate Yelagin we learn tliat on the 14th there 
 irmained only 12 casks of water, and tluit the rye imish was furnished onco 
 :i iliiy, the other meals consisting of hard bread and butter. 8alt beef was 
 bulled in sea-water. Naval Archives, xvi. 
 
1 
 
 f 
 
 14 
 
 DISCOVERY OF ALASKA. 
 
 fallinfi in pioecs owiii'^ to constant exposure to rnin 
 and snow, and the enlbebled crew was unable to re- 
 |)air tlieni. Slowly the ship moved westward witli 
 little attempt at navigation. The last observation had 
 been made the 2d (►f October, but only the longitude 
 uas l'(»und, indicating a distance of eleven degrees from 
 the Kamchatka shore. Fortune heljjing tiiem, on the 
 morning of the 8tli land appeared in the west, which 
 proved to be the coast of Kamchatka in the vicinity 
 of Avatcha Bay. A light contrar}'^ wind detained 
 tlieni for two days, and having no boats they dis- 
 cliarged a cannon to bring hclj) I'rom the shore. 
 
 Of those who had left this harbor in the Sr Pairl 
 less than five months before, twenty-one were lost. 
 The pilot, Yelagin, alone of all the otHcers could appear 
 on deck, and he finally brought the ship into the har- 
 bor of Petrojiavlovsk, established by him the jneccd- 
 ing winter. The astronomer, Croyere, who had for 
 weeks been confined to his berth, apparently keej»iiig 
 alive by the constant use of strong liquor, asked to be 
 taken ashore at once, but as soon as he was exposed to 
 the air on deck he fell and presently cx})ired. Cliiri- 
 kof, vei-v ill, was landed at noon tlie same dav.^'^ 
 
 "■' SoUoliif Mith iiuich national pvide exults in the achievements of Cliirikof, 
 n true Jluf^sian, iw against ]>uiiug the iJane. ' ^Vnd tlius having iliocuverid 
 the Ani(rii.'an coast ."Jli hours earlier than JJering,' lie writes, 'eleven (legreus 
 of loiigituiit! farther to the ea.st; having followed tiiis coast three degrees 
 further to tlie nortli; and after having left tlie coast live days later tlian 
 IJi'i'in:.', Chirikof returned to Kaniehutka, eiglit degrees farther west th:iu 
 llering's laiidir. .j-place, a whole month earlier; haviiig made on his route tlie 
 ranie disi.u\eries of the Ali'utiau Islands. During tills wliole time the sails 
 were never taken in, and no h^ipply of fresli water was olitJiined; they sutiercd 
 ci|ualiy from sionus, ])iivati >ns, disease, and mortality -the ollicers as well 
 as tlie nieu. How dill'ci'en. were tiie results, ami what pnxjf do they not 
 furnish of the .saperiority o, *\'.n Kuasians iu scientitie navigation !' So the 
 learner is often apt to grow '. M and impudent and despise the teacher. The 
 great I'cter was not above i 'niug uavigation from Bering the Dane. Z<q). 
 1 1 yd,:, ix. 407-8. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 DEATH OF BERING. 
 
 1741-1742. 
 
 PiscovKnr bt Rule — The Land not wiricRE It ought to he — The 
 
 AVATCHA COINCIL SHOULD KnoW— liKI'lNU ENCOUNTEUS THE MAIN- 
 LAND AT ^loUNT St ElIAS — Cl.\1M.S I'UU THE PlUOlUTY UV DlSOOVKUY OF 
 
 X<ikth-westernmo; Ameuica — Kyak Island — Scaucity of Wateu — 
 The Ketiun Voyaue— Illness of Bekino— Lonihncs roii Home— 
 Kadiak — Ukamok — Sickness and Death — iNXEKOoujiSE with the 
 Natives — Waxel's Adventuke — Vows of the Dane — Amchitk^v, 
 KisiiKA, Semkhe, and othi.r Islands Seen — At Bekinc Island — 
 Wkeck of the 'Sv Petk' — Death of Behing — Uatheki.no Sea-otteu 
 Skins — The Suuvivoks Bi'ild a Small 'Sv Petk' moM the Wreck — 
 Return to Kamchatka — Second Voyage of Chirikof. 
 
 We will now return to the conunaiulcr. Possibly 
 wo luii^Iit inijiLjiue Chirikof easily reconciled to a 
 separation from his superior, who, instead of striking 
 out intelligently for the achievement of a jiurpose, 
 allowed himself to be carried hither and thither by 
 oiiiDipotent winds and inqjerial instructions. But not 
 so Bering. With the loss of Chirikof and the Sv 
 PdVii his right arm "svas gone. For a whole day he 
 drifted in a strong efalc under reefed sails before he 
 would leave the spot to take the direction in which 
 lie supposed Chirikof to be. Then he was obliged to 
 lie to again, and on the morning of the 22d, iinding 
 himself twelve leagues south of the point of separa- 
 tion, it was concluded in a council of officers to aban- 
 don further search and resume their course, not the 
 last course of east by north as it should have been, 
 but to the southward till latitude 4G° was reached, 
 where they had already been and seen nothing. It 
 
i: I: 
 
 70 
 
 DEATH OF BERING. 
 
 iif%' If 
 
 m 
 
 \ 
 
 m 
 
 ■was now evident that- Bering was becoming incompe- 
 tent; that, tieprived of the assistance of Chirikof's 
 .stronger mind and sounder judgment, he intended to 
 follow strictly the resolutions of the Avatcha council. 
 He would steer south-east by east to latitude 4G^, 
 then change the course to east by north, and thus 
 waste in mid-ocean the brief days of the short 
 northern summer. The 24th saw Bering at the 
 southernmost point named, where numbers of birds 
 seemed to indicate land ahead, and tempted him to 
 continue to latitude 45° IG', wdien finding nothing, 
 and convinced for a second time of the inaccurac}^ of 
 Croycre's chart, he again bent his course east by 
 north, which was changed the third day to north- 
 north-east to compensate for having gone below 
 latitude 4G°. "^he wind changed repeatedly from 
 south-west to south-east, being always light und ac- 
 companied with clouds and fogs; but nothing special 
 occurred until the 9th of July, when a, strong east- 
 erly wind compelled them to head more to the north 
 until they reached latitude 51° 30'. The wind then 
 changed, allowing them to steer north-east b}^ east. 
 From time to time they were misled by land-iloating 
 (hift, and weeds, and marine niannnals, but the lead 
 indicated a depth of between one hundred and ninety 
 and two hundred fathoms. 
 
 The second month was now at hand, and Bering 
 ordered a reduced allowance of water. From the 121h 
 of July he was so hrmly convinced of the close prox- 
 imity of land that he hove to at night lest he should run 
 aground. Five weeks had elapsed since the Sv Petr 
 had left Avatcha Bay and the ship's log showed that 
 forty-six degrees of longitude separated them from 
 their point of departure, and still the land remained 
 invisible. The wind l)ecame more favorable, blowing 
 from tiie west, and Bering concluded to change his 
 course to the northward in order to fall in the sooner 
 w ith the land, 
 
 -On the loth, in latitude 54° 30', in a council of 
 
 ;! 
 
 
DURING THE SE.VRCII. 
 
 n 
 
 iconipc- 
 lirikofs 
 iiulcd to 
 council, 
 idc 4G^, 
 nd thus 
 short 
 
 at tlio 
 of birds 
 , hi in to 
 nothing, 
 uracy of 
 oast by 
 ) north- 
 3 below 
 ly from 
 
 and ac- 
 y special 
 >wj: east- 
 10 north 
 ind then 
 
 by east. 
 
 lloatiiiLi: 
 the lead 
 
 .1 ninety 
 
 Bering 
 
 ;hcl2th 
 
 ise prox.- 
 
 luld run 
 
 \Su Pctr 
 
 ed that 
 
 ini from 
 
 imaiiied 
 
 ulowing 
 
 \.\Q,o his 
 
 sooner 
 
 f 
 
 o 
 
 O 
 
 K 
 
 o 
 
 i 
 
 5 
 
 "A 
 P 
 
 line 
 
 Ml of 
 
 "WW 
 
 TZ 
 
 
' 
 
 
 ?~ 
 
 
 
 
 " 1 ' 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 »■'' 
 
 
 . 'r •> 
 
 
 ■■i :; i'' 
 
 llj 
 
 ill 
 
 i 
 
 78 
 
 DEATH OF BERING. 
 
 officers, anotlior cliango to north-north-east was cletcr- 
 niincd on. These frequent changes and the general 
 iiulecision in the management of the expedition proved 
 almost fatal; but about noon of the IGth, in latitude 
 58° 14', the lookout reported a towering peak and a 
 high chain of snow-covered mountains, without doubt 
 I\louiit St Elias, and the extending range. A north 
 
 Kyak Isl/Vnd. 
 
 wind held them off from the point first seen, but on the 
 evening of the 20th they came U[)()n an island in 51)" 
 40V wliich was Kyak, but which tlicy called St Elias 
 from the dav. 
 
 ' 111 liis calculation of latitude Hering was seven minutes in error, while 
 in loiij,'ituile he was eight degrees out of the way. Such a dillori'iice may bo 
 accuuiitt'il iur uii the ground that licriug's ubacrvatious were based upon dead 
 
THE FIRST DISCOVERER. 
 
 79 
 
 It will 1)0 remembered that Cliirikof found land on 
 the niijflit of the 15th while Bering saw Blount St 
 ]]lias at noon of the IGth, which would give the former 
 pi'iority in the honor of discovery by say thirty-six 
 liours.' But even Chirikof, who amongst Russians 
 was the noblest and most chivalrous of them all, if 
 wo may believe the story of Gvozdef, may not justly 
 set up the claim as first discoverer of north-wostern- 
 niost America. True, Gvozdef saw only what any one 
 might see in sailing through the strait of Boring — 
 lie says ho saw or found himself on the land opposite 
 to Asia. Other Europeans had passed that way 
 before Gvozdef, and the savages had crossed and re- 
 crossod before ever Europeans were there; so wo. may 
 well enough leave out these two sides of the northern 
 strait, and call Chirikof the first discoverer of land 
 opposite Kamchatka, which it was the object of this 
 iiiiporial expedition to find, and which he certainly was 
 the first to achieve. 
 
 After those years of preparation and weeks of 
 tem))ost-tossing we should expect to see the Dane de- 
 lighted on reaching the grand consunnnation of the 
 united ambitions of monarchs and marinei's. But if 
 
 i(eki)iiing, without allowing for the ocean (in<l tidal cuiTcnts wliii;h in tlioso 
 WMtiTs often cause a gain or loss of seven leagues a day. The identity of 
 Kyak is established by comparing Bering's with Cook'.s observations whicli 
 MMuld be enough even if the eliart ap]i(n(b'il to Khitroi's joiitiial liad not 
 liicn preserved. At first l)otli Cook aiul Vamouvci' thought it Vakutat Day, 
 whicli tlicy named after ]5ering, but both changed their minds. As late an 
 I7>i7 the Russian admiralty college declared that tlie island of Tzukli (Mon- 
 t;iu'iie of Vancouver) was the point of liering's discovery, but Admiral Sury- 
 chit, who exaniin''d the joui'nals of tlic ex]ieilitiiin, pointed at onec to Kyak 
 l>hi!id as the only point to which the description of liering and Sti Ihr could 
 iipply. Surychet mad<! one mistake in applying the name of ('ai>(! St I'^lias 
 to tlie nearest ])oint of the mainland calleil Cape Suckling by Cook. Ziij>. 
 Ji>/>lr., ix. .'{S.'W. 
 
 - The date of Bering's discovery, or the day when land was first sighted 
 by his lookout, has iieen variously stated. Miiller makes it the '2()t!i of .fuly, 
 and Stcller the IcStii; the liitii is in accordance with J>ering"s journal, and 
 iiccording to Bering's obaei'vation the latitude was 5S^ 'Js'. This date is eon- 
 liiincd by a nmnnscri])t chart compiled by I'etrof and Waxel with the help 
 of the original logbooksof both vessels. The claim .set up by certain Spanish 
 writers in favor of Francisco (iali as first discoverer of this region is liascd on 
 a mispiint in an early account of his voyage. For particulars see lliul. CuL, 
 i., this scries. 
 
80 
 
 DEATH OF BERING. 
 
 !i5! .' ' 
 
 'ir 
 
 we may believe Steller, when his officers gathered 
 round with their conoratulations Ucrinij ahruixjjed his 
 shoulders os he glanced at the rugged shore and said, 
 "A great discovery no doubt, and the accomplishment 
 of all our desires; but who knows where we arc, when 
 we shall see Russia, and what we shall have to eat in 
 the mean time?"* 
 
 Beating up with ? light wind Bering succeeded in 
 gaining anchorr-ge on a clay bottom under the lee 
 of the island in twc^nty-two fathoms. Two boats 
 wore sent ashore, one under Khitrof to reconnoitre, 
 and another in which was Steller in search of water. 
 Khitrof found among the small islands in the gulf a 
 good harbor. He saw some rude deserted huts whose 
 ^)wners had probably retreated on the approach of the 
 Russians. The habitations were constructed of lo<xs 
 and rough planks, and were roofed w4th bark and dried 
 grass. A few semi-subterranean structures of sods 
 evidently served as storehouses. On entering, the 
 llussians picked up some rough cordage, a whetstone 
 on which copper implements had been sharpened, a 
 small box of poplar wood, a rattle made of baked clay, 
 several broken arrows, and articles of household fur- 
 niture.* In another place the men came upon a cellar 
 in which was a quantity of dried salmon. Of this 
 Khitrof took two bundles. There were several red 
 foxes which seemed not at ah fri<>-htened at the sifjht 
 of the Russians. To compensate the natives for the 
 lish taken, some trifles of Russian manufacture, tobacco 
 and clay pipes, were left. 
 
 Steller's party landed on another island and found 
 a celUir or subterranean storehouse with some red 
 snlmon, and herbs dressed in a manner customary 
 with the Kamchatkans. He also found ropes made 
 of sea-weed, and various household utensils. Going 
 inland he came to a place where some savages had 
 been eating, and had left there an arrow and an in- 
 
 *Stollcr'» Diary, 190. 
 
 Tor lull doacriptioii of thcao people see Native Ilace», i., this sei'ies. 
 
STELLER'S DISArPOINTMENT. 
 
 81 
 
 struniGiit for lighting fire by friction. Steller also 
 gathered plants to analyze on shipboard. Pie regretted 
 that iic more time was granted him in which to ex- 
 amine the American coast, his whole stay covering 
 only six hours, while the sailors were filling the water- 
 casks. "^ The litter reported having found two fire- 
 places lately in u?e. They saw pieces of hewn wood, 
 and the tracks of a man in the grass; some smoked 
 fish was also brought on board and was found quite 
 palatable. 
 
 Early next morning, the 21st of July, contrary to 
 his custom Bering came on deck and ordered anchor 
 uj). It was no use for the officers to call attention to 
 the yet unfilled water-casks, or beg to sec something 
 of the country they had found. The Dane was deaf 
 alike to argument and entrcatv. For once during 
 the voyage he was firm. He and a hundred others 
 had been working for the past eight years to the one 
 end of seeing that land; and now having seen it, that 
 was the end of it; lie desired to go home. It would 
 have been as well for him had he tarried long enoufjh 
 at least to fill his water-casks. 
 
 Dense clouds obscured the sky as Bering began his 
 return voyage, and rain fell incessantly. Dismal forces 
 were closing in round the Dane, to whom Russia was 
 very far away indeed. By soundings a westerly course 
 was shaped along a depth of from forty to fifty 
 fathoms, by which means he was enabled to avoid the 
 coast he could not see. On the 25th the goneral 
 opinion in council was that by steering to the south- 
 
 'Stcllcr in vain begged tlic corrimamlcr to let liim have a small boat arnl a 
 few men with which to examine the place. Perched upon a steep rock (he 
 entluisiastie scientist was takiiiv; in as niueli as possible of America when tl:e 
 crusly Dane oi'dered him aboartl if he would not be left. In his journal, eilitetl 
 hy I'lillas, Steller describes the situation as follows: 'On descending the 
 mouiitain, covrred with a vast forest without any trace of road or trail, I 
 feiiiid it iinpossililo to make my way through tlie thicket and consequently 
 reascended; looking moiinifuUy at the limits of my observation I turned uiy 
 eyes toward tiic continent which it was not in my power to explore, and 
 oli.'^erved at tlie distance of a few vcrsts a smoke ascending from a wooiled 
 t'lniiience. Again receiving a ]iositive order to join the ship I returned mourn- 
 fully with my collection.' Pallas, Sleller'a Journal, passim, 
 nut. Alaska. 
 
89 
 
 DEATH OF BERING. 
 
 liis- ; f 
 
 i{''.l 
 
 liii i 
 
 i !; 
 
 west the coast of Kamchatka must be finally reached. 
 P^astcrly winds drove the vessel to within a short 
 distance of some shore invisible ^ nroiigh the fog, and 
 the greatest caution had to be observed in keeping 
 away from the banks and shoals indicated by the 
 soundincjs. On the 2Gth land was made once more, 
 |»robably the coast of Kadiak, but an easterly wind 
 and shallow water prevented a landing. Too much 
 land now, to avoid which a more direct course south 
 was taken ; but progress was impeded by the numer- 
 ous islands which skirted the continent, hidden in im- 
 penetrable fog. 
 
 On the 30th an island was discovered which Bering 
 named Tumannoi, or Foggy Island, but no landing 
 was made." Little progress was made among the 
 islands in August, owing to the thick mist and con- 
 trary winds. As the water gave out and scurvy came 
 the ship once more found itself among a labyrinth of 
 i.slands with high peaks looming in the distance. The 
 largest then in view was named Eudokia. A small 
 supply of water, consisting of a few casks only, was 
 obtained there, the heavy surf making the landing 
 dangerous. At a new council held the 10th, in lati- 
 tude 53', to which petty officers were admitted, it was 
 determined that as it had been decided to rv;turn to 
 Kamchatka at the end of September, and it was then 
 already near the middle of August, and the harbor of 
 Pctropavlovsk was at least 1,G00 miles distant, while 
 twenty -six of the com})any were ill, a further explora- 
 tion of the American coast had become impracticable, 
 and it was necessary to proceed to the parallel of 
 Pctropavlovsk, and then sail westward to Kamchatka. 
 
 Now, it is very plain to one having a knowledge of 
 the currents that it was much easier to make such a 
 resolution than to carry it out. Further than this, all 
 
 • The charts of the imperial academy at St Petersburg, in the last quarter 
 of the ei^'hteentli century, located this point variously as a portion of Kadiiik 
 and as tlic island of Trinidad, of the Spanisli discoverers. It is now known 
 tiiat Fogfry Island was Ukamok, named Chirikof Island by Vancouver, iu 
 latitude oo 48'. 
 
 '1% 
 
ILLNESS OF THE COMMANDER. M 
 
 attempts to proceed to the westward were baffled by 
 tlic barrier of land. Then they must have water, antl 
 so they anchored on the 30th, at a group of islands 
 ill latitude 54° 48'. Here the first death occurred — a 
 sailor named Shumagin succumbed to scurvy. His 
 name was given to the island, and a supply of brackish 
 Mater was obtained.^ 
 
 The commander now fell ill, and was soon confined 
 to his cabin. The Sv Petr was at this place six days. 
 One night a fire had been observed on a small island 
 toward the north-east, and while the larger boats were 
 cnf^afed in watering, Khitrof went there with five 
 men, but only, after a long pull, to find the people 
 gone. In attempting to return, a strong head-wind 
 throw them upon the beach of another island, and 
 kept them there till the 2d of September, when they 
 were relieved by the larger boat. During the next 
 two days several unsuccessful attempts wcro, made 
 to proceed, for the ship's position was perilous. After 
 a violent storm, which lasted all night, loud voices 
 were heard on the nearest island on the mornins: of 
 the 5th. A fire was plainly visible, and to the great 
 joy of the discoverers two canoes, each containing a 
 native, advanced toward the ship. They stopped, 
 liowcver, at a considerable distance displaying sticks 
 adorned with eagles' feathers; and with gestures in- 
 vited the Russians to come ashore. The latter, on 
 the other hand, threw presents to the savages, and 
 I'lulcavored to induce them to approach the vessel, 
 l)ut in vain. After gazing with mingled wonder and 
 dread for a time at the strange craft, the natives pad- 
 dled for the shore. 
 
 Lieutenant Waxel, accompanied by nine men well 
 armed, went to pay them a visit. They beckoned 
 thoni to come to the boat; the savas^es in return bock- 
 oin'd the strangers to disembark. At last Waxel 
 
 ' Miillor states tliat the name was applied to the group, while nn oflicor 
 (if tile navy, with the expeilition, in a letter published anonymously, says that 
 v:ily the island wliicli furnished the water was uumcd after the deceased sailor. 
 
l:^ i 
 
 y} 
 
 » 
 
 DEATH OF BERIXG. 
 
 ordered three men to land, among them the inter- 
 preter, while he moored the boat to a rock.^ 
 
 Expressions of good-will were jirofuse on both 
 sides, the natives offering a repast of whale-meat. 
 Their presence on the island was evidently temporary, 
 as no women or children or habitation could be seen, 
 and for every man there was just one hidarka, or skin 
 canoe having two or three seats — the Russian tcnii 
 for an improved kyak. No bows, arrows, spears, or 
 any other weapons which might have alarmed tlio 
 strangers, were visible, and the Russians went about 
 freely among the natives, taking care, in accordance 
 with strict injunctions of Waxel, not to lose sight of 
 the lioat. Meanwhile one of the natives sunnnoncd 
 courage to visit Waxcl in the boat. He seemed to 
 be an elder and a chief, and the lieutenant gave him 
 the most precious tiling he had — brandy; the savag(^ 
 began to drink, but immediatel}'' spat it out, crying to 
 his people that he was poisoned. All Waxel's efforts 
 to quiet him were unavailing; needles, glass beads, an 
 iron kettle, tobacco, and pipes were offered in vaii). 
 He would accept notliing. He was allowed to go, 
 and at the same time Waxel recalled his men. Tl.e 
 natives made an attempt to detain them, but finally 
 allowed the two Russians to go, keeping hold of tlic 
 interpreter. Others ran to the rock to which tl *• 
 boat was moored and seized the rope, which Wax( 1 
 thereupon ordered cut. The interpreter in the mean 
 time pleaded with the Russians not to abandon him, 
 but t' cy could afford no aid. As a final effort to save 
 the interpreter two muskets were discharged, and a.; 
 the report echoed from the surrounding cliffs, the sav- 
 ages fell to the ground while the interpreter spraii;;' 
 into the boat. As the ship was making ready to soil 
 next day seven of these savages came and exchangeil 
 gifts. This was on the Gth of September. After a 
 
 ^ The interpreters accomjinnying the expedition belonged to the Koii: k 
 and ClniUi'lii tribes, and were of no use in conversing with the natives, l^'t 
 they wcro 1'old ar.d inspired the islanders with confidence, being iu outwui.l 
 appearance like theniaclves. 
 
EXTliEME SUFFERINGS. 
 
 80 
 
 very stormy paysagc land was sighted again on tlio 
 'J4th, in latitude 51° 27'." There was a coast with 
 i.vlaii(ls and mountains, to the highest of which Bering 
 gave the name of St John, from the day. 
 
 The ])osition of tlio ship was critical. Finally they 
 (■scapod the dangerous shore, only to be driven by a 
 stoi 111 of seventeen days' duration down to latitude 48°. 
 J)iycase spread. Every day one or more died, until 
 tin re were scarcely enough left to manage the ship. 
 *' The most eloquent pen," said Steller, " would fail to 
 describe the misery of our condition." Ojiinion was 
 tlivided whether they should seek a harbor on the 
 American coast or sail dii'ectly to Kamchatka. Bering 
 V. as profuse in his promises to celestial powers, slight- 
 ing none. Catholic or Protestant, Greek or German. 
 He vowed to make ample donations to the Russian 
 (lunch at Pctropavlovsk and to the Lutheran church 
 at Vlborg, Finland, where some of his relatives re- 
 sided. 
 
 A northerly course was kept until the 22d of Octo- 
 ber, when an easterly breeze made it possible to head 
 the unfortunate craft for Kamchatka. Only fifteeu 
 casks of water remained, and the commander was so 
 ic(Uicod by sickness antl despondency that the burden 
 of ail'airs fell almost wholly on Wax el. On the 25th 
 land was sighted in latitude 51° and named St Maka- 
 lius. This was the island of Anichitka. On tlio 
 'JSth another island in latitude 52° was named 8t 
 .Stci)lien (Kishka). On the 29th in latitude 52° 80' 
 still another island was discovered and named St 
 A brain (Semiehi Island). On the 30th two other 
 islaiuls were sighted and mistaken by the bewildered 
 navigators as the first of the Kuriles. On the 1st 
 vX November in latitude 54° they found themselves 
 within about sixteen miles of a high line of coast. 
 
 'The latitude of tlic Iniul was v.irionsly reported by Wnxcl, nnd snbsc- 
 rpKntly liy C'liirikof from his examination of journals, at .TT '27', S'i' .W, an<l 
 'A' 12'. it is sale to )irosunie that the St .John's mountain of ]$oring was 
 f-itii;iti(l cither on the island of Umnak or on one of the Four Peaks Islands. 
 S 'kulof was of the opinion that it was Atkha Island. Zap. Hydr,, ut. 31)3. 
 
i: I 
 
 ¥ 
 
 h 
 
 mm. 
 
 88 
 
 DEATH OF BERING. 
 
 Tho condition of the explorers still continued critical. 
 Notwithstanding sickness and misery the decimated 
 crew was obliged to work night and day, in rain, snow, 
 and cold; the sails and rigging were so rotten that 
 it was dangerous to set much canvas, even if the crew- 
 had been able.^*^ At last, on the 4tli, the lookout sighted 
 land. It was distant; only the mountain tops appear- 
 ing above the horizon; and though the Sv Petr was 
 headed directly for the land all day, they could not 
 reach it. An observation at noon made the latitude 
 5G°. 
 
 " It would be impossible to describe," says Steller, 
 "the joy created by the sight of land; the dying 
 crawled upon deck to see with their own eyes what 
 they would not believe; even the feeble connnandt r 
 was carried out of his cabin. To the astonishment 
 of all a small keg of brandy was taken from some 
 hiding-place and dealt out in celebration of the sup- 
 posed approach to the coast of Kamchatka." 
 
 On the morning of the 5th another misfortune was 
 discovered. All the shrouds on the starboard side: 
 were broken, owing to contraction caused by frost. 
 Lieutenant Waxel at once reported to the commander, 
 who was confined in his berth, and from him receivtd 
 orders convoking a council of officers to deliberate 
 upon the situation. It was well known that the fresli 
 water was almost exhausted, and that the ravages of 
 scorbutic disease were becoming more alarming evei y 
 day. The continuous wetting with s])ray and rain 
 became more dangerous and insupportable as the cold 
 increased, covering with a coat of ice the surface ot" 
 every object exposed to its action, animate or inani- 
 
 '" Miiller ■writes: ' The sickness was so dreadful that the two sailors who 
 used to bu at the rudder were obliged to be led to it by two others who coiuil 
 lini'dly walk, and when one could sit and steer no longer another in but little 
 better condition supplied his place. ' Miilkr'ti Sammliinij, 51 . The comnian<l> i' 
 was still conlined to his cabin; the ofiicers though scarcely able to walk, wti e 
 quarrelling among themselves; the crew were dying at the rate of one or tw >> 
 every day; no hard bread, no spirits, and but very little water; dampness iiiiil 
 cold; and to all this was added the almost certainty of impending disaster. 
 SoLolof, in Ztqi. Uydr,, ix. 31)5. 
 
SHIPWRECK OF THE 'SV PETR.' 
 
 led critical, 
 decimated 
 rain,snoAv, 
 ottcn that 
 if the crew 
 3ut sighted 
 )ps appear- 
 'v Pet)' was 
 ' could not 
 lie latitude 
 
 lys Stcller, 
 the (\yiu\x 
 eyes what 
 [•oaunander 
 tonishnicnt 
 from some 
 of the sup- 
 
 fortune was 
 )oard side 
 by frost, 
 ominander, 
 m received 
 deliberate' 
 the fresh 
 ravages of 
 ning evei y 
 and rain 
 as the cold 
 surface ot" 
 e or inaiii- 
 
 two sailors win) 
 hers who coiU'l 
 icr ill but little 
 .'he cornmaiuU I' 
 e to walk, V tie 
 ,e of one or t\M> 
 dampness iiii'l 
 tiding disaster. 
 
 mate. Soon the council came to the conclusion that 
 it was necessary to seek relief at the nearest point of 
 land, be it i.sland or continent." The wind was from 
 the north, and the soundings indicated between thiity 
 and forty fathoms over sandy bottom. After steering 
 south-west for some time the soundings decreased to 
 twelve fathoms, and the vessel was found to be only 
 a short distance from the shore. Then at the com- 
 ma iid of Waxel, over the bows of the doomed ship, 
 down went the anchors of the >S'i' Petr for the last 
 time. It was 5 o'clock in the afternoon. The sea 
 l)i'gan to rise, and in less than an hour a cable broke. 
 Tlieu other cables were lost; and just as the despair- 
 ing mariners were about to bend the last one on board, 
 a huge wave lifted the vessel over a ledge of rocks 
 into smooth water of about four fathoms, but not 
 Ix'fore seriously injuring the hull. This action of the 
 (.•lements settled the fate of the expedition; there was 
 no alternative but to remain for the winter on that 
 coast, ignorant of its extent and location as they 
 were. It was on a calm moonlit nii>ht that the stormv 
 \()yage of over four months was thus suddenly ter- 
 minated.''^ ' ■ 
 
 All able to work were landed to prepare for disem- 
 barking the sick. A preliminary shelter was con- 
 structed by digging niches into the sandy banks of a 
 sniidl stream and coverinsf them with sails. Drift- 
 Wood was found along the shore, but there was no 
 sign of any timber which might be made useful. No 
 trace of human occupation was visible. On the morn- 
 
 " StoUcr maintains that Bering refused to give the necessary orders, sup- 
 ]Hwing that it would still be possil)le to reach Avatelia, and tliat he was 
 sii|>|)iirtiMl in his opinion by Ovtzin; but the contrary opinion of Waxel and 
 Khitn if prevailed. SoL-olof, in Zap. Jlydr., ix. ;J!)7. 
 
 '- A letter of one of the ollieers says: 'In endeavoring to go to the west 
 we were east on a desert isle where we luid the prospect of remaining the 
 greater part of our days. Our vessel was broken up on one of tiie banks with 
 \vliieh the isle is surrounded. We f.-'iled not to save onrsidves on shore, with 
 all .sneh tilings as we tliought v.o had need of; for by a marked kindness of 
 ]iriivi(h'nce the wind and waves threw after us upon the shore the wreck and 
 tlie remains of our vessel, which we gatiiered together to put us in a state, 
 witli the blessing of Glod, to (]uit this desolate al)ode. ' Burncy'a Chronol. Ilist., 
 17--3, See also Sokolof, in Ziq). llydr., ix. 3U9. 
 

 l?i 
 
 ¥ 
 
 \i:, 
 
 f^ 
 
 
 i»i 
 
 ,11 DEATH OF BERINO. 
 
 mg of the 8th preparations for landing the sick 
 were comjileted and the work began. Many of the 
 unfortunates drew their last breath as soon as they 
 come in contact with the i'resh air, while others ex- 
 ])ired during the process of removal. During the day 
 following Conmiander Bering was carried ashore. He 
 h.ad been daily growing weaker, and had evidently 
 made up his mind that he must die. Four men car- 
 ried him in a hand-barrow well secured ajjainst the 
 air. Shortly afterward the last remnant of the unfor- 
 tunate ship was torn from its r'ngle cable and came 
 upon the shore. Stoller searched in vain for anti- 
 scorbutif^ herbs and plants under the deep snow, and 
 there was no game or wild-fowl at hand. The only 
 animals visible on land were the pestsi or Arctic foxes, 
 exceedingly bold and rapacious. They fell upon the 
 corpses and devoured them almost before the survivors 
 could make ])reparations for their burial. It seemed 
 to be impossible to frighten them away. The stock 
 of powder was small, and it would not do to waste 
 it on beasts; it must be kept for killing men. The 
 sea-otter was already known to the Russians from a 
 few specimens captured on the coast of Kamchatka, 
 and among the Kurile Islands. Soon the castawavs 
 discovered the presence of these animals in the sur- 
 rounding waters. The flesh seemed to them most pal- 
 atable, and Steller even considered it as anti-scorbutic. 
 The skins were preserved by the survivors and subse- 
 quently led to the discovery of a wealth that Bering 
 and Chirikof had failed to see in their voyages of 
 observation." 
 
 Some relief in the way of provisions was afforded 
 by the carcass of a whale cast uocn the beach. It 
 
 " At that time the Chinese merchants at Kiakhta paid from 80 to 
 100 rubles for sea-otter skins; 900 sea-otters were killed on the island by 
 the crew of the Hv Petr; the skins were divided equally among all, but 
 Steller was most fortunate. In liis capacity of physician he received many 
 presents, and he bought many skins, the property of persons who in the uncer- 
 tainty of living lield them in light esteem. His share alone is said to liavo 
 amounted to .300 choice skins, whicli he carried witli him to Kamchatka. Std- 
 ler's Jouriiul, 172, 175, passim; Mulkr, Sammlumj, 04-5. 
 
 
 kV 
 
THE LAST noun. 
 
 80 
 
 () 
 
 ^vnf not very dclirato food, l)ut proved of jEfrcnt ser- 
 vice when nothing better coukl be liad. It attbrded 
 also the material for feeding lamps during the long 
 dreary nights of winter. No distinetion was made in 
 the division of food between officers and men; every 
 ne had a fair and equal portion. Lieutenant Waxel 
 Mas now recognized as general manager, the com- 
 liiander being beyond duty. ^Misfortune and misery 
 had toned down the rough aggressiveness of the lieu- 
 tenant, and nearly all of the wise regulations there- 
 atUr adopted must be credited to iiim, though ho 
 lix<]uently acted ujion Steller's advice. Both did 
 their utmost to give occupation to all who were able 
 as the only remedy against their mortal enemy, the 
 scurvy. 
 
 Toward the end of November Khitrof and Waxel 
 also were prostrated by disease, and the prospect 
 l)(fore the castaways was indeed a gloomy one. The 
 ixeursions to different parts of the island in search 
 of food and fuel became more and more contracted, 
 and dull despair settled upon the whole community. 
 
 As for the commander, no wonder he had longed 
 to return; for it was now apparent to all, as it may 
 I'.avo been to him these many days, that he must die. 
 And we can pardon him the infirmities of age, dis- 
 ease, and temper; the labors of his life had been 
 severe and his death was honorable, though the con- 
 ditions were by no means pleasing. Toward the last 
 111' became if possible more timid, and exceedingly 
 suspicions. He could hardly endure even the pres- 
 ence of Stellcr, his friend and confidant, yet this 
 faithful companion praises his firm spirit and dignified 
 demeanor. 
 
 It was under such circumstances that Vitus Bering 
 died — on this cold forbidding isle, under the sky of 
 ail Arctic winter, the 8th of December 1741, in a 
 iiiiserable hut half covered by the santl which came 
 trickling down upon him through the boards that had 
 Ixeu placed to bar ito progress. Thus passed from 
 
90 
 
 DEATH OF BERING. 
 
 tv 
 
 earth, as nameless tens of thousands have done, the 
 illustrious commander of the expeditions \vhich had 
 disclosed the separation of the two worlds and dis- 
 covered north-westernmost America. 
 
 On the 10th of December the second mate, Kho- 
 tiaintzof, died, and a few days later three of the sailors. 
 On the 8th of January death demanded another vic- 
 tim, the commissary Lagunof, making thirty-one up 
 to this time.^* 
 
 At lenjjfth the survivors began slowly to improve in 
 health. The ship's constable, Kossilius, with two men, 
 was despatched northward to explore; but they learned 
 only that they were on an island. Later the sailor, 
 Anchugof, was ordered south ward, and after an absence 
 of nearly four weeks he returned half-star\'ed, with- 
 out information of any kind. Another was sent west, 
 but with the same result. It was only then that many 
 would believe they were not on the shore of Kam- 
 chatka, and that it depended upon their own exertions 
 whether they ever left their present dwellings, cer- 
 tainly not very attractive ones, these excavations iu 
 the earth roofed over with sails. ^^ The foreigners 
 formed a separate colony in one large cavity. There 
 were five of these, Steller, Rossilius, Plenisner, Assist- 
 ant Surgeon Betge, and a soldier named Zand. Waxcl 
 occupied a dwelling hy himself and another private 
 domicile had been constructed by the two boatswains, 
 Ivanof and Alexeief All the others lived together 
 in one larsi^e excavation. 
 
 The provisions were b}'" no means abundant, but 
 
 '* A list of the effects of Bering and the petty officers, preserved in tlie 
 naval archives, contains: 3 quadrants, 1 chronometer, 1 compass, 1 spy-^lass, 
 1 gold watch, 1 pair of pistols, 8 copper drinking-cups, a few pipes, 1 1 booUs 
 on navigation, a bundle of charts, '2 bundles of calculations, 7 maps, and S 
 dozen packs of playing-cards. With the exception of the playing-cards, all 
 were sold at auction in Kamchatka, and brought 1 ,000 rubles. ISolcolof, iu Znj: 
 Ilijdr., ix 10, 11. 
 
 '^S'agaicf, an assistant of Sokolof in the collection and digestion of docu- 
 ments concerning the expedition, states that he found original entries of Waxil 
 and Khitrof in the journal, to the circct that after Bering's death the only tvi 
 remaining officers declareil their willingness to temporarily resign their rank 
 and put themselves on an equality witli the men, but that the latter refused, 
 and continued to obey their superiors. Morskvi Sboriiik; cvi. 215, 
 
A NEW CRAFT BUILT. 
 
 91 
 
 j]freat care was exercised in distributing them, keeping 
 always in view the possibihty of a further sea- voyage 
 in search of Kamchatka. The principal food was the 
 meat of marine mammals killed about the shore, sea- 
 otters, seals, and sea-lions. Carcasses of whales were 
 cast ashore twice during the winter, and though in 
 an advanced state of putrefaction they yielded an 
 abundant supply to the unfortunates, who had ceased 
 to be very particular as to the quality of their diet. 
 In the spring the sea-cows made their appearance and 
 furnished the mariners with an abundance of more 
 palatable meat. The only fuel was drift-wood, for 
 which they had to mine the deep snow for eight or 
 ten miles round. The winter was cold and stormy 
 throughout, and the approach of spring was heralded 
 by dense fogs hanging about the island for weeks 
 without lifting sufficiently to afford a glance at the 
 surrounding sea. 
 
 A council was now held and some proposed sending 
 the single remaining ship's boat for assistance ; others 
 wore of the opinion that the ship itself, though half 
 l)rokon up, might still be repaired; but finally it was 
 determined to take the wreck entirely to pieces and 
 out of them construct a new craft of a size sufficient 
 to hold the entire company. A singular question 
 lioro presented itself to these navigators, accustomed 
 as they were to the iron discipline of the imperial 
 service. Would they not be punished for taking to 
 jiioees a government vessel? Aftor some discussion 
 it dawned on their dim visions ..hat pcihajis after 
 Jill the punishment of their dioad ruler might be 
 no worse than death on that island. Hence it was 
 fsulcnmly resolved to begin at once; the wreck was 
 ilisuiantled, and in May the keel was laid for the 
 lU'W vossck 
 
 Tlic three shi]Vs carpenters were dead, but a C(xssack 
 who had once > .rked in the ship-yard at Okhotsk 
 was chosen to superintend the construction, and hv 
 luuvcd quite successful in drawing the plans and 
 
' * ,i 
 
 I h- 
 
 i ',■: 
 
 : » . 
 
 92 
 
 DEATH OP BERING. 
 
 moulding the frames. "" The lack of material and 
 tools naturally delayed the work, and it was the 10th 
 of August before the vessel could be launc'" jd. She 
 was constructed almost wholly without iron, and meas- 
 ured thirty-six feet in length at the keel, and forty- 
 one feet on deck, with a beam of twelve feet and a 
 depth of hold of only five and a half feet. She was 
 .still called the *S'y Petr. The vessel had to be provi- 
 sioned wholly from the meat of sea-animals." 
 
 On tlie IGth of August,^^ after a stay of over 
 nine months on this island, to which they gave the 
 name of Bering, at the suggestion of Khitrof, and 
 after protracted prayers and devotions, this renmant 
 of the commander's crew set sail from the scene of 
 suffering and disaster. On the third day out, as might 
 be expected from such construction, the vessel was 
 found to be leaking badly, and within half an hour 
 there were two feet of water in the hold. Some lead 
 and ammunition were thrown out, and the leak was 
 stopped. On the ninth day the hearts of the unha[)py 
 crew were gladdened by a full view of the Kamchatka 
 shore, and on the following day, the 2Gth of August, 
 tlie juvenile Sv Petr was safely anchored in the bay 
 of Avatcha. The survivors were i-eceived by the few 
 inhabitants of Petropavlovsk with great rejoicing; 
 they had long since been given up as dead. They 
 remained at the landing-place to recuperate for 
 nearly a year, and finally proceeded to Okhotsk in 
 1743.^'" 
 
 '" IIo succeeded so well in hia undertaking tliat lie received ns reward from 
 the grateful ouipresa the patent of nobility. Samiiiluiin, xx. 3!)4. 
 
 ^' Zap. Ili/ilr., ix. 413. The author of tho Sainmlniii/fn states that wlicn 
 the sea-oltera disappeareil in ^lareh the Uussians had recourse to dogs, hears, 
 and lions, niciuniig of course bcals (sechund), fur-seul (nctbiir), and sea-lions. 
 ISanwi/niuj, xx. 3!W. 
 
 '"Sokoluf makes the date of departure the 12th. Zap, Ilydr., ix. 411!; 
 obviously an error on the part of sonio one. 
 
 '•In the c' urch of Tetropavlovsk there is still preserved a memorial of 
 this event; a, silver mounted imago of the opostles I'eter and I'uul witli tin- 
 inscription, 'An oll'ering iu memory of our miraculous rescue from a '- 'toi 
 island, and our return to tlio coast of Kamcliatka, by lieutenant l>imitii 
 Ovtzin, and the whole company, August 1741.' i'vloudki, Kamchatku ArdiUin, 
 MS., vol. xiii. 
 
CniRIKOF'S SUBSEQUENT VOYAGE. 
 
 93 
 
 Is rcwartl fi'^iii 
 
 Before lie bad fairly recovered from the effects of 
 his last voyage, Chirikof made another effort to see 
 soinotliing more of the American coast which he had 
 found. He commanded the Sv Pavel again, but the 
 only officer of the former voyage now with him was 
 tl^e pilot Yelagin.-" Sailing from Avatcha Bay the 
 2Jth of May 1742, be shaped his course due east. 
 ]Iis ]5rogress was slow, and on the 8th of June he 
 sighted the first land in latitude 52^ Only the snow- 
 covered tops of high mountains were visible above the 
 f^x;^ and clouds which enveloped the island called by 
 Chirikof, St Theodore, but which we know to-day as 
 Attoo. A series of southerly gales then set in which 
 'ai:'i^.] the ship northward to latitude 54° 30'. On 
 rl'e i ' ' of June, owing to the wretched condition of 
 tiio v.)ssel, it was deemed best to return to Kamchatka. 
 On the way back the Sv Pavel passed within a short 
 distance of tlie island where at that moment Bering's 
 coiiijirinions were still suffering. Chirikof sighted the 
 southern point of the island and named it St Julian. 
 The expedition reached Petropavlovsk the 1st of July.** 
 
 '"MiiUor, Voyaije, 112, maintaina that Chirikof intondcd to scarcli for 
 T'I'vIhl,'; but Sokolof scouts the idea upon tlie ground that he could not liiivi! 
 li'id l!io faintest suspicion of Ills whereabouts; it was then believed that liering 
 ii;i(l all In'n crew had perished. Sololof, \\\ Zap. J/i/(/i\, ix. 414. 
 
 -' As this last attempt of Cliirikof ends the operations of the expedition 
 V. liich a^eomnlislied V.w discovery of tlio American coast, the otlicial list of 
 r.ll those en^^aged in tl\.' 'jnlcrprisc in its various branches, taken from IJeriny's 
 I'l-ivale journal, wii' i"ii 1 o <)at of place. The names are arrangi^d according 
 t) rank as follow- Cap lin-connnander, A'itus liering; captains, Martin 
 Snnnlicrg i nd Ale;:.'! Ch!!-;.;of; lieutenants, Dmitri l^aptief, Yegor I'aidogumf, 
 Vi illi.im Av'i.Uo r<;!p,- Lisscniua, Dmitri Ovtzin, Stepan ^Inravicf, Mikhail 
 iV.vlof, '>;;epan jfaiv ■ i i, .\.k\c; Skuratof, Ivan Sukhotin, Hariton Laptief, 
 h;m Ch'iihachci: mul: 't'muii, .Moxe'i f iielting; mates, Svcn Waxel, \'a.-i.sili 
 I'r 'iMc'lushchtl, Mik'."'' '"■ i,'ii^, Andreian K.^elberg, Lev Khzimerof, l\au 
 Ka.slnlei, Fedor Minin, Soi'ron Khitrof, Ab.ram Demcntief; second mates, 
 ivan ^'ercslu•llagin, Ivan '^'clagin, Matvei IVtrof, Dmitri Sterlegof, Semen 
 riicliu'ikin, Vas.sili lltishchef, Vassili Andrei'ef, (Javril Kudiief, I'eter ]'a/ui- 
 ak'if. Marko (Jolovin, Ivan 15iref, Kliarlam Yashin, Moi'ssei Vurlof, Andrei' 
 Si'ii^anof; marines. Vaasili I'erenago, Joann Synd, Andre'ian Yurlof; naval 
 <';;iUts, Mikhail Scherbinin, Vassili Khmctcvaki, Ossip (ilazof, Emiliaii 
 ludliilief, Andrei Velikopolski, Fedor KanisJichef, Sergei Spiridof, Sergei 
 Sr.nkof; commissaries, Agafon Choglokof, Fedor Kolyehef, Stepan Ivashenin, 
 Ivan liUgnnof; n'"igat>rs, Ivan Belui, Mikhail Vosikof; assistant navigators, 
 I'niitii Koro.st! Nikita Khotiaintzof; boatswains, Niels Jansen, Sidor 
 Savclicf; boiifsH .> mate, Fedor Kozlof; boat-builders, Andrei Kozniin, 
 ^\ iliiain But/ v : Henrich Hovins, Caspar Feich ; assistant surgeons, 
 Ivau Stupin, Wi!i ■, ■ iiereuson, Peter Brauner, Sim Gren, Tlionuia Vin/.en* 
 
04 
 
 DEATH OF BERING. 
 
 In the August foiiowing, and before the survivors of 
 Bering's party could reach that port, Chiriko" sailed 
 for Okhotsk. 
 
 dorf, Henri ch Schaffer, Elias Giinther, Kiril Shcmchushuykof, Moritz Ar- 
 menua, Andreas Heer, Ivan Paxin, Henrich Hebel, Mikhail Brant, Matthias 
 Botge, Johann Lau; academicians, Gerhard Muller, Johann Gmelin, Louis 
 Croyure; Professor Joliann Fischer; adjunct, George Wilhehn Steller; stu- 
 dents, Stepan Krasliennikof, Fedor Popof , Luka Ivanof, Alexei" Tretiakof, 
 Alexei Gorlonof; instrument-maker, Stcpan Ovsiannikof; painter, Johann 
 Berkhan; draughtsman, Johann Lursenino; translator, Ilia Yakhoutof; sur- 
 veyors, Andrei Krassilnikof, Nikifor Chekin, Moissei Oushakof, Alexander 
 Ivanof, Peter Skobeltziu, Dmitri Baskakof, Ivan Svistunof, Vassili Shetilof, 
 Vassili Selifontof, Ivan Kindiarof, Vassili Soniof, Mikhail Gvozdcf; assistant 
 survcyoi-s, Mikhail Vuikhodzef, Fedor Prianishnikof, Alexei Maksheief, 
 Ivan Shavrigin; assayer, Simon Gardebol; mineralogists, Dmitri Odintzof, 
 Friedrich Weidel, Elias Schehl, Zakar Mcdvedef, Agapius Leskin, Ivan 
 Samoilof . There was also one parish priest, with six subordinate members of 
 the clergy. The following ir the naval roster of Bering's command as dis- 
 tributed among the various ■ ' "i ions of the expedition. 
 
 Roster of r 
 
 Command in 1740. 
 
 BANE. 
 
 Captain Commander. 
 
 Captains 
 
 Lieutenants 
 
 Midshijimen 
 
 Mates 
 
 Second Mates 
 
 Naval Cadets 
 
 Surgeons 
 
 Ass't Surgeons 
 
 Medical Cadets 
 
 Boatswains 
 
 Boatswain's Mates. . 
 
 Quartermasters 
 
 Comniissarica 
 
 Buglers 
 
 Constables 
 
 Cannoneers 
 
 Writers 
 
 Navigators 
 
 Sailors 
 
 Rope-makers 
 
 Sail-makers 
 
 Carpenters 
 
 C(K)per3 
 
 Sergeants 
 
 Corporals 
 
 Privates 
 
 Drummers 
 
 Total 
 
 Ou tlj aii>s of 
 
 Boring, 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 i 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 2 
 1 
 2 
 1 
 6 
 1 
 1 
 
 12 
 3 
 3 
 3 
 3 
 1 
 1 
 
 24 
 1 
 
 Chiri- 
 kuf. 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 2 
 
 "i 
 1 
 
 2 
 1 
 2 
 2 
 1 
 
 "i 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 12 
 3 
 3 
 3 
 3 
 1 
 1 
 
 24 
 1 
 
 77 
 
 75 
 
 Span- 
 lierg. 
 
 2 
 1 
 
 1 
 1 
 1 
 2 
 1 
 2 
 2 
 
 i2 
 4 
 2 
 3 
 2 
 1 
 
 20 
 1 
 
 Gl 
 
 On tho Pouble 
 Sloops 
 
 of 
 Spnn- 
 berg. 
 
 1 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 2 
 
 2 
 4 
 
 4 
 4 
 4 
 6 
 4 
 2 
 
 52 
 
 with 
 
 Arctic 
 Kxpvd. 
 
 3 
 3 
 
 3 
 3 
 
 3 
 G 
 3 
 
 9 
 9 
 6 
 
 78 
 
 147 
 
 intlio 
 
 Wliito 
 
 Sua. 
 
 2 
 2 
 
 2 
 4 
 
 4 
 4 
 4 
 G 
 4 
 2 
 
 62 
 
 94 
 
 Total. 
 1 
 
 2 
 8 
 1 
 4 
 12 
 7 
 3 
 9 
 4 
 2 
 
 12 
 12 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 10 
 28 
 
 7 
 2 
 
 50 
 27 
 25 
 30 
 22 
 
 G 
 
 2 
 
 250 
 
 ;{ 
 
 : I 
 
 i 
 
 540 
 
INFLUENCE OF THE OTTER. 
 
 05 
 
 vivors of 
 sailed 
 
 LO 
 
 , Moritz Ar- 
 mt, Matthias 
 Imelin, Louis 
 
 Steller; stu- 
 lei Tretiakof, 
 liter, Joliann 
 khoutof; siir- 
 of, Alexander 
 issili Shetilof, 
 ;(lcf; assistant 
 n Maksheicf, 
 litri Odintzof, 
 
 Leskin, Ivan 
 to members of 
 imand as dis- 
 
 
 inllio 
 
 
 White 
 
 Total. 
 
 Sua. 
 
 
 ■■ i 1 
 
 ' o 
 
 
 2 8 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 12 
 
 2 
 
 7 
 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 9 
 
 4 
 
 o 
 
 
 2 i 12 
 
 2 
 
 12 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 10 
 
 4 
 
 28 
 
 .. 
 
 7 
 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 4 50 
 
 4 27 
 
 4 25 
 
 30 
 
 4 22 
 
 2 6 
 
 o 
 
 52 250 
 3 
 
 94 64G 
 
 Call it science, or patriotism, or progress, there is 
 this to be said about the first Russian discoveries in 
 America- -little would have been heard of them for 
 some time to come if ever, had it not been for the 
 beautiful furs brought back from Bering Island and 
 
 According to the ledgers of the admiralty college the expenditure in 
 lehalf of the expedition up to the end of the year 1742 has been as follows : 
 
 
 
 Bullies. 
 
 K. 
 
 / 
 
 For pay and uniform 
 
 30,383 
 
 684 
 
 3,103 
 
 73 
 
 5,200 
 
 5i 
 
 
 For provisions 
 
 76 
 
 .\t St Petersburg < 
 
 For transportation 
 
 C7t 
 
 For scientific instruments 
 
 For various stores 
 
 52 
 54.2 
 
 
 Total 
 
 
 39,451 
 
 4,754 
 
 1,107 
 
 10,801 
 
 554 
 
 A t". Tvnz/in .-. 
 
 Cash 
 
 \t Arkhangelsk 
 
 Rigging, lumber, and provisions. 
 
 25i 
 47i 
 
 
 Total 
 
 
 5G,114 
 
 2,178 
 
 229,525 
 
 72,840 
 
 82^ 
 73 
 
 \t Ilinsk 
 
 
 Ill the Province of Siberiji. 
 
 Cash, provisions, and stores 
 
 Sundry expenditure 
 
 33 
 
 794 
 
 
 Grand total 
 
 
 360,059 
 
 13J 
 
 
 
 Sokohf, in Zap. Uydr., ix. 440-52. 
 
 Siianlierg made c rcoonnoissancc in the sea of Okhotsk in 1740. In Scp- 
 tcmlitT 1741 lie crossed from Okliotsk to Kamchatka with the packet-boat 
 iS'r lortiiH, the brigantino Arkhaiifjil Mlkhc'ti, the double sloop A'adrs/ida, and 
 tiie sloop Bohherctsk, this being the beginning of an official expedition to 
 Japan. Although the squadron was so pretentious, and had on Ixjai'd many 
 liai'iicd men who M-cre to expound the mysteries of those parts, nothing of 
 imimitance came from it. This was one branch of the explorations included 
 in IJoring's scheme. Another was a survey of the coast of Okhotsk Sea by 
 Lit'utfiiant Walton in 1741. 
 
 I'^xplorations were also carried on along the Kamchatka coast. In 1742 8ur- 
 vcyiir Ousliakof explored the coast from Bolsheretsk ncvthward to Figil, and 
 frutn tiic IJay of Avatcha to Capo Kronotzkoi. A portion of this work had 
 pivviously l)een attempted by tho pilot Yelagin in 1739, and maps prepared 
 1 y I im are still preserved in tho naval archives at St Pctersinirg, but for 
 SI lino reason the later survey -was adopted as authority. Steller and ( Jorlanof 
 iiiiitiiiucd their invcstigativons in Kamchatka until 1744. In accordance with 
 instiuctions they also experimented i>i agricultural pursuits, meeting with no 
 siu'cfss in their attempts. When the combined commands of Chirikof, 
 \\ axtl, and Spalding arrived at Okhotsk, they found orders awaiting them to 
 piiKccd to Yakutsk and remain there for further instructions, lliis order 
 virtually ended the expedition. Tho leaders claimed that all its objects 
 hud been attained as far as possible. Many of the officers and scientists 
 
w v 
 
 96 
 
 DEATH OF BERING. 
 
 elsewhere. Siberia was still sufficient to satisfy tlic 
 tsar for purposes of expatriation, and the Russians 
 were not such zealots as to undertake conquest for 
 the sake of conversion, and to make religion a cloalc 
 
 had already returned before accomplishing their task; others were still 
 detaiiicd l)y sickness and other circumstances; others again had died and thr 
 force still ht for duty of any kind was very much reduced. The provisio::s 
 amasscil with such immense labor and trouble had been expended, the riggiii;^ 
 and siiila <'f ships were couipletely worn out, the ships themselves were uiiso,';- 
 W'jrthy, and the resources of all Siberia had been nearly exhausted. Tl^o 
 native tribes and convict settlors had Ijcen crushed by the most oppressive ru- 
 ijuiiiitioi.s in l;Jx)r and stores, and even the forests in the inunediatc vicmiiy 
 of cettlcincnts had Itcen thinned out to an alarming extent for the re(]ui"<- 
 incuts of the expedition. In 174.3 a famine raged in eastern Siberia to siiuh 
 an extent tliat in the month of September an imperial oukaz ordained tlio 
 immediate f-uspension of other operations. The force was divided into sni-.H 
 d'jtaclimeiits and scattered here and there iu the more fertile district:; of 
 Siberia. Tlic temporary suspension of the laliors of the expedition was ful- 
 lowed i»y an entire abandonment of the work. The Siljerian eoTitingcuts 
 returned to tluir proper stations, the sailors and mechanics uelongitig to Vw 
 navy were ordered to Tomsk and Yenissei.sk. Tlirougli intrigues at I'to 
 in)pcri;:l court the commonders v.'c-rc long dctaineil in the wildi of Sibori;'; 
 CJi;;rik()f and Spanberg u til 174G, Waxel until 1740, and lltishclief i',::-.il 
 17'''4, v.Iicn a new expedition was already on the fapix. The original charis 
 ami jijurncls of the expedition were forwarded to Irkutsk only in 17o4. tlioiiili 
 oiiiciul copies had eert'U- ly been ^n.ktn previous to that time. From Irkut k 
 tliey were removed in IT-'I to tiio city of Tobolsk, and a;jain cojiiod. Xo 
 rtJUon was given for retaining the originals, but it is ccrtaiii that they w<n' 
 destroyed during a lire iu Tobolsk in 1788. Zap. Ili/ih:, v. 'Jfi.'). Kecords nf 
 promotions conferred upon a few nmmbers of tlie expedition Iiave l)een pr/- 
 Bcr\'cd. Ovtzin and Lajrtief were made lieutenants on Waxel's recomnieiiil:i- 
 tion in 174.3; Alexc'i Ivanof and Ytlagin wei'c promoted to the same rank cii 
 Chirikofrt recommendation in 1744. On the "JOtli of Xovember 1749 an iut- 
 pei ial oukaz bestowed a money reward upon all the survivors of Berin '.s 
 comtnand on the Sr Pclr, 'for liiiviug sufi'ered many unheard of liard-;hipi.' 
 Khitrof was made a lieutenant and liually captain of tlie first i-ank. Wa:. ! 
 waa promoted to a captain of the neeoud rank in 1744, while all his comman I 
 obtainecl a reward in money f/'om the admiralty college. In 17"»4 the foi\ e 
 of Lieutenant Ktishclief at Tomsk consisted of 42 men, and that of Lieutenant 
 Khenetev.iki at Okhotsk, of 4() men; the last two oilicers evidently rcmaim I 
 in Sil)cria, as tliey are mentioned again in the archives of Okhotsk as captui:;i 
 iu 177.'!. 
 
 Tiie iniii'ine Synd, who undertook the unfortunate expedition to Berii:^ 
 Straits, also remained in Silxria, promoted to the rank of lieutenant, and 
 died at (Jkliotsk in 1779. Sihcr/au Archives; JMitllcr, 9th ser.; Za/i. JJt/dr., \ . 
 2G3. Th(! young widow of tlie astronomer Do la Croyere in 1774 marrini 
 Captain iAl»edef, wlio was assigned to the command of Kamchatka. Sijihic/. 
 in Moni/.o't Shoniil; cii. .'5, i).). Tlie town of Okhotsk had received a git a 
 imiK'tus during the operations of the Bering expedition, for which it serv.'l 
 as the maritime base. A few rude vessels were constructed at Okhol k 
 during the iirst decade of the eighteenth century, and oHicial records arc ^t: I 
 iu exLslence of all the shipping constructed at that port from tlie year 17 ^ I 
 to modern times. Up to the time when Bering's expedition left Okhotsk ! r 
 the interior of Siberia 19 vessels were enumerated in this list. The lirrt ■ t 
 the.'ie vessels was a lodLa, a craft with one mast, half-decked over, 27 feet in 
 lengtli, witli 18 (!) feet beam, drawing with a full cargo only three feet an I 
 a half of water. The keel was laid at Okhotsk iu May 1714, and she w.is 
 
HISTOraC.iL VESSELS. 
 
 97 
 
 latisfy tliG 
 
 Russians 
 
 iqucsfc for 
 
 )ii a cloak 
 
 era wcro Btill 
 il (lied ami tlio 
 riic provisioDH 
 led, the riggin;-; 
 \'QS were uiiso;;- 
 Lbaustcd. Tlio 
 t oppressive ic- 
 icdiatc vicinity 
 for the re(iui-.-<'- 
 Siberia to Huch 
 LZ ordained t!io 
 idcd into snir.ll 
 tile distiicta of 
 edition was fol- 
 iaii coiitingiiit-? 
 relonging to ihe 
 iitrigues at tl'.e 
 ildi of Siliiri:-; 
 Utisliclicf i;:;ul 
 original eliavia 
 in 17.'J4. tlio.i;h 
 . From Irkiit li 
 ;ain copied. Xo 
 that they wove 
 |(i,'). Records of 
 liave been pi"'> 
 I's reconinionda- 
 e same rank cii 
 iber 17 to an ii.i- 
 ■ors of Bcriii ,".■) 
 Id of hiu•d^llip;^.' 
 it rank. Wa::;l 
 [dl his connnand 
 17,')4 the fiiive 
 at of Lienton;>.iit 
 ilently rcniaiii; 1 
 lOtsk as captai .-i 
 
 lition to Bcrii:-! 
 
 I lieutenant, a;i'l 
 iZap. Ilydr., \. 
 |n 177'1 married 
 cliatka. Sijihii'i', 
 J-eceived a grmt 
 Iwhich it serv. d 
 Itcd at Okhot.;k 
 I records arc sti 1 
 lin tlio year 17!' 
 Ilctt Okhotsk ! '1- 
 1st. The lirr.t ■ f 
 over, 27 feet in 
 ' three feet an I 
 |14, and she WiW 
 
 for tlieir atrocities; honeo, but for those costly skins, 
 each of which proclaimed in loudest strains the glories 
 of Alaska, the Great Land might long have rested 
 
 Ijiniuhed in May 171G. The builder was carpenter Kiril Plotnitzki(?). Tlie 
 \tysil luul a brief existence, for she stranded in 17-1, and was linally burned 
 f.ir the iron in 17-7. The second vessel was of the same class. Tlie keel was 
 l.iid in 171S for the first Kamchatka expedition, but slio Wfis never iiidslied, 
 iiiid lotted on the stock.s. The third was also a lodka, 04 feet in length by 18 
 i 1 width; slie was constructed at Oudsk, near Okhotsk, in 1719, by one Teta- 
 liiiof. 'J'liis craft also was never launched, and finally fell to pieces. The 
 Iciiuth vessel, also a lodka, was begun by a carpenter named Kargoi)olt/iif, 
 in 17-0, and launched in 17-;^. IJi^ring caused lier to be retind)ercd in 17'27, 
 II ad in 17l!4 the vessel was beached as unseawortliy, but she was iinally 
 it]iiured in 1741 and wrecked on the Kurile Islands in the same year. Tlie 
 tiiili, a lo<lka, was built near Okhotsk in 17-4, hut was never linlshed 'for 
 \\:\.'.\t of material.' The sixtli vessel constructeil at Okhotsk was the sliitika 
 J'ijiiniM, Ijuilt in one year ]>y a marine, Chaplin, probably an Knglislniian, 
 i.nd launclied in .Time 17-7. In I7150the J< ort iniu wiia hauled upas nnsea- 
 Moi'ihy, but in 1731 she was repaired once more and finally retimljered in 
 IVIiT, and wrecked in tlic same year near Bolsheretsk. The seventh on the 
 li-;t, the .Vc Uarril, was constructed under Bering's innnediate supervision at 
 Xislnkanichatsk in the year 17-8. In 1737 she was retimljered by lAcu- 
 t> nant .'^panberg itt Okliotsk. In 1738 she was wrecked on the coast of Kam- 
 cliatka, but again repaired in tlie following year, 173!). She was finally broken 
 uj) as unseawortliy in 17'")"». The eighth vessel eonstnieted at Okhotsk was 
 t!n' VoKloc/iinii Guvril, or Eastern Oabriel, built in 17-9 by Spiianef for ."^lics- 
 t:'.lciif's expedition. After (ivozdef's voyage to Bering Strait the Eaatcra 
 (I'tihriel was wrecked in October 1731) by Eedorcf near Bolsheretsk. Tlie L( v 
 (Lion) was also Iniilt by Sphanef at Okhot.--k in 17^9, but was burned by tlie 
 liostilc Koriaks in September of the same year. A lodka built by Ciiurekaief 
 ill 1 7'-".) is the tenth on the list. The navigator ^loshkof used tills craft for 
 ii'i cxpluiation of the Shantar l.slands, but she proved unseawortliy and was 
 idiaiuloned. \ext on the list is the brigantine ArL'/iaiii/el Mikhuil, begun at 
 Ouliotsk in 17.3.") and launched in 1737 for Bering's second expedition. T!ie 
 I'ailikis were Kogachcf and Kozmin, superintended by Spanberg hiiiise'f. 
 Till' brigantine did good service, but was finally wrecked in 17'>3. The I'-'th 
 in the li^l is the double sloop iVai/cs/dAi, with three masts (?) and gali'-to]i- 
 Mils, Slie was begun by the same builders at (Okhotsk in 1 73.") and launched in 
 I7.">7. This also proved a useful craft, but she was finally wrecked in 17">3 
 \:\ one Naouinof on the Kurile Ishinds. The sloop Jlo/f/irrit."/: was Imilt by 
 Sjiaiibeig in 1739 of birch timber, and provided with 18 oara. She was 
 dirlarcd to be unseawortliy in 1745. The galiot <)k/io/sl,\ the I4tli on the 
 li-^t. was built by Itogachef at Okhotsk in 1737. Ten years later she wn^i 
 lr|)aiied, and wrecked the year after. The packet-boat Sr Pili\ the vessel 
 ill wiiitli Bering sailed, was also built by Bngaehef and Knzmin in 1711. 
 ^lle was wrecked and reliuilton Bering Island in the same year, as we have 
 seen. The vessel of Chirikof, the big jS'y J'tinl, was built by the same ]H'r- 
 s.iiis in Okhotsk and launched in 1740, and only fmir years later she was 
 al .iiiiliined as uii.seawdrthy. The next on the list is the paeketdioat /<iftn 
 Ki-'sfilcl, or St ,Iohn the Baptist, built in Okhotsk by Kozmin 1741, for Span- 
 In ig's expedition, and wrecked near Bolsheretsk in October 1743, under enm- 
 iiiand of Lieutenant Khmetevski. The sloop I'JU-.nnfii, the 18tli on the list, 
 was built at (Okhotsk by Kozmin, wrecked on the Kamchatka coast in 174."), 
 1 paiied, and wrecked again in 17.")."). The small Sr I'tfr, built on liering 
 Island out of the remains of the larger vessel, was sunk on the coast of Kam- 
 I'lilka in 17.53, but raised and beached in 1754. Oklwln/c Archinis; Sijibiii'j', 
 JIolsLoiShoriiiL; ISo',, ]-2-'2W. 
 IIiHT. Alaska. 7 
 
■h, f 
 
 
 I i «■ i 
 
 OS 
 
 DEATH OF BERING. 
 
 undisturbed. Be that as it may, it was chiefly on the 
 voyages of Bering and Chirikof that Russia ever after 
 based her claim to the ownership of north-western- 
 most America.'" 
 
 '■•' The voyages of Vitus Bering have fiimishecl material for mucli learned 
 iliscussioii. Tlje Frencli astronomer Do L'islo dc la CroyL'rc advanceil the 
 c!:iim of having l)ccu largely in.strnmental in their accomplishment, more so pcr- 
 luipa than he was justly entitled to, though it cannot bo denied that he had 
 iimch to say in tiie organization of the second expedition under Bering. With 
 the honor of having planned the expedition, ho should not attempt to escape 
 the odium of hii ving furnished it witli such villainous charts, to which may be 
 attributed most of that suH'ering and loss of life Mhich followed. Nor is he by 
 any means just to Bering, seeking as ho docs in his account to deprive him of 
 any part in the discovery, claiming that Chirikof's party made the only dis- 
 covery worthy of mention. Ho does not even state that Bering touched upon 
 the American coast at all; according to his narrative Bering 'sailed from Kani- 
 ciiatka, but did not go far, having been compelled by a storm to anchor at ii 
 desert island where he and most of his companions perished.' An author 
 makes nothing by such trickery. His attempted deceit is sure sooner or 
 later to fall Imck upon his own head. Nor will it do to pretend ignorance. 
 I'rofessor Miitlcr, of the imperial academy of science, accompanied Bering 
 on his hist voyage. At the time Do J/Islo was writing his treatise Miillcr 
 was living ih the same street in St I'etersburg, and meeting as they nnist 
 luivc done daily, it would have been easy to ascertain the truth if ho had 
 wished to know it. That such wretched maps as Croyere's shouhl have been 
 given to the world by Russia, or in her name, is all the more to be dejilorcd, 
 because the Russians, tliough they had then scarcely gained a place amoiiLr 
 seafaring nations, had made the most strenuous ellbrts at discovery in watcin 
 Si> inhospitable that jicople less inured to the rigors of climate, and less de- 
 spotically governed, would never have thought of navigating them. Others 
 may have furnisheil the idea which the Russians alone, who to bo sure would 
 reap the lirst benefits from such discoveries, were possessed of power and 
 endurance to carry out. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE SWARMING OF THE PROMYSHLEXIKI. 
 
 1743-1762. 
 
 Effect of tiif. Discovery in Siberia — Huntixo ExPEniTioNS iv Search 
 OF Ska-otters — Voyaoes of Uassof, Nevodciiikof, anu Ycc.of — 
 Rich Harvests of Sea-otter and Fur-seal Skins from the Alix- 
 TiAN Arciiipelaoo — TnE Cdnning Promyshlexiki and the Mill) 
 IsuvNDERs — The Old Tale of Wrong and Atkocitv — Bloodshi-.d 
 ox Atfoo Island — Early Monopolies — Ciit.'ruoF's and Kholodilofs 
 Adventures— Russians Defeated on Unalaska and Amlia — Yu- 
 f;()F's Unfortunate Speculation — Further Discovery— Tuk Fate of 
 GoLODOF — Other Adventures. 
 
 One would think that, with full knowledge of the 
 sulH-rings and dangers encountered by Bering's antl 
 (liii'ikors expeditions, men would hesitate before risk- 
 iiiLi' their lives for otter-skins. But such was not the 
 case. Wlien a small vessel was made ready to follow 
 the course of the Sv Petr and the Sv Pavel there was 
 no lack of men to join it, though some of them were 
 still scarcely able to crawl, from the eft'ects of Ibrmer 
 ilisaster. As the little sable had enticed the Cossack 
 iVoni the Black Sea and the Volga across the Ural 
 jMountains and the vast plains of Siberia to the shores 
 of the Okhotsk Sea and the Pacific, so now the sea- 
 otter lures the same venturesome race out among the 
 islands, and ice, and fog-banks of ocean. 
 
 The first to engage in hunting sea-otters and other 
 rur-bearing animals, east of Kamchatka, was Emilian 
 l^assof, who embarked as early as 1743, if we may 
 believe Vassili Berg, our best authority on the sub- 
 ject.^ Bassof was sergeant of the military company 
 
 ' Berg, Klovnologicheskaia Istoria Olkrytiy Aleutslikh Oxirofnkh, 2, 3, pas- 
 
 lOO) 
 
m 
 
 jl 
 
 100 
 
 THE SWARMING OF THE rHOMYSHLENIKI. 
 
 of lower Kamchatka, whoso imafjination had become 
 excited by the wealth brought home by Bering's crew . 
 Forming a partnership witli a merchant from Moscow, 
 Andrei Screbrennikof, he built a small shitika'^ which 
 lie called the Kcqntoii, sailed to Bering Island, passed 
 the winter there, and returned to Kamchatka iu the 
 following year.^ A second voyage was made the fol- 
 lowing July,* with Nikofor Trapeznikof as partnei-, 
 tlic same vessel being employed. Besides Bering 
 Island, Bassof also visited Copper Island, and col- 
 lected 1,G00 sea-otters, 2,000 fur-seals, and 2,000 blue 
 Arctic foxes. From this trip Bassof returned on the 
 31st of July 174G. A third voyage was undertaken 
 l)y Bassof in 1747, from which ho returned in the 
 loll owing year, and embarked for a last voyage iu 
 1749.' 
 
 siiii. Most authorities arc silent concerning tliis expedition, bnt Sgibncf, 
 Morihii Sboniik, cii. 74, sstatcs that liassof s:iilctl on his lirst voyajjc in ITl^i. 
 
 - The shitikas, from the lliissian shi-it, to sew, wore vessels made ahuust 
 without iron holts, the plunks being 'sewed' together or fastened with leather 
 or seal-skin tliongs. 
 
 ^ l'"i'()iu pajjers preserved in the chancellery of Bolsheretsk. See also Benj, 
 KhronolojirlHskd'ia Isloria, ',i, 4. 
 
 ■•Tlie autlior of jNV»(' iV(fcA?7V/i<eH doubts the authenticity of these state- 
 ments, liut, as ]5<'rg liad access to all the areliives, we in;iy safely accept his 
 ^■tatonlent, though in the chronological table appended to his work the e.xpodi- 
 tion of the Kdjiilon is omitted, llenj, Khnmol. Istorla, A/ijieiidix. Sgi!)inf 
 states that Bassof formed a partncrslup witli Trapeznikof in 1747 to undiitHho 
 'the second voyage,' from which tliey realized a return of ll'J,'2'20 rubles. 
 Jlumkvi SlioriiiL; cii. -v. 74. 
 
 ^ A report to the connnander of Okhotsk with reference to the third voy- 
 n'^c was (liscovered by I'rince Shakhovskoi in tiie archives of Okhotsk. From 
 Uiis document Berg gives the following extracts: 'Most respectful report if 
 f^ergeant Kmilian IJiissof to the councillor of tiieportof Okhotsk: — After liiiv- 
 iiig set out with some Cossacks upon a sea-voyage lust year (1747), in seaicli 
 of unknown islands, in the shitika /S'c Pctr, at our own expense, wc arrived 
 iiL u previously iliscovered small island,' Copper Island. 't)n the beach abo,:t 
 50 pounds of native co]i])er was gathered. On the south-eastern side of tlio 
 is:ime island we found some unknown material, son"- ore or mineral, of whicii 
 we tocjk .1 pound or two. Our men picked up '20.') p^ (bles on the beach great 
 iuul small, an<l among them were two yellow ones and one pink. Wc also 
 found a new kind of lish. . .^Ve brought with us to the port of Ni.shek:iiii- 
 cii;itsk sea-otters mule and female 070 skins, and the same nund)er of talis, 
 and l,.~)2,) blue foxes. Tlie.se furs were all divided in shares among those w'lO 
 Mere with me on the above-mentioned voyage ... Sergeant Kmilian Bassof.' 
 Ji< nj, KhronoL htorki, 4. The ship »S'c Petr, Captain Kmilian liassof, is liiii- 
 wise mentioned in Berg's tabularlist of voyages under date of 17r)0. 'A tnr- 
 tunate event which occurred while I was engaged in collecting inforinaii' .i 
 with regard to these voyages,' says Berg, 'placed me in possession of piil' s 
 containing the names of owners of vessels and the furs shipped on those oi-^a- 
 
VOYAGES OF BASSOP. 
 
 101 
 
 See also Bcnj, 
 
 All was still dark rcGfardinoj lands and naviu^atioii 
 cnstward. But when JSassoi's reports reached th«.' 
 iii![K'rial senate an oukaz was forwarded at once to 
 the admiralty college ordaining that any charts coni- 
 pili'd t'roni Bering's and Chirikof's journals, together 
 with their log-books and other j)apers, should bo 
 sent to the senate for transmittal to the governor 
 general of Siberia. The admiralty college intrusted 
 the execution of this order to the eminent hydrog- 
 inplier Admiral Nagaief, who finally compiled a chart 
 ior the <juidance of hunters and traders navigatiiiij: 
 along tlie Aleutian Islands." 
 
 IJassofwas scarcely back from his first voyage and 
 il was noised abroad that he had been successi'ul, when 
 there were others ready to follow his exam[)lo. A 
 larger venture was set on foot early in 1745, while 
 J >a.ssof was still absent on his second voyage, under the 
 aiis[)iccs of Lieutenant Lebedef, he who had married 
 Crovere's widow. While in command at Bol.sheret.sk 
 he i.ssued a permit for a voyage to the newly discov- 
 ered is]an<ls, on the 25th of Fcbruarv, to the mei- 
 chants Afanassi Chebaievskoi of Lal.sk and Arkhi[) 
 Traj)eznikof of Irkutsk. Their avowed purpose was 
 to hunt sea-otters and make discoveries eastward ol" 
 Kamchatka. Associated with them were Yakof Chu- 
 
 siiins: Ist, pnpera obtained from Court Counsellor Ivan Ossipovich Zclonski; 
 •Jil, i-oiiK- incomplete ilata compiluil by niy.self wliile living at Kailiak from 
 vi'ili.'il tradition and private letter.';; 'M, letters I found in -Mr .'^iieliUofij 
 iiiiliives; and 4tli, letters I rcecived between llie years 17G0 and ITS') iinr.i 
 IIk; iiiereliant Ivan Savieh Lapin, of Solikamsk.' The dates given ot llassol's 
 four voyages arc 174.'?, 174."), 1747, and 174'J. Bin/, K/irunot. Islor'.a, (i. 
 
 ''Miii-dvl Slioniik; eii. 11, "id. The editor of tiic Sihirifk-i/ I'ii ■■'liiil: (Sibe- 
 rian Messenger), (J. I. Spasski, in 1S22, devoted four numbers of his pub- 
 licitidu to .1 minute description of Copper Island, accompanied by ii elu.rt 
 iiHliiatiiig Bassofs oeetipatioi' of the jdaec, as on its noi'tliern side two bay i 
 live named l»assofskaya and I'etrofskaya respectively, after llas.sof and laie oi 
 Ills vessels. From the description iu the I'iciliiik it is evident liiat llas.s. t 
 wintered on Copper Island in 174!), and obtained most of his furs there. A 
 cross 'vhich was preserved on the island for many years, bore an inscription 
 to till! oHect that Yefim Kuzn(!tzof, a new convert (probably a Kamchatka 
 native), Masadded to I?assof"s command on the 7th of April 1751). Itisprobal !o 
 tliat tlie baptism of this convert took place on the island, and that the name 
 of tlie man was added to IJtissof's list only when he became a Christian.' S'.h. 
 I ii'siiiil\ ISJ..', numbers '2 to (i, passim, liassof died in 17.'i4, leaving a 
 ilanuhter with whom the merchant, Liipiu, one of Berg's anithorities, was per- 
 sonally acijuainted. Kliroiiol. htoria, passim. 
 
1C2 
 
 THE SWARMING OF THE PROMYSHLENIKI. 
 
 '•^ \\i 
 
 prof, Had ion Yatof, Ivan Kliolchevnikof, Pavel Kar- 
 abclnikof, Larion Boliaiof, Nikolai Chujirof, Lazar 
 Karmanof, and Kiril Kozlof/ They built a large 
 sliitika and named it the Ycvdolia. As morekhod, or 
 navif]fator, they engaged a Tobolsk peasant named 
 Mikhail Nevodchikof, who had been with Bering, and 
 who was oven credited by various authors with the 
 discovery of the Aleutian Islands.^ In these expedi- 
 tions the bold promyshleniki were ever the main-stay. 
 Ncvodchikof was doubtless aware that Bassof had col- 
 lected his furs at Bering and Copper islands, but trust- 
 ing to his memory, or perhaps following the advice of 
 other companions of Bering, he passed by these isl- 
 ands, shaping his course south-east in search of the land 
 named by Bering Obmannui, or Delusive Islands. The 
 Ycvdolia had sailed from the mouth of the Kam- 
 chatka on the 1 9th of September 1 745," and after a voy- 
 age of six days the adventurous promyshleniki sighted 
 the first of the Blishni group of the Aleutian isles. 
 Passing by the first, Attoo,Nevodchikof anchored near 
 the second, Agatoo, about noon of the 24th. Next 
 morning over a hundred armed natives assembled on 
 the beach and beckoned the Russians to land, but it 
 was not deemed safe in view of their number; so they 
 threw into the water a few trifling presents, and in 
 return the natives threw back some birds just killed. 
 On the 2Gth Chuprof landed with a few men armed 
 with muskets for water. They met some natives, to 
 
 ' Bolsheretsk Archives; Neve Nachr., 9, 10. 
 
 * From the fact tlmt Ncvodchikof was called a peasant we must not infer 
 that he was an agricultural laborer, but sirqply of the peasant class, one of 
 the numerous castes into which Russian society was divided. The so-called 
 ' civil classes ' of society outside of government oiScials were mercliants, 
 kitpiziii, again divided into tirst, second, and third guild; tradesmen, mish- 
 chnnimii, and peasants, krestianinvi; but many of the latter class wore 
 engaged in trade and commerce. Ivan Lapin told Berg that he knew Nc- 
 vodchikof personally, and that he had sen-cil with Bering on his voyage to 
 America in 1741. Ncvodchikof was a silversmith from Oustioug, and came 
 to Siberia in search of fortune. Meeting witli no success he went on to Kam- 
 chatka, and there finding himself without a passport he was taken into the 
 government service. Lapin was in possession of a silver snuffbox, the work 
 of Ncvodchikof. Khronol. Istoria, 7. 
 
 ^XcueNachr.,\Q', Khronol.ht.,1. 
 
VIOLENCE AXD BLOOD. 
 
 103 
 
 Kar- 
 Lazar 
 large 
 od, «r 
 [lamccl 
 cr, and 
 bh the 
 ixpedi- 
 n-stay. 
 ad col- 
 , trust- 
 vice of 
 ?se isl- 
 lieland 
 3. The 
 Kam- 
 [• a voy- 
 sighted 
 n isles. 
 |ed near 
 Next 
 ed on 
 3Ut it 
 so they 
 nd in 
 iilled. 
 armed 
 ves, to 
 
 not infer 
 
 .ss, one of 
 
 BO-called 
 
 lerchants, 
 
 en, iwsh- 
 
 ass were 
 
 inew Xe- 
 
 voyage to 
 
 and came 
 
 1 to Kam- 
 
 1 into the 
 
 the work 
 
 -tni they gave tobacco antl pipes, and received a stick 
 lamented with the head of a seal carved in bone. 
 Then the savages wanted one of the nuiskets, and 
 when refused they became angry and attrmpted to 
 capture the party by seizing their boat. Finally Chup- 
 rof ordered his men to firu, and for the first time the 
 thundering echoes of musketry resounded from the 
 hills of Agatoo. One bullet took effect in the hand 
 of a native; the crimson tiuid gushed forth over the 
 white sand, and the long era of bloodshed, violence, 
 and rapine for the poor Aleuts was begun.^" As the 
 natives had no arms except bone-pointed spears, which 
 they vainly endeavored to thrust through the sides 
 of tJie boat, shedding of blood might easily have been 
 avoided. At all events the Russians could not now 
 winter there, so they worked the ship back to the 
 first island, and anchored for the night. 
 
 The following morning Chuprof, who seems to have 
 come to the front as leader, and one Shev3'rin, luiulcd 
 with several men. They saw tracks but encountered 
 () one. The ship then moved slowly along the coast, 
 'd on the following day the Cossack Shekhurdin, 
 svith six men, was sent ashore for water and to recon- 
 noitre. Toward night they came upon a party of five 
 natives with their wives and children, v»ho immedi- 
 ately abandoned their huts and ran for the mountains. 
 In the morning Shekhurdin boarded the ship, which 
 was still moving along the shore in search of a auit- 
 ablc place for wintering, and returned again with a 
 larger force. On a bluff facing the sea they saw fif- 
 teen savages, one of whom they captured, together 
 with an old woman who insisted on following the 
 prisoner." The two natives, with a quantity of seal- 
 
 '" AVhen the natives perceived the wound of their comrade they threw ofT 
 their garments, carried him into the sea, and endeavored to wasli olF th'j 
 blocd. Khronol. ht.,8; iVeue iVVic/fA, i3. See JV«;j('e7i*ace.v, vol. i., this series. 
 
 " 'Ks gelang ihren anch, ungeachtet der Gegeniwehr, welclie die Insulaiier 
 niit ihren Kniichemen Spiessen leisteten, selbige herunter zu jagen luid euieii 
 diiv(jn gofangen zu nehmen, der sogleich aufs Schiff gebraclit ward. Sie 
 ergriU'en auch ein altes Weile, welclie sie bis zur Hutte verfolgt hatten, und 
 liraclitcn auch diese, mit dcm zugleich erbeuteten Seehundsfett und Fellen,, 
 zuni Schiii".' Xeiic ^{'achrichten, 14, 15. 
 
} < 
 
 
 104 
 
 THE SWARMTNO OF THE PROMYSHLENIKI. 
 
 blubber found in the liut. were taken on board the 
 Yevdokla. A storm arose shortly after, durini,' which 
 the ship was driven out to sea with the loss i)f an 
 anchor and a yawl. 
 
 From tlie 2d to the 9th of October the gale con- 
 tinued; then they approached the islatid and selected 
 a wintering-place for the ship. The i.atives were less 
 timid than at first, though they found in the hut the 
 bodies of two men who hatl evidently died iVom 
 wounds received during the scuffle on the blulf. The 
 old woman, who had been released, returned with 
 thirty-four of her people; they danced and sang to 
 the soimd of bladder-drums, and made presents of 
 colored cla}', receiving in return handkerchiefs, needles, 
 and thimbles. After the first ceremonial visit both 
 parties separated on the most friendly terms, ]iefore 
 the end of the month the same party came again 
 accompanied by the old woman and several children, 
 and bringing gifts of sea-fowl, seal-meat, and fish. 
 Dancing and singing were again indulged in. 
 
 On the 2Gth of October Shevyrin, C'huprof, and 
 Nevodchikof, with seven men, set on.t in search of 
 their new friends and found them encam|)e(l under a 
 cliif. On this occasion they purchased a hidar,^' with 
 an extra covering of skin, for two cotton shirts. They 
 found stone axes and bone needles in use among the 
 natives, who seemed to subsist altogether ii])on the 
 tlesh of sea-otters, seals, and sea-lions, and upon fish. 
 
 The reign of violence and bloodshed already inaug- 
 urated on the island of Agatoo was quickly established 
 on Attoo. Two da^.'s prior to his visit to the friendly 
 natives, Chuprof, anxious to acquire a more minute 
 knowledge of the island, sent out one of his subortli- 
 nates, Alexei Beliaief, with ten men to explore. This 
 man discovered several habitations with whose in- 
 
 '-''I'lid faiidcn sie untor eiiicm Folson (Utftti), Kanft(>n von ilmoii ciii 
 n<ilil(ir (IfiU'i'iion KiiiJii) uml cine Daidiircnliaiit, wovor sii; iliiien /wcy 1 Itinilrii 
 ^'al)cii iiiid ziuiikkflirton, ohnedic geringsto I'Virdsi'ligkcittTfalircn y.n lialiiMi. 
 Xciii' yav/ii:, 15, The bidur wad an open skin bout, tuul tlio largest of tlu' 
 ulas^s. 
 
FURTHER OUTRAGES. 
 
 105 
 
 mates lie nianacfotl to pick a quarrel, in the course of 
 Avliicli fifteen of the islanders were killed." Even the 
 (\ts>:nck Shekhurdin, who had accompanied J^eliaief, 
 was shocked at such proceedings and went and told 
 Cliuprof, who said nothing, but merely sent the 
 hiitcliering party more powder and lead." 
 
 Iliese and like outrages of the promyshleniki were 
 not known in Russia until after several years, and if 
 they had been it would have made litlle dillerence.'^ 
 Their efllbrts were successful; but we may easily 
 iKlieve that the interval between December 1745 and 
 the day when the Yealok'm departed, which a\jis the 
 14th of Septeniber 174G, was not a time of rejoicing 
 to tlie peo])lo of Attoo. To tliis day the cruelties 
 coniniitted by the first Russians are recited by the 
 |i()verty-sl;ricken renmants of a once prosperous and 
 ]ia|)]\v people. 
 
 The return voyage was not a fortunate one; for six 
 weeks the heavily laden craft battled with the waves, 
 and at last, on the 30th of October, she was cast upon 
 a I'ocky coast with the loss of nearly all her valuable 
 cargo. Ignorant as to their situatir>n the n»en made 
 flicir way into the interior, suiVerlng fi'om cold and 
 liuiigor, but finally they succeeded in finding some 
 
 "There ia little doubt that this Piiconntcr waa >vilfiilly provokeil, ami 
 the iiuile natives fliuiglitered for a jiiii']ioi<e. Y>cr<s, merely liiiita tiiat woiiieii 
 \Mie at the liottoin of it, l)tit in tlie Xew Narhr. -t is tlistinetly ehar;4e(l tli,:t 
 I'xliaief caused tlie men to he siiot in onler to secure the women. Soni<' dis- 
 imtf alxiiit an iron holt that liad diKai)|ieared, and which tlie natives could or 
 \viiiil<l not return, was seized ujion as un excuse. Z>'»/'<;i Khronol. Isl., 8, !); 
 Xi lit' Xiirhr., l(i. 
 
 "In tlie A'ciie Xachr., 10, Chuprof is accusol of a plan for the destruc- 
 tinii of a munher of natives, by nieuna of a ponitlge seasoned with corro.sivu 
 siihhinate. 
 
 ''An islander, Teninak, was cnrrietl away to Kanichatka on the Ycrihikhi. 
 lie chiinied to he a native of iVt (Attoo?). In 17.">0 he was sent to Okliot.sji 
 with Nevodvhikof, after having heen hapti/ed at ;<islHkamc'iiat.-<k l)y tiie niiw- 
 ^i(lllary Osoip Kliotiini/evskoi. lie was lifted out witli clotiiinj^ at the e\- 
 ]" liseuf the>iov«^niment and named I'avel Nevodi'iiikof, the jiiiot having acted 
 as jiis uodfather, nnil finally adoptiiiji him. 'Schon urn L'4si"n Octoher h.itte 
 ( ■.jii/iriiir /.elin Mann, unter Anfiihrunj,' des Lonon liiojnr ,\\ kundschaftui 
 ::iis^eschikt. I»ieser fnnd verschiedene /iirliii (Wohnunj;en,, der Insiilaner 
 Mild weil er ilinen feindselig liegegneto und die weiiigen Insul.uier sich daiier 
 mil, iiiren Kndchenieii l.aii/en zwi Welire setzten, so niilini er daher tielegen- 
 lii'it alle Miinnor funfzehii an der Zahl zii erscliiessen, un die zwriikj^cWiehe- 
 mil \\ciherzur Unzuclit gebrutichtn zu Ki'nntu.' A'cwt A'acAr., II. 
 
1^ 
 
 THE SWARMING OP THE PROMYSHLENIKI. 
 
 th ( t: 
 
 huuitin habitations. On questioning the natives they 
 learned to their consternation that they were not on 
 the mainland, but on the island of Karaghinski oft' 
 the coast of Kamchatka. The Koriaks were already 
 tributary to the Russians, and treated their visitors 
 kindly until Beliaief made advances to the wife of the 
 yesscml, or chief, whose wrath was with difficulty as- 
 suaged. Finally in May 1747 a descent was made 
 on tlie island by an armed party of Olutorski, a war- 
 like tribe living near the mouth of the Olutorsk river 
 on the mainland.^^ 
 
 In a bloody fight during which many natives and 
 
 '^ Tlie origin of the word alenl may perhaps bo referred to these people. 
 The first mention of tlie Olutorski tribe v aa in a report of the Cossack Atla.s- 
 sof, the conqueror of Kamchatka, in 1700. He states that on the coast of 
 Kamchatka the Liutortzi are called strangers by the surrounding Koriaks, 
 vhom they nmcii resembled. Morskoi Sboniik, ci. 4-73. In 1714 Afanassi 
 Petrof, a nobleman, built on the Olutorsk river an ostrog of the same name; 
 he Mas freely assisted by the natives. In the following year I'ctrof forwarded 
 all the tribute he had collected, consistingof 141 bundles of sablcS, of 40 skii's 
 each, 5,040 red foxes, 10 cross foxes, 1U7 sea-otters, two land-otters, and '22 
 ounces of gold taken from a wrecked Japanese junk. SubsetjUently the 
 natives revolted and killed Petrof and nearly all bis followers. Mor-^Loi 
 Shonilk, ci. 4-82, 29G. It is probable that when the Russi;ms first encoun- 
 tered the natives of the Aleutian Islands, being already acquainted with the 
 Olutorski, they applied that name, pronounced by them Aliutorski, to a race 
 that certainly resembles the latter. On the whole coast of Kamchatka thoso 
 Olutorski were the only wiialc-huntcrs, a pursuit followed also by Alcut-s. 
 Russian authors generally derive the name from the Aleut word alUk, Wluit 
 dost thou want? If this phrase ever was in gener.il use it has entiiely dis- 
 appeared, and it certainly is no nearer the word Aleut, or Aleutski, as tlio 
 Russians pronounce it, than is Olutorski. Choris, pt. vii. 12. Engel, in O'lo- 
 ijraphische vnd KritUche Xachrichten, i. v. 6, 7; vi.-vii., icfcrs to an arti le 
 in the Leyihiier ZcltuiKj, Feb. 20, 170.'5, where it is said that 'the trridcis 
 from the Kovima (Kolima), sailetl out of that river and were fortunaU' 
 enough to double the capo of the Chukchi in latitude 74"; they then saikil 
 southward and discovered some islands in latitude 04°, where they tnukd 
 with the natives and obtained some line black foxes of which some spcci 
 mens were sent to the empress as a present. They named these islands 
 Aleyut, and I think that some of them adjoined America.' Engel tlicii 
 goes on to say: 'These sailors called tlfse islands "Aleyut;" the word seems 
 to me to be somewhat mutilated. Miillcr says that tiio island situated 
 half a day's journey from Chukchi land, is inhabited by people named Al; 
 liyukh-Alial, and it appears that these tradera actually come to this islaiul. 
 or perhaps to another one also situated in that neiglil)orhood, the people ef 
 which Miiller calls I'eckale; lie also speaks of a great country lying fartlur 
 to the east named Kitchin Aliat. I Inlicve, therefore, that the said Aleyut 
 is nothing Init ihe Aliat or Aoliat wliich forms tlu^ ending of both of the alio\ e- 
 inenrioned names.' It is eviilent that Engel confounds the voyages of tin' 
 
 Jiromyshleniki to the Aleutian Islands with the discovery of the Diomedi' 
 stands in Hering Straits. The Kitchin Aliat may bear some relation t" 
 either the Kutclun tribes of the American coast or more probably to tl.f 
 luuuit or Eskimos. 
 
NEVODCHIKOF, SUPERENTTENDENT. 
 
 107 
 
 several Russians were killed, the invaders were de- 
 l'cated,and ;is they left the island the Olutorski declared 
 their intention to return with reiinforcements and to 
 exterminate the Russians and all who paid tribute to 
 them. The promyshleniki were anxious to be off, 
 and the islanders freely assisted them in constructing 
 two large bidars. On the 27th of June they departed, 
 and arrived at the ostrog of Nishekanichatsk on the 
 21st of July with a little over three hundred sea- 
 otter skins, the remnant of the valuable cargo of the 
 Yei'dokiay 
 
 Immediately upon receiving information of the dis- 
 covery of the Aleutian isles, Elizabeth issued as pecial 
 oulvaz appointing Nevodchikof to their oversight with 
 the lank of a master in the imperial nav}^ in which 
 cajiacity he was retained in the government service 
 at Okhotsk. In accordance with the old laws which 
 exa(;ted tribute from all savage tribes, Cossacks were 
 to bo detailed to make colJoctions during the expedi- 
 fioii that mio'ht be sent forth. 
 
 ]\Ieanwhile the several reports, and the rich cargoes 
 lii'( night back by Bassof's vessels, had roused t'le 
 inorchants of Siberia.^** In 174G the Moscow nier- 
 cliaut Andrei Rybenskoi, through his agent, Andrei 
 
 '' Some (lis-" ;pancy exists in our authorities with regard to dates and tie- 
 tails (if the latter part of this expeilition. ]5erg l>riofly states that Xcvodi.liik jf 
 sailrd from Attoo Sept. 14, 1740, and that his vessel vas wrecked the .'iUth 
 lit Oft. on an island, where ho was obliged to pass the winter. Klii'ovnI. Int., 
 1(1, II. A few lines farther on we are told that the party returned to Knni- 
 oliiiika in July 1740, with 300 sea-otters and witli hut a small portion of llio 
 origiiiid (.lew, having lost 52 men on the voyage. Tiie same author states 
 that on the strength of a report of *'>o outrages eommitted ui:on natives, pre- 
 sei;teil liy the Cossack ShekhurJin, all the survivors were sniijected to lej.al 
 process. To add to the confusion of dates and data, lierg sulihie(|Uent]y tells 
 lis tliKt the value of the cargo brought back to Kamchatka by iS'evodehikof 
 was lll.'JOO rubles (much more than .'100 sea-otteis would liriug' at that time), 
 1111(1 that tlie Yivdokia was wrecked in 17r)4! Khioiwl. 7.-Y., 11, I'J. In the 
 A'"< Xiif/u-., 17, 18, the dates are less conllicting, and we are informed that 
 \i\(iiii hikof 's party returned in two bidars with Ui'O sea-otters, of ^\llicll tiioy 
 piiid one tentli into the imperial treasury. The nuniWr of lives hjst during 
 the v(iy)ii;e is here i)lnced at only 1'2 Russians and natives of Kameliatka. 
 
 '"Makiug ('ue allowance for the low priees of furs .• t that time, and the 
 coinpihativciy high value of money, Baesof 's importations cannot be consid- 
 eicd over-estimated at half a million dollars. Jiay, Khroiwl, Int., 11. 
 
lOS 
 
 THE SWARMING OF THE rROMYSHLENIKI. 
 
 ■ ) 
 
 Vsovidof, also Fcodor Kholodilof of Totemsk, Nikofor 
 Trapcziiikof, and Vassili Balin of Irkutsk, Kosma 
 Nerstof of Totma, Mikhail Nikilinich of Novo Yansk, 
 and I^'codor Shukof of Yaroslavl/" petitioned the coui- 
 uiandor of Bolsheretsk for permission to hunt, and two 
 vessels were fitted out. The navigator selected for 
 Kholodilof's vessel was Andrei Tolstykh, a merchant 
 of the town of Selengisk, who was destined to play a 
 I)roniinent part in the gradual discovery of the Aleu- 
 tian chain. The two vessels sailed from the Kam- 
 chatka River within a few days of each other. One, 
 the Sv loann, commanded by Tolstykh, sailed the 
 'J 0th of August manned by forty-six promyshlenilci 
 and six Cossacks. They reached Bering, or Com- 
 mander, Island, and wintered there in accordance with 
 the wishes of Shukof, Nerstof, and other shareholders 
 in the enterprise. After a moderately successful hunt- 
 ing season Tolstykh put to sea once more on the 81st 
 of May 1747. He shaped his course to the south in 
 search of the island reported by Steller on June 21, 
 1741,20 Failing in this he changed his course to tlic 
 northward, and finally came to anchor in the road- 
 stead of Nishekamchatsk on the 14th of August. 
 During the voyage he had collected G83 sea-otters 
 and 1,481 blue foxes, and all from Bering Islai'd. 
 Vsevidof sailed from Kamchatka the 2Gth of Augu -t 
 174G, and returned the 25th of July 1740, with ;i 
 cnrgo of over a thousand sea-otters and more than 
 two thousand blue foxes.^^ 
 
 ^^Neiie Xar/ir., IS, 10; Berij, Khronol. Int., 11, 12. Those merchnnts (k- 
 sircil ti) l)uil(! two vi-sscls nt tlieir own expense 'to go in pursuit of ninriin' 
 iininiali diirinj,' the foHowing year;' they also askctl for ptTniission to oni|i!i ; 
 native KiMiieiiatkans nnil llussian mariners and hunters, and to inai;o temp - 
 rary use of soiii(> nautieal instruments saved from a wrci U. jS^mr \(tch):, - ' 
 This Trape/uiiiof vas evidently tho same who was in purtncrsliip with Ba.s.sit 
 tlie preceding,' year. 
 
 '^''Stil/ir'i ,'iiiiriinl, i. 47. 
 
 '■" Jirrij, Kliromil. 1st., app. It is prolxihlo that Vsevidof passeu the wint. r 
 foUowiUji; his departure on Copper Ishind, as on tho earliest eluirts a Ixiy ■ i 
 the north-eastern side of tiiat ishind is named Vsevidof 's I larl)or. \\\ a, desci i; 
 tiou of ('opj)er Lsland, puMished in tlie Sth'imki Vlixlnil:, it is stated th.il ■ i 
 the 2d of Mareii 174" two promysldenLki named Yurlof and Vtoruilvh t 11 
 from a ulitf and died of tlieir injuries. These men could only have li- 
 
 ill 
 
EFFORTS TOWARD MONOPOLY. 
 
 109 
 
 About this time a voyage was accomplished over 
 an entirely new route. Three traders in the north, 
 Ivan Shilkin of Solvichegodsk, Afanassi Bakof of 
 Oustioug, and one Novikof of Irkutsk, built u vessel 
 on the banks of the Anadir River and called it Pro- 
 lop i Zand.'-^ They succeeded in making their way 
 (Inwn the river and through the Onemenskoi mouth 
 into the gulf of Anadir. From the 10th of July 1747 
 to the 15th of September these daring navigators 
 battled with contrary winds and currents along the 
 coast, and finally came to anchor on the coast of Be- 
 ling Island. On the 30th of October, when nearl}' the 
 whole crew was scattered over the island huntinu: and 
 trapping and gathering fuel, a storm arose and throw 
 the vessel upon a rocky reef, where she was soon demol- 
 ished. Bethinking themselves of Bering's ship, with 
 ]•( ninants of that and of their own, and some large 
 sticks of drift-wood, the castaways built a boat about 
 lit'ty feet long. In this cockle-shell, which was named 
 the K((pkon, they put to sea the following summer. 
 ] )rspite their misfortune the spirit of adventure was 
 not quenched, and the promyshleniki boldly steered 
 north-eastward in search of new discoveries. They 
 nittained a distant view of land in that direction, and 
 iilniost reached the continent of America, but the 
 liind disappeared in the fog, and they returned to 
 Connnander Islands. After a brief trip to Copj)er 
 Isliuid they reached the coast of Kamchatka in Au- 
 gust 1741).'^' 
 
 lir.cd to Vscvidcif's vessel. Berj; .says that Ivan Ryhinskoi <if Mdscow niiil 
 Ml pill II Tyriii nf VaroNlaf in 1747 despatclieil a vessel naineil imnni, wliiili 
 !-.\ik<l t'nr the nearest A''. iCiaii Islaiuls ami retunieil in I74!t ■>vitli l,(Ht() se.i- 
 (itlei-s jiiid •.'.<KK) liluc loxes, the eargo l>ein,i5 "^"''l foi- ;VJ,5!KI niKles, wiiieli is 
 imt another aeeount of Vsevitlot'.s voyaire. Khnninl. /.</., \\. 
 
 '■■Ilii-ij, Khmuiil. Int., l(i. This name is given in the llussian edition of 
 Th'Il'. /'. /■^v'// t Xniit. The latter will lie reniendiered a.s one of tlie sailors 
 vMth r.eriii;,''s expedition, and the fovmer is a eonitnon lviis.sian name. The 
 nil II of Ihiit name were jtroluhly enijiloyed to hllild the vessel. 
 
 ■'The larL'o of the Kn/iituii was valued oidy at 4,7SO rallies, and it is diffi- 
 eult to iiuderst4ind how they could carry fnrs re|)rest'ntin,i,' even tiiis small 
 \:ih\r in a vessel of that size. On account nf the rigj,'ing, artillery, and slii|)'.s 
 ft.n > (.| Mirioiis kinds left liy Heiing's I'onijmninns on the i.slainl named after 
 hiih, an order hud been issued from Okhotak i)rohibiting traders from laniling 
 
110 
 
 THE SWARMIXG OF THE PROMYSHLEXIKI. 
 
 fit r 
 
 The first effort to obtain a monopoly of traffic with 
 the newly discovered islands was made in February 
 1748, by an Irkutsk merchant named Emilian Yugof, 
 who obtained from the senate for himself and partners^* 
 an oukaz granting permission to fit out four vessels 
 for voyages to the islands "in the sea of Kamchatka," 
 with the privilege that during their absence no other 
 j)artics should be allowed to equip vessels in pursuit 
 of sea-otters. In consideration of this privilege Yugof s 
 company agreed to pay into the imperial treasury one 
 tliird of tho furs collected. A special order to this 
 effect was issued to Captain Lebedef, the commander 
 of Kamchatka, from the provincial chancellery at Ir- 
 kutsk under date of July 1748. Yugof himself, how- 
 ever, did not arrive at Bolsheretsk till November 1 740, 
 and instead of four ships he had but one small vessel 
 ready to sail by the 6th of October 1750. This boat, 
 named the Sv locinn, with a crew of twenty-five men 
 and two Cossacks, was wrecked before leaving the coast 
 of Kamchatka. Over a year passed by before Yugof 
 was ready to sail again. He had received permission 
 to employ naval officers, but his associates were un- 
 wilHng to furnish money enough for an expedition on 
 a large scale. The second ship, also named the »SV 
 /oc(/</i, sailed in October 1751. For three years noth- 
 ing was heard of this expedition, and upon the state- 
 ment of the commanderof Okhotsk that the instructions 
 of the government had been disregarded by the firm, 
 an order was issued from Irkutsk, in 1753, for the con- 
 fiscation of Yugof's property on his return.'^^ Captain 
 
 there until the government property could bo disposed of. The craft cou- 
 stnitted hy IJassof and 8tiel)rennikof was consequently seized by the ffovein- 
 ment authf/rities immediately after enteriuf; port. Tiio conflscate<I vessel uas 
 snlwwjutntly ilclivercd to tlio merchant Ivan Shilkin, with permission ti 
 make hunting an<l exploring voyages to the eastern islands. NeneNacfir., "■". 
 The prohibitory order conceniing Hering Island was disregarded altogitli' r 
 by the promysldeniki, wlio made a constant practice of lauding and wiutcriii,' 
 there. />/■</, K/iroiiol. Tsf., 10. 
 
 " These were Ignatiy Ivanof and Matve'i SlichorlMikof of St rctersbiir.', 
 and I'etr Maltzof, Arkliip TraiMJznikof, Feodor Solovicf, and Dmitri Yaguf 
 of Irkutsk. X'lie Xarlir., 20. 
 
 '^ Kamchatka Archives, n5i. 
 
NIKOFOR TRAPEZNIKOP. 
 
 Cheredof, who had succeeded r«,.f • r , '" 
 
 i^ed to accept similar proZals frnV'^Jf *^^« ^"«^or. 
 i;one were made. On the 22d nfT f *^"^ ^^^«> but 
 /-n^ unexpectedly sailed into the h ^k'^'^. '^' ^' 
 Jvamchatsk with a rich camn ulv^ '''''^°'' ^^ ^^'s^e- 
 "Hcler seal by the governmeJ^^- T' ^* ^"^^ Placed 
 t^3o expedition did^ not Si t.T 1' ^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ of 
 A izovtzof presented a wWff'"* *^^® ^ate Grio-or 
 the whole Lgo Z7eTou7nZ''^ 'K^''^'' ^^aT 
 ( /'I'per islands, and that Vn^^f , ?''''" ^erinj? and 
 { acu The ea^go cSKf';9?^^'f *^-5:.tt:r 
 ^iue foxes, 2,212 fur-seals 2^ sea-otters, 7,044 
 
 ™i sea-otter hunting exnerfitf^'' Permission to fit 
 
 ■.•;.l not yet been nide tStr"'"\"T'' ■■^'""''^ ■■>^ 
 ^vho had served ns nn.,; """'^ary. Andrei" TolstvL-K 
 
 I-nn-ssion f^oitTS^::^^'?^'?^!'^^''^^ 
 ™t. a vessel, and sailed onth^^ftutl"'"'*'^' '» «* 
 •imving at Bering Island the rti. % "'^ ^"S^^t 1 749, 
 l>o wintered, sectrinri,',''*''"'^ September. Here 
 
 ™;nuMayrftSfoltviTr;r'^ '' ^^"-''"^^ 
 AIeut,amsla„d,_ first vTJrtf/bvN" ''IJ'r.?'''^'' '" "'« 
 ill-' met with better In^t „ , /."•y,?'^«™dchikof. Hero 
 
 -'■;"I<a the 3d oft; 1 752 ww'"^ '''""""^ '» W 
 
 Otters 7 'SO M»^ i- *'^ ^'^A with a caro-o of i '770 
 
 -n-.^ZZ' T"'""" ^"^"f" Trapezi.il.of of 
 
 '■'"""• Piobn 1,1^ , e ItT'^^f ■''''"« «an «nly have mm /^^ '''"'ce Island, 
 
 onu 
 
112 
 
 THE SWARMING OF THE PROMYSHLEXIKI. 
 
 :i5 ■ 1 
 
 ,!,'-. 
 
 1: m 
 
 Irkutsk also received permission to sail for the Aleu- 
 tian Islands in 1749 under promise of delivering to 
 the government not only the tribute collected i'roni 
 the natives, but one tenth of the furs obtained. Tra- 
 peznikof built a ship, named it the Burls i Gleh, and 
 sailed in August. He passed four winters on vari- 
 ous islands, returning in 1753 with a cargo valued at 
 105,730 rubles. The Cossack Sila Shevyrin acted 
 as tribute-,r,atherer on this adventure.-* l)uring the 
 same year, 1740, the merchants liybinskoi and Tyriu 
 sent out the shitika So loann to the Near Islands, the 
 vessel returning in August 1752 with 700 sea-otters 
 and 700 blue foxes.^ 
 
 Late in 1749 Shilkin built the Sv Simeon i Anva 
 and manned her with fourteen liussians and twenty 
 natives of Kamchatka. The Cossack Alexei Vorobict', 
 or Morolief, served as navigator; Cossacks Ivan M\- 
 nukhin and Alexei Baginef accompanied the ship as 
 tribute-gatherers. They left the coast of Kamchatka 
 the 5tli of Aucfust 1750, but after sailing eastward 
 two weeks the vessel was wrecked (^n a small un- 
 known island. Here the party remained till the fol- 
 lowing autumn, during which time Yorobief succeedid 
 in constructing a small craft out of the wreck and 
 drift-wood. This vessel was named the Yeremij ami 
 carried the castaways to Kamchatka in the autumn 
 of 1752, with a cargo of 820 sea-otters, 1,900 blue 
 foxes, and 7,000 fur-seals, all collected on the island 
 upon which they were wrecked."*^ 
 
 '* It Rcpms thrit Ihe islanil of Atkha was first discovered during the voyaL'C 
 of Tnijieznikof. Cook and La IVrouso call it At;/ld'a, and llolmltorg I Ail'". 
 VarltKi. I'nc. Coasf, MS., iii. 470. Slicvyriu acknowlodgcd that lio liad iv- 
 ceivt.'d trilmte to thu amount of one soa-ottor each from the foUowiiig nativr-^: 
 Igja, Ofknn, Ogogoctakli, Shahikinnkh, Alak, Tukun, Unonnshaii, Kcti','- 
 sii'ga, Oonashayupu, l^ak, Yorcshngilaik, Ungalikun, Kliati, and ("liyiixiUs. 
 BiiUhnrlsk Arrhiirx, 17'i.'f: Nciic A'ac/ir. 24-5; JJcn/, Khrouol. Int., IS. 
 
 ^!Shc was 11 lucky craft, making continuous voyages till ITti.'i, and briii^'- 
 ing over r),0<)0 sea-otters from the islands, liinu Khrotiol. Ji>t., 18, III. 
 
 *" AV(«> Nachr., 1!(. IJerg states that the Simeon i Ati)in carried a cpw 
 of 14 Russian and 30 natives of Kamchatka, and that the jiarty returned uitli 
 l,!t80 sea-otters, collected on one of the small islands adjoining Ik-ring Ishiii'l. 
 Khmiiiil. Ixt., 24. The fact that fur-seals formed a part of the cai'go woi;M 
 conlirm the assumption that the locality of the wreck was cue of the gi 'P 
 of the Cumniundcr Islands. 
 
 t^lt^ia 
 
THE BENEFITS OF DESPOTISM. 
 
 m 
 
 By tliis time the merchants of Siberia and Ivani- 
 cluitka had j^athered ooniidence rej^arding the trallie, 
 iiiid sliip-building became the order of the day. Un- 
 I'ortunately, even the first principles of naval archi- 
 tecture were ill understood at Kamchatka, and so late 
 as 17(50 tlie promyshleniki made exceeding dangerous 
 Vdvages in most ridiculous vessels — flatboats, shi- 
 tikas, and similar craft, usually built without iron 
 and often so weak as to fall to pieces in the first gale 
 that struck them. As long as the weather was calm 
 (>v nearly so, they might live, but let a storm catch 
 thciii an}' distance from land and they must sink. We 
 hlioLild naturally suppose that even in these reckless, 
 tlioiightless promyshleniki, connnon instinct would 
 ]ti(tiiipt greater care of life, but they seemed to flock 
 iiki' slice]) to the slaughter. We nmst say for them 
 that in this folly their courage was undaunted, and 
 their patience under privations and suflering mar- 
 vellous. Despotism has its uses. 
 
 He who would adventure here in those davs must 
 fii'st collect the men. Then from the poor resources- 
 at hand he would select the material for his vessel, 
 which was usually built of green timber just from the 
 I'niest, and with no tool but the axe, the constant com- 
 panion of every Russian laborer or hunter. Hope for 
 111,, jigging and cables it was necessary to transport 
 ell paek-hoj'ses from Irkutsk, whence they generally 
 airi\e(l in a daniao;ed condition, the long hawsers bein<; 
 <iit into many pieces on account of their weight. 
 Hour, meat, and other provisions were purchased at 
 Kireiisk and Yakutsk at exorbitant prices. In such 
 (lazy (lat't the pi-om3'shleniki were obliged to brave 
 tlie stoi'iiiv waters of the Okhotsk Sea and navitrate 
 ailing the diain of sunken rocks that lined the coast 
 ef Kamchatka.^' 
 
 " Miilli-r says the price of iron in Okhotsk in 1740 was Iialf a rubh?, or 
 •nliiiut 40 (lilts, ii pound. \'oy., i. >S-. The crews were obtained in tlio foliuw- 
 iii ,' iiiiiiiiui-: 'J'lif nii'ivliant would notify hi.s a[,'ont, orcorresponilent, liviuu at 
 likiit.^k, ^ akiitsk, or Kircnsk, vho woulil engage hunters ami laborers; eaih 
 u;jt.'i!i liirln ; a few men, providing them with clothing, and seudiug them ta 
 UisT. Alaska. 6 
 
it' i! 
 
 <" M 
 
 \k. 
 
 114 
 
 THE SWARMING OF THE rROMYSIILENIKI. 
 
 Nikofor Trapcznikof had lioon vcr}' fortunate in his 
 first venture with the Boris i (Jleb, and thcreioic 
 concluded to continue. In 1752 he sent out the same 
 vessel in command of Alexei Drushinnin, a merchant 
 of Kursk. This navigator shaped his course for Ber- 
 ing Island, but wrecked his vessel on a sunken rock 
 wlien approaching his destination. No lives were lost 
 antl enough of the wn^ck was saved to construct 
 another craft of somewhat smaller dimensions, whi( h 
 they named the Ahram. In this vessel the}' s»'t 
 out once more in 1754, l)ut after a few days' cruisiwj;- 
 in the immediate vicinity another shipwreck confiiud 
 them again to the same island in a worse predicament 
 than before. 
 
 jNleanwhilc Trapeznikof had fitted out another 
 shitika, the Sr Xikola'i, with the Cossack Radii m 
 Durnef as commander, and the Cossack Shevyiiii 
 as tribute-gatherer. Durnef calletl at Bering Island 
 and took from there the greater part of the crew 
 of the lion's i Uk'h, leaving four men in charge of 
 surplus stores and the wreck of the Ahram. Tlic 
 Si: Xikola'i proceeded eastward and made several 
 new discoveries. Durnefs party passed two winti is 
 on some island not previously known to the proniy- 
 sldeniki, and finally they returned to Kamcliatka in 
 1757 with a cargo valued at 187,208 rubles. This 
 
 Okliotsk. There they were first omployed in l)iiiltliiig and equipping the 
 sliip; aiul we may imagine what kind (if Khip-cJii'penters and sailors tiny 
 uia !(!. TluTe wan one Iwnctit attending tiiis method, however; us these mhii 
 had never seen a ship or the ocean they coidd not realize the danger of onn- 
 niittiiig tlieir livos to siicli vessels, thougli the navigators could not have lui ii 
 i;;norant of the risk to their own lives. ]5efore sailing, nn agreement with iln' 
 li.-t of sliarcs was ilrawn up and didy entered in tiie hook. This each sii'mil 
 or atlixed Ids mark tlicreto. For example: If tlie vessel carried a crew ot 4il 
 men, including tlie navigator and the pfrrilorr/iil; or leader of hunters, aitiui.' 
 also as sliip's clerk, tlie whole eai'go, on the return of the vessel, was di\i'l"i 
 into two t-(|u;d shares, one half going to the owners, and the other half In niu' 
 ng;iin diviiled into 4."), 4fl, or perhaps 4lS shares, of which cacli memher of the 
 ship's company received one, while of the additional five or six shares tliiie 
 went to ti:" navigator, two to the pcredovchick, and one or two to the chim li. 
 It sometimes happened that at the end of a fortunate voyage tiie sliaiv ot' 
 each hunter amounted to between 2,000 and ",,{\00 rubles: but when tlif 
 voyages were unsuccessful the unfortunate fellows were kept in perpetual 
 indebtedness to their employer. 
 
I. 
 
 ANOTHER SEARCH FOR THE CONTINENT. 
 
 ns 
 
 iiatc in Ills 
 
 tlicrefon- 
 
 ] the sanit' 
 
 inorcluint 
 
 ,e tor Ber- 
 
 nkcn rock 
 
 3 were lost 
 
 construct 
 
 ons, which 
 
 [ they set 
 
 ^'8* cruisiii'j; 
 
 ?k confined 
 
 rcdicanuut 
 
 Lit another 
 .ck Radiol I 
 c Shovyiin 
 rin^*" Islaml 
 •f the crew 
 charge of 
 mm. The 
 tide several 
 wo winters 
 the promy- 
 inch.atka in 
 bles. This 
 
 luiil sailors t'.i'V 
 jr; as these in. ii 
 , danger of i""' 
 All not have li'i' 
 focnicntNvitliil"; 
 rrhis each si'.'ii'u 
 lied a crew ol 4ii 
 If hunters, !i> tin;: 
 Isel, was di\i'l"l 
 other lialf I'-ni-' 
 Ih meniher "i \\\^ 
 Isix sliares tl:!'>: 
 rototheehurrh. 
 
 ,'agc the shiii ' 
 
 \: hut when t!io 
 spt in pcriKtual 
 
 wns the most successful venture of the kind unck-r- 
 Inken since the first discovery of the island."'- 
 
 in 175;] three vessels were desj)atched from 
 ( )!diotsk, the respective owners of which W(;rc An- 
 drei Serehrennikof of ^loscow, Feodor Kholodilof of 
 Tomsk, and Simeon Krassilnikof of Tula. They ex- 
 i»i-issed tlieir intention tt) search for the (Ireat ]jaiid, 
 
 the American continent was then called 1)V th 
 
 esu 
 
 ])Co]tlc. Serehrennikof 's vessel was conunanded by 
 IVtr Bashnakof, assisted by the Cossack IMaxim 
 Lni^aref, as tribute-collector, and carried a crew of 
 tlnrtvdbur promyshleniki. Serehrennikof sailed in 
 duly 175.'], shaping his course directly east from 
 K;nn(diatka, and arrived at some unknown islands 
 without touching any of those already discovered. 
 The shij) was anchored in an open bight not lar from 
 shore, when an easterly gale carried it out to sea. 
 DuriiiiT the storm lour other islands were siLfhted, but 
 as no one on board was able to make astronomical 
 oliservations the land could not be located dehnitely 
 oil the chart.'"' For some time the heavy sea pre- 
 vented the navigators from landing, and the wind car- 
 licd Ihem still farther to the east. At last three 
 islands suddenly aj^peared through the log, and bei'ore 
 the sails could l)e lowered the ship was thi'own upon 
 one of them. When the mariners reached the shore 
 
 ihi'v were met bv armed nativ 
 
 OS. 
 
 M 
 
 ho threw s[>ears 
 o'es oi' iire-arms. 
 
 ;iiid arrows at them. A lew dis(diai 
 liiwever, soon scattered the savages."* 
 The wrecked hunters remained on the island till 
 
 '■■ Xtuc Xarlir., ^'\. The cargo was itemizeil a-; fnlldws: ;?, 29.") sea-otters 
 l.illrd liy tlie ship's cmnpany, and 7.">2 s<.a-otters jiiuchascd of tlie natives inr 
 i;rtie!es(pf trilling vahie, ni;diing a fiirM'ididplc ti'tal of :<.(V_'7 si.i-dtters. 'J'ho 
 i'liiiiinso (juantity of these animals killed hy the |ii'(>niyslih'nilvi tlienisilves, 
 ii pill )f tliat tile islands upon whicii lliey wintered had not Ijeen visited before. 
 
 ■|^.V.'i/. .v.." ///•., ;{.->-(>. 
 
 ■'' Aecipniing to IJashnakof this island was TO \ersts in length and sur- 
 rnundcd liy 1 J smaller ishmds. This <1eseviption is npj)liiatile to tlie island 
 '1 'riiiia;;;i, and on tlic strength of this eirenmstanee Count ISenyivski. the 
 ]\uiinli;itk;iii eonspirator, ascribes the discovery of the eastern Aleutian or 
 \'\ Islands to Sci'ebienniliof, one of i!ic owners of the ship. Banjovukl's 
 Manohs and Trunin, i. 5>3. 
 
IIG 
 
 TIIK SWARMINO OF THE TROMYSIILKNIKI. 
 
 Juno 17r>4, and then saiK'il tor Kanidiatka in a small 
 l)(>at huill out of tin- remains of 11k; «>tiu'r. Tlic car^o 
 landed at Xi.sliekamcliatsk was of too little value t;» 
 ])v registered in the oftieial lists of shijHuents."" 
 
 Kholofiiiof's vessel sailed from Kanjchatka in 
 August IToO, and ac'CordiniLj to the eustonj generally 
 adopted l»y the |»r'oniyshleniki was hauled up on 
 ]'erinjjf Island for the winter, in order to lay in a 
 su]>ply of sea-cow meat. Nine men were lost heif 
 l>y the upsetting' of tlie l)i(hir, and in June of the 
 fullowinir vear the vovau'o was continued. A serious 
 leak was discovered when running; befor*' a westerly 
 gale, but an island was reached just in time to save 
 the crew. There they remained till July IToo.''" This 
 expedition returned to Kamchatka late in 1755 v.itli 
 a caiii'o of sixteen hundred sea-otter skins. 
 
 Tlie vessel iitted out by Kiassilnikof did not snll 
 until the summer of 1754, inunediately after Cajitaiii 
 Xilof assumed conmiand of the military force <*it 
 Okhotsk, and temj)orary connnand of the district.'" 
 lierimx Island was reached in Octi^tber, an ' alter lav- 
 iiig in a stock of sea-cow meat and j>reparini;" the 
 M-'ssel, Krassilnikof set out once more in August of 
 the followintjf voar. A stormy i)assaijo brout;ht hiin 
 to an island that seemed tiensely populated, but In 
 did not deem it safe to land there; so he faced tlu 
 sea again, was tossed about 1 y storms for weeks and 
 carried to the westwai'tl vuitil at last Copper Isknnl 
 came in siglit again, on which a few days later tlic 
 bhip was totally wrecked.''"* The crew was saved ami 
 
 "'Bashiiakof was wrecked again in I'CA, when Tolstykh picketl liim u]i i ii 
 Attoo Islanil. .W/'jo, tlie westeiiiniost of tliu Aleutian Islands. JIohnlK ■ .:. 
 !■ ."4. writes AHii, and near it anotiier / Aijditu. ('nrloij. /'nr. Conut, MS., i:i. 
 4f)2; /I'rij, KhronoL Int.. '2.")-7," A'( "c Xftr/ir., ."irMi. 
 
 ^'•Tlii.s was the isl;ind priviimsly visited hy Tia]x?znikof. In the spriii", 
 hf'fore Kholodiliif H party sailed, they were joinetl hy a Koriak and a naiivi' 
 if ]\aineliatkn, who Htiited that they hail deserted from Tiapeznikof's ril.iji. 
 i;iteiiiliug to Wvi- among the natives*. There liad been six deserters ori;L,'in.i i ' \, 
 l.i-.t four had lueTi killed by the natives for tryinj,' to force their wives. 'I i ■ 
 oJicr two had been more eaiUious. ami were provided with wives by tliii 
 hosts, ami well treated. X( le Xm/ir., H4; IJcnj, Khfoiiol. ht., '21 
 
 ilb 
 
 Mor.'iLiii Shurii'ik, ev. 1 1, 40. 
 
 .V. 
 
 Xuchr., 37 -S. 
 
 
 
VOYAGK OF TOLSTYKII. 
 
 lit 
 
 n sniiill <|uantity (»f pi-ovislons stored in a rudely con- 
 structi'd iiKiLjii/ino. 'I'lu' ship's company was then 
 divided into sevi 'al small hunting,' parties, tivo men 
 viiuaininj^ near the scene of the wreck to j,'uard the 
 provisions. Three of tlie men were drowned on tlie 
 l.')th of ( )etober.^''^ And as a erowninj.^ disaster a 
 liihd wave destroyed their storehouse, eari} in_i^ all 
 that remained of their provisions into the sea. After 
 a winter passed in misery they packed uj) their furs 
 ill the spring, a poor lot, consisting of 150 sea-otter'* 
 and 1,300 Ithie foxes, and managed to make the cross- 
 ing to Bering Island in two bidars, which the}' had 
 cniistructed of sea-lion skins. From ]3ering Island a 
 |iorti<)n if the company returned to Kamchatka in 
 {\\v small boat Ahntm, buil' by Trapeznikof's men.^" 
 In 1750 the merchants Trapeznikof, Sluikof, and 
 l^alin fitted out a vessel and engaged as its com- 
 mander the most famous navigator of the time, 
 Andrei Tolstykh. The ship was named after the com- 
 mander and his wife, who accompanied him, Andreioit i 
 X<ita/i)i, alniost the first dcj)arture from the estab- 
 lished ctisL( 1 1 of bestowing saint's names U])on ships. 
 Tdlstykii aded from the Kamchatka River in Sep- 
 tember, with a crew of thirtv-eifjht Russians and 
 natives of Kamchatka, and the Cossack Venediet 
 ( )hiukliof as tribute-collector. The usual halt for the 
 winter was made on Bering Island, l)ut though an 
 anijile sup])ly of meat was obtained not a single sea- 
 ctter could be found. Fifteen years from the first 
 (liscovery of the island had sufliced to exterminate 
 tile animal. Nine men of the Krassilnikof ex})edi- 
 tidii Were hero added to the crew, and in June 1757 
 Tolstykh continued his voyage, reaching the nearest 
 Aleutian island in eleven days. Tliey arrived at a 
 
 thtir wivts. 
 
 ='V^r7, Khrnml. /«<., 29. 
 
 "FiniliiiL; that tlie Ahmm could not carry tnc whole cargo of furs ami 
 oi'cw, 12 111(11 wiTL- silectod from the ship's compuny to retnni oii that Hiiiiill 
 yc-i^il. while II others were taken uway by the ships of Scrulirennikdf aii<l 
 I'i-iykli. Two wire eiij.'a^'e(l by the trader Shilkiu for anotlier voyage uf 
 di.5Lij\iiy. ^Vu(( Xucltr., lid-U). 
 
lis 
 
 THE SWARMING OF THE rROMYSHLENIKI. 
 
 1'^ 
 
 favorable iiioincnt; Trapcziiikof'.s sliij), the Sr X/JcoJc'i, 
 \\i\H on tliu point of wailing for Kaniduitka and .se\- 
 tral cliici's had as.senibled to bid tlioir visitors farewell. 
 Hatisfactory arrani^einents were at once entered inli. 
 lor the collection of tribute and a continuation of 
 ])eaceful intercourse. The most iniluential chief, named 
 Tunulgasan, was received with due solemnity and pre- 
 sented with a t'oj»per kettle and a full suit of cl<>th»'s 
 of Kussian pattern. This niagnifioent <^ift induct •» I 
 him to leave several boys in charge of tlie Russians, 
 for the avowed puri)ose of learning their language, 
 but rcallv to serve as hostaji^es. 
 
 In accordance with instructions from the Okhotsk 
 authorities Tolstykh endeavored to persuade the chief 
 of Attoo to visit Kamchatka in iiis vessel, but in this 
 he failed. After living on this island in peace with 
 the natives for over a year, Tolstykh departed with 
 i),'.](\0 sea-otters and 1,1!)0 blue foxes, and reaclu,! 
 Kamchativa in the autumn of 1758.*^ 
 
 An unfortunate voyage was nuule about this time 
 by a vessel belonging to the uierchant Ivan Shilkiii. 
 the Kapiton, which it will be remembered was buih 
 nut of a wreck by Bakof anil Novikof.*"^ Ignaty 
 Studentzof was tlu; Cossack accompanying this ex]it- 
 dition, an«l upon his rei)()rt rests all the inforuiati'i:i 
 concerning it extant. They sailed from Okhotsk in 
 (September 17i)7, but were forced by stress of weatln r 
 to make for thu Kamchatka shore and pass the w i:. 
 tcr tliere, to repair a damage. Setting sail again in 
 17r>8 they touclieil at IJi-ring Island, jtassed by Atuin 
 
 <' Xi'iir X'lrhr., 4.*?; Hi'i'i/, Khroval. fsf., npp. 
 
 ^-"riic Knjilioii liuti Ih'cii I'lintisciiti'il liy tlio government, bnt wiis fin.illy 
 <li livcicil ti> Sliilkiii to iriinlmiwi) liiii) for iossi-s incuircd. I''»'rj,' Mi"Mti>ii> 
 isjicciiilly that ii-on liolts 'lorc fivoly iisnl in i'i'|iairinj,' this Vfw.scl. As iin y 
 IIS IT"'- ii trailer nainiMl tlia/iiclief fHt^iMiuliod iron-worktt at \i«lifkni»ii,'liiit-I.. 
 iinil liciiifi ('nal)lt'(l to m'II hiicIi iron as In- couM inannfaitiiro ciifapcr tliaii it 
 I "nil! lie inipoitod, Im^ inadr i\ forttux'. Siilis-'rinciitly lUiiin, coniiiiaiid' i 'i 
 Kanicliatka, jxTstiiidi'd liitn to transfer tl'.' works to tlif p)Vt'rMincnt, .ii.l 
 remain in ciiar^'i! at a (ixed salary. (l!a/.olicf finally left the serviee, and ' ■ 
 KUeeessors not uncU'rhtandinn t'-. "oiifiinesH, failed. The wlioio annual \i'il 
 of the works never exci'ed' .'lonc^ thousand ponndsof metal, and under Itilii: ■ 
 hiieeesHo!' the enterprise WU8 iibuuduned ultu|^etlier. Mur»koi Shuriiik, ini. 
 
 i;i, 14. 
 
LI. 
 
 )/' X/lvh'i, 
 I aiul »c!v- 
 s f'arcnvoll. 
 iteretl iiitu 
 luatioii ct' 
 lief, iianicd 
 yy unci |)i't^- 
 C)f clotlii's 
 ft imliu'tMl 
 ; Russians, 
 language, 
 
 OklK)f^>k 
 le the t'liitf 
 but in tliis 
 peace \vitli 
 )arte(l wit'n 
 ud roaclu'.l 
 
 it this time 
 an Shilkiii. 
 was huili 
 Ignaty 
 this V\\n'- 
 i\toniuitl 1 ! 
 )khotsk ill 
 >t' weatli' r 
 s the \viii- 
 il again "m 
 I by AiAiiM 
 
 1)!lt Wlisfill :''" 
 
 I'.iTg Ill-lit 1 ■'•■■ 
 
 I'wsrl. Am I ■ ■ ' 
 
 I'islickfimilKi'-"' 
 
 clu'llluT tli:ii I' 
 
 I'liiiiiiiaii'l' I I 
 
 ovi-rimifiit- '' ' 
 
 HlTvil'f, llll'l ' 
 
 )!(! iiiiiiuiil > ' 
 111 iiiulor I" ' 
 oi Slioriiil'- "■ 
 
 ADVENTURES OF GLOTTOF. 
 
 119 
 
 '42 
 
 Avhere Tolstykli was then trading, and went on to tlie 
 ( astwartl, finally bringing up near an unknown island. 
 A party sent ashore by Studentzot'to reconnoitre were 
 1>« aten off by a band of natives, and immediately after- 
 d a sudden t;ale drove 
 
 waru 
 
 le ship from her anchoragi 
 1(1 sca.^^ The mariners were cast U}>on a rocky island 
 ill the neighborhood, saving nothing Imt their lives, 
 a small (piantity of provisions, and their tire-arms. 
 While still exhausted from baUhng with the icy waves 
 lliey Iteheld approaching a largo bitlar with natives. 
 There were only fifteen able to defend tiieniselves, hut 
 tliev put on what show of strength and couraiLfe thev 
 eoiild connnand and went to meet the uiemy. One 
 
 tl 
 
 NikolaY Ch 
 
 le men, ^Mkolai Lliuprot, who • ui "ucen to 
 
 )f, win 
 
 (1 "been to tli 
 
 i>!aiicls" before and s[>oke the Aleut language, implon d 
 ihe natives for assistance in their distressed condit' )n, 
 Imt. fhe answer was a shower of spears and arro'vs." 
 A volley from the guns, however, killing two. put 
 litem to flight as usual. Starvation follow 'J, and 
 tli( le were seven ^ >ng months of it. Sea-weed and 
 tlie water-soaked skins of sea-otters washed ashoio 
 liom the sunken vessel were their only food. Seven- 
 tri 11 (lied, and the remainder weie saved only by the 
 ]iiitrid carcass of a whale cast ashore by tin; sea. 
 le. using themselves they built a boat out ot dril't- 
 wuod and the i-emains <»f tlieir wreck, killed -."SO sca- 
 ottei's within a f"ew days pri(»r to their ih-pai'ture, and 
 Mii(rc(le<l in reaching the island wlu-re Serebrennikol's 
 \ 'ssel was then moore(.l,and near whi-h they anchored. 
 1 Jilt a gall! arising, tlu'ir csdiles snappt-d, and tln> boat 
 Weill down with everything on hoai'd save the ei'ew. 
 ' 'lily thii'teen of this unfortunate company of tliirly- 
 liiiie Ijnally returned to Kamchatka on Sereliremiikoi's 
 Aessel.*' After an al)sence of four years in search ol" 
 a tnrtune they landed destitute even of ch)thing, 
 
 '■' /.''■/•;/, Khrininl. ht., ,S.V-0. 
 
 '' 'I'liis \V!is the lirotlicr iif tlio luitorin'iH Vnki>f Cliiiprof vlin conmiittfl 
 till' iiil'.ininiis (iiUrdnt'H ii|iiin tlir iintivcH iliiiiiijj Nrvodc liikct's tirttt vnui^^i- i > 
 
 -liiiiil 
 \'< (If \iirhi:, 'M-S; liifij, Klii'viiol. Jul., 4d-li. 
 
 s; Nikolai aci'mnjmnicil liis liiotlicr thru. Jii f/, KhvuiioL Int., \C, 
 ' ii 
 
r ii 
 
 
 
 I' ' I 
 
 ! 1-1 
 
 120 
 
 THE SWARMING OF THE PROMYSHLEXIIil. 
 
 Thus from year to year the prornysliloniki pusliod 
 eastward stop by stop. A morcljaut of' Turiiisk, Stopaii 
 (ilottof, was tlio first to visit and carry on poacotid 
 Iraffio with the inhahitants of llinnak aii<l Unalaska. 
 Ho coimiiaiidod ilio small craft Villain, built at Nislio- 
 kanu-liatsk hy Nikoforof, iu wliich ho sailed on tiio 2(1 
 oi* So[>N'nil)or 17^8, aoconi[)anio(l hy tlu; Cossack 8avs 
 P<)n<»nij>rof, who was instructed to porsu.'ulo the AKut;i, 
 to hoconie Russian suhjocts antl pay tribute. Niko- 
 forof intended the vessel to ^o at once in search of 
 new islands without stop[)ini^ at any of those- already 
 known to the proinyshleuiki; but loniif-continued con- 
 trary gales compelled Glottof to winter at H^oiin'^' 
 Island, where lie remained till the foUowinj,' August. 
 Thence he sailed eastward for thirty days and landed 
 on an uidcnown island.*" There the hunters con- 
 cluded to spend the winter; but they found the iiii- 
 tives so friendly that thret) seasons j)assed befoic 
 (iilottof thought of returning to Kamchatka. Tlie 
 Yvlinn airi^'od at Rolsheretsk on the -'{1st of August 
 1 7(!2, with a largf; and vjduable cargo containing bt- 
 si<Ies cross and rod foxes the first black foxes from 
 the Aleutian Islands.*' 
 
 Two other vessels are said to hav(! been dospatdn d 
 to i\\v. islands in ITilH, by the merchant Simeon 
 Kiassiiiiikof, and Nikofor Traj)e/nikof, Imt only of 
 out! of tluiin, till! VhuHiiiu', havt! we ajiy information. 
 Th(! leaders (»f this expedition wci'«! the jn-n^dovciiik, 
 ] )mitri Paikof, and Hie ( 'ossack Sava Shevyrin. Thtv 
 jiut to sea from Nishokamchatsk »»n the 2Sth of Sep- 
 
 *"Uiiinak, ncconiiiiji to Itinj, Khroiml. /^^, .'U>. 
 
 *' III lU'iji'M muuiiifii'y <if lur isli jUiiculs tlu? cargo fif tlio Yiilinii is iU-mi/iil 
 ns folloWK; 'I'ril)iitf to tlic noviTiiuifiit, II Hi'ii-i.tlciH iind 'J(i Itlack fo.\c.-; 
 carj-'o, I, Km t^ta-ottcrH, '_'M) f<t'a-otlfr tail.-;, I.Od'J Mack loxcw, l,l(M> tro.~s 
 i'liM's. 4(H» led fo\cs, '2'2 MalniH-tn.HkM, ami '>S Mno foxcis; the wlioKs viiluoil ,■ t 
 i;U),-l.)() ri'hU'H. K/iroiKil. J.it., A/i/i. In t)io A'ckc Nm/tr., no incntion of tiin 
 vnyah'*! is mado; < 'oxt; aUo is silent on the siihject. 'I'lio fact of the prc'Hrni !■ 
 of walniH-tnskH shovvs that tliere ■was trallie in the nrtiele hetwi-eii the I'n.i 
 laMkaiiH anil the natives of the AhiKka |i*'iiinHiila, wliure the huge pennijiei't 
 Htill alH)unil. 'Die 4'o."Kark I'onoinai'ef sent <o tlu^ aiithoiitleH at ()khot>k 
 <)iiiti' a eoireet niapof the Aleutian iin^iiijH'liigfi, indicating eight largo ishini; < 
 iinrdi-eaKt of I'liahska. lie say tliat the nuiehuiit I'utitt' 8hiuhkiu UMHi>l>'i 
 JiUii iu coni^iiling 11 cliui't, II. m, lihrunul. J-t.'ot. 
 
P.MKOF AND SHEVYRIN. 
 
 121 
 
 pushed 
 :, Stepaii 
 pcacei'ul 
 [ luiljiska. 
 itNishr- 
 »n tlio "id 
 ack Savs 
 10 AU'uta 
 '. Nil«»- 
 scarch <>!' 
 i; already 
 lined eoii- 
 it li*!iiii;^' 
 f Au;4ust. 
 nd landed 
 I tern coii- 
 id tl»e iiM- 
 ed before 
 tka. Tin- 
 pf Au-^nist 
 
 ainin.i; 1>« - 
 oxoH lV»»m 
 
 i(;spat<!lu <1 
 It Simeon 
 it only of 
 ll'onnatioii. 
 nMl()Veliil\, 
 irin. 'Phry 
 M of Si'p- 
 
 Lvrii is itenu/' I 
 li Jdiu'k f')N' ■■ 
 is, l,l«H» 11" ^ 
 Ihiilo viiliu'l I 
 lniili<>n of tl M 
 
 If tllO 1»ICH< II' 
 
 TvH'Ji tiio 111 ' 
 «).o iMiinil" ' ' 
 U at Okhol>l» 
 ft largo i»lin"'^ 
 Lukiu uw»'mI"' 
 
 triiiber, with a crew of forty-fivo men, made tlie pas- 
 sa^c to ]3erin<^ Island in twenty-four hours, and there 
 hauled uj) their vessel for the winter. On the Kith 
 of July 1759 Paikof set sail once more, taking at first 
 a southerly course.** 
 
 It is not known how far Paikof pursued his south- 
 ( ily course, hut he discovered no land and returned 
 111 tlie north, arriving in the vicinity of Atkha Island 
 llic 1st of September. Finding no convenient harbor 
 lie went on to Uninak Island and made pre|>aratio!Js 
 to pass the winti^r. The ship's company was divided 
 into three ((rfcts, or parties, the first af which was 
 roiiinianded by Alexei Drushinnin and stationed on 
 llic island of Sitkhin.*" The Cossack, Shevyrin, took 
 ten men to Atkha and the remainder of the crew 
 established their winter-quarters in tlu; innnediate 
 virinity of the; vessel under <H)mmand of Simeon Polc- 
 \oi. l*aikof was evidently only navigator and had 
 III) conmiand on shore. I'he first season passed in 
 eful intercourse with th 
 
 itly p 
 
 atp 
 
 •"A general iiiiprcsHion prfviiiU'il among tlio promy.shleiiiki of tlio time 
 i\,:d tlici't' was liiml to tliu Hoiithward of tlio Aleutian J.sU't). Ivan Savich 
 i..i|>iii, from wlioiii ]lor^' o))taiuc'il much information, Mtatttd tli.':t (iavril I'ilmIi- 
 l.;,i< I, a comimnion of Hi'rin<^', who hail Hurvivcil the terrible winter on 
 llriln;; l.slaiiil, ulwayH UMNerteil positively that tliere muHt he lanil to the 
 .'""iitlivuril. I'ht^ Heu-(<ttt^i'M and fur-sealM, he said, thoiiuh found ul)out Itering 
 IshiiKJ and it8 vii'iiiity during the summer, invuriuhly disappeared in a 
 h iiitlurly direetiiin. It was known that they did not p> to Kamehatka or to 
 the Kui'ile Islands, and though ignorant as to the actual wherealH)iits of tin; 
 I'tterH and seals, I'lislikaief frei|uently UHsured l^ipin and 'IVape/nikoi that 
 lliey roiild make their fortune hy discovi'ring the winter haunts of the^o 
 aiiiiiials in the south, /'t'rij, Khrniiol. lit., '.\H. 
 
 '■' Atiording to Cook, Si'illcii; and I^t IVrouse, and Holmlierg, Si/r/ihi. 
 (\iriii<i. I'(ir. I'lifUif, MS., iii. 474. In AV«c Xnc/ir. it is spelled Sitkin, wiiilo 
 hill,' liiis .Sigdak. KhrouoL ht., 'A',); Vmnnk Ixlninl, Houtli-west of I'lialaska. 
 On ('(ink's -1//(M, 177H, written IJmamik; \ax I'erouse, 17H(», Onmiidl:; Holm- 
 I" IV, l"*"*-*, / UiiiiKik. ('iiiioij. I'nc. Coml, MS., iii. 4.").S; y,iit> A<ii/ii:, 4!>. 
 
 ■'"'Thf eustoiu of the |)romyshleniki after estidilishiiig themselves on ait 
 i^l.iiiil, was to divide the coimiDind into small parties, each of which wa.i sta- 
 li.iiicil ill the immediate vicinity of a native village, whose chief was induced 
 I'V jiicseiits to assist in compelling his people to hunt, on the pretext ]>erhap!i 
 t'l^it till' cnipreas, who, although a woman, was thi; greatest an'', most Ix'iiig- 
 11. lilt liciu;,' (III earth, required such service of them. When they returned 
 till ir ctitcli was taken and 11 few trilling pri'sents made them, hucIi hh Ih'iuIs 
 iiml tnlmccoleuf. Two ohjeets were ut once acciini)ilishcd liy the cunning 
 I '"iiiyslili iiiki. While all the alilc-hodied men Wcic lliiis away gatliering 
 ^l>illM Imtlicm, they were having I heir own way with the wiiiiiiitof the \illages. 
 AlIiiuI trade ur exchiui^o uf UuBuiua inuuufuctures fur bUiuu wiu curried uu 
 
n^ 
 
 
 r-t. r. 
 
 
 lii' 
 
 
 ^\\ 
 
 h- I: 
 
 £, 
 
 I 
 
 f -ri 
 
 
 
 123 
 
 THE SWARMING OF THE PROMYSHLENIKI. 
 
 At first tlio Russians beliovod the island of Amlla 
 to bo uninhabited, but duiinj^ a huntiuj^ <;xpedition a 
 boy of eight years was discovered hidden in the grass. 
 lie was unable or unwilling to give any information, 
 but was taken to the Russian eani]), baptized and 
 named Yermola, and instructed in the Russian lan- 
 guage. Subsequently a party of four men, two women, 
 and (our children were discovered an<l were at once 
 emjiloyed by the promyshleniki to dig roots and gather 
 wood for tliem. In time other natives visiteil the 
 strangers in canoes, and exchanged seal-meat and lish 
 for needles, thread, and glass beads." 
 
 In the spring of the following year, wlien the de- 
 tached hunting parties came back to the ship, it was 
 iound that only one Russian on Atkha Island had lost 
 his life at the hands of the natives, and that he met 
 his fate through his own fault. Polevoi was much 
 j)leasLd with the quantity of furs obtained and con- 
 cluded to send the detachments again inuiiediately to 
 tile same localities. Shevyrin had only just returnt;<l 
 to Atkha with eleven men when the natives, who 
 doubtless had suffered at the hands of the Russians 
 during the winter, fell upt)n the party and killed them 
 all. l)rushiimin heard of this through the natives on 
 Sitkhin Island and returned at once to the vessel jit 
 Anjlia. The crew of the Vlmlimir was now reduced 
 to siicii an extent that tho hunters felt serious appn - 
 lu'nsions as to their safety, and consecpiently tiny 
 began to make the necessary preparations for retuiii- 
 ing to Kamchatka at once. These preparations weiv 
 interrupted, howevei', l>y the unexpected anivnl t I' 
 the Gavrlf, a vessel belonging to the merchant IJt - 
 chevin.'"'' 
 
 only where tlio nativoH refu8('<l to Ir.iiit for tlio HnAxianH vvitliotit rowanl. All 
 kiiulH of <iiiti-ii({i>H ut'i'cr cuiitttuiitly pruutittid uii thu timid iHlundui'M liy tliunii 
 llaiilv tuHkniitHUTH. 
 
 ■''\riie Nnchr., .'M). Aniluk nccordiitg to Cuok, whilst Hulniburg wrili * 
 / ,l//i/;.i. Vartixj. /Vic. Coii.-t, MS., jji. m\. 
 
 ■••' llci'hovin, u rii:h iiicrchniit of lrktit.sk, doHpntclKMl in I7<10 tiio liirgc 
 vcHMtl liilhcrto Mi'iit to tile AlciUiuit Iflaiiil.s, it \n not known whcri! tli" 
 Uttn-il waa l)uilt; licr lenglii wua 0- fcvt, uud bIiu cun-it'd 4U KuhniuuK und .0 
 
 
VOYAGE OF THE 'GAVRIL. 
 
 123 
 
 The fiai'v'il had passed through the Kiirilo Islands 
 ill .July and arrived at Atkha on the 2oth of Sep- 
 tiiuhcr,'* The fears entertained by the Vlad'ualr.s 
 weakened crew vanished at once, and a written agree- 
 ment was entered into by the members of the two 
 ( xpL'ditions to hunt in partnership. Strong detach- 
 iiRiits wore sent out to the stations occupied during 
 the previous season, and also to the island of Signam, 
 iinith-east of Atkha. The result of the seii.son's 
 work proved gratifying; about 900 sea-otters and 400 
 jnxcs of various kinds, and 432 pounds of walrus- 
 liisks were ready for shipment."'* 
 
 A consultation was held in the following spring, 
 wlien it was concluded that the Vladiinir should remain 
 at Amiia a little longer, and then return to Kamchatka 
 with as many of the furs as she could carry, while the 
 (itiri'il would proceed in search of new disct)veries. 
 ''he joint force was equally divided between the two 
 \t sscls, and the (lavril set sail once more, taking an 
 (astcrly course and touching first at Unmak Island. 
 There tliey found a vessel belonging to Nikoforof' 
 ciiLraged in luinting, and consequently they limited 
 their operations to mending the sails and replenishing 
 
 llnilH!rt{ witUH 
 
 iintivos of Kamclh-itka. Tho niitlioritioR of IVdshcretsk placed on lx).ar<l a 
 mL;iiiiit !■' Cossacks, (iavril I'lislikarcf, and three men, Andrei Slidanof, 
 ^ :il."t' Sli;. !|K)f, and i'rokr)!) Loboiikiief. lJecli'.!vin also sent two of liis conli- 
 lii iitial ilnKs, Nikofor (lolodof and AfanasHiy Asktdkof. X< ue yurhr., .")!. 
 'Ivvd other vessels were recorded liy 15crj{ as havin)! sailed for tlio ishiiids in 
 I7."'!t. Hyhinskoi and Ida partners built a shij) iianud tho .S'»> I'lfr i So 
 I'lnil, iind sent her out to search for land south of the Aleutian Isles. She 
 Ii.mI ii i-rew of ;i;j Russians and natives of Kamchatka under Andrei Serelirenn- 
 ikiif, tin- former i)artner of Serjfcant liassof. All that is known of thin voy- 
 iiL'i^ is that the vessel returned in 1701. with a carj^o of 2,(MX) sca-fittei-s, hut 
 without having nuule any new discoveries. In tho wiine year, 17')!), a ship 
 <.i!iii| till) Zak'har i EHzurita was fitted out by a eonipany eonsistiiij,' of 
 r">tiiikof of Niniysk, Krassilinikof of Tula, and Kidkof, a citi/en of \'olo;,'da. 
 Nt( pnr. ( herejwi -if was navigator, The vessel sailed from \isii<kaiiu'hat.sk, 
 mid .ifter r.n absence of three years orrivcil at Okhotsk in 17<5'J, with l,7."><) 
 b<u-otti'r8 ami .^^Mtbluo foxes. Itrrij, Khrotio!. Itl., 40-1. 
 
 •'^ .\i cordinjf to the Aeiif Xnfhr. the Hurt if toueiu'd nt one of the Aleutian 
 Id(K Mil till! tUth of August, but finding the vis-udsof I'ostiiikof, Tmpeznikof, 
 mill Screlirennikof, at anchor there, they pusheil on to tho eastward. A < lOt 
 S'li h,:. ".'_>. 
 
 ' H'l-'i. Kfirnnnl. /»t., Ajrp. ITcrr was another evidence of constant trullic 
 l» twill; the Islanders and the inliabit:>nts of the Alaskan (leui; ulu. 
 
 '■''Ihe Ynllan, according to 2^\ue yachr., 53. 
 
!i t: 
 
 I! 
 
 I|:- 
 
 m 
 
 'fv 
 
 Itti 1 
 
 i I 
 
 t».; 
 
 1 i: 
 
 il 
 
 it . 
 
 
 J!;!Hi 
 
 i' •" 
 
 IM 
 
 THE SWARMING OF THE PROMYSHLEXIKI. 
 
 their stock of wood and water. Tliey then proceeded 
 to wliat they considered to be the island of " Aluksha," 
 hut wliether this party actually wintered on the penin- 
 sula of Alaska is not quite clear. As soon as a suit- 
 able liarljor had been found the ship was beached, and 
 the crew |)roceeded to erect winter-quarters on shore. 
 The inhabitants of the vicinity received the Russians 
 in a friendly manner; they tiaded honestly, and irave 
 their children as hostaj^es.^ However, this peace 
 and j^oi^xl-will were not of lonsf duration. The lawless 
 proinyshleniki of Bechevin's soon j^ave the natives 
 much trouble, fully justifying them in any retaliation. 
 
 In January 17G2 Golodof and Pushkaref, with a 
 party of twenty hunters, coasted in bidars in search 
 of forMl, and landed upon an adjoining island." While 
 indulging in their customary outrages they were sur- 
 priserl by a body of natives who killed Golodof and 
 another Russian, and wounded three more. Shortly 
 aft'-rwanl the Russia.i camp was attacked, four nien 
 killed, as many wounded, and the huts reduced to 
 ashes. In May the Cossack Lobashkof and one of 
 the promyshleniki went to bathe in a hot si)ring 
 situate<l about iive vcrsts from the harbor, and were 
 killed by the natives.*^ In return the Russians put 
 .M.-ven of the hostages to death. The islanders auain 
 attacked the Russian camp, but were repulsed. 
 
 As it was evident that the natives had determined 
 
 '•Tlie Uussians received nine eiiildren as hostages, and in addition tliey 
 en'^fii-tl two men and tlirce vonxtn to work for tliem. Ni ue Xachr. , ."),'}— I. 
 
 '■ It iis iiiiixjHNilile to di-'terniinc which itilund tliis was. In AVw*? Nurhr. 
 it in calU.tl Uiiiun^'a, n name not to Itcfonnd onanyciiurt. Itcrg calls it <)uni;a, 
 1<!it there in noevi<lencu to indicate that the men of llechevin's expedition |>r')- 
 c«<-<Ie<i an^unil the |teiiinHuln and north-eastward as far as tlic Shunia^'in 1-sl- 
 nniLt. S'l-vr Snrhr., 54; ISrnj, Khnmol. l-^l.,\X Tlie name of Ouuungiin, 
 Applie<l Ut the UnahiHku peoph; by tiieir western neighltors, ftecording to I'inart, 
 may throw itome light upon this quf;Htion; it is proUihlc that the locality of 
 (;otHtorH aiid I'ushkurcf's exploits was not the ]>cninsula at all, but Agmi- 
 alakitli, the Aleut name of Unalosko, which was Bub8e<{uently abbreviated by 
 the }(4iwiLanB. 
 
 '*S<>if Snfht:, 55. This is another point in support of the theory that th>i 
 (inrril landeil on I'nalaskn. Five vcrsts (three and a half miles) from tli>: 
 |)ri»<.'ip.il settlement on Unalnska lHlan<l are hot springs, nlM>riginnlly resorted 
 t'> r>r <';irin-.' rli<'iiniatii> and skin diseases. Hot sjirings exist also near tli'* 
 li-ttl-nient of Morshcvfii on the south point of the peninsuLi, but they aiu 
 within Xvm thun half u mile from the shore. 
 
rUSHKAREF'S CRUELTIES. 
 
 IS5 
 
 occcdod 
 
 laksha," 
 
 e poniii- 
 
 i a suit- 
 
 liod, aiul 
 
 )n shore. 
 
 Russians 
 
 uul iravc 
 
 is peace 
 
 c lawless 
 
 i natives 
 
 taliation. 
 
 f, with a 
 
 in search 
 
 ""' While 
 
 were sur- 
 
 lodof and 
 Shortly 
 
 four men 
 
 iduccd to^ 
 
 lid one of 
 
 ,ot spring- 
 and were 
 isians put 
 
 lors again 
 
 led. 
 itermined 
 
 latldition tlity 
 
 ^'l■u>• Niicltr. 
 jmllsitOuni;!!, 
 lxi>e<litionl'n>- 
 Tsiiuma^'iii l-*l- 
 J)f Ouiiiinpii". 
 Iling to I'iimrt, 
 The locality of 
 111, but A«u!i- 
 Ibbreviateil by 
 
 jicory that tli" 
 lih's) from tli" 
 liinlly iPHortfil 
 Inlno near tli" 
 1 but thty a; c 
 
 upon the destruction of the entire company, tlie out- 
 1\ iii<4 detachments were recalled. The ship was then 
 I'epiiired and the whole comniiind returned to L'lnnuk 
 Inland. There they took on hoard two natives with 
 tluir families, who had promis(jd to pilot them to other 
 islands; hut as soon as the vessel had <^ained the open 
 sea a vioUnt gale from the eastward (hove her hefure 
 it until on tlie 23d of September the mariners found 
 themselves near an unknown coast, without masts, 
 sails, or rudder, and with but little rigging. The land, 
 ho\v(;ver, proved to be Kamchatka, and on the '2oth 
 the ]ieli>less craft drifted into the bay of Kalatcheva, 
 siventy versts from Avatcha Bay. Bechcvin landed 
 his cargo, consisting of 900 sea-otters and .3.'jO foxes, 
 valued at 52,570 rubles. ''' The cove where the landing 
 was ell'ected subsequently received the name of IBeche- 
 viiiskaia. 
 
 ( haiges of gross brutalities, committed during this 
 Voyage, have been made against Sergeant Pushkaref 
 On leaving the Aleutian Isles the crew of the (j'ai'rtf, 
 with Pushkaref's consent, took with thcnn twenty-fivo 
 yoinig women under the jjretext that tlu^}' were to 1)0 
 eiii|il()yed in j)icking berries and gathering roots for 
 the ship's com})any. When the coast of Kamchatka 
 was iirst sighted a boat was sent ashore with six men 
 jiiid foiu'teen of these girls. The latter were then 
 iiiiKred to pick berries. Two of them ran a^vay and 
 Wile lost in the hills, and during the return of the 
 boat to the ship one of them was killed l)y a man 
 named Korelin."" In a fit of despair the remaining 
 uiils threw tliemselvcs into the S(^'i and were drowned, 
 hi order to rid himself of troublesome witnesses to 
 t!iis outrage, Pushkaref had all the remaining islanders 
 thrown ovorl)oard, with the exception of one b<»y, 
 ^loise, and Ivan, an interpreter who had been in 
 the service of Andrei Sereurennikof Three of the 
 
 '•'^IWf], Khrmiol. /v^, npp. 
 
 '■".\V(« X'lilir.. ,"(l. ISi!';,' states tlint it was riislil-.arcf himai If who liuil 
 uoiomiLi. it'll the women to tlic shore. Kltronol. hi., 40. 
 
186 
 
 THE SWARMING OF THE rROMYSHLEXIKI. 
 
 women had died before leaving the islands."* An im- 
 jierial oukaz issued from the chancellery at Okhotsk 
 to a company consisting of Orekhof, Lapin, and Shilof, 
 who asked i)ermission to despatch an expedition to 
 tlie islands, enjoins on the promyshleniki the great- 
 est care and kindness in their intercourse with the 
 natives. The eleventh paragraph of the oukaz reads 
 as follows: "As it appears from reports forwarded by 
 Colonel Plenisner, who was charged with the inves- 
 tigation and final settlement of the affairs of the 
 Bechevin company, that that company during their 
 voyage to and from the Aleutian Islands on a hunt- 
 ing and trading expedition committed indescribable 
 outrages and abuses on the inhabitants, and even were 
 guilty of nuirder, inciting the natives to bloody re- 
 prisals, it is hereby enjoined upon the company about 
 to sail, and especially upon the master, IsmaYlof, and 
 the })credovchik, Lukanin, to see that no such barbar- 
 ities, plunder, and ravaging of women are connnitted 
 under any circumstances." The v hole document is 
 of a similar tenor and goes far to pro\c that the au- 
 thorities were convinced that the outrages re[)ortetl 
 to them had in truth been committed."' 
 
 From this time forward the authorities of Siberia 
 evidently favored theformation of privileged companies, 
 and the Bechevin investigation may be considered as 
 the beginning of the end of free traffic in the Ameri- 
 can possessions of the Russian empire. 
 
 ^^Xdie A^nrAr.,r>7; Bfrg, Khronol. ht., 45. 
 
 ''• liirij, Khroiwl. 1st., 4'>-!i'2. The oukaz is signed by Captain-licnteiiaiit 
 Sava Zul)of, ami tlated August 20, 1770. IJerg found in sonic letters written 
 Ijy the collegiate chancellor Anton Ivanovich Lasscf, a civil engineer nf tli( 
 government at Irkutsk, n notice to the cd'ect that Bechevin snll'cred niuiii 
 during a penal inquisition with tortni-e, conducted against him in 17<»4 i ,v 
 K*A*Iv*, probably Knias (Prince) Alexander Korzakof, who is mentioned ;•> 
 having been detailed on u government mission to Irkutsk about thut time. 
 
 'iiw 
 
 «•„ 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 FURTHER ADVENTURES OF THE TROMYSHLEXIia. 
 
 1700-1707. 
 
 ToLSTTKn's Voyage— MovEMKNTs of Vessels — St/Eiimn's Map — WuErK 
 OF THE 'ANnKEtAN I Natalia' — Catherine Spr.AUs— A Comtany 
 
 FOK.MEI) — CoLLECTINd TllIlirTE — THE 'NeKE NACmilCIITEK ' -VoVACE 
 
 OF THE 'Zakhau I ELIZAVETA '—Teuuiiii.e Ketamathin of the Una- 
 
 LASKANS— VoYAfiE OK THE 'Sv TuoITSKa'— ( JllEA r SfFFEKIMIS— I'aTAL 
 
 Onsi.ai(!HT— Voyage of Glotiof — Sim» Xomenclatiue— IMsfovi.nY 
 of Kadiak— New .Mode of Warfaue— The Old Man's Tale— Solh- 
 vii:f's Infamies— The Okhotsk (iovEiiNMENT— Moke 'St rETEUs' and 
 'St I'avls' — QrKEN Catheiiine and the Meuchant Xikofouof — End 
 of Puivate Fru-Ht'NTiNo Expeditions. 
 
 TiiK first vossol which sailed in the Ah'utian Islands 
 niidc^r jirotection of a special imperial oukaz was the 
 Aiidrcian i Natalin, owned and commanded by An- 
 (Irc'i Tolstykh, a man of courage and perseverance, 
 who duiinij^ his three previous voyages had amassed 
 some fortune, and e<mcluded to adventure it on this 
 turn.' 
 
 The Andirian i Natalia left Kamchatka the 27th 
 of September 1700. In two days Jeering Island was 
 leached, when in accordance with custom the ship was 
 hinled up foi- the winter. In the Jime I'ollowiiig Tol- 
 stykh again ]>uttosea, steering at first soutluM-ly, then 
 iKnthward.anivini^atAttoo Island the oth of August." 
 
 ' Tiilstykli l)e!jnii his oflicial rcpor i.s f(illr)\vs: '1»y virtue of an ouknz nf 
 liir lin]HTi;il Majesty, the ICmpn-ss Ki. inlK.'tli IVtrovnii, issued tlirouj,'li tiir 
 Chiiiiri ili'vy of IJolslicrctHk in Kaiuclintkn, on i\\'.' 4tli tlay <>f Au^juxt 1700, anil 
 ill iiiii-iiiauoo of an onler ik'iioHitcil with LiiMitenaiit Vassili Shniali'f, 1 was 
 lii'iniittril to put to si'a witli tin; Cossjieks IVtr Vassiutinski and Ma\iiii 
 J,ii/iir»f, ilctaikMl for tliis survicc' Ihrij, Kliruuol. /"I., .').'l; \< in- Xiirhr., .V,); 
 Sli,lil:ttt\ I'litrxhvxtvU', l.'W; Urpwhiijky Deltrwj ziir K<iiittnis.s tlir nordifrnt- 
 
 'lie met a vussel rutiirning to Kauichutka, nrobubly the Sr Peter i Sv 
 
 (li7) 
 
12S FURTHER ADVENTURES OF THE PROMYSHLEXIKI. 
 
 Three vessels were there traclliifjf, beloiiginjj^ respect- 
 ively to C'lu!l)aievski, Postnikot", and Trapeznikof. 
 Tolstykh had hoped to find the friendly v-hief Tunul- 
 j^^tisan, whom he had met before, but tlie aboriginal 
 had died, and his successor, Bakutun, told the new- 
 comers that there were too many Russians on his 
 island already, and they might as well pass on, but 
 njij)eased with presents the monarch finally gave 
 Tolstykh some of his own relatives as hostages, who 
 Mere also to serve as interpreters and guides to other 
 islands. After a sojourn of two weeks the vessel con- 
 tinued to tlu! eastward, and on the 28th of AugUf^t 
 reached an island which was subsequently ascortainetl 
 to be Adakh.'' 
 
 Pavd, with o\cr 2,500 scaottci.- on Ijoartl valued at 150,000 rubles. Neve 
 2sni-hr., (IH-i); Khroiiol. y.^^,aT)p.; Oreiriiiijk; ,'114. 
 
 ^lu X( III' Xti'lir., (il, tlio isiniid ia imincil Ajnpi or Knjaciui, nniues not to 
 1)6 fouiitl iu any clmrt. (Srewin).';k states that 'I'olaitykii hrouj^'ht iiowh of tht; 
 i.slaiid!) Kaiiaga, 'iVliecliina, Tai:alak, Atchu, Anila).', and Atach. i!n iriiiijh, 
 liiilruij, 'M7\; Sh<'Hbj\ Piil<-.ihf'<lr'ii>, \'^'^. Tlicro vas iiceeswirily ^rt'ut coi;- 
 fiisidii in the aiiplicatidii of nauics to tlic newly diseovereil islands. On tlic; 
 ii'.ap of Stahlin, an titlspriii^ of Croyurc's aljortion puhli.'ilied in Knglinh in 
 1774, the. new iiorthi'ni archiprlaji,o was laid down in the most reniaikal.In 
 iiianni r. liy coloi-in;.'s the islands were divided into lour jiroups, the lar|,'ei t 
 of which was called Anadirs^k ni'oup, and incliidt'd Alaska, n lar;,'c isliind ( ?;■ 
 toMilin^ east and west in latitude (io", and Unalaska, and .\nichitla, Unnii:l>, 
 Siiiinakh, Yunaska, and a nund)ei' of other islands with inia<{iiiary lianas. 
 'J'his p-oup is placed in a witlo passage between the cnntiiunt.s of AsiaaMl 
 America. To the south-west and extending from latitude (Id" to .'"m", we iinl 
 tlie Aleutian groiij) cDUiprising Andia, Atkha, liulldir, 'Ivadiak.'and 'St lid- 
 riogen.' To the nortliwcst of this jjroup, in latitude (iO , StaOilin ])laced llic 
 Ohitorskoi Islands, containing Kanaga, Ayak (.\<lakh?), an<l Copper Island. 
 To tlie southward of the latter we lind Deling Island, with two pretty lai'i." 
 ndjoiniiig islands, and still farther south a group of imaginary discoveriis i'l 
 wliicli the names bestowed by I'ering upon the nearest Aleutian islands were 
 np|>licd. St.'i'hliii's introductiim to tliis (lescrij)tioii if the archipehigo is sulli- 
 eicntly original to merit a ])laee in these pages. He begins as follows: 'it 
 appears, from thi; accounts of our illiterate sea-faring men, that there is no 
 es.icivtial ditlerence, in any respect, between these several iulands, and lluii' 
 inliahitants; and that they .seem to be pretty much alike. It is needless tn 
 luime every one of the islands which compose our new northern archipelago, 
 as they ore si't ilown in the naip hereto annexed, with their situation and sizi . 
 As to the nbsobite accuracy of the two iirst artii'les, namely, the true situa- 
 tion, as to geographical latituile and longitude, and their exact diineii.'<ions, I 
 would not be answerable for them, until they can be ascertained by astronoiii 
 leal observations. Of the.sc islands we know in general, and for curtain, tliut 
 tlioso which are situiited IvDtwecn latitude .")Oth to the ,")5th dcr^ree, rescndik- 
 the islands of the Knnlc'i, with regard to the weather, the productions, as also 
 ill the figure, apj)earance, clothing, food, way of life, ami manners. . .of tlic 
 inhabitants, whereas those from the 5.">th to the (!Oth degree, which arc the 
 islands of Ohiloni and Aktttd, are in all thes«i ])articulars very like Kniii- 
 chalka, Thos" of the third division Lave u diilereut aspect, and arc situated 
 
KI. 
 
 i-espcct- 
 
 ■ Tunul- 
 
 [\e noNv- 
 
 \ on liis 
 on, but 
 ly gave 
 i^cH, who 
 to other 
 •ssel coii- 
 [ Augiv^t 
 ccrtaincd 
 
 rubles. A'"" 
 , naniesi not t'> 
 
 .t IlfWH of 111'! 
 
 L'h. (/*■<"•'■"!;/•'. 
 ily j;i't'at coi:- 
 m.ls. On tic 
 ill Knj;li>il> "' 
 Bt leuHirUiiM"' 
 ,18, tho lurj^t: t 
 ii-f^e islaiul i ■; 
 litlii, Vnuii;!-, 
 binary iiaiii«-^- 
 .s (if Asiii ''1 '1 
 1) "i.V, we li; 'I 
 , uutl'StU'i- 
 jHii vlaci'tl '^'"' 
 [opper l«!aiic!. 
 \> inctty Ir.i;- 
 (liscovt-riis M 
 II islaiuls V ti V 
 n'liif;!0 is Ki'.lii 
 follows: 'It 
 .t there is lui 
 ids, an*l ill*'' 
 is iie«Mllt'ss to 
 1 arcliipcliiLlt', 
 ution aiul sizt • 
 [he true si tun- 
 >limciiHioiif*. 1 
 by astroiu 111 
 [r certain, ihiit 
 r;rec, resciuMu 
 [ictious, as also 
 [incrs. . .of tl>^^ 
 which arc the 
 pry like Knm- 
 W\ arc situattd 
 
 DISCOVKIIY 01' ISLANDS. 
 
 ISD 
 
 Tliero was cvcrv indication (»t' nuiltitudcs of sca- 
 oiui's ill this vicinity, and as .soon as a convenient 
 ]i;'ilior had hccn found all Iwinds woro sot to work on 
 A I;dJi and thu adjoining island of Kanaka. Partii-s 
 w ic also dt's]»atclicd to other islands as iar <'ast\v;ird 
 as Atkha and Anilia, meeting ( vervwhere a t'riendly 
 rcc-.'lition. After a stay on thest" islands, suhsc- 
 (jU( ntly named after him the Andi-einnovski, of nearly 
 lliivi' years, Tolstykh collected (juite a vahiahlo cargo 
 of fms. and finally stalled homewaj-d on the 14th of 
 .lime l7(>-t. ]fe sto|)j)ed at Attoo Island to land his 
 iiitiipreteis and re})air his vessel, which was leaking 
 Icidly. Some shipwrecked Kussians were also taken 
 <i;i hoard, and ()n the 27th of August the Andreian i 
 yatdliii took her final departure i'or Kamchatka. On 
 the tth day of Septendier the coast was sighted, hut 
 Tolstykli l(»st his vessel in attemjtting to weather the 
 cajx' of Kamchatka. He succeeded, however, in sav- 
 ing hoth crew and cargo.* 
 
 As Tolstykh and A^assiutkinski claimed to hav^c per- 
 suaded the inhabitants of six islands to bocomo sub- 
 
 lictwcen the OOth and CiTtli dcfiree of iiortli latitude. Tho former, which aro 
 \\\\v K'liiiisrhiitiii, are t'lill of inoiintains and vulcanocs, have no wootU, and 
 liilt fi'W |il:iiits. 'i'he iiKire northern islands aliound in wocjil.s and fields, and 
 c \iisii|Uiiilly in wild lieasts. Aw to the Bava;,'e inhahitants of these newly 
 (lisi nvercd i>l;inds, tliey iire hut one reincivu IVoin liiutes, anil <litl'er fmin tlio 
 inlinliitaiit.s of the islands lately iliscovei-ed in the. . .South Sra, lieiiij^ the 
 vc'.y luviise of the friendly ami hospitalile peojile of Oluhiilc' Sliihliii'.t A</" 
 yvrtli. Ai-f/ii/'iliii/o, 1(» '_'a. 'i'he author l)e;^ins hi.s description of the islands 
 wi'.li Ajak, which he ri'preseiits a.s l.'tO versts in lircunifereiici', with hi,L;li 
 ru l.y nil niitiiJMs, valUys, dry Hlopts, plain.s, nmrass, tmf, nicadow.s, and 
 'ro;;iU,' ailiiiii;,' astutely, *.so tiiatyuu may e.i.sily ;ii) tiyrv all the island.' Ho 
 lil.-ii) states tiiat tiie inliahitants of Ajak cauiiot he numliered, lieeause they 
 Iiiovi' frinii island to island, erossiiij,' htiaits in hidais. In a note the rather 
 rciiiarkalile explanation is ijivcn that 'liidars an: lar:,'e lioat.s made of wliahs' 
 rilis.' II., •2'). 1'iic account givi'ii hy .Shchlin of Kadiak I^dand is evidently 
 hasiilcin Siiliivicf'.s ( xpciirnee in I7<i'-. hutoii the chart the i.s'.aiid is altoL,'ether 
 out of place, heiiii,' south of the Aleutian islands. 'J'iie inhaliitants are painted 
 III llie hlackest color.f, in accordance with .Soloviet's iiii|'res.sions. lie every- 
 V.luic di.splays the f^'ro.s.se.st i'^'iioralice. The word /orlnissii, a Kuniidiatka 
 crpii .■fsioii for fur hoois or skindionts, Stalilin aiijilies to t-no\t-sIiocH, and 
 /'./'.>//, .-uiMiifyiu.,' thread made of reindeer .sinew, Ik; deliiies as thread nii.dc 
 Cif till- lihrc of a reed. 
 
 'The rc)«)rtsof Tolstykh'.s voyr.r,'e iire conflictinj;; the A'cmc Xni'lir. j^'avo 
 Ir. ■ i.itiii a.s only I,t;8()'full {o-owu Kca-otters, 77>H ycarlin;,'s, and UT'i paps. 
 I'll ■•A I'laiTs it lit .'!.0;]!j i;c:i-otteis, and :>,\2 Mue foxes, in addiLion to i;ove.ni- 
 iiiiiit trihute of lOJ (;e;i-ottcrs, and values the cargo iit 1-20,01)0 ruhlea. 
 Kh)\,nf,l. It.. .-;4, upp.; XiHc Aadii:, C2. 
 UiKT. Alaska, t) 
 

 m 
 
 \l 
 
 
 H 
 
 k 
 
 
 iP'' 
 
 
 m ^ ^'' 
 
 
 m '*'' 
 
 
 m''^ !'i 
 
 
 ' i 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 If 
 
 I* 
 
 i IP ' 
 
 ' ii 'I 
 \t ■ 
 
 I 
 
 til!;- 1 
 
 1^= ' 
 
 " " li.'M 
 
 i:;o FURTIIF.R ADVENTURES OF THE rROMVSIII-EXIKr. 
 
 jccts of Kussiji and to pay trilmtc. tlio voy.i'^'c' w.is 
 <liily ie|)ortt'(| to tlio t'lnjuvss, who sul>s(<jiuiitly i» 
 warded Tolstvkh and tlu; two (.\)ssai-l\s.'^ 
 
 One vcssi'l was <U's|)at»'lu'<l to tlio islaixls in ITCtC. 
 1)Ut our inlonnation conctjrniiijjf it is meagre. It w.is 
 Idiilt and iittctl out under i\\c auspiees of <lie uk i 
 eluint Terontiv Chehaievski, and under the iinniediatr 
 sn|terintendenee of liis clerk Vassili ]?< j»ot'. |>i j • 
 elainis to have found a notice in tlie papers of Zdoii 
 ski to tlie ("Ifeet that (^hehaievski's Vessel retinnid 
 in I7('».'> with a carijfo valued at 104, 'J IS ruhles." 
 
 A plan had l>een formed l>y this c<)inl»itiati<»n of 
 wialthy niei'chants foi' niakinjjf a thorouj^h ex;iinin;i 
 tion ot the Aleutian chain ami the adjoiniiiLT eon 
 tiiient, and then to deci<le upon the m(»st l;iv«>i;il-i. 
 locality for open inijf opeiatioiis on a lari^ir scale. Th' 
 nhjcct of the expedition was well conccivejl and d- 
 servin*^ of success, but a chain of juifortunate ciiciii;! 
 stances conihined to frustrate tlu'ir desions. 'I'liice < I" 
 the shij)s titted out hy the pariiu'i-s wei'e destri)y< I 
 with all on hoard, and the foiu'th r<'turne<l withniii 
 even i)ayini^ expenses." We have the names ni'only twu 
 of the three vessels destroved, the Zakhar I Klrju'tln 
 
 * Berg Btatcs t!mt anion;,' tlit> pripcrs of tlie fciniur guvcrnor of oa.sl<vn 
 Silii'ria, iVnnis Ivannvii'li Clicclu'rin, lio fniiml a nM'ii[>t nt tlii' rni|;r' ; 
 ('athcTinc! of wliicli lie >,'ivfs tln> following' coiiy: 'h'linis Ivanovicli: \'ij 
 coiiiniiinioatioii cDnrcrniiij,' the suhjcctioii into alli -^iaiui' to .M<' of six liitlu 1 1" 
 iiiiUiiown jslamls, as well as (he copirs nf rcixirts of ( 'o'^saik \'assiiitkiii.ski ,i,. i 
 Ills coiiiiianioiis, \ liavc ri'uil witli sati- faftioii. Su< li < iitt r|irisf |ilt'asi's I > 
 very liiiicli. Jt iH t(» lir dcploiiil tliat tlu' ]ia]!<'is ^'ixiiiL; a nuni' ilciaii 'I 
 ili'siiiption of till" islamls and tluir inlialiitants liaM- lf«n lost I'.iirin.; t!.^' 
 vni'k of the vi'sscl. Tlir pi'oniisc of ivwaid Iroin Mo to tlu' ninvliant 'l"!- 
 si'vkli. ivtnrnin;^ to liiiii tlio ti-iitli iiart of proiiiMls ai-i'niin;^ to Oir. tri-asm y 
 
 from L'lich si'a-voya;;(', I fully a|i|irovc, and liiTcliy onli r yon io cany t 
 
 tliis di'sij;!!. Von will also promote tlii' (.'osnaiks \"assintkin.ski and \^\iiw>>\ I'l" 
 their servii'es to the rank of Xoliles in your ilistriet. ' May tl.il i;iant llui i 
 j.'ood sueeess in their projected voya^'e lU'Xt spiin;,' an<l a Kil'e return at i.s 
 ooIK•lM^ion. Yon will impress upon the hunters that they nn.rt treat tluir 
 new hrethron anil eonntryinen, the iniialiitants of Our newly nei|nireil i.'ai; i-, 
 witli the greatest kindness ami without i.ny oppression or ahnse. Manh -', 
 17('>(!. Catherine.' Iliiij, Khiuiiml. l~/,, lit! 7; '>/•'"/<,';//•, JJ< i'riiij., .'tl.">. 
 
 '• Kliiiiiiiil. /-./., app.; (Iiririii'jl:. tliitrnii, ;U.">. It was evident that I'"; ' 
 did not sail w ith Uiis < o.pedition, for we see him nienlioni'il as an active parliK '■ 
 in tliemoree\tensivei nlerprisis nndcrtahen in l7<^-'l'y 'i'rape/nikof, I'rota.-' I, 
 i:nd Lrpin, r.ei';;'s I.e. t a r.d most t;(i|iii nlly ijiioii il i.nlhoiity of ilie hist^ i y 
 of that jierioil. See ah-o J/\lii/i nn/d , Vi ijioji <// Silu r',v, ii. ll.'i; Andito' . i. 
 
 ' I <jiUi.j,i,ui/', i. Ll^- I'M, 
 
r.xiKi. 
 
 NF.UK XArniliniTKN". 
 
 ISl 
 
 Is ill ITC.o. 
 
 i\ Jt \V;is 
 r iln> iiM r- 
 iunnctlintc 
 xif. 1 >'•!.; 
 
 ; (tl' Zflnli 
 
 •1 ]-i'tunu<l 
 
 l)iiia1ioii (il 
 li cXMinin.i 
 
 :)illi!l<4 roll 
 
 t I'avoi'iilil'' 
 >ri\\v. Tlic 
 {'{\ aiitl <!■ 
 ate cin-ur.i- 
 <. Tluv(>..f 
 L' »lcstr(»y< I 
 <| wltlinr.t 
 )ronly tw ' 
 / Eli:iio '<< 
 
 I'Mior of t'a.-t> 11 
 
 ct Uk- llll| 1' 
 1\ aiiiivicli: i ' i 
 <■ .•!' six llillii ',■! 
 ;i^.-iintkiii.-ilii ■"■ • 
 jiiix' jilcasis I ■ 
 ;i llKili' ili'la:! 'l 
 lost t'.uriu^ '. ' '■ 
 
 lIUTcllUllt i'i- 
 
 til thi-. ti-i'.i-iii.' 
 Ill io I'any 'lilt 
 iaiul l^iiari'f t'lf 
 «;..l uiaiit tlm.i 
 ■aif iftiini at its 
 lilt..' ticat tlitir 
 ui|iiin'"l i 'am!-, 
 huw. Maivh •-', 
 
 .U-lit tliat I'.-l' f 
 iiiaftivriiailiif 
 ■iiikol. I'r.'tiis-' I, 
 .f llif lii.--t"iy 
 lll.i; Aiil'nto', i- 
 
 I'liiiiDaiKli'd by Driisliiimin. ((WIumI l»y KuIUuf, ami tlio 
 >:.■ Triiitsbi, or Holv Ti'mitv, ('(HiiniaiKlrd l>v J van 
 K(if«>viii. Tlic third is kintwu to iia\t! Ix't-n coin- 
 iiiaiMlt'd hy Mcdvcdt'l", a maslcr in the navy. Tho 
 t'.tnith vi'sscl was the jd'opcrty of l'ra|>(V.nil:oi, l»iit 
 w lio connnandt'd Ikt is no( |<n •wn.'^ 
 
 The Zd/./tiir I /■'/inindi sailed from Okliofsk tlie 
 (Itli of Sc|t1rnil)»'i' I7C.L', winttrcd ;it .\\atcli;i I5;iy, 
 .Hill jiroci'cdini,' tin- follow iiiij^ July ic-hIhmI At too. 
 wlirft' seven of the slii|»\vrrck('d ei-ov, of the Sr I'ctr i 
 
 l*iiril were t.tkcn on lionrd. ()n(' of tin 
 
 w, 
 
 Kiiitlin, who alone survived this <'\]i(»dition and I'm- 
 i:i-Iifd a I'ljiort of it. i'l-oni Attoo I )i'nsliinnin pro 
 
 cm let 
 
 I to A<l;d<h, whore iUlother vessel, the . \ii(l 
 
 I'r/i I II- 
 
 I \iitii/i(i was then anehoi'ed, hut as the natix'es ail 
 
 |i|(i(hlced leeeijits lor trihuti' si^lled ItV Tolstyl.h, 
 
 1 Jiiisliiiuiin contented himself with lilliuL,^ his \\;i{er- 
 ia>ks iuid moved on.'' 
 
 I'rom Adakh the Ziihhdr i J-.'/rjircfn proceeded to 
 I imiak where a l>arty of (llottol's men were then 
 
 '' \'i'iiiiiiiiiiii,i\ i. IIS. Tin" Hlii|> iif Mcilvfilcf wa-* lost Jit I'liiii.'ik; tlu! 
 sllip cnlMIM.illiiril I'V I >ril.sllillliill Wi'.s lliallln il V Itll I! I illissialis of V. lliilll lllldJ 
 
 I'lilv rrttiriui 
 
 iiioiii,' tliiiM «as r.r.-ii^iii \\ ln> is iiuiitiiiiuil in Skii/' 
 
 :i7 
 
 IIS liaviiiL; M 
 
 iiitci'ni nil Kai'.iak IsLunl in I7li.">. 1 
 
 iTLt <I.'11I11M 
 
 /"./; ii. 
 that Dni- 
 
 till 
 
 lililiin'.' iicw CMii.-istril ot S ii;iti\fs (if Kainrlialka ami lit Ku.'-.si..ii:;, iinlildil.^ 
 |i<i(iliiviliik .Miasiiikli. Khn iml. />/., ."iS. 
 
 Siiihi 
 
 'Y\v 
 
 yarliiii/i/i II is a small ocfavi 
 
 1" 
 
 itol 
 
 i 
 
 ' iiaaii lilaik Itttiiaiul jMilili-.JK il in ll.iiiilimv.' I'lnl l.ii|i.-ii' in I77'». li 
 
 I .iiitli'irslii|i nil ihf titl<'-|ia'_'c Imt tin' iiiiti.'ls ,1. I,. S. Mnr t liililiu'jiaiilK i i 
 
 I in 
 
 mil", il it aiiiiiiyiiiiiiis, a.s the iiiithiiisiii|i is invulviil in .--iiinc i in i 
 
 tiiintv. 'I'lii' lilnarv of I'oii 
 
 II 
 
 tl 
 
 U' Woll 
 
 it.ll.i-IKil 
 
 <1. 
 
 r .SImIiIiii <r 
 
 ililin. M. .1. N'liii Stahliii ]iiililislu'il an acfniiiit of tin- in \'. 
 
 il'tlii 
 
 ii|ii 
 
 lii'.'.i ill the /'</(/•/! 
 
 ('/■;/' ;• a 
 
 i/'/ii.-iliir K'lh mil r '\\\ 1771. 'Ill 
 
 tr.iMs|:itc.l into llii'ilish in LdiiiIiiii. ilmiii'' tho siinir Vi'iir, in a riiiall oetaxn \ > 
 
 mill'. 
 
 TIh'io is, howcvi'i 
 
 ! Si'iir Smhriilili 
 
 no iTa.snii 
 .f I 
 
 tolHli.vo tli.it Sta hlin was tlio.l. I,. S. 
 
 //, iis liiaiiv <>t liis staU'liK'iit.s 111 till' iiMn r woi 
 
 k.l. 
 
 lint auri 
 
 "illitln; text of the lattiT. A mall iiaini tl A. L. .'<t!ilii/i r |iiilil:.--hi tl in l! o 
 >i:ii' 1771. at llallc, (it rmaiiy, :i i|iiarto voluiiif of nvt r 4tH» |ia;'is tiilitli il 
 . I ";(<///( /(ic </.m7/('(7(''. Villi ill ,11 X' I'll II. titiiiiiiir 'HI kiiiiiii'il Milijii'ls. It it 
 jnflialilf Miat in Mr Schlti/.r mc lintl tlif oii-iiial .1. I,. S., a;' the liist if tli'J 
 i'itials I'liiht t Jisiiy have l«'i'ii iiiatlvt rtfiitly tliaiii^cil. It iii ii sii;iiilifaiil faifc 
 tl':it ia Slitlikof's viiy,!j.'(' \\c lintl wlitilc jiassi'.'iH ::ntl |iii!'is almost l!u' wili;;! 
 tiaiisuitioii friiiii thf \iir/irii/i'r :i. I'lxiilanatioiis mitl luircctioiinof this \<>lliiiio 
 tti I'f siiUttnu iilly )iillili.s|ifil iiiitli'i- thf auspices <if liufioii ill i\\r S, jif l.'/imiUi h 
 • ''■ I'I A'i/";-i , <!ri iriiii/!.:, Jiiiirii'j .-iinl I'lilhis Si riHsrlii' II ilrinj' .. i. 'SIW. 
 li'.itluT tiiaii this, in Aiin /'t'fi'/.ollliiii<i. vi. I'Jll. .1. .V. L. Von Sciili'/cr is 
 1. < iitiiiiie-1 as aiiiiiiii- of A'« M S^i"/,r<\hlni, iiiiil cuncsiiomliny im uilji r of the 
 i:.;iHri.J .\i:;t(liniy of .Scieuccu. 
 
U-2 
 
 FL-RTIIRR ADVENTURES 01' TIIF, PROMYSIILEXIKr. 
 
 Jii' 
 
 liuiitiiiLC. Tlic ]>civ(l()Vfhik Mlasnikli was sunt ovA 
 \\'\\]\ tliirty-fivi' uu'ii to (.'xjilort- tlio coast. TIu-v n\^ nt 
 t(» the iioilli-oast('i-ii riid dl' the island, and al'tur mci t- 
 iiiLT ovci'vwlici'i' \vi' li iiidii-atioiis of the I't'cciit |nvse'ir. .• 
 of I»ussiaiis, IIk'J returned to tin; ship al)out tlu; nu,!- 
 dle of SejitenilH'i', Ou tlio day of tlieii- n;tnrn Icittcis 
 \vere also ifceived tliroiiLjli native inessenners iVn; i 
 l!i.' vessels conniianded Ky Korovin and ^Nredvedei. 
 v.lio liad lately located tlu'inselves on tlu; islands i.f 
 I'lmiak and I'nalaska. J)rusliiiniin at once sent oiii 
 a reeonnoitrin''' nai'ty to the latter island, and in (hi- 
 time a i'a\<ii'aMe rejiort was received induciiiLC tip 
 coimnander to move his cral't to Unalaska, where hr 
 j'.iichoic ;l the "JJd ne;ir the northern end ol' the islauil. 
 V> lien the cain'o had heeii landed and a loundali'ii 
 l:ad I), 'en laid lor a winter habitation, two ol' the chiefs 
 oi' iieinhhorinj,' villai^'es volnntai'ily opened I'riendlv 
 intercourse h\- oll'erin^' ho^ta^cs. ()thersfVoni nior.' 
 • lisla'it setlh iiients Noon I'oHowi'd their example. 
 
 This iVleiidly I'l'cepri m encoura<.;-ed Drushiiuiin \> 
 adhert! to the old practice of dlvidiiiLj his I'orci- iiit > 
 iniall ])arties i'or the winter in order to secure hettci' 
 results both in huntin;^ and in procurin-^' .suhsisteinv. 
 The percdoxchik accoi'din^ly sent out J*etr Shekal I" 
 vith eleven men; anotlu'i- j»aity of eleven men uuilcr 
 ^Mikhail Khudiakof, and a third of nine men un^! i' 
 "S'efim Koshi^in. 'I'lie last named I'l-maineMl at I !i 
 liarhor; Khudiakof located his party at Ka1ekht;i'>: 
 Avhih; Shekalef went to the litth! island ol' Inah;!. 
 nhout thii'ty versts distant I'rom the ship. i)i'Ur>hiii:.;:i 
 ac«-ompanied the latli-r |iarty. Stepan Ivorehn, \. ii i 
 suhs(»(juenily alone survived to relate the occurrem - 
 ef that disastrous winti'i", was also a nieiiiher oi i! ' 
 ]naluk paity who had con.^ti'Uctetl a cahin in cle j 
 jioximilyto the natixe hahitation, containing* some 
 t wA'iity inmates. The relations lu'tween the proniy li- 
 ] iiiki and the natives appeared to Iw aitoLjelln'i- 
 tii-ndly, and no irouMe was ap|)i-elien<led until i m' 
 l>e;^innin'^' of Deci mher, ( )n the 1th a pally <»[ im' 
 
SLAUOIITKR OF Till; UU;-;.-;iAX.S. 
 
 iiic'ii set out in iiio inoiMiiiin' to 1oo!v jil'tci' tlic I'ox- 
 tnij)s.'" ])i-usliiiiiiiii, Slu'k.ilit', and SIic\'yriii Hkmi paid 
 ;i visit to till.' iKitivi! (l\vi'llin;j,'. Tlu-y had just mtrnd 
 t!ic low aportiirc when they wjiv s«;t upon hy a lunn- 
 licr ot" arnu'd nicn, who knocked down Shckalcf' and 
 |)ius]iinin with (•hil)s and tlu'ii finished thiin with tho 
 knivi'sthev hout^dit «)!' thi'Ui thed.iv Itel'ore. Shevvriii 
 h.id taken witii him from the house an axe, and uhca 
 the ixcited savngus turned thtii* attention to liini lio 
 liiadf sueh i^'ood Use ol' his Weapon tliat lie suect-edi'd. 
 ill rc'^rainiiig tlie ivussian winter-ijuaitns alisc, thou.uli 
 siV( rely wounded. Ih'a'^inand Kon-Iin at once l)i";a!i 
 In liic upon the Aleuts with their muskets IVoi.i 
 
 within, hut Ivokovin. who happene(l to he outside, 
 was (juiekly surrounded, thi-own down, and assaulted 
 with knives and spears until Korelin, armed with a 
 Ii,il;i' Ix'ar knil'e, made a "gallant soitie, woiuided two 
 nt" the islanders, put the othei-s to llight, and rescued 
 his hall-dead e(»nnade." 
 
 A close sie^e of jour davs jojlowed this san'Li'uii-.Mry 
 ell .laiight. 'ihe tire-ai'ins ol' the Ivussians preveuti'd 
 a iliai'^'e hy the enemy, hut it was unsafe (» show 
 tlieiiiselves otltside the llUt eVeli for a, moment, il 
 -' ,iicli of water or food. To add to theirappi'ehensioiis, 
 tlie savages dis|»layed in plain view the garments and 
 ;i;iiis of their eomradi's who had gone to\isit the fo\- 
 t;a|is. a sure iiidieation that they were e » jongei" among 
 I'll living. Tuder the shelter of nighl the lvussian-4 
 1 luiiilied a hidar and pulled anay out of the harhor, 
 till' natives watehing thi'ir moNcments. hut making no 
 .•iltclllpt to pursue. ( )nee out of si';ht of their en- 
 t iiiii'> Korelin an<l the other I'ugitivis landed, pulled 
 
 '" Iter;,' states tliiit I>nisliimiin Hcnt out llu'-f iiicii ami tlirii rcsiilvcil ti>\i-it 
 till' iU\i lli'i;; I'l' tln' iiativis w i.li till- rciiiaiiuli r ■'! IiIm iihii, Kmrliu, l!ia;.;i.i, 
 f'l.i'vvi'iii, Kiikiivin, ami nn" ntlicr. In tlir .\t m Siwlini-hl, n \m' liiiil i,:i 
 iif.i.mit nt' till' (HiMiiTrmc liiijii iin,' <''iiisi(|itMli|y in its (|f!ail.->. I >iiisliiiiiiin ^ 
 I' iiiM' i^ n<it iiii'n;ii>iiiM|, w jiiji' tlir niiinlMr n niMiiiiii'.' at linnic in }{iv(jii un livi-, 
 Mirkalcl', Kniiliii, I'liM^riii, Sln'\vriii, ami KukiAiii. 'I In ri' is t\ii y ii'a«ii( ; i 
 lii'li' vt, linwcMT. tliiit lii'iL! uan ciH Tci't. an I ini .liiiiiiiii \\ IK « ill 
 
 iiiiiii \\.iK \Mtli tin' p'lfty a 
 I'l ii'it ip] fill' ill liny iii'i'oiiiit nf «ulisii|\ii'nt cviiiti. A'A/mi/d/, I*!., .»'.•; St 
 
 it 
 .\'' ' 
 
 .•) (t 
 
 XtKkr., 77; <.'oxt'« Jtunninn U'tMoetfkit^ i. liHj \'i nitmiiuii', i, 
 
[i: 1 
 
 HI' 
 
 I'll 
 
 131 FUHTllKR AI>vrATlTvi:S OF TUK rilOMYSIILKXIKL 
 
 their Ixtnt upon tlie l)t>;icl», and set out across tlir liili- 
 to K;ilclJit;ik, wliLie (Ik'V i'Xliccicd to lind .KIiii(li;ikii| 
 idid his diitiuhiiKMit. Jt was after dark wlicii ihi y 
 rwH'lic'd tho iKiL,dil)()rhood. Tlioy fired sii^iial-j^uii^. 
 l»ut leeeivin!,^ no reply they uisely kept at a di.stan<« . 
 iJelore loii;,s liowevt-r, they f\)und themselves pursutd 
 }i\ a horde of savaij^es, and discoveriiiiL;" an isolated, pii - 
 eipitoMs I'ock Jiear I ho heaeii whieh eould he ilefendiil 
 lor a time, they eonelud«'d to make a stand there. With 
 tlu'ii- lii-e-arms they iinally heat i-lf the pursneis aii.l 
 r<sumeil their retreat, this time with hut little Impr 
 «>f lindiuL^' those alive who had remained with the shij', 
 ]'resentlv an ohii-et eau<'hl their eves which conlii'im il 
 their woi'st ap[)rehensions. It was the main-hal 
 ]\in''" on the lieaeh, haviuLj heeii washed \\\) hv t 
 v.avi's. Without waitiui,^ further coiilirmat ion of tin ii 
 i'ears the four men took to the mountains, hiding- 1 i 
 the ra\ ines until nii^htfall. Under c(»ver of darkin ^^ 
 they approached the; anch()rai''e, only to iind the ship 
 liroki'U U[>, and some stons with the dead hot'ies nl 
 tlieir conu'ades scationd on the beach, (latlu'riiiu i 
 i\'\v packages of dried ii»h and some empty leath^ i 
 iirovision-haii's thi-v stole away into the hills, whciv a 
 lemporary shelter was hastily constructt'd. '^i'luiiv 
 thev made occasional excursions at ni<;ht to the sciik 
 el' disastei', which nuist have occurred simultaneously 
 with those of liialuk and Kalekhtak, in search 'i 
 i>:ich needed ai'ticles as had heen left hy tile sava;4;c-.' 
 'i'he leatluT provision -ha _il;s, though cut open, wtic 
 \iiy acce[»tahle as material for the ctuisiruction of a 
 hmall hidar. 
 
 J"' roll! till' l)(h of December 17(>;1 imlil the 2d "t 
 
 '- l)ii\ idol' tills II story (if the tiiaiiiicr in wliii'li tlic .Mcuts sccunil a ciini:!- 
 tiiiicuiis iiii.sliiu.L:lit ii|>iiii nil Ihrci' ut' tin' liii.s^iaii «li'tai'liiiii'iitM. Aci'ok'iii.' 
 t'l him, tlii'V iiwirtcil to tin- ulil ilu\ ic<! of (li>tiiliuf iii;^ fiiimii;,' tlio clii''--"' 
 >illii;:('M lihiiiilcH of Nlickx, ii|U:il ill iiiiiiilit'r, one of wliicli whh to bu liiuiu<l 
 I'Mi'ii (lay till thu hiHt (lr>i;.'iiiitt'i! llu' ilay. Ih-idriiliinir I'lili ^hii-luW, \\. li'T 
 \ < iiiaiiiiiiof riillriiliH tin kIoi v aini ilt'cliiri'H it to In- an iiivciitioii of |)a\>'i"i, 
 II ' til) Alrllt.s had llilliilirrs ll|i to a tlloliH^iliil mill roiilil iiiHlly IlliM' a|>|l"^' ' ' 
 
 nil'' <hi\ without the lii'l|iof Hiiikis. V(iiiitiiii,fi\ /n/i,,-/.!, i. i|,s. No iiiiii'i'ii 
 lit it \-> iiiuih- ill .\'i »( .Xtirluii lit, II. IJiT^' al»o miolo.s iJitvidof, .V/kV^vj/'.- I >'!J- 
 
.KNIKL 
 
 KOROVIN'S KXl'KDITIOX. 
 
 l.lj 
 
 Kliutliaki'l 
 
 wlu'ii till V 
 
 ;it^iml-;4iiii-. 
 
 a tlisliiiiiT. 
 
 .X'S pUl'.SUctl 
 >C tlel't'lKl' '1 
 
 lu'vo. ^Villl 
 in'sticrs iiii.l 
 :, little hojir 
 1th tlu'slii|'- 
 •h coniirnn (I 
 
 luain-liatili 
 [ ii|> l>y lli> 
 itioM (»rtli( ;r 
 lis, h'urm;^," ii 
 
 nl' (hukiii -- 
 liiul the slilp 
 iid lioi'irs i'\ 
 ( Jatlu'riii;a' ■' 
 
 ipty U-atli' 1 
 
 /ills, wlu'iv a 
 
 ThrlK. 
 to tho HCl'lH 
 
 lultancou-^lv 
 It scarcli 'I 
 11 u" sava;j:«-.' 
 
 n|H'tl, W' I' 
 
 Inictioii <'i ;i 
 II the 2(1 "1 
 
 I SCfiUlTll ft Hiiiiiil- 
 lints. ALOinlilii! 
 Illlvf till! clii' '-"' 
 
 Lilrt to 1>1! llUMl'^l 
 
 I, ,lr-l<iir, ii. "'"• 
 lit loll of l>ll\iil"l. 
 Iv liiiM- ai'li'i'i'' ' 
 I'l IS, No iiiiu'i''" 
 It. :ihtiilci>j' 1 lutf- 
 
 T(!»rnai-y 1"(!lthoso unl'ortiiiiatcs ivinaiiKMl in liidiij^-, 
 l.iit oil the latter date their hidar was .suc-fe.ssl'ully 
 liiuii-lied, and hetoro inoniinL? tiie l)arty iiad i'iiierL,''ed 
 j'roiii Kaj)i<()n liay, coastiiiLf to the westward in search 
 (if niii; oi' Ti'a})i!/nik(>r's vessels eoiiinianded l»y K'Um- 
 \iii.*' TliDUudi travellinLj only at nii^ht and hiiliii'^- 
 anioiig tho cliil's hy day, they were soon discovei-ed l>y 
 ili(! natives, and in the vieinity (»!' Makushin village 
 ihcv were ('oni[)elled to sustain a sir;^o of live Wfcks 
 ill a cavc', exposed to constant attacks." Durin!^^ I his 
 whole time tlu'V sull'ered inten.sclv iVoni huniicr and 
 ihiist, and woidd certainly have succninhed had it not 
 hi III I'or an ani|)li' sujt[»ly of powder and lead which 
 juivt'iiteil theii' enemies iVom en^'ai^iiii;' them at <-losi; 
 t|!iaiTi'rs, At last on the ;!()th ol' .Maich the Innitlves 
 Mii'cecdi'd in ioinin'-' their count lymen undci' Jvoro\ in, 
 
 v.lio wcri' 
 
 then 
 
 I siationi'd on the southern sliori' of 
 
 Maku.shin '•";*'. Shevyrin died at I'nalaska duiiiiLj 
 tlic same ,i n, the other three, Korelin, Kok(t\in, 
 ii'.id Ih'a^in, recoveri'd their strength, hut only the 
 loviiicr linally ri'ached Ivanii-hatka with Soloviefs v 
 fx\, alter [ias.siny ihrongii additional \ ici.ssitudes. 
 
 es- 
 
 Tho ship *SV Ti'd'ifshi, whii-h Koi-ovin conunanded, 
 was littetl out in I7(!'J hy Nikolor Trapeznikol",'' and 
 
 " V( iiiiiiiiinof in I'flatiiiL' tliis (ii'i'iiri'i-noi' luMn tlii't u cliiiiitaltk! niifivi' 
 f'Miii'l tlif fn'titivi'silnriii'i tlic winter, iiml not only t'liiUil to Ixti-iiy tlimi, luit 
 f;:|i|ili('<l tliciii \\ itli iiiovi.sioiiN, piiyiiij^' tlit in oi'ca.sii'iiai htealtliy \ i:<i*..>iat nir,lil. 
 
 I'l , ' r,;(''/)ii/', /llj)., i. iii). 
 
 ' IliriJ, Khfiwil. hi., "-! l>viiki\ J'lif., ii. Ii:i. 
 
 '•Jtii';.; hiii-ci'ciUmI ill collfi'tinL! tlu' t'olluuin;,' data coiiii riiiiiL! tlio tnin.i^u-- 
 ti'iimot tills <'iitt'i|irisiii^ liti/t ii of likiit.'U. In tlu' rouiHtof '.'."i yniiH ho 
 ili'-Iiiifilu'd III Vessels ii|ion voyaj^i'Hof ili.sroxt ry to tin' tastu.inl of l.;'i;i- 
 t iska. lli.s (iliitika AiXoVii inailo tliici' voya;. r.i Ix twcm ITii- a'ii<l IVCn!. 
 
 A .-'ii;,il iHi.'it naincil tlic /'('.•./( iftiirnril in l7o7 "itii nn <\<' lin;;ly li.li cat r >, 
 
 X .ill. .1 at -.'."iJ.iKKt nil.lcs. 'I'JK' Sr VV(.<.'.</.(, ilu' ,Sr I'-lr > Sr I'url, and on.- 
 I t., IT Vessel wliiili ietilined ill ITH.'l \Mtli a eari'ii \allieil at {((."i.TII'l rntiji-i, 
 ii'.' Iieloiifieil to 'rrape/nikof. 'I'lie Mia-oiter-HkiiiH aloni- lii'oii;.'lit liy l!ii:vi 
 I piiluioiis nimilM'l'erl iiver lO.Otltl. liel;,' eom Indes as fnllciUM: ' It Would !.i' 
 tl li;!eie-.t to Know how niiii li w i all !i 'IVai t/liikof i( ali.'ed out of all tlnwi 
 • it. rpriseH. hall Savii li Lipin told ine tliat tlir-injili loi<seM sustained in mi!!i" 
 I i I:'h niidertakiii;; 1, and tliioii.:li llie liitduniitry o| some ol Ium delitiiii, 
 '!'• |H\-iiikof siiiidenly found Idi.inelf ndiucd liom wialtli to jioviTty.' |i::4 
 e' ! -e \\;is pas.'^J'd in «tiaitetifd eiieliin •tlinee-*, i lid ! e !i li luili Ij fliol!;;!l t'l 
 il uiy ilii; (.xia-uttfu of hill Iniiial. ht'ininil. /«/., UJ-II, .1;-^'. 
 

 f 
 
 it 
 
 ):i(5 iriiTirF'.ii Ai>vr.\Tri!Ks of tiik i'noMYs;iTLi:xiKT. 
 
 sailed fVoiii the iMoiitli (if tlic KMiiicli.'itka Kivci* om 
 tlif I. (til «»r Si'j)t('inlK'r, witli a cfcw of tliir<y-('i;;li! 
 Jviissiaiis and six KaiiiclialUaiis. Tlioy {(asscd llic 
 winter nil liciiii"^- Island, i-cniaiiiini;- until i\\r 1st nl 
 August of the Inllow inn' year, 'I'lie ship fitted nut 
 l»y INotassol' and eoiuinantled hy Medvedef had al><i 
 wintered there, and hel'ore saiiin^if the; two eonunander- 
 made some exehaii'^es in theii- erews. After sustain 
 \\\[f some loss l»y death, Kofovin had at tlu^ time <!' 
 his de|iartin*' from IJerinL*- island thiity-sinen nu n 
 and Medvedef fortv-nine. hoth vessels ma<le a slmit 
 
 4' 
 
 run to the Aleutian Islands, reuehinuf the straits in 
 tween Tnuiak and Tnalaska on the lath of Aiinust. 
 Medvcdet' concluded to i-emain on I'mnak IsioiJ 
 while Korovin s<'lected an anchoraije on the I'liaia- 
 
 shore 
 
 Tl 
 
 le native villages <»n t he co, 
 
 1st a 
 
 I'! 
 
 »i'are( 
 
 ! (. 
 
 lie deseitcd. l)ut a short distance inland some iiihai»it' il 
 d\\ tllill'_!;s were found. 'V\\^' chief of the settli'llKMit, 
 olli red si'veral small hoys as liostaLjes, and producid 
 trihiite receipts sii^iied liy the ( 'ossack Ponoiiiai'.r 
 Koio\in e\idently was satislii-d with his icci^ption. ;i < 
 he rettiriie<l immediately to the ship, landed his whole 
 
 eaiLTo, erected a lain'e hut ol dllll-\V< 
 
 MM 
 
 ant 
 
 1 1 
 
 tiiiit 
 
 S( 
 
 111 
 
 •\eral hidars for his hunting;' part it 
 In a few Weeks all the arraiiLi'eiiK nts for the wiiitri' 
 Were made, and Koi-ovin set out with two hoat^ 
 manned hy nine men each, our ot' them commande I 
 liy llaiiiashef, who had \isited the is|;ind previou.sly 
 with (Jloltof. They visited three \il!a^'esin succe- 
 sioii, iiieetiiii,' everywhere willi a friendly lece|ition e;i 
 the |iart of the chiefs, hut nearly all the adult mah ^ 
 
 appealed to he alisellt iVoHl home Alter the .s;il • 
 
 return of this party another expedition was s<'iit o 
 
 to the east side of the i>lan<l whence tlieV also \< 
 
 turned unmolested ai'comp.iiiii'd hy some hostai;< 
 haxiiii; met duriiit;- their ioiirney with some men « 
 
 i:l^ 
 
 I )ru>>hiimiii's party. I''eelinj4" ""^^' '^'d'e. Koi-ovin s( 
 out a huiitinj^' parly o|" twenty-three under llarna>li 
 
 1.1 
 
 ni/>, 
 
 /'((//<ii, Mni'ilitiifii til itnij', I. '271, 
 
FURTHKR IIOSTILITIKS. 
 
 137 
 
 ill two liidars, to the west end (»!" llio island. V.iu'h 
 1. ;it c.iri'it'd ti^lit iiuiski'ts and cviTV maii IkmI a |)ist(»l 
 ,iiii| a laiitr; [iruvisioiis lia*l Ifocu juijiaivd lor tlie 
 
 U illti'I'. 
 
 At various iiiiu's duiiiiu^ tlu- season K>ttcrs wero 
 i(<iivt'<l from the dotacliod j»ai'lit>s i-(|M)r<iii'L;' tliiir 
 >al'«tv, l)iit ahout tlio middle ol" I )('cinilur Ivoinvin 
 iiciived wai'iiini^ that a lari^c force of natives was 
 iiiat'eliini,' toward the slii|> with hostile desii^ns. 'I'he 
 I lussian (MMMniandcr at onee railed his men under arms 
 
 ! . 
 
 \V.. 
 
 tCtSt u( ThC CONfUCT 
 
 UklW fckM 
 
 PnOMYSHLENIK & NATIVES 
 
 »% Itik IBI AMI Of 
 
 UUNAK X UNALASKA 
 ¥u>u\ 
 
 K H-'ni • I'll* ••■ l*liv«| 
 
 • - -lllH*ttll>l>ll.'»ll*<k. 
 
 — -«.. •• -. 
 
 .....411 vs' ^-''' -.-> 
 • • ,(' ■)■••• ■ •■ ■ 
 
 
 
 - ■■ ;! .■...-'■,r'"-K'''''"v. 1 ' 
 
 v^ »■ / 
 
 / / ,» i- 
 
 */ 
 
 / 
 
 r 
 
 .X 
 
 ^ 
 
 I 
 
 LKiCNU 
 
 l> Ujl.^ (.'U^*.! ).'• *t4li»«* 
 
 I* t>«i» atiM* hxtalin** |-Ml| ««> l>««i«^f*l, 
 tj.k h'* MtiiUi Mni- r^v Ulu( tfwWiivt^i 
 
 II, tv <i<mM'* <)tat UaJtug 'X t'M*U«ha. 
 
 I >t.*iM.rii"i>"»-i«i..h. 
 
 k.ltl lt..r.W*l',>.*iM* .»l«*wt»lMMM 
 
 ^•»ru. I>.l.r«|.n|. 
 1. n ,,i«t .,«««i.4« «r K«tv< Ik •'l#<.lH««i« b 
 
 .A.M.I... WIUi- 
 ,\n 
 
 Sii: --K ur ("(IN II I If. 
 
 aihl ke|.t a striet wateh. The followiiiL;' day ahout 
 M'\enty savaiLjes made their a|i|»earan<'e earryiiiL;' I'un- 
 tllis tif sea-otter skins in order to throw the jiromysh- 
 I' ||il^i ojf their '^uard; hut lvoro\in wonid allow only 
 I'll of them to a|i|iitiaeh his house at the .same time. 
 i'lie savai-'es |»ere«M\ in^;' that- their dt'sii^n was known, 
 •iii'l that >ur|>ri.se had heenme im|>ossih|e. dis|ici.--i d e|' 
 t!i' ii- fm-s t|uii'tly and retreated. ( )n the same excn- 
 i:i.;, liowiNcr, three nali\es of kanieliatka came to 
 l!i'' liouse ill a ureat fri''li(, iciioriiii.:- that the\- he- 
 
irA 
 
 rn:Tiii;u advkxturks vv the promysiilexiki. 
 
 mi 
 
 ir' 
 
 l<)i)irt«l If) Ktilkof's ship, tliat. is to sjiy Drusliimiiii's 
 jiaitv, iiin! that tlic vessel liucl been ilestioyecl ami all 
 tln'ir nMiiiviilcs killfd. 
 
 Tilt' pvoinysliieniki, now iliorounlily alarmed, |)i( - 
 |)aiv«l for (lefeiice. vVl'ter remaiiiiiii;' iiiiinolested I'ni 
 two days, ii lavj^o force attacked and Ixsiei^ed tin iii 
 tio-i-ly fill- four <lays, during- wlii<li time two Itussians 
 wep kilk'd with arrows, and li\e natives were counted 
 dead on the Held. On the lil'th day the enemy rt - 
 tr«at<!d to a cave near hy, keepint^ U|>, however, a 
 vij'ilant l>iocka(h>, and makinn* it danu'ercius to pioceed 
 {:ny dist;ince Irom tlie house. Woi'U out with c(>ii- 
 Hlant watiliiiijjf and lirin;^^ Korovin at last conchKlid 
 to huiv his iron, tlu.' ailicle most covefcd Kv tln' 
 savaj^es, and his stores (►!' hluhher and oil nndir the 
 IioUhe, and to letreat to the sliip. His |ihin was car- 
 ried out, and the shij) iincliored within a sliort <listaii(r 
 ct'tli*; shore. Tlie (hini^-er of sudden attack was thus 
 l«'ssened, hut huiiu'r and the sctnvy were thire ;i- 
 relentless as the savages. At length, on the; 'Jdth of 
 April, recnforced by the three fugitives from J)rti- 
 shiiinin's conunand, Korovin ])ut to sea, hut so reduci d 
 was his cj-ew tliat thi' ship » ould scarcely he worktd. 
 ])uring a gale on the 'J^Sth the unfortiinat(! jnom;. - 
 hhleniki weie wn-cked in a cove im Umnak Inland. 
 ^Several of the sick died or were drowiu'd, and (,'iglit 
 i»f the hostages made their escape. Tlie arms, am- 
 munitlon, s(»me sails, and a \\ \\ sia-lion skins were .;!1 
 thai c«>uld l<e savt-d. A temporary shelt«raiid ioilil,- 
 cation was consti'ucted of I'mpty casks, sails, and skiii •, 
 where tilt! remaining sixteen, including three <lisahh I 
 by wurvy, the three hostages, and the faithful inh i- 
 •reter, Kashmak, ho|)ed to secure some jvst bef' i • 
 
 leir iKipo was m van. 
 
 !<reter, JVasnmaK, no|)e(| to se 
 « thinning a new struggK>. Tl 
 J)ui-!iig the first night a large party of savages ;i|'- 
 ])r«»ached stealthily I'rom the sea and when within t 
 Ji'W yartls of Ww miserable encam|)ment tlischarg'd 
 their sjK'ais and arrows with <ei'iil)le cH'ect, piercii u' 
 the tent and the bariicade of .sea-lion skins in m; 
 
 I' \' 
 
TIIK RUSSIANS CLOSKLY PRKSSED. 
 
 139 
 
 rava^fs v\>- 
 
 iilaces. Two of tlit; KiLssiaiis aiul the tlu'co liostai^os 
 ^Vll■(• killinl, and all lliu other liushiaus iscvcivly 
 
 WOlllK 
 
 led. 
 
 Tl 
 
 ic oils 
 
 laiiLilit was so sudden that tliere \vas i 
 
 lO 
 
 time to ^et ready tlie fiie-unns, hut Koi'ovin willi four 
 of tlio Kast ihsahled seized their hiiiet's and made a 
 
 .so 
 
 itie, killinj^ two of the sava;4'es and (h'ivinj;' away 
 the remainder. Covered with wounds, th«j five hiave 
 men returned to their eomra(K's, now thorou,i,ddy iVir^- 
 heartened. In the mean time tlie ji^alw liad eontinued 
 niiahated, hreaking uj) the stran<Ied vessid and srai- 
 1t riiii^ tlio eai'!'"o upon tlie heueh. Soon al'tiM' (hiv- 
 li'4lit tlio natives retuj'ned to resuni(> tlu,' woi'k of 
 I'luuder, the llussians beinj^ too loeMe to interi'ere. 
 Tluy earried olf what hooty they eould and remained 
 away two days, duiiiii;' whieh tiniesueli of the wounded 
 jiriimyshleniki as were still ahle to move about picked 
 ii|i what fra_L,anents of provisions and furs the savaij^es 
 had left, also a small (juantity of iron.^'* On the 'JDth 
 (lii'd one of the woumled men, who was also snirti'- 
 in'4 from scurvy. Three days al'terward one hundred 
 and lifly islanders aj)proachi'd fi'oi.: the east and lired 
 at the liussians with muskets, but the bullets fell wide 
 
 the 1 
 
 iiarlv 
 
 ir» 
 
 They then set lire to the diy grass in 
 uvAi'V to burn out the fugitives., A constant filing 
 >i|' lilt! Kussians, however, foili'd fluii- efforts, and at 
 
 cs 
 
 la>t the savages rt.'tii'ed. 'V\\v vict a> found tlu-nistK 
 ill such u state of j)rostration that they remained on 
 the same sj)ot until the 21st of July, when the few 
 survivors, twelve in nunibi-r, six of whom wen; nativts 
 <A' I'Camchafka, eniltarked in a roughly <'onstrncted 
 hidar in search of Medvedi'f s party. iVfter ten days 
 el' coiisting the suflei-ers arrived at a place where the 
 
 charred remains o 
 
 f a 1 
 
 I 
 
 mined vi'ssi 
 
 •1, of t>)in »''ai'inent> 
 
 lils and riuui'i'-. u'iue evidence of anotlui' disaNter 
 
 'o» !-> 
 
 '• Vfnlnmiof, Z<i]>., i. 1.12-1; San/rh/, Putfsh., xi.PM 
 
 '"A inrlinn <.f tliis iron wmm ci't iisii!!! jih an oll'i riiij; to tin- Hliiitii- of tli' 
 n ii'i >\liii>t' i:M-istiiiii'i' liny iiii|ili)i'cil ill tlii'ir <ii.-.ti'< s-i, Xriii Xmlir., 'M ■'.. 
 
 "'Ilii.i i;; till' 111 iiir.t!iiuii rci'onliil iif llir iiM' 111" I'm ■a^lll^* ly llu' ii.i.Im; 
 .\K lili.iiii,, Xt hi: .N'i(i7./'., U.".; ^■j'tlmj', in MuDiLiji tiliwtilk, c. 40. 
 

 1 !0 rniTIIKR ADVKXTURKS OF TITK PROMYSIILKNIKI. 
 
 Flllt'd with .Mlarni the fi|f]fltlvos laiidrd iui<l liastciuMl 
 up to a lioiisc wliicli had t'sca|)('(l destruction. It was 
 tMDpty, hut ill an adjoininj^ hathdiousc twenty <lead 
 bodies weri! found, ai>ioniL( theuj tliat ol'tlie coniniander 
 ^ledvedet". Tlierc was some intheation of tlie rorpses 
 haviui^ heon (hv)<4L;('d to the sj>ot with sti'aps and hehs 
 titMl aroiuid their neeks, hut no further details of the 
 eatasti'ophe could i)e ohtained, and not a soul sur- 
 vived to tell the tale.-" Necessity coni|»elled K(»rt»V!n 
 to remain at this ohastly spot, and preparations were 
 niadi' to repair the house for tlu^ ap|>roachin_i;- w intei-, 
 when Sti'paii (Jlottof, who in the mean time had ar- 
 rivt'd on the othei' side of Unmak Island, made his 
 a|)p(>aran<'e with eight men. The so lately des] airing' 
 
 \>J <i;i 
 
 jiiouiyshleniki were wild with jo\,an<l jor'n'ettii 
 
 the instant theii* huni^er and diseases, they pLnnicI 
 
 further ventures, ai^i-eeine- with (Jlottof to hunt and 
 
 trad 
 
 e on 
 
 jouit 
 
 a ceo 
 
 unt. 
 
 The voya<^o of (ilottof, coverijiir the four yi'aiv; 
 fioiii I7(')"J to irC)") inclusive, was hy fai- the mot, 
 important of the carliei- e\p«'ditions to the islands, 
 and constitutes an enoch in the swarmiuir of the itro- 
 
 myshleniki. 
 
 A new vessel to which was niveii the old name < I' 
 Aii<}i'('iiUi I Xnfulhr^ was huilt in the Kamchatka ]Jiv< i' 
 hy Tereiitiy ( 'hehaievski, Vassili and I\an l*opt»l". an I 
 l\;in Lapin, and saile<| ou the 1st of ()ctoher I7iij, 
 under connnand of (Jlottof, wintering' at ( 'o[)per l.d- 
 
 aiu 
 
 l;.i 
 
 ••"» Ki'iK- Xnrin:, lO.'i; T 
 
 iiKif, /Ciiji., i. !)S; 111 I'll, K/ifiiiiii/, /st., 70. 
 
 ■'" Sliip iiiiiiiciulntui'c ill Aliiskiiii Miitcrs nt tins lime is <iiiilii'iiiiif. St I'i'ti r 
 
 aii<l St I'mil V( re the favorites, Imt tliLTe wric otiicr iiiiiiii's I'liiitiniici 
 
 1 fr 
 
 OIK' siiip ti> :iiii)tli('i', ami tlio suiii<' iiatiii! ^vaHcvcii given to two Niii|m alloat iit 
 tlu* Haiiie tiiiic. 
 
 '^■Siinj'liij\ I'lilfnh,, ii. .'i?. I>iirinj5 tli« wiiitiT Vakof .\JalfvinMkoi, witli l:t 
 liM'li. \t;is hint to llcriliu' Island in a liiilai' with llistniitioiis to uatlicr uii \« li.it. 
 ii-.<l'iil liiatiiial Hiili iiinaini'il ot jli riiij,''H vrssil, u liiili si't-ins tu liavc ln'i ii i 
 nia>;a/.ii f naval stons tor tlu' |ii'oniyslili'iiiki lot- nearly a ijiiartt'i- of a n n 
 
 till \. 
 
 MalrxinHkoi, ulioilii'il sliortiv alt< r liis VMva;^i> to Itcriii'' is'iiind, 
 
 very Mircfssfiil in liis niissioii, Mr scciiiril lictwctii I'l'.'lit ami nino Iminli 
 liiil.ml.-< of old ii'on, tIMI |iouiids of l'i{L;;^'iiit{ aini calilc, soim' I' ad, stVi'lal tl 
 
 bumi btriii^s of Ix'utU, an<l 
 
 some I'Dpiicr 
 
 i'l" 
 
 .v. 
 
 .\'<(i7(i 
 
 KC, 
 
 or a tunc t. 
 
V()VA«;i: or iilottof 
 
 Ml 
 
 On ♦lie 2(){\\ iir.fiily l7';-'{ ( jIlottorMuiiiii jmt lo sea, 
 jiii'l nt'tcT a trdiniis and .'^toniiy voyai^t' sij^hti'd I'lu- 
 l.ak CM till' 'J-lth of Au^^nist. Ilavilli;' plrviously 
 Ai^iti'd this island and I'nalaska, wlu'iic'c lii' lirouj^lit 
 tin- lin-t l)lack foxi'S to Kainciiatka, tlif connnander 
 cniicIiKlcd not to loiter tliciT, Itiit til sail on in search 
 {)[' n<\\ discoveries. J'assiii;^- ei^ht lar!4e islands and 
 a nmliitnde of smaller ones, (ilottof linally anchored 
 ell the Sth of Sei>teinl)er otf tlu' coast, of a lar^c and 
 mountainous island, called Kikhtah l»y tlit! natives, 
 hut HOW known as Kadiak. The tirst meetin;^ of the 
 ]iiis->ians with the inhahitants of this isle was not, 
 J roniisin_!^. A few of the savages ap|»r<»ached thi' 
 s'ii|> in their kyaks, l»ut the Aleut inti')*j)i-et«.r, ]\an 
 (ilut('>r, a j^oilchild <»f the comniandei", co\dd not con- 
 v.ith them, and when on landiiii;' some haltita- 
 
 VeiM' 
 
 tlons Welt' (liscdverec 
 
 d,tl 
 
 lev W( 
 
 ■re found to 1)(; desertt »l. 
 A lew days later a ])arty came to the Russian camp 
 with an Aleutian hoy who ha<l heen captured seveial 
 vi ais hcfortMluiinij a hostile descent of the Kadiak 
 pel. pit! upon the island of Sannakh, and through him 
 iiitcrconi'se was held. (Jlottof endeavored to pcr- 
 ; iiade the .sava^^es t<» pa\' trihute to the imperial ,^o\ - 
 ( nniient and to furnish hostages, hut tlu'V refused. 
 The natives here were ol' iieict r aspect, more intelli- 
 j;'enl and manly, and of liner jthysitpie than thost; of 
 
 j-iiiii;. St I'-'tcf 
 
 |<mlimto<l fii'tit 
 
 sliijiK titloiit at 
 
 initlioiitifx lit Kiiiiii'liiitliii iiiiil fipiliiililtn tlic ])roinyslili'iiiki to visit r(iii|)i.T 
 l>l,iiiil, iimliT ilic iiii|>ri'«.Hiim that viiIiiiiIpIi' ilriiusits of coiipt r \vi rr loca'.iil 
 tluif. In I7"i."i I'ttir \«ki>vl( f, i\ niininj; riiuiiK tf, wan onli itil to tlu' i.<liiiiil 
 t" \u\ > >li^'ntf the liiattiT. < 111 llif iioit li-\M .it )ii.ilil, ulu-ic tlii' lialivr fopiHi* 
 l;iiil litrii i(|i(ii'ti'il to (Sist, w.i.t a liaifow li'< f of loc U^ ."oinc "Jd or 'M) fatlioiiis 
 lil>\i<lth. |>ai'tiully i-o\ i nil at llooil ti<l<', l<iit N'akoxicf .•.tatcil that he coiilil 
 Hot ili^riivir any iiulicatioii of coiiiirr tiu'i'i'. (in aiiotlHi' iccf, i\iiiiiiii^' ^till 
 fiii'tlicr out into tiic sia, lie luiticiMi two vcini* of n iMi -li nml (.'itcni-li appt .ii- 
 aiicc, liiii the nit^tal hail loni; xinri' lircn ri'inovnl with the aiil <>l pii ks ami 
 ii'l/fw. At till' luoi if thi* ri'i'f, iiowi'vir, he fonml pii rrs of iii|i|iii- 1 Aiijcntly 
 HiiiiKilhcilliy tl'( ai'tiiin of tiiu sea. t 'attain Knnit/iuin I7<W ri'iiortril that 
 liiiu'h i'o]i|ci' w.'.H foiiiiil on the i.-lami. tlMt it vas wasli.il tip li\ llu> sra in 
 M;<lii|ilaiili'iin tl at ihi| N conlil \h- Iwaiinl with it. /'iilliK, yt.nl. ll-Hr.. i. '2'tH. 
 '1 he .-.utlior, howcvci-. ninarkM that at th'' tinir of hi> wi itiny. I7*><'. Ili<' roppi r 
 lii\'l (.■.natly iliniini- IhmI in ipianlity ami Imt iVw pirr: h l.u;4ii' than a luan 
 i-mi!'! Ill" foiunl. /aiUi'f, anotin'i- navi/atoi'. i' porti'il aliotit tin- haiiu- linii' 
 tliat 1 opin'i- Wat v.asiitil npi'n t!u^ hraili, hnt tliat one of the proniontorii'.i 
 )>iv^>t'uLu(l I'wvy ik^)|ituti'unui) of It lojuicr-uuiii'. 
 
[ii.^ 
 
 Hi!: . 
 
 1 »'_» FrnTiTEn advfa'tures of tiir rnoMYsriLFNiKi. 
 
 tlic nu)i'(! wostcjni isl(>s. At iirst tlicy would not even 
 allow tht! inturpn.'bT to nMiiiiin temporarily with tin; 
 liu>ssians, but a few days later the boy made liis 
 :i|»]Haraiiee in the liussian cam]), and subsecpiently 
 |iioved (»f' j^reat service to his ntsw patrons. '-"' Under 
 such circumstiuiees (ilottof deemed it best not to <lis- 
 ehartxo the caru^o, but to keep the ship moored in ;i 
 b.iy near the mouih oi' a crei'U, where she floated at 
 every hinli tide. A strict watch was kept nii;ht and 
 
 • lay. lOaily on(> morniniLi; a lari;'e body ol" armed 
 isliindt-rs crept U[» to the anchoraLCe^ unobserved, and 
 sent a shower oP ajrows upon tin* Russian sentinels 
 hidden behind the bulwaiks on the deck. The i^uards 
 
 • lischarocd their muskets, an<l th(! (U'af'eninjjf .s()un<l 
 sent th(! savaj^es scatterinj^. Jn their wild alarm tin y 
 left on the j^round riide lad«lers, pa<'kan-es of sulphui, 
 <lrie<l njoss, and biTch bark, a proof of tlu'ir intention 
 to lire the shij), and also of the I'act that the Kadiak 
 
 il 
 
 lik 
 
 <1 
 
 peojile wei'e a race nioic waiiike an<l nuti'e (lani>'(M'oMs 
 to deal with than the Aleuts. They were certainlv 
 fertile in both otUusive and defensive devices; fur 
 only four days after the first attack, |)revious to which 
 they had been unac(|uainted with tire-arms, tin v 
 a^ain made; their appearance in lai'^c forces, and pro- 
 \ ided with inu'eniously contrived shields of wood and 
 v.ickei--woik intended to ward off the 1 Russian's hulht-. 
 The islandei's, ho\ve\-er, had not had an o|>j>oi'tunily 
 of I'sl iniatin«r the force of missiles proj)elled by powdti', 
 f.)r the ]\*ussians had j)urposcly fii'ed hiiih duriiiiL,' their 
 attack, and another rout was the resalt of a second 
 ehai'n'i'. 
 
 The defeated enemy allowed three W(^eks to pass hy 
 without molestini^ the intiuders, but on the 'JCitli ol' 
 ( )clobcr there was vet another attack, 'J'he elaborat" 
 pi'ejiarations now made showed wonderful abdity I'"!" 
 ! avaiL;-es. Seven larye })ortalile breastwoi'ks, conueal- 
 
 V 
 
 ' Tliis Iniy wim Hiilw<|iii'iitly Uikoii to Kiiiiu'liiitkii iiml Iwtptizeil ini 
 
 'I' IWIIIIC II 
 
 if All 
 
 i.l.r 1' 
 
 l|Hlt. 
 
 Aar/ir.. Klii: I 
 
 llll'IIIIIIK 
 
 'l\ Z'^ 
 
 Itr. 
 
 I'ui' iniiiiiHi's iiinl iiiHtiJiiiy of tliu ulxjri^iiK'H hcu Aatirv Jiiicm, vol.-*. i. ami 
 tliia .-A'l ic.i. 
 
TIIK RUSSIANS AT KADfAK. 
 
 N3 
 
 iii<; from tliiify to forty wnrriors onoh, wore noon np- 
 iiroiu'liini; the Vi-sscl «';iply oiu' iiioi'iiiii'L,', ami \\1i»mi 
 in';ir ( iioiij^li .spi'in's and arrows licL^an to dioj) likt; hail 
 imoii ih«' iUmU. Tlic proinyslilniiki replied with vol- 
 l V after volley of nmsketry, hut this tiiiM- the shields 
 appeared to l»e btdli't-pi'oof and the enemy kept on 
 ,!(!\ant'in'L,'' until, as a last resort, (Jlottof landed a 
 ImkIv oI' men and made a I'lu-ious eiiar^c upon tlu! 
 inlanders, who were jLi:rowin«^ nioic hold and deliant 
 i\i'i\- moment. 'I'his unexpected attaek had th(! 
 (I. sired ell'eet, a?id after a hiief stru<;'nle the sava'. 
 
 (•S 
 
 (ho|)ped their sliields and sought safety in llin'Iit. 
 The result of this third hattle caused the natives to 
 despair of di'ivimjf olf the Jiussians, and to witlulraw 
 
 Irom tlu' nei<'liii(»r»ioo( 
 
 ohh 
 
 Deeminj^ it daiinei-ous to send out huntinuf ]>arties, 
 (doltof employed his men in coii>;truetint;' a house of 
 tliift-wood and in securiiiiLj a j^ood supply of such tisli 
 a> cduld he ohtained from a <'reek and a laj^'oon in the 
 iiiiiiiediate vicinity of the anchoi-a^^e. I jale in I )(>cem- 
 lu r two natives made their a|)peai'anc(! at the llussian 
 1 aiii|i. 'I'hev held a lonijf parley with the interprt ter 
 lidni a safe distance, and linally came up to the Inaise. 
 Kind ti'catnient and persuasion seemed to have no 
 I H'ect ; noi' did pi'esents even ; instinctively thesi' most 
 iiMrllectual of sava^'es felt that they had met their 
 fate, 'riiev Went awav with some tiillin^^ U'ifl^, i>nd 
 I'll another native was seen hy t he disappointed (<lot- 
 t'l" till April of the following- yeai-. l''our men then 
 iiM' to the encampment and wei-e |iersuad('d to sell 
 •me fox -skins, taking; elass heads in payment. Ah, 
 
 fa 
 
 till' vanitv of hmnaintv I Cotton and 
 
 liail no 
 
 attr 
 
 let ions. 
 
 I) 
 
 I'uanien 
 
 t hel 
 
 woollen l;'oo(IS 
 
 ore (li'ess. 
 
 heV 
 
 appeared at last to heru'Ve in (ilottof's professions of 
 flit iidship, and wcid away promisinuT t(> persuade their 
 |M (iplc to come and trade; with the Uussian.s. Shortly 
 
 " Xin,' Xnrhr., Illil 10; /!>r;l. Kliroiinf. It., IT,. Tllf IM.illtnt wlliill fllottof 
 iMiiilr his liist Iriiuliii;,' \v;is n.'iir lln- Nuutii rii rml of tliu island, ])'■"''"'''>' "•'"'■ 
 111': (ilrsrllt Vlllltyu ot .\mlwllUlllk. 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 IIIIIM 
 IIIM 
 
 m 
 
 m 
 
 M 
 
 IIIM 
 
 120 
 
 1.8 
 
 
 1.25 1.4 1 1 A 
 
 
 -m 6" 
 
 ► 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 n WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, NY. MS80 
 
 (71fr) 972' ^503 
 
A 
 
 _^- 
 
 
144 FURTHER ADVENTURES OF THE PROMYSHLENIKI. 
 
 afterward a party brought fox and sea-otter skins, 
 accepting glass beads; and friendl}^ intercourse ensued 
 until Glottof was ready to sail from the locality, whore 
 his party had sufFered greatly from disease without 
 derivin<2: much commercial advantaijc.^'' 
 
 Glottof felt satisfied, however, that he was near to 
 the American continent, because he noticed that the 
 natives made use of deer-skins for dress. In the im- 
 mediate vicinity of the Russian encampment there was 
 no timber, but the natives said that large forests grew 
 in the northern part of the island.'^" 
 
 Through Hohnberg's researches in Kadiak we pos- 
 sess the deposition of a native of the island, which 
 evidently refers to Glottof s sojourn on Kadiak. 
 liolmbei'g states tliat he passed two days in a hut 
 on the south side of tho island, and that he there 
 listened to tlio tales of an old man named Arsenti 
 Aminak, whom he designates as the "only speaking 
 monument of pagan times on Kadiak." A creole 
 named Paniilof served as interpreter, and Holmberg 
 took down his translation, word for word, as follows: 
 " I was a l)oy of nine or ten 3'ears, for I was already 
 set to paddle in a bidarka, when the first Russian shij) 
 with two masts appeared near Ca]»e Aliulik. Before 
 that time we had never seen a ship; we had inter- 
 course with the Aglegnutes of Aliaska peninsula, with 
 the Tnaianas of the Kenai peninsula, and with the 
 Koloshes; and some wise men even knew something 
 of the Californias; but ships and white men we did 
 not know at all. When we es[)ied the ship at a dis- 
 tance wo thought it was an innnense whale, and were 
 curious to have a better look at it. We went out to 
 sea in ourbidarkas, but soon discovered that it was no 
 whale, but another unknown monster of which we were 
 
 '* During tlic winter the scnrvy broke ont among tlie crew and nine Rus- 
 sians died. iV' III' 2*>'cirlir., Ill; Jlrrij. Kluvnol. JkI., Oli; Sortfchi'f, Pufixh., ii. .'W, 
 
 '•"'On the 'J.'itli (if Ajiril (dottcjf fent Luka, Vtorushin, with 11 n)on, in 
 eearcli of niati )ii(l to ni!ik<' Jiodjis f(ir water-casks; he returned the following 
 day with a Rupi'ly. and rejjorted grovos of alder and willow ut u distance of 
 uhout !iO miles. 2\cut: Auclii:, llo. 
 
AMINiVIC'S STORY. 
 
 145 
 
 afraid, and the smell of which (tar probably) made us 
 sick. The people on the ship had buttons on their 
 clothes, and at first we thought they must be cuttle- 
 fish, but when we saw them put fire into their mouth 
 and blow out smoke we knew they must be devils, as 
 we did not know tobacco then. The ship sailed by the 
 island of Aiakhtalik, one of the Goose Islands at the 
 siAith end of Kadiak, where then a larjfe villajofe was 
 situated, and then passed by the Cape Aliulik (Caj)o 
 Trinidad) into Kaniat (Alitak) Bay, where it anch- 
 ored and lowered the boats. We followed full of fear, 
 and at the same time curious to see what would 
 become of the strange apparition, but we did nc't dare 
 to approach the ship. Among our people there was a 
 l)ravo warrior named Ishinik, who was so bold that he 
 feared nothing in the world; he undertook to visit 
 the ship and came back with presents in his hand, a 
 red shirt, an Aleut hood, and some glass beads. Ho 
 said there was nothing to fear, ' they only wish to buy 
 our sea-otter skins and to give us glass beads and 
 other riches for them.' We did not fully believe his 
 statement. The old and wise people held a council in 
 the kashimay^ and some said : ' Who knows what sick- 
 ness they may bring us; let us await them on the 
 shore, then if they give us a good price for our skins 
 we can do business afterward.' 
 
 " Our people formerly were at war with the Fox 
 Island people, whom we called Tayaoot. My father 
 once made a raid upon Unalaska and brought back 
 ain(jng other booty a little girl left by her fleeing 
 })arents. As a prisoner taken in war she was our 
 slave, but my father treated her like a daughter, and 
 brought her up with his other children. Wo called 
 her Plioo, which means ashes, because she had been 
 taken from the ashes of her house. (Jn the Russian 
 ship which came from Unalaska there were many 
 
 " A large Iniilding wlicre the men work in the winter, and also used for 
 co\uicil8 and festivities. For a full description of these i)eoplo see 2^'aiive 
 Huccit, vt'l. i., this series. 
 HiBi. Alaska. 10 
 
146 FURTHER ADVENTURES OF THE PROMYSHLENIKI. 
 
 ( I 
 
 I ,^ :,.j. 
 
 \i 
 
 Aleuts and among them the father of our slave. He 
 came to my father's house, and when he saw that his 
 daughter was not kept like a slave but was well 
 cared for, he told him confidentially, out of gratitude, 
 that the Russians would take the sea-otter skins with- 
 out payment if they could. This warning saved my 
 father, who, though not fully believing the Aleut, 
 acted cautiously. The Russians came ashore together 
 with Ihe Aleuts and the latter persuaded our people 
 to trade, saying: *Why are you afraid of the Rus- 
 sians? Look at us, we live with them and they do us 
 no harm.' Our people, dazzled by the sight of such 
 quantities of goods, left their weapons in the bidar 
 and went to the Russians with their sea-otter skins. 
 While they were busy trading, the Aleuts, who car- 
 ried arms concealed about them, at a signal from the 
 Russians fell upon our people, killing about thirty and 
 taking away their sea-otter skins. A few men had 
 cautiouslv watched the result of the first intercourse 
 from a distance, among them my father. These at- 
 tempted to escape in their bidarkas, but they were 
 overtaken by the Aleuts and killed. My father alone 
 was saved by the father of his slave, who gave him 
 his bidarka when my father's own had been pierced 
 with arrows and was sinking. In this bidarka he fled 
 to Akhiok. My father's name was Penashigak. The 
 time of the arrival of this ship was the month of 
 August, as the whales were coming into the bays and 
 the berries were ripe. The Russians remained for 
 the winter, but could not find sufficient food in Kaniat 
 Bay. They were compelled to leave the ship in charge 
 of a few watchmen and moved into a bay opposite 
 Aiakhtalik Island. Here was a lake full of herrings 
 and a kind of smelt. They lived in tents here through 
 the winter. The brave Ishinik, who first dared to 
 visit the ship, was liked by the Russians and acted 
 as a mediator. When the fish decreased in the lake 
 during the winter the Russians moved about from 
 village to village. Whenever we saw a boat coming at 
 
DEPARTUEE FROM KADIAK. 
 
 147 
 
 He 
 
 were 
 alone 
 ve liiiii 
 pierced 
 
 a distance we fled to the hills, and when we returned 
 no yukala (dried fish) could be found in the houses. 
 In the lake near the Russian camp there was a poison- 
 ous kind of starfish; we knew it very well, but said 
 nothing about it to the Russians. We never ate 
 them, and even the gulls would not touch them; 
 many Russians died from eating them. But we in- 
 jured them also in other ways. They put up fox- 
 traps and we removed them for the sake of obtaining 
 the iron material. When the Russians had examined 
 our coast they left our island during the following 
 ycar."^^ 
 
 On the 24th of May Glottof finally left Kadiak, 
 and passing through the numerous islands lining the 
 south coast of the Alaska peninsula made a landing 
 on Umnak with the intention to hunt and trade in 
 the same locality which he had previously visited. 
 When the ship entered the well known bay the houses 
 erected by the promyshleniki were still standing, but 
 no sign of life was visible. The commander hastened 
 to the shore and soon found signs of death and de- 
 struction. The body of an unknown Russian was 
 there; Glottof 's own house had been destroyed, and 
 another building erected near by.^" 
 
 On the 5th of July an exploring party of sixteen 
 discovered the remains of Medvedef's ship, and the 
 still unburied bodies of its crew. Upon consultation 
 it was decided to take steps at once to ascertain 
 whether any survivors of the disaster were to be 
 found on the island. On the 7th of July some natives 
 
 errmgs 
 irough 
 red to 
 
 acted 
 lake 
 t from 
 
 ingat 
 
 '' This narrative of which we have given above only the portion relating to 
 r.lottof'a visit, coming as it iloes from the mouth of an eye-witness, is interest- 
 ing, but it is somewhat difficult to determine its historical value, as it is im- 
 possible to locate or identify nil the various incidents. Tlie lirst part evidently 
 rtfera to the landing of Glottof, though there is a wide discrepancy between 
 tlie latter's account and tiiat of Arsenti Aminak; in his estimate of time the 
 latter is certainly mistaken and ho does not mention the hostile encounters 
 between natives and Russians related by Glottof. He also ascribes tlie mor- 
 bdity among the invaders to the consumption of poisonous fish instead of to 
 the actual cause, the ravages of scorbutic disease. Holmhcrg, EthiiO'jraphiiche 
 Skiz:cn;Sari/che/, Pufesh., ii. 42-.3; Grewiv/jk Beitr., 316. 
 
 ^Berg, Khrotiol. IsL, 70; Pallas, Kord. Beitr., i. 276. 
 
!ii 
 
 14S FURTHER ADVENTURES OF THE rRO:MYSHLEXIKI. 
 
 approached the vessel and endeavored to persuade 
 Glottof to land with only two men, for the purpose 
 of tradini]f, displaying at the same time a lar<jfo number 
 of sea-otter skins on the beaclj. When they found 
 that their devices did not succeed, they retreated to 
 a distance and began to fire with muskets at the ship, 
 without, however, doinsj anv damaije. Later in the 
 day a few natives came oft' in their canoes and pad- 
 dled round the ship. As Glottof was desirous of ob- 
 taining information concerning the recent occurrences 
 on the island, the bold natives were not molested, and 
 finally one of them ventured on board the ship, par- 
 taking of food, and told freely all that had happened 
 since Glottof's visit, hinting also at the existence of 
 Korovin's small party in some part of the island. 
 He acknowledged that it had been the intention of 
 the natives to kill Glottof after enticing him to land, 
 imagining that they would have no difficulty in deal- 
 ing with the crew after the leader was despatched. 
 After a vain attempt to find Korovin's camp, some 
 natives advised the Russians to cross the island to 
 the opposite side, where they would find their country- 
 men enixaijed in building a house beside a brook. Tiiu 
 infcjrmation proved correct, and the hearts of Koroviu 
 and his men were soon gladdened by the appearance 
 of their countrymen. 
 
 Glottof evidently did not intend to feed the addi- 
 tional members in idleness. In a few days he sent 
 out Korovin with twenty men in a bidar to reconnoi- 
 tie the coast of Umnak and search for fujjitive Rus- 
 sinns who might have survived the various massacres. 
 For a long time he could find no living soul, Russian 
 or native; but at last, in September, he fell in with 
 some parties of the latter. They greeted the Rus- 
 sians with musket-shots, and would not listen to 
 overtures. At various places where Korovin at- 
 tempted to stop to hunt the natives opposed his 
 landing, and engagements ensued. At the place of 
 the massacre of liarnashef and his crew, his bidar 
 
KOROVIX AND GLOTTOF. 
 
 113 
 
 aiul the remains of his cargo wore found, and a few 
 \V()mcn and boys who lingered about the pkice were 
 talven prisoners and questioned as to the details of 
 the bloody episode. 
 
 Later in the winter Korovin was sent out again 
 witli a party of men and the Aleut interpreter, Ivan 
 (Huttof. They proceeded to the western end of Un- 
 alaska and there learned from the natives that a Kus- 
 sian vessel commanded by Solovief was anchored in 
 one of the harbors of that island, Korovin at once 
 shaped his course for the point, but reached it only 
 after several sharp engagements with the native:^, 
 iniiicting severe loss upon them. He remained with 
 Solofief three days and then returned to the scene of 
 his last encounter with the natives, who seemed to 
 have benefited by the lesson administered by Korovin, 
 being quite tractable and willing to trade and assist 
 in hunting. Before the end of the year the deep- 
 rooted hatred of the liussian intruders a«»"ain came to 
 the surface, and the hunters concluded to return to 
 the ship. On the passage from Unalaska to Umnak 
 Ihey had two engagements and were finally wrecketl 
 ii])on the latter island. As it was midwinter they 
 wore forced to remain there till the Gth of April Ibl- 
 luwing, subject to the greatest privations. After 
 another tedious voyage along the coast the party at 
 last rejoined Glottof with a small quantity of furs 
 as the result of the season's work. On account of 
 Korovin's failures in hunting, Glottof and his part- 
 ners declared the agreement with them void. The 
 brave leader, whose indomitable courage alone had car- 
 ried his companions through an appalling succession of 
 <lisasters, certainly deserved better treatment. The 
 Kamchatkans beloncfinff to his former crew entered 
 (ilottofs service; but five Russians concluded to cast 
 their lots with him. In June they found Solovief, 
 MJio willingly received them into his company, and in 
 his vessel they finally reached Kamchatka.^" 
 
 '"Tbo vessel commanded by Solovief was owned by Ouledcvski, a mer- 
 
150 FURTHER ADVENTURES OF THE PROMYSHLENIKI. 
 
 Mr r 
 
 r-" ' i: 
 
 i ! 
 
 Solovicf had been fortunate in his voyage from 
 Kamchatka to Umnak, passing along the Aleutian 
 isles with as much safety and despatch as a trained 
 sea-captain could have done, provided with all the 
 instrumeilts of modern nautical science. In less than 
 a month, a remarkably quick passage for those days, 
 he sighted the island of Umnak, but finding no con- 
 venient anchorage he went to Unalaska. 
 
 A few natives who still remembered Solovief from 
 his former visit, came to greet the new arrivals and 
 informed them of the cruel fate that had befallen 
 Medvedef and his companions. The Cossack Kore- 
 nef was ordered to reconnoitre the northern coast of 
 the island with a detachment of twenty men. Ho 
 reported on his return that he had found only three 
 vacant habitations of the natives, but some fragments 
 of Russian arms and clothing led him to suspect that 
 some of his countrymen had suffered at the hands of 
 the savages in that vicinity. In the course of time 
 Solovief managed to obtain from the natives detailed 
 accounts of the various massacres. The recital of 
 cruelties committed inflamed his passions, and ho 
 resolved to avenge the murder of his countrymen. 
 His first care, however, was to establish himself firmly 
 on the island and to introduce order and discipline 
 among his men. He adhered to his designs with 
 great persistency and unnecessary cruelty.^ 
 
 31 
 
 • •iH 
 
 chant of Irkutsk. It was the 8v Petr i Sv Pavel which we have so often 
 met ; it had sailed from the mouth of the Kamchatka river on the '2-ith of 
 August 1764. Berg, Khroiiol. M., 7.3. 
 
 ^'Berg, while faithfully relating the cruelties perpetrated by Solovief, 
 eeems to nave been inclined to palliate his crimes. He says: ' A quiet citizen 
 and friend of mankind reading of these doings will perhaps execrate the 
 terrible Solovief and call him a barbarous destroyer of men, but he would 
 change his opinion on learning that after this period of terrible punislinieiit 
 the inhabitants of the Aleutian Islands never again dared to make anotiiei 
 attack upon the Russians. Would he not acknowledge that such measure! 
 were necessary for the safety of future voyagers? Curious to know hov 
 Solovief succeeded in his enterprise, and how ho was situated subsequently, 
 I questioned Ivan Savich Lapin concerning liis fate, and i-eccived the follow- 
 ing answer: His many fortunate voyages brought him great profits, l)ut as 
 he was a shiftless man and rather dissipated in liis habitu, he expended dur- 
 ing evei-y winter passed at Okhotsk or in Kamchatka the earnings of tlirec 
 years of hardships, setting out upon every new voyage with nothing but debts 
 
SOLOVIEF'S PROCEEDINGS. 
 
 151 
 
 Solovief, 
 iet citiwu 
 icrate tla- 
 he woiiltl 
 luishnient 
 anotlu'i 
 mcasuri" 
 now \wv>' 
 equeutiy, 
 lie follow - 
 ts, l)Ut U.S 
 ided ilur- 
 3 of tlirt:i; 
 but dcljt3 
 
 Solovicf had not quite finished his preparations 
 when the savage islanders, made bold by frequent 
 victories, attempted the first attack, an unfortunate 
 one for the Aleuts. The ])romyshleniki, who were 
 ready for the fray at any moment, on this occasion 
 destroyed a hundrt5d of their assailants on the spot, 
 and broke up their bidars and temporary habitations. 
 With this victory Solovief contented himself until 
 he was reiinforced by Korovin, Kokovin, and a few 
 others, when he divided his force, leaving half to 
 guard the ship while with the others he set out in 
 search of the "blood-thirsty natives," who had de- 
 stroyed Drushinnin and Medvedef. 
 
 The bloodshed perpetrated by this band of avengers 
 was appalling. A majority of all the natives con- 
 nected with the previous attacks on the Russians paid 
 with their lives for presuming to defend their homes 
 against invaders. Being informed that three hundred 
 of the natives had assembled in a fortified village, 
 Solovief marched his force to the spot. At first the 
 Russians were greeted with showers of arrows from 
 every aperture, but when the natives discovered that 
 bullets came flying in as fast as arrows went out, they 
 closed the openings, took down the notched posts 
 serving as ladders, and sat down to await their fate. 
 Unwilling to charge upon the dwellings, and seeing 
 that he could not do much injury to the enemy as 
 long as they remained within, Solovief managed to 
 place bladders filled with powder under the log foun- 
 dation of the structure, which was soon blown into the 
 air. Many of the inmates survived the explosion only 
 to be despatched by the promyshleniki with muskets 
 and sabres.^^ 
 
 behind him. He lost his life in the most miserable manner at Okhotsk.' 
 Jieri), Khronol. Int., 75-6. Among his companions Solovief acquired the 
 nickname of 'Oushasnui Soloviy,' the 'terrible nightingale,' a play upon his 
 name, Solovey being the Russian for nightingale. Jiacr and Wramjdl, Itiinsinche 
 JitHfziingeii, 192. 
 
 ^- Davidof states that Solovief put to death 3,000 Aleuts (?) during this 
 campaign. Dviikr. Pvrtenh., ii. 108. Berg writes on the authority of Lapin that 
 'only' 200 were killed. Khronol. ht., 75. Vcniaminof discusses the deeds 
 of Solovicf and his com^^anious iu a dispassionate way, relying mainly ou 
 
FURTHER ADVENTURES OF THE PROMYSHLENIKI. 
 
 'i 
 
 At the end of liis crusade, Solevief, having suc- 
 ceeded in subjugating the natives, estubhshed * friendly 
 intercourse' with them. A few of the chiefs of Una- 
 Inska tendered their submission. During the winter 
 his men suffered from scurvy, and many died,*'^ Ob- 
 servini; wliich the savajjes reijaincd eoura<;c and be- 
 gan to revolt. The people of Makushin village were 
 the most determined, but Solovief managed to en- 
 trap the chief, who confessed that he had intended 
 to overpower the Russians and burn their ship. In 
 .'' une two more of the scurvy-stricken crew dietl, and 
 Solovief was only too glad to accei)t of the offer of 
 Koroviu and his companions, who had only just ar- 
 rived, to join his expedition. The Cossack Shevyriu 
 died on the third of Auofust and another Ilussiau iu 
 Se|)tember.^* 
 
 Late in the autumn Solovief again despatched 
 Korenef with a detachment of promyshleniki to the 
 northern part of the island. He did not return until 
 the 30th of January 17GG, and was immediately or- 
 dered out again to ex[)lore the west coast. During 
 the first days of February a young Aleut named 
 Kyginik, a son of the chief, came voluntarily into the 
 liussian camp and requested to be baptized, and to be 
 permitted to remain with the promyshleniki. His 
 wish was willingly complied with, and if the promysh- 
 leniki claimed a miracle as the cause of the action, I 
 sh(juld acquiesce. Nothing but the mighty power of 
 
 wliat he licard l)y word of mouth from Aleut eye-witnesses of the \nrious 
 transactions. He accused Berg of attempting to make Solovief's career 
 appear less criminal and repulsive, and declares that ' nearly a ccnturj' has 
 elapsed since that period of terror, and there is no reason for concealing what 
 was done l)y the lirst promyshleniki, or for palliating or glorifying their cruel 
 outrages upon the Aleuts.' He had no desiie to enlarge upon the great crimes 
 committed by ignorant and mnvstrained men, especially when they were his 
 countrymen; hut his work would not be dorJo if he faileil to tell M'hat people 
 had seen of the doings of kSolovief and his con>panions. Veniaminof stated 
 on what he calls good authority, that Solovief experimented on the penetra- 
 tive power of musket-balls by tying 12 Aleutians together and discharging his 
 rillo at them at .short range; report has it that tho bullets lodged in the ninth 
 man. Zap., ii. 101. 
 
 '•^ One died in February, five in March and April, and six in May; all these 
 Were Russians with the exception of one, a Kamcliatkau. A'eue Nachr,, 141. 
 
 "iViettc A'ocAr., 143. 
 
MIRACULOUS COX\'EIlSION. 
 
 153 
 
 various 
 
 rs carfcv 
 
 Itury lias 
 
 ■ing what 
 
 Icir cnu'l 
 
 lit criiiit'S 
 
 Iwcrc his 
 
 |t people 
 
 jf stilted 
 
 [poiietni- 
 
 Lgiiig his 
 
 Ihc ninth 
 
 lall these 
 Ir., 141. 
 
 God could have sanctified the heart of this beniffhtod 
 OHO under these bright examples of Christianity. In 
 3 [ay Solovief began his preparations for departure, col- 
 kcting and packing his furs for the voyage and repair- 
 ing his vessel. He sailed the 1st of June and reached 
 Ivamchatka the 5th of July.^^ 
 
 At Okhotsk there was great disorder, amounting 
 {ilniost to anarchy, under the administration of Cap- 
 tiiin Zybin, up to 1754, when the latter was relieved 
 hy Captain Nilof, who subsequently became known 
 and lost his life during the famous convict revolt of 
 Jvanichatka under the leadership of Benyovski."" In 
 17G1 Major Plenisner was appointed to the command 
 of Kamchatka for five years; he held this position until 
 relieved by Nilof ^^ 
 
 In 17G5 a new company was formed by Lapin, 
 vShilof, and Orekhof, the latter a gunsmith from Tula. 
 'i'hoy built two vessels at Okhotsk, naming them after 
 those excessively honored apostles the 6'y Pe</' and the 
 Su Pavel, and crossed over to Bolsheretsk, where they 
 ]-oniained till August, ^^ The Sv Petr was commapded 
 l)y Tolstykh and carried a crew of forty-nine Itus- 
 sians, twelve natives of Kamchatka, and two Aleuts. 
 Acting under the old delusion that there must be land 
 somewhere to the southward, Tolstykh steered in that 
 direction, but after a fruitless cruise of two months 
 lie concluded to make the port of Petropavlovsk to 
 winter; but on the 2d of October in attempting to 
 anchor near Cape Skipunskoi, in a gale, the vessel was 
 cast upon the rocks and broken in pieces.^'' 
 
 ^' The cargo collected during this murderous expedition consisted of oOO 
 lilack foxes and 500 sea-otters, a portion of the latter having hocn brought 
 into tiio joint company by Korovin and his companions. Xeue Xwhr., 140. 
 
 '■''^Morxkoi Sboriiilc, cv. 40; Siiihnef, in Id., cii. 70. 
 
 '' Plenisner was to receive double pay while in command, and he was in- 
 structed to send out the naval lieutenant Synd with two ships to explore tlio 
 American coast, and also to send another expedition to explore the Kurilo 
 Islands. Sijibnef, in Mofslcoi Sbormk, cii. 37-8. 
 
 ^^ The authorities of Bolsheretsk asserted that the party sailed only after all 
 the liquor obtained for the voyage had been drank. Berg, Kliroiml. J.st., 70-7. 
 
 '■'* Xciie A\irhi:, 49. Jierg mentions that iu this wreck only three out of a 
 en \v of 03 were saved, but he docs not state whether Tolstykh was among 
 the survivors. 
 
154 FURTHER ADVENTURES OP THE PROMYSHLENIKI. 
 
 The Sc Pavel was coniinandod by blaster Afanassiy 
 Oclieredin, and carried a crew of sixty men. SaHin<( 
 from Bolsheretsk the 1st of August they steered for 
 the farther Aleutian Isles, and went into winter- 
 quarters the 1st of September in a bay of Umnak. 
 At first the natives were friendly, but as soon as 
 tribute was demanded intercourse ceased for the win- 
 ter, and the Russians suffered greally from hunger 
 and disease. Scarcely had the jjromyshleniki begun 
 to overcome the dread disease in the spring, with the 
 help of anti-scorbutic plants, when Oclieredin sent out 
 detachments to demand tribute of the natives. In 
 August 1767 a peredovchik named Poloskof, was 
 despatched with twenty-eight men in two boats to 
 hunt. HavinjTf heard of the njassacre of ^Medvedcf 
 and Korovin, he ])assed by Unalaska and estul)- 
 lislicd himself at Akutan, distributing small detaeli- 
 ments of hunters over the neiijhboring islands. In 
 the following Jaimary he was attacked and four of his 
 men killed. Onslaughts were made by the natives at 
 the same time upon Ocheredin's vessel and another 
 craft commanded by Popof, who was then trading at 
 Unalaska. In August Poloskof rejoined Oclieredin, 
 and their operations were continued until 1770.*^ 
 
 Ocheredin's share of thv. proceeds was GOO sea- 
 otters, 756 black foxes, 1,230 red foxes; and with this 
 rich cargo he arrived at Okhotsk on the 24th of 
 July 1770." The partners in this enterprise received 
 in addition to a large return on their investment 
 gracious acknowledgments from the imperial govern- 
 ment. In 1764, when the first black fox-skins had 
 
 *" In tlie month of September 1768 Ocheredin was notified by Captain 
 Lcvaalief, of the Krenitzin expedition, to transfer to him (Levashef) all tlie 
 tribute collected. With an armed vessel anchored in Kapiton Bay, Popof 
 and Ocheredin met with no further opposition from the natives. (Jntiliida 
 to the south-west of the Alaska peninsula. On Cook's atlas, 1778, writttu 
 Oonalasku; La P^rouse, 1730, Oumdasica; Sut'd y Mex., V'iage, J. Unalaska; 
 Holmljerg, /. Unalaschka. Cartoij. Pac. Coast, MS., iii. 454. 
 
 *^ Bcrij, KhronoL Int., app. Two natives of the island, Alexei Solovicf 
 and Boris Ocheredin, were taken to Okhotsk on the Sv Pavel with the inten- 
 tion of sending them to St Petersburg, but both died of consumption on thcii' 
 journey through Siberia. Xeue Nachr., 1Q2-3. 
 
 m-r^ 
 
 IW 
 
OTHER VESSELS. 
 
 165 
 
 been forwarded to the empress, gold medals were 
 .'uvarded to the merchants Orokhof, Kulkof, Shapkin, 
 Puiiof, and Nikoforof. Desirous of obtainin;;^ a more 
 detailed account of the doings of her subjects in the far 
 east, Catherine ordered to be sent to St Petersburg one 
 of the traders, promising to pay his expenses. When 
 this order reached Okhotsk only one merchant engaged 
 in tlie island trade could be found, Vassili Shilof. He 
 was duly despatched to the imperial court, and on 
 arriving at St Petersburg was at once granted an 
 interview by the empress, who questioned him closely 
 upon the locality of the new discoveries, and 'L mode 
 of conducting the traffic. The empress was mucIi 
 pleased with the intelligent answers of Shilof, who 
 exhibited a map of his own making, repre ( :iting Mie 
 Aleutian Islands from Bering to Amlia. Tlii^ the 
 empress ni'lered to be deposited in the aduiii.ilty 
 cull 
 
 ege.*^ 
 
 Three other vessels were despatched in 176G-7, but 
 of their movements we have but indefinite records. 
 The Vladimir, owned by Krassilnikof and commanded 
 by Soposhnikof, sailed in 1766, and returned from the 
 Xear Islands with 1,400 sea-otters, 2,000 fur-^eals, 
 and 1,050 blue foxes. In the following year the >SV 
 
 *'In the Shumal Admiraltticstv KoUeqhj, under date of Feb. 5, 1767, the 
 following entry can be fmind: ' The Oustioushk merchant, Siiilof, laid before 
 the college, in illustration of his voyages to the Kanichatkn Islands, a cliart 
 on which their location as far as known is laid dowTi. He also gave satisfac- 
 tory verbal explanations concerning their inhabitants and resources. The 
 college having inspected and examined this cliart and compared it with the 
 one compiled by Captiiin Chirikof, at the wish and will expressed by Ilcr 
 Imperial Majesty, and upon careful consideration, present most respectfully 
 the following report: The college deems the report of Shilof concerning navi- 
 gation and trade insufficient for official considemtion, and in many i-especta 
 contradictory; especially the chart, which does not agree in many important 
 points with other charts in the hands of the college; and moreover it could 
 not be expected to be correct, being compiled by a pei-son knowing nothing 
 of the science and rules of navigation. On the other hand, as fur ;us this 
 document is concerned we must commend the spirit which instigated its con- 
 ception and induced the author to undergo hardships and dangers in extend- 
 ing the navigation and trade of Russia. And we lind in it the base upon 
 wiiich to build further investigation and discoveries of unknow n counti-ies, 
 which well deserves the approbation of our most Gr icious Imperial Majesty.' 
 Two imperial oukazes were issued, dated respective^' April 19 and Ai)ril 20, 
 1707, granting Shilof and Lapin exemption from military duty aiid conferring 
 upon each a gold medal for services rendered. Btnj, Khroiwl. iit.^ TO-2. 
 
 il 
 
i K 
 
 W::v 
 
 Mm 
 
 m^A^v 
 
 156 FURTHER ADVENTURES OF THE PROMYSHLEXmi. 
 
 Petr i Sv Pavel, owned by the brothers Panof, sailed, 
 and returned after a cruise of three years with a very 
 rich cari^o composed of 5,000 sea-otters and 1,100 blue 
 Ibxes. The locuin Oiistioushki, owned by Ivan Popof, 
 made two voyaj^es between 17G7 and 1770, returning 
 tlic second time with 3,000 sea-otters, 1,GG3 black 
 foxes, 230 cross foxes, 1,025 red foxes, and 1,1(52 blue 
 foxes/^ The merchants Poloponissof and Popof also 
 sent out a ship in 17G7, the Joann Predtecha, which 
 returned after an absence of five years with GO sea- 
 otters, G,300 fur-seals, and 1,280 blue foxes.*^ This 
 ends the list of private enterprises prior to the resump- 
 tion of exploration by the imperial government. 
 
 *' The cargo as given by Berg seems extraordinarily large, and it is probable 
 that the I'anof cxpeilition consisted of two vessels, for Sgilinef states tliat a 
 Bhip-biiilder named Bubnof constructed in 1707 two vessels, the galiot So 
 Pavel, 50 feet long, at a cost of 5,737 rubles; and the galiot Sij P<tr, of the 
 same length. I'J feet beam and 9 feet depth of hold, at a cost of (i,(i;t3 rubles;. 
 The ligging for these siiips was lirougiit from Tobolsk, and oCX) pounds of 
 iron were carried all tiie way from Arkhaiigel, being two yeai-s en route. 
 Hffthnrj, in Mor.^koi Shornik, cv. 47-8. Accf)rding to Cant. Shnmlef the loann 
 Ou-slioushsl't made a thii'd prosperous trip from wnich she returned in 1 77- with 
 a cargo yielding a net prolitof 1,000 rubles to each share. lie)-<j,Khronol.ht., 
 83; I'aliux. Xord. Jkilmije, i. 270; Sanichcf Patenh., ii. 37. 
 
 **Ueiij, Khro)wl. Int., app.j Grewiiiyk, JJeUraye, 315. 
 
 nip 1^ 
 
 WM 
 
 '■ 'i ;: 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 BIPERIAL EFFORTS AND FAILURES. 
 
 1764-1779. 
 
 Syxd's Voyage ix Bf.kixo Strait— St.?:iilin's PEcruAu Repoht— TirK 
 Grand Goveunme.vt Expeditiox— rROMOTio.vs and Rewards ox the 
 Strength of Prospective Achievemexts — Catiierixe is Sure of Di- 
 vine Favor— Very Secret Ixstrcctioxs — Heavy Cost of the Exi'e- 
 DiTiox — The Loxg Joirxey to Kamchatka — Dire MisioiiTt'XES 
 There — Results of the Effort — Death of the Commander— Joir- 
 XALs AXD Reports — ^Iore Mercantile Voyages — The Ships 'Sv 
 Nikolai,' 'Sv Andre?,' 'Sv Prokop,' and Others — The Free and 
 Easy ZaTkof — His Luck. 
 
 I WILL briefly mention here a voyage by a lieuten- 
 ant of the imperial navy named Synd, or Syndo, 
 though there is no proof of his having touched any 
 jiart of Alaska. Under orders of Saimonof, then 
 governor of Siberia, Lieutenant Synd, who had been 
 one of the youngest companions of Bering, sailed from 
 Okhotsk in 17G4, upon a voyage of discovery in the 
 elirection of Bering Strait, in a vessel called by way of 
 \aricty the Sv Pa eel. During the first season Synd 
 (lid not get bej^ond the mouth of the Kharinzof River 
 on the west coast of Kamchatka in the vicinity of 
 Tigil. His craft proved unseaworthy; and after win- 
 tering at his first ancliorage he sailed again in June 
 1705, in the ship Sv Ekaterina, and wintered at the 
 Ouka River a little to the southward of Karagiii 
 Island.^ He sailed northward the following year, 
 reached the vicinity of Bering Strait within a month, 
 dotting down upon his chart as he moved along a 
 
 ^ Zap. JJydr., X. 70-3. 
 
 ( 1B7 ) 
 
158 
 
 IMPERIAL EFFORTS AND FAILURES. 
 
 multitude of imaginary islands extending up to lati- 
 tude G4° 59', and reported a mountainous coast not far 
 from the land of the Chukchi," between latitude G4° 
 and G6°, which he conjectured to be the American 
 continf>nt. On the 2d of September he began his 
 return voyage, following the coast down to Nishc- 
 kamcliat. A, but not until 1768 did his expedition 
 return to Okhotsk.^ 
 
 Another and far more important expedition under 
 the immediate auspices of the imperial government 
 was organized by Chicherin, governor of Siberia, 
 under instructions of the admiralty college. As early 
 as 1763 Chicherin had reported to the imperial gov- 
 ernment the latest discoveries among the Aleutian 
 Isles by Siberian traders, pointing at the same time 
 to the necessity of having these discoveries verified 
 by officers of the navy, who might be appointed as 
 
 * Sta,'lilin in his Arconvt of the New Northern Archipelago, 12-15, gives a 
 strangely garbled report of this expedition, as follows: 'The empress. . .erect- 
 ing a connncrcial company composed of Russian merchants for trading v. ith 
 the new islands, and to further promote this end, the admiralty ottice at 
 Okhotskoi, on the sea of I'eushinsk, had orders from her Majesty to assist this 
 trading company of Kamchatka in the prosecution of their undertaking; to 
 provide them with convoys, and to endeavor to procure all possible infonna- 
 tion relative to tlie islands and coast they intended to visit to the north and 
 north-east beyond Kamcliatka. In the year 1704 these traders accordingly 
 sailed from the harbor of Ochotskoi with some two-masted galiots, and single- 
 masted vessels of the kind in Siberia called dostchcnnikof (covered barges), 
 under a convoy from the aforesaid admiralty office, commanded by Lieutenant 
 Syndo. They passed the sea of Ochotskoi, went round the southern cape of 
 Kamchatka into the Pacific Ocean, steering along the eastern coast, keeping' 
 northward, and at last came to an anchor in the harbor of Peter-Paul, ami 
 wintered m the ostrog or palisaded village. The next year they pursued their 
 voyage farther northward, and in that and the following year, 1705 and 17U(i, 
 they discovered by degrees the whole archipelago of islands of diflerent sizes, 
 which increased upon them the farther they went between the 56th and 07tli 
 degrees of north latitude, and they returned safely in the same year. The 
 reports they made to the govcrmnent chancellery at Irkutsk, and from thence 
 sent to the directing senate, together with the maps and charts thereto 
 annexed, made a considerable alteration in the regions of the sea of Anadir 
 and in the situation of the opposite coast of America, and gave them (juitc ;i 
 different appearance from that in the above-mentioned map engraved in the 
 year 1758. This difference is made apparent by comparing it with the amended 
 map published last year, 1773, by the academy of sciences, and is made still 
 more visible by the accurate little map of the newly discovered northern 
 archipelar ->, hereto annexed, which is drawn up from original accounts.' The 
 'accTirate little map' referred to is perhaps the most preposterous piece of ini- 
 agiuary geography iu existence, a worthy companion of the charts of t'royere. 
 
 i ': il: 
 
 : !■ "!*■ 
 
EXTENSIVE PREPARATIONS. 
 
 159 
 
 commanders of the trading vessels and instructed to 
 keep correct journals of their exploring voyages. 
 This report was duly considered by the empress and 
 resulted in the organization of the Krenitzin expedi- 
 tion.^ 
 
 The empress issued a special oukaz instructing the 
 admiralty college to detail a number of officers of the 
 navy, intrusting the command to the most experienced 
 among them versed in the science of navigation and 
 kindred branches of knowledge.* 
 
 The expedition, having been recommended to the 
 special attention of the admiralty college with instruc- 
 tions to keep its destination secret, was at once set on 
 foot. The command was given to Captain-lieutenant 
 Petr Kumich Krenitzin, who was to select his com- 
 panions.'^ All were placed under the immediate com- 
 mand of the governor of Siberia, and were to proceed 
 to the newly discovered islands on the vessels of 
 traders, one on each, without assuming any command, 
 turning their attention solely to taking astronomical 
 observations and to noting all they saw. At the same 
 
 ' The results of this expedition were publisliecl by Coxe in 1780. He oh- 
 taincd his information princinally from the liistorian Robertson, who Imd been 
 giantt'd access to the arcliives of the navy department by the empress. Pallas 
 translated Coxe's account into his Nordhche liiltrwjp. publishctl in 1781; and 
 in the same ycarr. Russian translation appeared in the Araihinic Mont hi i/ nud 
 \\i\s republished in the selections from the monthly. Robertson, however, 
 had no opportunity to look into the details of the organization and manage- 
 ment of the expedition, and confined himself to results; conseipiently the 
 actual details of the enterprise remained unknown until Sokolof investigated 
 till' subject, having access to the original journals and charts. Zap. Jli/dr., 
 x. 17-71. 
 
 * A portion of the oukaz reads as follows: ' We promise our imperial good- 
 will not only to the commander of tlie expedition but to all his subordinates, 
 and assin-e them that upon tlieir safe return from their voyage every participant 
 shall be advanceil one step in rank and be entitled to a life pension in propor- 
 tion to the salary received during the voyage. On account of the disUince to 
 bo traversed anil the hardships to be encountered, I grant to each meiidier of 
 the expedition double pay and allowance of subsistence from tiie time of de- 
 parture to the day of return; this extra allowance to continue for a period of 
 two years.' Solcolof, Irkiit.sk Archirci^. With the final instructions the gra- 
 cious sovereign forwarded to Governor Chicherin a gohl watch for each of tho 
 otticers in cimimand. 
 
 '•' In order to mislead the public with regard to the objects of the expedi- 
 tion tho admiralty college gave it the oflieial name of 'An Expedition for tho 
 Kxploration of tho Forests on tho rivers Kama and Brela. Sokolof, Zap. 
 J J yd,:, 75. 
 
160 
 
 IMPERIAL EFFORl'S AND FAILURES. 
 
 time the fjovcrnor was informed that if ho deemed it 
 better to employ government vessels, he might engage 
 ships of the promyshleniki, or build new crafts, and 
 despatch Krenitzin and his chief assistant on two of 
 the latter, independent of the trader's fleet." 
 
 Krenitzin was promoted to captain of the second 
 rank, and Lieutenant Mikhail Lcvashef, whom the 
 commander had chosen for his chief assistant, to bo 
 captain-lieutenant. All tlie subalterns were advanced 
 one step in rank, as had been promised thom. The 
 command took its departure from St Petersburg the 
 1st of July 17G4, arriving in Tobolsk the I7th of Sep- 
 tember.'' At this place the expedition was recnforced 
 by ten cadets from the local school of navigation, and 
 also provided with additional supplies and stores. They 
 loft Tobolsk at the beginning of March 1765, arriving 
 at Yakutsk in July and at Okhotsk in October, after 
 a difficult journey over the tundra and mountains in- 
 tervening between Yakutsk and the sea.*^ 
 
 "Tlic instructions of the governor began with these words: 'Fully aware 
 of your knowledge and your zeal for the glory of her Imperial Majesty, ami 
 till! benelit of your country, the admiralty college expects you to employ all 
 youi' ardor and pcrsevijrauce in the prosecution of this enterprise. ' There \\ as 
 also a ' ."■■nrct addition' to these instructions. Believing that the expedition 
 about to oe despatched along tlio Arctic coast of Siberia under command if 
 Cliicha^of , to search f<jr the north-cast passage, would llnally reach Kamchatka 
 and meet there the vessels of the Krenitzin expedition, the admiralty collc^'u 
 thought it necessary to establish a code of signals known to the commanders 
 of both squadrons. These signals consisted of an extraordinary arrangenitiit 
 of the sails, frequent lowering .and iioisting of Hags, and discharges of cannon. 
 In tlieir endeavors to provide for all contingencies the framcrs of these instruc- 
 tionsalso suggested that in times of fog, and in thcabsence of lire-iirmsoraunnu- 
 iiition, the vessels siiould approach each other as nearly as possible, when tiie 
 command was to shout threetinu's ' agai'!' in .a manner similar to the shout of 
 ' JiiuTaii ! ■ by troops, and if the other vessel should answer with the same 
 cry, tliico times re' cated, the crew of the first was again to shout, ' 15o:-lie 
 pomogi I ' (iod help you, also tiirco times, and await from the other vessel the 
 reply, ' I >M, pomoshet i nam !' yes, he will help us. Then when all these sig- 
 nals had been correctly answere(l the crew of the first vessel Wixs to shout, 
 ' Umnak Island!' tiii'ee times, and await an answer from the other crew of 
 'Onnckutiin Island!' three times repeated. IrkuC-ik Archives; Sokolof, Z(i/i. 
 Ihjilr., X. 7ti-7. Sokolof also mentions that the expedition was fitted out 
 witli Vl (piadrants and the charts of IJcring, of the merchant Shishkin, and of 
 \'ertlu,',;(il'; those of the last two covering respectively the Aleutian Islan>is 
 and north-eastern Siberia and Japan. 
 
 ' The subaltern olUcers consisted of seven mates, Dudin Ist, Dudin 'Jd, 
 Shcbanof, Kraslieninnikof, Chinenoi, Stepanof, and Sralcf; one corporal, and 
 four (luartermasters. Zap. Jlyili:, x. 77-8. 
 
 *At Yakutsk Krenit;;in received another batch of instructions from the 
 
THE ROYAL BENEDICTION". 
 
 ICl 
 
 Uj^on tl)o receipt of full reports of the expedition, 
 ilie tlirieo gracious and benignant Catherine ex- 
 pressed her thanks to Governor Chieherin i'or all his 
 juTangon)ents in a special rescript, hojiing for coni- 
 jilete success of the undertaking. The empress also 
 thanked the governor for " framing' such v.ise instruc- 
 tii)ns." In alluding to the departure of Krenitzin 
 i'ov the coast from Yakutsk she wrote: "May llie 
 Almighty bless his journey. I am sure that you will 
 not slack' n your zeal in promoting the enterprise, 
 nnd wha cover occurs during the jomuiey worthy of 
 note you will report to nie at once. I am now wait- 
 ing with impatience news of his farther progress." * 
 
 When Krenitzin arrived at Okhotsk ho found to 
 liis great disappointment that the vessels intended for 
 his use were not ready, the keels only having been 
 laid and a few timbers selected for the franuss. All 
 labor had been suspended for lack of tind)er. When 
 Cliicherin was inl'ormed of this he instructed Kre- 
 nitzin to temporarily supersede Captain litishchcf, 
 second in command of Okhotsk, and to superintend 
 ill ])eis()n the construction of his vessels. If he should 
 liiid it impossible to complete the ships, he was au- 
 llinrized to engai;e others from the traders. Throuiih 
 Colonel Plenisner, Krentzin also encountered obstiicles 
 to jiis progress.^" 
 
 liio!irK']icn of Cliicherin, advising; the emnmandcr toolitaiiifrom the men'hants 
 will) had iih'cady visited the Aleutian Lsles, a detailed deseiiption <if their 
 •liscoveiics, and to h)catc them on iiia ihartH; to turn his special atleiitinii to 
 t!i(- l;ir',-e;;nd iinpulous i.sland of Kadiak, wliieh should he eircniiuiavi^atcd il 
 ]ii'-;-iMe and tliorouglily explortd in order to aseertain whether it wa.s an 
 i land or niainlaml. /r/.nltik Airhiven; Sokulof] x. 7S-!I; Snri/r/i' i\ ii. .'!7; /'"/- 
 l:>, X-nl. nr!t,:,i.'2S2. 
 
 '■' The im^K.'rial rcseripts arc in /.■ '»/</.• A rrfi'in s; Ziipinhi Ifi/ih: , dated ( )et. 
 11, ITii! A'Mii •:!, July 11, and Get. !•_', 17(m. 
 
 '"C.J usner, who eonunauded the inilitary station at Okhotsk, quar- 
 
 relled wiJi Krenitzin and sent eoinplaiiit^ to Irkutsk. The governor wrote to 
 Kreait;;!!!, instead of replying to the accuser, as follows: ' I'erhajis I'leiiisner 
 Mid cause you trouble. Froin my knowledge of you, and I had the lionur of 
 knnviir,' you for Hoinu time at Toliolsk, I conelud(! that you will give him no 
 liin'.ocation; hut I do not know I'leuisnor personally. It seems to me tii.^t 
 tiuro ij siimuthing ia the airof Okluitsk that causes all olHcern stationed tiiere 
 111 i|iiarrcl.' After assuring Krenit^in of his Biueero friendship, the goveiiicir 
 adx ised him to avoid all petty (|uarrels in order not to displease the empress, 
 and concluded as follows: ' If I'loniauor seriously interferes with your arrange- 
 HlBT, Alahka. 11 
 
 ■111 
 
 4? 511 
 
1G2 
 
 IMPERIAL EFFORTS AND FAILURES. 
 
 
 It 
 
 At last, in August 1700, the ships were coinpleti'd 
 and launched, a brigantine called the Sf Ekatcrinn 
 and a hooker, the Sv Pavel; two others, old vessels, 
 had also been fitted out, the galiot So Pavel antl the 
 (kivr'il}'^ The squadron sailed from Okhotsk the lOtli 
 of October. The third day out, at a distance of oidy 
 ten leagues from Okhotsk, all the vessels became sep- 
 arated from each other. On the 17th Krenitzin iirst 
 sighted land in latitude 53° 45', and the following dny 
 the brigantine was discovered to be leaking badly, 
 rendering it necessary to run for the land. A gale 
 arose, and the result was a total wreck twenty -five 
 versts north of Bolsheretsk,near the small riverOntok, 
 the crew reaching the shore in safety the 24tli. Lev- 
 ash ef, on the hooker Sv Pavel, sighted the coast of 
 Kamchatka on the 18th, and on the 22d approaehe.l 
 the harbor of l^olsheretsk, but waited to t;d<e advan- 
 tage of a spring tide to cross the bar. On the follow- 
 ing day a storm came up, causing the vessel to break 
 from her cables. Levashef attempted to put to so;i, 
 but I'ailing he finally ran the ship ashore on the 24tli, 
 about seven versts from ]3olslieretsk Iliver. The 
 crew and the greater jiart of the cargo were landed. 
 The Sc Gavril succeeded in entering Bolsheretsk 
 harbor, but was overtaken by the same storm and cast 
 upon the beach. The galiot Sv Pavel drifted out of 
 her course into the Pacific, and after more than two 
 months of agony the thirteen survivors, among whom 
 was the commander, found themselves on one of tlie 
 
 mcnts, I give yon permission to report diroctly to her Imperial lln josty, ami 
 to the iidmiralty eijllego, Imt I hope that (!o<l will not let it come to th.it, 
 and that He will give you peace and gooil-will. Such ia my sincere wi^li.' 
 Jrhi'-k Arrliires; Zap. Ily:l>:, x. 80; Mor-koi ShorniL; cv. 40-r)0. 
 
 "The expeditionary force was distributed as follows: the Sr Eknti'y'ttiti, 
 commanded by Krenitzin, carried 7'2 men; the hooker .Vc I'nrrl, coinmandccl 
 by Levashef, .5'2; the galiot <S'(; /'arc!, commanded by Dudia '2d, 4'i; and tho 
 Si' Gni'rit, commanded by Dudin 1st, '21. The cost of fitting out the expedi- 
 tion reached the sum of 10.'),8;$7 rubles, then a large amount of money. The 
 f'm]n-ess wrote C'hicherin on the subject of expense under date of ISIay "2'^, 
 17<>4: ' Perhaps the exec'ition of my plans will involve some expenditure of 
 money, an<l tiierefore I authorize you to emph)y for tlio purpose the linst funils 
 coming into your treasury, sending a strict account of expenditure to the 
 admiralty college.' Zap. ihjdr., x. 81. 
 
 m 
 
 1.1 : 
 
THE SQUADnoX SCATTEKKD. 
 
 103 
 
 liiKled. 
 
 I cast 
 )Ut of 
 u two 
 whom 
 of the 
 
 ■sty, iiii'l 
 to t':int, 
 
 hili'y'i'iii, 
 
 liiniinil'il 
 
 aiitl th.! 
 
 cxpi'ili- 
 
 ly. 'I'liiJ 
 
 (May •2'^, 
 
 Jlituie of 
 
 |-stfmi'l^ 
 
 to till) 
 
 Kurilo Islands with their vessel a wreck. Such was 
 the heginuing, and might as well have been the end, 
 of the empress' grand scientKic expedition. 
 
 The shipwrecked crews passed the winter at Bol- 
 sheretsk, where they were joined during the following 
 summer by mate Dudin 2d, and the survivors of the 
 c!'ew of the wrecked galiot. The hooker Sn Pace! and 
 the Sv Gavr'd were re})aired, Levaslief taking com- 
 mand of the fonner with a crew of lil'tv-eight, while 
 Krenitzin sailed in the latter with a crew of sixty- 
 six. Each vessel was provided witli a large bidar. 
 Sailinsf from Bolsheretsk the 17th of Auu'ust 17G7, 
 the expedition arrived at Nisliekamchatsk on the Gth 
 (if September. Here another winter must be passed. 
 The hv Gavr'd was unfit for navigation, and Kren- 
 itzin concluded to take the ^nWot Sf J!^katc'rina, Synd, 
 counnander, just returned.^^ Chicliagof, about the 
 meeting with whom the admiralty ct>l!ege had been 
 
 " For a description of biilars .niid bidarkas see Xat'ire I?atd^, vol. i., tliia 
 sorii'.i. Tltc galiot So Ekatvrina had ',\ mates, 1 second mate, 3 cadets, 1 
 liii:ils\vain, 1 boatswain's mate, '2 quartermasters, I cleik, 1 sui-yeon, 1 sliip'a 
 cor]i(;ral, 1 blaeksinith, 1 carpenter, 1 bont-1)nililei', 1 sail-maker, 1 iiifanlry 
 sdldier, 41 Cossacks, 9 sailors, and '1 Aleuts — a total of "-. The iiooker Sn 
 I'liril, carried 4 mates, 4 cadets, 4 (piartermasters, 1 surgeon, 1 siiip's corporal, 
 
 1 I'li'ksinith. I carpenter, 1 turner, 1 soldier, IW (^"ossacks, '> i.roiuysldeniki, 
 
 2 Aleuts, and 1 volunteer, a Sii)erian nobleman. Tlio provisions were dis- 
 tiiliiited us follows: 
 
 fliiliot, Si Ebiterina. 
 
 roUIulrf. 
 
 Ilookor, .S' Vxrel 
 
 I'lllllllls. 
 
 Hard bread 
 
 470 
 47 
 5-2 
 
 i;!4 
 
 i:j 
 
 280 
 'JO 
 27 
 47 
 8 
 20 
 
 
 
 riimr 
 
 Klour 
 
 .104 
 
 
 •iroats 
 
 Salt 
 
 lOS 
 
 Suit 
 
 0.5 
 
 lUitter 
 
 Uutter 
 
 UW ' 
 
 Meat 
 
 1 )iied fish, bundles of 
 
 Sidt lish, barrels 
 
 Meat 
 
 Dried lish, bundles of 
 
 Salt fish, lia! rels 
 
 100 
 
 201 
 
 1.3 
 
 l)i';nidy, buckets 
 
 ih'audy. buckets 
 
 ( 'asks of water 
 
 4") 
 
 < a.sk.-' of w.iter 
 
 34 
 
 Wood, fathoms 
 
 Wood, fathoms 
 
 (i 
 
 Powder 
 
 Powder 
 
 17 
 
 
 
 
 The arm.ament consisted of 2 copper half-ponnd falconets, 2 small iron 
 fdeoncts and 1 largo iron cannon, ."W nuiskcts, nuisketoous, and 13 rifles. 
 li kittslc Arcliivea ; Z ip. Ilydr., ix. 08-9. 
 
 M 
 
 m% 
 
!' 
 
 i'': 
 
 m ft hi ■' 
 
 m 
 
 ill-': 
 
 Ill 
 
 I : :' . . 
 
 
 i- i, ' ■ 
 
 i| 
 
 
 i 'U 
 
 1G4 
 
 IMPERIAL EFFORTS AND FAILURES. 
 
 po anxions, liad in tlic ine.ni time already accompllslied 
 two jt)iii'noy.s, 17G5-G, also attended by inistbrtune. 
 The winter was passed by the ineu in boilinj^ sea- 
 v.ater for salt, and in making tar out of spruce. They 
 also constructed two large bidars and some watei- 
 ciisks, and in the spring all hands were busy fishing. 
 l>y tlic fn-st of A])ril the ice began to disappear from 
 the river, and on the 1st of July both vessels were 
 read}' for sea. The Krenitzin expedition was not 
 oidy unlucky, but it seemed to carry a curse with it. 
 One of the crew of the Sc ravel, a Cossack named 
 Taborukin, landed in Kamchatka not quite cured of 
 an attack of small-pox and infected the v'hole neigh- 
 borhood. In two years the population was more thai, 
 decimated.'^ 
 
 On the 21st of June tlie ships were towed out of 
 tlie mouth of the Kamchatka Iviver, and on the 2'2d 
 they spread their sails, steering an easterly course and 
 stopping at Bering Island for water. Owing to ct)!i- 
 trary W'inds their progress was slow, and on the lllh 
 of August, in latitude 54' 3;]', the two ships became 
 separated during a strong south-south-west gale and 
 thick weather. On the 14tli of Au<j:ust Krenitzin 
 sighted the islands of Signam and Amuklita; on the 
 2Uth of the same month he I'cached the strait bctwec u 
 Umnak and Unalaska, called b}' him Oonalakslia. 
 Here he met with the first Aleuts, whom he was to 
 know only too well in the future. These natives were 
 rvidently acquainted with Russians, for on apj)roach- 
 in^g the vessel they cried "zdorovol" good health; 
 they also asked, "\Vhy do you come? Will you live 
 quietly and peacefully with our people?" They were 
 assured that the new arrivals would not only live in 
 peace but make many presents. This was the 1st 
 of November, and the Aleuts returned to Unalaska. 
 On the 22d Levashef's craft also appeared and both 
 vessels proceeded together to a bay on the north si^Ie 
 t)f Unalaska, Captain Harbor. Here they laid in a 
 
 " Sgibnef, iii Ilorskoi Sbornik, cii. 4G-7. 
 
THE RUSSIANS AT UNALASKA. 
 
 168 
 
 sui"t[)ly of fi'csh water with the assistance of tlio na- 
 tives. On tlio following day an Aleut reported that 
 the Inhabitants of Akutan and Unal<^a had killed 
 llftccn of Lapin's crew wlio had wintered on Unga. 
 Witliout investigating" the report both conunanders 
 lioisted their anchors and proceeded northward. On 
 the []Oth of August they entered the strait between 
 Uniniak and the peninsula. The hooker grounded, 
 hut was released next day without damage, and the 
 search for a wintering harbor was continued." 
 
 On the 5th of September the two ships separated 
 not to meet again until the following spring. On tlio 
 18th of September Krenitzin succeeded in finding a 
 beach adapted to haul uj) his vessel for the winter on 
 tlie island of Unimak, while Lcvashef proceeded to 
 Unalaska and anchored on the IGth of Septendjcr in 
 the innermost cove of Captain Plarbor, still known by 
 his name.^^ 
 
 About the middle of October, before Krenit/in had 
 succeeded in erecting winter-quarters of drift-wood, 
 the only material at hand, two largo bidars appealed 
 iilled with natives who demanded presents. They 
 received some trifles with a promise of additional giit>4 
 if they would come to the ship. In the mean time 
 the strangers had questioned the interpreter, anxiout^ 
 to discover the strength of Krenitzin's crew, when 
 suddenly one of the natives threw his spear at the 
 ]vussians. Nobody was injured and the savages 
 ic'treated under a severe fire of muskets and cannon 
 iVoni ship and shore. Fortunately the cannonade 
 
 "Krenitzin's instructions contained a statement tliat a good harbor liad 
 born discovered in that locality by Ueclievin's vessel connnanded by (lolodi f 
 iniii Pu^hkarcf in I7(i-. Keiie Xnrhr., i>'2. It has already been intini.i'n d 
 iiliovo that IJechevin did not actually reach tlu> peninsula, then called Alid;s!:a 
 Isliiiid, liut wintered on Unahiska, which ab mnda in good harboi-s. Aec^rd- 
 iii',' to Cook, Ooinnxik; La IVronse, Oulniiuh; Sutil y Mix., Vkoje, I4ii Uni- 
 mill:; llolmberg, /. Unimah. Carlo;/. I'ac. Coiutt, MS., iii. 4.")(). 
 
 '■'Lcvashef chose for his wintering place an anchorage at the liead of tl.c 
 inner bay of Illiuliuk, sheltered by two little islands from the north wind, 
 and mar the n^.outh of two excellent trout-streams. The location of his cinip 
 cm still bo tr,"ced, the ground-plan of four great subterranean winter-hiiuj 
 being still plrinly visible, though now covered with a luxuriant growth of 
 gr .s:.es and shrubs. 
 
106 
 
 IMPKRIAL EITORTS AND FAILURES. 
 
 proved ns linnuloss nw tlio spear-tlmnviuij^, Tnsionifi- 
 c'liit as WMS this ciicoiinter, it proved tlio hoginiiiiig of 
 Litter strife. All ilic subsequent ineetinLjs with the 
 natives were of a hostile eharacter. While cx])loriii'^^ 
 the peninsula shore two Cossack.s were wounde*! by 
 sMcai-.s thrown by hidden savacfes, and one nici:ht a 
 native crawled uj) stealthdy to witlun a few yards of 
 the Russian huts, but was discovered, and lled.^** 
 
 ]n the month of December scurvy appeared, the 
 first victim being a Cossack who had been wounded 
 by the savages. In January 17G9 the nund)er of 
 sick liad reached twenty-two, and in April only twelve 
 of the company were I'ree from disease, and those were 
 much weakened by hunger. The whole number of 
 deaths during the winder was thirty-six. During 
 ])ecend)er and January the savac^es kept awav, but 
 ill F{>l)ruary tliey once more made their appeaiancc, 
 and a few traded furs, whale-meat, and seal-blubber 
 for beads." On the 10th of ^lay some natives brouglit 
 letters from Levashef, and the messengers received 
 a liberal compensation. On the 24th the galiot was 
 launched once more, and on the Gtli of June Levashef 
 joined Krenitzin's luirty. 
 
 Levashef had also met with misfortune during the 
 Avinter. It is true that the natives did not attack 
 him because the promyshleniki who liad passed the 
 ] (receding winter at Unalaska had left in his hands 
 thirty-three hostages, the children of chiefs, but rumors 
 v.'ere constantly afloat of intended attacks, making it 
 
 f-i{i [ 
 
 
 fir-' 
 
 iinlffi'^Illi 
 
 L.. 
 
 "' Krenitzin's journal states that durinj; tbc night numerous voice? were 
 hoanl on the strait, and guns were twice discharged iji the direction of the 
 c::iiip, while signals could be distinguished iniitaiing the cry of tlie sca-li. u. 
 (.)n account of the impending danger live sentries were posted. JrkutnL Ar- 
 vluivs; Zip. Iliflr., ix. 01. 
 
 '' The daily journal of Krenitzin contains an entry to the cfTcct that on tin 
 iiiylit of the 11th of April several bidars were discovered in the strait, an I 
 that llicy were fired upon twice by the Russians with canister. Such treat- 
 incut ccrt;iinly did not serve to pacify the natives. It seems that durirg tlio 
 \\lioIc winter it had been the practice to fire from time to time during tlio 
 night in order to 'prevent any savages skulking about from attempting iiii 
 ullack. ' Three times during the winter severe shocks of eartliquake weiv: 
 felt— on January ir)lh, February 20tli, and March IGth. KrenUziwa Journul; 
 JiLiiU/c Aixhivets; Zait. Jji/dr., x. 91-2. 
 
END OF THE GRAND UNDERTAKING. 
 
 107 
 
 necessary to exorcise vigilance. Lack of food and fuel 
 caused great sutlcring among the crew; it was inipos- 
 sihle to live comfortably on board the slii[), and the 
 Jiuts ccMistrncted of driit-wood were Irequentlj thrown 
 down by the iurious gales of winter. The weather 
 was very boisterous throughout the season, and in 
 ]\ray the number of sick had reached twenty-seven.'^ 
 Obviously they must return; so on the 2od of June 
 bi)ih vessels left their anchorage. During the voyage 
 they became separated, Krenitzin arriving at Kani- 
 ehalka the 29th of July, and Levashef on the 24tii 
 of August.*' 
 
 The winter was passed by the expedition at Nishe- 
 kanu-hatsk, but as there were little provisions and 
 no money the suffering was great. The only avail- 
 alilo source of sui)i)ly was the dried fish of the natives, 
 wliieli luid to be purchased at exorbitant prices.^^ On 
 the 41.11 of July both vessels were ready for sea, when 
 ( 'a[)tain Krenitzin attempting to cross the river in a 
 (hig-out, the frail craft capsized and he was drowned. 
 ]jL'vaslief assumed command, anel Jiaving assigned 
 ])u(liii 2d to the galiot he sailed from Kamcliatka 
 iho 8th, arriving at Okhotsk the Cd of August. Le- 
 vaslief returned to St Petersbur«'\ arrivinjij there the 
 2Jd of October 1771; seven years and four 'months 
 iVorn his departure. The expedition was a })raise- 
 worthy effort, but miserably carried out. 
 
 jMean v.hile, fresh information had reached St Peters- 
 burg of the successes of the Russian })romyshleniki 
 ou the Aleutian Islands, telling the em[)ress and her 
 
 '* Lovashef's journal xuifler date of Deccmlicr Kith contains the following: 
 'XtailyaU the men say that we are dooiniil to ptiriah. that we have been 
 nli.uuluiiuil by God; we liave bad food, anil l)ut little of that, and uecan lind 
 11 > shelter from the snow-storms and raiu.' Livashc/'t Juiirual; IrLiiiKk 
 A ixh' irs ; Zap. Ili/di:, x. 93. 
 
 ^^ Zap. IJjjdr., X. 1)4; Coxe's RusMun Dh., 300; Pallas, Xi>nl. litUr., i. 
 t-'TO. 
 
 -'* An entry iu Krenitzin 's journal states that 200 pounds of flour were 
 sent froin Uolshcretsk to his relief, but it spoiled in transmittal. Nineteen 
 l>;'j rels of salt lisli were also transported oveiland aero.«s tlio piiiinsuhi. On 
 t!io 'JSth of September I7(>'*, and on the 4th i>f May ITT*', heavy cai>,hi;u:.ke3 
 in-.u.Ttd. and on tlie latter date tlie Kluehevakuia volcano was iu eiiiptiou. 
 Kreiiilziii's Jvunial; Zap. Jlydr., x. 1)4. 
 
i 
 
 mi 
 
 ill 
 
 M 
 
 ' ;;■ 
 
 i»-i:) 
 
 •lltffi..!. 
 
 II 
 
 1C8 
 
 IMPERIAL EFFORTS AND FAILURES. 
 
 learned society a liiiiulrofirold inoro of Alaska than 
 tlicy woro over to ieai'H Iroin their special messengers. 
 Tolstvkh reported that tluriiiLT a ciuise anion'' the 
 islands in his ship Andreian i NaUil'id, 17G0 to 17('»4, 
 he subjugated six islands and named them the 
 Andrcienof group, as wo have seen. Another re- 
 port stated that four vessels of one company had 
 hcen despatched in 1702 to Unalaska and Umua':. 
 (jli>ttof reported that ho had wintered at Kadiak in 
 1 703. In 1 7(50, as ah-eady stated, tho merchant Shilnf 
 ariived at St Petersburg and was presented to tho 
 emjiress,*' 
 
 An important change of government policy now to( ik 
 place in the treatment of the Aleuts. Upon Krenit- 
 /in's reprcsentati(»ns the collection of tribute by tho 
 promyshleniki and Cossacks was prohibited by an 
 
 •' Tlio iiiforniiition furni.slicd hy Lcvashcf's journal was divided into four 
 heads: A description of the island of L'nalaska; t'lo inlialiitanto; triljute; 
 traliic. The description was sujierficial, addin,':^ scarcely anything to previous 
 aciMunts. lu re;;ard totrilmtc Levashcf stated that it was paid only hy thoso 
 who luul given tlieir children as hostages. Tho proinysldeniki's mode of car- 
 rying on trade is descrihcd as follows: 'The Russians have for some years 
 jiasL ln'cn accustomed to repair to these islands iuqu'-'stof furs of whicli they 
 li.ive imposed a tax upon the inhabitants. They go in the autumn to IJeriu'^ 
 and (Jo;)per islands, and there ]»ass tlic winter employing themselves in killing 
 fi;r-s(ais and scadions. The flesh of tho latter is prepared for food, and is 
 cstccnieil a great <lelicacy. The skins of the sea-lions are carried to the c iste'.n 
 islands. Xiie following aunnner they sail ea:-tward to the Fox Islands and 
 a;,'ain haul up their ships for the winter. They then endeavor to procure I'y 
 force, or by persuasion, children as hostages, generally the sons of chiefs; 
 this accomplished they deliver fox-traps to the inhabitants and also sea lion 
 skins for the niannfacture of bidarkas, for which they expect in return furs 
 and i>rovision3 during the winter. After obtaining from tho savages a certr.in 
 (|uaiitity of furs as tribute or tax, foi which they give receipts, the promysh- 
 leniki pay for the remainder in beads, corals, woollen cloth, copper kettles, 
 liati.'liets, etc. In tho spring they get b.ick their traps and deliver the hostages. 
 'I'hey ilire iioc linnt alone or in small numbers. These people could not cum- 
 pi-ehcnd for sometime for what purpose tho Russians imposed a tribute nf 
 skins which they did net keep themselves, for their wn chiefs had no revenue; 
 nor could they bo ma e to believe that there were any more Russians in 
 » came among tliem, for in their own country all tiio 
 together.' The most important ])art of Lcvasliel's 
 of the inhabitants, wliich furnishes some valaable 
 See Natire liaceK, passim, this series'. The hydro- 
 dition were meagre. The navigators of this costly 
 ascertaining tho longitude, and consequently tlieir 
 itisfactory. Tiiey loc.itcd Unimak, Unalaska, and 
 53' 'ly and of 3S'. Special charts were made of 
 sfc of Unalaska, and tlio harbor of St Paul, now 
 known as Captain Harbor. Levax/ii-f's Journal; Irkutsk Archives; Zap. Uydr., 
 X. t/7--03; t'oxe'i Human Lis., '2J0-2. 
 
 existence than those w 
 men (if an island go o' 
 rejioi't is the descripti 
 ethnological iuformatio 
 gra;)!iio results of tlie ex 
 enterprise h:id no means 
 ol nervations were very u. 
 I'miKik between latitude 
 Unimak, the northern c 
 
 if !' 
 
SUBSEQUENT EXPEDITIONS. 
 
 iiii[)ciial oukaz." Tlio businoss of flttinr^-out, trading 
 t\|)ciliti<)ns lor tlio Aloutijui Isles continued about as 
 usual, notwithstanding tlio terrible risks and niislbr- 
 tuncs. Of hunting exiJeditions to discovered islands it 
 is not necessary to give full details. 
 
 In the year 17G8 a company of three merchants, 
 Zassypkin, Orekhof, and ]\Ioukhin, despatched the 
 sliij) Sd Kikolui to the islands, meeting with groat 
 success; the vessel returned in 1773 with a cargo con- 
 sisting of 2,450 sea-otters and 1,127 blue foxes.-^ The 
 y-c Amhri — Sv AJi'ian according to Berg — belonging 
 to Poloponissof and Popof, sailed from Kamchatka in 
 17(J9. In 1773 she was wrecked on the return vo}'- 
 agc in the vicinity of Ou(l'\ liivcr. The cargo, con- 
 sisting of 1,200 sea-otters, l»i)G black foxes, 1,411) cross 
 i'oxes, and 5D3 red foxes, was saved.'* The same year 
 sailed from Okhotsk the Sv Pro/cop, owned by the 
 merchants Okosliinikof and Protodiakonof. She I'e- 
 tui'ued after four years with an insignilicant cargo of 
 L'JO sea-otters, 20 black and 40 cross foxes.-'^ In 1770 
 the ship Sv Alcxundr Nevski, the property of the n)er- 
 cliant Seiebrennikof, sailed for the islands and returned 
 after a four years' voyage with 2,340 sea-otters aixl 
 1,130 blue foxes.'"' Shilof, Orekhof, and Lapin, in July 
 of the same year, fitted out once more the old ship So 
 Pucel at Okhotsk, and despatched her to the islands 
 under command of the uotorit)us Solovief. By this 
 time the Aleuts were evidently thoroughly subjugated, 
 
 '-Berg claims that this oukaz was not issued until 1779, 10 yoaia nftor 
 Kicnitziu returned. Khroiiol. 1st., 80, IScrg's statements coiici rniii;^ tho 
 Kienitzin expedition are brief and vague. The best authority on tlio Kul)ject 
 low extant is Sokolof, who had acecss to the archives of Irkutsk, and who 
 ]iublishcd tlie results of liis investigation in volume x. of Zap. U 'idr. Tho 
 (K'soription of Krcnitzin's voyago in Co.ve's /'itsslaa Din., 2'2l et s('i|., is ba.'-cd 
 to a certain extent on questionable authority, but it was tran.shitcd vi:'1(,illy 
 l>y Pallas in his iVon/. Ji'itr., i. 249-7-. Tho wiine account w:is cnjiicd in 
 • iirinan in Biixrhlif/'s Mwjw.hie, vol. xvi., and strangely enough retranslated 
 into Russian by Sarychef. 
 
 ■^ lier<i, Khronol. Int., app.; GrewhirjL; Biitr., 317. 
 
 ''* IJcnj, KhroiioL Int., 04-0, app. Tho nature of tho cargo proves that Uio 
 voyai^o extended at least; to Unalask.a. 
 
 ''' llcnj, Khnniol. Int., 07. No reason for the ill-success of tins venture haa 
 been transmitted. 
 
 '"^JJtru, Khivnol.ht., 86. 
 
170 
 
 BIPERIAL EFFORTS AND FAILURES. 
 
 as the man wlio Jiad slaughtered their brethren hy 
 hundreds during his former visit passed four addi- 
 tional years in safety among them, and then returned 
 v/ith an exceedingly valuable cargo of 1,900 sea-otters, 
 1,493 black, 2,115 cross, and 1,275 red foxes. He 
 claims to have reached the Alaska peninsula, and do- 
 scribes Unimak and adjoining islands.-^ 
 
 The next voyage on record is that of Potap Zaikof, 
 a master in the navy, who entered the service of the 
 Shilof and Lapin company, and sailed from Okhotslc 
 on the 22d of September 1772, in the ship Sv^ Vladi- 
 mir. Zaikof had with him a peredovchik named Shu- 
 shin and a crew of sixty-nine men.-^ At the outset 
 this expedition was attended with misfortune. Driven 
 north, the mariners were obliged to winter tlieroy 
 then after tempest-tossings south ihey finally reached 
 Copper I and, where they spent the second winter. 
 
 Zaikof made a careful survey of the island, the first 
 on record, though promyshleniki had visited the spot 
 annually for over twenty-five years. Almost a year 
 elapsed before Zaikof set sail again on the 2d of July 
 1774, and for some unexplained reason twenty-throe 
 days were consumed in reaching Attoo, only seventy 
 leagues distant. Having achieved this remarkable 
 feat he remained there till the 4th of July follow- 
 ing. The progress of Zaikof on his eastward course 
 was so slow that it becomes necessary to look after a 
 few other expeditions which had set out since his de- 
 parture. 
 
 The ship Arhhangel Sv Mihlia'il, the property of 
 Kholodilof, ,vas fitted out in 1772, and sailed i'rom Bol- 
 sheretsk on the 8th of September with IMaster Dnnlii 
 Polutof as coiiUnander, and a crew of sixty -three men. 
 This vessel also was beached bv a storm on the coast 
 
 - 
 
 ^^PcUnx, Nonl Deitr., viii. .^2G-34; St Peten^himwr Zelthiri, 1782— nn ex- 
 tract from Solovief'a journal. Another >S't' J'avd, despatched in 1774 liy a 
 Tobolsk ♦i-ader named Ossokin, was wrecked immediately utter setting sail 
 from OLiiotsk. Grew'nKjk, IJeitr., .319. 
 
 "/jVr.'/, Khronol. Int., S7; I'alioK, Nonl. Bcitr,, iii. 274-88; GrtwimiL; 
 JJeitr., iii. 18. 
 
POLUTOF AXD ZAiKOF. 
 
 Ill 
 
 en by 
 addi- 
 iirned 
 .)ttcrs, 
 . He 
 nd dc- 
 
 5aikof, 
 of the 
 khotsk 
 
 VlacU- 
 d Sho- 
 
 outsct 
 Driven 
 
 tliercv 
 reached 
 
 inter, 
 •he first 
 ;hc spot 
 f a year 
 of July 
 y-tliree 
 cvonty 
 arkal)le 
 follow - 
 course 
 after a 
 his de- 
 
 3rty of 
 
 hni Bel- 
 iDniiln 
 
 }0 men. 
 
 Iio coast 
 
 V2— nn cN- 
 |l77t I'V a 
 ctliug sail 
 
 Wrtwiii'lkt 
 
 of Kamchatka; after which, passing the tardy Zaikof, 
 Polutof went to Unalaska, where he remained two 
 years, trading peaceably,and then proceeded toKadiak. 
 On this last trip he set out on the 15th of June 177G, 
 taking with him some Aleutian hunters and inter- 
 preters. After a voyage of nine days the Sv Mikhail 
 anchored in a capacious bay on the east coast of the 
 island, probably the bay of Oojak on the shores of 
 which the Orlova settlement was subsequently founded. 
 The natives kept away from the vicinity of the harbor 
 for some time, and a month elapsed before they ventured 
 to approach the Russians. They were heavily armed, 
 extremely cautious in their movements, and evidently 
 but little inclined to listen to friendly overtures. 
 Polutof perceived that it was useless to remain under 
 such circumstances. He finally wintered at Atkha, 
 {lud the follow ing year returned, landing at Nishekam- 
 chatsk. The total yield of this adventure was 3,720 
 sea-otters, 488 black, 431 cross, 204 red, 901 blue foxes, 
 and 143 fur-seals.'^ 
 
 Thus Polutof accomplished an extended and profit- 
 able vo^^age, \\\v\q the trained navigator Zaikof was 
 yet taking preparatory steps, moving from island to 
 island, at the rate of one hundred miles per annum.^*^ 
 The latter had on the 4th of July 1775 sailed from 
 Attoo, leaving ten men behind to hunt during his 
 aljsence. On the 19th the Sv Vladimir reached Um- 
 nak, where another vessel, the Sv Yevpl,ov St Jewell, 
 owned by the merchant Burenin, and despatched in 
 1773 from Nishckamshatsk, was already anchored. 
 Aware of the bloody scenes but lately acted there- 
 about, Zaikof induced the commander of the Sv Yepii 
 
 ■* ficrii, Khronol. Int., app. 
 
 ^" From papers furnishcil liim by Timofcif Shtnalcf, Bcrj* heard of another 
 vessel l)elon;.;ing to t'le ni't'cliants (irifTor anil I'etr I'annf, wliieh sjiilcil top 
 the isLuuls in 1/72. KhroiioK In/., i)0-7 ; O'lriciinjl; lic'Ur. , .'>1!». Anollier \oya;_,'o 
 iiiulert.ikcn in 1772 is deseiiheil liy I'alliis in Soi-d. JJii/r., ii. ;i')S-'J4, inicl.r 
 till' following title: 'Des IVredofschik's Dimitry ISragin Berielit von ei.ier iiu 
 .lalire 1772 angctrctencn ciiijillirigen Seereisc zu ilen zwisclien Kanitsrliallva 
 iiuil Anierika gelegenen Inseln.' iSinco Gre\vinf;k iliseribea this voyage us nc- 
 eiijiying the four yiaia from 1772 to 177(i, it i.s rather doubtful whether tho 
 Uescriptiou applies to the one year voyage of liragin. 
 
):;!■■! i 
 
 w. 
 
 172 
 
 IMPERIAL EFFORTS AND FAILURES. 
 
 iiRAiiiN's Map. 
 
 It 
 
GREAT HARVEST OF FURS. 
 
 173 
 
 to hunt on joint account.^^ The agreement v.-as that 
 the Sv Yevpl sliould remain at Unniak with thirty- 
 ilvo men, while the Sv Vladimir, with sixty men 
 and fully provisioned, was to set out in search of 
 new discoveries. On rejoining, the furs obtairicd hy 
 the two parties were to be divided. Zaikof sailed 
 eastward on the 3d of August, and in three weeks 
 reached the harbor where Krenitzin wintered with 
 the Sv Ekatcrina. Here the commander of the expe- 
 dition considered himself entitled to a prolonged rest, 
 and consequently he remained stationary for three 
 years, making surveys of the neighborhood while his 
 crew attended to the business of hunting and tra[)- 
 ping."- 
 
 On the 27th of May 1778 the Sv Vladimir put to 
 sea once more, steering for the bay where the com- 
 [)anion ship was anchored. Upon this brief passage, 
 which at that time of th'c year can easily be accom- 
 plished in three days, Zaikof managed to spend lifty- 
 llirec da}"s. At last, however, the juncture of the two 
 ships was effected and the furs were duly divided, but 
 after attending to these arduous duties the captain 
 concluded to wait another year before taking his linal 
 departure for Okhotsk. Not until the Otli of i\Iay 
 1770 did Zaikof sail from Unmak, and after brief 
 stoppages at Attoo and Bering islands the Sv Vladi- 
 mir i'ound herself safely anchored in the harbor of 
 Okhotsk on the Gth of September.''^ 
 
 ^' Tlio Sv Yfvpl sailed for the i.slaiula in 1773, and returned in 1770. Tii 
 the caryo v.'crc G;J land-otters, the lirst shipiied hy the proniyshlcnilvi, and 
 ]iiciviny that this vessel must have readied the continent. lUnj, Klirottil. I.-L, 
 517, app. A compari.ion of this cargo with the furs carried hack liy tlie Sv I la- 
 d'diiir would indicate that Zaikof must have taken the lion's share on closing 
 the partnership. 
 
 "- Jieri^ thought it improbable that Zaikof should have known any thinp; of 
 astrononiieal ol)sefvation9 (he was a master in the navy I), but he iiekiiowl- 
 e(l;^'cd that Zail;()f did discover nn error connnittcd by Captain Krcnitiin in 
 l)hkiii<x his anchorage live degrees too far to the westward. Klivovol. J.<t., US. 
 
 '■^■^ With all his ap[iarently unnecessary delays, Zaikof in his leport to tlio 
 o\vners of the vessel made a very good showing compared with the re!;ults ot 
 iitlier voyages. During an absence of more than 7 years he lost but 12 out of 
 lii-< numerous crew, and his cargo consisted of 4,.')7- sea-otters, ;!,'J4'.) ioxei of 
 ditlerent kinds, !)2 land-otters, I wolverene and 'A wolves — the llrst bnjn;:ht 
 from America — 18 minks, l,7-o fur-seals, and 3o0 pounds of walrus ivory, tlio 
 
174 
 
 niPERIAL EFFORTS AND FAILURES. 
 
 Two of the owners of the Sv Vladimir, Orekhof and 
 Lapin, proceeded to St Petersburg with a preyent of 
 three hundred choice black foxes for the empress. 
 The gift was graciously received; the donors were en- 
 tertained at the imperial palace, decorated with gold 
 medals, and admitted to an interview with Catherine, 
 who made tlio most minute inquiries into the opera- 
 tions of her subjects in the easternmost confines of her 
 territory. Th3 indebtedness of the firm to the gov- 
 ernment for nautical instruments and supplies, timber, 
 and taxes, was also remitted. '^ 
 
 i 
 
 It has been elsewhere mentioned that the promy- 
 shleniki and traders occasionally ventured upon voy- 
 ages from the coast of Kamchatka to the eastward 
 islands in open boats or bidars. Two of these expe- 
 ditions took place in 1772, under the auspices of a 
 merchant named Ivan Novikof The voyage of over 
 a thousand miles from Bolsheretsk around the south- 
 ern extremity of Kamchatka to the islands was twice 
 safely performed, the whole enterprise netting the 
 owners 15, GOO rubles. Considering the higher value 
 of money in those times and the insignificant outlay 
 required in this instance, the enterprise met wuth en- 
 
 couraging success. 
 
 From this time to the visit of Captain Cook, single 
 traders and small conr ^anies continued the traffic with 
 the islands in much the same manner as before, though 
 a general tendency to consolidation was perceptible. 
 
 n 
 S3 
 
 whole valued at 300,410 rubles. Berg declares that at the prices establislud 
 by the Russian-American Company at tlio time of his writing, 1S12, the saiiio 
 furs would liiive been worth 1,003,588 rubles. Khronol. Int., J)l-3. 
 
 '• Berg also states that this present was made after the return of the N" 
 Vladimir from the islands, but he speaks of the journey of Orckliof and Lapin 
 na having taken place iu 1770. The discrepancy may be owing to a typo- 
 granhiciil error. Khronol. 1-4., 93-4. 
 
 '•''In 1774 the merchants Protodiakonof and Okoshinikof fitted out the 
 ship Sv I'rokvi) for the second time, but on her return from a fourth cruise 
 the owners n fused to engage again in such enterprises, having barely covereil 
 cxjoenses during a period of eight years. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 . EXPLORATION AND TRADE. 
 
 1770-1787. 
 
 PoMTTCAL Changes at St pETERSBURa — Exiles to Siberia — The Loko 
 Weary Way to ILvmchatka — The Benyovski Conspiracy — The At:- 
 TiloR Bad ENOuciH, BrT not so Bad as He woflp like to Appear — 
 llxiLE Regulations — Forgery, Treachery, Robbery, and Mirder — 
 Escape of the Exiles — Behm Appointed to Sccceed Nilof as Com- 
 
 JIANDANT of KAMCHATKA — FlRTUER HuNTIXO VoYAGES— FiKST TRAD- 
 ING Expedition to the Mainland— Potop Za'ikof — Prince William 
 Sound—Ascent of Copper River — Treacheroi's Chcgaches— Plight 
 OF the Russians — Home of the Fur-seals — Its Discovkry by Geras- 
 siM Prieylof — Jealousy of Rival Companies. 
 
 It was a time of rapid and sweeping political cliangcs 
 at the imperial court. All along the road to Siberia, 
 to Yakutsk, and even to Okhotsk and Kamchatka, one 
 1>atch of exiles followed another, political castaways, 
 piisoners of war, or victims of too deep diplomacy, 
 as much out of place in this broad, bleak penitcntiaiy 
 as would be promyshleniki and otters in St Peter.s- 
 biULT. In one of these illustrious bands was a Polish 
 count, Augustine Benyovski by name,^ who had 
 I'layed somewhat too recklessly at conspiracy. Nor 
 was Siberia to deprive him of this pastime. Long 
 bi'l'ore ho reached Yakutsk he had plotted and organ- 
 i/.cd a secret society of exiles with himself as chief. 
 The more prominent of the other members were a 
 J )octor Hoffman, a resident of Yakutsk, Major Wind- 
 Ida th. Captain Panof, Captain Hipolite Stepanof, 
 Colonel Baturin, and Sopronof, the secretary of the 
 
 ' Sgibnef states that Benyovski did not call liimself count or baron in 
 Kamchatka, but simply bciuosk or beinak. Momkoi SOornik; cii. 51. 
 
 (175) 
 
176 
 
 EXPLORATION AND TRADE. 
 
 society,'^ 'The object of this association very naturally 
 was to get its members out of limbo; or in other words 
 mutual assistance on the part of the members in 
 making their escape from Liberia. The chief exacted 
 from each his signature to a written agreement, done 
 in the vicinity of Yakutsk, and dated the 27th of 
 August 1770. After a month of tedious progress 
 through the wastes of eastern Siberia, the count's 
 1 tarty was overtaken by a courier from Yakutsk who 
 claimed to have important despatches for the com- 
 mander of Okhotsk; at the same time he reported 
 that Dr Hoffman was dead. The suspicions of Ben- 
 yovski and his companions were aroused. Persuad- 
 ing the tired courier that he Jieedcd a little rest, they 
 feasted him well, and after nightfall while he slei)t 
 they ransacked his satchel, and took therefrom a 
 formidable-looking document which proved to contain 
 an expose of their plans, obtained from Hoffman's 
 papers. Benyovski was equal to the emergency. Ho 
 wrote another letter upon official paper, with which 
 he had provided himself at Yakutsk, full of the most 
 sober recommendations of the exiles to the commander 
 of Okhotsk. This document was inserted into the 
 pilfered envelope, and carried forward to its destina- 
 tion by the unsuspecting messenger.^ 
 
 The forged letter did its work. Wiien Benj^ovsld 
 and his companions arrived at Okhotsk they were 
 received with the greatest kindness by Colonel Plcii- 
 isner,^ the commandant, who regarded them as unfor- 
 tunate gentlemen, like himself, not for a moment to 
 be placed in the category of criminals. Hence hu 
 granted them every privilege, and supplied them freely 
 with food, clothing, and even arms. Being a man o\' 
 little education and of dissipated habits, Plenisner was 
 
 * licnyov-'kVn Memoin* and Traveh, i. 07. 
 
 - * liemjovskVH Mrmoiri* and Trnveh, i. 72; Momlvi Sbornik, cii. 97. 
 
 * Tlii.i nmn was probably the same mentioned in connection with the second 
 expedition of l^erini,' and Sliestakdf's campaign in the Cliukchi countiy, uihI 
 vlio was .ippointed to the command of Kamchatka in January 1701, for n 
 term of five years. Sijihiiff, in Momkoi ShorniL; cii. 37-8. 
 
 .••'''. '.- 
 
THE BOASTFUL BENYOVSKI. 
 
 177 
 
 easily (locclvod by the plausible tongue of the courtly 
 Polo, who quickly perceived that he had made an 
 crcirious mistake in framins? his forged letter. He 
 saw that residence at Okhotsk promised favorable 
 opportunity for escape in view of the confidence re- 
 ])oscd in him by the commander, though he had 
 thought that Kamchatka offered the best facilities, 
 and had urged in the letter early transportation ol' 
 tlic exiles to that locality. Though willing to oblige 
 his new friends, in every possible manner, Colonel 
 Plonisner did not dare to act in direct o^jposition to 
 Ills orders, and in October a detachment of exiles, 
 embracing all the conspirators, was sent by the ship 
 Sv Petr i Sv Pavel to Bolsheretsk, Kamchatka,' 
 Avhere they were transferred to the charge of Captain 
 Nilof, commandant of the district.^ 
 
 ^Bonyovski describes this craft as of 2(W tons burden, armt' with 8 can- 
 ncms, and manned with a crew of 43, commanded by Yesurin and Korostilof. 
 T!it' \esscl was laden with flour and brandy. Benyovskis Memoirs and TmveU, 
 i. 70-80. 
 
 '' Benyovski claims that the passage was an exceedingly stormy one, and 
 that the ship was on tlie verge of destruction, owing to the incapacity and 
 drunkenness of both oificersand men, when he, a prisoner in iron.!, took coni- 
 niiuid and by his ' superior knowledge of navigation succeeded in shortening 
 siiil and bringing the vessel into its proper course, tlius saving tiic lives of au 
 on l)oard.' As the passage was a short one wc may doubt the statement of 
 tlu' lioastful Benyovski. The count also claimed that the privileges snbse- 
 fj'.icntly granted him Ijy Nilof were based upon his heroic action on this occa- 
 sion. Nilof had formerly been the commandant of tlie Cossack ostrog of 
 Isliiga, but Zubritski wlien recalled to St Petersburg summoned him as liis 
 succt'ssor in 1709. He was given to drink, and easily deceived, and hud 
 ahcady been victimized by an exiled oiBcial named Kyslikof. The latter hav- 
 iiig failed In various attempts to trade with the )iatives, prevailed upon Nilof 
 tip Milvancc sums from the public funds for the purpose of engaging in agricult- 
 ural experiments. Of course the money wfis lost and the experiments resulted 
 in failure. Sijil»icf,m Mornkoi Sboriiik; cii. ill-G'J. Shortly after their arrival tlie 
 foUuwing regulations concerning the exiles were promulgated at Bolsheretslc: 
 I. St. The captives were to be liberated from close restriction and furnished 
 V ith food for tiiree days; after which they were to provide their own sub.sist- 
 ein'c. '2d. The chancellery was to furnish each exile with a gun and lance, one 
 imund of powder, four pounds of lead, an axe, some knives, and other utensils 
 witli which to l.uiild themselves a house. 1'hey were at liberty to select a 
 incation within half a league of the town; each man was to pay to the gov- 
 (.■ruiiient 100 rubles during the first year in consideration of the advance, 
 liaynients to be made in money or skins at the option of the exiles. IM. 
 JOaoli uxile was bound to labor one day of each week for the government, 
 anil they were not allowed to absent tliemselves from their location over 'J4 
 hiiiirs without jiermission of the commandant. Each was also to fuinisJi the 
 treasury of Bolsheretsk with 6 sables, 2 foxes, 50 gray sqiunels, and 24 
 fiinhies annually. 
 
 HiBT. Alaska. 12 
 
178 
 
 EXPLORATION AND TRADE. 
 
 H 
 
 We may as well take it for granted before proceed- 
 ing further that three fourths of all that Benyovsld 
 says of himself are lies; with this understanding I 
 will continue his story, building it for the most part 
 on what others say of him. 
 
 In Kamchatka as in Okhotsk through his superior 
 social qualifications the count was enabled to gain tlie 
 confidence and good- will of the commander, so that the 
 hardships of his position were greatly alleviated. He 
 was not obliged to join his companions in the toilson.o 
 and dangerous chase of fur-bearinjj animals, findin*; 
 more congenial employment in Captain Nilof s otBcc 
 and residence.^ The count accompanied his patron on 
 various official tours of inspection, in which he came 
 in contact with his numerous fellow-exiles scattered 
 through the interior in small settlements. Hisorifji- 
 nal plan of escape from the Russian domains was ever 
 present in his mind and he neglected no opportunity 
 to enlarge the membership of his secret society. In 
 order to ingratiate himself still more with Nilof he re- 
 sorted to his old trick of forgery, and revealed to the 
 credulous commander an imaginary plot to poison hin) 
 and the officers of his staff. He claimed in his memoirs 
 that in consideration of this service Nilof formally re- 
 voked his sentence of exile.^ 
 
 While still travellinjr with Nilof in the besfinning of 
 1771, Benypvski intercepted a letter directed to the 
 former by one of the conspirators betraying the plot." 
 
 ' Eenyovski goes out of the way to prove himself a great niscal. Ho ex- 
 plains how he iiigiatiatccl himself with Nilof ami his family, claiming that hi; 
 was employed as tutor to several young girls and hoys, and that in his capa- 
 city of clerk to the father ho forged reports to the imperial government, prais- 
 ing the conduct of the exiles. He also states that he made use of his fascinntioiirf 
 to work upon the feelings of one of tlie young daughters, and to gain control 
 of her heart and mind. Sgihnef, however, a careful and industrious inves- 
 tigator, says, iirst, tliat the count did not play upon t!>e afleetions of Nilof':' 
 daugliter, and secondly that Nilof never had a daughter. Benyovski's Meiiioii-.^ 
 and TniCi'U, i. IGO-'i; Momkoi Shornik, cii. 51-09. 
 
 ^ JjciiyQVHkl'a Memoirs and TraveU, i. 135-7. Sgibnef, however, states 
 that no amnesty or special privileges were granted to Benyovski. Morxkoi 
 Sbornik, cii. 09. 
 
 •Benyovski gives the following list of members of the secret society of 
 exiles : Benyovski, Panof, Baturin, Stepanof Sohuauof, Windblath, Kruatiif, 
 ami \"asblli, Beuyovski's servant. Later u largo number was added, among them 
 
REVOLT OF THE EXILES. 
 
 170 
 
 Tlio traitor, whose name was Leontief, was killed by 
 order of the court. The plan settled upon for final 
 action was to overcome the garrison of Bolsherotsk, 
 iini)rison the commander, plunder the public treasury 
 and storehouses, and sail for Japan or some of the 
 islands of the Pacific with as many of the conspirators 
 as desired to go.^° 
 
 Benyovski's statement of his exploits at Kamchatka, 
 for unblushing impudence in the telling, borders the 
 sublime. Arriving at Bolsheretsk on the 1st of De- 
 comber a half-starved prisoner clothed in rags, he was 
 advanced to the position of confidant of the acting 
 governor before two weeks had elapsed, being also the 
 accepted suitor for the hand of his daughter. During 
 the same time he had succeeded in rousing the spirit 
 of revolt not only in the breasts of his fellow-exiles, 
 but among the free merchants and sjovernment offi- 
 rials, who he claimed were ready to rise at a moment s 
 warning and overthrow their rulers. Within a few 
 days, or weeks at the most, this grand conspiracy had 
 not only been called into existence but had survived 
 s[)asms of internal dissensions and attempted treason, 
 all suppressed by the strength and presence of mind 
 of one man — Benyovski. Then he tells how he 
 cheated the connnander and others in games and sold 
 his influence for presents of furs and costly garments. 
 On the 1st of January 1771 a fete took place at the 
 house of Captain Nilof. Benyovski claims that it 
 
 many who were not exiles: Duinitri Kuznetzof, a free merchant, Afannssiy 
 Kunicn, a Cossack captain; Ivan SilmiVf, captiiiii of infantry; Aloxci' Tnito- 
 pop, urcli<leacon of the church, free; Leonti IVipof, captiiin of infantry, free; 
 Ivan Churin, niercliant, free; Magnns Minler, aurgeon-ycncral of tlio ndini- 
 lalty, exiled for 20 years; Ivan Volkof, hunter, free; Kasiuiir Bielski, Polish 
 txile; Grigor Lobchof, colonel of infantry, exile; I'liiieo Hcraclius ZadMkoi, 
 exiled; Julien Brandoi-p, exiled Swede; Nikolai Serchrennikof, captain of the 
 f.'uards, exile; Andrei liiatzinin, exile. All the incnihers of the Russian church 
 joining the conspiracy were ol)ligc(l first to confess and receive the sacrament 
 in order to make their oath more binding. Bciiyov.iki'n Mcmoh's ami Tracd't, 
 i. 108-9. 
 
 '"At that time tho province was estimated to contain over 15,000 inhabit- 
 ants classified in the official returns as follows: 2'2 infantry officers; 422 Itus- 
 sian riflemen; 1,500 Cossacks and officers; 20 civil otficers; 82 Rns.siaii 
 merchants; 700 descendants of exiles (200 females), free; 1,000 exiles: 8,000 
 males and 3,000 female natives of Kamchatka; 40 Russian men. Beiii/ornkl's 
 Memoirs and Travels, i. 301; Morskui Sbornik, ciii. 81. 
 
^;i 
 
 'J' 
 
 T{ "! 
 
 th 
 
 ISO 
 
 EXrLORATIOX AXD TRADE. 
 
 had been arranged to celebrate his betrothal to Afan- 
 assia Nilof, to whom he had promised marriage, 
 tliough already possessed of a wife in Poland. In 
 his diary he states at length how he suppressed 
 another counter-conspiracy a few moments before pro- 
 ceeding to the festive scene, and sentenced two of his 
 former companions to death. Meanwhile Benyovski's 
 cruel and arbitrary treatment of his associates had 
 made him many enemies, and reports of his designs 
 reached the authorities. He succeeded repeatedly in 
 dispersing the growing suspicion, but finally the dan- 
 ger became so threatening that he concluded to pre- 
 cipitate the execution of his plot. 
 
 On the 26th of April Captain Nilof sent an officer 
 with two Cossacks to Benyovski's residence with 
 orders to summon him to the chancellery, there to 
 give an account of his intentions. The summons of 
 the chief conspirator brought to the spot about a 
 dozen of his associates, who bound and gagged the 
 captain's messengers. Then hoisting the signal of 
 general revolt, which called all the members of the 
 society together, he proceeded to Nilof's quarters, 
 where the feeble show of resistance made by the 
 trembling drunkard and his family furnished sufficient 
 excuse for a general charge upon the premises. During 
 the niel(5e the commander was killed. The murder was 
 premeditated, as the best means of preventing partici- 
 pants from turning back. 
 
 Before resolving upon the final attack, Benyovski 
 had secured the services of the commander of the 
 only vessel then in port, the Sv Petv i Sv Pavel, 
 and as soon as the momentary success of the enter- 
 prise was assured his whole force was set to work to 
 repair and fit out this craft. The magazines and 
 storehouses were ransacked, and not satisfied with 
 the quantity of powder on hand, he shipped a supply 
 of sulphur, saltpetre, and charcoal necessary for the 
 manufacture of that article." 
 
 "Benyovski's own inventory of tlie 'armament' of the Sv Petr i Sv 
 
BENYOVSKI'S JOURNEY. 
 
 ISl 
 
 riago, 
 . In 
 
 ressed 
 e pro- 
 of his 
 Dvski's 
 38 had 
 lesigns 
 adly in 
 le dan- 
 to pre- 
 
 . officer 
 ;e with 
 here to 
 nons of 
 about a 
 ged the 
 gnal of 
 of the 
 uarters, 
 by the 
 iifficient 
 During 
 der wa« 
 partici- 
 
 Thc interval between Benyovski's aceessiou to 
 ] lower and his departure to 13olsherctsk was filled 
 with brief trials and severe punishments of recreant 
 iiunibers of his band who endeavored to open the 
 way for tiieir own pardon by the old authorities 
 hv betraying the new. The knout was freel}' used, 
 and the sentence of death imposed almost daily. At 
 last on the 12th of May the Sv Pctr i Sv Pavel sailed 
 out of the harbor of Bolsheretsk midst the firing 
 of salvos, the ringing of bells, and the solemn te 
 (leum on the quarter-deck. The voyage is involved 
 iu mystery, caused chiefly by the contradictory re- 
 ports of Benyovski himself. He says he anchored 
 ill a bay of Bering Island on the lOtli of May, after a 
 ])assage of seven days, took on board twenty-six bar- 
 rels of water, and sailed again, after a brief sojourn 
 on the island, during which he claimed to have fallen 
 ill with a Captain Okhotin of the ship Elizaveta, 
 whom Benyovski describes as an exiled Saxon noble- 
 man. 
 
 On the 7th of June he claims to have communi- 
 cated with the Chukchi in latitude 64°, and only 
 three days later, on the 10th of June, he landed 
 on the island of Kadiak, over 1,000 miles aw'av. 
 Another entry in the count's diary describes his 
 arrival on the island of Amchitka, one of the Andrian- 
 ovski group, on the 21st of June, and two days later 
 tlio arrival of the ship at Ourumusir, one of the 
 Kurile Islands, is noted. In explanation of this re- 
 markable feat he gives the speed of his vessel at ten 
 and a half knots an hour, which might be true, driven 
 by a gale. The only part of this journey susceptible 
 
 Piivrl was as follows: '96 men, 9 of them females; 8 cannon; 2 howitzers; 2 
 nuiitars; 120 muskets with bayonets; 80 saln-es; GO pistols; 1,(J(X) pounds ot 
 powder; 2,000 pounds of lead; 800 pounds of salt meat; 1,200 pounds of salt 
 tisli; 3,000 pounds of dried fish; 1,400 pounds of whale-oil; 200 pounds of 
 Hu^iar; 500 pounds of tea: i.OOO pounds of spoiled Hour; 40 pounds of Imtter; 
 1 1. '{ pounds of cheese; 6,000 pounds of iron; 120 liand-gi'enades; U(X) cannon- 
 Italls; 50 pounds of sulphur; 200 pounds of salti^etre; sevei-al barrels of char- 
 coal; 36 baiTcls of water; 138 barrels of brandy; 126 cases of furs; 14 anchors; 
 sails and cordage; one boat and one skiflf.' Memoirs and Trawls, i. 271. 
 
182 
 
 EXPLORATION AND TRADE. 
 
 of proof is the arrival of tho survivors in the harbor 
 of Macao on the Chinese coast.^'^ 
 
 The successor of the nmrdered Nilof was Major 
 Magnus Carl von Bohni, who was appointed to the 
 full command of Kamchatka by an imperial oukaz 
 dated April 30, 1772, but he did not assume chargL' 
 of his district until the 15th of October of the follow- 
 ing year, having met with detention in his progress 
 through Siberia. ^^ 
 
 In 177G the name of Grigor Ivanovieh Shelikof 
 is first mentioned among the merchants engaged in 
 operations on the islands and coast of north-west 
 America. Tliis man, who has justly been calh.'d the 
 founder of the Russian colonies on this continent, fir.^t 
 came to Okhotsk from Kiakhta on the Chinese fron- 
 tier and formed a partnership with Lebedef-Lasli- 
 tochkin for the purpose of hunting and trading on 
 the Kurilc Islands. This field, however, was not 
 large enough for Shelikof's ambition, and forming 
 another partnership with one Luka Alin, he built a 
 
 •'Sgibnef states that Benyovski was informed after his departure from 
 Bering Island that a party of liia associates had laid plans to detain the ves.st 1 
 and return to Kamchatka. Several of the accused were punished by flogging, 
 while Ismailof and Paranchin, with the latter's wife, were put ashore ou an 
 inland of the Kurile group, whence they were brought back by Protodiakonof, 
 a trader, in 1772. This Mould explain the circumstance that Cook could not 
 cilftain any definite information concerning Benyovski's voyage from Ismailof 
 when he met the latter at Unalaska in 1778. Sgibnef, in Morskoi Sboniil:, c. 
 ii. 02-3. From Macao Benyovski managed to reach the French colony o:\ 
 ^ladagascar Island, and finally he proceeded to Paris with the object «f ob- 
 taining the assistance of the French goveniment in subjugating the natives 
 of Madagascar. Here he met with only partial success, but definite informa- 
 tion is extant to the efl'ect that on th'". j 4th of April 1774 Benyovski emlwrked 
 for Maryland on the ship llobcrt niid A>me. He was accompanied by his 
 family and arrived at Baltimoi-"! on .1 ul': 8th the same year, with a cargo of 
 merchandise for Madagascar valucl at i'4,000. In Baltimore he succeeded 
 in obtaining assistance from rc'.iutii'. merchants, who chartered for him a 
 vessel of about 450 tons, the IiitrtjjiJ, armed with 20 guns, and with this craft 
 he sailed from Baltimore on October 2.5, 1784. The last letter received from 
 the count was dated from the coast of Brazil. A few months later he reaclu'il 
 his destination and at once organized a conspiracy for the purpose of setting 
 up an independent government on the island of Madagascar, but in an action 
 with French colonial troops he was killed on the 23d of May 1786. 
 
 '^ Major Behm's salary was fixed at OOO rubles per ammm, and his jurisdic- 
 tion was subscquentlj' extended over the Aleutian Islands by an oukaz of the 
 governor general of Irkutsk. S(jibne/, in Momkoi Sbomik, iii. 7. 
 
ADVENTURES OF THE SIBERIAN TRADERS. 
 
 1S3 
 
 vessel at Xishokamcliatsk, named it of courwe tlio Sii 
 Pavel, and despatched it to the islands." Another 
 vessel of the same name was fitted out hy the most 
 Ini'timate of all the Siberian adventurers, Orckhof, 
 J .apin, and Shilof The command was given to Master 
 (Jeiassim Grigorovich Ismailof, a man who subse- 
 (|uently figures prominently in explorations of Alaska, 
 and of whom Cook speaks in terms of high commenda- 
 tion.'" 
 
 Leaving the discussion of the voyages of English 
 and French explorers, which took place about this 
 time, to another chapter, wo shall follow the move- 
 ments of Siberian traders and promyshleniki up to 
 the point of final amalgamation into a few power- 
 1'iil companies. In 1777 Sholikof, Solovicf, and the 
 l^uiof brothers fitted out a vessel named the Bar- 
 fiil.omei i Varnabas, which sailed from Nishekam- 
 chatsk and returned after an absence of four years with 
 a small cargo valued at 58,000 rubles.'^ In the same 
 }car another trader, who was to play a prominent 
 ])art in the development of the Russian colonies in 
 t'le Pacific, first appears upon the scene. Ivan Lari- 
 
 '*It was commanded by Sapochnikof, of whom Cook spcaka in terms of 
 ]naisc. This vessel returned m 1780 with a cargo valued at 75,240 rubles. 
 Jli rij, Khronol. Id., 101, app. 
 
 '■"t'ook spells his name Erasim Gregorieoff Sin Ismyloff. Cook's Voy., ii. 
 407. Orcgoricf Sin is an obsolete form of Grigorovich, both signifying ' sou 
 (if Grigor.' Ismailof was considered one of the most successful navigators 
 imiong tlie Russian pioneera. Much of this reputation he doubtless owcil to 
 the information received from Cook, who speaks of his intelligence andacutc- 
 ncss of observation. Concerning his escape from Benyovski, see note ]-2. 
 'I'Ik; name of Ismai'lof's vessel, the Sv Pavel, led Coi-poral Ledyard, of Cook':j 
 murine guard, and subsequently a self-styled American colonel, into the niis- 
 t:iko (jf reporting that ho saw at Unalaska the very vessel in which Bering mudo 
 Ins voyage of discover^', the corporal being nn.aware that that craft had been 
 destroyed. Life of Ledyard, 80; Piitkrrton'.'t Voy., xvi. 781-2; CoolSs Third 
 Voy., ii. 404, 523. Berg states that he could find no accounts o' the present 
 voyage beyond a brief notice of Ismailof 's return in 1781 with ;» very licli 
 i;irgo valued at 172,000 rubles. Khronol. /^^, 101. His percilovcliik was 
 ivan Lukanin. He commanded the 7Wlh Sviatitdi in 1783, the vessel on 
 M hich Shelikof himself embarked, the Simeon in 1793, on which occasion ho 
 met Vancouver's officers, without telling them of his iutcrcoui'se wita Cook, 
 and the Akxandr in 1795. Benj, Kronol. Id., Table ii., app. 
 
 '"Berg, Khronol Isf., mentions the despatch of the ship A lexmid Xcvdi 
 by the brothers Panof in 1770, and its return in 1770, but gives no details of 
 tlie voyage. This is probably on error. See p. 109. 
 
I i-»n 
 
 IS4 
 
 EXPLORATION AND TRADE. 
 
 novich (Tolikof, a mcrcliant of the town of Kursk, 
 who held the office of collector of the spirits tax in 
 the province of Irkutsk,^^ formed a partnership with 
 Shelikof At joint expense they built a ship named 
 Sv Andrei Pervosvannui, that is to say St Andrew 
 the First-called, Vvhicli sailed from Petropavlovsk for 
 the Aleutian Islands. This vessel was subsequently 
 wrecked, but the whole cargo, valued at 133,450 rubles, 
 was saved.'^ Another ship, the Zo.ssirna i Savatin, 
 was despatched in the same year by Yakof Protas- 
 sof, but after remaining four years on the nearest 
 Aleutian isles, the expedition returned with a small 
 cargo valued at less than 50,000 rubles. In 1778 
 the two Panof brothers associated themselves with 
 Arscnius Kuznetzof, also one of the former com- 
 panions of Benyovski,^" and constructed a vessel 
 named the Sv Nikolai, which sailed from Petropa\ - 
 lovsk. This craft was absent seven years and iinally 
 rewarded the patience of the owners with a rich cargo 
 consisting of 2,521 sea-otters, 230 land-otters, and 
 3,300 foxes of various kinds.^ The same firm de- 
 sj)atched another vessel in tlic same year, the Klinwut, 
 which returned in 1785 with a cargo of 1,118 sea- 
 otters, 500 land-otters, and 830 foxes. The com- 
 mander of this expedition was Ocheredin.^^ 
 
 ^'' licrg. Khrnnot. 1st., 102. 
 
 ^^ J!rr(i, K/ininol. Inf., app. ; Grcvimil; Ddlr., 321. 
 
 ^* li<r<l, KhruiKil. J.st., KW; Si/ii Olrr/t<-slr<i, 1S..'1, Xo. 27. 
 
 "" lt< rij, K/iroiiol. ht., I0.">. Tlic iiatiiro of the cargo would indicate that at 
 least a portion of the cruise was spent iii the vicinity of the luamlaiid of 
 Alaska. 
 
 '•" Though Polntof appears to have brought it home, lierg during liis 
 Fojouni at Kudiak had an opportunity to converse with a hunter named 
 Tuyurj^koi, wlio had hcen one of Ocheredin".s crew. This man stilted th:it 
 the exjiedition had pa.s.ied the winter of 1779 at Kiidiak, and that they hiid 
 with them 00 Aleuts for the purpose of hunting sea-otters. Tlie Kadi.",k>, 
 however, wouUl not allow these men to hunt, scarcely permitting tlicm to land 
 even. During the whole winter, whicli was passed under const'int ap]iiv- 
 hension of attacks, only 100 sea-otters were secured, and 20 of the crew dicil 
 of scurvy. In the spring the promyshleniki nuide all haste to proceed to 
 Uiialaska. liir;/, Khronol. 1st., 101-7. Berg also states that another craft of 
 tlie same name, .^(' Xikohii, the property of Shelikof and Kozitziu, sailed \''<v 
 tlie ishmds in 1778, but he could find no details conccruing the voyage in the 
 archives beyond the statement that the same vessel maile three successive 
 voyages iu the same direction. Kadiak; cast of the Alaska peninsula. On 
 
 \l 
 
JIOVEMENTS OF VESSELS. 
 
 183 
 
 ursk, 
 ax ill 
 
 witli 
 amed 
 idrow 
 sk for 
 leiitly 
 ■ublcs, 
 ivatln, 
 'rotas>- 
 carest 
 
 small 
 L 1778 
 s with 
 * com- 
 
 vessc'l 
 :ropa\- 
 
 linally 
 1 car^"< > 
 ^s, and 
 nu dc- 
 
 ViiU'iit, 
 
 8 sea- 
 coiii- 
 
 Itc that nt 
 knliuul lit 
 
 |nring liis 
 It uunii'il 
 litiMl tliat 
 
 Ithoy lui'l 
 Jlviulir.U-^, 
 li to liiiul 
 lit iiiil'ii- 
 Irow «li'''l 
 Vooei'il to 
 cm ft of 
 lailo.l f<n' 
 Le in tlio 
 liccessive 
 Ilia. Oil 
 
 The ship Sv loann Predtecha, or St John the Fore- 
 runner, belonging to Shelikof and Golikof, sailed 
 i'roni Petropavlovsk in 1779, and remained absent six 
 A oars without proceeding beyond the nearest Aleutian 
 islands, finally returning to Okhotsk with a cargo of 
 little value. In the following year the brothers Panof 
 fitted out once more the Sv Yevpl. This old craft was 
 Vv recked on her return voyage not far from Kam- 
 chatka, but the cargo, valued at 70,000 rubles, was 
 saved and brought into port by another vessel."^ 
 
 With the funds realized from the sale of the cargo 
 ol' the Sv Pavel Shelikof had constructed another craft, 
 with the intention of extending his operations among 
 the islands. The vessel was named the Sv loann Rijl- 
 .^Lvi, St John of Rylsk, and sailed from Petropavlovsk 
 ill 1780."^^ 
 
 The Sv Prol'op, fitted out by the merchants Shu- 
 I'alof and Krivorotof, also sailed in 1730, but was 
 ^\ locked on the coast of Kamchatka soon after leav- 
 ing Okhotsk. Four vessels sailed for the islands in 
 1781, the Sv Pavel, despatched for the second time by 
 Shelikof and Alin; the Sv Alexe'i, despatched by the 
 merchant Popof; the Alexandv Nevshi, belonging to 
 tlu; firm of Orekhof, Lapin, and Shilof;-* and Sv 
 ^icovcj'nj, fitted out by Lebedef-Lastochkin and Sheli- 
 kof, wherein Prib^dof made the all-important discovery 
 of the Fur Seal Islands in 1780,^'* which will be duly 
 
 Cook's AtJai^, 1778, P'^ Kadjar; L.a Pi''i'onye, 17S(), J. Khihtuk; Dixon, 17fSf), 
 /.',.';•■,■ Vancouver, HiX)-!)."), KmHuI SntU y JAu-., V'iu<jc, Isla Kadiuv; 
 lloliiiiicrg, Kndjak. Carto;/. I'ar. <'oaxf .iIS., iii. i'M. 
 
 -'Ben/, Khronol. /.si., 107; (<'rririii;f.',; Jiiitr., ',]S,i. 
 
 '" After an aliscncc of six years this vessel returned, hut was wrecked on 
 the coast of KaiiicJKitka. The c;iigo, however, conijirising !KJO sea-otters and 
 <Air KS,()(X1 fur-seals, was. saved. Shelikof seems to have l)eeii the fust among 
 the trailers to deal more extensively in fur-seals. Up to 1780 he had imported 
 70.(H!0 of these skins. Bfinj, Khrnml. IM., 10()-7. 
 
 -'Tlic Si) I'ani returned after a fiv^; years' cruise with a cargo valued at 
 .f'l.OOO rubles; the Sv Ahxi'i also returned after an absence of live years and 
 iiiit with great success; the Akxniidr Nn'Kkl, which had just nmde a cruise 
 tn the Kurile Islands under the command of the Greek, Eustrtito Delarof, wa« 
 lihiced unde- ' i command of Stepan Zaikof for this expedition, and returned 
 in live yea;. ■ .i.h a rich assortment of furs, valued at 283,000 rubles, l!<rij, 
 Khi-otiol. Ixf., .S07-9. See note 19. 
 
 - ' .\fter au eight years' cruise Pribylof rcttirncd to Okhotsk with a oarj^o ot 
 -,7-0 sea-otters, 31,100 fur-seals, nearly 8,000 foxes, ojid a large quantity 
 
' ! :f >■ ' 
 
 i k ' : 
 
 \H 
 
 ISG 
 
 EXPLORATION AND TRADE. 
 
 discussed in its clironological order. For 1782 onl}' 
 one departure of a trading-vessel for the islands has 
 been recorded. This vessel was fitted out by Yakov 
 Protassof at Nishckamchatsk.^ Lebedef-Lastochkin 
 organized a special company in ±,83 for the purpose 
 of extending his operations on the islands. The capital 
 of this enterprise was divided into sixty-five shares, 
 most of them being in Lcbedef's hands."^ 
 
 In 1783 the first direct attempt was made by the 
 Russian traders to extend their operations to the main- 
 land of America, to the northward and eastward of 
 Kadiak. The fur-bearing animals had for some years 
 been rapidly disappearing from the Aleutian Iskuids 
 and the lower peninsula, and despairing of further 
 success on the old hunting-grounds the conmiandevs 
 of three vessels then anchored at Unalaska came to 
 the conclusion that it was best to embark on new dis- 
 coveries. They met and agreed to submit themselves 
 to the leadership of Potap Zaikof, a navigator of some 
 
 of walrus ivory and whalebone. Bcrq, Khronol. Jit., 107; Vcniamiii"/, i. l."!--; 
 Saucr'n A/ilron. and (Ji-oij. L'xjml., '2-U'i; Grcwhi'ik, Bcitr., li'I'S. 
 
 -'" IVotassof's vcMsol retiuiR'tl in ]T>S<i, ami according to ]Jei}» hia cargo con- 
 sisted cliielly of fur-seals. JJ'r<i, K/iroiiol. Inf., 111. As the discovery of the 
 8^'al Ishinds occurred iu that year tho sklus must have bccu obtained at the 
 Commander Islands. 
 
 *' licrg furnishes a full list of the share-holders, which may serve to demon- 
 strate how such affairs were managed in those c\.iy times. The (i.") sharc.i 
 Were divided aft follows: The niercluint Lcbedcf-Lastoeldiin, .14 shares; Vo- 
 fiiu l\)i)of, 1 share; Grigor Deslnirinskoi, 1 share; Elias Zavialof, 1 sh;ir> ; 
 Ivan Korotaief, 1 share; \"assili Neviashin, 1 share; ^likhail Issaief, I kIiuil; 
 Vassili Shnpkiu, 2 shares; Vassili Kulof, 1 shai'c; Mikhail Tid)iiiskoi, 1 share; 
 Fcodor Nikulinskoi, '2 shares; Arseni Kuznetzof, 1 share; Vassili Krivi.shin, 
 1 share; Mikhail l.)ushakof, '2 shares; Ivan Lajiin, 2 shares; Alexei I'okvoi, 
 
 1 share; Ivan Ikdsheretsk, '2 shares; Dmitri Lorokin, 1 sliare;- the maui!- 
 fac'aircr, Ivan Savclief, o shares; the citizen, Ssava C'liebykin, l|sharc; tlie 
 citizen, Spiridon IJurakof, 1 share; and Court Counsellor Peter Budishcin f, 
 
 2 shares : total, (i5. 
 
 In the division of profits there were to be added to tliis nundjer 1 share 
 for the eluircli, and the orplians in the school of Okhotsk; 1 sliarc b> tin; 
 pcrcdovchik, Petr Koloiiiin, 1 share to the l)oatswain, Durygin, 1 siiarc to 
 the navigator, Potiip Zaikof, and '2 shares to such of the crew asdistingiiishnl 
 themselves during tlie voyage l)y industry, bravery, or otherwise, making tlio 
 value of 1 share at tho division of jirotits one seventy-first of the whole ])rii- 
 cccds. JJinj, Khroiml, lit., 109, '211; GrewiiKjk; Ikltr., .T24; /'((//fw, y«fl. 
 Jiiilr., vi. 105, 175. At the end of the cruise the lirst vessel sent by thi^ 
 company was wrecked on the isknd of St Paul, The ciri^o was saved, but 
 j)rovcd barely suilicicut to cover expenses. 
 
 i 
 
 1 ! '> 
 
 IP t; 
 
ZAIKOF, DM.AROF, AND POLUTOF. 
 
 m 
 
 2 only 
 ds has 
 Yakov 
 oclikin 
 lurposo 
 capital 
 share:-, 
 
 by the 
 cmain- 
 vard «)f 
 le years 
 Islands 
 further 
 jianders 
 came to 
 now dis- 
 )mselves 
 of some 
 
 ./, i. mi-L'; 
 
 Is cargo cnu- 
 vcry of tlio 
 ined at tlio 
 
 le to iloinou- 
 
 lo (M sliai'e.-) 
 
 jsliarcs; \o- 
 
 if, 1 sli.'u> : 
 
 ii'f, 1 shua; 
 
 Loi, 1 sliaiv; 
 
 Kiivislmi, 
 
 fc'i I'ukvui, 
 
 tlio iiiaiiu- 
 
 Isliarc; tin; 
 
 ljU<Usli<-'li>'f. 
 
 llxT 1 shavo 
 liarc to tlio 
 
 1 share to 
 |stiii,miisluil 
 Tmakiiig tlio 
 jvliolo Jii"- 
 |//a«, y<'r'l. 
 uiit by tlii^! 
 
 Buvcil, but 
 
 reputation, and leave to him the selection of now hunt- 
 iiin-grounds. These vessels were the Sv Alexe'l, com- 
 ma tided by Eustrate Delarof; the Sv Mikhail, under 
 ]'()lutof, and the Alexandr Nevshi, connnanded b}^ 
 Zaikof The latter had learned from Captain Cook 
 and his companions during their sojourn in Kam- 
 chatka that they had discovered a vast gulf on the 
 coast of America and named it Prince William Sound.'^^ 
 To this point he concluded to shape his course. 
 
 On the 27th of July the three ships were towed to 
 anchorage in a small cove, probably on the north side 
 of Kayo Island, which, as they subsequently discov- 
 ered, was named Kyak by the natives. Boats and 
 liidarkas were sent out at once in various directions 
 ill search of game and of inhabitants — the few natives 
 observed on entering the bay having fled to the hills 
 at sight of the Russians. On the third day one of 
 tlie detached parties succeeded in bringing to the 
 ships a girl and two small children, but it was not 
 until the middle of August that anything like friendly 
 intercourse could be established, and the natives in- 
 (hieed to trade peltries.'^' 
 
 On the 18th the bidarchik Nagaief returned to the 
 anchorage with quite a number of sea-otter skins, all 
 made into garments, and reported the discovery of a 
 large river — the Atnah, or Copper — which he had 
 ascended for some distance. He had met with a lari^o 
 body of natives in a bidar and traded with them, l)oth 
 pa) ties landing on the beach at a distance of six 
 )ini;<!r! VL fathoms from each other and then meeting 
 : ah v/,iy. These people informed him tliat at their 
 b'tuic vas 1 safe Iiarbor for ships, referring of course 
 
 "" Zaikof had obtained rc'.gh tracings of some of tlio chart.s compiled by 
 Cook in exchange for favors extended to the luiulish dincovirer. Tihlimcixf, 
 i. II.'!. It is supposed that the Sv Ycr/il, 177.'>-7t', reached the eontuient, 
 and prol)al)ly the So Nikolai ami others, but this was uccidentiil. 
 
 '-"'J'wo natives who Were kept as hostages on Zadiof's vessel st-ii ted that 
 Kyak was not a permanent place of resilience, but was visited only in si'.'irch 
 (if ^innc by the people seen by the Russians, their homes being to the v est- 
 wiM(l, at the distance of 'two days' jiaddling,' from which statement we may 
 I iiciud,- that they were frimi Nuchek or llinchinbrook Island. /^iiikv/'sJonr- 
 . '. in miku Anhiixs, M.S., iv.j Tikhihcitvj', Id. Obon., ii., app. 3. 
 
1S8 
 
 EXPLORATION AND TRADE. 
 
 y !■ ;, 
 
 'i 
 
 to Niichck, where both Enghsh and Spanish ships 
 liad already called. Many days were- spent by Zaikof 
 in futile attempts to secure a native guide to the safe 
 harbor mentioned as having already been visited Ijy 
 ships, but bribes and promises proved of no avail, 
 and at last he set out in the direction of the island 
 of Khta-aluk (Nuchek), plainly visible to the west- 
 ward. The commanders of the two other ships nmst 
 have sailed before him and cruised about Prince Will- 
 iam Sound — named gulf of Chugach by the Russians 
 — in search of hunting-grounds, and this scattering of 
 forces beyond the bounds of proper control jiroved 
 dangerous, for the Chugatsches were not only fiercer 
 than the ^- ( ' ' but they seemed to entertain posi- 
 tive ideas of ^ rietary rights. 
 
 The combine . crews of the three vessels, number- 
 ing over three hundred, including Aleut hunters, 
 would surely have been able to withstond any attaclc 
 of the poorly armed Chugatsches and to protect their 
 hunting parties, but they wandered ab( ut in small de- 
 tachments, committinor outrafjes whenever thcv came 
 upon a village with unprotected women and children. 
 The Russians, who had for some time been accus- 
 tomed to overcome all opposition on the part of the 
 natives with comparative ease, imagined that theu* 
 superior arms would give them the ' me advantage 
 here. They soon discovered their mistake. The Chu- 
 gatsches, as well as their allies from Cook Inlet, ami 
 even from Kadiak, summoned by fleet messengers for 
 the occasio 1, showed little fear of Russian guns, and 
 used I heir own spears and arrows to such advantauv 
 that tliL! invaders were themselves beaten in several 
 cno-aijements. 
 
 In the harbor of Nuchek Nagaief met twenty- 
 eight men from the Panof company's ship, the Alexc'i, 
 fourteen of whom had been wounded by the Chn 
 gatsches during a night attack. They had left tli ir 
 ships on the 15th of August, a month previous, in 
 search of this bay, numbering thirty-seven men, bc- 
 
 I ' (;■ 
 
THE TANOF COMPANY. 
 
 189 
 
 .ciflos pcredovcliik Lazaref, who was in command, but 
 had searched in vain. One dark night, while encamped 
 on an island, their sentries had been surprised, nine 
 men killed, and half of the remainder wounded. With 
 the greatest difficulty only had they succeeded at last 
 ill l)eating off with their fire-arms their assailants 
 armed merely with spears, bows and arrows, and clubs. 
 Other encounters took place. On the 18th of Septem- 
 ber one of the parties of Russians surprised a native 
 A illage on a small island; the men fled to the moun- 
 tains, leaving women, children, and stores of provisions. 
 Tlic cimsiderate promyshleniki seized " only half" the 
 I'niiales — probably not the oldest — and some of the 
 food. During t!:o next night, however, the men of 
 the village, Avith reJiiforcements from the ncio-hbor- 
 jiood, attacked the Russian camp, killing three Rus- 
 sians and a female interpreter from Unalaska, and 
 woundinsjf nine men. D jring the struo'ii'le all the hos- 
 tages thus far obtained by capture escajied, with the 
 exception of four women and two small boys. The 
 Ihissians now proceeded to the harbor selected as 
 winter-quarters,*' and active operations ceased for 
 the time. 
 
 The favorable season had been so foolishlv wasted 
 ill roaming about and c|uarrelling with the natives, 
 \\ho took good core not to reveal to their unwel- 
 come visitors the best fishing and hunting grounds, 
 that food became scarce early in the winter. Be- 
 si<les this it was found necessary to keep one third 
 of the force continually under arms to guard against 
 Mulden assaults; and this hostility naturally inter- 
 I'cied with the search for the necessary supplies of 
 lisli, game,, fuel, and water. The result was that scurvy 
 of a very malignant type broke out among the crews, 
 and nearly one half of the men died beibre spiing re- 
 leased them and enabled Za'ikof to refit his vessel and 
 
 '"Tlio description of tliia harbor is not very clear, Init tlic ^irobaljility ia 
 
 "jays " _ 
 
 M aich is named Zaikof Harbor on Russian maps. Tliis is also conlirnied by 
 
 the prohatJility la 
 that it was one of the liays on the north end of Montagu, or Sukluk. Island, 
 M iiich is named Zaikof Harbor on Russian maps. Tliis is al 
 tnulitiuns of the natives collected on the spot by Mr I'ctrof in liiSl. 
 
100 
 
 EXPLORATION AND TRADE. 
 
 i-i: * 
 
 
 iii^.. 
 
 Sf u; . 
 
 sail for the Aleutian isles, after an experience fully a^i 
 dismal as that encountered a few years later, in nearly 
 the same locality, by Captain Meares, who might haw; 
 saved himself nmch misfortune liad he known of Zai- 
 kof's attempt and its disastrous result. 
 
 Thus unfortunately ended the attempt of the Rus- 
 sians to gain a foothold upon the continental coast of 
 America.^^ 
 
 The only subordinate commander of this expedition 
 who seems to have actually explored and intelligently 
 
 "' Eustrate Delavof subsequently gave Captain Billings the followin;^ ac- 
 count of this expedition: 'On arriving at I'rincc William Sound a nuinbur df 
 canoes surrounded the vcssiel and on one of them they displayed some kind of 
 a flag. I hoisted ours, Mlien the natives paddled three times around the shijt, 
 one man standing up waving his liunds and c'vnting. They came on IkuiiiI 
 and I obtained fourteen sca-ottcr skins in exchange for some glass beads; tiny 
 would accept no shirts or any kind of clothing; they conducted thcnisulvts 
 in a friendly manner, and we ate, drank, and slept together in the greatest 
 hanriony. 'i hey said tliat two ships had been there some years previously, 
 and that they had obtained beads and other articles from them. According to 
 their description these vessels must have been Knglish (they referred of coiu'se 
 to Cook't, (..qieditiiMj) ; the nati\;es had knives and copper kettles whicli they 
 said they obtained by making a 14 days' journey up a large river ami trading 
 with other natives who brought these goods from some locality still fartlu r 
 inland (a Hudson's Bay Company post?) — Suddenly, on the 8th of SepteuilH r, 
 the natives changed tlicir attitude, making a furious attack on my peoitlc 
 I knew of no cause for this change until one of my boats returned, when t 
 learned that there had been quarrelling and lighting between the boat's crow 
 and the natives. I have no doubt that my people were t!ie aggrtssors. 
 I'olutof's vessel was at that time in tiie vicinity and I left him there.' Snin/H 
 (•'(o;;. and Antron. Expcd. , 197. Martin Sauer, the secretary of CaptJiiu Joseph 
 Billings, states that Mliilc at Prince William Sound in 1700 he fell in with a 
 woman who had been forcibly detained by I'olutof and had subsequently 
 become acquainted with Zaikof. She praised the latter as a just num mA 
 related how her people revenged themselves on I'olutof for his ill-treatuieiit. 
 A wood-cutting party had been sent ivsliorc from each vessel and had pitelied 
 their tents a short distance from each other. It was very dark and only (nie 
 man was on the watch near a fire on the beach. The natives crawled up 
 umiotiecd by the sentry, killed him, and then stealing into Polutof's tent 
 nuissacrcd him and his companions without molesting Zaikof'a tent or any nf 
 his people. Bitter complaints were made by the Chugatsche people of the do- 
 ings of Tolutof who had seized their furs wit)iout paying for them and iuul 
 carried oil' by force many of the women. Savei-'x Gcaij. <uid Anfron. Kxind., i. 
 187, I'.M; Girtriiiijk; Diitr., ',i23; I'dlhi.i, Nord. Bcilr., i. 2\i. In the liistoricid 
 review attached by Mr Dall to his Alaska and its Ilc.'ioiirri.i, the author li:n 
 committed blunders which can be ascribed only to his inability to xmdei'stand 
 the llussian authorities. Under date of 1781 he remarks that 'ZaiUof ex- 
 plored in detail Chugach Gulf and wintered on Bering Island... A vessel, 
 called the St Aex'itis, commanded by Alexeief Popof, was attacked by nativi s 
 in I'rince William Sound. Zaikof explored Captain's Harbor, UiuiUiska. J iily 
 1-13, 1783.' /(/., 307. Mr Uall's Zaikof expedition of 1781 is, of course, the 
 same with that of 1783, when he wintered on Montagu (not Bering) Island, in 
 a bay still bearing his name. Thc.4/ca;ti, us wo havo seen above, was cufn- 
 manilcd by Delarof. 
 
FUR-SEALS AXD OTTEB.S. 
 
 191 
 
 illy as 
 learlv 
 tluivc 
 f Zai- 
 
 D Rus- 
 jast of 
 
 cditit)u 
 ntlv 
 
 igc 
 
 iiinnlji'i' ( if 
 no kiiul (if 
 a thu sliip, 
 e ou IkiiiiiI 
 )cails; tluv 
 theinsulvis 
 m groati'st 
 prcviousily, 
 .cconlinj,' to 
 ed of coju'so 
 which thoy 
 ami t^lllill.^' 
 still fartlui' 
 Septeiiihi'v, 
 my itcopU'. 
 iicil, wlu'u I 
 [boat's lti'W 
 
 ii'o.' >V(»i I'-t 
 
 (tain Josi'iih 
 
 ■11 in with a 
 
 [ibsL'(]m-'iitly 
 
 ist man aii'l 
 
 -tvcatnii-'nt. 
 
 luul piti hill 
 
 ml only ""i-' 
 
 lcvawU"<l np 
 
 |lutof"s tl'Ut 
 
 it or any "f 
 
 loot' UumIh- 
 |m ami had 
 .. Kxi'f'l.. i- 
 [ic historiciil 
 atithorh:M 
 lumlrvstaii'l 
 Zaikof lA- 
 .A vi's*^«'l. 
 1)V native s 
 laska.Jv.'.y 
 couvsc, t,li' 
 ) Islaml, in 
 was cufa- 
 
 flcscrlbed those unknown regions, was Nagaiof, tlio 
 discoverer of Copper River. Nearly all the valuable 
 iiilbrniation contained in Zaikofs journal came from 
 this inan.^^ 
 
 This failure to extend their field of operations seri- 
 ously checked the spirit of enterprise which had hitli- 
 crto manifested itself among the Siberian merchants, 
 and for some time only one small vessel was despatched 
 IVom Siberia for the Aleutian Islands.*' 
 
 The year 178G, as already mentioned, witnessed the 
 discovery of the Fur Seal Islands, the breeding-ground 
 (.f the seals, and therefore of the liigliest ini[)ortance. 
 The Russian promyshleniki who first visited the Fox 
 Islands soon began to surmise the existence of some 
 islands in the north by observing the annual migra- 
 tion of the fur-seals through the passes between cer- 
 tain of the islands— northward in the spring and 
 sdutlnvard in the autumn, when they were accom- 
 panied by their young. This surmise was confirmed 
 by an Aleut tradition to the effect that a youn<jj chief- 
 tain of U'limak had once been cast away ou a group 
 (if islands ii. the north, which tliey called Amik.^^ The 
 
 ^-Nagaief t jld Zaikof that the natives ho liad ciicountored calle<l tliem- 
 srlvis (.'hngatclies, ai;d that tlicy met in war and trade tlvo other tril)es; 1st, 
 the Koniagas, or people of Kadiak; '2d, a tribe living on a gulf of the main 
 ImIiiI between Kadiak and tlie Clingatsche country, named tlie Kinaias; ;{d, tlie 
 \'ullits, living on the large river discovered l)y Nagaief; 4th, a tribe living on 
 tln' eiiast of the maiidand from Kyak Island eastward, culled Lakhamit; 
 ami ."itli, beyond these iigain the Ivaljush, a warlike tribe with largo w'ooden 
 lieats. This description of the tril)es and tlieir location was doul)tles8 cor- 
 rect at the time, tliough the 'Lakhamite' (the Aglegmutes) have since been 
 pusheil eastward of Kyak Islan<l by the ]"Caljnshes, or'ridinkeets. Niigaicf also 
 cdiieetly Ht{ite<l that the Ynllits, or (."ojipcr River natives, li\ ed only on the 
 r,i per river, but traded copper and land-furs with the coast people for seal- 
 skins, drieil lisli, and oil. Zaikofs Joiinitd, MS.; Sitka Arrhinn, iv. ; Tikmc- 
 !!'■/, /.'•^, llbonr., it., app., 7, S. Zaikofs own description of tlie country, it.i 
 resources, its people, and tlie nutnners and customs, is both mimile and cor- 
 rect. His manuscript journal is still in existence, and it furnishes proof 
 iMisitive that his visit to Prince William Sounil in MS',] was the iirst made liy 
 him or any other Kussian in a sea-going ves.sel. 
 
 '■•The So Ocorjii/ left Nishi^kamchatsk on Panof'a account, and returned 
 in two years witli a little over 1,000 fur-seals and less tlian '200 blue foxes, 
 liiiving evidently confined its operations to tiie (!ennuander Islands. Tlie 
 siiiue vessel made another voyage in 17S7, remaining absent six years, but 
 witli ,iu equally unsatisfactory result. Uirn, Khroiiul. /,s<., 114-15. 
 
 ^'A tei'in and incident commemorated in a native song. Vciuamliwf, Za- 
 VUi, ii. '209; i. 17; Sarychif, Putesh., i, '28. 
 
 I ',','8 
 
 
190 
 
 EXPLORATIOX AND TRADE. 
 
 I'-^'f 
 
 n}H'l\ 
 
 a ii 
 
 f,'- 
 
 high peaks of his native place had guided hini back 
 after a short stay. While furs remained abundant on 
 the groups already known, none chose to expose him- 
 self in frail boats to seek new lands; but in and after 
 1781 the rapid depletion of the hunting-grounds led 
 to many a search for Amik; yet while it lay within 
 two days' sail from the southern isles, a friendly 
 mist long hid the home of the fur-seals from the 
 hunters. 
 
 In 178G this search was joined by Master Gerassim 
 Pribylof,'*' who for five years had been hunting and 
 trading with little profit on the islands, in the So 
 Georgiij, fitted out by Lebedef-Lastochkin and his 
 partners. Although reputed a skillful navigator, he 
 ci'uised for over three weeks around the Amik grouj) 
 without finding them, though constantly meeting with 
 unmistakable evidence of the close proximity of land. 
 At last, in the first days of June, fate favored the 
 persistent explorer; the mantle of fog was lifted and 
 before him loomed the hiijh coast of the eastern end 
 of the most southern island. The discovery was 
 named St George, after Pribylof's vessel; but finding 
 no anchorage the connnander ordered the peredovchik 
 Popof and all the hunters to land, with a supply »it' 
 provisions for the winter, while he stood away again 
 for the Aleutian Islands, there to spread such reports 
 as to keep others from following his path. 
 
 The sliores of St George literally swarmed witli 
 sea-otters, which undisturbed so far by human beings 
 could be killed as easily as those of Bering Island 
 during the first winter after its discovery. Largo 
 numbers of walrus were secured on the ice and upon 
 the adjoining small islands; arctic foxes could be caught 
 by hand, and with the approach of sunmier the lur- 
 seals made their appearance by thousands. 
 
 30 
 
 '^His name was Gerassim Gavrilovieh Pribylof. Vcniaminof gives his 
 name as Gavrilo on one occasion. Znpixki, ii. 271. He wiis ii master in thu 
 navy, connected with the port of Okhotsk, but entered the employ of LeVeikl- 
 Lastochkin and his partners in 1778. Id. 
 
 *"Shcli!cof in a letter to Delarof, dated Okhotsk, 1789, stated that during 
 
THE LEBEDEF-LASTOCHKIX COMPANY. 
 
 m 
 
 \ bade 
 ant oil 
 10 liini- 
 d after 
 ids led 
 within 
 ricndly 
 jm the 
 
 erassim 
 ing and 
 the So 
 and his 
 ator, he 
 k grou\) 
 ing with 
 of land. 
 3red the 
 [fted and 
 orn end 
 ery was 
 t tinding 
 dovchik 
 
 iipply <'t' 
 jay again 
 reports 
 
 led with 
 [n beings 
 Island 
 Large. 
 Ind n\)on 
 ]c caught 
 the fuv- 
 
 lof givea Ins 
 liaster in tho 
 
 ■ of LeVuil*^'- 
 
 1 that duiiiig 
 
 On the 20th of June, 1787, an unusually clear 
 atmosphere enabled the jironiyshleniki to see for the 
 iirst time the island of 8t Paul, thirty miles to the 
 northward; and the sea being smooth a bidar was at 
 once (les[)atched to examine tlio new discovery. The 
 jiaity landed upon the other island the same day, and 
 named it St Peter and St Paul, the saints of the day.^' 
 The hrst half of the name, however, was soon lost in 
 ]!oj)ular usage and only St Paul retained. The group 
 A\as known as the Pribylof.^ 
 
 While Shelikof was one of the partners who had 
 fitted out the Sv Georgiy, he does not apjoear to have 
 held a largo interest and looked with no little envy 
 on the success achieved by what must be regarded as 
 ilvals to his own com])any. He did not waste much 
 time, however, in un})leasant sentiments, but set about 
 at once to secretly buy up more shares in the Lebedef 
 (•omi)anv. In this undertakin<]f he succeeded so well 
 that lie could look with equanimity u[)on the fierce 
 ]I\ah'y growing up between the two large firms; no 
 nia.tter which side gained an advantage, he felt secure. 
 J le was certainly the first who fully understood the 
 actual and prospective value of Pribylof's discovery. 
 
 t!io first year the liuntcrs obtained on the nlcwly iliscovorod islands -lO.OOO 
 fiir-siiil ^kins, '2,()00 soa-ottors, 400 pounds (14,4(K) llis. ) of walrus ivory, nnd 
 innrc whalebone than the ship could carry. Shelikof ujiliraideil Dehirof for 
 ii'it hiiviiiy anticipated this discovery, with two good ships at his conmiiind. 
 TithiiKiiij, Ixt. (thoT.r., ii. npp. "21. 
 
 ■'■ OwiiiL,' to the constant fog and murky atmosphere that envelopthe islands, 
 Xh.v less elevated St I'aul is rarely ficcii from St (leorge, while tlie liiUs of tlie 
 Litter are frc(|nenlly visible from St Paul. 
 
 •''The claim of Pribylof to their Ihst Ihiropeaii discovery was thrown into 
 doubt by the report that the Pussians on rcacliinj.' the idand of St Paid 
 fiimd the brass hilt and trimuiinij; of a sword, a clr.y pipe, and the rem.'iins of 
 !i lire. The statement was coufirmecl by all who etlci'ted t!ie Iirst lam'iuu' on 
 St Paul, W'liiamiiiiif, Zayiski, ii. 'J(iS. P>erg, who has traced the couisr (if 
 luaily every other vessel in these waters, statis that notluML,' w;is kuowi. (;f 
 l'iili\ lot's present voyage beyond his return with a rich cargo. K/iiiuin/, J.it., 
 101. Oiif reason for this was the secrecy observed foi'somc time. La POrouse 
 luct Pribylof shortly after Ida return, but learned nothing. 
 
 Hist. Alabka. 13 
 
lip 
 
 rh!:. 
 
 \m 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 OFFICIAL EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 1773-1779. 
 
 Russian Sfpremacy in the Farthest North-west — The Other Ehropeax 
 Powers would Know what it Means — Perez Looks at Alaska for 
 Spain— The 'Santiago' at Dixon Entrance — Cuadra Advances to 
 Cro.-s Sound— Cook for England Examines the Coast as ear as Icy 
 Cape — Names Given to Plince William Sound and Cook Inlet-- 
 Revelations and Mistakes — Ledvard's Journey — Again Spain 
 Sends to the North Arteaga, who Takes Possession at Latitude 
 59" 8'— Bay of La Santisima Cruz — Results Attained. 
 
 The gradual establishment of Russian supremacy 
 in north-westernmost America upon a permanent basis 
 had not escaped the attention of Spanish statesmen. 
 Within a few years after the disastrous lailure of the 
 Russian exploring expeditions under Krenitzin and 
 Levashef, a succinct account of all that had been ac- 
 complished by tlie joint efforts of the promyshlcniki 
 and the naval officers, under the auspices of the 
 imperial government, had been transmitted to tlio 
 court of Spain by its accredited and secret agents ;it 
 St Petersburg.^ 
 
 Alarmed by tidings of numerous and important 
 discoveries along the extension of her own South S' -a 
 coast line, Spain ordered an expedition for exploring' 
 
 'The communications conrcniing Russia's plans of conquest in Asia ami 
 America, forwarded to the court of Spain from St Petersburg, mak(! niciitioii 
 of an expedition organized in 1704. Two captains, named Cweliiicow ;uid 
 Ponohasew in the document, M'ere to sail from Arkhangel in tlie \Vhito Si a, 
 and meet Captain K-enitzin, who was to sail from Kamclialka. This is :^ 
 somewhat mixed account of the Krenitzin and Levaslief expedition, whicli 
 did not finally sail till 1708, hut was expected to full in with licuti-'iKiDta 
 Ciiichagof and Ponomaref, who were instructed to coast oast'vard along Silx liii 
 and to pass through liering Strait. 
 
 ( 194 J 
 
SECRET INSTRUCTIONS. 
 
 105 
 
 ErnopEAX 
 
 LASK.V I-<ill 
 iVAN'C'KS TO 
 FAU AS I<V 
 .K Im.KT-- 
 AIX Sl-AIN' 
 
 : Latiti i>i^ 
 
 nrcumfy 
 lit basis 
 tesim'ii. 
 e of tlio 
 zin and 
 boon ac- 
 sblcniki 
 of the 
 to the 
 rents at 
 
 iportaiit 
 
 luth Sea 
 
 LploriuL,' 
 
 lin Asia mi'l 
 Ikt! mcntiiiu 
 l;li;ico\v iunl 
 lAVhito S.a, 
 This i^ :k 
 Ition, wlii' li 
 lliuiitfiKiii'-* 
 Idii;' Sibf ii:v 
 
 and soizinL,' the foast to the nortliward of Cahfornia. 
 In 1773 accM^rdingly the viceroy of ^Texieo, llevilla 
 (livedo, assigned for this pur[)ose tlic new transjjort 
 Sniitiago, conunanded by Juan Perez, wlio was asked 
 to j.Toparc a plan of operations. In this lie expressed 
 his intention to reach the Nortlnvest Coast in latitude 
 45^ or 50°; but his orders to attain a higher latitude 
 were peremptory, and it is solely owing to this that the 
 voyage falls within the scope of the present volume. 
 !Mimite directions were furnished for the ceremonies 
 of claiming and taking possession. The wording of 
 the written declaration, to be deposited in convenient 
 and prominent ])laces, was prescribed. The commander 
 was instructed to keep the object of his voyage secret, 
 but to strike the coast well to north, in latitude GO" 
 if possible, and to take possession above any settle- 
 inonts he might find, without, however, disturbing 
 the Kussians. Appended to his instructions was a 
 full translation of Staihlin's Account of the New 
 Northern Archij)eIaf/o, together with the fanciful map 
 accompanying that volume. Each island of the Aleu- 
 tian group was described in detail, besides many 
 otliers, the product of the fertile imagination of such 
 men as Stsehlin and De I'lsle de la Croj'ore. Even 
 the island of Kadiak, which had then only been twice 
 visited by prorayshleniki, was included in the list. 
 
 The Santiago sailed from San Bias January 24, 
 1774, with eighty-eight men, including two mission- 
 aiies and a surgeon. The incidents of nearly the 
 whole of this voyaije occurred south of the territory 
 embraced bv this volume; but between the 15th and 
 ]7t]i of July Perez and his companions sighted two 
 cn])es, the southernmost of whicli he thouglit was in 
 latitude 55°, and the other about eiLjht lea<>ues to the 
 noitli. These points were named Santa Margarita 
 and Santa Magdalena, respectively." 
 
 ^ The latitude given by Perez, if correct, would make it difficult to locate 
 tlii'sc capes so as lo agree willi the minute and circumstantial descriptiun of 
 the contours of the coast; but allowing for an error which might easily arise 
 
 I) 
 
« 
 
 if 
 
 Ih,' 
 
 inc 
 
 OFFICIAL EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 Tlioso capus, the soutliornmost point (»f Prince (S 
 "WiAvH Island, and the nortli point of Queen Charlotte 
 Isl md, liu on both sides of the present boundary of 
 .Maska, but Perez and his men had intercourse wit'i 
 the inhabitants of the latter caj)e oidy. The mere 
 f i^htinj^ <jf one of the southern eaj)es of Alaska, and 
 its location by rough estimate, would scarcely just ifv 
 a discussion of the voyaj^e of Juan Perez in the annals 
 (»f Alaska, were it not for an a|)[)arently trilling incident 
 mentioned in the various diarios of this ex})edition. In 
 the hands of the natives v/ere seen an old bayonet and 
 j)ieces of other iron implements, which the pilot con- 
 jectured must have belonged to the boats' crews lost 
 f.om Chirikofs vessel somewhere in these latitudes in 
 17-U." In the absence of all knowledge of any civ- 
 ili::ed visitor to that section durin^f the interval be- 
 twecn Chirikofs and Perez' voyages we cannot wi II 
 criticise the conclusion arrived at. It could scarcely 
 be presumed that at that early date a Russian bayit- 
 iiet i-liould have passed from hand to hand or froia 
 tril)e to tribe, around the coast from the Aleutiai 
 Islands, or perhaps Kadiak, a distance of from eiglu 
 hundred to one tluiusand n)iles. It appears higlily 
 ]>r(jbablc that Chirikofs mishap occurred in this vicin- 
 ity, the Prince of Wales or Queen Charlotte Islands, 
 and in that case the present boundary of Alaska 
 Avould be very nearly identical with the nortlieru 
 limit of the territorial claims of Spain as based upon 
 the right of discovery. The avowed objects of this 
 vova'jfe had not been obtained by Perez; he did not 
 ascend to the latitude of GO"; he did not ascertain the 
 existence of permanent Russian establishments, and 
 he made no discoveries of available sea-j)orts. His 
 intercourse with the Alaskan natives, if such they 
 
 from the imperfect instruments of the times, wc must come to the conchisinu 
 tliat Perez discovered Dixon Sound. The allusion to an island situatid V> 
 tl;c west of the northernmost cape, the Santa, (jhristina or Catalina of the r.- 
 coi-ders of the voya;^'e, can scarcely refer to any point but the FoiTester Ishmd 
 of our modern map.^. 
 
 ^ Maurellc, C'om2>cndio (le JS'olkian, yiS., Hid. 
 
SECOND .SPANISH KXl'EDITK )N. 
 
 197 
 
 \V(r(\ was can-icd on witlioiit nncliorliiL:;. Tlie details 
 ot' tlu.' t'Xprdition of Pl-ivz, .so far as they relate to 
 i:i(i(leiits that oeeurred .south of tho line of 04° 40', 
 iiie Uiscu.ssed ill my History if the Nvftliwcst Coast.* 
 
 The second Spanish expodition which extended its 
 ()|)orations to Alaskan waters was orj^^anized in tho 
 following year, 1775. The eonimand was intrusted 
 to ]3run() Ileceta, a lieutenant and acting captain, 
 who selected the Santiago as his flag-shij). Juan 
 ]\rez sailed with Heceta as pilot and second in eoni- 
 mand. The small schooner Sonora, or FcliciJnd, 
 accompanied tho larger craft as consort, connuanded 
 l)y Lieutenant Juan Francisco do Bodega y Cuadra, 
 with Antonio Maurel'.e as pilot." 
 
 The cx})edition sailed from San Bias March lOth. 
 After mjino: far out to sea and returnini^ to tho coast 
 a''ain in latitude 48° on tho 14tli of Jul\ . takini; pos- 
 session of the country, and after a disastrous encounter 
 with the savages of that region, tho two ves.sels he- 
 came separated during a northerly galo on the OOtli 
 of July.« 
 
 The Sonora alone made discoveries within tho pres- 
 ent boundaries of Alaska. After tho separation tho 
 little craft, only 3G foot in length, was boldly headed 
 
 * Not less than four journals or diaries of the voj'age are extant. Two of 
 ttii'se were kept by the missionaries or cliaplains of tlie expedition, Cresj)! 
 iiiid IVniv; the first has been printetl in J'dloii, Xi'lkki.i, i, C'_'4~8H, and t!ic 
 (itlicr was copied from tho manuscript Vintie-i al Norlc tie L'aUj'oriiia, etc., in 
 tlm .Spanisli Archives. The third journal, entitled I'tnz, lieiucion dil V'unjf, 
 etc., 177.'i, is contained in the Mayer manuscript.') and also in Maur<l!i\ Com- 
 ]ii-ii.lio de Koticia-i, MS., 159-7."). Tho fourth journal i.i also a iiianuscrijjt 
 Tindir the title, Perez, Tnbla Dinritt, etc., confciined in Munrelle, ('umjuHdin, 
 1711-S."). Brief mention of tliis voyage can also be found in Xamrrete, S'l/il y 
 Mix., I'lar/e, 0*2-.S; llumbohlt, Exual Pol., ^'M-'2; M<ijra.f, L'jc/ilor., i.; Xuvir- 
 r<l''. V'laijnt Ajidc, 53-4; Grreiihoir'n Mem., (i!); /'/., Or. and ('a/., 114-17; 
 TiriKs' llixt. Or., 55-0; /(/., Or. QiiesHnii, ()(}-7; F(droiier\i Or. (Jiiex'ioii, lit; 
 /'/., JjM-or. j\Iiss., ()'2; BuKtamuute, in Cavo, Trm Sii/fo.^, iii. ll!l; l'<ili,ii, 
 r.'hi, 10()--.'; Forbes' ilixl. Ccff., 114-10; Calvo, Col. Trut., i. .'WS; Xirobn/'.'^ 
 Orrijiiii Tir., 30-2; Fhidhn/s Directory, i. .34!)-.50; Puifishi, Question de I'Or'- 
 U-'ii, 31^0; Mnr.Orefjor's I'ro'j. Amer., i. b'.Vt; Tikhmeiiej, htor. Obosr., i, 
 lirit'.icc; Jiaruiio/, in Sitka Areliiv>'.i, MS., i. Nos. 5 and 0. 
 
 'See llit'f. NorthresI, ('oa.fl, i. l.'iS, this series. 
 
 '' '1 lie outward and homeward voyage of tlie Saidiajo has been fully re- 
 h.iA in IJist. Xorlhictst Vout-t, i., this series. 
 
lOS 
 
 OFFICIAL EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 : f if i 
 
 i-M 
 
 Cuadra's Voyage. 
 
 m-} 
 
CUADRA TAKES POSSESSION. 
 
 199 
 
 seaward and kept upon a general north-westerly course. 
 On the 13tli of August indications of land were ob- 
 t^erved, though the only chart in their possession, that 
 of Bellin, based upon Russian discoveries and to a 
 L;reat extent upon imagination, placed them at a dis- 
 tance of one hundred and sixty leagues from the con- 
 1 'mental coast. Cuadra's latitude, by observation, on. 
 that day was 55° 40'. During the next two days the 
 signs of land became stronger and more frequent, and 
 tlic navigators, in the belief that they were a[)proa('li- 
 iiig the Tumannoi or Foggy Islands of Chirikof, ob- 
 served the greatest caution. 
 
 At last, on the IGth, came in view a mountainous 
 coast among wliose many |)eaks was one tlicy called 
 San Jacinto, and the prominent cape jptting from it 
 the Cabo de Engaho. Their description of both cape 
 and mountain is so clear as to leave no doubt of their 
 identity with the Mount Edgecumbo of Cook and the 
 capo of the same name. That the original nomencla- 
 ture has not been preserved is owing to S[)ain's ncglo-.'t 
 in not publishing the achievements of her explorers. 
 On the following day the goleta put to sea again, 
 weathering Cape Engan(> and following the coast in a 
 north-westerly directior. until another wide estuary was 
 discovered and named the bay of Guadalupe, subsc- 
 (|uently known as Shelikof Bay or Port Mary. Here 
 Cuatlra anchored for tlie day, observing the wooded 
 shores rising at an acute angle from the sea. In the 
 niorniniif of the 18th two canoes, contaming two men 
 and two women, emerged Irom the head of the bay, 
 but at the sight of the vessel they hurriedly landed 
 and ilod. The explorers then put to soa again an<l 
 jiroceeded in a northerly direction until a good anchor- 
 age was found in latitude 57° 20', with a good sandy 
 heaeli and convenient watering-] Places. 
 
 A landing was effected at the mouth of a stream, 
 near a deserted hut and a rtoc'caded enclosure, j)i"oba- 
 biy used for defence by the natives. The instructions 
 ol'the viceroy, concerning tho foinis of taking p()s.>es- 
 
200 
 
 OFFICIAL EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 sion, were carried out so far as circumstances would 
 permit." 
 
 Durinsx the cercmoiiles no natives were in si^^ht, 
 but after returning to their vessel the Spaniards saw 
 the savages take up the cross which they had planted 
 and place it before their hut, as if to say "this is the 
 better place." 
 
 On the 19th another landing was made, wlien the 
 natives emerged from the forest waving a white cloth 
 attached to a pole in token of peaceful intentions. The 
 signal was answered by the Spaniards and the savages 
 advanced slowly to the opposite bank of the stroani. 
 They were unarmed and accompanied by women and 
 children. A few trifling presents were offered and 
 received by one of the natives who waded into tlie 
 middle of the stream. This friendly intercourse was, 
 however, suddenly interrupted when the Spaniards 
 bcGjan to fill their water-casks. The women and chil- 
 dren were at once sent away and the men assumed a 
 threatening attitude. The Spaniards prepared for 
 defence while preserving an unconcerned air, and 
 finally the savages retreated. 
 
 The place of this firat landing of Spanish explonrs 
 ujjon Alaskan soil was called the ancliorage "do los 
 liemedios" and can be nothinsjf else than the entranci' 
 to Klokachef Sound between Kruzof and Chichagof 
 islands.'* 
 
 ' The entry in tlio jnnrnal r'^fcrring to this event was ns follows: ' Kl niisino 
 <lia hajaron li tierra con los prciarativos qne ofrecia su poco tripiil:ii ioii y a;- 
 ri')^la(h)s i'l la iiistniccion toniaron pososion, tlejaiulo los (IcKunicntos y la cniz 
 Cdliii'ados eim la 8i't;iiri(la<l posilili', lialiiemlo arlMdailo on atjuel piiesto la.s liaii- 
 ileras del ]!ey nnesti-o Softor. ' Vidjix iil Anrff, MS., 'J.'). 
 
 *■ 111 the joimial of tliii voyaf^e oont^iined in the Viiijin <d Narle, tlio ciniiitiy 
 is dis( rihed as full of mountains, their liasi; covired >\ ith pines lik>- tlio.-e nt 
 Trinidad, Imt liarren or eovored with snow toward the siininiit. The ' Vi;- 
 di'ps,' naid to ri'senilile those met with ill latitude 41', were elothed cliietly 
 ill furs. The latitudes as o))served by ('uadra at Cape Kngario, iJnadalu] n 
 Bay, and the ICntrada de los liemedios, n;.;refs with our positions for Capo 
 Kdgeeuiiilie, Shelikof l^iy, and the soutliern shore of Klokaehef Sound, Imt 
 tlie Sjianish explorer places the lonuitilde of the last anelioiage some twelve 
 miles to the westward of Calio de Kiigano, This would lead to the eonelr.sinu 
 tiiat the oen niony of taking po.-^scshiou took jihu'e just inside of Sia liiii 
 roilit, a very exposed jiositicn, while the deseription of the eountry eoineidi n 
 lieiter with Kalinin eipvi, ii few miU's to tin; eastward. See Karta Vkhoduo 
 Auvo Ark/iaitiji:lskoiHii I'orln, etc., IS09, 1SH3, uuil 184S. 
 
 .m iSf2lf k' V'A 
 
TRACK OF THE 'SONORA.* 
 
 201 
 
 lie 
 
 The weather was cold and thrcatenini^ during the 
 sojourn of the Sonora in this bay, and both otiiccrs 
 iuid the poorly clothed and sheltered crew began to 
 suft'er from scurvy. They took a west-north-westerly 
 direction on the 21st, in order to ascertain whether 
 tlu'ir discovery was located on the west or east slioro 
 (it" the Pacific, a doubt engendered by the great dilfer- 
 ( uce in longitude between the Ilnssian discoveries as 
 indicated on Bellin's chart and their own; and having 
 l)y that time reached a latitude of 57' 08', or the 
 \icinity of Cross Sound, they changed their course 
 to the southward to examine carefullv all the inlets 
 of the coast. 
 
 On the 24th of August, in latitude 55° 14', the ex- 
 iildicrs entered a maLjnificent sound extendinix far to 
 llie northward and abounding in sheltered anchoniges. 
 Cuach-a was ill, but he ordered the i^Uoto to take pos- 
 session in the name of Spain, and for the second time 
 the roval banner of Castile waveil over Alaska. The 
 snund was called Bucareli, a name still preserved on 
 many maps. It is located on the west coast of the; 
 island subsequenily named after the |)rince of Wales." 
 
 After a careful inspection of the bay, duiing w!.. -h 
 Hot an aboriginal was to bo seen, the Sonora once 
 iiioi'c stood out to sea, sighting six leagut-- from the 
 harbor an island which was named San I lias, the 
 sune seen in 1774 by Juan Perez from Ca[H' Santa 
 ^laigarita, and named by him Santa Cristina. It is 
 iiow known as Forrester Island. A landing was 
 tUccted and water obtained, while the south point of 
 Piince of Wales Island, named Santa ^lagdalcna by 
 1*1 rcz, was pialuly in view.^" CVmtrary winds ke[)t 
 i1h' little craft beating about until the navigators suc- 
 ct'cded in again making the coast in latitude 55° 50', 
 
 'The pilnto expreHged the opinion that tliis liny wns the Hceiicof Cliiiiknf'u 
 'liiiiill'.iU.'iiiid the pliK't' wlu'i(( liis lioiitV ci'cw ii<i'i>lic(l was one of tliv imrtluiu 
 niiiis iif the l)iiy in tlie lutitiulu iiiiiued liy tlie KuNsiuu discoverer, 'i'lio Sp;in- 
 iiiiil iliil not Heein to tiike longitiulo into tlie noe<niiit lit nil. I'fVnVx ti( Xnrtr, 
 M>., :t(). 
 
 '" yidjex al Norte, MS., 31. Cuadra iiuincil it t'abo do San Agustiu. 
 
202 
 
 OFFICIAL EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 f 
 
 ^vllcrc a deep indentation was observed, with its western 
 point in latitude 5G° 'S\ Thence a high mountainous 
 coast was seen extending north-westerly to .a point 
 marking the southern limit of the broad estuary 
 boundeil by Cabo do Engafio in the north." 
 
 From the 28th of August to the 1st of September 
 the winds compelled the navigators to hug the shoie 
 in the vicinity of latitude 50" 30'. The crow, weak- 
 ened by scurvy, were unable to combat the adverse 
 winds. The vessel \\as swept by tremendous seas; 
 spars and j)ortions of the rigging were carried away; 
 and when at last a steady strong north-wester began 
 to blow, both conmiander and pilots concluded that 
 furtlier efforts to gain the desired latitude were use- 
 less. The prow of the Sonora was turned southwanl 
 and the swelling sails soon carried her far away from 
 Alaska. ^- 
 
 Orders for another Spanish expedition to the north 
 coast were issued in 177(5, but preparations were Udt 
 com])leted till 1779, or until alter Cook's important 
 English ex{)lorations in this quarter. 
 
 The voyage of Captain Cook with the shijis Jicsn- 
 lution and IJiscorcri/ has been discussed at length in 
 an earlier voluuK^, with refej-ence to discoveries on tin; 
 Northwest Coast south of the present boundary of 
 Alaska. It is only necessary here to repeat brieliy a il-w 
 paragraphs from Cook's secret instructions from the ad- 
 miralty and to take up the thread of narrative \^heie 
 I dro})ped it in the historic jn^ecincts of Nootka.*' 
 
 ■ — f n 
 
 "Tlie description furnistlicd l)y tlip journal of these discovcrii'S is iiotcli.iv, 
 ll)iit the iiisi'iiiKlii may probably be iJeiitilieil with Chriiitiau Sound, or L'lanih o 
 iSound, on our modern maps. 
 
 '■' 'J'lie lot; of the Snnonina copied in the Vinji'^ ul Norte places the expcli 
 lion in latitutle Tm^ 4' on the 14tii of AugiiHt, and from tliat date till the ^\\i 
 cif Septeiiibir (^uadra's operations veir eoulined to present Alasii.in \v;il. i>. 
 'J'iie hijiiiest latitude, ."i7' o7', was reaeheil the •_''_M, in the vi<inity if l'ii|"-' 
 Cross, or the soutji point of Vacoiii Island. I'/iyVs ((/ Xortf, MS., ."((i 8. Ai- 
 ro'ints of this voyage can also l>e found in Jlrrr'n, Sniiiiiila J:'r}il(irw>"ii; 
 J\/(iiiri'l/i', Jiiiiiii) ill I \ iii'/ii lie hi Simoi'd, J77'i, No. M of \'iit<iix ul Ai'/'i; 
 2lii:irilli'n ,liiiini(d i)f a Vinj'vir in 7,",'./", J^ondon, ITiSI. in li'irr'nnjl'iii'.-i .I//-"'- 
 linii<<. See also llht. Noilhifixt Civinl. Vid. !., this heries. .luan l'( I'tn 
 C'lUvdr.'i's pilot died bri'ore i-eaehin;,' San Ulas. 
 
 '■•Tile iiiulrucUuu.'i v.ero sigiitd by the ' (Jonniiisaioners f:'r executing llio 
 
 I ' 
 
MORE SECRET INSTRUCTIONS. 
 
 203 
 
 storu 
 mous 
 point 
 tuary 
 
 blioru 
 weak- 
 Ivciisc 
 , seas; 
 aw ay ; 
 boj^aii 
 a that 
 ro use- 
 tliwavil 
 y iroui 
 
 o north 
 ero ui»t 
 iportant 
 
 iS /iVw>- 
 [•ngth HI 
 on tht! 
 davy "^' 
 Illy a \'vw 
 1 the ail- 
 c where 
 ka.^' 
 
 lirt not *■!' ;"'• 
 loi-e'lunuLO 
 
 1 the <>xi>('li 
 jtill tlu' Mil 
 
 |iiiv > f evi'o 
 
 I,.s ..< .\--''; 
 
 Xtiiii'n .'/'"" '■ 
 
 luaji l'""' 
 
 Lccutiiig 
 
 UlD 
 
 After ordering tlio commander to go from New 
 Zealand to New Albion and avoid touching Spanish 
 territory, the document goes on to say: "And if, in 
 your farther progress to the northward, as hereafter 
 directed, you find any subjects of any European piince 
 or state ujion any part of the coast you may think 
 ]iroper to visit, you are not to disturb them, or to give 
 them any just cause of offence, but on the contrary to 
 treat them with civility and friendship. Upon your 
 arrival on the coast of New Albion you are to put 
 into the first convenient port to recruit your wood 
 and water, and procure refreshments, and then to 
 ])i'oceed northward along the coast, as far as the lati- 
 tude of G5,° or farther, if you are not obstructed by 
 lands or ice; taking care not to lose any time in 
 ix|iloring rivers or inlets, or upon any other account, 
 mitil you get into the before-mentioned latitude of 
 Gf)"." After being enjoined at length to make a 
 thorough search for a navigable passage into Hudson 
 or Baflin bays, Cook is further instructed as follows: 
 "You arc also, Avith the consent of the natives, to 
 take possession, in the name of the King of Great 
 Diitain, of convenient situations in such countries as 
 you may discover, that have not already been discov- 
 cnd or visited by any other European jiowi'r. . .but 
 i!' you find the countries so discovered are uninhabited, 
 you are to take possession of them for his ^lajesty, by 
 setting up proper marks and inscriptions, as first dis- 
 coverers and possessors." During the discussion of 
 Cook's progress in viewing the c(»asts of Alaska I 
 sli.ill have occasion to refer to these instructions." 
 
 On the 2Gth of April 1778 the expedition saiU'd 
 out of Nootka Bay on its northwanl course, but vi(t- 
 liiit gales drove it from the land which was not made 
 iiuain until the evening of May 1st in latitude jj" 
 
 OiI'm'c itf Lord High Admiral of Orcat Britian and Trclaml, etc., Samlwirli, 
 <'. S|i(;ioi'r, jirid II. I'lilliscr, tlir()U;;li tliuir Hi-nvtiiry, lii. Stcphtna, on ilif tiUi 
 lit ■luly 177'!.' C'lmiyn I'ot/., i. introd. .xxxiv.-xxxv. 
 ^'Cook'n \'oi/., i. iiitnjd. x.sxii.-xxxv. 
 
204 
 
 OFFICIAL EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 
 'a 
 H f 
 
 >lf> 
 
 Mi's 
 
 Brf. 
 
 ■ (' 
 
 !r,r i 
 
 I 1 
 
 If^'ir 
 
 m iii 
 
 t. 4 
 
 20', in the vicinity of Port Bucarcli, discovered hy 
 Cuadra three years before. 
 
 On the 2d and 3d of INIay Cook passed along the 
 coast included in Cuadra's discoveries of 1775, giving 
 to Mount San Jacinto and the Cabo do Engano the 
 name of Edgecunibe. Puerto de los Remedios was 
 named bay of Islands, and Cook correctly surmised 
 its connection with the bay lying eastward of Cape 
 Edgecunibe. In the morning of the 3d the two sloops 
 had reached the highest latitude attained by Cuadra; 
 a high mountain in the north and a wide inlet wore 
 called Mount Fairweather and Cross Sound respec- 
 tively, by which names both are known to this day.^' 
 Cape Fairweather has since been named Cape Spenetr. 
 On the 5th Mount St Elias was sighted above llio 
 northern horizon, one hundred and twenty miles away, 
 and the following day the broad opening of Yakutat, 
 or Bering, Bay was observed.^* 
 
 Proceeding slowly along the coast with baffling 
 winds, he on the 10th gave the name of Cape Suck- 
 ling to the cape forming the southern extrenn'ty r,f 
 Comptroller Bay, but owing to 'thick' weather Kyak 
 Island, named Kaye by Cook, was not discovered until 
 two days later. ^' At the foot of a tree on the south 
 point of Kaye Island a bottle was deposited contain! 
 a paper with the names of the ships and date of 'di> 
 covery,' and a few coins. For some reason the cere- 
 mony oF taking possession was omitted, though Cook 
 must have believed in the existence of all the condi- 
 tions mentioned in his instructions and relating to 
 ' uninhabited ' discoveries.^^ 
 
 The name of Comptroller Bay was also ap[)lied t > 
 the indentation bearing that designation to-day. Tin.' 
 
 '*The3il of Mny is marked in the calendars as ' Findinj; of the Liuss;' 
 hence tlio name applied to tlie sound. 
 
 "''('(M)k discusses at length tlie identity of this with Boring's landing, ifo 
 does not, however, ntlviince any very cogent reasons for his belief. 
 
 " In another eliapter of tins volume I have stated my reasons for helieviii^' 
 tliis to hiive heen tile scene of Bering's discovery and Steller's brief exploia- 
 tion of tlie country in 1741. 
 
 "■ Coo//iy J oy., ii. 3J1-3. 
 
 n 
 s- 
 
 1 " '" 
 
COOK'S VOYAGE. 
 
 203 
 
 I by 
 
 the 
 
 i the 
 
 nise:l 
 Cape 
 
 atlra ; 
 were 
 :spec- 
 day.^' 
 eiKxr. 
 ,-c the 
 away, 
 ikutat, 
 
 )afflin,c^ 
 
 1 Suclv- 
 
 lily r,f 
 
 Kyak 
 (I until 
 
 soulli 
 
 :\inin,^' 
 |,f Mis- 
 
 ceix'- 
 Cook 
 ooiuli- 
 
 jiinr to 
 
 llied to 
 
 The 
 
 le Lioss;' 
 llitliovin:^ 
 
 sight of the .south point of Xuchck Island, named l)y 
 liim Cape Hinchlnbrook, led Cook to indulge in liopes 
 of finding a passage to the north beyond it, the tower- 
 ing heights that border Prince William Sound not 
 being visible at the time. A leak in the liesolution 
 induced the commander to seek shelter, and the ships 
 were anchored in one of the coves of Nucliek Bav, 
 the Port Etches of later nui;)S. A boat's crew sent 
 (tut to hunt met with a number of natives in two skin 
 canoes, who followed them to the iimnediate vicinity 
 of the ships, but would not go on board.*' On the 
 following day, the 13th, Cook sailed again in search 
 rX a safer anchoraije, without discovering: tlie land- 
 locked cove on the north side of the bay subsequently 
 f-elected by the Russians ft>r their lirst permanent 
 establishment in this reunion. The next anchorage 
 was found some ci<ifht leaii'ucs to the northward at 
 Snug Corner Cove, still known by that name. Here 
 considerable intercourse with the natives took place. 
 Tliey were bold, inclined to thievery, and apparently 
 uiiac(puiinted with lire-arms.'^" 
 
 After several vain attempts to find a northern pas- 
 sago the two ships turned southward, and the largest 
 island in the sound was discovered and named jMon- 
 
 ''■• The natives made the same si;»ii of friendship (lescrilicd l)y tho Spanish 
 explorers in connection witli the Alexander Archipelago, disphiyini; a white 
 (.Miinent or shin, and cxtcndin;^ their anv.a. The people were evidently of 
 Iniiiiit extraction, bnt liad adopted some of the i)raetice3 of their Thlinkeet 
 ntiuliltors in the oast, such aa pawdcrini^ the hair with down, etc. C'lm/i- 
 ti-i Hi r /id/i, at the mouth of the Atnah or Copper lliver, so called hy (.'ook 
 i.i his Alias, 177S, and also by Dixoii and N'aneouver; La IVroiise, ITS.i, 
 j:' ihi Cdiilrok; Siitil y Mix-., Vhi'/r, ]!. Coiitrollcu.: Cartmi. Par. ('out, 
 MS., iii. ai(4. 
 
 '-" 'I hesc natives not only attempted to take away a boat from the ship's 
 side, Imt npon the report of one of tin ir iiundicr, wlio had exaiiiinrd the 
 J,'i,ii;,ri'i>i, that only a man or two were visiMe on her decks, the whole! haml 
 of visitors Iiastily paddled over to the other ves.icl with the evident intention 
 et lakiiiLi pos3esi;ion of her. The apjiearance of the eiew, w ho lia<l Keen en- 
 f.iL'e<l on some duty in the hold, causecl tiie savages to chan;,'o their mind. 
 <■",/■'.< !'(;//., ii. 3.j1). Cook lierc also noticed for the lirst time th.it tliese 
 ii;itives had a few glass heads of light blue, a circumstance he wpae^^ly con- 
 f lereil as an indication of intercourse with other trilies visiting the Hudson's 
 J'.iy ( 'oinjiany'a posts in the far north-west, lllue glass beads were among the 
 tivv iirticiea of trade in the handset the Russian promysldeniki, and doubtless 
 f und their way to Priiico William Sound from Kiwliak by way of Cook 
 lulet. 
 
 
 '\ 
 
200 
 
 OFFICIAL EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 h 
 
 
 1,^ 
 
 taGfu, the Sukluk of tlic natives. The natac of Prince 
 William Sound was then applied to the whole inlet. 
 
 On the 21st Capo Elizabeth, the south-eastern point 
 of Cook Inlet, was first sighted and named; and as 
 the western shore of that great estuary was not vis- 
 ible, the hopes of finding an open passage to the 
 northward were once more revived. A gale, how- 
 ever, prevented the explorers from rounding the cape, 
 and necessitated a southerly course, which brought 
 into view the point of land named Cape St Ilonno- 
 gcnes by Boring — the eastern cape of Marmot Island. 
 Thence the course was northward, which opened he- 
 fore the eyes of the explorer the broad estuary still 
 bearing the name of the commander. BelievinLrthat 
 Kudiak and Afognak islands, with Point Banks, formed 
 but a part of the mountainous coast to the westward, 
 with Cape Douglas in the foreground, Cook entered 
 the inlet full of hope. Was not the Aliaska of Rus- 
 sian maps represented as an island? And must not 
 this wide passage lead the navigator into the Arctic 
 Ocean between this island and the continent ? The 
 discovery of an extension of the high mountains to 
 the north of Cape Douglas did not discourage liini."^ 
 On the same day, however, the 27th of May, these 
 high hopes were crushed, as far as Cook himself was 
 concerned. The haze hamxingf over the land in the 
 v.'cst suddenly disappeared, and what had been taken 
 I'or a chain of islands stood revealed as the summits 
 of a mountain range, connected everywhere and show- 
 ing every characteristic of a continent.. 
 
 Though fully convinced of the futility of the attempt 
 Cook continued to beat his vessels up the inlet." 
 The strong ebb-tides, running at a velocity of four 
 or five knots, greatly retarded their progress, and as 
 
 '• ' As it was supposed to be wholly unconiiocted with the land of C:t]'0 
 Elizabeth,' says Cook; ' for, in a v. N. E. direction, the siyht waa unliuiitMl 
 by everything but the horizon.' Cook'ti Voij., ii. oSlJ; Juvenal, Jour., MS., 
 31-J. 
 
 '* 'I wns now fully persuaded that I should find no pass-age by this inltt; 
 and my jjcrs'-vering in the search of it liere, was more to satisfy other pcoiile, 
 tlian to coiilii'm my own opinion.' Cook's \'oi/,, ii. 35(3. 
 
AT COOK INLET. 
 
 207 
 
 rincc 
 inlet, 
 point 
 :kI as 
 it vis- 
 o the 
 
 liow- 
 
 capo, 
 ought 
 !crtnc)- 
 [yland. 
 0(1 he- 
 fy still 
 ifrthat 
 
 1 
 
 forined 
 it ward, 
 Altered 
 3f Ilus- 
 
 List U'tt 
 
 Arctic 
 ? The 
 ains to 
 
 him.-' 
 % the^-e 
 elf Nvas 
 
 in the 
 \ taheii 
 unnnits 
 1 show- 
 
 ittciupt 
 
 of foi'.r 
 and ai 
 
 \u\ of Cnpo 
 
 uiiliiiiitMl 
 
 jour., M^'i 
 
 this iiil't; 
 Ihcr iicoi'li-'i 
 
 the winds were cither light or unfavorable, it became 
 necessary to anchor the vessels every time the tide 
 turned against them. The muddy water and the largo 
 quantities of floating trees led Cook to believe him- 
 self within the mouth of a large river, and without 
 fully ascertaining the fact, he sailed away from liis 
 new discovery unchanged in his opinion.-^ 
 
 The lirst natives were encountered on the 30th, and 
 a larger party, including women and children, visited 
 the ships the following day. The scene of this meeting 
 was in the vicinity of West Foreland, or the j)resent 
 village of Kustatan. These sav'ages were described by 
 Cook as rcsemblinc; the natives of Prince William 
 Sound, speaking the same language and using the 
 same kind of skin-covered canoes. From this fact 
 we must infer that the Innuit in those days occu- 
 ]iiL'd more of the coast of Cook Inlet than they do 
 t!>-day. It is probable, however, that these people 
 wore not permanent residents, but engaged in a hunt- 
 ing expedition away from their home.'* Blue bea«l3 
 and long iron knives were found in the possession of 
 all these peoples. Wo know that these articles came 
 from the Russians, l)ut Cook was loath to acknowl- 
 edge the presence of another European power.''' 
 
 On the first of June the boats sent out to explore 
 returned after having entered the Turn-again arm of 
 the inlet and the mouth of the Kinik River, and in 
 
 -'The coast of Cook Inlet rests upon a base of blue clay waslieil by tl'o 
 tiilcs, and thia fact contributcil more to the discoloration of tlic water tlian ^iio 
 lew I ivcrs emptying into the inlut. 
 
 '■"Still higher up the inlet Cook saw a native propel liis kyak witli a double- 
 li!:idc(l paddle, and as tiiis imjileiricnt is used only by the natives of tlie Alcu- 
 ti;in I lands, antl occasionally by those of the nurthiru shores of Derin.; Sea, 
 ii licomes all the more probable that the advanco of the Kiissians to Kadiak, 
 at'd tlicir presence among the Shunia^^'iii Jslaiuls, had alrcatly inLstigatcd tho 
 scii-otter hunters to undertake lonu journeys in search of thi'ir (piairy. 
 'i/o'.'s \')t/., ii. 389-92. On the other hanil, the natives e.u'ounteiod on tlio 
 Ki nai IVninsnla, on tho occasion of taking possession of tlio country, were 
 evidently Tiniichs, or Kciiai jiroper, to judj.'o troni the description of their 
 oinaiiicnts, clothes, and Wt-apons, and from the fact that they had dogs and 
 Men" apparently without canoes. 
 
 '•"Cook mentions tliat the natives called iron (joone. Xow i-h'ti/un, or 
 rather chuijnnii, is Russian for ca«t-iron, though also used for uU irou btticlea 
 I'v till' ignoniut classes. Cook's \'<>y., ii. 39'2. 
 
208 
 
 OFFICIAL EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 ^ i .11' 
 
 the afternoon Lieutenant Kinj^ was despatched to 
 take f)ossession of the point at whieli the above- 
 mentioned arm brandies off to the eastward. Some 
 lords ahoiij^inal were present, but it is nowhere written 
 that Kini^ asked their permission to take possession 
 of the country, as the admiralty had ordered. 
 
 On the 4th of June the latitude of the Iliainna 
 volcano was ascertained, but the mountain was not 
 named.'^ On the 5th of June the two ships emerf,'ed 
 from the inlet that had been entered with such flatter- 
 in;L^ hopes, and ])roceeded southward alonj^ the coast 
 of the continent in search of an opening to the west- 
 v.ard and northwanl. The season was fast advancin;^ 
 and much remained to be done, so they hastened 
 forward. Shuiak Island, Afognak, and Kadiak were 
 placed on their chart as one contiimous coast and part 
 of the continent, while names were given only to the 
 ])roniinent headlands.'*'' On the IGth Foggy Island, 
 the Tumannoi of Bering, was made, and on the lOtli 
 the two ships were passing through the Shuniagin 
 group, tlie largest island of which Cook erroneously 
 juit down as Kadiak on his chart. In this vicinity 
 the Discovery was approached by several canoes and 
 a letter enclosed in a case was delivered by one of 
 the natives, who bowed and took off his cap in good 
 European I'ashion. The document was written in 
 Itussian and dated 1778.^^ Unable to understand 
 
 '■"'Tlie only local ii.imes about the inlet which we can trace to Cook arc: 
 Cape Douglas, Mt St Augustine (Chnrnobira Island), Tnrn-again Itivev, I'oiiit 
 I'oshus.sion, Anchor Point, I'oint IJcile, Cape Elizabeth, Ikirron Islanils, Tlie 
 inlet was named CiX)k IJiver by order of Lord Sandwicli, the explorer having 
 left a blank in his journal. Vook\t Voy., ii. 3!K). 
 
 '''' 'J'lic nortli point of Shuiak was named Point Banks; the easterly point 
 of Afounak, Cape Wiiitsnnday, and the entrance to the strait between the 
 latter island and Kadiak, Whitsuntide Ikiy. The description of this locality 
 does not, however, agree with the published sketch. Cookx ro//.,ii. 4(.)4, and 
 C'hnrt oJ'Ci'iik lUnr. 3.">3. Cape Chiniatsk was named Cape (Treville itinl i< 
 Still thus indicated on English and American sailing-eliarts. Cape ]$arnali;i.s 
 atvl Two-headed Cape correspond with the east point of Sitkhulidak island 
 and Nazigak Island at the entrance of Kaguiak Hay. The island Sitkiiin;.!; 
 wa.<< named Trinity on the 14th of June, and subsetpiently the south jioint of 
 Kadiak obtained the same designation, t'ook's I'oif., ii. 407-9. 
 
 '•'*'In the Iwdy of the note there was also a reference to the year 1770, the 
 date of a Ilussiau expedition to Ivadiak. Cook'a Voy., ii. 414. 
 
NO STRAIT THERE. 
 
 209 
 
 jd to 
 bove- 
 Soiuc 
 rittcu 
 
 essiuii 
 
 iainna 
 
 IS not 
 lorf^cd 
 lattor- 
 I coast 
 ! west- 
 anciiij4 
 Lstcned 
 k Nvcro 
 lid part 
 to the 
 Island, 
 10 19th 
 luniagin 
 iicously 
 ^•icinity 
 DCS and 
 one <»i" 
 n good 
 ten in 
 n-stand 
 
 Cook ari-': 
 Ivor, I'oint 
 (mis. 'I'lw 
 Ircr luiviiii,' 
 
 lerly point 
 Jtwoou tli>; 
 |iis locality 
 4t)4, ainl 
 lull- iincl i * 
 Biinialia^i 
 llak Island 
 1 isitkUiii;.'^ 
 |thiioiiit I'f 
 
 1770, tlio 
 
 its contents, Cook paid no attention to it. These 
 ii.itives as well as those subsequently met with at 
 Ihdibut (Sannakh) Island used the double-bladed 
 ])addle, a certain indication that they were Aleuts, 
 liiuitinjif for the Russians. ^^ 
 
 Passing Uniniak with its smoking volcanoes and 
 fiiiling to notice the best pass into Bering Sea, be- 
 tween Unimak and Akun, the exjdorers at last man- 
 aged to cross into the narrowest and n.iost dangerous 
 of all these passes, between Unalga and Unalaska. 
 After a long search for an anchorage the vessels were 
 safely moored in Samghanooda Uay, opening into 
 Uiialna Strait. Intercourse with the natives was at 
 once opened, and one of them delivered another Rus- 
 sian note. The principal object in seeking this anch- 
 orage was water, and hence the stay there was brief; 
 hut from the manners of the peoj)le and articles in 
 their ])<)ssession. Cook felt assured at last that he was 
 on gi'onnd occupied by the Russians. The necessary 
 hiisiiiess was quickly desjjatched, and on the 2d of 
 July the two ships stood out to sea again with every 
 ])r()spect of an open field of exploration in the north. 
 The north coast of the Alaska peninsula was followed 
 till the north shore of Bristol Bay loomed before 
 tlieni, and made another change of course necessary. 
 ("ook's disappointment was great. Xot until the Kith 
 of 'Inly was hope again revived l)y the sight of Cape 
 N( wcidiam, the southern point of the estuary of the 
 Kuskokvim.** 
 
 Without imacjininof himself in the mouth of a river, 
 Cook pushed forward until stop])ed by shoals, which 
 to his dismay extcndo<l in every direction but that 
 from which he had come. After a brief interview 
 
 -•("ook also mentions that they did not undei-stand thi; laii.!;ua<,'C of the 
 natives of riince William Sound, and that one of them wore a Mack elotli 
 jarkct and j^reen breeches. Cituk'x Vi)>i.. Vi. 417. 
 
 "Here Lieutemuit Willianitwjn wa.s sent ashoro to oacend a mountain an<l 
 • ilitain a view, lie .saw no land, exee]it in the noiJi, and after takiu',; fornuil 
 Jiiis (.ssion returned t* the ship. Cook fj.ive tlie name IJrifstol Ikiy to the 
 wUnV' liend (*f the uoast ]»ctwcn Unimak Islaud and the cape just discovered. 
 W'll., ii. ■j:!i)-4. 
 
 IIiKT. Alaska. 14 
 
810 
 
 OFFICIAL EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 !i J 
 
 '&"- 
 
 with some natives, who also wore fount! in posses- 
 sion of iron knives, all haste was niailc to extrieatt.' the 
 vessel from the network of shoals. At last, on the 
 2Htli, the soun(liii<4s made a westerly couise possiMc, 
 which was on the followiiii^ day ehan;^ed to the north- 
 ward, ami on the 3d of Au<>^ust land was made ai,'aiii, 
 and the shlfjs anchored hetween an island and the 
 main. Tiie former was named Sledjj^e Island, from a 
 Wooden .sledge with hone runners fouml Uj)on it. I'he 
 next (liscovery, named Xintif Island, was made on the 
 7th, and at last, on the 9th, the western extremity 
 of the American continent lay clearly before tluiii, 
 the coast beyond recedini; so far to the eastward a.s 
 to leave no room for doubt."' 
 
 Alter a brisk run across to the coast of Asia the 
 ships returned to the Alaskan shore and located Icy 
 Ca[ie, the eastern limit of the arctic cruise, ('aj)e Msil- 
 grave, and Cape Lisburne, but ice barred further \>v>>if- 
 ro.ss on the American coast as well as on that of 
 Asia. On the 21)th Cook namtul Cape North and 
 coiK-huled to ieturn southward, \ ')stponini>f a further 
 examination of the Polar Sea for another season^ — 
 which never came for him. On the eveniiiLj of the i^d 
 of Se])tember the ships passed East Cape. The f'»l- 
 lowini^ day St Laurence Bay was revisited and ex- 
 amined,^'- and on the 5th the ships were aufain headed 
 f(»r the American coast. Durinij the followini^ ilay 
 Norton Sound was entered and names were applied 
 to Ca[)e Derby, at the entr'ance of Goloni Bay, and 
 Caj)e Denbi,iL>h. 
 
 Cook ivmained in this sound until the 17th of Sep- 
 tend>er hi order to full}' a.scertain the I'act of his Ixiiii^ 
 then on the coast of the Ameiican continent and 
 not on the fabulous island of "Alaschka" represented 
 
 ^' ^'o''/''x Votf., ii. 444. 
 
 ^-'riic cditoi- of <'ooh-'s Voyn,?, in vol. ii. 473, commt-nta upon the cnrions 
 coineidfiK'c that I'criiig passccl hctM-ecn St l^invrcnce I'ay and St I^iwrnicc 
 Lsland on Aiiguft 10, 17'2S, and 50 y>'iii's hiti'i', on August 1(», I77H. •■,«,k 
 pa.ss<.(l the siinio 8])ot, naming the hay aftor tlio patron wiint of that day iii tiie 
 calendar. Due allowance for the dillcrencc between dates in the Julian niiA 
 Gregorian calendars, however, spoils this nice little 'coincidence.' 
 
JOHN LEDYARD IX ALASKA. 
 
 m 
 
 wynh Sta^liliii's map of t\w Xcw Xorf/tcnt ^Inhipcliir/o. 
 Ciiptaiii Kiiijjf luul U'cn intrusted with tln' cxamiiia- 
 tiitii >t' Norton Buy, the only point wliero the exi.stcnco 
 (il'a cliannel was at all probal'le.'" 
 
 On Icavinj^ Norton Sound it was Cook's intention 
 to stt'er directly south in order to survey th(> eoast infi'i- 
 vt ninu' between his last discoyerv ;'.nd the point he had 
 iiiiiiied Shoaliiess on the Kuskokvini; hut the shallovv- 
 ncssof that j>art of lierin^jf Sea compelled him to iim 
 llir to the westward, and prevented him from si-einj^ 
 jinything of the Yukon mouth, and the low country 
 lictween that riyerand the Kuskokvim, and the island 
 Alter ohtainin<^^ anothei' si^lit of St 
 
 X 
 
 unival 
 
 Lawrence Island, which he named Clark, Cook steered 
 s(tuth-soulh-we < and on the 20d sighted St Matthew 
 ].-l;nid, which l;e named Gore.^' 
 
 On the 2d of October Unalaska was sighted, and 
 jiassiiig Kalekhtah Bay, called Kgoodishac by Cook, 
 tlie two ships anchored in Samghanot)da Bay on the 
 
 )nce oyerhauled 
 d 
 
 (1 of October. Both vessels wer< 
 
 I'cssel 
 by the carpenters for necessary re})airs, and a portion 
 
 Ol 
 
 the cargo was landed for the purpose of restowini 
 
 30 
 
 '"'('niih'n F'oi/., ii. 482-3. I fiiiil tlint Captain Codk iiiakos mention of the 
 f.ii t tli.it one of the natives in<]uire(l for him l>y tlie title oi 'e;ijiitane,' wliieh 
 111 ( i.nsiilt r.s a ease of niiaunderstaiulin},'. It is, however, not at all iniprohaMo 
 tl: ' the llu^siiin word I'ti/iitnii lia<l Ijeen pre.serveil among the natives of the 
 vitiiiity of IJeiing Strait since Bering's ami (.ivoztlef m tin'e. 
 
 " Cook Kupiioseil, however, the existenee of ii large river in that vicinity, 
 r.s ti'.e vjiter v.a.i eoinparativeiy fresh and very niiiJdy. ('otd■'■^ In)/., ii. 4!)|. 
 
 ''■'CiMik elaini.M to have seen sea-otters here, Init ua.s prohaldy mistaken, 
 f'li' thi i iininiiil was ni'ver found there hy siiliseiiuent vi.sitois, ami the phuo 
 III :;]■/ iiiiinliiiliited, there was nothing to drive them away. The I'rihylof group 
 V I !■ I lie northernmost ]H)int from which sea-otttrs were iver procuied, and 
 til. :< t!iey heeame (piickly exterminated. 
 
 ■'' l)iiriiig a visit of Mr Ivan I'etrof to Samghan<K)(la I>ay on the ,3d of 
 tiriuix r IliTiS, the UKJth annivei-.sary of Cofik's laiuling. he oht.iineil from the 
 l;ili\('s a few traditions relative Vo Cook's \ i.sit. One old ehief stated t!i;it 
 lii t.itiier had tohl him of two Kngli.-h shijis <hat hail ai'ehored in Sam; li,i- 
 iiii' ila, \\liicli is now known as 'Kngli.sh llr.khla.' 'Ihe tinieol their iW.y had 
 111 111 Somewhat lengthened in tranhmittal from father to son, for it was 
 il,.iini il tliat the ships wintered theie, that the people caught liiih and killed 
 |■l;ll^; for the visitors, and that several of them 'kept native women witii tiiem.' 
 S..' r,.„l,:s Vny., ii. ,721. The old ehief also sUite.l that the 'Knglish' i:!id 
 I'lM !t houses and jiointed out a spot where an excavation had evidently hem 
 II -I II liiiiv years ago. This last I'eport referred of co\irse only to soine ti iii- 
 ) ii'ary ihclter for j)rotecting the landed cargo. The sar.ie man ])ointid out 
 tu .Mr i'etrof tlie positiuu in which the tiLij_)S liutl bueu moored, uccurdiug 
 
 \ ■ 
 
 m 
 
 Ii; 
 
 ^1 
 
21*: 
 
 OFFICIAL EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 im 
 
 Wliile the nhip's (MMnpaiiics wore engaged in v.ater- 
 ing, repairing, lisliing, and gathering berries as an 
 anti-scorbutic, a messenger airived on the 8th with a 
 note written in llussian for the coninjander of each 
 vessel, and a gilt, consisting of a salmon pie, baked of 
 jyc-meal. There was no one able to read the notes, 
 but, l)eing now sure that some Russians resided in tlic 
 immediate vicinit}', Cook caused a suitable return <n 
 be made in the shape of sundr}' bottles of li(|UOf. i'or- 
 poral John Lcdyard was sent with the returning 
 messenger to find the Ilussians, invite them to the 
 anchorage, and obtain all available iid'ormation con- 
 cerning their discoveries in American waters.''" 
 
 Lcdyanl's experience on this occasiim has been de- 
 scribed by hin)sclf and transmitted to posterity bv liis 
 biographer. He succeeded in liis mission, passed a 
 few days at the settlement of Illiuliuk, and brouglit 
 back three l^ussian hunters, who were well received, 
 and who freely imj)artcd such information as could be 
 conveyed by signs and numerals.^^ They promised to 
 
 to tiio recollection of liis father, a jKisition which ngr»!e<l exactly with tlin, 
 iiiilicated on (.'ooks uluirt of Suni^'liunutHhi, which the chief certainly ncvir 
 hail seen. 
 
 '■" ('(H>k'ii Voii., ii. 4n"). Cook merely says that he sent I^ulyard, hut in 
 (S/>" /•/■■(' Life ot Jjrtlifanl, TO-SO, it is elaiineil that he volunteered anil tluivliy 
 relieved Cook from the dileinin.'i of Heleetin^' i\\\ oHicer for hiicIi a 'ilau^'erniis' 
 expedition. The preMeiit of hread was in accordance w-ith an ancient Kussiiin 
 custoni, still obs'ived, of presenting lircatl and SJiIt to new arrivals in ii tnwii. 
 dwelling, or neighlKtrluKHl, end)leniatic of the wish that the recipient niiiiiit 
 never want for the neeessaries of life. Aiuong the wealthy the most eliilMi 
 iiit<! vOi.fectionery and silver or gold receptacles tiikc the place of IntMid i.ijil 
 B4ilt on Kueh oceaxions. 
 
 '■^* Li'dyard's nairutive of this exeui'sion seems to mo somewhat l>',';idy '"I- 
 oivd. though I'vidently written in ji od fiiith. The nuui wiiv • Hciisatirniil ' l.v 
 nature. His native guidi's evidenllj' did not take him t» his destination l^y 
 the shortest route. There is anil was at that time an easy path only \'l luilr.s 
 in length from tiiehead of SamghaniMMla ]>iiy to < 'a|ttain liarlHir, vthcri' l;iy tlu' 
 ItuK.xian settlement. J.iedyarii was made to walk ' ITi miles into the interior '<j. 
 the lirst di.'y, toa native village, where Ik- passed the night, and where 'a jmin;; 
 Woman sei'med very Inisy to p.lease ' him, and on the following day he a;.;;nii 
 Walked until three hours hefore dark ere reaching Caiitain llarl>or, wlii> li In' 
 ealUd 'four kyigiu's ov«'r.' It is aliout live noles. 'liie distance he ilainis iu 
 hav ' walked after this was > lea^ured hy ' tilled .nnd swollen feet,' hut tiindly >^- 
 was carried acn>.M8 to the ' .'ttleuient, sipiee/ed into the ' l»ole ' of a two-hni'li 
 liiilarka. lie wi>- !.,.., ,;iial>ly entertained aftfr due exehanu'o of livilitir.-* ; i; I 
 delivery of ''.Kik's present.^. The ncNt morning the ri'|M'llent odois i' .1 
 matuiinal meal eoniijosed of 'whale, tc;i-liorse, and l>ear' upset l.eily.'ii.l ■- 
 btomuch, though IxnrH and walruMCH are unknown in Unulaska. The weatii' r 
 
INTERCOURSE WITH RUSSIANS. 
 
 SIS 
 
 I v;atcr- 
 i as an 
 I with n 
 of each 
 >ake(l of 
 e notes, 
 (I in the 
 L'turn to 
 ir. t'or- 
 eturniiijj; 
 ;i to the 
 ion oon- 
 
 boon do- 
 ty 1)V his 
 passed a 
 l)rou«j>ht 
 received, 
 ^ eould he 
 innisod to 
 
 \y with thai 
 irtiiiiily mvir 
 
 lyanl, Imt '» 
 |l and th» iil'V 
 ihiDpniii-' 
 Icient UufsiiH" 
 l\la ill 11 t>>\\ii. 
 kiliifU* iiiiiilit 
 \i most I'liiliii 
 
 of \>VVin\ I'l'' 
 
 lit li'pily ;■"'• 
 LiRiitiiiiii! ' ly 
 I'Mtiiiiuioii '■>' 
 liiilv CJiiii'"^ 
 l,h,'ivh<yt!..' 
 • iiitfiior"! 1. 
 |iiT<' •!vy<"i"i.^ 
 
 Ihiy 1"' "!■■'"" 
 or, Mhiili 111' 
 
 I hi' tliiii""' '" 
 .mtliiiiilly "'• 
 1 „ t\v(>-li:i'''' 
 livilitii!*' i: I 
 ««li»rs I ' :• 
 It Ui'iUiii.i ■• 
 iTUt' wcutiii I" 
 
 ]yw.<X «T i"-'ip showing all the Russian discoveries. On 
 the 14th the conunander of the Russian expedition in 
 this (juartor arrived from a journey and landed near 
 S;iinu,hanooda. H's name was Gerassim Grigorovich 
 Isniailof.** 
 
 The usual civilities were exchanged and Cook had 
 every op[)ortunity of fjuestioning his visitor, but it is 
 ovide'nt that the advantage was with the Russian, who 
 Iriirned fiom the Englishman what was of the utmost 
 iiii])ortance to the f^iberian merchants, while he told 
 wliat he chose, holding back nuich information in his 
 ])()ssession,for instance the visit of Pol itof to Kadiak 
 ill 177G and the lonjr residence at Unimak Strait of 
 
 hcini,' 1mi<1 he remained another tiny and examined the settlement, conutinff 
 tliiiiy KuM»iiiiis and seventy Kaniclmtkuns. He alsu ' isitcd a »niall Klijop <>l 
 31) tiin», lying near the village, and tliui) describes hi , feelings on that ucca- 
 siiiii: ' It is natural to an ingenuous mind, when it ei ters a town, a hoii.so, or 
 (iliip, that has heen reiulertd famous liy any i)art\;ular event, to fei'l the 
 lull liino of that pleasure, whieh results from grs iiying anohle curiosity. I 
 WiiM no Ko iiier informed that this sIiM)p was tli' siimc in which the famous 
 Htriiig ha ' ]Mirformed those discoveries whiciuiid him soiniu'h iijiior, and his 
 I'liuntry t i much service, than I was dctermineu to go oii board of her i nd 
 iiiihili;!' in tho generous feelings the occasion inspire<I.' He remaiiied an ho'ir, 
 ciijiiying hini.sclf, 1 trust, without, the slightest suspicion of the fact that 
 tlic initt he had in his mind had been broken up on liering Island, iiiid 
 tli.it the sltKip constructed from the remains was at tliut time lying fathoma 
 ilctp iiiiilir the .surface on the Asiatic shore. Tlie sentimental YanUeu 
 ii'tuiiic'd to the ships in lesii than one day. Siiurkx' Lij'f o/ Ltih/<iri/, 8.V-1K). 
 
 "''TIk' report given by Ismuilof of Cook's visit was received by Major 
 IWIini, commander of Kc.mchutku in April 177!K The document simply stutcd 
 tli!!t two Kngli.sli ships hud anchored on the north side of Uimlaska; that ho 
 (Ihtiiailof) I'.ud reni!cr"d the visitors every assistance in obtaining food and 
 watt r, and that they had communicated by signs only, owing to his ignorancu 
 of tile Knglish language. Snilini/, in Moi-xlot SloruiL; ciii. 7, 21. Ismailof 
 c.iiliiitly took a mon- sensible view of Cook's e.\{)editioii than did the autlior- 
 iliis ill Kanichntka. At the time of the presence of the two shins in Avatchu 
 lliiy, IJcliiii was on the ]Mjintof leaving for Ii'kutsk, but in view 'if the ' critiijil 
 ii'inlitidii of the country' he consented to remain at the head of allaiis. Tlio 
 pi'iuial iiii])ression was, that the vessels hut! come .it the instigation of I't n- 
 yiiv^ki Mith hostile intent. A deputation of men not coiinectetl with tlio 
 imlilif si'iTice was first sv'iit to meet Ihc strangers, probidly tt) 'ilraw liic,' 
 fiiiisi.-iting of lU'hm's servant, a merchant, ami a cleik. At the same tiiiio 
 niiiiuis and messengers were despatched to all the forts .'iiicl ostrogs to put 
 the f'arri.'ioim uptm their giianl. The sub.sei|uciit frientliy intt'icoiirsc wjili 
 the .sti!iii!/ers was carried on under constant apprehen.sion. 'I'he desiinl : iip- 
 lilits were fiirnislied free of charu'e, because, as Sliniulef wrote, ' the hi;^h 
 i'liif We must have nsked woulil liavt inceiiseil them.' Shnuilt f never l.c- 
 licvt.l in the scientific objects of tlie expeilition aiitl urireil the forwaitliiii; < f 
 ret'iiforccments. The presents of i-uiiosiiies niatie to llehiii were all by iiiiii 
 trail niiltetl to (lie imperial academy, in tutler tnpurjL'f liir.iself of all i <is|,iciou 
 el having been bribed by tiiu enemy. HijibiKj', in JiortiLoi SOornik, ciii. 'i, «J-0. 
 
214 
 
 OFFICIAL EXPLOFvATIOXS. 
 
 Zailcof, who was even then at Umnak, dose by. Tlio 
 coiTcc'tcd map of the islands sliown to Cook was 
 probably the work of this same Potap Zaikof ^^ The 
 most important correction lie received for his own 
 work was the existence of the island of Unimtilc, 
 which had been laid down on Cook's chart as part »it' 
 the continent. I smailof remained near Samghanooda 
 until the 21st of October, and on his departure was 
 intrusted with despatches for the lords commissioners 
 (»f the British .admiralty which he promised to for- 
 v'ard the following spring to Okhotsk and thence to 
 St IV'tersburtif bv way of Siberia. 
 
 Another intelligent Russian whom Cook mentioned 
 in his journal was Yakof Ivanovich Saposhnikof, in 
 command of a vessel then lying at Unga." 
 
 The accompanying reproduction of the chart shov- 
 ing Cook's discoveries and surveys as far as they fill 
 v.ithin the scope of tiiis volume will convey an ade- 
 quate; idea of how much wc owe to this eminent navi- 
 jjfator. 
 
 On the 2nth of October, after a sojourn of twenty- 
 three days, the Ucaolution and Discovn'j/ sailed fr n i 
 Samghanooda Harbor for the Hawaiian Islands, 
 where the gallant connnander was to end his cxplora- 
 tio ^ a!id his life. 
 
 In the following year the expedition returned tn 
 Kamchatka under command of Captain Clarke, next 
 to Cook in rank, and thence proceeded to explon; 
 beyond Jeering Strait for a north-east passage tn 
 the Atlanti(^ After reaching latitude 70" {V,V near 
 the Ann rican coast the \essels were obliged by ire 
 to turn back. The conclusion arriveil at was that no 
 passage existed south (.f latitude (55°, and that it nui.-t 
 
 ^'Witli roforcncc to n, I'nsRinn note received on lioard the Diicovi'r;/ in V.'i' 
 vicinity nf tlio iSliiniia<,'iii IsIiiihIs, (Vx)k uiidorHtood Isinivjlof to Hiiy that it 
 had I'ff'n \Mitl''n nt I'lniuik, Imt it ii wife to UKSiiinu that he kuiI tin- \\v'\t> r 
 \Yi\i then at riiiiiaU, and tliat Zaikof had extended hit) expluiutions to tlio 
 Miuiiiairin. ^'iinL-'n I'l.i/., ii. -I'M. 
 
 " lier;,' ineiilioiis the h1o<<1) iMiiied /'»(('•/, or St I'aul, (■oinniuiidiil liy tho 
 j^introii (.yiilDi) SaiMKiIiKikof, which returned to Okiiottik iu 1780. K/iroiit, 
 ItK, Tubli' i. 
 
THE CHART. 
 
 215 
 
 Tho 
 
 The 
 ^ own 
 limak, 
 •art of 
 .nooda 
 re was 
 iionovs 
 bo Ibr- 
 (nce to 
 
 itionc'l 
 ikot', ill 
 
 b sliow- 
 bcy t-'.U 
 [111 adc- 
 Lit iiavi- 
 
 :\vcnty- 
 (l fro^ii 
 •;lautl>, 
 jxplova- 
 
 c(l t. 
 
 rii 
 
 ko, 11" 
 
 'XI 
 
 lion 
 
 a'jje 
 
 to 
 
 ;y luar 
 
 that H" 
 lit iiui:-t 
 
 lrf»7/ 111 
 
 tho 
 
 ly tliiil It 
 
 I till- Nvtittr 
 
 to tlio 
 
 llc.l l>y tho 
 
 Klii'oii- 
 
I!i ' I 
 
 : 11 
 
 I 
 
 216 
 
 OFFICIAL EXPLORATIOXS. 
 
 be sought north of Boring Strait, beyond ley Cape, 
 leading probably to Baffin Bay; yet it would be mad- 
 ness to attempt the passage during the short time the 
 route might be free from ice. Hardly less hopeful 
 appeared the prospect for sailing westward along the 
 northern coast of Siberia. The sea nearer the polo 
 would probably be less obstructed by ice. Clarke 
 
 Cook's Voyaoe— Noiitiierx Section. 
 
 died August 22d, as the vessels approaclied Peti'o- 
 ])avlovsk, and here he was buried. Captain (xoiv 
 took the expedition home by way of Jnpan, Chiii.i. 
 and Ca[)o of (rood Hope. While in Ciiina sevci.il 
 small lots of sea-otter skins were disjtoscd of by nun 
 and officers at prices whicli seemed fabulous, and tho 
 
AXOTHER SPANISH EXPEDITIOX. 
 
 217 
 
 excitement created by this success resultetl in quite a 
 rush of vessels to the Northwest Coast, and a hrisk 
 competition sprang up with Russians in the purchase 
 tit' furs there and in their sale in China," 
 
 < Capo 
 
 Tetro- 
 [i Oort! 
 
 Chin:i, 
 I several 
 
 by nuii 
 lud tho 
 
 In 1776 orders were issued in Spain to fit out 
 another expedition to the north, to continue and com- 
 j)lete the disccjveries of Cuadra made the previous 
 year, but the execution of the })lan was delayed, and 
 not until February 11, 1779, did two vessels, the 
 Prince.sa and the Fnvorlta, sail from San IJlas, with 
 Lieutenant Ignacio Arteaga in connnand, and Cuadra 
 as second.*^ 
 
 On the 28th of April the expedition, which had 
 orders to attain a latitude of 70°, found itself in lati- 
 tude 54^ 45', and on the 2d of May the vessels entered 
 IJucareli Sound, Arteaga anchoiing in a sheltered 
 bay on the south side, which he named Santa Cruz, 
 and Cti^dra exploring the north side of the sound, 
 but finally joining his connnander in the Puerto do 
 Santa Cruz on the 5th. As soon as Cuadra had re- 
 ported to Arteaga for orders, it was resolved to fit 
 out an expedition of two boats for a thorough ex[>lora- 
 tion of the interior of the sound. The crews of both 
 vessels were constantly employed in preparing the 
 boats, supplying wood and water, and assisting the 
 ollicers in their astnmomical observations. On the 
 i;>th a solenm mass was celebrated on shore, with 
 accompaniment of music and artill(>ry, a cross was 
 
 "Ciiptnin King, who wrote tlio Inst volume of C<nik''i I'oi/n'j'', i»)iiitcil out 
 the iidvi'iitagoa of this trade, iiiid BUggostcd iiietlioda to be observi d tliei-cin. 
 L\,oL■^.^ Vol/., iii. 4.'«) 8. 
 
 "See t/inl. Xortfiirrnf. Coaiif, pnssiin, tlUH scries. Also, Arip'oin, Trrrrra 
 I I'pldrnriiiii hi'rh'i ff ailo 177!) ''on lin Ffitijufnxilil rr;/. 'In /'rliii'<~ri,' iikiikI'hIh 
 /'.</• (I tniieiile df miriodoti Iijunym Art('<i<ia, y la ' /•'irnriln ' ;«>»• il ih- hi minnut 
 rlrifi' linn Juan Frniir!.i.,, ,li' It: lloilrija y l.'imiira, il'Kilf el jiiii rio (/<• San ISImt 
 h'l.itii Inn i>r/tnif<i y iin (jmrlosfh Ittfltiiif, in Viiii/fM at \<irl>' tif Cat., MS., No. 4; 
 Miniri'lle, Xairtiiirioti hrrlin jun if Alj'ifrz do Fimjala dr la l!v<il Armada I>qh 
 I t'<iiii'>M-t> Aiitimin Maurdh' disffiiuln dc m'liiiiiilorrijiilan ili' la Fr'i'jntn ' J'lnt- 
 V'tii,' Id., MS., \o. .'». Hodf'ja y Ciuulra, S'liiiiidn nalida hai'ta hmlil iirmhrn 
 <i> il. /'/•ft'jata ' Niifufra Si'Tmrti di' /hh J'rm'ilioi,' alinii la * J'liforila,' Ai'io dn 
 n7'>, Ms., id., No. (ij; llctliija y Cuadra, AVdv 'laii y ilmrulirhiiii nlai /ic/ii.rt 
 d' ordtn ile iS. M. cii la Costa gtplciilriunat dv Calil'ontia, IITJ, in Mayer, 
 
 insa., No. 13. 
 
ii8 
 
 OFFiaAL EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 iff 
 
 1'^ i> 
 
 'ii ii I'll 
 
 II' 
 
 erected ill a prominent place, and under waving of 
 Hags and salvos of musketry the country was taken 
 possession of in the name of the king, the savages 
 gazing stolidly at this insanity of civilization. 
 
 On the 18th the two boats sailed from the balii'a 
 de la Santisima Cruz, with a complement of five olli- 
 eers, four soldiers, and twenty-four sailors. They 
 were provisioned for eighteen days. The result of 
 the expedition was the earliest and best survey ever 
 made of the most important harbor of Prince of Wales 
 Island." 
 
 Duriuif the absence of the boats on this errand 
 the natives gathered in numbers about the ships in 
 the bahia de la Santisima Cruz. The strict orders of 
 the commander to avoid a conflict, and to ignore small 
 thefts, soon worked its evil effect upon these children 
 of nature, who could not understand leniency or un- 
 willingness to punish robbery and to recover losses, 
 unless it v. as based upon Vvcakness or lack of courage. 
 Woi'king parties on the shore were molested to such 
 an extent that it became necessary to surround them 
 with a cordon of sentries only five paces apart, and 
 sailors were robbed of their clothes while washing 
 them. Under these circumstances the return of the 
 lanvhas with their crews was hailed with joy; but by 
 by this time over eighty canoes manned by a thousand 
 savages were in the bay and great caution was neces- 
 sary to avoid hostilities. Even the firing of cannon 
 did not seem to i'righten the Indians, and when a 
 
 **Tlic officera were Francisco MaurcUc, Josi5 Caiu.acho, .Juan Lantista 
 ArruiiTi', .Tuaii I'antojo, ami Juan CJania. The armanicut consisted vt S f.il- 
 eoncts and 'JO niuskets, with '2."> rounds of anununitiou for each. They I'lo- 
 cci'dcd lirst to the Koutli-wctstcvn jjoiiit, San l>art()louic, of the eiitrauco to tliO 
 Bound, and then around the western shore, caicfully sounding ui.d localiu^ 
 bays, islets, anil points. The names applied were very inimci'oi.s. the i;kj.- t 
 important heing as follows: puerto de San Antonio, puerto do lii Asuncion; 
 tho islands San Ignaeio and Santa Ritii; puerto de la lieal Marina; canal du 
 I'ortillo; l)ahia de Esquivel; canal do San Cristobal; the islands of San Fer- 
 nando and San Juan lUiutista; boca del Alniiraute; liahia do San Alberts; 
 ji'.ierto del l^igial; puerto do San Nicol.is; the caAos del Trocadcro; tho 
 l-iland of Madre de Dios; puerto do la Caldera; Jiucrto de laKstrella; imcrl') 
 del Refugio — whicli wua 8ubsei|ucntly fuiuid to be a passage — and the j)ucrl.o 
 do los Dolores. 
 
NEW NAMINGS. 
 
 219 
 
 canoG was struck by a ball and the inmates fell, the 
 cfi'i'ct was only temporary. Arteaga seized a chief in 
 Older to obtain the return of two sailors who had been 
 icported as held captive in the native village, but it 
 was found that the Spaniards had voluntarily joined 
 the savages with the intention to desert."*^ 
 
 ])uriiig the last days of June the two ships were 
 moved across the sound to the bay of San Antonio, 
 and thence they finally sailed the Lst of July, taking 
 a north-westerly course along the coast. Mount St 
 Elias was sighted on the Dth,'"' and a few days later 
 Kaye, or Kyak, Island was named Cilrmcn. The 
 iKxt anchorage, probably Nuchek I3ay, was named 
 l^lerto de Santiago, and a boat expedition went to 
 ascertain whether the land was connected with the 
 continent. The officer in charge reported that he had 
 convinced himself that it was an island.*^ The usual 
 forms of taking possession were observed, being the 
 lliird ceremony of the kind performed upon nearly 
 tlie same ground within a year — by Cook in 1778, by 
 a i)ni'ty of Zaikof's men, who had Ijeen despatched in 
 a hidar from Cook Inlet, in June 1779, and again by 
 Arteaga. Cuadra, in his journal, expressed the con- 
 viction that a large river umst enter the sea between 
 ( 'iirmen Island and the harbor of Santiago, thus cor- 
 r( etly locating Copper River, which both Cook and 
 A'ancouver failed to observe." 
 
 *^ With the avowed object of 'gaining a better knowlcilgo of the jicojilo 
 ninl tlicir customs,' Artenga sunctioueil Ihc imrcliasc of live children. Two 
 pr\ aged respectively seven and eight years, were taken on Jjoard the 
 J'rihirsa, and the boys, ))et\vecn live and ten, on the Favoi-ita. Tercera L'jcplo' 
 7iiri'iii, in Viagen al Norte, MS., etc.. 111. 
 
 '"Alluded to as Cape St Klias in the jounial, 'Yi^ualinonte tcnian il la 
 vista el ( luvado promontorio do San I'.lias <in\>Yo las nubcs, prcsciilfindoso i.n 
 fi'Viiia do un pan do nzucjir;' but it is doubtful what point or mountain this 
 vas, for the ships were at a gi-cut distance from the biiore. Trro ni K.rj.l., in 
 Viiiiifiut Xortf, M.S., etc. \l'A. 
 
 '' If this was really Nuchek, or llincliiubrtxik Island, the SpaniardH antici- 
 ivitcd Vancouver's discovery of the fact l)y 1-t years. Tirriru L'r/if., in \ irtj. n 
 I / Xorh', MS., 110-17. During this btwtcxiH'dition inanycanoeaof Ihenativis 
 W("-o seen, niul on one of theni a Hag ■was displayed showing the colors red, 
 V liite, ami blue. 
 
 '"Arti'aga, while at this nnchorn5;e, convened a juntaof oflicers for the p'.'.r- 
 pu.ic of considering the udvisiibility of returning at onco to Sau lilus. Lis 
 
I 
 
 990 
 
 OFFICIAL EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 On the 28th tlic ships put to sea once more, takinj^ 
 a south-westerly course, without atteniptinjjf to fiiul a 
 passage at the head of Prince WiHiani Sound as Cook 
 liad done in the preceding year, and on the 1st of 
 August they found an anchorage formed by several 
 islands in latitude 59° 8'. Formal possession* was 
 again taken and the largest island of the group nanjed 
 Isla de la Ilogla. This was the Cape Elizabeth (»f 
 Cook, who had failed to notice its separation from the 
 continent. The Iliamna volcano on the we.st shore 
 of Cook Inlet was sighted from this point and named 
 Miranda.*" 
 
 After a short stay at this anchorage, Artcaga 
 concluded to give up further explorations and to 
 sail direct for Cape Mendocino. The de|)arture took 
 place on the 7th of August, and thus ended, so far as 
 relates to Alaska, an expedition which would have 
 been of the greatest importance had it not been for 
 the English explorations of the year preceding. Ar- 
 tcaga and his officers could know nothing of Cook's 
 investigations and believed themselves the first to ex- 
 plore the region already visited by the Resolution and 
 Discovery between Cross Sound and Cape Elizabeth, 
 but even after deducting from the result of their work 
 
 own tiiniility conl<l not prevail acninst the amintious coumgoof Maiirelle nii<l 
 i'uadrn, who insistud tliat sonic turther discoveries nuist bo attempted bcfoiu 
 rt'linr|uisliingM<jcoatly an expedition. Terc('raI'J.r}i/.,inViwie>ialA'or:f', MS., 1 17. 
 ** In tiio journals this mountain was duscrilxid its (tearing a xtrikiug resi-iri- 
 lilanco to tlio Ori/aba of Mexico and the jHjak of 'renerille. I'/h;/' .< (il .V«/V. , 
 MS., I'JO. A map of the nncliorage is still in cxistenco, ixistcd in at the end 
 4if the manuscript entitled Aznina, YnMnircioii, etc. Ihis map represents 
 the islands of the Capo Klizabutii group — Tzukli of the Russians — and tlio 
 adjoining coast of the Kenai peninsula, but, though correct in its contoiii's, 
 with the exception of representing the mainland as islands — Ysla de Maii- 
 rdle in the north and Ysla <lo San Bruno in the east— it docs not forresimiid 
 in its details with the narrative contained in \"unje* al Norte. There \» a ills- 
 crciwncy even Ijetween the map and the legend, the latter stating that 'hii- 
 viendd.so toinado segdo poscsion on la Vsla de Sun Antonio,' but no sm li 
 island is on the chart. Tho projecting points of the mainland are named ;is 
 stilted alio vc; tho island containing Capo Kli/iibelh was named Vsla de Siin 
 Aniceto, and the smaller islands and rocks el Sombrero, «le Ayala, de S.iii 
 Anijel, dc Arriaga, la Monja, los Krailes. The jHiint where possession w.i.s 
 taken is marked with a cross on the n. w. point of Sun Aniceto. The opi'ii- 
 in;; between the latter and the mainland is named enseiiada tic Nucsti.i. 
 ^ell()rn do la lleglu. Tho latitude is cori-ectly giveu as 50^8', tho long. 40 il' 
 >v. of 8au Bias. A.anxo, Ymtriicclon, etc. 
 
ARTEAGA'S ACHIFA'EMENTS. 
 
 221 
 
 nil that may bo affected by Cook's prior diseovery, 
 tlie careful survey of Bucareli Sound, in connection 
 ^\ ith ITcccta's and (Quadra's prior explorations, presents 
 a basis for Spain's claims to the coast re«^ion to lati- 
 tude 58° so far as relative rijjfht of discovery is con- 
 cerned, attended by the cci'omony of takinjr ])osscssion. 
 A little more energy or ambition on Arteajjja's part 
 would have led to a mooting with the Russians and 
 made the subsequent expedition of Martinez and Ilaro 
 unnecessary.'^ 
 
 The viceroy of Mexico declared himself highly 
 [.leased with the results of the voyage, and advanced 
 one step the rank of all the officers on both vessels. 
 At the same time he stated that no further discoveries 
 in a northerlv direction would be undertaken for the 
 j)rosent.'''' 
 
 ^"Tlie sloop Kliment, belonging to tlio Pnnof Company, was cnnsingalxnit 
 Kailiak at the very time of Arteaga's presence at Lallegla. liery, Khroiwl. Int., 
 104. 
 
 ■■' Ciirfan fh' los Exrili'ntmmof Srrn Viret/eii don Antonio Bucareli, dan Mar- 
 tin dt Miitjonja. etc., in Viatjcsal Xorle, AIS., etc., 1-0-7. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 COLONIZATION AND THE FUR-TRADE. 
 
 1783-1787. 
 First ArrEMrrED iSETTLEMr.NT of the RrssiAxa in America — Vovaoe op 
 
 GRICOK SiiEMKOF — I'EKMANENT ESTABLISHMENT OF THE RiSSIANS AT 
 KaDIAK — liETFRN OF SlIELIKOF — IIlS iN.STUrCTION.S TO SaMOILOF, Cdl,- 
 
 osiAi. Commander — The Historic Sable anb Otter— Skins as Ccr- 
 
 REXCV— TkaI'I'INCJ AND TuiBUTE-COLLECTINO — MeTIIOD OF CoNtrCTIN(! 
 
 tue Hunt— Rkoclations of the Peredovchiki— God's Sables and 
 Man's— Review of the Fni-TRADE on the Coasts of Asia and Ami:k- 
 icA— PERNinors System Introdhced by the Promyshleniki— The 
 China Market — Foreign Rivals and their Method- Ablse of 
 Natives — Cot)K's and Vancouver's Opinions of Comi'etition with 
 the RrssiANS — Extirpation of Animais. 
 
 We cuter here a new epoch of Alaska history. 
 ITitherto all has been discovery, exploration, and the 
 hnntinij of fur-hearincf animals, with little thoui«ht i-f 
 ])erinanent settlement. But now Grigor Ivanoviili 
 Shelikof comes to the front as the father and founder 
 of Russian colonies in America.^ 
 
 ' Ono of the cliicf authorities for tliis perio«l of Al.aska history, and indeed 
 tho only full Jiccount of Shelikof 's vi.sit to America, is a work written liy liini- 
 8elf nn<l puldislied after his death. It is entitled Griiioria Slu'tikhord Sfr'iii- 
 utroraiiif, etc., or Gri'/nr ,Sk('/i/:of'\t JoirnifiiH from 17flJ to 17X7, from (ik-lio/.^k 
 to the EoKtirii Ovian and Ihf Cofint, <>/ Aiiurim, witii a pro'lolnhniie, or cdutiii- 
 uatinn. I'l'inted at St Petershni-g in 17!*--;{, 1-mo, with inap». In 17'.'.'! 
 l)otli of these huoks were translated l»y one. J. .1. Logan into English and iml)- 
 lished in one Svo volume at St I'etcrslnirg. Pallas jiriiited a (ierman tirins- 
 lation, chiefly remarkable for inaccuracies, in Ids Aortl. Jieiir., vi. 1(»,V"J4!>. 
 And still another (iennan translation appeared in Jiiin/ic'n Jonninl fitr Ji'iis!<- 
 Idiiil, J7:) I, i. Shclikol's lirst volnino contains voluminous descriptions of lln' 
 Aleutian Inlands, with whole passages, and even pages, identical in every 
 respect M'ith corresjjonding ]iassages in the anonymous Uerman Ai'tii' S(iif>- 
 ric/iti'ii, the authorship of which I ascribe to.T.L. Sehliizer. It is safe to 
 asHume that Shelikof had access to this work publishcil some 20 years Iteforo 
 liis own, and use<l it in writing his own volume. Shelikof's lK)ok was repidi- 
 lished in one volnme, without maps, in 18l'2, under title of Piiteshntliic '■'. 
 Skdikhova 1783-1100. It seems that the director of tbo Russian American 
 
ORIGORIA SHELIKHOVA STRANSVOVAXIE. 
 
 223 
 
 roYAcr. ov 
 
 SSIANi^ AT 
 
 iii.oF, Cot." 
 
 [H AS Cm- 
 
 ONtrtTINti 
 ABLKS AND 
 
 ANi> Avr.ii- 
 :niki— TiiK 
 -Abuse of 
 itios with 
 
 history. 
 
 and the 
 
 >u;j;ht «)f 
 
 anovicli 
 
 'ouikIct 
 
 and indeed 
 
 ten !>>• li""- 
 
 hoi-a'Sfr'ni- 
 
 •om (thliol-k 
 
 or coutin- 
 
 . In IT! :? 
 
 di and \<n\>- 
 
 iniiin tiaus- 
 
 ,i. lti.VJ4'.t. 
 
 I fin- /''"<■*- 
 
 tions oi Itii- 
 
 il in eviiy 
 
 |t in wife to 
 L-oars iM'foiu 
 J was rcpuli- 
 
 In Anieiicau 
 1) 
 
 In 1 783 tho company of Siberian merchants <»f which 
 Shrlikof and Ivan Gohkof were the j)rincij)al share- 
 lu>l<lers, finislied three ships at Okhotsk for <)|)erating 
 on a larger scale in the region then designated as the 
 osfrova, or the islands. The ships were the Trckh 
 Sriatitcli, Three Saints, the Sr Simeoi}, and the So 
 MikJiml. On the lOth of August they sailed with one 
 liundred and ninety-two men in all, the largest force 
 w liich had hitherto left the Siberian coast at oiu^ time. 
 SiK'likof and his wife,'"^ who accompanied her Knsband 
 ill all his travels, were on tho Trckh Si'iatitc/i, com- 
 manded by Ismailof The first part of the voyage 
 was stormy, the wind contrary, and the ships were 
 unable to leave the sea of Okhotsk, but on the 2(1 of 
 September the squadron anchored near the second 
 ]vurile island, for the purpose of watering, and then 
 passed safely into the Pacific, On the 12th a gale 
 separated the vessels, and after prolonged and iutile 
 eilbrts to find the So Mikhail, Shelikof concluded to 
 jtass the winter on Bering Island with the two other 
 ^^>ssels. Thanks to the enforcement of wise reLiula- 
 tions framed by Shelikof, the crews suffered but little 
 from scurvy, and in June of tho following year the 
 expedition steered once more to the eastward. A few 
 stojipages were made on Copper, Atkha, and other 
 islands, with a longer stay at Unalaska, where the two 
 ships were repaired, and refitted with water and pro- 
 company resented the publication of the book. In tlio 'Socwt Instructions' 
 f"iv.ai ded to IJaranof in 1 802 occurs tho following reference to tliis subject: 
 ' VdU unist senil your comuumications to the chief ailuiinistration direct, and 
 ii'it to Okhotsk, since tiie company has \ery little to do witii provincial 
 air.horitios, and also Injcatise the government at present lias many \ lews con- 
 ecniiui^ America that nuist be kept a profound secret, beini; coiilided only to 
 you as chief manager. Therefore it is not proper to forward such information 
 through the government authorities at lrkul.>k, wliere no secret could lio 
 pri':c;vi'd. As a proof of this may servo you the endorsed book of (Iriinr 
 )Sirl,b]f"M TratU'lM. It is nothing but his journals transiuitteil to {.-overnor 
 gi ueral Jacobi, on mIiosc retirement it was stolen from the chancelU'i'y by 
 -Mr I'iel, and printed against the will of the tlcceased. Consequeutly secrota 
 (if state were oxi)oscil. I refer to the locution of tablets claimijig possession 
 of the country for Ku.ssia.' Siika Archhrs, MS., Con. I., 1-'2I. 
 
 ^Shi'h'kvJ, Pull-nil., i. i!. Natalia Shelikof was pos.ses8cd of great energy 
 nnd business eaiwcily. After licr husband's death she nuuiagod f()>* )aa;iy 
 years not (july Iier own but tho company's busiucsa. Tikhmeittj', iMor. Obon., 
 ii., app. 10^*13. 
 
224 
 
 COLONIZATION AND THE FUR-TRADE. 
 
 11 Wirt'' 
 
 visions. The Simeon luirl Ix-on scparatojl from Iw r 
 consort (luring the voyage along tlio Aleutian chain, 
 but she njado her appearance in the harbor a few days 
 after the arrival of the Sclatltcli. Shelikof obtained 
 two interpreters and ten Aleutian hunters, and leaving 
 instructions for the guidance of the Si' Mikhail he 
 shaped his course for the island of Kikhtak, subse- 
 cjUenlly named Kadiak." The voyage was devoid of 
 ineident, and on the 3d of Augu^.t 1784 the two shij»s 
 entered a capacious bay on the .south-cast coast of the 
 i.sland, between cape Barnabas and the two-headed 
 cape of Cook, and anchored in its westernmost braneh, 
 naming it after the ship Tirkh Sri'ititcli, Three Saints.* 
 Armed parties of promyshleniki were sent out in 
 b(jats and bidars to search for natives, but only one 
 succeeded, and brought news that a large body of 
 aboriginals had been found. They had avoided a 
 meeting, however, and it was not until the following 
 day that another exploring party returned with one 
 of the natives. Shelikof treated the captive kindly, 
 loaded him with presents, and allowed him to return 
 to his j)eo[>le. On the 5th there was an eclipse of the 
 sun wliich lasted an hour and a half, and caused much 
 uneasiness among the natives, who naturally con- 
 nectetl the phenomenon with the appearance of the 
 llussians.'' 
 
 *ShrlUo/, Piilfh., i. .30. Kiklital; or Kikhlowik, is tho Innuit word for 
 iHlanil. At tlio pri'si'iit <luy tho natives of the peinnsula H[K>ak of the Kailiuk 
 
 Iioople xiiiiply as Kikhfmjamiitex, islnmlera. The tribal name appears to have 
 jeeii IviUiiug and the lIUHHian apiK'Uation now in use was prolwihly tleriveil 
 from lM>tii. (ilottof lirst lamled and wintered on tho island in 17C3, altcc 
 which it was sevend times visited. 
 
 •The HJiores of Three Saints Hiiibor are gene'-ally steep and rocky, Init 
 olK)Ut a mile from its entrance ii gravelly iKir or spit from the southern sidi- 
 fonus a horseshoe, opening into tlie interior ot tho hay. Such locations 
 were i>eculiarly iulapced to tho re(|uirements of tho Russians at that tiuM-. 
 The small land-loekcd liasin formed hy the si.'t was deep enough for sucli 
 vessels as they ha*l ; the shelving shore enabled theni to I)cach their vessil-^ 
 during winter and to utilize them as dwellings or fortifications, while tli' 
 K-vcl Kandliar allbrded convenient building sites. Tiic adjoining lulls sn-l 
 monntains l>eing devoid of tiudier, there was no danger of .-surprise from tin.- 
 loud, and wr<ter enclosetl three sides of the sottlement. 
 
 ■'•Shfl<lo/, I'utfgh., i. .'il. It has been hinted that Shelikof used this littlt 
 incident in imitation of tlio Si))>nisli discoverer of America, to improtis th - 
 savages with his occult |x>wcrs. The one who hod been so kindly receiv>;'l 
 
SHELIKOFS \nSIT. 
 
 22S 
 
 1 her 
 L-liain, 
 i days 
 taiiK-'d 
 .•aviii;^ 
 ail 1»<-" 
 Kubse- 
 o'kI <»f 
 J shij>s 
 . c.f tlio 
 licatled 
 
 jraiuli, 
 ■iaiiits.* 
 
 out iu 
 nly <>»<-• 
 jody of 
 u'uled a 
 )llo\vii»g 
 •ith one 
 
 kindly, 
 ) return 
 of the 
 L«d much 
 
 ly con- 
 
 i of the 
 
 It wonl for 
 Ihe Kailiaii 
 lars to lia^^' 
 Ijly tlcrivf«l 
 [1703, af^' 
 
 I rocky, ''"* 
 [ithcrn »i»l' 
 |i l.Kaitioiw 
 Ithat till" 
 |h for mull 
 Iteir ve««l^ 
 , vhile til' 
 
 hills SU'l 
 
 1 from til' 
 
 |l this littlf 
 
 nproiS tli<- 
 
 rfceiv».-<l 
 
 Another exploring party was sent out on the 7th 
 M-ith instructions to select hunting-grounds, and if 
 ])()ssible to circumnavigate the island and observe its 
 coasts. After two days, when about ten leagues from 
 tlie anchorage, this expedition fell in with a large party 
 of savages who had taken up a position on a kekoiir,^ 
 or detached cliff, near the shore, surrounded by water. 
 An interpreter was at once sent forward to open 
 friendly intercourse, but the islanders told the mes- 
 soiigor to inform the Russians that if they wished to 
 osrai)e with their lives they should leave the island at 
 once. The natives could not be persuaded to abandon 
 tliis hostile attitude, and the exploring party returned 
 to tlio harbor to report. 
 
 Slielikof at once proceeded to the spot with all the 
 men that could be spared from the encampment, but 
 vlion he reached the scene he found the savages in 
 formidable numbers and full of courage. Peaceful 
 overtures were still continued,' but were wholly lost 
 on the savages. Arrows began to fly, and the Rus- 
 sians retired to the ships to prepare for dtfence. Not 
 loii<r afterward the Koniagas stole upon the Russian 
 cunij) one dark night, and began a desperate fight 
 ^vhi(•h lasted till daylight, when the savages took to 
 fli}.,dit.'* But this was by no means the end of it. 
 From his Koniajja friend Slielikof learned that his 
 ])eoj(le were only awaiting reenforcements to renew 
 the attack. He accordingly determined to anticipate 
 them by possessing himself at once of their strong- 
 returned voluntarily in a few days and did not leave Shelikof again as long 
 as tlio hitttr remained on the island. 
 
 ' ^ik:1i plucfs, tu which the Russians applied the Kamchatka name of 
 hi: III r, were often used by tlie natives as natural fortifications and pliiees 
 ot rtin^r,.. War ])artics or hunting expeditious wonhl leave their women iiud 
 chiMicii ui»on such elilFs for safe-keeping till their return. 
 
 ' In Slielikof's journal, wliich was published after his death, the nnmber 
 of natives was given at 4,000, but one tenth would be nearer the trutli. In 
 lii^ I'liiriai report to the governor of eastern Siberia no figures are given. 
 7VM„„, ,/; iMor. Obos., i. 8; Sheliko/, Piiieah., i. 10, 11. Lissianski was iu- 
 fuiMK il in 1804 by a native eye-witness that only 400 men, women, and chil- 
 dren wiio on the ^•(/.•oHr. L'lHM. \'oy., ISO. 
 
 ' Tikhmciiff, iMor. Ubon., i. 9; Hlwlikof, Puteith., i. 113-16. Shelikof reporta 
 tbisi uti'uir ns liaving occurred ou the 12th of August. 
 Hut. Alaska. IS 
 
220 
 
 rOLONT:ZATIOX AXD THE FURTRA3E. 
 
 ' !« 
 
 SI" f ■: !■ 
 
 hold on the rocky islet. A snuill Iniro of pickcfl j)ro- 
 myshli'iiiki ;i|i|ti(>ac'lio(l the ciioiuy ii» hoats. \ heavy 
 sliowcr <»(' spears fell on them; Ijiit the havoe inadi' 
 hy a f'l.'iv (li>ehari^es of <j,ra|»e from the falconet aimed 
 at the huts caused «;reat const«'rnation, and a ureiiei;,! 
 
 stam|tedi' follo\ve< 
 
 d, d 
 
 unni' which many were 
 
 kill 
 
 I'd 
 
 while H lari^e number lost their lives hy jumitiny; ovi r 
 the |tre<.-ij>ice, and as Slu'llkof claims, over one tiioii- 
 
 il 
 
 tal 
 
 sand were laKen prisoni'rs. 
 
 Tl 
 
 le casuailies ( 
 
 hi 
 
 on til 
 
 sidi- of the Jtussians were coniinud to a few severe 
 and many tiillint,^ wounds. Shelikof elainjs that ho 
 retained i'our hundred of the prisoners, allowiny; the 
 remainder to ;^o to their homes, and they wen* Ik M 
 not as i-e^ailar caj)tlvt>s, hut in a kind of teinporaiy 
 sulijection. ".\t tlu ij- ov.n desire," as Shelikof jmts 
 it, "they were located tifty versts away from the liar- 
 l)oi- without any Ifussian {guards, simply furnishin;^' 
 hosta'^'s as a t>uarantee of <;ood faith and jjfood hi - 
 ha\i'>i-. 'i'lie h()sta<,'es consisted of childri'U who wvw 
 to he I'ducated hy the Itussians.'" 
 
 Ni'r was this second hattle the end of natiyt; efl'orH 
 for lift- and lilK-rty. Attacks still occurri'd from time 
 to time, generally ujion detached huntinj^ or explnin- 
 tion parties, hut in each case the savaufes were re- 
 pulsed with loss. Tl',e promptness with which tluy 
 
 ontid 
 
 ence ni 
 
 Vvcre met evidently di'stroyed their c( 
 thciusilves, arisiniLf from their easy victoi-y over tl 
 
 ic 
 
 lir; 
 
 H 
 
 ussian visitors. 
 
 ^leanwhile no time was lost in j)ushinu; pn'|»ai'.i- 
 
 * S/.i'/ilii/, I'lilr-ih., i. is. SaVM Slu'liUnf in liis jcnil'liiil: 'I ilu ii'il lKi,r.t 
 
 of till' Hlii-ililiii^' of liiiMiii, l>ut I am sure tliiit. uc kilit'il Hniiit' nf itiir iiMsiiihi 
 
 n: 
 
 I rllillilNcil'l ll til I'IkI nut tllv IIIIIIiIh'I', llllt I'llilcl 
 
 tllCV 
 
 <aniiil till II' 
 
 (Iriid uitli tlii'in mill tliri'w liiciii into tlii' sea.' ("i>iii|mrf Ti'hiiiliiiim"^ A 
 riiiiiifii, Ms , 'Mi 7; .Vn/o/o/'i Murb'Tx T'-i/., MS., 7-!*. 
 
 y;//,- 
 
 iiii\ Itr. o/i.i«., i. I(». SlicKkiif writci 
 
 r.^, fiiriiiHiiril tliciii with ]ii'(ivisiiiiin am! 
 
 'I I't^taiiu'il KK> |iii<' 
 iH'i'i'.'S4iry a|i|)liaiii'i'.H for trui'- 
 ill;; anil linntiii;.', iiihI plat'i'il lliriii in cliaiyt' nf n iiativ<- naiiu-il Kii.'<U.il\.' 
 I'li'i"!)., i. IH, 111. 'I'lii' mxww. iiaiiii' (if KiiKknk (h'i'UI'h in tlic narfatixi' nl w 
 imlivc nf Kailiak cnllt cicil liy UnliiilMiiy, riliitiiitr tn tlie liixt laiiiliiiK "t I>i>''' 
 Mi.iii.^ nil Kailiak IkIihhI, '.*() yi'iii'H prim- to Sliclikni'H arrival. SaiuT wntcit 
 < ii.'lit yi-aiit iati'i' that 'JIMI \niuii.' Ii'iiiuIcm wirr Ihiii kept i\» llu^tal:(■M, A 
 |iaity "I wiiiiii'ii hail iiiirt' lit'in i'a|itiii'('il aiul ntjiiiicil, ilmn^'li wivri uiiu 
 i'M'liiiiit.;i'il till' ll III. 'Ilti I'M. lie phiccM the [:npullitiuli uf the irtlund at .'!,''>IKI. 
 
 iinl 
 
 iii'Ji 
 
 >y. 
 
 171. 
 
EDUCATION A\I) ilELlOIOX. 
 
 227 
 
 :o(l pro- 
 ^ ho.'tvv 
 
 M' 1UJV(1<' 
 
 it jviiiu'd 
 
 JJfOlH'liil 
 
 L> killed. 
 
 \\\*X "^■'''' 
 uv th<»u- 
 
 s on til- 
 
 ; that li'' 
 \vinj4' ^1'*' 
 
 iMn\»«>i">rv 
 iUof 1 lilts 
 
 • rood i>i'- 
 
 who wciv 
 
 1 
 ivf c'tVorts 
 
 wci'*' 1' - 
 uch thrv 
 
 uvi-r til'' 
 
 If |)rc|)iiv.i- 
 iiii II. it 1" ' ' 
 
 iinr asiwii!;!"' '. 
 V ( iini>''l 'I'' "" 
 hil>liiii(>,rx .!''• 
 
 iiu'.l KH) I'li^- 
 
 Viiwil K»'l> '''■ 
 limrnitivt' '|l * 
 
 liixliiiK "> ''""■ 
 SiintT \Mit«'« 
 
 lioj-laj''"- -^ 
 
 lull viv.-* ""■" 
 
 rtluiul ut :i.''^' 
 
 lii-ns for poniinnont occniiancy of i\w island. In a 
 Uw \\cv\i\ (Iwellinjjf-honsos and fortifications wcro 
 ( icctod hy the export IJns.sian axtMnen, and Sholikof 
 t'Xik care to furnish Ids own residenco with all the 
 inlortsand a few of the luxuries of eivilization. sijch 
 
 » i» 
 
 !1S 
 
 he eould collect from the two vessels, in order to 
 iiis|iii-e the savajije hreast with res|)ect for suj)erior 
 '•ullure. And, indeed, as tiim; passes! hy, this chas::i 
 (li\ idiiiLT savaLje and civilized was tilled, the Konia_L>'MS 
 n-^cendiniX in sonic respects and the Russians descend- 
 in :■. The natives watched with the L>ri ;-iest curiosity 
 ill'.' construction of houses and I'ortifications alter 
 t!h' J^ussian fashioi, until they voluntarily olfered 
 (II assist. A school was <'ouduct /d hy Shelikol" in 
 jMison; ho endeavori'd to teach hoth chihh'en and 
 ;;ilnlts the Jhissian lan!jjuaixi> and arithnieti*', and to 
 sow the s«'cds ol' ( 'iirisl ianity. AccordiuiLj;' to his 
 ;'i-(o,uit he tiu'ued I'orty heathen's into Christians dur- 
 ing; !iis sojourn on Ivadiak; hut we may piesumi; that 
 tht ir knowled'^'c of the laith did not extend heyond 
 l!ii' si'^'ii of till' I'ross, an<l perhajis rept-atini^ a lev,- 
 Words of the creed without th > slightest understand- 
 iiiv of its meanintjf. So that when the pious colonist 
 a>M'rts that the converts hei^an at once to spread the 
 
 ii'W rcli«rion amoiiijf 
 
 their 
 
 countrviiien we n)av con- 
 
 •ludc that he is exaLji^eratiii'LT. 
 
 lS SOO 
 
 )n as i»ossihl(> Slieiikof turned his attention 
 
 j)arty 
 
 «iiii-c more to the e4|iio;\ ti<in of the i.-land. 
 ol' lil'ty-two pi-o'ny-ihK niki and eleven Aleuts iVoni 
 till' l''ox Islands went to the north and iioi'tli-eas( in 
 lour lai\'e hidars, accompanied hy one hundred and ten 
 Koiiia^as in their own hidarkas. This was in May 
 irsf). The ohject of tjic cNpcdition Was to make 
 the uc(|uaintance of the iidiahitants of the adjoining* 
 
 "ShcIiUnf ilwi'lls at Ifiiirth ii|iiiii liis rirortj* t<> iiiiliKi' (lie Kiiiii;i'.;.is t'l 
 l"''"iii(' Milijii'ts nf l!iinsi;i, mill cliiiiiis to liavf nut with HUct'r.s. Ilr mImi 
 Iiliititi'il vi'^t'taltluH, lint I'liiilil not iiicvnil n|>iin tlir Kniliak |>ci>[i|<> t<> I'lil m' 
 • nllivatf till in. Tiain-oil ami I'inIi iiUaMil tin'Ui IkIIit. I'uli -h, i. Uil •_'; 
 I' 'iii:tiirf\ JhIi'i', OhoM., i. 11; (»'c( (ri/(j/.'.', ISiilr,, 3'J3; J'ullun, A'on/, Utitr., 
 >. 170. 
 
„l 
 
 III 
 
 I'l' 
 
 1: 
 
 n il 
 
 
 COLONIZATION AND TIIK fUR-TRADE. 
 
 isltmds ;iii(l the iiiaiiilnnd. Al'ter Ji cruise in Prince 
 Williiun Sound and Cook Inlet, the party n^turned 
 in Auji;ust with a small quantity of furs, vot report- 
 ing a not unl'riendly ri-ception, anil hrin«jfnij; twenty 
 liostaijfes from the latter phu'e. It' we consider tlie 
 hostile attitude assumed hy the same pitople two years 
 before towanl Zaikof, wo must credit Shelikof with 
 ^•ood manaiji'ment. On their return all proceeded 
 for the winter to Karluk, where salmon ahoundcd.'- 
 From this point and from the ori<^inal encampnient 
 en Three Saints l^ay, detachments of j>romyshleniki 
 e.\|tlore«l the coast in all dire<tions <lurin<jf the winter, 
 liotahly alonj^ the Alaska peninsula, learning of lli- 
 anina l^ake and of the ditterent portaye routes to tlu- 
 >\est side. 
 
 Despite all precautions the scurvy broke out in tlie 
 llussian «'amps and <;arrie<l otf numbers, but instead 
 (if takin;jf advantai^e of the weakened condition of tlie 
 IJnssians, the natives wiHiuLfly assisted in obtainini;' 
 fresh provisions. One exception to this good imder- 
 Kitanding oc<-urred on the island of Sluiiak, situated 
 north of Afognak. A (|uantity of goods had been in 
 trusted by one of Shelikof's agents tt) the chief of 
 Shuiak, to purchase furs during the winter. \Vh( ii 
 ji'ked for a settlenu'nt he not only refused but kilii d 
 the messeng(,'rs. An expedition was si'ut in the spjing 
 vhich succeeded in bringing the revjiant chii-f to 
 terms, and in establishing furtilied stations on Cook 
 lidet and Afognak.'^ 
 
 On the 'Jath of February I7M(; Shelikof received a 
 ktter from Kustrate Delarof, who was then at liia- 
 hiska, stating that the ship ,SV Mlhlmil, which had 
 been separated from Shelikof's s(|uadi"on in a g il< . 
 bad arrived at that place the jtrevious May. Sin 
 
 '-' Kiii'liik, Hitinit<'il on i\w \\^•ni cituHt <>f Ktuliitk, in u Htltlt'iiiciil u|hiii thu 
 livi r iif tin: Hjinit' iiiiiiH', wliii'Ii fiiiniFiht'H n liir^'tT i|Uiiiitity of hiiIiiiuii vIiiiii iiuy 
 iitlirr Hti'i'/iiii (if itH HV/v in Alaskti. Sfc I'nrlti;/. I'lc-. ■'^I'liis, MS., iii. |iii-.Miii. 
 
 '^ A w.ir jutrty of l,(NH) iiim of tlif ( 'liuKiitsrlK'Hiiml KmuiH wliicli liinl Ihcu 
 riiiiitiioiii'ii liy tlif Sliiiiiik iliicf, to iitti'iii|it till' i|i-Ntiii('tioii of Slifliko! N avi- 
 tl' llirlit, iilxo iliM|MTHri| lii'I'oti' it \Mi.< hilly or)4iiiii/i'.l. Tikhuti tuf, l-lnr, Ohji., 
 i, !_', I.i; S/,(l,Li^\ J'iii<m/i., i. .■)! -J; J'ulia.^, \i.,-U. lintr., vi. Itv>-(i. 
 
 I! 
 
 b 
 
 !.l 11, .■ 
 
EXCLl'SIVK KKJIIT.S. 
 
 iiriK'd 
 
 WC'lltV 
 
 or thV 
 ) years 
 1* with 
 
 jJlUK'Ut 
 
 iliKuiki 
 
 wiutir, 
 
 of Hi- 
 
 s to Hk" 
 
 ,t in tlu< 
 instciul 
 
 u of til*' 
 
 l)tiiiiiin;4 
 I mill' v 
 situaU'il 
 lu'ou in- 
 cliit r "I 
 
 Whrll 
 
 lit Uill<«l 
 w s|triii;4 
 •hic-1" t ' 
 
 [,ll ( (Hili 
 
 vivt'd a 
 
 roficlu'd tlio poit niiims one juast ami otlu'rwisi; djini- 
 !im'(l, aixl r('i)aii's to tliu vcsst-l occupied nearly tlio 
 wliole suinnu'r. Wlien at last rea<ly for sea she was 
 ( ;ist upon the rocks and injured to such an extent a^ 
 \n require additional repairs. Despairinj^ of j^ettiii'LC 
 1 If the *SV Mikliit'il that season, l)elarof despatched 
 thiiteeii nu'ii <lividi'd into seviral detachments as 
 ni( sseiiifeis to Kadiak in senrch of assistance. Six of 
 llicni siiecinnhed to cold and hunirer duriiiLr a deten- 
 tioii of niany weeks on the Alaska peninsula, and five 
 iii()!'e (litHl after reachint; Kadiak. Soon after this 
 the cnd't arrived at Threi- Saints, and the connnander. 
 Assistant Master Olessof, who had hein three years 
 kiakinij tlu> vovaLTc from Okhotsk to Ka<liak, was i\\-- 
 p'lscd and the peredovchik Samoilof invested with the 
 cnntrnl (if l)oth vessels, one of whi<*h was to cruise 
 ii(tithwar<l and enstwai'd tVom Ka«liak anil the otlu r 
 westward and northward, if posHihle as far as Bering 
 Strait. 
 
 !'];nly in March Shelikof despatched an explorin;^ 
 |):irty eastward with orders to jtroceeil to J^eriiiiji's 
 ( 'ape St Klias, and to erect a fort as the l>e<;inninL( 
 iif a settlenu'iit. He resolved to ahiindon the fort »ni 
 ("'K.k Inli't as too far removed from his liase of opera- 
 tion, and to enlar<r*' the fortitii-d station on Afo«'nak 
 Island, hesides estaMisliini^ several others.'* These 
 ; ihI nthcr arran^t^ments made, Shelikof pri'pared to 
 return to Okhotsk, and the pere<lovchik, Samoilof, 
 I'liiierly a merchant in Siheiia, was appointed to tlie 
 
 • unnnand t»f the infant colony. His instructions de- 
 manded ahove all the extension of Hussian control 
 ;;!id estaldishnh'iits eastward and south, and the ex- 
 
 • liision of rival traders.''" 
 
 [lit >ii>«'» "" 
 
 ,11 iliau i"> 
 
 ill. IMISM"'' 
 
 ih Imil >•" '' 
 
 l/./.i/-. 0^^'J''■^ 
 
 " VA. /;/■(./■, Pulrnh., i. ft7; Pulliu, Xoiil. Itrilr., vi. 18fl. See JurrmiVi 
 Jill,,:, MS.,''J7 .S. 
 
 '■'riHHc iii»tnnti(i!i» dated Mny J, 17W5, were priiiteil in the <iri;;iiml iitiil' 
 f"nn. Ill tlic ii|i|M'iiili\ ti) '/'il:liiiii ii'j', liii(irithr>'kiiiit olii,r<niiii' , ii. 'I'lic ilntii- 
 limit < villains iiiiuli tlmt in liij^'lily illtereMtili),'. 'I'lie niiiiiII iiilin1« mf Kii; Miiiii.<< 
 li«!ti. Iieil tn < iii'li iMuliitcd .(tiitiiili llllikeM it evident that Shcliknf wiik imt iiplir''- 
 lli'l!.'-i\i' I if leiiewcd iiiiMlili ties (III the jial't <if tile liativi')<, uiid ci in III Ins thi' m ."['i- 
 cioii tliat liis ^iruviouH it'[iui-tauf tlitir uumlioi', brnvcr^', uiid (ivrcu di«^ioHitiou 
 
if' 
 
 fiMft, 
 
 COLONIZATION AND THE FURTRADK. 
 
 Slielikof took liis di'parturc in ISfay, accompanied 
 l>y a nuiiiher of native adults and cliildivn, sono to 
 l)o retained and educatetl, others to I>o merely im- 
 pressed with a view of Russian life and j)ower. }U 
 landed at liolsheretsk on the 8th of August, and 
 thenco })rocceded to Potropavlovsk,"* and overland to 
 
 McTo exaggerated. Of 1 13 RusKianH then in the new colony, and TiO others ix 
 jn'ctiMl from Uimla^ika, ho ortU-ri'tl the following; (lisi)o:<itiini to lit' niiuli': 40 nun 
 at tlie harlM>r of Tlnve SuintH; 1 1 at the Lay of I'jiUK (Orlovii); SOon th«! islimils 
 of Sliuiak and iVfo^imk; 10 or II at either U^^iUiuU, i'liiiiiak, or Ai;iklitubik; :!') 
 at Karliik; 'JO at Katinak (Katinai), and 1 1 ut u Htution Itetwei'ii Katniala and 
 Kaniuishak liay. TheKetrudin^-i>08tiiwereHe{tarati'il fmnieui'h other liy loii^' 
 distances of land anil water, and extended ovt-r l.'undre(U of miles. TIu' 
 iiiMtnietionii further upceify tiiat 'iinnitdiately iijHin the arrival of reenforct'- 
 nient.s from Okhotsk, stiitions Hhould lie cHtuliliHlied in tiie Kenai and Clni- 
 ^ati^eh countrieH,' and ' witli all ))<is.sil>le de.>t|)att'h farther and farther a Iomj. 
 the eoawSof the American continent, and in a Rontlierly direction to Califor- 
 nia, estahliHliin^ everywhere niarks of RuHHian pnxscwsion.' If expected rcen- 
 forci nientii failctl to arrive, only three titutionH uere to ho maintained -at tiie 
 harbor, Afo^^nak, and Karhik. I'.'(ia;:raiih 7 of the inHtnietioiis annoiinci d 
 liiat .Slielikof would take with him to OkhotHk forty natives — adults and cl:il- 
 dren of holh Ke.\l^s 'some in Hatisfaelion of their own ile.sirc,' and otlieii), 
 '[irisoners from various si'ttlemcnts.' One third of the«e native's wcrt,' to h" 
 rutui'ued hy the Kjime sliij), after 'si'ein;,' the fatherland and oli.servin;,' our 
 domestic lil'e;' another third weri' to l)e furwarded to tin; court of lier iuiperiid 
 Majesty; while the remainder, consisting chiefly of chihiren, were to he edu- 
 cated in Okliotsk or Irkutsk ' to enuhli^ them in the future to exercise a civil- 
 i; in>; intluence amon;{ their comitrymen.' Other ii!ir;i^'ai>li» relate to t!.o 
 nuiintenunce of the strictest ilisci|>line among the Russians; the employnici.l 
 <if spies among the natives; to explorations ami voyaj.;es of tliscoveiy kouIIi- 
 vard to latitude 40 ; the construction of Imildings and fortified Mock-house.-; 
 tiiu purchase of articles of nativ*! nuinufacture -garments, utensils, etc.; the 
 collection of ndnerals, ores, and uIicHh for transmission to St I'etershui^:; .saii- 
 iliiry regulations to jirevent scui'vy; the collection of Iniys from ' latitude .'lO' 
 in California, northwani to AliasLa.'to he educated in the Russian lunguu;.:c; 
 tlie exclusion of other trading lliins in this the country tlien oc<'Upicd, ' h,v 
 peaceable means, if possible;' the expulsion of worthless ami vicious nun from 
 t!'.e company; ilio m.iiiitcniinee of ascliiHil at Three Saints, and other bu.^ini.vi 
 details. 'J'he document furnishe.-tstrong evidence of SlieliUof's fiir-sightednc^s, 
 energy, ambition, and executive ability. Alter holding Samoilof ri'.sp(iii.-iil)le 
 fur the strict oli.servanio of these instructions, tlie writer signed him ill: 
 Mlrigor Slielikof, member of the company of SeavoyagerM in thi^ NoiiliMii 
 Ocean.' Three supplemeiitaiy |>aragraplis cont.iiii direelifH-s for a ' liiinut'' 
 survey ' by rxuhaicf of tlii' i-ilaiid Kiiikt.ik. the .Vnieriean eoa.'d from Kiitimik 
 to the gulfs of Keiiaiaiid ( 'liugachuik. and ' if possible a round Kadiek || I'nlj- 
 i.l'ly Kyak, or Kayes, island |. This is the lirst mention of tlu' term K:iill< k 
 I r Kadiak, subse(|Ueiitly applied to the island Kuiktak, and to this mi.-tiil>'' 
 ol Nhelikof the origin of the present name may be traced. 
 
 '" When Slielikof was on the point of leaving iiolsheivtsk for Okhotsk Im' 
 Vas informed that an I'lnglish vessel had ariixed at retvo|)a\ lovsk. The ves.-el 
 iToved to be the /.((/■/•, and belougol to the Kast India Company. Finiil 
 ret<'rs, the capt^iill, Slielikof ]ilircliased a large amount of gooils, 'esellill}{ 
 tlieiii to mercliants of 'lolmaand to ii-gent.M of the I'aiinf company at a jrint 
 ( f M) per cent. Cipt. I'eters broUj.dlt a letter from the directors of his i"l.l- 
 )iiiny to the eomniandei' ol Kamchatka askiiig |)ei'missioii to exi liange liiu 
 [ii-oduetH of their ivspeetivo tenitorJCB. A iiaron Ntungel or Stanjjcl, I'l'li- 
 
 §m 
 
 'fi 
 
CURREXCY AXD TRIBUTE. 
 
 231 
 
 Lh im II troiii 
 
 Okliotsk and Tikutsk, wlien? ho arrived in April ITHT, 
 ;it'tir suiltriii*; «^ri'at llard^^lli))s on liis jouriU'V. Tluro 
 lie lost no tinu! in takiiiLj initiatory stt'j>.s with tho 
 \ u\v of obtainin<;^ for hin company the exrhisivt' riy[l;t 
 tit trade in the new colony ami t»ther privileges, tho 
 retsults of which belong to another chapter. 
 
 We have seen how the Cossacks were enticed fioni 
 till' Caspian and Black seas, drawn over tlu^ Tral 
 }.lt>untains, and lured onward in their centurv-niaich 
 throiijjfh Siberia to Kamchatka, and all for the skin 
 (!' the little sable. And when they ha<l readu-d the 
 i';i(i(ic they wore ready as over to lirave new dan;^eis 
 (iU the treacherous northern waters, lor the covited 
 Silurian <|Uadruped was here supphinted by the .-till 
 more valuable amphibious otter. As lurs wen; tho 
 ( inrency of the empire, the occu|)at!on of the trappii', 
 ill the national economy, was e(juivaient to that iu 
 oihcr (piarters of the gold-miner, assMver. and ••oincr 
 ( niiibiiied. In those times all the valuable skii.s ob- 
 tained by tho advancing Cossacks weie immediately 
 tiaiis|)orted to Russia over the routes just <»pened. 
 
 The custom was to exact tribute from all natives 
 \\]\o were coiKjuerotl en ftassatil by the Cossacks, as a 
 tlivtrsion from the tamer pursuit of sal)le-huMtiiin-. 
 .\s early as 1;V.)H the trilnitt' collected in tiie district 
 <r l\'lymsk,just eastof the Cral Mountains, amountid 
 I" sixty-i'ight bundles of sables of lorty skins oath.'' 
 J II 1(501) this tribute was reduci-d from ti n to ^evcii 
 
 iiMy nil I'xili'. win) wuh in coniiimnil iit tliut tiiiif, cimycntoil umlir ti'iti'in 
 
 (' iMiiliolls. Sllt'likof, \\ lio wtis \M'U I'ci'i'ivi'il on lioalil ni' till' /,'/;'^- ami 'tlr;iti 1 
 t'l \iaiiiiis lii|ii(irs,' ilcNcrilics tlic v^^^(■l iis twninii- ti il, \iiiii 1'-' i aiinnii, jMi^l 
 «ii: yilij,' a iar;^!' irt'vv ridisittint; i(f l';iij.;lislimiii, IIiiwIimis, Amlis, ainl (Imki 
 iiu'ii. Of tlii^ fniir (illiccrM oiif wnH a I'urt'iu'Ucsr. /'nii.fi., i. lUt I. 'j'lic /,nr'.' 
 \. ..•• milisci|\i«ntly \M«iki-<l un <'ii|ipfr 1 sin nil w illi tlir In-,- nf all nii ImiHil I .it 
 tv.ci, 'I'lii' MiirvivitiH were forwanliil to .St !'rtri»liiii>{ uvrilaiiil. \'iiiiI'h ./ 
 X ■ii>\ MS., ;il(l. l'|Min linisliin^' Iuh liuHinoHH with Ciipt. iVtcni, .SlK'lilii.f iit 
 tiiio' st't out for Irknt.nk. 
 
 '" l.ttiiiiii Sill., vi. '1\\. In tlic Hiinic yiar IVitilia Muiva, ii 'i'lin^'iisr diiff « lui 
 l..;il liccii iiiaiU' a iniiK'i' liy the IliU'tiann, iirci.tntid tiiii\ hal.h^* to ihc j.ov- 
 iiniiuiit, ,'inil forty aiiilitioiial hkinn on tlii' occasion of hi., mania;;)', |.ioni.sii. r 
 I" .c)icat tli<' j;ift fvi'i'y year. An onkii/ iwsiiiil the i.anic jtur iXcni[iU'tl tliu 
 i>„i<l, the fi-i'blu, and tliu Hick fi-uni ixiying tributu. 
 
232 
 
 COLOXIZATION AND THE FURTRADE. 
 
 ! I! ; : !•' 
 
 Ill- ti V . !' 
 
 sahlcs per adult male, but there seemed to be no de- 
 crease ill tlie nuiiibor collected." Nine years later, 
 however, the animal seems to have been nearly exter- 
 minated, as the Jioyar Ivan Semenovich Kurakin 
 Avas instructed to settle free peasant families in the 
 district. After this the principal Cossack advance 
 was into the Tunjjfuse country. In the tribute-books 
 of l()20-T the latter tribe is entered as tributary at 
 the rate of forty-five sables for every si.x adult males. 
 In 10)22 nine Tunguse paid as hi«^h as ninety-four 
 sables.'" Whenever a breach occurred in the How of 
 sable-.skins into Moscow the Cossacks were instructccl 
 to move on, thou»^h the deficiency was not always 
 owinj,' to exhau.stion of the supply.*' 
 
 Thus the authoriy.ed fur-gatherers advanced fioni 
 one region to another across the whole nortli of iVsia, 
 followed, and in some instances even [)recede(l, by 
 tl\e promyshleniki <)r professional hunter.s. The lat- 
 ter formed themselves into organize<l companies, hunt- 
 ing on shares, like the sea-faring |)romyshleniki of 
 later times, and like them they allowed the business 
 to fall grailually into the hands of a few wealthy mci- 
 chants. The customs adopted by these hunters go far 
 toward elucidating much that seems stran<j:e in the 
 proceedings of the promyshleniki on gaining a foot- 
 hold uj)on tile islands of the Pacific. A brief descriii- 
 tion will then^fore not be amis.s. 
 
 The hunting-grounds were generally about the head- 
 waters and tril)utaries of tlu; large rivers, ami tin' 
 journey thence was made in boats. Three or four 
 hunters combined in l)uil(rmg the l)oat, whicli Mas 
 covered, ami so served as shelter. Provisions :u'nis, 
 
 '"In tlint yonr tlio total trilmto aiiiountcd to (Ml Imiidlcs, of 40 haIus taeli, 
 mill .'t!)Mi)>' s. In Kilo it incrcuMol tu 7'> Imndlca uiul VI tuililes. hi. Sili., m. 
 •J() 7. 
 
 '• /•«'. Sih.. vi. 218. A force of 40 Coswicks was Rutficknt to coltuct tribiiti' 
 nml |ii\'Hi'rv(' ordor itnion^ tlu? TiiiiKum!. 
 
 *" In I(i07 I'oinnlaintM roai'liod tlii) tmir thnt triulrrs from I'ii»to/,i-rnk wul'l 
 go iiiuon;; tlio nativt'i of tlio Ilcrt-zof iliHtrii't Ih'Ioii! tril)Uti.' Iiiid liri n rolU'ctril, 
 making it ditlicult to olituin tliu govurnniunt'H i|iiutii. Int. Sih., \ i. ;io. 
 
0\ THK nUNTINO-OnOUXT). 
 
 29S 
 
 l)i'<k!ins?, and a few articles of winter elothinijf made up 
 the car<^o. A jar of yeast or sour <lou^jfli for tho 
 iiianiifiietnro of /iVass, to keep down the seurvy, was 
 (onsiderod of tho highest iniportaneo. Material for 
 tliu construction of sleds and a few ilogs M'ere also 
 essential, and when all those had heen eolleeti-d and 
 duly stowed, each party of throe or four set out njioii 
 their journey to a place previously apj)ointed. As 
 soon as tho whole force had assembled at the rendi'Z- 
 voiis election was made of a jx'rcdon/ii/,', or foreman, 
 a man of e\[)erience, ajid connnanding I'espoct, to 
 whom all promised implicit ohedionci!. The peredov- 
 (Iiilv then divided his men into rhiniifzi, or |>arties, 
 aj)pointing a leailor for each, and assignitig them their 
 rcsjioctive hunting-grounds. This division was always 
 made; even if the artrt, or station, consisted of oidy 
 six ini'u thev must not all hunt together on the samo 
 ground.-* Until .settled in winter-(|uarters all their 
 belongings wore carried in leather hags, liefore tlio 
 liist snow fell a gi'Ur^ral hunt was ordered hy the |te- 
 rcdovchik to kill deer, elks, and hears for a winttr's 
 sujiply of m(>at, after .vhieh tlu^ first traps were set 
 i'ui- I'oxes, wolves, and lynx. With thi^ first snow iail, 
 before tho rivoi*s wore frozen, the whole party hunted 
 sables in the innnediate vicinity of tho general wintor- 
 i|Uartei's, with <logs and nets. Tb.e pen-dovehik and 
 tilt' iea(l(.!i's were in the mean time engaged in making 
 sleds and snow-sh<n's for their respective ehimitzis. 
 W lien the snow was on the ground the whole artel 
 \\asassend)led at the wint* i-(|uaitei'sand pi'ayci's wero 
 litld, after which the |)eredovehik despatched tho 
 small parties to tho sable gtounds witii final instruc- 
 tiuMs to the leaders. The latter preceded tlieii- men 
 ly a <lay in or<ler to prej)aro the station selected; tho 
 same practi<'e prevailed in moving stations during tho 
 winter. The first station was nnmed after some ehurcli 
 ill Russia, an<l subseejuent stations after pati'on saints 
 "I individual hunters. The first sables caught weio 
 
2"4 
 
 COLONIZATION AND TIIK FUR-TRADE. 
 
 ill ways donated to soino cliiiroli or saint, and wcro 
 called (rod's saMes. The instructions of leaders wero 
 mainly to tlio elKect that they should look well after 
 their men, wateli carefully their method of sottiiii,' 
 traps, and sec that they did not }jfor«jfo thonisolves in 
 secret i'rom the connnon store of provisions.'''^ 
 
 DurinjjT the hei;rht of the season stations were fre- 
 fjucntly ehanj^ed every day, for it was thon<(ht that 
 ])n»lon«jfed campinjx at any one place would drive away 
 the sables. VV^hen the season closed the small parties 
 lelurni'd to head-qu.'irters, where the leaders rendered 
 their accounts to the pere<lovchik, and at the same 
 time reported all infractions of rules hy the men. 
 The accused were then heard, and punish(;d hy th»i 
 jK'redovchik if I'ound t^'uilty.-^ When all arran^r- 
 m».'nts lor retiU'iiiiiiLj to the settlement were cotnpleted 
 the peredovchik would make the r(»unds of all the stai 
 tiuns to see that every trap was closed «»r removed, so 
 that no sable coulil j,'et into them durinj^' the sununer. 
 
 rP i 
 
 li 
 
 
 In Alaska the methods f)f the hunters underwent 
 many chaiiijcs, owinj,' to the diiferent physical featuic^ 
 of the Held and the peculiarities of the; natives. The 
 men eniL(a;j,"ed for these ex[)(!(litions were of a very 
 mixed <'lass; few had t^ver s»>en th«! ocean, and many 
 Were wholly untrained lor their vocation. They wcic 
 cMLjaij^ed foi' a certain tinie and paid in shares i-.ikcu 
 from one half of the proceeds of the hunt, the oj In i 
 
 '•The iimtnictions contninctl also nn ndinniiition to observe oertnin siiiicr- 
 BtitiiiiLs fiititiiiiiM, tnii'rs (if w liiili cdulil Im' fdiiiiil malty ii ii'iitiliy liitt r iilidiu; 
 tin- Hcrvantx 111' the lliissiaii American < 'ii\ii|iaiiy. I'"iir iiistaiiii-, i'l'itaiii iiiii 
 liials liiiisl nut Im' H|iiikiii of liy tlii'ir riu'lit iiamiM at tlif stations, for t'mri'f 
 fii;;litinifij.; tlic hmIiIcm iiwav. 'I'lic ia\in, tlu' hMJikf, and tin- wililint Wfio 
 
 till I. 'I'lii'y Will! calli'il r<'n)«'ctiv(ly tlic ' u|i|it r,' or ' liiyli one,' tiir ' Isn! 
 
 (till',' a IK I till- ' jiiiiiiicr. ' In tlit'cai'Iy tiim.s lliin riili' rxt^iil) li toi|iiitt' a niiinlx r 
 i>t' I I'l'MoiiH, animalK, iiml vww iiiaiiimati- oliji'iLs, Imt tlif tliirc I liavi' intii- 
 tioiii'il Hiirv i\t'i| till modtrii tiiinH. < ) Snltnliiiiif /^•(l(//»(*^/</, 'Jil V2. 
 
 "Tim pi'oinyrtlilcniki wcrn tri'iitcd niiiili likit cliildriMi hy tliiir jfadcrs. 
 Some oll't iidi'i'H ui'ic nmd<' to Ntand on HtiiiiipH fur a tiinr, and fant w Idle tliuir 
 Coiiirndi'x Were fcaHtinu, u Idlti utllilM Wiic lined fur the helletit I'f till eliUieJl, 
 
 'J'liieves Were cruelly iHuiteii. ami fuifeited II ]iurtion of their v.^'fiinn, or divi- 
 dend (liteially Hii|)|H'r), at it was hiM that their .rinie niuHt liavi^ l)tuii;^llt 
 liml link mid decitawd thf total eateii. O Hiilinliiitii /'itimyiin(u. Ml. 
 
HUNTING IN ALASKA. 
 
 [ woro 
 
 I iiftir 
 *ettii»!4 
 [ves ill 
 
 >re fr*'- 
 it that 
 o away 
 ])arti<'S 
 
 .•lult'l't'il 
 
 lO saiiu' 
 
 lO IIU'H. 
 
 hy i\w 
 UTan;j;*- 
 
 tlio slu-i 
 lovcd, so 
 R,uimnor. 
 
 (lor\v(Mit 
 
 L'UtUlTS 
 
 . Th" 
 a vt'iy 
 1(1 inai'.y 
 cy wc-n; 
 s talct'ti 
 10 oth»i 
 
 rtiiin BUpci-- 
 L.ti r iii.i"ii.! 
 .fitaiii iiiii 
 , fur Irur ' f 
 
 MlMl W"l' 
 
 ...tlu' *<«..'. 
 
 tell umiiliii" 
 
 Imvi' null- 
 
 icir Iciulii-*- 
 Nvliil.- tlit'- 
 JUii. I'liUi''!- 
 
 l(>-7. 
 
 half of the rart?o j:(()lnt( to tlio outfitter or owner. If 
 till' I'lew I'oMsisted of f«)rty men, iiH-hidiii*^ navi«(ator 
 nnd peredoveliik, theli- sliare of the ear^o was usually 
 (livi(l('<l into ahout forty-six shares, of which each 
 iiHiuher received one, the navij^ator three, the fore- 
 man two, and the ehurcli one or two. In ea.se of 
 f^uccess the hunters idealized (juite a small fortune, as 
 W(^ have seen, hut often the yield was so small as to 
 ];eei> the men in servitude from indehtedness to their 
 eiii|ilover. The vessel" was j)rovided with hut a small 
 stock of |)r(»visions, consi.stiiiiif (»f a lew hams, a little; 
 iiiiicid hutter, a few ha«(s of lye and wlaat Hour for 
 li'lidays, and a (|uantity of dried and salted .salmon. 
 Tlic main stock had to ho ohtained hy lishin*; and 
 liuiitin]L(, and to this t;nd were ])rovided tire-arms and 
 ether implements scrvin<( also for defence. Since furs 
 ill this new ivi^ion were ohtained chietly thiou^h the 
 natives, articles of trade formed the iuiportant part of 
 tlh- carufo, such as tohaceo, ^lasa heads, hatchets and 
 knives of veiy had (|ualitv, tin an<l co[)per ves.sels, an<l 
 (loth. A large numher of klcjdsl, or traps, were also 
 (allied. 1 hus j)rovide(! tlio ve.ssel sets sail with /xcAc 
 jxniiits/ifch — ( lod's help. 
 
 ^Fcre trade soon gave way to a more efteotive 
 met hod of ohtaining furs. Natives were impressed 
 to hunt for th(! llussians, who, as a iiile, found it hoth 
 iitcillcss and dangerous for tlu'inselves to disp(;i's(! in 
 small jiirties to catch furs. I'^ithcr hy force or hy 
 agreement with chiefs tlie Aleuts and others were 
 (»hlig(ul togi\e hostages,generally women and children, 
 to eiisni'e the safety of their visitors, or performance 
 of contiact. They were thei'eupoii giv(!ii traps and 
 sent forth to hunt for the seuson, while tin; liussiaiis 
 li\t(l in indolent repose at the villagi , hasking in the 
 
 •''Tlit'ir ^alliotH aiv ooiiHtnicU'd at OUimlsk nr Nisliiickiiiiu'liiitMU, ami 
 /"ivciniiH'iit, with a vii'W «.f t'iii!<nira;.!iiij; traili', iian unlcri'd tlic ciniiiiiiiiiilaiiti 
 (ii iliii',!' iiljii'i's to aliiinl a.s iiiikli aH.si.'taiio' as |His,<iili|i' to tlif ailvi'iiuircr.s, 
 l'< •'iilr:i wliicli, tJif iiiatt^iials of tlio vt'iy fi'ti|iu iitly wnrkcd tiiiiirtjioi t v>'.ini'1», 
 tlioiiuli loxt to ^(ivi'i'iiiiU'iit, arc foiiiiil tin; i^liiif iiit'aii.s ol litliii>( out Hiich uu 
 I alrriiiiHc, uiiii (greatly Icsiteii tlio i'X|)i'iiHt'.' Huiur'ii Uhjij. umI A'^trun. L'xjxtl., 
 '.'7'). 
 
"m- 
 
 »!: 
 
 . i: : 
 
 COLOXTZATION AND THE FURTRADR. 
 
 smiles of the wives and daughters, and usinuj tlieni 
 also as purveyors and servants. When the hunters 
 ii.'turniul they surrendered tra[»s and furs in exeluuii^e 
 for <jfoods, and the task-masters departed for another 
 island to repeat their operation. 
 
 The i'ustom of interchan<jrin}' hostaijfes while enijajxt'd 
 in tratlie was earriod eastward hy the Russians and 
 forced upon the Enj^lish, Americans, and 8paniai<l.s 
 loiii,' aft(!r the entire suhniission of Aleuts, Kiiiaf, 
 and Chuy[atsches had ol)viated the necessitv <>f such 
 a coursi' in the west. Portlock was compelled to con- 
 form to the custom at various i)laces hefore he could 
 ohtiiin any trade, hut as a rule four or tlve natives 
 were demanded for one or two sailors from the sliij*."' 
 On Cross Sound, Sitka l^ay, ami I'rinc«' of Wales 
 iNland the hostaues were not alwavs <;iven in ''ood 
 faith; they wouid su(l<lenly disappear and hostilities 
 hej^in. As soon as they ascei'tained, however, that 
 their visitors were watchl'ul and stron*' enoui'h to re- 
 sist, they would resume husiness. 
 
 ^[eares ohsei'ves, amoiiijf other thinj^s rc^latinLj to 
 Ilussian manaj^ement, that wherever the latter settled 
 the nativ«.;s W(>re forbidden to kee[) canoes of a larj^er 
 .'^ize than would «'arry two persons. This ajtplied, of 
 course, oidy to the hidarka region, Kadiak, C'o<>k 
 Inlet, and portiotis of Prince William Sound. Tliu 
 hidars, or larj^e canoes, were then as now very scarce, 
 heiiii; n»ade of the lar,L(est sea-lion skins, and ustd 
 oidv for war or the removal of whole families ,ir 
 villaj^es. The Russians found them sujicrior to tin ii" 
 own clumsy hoats for trading; i)urj)oses, and ac(|uire(l 
 them, by purchase and prohahly often hy seizure undc f 
 some pretext, as fa.st as the natives could build tlu in. 
 In their opinion the savajj^es had no business to devote 
 theuj.selves to anything but hunting. 
 
 A j>ortion of the catch was claimed as tribute, 
 although the crown received a ver}^ small share, often 
 none. Tribute-gathering was a convenient mantle to 
 
 ^I'oriluck'n Vol/., 'MO. 
 
 
 
 iu 
 
 um 
 
TIIE ALEUT HUNTERS. 
 
 r thorn 
 
 lllinlC'lri 
 
 ichiinj^i! 
 Liu(»tlii.'r 
 
 iins ami 
 
 Kc'iiai, 
 o{' such 
 
 I to «nH- 
 
 lie I'ouUl 
 ) natives 
 
 1 • 25 
 
 10 sliij). 
 ,f NVal.'S 
 in ^oixl 
 lostilit'u's 
 (vor, that 
 <rli to io- 
 
 'hitin.ii; t<> 
 ..rsoltl«'tl 
 a lai;4' r 
 
 i|)lio(l, "t 
 ik, Cook 
 ml. Tho 
 rv soarcf. 
 and usrd 
 Liuilios .>i" 
 r to th'ii' 
 
 ac(iuii*'d 
 
 [uro uncK'i" 
 
 liUl th«ni. 
 
 todovoV^' 
 
 Is trihutf. 
 
 Iiaro, oft- a 
 Inuintlo lo 
 
 rovor all kinds of doinands on tlio natives, and thero 
 (ill! he no donht that in early times at least half the 
 trade \v«as <'olleetod in the form of trihute, hy means 
 of f(ireo or throats, whiU; at the same time the author- 
 ities at homo were hein^ ]>otitioned to reliiujuish its 
 (•(illcction, "because it eroutod discontent" amoiiir the 
 natives. 
 
 Tile trihute oollcotod hy the earlier traders was 
 nr\ti- eorreetly recorded. The merchants fre<|Uently 
 obtained permission from the Kamchatka authorities 
 to dispense with the services of Cossack trihute- 
 •.atlicrers, and gradually, as the ahusos )>er|Ktrated 
 iiidcr pretext of its collection came to the eais of the 
 home j^overnment, the custom was ahanihmed alto- 
 fjctlier. Suhso<iuently the Russian American Com- 
 ]»aiiy ohtaiiH'd a ri<^ht to the services of tlu^ AKaits on 
 t!it' plea that it should ho in lieu of trihute fi>rmerly 
 j)ai<l to the «ifovornment. At the same time it was 
 ordained that those natives who rendered no rej^ular 
 services to the company should pay a trihute. The 
 latti r |)ortion of tlu^ pro«^rannne was, however, nrvrr 
 (ai 1 ird out. The Chu<;atsches and the more northerlv 
 MllaLjes of Keiiai never furnished any hunters I'or the 
 (iiuipany unless with some private eml in view, and 
 iin tiihute paid hy them ever reached the imjurial 
 treasury. 
 
 Another method of obtaining furs, outside »>f the 
 regular channels of trade, was in finnisliinLT supplies in 
 times of periotlical famine eausi'd hy tlie improvident e 
 of tile simple Aleuts. A little assistance of this kind 
 v.as always considere<l as a lien upon whatever furs 
 tile peison mii^ht collect duriiiijf tin- followini^ setisoii. 
 This pernicious system, unauthorized as it was hy 
 the Jiiana_L,'ement, survived all throuefh the regime of 
 llie liussian American (Jomjiany, and one encounters 
 tract s of it here und there to the present da}'. 
 
 At the time of the first advance of Russians aloii*;' 
 tin,' coast hi a south-easterly direction native au.vili- 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 h 
 
 /. 
 
 (./ 
 
 
 
 A 
 
 
 /a 
 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 ■■■'■= 
 
 2.2 
 
 12.0 
 
 1.8 
 
 
 1.25 
 
 1.4 
 
 1.6 
 
 
 .« 6" — 
 
 
 ► 
 
 HiotograpHc 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, NY. 14580 
 
 (7ie) 872-4503 
 
 « 
 
 :1>^ 
 
 \ 
 
 :\ 
 
 ,v 
 
 \ 
 
 ro 
 
 
 m * 
 
 o^ 
 
 rv^ 
 
 
^ 
 
 
 
2r>8 
 
 COLOXIZATIOX AND THE FUR-TRADE. 
 
 m 
 
 if^ 
 
 111:' '(' 
 
 
 aries, usually Aleuts, wore taken for protection as 
 ucU as for the purpose of killing sea-otters. Soon 
 the plan was extended to taking Aleut hunters to 
 regions where trade had been made unprofitable by 
 unlimited competition. This was first adopted on a 
 larger scale by Shclikof and brought to perfection 
 under the manafrenient of Dclarof and Baranof. From 
 a business point of view alone it was a wise measure, 
 since it obviated the ruinous raising of prices by sav- 
 ages made impudent by sudden prosperity, and at the 
 same time placed a partial check on the indiscriminate 
 slaughter of fur-bearing animals. Yet it opened tlic 
 door to abuse and oppression of the natives at tlio 
 hands of unscrupulous individuals, and in the case of 
 tlie docile and long since thoroughly subdued Aleuts it 
 led to something akin to slavery. It was also attended 
 v.ith much loss of life, owing to ignorance, careless- 
 ness, and foolhardiness of the leaders of parties. It 
 certainly must have been exceedingly annoying to 
 the natives of the coast thus visited to see the ani- 
 mals exterminated which brought to them the ships of 
 foreigners loaded with untold treasures. The Kaljusli 
 hunters could not fail to perceive that the unwelcome 
 rivals from the west, though inferior in strength, stat- 
 ure, and courage, were infinitely superior in skiil, 
 and indefatigable in pursuit of the much coveted sea- 
 otter. • 
 
 It was but natural that in a brief period the very 
 name of Aleut l)ecame hateful to the Kaljush and Chu- 
 gatsches, who allowed no opportunity to escape them 
 for revenge on the despised race, not thinking that 
 the poor fellows were but helpless tools of the Rus- 
 sians. Numerous massacres attested the strong feel- 
 ing, but this by no means prevented the Russians 
 from pursuing a policy which, to a certain extent, lias 
 been justified by the result. As the minds at the head 
 of aflfairs became more enlightened, measures for tlio 
 protection of valuable animals were adopted, the ex- 
 ecution of which was possible with the docile Aleut 
 
 ^i It 
 
IXTER-TKIBAL TR^iFFIC. 
 
 239 
 
 Imntera, while it would have been out of the question 
 Y^ith the stubborn and ungovernable Kaljush. 
 
 As long as operations were confined to Prince Will- 
 iam Sound, with the inhabitants of which the Aleuts, 
 tiud especially the Kadiak people, had previously meas- 
 ured their strength in hostile encounters, the plan 
 worked well enough. Subsequently, however, contact 
 Avith the fierce Thlinkeets of Conqitroller Bay, Yaku- 
 tat, and Ltua inspired the western intruders with dis- 
 may, rendering them unfit even to follow their peaceful 
 pursuits without an escort of four or five armed Ilus- 
 sians to several hundred hunters. On several occa- 
 sions a panic occurred in hunting parties, caused merely 
 by flight, but seriously interfering with trading opera- 
 tions. Vancouver mentions instances of that kind, 
 wlien Lieutenant Puget and Captain Brown at Yak- 
 utat Bay successively assisted Purtof, who connnanded 
 a large party of Aleuts sent out by Baranof -" 
 
 Tlie reports of these occurrences by Purtof and his 
 companions corroborate the statements of Puget and 
 Brown, but naturally the former do not dwell as much 
 upon the assistance received as upon services rendered. 
 Vv'ith regard to Captain Brown's action, however, the 
 llussian report diflers somewhat.-'' 
 
 Previous to the arrival of the Russians a consider- 
 able interchange of products was carried on by certain 
 of the more enterprising tribes; the furs of one section 
 being sold to the inhabitants of another. The long- 
 haired skins of the wolverene were valued highly ibr 
 tiinnninji by tribes of the north who hunted the rein- 
 deer; and the parkas or shirts made fi'om the skms of the 
 diminutive speckled ground-squirrel {Spermophilas) oi' 
 Alaska, which occurs only on a few islands of the coast, 
 were much sought by the inhabitants of nearly all re- 
 {•ions where the little animal does not exist. The new- 
 
 comers were not slow to recognize the advantages to 
 
 '■"'Vanrovvcr'K Voii., iii. SSS-rt. 
 
 ^'i'or I'urtof's leiwit, aue Tikhmen^f, htor. Obos., ii. app. CO-7. 
 
 ill 
 
 i t; 
 
 H 
 
240 
 
 COLONIZATIOX AXD THE FUR-TRADE. 
 
 ■ m 
 
 be gained by absorbing the traffic. Within a few 
 years it was taken from the natives along the coast as 
 far north as Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound, 
 but beyond that and in the interior a far-reacliini^ 
 commerce, including the coasts of Arctic Asia in its 
 ramifications, has existed for ages and has never been 
 greatly interfered with by the Russians, who fre- 
 quently found articles of home manufacture, originally 
 sold by traders in Siberia, in the hands of the tribes 
 who had the least intercourse with themselves. 
 
 Captain Cook indulged in profound speculations 
 with reijard to the channels through which some t)f 
 the natives he met with on the Northwest Coast had 
 acquired their evident acquaintance with iron knives 
 and other implements, but this, the most probable 
 source, was unknown to him. Later navigators found 
 evidence of the coast tribes assuming the role of mid- 
 dlemen between the inhabitants of the interior and 
 the visitors from unknown parts. In August 178G 
 Dixon was informed by natives on Cook Inlet that 
 the}^ had sold out every marketable skin, but that 
 they would soon obtain additional supplies from tribes 
 living awa}'^ from the sea-shore. 
 
 A century of intercourse with the Caucasian races 
 has foiled to eradicate the custom of roaming from 
 one continent to another for the sake of exchanging a 
 few articles of trifling value. The astuteness dis- 
 played by these natives in trade and barter was cer- 
 tainly one of the reasons which caused the Russians 
 to devise means of getting at the furs without being 
 obliged to cope with their equals in bartering. 
 
 As far as the region contained within the present 
 boundaries of Alaska is concerned, the fur-trade to- 
 ward the end of the last century was beginning to i'all 
 into regular grooves, which have never been essentially 
 departed from, except in the case of the Kaljush, who, 
 relying on their constant intercourse with Englisli and 
 American traders, persistently refused to be reduced 
 
THE CHIXA 5IARKET. 
 
 241 
 
 to routine and sj'stem, and maintained an independent 
 and fVequcntly a defiant attitude toward the Russians, 
 lender the rule of the Russian American Company 
 the prices paid to natives for furs were equal in all 
 ])arts of the colonies with the exception of Sitka and 
 the so-called Kaljush sounds, where a special and 
 much higher tarifi' w'as in force,*^ 
 
 A more crradual chan^je besjan also to affect the 
 share system of the Russians, embracing two kinds 
 (if share-holders, those wao with invested capital had 
 a voice in the management and their half of the gross 
 receipts, and another class, laboring in various capaci- 
 ties for such compensation as fell to their lot \vhen 
 the settlements were made at stated times and ai'ter 
 t'vcry other claim had been satisfied. The disadvan- 
 tages of this system were obvious. On one hand the 
 laljorer was entirely dependent upon the agents or 
 managers of his immediate station or district, who 
 wiTC sometimes honest, but far oftener rascals, while 
 on the other hand the hunters and trappers and those 
 in charge of native hunting-parties had every induce- 
 ment to indulge in indiscriminate slaughter of fur- 
 bearing animals without regard to ceasequences. 
 
 By the time Kamchatka was discovered and con- 
 quered the number of private traders had greatly 
 increased, and another market for costlv furs had been 
 (>]iened on the borders of China, a market of such im- 
 
 ''^Tho introduction of ii well-dcfinod l)usincss systrin as well .is regula- 
 tions to check the tlire,itenc<l externiination of fur- bearing; animals eaniu only 
 with the estiilili.slinicnt tif a niunoiioly, and thi.s involved liotli time and in- 
 tii;,'ue. The fonmlcr of the so-called colonie.s as well as his .suecessors in tiie 
 liiiiuiigenient had hut one object in view, to control the fur-traile of lUlssia in 
 llurope and Asia. Shelikof was shrewil enongii to \indcistand that in order 
 to olitain special privileges or protection from the government, it was neces- 
 .^uiy to make a display of some more permanent i)Usiness tlian the fur-tiade; 
 iiiid with the sole view of furthering this end project') of eoloni/ation and 
 niiip-huilding were launched in rapiil succession, but there can be no doubt 
 liiat Shelikof himself hail no faith in these undertakings, for with his sanc- 
 tion the convicts, mechanics, and farmei's sent Ironi Siberia by the authorities 
 ■\Mre at once distributed among the trading posts ami vessels of the Shelikof 
 and Golikof Company. J'ltro/, liUsti. Am. Co., MS., 2-4. 
 UlBI. Alabea. IC 
 
242 
 
 COLONIZATION AND THE FUR-TRADE. 
 
 portance that not only the carrying of skins to Russia 
 was curtailed, but large shipments of furs were made 
 from Russia to the Chinese frontier, principally beavers 
 and land-otters from Canada, these skins being carried 
 almost around the world at a profit.'^ 
 
 No attempt was made by Russians during the 
 eighteenth century to send furs to China by water. 
 That route was opened by English traders to the 
 Northwest Coast as soon as it became generally known 
 that furs had been disposed of in China to great ad- 
 vantage by the ships of Captain Cook's last two expe- 
 ditions. The sea-otter and sable shipments from the 
 Aleutian Isles and Kamchatka were still consigned 
 to Irkutsk, where a careful assortment was made. 
 The inferior and light-colored sables, the foxes of the 
 Aleutian Isles, the second grade of sea and land 
 otter, etc., were set aside for the Chinese market. 
 Defective skins were sent to the annual fair at Irbit, 
 for sale among the Tartars, and only the very best 
 quality was forwarded to IMoscow and Makaria, where 
 Armenians and Greeks figured among the ready pur- 
 chasers.^ 
 
 The first large shipment of sea-otters was brought 
 to China by Captain Hanna, who with a brig of sixty 
 tons collected in six weeks, on King George Sound, 
 five hundred whole sea-otter skins, and a number of 
 pieces amounting to about sixty more. He sailed 
 from China in April 1785 and returned in December, 
 making the voyage exceedingly profitable.'^ Hanna 
 
 ^ The following shipments of this kind are recorded by Coxe, from the 
 Hudson Bay territory to London and St Petersburg and thence overland to 
 Kiakhta: in 1775, 46,460 beavers and 7,143 otters; in 1776, 27,700 beavers 
 and 12,080 otters; in 1777, 27,316 beavers and 10,703 otters. The skins 
 brought at St Petersburg from 7 to 9 rubles for beavers, and from 6 to 10 
 rubles for otters; while at Kiakhta the benver sold at from 7 to 20 rubles, ami 
 the otter from 6 to 35 rubles. Coxe's Kiiss, Dhc. , 337-8. 
 
 '"The Chinese at that time understood the art of coloring sables and other 
 furs so perfectly that the deception was not observable. Consequently tluy 
 preferred to purchase a low-priced and inferior article. Sauer'a Geog. ami 
 Astron. Expea., 15. 
 
 " Skins of the first grade brought $60 each. Hanna had 140 of these, 1 7 " 
 of the second grade, worth $40; 80 of the tliird, worth §30; 55 of the fourtli 
 at §15, and 50 of the fifth at 810. The i)ieces were also sold at the rate of §10 
 
 11 
 
 VI 
 
ENGLISH AND FRENCH. 
 
 m 
 
 sailed again on the same venture in 178G, but though 
 ho remained absent until the following year, his cargo 
 did not bring over $8,000. Two other vessels, the 
 Captain Cook and the Experiment, left Bombay in 
 January 1786, and after visiting in both King George 
 and Prince William sounds returned with G04 sea- 
 otters, which sold for §24,000, an average of $40 a 
 skin. 
 
 La Perouse, who visiued the coast in the same year, 
 forwarded an extensive report to his government con- 
 cerning the fur-trade of the Northwest Coast. Ho 
 states that during a period not exceeding ten days he 
 purchased a thousand skins of sea-otters at Port dcs 
 Fran§ais, or Ltua Bay; but only few of them were 
 entire, the greater part consisting of made-up gar- 
 ments, robes, and pieces more or less ragged and 
 filthy. He thought, however, that perfect skins could 
 easily be obtained if the French government should 
 conclude to favor a regular traffic of its subjects with 
 that region. La Pdrouse entertained some doubts as 
 to whether the French would be able to compete prof- 
 itably with the Russians and Spaniards already in the 
 field, though he declared that there was an interval 
 of coast between the southern limits of the Russian 
 and the northern line of Spanish operations which 
 would not be closed for several centuries, ai.d was conse- 
 quently open to the enterprise of any nation.^^ Among 
 other suggestions he recommended that only vessels 
 of 500 or GOO tons should be employed, and that the 
 principal article of trade should be bar-iron, cut into 
 lengths of three or four inches. The value of the 
 3,281 pieces of sea-otter skin collected at Port des 
 Fran§ais is estimated in the report at 41,0G3 Spanish 
 piastres.^^ 
 
 per whole skin. Hanna realized ^^,000 out of this short cruise. 2>ixo)t'« 
 Voy., .315-22. 
 
 " La Pf roust, Voy., iv. 162-72. 
 
 "A peculiarly French idea ia advanced by La Perouse in a note to his 
 report on the fur-trade of the north-west. He and his officers refused to 
 derive any profit from the experimental mercant?io transactions during tlie 
 expedition. It M'as settled that such sums as wui e realized from the sale of 
 
 
 k> \ 1 
 
 
 
244 
 
 COLONIZATION AND THE FUR-TRADE. 
 
 After duly woigliing the question in all its aspects 
 the French commander came to the conclusit)n that 
 it would not be advisable to establish at once a French 
 tactoiT at Port des Franyai;^, but to encourage and 
 .sul)si(lizu three j)rivate expeditions from some French 
 •seaport, to sail at intervals of two years. 
 
 From Dixon we learn that La Perousc's expecta- 
 tions, as far as the value of his skins was concerned, 
 were not realized. He reports that the French ships 
 A'ifnihihe and Bvussole brought to Canton about (JOG 
 sea-otters of poor quality, which they disposed of for 
 $10,000.=^ 
 
 In January 1788 the furs collected by Dixon and 
 P'rtlock in the Kn<j (iecmje and Queen Charlotte were 
 yn\d as follows: The bulk of the carw, consistinn; of 
 2,5 jil sea-otters, 434 pups, and 34 foxes, sold for 
 .*;'50,000, and at private sale 1,080 .sea-otter tails 
 brought 62,1G0, and 110 fur-seals $550. Accorchiig 
 to Berg the number of sea-otters shipped from the 
 Xortliwest Coast to Canton previous to January 1, 
 1 7SS, was C,G43, which sold at something over ;?200,0(J0 
 ill tlu; a!4;i>;re<>:ate. 
 
 After this shi|)ments increased rapidly with the 
 larger number of vessels engaging in this trade, as I 
 have shown in my Ilistory of the Northwest Coast!^^' 
 A lai'gc proportion of them were English, though they 
 lal)ored under many disadvantages, and as the Eng- 
 lish captains who came to Canton were not allowed 
 
 tlic skins in China shoiilil be distributed among the crew. Tiie coinmamli r 
 inu'iiiiously reasons that tlic share of each sailor will be sufficient to cnablf 
 the whole crew to get married on their return and to raise families in con>- 
 fortalile cirrunistances, who, 'in course of time, will bo of the greatest bcnelit 
 to tiip navy.' L(i Pfrouxe, Voi/., iv. 107. 
 
 ^' Jiixoit'ii ?'o,v., 3ir>-'2'2. In the same place the result of the Benga' Fur 
 Soi'iety's experiment with the Xdolhct, Capt. Meares, is given as f jilowi": "2(17 
 gea-dttei's. '.17 pieces and tails, 4S land-otters, and 41 beavers and martens wero 
 siild at Macao for 89,092. Fifty prime sea-otters sold at Canton for •'r^Ul 
 each, brinjiing .^,.V)0. Nearly the whole cargo had been obtained at I'riiMo 
 ^^ illiam Sound. About the same time the cargo of the /mjicrinl Eu'ile, Ca]>t. 
 IJarclay, obtained ciiietly from Vancouver Island, sold for ijioO.OOO. See ///'. 
 X"rlhinst i'ou^t, vol. i. 3.1.3, this series. 
 
 ■■•"'In 17!I2 there were at least 28 vessels on the coast, more than half of 
 them engaged in fur-trade, llltil. Xorlkivtsl Coast, i. 2o8 et seq., this series. 
 
RUSSIAN INFLUENCE. 
 
 and 
 
 for 
 
 111 the 
 , as I 
 
 hast.'' 
 
 [i thov 
 
 Eni];- 
 
 loNVed 
 
 nmanil' r 
 |o eiuil>lt' 
 in coin- 
 [t beuelit 
 
 figfi' Fur 
 
 ^\v?; '21.17 
 
 leua were 
 
 for ir^'.ll 
 
 It I'lilKO 
 
 See Ili^'. 
 
 half uf 
 Iseries. 
 
 to trade in tlioir own or their owners' name, hut wt re 
 ()hli<'ed to transact their Inisiness throu<di tho aui'iits 
 oi' the Eiiijfhsh East India Company, tlu-y did not take 
 very kindly to the trade. The merchants of other 
 nations held the advantage to the extent that, even if 
 forced to dispose of their furs at low prices, they could 
 lealize one hundred per cent profit on the Chinese 
 ooods they brought home, while the Englisli, on ac- 
 count of the privileges granted the East India Com- 
 ])any, could not carry such goods to England. Tlie 
 British merchants, however, knew how to evade tliese 
 regulations by sending to Canton, where the ships of 
 all nations were free to come, vessels under the Hags 
 of Austria, Hamburg, Bremen, and others. Thus 
 Ciiptain Barclay, or Berkeley, who sailed from Ostcnd 
 in tho Imperial Ea<jh under the Austrian flag, was an 
 ]]nglishman. 
 
 On the other hand, Russian influence was contin- 
 ually at work on the Chinese frontier and even at 
 Peking, to counteract the influx of furs by water into 
 the Celestial empire. When Marchand arrived at 
 ]\[acao from the Northwest Coast he found a tempn- 
 lary interdict on the traffic.'"' This benefited tho 
 Russian only to a certain extent, for new hunting- 
 urounds W(.'re discovered by the now roused tradeis, 
 and the immense influx of fur-seal skins I'rom llic 
 J-'alkland Islands, Terra del Fuego, New Georgia, 
 South Shetland, and the coast of Chile to China 
 caused a general depreciation in this article toward 
 the end of the last century.'" 
 
 Tho jealousy of foreign visitors on the part of 
 Iiussians was but natural in view of the mischief they 
 cieated. Alon<jf the whole coast from Cook Inlet 
 
 ""'When the Soliile arrived at Macao, Marchand wasmnch disappointed on 
 learning that strict orders had been issued fi'oni I'eking to purchase no nioi-c 
 furs from the north-west coast of America. This compelled him to take what 
 furs he had to Europe. MurrJmnrl, Voy., ii. 3()S-'J. 
 
 ^' Three and a half millions of skins wore taken from Masa Fuero to Caa- 
 tun between 1793 and 1807. L>al('s Alui^ka, 4'J"J. 
 
 i 
 
 m 
 
 lUl 
 
 P 
 
246 
 
 COLONIZATION AND THE FUR-TxlADE. 
 
 II' '■: 
 
 down to Sitka and Queen Charlotte Sound, when- 
 ever EngHsh and subsequently American competition 
 entered the field, the prices ot' sea-otter skins experi- 
 enced a steady rise till the temptation to kill the ani- 
 mal indiscriminately became so great as to overcome 
 wliat little idea the natives had of husbanding their 
 resources. On the other hand the most prolific sea- 
 otter grounds, the southern end of the Alaska penin- 
 sula and the Aleutian Islands, exempt from the visits 
 of mercantile rovers, have continued to yield their 
 precious furs to the present day. 
 
 These foreigners had an additional variety of goods 
 with which to tempt the untutored son of the wilder- 
 ness, and were not scrupulous about selling even de- 
 structive weapons. The demand for certain articles 
 of trade by the natives, especially among the Thliii- 
 kcets, was subject to continuous changes. When 
 Marchand arrived in Norfolk Sound he found the 
 savages disposed to drive hard bargains, and skins 
 could not be obtained for trifles. Tin and copper ves- 
 sels and cooking utensils were in request, as well as 
 lances and sabres, but prime sea-otters could be i)ur- 
 chased only with European clothing of good quality, 
 and Marchand was obliged to sacrifice all his extra 
 supplies of clothing for the crew. The natives seemed 
 at that time, 1791, to have plenty of European goods, 
 mostly of English manufacture. Favorite articles 
 Avere toes of iron, three or four inches in length, and 
 light- blue beads. Two Massachusetts coins wero 
 worn by a young Indian as ear-rings. They wero 
 nearly all dressed in European clothing and familiar 
 with fire-arms. Hammers, saws, and axes they valued 
 but little.*^ 
 
 The rules with regard to traffic on individual account 
 on board of these independent traders were quite as 
 
 "In 10 days Marchand obtained in trade 100 sea-ottera of prime quality, 
 mostly fresh; 2r)0 young sea-otters, Tght colored; 30 whole bear-skins, anl 
 13 half skins; 37 fur-seals; (iO beavers; a sack of squirrel-skins and sca-otttr 
 tails; a marmot robe, and a rube of mai'mot and bear. Marchand, Voy., ii. 
 3-1:2. 
 
UNSCRUPULOUS ENGLISHMEN, 
 
 217 
 
 stringent as those subsequently enforced by the Ilus- 
 sian American company. Among the instructions 
 iiirnished Captain Meares by the merchant proprie- 
 tors we find the following: "As every person on board 
 you is bound by the articles of agreement not to trade 
 even for the most trifling articles, we expect the full- 
 est compliance with this condition, and we shall most 
 assuredly avail ourselves of the penalty a breach of 
 it will incur. But as notwithstanding, the seamen 
 may have laid in iron and other articles for trade, 
 thinking to escape your notice and vigilance, we direct 
 that, at a proper time, before you make the land of 
 America, you search the vessel carefully, and take 
 into your possession every article that can serve for 
 trade, allowing the owner its full value." '^'' 
 
 A few years sufficed to transform the naturally 
 shrewd and overbearing Thlinklcets into the most 
 exacting and unscrupulous traders. Prices rose to 
 such an extent that no profit could be made except 
 by deceiving them as to the value of the goods given 
 ill barter. Some of the less scrupuhus captains en- 
 oaoed in this traffic even resorted to violence and 
 downright robbery in order to make a showing. 
 Guns, of course, brought high prices, but in many 
 instances, where the trader intended to make but a 
 brief stay, a worthless article was palmed off upon 
 the native, who, in his turn, sought to retaliate by 
 imposing upon or stealing from the next trader. ^° 
 
 Nor did the foreigners hesitate to commit brutali- 
 ties when it suited their interest or passion, not- 
 withstanding Meares' prating about "humane British 
 commerce." The English captain certainly had noth- 
 ing to boast of so far as his own conduct was concerned 
 ill the way of morality, honesty, and humanity. Cer- 
 tain subjects of Spain and Russia were exceedingly 
 
 '• Meares, Voy. , app. 
 
 *" One of the natives of Tchinkitan<S (Sitka) complained to Marchand of a 
 Rim he had purchased of an English captain and broken in anger because it 
 would 'only go crick, but never poohoo!' Marchaiid'.i Voy., ii. G!). Mar- 
 diand and llocquefeuille Iwth claim that the natives of the Northwest Coast 
 prefer French guns to any other. 
 
 
 \ 
 
 i'r 
 
 'i^ll 
 
COLONIZATION AND TITE FUR-TRADE. 
 
 'i! 
 
 cruel to the natives of America, but for innate wick- 
 edness and cold-blooded barbarities in the treattnent 
 of savaufe or half-civilized nations no peo[)le on eaitli 
 (hiring the past century have excelled men of Ani^io- 
 Sa:;on orijjjin. Such was the conduct of the critical 
 ^[eares toward the ChuL,'atsches tiiat they would prob- 
 ably have killed him but for the timely warning of 
 a young woman whom he had " purchased for the 
 winter." 
 
 Instances of difficulties arising between English 
 traders and natives of Prince William Sound are too 
 numerous to mention in detail in this i)lace, but it is 
 certain that as soon as the former withdrew and tlie 
 liussians were enabled to manage affairs in their own 
 v/a}', a peaceful and rcgulur traffic was carried on. 
 These captains were too ready to attribute cruelty to 
 their rivals, and at times on mistaken grounds. 
 
 Captain Douglas, who visited Cook Inlet in the 
 J j)hi(je>) ia, ohi^crvcd what ho called "ti(;kets or jiass- 
 ports for good usage" in the hands of the natives. 
 ]\Ieares offers an explanation of this incident, saying 
 that "these tickets are purchased by the Indians from 
 the Russian traders at very dear rates, under a pre- 
 tence that they will secure them from ill-treatment 
 of any strangers whc may visit the coast; and as they 
 take care to exercise great cruelty upon such of the 
 natives as are not provided with these instruments of 
 safety, the poor people are only too happy to purchase 
 them on any terms." Meares then adds with charm- 
 ing self-complacency: "Such is the degrading sj'steui 
 of the Russian trade in these parts; and forms a 
 striking contrast to the liberal and humane spirit of 
 British commerce."" It is scarcely necessary to say 
 that these jiapers were receipts for tribute paid by 
 these natives, who had for several years been consid- 
 sidered and declared subjects of the ruler of all tlio 
 Russias." 
 
 *^Meares' Voy., ii. 129, eel. 1791. 
 
 *'^ All expliuuition of the bitterness displayed in Captain Meanes' utterance 
 
RUSSIAN POLICY. 
 
 2f» 
 
 tin 
 
 leraucc 
 
 The cause for these insinuations must be looked for 
 m tlie greater success of the Muscovites, \vh(t could 
 be met with everywhere, and as they <Hd not |)ur- 
 chase the skins, but liad the animals killed l)y natives 
 in their service, competiticMi was out of the (ju('sti')n. 
 At Prince William Sound Portlock discovered that 
 the natives did not like the goods he had to oiler; 
 only when he obtained others from Captain ^Nfeares 
 did trade improve. The English tradeis fre(piently 
 coni[)lained in their journals of the Russians as Iuin ing 
 absorbed the whole traffic, vet Portlock himself ac- 
 knowledges that during the sunnner u) (787 he sent 
 Ills long-boat repeatedly to Cook Inlet, and that each 
 time the party met with moderate success and Iric'lly 
 treatment on the part of Russians ■ d natives iu their 
 service." 
 
 ^incouver, who as far as the Russians are con- 
 cerned may be accepted as an impartial observer, 
 cNjiresses the opinion that "the Russians were more 
 likely than any other nation to succeed in })rocur- 
 ing furs and other valuable commodities from those 
 shores." He based his opinion partly upon informa- 
 tion received from Isma'ilof at Unalaska, but ])riu- 
 ciimlly upon his own observations on the general 
 conduct of the Russians toward the natives in the 
 several localties where he found the latt.T under Rus- 
 sian control and direction. The English explorer 
 I'casons as follows: " Had the natives about the Rus- 
 sian establishments in Cook's Inlet and Prince Will- 
 iam's sound been oppressed, dealt hardly by, or treated 
 by the Russians as a conquered peo})le, some uneasi- 
 ness among them would have been ))erceived, some 
 desire for emancipation would have been discovered; 
 but no such disposition appeared — they seemed to be 
 
 Ml the subject of Russian traders can Le found in a passage of his journal in 
 Mhich he complains that ■wherever he went iu the 2\oolka, from Unalaska to 
 tlie head of Cook Inlet, he found that tl'T Kusoians already ujonopolized the 
 ti :i(le, and the natives had nothiuj,' left to ..Tor in exchange for English goods. 
 A lioat sent up the Inlet was constantly watched by two Russian bidars. 
 Mcinra' Vmi., xi. 
 
 *Wori:ock'ti ru(/., 242-3. 
 
 i ..( 
 
 1 '^ i i 
 
 '' : i li 
 
 ;: llffl 
 
 1.. . 
 
 'm ■ ^ 1 
 
 V ■ ■ .'.I 
 
 l,;^, ':iil 
 
250 
 
 COLONIZATION AND THE FUR-TEADE. 
 
 held ill no restraint, nor did they seem to wish, on 
 any occasion whatever, to elude the vigilance of their 
 directors." The Indiaas beyond Cross Sound were 
 less tractable and the Russians evidently became sat- 
 isfied to remain to the westward of that region." 
 
 Notwithstanding all the abuses to which the Aleuts 
 had to submit at the hands of the early traders and 
 the Russian company, it is safe to assume that a peo- 
 ple which has absolutely no other resource to fall back 
 upon would have long since been blotted out of exist- 
 ence with the extermination of the sea-otter, had they 
 been exposed to the effects of reckless and unscrupu- 
 lous competition like their more savage and powerful 
 brethren in the east. As it is, thoy are indebted to 
 former oppression for their very existence at the pres- 
 ent day. 
 
 There can be no doubt that in their hands alono 
 "would the wealth of the coast region be husbanded, 
 for their interests now began to demand an economic 
 management, and their intluence by far exceeded that 
 of any other nation with whom the natives had come 
 in contact. Long before the universal sway of the 
 Russian American Company had been introduced wo 
 find unmistakable signs of this predilection in favor of 
 those among all their visitors who apparently treated 
 them with the greatest harshness while driving tlio 
 iMirdest bargains. The explanation lies in the fact 
 that the Russians were not in reality as cruel as 
 the others, and, above all, that they assimilated more 
 closely with the aborigines than did other traders. 
 At all outlying stations they lived together with aii;l 
 in the manner of the natives, taking quite naturally 
 to filth, privations, and hardships, and on the other 
 hand dividing with their savage friends all the little 
 
 ** V(inco7iver's Voy., iii. 500. Portlock, some years earlier, claimed that 
 the natives informed him they had recently had a fight with the Russians in 
 M-Jiich the latter were beaten ; and also that he was rctiuestcd to assist tlio 
 natives against the 'lussiaus, but refused. Porthck's Voy., 115-122. Juveitai'a 
 Juur., My., 30 ct seq. 
 
 li. 
 
RAPID DECLINE. 
 
 251 
 
 comforts of rude civilization which by chance fell to 
 their lot. 
 
 Cook and Vancouver expressed their astonishment 
 at the miserable circumstances in which they found 
 the Russian promyshleniki, and both navigators agree 
 as to the amicable and even aftectionate relations ex- 
 isting between the natives of the far north-west of this 
 continent and their first Caucasian visitors from the 
 eastern north. Captains Portlock and Dixon even 
 complained of this good understanding as an injury 
 to the interests of others with equal rights to the 
 advantages of traffic with the savages. The traffic 
 then carried on throughout that region is scarcely 
 worthy of the name of trade; it was a struggle to 
 seize upon the largest quantity of the most valuable 
 furs in the shortest time and at the least expense, 
 without regard for consequences. 
 
 When Portlock and Dixon visited Cook Inlet and 
 Prince William Sound in 178G the trade in those 
 localities seemed to be already on the decline. In the 
 former place a few days were sufficient to drain the 
 country of marketable furs. 
 
 How much the fur-trade had deteriorated on Cook 
 Inlet at the beginning of the last decade of the eigh- 
 teenth century is made evident by such reports of 
 managers as have been preserved. The total catch 
 tor several years, dnring which time two shijis well 
 manned and hundreds of natives were empl(jyed, did 
 not exceed 500 sea-otters and a comparatively small 
 number of other furs. This was certainly a great 
 i'alling-oif, but it may be partly ascribed to the wran- 
 gling of rival companies whose retainers used every 
 means to interfere with each other. Large quantities 
 of furs were destroyed, houses and boats wci'e broken 
 up, and blood was sometimes shed. The decline of 
 trade during this period was nr>t arre.sted till the 
 (■(umtry liad been for years subjected to the arbitrary 
 rule of the Russian American Company, though of 
 
 .1 ! 
 
] : Hi 
 
 2o2 
 
 C0L0N1/-ATI0N AND THE FUR-TRADE. 
 
 course the fur business never recovered its former 
 prosperity. 
 
 Traces of populous settlements abound on the shorer< 
 of tlie inlet, and it is evident that the numerous vil- 
 lages were abandoned to desolation at about the same 
 *^'nic. The age of trees now growing over former 
 dwcjllings enables the observer to fix the date of de- 
 population within a few years, long before any of the 
 e})i(lemics which subsequently swept the country. 
 
 With the unrestrained introduction of fire-arms 
 alouiJi: the coast southward from Prince William Sound 
 the sea-otters were doomed to gradual extermination 
 througjhout that reorion, thouy'h the countrv suffered 
 no less from imported Aleuts, who far surpassed the 
 native sea-otter hunters in skill, and had no interest 
 in husbanding production. Long before American 
 traders took a prominent |">art in these operations the 
 ii'olden davs of the sea-otter traffic had i)assed awav. 
 
 In 1792 Martin Sauer predicted that in fiftot n 
 years from that time the sea-otter would no longer 
 exist in the waters of north-western xVmerica, and Jio 
 had not seen the devastation on the coast south of 
 Yakutat. The organization of the Russian American 
 Company alone prevented the fulfilment of his projih- 
 .ecy as far as concerns the section which came under 
 his observation. 
 
 This state of affairs the traders had not failed to 
 reveal to the government long before this, coupled 
 with no little comiilaint and exa<To-eration. Officials 
 in 8il)eria aided in the outcry, and the empress was 
 actually moved to order war vessels to the coast, 
 but various circumstances interfered with their de- 
 parture.*'* Nevertheless, from the rivalry of English 
 
 ^•"Sholikof complained that 'the advantages which rightfuUj' lu'loii^' to 
 the sulijects of Jtussia alone are converted to tlie l>enelit of other nations v lio 
 liave no claim niion the country and no rij^lit to the ])roductH of its waters.' 
 Lieutenant-general Ivan liartholonieievich Jaccjhi, who tiien tiUecl the otilee 
 of governor general of Irkutsk and Kolivausk, re|>orted to the euiiinss 
 tliat it was neeesoary to protect witiiout delay tlie Russian jiossessionsciu the 
 coast of America with armed vessels, in older to prevent for<>i;:ucrs frora 
 iutcrferiiig witli the liussian fur-trade. In reply Catherine ordered live «ar- 
 
led lo 
 
 |)U|)le<l 
 
 liicials 
 U Avns 
 Icoast, 
 lir (Ic- 
 liMish 
 
 '1(111;.' to 
 liiis villi 
 Iwattis.' 
 |io (illico 
 
 PlllJULSff 
 Ih DII till! 
 
 Irs f 11 '111 
 
 Ivc Will- 
 
 DISTRIBUTION OF ANIMALS, 
 
 2:)3 
 
 and American traders, the Shelikof and Gf)Hk()f Com- 
 pany does not appear to have suflered to any great 
 extent, if v.'o may iiulufe from a hst of caro'oes im- 
 ]H)rted by that tirm during a term of nine years. 
 Tlieir vessels during the time numbered six; one, tlio 
 TrrUi Sridtt'teli, making two tri[)s. The total value 
 111" these shiiinRiits between the years 1788 and 17'J7 
 was 1,500,000 roubles — equal then to three times the 
 amount at the present day.'"' 
 
 This result was due i)artly to more wide-spread 
 ;md thorough operations than hitherto practised, and 
 ] artly to the compensation oifered by a varied assort- 
 ment of furs. Thus, while the most valuable fur- 
 In aring animal, the sea-otters, were becoming scarce 
 ill the gulf of Kenai, large quantities of beavers, 
 martens, and foxes were obtained there. 
 
 The distribution of fur-bearinjx animals durin<_j the 
 last century was of course very much the stune as 
 H(»\v, with the exception that foxes of all kinds came 
 jilmost exclusively from the islands. The stone foxes 
 — blue, white, and gray — were most numerous on the 
 v.estern islands of the Aleutian chain and on the l^i- 
 1 ylof group. Black and silver-gray foxes, then very 
 A.iluable, were first obtained I'roni Unalaska by the 
 Shilof and Lapin Company and at once brought into 
 fashion at St Petersburg by means of a judicious pres- 
 < Illation to the empress. Shi})ments of martens and 
 minks from a few localities on the mainland were in- 
 si^'iiilicant, and the samu may Ijo said of bears and 
 \vi)l\-erenes. The sea-otter's range was not mucii 
 innie extended than at present; but on the south- 
 e!i>tei'n coast they were ten times more numennis 
 tlian now. They were never found north of the 
 
 vi'ssils til lie fittc'il out to sail in I7SS, under command of Captiiin Mulovskoi, 
 vitli tliu rank of luigadicr. The war witli Swcili'ii probahly iiiU'itfrcd wiili 
 tlii-: I'xpoilitioii. Jli ni, Klirnrml. Js/., 158. It must bo reinemijered, liowever, 
 tiiat the ]'.illiiii,'s cxiH'ditiiin was iimlcr way at tliiit time. 
 
 "'Tlio ditiiils aro fiiviii liy l?orgii as follows; In 178(i the Sriiilitili lirou^dit 
 furs vahu'd at .".(i,(i(H» rubles; in' 17>S<> the Sriatifi'li, 30(),(MH); iu IT'.I-J tlio 
 MiUiail, aTC.iKX). in 17!« the Sr Slvwoii, l'J8,(KK); in 171».''> the I'lninij:, 
 .■'•Ji.l.'is; in 171I.J the AUxam/r, 270,000; in 1790 the Orel, 2i,ltl'2; total rbls., 
 l,47y.i;U0. KItronvl. iM., lUU. 
 
 11 
 
254 
 
 COLONIZATION AND THE FUR-TRADE. 
 
 Aleutian isles and the southern extremity of the 
 Alaska peninsula. 
 
 The fur-seal frequented the same breeding-grounds 
 as now and many were killed on the Aleutian and Com- 
 mander islands while on their annual migration to and 
 from the rookeries. The value of the skins was small 
 and the market easily overstocked, often necessitating 
 the destruction of those on hand. Beavers and land- 
 otters were obtained only in Cook Tnlet, as the vast 
 basin of the Yukon had not then been tapped. Tho 
 skins of this class for the overland trade with China, 
 as has been stated, were purchased in England of the 
 Hudson's Bay Company, and carried nearly around 
 the globe. Black bears were occasionally purchased, 
 but rarely appeared in the market, being considered 
 as most suitable presents to officials and persons of 
 high rank whose good-will might serve the interest 
 of individual traders or companies. Lynx and marmot 
 skins found only a local demand in the form of gar- 
 ments and trimmings. 
 
 w:'^ 
 
 i-.-iss;" 
 
CHAPTEK XII. 
 
 FOREIGN VISITORS. 
 
 1786-1794. 
 
 French Interest in the North-west — La Kroxise's Examination — 
 Discovery of Port des Fran9ais — A Disamrous Survey — English 
 Visitors — Meares is Caught in Prince William Sound — Terrible 
 Struggles with the Scurvy — Portlock and Dixon Come to the 
 Rescue — Their Two Years of Trading and Exploring — IsmaTlop 
 AND BocHAROF Set forth to Secure the Claims of Russia — A Treach- 
 OROus Chief — Yakutat Bay Explored — Traces of Foreign Visitors 
 Jealously Suppressed — Spain Resolves to Assert Herself — Mar- 
 tinez AND Haro's Tour of Investigation — Fidaloo, Marchand, and 
 CajmaSo — Vancouver's Expedition. 
 
 The activity displayed by different nationalities in 
 the exploration of the Northwest Coast, together 
 with allurements of trade and of the interoceanic 
 problem, called to this region also the attention of the 
 French government; and when in August 1785 La 
 Perouse was despatched from Brest with two frigates, 
 the Astrolabe and Boiissole, the latter commanded by 
 De Langle, on a scientific exploring tour round the 
 world, he received instructions to extend it to the 
 farthest north-west, and report also on trade pros- 
 pects. After a tedious voyage round Cape Horn, the 
 coast of Alaska uas sighted on the 23d of June 1786 
 oar latitude G0°, where the gigantic outline of Mount 
 St Elias rose above the clouds. The impression made 
 upon the natives of sunny France by the gloomy 
 aspect of this coast was not more favorable than that 
 conceived by the earlier Spanish and English visitors. 
 The contrast was too great between the palm-groves 
 and taro-fields of Hawaii so lately witnessed^ and 
 
 (265) 
 
 1 
 
[■I 
 
 250 
 
 FOREIGN VISITORS. 
 
 these snowy mountains of this northern mainland 
 with their thin hhiekish fringe of sombre spruec- 
 forcst. At any rate, contrary to his instructions, 
 which were to ex[)h)rc the Aleutian Isknds, La Pe- 
 rouso with wisdom shaped his course south-eastward 
 ah)n<jf the coast.^ 
 
 For some time no landing could be effected, the 
 vessels not approaching near enough to tJie shore 
 to distinguish bays and headlands. In two instances 
 boats were lowered to reconnoitre, but the reports of 
 officers in charge were not favorable. The wide open- 
 ing of Yakutat or Bering Bay was thus passed un- 
 awares, but a little to the southward La Pcrouso 
 observed what he considered certain indications of the 
 discharge of a large river into the sea." 
 
 On the 2d of Auifust an inlet was siijhted a short 
 distance below Cape Fairweather, and on the following 
 day the two frigates succeeded in gaining an anchor- 
 age. The navigator felt exultant over this discovery 
 of a new harbor, and expressed himself in his journ;;1 
 to the etiect "tliat if the French government had en- 
 tertained ideas of establishing factories in this \)\x\l 
 of the American coast, no other nation could pretend 
 to the smallest right of opposing the project."^ The 
 
 * Iiuleotl the illustrions French navigator liad tleviatod from his ineti'uc- 
 tiona ever since leaving Matleira. lie nuule the northern coast in tlie HK^ntli 
 designated, liut a year eai'lier tlian had heen conteniphited, liaving deferiid 
 liis explorations in the south Pacific. The instructions lu'eserihed, that lie 
 sliould 'particularly endeavor to explore those parts which liave not Ikhu 
 cxaniineii hy ('aptain Cook, and of which the relations of Russian and Spani? h 
 navigators have given no idea. HiMvill observe whether in those parts ii"t 
 yet known some river may not he found, some confined gulf, which may, liy 
 means of the interior lakes, open a cominunicatiou \^ith S(;mc part of Huds.ii 
 Ray. He will push his inquiries to Rehrings Ray and to Mount St Eli:is 
 and will inspect the ports Ruearelli and Los Remedios. Rrince William Laud 
 and ("ook river having been suthciently explored, he will, after making Mduiit 
 St IClias, steer a course for the Shumagin Islands, near the ])eninsula of Alaska, 
 lie will afterward exanuue the Aleutian Islands,' etc. La I\rou»c, Voi/.. i. 
 70-7.-). 
 
 '•"One indentation of the coast was named De Monti Bay; and La Pi/rousc's 
 ]'"'rench edition asserts that this was Rering ]>;iy with the anchorage of I'nrt 
 MiUgrave named by Dixon in the following year. iJixon's position of I'cit 
 Mulgrave was lat. oi)" 3;V and long. 140° w. of Clrecnwicli, while La IVrou.-i' 
 located tlie bay De Monti at ,"i'J' 4,'$' and 140^ '20'. Roth longitudes were in- 
 correct in regard to Port Mulgrave. 
 
 'The edilur of , he ji.urual of La Perouse, in his effort to establish tliJ 
 
i 111 and 
 pruoc- 
 ctions, 
 
 jSX Pt'- 
 
 stwarJ 
 
 id, tlio 
 slioi'o 
 stances 
 orts <»t' 
 'd opou- 
 ;cd uu- 
 i*crouso 
 i of the 
 
 a sliort 
 llowin;^ 
 aiich( >r- 
 scovcry 
 jouriir.l 
 had c'li- 
 lis i)ail 
 Iprcteiul 
 The 
 
 |'3 
 
 lis ii»6ti'uc- 
 Itlie UKJUtli 
 
 Ig dc'tV'l'K'l 
 
 y.l, that !'.• 
 
 not liocu 
 
 lid Spaiiisli 
 
 puits lint 
 
 111 may, I'Y 
 
 lof Hmlsnii 
 
 It St Eli:ii* 
 
 lliam Land 
 
 |iiigM"Uiit 
 
 lof Alaska. 
 
 le, Voii-, •• 
 
 be of I'liit 
 fn (.f I'oit 
 
 1 wcro in- 
 
 |il)lish tli'J 
 
 LA PEROUSE'S EXPEDITION. 
 
 257 
 
 newly discovered j^ort, called Ltua by the natives, was 
 named rightly and modestly Port des Fran^ais, which 
 nave no undue personal prominence t(.) any one. Ex- 
 ploring and surveying parties in boats were sent out 
 at once, while the remainder of the crews were em- 
 ployed in watering the ships and re-stowing cargo in 
 order to mount six cannons that had thus far been 
 carried in the hold.* 
 
 The bay of Ltua represents in its contours the let- 
 ter T, the foot forming its outlet into the sea. The 
 cross-bar consists of a deep basin terminating in 
 glaciers. La Pe rouse alludes to it as " perhaps the 
 most extraordinary i)lace in the world," and describes 
 the upper part as " a basin of water of a depth in the 
 n)i(ldle that could not be fathomed, bordered by peaked 
 mountains of an excessive height covered with snow . . . 
 I never saw a breath of air ruffle the surface of this 
 water ; it is never troubled but by the fall of immense 
 blocks of ice, which continually detach them.selves from 
 fine glaciers, and which in falling make a noise that 
 resounds far through the mountains. The air is so 
 calm that the voice may be heard half a league away, 
 as well as the noise of the sea birds that lay their eggs 
 in the cavities of these rocks." Though charmed with 
 the weird grandeur of the scenery, the explorers were 
 di.sappointed in their expectation of fintling a river or 
 channel oftcring a passage to the Canadian lakes or 
 Hudson Bay. 
 
 Intercourse with the natives began with the first 
 
 French discoverer's claim to priority on this pai't of the coast, ignores Cook 
 ns having been 'too far from the nl ore,' l)ut carefully traces the movements 
 of Dixon whori he stems to have looked njion as the commander of the ex- 
 pedition, co'idisting of the K'ukj (,!i'or<jc and (Jiiciti CharloKv, and shows that 
 La IVronse sighted Mount St Elias and other points far earlier. The editor 
 soen\s to make a fine distinction hctweeu Prince WilKam Sound and the 
 'nnrthwest coast' of America. Lji POrousc himself gives so careful and un- 
 hiiisscd a description of what he saw on the Alaskan coast as to impress the 
 M adcr with a feeling of contidcnce not generally derived from a perusal of 
 tlic n;\rrativcs of his English and other predecessors mid successors in tho 
 held of exploration. 
 
 * This was done, according to tho editor of the journal, not from fear of 
 Indians on the spot, but with a view of defence against pii'ates in the Cliiua 
 Bcas they were so soon to visit. 
 
 Hm. ALA8Si.. 17 
 
 ; 
 
 
 
 
 \ 
 
 p:: !; 
 
 If !i 
 
 wr\ 
 
 I 
 
urn: 
 
 IH,|i 
 
 
 
 : '^ ' 
 
 Hi 
 
 m- 
 
 
 \^ 
 
 
 m 
 
 S1i>t ' 
 
 li(.il 
 
 2.-)8 
 
 FOREIGN VISITORS. 
 
 day, and soon they came in largo numbers, allured 
 from a distance it was supposed. Contrary to his 
 expectations La Perouse found the savages in posses- 
 sion of knives, hatchets, iron, and beads, from which, 
 with clearer discrimination than Cook,, he concluded 
 these natives to have indirect communication with tliu 
 Russians, while the latter navigator ascribed such 
 indications to inter-tribal traffic originating with Hud- 
 son liay posts.^ It was convenient for the English- 
 man thus to ignore the presence of any rival in these 
 parts. Ti'afhc was carried on with moderate success, 
 the chief article of baiter being iron, and some six 
 hundred sea-otter skins and a number of other furs 
 were obtained. To so inexperienced a trader the 
 business transacted a]i])eared innnense, leading the 
 commaader to the ojjinion that a trading-post could 
 easily collect twenty thousand skins per annum, yet 
 he leaned rather to occasional private trading expecH- 
 tions than to the fixed establishment. The thieving 
 propensities of the natives annoyed the French very 
 much, and in the hope of keeping the robbers away 
 La Perouse purchased of the chief an island in the 
 bav, where he had established his astronomical sta- 
 tion; but though a high i)rice was paid for the worth- 
 less ground there was no abatement of thefts. The 
 savages would glide thi'ough the dense spruce thicket 
 at night and steal articles I'rom under the very heads 
 of sleepers without alarming the guards. 
 
 On July 13th a terrible mistortune befell the ex- 
 pedition. Three boats had been sent out to make 
 linal soundings for a chart, inchuling the passage lead- 
 ing out to sea. As the undertaking was looked upon 
 in the light of a pleasure excursion, affording an oppor- 
 tunity for hunting, the number of ofKcers accomi)any- 
 ing the party was larger than the duty required, seven 
 
 ^We have no evidence of the advance of Ismai'lof 's boats to the point pre- 
 vious to the arrival of tlie Frencli frigates. Tlio seal-skin covering of a laryo 
 canoe or bidar discovered here would point to visits of Aglcgnuites or C"l:u- 
 gatsches. The natives stated that of seven similar boats, six had been lost 
 in the attempt to stem the fearful tidcrip at the entrance to the bay. 
 
TERRIBLE ACCIDENT. 
 
 259 
 
 in nil, Avhilc the crows consisted of eiQ-liteon of the best 
 moll from both vessels. On ap})r()aeliin*^ the narrow 
 t'liannel at the entrance o'f the bay, two of the boats 
 were drawn into the resistless current and engulfed in 
 the breakers almost before their imnates were aware of 
 tlitir danger. The third boat, the smallest, narrowly 
 tscajied a like fate. Not a man of the first two was 
 saved, not even a single body was washed ashore.** .V 
 monument to the drowned party was erected on the 
 point of island purchased of the chief, and it was 
 named L'lslc du Cenotaphe.^ Weighing anchor July 
 :]Oth the squadron sailed along the coast without mak- 
 ing any observations, but on tlie Gtli of August the 
 weather cleared, enabling La Perouse to determine his 
 i)()sition in the vicinitv of Norfolk Sound.*^ Puerto do 
 ijucareli antl Cape Kaigan were passed by, and unfav- 
 orable weather foiled the attempt to run into Dixon 
 liliitrancc, whereu])on the expedition passed beyond 
 Alaska limits." Superlioial as were his observations, 
 La Perouse came to the conclusion that the whole 
 coast from Cross Sound to Cape Hector, the south 
 point of Queen Charlotte Island, was one archipelago.^" 
 
 I < 
 
 le ex- 
 make 
 
 i lead- 
 upoii 
 )ppoi- 
 
 Ipany- 
 
 1 seven 
 
 jint pro- 
 If ii l:n-o 
 loi-Ch-a- 
 Iceii lost 
 
 During the ye^ar 178G much progress was made in 
 the ex})loration of the Alaskan coast between Dixon 
 
 "The victims were: from the DoH''ml<\ irEscurca, do PiciTcvcrt, de Mon- 
 tanril (officers), and 8 men; from the AKti-vhUic, do la liorde Murcliaiavillc, do 
 l:i liordo lioutcrvilliera, Flassan (oliicers), and 7 nicn. The two de la Borde 
 ^\cre lirothers. 
 
 ' Tlie monument bore an inscription, and at its foot a bottle was buried 
 contiiining a brief narrative of the moliinch(jly occurrence. 
 
 ''He rccoguizcd the Cabo de Kiigauo and Mount San Jiicinto of the Spnu- 
 iaiils without alluding; to Cook's nomenclature of Mount and Cape lOdj^'cconihc. 
 He looked into Norfolk Sound from the group of islands at its soutliorn en- 
 tnuice, and named two bays to the southward, of which he saw only the nioutli.-;, 
 I'liit Xoikcr and Port Ouibert (probably I'ort llanks and Whale Bay). On the 
 I'i'Huwing day he named Cape Ouiinanoy (Ca])e Chirikof) and Christian Sounil 
 (Cliirikof ]5ay). The Hazy Islands ho renamed Isles tk; la Croyere. La !'■• 
 r:)ii.ic, Vol/., ii. 165-7. 
 
 " The details of La Pi^ronse's explorations and observations south of this 
 point can be found in Jlist. Xorlhurst Coaxf, i., and J/t4. CaL, i., tiiis series. 
 
 '"In the following year the A.^trolcibc' and Unuxnolo reached tlie coast of 
 Kamchatka; but though the French officers met a number of intlividuids 
 i'lcntilied with the history of Alaska, the circumstances of their sojourn in 
 till' luu'bor of Petropavlovsk Lave no immediate connection with tliis narra- 
 tive. 
 
200 
 
 FOREIGN VISITORS. 
 
 \m: 
 
 Entrance and tlio Alaska Peninsula. The CapUdii 
 Cook i\\\i\ the Expcriuicnf, under captains Lowry and 
 firuiso, sailed in June from Nootka for Prince Will- 
 iam Land, where they obtained a small lot of iuis. 
 ^.Tore extensive are the experiences recorded of John 
 jMeares." He sailed from Malacca in the Nootka ^lay 
 29, 1786. A companion ship, the Sea Otter, also 
 fitted out in Bengal, had sailed before him with the 
 intention of meeting in Pi'incc William Sound, but 
 was never heard of Andia and Atkha, of the Aleu- 
 tian group, were sighted the 1st of August, and after 
 l)assing unawares to the northward of the islands 
 during a fog he was on the 5th piloted into Beavii- 
 ]jay by a llu ::ian. While taking in water, jSIearts 
 and his officers were hospitably entertained by the 
 Ilussians on Unalaska under Delarof, yet the Englisli- 
 luan delights none the less to sneer at their poverty 
 while extolling the 'generous' and 'magnanimous' con- 
 duct of the British trader, as represented in himseli'. 
 On arrivincf at the mouth of Cook Inlet soon after, 
 he heard that two vessels had already visited that 
 part of the coast that summer, and seeing indications 
 of Russians everywhere he passed on to Prince W^iD- 
 iam Sound, imagining himself first on the ground. 
 On his wav he gave the name of Petrie to Shelikof 
 Strait. In his ean^erness to gather all the sea-otter 
 skins possible, Meares allowed the season to slip by 
 till too late for a passage to China and no choice 
 lemained but to winter in the sound. He first tried 
 the anchorage of Snug Corner Cove, discovered by 
 Cook, but subsequently moved his vessel to a sheltered 
 nook nearer the mainland, in the vicinity of the pres- 
 ent village of Tatikhlek. 
 
 1 H 
 
 1 j' M 
 
 " Voyaqrx madr in (he years 17SS and 17S9 from China to the North-ved 
 Coast of Aintrica, to which is prefixed an Introductory yarrative of a Voyi'ji'. 
 jcrformed in 1730, from Bmijal in the ship yooiku, hy John Meares, Z,'m/., 
 London, 1700. Of this work several editions have been publisheil. The im- 
 j);ession created by a perusal of Meares' narrative, especially in the light (f 
 Iii.-3 later transactions at Nootka, is that ho was an insincere and uuscrupuluui 
 man, and tliat he was so regarded by Portlock is evident from the manner iii 
 which the latter bound hiui to the f ulUhneut of his promises. 
 
MEARES' DISTRESS. 
 
 2GI 
 
 The vessel was but ill-su[)[)lle(l with the provisions 
 necessary f'oi- a long winter in the far north, hut the 
 l)cst arrangements j)()SsihlL' under the eircunistances 
 were made. The shi[) was eovercd. Spruce beer 
 was brewed; but the crew preferring the s})irituous 
 li([U(>r which was served out too freely for men on 
 short allowance of food, and the su[)ply of fresh fish 
 meanwhile being stopped, scurvy broke out. Among 
 the first victims was the surgeon. Funerals became 
 freijuent. At first, attempts were made to dig a shal- 
 low grave under the snow; but as the survivors be- 
 came few and lost their strength, the bodies were 
 (h'opped through cracks in the ice, to become food ft^)r 
 fishes long before returning spring opened their crys- 
 tal vault. At last the stren<>th of the decimated crew 
 \\as barely sufficient to drag the daily supply of fuel 
 f'lom the forest a few hundred yards away. The sav- 
 ages, who kept themselves well informed, grew inso- 
 lent as they waited impatiently for the last man to 
 die. 
 
 In April some natives from a distant part of the 
 sound visited the vessel. A girl purchased by Mcares 
 at the bejjinning of the winter for an axe and some 
 heads, and who had served as interpreter, declared 
 them to be her own people and went away wdtli them — 
 !i rat leaving a doomed ship. 
 
 The depth of despondency had been reached when 
 Meares heard of the arrival of two ships in the sound. 
 Without a seaworthy boat or a crew he was obliged 
 to await a chance visit from the new-comers. A let- 
 ter intrusted to some natives failed to reach its des- 
 tination. In the evening of the 8th of May, however, 
 Captain Dixon of the Queen Charlotte arrived in a 
 \\haleboat and boarded the Xootka, which was still fast 
 ill the ice. Learning of Mcares' distress he promised 
 all necessary assistance. ^^ 
 
 ''^ Meares complained that Dixon woulcl make no promise until the matter 
 li.'ul been submitted to Portlock, and that he would lioldout no hope for sup- 
 plifs; l)ut Dixon writes: ' Iliad. . .satisfaction in assuring him that he sliouid 
 bu furnished with every necessaiy we could possibly spare. As Captaiu 
 
232 
 
 FOREIGN VISITORS. 
 
 Bil : '1 
 
 W 
 
 *■ ■ ': 
 
 i^ 
 
 ]\Icarcs now liad onu of his boats repaired, and pio- 
 ccoded to Portlock's vessels, on the north side oi" 
 !Mo!itague Ishiud, where reHef was obtained. Porl- 
 lock insisted, however, tliat Meares should cease at 
 once to trad« with the natives and leave the field to 
 him, and the latter yielded, though he complained 
 bitterly." A nionth after the departure of the Quccu 
 Cli<uivtte in search of furs the Nootka left the sceui: 
 of so much misery and disaster, her commander bid- 
 dini^ a reluctant farewell to the coast of Alaska iu 
 conformance with his i)romise to Captain Portlock. 
 
 This was the second visit to Alaska of Portlock and 
 Dixon. They had sailed from Enj^land in August 1 78;» 
 in the ship Kin<j (Jeonje and Queen Charlotte, and first 
 a^iproached the vicinity of Cook Inlet on the IGth of 
 July 1 78G. Less dismayed than jNIeares at the presence 
 of Russians, they moved past them up to the head of 
 Cook Inlet, and there met with considerable succe:^.-^ 
 in trading." 
 
 After a sojourn of nearly a month the King Geotyi- 
 
 Mearca' people were now getting better, he desired nio not to take the troiiliK- 
 of Kcniling any refreshments to him, as he would come on board of us vc.y 
 Bliortly in his own boat.' JJlxon'n Toy., 155. 
 
 '^ Meares gives his readers tlie impression of a strong bias in tliis mattcf, 
 and one inclines to credit the two naval ollicers, whose narratives bear tlu- 
 stamp of truth. Further thsm this the wild statements, if not deliberate falt-r- 
 lioods, of Meares in connection witli the Nootka controversy are well kiio\Mi. 
 Dixon states the case as follows: ' In the forenoon of the 11 th Captain Meares 
 and Mr lloss left us. They were supplied with what flour, sugar, niolasst>. 
 brandy, etc., we could possibly spare; and in order to render them e\iiy 
 uswistance in our power, Captain Portlock spared Captain Mcjires two seaiiuii 
 to assi.st in carrying his vessel to the Sandwich Islands, whero he proposal 
 going as soon as the weather permitted.' /(/., 158. 
 
 '*()n the 10th of July the ship- had stood into a capacious oj)ening on tliu 
 east s le near the entrance of the nilet. The place was named Graham l!ay, 
 and a ove on the north side near the entrance was called Coal Harl)or, s(\ • 
 eral s < ms of that mineral being visible along the blutls. A party of Ku.ssiaiis 
 with ■ umber of native hunters were encamped near a lagoon, the site of th' 
 laterl ling-post of Alexandrovsk. Seeing no prospect of trade here, Portloik 
 conduv 1 to proceed up the inlet or river as he presumed it to be. 1'in' 
 hi,ij;hest '-int reached by him was Trading Bay, in the vicinity of the present 
 village Toyonok, just cast of North Foreland. Here some trading v.i> 
 done, c' dently with Kadiak or Chug.atsch Imnting parties; for they all use. I 
 the kya or skin canoe, and had no permanent villages on the shore. I'm: 
 lock as ,vimcd from the signs of these natives that they asked his assiytan e 
 a),'ain.st the liu.s.sians, but in this he was probably mistaken. Dixon's \'vi/.,Oh 
 6d; Portlock's Voy., 102-17 
 
PORTLOCK AND DIXON. 
 
 203 
 
 md pre- 
 side <il 
 Port- 
 ccase ill 
 
 field \n 
 
 nplaiiiLil 
 10 Queen 
 ho scour 
 ider bid- 
 daska in 
 rtlock. 
 
 dock aud 
 
 rust 17 Hi) 
 
 , and first 
 e IGtli of 
 ; presem-e; 
 head oi' 
 le succuhft 
 
 ag Georrje 
 
 iethe troulilv 
 •d of us vciy 
 
 1 this mattir, 
 
 Uvea bu;ir tlir 
 
 [liberate falsi • 
 
 well kiH)\Mi 
 
 kptain Mcarc s 
 
 ;ar, inolassr.-. 
 
 them evtiv 
 
 18 two scaiiu'U 
 
 he propostil 
 
 liening on tlu- 
 iGrahaiii r>a\ , 
 J Harbor, si.v- 
 ly of llussiaiis 
 Ihe site of tli' 
 lere, Portlock 
 1 to be. Tho 
 If the prcsont 
 1 trailing vas 
 I they all nsi. I 
 ■shore. V»r'>- 
 liis ausisUiU' ■■■ 
 
 aiid Queen Charlotte left the inlet on the 13th of Au- 
 <,aiHt, with the intention to examine Prince William 
 Sound. A succession of contrary winds and thick 
 weather interfereil with this jdan. For over a month 
 the vessels kept near the coast, sii,diting many j>oints 
 previously determined by Spanish and En<,dish ex- 
 plorers, but finding it impossible to make a landiiiLj, 
 until finally, on the 28th of Septend)er, when in tlio 
 vicinity of Nootka Sound, Captain Portlock gave up 
 all hopes of further trade that season and headed lor 
 the Hawaiian Islands. 
 
 After wintering there Portlock sailed once rnoro 
 for the Alaskan coast, and sighted j\Iontague Island 
 on the 23d of Ap:'.I. Natives who visited the sln[)s 
 on tho west side of the island were witiiout furs, but 
 pointed to the head of the .sound, repeating the word 
 'Xootka,' which puzzled Cai)tains Portlock and Dixon 
 not a little, until the latter finally fell in with Meares 
 as before stated. The Queen Charlotte stood down 
 the coast, while Portlock moved to Nuchek Harbor 
 to await the long-boat of the King George which had 
 been despatched for Cook Inlet on the 12th of May, 
 with orders to return by the 20th of June.'"' The 
 boat returned on the 1 Ith, reporting such success that 
 slie was fitted out anew and despatched upon a seccjnd 
 trip with positive orders to return by the 20th of 
 July. 
 
 Portlock's prolonged stay at Nuchek enabled him 
 to form a very good chart of the bay, which he named 
 Port Etches, while a cove on the west side was 
 called Brook Cove.^" Trade was not very active, 
 and boats sent to various parts of the sound did not 
 
 "The boat was commanded by Ilayward, third m.ate. 
 
 '"A smoke-house was erected for the purpose of curing salmon; an abun- 
 dance of sprace jeer was browed and a number of spars were secared from 
 tlio virgin forest lining the shores of tlic bay. At the head of one of tlie 
 coves an inscription was discovered upon a tree, which Portlock believed to 
 be Greek, made by a man living among the natives, but wliicii of course was 
 llussian. Portlock left a wooden vane and inscription on (jarden Island to 
 tUe south side of Nuchek Harbor. Garden strawberries are now found on 
 this and other points of Nuchek Island— probably the result of Portlock's 
 experiment. Voij., 232, 243. 
 
 i 
 
 if 
 
 P :l 
 
 ! 
 
 *'' i!i 
 
 ati 
 
 i' li 
 
'■ 
 
 I 
 
 lifeii 
 
 . I 
 
 W I 
 
 *iH'H '' 
 
 264 
 
 FOREIGN VISITORS. 
 
 meet with much success, some of them being robbed 
 not only of trading goods and provisions, but of 
 clothes and arms belonging to the men. The whale- 
 boat and yawl were left high ashore by the ebb-tide 
 to the eastward of Nuchek Island, and in that help- 
 less condition the crews were surrounded by two hun- 
 dred natives and completely stripped, the only result 
 of the expedition being the discovery that Nuchek 
 was an island, a fact already ascertained by the 
 Spaniards. 
 
 On the 22d of July the long-boat returned from 
 her second and less remunerative voyage to Cook 
 Inlet, and three days later the King George sailed out 
 of Port Etches, passing round the west side of Mon- 
 tague Island. Portlock sighted ]\Iount Fairweather, 
 but failed to find Cross Sound, which he had looked 
 ^'or in vain the preceding season. On the 5th of 
 August he found a harbor, which was named after 
 himself, about twelve leagues to the southward of 
 Cape Cross as located by Cook.^^ Here the King 
 George anchored once more and the boats were sent 
 out in search of inhabitants and trade. Only a few 
 natives visited the ships, for no permanent settlement 
 existed thereabout. The long-boat, however, under 
 Hayward, made a quite successful trip to Norfolk 
 Sound, passing on the return voyage through Klokat- 
 chef Sound Cook Bay of Islands.^^ On the 23d of 
 August the King George set sail; left the coast of 
 Alaska for the Hawaiian Islands, the next rendezvous 
 appointed with Dixon. 
 
 ■' The latitude of the ship's position in this harbor is given as 57° 46', hut 
 while I'ortlock's sketch seems plain enough, no later navigator has coiifinnod 
 the contours of the bay. On the latest chart issued by the United Statca 
 HydrogriiphicOfhce a simple break in the ooast line under the latitude given 
 is indicated as Portlock Harbor. It must exist somewhere on the w it coast 
 of Chichagof Island. 
 
 '"The inhabitants of Norfolk Sound had shown some disposition to hos- 
 tility toward the crew of the long-boat, but about the ship they confined 
 themselves merely to stealing, Dixon, in his narrative, spoke of having seen 
 here a white linen shirt ■« orn by an Indian, which he believed to be of Span- 
 ish make, but it is nmch more probable that the garment had found its m ay 
 there from some point of the coast where the Astrolabe and Boussok had 
 touched. 
 
A RUSSIAN EXPLORATION. 
 
 205 
 
 Dixon had in the mean time sailed eastward aloiirr 
 the coast, and more fortunate than Portloek he did not 
 overlook the wide entrance of Yakutat Bay, wliith 
 he entered the 23d of May. He discovered and sur- 
 veved a fine harbor on the south side, which he named 
 Port Mulgrave. Here the Queen Charlotte remained 
 nearly two weeks, meeting at first with eome success 
 in trading, though the natives were in possession of 
 Russian beads and ironware. An exploration of the 
 neighborhood in boats convinced Dixon that the shores 
 of the bay were thinly peopled. ^^ 
 
 On the 4th of June he proceeded eastward in search 
 of some port where better trade might be found. 
 Owing to his distance from the coast he failed to 
 i-hserve Cross Sound, but on the 11th he sighted 
 ]\Iount Edgecombe, and the following day entered and 
 named Norfolk Sound,^ A survey was made which 
 resulted in a very fair chart. Natives made their 
 appearance as the ship was passing into the bay and 
 for three days trade was brisk. 
 
 On the 24th of June the Queen Charlotte left Nor- 
 folk Sound, and on the following day another harbor 
 was observed and named Port Banks, probably the 
 present Whale Bay, in latitude 5G^ 35'. The wind 
 not being favorable no attempt was made to enter, 
 and about the 1st of July Dixon left the coast of 
 Alaska to meet with his first marked success in tradinLf 
 at Clark Bay on the north-western extremit}' of 
 Queen Charlotte Islands. The events of his voyage 
 below this point are told in another volume.'^* 
 
 " Dixon estimated a population of only 70, iucliuliug women and children, 
 which Is n.iich too low. Ha description of the natives is not very accurate. 
 (See Native Races, i. passim, tiiis series. 
 
 '"The natives seemed to Dixon more easy to deal with than those at Port 
 Muli^'i-ave. During an exploration of the hay in hoats some inconvenience 
 was cxperii need from their thieving propensiticH. Tlie astronomical ix)8iti()n 
 of his anchorage on the east shore of Kruzof Island was lat. 70' 'X, long. i;{d' 
 ."8'. He applied the name of White Point to the Ucach Caiie of tlie llusaiuus. 
 Tlie wliolo estuary was named after the duko of Norfolk. 
 
 '■"//iV. Northicent Coaxt, i., this series. All our information concerning the 
 visits of the Kiinj Oeonje and Qiievu Vharlnlte to the Alaskan coast is d( iIvlmI 
 from the narratives of Dixon ond Portloek, and to a limited extent from tliat 
 of Meares. Portloek "s narrative was published in London iu 17'J9 under the 
 
 4 
 
 SI 
 
 
 "i 
 
 f . 
 
 
2G6 
 
 FOREIGN VISITORS. 
 
 The next exploration of Prince William Sound and 
 the coast cast of it took place during the second voy- 
 age of the Trekh Sviatiteli, in connection with Sheli- 
 kuf's plans for the development and extension of his 
 colony. This vessel had arrived at Kadiak from 
 Okhotsk in April 1788 and was at once despatched 
 upon a trading and exploring voyage to the eastward, 
 under Ismailof and Bocharof, both holding the rank of 
 masters in the imperial navy with special instructions 
 furnished by Jacobi, then governor general of Siberia, 
 and supplemented by orders of Eustrate Delarof who 
 had succeeded Samoilof in the command of the colony. 
 The crew consisted of forty Russians and four natives 
 of Kadiak who were to serve as interpreters. In ad- 
 dition to as full an armament and equipment as cir- 
 cumstances would allow the expedition was supplied 
 with a number of painted posts and boards, copper 
 
 title of A Voyage round the World, but more parlknlnrly to tlie. North • West Coa4 
 of America: performed in 1785, 17S6, 17S7, and 178S, 4to. The volinue l)c.aia 
 evidence of the honest and careful investigations by a strict disciplinarian 
 %viio left the commercial part of his enterprise to others. It is profusely 
 illustrated with maps and sketches of scenery^ etc. The latter, made chietly 
 by an apprentice named Woodcock, have evidently suffered at the liand of 
 the engraver, for it is scarcely probable that the young man should have 
 originally represented Alaska with groves of palms and other tropical trees, 
 to siiy nothing of three-story houses. Another remarkable feature is that, 
 though the special charts and sketches are generally C( 'irect, the general chart 
 of the coast from Norfolk Sound to Kadiak is full of glaring inaccuracies. 
 Beginning in the east, Portlock Harbor in dimensions is represented out of 
 nil proportion to those of the special chart and the text. The next discrep- 
 ancy occurs at Nuchek Island, called Rose Island on the chart, which is drawn 
 at least four times too large, and its contours as well as those of Port Etches 
 are not in conformity with the special chart and the text. Alontague Island 
 is also represented too large, three very deep and conspicuous bays on its 
 north-eastern end are omitted, though the vessel's track is laid down within 
 n mile of the shore, and the harbors on the west coast are not laid in to agree 
 with special charts and text. In Cook Inlet, Graham Harbor is mado at 
 least six times too large, but Capo Elizabeth is depicted for the first tinio 
 correctly as an island. Shelikof Strait, though known to the Russians for 
 several years, and named I'ctrie by Moares, is still closed on this chart and 
 its iipper portion, just south of Cape Douglas, retains the name of Smoky Bay, 
 given by Cook. The strait between Kadiak and Afognak is duly indicated, 
 but the former island is represented as part of the continent, while Afognak 
 nnd Shuiak are niatlo one island and named Kodiac. The coast of the Keuai 
 peninsula between t^ape Elizabeth and Prince William Sound was evidently 
 laid down from Vancouver's chart, but its coiTections in Prince William 
 (Sound h.ave been entirely ignored. The compilation of the general chart must 
 have ))ecu entrusted to incompetent hands, without being revised by any one 
 familiar with Portlock s notes and surveys. 
 
THE 'TREKH SVIATITELI' AGAIN. 
 
 267 
 
 plates and medals, "to mark the extent of Russia's 
 domain."^'' 
 
 On the 2d of May the ship put to sea, and three 
 days later made Cape Clear, the southernmost point 
 of Montague Island.^ No safe anchorage was found 
 until the 10th, when the Trehh Sviatiteli entered the 
 capacious harbor of Nuchek or Hinchinbrook Island. 
 On the same day an exploring party was sent out in 
 boats, and on the northern side of the island a wooden 
 cross was erected with an inscription claiming the 
 country as Russian territory.'^* 
 
 The events of 1787-8 must have been puzzling to the 
 natives of Prince William Sound. Englishmen under 
 the English flag. Englishmen under the Portuguese 
 flag, Spaniards and Russians, were cruising about, 
 often within a few miles of each other, taking posses- 
 sion, for one nation or the other, of all the land in 
 sight. The Prlncesa from ^Mexico appears to have 
 lol't Nuchek two days before the Russians arrived 
 there; the Prince of Wales, Captain Hutchins, must 
 have been at anchor in Spring Corner Cove about 
 the same time, and shortly after the Ij^higenia, Cap- 
 tain Douglas, entered the same cove,'^^ while Portlock 
 loft traces near by two months later. Douglas touched 
 the southern part of Alaska also in the following 
 year, and sought to acquire fame by renaming Dixon 
 Entrance after himself 
 
 Bocharof carefully surveyed the inner harbor, the 
 Brook Cove of Portlock, and named it St Constantino 
 and St Helena, after the day of arrival. On the 27th 
 of May the Trekh Sviatiteli returned to the coast of 
 Montague Island. Some trading was done here do- 
 
 If 
 
 ■I 
 
 ''^ SheHkof, PutesL, ii. 2, 3. 
 
 '•'' Tlio two navigators declared that this was the Cape St l^lias of Boriiijr, 
 without any apparent basis for their opinion ami witliout cousiilering tli;it in 
 Biicli a case the llussian discoverer could never have been within thirty iiiilu^ 
 of the American continent. 
 
 ^* At its fort a copper plftto was buried, proclaiming the same /(/. , ii. 7. 
 
 '•'*Tho latter found the following inscriptions cut into tlio baik of two 
 trees: 'Z. Etches of the Prince of Wales, May "J, 17bti,' and 'John liulchiiis.' 
 Maiixa' Voy., 310. 
 
 f I 
 
 I 
 
 fl-iP^ 
 
FOREIGN VISITORS. 
 
 I V 
 
 ^;i,i ., 
 
 spite the presence of the English who paivi such prices 
 as the Russians never dreamed of.^" 
 
 By advice of a native Ismail of proceeded to Achakoo 
 Island," some distance to the southward, which '.vas 
 described as abounding in sea-otters. Not finding a 
 harbor he landed in a boat with seventeen men and a 
 Chugatsch pilot. After trading amicably for some 
 time the commander sent off a party of eight men to 
 gather eggs on the cliffs, but they soon came back 
 reporting that several bidars filled with Chugatsches 
 were approaching. This aroused suspicion among the 
 promyshleniki, and their alarm was increased by the 
 discovery that the Chugatsch guide had disappeared. 
 The chief in command of the native hunting party 
 professed to have no know^ledge of the deserter, and 
 offered to go in search of him with five Russians in a 
 bidar. Four of these men the cunning savaije sent 
 into the interior upon a false trail, and then drawing 
 a spear from under his parka he attacked the remain- 
 ing Russian with great fury. One of the other men 
 returned to assist his comrade, but both had a severe 
 struggle with the savage, who was at last despatclied 
 with a musket ball.^** As soon as the others returned 
 the party hurried on board, the anchor was raised, 
 and all s[>eed was made to depart. 
 
 On the 1st of June the Trekh Sviatitell arrived at 
 the island of Ky k,^ which was uninhabited, though 
 the natives from the mainland came at times to hunt 
 sea-otters and foxes. The adjoining coast was thor- 
 oughly explored, but the iidiabitants fled in alarm, 
 abandoning their huts and canoes whenever the clumsy 
 boats of the Russians came in sight. After a slow 
 advance easterly, the large bay of Yakutat was reached 
 on the nth of June. Here the chief of the Thlin- 
 
 ''" They found the chiefs rather diffident in accepting one of the Russian 
 medals sent out by Oovcnior Jacobi. The presence of a Spanish y>'aya<a on 
 the other side of the Island may have had something to do with it. 
 
 '■'■ Ochck of R\i3sian charts and Middletou Island of Vancouver. 
 
 ^^^ Shrlikoj; Puteah., ii. '20-31. 
 
 '^ Koriak in Ismailo/'n Journal; Kaye of Cook. Pallas, 2feue Nordische 
 Dcitnvji', V. 211. 
 
RUSSIAN RETICENCE. 
 
 209 
 
 kcct nation made his appearance, having travelled up 
 the coast from his winter residence at Chilkaht with a 
 retinue of over two hundred warriors including two 
 of his sons. Intercourse was carried on with great 
 caution, but in trading Ismailof was much more suc- 
 cessful than Dixon. In addition to his purchases he 
 ol.>tained a large number of skins from his Kadiak 
 himters, who in their bidarkas could go far out to sea, 
 where the open wooden canoes of the Thl-nkeets did 
 not dare to follow. In order to draw attention from 
 this rivalry ceremonious visits and exchange of pres- 
 ents were kept up. The Russian commander could 
 not have failed to hear of Dixon's visit, but not a 
 word about it can be found in his journal. In this 
 lie probably obeyed instructions, for even business 
 letters from the islands to Siberia were in those 
 days frequently tampered with by the authorities of 
 Okhotsk and Kamchatka, and it was the interest of 
 Shelikof and his partners to have English claims to 
 prior occupation ignored. 
 
 Ismailof dwells much upon his efforts to induce the 
 Thlinkeet chiefs to place themselves under the pro- 
 tection of Russia, and before leaving he presented to 
 Chief Ilkhak the portrait of Tsarovich Paul " at his 
 earnest request," and decorated him with one of the 
 medals sent out by the governor general of Siberia. 
 Copper plates inscribed " Possession of the Russian 
 Empire" were also buried on two points on the bay.^*^ 
 Two enslaved boys of the Cliug'"-tscli and Chilkaht 
 tribes were purchased, who pioved of great service 
 as interpreters, and in givi'ig information concerning 
 the coast southward and eastward. 
 
 From Ylikutat the Treklt SviatitcU proceeded east- 
 ward in search of another harbor. The Chugatsch boy 
 acted as pilot and pointed out the mouths of several 
 rivers, but no landing-place was discovered until the 
 
 '•• Two years later not a trace could be found of portraits, medal, or cop- 
 per plates, which makes it appear tliat Ilkhak 's respect for the Russian iiiii.c- 
 rial family was not as great as represented. lamdUofa Journal, 1 l-lo. 
 
 l-: 
 
 1 \ 
 
 M 
 
 ti'-H- 
 
 lil'l 
 
.1 « 
 
 270 
 
 FOREIGX VISITORS. 
 
 third day, when the vessel entered Ltua Bay or Port 
 des Franfais. Trade was quite active here for some 
 days, and in the mean time Ismailof carried out liis 
 secret instructions hy estabhshing marks of Russian 
 occupation at various points, and perhaps destroying 
 the monument left by La Perouse."* 
 
 The results of Ismailofs explorations during the 
 summer of 1788 were of sufficient importance to stimu- 
 late Delarof to further attempts in the same direc- 
 tion, but before following these it is necessary to turn 
 our attention to a visit of the Spaniards in the same 
 year. 
 
 Roused by the reports of La Pdrouse and others 
 concerning the spread of Russian settlements in the 
 far north, and the influx of English and other trad- 
 ing vessels, the Spanisli government in 1787 or- 
 dered the viceroy of Mexico to doHpr'^h at once an 
 expedition to verify these accounts and examine the 
 north-western coast for places that might be desirable 
 of occupation in anticipation of foreign designs. On 
 March 8, 1788, accordingly the fragata Princcsa and 
 the paquebot San Carlos, under AHerez Estevan Jose 
 Martinez and the pilot Gonzalo Lopez de Haro, set 
 sail from San Bias, with the additional instructions to 
 ascend to latitude 61° and examine the coast down to 
 Monterey ; to avoid all trouble with the Russians, and 
 to conciliate native chiefs with gifts and promises.'' 
 
 U2 
 
 " Xo reference is made in his journal to the tablets and monument placed 
 by the French, though he was informed by the natives of the visit of two large 
 ships to the harbor and saw many tools and implements marked with the 
 royal JJeiir de tin. A small anchor siniilarly marked was secured. The re- 
 ports of Ismailof and Bocharof have been preserved in their original Ijad 
 s]ielling and grammar, not easy to imitate, and we must therefore presunio 
 tliat they were written in the unsatisfactory and fragmentary shape in which 
 we find them. 
 
 "'^ A man should, if possible, be obtained from each tribe speaking a dis- 
 tinct tongue, an interpreter; frequent landings must be made for explora- 
 ting and taking possession; Russian establishments must be closely inspected 
 to ascertaui their strength, olijcct, etc. ' No debenin empciiar lance alguno 
 con los bunues rusos 6 do otra nacion.' Provisions were taken for 15 months. 
 It was at hrst proposed to send the fragatas Conccpcion and Faroritn, under 
 Tcuicnte Camacho and Alfc-rez Maurelle, but sickness and delays caused the 
 change to be made. For details of instructions, etc., see Cuarlaexploracion de 
 
 "Up 
 
JIARTINEZ AND HARO. 
 
 271 
 
 r Port 
 r some 
 3ut his 
 lussiaii 
 :roying 
 
 ng 
 
 the 
 ) stimu- 
 i tUrcc- 
 to turn 
 le same 
 
 I others 
 s in the 
 ler trad- 
 787 or- 
 once an 
 nine the 
 lesirable 
 rns. On 
 cr.s-a and 
 an Jose 
 aro, set 
 ;tions to 
 down to 
 ans, and 
 
 iises.*^ 
 
 nent placed 
 rtf two lartio 
 Id with the 
 ll. The le- 
 Iriginal bad 
 Iro presume 
 pe iu which 
 
 Iking a dis- 
 lor explora- 
 ly inspcctc-d 
 Vice algiiiio 
 115 months. 
 ^rita, uiuUt 
 1 caused tlie 
 iiiloracivn de 
 
 , Without touching any intermediate point they ar- 
 rived before Prince WiiUam Sound j\Iay 17th, anchor- 
 ing eleven days Uiter on the north side of Montague 
 Island in a good harbor, which was named Puerto do 
 riores. Here they took possession and remained till 
 the 15th of June in friendly intercourse with the 
 natives, while the boats were sent out to explore in 
 the vicinity.^'^ Without further effort to exaniip'^ the 
 sound, Martinez turned south-eastward, sighting ti>e 
 Miranda volcano on the 24th of June, and ai choring 
 at the east point of Trinity Island three day,^ later. 
 Shelikof Strait was named Canal de Flores.*' i»Iean- 
 while Haro, who had lost sight of the consort vessel, 
 sailed close along the east coast of Kadiak, and noti- 
 fied by a native of the Russian colony at Three Saints 
 he visited it, and entertained the officers in return. 
 
 Delarof, the chief of the colony, understood the 
 object of the Spaniards, and took the opportunity to 
 impress upon them that the tsar had firmly established 
 his domain in this quarter as far as latitude 52° by 
 means of six settlements with over four hundred men, 
 who controlled six coast vessels and were regularly 
 supplied and visited by three others. It was also pro- 
 Tiosed to found a station at Nootka in the followinij 
 year.^ In the interest of ruler and employers this 
 
 (lescubrimientos de la coMa setentrional tJe California haxta los 61 grados... 
 I'or. . .Jo86 Martinez. . .17SS, in I'la'/M al 2fort(', MS., No. vii. 
 
 '••No Russians were met; yet a log-house was found in a bay near tlio 
 north end of the island, probably a relic of Zaikofa wintering fnu- years 
 before. Martinez long persisted in declaring that the entrance here did not 
 lead to Prince William Sound. 
 
 '* The cast point of Trinity was called Florida Rlanca. A taciturn Russian 
 who had lived there for nine years, came on boaril njul offered to care for the 
 cross erected by the Spaniards. 
 
 '^Delarof had GO Russians and 2galeotasat his place; at Cabo de Rada 
 were 37 men; at Cape Elizabeth, 40 men; on a small island in Canal de Flores, 
 latitude 58°, 40 men; a reenforcemcnt of 70 men liad sailed for Cook Inlet to 
 sustiiin the establishment there; in latitude 52' 20' on the continent were 55 
 men and one galcota; at Unalaska, 120 men with two galeotas. Total, six 
 establishments with six galeotas and 422 mon, l)esidcs a galeotn with 40 men, 
 which annually sailetl on the coast as far as Nootka, gatliering furs and stor- 
 ing them in two magazines at Prince William Sound. Every otlier year two 
 fragatas came from Siberia with men and supplies, going as far as Xootka an<l 
 replacing the men whose tenn of service had expired, t'uarta L'xplor., in 
 Vicijea M, Norte, MS., pt. vii. 300-10. Dolarof's stories were readily believed 
 
 I I 
 
 iiil'^' 
 
 IH 
 
 
 m 
 
* : i' 
 
 P 
 
 
 ; i 
 
 272 
 
 FOREIGN VISITORS. 
 
 "("■•^ 
 
 exaggeration of facts seemed perfectly proper, and it 
 assisted no doubt to reconcile the Spanish government 
 to Russian occupation in the extreme north, but the 
 hint about a projected establishment at Nootka assisted 
 greatly to precipitate active measures by Spain, which 
 resulted only in a humiliating withdrawal on her part 
 in favor of a stronger and more determined power, 
 which effectually checked the advance of Russia. The 
 wily Greek overreached himself. 
 
 Haro now rejoined his leader, and both vessels left 
 on July 5th for Unalaska.^" While anchoring off its 
 northern point, Martinez on July 21st took possession 
 in the name of Spain, and was shortly after visited by 
 Russians from the station on the eastern side of the 
 island, to which the vessels now proceeded.**^ Here 
 they remained till August 18th, caring for the sick 
 and taking in supplies, with the kind assistance of 
 P(jtap Zoikof, the commandant. Martinez considered 
 the season too far advanced to explore the coast east- 
 ward, or even to seek Nootka, and all speed was there- 
 upon made for the south, the Princesa stopping at 
 Monterej^ in California, to recruit, while Haro lin- 
 gered for a time round the islands with half an inten- 
 tion to do something more toward the fulfilment of 
 the orders from Mexico, and then hurried straight to 
 San Bias to cover faintheartedness and neglect under 
 the i)lea probably that the knowledge obtained from 
 Russians of their doings and intentions, and of the 
 frequency of foreign visits, made coast exploration less 
 needful under the circumstances, while it was above 
 all urgent to impart the news to the governor.^ 
 
 by Haro, whose liking for the commandant was greatly influenced by the 
 similarity of his name, m its original Greek form, to his own. 
 
 "' Lighting a group called del Fuegos, the Shumagin Islands, and ' el cabo 
 donde dijeron los rusos de Kodiac (jue habia vn establecimiento de 55 indivi- 
 duos y una galeota sobre la costa firme eu 52° 20'.' Id., 312; but this must bo 
 a misunderstanding. On the Uth they anchored oflf an island recorded as 
 Kodiac, and on the IGth they sight the active volcano on Unimak. 
 
 ''The Princesa entered on July 28th; the San Carlos, again separated, 
 rejoined her a week later. There were 120 men at this place. 
 
 '"On reporting the despatch of the present expedition, Viceroy Flores 
 expressed himself to the king as if he expected that Rusaians would have to 
 
 "11 
 
FIDALGO'S SURVEY. 
 
 273 
 
 The indiscreet hint of Dclarof was not lost at 
 ^Mexico, for Viceroy Flores resolved at once to send 
 hack Martinez and Haro to secure Nootka, at least, 
 Irom Russian and other intruders, and thence to ex- 
 tend Spanish settlement if the king should so direct. 
 This expedition, and the momentous question to which 
 it gave rise, have been fully considered in my Histonj 
 of the Northwest Coast. 
 
 While in occupation of Nootka the Spaniards made 
 several exploring tours, and one of these, under Lieu- 
 tenant Salvador Fidalgo, was directed to complete 
 \vliat Martinez had left undone by examining the 
 coast from latitude 60° southward. He was pro- 
 vided with Russian and English interpreters. Ho 
 set sail from Nootka on May 4, 1790, in the paque- 
 l)()t Filipino, and entered Prince William Sound on 
 the 23d, taking the vessel into the nearest large bay 
 (lU the eastern side, which was named Menendcz. 
 After exploring its shores till June 9th ho proceeded 
 northward, naming successively the bays of Gravina, 
 Rivella Gigedo,^'' Mazarredo, and Valdes. After more 
 tlian one detention from fogs and gales Fidalgo passed 
 round to Cook Inlet in the begining of July, and 
 was piloted into Coal Harbor which he chose to name 
 Puerto de Revilla Gigedo.*" 
 
 Learning of the arrival of Billings' expedition at 
 Kadiak the Spanish commander hastened forth on 
 August 8th to meet it, but came too late. After a 
 .^hort interview with Delai of he turned eastward with 
 a \ icw to reach the continental coast and explore it as 
 
 lie ousted by force. /*/., 201. Bustamante assumes that the strength cf Mie 
 Russians alone kept the Spaniards back. Caro, Tri'sSi;/los, iii. 14S-!>. 
 
 •'* At the liead of this bay the ::i<-vonients of glaciers was attributed to an 
 active volcano which received the name of Fidalgo; the isle at the entrance to 
 the bay was called del Cond j. On l!:o western side Port Santiago was entered. 
 The north end of the sound is p'aced in 01^ 10'. Th« Indians proved very 
 fiicndly, assisting both with provi: Ions and lalwr. 
 
 *" Without paying atteni:ion to Jic reports of previous Spanish explorers 
 I'idalgo caused the Cape El:za'.)ef!i rf Cock to be explored anew, and lindiug 
 it an isle, with a harlwr to the nortlieast, he applied fresh names. Two points 
 1 1 th(! west and north in t!ie inlet were :;a.ii,d Goatou and Cuadra. lielow. 
 Cape I'^lizabeth was observed Camaubo IsLuul. 
 
 UlBT. AIaABSA. 18 
 
 nil 1 
 
m 
 
 FOREIGN VISITORS. 
 
 far as Nootka, but tho wind proved unfavorable and 
 Fidal^'o became fainthearted. No less eager tli.'in 
 he to return home, the council of officers came to re- 
 lieve his conscience bv declarinijf that the coast in this 
 latitude could not bo followed after the middle of 
 August, owing to gales and dark weather. The course 
 was thereupon changed for Nootka, but a storm com- 
 ing upon them oft* this place they passed on to Mon- 
 terey and thence to San Bias." 
 
 fMl , 
 
 J i! 
 
 At this time M. Buache of Paris had undertaken 
 to defend the existence of the interoccanic passage of 
 Maldonado,*- and impressed by so eminent authority 
 the Spanish government resolved to investigate tln' 
 matter. The connnission was entrusted to Alejandro 
 Malaspina, who about the time of Fidalgo's return 
 ha[)pened to arrive at Acapulco in command of the 
 corvettes Descubicrta and Atrecida, on a scientific ex- 
 ploring tour round the world. He accordingly set sail 
 on May 1, 1791, and on June 23d sighted land neai' 
 Ca})c Edgecumbe, entering shortly after Port Mul- 
 grave, thence to explore in boats for Maldonado's pas- 
 sage, and to take possession. The search proved 
 fruitless,'*'' and on July 5th he proceeded northward 
 past Kyak Island to Prince William Sound. After 
 a few observations in this quarter he turned southward 
 again; contented himself with a mere glance at Cross 
 Sound and the inlets below, and entered Nootka to 
 expend his main eftbrts on a recalculation of its lati- 
 
 *' The report of this cxpci.lition, including descriptions of country, natives, 
 and settlers, is given in Viajcsal Korte, MS., No. 8, under the title of Vhvji' 
 <l(l paijKthot 'Filipino' mandailo por cl ieniciite lie 7iav(o D. Salvador Fidali/o </. / 
 piiirto de 2^ootka. ..para lot nconocivni'ntoa del Principe QuiUvrmoy rio 'V 
 Cook; 343-82. Also Tahla que maiiijiff^fa, in the same collection. No. 1"; 
 lii villa G((jcdo, Informe, 140-1; Navarrete, IVaf/fs yI;)o'c., 04-C; /(/., in Sutil ij 
 Mexicaim, Viofje, cix.-xii. ; Cavo, I'res Siijlon, iii. 140. 
 
 '■Tor a consideration of this extraordinary topic, see Hist. Xorthin.<t 
 Coast, i . , this series. 
 
 ** The liay was named las Bancas, the port Desengano, and the interim i- 
 island Haenke. A very alluring description is given of the scenery and nl^ i 
 of natives, despite the incouveuience suffered from their thieving propeusi- 
 ties. 
 
JLVLASriNA AND M.UICILVXD. 27:. 
 
 tudc and louj^itiulo, whereupon he turned toward Xcw 
 Spain." 
 
 Malaspina's report, toL;ethcr with those obtaincsl 
 from Russian and other navigators, was deemed sufii- 
 cient to dissij)ate the behet' in a passage nortli of Port 
 BucareH; I)ut from tiiis point down a careful examina- 
 tion appeared U> be advisable, })artieularly with a view 
 to test the claim for Admiral Fonte's discovery, 
 which was now eclipsing that of Maldonado. A new 
 expedition accordingly departed in 1792 from Sau 
 Bias, under Lieutenant Jacinto Caamano, connnand- 
 iiig the fragata Aninzazn. After leaving at Xootka 
 certain supi)lies he proceeded on June 13th to Port 
 Bucareli, exploring in that vicinity for nearly a month 
 without arriving at any solution of his problem, and 
 then turning southward to examine with no better 
 I'csult Dixon Strait and the eastern coast of the 
 channel dividing Queen Charlotte Island from the 
 main. The strait he sought very properl}' to name 
 after its discoverer, Perez.*' 
 
 Before this, in 1701, the French were again repre- 
 sented on the Northwest Coast in the person oi' 
 Etienne Marchand, captain of the Solidc, who had 
 left Marseilles at the close of the previous 3'ear on u 
 voyage for trade and circumnavigation. He iirst 
 sighted the coast at Cape Edgecumbo on August 7th, 
 and shortly after entered Xorfolk Sound.*'' lie found 
 the natives abundantly sup})lied with European goods, 
 and inclined to drive hard bargains for the small stock 
 of furs left in their hands, so that bartering was not 
 very successful. On the 21st he proceeded to Queen 
 
 **Maktsphin, Via'je 1791, in Xavari\t,', Vukj-x Apdc, 9G-8, 2G8-"'20; 
 X'.nTirrvtf, in Sillily Me.v., Vi'i;/!', cxii.-xxiii. 
 
 ^^TIic main features of this cxploiation have been considered in I/i.-f.. 
 Xorthici'st Const, i., tliis series. Na\arretc and others are at fault concern - 
 iiig the dates of Caamano's movements. The exploration of 15ncareli 00- 
 eupicd him from June 'loth. On July "JOth he anchored at the entrance to 
 liixon Strait. A short distaTice north of this he had examined and named tiie 
 harbor of 15aylio Hn^an. Caamafio, Erpnl., Annizn-.u, in Vol. Doc. Iitdl., xv. 
 3'J3-03; Kfr.urri-lfi, iu Stitil 7/ Ma:, r«('/>', exxiii.-xxxi.; Ihrilld O'i'j'tlo, I,>- 
 Jormr, 12 <h Abiil, 170.1 144; Cciro, 7VVs .S/.'/Zcf, iii. 144. 
 
 '" For these places the Spanish names arc used. The Indians called t!io 
 sound TchinkitiimJ. 
 
 :' 
 
sir 
 
 il 
 
 > ■' 
 
 \\ i 
 
 
 979 
 
 FOREIGN ^^SITORS. 
 
 Charlotte Island, Mhcro his most valuablo explora- 
 tions were made durhiij a vain effort to find better 
 tiade.*^ Several other traders visited the southern 
 shores of Alaska during these and following years, 
 liut the few records left of their movements concern 
 cliiefly my History of the NovtJnvest CorM, to which I 
 refer the reader for text as well as maps. 
 
 The result of the Nootka controversy, brought 
 about b}" hast}' action of the Spaniards, as well as tlu; 
 belief in an interoccanic passage, revived by Buache 
 and others, and »apported by the revelation of numer- 
 ous channels all along the Northwest Coast, deter- 
 mined the English government to send an expedition 
 to this region. The explorations of Cook west and 
 north of latitude 60° were deemed conclusive, but be- 
 1< >w this point they required to be completed and veri- 
 fied. This commission was entrusted to George 
 A'^ancouver, who departed from England in April 
 1791 in the sloop Discovery of twenty guns, accom- 
 ]ianied by the tender Chatham of ten guns, under 
 Lieutenant W. R. Broughton. The year 1792 was 
 s[)ont in explorations south of tlie Alaska line, but in 
 J uly 1 793 the expedition reached the entrance of Port- 
 land Inlet and sent boats to examine its two branches. 
 The dawning hope of here finding Fonte's passage was 
 quickly dissipated, and the boats proceeded north- 
 ward through Behm Canal. On descendinsf its south- 
 western turn along Revilla Gigedo Island, as it was 
 now shown to be, Vancouver had a narrow escape 
 from a party of liaiives who attacked his boat with 
 muskets and oilier ^Yf apons. The prompt appearance 
 of the second boat changed the turn of affairs. The 
 party now passed iiito Duke of Clarence Strait — named 
 by Caaniano after Admiral Fonte — and returned to 
 the ships.*^ 
 
 " As related in Hist. Northu-ent Coast, i., this series. Marckand, Voya{i<' ait- 
 trinrdii Moiilf, i. 288-92; ii. 1 ct acq. The natives of Norfolk Sound arc spoken 
 of 11 -i extremely immoral. 
 
 '^Thc names applied on the map alor.gthis tour ai'e Portland Inlet and its 
 
VANCOUVKR'S VOYAGE. 
 
 Kplora- 
 better 
 
 (Uthoru 
 years, 
 
 joncoru 
 
 .vliicli I 
 
 brought 
 
 II as the 
 Buacbo 
 ' nunioi- 
 t, detor- 
 :peclitu)u 
 .vest and 
 , but bc- 
 and veii- 
 Georgo 
 in A\n'\\ 
 s, aecoui- 
 is, under 
 792 was 
 ic, but in 
 ofPort- 
 iranches. 
 ;sage was 
 (d north- 
 ,ts south- 
 las it was 
 \\ cscapo 
 loat with 
 ipearancc 
 Irs. The 
 •named 
 lurned to 
 
 \l,roya(icou- 
 IdavcspoUea 
 
 lulet aud its 
 
 These proceeded August 17th up the lust nauad 
 strait to tort l^roteetion on the north end of Prince 
 of Wales Island, which was reached Sei)teniber 8th, 
 iilter an intermediate stay at l\>it Stewart. The 
 lioats meanwhile explored past Capo Caanuuio, tire 
 liigliest point reached by the Spanish exi)lorer of this 
 name, and up Prince Ernest Sound round ]^uke of 
 York Island, which later discoveries dissolved into a 
 orouj). The mouth of the Stikeen was observed, but 
 not as the outlet of a large stream.*^ The season 
 now well advanced, it was resolved to terminate the 
 extensive surveys for the season and seek a well earned 
 rest in sunnier latitudes. 
 
 A'ancouver congratulated himself that " there would 
 no longer remain a doubt as to the extent or the fal- 
 lacy of the pretended discoveries said to have been 
 made by Dv, Puca and De Ponte." He had demon- 
 strated that the continent, with a range of mountains 
 broken by rivers alone, extended from Columbia I^iver 
 to beyond the northern extreme of Prince of Wales 
 Island. To the part of the main below Pitt Archi- 
 ])elago he applied the names of New Hanover and 
 Now Georgia; thence to the northern line of the 
 ]>rescnt survey, New Cornwall. 
 
 On the 21st of September the vessels left Port 
 Protection, and passed Port Bucareli, southward by 
 way of Nootka and California to the Hawaiian Islands, 
 there to winter. On March 15, 1794, sails were again 
 
 two branches, Portland Canal and 01)st'rvatory Inlet, tlie hitter oxiuiiincd 
 shortly Ijcfore by Mr Krown of the Jiiil/enrurl/i; liocas do Quadra; T.cliin 
 Canal, in honor of the Kamcliatkan governor wlio showed attention to ("duk's 
 * \l)edition in 1779; the points at its entrance were called Sykea and Alava, 
 tlie latter after the commandant at Nootka. Along this canal: New Eddy- 
 sldiie rock — resembling a lighthouse — Walker Cove, 15un'')ugh Bay, Traitor 
 (uve — to commemorate the attack by natives — Port Stewirt and Beaton 
 Island; Point Vallenar, tlic north end of Gravina Island, and Cape Northum- 
 lurland, its south i)oiut, besides a uuml)er of intermediate promontories. 
 
 '" Along the east side of Prince of Wales Island and its adjoining parts 
 are marked Moira Somul, Wedge Islaml, Cholmondeley Sound, Port (>rin- 
 <laF. The entrance to Prince ICrucst Sound is marked by points Onslow and 
 L(^ JUi'.irier, and along its course are Bradfield Canal, and Duncan Canal. 
 AUjug the western extension of Duke of Clarence Strait, Point Baker fonning 
 the north end of Prince of Wales Island, Conclusion Island, and Aflieck 
 Canal; below lie Coronation and Warren Islands, the latter facing Cape Pole. 
 
rr 
 
 m 
 
 i 
 
 1 1 
 
 ■■i ;■: 
 
 ■4 ■ • ' 
 
 
 S78 
 
 FOREIGN VISITORS. 
 
 •set for the north, and on April 5th Trinity Island was 
 siglited.^" Seven days later the Discovcnj entered 
 Cook Inlet and proceeded northward to its very heatl. 
 Finding that it was not the mouth of a large river ay 
 Cook had supposed, a fact well known to the Russians, 
 Vancouver changed the name to its present form. 
 Tlie Chathmn having arrived, both vessels visited the 
 lactory half way up the inlet in charge of Zaikof,'^ 
 and rounded Cape Elizabeth May 14th, en route for 
 Prince William Sound, where anchor was cast in Port 
 Chalmers on the west side of ]Montague Island. Boats 
 wore now sent out to examine the sonnd and adjoining- 
 lands, and the Chatham proceeded to survey tlio main 
 coast to Yakutat Bay, there to await the Discovcvij. 
 The survey of the sound resulted in a number of 
 corrections, notably on the maps of Cook, yet Spanisli 
 and other existing nomenclature was as a rule main- 
 tained. Aid was also obtained from Russian material 
 from which source the configuration of Kadiak Island 
 nnd the region westward had to be adopted.^' The 
 Russians under Baranof, who resided on Kadiak and 
 controlled chiefly establishments along the sea border, 
 observed greater reticence, as noticed in connection 
 with Ismailof's exploration; but those of the other 
 company, occupying Cook Iidet and Hinchinbrook 
 Island, were more connnunicative. They admitted 
 that the easternmost factory was on this island, 
 though trading exjieditions roan)ed beyond toward 
 Xootka. The total force em[)loyed was about f^'U' 
 liundred, independent of native emplojes. The abo- 
 
 •"Oii the .fd Akuniok Ifl.-.inl was siglitwl and iiiinuMl iifter Cliiriliof. 
 
 •'' A aiualk-r fjictovy existed liijiher ui> on the <)])i")sito western side. Alcx- 
 nndrovslc escaped ol)sevvati()n. Names were aiiplied to several points aloii ,' 
 tlie coasts and at tlic head, and the harlior at (.'ape I'^lizaheth was renaiiu d 
 I'ort Chatham. The portage from Tnni-again Arm to i'rince William Suntnl 
 Avas noticed. 
 
 ^■■' Aniuu^ the names added to the Sound chart, were Tort llainliridp', 
 Passage Canal, and Port \\'ell.s, where tlie suppoi<cd volcano of the Sjiaiiish 
 expedition is referred to merely as a moving glacier. One of the inlets i-- 
 eeived tlio name of Fidalgo, to commemorate his exjdoration. The island 
 north-east of ninehinhrook was called Hawkins. Copper River received ii'i 
 place on the chart. The water.-i of tlu' s- imd were found to have cneroaclicd 
 rapiilly on the shore line during the past decade. 
 
SEARCH FOR A STRAIT. 
 
 279 
 
 liginal population appeared exceeflingly scanty, espo- 
 lially on the sound. Vancouver "clearly understood 
 that the Ilussian government had little to do with 
 these settlements; that they were solely under the 
 direction and support of independent mercantile coni- 
 j)anies," whoso members appeared to live highly eon- 
 tented amone: the natives, exercisiniif over them an 
 iiiikience due not to fear but to atlection, and fostered 
 l;v training tiie children in the Kussian language and 
 customs." 
 
 The Discovery left the sound June 20th to join the 
 consort vessel," which was observed in Yakutat Bav 
 and instructed to follow. This bay was named after 
 jjcring "from a conviction of its being* the place that 
 ] Jeering had visited."'" A Ivussian l»arty under Pur- 
 lof, with nearly a thousand natives lVt)m Kadiak and 
 (\)ok Inlet, hunted here at the time, though amidst 
 many apprehensions, owing to the rather unfriendly 
 attitude of the inhabitants. Near by ap})earcd the 
 ./iichill, Captain .Brown, cruising along this coast for 
 tlie third consecutive season.''^ 
 
 Cross Sound was entered on July Tth, and anchoi- 
 cast in Port Althorp, on the north end of Chichagof 
 Island, called after King (j!e(>rge l)y Vancouver. From 
 lure a boat explored Lynn Canal^' which almost 
 touches the headwaters of the mi<ihtv Yukon, and 
 
 "•' ]'(ti)fourrr'i< I'o'/. , iii. 100-201. Tlio imtivcs of tlio sound were not so 
 (locilo, yet luiiilly k\ss trusted by tlio Kiissi:ins. 'I'liis assimilation of the two 
 piojilus nmst give the Ruxsiana u decided 'udvantiige over idl oilier eivilized 
 iiiit ions' for eontrolling trade. 
 
 '•'' Cape St Klias of ]\ ,-iIi Islam' was rennnied Cape Ilaniond; and lower 
 on the eoast name: were ajivlii'd to several ])oiiits. 
 
 ^•'Tlie Bering Iwiy as 1 ..ati'd l>y Cook was \otnl a niis'ake. While aj. ply- 
 ing this name to Yii):'itat, MiilL;rave was retained tor the harlior on its south 
 ^hore. The jioints iit lli" eiitiaiiee to the l)ay reirixcil the nanics Manliyanil 
 I'liilips, Port des l''iaii(,'ais was missed. As the Cfiii'liiiiii was leaviii:; Kyak 
 Island a letter came from Sliiehls, the l'',n.Ldish shii>huilder employed liy Sheli- 
 hof, otl'eriug his services. It was too late to turn hack for au interview with 
 him. 
 
 '"IJrown had sent the liullenmrth. his leadin;,' vessel, to Kngland in ITO;?, 
 eoming to this coast in the tenders JncLrill :\ni\ /'riiin h- lion. He now turned 
 for Cross Sound, with whose inlets he was well acciuainted. /</.. 207. 
 
 *' So named after Vancouver's hirth-plaee in .Noifolk. IJerners lljiy, Iknid 
 ay, I'ort Frederick, and a nuniher of I'Mpes were named, notably c;.iH;s Speii- 
 CLr and Cross at the entrance of Cross Sound. 
 
m 
 
 ii 
 
 iiii 
 
 '■ '.' 
 
 280 
 
 FOREIGN VISITORS. 
 
 i!ll, I 
 
 thence Chatham Strait for a distance, but the large 
 Glacier Bay escaped observation, although it almost 
 faces the anchorage. The Art/mr, Captain Barber, 
 from Bengal, appeared here at the time, and out of 
 consideration for the trader Vancouver stopped all 
 dealing in furs by his own men. On August 1st 
 the vessels anchored in Port Conclusion, inside Cape 
 Ommandy at the south end of Baranof Island,^ theiii j 
 to complete the survey to the line of the preceding 
 season. Lieutenant Whidbcy passed up Stephens 
 Passage, which encloses Admiralty Island, and then 
 down into the southern arm of Prince Frederick 
 Sound, where he met Master Johnstone, the other 
 boat explorer, who had examined Koo and Kuprianof 
 Island. Amid rousing cheers the combined crews cole - 
 brated the conclusion of their task, the exploration of 
 the Northwest Coast for a passage.**' 
 
 Vancouver had achieved a veritable triumph. B c 
 had left England on the 1st of April, as he observes, 
 on a fool's errand, to search for an interoceanic passage 
 south of latitude 60". The explorations and inter- 
 course of the Russians with the natives had long since 
 made them regard the passage as a niyth, and the 
 ex])edition was by them invested almost wholly with 
 political aims.*" 
 
 Failing in his quest, Vancouver at any rate was 
 able to "remove every doubt, and set aside every 
 opinion of a north-west passage, or any water com- 
 nmnication navigable for shipping, existing within tho 
 north Pacific, and the interior of the American conti- 
 
 *' Comprised l)y Vancouver in King George III. Archipelago, the shore 
 line of which was not closely marked. 
 
 ^"Much valuable information was obtained from Captain Brown of tlio 
 Jcichtll, who had navig.ited these inlets for some time. He reported the st'ix- 
 otter skins of this quarter to be exceedingly fine. Among the places named 
 on this route are Seymor Canal, Douglas Island, ports Snottisiiam and Houi;li- 
 ton, Ilolkham Bay, porta ("amdcn and Malmesbury. Kuprianof Island W'lis 
 chvssed as a peninsula owing to certain shallows which seemed to connect it 
 with the main. 
 
 '" The explorat'on being a pretext for taking possession, as Zaikof expresses 
 it. Journal, in Sitka ArcTiives, MS., vi. Sc; aso Tikhmenc/, htor., ii., and 
 Nordkche Udtrwje. 
 
NOMENCLATURE. 
 
 281 
 
 he large 
 t almost 
 Barber, 
 d out of 
 )ppecl all 
 igust 1st 
 iide Cape 
 Ij^theii' J 
 preceding 
 Stephens 
 and then 
 Frederick 
 the other 
 Kuprianof 
 3re\vs col'- - 
 loration of 
 
 mph. Ho 
 
 Q observes, 
 lie passage 
 and inter- 
 long since 
 I, and the 
 holly with 
 
 rate was 
 side every 
 jater com- 
 Iwithin th<' 
 icau conti- 
 
 nent, within the limits of our researches. "^^ In taking 
 possession for England he stretched the line only to 
 Cape Spencer, in Cross Sound, a moderation which 
 the Russians could scarcely have expected.*''* This 
 additional territory, north of New Cornwall, was called 
 New Norfolk, after his native county. It is to bo 
 observed that he generally respected the names ap- 
 j)lied by traders or foreign officials, while adding a 
 mass of new ones, and the nomenclature in his charts 
 has even in Alaska met with considerable attention. 
 On August 24, 1794, the expedition left Christian 
 Sound for Nootka, and thence by way of California 
 and Cape Horn for England, where it arrived in Sep- 
 tember the following year.'' 
 
 63 
 
 *' To this end he had made surveys far more thorough than were demanded 
 ill liis instructions, yet he felt confident that they would be approved. Van- 
 couver's Vol/., passim. 
 
 *' For the officers at the factories left him the impression that ' the Amer- 
 ican continent and adjacent islands, as far to the eastward at the meridian of 
 Kayes Island, belonged exclusively to the Russian empire.' /(/., iii. 1 15, 285. 
 llu evidently believed that they claimed beyond tliat, however, and the gov- 
 ernment certainly did, as will be seen. Vancouver found that the cross 
 ciocted by Fidalgo on Hinchinbrook Island when taking possession had been 
 respected, notwithstanding the royal name inscribed. Id., 171. Tlio marks 
 left by King in Cook Inlet could not be found. 
 
 *^ During the five years' voyage the Discovery lost only 5 men by accidents 
 and one from disease, out of 100 men, while the consort lost not a single man. 
 ii result for which the commanders cannot be too highly praised. For Libli- 
 oLrraphy and other features in connection with this expedition, see Hid, 
 Northwest Coast, i. this series. 
 
 
 igo, the shore 
 
 J Brown of th-^ 
 ported the sea- 
 V places nametl 
 Ln> and Houj;)!- 
 liof Island was 
 ]d to connect it 
 
 Aikof expresses 
 \lstor., ii., »"»'! 
 
 : 
 
 ri 
 
 V. A- 
 
CPIAPTEK XIII. 
 
 THE BILLINGS SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION. 
 
 1785-1793. 
 
 Flattkking Prospects — Costly Oittfit — The Usual Years of Prepara- 
 Tio.v — A\ Expectant World to 1!E E.vLiGiiTEyEi) — Gathering of 
 ');t(; Expedition at Kamchatka — Divers Winterings and Smp-BriLD- 
 
 , ■ "' KLIMINARY SdRVEYS NoRTH AND SoiTII — At UnaLASKA AND 
 
 xi. . -Russian Rewards — Periodio Promotion of Billings — Ax 
 St .. knce Island — Billings' Land Jocrney — Wretched Condi- 
 tion of Rcssian IIcnters — End of the TiuiirTE System — REsrx.i' 
 OF THE Expedition — Sarycuef's Surveys — Suelikof's Duplicity — 
 Priesily Performance, 
 
 II ■! 
 
 li 
 
 The most promising of all scientific exploring expe- 
 ditions undertaken by the Russian government for 
 the acquisition of a more perfect knowledge of its 
 new possessions in Asia and America was that com- 
 manded by Captain Joseph Billings, an Englishman 
 who had served under Cook. The enterprise was 
 stimulated by the report of La Perouse's departun; 
 upon a similar errand. The empress issued an ouka/. 
 on the 8th of August 1785, appointing Billings to 
 tho command of "A Secret Astronomical and Geo- 
 gr.iphical Expedition for navigating the Frozen Sea, 
 describinjx its Coasts, and asctrtaininfj the Situation 
 of the Islands in the Seas between the two Continents 
 of Asia and America."* 
 
 The senate and admiralty college confirmed and 
 sup])lemented the appointments, and in September 
 Lieutenant Sarychef of the navy was despatched to 
 the port of Okhotsk with a party of ship-builders, 
 under orders to construct two vessels in accordance 
 
 ^Salter's Geog. and Astroii. Exped., 1. 
 
 (283) 
 
person:n'el. 
 
 2S3 
 
 ^vItll plans furnished by another Enghshman, !Mr 
 Lamb Yeames. The governor general of Irkutsk 
 and Kolivansk had received instructions to furnish 
 the necessary material. 
 
 Captain Billings set out upon his journey a few 
 weeks later, accompanied by Lieutenant Hall, Sur- 
 geon Robeck, ]\Iaster Batakof of the navy, and Mar- 
 tin Sauer, secretary of the expedition." 
 
 The party did not leave Irkutsk until the 9th of 
 May 178G. Two medical officers and naturalists 
 were added at the last moment — a German, Dr. 
 ]\rerck, with an English assistant, John Main. 
 
 On the 20th the expedition arrived at Yakutsk, 
 where the accessary arrangements bad been made for 
 supplies of provisions and stores and the required 
 n leans of transportation for the dilferent divisions to 
 the mouth of tlie Kovima or Kolima river and to 
 Okhotsk. Lieut'^nant Hall was in command of the 
 latter and Lieutenant Bering of the former. Lieut(>n- 
 ;int Hall's division arrived at Okhotsk soon after Bil- 
 lings and a few attendants had I'eached that seaport 
 on the 3d of Julv. As it was found that more time 
 Would be consumed in building the ships than had 
 been expected, Billings took some steps with a view 
 of visiting the Chukchi country first, and to that 
 end placed himself in connnunication with Captain 
 Shmalef who was much respected by both Kanicliat- 
 kans and Chukchi. On the :i(l of August all tlie 
 officers, with the exception t)f Lieutenant Hall, set 
 
 ^ Sillier t,'ives the iHTSoiincldf the oxjicilitinn, ii.sit ili'jiartiil from St IVtuis- 
 I'lirj.', us follows: .loscpli I5illin;:r;, tonitnaiidcr; liiiitciiiiiit.s, IJiiljcrt Hull, (i:'Viil 
 ."■viryL-hcf, and Christian Ik-ring, ii nei)hi'\v of Vitus Hiring; Master Afanassi.i, 
 liiikof, rigi^cr mid storc-kieptr; nia.stors Anton llutlihof and Surgo'i l>ronnil;oi; 
 MUgeous, Miehfiel Uol)ook and IVter Allegri'tti; diaii;ihtsnian, Lukii N'^ronin; 
 one nicchanieiun, two ship Imildi is, two surgeon's mates, one niastei-'H mate; 
 one boat.swaiii; three 'court hunters' for stulling liirds, etc. ; eight iielty oliiei rs, 
 seven soldici-s, rilleiiien, ;;nd Martin Saiur as [private secretary and journalist. 
 At Irkutsk till, following additions were inaile: two Russian l)ookdiee]iers aii<l 
 accountants, Vas.Hily Diakonof and I'eodor K.'irpof; Lieutenant Toloshof of the 
 army, who was acquainted witli the (iiukilii language; six jietty ollieers fi-oiii 
 tlie school of navigation at Irkutsk; tiiree men who umU'istood the construc- 
 tion of skin boats; one turner, one locksinitli; lifty Cossacks coinniamled hy 
 ii fitni!:; two dniinmei"8 — iu all 09 meu in addition to the 30 from St ruteis- 
 luig. /(/., li>, 13. 
 
 , 
 
 I 
 
284 
 
 THE BILLINGS SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION. 
 
 S! ; '! 
 
 ti 'I 
 
 out for tlic Rovima River, the last named taking tlio 
 place of Lieutenant Sarychef in superintending the 
 construction of the ships. Toward the end of Sep- 
 tember Billings and his party arrived at Verkhiioi 
 Kovima, but only to find that winter had already set 
 in with great severity, and to meet with almost insur- 
 mountable difFiculties in obtaining shelter and suj)- 
 jilies. The suiferings during the winter were very 
 great on account of the extreme cold as well as tlu3 
 scarcity of provisions; but better times came with 
 spring. 
 
 The work of preparing for the northward tri[) was 
 never relaxed, and on the 25th of May 1787 the main 
 body of the expedition set out on two vessels which 
 had been constructed during the winter, the Pallas 
 and the Yasatchnoi. Near the mouth of the river 
 Captain Shmalef was found awaiting them with some 
 guides and interpreters and a large quantity of dried 
 leiiideci' meat. The ostrog Nishnekovima was reached 
 on the I7th of June. There more deer-meat was pro- 
 cured and then the expedition passed on into the 
 Arctic.^ 
 
 They steered eastward and on the 21st of June 
 reached the place where Shalanrof had perished in 
 17G2. A cross marked the spot, and another was 
 found near the remains -of huts erected by Laptief 
 and his party in 1730. Their progress was continued 
 with many interruptions until the 25tli of July, wlien 
 an observation showed latitude G9° 35' 56", longitude, 
 1G8° 54', and Billings concluded to give up all further 
 attempts and return to Nishnekovima.* 
 
 When the party arrived at Yakutsk it was found 
 
 * In ficcorilance with the imperial oukoz Billings here assumed the rank of 
 a fleet captain of the second class, the necessary oath being administered by 
 a priest brought for tliat purpose. Jd. , 09-70. 
 
 * Sauer an»l ninny of the oflicers were of the opinion that everything looked 
 favoral)lo for a passage into the Pacitic. Captain Sarychef even ofi'ercd to 
 undertake the enterprise in an open bidar, witli six men, intending to camp 
 on the beach every niglit, but Billings was deaf to all entreaties and C(in- 
 tentcd himself with inducing a majority of Ids ofhcers to sign a statenieut 
 that it would bo wiser to return to the Kovima. Id., 77-8. i 
 
EMBARKATION. 
 
 285 
 
 that a large quantity of the most important stores 
 was still awaiting transportation at Irkutsk, necessi- 
 tating a journey to that city on the part of Billings 
 and several of his officers. This little excursion 
 delayed the expedition till September 1788, when the 
 greater part of the command was once more assembled 
 at Okhotsk. The first and largest of tlie two vessels 
 destined for the voyage was not launched until the 
 following July. She was named the Slava liossiv, 
 (;rlory of Russia. The second ship, the Dohraia Na- 
 ■increiiia, Good Intent, was launched in August, but 
 was wrecked while attempting to cross the bar at 
 Okliotsk. In order to get quickly at the iron work 
 with which to build a new vessel tlie hull of the 
 Xamerenia was burned.' On the 19th of September 
 the Slava Rome sailed at last and arrived at Petro- 
 ])avlovsk on the 1st of October. Here the ship was 
 unrigged and the whole party went into winter- 
 (|uarters to await the arrival of a store-ship with 
 supplies in the spring. 
 
 Early in March 1790 additional news arrived, 
 warning Billings of the presence of a Swedish cruiser, 
 the Mercury, Captain Coxe, with sixteen guns, in the 
 waters he was about to navigate." The Slava Rossie 
 mounted sixteen brass guns, but .they were only 
 three-pounders. Despite the apprehension created, 
 no change was made in the plans. 
 
 On the 1st of May the whole expedition embarked 
 and stood out to sea on an easterly course. The voy- 
 'd'^G was tedious, no land being sighted till the 22d, 
 when the island of Amchitka appeared in the north. 
 (.)n the Lst of June the island of Unalaska was 
 
 ^ On the 14th of September a courier arrived from Russia with intelligence 
 which ahnoat put an end to further progress of the expedition. War ha<l 
 liiciken out M'ith Sweden, .and the Russian govcrnnieut was much in want of 
 money and naval otBcers. Id., 143. 
 
 " Prihylof reported that the Swedish cruiser mentioned in Billings' instruc- 
 tiiins had actually visited the Aleutian Islands during the suranicr, but in view 
 ( f tlie nbjcct misery and privations in which he found Uie Russian traders living, 
 t'li' humane Captain Coxo abstained from hostilities and even made Pribylof, 
 \\\wxa ho had questioned concerning the Russian establishments, very accept- 
 tilile presents of bread, brandy, some clotbiug, and a quadrant. Id., 2i2. 
 
M! 
 
 ( ' 1 
 
 
 ?8fl 
 
 THE BILLINGS SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION. 
 
 iiuulc, and on the 3d some natives came on boaril, 
 foliowed in the afternoon by a Russian in an ei^dit- 
 oar bidar. The latter conducted the vessel into Bob- 
 rovoi (Beaver) Bay. Here a supply of water and 
 ballast was procured and on the 13tli of June the 
 ox])edition sailed ap^ain to the north-east and north.' 
 
 In a few days Sannakh and the Sliumagin Island 
 were reached/ where the Slava liosmc was visited by 
 a large party of Aleuts who were hunting for the 
 Panof company under superintendence of a Russian. 
 On the 2Gtli of June a Russian boarded the ship; he 
 was accompanied by two hundred natives and came 
 from Shelikofs establishment on Kadiak Island. On 
 the 20th the expedition arrived in Trekh Sviatiteli, or 
 Three Saints Harbor, the site of the first permanent 
 settlement (m the island. Eustrate Ivanovich Delarof 
 was then in conunand of the colony. He told Sauei- 
 that he had despatched that year six hundred double 
 bidarkas, each manned by two or three natives, to 
 hunt sea-otters, sea-lions, and fur-seal; they were 
 divided into six parties, each in charge of a Russian 
 pcredovchik." 
 
 The establishment at that time consisted of about 
 fifty Russians, including officers of the company and 
 ^Master Ismailof, the same whom Cook met at Una- 
 laska in 1778. He was stationed at Three Saints 
 to look after the interests of the government. The 
 buildings numbered five of Russian construction, the 
 Ijarracks, offices, and counting-house, besides store- 
 houses, blacksmith, carpenter, and cooper shops, and 
 a I'opewalk. Two vessels of about eighty tons eacli 
 
 ' Saner states that the Russians then on that pai-t of the island belonged 
 to Clierepanof's comiiany, who had resided there eight years and expected to 
 lie relieved that season by a party from Okhotsk. The author dwells upnii 
 the cniel treatment of the Aleuts at the hands of the ignorant and overbear- 
 ing promyshleniki. Id., 150-01. 
 
 •■ Though writing soon after Bering's and Steller's reports were piddisli'jil. 
 Saner states that tiieso islands received their name from the 'discoverer, :i 
 Russian sailor of Bering's expedition.' The poor fellow did nothing leyond 
 dying of scurvy in that neigliborhood. 
 
 ^ JuvtuaVsJonr., MS., 1 ct seq. Sauer bestows the bighoat praise upon tic 
 strict justice and humanity with which Delarof managed the affairs of ti; .■ 
 colony. Salter's Cleo'j. ami Astron. Exixd., 170-1. 
 
SCIENCE AND RELIGION. 
 
 237 
 
 stood upon the beach, armed and well guarded, serv- 
 in<j: as a i>lace of refunrc in case of attack. Several 
 gardens planted with cabbage and potatoes, and some 
 cows and goats, added to the comfort of the settlers.^*' 
 
 In the report of Billings' visit to Kadiak mention 
 is made of the water-route across the Alaska peninsula 
 by way of Iliamna Lake. The natives persisted in 
 calling the peninsula an island, kikhtak, because they 
 could pass in their canoes, without portage, from She- 
 likof Strait into Bristol Bav, their main source for 
 supplies of walrus ivory for spear-heads, fish-hooks, 
 and various implements. 
 
 The astronomical tent, and another constituting a 
 portable church, had been pitched as soon as the ex- 
 pedition arrived, and remained standing till the Gtli 
 of July, when the Slava Home once more set sail. 
 Delarof accompanied Billings for the purpose of visit- 
 ing a Spanish frigate reported by the natives to be 
 cruising at the mouth of Cook Inlet." The com- 
 mander of the expedition also intended to visit tlio 
 Spanish ship, but the wind was unfavorable, and by 
 the 8th of July they had only reached the islatid of 
 Afognak where a settlement had already existed. On 
 the 12th ot July, in the neighborhood of Barren 
 Islands, Delarof left the Shiva Fossic in a canoe, 
 giving up all hope of reaching Cook's Inlet with the 
 j^hip. He M'as intrusted with messages for the S|)an- 
 iards and the vessel was headed for Prince William 
 Sound. 
 
 On the lOtli of July the Slava Rossie was anchored 
 
 *" During the stay of the Slcva liomc at Three Saints Bay one of the ofTiccrs 
 of the company appHcil to the priest accompanying tin; expedition toba|iti;;oa 
 native woman ■with whom he had been living several years and had ehildrei;; 
 they were then formally married, and Saner sjieaks witli nnich Katisfactiuu oi 
 tlie excellent manner in whieli their himscliold all'airs were nanaged. From 
 the promyshleniki and sailors in employ of the company much complaint 
 was heard of the high prices they were obliged to pay the company for the 
 very necessaries of life, making it almost impossible to live without becoming 
 indebted to their employci-s. Id., 173. 
 
 " On this occasion Sauer makes an evidently erroneous statement to tho 
 cfTcct that he was infonned the Spaniards were in tho habit of visiting tho 
 liussian settlements annually, exchanging provisions and sea-otter skins fur 
 hardware and linen. /(/., ISi; Jucenal'a Jour., MS., 50 et seq. 
 
288 
 
 THE BILLINGS SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION. 
 
 in the same bay of Montague or Tzaldio Island where 
 Cook passed some time in 1778. The astronomical 
 tent was at once erected on shore under a sufficicit 
 guard, while boat parties set out to explore. The 
 natives were quite peaceable in view of the formidable 
 armament of the Slava liossie, but they made bitter 
 complaints against Russian traders who had formerly 
 visited them, especially the party under Polutof in 
 1783. They were assured that they need not appre- 
 hend any ill-treatment from government vessels car- 
 rying the same flag as the Slava liotisie. It was found 
 necessary, however, to exercise the greatest vigilance 
 to prevent them from stealing.^^ 
 
 While at this anchorage, Captain Billings, who 
 thought he had reached the Cape St Elias discovered 
 by Bering, assumed, in accordance with his instruc- 
 tions, an additional rank, the customary oath being 
 administered by the priest attached to the expedition. 
 Sauer ridiculed this theory and located Cape St Elias 
 to his own satisfaction on Kaye Island. 
 
 Lieutenant Sarychef went out with a boat's crew, 
 and during an absence of three days he met several 
 parties of natives and saw the cross erected by Zaikof 
 under Shelikof's order. On one occasion the crafty 
 natives endeavored to entice him into a shallow chan- 
 nel where his boat would be left grounded by the tide 
 and his party exposed to attack. The device did not 
 succeed, however, and Sarychef heard of the danger 
 he had escaped only after his return to Okhotsk, from 
 the Aleut interpreter. After Sary chef's return to 
 the ship a very old native came on board and stated 
 that his home was on Kaye Island which he plainly 
 described. With ugard to the number and nation- 
 
 " Sauer states that on one occasion, when Billings entertained some of the 
 natives in his tent on shore, the servant set down a tray in such a manni'r 
 that a corner of it, containing somcspoons, protruded from under the tanvr.s. 
 One of the natives attempted to appropriate the spoons, but a ■\vater-?panii'l 
 lying in the tent sprang at him, seized the hand holding the plunder, and huld 
 the thief until ordered to relinquish his hold — a circumstance which, in Suucr's 
 opinion, thereafter 'kept them (the natives) honest afterwards in the dog's 
 presence.' Sititcr's Geoij. and Aslron. E.vped., 188. 
 
 |.iM: 
 
A QUIXOTIC PLAN. 
 
 :8d 
 
 where 
 oiuical 
 ifick .\t 
 The 
 lidable 
 bitter 
 rmerly 
 utof in 
 , appre- 
 els car- 
 ,s found 
 igilance 
 
 nrs, who 
 
 icovered 
 instruc- 
 :h being 
 pedition. 
 St Elias 
 
 I some of tho 
 Ih a maiiiHT 
 1 the tanviia. 
 later-gpaiiH'l 
 ler, anil huU 
 Ih, in Saiiti's 
 In the doya 
 
 ality of sliips that had visited liis people, ho was not 
 ]M)sitive, but rcnienibered well that when lio was a 
 l)(ty a ship liad approached Kayo Ishind for the first 
 liiiie. When a boat was sent ashore tho natives lied 
 into the interior, returning only after their visitois 
 had departed. They found their domiciles despoiled 
 of many articles and some provisions, while some 
 heads, tobacco, and iron kettles had been deposited in 
 their place. As this account corresj)onds altogether 
 with Steller's report of Khitrof's landing in 1741, 
 Sauer and Sarychef came at once to the conclusion 
 that Kaye Island must be the locality of Bering's 
 discovery. 
 
 Sauer conceived a wild plan of renmining alone 
 among the natives of Prince William Sound to carry 
 on explorations, with a faint hope of discovering the 
 long sought for passage into the northern Atlamtic. 
 Billings very properly refused to sanction the plan, 
 much to the chagrin of his Quixotic secretary. 
 
 A few good spars were secured for the ship and a 
 small supply of fresh fish, and on the 1st (;f August a 
 council of officers came to the conclusion that it was 
 best to return to Kamchatka. The stock of provi- 
 sions was not sufficient to niaintain the whole com- 
 pany during the winter in a country api)arently with- 
 out any reliable natural resources; the season was far 
 advanced and it appeared scarcely safe to continue 
 the work of surveying in an almost unknown region 
 with a single vessel. A south-westerly course was 
 a(lo})ted, but the winds were adverse, and by the 
 l)eginning of September the Slava Jiosste was still 
 tossing about in unknown seas, unable to obtain any 
 correct observations. A squall carried away the ^»'\ 
 mast and other spars and it was found impossible lo 
 touch at Unalaska to replenish the water-casks and 
 land the Aleut interpreters. On the 24th of Se]>- 
 tcmber one of the latter attempted suicide by cut- 
 ting his throat, despairing of ever seeing his country 
 again. The supply of water and provisions was almost 
 
 i\ f 
 
 I 
 
 Hira. Alaska. It) 
 
 H i 
 
w 
 
 (900 
 
 THE BILLIXGS SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION. 
 
 exhausted and tlicy had rcas«)ns to behove thems' 
 still iiuiiiy liundred miles from the coast of K <n- 
 chatka; hut in spite of the many evils threateniiiLi' 
 him on every side Billings continued upon his course, 
 and at last, on the 14th of October, the Slara J^ossir 
 entered the Bay of Avatcha, with a large part of her 
 crew Huifering from scurvy. 
 
 The remainder of the expedition had arrived fron; 
 Okhotsk during the summer, bringing the iron and 
 other material saved from the wrecked Dohraia Na- 
 ■iiu'i'ona, and the first thing to be done was to build 
 another ship. The ship-carpenters and a force of nun 
 were at once despatched to Nishnekamchatsk, whert; 
 suitable timber was more abundant, and the work 
 progressed vigorously under superintendence of Cajt- 
 tain Hall. The other officers passed most of their 
 time at Bolsheretsk in the enjo3'ment of social inter- 
 course with the families of government officers and 
 merchants. 
 
 One of the navigators attached to the cxp'^dition, 
 named Bronnikof, havinsr died during the mer, 
 
 Billinijs enijaijed in his stead Gerassim Prib' vln) 
 
 in the service of the Lebedef-Lastochkin company had 
 recently discovered the islands of St George and St 
 Paul, the annual retreat of the fur-seals. 
 
 Early in April 1791 the members of the expedition 
 once more assembled at Petropavl<,vsk, and orders 
 were forwarded to Captain Hall, who was toconnnand 
 the new vessel, to meet the Sbiva Hofn^ie at Bering;' 
 Island between the 2.0th and 30th of May. In cusr 
 of failure to meet, a second rendezvous was appointed 
 at Unalaska. 
 
 On the 19th of May the ships sailed out of Avatclm 
 Bay after a Idng detention by baffling winds. On tlu' 
 28th Bering Island was made, but the weather beini; 
 lK)isterous it was concluded not to wait for the con- 
 sort, but to go on to Unalaska. The first landing was 
 made on the island of Tanaga, where they found :i 
 village inhabited by women and a few old men, who 
 
IMPERIAL Rr.WARDS. 
 
 291 
 
 K .n- 
 [itcnin;j; 
 coursi', 
 
 b of licr 
 
 Bcl frcim 
 ron and 
 ilia i\""- 
 to build 
 e of men 
 k, \vh<M»i 
 ho work 
 
 of Cap- 
 
 of tlioir 
 ial iuter- 
 icers ami 
 
 [cpoditifm, 
 
 nier, 
 
 1 vlio 
 
 ipaiij'bad 
 
 o and St 
 
 Ixpedition 
 id orders 
 
 Iconmiand 
 
 it Bcrini;' 
 
 In case 
 
 ippointed 
 
 Avatclia 
 
 On tlu' 
 
 her bein-' 
 
 the con- 
 [iding" was 
 b found :v 
 \uon, Nvbo 
 
 explained that all the able-bodied hunters had been 
 carried ofi' to the east>vard by Lukanin an<l his eom- 
 ])any. The people complained that this paity bad 
 also taken with them many women. The Aleuts car- 
 ried to Kamchatka ajjainst their will, duriui' the last 
 voyage, were here set ashore with no other compensa- 
 tion than a few articles of clothinijf, a little tobacco, 
 and a brief document cxemptinj^ them from compul- 
 sory services with the trading companies. 
 
 On the 25th of June the harb(>r of Illiuliuk on 
 Unalaska Island was reached, but nothing had been 
 heard of Hall and his vessel. Billings at once de- 
 clared that he would give up his former intention to 
 make a thorough exjtloration of Cook Inlet and vicin- 
 ity, and proceed at once to St Lawrence Bay, in the 
 Chukchi countr}^ after depositing at Unalaska some 
 j)rovisions for Captain Hall with a few men to guaid 
 tliem.'^ Instructions were also left tor the consort to 
 immediately follow the Slava Rossii- to St Lawrence 
 Bay. The othcers, especially Saryclief and Sauer, 
 were greatly disappointed at this change of ])lans, 
 and the latter in his journal expressed the o[)inion 
 that too rapid promotion had an evil eft'eot on Ca[)tain 
 Billings, who seemed to have lost all ambition to make 
 discoveries, and haughtily refused advice from the 
 most experienced of his companions.'* 
 
 After landing the men and provisions for Hall, the 
 
 " The men left there wore Surgeon Allegretti, Ensign Ivan Alexei'ef ami 
 (.lie sailor, hi., 229. Juvenal, Jour., MS., 27 et seq., refers to the doings of 
 Vm Lelxidef-Lastochkin Company. 
 
 " Sauer uses the following strong Language: 'Xothing in the world could 
 Imve aflbrded mo less satisfaction than tliis resolution, wliiuh I regarded as 
 tiio conclusion of an expedition that was set on foot witli unbounded liber- 
 ality l)y the most magnaninkous sovereign in the world; which had raised the 
 expectation of all nations to the highest pitch, and induced niankiiicl to an- 
 ticipate the satisfaction of obtaining the most complete knowledge of tlio 
 j-'ri.gi-aphy of this unknown part of tlie globe, togetlier with a conviction of 
 tlie existence 01 non-existence of a north-west passage. But, alas! after so 
 many years of danger and fatigue; after putting the government to such an 
 extraordinary expense; after having advanced so far in the attempt, even at 
 the very time when we were in hourly expectjition of our comfort, and, aa 
 aplieared to nje, being just entering upon the grand part of the undertak- 
 ing', thus to abandon it was the most unaccountable and unjustitiablu of ac- 
 tiutis.' Samr's Utioij. and Antroii. Exytd., 230. 
 
 !i 
 
 y 
 
 i 
 
 I, I 
 
 ■j li 
 
 -I '■'■ 
 
 \ 
 
 '■\'^ 
 
 D 
 
^! : ' 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 ' 
 
 \^ ' 
 
 If IB. 
 
 f 1 
 
 t 
 
 i 
 
 i, 
 
 
 
 H 
 
 ■\'\ 
 
 
 r^ 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 ! i 
 
 ■ 
 
 1- 
 
 292 
 
 THE BILLIXGS SCIENTiriC EXPEDITION. 
 
 Slava liOffftie put to sea on the 8th of Julv. Passiii'' 
 through tiic Pfibylof and St Matthew islands, they 
 nuid( land on the 20th of Jub\ which turned out tv) 
 be Clcrke Island (St Lawrence). Billings landed in 
 person; the natives who had been discerned walking 
 on the beach disappeared as soon as the boat ap- 
 l)roa(hed the shore. The party returned in the 
 evening, having visited some abandoned habitations 
 and met' some domesticated dogs. A party of natives 
 crossing a lake in the direction of the ocean beach 
 was frightened back by a musket-shot fired to warn 
 Billings, who had strayed some distance by himself. 
 
 On the 27th of July the explorers at last caught 
 sight of the American continent, in the vicinity of 
 Cape Rodnc}'-. Billings, with the naturalist, draughts- 
 man, and two other officers were landed in boats. 
 The party made a fire of drift-wood on the beach and 
 then dispersed in seqirch of inhabitants. A few were 
 found, and friendly intercourse was established by 
 means of an Anadir Cossack who spoke the Chuk- 
 chi language. The natives conducted their visitois 
 to a temporary dwelling and treated them hospitably. 
 The following day some trading was carried on and 
 the explorers returned to the ship with considerable 
 difficulty owing to stormy weather.'^ 
 
 On the 2d of August the expedition reached its 
 highest latitude, Go" 23' 50", sighting the islands in 
 mid-channel of Bering Strait, and the following day 
 the Slnva Rossie anchored in St Lawrence Bay. From 
 this point Billings proposed to set out overland, with 
 a small party, in the direction of the Kovima, while 
 Sarychef was to take the vessel back to Unalasjia. 
 Two guides and interpreters, Kobelef and Dauerkin, 
 had been on the coast ever since 1787, awaitiuLT tl:i' 
 
 '■"'A l)iilar, purcliascd from the natives, with four snih>rH, did not it, nil 
 the t^hip till tliu Illst. Tlie men reported that they had lieeii cast jishon'. j i. 1 
 •it (laylii-'lit fuiiiid themselves snrrouuiled ))y a ninnher of natives, v ith \\lii iii 
 tlii'y ti:.ded, though givii);^ theui a had eharaeter. SaiRT remarks en this 
 <ifea.)i(iii: ' I eannot ).'ues9 nhat articles of trade tJiey hail ; hut they (>)itiii:ii A 
 8evev.ll skinu of l:'ack and red foxes, martens, etc. I hope that thenativis 
 liad I'ut tlio gi'c'uter reason to cou4>laiu.' Jil.,'2i~. 
 
AN OVERLAND JOURNEY. 
 
 20.1 
 
 H, dill not 11 ;n 
 
 expedition, and Billings lost no time in perfecting 
 jircparations for his dangerous journey, taking his final 
 departure on the 13tli of August/" 
 
 The commander appeared confident of his purpose, 
 but those lie left on the ship by no means shared that 
 feeling. They considered the large quantity of goods 
 carried as presents an additional danger, which proved 
 true according to the report of the journey. As soon 
 as they left the coast they found themselves com- 
 jilctely in the power of the Chukchi \ ho were to 
 accompany them across the country. The}' were led 
 over a roundabout route and systematically robbed at 
 every opportunity. As iheir store of goods decreased 
 the insolence of the natives increased and on more 
 tlian one occasion they narrowly escaped slaughter. 
 
 On the day after Billings' departure Sarychcf sailed! 
 f'lr Unalaska. The Slava Rossie was now but ill pro- 
 vided with food, water, and firewood, but anxiety on 
 account of Hall with the consort made it necessary 
 to steer for the Aleutian isles instead of proceeding 
 to Petropavlovsk for supplies. The passage was com- 
 paratively short, however, and on the 28th of August 
 they anchored once more in Illiuliuk harbor. Captain 
 ]Iall had arrived there a few days after Billings' 
 departure and sailed foi St Lawrence Bay in accord- 
 ance with instructions: thence he returned, arriving 
 three days later. 
 
 The anchora^j chosen for the two vessels during 
 tlio winter was ft lon<;itudinal cove on the west iside 
 of Illiuliuk Bay, protected by a low island, now con- 
 nected with the adjoining shore by a narrow neck. 
 Some shops and huts for oiliccrs were erected, but the 
 greater part of the crews remained on board of tlie 
 l^htnt J'ossie and the ChcrnnI Orel, or l^lack Eagle, 
 as Captain Hall's vessel had been named. Sauer 
 intimates that the principal reason of the sailors fi.r 
 
 " The ooniprfny niimhcrcd 12 — Cf pt. Billings, P>- Merck the naturalist aii'l 
 !::■< iissistniit ^Ir Main, Miistera IJflti.kof nml (Jilcicf of tlio navy; \'an«niii, 
 tlio i'riiii;_'litsnian, and Lcniiin, mirjrenn s mate; the two intenrcters. Koliehf 
 uiil J>aiit'rkiu, aud two Boldiers and a boy attc^'diny on the cai)taiu. Id., lljo. 
 
 iff 
 
 
294 
 
 THE BILLINGS SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION. 
 
 m 
 
 remaining on board was, tliat while on the ships thoy 
 were entitled to a daily allowance of btandy which 
 could not have been issued to them on shore. Tlu- 
 officers doomed to pass a wretched winter in tliis 
 desolate place were captains Robert Hall and Gavril 
 Sarychcf, Lieutenant Christian Bcrinjjf, Suri^con- 
 niajor llobeck, Surgeon Allegretti, and Bakof, Bakii- 
 lin, Erling, Pribylof, and Sauer. Billings' orders had 
 been to collect tribute i'nnn the Aleutian ic>les, and 
 Hall took the necessary steps to notify the natives of 
 his purpose. The Aleuts came voluntarily with cou- 
 tributions of fox and sea-otter skins, especially aftei- 
 it became known that the government officers gen- 
 erally returned the full value of the skins in trinkets. 
 In the expectation that at least one of his shi;;. 
 would winter at Unalaska, Billings had given »)r(!<'rs 
 that stores of dried fish should be prepared, and lliis 
 order had been generally obeyed by the natives; but 
 with all that the crews of the two vessels were Imt 
 j)oorly provided for the long, cold winter. The knowl- 
 edge of the dreadful suflcrings of their predecessors 
 in that harbor, Captain Levashef and his crew, nl" 
 tlie Ki-enitzin ex})edition, in 17G8, may have hastened 
 the coming of the scurvy; at all events, a month 
 had not passed before several men were attacked with 
 it, and before the end of the year one victim Wiis 
 buried. With the new year the disease became nior. 
 violent, and toward the end of February 17*.)2 tiny 
 bui'ietl as many as three in one dav. In jMarcli ;i 
 change for the better set in, after seventeen of the 
 best men had found their ijfraves. With the LTreati'^t 
 difficulty the two ships were brought into condition 
 to undertake the return voyage to Betropavlovsk, but 
 Uie task was at last accomplished on the Kith of May. 
 During the winter tribute had been collected from 
 about five hundred natives, amounting to a dozen sea- 
 otter skins and six hundreil foxes of different kiiuU, 
 and in return for these all the trinkets and tobacco, 
 (juite a large (piaivtity, had been distributed. A party 
 
X. 
 
 mPUDEXT CHUIvCHL 
 
 205 
 
 ) ships thoy 
 andy which 
 ihore. The 
 iter ill this 
 and Gavril 
 ;, Surn^eoii- 
 akof, Baku- 
 ' orders had 
 .11 ibles, and 
 e natives of 
 [y with oon- 
 >ecially after 
 officers ^ei\- 
 ; in trinkets, 
 if his sh';:.- 
 triven or(!t'i> 
 red, and this 
 natives; hut 
 dIs were l>ut 
 I The knowl- 
 predeeessors 
 lis crew, of 
 ive hasteiud 
 ts, a month 
 taeked with 
 victim was 
 K'came move 
 y \7\)-2 they 
 n ^larch a 
 teen of the 
 Ithe greatest 
 t<» eoiKhtitui 
 Lndovsk, hut 
 l«;th of May. 
 lUected from 
 L dozen sea- 
 k'lent kiiuU, 
 luid tohaccii. 
 Id. A pari y 
 
 consisting of some Russians from Shehkofs cstahhsh- 
 ment at Kadiak and some natives had })aid a visit to 
 the winter-quarters of the expedition in search of 
 syphiUtic remedies, brandy, and tobacco. The fc^'iiier 
 they obtained from the surgeons together witli proper 
 directions for using them. The natives with this 
 ])arty made many complaints of ill-treatment at the 
 hands of Russian promyshleniki, which Sauer con- 
 sidered well founded." 
 
 The return from Unalaska was accomplished with 
 l)etter despatch than might have been expected from 
 tlie miserable condition of the vessols. On the 7tii 
 (if June the Slant I^ossie lost sio-ht of the Cltrnmi 
 (h'cl, and on the IGth the former vessel entered 
 Avatcha Bay. An English ship, the JIalci/oit, Cap- 
 tain Barclay, was in the harbor, with a cargo of iion- 
 ware and ship-chandlery much needed on the coast, 
 hut the stupid port authorities would not allow the 
 ca])tain to dispose of any of his goods. 
 
 The explorers were anxious to proceed to Okliotsk, 
 l)ut decking it impracticable to enter that p(»rt uitli 
 the Sla.'a Jiossic it was concluded to despatch the 
 C/trrmd On!, with as many members of +he expedi- 
 tion as she could carry, while tlie remainder awaited 
 tlie arrival of the annual transport vessel iV(»iii 
 Okhotsk, Shortly after the sailing <»f tlu' first (h'- 
 tacliment news was received from Captain BiUiii^.^ and 
 liis party. They hatl undergone the greate>t sulhr- 
 ings, but were then, in February 17l»"J, on the river 
 Angarka within a few days' mari'h of the K(»\iuia. 
 Tlie object of the dangerous journey had to a great 
 ext»M)t been frustrated by the restrictions ini]»ose(| 
 upon the helpless explorers by the impudent Chukchi. 
 
 " lie also Bays: 'Shelikhof lias fornicd a projit't to ohtnin tlm sole priv- 
 ilcm- of carrying on this tratlii witlimit a rival, ami lie will prohahiy, niif day 
 nr other, BiU'foi-il ; but not Itutore tiie soanity of tins k'.><si'ns flu' value nf thi.s 
 iiaiU' ami rendern fronli cn])ital necesKary for inakin>; new I'xciiision.s to dis- 
 t'H\cM" other sourees of eonmieree, or I'atlu'r of weallli; tiien the ilXeetoi.s of 
 tlie present eoncern will explore the rej,'ioim of Ain"reia, ami if notiiiii„' 
 auvantaj^eous oi'curn, they will tloulitles.s retire from the eoneern, seeuic in 
 their pos.HeMtiiunti, untl leave liic new nienjlieiK tu purbue the iimleiiaKing.' 
 J'l., -JTo-O. 
 
soft 
 
 THE BILLINGS SCIENTinC EXPEDITIOX. 
 
 They had destroyed the surveying outfit and would 
 not allow any notes to be taken or calculations to be 
 made. Captain Billings communicated his intention 
 of proceeding to Yakutsk with all possible speed and 
 desired Sauer to join him there as soon as practi- 
 
 18 
 
 M ^i 
 
 cable. 
 
 Letters from St Petersburg were received about the 
 same time, announcing that a French vessel, under 
 the flag of the republic, had sailed for Petropavlovsk, 
 and ordering that every facility of trade should be 
 afforded to the supercargo, a M. Torckler. A few 
 days later the ship arrived and was found to be the 
 JjCi Flavia — also heard of on the American coast — 
 with a crew of sixty men besides tlie officers. Her 
 cargo consisted chiefly of brandy. One cannot but 
 note the difference in official action with regard to 
 the useful cargo of iron-ware brought by Barclay the 
 same year, and that of the La Flavia, consisting of 
 the chief element of destruction and ruin amonu the 
 half-savafje inhabitants of that region. The French 
 ship remained during the whole winter, petailing the 
 cargo, for nobody in Petropavlovsk had the means to 
 buy it in bulk. She sailed June 1, 1793, for Canton. 
 
 Thus came to an end, as far as concerns the Russian 
 possessions in America, an expedition inaugurated on 
 a truly magnificent scale after long years of prepara- 
 tion. The geographical results may be set down at 
 next to nothing, with the exception of the thorougli 
 surveys of Captain Bay in Illiuliuk Harbor on Una- 
 laska Island. Every other part of the work had 
 alreadv been done by Cook. The knowledge obtained 
 by Billings during his march from St Lawrence Bay 
 to the Kovima proved of no great importance, based 
 as it was to a great extent on hearsay from the 
 treacherous Chukchi, who would not allow any meiu- 
 
 '"Thc mcnil)ers of the expedition still at Petropavlovsk wcro Cant. Brrin^r, 
 M)iHt< IS Biikof and lljikulin, Mr Suiicr, and Surgeon-general RobccK. Major 
 SSliniak'f was iu coinniaud of the province. Jd., *JSo. 
 
RESULTS. 
 
 297 
 
 bcr of the band to make personal observations;. An 
 important feature, however, was the prcHmiiiary ex- 
 perience gained by Sarychef, wlio subsequently pub- 
 lished the most complete and reliablo charts of tlio 
 Aleutian Islands, a work upon which, as far as the 
 territory included in Sarychef's own observations is 
 concerned, even Tebenkof could make few if any iui- 
 provements. Their reliability stands acknowleclj,'^ed 
 to the present day. But few corrections have been 
 made in his special chaFts of harbors by modern sur- 
 veys, As far as it is possible to judge now, it seems 
 that Martin Sauer's estimate of his commander was 
 nearly correct, and we may concur in his opinion that 
 tlie failure of the expedition in its chief objects was 
 due to the leader's incapacity and false pride, which 
 prevented him from accepting the advice of others 
 v.ell qualified and willing to give it; but there wore 
 also other reasons, as we shall see. It was almost a 
 miracle that he did not furnish a tragic finale to a 
 series of blunders by losing his life during his fool- 
 hardy journey through the country of the Chukchi. 
 
 The principal benefit derived from this costly 
 undertaking was the ventilation of abuses j>ractised 
 by unscrupulous traders upon helpless natives. The 
 authorities in Siberia and St Petersburg became at 
 last convinced that an end must be put to the bar- 
 barous rule of the promyshleniki. The cheapest and 
 easiest way to accomplish this was to grant control of 
 the whole business with American coasts and islands 
 to one strong company that might be held responsible 
 to the government for its conduct. Those members 
 (if the Billings expedition who revealed the unsatis- 
 i;ictory state of affairs in these outlying possessions 
 of Russia did not intend to aid Slielikof and his part- 
 ners in their ambitious scheHies, ))ut such was tlie 
 I'lfcct of their reports. Another result was to abolish 
 tlie custom of collecting tribute from the Aleuts; the 
 iiH'thod introduced by Sar^'chef — to return the full 
 value in tobacco and trinkets for skins tendered as 
 
■I 
 
 1 11 
 
 THE BILLINGS SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION. 
 
 tribute — would have eftbctually prevented the govern- 
 ment from deriving any benefit from that source. 
 
 If the expedition revealed abuses it also gave rise 
 to others. Many private individuals enriched them- 
 selves by contracts for supplying the expedition at tlu' 
 ditferent stages of its progress, especially at Irkutsk, 
 Yakutsk, and Okhotsk. Sauer mentions in his jour- 
 nal that on his return voyage he found the officials at 
 Yakutsk, whom he had left in comparative poverty, 
 in much improved circumstances, bordering uj)on 
 affluence, and he ascribes the change to the fact that 
 these people had been engaged in furnishing horses 
 for the transportation of stores to the Kovima and to 
 Okhotsk. 
 
 The experience gained in the way of navigation and 
 management of similar expeditions was of some value; 
 and in this connection it is rather a significant fact that 
 during the first voyage of the Slava Rome, under the 
 immediate command of Billings, the scurvy was suc- 
 cessfully combated,*" yet in the following year the 
 two ships had been anchored in Illiuliuk harbor but 
 a few weeks when the dreaded disease broke out with 
 such violence that the combined eftorts of Saryclut" 
 and Hall, two medical men, and Martin Sauer failed 
 to arrest its ravages. 
 
 With regard to the supplementary instructions rel- 
 ative to the Swedish cruiser Mcrcunj, nothing was done 
 by Billings, though the vessel did visit the Aleutian 
 Islands according to the report of Pribylof. The ixy- 
 prehensions on this account seem to have been great. 
 A set of minute instructions was furnished to traders 
 on the islands, to regulate their conduct in case tlif 
 privateer ap{)eared, but in Pribylof's intercourse witli 
 
 "llillini^s, formerly of Cook's expedition, had evidently learned sonietliiiu' 
 of tlint navigator's cll'ective method of coniliating the scurvy. The surgeon's 
 journal contains the following remarks: 'It was only toward the end of the 
 Voyage, when our bread was out and \\v were reduced to a short allowance of 
 water, that the scurvy made its aiipeurauce. At this time pease and grits, 
 lioiled to a thick consistency in a small (piantity of w.atcr, and buttercil, 
 Were suh.stituled for salted provisions. The primary symptoms of scuny 
 then apju-ared, hut on arriving at Tetropavlovsk a treatment of bleeding, thin 
 drink, uud fresh lish restored all hands iu u very short tune.' /(/., 20H-<J, 
 
 ii;;: 
 
INCEPTION OF J*IONOPOLY. 
 
 299 
 
 le fjovern- 
 urce. 
 gave rise 
 led theiii- 
 iion at tlu' 
 t Irkutsk, 
 1 his jour- 
 officials at 
 B poverty, 
 ring U])()ii 
 3 fact that 
 in<jr horses 
 ima and to 
 
 gation and 
 onic vahir; 
 lit fact that 
 , under the 
 y was suc- 
 ; year the 
 harbor but 
 e out witli 
 Sarychef 
 auer failed 
 
 ictions rel- 
 |g wasdoni' 
 t Aleutian 
 The ai- 
 k'en great. 
 to traders 
 11 case the 
 nurse with 
 
 |i»c(l BOiiiethiii,' 
 The surgeons 
 Ithc enil of tin; 
 rt iiUowaiu'i' if 
 1(180 iiiul urits, 
 1 aiitl Imtti'ioil, 
 Dins of si'iii^y 
 blocdinn, tliiu 
 tiL, -iOH-y. 
 
 Ca])tain Coxe, the former did not use any of the pre- 
 cautions enjoined. 
 
 20 
 
 The hand of the future monopolists can be dis- 
 cerned, shaping events, from a period preceding that 
 of Billings' expedition, though perhaps Martin Sauur 
 Mas not able to see it. Notwithstanding his belief to 
 the contrary, the members of the Shelikof Company, 
 already in virtual possession of their exclusive privi- 
 leges of trade, were then making strenuous eflbrts 
 to extend operations instead of drawing out of the 
 business. Shelikof, Baranof, and Delarof knew far 
 better than Billings' sanguine secretary what wealth 
 was in the country. Where he saw nothing but indi- 
 cations of quick decline, energetic ])reparations were 
 ill progress for a healthy revival of business. For 
 many years after the period set by Sauer even the 
 vessels of small opposition companies continued to 
 visit the islands antl portions of the mainland. 
 
 One proof of the confidence of Shelikof in the 
 stabilitv of the business for manv years to come is 
 furnished by his efforts to establish a settlement in 
 
 '"Tlie instructions issued iu 1790 to the Sheliiiof-Oolikof Company con- 
 tainotl tlie following: 'Necessary measures will be taken in accordance with 
 secret instructions, l)y order of the empress, to protect the estjddislnnents of 
 the com|>any and its stores of goods and furs against the attacks of pirates, 
 %vliich have Ikjcii sent out for that puriKise by the Swe<lish government, mnlci- 
 the connuand of Englisli captiiins, ami all possilde means will be employed to 
 avert this danger, tlireatening the Imnters as well as the company's |)i'opcrt}'. 
 It, in spite of all precautions, these privateers enter any Itussian harl>or or 
 land ])urtic.s of men, eflbrts must be made to repulse them, and, if possible, to 
 cajiture and detain them. In such a case a party of natives will be formed, in 
 bicla.'kas, decorated with beads and paint; tliey will approach the vessel witli 
 sii;ns of mlmiration and friend.ship, beckoning to the jieoiile on itoard to land, 
 displaying sea-otter skins, and j)resentiug them with a few. Having in this 
 way induced as many as pcssible of the crew to land, the natives will met t 
 thciu \vith their customary dances and all signs of satisfaction, in the mean 
 time endeavoring to decoy the vessel into some dangerous place, huring all 
 tills time not one Russian must show himself, lint tlu'y must all l>e hidden in 
 convenient places prepared for that purpose, ami when the deliidetl ]iarty 
 approtiches some defile or ambusli, the hidden Kussian^s will emergi' at .'i giv< n 
 fignal to attiick lx>th the vessel and the men on shore, endeavoring to captiiie 
 the leaders, etc' In case of fortune favoring t'le hostile visitors the in.stiiic- 
 tions direct that, 'if ix)s8ible, tlie most important among the I'lissian.s or 
 natives must endeavor to escape in bidars or hidarkas by pa.s.siigcs where the 
 Siiiji I'annot follow, while others may apjiroacli tip' vessel at night and attemi't 
 to scuttle it or cause it to leak.' Tikhmtiie/, hlor, Obotr., i. 33-4. 
 
 '! n 
 
 ■A 
 

 1" 
 
 't 
 
 il' 
 
 f , ' 
 
 Bliii: 
 
 il 
 
 soo 
 
 THE BILLINGS SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION. 
 
 tlvo vicinity of Cape St Elias and to begin sliip-build- 
 ing there. "I have maJe representations to the 
 goveinnient," he wrote to Baranof, "with reganl to 
 8hip-building and agriculture at Cape St Eha.s. Dur- 
 ing my sojourn at Kadiak it was known to me that 
 the mainland of America from Unga Island to the 
 regions inhabited by the Kenai enjoys better climatic 
 conditions than the island of Kadiak. The soil is fit 
 for cultivation, timber is plentiful," etc. Baranof 
 wrote in reply that he entertained no hope of suc- 
 ceeding in agricultural experiments at Yakutat, espe- 
 cially near the coast, as the place was situated between 
 50" and G0° north latitude. He also stated that the 
 shores of the gulf of Chugachuik and portions round 
 Kcnai were composed of very high and rugged moun- 
 tains. 
 
 The peculiar search for agricultural lands outside of 
 Kadiak shows plainly that the wily traders were not 
 in earnest in their search. Kadiak is the spot most 
 favored by nature as far as climate and soil are con- 
 cerned. No other place in all that vast region can 
 furnish feed for cattle or boast of rich fisheries, useful 
 tindxT, and fertile vegetable-gardens in close prox- 
 imiiy to each other. But all this was carefullj' hidden 
 from the knowledge of the government and attention 
 was drawn toward a region wdicre failure was a cer- 
 tainty, in order to obtain the services of such laborers 
 and mechanics as might be forwarded from Siberia 
 in conformity with Shelikof's representations to the 
 imperial court. It w-as a wily scheme and proved 
 successful with regard to the introduction of skilled 
 labor into the colonies without nmch expense to tiro 
 company, who obtained the privilege of selecting useful 
 men among Siberian exiles and convicts. The best of 
 tht'se picked men, as we shall see in a succeeding chap- 
 ter, never reached the proposed settlement at Yakutat, 
 and the few who did perished or were captured during 
 the sacking of the place by the Thlinkects. 
 
 It is safe to presume, also, that Billings had reasons 
 
SAUER'S RErORT. 
 
 331 
 
 for not Joing anytliiiii^ against the men who wcro 
 jiivparing to assuniu su])ren)o control over the Russian 
 ])()ssossions in America, despite a little episode witli 
 ills Itussian secretary at Petropavlovsk, who was sent 
 baclv to Okhotsk in irons, because he had revealed 
 some of the secret instructions of his commander to 
 iiR'Uibers of the Shelikof Company.^* His strange 
 apathy in the matter of making new discoveries or 
 surveys in the vicinity of Cook Inlet and Prince Will- 
 iam Sound may have bcni due to iniluence brought 
 to bear from that direction, and not, as Sauer inti- 
 mates, to mere superciliousness and pride engendered 
 by raj)id promotion. 
 
 In the case of subsequent government expeditions 
 jiiul inspectors visiting the colonies the same influence 
 lu'came more perceptible and undeniable, a circum- 
 stance which justifies us, to a certain extent, in view- 
 ing in a similar light the results of this expedition 
 and the events recorded in this chapter. 
 
 An enterprise that objected to general competition, 
 and especially one with unscrupulous men at its head, 
 was sure to bring about the employment of question- 
 able means in its furtherance. Bribery was the easiest 
 and perhaps the most innocent means employed to 
 secure imnumity from interference by either goveni- 
 n)ont or rival traders, and there is ground for suspicion 
 that it was brought into play during the cruise of the 
 iSbwa Jios.sie. 
 
 The subordinate members of the expedition, cap- 
 tains Sar3'chef and Hall, tlto medical men and rfauer, 
 appear to have taken the side of the suii'ering natives 
 iigainst the grasping .traders, but in the official reports 
 to the ijovernment these men had no voice. Billinn's' 
 iv])ort has never been published, and we can only 
 conjecture its tenor. The journal and notes of jNIartin 
 Sauer were published nearly ten years later, and couM 
 in no way have mfluenced the liussian government. 
 
 "/(/.; 213. 
 
 i 
 
 ! 
 
I \ 
 
 HI! 
 
 ! 
 
 'i -r 
 
 THE BILLINGS SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION. 
 
 That the traders did not like the presence of gov- 
 ernment officers among them was but natural. Tliu 
 officers belonged to a class far above any of the trad- 
 ers in social standing as well as rank, and they took 
 no pains to conceal their contempt for the semi-bar- 
 barous plebeians. Individuals of some education, like 
 Delarof, met with a certain degree of consideration, 
 but all others were treated like dogs. Even Baranof, 
 after he had been in supreme command of the colonies 
 for many years, was snubbed by lieutenants and mid- 
 shipmen of the navy, and it was found necessary to 
 obtain for him a civil rank in order to insure even 
 common respect from government officials. Under 
 such circumstances the merchants considered them- 
 selves justified in resorting to any means by wlii(;li 
 officers might be disgusted with the country and ex- 
 ploring expeditions made to appear unnecessary to the 
 government. 
 
 In the case of Sarychef, Hall, and Sauer, who 
 passed a winter on Unalaska Island, this i)lan seems 
 to have worked satisfactorily, as not one of them had 
 anything good to say of a country where they suffered 
 intensely from scurvy and lack of provisions. The fact 
 that a party of Russians and natives from Kadiak 
 visited the expedition in its winter-quarters demon- 
 strates the possibility of carrying on the work of 
 exploration and surveying on Unalaska and neigh- 
 boring islands during the winter, but no such attempt 
 was made, though the whole company suffered from 
 the effects of inactivity. With the example before 
 them of the Kadiak party, already referred to in the 
 earlier pages of this chapter, strengthened by that 
 of Martin Sauer, who almost alone retained compara- 
 tively good health by constantly moving about, it is 
 difficult to find any valid reason for the apathy shown 
 by the officials in command. The work actually ac- 
 ooniplished by Sarychef must have been completed 
 liefore the appearance of the scurvy. Sauer's original 
 ambition, which caused him to make the foolhardy 
 
MISSIONARY EFFORTS. 
 
 303 
 
 proposition of remaining alone among thcChugatschos, 
 seems to have cooled, and after returning to Kamt- 
 cliatka he confined his visionary plans to the ex})lor- 
 ation of the Kurile Islands and perhaps Japan or 
 China. We have no record, however, that any of his 
 plans reached the stage of execution. 
 
 In support of his schemes Shelikof had been the 
 prime mover in the recjuest to have a missionary 
 establishment appointed for the colonies, and in his 
 reports he claimed to have converted large numbers 
 of natives to Christianity. It is safe to presume, how- 
 ever, that his success as a religious teacher was not 
 .suilicient to prepare the field for the priest attached 
 to Billings' expeditions, who evidently considered that 
 his whole duty consisted in holding services for his 
 companions once a week, and in administering the 
 customary oath to Captain Billings whenever the 
 latter assumed an additional rank in accordance with 
 the imperial oukaz containing his instructions. On the 
 second voyage from Petropavlovsk the commander did 
 not expect further j)romotion, and we find no mention 
 of the priest. He was probably left behind as one 
 whose earthly work was done. Sauer gave him a bad 
 cliaracter and called him half-savay:e. ' 
 
 The stay of the Slava Jfos.sie was besides too short 
 at any one place during the first voyage to allow of 
 missionary work on the part of the priest, though a 
 portable chuich — a large tent — was set uj) at every 
 anchorage. Shelikof had not hesitated to perform a 
 jtrimitive rite of baptisni, but he could not legally 
 marry people, and the ceremony performed on Kadiak 
 Island, as before mentioned, was consequently the first 
 that ever took place in the country. The wife of 
 Shelikof had accompanied him on liis visit to America, 
 but from that solitary exam})le the natives could not 
 have acquired much knowledge of the institution of 
 Christian marriage. 
 
 Shelikof's application for missionaries had great 
 
 
 : I!! 
 
1 1' 
 
 i 
 
 • ( ■ 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 iiii i. 
 
 
 30A 
 
 THE BILLINGS SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION. 
 
 Veij^lit witli tlio cominisisioii intrusted to consitlcr tlio 
 tlumai)(l of his company for exclusive j)rivilcges, hut 
 the first members of the cler|^y who landed upon tlij 
 islands <jf the American coast in response to the call 
 did not meet with the hearty cooperation they may 
 have expected at the hands of the traders. Taking- 
 time and circumstances into consideration, this was 
 but natural. All the Russians, from the chief trader 
 down, were laboring 'on shares,' and shared alike in 
 th J scanty provisions furnished at very irregular inter- 
 vals, while every man was expected to eke out addi- 
 tional supplies by hunting and fishing whenever he 
 could obtain a few days from other pursuits. Tlie 
 cleruiyiiien, who had certainly every reason to look for 
 supplies of food to the traders who had desired their 
 liresence, were, therefore, considered as an undesirable 
 element by lawless individuals, long removed from all 
 association with even the forms of civilization. Idlers 
 were not wanted in the camps of the promyshleniki, 
 vviiere scant fare was the rule, and for some years al'ter 
 tlieir arrival among the race with whose language they 
 were unacquainted, the m" sionaries could do little. 
 Complaints of shortcomings and even 'ill-treatment 
 were at lirst quite numerous, and by some priests it 
 was alleged that the commanders of stations, where 
 the}'^ had taken up their residence, made them woilc 
 for their living. This may well have been the qase 
 in instances wln)re agents were compelled to give way 
 to p()})ular demr.nd; the semi-barbarous hunters per- 
 haps had another ground for harboring ill-feeling 
 toward their clerical guests — ihe latter interfered to 
 a certain extent with the more than free use made of 
 native women by the promyshleniki. Still, the ark- 
 heniUHch'it, or prior, loassaf, sent out to superintend 
 the missions, was treated with respect, as the man- 
 agers of the companies recognized the, necessi'ty of 
 restraining their subordinates in his case. A man in 
 his position could and did do good service in settling 
 difficulties between rival firms and individuals. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ORGANIZATION OF MONOPOLY. 
 1787-1795. 
 
 Siif.mkof's OnAN'D CoNCErTinN — CuvKiiNOR-fiEKKnAi, J.\('or.i Won- to the 
 
 SlMIEME— SiIKLIKOF'S MoUEST KeQCEST— Ai.AHKA LaIH INDKU MilNOl'- 
 OLY— StU'CLATIONS of THE EmPIIESS — IIlMANE OU]>EIlS OF Ko/J.OF- 
 UcUEXIN — 1'( ItLIO IXHTUrcTlO.V.S AND .SECUET In jr.NCTlONS— DeLAUOF'S 
 
 Ad.mi.ni.sthation — 811EI.IKOF Indcce.s Uahanof to Kntek iue Seu- 
 viiE OF HIS Co:«PANY— Cakeeu and Tuaits of the New MAXAOEit — 
 Sirii'wnF-, " OF Bakanof on Unai.aska — Conmtion' of the Colony^ 
 
 IIIVAUIY AND OTIIEH TuorBI.ES — pLANS AND KeCOMMENUATIONS— En- 
 GACiKMEST WITH THE IvAUrSlIES — .SHIi'-UriLDINO — TlIE EnULISUMAM 
 
 Shields — L,vu>cii and Tuiudlations of the ' Pikemx. ' 
 
 The idea of a sul>si(lizcd monopoly of trado and 
 industry, to embrace all Russian discoveries and col- 
 onies on the shores of the north Pacilic, iirst arose in 
 the fertile brain of Grigor Shelikof, whose original 
 establishment on Kadiak Island has l)een the subject 
 *>f a preceding chapter. Once seized with this con- 
 (•''[)Lion, Shelikof hastened forward the execution of 
 it witli all the ardor of his nature. He hurried Ironi 
 Kainchatka to Okhotsk and Irkutsk, travelling witli- 
 otit intermission in the dead of winter until he reached 
 the capital of eastern Siberia and delivered to Gen- 
 ci;d Jacobi, the governor general, a tletailed account, 
 with maps, of the countrie;, he had visited, and j)laiis 
 • 'f the fortifications erected. Ho then asked of the 
 ,H<»\ernor general instructions for the management of 
 the people thus added to the Russian empire, and 
 aid toward obtaining from the empress a recognition 
 of his labors.^ 
 
 ' 1 will quote here a few concluding lines of the lengthy doouinent pro- 
 sintcd to .Facobi )»y Shelikof: 'Without the approval of our monarch my 
 Hist. Alaska. 20 (305) 
 
 ll 
 
 «, mi 
 
 11 
 
t ( 
 
 m 
 
 806 
 
 ORGANIZATION OF MONOPOLY. 
 
 Unlike his predecessors, Shclikof was not satisfied 
 with a single huntiiij; season on the ishmd of Kadiak, 
 but, as we have seen, proceeded at once to the estah- 
 lishnient of j)ernmnent settlements. After the pre- 
 sentation of his re[)ort to General Jacol)i, the clever 
 trader asked permission to send a few ships to Chinese 
 ports, in case of an interruption to the overland trade 
 with Kiakhta. Tiie permission was not granted at 
 that time. ^leanwhile Golikof, Shclikofs partner, 
 had i)routed by a temporary .sojourn of the emprcf 
 
 'SS 
 
 lalMjivs would be altogether unsiitisfiictory to me imd uf but little aceount to 
 the ■>\ oi'lil, since tlie principal ultjeot of all my un(li'rtakiiij,'s lia.s been to iiu-or- 
 j)orati! the newly discovereil seas, countries, ami islamU into our empire 
 bcl'ore otiier powers could occn])y and claim them, and to iiiang m-itc cntoi- 
 pri.scH whii'h will add to the glory of our wise empress and sccu.e prolits to 
 her and to our countrjinen. I trust that my hopes of seeing w:so measures 
 uiloi)ted for the L'overument and protection of the distant regions discovered 
 by lilt! arc not without foundation, and tiiat wo shall bo enabled to establisli 
 these discoveries to the best possilde general advantage.' Tikhmenff, I<tor. 
 Vhv., i. b). Captain (iolovnin, who inspected the colonies in I81S, in a letter 
 to the imperial navy diticis ficm Shclikof aa to the merits of the eolo- 
 ni/er. ile sUites that ' .S'/d //ai ;/'.>.• Voynije was printetl at St I'ctcrsburii in 
 17!M. Aside fi-oni the baiiiarou.i .stylo of the book .md tiie stupidity exhibited 
 'jii every page, v>c cannot fail to notice some intentional falscluMicls, slnnviii;.; 
 hov, crafty and fur-seeing this man was. in the lirst place lieapjiropriatcs to 
 himself witliout any conscieiuious scruples the di>-:covery of Kadir.k and 
 Afounak, when it i.-i well known that Ijcring sighted those 'slands and named 
 a point Ca[)e llerinogen, and Cook, live years liefore Slielikof 's vt yage, a:Hcer- 
 tjiined that the cape was only ii small inland. Cape Coviat.skoi on Kai'iak 
 Island was named (ape (Iieville by Cook, and furthermore, a Kussian galio* 
 wintered at Jvatliak iis early as \~i\',\, its coniniaudcr being a certain (ilottof, 
 while S!ielik.)f ai'iived tiiere only in 17^4, but what is more stupid tlu;'.i any- 
 tiujig else is, that on the title-page of his book he ekiiiiiM to be the discoverer 
 of the i.vland he calls Kr.iluit.;!;, lor-;etting that on )ia;,'e l2.1 of his book li • 
 ackiiovledges that in ITHI a Kiis.sian ves.'c! stopped at that i.-^laml. Where 
 was the discovery? Vv'liat plice did he lind that Cook did not, see? l^te. 
 Shclikof a.'.serts that he found." ',();;!) inhabitants on t!ie island, aiiil tliat in 
 a lit'lit he with a force of l.'W attacked 4, 000 men, fortilie;! upon a high rock, 
 taking 1,(K);) prisoners. According to Captain i.i.->biar.ski's impiirie.-* '^lKiik^I 
 fi'll upon 40() iieople, including woincn anil children; but .H),Ot!0 inhiJ.itantj 
 iievir existed upon the island —the ruinlier iiow bili.g .'{,000, ami ivcn if we 
 suppost! that the company ouccceded in dcst'oying four lifths, tiie origini.l 
 pti|iiilation eould hav" been only 1."),0<R). Now, the (juestion i.s, Wl'.at iiidiic< 1 
 SluHkof to lie thus boldly ami impudently? He an.iweni this ipiestion liii.i- 
 sell, in hi.s book, v lien hi' asserts that, without kn.nving the Iau;,aage of the 
 inhi.iiitauts. he succeeded in one winter in converting a large miniberof them 
 to the sacit;d doctrines of our religion, and that by siin[)ly telling them of tin 
 uisdoiu, humaiiity, and kindness of the rnipress oi Itii.ssia, he made such .-.n 
 impression ujioii th'-ir minds that the natives were tilled with love and 
 ailiniratiou for he- Ma jesty, ami at once voluntarily submittecl to lii'r sceptre 
 Now, it is clear that Slielik.)f wished to make the government believe tliat iu' 
 hail discov. ■■ ,( ji l,l.■^^■ country and added .■iO,(KK) bona (ide subjects to Hiif'si.-i. 
 lie .",id not fail ill his calculations, as he received voiy Uatttiriiig iewiuil». 
 O'oloi'iiiii, Xapinki, in Mahrmlui, i. M-G. 
 
sHELmoF A^^) golikop at court. 
 
 907 
 
 )t satlsfiod 
 Dt' Kadiah, 
 
 the estal)- 
 .>r tbii pn- 
 
 thc clever 
 to Cliinesc 
 rlaiul track' 
 frraiitod at 
 "s partner, 
 lie empress 
 
 little account to 
 as bi'i'ii to inoor- 
 into our empire 
 iian"tratc cuter- 
 Bccu.c prolita to 
 \jr wso measures 
 •gioiis «liscovereil 
 l)le(l to establish 
 Tikhmvn^'/, I lor. 
 II ISlS, in a letter 
 ;rits of the eolo- 
 .st rctcrsbin-fj; iu 
 uiii<Utycxhil'iteil 
 aehixKls, Khowin.i; 
 leupiu-oprir.tes to 
 • of 'Kadiuk ami 
 ilamls auil uaun'il 
 If s VI yaye, a-seer- 
 lilskoi on Kail'.ak 
 a Russian galiot 
 li iirtaiu (ll')t^of, 
 stajiul th;;:inuy- 
 lie the tliscbverir 
 2,1 of his iMok ! ■ 
 ' islautl. Wh.eiv 
 nou iivvl I-aU ' 
 .ami, aii'l tliat in 
 [jioii a hijih nil I.. 
 liKluirie.* "^-liiiiAi i 
 It.OOO iiihahitan.i 
 I), anil even if v.f 
 ths, llie ori.uiui.l 
 ii, Wh.at iiithu' 1 
 iis nutstion liii. 
 lau_.ia,4c of til': 
 number of tlu'ii 
 Vw^ them of t!i' 
 llu- made sueh .• n 
 with h)ve ami 
 III to her si'eptr. 
 It believe that I..' 
 bjectsto UuHsi,-. 
 .teriug rev^ura^. 
 
 at Kursk, and had presented to her a chait of Slieli- 
 kofs voyage. Her Majesty in«juire<l into the eoin- 
 paiiy's achievements, and finally u:ranted Shelikof 
 ])ermission to come to 8t Petersburj^ and present 
 iiimself at court with Golikot*. 
 
 Shortly after this the empress aske<l Jaeohi his 
 opinion as to the best means of estahlishini,' the Rus- 
 sian dominion on the islands of the eastern ocean, and 
 on the Cv)ast of America, and also as to the best ino(it,' 
 tif j-overninji: the savajjfe tribes and ameli()ratinir their 
 conditio 1 In answer Jaecjbi forwarded a lenotliv 
 rr})ort in which he approved the proposed <lespat(h 
 of a fleet from the lialtie- to protect navii^ation i.i 
 tlie Pacific, an«' mentioned tha he had forwarded t » 
 tlie regions in question thirty L'(»p[>er shields, bearing 
 the imperial coat of arms and tlic inscription, "Countiv 
 ill possession of Russia, ' intended, as he says, "for 
 the better assertion of ]^is' ia's rights, founded uiwui 
 discovery." The shields ,ere intrusted to navigators 
 of the Shelikof and (Jolikof Company. Jac<»bi al. » 
 recommended that the <'ollection of tributv' fi-om tlh- 
 iiatives should be abolished and rcjtlaced by a voluii- 
 tary tax. He j)ointed out the disadvantages to both 
 traders and natives resulting from the tribute system, 
 and sujjfiA'sted that by impressing the sava'j;es with a 
 sense of the power of the empress and her tender caio 
 !'»r ;ill, oven her most distant subjects, and l»y allow- 
 ing them t(t deliver to govcrinnent agents a voluntary 
 contril)utii»n or tax, much good might br acconiplisjicd. 
 Afcording to flacobi's o|)iiiion, tlif eollcction of tribut ' 
 hasti'iievl the extermination of fnr-bcariiig iinimals. 
 
 Witli regard to the proposed amelioration JacobI 
 said that there could be no doubt of the truth of 
 
 -TIic eni|>reB8 intomleil to nfTord safer nnviention and tnirtic bv sendiuLj 
 war- vessels from the I'altii' undei' roniiuiiiid of ( '.iiitiiiii Mnlovski. ^luio\^l;i's 
 vessels \\t.ie fo sejiarate iijion arrival in the nortlicrn I'aeilir, one ilivisjoii t<> 
 go ti> the Amerieaii coast, umler iii.s own eommaml, and the otiier to prmKil 
 to the Kurile Islands, but on account o( the war with Swiihii the siniadiiii 
 did not sail. lieutenant Treveiicn, who had sailed undi i- CiHik. was tn^'aiitrl 
 to jiiiu for discovery purposes. Tikhmcmj', L'^lur. VIhm., i. 10; Jixrney'ii Chron. 
 Jligl. Vuy. 
 
30S 
 
 ORGANIZATION OF 5I0N0P0LY. 
 
 m\ 
 
 :i ^f' 
 
 m-i 
 
 ►Sliolikof's report, and that it would be but a just 
 recoujnition of what the Shchkof Company liad done 
 for the commerce of Russia, and for the country at 
 larjj^c, to grant them the exchisive right of hunting 
 and trading in the islands and territories discovered 
 by their vessels.' He even added that it would be 
 unfair to allow new-comers to enjoy the present peace 
 to which Shelikof had reduced Kadiak. AVithout 
 reganl for tlie claims of any who had preceded them, 
 tliey alone should be rewarded, because they had a 
 larger force and conquered without exterminating/ 
 
 lie further argued that unless the Shelikof Com- 
 pany was afforded special privileges the successes 
 gained by the founders of the first settlement on tlie 
 islands would be neutralized b}' the unrestrained ac- 
 tions of lawless adventurers. Cruelty would increase, 
 and the nativ(^s would submit to no such infliction after 
 the enjoyment of peaceful intercourse with Shelikof 
 In conclusion Jacobi implored his imperial mistress 
 to intrust the management of tlie l.'itest additions to 
 her domain to a man who "was known to have many 
 times set aside his love of gain in the interest of 
 humanity." What Jacobi himself was to receive in 
 casi! of Shelikof's success the g'^vernoi- general does 
 not say. The hundreds who had done more and suf- 
 fered more than tht'se who would now have it all to 
 themselves, to them he denied everv rij^ht or reward. 
 
 The empress ordered the imperial college of coiii- 
 nierce, through its |)resident, Count Chernyshef, t > 
 examine in detail all (juestions connected M'ith tlir 
 fur-<r;ide in tho^e parts, and the means of advancing 
 the intei'ests of Russia in the eastern ocean. Tin 
 
 'Tliu limits of taosc 'discoveries' Jacobi, witJi reckless lil)oniIity, i)laceil 
 lit fiiiiii latitiiile 4!>' t'l 00° mill from eastern Uingituile .".'I to (>',]' froi Okhotsk. 
 TiUnihinf. J>f,.i: (tlios., i. ;.?(». 
 
 ■•.Ijudlii iidvuiiceil tlie idra tliiit so far 'as kimwii iiolicxly else was flicii 
 ••iij;;'l;iiI in l)iisiii(ss wlierc Mielikof iiiiil Micceedci] in estal>lislnilg the tin- 
 itiiniiin <rt' lins^ia, thi>u>;li sonic vcskcIn had Iteen in the ncij;hlK)rlnH)d in 
 IT'il. I7<"7. and ITSO, Imt tliey rea<lied only a priniinntory of Kadiak iiainnl 
 Ait'khtatil;, and tlio hniitei-Hof tlnse vi'swuls were lield in i^iicck liy tlic uulives 
 ai:d ]vv\i pti d from jiuntiiig, tlion;,di their iinmher was large enough to resiRt 
 Dltack." Tiichini III/, lutor. Oboi., i. '11. 
 
AN IMPERIAL CUKAS ISSUED. 
 
 S09 
 
 but a just 
 J had (lone 
 country at 
 of huuthii;' 
 (liscovercd 
 'j would l)e 
 cscnt peace 
 Without 
 :cded them, 
 they had a 
 .>nnuiatui;j;.' 
 L-likof Coni- 
 le successes 
 ncnt on the 
 ■strauied ae- 
 Lild increase, 
 liliction after 
 th Shehkof 
 rial mistress 
 additions to 
 , have many 
 interest <»f 
 ;o receive in 
 ^'cneral docs 
 ore and suf- 
 ave it all to 
 t or reward. 
 Iloge of com- 
 icrnyshef, to 
 
 ;d Nvith till' 
 
 l)f advancing 
 Lcean. TUi 
 
 IlilwraUty, liUicnl 
 Klfroi Okhotsk. 
 
 ily else wiiH <'»'" 
 lililishiug tho <1" 
 
 If Kiiiliiik imuK'l 
 
 lokliy tkcuutivi.« 
 
 ■ unongh to ivBist 
 
 connnittco ap[)ointed in pursuance of tliis ordi r pre- 
 scnti'd a long report in ^larch 1788,'' wliicli seemed to 
 jiave been wholly iin[)ressod with the ideas of Jacobi. 
 Alter reviewing the ai)parent merits of the case and 
 the policy of the proposed measure, the connnittco 
 iiiially reconniiended that the request of Shelikof and 
 (Jolikof for exclusive privileges be granted, and tliat 
 Ihc enterprise be subsidi/x'd with a loan of two hun- 
 (licd thousand rubles from the public treasury, with- 
 out interest, for a period of twenty years, the cajiital 
 to bo returned in instalments. The outlay, it was 
 ailtled, would likewise be rejjaid tenfold in the form 
 of taxes and import and export duties. 
 
 In pursuance of this report an im[)erial oukaz wa ; 
 issued September 28, 1788, granting the comjiany 
 exclusive control over the re\gion actually occupied by 
 them, but no further, thus leaving rival traders iVee 
 sway in adjoining parts. Assistance from the public 
 treasury was rel'used b:cause of forei^'n wars. 'I'lio 
 iinj)ress was made to say: "As a reward for stTvie.-s 
 rendered to the country by the merchants Shelik«>f 
 and (jrolikof bv discoverinsjf unknown countries and 
 nations, and establishing commerce and industiies 
 there, we most graciously confer uj)on them both 
 swords and gold medals, the latter to l)c worn anuuid 
 the nock, with our portrait on one side, and on the 
 reverse an explanatory inscription that tlu'V liav*.* 
 biH'U oonl'erred bv order of tln^ Ljoverninix senate f^r 
 services rendered to humanity by their noble and bold 
 By the same oukaz all f'ormt;r laws foi- the 
 
 deeds. 
 
 "0 
 
 collection of tribute from the Aleuts were r«'\ok(d. 
 
 '' Report of cotnmittpo on commerce, Mnrcli 17SH, THJnui-inf, Istar. o'o •., 
 i. 'J,'<7. It (Iwolt at !i>ii;,'tli ii)iuii the saiiiliccs of Slulikuf, aiul iHiiiitcil to 
 till' fjK't that owiii^' to llir fiiliiiH! of a n ;,'iilar Mi|i|>!y ( f \ahial>lr fur- fi'in 
 Siliciia ami <liu islands tlu' tjvnlaiul traili' with ( "hiiia vas iiitrtrn|it><l, to tliu 
 j^rcat loss of liussiau niorchuiits wlio lunl hifiri' sums iimstcd in ^'uoils -.iihililo 
 only in thu Cliincse iniirkct; wliil' the aitick's jircvionsly iin|ioit<il lioiu 
 China dircrtly into Hussiu nnil I'oiaiul, such as ti'us, silks, and naukl.'t■n^^, 
 could be obtained only through forei^'n inurilinio imtiuntt ut u great incieuHe 
 
 of cost. 
 
 ''A t;])ccinl letter of ack.i i^vledp'ment was issued by the sovereiyii oa 
 October lltli, which ia priiiujd in Tikhmtite/, /ulur. Olion., i., niip., 1. 
 
310 
 
 ORG^^'IZATION OF MONOPOLY. 
 
 While this was but a half-way nieasuro toward his 
 ambitious schcincs Sholikot' had to content himself 
 ior a time. He returned to Irtkutsk, there to tit out 
 two vessels, one for the Aleutian isles, and one for 
 the Kuriles, and to plan for a more complete victory, 
 by which to beconu; master of all Alaska. 
 
 Two important documents were issued in 1787 by 
 the coninuinder of Okhotsk, which indicate that tlie 
 authorities by no means placed im})licit faith in the 
 humanitv of the Shelikof Companv or its servants. 
 Jjoth i)ai)ers bear the same date, June loth; and om; 
 is directed to navigators and traders, while the other 
 is intended as a rcassurinj^ j^roclaniation to the native 
 chiefs as representatives of their [)eople. The iirst 
 sets forth that in view of many complaints of ill-treat- 
 ment of Aleuts having? reached Okhotsk, traders and 
 navigatoi's are enjoined to treat with tlu; utmost kind- 
 ness all Aleuts who have acknowledged themselves 
 ]lussian subjects, and not to carry them away Irom 
 home without tiieir I'ree consent. The document 
 concludt's as follows: "The highest authorities have 
 tdreadv been infornied of all vour former outraLjes 
 committed upon the islanders, but they must cease 
 henceforth, and you nuist endeavor to act in conform- 
 ity with the wishes of our most gi'acious empres>, 
 V\lio is anxious to p-ive pi'otection to everv inhabitant 
 of her dominions. J3o not beHeve or Hatter voui- 
 selves that yt)ur foi-mer deeds will escape puiiishnn'iit. 
 but be convinced that sooner or later everv transures- 
 sion of the laws of (Jod tir our monarch will me(^t 
 v.ith its due rewanl. I trust that these presci'iptioiis 
 will be observed at once, and you nuist not forget that 
 it is tiu> tirst duty of every laithful IJussian subject 
 to report any transgression of tlu' laws wliich comes 
 luidei' his observation. To tliis I a[ipend my own 
 signature anil the seals of the ])r<»vince of (Okhotsk 
 and of the distri'-t of Nishekamchatsk, this lath day 
 of June 17s7. (Iriu'or Ko/.lof- 1 "ui'enin, colonel and 
 euimuander of the province ol' Okhotsk." 
 
 ! I 
 
PROCLAMATIONS OF THE OKHOTSK GOVERNOR. 
 
 311 
 
 The second clcKiiinent is at once eharacteristk* of 
 the oin])rt'ss and important in itself. I reproduce it 
 in full in a imte." 
 
 ' ' To tlic Cliiffs ami IVoplo inlialiitin!» the Alontinn Islands in the Nnrtli- 
 easti'fii Ui-van, suhjii'ts nf the Russian Kiiiiiiii': Tlio MotluT of Irt eoiuitry, 
 tlio great and wise l''.m|uvss of tin- iniin'iial thidiio of AH tliu Kiis.iias. I'^ka- 
 tii'ina Aloxi'U'vna, having always at lieart tho wtlt'arc of licr faithful sulijciV.s, 
 extiiidtt hir fsiK.-i.ial in'oiciliou and attention to those nations who liave liut 
 lately ))eeiinio suhjoets of tlio Russian Kmiiire, and lias deigned to iiistiiiet 
 the pi-esent (iovernor-general of Irkutsk, Major-general and Cavalier Klielike, 
 to send to our islands, hy May of Kamchatka, and to the Knrile Ishiuds, 
 Rus.^iau nietlals, whieii have been forwarded to yon. They wire sent to \ou 
 
 as ])i 
 
 (f of th 
 
 itherlv eare of the Ki'iiu 
 
 .1 it 
 
 ordi reel tiiat tliese 
 
 medals should l»e given to tlutse islanders who are already under control of 
 
 tlie J 
 
 iussian erowi), while at the same time it was inteiicleil to issue them also 
 
 to such as wished to enter the IJussiau Kmpiro hereafter. These nied;i!s « ill 
 l.e di.^trihuted at every jilaee where the Ixussi.in tniding-vessels can land iu 
 Kifety, and thus they will proteit you ag:unst illtreatmeut not oidy hy llus- 
 sian hunters, hut at the hand of our allied )iowe'rs w ho may visit your shores. 
 1 rom the latter yoii ni.iy feel entirely safe, for even if any foreign vessel 
 sliould attempt to apjiropriate your islands to its own eouutry, the sight of 
 these medals of the Russian Empire woulil disjierse all sucii thoughts, and if 
 any disputes should ari.se tiny will lie stttled hy fiiendly negotiations w iih 
 these |)owers. As far a:' the Russian vessels m-e eoncerned that visit your 
 islands for the puriio.se of trade anil hunting the fuidiearing animals, I hii\o 
 .'h the hands i;f mv oltieials at Kaniehatkaaiul Okh'it.k 
 
 ilaints, till; liist through ."sergeant .Mexe'i IhiMiof, the seeoinl from 
 
 ilieaily ivi-eived ih 
 several conq 
 
 ♦lie .sou of the chief of the Andreianof l.--lands, izossim I'olutof. and the 
 third from the Aleut of the Lis.sievski Islands, Toukoiitan .\voiij^iiin: from 
 
 v, hich complaints I lia\e harned to my so 
 1j " ■ . - 
 
 if the inhumanities inliieted 
 ujon you by our Ku.ssian trading-ships, of which the govirnment iip to ihi.s 
 
 lime had leceived no infoiination; it was thouL,'ht that no iictital \iol;it:iii 
 
 >( the laws had taken place in those distant legi 
 
 ons. 
 
 liut 1 
 
 low your |ieti- 
 
 tioiis have been forwarded by me to the highest authorities and 1 trust that 
 you will before long receive full satisfaction. In the mean tiini' 1 ask ynii to 
 
 lie content and not to doubt the kindness and justice t 
 
 f tl 
 
 le ciea 
 
 t E 
 
 il-i 
 
 if -Vll the Rus.sias who is sure to dtfcnd aiitl protiet yoc, knowing your sin- 
 
 cere submission 
 
 to 1^ 
 
 iptri 
 
 St sh 
 
 tl 
 
 IIS oi'iler To a 
 
 II i; 
 
 us- laii ves- 
 
 sels that visit yon and it will protect yon in so far that every inhabitant of 
 
 it be iiimpelled to ;:ii to any 
 
 Voiir islands may remain m lils villai;t 
 
 .1 
 
 itlier island unknown to h 
 
 liut if one of \i 
 
 111 go 
 
 aliidail with his free 
 
 cnn.sent, he will be provicled with food and clothing until the time of lii.-f re- 
 
 turn, 
 
 and the food shall be such as he has bi^i n .iccustoiiiic 
 
 d to. If 
 
 Voll bi iievo 
 
 lie b. 
 
 tliat you have been ill-treateil by any peo| 
 
 pile, or if you have suH'cied compulsion or injury a 
 
 oiiLiing to the Riissi;in I'lni- 
 
 t tin 
 
 ds, I 
 
 tak- 
 
 notice of their name and tli;it of tl 
 
 lilVlsr you 
 
 and what eoiiijiany 
 
 f 
 
 mcrcliants thev U'long to, and in due time v<in can forwanl your coniplaiiit.H 
 
 upon the matter, and upon .satistactory proot such men will be punisiiii 
 
 d 
 
 ding to their olVences and 
 
 ill gi t satisfaction. Information 
 
 ds 
 
 reuc 
 
 hi'd me to til'.' etTect that the huiiteis iiceive from you furs of gooil (ju.d- 
 
 ity as trib't.li-, but change them and forward poor skins to the luiipi 
 
 tiler 
 
 "fore I luU 
 
 v.Ve you to mark such skins w itli specud .signs 
 
 d toki 
 
 niak 
 
 iiig cuts or bran Is w hiih lannot be easily eliangeil, iiiul if it is done in spite 
 of tliise precaiitiDis the olltnders will be punished very severely. I-'ui tlii'i- 
 iiiore I assure juti of the continued protection ai'd eare of all the inhabitaiita 
 of your islands by her most gracious Imperia! Majesty aiul her suiiri'me gov- 
 ernment, iia well «••* of the best wislies ol the Cuiiunuuder of the I'ruviueu of 
 
,1 li 
 
 • 
 
 11^ 
 
 
 i;i 
 
 312 
 
 ORGANIZATION OF MONOPOLY. 
 
 The new order of things estiibhshetl by Kozlof did 
 not cause any innuecUate change in the demeanor of 
 the Kussian proniy.shleniki, and it is doubtful whethir 
 the humane document addressed to the natives was 
 ever read or translated to one of them. Accord- 
 ing to the testimony of Sarychef and Sauer, matters 
 had not improved nmch when they visited the country 
 srvtral ycai's later. Yet upon the few individuals 
 who were then planninj^ for a monopoly of the I'ui'- 
 trade in the Kussian i)ossessions on the An)erican 
 Ci)ast, the hints contained in the documents quoted 
 were not lost. They recoufuized the I'act that such 
 lK)ons as they craved from the tjovi-rnment could 
 be obtained t>nly by the adoption of a policy of liu- 
 raanity and obedience to the laws, wholly dillvrent 
 from the ruthless transactions of private traders. 
 Shelikof, the shi-ewdest of all the jilotters, had, as we 
 have shown, originated this policy, and he lived l>>ng 
 enough to sei3 that so far as his plans were con(\ iMU'd 
 it worked to perfection. His instructions to Samoiloi", 
 to whoai he lel't the conunand of his colony on i-eluni- 
 ing to Okhotsk, were admirably calculated to impress 
 the reader with a sense of the wistK»m, humanitv, and 
 
 Okli()t>k aiul the tlistrict ;iii(l township of Nishiakamtchatsk. Sigmd the 
 l.'tii i!;iy cf .lime IT"^?, liy < !ri;;oi- Kd/Iol'-r.vivnin.' 
 
 'Ihi'i'c <.'ii|iies still fNtiiiit of til" orij^iiial iliici;ni"nt lioar the foUo^viii^ si:;;- 
 iiatiiM's: 'llavo lead the oii:;iii,:"i. Mu^tn* IJavril I'riljj iuf.' 'Have tea il the 
 eopy. Muster I'ntap Za'ikof.' 'Have read the co].y. Foruniiin Leonliy Na- 
 g.-iief.' 
 
 When Ko/l<ifUL;nniii i.-<:uied his two iiiaiiitestoes lie had not met J-a 1\ - 
 iiiiise and the otlier olli''ilv. of the Fiiiieh lit iitli-wef tern ('Xlieditioii, fur t!ie 
 JloiinM>/f and Axlmhthi did not reach tlie liay of .Avateiia until Se|iteiiilier, 
 17^7. Jva I'l i-oti.-e and M. de Lessees, his Jtii.^siaii iiitei lueter, testily Ui ihe 
 I'Seelleiit ehaiaeler of l\!.'renm, v.ho aiipeais to have lieen aetiiated ly a 
 Hiii.eie decile to iinin'ove tlic eonditioii of all the iiihahitants, ]{^l^^ialls and 
 Hava,i;es, of the vast inoviiue under his loinnialid. At tiiat time the j,(i\e!U- 
 liieiil of that lejiidii was or;.'aiii/ecl as follows: Siiieet 'ooi;"s visit loKa'iuiiatka 
 the eoiintry had Iweli attaelied to the jnoviiiee of Okhotsk, iindel olio /.oV- 
 eiin'r, ( 'oloiiel Ko/lof-l'^iLiiiii; imdif him <'ai>t:'iii Shniakf was Miperin;! iid- 
 ent of the iiaiive Kamehatkaiis; J.ieuteiiaiit Kalioiof eoimnanded at I'l'tlo- 
 l)avlovsk, with one MT^ealit and 41) Cossaeks; at Xisiiiiekainlehatsk there 
 was a Major I'.Koiiof, while at l-olsheret/k ami X'erkliiuikamehat.sk only .-cr- 
 (•eaiit.s wci'i' ill eomniand. 'I'lie ineonie deii\id from l\ameliatka hy the i ov- 
 I rnnient was <.iit I f all jiloportiou to the ■ .Niieiidiiuie invulved. In 17"'7 the 
 trihute eolleeted from the natives aiiioiinted to W'M Nahle-skiiis, 'J(h) j ray and 
 led foxes, and a few Nea-oUer.s, whiU' nearly -llO stildiel'H ami many uUieel'8 
 were r.iuiiituiiied in the eoiintry. /." i'n'uinH, i'li/., iii. 107-0, '202, 
 
SHELIKOF'S INSTRUCTIONS TO SAMOILOF. 
 
 313 
 
 iR'anor "f 
 
 ll wlR'tluT 
 
 itivL'S was 
 Ac'cord- 
 r, iiuittcis 
 10 country 
 ndividuals 
 ,t' tho fur- 
 AiDcrican 
 its (juoteil 
 tluit siuli 
 
 lOllt C'OUUI 
 
 icy «'t' liu- 
 y diflvivnt 
 :o traders, 
 liad, as \vc 
 lived l<>n!4- 
 conc\'i'iK'd 
 ) 8aim)il<»r, 
 on return- 
 to iinpriss 
 lanilv, and 
 
 k. Siymil tlio 
 
 foUo^vin.t; si^- 
 'llave ivml Uio 
 in Lcoutiy N;i- 
 
 l<it nut l^;i IV- 
 
 (lilioii, fur till' 
 
 [til SoiitiiiilKi", 
 
 [, tcslily ti) I lie 
 
 Ku:-siaiis jiii'l 
 
 kic tllO J,iAilll- 
 
 ll(>l\;"iiiliiitka 
 liulol olio j,i>v- 
 |:< MHU'lillU iiil- 
 
 Jiuliiilsk tliL'ie 
 
 [idAi luJy .-or- 
 
 |i:i l.y Uu- )i>v- 
 
 . Ill 17^7 tlio 
 
 2()0 (;ray aii<l 
 
 liuiiiy oUici-ib 
 
 disinterestedness of the writer,*' orderinif as tliev did 
 the j^ood treatment of the natives, their instruction 
 in Russian laws, customs, and religion, the estuhlish- 
 iiient of .schools for the younu;', and the jtroniotion 
 dl" (lisci|)line and morality amonu" the liussians us an 
 (•\anii)le to the aborij^ines. Much of this wa.s in- 
 tended chieily lor the sake of etl'ect, since the coni- 
 |.any l>y no means intended to expend any particular 
 iil'orts for the advancement of the natives. The 
 seciet instructions to the same agent, though mainly 
 verbal, contained clauses which indicated how far 
 pl!ilanthro}»y was sui)posed to further the predomi- 
 nant aim, the advancement of the company. For a 
 
 •"This reniarkal)lo ilocmiiciit, of which I have givoii siicciniens, was ilati'il 
 tiie Mih I'f May 17S<), aiul has been priutcil in full hy 'Jikhinciuf in t!io 
 ii|'! I'lulix to his Ki'i'oml vohinie. Spuakiny of the natives of Kailiak and tho 
 I iaigatsehcM, .Slielikof Kiys: 'In pacil'ying the iniialiitanls you sho'.iM explain 
 t 1 tliLiii the henelits resulting from our Liws ami inslitutioiis, and tell tlivin 
 t!;;.t inople wlio lieeoiiu' faitht'ul anil peiiniuunt siiljjeetMof the empress will bo 
 1 iiLceteil, while evil-<lis]io.se(.l pe(i[>le hliail feel the Ktreu,L;th of her arm. Wiieii 
 
 \:t tlio (lillerent .stati 
 
 >n;jyiiu inuist investiicate e.impliiints auMinst yoiir 
 
 si;l)i)l<liliatea by liist heiaiii;,' eaeli party sepaiately aii.l tl'en loi^ether. . . Vou 
 will ii:!<trtiet thein in biiiklin^' good hoiiiie.s, and in liai>its of economy and 
 
 li;-.-.ry 
 
 'J'h: 
 
 Iiool I li;ive e.staldiblieil l:ir the i:i.striu ii<jn of native e 
 
 I ikl 
 
 rea 
 
 i:i leadin;^ and writing,' JUrsian must be enlarged. . .As ssoou as possilile tho 
 .•~:.i.:ed books iiii>! doetrines of our t'hnreh should be translated into their 
 
 h 
 
 <y la 
 
 jiable ti 
 
 itor.i. 
 
 .1 take with mo to Siberia -ID native.;, malea 
 
 in:il fi'males, old and voiiiii^. Some of the.se I will semi baek on the muio 
 
 alter nho\\in'' them some of our vi 
 
 11a 
 
 ami 
 
 :i ■ a iunali nuir!ierv, ill lie i 
 
 (irwiiri 
 
 led 
 
 the court of 
 
 wav we li\» 
 
 'J 
 ler imperia 
 
 it 1^ 
 
 I M: 
 
 J'' t.Vl 
 
 til ■ iviiiainiiiL; i hi.dreii I v ill take w ith me to be instrueted in the schools of 
 
 1/ 
 
 it^l, 
 
 d Irk 
 
 (I thioU'li them their fi'.niil 
 
 better kiiov. !ed''e of our eoaiitrv and the laws i;iid 
 
 and tril>es will aeijuiro 
 
 d ord 
 
 IT reivniny 
 
 •ted with the three vessels 
 lloli^' all classes. 
 
 there. . .AVitU regard to the oUieers and iiiei 
 
 i.U i:iyourcaie you will maiiit:. in L;ood order and dlseipline ai 
 
 .Mid ■liietly eiiloii" obi dieiiee, as \\ c eaimot e>.[)ect t!ie native. f to aceejit rules 
 
 wliich we do not t>lny oursi Kes. . .'J'l'allic with the Aleuts iniist bi^ eaiiied oa 
 
 ia an honest nuimer, and cluaiiiii; mii.st la' luiii.-^Iud. <^'iiari'cl.Annd di.j.uteH 
 
 iiii'i.-t bo fettled by arbitrati^ n. . .ll":ila;,es and native <'mi'loyi '.i lun.'^t lie well 
 
 tiiated, butfliould not be taken into oiil' 
 
 .';erviii;;-v,omen must not be taken iiiti 
 
 hoii.ses w itiiout your special pciiuis- 
 
 ■ ho',i.-cs, iiiil'..'-s for tl 
 
 ■I Mwiu'J and similar 
 
 ik . 
 
 ■"tore: 
 
 s of iirovisions lor at least two 
 
 i.i-ki 
 
 ept at every station to mableyoii to assi.-t the native-; m timesof faniiiie 
 
 iiri'O'e 
 years must 
 ffa ■ 
 
 *.t all the forts warm 
 
 d coiiil'ortaMc iiuartiis munt 
 
 .\1 
 
 ;id also stables for the cattle 1 1 
 
 lave ol'ileri'U 
 
 to I 
 
 ted for ti 
 
 d fl 
 
 le slapiiei 
 
 Ol.l.iitsk. . . My j.;oilson Nikolai, who has alwayi f.iillifr.lly served the coiii- 
 |.Miy ;ind whom 1 have led and clothed at ni\ own expiiise, 1 recomnienl to 
 \iii'.r sjieeial care, and hope that he will have no cause to eoniphiin of tlio 
 I I'lapany':! treatment in return forliis faithlul service.<, and al.so tliat <lii.<t ,i:oil- 
 s"n of mine may receive further instrnetion and be taught to respect <Iod tind 
 tlie t niperor. and tlio luwbof tioil and of the countiy.' Tikhinciirj, hlor. U6i«i.> 
 
 ipii. 
 
 S lU. 
 
314 
 
 ORGANIZATION OF MONOPOLY. 
 
 m '• : 
 
 ! ■ 
 
 till 10 rival traders must l>o tolerated, but as soon as 
 sulHciciit strength was acquired tlicy should he ex- 
 cluded I'roui the districts occupied by the Shelikot' 
 men.'' 
 
 Limited as were the plans with regard to actual 
 execution, Sainoilof lacked the ([Ualifications to cairv 
 them out, or to grasp the real object of their Iramei-, 
 and Shelikot' knew it. As soon as he returned tr<»)ii 
 ivadiak, therefore, he began to look aI)out for a proj)er 
 person, and his choice fell on Alexander ]Jaranoi", ;i 
 merchant then engaged in trade (jn the Anadir Ivivcr. 
 Slielikof's tlrst pn^posals to IJaranof were declimtl 
 principally because his own business was moderately 
 j)ro.spurous and he })referred independence. One ot" 
 the partners of the company, Eustrate Delarof, a 
 Greek,*" was then selected to manage affairs in the 
 c(;lony, but his powers were more local and conHiud 
 
 '■•Article 24. 'If any otlicr company sends out one or two sliips and 
 peopl'' to ongu!,'e in the Kamu trade with us, you must treat them in a IVieiidly 
 iiiunni-r and assist them to do tiieir business (|uiel;ly and to lea\(^ a,LCaiii, giving 
 tJiem to nnderstar : •'t llie same time at wh;it an immense saeiiliee we liave 
 estaltli.heil our stations and what risks Me have run in pacifying the Anuii- 
 cans, cautioning tlieni n^'t excite the natives by ill-treatment or cheating, 
 wliich would cause little danger to them who are here only temjiorarily, Imt 
 might easily cause the destruetiim of our estalilishments, extended all ovi r 
 this region at great risk and expense ami to the greatest benetit of the 
 country in general, liut when I have sent out two more vessels well maniuil, 
 ill addition to the three now at your disposal, you nnist take a more resulute 
 8tuiid, drive otJ'all intruders, ami declare the Itusi;i".n sovereignty overall the 
 country on the Anu'rican continent and California, down to the 4fllli degrte 
 of uorth latitude.' TiUinuni/, Istnr. Hhon., ii., apj)., Ki. Shelikof himself 
 acted up to his ideas on the subject. In I'SC) the ship .S'c J'airl, belonging to 
 tlie Ix.'liedef-I-;istochkin Company, came to Kadiak with .'{5 men, comnuuidtil 
 liy I'eredoveliik Kolomin. They were adviseil to move on, and told that 
 tliere was an abnmlance of sea-otters in Cook Inlet. Kolomin followed the 
 .'••dvice, an<l established the first i)ernuinent station on the mainland, a fact 
 til which .'-i|ieliki>f t(X)k good care never to give any prominence before the 
 go'.cnnnent or the iiublic. TikhtiHucf, /■■<lor. Ohox., i. 'M. Sauer writes iu 
 reference to this jmliey: 'Ever since Shelikof formed his establishment at 
 Kadiak no other companies liave dared to venture to the eastward of the 
 Miumagin Islamls. 1 am inclined to think that Lukhanin's vessel will be 
 the hist that will attempt to visit these islamls f()r furs, and jirobably he will 
 obtiiin hardly any other than f(Axes. ' ii'coij. itntl A.ihoii. J:'r/ii>l., '2'('). 
 
 '"Kustrate I vanovich Delarof, a native of the reh)]>onese, established liim- 
 self as a merchant in Moscow and subseijuently became a partner in lirnis 
 trading with Auierica. lie was in command of many vessels, stations, and 
 expeditions, lie tinally became a <li;'ector of the Kussian American company, 
 and was liotioreil by tlu^ governmeut with the rank of eounnercial couueiUor. 
 Kldt'imkoj, tiluzn. liuruiivcu, 14. 
 
DELAROF AT KADIAK. 
 
 3K 
 
 as 80011 as 
 uld bo ex- 
 c Sliolikol' 
 
 I to actual 
 js to c-arry 
 cir irainci', 
 Lirnotl fro)ii 
 ;)i'a j»r<)|)i'r 
 liaranol", a 
 idir liivcr. 
 'o (leclii)c'tl 
 iiodoratcl y 
 ;. One of 
 Dt'laroi", a 
 lir.s ill t!ir 
 id contiiic'd 
 
 two sliips ami 
 
 111 ill a IVii'ii'Uy 
 
 fo a.uaiii, giving 
 
 liru wo liavo 
 
 ,' tlio Atiitii- 
 
 or eliuatiii;,', 
 
 Hiraiily, Imt 
 
 ilfil all ov( r 
 
 iictit of the 
 
 TL'll iiiaiiiK'M, 
 
 more iL'siiluto 
 
 ty overall tlie 
 
 4nili .li'givc 
 
 iikof ilillisrlf 
 
 litloiigiiiLj Ij 
 
 , ooiiiniaiiilcil 
 
 nil told that 
 
 lollowc'd tln! 
 
 iilaiid, a f;irt 
 
 liiforc the 
 
 IK T writes ill 
 
 ilisliiiR'iit at 
 
 twanl of thi! 
 
 ■fS.'ffl will lir 
 
 ial)ly lie will 
 
 :7(i. 
 
 .l)lisheil liiiii- 
 
 IRT ill lilli:s 
 
 itutious, and 
 ;m c'oiii[iaiiy, 
 .1 couiieilliir. 
 
 iijii 
 
 tliun those Shelikof had intended to confer upon 
 JKiranof. Dolarofs administration at Kadiak won 
 liiui the good-will of all under his connnand, both 
 liussians and natives, and he received well merited 
 praise from all visitors, Spanish, ICnylish, and llns- 
 sian. In all reports concerning Delarof, prominence 
 is given to his justice to all, and his kindness to the 
 natives; but just and amiable men are not usually 
 of the kind chosen to manaufe a monoitoly. In this 
 instance Delarof was too lenient to suit his avaricious 
 and unscrupulous j)arLners. Shelikof never lost sight 
 of Uaranof, and when tjie treacherous Chukchi with 
 whom he was trading robbed him of his goods and 
 i('(kiccd him to poverty, it did not require nuich j»er- 
 suasion to induce liim to enter the service of the 
 Shelikof Company at a compensation of ten shares, 
 cijuivalont to about one sixth of the net pi'oc^eeds. 
 A mutual agreement M'as drawn u[) between the com- 
 pany and ]3aranof on the 18th of August 171)0,'^ and 
 the instructions already issued to Samoilol' and De- 
 larof were in the nuiin conlirmed. ()[)erations must 
 be extended also ah^ng the coast southward, and steps 
 iiiiijiht be taken to obtain supphes from other quarters 
 besides Siberia 
 
 Alexandr Andre'i'cvich Baranof was l)orn in Kar- 
 gopol, eastern Russia, in 1747. At an early age he 
 went to jMoscow, and was eniraijfed as clerk in ri'tail 
 shops until he established himself in business in 1771. 
 
 " The contract, in addition to instructions with regard to the treatment of 
 ii.ifives, eoiitailicd some oiltlilU'H of what the eonipaiiy exiieeted to aei i)iii|ilish 
 miller IJjiraiiof'.s management. Jlowas to sei'k a harlior on tho hit (nmth) 
 siile of the Alaska jieiiinsula and tlienee a eoiniminieation witii Cnok Iidet 
 hy means of a short portage, reported liy the natives. Of this ho vas to 
 make use in ease of attack ]>y hostile crnisers. In addition ho was furiiished 
 Willi . I iple instructions how to act in case of such attacks upon tli(! ililh:ient 
 ^tatio.. A ship iiccompanicd by a licet i^f eaiioes was to j^'o to Capi- St Klias 
 and tlienco to Nootka, to ascertain whether any forei;;ii nations had cstali- 
 li-!ied thcniselves on tho coast between tlio Russians and Spaniards. Uaranof 
 was also to i'uter into eoinniunication with tho Kn^lish merchant Mcintosh, 
 cii;4aL;cd in the Ivist India and < 'liina trade, in order to inako arrangements 
 fur supplying the Russian scttlcmonta with gowls and provisions. TikliiMiuJ', 
 Juioi: OImdh., i. ;]_'-4. 
 
31U 
 
 ORGANIZATION OF MONOPOLY, 
 
 i 
 
 Not incetinjjf witli success he ctnij^rated to Siljcria iu 
 17yO, and imdeitoo): tlie iDana^ciiicnt of a j^las.i 
 factory at Irkutsk. lie also interested liiniseir in 
 other industries, and on account of several conin.ii- 
 iiications to the Civil Economical Society on llic 
 sul)ji'ct of manufactures lie was in 1781) elected .1 
 nicmher of the society. It was a humdrum life ot" 
 which he soon tired, and after ac(|uaintini;' liimsill" wit h 
 tlie resources and possihilities of tlie country, he set 
 out I'astward with an assortment of ^oods and li<{Uors 
 which he sold to the savages of Kamchatka and the 
 adjoinini;- country. At first his operations were suc- 
 cesslul,^- but wlien in 1781) two of his caravans were 
 captuied by Chukchi he found himself bankrupt, and 
 yielded to Shelikof's imi)ortunate oilers to go lo 
 AiK.rica. He had a wife and children at his home in 
 Kaigopol, Ivussia, but during his subsecpicnt residence 
 of almost thirty years in the colonies he never saw his 
 family again though he provided amply I'or them. 
 
 Alexander Baranof was no <ndinary man, and nevi i' 
 throughout his ■whole career did Shelikof display 
 clearer discrimination and foresight than in the selec- 
 tion of this agent. He was a man of bi^ad expcM'iencc, 
 liberal-minded and energetic, politic enough to please 
 at once the government anil the comjiany, not sulli- 
 ciently just or humane to interfere with the interest > 
 of the company, yet having cai'e enough, at what lie 
 decreed the proper tinu', for the conventiomdities ej" 
 the world to avoid bringing discredit on himself or 
 his office. Notwithstanding what certain Russian 
 ]»rii'sts and ]*^nglish navigators havt> sai<l, he was imt 
 the lazy, licentious sot they would have us believe. 
 That he was not burdened with religion, was loose in 
 morals, sometimes druidv, and would lie officially 
 without scruple, there is no doubt; yet in all this lie 
 Avas cons[)icuous over his accusers in that his in<liil 
 
 '-lie oatal)lishc(l trading posts in Kanicluitk.a nnd im tlio Anadir. Khh'- 
 vih]t', Shizn. lianinovn, .'I .">. Soo also Co.'oc^/w, in Maf' rifihii,]. V 10; Pitii/, 
 Jtim^. Am. Co., MS., 1(1; Jrriiiii'.-i ..lnhiria, 4Vhi; JI!-f. \i>rfliiri.''f ('o(i-t,ii. '22'2, 
 tliia series; and the raUicr inimical version uf Jitruml, Juitr., MS., 18-1!). 
 
 I!:! 
 
ALKXANDU AXDREIFA'ICII rARAXOF. 
 
 317 
 
 s^riKi's Wire pciiodical rather than continuous, and nt)t 
 (•;i]ii((l on un<K'r veil (jI" that convt'ntLonal graeo and 
 gravity which cover a niuhitude of sins. 
 
 111! was frequentl}' seized with tits of inelanelioly, 
 due jiartly to uncongenial surmunchngs/"' and would 
 ;i( other tiinc^ l>reak out in ])assionate ra<j:e, duiintr 
 which even women were not safe IVoni his hlows. 
 Tliis exhihition, however, was invariahly followed l»y 
 cnntrite generosity, disjilayed in ])resents to the suf- 
 li icrs and in a l)an<|Uet or convivial di!id<ing hout 
 w ith singing and merriment, so that h\> iits came to 
 lie Welcomed as forerunners to good things. His hos- 
 pitality was also extended to foreigners, though with 
 tliein he ohserved prudent reticence. The jmor could 
 always rely uj)on his aid, and this bene^•<llence was 
 rniipled with an integrity and disinteresti'dness at 
 It ast far above the usual standard among his associ- 
 ates." 
 
 Compare him with Grigor Shelikof, who certainly 
 (lid not lack broad vision and activity, and lliraiiof 
 was the abler man. Both belonged to the shi'ewd 
 yet uiicultured and somewhat coarse class which then 
 rornied the main element oven among the rich men 
 ill Siberia. In vital tleeds l>aran<»f the agent rises 
 >ii|»erior to Shelikof the princij)al, belongs more to 
 liistory, as one wh(» in executing dilKcult plans shows 
 liiinself often a ijreater man than he who conccivevl 
 tlicm. Indeed, if for the next two or three decades 
 I'aranof, his acts and his iniluence, were absent, Rus- 
 sian American histoiy for that period would be but a 
 I'iank. Among all those who came iVom IJussia, he 
 ;ilone was able to stem the tide of encroachment by 
 r<iving traders frovn the United States and Great 
 Ihitain. He was any day, druidv or sober, a match 
 lor the navigator who came to spy out his secrets. 
 
 " To disgust at his low coinp.nnion8, s.ny3 Davitlof , Imt he was not much 
 iiiD'c n'tlncd himself. />>•///■/•. I'utixh.. i. IJIiJ. 
 
 '•Of tliis Uaviilof !ias no ilouitt. for 'lu' is not !iocnuuihiting wealth though 
 li:iving every opportunity to Jo eo.' /(/., Jtiirnitl, Jairr., MiS., 10- "JO. 
 
818 
 
 OnOANIZATIOX OF MOXOI'OLY. 
 
 "9;! if 
 
 Ah for tlie imtivos his iiifhu'iicv over tlioin wns nn- 
 l)()Uii(l('(l, cliicily tlii'<»H!j^li till' ivsjxM't w itii wliich liis 
 iii(l(»iiiital)lo tourano and «'(iiistant jtnsriK'o of ihukI 
 iiiil)r(\^so<I tlit'in.''' And yet tlic savai^n; wIk) caiiii' 
 i)ei'lia|>.s from afar rxpn'ssly to ln'holil tlir faiinil 
 leader, was not a little disappointed in his insiyiiili- 
 cant appearanee as eonipan-d with his fii'i-c*- and hushy 
 beai'ded associates. iJelow the nicdiuni hei<rht, tliin 
 and sallow of eon'.plexioii, with seanty red-tinL;\'(l 
 flaxen hair frini^inj^ a hald erown, he seemed hut an 
 imp anioni; uiants. The lat<>r hahit of wearin^f a short 
 black witx tied to his head with a hlack haiidkerehict' 
 added to his grotesque appearanee.*" 
 
 On the 10th of August 1700, Baranof sailed from 
 Okhotsk on the ship Trvkli Sn'<(tit('fi, eonunanded \.y 
 blaster Boeharof, who was then considered the most 
 skilful navi'-ator in those waters. '"^ When only a few 
 days I'rom [»ort it was discovered that the water-casks 
 were leaking'. The ship's company was placed on slio; t 
 allowance, hut disease made its aj>]iearance, and it was 
 thouufht im])ossii;le to sail direct to the .settlement at 
 Kadiak as }iad \)vvi\ the intention. On the "JNth of 
 September the vessel was tui'ned into the hay of Kos- 
 liinin, Unalaska. to obtain a suj»]»ly of fresh water. I)ut 
 on the ;30th, when about to leave aufaiu, a storm threw 
 the shi|» u[>on the rocky shore. The men escaped 
 with belon-^inLTs, but oidy a small })art of tlu' car«i<) 
 was saved. Within tive days the wreck broke in 
 pieces, and a nic.sseno^er was sent to Kadiak to report 
 the loss, but failed to reach that place.' 
 
 18 
 
 I'rij 
 
 '•' Oavidof was di-cply impressed '.^-ith tliis leader fif men who controlled not 
 only the iiostile saviiL'o Imt tlie vieioiis and unruly Kiissiiin, and rose tmprenio 
 to every liaid.^hip and ilanj.'er in iidvanciiii; all'aiis in tiii.s renmte eornei'. 
 
 "'/«/.. I!t4: Ti-/iit'/ii)i<i/,Aih:.:- A: MiiiLdj. liii.<l:ii mi I'tix/n/rhndm, 'i'2. 
 
 " lloeharof wa-* at Okhotsk in 1771, ai tlie time of the insurreetiun luiidi 1 
 l>y th'- I'lilish exile. Count IJenyvov-ki. Tin latti'r compelled IJoeharof t.i >;•» 
 ■with liiin, and tinally took him to France. Thence he was returned to St 
 IVtershurg by the Uus.>iian eniUts-siidor at I'aris, ami tlie empress orderecl hiia 
 to resume liis duties at Okhotsk. To this invoh;nt;iry circunuiavij,'atiou of tiie 
 world lk>cliurof was indeltted fur much of his prv)liciuncy in nautical science 
 Khlchnlkof, Shizii. iidniiioiHi, ."). 
 
 "A man named Alexander Molef waa sent upoa thia ciTaud with a nuin- 
 
 ;' 1 
 ..1 
 
BAUAXOF IK ALASKA. 
 
 ,■11;; 
 
 n was \m- 
 wliicli Iii-; 
 ? of iniiid 
 
 he faun 1 1 
 
 ■< insiynill- 
 iiiid busliy 
 
 _M<^]lt, tlli:l 
 
 rod-tinijfii 
 0(1 l)ut a; I 
 inuf a slioi'1 
 ulkc'ichiei", 
 
 lailcd tVoi:! 
 iiaii<K'(l \y 
 I tlio must 
 only a few 
 rater-casks 
 3d on slioit 
 and it w.is 
 enient at 
 
 2stii <-r 
 
 IV of" Kos- 
 :ntv\\ l)ut 
 
 n-in threw 
 oscapt'd 
 he earu<i 
 broke in 
 to report 
 
 pontrolli'd II. t 
 rosi' s-ii]iriiu. 
 (•to coriRT. 
 
 hlKiDI, .VJ. 
 
 •ot'ticiii luiiili 1 
 {i)cliarof l.< - ' 
 •tinned to Si 
 s (irtl»-iT(l l.i I 
 ^'iition of til' 
 itical sciciin . 
 
 with a nuMi- 
 
 Thrown Upon his own resources, I>aranof disti'iliuti'd 
 his men, lifty-two in numhtr, ovi-r tlie island to shoot 
 seals and sea-lions and »!lg edihle roots, the only food 
 the islauil atfoi'di'd durin;' the wintei'. The leader 
 lahored with the nn-n and livetl with them in the un- 
 (li'i'L;round lu?ts which tluy eoiistinicted. Tl e dried 
 sahnon 'uid halihut obtained occasionally from tlu." 
 Aleuts were a luxury, ami on holidays a soup was 
 made of rye Hour of which a small quantity had been 
 saved. The A\inter was nt)t wholly lost to ]^aianof, 
 v.ho seized this opportunity to study the people, both 
 llussians and natives, with whom he had thrown hi-; 
 lot for so manv vears to come, and whom he was to 
 rule without a shadow of actual or ap]>an'nt sui)poit 
 from the govermnent. It was here that he foi'uied 
 plans which were afterward of great service to the 
 company 
 
 ID 
 
 Spring coming, three largo bidars wore made in 
 v.liich to push on to Kadiak, with two of which 
 Bocharof was to explore and hunt along the nortlieiii 
 ct)ast of the Alaska pi'uinsula. Twenty-six men were 
 assigned to this exi^dition while IJaranof took a crew 
 of sixteen in the third boat, leaving five at Unalaska 
 to guard what had bi'en saved from the cargo and 
 rigging of the wreckt'd ship. Toward the en. I ol' 
 April l~'Jl the three bidars ]>ut to sea, and on the 
 
 I'll- of Alouts. Whrii only a htuKlicil mill's fmni Kailiak the party was 
 attinki'd liy llif nati\is ol the Alaska piiiin.-ula. on wiiicli ociiision livi' of ilii" 
 .\Kut.s Wire killeil. MoKf, thou?,'h severely woumleil, niiin;i_'eil to laniivli 
 Ills liidarka and make liis way to l' 
 liy Ihiranof the following year. /</. . 
 
 '" Uaranof's letter written at thi.-t time presents a vivid picture of life there. 
 ' I jias.-^ed the winter ill ;,'ii;it liaid>hii>;;,' he says, 'espeeiiilly w lien theweathei 
 Was had. Suliietiiiies two nioiiths jia.-'.sed liy without a possihility of yoji 
 any di>taiiee, hut 1 iiiadi 
 seureli of .SOI 
 
 liLia, where lie reuiallieil unlil 
 
 1 picked 
 
 t 1 made n>e of ivery clear day to j.'o out with my l'iiii i;i 
 ddition to our larder. On one of these txcur^ioiis 1 fi II into 
 
 y v.dundcd ... I lii.iifd s;ilt of very 
 
 ;htl 
 
 go 
 
 ' >'f tile traps set for fo.\es and was sIIl:! 
 
 id ijUality, as w hite as snow, ami useil it for sailing tisli, and .seal, and .sea- 
 
 ion nica 
 
 t. As f, 
 
 ir as cou 
 
 kill"' with oil is eoiicinie(l we were fasiiii 
 
 dl tl 
 
 tunc 
 
 am 
 
 1 the Week liefoie Master we were coinpelleii to fa^t altoL'etlier, liiit 
 oil Faster Moiidiiv a dead vvliale was east ashore and furnisheil i\a u least. Jn 
 
 the same week we killed three seadiipiis, anU the faniim; was at an em 
 
 1. I 
 
 had heeoine acenstomed to think no more of tlour or bread.' Khklinikoj', Shhii. 
 Itui-uiwni, S. Only three ineu died of scurvy. 
 
320 
 
 ORliANIZATIOX OF MONOPOLY. 
 
 
 lOtli of May they separated in Issaiiakli Strait, at tlie 
 soutlu-rn end of the peninsula. After an absence of 
 ilve niontlis ]^ocliarof rejoined Ids connades at Ka- 
 diak by a portage route across the peninsula, bringing- 
 not only iurs but a number of j^-ood eharts.*' Duj'in^ 
 bis whole journey Baranof was prostrate with fevei ; 
 nevirtheless he insisted that the party should n<il 
 only advance l)ut exi)lori', beinj^ unwilling' to lose t!ic 
 calm weather so essential lor a sale passa;^fe iVom island 
 to islantl or from cape to cape alonLC tlu- coast t)f the 
 maiidand. He arrived at Three fSaints, Kadiak, tlie 
 27th of June. 
 
 Baranof at once assumed command of all the estali- 
 lishment.s of the Shelikof-Golikof Company, relieving' 
 Enstrate Delarof"'^ At this tinu' the comj)any was 
 in actual possession of Kadiak and a few of tin- 
 smaller adjacent isles; the prin<ipal scttK'ment beiii;^- 
 still at the bay of Three ►Saints. The supeilicial 
 j)acirication of the nati\es by Shclikof hail been com- 
 jileted by Delarof so lar as Kadiak and vicinity w< it 
 concei'ued, though they remained in their priniili\. 
 condition. The opinion of all but Delarof was that 
 thev could be held in subji-ction onl\' bv force of arms 
 or fear, and that upon the lirst si^^ii of weakness ..r 
 relaxation of vij^ilance on the part of the Jiussiaii-- 
 they would lise and ilestr»»y them. As much system 
 had bei-n seciu'i'd as lay in the powi-i- of one ri^lil- 
 miiided, intelligent man, surrounded by an unruly 
 band of individuals but little if any ab(»\t' the crim- 
 inal class, I ha\»' sai<l of Delarof that he was strict 
 lis sen.si- «)f justice and of fair administrat i\ •■ 
 ty. The contemplation of this amiable (jin-eks 
 
 in n 
 abili 
 
 ^"IJciclmntf iiitiMiilfil to «'Xtoii(l his «'Xpliiratiiiii« to tlio const of tin* 
 A;.'li'}iiniit<'s, Imt IiIm ckiu lioat.s wiic I'liuiul to lie waUTloj,j;cil from inccHmint 
 u-f, ami it wa.t foiuluilfil to tiiakt' a |Mirta>;t' ai'iu.s.s a narrow jiart of ll.f 
 I>iiiiii>iila. 'J'liis was ai'i'oiii|ilis!uiI in tlino I'aVH. 'I'lic liiilai's wcm thru 
 I'lpainil anil tin- jiMty irossuil to Kadiak, iiaohiii).' Thrfi; Saints on the I'Jili 
 
 of Si'IiIiIuIk T. 
 
 ■" I>i Inoi riinninid iniiiiagi-r of liiu cuniixiiiy until July 171*1. Tikluin ii-/, 
 
 Jxtoi: (//<,<-., i. 'J7, -vS. 
 
CHARACTER OF DEL.VROP. 
 
 m 
 
 cliaractor nfVonls ji j)li'asant nlicf froni tho ordinary 
 
 I'll 
 
 ndiu't of the Kussiaiis in Anit'iifu. llati tlit'if Ix 
 
 III 
 
 iiiDre siU'li iMCii, I s]i(»ul(l have loss to ivi'ord <»!' out- 
 la^', cruelty, and eiiininal neuflect; had I )elarot' heei» 
 had enoii<j;h to ph'ase his directors Baraiiot" inij^ht havo 
 
 iriiiamec 
 
 latl 
 
 lonie. 
 
 I'loni his head-(juarters at Kadiak, Delarol" had de- 
 spatched expeditions to the inaiidaiid, at tlie eiitranco 
 ot' Cook Iidet, or the *^n\\' of Kenai, iis the Jxussians 
 always pi'isistod in callinj^ it, and there he had estah- 
 li>lie(l a perniaiu'iit station which he nanutl Alexaii- 
 (Irovsk. Otherwise' the whole '<' this inKt was oeeii- 
 pii'd hy Lehedef'-I^astochkin, w!io also luld the inlands 
 discovered I y l*iihylof. The people of the Alaska 
 |ii niusula hati n«»t yet permitted any Kussiaiis to settle 
 aiiiojii;- thcMi, and were held to he hostile. Tile ad- 
 joiiiint;' J'lince William Sound was alsi» oceupii'd, and 
 ell the Aleutian isK's threi' privati' tratlipi^ conipanie:s 
 wci'e still doiiii^ husiness. un<K'r the manai^enu-nt ot' 
 Oiikof. Paiiof, and Ivisselef respectively. 
 
 'I'lius on every side rival tstahlishnients and traders 
 wt ii" di'aiiiin^' the country o|" tlu' valuahle staple upon 
 V.liicli rested the Vcl'V e\i>tence of the sell* liie of 
 
 cnjdiii/.atioii. To tlie e 1st and north thei 
 
 V were liUs- 
 
 s;i 
 
 Ills, hut to the south-ea>l the ships of |]nLjli>limeii, 
 v\inericans, and l"'renchiiien were already tiavcrsiiii^ 
 tlie tortuous channels of the Alexander archipelago, 
 reaping- rich harvests of si-a-dtter skins, in the vety 
 ic'jfioii win ic '; Hanoi' had di'cidtd to »xtend llussiaii 
 t!«MiiiirKin Ml '•oniu'ctioii wiih cninpaiiy sway. Al- 
 tlliiULjli liev could not expect to succeed so well 
 
 I'uitlur iioitli. here t!usc tradi'i's had every athantane. 
 Tlicy eiij'iyed coiupiiral i vely easy cdiiimuiiicat i«iii with 
 liniM' pi.ints; they were skilled iiavi^jators, and caiiii 
 
 ill 
 
 laru". 
 
 We 
 
 eijUII'I'cu \('^S( 
 
 'PI 
 
 •Is ladt n with >roods far 
 
 superior to anythin-^' the Ixiissiaiis cuild all'ord to 
 iti'iii'^ hy sled or on tlu' hacks of horses across Siheria. 
 'i liey could also he more lavish with their low-piiced 
 aiticles since tliev wcTo under n*> expeii.so ill ujaiii- 
 
 lIiKT Alaska. 'Jl 
 
 I' 
 
 m 
 
m 
 
 ORfi.VXIZATIOX OF MOXC^POLY. 
 
 
 taiiiiiig permanent forts or cstaMisliincnts or a large 
 retinue of servants. As oeeasional visitors only, witli- 
 (.at permanent intere.ts in the land, tlu;y could <K';il 
 out fire-water, risk occasional eheatings and o[»en aets 
 of violence, while Baraiiof, witJi his few men of |»cr- 
 luanent i-esidenee, among warlike trihes, nuist he con- 
 stantly on his guard against acts provocative (»r 
 hostilities. 
 
 It was neoossary that he should hestir himself t.> 
 V itlcn the operations of the company cm the field 
 v.as exhausted, and this had heen his deterndnatioii. 
 but he ilid not as vet possess the necessarv vessels, 
 men, and su[)[)lies to tlo much. The loss of the '/Vr/A 
 Si-i(t(i(c/l was indeed a foi'midable hindrance; skin 
 l)oats alone couM wt'll he used, and to these the men 
 had more than oni' ohjection, the risks of sea voyages, 
 and the disadvantages in [loint of <lefence, carrying 
 capacity, and convenience. These objections weri' 
 the more serious in view of tl;e ureater stubbornness 
 and hostility of the mainland tribes as compai'ed 
 with the docile Aleuts. Another trouble was that 
 for several years no sujtply-ships had aii'ived fiom 
 Siberia, and the Kussian hunters and laboj-ers weiv 
 I'educed to the nc-cessitv of sliaTin'-' the scantv suh- 
 sistence of the uativi's. ])issatisfaction was there- 
 foi-e general among the enijiloyes, including the ii;i 
 tives, and this together witli the sight of want among 
 the con(|uering race served tt» I'ouse the insolence and 
 hostil'ty of tribes .a-ound. 
 
 Some of these troubles l^aranof manag<>d to ovei - 
 come l»y his own eiiergv and strength <4' will; {\>y 
 others he must obtain tlu- cooperation of the com 
 j)any. Among other measures he urged Sheliknl 
 most elo(jUently to labor Ibr a consolidation »»f tin 
 various trading comj»anies, and thereby to secure t ■ 
 t!ie new coj-poration the large muid)erof valuable sea- 
 otter skins then scattered throughout the small ii\;i! 
 »stablis!iments of the mainland. At the sanu" tiin- 
 he n|>[)roved of a suggestion matle before his ilepartiui 
 
 
BARAXOF'S LF.TTKR.S. 
 
 11-3 
 
 III l)uil(l ships ill Ai!K>ri('a, and uiij^cd that n<> di lay 
 he ailoNVfd in lorwardinLj inaU'rial U) him IVoiii Kain- 
 
 I Ii.itka. IIo sa'.v the advantajjfe to tlie coiiipaiiy t»t' 
 t \hihitiii<; vessols huilt in their colony tuid the neces- 
 sity of makinu: hiniselt' in<lependent oi" the vessels lui- 
 N.ardetl at lonL( and irregular intervals from the 
 A>iatic ]K)rts. This wonld ensure not oidy sup[»lies 
 hut the means «)f cruisin*; down the coast. 
 
 Without havinj^ sc'cn or met any of the ]]n«^lish or 
 American traders then operating' in the Sitka re<,d<>n 
 he conceived the plan of obtaininiif from them not 
 (iiily |»rovisions hut trading' <^oods, and asUed Sheiikof 
 I'mI' iir.thority to do so; he knew that in tlu' l*ril)ylof 
 I lands, then recently disc()Vere<l, he had a tr«a>>urv 
 
 IV nn which he miyht draw the means to pmcha^e 
 whatever he wante<l of th(! foreijjfii tradt-rs, and that 
 !m' would thus he enahled to huy from them willi one 
 t lass ot' furs the means of hattlin^; vv ith them on tlnir 
 iiwn i;i-ound for the purchase of sea-otter skins, then 
 the most valuahle fur in tin; n\arkot. This plan ul 
 
 i|i(iation, though t<'mj)orarily delayed, was hnaliy 
 adiijitt'd and successfully carried out under JJarauofs 
 supervision. 
 
 Knowing that his letters in scnne form woidd fall 
 iMidertho eye of the government, UaraiKif worded his 
 
 c. > 
 
 mmunications with great care, and with respect to 
 the Well seeming plau to introduce missioniU'ies In; 
 wi'iite to the directors ol' the com[)any; " S-jud nie a 
 wi II intormed priest, oiu who is of a pe.ieeahle dis- 
 jMisition, not superstitious, and no hypocrite." \\ itli 
 the same view of im|>ressing u|»on the authorities the 
 liuniaiH! disposition of the company's traders, he le- 
 • jUesti'd Sheiikof to' send him mmierous article> not 
 iiieluded in the invoices of the Mrm, hut suitahle ;is 
 gifts to tln! natives", at the same time explaining that 
 he wislu'd to con(pier the savages with kindness. \[v 
 a>ked to have the articles purchase<l and forwartled 
 at his Dwn expi'iisi; so that "should he gi\e tlaiii all 
 away, tiiu com[)any 'would HuU'cr. ho lo.ss^ wliile, on 
 
t ''• 
 
 m 
 
 
 I •; 
 
 ill' H 
 
 '. 
 
 li'tS'i t} 
 
 
 
 
 lit ORf;ANIZATION OF MONOPOLY. 
 
 the otlior hand, any i>r()rii made on the consignment 
 blioukl be transferred to the tirm." ■' 
 
 Dnrinj:^ the autinnn and winter of 1791 Baranof 
 madu liimsclf thorou<j:hlv acciuainted with the wants 
 ami eajtahilities «tf' liis new <lomain nnder the intelli- 
 iicnt sj^uidance and instruction <»t"])(larot',wlio nilnrned 
 to Okliotsk in 17l)'J,and at i\\v saiiio tinio severed liis 
 «*onne<tion with colonial matters. The hitter tool; 
 jiassage in the shij) aSV Millm'il, which had l)een in tlie 
 colonies v\vv since Shehhofs first an-ival, taking with 
 him l-)ocharot'as navii'atoi', manvofthe promvsjdeni'.d 
 whose tcini ol' contract had expire*!, and all the furs 
 collected liy him during his administi-ation. 
 
 The new manager soon recogni/ed the desirahilit y 
 of )emo\i!ig the principal settlement of the company 
 iVom Tlii'ee Saints to J*a\lovsk harhor, on the north 
 sidi' of Kadiak, in latitude .")7 .'UJ' jiccording to ('aj)- 
 t:iin Lissianski's ohservations. The reasons layjtartly 
 in the hetter harhor, and chiefly in the abundance of 
 forests lit the latter ])lace, facilitating the erection ot" 
 necessary buildings :ind foi-titieatioiis.-"' 
 
 In the s|)ring t>f l7l)"J, howe\tr, l>aranof was grati- 
 ilcd by the appearance of a chief from the noilhi'in 
 side of the jMiiinsula, whom Hocharof, during hi> 
 \oyage of e\](lo)at ion the pri'ceding year, had pii 
 rented with a medal bi-aiin*"' the ]lus.sian coatof arni.-^. 
 The savage <lignitai-y, who was at the head t)f one of 
 the mo>t populous tribes of the peninsula, broughl 
 with him «juite a large following, including six host 
 
 "* ' Siii'li :nr my jilalis,' \\v wroti-, ' Imt tlu'ir xoiiitiim ilfpi'iid!* minii |iii>v 
 Mciicf. My liist steps intii tlusc ii";.'ii>hH wim-c utttnilrcl w iili niif<fiirliini', l.iit 
 jKiimpM I shall ln' |it'i'iiiitt('il to ('iiiii|ii('i- in tin- fiiil. I will «'itlnr \aiii|iiisli ;i 
 I'l'UcI titti.' or t.'ill iiliiirr its ii'|M':itril liliius. Want aihl liai'(lslii|is I t.iii licai 
 villi paticiii'i' ami trust in ]irii\ iilciiic. tsrccially wluii tlit- hai'i'ili>.'i! is iiia<i< 
 I'm- tlu' siil.r lit' trilr I'lii'liilsliiii,' A7/'i Imdul', Slii.ii. Ilirnimrti, 10, 
 
 -■' III Isso only one ilila|iiilatt <1 Ixulioiisc iniil lUic lialiM' semi siiliti'iraiitaii 
 lint iiiarUril till' Hitt' iif tlic cai liist priiiiaiii lit |iMalic>ii<>r tlic linssiaiis, juhI 
 tlu'.^c liiiililiii^s ail' iii'irlii >l iiixiu till liillsiili'. u\'t I liHikiii^r tlu' raiinl spit, f.nin 
 wlii.-li lliiixis anil tiilal wave-. l:a\i' luni; fill'' < railiiatvil a I tiaci i i.( lunia i 
 «i<'( iipani'y. A ii'pri'si'iit.itnni nf tlir srttU'iiaiit in it appraiv 1 in I7;«ll'.. 
 til I II liit'scrvi'il in Sninr'i In mi. nnd .|a'/-i>//. Lj/.h/., uliil in .SiU'icluri* iK- 
 Vi'liptloii ol' till' saiiK.' iXjiriliiiiiii. 
 
Ni:o(rriATio>:-; with tut: XATrvi:s!. 
 
 ,iil>t«'rra!iiMii 
 
 u\ hint, f "111 
 
 ■s i.f liirim I 
 ill I7;«> I' • 
 i-yc'iK f'« 'I' 
 
 nj;"(\'^. Tfo assuT-fd l>;irMHiir that his pcojilc tl.siivil t > 
 live ill tVic!i<l>hiii with the I Jussiaic^. In ivturn h.- 
 ;iskr(| tht' latttT to protiTt him a;j,ai'ist ci-rtaln tiihc.s 
 hviii'j: tarthtT north in the intciior of the cDuntrv. 
 As a |)rn(tf of his sincerity, the chid' oilcnd to locnt'.; 
 himself' and all his family in the ininiudiati' xici'iity 
 uf oiu! <if the coiiijiany's e>tal>lisli:;ients. The ])rojiosi- 
 tioii was evideiitlv the resnlt of fear of his iieiLrhhofs 
 ratlier than j^'ood feeliiiL;" toward tlic llnssians, iwvi'i- 
 tlieloss it was choerfnily accepted as the first indica- 
 tion of the possihility of a hotter luiderstaiidiiiin" with 
 the imlependent natives of the jieiiiiisnla. An alli- 
 aiicc of this kind was esjiecially de^iruhh; on ac'-oiiht 
 
 )< "Sses 
 
 if till' inijMirtance at that time placed on tli(> j 
 >ion of the porta^je a<'ross th" narrow neck of land 
 scparatini^ the waters lA' lliammi I^akt' from the 
 Koivchak l\i\ei-, jmd with j'nssi.viis so few in nuiii- 
 
 jcr an* 
 
 atten 
 
 I'd o\ I'l' so 
 
 lii'oa<l u I'eifion, 
 
 relations v/t vc esscn 
 
 tial. 
 
 )e;u'ealile 
 
 Advaiitaife was at oik c taken of tlie proposal tn 
 extend operations in this (|uart('r, and other expedi- 
 tions Wert! also despatched, one under Ismaih^f in tht 
 
 oil 
 
 Ivl; 
 
 ir''e vesst 
 
 ■1 leltt..t!lelll,the,SVN 
 
 NIK'Oi' , Cllll 
 
 ■th 
 
 se( Iviiiir ii(.\v fields.-'* l)araiiof himself proceeded to the 
 ^nlf of ( 'hiiL^atsclmik, J*riiice \Villinm Sound, with 
 two well manned hidars in order to l)e(;ome accpiainted 
 with the inhahitants of that reunion; Dreading" tin; 
 IJnssians and a possihle state of de|»endence, the for- 
 I'iddinuf ( 'hunatsehes concealed theiiiseUes from iiar- 
 .inofat evi'ry point. At last he succeeded in nicetiii'^' 
 
 a few of the tlihes and oltttilied flolll them siVcll 
 
 HI ii '.r 
 
 liostaL^es. lli'reahont he fell in with the ship /'A 
 Captain AFoore. fiom the l/ist Indies, and (.htaiiH d 
 infoi'iiiation on foreign trallic in the AK'xander an-lii- 
 |icla;jfo, which served him orcatly in forming" plans for 
 I'uture operations, lie oont^civul quite a frien(' i i 
 
 •'llnmniif wiiiti- coiUTniiii!; r-ii:iaVliif"H iu-hiovo'hcnt-t tlitit 'lii" \n>nt 
 
 >i,, \,, 
 
 inUi' ilJMi'dvrricM, Init iliscuvcii li ii>it!iiiii,' iifymul iliniS'Jiil imlicatiuiiH ut laiiu. 
 
 t:u„ 
 
 I'/, Ixtor. Oliv»r.,\\. ai>p. ,:i(J. 
 

 3'jn 
 
 OROAXIZATIOX OF MONOPOLY. 
 
 'I 
 
 .i... i^l! 
 
 
 ill^ 
 
 fi)i- t!ic coiiininiKlcr, fioin \v]i(»m licroccivod as a '[nvs- 
 r:il' ii ii;iti\e (tf Bcii<jf;il.-' 
 
 Somi al'trr his iiiertiiin' with ^loorc, llarannf j)im- 
 (•t'edc'd to NiU'ht'k Jshiiid, near tht; mouth of ('o]i]i( )• 
 ]\ivcr, and L-iicaiiipod within a s'loit distance of ihr 
 cove whcro Huhsc(|uciitly tlie Konstantinovsk redouht 
 was hnih. Findin^L,' the supply of fish limited, he 
 conchide<l to send a hidar manni;d hy Russians and ;i 
 ]iart of the AK'Ut hunters to Sukli (Montanu) Isj.nii! 
 in search of Ijetter lishinn--i,M'ounds, cai>:d)le of furniftli- 
 injjf a winter's supjily for his j)arty. On the 2(JtIi of 
 June this i'X|)edi<ion ^et out, and Raranof remained 
 on Xuchek Island with only sixteen Kussians. Ih 
 had heard runuM's of hostile intentions on the |>ait of 
 liie savau'es, hut placi'd little faith in them. To av<»i I 
 unnecessary risks, however, he iiJti'uded t<» remove hi 
 liltle fore*' to a small island in the hay, on tin- day fol- 
 l(iwih'4 tlh- departure of his exploring' party. Jn tii 
 middle of the ni'^lit, which was v«!v dark and stormy, 
 tin- si-ntrics e;ivc thi' alarm. I"'i\c of the sixteeh 
 men Iiad heen pla«'ed on j^iiard, hut the dai'kness wa- 
 so dense that a !Uinu'r<»us hody of armed nativi-s Ii.i I 
 advanced to within ton paces of the eneami»ment with- 
 out lu'inj.,' seen. Jn a moment the ]\ussi;uis had .sei/.e I 
 
 ''' l^'ir.'iiK'f iiivtA ill) iiitcirHtiii',' aoiiiuiit of tliis iiicitiiij,' in oiu; nf lii.s K;ttc. •> 
 ti Slirlikiif: • llciii;,' mImihI tn iv.taMi-(li il .slatiuli for tlif wiiiti r, 1 fill in wi.ii 
 (lit I'.iil;1mIi w.ssi 1, uliiih li;iil ••■niio fitiiii tlic l)iiMt Indies, liy way of ('aii'u -i 
 mill Manila to Aliiciii'a in the viiiiiity of .Noolka, ami finiii tlicn- In.' hail t ■'■ 
 I'lWcil Uic (oast lo( 'li'ii^atr*rii. liailinz uitli many trilpcs ami lollictint,' ii lar. 
 i|;iantity of iMrs, lie liail lost a ma»t iH a ^'aic ami iiplaii'il it at C'lnigatsrli 
 mill for that iraMin hi' liatl ioik linliil to ritiiin ilircct to I. 'anion. I'Ik- .>i!ii|>. 
 nMini'il till! /'/ill ■.'./'. was 7'> fi< t Ion i,' anil h.'i<l two inast't. 'I'lii' caiitaiii is ; i 
 liii>:liKhnian, of Itirth cvtiarthni, nanu'il Mooiv. lie mtt lii>t wiiji my hiilaiK i 
 I'l'i t, ami thru camr to my ani lioia;;<', w hri r lii' lay ti\i! il;iys (lining str; 
 of wi'nthiT. I was on lioiiril marly all tliu time anil wax <'nti'rtainccl at tl 
 c.iiitain'.-* talilo. W'v roiivt'iMnl a ;.;roat iloal on varioiii siiliji'fts. anil thou: !i 
 V.I' iliil not iimliTstaml lai li ollu r \riy wi'll, wi' niaiiii|,'<il to make nwo of ll: 
 lit'inian lan^iia^'i- uhirli I h.nl ini|H'i'li'rtly loarni'il as a Iniy, 1>iit ulnioNt for 
 gottt'n Hini'f. Tilt' raptain nauli' nio a | ri'scnt of mi. |Mant| Imlian, who : 
 my jiiiMiti' atti'iiilant iliiiiii!,' tlu' wintiT, hut in tin- ■.iimiiur he hitvcs in t! 
 (';i]iai'ity of an ahh' Ni'iiinan. Ili nmli rht.imhi i'lii'.'li.' Ii wi'll anil I liavo t-iu:.l ! 
 him ron.siili'ialili' l^l^^i'ln. I iliil md maUo miy |>i I'Nint in ntinn lityonl < 
 fi'W foV'MkiiiH ami .some kniuiiibt.- of .Meat wi'rkniaii.'>hip ami koiin other ti'il!> 
 I i.lso hiaril mw « i^ ( '.ipt. ( 'oxr from him. Ilo ilit'u at ( 'air.on. ♦•Wo wi-ii' ■. 
 \ 1 ry frit'nilly tirms ainl ('apt. .Mooii' vi.-itnl mo suvuiul tiniox un shore in iii.v 
 toit.'' y^Wwi /('/,/■*/. 0/,».v;'., ii., app., ;il(. 
 
BATTLE AT NUCHKK. 
 
 3J7 
 
 llnir arms aii«l wore flriiijjf on llic savaijfos. Aer-onl- 
 i:iL,' to Hai'aiiof their lii-o was tor a loii:^ tiiue without 
 ;:iiy visible eti'cct, owiii;^ to the wooden ariiior and 
 >hiel(ls and lielniets of tlic isava»jfes, v hieli were of 
 >nllieient thickness to stoj) a bullet fired at some di.s- 
 taiire. The inovenients ^il' the enemy seemed to bo 
 ' iiided by one connnander, and 1)V shoutin<_r to each 
 1 4 her thev j>reserved unity of a<-tion in the darknes;. 
 Their tlint and copper-lieaded arrows and spears fell 
 thi'-k and fast, woundiniuf several of the Hus^ians and 
 many of the Aleuts, seviTal of them fatally, 'i'he 
 Idiiw did not even make a show of resistance, bi:t 
 xemed jiossessed (,f the one idea of ^'scapinij;; by water 
 in their bidarkas. As the assailants had several lar:^\! 
 v/ar-canoes n(»t many of these atten)|>ts were succcss- 
 fnl. One small «'annon, a one and-a-half-|toundrr fal- 
 coiift, was at last broUL,dit into jiosition, and did souk; 
 execution, at the same time encouia'dn;; the Aleuts 
 to r;dly around the Russians in their encam[»ment. 
 I-'ortunately Ismailof'.s vessid hajipeiied to be at anchor 
 not farolf, and a few of those who lied in their I'anois 
 at the !)e;fii'! ini,' of the allVay, ha<l in the mean tliih' 
 ii acheil it,an<l obtained a bidai' full of armed nU'U f* r 
 thf ri'lief of Jiaranof. Tin; appeai-anct! of this bout 
 causetl six largo wooden war-canoes to beat a hasty 
 i'« treat. One explanation, thoU!^h not very plau>ible, 
 of this unexpected attack was that the Yakutat tribu 
 of Kaljushes had cond)ined with the A^leoiuutes to 
 a\en<'e tln'mselves for miuiies rei'eived at ihe hands 
 of the Chugatsoiies duriuL,' the pre'cedinLjyeai'. ivnov* - 
 ii\\f that the »SV Si.nrtm was anchon-d four \i:rsts away, 
 an<l io'norant of IJara.iof's pi'» s^'nce, they liad mistaki .i 
 the liussian encampmentjor a ('huuratsch villai^tt and 
 attacked it in the dai k. ^ \\'lien the mistake was 
 
 ul- 
 
 eovcred, the savajufos were n»duce(l to pcrsi'vert; ni thi ir 
 otlorts by hopes of.rieh booty, <>nly to pay di'arly ft r 
 tlie attempt and'-to retreat deeply tlemoralized." 
 
 -■'■'IlirjiiK.f wmt.' ti) Sli'clik. f ms f ilk.ww: 'We foitiul I'J killiil i ii t!ii'i;i<,t; 
 tlic ^vuuiiiL'd liutl bcua cuirio.l oil, but a wuku of blootl waa viiiLilt u wrbt 
 
328 
 
 ORGANIZATION OF MONOPOLY. 
 
 Tliis affair caiisod Haraiiof to change liis plans. 
 Instead of wintcriii}^ in i'rinc'c AVilliain Sound as 
 liad Ikhmi liis intention, he turned to the «,'ulf' of Xonai 
 l)y the shortest route. He strenjjfthened liis outlyin;^ 
 stations there and hastened the work of fortilieation 
 mill tlicn proceeded to Kadiak. On his arrival at 
 ]*avl()\>k harl)(>r, he found that the shi[) < h'i'l, that is 
 Kaj^If, had ariMvcd from Okhotsk, connnandcd hy the 
 Kn;^lishinan Shii'lds, and laden partly with niati rial 
 for new ships, though by no means of the descrip- 
 tion most essential for opening operations. Although 
 despatched in the autunni of 171)1, vessels had been 
 c(»nijielle<l to wintei" in Kamchatka. Shields had 
 learned the art of ship-building in England, but had 
 subs«'(|Uently enteied the' liussian military service and 
 obtained the raidc of sul)-lieutenant."" 
 
 At the- same time came ordi-rs to proceed at once 
 vith ship-buihling. This placed J^aranof in an vaw- 
 
 
 or tw>) Ix'liinil llirir <'an()t'M. At the very fmt (Hisot tlicy killcil i>ii our 
 villi' ii man iiaiiuil Kotuvcliikiif fioiii ii.vniiiiil, aii'l I'aspclot' from 'I'liiiit'iink 
 •li.il two Wfi'Us later. Of the licatluii tlic Ak'iils- !( wolf killfcl ami l."i 
 woiinilcil. As for mvKflf, (Joil protcttt'il mi-, tlioii;^li my uliirt was toin \<\ a 
 (njiii:!' ami tlu' arrows fill tliiikly aroiiml mi'. Ik'iiig arouni'il fioiii a ili'i'p 
 hli'i |i 1 liail no time to (lii'SH, lint nisl.i'd out aw I wi»t to cm'oiiraL!!' fin- iiu ii 
 (imi to hi't! that our only rannoii wa.s movi'd to wlii'rt^viT tin- ilan^tiT wan 
 j.'r<-;it<-.st. linat |iraisi' i.s dur to tin; fiarli'.-t.s ik'ini'anor of my miii, many of 
 vli'ini Were iii'W nrruit.s. J mintioii anion;; tlirni I'coiloi' OstroL'in ami /,;ikli- 
 milin. ( )ni' of tlii' ( 'liu;,'atHi'li lioHtap's liron^'lit n.s lour mi'li wlio liail been ra]i- 
 tuiiil liy tlu' ( 'Inipitsili pi'opli'. I'loni tlii.-^i' wr li'arn«'<l that our a.ssailants 
 had cxpi'i'tcd 1(1 i'::notH full of M'arrioi'H from tlir < 'op|ii>r liivir and that tin y 
 intcndnl to proi'ii'd to tlw ).;ulf of Krnai aftm' annihilating,' the ( 'hnj.'at.'^i li 
 tidd'.' Til.liiiii III/, /-^-/•. 0/i(i.s/'., ii. app. JIT M. Khlilmikot, in his life of llai 
 nnof, relates this ineiilent in a sonx'what dill'erent manner as to details, and, 
 »i.iaii;;o to nay, he i|uotes as his authority a letter from Haranof to Shelikof. 
 They ri'treafi d in ."> lanoes while tlu y hailarriyed in (i. Sli'r.ii. Hiirniinvn, Hi 17. 
 Vift they earried oil I eaptiyes. TiUmK in/, /xltir. <)l,iis., j. ;!,S-!», til .'i. 
 
 •■'Shelikof wrote to liarauof on this oeeasion: 'We send you now iron, 
 rope, and s.iil-cloth for one shiji which, with the assi.-itance of Shields, you 
 vill lieal'le to lit out, au'l if you sueeeed you may lay the keel for- two or 
 time other vi'SHcls of vaiious dimensions. VouHhould endeavor to push their 
 constiuetioii far enoui'li ahead to enalileyon toeomi>!ete them without further 
 O^Atstanee of n NhipwriLiht. Kverythinj,' you need for this shall hi^ Kent hy 
 the next o|iportiniil\ . ^'ou.shouhl tiaeh the AmerieanH to piik oakum, make 
 r(i|H.-s, WW lit the Miils, and help the li' •eksiuiths. ' /</., i, ;t(l Id. The iron 
 oppi-ars to have lieen forj.'otteu. Shiehis had fiMUierly servi 1 as lieu'enaiit 
 in a N'ekateriidiur).' leL'iuient, hut us he was hoth ^hip-liidldi • ami navi;4ii or hy 
 
 1lrol<•s^j(,n. Shelikof eluia'^ed him fi^r service in the neVi colonies. 'I'll llrt 
 .iiHif of his prolieiency in his lin.-^ineHrt \\\\» the packet '"'at O/v/, which ho 
 Cou^itruuted at Okhotsk. K/iUlmiku/, Siikii. Jjnntitova, 18. 
 
SHIP-nUILDING. 
 
 S29 
 
 plans. 
 
 iiiul as 
 
 Kc'iiai 
 
 iitlviiiL!; 
 
 llcatioii 
 
 ival at 
 
 that is 
 
 l»y tlu' 
 
 iKitnial 
 
 iloscriit- 
 
 Ithouj^li 
 
 III bmii 
 
 Ids IkdI 
 
 hut liad 
 
 kite and 
 
 at (HU'c 
 an (Mil- 
 
 led oil (lur 
 111 'rniiH'iiNk 
 
 llc.l illMl I.') 
 
 i~i toiii liy a 
 
 ^.' tin' nun 
 lanu'iT viis 
 II. iiiiiiiy of 
 Miiil /akii- 
 I been (.ip- 
 ' a.Hsiiilaiils 
 I thill tli.v 
 Ciiiifiatscli 
 ifc ot liar- 
 tails, anil, 
 I Sliclikiif. 
 
 UK, HI I". 
 .1. 
 
 iiuw inin, 
 
 liicKlH, yoii 
 
 (ir two or 
 
 ■(iiihIi Ull'il' 
 
 lit Inrtlii r 
 
 ic Mint liV 
 
 nni, niakx 
 
 Till' iioii 
 
 llifll'i'lialit 
 
 \>xi\ orliy 
 
 Til lir. t 
 
 wliu'h liu 
 
 liarrnssiiifTf jiosition, for lie liad not yet ofin^plctrd the 
 fiaiistiT ot'tlu' i>iincij)al scttlriiu'iit IVoni Tliirr Saints 
 to Pavlovsk iiai'hor and tlicrc was ur^jcnt nci-cssity to 
 ci-cct at oncf a nuinlnT of l)uiIdinLjs at the Iatt<i' placf, 
 til slu'ltor l)()tli men and st(jrcs iUninj.,'' tlu; w intti-. llo 
 was, liowi'vcr, dL'torniincd to olu'y, and wliih- piisliiniLj 
 tlic work at Pavlovsk as mudi as possiMc, lie lost no 
 time in sclcctinir a suitaMc place for slii|)-linililino-. 
 (hi Kadiakand vM'oi^nak islands the trees wcir neither 
 iihnndant nor larj^i- enou;^h, and it was lonnd neces- 
 
 iiv to look to some more distant re^ri 
 
 (sn. 
 
 ]) 
 
 uriii!,,'' his 
 
 r('<eiit stay in Prince William Souml lie' had ohscived 
 to the west of it a well j»rotected hay, which seemed 
 in everv wav suitable for his undertakinLj. The i»lace 
 was called A^oskressenski, or Sunday haihor, also 
 known as lilyin^ Souixl, and n<it only furnished ex- 
 ctllent timher, hut a considerable lise and fill of the 
 tide allbrded exceptional facilities for buildino, launch- 
 inn-, and ]'e|)aiiinL( vessels. Shelikof's orders ha<l been 
 jo send Shields back to Okhotsk after consultiiio- him 
 concerning the work on hand, but Paranof I'ouiul it 
 necessary to detain him in ordei* to obtain ser. iccablo 
 plans for his vessel. Jle wroti' to Shelikof that his 
 coniplemeiit of men capable of doiiiLj any woik on the 
 \t.ssel was so exceedini^ly small that he could not 
 ali'ofd to send away his most \aluable assistant, but 
 would retain him duriiio- that and the followini;' season, 
 hopiii|ir iu the mean time to receive further shipments 
 el" stores and material.""* 
 
 The necessary buildin<;s, (piarters for the men. and 
 storehouses Were at once ei'ected at Voskresseiiski 
 liarhor, and all that winter the mountains of Ki'iiaY 
 |Miiiiisula echoed t)ie vigorous blows of axeiiien and 
 the crash of falling trees. Nearly all the plaiil>s \\v\\i 
 hewn out of the whole log, a waste of time and ma- 
 
 ■•'■ 'U'c li.'ivt',' wrote Iltiranof, 'only half a kit,' "f tar, three ke;4.s of |iiteli, 
 not a |>oiinil of oakiim, not a 'in^'le nail, ami very little iron for .^o large ii 
 
 ve!<nel. What little iiilivaM yon nent us we have "l 
 
 hiilaiku nails and tents, for those \\v had weie entirely «oin mit I13 long 
 
 liil'illcd t< 
 
 for 
 
 
 •aL'e.' Tikhmi i:ij\ iMor. Vin 
 
 11., aini 
 
 :!l». 
 
 1 ;i! 
 1 I'! 
 
3no 
 
 ORGANIZATION OF MONOPOLY. 
 
 Irr 
 
 11 
 
 W 
 
 tiii.'il ina(I(; lUH'cssjiry l>v tlu; al)soii('e of lurw saws. 
 Till' iron nc'odod in tluj ('(instruction had l)oen collcctrd 
 I'roni pieces of wreck in all ]iarts of the colonies, and 
 thoiij^h rust-eaten and of |)o<»r (|ualitv, it was macK^ tn 
 ser\i'. Steel for axes liad to lie |tie|»ared from the 
 same material. In his anxiety to |)ush tlu^ work lUii- 
 anof even att(Mnpted to extract iron from some ore 
 jiis men had picked up. lie had seen iron-frnnaces 
 du]*inL( his life in Siheria, hut found himself unnhle to 
 ohtain the coveted nuftal hv any such rude processi s 
 as ho could devi-se.** For tar he devised a ])oor mix- 
 ture of spruce jifum and oil. The Knj^lish ship-huildrr 
 iCLCarded with wonder and c(»ntemj)t the primitive 
 dock-yard, and without a jturveyor pctssessed of tlio 
 indomitahK; determination and activity of Haranol", In- 
 could never have earned the reputation of (;onstru«t- 
 inL( the fir.st ship on the north-westernmost coast of 
 America. 
 
 T<» ohtain provisions was diflicult. The nn>n coi.M 
 not he allowed to hunt or fish, and no other station 
 was prepared to I'urnish supplies. Heavy refpiisilions 
 were made upon tlie t/vlo/o, or dried fish, of the n;;- 
 tives, entailiui^ want and hardshij>s ujton tiieui, \\hil<' 
 the shi[)-l)uilders were re(h>ced to the scantiest allow- 
 ance to sustain them in their arduous task. 
 
 The lack of canvas was another seiious incoii 
 venienc(>. Without a ])i'oper suit of sails the fir>t 
 American ship could never reach the coast of Siheiia 
 or Kamchatka and impress tlu; authorities with the 
 icaiity of all the Shelikof Company claimed to havi' 
 done in the way of imjirovenients and industrial » ii 
 terprisi? in tlu; colonies. It is astoiiishinic to wlmt 
 expense and infinite trouhle the company was willing' 
 to <jfo f<)r the sole j)urpose of eirect. A lar Ix tl<;' 
 ship could have heen huilt without any serious dlili- 
 cidty and at much less cost either in Kamchatka or at 
 Okhotsk. The prohlem of su|)plyin<4' the necessaiy 
 
 '■^'' Mjiilimii) Slu'liUof iiidii'ntos that the 8iiiiltiii;,'iif iron oro jinMiiincd \\i !1 
 enough Ij wmnint tlio fiigagiiucut of iiu cxpeiitiiciil iimii. LvtUr, in /</. 
 
(|UlSlll()|!S 
 
 LAUXCniXO OF THK ' PIIfEXIX. 
 
 3ni 
 
 canvas was iua<lt> nu)ro ilifricult l>y tho cinunistaiioo 
 tliiit the iiativt! hunters, wlio had luitil then hocii |)ai(l 
 
 I ni- 
 
 ce » 
 
 th.'i 
 
 r siasfni s \V()i 
 
 k with a few heads and <sla^ 
 
 rals, it'iused to accept tliat curnncv any loiiLrer, and 
 ahnost unan'nnously demanded to l)e paid in garment-! 
 made of canvas. 
 
 April I71>.') saw the new cral"t far en<)Ui,di advanced 
 lo make Sliields' constant KUperinti-ndence unn 
 sar 
 
 eces- 
 
 y. l^aranof, who had no iL,''i'eat hkinLf tor the to;-- 
 jner, seize«l the opji(»rtunity of j^ivini,' him ad(htion;d 
 
 rkh 
 
 f (h 
 
 wniK i>v oniermi' nun upon a voya-^e ol discoverv m 
 tile On/. Humors of tlie existence of mdvnown isl- 
 ands, ri«'h in seals and si'a-otters, in various parts of 
 the n(!\v possessions had Keen alloat tor sonu^ time, 
 liaranof never expressed any heliet'in these rej)orts,hut 
 in Older to^'et Shields and his I'our Kii'LJclish sailors out 
 
 wo 
 
 ol'the way tor the summ(;r, he promised the t'orimr t 
 shares of the t'uis ohtained iVom any island discovend 
 liy him, lor two y»'ai's, and to tin; sailors twenty sea- 
 ('tters each. With ^n-im satisfaction the cialty ol<l 
 manai^i-r note<l the fact that the j»remiinns oll'ered 
 
 Vv('r(! Jievcr earnec 
 
 an< 
 
 1 that the ( h-rf was t 
 
 ( )SSl'( 
 
 iliout hv storms and linallv reached \^)skressensl;i 
 
 liarl 
 
 )or m a imu 
 
 h <h 
 
 unaijed condition 
 
 lit! 
 
 ]n tl 
 
 le nu an 
 
 lime {\\v Sv Simeon had arrived with nnwe lahoreiv 
 
 piovisions, an( 
 ](newed vi'^or. 
 
 I tools, and work was ri'sumed with 
 
 At last in Auijfust 1 704 tlu' «,ncat work was achieved 
 as the first vessel huilt in n<»rth-western Anjerica^^lided 
 iVoin till! .stocks into the waters ot" the l*acillc, under 
 the name of PIkiuIj-?^ While not so inij)ortant or dif- 
 ticnlt a perfoi'maiiee as those of \'aseo Xufie/ iwA 
 ^ 'eftes, it was one of whicji llaraiiof mie'ht .justly feci 
 l^oud. He had ina<li! the tirst practical use of the 
 tiiiihcr of what was then termed "the vast d<'sei'ts ci' 
 
 ^"No <>\plnimUnii is gWiW liy my niitlinrififH why llariinnf r.iKctiii tliii 
 n.inii', Imt we nuiy <'">in'lu<l<' tiuit it wwn HUg^'i'stcil to liim l>y tin- Kii;.'ii.sii 
 \issil which visiti'il those watfi'M in IT'.'-. 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 ■^IIIIIM IIIII25 
 
 *« IlilM 
 
 M 2.2 
 
 m 
 
 12.0 
 
 1.8 
 
 
 1.25 
 
 1.4 1.6 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 6" 
 
 ► 
 
 Hiotographic 
 
 Sdences 
 Corporation 
 
 23 V/IEST MAIN STtlEET 
 W£BSTER,N.Y. 145r,0 
 
 l\ 
 
 V 
 
 ^^ 
 
 i\ 
 
 \ 
 
 iV 
 
 ^ 
 ^ 
 
 4 
 
 
 o^ 
 
 m 
 

 % 
 
 W 
 
 O^ 
 
liBibi 
 
 I S' 
 
 !, £.(■ ii 
 
 332 
 
 ORGANIZATION OP MONOPOLY. 
 
 America," and had used it for a purpose that might 
 be expected to benefit not only his employers, but his 
 country. 
 
 Most of the men who assisted Shields had seen only 
 the nondescript vessels of Siberian traders, many of 
 theui half decked, and built usually without an iron 
 bolt or brace, the planks being lashed together with 
 raw-hide thongs. The present result was therefore 
 all the more gratifying, crude as it was. The vessel 
 was built of spruce timber, and measured 73 feet in 
 length, the upper deck being 79 feet, with a beam of 
 23 feet and a depth of 13^ feet. Notwithstanding the 
 size, the capacity being only about one hundred tons, 
 it was provided with two decks and three masts, in 
 order to present an imposing appearance and do credit 
 to its projectors.^^ The calking above the water-line 
 was done with moss; and for paint, tar and wliale-oil 
 were used."^ The sails consisted of pieces and scraps 
 of canvas for which the warehouses and magazines of 
 the company in Kamchatka and in the colonies had 
 been ransacked. The result was a number of sheets 
 of different qualities and color, presenting the most 
 grotesque appearance.^'' 
 
 J3y the 4th of September the Phcomx was despatched 
 upon her first voyage to Kadiak, where Baranof hoped 
 to improve upon the outfit. On the way the flimsy 
 rigging snapped before the first breeze, and the vessel 
 entered Pavlovsk not with swelling sails, but towed 
 by boats. She was also badly ballasted, and presented 
 on the whole an appearance far from imposing. Nev- 
 
 
 »i Tikhmenef calls it 180 tons. Ixtor. 06o.<t., i. f)7-8. 
 
 *'■' Boiled at various times in small quantities the paint was unequnl in 
 color, giving the hull a strange, spotted appearance. This, liowever, ex- 
 tended oidy a little above the wattr-line, as they did not have enougli even of 
 such paint to color the whole. 
 
 '•' These sails, some spars, and a quantity of iron work for the new vessel 
 prcjiared by nieclianics in Kadiak were transported to the ship-yard early in 
 April, before the sea-going vessels had completed their necessary repairs, so 
 r.iat the conveyance iiad to bo made in large skin boats or bidars, which 
 cri']it cautiously to Cook Inlet. From here tiie material was carried over 
 <lai;;erous glaciers and mountains to Voskrcssenski harbor. UuraiwJ', Shhn., 
 152. 
 
OTHER SHIPS r.UILT. 
 
 333 
 
 crtlielcss joy roigiicd in the settlement, and the event 
 \vas celebrated by solemn mass and merry feasting.** 
 
 A few weeks were spent in refitting and rigging 
 the Phanix, and on the 20th uay of April this first- 
 born of the Alaskan forests set out upon the voyage 
 to the shores of Asia, commanded by Shields, the 
 builder. The voyage was made in about a month, a 
 speed unprecedented in the annals of Russian navi- 
 gation in the north Pacific. At Okhotsk the Phamix 
 was received with volleys of artillery, the ringing of 
 bolls, and the celebration of n)ass. The ghost of the 
 great Peter is gratified; for in the flesh the monarch 
 never dreamed of so early and so significant an 
 achievement resulting from the roj-al pupilage. 
 
 All the servants of the Shelikof Company then 
 awaiting transportation from this port, and the .soldiers 
 stationed at the ostrog were at once called into requi- 
 sition to assist in finishing Baranof's wonderful three- 
 master. She had made her first voyage without cabin 
 or deck houses, and these were now added, together 
 with the necessary polishing and painting, and new 
 sails and rigging. From this time forth until her los^j 
 during a dark stormy November night, in the gulf 
 of Alaska, the PJirrnix made regular trips between 
 Okhotsk and the colonies. Shelikof and his partners 
 did not fail to dwell forcibly and pointedly in their 
 petitions and reports upon the fact that their com- 
 l);niy maintained connnunication between the colonies 
 and the motlier country by means of a "frigate" of 
 tlu'ir own construction, built with American timber 
 and launched in American waters. 
 
 This success Baranof followed up by laying the 
 keels of two other vessels, of smaller size, forty and 
 thirty-five feet in length respectively, which were 
 launched in 1795, and WAXwcd Dclplun and Olga.^^ 
 
 "Tim loadiTs tried tlieir teeth on the only ram left of the sheep oonsiyn- 
 iiU'iit, {in<t then HOUL'lit relief from the struggle in copious ilriumhta oi' Lheeriiit; 
 liquor, llfirniio/, SJhzii., l.').V(). Baranof attended the laundiing, but eamo 
 IvKk in a liidarka. as if distrusting Shields and his work. 
 
 ^' Td'hrncinf, Istor. Obot:., i. 40. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 STRIFE BETWEEN RIVAL COMPANIES. 
 
 1791-1794. 
 
 The Lebedef Company Occupies Cook Inlet — Quarrels between tue 
 Lebedef and Shelikof Companies — Hostilities in Cook Inlet- 
 Complaints OF KoLOMiN against Konovalof — Wau upon Russians 
 AND Indians Alike— Life of the Marauders — Pacific Attitude op 
 Baraxof — IIis Patience Exhausted — Playing the Autocrat— Ar- 
 rest OF the Ringleaders — Effect on the Natives — Baraxoi's 
 Speech to his Hunters — Expedition to Yakutat — Meeting with 
 Vancouver — The Lebedef Company Circumvented — Troubles witu 
 Ivaljcshes— Purtof's Resolute Conduct— Zaikof's Expedition. 
 
 Like the Spaniards in Central America and Mex- 
 ico, no sooner had the Russians possession of their 
 part of America than they fell to fighting among 
 themselves. In 1786 the Sv Pavl, of the Lebedet- 
 Lastochkin Company, had come to Kadiak with 
 thirty-eight men, commanded by Peredovchik Kolo- 
 min. Jealous of intrusion on their recently acquired 
 hunting-ground, the Shelikof party gave the new- 
 comers a hint to move on, and incautiously pointed to 
 Cook Inlet or the gulf of Kenai as a profitable region. 
 The result was a permanent establishment in Alaska, 
 on Kassilof River in that inlet. It consisted of two 
 log buildings protected by a stockade, and bore iha 
 name of St George.^ 
 
 The Shelikof Company already possessed, near tlio 
 entrance of the inlet, a fort named Alexandrovsk, 
 which had a more pretentious appearance. It formed 
 
 ' It was 8 tuatod on a bluff, and presented to the wondering savages quite 
 a formidable aspect. Juvenal, Jour., MS., 3U. 
 
 (3S4I 
 
KONOVALOF'S EXPEDITIOX. 
 
 333 
 
 a square with poorly built bastions at two corners, 
 and displayed the imperial arms over the entrance, 
 which was protected by two guns. Within W(;re 
 dwelling and store houses, one of them provided with 
 a sentry-box on the roof.'^* The situation of the other 
 fort higher up the inlet, near the richer fur region, 
 gave it the advantage in hunting; yet, for a time, 
 iViendly relations continued to exist between the rivals 
 as well as with the natives. 
 
 In August 1791 the ship ♦S'^ George, also belong- 
 ing to the Lebedei-Lastochkin Company, arrived in 
 the inlet. The commander of this second expedition 
 was one Grigor Konovalof, and his advent seems to 
 have been the signal for strife and disorder. His pro- 
 ceedings were strange from the beginning; he did not 
 laud at the mouth of the Kassilof Kiver, where Kolo- 
 min was already established, but went about twenty 
 miles farther, to the Kaknu, landed his crew of sixtv- 
 two Russians, discharged his cargo, beached his ves- 
 sel, and began to erect winter quarters and fortitications 
 surrounded with a stockade and defended by guns. 
 This fort was named St Nicholas.' All this time he 
 neglected to communicate in any manner with the 
 other party of the same company. Kolomin at last 
 
 ° Smithy, room foi*1joiling oil, and other conveniences exited. Fhlaljo, 
 hi Viajcs at Norte, MS., 3o8^9. Sec also Jfumboldt, Esmi Pol., ii. ■'J48. 
 
 ^ Tikhmenef, in speaking of this episode, coniiuits some errors from insulli- 
 oioiit acriimintunco with the various localities. Ho writes of Kassilof ami 8t 
 N iuliolaa as thesame place, while in reality the latter is tliirty miles to tho north- 
 ward of tho former. In claiming that Konovalof, by erecting fortifications at 
 Kassilof, or St Nicholas, seized npon settlements founded by Shelikof in ]'S'>, 
 Tikiimonef makes another mistake. Tho only lodgment made by Shelikof oa 
 C\)ok Inlet was near its mouth, and was sulwcquuutly named Alexamlrovsk. 
 Furthermore, Slielikof was a partner in Lebedef-Lastoohkin'a enterpvi.su, as 
 an well as in tho company formed under special protection of the govcrnmoiit 
 T'lkhmencf, fstor. Ohos., i. .'W; Juvenal, Join:, MS , G et seq. When Vancouver 
 nnuhore<l otr tiio mouth of tho Kena'i or Kaknu river in 17'J-t ho was saluted by 
 two guns from a building on tho high bank, from which also Qoated the Itussiau 
 l!;ig. A miserable path led up tho steep ascent through masses of filtli and 
 od'.il. Tho establishment occupied a space of about \'20 yards sipum*, en- 
 closed with a stout paling of pine logs, 12 feet iiigii. Tiio largest building, 
 S.") yards long, served as barracks, consisting of one largo room with sleeping- 
 benches on the sides, divided into stalls. Tiio commander, at that time 
 Stcpan Zai'kof, lived in a smaller house by himself. There wore over twenty 
 otlier small building.,. Tho 70-ton sloop belonging to the station, armed 
 with two Kuns, was in a dilapidated couditiou. Vancouver'^ Voy., in. liO-l, 
 
 I guns, 
 
STllIFE BETWEEN RIVAL COMPANIES. 
 
 '' wi 
 
 veiiturcfl to inquire to what company they belonge;!. 
 The answer was brief and insolent, Konovalof claim- 
 ing tliat he had been invested with supremo command, 
 and instructed to seize everything in the hands of 
 Kolomin, who must henceforth report to him. Wliilo 
 ready to believe that such authority had been con- 
 ferred,* the latter did not choose to surrender either 
 his men or his furs; but as his terra was about ended, 
 he prepared to close his affairs and transfer the com- 
 pany's business to his successor after the winder, in 
 the expectation of sailing for Okhotsk in the spring. 
 While thus engaged, Kolomin's party was surprised 
 by the arrival of a large bidar sent by Konovalof, and 
 commanded by Amos Balushin. Without making 
 any excuse, or explanation, Balushin proceeded a short 
 distance up the Kassilof River, to where Kolomin's 
 winter supply of dried fish was stored, and carried 
 all away.** . 
 
 Shortly afterward a party of natives, en route to 
 St George, were intercepted on the Kaknu by Ko- 
 novalofs men and robbed of all their effects. This 
 outrage was repeated on a party from Toyunok, a 
 village on the upper part of the inlet, no compensa- 
 ti(Mi whatever being tendered for the furs taken. 
 Being anxious to come to some understandinsx, Kolo- 
 min went out to meet his rival, but tlie interview 
 was brought to an end by Konovalof iiriniif off his 
 pistol, without injury, however, to any one. After 
 this Kolomin considered the country in a state of 
 war, kept constant watch, and posted sentries. More- 
 over, there was fear that the savages, who could not 
 fail to notice the quarrels between the Russians, 
 might attack the weaker with a view to capturing 
 the furs gathered by Kolomin during his residence o( 
 
 * ' I had only twonty-sovcn men left of my crew, ami as wo were waiting to 
 be called li.ick wj tliought that Konovalof spoke the truth, and congratuliti;d 
 ourselves on liaviug a now commander.' TikknwiKj', tutor. 0/w,<. , ii. a^ip. part 
 ii. .'51. The .s'y f'.id had been sent home in 17S9 witli a cargo of hij furs, and 
 Binco then nearly 2,O0J more akins had been collected. 
 
 * A demand for oxplauatioa elicited only threats. Id. 
 
OUTRAGES AT COOK IXLET. 
 
 m 
 
 four years among them. Konovalof aggravated the 
 situation by sending men to press some of Kolomin's 
 bijjnrs, or native servants, into his own service, and 
 the former on meeting with objections threatened to 
 iiie on the other party.* The ease with which this out- 
 rage was perpetrated encouraged another attack with 
 a larger force, during which the remaining servants 
 and the hostages were carried off, so that Kolomin 
 Iiad to send both for fresh recruits and for provisions. 
 Even in this effort lie met with trouble, for Lossef, 
 the faithful lieutenant of Konovalof, dogged his foot- 
 steps, intercepted most of the levy, and maltreated 
 the messengers.^ 
 
 Kolomin had already complained to the Shelikof 
 Company of this persecution, and as soon as the ice 
 broke up on the inlet he proceeded to Kadiak, to con- 
 firm his previous report and urge Baranof to occupy 
 the whole gulf. He advanced the opinion that, unless 
 some responsible power interfered at once, all which he 
 and his men had accomplished toward pacifying the 
 natives and building up a profitable trade would be 
 lost. Baranof by no means felt inclined to interfere 
 bi'tween rival agents, particularly since the aggressive 
 party would evidently not hesitate at shedding the 
 blood even of their own countrymen; not that ho 
 lacked the courage, but he feared to risk his company's 
 interests and men in fratricidal war, which might also 
 arouse the natives. Moreover, his patron Shelikof 
 l)o8sessed shares in the other company, and he pre- 
 ferred to report to him so that the matter might be 
 settled by the principals. At tjje same time, how- 
 ever, he sent a warning to the St Nicholas people that 
 
 ^ The men were actually ordered to firo, but hesitated. Lossef, their 
 oadir, upbraided them, savin;,': 'It is not your l.>usincss; we have alixaJy 
 Killed four Russians.' 'Wait until spring,' he exclaimed to Kolomin's party, 
 'and wo will come to your station with fifty men and take away all the liot;t- 
 au'os you have.' Tikhmenef, IsloVi Obon., 11. app. part ii. 52-3. A converted 
 infi,.. r>f Tro.ijn^j ^y^g robbcd of his youna; wito and unmercif;dly beaten, 
 were deprived of their wa.ipong and placed in ihe st(x;k 
 
 native of Kadiak 
 
 Three men were oepriveii oi luuir wa.ipuna auu piaceu in me stiAijis ii;r 
 two days. Drushinin, an elder among the hunters, who came to expostulate, 
 was put in irons. 
 
 Hist. Alabea. 22 
 
I 
 
 338 
 
 STRIFE BETWEEN RIVAL COMPANIES. 
 
 ho, as representative of one of the partners in the Lc- 
 bedcf Company, coukl not allow any aggressive meas- 
 ures that might bo prejudicial to trade. This had the 
 effect of greatly tempering the feeling of the St Nicli- 
 olas party against Kolomin'smenasof theirown com- 
 pany, but directed their hostility against the rival 
 company. They declared that the whole territory 
 bordering upon the gulf of Kenai belonged exclusively 
 to the Lebedef Company, ignoring all previous arrang( - 
 ments between their acknowledged head and Sheliki^f. 
 They certainly controlled nearly all the trade, and t » 
 this end they had erected another station higher up 
 the inlet, on the western shore, and placed there a 
 score of Russians.^ 
 
 Robbery and brutal outrages continued to bo the 
 order of the day, though now committed chiefly for 
 the purpose of obtaining sole control of the inlet, to 
 the neglect of legitimate pursuits. ]\Ieanwhile Kolo- 
 min's men managed to hold their own, and, as the per- 
 secution of the Konovalof party gradually relaxed, 
 their sympathies actually turned toward the latter in 
 their effort to oust the Shelikof men from the field. 
 
 Thus the history of Cook Inlet during the last dor-- 
 ado of the eighteenth century is replete with romantic 
 incidents — midnight raids, ambuscades, and open war- 
 fiire — resemblincc the doino-s of medicoval raabntter<, 
 rather than the exploits of peaceable traders. The 
 leaders lived in rude comfort at the fortified stations, 
 surrounded by a dusky harem containing contributions 
 from the various native villages within the peredovt- 
 chik's jurisdiction. Offences against the clignity of 
 the latter were punished quickly and effectually with 
 the lash or confinement in irons or the stocks, if the 
 offender had not too many friends among the Russvm 
 promyshleniki, and with extreme seventy, verging 
 upon cruelty, in cases where the culprit belonged to tiie 
 
 * It consisted of one large house about 60 feet long and 24 feet wide. Va.i- 
 couver'a Voi/., iii. 122. 
 
LEBEDEF AND SIIELIKOF. 
 
 330 
 
 unfortunate class of kayurs. The Russians did little 
 work beyond the regular .i^uard duty, and evcui that 
 was sometimes left to trusted individuals amoni; the 
 native workmen and hangers-on of the station. 
 
 All manual labor was performed by natives, csjie- 
 fiiiliy by the female 'hostages,' and children of ohiei's 
 I'roni distant villages loft at the stations by their 
 ]Kir('hts to be instructed in Russian life and manners. 
 I'ho training which they were forced to undergo, far 
 from exercising any civilizing influence, resulted only 
 in making them deceitful, cunning, and njore vicious 
 than they had been before. Every Russian there was 
 ji monarch, who if he wanted ease took it, or if spoils, 
 the word was given to prepare for an expedition. Then 
 food was prepared by the servants, and the boats made 
 ready, while the masters attended to their arms and 
 equipments. The women and children were intrusted 
 to the care of a few superannuated hunters left to guard 
 the station, and the brave little band would set out 
 upon its depredations, caring little whether they were 
 Indians or Russians who should become their victims. 
 The strangest part of it all was, that the booty secured 
 wns duly accounted for among the earnings of the 
 company.'' 
 
 Affiiirs were assuming a serious aspect. Xot only 
 were the Shclikof men excluded from the greater part 
 of the inlet, but they were opposed in their advance 
 round Prince William Sound, which was also claimed 
 by the Lebcdef faction, though the Orekhof and other 
 companies were hunting there. The station which 
 the Lebedcf men made their base of operations was 
 situated on Nuchck Island, at Port Patches, and con- 
 sisted of the usual stockade, enclosing; dwelling and 
 store houses.^" In support of his claims, Konovalof 
 
 ^ Shclikof, who held shares in l)oth his own and the Lebedef Company, 
 h:id the advantiige of not only recovering what he lost liy these i)lundcrini; 
 piit(,'iprisc3, but receiving his projwrtionate siiare of the losses in the Shclikof 
 Company. 
 
 '"Vancouver, Voy., iii. 172, found one side of it formed by an armed 
 vessel of 70 tons, hauled on shore. 
 
 4 
 
 in 
 
310 
 
 STRIFE BETWEEN RIV^AL COMPANIES. 
 
 I ' 
 
 declared that lie possessed government credentiisls 
 ^•ranting to his company exclusive right to all the 
 mainland rc<;ion. Yet he refused to exhibit even 
 copies of such documents. Finding the Shclikof 
 men disposed to yield, the others began to en- 
 croach also on the limited district round the Siielikof 
 settlement, near the entrance to Cook Inlet, by erect- 
 ing a post on Kuchekmak Bay, and the natives were 
 forbidden, under pain of death, from trading with 
 their rivals. From this post they watched the move- 
 ments of the Shelikof men with a view to circumvent 
 them. Forty bidarkas under Kotelnikof were inter- 
 cepted, and although a number escaped, a portion of 
 the crew, including the leader, was /captured. An- 
 other party under Galaktianof, on the way from Prince 
 William Sound, was chased by a large force, and efforts 
 were made to attack Baranof himself. It was not 
 j)roposed to keep the Russians prisoners, but merely 
 to seize the furs and enslave all natives employed by 
 Shelikof in the interdicted region. Fortunately Bar- 
 anof had left the sound bei'ore the raiders arrived, 
 and they passed on to the eastern shore, there to en- 
 croach on the trade established wuth the Yakutat 
 Kaljushes by the Shelikof men, who held hostages 
 from three of the villages. Not long after came Ba- 
 lushin with a stronger force; and one day, when the 
 chief of one of the villages had set out upon a hunt 
 Mith nearly all the grown males, the Russians entered 
 it and carried off the women and children to a neiidi- 
 boring island.^^ They also made inroads on the north- 
 ern part of the Alaskan peninsula W'hich had been 
 brought into friendly relations through Bocharof. 
 Out of four friendly villages in Ilyamna and Nusha- 
 gak, they plundered two and carried the people into 
 captivity. 
 
 Their success was due partly to the personal bravery 
 
 " Balnshin had destroyed the coat-of-arms bestowed npon the chief l)y 
 order of the governor-general of Irkutsk, telling him that it was but a chiUrs 
 toy. Tikhmencf, I-Cor. Obos., IL app. part ii. 43. 
 
BAIIAXOF'S POLICY. 
 
 Ml 
 
 and superior dash of the men. Baranof freely a-- 
 kuDwledged in later years that, individually, the pro- 
 iiiyshleniki of the Lehedef Company were superior 
 to tliose under his command at the heji^inninL!^ of liis 
 tidiiiinistration; and according to Berjjf, he ventured 1 > 
 assert that, had he commanded such men as Lobc- 
 dcfs vessels brought to the shores of Cook Inlet and 
 I'riiice William Sound, he would have contjuered the 
 whole north-western coast of Ameri(,'a. 
 
 Toward the cud of 17U3 Baranof had received a 
 small reenforcement with the Orel, so that alter 
 deducting the loss by drowning and other casualties, 
 one hundred and fifty-two men were left to him. The 
 number of the Lobedef men is not recorded, but it 
 cannot have been much inferior, for reontbrcements 
 had come in the Sv Ivan. The latter occupied an 
 ;>(lmirable strategic position, with control of two great 
 iiavi'_jal)le estuaries and other i)laces offering easy 
 connnunication and access to supplies. They were 
 also better provided with goods and ship-stores than 
 Shelikof's conjpany.^^ 
 
 It was not so much these advantages of his assail- 
 ants, however, that kept Baranof from energetic 
 measures against them, l)ut rather a consideration for 
 the dilferent interests of his patron, and for the lives 
 of his countrymen. He was awaiting an answer to liis 
 reports from Siberia. This forbearance served only 
 to encourage the other party, as we have seen, till at 
 last Baranof's patience was exhausted. With the 
 report of a fray between the rival posts on the inlet 
 came the rumor that the ship-yard at Voskressensl;i 
 Harbor was to be taken, and this appeared probable 
 from the special animosity shown to the Englishmen 
 there emjasfed. When not absolutelv needed at the 
 yard, they were sent to explore; and on several of 
 
 '- Baranof reported, late in 1793, tliat he owed many bales of rope and four 
 pouils of tobacco to the Lcljcduf Conipauy, but, in view of the depredations 
 cuuiinitted by men belonging to the latter, he 'liid not intend to ruLnrn the 
 g )od.s until some action was taken upou bis complaints to tlic authorities at 
 
 i 
 
s I 
 
 •I 
 
 li ' 
 
 .STRIFE BETWEEN RIVAL COMPANIES. 
 
 tlicso occasions tliey had hoon set upon, roblicd, and 
 ill-treated, sometimes iiarrowlv esca[)lng with their 
 li 
 
 ives 
 
 13 
 
 Baranof now hastened to the spot, and observiiiLf 
 the n(,'ed for interference, assumed the peiem[)t()rv' 
 tone of one invested with authority. lie sent a let- 
 ter to Konovalof, then at his stockade at St Xicholas 
 on the Kaknu lliver, with a summons to appear iit 
 once before him, stating that he iiad been authorized 
 l)y the governor of Siberia to settle all disputes be- 
 tween rival traders. He expected soon to be invested 
 with such })Owers, in answer to the urgent petitions 
 of Shclikof and his partners, and thought that ho 
 uiight exercise the privilege in advance. This had 
 its effect. Without suspecting that the order had 
 no more foundation than his own hoastcd rights to 
 possession, the conscience-stricken man hastened to 
 obey what was supposed to be an official sunnnons. 
 He appeared before Baranof and offered apologies for 
 his conduct, but the latter would listen to no expla- 
 nation; he placed him in irons, and kept him under 
 <-lose guard until Ismailof arrived with his vessels, 
 when not only the ringleader but seven of his coiii- 
 j)anions who had also tendered their submission were 
 taken to Kadiak and placed in confinement. 
 
 Finally Konovalof wa. made to answer at Okhotsk, 
 but before a lenient committee, so that he readily 
 managed to clear himself, and was restored to a com- 
 mand in Alaska. Meanwhile Stepau Za'ikof had 
 succeeded him as chief at St Nicholas. Kolomin stiil 
 held his command and Balusliin controlled the estab- 
 lishment on Xuchek." 
 
 " The prevailing starvation at the shipyard was chiefly due to the inter- 
 ference of tlie Lebcik'f men witli supplies. 
 
 "One reason for this clemency appears in a letter addressed by LcbeiUf 
 and Shelikof jointly, to the archimandrite loassof , requesting hin> to in vesti^'.-to 
 tliQ charges against Konovalof and otiiers, yet expressing the hope tliat tlui 
 accused will not he found ' too guilty to be allowed to work off, in one coin- 
 pr.ny or the other, their indebtedness to their employers, and thus sii\o 
 the shareholders from loss.' If, liowever, Konovalof should bo found too 
 deeply involved to adudt of his further euiploynieut, he waa ' to be set iit 
 
to the iiitcr- 
 
 FALL OF LEBEDEF. 
 
 343 
 
 While Baranof's finiuicss served to check the per- 
 ]K'tratioii of extreme abuses, a certain liostility contin- 
 ued to be exliibited for some time. The evil was too 
 dee[)ly rooted to be eradicated all at once, l)nt har- 
 mony was gradually restored, partly through the in- 
 l!uential mediation of Archimandrite loassof, who ar- 
 1 ived sm)n after as leader of a missicjnary party. At 
 the same time came a large reiinforcement for liaranof, 
 with authority to form settlements in any part of 
 Alaska, and right to claim the country for five hun- 
 (h'ed versts round such settlements, within which 
 •limits no other company could set foot. Against such 
 power the Lebcdef faction could not possiblv prevail, 
 j)articularly since Sholikof positively instru d liar- 
 anof to use both force and cunninuf to remove the ri- 
 vals. Reverses also overtook them, and a few years 
 later they abandoned the tield.^'' 
 
 It was indeed time that Baranof should .(ssort hlm- 
 ■elf, for the insolence and outra'^es of the aLjgressors 
 had created general discontent among the tribes. 
 Those of Lake Skilakh were actually plotting the de- 
 struction of all Russians on the Kc^nai peninsula, and 
 to this end they endeavored to bridge over the old 
 feud between them and the Chugatschcs of Prince 
 William 8ound: reccivinjx also encouragement from 
 the treacherous tribes on the other side of the inlet, 
 i'rom Katma'^; northward, who had successfully op- 
 posed all attempts to form Russian settlements in 
 their midst. The uieasures now taken by Raranof 
 to maintain better order and reassure the natives, as 
 well as the coup dc mai)i with Konovalof, which added 
 
 liljerty ti) shift for himself.' /'/., ii. app. part ii. TiT-S. lojissof, indeed, did 
 not report him to he so buil as liaranof desired. Anioni; the aecused wasStc- 
 pan Ivosniovieh Ziiikof, a brother of I'otap Z;iTkof, a man of con.siderablo abil- 
 ity and knowledge. Ivan Koeh, commander of Okhotsk, in a letter np- 
 1/raidM his dear friend Stcpan Kuzmitch, and threatens him with the severest 
 j)imishnicnt if found guilty. 
 
 '•* ' You must deelare in your reports,' wrote Shelikof, ' that the outrages 
 upon the Kenaitze were of the most disgraceful character, but that it ia in 
 vour power to plant your settlements v.hercvrr yoi; please, even on the gulf 
 of Kenai.' /(/., G'J. 
 
344 
 
 STRIFE BETWEEN RIVAL COMPANIES. 
 
 not a little to advance his influence, served to check 
 the threatersed uprising. His assertion of authority- 
 was equally necessary among his own subordinates, 
 whose loyalty had been corrupted by the insinuations 
 of emissaries from the other camp, and whose ]c- 
 spect for their chief had begun to wane under his 
 forbearance toward the rivals, whereby numerous 
 hardships were entailed upon them through loss of 
 trade and curtailment of rations.^" He assembled 
 the men, represented to them the obligations to 
 which they had voluntarily subscribed when engaged, 
 and showed the evil they were inflicting also on them- 
 selves by discontent, want of harmony, and refusal to 
 do the required work. He had full power to arrest 
 those who refused implicit obedience, and he would 
 use that power. Those who had complaints should 
 present them, and he would seek to redress their 
 wrongs." This firm speech, together with a liberal 
 distribution of liquor, had a wonderful effect, and thus 
 by means of a little determined self-assertion Baranof 
 established for himself an undisputed authority, with 
 a reputation as a leader of men.^** 
 
 The party war ended, Baranof breathed freely once 
 more, and 1794 witnessed a decided impulse to his dif- 
 ferent enterprises. The most notable of these was the 
 one intrusted to Purtof and Kulikatof for operating 
 in Yakutat Bay, of which a preceding visit had brouglit 
 most encouraging reports.^" Preparations were made 
 
 '" They appear to have received less compensation than the other com- 
 pany employees. Of the latter, Fidalgo reports: 'Sua suehlos Uegabuu lis 
 ma yores ii cuatro pesos: quo los jefes Bubalternos gozaban 500 alafio.' li'it 
 ho evidently ignores tlic share sj-stem. For each employee the company pai>l 
 a tribute of two dollars a year. Salkla, etc., in Viaji^'i al Xorte, MS., liti'J. 
 
 ^^Tliia characteristic address is given in full in TilJiincin/, iMor. 0/ion., ii. 
 npp. part ii. 47-9. It contains several allusions to histurij anecdotc;4 cii 
 the value of unity, and dwells on the absurd pretensions to better comforts 
 by men who .at home in Siberia were content to live as pigs. 
 
 '^ Some time before this lie had iiitorfered between rival traders of the 
 comiianies Orckhof, I'anof, and Kisselcf, located on Prince William Souii 1, 
 and after patching up a temporary peace between them ho had seized t!io 
 greater part of their furs, under t'.o pretext of taking them to Kadiak for saio 
 keeping. 
 
 1'' Tikhmencf refers tonfuscdly to an expedition in 1793 of 170 bidarkas, 
 
YAKUTAT EXPEDITION. 
 
 US 
 
 ■jO check 
 Lithority 
 xlinatc'8, 
 [luations 
 lose )'u- 
 ider his 
 uiiioroiis 
 1 loss of 
 jsemblcd 
 tions tf) 
 sngagod, 
 )ii thoin- 
 efusal to 
 :o arrest 
 le would 
 s should 
 Dss thoir 
 a liberal 
 and tlius 
 Baraiiof 
 ity, with 
 
 ;ely onco 
 ohis dif- 
 
 was tho 
 Ipcratiuo' 
 
 brought 
 |rc made 
 
 I other com- 
 llegabiiu 1 IS 
 lafio.' ]5':t 
 Inpany pai-l 
 IS., :5(J0. 
 It: 01)0^., ii. 
 
 llCCllotCH 111 
 
 br couifortd 
 
 tiers of t'.io 
 
 lain Souii 1, 
 
 I Bcizcil t!io 
 
 tali for sai'o 
 
 I bi Jarkus, 
 
 on a large scale. The station on Cook Inlet had 
 been appointed as a rendezvous, and on the 7th of 
 ^lay a fleet of five hundred bidarkas assembled there, 
 l)ringing natives from Kadiak, Kenai, the Alaskan 
 ])eninsula, and the nearest Chugatsch villages. jSTore 
 boats and men were to be collected at Prince William 
 Sound, where Baranof had gone in person to levy 
 forces. All these were arranged in subdivisions, 
 each in charge of a Russian. 
 
 At Voskressenski Bay the Yakutat expedition was 
 furnished with additional tradini:: ejoods and some i^uns 
 and ammunition. After being delayed at Grekof 
 Island till the 22d of May,Purtof set out with his whole 
 fleet for the mouth of Copper River, intending to pass 
 l)y Nuchek Island, where the Lebedef Company was 
 then established. At the eastern point of Montague 
 Island they were intercepted by some Lebedef hunt- 
 ers in bidarkas, who presented a letter from Balu- 
 sliin and Kolomin. This document warned Purtof 
 not to encroach upon any territory already occu})ied 
 by the other company. Tho messengers were in- 
 structed to add, that they had established an artel of 
 twenty Russians at Tatitliatzk village on the gulf of 
 Cliugatsch, and also at the mouth of Copper River, and 
 that the Shelikof hunters must not advance in that 
 direction. Without allowing hiuMielf to bo intimidated, 
 Purtof informed the messengers that he was on his 
 way to the American contine it in pursuance of secret 
 orders from the government. In hunting sea-otters 
 lie Avould not touch upon any ground occupied by 
 others. 
 
 The following evening, while preparing to camp for 
 the night on a small island adjoining Nuchek, he dis- 
 covered a party of eight Lebeduf hunters near by and 
 invited them to pupper, after which the time passed 
 ill friendly exchange of news. Early in the morning, 
 however, before the Lebedef men were stirring, l*ui'- 
 
 cscortcd by Shields, which brouglit back 2,000 sea-otter skins. Intor. Ohoa., 
 i. 4D-1. 
 
* - 
 
 "Is ' 
 
 m 
 
 i 
 
 ?A0 
 
 STniFE BETWEEN RIVAL COMPANIES. 
 
 t<)f moved silently away with his force aiul made a 
 ({iiick pa^saij^e to the seeotid mouth of Co])j)er Kivei-, 
 and there fell in with Chuixaisches who had been trad- 
 in<^ with the Lebedef njen at Nuchek. Findin^jf that 
 no station or regular hunting party of the Lebedef 
 Com[mny existed here, he took his party to Kaiiiak 
 Island, near the river, purposing to lay in a supi)ly of 
 halibut as provisions, and to hunt sea-otters. Over a 
 hundred skins were obtained the first day, but the 
 second day's hunt proved entirely futile and the expech- 
 tion moved northward along the coast of the mainland.-" 
 On the 31st of May the whole party encamj)ed on 
 the beach, and within a short distance of a large Agleg- 
 nmte village, thouii^h without being aware of the fact. 
 During the night some of the hunters became alarmed 
 at the sound of numerous voices proceeding from the 
 woods. An armed detachuient composed of the most 
 courageous ventured to penetrate into the forest, and, 
 guidetl by the smell of smoke and the cries of children, 
 made their way to the village, which was situated on 
 the opposite side of a river. During the contusion 
 occasioned by their unexpected arrival, they succeeded 
 in ca[)turing the chief and his brother, and then made 
 good their retreat to the camp. One of their numl)er, 
 ho\vev(!r, a Kadiak inter[)reter, was intercepted and 
 killed by the natives. The chief and his brother wcic 
 taken to the camp, treated to food and drink, and ]i tiled 
 witli presents, until they promised to call together 
 their people the following day to negotiate with the 
 llus.sians. The brother was connnissioned to arrangt; 
 the matter, and by the 3d of June all of the Aglegmute 
 tribe dwelling in that vicinity came to tlie c;un[). 
 With the helj) of a judicious distribution of presents, 
 Purtof succeeded in prevailing upon the savages l<i 
 give seven hostages, including two natives of Yakutat 
 
 IV 
 
 •Ji 
 
 '■"'Purine; a l)i'icf li.ilt on tlio Ijcacli ft nntivo lint was diseovorrd, Ixit tlio 
 inli;!l)itaiits had Hod, Icaxini; all their oflVoLi. A littK' fooil was taken liy tlio 
 Ali'.ti, in ri'tura for wliio'i I'urtof dojicisiti'd soini" CDi'al lieads. 
 
 "ill iiocurdauco wilU oidora from tlii; gi)vunnm;nt, tlio wivagcs ■\vero tiiK's- 
 
DEALTX( JS WITH THE NATIVES. 
 
 347 
 
 As soon as the weatluu" perinittGd, Purtof pro- 
 ceeded to Icy Bay, called Natcliik 'by the natives, 
 and l>y the 10th of June his hunters had securetl 
 i'our hundred sea-otter skins, all that could be ob- 
 tained. The party then moved on to Yakutat Bay, 
 accompanied by the Aglegniute chief of the tribe, 
 and a Kadiak native who sj)oke the Kaljush lan- 
 *'uai>'e. These two were sent in advance to assure 
 the ])eople of the peaceful character of the ex[)edi- 
 tion.-'-^ The chief soon returned I'roni the Yakutat 
 village with the son of the Kaljush chieftain and 
 three others as liostages, profusely ornamented Vvitli 
 beads, furs, and feathers. The interpreter had been 
 detained as hostage on the other side, but it was 
 i'ound necessary to surrender also a Russian ere con- 
 hdence could be established. Accompanied by fif- 
 teen of his best warriors, the Kaljush chief then pro- 
 ceeded in state to the camp, and after the usnal 
 ceremonies negotiations began in earnest. Purtol' 
 declared that the liussians desired to live in friend- 
 ship) with them, and the chief, who probably had 
 been ])lied with strong drink, made a formal ])rese!it 
 to his new allies of the southei'U portion of the bay 
 antl the small islands situated therein. The feelings of 
 tlie latter underwent a change, however, when he 
 c;ime to reilect on the advantage gained by his visitoi's, 
 and found that tlusyalso linnted on their own account, 
 venturing far out to sea where the clumsier canoes of 
 the Kaljush dared not follow. He and his followeiv; 
 v/eri! ready to traile, but tiny obji'cted to see their 
 stock of fur seals exhausted by strangers without any 
 benetit to themselves.^'* 
 
 tioncfl whether thoy or any "f tlu^ nciuhliorin;; trihoa helil in their possoasion 
 iiuy iCur()iii':iii jirisoiiers, hut this they pinilivrly lU'iiiel. It \va i thou ;hUh:it 
 smiie of Jia IVnmso'.H mei\ lui'^lit have (■.■.I'aiied (h'owiiiiij; only to fall into thu 
 liauds of tiio savage iiihahit^nts of Ui<' vieinity. 
 
 -- At the .southern jxiint of Yakutat IJay ii hunt was organized, Iiut only 
 t»n sea-otters eouhl l)u found. In making a hiuding througli tlie muf, tv.o 
 natives of Kailiak were drowned. 
 
 •' 'flio eliief male a lon^ speceh before Lieutenant I'uget, which he under- 
 atuuil to eouvey thit) lueaning. \'uncuin'tr'a I i.//., ii. '2,A. 
 
 m 
 
348 
 
 STRIFE BETWEEN RIVAL COMPANIES. 
 
 I 
 
 I 'I 
 
 Trouble appeared, indeed, to be brewing, but the 
 arrival of the 'ChafJiam of Vancouver's expedition, 
 under Lieutenant Puget, served to prevent any dis- 
 turbance. Purtof maintained a most friendly inter- 
 course with the EnMish, to whom he also tendered 
 provisions, and received in acknowledgment letters 
 of connnendation. Through some of the sailors it 
 was understood that English war-vessels might appear 
 within two years to take possession of Cook Inlet and 
 other places, and, unworthy of credit as this report 
 v/as, it failed not to be transmitted to the government 
 by tlie somewhat agitated fur traders. Vancouver 
 himself held a much higher opinion, both of their 
 territorial rights and control of trade, than a clearer 
 view of affiiirs miglit liave conveyed, for he was 
 ignorant of their dissensions, and regarded all as 
 united in one connnon interest; while the sight of 
 the largo native fleets controlled by Purtof nuist 
 have exalted the idea of their influence and of their 
 aljility to distance competitors. The departure of 
 Vancouver's expedition was no doubt a great relief to 
 Ilaranof at least, who ap[)ears to have been afraid of 
 his coming across the En;>'lish shipwrights, and luring 
 tliem away^* ere he could dispense with their ser- 
 
 vices 
 
 25 
 
 Y'/hilo tlie Chatham remained, Purtof 's command 
 occupied a position near the anchorage. Other par- 
 ties of natives arrived from the interior of the bay 
 and from Ltua, giving occasion for further feasting, 
 presents, and exchaiiiJfe of hostajjes. The lar'j^c num- 
 ber of guns, and the abundance of lead and powder in 
 the possession of these new arrivals, ]>ointed to visits 
 I'rom ]^]uropean trading vessels, and at this very time 
 the Jackall, (^iptain Brown, entered the bay in quest 
 of furs, to the deep chagrin of Purtof. 
 
 *• The letters givoii to I'urtof M-oro even suspected for a wliile to lio docii- 
 inents intciiiled to support Eiii,'li.<li claiiiis. See letter of Mine Shelikof, in 
 Til:hmeiiej\ Ixfor. O/ioh., ii. .'i])p. part ii. 1(1S et seij. 
 
 '-■■'Of this fi^ar X'jiiK.'oiiver knew iiothiiig, for tlio Russians leaders were 
 jirofuse iu oli'ers of serviccuj even to tlic use of the ship-yard. 
 
 K i\ 
 
PRESENCE OF ENGLISHME>f. 
 
 3-ia 
 
 lio (locu- 
 elikof, in 
 
 Icis were 
 
 As soon as the war-vessel departed, the treacherous 
 Kaljushes assumed a threatening attitude, and delayed 
 troiii day to day the promised delivery of additional 
 hostages under various pretexts. At the same time 
 the interpreters left with the savages at the beginning 
 of the negotiations were hela under strict surveill- 
 ance, and not allowed to communicate with their 
 countrymen. At last Purtof decided upon a display 
 of force to support his demands for the surrender of 
 his own men at least, and approached the village in 
 l)idarka.i with all the armed men at his conmiand. 
 The squadron was reiinforced by a boat with six armed 
 men from the Jackall?'^ 
 
 The presence of the Englishmen had no doubt an 
 effect, for the interview resulted in the surrender of a 
 chief from Afognak Island, with a promise to deliver 
 up the remaining hostages. 
 
 On the following day came eight men in a large 
 ])idar, bringing three more natives of Kadiak, but two 
 were still detained. Fearing that foul l)lay was 
 intended, Purtof detained some relatives of the Yaku- 
 tat chief, and carried the hostages whom he held from 
 the Aijlegmutes on board the Jackall for safe keei)- 
 ing. This reprisal proved effectual; the necessary 
 exchange of hostages was made, and, after expressing 
 his thanks to Captain Brown, Purtof took his party 
 out of the bay of Yakutat with five hundred and fif- 
 teen sea-otter skins obtained in a little over two 
 weeks. 
 
 On the return voyage, wdiile the expeditionary force 
 was encamped on an island near Nuchek,'^' Purtof 
 despatched a letter to liepin, of the Lebedcf Com- 
 pany, informing hin) that he had explored the coast 
 ni ' ,; continent and pacified the natives of several 
 villages by exchanging hostages. He ofi'ercd to verify 
 
 '* Captain Brown's Btatemcnt, as given by Vancouver, would make it 
 n(,ipcar that I'urtof asked for assistance, but tiio latter states tliat the EiiKli;,li 
 joined of tlicir own accord, 'though we tried to dissuade thcni from doin^^ 
 this, and did not re(]uirc their assistance.' This was on July 1st. 
 
 -' I'urtuf persisted in calling this island Aglitzkoi, that is to say, English. 
 
sso 
 
 STRIFE BETWEEN RIVAL COMPANIES. 
 
 this statement, and on the appearance of Sanioilof, the 
 navigator of the Lebedef Company, allowed him to talk 
 freely with the interpreters, and to copy a list of the 
 villasres and chiefs from whom he had obtained host- 
 ages. This would seem to be a strange proceeding 
 in view of the hostility between the two parties, but 
 it was of the greatest importance for the Shelikof 
 Company, at that juncture, to make good their claim of 
 precedence on the continent, in view of the impending 
 grant of exclusive imperial privileges. 
 
 The success of Purtof, who brought with him a 
 promise from the Thlinkeet chief of a large supply of 
 sea-otter skins for the next visit, resulted in the de- 
 spatch of another expedition the following year, under 
 Za'ikof, who commanded a sea-going vessel,^^ The 
 chief failed to fulfil his promise, and the Russians had 
 to content themselves with the sea-otters captured by 
 their native hunters on the bay. Four hundred skins 
 were secured, and the hunters prepared to follow up 
 their success, regardless of the manifest ill-feeling of the 
 bay people, which threatened to become more bitter 
 than during the former visit. What the result may 
 have been is difficult to say, for just then two Aleuts 
 were seized with small-pox, and panic-stricken the 
 party hastened away.-'^ Za'ikof now steered in search 
 of islands reported to exist between Kadiak and the 
 continent to the east. He ranged for over a month 
 to the southward and again to the north, until, sight- 
 ing the snow-clad peaks of the Chugatsch alps and the 
 Kenai mountains, he was forced to admit the futility 
 of his quest. 
 
 '* Seventeen Russians, hesiiies natives, accompanied him. 
 
 ^® La Perouso noticed signs of the disease among the coast tribes, and 
 Portloek nssuines that they must have caught it from some vessel whicli hiid 
 touched near Cape Edgecunilje. No person younger than 14 years bore the 
 marks. Portloek' s Voy., 272; Marchand, roy.,ii. 52-3. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 COLONIZATION AND MISSIONS. 
 
 1794-170C. 
 
 Mechanics and Missionakies Arrive at Pavlovsk — AiiBiTiors Schejies 
 OF Colonization — Agricultural Settlement Founded on Yakutat 
 Bay — Shipwreck, Famine, and Sickness — Golovnin's Report on the 
 Affairs of the Suelikof Company — Discontent of the Mlssion- 
 auies — Complaints of the Auciiimanduitk — Father Makar in Una- 
 laska— Father Juvenal in Kadiak — Divine Service at Three 
 Saints— Juvenal's Voyage to Ilyamna — His Reception and Mission- 
 ary Labors — He Attempts to Abolish Polygamy — And Falls a 
 Victim to an Ilyamna Damsel — He is Butchered by the Natives. 
 
 sio:llt- 
 
 •ihes, and 
 
 vliich Ii:ul 
 
 bore tlio 
 
 Notwithstanding the quarrels between rival trad- 
 ins^ companies and occasional emeutes among the na- 
 tives, caused in almost every instance by the greed of 
 the Russians, colonization in Alaska had thus tar been 
 attended with fair success. The Russian seal-hunters 
 had sutiered no such hardships as did the Spanish 
 settlers in Central America, the early colonists of 
 Now England, or the convict band that ten years after 
 Captain Cook sailed from Nootka in quest of a north- 
 cast passage to Hudson's Bay founded on Port Jack- 
 son the first city in Australasia. Apart from the seal 
 tisheries, however, the resources of the countr}' were as 
 yet undeveloped. On the island of Kadiak was raised 
 a scant crop of vegetables; at Voskressenski, as we 
 Iiave seen, was built the first vessel ever launched into 
 the waters of the North Pacific; but throughout the 
 settlements was felt a sore need of skilled labor, and 
 in some of them, as Shelikof would have us believe, 
 of missionaries to educate the natives and instruct 
 
 (351) 
 
HI I 
 
 
 3.-2 
 
 COLONIZATION AND MISSIONS. 
 
 them in the true faitli. AppHcation was therefore 
 inatlc foi- clergymen and for exiles trained to handi- 
 craft.^ The request was granted, and in August 171) t 
 the Irelxh SvialiicU and the Ekciterina, two of tho 
 Shelikof Company's vessels," arrived at Pavlovsk with 
 provisions, stores, implements, seeds, cattle, and a hun- 
 dred and ninety-two persons on board, among whom 
 were fifty-two craftsmen and agriculturists, and eigh- 
 teen clergymen and lay servitors in charge of tho 
 archimandrite loassaf.^ "I present you," writes Sheli- 
 kof to Baranof, "with some guests who have been se- 
 lected by order of the empress to spread the word 
 of God in America. I know that you will feel as 
 great a satisfaction as I do that the country where I 
 labored before you, and where you are laboring now 
 for the glory of our country, sees in the arrival ot* 
 these guests a hopeful prophecy of future })rosperity." 
 Shelikof 's merits as teacher and pastor have already 
 been related;* the treatment which the missionaries 
 received from his dram-drinkinij colleaij^ue will bo 
 mentioned later. Priests were not wanted among the 
 promyshleniki, and if they sojourned in their midst 
 must earn their daily bread as did the rest of the 
 community. They might serve, however, to bring 
 into more thorough subjection the docile Aleuts. 
 
 By the Ekaterina, Baranof received a lengthy com- 
 munication from Shelikof and from Polevoi Golikofs 
 representative, relating to the establishment of an ag- 
 ricultural colony near Cape St Elias on Yakutat Bay. 
 The instructions on this matter were to take the place 
 
 * Shelikof and Golikof requested that clergymen be appointed for mis- 
 sionary work in the Aleutian Islands and ottered to defray all expenses. 
 By oukaz of Juno 30, 1703, Catherine II. ordered the petition granted. At 
 tho same time Shelikof asked tho governor of Irkutsk to use hii influence 
 with tho crown to procure the despatch of a certain number of exiles, skilled 
 as blacksmitlis, locksmiths, and fouudrymen, and of ten families tr.aiucd to 
 agriculture. The request was granted by oukaz of December 31, 1793. 
 TilchincHff, Istor. Olios., i. 42-3. 
 
 *Uoth built at Okhotsk. The former, though only G3 feet in length, had 
 on board 200 tons of cargo, besides 120 casks of water. 
 
 "■Tlicre were also 121 hunters, 4 clerks, and 5 Aleuts. 
 
 ♦This vol., p. 227. 
 
PLANS FOR A TOWN. 
 
 3r)3 
 
 (if all that had previously been sent.'" Accompanying 
 tlioin was a document touching only on the [)rivate 
 affairs of the company. Thanking Baranof for his 
 rxliaustive reports, Shelikof concludes: "And now it 
 (iiily remains for us to hope that, having selected on 
 the mainland a suitable place, you will layout the set- 
 lli'inent with some taste, and with due regard for 
 hiaiity of construction, in order that when visits are 
 made by foreign ships, as can not fail to happen, it 
 may appear more like a town than a village, and that 
 tlio Russians in America may live in a neat and or- 
 derly way, and not, as in Okhotsk, in squalor and misery 
 caused by the absence of nearly everything necessary 
 to civilization. Use taste as well as practical judg- 
 iiitnt in locating the settlement. Look to beauty as 
 whU as to convenience of material and supplies. On 
 the plans as well as in reality leave room for spacious 
 s(|uares for public assemblies. Make the streets not 
 too long, but wide, and let them radiate from the 
 s(|uares. If the site is wooded, let trees enough .stand 
 to line the streets and to fill the gardens, in order 
 to beautify the place and preserve a healthy atmos- 
 j)licre. Build the houses along the streets, but at 
 some distance from each other, in order to increase the 
 extent of the town. The roofs should be of equal 
 liciglit, and the architecture as uniform as possible. 
 The gardens should be of equal size, and provided with 
 good fences along the streets. Thanks be to God 
 that you will at least have no lack of timber. Make 
 the plan as full as possible, and add views of the sur- 
 
 •'TIio letter was dated from Okhotsk on tlic 9th of August, 1794. Orders 
 liail been received from the governor of Irkutsk that the agriculturists, m- 
 c'luiling ten families, should be forwarded to tlio spot near Cape St Eliaa 
 where Slielikof had promised to establish tlio first agricultural settlement on 
 tlk' uorth-west coast of America; but it was claimed that a clause in the in- 
 structions permitted the site of tliis colony to be changcil, if a more 8uita))Ie 
 location could be found, and finally the exiled agriculturists were scattered 
 tlnvingliout the settlement and employed in various kinds of labor. Most of 
 tl.c exiles of whatever occupation arrived in the Catherine after much delay, 
 c:uised by a stay at Unalaska, and by a violent gale in Akutan Pass, during 
 V :;ieh several head of cattle were lost. Klilebnikof, Shim. Bnrnnomi, 24-5, 
 Btittes that the remainder of the live-stock reached Kadiak in safety. 
 Hut. AI.ABXA. 23 
 
i 
 
 w^ 
 
 I mm t' 
 
 I>1 
 
 r4 
 
 COLONIZATION AND MISSIONS. 
 
 roundinjTfs. Your work will be viewixl and diseusscl 
 at the iin[^crial court." In another part of this lett.r 
 Baranof is reproaehctl for exchanging visit.s with caji- 
 tains of Engli.sh ve.ssels, and warned that he might ho 
 carried otf to Nootka or California, or some other des- 
 olate place. 
 
 The latter portion of this epistle appears to have 
 been written I'or the purj)oseof deceiving the empress, 
 to whon\ the plans of the projxised settlement were to 
 be shown, though we cannot but admire the compru- 
 hensive scope of Shelikof's imagination when he thus 
 conceives the idea of building a well ordered city lit 
 the American wilderness. Although such an under- 
 taking would require all the means and men at the dis- 
 posal of the Shelikof-dlolikof Comi)any,he wasengaged, 
 besides other ventures, in forming a second a.ssociatinn 
 under the name of the North American Company, for 
 the purpose of making permanent settlements on the 
 mainland, and in building ships for yet a third enterj)iise 
 of which he was the leading man — the Predtecha 
 Company, then holding tempi^rar}^ possession of tlio 
 Pribvlof Islands, but left without means of carrviiij: 
 away their seal-skins by the loss of their only ve-sil. 
 The estimated complement for the Xorth American 
 Company was a hundred and twenty men, of whom 
 seventy were despatched in July 1794, and about 
 thirty in 1795. Its main object was to aid in sup- 
 planting foreigners in the trade with the natives, to 
 extend this traffic from Unalaska to the xVrctic Ocean, 
 and to enter into commercial intercourse with the 
 people living on the American coast, opposite Cape 
 Tehcukotsk. ^Moreover, Shelikof cherished in secret 
 the hope of making some new discovery on the Amer- 
 ican continent, leading to the long-sought-for passage 
 into Baffin's Bay. 
 
 As soon as Shelikof had despatched his vessels from 
 Okhotsk, he returned in 1794 tt) Irkutsk for the |)ur- 
 pose of organizing there a central office for the n)aii- 
 agemeut of his many enterprises, thus preparing for the 
 
siir.LiKor's rnoji'CTS. 
 
 a» 
 
 future consoli.-'atiim of all the IJnssian companies in 
 Anicrica. This was the inception ol'thc u^reat ltiissi;;ii 
 American Company, which was t<» he liilly orijjanize 1 
 (iiily after its oriifiuatn-'s death, ^[^anwliile liaranof 
 could do, and knew that he was expected to do, hut 
 little toward carryini,' out his superior's hrilliai;t 
 schemes of colo'iization. Un all the principal ishuivl^ 
 of the Aleutian tj^rou[), and at sonic points on the main- 
 laud, the l)est locations for aij^riculture and cattle-i"ai ;- 
 iuL,^ had heen selected and fortitied several years hefore; 
 iulditional hnntiuL; grounds and a few harhors had al:^o 
 heen chosen, and sites marked out at the mouths of 
 rivers for trading posts with the natives, Jhit tlio 
 time was not yet ripi,' i'or otahlishiug new settlement-;, 
 and meanwhile in accortlance with piivate instruction ; 
 Shelikof kept the exiles hiisily emjiloyed, some of them 
 at Kadiak, and the mechanics prohably at Voskre.;- 
 senski, where, it will he rememhered, the Dc/phin aUvl 
 Ol.;(( were launched in 171>J.^ 
 
 The 7Vc/7/ .SV/r(/<7cA'/ had arrived a lew weeks heforo 
 these vessels were cornpleted, after a two years' voy- 
 ai2'e from Kamchatka, with her carij^o of stores aiul 
 provisions in good order and intact — a rai-e occurri'nce 
 in the early history of the Russian colonies. Sevend 
 days were now devoted to feastinir and reioiciii!'-, in 
 which traders, priests, and servants alike ])articipated. 
 'i he colonists were, however, no longer in fear of want, 
 lor experiments made in the planting of several kinds 
 of vegetahles and occasionally of cereals had been 
 fairly successful, and, tliough they possessed few im- 
 plements, they had seed in ahnndance for either pur- 
 pose." Thus, with a never failing supply of lish, au 
 abundance of food was, as thev thouiiht, assured. 
 
 '' Four of the exiled families selected for the company were detr.incd by 
 Shelikof nt Okhotsk, to serve as a liucleus for a proposed settlement on one 
 of tlio Kurile Islands. 
 
 ' Fatiier Simeon and one of the lay brothers tif the mission, named riiili]), 
 ni.ide sonic experiments in sowinj; turnips and potatoes which yuccecMU'd well. 
 'J'lic arcliimandrite mentions a man uamcd .Saposhnikof, who plimted a ])()U!id 
 <f luuloy in a sheltered nook and liarvcstcil GO pounds. TiUmi^ nij\ Is'i.r. 
 Vbos., ii. app. part ii. 102. With this exception, nothing appears to h;ivo 
 
ail! 
 
 ■ i] r ': ■ 
 
 ;j.-;0 
 
 COLdXIZATIOX AND MISSIONS. 
 
 Ill December of tliir< vcar l^arauof sot forth on a 
 journey roiuul Kadiak, his purpose hein*^ to make 
 a!'raii«;emeiits for the liuntimjf season, ami to ascertain 
 the ])o|)ulation of the islan<l, which was found to con- 
 sist of ('),*JO(J persons, the sexes beinjjf about ecjually 
 divided.'* About seven hun<h'ed bidnikas, eacli hold- 
 in<jf two men, could be assembled at the dili'erent sta- 
 tions. 
 
 Thoujjfh the archimandrite had previously described 
 Baranof as a n»an who "continually sat in his house 
 hatching mischief," and, in a letter to Shelikof, had 
 <leclared that he could see no sis^n that any of his 
 schemes of colonization were likely to be carried out, 
 the chief manager certainly took some steps toward 
 establishing the much-talked-of settlement near Cai»o 
 St Elias. Intrusting the management of affairs at 
 Kadiak to his assistant Kuskof," he .sailed for Yakutat 
 in the transport OA/«,*" and arrived at the village near 
 Cape St Elias on the 15th of July, 179G, finding there 
 ihv Tnlh Si'Mtitel('i,wh'\c\\hadrcac\\t'd the new settle- 
 ment on the 2ath of June. The few men left at the 
 place the previous autunm were found in good health, 
 but complained of having been frequently in want of 
 food during the winter. Baranof himself rcniained 
 here two months, superintending the erection of build- 
 ings; and after taking hostages from the natives and 
 leavinjj a garrison of fifty men, returned to Kadiak. 
 
 ^Meanwhile the Ekatet'ina, with a portion of the 
 exiles on board, and the transport Orel, under com- 
 mand of Shields, had sailed for Cape St Elias, the latter 
 convoying four hundred and fifty bidarkas bound for 
 
 been done with \c imported seed of rye and oats, as the only implements for 
 lirotiking up the round v.-ere forkcil sticks. 
 
 •■ There «crt "221 males and "JjOSo females. 
 
 * Ivan Alexi rovich Kuskof, a mercliant of Totma, came to America 
 wit'.i Biiraiiof, in e capacity of clerk. He was soon appointed assistant, and 
 as we shall see in. 'sted with important commands. He left the service of 
 the company in 21, returned to Russia by way of Okhotsk in 1822, and 
 died at Totna in 1 .'3. Khlebnikof, Shizii. Baranova, piissim. 
 
 '^It was inter ed tliat Pribylof, tlie discoverer of the fur-seal islands, 
 should take comn nd, but his decease occurred before the departure of the 
 expedition. 
 
COLONIAL DISA.STi:i;S. 
 
 Jl*57 
 
 l.tua Bav," wlicro in a few (layn 1,800 sea otter skins 
 ucic socui'cd. 
 
 Thus, at lenj^tli, the settlement on Yakutat liiy 
 ^vas fairly started with every prospect of siieeess; liiit 
 this, the iirst convict colony estahli.shed in the l';i!' 
 north, liki' the one sent I'orth two years hitcr to peo|)lc 
 the desert wastes of Australia, was doomed to suller 
 iiiaiiv disasters. Durinjjf the verv Iirst winter news 
 reached Kadiak that the villa^^e was in danu^er of 
 l»(ini( abandoned for want of provisions.'-' The Ti'i-kh 
 Si'idtitt'h'i, which left tin; settk'ment on her return 
 voyai^'e a f<^'W days before l^aranof's de|)arture, was 
 (hivcn by Iieavy gales into Kamuishatzk JJay. There 
 a large iorce of men was sent early in the following 
 spring to i('|)air the •• sscl, but she was found to 
 be so badlvilamawd that her hull was set on lire, and 
 (tidy her iron-woi'k was saved. At A'oskresscnski l>ny 
 ])aranof was met bv a messcns>er irom Yakutat, who 
 i\]»oited that twenty laborers and several womi'U had 
 ])erished of scurvy at the settlement during the past 
 winter. 
 
 Wliihr hastening to the relief of the distressed set- 
 tli-rs, the chief manager found time to visit Fort 
 Konstantine t>n Xuclie'c Island, where tlie Jjcbedef- 
 Lastochkin Company had hitherto maintained their 
 principal dej)ot. For several years no supplies had 
 Itcen forwarded to this place, and in consecpicnce great 
 dissatisfaction existed among the employees of the 
 tirm. liaranof found no ij^reat diincultv in inducinu a 
 majority of the Lebedef men to enter the service of the 
 Shelikof Company, antl the remainder were promised 
 a j)assage to ()kli(!tsk. At the same time the Chu- 
 gatsehes formally submitted to Baranof and I'urnished 
 
 t-seal islanila, 
 larturc of tUe 
 
 " Two other bitlark.a flocts miistorin;' 'ITil boatis assi'inlilcd dur 
 
 til 
 
 saini! ycr.r at the vill.ige <»f Karliik. ami ;ifti'i' obtaining supjilies of ihii'd lish 
 viTc dcspatclic'd in the same direction. ICaeh liidai'iia can ied from 1(H) to 
 
 l-"i lisli, Imt tliis food was used only in case of actuid neces.-it 
 
 d( 
 
 flesh li>li Were caught and birils killed at evciy lialtiiig place. KhkbiiiLof, 
 
 1 
 
 'jdniiiiirii. 
 
 w-i-: 
 
 ' - The nev. i v.as brought 1 ly ouo lladiouof, who arrived at Kadiak from Cape 
 at Eliud iu a bidur. 
 
i'l 
 
 SuS 
 
 COLOXIZATION AND MISSIONS. 
 
 tin aclditionul i^i.nta of a hundred bidarkas to rccnforco 
 liis hunting parties, thus rehevinjjf him of all apj>reheii- 
 sions of a native uprising west of Yakutat, and enabling 
 liini to turn his undivided attention to the wants of 
 the new colony. 
 
 After relieving the existing distress and establisli- 
 inir order nnion<j: the settlers, Baranof returned toXa- 
 (!i>ik, arriving there on the tirst of Octc^bcr. Shields, 
 wlu) commanded the Orel, had in the mean time pro- 
 <'('ctied south-west I'roni Ltua Bay with his fleet of 
 lour hundred and fifty bidarkas, and succeetled iu 
 reaching Norfolk Sound, where he soon collected two 
 thousand sea-otter skins. 
 
 We shall have occasion to refer later to the prog- 
 ivss of the convict colony at Yakutat. Shelikof 
 and his colleagues, when ]>etitioning the empress that 
 a band )f exiles should bo sent to Alaska to aid in 
 <levolopmg the resources of liussian America, and a 
 partv of clerii^vmen to convert and educate the natives, 
 assured the government "that their wishes tended only 
 t') add new ])ossessi()ns to Ilussia and new^ parishes to 
 the church." "But," savs Golovnin, who was in- 
 structed by the government to investigate the afiairs 
 of the colony, "the clergy and the poor mechanics 
 had hardly arrived at Katliak, when the former wvvc 
 set tv) earn their bread by the sweat *)f their brow, 
 and the latter were distributed over different locali- 
 ties, wherever furs could be got to swell the j)rolits 
 of the Shelikof Company. "Between 171)4 and 18I,S 
 the missions received irom the co'miianv neither bii)lis 
 nor new <:estaments, nor any other religious bot)lcs, 
 not even spelling-books to teach the children, whilo 
 wax candles, wine, etc., necessary for the performanco 
 of sacred ceremonies, could not be obtained from them. 
 But of the thirty-five families of mechanics only threo 
 men and one woman remained in 1818." The re- 
 
 " About tlio year 187f> Ivnn Pctrof etatca that there are at Niniltchik, 
 on I'oolc Inlet, r.ix families, includiug souio forty soub, claiming to bo tic- 
 nccnchints c*" these exiles. 
 
DECEIVED SETTLERS. 
 
 359 
 
 inarulcr were killed or died from want and hardship, 
 \\ hile hunting for the company. For all this I am 
 ill possession of written proofs. And thus Siiolikof 
 showed to the world that between traders on a larj^e 
 or small scale there is no difTercnce. As the shopman 
 ill the market makes the siiju of the cross and calls 
 ( rod to witness in order to sell his goods a few cojieks 
 dearer, so Shclikof used the name of Christ and this 
 sacred faith to deceive the government and entice 
 Ihirty-five unfortunate families to the savage shores 
 of America, where they fell victims to his avarice and 
 that of his successors."" 
 
 All this is sufticiently bitter, and if any further 
 ])roof be wanted that Golovnin was somewhat biased, 
 iiis mention of Baranof, whom he describes as "a 
 man who became fanious on account of his long resi- 
 dence amon<j[ the savages, and still more so because 
 he, while enlii^hteninix them, ijrew wikl himself and 
 sunk to a degree below the savage," is further c\'i- 
 dence.*'^ It is but due to the memory of Shelikof, 
 whose decease occurred in Jul}' 1705, to quote a few 
 lines from the letter of his widow, adih-essed t.)n 
 Xovendier 22d of that year to the governor of 
 Tauris: "The administration of the colony has made 
 nrrangements that these settlers shall not be ham- 
 l)ered in their work of construct in<jf the new villagi^ 
 i)y anxiety with regard to producing the necessary 
 provisions during the first year, and has provided 
 ample supplies ol" food to last them until they can 
 provide for themselves, as well as tools, etc., all of 
 Vvhich have ^ een i)urchased at Okhotsk by my late 
 husband at his own expense. At tlie same time an 
 agent was appointed ti> attiMid to the issue of these 
 supplies, according to the wants of the ])eople. lint 
 linally they got uj) a conspiracy, and threatened to 
 take the agent's life uuk^ss he gave them guns and 
 amnuuiition to protect themselves against the sav- 
 
 ^' ^fater!'1lni Lilor. Jfiiss., i. lA, 
 
 »^ Jd., 5;{. . • 
 
3G0 
 
 COLONIZATION AND MISSIONS. 
 
 ages when they would reach the mainland, and that 
 they would take possession of the ship and sail for 
 the Kurile Islands, selecting one of their men as 
 navigator. They had three great guns with animuiii- 
 tion, all ready for use, but the chief agent of the com- 
 pany discovered their conspiracy, and three of the 
 ringleaders were, in accordance with the instructions 
 of the commanding officer at Okiiotsk, punished by 
 flogging, and separated among the hunters at various 
 stations."^® 
 
 i^'iiill 
 
 Knowing how he had compromised liimself in liis 
 dealings with the turbulent traders on Cook Inlet by 
 assuming official authority which did not belong to 
 him, Baranof had to exert all his ingenuity, and jaob- 
 ably resorted to threats and violence, in order to keep 
 the knowledge of his proceedings from the priests, who 
 were only too ready to meddle with the concerns of the 
 Shelikof Company.^" Though outwardly professing 
 the veneration of an orthodox member of the Russian 
 church for its ordained representatives, Baranof con- 
 sidered them as enemies and acted accordingly. Ho 
 knew that in the pursuit of his business tlie full con- 
 trol of the natives was essential to his success, and ha 
 believed that ever}' one of the missionaries would 
 strive to obtain such control for himself in the name 
 of the holy synod. In order to lessen the number of 
 his enemies, he ur<xed upon loassaf the necessity of 
 sending out missionaries to the savage tribes of the 
 mainland, from whom the light of Christianity was still 
 entirely hidden. The chief of the mission expressed 
 his full understanding of this necessity, but winter 
 
 ii^n 
 
 " Tikhmeiu'f, Istoi: Olios., ii. app. part ii. 109. 
 
 " The following is n list of uieiuncrs of this first mission: Archinianilritc 
 loAsanf, drowned on tlie J'tiiiks in 170!); li'rouionnkh Juvun.il, killed by tlio 
 savages in nortiieni America, iia will ho afterward related; lerornonakh Alakar, 
 returneil voluntflrily to Okhotsk; AlTanassie. returned to Irkutsk in \S-'>; 
 Ii'rodiakou Stefan, drowned i!i the suite of the bishop; Xcktar, sent to Irkutsk 
 by Father Oideon in 1807; ^lonk (ierman, still among tho living in ls:i,"i; 
 Jlonk lonssaf, who died at Kudiuk in 1S'J3; and ten church servitors not be- 
 longing to the priesthood. 
 
COMPL^^INTS OF THE PRIESTS. 
 
 331 
 
 Avas then approaching fast and the journey to the con- 
 tinent was becoming dangerous. Thus Baranof was 
 obliged to face his adversaries during tho wliole of a 
 Ion<'' arctic winter, and to counteract their intrigues 
 as best he nught. 
 
 The attitude assumed by the first apostles of Chris- 
 tianity in Alaska from the very beginning of their res- 
 idence in America was decidedly hostile to all who 
 managed and carried on business enter})rises in the 
 colonies. Previous to reaching their destination tho 
 nuinbers of this mission were detained for a whole 
 winter in the wretched sea-port towns of eastern 
 Siberia and Kamchatka, where they met with numbers 
 of the former servants of the various trading com- 
 panies, who were full of discontent and resentment, 
 and painted to them in the blackest colors the condi- 
 tion of the country and the people inhabiting it. The 
 result was that the priests finally sailed for the Amer- 
 ican coast imbued with a prejudice against everything 
 and everybody belonging to the colonies. Being thus 
 prej)ared to see nothing but evil, priestly ingenuity 
 and craft succeeded in finding much more than had 
 been discovered by their ignorant informers. In the 
 correspondence transmitted by members of tho mission 
 to Shelikof, and to dignitaries of the synod, during 
 this first period of their missionary work, they make 
 the worst of everything. 
 
 The archimandrite was especially bitter in his de- 
 nunciations of the chief manager, but there is little 
 doubt that many of his accusations were unfounded.^* 
 
 '° Tlioiigh tlie tone of his letters and reports is decidedly hostile to linraiiof, 
 the hitter Bcenis to have succecdecl in c meialiii^ from tin; )ii(|uisitivo (.■lor"y 
 lii.s M ri)n,L:ful assumption of authority in Cook inlet, wliioli would have exposed 
 liiiii to tlie most severe pnnishment by the autlioritien. 1 make t!ie foUowia',' 
 1 xtiact from the letter of the archimandrite to Shelikof, written in May \~'X>: 
 'W'v have no jiroper elmrch as yet, and though 1 personally urged Alex- 
 ander Andreieviteh [Daranof] to huild a small ehuivh at this place as s,)oa 
 as jxiMsilile, and olTered a plan for a chapel only four fathoms long hy a 
 faiiiiim antl a half in width, the timl)er for it still reuiaina uncut. Since 
 my arrival at this harhor I have seen nothing hut what seems to he in 
 ilircct opposition to j'our kind intentions. Tlio only thing whicii gives 
 1110 satisfaction is tho fact that the natives ilock in from everywhere to 
 become christianized, but the Russians not only make no etfort to help 
 
^ 
 
 302 
 
 COLONIZATION AND MISSIONS. 
 
 i 
 
 III 
 
 
 
 It must be admitted, however, that the ev?clesiastios 
 suffcretl many privations through the neglect of Bai- 
 an(jf and the traders, who regarded them simply as 
 inter meddlers, of whom they must rid themselves as 
 speedily as possible. During their first winter tliu 
 missionaries were without sufficient food and shelter;''^ 
 no encouragement was afforded them in their work, 
 and it was not until July 1796 that the first church 
 was built in Kadiak, at Three Saints, though before 
 that time it was claimed that twelve thousand natives 
 had been baptized. 
 
 While making his report to Shelikof, the archiman- 
 
 in the work of enlightenment, but use every means to discourage them, 
 ii:i(l the cause of this in the vicious lives they have been leading from the first 
 with American [native] women. I have barely succeeded in persuading a few 
 hunters to get married, but the others will not even listen to such a proposal. 
 Thus far I have not Ijceu enabled to discover whether it is ^Ir Baranof or his 
 assistants who are endeavoring to cause ill-feeling against us and you. All 
 I can say is that tlio hunter.s are incense;! against you. All do tlieir best to 
 evade compliance with the written clauses of their contracts with you. Ships 
 and other property of tiie company arc neglected, and many say that tlio 
 company's interests are opposed to those of the settlers, and try to pcr.suailu 
 others to thiidc the same.' Tlkhmeiicf, I.^tor. Ohoa., ii. app. part ii. 101 -'2. 
 
 '"'About the domestic arraugcmcnta,' continues loas-saf, 'notliing good 
 can be said. Since our arrival there has been a famine during the whole win- 
 ter. Yukola [dried salmon] three years old is all that is offered us, and 
 t!iough we do not like dried llsh, we are compelled to eat it. The hil)orcrs 
 do nothing toward providing food. The UJts were left on the ground near 
 the beach all winter, being thoroughly spoiled. Tlie dogs have eaten u]) two 
 of the calves which we brought witli us, and of the two slieep which rcmainL(l 
 to us on our arrival, one was devoured by dogs. The goats all perished. In 
 accordance witii your instructions, I w-as to accustom my clergymen to the 
 fool of the cf)untry, and to employ them at various kinds of labor, but this 
 v.ould liave been done without your instructions. We are not troubled witli 
 an abundance of pi«ovisions, l^eepiug our table upon tiie beach, picking up uir.s- 
 !;els, clams, and crabs. In a '.aition to this, we have a little bread, and that wiil 
 soon be exhausted. Jiaranof and his favorites do not suffer; for him they sliont 
 birds, sea-lions, and seals. From tiie Alaskan peninsula they bring him reindoor 
 i.ieat. Milk he has always, even in the winter, two cows being reserved for his 
 u;-.e alone. Tiioy nsecl to give us milk enough for our tea, but at the present 
 time, when ten cows have calved, we get only one toa-cupful a day, exclusive 
 of fast-days. Our li;,'ht is mi.scrable, as we gat notliing but wlialc-oil for t!i;it 
 purpose. Then the winter was very cold, the roofs le.iky, and tiie windows 
 very bad ; thus we passed the whole winter. I liave never felt eomfortibk' 
 since my arrival here. I bore wit!i our miserable accommodations as long ;n 
 I couhl, .ami sent the brotliers to the b.irracks where the vvorking ]ieo]ik; liv^'; 
 Init it wrmld not do for ine to go there in tlio position of <lignity I hold here; 
 and tiie barracks were full and even crowded. They had frequent asscmli'.ics 
 and games there, and often whole nights were passed in singing and danciu','. 
 Tlicy kept it up every Sunday and holiday, and s jmetiincrj even 0:1 v.jr!;- 
 dw-j. On .Ash Wednesday they came to ino and asl^cd mo to postpone t\\<'. 
 coiileasiou imtil cvcnin:,', when they would have finished their games.' I.L, 
 102-4. 
 
lOASSAF AGAINST BARANOF. 
 
 3G3 
 
 ;clesiastios 
 Lt of Bar- 
 f-'iinply as 
 nselves as 
 ,'intor tlu' 
 I shelter;'' 
 heir work, 
 •st cliurch 
 ofli before 
 ncl natives 
 
 archiman- 
 
 scouragc thciii, 
 
 5 from the iir.-it 
 
 rsuadins a few 
 
 ich .1 proposdl. 
 
 Baraiiof or his 
 
 an<l you. All 
 
 tlieir best tu 
 
 th you. Ship.s 
 
 r siiy that tlio 
 
 ;ry to pcrsiuulc 
 
 rtii. 101--2. 
 
 'nothing good 
 
 the whole win- 
 
 )ffcretl us, and 
 
 The hiliorei's 
 
 ground nuiii' 
 
 eaten uj) tvio 
 
 Inch reniaiucd 
 
 perished. lu 
 
 ■gymcn to the 
 
 ahor, but this 
 
 troubled witii 
 
 eking up nii'.s- 
 
 audthat will 
 
 lini they shoi.t 
 
 him reindeer 
 
 served for hi h 
 
 t the present 
 
 ay, oxelu:Aivi! 
 
 le-oilf<.rth;'t 
 
 the windows 
 
 comfortidilc 
 
 ons as long :i < 
 
 g ]ieoplo live; 
 
 f I hold here ; 
 
 at as3cml)'.it'-^ 
 
 and danciu'^', 
 
 vcn on v,'v)r!.- 
 
 postpono t'.i'' 
 
 games.' //., 
 
 (Irite states that he could fill a book with the evil 
 (loiiiL^'s and atrocities that canio under his observation, 
 
 I (lit that out of consideration for him he would not 
 J :.vl'>'e a formal coni{)laint with the supreme church 
 jiuthoiities. He felt that even if Baranof knew that 
 lie was writing the truth to the head of the companj', 
 lie wouid be prevented from making any further 
 ])rogress in his work, and perhaps even endanger his 
 life. He expressed his firm belief that no admonition 
 of the managers by his superiors could do any j'ood, 
 and that removal alone could remedy the evil. Sliould 
 
 II Kit be considered impracticable, he would suffer in 
 silence, d(^ing all the good that was possible under 
 such unfavorable circumstances, and patiently await- 
 ing the time when providence would carry him and 
 liis mucli-abu.sed brethren back to Russia, beyond the 
 control of their 'untiring persecutor.' The reverend 
 correspondent likewise throws out hints of misman- 
 iigemeiit and peculation in business aflairs.-' 
 
 On the other hand, the letters of Baranof and his 
 chief assistants, wi'itten during the same period, dis- 
 jilay a marked forbearance in speaking of the mis- 
 ;.i(jnaries and their doings.'-^ The difficulties of Bar- 
 iuiof's position during this winter of clo.se comj)anion- 
 sliip with inquisitive, suspicious priests, rebellious 
 servants, and discontented natives cannot well be 
 
 '•"'Tansfiaf wrote: He (Baranof) has sold his tobacco at 400 roubles per 
 ]>oud (10 lbs.) and more, though he had on hand o\er "JOpouds bel(mgiug t^> 
 tlie company. LI., 10,'). 
 
 -'' Thia must of course be partly a.scribo<l to policy jn their part, but a 
 ];crusal of these documents imjires-scs upon the nai'ci- the conviction that the 
 p.irt v> hieh the traders Vicre obliged to play i'. this controversy was nif)ru 
 ililiicidt than that of the priest^ and that t'lc ''ormer were perfectly honest in 
 attempting to avoid all (•omplications. Tlie charges advanced by ndssion- 
 avics, of being starved and forced to pick up their f<iod on the beach while 
 IJaranof and his favorites feasted upon the fat of tlie land, is not sustained by 
 F,ac!i critdible witnes.ses as lieutenants Khvostof autl Davidof and other nav.d 
 o'lUcers then entering the employ of the llussian-American Company, v.ho 
 all testiiied to the fact that Daranof and hi.i favored leaders shared all jiriva- 
 tions with their subordinates. At the very time when I(wssaf complained 
 in his letter of Baranof 'a delay in erecting a church or chapel, the latter, 
 tlu'urh lacking time, men, and means to employ in church building just then, 
 donated 1,."<0U roubles from his own salary for the purpose. Id., i. oO, and ii. 
 api). IJJ-I. 
 
' 
 
 lii 
 
 i ! 
 
 I! 
 
 f w 
 
 It 
 
 
 W 
 
 864 
 
 COLONIZATION AND MISSIONS. 
 
 r -I 
 
 exaggerated. No .supplies of provisions had arrived 
 with the missionaries, who, to a certain extent, were 
 responsible for their own privations, having feasted 
 and lived in too great abu^dance during their deten- 
 tion on the coast of Sibei la and on the sea voyage. 
 
 In the spring of 1795 the missionaries, witli one 
 exception, proceeded to the mainland, there to labor 
 with but indifferent success among the native tribes 
 not previously approached by the pioneers of Mus- 
 covite civilization. 
 
 At Unalaska and the neighboring islands Father 
 Makar, though meeting with little opposition from the 
 few promyshleniki remaining there, labored with appar- 
 ent succoss.^^ The natives were now thoroughly sub- 
 dued, and hundreds of them had been carried away tf) 
 join the hunting parties of Baranof Their territory 
 n(j longer afforded sites for profitable stations, and they 
 were left almost to theniselves. An indifference bor- 
 dering on apathy had succeeded to the formei warlike 
 spirit of the Aleuts, who in earlier days had wreaked 
 d're vengeance upon their Russian oppressors when- 
 ever opportunity offered. It is impossible to ascer- 
 tain wlictlicr Makar was really an eloquent preacher 
 of tlie gospel, or whether his success was solely due to 
 circumstances; but success he certainly had. In a few 
 years nearly all the inhabitants of the \.leutian Isles 
 wore baptized and duly reported to the holy synod as 
 voluntary converts and good Christians. The circum- 
 stance that no attempt was made to translate the con- 
 fession of faith, or any portion of the scripture or 
 ritual, into the native lanij^uacje at that earlv time, sug- 
 gcsts serious doubts as to the agency of eloquence 
 and argument in this wholesale conversion. When 
 Veniaminof entered upon his missionary career on tiie 
 
 '- Tlie father appenra to have been a somewhat medtlleaome ecclesiastic. 
 In .icopy of an impci'ial res-cript issued a few years later, wo read: ' Tlie monk 
 Makar, mIio has exceeded the boiinda of his duties and meddled with allairs 
 tliiib dill not concern liini, is hereby informed that tiiongh wo pardon liini thia 
 tli!;c for aliaentiiig himself wilfully from his appointed post of duty, he must 
 noG repeat the oH'cnee, and must allow conipluints made by the Aleutiaus to 
 go tnroUi;h their pro^iur channel.' /(/., 173. 
 
 * ■ ! 
 
AN UNLUCKY BISHOP. 
 
 865 
 
 islancls twenty years later, he found the people Chris- 
 tians by name, but was compollecl to begin from the 
 joundation the work of enlightenment and explanation 
 of the creed in which they had been baptized by 
 r^Iakar. 
 
 With the death of Shelikof the missionaries lost 
 their principal support, and no further attenn)t was 
 made to extend their operations until the archiman- 
 di ite loassaf was recalled to Irkutsk by order of the 
 synod, in order to be consecrated as bishop. Ho 
 started upon his journey full of ambitious plans, and 
 with the determination to make use of his new dijjf- 
 nity in overcoming all opposition, real or imaginary, on 
 the part of his persecutors. Visions of building up 
 an ecclesiastical empire in Russian America may have 
 gladdened his soul after years of suffering and humil- 
 iation; but whatever his ambitious dreams may have 
 been, they must have lost much in scope and vivid- 
 ness long before he embarked in the Feniks a second 
 time, not to return in splendor to the scene of former 
 misery, but to find a watery grave at some unknown 
 point within a few days' sail of his destination. 
 
 Prominent among the missionaries who accompa- 
 nied the archimandrite was Father Juvenal, who in 
 1795 was sent to Yakutat Bay, probably to draw 
 j)lans for Baranof, and on his return conmienced to 
 labor ot Kadiak as a priest and teacher. "With the 
 help of God," he writes from Three Saints Har- 
 bor on June 19, 179G, "a school was opened to-day 
 at this place, the first since the attempt of the late 
 Mr Shelikof to instruct the natives of this neighbor- 
 hood. Eleven boys and several grown men were in 
 attendance. When I read prayers they seemed very 
 attentive, and were evidently deeply impressed, though 
 they did not understand the language." On the fol- 
 lowing day two more youths were placed under his 
 charge, and "when school was closed," continues the 
 father, "I went to the river with my boys, and with 
 
ii 
 
 SGG 
 
 COLONIZATION AND Mi.^SIONS. 
 
 lip 
 
 ''*m 
 
 tlio ])clp of God wo caiij]flit ovie hundred and tliroo f-al- 
 nion of large size, which some of the women assisted 
 lis in cutting up ready for drying."''' Other sdiolai-s 
 were quickly enrolled, and though the })upils had an 
 unpleasant trick of running off without ceremony t;) 
 trade furs whenever opportunity offered, all went well 
 until the 12th of July, when Baranof arrived at tlu; 
 settlement, with instructions from the bishop of 
 Irkutsk that Juvenal should proceed to Ilyamna sta- 
 tion. 
 
 On the following sabbath the priest celebrated 
 divine service for the last time at Three Saints. A 
 biief description of the ceremony may not be without 
 interest: " We had a very solemn and impressi\ (> 
 service this morning. Mr Baranof and officers and 
 sailors from the ship attended, and also a large num- 
 ber of natives. We had fine singing, and a congrega- 
 tion with great outward appearance of devotion. I 
 could not help but marvel at Alexander Alexandre- 
 ievitch [Baranof], who stood there and listened and 
 crossed himself, gave the responses at the proper tinu;, 
 and joined in the singing with the same hoarse voice 
 with which he was shouting obscene sonsj^s the nii>'lit 
 before, when I saw him in the midst of a drunken 
 carousal with a woman seated in his lap. I dispensed 
 with services in the afternoon, because the traders 
 were drunk again, and might have disturbed us and 
 disgusted the natives." 
 
 The next day Juvenal repaired to Baranof 's tent to 
 inquire what disposition was to be made of the [)upil.) 
 under his charge. The reply was that tliey were to 
 bo removed to Pavlovsk, where Father Gorman had 
 arrived and opened a school for girls; he would doubt 
 less bo willing to take the boys also. 
 
 ^^Jour., MS., 1-2. Of the visit of some strangers who came from Tugi- 
 dak Island to trade, he relates the following: ' They asked mo if I could tiiio 
 a man when ho was very sick, and I answered that with the help of God I 
 mi^dit. At this they siiruggod their shoulders, and one man said: " We have 
 a shaman at home who oucc brought a dead mau back to life; and ho did it 
 ail alone."' /c/., 9. 
 
JUVENAL'S TROUBLES. 
 
 3G7 
 
 After blessing hix flock and takinjjf leave of tlieiu 
 one by one, the priest embarked for Pavlovsk on the 
 Kith of July on board che brigantine Catherine, where, 
 lie tells us, the cabin being taken up by Baranof and 
 liis party, he was shown a small space in the hold 
 between some bales of goods and a pile of dried fish. 
 In this dark and noisome berth, by the liglit of a 
 w retched lantern, he wrote a portion of his journal, 
 (iltou disturbed by the ribald songs which the chief 
 uiaiiager's attendants sang for his amusement. On 
 l!ie second day of the voyage a strong head wind set 
 ill, accompanied with a heavy chopping sea. Baranof, 
 being out of humor, sent for the father and asked him 
 wliether he had blessed the ship. On being told that 
 ho liad done so, he was ordered with many curses to 
 liglit a taper before an image of Nikolai Ugodnik, 
 which hung in the cabin. Juvenal complied without 
 a word, and then retired to his berth, which, foul as it 
 was, he preferred to the company of the chief man- 
 ager. The gale continued over night, and at daybreak 
 tlio vessel was out of siglit of land, whereupon in pres- 
 ence of the sailors and passengers Baranof spoke of 
 the priest as a second Jonah, and observed that there 
 were plenty of whales about, x^ll this time the lat- 
 ti.'r was unable to partake of food, and, as he says, 
 was buried under a heap of dried fish whenever the 
 vessel rolled heavily. 
 
 At Pavlovsk, Juvenal noticed the great activity in 
 building, which was not even interrupted on the sab- 
 bath. On the fourth day after his arrival he took 
 his leave of Baranof, who promised him a passage in 
 his fleet of bidarkas as far as St George on the gulf 
 of Kenai, but told him that afterward he must depend 
 on the Lebedef Comjiany, whose traders, he added 
 with a malicious grin, "were little better than robbers 
 and murderers."-* 
 
 '* During his stay at Pavlovak Juvenal was lodged in a half-finished hub 
 intended for a salt-Iiuuse, where swarms of mosquitoes deprived him of rest. 
 Ikforo his departure ho liad an interview with Fatiier German, who, ho says, 
 waa ou the best terms with liaruuof. When asked wliether ho had any ma- 
 
308 
 
 COLONIZATION AND MISSIONS. 
 
 After .1 tedious passage from island to island, some- 
 times meeting with long delays, the priest reached 
 the Kaknu or Kenai River, where was the nearest 
 station of the Lebedef Company, on the 11th (»f 
 August. Here, notwithstanding Baranof's warning, 
 he met with the first signs of religious observance 
 bv promyshleniki during his travels in the colonies.-'^ 
 During his stay of about a fortnight he married sev- 
 eral couples, baptized a number of infants and adults, 
 and at intervals held divine service, which was well 
 attended.-^ 
 
 Soon, however, the religious ardor cooled, and so 
 little interest did the natives take in the missionary 
 that, when ready to depart, he found it difficult to ob- 
 tain men and bidarkas to take him across the inlet to 
 his destination. At last one morning after service ho 
 appealed to the natives for men to assist him across 
 the water, telling them that he must go to the Ily- 
 amna country to preach the new word to the people, 
 who had never yet heard it. Thereupon an old man 
 arose and remarked that he ought not to go; that the 
 Kenaitze people had been the friends of the Russians 
 for long years, and had a better right to have a priest 
 among them than the Ilyamnas, who were very bad. 
 The missionary, in his journal, confessed that he was 
 puzzled for a fitting reply to this argument. On the 
 25th, however, he set out from the station, accom- 
 panied by two men from Chekituk village, 
 
 A delay was again occasioned by his guides indulg- 
 ing in a seal-hunt on Kalgin Island, situated midway 
 
 iron in charge of his school for girls, German laughed and said there xras no 
 need of one. 'I intended,' writes Juvenal, 'to recommend my boys at Three 
 Saints Harlior to the special attention of Father German, but his repulsive 
 manner caused me to change my intention, and now I pray that the poor little 
 fellows may never be intrusted to his care. ' Id. , 24-5. 
 
 '■^ Juvenal writes: 'Stepan Laduiguin is the trader for the Lebedef-Las- 
 tochkiu Company, and he has with liim four other Russians and nearly a Iran- 
 died Kenaitze, wlio are all Christians. Ignatiy Terentief, one of the Russians, 
 roads prayei's on the sabbatli, but no priest has visited the place since the 
 archimandrite's arbitration. ' /(/. , 40. 
 
 * During this time several chocks of eartbcluake occurred, and a stabbing 
 affray between two natives, v«hicli was punished by flogging both oiienders 
 kovcrcly. 
 
MISSIONARY WORK. 
 
 860 
 
 in the inlot, and the western sh(>'*e was not n.^aclied 
 till the 29th. On tlie ;30th lie writes: "This nioriiinir 
 two natives eunie out of the forest ui id shouted to uiy 
 coiiipanions. Two of the latter went out to meet 
 tliein. There was a jjreat deal of talkinj; before the 
 .strangers concluded to come to our tents. When they 
 came at last, and I was i)ointed out to them as the 
 mail who was to live among them, they wished to see 
 my goods. I encountered some difficulty in making 
 then) understand that I am not here to trade and bar- 
 ter, and have nothing for sale. Finally, when they 
 Avere told that I had come among them to make better 
 111(11 of them, one of them, named Katlewah, the 
 hiother of a chief, said he was glad of that, as they 
 had many bad men among the Ilyamna |)eo])lo, espe- 
 cially his brother. The two savages have agreed to 
 carry my chattels for mo to their village, but, to sat- 
 isiy Katlewah, I was compelled to open every bundle 
 .'uid show him the contents. I did not like the greedy 
 glitter in his eye when he saw and felt of my vest- 
 ments." 
 
 On the 3d of September the party reached Il- 
 yamna village, after a fatiguing journey over the 
 iiiouiitains and a canoe voyage on the lake. Shakmut, 
 the chief, received the missionary with friendly words, 
 interpreted by a boy named Xikita, who had been a 
 liostage with the Ilussians. He invited him to his 
 own Jiouse, and on the [)riest's expressing a wish for 
 a s(>parate residence, promised to have one built for 
 liiiii, and allowed him ti^ retain Xikita in his service, 
 rinding that the latter, though living with the Kus- 
 sians for years, had not been ba[)tized, Juvenal ])er- 
 f iniied that ceremony at the first opportunity, before 
 tile astonished natives, who regarded it as sorcery, 
 and one asked whether Xikita would live many days.'^ 
 
 -' Under date of September 5th, Juvenal writes: ' It will be a relief to got 
 nuay from the crowded I" juseot the chief, where persons of itll ages and sexes 
 iiiin^lo without any regard to decency or inorals. To my utter astonishment 
 Sli.^kmut asked mo last night to share the couch of one of his wives. Ho 
 has three or four. I suppose such abomination is the custom of the couu- 
 Hist. Ai.a8Ka. U 
 
370 
 
 COLONIZATION AND MISSIONS. 
 
 Juvonal's success was not roniaikablo, to ju(li,'i; 
 from his diary. Oiio younj^ woman asked to be b.)])- 
 tized like the boy Nikita, expressiii;Lf tlie liope that 
 then she could also live in tiie new house with tlid 
 missionary. An old woman brout^ht two boys, stat- 
 ing that they were orphans who had nobody to care 
 for them, and that she would like to see them baptized, 
 "to change their luck." Tiie chief Shaknmt also 
 promised to consider the question of embracing Cinis- 
 tianity, and for some reason he did so promise in the 
 ])rescnce of the whole tribe, and amidst great feasting 
 and rejoicing. Tw- servants and one of his wives 
 were included in the ceremony, the priest not daiin.;' 
 to refuse them on the ground tliat they had received 
 no instmctions, for fear of losing the advantage which 
 the chief's exam[)le might give him in his future 
 work.^^ 
 
 The conversion of the chief had not, hovv^ever, the 
 desired effect; it only led to dissensions among the 
 people, and when the priest began to tell the converts 
 
 try, and lie intended no insult. God gave mo grace to overcome my indigna- 
 tion, .iiid decline tlie often in a friendly and dignified manner. My lir.st duty, 
 when 1 liavo soniewliat mastered the language, shall bo to preach a^'ainst Buch 
 wicked practices, but I could not touch upon such subjects through a boy in- 
 terpreter.' I(l.,ii't~Q. 
 
 ** Juvenal evidently had no faith in his convert, as livinced in the follow- 
 ing extracts from his journal, p. 04-7: ' Sluikmut comes regularly for instruc- 
 tion, but I iiavo my doubts of liis sincerity. In order to givo more solemnity 
 to the occasion, he has concluded to have two of his servants or slaves bapLi/.id 
 also. They only come at his connnand, of course, but I nmst bear with :i 
 great deal until tins conversion has become an accomplished fact. Katlcwah, 
 the chief's brother, called upon mo to-day, and repeated that ho was glad 
 that Shakmut M\ns to be baptized, for he was very bad, and if I made h.ni a 
 good man, he and all the llyammi people would rejoice and bo baptized al-o. 
 1 do not like this way of tcstiri^ the eHi,'acy of Christianity; only a miiac'o 
 of Gotl could effect such a sudil'ii .-hango in Shakmut'a he.art.' It was inak- 
 ing altogether too practical nr.d lit .r i a matter of conversion to suit the good 
 Juvenal. On Septeml)cr 2lst he wcites: 'The great step which is to lay the 
 foundation of future success i*^' 'i', labors has been taken. The chief of t!io 
 Ilyamnas has been Iwiptized, witli two of his slaves and one of his wives, 'i'ljc 
 latter came forward at the last moment, but I tlared not refuse her for fear of 
 stopping the whole ceremony. Shakmut was gorgeously arrayed in dcii- 
 skin robes nearly covereil with costly beads. Katlewah asked mo if his 
 brother would bo allowed to wear such clothes as a Russian, and when I le- 
 plied in the atBrmativc the fellow seemed disappointed. I do not like eitlicr 
 of the brothers; it is dillicult to say whether the new Christian or the pagan 
 is the worse. I gave the name of Alexander to the chief, telling him that it 
 was the name of his majesty, the emperor, at which he seemed to feel llattered ' 
 
YIELDING TO TEMPTATION. 
 
 371 
 
 to ju<l;4'^ 
 :o bo Ikiji- 
 lopo that 
 
 with tli.^ 
 >()ys, stat- 
 ly to care- 
 I l)a|>ti/AMi, 
 vuiut alsi) 
 in«r Chris- 
 iiisc ill tlio 
 it foastiu;^' 
 
 liis wivi's 
 not (Uiriii.;' 
 ul received 
 tai^e which 
 his future 
 
 (wevor, the 
 auiong the 
 ic converts 
 
 inc my imli,!,Mi;i- 
 
 My lii'.st iliiiy, 
 
 ich a^aiuHt biK-li 
 
 louijli a boy iu- 
 
 Let. Katlowa 
 
 that they must put away tluir secondary wives, the 
 chief and others hej^au to plot his downfall. It had 
 hiMii a marvel to the .savan;es that a man should put 
 a hridle U|>on his passions and live in celibacy, but 
 tlioir wonder was minjj^leil with feelings of respect. 
 To overconjo the inlluence which the missionary was 
 j^aiiiing over some of his people, Shakmut, or Alex- 
 ander as he was now chiistened, plotted to throw 
 temptation in his wjjy, and alas for Juvenal! whoso 
 })ii.stly wrath had been so lately roused by the im- 
 morality of Baranof and his godless crew of promy- 
 shleiiiki, it must be related that ho fell. In the dead 
 of night, according to his own confession, an Ilyamna 
 damsel captured him by storm." 
 
 On tho day after this incident, the outraged ecclesi- 
 astic received a visit from Katlewah, who expressed 
 a wish to be baptized on tho following sabbath. "I 
 can tell by his tnanner," writes tho ])riest on Septem- 
 ber 2Gtli, "that ho knows of my disgrace, tiiough he 
 did not say anything. When I walked to the forest 
 to-day to cut some wood, I heard two girls laughing 
 at me, behind my back; and in tho morning, when I 
 was making a wooden bolt for the door of my sleej)- 
 iiiLT-room, a woman looked in and laughed rhAit into 
 my face. She may be the one who caused my fall, 
 for it was dark and I never saw her countenance. 
 Alexander visited me, also, and insisted upon having 
 
 ■■" I quote from the journal, p. C9-70, the father's own acconnt of tho 
 nir.ttcf: 'September 2.")th. With a trembling hand I write tlio sad occur- 
 roiices of the past day and night. Mncli rather I wouhl leave the dis<,'raeefiil 
 Ktory untold, Imt I must overcome my «)\vn shame and mortification, .-md 
 write it down as a warning to otlier missionaries who may come after me. I-iist 
 nii'ht I retired at my usual hour, alter ])rayer with tho boys M'ho sleep in 
 another room. In tlie middle of the night I awoke to find myself in tlm 
 arms of a woman whose fiery embraces excited me to such on extent tluit 
 I fell a victim to lust, and a grievous sin was committed before I couid extri- 
 c:ito myself. As soon as I regained my senses I drove the womaj' out. but I 
 fcit too guilty to be very harsli with her. Wliata terrible blow this is to all 
 my recent hopes! How can I hold up my head among the people, who, of 
 course, will hear of thisaft'air? I am not sure, even, that tho boys in tho 
 ailjoinint; room were not awakened by the noise. God is my witness that I 
 have set down the truth here in the face of anything that may be said al)out 
 it hereafter. I have kept myself secluded to-day from everybody. I have 
 not yet the strength to face the world.' 
 
 
COLONIZATIOX AND MISSIONS. 
 
 
 
 I' h 
 
 If* 
 
 his wives 1)aj)tizc(l next Sunday. I had no spirit hh 
 to contest the matter with hiuj, and consented; hut 1 
 shall not shrink from my duty to make him relinquisli 
 all hut one wit) when the proper time arrives. If 1 
 M'ink at polyj^^ainy now, I shall he forever unahle to 
 comhat it. Perhaps it is oidy imagination, hut I 
 think I can discover a lack of respect in Nikita's he- 
 havior toward me since yesterday." Continuing his 
 journal on the 27th, he adds: "My disgrace has he- 
 come puhlic already, and I am laughed at wherever I 
 go, especially hy the women. Of course they do not 
 understand the sin^ hut rather look upon it as a good 
 joke. It will require great firnmess on my part t » 
 I'egain what respect I have lost for m^'self as well as 
 on hehalf of the church. I have vowed to hurn no 
 fuel in my hedroom during the whole winter, in ordcv 
 to chastise my hody — a nnld punishment, indeed, 
 compared to the hlackness of my sin." 
 
 The next day ^vas Sunday. " With a heavy 
 heart," says Juvenal, " Init with a firm })urpose, I ha})- 
 ti.'^ed Katlowah and his familv, the three wives of 
 the chief, seven children, and one aged couple. Un- 
 der any other circumstances such a rich harvest vv'ouM 
 have filled me with joy, hut I am filled with gloom." 
 Tn the evening he called on Alexander and found him 
 and his wives carousing together. Notwithstanding 
 his recent downfall, the [)riest's wrath was kindled, and 
 throun'h Nikita he informed the chief that he nuist 
 marry one of his wives according to the rites of the 
 church, and put away the rest, or ho forever danmed. 
 Alexander now hecame angry in his turn and hade him 
 h'a\e the house. On his way home he met Katlewah," ' 
 who rated him soundly, declaring that he had lied to 
 tliem all, for "his hrother was as had as ever, and no 
 good had come of any of his haptisms." 
 
 The career of Father Juvenal was now ended, and 
 the little that remains to he said is host told in his own 
 
 '" Baptized luuler the name of Grcgor. 
 
MURDER OF FATHER JITV^EXAL. 
 
 373 
 
 words : " September 20th. The chief and his brother 
 have both been here this morninfj^ and abused nie 
 shamefully. Their language I could not understand, 
 liut they spat in my face, and what was worse, U]K)n 
 the sacred images on the walls. Katlewah seized my 
 vestments and carried them off, and I was left bleed- 
 ing from a blow struck with an ivory club^^ by the 
 chief Nikita has bandaged and washed my wounds; 
 but from his anxious manner I can see that I am still 
 in danger. The other boys have run away. ^ly 
 wound pains me so that I can scarcely — " Here the 
 manuscript journal breaks off, and probably the mo- 
 ment after the last line was penned his assassins en- 
 tered and completed their work by stabbing him to 
 the heart. ^" This at least was his fate, as represented 
 
 " Such as are used to kill salmon and seals. 
 
 '- Klilcbnikof, the liiograplier of 15iirauof, simply states that Juvenal wt.nt 
 among the Aglogniutes aioiio, and that it is not (lodnitcly known whfii nv 
 whi'ii! lie was killo<l by the savages. Vcniaminof says: 'The cause of his 
 death was not so much that ho jirohibited polygiimy, as the fact that tlie 
 chiots and prominent natives, having given him tlieir children to bo educntid 
 at Kadiak, repented of their action, and failing to recover them, turned 
 against him and tinally slew him as a deceiver. They declare that, during 
 tiie attack of the savages, .luvenal never thought of (light or self-defence, but 
 surrendered himself into their hands without resistance, asking only for mercy 
 for his companions. The natives lelato that the missionary, after being kill d, 
 rose up and fo!!owe«l his murderers, asking. Why do yon clo this? Thereupon 
 the savages, thinking lie was still alive, fell upon and beat him; but ho again 
 .■nose and approached them. 1'his happened several times. Finally they tut 
 liini in pieces, in order to get rid of iiim, and then the preacher of tiie word 
 (if (!od, who may be called a martyr, was silent. But the same natives tell 
 us that, from the place where his remains lay, a column of smoke arose, reaih- 
 i:ig to heaven. How long this apparition listed is not known.' Z<ti>iik'i, 
 iii,u(t.l(i.thk, ld.")-G. Other Russian writers, as IJerg and Da v'idof, affirm that 
 ho was killed near Lake Ilynmna, bo iiuse he j. reached too vigorously against 
 imlygamy. Dall, Alaska, 317, whose vork, .so far as the historical part of it 
 i< roncoriied, is but a brief conipend uni car^'osvly compiled, says that he was 
 lulled while in the act of preacl'i'g t'> the natives. I have before me a trans- 
 lation of Juvenal's own jonrnii'.. /nini .lune 10, 17!I0, to the time of his death, 
 lis Iwuidod by the boy Xikita to Veiiiauiinof, and by him to liinokentius Shas- 
 uikof, the priest at LTnalaska. The toner of this document, the authenticity 
 of which I have no reason to doubt, is siioh as to iuijiress on the reader the 
 oiiiiviction that Juvenal, with all his failings, was a man of higher character 
 than his companions. He a])]iears, however, to have been of weak iiitelloot, 
 ami his blind trust in providence and the saints sometimes stands out in 
 ludicrous contrast with his pitiful lack of success and self-command. WIhii 
 visiting B"" nof to inijuire as to the disposition of the scholars whom ho must 
 k'ave 111 .' ! atThroe Saints, ho Ihnls him seated in fi'ont of his tent while his 
 si'vvnnt was preparing tea. ' He did not ask me to be seated or to partako i f 
 toil,' writes the priest, 'thougli it was nearly a year since I hid tasted any. 
 lie only asked mo gniUly what I wanted so early in the morning.' After 
 
I 
 
 
 r i 
 
 374 
 
 COLOXIZATIOX AND MISSIONS. 
 
 by the boy Nikita, wlio oscnpcd with the diary and 
 other papers to a Russian settlement, and dehvered 
 tlieni into tlie liands of Father Veniauiiiiot' on his first 
 visit to the Nusheivak villai^es. 
 
 stating that the boys were to he intrusted to the charge of Father German, wlio 
 liail opent'd a, girls' school at Pavlov.sk, Baranof indulged in some obsw-no 
 jokes, 'which put him into such good iiumor that ho finally offered mc Puniu 
 tea. I felt that I ought to refuse under the circumstjinces, but my longing 
 for till' beverage was too strong. I degraded niysolf before God ;;n<l man for 
 tiic sake of a drink of tea. Jiefreshed, but ashamed of myself, I left the 
 wicked man to ])ray in my liumldo retreat for strength and pride in the sanc- 
 tity of my calling.' p. 18-'20. Xevcrtheless Juvenal's cxpressiona are far 
 more elevated in tone, temper, and diction than those of the archimaudritc, 
 a few of whose letters arc still e.xtaut. 
 
 i 
 
 :: 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY. 
 
 1790-1799. 
 
 TnnrATRNEi) ExiiArsTiov of the SE.vr-FisnERiES— Special Privileges 
 Given to Siberian Mi:rciiant.s — Siiklikof Pethioxs for a Grant of 
 TUB Entire North-west — He is Supported ny IIezaxof — Muilni- 
 kof'h Entkuprise — The United Amkimoan Companv — Irs Act of Cdn- 
 holidation Confirmed iiy Impeiual Oukaz — And its Name Changed 
 to the IvPssiAN American Company — Text of the Oukaz— OuLUiA- 
 TI0N3 of the Company. 
 
 It will be romcinbercJ that after Berini^ and Clii- 
 ]il«;()f had diseovored the Aleutian Islands and the 
 iidjaecnt coast in 1741, their wealth in iiir-beariiiL;' 
 animals was soon made known to Kurope and north- 
 ern Asia. Trading", or, as they were termed, 'contri- 
 bution' companies were quickly formed; some of the 
 lirst vessels despatched from Okhotsk returned with 
 c;u'tifoes that enricluid their owners by a single voyage; 
 ai.ii it was believed that in tiui far north a nevei'-fail- 
 'M'.;; :^(Airce of riches had been discovcnnl, greater and 
 ];!<!• certain than the mines of Espauola, which yielded 
 ^h"!' millions in the time of IJobadilla, (»r those of 
 V u <til!,'> del Oro, where lay, as the great navigator 
 lien. \eu, the viu'itable 0})hir of the <lays of Solomon. 
 Of course many of the fur-hunters found oidy a i-rave 
 wh(}rc they had gone in quest of wealtli; but, like; tlie 
 iSpaniards who followed Cortes and Pedro de Alva- 
 ]M(Io, they set little value on their lives or on those 
 ol' others. Moreover, the faint-heaited Aleuts i)ll'ere(l 
 no such resistance as was encountered by the cin- 
 pierors of Mexico and (juatemalu. The promyshlciiii..i 
 
 (J75) 
 
 Vv, 
 
If 
 
 3:g 
 
 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY. 
 
 II 
 
 II 
 
 ■I 
 
 I 
 
 ii t 
 
 could easily take by force what 'hey had not tlio 
 money to buy, or what the natives did not care to 
 sell. They had no fear of punishment. liobbeiy, 
 rape, and even murder could be committed with im- 
 punity, for, to use their own phrase, "God was high 
 above, and the tzar was far away." 
 
 Thus for many years matters were allowed to take 
 their course; but toward the end of the eiijhteeiith 
 century the threatened exhaustion of the known 
 sources of supply caused much uneasiness among the 
 Siberian merchants enQ:a<xed in the fur track?, and 
 some of them endeavored to remedy the evil by solic- 
 iting spi . •'•1 nrivileges from the government for the 
 exclusive ' to certain islands, with the under- 
 
 staixling thai fixed percenta<>"e of the j^ross yield — 
 usualK one tenth — was to be paid into the public 
 treasury. Such ])rivileges were ufranted freely enouLrh, 
 but it was another matter to mako the numerou:-; 
 hall'-pii-atical traders, who roamed Bering Sea and 
 the Xortli l^icilic, respect or even pay the least atten- 
 tion to them. 
 
 The encounters which took place between rival com- 
 panies have already been rekited, and now only two 
 remained — the Shelikof-Golikof and the Lebedef- 
 Ijastochkir.. The fonner had established itself in 
 Kadiak by force of arms, and Shelikof, by greatly 
 exaggerating the importance of his conquest, and np- 
 resenting that he had added iii'ty thousand subjects 
 to tlie liussian empire^ and as many converts to tlie 
 (Ire. 'k cliurch, had so worked upon the authorities at 
 St Petersburg that his petition for exclusive privileges 
 for his company was favorably received. These priv- 
 ileges amounted in fact to a grant of all the llussitui 
 discoveries in north-western America, and of the 
 
 islands that lay between them and the coast of Asia, 
 
 t/ 
 
 ' Tlioro lun-cr wore 50,000 nativi'S nt Kittliak nt any period sul)?L'4ueiit to 
 its ooii(|U(.'.st. (lolovniii o;<tini;iten the number at the time of Slu likni's laml- 
 in,' at I."). 000. See p. .'iOti, note, tliia vol, U hile the eenaus vakeu J)y JJaran- 
 (jf "s iirdri-, in the winter of 1705-0, showed only 0,'JOU natives. Tikhmi'mf, 
 Jfitor. Obon., i. 01. 
 
REZAXOF'S PLANS. 
 
 wt 
 
 iiicliKliiig also the Kuiile Islands and the coast of 
 Kanicluitka. 
 
 Xikt>lai llczanof, of whom mention has already 
 been made, and who later becomes a prominent li,L!;- 
 ure in the history of the colonies, making Shelikof's 
 acquaintance at St Petersburg, was somewliat im- 
 pressed with the scope of his plans. A man of parts 
 and ambition, of noble birth but scant patrimony, he 
 solicited the hand of Shelikof's daughter and was 
 accepted. But the plans of Shelikof, bt)ld as they 
 sLH'med to many, were thrown into the sliade by 
 those of his son-in-law, who purposed to obtain for 
 himself and hit: partners in America rights similar 
 ti) those grantee ! v the Englisli government to the 
 East India Company. Matters })rospcred for a time. 
 Shares in the association were taken by members t)f 
 the nobility, and alter nrach astute intrigue had been 
 brought to bear, Catherine II. was t)n tlu* point ()f 
 granting a charter, when her decease occurred in 
 171)0. 
 
 ]\Ieanwhile Shelikof had returned to Irkutsk, 
 wliere he died, as will be remembered, in 1795. 
 After this event, his wife Natalia, who had accom- 
 jianied her husband in all his travels in the wilds of 
 Siberia and even to Kadiak, and had always success- 
 full v conducted ^ior husband's business during his ab- 
 sencc, at once undertook the management of aftairs, 
 with Rezanof as chief adviser. 
 
 During the year 1707 an Irkutsk merchant named 
 ]\ruilnikof organized a comi)an}, with a capital of 
 l'2'.i,000 roubles, for the purpose of engaging in tho 
 fur trade; but fearing that his capital was inadequate, 
 ;uid that complications might ensue from the I'act that 
 Shelikof's widow, who was to share in the enter[)rise, 
 was interested in other associations already perma- 
 nently established, Muilnikof proposed to join himself 
 with the Shelikof Conjpany. Tho offer was accepted, 
 ail agreement made which included all the partners, 
 and on the od of August, 171)8, an association, inchul- 
 
)73 
 
 THE RUSSIAN AMEKICAX COMrANY. 
 
 iir^ two smaller concerns, and known as the Unltel 
 American Company, was organized at Irkutsk," with 
 a cajMtal of 724,000 roubles, divided into 724 sluircs 
 of 1,000 roubles each. All hunters, or 'small traders' 
 as they were more frequently called, in llussiaa 
 America were invited to become partners in tliij 
 company, on the same conditions as had been granted 
 to other members, and were forbidden to hunt or 
 trade in the territory claimed by the company with- 
 out their permission. 
 
 If we can believe the report of the committee on 
 the organization of the Russian xVmerican colonies, 
 made l)y ro^-al permission and extending back to the 
 time of the eailicsl discoveries, the need of such an 
 institution as the United American Company was 
 greatly felt by the government. "Having received 
 inforniation from all .sides," says tliis report, "of dis- 
 orders, outrages, and op[)ressions of the natives, caused 
 in the colonies by parties of Russian hunters, as well 
 as of groundless claims advanced by foreign navi^a- 
 tors to lands discovered by Russians, it had some rea- 
 son to hope that [)lacing the business of that distant 
 rei^ion in the hands of one strong company wt)uld 
 serve on the one hand to perpetuate Russian suprem- 
 acy there, anJ on the other would prevent man}' dis- 
 orders and preserve the fur trade, the principal wealth 
 of the country, affording protection to the natives 
 against violence and abuse, and tendin;j[ toward a ijen- 
 cral improvement of their condition." 
 
 Nevertheless it was at first feared that the decease 
 of Catherine II. would be a <leath-blow to the ambi- 
 tious schemes of the Shelikof party, for it was knovv ii 
 that her successor, Paul I., was opposed to them. But. 
 Rezanof never for a moment lost heart, and with tlio 
 versatility of a true courtier, quickly adapted himseU' 
 to the change of circumstances. He had been a 
 
 'Tho nasociatiou iiichulcil, licsiJcs the Shelikof, Golikof, i;n<l Mui'.iiikof 
 campanios, t'.io American and Noi'lii-cnstcra mul t!ic Xuithcin r.iul Kiirilo 
 c .nipauica. J!rp:irt on Riis.-i. A nu r. (' lojiif', ^IS. , \ i. \',]. Tli? full text v( 
 tiic ucu of cuiiiioiiilalio.! id jjivoii iu Cioluvuin, Jlali)\altii, i. 0>J-(>3. 
 
IMPERI^U. OUKAZ. 
 
 373 
 
 fliitliful servant to the pleasure-loving empress, and 
 lie now beeanio a constant comj)anion and attemlant 
 ii[)on the feeble-minded man who wore the crown. 
 So successfLd were his eilbrts, that on the lUh of 
 August, 1790, the act of consolidation of the United 
 American Company was confirmed by imperial oukaz, 
 and the association then received the name of the 
 llus.slan American Company. "By the same oukaz,"^ 
 continues the re[)ort above quoted, "the company 
 
 ' The following is a literal translation of the oukaz granted by Paul I. to tlie 
 Russian American Company, taken from (tolovniii. in Materialiii, i. 77-80: 
 
 'Uy tlie f,'raceuf a merciful tioil, we, Paul tlio First, emperor and autocrat 
 of all tlio lUissias, etc. To tlic Prussian American Company under our Iii^licst 
 jii-oiection. The lieneiits and advantages resulting to our cm])iro from tlio 
 luuiliii;} and trading carried (>n by our loyal subject on the north-eas'.crn sein 
 anil along the coasts of America liavo attraetcil our rt)yal attentiou and con- 
 i^i.icration; therefore, liaving taken under our immeiliato protection a company 
 or;.'ani;!ed for the above-named purposo of carrying oa hunting and trading, 
 vo allow it to assume t!ic appellation of "Russian American Company under 
 o;ir highest protection;" and for the purposo of aiding tho eomjiany in iis < n- 
 tirprises, we allow the coiniuanders of our land and 8ca forces to cm]'lny said 
 forces in the company's aid if occasion rccpiires it, while for further relief and 
 assistance of said company, and having examined their rules and regulations, 
 we hereby declare it to be our highest imperial will to grant to this company 
 for a period of "JO years tho following rights and privileges: 
 
 'I. l>y the right of discovery in past times, by Russian navigators of tho 
 rortli-easteru part of America, beginning from tho Ootli degree of north lati- 
 tude and of the chain of islands extending from Kamchatka to tho north to 
 America, and southward to Japan, and by right of possession of tho same by 
 Russia, we most graciously permit tho company to have tho use of all liniiting- 
 grounds and establishments now existing on the north-eastern [sic, this blun- 
 der is made all through tho document] coast of America, from the above 
 iiientioned 5.")tli degree t^) Bering Strait, and on tho same also on the Aleu- 
 tian. Kurile, find other islands situated in the north-eastern ocean. 
 
 ' II. To make new discoveries not only north of tho .Ooth degree of nortli 
 latitude, but farther to tho south, and to occupy the new lands discovered, 
 as liussiau posjcssioiis, according to prescribed rules, if they have not been 
 picvi.Hislyoceupiedbyany other nation, or been dependent on another nation. 
 
 '111. To use and prolit by everything which has been or shall be dis- 
 covered in thoso localiiies, on tho surface uud iu tho bosom of tho earth, with- 
 out any competition by others. 
 
 ' IV. Wo most graciously pennit this company to establish settlements in 
 future times, wherever they arc wanted, according to their best knowledge 
 nnd lielief, and foi'tify them to insure the .safety of tho inhabitants, jiiid to 
 send .ships to thoso sjiorcs with goods and hunters, without any obstacles oil 
 the ])art of tho government. 
 
 ' V. To extend their navigation to nil adjoining nations and hoM Iniiuness 
 intercourse with all surrounding powers, upon obtaining tlieir free onscnt lor 
 the purpose, and under our highest protection, to enable them to i>rosecuto 
 their enterprises with greater force nnd advantage. 
 
 ' VI. To employ for navigation, hunting, and all other business, free and 
 unsuspcctc I 1 cople, having uo illegal views or intcnlions. \n connidiiration 
 of t'ledisl-aiico of tiie 1 icaLties where they will i)Ci cent, tho jirovincial auJior- 
 itioa v.iil grant to all persons sent out us Bottlers, hunters, and in otiier ca- 
 
>:i \ 
 
 9» 
 
 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY. 
 
 was granted full privileges, for a period of twenty 
 years, on the eoust of north-western America, he- 
 ginning from latitude 55' north, and including the 
 
 pacitiea, p.-issports for seven ycara. Soi-fs ami lioiisc-sen'iints will ouly be 
 employed by the company witb tlio consmitof their lauilholders, and govern- 
 ment taxes will bo paid for all serfs thus employed. 
 
 ' VII. Though it is forbidden by our highest order to cut government 
 timlx!r anywhere without the permission of the college of admiralty, this com- 
 pany ia hereby permitted, on account of the distance of the admiralty from 
 Okhotsk, when it needs timber for repairs, and occasionally for the coustruo- 
 tion of new ships, to use freely such timber as is rc([uircd. 
 
 ' VIII. For shooting animals, for marine signals, and on all unexpected 
 emergencies on the mainland of America and on the islands, the company is 
 permitted to buy for cash, at cost price, from the government artillery mag- 
 azine at Irkutsk yearly 40 or 50 pouds of powder, aud from the Nertcliinsk 
 mine '200 pouds of lead. 
 
 ' IX. If one of the partners of the company becomes indebted to the gov- 
 ernment or to pri\-ato persons, and is not in a condition to pay them from any 
 other property except wliat he holds in the company, such property cannot 
 be seized for tlio satisfaction of such del)ts, but the debtor shall not be per- 
 mitted to use anything but the interest or dividends of such property until 
 the term of the company's privileges expires, wlien it will be at his or his 
 creditors' disposal. 
 
 'X. The exclusive right most graciously granted to the company for .a 
 period of 'JO years, to use and enjoy, in the above-described extent of country 
 and islands, all profits and advantages dcrive<l from hunting, trade, indus- 
 tri'is, and tliscovery of new lands, prohibiting the enjoyment of these prouts 
 and advantages not only to those wiio would wish to sail to those countries 
 on their r)\vn account, but to all former hunters and trappers who have been 
 engaged in this trade, and have their vessels and furs at those j)iaces; and 
 other companies which may have been formed M-ill not be allowed to con- 
 tinue tlieir business unless they unite with the present company w ith their 
 free consent; but such ]>riv;.te companies or traders as have their vessels in 
 those regions can either sell their property, or, with the company's consent, 
 remain until they have obtained a cargo, but no longer than is required for 
 tbcloadiug aud return of their vessel; aud after that nol)oily will have any 
 privileges but this one company, which will be protected in the enjoyment of 
 all the advantages mentioned. 
 
 'XI. Under our highest protection, the Russian American Company will 
 have full contnd over all above-mentioned localities, and cxcrciso judicial 
 powers in minor cases. The company will also be permitted to use all local 
 facilities for fortifications in the defence of the country under their ciuitml 
 against foreign attacks. Only partners of the company shall be employed in 
 the administration of the new possessions in charge of the company. 
 
 'In conclusion of tliis our most gracious order for the benefit of the Iius- 
 eian American Company under highest protection, wc enjoin all our mili- 
 tary and civil authoritcs in the abi)ve-menti(med localities not only not to 
 prevent them fi'om enjoying to the fullest extent the privileges granted by 
 us, but in case of need to protect them with all their power from loss or 
 injm-y, and to render them, upon application of the company's authorities, all 
 necessary aid, assistance, and protection. To give ctl'ect to this our most 
 gracious order, we subscribe it with our own hand and give orders to contirm 
 it with our imperial seal. (Jiven at St Petersburg, in the year after the birth 
 of Ch.ist 17'J'J, the '27th day of Deceniber, in the fourth year of our rei.;n. 
 
 'I'AVI,.' 
 
 Tlien follows a copy of the company's rules and regulations, for which the 
 CTi'.pevnr's approval was solicited before the oukaz was granted. At the 
 begimiing of them is written in the emperor's own luaulwriting, 'Be it tlius.' 
 
ORGAXIZATION. 
 
 3S1 
 
 [)f twenty 
 erica, be- 
 nding the 
 
 i will only lie 
 s, and govurn- 
 
 it govprninciit 
 alty, this com- 
 uliniralty from 
 i- the coustruo- 
 
 vU unexpected 
 
 lie coiupaiiy i.4 
 
 artillery ma;,'- 
 
 ;Iie Nertcliinsk 
 
 ;ed to tho gov- 
 them from any 
 ivopcrty cannot 
 ill not 1)c por- 
 proporty until 
 le at Ilia or his 
 
 company for a 
 
 tent of country 
 
 g, trade, indus- 
 
 lof these profits 
 
 [those countries 
 
 ivho have been 
 
 [)sc ))iaces; and 
 
 llowcd to con- 
 
 [uiy with their 
 
 lu'ir vessels in 
 
 mny's consent, 
 
 s required for 
 
 will have any 
 
 enjoyment of 
 
 cluiiii of ishmd.s extemliiig from Kamchatka noi-th- 
 ward to America and southward to Japan; the cxcUi- 
 sive I'ij^ht to all enterprises, whetiier liuntiiiii^, trading, 
 or buildinn^, and to new discoveries, with strict ju'ohi- 
 l)ition from prolitinijf by any of these pursuits, not 
 only to all parties who might engage in them on their 
 own responsibility, but also to those who formei-ly 
 liad ships and establishments there, except those who 
 liave united with the now company." All who refused 
 to join the com|)any, and had capital invested in fur 
 adventures, were allowed to carry on t)\eir business 
 only until their vessels returned to porf/ 
 
 In addition to the original capital, a further issue of 
 one thousand shares was authorized; but it was for- 
 bidden that foreigners should be alU)wed to invest in 
 the enterprise. Subscriptions flowed in rapidly, and 
 the entire amount was quickly absorbed, most of it 
 probably in St Petersburg; for by oukaz of October 
 10, 1800, it was ordered that the heaihjuarters of the 
 company, which had formerly been at Irkutsk, should 
 1)0 transferred to that city. Two years later, the em- 
 peror, empress, and Grand Duke Constantine each sub- 
 scribed for twenty shares, giving directions that the 
 
 * All the private trading and hunting parties in existence at the end of the 
 eighteenth century were niei'ged into the liussian Anieiican Company, and 
 h» far as is known, witii litthi diliiculty. I'olitoH'sky dillors materially in his 
 dtscription of tho pri\ileges grante<l by Paul 1. to tiie Russian .Vmerican 
 Ciiuipany. First of all, ho (-ays they were eonferreil on the Stii of July, 17'.'!), 
 while Dall, who follows Tikhmeuef closely, though with fre(juent blunders, 
 givciiJuue 8, 179'.), as the date. According to the furmer authority, 'the 
 eoinpany was empowered to make discoveries not only above latitude .'to' 
 uurtli, l)ut nlso south of that i),iralltd, ami to incorporate the lands thus dis- 
 ciivered with tlie Kussian possessions, jji'ovuled tint no other [luwcr hail ))re- 
 \ iously seized them or established a claim to them, it Mas empo«en;d to 
 CMlablish settlements wherevLr it was most convenient for its luisiness, or 
 niDst advantageous to the counti-y at large, and also to erect fortillcations fur 
 the protection of the inhabitants, and to make voyages to nil neighboring 
 1. Mills and nations, and maintain conmu'rcial intercourse witli all surrounding 
 ji )\vers, with their free consent and under permission of tho emjicn r. All 
 t!io location.s selected as sites for settlements ))y the general administration 
 for business purposes w«ro to be respected as such. In coiiclusion, all mili- 
 tary or civil RuLhorities stiitioned at those places were enjoined, not only to 
 throw no obstacle in the way of enjoyment of all tlio rights and privileges 
 granted, but also to endeavor, as far as was in their power, to ])rotect tho 
 eoini)any against loss or injury, and to offer in this intercourse with tlie eum- 
 ]i:iny's()Hieers every assistance, protection, and means of defence.' Jstur. Ubos,, 
 J'jciS. Amerik Kom., 4-S. 
 
382 
 
 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY. 
 
 hm 
 
 dividends bo devoted to cliarity. The company was 
 allowed to emjatjo all classes of free labor, anil to em- 
 ploy serf's with the consent of their masters;' but 
 nothinj^ was mentioned in the text of the oukaz of 
 1799 as to the obliij^ations of the company in relation 
 to the native inhabitants. The only rejjfulations on 
 this subject are contained in the first paraL;raph of the 
 act of consolidation, in which "the company binds 
 itscH'," to quote the words of the report ()ncc more, 
 "to maintain a mission of the Grajco-Catholic church 
 in America, niembers of which were to accompany all 
 trading and huntinjjf expeditions, and voyaijcs of dis- 
 covery which were likely to bring them in contact 
 with known or uidinown tribes, and to use every en- 
 deavor to christianize them and encourage their alle- 
 giance to Russia. They were to use eiibrts to promoto 
 ship-building and dcnnestic industries on the part <;f 
 Russian settlers who might take possession of unin- 
 habiteil lands, as well as to encourage the introduc- 
 tion of a<Triculture and cattle-breedinnf on the American 
 islands and continent. They were also to keep con- 
 stantly ii\ view the maintenance of friciuUy relations 
 with the Americans and islanders, employing them at 
 their establishments and cngaGfing in trade witli them. ' 
 Thus was the famous Russian American Company 
 established on a firm basis, and little did Shelikof 
 droam, when representing an obscure company of Si- 
 berian merchants he founded on the island of Kadiak 
 the villaije of Three Saints, that he was laying the basis 
 of a monopoly which was destined, as we shall see later, 
 to hold sway over a territory almost as vast as v.as 
 then the European domain of the tzar.** As yet, how- 
 
 * After Shelikof'g decease, his widow, being possessed of a small estate in 
 Russia, petitioned Count Zubof, one of the emperor's ministers, for permission 
 to transfer the serfs upon her estate to Alaska, to form there tlie nucleus of 
 an .igricultural settlement. At the same time she entered into corresiiond- 
 cnce willi tlie metropolitans of Moscow and Novgorod, and other chureh dig- 
 nitaries, on the subject of missionary enterprise in tlie new colonies, and thus 
 secured their assistance iu furthering the plans of the comjxiny. Count Zu- 
 bof not only granted the roniiest, but ofl'ered to send an additional force of a 
 hundred serfs from crown lanils in Siberia for the same purjicse. 
 
 • In 1S21, when the charter of the company was reucwe,!, as will be men- 
 
SUBJECTION OF Til':: NATIVES. 
 
 383 
 
 paiiy was 
 ikI to oiu- 
 ters;" l)ut 
 
 oukaz oi' 
 n relation 
 ations on 
 ijdi (if the 
 my binds 
 K'C more, 
 ic chureli 
 mjiatiy all 
 fcs of ilis- 
 n contact 
 
 every cn- 
 tlieir alle- 
 
 promott) 
 ic part of 
 
 1 of imin- 
 introdur- 
 
 Anierican 
 
 keep con- 
 
 ' relations 
 
 j^ tliem ;jt 
 
 til them."' 
 
 Conipanv 
 
 Shelib'.f 
 
 ny of Si- 
 
 f Kadiak 
 
 the basis 
 
 see later, 
 
 t as was 
 
 ret. liow- 
 
 niall estate in 
 jr pcrinissioii 
 |c nucleus nf 
 corrcsiMiml- 
 ■ chinch <lig- 
 |ies, ami tliiis 
 Count Z;i- 
 Lal force of ;i 
 
 ever, the boundaries of this territory'' wore not clearly 
 detined, and its inhabitants were for the most part un- 
 subdued. The Aleuts were indeed helil in subjection, 
 but none of the warlike tribes that peopled the penin- 
 sula and the adjoinin;^ continent had yet been con- 
 (juered. The Russian colonies at Yakutat and else- 
 where on the mainland were constantly threatened, 
 and, as will jn'esently be described, a settlement that 
 was founded about this time near the site where now 
 stands the capital of Alaska was attacked and de- 
 stroyed by savages. • 
 
 tioned in its place, the emperor issue<l a ouknz, in which the whole north west 
 coast of America north of oV was declared Russian territory. 
 
 Ivill be men- 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 TUE FOUNDING OF SITKA. 
 
 1708-1801. 
 
 Bakaxof's Difficilties am» Dk.sp<)n1)Encv — Sick and Hopeless — Arrivaf, 
 
 OP THE ' KlIZAVKTa' — An Kxi'EltlTIO.V SAILS FOR NORFOLK SoCNl> — 
 
 Loss OK (' WOKS— The Party Attacked iiv Jvoi.osii— Treat v with the 
 SiTKANs— Yankee Visitors — A Fort Kheited — The Yakitat Bav 
 Settlement — IUranof Desikes to be Uelieveh — His Ofkkial Tocr 
 «)F THE (,'oLoxiEs— The Chief Manager's J'iety — His Complaints of 
 Foreign Encroachments — British Augressiveness. 
 
 The hows of tlic final omaiiization of the Russian 
 Anjerican Company, the gl•antin^' of its p^ivilt\n•^-'^ 
 by the ouiperor, and of liis own ap])ointnient as clii 
 luanag'cr, reached Baranof at a time wlien he \\\... 
 ])hinged in despondency. Nearly every undertakinj^ 
 of the preceding seasons liad failed. He had lost 
 numbers of men, both Russians and natives, during 
 the hmg voyages to distant liuntiniy-grounds. A 
 S[)irit of revolt was still alive, csjiecially among those 
 who had transferred their alleiriance from former op- 
 pressors. At every point eastward of Kadiak where 
 lie had endeavored to open trade he had found iiim- 
 self forestalled by English and American ships, whicli 
 had raised the j>rices of skins almost beyond his lim- 
 ited means. In his attempts to hunt with his Aleuts, 
 he had also been unfortunate, whole parties having 
 been surprised and slaughtered by the warlike Thlin- 
 kects. One of his sKxjps built at Voskressenski Ray 
 foundered during her first voyage, while others had 
 been injured on the shoals lining the mouth of Copper 
 River, and he had just returned to Pavlovsk, in the 
 
 |3M) 
 
HARD TIMES AND RELIEF. 
 
 3So 
 
 damaged sloop Olga, intending to repair the vessels 
 as best he might, in order to carry out during the fol- 
 lowing spring his cherished plan of locating a perma- 
 ent settlement in the vicinity of Norfolk Sound.' 
 
 He landed, suffering the agonies of inflammatory 
 rheumatism and depressed in spirit, only to meet with 
 upbraidings and complaints on the part of his subor- 
 dinates, who were on short rations, owing to the non- 
 airival of the supply-ship. Certain leaders of the 
 inalecontents openly refused obedience unless provis- 
 ions were first given them. Sick and dejected, he 
 was unable to address them as he was wont to do, 
 and retired to his wretched little cabin and to bed, 
 when a little later the cry was heard, "A ship in 
 the offing!" Once more inspired with life and hope, 
 the sick man rose from his couch and climbed the 
 mountain overlooking the settlement of St Paul. It 
 was true; a large" vessel, the brigantiiio Elizaveta, 
 commanded by Bocharof, was standing in under full 
 sail, and soon was lying at anchor in the roadstead, 
 with Baranof on board. She had sailed from Okhotsk 
 the preceding autumn, and had wintered on one of 
 the westernmost Aleutian Isles, where the passen- 
 «,'ers and crew had lived on what they could gather; 
 bo that the cargo remained intact, and plenty reigned 
 once more in the half-famished settlement. Fifty- 
 two laborers and mechanics were now added to Bar- 
 anof 's force ; and though the season was far advanced, 
 a small party was at once despatched to Prince Will- 
 iam Sound to complete another sloop. 
 
 The winter of 1798-9 was passed by the colonists 
 at Kadiak in cheerful content, for they were busy in 
 preparing for the great movement to the eastward in 
 the following spring, and the letters written by Bar- 
 
 ' The immediate causes for the founding of this settlement were the de- 
 crease in fur-bearing animals on the islands to the west, and the discovery of 
 Lirge numbers of sea-otter on the straits and sounds adjoining the mainland. 
 Moreover, to incorporate with Russia the whole of north-western Ameiica, 
 and to prevent other nations from establishing a trade with the natives, was, 
 the unvarying policy of Baranof. LiUke, in McUerialui, iv. 149. 
 Hut. AI.ABKA. a 
 
880 
 
 THE FOUNDING OF SITKA. 
 
 anof at this juncture bear evidence of his confidence. 
 Early in Diarcli the new sloop KouManthi arr'ved 
 at Kadiak from Prince William Sound, and was sup- 
 plied with sails and rigging from the stores brouglit 
 by Bocharof. On the 10th of April, Baranof set sail 
 with the two vessels, manned by twenty-two Russians 
 and accompanied by a fleet of nearly two hundred 
 canoes. The course was along the coast of the Kena'i 
 peninsula to Prince William Sound, where the expe- 
 dition was joined by Baranof's mo.st trusted assistant, 
 Kuskof, with one hundred and fifty additional canoes 
 which had wintered on Nuchek Island. 
 
 I\Iisfortune attended Baranof's enterprise from its 
 inception On the 2d of May, while weathering Capo 
 Suckling on the coast opposite Kayak, thirty of the 
 canoes, containing two men each, were swallowed by 
 the heavy seas into which even a moderate breeze 
 raises these shallow vraters. In a letter to his friend 
 Delarof, Baranof tells of his further troubles : " While 
 we were still mourning the loss of our hunters, night 
 came on, and as I saw further indications of storm, I 
 ordered all the canoes to make for the shore, accom- 
 panying them in person in my own bidarka. In the 
 darkness we underestimated the distance, and wheu 
 at last we reached the sandy beach, exhausted fioiu 
 continued paddling, we threw ourselves upon the sand 
 overshadowed by dense forests. No sooner had w«.' 
 closed our eyes, than the dreaded war-cry of the Jv< >- 
 losli brought us again to our feet. The greatest con- 
 sternation prevailed among the naturally timid Aleuts, 
 who were filled with such dread of the well-known 
 enemy as to think it useless to make any resistance. 
 jMany of them rushed into the forest, into the very 
 hands of their assailants, instead of launching their 
 canoes and putting to sea. I had only two Russians 
 with me, and we fired our guns into the darkness 
 wherever tiie cries of the Kolosh were loudest; but 
 when our amnmnition was expended, we did not know 
 what execution we had done. A few of the native 
 
A FIGHT WITH THE KOLOSH. 
 
 837 
 
 luinters who had been presented with fowhiig-picce.s 
 tilso made a feeble show of resistance; but what saved 
 lis from total destruction was the intervcninjjj darkness, 
 which prevented our assailants from distinguisliiu;^ 
 friends from enemies. After an unequal contest, last- 
 ing over an hour, the Kolosh retired to the woods, 
 wliile I and my assistants endeavored to rally our 
 scattered men. By shouting to them in the Aleutian 
 tongue, we succeeded in gathering the survivors, still 
 liidden in the woods and among the driftwood lining 
 tlie shore, and before morning ileparted from the iu- 
 liospitable beach, leaving thirteen canoes, the owners 
 of which had been killed or carried into captivity. 
 The rising sun showed us the sloops in the offing, an I 
 wo lost no time in seeking their welcome protection." 
 
 This attack by the natives, added to the loss at sea, 
 had so reduced the force, that Kuskof advised a return 
 to Prince William Sound; but Baranof was not to bu 
 tlius thwarted. He pressed forward, travelling along 
 the coast, chiefly by night, and daring to camj) only 
 on prominent points, where there was least danger of 
 surprise. At last, on the 25th, the expedition en- 
 tered the sheltered basin of Norfolk, or Sitka Sound. 
 The towering heights were still covered with snow, 
 almost to the water's edge, and the weather was 
 stormy; rain, snow, and sleet alternating with furious 
 gusts of wind. The landing was accomplished at a 
 point still known as Old Sitka, about six miles north 
 of the present town of that name. A large crow<l of 
 natives had assembled to watch the movements of the 
 new-comers. A Sitkan chief, Katleut, or Katlean, 
 whom Kuskof had met during his hunting expedition 
 of the preceding summer, approached J3aranof and 
 demanded to know his intentions, telling him at tlie 
 same time that a Boston ship was anchored a short 
 distance to the southward, and that her captain had 
 purchased many skins. 
 
 Baranof replied in a lengthy harangue, reciting the 
 long-stereotyped European falsehood, that the em- 
 
3S3 
 
 THE FOUNDING OF SITKA. 
 
 pcror of all the Russias, who was the lord of that 
 country, had sent him to establish a settlement for 
 trade, and to assure his new subjects of his fatherly 
 care and protection. At the same time he asked for 
 the grant of a small piece of ground for the erection 
 of buildings, and for which he offered to pay in beads 
 and other trading goods. The barter was concluded, 
 and Katleut even asserted that ho could force the 
 other chiefs into the agreement. A few hours after- 
 ward the sound of Russian axes was heard in the 
 virgin forest, the crash of falling timber was echoed 
 from the sides of Verstovoi, and all v;as bustle and 
 high determination. The site bordered a shallow 
 stream alive with salmon. One half of the company 
 v.ere employed in building, while the remainder were 
 sent to hunt sea-otter in the vicinity. On the follow- 
 ing day the chief manager received a visit from tlie 
 Boston ship, which proved to be the Caroline, in 
 charge of Captain Cleveland, who stated that ho had 
 only ten men before the mast, and that on account of 
 the fierce character of the natives he had found it 
 necessary to take great precautions. He had placed 
 a screen of hides round the ship with the exception of 
 the stern, whence trade was carried on with the na- 
 tives," who could not see the deck, or know how few 
 men he had. Two pieces of cannon were placed in 
 position, and on the taffrail was a pair of blunderbusses 
 on swivels. 
 
 The savages who then inhabited the neigliborhood 
 of Norfolk Sound were among the most treacherous 
 and repulsive of all the Alaskan tribes. "A more 
 hideous set of beings in the form of men and women," 
 
 *Clovelanil states that on the first ilay he bought 100 skins at the clionp 
 rate of two janU of broiulcloth per skin. On tlic secon-l day he purc!iai> .1 
 '200. During hia xtayat Norfolk .Sound the natives made several attenipt.s t) 
 capture the vessel, loy., i. 9'2-5 (Boston ed., IS.jO). On one occa.siou a iia- 
 ti>"0 dressed in n, bear-skin came down to the beach, on all fours, imitating' 
 the niovenicnts of the animal, in order to decoy the crew on shore, wliilc .in 
 armed party lay in ambush close l)y. A lx>at was lowered to tako houio "l" 
 tiic men in pursuit of tlio bcir, but one of the ambushed party exposed hinistlf, 
 and tliat gave the alarm. Id.,i.\Qo. 
 
 I' I ■, ' :■'• t > 
 
 ■\\ ^ \> i 
 
FEAR ■; OF SPiUN. 
 
 3S3 
 
 \vrites the captain, "I bad never before seen. The 
 taiitastic manner in which many of the faces of the 
 men were painted was probably intended to give 
 them a ferocious appearance; and some j^roups looked 
 really as if they had escaped from the dominions 
 of Satan himself One had a perpendicular line 
 dividing the two sides of the face, one side of 
 which was painted red, the other black; with the hair 
 daubed with grease and red ochre, and filled with the 
 down of birds. Another had the face divided with a 
 horizontal line in the middle, and painted black and 
 white. The visage of a third was painted in checkers, 
 etc. Most of them had little mirrors ; before the ac- 
 quisition of which they must have been dependent 
 on each other for those correct touches of the pencil 
 wliich are so much in vogue, and which daily require 
 more time than the toilet of a Parisian belle." 
 
 From the ship Enterprise, which arrived at Kadiak 
 from New York' on the 24th of April, 1800, the chief 
 manager heard that hostilities had broken out in 
 Europe, that Spain had formed an alliance with 
 France, and that a Spanish frigate was to be sent to 
 Kussian America. Tlio news was received witli .0 
 little anxiety. At this time all the storehousL'.s at 
 Three Saints were full of choice furs, whicli Baranof 
 1)1 )W caused to be concealed in the adjacent islands. 
 "Truly," he writes, "if the terrible emergency should 
 aii.se, and the enemy come upon us, they cannot tako 
 much more than our lives, and these are in God's 
 hands. It would take more than mortal eyes to dis- 
 cover where ouv ])recious skins are concealed."* 
 
 Several other American vessels, among them the 
 brig Z<7/srt, under Captain Rowan, visited the bay dur- 
 ing the summer, and absorbed the trade, while tlio 
 
 ' Daranof purchascil fnnii her captain a ijuaiitity of cootls, partly with a 
 vii'w to pi-cveiit liim fi-oni trmliiig with the natives, ami partly hecaiwo tho 
 Fiiiiti bcinjjiiow ^ivi'u up for lost, uo supplies could bo cxpectcil for that 
 Beasoii. Khkbniko/, Shizn. JJaraiiova, G3-4. 
 
 •/(/., 08. 
 
I 
 
 
 I 
 
 li 
 
 3^0 
 
 THE rOLTNDINa OF SITKA. 
 
 rJujisians were preparing to occupy the field in tli'^ 
 future. During the preceding winter the relations 
 liotween the colonists and the natives had been peace- 
 able, but there was much suffering on account (tf 
 iiisufticient food and shelter. A fort was erected, and 
 named after the archangel Michael,'" in "the hope that 
 the great champion of the Lord would protect tlie 
 promysldeniki;" nevertheless, soon after the estai)- 
 lishnient of the settlement misfortune again reducod 
 ])aranof's force. On the 18th of July, ho received 
 i!«\vs from an Aleutian party which had camped fnr 
 tlie night on the tortuous jiassage connecting Norfolk 
 Sound with Chatham Strait, that a number of tlio 
 men had died from eating }>oisonous nmssels. The 
 jiassage was thereafter named Pogibshie, or Destvuc- 
 1 ion Strait, wliicli name has subsequently been changed 
 by Americans to Peril Strait. 
 
 While Baranof was thus engaged in establishing liis 
 iK'W colony, a block-house and stockade had l)et-'!i 
 built bv Polomoshnoi at Yakutat, or Berinuj Bav, \'ov 
 the reception of the Siberian convicts, or agricultui'al 
 settlers, as they were called. The site for this settle- 
 ment had been chosen by mistake. After his iirst 
 visit to Prince William Sount', Baranof had recoin- 
 luended the country bordering on Comptroller Bay as 
 ] irobably adapted to agricultural pursuits. Cape Suck- 
 ling, till' western point of this bay, had been erroneously 
 called Cape St Elias, the name a[»plied to the south 
 
 'III aU'ttcr to Rodianof, agent at Xm'Iu'k. dated May 14, ISOO, Baraii 'f 
 V'itcs: ' Wc enjiiycd godil health and fair success during our winter tluii', 
 mid thuugh we hud some ditlicultiesi with the jK'ople, wo linuliy estulili'^ln'l 
 f.icudly intercourse witli them. I resolved to establish a iicrmaneiit settle 
 iiu lit, and at once set to work to erect the necessiiry liuildings, one of which 
 V. .IS a two-story structure, 8 fathoms long and 4 wide, protected on ail 
 sM<'< liy [lalisades ami two strong iilock houses or towers. Another buiMiii-' 
 I h;id |>ut up for myself and future coininanders, with the iieeess.iry acciiu- 
 i.iodation for servants and ollicers, and tiiere I have lived from tlie iniiUlle "f 
 IVhniary to '.lie present date. A small temjxirary hath-liouse liad h -i ii 
 erect<!d, wherein I pas.sed tlie first iwrt of the winter, a sheil and sleeiiiii:: 
 rooms for the members of the party, a hlack^mitirs shop, and t''mpor.ii/ 
 kitchen. One fortified Mock-house is not quite finished, while two otlurs 
 have l)een only Just hegun. Tlie men here iiumher 'Jo Rubsians and 5.5 AU u- 
 tiuii luintera.' Tikhnuin-/, Istor, Obos,, ii. app. part ii. 13). 
 
YAKUTAT SETTLEMENT. 
 
 301 
 
 point of Kayak Island by Boring, and in his recom- 
 mendation liaranof s})oke of tho country about Cajie 
 St Elias. Subsequently the bay of Yakutat had 
 been visited l)y Purtof and Kuskof ; and as this affords 
 ihe only good harbor on that \)i\rt of the coast, and 
 is overshadowed by the })eak of St Elias, the pro- 
 posed settlement had l)een located there in a deso- 
 late region of ice and rock, entirely unfit for occupation 
 Ity man. Polonu)shnoi only obeyed orders in locating 
 tlie block-house there, but as soon as the buildings 
 \vi.re completed, he returned to Kadiak to remonstrate 
 against any attempts at founding an agricultural 
 c> lony in such a place. He was ordered back, liow- 
 
 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 Cafij 
 
 
 
 Yakutat Bay Settlement. 
 
 ( ver, by Baranof's representative, and sailed for his 
 d.'stination on the brig Orel, laden with previsions for 
 the new settlement, in charge of Talin, a naval officer 
 ill the service of the company, but one who, like all of 
 his profession, was little dis[)osed to heed the chief 
 manager's instructions, and when his vessel was lying 
 ill Norfolk Sound had threatened to hang Baranof 
 tVom the mast-head if he tiared to show himself on 
 I'oard. While beating against head winds, the ship 
 was wrecked on the island of Sukluk (Montague), 
 and Polomoshnoi, with five men, perished.* 
 
 " rour hundred se.vottcr skins, valiu'd at'2'J.OOO r<i\i1)les. were lost on this 
 ocLiisiou, iu aJJitiou to the rigging and uuchois and ship's stores. Tuliii iiaJ 
 
392 
 
 THE FOUNDING OF SITIvA. 
 
 .Hi 
 
 From other parts of tlie country news of dis- 
 aster had also reached Baranof. The year before his 
 departure for Norfolk Sound he had been informed 
 that two of the company's establishments, at Ilyamna 
 and Kadiak, had been surprised, and all the Russians 
 stationed there, twenty-one in number, massacrtd. 
 The outbreak appears to have been caused, as usual, 
 by the cruelty of the settlers, for all the native ser- 
 vants were spared. 
 
 Notwithstanding occasional misfortunes, Baranof's 
 management of the affairs of the company appears to 
 have met with the approval of most of the directors, 
 
 been from the beginning overbearing ami insolent in las intercourse villi 
 liaranuf, whom lie considered as a mere kiijK/z, or trader, fur beneatli lii.a 
 in social rank. It grated upon his aristocratic Bcusibilitics to receive orik i^) 
 from such a man, and acting in this spirit, ho sei/cd upon every opportunity to 
 evade obedience ami raise obstacles. 
 
 In order to sliow the unfortunate relations existing between the naval gentU'- 
 man and liaranof , and also the character of the latter, I will copy here iKjrtioiiH 
 of a letter written by him to Lieutenant Talin, dated in May 1709: ' Oracious 
 Sir: In your communication to mc, you arc pleased to ask why I meddle wit!i 
 nautical affairs. Do you refuse to follow my instructions because I am a lui'i-- 
 chant? Does it compromise your honor, as an ofliccr ami geutlcmun, U> 
 execute the company's wislies when expressed through me? If such be tlic 
 case, I must inform you that the managing partners of the company, Goliknf 
 and Shelikof, have intrusted the management of all its colonial alTairs, inchnl- 
 ing navigation, to mc ever since the year 1790; and since tlien I liavu fiv- 
 quently been honored by ilirect instructions from the government, both puliiic 
 and secret, the execution of which was always left tome alone; and thercfcro 
 all the navigators in the service of the company were under my orders. Fur 
 pi-oof of this, I refer you to a secret order, dated August 14, 1790, umler Xn. 
 19, of which I send you a copy to keep for your own use. The last cominn- 
 nicationon this subject is dated May 1797, and speaks also of you, dear sir, and 
 tlie navigators in our ser-vico, and oi your positii>n with regard to the comjiai.y 
 in the following terms: "One of the partners of the company, Ivan Larionof. 
 asked the late cmpi-ess Ekntcrina Alcxeievna, of blesseil memory, to furnish 
 tlie company with a number of naval otHcers, in view of the importance of the 
 company's voyages of discovery, and the ditliculty of navigating these n<irt!i 
 em seas without thoroughly trained and experienced navigators, promising 
 to such oHiccrs twice the salary which they received from the government. 
 This petition was approved l)y our august monarch, I'^mperor Pavl Petrovioh, 
 who had succeeded to the throne in the mean time. Though these ollicers it- 
 main in tlio imperial service, they were ordered to obey all commands iind 
 regulations of tlie company as strictly and punctually as if proceeding from 
 their military commandors; and it is the M-ill of our august monarcii i\ xt tluy 
 should conform in every respect with the arrangements made by the company, 
 be it during expeditions for special purposes or on voyages of discovery aiicl 
 exploration." 
 
 'Ill transmitting and presenting to you these orders and instructions witli 
 regard to tiio extent of my power and responsibility in these matters, I Icavii 
 you entirely free to follow or not to follow my instructions with regard 
 
BARANOF'S TROUBLES. 
 
 393 
 
 though he hhnsclf was dissatisfied with his position. 
 Ill answer to a letter from Larionof, in 1799, he re- 
 marks: "The lowest and most insignificant official in 
 the service of tho company pretends to know more 
 about the business of this section than its head, and 
 expresses his opinion on everything. They write 
 ;il)out us, but nobody ever thinks of asking, How do 
 thoy live there, and what are they doing?" When 
 writing to his friend Delarof, he mentions that he had 
 never failed to earn for the shareholders a dividend, 
 and that its amount for 1795 was 22,000 roubles. Ho 
 also refers to his request to the managers of the com- 
 
 to tilis voyage, which is of the greatest importance, not only to the coni- 
 lijiny, but to the country at large. If you do not obey, I cannot compel 
 you: but you will be kind enough to send mo a written refusal and co{)ie8 of 
 iny other letters relating to this subject, in order to enable mo to take other 
 iiita-surcs which the interests of the company immediately require. As for 
 the cliarts and journals which you think it superfluous to prepare and keep, 
 I liad alreaily the honor to mention m my first communication that they arc 
 tnisitlered indispensable in the company's office. You cannot but aeknowl- 
 i'il<:fc that in tho science of practical navigation I have never attempted to 
 iutorferi! with you, but have only made you ac(iuaintcd, where it was neces- 
 s;i!-y, with the views of the company and of the government in regard to 
 certain voyages of discovery to be made during the present summer; and if 
 it insults your honor to receive such information through the mouth of a 
 iiic'ix'hunt, a class of people whom you consider aa far beneath you, I can only 
 lie sorry that I am prevented from giving you the satisfaction which you pcr- 
 liups desire, on account of being neither in tho military nor the naval servico 
 of tlie goveniment, and not even holding any civil position or rank. At tho 
 tiunc time, I take the liberty of informing you that we are a company (jf 
 inoruhants, accustomed to commercial usages only, and exacting business-lii;u 
 behavior on the part of our 8er\'ants. If you really had no idea of this on 
 leaving the admiralty college, you certainly cannot have failed to under- 
 stand the character of our enterprise when siL'ning tho mutual agreeinoiit 
 Ic'fore the commanding otHcer at Okhotsk, and have had every opportunity 
 <if acrpiainting yourself with the nature of your engagement during your 
 jiiissagc on the /c«itt and on the Orel. Now that you are navigating one of 
 Diir vessels on the caost of America, you have no choice but either to obey 
 (inr instructions (even though it conio from a person without official rank), 
 or to give up the whole business and revoke tlie contract. Tlie an-angemcnts 
 concerning your entrance into our service were made by higher authorities 
 tlian j'ours or mine, and how the proposjil to revoke ihein would be rei;eived 
 by them I cannot tell. In conclusion, I would ask ytm again either to Sfud 
 me a peremptory written refusal, or to comply witli the instructions drawn up 
 by nie, in conformity with the views of tho government and of the managing 
 partners of the company. Hoping that you will soon lionor me with a com- 
 munication on this subject, I remain with due respect, dear sir, your honor's 
 ohedicnt servant, AloNander Baranof.' Id., ii. app. part ii. l-.V.'JO. Tliis 
 letter, so polite and yet so brimming with satire, affords us another in^iglit 
 into tho mind of the 'common trader,' despised by his military or naval t-wh- 
 onlinatcs. The allusion to his regrets at being unable to give Talin tiie ' sat- 
 isfaction of a gentleman ' is especially iiertincut, coming from one as brave as 
 Biirauof was known to be. 
 
304 
 
 THE FOUNDING OF SITKA. 
 
 pany to send from Russia some one to relievo him. 
 As we shall see, this request was repeated seveial 
 times during a period of nearly twenty years before a 
 sueccssor tinallv reached the colonies, thouifh two were 
 ai)pointed meanwhile, but were shipwrecked on the 
 way. There can be no doubt that the chief cause of 
 his dissatisfaction was the unpleasant relatioiis with 
 the naval officers and the intrigues of the mi^<sioIl- 
 aries, though his failing health and the condition of 
 his finances were additional reasons.^ 
 
 Believing the Sitka settlement to be now firmly 
 established and safe from hostile attacks, Baranof re- 
 turned to Kadiak in the autumn of 1800. But prior 
 to his return he made an official visit to various set- 
 tlements, an account of which I give in his own words. 
 
 Writing to Larionof, the agent at Unalaska, in July 
 of this year, he says: "On Kenai Bay at Il^'amiia 
 Lake the rebellious tribes have killed three of our 
 men since Lebedefs people departed. Our establish- 
 ments on the gulf of Kenai have been broken up three 
 times, and a conspiracy has been discovered to destroy 
 all places occupied by Russians, and to kill them as 
 well as the natives of Kadiak in their employ; and 
 we have not been able as j'et entirely to suppress the 
 spirit of rebellion. But the saddest news of all, and 
 the most disastrous to us, is of the wreck of the Fciu'ks, 
 
 ' His yiecuniary affairs at this time were in an unsatisfactory state. ' Of 
 9,000 roubles which 1 hail left in the hamls of Kretcheotzall",' he writes, ' only 
 cue half has been returned, anil I have met with losses in other (juartors. If 
 I were to i-etuni to Siberia now, I would not be a roul)le lietter oti'than I M;i;i 
 when I came to this country. The class factory in Irkutsk in which 1 had in- 
 vested 4,000 roubles has fallen into (fecay, and the stock gone into iwssessiun of 
 my former partner, Lackmaii. I inijuired concerning the sale of the projjcrty 
 of my late wife, butnever received an answer. This is the way, my friend, all 
 the little property I had, and left in charge of my wife and friends, has boeii 
 Scattered. Some of it has been absorbed by unjust claims advanced by Slmr- 
 iliof anil Lebedef. For this reason it would be advisable that I should return 
 hence before I am left entirely destitute in my old age. But unfortunately, 
 the shareholders have paid no attention to my demand for a successor, ami 
 I cannot conscientiously almndon my position and duties without leaving some 
 one in my place, as such action might involve the comiMiny in inextricable 
 ditiiculties. For the proper uianagement of affairs here, a man in the jn'iuic 
 of life, in the enjoyment of full health and all his faculties, is recjuired, and nut 
 a person worn out with hardship and fatigue, and with u temper soured by 
 adversity.' 
 
THE DIRECTOR'S TRAVELS. 
 
 m 
 
 and the loss of the whole carjjo and all on board. 
 Tor two months portions of the wreck have been cast 
 on the beach in various localities, but the exact place 
 of the di.saster remains unknown. 
 
 " I set out in person in July, first for the gulf of Ke- 
 iiai, to subdue the rebellious tribes, and the remnant 
 o\' the Lebedef Company, who had killed over a hun- 
 dred people between them, and had divided them- 
 selves into several bands of robbers. Man\^ of them 
 threatened our men on the Kaknu River, whicJi sta- 
 tion they had occupied after the breaking-up of tlie 
 Lebedef Company, but fortunately the leaders of the 
 conspiracy dispersed upon my arrival, and though the 
 combination was not entirely dissolved, I succeeded 
 in obtaining several hostages for the safety of our 
 agent in command, Vassili Malakhof, but in the more 
 distant settlements there is still a stronu inclination 
 t<^ warfare and plunder. I remained there until the 
 1 5th of August, making necessary arrangements to in- 
 sure the safety of the place b}-^ strengthening its for- 
 1 ideations. I also selected a more convenient site for 
 the fort, made a plan in accordance with the local 
 iacilities, and left its execution to the agent ]\Ialakhof; 
 and after collecting all the furs at the station, c<msist- 
 iiig chiefly of those of small land-animals, I proceeded 
 to Fort Alexandroffsk at the entrance of the gulf. 
 Here I furnished the ajrent Ostrocfin with further in- 
 structions, and sailed again on the 30th of August, 
 shaping my course for the redoubt at Voskressenski 
 J^ay. Thence I proceeded to Nuchek Island, whore I 
 made a searching investigation of everything, and js- 
 tablished the fort St Konstantin upon a new site. 
 I also had several interviews with the natives, and 
 placed, my assistant Kuskof in conunand of that re- 
 gion." 
 
 "Concerning the new settlement at Sitka," the man- 
 ager says, for I cannot do better than permit hiju 
 to continue his story, "I thought there would be 
 no danger with proper protection from the larger 
 
 iii- 
 
 V 
 
390 
 
 THE FOUNDING OF SITKA. 
 
 vessels, though the natives there possess large quan- 
 tities of fire-arms and all kinds of ammunition, receiv- 
 ing new supplies annually from the English and 
 from the republicans of Boston and America, whoso 
 object is not permanent settlement on these shorts, 
 but who have been in the habit of making trading 
 trips to these regions. It is to be hoped that the 
 fruits of the discoveries of Russian navigators mav 
 not be enjoyed by European or other companies, de- 
 priving us of our hard-earned advantages, I trust 
 that God in his justice will allow us to enjoy the 
 fruits of our enterprise, and as, with his help, I, an 
 ignorant subject, have been able to add something to 
 the vast dominion of his imperial Majesty, we must 
 hope that we shall find the means to preserve our new 
 possessions intact, and make them profitable. 
 
 "At the settlement of Yakutat I found nothing but 
 trouble and disorder in every department. This was 
 partly owing to the old difficulties between Polomosli- 
 noi^ and your brother Stepan, who was appointed 
 assistant manager in 1796. During the first winter 
 thirteen of the twenty-five hunters and seven of the 
 settlers died of scurvy, besides women and children. 
 Polomoshnoi had written a whole ream of trash and 
 nonsense which he forwarded to Kadiak, the whole 
 report containing only what one settler had said of 
 another, what the settlers had said of the hunters, and 
 the threats made by the latter against his life. In 
 conclusion, he asked to be relieved. The wish was com- 
 plied with, and Nikolai Moukhin, who was thought 
 to possess considerable administrative ability, was sent 
 as his substitute. I had all the property forwarded 
 to Yakutat on behalf of the settlers transferred to him, 
 though it was almost impossible to obtain any cleai' 
 statement with regard to it from the confused mass of 
 papers left by Polomoshnoi. His reports spoke <»f 
 many acts of cruelty and abuse committed by the 
 hunters, and he had even gone so far as to appoint a 
 
 B Baranof bad not yet heard of Polomoshnoi's death. 
 
BARANOPS LETTERS. 
 
 397 
 
 commission to investigate the chariyes : but as tlic mem- 
 bers of the commission were all ignorant settlers who 
 were interested in the case, they did nothing beyond 
 getting up a voluminous pile of testimony which 
 amounts to nothing but empty words. Several times 
 I was on the point of solving all difficulties by dis- 
 l)anding the settlement; but better thoughts prevailed, 
 and remembering the importance of the success of 
 this experiment to the company and to the country 
 at large, I did my best to restore order and reconcile 
 the parties involved. 
 
 "The tribes living in the vicinity of our Sitka set- 
 tlement at first met us in a very friendly manner, but 
 of late they have displayed some distrust, and when 
 our men had formed a procession during holy week in 
 honor of the emperor, they thought we were preparing 
 for a fight, and seized our interpreter, who happened 
 to be in the native village. The procession was con- 
 ducted with great solenmity and pomp, and after it 
 liad been disbanded, our men went through some mil- 
 itary evolutions, all of which had been witnessed by the 
 chiefs of the savages, who listened frowningly to our 
 discharges of musketry and artillery; but all this dis- 
 play did not induce them to give up the interpreter, 
 and some property which they had stolen; and I found 
 it necessary to assure them that we were not afraid of 
 tliem. Therefore, on the third day I proceeded to the 
 l»rincipal village w^ith twenty-two men, landed fear- 
 lessly on the beach, and placed two small cannon in 
 front of their houses. Over three hundred armed men 
 surrounded us, but we marched directly to the house 
 where the ]5risoner was reported to be. We fired a few 
 blank volleys to keep the crowd in awe, and seized a 
 few men who seemed inclined to offer resistance. Our 
 determined attitude held the people in check, and 
 when we had accomplished our object and released the 
 ])risoner, they began to ridicule the affair, bandying 
 words with oui men, and offering them food. I re- 
 joiced in having accomplished my end without blood- 
 
 
 M 
 
 

 THE FOUXDINO OF SITKA. 
 
 sliud, ami made up my mind not to allow the slighti'st 
 offence on their part to pass unnoticed in the future." 
 
 The admixture of business and piety in this despatch 
 is somewhat noteworthy. "With God's help," he 
 writes, **our men killed 40 sea-lions and 150 seals 
 during the winter." Speaking of the hunter Mikhail, 
 whom ho had ordered to travel around Kadiak "f<»r 
 the purpose of taking a census of that island, and to 
 make presents to the leading men among the Aleuts 
 of tobacco and other trifles," he remarks, " I thought 
 this course of action best, in view of the misfortune 
 which had happened last year, as I wrote to you 
 from Sitka; and with God's help, he succeeded so well 
 in his mission that the necessary number of men were 
 obtained in all districts, from the first to the last, even 
 to bird-hunting parties." 
 
 Again, in a letter to Larionof, dated March 22, 
 1801, the chief manager thus expresses his gratitude: 
 " The All-creator of the world, in his infinite mercy, 
 has overlooked and forgiven our sins, and tempered 
 the cruel blows of misfortune wit: success in sea-ottei 
 hunting. In the three years which have elapsed 
 since the arrival of the last transport, we have col- 
 lected over 4,000 skins of sea-otters — males, females, 
 and yearlings, besides cubs. The skins secured at 
 Nuchek and Sitka will probably amount to nearly 
 4,000, with the help of God. On the other hand, the 
 trappers have had but little success, on account of the 
 unfavorable weather during the winter; and, as you 
 see from the statement, only 1,500 skins were obtained 
 from that source, while in former years from 2,000 
 to 2,500 was the average number."" 
 
 Baranof's complaints of foreign encroachment ap- 
 pear to have been well grounded. Within a few 
 leagues of Sitka the captains of three Boston shi}).s 
 secured 2,000 skins, though paying very high prices, 
 each one trying to outbid the other. For a sin- 
 
 •In 1800 tbo skins obtained from Sitka amounted to 2,600, and for Iho 
 whole colony to 3,500. Khkhmkof, Shizn. Baranova, 02. 
 
" ho 
 
 3nt ap- 
 a few 
 
 |n sliip?^ 
 pricL^s 
 a shi- 
 
 1(1 for tUo 
 
 AMERICANS AND ENOLISIIMEN. 
 
 309 
 
 gle skin they gave t-loth wortli twenty-eight roubles, 
 or three eoats of frieze Hncd with cotton. In 
 the ,,an)e neighborliood two skins were formerly 
 bartered for cloth valued at ton and a half roubles. 
 " The Americans," writes the chief manager, " who 
 liavc been acquainted with these tribes I'or two or 
 three years, and have sent fro:ii six to eight sliips 
 each year, speak of the trade as follows: * The Amer- 
 ican republic is greatly in need of Chinese goods, the 
 Chinese teas, the various silk materials and other 
 products of that country, which had formerly to bo 
 purchased for coin, the S[>anish silver dollar exclu- 
 siveh', but since these shores have been discovered, 
 with their abundance of furs, they were no longer 
 obliged to take coin with them, but loaded their ves- 
 sels with full cargoes of European goods and products 
 of their own countrv, which are easier obtained than 
 coin.'" After touching on the political complications 
 that marked the close of the eighteenth centurv, 
 Baranof continues: "The resources of this region arc 
 such tliat millions may be made there for our country 
 with proper management in the future, but for over 
 ten vears from six to ten Eufrlish and American ves- 
 sels have called here every year. It is safe to calcu- 
 late an average of 2,000 skins on eight, or say six 
 vessels, which would make 12,000 a year, and if wo 
 even take 10,000 as a minimum, it would amount in 
 ten years to 100,000 skins, which at the price at 
 Canton of 45 roubles per skin would amount to 
 4,500,000 roubles."'" 
 
 For the next year and a half, little worthy of record 
 occurred in connection wath the affairs of the Russian 
 American Company. A number of agriculturists and 
 mechanics, placed at the disjoosal of the company by 
 Count Zubof, arrived at Kadiak, together with a reiin- 
 
 '"/(Z., ii. app. part ii. 145-8. The total value of furs shipped by the She- 
 likof-fJolikof ComiKiny between 17SG and 1797 was only 1,479,000 roubles. 
 Jjt.rij, Kronol. 1st., 109. 
 
 if 
 
 il 
 
■i y 
 
 m^ 
 
 THE FOUNDING OF SITKA. 
 
 forccment of missionaries. The chief manaj^er has 
 little to report, save that he has succeeded in bringin<jf 
 into friendly relations with the Russians a number of 
 tribes, among whom, as he supposed, were the Kolosh. 
 The question of boundaries between the Russian and 
 British American possessions had been mooted, how- 
 ever, almost from the time that Spain ceded Nootka 
 to the English, and Baranof feared that his people 
 might be driven from their settlements," altliougli 
 their right of discovery and occupation north of the 
 55th parallel left little room for dispute. He begs 
 the governor of Irkutsk to intercede with the emperor, 
 more especially in relation to the establishment of a i 
 agricultural settlement, for it was useless to select a 
 site until some definite action was takcn,^^ and tlio 
 colony at Cape St Elias was of no benefit. 
 
 '' The Engliah claimed Ltua Bay, and even the gulf of Konai and Priuuo 
 William Sonnd. 
 
 ■'^ In thia despatch Baranof says: 'Our greatest need is now skilled naviga- 
 101*8, since uf five vessels in Aincricau waters only one has on experienced 
 master, and he is in poor health.' 
 
 ii li 
 
 If.' 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 i and Priuco 
 
 tilled naviga- 
 i experienced 
 
 THE fclTKA MASSACRE. 
 
 180'2. 
 
 RrjiousoF Revolt amont. thk. Kolosii — Tiiey AxTAfK Fv^ut Sv MiKitAVt- — 
 Tksti.mony of AiiiiossiM 1'l()..<ik<)F — Am> of l';KA'ri...iNA Ij:iii:iikf — 
 
 SiTIUils' KyllViX.'AL StaTKMFNT— CaI'TAIN HaKI-.I-.K as a I'lllLANTIIIli)- 
 
 ri<T -Kiii.rnMKoF's Vkusion of the Massaciik — SfyuF.r iNSTUinrioNs 
 
 TO IjXUASOK— TlKINT.S FROM TNALASKA - FrKTlll.ll I'UOMOTIOX OF TIIK 
 
 (.'iiiiF MANAiiKU— llr. I)kti:ioiim:s to Kecai'Ti he Sitka — I'uei'aua- 
 
 TIONS Ft)ll THE JvXrEDU'IU.V, 
 
 IIau/xof's liopo tliiit tlio K(^losli \v(>ro ui li '111,411 
 finally j);u ilied provi'd to bo ill iVmiidcd. AJtlioti'j^ii 
 he was not uware of it, disairoetion had huyj; Iiecii lil'o 
 aiiionuf the w :M-likt> nations of' Sitkii and of the main- 
 land, in the vieinitv of the Yakutat settlenu'iit. it is 
 
 sa 
 
 id that the liostih' spirit was fostered hy the En;j,'- 
 
 I !•, .^ 
 
 lisli and Aincrieuii traders, who siipphwd the sava 
 witli iire-aniis, aininunition, and intoxieatiiii^ di-ink. 
 Humors had ivached the ('onnnand''rs of hoth Sitka 
 and Yakutat that an oi"L!;aniz(Ml attack was conlcm- 
 plaled on the Itussian slron,L;holds; hut as the chiefs 
 in tlieij- vicinity continued to profess friendshij), and 
 as tralhc was cai'i'ie<l on as usual, the ai^euts paid 
 little h( ed to the n'jx'atid wai'nin<;'s. Xo chan^'e was 
 made in the daily routine ahout the s(;tt kment. l*ar- 
 tiis were sent out to cut tind)er in the forests, and to 
 hunt on the islands and hays. Sentries were jxisted i:i 
 accordances with ];>aranof's instructions, hut as the forc(? 
 was small in either place, only tlie sick and disahlod 
 \V( re sideoted for such <Iuty, and it was tlu-refore pi-i- 
 f iiuied in the most ineilicient maiiuur. In the nieaiii 
 
 : 
 
 
 ItUT. Alai'Ka. 20 
 
 (*ou 
 
402 
 
 TilF. SITKV MASSACRE. 
 
 time, tlic savai^os liad matured their plans. Allies 
 had l)een secured from all the villajxes throui^hout tin' 
 Alexander Arehi])ela<j:o, and iVom the populous valltv 
 of th(> Stakhin liiver, and durinj;^ the sunmier of i80J 
 the Mow was struck which swept from earth the in- 
 fant colony. 
 
 The exact date of the Sitka massacre is not known ; 
 the only survivors were Russian laborers and nativcN, 
 who were so terrified as to have taken no note of tiiuf. 
 It is certain, however, that the event occurred in the 
 month of June. The best statements of this incident 
 are co?itaiiKxl in depositions made l)y the few survivois 
 in the otticc of the company's agent at Kadiak.' Tin y 
 were rude, ignorant men, and their ideas and word-; 
 are crude; hut they are blotter for the purpose thai" 
 mine would be, and I will not mar their testimony Ijy 
 another ro'.ulering. 
 
 .Vbrossin Plotnikof, a hunt(>r. who was among tliosc 
 who were rescued, testified as follows; " In this jiresuiit. 
 vear, ISO'J, about the 'J4th tlav of June — I do not iv- 
 member the exact date, but it was a holiday — about 
 two o'clock in the afternoon, I went to tlu) river ti» 
 look aft(,'r our calves, as I had been di'tailed by tln' 
 commander of the I'ort, A'^assili ^fedvi'dnikof, to tal^'' 
 care of the cattle. On I'eturning soon after, 1 noticed 
 at the f(»rt a great nndtitudeof Kolosh peo|>le, who 
 had not only surrounded the barracks below, but weiv 
 alreadv climbinuf over the baleonv and to the roof with 
 guns andcanncMi; anil standing upon a littli> knoll in 
 IVont of the out-houses was the Sitka foi/on, or chiel'. 
 Mikhail, giving orders to those who were around the 
 l)arracks, and shouting t(^ some people in canoes not far 
 away, to make haste and assist in the light. 1 < 
 answer to his shouts, sixty-two canoes emerjjci'd iVom 
 behind points of rocks. Even if I had reached th' 
 barracks, they were already closed and barricaded, 
 
 ' Thcsp 8iirviv()i-H wrro carried to Kndiak by Cn^it-ain Bnrl)er, tlio com- 
 mnndiT c*' un l')iiglisli • issid, wliu, aa will bu sceu, played a Boiucwlmt am- 
 bij^'UDUs role iu tlio tragedy. 
 
PLOTNIKOF'S STORY. 
 
 403 
 
 istiiiiouv li\' 
 
 and there was no safety outside; therefore I rushed 
 away to the cattle-yard, wliere I had a jj^uii. I only 
 waited to tell a girl, who was emjdoyed in the yard, 
 to take her little child and lly to the woods, when, 
 seizin*^ my gun, I closed up the shed. Very soon 
 after this four Kolosh came to the door and knocked 
 three times. As soon as I ran out of the shed tluy 
 seized me by the coat and took my gun from me. 
 I ,. s compelled to leave both in their hands, and 
 juinjiing through a window, ran past the fort antl liiil 
 in the thick underbrush of the forest, th(»ugh two 
 Kolosh ran after me, but could not find me in the 
 woods. Soon after, I emerged from the underbrush, 
 and approached the barracks to see if the attack luul 
 been repulsed, but I saw that not only the barracks, 
 but the ship recently built, the warehouse and sheds, 
 the cattle-sheds, bath-house, and other small l)uilding.s 
 had l)een set on fire, and were already in full blaze. 
 The sea-otter skins and other property of the company, 
 as well as the private property of the connnander ^[ed- 
 \e(lnikof and the hunters, the savages were throw- 
 ing to the ground from the balcony on the water side, 
 wliile otluM's seized them and carried them to the 
 canoes, which were close to the fort." 
 
 After mentioning that there were sixteen men in 
 t!ie barracks, and i^ivinu' the names of others who were 
 ahsenton hunting or fishing expeditions, he continues: 
 "All at once 1 saw two Kolosh nuuiing towaj'd mo 
 armed with guns and lances, and 1 was coin[)elled to 
 hide again in the woods. I threw myself down among 
 tile underbi'usli on the Qih^c of the fort'st, covering 
 myself with pieces of bark. Front there I saw 
 Xakvassin tlrop frt>m the U])per balcony and nm 
 toward the woods; but when near'ly across the open 
 s|)ace he fell to the ground, and .our warriors rushed 
 U|> and carried him back to the barracks on the i)oints 
 of their lances and cut oft' his head. Kabanof was 
 dragged from the barracks mto tlu' street, whi-re tlu! 
 Kolosh pierced him with their lances; but how the 
 
4Dt 
 
 TnE STTKA MASSACRE. 
 
 <'Mi('r Russian^< who wire tlioro otiiiio to tlicir on ] I 
 <!i> iiot know. Tlio slaug'litor i\\u\ iiu^endinrisni \V(')\j 
 <• •ntimu'd by the sava::jft's until thoevenin<j|', hut iiiiallv 
 1 stoli' out anionu: the ruins and ashes, and in n;v 
 
 v.andei'Ui'jfs oanic across some o 
 
 f ou 
 
 r cows, ana sa 
 
 I 
 
 that oven tlie poor dunih animals liad not escaped tlio 
 hh)od-thirsty fiends, liavin<4 spears stuck in their side-;. 
 ExercisinL!; all mv streniiih, I was barelv ahle to imiU 
 (»ut some (»f tlie s])oars, when I was observed l)y tv.o 
 Ivolosli, and com[).'llcd to leave the cows to their I'at • 
 
 cl 1 
 
 and Jiide aixain m llio woods 
 
 th 
 
 d.. 
 
 "1 passed the nii^ht not far trt-ni the I'uins of i]\.\ 
 foi't. In the morninu; I heard the report of a cami''.i 
 idid looked out ol' the brush, but could see nobody, 
 aiid not wishin'4' to expose myself aijjain to furtlu;- 
 <!an;jfer, wiMit hi^^her u]) the mountain through the 
 forest. While advancini^ cautiously through tin 
 v.oods, I met two other persons who wore in tli • 
 i-ap.u' coMditlon as myself: a o-irl iVom the Chini^it.: 
 \ illa^'o, ]v;Mli,il<, witli an infant on lu^r bi'oast, and i 
 ma!i from Kiliuda xilla^-e, wlio had bei'ii left btdun I 
 by the hun;''M<4' party on account of sickness. I took 
 them bdlli wiih nu' to the mountain, but each niuht 
 
 I went to t!\e ruins of the f »rt Vvith \\\y oompanic 
 \ bewailed tlu' iate of the slain. In this nii> 
 
 )U.' 
 
 an 
 
 ibl( 
 
 • lit 
 
 lulc condiiion wo riMuanu'd loi* ei 
 
 I f. 
 
 •lit d; 
 
 U'S, Wl 
 
 thout 
 
 an3'thini4' to eat and nnthiuL;- but water to drinl;. 
 .\bout noon <il" thi' last day we heard from the nunui- 
 tain two cannon-siiots, which i-aised some hoj)e in ni' , 
 and 1 told my companions to iblK)w mo at a littl- 
 di>tance, and then went <!own toward the rivei' 
 through the woods to hide myscdf near tho shore, and 
 see whether thoro was a shi]* in t!ie bay. When i 
 reached the beach I saw behind a small island a ves- 
 sel which looked to mo like our /■y,<ifrr(i)(i, but. wlun 
 1 came to our liarbor which overhK)ked the entire 
 ]iay I found that it was not tho J'Jcafcn'na, but an 
 Knulish shij). 
 
 'J tlien ascended the rock where a tent had been 
 
RESCUE OF THE SURVR'ORS. 
 
 40.1 
 
 r on I I 
 -iiu wcro 
 t linally 
 l in n;y 
 \n(l saw 
 ipod tlio 
 iir sitli'^. 
 V to pnU 
 . by two 
 heir 111 to 
 
 is of tll-l 
 
 a ciinnnii 
 n()bt)(ly, 
 ) furtli<!- 
 )n;.;'i tlio 
 nij:;li til' 
 •o in til ' 
 Cliini^it.', 
 ^t, and a 
 \ lu-lun I 
 I took 
 li niu'lit 
 ii|»an;t»us, 
 lis misor- 
 williout 
 i(» (Irinlv. 
 lit' niouM- 
 |)o in ni' , 
 a littl- 
 110 rivci- 
 iKM'e, and 
 IWl.cn 1 
 |l a V.' 
 lilt wlun 
 I' ontii'! 
 Imt an 
 
 lad boon 
 
 set up wlion the (•hicf inanaLjor was presenl, ;>.n I 
 shouted tor lielp. Sonic Kolo.sh, who were near tli i 
 river, heard my voiee, and .six of them had ahnost 
 ri 'ached me before I saw them, and I barely ^'Ueeeoded 
 
 in e.sea 
 
 )in'j: iVom them and hidiuL'' in th 
 
 e woous 
 
 Thus 1 had been chased three times by tlie sava''es. 
 'i'hey drove mo to anotlier ])oint on the beach, near 
 the capo. wJiero aij;ain I liailed the ship, and to my 
 Ui'oat joy a boat put (»{f from tlie vessel to the jilace 
 where I was standiiiL;'. I had barely time to jump 
 i:ito it when the Kolosh in pursuit of 
 
 mo came i;i 
 
 .-i;4iit ai^ain, but when thoy saw I was already in Ih. 
 1. Kit, they went away a^'ain. The commander of th' 
 
 •I was in the boat, 
 
 aiK 
 
 I wl 
 
 ion we 
 
 had 
 
 )t on 
 
 l.'oard, I ^ave him a full account of tho sad disasttT, 
 and asked him tt) save the jjfirl with her infmt S'Ui, 
 and tho man whom I had left ashore, and showr.l 
 
 SOI 
 
 l!iom tho place where I had told the girl and man (■> 
 ].i;lo. The captain at once despatched an armed yawl, 
 and ibrtunately we hit upon the verys[)ot where th;y' 
 were hidinu', and they were taken into tho boat and 
 li!'')U';'ht on l)oard the sliij). Tho boat was sent off 
 ai'-ain immediatelv to the other side of the bav, an 1 
 
 m returned, t(» my great astonishment, with ]>ati:- 
 rln, anotlu-r liussian, whom I rocogni;x'd with un- 
 spoak;iijlo joy, and we soon related to each other our 
 experience. 
 
 "We asked the commander of tho ship to escort u> 
 (o tho site of the destroyed fort, to see if aiivthrn'jf 
 had been snared bv tho sava-'es. J [o yerv kimllv' 
 • •onsentod, had the yawl manned again, got in him- 
 M If, and took mc with him. When we arrived at iho 
 ruins iio examined (he bodies of tho dead, all of which 
 v.cre without head.'x, except Kabaiiof, and we buried 
 them. Of ])ro[H,>rty, we found nothing but tlie melted 
 li.irrel of a brass gun, and a broki'ii cannon, whirh vro 
 pirked nj) and !)roUght to the ship. When we had 
 h 'in on board tho ship throi^ days, two bidarkas camo 
 i'Oia the shore w ith the Sitkaii chief, Mikhail, a:i I 
 
!0G 
 
 THK SITKA MASSACRE. 
 
 1 
 
 his nephew. The former asked the captain if there 
 were any Russians on board, aiid wliether he wished to 
 tra(h'. The captain said nothing of our presence, and 
 Y.ith rriemlly words coaxed liini on l)oai'd, toij^etlicr 
 v.itli Ills iiephew, and the Kolosli ^drl who had hem 
 in Kuzmiclicf's service at the settlement. At our 
 re(piest, the captain seizetl tlie chief and Ids nej)he\v, 
 and ordered them to he kc})t in coiitinement, ironed 
 hand and foot, until all the persons captured at tin; 
 time of tlie destruction of the settlement had hccii 
 L;iven ui). The chief told his men who had remaincil 
 in tlii^ hidarkas to go and bring tliem. After tluit 
 Wwy l)eu'an to restore our servant-ijii'ls and chililrcii, 
 not all at once, however, but one l)V one. Finally, 
 tlie cai)tain told the chief that if he did not give U[) ;it 
 once all the prisoners in his hands, he would hang 
 him, and in order to frighten him, the necessary 
 ]ire|)arations for the cKecution were made. 
 
 " '^n tlu> mean time two other English ships enteriMl 
 the bay and anchored close to eacii other. With tin; 
 cajttain of one of them we were somewhat acquainted, 
 as lie had once wintered with liis vessi'l near our f irt. 
 Tliis was the Ahctz? The Kolosh put oif to the two 
 shi[)s in many canoes, and when th(.> commander (tf tin: 
 Ahc(z learned of our misfortunes, he held a consulta- 
 tion with the ca[)tains of the other vessels. As tlni 
 savages approached in their canoes he fireil gra[)e-shot 
 at them from the cannon, destroying several. Soiih' 
 of the occupants reached the shore, v.hile many weii; 
 drowned. Several of the Kolosh the captain of tlu! 
 .ihetz kept as prisoners, and by that means succeeded 
 
 - Pi-iihalily tho .(/(';•/, Captain Kl)1)cts, from IJitston. I'lotnikof m'iir (>^i• 
 <li iilly iiiialilo to ili.stiiimiish taiitaiiis' (iiiil ships' nauius, or I'Viii iiatioiiaMtir^. 
 'I'lu! ship ciiimiiaiKK'tl by Jlarln-r must havo lifi'ii tlio I'liirnrn, ini'iitii'iii'l t i 
 the li-'t of vts.sils winttriiii; oil tho coast in I.SOl, in Siunjis' ^arr., MS., 7, 
 ns hailiny; from J.ouiliin. Tim .ll<rt liist iipiicais in tho Ntui'^'is list ni 1">''-, 
 'piit lis it r<'L;isti'i'i'il tlioio with 1?,()(K) Hoji-ottor skins on liiard, tlii' vi'ssil iiii: t 
 liavi! ivachid tho coast previous to that time. In tiio list of north-\n-t 
 trailers niailc by .faniis (!. Swan, I liml tho Bhip Al'rl, Captain Howies, iu 
 IT'.l!', wliilo it occurs ii^'ftin ill ISO) nndcr comniaiul of Captain Kliln'ts. 'I'lu' 
 I'liiiorii, t'antain Ikii'licr, mnst luivo t'soai)i;d Mr Swan's uutico, thou^jh tlio 
 inaile severul vitjita to the vuust. 
 
EKATERIXA'S STATKMEXT. 
 
 m 
 
 liii if thoro 
 10 wished to 
 •osonce, ami 
 ■(], toi^etluT 
 o had hcHii 
 t. At our 
 lis nephew, 
 lent, iroiii'd 
 iired at the 
 t liad hi'cu 
 d reuiaiiu'il 
 After tliat 
 id chihh'cii, 
 Finally, 
 t give u[) ;it 
 A'ould haii;^' 
 3 noccssarv 
 
 liips entered 
 
 With the 
 
 acquainted, 
 
 ,>ar our fort. 
 
 :' to the two 
 
 vnder of the 
 
 a eonsulta- 
 
 ^. As the 
 
 ;^'ra[)e-shot 
 
 ral. Soiiii' 
 
 many were 
 
 tain of the 
 
 succeeded 
 
 Itiiikof WHS evi- 
 
 •11 iiatitiiiaHtit's. 
 
 \i, ini'iitiiiiM'il ill 
 
 L'iH list la isivj, 
 
 ItllO Vl'SMll lllU>t 
 
 of mutli-wist 
 Jtaiii Iliiwlf.H, ill 
 |i Kill lots. 'rii>> 
 li'i>, thoiiyii bIio 
 
 in ol)taining tlie release of a few more of the ca})turfd 
 N.omeii. As soon as the Kolosh discovered what had 
 lii'cn done, they would not visit the ships any more; 
 hut from the girls we learned that they held pi-isoin-r 
 oiir of our men, Taradanof, We asked the cajitaiii 
 lint to release the chief; and when the Kolosh saw 
 that he and his nephew were not set at libertv, tlicv 
 hi lught us Taradanof, four more women, and a largo 
 iiuiuher of sea-otter skins. After takin<; Taradanof 
 and the women on board, the captain released the chief 
 and his nei)hew, though we entreated him not to do 
 so, hut to take them to Kadiak. l^otli at Sitka and 
 <'ii the Voyage the captain supplitnl us with clothing 
 iiiitl abundant food. The commanders of the other ves- 
 sels also made us presents of clothing, as wo hud lost 
 everything." 
 
 Of another statement concerning this affair, I will 
 make an abstract. Ekaterina, wife (jf the Ivusslan 
 Zakhar Lebedef, testified as follows: "She was in tin- 
 street (jf Fort Sv ^likhail at noon — the day and month 
 hlic did not know- near the ladder which led to the 
 uppt-r stoi-y where the conmiander Medvednikof 
 ii\t'd. She heard a Iiussian shouting, but could not 
 <!istinguish the words. A man named Tumakaicf ran 
 tVoiii the kitchen and told her to hfisten to the b.-n-- 
 lacks, as the Kol(»sli wei'e coming with guns. While 
 lie was still speaking, all the Kussians an<l women 
 who had been in the strei't ran into the barracks. The 
 iloors were then baiiicaded; bnt from the windows 
 \\i' saw an innneiise crowd of Jvolosh appi'oaehing, 
 and they .soon surrounded the barracks, armed with 
 guns and lances." 
 
 The witni'ss then gives the names of those who 
 Were within the barracks, and also of those who were 
 absent, agii-eing in this j>art of her statenu-nt with 
 I'lotnikof, and continues: "When the Kolosh cam<; 
 i!|» they at once rushed at the windows and began a 
 • ontinuous tii-e, while the doors were soon br<ik«'n 
 down in spite of those inside. Among the first who 
 
i 
 
 ■■■ ! 
 
 fc i: 
 
 103 
 
 THE SITKA MASSACnn. 
 
 wore liit wcro tlio coinniiiiidcr aii-l Tmiiakot'; otlicrs 
 were also wo muled, when the rest were onlon^il to 
 tlio upper .story, but tliough they kept uj) a constant 
 lire, thev could not do much. When the KoLjsU 
 liroke into the buikUng, Tumakof, tliougii woundcl, 
 fired the camion at the entrance and killed a ilw 
 Kolo.sh; whenaipon the renuunder retreated a little. 
 It was soon evident that there was not ammunition 
 enough for the camion in the lower f^tory, and to get 
 a new supi)ly, one of the men broke through the ceil- 
 ing between the upper and lower stories, when llame.s 
 came through the opening and suffocating smoke. 
 When the lire spread in the lower story the wouk..! 
 Were thrust into the basement; but soon afterward 
 some of the llussians again tired the cannon, and tiif 
 concussion broke the door leading from the basement 
 into the street. The womcMi then ran out and were 
 sei/.od by the Kolosh and carried to the canoes which 
 lay close l)y. Thence they couLl see the Itusslaiis 
 jumj)ing down into the jstreet when the lire dro\'e 
 them out. There they were caught and pierced with 
 k 
 
 a noes 
 
 "3 
 
 " TiUimcnrf, hfor. Ohm., ii. .ipj-i. part ii. 17J-0. The nccount of Stiirpi-!, 
 c,tpt;iiii iif tho t'uroliiit', iuv vcracnty ii u fair ppccimcii of liio iiifoi'iiiati'Hi 
 ;;ivi'ii of llio lliissiiins Ky Auk liraii ami l^ii' !isli sliip ca]ita'''.3 of that day. 
 Kiiowiiii; the facta, it is not pnssihlo tliat tho wiitcr iiitomled to till tins 
 truth. 'Ill thu year IT'.*'',' iio say.s, 'tlm Uiis.siau3 from KaiiiehatUa h.i 1 
 foniii'il an cstaijlishiufiit at Xorfolk Soiiiul, co!iaistiii;,'ot o!) Ilii.vsiau.s auil Ti'i) 
 or S;»(} iiativi'3 of Kudi.ik ami I'lial.iska, for thn ])urposo of killiiiL,' 8ca-o;.tt'is 
 anil olhcr aiuiiials. 'iluy hail Imiltii .stroii'j; f >rt, contrary to tho wislns if 
 X\w natives, who hail notuiihst.iiuliiig uiiiiilintLil thi'iiiHclvcs in a pi'accahlo 
 iiiaiiiior, proliahly .awoil liy tho .superior jiower of iho iiivatkrs. Mucli to 
 thiii' (liscruilit, tho Itussiau.s did not adopt tho s.inio oouciiiatory oonduct, Inifc 
 on .sonio real or pretended su.s])iiions of a couspiiaey, pursued t!io most ;:iii- 
 };uiiiarv eour.so t'lWard theso people, sonieof wlmni weio massacred, and othc.s 
 Hilt int.) captivity to K.idial; J.ilaud. Stimuhilt'd to reven;;u lij' tlio loi^s i f 
 friends and relatives, and lindiii;,' their stores of wealth, and almost of Bul).-i-;i- 
 ence, bei/el liy slrangi rs settled amon;jst tliem emilrary to their ^^ijhes, lli.' 
 natives foiinid a plan to att.ick the fort, and eitiiert'Xieiaiinate theiropprc-s- 
 ois at a liliiw or ])eris!i in the attem]it. They succeeded, got possessinn of 
 t!io f lit l)y surprise, and instantly put to death t^evi lal men in tho ;rarrisnu. . 
 Previoiis to thi~i, the shiji Jniiii/, of I'mston, had l)e('n at Norfolk Sound, 
 where seven of the men deserted and took refairc with the liassian.s. T!;i) 
 n.'tives knew this, and willin.; to m;di(; ii just di.iiinction hetweeii tlio;;o whom 
 <hry considered as eommerci;d friends and thiir arliitrary op]M'c.s.sor.«, iluy 
 .'■out a mcs.sa^jo reipipstili;.? the Americans to niako ihem a friendly vi'iit pt 
 their village. Six of them accepted tho iuvit-ition; the other was out wiia a 
 
DIFFERENT VERSIONS. 
 
 409 
 
 ordered to 
 a cotistuiit 
 he Koli).sri 
 1 wound* '.!, 
 llrd a i\'\v 
 ted a littlr. 
 Limimnitio'.i 
 and to get 
 ^•li the celi- 
 vheu lluiK.s 
 in;^ smoke, 
 the women 
 J afterward 
 on, and th-- 
 ,0 hasemeiit. 
 it and were 
 inot'S whleh 
 o llussians 
 iire (h'ove 
 erced with 
 
 lint (if Sturpis 
 lie iafi(nii;iti')U 
 
 I'.S (jf thilt il.'lV. 
 
 kvl to ttll tiio 
 ;imcli;itl;;i hail 
 li.isiiiiiH aii'l 7*'" 
 llin^' ac;i-()Ltfis 
 tlio wialu 3 I I 
 ill ii pcacc;il>lc 
 Lra. Alucli to 
 jy comlucf, liiik 
 t!io most ; .'i;!- 
 |((1, ami oilic -t 
 
 [liy tlio los;i ( f 
 
 ist (if Biibsi--;- 
 ir wiilics, t!i} 
 |tliiii'f'ppvc?s- 
 ji()r;scpsii>u if 
 o (rarrisnu. . 
 irfolk Souml, 
 lissiaiis. T!;-! 
 
 |) tllDKC \v!lO!!l 
 
 ircssor.i, llicy 
 iiidly vi-ir i)t 
 xa out wiia a 
 
 Wlien all was over, the witness was taken to the 
 winter village of the Kolosh, where she was treated 
 j!s a slave. ])uring her presence th(>re, a niessenL>,.i> 
 was captured, ironi whom the savages learned of the 
 ft|>})roach of a large Aleutian hunting party under 
 Ivuskof. An armed force was sent to overtake and 
 
 ] irty of Kacliak natives huntinr. Whoa tlicy aiTivod at tho villii"o, tlic 
 
 i idiaJis coiiumuiioiitLd to lliciii llieir (losi^'u.s, aiil nuiK'stfil tla 
 
 ir a.s: I aaiic-e, 
 
 Tliii thoy ilccliiud {.'iviiiL', ami 
 
 tlu'ii ns.sLiri'il tliat no injury ilioiild In 
 
 oil'i'K'l t > tlieni, l)iiL \V(-To at tlie siinio tiini; iiil'orin(jil tliat liu'V 
 
 lid hi; (le- 
 
 taiut'il at tlio villa;,'e to picvcnt any infoiniaiiou \n:iwj i:\vi » to thu Uiia.siaii.i 
 
 ( f v.Iiat 
 
 inUuiiIcil. From tlio tiini! of tlicir sue 
 
 iful attiKk on t'lo 
 
 lIii.isianH, thu Iiiilian.s constantly ])rotioteil and Siuppliod t'lo Am(;iican.s uniil 
 t .vo Aiiii;iicaii aud (Jiio English ship anivod, alioul twenty d.iys lat(.r. Thi y 
 v.rc! tiii'ii ]>cnnittpd to po wliero they chose.' Tiii.s poriioa of St-.n-f^in' naira- 
 t;,i! is partly conliniicd hy tliu mention of oiiu Eiiglislimaii as lia\ in ; perislicd 
 ■\.ith tli<3 lliissians, in t'.uj narrative of the widow J,iheilef: 'Sueli eoiKh'.e'u 
 t 'warils their countrymen merited tho most friendly return oii tlio part 
 of the Auieric;iMS, and policy as well as juslieo foil)ado any attempt to 
 .•iveii','(! tho cause of tlio J'.Uisians; but unfortunately the men an. I oiiicd'.s \\( ro 
 of ii (lilierent oiilnion. lam inclined to KU])poso tliat tliey \\ei'o in tliis iu- 
 btaiico too much inliuoneed by tho niastc of tho Eiiijii.sh ship, \\lio was in- 
 duced from niotivesof interest to take partwitli tho llus.-iaiis. llr \v;:s lior.iid 
 fir Ivadiak, and knew that whatever prisoners mii^lit Iio re:(cueil \\ luhl bo for- 
 v.arded in his ship. This ho expected would iii;,'raliato him with tho li.is- 
 si.iiiM, and procure him commercial advantages with them. At ii incelin' of 
 
 ,(lli.' 
 
 ersot the dinerent vcs.sels, it was( 
 
 det( 
 
 dt. 
 
 1 seixe the native eliieis 
 
 v.lio were alon;,'.nde in tho most friendly manner, and to keep them as ho. L. 
 n 'i :' until tho Kadiuk women and other jirisnuers on hhoro were deliverecl up. 
 lapui.nianco of this resolve, several natives wliocluiiieed to bo on t la; deck were 
 i ::)!( (liately jsecnred, and an atteiujit was male to «ei/.o tlioso in the- eano -s, 
 V. u ) however lied to tlu! shore. They were tired on from thoshijis. and to the 
 eViual diaifiaco of t!uir civilised vi-itonf, luimliers were killed. . .1 ho en[ilivo 
 eliicfs were now told that unless all tho prisoners on slioro wire delivi red 
 U]'. they must expect no mercy. One of tho natives atteiiiptcd to escape, but 
 faded, and in llio altemiit was slightly woundcil. ilo %vas immeiliatcly k,in- 
 gled out us a propi'r object f>ir vengeance. After a moc!;-tiial, lie w.u placed, 
 in was the custom in naval executions, on a jrun on tlio forecaslle with a lial- 
 
 tir from the yard-arm -iroiind his neck. TIi' 
 
 lired. 
 
 i I tlie smoke of it.' Mr Stii 
 
 IS itiTo ni( 
 
 lull 
 
 nd lu!.s'.rnn;,' up 
 res III a (UscussKui of tuo atroci; v 
 
 ;un we.slire 
 d 
 
 (f l;llliii'.j 'peaee;d,lo Indians,' and inserts a tipreeli siipposeil to have been 
 iiiado by tho coad'aine I s iva ,'e. which woal 1 do honor lo the liciitiotis red- 
 v. allied iierocs of Coojier in i)otli eloipienco an.l lo^ie, .-'nd then continues: ' I 
 vo before observed that this f-jieech hid no eli'e( t. 'Iho man was executed. 
 
 .'.fur 
 
 t':eE 
 
 several days, soni'^ of tho Kadiak 
 
 k pns(.ini IS were lilierated, patoii biai 
 
 d 
 
 ngli.sli vessel, (I'vd smt to their loraier jilaeo ot lesidenee 
 
 X< 
 
 .M^ 
 
 e (/f tho seed ad Aliierie; 
 
 l.t-l'l. I have not 1; i able to discover tie; nam 
 
 \. s-el, bat have conviiKed myself that Mr Slurgis was not well inlormed as 
 
 to this oecurrcnc(>, and that the jtretendeil speech is pure invention. 
 
 iaiiskv, ill his st iry of the Sitka, massacre, says: 'Among the ns.snilauta 
 
 i.is 
 
 V ij t'.rco seamen be! iii.,'iiig to tho United t<tates, who, havin 
 
 rted fr 
 
 laeirship, had entered into the service of tho iJussiaiis, and tlieii look part 
 dust tlieni. Tlieyo double traitors W( re among tlio most active in tho plit. 
 
 'i.i V Contrived eonibusliblo wads, which tliey !i .hted, innltliri 
 
 th 
 
 hiiiiilin.'S where th( y kiu'W tho inuipowder was kept, which took tire and 
 \.e;c blown 11^), Every jiei-aou who was found iu tho fort waa jiut to de.iili. 
 
 "t. 
 
410 
 
 THE SITKA MASiSACRE. 
 
 tlestroy tlieiii, but tlu-y rutiiniLNl witlitnit liavin<» 
 accoiijidisliod tlu'ir oliii'c,',, AIUt uiaiiv davs the 
 willow J^cln'ilel'aiul tu(» naiivc wuiiit'ij, tittr^.thcr willi 
 
 flft' 
 
 a-ottor skins stnlcn fVom tlio Ilussiaii 
 
 s, wore 
 
 ]»la(.'r<| (»M hoard an English sliij* and finally brounlit 
 to Kadiak. While on \iv.v way to the ship in a eanor, 
 a savage seated eloso hy the woman whispered to her 
 that diirinj^ the attack ui)on Kuskof's luirty only ten 
 natives had heen kilK'd. 
 
 On account of tlu' inipo!'tance (»f the event, I «;ivc 
 one more nari'ative of the massacre, that of 13aran<>l's 
 hioL^i-apher, Khh-hnikof, a patient investigator, thou;^'h 
 t)f course somewhat hiased in favor of liis count ry- 
 nu'n. Hi' relates that "on Sund;iv, the ISth oi" iDtli 
 
 o 
 
 f J 
 
 unc 
 
 after dinner, ^ledveduikof sent off a f 
 
 e\v 
 
 men to fish, others to look after the nets in the rivei', 
 and sonie of the women went to the woods to pick 
 berries. Onlv fifteen Ilussians remained in the «>arri- 
 son, restinuf from their labor without the slightest sus- 
 j>icioii. A few of these and some of the wt)men werij 
 
 o 
 
 ut>i«le of the barracks. 
 
 'The Kolosh women livinir with the Russians had in- 
 
 lonnc 
 
 d tl 
 
 leu' coui 
 
 itrvmen, not onlv of the numlu'r < I" 
 
 people in the garrison, but of all i)recautionary meas- 
 ures and means of defence, and the Kolosh chose a 
 hoiidav foi- the attack. Tlu'V suddeidv emerged 
 n(»iselessly from the shelter of the imj)enetrable foi- 
 
 ai 
 
 ined with ijfu 
 
 ns. 
 
 ^pe 
 
 irs. an< 
 
 I dag 
 
 r-'ers. 
 
 Tl 
 
 ifir 
 
 laces were covered with masks re[)resenting the heads 
 
 Xot content with this, the Sitcnns Jisppi-scil in search l>oth of Rnssiaiis ;iii 1 
 Alriits, and iiail many oppoi-tunitios of exorcisinj,' tlicir barUirity. 'i "^^ > 
 Rus:>ian.s in particular wcro put to tlio most cxcruciatinij torture. 1'iio ]ila. i' 
 was Ko ri<-h in mcrcluuuli.'so, tliat two tliousiind st-a-otter skins aiul otii. ;• 
 artiilcs of value wcro saved hy the Sitcuns from the contlagration.' Ic/., 
 'Jl'J -.tt, London ed., 1SI4. 
 
 I>avid<>f siys: 'At tlie station there lived several sailors who had desertrd 
 from !v raited States ship anil had heen allowed to stiiy and work for tin ir 
 suhsisteii' e. These made joint cause with the sava^'es, set lire to the bir- 
 nicks, and lircu upon the llussiuns at thu time of the attack by tho Kolosh.' 
 Ijviil.r, ii. iii. 
 
 *That idl the narrators of the events just decriljed are in error as to dato 
 is evident from liiiranof's own diary, in which it is stated tliat the C'/iiVo/"** 
 arrived ut KadLik on June -Uh. 
 
KHLEr.MKOFS TESTIMONY. 
 
 411 
 
 ^viniieii wore 
 
 (if animals, and snwarod with ifd and other paint: 
 llii'ir Iiair was tied up and powderi'd with eagle down, 
 SiMUO of the masks were shaped in imitation of I'ero- 
 (ions animals with t^leaminij: tei-th and of monstrous 
 Ix'iuLjs. Thoy wore not observed until they were eloso 
 to the barracks; and the people louii.jing about tlio 
 door had barely time to rallvand run into the bnildin;^ 
 V. hen the sa values, surroundiiii^ them in a moment with 
 wild and savaj^e yells, opentd a heavy fire iVoi;, (iieir 
 gnns at the windows. A terrific uproar was ciMitinued 
 in imitation of the cries (»f the animals represented 
 by their masks, with the object of inspiring greater 
 terror. 
 
 " Medvednikof hail only time to hurry down from the 
 upper story, and bravely atrmipti'd to repulse the 
 sudden attack with the twelve men at his disposal. 
 ]>ut th(^ wailing of the women, and the frightened 
 cries of the children, added to the confusion, and 
 !;t the same time nerved the defenders to do their 
 utmost. The assailants broke into the door of the 
 \estibule, cut through the inside door, and kept up a 
 w ild but continuous fire. Finally the last door of the 
 barracks was broken in, the last weak barrier which 
 lirot(H'ted the besieged, and in the savages poured. 
 Suddenly the I'eport of a cannon was heard. Those 
 within range threw themsi>lvi's tlown. while others ran 
 away in terror. A few mi>re well directed and rapid 
 discharges, and it might have been possibbi to frighten 
 away the enemy, who were mimerous but cowardly. 
 The bold defenders Medvfdnikof, Tumakof, and 
 Sliashin were killed, and others daiiLierously wounded. 
 Thewoinen in the upperstory,cra/ed by fright, crowded 
 v.ith their children to the trap-door over the stairway. 
 Another cannon-shot was heard, ami the trap-door 
 gave way. The women were precipitated into the 
 street, and in a moment were seized aiul carried olf 
 to the boats." 
 
 iNIeanwhile the savages had set fire to the building. 
 'The llanies increased," continues Khlebnikof, "in the 
 

 « 
 
 I 
 
 !;! 
 
 SI f 
 
 ii 
 
 412 
 
 Tirr: t-ttka massacrr. 
 
 ii{)|)or story of t'lc iKiirjieks, and tlio rtus;sians still 
 li^htiii;^ tlioiv, Mjd'x'atcil in I lie dciiso sniokt; and 
 licat, jinnpL'il (Voin the balcony li> tlic j^n'onnd, in tlio 
 liojx; (if ^^alnin;^' tin; slicltcr of the wooils. Jjuttho 
 (•nrai^c'd Kolosli rushed after flioni willi hidcons criL-, 
 tlirust tlu'ir lancos tliroir^h tlioin, and drajjfi^ed tlic;a 
 al)()ut for Ji lon;^ tinio to increase their sufierini^, and 
 tlicn, with cnrses and foul abuse, slowly cut olF tlie 
 heads ot'the dviii'' men. 
 
 "Skaoushleoot, the false frieiid of Ilaranof, w!i > 
 had been Jiamed !Mikha"il )f by the Kussians, stood at 
 the time of the attack U])on a knoll o|tpo,site the 
 a;^ent's house, and havin;^ given the si;.^nal for the at- 
 tack, shouted to the canoes with terrible yells to ha-;- 
 ten to the slaughter. Amid tierce outcries, about 
 sixty of these instantly appeared round tlie point, 
 tilled with arm"d men who, as soon as they landed, 
 made a rush for the barracks. The number of assai!- 
 
 n 
 
 mts may be estimated, wilhout ex;i'jjgei-ation, at over 
 thousand, and the few bt;ive defeiidei-s could not 
 
 long hold out against them. The}- f '11, struck with bul- 
 lets, daggei's, and lances, amid the tlames and in tor- 
 ture, but with honor. They were sacrificed ibr their 
 counti'y. The hordes of Kolosh then poured intoth" 
 np|)er story, and carried away through the smoke an I 
 flames furs, trading goods, and articles belonging to 
 the murdered men, throwing them to the ground ovir 
 the balcony, while others seized the booty and car- 
 ried it off to th<j canoes. In the mean time, not only 
 the bai'racks, but the connnander's house, tlie wart- 
 house, and other Ituildings, as well as a small vess* I 
 just completed, had been burned; and as the flames, 
 fam\ed by the wind, leaped upward amid the unearthly 
 howls of the mad. huirviuLr s. 
 
 •res. 
 
 tl 
 
 ic 
 
 hid 
 
 ecame indeous and awe-ms[)irn)g, 
 
 spei 
 
 .'tacl 
 
 "When the massacre occurrcMl the chief manager was 
 at Afognak Island; but on hearing that Barber had 
 »J/(ir(r. /«■/. /.W-. Z/*>., 4G-7. 
 
A\ i:X!:iJ-:ir p:!:lantii::opi>;t. 
 
 413 
 
 ].r<»U''lit ^vitll liim tliivc liiHsiaiis, t 
 
 wo 
 
 W'uU 
 
 au( 
 
 I 
 
 ti'^lih'cn \v(»i!it'ii Nvlioin Ik; liad ivscucd lV'>m (ho 
 ICdlosIi at SiflvM. ]\v retiini<(l in all liasto to Kadiak. 
 Iiist<'a<l <»r laiitliiiLf till' rchvisfd luisoiu'i-s at oiicrf, 
 ( 'ajitain liarluT, under l!n! idoa tliat tliorc was w;;r 
 l)otWfon ICnulaiid ;tnd ]iussia, cleared Ills deck>! I'>r 
 artioii, ])i('j)ared his twenty jifuns for service, and 
 jiniied liis men. At the s.mie tinio In,' declared th.it 
 iVeni motives of hunianily he had rescued the [)rison- 
 crs IVoni the hands of savai:es, fed and clothed them. 
 
 •IK 
 
 I noi/le(.-tcd his basin 
 
 ess 
 
 anc 
 
 1 ho d 
 
 eman( 
 
 led 
 
 :is com- 
 
 an cquiva 
 
 dent 
 
 ji'iisatioii 50,000 rouhles in cash, or 
 ill i'uis at prices to Ix; fiKcd liy himself l^ai'aiiof 
 1 armd, however, that JJarlx r had not only pai.l no 
 ransom, i»ut had even aj)|)i'opriated a lai-jjfo nuiniier of 
 
 luid rohhel ih 
 
 f-ca-otter skms ot \vliich the sava'^es jkkI r(>i)!)e i me 
 Kiissian ma^xa/ino. J lis ojdv exiieiisc had heen in 
 ciothintr the captives, and feedin'^ them on the w;«\' (o 
 ICadiak. ^J'lie demand was of couise refusetl, v.here- 
 i;pf»n the captain threatened to use force if it were not 
 sntislied within a month. Ijaranof was souKnvhat dis- 
 concerted, lie was without news Iroiu luirope, and 
 vnawai'o of any «leclaration of war, hut he [U'ejiared 
 Lis .settlem'-'iit ior defence as I'ar as lay in his p iwer, 
 ai'd remonstrate<l with IJarher on the injustice ol' his 
 <-laiins. At last, after much ha'L>L,din^' iind re]nate I 
 threats on the part of the J^nu'lishman, a connn'omiso 
 was arrived at, and the Lrilish philanthro|iist de- 
 jMi-ted after reeeiviuL,' furs to the value of 10,000 
 
 i<> 
 
 ul.l 
 
 
 es. 
 
 The lo?H of Fort Sv !^^ikhal■l was a heavy Mow to 
 llie liusslans. Baranof saw at <mce tliat his plans 
 ior an advance heyond Silka to the eastward must he 
 ahandoned until the Russians had been avenged, and 
 
 * /}"rniio/, Cnrrf^pondevrr, MS., iO-I. .Sturt^is innkcs no mention of tlio 
 captaia'8 ik-nuinil for <uinpen'--a;i()ii, iind i)r(il);il)ly liiiiw iii)t!ii;i:; i.hoiit it, 
 t'niiigli it is iiiuntionetl liy iiUtlic IcailinL; autlioi-itii's. Klildinikof f-tatcs that 
 laranof tcxik .1 ri'ccipt from tin* captain in oiilcr t'J explain liis acliun to tiio 
 Ili:;a«iuu Auiurican Loinpany. Shiz.i, Linnniova, 70. 
 

 
 'I 
 
 414 
 
 TnE SITKA MASSACRE. 
 
 to do (his he felt liiiiiself powerless. Ilis loss in men 
 had been considerable, and in property enormous. 
 JMoreover, lie knew not in what light the misfortune, 
 oceuriing as it did dui'ing his absence, would l)e 
 viewt (I by the company. 
 
 I^efore the close of the year matters assumed a 
 brighter aspect. On the 13th of September the inig 
 AI(\C(fii<h' arrived from Okhotsk, and on the 1st ( f 
 November the brig Elizairta un<ler Lieutenant 
 Khvostof, the two vessels having on board a hundred 
 and twenty hunters and laborers, and an immense 
 stock of i)rovisions and trading gooils.' 
 
 By the Klizavetn Baranof received secret instruc- 
 tions from the managers of the company,'' that were 
 of considerable im|)ortance, as they touched on j)oints 
 that subse(|uenlly arose between the? governments of 
 Russia, England, S[)ain, and the United Stat(\s, in 
 I'egard to tei'ritoiial claims. He was directed to push 
 forward his settlements to the aath parallel, to lay 
 claiui to Nootka Sound, and to establish i'orts ami 
 garrisons," with a view to obtain from the English 
 government a settlement of the boundary question." 
 All exploitations to the northward were to cease 
 meanwhil<\ unless the advance traders of the company 
 should come in contact with Englishmen, in whicli 
 case a line of posts must be constructed. Hi; was 
 
 ' Hariiiiitf now lonrnod fnr tlie first tinio tlint liis nM enemy Ionss.Tf Iml 
 ju'tislii'il on liDiiril till! /'Vnt/l'x, with the crow and iMiuiiengers, imnil)fring liO 
 sonl^. 
 
 *Tlii> original inMtrni'tiims li.ivti been prcaorvi'd in the nrdiivcs of the Hiis- 
 BJiin .\nii:rii^-in C'lnipany, nnw deposited in tlio di'imrtinuut of utato in Wasli- 
 invfon. 
 
 " If niitiv(M (di-cady occupird tlio most conveniniit sites, TJnrnnof wan ji r- 
 niittcd to form prttlenient-t at the Hjuno iiointo, proviilcil lie ol)t;iined tli ii' 
 consent liy juirclm^ie or liy niakinjx pU'sents. In Til:lim<ii<'l\ Isinr. oln.--.. i. 
 IIT-l'v is ;i list of till' fortilied HtatJKnsofiMiiiicil liy tlio eonipiiny in ISO.'!, 'liny 
 we!'<" 1\m1v<' ill iiJiiulM'r, imd included, besides those at I'avlovsli mid'rhfcj 
 Saints, three on llio ;,Milf of Kenni' I5iiy- forts St (t'or^'e, St I'anl, iiihI St 
 Xieholas two in the ( 'hii^'iitseh territory- one named |''ort Constantiiie an I 
 Helen at Niuliek, :uid tlie other at I'ort I)elarof two on Vakiitat InIV. ati I 
 one eaeliatC'ape St l'".lias, Afojiiiak Island, mid Capo Kenai, the hist hiin ' 
 named I'ort .Mexander. Most of them wens arined with three-pounder jiivi I 
 L'lins, and \\ it!) duo precautions were xtruug enough to resist tlio attackb < f 
 hostde natives. 
 
 "At tliL- oOtii parallel, if pwsible. 
 
 SW,.* 
 
INTERNATIONAL MATTERS. 
 
 m 
 
 Qss 111 mm 
 
 onorinous. 
 
 nisfortmH', 
 
 would l)c 
 
 assunio(l a 
 er thu l)ii,:^' 
 the 1st .'.f 
 Lieutenant 
 a hundred 
 II innnense 
 
 •ct instrne- 
 ' that were 
 il on ]iolnts 
 rnnient-^ <il" 
 I States, ill 
 ted tt) jiusli 
 idlel, to lay 
 I'orts and 
 lie English 
 ijueslion." 
 ;e to ceasu 
 le company 
 n, in wliieh 
 111; was 
 
 liny lonssaf liml 
 niiial)criiig I'O 
 
 lives of llic Itim- 
 MtlltO ill Wusli- 
 
 JiiraiKif wiiH ]). r- 
 I' (il)t;iincil til 'ii' 
 
 /.s/l.;\ 0/)n,s'., i. 
 
 ■ill lS():t. Tiny 
 kivsl; iiiiil Tlivcj 
 It I'liul, mill .'^t 
 |i>nst;ilitilio iiikI 
 lkiit.it I'liy, iiti'l 
 
 till! last lifiii.; 
 
 -)K)Uiiil('r iiivi t 
 I tlie iittaciib I'i 
 
 instructed to avoid disputes as to boundary lines, and 
 sliould tliov beeome unavoidaI>l(>, to declare that, while 
 insistiui; on the riirhts of Russia, he was n<tt author- 
 izetl to tr<>at on such a suhjiM-t, and that the govern- 
 iiie!it of Great Britain nuist address the tzar dii'ectly.'^ 
 
 The instructions then touch on the political chani^es 
 which had occurred in ]']urope. Baranof h^ar-ns lor 
 the tirst tinio that "the French nation had heen 
 uiiiversall}'' acknowledged as a repuhlic, that the wise 
 administration of the iirst consul had eut an end to 
 thu sheddini!f of blood, and that a universal ])eaco had 
 been declared." Little did (he managers of the Rus- 
 sian American Comjuiny dream how soon this miiver- 
 .'^al peace would 1x5 followed by Austerlitz and Fried- 
 land. Allusion is also made to Nelson's app(>aranco 
 ill the Baltic after the battle of CopenhagiMi; and 
 though harmony was now restored between J*]ngland 
 and Russia, Baranof is cautioned that such misunder- 
 standings might arise again, and is ordered to collect 
 all the furs gathenHl at Favlovsk and its vicinity, or 
 to ship them to Siberia without delay. In future a 
 naval officer was to be sent A\ith each ti-ansjtort to 
 tak(: chai'ire of tli(.> vi'ssel on the return vova'''e. 
 
 With regard to th(> navi<jfator Shields, t!ie man- 
 ngers write that, "though they hav(> no reason to 
 doubt his zeal, his kinshi[) with the l*]nglish may lead 
 him to act to their a<l\ ■ n1ag(>, and th(M-efore adviso 
 Baranof to use every precaution, jo watch his every 
 ste]),an(l to keep t lie iioardinformed.endeavoiingattho 
 same time not to iriitiite him with suspicions, and n<»t 
 only to abstain from the slightest provocation of a 
 (juarrel with him, buttc treat him kindly and ply him 
 with promises of nnvard from the govei'imient and 
 jx'cuniaiy ri'cognition i'roni the company, in order to 
 attach him the more lirmly to the l\ussians. and that, 
 under the fatherly rule of his im[)erial Majesty, this 
 
 "Tim inannt^cni remark that in ]'nii-n>iri'r\i J'n/n;/*' it i« Htatod tliiit minio 
 "f llaraiidt's trailirs luid ^^ivcii cliartrt uf tlio llutuiuu voyugua to tlio Knglish, 
 unci fuiljid uiiy rojiutitiuu of tlim iiraclicu. 
 
 
jl 
 
 "I 
 
 •ilG 
 
 TIIK SITKA MASSACRE. 
 
 rort'iu;iii*r may fcil to tin- fiillrsi i-xtciit flic Mossiness 
 of liis liuu, and see no ruasoii to Hoek his I'ortiuu; clsi.'- 
 V. Iicrc. 
 
 In conclusion, l>aranof' is cnjoiiUMJ to maintain pcaco 
 and i;()od fiH-linLf anioiiL;' all, as a necessary condition 
 to the success of tiio i^rcat and jn-omisin^ cntcrjii-iso 
 on wliicli till" ctMnpany lias jnst entered. The execu- 
 tion of all j)lans is left to him as chief nianaLjcr of the 
 Iviissian American [»ossi'ssions, "under (!ie lonviciioa 
 that he will <levot(! his streu'^'fli and lahors to the 
 servicv" of llie emjtcvor, and tliu.s make known his luinie 
 in liussian history." '^ 
 
 l''i'om l^nalaska also had come cr'>f>d news, thoU'^h 
 not unmixed with e\ 11 (iilin^s. In May tin; councill "• 
 liamicf'''" arrived willi inlelli'j^ence that the Tlussia.i 
 American Company had o!»tained a new charter a;i I 
 fresh [»rivile!;-is. Jjaranof had lu'en a[)j)()inted a sharc- 
 holdci', and hy pi'i'mission of <he emperor Alexander 
 was allowed to wear llu; L;()ld medal of (he order ■>{ 
 St A'ladimii", pi'e\i;>usly Itestowed on him l<y l*aul 1. 
 The day on wliicli he heard of his advancement li • 
 counted a.s one of the happiest of his lil'e. " I went 
 
 At 1 
 
 '•Ibraii'if i,s informed thnttlio govornmi-nt liad views oonoprnin;' Anicric.v 
 tlir.t must !"• lii'jit ii jnofmiinl Hi'cfct, iiinl is iiistnu'lcil to fifiwl lii i i(c's]iatc!ir:» 
 (liifci III till- l>i>;ir.l"f m iiiM ;'crs, iii'-tcjul (.f tlu'i uj^Ii ilipjnitlinir icsiit Oklints!;, 
 with wliiiin iiiiMtcn't wiis Kite. As ii iironi of tliis, accipy <>f S/irtihi'j'M Trni' I* 
 \\n% I'li'l.i.-H il, wliii'li i'iiiisi.i!('il iiiiTiIy > t' lii< i'liiniai, ]i:'«'SL'iit('il cunfuli'iilinUy 
 to tlio j^'.jvciii'ii' of f-iljiriii, i:ii I nil liis rciniiv.;! Mtnlfii fi^ni tlu' I'lnini'lfy, .'in I, 
 c'lintrnry to tin) vvi-ilics iif tlio <li'cc;»scil, priiiti-cl iii Moscow, tliiis cxiidbIm^ 
 Htiiii' a('iTct«, r«ii''fially liio loc:ilioii (,i UiMits fliimiii:.! p. niaiMsioii of tin 
 uoiiiitry f •!• llnssi.'i. l>;ir:iir f is oiiliir.l (,) caiiic tlu- iiuiuciliafc n inoval if 
 tlu"-o tjil'ict'i toBUuli ]i(.iiit.s as lie may se)(H<f, iiiiil in futnn^ to iiiMrcs:* cncry- 
 tliiiij^ III rlainiii:,' to <iiMooi( ric'< diivi't to llu' maiia^iTs, in ^<lll•(•ial ri'imrt •, 
 lii;:rk(.'il 'R t'nt.' Tln' iVciimcnt is si ;iu(l liy tho (lir<i-tor.< Miiiliail IVi'ilaUit, 
 Kiistralt) h'iai'of, ami Iva-i SlH'liliuf. ainl .ipprovi'il liy ii coiumitt'O of f';- 
 (iliarcIri'.'Uv.iii-- xmlilcil at tliooiiiccof tliemiiii.sturnf iMjininiTco, L'ouut Xiliol i 
 I'oiiovii'li ltnminnt:"'f. 
 
 '•"Ivan Ivaiiov iiii r>iiiiiier li.-ul liccn formerly in tho piivornmeiit service ii 
 tho pr;iviii(''> of JrUiit 'U ;i I iiovi'iri.il iti-iiiectir in /^umIh ivcvsk. On leaviii ; 
 til'' service, he w.is ctt'Taj^erl liy the coitiiiaiiy to proceoil to |?eiiii|! IJav witU k 
 1 oloiiy <>i a'^ricnlMirists. 'I'lu! vesstel w.is injureil loi llu) voyare, an 1 detain' 1 
 for nearly a year on oiie of the l{iiiilc I lands. At rmiliidui tho vessel v t 
 ii;'! ill d. tiiiiK il liy l.ati'nof, and a i I'le jilan of a nettlemeiit in tlwit, rej.''on h:i I 
 li.en ahalld iiied, IJalilii r w aa or-Iercd f'» Kadiak, where he leiiiaiind llir I 
 his death in IH|((. Ho was favoraMy iniiitioned hy i,aii),'Mloi'ir, IN'zan-i'', 
 L'ain|ilH'Il. and oilier visitoi'H lo tlic iiiliitid duiing liin rcsidiiacii thvru uf IhuIvj 
 ycar». //., (W. 
 
HONORS FOR RARAXOP. 
 
 •117 
 
 l)lossin'Lrs 
 ,11 no C'lsi;- 
 
 ;»in jiotjco 
 
 (■ollditioil 
 
 •ntoi-pri.-'! 
 Ill' exrcti- 
 
 rt'l' of the 
 
 ■oiivirlin.i 
 
 I'S to tll't 
 
 , his nanio 
 
 •s, thou;4li 
 conncill '.' 
 ! llussinu 
 lartcr an I 
 •d a shni- - 
 (VK'xandi r 
 i> onliT '>f 
 V Paul 1. 
 I'lneut li ; 
 " I went 
 
 niii;? Anicri ■ v 
 
 li I il<'s]iati''.i I 
 I'Mit Olilutt-*':, 
 I.!:"J'k Ttiii' '< 
 
 .■..nfKK'iitinlly 
 li'iiii'i'lry, nil 1. 
 
 Aiwx cxi«)»iiu' 
 i.-iiiii >if t ■ 
 
 :<' ri inoviil ■ f 
 liMfi's.-) evcfv 
 
 H'OKil ri'ivTi , 
 
 iuil R'.r.l.U - . 
 
 iiiitt«-<» "f ' 
 'oimt Nik"! i 
 
 I'ut service • i 
 
 Oil li'iivi 
 ^if; Rjiy wit'i i 
 1nn>\(i<!ltiin I 
 
 \\0 Vf'SW'l V . 
 lt,r('f.''oll 1; 
 
 ■ ll.lUK >l «<l i 
 
 litr, ItczJin . 
 
 If 10 of 1*«1' 
 
 fo tlio harraclvs," lie says, "where thi.> iiupeiM il ordi .•; 
 and doeunu'iits conccrniiii' mv iJioinotioii wcro icnd 
 oiit, and also the new charter and privdeijes i,n';»iitcd hy 
 hi'^hest onh-r. 1'he undeserved favors whlcli <»ui' 
 t^ncat monaj'cli lias tliiis showen^l iii)on ine, ahnost 
 n\ ( rwhelnied nie. I |»rav'ed from the hottoni of my 
 ]i ,irt that (jrod's hlessiiiL,rs nii^'ht fall upon him. A-^ a 
 siii;dl token of my <;ratituile, I donated a thousand 
 MiiMes for the estabhshmeiit of a school here foi' the 
 ill truetiou of the children of the liussians and the 
 natives. On the occasion of this holiday I kilh'd a 
 sliccp which had heen on the island from our tir-t 
 srttl(Miient. What j^duttony!" 
 
 l-'rom Larionof, who had heen a[)pointed aLjent at 
 Knal.'iskii in 1797, the (.'hief inanaufer received letters, 
 ill which the condition of affairs was dc^picted in i^dooiay 
 (I'lors. Supplies of ijfoods and provisions were nearly 
 i \hausted,'* and no vessels had arrived; whili? scurvy 
 
 ' oth(^r disease's were playinj^ havoc anionic the 
 
 iiders and the few discontented hunters who still 
 remained. 
 
 It is prohahle that Baranof now proposed to nh.iii- 
 (li'ii this settliMU(!nt; lor in April l.S()3, lui ordtM-<'il 
 Mniner to sail for Fnalaska in the (>A/ff, and slii[> 
 tlii-iii-e, in the /'c/r // I'm/, all the men that could he 
 sjiared, the furs and tradin;^ nfoods in the Ktoreh(»UNc-, 
 liid all tht! provisions, except what were; n(>eded t > 
 supply the islanders until the next visit. He was t1i>ii 
 t'l take his hest seamen and jifoce(>(l for the hunt iir^ 
 si ason to the islands of St Paul and St Creori^e, wlil.!i 
 li.id not hei'ii \isited foi- many years, and where a \a-t 
 ii;i!nlterof skins must have heen accumulated hv the 
 natives. 
 
 At Kadiak also much dissatisfaction was cau-i d 
 uhout this tinje by a change in the relations hetweeu 
 
 " I<nn;.'t<iliiHT hiivm tint ilniiiiv; his nt.'iy "t l'imlii«kii, in ISO.I, Ijirinivf ii<- 
 *iiro(l liini tliiit for livo yi-ars lu! liml mjiiuiii tastitil luciul. Soiiu? tiiiif U't'.'io 
 111' li:iil |>n)(Miri'<l llvo or hIx ixtiiil-i nf in<'ul finiii Okirilnk. Ijiit only mt raru 
 • ' ' ixious WM \,i\'n,\ (ir pa.stry muilc of it. I'l'//., part ii. M. 
 UiKT, Alaska, il 
 
in 
 
 •lis 
 
 TUV. SITKA MASSACRE. 
 
 i\ 
 
 JO C()in[)nny and its (Miiplovoi 
 
 1 its 
 
 iritlurto allliad 
 
 !'t^- 
 
 CMMvod a share in (he prot-t'ods of t!i(> sale of furs in the 
 ]?iissian inarlct'ts, hut now payiucnt was inado for furs 
 jii'ocuivd in aecoi'danri' w ith apricc-hst niadoout hythc 
 iiianaijfors, witli<>ut iVLTard to ihictuations in value. ( )t" 
 course, in inakin;^ this arran<jjiMuent, tliey insured 
 theinselvea a-jcainst the j>ossihihty of loss, l)y fixin;^' 
 llieprif'cs below the inark(>t rates. (M>in|»laints mikI 
 ii-nionstranecs wi^ie frecjuent, and the hunters wcr.' 
 sorely aij^iLifri»!Vcd ; for a lew months hef n-e, JJaranot 
 had shipped on tlu> lllizitvcta the most valuahje ear^o 
 ever sent home to Russia, oonslstinu^ of 17,000 se.i- 
 otter skins, in addition to othtM's, re|)i'esen(in'jf iii all 
 a sum of not h-^s than 1,200,000 rouhles. The value 
 • if thisshipiut'iit will he the better eom[)rehended wli ii 
 1 >^tate thai tli<' earij^oes of the 77 privati; tradinjjf ves- 
 
 N« 
 
 L'ls which left tiie coast of Russian America betwi 
 
 I'll 
 
 the years 171.") and I SO;] were estimated as wortli 
 little more tlian ').(;oo.0()0 i)iastres;" while those of tli.- 
 seven ships beJou'Lii'ini.j tt) the Slielikof-( jt>likof (!oiti- 
 ]Mny. between 1780 ami 17'.)7, were valued at lesstii.ui 
 1.'J6o,000 j.iastres;!" and the 30 craft which sailed 
 from Alaskan ports in the employ of the Russian 
 American Company, between l7'.>Hand 1S2'2, had-ni 
 board, ajiait from other car^'o, only about 8(5,000 sea- 
 otter skins." 
 
 Fei^Iini;^ that lu> had now t^fiven tlie shareholders nt" 
 the company .a pi'oof of his ze^d iu their sei'vier, 
 
 '^Tlu'ir i'!U%'m'n iiu'liiilcil !)il,(M7 .Tu-ottiT Hitiiis, ."iS,(i|S hi'd -otter tiii'--, 
 •1I7.7''S liir-H.al sUih, I.(i:i7 oltii', lo.UI Ma.-k f<i\, I.'.. 1 17 hilvii- 1 .\-, 11,"!,; 
 i.'il fox, ami (iJ,;MI irf-fox skins, !>77 poinlH of wliali'ljiiiw, ninl 77- pnmli 
 <: waiiin tiKsks. Mii'i i-iii'id, lil"r. /■'.'•'-•., jiart iv. n|>l>., wlioroiv list, is uivii 
 of the iiaiiH'-i of m'n.scU ami tlu'ir eniiiiiiaiiilcrrt, iliu vatnaliou uf ciirgucH, nu<l 
 the ilati'4 of Hiiiliii);. 
 
 '"Iii.Imliii:,' l.".,(!l7«cii-oftorRkin8, I.l.nil scwottor tail"*, nO.C'lfl fiir-m- .1. 
 n,:'.(i'l ottT. I.e...'.") l.l.ick fiix, .'>,•-•■-'•-» Hh-i-rfox. .5,7<>» ro'1 f"N, (itHI ioo fo\, !.'S 
 Li'uvcr, mill 'JiM) H.iliji' nkiii'<. /i/., wIhto n i<iiiiil!ir list is jiivi'ii. 
 
 '• n.'si.l,H 7l,l:'.0 H.aott-T tills, l,7tl7,;U(> fur-s.Ml. l7,7t'>S ottir, 1.*>.II2 
 Itkn'k fix, '-'l,,">;i"inilv(r fov, .V>, iri(J ivl fox, .''i,i:U» wiiito i.o fox, l.i.lHU t'ny 
 iri'-fox, MSM licMViT, '.'.Cirii* liiar, \.^\\) lynx, l,'j;tl I'hittoii. .',ai!t mink. 
 I7.'.>-1 salili- hkiii.i, '.Vnll |hiii<N of whuliliiim'. ami I,U6'J pouiU of walni* 
 tUHk-i. /.f. 'l'!io valuation i.f tliorai„'"i'-' i-« iH)t yivcU. 
 
rilKPA RATION'S FOR VKN'CM.WCE. 
 
 410 
 
 ami nil oarnest of wliai Ik; iiii^lit accoiiijtlisli in tlio 
 liituiv, J]arauot' iV-lt at liln-rty to turn his thou'ulit.s 
 niK'o more to tliat tlioi'n in liis i\o^\\, tlio loss of 
 Sitka. In S(>i>ti'iMlH'r, ISO", In- sailrd for Yakutai 
 \. ith tlio iiitentioa oi' assfml)]inL;- tlurc tln> dillriTiil 
 liimtiiig parties oprratiiiL;" uikKi- Kuskof's suprriiitfiKl- 
 
 ciice, au( 
 
 Ith 
 
 ion i)rocoo( 
 
 linsj;' 
 
 r on nis iTi'ahc 
 
 lot' 
 
 Nonirt'anci.', 
 
 Ku.skof, however, persuadinl him that tliis j)lan was 
 i ii[>raotical>!e witlioiit tlu' aid ol'sea-^'oinL^ vessels; and 
 
 was conij)! 
 
 lied t 
 
 o hiidle Ins wrath anc 
 
 I let 
 
 urn {o 
 
 J\adiak, taking with him hut a small tjuantify ofi itt !• 
 skins as the result ofthe summer's opi-rations. ^leaii- 
 \.liilo Kuskot' was let"t at ^'akutat, with onh^rs to 
 I iiild two small sailinijf vessels and luivo tliem in 
 ivadiness lor the lollowinjjf year. 
 
 in Mareli 1804 the mate Uuhnof, of the company's 
 .-' I \ iee, arrived at Pavlovsk,*U)rini];in;^' intelliufenei' ot 
 \<\ one more distinction eonferi-ed on \\\e ehi(^f man- 
 ; ;er. lie was a[)[)ointed ]>y the enipt^'or to the ra ik 
 
 <'(»lleL,'iat(! c-ouneillor, and thus | 
 
 ilaeed 
 
 on a 
 
 Irvrl 
 
 V ith the proud olli(H>rs of tlu; naval service; who had 
 caused him no little trouhle. Uarjiiiof was dei-plv 
 atlceted, and tears courstul down his weather-luviteii 
 clu'(.'ksas he t^xelaimed: " I am a nohleman; hut Sitl;a 
 is lost! I do not care to live; 1 will l;'o and eitiiei'die 
 tir restore the i)ossessions of mv august lienefactor." 
 
 True to this declaration, he heuan at once to nial 
 
 \e 
 
 iiis tinal [(reparations for the comin;^ canipaiu;'n. As 
 usual, the natives hail to fui'nish a oitntinjj^ent, though 
 (•If years the settl(Mn(Mit had Ixmmi di'ained of ahle- 
 Itiilii'd men to rei-ruit the sea-otter parties, until then; 
 wci-i; barelv enouijjh left at home to provide f(»r the 
 \ lUiien and children. Three hundred hid;»rkas with 
 ;il»out eight hundre(l Aleuts, aiula hundri>d and twenty 
 Iliissians on hoard four small ships, lei't 8t Paul liai- 
 liiir un the 2d of A[)ril, under command of Demian- 
 
 '"Fi'om I'lialn.Hliii ill a liularka. He nailed fnuu Okh<it»U for Ka'liaU at 
 till' I'liiso nf lsu;{, ill iMiiiiiiaiicI 111 till' (nin-iiiiirt IhnHii, Imt was wiicUol on 
 tint ialund of Oiumiak. Tlio trcw uiul carj,'o wcro wivt'J. 
 
 
420 
 
 THE SITKA MASSACRE. 
 
 onkf>r, Ixmiul for the Sitka coast, by way of LodiaiKif 
 (Cross) Sound, and Baranof in person sailed two <liiy.s 
 later witli the sloops Ekaterimi and Alcxumlr, leavinn; 
 Banner in charge at St Paul. On arriving at Yak- 
 utat, he found that Kuskof had strictly obeyed his 
 orders, and that two craft lay on the shore ready to In 
 launched. The vessels were named the Yeri)iak and 
 tiie Uostldaf. 
 
 
CIIArTER XX. 
 
 SITKA IlKCAPTUUED. 
 
 lS03-i805. 
 
 The 'NAr)K<»nr>A' and 'Vrvv' S\ii, kuch Khon-stadt— Lrsivv^Kr ArtniVF<» 
 
 Al' NdUKilI.K S(ilM) IN TlIK '\j.Va'- llvllANtiK StIS KoltTII HU)M VaK- 
 I lAl— HlH NaHKoW KsfAl'K FIIDM Slill'WKKCK — Hk JoiXS FoUCKM 
 Wlllt LlSIANSKV — Kuril LKXS NKUoTIAIInSS — DkKKAI' <)K THK IU'S- 
 MA.NS—TlIK |•^^KTll^>S ll<i.MllAni>K.I> - AM> KvAC'lTAIEU UY TIIK SaV 
 
 AiiKH— TiiK Natives Masmaphk tiikiu CniLUREN— Lihiasskt 's Vimt 
 
 ■M KaMAK-IIiS l>f>« KII'IION oK THK Sl,l TI.KMKNTS— A Kol.OSll Km- 
 IlAvHY — A 1>INNKH I'aKIY AT NoVO AuKIUNOt^LSK— TU£ 'NkVAIJ' 
 lloMKWAUli VoVACIK— lllULtUdRAriir. 
 
 '{kfimik procrcdiiii::^ f'rtluT witli tlio narrntiv<^ <>(' 
 l>ai;iii()r's (nx'iiitioiis, it is lu'CCHsary tc» }^ivo noiiio ju- 
 (•f»uiit of Jiu ox|nMlititni wliicli huJ previously .sailed 
 IVoiii 8t IV'U'rshur;^^ While ho was yet siiuirtini^ iiiider 
 the loss iuHiete*! hy the .suva;jfes of Sitka, ami look- 
 ing,' ahoiit in vjiiii r<»r men and means to avenge hiniself, 
 a vuim'f naval olliet r in that eity was si'ttinu' in motion 
 a ehaiii of events that were; destined to aid iu the 
 a<rom|»lishn»ent of the ehiel" mana^rer's wishes. 
 
 huriiii,^ the years 17i)8-!), Lieutenant Kriisenstern, 
 • •t" the lliissian navy, sailed for ('ai. ton on l»(»ard an 
 lin;ilish merehanl vrssel, fnr the purpose of heeomin;^ 
 aeijUainti'd with the navi;^ati(in of the China Sea. 
 There he noticed the arrival of an Knj^dish trading' 
 ves.sil* from the American coast, ami the disposal of 
 her rarni'o of furs for (!0,()()<^ j)iastres. On his r'rturn 
 to liiissia, Krusoiisteni pre.sented a memorial to the 
 
 ' I'rob- 1,'/ Mcarca' ship. 
 
 (iai) 
 
,f( 
 
 f i- 
 
 I' . 
 
 if' :(i 
 
 J , 
 
 I; i 
 
 !§ 
 
 i 
 
 SITKA llKCAI'TUKKrt. 
 
 iiiiiiistrr of marine,^ propositi;^ the ili'spntcl) (lircr-t 
 IV.du Kroiistfult, to fli(! liussiaii Amcricjvii colonics ot' 
 two ships, fitted with all tlu> inatorial nc<'<l"'(l for tlu; 
 coiisli'uction and e(piipniunt of vessels, and havin<jf on 
 hoard a forco of shipwrights and skilled workmen, 
 and a .sui)ply of charts, instruments, and naiiti'vil 
 works. 
 
 The trade with China was then conducted Ity way 
 of Okhotsk and Kiakhta, thus (^ntailinii^ a loss in 
 time of more than two years with each cartro. If 
 suitahle vessels could he huilt on the American coast, 
 or Ihe adjacent islands, furs shi|)[)ed thence direct t.> 
 Canton, the procetnls expended in the [)urchase of 
 Chinese jjfoods for shipment to llussi;*, tlu* vessels 
 tonchin<x at Manila, JJatavia, or some port in the East 
 Indies to com[)lete their frei_i,dit, a commerce iniLcht 
 Ik; (U'veloped which erelonuf would pkun; the .Hussi;iii 
 v\merican Conijiany heyiMid the competition of th(j 
 J']n"4lish and Duteh I'^ast India comi)anies. 
 
 Such was Krusi nstern's jiroject; and though, .'h 
 he nays, thert; was nothinij novel al)out the iciea, i' 
 does not seem to liav(3 occurred to the manajjjers <i|' 
 the company. 'JMie memoiial nu-t with the' approval 
 (tf the minister of marine, who discussed the matter 
 with the minister of commerce; and within a low 
 months, the youuLfoihcer was summoned to St Peters- 
 Imrg, and, nuuh to his astonishment, itd'oi-mi'd that 
 the emperor had selected him to carry his own [)la:i 
 into (execution. 
 
 ( aptain jjisiaiisky, who had served with Krusen- 
 stern on hoanl the Mn^lish fleet durint^ the American 
 war of independence, was a]t[)oinled second in com 
 mand.and to him was intrusted tiie purchase ol'suitable 
 Vessels. Two ships, n-named tin.' \tii/('sli(/ii, or Ifo/n, 
 and the Acra, were secureil in London for .L'l7,0():i 
 
 ' All iilKtrnct iif tile riii'moriiil woh first |ir<'M'Mte<l toroiint Kn* lu'lff, w'? • 
 rctnnii i| II ilistouiiiyiiig aiiswir. Uii tliu uixfs.tioii <if AIcniuuIii I., Ailiin 
 Mui'iliv iniif \Mit4 ii]>|iiiiiiti rt minister (if in:i>'it!<', .iiiii <>>liiiii tlic ■'ii<'!iiti)'i;il \ ' 
 pri'Hriiti il ill .Itiiuiuiy IsOJ, wiili « favuruMi) iTiiult, Ki-u.ytiiiitirn''* Wnj, ,iyi. 
 
 V 
 
 Yuil'l, iiitroil. 
 
 I>. XXIX. -XXX. 
 
 ! !: 
 
n:i!m'.5't'^ " 
 
 !v tiflulirlpf , w!i'> 
 11 1., Ailiuir. 1 
 
 illtlllDl'i.ll W.'.l 
 
 KUUSKXSTKKN'S KXPEDITIOX. 
 
 42S 
 
 .stt-rliiii^, nnd an acMitioiial sum (tf .£."), 000 was iiiiiiie- 
 diatcly I'XpcmU'd for rt'[)nirs/'' On llu-ir arrival iit 
 jvroii.statit I'urtlier repairs wcro foiiiid iicL-t'ssarv, an I 
 it \va.s not until late in tho summer oi 1803 that tli"! 
 cxiH'ditiou was ready i*<>r sea. 
 
 Meauwliile Kruseiisterii was inroniuul tliat advaii- 
 t;l'^^-' would l>e taken ol' the oj)j)oi'tunIty to (h's|);itrh an 
 embassy to Ja[)an, with a view to oj>enin'_C the |)oits 
 of that country to Russian eonuneire. Jiczanol'was 
 
 'PI 
 
 )ointcd 
 
 imbassa< 
 
 lor 
 
 am 
 
 1 was inti'Usted with an 
 
 auton^i'aj)h letter addressed hy the tzar to tlie mikado, 
 ami with presents lor that di'^nitai-y. To lu'/.anot' was 
 probably due, in part, the favor witii which Krusen- 
 stern's j)rojeet was rej^arded, lor, as wo have seen, li ; 
 had gieat inlluenco at court. Moreover, the dowry 
 ol'liis wife, who had diijd soon after htr n)arria<4e, was 
 entirely invested in the stock of the Ivussian .Vnierieaii 
 Coinjjan}'. 
 
 Aljout a mo!ith before the departure of the (Wpedl- 
 tion, the conunandrr had the honoi" ol" i'( ccivin'^ tli • 
 t/ar on board his vessel. "The objcc; oi" his\i.--il,' 
 says Kruse'nstern, " was to sec the two .^iiiijs whie!i 
 were to i.'arry the JIussian llai;' f"r the lli'.-t lime round 
 the world — an event whirh, after a hundivd years' im- 
 |)rovemont in Russia, was reserved l"«>r tin.' ri;i,L,Mi nt 
 Alexander. lEe noticed evi-rythin;^ with the ^reat<i'>t 
 iitlention, as well with tlie shi]>s them-dves as v/itli 
 tlie dilferent articles which were brou-dit i\\)m YjWj:- 
 land for the voyage, lli; convirsed witli tin eoin- 
 nianders, and attended for some tiim' with ple-asuri' to 
 the Work which was ,L,^oini,^ on on board the ship.'"* 
 
 On the 7ta of August, exactly one ye;)i- after Kru- 
 senstern had received his appointment, the ves.^t Is 
 
 ^ I'i., .'J. 'ri!;liiiicti('f, lifor. tfhin., i. lis, fiiiys ;ii(! .V'cA ~',/'t w.n fiiirrli.-i-,' I 
 f 'r VJ,()'J4 ruul»lua, tiiiil tin; \vva for H!>,ill ! roiit)ii'M, iu jiaichintiit iiKHiL-y. 
 ■| licni! lij^mva iiro certainly iiiacuiiruti-, for (larcliiitciit luum-y was at u m ry 
 )iua\ y Uisoiiiint. 
 
 ' Kruat'iiMtcrn liiul imw uii ojiportiinity i.f tlmiil.iiit; tlu' t/.ar in piTsnn (it 
 ussij;niiij^ tn his witV, for twelve yoar.<, lln' iinium' nf iiii t-Miato umc.iiiitiii>,' to 
 I,."iii0 roiitiK'rt ;i year, iu urder, us llio niHMriii- Buiil, to ict lii^ lulutl jterfojlly 
 ot tasu Willi rotpui;! to iliu wclfmo ui liij I'ai.iily. /(/., I. 7. 
 
 
 
 I 
 
4JI 
 
 SITKA RECAPTURKD. 
 
 it'; 
 
 n 
 
 l:'^ 
 
 i ; :i 
 
 fviilf'l from Kronstadt, sui)|)lii.'tl with two or thrco 
 vrars' jtrovisions, and liaviiii;' on hoani a liini<lr«'«l ;ui(l 
 tliirty-iiiiii' persons. TIk' \rn( was jilaccd in <'luMm' 
 of Lisiansky, while on board tin- Xiith.slnlit were the 
 fonunander, tlic ainl>Jissador and his suite, tlie natui- 
 aH^t Laiii^sdoiff, and two sons of the counsellor Kot- 
 zi'IiiU', one of whom afterward heeame famous as an 
 e\i'l(»rer in tlie north-west.' 
 
 As only one; ship was all<»wed hy the mika<lo to «;ill 
 yearly at Japan," it was arraiiij^ed tiiat they shonl I 
 part eompany at the Saiulwich Islands, the Xojfcs/tdn 
 ^;lilinl; for Japan, thenee f )r Kadiak, ami aft«rward I'lr 
 Ivamciiatka, there to winter, whiK' the Xent sailtd 
 dir»<'t for the harbor of Three Saints. In the foUowln^j 
 summer both were to procee«l to Canton freighted 
 with fins, and after takin<^ in a eargo of Chinese 
 w:ii(s to return to Kronstadt. 
 
 Alter ealliui^ at Cojt^idiaijfen and Fahnoutli, the 
 vessels sailed for tlu,' island of Teuerilfe, and thenn' 
 f(»r Santa ( 'atliarina, on the cf)ast of Brazil, where they 
 were repaired and njlltted. Here disputes broke out 
 between the members of the emiiassy and the naval 
 •'ommanders, Kezanof attempt inLj to control the move- 
 nu nts of the expedition by virtue <»f his raiik and 
 soeial jtosition. In Aj)ril 1804 the two ships rounded 
 (.'a[»e llorn. Explorations amoui^ the South Sea Is- 
 lands caused fuither delay, and it was not until tlic 
 .«erond week in Jime that the expedition sailed from 
 the Hawaiian Islands. The pitx'ramme of the vov- 
 age was now somewhat altered, the X<i(h'shil<(, befo)-i' 
 proceeding to Japan, steering for Pitr(»pavlovsk, wlnic 
 
 *The Xnilfuhda was a vessel of 4.')0 tons, and had 04 persons on lv)aril. 
 Tin' <oinpI>iiu;iit of the Xcmi, a .'170- ton i'liii>, I'misistod of 8 officers aiid Vi 
 Kitlloi'H and |K.'tty ollicui's. A list of tll'J otlioers. the aml>a»s."ah>r'« Hiiite. and 
 th>- Mi'ifiititiu nieu wild nceomiNinitd tlio expedition is given in /</., 1<> IS. 
 With two exceptions all the nieniliers of the eiidci.ssy returned to .St IVter..- 
 Ijur;.', after li-uviiij^ the XiulcKhda at Kciiicliatkii in ]iH)5. 
 
 * An endiasriy sent to .Tapan in 17!)'2 hud been favorably received, per- 
 mission Iteinjj given for one Russian vessel to l)e admitted eaih jear to tl'.e 
 iK>rt lit Xan^fasaki, for tradinj^ purposes; but until 1S03 no use upiwars to 
 Lave been made of this concession. 
 
LISIANSKVS VOYACK 
 
 425 
 
 0118 on boan). 
 Iilficcrs ami 4'! 
 
 ii'a HlliU'. ilU'l 
 
 liti /</., 1 •■'!«. 
 |l to St IVterb- 
 
 fi>r tlio present we will leave her, while the Xcra was 
 ht'iiih'd i\>v Kadiiik. 
 
 Oil the 13th of July, IHOt, I/isiuiisky siLjhted 
 ]'jivl<)vsk, (»r, as we shall now call it, St l*aul Ilarhor, 
 wliere he thus deseiihes his reeejitioii: "Shortly alter 
 iiiidiii^ht, two lar^^e leatliern hoats ea\uo to (jur assist- 
 ;iiu.-e, ill «"oiise<jUeiK'e of a l«tter I had sent the day 
 lu'tore, l»y means of a small Mdaika, to annoumie our 
 iirrival, in one of whieh was ('a|)tain iJandia'/ deputy 
 (onunander vi' the llussian estahlishment here. The 
 weather was so thick and dark that he fotuid us mere- 
 
 ly hv the n(<ise we made in 
 
 furl 
 
 in<r oui' sails. 
 
 JI 
 
 IS 
 
 "s 
 
 stay with us was short, hut he left his pilot on board, 
 who l)roUi,dit the ves.sel into the harbor about two 
 oCloek in the afternoon. On passinn;; the fort, wo 
 wei'e saluti'd by eleven ^uns; and as so(»n as the 
 jiiichor was d«>un, Mr. ]>ander returned, ac(;oinpiinied 
 liy several Hu>sians, who wiie eai,^'r to congratulate 
 us on our happy arrival. It is not easy to e<[)ress 
 \. liat I felt on this occasion. IJeinj^ the first Russian 
 that had hitlu>rto perfornu'd so Iohlj ami t(.'dious a 
 voyage, a device of reiit^ious ferv(»r mixed itself with 
 the delight an<l satisfaction of my mind 
 
 liisiansky hoped that his hardships for that year 
 at least were over, and that he would have time to 
 repair and refit after his l(»nt^ voya;j^(.!; but no sooner 
 had he landed, than ]>amier jdacrd in his hands a 
 • onnnunieation from l^araiioi" relating- the di'structioii 
 "f the Sitka settlement,^ and beL^.^ini;" assistance ill 
 eoiuiucrinu" the sava<j:es and rebuildiiiL;' the fort. Con- 
 \ inced of the importance of recoverini^ this point, he 
 t(tni[tlied at oiu-e with the re(|uest. Only the most 
 iiecessarv repairs were made, and afti'ibeinij; dt.'taiiied 
 tor a lew days by unfavorable weather, the Xrra 
 sailed from Kadiak on the Ijth of August, and five 
 
 ' Ikuiiei-. I^tngHdurtf makes Uic same luUtakc in hU Voy, and Tntv., part 
 ii. .")(). 
 
 '' Li-iiiDiyli/'n I'd)/, round World, I4l!-.1. 
 LiHiau.sky liail licanl a ruiuor of the disaster during liis brief Btuy at 
 
 lio Sandwicli i» 
 
 luudd 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-S) 
 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 m 
 & 
 
 m IIIII2.5 
 
 13.2 
 
 IIIIIM 
 
 ^ m i|2.o 
 
 1.8 
 
 
 1.25 1.4 
 
 1.6 
 
 
 .4 6" - 
 
 
 ► 
 
 VI 
 
 ^ 
 
 /a 
 
 
 ^;; 
 
 y 
 
 /A 
 
 Hiotographic 
 
 Sciences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 \ 
 
 4, 
 
 '%^ 
 
 :<\^ 
 
 :\ 
 
 \ 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 '4> 
 
 '^^ 
 
 ^3 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. HS80 
 
 (716) 872 4503 
 

 ^ 
 
428 
 
 SITKA RECAPTURED. 
 
 (lays later entered Sitka Sound, where the Alcxandr 
 and Ekateruia were found at anchor, awaiting tlio 
 arrival of Baranof, who was then engaged in a hunt- 
 ing expedition. From one of the ofUcers it was as- 
 certained that the natives had taken up their position 
 on a bluff, a few miles distant, where they had forti- 
 fied themselves, and were resolved to try issue with 
 the Russians. 
 
 Relating his impressions of the surrounding country, 
 Lisiansky says: "On our entrance into Sitca Sound 
 to the place where we now were, there was not to bo 
 seen on the shore the least vestige of habitation. 
 Nothing presented itself to our view but impenetra- 
 ble woods reaching from the water-side to the very 
 tops of the mountains. I never saw a country so 
 wild and gloomy; it appeared more adapted for the 
 residence of wild beasts than of men." 
 
 On the 25th of August, the chief manager sailed 
 from Yakutat on board the Yermah, and on the fol- 
 lowing day his boats and bidarkas entered Ledianof 
 Sound. A swift current runs by these shores, and 
 great care was needed to keep the vessels on their 
 course. Moreover, the fog which overhangs the sound 
 at all seasons of the year completely hid the boats from 
 sight. A strong tide was setting in, which carried 
 the Yermah avvay from the remainder of the flotilla, 
 and soon all the vessels were rapidly closing in witli 
 the shore. Presently the wind calmed, the sails hung 
 to the mast, the boats would not obey the rudder, and 
 the depth of water prevented them from anchoring. 
 There appeared to be no hope of keeping off tlio 
 beach, where the Ktdosh might be upon them at any 
 moment. " There was nothing to be done," says 
 Khlebnikof, "but to leave everything to providence. "''' 
 
 '" Tho Russians appear to have been somewhat unmindful of the maxim 
 on proviilcnco and seli-holp. A laughable story is told of a skipper wlio, be- 
 ing caught ill ii squall about thi.s year, and his vessel thrown on hur brain-cnd*, 
 v.as roused fn.Mii his Khuubcra by the water coming into 'us berth, and by oiu^ 
 of tho ntutea who cumo to warn him of tho danger. ' Now the ship is in 
 
IMPENDING SHIPWRECK. 
 
 427 
 
 The chief manager preserved the greatest cahiincss, 
 ;ui(1 by his demeanor inspired his frightened men witli 
 some confidence. Thus encouraged, their exertions 
 never relaxed, and from time to time they would ob- 
 tain glimpses of each other through the fog, as they 
 continued to keep off the dreaded shore. Baranof 
 writes of this incident: "What a position to be in; 
 working desperately to hold our own between steep 
 cliffs and rapid currents 1 At last the tide turned, and 
 we were drawn toward the opposite shore. At tho 
 same time a breeze sprung up and allowed the hoisting 
 of sail, while the fog dispersed. But nothing seemed 
 to 1)0 in our favor that day. Soon the breeze freshened 
 into a gale, threatening the expedition with another 
 danger. The ships barely escaped stranding, as they 
 tacked frequently and cleared the strait in the teeth 
 of the storm. The bidarkas were scattered over tho 
 sound, and some sought shelter under tho rocks, 
 trusting rather to the protection of providence from 
 the savages than risking exposure to the merciless 
 elements. Finally the ])rayers of so many anxious 
 souls were hoard, and with almost superhuman exer- 
 tion a sheltered ba}' was reached, and tho boats 
 anchored, tlie Iioslislof coming in last. The Ycnnab 
 had lost a skiff, the Ilosfislqfa considerable part of her 
 ri^•<^Jinlx, while one of tlie bidarkas went down in the 
 storm."" 
 
 Without further incident worthy of mention, Bar- 
 anof arrived at Sitka Sound on the 10th of September, 
 and on tho following day went on board tho Neva to 
 consult with Lisiansky. " Hearing nothing," writes 
 the latter, " of the hunters who had been separated 
 
 ' ;')(1'm hamls,' he exclaimed, as lie tiinictl over in liis bed, and commencing to 
 I'liiy, tlieru remained until one of tlio officers had sense enough to let go tho 
 iiuiiu-sail, when tho ship righted. 
 
 " Liiugsdorir, who passed through this channel in a bidarka, in company 
 ^vith tho navigator Do Wolf, says: 'At this point the force of the cun-cnt and 
 tiilo is considuralilo. Tho passage ia only 150 toises wide, whilo the average 
 ili^ptli is 200 fatiioms, with rocks coming up within 5 feet at low tide.' l>o 
 Wolf remarks tliat nowhere in hin travels has ho met with anything to com- 
 l.irc with the violence of the current. Khkhnikoj', Shizn. Baraiiova, 80-1. 
 
m 
 
 SITKA RECAPTURED. 
 
 in the gale, an armed vessel was on the 23d sent in 
 search of them, and everything in the mean time pro- 
 pared for their reception, in a small bay opposite to us. 
 At eight o'clock in the evening, sixty bidarkas belong- 
 ing to this party, among whom were twenty Russians, 
 arrived, under the command of Mr KooskofF, who, on 
 passing us, fired a salute of muskets, in answer to 
 which I ordered two rockets to be sent up. Expect- 
 ing more of these bidarkas in the course of the nitifht, 
 we hung out a lantern to each top-gallant mast-head 
 of our vessel. 
 
 "The next morning, as soon as it was light, ol)- 
 serving the shore to the extent of three hundred 
 yards completely covered with the hunting-boats, wo 
 sent our launch armed with four swivels, to cruise on 
 the sound, to prevent them from being attacked by 
 the Sitcans; and shortly after I went with some of 
 my officers on shore, where the picture that presented 
 itself to our view was new to us, 
 
 "Of the numerous families of hunters several had 
 already fixed their tents; others were busy in erect- 
 
 ing 
 
 them. Some were hanging up their clothes to 
 
 dry, some kindling a fire, some cooking victuals; some 
 again, overcome with fatigue, had stretched them- 
 selves on the ground, expecting, amidst this clash of 
 sounds and hum of men, to take a little repose; whilst 
 at a distance boats were seen arriving every moment, 
 and by adding to the numbers, increasing the interest 
 of the scene. On coming out of the barge we were 
 met by at least five hundred of these, our new coun- 
 trymen, among whom were many toyons." 
 
 On the 28th of September the united squadron 
 moved out of Krestovsky Bay, the Neva being towed 
 by over one hundred canoes. In the evening an an- 
 chorage was found near the high bluff upon which tlio 
 Sitkans' stronghold was situated. All night the weird 
 song of the chaman was heard by the Russians, but 
 no opposition was oftered, when on michaelmas day 
 
■I 
 
 I 
 
 A BATTLE. 
 
 4SS 
 
 of 1804 Baranof and his party landed near the site of 
 the modern town of Sitka. ^'' 
 
 At dusk an envoy from the Kolosh came to the 
 Russians with friendly overtures. He was told that 
 conditions of peace could be made only with the chiefs. 
 The next morning he rea{)peared in company with a 
 hostage, whom he delivered up, but received tlie same 
 answer. At noon thirty armed savages approached, 
 and halting just beyond musket-shot, commenced to 
 parley. Baranof's terms were that the Russians 
 should be allowed to retain permanent possession of 
 tlie bluff, and that two additional hostages should be 
 given. To this the Kolosh would not consent, and 
 soon afterward withdrew, bein<j warned throuti'h the 
 interpreters that the ships would be immediately moved 
 close to their fort, and that they had only themselves 
 to blame for what might follow. 
 
 On the 1 st of October four of the ships were drawn 
 up in line before the enemy's fort," in readiness for 
 action, and a white flag hoisted on board the Neva. 
 As no response was made, the order was given to 
 open fire, and Lieutenant Arbusof, with two boats and a 
 field-piece, was instructed to destroy the canoes which 
 lay on the beach, and to set fire to a lar'^e barn near 
 the shore, which was supposed to be the storehouse 
 of the Kolosh. Findinij that he could do little damaGjo 
 iu his boats, Arbusof landed and marched toward tlic 
 fort, whereupon Baranofwent to his support with a 
 hundred and fifty men and several guns. The sur- 
 rounding woods were so dense that the two parties 
 
 '-Thia was tho Bpot selected by Baranof on his first appearance on Norfolk 
 Sound, but another site was chosen on account of the dismcUnatiou of the 
 natives to sec a Russian settlement established there. 
 
 " Khlebnikof gives Sept. '20th as tlie date. .S7i/;;i. Baranova, 85. Thia 
 fort was in the shape of an irregular polygon, its lonj^est side facing the sea. 
 It was protected by a breastwork two lugs in thickness, and about six feet 
 liij^h. Around and above it tangled brush-wood was piled. Grape-shot did 
 liUle damage, even at the distance of a cable's length. There were two em- 
 brasures for cannon in the side facing the sea, and two gates facing tho forest. 
 Witiiin were fourteen largo huts, or, as they were called by tho natives, bara- 
 liaras. Judging from the quantity of provisions and domestic im|)Iements 
 found there, it must have contained at least 800 warriors. Linianaky^a Voy, 
 round World, 103, where n plan of tho fort ia given. 
 
 ■ ! 
 
430 
 
 SITKA RECAPTURED. 
 
 !■■' 
 
 could not see each other as they advanced; their 
 progress was slow, and night was upon them when 
 they reached the stronghold. JMeanwhilo the savages 
 remained perfectly quiet, except that occasionally a 
 musket-sbot was fired, probably as a signal. Mistaking 
 this inaction for timidity, Baranof rashly ordered his 
 men to carry the foit by storm. lie was met by the 
 savages in a compact bod}', and a well-directed firo 
 was opened on his men, causing a stampede among 
 the natives, who were dragging along the guns. Loi't 
 with a mere handful of sailors and promyshkmlki, the 
 commander was forced to retire. The Kolosh then 
 rushed forth in pursuit. The Russians fought gal- 
 lantly, and succeeded in saving their lield-pieces, though 
 with the loss of ten killed and twenty-six wounded, 
 among the latter being the cliief manager, v.ho v\\;s 
 shot through the arm with a nmsket-ball." As they 
 neared the shore, their retreat was covered by the 
 guns of the flotilla, but for which circumstance it is 
 probable that none would have escaped, and that Bar- 
 anof's career would now have been brought to a close. 
 The following day Lisiansky was requested by 
 Baranof to take charge of the expedition. He at once 
 opened a brisk fire on the fort. In the afternoon, 
 messengers were sent by the Kolosh to sue for peace, 
 with the promise to give as hostages some members 
 of the most prominent families, and to liberate all the 
 Kadiak natives who were detained as prisoners. TIk; 
 overture was favorably received, and on this and the 
 three following days a number of hostages were deliv- 
 ered into the hands of the Bussians. Meanwhile tlio 
 evacuation of the fort was demanded, and to show 
 that he was in earnest, Lisiansky moved his ship flir- 
 ther in shore. To this the chief toyon consented 
 after a brief ncirotiation. 
 
 '* Of tho iWra's men nJono two were killed, and a lieutenant (Po%'alisliiii1, 
 a masters mate, a surgeon's mate, a quartermaster, anil ten sailors of the 
 sixteen who accompanied them, were wounded. Of the two that were kilkd, 
 one was iiimiediately Iield up on tho speara of the savages. /(/., loS. 
 
MURDER OF CHILDREN. 
 
 Oil the morning of the Gth, an interpreter was sent 
 to ask wliethcr the Kolosh were ready to abandon 
 their stron*>;hold. He was answered that tlicv would 
 do so at high water. At noon the tide was at its 
 height, and as there was no sign of preparation 
 lor departure, the savages were again liailed, and no 
 answer being returned, fire was opened from tlie Neva. 
 Duringthe dava raftwas constructed, on which themius 
 could be brought close up to the fort. Toward evening 
 two large canoes appeared, one of them belonging to 
 an old man, "who," says Lisiansky, "like another 
 Charon, had in general brought the hostages to us." 
 Ho was advised to return and persuade his country- 
 men to retire at once if they valued their safety. To 
 this he consented, and it was arranged that if he wore 
 successful, it slicndd be made known to the llussians 
 by a certain signal.''' Two or three hours later the 
 signal was heard and Avas answered by a cheer I'rom 
 those on board the vessels. Then fir into the nig'ht 
 a strantje chant was wafted on the still air i'rom the 
 encampment of the savages, expressing their relief, 
 as the interpreters said, that now their lives were no 
 longer in peril. 
 
 Ihit the chant had other significance. At davlight 
 no sound was heard from shore, nor was any living 
 creature in sight, save flocks of carrion birds hover- 
 ing aroun<l the fort. The Kolosh had fled to the 
 woods, and within the stronghold lay the dead bodi(\s 
 of their children, slaughtLTod h^st their cries should 
 betray the ku-king place of the fugitives.^*^ The fort- 
 
 '^Shoutinij; tlirico tlie word "oo," meaning; "eiul." 
 
 '" Tiiii'ty of llio Kulosli warriors wore also found dead in the fort. It 
 Mas at first supposed that the survivors had ciossed the mountains to K!iu.i- 
 ii'iir>lcy Sound, but soc n afterward they at taoliod a partj' of Aleuts a few versts 
 liistant, killing nine of thcni. KhUhnikof, Shhii. JJuraiiora, 87-8. Lisiansky 
 thinks that iiieir flight was due to fear of ven.^eanee, on aeeount of their late 
 rruelty and perfidy, but that if ammunition liad not failed them, they would 
 have defended themselves to the last extremity. Ho is of opinion that if 
 r.aranof liad adopted liis suggestion to harass the enemy from tlio ships, and out 
 till' their water supply and their commnniuation with the sea, the fort mijzlit 
 have been captured by the Russians without the loss of a 8iny;lo man. Tho 
 Kolo.^h left behind them a quantity of provisions and more than tw<;nty largo 
 canoes. I'oi/. rouiul World, 102-4. 
 
 ! 
 
m 
 
 SITKA RECAPTURED. 
 
 )'■: 1 
 
 ress was then burned to the ground, and the construc- 
 tion of niagazhies was immediately commenced, to- 
 gether witli spacious barracks and a residence for tho 
 chief manager. The buildinurs were surrounded with 
 a stockade, block-houses being erected at each corner, 
 and a stronghold was thus formed that was believed 
 to be impregnable against the attacks of the Kolosh. 
 To this settlement was given the name of Novo Ark- 
 hangelsk. Under the bluff were anchored all the ves- 
 sels, with the exception of the despatch boat liostislaf 
 and the Neva, both of which sailed for Kadiak, Lisi- 
 ansky purposing to winter there, and after taking in 
 supplies, to return in the spring to Sitka Sound, whence 
 he proposed to sail for Cauton.^^ 
 
 During his stay in Kadiak, Lisiansky visited se\-- 
 eral of the settlements on that island, concerning 
 which he gives some interesting details. The entire 
 population apart from the Russians he estimates at 
 only four thousand,'^ and remarks that according to 
 the report of the oldest inhabitants it had decreased 
 by one half since the arrival of the Russians. The 
 wholesale mortality which had thus prevailed since 
 Shelikof landed there in 1784 was mainly due to dis- 
 eases introduced by the invaders, and to the severe toil 
 and hardship to which the natives were exposed dur- 
 ing the long hunting expeditions required of them by 
 
 " Banner was ordered to supply the N'eva with all the fish and game 
 needed, and all the cattle that could be spared. On boai'd the ship were two 
 Kolosh prisoners. Baranof sent instructions to keep them confined in tlio 
 stockade at St Paul, and make them work along with the Aleuts, who were 
 placed there for punishment. KhMmihof, Shizn. Baranova, 89. 
 
 "" His calculation is based on the number of barabaras in the several dis- 
 tricts, and these he found to be 202. Allowing 18 persona to each Ixirabara, 
 w^e have a total of 3,6.36, the remainder consisting of Aleuts i: the com- 
 pany's service. Voy. round World, 19.3. This is probably near tlio truth, 
 for a census list lodged in the office of the directors at St Petersbi rg in 1804 
 gives 4,834 as the population of Kadiak and the adjacent islands about that 
 date, against 6,519 in 1795. Delarof in 1790 places the number ts low as 
 3,000, and Bnranof and Banner in 1805 state that there were only t50 nitii 
 in Kadiak capable of labor. Langsdorff^, who was at Kadiak in t.'ie latter 
 year, is inclined to believe that tlic number of men lit for work or huutiuij 
 did not exceed 500. Toy. and Trav., part ii. 60. 
 

 POVERTY OF THE NATIVES. 
 
 m 
 
 tTieir task-masters,^^ Other causes were the clestruc- 
 t'ou of the sea-ottor, on which they had been accus- 
 tomed* to rely for food doting winter, and their neg. 
 ket to lay in a stock of dried salmon for the season 
 ol' scarcity. In winter and early spring the islanders 
 lived mainly on shell-fish, and this in a country where, 
 between the months of May and October, salmon 
 could be taken out of the rivers by hand, and s»ea- 
 l)oars^° could catch them in their paws so easily that 
 they devoured only the head, and threw away the 
 remainder. 
 
 On visiting Igak on the 24th of March, 1805, 
 Li^iansky reports that he found all the people in 
 search of shell-fish along the beach, only the young 
 children being left in the eleven filthy barabaras which 
 formed that settlement. "After dinner," he writes, 
 " the chief with his wife came to pay me a visit. On 
 entering ray room they crossed themselves several 
 times, and then sat down on the floor and begGrcd 
 snuff. In tho course of conversation their poverty 
 was mentioned, when I endeavored to convince them 
 tliat their extreme indolence was the cause of it; and 
 I suggested various ways by which they might im- 
 prove their situation and render life more comfort- 
 able. I advised them to build better habitations, to 
 lay in regularly a sufficient stock of winter provisions,,, 
 wiiich they almost always neglect, to attend more to 
 the article of cleanliness, and lastly, to cultivate differ- 
 
 " Langsdorff declares that he has seen the promyshleniki put the natives 
 tf) a horrible death from mere caprice. Spcakjng of the overdcera, lie terms 
 them '.Siberian malefaotors or adventurers. ' Both these statements are de- 
 uicd by Lisiansky, \vho alLrma tiuit the exiles sent to Kudiak -were employed 
 only as common laborers. ' That mi.stakos of tliia nature should bo made by 
 Liiiigsdorflp,' ho remarks. ' is not to bo wondered at, when we find liiiii tliiis 
 speaking of himself : "To examine a country accurately, three things arc recpu- 
 t^itc, not ono of which I at this time enjoyed — leisure, serenity of mind, and 
 convenience." To this might be added, that he was but a shoit time in tlio 
 country of which he speaks, and was ignorant of tlio language both of the 
 natives and of the Russians. ' Voy. round IKorW, 215, note. 
 
 ■^'^ Called by the Russians koHh, ami belonging to the seal genus, though 
 (hlToring materially from the phoca vitiilinn, or eonunon seal. Laiiifdorirx 
 V"!/., part ii. 22. Lisiansky nuHics a rid.culous mistake on this point. Ho 
 Ki vrf that the wild beasts, and especially bears, go into the river and ca Ich 
 these fish with their paws. I'oy. round World, 192. 
 
 HiBI. Al^BKA. 23 
 
 i I 
 
4?A 
 
 SITKA RECAPTURED. 
 
 P I 
 
 i lip 
 
 ■ \\ <]■ 
 
 ki 
 
 cnt culinary plants near their lionsos, by which th y 
 would be relieved iVoni the trouble of collectinix wild 
 roots and herbs, which were neither so palatable nor 
 S'J nutritious." " 
 
 At Killuda Bay, a few versts south-west of Ij;;di, 
 Lisiansky landed at a settlement, " in which," he says, 
 "we found only women and children, the men l)e- 
 longing to it having been absent with Baranof since 
 tlie preceding spring. Not having laid in provis- 
 ions in sufficient quantity for the winter, these pool- 
 wretches were literally half starved. Wishing ti 
 afford them what was in my power, I distributed 
 amonj; them the stock of dried fish I had in the boat ^. 
 
 1 • • • 
 
 and left this abode of wretchedness with no vei y 
 pleasurable sensations. It was indeed a heart-rendin:: 
 scene to see these emaciated beings crawling out nl' 
 their huts to thank me for the trifling relief I had 
 afi'orded them. Though the weather was the next 
 morning very disagreeable, I went to Drunkard's Bay, 
 where I witnessed the same meagre traits of poverty. 
 Of the inhabitants I purcliased several curiosities, 
 consistinij of imacfcs dressed in difl'ercnt forms. The 
 best were cut out of bone. Tliey are used here as 
 dolls. Indeed, the women who have no children 
 keep them, I was told, to re])reseht the wished-fer 
 infant offspring, and amuse themselves with them, as 
 if thev were real infants. 
 
 "On the 1st of April we proceeded to the harbor of 
 Three Saints, where we arrived in the afternoon. In 
 our way we visited a village called the Fugitive, 
 which was in a thriving condition. The inhabitants 
 ajipeared much healthier than those of Ihack-^ or 
 Killuden,^^ and lived better. On our arrival, the 
 
 ''/'/., 173-4. Two clays later Lisiansky received a visit from a Russian 
 who had lived in Unalaska. He reported that a volcanic island had appcaroil 
 above the sea in the middle of April 1797. The news was brought by smu.' 
 Aleutian fislienncn, who observed a great smoke issuing from the waters. The 
 land gi-adually rose above the sui-face, r.nd in May of tho following year an 
 eruption occiirrod wliich was distinctly visible at a settlement on MakuslAiu 
 ]iav. 45 miles distant. In 1799 the island was 12 miles in circumference. 
 
 =;l!;ak. 
 
 -^Killuda. 
 
BERRIES AND OIL. 
 
 435 
 
 1 • '•• '. 
 ciuei s 
 
 wife brouglit us a basin of berries, mixed with 
 laiicid wlialo oil, bej^'j^iuLr us to refrcssh ourselves. 
 This delicate mess, produced at a time when the ber- 
 lic'S are not in scasc^n, is regarded by the islanders 
 .'IS no small proof of opulence. I gave this treat, 
 however, to my Aleutians; and after distributing to- 
 bacco and other tritles among the family, took iny leave. 
 
 "The next morning, as soon as my arrival at tlie 
 liurbor of Throe Saints was known in the ncighbor- 
 ]i()()d, several of the toyons came together to see me. 
 After the usual compliments, and a treat of snuff on 
 my part," the conversation began on the common 
 topic of poverty, when I endeavored, with some 
 earnestness, to persuade them to throw off the sloth 
 and idleness so visible amongst them, and exert them- 
 s(>]ves; and I stated, as I had done in a previous 
 instance, the many comforts they would derive from 
 liabits of industry, of which they were at present j)er- 
 ilctly destitute. The toyons listened attentively to 
 my advice, and assured me that they should be happy 
 to follow it, but that there were many circumstances 
 to prevent them; and I must confess 1 bbished when 
 1 heard that the principal of these was the high price 
 lixed by the Russian Company on every necessary 
 article, and especially its iron instruments, which ren- 
 dered it impossible for the islanders to ])urchase them. 
 While this is the case, what improvement can be ex- 
 jvcc'ted in these people?" 
 
 On the Gth Lisiansky and his party visited a settle- 
 ment on the adjacent island of Sitkhalidak, with regard 
 to which I give one more quotation. "Toward even- 
 ing," he continues, "the weather becoming cold, wo 
 made a fire in the middle of our barabara, which was 
 Soon surrounded by the iiilial)itauts, young and old 
 They were very much amused at seeing us drinking 
 tea; but I have no doubt were still more gratilied 
 when I ordered some dried fish to be distributed 
 
 ^' Snuff is the best treat that can be offered to these people, who will often 
 :o twenty niiles out of their way to yet merely a piuch or two of it. Id., 179. 
 
f l 
 
 430 
 
 S;TKA RECAPXP'RED. 
 
 H! 
 
 nmonj^st tlicm, wliiT-li wus a I'arky at this season (if 
 tlio yenr. The master and niistrei*> of the house were 
 invited to partake of our beverage, and they seemed 
 to plume themselves upon the eireu distance, as if di,> 
 tinguished by it from the reslj of the party. During 
 our tea repast, the family were at their supper, which 
 was served up in the following manner: The cook- 
 having filled a wooden bowl with dried fish, presented 
 it to the master of the house, who, after eating as 
 nmeh as he could, gave the rest to his wife. TIk; 
 other dishes were served up in similar order, be- 
 ginning with the oldest of the family, who, when he 
 had eaten his fill, gave the dish to the next in ag •, 
 and he again to the next; and thus it passed in rota- 
 tion till it came to the youngest, wh«se patience, as 
 the family was numerous, must have been a little ex- 
 hausted. Perceiving, at length, that our companions 
 were becoming drowsy, I advised them to go to rest, 
 which tho3''did, wishing us several times a good night, 
 and expressing how satisfied they were with our kind- 
 ness. 
 
 "The next morning when I arose at daylight, and 
 was proceeding to take a walk, I found all the men 
 sitting on the roofs (^f their houses. This is their fa- 
 vorite recreation aftt ..■ sleeping; though they are also 
 fond of sitting on the beacli, and looking for hours to- 
 gether at the sea, when they have nothing else to do. 
 In this practice they resemble more a herd of beasts 
 than an association of reasonable beings endowed with 
 the gift of speech Indeed, these savages, when assem- 
 bled togetlier, appear to have no delight in the oral in- 
 tercourse that generally distinguishes the human race ; 
 for they never converse; on the contrary, a stupi>i 
 silence reigns amongst them. I had many opportu- 
 nities of noticing individuals of every age and degree; 
 and I am persuaded that the simplicity of their char 
 acter exceeds that of any other people, and that a long 
 time must elapse before it will undergo any very per- 
 ceptible change. It is true, that on my entering their 
 
MOVEMENTS OF THK 'NEVA.' 
 
 437 
 
 liousos, soiijo sort of ceremony was always observed 
 liv them; but by degrees even tliis so compl(!tely dis- 
 ji[)peared, that an Aleutian would undress himself to 
 tate of nudity, with(/ut at all regarding my presence; 
 
 a s 
 
 1 hough at the same moment he considered me as the 
 greatest personage on the island." 
 
 On the 14th of June the JVeva sailed from St Paul, 
 and on the 22d of the same month entered the harbor 
 cf Novo Arkhangelsk. During Lisiansky's absence 
 matters had pros[)ered with the new settlement. 
 lOight substantial buildings had been eop^^iluted; the 
 I'oit was also finished and mounted with fiumon; a 
 number of kitchen-gardens were undef" cultivation, 
 and the live-stock were thrivinix. -Ml winter t'le 
 ]v()losh had avoided the neighborhotiu, and onlj now 
 and t1. .'n a few small canoes appeared, who »' inmates 
 cureiully scaimed the movements of the Kussians 
 and then vanished quickly fr( ai sight. 
 
 On the 2d of July an interpreter was despatched by 
 Baranof to inform them that the Neva had arrived 
 with the hostages who had been delivered up on the 
 cessation of hostilities.^ The demoralized savages 
 had scattered during the winter, but now were assem- 
 bling once more, and had built another fort on the 
 western shore of Chatham Strait, opposite the village 
 of Houtshnao. The report wascurrentthatothertribes 
 also were fortifying their villages, and it was foareil 
 that in time the colony would again be surrounded 
 with dangerous neisfhbors. The messenger was sent 
 hack with the answer that the toyons required some 
 assurance of good faith before placing themselves in 
 the power of the Russians, and was again despatched 
 • m the same errand, with presents and promises of kind 
 <r(3atment. 
 
 *' While waitin^or a reply from the enemy, Li^iansky caused a survey t> 
 be made of Norfolk Sound, ami especially of tho island upon which Mount 
 I'llgecunibe is situated. To this ho gavo tht ionic of Kruzc, now Kruzof, in 
 li "iior of an admiral of that name to whom he was indebted for his preftr- 
 uiuit. Id., 22(>-l. 
 
M' 
 
 433 
 
 SITKA RECAPTURED. 
 
 ' Oil the afternoon of tlie IGtli five canoes wore seen 
 ap[)roaehing tlic fort, and as they drew near it became 
 known that they contahied the mo^ssenger and an em- 
 bassy from tlie Kc^losh. The Chugat.sches in Baranof's 
 camp were ordered to conduct them to the fort, play- 
 ing the ])art of gentlemen ushers, as Lisiansky re- 
 marks, and donning their holiday aj)parel, set forth t* 
 meet them. Some were attired only in a threadbare 
 vest, some few in a pair of ragged breeches, while by 
 others an old liat, or a powdering of eagle down on tlu; 
 hair, was considered a fnll-dress suit for a gentleman. 
 When close to the beach the embassy stopped, ami 
 the savages on shore and in boat executed a dance and 
 song, the toy on of the Kolosh being conspicuous lor 
 his nimble capering. The canoes were then pulled on 
 shore by the Ciiugatsches, their inmates remaining 
 seated, while the gentleman ushers entertained them 
 with a second performance. 
 
 At length the ambassador and his suite were lifted 
 from their boats and carried to their apartments, 
 where a feast had been prepared for them. On tlu' 
 following day they paid a visit to the iVeiv/, and were 
 regaled with tea and brandy. The envoy in chief was 
 invited into the cabin, where his son, who had been 
 held as a hostage, was brought into his presence.''^ Ho 
 was surprised at the cheerl'ul and well-fed appearance 
 of the lad, and expressed his gratitude to the captain, 
 but no sign of affection was shown by child or parent. 
 After more sin<>in<x anil dancincj, tlie savasfes returned 
 on sliore,'^' and in the alternoon held an interview 
 
 ""Among the hostages woro three crcole youths, to whom wore given tli ■ 
 nauifs of Anch'ci KUmovsky, Ivan Chernof, and Gcrassia Konilakoi. One ••: 
 tlicni was the ambassador's son, but, as Lisiansky says, was afterward r*;- 
 changed for a younger brother, who probably received the same name. Thi y 
 were subsequently jihieed i:; the school of navigation by tlio board of manager:, 
 ind were Ihially returned to the colonics. KliinolTsky became a captain a.; I 
 commanded several vesciels, wliilo the others wore appointed mates in t!i'' 
 company's service. Ivoii'iakof died in IS'JO and KlimoUaky in ISiJl. Ji'irai,'/. 
 S/i zn., DO. The third, Oheniof, survived the transferof Alaska to the Uuiud 
 States, dying in the year 1S77. Ilia two faous still navigate tiio waters ii 
 A!a:.ka. 
 
 '*' Lisianj>ky says: ' These people arc so fond of dancing, that I never sm 
 thrtc of tliem tJoOther without their feet being ui motion. Before the d^- 
 
Treaty with the kolosh. 
 
 4S9 
 
 with Baranof, who presented t() each a cloak "^ and a 
 pewter medal, the latter in token of peace. Brantly 
 was produced, the terms of the treaty were arrani^ed,-* 
 and all were invited to a banquet at the residence 
 of the chief manager. The place of honor was of 
 course given to the envoy's wife, whose evening cos- 
 tume was a piece of red cloth tferown over her shoul- 
 ders, and a thick coating of black paint on her face. 
 Her coiffure was composed entirely of soot, and for 
 ornament she wore a round piece of wood in the 
 lower lip. It was observed that during her frequent 
 .^ips of fire-water slie was extremely careful of this 
 I'tature, which projected at riglit angles from the 
 chin, and was regarded as her greatest charm. Late 
 at night the ambassador, his spouse, and suite were 
 again carried to their apartments, none of them being 
 sober enough to stand on their feet. The next day 
 tliey took their leave, the chief of the embassy being 
 jiresented with a staff on which were the Kussiaii 
 a.rms, wrought in copper, decorated with ribbons and 
 eagle down. This he was told to present to his coun- 
 trymen as a token of friendsliip."'^ 
 
 After the conclusion of the treaty with the Kolosli, 
 Lisiansky made ready for sea, and (m the 1st of Sep- 
 tember, 1805, sailed for Canton with a cargo valued 
 at more than four hundred and fifty thousand roubles.^^ 
 
 I'.arturo of the ambassador I allowed him to fire ofT one of our twclvc-pounilpr?!, 
 V. Iiicli ho did witli a linnuess I little cxpocLeil, oxhihitiug no surprise titlRr 
 at the report of the cannon or its motion.' To//, round Wirld, '2-',i—\. 
 
 '■■'To the ambassador \v:ia given a mantle of (Inc red ■loth trimmed with 
 • riiiino, and to the rest cloaks of eomnmn blue cloth. 
 
 •"I have been unable to find any account of the terms of this treaty. 
 Xcithcr Lisiansky nor Baranof has a word to say about it ia their reports of 
 the a flair. 
 
 '" Iletuming to the fort on August IGth, after nn excursion to the summit 
 of Mount I'Algecunibc, Lisinnsky found the and)as3ador there. Ho had re- 
 turned to announce to the Russiiius his a]))tointnieut as chief toyon in place 
 <if Kotlcan. His new dignity had so elated ids iiridothat he no longer deigned 
 t'l use his legs, except wlien dancing, but was in\ariably carried on the slioul- 
 di-ra of his attendants. Id., 2.T2. 
 
 " Including ;*, 000 Bea-otter and more than ir)0,()00 small skins. Kh'chnl- 
 /■;/', S/iizn. Jlarmwea, 90. This authority gives August '20th as the tiuio uf 
 tV' .Xrra'-i iloparture. With r 'gard to date, ha is constantly at varianrr wi'Ai 
 I. i .i:ni>ky, -.vlio ha 1 boon accepted a.i tlie cliicf auLliority for tho stat^'uiciit:! 
 i.uidc iu this chapter. 
 
440 
 
 SITKA EECAPTUKED. 
 
 Here he arrived early in December of the same 
 year,^^ calling at Macao, where he met witli Captain 
 Krusenstern, who had arrived in the Nadeshda on his 
 homeward voyage, Rezanof meanwhile having sailed 
 in another vessel for Alaska. After much vexatious 
 delay, caused by the Chinese officials, the furs wore 
 landed and sold,^ a cargo of tea, nankeens, and other 
 goods purchased with the proceeds, and on the 4th 
 of August, 180G, the Neva cast dnchor at Kronstadt. 
 
 As soon as the news of her return was known iu 
 St Petersburg the vessel was thronged with persons 
 of Qwcrj rank, and for many days her commander 
 was so much occupied with answering their questions 
 and listening to their compliments that; as he says, ho 
 had barely time to eat or sleep. Among those who 
 visited the ship were the emperor and the empress's 
 mother. The former complimented Lisiansky on 
 the appearance of the Neva, and* observed that her 
 crew looked better than when they had left the shores 
 of Russia,^* while the latter spoke a few kind words 
 to all on board, and afterward sent presents to each 
 of the officers and sailors. 
 
 On the 19th of the same month the Nadeshda 
 arrived, having accomplished her voyage round the 
 world in three years and twelve days, with the loss of 
 only one man.^^ 
 
 The two commanders received the order of St 
 Vladimir of the third class, and a pension of 3,000 
 roubles a year for life.^^ The other officers were pro- 
 
 '^ During the voyage, it was discovered that a Marge portion of the skins 
 
 ' were ill an advaiict'il stage of decomposition. Several days were occupied in 
 
 sorliiiLT them and throwing overboard +l'.oso tliat were entirely spoiled. Tho 
 
 loss was estimated lit 200,000 roubles. Lisianslii/'s I'o;/. round World, 2tW-(i. 
 
 '^ The i\'i/(/c,s/((/« was also di^tuiued at Macao by the authorities. IJoth 
 carfjors were sold at low prices. 
 
 ^' Among tiic refreshments served to the emperor was some Russian salt 
 beef, 'wiiicii,' l^isiansky says, 'had stood the test of the entire voyage, anil 
 w;is iievertiielesH nu^ro juicy and less salt than tjio Irish beef which ho had 
 l.itcly purchased at Falmouth.' 
 
 '* Ivo/anof 's cook, who, as Krusenstern affirms, was in an advanced stago 
 of consumption when lie went ou board tho ship. Voy, round World, 404, 
 note. 
 
 '"' Lisiansky also received many. valuably presents from the royal family. 
 
RESULTS OF THE EXPEDITION. 
 
 m 
 
 same 
 iptaiii 
 on lii.^ 
 sailed 
 atious 
 \ were 
 
 other 
 10 4th 
 istadt. 
 )\vii ill 
 (orsoiH 
 aander 
 cstions 
 ays, he 
 se who 
 ipress's 
 sky oil 
 lat her 
 ) shores 
 I words 
 ;o caeh 
 
 (JesJula 
 
 Hid the 
 
 loss of 
 
 of St 
 3,000 
 Ire pro- 
 
 tlic skills 
 Icupietl iu 
 lied. Tho 
 IW, 2(iM>. 
 les. Uotli 
 
 Issian s:ilt 
 lyagc, au'l 
 Iu ho luul 
 
 Iced 8togo 
 \oihl, 404, 
 
 ll faiiiily. 
 
 iiiotcd one step, with penspiis of 500 to 1,000 rou- 
 lilcs; and to tho petty officers and sailors were given 
 jicnsions of 50 to 75 roubles, with permission to retire 
 j'lom the service if they so desired.^^ Lisiansky was 
 1 aised to the rank of commander in the imperial navy, 
 liiit no further j^roraotion appears to have been con- 
 Icired on Krusenstern.^^ ' He had failed in his mis- 
 
 '■ /(Z., introd. xxx.-xxxi., note; LisiaA^kif, Voij. round World, 318. Laii^^s- 
 ilorlT aud tlie scicutific men who accompanied him received pensions of 300 
 (lucata a year. 
 
 ''Tlio principal sources of information as to tlio recapture of Sitka and tho 
 incidents in connection with the voyage of the Nadeshda and Neva are A 
 \o>i(U)e round the. World, in 1803-6, with plates and cliarts, by Urcy Limmnky 
 (iranslated from the Russian, London, 1814); Voyajes and Tnivf.U in Vdrious 
 J 'arts of the World, in 1803-7, with sixteen plates, by G. H. von Lang-sdorff 
 (ill two parts, St Petersburg, 1811, and London, 1813); and Voymje round the 
 World, in 1803-0, by A. J. von Krusenstern (3 vols, with atlas and maps, St 
 I'c tersburg, 1810-14; *2 vols. London, 1813, and Paris, 1820). Lisi^msky's 
 account oftho taking of the Kolosh stronghold is probably tho most reliable 
 vi'idion of this event, and is to be preferred to that of Khlchnikof, as the for- 
 mer was an cyc-witncss of all that transpired, took a leading part in tho 
 ojicrations of the expedition, and writes without any of the bias sliowu by 
 lliin-y/bf 's biographer, though perhaps taking a little too much credit for his 
 own share in tho achievement. Tho first seven chapters and a part of tlio 
 oi,L,'hth describe the voyage of the Neva from Kronstadt to Kadiak, and con- 
 tain some interesting particulars about the natives of the Sandwich Islands, 
 uliore the ship called on her passage. In tho remainder of cap. viii. 
 and in ix.-xii., wo have an account of his travels and observations in 
 Alaska, and of the recapture of Sitka. In tho rest of tho work he relates his 
 lioineward voyage. The book is entertaining, written in an easy and natural 
 style, and evidently with more regard to truth than effect. Lisiansky was a 
 iiaiive of Nagin, where ho was born of noble parents, on the 2d of April, 1773. 
 After completing his education at the naval academy at Kronstadt, he was 
 .iji[)ointed, when fifteen years of age, a midshipman in tho Russian navy, in 
 V liich capacity he served during tlic war with Sweden, being present at tiic 
 luUle of Revel, in 1790. Later, he took service in the Euglish navy, where 
 lie lirst met with Krusenstern, and after travelling in tho United States, re- 
 tained to Russia in 1800, where he was appointed to the command of a 
 filiate, and made a knight of the order of St George of the fourth class. 
 
 Krusenstern, although in command of tlio expedition, never visited the 
 nnrtli-wcst; but, as we have seen, the despatch of the expedition was due to 
 liis clforts. T\\o narrative of his voyage in the Nadeshda is full of interest, 
 and by no means justifies tho lirst part of tho motto which appears on the 
 tiLJe-page: 'Les marins dcrivent mal, mais avec assez de eandeur.' Between 
 the years 1824 and 1835 ho published in St Petersburg, in 3 vols, an Atlaa 
 (I'' I'Ocdan Pacijiqne, together with his Itecueil des Mvmoires Jli/drograi/hiques, 
 and in 183G his SvppUmena an liccueil de Mrmoires / fydrogra})hiquea jiuur 
 mrvir d'analyse e.t dl'txplication a l'Atla.i de VOcdan Pacijlque. These works 
 arc very favorably noticed in the Jour, Royal Geog. Soc. of London, 1837, 
 vii. 400-0, wherein is a list of the more important errors contained in Arrow- 
 faith's chart of tho Pacific, which, it was claimed, had been corrected up to tho 
 \ ar 1832, and was then considered the best in Europe. ' Among others is tho 
 1 ration of tho island of St Paul. * The Supple menu, ^ says tho Journal of the 
 J iidon Geographical Society, 'registers all tho diK-ovcries and newly de- 
 L rniined positions that have been made iu the lapse of the last thirteen ^'cara, 
 
Ill 
 
 \ i 
 
 B 
 
 w 
 
 442 
 
 SITKA RECAPTURED. 
 
 sion ; but, as we shall sec later, through no fault of 
 his own. 
 
 during which more has been done towards obtaining a correct knowledge of 
 those seas than at any time since tlie voyages of Cook and La P(!rou8e.' 
 
 Laiigsdorlf's work is the least valuable of the three. As a savant he ^\•.^3 
 superlicial; as a chronicler he was biased. In neither capacity does he tuld 
 much to what was already known of Russian Ameiica. The first part con- 
 tains a narrative of his voyage to Kamchatka, thence to Japan, and back to 
 I'otropovlovsk, the incidents of which are also related in Krusenstcrn's wurk. 
 The first five and the eleventh and twelfth chapters of the second part relate 
 to Alaska, and the remainder of the work is taken up with his visit to Cali- 
 fornia and his homeward journey. His statements as to the condition of tlio 
 natives and the proniyshleniki ajipear to be greatly exaggerated. They avo 
 not indorsed by any of the Alaskan annalists, and though Lisiansky gi\ ca 
 some color to them, they are strongly at variance with the reports of liezauii, 
 who was a keen and impartial observer. A proof of the little value sot i>n 
 Langadorff's services is the smallness of tlio pension granted to him on Im.s 
 return, lie received, as will be remembered, but 300 <lucat3 a year, and tlio 
 like sum was given to Ida assistants, whilo the lieutenants iiud surgeons of 
 the expedition were awarded pensions of 1,000 roubles. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 REZANOF'S VISIT. 
 1804-1S06. 
 
 VOYAOEOFTHE 'NaDESUDa' — AECSSIAN EMBASSY DISMISSED BY TUK JAPAN- 
 ESE — Rezaxof at St Paul Island — Wholesale Slaugiiteu or Fru- 
 SEALS — TuE Ambassador's Letter to the Emperoii — The Envoy Pito- 
 CEEDS to Kadiak — And Thence to Novo Aukhaxoelsk — llis IlEroRT 
 TO THE Russian American Company — Fuuther Trouble wuii the 
 KoLOSH — The Ambassador's Instructions to the Chief Manacer — 
 Evil Tidings from Kadiak — Rezanof's Voyage to Califoukia — llis 
 Complaints against Naval Officers — His Opinion of the Mission- 
 aries — His Last Journey. 
 
 
 A FORTNIGHT before the Neva sailed for Canton, the 
 Elizaveta arrived at Novo Arkhangelsk, together with 
 two American ships, one of them, named the Juno, 
 laden with provisions, calling for repairs. A few days 
 later the company's brig Maria entered the harbor, 
 having on board as passengers lieutenants Kvostof 
 and Davidof, the naturalist Langsdorff, and the am- 
 bassador Rezanof, who was destined to play an im- 
 portant part in the development of the Russian 
 American colonies. Before proceeding further, it 
 may be well to mention bricUy the voyage of the 
 
 tdeshda from the time of her parting company 
 with her consort, and the envoy's operations before 
 landing at Novo Arkhangelsk. 
 
 After a passage of thu-ty-five days from the Sand- 
 wich Islands, the vessel arrived at Petropavlovsk on 
 the 14th of July, 1804. Here Rezanof assumed full 
 control. The ship, after being unrigged and repaired, 
 was again ready for sea at the end of August, but 
 
 (113) 
 
 i 
 
if 
 
 I 
 
 i\ 
 
 I 
 
 
 S': i 
 
 
 l-i».' *' 
 
 444 
 
 KEZANOF'S VISIT. 
 
 ivas weather-bound until the Gth of the followinir 
 month, when she sailed from the coast of Kamchatka, 
 well equipped, and with an ample stock of provisions.^ 
 
 Arriving at Nangasaki on October 8th, after a 
 rough passage, Rczanof was detained for several 
 months by the frivolous trifling of the Japanese au- 
 thorities. At length, on the 30th of March, 1805, a 
 plenipotentiary arrived from Jeddo, and "on the 3d 
 of April," writes Kruscnstern, "it was concluded that 
 the ambassador should pay the representative of the 
 Japanese emperor, a European, and not a Japanese, 
 compliment. This latter, indeed, is of so debasing a 
 nature, that even tlte very lowest of Europeans could 
 not submit to it; but he was obliged to appear with- 
 out his sword or shoes, nor would they allow him a 
 chair or any kind of European seat, but reduced him 
 to the necessity of sitting in front of the governor and 
 the plenipotentiary, on the floor, with his feet tucked 
 under him, an attitude by no means»the most conven- 
 ient. ^ 
 
 "On the 4th of xVpril Rezanof had his first audience, 
 to which he was conveyed in a large boat adorned 
 with flags and curtains. On this occasion, merely an 
 exchange of compliments took place, and a few insig- 
 nificant questions were put to him. The second au- 
 dience was conducted with the same ceremonies, ancj 
 here the negotiation terminated ; the necessary docu- 
 ments being delivered into his hands, which contained 
 an order that no Russian ship should again come to 
 Japan; and the presents, and even the letter- from 
 the emperor of Russia, were all refused."^ 
 
 • Knisenstem writes: 'I doubt whether any ship ever sailed from this 
 harbor so well provisioned as we were; and shall mention the chief articles 
 we M'erc furnished with, in order to show what Kamchatka was competent 
 to i)rovide. Wc had seven large live oxen, a considerable provision of salted 
 ana dried fish, a great supply of vegetables, sc\cral casks of salt fish fur 
 the crew, and three large barrels of wild garlic (as au anti-scorbutic and a 
 st^stitute for sourkrout). Besides these, we received several delicacies fur 
 our ovm table, such as salted reindeer and game, argali or wild sheep, salted 
 wild geese, etc., for .\11 which we were indebted to the governor, who, if I 
 may be allowed the r xprcssion, employed all Kamchatka to our advantage.' 
 Vol/, round World, ". 2l.")-16. 
 
 ' Jd., i. 2S4-5. ' Should any Japanese hereafter be cost upon the coast of 
 
fe 
 
 AT SAINT PAUL. 
 
 415 
 
 Tn sore disgust, Rc;',anof ordered tli captain of tlu^o 
 Nadeiili.da to weigh anchor on tlie morning of the 17th 
 of April. After being engaged for several weeks in 
 exploring expeditions among the Japanese, Kurilc, 
 and Saghalin Islands, the ship again cast anchor off 
 Petropavlov.sk on tiie 5th of June. Here Rezanof 
 -ngaged a passage on hoard the brig J/ami for Ka- 
 (liak, the A^adcshda sailing a month later, and aftcH* 
 further explorations, arriving at Macao on the 20th 
 of Xovember. 
 
 Dismissing the members of his embassy with the ex- 
 ception of LangsdorfF, the plenipotentiary sailed from 
 Petropavlovsk oil, the 24th of June, and about three 
 weeks later landed at the island of St Paul. Here he 
 met with suflicient evidences of carelessness and waste. 
 The skins of the fur-seal were scattered about over 
 l)(,'ach and bluft* in various stages of decomposition. 
 The storehouses were full, but only a small part of 
 tlieir contents was in a marketable state. As many 
 as thirty thousand had been killed for their flesh alone, 
 the skins having been left on the spot or thrown into 
 the sea. After questioning the Aleutian laborers and 
 llussian overseers, Rezanof came to the conclusion 
 that unless an end were put to this wanton destruc- 
 tion, a few years more would witness the extirpation 
 of the fur-seal. 
 
 On the 2ytli of' July the Mor'a entered Peaver 
 l^ay, on the eastern side of Unalaska, and thence, with 
 a few companions, Pezanof proceeded on foot ov(>r tJio 
 rough mountain trail to the compan3''s station at Illiu- 
 liuk.« 
 
 I'tissia,' continues Kruscnstern, 'they vcro to l>c delivered over to the Diitcli, 
 whet vouhl send them by way of liatiivi.-i to X.'nis-'iisiiki. Furthei': we \\-i:<-q 
 fi'.hiddcn from making any picseuts, or iiurch;.oii:y: anything' ff)r inoTicy. :~..s 
 well as from visiting or receiving the visit of tiii> Diitcii laetor. On tho ol-Iur 
 liand, it was docl.irod tliat the rcjairs of the sliijianil the su]iply (if jirovi. i^ iis 
 were to he taken into the imperial account; that ; ho sliould lic provided wi'h 
 everything for two months; and that the emperor had sent -,U(X> sacks of stdt, 
 each Aveighing HO pounds, and lOi) sack -, of rice, each of 150 pounds weight, 
 licsidcs 2,000"pieee3 of capoek or silk wadding.' 
 
 ^Thc natives of the settltimcnt on I'eaver Bay (Borha) still relate im'i- 
 dcnts of this journey, transmitted to them Ly tlxir fathers. They told .'^Ir 
 
446 
 
 REZANOF'S VISIT. 
 
 : ' ' J 
 
 From tills scttlemont Kozanof despatclicd his first 
 oflicial letter. After making brief mention of his voy- 
 age, he writes:* " The multitude of seals in which (St 
 Paul abounds is incredible; the shores arc covertd 
 M'ith them. They are easily caught, and as wc were 
 short of provisions, eighteen were killod for us in half 
 an hour. But at the same time wc were informed 
 that they had decreased in number ninety per cent 
 since earlier times. These islands would be an inex- 
 haustible source of wealth were it not for the Bostoni- 
 ans, who undermine our trade with China in furs, of 
 which they obtain large numbers on our American 
 coast. As over a million had already been killed, I 
 gave orders to stop the slaughter at once, in order to 
 prevent tiieir total extirmination, and to employ the 
 men in collectimr walrus tusks, as there is a small isl- 
 and near St Paul covered with walrus. 
 
 " I take the liberty, as a faithful subject of your im- 
 perial Majesty, of declaring my opinion that it is very 
 necessary to take a stronger hold of this country. It 
 is certain that we shall leave it enipty-handed, since 
 fi'om fifteen to twenty ships come here annually from 
 ]Boston to trade. In the first place, the company 
 should build a small stanch brig, and send out heavv 
 ordnance for her armament. This would compel the 
 Bostonians to keep away, and the Chinese would got 
 no furs but ours. Secondly, the establishment of the 
 company's business on so large a scale requires great 
 expenditure, and the trade in furs alone cannot support 
 it. The American colonics can never be fully de- 
 veloped as long as bread, the principal staple of food, 
 has to be shipped from Okhotsk. To this end it is 
 
 Pctroff, (luring his visit in 1878, that when tliia greatest and niif^hticst of all 
 llussians who iiad ever visited their country passed over the trail counectiiij,' 
 liio licad of IJcavcr Bay with Illiuliuk settlement, the obsequious promywhlu- 
 iiiUi had engaged nunibersof natives to carry pieces of board or plank in advance 
 of the umbassador to bo laid over rivulets and damp places, and thereby save 
 hi:j excellency from wetting his feet. Tlic natives, wlio think nothing of 
 wading tlirougli water for hours at a time, were evidently deejdy impressed with 
 this extraordinary precaution. 
 
 * lie was autliorized to address his despatches directly to the emperor, a 
 privilege seldom granted to a Russian subject. 
 
LippOl't 
 
 |ly Jc- 
 
 food, 
 id it is 
 
 Ut of ill! 
 Iinnccliii'-J 
 lomysliK- 
 
 fcby save 
 ])thing "f 
 
 lipcror, a 
 
 LETTER TO THE TSAU. 
 
 447 
 
 necessary to intorectlo with tlie Spanish pfovcrninent 
 lor permission to purchase on tlie Philippine Islands, 
 or in ChiH, the produce of those countries. There wo 
 (^ould obtain brcadstuffs, sugar, antl rum at low prices 
 lor bills of exchanf2fe in ])iastres, and in sufficient quan- 
 tity to supply all Kamchatka; while in the mean time 
 v.e are developing our colonies in America, and after 
 l)uilding ships there could compel the Japanese to open 
 tlieir ports to our trade. 
 
 '* I hope that your imperial jMajesty will not con- 
 sider it a crime on my part, if, after being reiinforced 
 by my distinguished eooperators, Lieutenants Khvos- 
 tof and Davidof, and having the ship repaired and 
 newly armed, I jiush on next year to the coast of 
 Japan, there to destroy the settlement at IMatsmai, 
 drive the Japanese from Saghalin Island, and frighten 
 them away from the whole coast and the Kurile Isl- 
 ands, breaking up their fisheries, and thereby depriv- 
 ing 200,000 people of food, which will force them all 
 the sooner to open their ports. I have heard that 
 they have been bold enough to erect a factory at Oor- 
 upa Island, one of our Kuriles. 
 
 "Here at Unalaska, I have succeeded in impressing 
 tlie islanders with your Majesty's fatherly care for 
 Iheir welfare. I asked them if they were satisfied 
 with their agent Mr Larionof, and if they suffered 
 oppression. They all answered unanimously that he 
 had been a father to them. I questioned also the 
 chiefs of more distant villages, and they all answered 
 the same. Finally I assend)led the whole population, 
 and persuaded^ them to tell me without fear whether 
 tlioy had cause for complaint, in forming them that my 
 advent among them was the consL-quence of your im- 
 perial Majesty's anxiety for their well-being. They 
 'answered that they had only one request to make, and 
 that not of me, but of the agent, and when I inquired 
 what that request was, assuring tliem that it should 
 be granted, they answered that they wished him to 
 be as irood to them in the future as he had been in 
 
■I 
 
 418 
 
 REZANOF'S VISIT. 
 
 tlio past, for they had \rocn pcrfoctly quiot and happy, 
 and ivccived such remuneration for their hiboras li.'nl 
 l)cen mutually agreed upoi'j. I gave to the agent 
 Lariouot', in tfic name of your inipt^rial Majesty, a 
 gold medal, and to the interpreter Pankof a silver 
 medal, and told the chiefs that these men had been 
 rewarded solely on the strength of their unanimous 
 favorable answers to my questions. At the same 
 time I inflicted exemplary punishment upon tltb trader 
 Kulikalof, wdio had been summoned from Atkha Isl- 
 and for cruelly beating a natiVe woman and hor in- 
 fant son. After assembling all the chiefs and otlicr 
 natives, and the Russians and sailors from the vessel, 
 I had the culprit put in irons and sent him off to 
 Irkutsk by the transport then about to sail, to bo 
 turned over to the courts of justice; after which I cx- 
 ])laiiied to the islanders that before your impei-ial 
 ^lajesty all subjects were equal, and then turning to 
 the Russian hunters, I assured them that every act 
 of violence would be as severely punished." 
 
 On the 25th of July, the Maria sailed from Un;i- 
 laska, and a week latter anchored in the harbor of St 
 Paul. Upon landing, Rezanof, as the plenipotentiary 
 of tlie Russian emperor, was saluted with salvos i^t' 
 artillery and received with heart}'^ Avelcome.^ His re- 
 port on the condition of affairs was satisfactory, ant I 
 he speaks in high terms of Banner, who was still in 
 charge of the colony. ° 
 
 form, who had ranged thcinsclvea nlong the Rtockado. At the landing plac'^, 
 ho was mot l)y three llussiiin oler.Q;ynicn ivnd eoudiicted by them to tho 
 church. Here a te denm was ollcrcd up hy the whole population U|)on t!io 
 happy arrival of so distinguished a pereonaga. L'ti)'iK(lorjr>^ Voi/., part ii. r>~. 
 ** At thid time it consisted of about .S3 buildings, apcirt from the liabita- 
 tiona of the natives. LI., Cm. Of the condition of the natives, LangsdoPi! 
 gives n very unfavorable account. 'They .ire .at present,' he says, 'so 
 completely the slaves of tiic coiupany, that tlicy liold of them their baidJlrs, 
 their clotliing, and even the bono with which their javelins arc pointed, and 
 the whole produce of tlieir hunting parties is entirely at their disposal. It 
 is revolting to a mind of any feeling to see these poor creatures half starved 
 and almost nake<l, as if they were in a house of correction, when at the sani.; 
 time the warehouses of tlie company are full of clothing and provisions. 
 Nor is this the case witli tlie natives alone: tlio Russian promiischlcnika are 
 not in a much better situation. They are extremely ill-treated, and kept at 
 
:\i!;asu:;i:s of imi'iiovkmknt. 
 
 440 
 
 ;i I e\- 
 
 ri:.l 
 
 Ing plac ■. 
 
 W to t!lv! 
 
 lupon tin; 
 irt ii. •"•7. 
 
 |e habita- 
 ingstlcr.l 
 
 fays, 't;o 
 ' baidhi's, 
 litcd. aul 
 3sal. It 
 starve I 
 the sain.: 
 avisions. 
 Inika are 
 kept at 
 
 During' liis Ix'ii'f stay lie took inoaHuros to ini])rov(' 
 llu' iiKiral (condition of tlio .settlement. In a buildiiiti;- 
 w hicli had hoen erected during the jtrecetUng winter 
 liy Jjisianskv, he laid the foundation tor a library, 
 V. ith books forwarded ft)r the })urpose from St Peters- 
 l»urL,^^ He uri^ed upon the proniyshleiiiki and natives 
 ill the service of the company the heneiit to he 
 derived from sendinu* their children to the school, 
 which ibr some years had been s])arsely attended. 
 At tlie same time he induced the wife of J^anner to 
 take into her house a certain number of young girls 
 to be trained in housekeeping. 
 
 Arriving at Novo Arkhangelsk near the iM\d of 
 August, Kezanof and his party were j)r<)vided with 
 {\iv best acct)nHnodation at the disj)osal of the chief 
 m;uiager, and with such rough and scant fare as his 
 stores could furnish. "We all live poorly," writes 
 the former, a tew weeks later, in his lirst report to 
 thi' Russian American Com[)any; "but worse than 
 ■ill lives the founder of this place, in a miserable hut, 
 so dam]) that the floor is always v/et, and during the 
 idii-^tant heavy aiiis the jdace leaks like a sieve. 
 Wonderful man! Jle only cares i'or the comfort of 
 others, and is very neglectful of himself. Once I 
 found his bed tloatiiig in the water, and asked him 
 whether the wind had not torn off a board somewhere 
 
 tlieir work till tlicir striMigth is I'litiroly exliaustc'd; if they arc ill, they must 
 lu-vcr liiipo fur mcdioal a.ssi.stjiiK'c or support in any otiiur way; wliilo aa 
 littlo attt'ntiou at tliu *inic time is paid to their minda as to their bodies. 
 Tile bad quality of tiieir food, which eoUHista ehieily tif the flesh of whales 
 and sea-ilogs, the moist, foggy climate, the dirtiness of their habitations in 
 t!ie barracks, the want of a proper change of linen and clothing, all these are 
 eiieumstan(;es sutticient to undermino tlie strongest constitution, /d., 71 -. 
 Laiiu'sdorir's statements, though supported in part by those, of Lisiansky, 
 which I have already quoted, are probal)Iy exaggerated. 
 
 ' I'l'evioua to Ids departure from .St IVtersburg, Rczanof received portraits 
 i'l oil of the imjierial familj', and of scientific men, the latter presenting their 
 lik<nesso9 ' with the solo object of awakening in the mitntored mind of lliu 
 American savage an uudersianding of true art.' One of these donations was 
 made by Stiite Counsellor Von Fuchs, director of the Moscow Academy of 
 .Sciences, who accompanied his gift with a letter, in which he spoke of lii-y- 
 iuiof as the ' worthy successor of all the great discoverers of tlie world — the 
 Russian (.'olumbus.' PetrotT during his wciiderings in Alaska saw the por- 
 trait of Fuehs doing duty as saint iu the comer of a smoky dwelling of a 
 native up Cook Inlet. 
 
 UisT. Al.\mka. 2'J 
 
■l.'O 
 
 RKZANOF'S \-ISIT. 
 
 I' ■! 
 
 " ^1- 
 
 from thcsido of tlieliut. 'Xn,' lioMiiswcrcd qnictly, '\t 
 is only tlio old leak,' juid tunicil a;^aln to liis ocrupalion. 
 I tell you, ^L'litk'iiicii, (Iiat Haraiiof is an orii^niial, and 
 at tlio sanio tinio a very liapj)y production of nature. 
 ][is name i.s licar<l on the whole western coast, down 
 to ( allfornia. The .l>(»stonians esteem him and respect 
 him, and thi' sava^re tribes, in their dr(\ad of hinijofr'r 
 their fi'Iendship iVom the most distant regions." IJc- 
 zanof then iid'orms the directors that both l^aran-'t" 
 and Kuskof desire to leave the country, and dcelan-; 
 that in the existini,^ state of aftliirs a new man could b- 
 of no Use, for, in the tiuie Ihat he would require to Ik- 
 coKK! ae(|uainted witli his duties, the eompauy would 
 inevitahlv suiler eonsideraUo loan, and mi'jfht bo de- 
 prived of all its possessions. 
 
 In their last, communication, the directors had in- 
 formt-d tlu'ir jtleni[)()tentiaiy tiiat they purposed to es- 
 tablish trading-jiosts in Toncpiin, C^)chin China, Ihu'- 
 mali, and elsewhere in the I'arther Indies. But Txv- 
 zanof, although a man of sanguine temperament, was 
 of opinion that, with the resources at his (vnnmand, 
 such a project Avas simply chimerical. Ho does not ap- 
 ])ear, however, to have abandoned his intention of 
 forcing the Jajvaneso to open their ports, although Im' 
 states that the company is in no condition to extend 
 its operations beyond north-western America.** 
 
 "IIo hnd intcndotl that a flotilla should bo built at Xovo Arkliangclsk f v 
 his J.ipaiK'Su o\pc(liti'>;i, 1>:;t in view of tliu jiDVcrty-sti idci'ii coiulitiou of {!:',! 
 sctlloiiciit, coutciitod liiiii;C'!f witli o'. 'criii^iiLuincIi iiiaili' for liic ./«y(o. Tro 
 craft was iynificnnt'y iiamcil tl'c Aro.'n (IVrhaps), anl Davidof was nppoiii;- 
 cd her coi uaiidcr, Kvosduf takhiu cliarf;o of Iho Jino. Ua his anivalrt 
 OUliohsl:, ' Se])tc!n1(er 1' 0(5, lUzaiiof ]ivoca!'i'il a now annamriit f(ir tho Jii"') 
 and the . <.-i f,)r the expedition to the dapaneso cnaht. The oominandcr.-! 
 of the twij s.sols were instructed to sei/.e everytiiin;; in f.nch .Tapancso settle- 
 ments as \> accessible, taking care at the same time to c:)ptnre alive as 
 h\\\:Q a nun r as poi-sib'c of skilleil artisans, who mi_L'ht be useful in tli" 
 American C( nies. Ilavin;:; lo;i^' eiiice i-evolvc^l the p'.a.n (if this ente-pri-e 
 inhijmind. le liad inst'.nictcd Baranof to prepare rpiarters for such compul- 
 sory immi;;? its on an i land in Sitka I'ay, which lias since borne tlr.'iKi!;:? 
 of Japanov.'Kv, thougli the envoy's jilan was never onrrird out. Feeling that 
 bo was acting rashly, and without the sanction fif the imperial governnier. :, 
 Kczanof was somewhat uneasy, ami changed the tenor of hii instructions scl- 
 eral times before finally delivering them to Kvosdof and Uavidof. The tv.o 
 
A Ni:\V IlKVOf.T. 
 
 451 
 
 "The Kolosli i)])j)i';ir io \h' sul)«lu('.l," coiitlniK's tlie 
 iiivov, "l)ut lor how loll''- ^ ThfV huv(> Ikmh an;i<' I 
 hy the IiDstoiiiaiis with the l)L'st. jijuns mimI ,tist<ils, and 
 liave even fuleonets. All aloiiLj the soiinil llu>y hav;- 
 ci'ceted forts. The lieroeuess and treachery oueo e\- 
 liibited hy the natives liave taiiLjht- us all tlu! ij^r<'ate;-t 
 caution. Our eaiinon arealwavs loaded, and not oidr 
 ai'e si'iitries with loaded j^uns posted everywhere, hut 
 arms of all kinds art;the chiel' rurnitureot' oui' looms. 
 livery oveiiinj^, after sundown, sii^nals are naaintained 
 lliroughout theni^'ht, and a watchwoi'd is passi'd from 
 |io>t to post until daylight. IV'rl'eet military dist-i- 
 ])lino is enforced, aii.l we are ready at any moment to 
 Vi'ceive the savages, who are in the liabit of |)rolitin.;' 
 hv the darkness and gloom of night to make their 
 attacks." 
 
 liozanof's fears were not ill-f» umded. Al)out the very 
 time that his re[)ort was written a rumor reached 
 Xovo Arkhanq-elsk, which was afterward connrmed, 
 that the Yakutat colony had been destroyed hy thu 
 Kolosh, and all the llussians, except the c(jmmander's 
 wife and cliildren, together with a number of Aleuts, 
 massacred." l']ncouraged by this success, the savages 
 determined to attack the llussian settlements lying 
 farther to the north. Embarkin''- in eiu'ht laru'e war- 
 canoes, they proceeded to the mouth of the Co[)per 
 River, wh(;re, leaving six of tlu'ir vessels, they de- 
 spatched the other two to the Konstantinovski Ile- 
 (loubt, on Xuchek Island. Tlieir cliie!', Fedor, a godson 
 <il' Baranof, and a man well known to the proniysli- 
 leniki, appeared boldly before (Juvarof, the ct>nnnandi'r 
 of the station, declariu''" that he wished to trade with 
 the Cliugatsches. Ouvaruf gave liim permission, and 
 
 officers by no ine.iiis liked tlu; part they wcic to ]>];iy ia (uo proposul uniler- 
 takiii;.', but being accustoiiu'd to iriiplicit o'icdieiico of orders, lliey did their 
 best in can'yiii;,' out the work of destractiou. This cotirso of aelion s'llisc- 
 (iueiitly iiivulvi il thtiii iu serious diilieidties Nvilli the Okhotsk authorilies, 
 resulting in iinprisouiiient, ])rivation, and Kiitlering. Tiuhiw-nj', i. lo4-i(ii>. 
 
 *Thune\v3 -was sent liy Ivan lLe[iiii, the oouipany's agent iitlvou ■^ii.itiii- 
 ovsk Jledoubt, r;i 2siicheii IsUind. llis U'tter w;m bent to Kadiiik, an. I ('i:;iuj 
 Septeudjer '2i, 1805. 'Tiuliiiwiuj, Istor. Obos., ii. app. part ii. I'Jj. 
 
45^ 
 
 REZAXOF'S VISIT. 
 
 V. itnossod the usual preliminary dances and festivity. 
 Oil one of the canoes kept in reserve there Mas, liow- 
 ever, a captive Chugatsch, Avho succeeded in escaping;-, 
 and informed Ouvarof of the real object of tlie Ko- 
 losli. Thereupon the Russian connnander seized the 
 cliit'f, and told him that his plan had been revealed. 
 In tlie mean time the native allies, hearing of the 
 matter, had taken the remainder of the Kolosh to 
 their village under pretence of inviting them to a 
 feast, and had there massacred almost the entire part}'. 
 Among the few that escaped was Fedor, who carried 
 to the party at Copper River the news of tlieir com- 
 i-ades' fate. Fearing that the Chugatsches would 
 soon be upon them, the panic-stricken Kolosh at once 
 pu^ to sea, and while attempting to cross the bar iu 
 tht- teeth of a gale, the bidarkas were dashed to pieces 
 and tlieir inmates drowned. Thus was the Yakutat 
 massacre avenged without the loss of a single man on 
 the side of the Russians.^"^ 
 
 During a brief sojourn in London, in 1803, while 
 the iV7f(^r'.s7(!(7rt was lying at Falmouth, Rczanof visited 
 Newgate prison, where he saw four hundred convicts 
 awaiting transportation to Botany Bay. Thus was 
 suggested to him the idea of petitioning tlie crown 
 ■tliat a number of exiles be sent out yearly to reenforco 
 the sparsely peopled colonies of Russian America. He 
 rec^onnnends that those selected be chiefly mechanics 
 and laborers, and that it be understood that none 
 sliould have permission to return, in order that societ}' 
 might be i)ermane!itl3' rid of a portion of its dangenms 
 members; while the criminals, being fairly treated and 
 having no hope of escape, would be of great benefit in 
 building up the settlements. 
 
 Vav several months after Rezanof's arrival at Novo 
 Arkhangelsk, formal councils were convened for the 
 pur|)ose of discussing measures for the welfare of the 
 
 ^'^ Khlehuikvf, Shizn. Jiarniiova, 102-i). The number of Kolosh who por- 
 ihlK'd was about 200, of whom 70 wcri; nitisbucred at Nuchck Island. 
 
COLONIAL ORGANIZATION. 
 
 4.-.:; 
 
 man on 
 
 colonies/^ At tlioir inei;tliiy;s Barauof find liis (.'lii.'t' 
 assistants were always pn-scnt, Init the plcni[)otc'nliarv 
 was doubtless the guiding spirit. At the dost- of 
 tlieir deliberations the latter lianiledto the chief man- 
 ager a list of instruccions for his guidance, which, 
 though some of them weri,' for the time impractical ilo, 
 show a keen insight into the wants of the colony. 1 le 
 rcconnnends that s[)ecial attention be ])aid U) tlie 
 training of nieclianics and tradesmen; that the garri- 
 son be recruited I'rom iViendly natives and nati\'e 
 youths reared at the company's expense; that young 
 men be trained in the schools of the (,'olony to hll j)o- 
 sitions as book-keepers, clerks, and agents; that a fund 
 he j)rovided for the support of the aged ami disal)led; 
 that, in view of the scarcity of shi[>wrights, ships be 
 })urchased from foreigners wlienever opportunity may 
 oFer, even at a sacrifice, and that for this purjiose 
 credits be established with banking houses in Lontloii 
 and Amsterdam; and that in order to insure a sutK- 
 (ient sup[)ly of broad-stufl's, trade be established with 
 California, New Albion, and the Phili[)pine Islands.'- 
 '' Upon the fur tr;\de alone," he writes in a letter 
 ti> the directors, "■ the company cannot subsist, and it 
 is absolutely necessary to organize without tlelay a 
 husincss of a general character — a trade with other 
 countries to which the ri)ad is o])en from the colony. 
 This is all the moi'o necessary, as the number of fiu'- 
 hearing animals decivast's from year to year. If Bar- 
 ;in(jf had n t returned to Xovo A-rkhangelsk, but given 
 \\\) the enter-prise t]u!re as lost, the ellect upon the 
 
 '• The first of them appears to have been licM on the 1st of Septeiiili< r, 
 ISO.'). On this occiisioii the envoy, after cxiiiniiiinLr tlio reports of 15ar;iiinf, 
 ^aiil; ' The or;.,'anizatioii of tins (.'oiiijiany is eoiiiiikto and in ]ierfect v<irkiui,' 
 unU'r; all iniitters '"ounecteil with traiU', actual si'ttleiiieiit, anil L'onei'al ecmi- 
 "■niy are flourisliin^'; the iiihaliitants are lieiii;^ iiisti'iU'teil in the necessary 
 industries, trades, and niaiiiifactures; the husine^s coniieetious are l)ein^ emi- 
 Btaiitly extended; the a<lniin!slriition of justice is eliicient; the navii;ati<in nf 
 t!ie company's vessels is intni-^ted to tried seamen, and youths ai-e lieini; trainrd 
 to succeed them when required; the lightiuL,' estal)lishment is strong', and 
 ready for any enierf,'ency; and the relations with fri^'iidly triltes of the natives 
 are nf a satisfactory character, and likely to lie permanent,' A/., 1)1 '2. 
 
 '■The principal iter; - ill these instructioua are given iii Tiklimim i', l.<i<ir. 
 Ohus., i. 142-4. 
 
4ot 
 
 EEZANOF'S VISIT. 
 
 coinpaii}" would liavc boon to carry tlio value of tli' 
 sliares, not up into the thousands as in former veins, 
 liut down to about 280 rouljles. In that case the liuiit- 
 er who receives his half-share, or 140 rouljles, woul I 
 work for nothing, as his expenses for food and driii]; 
 alone exceed that sum each year. iXccordin'jf to my 
 calculation, the annual expenses of the hunter, at the 
 present high prices, cannot amount to less than 317 
 roubles." 
 
 The prices of all imported commodities throughout 
 Russian America were, at this period, so extrava- 
 gant that the promj'shleniki were always hopelessly 
 in debt to their employers. They were not allowed 
 to leave the country until their obligation was can- 
 celled; and he was considered a fortunate man who, 
 after many years of exile and priwation, could return 
 to his native country to end his days, broken in 
 luvalth and spirit, and without a rouble in his pocket. 
 ]3read-stuffs could be brouo'ht from Boston at lower 
 rates than from Okhotsk, while at Petropavlf)Vsk 
 trade was in the hands of a few monopolists. As rh 
 illustration of the condition of aflairs at the latter port, 
 it may be mentioned that the merr sale of the Ka- 
 <.h'!<h(Jas surplus supplies, during Rezanof's visit, caused 
 the leading articles of consumption to fall in price from 
 iifty to seventy per cent.^^ 
 
 Such was the dearth of provisions in Novo Ark- 
 hangelsk at the approach of winter, that early in 
 October Baranof was compelled to purchase the Jioio's 
 cargo of provisions, which w'as sold, together with th(^ 
 ship, for the sum of sixty-seven thousand piastres.^' 
 On the 15th of the month the vessel was despatched 
 
 "Linen fell from 14 to 7 ronlilcs a piece, sugar from 140 to 48 rouhlea a 
 rmiil, liinndy from 20 to 8 roubles a quart, and tobacco from 2i roubles to 7.') 
 Kupclv.s ;i jiuud. J({., \32. 
 
 "The provisions t)l)t;iinc(l by tliis pnrdiase consisted of 19 cisks of salt 
 pork, 42 casks of saltt'il beef, l,!C)5 i;al». of niolussea, 2,()8;{ Ilis. of powilcicd 
 pui;!!!', 31") ll's. loaf-suj^'ur, 4,;MI? lbs. of rico, 11 c:i.sks (jf ilno wlicat tlimv, 
 7..'v'2 Ib.s, of biscuit. i.iiiii/sdorjrK (Vi//., part ii. S!)-ilO. I'aynii'nt was made 
 ill fiira to tlu! iuiiount of ,'{l,2r)0 piiistros, and ibc roniainiUr in diaft.s on 
 dirccton-t in St Petersburg. A Kinall vessel \va;i iil«o given to t!ie captain in 
 yliicli to ship hid crew and furs. 
 
DISASTER AT YAKUTAT. 
 
 4JSj 
 
 lo Kadiak for Airtlier supplies, and a few weeks later 
 rt^turned laden with dried ilsli and oil lor tlio use of 
 the natives. 
 
 The tidings from St Paul were almost as disastnms 
 as was the news wliieh Captain Barber brouglit from 
 Novo Arkhangelsk to the chief manager, some three 
 years before. The J'Jlizai'da, despatched to Kadiak 
 for provisions soon after Ilezanof's arrival, Jiad been 
 wrecked during a heavy storm; six large bitlarkas, 
 Liden with furs, had foundered during the same gale; 
 of a party which had kft Norfolk Sound under 
 J)emianenkof, more than two hundred had perished at 
 st;a; and finally the destruction of the Yakutat settle- 
 ment was confirmed. 
 
 The details of the disaster Avhich overtook Dcmi- 
 anenkof and his ]iarty are as follt)w: lie had left 
 Xovo Arkhangelsk with the intention of proceeding 
 in Kadiak, and not many days after his departure 
 lieard rumors of the Yakutat massacre, and of the 
 intention of the Koloshto attat;k his l)arty also. lie 
 at once ado})ted extraoruinaiy precautions, travelling 
 only at night, and hiding bv day in the dense forests 
 lining the shore. When he had reaclu'd a point about 
 forty miles distant from Yakutat, he timed the depart- 
 me of his connuand so as to reach the settlement at 
 midnight. As they cautiously ap])roached the shore, 
 niter ten houi's of hard j)ad(l]ing, they were soon con- 
 \iuced that the reports of disaster were true. Of all 
 the buildings, not one log was left standing iipt)n 
 .•mother. Ashes, the remains of destro3'ed implements 
 and of other j)ro])erty, covered the whole village site. 
 The frightened Aloulian huntci's, though almost ex- 
 hausted, refused to land, and after a brief consultation 
 a majority of the I'orce concluded to proceed without 
 delay to the island of Kyak, a hundred and fifty 
 miles away; but the inmatt.'s of thirty of the bidarkas, 
 t'xliausted with their long toil, landed on the beach 
 U'-.vv by, i)referriiig tlie chances of doath or captivity 
 to fiuthci' exertion. The coast between Yukutat and 
 
 I: 
 
 if;: 
 
466 
 
 REZANOF'S VISIT. 
 
 Prince William Sound consists of stuep cliffs and grvid 
 bodies of glacier ice, affording no landiiig place-, 
 even to canoes, for nearly the whole distance. As 
 f;ite ordained, those who had chosen almost cortain 
 death at the hand of the Kolosh were saved, and 
 finally reached their destination without being nio- 
 k'stod; but as soon as the landing had been effected, a 
 terrible gale sprung up, during which all their com- 
 panions at sea perished. The following morning the 
 shore was lined with corpses and the shattered rem- 
 nants of bidarkas. 
 
 !il Jii! 
 
 The winter was passed by Rezanof and his com- 
 panions in great discomfort, on account of constant 
 rain and snow storms, and though the stores of tlic 
 Juno had appeared ample for the season, a scarcity of 
 ])rovisions was felt by the Russians as early as tlic 
 beginning of February.-" At length the envoy, tircil 
 of his dismal abode, ordered the Juno to be again 
 made ready for sea, having resolved to proceed to tlio 
 coast of California, there to negotiate with the gov- 
 ernor for a constant exchange of conmiodities. Witli 
 (liiBculty a small crew was mustered from a command 
 weakened by disease and jirivation, and even these 
 were so emaciated that Rezanof would not allow them 
 to be secii by the Californian officials until they had 
 been plentifullv fed and lirought into l>etter condition. 
 The details of Rezanofs visit to San Francisco, which 
 after lengthy negotiations resulted in the accomplisli- 
 men of its object, are related elsewhere.^" It is suffi- 
 cient to state, at present, that the ffuno returned to 
 Novo Arkhangelsk on the 19th of June, with a cari>(i 
 of 071 fanegas of wheat, 117 of oats, 140 of jieasean-l 
 beans, and a large <|uantity of ffour,, tallow, salt, and 
 
 "• T-iiingsdorlF j,'ivc8 a scusatiunal account of tlie sufTcring anions; the colo- 
 nists at Novo Arliliannclsk <liiriiig this winter, and of the spread of scorhtitio 
 (lisenscs. Some of his slatenient.s appear false on tlieir face. For instance, 
 he Kays that the houses of tiio proinyshleniki and native laborent were on!y 
 warmed 'hy their own fetid breath' — and tiiitj in a settloiueut surrounded 
 on all sides by dense forests. I'oi/., part ii. 93-'J5. 
 
 ^^Hint. CuL, ii. G4 ct acq., this series. 
 
DEPARTUIIE OF THE PLENirOTENTIARY. 
 
 4.-)7 
 
 other supplies, valued at 5,587 piastres, payment hav- 
 iii,' been made chiefly in Russian manufactured uoods. 
 R'jzanof had now fulfilled his mission to the best of 
 his pvnver, and five days later sailed for Okhotsk on 
 l)oard tliO Juno, intending to proceed thence overland 
 to St Petersburg, and report in person to the emperor 
 ]iis achievements and his plans for the future, and to 
 ask of his sovereign permission to bring to its legiti- 
 mate end his romantic episode with Dona Concepcion 
 do Argiiello, of which mention is made in another 
 ^()lume.*'^ His sojourn in the north-west had wrought 
 many changes for the better, and though his relations 
 with Baranof and hissubordinates wore always friendly, 
 tlie envoy was even more bitter than the chief man- 
 ager in his complaints of the treatment which he re- 
 ceived at the hands of the naval officers. Describing 
 an interview with one of them, he says : "xV man 
 (h'essed in a black coat and vest approached me and 
 shook hands. I asked him, 'Who are you? ' He an- 
 swered, *I am Lieutenant Sookin of the Russian navy, 
 couunanding the ship Elizaveta.' I replied that I was 
 chamberlain of the Russian court and commander of 
 all America. I expressed my displeasure at his ap- 
 jicarance, and ordered him to return to shore antl pre- 
 sent his report to me, dressed in proper uniform. He 
 complied with my orders very unwillingly." For this 
 conduct Rezanof threatened to send the lieutenant 
 l)ack to Russia, but Raranof asked, tliat he be allowed 
 to remain and earn his pay, for he had already re- 
 ceived for doing nothing the sum of five thousand 
 I'oublcs, "of which amount," says Rezanof, "he had 
 expended three thousand roubles in rum. I baw him 
 but five times during the whole winter, always in his 
 ]oom, dividing his time between sleeping and drink- 
 ing, thougli his quiet consumption of the licjuor dis- 
 turbs nobody and injures only his own health. He is 
 so unobtrusive that we scarcely notice his presence. 
 
 " /(/. , 68 et seq. 
 
\h 
 
 
 t 
 
 'i^'ii 
 
 458 
 
 REZAXOF'.S VISIT. 
 
 Ili.s l()<^-books and reports will convince you of tlio 
 insulHciency of liis nautical knowledge. On shore he 
 spends much time ii.ditins^ ungranunatical letters to 
 the chief nianaj^er, and thus I'ar has spcait eightec'ii 
 months' salary in purchasing rum. lie is like a use- 
 less sea-sprite, to whom, however, the chief manager 
 does not dare to intrust a vessel ; therefore I have con- 
 cluded to send him back to you, leaving it to you to 
 settle his accounts." 
 
 1'he next oHicer discussed is Lieutenant !Masliin, 
 "who," savs llezanof, "has asked to be relieved. Tlie 
 history of his services has been given to you by the 
 chief manager. I will only remark that by his con- 
 sumption of brandy he has contributed considerably 
 to the profits of the com[)any, and therefore gratitude 
 prevents me from keeping him in the service. lie 
 lives in the same house with Sookin Their tastes 
 and recreations are the same, but I am told that they 
 live in a very original and independent way. They do 
 nothing together. They sleep by turns; they prom- 
 enade one after the other, and care so little about 
 past, present, or future, that they fmd no topics upon 
 which to converse." ^^ 
 
 '" Diii'iiij^ the winter (if I'^fl.VO, Licntciini.. Klivostof wiuckbitcd in the 
 coinpaiiy's liooks witii !).|, luulvcid (ll* );::,!l.iiis) of I'rcncli Idaiuly, and 'J.\ 
 luK.'ki'ts (if !iK'(iliiil. 'J'/k-iuifCiic/, ii. iijip. ])ait ii. "JIS. Klivostdf and David. .f 
 v.( ro liotli diMWiii' I V, liili! (.Tds^iiiL; tlu; >|iv;i in ;i small boat liy ni;,dit. 'i'W: 
 ai'ciik'ut was pnilialily duo to a juiiit d('l)aucli. JJfiiLnitiior l'iif> ■fhr.-./ri'' i> 
 AnuriL-ii Mor'-Likh ()l!i/:i mr Khrusluca i. iktriiliivri, iipp. — two voyaj^'oa to 
 Anu.'iica liy tlio naval ul!icci'.s, KliVdst.if and I 'avidot, written by tin; latter. 
 ^ viiLs. Irt'lO and IM-2, .N'aval J'rintin;.; Ollico. St IVtcroburg. Tliia W(jrk 
 contains a, detailed and for tlio must )>arl (.leai' and impartial aecomit of tlio 
 voyages and e\[ieriene(! of two nav;d oliieer.s in tiio pcrviec of t!ic JUusiaii 
 Aniciicaii (."ompany. liotli were in(n of i idinre and eduealion, and Mcro tlio 
 lir.;t t) avail llieniselvca of tlio jirivilc^^e ;;ianted liy an imperial onka/,, wliieh 
 jiermitted <)liie( rs of tlio navj' to enter into tempov.iry onga^'ements with tlio 
 hussian Ameiiean ("oni])any, m itiionfc losing rank or jiay in the public ser- 
 vice. Their departure from St IViersbnrg took jilaee in April ISUJ, and tlio 
 lir.st two ehapteis are dev->ted to the overland journey to Okhotsk, where 
 they arrived in August of the same year. 'J"he next two chapteiM eontaia tlio 
 de[iaituro from Okliotsk, tiie journey to Kadiak, an intervic.v wi;h IJaranof, 
 ft brief review of the company ".s history and business, and the return voyage 
 to Okhotsk ill .rune ISUIi. 'I'lienee they returned to St retersburg overland, 
 arriving there in .laniiary iSill. An iipiiendi.x to the lirt volume coniaiiuiii 
 short biog'i'aphical sketch of b itli tr.ivelli'i's, a letter addressed to them jointly 
 by Jic/.auoi, whom tlicy aecoin[ianied on his mission to Japan, and concludes 
 
 r 
 
MISSION WOUK. 
 
 •}.".!) 
 
 Of the missionaries and tlu-ir Inliors "Rozanof Ims 
 little !^(»()(l to rc[)ort. li\v. remarks tli;it ilicir sm- 
 cnllod coiiviTsion wms merely a name, and tli;it the 
 (" ivmony <.»f baptism liad not nllec^ted tlieir moi-.ils or 
 customs. Ho states that tin; llussian iiriesls did not 
 l'»llo\v the example of the Jesuits in tlieir missionary 
 work, that they did not enter into tin; plans of the 
 government and the company, that they li\('d in idh'- 
 ness, or busied tluMnselves only in meddling with the 
 roin})any's affairs, often causinLj disturbance betwc(.'ii 
 ntllccrs and servants at the various stations. Jle 
 (•(iin])liiins that through lack of zeal few took the 
 <i'oni)le to acquire the native language, and states 
 incidentally that the late bisho[) loassid" hiid receivt-d 
 lli'tocn shares of stock in the llussian American C'oni- 
 pnny — a circumstance which explains the tenor of the 
 prelate's re])orts.*'' 
 
 On the 24th of September, 1 HOG, Ile/.anof left. Ok- 
 hotsk on his homeward j()uriu;y. Pi()ni[ited by re- 
 markable activitv of mind and body, he travelled 
 rapidly; but, weakened as ho was by the hardshij>s, 
 anxiety, and trouble of the past thi'e(! yeai's, the 
 journey liad a fatal cflect upon his health. AV'hilo 
 crossing rivers, over the thin ice just forming, it fre- 
 (j'.ienily ha])pene(l that ho was not only drenched, but 
 obliged to camp in the snow afterward. About 
 
 witli two pfX'ins in prai.so of the ncliicvemeiits of Uaviduf ami Klivostof, 
 iiiiil .'illudiii;^ to tlieir tr;i;.;io dcatli. 
 
 'I'he Ki'i'oiid vdliiiuc is dt^vot il entirely to a detailed deperiptioii of KiuiiMlc 
 I'.iid tin; seUleim'nt.s on Cotik Inlet, and at ^\ovo Arkiiani^el.sk, \\ illi lii.storieal 
 t lu'telies of the colonies and tlie Itn.-isian .\nieiie;in ( 'oinp.my, ;;nd ;i review (.f 
 t!ie nuinners nnil eustonis of the natives, and the way in whieh they wenr 
 l;i:inaL;cd l>y thc^ Jiussians. Attached to this \ol;nne aic two Inief roialiula- 
 ries of the Kolosh and KenaVslii lan%'na;,'es, of little \alne to the jihi'olo,;! .t i.n 
 iucimnt of nnnieroMs mistakes. Sokoloi f;ul)sei|nently lerieweil Klivostof and 
 ])a\iilof at length in Uio Mor.-Lni S/i"riii/:. He ennhned hiniNfif eliielly to 
 Klivostof, wlioia lie deserilns as a tah iiled, aniialile iiidividnal, IhonLrh ini- 
 hitlcred in mind hy misfortune and dissi|iation, iind feelin.; ;;r<'at eninily 
 t'lViard Jiezanof. Win n the latter sailed in (la; ,/iiii<> for ('alitornia to save 
 t!ie people of Novo .\iklianj;elsk fMun starvation, Klivostof com; L.ineil that 
 h'' was 'takiiiu' them into a tro]>ieal latitude at the most dangerous season of tlio 
 year.' ,l/.;,-.s.:oi ,sV/., i\. ;i4!t-,-.,S. 
 
 "•IJall, ^l/a.s/.vf, .Till, speaks of lo.-issof as nn AuLrnstino friar. It isdilii- 
 cult to eonei ivc u hene(! lie ohtained this information, as there is but ouo 
 iii..;)aativ; oidi r in all Itussia — that of St JJasilius. 
 
 I'M 
 
 m 
 
400 
 
 REZANOF'S VISIT. 
 
 sixty luilos cast of the Aklana, he was attacked witli 
 a violent fever and carried unconscious into a Yak«>ut 
 liut. A. few days after lie became convalescent, lio 
 ])uslied on to Yakutat before recovering his strength. 
 lEere again he was prostrated, and again continued 
 his journey; but his career was now at an end, and 
 on the 1st of March, 1807, the i)k'nipotentiary breathed 
 his last at Krasnoyarsk, in eastern Siberia.-^ 
 
 '■"' Tiklnnonef reflects thus on Rezunof's death: 'The company lust in liim 
 a spirit uiost active in its organizjition, ami in tlie developuieut of tlic coloiiius 
 under its control, llaviny acijnuinted liinisulf on the spot with tho ro(jnire- 
 mcnts of tiie country, and having made thi most earnest etl'urts ti> cstai)li>h 
 relations witli adjoining countries, Kezauof could not brook delay on his 
 homewaid journey, vliere he expected to plead jiersonally the coinpany'i 
 cause before the imperial throne. There can Ix! no tlouht that his influence, ,>o 
 far as it reached, has been wholly beneficial. We do not know wiiat plans 
 were seething in his active brain, ready to be laid l)efore tho company's direc- 
 tors and the government upon his return to tho capital. If Kezanof's life had 
 not ended so prematurely, some of his plans would certainly hare been brouj^lit 
 to successful issue at a much earlier period than we can now hope for, whilu 
 others would not have sull'ered total neglect at the hands of the autlioritiis. 
 We cannot fail to see that ho was no idle dreamer, though his efforts for tlio 
 pul)lie welfare were not nmch appreciated during his life-time, being f re([ucntly 
 sjiokcn of in a deprecating manner. A few looked on him as a vision.'iry, capa- 
 ble only of concocting schemes on paper, but at tho same time harclsliijis, 
 disasters, and opposition could not prevent him from following his course and 
 pursuing the object of his life. The honesty and amiability of his character 
 were universally acknowledged, and though ho failed to accomplisii nuKli 
 that he proposed, he probably did more than any of his assailants.' Jslur. 
 Ohos., i. lG'2-3. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 SEVES MORE YEARS OF ALuVSKAN" AXXALS. 
 
 1S0G-1S12. 
 
 SiiiP-nriLDivo AT Novo AuKir.vxfsKLsic— Tirr. SKiTLr.'Mr.NT TiiisKATKXEn 
 liv KoLosii — A Plot acainst tuk Ciuk.f Manackr's Lifk— Thk Con- 
 spiUAToiw Takfx nv Snni'iiisE — Auimval of Oot.ovnix ix tiik Si.ooi'- 
 OF-\VAK 'Diana'— His DKsrRii'Tio>f of tiif, Setti-emknt — Astok'm 
 
 VksHEL, TKK ' EnTKRPKISK,' at XoVO AUKIIAN'dKLSK— Xr.iJOTIATIO.NS 
 
 Foi« Trade — Goi.ovnin'.s AcrorNT of the Matter — Eaknum's Jocr- 
 NEY FROM Astoria to St PETKKsucud — Wreck of the 'Jino'— 
 Sufferings of her Crew. 
 
 Three years had now elapsed since tlie cliiof man- 
 ager had sailed from Kadiak, and at the end of Sejv 
 toinber 1806 lie returned to St Paul, leavini:^ Kuskof 
 in command at Novo Arkhan<>-elsk, with instructions 
 to hasten the completion of certain huildini^s and 
 ships then in course of construction. In ]March 1807 
 a tine brig named the Sifkn was launched, and two 
 months later she arrived at Kadiak. During the fol- 
 lowing summer a three-masted vessel of three hundred 
 tons, christened the Otki-i/fi'', or Discoirnj, was also 
 huilt at Novo Arkhangelsk, and at the same time 
 the keel was laid for a schooner, to he named in honor 
 of the discoverer Chirikof.^ A few days after the 
 arrival of the .S/V/.'a, the English sliip Mtptle anchored 
 in the harbor of St Paul, in charge of Ca[)tain Bar- 
 ber, of whom mention has been made in connection 
 
 
 'On the completion of each vessel, the builder received .a gratuity of 
 
 1 ,0[)0 roubles from the company. Cliirikof, it will be remembered, was in 
 
 I'omuiaiid of the first Russian vessel that visited the farther uorth-west coast 
 
 of America. 
 
 (461) 
 
4^3 
 
 SEVEN :,I0R1': YE.UIS OF ALASKAN ANNALS. 
 
 \vith the SitJia iiKisHtu'ic. Altliou^^li no fr'uMutly fi-'vl- 
 iiiLf existed betwt'eu him and iKininof, .so gi'eatly wn-^ 
 the lattei' in need of vessels, tliut the ship was pur- 
 cliascd, together with her cargo/ and renamed the 
 Kad'tii.k. 
 
 In September 1S07 the Ncra arrived at Novo 
 Arkhangelsk on her seconil voyage from Kronstadt," 
 in connnand of Lieutenant Ilagemeister, who, as we 
 shall see, was appointed some years later IJaranofs 
 successor, and in the lollowing sjiring the shi]) wa ; 
 added to the company's lleot. Viy this vessel th ? 
 chief manager received news that the im])erial govern- 
 ment had bestowed on him, as an additional reward, 
 the order of St Anne of the third class, while on 
 Kuskof was conferred the raidc of comnjercial coun- 
 cillor. 
 
 Meanwhile the Kudiah had been despatched to 
 Yakutat by way of Novo Arkhangelsk, her com- 
 mander being instructed to i-escuo the survivors o^ 
 the n»assacre who were still in the hands of the 
 Kolosh. A foreign Hag was hoisted in order to de- 
 ceive the savages, and thus two of them were induced 
 to board the shiji, and wore secured. Negotiations 
 were then opened, and the commander's widow and 
 children with several others were released from 
 captivity.* 
 
 >i 
 
 'Tlio ship for 42,000 piastres, and tlie cargo of furs, provisions, arms, 
 anil .iminuniiioii for 0."!,(J7"> roubles. Jiiirlior received his pay in drafts on 
 tlie lioard of nuinuLjcrs, and demanded to be placed at Okliotsk on one of t!i'! 
 company's vess-.U in order t^ jn'oceed to St I'etersburg overland. Ho sailed 
 on the .S'('/.-rt tlic foiUminu' ar.tuinn, but owing to the lateness of the season, 
 the VCS.S0I proceeded to I'ctroj avlovsli. Hero she was loaded with goods fpr 
 Ni.slie Kainehat-U. but w;is totallj' wrecked at the mouth of Kamchatka 
 lliver on the lo,:h of October, 1807. The crew and passengers were saved. 
 Khlihi\'u'>f, Sh'z/i. JJarnnora, 117-18. 
 
 ''Ill Au;.'ust ISiXi it had Ijcen resolved at a meeting of the shareholders t) 
 send tl;e At rt uuco vaovc to the colonies. Ilagemeister and the other ollicers 
 were eng;iged f.^r 11 period of four years. Tikhmcnrf, Istor. Obos., i. 104. 
 
 'During the preceding year Haranof had sent Captain Campbell, an 
 American, upou tlie tame errand, but he succeeded only in securing two host- 
 ages and iclc ;4ng one Akut and his wife. The former were transfeiTcil to 
 Kadiak jniil bap'ized, receiving the names of Kalistrat and Gideon. They 
 afterward ret'irned to Sitka, where they wore employed as interpreters. 
 KulLstrat died iu IS'H2, and Gideon sc\cral years later, K/dtbiiikof, Shhii. 
 
NAPLAVKO F-S CON'SPIR ACY. 
 
 4:.T 
 
 During tlu! wintor of lOOG-7, tlio Kolosli a'^aiu 
 assumed a tliie'att'niiiL;' attitude, encouraLji'd chiiily I)y 
 till' ahsciico of l^arauot". I'cj^oits i)i' intended attaeks 
 ]'e;iclied Ku.skol' at various times. Under pretext ol' 
 eULMLcin-j^ in herrin-j; lishery, they assembled on tlio 
 islands of Norfolk Sound, with more than lour liundred 
 lar^ce war-canoes, while the numher of warriors was 
 not less than two thousand, T]\() Kolosh women, who 
 cohabited with the promyshleniki of the ^-arrison, 
 aided in spreadinj^ alarm by exai^^gerated reports of 
 1 lie intentions of their countrymen. Deeds of violence; 
 were of daily occurrence, and at last a party of Aleu- 
 lian iishernien were captured an<l killed. Promjit 
 a<'tion was now required; but as the llussians wei'c 
 not strong enough io attack the enemy, or even sus- 
 tain a siege, Kuskof resolved to try. the eifect of 
 peaceful measure's. lie invited to the fort the most 
 powerful of the chiefs, feasted them, llattered them, 
 plied them with rum, an<l by a libin-al distribution of 
 [)resents, finally induced them to leave the neighbor- 
 hood.^ 
 
 The year 1809 witnessed the most formidable of 
 the many conspiracies hatched by the promyshleniki 
 and Siberian ex-convicts aii'ainst the chief manaijer. 
 A few lieadstronij ruflians of the latter class, havini^ 
 been detained for some time at Kamchatka on their 
 journey to America, had there learned the details of 
 Jjeiiyovsky's famous exploits, (U)ul)tless exaggerated 
 ;ind embellished by transmission from one generation 
 to another. One of these unruly spirits, Naplavkof, 
 wlio had been originally exiled to Siberia and subse- 
 (piently permitted to enter the company's service, con- 
 ceived the idea of imitating the venturesome Polo, 
 and forming a secret society for the purpose of over- 
 
 Baranora, 110 20. In 1835 Baron Wrangell, then chifif manager, rccom- 
 lucuilcd tl.ac a pension be given to Giilcen for his long services. 
 
 •' In a jirivtito letter to Baranof, Kiifkof reporta that the success of lii-i 
 iiiaufjuuvres was due to the ellbrts of alvolosli girl sent by him into tlie hostile 
 euuip to create dissensions among the leaders. 
 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 |;l 
 
 
 ; 
 
 I ' 
 
 
 ■I- 
 
 ''1 
 
 iH: 
 
 1 ' 
 
 It 
 
 |i 
 
 :l 
 
 1 
 
 i UJ^^B 
 
hi, ! 
 
 1^ li 
 
 ! *'■ 
 
 4<U 
 
 SEVEN MORE YEARS OF ALASKAN ANNALS. 
 
 tln'owiiii; cxistiii'jf authority. His most tnustotl eon- 
 lidaiit was a puusant naiiiecl Po|)or. By tliu tiiiu; 
 thosu two worthies reached Novo Arkhangelsk, they 
 had a(hiiitted into tlieir confidence eiglitor ten other-^, 
 assurin«' them tliat as soon as the Jirst blow was 
 sti'uck the whole colony woidd rise in revolt. 
 
 The ohjectot' the conspiracy was to put to death thi- 
 chief manager, who had now returned to Novo Aik- 
 liangelsk, and seize the arsenal and fort on .some day 
 when Naplavkof, who was then acting as a suhaltern 
 officer in the gon'ison, should be on duty. The con- 
 spirators then intended to plunder the storehouses 
 and barracks, and to load the shi[) Ot/cri/tle with pn)- 
 visions and the most valuable of the goods. Each of the 
 conspirators was to select one of the women for his 
 mistress, and in addition, fiftei'ii female natives wwr 
 to be taken as servants. On leaving Xovo Arkhan- 
 gelsk they j)urposed to sail for Easter Island, or to 
 some uninhabited spot still farther south, where they 
 could form a settlement, calling on the way at the 
 Hawaiian Islands to exchange their furs for provisions 
 and other necessaries." 
 
 Few as were the conspirators in number, no loss than 
 three of them, each independently of the others, re- 
 vealed the secret to Baranof Twci of these traitors 
 wore Poles, named lieshchinsky and Berezovsky; the 
 third a Russian, called Sidorof From these men the 
 chief manager learned that the party met at Lesh- 
 chinsky's quarters, and that all the members were 
 about to sign a written pledge, wherein each agreed to 
 carry out the i)lans of Uie rest,and to subscribe to a code 
 of rules and regulations. In expectation of this event, 
 Baranof ordereil J oshchinsky to keep him informed 
 when the date was fixed for the proposed meeting, and 
 
 ' Khlcbnikof gives to this plot a tinge of romance. He says that, taking ail- 
 vantagc of the war tlien raging in Europe, the conspirators purposed to form 
 a C'lonial confederation, capture Siberia, and cstablisli a great republic of 
 Imnters and traders. Shizn. Baranova, 128. He gives no authority, however, 
 for stating that such a foolhardy enterprise was conceived by Naplavkof and 
 his gang. 
 
FAILURE OF THE PLOT. 
 
 40j 
 
 su])i>lie(l liiiii with nkcif of braiuly, wlicrcwitli to nuike 
 merry with his comrades. 
 
 ( )ii tliu (Uh of August the consj)irjitorH met at the 
 usual rendezvous, which was ch)so to the residciico of 
 tlie chief manaiLfer, iu order to affix their si^natui-es to 
 iiii ajjfreement (h*awn uj) by Popof from Na|)hivkof's 
 dictation. When the object of the meeting iiad been 
 accomphslied, and tlio brandy freely handed round, 
 ]jcshchinsky, accordinjjf to a preconcerted signal, be- 
 nau to sing, whereupon ]3aranof, with a large ibrce of 
 arn»ed men, rushed into the building. Naplavkol", 
 a sabre in one hand and a loaded ])istol in the 
 other, made a show of resistance, while Po[)of hastily 
 thrust the document into the oven. So sudden was 
 the onslaught, however, that all the party were 
 seized and bound befoi-e they could make use of their 
 weapons. Tiie document was recovered, almost in- 
 tact, but the only additional information obtained from 
 it was that Popof had been elected chief of the society 
 under the assumed name of Khounshim, and that it 
 li;ul been agreed to do nothing until a hunting party, 
 wliicli contained some of their number, should return 
 1 loni Chatham Strait. The ringleaders and four ochers 
 were ironed, placed under guard, and finally sent 
 to Kamchatka for trial; and thus ended the plot, 
 without further result than to increase the chief mau- 
 a'-er's desire to be relieved from office." 
 
 o 
 
 ' Baranof soon afterward forwnnled an urticnt U-ttrr to tlic hoard of dircct- 
 ovH. askin!j;tol)e rijlievcd. Captain V. M. (!iili>vnin, of tho sloop-of-war />/'»/*", 
 in speaking of this cons[)iracy, roniarks: ' Tlio RiiHsian American (."oiii])aiiy's 
 (ii'iiiiiis.siiincrat Kamchatka, Klilelinikof, an hcmorablcman, obtained from the 
 li ailcr of this conspiracy all the details, and linding that they had lieeii suller- 
 ill:,' Iriiiii hunger, cruel lahor, and iiiiiuman treatment by the officials, desired, 
 i:i tile interest of the company's j,'ood name and perhaps its existence, to con- 
 ci';il the whole proceedings from tlie government, t<> whicii end he wrote a 
 li tter to the directors of the comi)any, dated July S, 1810, wherein he de- 
 clared that if Xaplavkof and his companions were tried iu any opeii court, 
 thi y coidd reveal truths of a character most damaging to the company; tliero- 
 f' lie lie asked them to drop the matter. Ikit the directors did not approve 
 et i.'hlebnikof's opinion, and replied, under date of September 29, ISIl), 
 that lie must bring the offenders to justice, but make every ellort to maiia^'e 
 tin- allair to the advantage of the company, that is, to ])unish the eonspii atora 
 wliile at the same time coucealmg the shortcomings of the company. I'oi/., 
 7s-'J. 
 
 EiBT. Alaska, 30 
 
 ?■!■ 
 
 'I H !£l 
 
 i 
 
 II 
 
40j 
 
 SEVEN MORE YEARS OF ALASKAN ANNALS. 
 
 i .!» 
 
 M 
 
 Baraiiof s wish was not fulfilled until several yenrs 
 later, thoucjli, as we shall see, tlirouixh no nei^lect ow 
 the part of the dii-ectors. There were none of his 
 subordinates to whom he dared to intrust the control 
 of affairs, and ho had no alternative but to remain un- 
 til a successor should arrive. Meanwhile he was re- 
 lieved for a time fi'om all anxiety as to further rev(jlt 
 among Ilussians or Kolosh by the arrival, in Juno 
 J8I0, of the sloop-of-war Diana, commanded by Cap- 
 tain Golovnin.'* 
 
 The captain, who, like other naval officers, was not 
 predisposed in the com[)any's favor, thus describes liis 
 arrival: " It was 10 p. jj.., and dark. We fired a gun 
 to call the pilot; lights were hung out, and we lay at 
 anchor until midnight; wc could then hear the noiso 
 of oars, but it was too dark to see the boat. At last 
 Russian voices became audible, and we could doubt no 
 longer that some of the company's promyshlcniki were 
 approaching, but for all that we did not neglect any 
 precautionary measures. It was well known to nio 
 that this class of the company's servants consist^' I 
 chiefly of criminals; and also that this class of scoun- 
 drels, having come from exile under false promises and 
 expectations, found life in America even worse than 
 that of a Siberian convict, and thcteforc were always 
 ready to profit by any opportunity to throw off th(3 
 yoke of the Russian American Company. They 
 woukl not have hesitated even to surprise a ship (>[' 
 war and take possession of the country. All arms 
 were kept at hand, and the crew on the alert. I then 
 hailed the boat. They stated in reply that they were 
 sixteen unarmed men, who had been sent by the chi( f 
 manager to our assistance. I ordered them to boar.!, 
 and while they were standing in lino I questioned 
 them, the answers being evidently given in fear. 
 During this time the officers of the Diana stood nio- 
 tioidess at their posts. Not a voice was heard but my 
 
 *Tlie J)in)ia ha.ll l)ccn expected the previous year. SIio rcaxihcd Petio- 
 pavlovakiu the autunui of ISO'J, and wintered there. 
 
GOLOVNIN'S ARRIVAL. 
 
 4;7 
 
 own and tliat of their spokesman. They had never 
 vitnessed «ach discipline before, and, as I subsequently 
 lieard, were laboring under the belief that they h;id 
 been captured by some European man-of-war, on which 
 I alone could speak Russian. But as soon as I had 
 learned all I cared to know, I told them they min'lit 
 talk to their countrymen, and when they heard the 
 Russian language spoken on all sides, they were almost 
 beside themselves with joy. Only then they confessed 
 that they had come armed with pistols, spears, and 
 i^uns, which, suspecting us to bo English, they had 
 concealed in the bottom of the boat." 
 
 On the following morning the Diana was towed 
 to the anchorage under the fort and saluted with 
 eleven guns. After a ridiculous discussion between 
 jjaranoi' and Golovnin as to the number of guns to 
 v.liich each was entitled, the salute was returned. 
 The captain was then invited to dinner, together with 
 Ills officers and the conmianders of several American 
 vessels then in port. He thus relates his impressions: 
 "In the fort we could sec nothing remarkable. It 
 consisted of strong wooden bastions and palisades. 
 The houses, barrack magazines, and manager's resi- 
 dence were built of exceedingly tliick logs. In Rar- 
 aiioC's house the furniture and finishinij were of line 
 workmanship and very costly, having been brought 
 IVom St Petersburg and England ; but what astonislied 
 me most was the large library in nearly all European 
 languages, and the collection of fine paintings — this 
 ill a country where ))n)bal)ly only Baranof can appi-e- 
 ciatc a picture, and iio travellers are apt to call exce[)t 
 the ski[)pers of American trading vessels. Mr Bar- 
 anof explained that the paintings had been presented 
 t ) the company at the time of its organization, and 
 that the directors had considered it best to send them 
 to the colonies; with a smile, he added that it would 
 l>r>vo been wiser to send out physicians, as there was 
 *.^u one in the colonies, nor even a surgeon or apothe- 
 
 \'i 
 
 I5J 
 
 if it 
 
 
408 
 
 SEVEN JklORE YEARS OF ALASKAN ANNALS. 
 
 cary." I asked Mr Baranof liow the directors could 
 iiu,<;dect to send surgeons to a country the climate of 
 which was conducive to all kinds of diseases, and 
 where men may at any time be wounded b}'- savas^cs 
 and need surgical treatment. 'I do not know,' lie 
 paid, 'whether the directors trouble themselves to think 
 about it; but we doctor ourselves a little, and if a mru 
 is wounded so as to require an operation, he must die.' 
 Mr Baranof treated us to an excellent dinner, during' 
 which we had music which was not bad." 
 
 During his stay in Russian America, Golovnin dis- 
 ]>layed in a somewliat ridiculous aspect his jealous}' 
 of the Russian American Company and of foreign 
 traders. A short time before, the American shi'' 
 li^ntcvprisr, in (diarge of Captain Ebbets, had avnvod 
 at Novo Arkhangelsk, laden with trading got*,] ,. 
 The captain handed to the chief manager a de-^patci. 
 Irom the owner of the vessel, John Jacob Astor, 
 wherein the latter stated that "for twenty-five years 
 he had been established in New York and engaged iu 
 foreign trade; that he had done business with the 
 Canadian Company and exchanged goods with Europe 
 and Canton, and that he now sent his first shij) to the 
 north-west coast of America in charge of Captain 
 Lbbets." 
 
 If we can believe the chief manager's biographer, 
 Dashkof, the Russian consul-general for the United 
 States,^'' being informed that Baranof was in want of 
 supplies, had been reconnnetided to inquire of Astor 
 what was most necdeil, and by his advice had pur- 
 chased a full cargo for the colonies. "I was very 
 glad to oblige Mr Dashkof," continues the Xew York 
 merchant, "and have loaded the ship with such use- 
 ful commodities as will be best adapted to trade in the 
 
 •Baranof was of course awaro that there waa a hospital at St I'aul. Scu 
 C:iini)bell's Voy. round World, 101, where the town is called ^iluxamh-ia. 
 ]'r<i!jal)ly the chief luana^'er was ainusiuj,' h'.>'jclf auil his guests aL tlic cx- 
 liciLso of the captain. 
 
 '"Atterwiinl envoy plenipotentiary to tho United JJtatea, and coinwcllor 
 of state. KhkbnikoJ', S/iizu. Uaranoca, 130. 
 
 > I. 
 
ASTOR'S ENTERPRISE. 
 
 46d 
 
 colonics. I send the vessel direct, giving full power 
 to Captain Ebbets to make agreements and contracts, 
 it' he should see fit, and I am prepared to send, each 
 year, two or three vessels specially for that trade." 
 
 Baranof purchased goods of Ebbets to the amount 
 of twenty-seven thousand piastres, but declined to 
 buy the entire cargo. In reply to Astor's letter, ho 
 wi'oto that "he had reason to believe from private in- 
 Ibrmation that he would soon receive supplies, and 
 that he could not make contracts for the future, as lio 
 expected to be relieved. But he would always l)0 
 able to take the cargoes of one or two vessels each 
 year, if the price were not too high." 
 
 The Enterprise was now despatched with furs to 
 Canton, the proceeds to be invested in Chinese good?:, 
 and after a prosperous voyage Ebbets returned in 
 May 1811. He had sold his peltry at fair rates, 
 and purchased his cargo at low prices.'* Baranof in- 
 spected the bills of sale and the papers relating to 
 the several transactions, and so pleased was ho witli 
 the result, that he soon afterward despatched i\w 
 vessel on a second trip to Canton, with a cargo of 
 En'dish fjoods which had been purchased durinjjf her 
 absence. 
 
 All this appears to be a very simple and straight- 
 forward transaction, though doubtless matters were 
 coiicealed by the chief manager's biographer which he 
 <!i'i not care to bring to light. But now let us hear 
 (niovnin's account of the matter. " Ebbets brought 
 :» <'!'spatch from Dashkof," writes the captain of the 
 ! limi'f "wit') a contract with Astor, and a second 
 written by Astor himself with similar propo 
 
 i>..' 
 
 sals, in terms very flattering to the chief manager, 
 culling him 'governor,' 'count,' and 'your excellency' 
 (»n nearly every line, and showing that even the re- 
 publicans know how to bestow titles when their in- 
 
 " Tho terms of hia contmct with Barnnof, tlie prices which he obtaiiicil 
 f"r tho furs, and the goods bought with the proceeda uro iiiciitiouud in Id., 
 i;}8-9. 
 
 
 } 
 
 hi 
 
 Hi 
 
 i'i 
 
 u 
 
,'ii 
 
 1 11 
 
 '.vl 
 
 470 
 
 SEVEN MORE YI:ARS OF ALASKAX AXXALS. 
 
 tcrest requires it." lie tlieu makes the q|ue.sti()nal)](^ 
 statement that the letter was written in French, and 
 that as Ebbets understood only English, and tljerr 
 were no interpreters, matters were at a stand- till 
 wlien the Diana arrived. "An American sailor," he 
 cvnitinues, " who was teaching English to the boys at 
 ICadiak, without understanding Russian, a Prussian 
 skipper of one of the company's vessels, and a relative 
 of Baranof's who had jMcked up a few hundred Eng- 
 lisli words, composed, jirevious to our arrival, the 
 di])lomatic corps of the Russian American Company; 
 h'-y as the first two were absent, and the third could 
 on' /• k of subjects at which he could point with 
 
 his li s, Baranof could not communicate with the 
 foreiixuci's. Ebbets had alreadv decided to leave 
 witliout accomplishing anything, but when ho heard 
 that we could speak both English and French, he 
 asked for our cooperation, whif-h was freely promised, 
 myself and Lieutenant Ricord acting as interpreters. 
 \s'o translated all the letters and documents and drew 
 U[) the contracts." 
 
 (jrolovnin, in his account of these transactions, 
 claims to have discovered that some deep-laid plan 
 ■was contemplated by Astor, and thus gives his reasons 
 for such an asscirtion: "Eh' ets, desiring to let me 
 know how much it had cost Astor to complete the 
 Enterprise and fit her out for the expedition, gave nic 
 throe books to look over. Two of them contain(\! 
 tl'e accounts mentioned, but the third was evidently 
 given by mistake, and contained supplementary in- 
 structions to El)bets, in which he was directed to call 
 at certain Spanish ports on the American coast and 
 endeavor to trade with the inhabitants. If he suc- 
 ceeded, he was to go to Novo Arkhangelsk in ballast, 
 and trade with Baranof, and in case the latter should 
 ask why ho brought no goods, he must give as an 
 excuse that he had heard the colo'.ies were I'ully sup- 
 plied. He was also told to obtain most minute de- 
 tails of the trade and condition of the Russian colo- 
 
EliBETS AND WINSHIP. 
 
 471 
 
 iiles, tlicir strength and means of protootion, the actual 
 jiower of Baranof, and the relations between the coni- 
 jiany and the government. In brief, Astor wished to 
 ascertain the feasibility of a seizure of the colonies by 
 the United States. I returned the books to Ebbets 
 without saying anything, but innnediately wrote down 
 Ihe gist of the instructions and laid them before 
 ] Jaranof, who thought it best to forward them to the 
 board of managers, who, with their usual policy, will 
 IK) doubt, in course of time, make the best use of this 
 information for themselves." 
 
 Whether the captain's view of the matter was right 
 or wrong, hu does not appear to have been actuated 
 l»y very pat; 'otic motives; for, without heeding Bar- 
 aiioC's urgent request to prolong his stay in the col- 
 onies on account of the danger threatened from 
 ]]iiglish privateers, he at once took on board a cargo 
 of i'urs and trading goods for the company's connnis- 
 t^ioner in Kamchatka, and was ready for sea on tlie 
 Lid of August. On that day Captain Winsliip, a 
 ])<)ston trader, entered the outer harbor in the sliip 
 ii'CainP Ebbets, anxious to communicate with the 
 ]iew-comer, sent off a boat, which was stopped by a 
 ishot from the Diana, much to Baranof 's satisfaction, 
 wlio was ixliid to see the llussian authoritv maintained 
 in this mangier. Golovnin afterward sent a formal 
 communication to Ebbets and Winship, stating tliat 
 no one nmst communicate with an incoming ship until 
 the l.arbor authorities had done their duty. 
 
 '^During Rozanof'a absence iii California, Winship arriveil in tho A'/j^t- 
 ;i/v"-'' at Novo Aikliiingclsk, "nd wuh liini liuranof conchnlcil a contract 
 1 <y hunting oca-otter on the coast of California. 'Wiiishiji was furnished with 
 r.'.) Iiidarkas, under command of a trusted friend of llaranof, I'avl Moljod- 
 cliii;(if, wlio Bul)si'q«ently was in captivity in Lower California. The auree- 
 i!ii lit was made for a jmriod of from l!) to 11 mouths. Thero appears to liavo 
 1 cell some disagreement lietwceu Slobodehikof iind Winsliip, as the former, 
 i'.Ker a suctassful hunt all along the California eoait, lelt tho ship at tlic 
 i ia'.id of Cerros, where he pureiiascd of an American hU.pper a small sehoouer 
 fer l,"iO sea-otters, naming her tho XiMai. Ou thid craft, with n crew of two 
 -AhicricanH uud three Kanakas, he sailed for the Sandwich Islands, and thince 
 I ir Novo Arkhangelsk. Winship did not reach tho latter port until Sepleiu- 
 1" r if the following year. This enterprise resulted iu tho collection of l,b'20 
 Bcu-otter skins. Jd., 107-8. 
 
 I !H 
 
 "! 
 
 K-ii 
 
47: 
 
 SEVEN MORE YEARS OF ALASKAN ANNALS. 
 
 Late in August 1812, the American ship Beaver, 
 fitted out by Astor, arrived at Novo Arkhangelsk, 
 having on board his confidential agent, Wilson ]>. 
 Hunt, who was instructed to treat with Baranof for 
 the establishment of permanent relations between tliu 
 American and Russian fur companies. Hunt executed 
 his commission with some difficulty. He succeeded, 
 however, in disposing of his cargo on advantageous 
 terms, but was obliged to go to the Prybilof Islands 
 for his payment in seal skins. 
 
 Considerinfj the relations that were now established 
 between Baranof and Astor, one may indulge in some 
 speculation as to what wouhi have been the result of 
 this alliance had the enterprise of the latter been suc- 
 cessful." In that case, the Hudson's Bay Company 
 ^\ ould probably not have remained the chief factor in 
 shaping the destinies of the north-west coast, and the 
 British llag might not to-da}' fioat over the province 
 of British Columbia. But it is probable that tlie 
 shrewd New York merchant was out-matched by the 
 chief manaiifcr, whom Irvinij describes at random as "a 
 rough, I'ugged, hospitable, hard-drinking old Russian; 
 somewhat of a soldier, somewhat of a trader", above all, 
 a boon companion of the old roistering school, with a 
 strong cross of the bear, but as keen, not to sav 
 crafty, at a bargain as the most arrant water-drinker." 
 
 Nevertheless, Astor had no cause for complaint 
 against the Russian American Com[)any. After 
 abandoning his trading-post at the mouth of the Co- 
 lumbia, on the outbreak of war in 1812, his claim fir 
 damages was not disputed. His agent, Russell Far- 
 
 " The first cargo forwarded by Astor iintler the new ngrcemcnt was lost 
 by tliu wreck of tlie Lark at the Sandwich Islands in 1!S13. During; tliisycar 
 Baranof purchased two foreign vessels, the Alnhiinlprt,tii\(l her consort, tliu 
 Lady. Tho Atahnnlfiit was on old visitor on the north-west coiist, apiic.iring 
 first in Sturgis' list of north-west traders ill ISOl, Ixiiug then coiiimandeil by 
 Captain Wild (Wildea according to Swan). The Bale was etlccteil by Capt.".in 
 lieniiet, who in LSI;{ coinniand*>d tho Afnhiialpa. Tlie price agreed niioii 
 waa JU.OOO piastres for tho cargo and 20,000 fur-seal skins for the vessel. 
 SiurgW /'cmuik'K, MS.; JJnraiiof, S/iizii., 1.')."). Tho Atahnalpii, a three- 
 master, wa.^ rc-nanied the liirhnj, and the Lailij, a brig, n ceived the niuno 
 Ilmtn. Both were subsequently wrecked at the Sandwich Islands. 
 
T 
 
 FARNU.M'S MISSION. 
 
 473 
 
 mini, being despatched to Astoria, found tliat tlic per- 
 son whoso evidence was necessary to prov(.' tlio claim 
 had gone the previous year to Novo Arkhangelsk. 
 After waiting a year for a vessel, the agent followed 
 him, only to find that he had crossed over to Kam- 
 chatka. Reaching Bering Strait, Farnum made the 
 ])assagc between the ice-floes in an open boat, and at 
 length overtook the man of whom he was in search. 
 After obtaining the necessary proof, he made his way 
 through Siberia and northern Russia to St Peters- 
 burg. "There," says Thomas Gray, who, while re- 
 siding at Keokuk in 1830, heard the story from 
 Farnuni's own lips, and recently furnished me with 
 a statement of his adventures,'* "he met the head of 
 the Russian Fur Company, adjusted the claim, and 
 received an order on the London branch of a Russian 
 bank in favor of Astor for the amount." Farnum re- 
 turned to New York, and after an absence of throe 
 years, presented himself to the astonished Astor, who 
 liad long since given him up for lost. 
 
 15 
 
 On the day of Winship's arrival at Novo Ark- 
 liangelsk, the Juno returned from a cruise in tlie inte- 
 rior channels of the Alexander Archipelago, where 
 she had been attacked by tlie Kolosh. Several of 
 the crew had been wounded, and were treateil bv the 
 surgeon of the Diana. After remaining in [)()rt for 
 nearly a month, the vessel sailed for Petropavlovsk, 
 on what proved to be her last voyage. "Sailing from 
 
 '*Mr Gray was kind cnougli to call at my Library and limul ino a copy 
 (if tho St Louis /I'ejuiltlicdii, dated Octohcr IH, Iss;!, in wliicii is a cuiiy of 
 jii.s letter to Dr (J. W. Stevens, acting president of tlie Mis.souri llisturiial 
 Society in that city, containing; a narrative of lAirmim's adventures. In his 
 hotter, Gray, wiio now resides in San Francisco, writes: ' I desire to coinninni- 
 eiite what 1 know of tins matter to .a person who is writing a work on t!io 
 I'acific coast, and that ho may not have to depend solely upon my say so, [ 
 sliould Imj glad to have tho testimony of others, as far as they know nnytliing 
 relating to tho same.' His statement iscorrohorated hy several persons. Ono 
 of them, Mr Richard Dowling, then in his 7!)th year, and a resident of St 
 Loui.-) from tho time when it contained only 1,700 inhabitants, relates fiirtiier 
 incidents of Farnuni's adventures. 
 
 '■'Astor gave Firniim an interest in the business of which he was then tho 
 head, and tills ho retained until hij death at St Louis in 18.32. Jd, 
 
474 
 
 SF.VEX MORE YEARS OF ALASKAN ANNALS. 
 
 i :'l 
 
 1:;^ ! 
 
 F-i 
 
 ! ! ; • 
 
 I : 
 
 Novo Arkhangelsk," writes her captain in his lonr. 
 book on the 14th of November, "with the ship ])kiecil 
 under my charge, I find myself in sight of land in 
 the most miserable condition. For three montlis 
 ^ve have been battling with continuous gales, and for 
 nineteen days wo have been within sight of the coast, 
 with only three good sailors on board, and those en- 
 tirely exhausted, and five young apprentices who have 
 been intrusted to my care. Two of the latter who 
 are more robust than the others are doing sailors' 
 duty, while the rest can only assist at the rudder and 
 in pumi)ing the ship, for we are making five inches of 
 water per hour. Tliey help me to haul the log and 
 to keep my journal. The management of the ship 
 with these eight persons is exceedingly difficult; the 
 remainder of my command — "^*' With this broken 
 sentence the report ends. 
 
 The gale continued, and a few days afterward the 
 greater part of the bulwarks were carried away, the 
 rudder was unshipj)ed, and the Juno drifted in shore. 
 Anchor was cast in thirty fathoms, but still the ves- 
 sel drifted helplessly shoreward; a second anchor was 
 thrown out, but this also gave way, and now the shi[) 
 was dashed on a reef parallel with the coast. Hero 
 she lav till the incoming tide cast her on an inner 
 reef All through this chill November night the 
 men stood waiting for death, lashed to the rigging, 
 and drenched with the ice-cold waves. One huge 
 breaker swept away six of the company, among whom 
 v.'as the captain, and even their fate was a merciful 
 one, for when the vessel was finally carried into the 
 mouth of the river Viliuya, only four reached the 
 land out of twenty-two men who had sailed from 
 Novo Arkhangelsk. 
 
 Six hours after being cast on shore the vessel 
 broke to pieces. One of the survivors was struck by 
 a, falling mast. He was wrapped in such articles ot 
 
 " Sitha Archives, Log-bools, iii. 
 
SHIPWRECK. 
 
 475 
 
 clothing as his shipmates could spare; but knowincf 
 that he could not live, crept to a projecting I'ock and 
 threw himself headlong into the waves. His com- 
 rades tried to save him, ami twice he was almost 
 witiiin reach. Then the recoil of a wave carried him 
 beyond their grasp, and ho was seen no more. 
 
 The three Russians now set forth on their way 
 along the bleak Kamchatka coast, with little hope of 
 meeting any living creature, save the wolves and 
 bears which infested that wintry solitude. Their 
 sufferings during this journey I shall not attempt to 
 describe. All that men can suffer from col. I and 
 hunger they endured. Crawling gaunt and half 
 naked to the banks of a neighboring stream, thev 
 Avere fortunate enough to catch some fish, and near 
 by a few sables, which furnished food and clothing; 
 and thus toward Christmas of 1811 they n»ade their 
 way t(j Petropavlovsk." 
 
 " Khkhnikof, Shizii. Bnrnnova, 141-3. When tho news was received at 
 rotropavlovsk, the cominissioncr of tho company at once repaired to Iho scene 
 of the wreck. Search was niado through the ailjaccnt woods, but no trace 
 of any human being was found. The bjach was strewn with corpses, all of 
 M'hich had their urnis or Ic^'s broken. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 liW' 
 
 FOREIGN VENTURES AND THE ROSS COLONY. 
 
 1803-1841. 
 
 pARAXOF's Want of Mkans— O'Cain's Expeditiok to California— And 
 TO Japan — The ' Meucuky ' at San Diego — Tbaui.no Contracts with 
 Amkukan Skii-pei!S — KcsKOF on the Coast of New Albion— The 
 Ross Colony Focnded — Seal-iifn riso on the Coast or Califohnia — 
 
 SlIIP-DCILDINCi — AoKICILir KE — SHIPMENTS OF CeREALS TO XoVO AliK- 
 IIANGELSK — IIoKTICrLILRE— SroCK-KAISlNO — LoSSES InCCP.RED I!V THE 
 
 Company — IIlntino-post Estaulished at the Farallones — Failure 
 OF the Entekpuise — Sale of the Colony's Effects. 
 
 !Imv 
 
 if 
 
 Notwithstanding frequent losses by shipwreck, Bar- 
 anof was now well supplied with sca-going craft, and 
 had more vessels at his disposal than he could use for 
 hunting expeditions. He had not forgotten, however, 
 the secret instructions received from the directors of 
 the company in November 1803, and for several years 
 had been pushing forward his settlements toward the 
 south. The rich iiuntinix-ixrounds on the coast of Cal- 
 ifornia had long since attracted his attention, and he 
 had made several efforts, though with little success, 
 to avail himself of this source of wealth, and to open 
 up a trade with the Spanish colonics. 
 
 The onl3'^ obstacle that now lay in the path of the 
 chief manager was want of means. Men were not 
 lacking, nor ships; but supplies Avere forwarded to 
 him in such meagre quantity and at such exorbitant 
 rates that, as will be remembered, want was a familiar 
 guest in the Russian settlements. The resources of 
 the Russian American Company's territory, bountiful 
 though they were, had thus far served at best only to 
 
 (470) 
 
O'CAIX'S VOYAGE. 
 
 477 
 
 ;i.\— And 
 
 CTS WITH 
 ON— TlIK 
 [FOUNIA — 
 
 [)Vo Ai;K- 
 
 ;D by TIIK 
 -FvILLllli 
 
 k,Bar- 
 
 li't, aii'l 
 use fnr 
 )\vever, 
 tors of 
 1 years 
 ml the 
 of Cal- 
 ancl he 
 uccess, 
 o open 
 
 lof tlic 
 [yq not 
 led to 
 [•bitant 
 limiliar 
 [•ces of 
 luntiful 
 )nly to 
 
 supjily tlie few needs of tlic settlors, to funiisli small 
 dividends to the shai-eliolders, juul to satisfy in part 
 the greed of the company's aijents. 
 
 In 1803 the vessels that ai'rived at Okhotsk from 
 Alaska were freiixhted with, furs valued at 2,500,000 
 roubles,^ Other large shipments followed, a mo njjf them 
 l>cing one l)y the Kcra, in 1805, valued at 500,000 rou- 
 1 >les. Nevertheless, Baranof drd not venture to draw on 
 Rt Petersburg for the means wherewith to carry out 
 his instructions. " 'There is another cargo with half a 
 million,' you will say," writes Rezanof to the directors 
 in November of this year, " 'and where is the threat- 
 ened want of means?' But I must answer vou, jjfen- 
 tlemen, that in your extensive business this is t)nly a 
 short palliative, the drawing of a breath, and no [>erma- 
 nent relief. Patience! and vou will agree with me."^ 
 
 A few davs before the chief manager received his 
 secret despatch, the American ship tyCain, or as it 
 was called by the Russians the Boston, arrived at 
 Kadiak, in command of Captain O'Cain, whom the 
 former had previously met as mate of the Etiter prise. 
 After an exchange of trading goods for furs, to the 
 value of 10,000 roubles, O'Cain proposed that Bar- 
 anof should furnish him with Aleutian hunters and 
 bidarkas for an expedition t<j the coast of California. 
 The latter was disposed to listen favorably to such a 
 }>roposition, for during this and the two preceding 
 years the destruction of seals in Hussian America had 
 Ijeen on an enormous scale, and, as we have seen, a 
 few months later orders were ij-iven bv Kezanof that 
 the slaughter should cease for a time. After some 
 negotiation an agreement was concluded, and twenty 
 bidarkas were fitted out and })laced in charge wT 
 Shutzof,^ a tried servant of the company. Shutzof 
 
 'Between ISOl and 1S04 the company accnmulatod nlxint 800,000 skiiiw, 
 many of whioli were spoiled througli want of caro in dressing. Tikhmi iici', 
 /s/oc". 060,1., i. 03-4. 
 
 '•7(/., app. part ii. 201. The letter was dated from Novo Arklianjielsk. 
 
 'Sixteen years later the widow of tlii.s man petitioned the company for a 
 pension, l)asin^' lier claim on the assertion that lier liusljand had 'opeu'd t > 
 the Russian American Company, and to the Russian empire, the valuable trade 
 
 Ii 1 
 
478 
 
 FOREIGN VENTURES AND THE ROSS COLONY. 
 
 U\'' 
 
 i: 
 
 wns onlored to obsorvo closely all parta of the c> c 
 which ho mijjjht visit, to mark the number and charac- 
 ter of the inhabitants, and to procure information of 
 all hunting-grounds which might in the future be util- 
 ized by the company without the assistance of for- 
 eigners. He was instructed also to observe the sen- 
 ports that were frequented by Americans for i)Uiposc's 
 of trade, and to ascertain the prices of provisions and 
 other products of the country. 
 
 The Boston sailed from Kadiak on the 2Gth of Octo- 
 ber, and alter calling at San Diego, proceeded to the 
 bay of San Quintiu in Lower California, wheic 
 O'Cain* made his headquarters, sending out hunting 
 parties in various directions, until the 1st of Mai-ch of 
 the following year. The number of furs secured was 
 eleven hundred, and Shutzof reported that the Anitr- 
 iean captain, trading on his own account with the mis- 
 sionai'ies and soldiers, had obtained seven hundred 
 additional ski?is at prices ranging from three to lour 
 piastres. Thus was inaugurated a series of ]• ing 
 expeditions beyond the borders of the Russ )1- 
 
 onies, which continued for many years with varying 
 success. 
 
 In August 1 80G O'Cain returned to Alaska, arriv- 
 ing at Novo Arkhangelsk on board the Eclipse. 
 Touching at the Hawaiian Islands on his vovage, he 
 had found there a crew of Japanese sailors who had 
 been picked up at sea. He now proposed to the chief 
 manager to supply him with a cargo of furs for Can- 
 ton, and that, having taken on board the shipwrecked 
 sailors, he should proceed thence to Japan, vvitli a 
 view to opening the Japanese ports to the Russians. 
 As the captain had before proved faithful to his trust, 
 Baranof consented, and a few weeks later the vessel 
 set sail, with a cargo^ valued at three hundred and 
 
 of California.* Archives lii'ssian American Company, 1819 (Letter Books, 
 vol. iii.) 
 
 * For further mention of O'Cain's voyage, sae Ilixt. Cat., ii. 2.'>-0, this series. 
 
 'Including 1,800 sea-otter, 10o,000 marten, 2,500 bcavci-, and other skin?. 
 Khlebiiikof, Shizn. liuranova. 111. The terms of the contract between O'Caiu 
 and Burauof arc given in Id., 109-10. 
 
OTTi:rw-llUXTI.\( ! COXTRAC'T.S. 
 
 479 
 
 tell tliousjind r()ii!»lcs. The oxpcHtioii ])r(ive(l a com- 
 plete* lailiin!. lliu i'ur.s wore sold at Canton at low 
 ju'ici'.s, and Chinese ^oods purchased willi the ])ro- 
 ceeds." On entcrinuf the harbor of Nanijasaki under 
 Russian colors, the ship was immediately surrounded 
 with hundreds of row-hoats and towed to the amhor- 
 ai^^e i^rounil. Soon altci'ward a Dutch ollieial cam > 
 on board, and llndin*^ that neither captain nor crew 
 Avere Russian, ordered them to haul down theii* llaj^. 
 As the Japanese woidd not listen to his pi'o})os;ds, 
 O'Cain informed them that he was in need of provi- 
 sions and fresh water. Supplies were delivered to 
 him in abundance free of charge; but on the tliird 
 day after his arrival, ho was towed out to sea under a 
 strong guard, with orders never to enter a Japanese 
 poi't again. The Eclipse was then lieaded for J\;ti'o- 
 pavlovsk, where half her cargo was transferred to the 
 care of the Russian commissioner, and sailiii'j: thenco 
 for Kadiak, was wrecked on the voyage at the island 
 of Sannakh, Oidy the captain and four others were 
 saved, and with the assistance of some natives iVom 
 Unalaska, made their way to St Paul." 
 
 The result of O'Cain's hunting expedition to the 
 coast of California had been so satisfactory that liar- 
 anof resolved to protit by every opportunity of repeat- 
 ing the experiment. Through ca[)tains Ebbets and 
 ^leok it had become known among American skip- 
 I)ers that money could be made in this way, and several 
 of the north-west traders were only too wiiliii'jf to make 
 the attempt. In jMay 1808 a contract was entered 
 into with Captain George Ayres, of the shij) Jf-rcin-;/ 
 from Boston. Ayres v.as furjiishe;! with twenty-live 
 
 "Bar.inof, in Lis reports, hints nt slmrit prnctico on tho part of O'Cniii. 
 Tho price obtained for sea-otter skicis was only 13^ ])iastv(a each, while 
 marten f brought only 4f) cents, beavers ii piastres, etc. The wliolo earL;o\va3 
 S'llil for 153,000 roubles, just one half tho estimated value. With thi.s 8\im 
 tho captain purchased ;5,000 racks of lioe, i!bO chests of tea, and 2j,0iJ0 lack- 
 ages of various Chinese goods. Id., 1 1 "J. 
 
 'An acci,unt of this shipwreck is given by Campbell, one of tho survivors, 
 ill his Voif. round World, 42 et seq. (Edinburgh, ISIG). Ho calls St I'aul 
 'Alcxaudi'ia.' 
 
 .1"' 
 
4S(; 
 
 FOREICX VENTURES AND THE ROSS COLONY. 
 
 .f, 
 
 - *r i. 
 
 bidaikas for the purposo of hiiMtintx iu the vicinity of 
 islands 'not previously known.' ]>aranof engaged to 
 furnish the Aleuts with subsistence, and no party was 
 to be sent out without an armed escort. For any na- 
 tive hunter killed or captured while hunting, Ayres 
 ]:>roiniso(l to pay 250 piastres toward the support of 
 his I'auiily. The ship was to return within ten or 
 twelve months, and the proceeds of the trip were to 
 be e(]ually divided, the furs being valued bj- the chief 
 manager. For the labor of the Aleuts, Ayres was to 
 deduct from his share three and a half piastres for 
 each sea-otter, a [)iastre and a half for each fur-seal, 
 and one jiiastrc for each beaver. 
 
 The Mercury sailed from Kadiak on the 8th of Jul}', 
 Sliutzof bein<' in chariife of the hunters. At Char- 
 lotto and adjacent islands Ayres l)ought a number of 
 sea-otter furs from the natives, paying for each a can 
 of ]iowder, and at the mouth of the Columbia'* Sliut- 
 zof [)urchased live hundred and eighty beaver skins. 
 In St^])tend)er the vessel entered the luirbor of Trini 
 dad, but meeting with little trade, the captain sailed 
 f ir IJodeu'a Bav, and thence for San Fi'ancisco and 
 San JJiego. l-'roia the latter port hunting ])artics 
 were sent out iluiing th(> v, inter, and the sliij) re- 
 tui-ned the following year with UKjre than two thou- 
 sand skins. 
 
 Between 1809 and 1812 Baranof made six addi- 
 tional contracts with American masters, the result 
 bciiiLT thai over ei'dit tho'isaiul sea-otter skins, i)ro- 
 cu;'ed outside the liinit of the company's possessions, 
 wore delivered to the chief manaLTi-r as his share of 
 tlie proceeds." Tliese transactions were aji|)roved by 
 
 '^ 'Ilcrc,' wiys Khlcliiiikof, 'tlio iKirty iiiptwitli two Jiiiteil States oflicials 
 mill ;i niiiiibcr uf boliliois, v lio wero jilrc:itly initlin^ up haiTacks. 'J'lio olii- 
 cijils Iiad given nudals <o tlio Ravages, lioariiii,' tlic portriiit of ^Va8l»illt;tou. ' 
 Sii'r^ii. Jidniiiiirfi, l"j;t. 'J'l.i^iocciirri.'d ill Aii;,'ii^t ISi)S, niui na Lmvidaiiil Claiko 
 lofttlio ni'iiitii (if tlio Coluniliiii in ISO/!, ami Astoriii waa not cstaMi.slicil until 
 isll, it K-uiains tn 1k! r.li(i\Mi win) llicso dliliiah wiTC. I)oul»lk'8a tlicy Mcro 
 j.ot L iiitt^il Statin nilici r.H anil HnMii is, Imt d'ailcrH. 
 
 • in lM;i>, Cajitain .Inliii Winsliii) on tlio sliip o'l'riin was funilslicil with 
 TiO biilaikas, the CDnipaiiy's nharo luinj,' 'J,7-iS seaottor Hkins. In ISIO, 
 Nathuu NViiishi^) of tho AlbcUruMi hnnttil with OS biilurkus, tlie conniuny's 
 
PLANS FOR NEW ALBION. 
 
 481 
 
 the directors, but the frequent purchases of entire 
 carj^oes of goods and provisions, for whicli payment 
 was usually made in fur-seal skins, were renjarded 
 with less favor. Twice in succession shrewd Yankee 
 ski})pers succeeded in selling their skins to the com- 
 missioner at Kamchatka or Okhotsk at a higher val- 
 uation than had been placed upon them by IJaranof 
 ill the original transaction; and finally a iieremptory 
 order was issued by the board of directors to make 
 no more [layments in kmd, but to give drafts on the 
 lionie office at St Petersburg. 
 
 After his return from California, Rezanof had never 
 ceased to urge on the chief manager the importance 
 t'f establishing, on the shore of New Albion,*" a 
 station for hunting, trading, and agricultural purposes. 
 It is probable tluit his plans were even more ambi- 
 tious than those contained in the company's j»rivato 
 instructions to Baranof, and that he purposed gradu- 
 ally to push forwanl the Russian colonies toward the 
 mouth of the Columbia, and in time even to wrest 
 from S})ain a portion of California. 
 
 Baranof did all that lay in his power. In October 
 1808 Kuskof was sent to the coast of New Albion on 
 board the ship Kadiak, the schooner Nikolai having 
 been despatched southward a fortnight earlier. The 
 latter was wrecked at the mouth ot Gray Harbor, 
 where she had been ordered to join her consort ; and 
 tliougii no lives were lost, the men were held captives 
 hy tlie Indians, a few of them being rescued by an 
 American vessel, in which they returned to Novo Ark- 
 
 sliaro amounting only to StX) skins. In tlio same year Davis of the Imhclki 
 liiintcd with 48 hiilarkas, tlio company receiviii;.'- 2,4.SS skins. In IHll, 
 ^K'l■k of the Amrthynt was snpplif^'? witli .V2 liiihiikas, the company's share 
 'if the ivsnlt lx!ing 7'21 scu-otter. In tiie wimc year IJhuuliard of i,!ie i'nth- 
 I i-iiic liiintcd witli .")() liidarkus, and ret irnecl T")0 sea-otter. In 181'2, CapUiin 
 Wilteniore of tlio r/mro;t waa snppliel with hunters, uud returned to tlio 
 C(»m|)any KlKi sca-ottci's as its share. 
 
 '" 'I'he term ' New Albion' was of somcvhat vai^uc significance. Its south- 
 t'rn limit was anywhere between San l>iego ami I'oinfc Keyes, near which, ifc 
 Mill 1)0 ren»emt»ere<l, Drake landed in \7~,'i), at the bay which now bears his 
 liuuic, aud called the country 'New Albiou.' 
 Uira. AiiAbKA. 31 
 
 •i 
 
 I 1 11 
 
m 
 
 FOREIGN VENTURES AND THE ROSS COLONY. 
 
 lilt 
 
 hangelsk two years later. Contrary winds provcntod 
 the Kadiak from entering the harbor, and Kuskof 
 proceeded to Bodega Bay, where he arrived at tlio 
 close of the year. Returning after a twelve months' 
 voyage with more than two thousand otter skins," lie 
 laid before Baranof information of the greatest iin- 
 jiortance. He reported that sea-otter and fish abounded I 
 on the whole coast, that he had found many ])laccs 
 well adapted for agriculture and ship-building, and that 
 the whole country north of San Francisco Bay was 
 unoccupied by any European power. 
 
 The chief manager finally resolved to delay no longer 
 the execution of his plans in that direction, althoui^li 
 he did not receive positive instructions to found suili 
 a colony until several years later. He gave orders to 
 collect all the men who might be of use in forming a 
 permanent settlement, including ex-convicts from t!i > 
 agricultural provinces of Russia, and others skilled in 
 agriculture and stock-raising ; and in 1810 despatched 
 Kuskof on a second trip to the coast of Xew Albion, 
 with orders to make further explorations. This ex- 
 pedition was unsuccessful. Calling at Queen Char- 
 lotte Islands, his men were attacked by savages, and 
 after losing eight of his hunters, he was compelled to re- 
 turn to Novo Arkhangelsk,^' whence he was asxain sent 
 in the same direction in the sclkooner Chi rikof curly in 
 1811. Of his voyage little is known," but anchoring 
 in Bodega Bay, which he re -named Rumiantzof, ho 
 found its vicinity not adapted to his purpose, and se- 
 lecting another location eighteen miles to the north- 
 
 '* For further detaila of this voyage and a map or Boilega Buy, see Hint. 
 Cal., ii. 80-'J, this series. 
 
 '■'' Tikhmeiicf, I.ilor. OhoH., i. 208. Kuskof sailed on board the ^uho two 
 years hoforo she was wrccltcd. 
 
 "Klilelniikof, Zniiinki in Ma/erirdiii, 137-9, gives Jan. 22d as the date uf 
 the Chirikofg departure, and says that IJodoga Bay was reached a niontli later, 
 but that finding tiicre .a scarcity of sesi-ottcr, Kuskof sent twenty-two bidar- 
 kas to San Francisco Bay, where they met u party of Aleuts under coinniaiid 
 of TcroimnoiFwith forty-eiglit hidarkas, and one belonging to Winship's ex- 
 pedition with sixty-eight bidarkaa. Kuskof 's men secured 1,1(H) sea-otter 
 and 78 yearlings within three months. In order to diivo them away, tlio 
 Spaniards placed guards at all the points where the Aleuts were accustouRd 
 to procure fresh water. 
 
FOUNDING OF ROSS. 
 
 4S3 
 
 evented 
 Kuskof 
 I at tlio 
 mouths' 
 ins " lio 
 tost im- 
 boundcil 
 ly ]>li\c'cs 
 and tliiit 
 Bay wjw 
 
 IK) longer 
 although 
 und sut'li 
 orders to 
 Ibrniiug a 
 from th > 
 skilled in 
 espatehed 
 sv Albion, 
 This ex- 
 ;cn Char- 
 ap"es, and 
 ilied to re- 
 jgain sent 
 r)/^ early in 
 Lueliorin 
 lantzof, ho 
 1, and se- 
 nile north- 
 
 |liiiy, SCO //''•''■ 
 
 tlio Jmo two 
 
 [im tho <lati> "f 
 111 month liitii, 
 lity-two bi.lar- 
 liiler coiniuaii I 
 IWinship's''^ 
 I, UK) Bcn-olt'i- 
 iBm away, ""J 
 Ire accustouu il 
 
 (C 
 
 ward, purchased a tract of land from the natives. On 
 liis return to Novo Arkhangelsk he was ordered to 
 
 • • • 
 
 ])roceed at once to this site with a largo party of Rus- 
 sians and Aleuts, and was furnished with an ample 
 store of su[)plies for tlie use of tho projioscd settle- 
 ment. Of the colony founded by Kuskof, in 1812, a 
 fidl description is given elsewhere;" it remains only 
 to make brief mention of it, and to give a few details 
 as to the industrial ])rogress of an enterprise which 
 tho company had long desired to establish. 
 
 During the year a fort, mounted with ten guns, 
 was erected on a bluff about a hundred feet above tho 
 sea; other buildings were added, and on September 
 10th, or, according to the Russian calendar, on 
 ^Vugust 30th, the new colony was named Ross — tho 
 root of the modern word Russia.^' 
 
 Thus at length a foothold was gained on the shore 
 of New Albion, but the result disap])ointed all ex- 
 pectation. The hunting-grounds on the neighboring 
 coast to which the Russians had access were soon ex- 
 hausted; while as a site for shiji-building ard agricul- 
 ture, it met with little suc-eess."^ ]3etween 1812 and 
 1823 only about 1,100 lai'ge sea-otter skins and some 
 'JaO yearlings were secured, and of tlnsi' at least tw(> 
 thirds wore obtained during the lir.^t four years of 
 tliis jH'Hod, the seals rapidly disap[)earing iVom the 
 neighborhood. In 1824, the treaty between Russia 
 and the United States permitted the Russians to send 
 
 " //iV. Cal., ii., cap. xis\-xxviii., and iv., cip. vi., this scries. On p. 
 nW. ' ol. ii., id Ik map of the region. 
 
 ' The fort wa.s surronndeil with a p.ilisndo, onclosinn a space of al)ont 42 
 liV 4',! fatiioms. Tho otiier hiiihlin^^s inchuk-d tho oouiiimnchint's hou.'ic, har- 
 lin'k.s, Htoixdiotiscs, magazines, t>aiii«, shops, hattidioii.si', tannery, and winil- 
 mill. All were not completed until 1S14. KUUbnikol', Z^ini^ki 'u\ Mattrial ui, 
 l;!H. 
 
 '"As early as 1818, Hagcmeister writes in his report: 'As to agriculture 
 ill tho colony of Koss, I nm obliged to destroy tho hopes that have Ixjeu en- 
 tirtained. The main obst4iclo con.sists in not liaving competent workmen. 
 Tliiiso sent from Novo Arklinn','t'l.sk are, with a few exceptions, tho scum of 
 t!ii; Hcuin. Tho Aleuts aro ah'< unlitted for this kind of work, and long train- 
 iai,' is necessary to prepare them for their new occupation. Meanwhile tlie 
 Itiissian Amerioan I'ompany loses the advantage that would bo gaiuuil by 
 luployiug them iu seal buutiug.' Zavalwhin, Koloiiiy Ilotti, '21-'J. 
 
484 
 
 FOREIGN VEXTUr.ES AND THE ROSS COLONY. 
 
 .H?.; 
 
 'Wy I 
 
 out liuntiiiiij parties to all portions of the Oregon coast 
 and inland waters for a period of ten years; bat this 
 had no bearing on California. During this time about 
 1,800 sea-otter, 2,700 fur-seals, and a few yearlings 
 were delivered by the Aleutian hunters as the eoni- 
 pany's share. Nevertheless, even for the greater por- 
 tion of this decade, the business was unprofitable." 
 
 From 181G to 1824 four vessels, with an a<T<4:re<j:ate 
 capacity of 720 tons, were built at a cost (»f more than 
 150,000 roubles.*^ An experienced ship-carpenter 
 from Novo Arkhangelsk superintended their construc- 
 tion, and for a time it was thought that the oak, i)iiu', 
 and cedar found in the neighborhood were well adapted 
 for the purpose. The result proved most unsatisfac- 
 tory, however. The wood was cut when in the sn|); 
 soon the tind^ers began to rot,and within six years after 
 being launched not one of the ships was seaworthy. 
 
 But it was mainly with a view to agricultural j)ui- 
 poses, as we have seen, that the site of the Ross col- 
 ony was selected. Although it was no doubt the 
 best one that the Russians found available, the loca- 
 tion had many disadvantages. The spot was sur- 
 rounded with hills, densely wooded at a distance of 
 one mile from the sea; the level ground contained 
 numerous gulches ; the most fertile portions of it wet" 
 difficult of access, some of them being at a(nstance of 
 three versts from the fort; the summer fogs causctl 
 the ripening grain to rust, while squirrels and gopheis 
 spread havoc among the growing crops. 
 
 Farming was carried on by private individuals, n>! 
 well as by the company's agents, but by neither with 
 system. The ploughs in use were of all patterns — 
 Russian, Siberian, Finnish, and Californian. Tlic 
 shares of many of them were merely a pointed pieri' 
 
 " A statement of each year's catch ia given in Tikhmemf, htor. Obos., i. 
 357. 
 
 '"The Ruminnfzof, of IfiO tons, completed in 1818 at a cost of 20.'21'2 r.u- 
 bles; the Jiiililakof, of '200 tons, lauuclicil in 1820; the expense Ixin^' 
 59,404 rouhles; the Voh/a, of 100 tons, linished in 1822, at a cost of 3(),l '.' 
 rouhles; anil tin Kink/ita, of about 200 tons, launcheil in 1834, at au cxpoiise 
 of 35,248 roubles. Khkbmkof, Zaplaki in MaWrialui, 14l)-50. 
 
rUSSIAXS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 4s:. 
 
 of tliick bar-iron, and where tlio soil was rocky and 
 no |)lou2^h (ould be used, Indians were employed to 
 tliij^ up the ground with spades. Each one farmed as 
 seemed best in his own eves, and the usual result 
 was, of course, failure. Between 1815 and 1821) 
 ;il)out 4,800 pouds of wheat and 740 of barley were 
 sown, and over 25,000 pouds of wheat and ;},G00 of 
 Itarley harvested. Thus the averau'c yield for both 
 these cereals was little more than live-fold; while in 
 1823, the UiosL prosperous of the intervening years, it 
 (lid not exceed ten or eleven fold, and in bad seasons 
 ill! as low as two or three fold. Not until 182G were 
 any considerable shipments of grain made to Novo 
 Arkhangelsk, and from that date to 1833 only 0,000 
 j>ouds were forwarded.*'' 
 
 During his visit to the colony in the latter year, 
 liaron Wrangell selected a new site for aij^ricultural 
 purposes, near the mouth of the Slavianka (Russian) 
 liiver, midway between the Ross settlement and 
 IJodega Bay. About 400 pouds of wheat were sown, 
 together Avith a small quantity of barley: and besides 
 what was required for home consumption and for 
 seed, there remained as the result of the harvest 
 about 4,500 pouds of wheat and 450 of barley for 
 shipment to Novo Arkhangelsk. The next year's 
 CIO}) was almost as satisfactor\', but that of 1835 was 
 a |)artial, and of 183G a total tailure. From the latter 
 date until 18-^0 the surplus of wheat at both settle- 
 ments amounted to about 10,000 pouds, in addition to 
 a few hundred pouds of other cereals. 
 
 Other branches of husbandry were introduced, but 
 with little better result, for there were none who 
 thoroughly understood the business. The first peach- 
 tree was brought from San Francisco in 1814, on 
 hoard the Chirikof, and six years later yielded fruit. 
 
 11 
 
 il 
 
 '•In 1833 wheat yicKled only 8 to 1. Vnlhjo, Informe Reservado, MS. 
 In a fow choice localities the yielil was aometinics aa high iis lo to 1 of wheat, 
 mill of barley 19 to I. In 7/iV. Cal., ii. (>3(1, this scries, is a list of the pro- 
 viiiiuua obtained by the company in California between 1617 and lii'2o. 
 
486 
 
 FOREIGN VENTURES AND THE ROSS COLONY. 
 
 II: 
 
 In 1817 the grape-vine was introduced from Lima, 
 and in 1820 apple, pear, and cherry trees were 
 j)lanted. Tlie vines began to bear in 1823, and the 
 fruit trees not till five years later, and then in small 
 quantit}'. Melons and pumpkins were planted by 
 Kuskof, who also raised large quantities of beets, 
 cabbages, potatoes, lettuce, pease, beans, radishes, and 
 turnips. The two last were large in size but poor in 
 flavor. Vegetables, however, gave the most abundant 
 crop, and after supplying the wants of the colony and 
 of vessels that touched at the Ross settlement, a sur- 
 plus was available for shipment to Novo Arkhangelsk.*' 
 The industr}' of stock-raising was somewhat moie 
 successful, though restricted by want of pasture, all 
 the best land being under cultivation. The cattle 
 were left to roam among the mountain ranges, and 
 many were slaughtered by Indians or fell a prey to 
 wild beasts.''* Nevertheless, between 1817 and 1829 
 the number of horned cattle that could be mustered 
 at the settlement increased from 61 to 521, of horses 
 from 10 to 253, and of sheep from 161 to 614. Dur- 
 ing the interval a considerable quantity of live-stock 
 was purchased from the natives, and a few at the San 
 Francisco mission, but more were slaughtered for 
 home consumption, for the use of the company's ves- 
 sels, or for shipment to Alaska. During 1826 and 
 the three succeeding years, more than 450 pouds of 
 salt beef were forwarded to Novo Arkhangelsk. Tal- 
 low was produced at the rate of 10 to 15 pouds a 
 3'ear. Of butter over 400 pouds were made between 
 1825 and 1829, two thirds of it being shipped to Novo 
 Arkhangelsk. Hides were made into sole and upper 
 leather, the tanner being an Aleut from Kadiak, who 
 
 ■"•Tikhmenef, Istor. Obos., i. 210, states that potatoes grew twice a year, 
 and yielded eleven-fold, as ni.iny us 250 beinjf found to the hill in some 
 instances. This is not confirmed by Khlebnikof. 
 
 '■" During Kuskof's residence at Ross colony, an ox returned to the settle- 
 ment covered with blood, and with pieces of flesh torn out of its sides. Tim 
 horns were also ))lood-stained. Oxen grew to an enormous size, one that was 
 pl:iccd on board the Kutusof in 1817 giving 920 lbs. of clear meat. KhUhniLoj, 
 Zapkki in Malerialui, 153. 
 
GENERAL RESULTS. 
 
 487 
 
 liacl learned his business from the Russians. An 
 attempt was also made to manufacture blankets, but 
 the wool was of poor quality, and there was no one who 
 understood how to construct a loom. 
 
 Between 1825 and 1830 the expense of maintain- 
 ing the Ross settlement was about 45,000 roubles a 
 year, while the average receipts were less than 13,000 
 roubles.^^ In later years, though the shipments of 
 j)roduce w^ere on a larger scale, the hunting-grounds 
 became almost worthless. Meanwhile the outlay was 
 largely increased, and during the last four years of its 
 existence the colony was maintained at a total cost of 
 about 288,000 roubles, while the returns were less 
 than 105,000 roubles, leaving a net loss of more than 
 45,000 roubles a year. 
 
 Trade was carried on to a small extent with the 
 Spaniards at San Francisco even before the treaty of 
 1824, though before that dote the Russians were not 
 allowed to enter the harbor for hunting purposes. At 
 the Farallones, however, a station was established, 
 which for a time was fairly profitable.^ From 1812 
 
 ^^ Consisting of 8,745 roubles' worth of produce and 4,138 of furs. Tikh- 
 vieiip/, Istor. Obos., i. Hod. 
 
 ^ The men sent to this station were relieved at intervals, as want of proper 
 food, shelter, fuel, and wholesome water eaused sickness and deatli among 
 them. Zakhar Chichinof, who was one of a party sent to the Farallones in 
 1811), thus relates his experience: 'A schooner took us down to tlio islands, 
 Imt we had to cruise around for over a week before wc could niakc a landing. 
 Wc had a few planks with us and some canvas, and with that scanty niateiial 
 and sonio sea-lion skins wo built huts for shelter. Wc had a little drift-wood, 
 and uaed to burn the fat of sea-lions and seals for cooking imriKJsea. When 
 vo landed wo had about I'JO lbs. of Hour and 10 or 12 ll>s. of tea, and, aa wo 
 vere nine persons, the provisions did not last long, and we were soon reduced 
 to sea-lion, seal, and fish. The water was very bad al.so, being tiiken from 
 liiillow places in the rocks, where it stood all the year round. We had no 
 tire-arms; the sea-lions were killed with ehibs and spear.'t. Tiie sea-lion 
 meat was salted down in barrels and boxes, wliich we had lirought with us, 
 and in holes in the rocks. Once only, about six niontlis after we landed on 
 the islands, one of the company's brigs enme and took away the salted meat 
 and a lot of fur-seal skins, and then went on her way, leaving us about UK) 
 Ills, of flour, a few pounds of tea, and some salt. About a month afterward 
 tiic scurvy broke out among us, and in a short time all were sick except my- 
 self. My father and two others were all thai kept at work, and they were 
 growing weaker every day. Two of the Aleuts died a month after the disease 
 broke out. All the next winter we passed there in great misery, and when 
 pjiring came the nien were too weak to kill sea-lions, and all we could do was 
 t;)erawl around the cliffsand gathersomosea-birds'eggs, and suck them raw.' 
 Adventures, MS., G-8. 
 
 !■' 
 
 |l 
 
 ' S: 
 
' ! I ' 
 
 I 
 
 4S3 
 
 FOREIGN VENTURES AND THE ROSS COLONY. 
 
 to 1818, about 8,400 fur-seal skins were obtained there, 
 and it is stated that, before their occupation by the 
 Russians, as many as 10,000 were taken on these 
 islands in a single autumn. Later the supply was 
 gradually exhausted, but the ground was not finally 
 abandoned until 1840, the few Aleuts left there in 
 charge of a single Hussian being employed in shoot- 
 ing and drying sea-gulls for use at the Ross colony 
 and in gathering sea-birds' eggs.^ 
 
 One of the greatest obstacles to the prosperity of 
 the Ross settlement was that the colonists held no 
 secure title to their possessions. The land had been 
 purchased from the Indians for a triHe; but tlio 
 Spaniards had never recognized their ownership, and 
 at this time laid claim to the entire coast as far as 
 the strait of San Juan de Fuca. Of the disputes that 
 arose on this point, an account is given in another 
 volume.'^" As early as 1820 the company offered to 
 surrender the colony if restrictions on trade were re- 
 moved, for they had already begun to despair of its 
 success. In 1838, after the failure of Wrangell's mis- 
 sion to Mexico, of which mention is made in connec- 
 tion with my Ilistorij of California, it became evident 
 that the days of the colony were numbered. Already 
 American immigrants had taken up land within ten 
 leagues of the settlement, and others proposed to 
 establish themselves still nearer to Ross. In vain an 
 appeal was made to the vice-chancellor at St Peters- 
 burg. His decision was that no claim could be ad- 
 vanced, "other than right to possession of the land 
 already occupied and of the buildings erected thereon." 
 
 T!iis was a death-blow to the company's hopes. 
 After two unsuccessful attempts to sell the establish- 
 ment, first to the Hudson's Bay Company and then 
 to General Vallejo,^^ the entire property at Ross and 
 
 **The average number of birds obtained was 5,000 to 10,000 a year, but 
 in 1828, 50,000 were killed. Kfikbniko/, Zapiski iu Materialui, 157. 
 ^Jlist. Cat., ii. .103 et seq., this series. 
 •^ See Douijlas, Journal, MS., 10, and VaUfjo,Doc., MS., x. 60-2. 
 
FAILURE IN NEW ALBION. 
 
 4S0 
 
 Bodega, apart from the real estate, including all im- 
 provements, agricultural implements, 1,700 head of 
 cattle, 940 horses, and 900 sheep, was sold to John A. 
 Sutter in September 1841, for $30,000, the amount 
 being payable in yearly instalments," and two thirds 
 of it in produce, to be delivered at San Francisco, 
 freight and duty free."^ 
 
 Thus ended, in loss and failure, the company's 
 schemes of colonization on the coast of New Albion. 
 The experiment had been for thirty years a constant 
 source of expense and vexation; but if the Russians 
 could have maintained their foothold, results might 
 have followed, more brilliant than even Rezanof con- 
 templated. Within a few years after their departure, 
 gold-bearing sands were discovered beyond the ranges 
 of hills which separated from an interior valley the 
 abandoned site of Ross. 
 
 " Extending over four years, the first two of §5,000 an<l the otliers of 
 ? 10,000 each. Bonn, Conlrnt de Vente, MS., 1841, of which tliere is a copy in 
 Spanisli in Dept. St. Pap., MS., vi. 108-9. 
 
 '■''Tikhmenef, htor.Obos., i. 3G6, states that payment was guaranteed by the 
 Mexican government, biit such was not tlie fact. The Bodeya |)roperty, two 
 rauchos belonging to Tscheniich and Khlebnikof, and an establishment at 
 New Helvetia, were left in the hands of the company's agents as security. 
 7iVi, Conlral de Veiiti', MS. The last payment was not made until about 
 1S.')(). For further pai'ticulars ou this matter, see JJiat. Cat., iv. cap. vi., thia 
 Bcrics. 
 
u 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 FURTHER ATTEMPTS AT FOREIGN COLONIZATION. 
 
 1808-1818. 
 
 Haoemeister in the Sandwich Islands— Baranof Aoain Desires to be 
 Relieved — Eliot Sails for California in the ' Ilmen ' — His Cai-- 
 
 TIVITY — KoTZEBUE IN THE ' RURIK ' IN SEARCH OF A NoRTH-EAST 
 PaSSAOE— His ExPLORA'nONS IN KoTZFBUE SOCND — He PROCEEDS TO 
 
 Unalaska— And thence to Californla and the Sandwich Isl- 
 ands—Kino Kamehameiia — A Storm in the North Pacific — The 
 • Ri'RiK ' IlETrRNs TO Unalaska — Her Homewaud Vovaoe — Ben- 
 nett's Trip to the Sandwich Islands— Captain Lozaref at Novo 
 Arkhangelsk — His Disputes with the Chief Manager — Sheffeh 
 Sails for Hawaii — And thence for Kauai — His Agreement with 
 Kino Tomari— Jealousy of American and English Traders- 
 Flight of the Russians. 
 
 As only casual mention of the Ross settlement will 
 be required in the remainder of this volume, I have 
 thought it best to complete the brief record of its 
 operations before proceeding further. I shall now 
 refer to other and earlier attempts at foreign coloniza- 
 tion ; for, as we have seen, the company's plans wen; 
 far-reaching, and extended not only to both shores of 
 the Pacific, but to the islands that lay between. 
 
 In 1808 Captain Hagemeister sailed for tlit; 
 Sandwich I-slands in charge of the Neva, with in- 
 structions to establish a cohjny there, and to survey 
 the field with a view to future occupation by the Rus- 
 sians.^ Arriving at a harbor on the southern side of 
 
 'Campbell, Voy. round World, 118, states that the Neva had a crew of 
 seventy-live iiieu helonging to the Russian navy. Ho was one of those wlin 
 Biirviveil the wri-ck of the Eclipse, in 1807. Tliougli nft illiterate seaman, his 
 Btorj' is interesting, and in the main worthy of credit. Ho writes appar- 
 
 (*90> 
 
HAGEMEISTER'S VOYAGE. 
 
 491 
 
 Oaliu, tlio ship was boarded by a large canoe, in wliich 
 was seated, dressed in European costume, Kinj^ Ka- 
 iiielianieha, then the potentate of the Hawaiian f]froup. 
 " IninietHately on his coming on board," says Camp- 
 bell, a Scotch sailor who acted as Hagcmeister's in- 
 terpreter, " the king entered into earnest conversation 
 with the captain. Among other questions, he asked 
 whether the ship was English or American. ]3eing 
 informed that she was Russian, he answered, 'Meitei, 
 nicitei,' or 'Very good.' A handsome scarlet cloak, 
 edged and ornamented with ermine, was presented to 
 him from the governorof the Aleutian Islands. After 
 trying it on, he gave it to his attendants to be taken 
 ashore. I never saw him use it afterwards. In other 
 canoes came Tamena, one of his queens, Crymak<w, 
 his brother-in-law, and other chiefs of inferior rank."^ 
 Through fear of British intervention, or for other 
 reasons not specified by the chroniclers of the time, no 
 attempt was made to found a settlement,^ though, if we 
 
 cntly without bias, and speaks very favorably of his reception in Alaska niul 
 iu the Hawaiian Iiilanils. Uia work was uoticed in the Edinburgh llcvicw, 
 vol. ix. 
 
 ^/(/., 127. In Campbell's work, Washington Irrimfs Axtoria, Vmiroiiirr'n 
 I'o//., and Kolzebne, \'of/. of Dixcoii. (London, 1821), the king is called Ta- 
 Inaahinaah; in Meares' Vol/., Touiyhoinyhaw; in Portlock^n Voi/., C'oniaiuna.a; in 
 J.(tii(jxilorjF's Vo;/., Tomooma; in Litiminh/, Voy. round World, llaineainea. 
 IIdw tho monarch received so many aliases d<jes not appear, for in Samwell's 
 account of Captain Cook's death (Saniwcll was the surgeon of tho iJincovcri/), 
 lli^ name is spelled Tameamea. In the Hawaiian dialect consi>nants arc often 
 sulistituted for each other, a guttural even taking tho place of a Uni^ual when 
 rendered into English characters, a^. in this instance. Kamehanieha I., sur- 
 iianied tho conqueror, was already known by famo throughout ICurope. In 
 tho Nuuanu Vallej', it will be remembered, ho routed the army of the king of 
 Oaliu, and drove hundreds of t''e enemy over a neighboring pali, at tho foot 
 of which their bones lie bleaching to this day. Tiic spot is but a few miles 
 from Honolulu. 
 
 ' Baranof certaiidy instnicted H.igcmei.ster to found a settlement, and a 
 copy of his instructions has been preserved in the Sitbi Archirr^, but no 
 lueution of this is made in tho captain's report. It is probable that lie was 
 prevented by fear of British opposition, for on August Gth of tiie following 
 year, Kamehanieha wrote to (Jeoi'go III. proposing to acknowledge him as 
 his sovereign, and asking that tho Islands Ihj placed under British protection. 
 The rccjuest was granted. Tikhmencf, htor. Obos., i. ItJG, says that as soon aa 
 a rumor spread throughout the Islands that a vessel had l)een sent from Xovo 
 Arkhangelsk for tho purpose of four, ling a settlement, an English frigate 
 called there to ascertain the truth of the matter. This statement is not 
 indorsed, ho-.vever, by Campliell, who remained in tiie I.-lands for more tliau 
 a year after th^; departure of the Neva. Tikhmenef would have uh believe 
 thut Uajjcmeistcr was ordered to make a tour of the liussiau colouicj, uud 
 
 I'i 
 
IjilKJ 
 
 m 
 
 i' I 
 
 492 FURTHKR ATTEMPTS AT FOREIGN COLOXIZATIOX. 
 
 can believe Kainoluuneha, Hajifeineister tried to brincr 
 the natives of Oalm uiitler subjection l)y threatenin*^ 
 that HliijKs of war sliould be sent ajj^ainst them,* After 
 eallini^ at other islands in the Hawaiian group, ami 
 bartering seal skins and walrus tusks for salt, sandal- 
 wood, and pearls, the captain sailed for Kamchatka, 
 and thence for Novo Arkhangelsk, setting forth on 
 his homeward voyage the following year." In his 
 report to Baranof, whom, as we shall see later, ho 
 succeeded in office, he states that taro, maize, and 
 sugar could bo purchased at moderate prices in Oahu 
 and the neighboring islands, but that European goods 
 were held at extravagant rates. 
 
 The control of the company's affairs had long been 
 felt as too severe a strain by the chief manager, who 
 was now more than sixty years of age. He had sev- 
 eral times requested that a successor be appointed, and 
 twice his request had been granted, but on both occa- 
 sions the official who was sent to reheve him died on 
 the wav^. In October 1811 the brig Maria returned 
 to Kadiak, having sailed frcm Okhotsk during the pre- 
 vious year. In this vessel Collegiate Assessor Koch, 
 who had been appointed Baranof's assistant with a 
 view to succeeding him, had taken passage, but during 
 the voyage he fell sick, and breathed his last at Pctro- 
 pavlovsk. Tl.e news of his death was doubly sad to 
 Baranof, wholjad been on terms of intimacy with the 
 deceased for many years." By the Maria the chiel 
 
 tlicn to ascertain the exact location of c<!rtain islands lying between the 
 Japanese and Hawaiian gnmps, discovered in the seventeenth century, his 
 visit to Oahu being merely with a view to trade. 
 
 * See the king's address to Kotzebue, as related in his Voi/. of Disroc, i. 
 303. 
 
 ' After wintering at Kadiak, he was sent to Petropavlovsk, with a cargo 
 of furs valued at over 7.")0,(KJ0 roubles. 
 
 ' Ivan (lavrilovich Koch, a native of Hamburg, entered tlie Russian mili- 
 tary service as a surgeon in 170!). He did duty tUiring the siego and capture 
 of Bender in 1770, and tliroughout the Turkish war of that periotl until the 
 conclusion of peace, m 1783 ho was promoted to the rank of stsifT surgeon 
 and attached to the Irkutsk district. In 1784 he was transfen-ed to the 
 civil service, with the rank of collegiate assessor, and sent to Ukhotitk as com- 
 mandant of the garrison, which position ho tilled with credit until 17J*-'. For 
 distinguisiied services, he was decorated with the order of St Vladimir. Dur- 
 ing the following years ho made several official visits to Irkutsk, and waa 
 
DKATII OF BORNOVOLOKOF. 
 
 403 
 
 manager received authority from the board of directors 
 to establish a permanent settlement on the coast of 
 Xew Albion wherever he might think best. JSIeau- 
 Avhile he did not neglect to forward another petition 
 to St Petersburg, askitig that his resignation be ac- 
 cepted; but once more he was disappointed. Early 
 in the month of January 1813, the inhabitants of 
 Novo Arkhangelsk were surpristul by the arrival of a 
 snuill boat containing a few Russian sailors, half dead 
 fi'om cold and hunger. They brought the unwelcome 
 news that the Xcva, which had sailed from Okhotsk 
 under coimnand of Lieutenant Podushkin, had been 
 wrecked in the vir-inity of Mount Edgecumbe. One 
 of thc«e who perished on board this craft was Colle- 
 giate Counsellor Bornovolokof, who had beenappointod 
 .Barunof's successor.' 
 
 lurmg 
 
 ^i)<rof., 1. 
 
 a cargo 
 
 ian luili- 
 eapture 
 intil the 
 surgeon 
 il to the 
 . us com - 
 ;t.-. For 
 r. l>iir- 
 and woa 
 
 In December of this year the II men was despatched 
 to Ross with a cargo of goods and provisions. On 
 board the vessel was a hunting party under theleader- 
 shi[> of Tarakanof, and a man named Eliot, or Eliot do 
 Castro, who had volunteered to conduct the trade 
 with the missionaries on the Californian coast, claim- 
 ing long acquaintance with the fathers.* 
 
 The ship left Sitka in December 1813. On her ar- 
 rival at Bodega, the Aleutian hunters were divided 
 
 appointeil assistant on the general staff and comniisaary-gcncnil. He retired 
 with full pay in 1802. K/ilihnibif, Shhn. Jinraunni, 14r>-(i. 
 
 ' The wreck occurred on the 9th of January. IJorncjvolokof, the pilot 
 Kalinin, the wife and son of the mate Xero<lof, the boatswain, '21 proniy- 
 Bhleniki, and 4 women were drowned. Tiie survivors wore Lieutenant To- 
 dushkin, the mate Ncrodof, cadet Terpigoref, a (|uarterina8ter, and '21 promy- 
 fihleniki. Tiireo of the latter died soon afterward. During the voyage from 
 Okhotsk 15 men had died from sickness. /•/. , 143-.">0. See also licrij, S/iJp- 
 vrcrk iij'the Ncx'u, and itoloniiii Korahkkruxh. iv. The survivors reporteil that 
 the hrig Alexaintr, which had sailed from Novo Arkhangelsk in .hine of the 
 preceding year, with over 8,000 sea-otter skins, under conmiaml of master 
 I'etrof, had also been wrecked on tlie Kurile Islands. 
 
 *Kliot is mentioned hy Kotzehue in the first volume of ins voyage as Eliot 
 de Castro, a native of I'ortugal, and is so called hy several other writer.i. In 
 the argument between him and Baranof, which lias been pre-scrvcil in the 
 tii/k't ./l rrAit'M, the document is signed 'John Eliot,' and he is spoken of in tiio 
 indorsement as an American, vi. 11.3. In Giterra, Doc. Hist, (.'al., ii. T-l-S.'t, 
 I iind a number of statements relating to Eliot, but in no iustaiuo does tho 
 name of Castro occur. It ia always KUot or Don Juan Eliot. 
 
 '^!; 
 
494 FURTHER ATTEMPTS AT FOREIGN COLOXIZATION. 
 
 into (lotaclunoiits and scattered over the sea-otter 
 groun<ls. Seal were not plentiful, and thouGjh for a 
 time the Aleuts escaped the vigilance of the Spanish 
 soldiery, the largest detachment, together with Eliot 
 and Tarakanof, were surprised by a troop of horse 
 in the vicinity of San Luis Obispo and taken to the 
 presidio of Santa Barbara." 
 
 Eliot and his companions remained captives until 
 1815, when all who had not taken unto themselves 
 Indian wives were delivered to Lieutenant Kotzebue, 
 who visited the California coast during his voyage of 
 exploration in the brig RurlL^'^ 
 
 The Riu'ik, a vessel of one hundred and eight / tons, 
 was built and equipped by Count Komanof, for t' ic pur- 
 pose of exploring tlie supposed north-west passage by 
 way of Davis Strait or Pludson Bay; but as an expedi- 
 tion was being fitted out in England for the same pui- 
 j)ose, it was determined to attempt the passage from 
 the eastward. Otto von Kotzebue, who a few years 
 before had sailed with Krusenstern on board the 
 iVv'rr/, as will be remembered, was placed in conunand. 
 Sailing from Kronstadt on the 30th of July, 1815." 
 the brig arrived at Petropavlovsk after an uneventful 
 voyage lasting nearly a ^ear, and thence was headed 
 for leering Strait. Proceeding in a Jiorth-easterly di- 
 rection, the connnander, after tour'hing at St Law- 
 rence Island, entered a large inlet, tlirough thecentt-i" 
 of which passed the arctic circle, and whose waters 
 extended to the eastward as far as the eye ould 
 reach, the current running strong into the entrance. 
 
 •In Tarakanof's official roport of tlio matter, Cape Concepciou is incntione4 
 as tlic si'cuc of tliis incident. 
 
 '" III the course of liia transautions tvitli the mixHionarie.s, Eliot (lail moIiI 
 go )ils to till' amount of more than ten tliouHunil piastres, for wliicli lie reci'ivril 
 r)i>ynu'nt in cash, grain, and otter skins, and tninsmitted the proceeds to 
 Kuskof nt UosH. 
 
 "The naval otTlce'-j who nccompanie'l Kot/elmo were lientenants Zok- 
 h.arin nnd Schisclirr.iref, tii'i seientista ('iininisso und Wonnskloid, l»rEsch- 
 Bcholt/, and the .irtist (/horis. KoIzcIiid'h I'd//, o/ DIhcoi'., i. introd. JK)-I. 
 A'.nong t'"? ....^Hirdinate oflicers were the mates I'etrof nnd Khnunciicmkii, wiio 
 Biih"' (iiently ligured ^)ronlinently in the iinnals of Alaskan explorations. 
 Tue vessel currieil tlic imperial Hug and was mounted with eight guna. 
 
KOTZEBUE'S VOYAGE. 
 
 405 
 
 From a small neighboring hill on the southern shore 
 no land could bo soon on the horizon, while high 
 mountains lay to the north. Here, thought the Rus- 
 sians, is the channel that connects the two oceans, the 
 quest of which has for throe centuries baffled the 
 greatest navigators in Europe. On the following day, 
 the 2d of August, the vessel continued her course, 
 and from the mast-head nothing but open sea ap- 
 ])eured to the eastward. Toward sundown land was 
 ill sight in ?evoral directions, but at noon on the 3d 
 the opening vas still live miles in width.'^ On the 
 
 miand. 
 Slf)," 
 ontful 
 oadid 
 •ly <U- 
 liaw- 
 'cnttT 
 
 waters 
 r<Hild 
 
 ranee. 
 
 
 <ii 
 
 
 ^^. 
 
 
 4iif' ' ' 
 
 KOTZEUIE ."XJlNU. 
 
 4t]i the search was continued in boats, for now the 
 water was shoiding rapidly, and after procoeding four- 
 tion miles farther, oidy a small opm sjjace was visi- 
 blo to the eastward.'^ A liw <iays later the; party 
 sot fortii on their return to the Jturik, but were 
 driven back to shore by a vittlent storm. 
 
 " It seemed,' says Kotzebuo, " as if fortune had sent 
 this storm to enable us to make a very reuiarkablo 
 
 " On this <lr,y an i^^hind was diacovereil, to wliich was given the namo of 
 Cbamisso. /</., i. "J 1.1. 
 
 " l*ivbably the head of Esciisclioltz or perhaps Schischmaref Ikiy. 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 1 1 > 
 
4r6 furtheh attempts at foreign colonization. 
 
 discovery, which we owe to Dr Eschscholtz. We liad 
 (•limbed much about during our stay, without discover- 
 ing that wo were on real icebergs. The doctor, who hail 
 extended his excursions, found part of the bank broken 
 down, and saw, to his astonishment, that the interior 
 of the mountain consisted purely of ice. At this 
 news, we all went, provided with shovels and crows, 
 to examine this phenomenon more closely, and soon 
 arrived at a place where the back rises almost perpen- 
 dicularly out of the sea to a height of a hundred feet; 
 and then runs off, rising still higher. We saw masses 
 of the purest ice, of the height of a hundred feet, whicli 
 are uider a cover of moss and grass, and could not 
 have been produced but by some terrible revolution.'* 
 The place, which by some accident had fallen in un<l 
 is now exposed to the sun and air, melts away, and a 
 good deal of water flows into the sea. An indisput- 
 able proof that what we saw was real ice is the <]uan- 
 tity of mammoths' teeth and bones which were ex[)ose(l 
 to view by the melting, and among which I myself 
 foun<l a very fine tooth. We could not assign any 
 reason for a strong smell, like that of burnt horn, 
 which we perceived in this place." 
 
 On the 11th of August the Rnrik left the inlet 
 whicli now bears the name of Kotzebue Sound,''* and 
 sailed for St Lawrence Island and thence for Una- 
 
 '* ' This ri'8ult of n terrible revolution,' remarks tiic London Qunticrhj He 
 vii'ir, • is I'.Diisiilurod l>y Cliainisso, tliu iiaturnlidt, to be similar to the i;roiuiil 
 ice, covitcmI with vej{eti,tioii, at the mouth of the Lena, out of which tln> 
 mninmntli, tiio .sUelcton of which is now iu St Potersbury, was thawed. Hi- 
 niiikfs the lieij^ht of it to be 80 feet nt most; ami the length of the prolilc, 
 in which tiie ice is cxposeil to sight, alnrnt. a niusket-Hliot. Wo have little 
 tli)ui)t tiiat both Kotzebuo nnil Chamisso arc mistaken with regard to the 
 fonnatiou of this ico mountain. The terril)lo revohiti(m of nature is sliocr 
 nonsi'.ise; and the ground ico of tho Lena is cast up from the sea, and after- 
 ward Imricd by tho alluvial soil brought down by tlic llooils in the sumo man- 
 ner «■( tho iiui^o blocks whieh ( 'aptain Parry found on tho beach f .Melville 
 bilaiid; thi.s oiwration, however, could not bike place on tlio facoot tiie prom- 
 ontory iu tho trancjuii sound of Kotzebuo. What they discovered (without 
 suspeetiu;,' it) was, in fact, a real iccljerg, which had lieen formeil in tho man- 
 ner iu which a'l icebergs arc.' xxri. 3.V2 (18'22). 
 
 '^ Thi" name was iu)t given until after Kotzebue's return to Russia; but 
 other points were r.amed by him after memlHsrsof tlie expedition, Eichseholtz 
 llay iM'iug one of them. Capo Knisenatcrn. on tho northern shore of tho sound, 
 was so callod after tho captain of tho A'atlenhUa. 
 
KECEPTIOX AT HAWAII. 
 
 41)7 
 
 ,'■'• ami 
 Una- 
 
 rfcrhj I'l' 
 ho groiuul 
 ^■hich the 
 keil. Ill- 
 io prolili'. 
 ,vo littlo 
 (I to tlio 
 is slieii' 
 lul after- 
 mo in:ia- 
 Mclvillo 
 iho pn>m- 
 (witljont 
 Itho man- 
 
 psin; but 
 
 l;ll8flu.ltZ 
 
 to souml, 
 
 1 >>l\a, wluTo the coininandL'L' j^avo ordci-s t»» the a'^Tciit 
 III" the Russian Ainerican Company t<> have men, 
 l)<)ats, and su[)[)lies in readiness tor the foUowiii'^' suni- 
 iiit-r, wlion lie purposed to make a tlioroui^h exi»I<»ra- 
 tiou of tho farther north-west. Remaininjjf only lon^j 
 enough for needed repairs, lie proceeded to San Fran- 
 (•is(^o without having attempted to explore, acconling 
 to his instructions, the coast of Alaska southward 
 from Norton Sound, then a terra incofjhiita, hut, as it 
 ju'oved, one of the richest portions of the territory.'" 
 Alter sharing in a conference touchinuj the affairs ot 
 tlie Ross colony, at which Kuskof and the LTovernor 
 el" (Adifornia were ])resent, as is mentioned elsewhere,'" 
 li" sailed f )r the Sandwich Islands, takiuLj on hoard 
 YuWot and three of his fellow-ca[)tives. 
 
 Landing at theiskuul. of Hawaii, Ivotzehue was met 
 liv Kamehameha, who was now king of the entire 
 j^rouji, and thus describes his riM-cption: "I now stood 
 at the side of the celei)rated Tauiaalunaah, who ha>. 
 attracted the attention of all I]ur(»pe, and who in- 
 .^[•ired me with the greatest confidence hy his unre- 
 sci'ved and iViendly hehavior. Jle conducted me to 
 Ills straw i)alac(>, which, according to tlie custom <>t 
 t!ie country, consisti'd only of one spacious a[)artnicnt: 
 ;!iid, like all the houses here, atfoit led a free ihaughl 
 h itli to tlie land and sea breezes. They ottered us 
 1/iropean chairs very neatly made, placed a, mahogany 
 t ihle before us, and wc wei'e Www in ]>osscssion of all 
 t'.K^ furniture of the ])nlacc. Tamaahnia.ih's dress, 
 v.hich consisti^l of a white shirt, blue pantaloons, ;i 
 iv'd waistcoat, snd a colored neckcloth, surprisi-d mo 
 
 '" Ivotzclnie priiliiili'.y ni nl- ii i;ri\it iiii-<t:ili.- wlicii lie otiiitti'il tho r>xplrirr»- 
 tim of tliiii )) iiti'in of iIil- ruast ot' A!a ka, of w liiili iintliiii,' iiinii' \\:h k:i>.v.M 
 t'iii:i wlici ('oil; left it Itotwi'Oil lii< Sllo,iIlU'<-< iiiiil I'oiiit Sli;illi>W (Caj)' 
 j; una 11. f 11 ml tlio in M'li of llio KiiskuUx iiii). ( 'a|itaiii < iolovnin, nt t!;<! si (..ji- 
 of war h'fiii I, liail ilciliito iiisliucl ii>ii to survey 'U ''Ht waf* ])r('Viiitril ly l.i t 
 < i;i!ivity niiioir^ the ,la|iuni ■<(', < i:it Koiiiaiiuf liail ^'ivoii tliis iii.-<tnifii .:i 
 ti>i iloviiiii, ami when tho latter m't out uiioii li?4 sc'coml voyaLje nruuiiil i'.!.- 
 w >ilil, in tlio s!oop-of-\var Knm-hitlhi, lie reeeiveil ii letter from tho mi ii..:i r 
 of iiiariiie, who re((uesteil him to survi'y tlio eoast iiurtli of .\lask.i I'c .iii-L;^a 
 jii'. A-iilel that Kot/ehue ha I 'lot alrouily iloao so, 
 
 " llUt. fill., ii. :U, this Horu'8. 
 UtbT. Alaska, 'ii 
 
1. 1 Fl-RTIIER ATTEMPTS AT FOREIGN COLOXIZATIO>r. 
 
 ; i-:! 
 
 'i I' 
 
 wry luucli, ftr I lind formed very cUfFerent notions of 
 tile I'oyal iittii'c. The distin/jfuislied personuLjes ])r(";- 
 
 en 
 
 t at our audience, ^vlu) liael all seati.'d themselv 
 
 es on 
 
 the iJ^rouiid, wore a still more sinLjular costume t!ian 
 the kini;*; lor tin ir l)lack frocks looked very ludicrous 
 oil the naked body. One of the ministers had lln^ 
 V\aist hall-way up his hack: the coat had hcen huttoiic I 
 with the greatest diHiculty; he j)(M-s|)ire(l i'reely in his 
 tiglit state costume, and his distress was evident; hut 
 i'ashion would not ])erniit him to relieve himself of tin; 
 inc()nvcnienc<\ The sentinels at the door were <(uiti! 
 naked; a cartridge-box and a pair of })istol.s were tied 
 round their Vv'aist, and they held a musket in tlu'ir 
 liand. 
 
 ".Vfter the king had poured out some very gooil 
 wine, and had himself drmdc to our health, I made 
 him acquainteil with my intention of taking in fre-^Ii 
 
 )rovisions, watcn*. and woo( 
 
 d. A 
 
 young man ot thi 
 
 name of Cook, the oidy white whom the king h.i 1 
 about him, acted as interpreter. Tamaahmaali desired 
 him to say to me as follows: 'I learn that vou are 
 (lie comn)andei" of a slilp of war, and are engaged iu 
 a vova'jfe similai* to those of Cook and \\incouver, 
 .'uid consi'ijuently do not eng'ag(> in trade; it is there- 
 I'lre my intention not to carry on any ti-ade with yoii, 
 but to jirovide you gratis with evt'rything that r. 
 
 if.lMUds tu'oauce. 
 
 r shall now be«r you to inlbnu u 
 
 wiK!ther ii is with tl)(! consent of your em))ei-or tlird 
 his sul)jects begin to <1istU!'b m<' ill my old i\y;r. 
 Since Tamaahmaah has been king of these islands, n • 
 j'.ui'opean has had cause to conijilain of having sid- 
 I'ered injustice ]iei-e. I have made my ishuuls an 
 a-;ylum lor all nations, and honestly sup[)lieil with 
 ]»rovisii>iis eveiy shi|> that desired tli'Mu,'" 
 
 ^M'ter alludiu'jr to the trouble caused by Jlai^enK i-- 
 ter and his ]>arty, the king continues: "A Kussi;in 
 ])liysician, named Scliefl'ei', who came liere some 
 months ago. i)ri'tended that he luui been sent i)y the 
 IjUiporor Alexander to I'otanize on my l.-lands. 1 
 
KOTZEnnrs vov.\(;k. 
 
 4!)0 
 
 iv t only ,;j;av(> liiin this porniissioii, l»;it also proinlscl 
 liiiii every asKistaiirc; .-nid made liiiii a jtreseiit nf a 
 jiieco of laud, with peasants, so tliat lie could ue\cr 
 
 w 
 
 aut for provisions. What was the consecpieuce of 
 luy hospitality/ Even hetore lie left Owhyee,'** li(3 
 i'e|taid uiy kindness with iuj^ratitude, which 1 horo 
 pati(Mitly. Tiieu, accor(nni;' to his own desire, ho 
 travelled fi'oui oik," place to another; and at la-t 
 
 se 
 pr 
 
 Wliel'e 
 
 ttled in the fruitful island of Woahoo 
 
 oved himself to he mv most invrtei'ate eiiemv 
 
 destroviu''" our sanctuarv, the ]\[oiai; and exeitiuLT 
 aijainst me, in tlie island of Atooi,'-' Kinu^ Tainaiy, 
 v.lu) had Huhniitted to mvpowcM- vearshefore. Schc I- 
 f r is there at this veiy moment and threatens my 
 islands." 
 
 "1 assured Tamaahmaah," continues ivotzel»U(>, 
 "that the had conduct of the Kussians here nuist not 
 he ascri!)e(l to the will of our emperor, who never com- 
 iianded his suhjects to do an unjust act; hut that 
 
 tl 
 
 le extent of his einpii 
 
 )reven 
 
 ted I 
 
 nm irom ueni<> 
 
 immediately iniormed of had actions, which, however, 
 ■re not allowed to remain unpunished when they 
 
 Wt 
 
 camo to his knowledge. The king seemed verv 
 nnicli pleased on mv assurinu" him that our soverei-jii 
 never inteudi^l to conijuer his islands; the glasse 
 
 W ( 
 
 ■re immediately illled, to drink the empi'ror's 
 li<'alth,and Kaniehameha was even more cordial than 
 hefore." 
 
 J'^liot, who l)efor(! his (Viptivily had lived fu" two 
 years in the f^andwich Islands as physician and chief 
 lavorite to tiu'king, i-emaiiied at Hawaii in his I'oriner 
 position; and taking his lea\-e in the middl<> of Decem- 
 l»er, Kotzehue sailed in a south-westerly diiei-tion. 
 < )ii thn l.->t of .lanuarv, 1!^17, he discovered a low 
 
 Wi 
 
 )o<led isle^, to which was <.>iven the name of X 
 
 ew 
 
 Year's Island. Thi-ee days later a I'hain of islandn 
 was sighted, extending as I'ar as the eyo could reach, 
 
 '• Hawaii. 
 
 ' Ouhu. 
 
 »» KaiiaL 
 
ill 
 
 m , . ' 
 
 oOO rURTIIER ATTEMPTS AT I-OIIEIC.X COLOXIZATIOX, 
 
 tiiL' s[);k'('s hrtwcfu l)(.in;^ filli-d witli i-ocfs.-' .\r;ir 
 sonic wc'fks lijid l)c(.'n .s|t"iit uiiiid llicsc and ollur 
 <;;(tu[)s in thu Caroline Arelii[)elaijf<t, the Iturlk was 
 a^'ain lieaded for Unalaska, her connuander jmrpos- 
 iii;^' to rontinue liis explorations in search of a nortii- 
 east passa;^e. But this was not to he. On the 1 !t!i 
 o!" .Vpiil, when in latitude 44' GO' x. and lonu^itr.d- 
 ISl^ 8' w., a violent storm arose, and iluriiiLC ^'i^- 
 i'lillowini; ni'_rht increased to a huiiicane. *'Th.' 
 waves, which helore ran hiy^h," says Kotzt;hue, for F 
 cannot do hctter than use his own words, "rose ii 
 ii.unense masses, such as I had never vet seen; the 
 J'xrik suilei'ed hevond descrl})tion. Innnediatt ly 
 al'ter midni-^ht the I'ury of the hurricane rose to sucli 
 ;i de<_;ree, that it tore the toj)s of the waves from tlic 
 s;'a, and di'ove them in the form of a thick I'ain 
 o\cr the surface of the ocean. Xohody wlio ha-; 
 n it witnessed Buch a scene can ft)rm an adequate idea 
 i:[' it. It seems as if a direful revolution was at that 
 Uionient destroying the whole stupendous fabric ot 
 n;iture. 
 
 " I had just relieved Lieutenant Schisehmarefi*. Be- 
 sides myself, there wew four sailors on the deck, of 
 V. lioin two were iKilding the helm; the rest of the crew I 
 had, for j^reater security sent into the hold. At four 
 o'clock in the niorninu^ 1 was just lookini,' at the height 
 of a foamiuLj wave, when it suddenly took its direction 
 t • the liiirik, and in the same moment threw nic 
 (l)wn senseless. The violent pain which I felt on re- 
 c >verin'jf was lieiLrhtened bv the melancholv siij^ht of 
 my shi[), whose fate would bo inevitable if the hurri- 
 cane should raije for another hour; for not a corner of 
 it had escaj)ed the ravages of that furious wave. Tiie 
 til st thing I saw was the broken bowsprit; and an idea 
 liKiy be formed of t!io violenc^e of the water, which at 
 oneo dashed in pieces a beam of two feet in diamettr. 
 
 '-' Wliethor these nro the isliuul'^ tliat were sijrliteil liy Captain Marshall in 
 17 '< i~i lUicerUiin. At least, Kotzebue was ihe lii'st to aiiccrtaiii tlirtr exact 
 
STORM AT SKA. 
 
 501 
 
 •k, of 
 nvwl 
 till" 
 
 'ctioii 
 
 IV 1110 
 
 1)11 I'v- 
 
 lllt (jf 
 
 Inirri- 
 licr «'l' 
 The 
 li i(U';i 
 ic-U at 
 Lett v. 
 
 Lh.iU ill 
 Ir exact 
 
 Tilt' loss was tlie more important, as tlic two iiia^ts 
 could not loiiL^ withstand the tossini;- of the sliip, ;uid 
 (lion (K'liveraiice would bo iniT»ossil)Io. Tlio "riirantif 
 wave broke the le»j^ of one of my sailors; a subaltern 
 (iliicer was thrown into the sea, but saved himself wit 'i 
 iiiueh jiresoiice of mind by seizing* the rope which hung 
 beiiind the slii[); the steering-wheel was br-oken. tlie 
 two sailors who held it were much hurt, and I niyseU' 
 thrown violently with my breast against a corner, suf- 
 fered severe jviiii, and was obliged to kee[) my bed for 
 several day<;." 
 
 When the storm had moderated the vessel was p-it 
 in order, and reached Unalask;i in saletv, though heavv 
 Weather prevailed during the rest of the voyage.-" S'l > 
 was then unrigged, unloa<lt,'d, careened, and i-ej):iii-e 1, 
 and within a iiKjnth was again ready for sea. Uoat;, 
 provisions, and a |>arty <if Aleuts, together with tw > 
 interpreters from Kadiak, were provided by the agent, 
 as Kotzebue had directed,-^ Mud on the 2'.)th of Juiiv* 
 tlio /i*'^r//j again sailed on her voyage northwai-d. ' 
 On the 10th of July St Lawrence Island was sightiij, 
 and hero tho commander ascertained that ice-iloes ha 1 
 surrounded it on the south-east until three days b.'- 
 fore. Anchoring at midniu:ht off its northern i>roiu- 
 ontory, ho found an unbroken ice-pack toward tlie 
 north and oast. 
 
 There was now no hope of passing Bering Strait 
 until tho end of the month, when, as Kotzel)Ue thought, 
 
 •' Kolzehiif\'< ViKj. ofDinfor., ii. 100-1. Tliciiiitlior nMn.-uks: '1 woiiMinlvi-'o 
 no f>ii<> to visit tlii-i (iccMii so (^iirly in tin" year, t<if tli'j slniius aro fiinli'lul.' 
 
 '-'^ Kutzelmo was furnislicil witli iiu nrdiT fn.iii tin; liiri'doi'M i.f fclio nnsi-iau 
 Aiiierican ('niiiiiany n iiniriiii,' Ki-iuknf, tliiii ai.'<.'iit at I'lialaska, tn supply \\\^ 
 (■\pi'ilitii)ii with iill that was iicciliil, ami di rlaii-:* lliat liu ilclivlmI cvuiy i.(iiii- 
 tf.>y and assistance at the liamls of tin' aL,'(iit. 
 
 ■'On tho 7/»( (•/'/.• was a Imy named Kadn, wIumu Kntzclnic hail takrii n'l 
 liitanl at ono of tho rar')lin(! islands. 11. ■ aiip( ai'id to l»' t intcnti d i>n ri'.ic !i- 
 iii',' Un.'ila.ska, though he waa disappointed at nut lii-diiii! thiio any coeoa-niit 
 <ir liiead-fniit trees, and did not approve of the Alc.tian mode of living,' ntid r 
 jinninil. Ho asked whether jieoplo li\ed so «t St I'ttershurL,'. (laxiii'^' at i'.u- 
 oxen on lioanl tho vessel, ho expies.seil his joy tlvit the meat I'on.siinied hy t." 
 ii'iw was the flesh of thoso animals, lirini; asked hi i reason, |k' lon'cvsi il 
 tliit ho thotiu'lit t!ie Ilnssians were eannihais, that he rei^.-inled hini« If .• ♦ 
 a portion of tlie ship's jirovi^ions, micl looke'l forwanl in horror ti» tlie nioiiieat. 
 Nviieii they might be iu waut of tWI. Id., iUO. 
 

 
 li Jl 
 
 IIm o| 
 
 
 Vi 
 
 
 i. 
 
 
 >, 1 
 
 1' 
 
 J 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 .] 
 
 i' 
 
 i!s< 
 
 ilHi 
 
 i a 
 
 I III 
 \ 
 
 50-2 
 
 FURTHER ATTEMITS AT I'OREIGX COLOXIZATIOX. 
 
 the soason would bo too far ndvanced for a successful 
 voyage. Moreover, Ids health was .shattered; his 
 hreathiiiijf was difficult; he was suft'ering from spasms 
 iu the chest, i'aiiiting fits, and hemorrhage of tlie 
 hmgs. The surgeon of the vessel declared that to re- 
 main longer in the neighborhood of the ice would cost 
 him his life. " !More than once," he says, "I resolved 
 to brave death, l)ut I felt that I must suppress my am- 
 bition. I signified to the crew, in writing, that my 
 ill health obHged me to return to Oonalaska. The 
 nnoment I signed the pajier was the most painful in 
 my life, for with this stroke of the pen I gave up the 
 ardent and long-cherished wish of my heart." 
 
 Returning by way of the Sandwich Islands, Kotze- 
 bue reached Hawaii on the •27th of September. Heie 
 he was greeted byKamehameha and his old acquaint- 
 ance, Eliot de Castro. Sailing thence to Oahu, he 
 found six American shij^s at anchor, and one — the 
 Kadialc — belomjjing to the Russian American Com- 
 ])any, hauleo u[) <.)n the beach. In this vessel ShefK r 
 had reached Oalii, aftt-r beiiii; exi»elled from Kauai, 
 where ho intended to found a settlement. A few 
 daj's later the Jioston arrived on her way to Canton, 
 with a cargo of iurs ship[)ed from Novo Arkhangelsk. 
 
 Calling at St Helena on his liomeward voyage'. 
 Kotzobue met with a most surly reception frtun the 
 British naval otlieers who ke[)t guard over the rock 
 where the ca[)tive emperor was then entombed alive, 
 his craft being fired upon without appai'ont cause." 
 His recei)tion iu England was more cordial. During 
 a visit to London, where business compelled him to 
 spend a few days on his way to Kronstadt, he was 
 iiitroduced to the Prince Regent and to the Archduke 
 Nikolai Pavlovitch. On the "JDd of Julv, 1818, the 
 Jiiirlk sailed past the port of Revel, and now, after an 
 
 -^Kotzclmc's inii'poso in callins? at St Helena was to give tlio Rn-isitin f>'!i- 
 niissarv, (Jount ]i;illrnian, an opportunity to seUil lottery to li;:j I'oiintrynicn. 
 '] liivc tiliota wci'u lii'uJ ut llio litirik, oao of thcni paajiii^; botwcoii her uiaoU. 
 
BEXXICTT'S TKIP, 
 
 r)03 
 
 aliscnco of three years, Kotzebue oiico more beluld 
 Ills native city. A week later the vessel cast aiirlii>r 
 in the Neva, ep[)Osite the palaee of Count llonianof.'' 
 
 Before makini]^ further njontion of Shefler's ex])loits 
 in the Hawaiian Islands, it is necessary to re fur to in- 
 cidents which preceded the voyaLjo of the Hunli'. In 
 Ajjril 1814 one of liaranof's American friends, Ca]>- 
 tain Bennett, who had sold him two vessels and tlu-ir 
 cargoes, otTered to accept fur-seal skins in part pay- 
 n)ent, but havinj^ none of the re(|uired kind on 
 hand at Novo Arkhanu'elsk, the chief manajj-i-r induced 
 Bennett to proceed in the BcriiKj to ihe island of St 
 Paul iu search of them, and at the same time to 
 take a cargo of furs, worth half a million roubles, to 
 be landed at Okhotsk. There he took on board a 
 number of the com[>any's hunters who were awaiting 
 ]tassage, and a large mail of the com])any'sdes[»atche-;. 
 Jle the?i .sailed foi" the Sandwich Islands, wliere it had 
 been arranged that he should purchase a cargo of taro, 
 
 -•"'In his Voymji' of J)iifot'' ri/ in/n Ihr South Sra am! Hk ni<:i\-< Sfra!/,-<,j',r 
 the PiirpoK'' of Kxjilorlii'j a S'oi'f/i-cii.-if I'ttiMnji' (,'{ vols., IV-iliii, |S|!», iui.l 
 Loinlon, IS'JI), thouiitlioi', iiftir;i Kii>,'thy iiitrixluctiou, tk'Votcs tlio lirtit sum u 
 I'liUliters of the lirst viiiiime to h'n ymnwy from Ki'onstailt to Kotzfluic Stminl. 
 tho fi;.;hth to his trip fi:>in thu hittur part to I'ualaska. ami tliu ninth and 
 tenth to his visit to (.'iilifoniia ami tlu' Samlwii'h Islands. In tin; I'kvmth 
 chapter, whii'h opena tho Rocoml volume, wo liavo an ac(.'()uiit of liis cx|ilora- 
 lioiis ill tho Caroline ArcliipehiL;o. 'J'hen follow hissi'roml voyaL'ciioithuard, 
 and his homeward journey, oceupyiiiLC tho four nextehajitcrs. The remaiiidir 
 cif the work id taken up with an . I </(////-m •'/the LtlaivlH JJisrorinil. In/ tho llmih 
 in. the Gnat Orcan (written hy Krusonstorn), a short ]>aj>er on tho J)iseri.< >■ >7 
 the L're in till rill' I the Thrci' Yiiir* <'fth<'. I'tii/wir, In/ Frftn-irk /■'■"■hy-h'il'z. M.l>. 
 (the ship's physician), and the I!'■mal■t^ find O/iiniun-'i of tlic yulTnll-t ifih-' 
 I-'r/icilifion, AilelUrf. von ( 7i»(/«(s>'i), In his i)reiaoo, Chaniisso rouiarks that ho 
 ree^irnizes only tho (.lorman edition, ' fur tho various forcit:n suhjecta of wliii li 
 ho had to treat have made him toosensihlo how dillieidt it is, when aimin;.,' 
 nt hrevity to avoid obscurity, foi' him to ans\ier for translations of whieh Ik' 
 cannot .iudL,'e.' The precaution was jnstilled, f^ir in the Kntrlish trauslatinn 
 hy H. K. Lloyil are many errors, caused prohaldy hy the extreme ha.sto with 
 wldi'' 'ho work was rendered. A few ye.irs later Kot/ehue i)ulilished in Iv.o 
 vnluuu ' his yew Voiiiiii' round the World in, the I'l-ac.s JSJJ-JO. I haw 
 lielore me only tho En;.;lish translation (London, IS-'JO). As on this occasion 
 ho visited Xovo Arkhangelsk, California, ami tho Sandwich Islands, wo shall 
 hear of him n.^ain. Three years alter completing; his soe(Mid voyage, he re- 
 tivi d t > his esiato in Kstlionia, where his decease occurred in islii. Hi.< son i 
 and L'rnndsona held pnsitions in I'nalaska in tho Recvice of tho IJussiaa Am r- 
 ieui (Jomi>any. tmtil it was ilisincorpor.ited, an. I r.L^vcral remained t!ier • ;.i. r 
 till' purchase of Alaska hy tao Uuit.J SuiUs. Tho liiat i,f iheiii died i.i k'.i. 
 
I 1 
 
 I i 
 
 J5ft4 FURTHEU ATTRMPTS AT FOREIGN COLO\IZATIO\. 
 
 salt,an<l otluT provisions. Havin<j^ <'\lKiuste(l the re- 
 sources <>t' Hawaii, ho i)rocL'i'(lc'(l to Kauai, where, the 
 eaj)taiu beiiiLj on shoi-o, thi' ship was struck by asutldcn 
 sr|uall, and vessol anti cnrn'o were cast on the be ich. 
 Kini^TDinari, who was then in power at Kauai, tli< ujj;h 
 subject to Kainehanie'ha's authority, ortererl Bennett 
 every assistance in ('((llcctinuf his carLjo; but when all 
 tliat could l>e saved had been secured beyond reach oi 
 the waves, he coolly ap[)i(»priated it as a penpiisite <»f 
 the owner of the soil. The ca|»tain aiid some of his 
 crew soon afterward made their way back to Alaska. 
 At the time when the J'ni'iL left Kronstadt t!io 
 imjK'rial <jfovernnient was tittinj.,' t)ut two vess(.>ls, tho 
 Snrnriif and Kntuxot\ for an expedition to Russian 
 America. They were placed in eluirLje of Captain 
 Lo.„iref,-' and the Surarof with the conunander on 
 board sailed from Kronstadt on the 8th of Octobei-, 
 lsl;3, arrivinu^ at Xovo Ai'khani^elsk in November cf 
 the followin'-' vetir. Lozaref, in connnon with all the 
 naval otlicers, was prejuchced against liaranof Dis- 
 |)utes between the two men ai'ose at once, and ceased 
 onlv when the ship set sail from Xovo Arkhangelsk.^ 
 
 *' Kniscnstcni. wlu) was now an iuliniral, rccominentlcd Kotzebiie fur tin* jn- 
 sitiuii. Inutile lJii»isi;i!i Aiiiiii.:.ii ( 'oiiijiaiiy, wliicli vas tn juiy a ivi'", < i t'.ic 
 fXlH-iisR-s, ol>j<'ctfl (III tin: fii'Diiiicl (if I'.is yuutli. Tlie otlKr oliiiLia w«ro 
 liLiiti'iu.ut3 L'iikiiv.s!;y aiiil SrliveikovsUy; t!ii.' mates Itu-sysky aiiil I 'r 
 .Sylva: cadet Saiiisdiiot', I'l- SlictliT, and the supercargo M(jlvee. Tlie crew" 
 eoiisi.stcd of 'l'.\ naval seanu'ii, 1) iiu'feliunt sailors, and 7 laborcre of the uom- 
 jxiiiy. Tillimeii(j\ /-for. olio.i., i. \S',i. 
 
 *"Oii Iii3 return to St retersljurg, Lozarcf was tried before a naval coin't 
 of iiiijuiry on eliar,!.'ef» jirelcrred liy the hoard of niaiiaucrs of tlic 
 Iti'.ssian Anicrioaii Company, lie was chargcil with iiimioiality, with 
 rctnniing fixini Novo Arliliani;elsk without the company's siipcreanio, 
 the Ijoy M(jlvee bein^ deemed too youii;u' for such a imsition, withn'.'.t 
 tlie p!iysieian appointed to the vessel, without bilk of l.ulin;^ or any 
 d<\<j>a:chc3 from I'larannf, and without the chief manai^or's pennissi'ii. 
 To this the capt.iiu replied tliat lie had rejwateily asked fur ordirs, n:ul 
 tinally sailed, and made his way back around Capo lloin v itli all spcid. 
 He al.-o stated that tho misunderstandiiif,' arose from his refusal to sanction 
 Ikii'anijfs action ill seizing' tlio lirig yV(//tc belonging to Astor. On that 
 iK-easiou Lo7ai-«;f stated tliat I'laranols anger was so great that he train- I 
 the giiu3 of the fort upon tho ,S'» /•'-(/•■;/■, ami threatened to sink iier. l^>/ii..:f 
 wiia also charged witii having suld at Limn 00,()()0 roubles' worth of furs be- 
 loiigiug to the company, liiis he denied, but stated that he sold to tI;o 
 viceroy of I'eru a few black-bear skins for tho manufacture of uhakoes for 
 his K4)ldiers. ami received "J-'piastias each for tho skins. The otlier charges 
 Were (»f a biinilar nature. Zikniij, L'oir., M.S., iu Sifka Archlvtn, hi. 
 
LOZAREF AXD SHKFFKR. Ml 
 
 T^nzanT dcsirod to pass the winter at Xovo Ark- 
 Iiaii'-Ct'lsk, and to land his car^'o and r('[)air the vessel, 
 liut JJaranuf insisted tliat lie should make a winter 
 vova<^e to the ]'rvl)ilot' Islands lor a car'O* of lurs, 
 as there was not cnouujh j)eltry at Novo ^Vrkhangelsk 
 to complete his freij^lit. The eaptain then put to sea, 
 1/ut ivtunied almost innuediatt'lv, under jiretenei' that 
 (he sjiip was leakinjjf, iiiid I't-niained in port until the 
 li.nowinij' ^lav, wluii he tinallv exeeuted the ehiet' 
 iiiana;4er's ordei's. Soon alter his retuin he a^'iiin set 
 sail on the "J 4(h of Julv, liMviuLf the anchoraue hur- 
 liedly and without waitiuLj for the mail pre]>are(l hy 
 JJai'anof lor the home otlic»M)f the company. lOni'a'^'ed 
 at this, the chief manau;'er tles|»atclicd a lleet hidarka 
 lifter the retreating" ship, and threatened to open fire 
 oil her, but did not t'xe(,'ute his threat. The S'inirt'f 
 tlien ])roceeded on her vovai^c to St Petersl)ui-<>;, call- 
 iiiL? at San Francisco and at the port of Callao, wliei'o 
 a j>ai"t of the cargo was excliauged I'or Kussiuu proil- 
 ucts.-'» 
 
 One of the officers of the Stivarof\vt\H the German 
 iloctor, Shefl'er, who, having quarrelled with the com- 
 mander, had for that reason found favor in the eyes 
 of IJai'anof. Sheiler remained at Novo Arkhau'j'elsk, 
 and heing a plausible adventurer, and somewhat of a 
 linguist, succeeded in convincing the autocrat of tho 
 Colonics that he was the man to carry out his schemes 
 of cc^lonization in the Hawaiian Islands. 
 
 Uennett, who had now returned to Novo Arklian- 
 U'clsk, urLfcd Baranof to demand the return of the 
 Ik'riinjs cargo, but the latter would not consent to 
 use force for such a purpose, as he had frequently ex- 
 • liangcd ))i'esents and friendly messages with Kanie- 
 liaiiieha through their nmtual acquaintances among 
 the American north-west traders. He decided, tliere- 
 I'lre, to send Shaffer to the Sandwich Lslands as a pas- 
 
 ™Iu ISl/j Baranof despatched aiiotlior car;;o of furs, valued at SOO.OnO 
 I i\ilili's, to Kinklita, in tlin Maria, iiuistcr I'etrof. T!io vessel wa.-* wreeked 
 .•:t Okliotsk, but most of the can'o wen saved, Khhbulkof, Shizn, L'araiwra, 
 100. 
 
 i 
 
 1 
 
kl 
 
 m 
 
 I 
 
 630 FrRTIIKR ATTiniPTS AT rOREIClX COLON IZATIOX. 
 
 HtMi'^iT ill a lort'i.;!! vessel, with iiistnidioim t»» ojteu 
 lu'Ljotiations witli t'u' II:i\vaiiaii iiioiiMrcIi. 'I'luMhtctor 
 bailed on the Isnhrlht, wiiieh left, N()Vo Arkhanjifelsk 
 v\\ ilu' r»th ofOetobei', IHIa.aiid it was an;mi:^e(l ihat, 
 ilie <ff/:ri/ti<', e(»miMaii(led hy Ijieiiteiiant l'u(hislil;iii, 
 hh»»nl(l I'ollow in the spriiii; with a numher of native 
 meelianies and hdjoivivs for the jmrposoof i'stablit>hinLC 
 u settlement. 
 
 On anivin!L^at Hawaii, Slu'ller jiresented liiinself jit 
 
 onee 
 
 l>el 
 
 ore 
 
 K 
 
 iiniMiiinielia ii\u 
 
 I del 
 
 iverec 
 
 1 lett 
 
 ITS anu 
 
 ju'esents iVoni llaranof, at the same timi; coinplainint;' 
 of Kinijf Tomari for sei//niLj the cari^o of the Jierliu/. 
 The kiii.r i>roinised redress, and a|>i)oaivd to listen 
 favorahiy to the <loetor's proposals to estahlish m<»re 
 intimate relations with tlie i-hief mana^i-r (»f th»; 
 IJnssiiin Ajntiiean Company. J le evi'n assigned to 
 Shell'er s(.'\ er.d pieces o[' land, whereon to m;die experi- 
 ments in the })lantinn' of L,Main and ve'^etnhK-s. () 
 
 o 
 
 f tl 
 
 lem w 
 
 as situated on the island of Ka 
 
 uai. 
 
 th 
 
 diinain of Kiiii; Tomari. 'I'lionL^h Shetl'er eontinued 
 in favor for a time, he found that he could not eoni- 
 ]»ete with the ICiij^lishmen and Americans, wdio were 
 already estidilished at Kamehameha's court, and ri - 
 solved to try his fortune with Tomari. During" tli" 
 tirst week of his stay in Kauai, it was his i^ood fortune 
 to cure the (jueen of an internjittent fever and tlie 
 kinjjf of droj)sy. The (jierman ailventurer was now in 
 the good graces of his intended victim, ami in a ilv. 
 Aveeks an agreenu-nt was drawn u\) to serve as the 
 hasis for a I'ormal treaty, subject to the ap[>roval ol 
 the Ivussian government. 
 
 It was stipulated that the Bcrlntjs cargo sliould lie 
 returned to the llussians, with the exception of a lev, 
 articles which the king re(|uired, ami for Avhich lu' 
 bound himself to pay in sandal- wood; that Tom;iri 
 hl»ould send annually to the colonies a cargo of ilrie! 
 taro root; that all the sandal-W(K>d on the islands sub- 
 ject to Tomari sliould be jtlaced at Shelfer's ilisposal, 
 to be sold only to the Ivussiau American Com[)any ; 
 
I. 
 
 A' 111.' 
 icd til 
 !\lti ri- 
 
 li. 111.- 
 tiiiucl 
 
 t col II- 
 
 » wore 
 11(1 n- 
 
 lio-tll'" 
 )llUlU' 
 
 liul the 
 
 j(»\v in 
 
 a tVw 
 
 lis til"' 
 
 •vul "i 
 
 luldlo 
 
 tell !• • 
 
 \)m;!i i 
 
 I' (h'if ■ 
 
 js SU'l '- 
 
 jipauy ; 
 
 RIIKFFr.U 1\ TIIK SANDWICH INLANDS. 
 
 507 
 
 luiil tliai the company slioulil have Iht; rl-^I:! tocstah- 
 lisli stations or I'aetoiii's in any ]>.'irt of the kini^'s 
 
 lOSSt'S.SlonS. 
 
 As Mil olls( t (o thest; favors, the doctor 
 
 j'lediniil hinisi'if to I'lirni^h live hiuuh'od men, and soim; 
 iirined vessels, lV>r tiie }»urpose of assi.^tini;" in the ovcr- 
 t!iro\v of Ivaiueiiameha, .ind of |»laciniLi^ Toiiiari on his 
 
 il 
 
 irono. 
 
 The ti 
 
 roons were 
 
 to I 
 
 je uiKlor 
 
 Shrll 
 
 '•rs coni- 
 
 iiiand, and in case of success, one liaif of the island 
 of Hawaii was to bo ceded to the company. Finally 
 Toinari and all his people were to he jilaci'd under the 
 ni-otection of llussia. In order ni<H'e lirinlv to estah- 
 li-h the kin'L'''s conlideiice in his authority, Slieiler at 
 once bou«rht an Anii'rican scliooner lor J?."), 000, 
 
 and 
 
 !iL,nx'ed to [)urcliase a ship for the sum of S-10,000, pay- 
 ment to bo made in furs, which ho promised to ortler 
 Irom Novo Arklian^-elsk.^* 
 
 In the mean time, Shetler's intriijfues had been 
 watched by American and ICn^lish traders, and by the 
 J luropoans settletl on the islands undei" Kaniehanieha's 
 ]irL>toction. Tlu^y took care to ma<^nify the danujer in 
 the eyes of the latter, urL;'in_uj him to enter on a cam- 
 I'aiLfn ai^ainst Sheifer and the woild-bo rebel Tomari. 
 'J hough ()j)posed to open hostility, Kamohameha'.s 
 
 " Shcnir was of course pliiyiiiL? upon the king's ainliition to servo his own. 
 1! • w.is (•(■rtainly a l)olil iiif ii, a true iiilvcntiuvf, iiiid one wlio led an cxccrcl- 
 i u'ly clifik( led lit'('. He was \nivn in Jiussia, ot' <i(.inian jmriMits, tlic datuot 
 1.; i iiirtii ht'in.; luicertain, and ciitt rod imliliu lil'e as a sar^'inn in thi.' M>isi uw 
 I'licc. In ISI'J lie was cn^M'^f^d in construutiin^ halloDns to watoh tho move- 
 iii"uts of Napoleon's invailiiii,' army. In lsi;i lio was detailed as niedical 
 oiiieur of the ship Surdrcf. \\'e havo seen liow he k'ft the ship at Nuvu .\ik- 
 iian^elsk, l)iit it remains to n eord tlie doetur's Kti'aii'o eareer after the cul- 
 la|ise of the Sandwieli Ishiud selienie. On niakini; liis ese;i[)o from Oahn, lie 
 jT'ieeeded to Canton, and theneo to St I'etershnn:. Here lie mailo to the 
 imperial government tlie most vivid rci)i-esentalii)ns of tiio ailvaiitau'ca to ho 
 ;.'ained hy taking possession of th<; Sand« ich I.slanils. The mini.iler for in- 
 triior afl'.iirs reiiuested the managers of tiie Kussian Aineriean C(Mn]iaiiy in 
 ( \pi'ess their opinion on the sulijeet, and they re])oited Viiifa''or;dily. 'I'iie 
 ciiprror's ministers could not Mind themselves to the fact that llus.-ia did nut 
 tiiiii ]i()ssess a navy which could snppoitsueh an enterprise against the ulijee- 
 ti'ii of the great maritime powers, and the doctor was <liK)med to di^appoinl- 
 lacnt. He left Kussiu in disgrace, and was lost to view for a short time, 
 riitil lie finally turnctl up again in 15razil, where he managtil to in;rntiate hiiu- 
 F«'lf with ])oni I'cdrol., who conferred upon him the high-souudini^ titl(! of 
 Coimt von t'r.uikenllud, and iiitiusted him with a commisijion to vieiniaiiy tj 
 r^ rruit men for the imjierial hody-ijuard. Slu;tlcr liually died peaceahly in 
 Ciermany, at a very advanced age. 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
1 
 
 teiii' 
 
 ! 
 
 ! ill 
 
 
 
 III 
 
 
 
 ^ffii 1 
 
 
 
 ^y i 
 
 
 i 
 
 1 
 
 ■1 
 1 
 
 
 m 
 
 :\ 
 
 
 SOS FniTIIF.R ATTF.AriTS AT FOREIOX COLONIZATIOX. 
 
 ropoatc'l orders to Toinnri lliially rosnllcd in an 
 C'stran;4rni('iit l)c'twe(^ii liiin and tlio (ifi-nian docfoc, 
 who \>y lliis (imo liatl succeeded in ostaMishinix plan- 
 tations on varions jioints of tlio Islands, and had 
 cTcctrd hnildin^s I'oi- his own acconnnodation, for tin; 
 incchanlcs and lahoivrs who had n'ow ai-rivod in tin; 
 
 ()//,-n/f 
 
 /(' 
 
 ai 
 
 id I'or housinix the crops intondod I'oi 
 
 diipnicnt to Novo ArkhanLfclsk, Tho unfVii.Mi(lly IV-cl- 
 in'jf thus oiiLrt'iidLTcil increased in intensity initil th(i 
 
 tin t/ 
 
 lUissians and Aleuts were looked upon hy tho Haw- 
 aiiems as eiusniios, and woro coin[K>lleil to adopt meas- 
 ures for their derenee. A few slender fort ideations 
 were erected at Wvmea, the ruins of which remain 
 to tlu! present day. 
 
 As soon as ])aranof asoortainod that* this, the pet 
 scl»emi> of hfs old i\<^(\ imist fail, he lost no time in 
 forwardin;^ orders to Shelfer to give U[) everythinu', 
 and to save what he could out of tho wreck which 
 was inijiendinLC. ]}y this time lunvs had also hecu 
 received of the I'ofusal on the part of the imperial 
 /government to sanction the scheme of annexation. 
 The doctor's position hecamo more critical eveiy day. 
 From Novo Arkhangt'lsk he could ex[)e(;t no furtln i- 
 suppoit, while (»n the Islands the Americans an I 
 JOnglish hecame constantly more a'^^'cressive. \ small 
 liussian station on the island of Hawaii was sacked 
 
 l) 
 
 )y .sailors lro?n an 
 
 fr. 
 
 Amor 
 
 ican .ship 
 
 am 
 
 1 tl 
 
 ley es'eii 
 
 threatened to destroy the company's plantations ou 
 
 IS also stiU'ted that American 
 t ) the Islands. Sonit; 
 
 auai. 
 
 A reiiort w 
 
 th 
 
 men-oi-war wei'e (»n iiieir way 
 of till! Americans in the company's service l)ecami; 
 disalfected, one of tluMi), (\'ipt;un Wosdwith, who com- 
 manded tlie Iliticn, piirpoM'ly rur.niii'jf his vcs.sel t)n 
 theheach and joining the adversaries of Sheffer. 
 
 Iiy this time the in* of Toinari's siihjects had heeii 
 roused against the intrud<'rs, and they force'd tlu! 
 Iliissians to ahandoii their settlements and to seek 
 
 refll'. 
 
 •e (» 
 
 n hoard the K-ulink, which was anchored oil' 
 
 the i.sland. When the fu'dtives left tho beach it was 
 
HAWAIIAN rAILL'Ur: 
 
 SOD 
 
 jliseovcrod tli;it lint l)!);ii. had Ix'cn scuttle;!; tlie crew 
 
 liowevcT.rc-acIu'il thcv 
 
 essi 
 
 11 
 
 )V.S\V11IIIIII11|J'. 
 
 Tl 
 
 le l»jitl\H'i 
 
 ii<»\v tuniod tlu> L(iiM.-< of the fort at^jiinst them aiul en- 
 deavored to sink the ^hip. The shot fell harndoss, hut 
 il was discovered (hat tlu' vessel had spi'UMuf adeak, and 
 that the water was i;-ainin|i( ra|)idly. In th 
 
 us ui'eUica 
 
 iiicnt, an elloi-t was made to uet oil' the // 
 
 li 
 
 IIICII, w 
 
 hi<-h 
 
 succeeded. Th(! Amoiicau caj)tain ot* the Kadiik was 
 then translen-ed to the I/nu'ii hy Shelicr, and sent to 
 Xovo Arkhaui^elsk to cai'iy to J>aranor the nciws of 
 the lailm-e of his entei-|)rise, a «luty which the doc- 
 t ir did not wish to undeitake in .MM-son, Afteral>rii;f 
 stay at Ivamehameha's court, imposed to constant 
 annoyanci! fr )m foreigners, a(,'com[>anic(l with threats 
 of personal Violence, Sheili-r ilnally escaped to China 
 
 on i)oa('( 
 
 an 
 
 ■ inencan v»-^s( 
 
 ■I, 1 
 
 i-avm 
 
 'A tl 
 
 le res 
 
 t of 
 
 his countrymen, and the Aleuts si-nt from Xovo 
 Arkhaiiujt'lsk, to lahor on the plantations. Of these 
 Tai-akanof took charu'e, and finally succecdi'd in s»!- 
 <inin<^ thi'ir )-(;turn''' in IH18, hy en'4a<j;ini^ himself 
 and his ukmi to an American skip|K.T to hunt sea-otter 
 i'nr a hi'ief season on the Calil'ornian coast. Thus 
 eiidetl the attom!>t atc:)lonizatiou in th(^ Hawaiian Isl- 
 
 i 
 nnds, whereltN' no 
 
 thinii;' 
 
 .vas !jfained, aiu 
 
 d a 1< 
 
 >ss of t wo 
 
 hundred and iifty thous.md I'ouhles was incurred hv 
 the Russian .Vmerican ( yom[)any.''- 
 
 TaiMkMiiiif. wlnmi I\Mt-zl>ni> iin't in O.i! 
 
 1, 
 
 I't, ilit'liUCMl tli;ittl 
 
 1(! Illl'll <'«f<llll 
 
 .1 al 
 
 i;i, w lici'i' 
 
 IIDst liV.l lllil.uir 
 
 Kainchamcln then lio!1 
 
 T 
 
 lasily liivi! kiUcil n'.l '-'n: ^larty. Only tlino of tlicl 
 
 ■niiri Mil .1 
 
 It. K^il-.'llllr' 
 
 t 
 
 ".'/■ 
 
 ■f hi 
 
 Iva 
 
 luriianu'ii I vxDcc 
 
 icil tliiil tin' Iliissiaiis wiiiilil taku rcvc'mc for thu 
 
 treatment of Sh, .I'- 
 
 ll liis iiaitv, until ( ' 
 
 i|i!:ni 
 
 I ( JiitiivniirH at ri\.il ill IslS. 
 
 Afirr that v ir tUo coninanv'M vessel h a;,'a in visitnl tlie S.iuihvicli Islands, Imt 
 
 1( 
 
 HI'' intorvaJM. >Kc.isii)nal lutei'etmr.se was iils^i iiiaiiitaiiK 
 
 4tl 
 
 irou^ili .Vnier 
 
 icaii i'.liiiis. 'J'lio ].i'ii'lni'(! iif t!ie I:<laiiiN. ennsistiii.Lt of enooa-nuf.s, nmi, (ar i, 
 mill I'dji'jof coeiMi palm HI ire, was e\i lian;,'(il for )i(!trv ami piastres. l.ii'L' , in 
 M ifi ri'iliii, I'lui'. Hnti., part iv. 1 lii 7. Oim of r>ar.inof's plans for tlu' I's- 
 t.llilisliinent of ti'aile witll tll<: I'iiilippine 1 -laluls also faili 'I of sueeess. For 
 tlii I pnrpi):«> lie went one of liis eonliiKiitial elofks t<» M^iuil.i in tin; Ihuin. 
 e I liii return he reporteil that the Sjianish mithoritiea wiuu htroiigly oppo.s^'i 
 t 1 ixtt'iiiliii;^' tl»eir iruilc with toioi^jncra. 
 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 
 CLOSi: OF BAIIANOF'S ADMINISTRATION. 
 
 1810-1821. 
 
 Haoemeisteh S.vtLs Foil Novo AuKiiAvnEi-sK— 11k SrpF.nsKDKs Baiianof — 
 
 TuANSFKIlOFTUKCoMPASY'rt KfFK(TS— TlIK. AcfOrNTS INMioOII OUKKIt — 
 SiCKSF.SS OF TlIK. Kx-M.\NA(ii:il IVmsVNoK T\KKS I-F.XSF. ((K TIIK. <'iir.- 
 ONIF.S— Ills |)i:ATH--]tKMAItKS uK KlII.DIl.N I IvIiK AMI Ol'IIKIlS OS' I'.M;- 
 ANOF-- KoKASiiKOVSKY's KxpF.DII ION TO TlIK KrsKOK VI M - no>,il'i;i i:r I |,'-i 
 VoVACK — .Massai'UK fiF MIS IlrsTEU.S-FlMa'lII'l: l''\fI,n|!\riONS--l>l\ ■ 
 IDKNliS ANM Tm'UKASK OK T M'lTAI. -( 'i iMM KIKIK — I)K('UKASB IN THIS 
 
 Yiii.D OF Frus -TlIK (>omi'any's .Skuvants. 
 
 »v 
 
 In 181") Jin I'XiHMlition to Alaska was fittod out I 
 the iiM|)('iial lifovcrnmoiit in cniijutictioii with tli..' 
 liussiau Ainorican ( 'om[>:iuy, and I lav^nmoistcr, wlit»--t! 
 voyajjfc ill tlu; Xcra has lux;!) inciitioiit'd, was ]tla('(,'d 
 ill command. A v(.'ss(>l, niimmcd Hh? Kiitii.<nf\^ was 
 j)iirchas(>d at Tlavro lor ,l'(J,00() stciliiiL;', and in Jiily 
 of th(! lollowin'^* year was ready lor sea, when Ijo/an i' 
 roturii<.!(l to Kronstadt in the Surnrif. On liis ar- 
 rival, tho dir(>('tors resolved to delay the di'paitiire 
 of tho t;\pedilion until aftiM* tho decision of the 
 naval court <»!' imiuiry, held to invest i'^ad; tho charn'i 
 made a-jjainst him hy tln^ chieC mana<'<'r. 
 
 W 
 
 nil 
 
 tho judi^nient was made known, the directors add<'l 
 to 1 ra^onieistcr's instructions ii clause anthori/iiiL;' 
 him to assume cfnitrol in \Am'v of IJaranol', it' In) 
 should lind il, ne'.'essi!i'V. 
 
 The Siii'orof wYvwiA at Novo ArkhaniLifolsk on the 
 2nd of .luly, and her consort, tho Kutdstf, ou tliu 
 
 » Of ,vj:i ton (. 
 
 •.Seo ciiui). xxiv., thin vol., nolo 28. 
 
 (610) 
 
lIACKMl'ISTF.irs VISIT. Ml 
 
 20tli «)f Xovcinlx r, I S I 7.' I5i»tli vessels had l)eou de- 
 tained ni Lima, wliuiiei- {\iv (nniiej'liad saileil tliivet lor 
 Alaska, wliilo tlio latter visited other IVruvian ports, 
 .:iid also ]}(ide<^a and San Francisco, where lai'i^e (|Uan- 
 tilios of pi'ovisions wei'o pnrehascMl. For these sup- 
 pljes iJuranot* I'xpresscid his thanks, hut complained 
 liilturlv <»t' the companv's rel'usal to listen to his re- 
 iii'wed i'0(]iiest to he nlieviMl, declarin;^ most emphat- 
 ically that ho was no loiiLjer ahlo to hear the hnrden 
 (if his responsihiiit y. 1 laL,'cnieister meanwhile did 
 not choose to I'eveal the exti-nt of the j>owi'rs con- 
 
 I'l rrod on hini, hut h\,>oan at once (piietly to investi- 
 i;ato the state of allUirs in the colonies and the exact 
 sliitus of th(! company's hnsiness. J)nrin|L? tlu^ whohi 
 winter lie kept his orders concealed from liaranof, 
 who, thouu^h almost prosti-ated with disease, lahored 
 isssidiiously in snrrenderint;' the all'airs of tlie com- 
 
 any, 
 
 II 
 
 o was now lailm;'- m mmd as we 
 
 as Ml 
 
 IumI- 
 
 ily health, one of the symptoms of his a|ipi(»achin!L^ 
 inihecility heinix li'^ sudden at lachmeiit to the church, 
 lie kej>t constantly ahoul him tin; pi'iest who had 
 cstahlished the first ciiurcli at Novo Arklian-iel^k 
 
 uuruiLj tlic [)reciMun^' sunnner, and ur'^cd l»y Ins spnit- 
 ual adviser, nuido hw'X^; ilonalions for relij;ii>us jiur- 
 poses. 
 
 IIa«jfonnMster was impr»\ssed with the tjcreat respon- 
 ^il»!ities that awaited liim, and hesitated loni( hel'oro 
 consrntinn' t(» assume (he hurvjeii. At last he saw u 
 \ ay out of (he diiljculty. ^'anovsky, the lirst lieu- 
 li'Uantof t]u) SuniroJ, had heconie (iiamoicd of liar- 
 iiiiof's dauL^hter, the oll'spiin!;' of a connection with a 
 iiativ(> Woman, and had oKtained liis con^^ent to he- 
 
 come lus son-m-law 
 
 II; 
 
 iL!'t".nci>ter's consent was also 
 
 iiocossai'v, and this was eraiiled on condition tiiafc 
 Vaiiovsky should remain at Xo\'o ArlJiaU'Ljelsk for 
 (wo years and represent him as chief mana^'er. 
 
 ivritlir ilati r<(if tli.'jii'rival nf tlit> .^i(»*»m/ 
 
 riki 
 
 f. A-/. 
 im<l A' /('//Ml/' uH III 
 
 iini'iii 
 
 o/„.v 
 ;;«l •<( .111 
 
 L.'IH) 
 
 <1 tl 
 
 .1 v( N 
 
 iiVlUlUT. 
 
 11 
 
 H--C ;,'IV«tl III 
 
 till- ti'Xt jiio tukfii tniiii llir Ii(.iiUm of tlu' ionii>any pristivcd in tito •V'fil'a 
 Air hi era. 
 
 I 
 
At 
 
 CLOSE OF IIARAXOF'S ADMIN'ISTKATIO? 
 
 1 iJ 
 
 At liisf, (til the 1 I til of J;iMU;irv, 181H, lla'jfcinuistcr 
 HU«l(l('tily laid licforc liaraiiof his onh-is, and thrci; 
 days lad'i" dospatche I the; Snnir(if' to St ]*<'ter>l>ui .;• 
 
 w'lih a iH'poi't of his i)r( 
 
 proccH'diiiijfs, 
 
 T\ 
 
 lis siirj)iis> 
 
 ]»r(»s( rated the deposed autocrat. Tlie fiihihufiit of 
 liis ]oii^-ch(!rishinl «U.'siro <'aiiio upon him too kuiI- 
 deiily. J[u could not in reason have (Xpi'ctcd a 
 successor until the next ship arri\ed from St l^eteis- 
 Inirg. Wliatev(,'i' may have heeii Jlai^^eineistir's mo- 
 tive, tlu! effect certainly was to shorten the days 
 of JJaranof, who deserved more consideration. After 
 dis[>layiii'j^ his instructions, tin; former at oncc! ga\c 
 a j)(Tem|>tory order that all the hooks an<l property 
 should he immediatelv tielivered to the; companv's 
 commissioner, KhIehniUof. MakiiiL,'' a supreme i-l- 
 fort, JJaranof rose from his hid on the day of the 
 *S'»<vnvy".v depaituri> and heiji'au the transfer of the 
 comjiany's effects,* a inAi which was not- com|»Ieted 
 jur se\eial months. The pr<>p<'rty at Novo Ark- 
 liaii<'elsk alone was i'stimated l»v Ivhiehnikof at, t 
 
 ni 
 
 id a half millions of roiihl 
 
 es. 
 
 Jn addition to t 
 
 W(i 
 Wo 
 
 hundred thousand roiiMes' w<»ith of furs shipped on 
 the Siii'iiro/', ther(! still remained in tlu.' stonhoii 
 
 ses 
 
 skins to the vahu- of nine hundreil thousand rouhh 
 
 Tl 
 
 le huildmLjs were all m cm 
 
 the sea-LioiiiLr Ni'ssel.^ 
 
 •llent 
 In all th 
 
 condition, as wei'i 
 
 e coinpuca 
 
 ited 
 
 M- 
 
 counts of this vast hiisiness, Ivhiehnikof I'aileil to find 
 
 a single discrepam-y, 
 
 ^1^1 
 
 le cash accounts, involviii''; 
 
 millions, were in perfect order; in the item of stroii;^ 
 liipiors there was a small (piantity not, accounted for, 
 hut this had heeii caused hy the hosjiitalities extended 
 to iia\;d ollicers and other visitors. Anionif the 
 many who had heen with him for loii<4 \'ears, jiaranol 
 knew no one to whom he could intrust the irksom ■ 
 • luty which now leli to his lot, hut labored from morn 
 
 II' 
 
 trridhi 
 
 A li-<t of tlic |iriiici|)iil nrticIcH is jL'iviii in Khl'hnihif, y^i/ihU, in .)/'( 
 
 i;t I. 
 
 ' Khl<hii'tk"l\ Slihn. Itnr' 
 
 ■'I, 17 »; TIkh, 
 
 '/", /I'ri 
 
 (th, 
 
 M:t, 'Ji: 
 
 Tilt' littliT KUiti'H tiiiit tliii viiluu ul' jii'ojnrty tuuiiil'tjrrcil uxccuilud tlml whicli 
 
 UppcUlX'll DM IMllK'l". 
 
ILL.RKQUITKT) SKRVICKS. 
 
 M3 
 
 lilt inDiii 
 
 w* to iii.!^l»t, overcoiniiii^ Ms utakness with stimu- 
 lants. At loiiij^tli tlio ta>k was fmislicd, and iij Sip- 
 tt'iubt!!* IHIH l»o ilulivorotl a full statt'un-ut <«l' tho 
 
 (•(II 
 
 Mipaiiy's art'airs to liis Hon-in-law, 
 
 I 
 
 ivcoiiMnfud 
 
 to your special caro," ho huu\, "tin; pu»)i)lo who havo 
 
 1. 
 
 canioil to |(»vo iiie, aiK 
 
 1 w! 
 
 lO UIU 
 
 U'V jud 
 
 U'lous troat- 
 
 iiK'ut will hf just as Will «lisj)os(Ml toward those who 
 sliall watch ovi-r them in the future." 
 
 Nearly forty years haul now (-lapsed Hiiico Harauitf 
 had left his nativi; laud; nearly thirty since ho had 
 first landed at Kadiak. Ho was ill iccpiited for his 
 lon<; and faithful sttrvice. To him was due, uu>rv than 
 to all others, the success of the Russian cohtnios in 
 .Vnierica; l>y him they had hei'U founded jnd fostered, 
 and hut lor him they would never h.ive heen estah- 
 lished, or would have had, at host, a hrief and trouhled 
 existence. Hen;, amid these wintry .solitudes, he had 
 raised t<»wns and villaijfes, huilt a ileet of sea-!4foin<' 
 ships, and laid a hasis of trade with American and 
 Asiatic ports. All this he had accomplished while 
 payinjj; rei^ular dividends to shareholders; and )io\v 
 in his old aiLje he was cast adrift and calh^d to lender 
 an account as an unfaithful steward. Jle was alrea<ly 
 in his seventy-second year. WhiM'c should lu; he- 
 take him durinj^ the hrief span of life that yet re- 
 
 1^ 
 
 Miame( 
 
 Hitter as was the humiliation whith Haranof suf- 
 r<ied, he could not at once teai- himself away from the 
 hnd which he loved so well. 1 le icscilved liist lo pay a 
 \isit to Kadiak, meet once moir the tried j'riends and 
 servants who wer*; yet livino; thei'e, and take a last 
 -lance at the .settlements, w hen? lirst he had planlrd 
 Ills count i-y's llaijf. Hi- would then hiil f.,n>od-l»y to idl, 
 ind join hishrotherat i/.hi'^a, in Kamchatka, (he oidy 
 
 ow survived." Finally, his 
 "Id ac(p>aintance, Captain V. },{. (ittlovnin, w ho ahou* 
 
 >ne of his kin that n 
 .1(1 
 
 ".'Vt lino tiiiiu lui |iiir|i<mi'il t'> Niil fur till' Saiiilw'ii'li InIhiiiI!! nml riiil liiH 
 'I >ys tit till' ciMirt iif Kaiiu'liuiiH'liii, with wlioiii liu wan iitill uti fiituilly teiiu^. 
 Ulikhnikiij, >/ii;((. Jliiriiiinrii, I74-0. 
 nim. Ai-AtKA. UJ 
 
514 
 
 CLOSE OF BARANOF'S ADMIXISTRATIOX. 
 
 ;:l 
 
 this tiiDo luid returned to Novo Arkhan<;elsk, urired 
 liiin to return to Russia, where lie eouM still he (.1' 
 great service to the conii)any by giving advice to 
 the managers on colonial attairs. The prospect of 
 continued usefulness and perhaps the hope (jf receiv- 
 ing reward for past services, then much needed hy 
 the ex-manager, decided him to acce[>t this advi^i'. 
 The period of general leave-taking preceding his de- 
 parture was a severe ordeal. He was frequently fouiil 
 in tears, and the symptoms of disease increased as lie 
 was sulmiittcd aLjain and ai^ain to the trial of hiddiit •• 
 farewell to the men with whom he had heen intimately 
 associated for more than a generation, and to the chil- 
 dren who had learned to love him from their infancy. 
 
 At length, on the 27th of Noveniher, 1818, he eiii- 
 haiked on the A'litusof, and as the vessel entered tlic 
 waters of the sound, lie gazed for the last time on the 
 si'ttleitient which was intirel}' of his own creation. 
 After touching at Umata, the vessel arrived on tin 
 7th of ^fareh at ]»atavia, where she was detained i'ov 
 thirty-six days. No more unfortunate choice conl 1 
 have been made for so prolongetl a visit than amidst 
 the pestilential elimate of that Dutch colony. Tired 
 of the coidinenient of his cabin, the ex-manager in 
 sistt-d U(ton living on .shore, spending his whole time in 
 th<.' hosiehy just <»utside the sc^ttlement ; thence In 
 was carried idmost lifeless on board the slii|), whiili 
 now put to sea; on the IGtli of April, 18 U>, Ik 
 breathed his last; on the following day his obseipiies 
 were performed, and in the strait of Sunda the water.- 
 of the Indian Ocean closed over the remains of Ale\- 
 andr Andrcievieh Baranof 
 
 With all his faults, and they were Tieither few ikt 
 small, it must be admitted that in man}' resjiects l^ar 
 anof had no e(]ual among his succ«.?s.S(»i"s. "I .saw hii.i 
 in his seventieth year," writes his biigrapher, Khle!' 
 nikof, " aiul even then life and I'tieigy spaikled in hi- 
 eye... He never knew what avariiL was, and nevi i' 
 hoarded riche.s. He did not wait until his deatli 
 
CHARACTER OF BARANOF. 
 
 ni.-) 
 
 t<) make provision for the living, and gave freely to 
 all ulio had any clainiH upon him. Some said that 
 ho had large de])Osits in foreign banks, hut no i>i(ii)t 
 of this was to bo found when he died. He always 
 lived on his means, and never drew his balance IVom 
 the company while he was in their service. From 
 Shelikof lie had received ten shares, and by the Sluli- 
 kof Company he was allowed twenty shares niorr. 
 Of these he gave away a considerable portion to his 
 It'llow-laborers Banner and Kuskof, who wi-re rather 
 j)oorly paid. There are not a few now living in the 
 colonies whom he helped out of diHicidty, and many a 
 rinnittance he sent to Russia to the relatives of pci- 
 soMS who had died, or were by misfortune jirevented 
 iVom supporting those dependent upon them. Ah 
 exam[»le of this occurred in ihv case ol'^Ir Koch, who 
 was sent out to relieve him but died on the way. ][r 
 had assisted him formerly both with money and inllu- 
 ciice, and after his death sent large remittances to his 
 family."^ 
 
 ''Every one looked to liiiii us chief innnngrr,' rem;iiks Klilrlmikef. 
 Shizn. Jill re Horn, l!i" 8. ' Tliei'o were two classes to lie inoviiiccl fur - llio 
 Kn^siaiiH iiiul tlio niitivcs. Tlio latter never troiilikd tlu'iUMehes alMnit tlio 
 future, ns loan aa they had a liaU to cat; hut liaranof, with lii.-i good warm 
 heart, looked into tlu) future for thrm. On one occasion nil kinds of )iriivi<- 
 iipus were giving out, even the >=iiiij)ly of fi.ih dwindling away. He dul not 
 f^lecj) at idLdit, when the wind wan hlowin^', thinkiiii; of the ships on the way 
 to him, kiden with what was needed so much. Had he known at thi^i time 
 tiiat, at till'! very moment when ho was pruyinj^ for the arrival of a sliiii on 
 tlie coast of Ainenia, the vessel which he expected was hreakini; to piecis en 
 till! roeky shore of Kamchatka, even his stout heart nii;;ht have tnuilikd. 
 Uaranof was never at his wit's end nor faint hearted. When ho lu'ard a! tlio 
 same time of the wreck of the JJIizurftn, liemianenkof's disaster, and the 
 \ akutat niass/icre, all he said was, " My < lod! howian we I'eiiairall tht se dis- 
 asters!"' Amon){ the many instances related by Kl.L'i.iKnT of lliiraiml'^ 
 lui>ine.ss uhility the followiii'; may Ik nn ntioneil: in 1802 ho received liy the 
 y.Voiiv'fi a carp* worth only 'JO,ii(>0 rv'\ddes, a >;reat part of which wasiisc- 
 l>'^>s for his pin'])osc. Itaraiiof Kent °>>UiHl the dillerent .stations to collect 
 (.'h.mIs to 1(0 exchanged for fuis urd to 1 ;y .he hunters. Mictini,' with litth; 
 success, ho sent out Aleuts to slumt or iiap sea Itirds, and of their skiii.< Kr 
 hail fanciful jiarkas (cloaks) made, which greatly pleased the natives, and 
 were readily ai'cejited in payment for furs. 
 
 Although the authors name does not a|i|>ear on the title-page of the 
 Sli iiirn{ii.'ii(inie Ahiunitra An Iro" ••'itrhii Jinrnioni, (ll'u-iHi<jn /'rori/rlln /,n- 
 f !idi{-k Koloiiii/ V Amrrii,'' (Uioiiraphy of Alex., ider Anilreievich llaranof, 
 Chief Manager of the Itnasian t.olonies in Ameiica), Navd Printing (lilice, 
 >t, I'ltersburg, l.Sllo, it is (ivideut from the intnxluction that the work was 
 written by Kyrill KUlehnikof, It wan dedicated to hi» lOxcelleucy the Ad- 
 
 
I ; 
 
 iiii 
 
 CLOSK OF BARAXOF'S APMIXISTRATION. 
 
 Out? of tho officers of tlie sloop-of-war Kanichafkrt, 
 in which vessel (Jolovniii arrived at Novo Arklian- 
 j^^'lsk, a short time before l^araiiofs departure, thus 
 rehites liis impressions: " We liad jnst cast anchor in 
 ' jtort, and were sittint:^ down to dinner when Baranof 
 was announced. Tlie life an<l actions of this extraor- 
 dinarv man had excited in me a i;reat curiositv to see 
 him. lie is much helow medium heiL,dit. His face 
 is covered with wrinkles, an«l he is perfi^ctly lutJd; Imt 
 for all that he looks younijfi'r than his years, considrr- 
 iiit; liis hard and troubled life. The next dav we were 
 invitiMl to dine with him. After dimar sinLjers were 
 intr(nluced, who, to please the late manaijfer, spared 
 neither their own luniks nor our ears. WIkmi they 
 san^ his favorite sonuf, ' The s|)irit of Russian hunti rs 
 
 iiiiial, Mcmlu^' of till) Prisy Couiuil, Ksiiglit of all Ituxsiaii Onlcrs, ('omit 
 'Nikolai Suiin'iioviliii Miudvinoir. KhUlniikof ln-lil a jiromiiu'iit ]iositiiiu 
 uiiili.'r the IkUs.siaii Aiiioiiraii C'uin|>uiiy for many yciirs, aiul ili'votcil iiiiii h 
 tiiiu' ami ntiicly to the coloiiit'.s. lli.s iiioi;ra[)liy of llaiaiiof is very rouiiiiii.' 
 tlioiiuli tiii;{t^(l with ailiniratiui). JSiir.iiiof wan so thorotiLilily iilciitilJcMl \\i,!i 
 nil that vvaH acroinolishctl Ity tiiu UuHsiaua on the Aiiiurii'aii coast from M'.l) 
 to !s|S, that his liiogniphy fiiriiislus a i-ompluti? hixtory of tho i,'iiU'r|(iisi' 
 iq) to that time. IUm niimerons thrilling advcut'iros, liis iinn l<iit soim-tiinc-i 
 iruL'l modo of ilcaliug with the savagoii ami liis own folKiwcrs — liiit littl 
 il 
 
 liiiovc 
 
 till! formiT ill till! sealo of civili/iitioii — hi.s vast ])laiirt for cxtomliii^i 1 
 
 tii'lil of tho I'omiMiny'soiH'rations over half the I'aoilic l)i'i'nn, nii' alily iiii.! 
 lUaily iiortVayril. 'J"ht! relations lictuti'ii the ]!iiHsian fur-trailir ami the 
 ( aliloriiiaii autlioritit'.s. ami his Venturis in the .Samluieh Islamls, oci'ii|iy 
 I'uiisiileralili! space in this voliitno. 
 
 Khlcliiiikof 's letters on Ameiicii, forming i».irt iii. of tho Matcrialiii illin. 
 liivriij liiix/iklUi. /C'lH-d hiiiii }>ii llcrviiam Vo'to'-lDiitrit oLriimi (.Nfaterial for tiif 
 History of the llnssian SettlemeMts on the Shores of the Masleni Oeeaii*, 
 I'liiitiiig Otlico of till! Miiiisteriiim of Maiine, St I'etersluirg, iSlil, hear no 
 ilati', Imt were apparently written in IS'Jil or IS.IO. 'I'hi.s work is a coll* c'Li.ni 
 of papers piihlisheil in tliu Mot-'ikiii S>>i)niiL-, the organ of the Russian \m\,iI 
 l»c j^ai'iiiient, on the then all-alisoihing topic of the Itiissian Colonies. 'J'l 
 
 eonteiits of the collectii 
 
 re: I. Instructions of the R\issian marine miiiist'i' 
 
 to Captain (lolovnin, ISI7. II. Communication from tho marine minist>'i', 
 M;n(piis lie Traverse, to JJaron Testil, governor general <if Silieria, 1SI7. 111. 
 ( 'oiiimuiiiration in reply. 1SI7. IN'. Letter of Caittain Colovnin to the gov 
 eriior of Silieria, 1SI7. V. Report of the eommaniling ollicer at Okhotsk t^i 
 the ii\ il governor of Irkutsk. Isl."). VI. Letters of tho i>ost eommaii(hr "t 
 <ikliot.sk on tho oppression of .Aleutian employees hy tliu company. \'ll. 
 Letl.ir oft 'aptaintoilovniiion tho eonilitionof the Uussiau .\merinan( 'ompan\', 
 ISIS. \l 1 1. Itevicw (jf till' Russian colonies in Xorth America lij' Captain Co- 
 lovnin. l.\. Letters of Klilelmikof on .Anieiica, <li\ iileil into two parts t!ic 
 iiorilicrn I'olonics mul tho I'o.ss neltlemcnt. containing minute uml relialilc 
 ilatii on liotli snlijects. X. Traiislatioiis ami extiiicvn ii'om tho works of tln' 
 following author.'): Klilelmikof, l>a\ii|of, Ki»is<'ii9teic., Lisiansky. Kot/ehue. 
 Colovnin, Lozaref, Liitke. Ijimrsilortl'. Ro(|Uefenil, Ik.Klier, Ia I'lace, Mofraa, 
 Sim^iHon, ami Kcllctt. statistical tiihle. are aiijiemlcil to tiie collection. 
 
hatha, 
 rklmu- 
 >, thus 
 ■hor in 
 larnnnt' 
 ^ctriuir- 
 
 ' to Sl.'O 
 
 is face 
 Id; I'ut 
 (HsitU'r- 
 ,'0 wore 
 rs were 
 spari'tl 
 
 MJ tlu'V 
 
 Imiiteis 
 
 ilcrs, Coviut 
 nt iKisitinn 
 
 VotC'tl lllMih 
 
 •y I'oiiiiii'ti' 
 
 i.'tili'>«l Willi 
 
 It from lT;t'>) 
 
 uiitrri>risc! 
 
 SOllU'tilllC!' 
 
 l.iit littlo 
 luliii;; tlic 
 iil'ly iiii'l 
 r ami tin' 
 U, ipotiipy 
 
 iv'((//(( (//'''. 
 
 i-iiil f'-r the 
 III O.rtvu). 
 (il, I'fiir 111) 
 a ciilUctiim 
 isiaii N'avnl 
 
 lllil'8. Tllf 
 
 lie luini^<^ 'I' 
 111 miiiist" T, 
 \S17. 111. 
 to tlio ^'"v 
 (tkli'ttHk t.i 
 iiniauilii" lit 
 any. Vll. 
 iiCompiiiiy- 
 'aiitaiu*'"- 
 l)arls - till' 
 liiil nlialilf 
 [orkn iif til'' 
 Kot'/cl'ii'-. 
 lift', Mofraa, 
 iectiou. 
 
 CirARACTKR OF UARAXOP. 
 
 r.i; 
 
 (levisod/ lie stood in their midst and reheai'.sed witli 
 llieiii their eoiiiinon (h'ed.s in the New World. I 
 nm.stadd here a word astohi.s inodeoi'ht'e. He ri:>»'s 
 eaiiy, ami eats only oni'e during the day, havin<^ iio 
 certain tiujo i'or lii.s nieah It may be said that in 
 this respect ho resembles Suvarol,but 1 believe liar- 
 luiof never resembled anyluxly, except perhaps Cortes 
 
 or 
 
 1 
 
 izaj-ro. 
 
 llis Ibiinei' condition had caused him to 
 
 ;idopt a custom of which he could never wean himself — 
 that of keepini;' around him a crowd of madcaps, who 
 were j^reatly attached to him, and ready, as the say- 
 iuLT is. to u^o throui^h tire and water for him. To these 
 jH'ople he olten <fiive fiasts, when each one could drink 
 ;is much as he j»leased, antl this ex[)lains theenornitais 
 consumption of rum which Baranof was in n*^ condi- 
 tion t(» l)uy, and had to procure at the com[)any's 
 cx])en.se."'* 
 
 Jt is probable that the words which Washington 
 Irviiiii" puts into the mouth of Astor's aj^vnt, wlieii 
 lie " found this hyperborean veteran ensconced in a 
 I'ort which crested the whole of a hii;h rocky promon- 
 
 torv,"ar(! but too near the truth. 
 
 11 
 
 e IS contmuallv 
 
 nivino- ciitertainmonts by way of pai-a<U'," smvs Mr 
 Hunt, "and if you do not drink raw rum, and boilinijf 
 ))imch as stron<4- as sulphur, he will insult you as soon 
 
 ;is 
 
 he yets drunk, which will bo very shortly aftir 
 sittiiii^ down to table. 
 
 "Astoany 'temperance captain,'" continues Irviny", 
 "wli() stood fast to his jjiith and refused to j^ive U[» his 
 >obiii'ty, Ik; might go elsewhere i'or a market, I'oi- \\(\ 
 stood no chance with the governor, llarely, howesi'i', 
 liid any cold-water caititf of the kind ilarken the door 
 I't" l)aranof; tlie coasting ca[>taiiis knew too well his 
 
 iimior an( 
 
 1 tl 
 
 ifir own intcres 
 
 ts: til 
 
 ey joined in his 
 
 revels; they drank and sang and whoopud au*l |d« 
 
 in I I" 
 
 " III wlint ri'.ipcot the writer dot-, not oxiilain. 
 
 " Tikliiiii'iifj'. ist ,i: (>/«)•*., i. 'iU-.'i. 'I'lic ollu'cr roiiinrks, timt ilnriiij,' liis 
 wliolo tviiii (if ailiiiiiiiMti'utiiin lie iiinl rxliiliitvil a rare (lisintcl'cstciliicss, iukI 
 tlmugli ho liail ovtry chaiKO of furicliia^ liinisi'lf, luul ut'Ter t^ikcn /ulvantugo 
 of hid iiositiou. 
 
 1! 
 
 
818 
 
 CLOSK OF BARANOF'S ADMIXISTOATIOX. 
 
 riipod, until they all got 'half-seas-over,' and then 
 airairs went on swiinniingl}'. 
 
 "An awi'ul warning to all 'flinchcrs' occurre<l shortly 
 lieCore Hunt's arrival. A young naval oflicer had n- 
 ccntly hetMi sent out by the emperor to take cotnniani! 
 of one of the company's vessels. The governor, as 
 usual, had him at his ' prosnics,' '"^ and plied him witii 
 liery potatiofjs. The young man stood on the de- 
 ft-nsive, until the old count's ire was completely kin- 
 dled; he carried his point and made the greenhorn 
 tipsy, will}' nilly. In proportion as they grew I'ud- 
 tllc-tl, they grew noisy; they (luarrcUed in their cups; 
 the youngster [)aid IJaranof in his own coin, by rating 
 him soundly; in reward for which, when sober, he was 
 tak<M) the rounds of f(»ur pickets, and received seventy- 
 nine lasiu's, taled out with Russian i)unctuality of pun- 
 ishment. 
 
 "Su<-h was the old giizzled bear with whom !Mr 
 Hunt had to do his l)usiness. How he manaLred to 
 cope with his humor, whether he [)ledged himself in 
 r:nv rum and blazing punch, and 'clinked' the can wit!i 
 him as th(;y made their bargjiins, does not ai»[>ear u[)i>ii 
 record; we nmst infer, however, from his general ob- 
 Bcrvations on the abs<ilutc sway of this hard-diinkiiiu- 
 potentate, that he had to conform to the customs of liis 
 c<»in't, and that their business transactions presented 
 a maudlin mixture of punch and peltry."" 
 
 I^efore takinjjf final leave of Baranof, I will i^ive 
 one more quotation from a n)anuscri[)t in ni}- posses- 
 sion, from the <lictation of one formerly in the service 
 of the Ivussian American Company, who arrived at 
 Novo Arkhangelsk in 1817, for the pur[)ose of rejoin- 
 ing his fatlutr, who had been sent to the Ross colony. 
 ''On the day after our arrival, Mr Baranof sent for 
 me. He was a small man, of yellow complexion, and 
 
 '■^ ( 'arousaU. 
 
 " A'toria, 4<r>-7. Irving states that in 1S12 the fort at Novo Arkliaiig'^! !; 
 inoUDte<l lUOguu.s; but uno uniat, of coiirsi-, allow for the vivid inia^jin ai')ii 
 ot the Mi)vcli«t. There wcro Ijut 50 cuunon as late as 1817. Uolovnin, ir. Ma- 
 UriuJui, I -tor. /V««-., jiart iv, 101. 
 
TIIK CIIIIJF DIRFXTOR'S JIAIUTS. 
 
 510 
 
 witli very little iiair on hi.s head, lie s|)(»ko to ino 
 wry kiiiilly, and |>r(»ini.sc'd to sctul im; to Mr Kuskof 
 iis soon us any of tliu company's slii[)s were jjjoiiiij^ in 
 his direction. Then he told nie I could stay at his 
 liouso and help the woman who was his housekeeper. 
 ]Iehad several women about his house, young and 
 old, and one daughter about seventeen years of age, 
 lor whom he kept a German governess. The mother 
 had been a Kolosh woman, but she died bel'ore I 
 came to Novo Arkhangelsk. 
 
 "Baranof was often sick, and sometimes very cross, 
 hut his daughter could always put him in go<jd hu- 
 mor by })laying on the |)iano, I have seen him send 
 every one out of the house in a heavy snow-storm 
 when his anger was roused, but halt' an hour later he 
 sent messengers to call back the women and servants, 
 jind gave each one an order on the store for whatever 
 they wished. Then he would send for li(|Uor and <tr- 
 (itjr a feast to be i)repared, and call for his singers to 
 iunuse him while he was eating. After his meal he 
 was apt to get drunk on such occasions, and would 
 try to make all around him drunk. Most of the peo- 
 ple in the house liked to see him in a rage, because 
 tliey knew that a carousal would follow. As soon as 
 ho began to feel the effect of drink he always sent his 
 (laughter away, but all the other women were recjuired 
 lo stay with him and share in the revelry. 
 
 " One night IBaranof came into the kitchen for some 
 purpose, and saw the German governess taking a glass 
 of I'um. He was so enraij^ed that he struck her on 
 the head anil drove her out of the house. On the next 
 day he sent for her, made her some presents, and apol- 
 • I'jrized for strikinLT her. lie said thatslie might (hink 
 now and then, but must never let his daughter see it. 
 Tlie governess promised to abstain from di-am-drinking 
 in the presence of her pupil, a>id remained with her 
 until she was married to a young naval officer,'" who 
 
 ' Yanovsky. 
 
'« 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 1.25 
 
 '" IM III 22 
 
 If m lli|2.o 
 
 i.4 IIIIII.6 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 iV 
 
 ^> 
 
 ,v 
 
 4^ 
 
 % 
 
 .V 
 
 <^ 
 
 rv 
 
 <^ 
 
 
 33 WEST MAItt STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N V. 14580 
 
 (716) 87V-'»';03 
 
'« 
 
 4is 
 
 
 
 X 
 ^ 
 
 & 
 %' 
 
 ^ 
 
 N> 
 
 
520 
 
 CLOSE OF BARANOF'S ADMINISTRATION. 
 
 had arrived from St Petersburg on board a man-of- 
 
 " 13 
 
 war. ^"* 
 
 Hero we have probably a truthful picture of Bar- 
 anofs household during the last j^ears of his resi- 
 dence at Novo Arkhangelsk. At this period he dis- 
 played only too often the darker phase of his character, 
 for the use of stimulants had now sapped the vigor of 
 his manhood, and in their use ahme could he find 
 temporary relief from his constitutional fits of melan- 
 choly. That he indulged too freel}' in strong drink 
 has never been disputed by his friends; but that he 
 was, as some chronicles allege, a cruel and vindictive 
 man, has never been proven by his enemies. It 
 must be remembered that drunkenness was then a 
 vice far more common among the Russians than it is 
 to-day, and that it is now more prevalent in Russia 
 than in any civilized country in the world. The as- 
 persions made on Baranof's character by missionaries 
 antl naval officers have already been noticed. They 
 need no further comment. When we read the pages 
 of Father Juvenal's manuscript, and the remarks of 
 such men as Lieutenant Kotzebue, in whose work he 
 is spoken of as "a monster who purchases every gain 
 with the blood of his fellow-creatures," we can but 
 wish that they had formed a truer estimate of one 
 whose memory is still held in respect by his fellow- 
 countrymen. 
 
 While Baranof was still at Novo Arkhanjifelsk, 
 
 ^^ Adventures of Zakhar Chkhinof, MS., 2-4. Chichinof was a native of 
 Yakutsk, where he was born in 1802. When eiglit years of age he went 
 to Kailiiik, and was placed in the school of Father (jcnnan, or (iernianiiis, 
 under whose care he remained until the year 1817, leaniing to read, wriic, 
 and cipher. His fatlier removed to Novo Arkhangelsk, where his son fol- 
 lowed liini in tiie autumn, earning his pas.sage by acting as .servant to 
 Hiigcnif'ister, who was a passenger on the same vessel. ' Hagemeister w:is 
 very proud,' reni.irks Ciiicliiuof, 'and used to kick me for nut takirg off my 
 cap befoie going into the cal)in.' Hearing that ins father liad joined the Ross 
 colony, he presented to Baninof a letter from the missionary, requesting that 
 he bo allowed to see his parent as soon as possible. It will be renicmben d 
 that, on his arrival at Ross, he was sent to the Farallon Islands, where he vns 
 employed to keej) accounts. Chicliiiiof was a resident of St I'aul, Kadiak, 
 in 1S7S, ill wliicli year he i-elated to my a;.;ent, partlj- from memory and 
 partly from his journal, the incidents coutaiaed in my manuscript. 
 
KORASAKOVSKY'S EXPEDITION. 
 
 C2I 
 
 and probably under his direction, a force was do- 
 s[)atched by land to make a thorough exploration of 
 the territory north of Bristol Bay, and to establish a 
 permanent station on the Nushai^ak River. The 
 expedition formed on Cook Inlet, in charge of one 
 Korasakovsky, who was well acquainted with the na- 
 tives of this portion of Alaska.'* Proceeding to lake 
 Ilyanma, the party descended the river Kuichak to 
 Bristol Bay, and following the coast, reached the 
 mouth of the Nushagak, where the leader left be- 
 
 Plan of Expedition. 
 
 hind him a portion of his command with instructions 
 to build a fort, while he went on with the remainder 
 to the mouth of the river Tugiak, far to the west- 
 ward, where the sloop Konstantui was to meet him 
 
 '* A curious superstition is filluilcd to iu Korasakovsky 's instructions. 
 From early times ti Lelicf liad existed among the promyshleniki and others, 
 tliat somewliere in the interior, on tiie banks of the river named tlie Khiii- 
 veren, there lived white people with long beards, tlie descendants, probably, 
 of some of Deshnef's comi)ani(ins who were reported to have l)een lost on the 
 American coast in 1()48. Others ascribed their origin to tlio members of 
 Chirikof's crew lost on the coast of America. How linn a hold this childish 
 belief had taken on the minds even of those in authority, is evidenced by 
 tlie fact that Korasakovsky was instructed to search for the mysterious white 
 men of the interior. Tikhmencf, Istor. Obon., i. 249. 
 
(KB 
 
 CLOSE OF BARANOF'S ADMINISTRATION. 
 
 iMt: 
 
 with a cargo of supplies. After a brief rest, Kor- 
 asakovsky continued his journey, rounding Capo 
 Newenham, and finally entering the wide estuary of 
 the Kuskokvim. It was now late in the season, and 
 hearing from the natives that it was extremely difli- 
 cult to procure subsistence during the winter, the 
 leader turned back. On reaching the Nushagak, he 
 found the fort nearly completed, and giving it the 
 name of Alexandrovsk, returned to Kadiak across 
 the Alaska peninsula. 
 
 Lieutenant Yanovsky, who was one of the party, 
 forwarded a special report of this expedition to the 
 board of managers at St Petersburg, with a recom- 
 mendation that during the following summer the set- 
 tlement should be transferred from the Nushagak to 
 the Kuskokvim, or that a new post be established at 
 the latter poinf 
 
 During the presence of Hagemeister and Yanovsky 
 in the colonies, occurred the first visit of a French vessel 
 to Norfolk Sound. In 1816 a merchant of Bordeaux 
 fitted out a ship named the Bordclais for a voyage to 
 the farther north-west, intending to compete with the 
 English and American traders. The vessel sailed in 
 October 181G, with a complement of thirty-four men 
 and three officers, in charge of Camille Roquefeuil, a 
 naval officer. ^° In May of the following year, while 
 taking in water and provisions at Lima, lioquefeuil 
 
 '* In the same year, ho ordered a careful census of the colonies to be 
 taken, the result of wliicli he forwarded along with the report. The nuiii- 
 lier of Russians at the various settlements and trading-posts was found to bo 
 .SOI, of whom only l.S were women, of Creoles 244, including 111 women, and 
 of natives under the company's control 8,384, the sexes being about equally 
 divided. The Russians were thus distributed: At Novo Arlchangclak, I'.'S 
 men and 11 women; at Kadiak and adjoining islands, 73 men; on the island 
 of Ookamok, '2 men; at Katuiai, 4 men; at Sutkhumokoi, 3 men; at Voskru.s 
 bcnsky Harbor, 2men; .tt fortKonstantine, 17men; at Nikolai (on Cook Inlet), 
 11 men; at Alexandrovsk (also on Cook Inlet), 11 men; at tlie Ross settle- 
 ment, 27 men; on tlic Seal Islands, 27 men; and at Nushagak, 3 men and 2 
 women. Tikhmencf, iHor. Oftot. , i. 2o2. 'KhXcbniV.oi, Zapiski'va. McUerialui, 
 20, gives 8,307 as the number of natives. 
 
 '"Tlie BonhlaU was provisioned for two years, carried one 24-p()und can- 
 non and six 8-pound carron.ades, and had on board a large quantity of small 
 arms. The cargo consisted cliiefly of French manufactured goods, lioquefeuil, 
 Juitr. iVun }'oy. autottrdu Monde, i. 4. 
 
EOQUEFEUIL'S VOYAGE. 523 
 
 met the commanders of the Kutusof and Suvarof, then 
 on their way to the Russian colonies, and when the 
 Frenchman arrived at Novo Arkhangelsk, on the 5th 
 of April, 1818, he was well received by Hagemeister, 
 with whom he made a contract to hunt sea-otter on 
 joint account in the channels of the Alexander Archi- 
 l)elago, Hagemeister agreeing to furnish him with 
 thirty bidarkas." 
 
 On the 7th of June the Bordelais arrived off the 
 north-west side of Prince of Wales Island, where 
 the vessel was moored a short distance irom shoi-e, the 
 anchorage being selected by the advice of a Kaigan. 
 On the 9th a reconnoissance was made, but neither peo- 
 l)le nor sea-otters were seen. On the following day 
 a lleet of twenty-nine bidarkas, each provided with 
 a rifle, a paii: of pistols, and two daggers, went forth 
 to hunt, the long-boat serving as escort. The catch 
 was one sea-otter. On the same day four canoes came 
 rdongside with a few skins and some fish, and the 
 Kaiixan, beinij discovered in secret consultation with his 
 countrymen, was driven out of the ship. The com- 
 pany's agent proposed that the Aleutian hunters 
 should camp on shore under the guns of the ship. To 
 this Roquefeuil consented, detailing a guard for their 
 jirotection. They hunted with but little success for 
 a few days longer, the entire catch being but twenty 
 sea-otter, while only ten were obtained by barter. 
 
 On the morning of the I7th a large number of 
 natives came to the beach, offering to trade; but at 
 noon all disappeared, and remained out of sight the 
 following day. Roquefeuil now resolved to recall his 
 Aleuts: and landini; toward evening to observe the 
 state of the tide, [)assed by their cam]:) and walked to 
 the head of the cove. On his way he was accosted l>y 
 
 '' A clause was inserted in their contract that XiO roubles (alK)ut $90) were 
 to Ijo paid as indemnity for any Aleut who might lose his life M-liile engaged 
 in hunting. Tikhmenef, ht'ir. Obos., i. 24". lloquefeuil, i. 64, makes the 
 amount ■?-(K); but Tikhmenef is supported by tlio figures contained in tho 
 original contract preserved in tho NilL'a Arcliives of tho Russian Amcricau 
 Coninany. The statements of tlio Frenchman concerning this expedition 
 have been found incorruct in most instances. 
 
 I 
 
 f 
 
524' 
 
 CLOSE OF BARAXOF'S ADMINISTRATION". 
 
 an Indian, who was apparently unarmed. A few min- 
 utes later a musket-sliot was heard, followed inmic- 
 diately by a volley. The captain instantly turned 
 back, but seeing the Aleuts running toward the beach 
 without offering resistance, he hid himself in a thicket 
 which lined the shore, and made signals for a boat to 
 come off to his rescue. As soon as his signal was 
 answered, he stripped and swam off toward the sh i), 
 holding his watch between his teeth. As the boat 
 approached, the savages opened fire on her, and 
 wounded four out of a crew of seven, but Roquefeuil 
 was finally rescued. Meanwhile the sailors returned 
 the fire, and a lieutenant was sent with two sail-boats 
 to rescue the survivors. Seven men w^ere lifted out 
 of their torn and sinking bidarkas, two of them being 
 at the point of death, four severely wounded, and from a 
 small hole in the rocks crept forth seven others, who 
 all escaped unhurt. On the 19th a strong party was 
 sent on shore to search for more survivors, but with- 
 out success. Most of the bidarkas were recovered, a 
 few muskets were picked up near the beach, and nine- 
 teen Aleuts lay dead within the encampment, the only 
 traces of the tight being a few discharged pistols and 
 broken spears.^** 
 
 On Roquefeuil's return to Novo Arkhangelsk, Ha- 
 genieister offered him an opportunity to retrieve his 
 losses by joining one of the Russian hunting parties 
 then engaged among the islands, but the crew re- 
 fused to receive on board any more Aleuts, or to en- 
 gage a second time in the dangerous service of escort- 
 ing them. The captain resolved, therefore, to confine 
 himself to trading; and after repairing damages, he 
 again sailed for the Alexander Archipelago. Hoping 
 
 >>.'■ 
 
 -I\ 
 
 "Roquefeuil, Id., i. 71, states that of 47 Aleuts, 20 were killed, and 2.> 
 escaped or were picked up by tlio boats, the fate of the other two buiiig 
 uukuown. Of the survivors, 12 were wounded, most of them seriously. 
 Only one Kaigan was found dead on the scene of the massacre. In tho 
 accounts of the Russian American Company, contained in the Sitka Archive.-t, 
 vi., an entry speaks of 23 natives (20 men and 3 women) who had lost their 
 lives on this occasion, and for each of whom Roquefeuil was made to pay §90, 
 under the terms of his contract. 
 
NEW EXPEDITIONS. 
 
 !j-2j 
 
 and '25 
 
 eriously. 
 Ill tl'iJ 
 irchire.i, 
 ost their 
 pay §90, 
 
 to deceive the savages, and capture some of their chiefs, 
 to be held for ransom, he liad painted his ship ami 
 changed the rigging; but his trouble was in vain; the 
 ruse did not deceive the Kaigans, and not a canoe 
 came near his craft. ^^ 
 
 Roquefeuil then sailed for San Francisco to procure 
 a cartro of grain with which to settle his indebtedness 
 to the company. There he was detained by the author- 
 ities for more than a month, but finally obtained Gov- 
 ernor Sola's permission to trade, chiefly througli the 
 intervention of Golovnin, who was then at the same 
 port. Returning once more to Novo Arkhangelsk, 
 he found that Hagcmeister was willing to accept a 
 small cash payment in behalf of the relatives of the 
 Aleutian hunters, and after landing his bread-stufts, 
 took his final leave on the 13tli of December. We 
 may presume that he was not very deeply impressed 
 with the advantages of the fur trade on the upper 
 north-west coast. 
 
 The end of the period for which the company's 
 cliarter had been grantedwas now approaching. Anx- 
 ious to make all possible progress, both in discovery 
 and exploration, the directors ordered expeditions to 
 1)0 despatched in various directions, and at the same 
 time new buildings were erected in nearly all the set- 
 tlements. Two attempts had already been made to 
 explore the head waters of the Copper River, but in 
 both instances the leaders liad been killed by the 
 Atnas. From the Nikolaievsk redoubt another 
 expedition was despatched, under command of Malak- 
 liof, for the purpose of exploring the country north of 
 Cook Inlet.^" From Petropavlovsk the company sent 
 
 *• At about the same time the Boston ship Brutus, Captain Nye, had some 
 (lifiiculty witli the Kolosh in the arcliipelago, during whicli a few of tlie 
 latter were killed. Captain Young was cruising in the same vici.-iity for 
 1 lie Russian American Company in the \iv\g Finlaud, but was not attacked. 
 The result of his expedition was by no means satisfactory, however, for only 
 400 sea-otter were obtained with a force of 70 bidarkas. 
 
 ''"In the Sitka Archive, x., is a report transmitted by Malakhof to Yan- 
 ovsky, describing the jouraey undertaken in accordance with his instruc* 
 
 L 
 

 S20 
 
 CLOSE OF BARANOF'S ADMINISTRATION. 
 
 ii! 
 
 !' a 
 
 t' 'i 
 
 the sloop Dohroie Namerenie (Good Intent) to explor j 
 the Arctic coast. This craft sailed in 1818, but was 
 delayed at the mouth of the Anadir River, and did 
 not return till three years later. No report of tlio 
 expedition is extant, but the voyage was continued at 
 least as far as East Cape."^ 
 
 The efforts made by the company at the same time 
 to explore the Asiatic coast south of Kamchatka, 
 and especially the mouths of the Amoor, do not prop- 
 erly fall within the scope of this volume, but servo to 
 show that the monopoly was straining every nerve to 
 obtain a renewal of its privileges. 
 
 After reorganizing the affairs of the colony^ and 
 visiting the different settlements, Hagemeistor sailed 
 on board the Kutusqfior Kronstadt,^'' where he arrived 
 
 tiona. In this document, which does not bear the impress of reliability, Mal- 
 nkliof states that, striking eastward from the Kuskokvim across a chain of 
 mountains, he found himself on the banks of a large river thickly dotted with 
 native settlements, and flowing northward. It is not safe to assume that he 
 reached the Yukon, as the time occupied in his exploration was altogether tuo 
 short for such a journey. He probably heard from the natives ou the Kuo- 
 kokvim of the existence of a large river toward the north. 
 
 *• Lieutenant Hooper of the royal navy, in his description of the voyage of 
 the Plover, states that he saw near East Cape a cross on which was inscribed 
 in Russian: 'In this place was buried the body of carpenter Stepan Naumcif 
 of the sloop Good Intent, August 12, 1821.' Tents of the Tiishi, 151. 
 
 '■'* Among other measures, he ordered that the promyshleniki should re- 
 ceive, instead of their usual remuneration from half-shares, a salary of .']f)0 
 roubles a year, and one poud of flour per month. This system was first rcc- 
 ommcnded by Rezanof. He also instructed the officials to provide each of 
 the Aleuts v.'itli seal-skins for bidarkas, a whale-bladder coat, and a bird-skia 
 parka, for which they were to pay only one fifth of tlie regular pri^e. From 
 the pay of those who were indebted to the company, only one third must be de- 
 ducted. All skins brought in by hunters were to be marked in their presence 
 with the company's stamp, and with initials indicating their quality and grade. 
 Khkbnthof, Zapiahi in Matfr/'alui, 25-8. Tikhmenef says that Hagemeister 
 proposed to li.\ the pay of hunters at ,350 roubles, but that the directors would 
 not consent. He also states that the latter made other regulations, which 
 were approved by the general administration for the guidance of ofticiali in 
 Kadiak, Novo Arkhangelsk, Unalaska, and Ross, and revised regulations for 
 foreign vessels visiting Novo Arkhangelsk. Tikhmcnof, Idor. Obos.,\. 2jG. la 
 his remarks on Novo Arkhangelsk, Golovnin sjij's: 'Perhaps the directors do 
 not know of the loss which the company suffers from contrabandists, and c^f 
 the injury done to the colony and its inhabitants.' Ho recommends that the 
 matter be brought to the notice of the government. Id., 251. 
 
 '^ When the Kulusof arrived, an English ship of 600 tons, purchased liy 
 the company and renamed the Borodino, was being fitted out for another 
 naval expedition, the command being intrusted to Lieutenant Ponafidin, 
 formerly of the Suvarof. The complement of the Borodino consisted of 12 
 
FINANCIAL RESULTS. 
 
 a-^i 
 
 hased l)y 
 
 another 
 
 ?onalKliii, 
 
 ted of 12 
 
 on the 7th of September, 1810. Calling at Batavia, 
 he purchased an assortment of goods to the amount 
 of two hundred thousand roubles, and the value of his 
 cartifo of furs was estimated at a million. The vessel 
 was at once refitted, and agam despatched to the col- 
 Ionics about a year later under command of Lieu- 
 tenant Dokhturof, who subsequently became famous 
 in Russian naval annals."* Arriving at Novo Ark- 
 hangelsk in October 1821, after calling at several Cali- 
 fornian ports, she returned the following year with 
 another cargo of furs valued at over a million. 
 
 As we have now come to the close of the first term 
 for which the privileges of the Russian American 
 Company were granted, I w' ill give a brief account of 
 its operations during this period, or so much of them 
 as can be obtained from the records which have come 
 down to us. The original capital of 723,000 roubles 
 was increased by the subscriptions of new shareholders 
 to 1,238,740 roubles; and the net earnings between 
 1797 and 1820, the first years including the operations 
 of the Shelikof-Golikof Company, were 7,G85,G08 rou- 
 bles. Of this sum about 4,250,000 roubles were dis- 
 tributed as dividends, and the remainder added to tlie 
 capital, which amounted in 1820 to about 4,570,000 
 roubles.^® Meanwhile, furs were sold or exchanged 
 for other commodities at Kiakhta to the amount of 
 1G,37G,69G roubles,^'' and at Canton through foreign 
 
 officers and petty officers, and 79 seamen of tlie navy. Slie had also 3.3 la- 
 Ijorers on board. TiLhmenef, Istor. Obos., i. 201; Sitka Archii'es, i. Of the 
 olficers of this expedition, Chistiakof and Zarenibo were afterward prom- 
 inently connected with the development of the Russian colonics. On Hiigo- 
 nieister's return the directors ordered I'onafidin to call at Rio de Janeiro, and 
 then at Manila, where commodities could be purchased at low rates. As a 
 mercantile speculation the enterprise proved a success, but it cost the lives of 
 i!iany of the crew. Disease broke out soon after leaving the hitter port, and 
 40 of the crew fell victinis to fever. On his return from the colonies in 182 1 , 
 ronafidin was temporarily suspended from duty. 
 
 '* With Dokhturof sailed 4'2 seamen of the navy, 28 laborers, and .] creolo 
 youths who had completed their education in St Petersburg. 
 
 " Divided in 1820 into 7,713 shares, and distriljutcd among 030 share- 
 holders. Tikhmencf, Idor. Oho/^. , i. 255-6. The figures given are in ^apcr rou- 
 bles, then worth about 20 cents. 
 
 '<' At Kiakhta furs were usually exchanged for tea, Chinese cloth, and some- 
 
 'I 
 
 f 
 
 m 
 
523 
 
 CLOSE OF BARANOF'S ADMINISTRATION. 
 
 m 
 
 vessels to the amount of 3,048,002 roubles. Of the 
 conij)any's transactions elsewhere we have no complete 
 records. 
 
 Xotwithstanding the large shipments of furs made 
 during the first twenty years of the company's exist- 
 ence, the yield had greatlj'^ diminished since the first 
 years of Baranof's administration. In the srulf of 
 Kenai, where Delarof had obtained 3,000 skins dur- 
 ing his first year's hunting, the catch decreased, until 
 ill 1812 it amounted onl}' to 100. In Chugatsch Bay, 
 where seal had before been plentiful, the yield fell off 
 in the same year to 50 skins. Between that point and 
 Novo Arkhangelsk sea-otter abounded when the Rus- 
 sians first took possession, but five years later they 
 had almost disappeared. In Otter Bay, Queen Char- 
 lotte Island, and Nootka Sound they were still plen- 
 tiful, but the Americans absorbed most of this trade, 
 barterin<2f fire-arms and rum with the Kolosh in re- 
 turn for skins, of which they obtained about 8,000 
 a year, while the Russians tried in vain to compete 
 with them. 
 
 In Novo Arkhangelsk, which had now become the 
 commercial centre of Russian America, there were, in 
 1818, 020 inhabitants, of whom more than 400 were 
 male adults. Of the servants of the company, 190 
 were at that time engaged on shares, and 101 on 
 fixed salaries. The income of the chief manager was 
 7,800 roubles a year; that of the head clerk from 3,000 
 to 4,000, of a trading skipper about the same, an as- 
 sistant clerk or priest 000, and an Aleutian or creolo 
 hunter from GO to 150 roubles. The total sum paid 
 yearly at Novo Arkhangelsk on account of shares, 
 salaries, premiums, and pensions, was about 120,000 
 roubles. 
 
 It will be seen that, with a few exceptions, the com- 
 pany's servants had little chance to enrich themselves 
 
 times for silk or sugar. Sea-otter skins were valued at 110 to 124 roubles, 
 fill-seal 5 to 7 roulnes, and fox skins from 2 roubles and 20 kopeks to 13 rou- 
 bles in tea, according to quality. /(/., 2o4. 
 
LIFE IX THE COLONIES. 
 
 520 
 
 {hirini^ tlieir sojourn in the farther north-west. More- 
 over, the necessaries of Hfe often became so scarce 
 that they were beyond reach of most of the colo- 
 nists.'*'^ There were some exceptions, however. Breacf, 
 for instance, was usually sold to marrie<l men, at least 
 after Hagemeister's arrival, at cost, and in sutiicient 
 quantity. To laborers goods were issued from the 
 f^tores, on a written order from the chief manager, and 
 charged to their accounts once a month or once in 
 three months. On these occasions they received a 
 present of a small quantity of Hour or other provisions. 
 
 '' Khlebnikof, Zapi«ki in Materialui, 245. There are no data as to the 
 prices at whicli goods were furnished to eniploj'ccs in 1818; but in previous 
 years they were often purcliased l>y the chief manager at very liij^h rates, and 
 of course retailed at a proiit. In 1805, 825 per Iwrrcl was paid to Captain 
 AVolf for salt beef, and the same price jier cental for common soap; in 1808, 
 ffi.!iO jxsr cental was paid to Ayrcs for wlieat, and S50 per cental for tobacco. 
 Ill 1810. 810.80 per cental was paid to Davis for wliite sugar; and in 1811, 
 $15 to Ebbcts for browu sugar. Jd., 14. 
 Hist. Alaska. 31 
 
 
i I 
 
 tm^-i] 
 
 CILA.PTER XXVI. 
 
 SECOND PERIOD OF THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S 
 
 OPERATIONS. 
 
 1821-1842. 
 
 Golovnin's Report on the Colonies — The Company's Chabter Re- 
 newed — New Privileges Granted — Moukavief Appointed Goveu- 
 Non — Alaska Divided into Districts— Threatened Starvation— 
 CuisTiAKOF Supersedes Mouravief — Foreign Trade Proiiidited— 
 The Anglo-Rcssian and Rcsso-American Treaties — More Explor- 
 ations— Wrangell's Administration— He h Succeeded by Kri-- 
 KiANOF — Disputes with the Hudson's Bay Company — Their Adji'si ■ 
 MENT— Fort Stikeen — Etiiolen Appointed Governor— A Small-pox 
 Epidemic — Statistical. 
 
 At the end of the twenty years for wliich the ex- 
 clusive privileges of the Russian American Company 
 were granted, we find this powerful monopoly firmly 
 established in the favor of the imperial government, 
 many nobles of high rank an ' several members of 
 the royal family being among t lO shareholders. The 
 company already occupied nearly all that portion of tlio 
 American continent and the adjacent islands soutli 
 of the Yukon River now comprised in the territoiy 
 of Alaska. The country north of Cook Inlet and 
 Prince William Sound, and the Alexander Archi- 
 pelago north of Dixon Sound, was also universally 
 acknowledged as belonging to Russia, though her 
 right was not established by treaty until some years 
 later. With an imposing list of permanent stations 
 represented as forts and redoubts, with a long list of 
 tribes converted to Christianity and brought uikKi" 
 subjection, the directors now sought to obtain, not 
 
 (6301 
 
COLOVXINVS R'j:i'OnT. 
 
 C31 
 
 only a ronoWol of the favoi-s ;ilri'a<!y liTantcd, but im- 
 j)orta!it aUtlitioiis to their ])rivil('i;es. 
 
 Aware that sueh a n-quest would hi' made, the 
 j^overiiinent had instructed Captain Goh)vnin to in- 
 (juire into the con(htion of the settlements during his 
 cruise in the Kaincliathi} His report was hy no 
 means favorable. "Three thin<i;s are wanting/' he 
 sa^'s, "in the ori^anization of the company's colonies: 
 a clearer definition of the duties beloni^inj^ to the va- 
 rious officers, a distinction of rank, and a iv;4'ular nni- 
 ibrm, so that foreigners visitini; these [)arts may see 
 somethin<( indicatinj^the existence of forts and troops 
 belonging to the Ilussian sceptre — something re u- 
 l>ling a regular garrison. At [»resent they can come 
 to no other conclusion than that these stations nre 
 but temporary fortifications erected by liunters 
 as a defence against .savages," The captain expresses 
 almost uiKjuu.iiied condenmation of the tr-eatiu' ut of 
 Creoles and hired laborers, but concludes his re- 
 i)ort withtlic following words: "I consider it mv duly 
 to remark that these al)uscs occurred before J^ieuten- 
 ant llagemeister's accession to ofHce. Though he 
 has l)ut recently assumed control, and their entire 
 abolition cannot yet be expected, the measures which 
 he has already adt)ptefl for improving the condition 
 of natives and promyshleniki promi.se comj)lete success 
 in the near future." "" 
 
 It was of course to be expected that Golovnin, 
 being a naval officer, should condemn Baranof's ad- 
 ministration, and speak in favor of Hagen>eister. Some 
 of his suggestions were adopted, but notwithstanding 
 his adverse criticism, an im[)erial oukaz was issued, in 
 September 1821, granting exclusive privileges to the 
 company for another period of twenty years.'' 
 
 *Tlie instructiona for his f^'uiilance were framed by the iMiiniuis dc Trav- 
 erse, minister of murine. Tliey are given iu tlie JlaUricdiil Is'ur. liiinx., 
 part i. \-l. 
 
 *In a letter to Captain Etholen, Alexander Kaslievarof, a Creole cdueated 
 at St Petersburg at the company's c.npeiiae, diclaica tl at tl.o last ])ar:ia-ap!i 
 v.as added to the report after tlio di-ectora had read tht proofs, and at their 
 speci:d solicitation. liU.-i<. Amu: Co. Ar.ii'ns. i.i. 
 
 ^ A few days hefoio the ouliaz was issued, a comniunicatioii f ' ni the 
 
 i 
 
 
 ■Ji 
 
m 
 
 
 532 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S OPERATIONS. 
 
 This document wa» introduced by the following 
 word.s, which are in .strong contrast with the tenor of 
 the captain's report: "The Russian American Com- 
 pany, under our highest protection, having enjoyed 
 tlio privileges most graciously granted by us in the 
 year 1799, has to the fullest extent justified our hopes 
 and fulfilled our expectations, in extending navigation 
 and discovery as well as the commerce of our empire, 
 in addition to bringing considerable immediate profit 
 to the shareholders in the enterprise. In consider- 
 ation of this, and desiring to continue and confirm its 
 existence, we renew the privileges given to it, with 
 some necessary changes and additions, for twenty 
 years from this time; and having made for its guid- 
 ance certain rules, we hereby lay them before the 
 governing senate, with our orders to promulgate the 
 same, to be submitted to us for signature." 
 
 In the new charter, the text of which included 
 tv.'enty paragraphs, the jurisdiction of the company 
 was established over all the territory from the northern 
 cape of Vancouver Island, in latitude 51° N., to Ber- 
 ing Strait and beyond, and to all islands belonging to 
 that coast as well as to those between it and the coast 
 of eastern Siberia, also to the Kurile Islands, waere 
 they were allowed to trade as far as the island of 
 Ourupa, to the exclusion of other Russian subjects 
 and of foreigners. It was granted the right to all 
 that existed in those regions, on the surface as well 
 as in the bosom of the earth, without regard to the 
 claims of others. Communication could be carried on 
 
 onipcroi-, coiitiiiniiig G.'l paragrnplis, was laid before the senate, wherein were 
 icyidr.lioiis for the iimna 'lenieiit of tho company's business and for the general 
 r.thniiiiatratiun of colonial afl'aira. It was called loi'th by reprcaeutatioiis 
 i:i:ulo hy the company iia to lo.sacs Buffered from the illicit trade of foreigners, 
 and was accoinpiinicd by the following letter: 'From information laid before^ 
 us, \vc have learned that the trade of our subjects on the Aleutian Islnndc and 
 on the north west coast of America in our possession, ia suffering from tho 
 cxi.^tcnci! of ilk;;itinialc traffic in the samo localities, and that tlio chief rca- 
 Goii for thia liaa iK-en the absence cf definite rules and roguLitions for coni- 
 lucico and navipUion on the coasts mentioned, as well U3 on tho shore of 
 casio'.-n Sil>cria, iv.id tlie Kurilo Islands To remedy tliis fault, wo licrcby 
 transmi; to the ucnaLo the much-needed ride.i and rcgulatious.' Tikhinenef, 
 hlor. Oous., i. ap;\ -7. 
 
XEW REGULATIONS. 
 
 by soa between the colonies and adjoining regions be- 
 longing to foreign powers, but only with the consent 
 of their rulers. 
 
 Considering the vast territory controlled by the 
 company, and the largo numbers of its inhabitants, the 
 government saw fit to confer certain rank and official 
 standing on the company's servants. The chief 
 manager was to be placed on the same footing as tlie 
 governors of Siberia; government officials of tlio mili- 
 tary, naval, and civil service were allowed to enter 
 the company's service, retaining half their former pay, 
 and without losing their turn for promotion ; all officials 
 in the company's employ, not previously invested with 
 rank, were to be promoted to that of collegiate assessor 
 after two years' service in the colonies; all servants 
 of the company were exempt from conscription, anel 
 all officials and agents from the payment of taxes. 
 Employes were granted the right of complaining to 
 the senate for injustice or abuse on the part of the 
 company, the complaint to be made within six months 
 after the occurrence; right of ai)peal to the senat.j 
 from the decision of the company's authorities was 
 also given, the appeal to be made within the same 
 period. 
 
 If the company's shares should fall fifty per cent in 
 market value, the government was to assume tlio re- 
 sponsibility and sell them at auction. The right to 
 change the relations of the company was given t ) the 
 larger assembly of the shareholders, subject to appeal 
 to the senate, and permission was granted to the 
 board of directors to despatch vessels from Kronstadt 
 to the colonies with cargoes of Russian and foreign 
 commodities free of duty, and also to ship goods to the 
 colonies on government vessels at low rates. Finally, 
 all military, naval, I'ud other officers were enjoint;d 
 to aid the company, and to insist on the strict 
 observance of these rights by Russian subjects and 
 foreigners. Most of the privileges contained in the 
 
 
 
534 THE RUSSIAN AMEPJCAX COMPANY'S OPERATIONS. 
 
 ouktiz of 1799 were also renewed in the charter of 
 1821.* 
 
 The rep:alations appended to this charter were very 
 voluminous, roi'erring to the treatment of tlie nativefi, 
 the obliimtion of the company to maintain churche'? 
 and schools at i.., own expense, and to provide for th.i 
 im))ortation of supplies in sufficient quantity, the 
 riii'iits and nrivilc^ijes of Creoles, and the ri^xhts and 
 duties of shareholders and of the company's officials. 
 It was provided that the chief manaiifer must l)e se- 
 lected from the naval service, and rank not lower than 
 ca}>tain of the second class; the assistant manau^cr 
 must also he a naval officer; the board of directors, 
 each of whom must hold not less than twenty-live 
 shares, was to consist of four members, to 1)0 (dected 
 by the assembly of shareholders, and all tlie transac- 
 tions of the company were to be subject to tlie su])er- 
 vision of the minister of finance, to whom detailed re- 
 ports were to be submitted. 
 
 The first step taken by the board of directors, after 
 obtaining their second charter, was the election of a 
 successor to Hagemeister, or rather his representa- 
 tive Yanovskv, who, havinii: married Baranof 's daui>'h- 
 tor, was not considered free from the taint thrown 
 ui)on the latter's fame by Golovnin. ]M. N. jMoura- 
 vief, a captain in the navy and a scion of an old family 
 belonsfins; to the Russian nobilitv, was the one select- 
 ed, and his appointment being coniirmed, he sailed for 
 Novo Arkhangelsk during the vear 1821. He at once 
 took measures to reconstruct the garrison, to repair 
 the fortifications of all the settlements, and to erect new 
 buildings wherever they were required.^ 
 
 ^louravief at once saw the absurdity of Baranof's 
 
 * Among others were those of making settlements in regions luljacent to 
 tlicir territory, not occupied by foreign nations, an<l of engaging laliorrrs fur 
 a tei-m of seven years iu any part of tlie empire, the company nssiniiing tho 
 payment of their tn xes. Capital invested by sharcholdei-s was iilso exempt, as 
 before, from attaciinient, though dividends could Ixj appropriated in j>aynicnt 
 of debts. 
 
 "•It is related that he added more buildings to the company's stations tluia 
 any subjcquent manager. 
 
MOURAVIEF IN COMMAND. 
 
 535 
 
 policy in keepinj^ tlio Kolosh at a distance from Novo 
 Arkhangelsk. Up to this time they had been compelled 
 to live on the islands north and south of the settle- 
 ment, and this arrangement, intended to insure the 
 safety of the Russians, had only served to increase 
 the danger of hostile attack. Away from all commu- 
 nication and supervision, they had been at liberty to 
 plot mischief at leisure, while tliey wore kept informed 
 <){' all that occurred in the garrison by the females of 
 their tribe, whose intercourse with the promyshleniki 
 v/as never interrupted. The result was, that nmrder 
 and robbery were committed with impunity on de- 
 tached parties of laborers and fishermen. Mouravief, 
 taking advantage of the presence of the well armed 
 sliip which brought him to the colonies, summoned 
 the chiefs of the Sitkas, and told them that they 
 might return with their people to their former village 
 adjoining the fort. The j)ermission was gladly accepted, 
 and the removal effected within a few days. ;^Iean- 
 v.hile the palisade separating the native huts from the 
 company's precincts had been strengthened, and a 
 heavy gate built, through which no savage was allowed 
 to enter without a permit. On certain days, they 
 might, at a stated hour, visit the enclosed space for 
 the purpose of disposing of game, fish, furs, and other 
 connnodities. Before sunset the streets were patrolled 
 by an armed guard, and all the natives kept out from 
 tliat time until daylight; sentries were doubled and 
 kept vigilant by a half-hourly exchange of signals. 
 These regulations were found so satisfactory that tliey 
 were continued by ^lonravief's successors, ami to a 
 certain extent even by the American troops who took 
 charge of the territory after its transfer in 18(37. 
 
 The chief manasjer, or (governor as he was now 
 styled, also issued orders that the garrisons shoulil bo 
 l)laced under strict discipline at all the outlying sta- 
 tions; but only in Kadiak could this be done, for at 
 other points the force was too small to allow of miU- 
 tary organization. He then made a tour of ins[)ection 
 
 ;■ 
 
 8' 
 
 ! i! 
 
 1 
 
536 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S OPERATIONS. 
 
 '( '! 
 
 m 
 
 tr 
 
 through the colonies, vkiting all the stations oxce])t 
 those at Atkha and Atoo, and on his return divided 
 the colonies into districts. The Sitka district in- 
 cluded the mainland of Russian America from Mount 
 St Elias as far as latitude 54° 40' n., together with 
 the islands along the adjacent shore. The Kadiak 
 district embraced the coast and the islands on the 
 gulfs of Kenai and Chugatsch, the Alaska peninsula 
 as far south as Shumagin Island, the Kadiak, Ooka- 
 mok, Semidi, and all adjacent islands, the shores of 
 Bristol Ba}', and the coast between the mouths of the 
 Xushaijak and Kuskokvim rivers. In the Mikhailof 
 district were included the basins of the Kvichak 
 and Kuskokvim rivers, and the coast lying between 
 Xorton Sound and Bering Strait. The Unalaska di.s- 
 trict comprised all of the Alaska peninsula not in- 
 cluded in the district of Kadiak, and the Lissiev, 
 Sannakh, and Prybilof islands. The Atkha district 
 consisted of the Andreanofsky group and the Blishie, 
 Krissie, and Commander islands, and the Kurile dis- 
 trict of the islands of that name lying between Ou- 
 rupa and the Kamchatka peninsula." 
 
 Soon after Mouraviefs arrival, the colonies were 
 once more threatened with starvation, a danger which 
 was due to the following incidents: In the summer 
 of 1821 supplies were despatched from Kronstadt in 
 the Jhtrik, which had been placed at the company's 
 disposal at the conclusion of Kotzebue's voyage, and 
 in the Elizaveta, a Hand)urg ship. The command of 
 the llurik and of the expedition was given to Master 
 Klotchkof. The Elizaveta was int.rustcd to Acting 
 jMastcr Kisslakovsky." While roumling the Cape of 
 Good Hope, the two craft met with a hurricane, dur- 
 
 •The head office of tlio colonies was of course at Novo Arkhangelsk. 
 There was also an office at St Paul in Kadiak. The other districts were 
 managed by agents selected by the colonial administration. Golovniii, Obsor. 
 Jliiss. Kol. in Materialtti, 51 -'2. 
 
 ' Their carjjjoes consisted of goods for the colonics and of ryo flour for 
 Okhotsk. Tikhmcnef, Jslor. Obon., i. 335. 
 
HARD TIMES. 
 
 537 
 
 ing which the Elizaveta lost several sails and sprunj^ 
 a-leak, whereupon both vessels were headed for Si- 
 mon Bay. On again putting to sea, after repairs 
 had been made at great expense, it was Ibund that 
 the ship still leaked, and it was thought best to 
 return to port, sell the Elizaveta, and transfer her crew 
 to the Rurik, which arrived at Novo Arkhangelsk in 
 November 1822. As most of the supplies had been 
 given in payment for repairs, the governor detained 
 her in the colonies, having no other vessel at his dis- 
 jiosal fitted far a long voyage in search of provisions. 
 
 When informed of this disaster, the directors at once 
 ordered the purchase of a ship of four hundred tons 
 in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The craft was re- 
 named the Elena, and placed under command of Lieu- 
 tenant Chistiakof, who had before made the vovasje 
 I'rom Kronstadt to Novo Arkhangelsk. A few days 
 before the vessel was ready for sea a general assembly 
 of shareholders was held, at which one of the direc- 
 tors * stated that, as several rich cargoes had recently 
 been despatched to the colonies, goods and provisions 
 nmst have accumulated there in great quantity, and 
 that there was no necessity to despatch another vessel 
 round the world. The majority of the shareholders 
 present adopted this view of the matter, and the ex- 
 pedition was abandoned for the time. 
 
 Thus in the vear 1823 it became known throughout 
 the settlements that supplies need not be expected 
 from home during that and the following year. At 
 the same time a despatch was received from the com- 
 pany's commissioner in California, stating that, on ac- 
 L't)unt of a failure of crops and for other reasons, it 
 would bo i...^)ossible to forward the usual quantity of 
 bread-stutfs from that country. The colonies were 
 now in evil case, and starvation, or at best the pros- 
 pect of living for a time on seal tlesh, appeared to be 
 inevitable, for already the storehouses were almost 
 
 ' Named Prokofeief. /J., 337. '^ - 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
'" 
 
 [38 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S OPERATIONS. 
 
 if! 
 
 empty. !Mouravicf at once sent an urgent appeal to 
 the managers, and meanwhile despatched Lieutenant 
 Etholento the Sandwich Islands in tlic briir Golovnia 
 for a cargo of provisions, the Rnrik being then en- 
 gaged in the intercolonial trade. Calling at San Fran- 
 cisco on his voyage, Etholin succeeded, notwithstand- 
 ing the dearth, in bartering furs for a large quantity 
 of wheaf at moderate rates. Proceeding thence to 
 the Sandwich Islands, where he found the price of 
 most commodities extremely high, he purchased at a 
 fair price an American brig named the Aral), with 
 her cargo of provisions and trading goods,^" the cap- 
 tain asj^reeinij to take his craft to Novo Arkhansrelsk. 
 Both vessels arrived safely, and in time to prevent any 
 serious suffering among the colonists, A few months 
 later the stock of provisions was further increased b}' 
 the cargo of the Ihirik, which was sent to the Sand- 
 wich Islands with the crew of the Arab, after callin'>: 
 at California ports tluring the voyage, and returncLl 
 with a moderate supply." 
 
 As in this instance, the colonies had frequently been 
 relieved from want by trade with foreigners; and in- 
 deed, this was too often the onlv means of averting 
 starvation. Even between 1818 and 1822, when su[)- 
 plies were comparatively abundant, goods, consisting 
 mainly of provisions, were obtained by trafhc with 
 American and English masters to the value of more 
 
 •Ho paid also 5,000 piastres in cash, and secured altogether 1,900 fancgas. 
 The entire crop iii Calilorniti for 182.1 was only 50,000 fancgas. See Uht. 
 CaL, ii. 403, this scries. 
 
 '"The brig was renamed the Baikal. Tikiinienef, Istor. Ohon., i. .SSS, 
 claims that the company realized a largo proiit on this traiisiiction, but hi.s 
 explanation of the matter is noniowhat vague. 
 
 "The goods purchased in the Sanilwich Islands were 1,000 lbs. of salt, 
 1,270 lbs. t)f biscuit, 503 lbs. of .sperm candles, '217 gals, of rum, I.'IU gals, of 
 brandy, SO kegs of cocoanuts, and 18 kegs of tiir, for which wcro given in ex- 
 change 2,000 fur-seal skina and 300 Spanish piastres. Khl(hiii1:of, Znpi.-iki in 
 Malerial.ii, 85. In 1S25 fur-seal skins were bartered in the Sandwu'h Isl- 
 and.i by the captain of one of the company's ships on the basis of §1.75 per 
 skin. Id., 88. This seems ai' cxtravngent price, when, as will bo remem- 
 bered, the price at Kiakhta was only 5 to 7 roubles in scrip (.?! to .^1.40); but 
 it v,-a3 tho usual rate at which furs were exchanged at Novo ArkhangelHk 
 with American and English skippers See /(/., 75-0, where a list is givou of 
 goods oxcliauged in trade with foreigicrs between 1818 and 18'22. 
 
CHI8TIAK0F SUCCEEDS MOURAVIEF. 
 
 than three hundred thousand roubles in scrip." The 
 supplies shipped hy the company v.'ere never more 
 than sufficient tor the actual needs of the settlements, 
 jind it' a shii) were lost, her carj^o was seldom replaced. 
 The Aleuts were, of courst;, the princi[)al sutfere!-s, 
 oiten perishing during their hunting exi)editions from 
 liunger and exposure. But what mattered the lives of 
 the Aleuts : It were better that hundreds of them 
 .'-liould perish for lack of food than that the share- 
 holders should suffer from want of dividends. 
 
 The governor's ajjpeal was, however, too urgent to 
 he neglected, and, on the .31st of July, 1824, the Elcnd 
 sailed from Kronstadt with a cargo of sujiplies, arriv- 
 ing at Novo Arkhangelsk a year later.''* The shij) 
 was again placed in charge of Jjieutenant Chistiakof," 
 Vv'ho was directed to relieve Mouravief, the latter re- 
 tui'ning lionje on board the same vessel.'' 
 
 It is probable that the only reason for Mouravief's 
 recall was some slight disobedience of orders, coupled 
 with the failure of the hunting expeditions sent out Iv; 
 li's direction. About the close of the year 18'J2 the 
 liussian sloop of war Apollon had arrived at Novo 
 Arkhangelsk, with instructions that all trade with 
 f )rei!T:ners should cease, and for two veara the inter- 
 diet remained in force.^" Willinir as he was to obev 
 
 '-The paper rouhlo, Avorth at this time about 20 cents, though its value 
 was of course ihictuiitiiijr, is always tho ono .'.poken of in tliis voluiue, unless 
 tlic silver rouble (worth Jibout 7.") cents) is spccilicd. 
 
 ' 'The Elena returned to tiio colonics in 1828, with a cargo worth nOO.OO^ 
 roubles. Among those on board was the creolo Kuolicvarot. We again hear 
 of tliis vessel at Xovo Arkhangilsk i;i 1S,'?(), on v.Iiieli occasion she b.'uu;,'lii; 
 oat Lieutenant Mashin and blaster Kluilizof. In Ar.gust of the following 
 year tlie Nikoldl was despatohod from Kronstadt. Among her passi'uger.j 
 v.as the Creole Arkhim:indritfi'. Tikhmeiicf, Iiilor. OIiok., i. 347-"'0. KaslM'V- 
 arof and Ai'khimandritof iiad been educated at the company's exjienao, tho 
 ktter at the imperial school of navigation, and both afterward did good ser- 
 vice i'.3 navigatora, and the former as an explorer. 
 
 "In the instructions given to Cliistiakof, it was stated that the frigate 
 l\'r(!.<sir and the sl;)op-of-v.ar Lniloi/dlmil been sent to the colonics toprevoni 
 i.ll f.ircign trade which might be injurious to tho colonies, especially that cf 
 t .\cli:uiging fire-arms and nnuiitious of war with the natives in ivturn for 
 pdt-.y. '/(/., .33iM0. 
 
 ' ' Witli a cargo of furs valued at 150,000 roubles, and 10,000 i)ouds of sugar 
 purchased in Brazil. /(/. , 340. 
 
 "' When it was rcmo\ed, in 1824, the company waa relieved from its olili- 
 
640 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S OPERATIONS. 
 
 even this ill-advised order, he was sometimes coinpelled 
 to enter into transactions that were necessary to the 
 very existence of the Ross colony, to which he must 
 now look for supplies in case of need.*' Of sea-otter, 
 the catch during the four years of Mouraviefs ad- 
 ininistration was little more than fifteen hundred 
 skins'* — a ijrievous contrast with the condition of this 
 industry in the days of Baranof, who, it is relatetl, 
 could estimate, almost exactly, the number of furs 
 which could be collected in each section of his hunt- 
 ing grounds." 
 
 Not satisfied with prohibiting foreign trade, the 
 Russian <?overnment issued an order forbiddin<if the 
 approach of any foreign vessel within thirty leagues 
 of the coast. In 18':^.2 the sloops-of-war Krcisser ami 
 Ladoga arrived in thf» colonies from St Petersburg, 
 having been sent out to enforce the provisions of the 
 oukaz, and remained in colonial waters for two years.-* 
 
 gation to fumisli provisions in its own vessels for Petropavlovsk and Okliotstk. 
 l)ok. Com. J?iiss. Aincr. KoL, i. 35. 
 
 *' About this period trade witli California became very considerable. 
 Fioni the company's books wo find that between 1817 and 18'25 cloven vessels 
 visited San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Monterey, exchanging furs for provi- 
 sions. 
 
 '^The catch for each year between 1818 and 1825 is given in Khkhnikof, 
 Zap'inki in Materialui, 73. 
 
 '*In 182D the catch had become so small that little hunting was allowed, 
 and payment was made to the captains of trading vessels in bills of exchangii 
 inatcad of furs. Tikhmeiicf, In/or. Oboa., i. 341. 
 
 2" A second voyage round the world was made by Otto von Kotzebue dur- 
 ing the years 1823-1820. A new ship, the Predprialie (Enterprise), carrying 
 21 guns, was fitted out for this undertaking. Tliere were on boanl the u:it- 
 uralists Eschscholtz and Lenz, the astronomer Preus, and the miucralogist Hofi- 
 Kian. Kotzcbue.'s Xeio Voij. round fVoHd, i. introd. The commander received 
 general instractions to protect the interests of the Russian American Cm.i- 
 pany. He sailed from St Petersburg on the 2Sth of July, 1823, and after a 
 prolonged sojourn at Rio Janeiro, and a quick trip around Capo Horn, put 
 into Conccpcion Bay, Chile, wliich country had become republican lincc lii i 
 last visit. Owing to intrigues between the different parties, ho was not so well 
 reccivetl as on the former occasion. In his journal he asserted that a plot In: I 
 been fonned to capture him and his olficers, and that two Chilian nien-of-wi\r 
 Attempted to prevent the sailing of the Prcdprlatk, which vessel next visitc I 
 tlic Sandwich Islands, and the groups in the Caroline Archipelago discovered 
 during the voyage of the Rurik. The expedition finally readied Pctropavlovs-lc 
 und Kamchatka on the 8th of June, 1824, and sailed for Novo ArkliangelKk 
 on the 10th of August. Thence Kotzebue again proceeded to the Sanilwicli 
 Islands and the cpast of California, where he greatly increased the difficulticH 
 then arising between the Russian and Californian authorities in regard to tho 
 continued occupation of the Ross colony. In his report upon the matter, ho 
 
A DIPLOMATIC CLOUD. 
 
 541 
 
 The sharelioklors soon bci^aii to see the folly of 
 their senseless agitation against traffic with foreign- 
 ors; receipts fell off to an alarming extent, and it be- 
 came evident that something must be done to avert 
 the dissolution of the company. At a general meeting, 
 one of the directors, named Prokoiief, laid before them 
 tlio i-eport of Mouravief in relation to the evil effccHs 
 of the imperial order, and stated that a famine would 
 have ensued in all the colonies if the governor had 
 oheyed tlie spirit as well as the letter of his instruc- 
 tions. He pointed out to them how much Baranof 
 owed to his unfettered intercourse with foreign traders 
 in developing the resources of the colonies. He also 
 showed them the enormous expense of expeditions 
 .sent direct from Kronstadt, and the advantage of pur- 
 chasing goods from foreign skippers who come to 
 tlie comjiany's ports at their own risk and expense. 
 His appeal was successful, and a resolution was adopted 
 l)y the assembly petitioning the government to reopen 
 to foreign ves.sels the port of Novo Arkhangelsk. 
 The request was granted, and the consequence was that 
 nnder Chistiakof's management there was a great ini- 
 ])r()vement in the ccmipany's affairs. 
 
 While the company's business was thus progressing 
 satisfactorily, a cloud arose in the diplomatic horizon, 
 which at one time threatened the very existence of 
 tlie colonies. As soon as the arbitrary measure of 
 llussia became known to English and American nf)rt]i- 
 v,i:st traders, protestations and complaints wxro for- 
 warded to their respective governments. The niatter 
 was discussed with some heat in the United States 
 <'(nigres8, causing voluminous diplomatic correspond- 
 once. In the mean time some traffic was carried on 
 under protest, and the matter was finally settled by 
 the Anglo-Russian and Russo- American treaties of 
 1824 and 1825, when the eastern and southern 
 
 eitloj clearly with the Californian autliorities and against the company. lie 
 ictiirncd to Novo Arkluingclsk on the '2;><1 of l'\'1)Miary, 1825, oiid sailed on 
 iiis Loiucuaxil voyage ia the Jiutunm of the foilowiiig year. 
 
 
 I 
 
, 1 , 
 
 f 
 
 "mil ■' 
 
 I' 
 
 ■I 
 
 ^:i 
 
 •111!' ^ 
 
 ;i: 
 
 *:!:!! 
 
 hi 
 
 r)4'_' THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S OPERATIONS. 
 
 l)()iin(laries woro iluMi ostabli.slied as they ivmaiii ((» 
 the pivscMit (lay, tho limit of Russia's tcn-itoiy W'.'uv^ 
 fixecl at Lititiulu 54' 40'. Tho clause ivlatiui^ to the 
 IxniiKlaiy butuoon tho Portland Canal and Mount St 
 liilias [Vu'uishos an instanco of the absurdity of Iout-;- 
 latiou by diploniates in regard to regions of which 
 l!»oy were entirely ignorant. At some time in tho 
 future this work will have to be undone, and anoth; r 
 line agreed U})()n, as it is impossible to follow in real- 
 ity the wording of tho treaty.'*' 
 
 The convention between the Russian and Eni'lish 
 governments was concluded in February 1825. The 
 connnissionors on the part of Russia were the same 
 
 ^' I iiisart liorc an oxtracfc from thu treaty wit'.i tho United States of tlif 
 lTt!i of Anvil, lS2t, as publislie;! liy the Iiusviaiigoverniuciit: ' I. Witli unit. i: I 
 consent, it id hereby estiiblislicil that in all parts of the great ocean connnoiily 
 known iui t!ic IV.eilic Oeean, or its a;ljoiuing 8c;v3 to the lumtli, tho citizen < and 
 ti.il)j;.'el:^ of the hig'.i contracting p.)\vers may engage freely and without oppj- 
 siLio.i in navigation or iishing, and enjoy tho right to establish themselves o.i 
 the eoaats of mich regions as are not already occupied for the purpose of tr;ul- 
 in ,'wit!i the natives, subject to the rules and regulations mentioned in r.ulise- 
 quent clauses. II. In order to prevent such privileges from serving as ;i 
 pretext for engaging in illegitimate traflic, it is agreed that the eiti.;ei..» 
 of the United .States cannot land at places where Russian settlemcnls arj 
 located, v.ithout the pcnni.ssiou of the local agent or commander, ami tlii'.t 
 in t!ie same manner Russian subjects cannot land without i>ermis-iion in t!'.c 
 settlements of the United Sbitcs on the north-west coast. III. It u a!-o 
 agreed t!iat from this time fortli citizens of tho United States, or persons nmlcr 
 p'otec'doa of those states, will cstablisii no settlements on tlic north-west e::ast 
 of Araeriea, or any of tho adjoining islands north of latitude 54° 40' N. , and t li:iu 
 Russian pubjcets will establish no settlements to the south of the same paraUcl. 
 IV. It is provided, however, that for a period of ten years, to commence fiM.u 
 t!io signing of tiiis treaty, the rhips of both powers, or tlie subjects belong!. ig 
 1 1 either, t^liall beallowed to enter without restriction all interior waters, b;n ■!, 
 cjvrs, and harbors of cither country, for the purpose of fishing and tradi:;,' 
 with the native inhabitants of the country. V. Fi-om tho trade permitto.l i i 
 the i)receding paragraphs are excepted all spirituous liquors, fire and sai 11 
 arms, pov.dcr, and munitions of war of all kinds, v/hicli both contracting jtowcr -. 
 agive not to sell or to allow their citizens or subjects to sell to tho native inls::'*- 
 itants. It is also agreed that this prohibition shall not serve as a pretext f a- 
 searching vessels or detaining them, or for the uei.^nrc of goods, or for vioK:;,:. 
 measures against the commanders or crews of tho vessels engage I in sucli 
 tr.illic, ?ineo tiic high contracting powers reserve to themselves the right ot 
 meting out punishments or imposing lines for infraction of this article on tlnir 
 respective citizens and subjects. VI. As soon a.s this treaty is r.itilicd iu dii" 
 form, on the one hand by his Majesty the cniiieror of all tiie Russias, and on 
 t!ic other by the president of tho United States with consentof the senate, t!;.; 
 ratilications shall bo exchanged at Washington within ten mouths of the da[y 
 hereto Bubscribed, or sooner if possible, in conrirmation of which tho rcspeA;li\ i^ 
 plenipotentiaries have appended their liignaturesand their resixsctive seals and 
 stamps. St Petersburg, .April 5th (I7th), in tho year 1824, after the birth of 
 Clirist, 1S24.' Tik/imciu/, Jstor. Obos., i. app. 02-3. 
 
TRKATY WITH GREAT IJKITAIN. 
 
 543 
 
 as those wlio coiic'Uulecl thu Auioiiean treatv, whllo 
 iireut Uritaiii was ivprcsontcd by Lord Stratford 
 Cunning, a privy councillv)r. The third article con- 
 tains the boundary clause which was sul)se(|Uently 
 insertetl in the Russo- American treaty at the cession 
 of Alaska, and is thus worded: "The boundary line 
 between the possessions of the high contracting pow- 
 ers on the coast of the inainhuul and the islands of 
 north-western America is established as follows: bti- 
 oinning at the southermnost point of the islands 
 named Prince of Wales, which point is situated in 
 latitude 54° 40' N. and between the l;Mst and l."5;kl 
 dcLTrees of western lont;itude, the line extends noitli 
 along a sound known as Portland Canal, to a point 
 on the mainland where it crosses the 5Gth (K'ujx'c of 
 north latitude. Hence the boundary line follows the 
 chain of mountains running parallel with the coast to 
 the jioint of intersection with the 141st degree of 
 longitude west from Greenwich, and finally from this 
 j)oint of intersection on the same meridian to the 
 Arctic Sea, forminijf the boundary betwe-en the llus- 
 siau and British possessions on the mainland of north- 
 western America." ^^ 
 
 -^The first and secoml articles arc substantially tlic same aa in the trc.-ity witii 
 tlic United States. Tlie foiictli article stipulates tiiat, 'with regard ti) thi- l»in;i- 
 dary lines estal>lishc(l in tiio prcecdinj,' article, it is understood tliattiie ish;;id 
 iianud Prince of Wales bchinija entirely to llussia, and that wlienevcr tlie sinu- 
 iiiitsol' the mountains rumiini; ])arallel witli the coast from .">(}' of n. lat. to llio 
 jiuiiit of intersection with the lUst meridian sliall be more than ten leaynes fn 'i.i 
 the shore, the boundary lino of thu Britisli possessions sh;dl run jiaridlel v,\lh 
 the coast line at a distance not greater than ten leagues, tlic land liet\vee;i 
 f.-.ic'.i Hue and the coast to Iji'loni;; to Russia.' Article v. provides t!iat the con- 
 tracting^ powers must not establish settlements within eaeii other's territory. 
 Aiticlc vi. stipulates that the subjects of Great Britain shall be forever at 
 lil.erty to pass to and from tlie ocean bj' way of rivers and streams emptyin;^ 
 into tiie raciiie Ocean and cutting through the coast strip in Russian posfies- 
 s-ion described above. Article vii. ju'ovides for five navigation and right of 
 llsliery by the subjects of botli powers for ten years in the harl)ors, bay.-^, and 
 cliannels. Clause viii. provides tiiat the port of Xovo Arkhangelsk shall bo 
 ojien to the trade and to tlie ships of British subjects for ten years counting 
 Ironi the d.iy of ratification, and tliat if any other jKJwer should obtain this 
 privilege for a longer period, the time shall be extended to Great Britain. 
 Article ix. jirovidcs that the free trade granted in previous paragrajihs shall 
 not extend to spirituous liquors, powder or other munitions of war, which 
 .'hall not be sold to any of the native inhabitants, i'ly article x. Russian and 
 British ships were permitted to enter any iiarbor iu distress or for re^Kiir.s 
 
 1 » '1 
 
If 
 
 
 CM TIi:: RUS-ilAN AMKIIICAN COMPANY'S OPERATION'S. 
 
 It was fiirtlier ])rovi(led In thowo coiivcntion.s that 
 citizens of the United States and subjects of Great 
 Biitain should have the ri<'ht of free navii^ation, fish- 
 try, and trade in the Alaskan waters for a period of 
 ton years, but that the tradinc^-posts of either eon- 
 tractinj^ power could not he visited by subjects or 
 citizens of the other without the consent of the otKcer 
 in command; that at the end of ten years this rinht 
 might be abrogated by Russia; that in the meanwhile 
 arnjs, amnmnition, and spirituous li(|Uors were in no 
 case to be sold to the natives, and that British sub- 
 jects should always have the privilege of passing to 
 and fro on rivers and streams lowing into the Pacific 
 and cutting the sti'ip of coast already described. 
 
 The news of these treaties, which was not received 
 until after Chistiakof had taken command, aroused 
 a storm of remonstrance on the part of the Russian 
 American Company. The imperial government was 
 besieged with petitions to abrogate the clauses grant- 
 ing free trade and navigation to Americans and Eng- 
 lislimen for a period of ten years. It was represented 
 as a most flagrant violation of the rights granted by 
 the imperial government, the result of which would 
 mevitably be the dissolution of tlie company. The 
 most active promoter of this agitation was Admiral 
 N. P. Mordvinof, a shareholder of the company, 
 who, in a letter to the minister for foreign affairs, de- 
 fended the sanctity of the company's privileges, point- 
 ing out that the vague wording of some of the treaty 
 clauses would lead to many misunderstandings. Dur- 
 ing the lifetime of J^ lexander, no atteni'on was paid to 
 these complaints; bi t after Nicholas had ascended the 
 throne, negotiation- were inaugurated with the Brit- 
 ish and United Sta ? governments for an abolition 
 
 provisions, or material, ■witho payment of duty or port charges, but if the 
 captiiiii of such vessel was obi :d to sell a portion of his cai-go to cover the 
 txpenscs incurred, ho was to c ifomi to local regulations of trade. Clause \i. 
 jirovides that in case of any cf' plaint of the violation of this treaty, the civil 
 .111(1 military authorities of eit.ior contracting power should uot bo allowed to 
 rjsnrt to arbitrary oi- forcible measures, but that tlic matter must be referred 
 to tiic respective courts at St Petersburg and St James's. /(/., C4-G. 
 
EXI'KDITIOX TO TIIK KURILE ISLANDS. 
 
 c-i: 
 
 (if the treaty. The first ])r()i)()sals met witli a firm 
 iv't'usal ill both eoiiiitries, hut to iipjjetiso tlie shan- 
 hoUiers a siipphiinentary oukaz was issued, statiii«;' 
 that tlie privih'ufes of navii^atiou and trade exti!ii(h'ii 
 1o t'oreij^ners would he couiiiied to the strip of coast 
 hetweeu the IJritisli ])()ssessIons and tlie 141st nierid- 
 iaii. The standpoint »)f Russia on tliis (juestion was 
 conniiunieated to all the re[»resuntatives of that nation 
 ahroad, and as the north-west trade wjvs tlien in its 
 decline, no further eonj[)h('ations ensued, and no at- 
 tempt was ever made to apply the provisions of the 
 convention to the ialands and coasts of western 
 .VLiska. 
 
 
 
 
 yCxF.TIR OH 
 
 .. // IVJR.JP 
 
 KUKILE IhLANDS. 
 
 While the directors of the company wore loud in 
 their remonstrance aufainst toreiixn encroachment, they 
 did not hesitate themselves to establish settlements 
 ill regions to which they had no valid claim, A com- 
 mittee established by the company at Petropavlovsk 
 ill November 1830 ordered that an expedition be sent 
 to the Kurilc Islands. A settlement on Ourupa Isl- 
 .".nd, abandoned in 1^05, had been rebuilt in 1828, and 
 (luring that and the fol-owing year fur.'i to the value 
 (if eight hundred thousand roubles had been obtained. 
 In 1830 a ship was despatched from Novo Arkhan- 
 i;tlsk with a party of hunters, well supplied with j)ro- 
 visions and material, to form a colony on Simusir Isl- 
 
 HiBT. Alaska. 35 
 
 J 
 
 ill 
 
 '] 
 
 .1 
 
I' <t. 
 
 1 
 
 Mi 
 
 U 
 
 w. 
 
 
 548 THE RUSSIAN ALTEEICAN COMPANY'S OPERATIONS. 
 
 and. The natives were not numerous, numbering in 
 1812 only sixty-seven souls for the entire group, and 
 the Russians found no difficulty in annexing their ter- 
 ritory to the possessions of the company.^'* 
 
 During the second term of the Russian American 
 Company's existence, several important expeditions 
 were undertaken. Within the colonies, explorations 
 were continued by Mouravief, the principal one being 
 under command of Khramchenko, Etholen,and Master 
 Vassilaief, who sailed from Novo Arkhangelsk in the 
 brig Golovnin and the schooner Baranof, in June 
 1822, and remained absent for two years. A detailed 
 survey was made on this occasion of the coasts from 
 Bristol Bay westward to the mouth of the Kuskok- 
 vim Norton "^ound was also explored along its east- 
 ern and northern coast, the deep identation on the 
 north shore being named Golovnin. Many promi- 
 nent points were definitely located with the help of 
 astronomical observations, but the coast between 
 Stuart Island and the Kuskokvim was again neglect- 
 ed, as it had been by all previous explorers. To this 
 expedition we owe the only charts now existing of 
 the coast between Bristol Bay and Cape Newenham.-* 
 
 In 1826 the Russian government despatched an 
 exploring expedition in command of Captain Liitkc, 
 who arrived at Novo Arkhangelsk in June of the 
 following year.'^^ After remaining in port for a 
 
 ^'Before the annexa^^'on of the Kurile Islands each native paid an annual 
 tribute of 41 sea-otter, 23 fox skins, and 74 kopeks in money. 
 
 '^ From the reports in the Siiia Archives, it appears that Khramchenko 
 and Vassilaief were always quarrelling, Etholen serving as arbitrator. It is 
 perhaps owing to this circumstance that Etholen's name alone appears on the 
 charts compiled during the progress of the explorations, though the work of 
 Hurveying was accomplished almost exclusively by his colleagues. We find 
 several capes named Etholen, and also one strait between Unalaska Island and 
 the mainland. The name of Vassilaief, who subsequently did much good 
 work in inland exploration, does not appear on any map or chart except in 
 connection with % submerged rock in Kadiak Harbor, upon which the man- 
 ner's craft happened to strike. Sitka Archives (log-book), ix. 
 
 **In the Materialui, Istor. Jiuss., part iv. 13^-41, is a description, by the 
 captain, of Novo Arkhangelsk, its inhabitants, and their mode of life at the 
 time of his visit. 
 
EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 5-17 
 
 aid an annual 
 
 month, the captain proceeded to Unalaska and the 
 Prybilof Islands, making also a careful survey of tlie 
 northern coast of the Alaska peninsula, naming 
 the various points, and finally visiting St Matthew 
 Island and Petropavlovsk before proceeding south for 
 the winter.^* Two other vessels belonging to the ex- 
 pedition, the Krothy and the Mijller, sailed in 1828, 
 the former commanded by Hagemeister, the latter by 
 Captain Staniukovich. Both officers made impor- 
 tant surveys of the coasts of Bering Sea, which was 
 visited about the same time by Captain Beechey in 
 tbe ship Blossom. 
 
 In 1829 Chistiakof ordered an inland exploration 
 to the north of the Nushagak River, in charsfe of 
 Vassilaief, the Creole Alexander Kolmakof being one 
 of the party. The expedition was organized on 
 Kadiak Island, and crossing the peninsula ascended 
 the Nushagak to the region of the lakes, and thenco 
 reached the Kuskokvim. Kolmakof on this occasion 
 selected the site for a trading-post, built by him two 
 or three years later; and iri 1841 a redoubt was con- 
 structed and named after him, near the junction of 
 the Kvigin and Kuskokvim rivers. The furs brought 
 back were fox and sable of fine quality, and the estab- 
 lishment of a permanent station in the interior was 
 determined. On his return, Vassilaief laid before the 
 governor a plan for establishing communication with 
 Norton Sound by way of the route which he had dis- 
 covered. On the Kuskokvim he had met with natives 
 living on the lower Yukon and the shores of Norton 
 Sound who assured him that the transit from one 
 river basin to the other was short and easy of accom- 
 plishment. 
 
 In 1830 the brig Chichagof y^'an despatched north- 
 ward in charge of midshipman Etholcn, with instruc- 
 
 '" During this cruise, Ltttko named port Moller on the Alaska peninsula, 
 port Ilaiilen, Cape Seniavin, and Uagcmoistcr Island. He also maclo a 
 iiiinute survey of the vicinity of Cape Chukotsk on tiie coast of Asia. The 
 scientists Kitlitz, Postels, and Mertens sailed in the Seniavin. All three pub- 
 lished reports of their investigations. 
 
iil 
 
 1 
 
 Wgt 
 
 1 
 
 il 
 
 1 
 
 Is 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 54S THE IIUSSIAX AMERICAN COMPANY'S OPEKATIONS. 
 
 tions to explore Norton Sound and proceed tlioneo to 
 BerinL( Strait, touchin*^ at St Lawrence, Asiak, and 
 Ookivok islands. Ookivok the midshipman found to 
 be an entirely barren island; and "one wonders," he 
 writes in his report, "how people could ever settle 
 upon it, but the countless number of wal'^us around 
 its shores soon solves the riddle. The savaijes who 
 hunt these animals receive in exchange from the in- 
 lui'>itants of the mainland all the necessaries of life, 
 rnti ^ain their subsistence easily." At St Lawrence 
 Etholen found five native villaj^es, the inhabitants of 
 which also lived chieflv bv huntimx walrus. On his 
 return to Novo Arkhangelsk, he reported that it would 
 l)e beneficial to the company's trade to establish a fort 
 on or near Stuart Island at the entrance of Norton 
 Sound."'' ' 
 
 On the arrival in the colonies of Baron Ferdinand P. 
 von Wrangell, who w^as appointed Chii^tiakofs succes- 
 sor,-' explorations were made on a larger scale. After 
 examining the reports of Vassilaief's and Etholen's 
 expeditions, Wrangell came to the conclusion that com- 
 munication between Bering Bav and Norton Sound 
 could be established overland. For this purpose he 
 ordered Lieutenant Tebenkof to proceed to the latter 
 point in the sloop Ourupa. Tebenkof erected a Ibrti- 
 tication with the consent of the natives, who promised 
 to trade with the Russians, and gave to the settlement 
 and to the island on which it was founded the name 
 of Mikhaielovsk."" When the necessary buildings had 
 
 " Tilhmrmf, TMof. Obos., i. 2S.^-5. In IS."]! an-l 1S.S7 careful explorations 
 were also iiiailo of tlie Alaska peninsula and the a<ljai.-ent islamls. 
 
 '*'Tliou;,'hCliistiakof luul given complete sjitisfaction to the managers, they 
 resolved to relieve liim at tlie end of his tenn and appoint a man of scientific 
 attainments, and one higher in social and otiicial rank. From the liejiinniiig 
 of his administration, Chistiakof had endeavored to persuade the manages 
 that their interests would be served by remoring the seat of authority from 
 Novo Arkhangelsk to St Paul. So reiwatcd and urgent were liis represi'uta- 
 tions, that the assembly of siiarehohlers finally passe I a resolution authoriziii'^ 
 the cliange. IJeforo the removal could bo cllected, however, Chistiakof was 
 relieved, and the project nbiuuloned. 
 
 '-'*It narrowly escaped dcBtruction in 1830 from an attack of the natives, 
 an account of Avliich is given in ZriqO''khi, Peslnkh'^'lnaui Opisx ClKtM;! JiHs.i. 
 I'laiJ. vAiucr., part i. '2S-9; and Tikhmencf, hlor. Uboa., L 2S7-8. Accoriluig 
 
wraxgp:ll's rulp:. 
 
 549 
 
 been completed preparations were begun for the in- 
 land explorations ineluded in the governor's instrue- 
 tions. 
 
 A native of the colonics, a Creole named Andrei 
 Glazanof, who had been instructed in the use of astro- 
 nomical instruments, and was familiar with various 
 dialects of +he Imuiit language, was selecterl to take 
 charge of the expedition.*' The plan iirst adopted 
 was to ]>roceed to the mouth of the river Pastol, 
 making the portage across a low divide to the Yukon; 
 l)ut rumors being heard of hostile intent on the j)art 
 of the natives in that region, it was found impossibK' 
 to secure a guide. Three natives were tlserefore se- 
 cured to guide the party to the banks of the Yukon in 
 a north-easterly direction, and on the 30th of l)e('em- 
 ber, 1833, the explorers left the road with two sleds, 
 each drawn by five dogs, and a small quantity of pro- 
 visions and trading ooods, the men carrvin;jf tlu'ir own 
 guns, knapsacks, and clothing. They travelled on the 
 ice, following the coast in a northerly direction until 
 leachinij the villaije of Kiirikhtowik, wlK'nce on the 
 followinijf dav thev struck eastward. After crossino- 
 several ranges of hills with great difficult v, Cila.'/.anof 
 arrived on the banks of tlu^ xVnvik. His progress was 
 much impeded by the condition of the ice on the 
 I'ivcrs, and within two weeks his provisions were ex- 
 hausted. In the hope of finding natives, his party 
 proceeded up the xVnvik into the mountains, but 
 iintUng it impossible to reach their hunting-grounds, 
 was forced to return, subsisting on a small (juantity of 
 
 to the former authority, the settlement contained, about the year 1S43, a l)ar- 
 ViK'k, a lionsefor the managing agt'nt, two ni;iL.'ii/i!ic.s, a .shi'd, Itatii-hnuse, aiiil 
 kitclicn, all occupying,' a sjiaco of '_'(> fatlionissijuaro, encltisi'il with a stm k:i(lo 
 1.") feet hiyh, and protected hy two bloek-lioiiscs, niounteil with six tiiri'u- 
 ponndors. Outside the stockade was a Ijlackaniith's siiop, a house for native 
 visitors, and a chapel. 
 
 '" Ho wasaccumpanieil by four volunteers, Vassili Donskoi, Vassili Dei'sha- 
 bin, Ivan Ikdachef, and Jacob Knagge. Donskoi died from the ellect of in- 
 juries received during the journey. Pershal>in and B.daclicf roniaiiiid in 
 the company 'h service; the former was finally killed in the Nulato massacre, 
 together with Lieutenant Barnard of the Knglisimavy, wiiile IJalachcf served 
 ."t the statiouMi on (,''jok Inlet, where his children are still living. WmmjcU, 
 Statist, iiiid Ethnoij., 138-9. 
 
 
ii/' 
 
 5J0 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S OPERATIONS. 
 
 frozen fish taken from the Indian caches. On the 
 17th of January the explorers stumbled on a subter- 
 ranean dwelling occupied by a native couple and their 
 three children. Here they were treated to an ample 
 meal of rotten fish, and found an opportunity to mend 
 their broken sleds and snow-shoes. 
 
 A week later Glazanof and his men, now completely 
 exhausted, arrived at the mouth of the Anvik, where 
 tliey found a native village, the inhabitants of which, 
 at the first sight of the Russians, began to prepare 
 for defence, but a messenger being sent forward un- 
 armed, succeeded in persuading them as to Glazanof 's 
 j)eaceable intentions, whereupon a cordial invitation 
 was extended to the way-worn travellers to rest and 
 recuperate their strength. One of the subterranean 
 dwellings was vacated by its occupants to accommo- 
 date the guests, and after taking due precautions, 
 (glazanof proceeded to the hashimy or council-house, 
 a large structure containing several hundred people. 
 He addressed the multitude, and less by his eloquence 
 ))robably than by a judicious distribution of tobacco, 
 succeeded in gaining their friendship. Presents of 
 fish blubber, bear meat, and other food were laid be- 
 fore him, and he was told that if he had other wants 
 they should be at once supplied. Here the party re- 
 mained for some time, in friendly intercourse with the 
 natives, and finally proceeded down the Yukon, as 
 their new friends dissuaded them from attempting the 
 })ortage route to the Kuskokvim.^^ 
 
 The subsequent explorations of Glazanof and his 
 party were confined to the delta of the Yukon, the 
 ilense population of which astonished the Russians. 
 His diary, which has been preserved, is full of the 
 most minute observations of the topography and eth- 
 nology of this region, which modern investigations 
 
 " Glozanoi questioned two natives who arrived during hia presence at An- 
 vil; from the Chagcluk River, and obtainpd from them a description of the 
 c-niat:-y between tlie two rivers. These men evidently described the longest 
 l>ortaj,'o route, without lucutioning another by which coiamuuictiou can bo 
 ellected iu two days with tlic {greatest case. /(/., 14S-9. 
 
GLAZANOF ON THE YUKON. 
 
 551 
 
 prove to be remarkably accurate. At one mouth 
 of the Yukon, named the Kashunok, he met with 
 tAvo natives from the Kuskokvim, who had been bap- 
 tized by Kohuakof in the year 1832. They de- 
 scribed the ceremony to the other natives, who were 
 so much pleased with it that they requested Glazanof 
 to baptize them also; but he declared that he had no 
 authority to do so. A large number of these Indians 
 agreed to accompany the Russians on their return to 
 Mikhaielovsk, on condition that the guides who had 
 
 the 
 
 , as 
 
 the 
 
 his 
 
 the 
 
 jians. 
 
 the 
 
 eth- 
 
 tions 
 
 at An- 
 
 of the 
 
 longest 
 
 caubo 
 
 
 '■';,/ 
 
 Plan of Expedition. 
 
 accompanied them thus far be left as hostages; but 
 having acquired a good hold on the peopl j, Glazanof re- 
 solved to push on to the Kuskokvim, which he reached 
 on the 19th of February. Here he was met by a 
 party of natives returning to their homes from the 
 Yukon. They told him that they had intended to 
 visit Xolmakof, but that he had returned to the Nush- 
 agak, leaving behind his interpreter Lukin. On the 
 following day the expedition proceeded up the Kus- 
 
552 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S OPERATIONS. 
 
 li 
 
 M 
 
 
 kokvim, and on the 21st arrived at the village called 
 Kvigym Painagniute, where they found Lukin in a 
 log house built by Kahuakof. Glf /ianof was now in- 
 fonned of a portage route along a tributary of the 
 Kuskokvim, from which it was possible in one day to 
 reach a stream emptying into Cook Inlet, but he trietl 
 in vain to obtain guides to lead him in that direction. 
 The natives assured him that several parties of their 
 countrymen had been killed by the inhabitants of the 
 intervening mountains, and Lukin confirmed these 
 sensational reports, stating that he himself had failed 
 in a similar attempt. Glazanof then resolved to pro- 
 ceed alone, but being unacquainted with the country 
 and having lost his compass, shaped his course too 
 much to the north, and found himself involved in a 
 network of lakes and streams without provisions, and 
 in a country destitute of animal life at that season 
 of year. His men were reduced to the most cruci 
 straits, nnd obliged to eat their dog-harness, boots, 
 and seal-skin provision bags. Finally, after wander- 
 ing about until the 19th of March, they once more 
 found themselves upon the banks of the Kuskokvim, 
 and soon afterward met Lukin, who had returned from 
 a journey into the mountains. Accompanied by him, 
 and several friendly natives wdio furnished then with 
 ample supplies, Glazanof's men at last regained the 
 banks of the Yukon, and thence crossed over to the 
 Mikhaielovsk settlement.^ 
 
 In 1838, after Wrangell had been relieved from of- 
 fice, an expedition was fitted out by the Russian Amer- 
 ican Company to explore the arctic coast of America 
 eastward from Kotzebue Sound. A Creole named 
 Alexander Kashevarof, a native of Kadiak, who was 
 thoroughly conversant with various Innuit dialects, 
 was appointed to counnand the force, the Jiarty, whicli 
 was composed mainly of Creoles and Aleuts, being 
 
 " The time occupied hy Glazanof in this remarkable journey was 104 days, 
 un<l according to hia calculation the distance traversed was 1,50U miles. JcL, 
 Ia2-00. 
 
MALAKHOF AND SACOSKIN. 
 
 5-)3 
 
 ore 
 11, 
 
 )IU 
 
 mi, 
 itli 
 
 Ll 
 
 
 ol- 
 
 (•r- 
 
 ic;i 
 
 ned 
 
 cts, 
 licli 
 iiiLi" 
 
 lava, 
 
 taken northward on the brig Pohjfem. The skipper, 
 who was a Russian, Chernot' by nanie,'"^ was iiistnu'ted 
 to pass through Bering Strait, to proceed thonee north- 
 eastward as tar as possibk*, and to land Kashevarot' 
 with one bidar and tive tliree-hateli bidarkas at the 
 furthermost point i-eached by the vessek The Eskimos 
 hving on the coast opposed Kashevarof's progress, and 
 as he advanced slowly througli the shallow sea wasli- 
 ing the arctic shore, hostile bands began to gather in 
 rapidly increasing numbers, until, when still a hun- 
 dred miles west of Cape l^eechey, tlie creole found 
 liimself compelled to turn back before an armed body 
 outnumbering the exj)l()rers twenty to one. On his 
 return journey, he was attacked at various times, 
 but finally regained Norton Sound, where he found 
 Chernof awaiting him. 
 
 In the same year, Malakhof ascended the Yukon 
 liiver as far as the present site of Nulato, where he 
 built a small block-house. In want of ])rovisions, 
 and with only two men, he was obliged temporarily 
 to abandon the l)uilding and repair to ^likhaielovsk 
 fur supplies. During his absence the Indians living 
 in the neiu'hborhood burned the building. 
 
 In 1842 Lieutenant Zagoskin of the imperial navy 
 set fortli for ]Sortoii Sound and Mikhaielovsk, }>ur[)os- 
 ing to make an inland exploration of the ncjrthern 
 territory. His work was confined chiefly to the mid- 
 dle course of the Kuskokvim, and the lower course 
 and northern tributaries of the Yukon, especially the 
 Koyukuk, which he followed to its head waters and to 
 the divide which separates it from the streams running 
 into Kotzebue Sound. At Nulato he was assisted by 
 Derzhavin in building a new fort. Zagoskin's ex- 
 jiloration was performed conscientiouslj' and well. 
 Wherever we find mistakes, we may ascribe them to 
 his imperfect instruments and to local obstacles. Ho 
 gathered most valuable trading statistics for the com- 
 
 "Thc sons of Clicmof are now living on Afognak Island, engaged as ship- 
 buildura uud navigators, and in conifortablo circunistunccs. 
 
 I- ' 
 
554 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S OPERATIONS. 
 
 pany, and ingratiated himself with all the tribes with 
 which he came in contact. His expedition was ncjt 
 completed until 1844, when he returned to Russia to 
 superintend the publication of his notes.^* 
 
 It had been Wrangell's desire to explore the arctic 
 coast of the Russian possessions, but complications 
 constantly arising with the Mexican authorities in 
 California required his personal attention. Figueroa, 
 then governor of California, had addressed to him 
 several letters, demanding the abandonment of the 
 Ross settlement. The latter always had the excuse 
 that he was not authorized to treat on so weighty a 
 subject; but when the end of his term was approach- 
 ing, he received news of Figueroa's death, and resolved 
 to proceed homeward by way of Mexico, in order to 
 negotiate with the authorities at the capital of the new 
 republic, visiting on his way the Ross settlement. In 
 the harbor of San Bias he met with the companj^'s ship 
 Sitka, having on board his successor, Captain Kupri- 
 anof To him he surrendered his office, and soon after- 
 ward proceeded to Mexico. His negotiations with 
 the Mexican government on behalf of the Ross colony 
 and their failure are related in connection with my 
 History of Calif or niaJ^ 
 
 '* An account of this expedition will be found in Penhekhodnaia Opi'^s 
 Chasty Jiw^skikh Vladaniy v Amerika, Lieutenant A Zaqonkinv I842, 1843 i 
 1S44 godakh, or Explorations on Foot of Parts of the Ruasinn Possessions in 
 America, by Lieutenant A Za'joskin 1842-4 (in two parts, St Petersburg, 1847). 
 This work is a very complete description of the journeys undertaken l)y 
 Lieutenant Zagoskin of the imperial navy in the service of the Russian 
 American Company, between 1842 and 1844. The field of his operations 
 includes the territory north and cast of Norton Sound and drained by the 
 Yukon and Kuskokvim. The entries of Zagoskin's journal are given for tlio 
 most part in full, with astronomical observations, etc., interspersed occasion- 
 ally with historical sketches of various localities, and finishing with a review 
 of all the native tribes which came within his observation, and very com- 
 plete vocabularies of their respective languages. An excellent chart U 
 appended to the work. 
 
 ''Vol. iv., cap. vi. The Statisiische und Ethnographische naehrichten iiber 
 die Russi^chen Beaitzungen, or Statistical and Ethnographical Statements eon- 
 ceruing the Russian PossesHous, collected by Baron Wrangell, and edited by 
 K. K. von Baer, appeared in 18.39 as the first volume of a series published Ijy 
 the imperial academy of sciences at St Petersburg, under the title oiBtitvwje 
 sur Kenntnids des Russisclmn Reiches, or Contributions to the Knowledge of the 
 
TROUBLE WITH THE ENGLISH COMPANY. 
 
 655 
 
 lia Ophu 
 
 ossions in 
 
 rg, 1847). 
 
 »ken l>y 
 
 Russian 
 
 perations 
 
 by tliu 
 
 for tlie 
 
 occasion- 
 
 a review 
 
 ery com- 
 
 cliart ii 
 
 :}den iihrr 
 ents eon- 
 ;Uted by 
 lished by 
 f Jititniije 
 Ige of the 
 
 During Wrangell's administration a serious dispute 
 arose witli the Hudson's Bay Company, which was then 
 extending its operations over the whole north-west, 
 establishing forts at every available point on river and 
 sea-coast, and which a few years later entirely outbid the 
 Russian American Company in the trade of the Alex- 
 ander Archipelago. Taking advantage of the clause 
 in the Anglo-Russian treaty of 1825, providing for 
 the free navigation of streams crossing Russian terri- 
 tory in their course from the British possessions to 
 the sea, the English company had pushed forward its 
 trading-posts to the upper course of the Stikeen, 
 and in 1833 fitted out the brigZ^r^acZ for the purpose 
 of establishing a permanent station on that river. 
 Information of this design had been conveyed to 
 Wrangell during the preceding year, and he at once 
 notified the managers at St Petersburg, asking 
 them to induce the imperial government to rescind 
 the clause under which the Hudson's Bay Compary 
 intended to encroach on Russian territory. As a 
 further motive for this request, he reported that 
 the English company had violated the agreement to 
 abstain from selling fire-arms and spirituous liquor to 
 the natives. The emperor granted the petition, and 
 the British and United States governments were duly 
 notified of the fact. Both protested through their 
 ministers at St Petersburg, but in vain; the reply of 
 the Russian foreign office being that the objection- 
 able clause would terminate in the following year. 
 Without waiting to be informed of the success or fail- 
 ure of his application, Wrangell despatched two armed 
 vessels, under command of Lieutenant Dionysi Za- 
 rembo, to the mouth of the Stikeen. Here the latter 
 established a fortified station on a small peninsula, 
 
 linsaian Empire. In the pr«face the question is discussed whether the Alas- 
 kans were benefited or otherwise by the Russian occupation. The first tliree 
 sections contain valuable statistical and histurioal information. Then follow 
 linguistic studies by Wrangell and Kostromitinof, the jouruiil of skipper 
 (.ilazanof, the exploration of the Copper River, and the characteristics of tlie 
 Aleuts, tho last being by Venianiiuof, and misuellaueous remarks by the 
 editor. 
 
5.-G THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANYS OPERATIONS. 
 
 the nock of ^vhich was flooded at high water, and 
 naiiifc'd the fort St Dionysi.^ 
 
 Those warlike preparations remained unknown to 
 the officials of the Hudson's Bay Company, and when 
 the Dri/ad approached the mouth of the Stikeen, the 
 men crowding her deck were surprised by a puff of 
 white smoke and a loud report from the densely 
 wooded shore, followed by several shots from a ves- 
 sel in the offing. The brig was at once put about, 
 but anchoi-ed just out of range, whereupon a l)oat 
 was sent from shore carrying Lieutenant Zarembo, who, 
 in the name of the governor of the Russian colonies 
 and the emperor of Russia, protested against the en- 
 trance of aji Euo^lish vessel into a river beloni>ing to 
 liussian territory. All appeals on the part of the 
 Hudson's Bay Company's agents were iueffoctual. 
 They were informed that if they desired to save them- 
 selves, their property, and their vessel, they nuist 
 weigli anchor as once, and after a brief delay the 
 Di'i/dcl sailed for Foi't Vancouver. 
 
 The authorities of the Hudson's Bay Company lost 
 no time in sending reports of this affair to London, 
 acconii)anied with a statement that the loss incurred 
 through this intorforence with their project amounted 
 to £20,000 sterling. The British government innuo- 
 diatoly demanded satisfaction from Russia, but the 
 matter was not finally settled until 1839, when a com- 
 mission met in London to arrange the points of dispute 
 between the two corporations, and in a few weeks 
 solved difficulties which experienced diplomates had 
 failed to unravel in as many years. The claim of 
 the Hudson's Bay Company was waived on condi- 
 tion that the Russian company grant a lease to the 
 former of all their continental territory lying between 
 Cape Spencer and latitude 54° 40'. The annual rental 
 was fixed at two thousand land-otter skins,^^ and 
 
 '" This fort was built on the site of an Inilian village near the town of 
 Wr.ingoll. The logs used for its foundation can he seen at the present <lay. 
 ''•A fur much used in the Russian army for trimming olticcrs' uniforms. 
 
FOIIT STIKEEX. 
 
 m 
 
 at the same time .the EngUsh company agreed to 
 supply the colonies witli a larije quantity of provision.s 
 at moderate rates.'^ The abandonment of the Ross 
 colony, whence the Russians obtained most of their 
 8up[)lies, was now merely a question of time, and the 
 agreement appears to have given satisfaction to both 
 ])arties, for at the end of the term the lease was re- 
 newed for a period oi ten years, and twice again for 
 periods of four years. 
 
 On tlie 1st of June, 1840, a salute of seven guns 
 was fired as the British tla<>' was lioisted from i'ort 
 St Dionysi, or Fort Stikeen, as it was renamed by 
 Sir James Douglas, who tlien re[)resented the Hud- 
 son's Bay Company, and during a previous visit had 
 appointed Jolin McLoughlin, junior, to the conunand.^' 
 Having arrived at Xovo Arkhangelsk on April 2jth 
 of the same year. Sir James says, that "he had 
 lield dailv conference with the governor in a frank 
 and open manner, so as to dissipate all scnd)]ance of 
 reserve, and establish intercourse on a basis of mutual 
 eonlidence. The question of boundary was settled in 
 a manner that will prevent any future misunderstand- 
 ing They wish to sell Bodega ■*'' for $30,000, with 
 
 a stock of 1,500 sheep, 2,000 neat-cattle, and 1,000 
 liorses and mules, with important land fenced in, with 
 l)arns, tlirashing-Hoor, etc., sufficient to raise 3,000 
 1'anogas of wheat. They of course cannot sell the soil, 
 but merely the improvements, which we can hold 
 only through a native. We concluded to write to 
 ]\Ir McLoughlin on this subject, so that he may write 
 
 ""Including 14,000 pouds of wheat at 80 cents per pond, 498 of flour 
 jit SI. 45, 404 each of pease and groats at 90 cents, 922 of salt Ijecf at 75 cents, 
 4'JS of ljutter at §t.05, and 92 pouds of ham at 12 cents per Ih. TiUi- 
 riHiirf, iMiir. Obo».,i.^o\. \n Fiiihi>ison^ti Vaiicnuvcr Island ami N. W. t'(i(i..<t, 
 Ms., 1"2, it is stated that the Hudson's Bay Company also agieed to .lupply 
 trad inj; goods. Dall, Alaska, .I.'kS, gives 18.'57 astlie elate of tiie agreement, liut 
 on what authority I am unable to ascertain. The correct date is given in 
 iVraiKjell, Statist, und Ethiiog. 322 (St Petersburg, 1839), and by TildimenLf 
 and olliers. 
 
 '"' In the same year a fort was b-jjlt by the Hudson's Bay Company on the 
 Trtku lUver. Douglas, Jour., MS., 27^14; Flnlai/itouii Vancouver Jdand and 
 X. ir. Coast, MS., 13. It was abandoned in 1843. 
 
 «R0S8. 
 
 i 
 
658 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S OPKIIATIONS. 
 
 I' !i 
 
 t * 
 
 11' 
 
 to !Mr Etholeii in reply in the autumn by the stoaui 
 vessel, or appoint an aj,'ent to settle with the com- 
 mandant at Bodega."*' What might have been the 
 result if England, with her powerful navy and all- 
 grasping policy, had now gained a foothold in Califor- 
 nia on the eve of the gold discovery I 
 
 Almost as soon as the Hudson's Bay Company's 
 men had established themselves at Fort Stikeen, hos- 
 tilities were commenced by the natives. In 1840 an 
 attempt was made to scale the stockade; in 1841 the 
 Indians destroyed the aqueduct which supplied the 
 fort with fresh water, and the ^/cleaguered garrison 
 only saved themselves by seizing one of their chiefs, 
 whom they held as hostage. In the following year a 
 more serious attack was threatened, which would prob- 
 ably have been carried out successfully but for the 
 timely arrival of two armed vessels from Novo Arlc- 
 hangelsk in charge of Sir George Simpson, the gov- 
 ernor of the company's territories, whose statement I 
 will give in his own words. 
 
 "By daybreak on Monday the 25th of April, we 
 were in Wrangell's Straits, and toward evening, as we 
 approached Stikeen, my apprehensions were awaken jd 
 by observing the two national flags, the Russian and 
 the English, hoisted half-mast high, while, on landing 
 about seven, my worst fears were realized by hearing 
 of the tragical end of Mr John McLoughlin, jun., 
 the gentleman recently in charge. On the night of 
 the 20th a dispute had arisen in the fort, while some 
 of the men, as I was grieved to hear, were in a state 
 of intoxication; and several shots \,'ere fired, by one 
 of which Mr IMcLoughlin fell. My urrival with two 
 Vessels at this critical juncture \'a'. most opportune, 
 for otherwise the fort might probably have fallen a 
 sacrifice to the savages, who were assembled round it 
 to the number of about two thousand, justly thinking 
 that the place could make but a feeble resistance, de- 
 
 *^ Douglas* Jour., MS., 4. 
 
ETIIOUN AS GOVERNOR. 
 
 t» 
 
 prived as it was of its head, and garrisoned by men in 
 a state of complete insubordination." 
 
 43 
 
 A few days later Simpson returned to Novo Ark- 
 hangelsk, in order to discuss with Etholen.who in 1840 
 had relieved Kuprianof as governor," the difficulties 
 constantly arising between the Russian and Hudson's 
 Bay Company's agents with regard to trade on the 
 Alexander Archipelago. Though Etholen was un- 
 yielding in other matters, ho was quite willing to join 
 Sin)pson in his efforts to suppress traffic in spirituous 
 li(juors among the Kolosh," and an agreement to this 
 eftect was signed by the representatives of both com- 
 panies on the 13th of May, 1842." The evil was 
 
 *'N'arr, Jour, round World., ii. 181. 'If the fort had fallen,' continues 
 Simpson, 'not only the whites, -2 in number, would have been destroyed, but 
 the stuck of ammunition and storcn would have made the captois <langerous 
 tu the other cstablishnicnts on the coast.' 
 
 "lie arrived in the Nikolai /., which again sailed from Kronstadt for tlio 
 colonics ill August IS.IO, with a cargo worth 500,000 rojbles. Ethoh n, who, 
 ns wc have seen, had before done good service in the colonics, was aecoin- 
 panicd by las wife, an accomplished lady, a native of Finland. Calling at 
 llio Janeiro, ho purchased for the company a brig, which he renamed the 
 Grand Duke Konstantin, anil loaded her with a cargo of Brazilian produce. 
 r>otli vessels arrived at Novo Arkhangelsk May 1, 1840. Tikhmtnff, Islor. 
 Obos., i. 3M. 
 
 -*' At the post on Stakhin River the Indians were buying liquor and light- 
 ing all the time among themselves just outsi<lc the fort. A big hogshead if 
 liquor four feet high was emptied in one day on the occasion of a feast. Tlu-ro 
 were always four watchmen around, in the night especially. It was terrible ; 
 but they got plenty of beaver skin.' Mrs JIarvei/'s Life of McLotighlin, MS., 
 19-20. 
 
 *^Thia docnment was handed as evidence to a select committee of the 
 house of commons in June 1857. The following is a copy of the original: 
 'With a view effectually to guard against the mjurious consequences that 
 arise from the use of spirituous liquors in the Indian trade on the north-west 
 coast, it is hereby agreed by Sir George Simpson, governor in chief of Rupert's 
 Land, act'ng on behalf of tho honorable Hudson's IJay Company, and his Lxcfl- 
 Icncy Adolphus Etholen, captain in the imperial navy and governor of the Rr.s- 
 Eiaii American colonics on the north-west coast of America, acting on behalf of 
 the Russian American Company, that no spirituous liquors shall be sold or given 
 to Indians in barter, as presents, or on any pretence or consideration whatso- 
 ever, by any of the officera or servants belonging or attached to any of the cstal)- 
 lishments or vessels belonging to cither concern, or by any other person r 
 persons acting on their behalf on any part of the north-west coast of America 
 to tho northward of latitude 50°, unless competition in trade should render it 
 necessary, with a view to the protection of tne interests of the Hudson's Bay 
 Company, to discon^'nuo this agreement in so far as the same relates to or is 
 applicable to that part of the coast southward of lat. o-t" 40'; this agreement 
 to take effect from the date thereof at New Arkhangel, or w hercver else tho 
 Russian American Company have dealings with Indians on the northwest 
 
3! ' t> 
 
 50;) Tim IIUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S OIMXIATIONS. 
 
 felt ill all j)arts of the archipelago, uud nowhere more 
 than at the ea[)itul. 
 
 "Some rei'oiiuation certainly was^ wanted in this 
 respect," writes Sim[)st)n, " '"or of all the drunken as 
 well as of all the dirty places that I had visited, New 
 Archangel was the worst. On the holidays in par- 
 ticular, of which, Sundays included, there are one hun- 
 dred and sixty-live in the year, men, women, and even 
 <hildren were to be s<^en staggering about in all di- 
 I'ections. The common houses are nothing but wooden 
 hovels huddled together without order or design in 
 n^asty alleys, the hot-beds of such odors as are them- 
 selves suilicient, independently of any other cause, to 
 breed all sorts of levers. In a word, while the iidiab- 
 itant do all that they can to poison the atmosphere, 
 the place itself appears to have been planned for the 
 express purpose (jf checking ventilation." 
 
 The Indian villages in the neighborhood of Novo 
 Arkhangelsk had sullered severely a few years before, 
 when during Kuprianoi's administration the small-pox 
 ej)idenii(; appeared for the first time among the natives 
 of Alaska. The disease broke out in 183G, amonij 
 the Kolosh tribes near the southern boundary, and 
 was probably introduced l)y Indians i'rom the British 
 ])ossessions. During the first year the settlement of 
 Tongass suflered most seveivly, two hundred and lifty 
 dvinsj!: in a settlement numbering nine hundred inliab- 
 itants. From Tongass the contagion rapidly spread 
 over all the Kolosh settlements of the Alexander' 
 Arcliii)elago. The fdthy dwellings of the Kolosh fos- 
 tered the germs of the disease, and the mortality was 
 a[)j)alling, fifty to sixty per cent of the population being 
 iswept away. From the outlying settlements the 
 scourge was introduced to Novo Arkhangelsk, and 
 hero as elsewhere a large portion of the native popula- 
 
 const, and from tho dato of the receipt of a copy thereof at tho cstablislmionts 
 ofTiikoo, Stikine, Fort Simpson, uud Fort McLouyliliu.' Report on II mhbn 
 lluy Co. (1SJ7), 3(Ji). 
 
KAVAGES OF SMALL-POX. 
 
 661 
 
 tion perished, while the proinyshleniki, ahiiost as filthy 
 as the natives in their habits, escaped with compara- 
 tively small loss. Kuprianof did all in his power to 
 check the epidemic, enforcing vaccination wherever it 
 could be enforced, and keeping the whole medical 
 staff of the company in the field, surgeons, stewards, 
 and medical apprentices. Dr Blaschko, a German, 
 who was in charge of the medical service, stated olh- 
 ciall V that three thousand natives died before any vac- 
 ci nation wa.' attempted, and that for an entire year 
 ils effect was barely })erceptible.^'' 
 
 Ill 1838 the d(K'tor proceeded to Unalaska in tlio 
 l\>lijfi,'in, then en route to the Airtic. The dis- 
 ease broke out on that island innnediatelv after his 
 arrival, and it was some time before the su[)erstitious 
 Aleuts could be made to understand that Blaschke 
 liad come amoui; them to cure and not to kill. They 
 consented to vaccination only after a most peremptory 
 order had been issued by the conuiiander of the dis- 
 trict." All the villages in the Unalaska district were 
 
 ^Tliicliinof, who travelled in tlic Kenai tlistrict in 1830, says tliat in 
 Miiuo (if Ihc villages the inliahitaiits liad tlcil, leaving only tlie sick ami deail, 
 the latter ill various atagcM of (lecoiiijMisitiDn. Adri ntnr'-:, MS., "Jit. .Markuf, 
 i:i 1(1//. (liy Sokolof), iMS., 7-0, says: 'Tliediseasocaiiii'iiorthwaril from tliot'o- 
 lninl)i;i, and was carried lrii!?i village to village l)y Jvolosji tiailcrs. At ono 
 tiiiie, at Klmtznn village, tliey found the place desicrted, and doziiis of corji.se.H 
 l\ing around, rotting away. Tlicy threw some earth over tlio hodies^, ami 
 \w\\' oil the |ioint of leaving agiiiii, when an <dd man ap|)''ared ami Paid that 
 id! the people who had escaped the disi'iise liad moved into a tempor;iry camp 
 in tlio Woods, and that they were afraid to ronie to the villiige, hut would 
 willingly 1)0 vaccinated. When my father and a .surgeon's nppreiitiei! who 
 Mas doing the vaccinating had followed Ihe old man a ^;hort distiiiicc into tho 
 Woods, they found tlioniselves .surroumled hy a er. v I of me i, including ono 
 ef the most powerful sliainans. The slianiaa w.i.si xli'^rting the peojile to save 
 lliemselves and their families from ciMtain death .ly killoi;^ the vai'einators 
 and Imrning their bodies, and a large fire for 'hat purpv>si! had already heeii 
 (larted. The surgeon's apprentice gave hiin elf e|) for lost, knelt down, 
 : II 1 hefran to pray and make the sign of the ero^s. In lit ving himself aliout to 
 lie. My father, however, began to talk to tlui iiht:, showed tln'iii tlio marks 
 ( f vaccination on his own arm and on that of his eomi'tuiioii, and called upon 
 H'liie of the ]vliut7.liil men, who had liecn to ^l'ov() Arkhangelsk, to .s'ly 
 v.lictlier they had seen any of tiie liussians or Creoles die of tho disease.' 
 The above Ktatement was niado in Itiissian to my agent, during his stay 
 i;t Sitka in July ISTS. Tikhmenef ,stat» s that the nnmlierof deaths in all tho 
 ihstiicts was not less tlic" 1,(MK), and that the epideniio disappeared in l.-iiO. 
 htm: Ohon., i. JUl!. ^ ■< ■ lation has siiieo been performed on uU children ou 
 reaching a certain age. jlok: Kom. l'ii.<.<. Awir. h'ul., i. 83. 
 
 '■ llia-^rhh; Ui jutrt in Mvrskoi iSbornik {lb4tv), llo-24, 
 
 Umi. A1.ABKA, 3(i 
 
l.l f' 
 
 562 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S OPERATIONS. 
 
 visited by tlic vaccinators, and parties wcro sent on 
 the same errand of mercy to the Ahiska peninsula, 
 to Bristol Bay, and Cook Inlet.*- In nearly every 
 instance the outbreak of the epidemic coul ' be traced 
 to the arrival ( f persons from sections of the colonies 
 already affected, a circumstance which greatly in- 
 creased the difficulties with which the medical men 
 had to battle in treating and protecting the natives. 
 From the coast villages the disease spread into the 
 interior, decimating or depopulating entire settlements. 
 From Bristol Bay it advanced northward to the Kus- 
 kt)kvim and the Yukon, and ra^jed iiercelv anionij tlic 
 dense population of the Yukon di'lta and Norton 
 Sound. To this day the i.slands and coasts are dotted 
 with numerous villaoe sites, the inhabitants of which 
 were carried olV to the last individual during this 
 dreadl'ul period. In many instances the dead wcrn 
 left in their dwellings, which thus served as tluir 
 graves, and skeletons can still be found in manv t'f 
 these ruined habitations. 
 
 One of the eftects of the small-pox epidemic was 
 a general distress in the outlying settlements, caused 
 by the death of so many heads of I'amilies. Lai'gt- 
 issues of ])rovisions were made to widows and or|)han> 
 for several years; and when it was reportetit" Etholtii 
 that in the various districts there existed many vil- 
 lages Avhere only a few male youths of tender ag" 
 survived to take care of the women and children, aiiJ 
 where constant aid from tlie company would be in- 
 quired for some time to come, he I'ramed measures Ini- 
 the consolidation of small villages into large central 
 settlements, where jieople might hi'l}) each otlu r 
 in case of distress. His plan was not perfected uii- 
 
 *''Tlic villaijcs in the Unalaska district at that time utimlxrcd nine; mu' 
 on Unnlaska island, two on Akuu, one each at Avatani'k. Tigalda, I'lga, 
 Unalga, and Uniniak, three on the Alaska jn-ninsnla, two on Unnuik, and mio 
 on each of An} Priliylof Islands. The service was jHTfonaed on the AlasU.i 
 iicninsula hy anrpeon's apprentice Malakh if, with <>ne interpreter as a9si>t::iit. 
 Snrgeon's apprentice Foiiun, and Orlof, interpreter, were sent to l!ris'.'>' I!;iy. 
 A trader nuiuud Mulukhof wua intrusted with thu vacciuatiou ou Cuok lidi t. 
 /(/., 110-17. 
 
POPULATION STATISTICS. 
 
 C03 
 
 til 1844, and th()U,L,'li it met with violent opposition 
 on the part of the natives who were to be benefit eel 
 b}^ it, it was tinally carried out, and tuUilled the most 
 san^^uine expectations of the j^overnor. 
 
 Notwithstandinij: the loss of life that occurred dur- 
 ing the years 1 8oO-l8:J'J, the population of the colonies 
 amounted, according to a census taken in 1841, to 7,580 
 wouls, a decrease since 1822, when the first regular cen- 
 sus was tal<cn,of 700, and since 1819 of 1,4139 persons.'^ 
 There were in 1841 714 llussians or Euro[)eans ot 
 foreign birth, 1,^51 Creoles, and 5,417 Indians.""^ Jie- 
 tween 1830 and 1840 the number of Aleuts de- 
 creased from 0,804 to 4,007, but the loss was in part 
 compensated by the increase in the Russian and creole 
 p:nu!ation, the fecundity among the latter class being 
 vn\^ ;reater tlian among the natives, as tliey received 
 I'Ottei- food and clothing, and were exempt from en- 
 forced service on hunting expeditions. 
 
 Alt]uiU'>h the yield (jf the various huntinLT-Lirounds 
 decreased considt.'ral»Iy during the second term of tln' 
 Itussian American (.'ompany's existence, it was still 
 on a large scale. ]>etwL'en 1821 and 1842 there wtT;' 
 slii[)[)edirom the colonii's over 2;"), 000 sea-otter, 4r)iS,0(i() 
 fur-seal, 102,000 beavcr, 100,000 fox skins, i;]8,000 
 ])ounds of wlialebone, and 2(;0,000 [)ounds of walrus 
 tusks."' At the time oi' Simpson's visit to th<; col- 
 onies i'; 1842, i.l;.e catch of sea-otter at Kadiak, Una- 
 
 ^* ;')n/-. A''i/>' A'v.-x. imw. Knl,, i. 40. Yeriiiolof, in f/Aitlfriqiir f'li^:^., 
 80, ).'ivi.i ll,J">}i 's *■!.>. i/o]iu;;itii(ii in Is.'fti, without cniiiitiiiL; tliu iiidiiitis nt 
 the iiit( I'll,", ■ liu ^^■.■i"> i:i<tre or Il's-i siilijcrt to tlio compiiiiy's nuthoiity. iiii'l 
 who, I f sny^. ii iii'.'n i' a ai-ou.: 4(l,(}00. The St IV'ti'ihuruiur Caluiular of IS.SJ. 
 \K I.'!'.', jiluc's .!'p eiii IV. po iiiJitiou .\., iiigli ai lOO.OUO, hut both tiicsi.! csti- 
 liiati's arouo (loul)t l„. ^i. . .alcd. 
 
 ^''Thero weiv also !(o natives of tlie Ki'.iile Islaiuis. Of tlie Fiuliaiis, -l.lli.'i 
 wore Aleuts, !H!7 Keiiaitzc, mv\ "JST ( 'iiiiLraches. Wrantrcll says thci'c were, 
 ill ls;i(i, 7;!') llussiaiis. 1, I4'_' (.'leoles, ainl !>.(!8"2 [mliaii.-t, ami points witli iiii'li! 
 to tiic inereaso of ii).") souls whiuh iia>l oeenrreil during his administration. 
 Slatisf. Hiitl EihiiO'i., 'A'l',. 
 
 "Also -Jit, 442 otter skin.s, 2.1,.")0() sea-otter tails, f),.!").") bear, 4,'J.");{ l.M.x, 
 1,."()4 ^dntton, 1."),4nI mink, l."),<iOt> sable, 4,4'Jl musk-rat, and "JOl wolf skin-". 
 T'ikhmt'tiff, iMor. (tlms., i. .S27. Veniaminof, Zaiihki, in a tablo at the end 
 of vol. ii., ).'i'. .3 the yielil of tiie I'rybilof Islands alone, between 1SI7 ami 
 l'^''t7, at oil .. '4 fur-Ki'alti. Of tho wlialu lishcriea ineutiuu will bo uiudu 
 later. 
 
ii'iii 
 
 W ' 
 
 lli: 
 
 
 504 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S OPERATIONS. 
 
 laska, and Atklia, then the principal liunting-grr in,ls, 
 did not exceed 1,000 a year. Of course the dimin- 
 ished yield was attended with a corresponding increase 
 in price, six or seven blankets being given for a good 
 sea-otter skin, and tliirteen for the best, while as much 
 as two hundred roubles in cash was asked for a single 
 fur of the choicest quality."' Moreover, the natives 
 were not slow to better the instruction which had 
 accompanied the progress of civilization in the far 
 •north-west. They had learned how to cheat, and 
 could already outcheat the Russians. " One favorite 
 artifice," relates Simpson, "is to stretch the tails of 
 land-otters into thos if sea-otters. Again, when a 
 skin is rejected as beii.;, cient in size or defective 
 
 in quality, it is immedu. y, according to circum- 
 stances, enlarged or colored or pressed to order, and 
 is then submitted as a virgin article to the buyer's 
 criticism l)v a ditlerent customer." 
 
 It is somewhat remarkal>le tluii the decline in the 
 leading industry of the colonies and the increase in 
 llie vahie (»f furs was not attended with a correspond- 
 ing reduction of dividends. Between 1821 and 1841 
 alxHit 8,500,000 roubles were distributed among the 
 sharehoklers,'^ or nearly double the sum disbursed 
 during the company's first term. The directors were, 
 however, often in sore need of funds, and someiimes 
 could onl\' declare a dividend by charging it to the earn- 
 ings of future years. During this period the gross 
 revenues excecled 01,400,000 roubles, and in 1841 
 the capital liad beeu increased to about 0,200,000 
 roubles, which wns representetl mainly by trading 
 goods, provisions, material, implements, furs, sea-go- 
 ing vessels, and real estate in Russia, the amount of 
 cash on hand at that date being less than 50,000 
 roubles. 
 
 '- Besides this no bargain was conclufled without other trifles being thrown 
 in. B'lchcr's yari: Voij. round World, ii. 101. 
 
 ■'■■' A list of these di videmU ia given in I'ikhnifne/, Isfnr. Obos. , i. 37S. Thoy 
 were paid every two years, and varied from 108 to 88 roubles per share. For 
 1S---3 auJ 1840-1 iio dividends were declared. 
 
THE FUR TRADE. 
 
 5Co 
 
 Large quantities of furs were still exclianged at 
 Kiakhtc for teas and Chinese cloths, which were 
 afterward sold at Moscow and at the fair at Nijinei- 
 Novgorod, the remainder of the furs and all the wal- 
 rus tusks and whalebone being marketed at St Peters- 
 burg. 
 
 The contract with the Hudson's Bay Company and 
 the reopening of intercourse with foreigners, though 
 limited to the port of Novo Arkhangelsk, were of great 
 benefit to the shareholders. In 1822 and 1823, when 
 the prohibition against foreign traffic was in force, the 
 company suffered a clear loss of 85,000 roubles in sil- 
 ver, while for the two following years the dividend 
 was the largest paid during,' ^he second term, amount- 
 ing to nearly 45 silver roubles per share. Although 
 furs were bartered with English and American skip- 
 pers at half or less than half the prices current in 
 Kussia, the loss was more than jounterbalanced by 
 the cheaper rates at which provisions and trading 
 goods could be obtained.''* Moreover, the frciglit 
 charged on the Hudson's Bay Com|>any's vessels, ac- 
 cordingly to the terms of the contract, was 50 to 78 
 silver roubles per ton, while from Kronstadt it was 
 180 to 254, and by way of Siberia 540 to G30 roubles 
 in silver. Between 1821 and 1840 twelve expeditions 
 were despatched from Kroiistadt to the colonies with 
 supplies, and yet more than once the governor ^vas 
 compelled to send vessels to Chile for cargoes of bread- 
 stutl's.^' 
 
 *' For the inhabitants of Novo Arkhangelsk ahjne, ami for the crews of tho 
 company's vessels sailing from that port, there were importeil, in IS.'U, (),()(•<) 
 poiicls of grain, 900 of salt beef, 500 of ilried beef, and a snllicicnt quantity of 
 bcitter and other provisions. Two years later wheat ilour was selling at 14 
 r( ubles a pond, salt beef at to \'2, butter at 'J8, tea at '280, white sugar at 
 0."), and tobacco at 50 to (iO roubles a poud. Wrainjell, Statist, und Etluwij., 
 ]-', 24-5. 
 
 '^■'Dok. Kom, Russ. Amer. Kol., i. .30. Tho Ihiikal w.ts sent to Chile in 
 1820, in charge of Etholin. Russian manufactures were then introduced for 
 the iirst time into Chilian markets, and met with ready sale at protitablo 
 rates. Etliolen purchased 9,340 pouds of wheat, at prices much lower than 
 tlioso prevailing nt Okhotsk or even in California. J'ikhmenif, latur. Olms., 
 i. .'J44-5. Several regul.'itions made during the company's second terra, 
 \\ hereby expenses could bo reduced, arc mentioned in Id,, ti73-4. 
 
,.k 
 
 f < 
 
 I 
 
 
 ^^ 
 
 
 
 !i::,il 
 
 iji'i 
 
 
 ! ■■.I 
 
 li 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 : 
 
 
 H 
 
 In 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 » 
 
 
 m 
 
 11 
 
 
 m 
 
 H 
 
 1 
 
 C66 TIIK RUSSIAN A.MKRICAN COMPANY'S OPERATIONS. 
 
 The expoiiso of siippoi'tiiifr the colonics, apart from 
 the sums i-ec|uire(l for the lioine office, tax(^s, Jind otluT 
 items, increased from about G7G,000 roubles, serip, iti 
 1821, to over l,21U,000 roubles in 1841, and amount- 
 ed for the whole period to nearly 18,000,000 roubles. 
 The increase was due mainly to the necessity of estal)- 
 lishing jnore stations as seal became scarce near the 
 settlements, and of increasinf^ the pay of employees. 
 "The salaries of the officers," remarks Simpson dur- 
 int» his stay at Novo Arkhangelsk, "independently of 
 such pay as they may have, accordinij to tiieir rank 
 ill the imperial navy, ranj^e between three thousand 
 and twelve thousand rouldes a year, the rouble beinjjf, 
 as nearly as possible, espial to the franc; while they 
 are, moreover, provided with firewood and candles, 
 with a room for each, and a servant and a kitchen be- 
 tween two. Ceru rally speakinj^, the officers are ex- 
 tra vaijfant, those of liv( Lhousand roubles and upwards 
 spending nearly the whole, and the others getting 
 into debt, jvs a kind of mortgage on their future pro- 
 motion. 
 
 " For the amount of business done, the men, as well 
 as the officers, appear to be unnecessarily numerous, 
 amounting this season to nearly five hundred, who, 
 with their families, make about one thousand two hun- 
 dred souls as the population of the establishment.^'^ 
 Among the servants are some excellent tradesmen, 
 such as engineers, armorers, tin-smiths, cabinet-mak- 
 ers, jewellers, watchmakers, tailors, cobblers, builders, 
 etc., receiving generally about three hundred and fifty 
 roubles a 3'ear; they have come originally on engage- 
 ments of seven years; but most of them, by drink- 
 ing or by indulging in other extravagance," contrive 
 
 *• These figures probably inchi<lo only the employees and their familios. 
 In nnlaj/son'n Vanroinrr Islitnd and N. IK. Coaxf, MS., 10, it is statcil tiiat 
 ill 1840 Sitka was garrisoned by over 500 troops. 
 
 " 'Spirits, which cost the company at Montreal $2 per gallon, wcrosoM 
 in the interior to their servants at ?8 per qiiai-t. At this rate the company 
 could not lose anything l)y increasing the salaries of drinking men.' JJuiiu's 
 Oregon and liiiUah K. Amer. Fur Trade, 23 (I'hiladelphia, ISio). 
 
SIMPSON'S VISIT. 
 
 607 
 
 to be SO regularly in debt as to become fixtures for 
 
 " lb." 
 
 life "■" 
 
 *' In Ilia Narrative of a Jovmf.i/ round the World during tho years 1S41 
 mill If+^'i, Sir (loorgc! Simpson gives sonui iiitorestini:^ <le8erii)tioii8 of Novo Aik- 
 ii.iii^clsk anil its iiiiiiiliitunts, from wliioli I sliall givo ono or twocxtnicts IjitiT. 
 Ill' appears U» luivo been a keen observer, ami his work was eviileiitly written 
 witliinit bias. 'J'ravclling as the representative of tiio iludson's Jl;iy(,'om- 
 ji.iny, bo made the journey ovcrlaiul from Huston to l''ort Vam-oiiver. Thenee, 
 after a visit to Novo Arkhangelsk, ho sailed for California and the Samlwieh 
 Islands. Ketnrninjj; to Novo Arkhanj^elsk in the Hpring of lSt'2, he soon 
 afterward sailed for Okhotsk, and traversing Siberia and European iliissia, 
 nrrivc'd ot London in October of the Hamu year, the entire journey oueupying 
 1!) months and '2li days. 
 
 W' I 
 
 
 \'' 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 It ' 
 
 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMrANY'S LAST TERM. 
 
 1842-18GG. 
 
 The Cuakier Renewed — Its Provisions — The Affair at Petrof.w- 
 lov.sk — Outbreaks among the Natives — The Nulato Massacri; — 
 A Second Massacre Threatened at Novo Arkhangelsk — Explor- 
 ations — The Western Union Telegraph Company — Westdaiii/s 
 Experience — The Company Requests Another Renewal of it-i 
 Charter — Negotiations with the Imperial Government — Tiir.iu 
 Failure — Population — Food Supplies — The Yield of Furs — Whal- 
 ing—Dividends — Trade — Bibliographical. 
 
 li 
 
 m 
 
 At the request of the directors, and after a care- 
 ful investigation into the condition of the colonies, 
 the in)perial council at St Petersburg decided, on tlic 
 5tli of Marcli,^ 1841, to renew the charter of tlio 
 Russian American Company for a further period of 
 twenty years. "In the variety and extent of its 
 operations," declare the members of the council, "no 
 other company can compare with it. In addition to 
 a commercial and industrial monopoly, the govern- 
 ment has invested it with a portion of its own powers 
 in governing the vast and distant territory over which 
 it now holds control. A change in this system would 
 now be of doubtful benefit. To open our ports to all 
 hunters promiscuously would be a death-blow to the 
 fur trade while the government, havincf transferred to 
 the company the control of the colonies, could not now 
 resume it without great expense and trouble, and woukl 
 have to create new financial resources for such a pur- 
 
 ' DoL Kotn. liuaa. Amer. KoL, i. 40; tho7tli according to Tikhmenef, Istor, 
 Obos., i. 365. 
 
 (5C8) 
 
A NEW CHARTER. 
 
 669 
 
 pose." This opinion, together with a charter defin- 
 ing the privileges and duties of tlie company, was de- 
 livered to the tzar and received his signature on the 
 11th of October, 1844. 
 
 The new charter did not differ in its main features 
 from that of 1821, though the boundary was of 
 course changed in accordance with the English and 
 American treaties. None of the company's rights 
 were curtailed, and the additional privileges were 
 granted of trading with certain ports in China, and 
 of shipping tea direct from Shanghai to St l*eters- 
 huYiX. The board of managers, throus]fh its aijjent the 
 governor of the colonies, was recognized as the su- 
 preme power, though appeal could be made to the 
 emperor through the minister of finance. A colo- 
 nial council was established, consisting of the dep- 
 uty governor and four naval officers, or officials of the 
 company, with criminal jurisdiction in all but capital 
 cases. Much indulgence was shown to naval, military, 
 and civil officers, who while in the company's service 
 received half-pay, and did not forfeit their riglit of 
 promotion, their time of service being countetl double.^ 
 
 The sale of fire-arms, ammunition, and spirituous 
 liquor to the natives was still forbidden; anil tliis pro- 
 hibition was followed by an order from the governor 
 that no intoxicating drink should be sold in the col- 
 onics. It is related that when this order was read to 
 the servants of the company many of them could not 
 refrain from tears. The temperance cause had but 
 few advocates in Russian America. One of the men, 
 named Markof, who in 1845 sailed from Novo Ark- 
 hangelsk for San Francisco, thus relates his expe- 
 rience: "How easily and willingly the labor of getting 
 the ship under way was performed 1 Each sailor had 
 it in his mind that he could enjoy himself foi- his 
 trouble in the first tap-room in California. In the 
 
 'Tho provisions of the charter of 1844 are given at length in Dol: Kom. 
 liiisn. Amer. Kol.,i. iO-GO; audiu Tikhmeiu^, Istor. Obos., ii. aiip. part i. 
 11-74. 
 
570 THE RUSSIAN A:sIERICAN COMPANY'S LAST TERM. 
 
 ■i i 
 
 evening we conlcl only see the outlines of our former 
 home, traced in black, indistinct shapes against the 
 darkening sky. 'The devil must have planted these 
 cursed soa-otters in these out-of-the-way regions, said 
 one of the sailors; 'as far as we can see land up and 
 down the coast, not a single rum-shop is to be found.' 
 'Yes,' answered another, 'but I remember Father 
 Baranof There was a time when a camp-kettle was 
 set out brimming full, and he would shout, "Drink, 
 children!" and he would join himself in a merry song. 
 Those were better days,' continued he, with his eyes 
 lixed on the waning land; 'but now what times have 
 we! We can do nothing but work, and when that 
 is done, we promenade, or smoke in the barrack. 
 What a life!' 'You see,' replied his comrade, 'in this 
 c(Hintry we all have to join the temperance society.' 
 'What is that?' 'I don't know exactly: it is some 
 kind of a sect. I belonged to it once, but it is so 
 hniiX aijfo I forixet. I can make no reckoning of time 
 when I get no drinks to count by; but I remember 
 we all had to pay a beaver skin apiece.' 'A beaver 
 skin apiece! That is a big price to pay for the ])rivi- 
 loije of drinkincT nothing but water. I'll have nothing 
 to do with any such sect. There was that German 
 ^lukolof; ho joined the sect, and in a few weeks he 
 was dead. God knows where he is now' — crossinn" 
 himself: 'I don't think there is much room for Dutch- 
 men in heaven; so many Russians go thcre.'"^ 
 
 .! n 
 
 ,. |ii^ 
 
 As soon as war between England and Russia be- 
 came a certainty, representatives of the Russian 
 American and Hudson's Bay companies met in Lon- 
 don to consult on the exigences of the case. It was 
 agreed that both companies should petition their gov- 
 ernments for a convention of neutrality, that should 
 include the Russian and English possessions on the 
 
 ' Riisk-ie na Vostofehvom, etc., or Tho K'jssians on the Eastern Ocean ('2d 
 C(l., St rctcrsburg, 1850), 59-00, 102-4. Murkof adila that, on reaching S;iii 
 Francisco, tho first huililing which they entered waa a ilrinking-saloon, kc^it 
 by one of Napoleon's veteraua who had served in tlio campaign of 1S12. 
 
WAR WITH ENGLAND. 
 
 r>7l 
 
 north-west coast of America, the parties heincr al- 
 lowed to trade freely with each other, while I'orhear- 
 iii<^ to furnish aid to the squadrons of Russia or of the 
 allies. The powers at war, consideriiiijf this a small 
 matter, and wishiii<jf to keep their hands free in other 
 (juarters, consented to sanction the agreement. A 
 few English cruisers appeared at the entrance of 
 Sitka ]^ay at various times, hut finding no vessels of 
 war in port, nor any evidence of a violation of the 
 agreement, inflicted no damage,* The comjiany suf- 
 fered some loss, however, hy the bond)ardment of 
 I?etropavlovsk in 1854,'^ and through its destruction 
 in the following year, on which occasion the allies 
 burned the government buildings, plundered the 
 (J reek -catholic church, broke all the windows in the 
 town," and captured a vessel belonging to the Russian 
 American Company. A part of the allied forces then 
 sailed for Ourup, and bombarded the Russian settle- 
 ment on that island, burned all the buildings, seized 
 the furs and [)apers belonging to the company," and 
 hoisted the union-jack, the tric(>lor, and a sign-post 
 declaring that they took possession of the teiritory 
 on behalf of England and France. These proceedings 
 \\ere sufficiently disgraceful — the most disgraceful 
 
 * This was citlicr a fortunate accMcnt or was due to the vigilance of tlio 
 Kussians. lu 185'2 tho frigates Aurora and Diana, the corvetto Xmariii, 
 iiiid tlio transport Xii'mi'ii were di!Si)atclied from Kronstadt to Kuindiatka. 
 J/orykiii Shuriiik, x. '2\S. The Diana and a corvette (prolialdy the yarariii) 
 M t re expected to rendezvous at Novo Ariiliangelsk. iiaint Aniaii/. Vdij. rii 
 i'al. it <lini-i I'Orcjoii (Paris, lS."i4), (i.'57. At this time tlic fort of Novo Arlv- 
 liungelsk was mounted with 70 guns, inchidiiig two of viry long nnige, and 
 wiis garrisoned by '2,'iO to ;UM) men, well connnandc^d, hut jioorly armed. 
 Of 4S;J ritlcs sent from Tobolsk, between ISol and lSo4, only 101 were lit for 
 use. Sitka Arvhiren, ii. 8.'}. 
 
 ^ After tho failure of the attack whicli followed the bombardment tho 
 English admiral I'rico committed suicide. When infonned of this the Hus- 
 sions would not ))elieve it, but ascribed ids dealli to a well aimed shut from 
 the shore batteries. Mor.'<koi iShornik, xlv. 1, 'J, '2'.\. l!y oukaz of l>ec. "J, 
 ISIU, Okhotsk was clo:,cd as a naval stiitiou and the force transferred to 
 I'etropavloTsk. /(/.,clv. 7. 
 
 "Ill li'oilijcra'' Letters, JIS., ii., it is stated that, in 18.")G, few bouses were 
 left standing at I'etropavlovsk, but that the English behaved well, while tiio 
 I'reneli rioted in destruction. 
 
 ''i"he natives of the Kiirile Islands reported sea-otter plentiful on some of 
 the grouj). In 18.");>, 108 skins were shipped from Ourup, and '200 retaiued 
 for future sliipuicut. Sitka Archive-'', ii. Gj. 
 
 ■ 
 
 
[I 
 
 Mm 
 
 :! 
 
 
 II 
 
 
 ' i! 1 
 
 j^M 
 
 
 l-j, 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 i 
 
 II 
 
 Mi-H' 
 
 m 
 
 ml 
 
 ■H 
 
 H^B wi 
 
 Bflj 
 
 BUB 5' 
 
 M 
 
 ^Bl' 
 
 1 
 
 
 9i>E 
 nil 
 
 n,-^ 
 
 TIIK JIUSSIAN AMERICAN COMrANY'S LAST TKRM. 
 
 afTiiir, perhaps, of the wliolo war, if wo except the 
 Sin()[)e niassiicro; but yet more (liHi^raeeful was tlu; 
 conduct of the EngHssh goverunieiit which sanctioned 
 them, on the jjfround that the convention of neutrahtv 
 extended only to the north-west coast of America, uud 
 not to all the company's territory. 
 
 Tlioujjfli no attack was made, during the war, on 
 the Alaskan settlements, the Russians suftered more 
 severely about this date from outbreaks among the 
 natives than at any time since the Sitka massacre 
 In 1851 the fort at Nulato was surprised by Indians, 
 
 Among the vic- 
 
 and most of the inmates butchered. 
 
 
 Pl^vn of NrLATO. 
 
 tims were the commandant Derzhavin and Lieutenant 
 ]>arnard, an English naval officer on board the En- 
 ferprise, despatched in search of Sir John Franklin 
 and his party.'^ In that year Barnard was sent to in- 
 vestigate the truth of certain rumors as to the mur- 
 der of a party of his countrymen near Lake jMintokh, 
 and in his blunt English fashion announced that he 
 intended to send for the chief of the Koyukans, 
 
 ^ In July ISJO tho Ilcriifd, Plover, and hnrKtirjntor, all despatched iuscircli 
 of Fiaiikliii and his party, mot in Kotzchuo Sound. Wliile anchori'd olf 
 Chaniisso IsUmd during the i)revious year, the capt;iin of one of these ves.sels 
 caused search to lie made for a cask of flour buried there by IJecchey, 'l'.\ yeara 
 before. It was found to be in good condition, and a dinner party was given, 
 at which cakes and pastry made of the (lnurfonned partof the fare. Sevmaii'-i 
 liari: Voy. Jlemld, ii. 100, 179; Iluuper'a 'I\hIs of the Tuski, 'IVi. 
 
MASSACRE AT NULATO. 
 
 671 
 
 tho 
 
 -..i*^- 
 
 juamcd Larion, avIio was tlieii lioldiiig fostival at his 
 villaijo a tew loaj^ues distant. But, as Dall roinarks, 
 this man "was not accustonunl to ho sent tor. Whou 
 the Russians dosireil to see him, they respectfully re- 
 (juested the honor of his i)resenc'e." Now Jjarion was 
 a great ehii't", and also a .sliaman, and his ire was 
 thorou,i:fhly roused at tho insult. Moreover, tlioro 
 was another cause of [)rovi)oation. One of his daugh- 
 ters had for some time heen living with ]3erzhavin as a 
 concuhine. This was perfectly legitimate and seemly 
 according to the native and even tho Russian code of 
 morals; hut a second dauixhter had recentlv found 
 favor in the eyes of the connnandant, and when tho 
 shaman demanded, in ])erson, the surrender of at least 
 one of his children, Derzhavin coolly answered that ho 
 had at tho fort a visitor, who must also ho provided 
 with a concuhine. Alter his d(^parturo perhaps ono 
 of the damsels might be restored. 
 
 A council wns call<>d, and Larion swore that tho 
 salmon should have hlood to drink before they went 
 back to the sea. At this moment a dog-sk'd a[)peai'ed 
 in sii^lit on the Yukon, by tho side of which walked 
 a Russian and a Xulato workman. Soon afterwar<l 
 the sled was drawii up on tlie bank for the purjiose of 
 cooking the mid-day meal, and while tlie Xulato 
 was searching for watei', a party of Indians stole up 
 steathily behind the Russian, and stunning hitu with 
 a blow on tho head, beat in his skull with their clubs. 
 His ilesh was then cut in strips, roasted, and devoured, 
 iuid the Koyukans srt fortli at once for Xulato. 
 ]lalf a mile from the fort were three large buildings, 
 in which were many Xulato families. These were 
 set on tire, and their (K'cuj>ants were either smothered 
 in the smoke or fell ])eneath the knives and arrows of 
 the savages, <^no man only making his escape to tho 
 mountains, and a few women being s[)ared to servo as 
 slaves. 
 
 The Koyukans then advanced on the fort, where 
 most of the inmates were yet asleep, and all Mere un- 
 
 f 
 
574 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S LAST TERM. 
 
 conscious of the inipondiiif;^ clan_i»'cr. Dorzlio-vin, who 
 had just risen, was stabbed in the back and teh dend 
 ^vitllout a struuf^le. Barnard, who was readiui; in bed, 
 grasped liis gun and fired two sliots, but each time 
 the barrel was struck upward and the balls lodged in 
 the cciHng, whereupon he was stabbed in the stouiaoli, 
 his intestines protruding from the wound. The work- 
 men, who lived in a separate building in whicli wore 
 two Ilussians and a few Creoles, had now taken the 
 alarm and barricaded the door. IMuskets were fired at 
 the savages, but without effect, and were answered by 
 a fii^ht of arrows. At len'j^th one of them fell, where- 
 ui)ou the ent're party at once took to flight, carrying 
 Avitli tliem their booty and prisoners."^ A new i'ort 
 Siurrounded with a stockade was built two or three 
 years later on the spot where it now stands, and 
 within a hundred 3'ards of it is a cross that marks tlie 
 resting-place of Barnard and Derzhavin. 
 
 In the following year a party of Kolosh destroyed 
 the buildings at the hot springs near the Ozerskoi ro- 
 
 'Dall, Alaska, 48-r)l, i3 probably the best authority or. the Nulato ma-i- 
 Bacrc, tli<m,L,'li, as I have before remarked, ho is cxtrcniely iiiaccurati; in mat- 
 ters relatinj,' to tlie history of Alaska. I have acecptcil Koine portions of his 
 narrative, and the reinainiler is taken priueipally from tlie statement of ore 
 vlio Was i)resent at the massacre and from wiiieh the followint; is an extract: 
 'When ti.e Koyukans had gatliered abo>it KK) warriors they .>itarted down 
 Btriam, joiirniv ng oidy by night. Finally they camped on tlio shore of a 
 lalic, about lialf a day's travel from tiie river, and the same distance from the 
 foit. Several small parties and some women weio tlien sent forward to the 
 redoubt, to trade and act as spies. On tlio third day some of them returned, 
 and duriugthenight we advanced to wit bin !i short distance of Nulato. At dny- 
 break tile attack was made, mnnien being assisted by the spies who had rcmaincvl 
 in the fort. This was the lirst war-pai'ty that I had ever joined, and I was very 
 much frightened, and fired my musket at random. When I entered tiie re- 
 doubt tlie victims were all dead, and our people were engaged in eolleetiiig 
 the pliiiid(,"r, of whicii my siiare was two silver-mounted jiistols and a box of 
 lieads; but afterward 1 iienrd Larion boast repeatedly that he killed lioth JJeri- 
 nbiii iind the iMiglisIi ollicer with liis own hand, and there were none to eoii- 
 tiadict him.' This slalenient was made on the l.")tii of .Tanuaiy, ]S7i(, by 
 Ivan Konnygen, a native of the village of Unnl.dvleet, near Mikhaiclovsk. My 
 ng'jnt obtained the iiUoiniation from Konnygen, wlio w.as a prisoner at San 
 (^'uentiu, where he went by tlie name of Korrigan. At the time of the mas- 
 Baere he was a f-uitor for <>uo of Larion's daughters. Tikhnienef, Julor. Ohon., 
 ii. '20"2, mentions only three victims — Deriabin, liuruard, and one Aleut, lie 
 also states tliat the leason for the nttiack was the protection given liy the Rus- 
 eiuns to some of the Nulato people wlio had ii'^^urred the wratli of the Koyu- 
 kans. Russian authorities appear to be ill informed on this matter or to have 
 pur|iosely misrepresented it. In J)ok: Kom. liuaa, Amtr. KoL, i. 80, it is 
 niei'uly stated that the attack was repulsed. 
 
KOLOSH HOSTILITIES. 
 
 575 
 
 doubt. The inmates were stripped of all that they 
 possessed, even to their shirts, and in this plight made 
 their way across the mountains to tlie capital."^ In 
 1855 the Andreicf station, south of Fort !Michaielovsk, 
 was destroyed by Indians, two of the company's ser- 
 vants beinij slauixhtcred.^* In the same year an 
 attack was made on Novo Arkhansjelsk. The Sitkan 
 Kolosh, without apparent provocation, fell upon a 
 sentry who was guarding the wood-piles of the com- 
 ])any and wounded him with spears. Tlie governor 
 ilemanded the surrender of the guilt}* inrlividuals, but 
 was answered with tlireats. Two cannon-sliot were 
 tlu^niircd, whereupon the savages made a rush for the 
 fort and began to chop down the palisade. A sharp 
 lire of nmsketry and artillery was opened on tliem, 
 but without Cifect, Some tried U> force themselves 
 through the embrasures; others broke in the door of 
 a church, built outside the stockade ibr the use of 
 natives, and returned the fusillade from the windows. 
 If the Kolosli liad been in possession of a few pieces 
 of cannon, it is not improbable that there might 
 have been a repetition of the Sitka massacre. For 
 two hours they stood their ground, but after losing 
 more than a lumdred of their nmnber,'' were forced to 
 capitulate and give Iiostages to the Uussians, A st rict 
 surveillance was thenceforth kept over the indei>en(i- 
 ent native tribes, and no serious emeutes occurred. 
 
 "About .5,0fK) roubloa was distributed um.iif:; tbem as roinpcnsiitioii. 
 fyi'hi Arrhiirx, ii. 107. One of tln'iii, an iuvaliil. is siniim-i'd t'l ii.iv*^ pi'i'islii d, 
 as iKitliing was hoard of liim. ll'iird'-^ Tin-'f I''. (/.•••■ fr/.b'i'.'.Wf, MS., 4;i. During 
 llio sanio year S.'i Stikceiis wi're inassaored by the Kol.i h, wliilo dii a vLsit t > 
 Kovo ArUlian;,'elsk in sii^bt of the town. On aii'ithtr oeeasitin several I'l 
 tlieiii were smothered wliih^ takiii;^ a stiaiii bath, tlie lvilu>h elnsiiiijall tlio 
 oiH'iiin,i;9. /(/., (».'<-l. IiiCtetober bSo3 a ereolo and iiii AKnit, while huiitin:; 
 deer near the Ozerskoi redoubt, were murdered by Kolosh. Sirku Archives, ii. 
 
 " Tilhmrnrf, Istor. ("<".i., ii. '202-.S. In A'., i;."!'.), isj a list of the attitiona 
 under the eontrol. AnKHig them was Niilato. 
 
 '■'' /'ii/!-. Kom. I'liK". Aino: A'o/., i. M, wliero it is stated ihat two of tho 
 defenders were killed and IS) wounded. Tikhnienef, i-fni: (t/ntx., ii. •JfiS, 
 jdaees the losses of (he l!us!<ians at the same ligures, and t'lat of the Kol.;sli .it 
 IM» killed and woumled. Otherwise there is no niateri.il dill'erenee in tlie>e 
 two aeeounts of the ulFair. A deserijvtion of it is aksoijiveii iu the Aihvntiin* 
 fj Znkliar Vhichiiwf, MS., 41-0. L'hiehinof was an eyu-\Mtuj83, o.^ wua ulso 
 Cliaiica Krugcr, iu 18S0 u resident of tiuu Fnuicisco. 
 
 ' 1 
 
 H 
 
676 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S LAST TERM. 
 
 After his return from tlio colonies, Tcbonkof, who 
 succeeded Etholen as governor, ^nlI'li:■^hed, in 1852, an 
 atlas, in which the results were exhibited of all 
 the explorations of the previous twelve years, to- 
 gether with many of former periods.'^ To mention 
 the discoveries of all the exploring pr.rties tliat were 
 despatched during the company's third term would 
 serve but to tax the reader's patience.'* More inter- 
 esting arc the operations of the scientific corps that 
 sailed from Stuart Island on the 17th of September, 
 18Gi>, under the auspices of the Western Union Tele- 
 graph Company. 
 
 It was intended by the managers to build an overland 
 line to Europe through Alaska, across Bering Strait, 
 ami through Siberia by way of the Amoor River.'' 
 The cooperation of the Russian government was 
 obtained, and a party of explorers organized for mak- 
 
 I.;. 
 
 " It was published in 1852, named The Xoifh-ire-ifern CoaH o/ Amerirn, 
 from JJiriiiij Straits to Cope Corrienti* and tin' Al'iniHr I'il'iiii!<, vith the Ail- 
 di'ioii of a Fill} Poiiilx on the Korth-('ii'<tern Cotint o/ Ak'hi. Tlio iii:i))«, wliicli 
 nunibi.rcd ,'?!*, were cnjrraved at Novo Arkhangelsk l>y the crcolo Tcreiitiof. 
 The di-icnverics Hjj to 1>S4'2 have already licen related. In 1S43 two parties 
 explored the .Sustchina and topper rivers for tlic piirixiso <>f extendinir tnide 
 with the natives. Daring Tcbenkrif's ndniini.stration, explorations ineluiled 
 the eoast from Anelior Point in ivenai liny to Sukli I.-ilaiid in ( "hu.Lrasch J5a y. the 
 vholo (if Kadiak and the smaller islands to the sniith (.f it, Voskressenski 
 l{;iy, .Andrcianof, Afognak, Unniak, L'nalasska, Shtnnairin. Ourup, and other 
 islands; the shores of JJaranof and Cruznf islands fri>ni C'a]>e Oinmau'-y to 
 Mount F.dgeeunil)e, Norton Hay, and llerinj^ and Kmile straits. Ti/Jiini jh/, 
 I.itor. Olinn., ii. 1247-^; J)"k: Koiii. /'ii^s. Auif-r. K<->i., i. !>S. 
 
 •*In this eonneetion may be mentioned tlieexplnnitinn of the Aleutian Isl- 
 ands, made by Lieutenant (!il)son in the L'niteil States sehcxmer" /('(////(orc 
 ('oiijur, in lS,")(i, as mentioned in the Itoijir^ I.tt'ir*, MS., ii. (\VasljinL;ton, 
 1>. C. ), lilakc's siwvey of the Stikeen Kiver, as relatf<l in his l!ii>«iaii A i>i< rii'o, 
 1 'J, and Kcnnieott and Kiibv"s jimrneys from the .Maekenzio Kiver to the 
 Vuk'iii, as narrated in the S'iiiitfi'>ri>iiiiii l!'itort<, ls*il. 311 4!».and IStil, 41(1 "JO. 
 Kennieott was appointed direetor of the m lentiiio eorps, in eonnntinn w itii 
 the Wistern Union T'. legrapli Company, but died a few months before the 
 expedition set forth. J>(ill'i> Ald-'Lcy 4"). 
 
 '^'i'lie project is credited to Major Collins, to whom the Russian govern- 
 ment ),'a\e the ])rivilego of eonstruetin;,'. n aintaiuiii^'. and working a line 
 from the month of the .\inoor to the boumlary iH'twfen Russian territoi-y 
 and Ihitish .\n' 'riea. He was allowed to erect bio. k-houses and other neces- 
 sary (leti'iices. lie miulit cut tindier, ojien roads, navigate rivers, and in fact 
 do almost anything except organize a new empire. A'/m.r., J,'ii>i. Aimr. 
 Tc/., '2i'2. In ISG2 a eonnnittee of the U. S. .Scii;,te reportnl in favor of a 
 survey for a lino via .Sd)eiia. r. S. S'li. Con)., H-ffirl, .'ITlh eoug., '2d sess., 
 xiii. In the same year the U. S. Minister in Russia was ordered to favor 
 the enterpri.se. U. S. Si ii. £.i-. Dor., liTth cong., "Jd t^ess., x. 
 
TCLnORAPH EXri:DITlON. f,77 
 
 ing preliminary surveys on tlie Aiuorican contiiiont 
 and in Siberia. Captain C. S. Bulkley was appointed 
 to superintend tlie expedition, and for this purpose 
 ])roceeded to Xovo Arkhangelsk in the spring of ISOo. 
 A steamer, three harks, and otlier eraft were j)ur- 
 chased for the use of the members, and witli the per- 
 mission of the seeretary of the treasury several revenue 
 olficers participated in the enterprise. One vessel 
 sailed for Ihitish Columbia, the intention l)eing to 
 ])enetrate from the head waters of the Frazer River 
 t ) those of tlu' Yukon; another to Novo Arkhangelsk, 
 a third to Fort Mikhaielovsk, and a fourth to the 
 mouth of the Anadir IJiver in Siberia. In the fol- 
 lowing year explorations were continued; but in 18G7, 
 a few months after the th'st pole was raised,^" the com- 
 l)any, after having incurred an expense of three millions 
 of dollars, abandoned the enterprise and recalled its ex- 
 plorers, frnding that the line could not compete with 
 the Atlantic cable. The details of their oi)erations 
 do not concern the purposes of this volume, but we 
 have some interesting des<'riptions, which will be men- 
 tioned later, of the condition of the liussian settle- 
 ments, especially in the work of Dall, who was a[)- 
 l)ointed director of the scientific corps. 
 
 I shall venture also to give a brief extract from a 
 stateuK .it made in 1878 by Ferdinand Westdahl, wlio 
 v.ho was employed to survey Norton Souml and 
 other points for the purpose of determining their ex- 
 act position on the company's chart, and had not then 
 lieard of his recall: "We lav at Uisalakleet until 
 I'Y'hruarv, when w^ wei.t into the field .vnd continued 
 to work on the liae, j>uttlng up some 30 miles — the 
 jtosts only — for we had no wire. The country is a 
 complete bog. If you dig down on thi' hills there two 
 fci't, you strike ice. We dug three holes with crow- 
 
 '*0n '.'ao l^tof Januarj-, 18(17, after breakfast, tlic party went out in n 
 l""ly iinil raised the lirst telegraph Jiole, oi'niiiiiriitcil witli the llug.s nf the 
 I iiited States, tlie teletrrapli ex]Htlition, the iiiasonic fraternity, oud the 
 bi.ii;iUilic corps A salut;- ot U(i guu,; wiw lired. JJuU'n Alanka, M, 
 
 UlHT. ALAbKA. 'Si 
 
 i 
 
578 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S LAST TERM. 
 
 bars. 111 many i)laccs we fbiind snow 15 foot in 
 tloptli to leeward of a hill. Our polos were on an 
 avorajje 15 feet lonyf, but on the leeward side we 
 had to make them '24 iwt long. We should have 
 made them all 24 or 30 feet lung, but that the timber 
 was too short. We dug them three feet into the 
 ground, which consists of frozen dirt. In summer 
 when the surface thawed, we found many of tlicm, 
 which we sui)|)osed to be very firmly erected, entirely 
 loose. 
 
 "The men were very contented. They wen; of 
 course exposed to severe cold, and wo had the ther- 
 mometer as low as GS' below zero, but we did not 
 sulfer in the least. We were dressed in I'urs like In- 
 dians, and slcjit in open cam[)S. For rations \\v had 
 only beans and graham flour. We also obtained seal- 
 (»il from the Indians, and sometimes frozen fish. This 
 was just the kind of food tliat we needcid in such a 
 climate. When we started forth on journeys, wc 
 used to cook an entire sack of beans into bean soup. 
 Uefore it was entirely cold, we would pour it into a 
 bag, let it freeze, and take it with us. When wc 
 camped at night, we took out an axe, cliopped olf a 
 little, made our fire, and our su[)per was ready imiiie- 
 diately."'- 
 
 In 1800 the general administration of the llussiaii 
 American Company submitted to the minister ol" 
 rmance a draught of a new charter, together witli ;i 
 i'ei|uest tiiat the privileges be renewed for a furtlui' 
 term of twi-nty years, to commence IVom the 1st of 
 Jamiaiy ISO-J.'" In the following year ( aptain Go]o\- 
 nin was sent to Novo Ai'khan<jelsk, w^ith instru(;tions 
 to make a thorou<di investi'jfation into the condition 
 
 •'Tliirt Htatcnunt was iiiaile to me jiersoiially, on June 7, 1H7S, liy Mr 
 Wcstdalil, oil iKKinl KUicott's blt-'aiii-lauucli, near AiuIltsou Ihlaml in I'liij;! t 
 Soiuiil. 
 
 '"This was approveil at a gcncnil assembly of sliareholdera. The few ail- 
 
 ilitional privileges nn<l changes ie(|ueste(l are nientiotucl in Dok. Ki<m. /'(>■■'■< 
 
 Ani'i: Kol., i. 144-53, aud ui I'olitoffskv, l4or. Oboa. lloss. Amcr. Kom., 
 ir.o •! 
 
 10-'-3, 
 
NEGOTIATIONS FOR A CHAllTER. 
 
 
 of the company's affairs and ruj)<)rt ihcrcon to the 
 ^jfoverninent, ] lis re[)»)it was in the main I'avoralth', 
 tliough su;jf<jjesting many chaiijLiJcs and containing;- much 
 advoisu criticism. It was followed hy a rej)ly I'rom 
 the Creole Kaslu'varof, exposini^ abuses which had 
 hitherto been kept secret; and the staten)ents of the 
 latter bein*]f indorsed by Baron Wransjfell, the }jfov- 
 ( rnment refused to renew tho charter, except on such 
 conditions as the company was not willini^ to accept. 
 ]ii 1 S()5 meetiiiij^s of the imperial council were held at 
 which these conditions were detei-mined, and in the 
 same year they wore aj)provcd by the president and 
 subniitti'd to the general administration. Some of 
 them were cxtrenii'ly un[»alatal)le, es[)ecially those 
 j"e(p>irin<^ that the Aleuts and otlu'r dependent tiilu^s 
 be exempt fiom enforced laboi', and that all the inhab- 
 itants of llussian America be allowed to ciiu^age, 
 without distinction or restric.-tion, in whatever indus- 
 try they [)relerrod exce})t that of fur-huntinL^''* After 
 much intriijfue, some concessions were obtained from 
 government, and a subsidy was even ])romise(l,-' 
 hut no satisfactory arrangement was made, though 
 negotiations were contimu'(l almost until the transfer 
 of the territory to the United States. 
 
 J)uiing the rlebates which occurred in congress on 
 the j)urchase question, and in the comments of the 
 press on the same subject, it has frecjuently been 
 stated that, in 180G, the chai-ter of the Jlussian 
 American Company was about to expire. It had al- 
 i'e;idy expired on the 1st <»f Januarv iHCi', and al)()ut 
 two years later Prince Maksutof, an (tllicei' ap|)()intcd 
 l)y the ini[)erial government,'-' took chaigeof the com- 
 
 jiany s atHurs 
 
 That the I'enewal of the charter was 
 
 C( 
 
 )ntem[)lated, however, a[)[)ears in the following ex- 
 
 '"Tlio full text (if tlio iiiip«'ri;il ooiiiicira decision ia given in I'ulitod'sky, 
 I tor. <)l>vit. ViVvs. Amer. Koiii., I47-04. 
 
 ="/-/., ir)4-7. 
 
 "' Hu coimiuintlod a liattery at tlio attack on I'otropavlovsk in lS."i4, unci 
 was woiuiilcil while luailinn ii euiniuii witli Ihh uwn liamls. I>u llailly, L'E.c- 
 2"'l. i/t' i'ctroji(ivloi'i<k; in li'cvue dca (Ivtw Muiah.i, Aug. 1, lbo8. 
 
 1/ 
 
 1' . 
 
ESO THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S LAST TERM. 
 
 tract from a decision of the imperial council, <:,,a- 
 iirmed by its president, the grantl duke Constantine, 
 on April 2, 18(iG: "The company is allowed to in- 
 crease its workinj^ capital hy the issue of new shares, 
 hut at the final settlement of the company's business, 
 Mithin twenty years hence or later, all claims must 
 he satisfied at the company's expense, without assist- 
 ance from the government." 
 
 Though the abuses mentioned by Kashcvarof were 
 no doubt sufficiently culpable, it would seem that tlio 
 treatment of the natives was somewhat less severe 
 than during the two first terms of the company's ex- 
 istence. The number of Aleuts, which in 1840 had 
 decreased, it will be remembered, to 4,007, was in 18(50 
 about 4,400,-- the entire Indian population sul)ject to 
 the company having increased during the same time 
 from about 5,400 to over 7, GOO. Meanwhile the Rus- 
 sian population had increased to 784, and the Creoles 
 mustered nearly 1,700, the whole population of the col- 
 onies being about 12,000, a gain of more than 58 }K>r 
 cent since the census of 1841.-^ 
 
 The increase in the native population was due in 
 part to their being better fed and housed than in for- 
 mer years. Though except for a scant crop of veg- 
 ctables raised cliieliy at Kadiak, nearly all food 
 sup|»lit;s, with the exceptic^n of fish and game, 
 were imported, the company not only supplied fair 
 rations of tlour, fish, sugar, tea, and other provisions 
 
 '-' In IStO it had reached 4..12"2, hut the following year full to 4,084. This 
 Vila caused by an oiithroak of tlic measles in the Sitka and Unalaskatlistrict-;. 
 J>:'k. h'(im. Ji'osii. Amrr. KuL, i. 131. In J)fiviilxnii\i I'cporl Coast Siirrin, 
 lS(i7, the nunibor ia given at 4, 'JOS. Dall, Alnnhi, 3.")0, after an nrmsinj,' cn- 
 hibitiou of indipiant philantliropy on stilts, states that tlieir niunbcr hail dr- 
 creased about this date to l,."(00. To point out any more of Mr Dall's bkiu- 
 deis in tiic so-called historical portion of his work is a task for which I have 
 neither space nor inclination. 
 
 '■* Goloniiii, Ohmr. //o-.'*. Kol., in Malerhtlut, i. app. \U\. Tikhmenef, I»tor. 
 (ih'is., ii. 'J(i4, gives tiie entire population in lS(3i)at rj,02S, including 784 Rns- 
 Rians and 1,(>7C Creoles, the remainder being Indians. Among the Russians 
 he includes 'J08 women, but most of tlieso were jjrobably tlieir Creole or Indian 
 wives. His tigures coincide somewhat suspiciously with those of (Jolovniu. 
 
RATIONS OP THK IIUNTP:Rg. 
 
 5S1 
 
 to its servants,'** but sold flour to tlicm at a small 
 fixed price,-' and often at a lieavy loss.'-" Fisli was ot 
 course the staple food, and was sui>plied to servants 
 free of charge, those who received less than 1,000 
 roubles a year beini^ allowed to draw each day theii- 
 dole of bread an<l fish, of pease or jj^ruel twice a week, 
 of salt beef on holidays, and of game when it was plen- 
 tiful, from the public kitchen; while married men 
 could receive an equivalent in money.'-' The Aleut > 
 and others employed on hunting expeditions also re- 
 ceived a liberal supj^lyof food and warm clothing, an, I 
 were allowed higher rates for their furs.-^ 
 
 At the beginning of the company's third term, rules 
 were establisheil for the [)reservation of fur-bearing 
 animals by a system of alternation at the various hunt- 
 
 ^* At the Miklmielovak redoubt they received in ISfiG about TiO pounds < i 
 flour, a pound of tea, and three pounds of suj,'ar a month, iu addition t > 
 tlieir pay of one roulile a day. JhiH'it AliuiLn, I'J. In the Silica A ir/iirr», ii. 
 17, 18.")4, it is stateil that after V'oievodsky's arrival, the ration of llour«;M 
 increased from 40 to G'J pounds, and that to reiud)urso the conipaiiv, t\v > 
 hours were added to each day's work during the suininer months. IJcsidc ■. 
 tiieso rations, .servants received an allowance of lish. laid., ii. 71. it ;; 
 mentioned that 71, -)00 salmon were salted at tlio Ozerskoi redoubt. It do i 
 not appear that the laborer could jiurchaso much for his wages, for acconlip ; 
 to the company's price list for l.SdO, woollen shirts were sold at Novo Ar!;- 
 liangelsk for rj."? roubles a dozen, blankets for about "21 roubles eacli, bouts < i 
 second quality for 1.") roublcsa pair, and tobacco at G7i roubles a pouil. TiL.'i- 
 iiK'ixf, Isior. Ofios., ii. 'j;54-5. 
 
 "Five roubles (scrip) per pond for rye and common wheat flour, and 1) 
 for fine white llour. The company refused to .sell it, or sold it in very smail 
 (juantities, to those who were not in their service, on the grounil that they wci.j 
 compelled to keep on hand a two-years supply. Golonun, Obsor. lions, KuL, 
 in Mftti'rinliii, 5G. 
 
 -"In I8.")G rye flour imported from Russia cost tiie company 9.4"2 roubl. i 
 jior pond, in 1857, 7.O."), and in 1S,")!(, G.47 roubles (scrip). Of course lircad- 
 stull's were obtained at cheaper rates when California began to export ceie;i!-!. 
 
 '' Ilcef from Ayaa sold iu tlie colonies at "J.") knpoks, or .") cents, per poan 1, 
 and even at tiiat price was beyond the means of the poor, at least of tl;'! 
 poor who had families. California .salt beef sold for about <louble tliat }>ri ■". 
 llogs were raiseil to some extent, but as they wei'e fed mainly on fish, thi ii' 
 meat was unsavorj'. Chickens, also fed partly on lisli. sold at Novo Aik- 
 liangelsk for 5 to 7 roubles each, ami eggs at about (i roublci a do/.cn. Kiii.i 
 Mas issued to the seiTants at the rate of eight gills a ytar; but after f.i- 
 tiguing lalwr and in bad weather a further allowance was issued, so that tin v 
 usually received one or two gills a week. \Vhen one had need of .i labun v 
 or craftsman, he would usually pay in rum, which could be obtained by those 
 in ollice for one tenth of tho price at which it was given in payment. I'iius, 
 for making a pair of boots, a bottle of rum which had cost only .TJ roul)le'', 
 would often be acccpteil in lien of 30 or .*$."> roubles, scrip. Id., i'tH-'X 
 
 '■"A table of tho prices paid by the company between 1S3G and ISoo ii 
 given in Id., npp. 180-5. 
 
r,S2 TIIK UUSSIAX AMKUICAN COMPANY'S LAST TERM. 
 
 in<^-Lifr()iiii(ls, tlioso wliich wore threatonod with ox- 
 luiuslioii Ix'iiig allowcil to Ho undisturbed for a period 
 often years. The increase wliieh (ux-urred after this 
 regulation in the nuniher of fur-seals was rcniarkahle, 
 especially at the Pryhilof group. In 1851, 30,000 
 could he killed annually at St ]?aul Island alone, and 
 in I HC) I as uiany as 70,000, without fear of e.Khausting 
 the sup[)ly. JJetween 1842 and 18GI shipments of 
 furs fi'oni the colonies included about 25,000 sea-otter, 
 ,338,(100 fur-si>al, 101.000 betiver, and 121),(;00 i\>\ 
 skins.'^'* It will be observed that these (igur(\s show 
 a considerable decrease from the quantity i"orwarded 
 during the period 1821-1842. This was caused 
 maiidy by the encroachments of foreign traders, and 
 esj)ecially of American whaling- vessels, whoso masters 
 oiten touclie<l at various points in the llussian posses- 
 sions durin<_j their vova<'e, and paid much hi'diei- pric(>s 
 ior furs than those fixed by the company's tiu-iif. An- 
 other reason was the crrowth of intertribal tralhc, 
 
 CD ^ 
 
 clothing worn by the natives far in the interior and 
 made up bv Aleutian women b(;in<j: bartered for sinad 
 skins, oil, and bone.'" 
 
 In 1820 Chistiakof wrote to the directors, asking 
 that an experienced whaler bo sent to the colonies. 
 
 *'•*/'/., npp. l.'')S ct se(]. Duriiit; tlie company's tliinl torm tlio 8iJi>ply of fox 
 sUiiis lu'CMiiR' imii'li siimllcviiinl tlicircpiality ihioiit. Ktlicili'n forliiidcisliooiinj 
 tlicm i!i till" Unaliii^kii and Kailiak <listriut«, tli(niL;h traps Mii),'lit sii.l lio iisi'il. 
 T'L-hni'iir/', Isloi: Olmt., ii. 'Jl!). Wanl, Tlurc H'lvknin Silktt, .MS., '_'>S(|.S.");>), 
 HMVH that alioiit t')0,U(M) uliiuM a ywir VLTo rccuivoil at tlio ^aiclumst! in N'o\>> 
 Aililiaii^'clsk. From Kadiak, sliipinciits Iwtwccii IS4'2and iHCil included ."i.SO!) 
 n( a-dttir, h5,I{Sl beaver, 14,2!)S Kalilu ttkins, tuiil l,'2it(i poiuls of walrus tll^ks. 
 I'roni St I'aul Island, during; tlio same period, tliero wero sliippecl •J77,77'^fiir- 
 Heal. I(),,'>(),S fox skins, and 104 iiouds of walrus tusks. Tikhmviirf, Jilor. Olnx., 
 ii. llKt.lMO. l''or the (|nantities foi'warded from other points, heo /(/., ii. 17!>, 
 1 -it 0, '2'2('i. I'robalily tlio lariiest cargo of furs ever ship]ied from tlio colonics 
 was that of the TV, >.■«/•' r/Vc//, despatched fron\ Novo Arklmnyelsk to Ayan in 
 IS.">7. It contained 4.">S pickages, was valued '2.004, !H!> rouliles, and in.siin il 
 liv the company's agent in J..ondou for £100,000. >'>ilka Airhin h (liS.'(7), i. 
 1 (■•.!», '-'4.'!. 
 
 '"In Wlii/ni/iir''-! Tntr. ami Ailirnf. in Aln'<hi, l()'2, it is stated '.iiat thin 
 trade was carried on hy the 'rchuktchis, v ho crossed from Sil)eiiii by May if 
 IJi'rini,' Strait, !iiid exilianged their reindeer skins for these commodities v itli 
 the Kancaks and .Maleniiitcs, \\hom they nu>t at I'ort (Uarence. Mr Wliyni- 
 per did not seem to he iuvare that the 'Jchuktchis or (,'hugasches and tlie 
 Alaleinutcs both belonged to the family of Koniagaa. For a description of 
 these tribes, Boe my Aadir Jimr/i, passim. 
 
WIIALF-: FISIIEllY. 
 
 5S.T 
 
 "So ftirtlier stops wore taken in the matter until IS:?:), 
 Avlien an American named Hai-ton arrived at Novo 
 Arkhanixelsk, under a five-years eontraet to enLra<>"c> 
 in this industry, and to instruct the nativt^s in Iiarpoon- 
 ini; and in renderin<jj oil. lie met with little success, 
 lor tlu' method emjiloyed by the Aleuts of shootinu;' 
 the whales with spears or arrows, and waitiuL;; until 
 tlu! carcass was washed ashore, was found easier and 
 k'ss dani^erous. jMoreovor, the company had neither 
 runds nor vessels to spare i'or the active prosecution 
 of this industry, as trade with Calilornia an<l tlie 
 Hawaiian Islands was now on a large scale, and se- 
 verely taxed the comjjany's resources. For several 
 years, thei'et'ore, the whale-lisherios were left in the 
 1 lands of foreigners, since without the ctK)[>eration of 
 the llussian government the directors had no powt-r 
 to |)revent their intrusion. 
 
 In 1842 Etholen transmitted a report from Ca[)taiu 
 Kadlikof, conunanding the company's shi[) Xasfri/n/k 
 AUwaiikJi-, wherein the latter stated that he had sj>okeM 
 an American whaler north of the Aleutian Islands, 
 ;ind had learned from the captain that he had sailed 
 too-other with 30 other whalers for ]>ei'ini4' f^^'fi- He 
 also mentioned that, the preceding year, he had l)eeii 
 in the same waters with 50 other vessels, and that he 
 alone had killed 13 whales, yielding 1,G()0 harrols of 
 oil. Upon thisrojK)rt Etholenbasedare(|uest that iho 
 imperial govermnent should send armed cruisers for 
 the preservation of Beiing sea as a nurr<' vJdusmn. 
 I'^thttkii'seiforts were assisted hy the hoard ol'managers, 
 hut did not meet with inunediate succc'ss, the inini>- 
 t;'i* foi' foreign alfairs i-e[)lyiug that the treaty between 
 Jiussia and the Uniti'd States gave to America!) citi- 
 zens the I'ight to engage in fishing over the whole ex- 
 tent t)f the i*acitic Ocean. Ethokii, however, woukl not 
 allow the matter to rest, but continued his correspond- 
 ence on the subject, urging that so lucrative an indus- 
 try should be placed in the hands of Russians, instead 
 t>f being left entirely to Americans. 
 
 Ii 
 
 P. 
 
 1 
 
 t I 
 
5S4 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S LAST TERM. 
 
 The efovorninont at lonijftli referred the matter to a 
 conimittee, composed of ofHcals of the navy department, 
 wlio rei)orted that the cost of fitting out a cruiser for 
 tlie protection of Bering Sea against foreign whalers 
 would be 200,000 roubles in silver, and the cost of 
 maintaining such a craft 85,000 roubles a year. To 
 this a reconunendation was added that if the company 
 were willing to assume the expeniliture, a cruiser should 
 at once be placed at their disj)osal. Though the direc- 
 tors would not consent to this outlay, complaints of 
 the doinijfs of American whalers were forwarded from 
 time to time, referring chiefly to the practice of landing 
 on the Aleutian Islands and other portions of the 
 coast for the purpose of trying out blubber, on which 
 occasions a wanton destruction of fuel took place, 
 causing great hardship to the inhabitants, who de- 
 pended entirely on the scant supplies of drift-wood. It 
 was not until 1850 that an armed corvette was final' v 
 ordered to cruise in the north Pacific. 
 
 In the mean time Tebenkof took up the matter, and 
 forwarded proposals to the company for the establish- 
 ment at various points of whaling stations, provided 
 with whale-boats and improved appliances, and in 
 charge of experienced American whalers to be engaged 
 by the company for a term of years. In the year 
 1850 it was estimated that 300, and in later years as 
 many as 500 or GOO whalers annually visited the Arc- 
 tic Ocean, the Okhotsk and Bering soas,^^ and Alaskan 
 waters, carrying otf the stores of dried fish reserved 
 for hunting parties, and bartering liquor, arms, and 
 powder with the natives for furs. In 1849 a whaling 
 enterprise was established at Abo under the name of 
 the Kussian Finland Whaling Comjjany, with a ca[)i- 
 tal of 200,000 roubles in silver, one half of which was 
 
 " In IS'A there were 52"); in 1855, 4G8; in 1850, .SCO; and in some years 
 600 foreign v'halera. J)uk. Kom. Roan. Amer. Kol., i. 110. In Sfcinan'it X(in: 
 Voy. Jlcmld (London, 1853), ii. 94, it is stated that in 1849-50 the Americau 
 whaling fleet in t!ie Arctic consisted of 299 vessels, with 8,970 seamen, and 
 that t!ic catch yielded about §0,307,000 worth of oil and §2,075,000 worth 
 of bone. 
 
NEW GOVERNORS. 
 
 S83 
 
 furnislied by the Russian Amurican Comimny. Tlio 
 corporation roccivod i'roni the Ljovorinnunt a tlonati(»n 
 of 20,000 roubles, and a premium of 10,000 roubles 
 each for the first four vessels e«]uippe(l for this purpose, 
 and was permitted to import material, implements, 
 and stores, and to ex[)ort its products, duty free, for a 
 jieriod of twelve years.^- 
 
 During the few years of the Russian Finland 
 Whaling Company's existence, six vessels were fitted 
 out, but the losses incurred and the dithculty in soil- 
 ing cargoes during the war with 3'^ngland and Franco 
 caused the enterprise to prove unprofitable.^'' In 185 -l 
 the shareholders resolved to go into liquidation, and 
 were enabled to settle their liabilities in full by a 
 special grant from the im[)erial treasury, made on 
 account of losses incurred during the war. Thus the 
 whale fisheries were again left in the hands of foi'cign- 
 ers, who, before long, caused their entire destruction 
 in the sea of Okhotsk. 
 
 In consequence of the political complications then 
 arising in ]']urope, no successor was appointe;! at the 
 close of Tebenkofs administration in 1850, until four 
 years later, when Captain Voievodsky was elected 
 governor. lie was succeeded in 1850 by the mining 
 engineer Furuhelm, the interval between Tebenkof 
 
 ^'Srjihnef, in Momkoi Sbornil; ciii. 8, 89, 90; Tlkhmrvr/, I.<tor. Ofios., ii. 
 njip. 1-11, wliore further piirticiilars of the cliurter jiru given. The viilne of 
 every tenth whiile killcil was to lie delivereil to the Itussiiiii Ainerieaii ( 'oiii- 
 liany, to reimburse tlie natives for the loss eauscil l>j' tliis enterprise. 
 
 "The Skoiii'i, the first of the company's ships, a nOO-tun vessel Itnilt at 
 Alio nnil litted out in Bremen, ohtiiined, during her cruise in IS.").'?, I,.Vm) 
 liarrcls of oil and '21, 1(K) Ihs. v halelioiie. Her carg(j was sold for SO,(MM) rou- 
 l>li'S, yioldini; .a prolit of 1.'<,G()<) rouhles. The second on(!, tlie Tiirkn, seeured 
 only one whale during her first cruise, Imt in the following year was nioro 
 fiiicccHsfnl. In lSr)4 the yli"a/t wintered at IVtrojiavIovsk, heing intended {o 
 sail with the 'J'lirko U)V Bremen, hut waa captured and Imrnt l>y tlie alliid 
 lleet. Tikhtncuef, Inloi: Ohos., ii. 139-r)3; Momkoi Sbornik, xxiii. 5, «U-;!I); 
 Silkd Archivcn \\iio4), ii. 110. Tikhmencf gives a full description of the oper- 
 ations of the Russian Finl ind Whaling Company. In the Mornkai Shuniik, 
 .\xiii. 4, 45, 47, it is stati:,! that in 1854 a private whaling company was 
 established at ilelsingfors under the anspices of the Russian American Com- 
 pany, and despatched a brig to Kamchatka by way of Now Zealand. Wo 
 liavu no further details of its operutiuus. 
 
650 THE UUSSIAX AMERICAN COMPANY'S LAST TERM. 
 
 and A'oievodskv's administrations l)ein<r filled hy tlio 
 temporary appointment of lieutenants Kosenlmr"^ 
 and lludakol', who nianaj^ed the comjjany's affair;* 
 durini; the first vears of the Kusso-Turkish war. 
 
 NofAvithstandinirsomc unfavorable features and the 
 interrui)tion to trade caused by the war of 1858, there 
 was a considerable increase in dividends dnrinjj: the 
 comj)any's last term, the amount disbursed beingal)out 
 10,210,000 roul)les, a gain of nearly 17 i)er cent 
 over the sum distributed in the previous twenty 
 years. At the close of the term the fixotl and work- 
 ing capital of the company amounted to more than 
 13,000,000 roubles.^* The receipts from all sourcis 
 exceeded 75,770,000 roubles, of which amount over 
 23,755,300 was required for the support of the col- 
 onies, and nearly 11,300,000 roubles for the general 
 administration, including, among other iten)s, pensions 
 and rewards to officials and servants."' 
 
 The entire amount received from sales of f -a, whicli, 
 as in former years, was mainly purchased at Kiakhta 
 and n)arketed in liussia, exceeded 27,000,000 I'oublcs. 
 The profits on these transactions were greatly reduced 
 when, on the application of a few ^[oscow manufact- 
 urers, a rule was established that the company's agents 
 should 1)0 required to accept Kussian manufactured 
 goods in part payment; the Uiore so as these were 
 always of inferior quality. Between 1835 and 1841 
 the company's profits on each chest of tea were from 
 
 ^'Tlio items and also the rate of each year's ilividend are given in Tihh- 
 nu'iiif. l-it'jf. OhiiH., ii. '281-_', and are in silver roubles, hut hiivi- heen reduoed to 
 rouhlcs in scrip, as this kind of money is the one usn^dly mentioned in the te\t 
 of this volume. The li;;ures given in Dole. Kom. 7i'ti<.<. Ainer. Kol., i. lOi*, 
 dilVer Romewliat from Tikhmenefs. 
 
 '-' A eolonial pension fund was created in l.S.")l l)y a tax on the sale of 
 liquor, but about t'>vo yeiirs later there was ii deficit, which was made j,'0(hI 
 by an appropriation from tlie ennipany. Sifkn .[rr/iir('<, IS.'i-t, ii. iS."». Rewards 
 were on a libcr.al scale. For 18.").'} they amounted at Novo Arkhangelsk alone 
 to 2(!,5o5 rou))les. /</., 73. The total number of the eoiiipiiny's siTvants en 
 the lat of .Fanuary, lS(il, including a portion of the Siberian line battnlinn, 
 M'as 847. Ooloi'iiiii, Ob»or. h'onn. Kol., in Materialui, npp. l4o. This of coimo 
 does not include the hunters. Wanl states that the governor received 35,000 
 roubles a year, and his assistant 12,000. Three Weeks in Sitka, MS., 79. 
 
CALIFOHNIA TRADE. 
 
 887 
 
 187 to nOO ronUlos; in 1845 it was less tlu-ui 23 
 rnul)]i's. TIo loss fell entirely on tiie eoni])iiny, or 
 uiort ])rol)ably on the company's servo tits. Two years 
 after permission was given to send carjjfoes of tea from 
 ShanLjhai to Russia, annual shipments were made 
 of 4,000 chests; and yet cloths manufaetared at ]\[os- 
 cow could he bought cheaper at Shanghai than in the 
 i'ormer cit}',^ 
 
 The discovery of gold in California was of course 
 followed hy a marked revival of trade with that coun- 
 ti'V. One cargo of almost worthless goods, that had 
 hi'en in the company's storehouses for years, was dis- 
 ]) ».,ed of in San Francisco at fabulous rates. Other 
 Aentures were less su ^ccssful, though most of them 
 were jMofi table.*" In 1851 a party of San Francisco 
 capitalists, among whom were Messrs Sanderson and 
 J. ^loia Moss, made a contract with Rosenberg lor 
 250 tons of ice to be shipped from Novo Arkhan- 
 gelsk at 675 per ton. The shipment was made in 
 J'chrnary 1852, and in October of the same year the 
 ] rice ,vas reduced to $35 per ton, and the quantity 
 i'orwanled increased to 1,000 tons, a contract to this 
 I'lfect being made for three years. Later the price 
 V, as further reduced and the quantity again increased. 
 ]3etween 1 852 and 1859 there were .ship[)ed from Xovo 
 Arkhangelsk 13,900 tons, and from Kadiak 7,403 
 tons.^^ The ice was procured from two lakes, one of 
 them near Novo Arkhano'clsk and the other on Wood 
 Island, near Kadiak, five buildings bemg erected for 
 its storage '^^ with a total capacity of 12,000 tons.'*" 
 
 "'/fe/.'. Kom. I'nu/t. Amer. KoL, i. 00; Go/oniiiK Ohnor. Hcmi. KoL, in Mat' - 
 rinhii, l'_M-'_*, Tlie conipniiy was allowed ti> ship toa liy water only on con- 
 dition that tiiey would not undersell the Kiiikhta nicrcliants. 
 
 ^' Tiiii-e was also a small Imt protitahlo trade with New York during the 
 oompany's tliinl term. In IS.">7. T.-'itX) fur-seals .ind 4,000 beaver skins weiu 
 .';hip|ied to that port. Silkn Arrhinrn, i. 308. 
 
 •""An account of each year's shipments is given in /'/., lS(»-8. It is there 
 stateil that •J(i,.").">4 tons were sohl in San Francisco, netting §!1'J1,0.")0. 
 
 ^'■' Three at Xovo Arkhangelsk and two ut Kadiak, all built in 1S.")2-.'!. 
 ■S'tk'i .I)v7(( '■'■", i. 1S8. In Id., 0, it is stated that one ice-house was built in 
 each of the yi^ars IS.VJ, IS.'iU, and 18.")(j. Ward, in his Three Wf-eLi in tSi'l.-fi, 
 MS.. 10, says that an ice-house was built in 18o3 at the edge of the lake, but 
 nientiotih no otiier. 
 
 *" According to the opinion of an American engineer in the company's em- 
 
583 THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY'S LAST TERM. 
 
 Kails were laid to connect the ice-houses with tlic 
 wljarvcs, these being tlie first tracks constructed in 
 Kussian America. I append in a note" a few remarks 
 
 ploy, the lake on Wood Island alone could furnish 30,000 tons a year. Tikh- 
 mrncf, Ixlor. Ohox., ii. I'.I.S. 
 
 *' Anion}; the principal sources of information as to the affairs of the Rus- 
 sian American Company, may be mentioned first the Dokliul Komiltta Jt 
 Ustrol-ilva Iiiinnl:'d-h AtnerihiiinkUh Kohnii, or lieport of tlie Committee (iii 
 the Reorganization of the Russian American Colonies, St Petei-sburg, l.S(i:i- 
 4, 2 Vols. The (piustion of what was to he done with the Russian possessions 
 in America at the expiration of the absolute control of the Russian Americiiu 
 (,'ompany was referred to a mixed committee of fourteen, composed of gov- 
 crnnient ollicials, men of science, and meml)ers of the company. This coiii- 
 niittoe presented an elalwrate report based upon the information they liad 
 gathered from the works of Khlebnikof, Tiklmieucf, and others, and from 
 private individuals, which was publiaiied in the present work, togctiur 
 with the following additional documents: 1. A separate opinion of Act- 
 ual State Counsellor Kostlivtzof, a member of tlie committee; 2. Expla- 
 r.ations as to tiie conclusions of the committee by the general administra- 
 tion of the Russian American Company; 3. A letter of a member of tlio 
 general administration. Admiral Ktholin; 4. A communication from the gcu- 
 eral administration on the financial condition of the company; .'). Report of 
 an inspection of the Russian American colonies in 1800 and ISlil by Kost- 
 livtzof; (J. Report on tlie same subject by Captain (iolovnin; 7. Remu>'ks of 
 tlic general administnitio:. on Kostlivtzof's report; 8. Reply of the company 
 to the opinion of the minister of marine concerning its pri\ileges; {). Letter 
 on tlie h-amo subject by Adjutant General Wrangcll, member of tlie privy 
 council; 10, Letter of Furuiiilm on the mining interests of the Russian 
 American colonies; 11. Letter of Captain Wehrnian on the c(mditi<m of the 
 Russian Amorican Company and the trade with the arctic regions; 12. i;.-;- 
 t:acts from a conimuniralion of the company to the committee on tiie orwiii- 
 iziition of the Russian American colonies. The work lias few historical data 
 not containerl in the work of Tiklimenef, but throws light on the cin-uiii- 
 staiices wiiich led to the sale of Alaska to the United States, and is prolwilily 
 more reliable in matters of detail. 
 
 At the time when the third term of the exclusive privileges granted to the 
 Russian American Company was about to expire, the subject of renewing or 
 revoking its charter was generally discussed, both in cominorcial and govcni- 
 niiiit circles. Tikli.in-.ief undertook the task of compiling a complete history 
 of the colonies and of the company, and as he was atfordcd every facility by 
 the directors, the dili'ercnt departments of the government, and the holy synod, 
 he succeeded admirably. The work covers a period of 7.» years, and is 
 enriched with a large number of verbal copies of original documents an i let- 
 ters by Ikranof, Siieiikof, loassafT, Rezanof, and others who played a prom- 
 inent part in tlie development of the Russian colonies in America. The various 
 im]K'rial edicts and charters of the company are also given in full, an well in 
 compreiiensivc statistics :)f population, commerce, antl industries. J'hc \ol- 
 iimcs arc handsomely printed, and adorned with excellent charts, steel en- 
 gravings, and autographs of .Slielikof, Raranof, and Rezanof. It is entitled 
 /■:ltiriilitsLi>ic Ohosnuii' < ihrnzovdiiiti y?(M««///.v) Aii>riil,fi.ii>ik<ii K(iiiip(tui, or 
 Historical Review of the Origin of the Ru'^ian Arierican Company (2 vols., 
 St Petersburg, 1801). Of tiie Mntrriiif- i illin Istori UnssHiLh Zaxsihiii, or 
 Material for the History of th" lU.Mian Settlements, mention has before 
 been made. 
 
 The Krntkoie Istorirhcikoie Ohozn'nifl Obrazovania i iMnIvy Roxiwko-A vn r- 
 ikandoi Kom/iani M\tnmaiio ywlmii Ufhrrulaiiit Oiioi % do XnttoluHf) haro 
 \'rimcm, or Short Historical Account of the Establishment and Operations 
 of the Russian American Company from its First Beginning down to 
 
BIBUOGRAPHY. 
 
 cso 
 
 of a bil)li()(>raliical nature on authorities for annals of 
 the company. 
 
 the Present Time, by Lieutenant Oei-eral Politoffsky ("^t Petcrslnirg, 1861), 
 covera only the ground occupied l>y Tikhmuucf and othera, but in a latiT 
 edition contains the negotiations between the company and the imperial gov- 
 eniinent, not to bo found in any of the authors quoted in this volume. Tlie 
 above autlioritiea together with Khlebnikof, Veiiiamiiiof, and Zuvalishin are 
 tlio principal sources of information concerning the liussian American Com- 
 ])any, apart from tlie iSitka and Alaska niohivcH, thougli nuiny items of inter- 
 est may be gleaned from Markot, i).ividiif, Lisiansky, Wrangull, Lelcher, 
 !Sin;pson, and from the manuscripts qiiottd in this volume. 
 
 Worthy of mention also is the Kl- umoliHjkheskaia Itiloria Otkrytla Afrut- 
 sl.ilh (Jstrovov Hi Podvuji Ro^siiiHlcitno Kiij-it'hr.itra na i'r!nori)/:ii/t>:n!i7ii Ixto- 
 rkhexkatio IzveMia o Miakhocoi Ton/nrli', or Chronolocical History of the Dis- 
 covery of the Aleutian Islands or the Acliieveineiitsof the Russiai, Merchants, 
 villi an additional Historical Review of the Fui Trade. (Orets^h Printing 
 Otiice, iSt Petersburg, 18'J3.) The author of this work, who is nov named on 
 the title-page, is Vaasili Berg, and tiie \olunio ij ikdicatcd ti *he vice- 
 admiral and chief of the naval Ktatl' of his iniperi;.! Majesty, Ai ton Vassil- 
 i;;vitch Von Moller. The wnter, who was a nicuibi'r of t'le Imperial 
 Academy of Sciences, has collected witli gp'at care an 1 jirran;^'!' . (.hi oiii (logi- 
 cally the accounts of all voy.nges of Russian fur ti-ailera au'; huntiis from 
 Okhotsk and Kamchatka to the islands and c(>a.<ts of Derin ,' Sea, between 
 1713 and ISOo, as found ui the crigiual journals and •'•"ch ves of i?ibcri;ui 
 tlf^\■ns. 
 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 ;i 
 
 ALASKA AS A UNITED STATES COLONY. 
 
 18G7-18S3. 
 
 Motives for TitE Transfek by thf. RrssiAN Oovernmf.nt— Neooiia- 
 TioN.s Commenced — Senator Cole's Efforts — The Tiieaty Skjned 
 AND Ratified — Reasons for and ac.ainst the I'irchask — The Tiii- 
 liiToiiV AS an Investment— Its Formal Cession — Infux of Amui- 
 ICAX Adventirers— Measires in CoNtRF.ss— a CorNTRV WITHorX 
 Law or Protection — Evil Effect of the Military Occri-ArioN — 
 
 An l^MEI'TE ATSitKA — FlRTIIER TroIBLF-S WITH THE NATIVES — TlIEIR 
 
 Cause— HooTCUENoo or Molasses-ri m— Revi.nce— Scggestions for 
 
 A ClVIL(ioVERNMENT — WaNT OF MaIL FACILITIES— SlBVEYS AND V]\- 
 PLORATIONS. 
 
 From tho day on which the term of the Iliissi;m 
 American CotJipany's third charter expired, tho gfe;it 
 inon(tj>oly tjascd to enjoy, cxce[»t on sufferance, any 
 rlglit.s or priviU'ges other t)ian tliosc common to all 
 Ixu«sian subjects. It retained, of course, its personal 
 property and the real estate actually in use, but al't» r 
 the company refused to accept the terms of the iiii- 
 }!erial government, operations were continued only 
 pending the disjutsition of its effects and the \vin<ling- 
 u[) of its affairs. l']:.penses were curtailed, some of 
 the ti'ading posts abandoned, and the control of the 
 colonies placi'd in charge of an officer aj)pointed by 
 the company. 
 
 But llussia had no desire to retain control of this 
 territory, sepaiated as it was from the seat of govern- 
 ment by a wide tract of teuijiestuous ocean and by 
 the breadth of her vast e.npire. Long bel'ore (lie 
 Ciimean war, tho (juestion luul been mooted of plac- 
 
 (890) 
 
RU£: -lA HAS NO USE FOR ALASKA. 
 
 591 
 
 ing Alaska under imperial rule, but it was decided 
 that the expense of protecting this vast territory, and 
 of maintaining there the ct)stly macliinery of a colo- 
 nial government, was not justified by the prosjKct of 
 an adequate return. Tlie bombardment of Petropav- 
 lovsk aiid other incidents of the war had coniirmed 
 this impression, and the day seemed not far distant 
 when the long-threatened struggle would begin with 
 Englan<l 1. r supremacy in central Asia. In such nn 
 event Russia would need all her resources. Already 
 her railroads had been built and her wars conducted 
 mainly with borrowed capital. In case of another 
 war with the greatest moneyed power and the great- 
 est maritinivi power in the woi'ld, neither men, ships, 
 nor money could be spared for the protection of Kus- 
 sian America. ^Moreover, Russia had never occu- 
 ]>ied, and had never wished to occii|)y, tliis territory. 
 For two thirds of a century she had been represented 
 there, as we have seen, almost entirely by a fur and 
 trading company under the protection of government. 
 In a measure it had controlled, or emleavored to con- 
 lol, the affairs of that company, and among its stock- 
 liolders were .several miMnbers of the I'oyal iaiuily; 
 l)Ut Alaska had been oiiij^inallv ufranted to the ]ius- 
 sian American Com|)any by iniperial onkaz, and by 
 iin[>erial oukaz the charter had been twice renewed. 
 Now that the company had declined to accept a Iburtli 
 charter on the terms proposi-d, sometliiiig must be 
 done with the tei'iitoi'v, and Russia would lose no 
 actual portion of lier etupire in ceding it to a republic 
 V, ith which she was on iViendly terms, and wlu)se do- 
 main seemed destinetl to s[)read over the entire conti- 
 nent. 
 
 The exact date at which nc^gotiations wire com- 
 menced for the transfer is dithcult todeicrmine; but we 
 know that at Kadiak it was regarded almost as a ce-r- 
 tainty not later than 1801,' and ihat at Washington 
 
 'According to Chicliinof, Ailirnfiirei>, MS., 4S, tlio maim'/cr of this tUs- 
 trict ilocluruil that unuiiLrciiivuls Willi tlio Uiiitud Statoa wuru uhiiubt com. 
 
 1 
 
ALASKA AS A UNIT.:!) STAT.: > COLONY. 
 
 it was tliscussod at least as earlv as 1859. In Docom- 
 Lcr o^+lif latter voar, durinuf Buclianan's adininistra- 
 tion. Air (jwiii, then senator for California, held sev- 
 eral interviews with the llu>ssian minister, in the course 
 of which he stated, tliouixh not olticiallv, that the 
 United States would be willint^ to pay five million 
 dollars for Alaska. The assistant secretary (»f state 
 also alfinned that the president was in favor of tlio 
 purchase, and that if a favorahle answer were returned 
 hy the llussian j^overnment, he would lay the mattei 
 before the cabinet, A few months later a despatch 
 wa.s received from Prince Gortschakof statini^ that 
 the sum off -red was entirely inadequate; but that the 
 minister of linance was about to inquire into the condi- 
 tion of the territory, after which Ru.ssia would be in a 
 condition to treat." 
 
 On the 1st of January, 18G0, the company's ca[)ital 
 was estimated at about four million four hundred thou- 
 sand tlollars,^ but it was represented almost entirely 
 by furs, goods, real estate, improvements, and sea-goiiiL^ 
 vessels, which would realize, of course, but a small 
 jiart of the value placed on them. In view of this 
 iact, and of the uncertainty as to the renewal of the 
 cliarter, it is not imi)robal)le that a positive offer of 
 five million dollars might have been accej)ted, but for 
 the outbreak of the civil wai', wliich for several years 
 put an end to further negotiations. 
 
 Among those who most desired the transfer wen? 
 the peo[»le of Washingtctn Territory, many of whom 
 had been enq)loyed in tli(3 fisheries of the British 
 jtrovinces, and wished for right of fishery among the 
 rich .saluion, cod, and halibut grounds of the Alaskan 
 coast.* In the winter of 18GG a memorial was adopted 
 
 pleted, but notliiug more was lieard of the matt jr at Kiidiiik until a few weeks 
 bffore tliu tiT.iisfcT dooiuthI. 
 
 *Siimiifr'K S/M'ih, I'rs.i. ttitxt. Amer., 8 (Waaliiiifftoi), ISCi'). Sumner n'- 
 tiKirks that Uucliaiiun ciuploycd a3 his intermediary u known Bympatliizer 
 vit!i slavery, and one who afterward Ijoeanie a rebel. 
 
 » P..litoli>ky, htof. Ol>oi. Hohh. Amn: Kom , W2, gives it at 5,907,850.08 
 rouble.H, silver! 
 
 *luli')jil. Com. For. Aff. in Howie Com. Jitpt. 40th cong. 2d segs., No. 37, 
 
NEGOTIATIONS FOR rURCIIASE. 
 
 503 
 
 by the logislatiire of this territory, "in roforoneo to 
 the cod and othor fisheries,"* and after hc'uvj; jiresented 
 to the president, was delivered to the ]lussian minis- 
 ter, with some comments on the necessity of an ar- 
 ran<^emcnt that would avoid dilHcailties between the 
 two powers. 
 
 A few weeks later otJier influences were broujj^lit 
 to bear. The lease of territory wJiich, it will be w- 
 memberod, had been ti^ranted by tlie Russian Ameri- 
 can Company to the Hudson's J]ay Comi)any in IS;!?, 
 and several times renewed, would expire in dune 
 1HG8. Could not the control of this valuable slip of 
 earth bo obtained for a tradini^ conijiany to be or- 
 puiized (m the Pacific coast, to<^ether with a license 
 to gather furs in porticms of the Russian territory? 
 I\tr Cole, senator for California, souij^ht to obtain 
 these privil'wes on behalf of <-ertajn parties in that 
 state, and thus, :^s Sunnier remai'ks, "tlut mii^litv Hud- 
 son's Bay Company, with its hcad([uarters in Lon- 
 don, was to give way to an American company, with 
 its headquarters in California." The minister of the 
 United States at St Petersburg was addressed <»n the 
 subject, but replied that the Russian American Com- 
 pai'v was then in correspon(K'nce with the Hudson's 
 iVdj Company as to the renc^wal of their lease, and 
 that no action could be taken until sonit; <lelinite 
 iinswer wi^re received, ^leanwliile tiie Jiussian min- 
 ister at Washington," with whom Cole had held sev- 
 eial interviews, returned to St l\'tersburg on le;ive of 
 iii<sence, promising to do his best to maintain friendly 
 relations between the two powers. 
 
 If a. this juncture a [)rom[)t and satisfactory an- 
 
 \\ II, it is stated tlint the people of WaOiiiicrton Torritnry ' ciittiTil into compo- 
 tition unsttct'cssfully with tlio subjects '>f (ircut Hiitiiii» mid liii.xsia. who li<i I 
 tilitaiiicil from their resitectivi! govenmuMts a virtual inoiiopoly of the jtcuHiiiul 
 oust above the pftrallel of 49' north liititiule.' 'I'he eoiiuiiittee did not mcimi 
 to lie uwure that the Kussiaui inaile little use of tlicir fisheries e.\.i'|it for 
 Ileal coiisuinptioii, uiid that even the w'huie-ti.shcrica wer» lualuly iu the huuda 
 of .Viiicricans. 
 
 •' .\ copy of it is given in fiumner's Speech, 8-9. 
 
 •IJaroii Kd ward tie Stoockl. 
 Uin, AuMKA. 38 
 
m 
 i 
 
 i 
 i 
 
 ALASKA AS A UNITED STATES COLONY. 
 
 swer had been returned by the Hudson's Bay Com- 
 pany, Alaska might at this day have been one of the 
 numerous colonies of Great Britain, instead of being, 
 as \n fact it became for a time, the only colony belong- 
 ing to the United States. But no answer came, or 
 none that was acceptable; nor at the beginning of 
 18G7 had any agreement been made bv tlm Russian 
 American Company with the imperial government as 
 to the renewal of its charter. 
 
 In February of this year, when the Russian minis- 
 ter was about to return to Washington, the archduke 
 Constantino gave him power to treat for the sale of 
 the territory. On his arrival, negotiations were at 
 once opened for this purpose. On the 23d of March 
 he received a note I'rom the secretary of state offeriiiLf 
 to add, subject to the president's approval, two hundred 
 thousand dollars to the sum of seven million dollars 
 before proposcvl, on condition that the cession be "free 
 and unencumbered by any reservations, privileges, 
 franchises, grants, or possessions by any associated 
 companies, whether corporate or incorporate, Russian 
 or any other."' Two days later an answer was re- 
 turned, stating that the minister believed himself au- 
 thorized to acce[)t these tornjs. On th j 29th final in- 
 structions were received by cable from St Petersburg. 
 On the same day a note was addressed by the minister 
 to the secretary of state, informing him that the tsar 
 consented to the cession of Russian America for tlio 
 stipulated sum of seven million two hundred thousand 
 dollars in gold. At four o'clock the next morning the 
 treaty was signed by the two parties without further 
 phrase or negotiation. In May the treaty was rati- 
 fied,* and on June 20, 1807, the usual proclamation 
 was issued by the president of the United States. 
 
 ^ William If. SeiranVn Letter to Edward do fsloeckl, in Hrpt., ut supra, S2. 
 
 *0n May UTtli, or nccortlinj^ to tlio Kussian oiilciular, on May ITitli, 
 Seward ri-«'civcil from Stocckl, wlio wns then ut Now York, ailcspatcli, statiiiL,' 
 that the treaty liad been ratilictl at St reter8l)urg. On tlio 28th Stoeckl was 
 iu Washington, and on the same day the treaty wua ratitied by tlio govern- 
 meut of tko United Statca. Utpt., ut supra, &3. 
 
TRKATY OF CES8I0X. 860 
 
 Such in l>rit.'f is tlio liistorv of tliis tr<>nty, wliicli 
 for yetir.s was ])ul>lislir:l and r('|)ul)lislie(l. disciisscHl 
 and ivdisc'ussed, throunhont the Ignited States,'' As 
 there is no |)rln(i[)le involved, nor any interesting' 
 inioi'niation eonnected therewith, it is not neet-s- 
 sary liere to enter upon an analysis or elueidation 
 of" these discussions. The eireumstances which Ic I 
 to the transi'cr arc still suj>poscd by many to h-; 
 enshrouded in nivsterv, but 1 can assure the reader 
 that there is no niysteiy about it. In diplomatic 
 circles, even so siin])le a transaction as buyinL*' a piece 
 ofo'round must not be allowed consummation without 
 the usual wise winks, whispeiinjj^s, and circumlocution. 
 
 Some of the reasons which probably induced Russia 
 to cede her American possessions have already been 
 mentioned. The motives which led the United State.-; 
 government to [nuchase them are thus stated in a 
 report of the committee on foreign affairs, published 
 May 18, JHG8: "They were, first, the laudable desii-e 
 of eiti/ens of the Pacific coast to share in the prolific 
 fisheries of the oceans, seas, bays, and rivers of the 
 western worltl; the refusal of JIussia to ivnew the 
 charter of the ]?ussian American Fur Company in 
 180(1; the friendship of Russia for the United States; 
 th(^ ncM'essity of preventing tlu^ transfei-, by any possi- 
 ble chance, of the north-west coast of America to an 
 unfrientlly power;'" the creation of new industiial in- 
 terests on the Pacific necessary to the supremacy of 
 our empire on the sea and huul; and finally, to facili- 
 tate and secure the advantages of an unlimited Amer- 
 ican commerce with the friendly powers of Japan and 
 lima. 
 
 Ifcrc wo have })robably a fair statement of the case 
 iu favor of the purchase question, howsoever senseless 
 
 'Copies of it are to lio fouiul in .\f)n.<. nnil Dor. Jhpf. Stale, T., 40tli coiii,'. 
 2il Bess. ;VSH-i»(>, ill Dnir* Alaska, .'JOO-'i, among otlier works, ami in coiint- 
 k'88 ni'W8|)apcra ami iii'iioilieuls. 
 
 "'intS'«m/ii'/-',t Sjiffi'h, 10 -1 1, is a clear and logical discussion on the relation 
 of former treaties Itetweeu Kn^'laml and UuHsia as to the transfer of Alaska; 
 nnd in JJaiimirt!, Ihb. ecxv. 14H7-8, anil ecxvi. W'u (1807), are some remarks 
 mode iu the British Uouac of Cummuus ow this point. 
 
r,OQ 
 
 ALASKA AS A UNITED STATES COL(>\Y. 
 
 
 and Illonicnil soinu of the reasons cited may appear. 
 On tile other side, \V(^ have some coLjent ar'^mnents in 
 theminoiityrepoi't, where it is remarked that "aeon tract 
 is entered into hy the j)resident, aetinjjj tliroui^h the sec- 
 retary ot' state, to purchase of tiie Itussian t^'overnment 
 tlie territory of Ahiska. The contract contaiiu-d stij»- 
 vdations whicli wei-e well understood hy l^ai'on Stoeekl, 
 the agent of the Russian L^ovei-nnient. Those stipu- 
 lations wi-re su<"li as the nei^otiators could not enfori'e, 
 hut which Were necessary to he eomj)lied with hi-fore 
 t!i<' tr^-aty could heeonio valid or hindinj^;. The stip- 
 ulations were, iirst, that the treaty should he ratified 
 hy the senate; and second, that the k's^islative power 
 should vote the necessary appro|)riati»»n. The fu'st 
 stipulation was complied with, and the second is the 
 <»ne now hi'iniL!^ considered. Each stipulation was inde- 
 pc^ndeMit of tlie otlier, and requii-ed independent j)o\v- 
 ers to carry it into execution. The treaty-makiuLj 
 power can no more hind conn'ress to i)ass a law than 
 congress can hind it to iu;ike a treaty. They ai'e 
 intUpi'ndent departments, and \ ere desiiLjnod to act as 
 clu'i'ks I'ather than he suhservient to each other. 
 
 "As was well said hy Judi^e ^[cLean,. . .'a treaty 
 is the supreme law of the land oidy when the treaty- 
 making power can carry it into eiK'ct. A ti'eaty 
 which sli|»ulates lor tlie payment of moneys under- 
 takes to do that which the treatv-makinu; i)ower can- 
 not do; therefore, the treaty is not the su[)reme law 
 of the land. A foreign government may he presumed 
 to know that the power of ap[)ropriating money he- 
 longs to congress.'"'* 
 
 The unseemly haste with wliich the treaty was eon- 
 .sununated, and the reluctance with which the jHircliase 
 money was afterward voteil by congress, adil to the 
 [)eriinence of these remarks; and the mistrust as to 
 the expenditure of public funds was not dispelled by 
 
 " In tho minority report it is complained that in answer to a resolution 
 that nil corruspomlenec and information in posaossion of tlio oxucutivo bo laid 
 iMiforc! the liouiio of repreueututives, 300 pages mainly of irrolovuut matter 
 were priHliiced. 
 
A CIOOD IJAIKJAIX. 
 
 oBt 
 
 tho report of th(> <M)niniitto(* on juiMlo oxpeiiditur' 
 juiMislied at Washintjftoii in Ffhruary I8(i!).'- Moro- 
 ovt'i", it was Well known to all American citizens tiiat 
 tlu! president of the I'nited States, or his rejtresi'iita- 
 tive, had no more riL^ht to use the })ul>lie money lor 
 tlie purchase of Alaska without a vote of couorcss, 
 than had the <pi(H'n of T^nulaiid to demand from her 
 pcopU- the price of lu-r diiily breakfast without the 
 consent of pai'liament. 
 
 Nevertheless, ex])erienco has ]>rovcd that the t( iri- 
 toi'v was well worth the sum paid for it, though at lirst 
 it was helieved to he ahiKtst valueless. And this is 
 the real reason of the puivhase; it was thouLjht to he 
 a ijjood bari^ain, and so it was houi^ht, though cash <>u 
 hand was not over plentiful at the time. A special 
 n;^ent of the treasury, in a report dated Novemher 'M), 
 18GD, estimates the compounded interest of the pur- 
 chase monev lor twentv-tive vetirs at S2;i,70| ,7l)J. I 4, 
 and adds to this sum !-<l2,r)0(),000 as the jtrohahle ex- 
 pense, caused hy thi; transfer, to the ai'my and navy 
 <!epartments for the same j)ei-iod, thus makin'jj th' 
 
 total 
 
 cost, includintr the i)rincii»al, s4;5,40l ,7HlM4 for 
 
 ow 
 
 tlie first (juarter of a century, lie is of opinion, h 
 eve)-, th:it ^75,000 to !=^ 1 00, 000 a year mi^-ht he derived 
 
 1 |)ei'hai»s 
 
 an( 
 
 froni what he terms the ' seal-fisherie 
 
 >>r).000 to J? 10,000 from customs. "As a finan<-ial 
 
 measure," ho remarks, "it miijfht n(jt he the worst 
 
 '•'Tn this rpport wc have a ef>pv of the ti'i'.isury warrant delivered to 
 
 Stauckl, iuil of ills roci'ipt. From tlic st.ituiiuiits of .ill tlir v itiii-.sni'.s, no evi- 
 (U'licf of lirilicry ^v;l.^ I'licitcil when llii' f.icts wrvv sittt'il finiii ruiiioraiiil l:ear- 
 tay, uiili'ss the oH'irliy tlio I!ils^iull luiiiistfr of .'*;1.(IIM1 in jjold to tlu' princ ipal 
 lintprii'toi- of tliu H'd-^hiii'i/'iii llalij ' 'liruidiff, aiul tin; payiiiunt of Jr-l.tMM) in 
 yrci.'iihai'k.i to a rupri'sontativc of tli'.' California iifi-is, In- so rc^jarili'il. The fotu 
 l>aicl to iMuiisi'l were vi-iy ni iilrratc. William li. Scwaril, one of tlie wit- 
 lusscs, (hiiieil niu.st eir n'latically "all knowKilie whatever of any jiayniiiits 
 oi- ilistri'uiti m of any ; "t of said nioiicy )tlier than to the riprerseiit.iLivo 
 (if t'le l!iis.<ian uovernnie..t, or of any payments other than triliini,' nunis for 
 I'.riiitin;,', i>MrehasinLr, and di^trilmtini; documents hy and fiom the .-tato 
 dojiurtment pertaining; ti) Alahka.' Siieii a stateimnt, howevei', proven i;o'.h- 
 ii;;_', n^^ tliiMf were iloul>tless si'veral thousand others, at Wasliington ai>d 
 el.-iewlicre, who knev,- of no laihevy or coirnptioii in the matter. In iho 
 Jltiiiroi'f Li'ir 'Ki/ S-niji.<, and iu Ho ir/iurniL'i'x •'i'l'i'/i Hrx L: i. ]i .ssi n, tlierc 
 are wunie amusiny discussions and cuniments on tho disiMjsitioti of the jjurcluric 
 niuucj. 
 
 » \ ■ 
 
ALASKA AS A UN'ITKD STATES COLOXV, 
 
 |M)lify to ul>aiul<)M the tcniloiy for tli(- |»ivsiiit."" 
 Tli(! nu^t'iit aj)j)oars to have Ikh'Ii soi icwliat astray in 
 liis cstiniatcs, for Ix'tweon 1871 ainl IHh:') alxuit 
 J^a, 000,000 were paid into the United States treasury 
 as rent of the J^*vl»ilof Islands and tax on seal- 
 skins alone. It is true that the niiiitarv oeeupa- 
 tion, while it lasted, was somewhat exjiensive, and 
 that huildini^s whieh cost many thousands of dol- 
 lars weie afterward sold for a few hundreds; hut, a-; 
 we shall see, troops were not needed in Alaska, an I 
 the cost of maintaininLj the sinu;lc war-vessel which 
 was occasionally stationed at Sitka after their with- 
 drawal caimot have heen excessive. 
 
 Seward, who visited Alaska a short time hefore 
 tlie au^ent's report «'as published," and who deliveied 
 a s]>eech at Sitka in Auujust 1809, remarks: "31r 
 Sunnier, in his elaborate and mai^niticent oration, al- 
 thoutjh he spake oidy from historical accounts, has 
 nctt exa(]fL»erated— no man can exay^i^erate — the marine 
 treasures of the territory, liesidos the whale, whicli 
 everywhere aiul at all times is seen enjoyin<jf his lo- 
 bust exercise, anil the sea-otter, the fur-seal, the hair- 
 seal, and the walrus found in the waters which ini- 
 bosom the western islands, those waters, as well as the 
 seas of the eastern archi[>elago, arc found teeming;' 
 witli the salmon, cod, and other fishes adapted to the 
 sup})ort of human and animal life. Indeed, what I 
 have seen luTe has almost made me a convert to the 
 theorv of some naturalists, that the waters of the 
 j^lobe are tilled with stores for the sustenance of ani- 
 
 " Miliih/rr's Ilij,!. in Sni. Ex. Dm:, 4l8t cons. 2«1 rpss., Xo. .^2, p. 3». 
 lie stall's tiiiit the I'litiro iiiinilicr of voters in tlit! territory iloos not excinl 
 I'J.'i, iiiiil ri'ixirts .'iirainst tin- «'stal)lisliiiiiiit of a territorial government. 
 
 "lie arrived at Sitka on ]«»artl tlie .\<'firi' on .July .'!(), IS()!(, ami witnes^nl 
 the eelijise that oeeiirred ii few days later near l>aviil.son's eaiiip «.n the 
 Cliilkat. .'•'ewaril was on his way nj) the river when the eelip.ie ooeiirml. 
 The (hiy was clouily, ami the sun was first ohserved liy an liulian, who r..'- 
 iiiarke<i that it "was very siek anil wnnteil to go to sleep.' The Ini'.ians 
 refused to row any farther, and tile party wi'ut ashore and li^jhted ii lire in 
 ft deli niai- Ihi' rivir liank. In the evening Seward's party reaehed the pin- 
 fe sir's camp, to which they liuil been invited. IJoiic/Mrtuko'ii Scraij Bouk, 
 i. 11. 
 
TRANSFER AT SITKA. ||| 
 
 iHJil lift': surpassiiij^ the availablo productions of the 
 land."^' 
 
 Of the rosouroos of Alaska, niontion will lu? made 
 later. At present lier furs and tisJK^rics are <»f course 
 the chief attractions; hut it is not iniprol)al)li' that 
 in the distant future the .sale (»f her miiiinii; and tini- 
 her lands will yield to the United Stat(^s an annual 
 income lariicr than the amount of the purcha.sc! monev. 
 
 The Russian American Company, besides sup[)ort- 
 inuf its numerous and expi-nsive estahlishments, p;iiil 
 into the imperial treasury hetween 1841 and 1802 over 
 4,400,000 rouhli's indutit'Sj^'to stockholders more than 
 12,700,000, and for churches, schools, and l>enevi»lent 
 institutions about aoM.OOO roubles. There appears 
 MO valid reason, therefore, why .Vlaska should not have 
 been a .source of profit to the l"nit«Hl States, exce|)t 
 jieihap.^ that this was the first experiment made in the 
 colonization, and it is to be hoj)ed the last in tin; mil- 
 itary occupation, of a territoiy which, as will be re- 
 lated, the attorney-genend declared in 1873 to be 
 'Indian country.' 
 
 On Friday, the 18th of October, 1807, the Russian 
 and United States commissionei's, Ca])tain Alext'i 
 . IVstchourof and (ieneral L. 11. Rousseau, escorted by 
 a company of the ninth infantry, landed at N(jvo Ark- 
 haiiiL^clsk, or Sitka,^'' from the United States steamer 
 John L. Stephens. MarchinjT; to the jrovernor's resi- 
 de!ice, they were drawn up side by side with the Rus- 
 sian ijfarrjsou on the sunnnit of the rock where floated 
 the Russian flag; "whej-eupon,"' writes an eye-witness 
 of the proceedings, "Cai»tain Pe.stchourof ordered the 
 
 ^■' Sl/ifrrken of William II . Svinird in Al(ub(, Van., and Or. G (Washing- 
 
 tim, isai»). 
 
 '"Oil tea foi'wanled from Slmnglmi ami Kiakhta. Tikhmrmf, iMor. (flm.s., 
 ii. L'SO. 
 
 " I liiitl no evidence as to the cxai^t <luto when the name of Novo Arkli;in- 
 pelsk was I'liaiiied to that of Sitka, ."^impson, writing in 1SJ7, uses liotli 
 v.-onls. ,/oitt: round World, ii. 180-1. Tlum:;ii the hitter is usuil by writers 
 Ix^fore Ilia tii:ic, it was prol^ably about tliia datti that it lirst coino generally into 
 
GOO 
 
 ALASKA AS A UNITED STATES COLONY. 
 
 Russian fla^ hauled down, and tbcreby, witli Inief 
 declaration, transltrii'd and dilivcn-d tin- tciiitorv of 
 Alaska to the I nitod States; the <;anisons prost'Mted 
 arms, and the JIussian l)attcries and our men of war 
 fired tlic international salute; a hrii-C ri'|>ly of a('ce|»t- 
 ance was made as the stars and stiipes were run u|> 
 and similailv saluted, anil wo stootl ui)on the soil of 
 the United IStates."'' 
 
 Thus, without further eenMuony, without oven haii- 
 quetinj^ or s|ioech-makinjj^, this vast area of land, l»e- 
 lonij^in!^ hy rii^ht to neither, was transferred fi-om one. 
 European race to the offshoot of another. No sooner 
 had tho transfer been mado than (jrenoral Davis di- 
 niandod tho barracks for his troops, tak in*; possession, 
 moreover, of all tho buildinijfs, and this althoui^h t!io 
 improvements of whatever kind woro bevond dou!>t 
 tho property of tho Russian American Com]>any, tin- 
 ]iussian government havinij^ no rii^ht whatever to 
 transfer them. Tims the inhabitants wore turixd 
 into tho streets, only a few of them obtaining two or 
 three days' grace in whic]\ to find shelter for their 
 families and remove their effects. 
 
 Witliin a few weeks after tho American flag was 
 raised over the fort at Sitka, stores, drinking-saloon s, 
 and restaurants were opened, vacant lots were staked 
 out, were covered with frame shanties, and chanin d 
 liands at j)rices that ])romisod ti» make the frontage 
 of the one sti'ei-t which t!ie capital contained alone 
 worth the ])urchase nionev of the territnrv. To tliii 
 new tloniain Hocked men in all conditions of life — spi-c- 
 ulators, politicians, otKce-hunteis, tradesmen, even 
 laborers. Nor were there wanting loafers, iiarlots, 
 
 '^^ li'oi»liji<i»l'.-< K'",iht Mmithx at Silhi, ill Onrhuii! Miinlhhi, Ft'li. ISO'.). 
 Ill WhioHji r'a Ahisln, l(),"»-(i, and in siiiuf <)f tlio I'acilii; ooiisi iiowspain rs, it 
 is stiiti'il tliat till- lUissiaii llai:, w Inn lii'iiig liwirftl, i liiiij.; t(i tli- yanl anu. 
 Tile foUdwinm'xtiiict fniin the Al'i'dii/ Stti/'- /ii-jh't Ihinmrdl, Maiv'i 'JO, I.S7.'', 
 will stTvu as a, fair sin'i'iiiiin nf tin' iioiisiiisc piiMisluMl on tliis iinttcr: 'A 
 sailor was onliTcd up tho tlagstall", .nml liad artnally ti) vut tlio Hag iiuu wlin lU 
 licioro lie could take it down. Wlii'ii tlic Anioricaii flag reuchod tliu toji of 
 the stair, it hung lit'eless, until, at tlie first liooniof the saluting Kussiau artil- 
 lery, it gave 11 eonvulsive sliudder, and at the Bucuiid gua it shook out its .ntany 
 folils and proudly flouted iii the breeze.' 
 
yi:w ()RnT.:R OF Tin\(js. 
 
 001 
 
 pat 
 
 iililcrs, niul (livers otlicr classes oC free whlti' l"]u- 
 
 r<>|u'aiis iioviT Mt'L'ii ill tlii;se jiarts lic-run", for of such 
 is our su|)(ri(»r civilization. A cliurtor was iVaiiicd lor 
 llic so-«al]t(l city, laws wcro drawn U|», .'unl >in clcctictii 
 lu'ltl, at wJiicii a liinidrcd 'ijtfs were polled lor almost 
 
 as inaiiv cant 
 
 lidat. 
 
 The claims of stjuntters wen 
 ])ut on reconl; judijment was passed in c;ises when 
 lil»e!ty an«l even life wi-ro at stake; (juestions wen 
 decided which involved nice points of inteiiiati<»nal 
 
 li 
 
 iw 
 
 and idl this was <lone with utti-r iiidilfei-ence to 
 
 the militai-v authorities, then the only legal trihunjd in 
 the territory. 
 
 Two geiu'rations had ])asse(l away since I>nranof 
 and his countrymen liiid huilt the fort, or as it is now 
 termed the casth', of Sitka. Duiing idl these years 
 tlu' liussians had known little and cared for little 
 lH'y(Hid the dull rctutine of their daily lahor and their 
 daily life. Jt is jn'ohalile that the appt'arance of the 
 lirst steam-vessel in Alaskan waters caused no less 
 sensati(»n among them than did the news of Auster- 
 litz, of Kylau, or of Waterloo. Apart from the higher 
 olHcials, they bol(»ngod for the most part to tlu? utied- 
 
 itetl classes, li poorly paid, they had l)een better 
 
 nc 
 
 fed and clad and h(»used than others of thi-ir cl, 
 
 iss. 
 
 Tl 
 
 lev were a law-ahidinix, if ti<>t a (lod-learin'»'. com- 
 
 munity. J)inMiig the long ti'rm of the company's 
 domini<»n there had heen no overt resistatioi' to author- 
 ity, except in the two instances already mentioned in 
 this volume. They had hi'en accustomed to submit 
 without a mtu'mur to the <lictates of the governor, 
 from whom there was no ap|»eal, save to a court iVom 
 whose seat they weri- separateil by more than *>uo 
 
 tliinl of the earths circund'crenc 
 
 I'l 
 
 us, ]ioWeVer 
 
 was under what might be called a half-savage reginu 
 
 'Mr ])oiIi:c', colli'c'tor , of «.ustoins, was the first in.avor of Sitka. Sot 
 
 after tlio iiiiriliasc, tlu' following,' tickt't wa.s tirutoil 
 
 F. 
 
 >r iiiavor, 
 
 W. 
 
 lod; l(ir Luuiiciliiuii, .J. A. I'uJltT, (.'. A. Kiiikaid, Frank Mali 
 
 \V. H. 
 oiicy, Isaac 
 
 jfriruian, ami .J. IJi'lstt'dt; f< 
 
 •ilir, <;. K. .\;.'i\i 
 
 It: f( 
 
 or siirvt V"r, 
 
 .1. A. 
 
 1(1 for ciiii. talilc, r. K. i\yan. In l^-S-J, Wood was i>rarti.>in:,' lav 
 
 Vu\W 
 
 San Fraufisci), Fuller livid at Naj)a, Kinkaid at I'ortland, (jr., McKni^lit ut 
 
 Key West, Via., ami Hulsttilt still kept a store at Sitka. 
 
602 
 
 ALASKA AS A U^aTED STATES COLONY. 
 
 But iK^w all was cliani^ed. Speculation and law- 
 lossnoss were rife, and tlie veriest necessaries sold at 
 jirices beyond reach of the poor. Tiie natives were 
 not slow to take advantai^e of their opportunity, and 
 refused to sell the Russians game or fish at former 
 rates;*' while the Americans refused to accept the 
 parchment money which formed their circulatiui; 
 medium" in payment for goods, except at a heavy <lis- 
 count. No wonder that few of the Kussians cared to 
 take advantage of the clause in the treaty which pro- 
 vides that, "with the exception of the uncivilized 
 native tribes, the inhabitants of the ceded territory 
 shall be admitted to the enjoyment of all the rights, 
 advantages, and immunities of citizens of the United 
 States, and shall be maintained and protected in tlu! 
 free enjoyment of their liberty, property, and religion," 
 The company and the im|)erial government gave 
 them at least protection, sufficient means of livelihood, 
 schools, a chiuvh; but in this vast territory tlicro 
 never existed, since 18G7, other than a send)Iance 
 evtii of military law. There was not in 1883 legal 
 l>it>tection for person or property, nor, apart fiom a 
 i'ow regulations as to commerce and navigation, had 
 any imj)ortant act been passed by congress, save those 
 that relate to the preservation of seals, the collection 
 of revenue, and the sale of fire-arms and fire-water. 
 
 " The iidiabitants of the ceded territory, according 
 to their choice, reserving their natural allegiance, may 
 return to Russia within three years," read the words 
 of the treaty. Within a few weeks, or perhaps months, 
 after the transfer, there were not more than a dcjzen 
 
 "Tho Rituntion wns roiulorod wothp by certain nptitntors, prominent nmnii;,' 
 wliom was llDiulmrciikti, who, <in .Fuly I, IStW, luililislii'd an a(Ulro«.s in tai- 
 J/((,sAvt lliiu//, ailvisiiig tlif Ahnts anil llusso-AinoriianH, ns iio tcrnnil 
 tlic'in, iiot to worit for less tlian live dollars a iliiy in f^olil. On S('|>ti'nil" r 
 'j;jtl of tiiia year Amlrei I'opof waa ailniitted to vitizenship— tho lirst Uiis- 
 Biun who ciianxed IiIm nationality. 
 
 '-' Usually in iiicces two inilies sqnnre, which pasned cnrrent for aliont 
 eiuht cents wlun two corniTs wire cut olF. nnd for fcnir cents when ail tiio 
 corners were lopped. The Holdiers, after elipiiintr the lowi'r part of the four 
 cent i>icce8, pjumeil thuni oU' for eight cents until the fraud was discovered. 
 
POUCY OP CONGRESS. 
 
 Russians left at Sitka, the remainder having been 
 sent lumie by way of California, or round the Horn.*' 
 Five years later, the })opulation was coniposod of a few 
 ••rooles of the poorer class, a handful of American sol- 
 diers, perhaps a score of American civilians, a few 
 Aleuts, and a few Kolosh. 
 
 Toward the Creoles and Indians the policy of the 
 United States has thus far been severely neijative; 
 and, to put the tnatter in its most favorable li,L,dit, I 
 cannot do better than quote the words of ^he creole 
 Kostroniitin, who in 1878 was a resident of t nalaska, 
 beinjL? at that date an oct )«ijenarian. "I am ,i(lad," he 
 says, "that I lived to see the Americans in the coun- 
 try. The Aleuts are better off now than they were 
 under the liussiaiis. The first Russians who came 
 here killetl our men and took away our women and 
 all our [lossessions; ami afterward, when the Russian 
 American Company came, they made all the Aleuts 
 like slaves, and sent them to hunt far away, where 
 many were drowned and many killed by sava-'e na- 
 tives, and others stopped in strant^e places and never 
 cauR! back. The old company pive as fish for iiotliini;-, 
 but we could have got plenty of it i'or ourselves if we 
 had been allowed to stay at home and provide for our 
 families. Often they would not sell us flour or tea, 
 even if we had skins to pay for it. Now we nuist pay 
 for everything, but we ca. Lay what we like, (iod 
 will not give me many day.-, to livi', but I am satis- 
 fied."-^ We shall st'c j)ies(Mitly that Kostroiuitin's 
 satisfaction was not bhar ;d ity a majority of his eoun- 
 trymen. 
 
 In many sessions of congress bills have been intro- 
 duced relating to Alaska, of which some have pro- 
 voked discussion, many have been tabled, and u few 
 have passed into law. The only measm-i-s to whieii 
 
 ^ m 
 
 i m 
 
 
 '^' A'n/f/er'.i MS. Mr Clma Kru^cr w;i8 for more timii IT) yem-s ii tnisttil 
 eiii|ilo\t! uf tlio UiixMiaii .ViiK'iiouii Co. 
 
 " kiifljf Tiiiin ill Alfiil Id., MS., 15-10. Kwtruimtiu wtw thou liviug ut 
 tlio viliujj;c uf Mukuiiliiii. 
 
 s 
 
004 
 
 ALASKA AS A UXITCD STATHS COLONY. 
 
 roforonce is ueodccl at piesoiit arc the act of c(U?grcss 
 ai)j»r()vc(l July 'J7, IHO,^, \vlicrcl»y, anioiijj^ other jtro- 
 visioiis, a collection district was cstaMisJicd in that 
 territory ;■* two bills mtrodined in l.s(]i) and 1H70 to 
 provide for a temporary i^ovirnnient in Alaska, both 
 of which were relerred, thou«.^h neither passed; some 
 futile attempts to extend the I'nited States land laws 
 over the territory;*" and certain ret^ulations as to the 
 importation, sale, and manufacture of litjuor.-" 
 
 It is worthy of note, that in a territory which has 
 belonned to the United States for more than hall' a 
 gi'ueration, and whose area is more than «loul)l(> that 
 • )f the lartifest state in the Union, no lci,'al title could 
 be obtained to land, other than to small tracts deeded 
 to the Russians at the time of the puichase, except hy 
 special act of conjj^ress, and not a sinude acre had as 
 yet been surveyed for prei'mption.^' "Claims of |)re- 
 en!]>tion and si'ttlemeiits,"' ninaiks Seward, "ai'e not 
 only without the sanction of law, but are in direct vinln- 
 tion of laws applicable to the public domain. Militaiy 
 ibice may be use<l to remove intrudirs if necessary.' -"* 
 
 As there was no lej^al title to land in Alaska, thtif 
 coulil be neither Icijal ronveyance nor mort^^a^c, though 
 conveyances were made occasionally, and iecoreled In' 
 
 'S»'t! Conij. CliJ)t\ lSt!7 S, app. riliT-S. 
 
 A list of till' vari<m.s suli- 
 
 tlii'ts, witli iliiir liicatiniis in iMiM, in ;;ivi n in /!, 
 
 if nu>\ Mi-liit 
 
 Ahishi, '1 '.M, in ,S'. 
 
 Ex. ihu 
 
 '• !»' ( ■ 
 
 i;/.. .V/.SV 
 
 i/i-f 
 
 /.'. 
 
 Icili.ws. their (lutii's, »ti'., in Morns, Jirpl. AliuiLii, I.VIU, in Siii. E.r. J'"., 
 JfMli f'niii.l. itil Sii-., No. .'•'.•. 
 
 ■■"■'A liill wax iiitiiMliuid for this piirjmei: io IS7L S*>« IfoiiMc Jour., .',hl 
 
 I;/, .ill Si 
 
 ll!l. 
 
 ■■"M'oiitaiiH'il ill Htttioii :\ of tlu" ait of .lulv 27, lS«iS, nii'l 
 
 ■ If.l Ity a -t 
 
 if Manli ',\, \.<i:i, ixttiuiiii^r over tin- ti rrit< i y .•■fctioiis "JO iiiid '.M of tiio nut of 
 
 line :i(>, l-s:n, rcmilating 
 
 trade 
 
 il inti' 
 
 ii-s«' Willi Jntliaii triln's, tlio si' 
 
 tiims liciii),' tliii.,. icLitiiitj to tlie iiuiiinfafturv ami ititiXHiuctioii of liquor. Sou 
 
 ('mill. (;Ii'Ih', |n7- ;I, app. -74. 
 
 //. i:... i)u 
 
 !h ( 
 
 <"".!• 
 
 ',1 S, 
 
 I. v.. -JI 
 
 I, aiKi ./ 
 
 I .;.7^/i Coiiij. ,ri 
 
 Sim., ix. 14(1. AiToiilinj,' to tlio latter, no «uncy Iwl l>tin iihuIc up to.Ii 
 H(l, I>7H, anil none Imt spei-iiil ami loial xurvej.-* apptut to liuvc liecu 
 
 8ini'i' that il.ite. 
 
 KlirVeV ^va^^ Itt 
 
 .1 
 
 irlvn-. IS<'.7. /' 
 
 ytfi t •,,,.7. 
 
 i\. No. SO. For report on •pianti;y ami •|iiality of luml, me Zttliri-Lit'^ 
 LiUiil i.iiirH, ,SS(» 1. 
 
 -Lrtfer of Willjain II. s,.\^ar.l to tJcH. «:nuit. (kt, 2H. ISl!7, ill Morr!», 
 /.''■/'^ Al(i.lc(t, IMI. 'I'ho SI eietary r.iiiH .ti tint Tiant lanso instrnotions to 
 tl.it eliei't to 111' forwaiihil to (ieiiiial K u-^'anut Silk;.. .Stu aluo liiai'di-ti's 
 Li lit. Aliieka, in Sin, L.v. Jjoi-., ,',i,tn Com;/. .'*/*>«., no. 103, p. 14. 
 
PROPERTY RICHTS. 
 
 605 
 
 the ilo|>uty collictors at WrainjfiU niid Sitka, tlio par- 
 tit'H c(»iicc'iiicil lakii!*^ tlicir own lisk as to wliothci' tlio 
 transaction nii<rlit at sonic distant dav l>c legalized. 
 
 Miners and otlici's whoso entire possessions niij^lit lio 
 within llie tenilorv, and who ini'dit have heeorne resi- 
 dents, could not hetjucath theii' j)roi)eity, wlu'ther I'cal 
 or j»«'rsonal,''''ror thi'i'e were no |»rol)ate courts, nor any 
 authority wlierehyestatescoidd Luadniinistered. Debts 
 could not he collected excejtt thi"oti|L^h the suuunarT i)ro- 
 (css hy which dis|)Utes are sonietiiues settled in niin- 
 iiiLf <'ain|)s.^' In .'-liori, there was neithei- civil noi'ciini- 
 iiial jiuisdiction" in any part ol" Alaska. Even mur- 
 der nii«4;lit beconnnitte(l,and theri'Wasiio redresswithiu 
 that colony. Thus it was that "the inhabitants of the 
 
 "III Nov. 1877 the iMHtinastcr ;\t Sitka dicil intestjito. Sixiu after liia 
 ile.itli liis i-rfditors mrivol fnnii Oiv-on, aii'l ii L;«MR'r!il norainhlc took [iliut' fur 
 liis i)ri)]icrty. The eiL'ilit(»r;i, (it i-oiiiii", tmik tlu- liou'.sHhi'.ro, tlu' wiilow \vli:it 
 til' •• 'imch^ftil to livivf her, ainl tlio two yoiiiiL,' cliiMi-in of llic ili'i-ra'^nl liy 
 ft w iff wt-re li'fc t.i the I'liiirity of Mliaiii;i'i(t. .\tiirrl<n Uv\tl. Aiiuku, IJ<>, 
 
 i.i .X. Iiix'., .y>fh (''■ii'j. ..'(/ Si'SM., 11(1. ')'.(, J). I'H), 
 
 •' ■ 1(1 t(Ui>te file wirdsiif a iiieiiinrial ftildre.'isiMi liy the iidiahitunta of Hoiifh- 
 rxsteni ALt-nka, in l,V>l, to tlie ))resi(leiit .'iikI i!iiiiL,'i'(S!* of the l,'iiiteil sta.os; 
 ''liieiv are no court!) of reeor.l, i)y wliieli titi(^ to in-opeity may lie eslalili.-ilie.l, 
 or eonllietiiij,' chiinis ailj'.KiieatiMl, or estates aiiiiiini.sten'ii, or iialinali.'alio.i 
 mid otlier I rivilt'Kes iicnuireil, or delits eolhvted, or the eoniiiieriii',1 nilxan- 
 tiitje.s of laws mcnred. And lu^rsons aeeiiHed of ( linies !;iid nii.ideniea/ioiM aro 
 miTijeet to tiie arltitrary will of a military or naval i-ommaiidt r - thi'owii into 
 |iiir'>ii and kept thiTe for months Milhout trial, or iimiishmcnt hy ini|iri.~<o:i- 
 liu!!' upon Kiieple aeeuiuilion and witiioiit veidietof a jury -,.11 in lilaiii \ io- 
 l.i;:.>ii of the eon.'<titution -f tl:e fiiit'd States,' The followinv: is an extruut 
 fi. .Ill a letter nddi-ea.-ed July II. iSM, hy the seeiilary of tlie navy to Com- 
 iiian.Ier (;las.s of the ./'(;;ify.'o»rM, tlien Ht.itione(l at Sitka, relating to |iuriie8 
 nrrested for certain diminlers: ' In the nl)^■,(■nee of any legally eijiittiitnleil 
 jtidicial triliunal.M, the {H'ao and |.Miid order of .society demand tnat tlu; n.tval 
 autlioruy in control of the territory shonld inter|iose il.i powei to mainiaiii 
 the iirotcction of the livcH, i>c>rHuiiD, uiid property of individuaU within its 
 rtaeh.' 
 
 " The only offcmx'S thnt could lie roniinitted apparently were those which 
 violate the act uf July '27, IN<iS, 'to extend the lau.s of the I'liited Stnlcs ro- 
 liitin:^ to cUHtonis. coiiinierc*', and n.iviu.ition o\er l!ie ti iriiory ceded to iho 
 I'nited .stijtcs l»y Ku.s.si.i, to esiaMi.sli a collection district theri in, and fur 
 o'.lu r purposes' (the otln r p'lrpo.ie.i relatinj.; to tlic .sale, importation, and ii.sc of 
 lire-arms, nniiminitioii, and di.stilled li.piorH, and the protection of fur liening 
 animals). In such ea.si.s it is prox idcd. liy section 7 of the same act, that tho 
 oll'eiider xlmll Ik' prosecuted in any l", S. district court of California or Ore- 
 ffon, or ill one of the district courts of Wasliington Ti rritory. In 1^7- a hill 
 was intrtHliici-il 'further to pro\ ide for the punishment of oirciiees cum. 
 iidtted in tilt' district of .Maska.' l'. S. Sni. Join:, J, .'it ('ninj. .M .Vi«., 4(K>-I. 
 And one in the same \ ear 'authori/iii^' the secretary of t'.ie interior to fako 
 jurisdiction over the people of Alaska called liidiuuij, and fur ulliur purposes.' 
 Jloute Jour., 4~''l ^'oA'j. -'d St"*., iMi. 
 
 •k 
 
606 
 
 AL-\SKA AS A UNITED STAT::S COLONY. 
 
 ceded territ(H'v were ndniitfed to tlio eniovinent of all 
 tlie ri'^dits, advantaj^es, and iniinunitios of citizen.s of 
 the I'liited States." 
 
 What shall we do with Alaska? was one of the first 
 questions asked after the transfer of the territory — 
 make ttf it a penal colony ^^^ Perhaps it had heen 
 better so. At no period in the annals of Alaska were 
 then> so many Indian enientes as durini^the few years 
 of the niilitarv oecuj»ation; at no j)oriod were lust, 
 theft, and drunkeiniess more prevalent among Indians 
 an<I white persons alike. After the withdrawal of the 
 trooj>s, in June 1877,^ disturbances among the na- 
 tives became fewer in mimber and less serious in char- 
 acter, and it is probable that many lives would have 
 been saved if no United States soldier had ever set 
 foot in the territory. 
 
 " I am comjielled to say," writes William S. Dodge, 
 collector of rustoms, to A'^incent (\)lyer, sj)ecial In- 
 dian commissioner, in IMOU, "that the conduct of cer- 
 tain military and naval olHcers and soldiers has been 
 I>ad and demoralizing in the extreme: not oidy con- 
 taminating the Indians, but in fact demoralizing and 
 UKikiiig the inhabitants of Sitka what Dante charac- 
 terized Italy — 'A grajid house of ill-fame.' I H[)eak 
 only of tilings as seen and IVlt at Sitka. 
 
 " Fir.st. The demoralizing inlluence originated in the 
 fact that the -'arrison was located in the heart of the 
 town. 
 
 "Secondly. The great mass of the Holdiers were 
 either desperate or very innnoial men. 
 
 "Thirdly. Some of the otHci-rs <lid not carr}' out 
 military disei[)line in that just way whi<'h the regula- 
 
 •'Tlic (|iK'stiijii was 8tM-i(Hi8ly nirM)teil liy XonUiolF, in a iimj,'azinc articlu 
 rntitlf4 'What shall \vi> i|i> with Scni>.';,'s? Sfnij,'j.'s is tlui Aiiii-i-icuu (iinx'^ 
 bal)V;' niul l)V i-ertaiii of the Sun Fraiirisoi aixl Sucraiiieiito papfi's. 
 
 "f.V,,. lirtlim, JJ<i't. I'ril., May 'i;*, |S77. In AV/./. .SV.'. MVm-, I., ,;;/A 
 CoH'i. 1-t .SV*«., 47, tiic HtutiMiiunt HJiow.s 4(1 iiiimi at Fort Wraiif^'cll, aii'l 
 ill /'/., \'24, it is iii<-iitii)iu>il tliat L'iini|)aiiii'.s F and I. of the fourth artilii'iy 
 wen,' Htationcil at Sjika. It is worthy of leinark that the si'dvlary, whilf 
 vtatiiig that thin- was an iinin'ovcnifiit in tlu; inonilo of the army, Ha,\s lliat 
 out of a fill"' of 'J.'t.iKK) tiif mimljcT of deserters in lb74-ii was 'J, 100 less 
 tluui iluriuj; the i)reviuus year. 
 
TREATMENT OF NATrV'ES, 
 
 W7 
 
 tions contemplate. Tlioy gave too great license to 
 bad men; and the deepest evil to all, and out of wliieh 
 other great evils resulted, was an indiscriminate! pass 
 system at night. Many has been the niglit when sol- 
 diers have taken possession of a Russian house, and 
 frightened and hrowhi-aten tin; women into com[>liai)ce 
 with tiieir lustful passions. 
 
 "Many is the night 1 have lu>en railed upon after 
 midnight, by men and women, llussian and Aleutian, 
 in their night-clothes, to protect them against the 
 njalice of the sokhers. Jn instances where the guilty 
 parties could be recognized, they Iwive been punislied; 
 but generally they liavc^ not been recognized, and 
 thereft>re escaped punishment. 
 
 "Fourthly. The conduct of some f>f the officers 
 has been so demoralizing that it was next to impossi- 
 ble to keep discipline among the soldiers. .. .OtHeers 
 have carried on with the same high liaiid among the 
 Russian people; and were the testimony ol Ciiizens t(> 
 be taken, many instances of real infamy and wrongs 
 would e(jme to liyfht. 
 
 " For a louij time some of the officers drank ini- 
 moderately of liipior, and it is telling the simpli! trutli 
 when I say that one or two <»f tliem have been drunk 
 for a week at a time. Tiie soldiers saw this, the Ind- 
 ians saw it; and as 'ayas tyhus,' or 'big chiefs,' as 
 they called the officers, (bank, they tliought that they 
 t(»o nuist gi't intoxicated. Then came the distrust of 
 American justice when tlii'V found themselves in the 
 guanl-house, but never saw the officers in when in a 
 like condition.""'* 
 
 ' I 
 
 li^ !l» 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 **Src. nf Interior Itept., ,'/t-4 Coixj. 2d Spah., 10,'{0-I, whoro it is stiitoil 
 that witiiin six riioiitliH after tlio niTival of tlu! troops at Sitka nearly iiic wirtio 
 Sitka trilto, soino l.'J(K) in ininilH'r, wi-ro siill'i-riiij,' from vfiu'rca! <liseasr;i. 
 It in prolmitio, liowcvi-r, timt must of tlicni liad snuii iliscaHfH lonj{ I"I'.>i"l' a 
 Uiiiti'd Stntt'8 8olilii>r set foot in tliu tt-rritory. (^)lyc'l• nniiariiM: ' I liavo 
 B{Miki-ii of tiic ill cfiec-tHof tlio iioiir iiroximity of Holdicis to tlio liuliaii villa>,'fH, 
 ami of tlio ilumomli/.in^' ftli'i-tH upon lM>tl>. It in tlio fuinio in ail Intliait i-oiin- 
 tries. It appears to ln! worse uvro. Iiccauso iiioris iicucn.'sH. Nowlicro I'lso 
 that I luiTu visitftl is tliu nligohito iisclvHHni-xH of si-lilirrH ho npparcnt as in 
 Alaska. . ..TliusoldiorH will liavn whiskey, ami tli(> Indians are (Mpially fonil of 
 it. TLu froo usp of thin l>y both soldiers und ludium*, toguthi-r with thu other 
 
 I t 
 
COS 
 
 ALASKA AS A UNITED STATES COLONY. 
 
 i 
 
 "All ifKort is hfluL^ iiuulc to have tlio military re- 
 turn to Alas!:a," writes the Ue))utv collector of cus- 
 toms from Fort Wraiiijjell, in October 1877, "and in 
 the name of humanitvaml conunon sense I ask, What 
 forJ Is it f<)r the hest interests of tht? territory that 
 they should return ? L()ok at the jiast for an answer. 
 \\ henever did thev do anvthiui; for tiie country or 
 the |)eoj»le in it that deserves [)raise i Did they en- 
 coiiraLfe enterprise and assist in the developint* of the 
 rososirees of the country i No! It stands recorded 
 thp»t tliv'v foik'd the develo|>ing of it, and j)laced re- 
 strictions on enterprise and improvements. Did tiny 
 Sf'ek the (^'idiLchtemnent of the Indian, and endeavor 
 vo rlfvale him to a hii^iier moral standard i On this 
 point let the Indians themselves testily."*' 
 
 Tlu're were in 1805) five hundred st)!diers stationed 
 in Alaska, while it was admitted hy many of the otli- 
 •ers that two hundred were sullicient, and it had al- 
 ready heconie ;j|)parent to civilians that none were 
 really needed. In a country where there are few 
 roads, and v.h»'re communication is ahnost entirely l»y 
 water, three or four rt'vrmie cutLers and the [)resenc('or 
 a sinulf war-vessel would have jirevented snm^i^lin:^' 
 and lawlessness far more etfectually than any force of 
 troops.*' 
 
 delmm-ln'ries Iwtwoon them, rapiilly ilomomlizos l»oth.' Rr/it. I ml. Aiyitlrs, 
 18(il), ."M(i. Ill IS4»;i wiiiu- »:ililit'rs wiTo ilniiiiiii<'<l out of tlu' sorviii' fur 
 ri)lil)iiiu' <'«' (Inck i-liiifili at Sitk:-., and fur otlirr ciiiiicH. Iil., TmT. I'm' 
 furtluT tliouijli lf».* roliiililt! ih-tiiiis an to tlio iiiUcumluct (if tlio inilitiiry. sco 
 lltiiii r'i'iriiilii'ii Srrei/i Jt'uil; i, |i,(s.-4iiii, 
 
 '■' Li'ttor to i'il;lit S'tiniil .l;-;//(--. I'llhlisllO"! Nov. 'J.'i, IS77, of wliicli tlieltl 
 
 ia a i;o|iy in Morri-'* Itrpf., app. |."i:t. A statoiiu'iit as ti tin- ivsnltof iiiil'tary 
 mil' in (,'ivrn liy tliri'f iliirf.-t aiiioii^' tin- Wraiijicll Iiuliaiis. 
 
 '•Captain \Viiitf, in a letter to the Mccrctaiy of tin; troaauiy, remarks; 
 ' From my own |)erHoiial olisiM\atioii and the experieiue (.'aiiied in my fonin r 
 crui-.e to this portion of AliNUa, emlM-aein,' the waters of the AK'vaii'l'i. u 
 Arehi| elav'o, uii>l extending,' li<:m latitiidu N. Tit 40' to latitiidi' N. (i<)'. I ha" o 
 no hi-.-iilation in reniK-otluIly statim^tliat evi'ii for armed vessels of tiiedei-prst 
 ilraii-iht theiv is no 'itliciitty in appnNichin^r, witiiin I'asy ^ilK■lllllf5 diwtanee, :iiiy 
 of the vill:iu'es anil eomptetelydestroyinfr them.' .l/orr/x"^ /iV/zor', Ahislo, lli'.t. 
 Moi ri;!. is of opinion tli.-tt ves.sels iiiteiiileil to lie permanently stationed on tlio 
 coast of Aiaiika tdioiild Ih> of not less than r>()0 toim Imnlen; hnt, as Wliite re- 
 marks, a small vessel pro|N'rly armed and eipiipped eoiild aeeomplish all that 
 a lar;{er and niore heavily ariiH'd one eonld, with the added iidvanta(,'e ol ee- 
 Icrity of movement and <|niekness of evolution, (hi the withclrawal of tho 
 troups in 1877 tliiec ruvunuo ciitturM wci'u atutiunud in Alaska. 
 
CONDITION OP THE PEOPLE. 
 
 609 
 
 Xotwithstantling all that lias been said against the 
 regime of the Russian American Company, it must 
 he admitted that there were more troubles with the 
 natives in the ten years during which American troops 
 wei-e stationed in Alaska than in any decade of the 
 llussian occupation. 
 
 "When the territory was transferred to tiie United 
 States," writes Bryant, "the natives had no knowl- 
 edge of the people with whom they were to deal; an<l 
 having been prejudiced hy the parties then residing 
 among them, some of the more warlike chiefs were in 
 I'avor of driving out the 'Boston men,' as they termed 
 '.IS." 3' The discontent arose, not from any antagonism 
 to the Americans, but from the fact that the territory 
 had been sold without their consent, and that they 
 had received none of the proceeds of the sale. The 
 llussians, they argued, had been allowed to occupy 
 the territory partly for mutual benefit, but their fore- 
 fatl»ers had dwelt in Alaska lonijf before anv white 
 man had set foot in Aiuerica. Why had not the 
 6^7,200,000 been paid to them instead of to the Rus- 
 sians? 
 
 But long before the purchase, as the reader will 
 remember, the natives received better prices I'uv their 
 pi'ltry from the Americans than from tlu; Russians, 
 and when it was found, after the tninsfi'V, iliat still 
 higlier rates and greatt^r variety of products ct)ul(l he 
 <tl>tainetl, their anti[)athy raj)itliy disappeared. Thus 
 for a time there was m* dilliculty; .VUuit and Thlin- 
 kcet became I'riends of the 'Boston men,'"'" and so it 
 might Iiave contiiuuMl but for an untoward in<-i(icnt. 
 
 On New-Year's day, ib(i'.), a Cliiliiat chief,'" Chol- 
 
 *^ P.njanVH Repf., 14. 
 
 '"Till' U. S. military forco sent to Cool; lulci in 18(58 was instructoil to 
 'licware of tlio northern lu'liaiis n" savage, ii.uelieroiis, uiul wailik''.' 
 'J'liat clianioter the natives of Cook Inlet ilo not ileaeivo. The tn>o))s I'oiiii 1 
 them tnithful, hy no nu'an>i w.iriiko thoiij^h (.'oo.l hunters, and ' lievcs ruly 
 nn l(^r gnat teniptJttion. When the soldierd were Nhipwn^oked ami at tlnir 
 nierey, they ilid not steal I'immi them, imt caught lisli for their subsiisten^e. 
 Wnihf'^ ( \,fk liiitt, (m. 
 ■ "Tho CI ■II ats uri! .i Thlinktct tribo. 
 
 Uitt. Vlas.U. UU 
 
 1- i 
 
CIO 
 
 ALASKA AS A UNITED STATES COLONY. 
 
 clicka by name, was invited to dinner l>y Coiicral 
 I>i\is, tlicn ill command of tlio district. After ihnw^ 
 ample justice to the j^eiieral's hospitality, lie was pre- 
 sented with two bottles of American whiskev, and on 
 takinij bis leave, felt that be was not only (!veiy 
 inch a chief, but us good and great a man as an}' who 
 claimed possession of bis country. On reaching tlio 
 foot of the castle stairs, attired in a cast-off army uii- 
 Ibiin, and witb bottles in band, be stalked ma jest i- 
 cally across the part of the [)arade-ground rescivcij 
 for otKcers, and was challenged by the sentry. Igimr- 
 i»ig such ])altry presence, Cholcheka went on his \v;iy 
 toward the stockade, at the gate »)f which was a 
 second sentry, and refusing to turn back, be receive! 
 a kick as be passed out. Now a kick to a Chilk.it 
 cliief, and es[)ecially to one who dons the Unite! 
 States uniform, has just dined witb the general in 
 <'onnnand, and has a bottle of whiskey in each bani!, 
 is a sore indignity. Witb the aid of one Sitka daik, 
 tlieii a well known character among the townsfolk, lie 
 wrested the rilKr from the soldier's grasp, ami enteied 
 the Indian village close at baml. 
 
 'Flu; guard was at onci^ turned out, an<l "ordered," 
 writes J)avis in his re|)ort of January f), isni), "to 
 follow bim into the village, and arrest bini and Iiis 
 party. ]ie resisted by op<'iiinga lire upon the guar 1. 
 The guai'd returned it, out finding tlu; Indians too 
 str(»ng I'or them, ii'treated back into thegarrison. As 
 the cliief himself was reported probably killed in tin; 
 melee, and tlie whole trihe of Sitkas, among whom he 
 was staying, was thrown into a gr(>at state of excite- 
 ment, 1 tliouglit it prudent to order a strong guard 
 out lor ilie night, and to take no fui'tlier acition until 
 morning, as the niglit was very <lark, thus giviiijf 
 them time to reflect. 
 
 "I called the principal Sitka chiefs together, add 
 they disclaimed any jiarticipation in the alliiif, ;iiid 
 said they did not desire to fight (Mther the tvoo[);s or 
 the Chilkahts, and that they bad already boisted white 
 
CHOLCIIEKA'S WIIOXGS. 
 
 eii 
 
 i1;i.j« ov(>r tlu'ir ('ivl)ins. I tlion (li'tnandcil tlic siirivii- 
 (lur of the Chilkahtrhief, wlu), after coiisiduraML' drlay 
 aiul some sliow of fii^ht on tlio part of about fifty ot 
 liis warriors, came in and j^avo liiniself up. A few 
 liiiiiutes' talk with hiui sufficed to convince me that he 
 was bent on war, and I would have had to lii^lit hut 
 f >r the Sitkas refusiu'j: to join in his desi«rn. I cKn- 
 lined him and his principal confederates in tlie L,niard- 
 house, where he still remain^ 
 
 10 
 
 In a few days Choleheka and his party were lih- 
 crated, and here it was siipposcsd tlu; niattei' w<)ull 
 I lid; but, as it j)roved, this, the iirst dillicidtv bctwt'eu 
 the Indians and the military, was frauiLjht with evil 
 consequences, and all on account of a United States 
 j;cneral niakiui;- an Indian drunk, and then havinn" two 
 f his people killed. And this from his <>wi! showiiiLC", 
 
 VvO never hear the other side of these storit 
 
 I) 
 
 On 
 
 the iZ.Mh of Deceinbi-r last," continues J^avis, mi 
 report dated ^farch J), IHCiD, "a couple of whits 
 m(>n, named ]\[aa!:^('r and Walker, hit Sitka in a 
 small boat on a tra(hn;,' e.\[>edition inC'hatliam Si raits. 
 AI)()ut one week after their dej>arture the <lilli('uliy 
 between the (Millcot chief and a few of his fol- 
 h)wers occurred at this place, as heretofore reported. 
 It appears that duiinuf this dilliculty a |>arty of 
 ei'^ht Kake Indians w.n* at the Sitka villaiii- and 
 out; of them was shot by a sciitinil whii<^ attem[)tin,i; 
 to escape from the vlllaL^e in a canoe, c<»ntrary to or- 
 ders and Jui understandiu',^ with the junu'cable portion 
 of the Indians. The parlies thus attempting; to escape 
 were* run down by small boats from the S'li/i'iinic and 
 i\\c revenue cutter l*<lmntr, and broui^'ht back. As 
 they were unarmed, they were permiit.ed to o'o about 
 tlu'Ir business. They remained some davs anionic the 
 
 Silk 
 
 vas, ai 
 
 id after the Chilcot chief was restored to 
 
 '".Vir. Iiitirior, 1,'rpf., .ihl ('oh.;. Jil .sV.w.. lO'JS. In his Ictti-r to Viiictnt 
 (' >l,Vir, ilatfcl Nov. |0, lS(ii>, J)o(l:.;(! luiyn that tlif KicUiii'.,' was witiicHHi'il l>y 
 a little IfiiMsiiin trirl. /</., lOKI. 'I'wn Imliunti \vi iv kiUeil in tlio fr;:y, jiii'l one 
 goliliur severely wouadeil. 
 
 
 Li 
 
 
 * 
 
CH 
 
 ALASKA AS A UNITED STATES COLOXV. 
 
 liberty, it is rcportiul tlicv trii'il to rrr.t him to j -in 
 llic'ia ill a <^'t'iu'ial tii^lit ai^ainst tlio whites. From the 
 I'cst information I can get, he deehned to do so. Tluy 
 then left for their lu>mes, and en route murdi'it.l 
 ^liia-'er and Walker in the iii(>.st brutal manner."*' 
 
 It was not yet known to the military authorities, 
 or, it' it were, the fact was ij^nored, that anion<^ tlu' 
 'I'hlinkeet tribes, when a member has suffered dcuith 
 iv injury from violence, hii< comrades require payment 
 in money or goods, and in default of it, never fail to 
 letaliate. The i)resent of a few blankets or otiur 
 Jirti<;les to the relatives of those who fell in the emeute 
 at Sitka would |)robably have prevented the troubles 
 that ensued," It is eertnin that it would at least hav(> 
 
 I 111 vented the mutilation and murder of Maager and 
 NValker. 
 
 Davis had now, as he thought, no alternative. 
 ][(! sailed for Kou Island, the territory of tlie 
 Kakes, on board the Sa(/inaw, intending to obtain 
 tlie surrender of the murderers, or to seize some of 
 their chiefs as hostages. On his arrival he found that 
 lh(! whole tribe had disappeared, dreading the ven- 
 geance that might overtake them; whereupon hi' or- 
 dei-ed their villa-'es to be razed to the jxround aiul all 
 lliiir ])roperty to be destroyed. 
 
 Henceforth troubles with the Indians continucil 
 throughout and after the military occupation.*^ On 
 
 *' Ann;/ ninl A'rtiv/ Jour., March 1, ISfiO. A copy of flcn. Pavis' rej>i)rt 
 vai funiialuil t> lliis publicutioii from tlio liwuljiiiirtors of tlio military 
 ili\ \M<in oi tlic I'aciliL'. 
 
 " I'ivo moiil!::; after tlio c^mcuto occurred, a party of ('liilkota txMirili.l 
 
 II Vessel, mill ileiiiaiuled iiioiii y or life, (iuarniity was (.'iveii for ]>ayuitiit, 
 ici'l (III the i'( filial of tliu eoiiiinaiiilLr at iSiikii to funiisli tiio miiii agreed on, 
 i; waH paiil liy tlie owner, I'ruiiU K. Loutliaa, a .Sitka iiiureliaiit, who HuyM, in 
 a letter to Viiueiit Colyor, in IStJ'.t: '.My own cxperitnei) ha.i tmij,'ht mo that 
 an i:niiii'diatc Hettlcmoiit for any mortal or other injury inllietvd in this nio.st 
 j hlieioiit) eoiirsu to iiiirsut) with the Koluuh liuliuuii.' Jtr/it. Jml. AJ'uir-, 
 ,l/M/.Yt, in Ifr/,/. liid. Comm., IHCil, p. .'>73. 
 
 ^•' l'rofeH:;or 1 >a\i(l,i(in of the coast survey went to the Chilkat Hiver to 
 oh-irrvo the Hohir eelinse on •Vn.i.'unt (I, IStiO. Hewuswaniid that tl:e('!iil- 
 lv:lt ln>liail;4 had just fueii provoked to hostility, hut did not heed th<! Wai ii- 
 ilij:, and tlio |>arly returned Mufe. Theohscrvation wan iiiuilu iieiirii po[iuIo,i:< 
 vi!Ia!.;e, and wiieu it took phui! the Indians gradually di.ta|ipeared ami fled 
 ialo tho wuoib in sileut dismay. They liiul uut buiiovud l>a\ iUitou's prvdic- 
 
 his 
 
KILLIXU OF LOW AX. 
 
 •IS 
 
 ChriHtmns nijLjht of 1809 it wasr({)(>rtt(l to the ofTiivr 
 in coiiiumiul at Fort Wraiij^fcll tliat u Stikceii naiiird 
 Lowaii, or Siwau," had bitten otl' the fiu<j('r of tho 
 wifo of the (luarternuifrter sergeant. A Jetaclmieiit 
 uas sent to arrest him, in eluvrge ot* Lieutenant Loueks, 
 wlio states t!iat ho entered the Inchan's liouse with 
 twelve men, eight being posted outside, and instruc- 
 tions given to fire at a given signal. " I ta|»[)ed 
 Siwau on the shoulder," reports the lieutenant, ".say- 
 ing that I wanted him to come with me. Ho arose 
 from his sitting posture and said ho would put on his 
 vest; after that ho wished to get his coat. Feeling 
 <'onvineed that this was merely to gain time, and that 
 he wished to trifle with me, I began to be more urgent. 
 Siwau ai)jteared less and less inelined to come awny 
 with me, and in this the latter part of the parley he 
 became impudent and uionacing in raising his hands as 
 if to strike mo. I admonished him against such 
 actions, and tried my utmost to av(*Id extreme meas- 
 ures in arresting him. About this time Estecn, 
 probably apprehending datiger to his brother, Siwau, 
 lushed forward in front of the detachment, extending 
 his arms theatrically, and exclaiming, as I sup[)osevl 
 under the circumstances, ' Shoot; kill me; lam not 
 afraid.' Siwau, seeing this, also rushed upon tlio 
 detachment, endeavoring to snatch a musket awiiy 
 IVom one of the men on the right of the detachment. 
 Still wishing to avoid loss of life if po.ssible, I tried to 
 give him two or three sabre-cuts over the head to stun 
 without killiui; him. In doinuc this I had given the 
 ]>reconcertod signal, by raising my hand, to fire. I 
 should judge about six or tight shots were fired during 
 the m^loo, and only ceasing by the Indian Siwau fail- 
 ing at the feet of the detachment doad." 
 
 The ofiicor returned to his (juarters and dismissc 1 
 his men, supposing that no further trouble would 
 
 tion the ilny boforo, niul its fulliliiifnt prolwibly caused tlic siifcty of tho parly. 
 I!<}il. ('o<tst Siin-vii, I8t>!). 177-'.>. 
 
 " Buth uuiuc:^ uru uwU ia thu oliicial re|>orttt ou thU mutter. 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 '" Itt 1 2.2 
 
 IIIM 
 
 2.0 
 
 1.8 
 
 
 1.25 
 
 1.4 1,6 
 
 
 ■9 6" 
 
 ► 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporaiioii 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
 S. 
 
 <P 
 
 \ 
 
 iV 
 
 N> 
 
 '^ 
 
 V 
 
 <^ 
 
 
 o^ 
 
 «* 
 
 ^ 
 
 '%'■ 
 
A. 
 
 M?.r 
 
 ^ 
 
 d^ 
 
C14 
 
 ALASKA AS A UNITED STATES COLOXY. 
 
 0(!cur; but an hour later sliots -were heard from the 
 dircctif)!! of the store of the ])ost-trader, and taking 
 M'ith him a single ])rivate, Loiicks ran toward the spot. 
 On his way he stumbled across an object near tlio 
 plank walk laid between the store and the garri- 
 son quarters. It was the post-trader's partner, Leon 
 Smith, lying on his breast with arms extended, a re- 
 volver near his right hand, fourtecen bullet wounds 
 in his left side just below the heart, and three in 
 the left wrist. A few hours later ho died an ex- 
 tremely painful death, and it was ascertained that the 
 murder had been committed by an Indian named 
 Scutdoo. 
 
 Immediately after reveille Loucks was sent with 
 twenty men to demand the surrender of the nuir- 
 derer; to summon the chiefs of the tribe to the post, 
 and to state that if the culprit were 'not delivered u[) 
 at mid-day at latest, fire would be opened on the Ind- 
 ian village outside the stockade. At noon there wore 
 no indications that the demand would be complied with, 
 but there were very stroniif indications tliat the Ind- 
 ians intended to fiixlit,'*^ After consulting with his 
 fellow-officers and waitinij for two hours more, in the 
 hope that tlie natives would change their determina- 
 tion. Lieutenant Borrowc of the second artillery, then 
 in connnand, ordered his battery to open with solid shot 
 on the murderer's house. Several shot passed tlu'ougli 
 the building, but the Indians maintained their posi- 
 tion and returned the fire. Later a fusillade was opened 
 by the Indians from the hills in rear of the post, but 
 being answered with canister, they quickly dispersed. 
 
 Firing was continued on both sides until dark. "The 
 next morning, just at daybreak," reports Borrowc, 
 "they opened on the garrison from the ranch with 
 musketry, which was immediately replied to, and see- 
 ing that they were determined not only to resist, but 
 
 *^ Some of thorn were obsorvod crvrryiii'T aw.'iy tlicir poods to .n place of 
 E.ifcty. Lkutcnatil Uorrowe's lici in Sen. Ex. Doc, 41st Vuiiij. Jd Sin.<,, no. 
 07. 
 
BORROWE'S ACHIEVEMENTS. 
 
 G15 
 
 had become the assailants, I resolved to shell them, 
 but having only solid shot for the six-pounder, and the 
 distance being too great for canister, I still continued 
 the fire from that gun with shot and from the moun- 
 tain howitzer with shell." 
 
 Durinfj the afternoon mcssenfjers were sent under a 
 flag of truce to request a parley. The reply was, that 
 until the murderer was surrendered " talk was useless." 
 " Soon after," continues Borrowo, " the chiefs were 
 seen coming over, and a party behind them with the 
 murderer, who was easily recognized by his dress. 
 Just as they were leaving the ranch a scuffle, ev- 
 idently prearranged, took place, and the prisoner es- 
 caped, and was seen making for the bush,' no attempt 
 to rearrest him being made." On arriving at the post 
 the chiefs were informed that if Scutdoo w.;ve not de- 
 livered up before six o'clock the next evening their 
 village and its occupants would be destroyed. At 
 nine p. m. on the 26th the murderer was surrendered; 
 on tlie 28th he was tried by court-martial, and at noon 
 on the following day he was hanged.*" 
 
 The prompt action of Lieutenant Borrowc was ap- 
 proved by General Davis, but it would appear that the 
 matter might have been settled without the nuirder 
 of an Indian, a white man, and the bombardment of 
 an Indian village, especially as the general admits that 
 Siwau was drunk when he bit off the woman's finger. 
 This skilful and gentlemardy performance of the 
 lieutenant, who with twenty armed men could not 
 arrest a drunken and defenceless Indian without first 
 cutting him on the head with a sabre, and tlien allowing 
 him to be shot, was a fitting su[)plement to that of his 
 general. The killing of Siwau was no less a murder 
 than was the assassination of the white man. For tliat 
 murder vengeance nmst be taken, in accordance with 
 Indian notions of justice, and the post-trader's assassi- 
 
 ^'■'A full report of the iiffair at Fort Wraiigcll is coiitivincd in /'/., tin; re- 
 port <if Lieutenant Loiicks which follows, and the i>roc'(jLdiug.i of llie (.uurt- 
 luurtiul whiuii urc appended. 
 
 ■.'< 
 
616 
 
 ALASKA AS A UNITliD STATES COLONY. 
 
 ii 
 
 nation was the act of vengeance as inflicted by Scutdoo. 
 After listening with perfect cahnness to his sentence, 
 the prisoner exclaimed, "Very well," and said that " he 
 would see Mr Smith in the other world, and, as it 
 were, explain to him how it all happened; that he did 
 not intend to kill him particularly; had it been any 
 one else, it would have been all the same."*^ 
 
 There is abundant testimony as to the peaceful 
 character of the Indians at Fort Wrangell. Leon 
 Smith himself says, in a letter to Vincent Colyer, 
 Avritten about three months before his death, "I liavo 
 found them to be quiet, and they seem well disposed 
 toward the whites;" and in the same letter remarks 
 that "the Stick (Stikeen)*^ tribe are a very honest 
 tribe, and partial to the whites." These statements 
 are indorsed by others. Moreover, from the reports of 
 several reliable witnesses it appears that the Wrangell 
 Indians were far more industrious, if not more intel- 
 ligent, than the United States soldiers.*" 
 
 From the official reports of the officers in conmiand 
 at Sitka and Fort Wrangell, it will be seen that the 
 conduct of the troops was sufficiently atrocious, and 
 of course they put the matter in its most favorable 
 light. "If," writes the Christian missionary society's 
 superintendent of Indian missions'^*' to Vincent Colyer, 
 iu 1870, "the United States government did but 
 know half, I am sure they would shrink from being 
 identified with such abominations, and the cause of 
 so much misery. I hope and pray that in God's good 
 providence the soldiers will be moved away from Fort 
 
 " See rcjiort of procccdinga of conrt-martinl. Scutdoo admitted that he 
 was tho murderer, nnd was identified by the chiefs. 
 
 *^ A Tlilinkeet tribe. TIio word is various'y spelled. For tlie location of 
 the tiibc, see my Native I'acen, i. 90, 143. 
 
 ** ' The majority of these Indiana are very industrious, and are nhv.iy-i 
 onxioustogcteinploynicnt,' writes \V. Wall, interpreter at Wrangoll. 'Tlity 
 aro of a very superior intelligence,' saya William S. Dodge, collector of cus- 
 toms. Col i/er\H lif))t., al^l). D. 
 
 '"Tiio Rev. W. Duncan, supciintendent in British Columbia, near tlie 
 boundary lino of Alaska. Id., p. 10. 
 
OUTRAGES. 
 
 017 
 
 Tongas and Fort Wrangel, where there arc no whites 
 to protect. "^^ 
 
 It is unnoecssafy to relate in detail all the outrages 
 that called forth this well deserved remark and justi- 
 fied it in later years. I will mention only three 
 instances. At Sitka, a Chilkat was deliberatc.^ly 
 shot dead by a civilian in 18G'J for breaking the 
 glass of a show-case ;''' three were wounded in 1872 
 by United States soldiers in an affra,y caused by the 
 
 ^' Tho supci in ;en(lcnt is wrong on this point. Tliere was a small number 
 of white people at each of tliesc posts. 
 
 '^ I'robably l)y Jaiiu!!j C. I'arker, an eniployco of tho post-trader. Parker 
 was tried by a court-martial. The iinding of the court was, tliat 'after a 
 careful examination of tho witnesses wlio liavc been called before the l)card, 
 the board has not been able to determine, further than throuiu'h tho inferences 
 of circumstantial evidence, who shot tlic Chilkat Indian. Tiie circumstan- 
 tial evidence points to an employee of the post-trader, Mr I'arkcr, as tlio 
 person who did tho shooting; the breaking of a show-case for the pur))o.so of 
 stealing being, as far as tho board can determine, the circumstance which led 
 to the shooting, and the board is of the opinion that if there were no moro 
 reasons for shooting than those brought out in evidence, the act was nub 
 justifiable.' Tlie evidence was at least such as would have enilaii'rercd Par- 
 ker's neck if he had been living in British Columbia. Colonel W. I[. Den- 
 luson, then in command of the post, testified: 'I was in tlie sutler's [post- 
 trader's] store ttt about 4 o'clock in tho afternoon. Mr Parkei", wlio is em- 
 ployed in tho store, came in very much excited, and asked Mr Soutiian ftlio 
 sutler] where liis rillc was. Mr 8ou than asked Mr Parker to the jiurport as 
 to whether he had seen tlie Indian. Mr Parker replied tliat he had. Whiio 
 Mr Parker was looking around for tho rille and changing Iiis siioes, MrSoutiiaii 
 told him two or three times not to take tho rille. Some one else sitting by 
 tlie stove told Mr Parker to tak" the pistol instead of tho rille. Mr Parker 
 t^aid the pistol was not sure enough ; "lam going to take the rille to bring tlio 
 Indian back." Ho took the Henry rille, went out of the front door, and 
 walked up toward the Indian market-house, and came liack in about ten min- 
 utes. Mr Southan asked him if he had gotten the Indian. Mr Parker replied 
 that " that was a very hard (|uestion to ask a man." ' When asked whether, as 
 commanding oQiccr, he had taken any action in the case, tiie colonel answered: 
 'I took none more than to investigate and satisfy myself that no sohlier of 
 my command was engaged in the shooting.' Soutiian stated tliat the damago 
 to tiic sliow-caso was trilling, and tliat Parker asked for the rille, siiyiug that 
 lie was in pursuit of the Indian wlio had ))rokcn the show-case wimlow. 
 Private John McKeuzio testified that tlicrc was no one witli Parker at tho 
 time, private Alonzo Ramsey, that lie saw Parker chaso tho Indian, return 
 to tlie store for the rifle, go outside the stockade, and disapjicar lichind a 
 neighl)oring liill near tlio Greek church. A few minutes later Uamsoy heard 
 three shots fircil, and from tho direction of tlio smoke supposed that Parker 
 had discharged liis gun. Inimciliately after the shooting the Indian stated 
 to his brother tliat the shots wero fired nt liim by Parker in rear of tho 
 (i reek church, on the hill near the stockade. Sec. litlcrior I'ejit., /^luf Coinf. 
 Sil Srss., npp. R, 1047. A few weeks before this incident, Lieutunant Cowan 
 of tho revenue service was sliot dead in a saloon by a discharged soldier. 
 The bullet was intended for Colonel Dcnniaon, who was with Cowan at tho 
 timo. 
 
 ill 
 
 Wii 
 
C18 
 
 ALASKA AS A UNITED STATES COLONY. 
 
 accidental breaking of an egg;''^ and an Indian cliief, 
 bein'j: sent on board a steamer from Fort Wranijell in 
 1875, as a witness against some nnlitary |)risoners,met 
 with such ill usai»'e that lie cut his throat, his servant 
 afterward attempting to blow up the steamer by 
 tluxnving a large can of powder into one of the fur- 
 naces, and his tribe threatening war on hearing of 
 their chiefs suicide. 
 
 After the witlidrawal of the troops there was no 
 power or authority in the land to jninisli wrong-doers, 
 and a serious outbreak was of course anticipated; but 
 none occurred. In August 1877 there were at most 
 but fifteen American citizens and five Russians re- 
 maining at Sitka, with their wives and families, at 
 the merc}^ of tlie liundreds of Kolosh who inhabited 
 the adjoining village. They were in hourly fear of 
 their lives, as they saw drunken men staggering past 
 their residences at all hours of the day and niglit; but 
 that for two years at least, the Indians caused farther 
 trouble, apart from being noisy, boisterous, sometimes 
 insolent, sometimes guilty of petty tl.eft, and always 
 drunk when they could obtain liquor, there is no 
 evidence. Much indignation was expressed by the 
 newspapers of the Pacific coast as to the indifferenco 
 Vv'itli which a handful of loafers and office-seeking poli- 
 ticians — American citizens they were called — were 
 abandoned to their fate."* In a San Francisco pub- 
 lication issued November 2, 1877, it is even stated 
 that the timely arrival of a revenue cutter alone saved 
 Sitka from demolition and the white population from 
 
 ^' Two soldiers were bargaining with an Indian woman for a basket of 
 eg,c;s, and broke one of tlien\ tar which the woman (k'nianded payment. A 
 sciilllc followed, and soon the trilo gathered in the parudc-groiuul. One of 
 them h^hot at tlie sentry, whereupon the troops were put iiiidi.'r ariua. Akiaki 
 VAc;-.. JulyJ-l, 1S72; Portland Bull., July 1,">, ISTi; .S'. F. liidklin, August 
 1, 1872. 
 
 ^' Among others, see the S. F. Diilh'tin, Sept. '2X, 1S77, Get. 30. 1.S77, 
 Jan. 22, 1S7S; Chronicle, Oct. .31, 1877, Jan. 20, 1878; Vail, Jan. 23, 1878. 
 Ill the iSVtj; Fruiicisco Po!<f, October 31, 1877, it ia justly remarked that ' the 
 cLuuorfor troops to hold the Indians in cheek is a j^lialluw pretext, prompteil 
 liy a dozen contractora, and the ajj^cata of u steamship lino that has lost iU 
 traiiic' 
 
OFFICIAL REPOKTS. 
 
 ei9 
 
 slauglitcr; but now lot us lioar the ofKcial reports of 
 the leveiiuc officers themselves ou this matter. 
 
 Captain White of the Corw'ui, ordered to Sitka 
 soon after the withdrawal of the military, wi'ites, ou 
 Aui^ust 12, 1877: "After diligent inquiries and care- 
 ful observation since our arrival here, I have n»)t dis- 
 covered any breach of the public peace, nor has my 
 attention been called to any particular act, save a few 
 petty trespasses committed by the Indians, half- 
 breeds, and white men as well."'"' 
 
 In September of this year there was much needless 
 alarm at Sitka. It was reported that Sitka Jack, 
 then tiic chief of his tribe, had invited a large number 
 of the Kolosh from the districts north of the ca[)ital 
 to be present at a grand festival which was to com- 
 Tiience on the 1st of October. Liquor would of course 
 llov/ plentifully, and it was feared that the festival 
 
 '' 2rorr'i''8 liCpt., Iii7. The vessel was sent at tlxo request of Mnjor Eerry, 
 Cillcctor of custonis, ami William Gouvoriiciir !Morris, special a.,"jnt of tlio 
 treasury departiiiciU, ami .lutlior of the report. The cruise of the Conriii in 
 Ala k;'. and the X. \V. Arctic in 1881, as nlated, JfoKxe Ex. Dor. (publi-shed 
 i 1 Kcparato form, Washiiij^ton, 1SS.1). is too well known to tho reader to rei|uirc 
 cOiHUicnt. Mention of this cruise is made in the >S. F. Uitlkttii, Sept. 'J(i-'J'J 
 and Oct. 22, 1S81. Ou Aur; ,.st 12th of this year, Capt. Hooper of tlio Cor- 
 vl,i .siiuei'cded, after mncli diiliculty, in reaching; ^Vran;;ell Land. The island 
 was r'luiatcued New Columbia, the American (lag hoisted, a record of the 
 Connii'a visit and a copy of the Ncny York Herald were jilaced in a bottle and 
 pecurcd to the lln'^'-polc, and the (laij saluted. The decitiiiui of the court of 
 iii'iuiry hold r.t Washington, as to the mend)ers of the JviHctlv. expedition, is 
 published in Id., ]"eb. I!*, ISS,']. During her cruise the ('•iririu destmyed the 
 Indian village of Hootchcnooou the Alaska coast, two miles from N'ortli Port. 
 The incident is thus deseiihed in /(/., X(jv. ]'.i, IS82: 'Tlw;trilie iiad seized 
 and held two white men and a steam-laum Ii, \\hicli had b;-en sent out w ith a 
 tug after whales. The launch was jirovided with a bomb-gun, u[)on liring 
 v.hich an explosion occurred, and an Indian chief who was assisted on boar. I 
 t!ie hiunch was killed. The tribe surrounded and captured the Luinch with 
 two white men, and nearly s\u;cecded in gettin.' possession of the tug. Tho 
 laficr, however, got away and steamed to Si.ka. Tho (.'iirwi.i, v.'itli Capt. 
 JMcri'iman and sixty sailorsand marines, was de':patehed to Ibiochenoo. C;'»])t. 
 i\lerrini:iu demanded tlio surrender of the launch and jirisoncrs, .md tho 
 In. liana demanded 200 blankets in compensation for the death of the chief. 
 Captain Merriman put in a counterclaim for4(!() blankets as compensation fcr 
 the .seizure of tlio launeli and r.;en. The Jndians lefused, and the next morn- 
 ing a Catling gun was played ou tho Indian ennoes on the beach. .\ force 
 was afterward landed, which dcftroycd all of them. Tho Indians afterward 
 fled it tho wooils ami tho villiigo was shelled, the huts remaining staiuliug 
 after the siulling, being looted i.nd burned to the jjround.' The erui.U! of tho 
 Uniteil Slati s lelief sNanier lUdnt )m is mentioned in Id., Nov. !), 14, 17, 1351, 
 and the wreck of tlic VifjUaut iu Id., Aug. 15, ISSl. 
 
ALASKA AS A UNITED STATES COLOXY. 
 
 would end in the saclc of the town and the massacre 
 of its inhabitants. The revenue steamer Wolcott was 
 therefore ordered to Sitka from Port Tovvnsend, and 
 on the 18th of October her commander thus reports 
 to the secretary of the treasury: "The situation of 
 affairs here remains unchanged since the cutter Conviii 
 left. The festival amonij the Indians is nothin<>- new; 
 they have continued this fashion of holding an annual 
 celebration similar to this one for years, and I Icaiii 
 from a reliable source that no trouble has ever couio 
 of it, or is there likely to now. Thoy are noisy and 
 boisterous in their mirth, and assume immense airs, 
 and swagger around with some insolence, but nev(>r 
 make any threats. Sitka Jack, the chief of the Sitka 
 Indians, has recently built him a new house, and cele- 
 brates the event on this occasion by inviting the rel- 
 atives of his wife, numbering about thirty persons, 
 from the Cliilkaht tribe. These are all the Indians 
 from abroad, which, with the live hundred Sitka Ind- 
 ians, comprise the total number present. With the 
 exception of the noise and mirth incident to these 
 festivities, I am assured by the chiefs that there sli.ill 
 be no disturbance."^ And there was none; nor has 
 there since been any very serious trouble. In 1879 
 emeutes were threatened at Sitka and Fort WranLrcll, 
 but both were prevented, the former by the arrival of 
 the British man-of-war Osprey, and the latter, which 
 was merely a fray between two hostile tribes, by tlio 
 arrival of a party of armed men from the United 
 States steamer Jamestown.^^ Since that time tlu;re 
 have been occasional murders and attempts at murder, 
 but less frequently, in proportion to the population, 
 
 '" Id. , 128. Captain Selden, who wrote this . cport, was of opinion that tlio 
 Sitkiis, being entirely depeiulcnt on the Bca-ioast for the means of sub- 
 sistciico, aiuT knowing the certainty of punish ;ncnt if tliey displayed lios- 
 tility toward tlie wliitcs, feared the consequcncoa too inueli to commit any 
 dcjircdations. The only depredations which they committed, wortliy of niou- 
 tioii, wcro carrying off the doors and windows of the government buildiug.s, 
 and tearing away a part of the stockade for firewood. 
 
 ^' An account of the former affair is given in Bearddee'a liept. Affairs, 
 Alaska, 4-0, and of the latter in the S. F. Bulletin of Feb. 2, 1880. 
 
' 
 
 ABORIGINAL RULE. 
 
 C'JI 
 
 than has bocn the case in sonic of the states and ter- 
 ritories of tlie Pacific coast. 
 
 Considering that since the withdrawal of tlic troops 
 tlio natives have been for the most part masters of 
 the situation, they appear to liave shown more forbear- 
 ance than could reasonably bo expected. It is true 
 tliat they have often assumed an ari-ogant tone, have 
 sometimes demanded and occasionally received black- 
 mail from the white man when trouble was threat- 
 ened;"^ but this is not sui-prising. They had been ac- 
 customed to stern treatment under Russian rule, to 
 brutal treatment under American rule, and now that 
 there was no rule, they found themselves living in 
 company with Americans, llussians, Creoles, China- 
 men, Eskimos, men of all races, creeds, and colors, 
 in a condition of primitive republican simplicity. 
 They vastly outnumbered those of all other national- 
 ities. Notwithstandin<:j the reufulations as to the sale 
 of fire-arms, ammunition, and spirituous liquor, the 
 Indians could always obtain these articles in exchange 
 lor peltry and other wares. They were seldom irei; 
 from the craze of strong drink, and strong drink of 
 the vilest description ; tlie imported liquor sold to them 
 Avas the cheapest and most poisonous compound man- 
 ufactured in the United States, and the soldiers liad 
 tauufht them how to make a still more abominable 
 compound for themselves. 
 
 Nearly all the troubles that have occurred witli 
 Indians, since the time of the purcliase, may be traced 
 directly or indirectly to the abuse of liquor. During 
 tlie regime of the llussian American (Jonipany, rum 
 was sold to them only on special occasions, and then 
 in moderate quantities, but afterward the supjjly was 
 limited only by the means of the purchaser. The 
 excitement of a drunken and lascivious debauch be- 
 came the one object in life for which the Indians live-d, 
 the one object for which they worked. While sober 
 
 '* See the report of the commander of the Osprcy, published in the S. F. 
 litilkCui, Murch'lS, ly"*). 
 
 Ill 
 
 \* 
 
622 
 
 ALASKA AS A UNITED STATICS COLONY. 
 
 tlicy were tractable and soinetimes industrious, and 
 if tlicv liad suflieieut self-denial, would remain sol)er 
 lt)ng enough to earn money for a prolonged earousal. 
 Thoy would thcn"[)laii their prasnik, as they termed 
 it, deliberately, and of maliee aforethought, and enjoy 
 it as deliljcrately as did the English farm-laborer in 
 the seventeenth century, when spirits were cheap and 
 untaxed, and when for a single sliilling he could soak 
 his brains iu alcohol for a week at a time at one of the 
 road-sldc taverns, where signs informed the wayfarer 
 that he could get well drunk for a penny, dead-drunk 
 for twopence, and without further expense sleej> olf 
 the effects of his orgy on the clean straw provided for 
 him in the cellar. 
 
 Soon after the purchase, an order was issued by the 
 president of the United States'^' that all distilled 
 spirits should be sent to department headquarters at 
 Sitka and placed under control of General Davis — a 
 wise proceeding, if we may judge from results — but 
 the injunction was of no avail. In 18G9 confiscated 
 liquor was sold at auction by the collector of the port 
 in the streets of Sitka. In the same year nine hundred 
 gallons of })ure alcohol, landed from the steamer jVcw- 
 hcrn and marked ' coal oil,' were seized by the in- 
 spector; but for each gallon of alcohol or alcoholic 
 liquor conliscated by the revenue ofiicers, probably ten 
 were smuL^oled into the territory,"^ or were .delivered 
 under some pretext, at the sutler's stores. By the 
 Xcwhcni were also forwarded to Tongass and Fort 
 Wrangell, during the same trip, ten barrels of distilled 
 spirits, twenty of ale, and a largo number of cases of 
 porter and wine. The ship's papers showed that they 
 were for the use of the officers; but as there were only 
 four officers at Tongass and a single company of troops 
 at Fort Wrangell, there is no doubt that they were 
 
 "Under act of congress. See Cohjer'n I'rpt., 537, ami app. H, 585. 
 
 ^' ' During the summer soiison,' writes Moi'ris, on April 14, 1S77, ' the Al!i<!- 
 kan coast swarms with small vessels and canoes, navi^'atcd by despcrato and 
 lawless men, bent upon smui^glin^, illicit barter, and that espueiul curse to 
 the natives — trading iu ardent spirits.' I?i'iit., 23. 
 
SALE OF LIQUOR. 
 
 023 
 
 intended for sale at the Indian villacjes adiuininGftlicse 
 posts.^i 
 
 In answer to a letter from the secretary of war in 
 1873, the attorney general of the United States dc- 
 olared officially that "Alaska was to be regarded as 
 Indian country, and that no spirituous liquors or wines 
 could be introduced into the territory without an order 
 by the war department for that purpose.""- In 1875 
 ail permits for the sale of spirituous liquors in Alaska 
 were revoked,''''and during the two remaininuf years of 
 tiie military occupation, we learn of no serious disturb- 
 ances amomj^ the natives. 
 
 The disorders that followed the withdrawal of tlio 
 troops were due quite as nmch to white men as to 
 Indians; and by both, the reyenuc laws and revenue 
 otiieers were held in contempt. Of the disij^racoful 
 scenes that then ensued, I will mvo a sinu'le instance. 
 Early in 1878 there were about two hundred and fifty 
 miners at Fort Wrangell, waiting until the ice should 
 form on the Stikcen River or navigation should become 
 practicable. In a repcrt dated February 23d of that 
 year, the deputy collector of customs at WrangcU 
 says: "While I was at Sitka another thinsjf occurred 
 at this port that puts to shame anything that has 
 happened heretofore. A gfing of rowdies and bum- 
 mers have, for the past three months, been in the 
 habit of getting on a drunken spree, and then at mid- 
 night going about the town making the most hideous 
 noises imaginable, disturbing everybody, and insult- 
 ing those who complain of these doings. On the 
 nin^ht of February IGth the incarnate devils started 
 out about midnight, and after raising a connuotiou 
 
 V 
 
 i 
 
 ^1 
 
 "' Id. , 537-8. The spirits were afterward scut to Sitka, through fhc inter- 
 ference of Co'.yer. 
 
 •^-Letter of Geo. H. Williams to W. W. Belknap, in Sen. Lx. Dar., /fjtl 
 Con;/. J(l .SV.W., '2i. In Oct. 1S71 the ileputy collector at Vv'raii';eU was 
 arrested by o.der of the officer in command fcir %'io!ating the rules on the im- 
 portation of liquor. Alaska II rr., Oct. 2Sth. Oa Jan. 7, I'iT.J, the distiict 
 court !it Portland, //( re John A. Carr on hibeas corpus, held Curr to answer on 
 a similar charge, audlixedhisbailat.S-joOO. Portland Ore joitiaii, Jan. 8, Ih'o. 
 
 ^^Gen. Orders, Depl. Col., Jan. '21, 187j. 
 
 i 
 
624 
 
 ALASKA AS A UNITED STATES COLONY. 
 
 i|! 
 
 all over town, visited a house occupied by an Indian 
 woman, gave her whiskey that made her beastly 
 drunk, and tlien left. Shortly after their departure 
 the house occupied by the woman was discovered t<> 
 be in flames, and ere any assistance could bo rendered 
 the poor woman was burned to death.""* It was 
 feared that two months later there might be a thousand 
 miners congregated at Wrangell; and the population 
 of the Indian village was about double that number. 
 As there was a plentiful supply of whiskey for the 
 former, and of hootchcnoo, or molasses-rum, for the 
 latter, serious troubles were anticipated. 
 
 During the last five months of 1877, there were 
 delivered at Sitka, from the steamer which carried the 
 United States mail from Portland, 4,880 gallons of 
 molasses, and at Fort Wrangell 1,G35 gallons. Large 
 quantities were also landed from other vessels, all for 
 the purpose of making hootchenoo, the other ingre- 
 dients used being flour, dried apples or rice, y' ist 
 powder, and sometimes hops. Sufficient water is 
 added to make a thin batter, and after fermentation 
 has taken place, a sour, muddy, highly alcoholic liquor 
 is produced, of abominable taste and odor.""* From 
 one gallon of the mixture nearly a gallon of hootche- 
 noo is ( ..stilled, a pint of which is quite sufficient to 
 craze the stronjxest brain. 
 
 Before the time of the purchase the art of making 
 molasses-rum was unknown to the natives, but after 
 the military occupation many of the soldiers became 
 proprietors of hootchenoo stills, while others were in 
 the habit of repairing for their morning dram to the 
 Indian village outside the stockade at Sitka, where 
 this liquor was sold at ten cents a glass.''" Occasional 
 
 ' •* Report of I. C. Dennis in Morris's liept. , 4-5. Tlie deputy collector states 
 that ho intends to stop the liquor traffic. 
 
 "^Thc process is described in Morris's Rept., Cl-2. Petroflf says that in 
 1880 tlic natives used Sandwich Island sugar for this purpose. Pop. Alanka, 
 1.3. Beardslco states that in 1879 a number of hootchenoo distilleries neiir 
 Sitka were broken up. Jlept. Affairs, Alaska, 16. 
 
 ^ Morris's Kept. , 62; and letter of I. C. Dennis in Putjet Sound Argus, Nov. 
 23, 1877. 'And yet,' remarks the deputy collector, 'white men were ar- 
 
HOOTCHENOO LIQUOR. 
 
 623 
 
 laids were inaflo on the distilloricH, and the proceeds 
 detained until it ('f)uld bo settled by tlie proper autiiori- 
 ties what should be done with them. What wan tlone 
 with them wan seldom known, l)ut it is certain that 
 no real effort was made to cheek this evil, thouijh jire- 
 tended restrictions were sometimes placed on vendors 
 of raw sugar and molasses. 
 
 At least, a considerable amount of revenue might 
 have been derived from this source, enough, perhaps, 
 if honestly collected, to offset a large part of the 
 excess in disbursements over receipts, which has oc- 
 curred each year since S"'ka was declared a port of 
 entry. Between July 1, I > GO, and May 1, 1878, the 
 receipts of the customs district of Alaska from all 
 sources were $57,404. 5, wlile th*^' disbursements for 
 the same period were $1 IS, 074. 87. The operations 
 of the Alaska Commercial ^^ompany, of which men- 
 tion will be made later, were conlined almost entirely to 
 the Prybilof Islands, and have yielded an income to 
 the United States sufficient to pay good interest on 
 the purchase money. But the rent paid for the fur- 
 seal islands since 1871, apart from the tax on furs, 
 has barely covered the delicit of revenue in other [»or 
 tions of the territory. Under these circumstances, \i 
 was recommended by the secretary of the treasur}^ in 
 December 1877, that Sitka should be abolished as a 
 port of entry j^"^ or, in other words, that Alaska should 
 be left to take care of itself. 
 
 It would seem that a territorj^ which for the five 
 years ending May 1, 1876, paid into the United States 
 treasury as rent for the Prybilof Islands, and tax on 
 seal skins, more than $1,700,000,^^ or nearly four and 
 three quarters per cent a year on the purchase money, 
 
 rested, confined, and prosecuted on a charge of having introduced at Wran- 
 gell a bottle of liquor. 
 
 ^'' Rcpt. in House Ex. Doc, Ji5th Conf], 2d Sess., xxx. The receipts and 
 disbursenienta of tl'o customs district of Alaska between July 1, \tii)9, and 
 May 1, 1878, are ci; ,n in detail, for each year, in ilorrin^s liept., 11-12. 
 
 ^Tentaiido ]]ood'a Jtrpt., Ahiska Com. Co., in House Com. Replg, 44(h 
 Cong, 1st Sean., app. C, 19. 
 
 UlBT. AUiBKA. 40 
 
 'i 
 
626 
 
 ALASKA AS A UNITED STATES COLONY. 
 
 deserved a better fate. It is at least the only territory 
 that yields, or ever has yielded, any direct revenue ; and 
 yet, notwithstanding all the bills and petitions laid be- 
 fore eon!:^ress for its orj^anization, it was without gov- 
 ernment, and almost without protection. 
 
 " I recommend civil government," writes General 
 Howard to the secretary of war, in 1875, "by attaching 
 Alaska to Washington Territory as a county, as the 
 simplest solution of all ditBculties in the case."*^^ In a 
 despatch to the secretary of the navy, dated January 
 22, 1880, the commander of the Jamestown, then sta- 
 tioned at Sitka, remarks: "A court should be estab- 
 lished possessing full power to summon a jury and try 
 and settle all minor cases of delinquency on the spci, 
 and with power to make arrests and inflict punishment 
 of fine or imprisomnent. For offences of magnitude 
 this court should have full power to take all testimony, 
 which sliould be received by the United States court 
 at Portland as final.. . .The land here should be sur- 
 veyed and existing titles perfected and protected, and 
 it made possible to transfer real estate.'"''' " Either 
 the civil laws of the United States should be ex- 
 tended over the Indians," remarks Colyer, "or a code 
 
 ^'■' 111 tlie same year a hill was introduced by Senator Mitchell, and one in 
 187() by Delegate Garfieldo (from Washington Tcr.), for t'.iis purpose. In 
 Con'j. Ulohe, 1873-G, 194, it is stated that the latter bill was referred to coin- 
 ii'.ittee. hut nothing came of cither of them. lu 1807 a bill to organize the 
 territory was introduced by James M. Ashley, Home Jour., JfOlh Comj. Id 
 l^c.sa., '2ii9, and one in 1871 to provide a ' teni])orary civil organization for the 
 territory.' U. S. Sen. Jour., 50(5, and House lh'[>t., 2944. In 1880 a bill v.:i3 
 before congress for oiganizing the territory. On December 13, 1881, it was 
 resolved in the senate, 'that the committee on territories be instructed to iii- 
 cjuirc aa to the expediency of organizing civil government in Alaska.' U. S. 
 Sen. Jour., 4Tth Comj. 1st Senti., 90. In the same session a senate joint reso- 
 lution authorizing the president to declare martial law in Alaska Avaa read 
 tv.ice and refeiTcd, /(/., 1281; and a bill for establishing courts of justice 
 and I'ucord in the territory was read twice, referred, and reported on unfa- 
 vorably. /'/., 1102. During this session a petition of the citizens of soutii- 
 eastcru Alaska for a territorial government, a reaolutiou of the San Franciso) 
 board of trade in favor of the introduction of civil law, and a memorial of the 
 Portland (Or. ) board of trade in favor of the establishment of territorial gov- 
 ernment were presented, of course with the usual result. 
 
 ^'^ Jienrdilee's llept., 34. On page 14 of this report Beardaleesays: 'Tlieie 
 ar^ a number of miners, mining engineers, and others, etc., who are dosirnua 
 ol settling in Sitka and bringing their families. If they could preempt land 
 here, or purchase land and houses from the governmeut, tho place would tuko 
 a step forward; this they cannot do.' 
 
GOVERXMENT NEEDED. 
 
 m 
 
 of laws at once adopted defining orinio and providlnj^ 
 a judiciary and a police force to execute it."'^ " What 
 this country wants is law, and without it she will 
 never flourish and prosper," remarks I. C. J)ennis, on 
 resigning his position as deputy collector at Wrangell 
 in 1878. " I have acted in the capacity «i' arbitrator, 
 adjudicator, and peace-maker until forbearance has 
 ceased to be a virtue. Within the past montli one 
 thousand cojnplaints by Indians have, been laid before 
 me for settlement, and as I am neither Indian agent 
 nor justice of the pi.'ace, I decline the honor of patch- 
 ing up Indian troubles." 
 
 The main obstacle in the establishment of some form 
 of civil government for Alaska appears to have: been the 
 difficulty in reconciling the conflicting claims of the 
 several sections, separated as they are by a vast extent 
 of territory', and having few interests in connnon. 
 South-eastern xVlaska has mines, timber, and fisheries, 
 though it is not probable that any of these resources 
 except the last will receive much attention in the 
 near future. On Cook Inlet in Kadiak, on the Alaskan 
 peninsula, and on the Aleutian Islands there are also 
 mines and fisheries, but fur-hunting is still the lead- 
 ing industry. In the far north, on the banks of the 
 Yukon, now almost deserted by Mhitc men, salmon 
 canneries mav be established at no distant dav, whicli 
 will rival those of the Colundjia River; while at 
 the Prybilof Islands, the catch of fur-seals produces 
 at present a larger aggregate of wealth than all the 
 other intkistries of the territory combined. 
 
 In 1883 Alaska was but a customs district, with a 
 collector and a few deputies. For laws, the territory 
 had the regulations matle by the secretaiy of the 
 treasury; and for protection, the presence of a single 
 war-vessel, the crew of which was sometimes employed 
 as a police force among the settlements of the Alex- 
 ander Archipelago. 
 
 " Rept. , 500-1 . Colyer recommends that the savage tribes be put on reaer- 
 vatioDs, but this would seem impracticable. 
 
 
 ill 
 
6^ 
 
 ALASKA AS A UNITED STATES COLONY. 
 
 iHh 
 
 From St Paul to Sitka the distance is but five hun- 
 dred and fift\- miles, and from Iluiliuk in Unalaska 
 about a thousand miles; and yet the deputies at both of 
 these stations could rarely report to the collector ex- 
 cept by way of San Francisco, nearly twenty degrees 
 to the south of either point. The mail service estab- 
 lished between Sitka and Port Townsend extended 
 ordy to Fort Wrangell and Harrisburg, and in some 
 parts of the territory the visit of a whaling-vessel or 
 revenue cutter afforded until recently the only means 
 of conununication with the outside world.''^ 
 
 Among the wants of Alaska, remarks a special 
 agent of the census of 1880, are "a gradual but sys- 
 tematic cxjiloration of the interior, and an immediate 
 survey of the coast and harbors of the region now 
 constantly frequented by trading and fishing vessels, 
 in order to prevent the alarmingly frequent occur- 
 rence of wrecks upon unknown rocks and shoals."" 
 The navigation of the Alaskan coast is in many parts 
 extremely intricate, and as yet reliable charts cxht 
 only for a few sections. Some progress has beert made 
 in this direction, however, since the purchase, and as 
 I have already observed, we may in the remote fu- 
 ture possess reliable charts for the entire coast and 
 more definite information as to the interior. 
 
 In 1867 an expedition organized by the treasury 
 department sailed from San Francisco on board th(3 
 reveime steamer Lincoln, and during the summer 
 passed several months in exploring and obtaining in- 
 formation concerning the newly purchased country. 
 
 '■^In 1869 the L'nited States senate resolved that the committeoon post- 
 offices inquire as to tiie expediency of establishing a mail service between 
 I'ortlaud and Alaska, deti. Jour., 4i^t Coikj. Isf Sexs., p. 77. Mail statistics 
 for 1870-7 are given by the postmaster-gen. iu I?ep(.., ^ih Comj. 2il Sesn., .and 
 iu House Ex: Doc, ^oth Cong. 2(t Sesg., vii. part ii. There are no overland 
 mails. During the latter part of the Russian occupation there appears to 
 have been regular overlan«l communication. In 1857 the agent at Saint 
 Micliael was instructed to send an overland mail to Sitka by way of Cook 
 Inlet and Kadiak. In the previous year the mail had arrived safely and in 
 good order. Sitka Arihiveti, i. 264. 
 
 I'lvanPetrof, iu Interiiat. Jivo.fFvib. 1882, 122-3. 
 
EXPLORING PARTlllS. 
 
 Amoiisf the members was Gc()r<xo Davidson, who was 
 placed in charge of the coast survey party, and whose 
 report was printed by order of congress, and forms a 
 most valuable memoir.'* 
 
 In 1869 a party was sent to the Yukon River, 
 in charg(> of Charles W. Raymond, for the purpose of 
 ascertaining the amount of the Hudson's i3ay Com- 
 pany's trade in that district, and the quantity of 
 goods forwarded from British territory; also to obtain 
 information concerning the sources of the Yukon and 
 its tributaries, and the disposition of tlie tribes in its 
 neighborhood.'^ In 1871-2 W. H. Dall surveyed the 
 Aleutian and Shumajjin Islands and located several 
 new harbors.'" In 1879 a valuable set of charts of 
 Sitka Sound was forwarded to the bureau of navi- 
 gation by L. A. Beardslee, the commander of the 
 Jamestoicn.'^ Thus some little effort has been made 
 toward the survey and exploration of the territory, if 
 none as yet toward its development. 
 
 " U. S. Coast Surv'if, //i.'h Coii(j. M .SV.'.st., app. 18, p. 187. The personnel 
 of the expedition ia {^iveu in Id., 11)8-9. The most interesting parts of the 
 report, rolating to cliiiiato, vo;;ct:il)Ie productions, fisheries, timber, and fur- 
 bearing animals, were repuhliilied in the Cousi Pilot of Alunka (Washington, 
 IS(iS)). Some vahi;il>lo colketions in natural history and ethnology were suii- 
 plied by Davidson and others to the Sniithi^oniau Institution. SmUliHOiiiini 
 Ji'ept., 1S()7, p. 4:{. 
 
 '*Thc report is published in Sen. Doc, /f2(l Coiuj. IM Srxx., 12. In 1880 
 a partial exploration ot the Chilkivt Itiver was made by a private partj'. Au 
 account of it is given in Hanrroft Library Scra]i^, li)0-2. 
 
 ''Fourteen according to U<)>t. L'oaxt Siirvrj/, 187'2, 40, but most of them 
 were known before, at least to the Russians. In /(/. , 187.'J, \'2'2. is given tliu 
 height of a number of mountains as estimated by Dall, who gives as the 
 heightof Mount Shishaldiii in Ooni'riak, 8,(;8.'{ feet. Alphonse I'inart, ii rreneli 
 scientist, atti.'inpted its ascent in Se[)teml)er I87'J, but .ifter iittuiiiing, as !.o 
 relates, a height of 8,782 feet, was confronted by almost i>erpendieular v.T.iis 
 of ice. Toy., 1.3. During a canoe voyage from Uiiiilaska tu Kacliak, he utopiicd 
 at an island which he calls Vozoychcnski (probably Vo-nessennky), wiicie he 
 met an Aleut, who was said to be 120 years of age, and rciiiembei'ed the time 
 the Russians took possession of the country. Itl., 1."). 
 
 "' Beardslee claims that his oliiccrs dise:>vercd a better ehiiuuel into Sitka 
 Harbor than any before known. lirqd. Affairs, Alaska, 9. 
 
 f 
 
 if 
 
 I '. 
 
 ; 1- 
 
 I ; I!: 
 
 
 lir 
 

 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 COMMERCE, REVENUE, AND FURS. 
 
 1808-1884. 
 
 Imports and Exports — Cost of Collkotino Revenue — The Hudson's 
 Ray Company— Smuoi'.lino — The Alaska Commehcial Company— It 
 Obtains a Lease oi' thi; ruvuiLOF Islands — The Terms of the Con- 
 tract— Remuneration AND Treatment of the Nativks— Their Mode 
 of Life— Investigation into the Company's Management— State- 
 ments OF RoiiEUT Desty— And of THE .Secretary OF THE TREAsruY — 
 Increase in the Value of Furs- Remarks of II. W. Elliott- 
 Landing OF THE Fur-seals — Their Comiiats — Metiiod of Driving 
 AM) Slaughtering — Curing, Dressing, and Dyeing- Sea-otters— 
 Land Peltry. 
 
 The exports from California to Siberia amounted 
 for the year endinif June 30, 1883, to a very large 
 sum, and were greatly in exoess of the amount for the 
 |»revious year. The imports for 1883 were valued at 
 Jri2,887,200, and never exceeded in any year 83,000,- 
 000. There is probably no country in the world hold- 
 ing commercial relations with which the balance of 
 trade is so largely in favor of the United States. 
 
 The connnerce between Alaska and other portions 
 of tlie Pacific coast is insignificant, but will probably 
 increase now that congress has put that territoiy 
 within pale of the law. As is the case with Sibcr .., 
 however, imports are largely in excess of exjDorts. 
 
 During llie existence of the Russian American 
 Company it will be remembered that trade became 
 ever}^ term more considerable, and yielded each year 
 a moderate revenue to the imperial government. 
 There is little doubt that, were any considerable 
 
 (CSO) 
 
STATISTICS OF RK VENUE. 
 
 631 
 
 ]virtions of tho torritory surveyed and open to prcciiip- 
 tioii, its resoutoes are sufficient, apart from the seal- 
 grounds, to attract capital and population, and henco 
 to develop traiiic. For a year or two after the mili- 
 tary occupation there was a fair amount of commerce, 
 l)utsubse(piently ft)r a time the fees and duties of tho 
 entire district about sufficed to pay the salary of a sin- 
 j;le deputy collector. 
 
 Tho following tiij^ures require little comment: For 
 the six months endin_i>' July 1, 1808, the imports on 
 which duty was paid were valued at moi'C tlian .S"2(),- 
 000; for the twelve months enditii.;' iMarch 1, 1878, at 
 83,2*Ja, the decrease meanwhile biin;^' gradual. For 
 the year ending 13ecend)er 31, 1870, lines, penalties, 
 and forfeitures amounted to nearly $0,000; for tho 
 year ending Decend)er 31, 1877, to .^>10. J)uiing 187(5 
 there were no tines, and the rvjvenue collections for 
 that year amounted to .$1 ,417.8 l,Mvhile the cost of 
 colK'cting this sum, apart from the expense of main- 
 taining revenue cutters, was !? 1 1,11)5. Thus the cost 
 of collection was to receipts about in the ratio (jf eight 
 to one. And yet the year 187(1 compares very favor- 
 ably withother years. In 1872, for instance, tixclud- 
 ing fines, the cost of collecting one dollar of revenue 
 was fifty dollars, and in 1873 sixty dollars.- These 
 fiu'ures do not, of course, include the rovaltv on fur- 
 seals, or the I'ent paid by the Alaska (N)mmercial 
 Company for the lease of the Pribylof Islands. 
 
 I'he total value of domestic exports from Alaska, 
 excluding ])eltry, was, for 1880, about 600,000, and 
 will no doubt increase when the fisiieries are more 
 l;ir<jfelv utilized. The value of domestic imports de- 
 ])ends partly on the demand at the various minmg 
 (hstricts, and especially at the Cassiar district in ]3rit- 
 ish Columbia, for which Wrangcll is the distributing 
 
 'For (lutiea $7-24.4.'}, mid for tonnage tax i=-r,On..'W. Morrii'x /.V/»^, II. 
 Tilariiic lio^pi':;! collootioivt for iST'i iiiuouiitc;! to §331.70, iiml tliiaist iiicliidcil 
 l>y tlie oollci'lor ttJii jxirtof tlio revt'iiuo. 
 
 - /iL, 11-12. St.itiatica ua to tr.ailc will lie found in iho Com. uinl Xav. 
 
 Ji'tjlts, 
 
COMMERCE, REVENUE, AND FURS^ 
 
 I i'y 
 
 point, and is therefore fluctuatinjif. In occasional 
 years it reaches or exceeds $350,000,"' and may average 
 about 6300,000, the principal connnodities being Cal- 
 ifornia Hour, tea, coarse sugar, and tobacco. Tlie de- 
 mand is about equally divided between eastern and 
 western Alaska, the latter having imported from San 
 Francisco in 1880 nearly 20,000 barrels of flour.* 
 
 It is worthy of note that a territory which absorbs 
 this amount of produce should import so trilling a 
 quantity of duty-paying goods, and that the cost of 
 collecting the duty on these goods should bo three or 
 four times their value, and at least eight times that of 
 the revenue collected. Moreover, it is ditHcult to ac- 
 count for the fact that fines, ])enalties, and forfeitures 
 should have decreased from $8,843 in 1870 to 62,9-1 
 in 1872, increased to $5,814 the following year, and 
 fallen to nothing in 187G. Hootchenoo distilleries 
 were in full blast, it will be remembered, almost 
 througliout the military occupation; there is no evi- 
 dence that there was less smuggling in 1872 than in 
 1870; and there is no evidence that there was less 
 smuggling in 187G than in 1873. On the contrary, 
 there is strong evidence that smuggling was steadily on 
 the increase during and after the military occupation. 
 
 The fact that imports of duty-paying goods de- 
 creased from 620,000 for the six months ending July 
 1, 1808, to about §3,000 for the year ending March 
 1, 1878, and that, meanwhile, trade had been so hcjn- 
 estly conducted that there was no longer occasion for 
 lines, })enalties, or forfeitures, is a matter that invites 
 investigation. Apart from the negligence of officials, 
 to use no stronger phrase, it is certain that powerful 
 factors have been at work to cause this anomaly, and 
 the main factor is pi'obably the operations of the Hud- 
 son's Bay Company. 
 
 ' The value of inerchaiulise that passed through Wi-angcU alone in 187 1 
 was more than !?l,~»(i,OO0. AluHkn J/cr., JMarch 15, 187o. 
 
 * Jjcsidoa ',\,4'y'2 cases of hard hrcad, 753 chests of ti3\ and 2,04!) lialf-Kirrda 
 o* sugar. I'i-lroff'n Pan. Alitshi, SO. At least r)0,000 lbs. of leaf-tobacco were 
 '.Iso iiiiported, a part of which came from San Francisco. 
 
HUDSON'S BAY COMI'ANY. 
 
 ^m 
 
 Wlion governor of this corporation, Sir Crcorgo 
 Sini[)son declared that, without the stri}> of coast leaded 
 to it hy the Russian American Company, the interior 
 wouhl be "comparatively useless to England." It will 
 be remembered that, by the Anglo-Russian treaty of 
 1825, the boundary between the Russian and Britisli 
 possessions was one drawn between the Portland canal 
 and Mount St Elias, and following the trend of tho 
 coast range, or at a distance of thirtv miles from tho 
 sea. By tiie same treaty it was provided that ]>rit- 
 ish subjects should forever enjoy right of navigation 
 on the rivers and streams which cross this line in th(.'ir 
 course toward the north Pacific. The latter clause 
 was repeated in the treaties of connnerce and naviga- 
 tion between Russia and Great Britain in 184;J and 
 1851). 
 
 As the Hudson's Bay Company surrendered most 
 of its ])ossessions to the British government in IHGl),* 
 and is now merely a private trading corporation, there 
 can b3 no doubt that its pretensions are barred by tho 
 clause in the treaty of 1 8(!7, which declares tho cession 
 of Alaska to be fiee of encumbrance throULrh priviletms 
 granted to any association or to any parties except 
 individual j)roperty holders. It is also improbable 
 that its employes, or other ]h'itish subjects, will con- 
 tinue to enioy ri'j^'lit of navi«;ation on the rivers and 
 streams which cross the boundary line. 
 
 "In succeeding to the Russian possessions," re- 
 marks Sunmer, "it does not follow that the ITnitcd 
 States succeed to ancient obligations assumcid by Rii.- 
 sia, as if, according to a phrase of the connnon law, 
 they 'are covenants running with the land.' Jf these 
 stipulations are in the nature of servitudes, they de[)end 
 for their duration on the sovereii>ntv <>f Russia, and 
 are ])ersonal or national rather than territorial. So at 
 least I am inclined to believe. But it is hardly ])ro(it- 
 able to speculate on a point of so little practicable 
 value. Even if 'running with the land,' these sorvi- 
 
 6 For £;M)0,000 sterling. 
 
n.! 
 
 634 
 
 COMMERCE, REVENUE, AND FURS. 
 
 tudes can bo tonniuated at the expiration of ton y<^ars 
 from the last treaty, by a notice, which equitably the 
 United States may give so as to take ettect on the 
 12th of January, 18(59. Meanwhile, daring this brief 
 ])eriod, it will be easy by act of congress in advance 
 to limit importations at Sitka, so that this 'free port' 
 t'liull not be made the channel or doorway by which 
 ] British goods may be introduced into the United 
 States free of duty."" 
 
 In the customs regulations it is provided that "no 
 duty shall be levied or collected on the importation of 
 ]H;ltrics brought into the territories of the United 
 States, nor on the proper goods and effects, of what- 
 ever nature, of Indians passing or repassing the boun- 
 dary line aforesaid, unless the same be goods in bales 
 or other large packages unusual among Indians, which 
 shall not be considered as goods belonging to Indians, 
 nor be entitled to the exeni])tion from duty aforesaid." 
 
 When we consider that live or six revenue officers, 
 hampered with such restrictions, and some of them a 
 thousand miles apart, collect the customs of a terri- 
 tory whose coast line is more than twice as groat as 
 that of the United States," it is not sur{)rising that 
 the results should be nugatory. There is probably 
 no better opportunity for smuggling in any part of 
 the world than amidst the tortuous channels of the 
 Alexander Archipelago and among the Aleutian Isl- 
 ands. Hundreds of bidarkas laden with blankets, 
 molasses, sugar, iire-arms, and other commodities pur- 
 chased I'rom the Hudson's Bay Com})any's ag('nts, 
 escape the vigilance of the revenue-cutters, or if 
 detected, the wares are passed off as the "proper 
 
 ^Speech on Ccw. Rus>i. Amer., 11. In the president's mcssajro in Srn. Kx. 
 Dor., 4"thCoiiti. .id Se^s., No. ,^~, coniplainta are inudcof thooncroaclmicntaof 
 the Hudson 'i3 liay Company on the trade of Alaska. Ex-Cullcctor ]]criy states 
 tliat, after the cession, the company established a town eight or ten nlile;^ 
 from the mouth of the Stikeen River, and at the head of tide- water, for Ihe 
 purpose of unlop.dinj{ vessels from Victoria, B. C, at that point, and thus 
 evading custom dues. iJiirlpptiifiits, Alaxka, MS., 3. 
 
 ' The coast lino of Alaska, inehiding the islands, is 20,000 niilca, and of the 
 United States 10,000 miles. Stwurd's Our Xorl/i roc. iSUita, 3. 
 
SMUOCJLING. 
 
 pfoods and effects of Indians," Anion*? IndianH, blan- 
 kets are still the prineipal curri'ncy, as they were 
 (hnini^ the regime of the liussian American Company, 
 liianket.s (jf Pacific coast nianufacture are sold to-day 
 to a small extent in England, and to a considerable 
 extent in the states and territories east of the Rocky 
 Monntains; but so successful has been this illicit tral- 
 lic, that a few years ago none but Hudson's Bay CV)m- 
 pany blankets were to be found among the Indians of 
 Alaska. 
 
 Of smuggling among white men, two instance's may 
 be mentioned — those of one Charles V. Baranovich, 
 a trader at Karta Bay,^ and of the Rev. William 
 Duncan, an Episcopalian missionary and teacher, mag- 
 istrate, and trader at Metlahkatlah, in British Colum- 
 bia, near the Alaskan border. Baranovich was ac- 
 cused in 1875 of smuggling blankets, hard-bread, and 
 Hour. The evidence was conclusive, but there was no 
 jurisdiction in Alaska, and it was not considered worth 
 the expense to indict him in the courts of Oregon or 
 Washington Territory. In the following year, the 
 Rev. W. Duncan was known to have held coiuplicity 
 with smugglers of blankets, silk goods, lire-arms, and 
 molasses.'* Mr Duncan is criticised perhaps a little too 
 .severely by William Gouverneur ]\lorris, a late agent 
 of the treasury department,'' but it would seem alien 
 to the functions of a missionary to transgress or to 
 connive at the ti'ansjxression of the United States 
 revenue laws. The exjiense at which the revenue 
 laws have been administered, and the conteni[)t in 
 which they are held, need no further comment. 
 
 Let us now consider the resources of a territory 
 which contains but a few score of American citii;ens, 
 
 * Pi-inco of Wales Island. 
 
 •Tlio evidence in the latter case appears to be snfliciently conclusive. See 
 il/o.'T/.-i'.s Iicjjf., 38-9. Duncan's biilarka licet, on its way from Mcilaldiiitl;:!i, 
 v.aa chased i)y Deputy Collector Dennis. Collector M. P. licrry, v. ho oi-dcivd 
 the chase, paid the expense out ot' his own pocket, i;s for .some reason it v.aa 
 disallowed by the t'econiiti'.!;; oiiiccra of thi! departinciit. 
 
 '"Duncan is eouipliuiented very hii;hly in LUjtra L'ljjt., ooS-Q. 
 
 
 
 '!■ 
 
 1; 
 
COMMERCE, REVENUE, AND FURS. 
 
 and which was det'larod 'Indian country' by an ex- 
 attorney-gcneral of tlic United States. They consist 
 of furs, fislieries, timhor, mines, and as some would 
 have us hehevc, agriculture. Tiie last three are a.s 
 yet but little utilized, and will be mentioned later. 
 The fur-seal trade, which is at present the most im- 
 portant industry, is now in the hands of the Alaska 
 Comniercial Company, of which I shall make some 
 mention before proceeding further. 
 
 When negotiations for the sale of the Russian pos- 
 sessions were drawing to a close, a party of San Fran- 
 cisco merchants, among whom was J. Mora Moss, 
 obtained from Prince Maksutof a promise to transfer 
 to hem all the firoperty of the Russian American 
 Comi»any; but no contract was signed. 
 
 Among those who landed from the John L. Stephens 
 at the time of the transfer, however, was a merchant 
 named Hutchinson, who proceeded at once to the 
 castlo and made arrano^ements with the ex-ijovernor 
 to dis[)ose of a portion of the company's vessels and 
 other property to the firm of Hutchinson, Kohl, and 
 Company," on better terms than those offered by 
 Moss and his colleagues. His offer was acce|)tod. 
 A fur-trader named Boscovitch also purchased about 
 sixteen thousand fur-seal skins at forty cents a])iece, 
 which were shipped to Victoria and sold for two or 
 three dollars each.^- Other portions of the company's 
 assets were disposed of to various parties, most of 
 them at rates very much below their value. 
 
 In 1869 the Alaska Commercial Company was in- 
 corporated, with a capital of $2,000,000. In 1870 a 
 law was passed by congress for the protection of fur- 
 bearing animals,** and a lease of the Prybilof or Seal 
 
 " As to the amount of his purcliases, there are no reliable data. 
 
 '^Thereupon Boscovitch tried to secure the remainiler of the skina; but 
 meanwhile the governor had received orders not to part with them. Among 
 the stock in the warehouses were 80,000 di'ied fur-seal skins. 
 
 '"For reports, bills, discussions, and investigations concerning the seal- 
 hunting grounds of Alaska, see Sen. Ex. Doc, ^/.s< Coiu/. 2d Sp^s., 1; Sen. 
 L'</.t., 4M CoHij. 2d Ses-H., 47, p. 228-30, and Cong. Globe, 1809-70, app. 
 Co6-9, 675. 
 
ALASKA COMMERCIAL COMPANY. 
 
 c.t; 
 
 islands granted to the C()ni[)any for a term of twenty 
 years.'* in 1872 the company )>urcliased the prop- 
 erty and interest of Hutchinson, Kolil, & Company, 
 
 Apart from the seal islands, the industries of the 
 territory are open to the public, and for the stations 
 which the company has established on the Aleutian 
 Islands and on the [)enin.sula north and west of Ka- 
 diak, no special privileges are claimed. 
 
 It was estimated by the secretary of the treasury, 
 before the lease was granted, that the cost of main- 
 taining at the expense of the United States a revenue- 
 cutter and a detachment of twenty troops, and of 
 praying the salaries of officials, would amount to 
 $371,200 a year, while a private company could save 
 nearly half that sum.^^ 
 
 " The plan I propose," remarked one of the stock- 
 holders'" to the chairman of committee on commerce 
 in the house of representatives, "asks for no expendi- 
 ture of money, nor the exercise of any doubtful or 
 unusual power of the government. On the other 
 hand, it will abolish the entire expense of the military 
 and naval establishments, which have already cost the 
 government so much at a time when it could be least 
 afforded; and in the next place, it will put into the 
 treasury $1. '30,000 per annum net revenue at a time 
 when it is most needed." 
 
 It must be admitted even by its enemies that the 
 Alaska Commercial Company has thus far more than 
 fulfilled its promise. Instead of $150,000 a year, the 
 
 " Morris, Rept., 151-2, makes the following absurd statement: In 18CS-9 
 there were four or five companies engaged in killing seals on theae islands, as 
 fast as they could hire Aleuts to do the work. Among them was au eustei-a 
 firm that was too religious to allow seals to be killed on tlie sabbath, but did 
 not hesitate to supply whiskey to the Aleuts in payment for skins. Captain 
 J W. White, of the revenue marine, stopped this wholesale slaughter, wliiuh 
 threatened the extermination of the fur-seal, and ordered all the whiskey- 
 barrels to be broken open, and their contenta poured on the ground. The 
 Aleuts lapped up the pools of whiskey as dogs lap water. There were but two 
 companies engaged in killing seals on the Prybilof islands in 1868-0, and 
 otherwise tlie statement is pure fiction. 
 
 '5 It was supposed that loss Ijy shipwreck would entai? an additional ex- 
 pense of about §108,000. Tlie number of revenue-cutters which the United 
 States proposed to lose each year is not stated ia the secre • ' <j report. 
 
 '•Nathan F. Dixon. 
 
638 
 
 COMMERCE, REVENUE, AND FURS. 
 
 avcrai]^^ reveimu In'twH-ou IsrOnnd 1883 was alxMit 
 C'o 1 7,000, and ineauwliilo tho supply of fur-.soals in- 
 creasod." 
 
 By tho act ap])rovcd July 1, 1870, "to prevent tlie 
 extermination ot' fur-bearinj^ animals in Alaska," it 
 Mas provided that fur-seals should be killed at the Pry- 
 bilof Islantls oidy duriuLj the months ot* June, July, 
 September, and October, except such as minht be re- 
 quired for the food and clothinjiC of the natives; that 
 tlu? slautrhter should bo restricted to males at least 
 twelve months old; that the number killed each year 
 for their skins should not exceed 75,000 at St Paul 
 and 25,000 at St George Island; and that the use of 
 fire-arms or other weapons tending to drive the seals 
 avv'ay should not be permitted. It was estimated by 
 H. W. Elliott, a treasury agent, from surveys made 
 in 1872-3, that only one eighteenth of the aggregate 
 supply was contained at the hitter island, and that to 
 secure there 25,000 seals within tho time allotted 
 would 1)0 a difficult task. Through his efforts the act 
 of 1870 was amendcd,^^ and the secretary of tho treas- 
 ury authorized to determine the relative number to 
 be killed at each island from season to season. The 
 time for killinor was also extended to the first half of 
 the month of August. 
 
 According to the terms of its contract, the company 
 was required to pay a fixed rental of $55,000 a year, 
 a tax of .$2.02^ on each fur-seal skin, and 55 cents per 
 gallon on all tho seal-oil shipped from the Prybilof 
 Islands; to furnish annually to tho natives, free of 
 charge, 25,000 dried salmon and GO cords of fire-wood, 
 together with salt and barrels for preserving seal-meat ; 
 and to maintain a school on each island for at least 
 eight months in the year. As the market value of 
 seal-oil ranged from 35 to 55 cents per gallon, the 
 company could not save it except at a loss, and it was 
 
 " After the indiscriminate slaughter in 1868-9 seals disappeared rapi<lly 
 from the Prybilof Islands, but two or three years later began to return in vast 
 numbers. 
 
 18 Uy act approved March 24, 1874. 
 
TREATMKXT OF NATIVES. 
 
 allowed to f^o to waste. TliDU^h the tax was after- 
 ward alxdished in consideration of a payment to tlio 
 natives of 10 cents ])er gallon, the j)roduction of oil 
 was still found to be nnprufitable, and shii)inents have 
 never been considerable.'" 
 
 In the resTfulations of the Alaska Commercial Com- 
 pany, prescribed in January 1872,'" are certain provi- 
 sions as to the remuneration and treatment of the 
 natives, which, together v/ith tlie obligations of its 
 contract with govermnent, appear to have been faith- 
 fully carried out. The Aleuts are to Ije paid forty 
 cents for each skin delivered, and for other labor a sum 
 to be agreed ujm)!! between the company's agents and 
 the i)arties employed. The working parties are to be 
 under control of native chiefs, and no compulsory labor 
 is to be required. Gcjods are to bu sold at rates not 
 more than twenty-five per cent above tlio wholesale 
 price in San Francisco, .salmon, fuel, and oil being fur- 
 nished gratis. Widows and orphans at either island 
 are to be supported if necessary at the company's e:;- 
 pcnse. Medicines and medical attendance are to bo 
 provided for all free of expense. Free transportation 
 and subsistence on the company's vessels must be fur- 
 nished to those who any time wish to remove to any 
 island on the Aleutian group. Finally, the agents 
 and emploj'es of the company are strictly erijoined at 
 all times to "treat the inhabitants of the islands with 
 the utmost kindness, and endeavor to preserve ami- 
 cable relations with them. Force is never' to be used 
 against them, except in defense of life, or to prevent 
 
 "It was alleged in 1876, that the 100,000 seals killed each year wouUl 
 yield :it least 200,000 gallons of oil, that if the tax had been liiaiutuined it 
 would have yielded $110,000 a year to government, and tliat the oil would 
 have sold in London for 0.") ecnts per gallon. It is well known that the seals 
 whose fur is most valuable ;;ive the least oil, and the average yield is proba- 
 bly nearer half a gallon than two gallons per seal. Moreover, the oil that 
 sells in London for 95 cents a gallon is not fur-seal but hair-seal oil. T'.'.o 
 former has sometimes no marketable value, and iipart from tax, the highest 
 price paid for it never exceeds the cost of production, freight, and other 
 charges. See Ilouie Com. IteptK., /fjfth Coiifj. lat Se-^s., G23, p. 'J. 
 
 '" A copy of them, and also of the ' Act to prevent tlic extermination of fur- 
 bearing animals in Alaska,' may be found in Elliott's Heed- Islands, Alaska, 
 Ii3-G. 
 
 
640 
 
 COMMERCE, REVENUE, AND FURS. 
 
 ii;!i 
 
 I.; I 
 
 the wanton destruction of valuable property. Tlie 
 agents and servants of the company are expected to 
 instruct the native people in houseliold economy, and 
 by precept and example illustrate to theui the prin- 
 ciples and benefits of a higher civilization." 
 
 The workmen keep a tally of their number of skins, 
 and at the close of each day's labor give the result to 
 their chief When the skins are afterward counted 
 b}'^ the company's agent at the salt-houses, it is seldom 
 that any discrepancy is found. Once a month, or 
 sometimes more frequently, the sum due for the catch 
 is paid to the chiefs, by whom a portion is distributed 
 among the men, the remainder being reserved until 
 the final settlement, which takes place at the end of 
 the season. First-class workmen can thus earn, in- 
 cluding extra work, about $450^^^ for three or four 
 months' labor, and considering that they are supplied 
 gratis the year round with house-room,^^ fuel, oil, and 
 their staple article of food, it would seem that their 
 condition is much better than that of the majority of 
 laborers in other parts of the world. Not a few of 
 them save money, though thrift is a rare virtue among 
 the Aleuts, and the company allows good interest to 
 those who deposit their savings,^^ some having several 
 thousand dollars to their credit.^* 
 
 Complaints have been made from time to time of 
 
 " At 40 cents per skin, the payment for the 7i"5,000 skins taken at St Paul 
 Island in 1872 amounted to .§30,000, and including extra work, to $30,C.'>7..37. 
 This was divided into 74 shares, though in fact only 50 men were at work, 
 portions being reserved for the church, the priest, wiclows, and orphans. The 
 shares were thus divided: ,37 first-class shares at Sir)l.'22; 23 second-class 
 sliarcs at 8-100.08; 4 third-class shares at $300.97; JO fourth-class shares at 
 $31o.S5. Id., 25-6. Firat-class shares arc given to those who have worked 
 regularly ami are of good standing in the community; second-class to those 
 who have worked irregidarly or for a portion of the time; third-class to those 
 who have been idle and worked only when they felt dirposcd, and fourth-class 
 to boys. Te-ilimoiii/ of Charles Bryant, in House Com. Itepts., 44^h Cong. 
 I(it8>:<is., 623, p. 97. 
 
 ^ ' In 1870 dwellings had been erected on both islands, one for each family. 
 They were lined inside and filled in between the lining and weathcr-boai din,|j. 
 Stoves were also provided free of expense. Testimony of Johh F. Miller, in 
 /(/., 30. 
 
 ^* Nine per cent was the rate paid in 1880. 
 
 "In 1875, eighty natives at St Paul were credited with ^34,715.24. 
 Id., 31. 
 
COXDITIOX OF THE INDIANS, 
 
 641 
 
 the treatment of natives by the Alaska Commercial 
 Company. Even before its incorporation the commis- 
 sioner of Indian affairs lamented that the relations of 
 Hutchinson, Kohl, & Company with the Aleuts were 
 merely those of traders, and "in the name of human- 
 ity" trusted that the bill which passed the house of 
 representatives in 18G8, and which "would virtually 
 reduce the Indians of Alaska to a condition of serf- 
 dom," would not become law. What relations <jtlier 
 than those of traders he expected to exist between 
 the Aleuts and Hutchinson, Kohl, & Company the 
 commissioner does not state. It is certain, however, 
 tliat at the Prybilof Islands the treatment of the for- 
 mer has been in marked and favorable contrast with 
 that which they received elsewhere during the mili- 
 tary occupation or during the regime of the Russian 
 American Company. 
 
 The entire population of the Prybilof Islands num- 
 bered, in 1880, nearly four hundred persons,-' all out 
 eighteen of them being Aleuts. Until these islands 
 were leased to the Alaska Commercial Company, most 
 of the natives lived in sod huts, some of them partly 
 under ground. The fat of seals and a small quantity 
 of drift-wood found on the northern shore of St Paul 
 Island formed their only fuel, and when these failed, 
 they passed the remainder of the long drear winter 
 huddled together beneath seal-skins, in the warmest 
 corner of their dark and noisome dwellings. Now there 
 is in their midst neither poverty, suiFcring, nor crime,-* 
 and the villages o,t St Paul and St George will com- 
 })are not unfavorably with those of equal size, even in 
 the eastern states. The streets are regularly laid 
 out; each family lives in a comfortable frame dwell- 
 ing; there are churches and school- houses at both 
 
 '* At !*t Paul there were 298, including 14 white persons, 128 male and 
 MO female Aleuts; at St (jeorge the population was 02, including 4 whites, 
 3.-> male Aleuts and 53 females, an increase of 30 or 40 souls siuoo lt>73. Elli- 
 otl\i Si-al-/tilaml.i, Alaska, 20. 
 
 ''"' There arc no policemen nor courts of justice, and since 1870 there has not 
 hcen a single instance where the presence of a justice of the peace was needed, 
 
 lilt J M^, 
 
 Hht. Alaska. 41 
 
642 
 
 COMMERCE, REVENUE, AND FURS. 
 
 iMt 
 
 settlements, and at St Paul a hospital and well fur- 
 nished dispensary. 
 
 The principal food of the natives is sahnon and seal 
 meat, of which five to six hundred pounds a year are 
 required per capHa. For animal food they have no 
 relish. Salt beef and pork they will sometimes accejit 
 as a present, but will never purchase them. Apart 
 from fish, bread, butter, canned fruit, sugar, and tea 
 form their principal diet. Of bread they consume 
 about five pounds each per week, of butter and sugar 
 all that they can purchase, or rather all that the corn- 
 pan}' will allow them to purchase; for if the supj^ly 
 were unlimited, they would constantly surfeit tlieni- 
 selves with both these luxuries. The samovar, which 
 is now being replaced by the tea-kettle, is kept boiling;' 
 at all hours of the day and most hours of the niij^ht. 
 When not at work the Prybilof Islander sips tea evtu 
 more persistently than the Chinaman, some of thom 
 drinking as much as a gallon a day. No intoxicating- 
 liquors of anj' kind are openly permitted to como 
 within their reach, and of tobacco the consumption is 
 moderate.'^ 
 
 DurinsT the eiijht or nine months which intervene 
 between the sealing seasons, the Aleut is little better 
 than a hibernating animal. He sleeps or slumbers foi' 
 about eighteen hours out of the twenty-four, and for 
 the rest he eats, drinks tea, smokes, goes to church, 
 and occasionally gambles. Sometimes he will worlc 
 at the grading of roads, or assist in the unloading of 
 vessels, receiving for his services fifty cents to one 
 dollar a day, but he does so with an air of supreme 
 condescension, for after receiving his share in the pro- 
 ceeds of the year's catch, he has sufficient to support 
 him until the following season, and is averse to labor 
 of anv kind. The holidavs of the Greek church, 
 of which, including Sundays, there are usually three 
 or four each week, afford some relief from the tedium 
 of winter life. For those who are socially inclined, 
 
 '" Aoout fifty pcninila a week lit St Paul Island. 
 
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 
 
 C43 
 
 there are also birthday parties, and occasionally danco 
 parties, at which the young pass through the figures 
 taught them by the Russians and set to Russian 
 music, and the old look on and drink tea. 
 
 At St Paul Island we have probably about as con- 
 tented a community as can bo found elsewhere on the 
 Pacific coast. Strong efforts have been made froiu 
 time to time to show that the natives are dissatisfied r'' 
 but the dissatisfaction appears to exist only in the 
 minds of those who failed to procure the privileges 
 granted to the Alaska Commercial Company, or who 
 envy its privileges.^ That the conipany has been 
 guilty of breach of faith in its relations with the na- 
 tives or with the government has never yet been 
 proved, and assuredly its conduct has not lacked 
 investigation. 
 
 After a thorough inquiry into the affairs of the 
 company, the committee of ways antl means report 
 to the house of representatives, in June 187G, that 
 "there is no just ground of complaint against the 
 Alaska Commercial Company or the officers of the 
 government who were intrusted under the law with 
 the power to make and see to the performance of the 
 lease." The assignment of tlie lease was also made 
 the subject of a special investigation. 
 
 Before a sub-committee appointed ft)r the purpose 
 of taking testimony, a large number of witnesses were 
 examined, among whom were General John F. Miller, 
 president of the company, George S. Boutwell, secre- 
 tary of the treasury in 1870, B. II. Bristow, secretary 
 of the treasury in 187G, and Louis Goklstone, who in 
 1870 "was trying," as he testifies, "to obtain a lease 
 
 "Any wilful violation of the regulations is punished by tlie sumniaiy 
 disniis»tal uf the offending party. /(/. , \'>G. 
 
 ™ For adverse comments and groundless complaints ns to the company's 
 management, see Honchurcuko, Scrap Hook; passim, and Jloi'm' (.'ont. ]''■}>/••■., 
 44^^ Vonij. lut .S'mv. , 023, p. 29>-30. If we can believe tlie president of the 
 company, General Howard, to whose pamphlet rellecting very severely on the 
 management of the natives was due in part the investigation (jf 1870, hud 
 never been within 500 miles of one of the company's stations, or within 1,500 
 miles of the seal-islauds. 
 
 ^- 
 
644 
 
 COMMERCE, REVENUE, AND FURS. 
 
 from the gfoveriinient for fecal-fishing on the Saint 
 George's and Saint Paul's islands." 
 
 In the fourth section of the act of July 1, 1870, 
 for the protection of the seal-islands, it is ordered 
 that the secretary of the treasury shall immediately 
 lease the Prybilof Islands "to proper and responsible 
 parties, to the best advantage of the United States, 
 having due regard to the interests of the government, 
 the native inhabitants, the parties heretofore engaged 
 in the trade, and the protection of the seal-fisheries, 
 for a term of twenty years from the 1st day of INIay, 
 1870." In the sixth section it is provided "that the 
 annual rental to be reserved by said lease shall be not 
 less than fifty thousand dollars per annum, to be 
 secured by deposit of United States bonds to that 
 amount, and in addition thereto a revenue tax or duty 
 of two dollars is hereby laid upon each fur-seal skin 
 taken from said islands during^he continuance of such 
 lease. 
 
 On the 8th of July, 1870, an advertisement was 
 published by order of the secretary of the treasury, 
 stating that bids would be received for a period of 
 twelve days, and among them was one from Louis 
 Goldstone, offering to pay, in addition to $55,000 of 
 rental, $2.62}^ for each seal-skin and 55 cents for 
 each gallon of seal-oil. Goldstone represented three 
 ])artiesin California, among whom was the "American 
 Kussian Commercial Company," which withdrew 
 about the time that the bids were opened, notice to 
 that effect being immediately sent to Mr Boutwell. 
 
 After considering all the proposals, together with 
 the character, fitness, and financial responsibility of 
 the ]>arties, the secretary decided that the Alaska 
 Commercial Company best fulfilled the conditions 
 named in the act, and could give the surest guarantee 
 of a faithful and intelligent performance of their con- 
 tract. He therefore awarded to them the lease on 
 the same terms as were offered by Goldstone, the 
 comi>any agreeing, moreover, to furnish food and fuel. 
 
LEASE OF THE ISLANDS. 
 
 645 
 
 and to maintain free .schools for the use of their native 
 emi)loyes on the Prybilof Islands. 
 
 Such, in brief, is the story of this transaction — one 
 that, like the purchase, is supposed to be deeply 
 shrouded in mystery, but was in fact a very straight 
 forward, business-like proceeding. 
 
 Mr Boutwell, in giving his testimony before the 
 committee, stated that the lease was assigned by his 
 direction, after such investigation as was thought 
 necessary on the question of granting to the Alaska 
 Commercial Company the preference. The matter 
 had been first submitted to the attorney-general, who 
 had also been asked whether, in his opinion, it was 
 the duty of the secretary to give public notice of the 
 passage of the bill, and to invite proposals. The 
 reply was that the company was entitled to prefer- 
 ence only so far as the secretary should consider them 
 to have peculiar facilities for the performance of the 
 contract, and that the invitation for public bids was a 
 matter that lay very much within his own discretion. 
 If the terms which the company oft'ered were as fa- 
 vorable to the government, to the inhabitants of the 
 seal-islands, and to the })rotection of the seal-fisheries 
 as those which could be obtained in any other quar- 
 ter, or nearly so, "then, under the ])rovisions of the 
 act, they would be entitled to a preference."^" 
 
 General ^Miller testified that the Alaska Commer- 
 cial Company offered for the lease as nmch as any 
 other proper and lesponsible party, and in addition, 
 the considerations above mentioned. The pro[)osals 
 were merely invited by the secretary for his own in- 
 forn^ation, and he had of course the power to reject 
 any or all of them, as he saw fit. Being asked whether, 
 if the contract had been let to other parties, they could 
 have fulfilled it satisfactorily. General Miller replied 
 
 ""/f/., 49-50. Mr Boutwcll's testimony was confirmed by that of W. A. 
 Richarilson, assistant secretary, by whom the contract was signed, the former 
 being absent from Washington at the time. Mr Iliciiardson states that ]limt- 
 well was very much opposed to leasing the seal-islands at all, but the law 
 having been passed, anil the uttoruey-gcneral having readerod his opituon, 
 there waa no alteruative. Id. , GO. 
 
 i' 
 
 m. 
 
 i 
 
 ill' 
 
 
646 
 
 COMMERCE, REVENUE, AND FURS. 
 
 i ''' i 
 
 
 
 E 
 
 that it would have been verv difficult for them to do so. 
 They cc.ild not have obtained at the islands the use 
 of a single building, nor any of the appliances needed 
 f(jr carrying on the business, since all of them belonged 
 to the Alaska Commercial Company ,^^ a member 
 of which had also made contracts with the natives 
 for their labor. To build salt-houses, boats, dwelling- 
 liouses, and procure what else was needed, would re- 
 quire much time and capital, whereas the company 
 had already on hand everything that was necessary. 
 Hence they were better fitted to carry on the business 
 than were other parties. 
 
 In addition to the above reasons for granting the 
 lease to this company, it may be stated that among its 
 stockholders were three firms, certain of whose mem- 
 l)ers had more experience in fur-sealing and the fur- 
 8oal business than any v._^ the remaining applicants, 
 their names being Williams, Haven, and Company of 
 New London, John Parrott and Company of San Fran- 
 cisco, and Hutchinson, Kohl, and Company. These 
 firms afterward consolidated and formed the nucleus 
 of the present Alaska Commercial Company, the first 
 of them being the oldest and most successful of all firms 
 connected with the American fur trade. At the time 
 when the lease was assigned, this association repre- 
 sented a capital of nine millions of dollars, and owned 
 lio less than fifty trading posts in various parts of 
 Alaska. 
 
 As to the bid tendered by Louis Goldstone, it 
 remains only to be said that, on the withdrawal of 
 the American Russian Commercial Company, the 
 secretary of the treasury considered it thereby inval- 
 idated, probably not deeming Mr Goldstone and his 
 colleagues "proper and responsible parties," "having 
 due regard to the interests of the government." Cer- 
 tain it is that the offer made by Goldstone was suspi- 
 ciously liberal — more liberal than the law required, 
 
 " Being transferred by Mr Hutchinson to the firm of Hutchinson, Kohl, 
 and Company, and by the latter to the Alaska Commercial Company. Testi- 
 mony oi H. M. Hutciiiusou, iu Id., pp. 112, 118. 
 
RIVAL BIDDERS. 
 
 647 
 
 though less so than the terms ultimately proposed by 
 the Alaska Commercial Company. The action taken 
 by the secretary gave sore offence to Golclstone and 
 his associates, by some of whom a pamphlet was pub- 
 lished, entitled the History of the Wrongs of Alaska, ^"^ 
 a memorial being also forwarded to the representatives 
 and referred to committee, in which it was alleged 
 that the lease had been illegally assigned. The state- 
 ment was afterward retracted, as having been made 
 under a misapprehension of the facts, and the memo- 
 rial withdrawn.** 
 
 If any other evidence be needed, in addition to 
 the statements already mentioned, we have the testi- 
 mony of the Hon. B. H. Bristow, of which more later, 
 Joseph S. Moore, and other responsible gentlemen, 
 whose answers before the committee were unanimously 
 in favor of the company. Finally, we have the report 
 of the members of the committee themselves, who 
 "concur in the opinion that the lease with the Alaska 
 Commercial Company was made in pursuance of the 
 law; that it was made in the interest of the United 
 States, and properly granted to the Alaska Commer- 
 cial Company; that the interest of the United States 
 was properly protected in all the requirements of the 
 law; and that the lessees have faithfully complied 
 with their part of the contract." 
 
 "A copy of it will bo found in House Ex. Doc, 4¥h Cong, lat Sess., no. 
 8.3, n. 152-71. 
 
 '^ A copy of the letter will be found in House Com. liepts,, 44ih Cong. 1st 
 Sess,, G23, p. 136. It reada as follows: 
 
 San Francisco, Cal., Dec. 1.5, 1871. 
 
 HoNOnED Sir; During the last session of Congress a memorial w.ia pre- 
 pared by the undersigned and associates and presented to the House, antl re- 
 ferred to your committee, in which it was alleged that the lease to the Alaska 
 Commercial Company by the United States, for the islands of St Paul and St 
 (jieorge, Alaska, August 3, 1870, was illegally obtained by said company from 
 the Secretary of the Treasury, and ought to have been awarded to the undcr- 
 Bigued and associates. I now desire to withdraw said memorial. The alle- 
 gations contained therein, having been made under a misapprehension of facts, 
 are therefore untrue. The uiulersigucd, representing the memorialists, as 
 an act of justice to the Secretary of the Treasury and all concerned, begs to 
 withdraw all statements of complaint contained in said memorial. 
 
 I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant, 
 
 Louis Goldstonk. 
 Hon. John A. Bingham, Chairman Judiciary Committeo House of Repre- 
 sentatives, Washington, D. C. 
 
 ti; 
 
G4S 
 
 COMMERCE, REVENUE, AND FURS. 
 
 1 :(; 
 
 Among tlic papers submittocl to the committee of 
 wftv.s and means were two communications from Rob- 
 ert Desty of San Francisco. In the first one, dated 
 February 28, 1 870, he cites a number of charjreH against 
 the company,^* which then solicited an investigation, 
 and which he compares to a "thief who aims to keej) 
 liimself always ready to be searched, depending on hav- 
 ing the search directed by himself." He also states 
 that he has delivered to Senator Jones, of Nevada, cer- 
 tain documents relatin<jf to Alaska, to wdiich he refers 
 the connnittee. "I am not a trader," writes Desty, 
 "never was, and never likely to be, have no interest in 
 Alaska, but for many years I have been a close student 
 of its affairs, and have contributed some to writing uj) 
 its resources, which I believe to be greatly underrated 
 by the company; and desiring to see an honest admin- 
 istration of the aflairs of government, I took the lib- 
 erty thus to address you." 
 
 From Desty's second communication, dated May 1 , 
 187G, I will give a few extracts, which may serve to 
 exj)lain the History of the Wrongs of Alaska and the 
 newspaper comments to which it gave rise. "Some 
 time since I forwarded to you a collection of documents, 
 and a written statement of the affairs of the Alaska 
 Commercial Company. Since that time I have taken 
 especial pains to investigate as far as I was able the 
 matters involved therein, and I have become convinced 
 that most of the charges against the company are not 
 founded on facts which can be proved. 
 
 "Having written nearly all the newspaper articles 
 which have appeared in the San Francisco papers dur- 
 ing the last seven years against the Alaska Commer- 
 cial Company, and being the author, in print, of most 
 of the charges which have been published against 
 that company ... I deem it incumbent on me to make 
 the following statement. . .Being a poor man, and a 
 wu'iter, I wrote upon this subject such things as I was 
 required to write by those who employed me; and 
 
 "They are given in M, p. 139-43. 
 
DESTY'S WRITINGS. 
 
 040 
 
 being a radical in politics, of the French school, I was 
 the more easily deceivctl, and more readily accepted 
 the statements which charged oppression and wrong- 
 ful acts upon the part of this |)owerful company as 
 true, and wrote them up with all the vigor and zeal I 
 possessed, induced by my natural desire to protoct 
 the weak ajjainst the stronjj. 
 
 "It is well known that there has existed in this city 
 for several years a combination of individuals, mostly 
 fur-dealers, who singly and together, under various 
 names, have made common cause against the Alaska 
 Commercial Company. For a time they took the 
 name of the 'Alaska Traders' Protective Association;' 
 lately they have assumed the name, 'The Anti-Monop- 
 oly Association of the Pacific Coast. '^ 
 
 "It was in the interest of this combination, as I now 
 discover, that I was employed to write, and the alleged 
 facts and charges which I have from time to time 
 written and published against the company were fur- 
 nished by one and another of these jjarties.^^ 
 
 " The pamphlet called the History of the tVronr/s 
 of Alaska Avas mostly composed of statements and 
 charges made by me in the Alaska Herald and otiier 
 sources — the articles written by me and published in 
 the Alaska Herald and other San Francisco papers,^' 
 and in the New York and Chicago papers. 
 
 "The object and purpose of all these various publi- 
 cations on the })art of this combination was to raise a 
 clamor against the Alaska Commercial Company, and 
 by charging fraud and oppression continually, make 
 the company so odious to the public that congress 
 would take action towards the abrogation of its con- 
 tract of lease for the Seal Islands. 
 
 I 
 
 li 
 
 ! 
 
 '••The names of the members, according to Desty's information, are given 
 in /(/., 141. Deaty states that he was himself invited to become a member, 
 but declined. 
 
 '" 'And others in written memoranda f urnislied by the pen of Honcliarenko, 
 and wliicli I elalwrated into tlie articles which appeared in print.' 
 
 " Desty states that Honcharcnko was never in Alaska, ami tliat the Aln.ika 
 llcruld was publislied for several years in 8an Francisco, and supported by 
 the combination and their sympathizers. 
 
650 
 
 COMMERCE, llEVENUE, AND FURf3. 
 
 "I now desire to retract all I have written agrainst 
 the company, and this I do freely and voluntarily, 
 without tear or compulsion of any sort, but as an act 
 of simple justice." 
 
 Desty's communications, for whatever they were 
 worth, were put on file as evidence. Their worth is 
 ])robal)ly known to those who were residents of Sail 
 l^Vancisco when the suit of Thomas Taylor and others 
 Acrsus the Alaska Commercial Company and others 
 was tried in 1871/' and they are mentioned in theso 
 ]iages merely to explain in part the adverse comments 
 tliat have appeared in the press and in various pani- 
 phlota. 
 
 Perhaps the most valuable testimony educed durin<( 
 the investigation was that of B. H. Bristow. "I 
 understand you to say," remarked a member of the 
 sub-committee, " that you have instituted all the in- 
 quiries that you deem necessary, but that you ha\e 
 not found an^^thing against the company that is 
 reliable?" "Yes, sir," replied the secretary of the 
 treasury, "all that I thought necessary — indeed, all 
 that I could; for, to speak the plain truth, when it 
 came to my knowledge that the company was making 
 a very large profit out of the matter,** I felt that the gov- 
 ernment was not getting as much as it ought to have, 
 and I wanted to find some way of getting a share of 
 the profits for the government; but I found myself 
 confronted with the law and this contract, and I saw 
 no reason to believe that the company were not carry- 
 ing out their contract in good faith, whatever may be 
 the suspicions by which they are surrounded." 
 
 The only charge worthy of mention that was brought 
 home to the Alaska Commercial Company was a dis- 
 
 " A portion cf the evidence in this case, of which I have a copy, will be 
 found in the AUmka Com. Co., MS. 
 
 "" Miller testitied that the company lost money the fii-st year, but the 
 second year made a small profit, that for the third year tlie dividend was ton 
 per cent, and for 1875 fifteen per cent. JJome Com. Reptn., 4Mh Coixj. lit 
 SeSH,,Q2S, p. 37, where are given the names of the stockholders in 1876. 
 
CHARGES AGAINST THE COMPANY. 
 
 m 
 
 311 
 
 all 
 it 
 
 Ling 
 
 Srov- 
 
 ave, 
 
 saw 
 
 tlis- 
 
 dU be 
 
 ut the 
 ten 
 
 cropanoy of $1,407.37'"' between the accounts kept by 
 the custom-house and those of the company; and in 
 the opinion of the official appointed to examine the 
 company's books, this was due to an error of the gov- 
 ernment agents. 
 
 In 18G9 the value of a fur-seal skin in London, tlio 
 world's mart for peltry, did not exceed three or four 
 dollars, but at that date the tax was one dollar per 
 skin. In 187G a first-class skin delivered in London 
 cost the company six to six and a half dollars; its 
 market value at that date before being dressed or 
 dj'ed was about fifteen dollars, and in 1881 twenty 
 dollars. The enhanced price is due in part to better 
 preservation, but more to whim of fashion. 
 
 The demand for furs is of course controlled by fash- 
 ion. As men wear beaver hats in summer, so do 
 women seal-skin sacks. Among others, furriers regu- 
 late fashion. "When I was in London," remarks 
 [Miller, "I talked with all the great furriers, and 
 they were delighted to know that they could cal- 
 culate with reasonable certainty upon the number of 
 ^^kins that w^ere to be put upon the market each year. 
 The furriers influence fashion. The value of this 
 article is subject to the caprice of fashion, but the fur- 
 riers themselves aid in making the fashions, and they 
 make the fashion for an article that will pay." 
 
 Amonof the charsjes brouijlit acjainst the Alaska 
 Commercial Company was that of taking more than the 
 number of skins allowed by law. It is unnecessary to 
 (.liscuss this charge. As a fact, they usually take one 
 or two hundred less than the number prescribed, and 
 not until 1881 did the number of accepted skins 
 amount to a hundred thousand," "If we overran the 
 
 *" The amount of tax on 559 skins at $2.62.V each. 
 
 *^ EHiott's Seal hlands, Alcuka, 1G9. The list of the treasury agent is the 
 official indorsement of the company's catch. The skins are shipped to 8;in 
 Francisco, where tliey are counted. 'As it never iiappened before, until the 
 Foason of 1S81,' remarks Elliott, 'that the two counts at San Francisco and St 
 I'aul have agreed to a unit, tlio company lias given strict and inijwrative 
 Oidera that no more than 99,800 or 99,850 shall be annually taken by ita 
 
 I 
 
C-.2 
 
 COMMERCE, REVENUE, AXD FURS. 
 
 market to any appreciable extent," stated ^rillej-, in 
 ovidcncu, "it would certainly knock tliu price down, 
 and it would do it because it disturbs the present 
 equilibrium." 
 
 At the Prybilof Islands the government has what 
 may be termed a stock-farm, which yields an income 
 of more than .$300,000 a year. The advantages of 
 leasing tlu'se islands to responsible parties are thus 
 stated by Henry W. Elliott, tbrmerly a treasury agent, 
 who inspected the seal-grounds in 187G: 
 
 "First. When the government took possession of 
 these interests, in 1808 and 18G9, the gross value of 
 a seal-skin laid down in the best market, at London, 
 was less in some instances, and in others but slightly 
 above, the present tax and royalty paid upon it by the 
 Alaska Commercial Company. 
 
 "Second. Through the action of the intelligent 
 l)usincss men who took the contract from the govern- 
 ment, in stimulatinijf and encouragltig the dressers of 
 the raw material, and in taking sedulous care that 
 nothing but good skins should leave the islands, ainl 
 in combination with leaders of fashion abroad, th ■ d<- 
 mand for the fur, by this manipulation and manage- 
 ment, has been wonderfully increased. 
 
 "Third. xVs matters now stand, the greatest and 
 best interests of the lessees are identical with those 
 of the government; what injures one injures the other. 
 In other words, both strive to guard against anything 
 that shall interfere with the preservation of the seal- 
 life ill its original integrity, and both having it to 
 their interest if possible to increase that liTe; if the 
 lessees liad it in their power, which they certainly ha\o 
 not, to ruin these interests by a few seasons of rapacity, 
 they arc so bonded and so environed that prudence 
 prevents it. 
 
 agents from the seal-islands. Taking the full quota for this season of 1S8I 
 was contrary to its express direction.' In the Rv-pt. on Finaucen, in Ihmo'. 
 Ex. Doc, 47th Ciuif/. 2d Sets., 47, tlie secretary of tlio treasury states that in 
 1882 the Ahiska Commercial Co. took 'nearly the maximum number of seal- 
 skins permitted under its lease, paid the tax thereon, as well as the rent uf 
 the islands, and otherwise performed its duties under its lease.' 
 
ELLIOTT'S REPORT. 
 
 ns 
 
 "Fourtli. Tlic frequont elmnofos in the oflife of the 
 seorc'tury of tlie treasury, wlio lias very properly the 
 fthsolutc control of the luisitioss as it stands, do not 
 permit ujHm his part of that close, careful scrutiny 
 which is exercised by the lessees, who, unlike him, 
 have but their one purpose to carry out. The char- 
 acter of the leadincf men amouLj them is enoULrh to 
 nssure the public that the business is in responsible 
 hands, and in the care of persons who will use every 
 effort for its preservation and its per[)etuati()n . . .As 
 matters are now conducted, there is no room for any 
 scandal — not one simple transaction on the islands but 
 what is as clear to investigation and accountability 
 as the light of the noon-day sun; what is done is 
 known to everybodj-, and the tax now laid by the 
 government upon and paid into the treasury every 
 }'ear by the Alaska Commercial Company yields 
 alone a handsome rate of interest on the entire i)ur- 
 chase money expended for the ownership of all 
 Alaska."*^ 
 
 It is probable that the lease of the Prybilof Islands 
 has been a much more profitable transaction, both for 
 tlie government and the Alaska Commercial Com- 
 pany, than was anticipated at the time when it was 
 signed. In 1871 Hutchinson, Kohl, & Company 
 obtained a lease of Bering, Copper, and Robben 
 islands on very much more favorable terms. The 
 rental was but five thousand roubles in silver, and the 
 i-oyalty two roubles. The minimum number of skins 
 that should be taken was fixed at one thousand, but 
 otherwise there was no limit." 
 
 In many parts of Alaska there were, in the time of 
 the Russian American Company, as the reader will 
 
 " Seal IdnmlK, Alaska, 2G-1 . 'It is frequently urged with great persist- 
 ency, by misinformed or mrlicious autliority,' continues Elliott, 'that the 
 kssecs can and do take thousands of skins in excess of th<3 law, and this catch 
 ill excess is shipped sub rosa to Japan from the Pribylov Islands.' To show 
 the impossibility (jf such action on the part of the company, he then states 
 the conditions under which tlie skins are taken. 
 
 "A copy of tlio Itjase is given in Home Com. Septs., 44th Cong. 1st Sets., 
 C23, app, B. 
 
C54 
 
 COMMERCE, REVENUE, AXD FURS. 
 
 remember, scrtl-grouiids of great value, but where t >- 
 day the oatcli is inconsiderable. In the south Pacific 
 there were, less than fifty years ago, rookeries fre- 
 quented by millions of seals, and which now yield but 
 (ive to ten thousand skins a year. That the sauio 
 fite would have overtaken the Prybilof Islands, but 
 for the intervention of congress; that, instead of the 
 live millions of fur-seals which at present make these 
 islands their summer resort, there would have been 
 but a few thousands, cannot reasonably be doubted.*' 
 They return each year only because they are net 
 allowed to be disturbed by the sound of fire-arms or 
 by other means, nmch care and method being used 
 durinijf the slaughtering season. 
 
 When they come in from the north Pacific in early 
 sunnuer, the seals usually select their landing-places 
 on the south and south-eastern shores of the Prybilof 
 Islands, mainly, as is supposed, because the winds. 
 blt)\\ ing at that season usually from the north and 
 west, cai')-v out to sea the scent of their old rookeries. 
 During the month of May only a few hundreds of full- 
 grown males are to be fc«een on the grounds, but about 
 the fust week in June, when banks of gray fog begin 
 to enshroud the islands, the males swarm in daily by 
 tliousands, and choose locations for their harems close 
 to higli-water mark. 
 
 Toward the end of the month the females arrive, 
 and meanwhile a constant fight has been going on 
 ])etween the new-comers and those already in the 
 field, during which the latter, exhausted by repeated 
 coulliets, arc often driven higher up the rookery and 
 away from the water-lino. The contests are only 
 among the full-grown males,*'' which dispute in single 
 combat the choicest spots; and veterans have been 
 known to fight thirty or forty pitched battles in oriler 
 
 *' .\l)out .3,000,000 urc full-grown females. Wlicrc they all harbor Juriu!' 
 the rest of the year is not known, hut it is l)clieve(l that they Biiend the \i ■ 
 ter south of the Aleutiiin Ishinils, in places where fioh aro abundant. IlilUU s 
 Com. and Iiiil., I'ac. Coas(, 'Si'l. 
 
 " Eiyht years old or more. 
 
SEAL BATTLES. 
 
 c.:.j 
 
 to maintain their ground until the arrival of tlio 
 females, when it seems to he understood that those 
 ^vho have held their own shall not be disturbed for 
 the season.*" 
 
 The combatants approach warily and with averted 
 gaze. When at close quarters they make feints or passes 
 like pugilists in the ring, their heads darting in and 
 .)ut and their eyes gleaming with a lurid light. After 
 much preliminary roaring and writhing, they sei;',e 
 each other with their long canine teeth, and when the 
 grip is relaxed, tlie skin and blubber of one or both 
 are scarred with furrows, the blood streaming down 
 meanwhile, and the conflict being i)erliaps the most 
 singular that man can witness. 
 
 "Thus," as Elliott remarks, "about two thirds of 
 all the males which are born, and they are equal in 
 numbers to the females born, are never permitted by 
 the remaining third, strongest b}^ natural selection, to 
 land upon tlie same breeding-ground with the females, 
 which always herd thereupon en masse. Hence, the 
 great band of bachelor seals, or holluschickie,*'' so 
 fitly termed, when it visits the island is obliged to 
 live apart entirely, sometimes, and in some places, 
 miles away I'l'oni the rookeries; and in this admirably 
 perfect metliod of nature are those seals which can bo 
 ])ro[)erly killed without injury to the rookeries se- 
 lected and held aside, so that the natives can visit and 
 take them without disturbii:g, in the least degree, the 
 eiitin quiet of the breeding-grounds, where the stock 
 IS perpetuated." 
 
 To the bachelor seals remains tlie choice of taking 
 U{» their abode — in technical phrasi-, 'hauling up' — - 
 in rear of the rcjokeries, or on what are termed the 
 free l)eaclies. For the former [)Urposc a path is left 
 through the married-quarters by which they pass in 
 ceaseless fdes, day or night, at will. No wcH c(mi- 
 
 *• ICUiott states tlint he lias seen a vi'tcviiu se;.! figlit 40 or .")0 battles aiirl 
 beat ofTftll hi.s assailuuts, coining out of the campaign with the loss of an eye, 
 and covered with raw and festerin^; scars. Seal lalaiulK, Akulcn, 32. 
 
 *' A Russian word for bachelor.!. 
 
 : 
 
C36 
 
 COMMERCE, REVENUE, AXD FURS. 
 
 
 ducted liollusc'liick is molested on tlio way, but wo(3 
 to him that keeps not straight on his path, or looks 
 askant and snills in tlie neighborhood of a harem. 
 Loss of fiipp*^'' or of life is the sure penalty. 
 
 During the early part of the season, the bachelor seals 
 that select as their ground the free beaches haul uj>''* 
 v.ithin a few rods of high-water mark, and to effect 
 their capture great caution is required. At the first 
 glimpse of dawn, a party of natives is sent to the 
 .spot whence the seals are to be driven to the slaugh- 
 lerinijr-yfround, and while their victims are still dozin<jf, 
 creep stealthil}' between them and the surf When 
 roused, they find themselves cut off from retreat to 
 the sea, and crawl or lope in the direction in which 
 they are guided by the Aleuts, who, brfm!li^•Ving their 
 clubs, but as noiselessly as possible; "-vai'- )wly on 
 the Hank and in rear of the drove, f.u Uiis man- 
 ner, under favorable circumstances, seveial thousand 
 fur-seals may be driven by a dozen men, but usually 
 only a few hundred are taken at a time. 
 
 From the hauling-grounds to the killing-grounds 
 the seals are driven at the rate of about half a mile 
 an hour, with frequent halts to allow time to cool, as 
 heating injures the quality of the fur. During the 
 'drive,' as it is t(>.rmed, they never show fight, unless 
 it should hap[»en that a few veterans are among the 
 drove. When the men think it time to halt, they 
 droj) back a few paces, whereupon the holluschickie 
 stop, and pant, and fan themselves. The clattering 
 «)f a few bones or a shout from their drivev,^ ciiises 
 them instantly to resume their march to tl'c i-langii- 
 tering-gr«nmds.^'' 
 
 About seven o'clock the seals are secured in the 
 slaughtering corral, which is always close to one of the 
 
 *• A phrase apjilied to the action of seals when they land from the surf and 
 clmg tlicniselvcs ovit tlio liuacli. 
 
 **Tlie 'drive' to Jj)ikiinni>n on St Paul Island occupies about two hours, 
 to Tolstoi on the .same island two and a half t > tli'ec hours, while to Zoltui, 
 o' Stticorge Islan<1, the distance from the lieaeh is trilling. These are tho 
 )irinciiial slauj^htering-groun IS. fil., 71 (note). Opposite that page if .i, plato 
 repreaentiu^ a drove i.ai i,a way to tlio Uilling-grouuds. 
 
mm^m^mim! 
 
 SLAUGHTER OF SEALS. 
 
 657 
 
 Alaska Commercial Company's villages. Here they 
 are allowed to cool until the men have breakfasted, after 
 which all the Aleuts come forth, armed with bludj:?eons, 
 clubs,'" and stabbing and skinning knives. At a given 
 signal the men step into the corral, from which a 
 hundred or a hundred and fifty are driven at a time, 
 and surrounded, the circle narrowing until the seals 
 are huddled together and within reach of the clubs. 
 The chief then selects those which are doomed, and 
 a single blow of the club, which will stun and not 
 kill, is dealt to all. If the day happen to be warm 
 and fair, the skin will spoil, unless removed, sometimes 
 within half an hour," and always within an hour and 
 a half after the death of tlie seal. To avoid waste, 
 therefore, and to allow those whose furs have been 
 injured during the harem tights a chance to escape, 
 the fatal blow is not struck until later, when a single 
 well aimed stroke of the bludgeon crushes in the slen- 
 der bones of the victim'sskull and stretcheshimlifeless." 
 
 The skins are taken to the salt-house, where thev 
 are carefully examined, and those which are damaged, 
 the number seldom exceeding one per cent, are rejected. 
 They are then salted on the fleshy side, and, in sealing 
 phrase, piled, fat to fat, in 'kenches,''^ after which 
 salt is thrown on the outer edges and kept in place by 
 sliding planks. In two or three weeks they are pickletl, 
 when they are taken, as required, rolled into bundles 
 of two, with the fur outward, and are tightly corded. 
 They are then ready for shipment to San Francisco, 
 where they are counted by the government agent nn<l 
 thence forwarded to London in casks containiny; each 
 forty to eighty skins.'^* 
 
 The method of dressing and dyeing the skins is a 
 
 ^'The bliulgeona are of liickory, nti<l the clulw five or six feet in lenjjtli, 
 and three inches in diameter at the head. 
 
 " fcllliott states thut thia oeeurs, but is a rare occurrence. 
 
 *' The blows are usually repeated two or three times. 
 
 *^ Largo bins. 
 
 *'Tho (iverago weight of .a skin tlius pickled is to 10 lbs. A tabln of 
 the weight, size, and growth of the fur-seal at the Pryliilof lalauda ia Lrivcn 
 iu U., 40. 
 
 Hut. Ambka. ii 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 i! 
 
638 
 
 COMMERCE, REVENUE, AND FURS. 
 
 trade secret, and for soino reason this branch of indus- 
 try appears to b- ahiiost concentrated in London. Al- 
 though artisans have been engajj^ed, and dye-st iffs and 
 even water imported from England by the French, furs 
 ])repared by artisans of the latter nf^tion are not con- 
 sidered equal to those prepared in London. The pro- 
 cesses previous to that of dyeing, wherein the secret 
 lies, are very simple. In order to rid it of greasy 
 particles, the skin is first soaked in warm water, and 
 after being scraped clean, again soaked in warm water 
 containing rose-wood or mahogany sawdust. The 
 fleshy side of the skin is then shaved, in order to cut 
 off the roots of the coarser hairs, which fall out, leaving 
 only the soft fur, which is then ready for the dyeing 
 process.'" 
 
 Whatever has been or may be alleged against the 
 Alaska Connnercial Company, it cannot be said with 
 truth that it has diminished the world's wealth. Dur- 
 ing the first term (f the Russian American Company's 
 existence, the entire catch of fur-seals at the Pribylof 
 Islands was estiniirted at a little over 1,000,000, dur- 
 ini; the second term at less than 400,000, and durinj; 
 the third term at about 340,000, each term extending 
 over about twenty years, and almost each year show- 
 ing a diminution in the supply. The waste of skins 
 caused through f »ult of curing has already been men- 
 tioned.**" In 18u8 the slaughter exceeded 240,000, 
 and, as we have seen, the rookeries were threatened 
 with extermination. In 1883 about 100,000 were 
 killed; their value was greatly enhanced, and during 
 the portion of the company's lease that had then 
 expired the supply was gradually on the increase. 
 
 The catch of sea-otter now averages 5,000 to G,000 
 a year, or more than double the number secured be- 
 
 ** IlUteWs Com. and Ind. Pac. CcrM, 335. The price of a good finishe 1 
 skin ill London was. in 1881, about ^0. 
 
 '"Elliott rcinaika that tlic method ci curing in early times was to peg tlio i 
 out -when green on the ground, o stretch them on a wooden frame. AbouD 
 7:.0,000 were spoiled in 1803. 
 
SEA.OTTER AND FOXES. 
 
 Co9 
 
 fore the purchase ; and their skins are worth in Lon- 
 don from $75 to $100/^ This industry furnishes prof- 
 itable employment for a few months in the year to 
 several thousand Aleuts, the skin being the most val- 
 uable of all peltry, excepting perhaps the pelt of the 
 black fox. 
 
 Silver-gray and black fox-skins were first introduced 
 to fashion, it will be remembered, at St Petersburg/^ 
 Of either the catch is inconsiderable, that of the silver 
 fox seldom exceeding one hundred, while the appear- 
 ance of a black fox-skin in the market is of very rare 
 occurrence. Blue fox-skins are taken to the number 
 of about 2,000. The red fox has little commercial 
 value. Of marten and beaver skins considerable ship- 
 ments are made; but of these, as of other land peltry, 
 the principal supply comes from the Hudson's Bay 
 Company. 
 
 57 ' 
 
 ?or 1879 the catch was 900 in the Kadiak district, and 4,850 in the 
 Uua'.aska district, the latter including the Shuniagin Islands. PetrojPa Fop. 
 Jlasha, 06. 
 
 !'«Thisvol.,p. 253. 
 
 1 i 
 
 ii 
 
 
 fi 
 
 I 
 
 
CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 FISHERIES. 
 
 1867-1884. 
 
 Salmon Packing — Price and Weight of the Raw Fish — Yukon-river 
 Salmon — Alaskan Canneries — Domestic Consumption and Waste— 
 The Cod-bank3 of Alaska — Large Increase in the Catch of Cod- 
 fish—And Decrease in its Valle — The Halibut-fisheries — Hei> 
 ring and Herring-oil — Mackerel — The Eulacuon oiiCANDLE-iisu— 
 Value and Prospects of the Alaskan Fisueuies— Whaling E.ntlu- 
 PRiSE— The North Pacific Whaling Fleet — Gradual Decrease 
 IN the Catch — Threatened Exhaustion of the Whaling-grounds. 
 
 Pi ' 
 
 i it 
 
 " In their public prayers," remarks John Adams, "it 
 is said that the Dutch ask of tlie supreme being that 
 it may )>lease him to bless the government, the states, 
 the lords, and the fisheries." In 177G the fisheries t)f 
 Alaska were unknown to John Adams and to the 
 Dutch, nor were the Russians aware of their value, 
 even at the time of the transfer, though it is not im- 
 probable that, a generation hence, the waters of this 
 territory may be one of the main sources of the world's 
 sui)ply. 
 
 There is, of course, no immediate prospect that the 
 fisheries of Alaska will be extensively utilized unless 
 other sources of supply should begin to fail. It is a 
 little significant, however, that the salmon-pack should 
 have increased from about 8,000 cases in 1880' to 
 3G,000 in 1883, the yield in the latter year being- 
 worth about $180,000,^ while during the interval the 
 
 ' IHttdrs Com. avd Ind. Pac. Const, 373. There were also sliippeil in ISSO 
 500.000 lbs of salted salmon. 
 
 '■' San Fran. BuUcliii, April Vl, 1884. A case contains four dozen one-ixjuii J 
 tins, the value of which is eatimated ut $1.'J5 per dozen. 
 
 (6C0) 
 
SALMON IX ALASKA. 
 
 CGI 
 
 market for canned salmon had become greatly over- 
 stocked. More than 30,000 cases are often shipped 
 by a single cannery on the Columbia, although the 
 price paid per fish in 1883 was on the Columbia 
 seventy cents, and at the Alaska canneries from one 
 cent to five cents. 
 
 The average weight of salmon caujjht in Alaskan 
 rivers, after being cleaned, exceeds fifteen pounds,^ 
 M'hilo on the Columbia it is less than twenty pounds. 
 The flavor of the best fish caught in the former local- 
 ity is only excelled by that of Scotch and Norwegian 
 salmon, which are considered superior to any in the 
 world. The more northerly the waters in which salmon 
 are taken, the better their flavor. The king salmon, 
 the largest and choicest of the s})ecies found in Alaska, 
 not unfrequently attains a weight of eighty and son; - 
 times of a hundred pounds, its range being from the 
 Alexander Archipelago to the Yukon. It is known 
 to ascend that river for more than a thousand miles,* 
 the run commencing about the middle of Juno antl 
 lasting till the end of August. So choice is its flavor, 
 that during the regime of the Russian American Com- 
 pany, several barrels of the salted iish were shii)i)e(l 
 each season to St Petersburg for the use of the 
 friends of the company's oflficials." 
 
 The run of salmon on the Yukon is immense, but 
 lasting as it does oidy for about six weeks^ is at i)ros- 
 cnt considered of too l)rief duration to warrant tlie 
 investment of capital. The fact that the mouth of the 
 Yukon is not navio-able for sea-u^oinij vessels is a 
 
 'III it/'or)7.s'',i liept., Alu'^kn, 113, it is stated that at ('(Xik's Inlet tlicy av- 
 erage GO ll)s, anil that some liavo l)een eauyht weighing \^l(^ 11)3. The state- 
 ment would he true if it were ai)plied only to king salmon, but ia nmeli abovo 
 the ligui'os for the average cateii. 
 
 *]5cvond the site of Fort Yukon. 
 
 'C^'tS'. Aiir'ic. l!ei>L (ISTO), .;/.-/ Cimij. Si Se.-^x., 3S2-X The more common 
 Bpecies have the same range, Init their run commences a few days later and 
 tlicy remain longer. A king salmon when dried will make on an avei'ago 
 about '20 Iba of H^n'i, as the dried fish was termed by the Indians. In tlio 
 I'eport the weight of the common species is given at 10 to 30 lbs, and when 
 cleaned an<l smoked 2 or Hlbs. These figures are too low. Probably tlio 
 Aleut process of curing is the one mentioucd. 
 
m FISHERIES. 
 
 further obstacle. In other rivers and streams of 
 Alaska, however, salmon are almost equally abundant, 
 and it is possible that the proprietors of the Colum- 
 bia River canneries may find competition from these 
 sources increase more rapidly than they anticipate. 
 
 About the year 1808 a cannery was built at Klowak, 
 on Prince of Wales Island, probably the first one in 
 Alaska, and afterward became the property of tlie 
 San Francisco firm of Sisson, Wallace, and Company, 
 who incorporated under the laws of California, takiiij^ 
 the name of the North Pacific and Trading Company.*^ 
 In 1878 Cutting and Company, also of San Francis- 
 co, established a cannery near the site of Fort Sv 
 Mikhail, or, as it is now termed, old Sitka," and al- 
 though they did not commence operations until late 
 in the season, their first pack was about five thousand 
 cases.'^ On account of an accident, this cannery was 
 afterward removed to a favorable site on Cook Inlet. 
 In 1883 the Alaska Salmon Packing and Fur Com- 
 pany was incorporated, among its purposes being tlio 
 canning, salting, and smoking offish at the lake an<l 
 harbor of Nalia. Small canneries have also been 
 established at other points, and it is worthy of note 
 that they should find the industry remunerative, 
 while, on account of low prices, the canneries of the 
 Columbia, with their superior appliances, have almost 
 ceased to be profitable. 
 
 The chief obstacles in the way of the canneries arc 
 the shortness of the season, the difficulty in obtaining 
 labor, the great cost of supplies, the want of commu- 
 nication, and the fact that no title can be obtained to 
 land. That raw fish will continue to be cheaper, be- 
 cause more abundant and more easily caught than 
 
 * Monis states that the first year's operations satisfied the firm that the 
 enterprise woultl be successful. liept.,\\5. 
 
 ' l''ive miles from tlie present town of .Sitka. 
 
 ^ Derry'i* JJeoi'loiiminti, Akvka, MS., 12. Berry states that the firm 
 dill not lose money the first season. In <S'('«. Ex. Di.-., JfithVomj. 2il Sci<>i., 
 105, p. 13, it is stated that the total shipments for 1879 were t»,000 cases, and 
 a large quantity of salted salmon iu barrels. At that date tliere were two 
 other firms in operation. 
 
COD-BANKS. 
 
 683 
 
 elsowhorc in the world, tlu»ro is littlo doubt. It would 
 seem that as salmon can he houLclit iVoni the natives 
 in Alaska at loss than oiu; fifteenth of the price paid 
 on the Columbia, and as Alaska salmon is preferrcid 
 in the eastern states and in Eur()|)e to Columbia 
 River salmon, these difficulties will in time bo over- 
 come. Moreover, it is j)robablo that the demand for 
 canned salmon will gradually increase, and that its* 
 present low marketal)le value will not long continue, 
 for few more nourishing and palatable articles of food 
 can be bought at the price, and the entire pack of 
 Alaska would not yt I'urnish breakfast for the popu- 
 lation of London fi^r a single day. 
 
 The quantity of salmon shipped from Alaska is of 
 course but a small portion of the annual catch, ior 
 this is the staple food of the 30,000 or 35,000 Ind- 
 ians who inhabit the territory.'' A 30 or 40-pound 
 fish will weigh but four or five pounds when })re[»ared 
 b}^ their wasteful process for winter use, and it is es- 
 timated that they take 10,000,000 or 1-2,000,000 sal- 
 mons a year, probably at least thrice the number re- 
 quired to su[)ply the demand of all the cannories on 
 the Pacific coast. ^" 
 
 The cod-banks of Alaska, like the salmon fisheries, 
 are admitted to be the most extensive known to the 
 world, and only in the waters near this territory, and 
 perhaps three or four degrees farther south, is the </('- 
 dufi morrhna, or true cod, known to exist on the Pacific 
 coast. The banks extend at intervals from the Shinn- 
 agin Islands northward and westward to the ice-lii»o 
 of the Bering Sea, eastward to Cook Inlet, and soutli- 
 ward to the strait of San Juan do Fuca," those near 
 
 •According to the census of ISSO tlie entire population was .'}.'?,4'J(i, of 
 whom 430 were wliitc jiersons, l,7">'i c pdIcs. ami i\w iTiiiaiinli'i' Iiidiiins, 
 
 '"Tlie Pacific coast puck was cstiniatc.l, for ISSl, at 44,44(),0(K) ll)s. Hit- 
 telVti Com. and Iiid. Par. CaivJ, .'{SO. 
 
 " U. S. Atfric. Hi'vt., ISTO, 37J. Dodge states tliat the cdd llsheries 
 extend to Bering Str.tit, and even to the Arctic Ocean. Mon-ia'.-t I'(/i/. , 1 1 .'{. A 
 few stragglers may liud their way througii the strait during sumincr, hut lat. 
 59" N., which is aljout tlic line reached iii mid-wiuter by floating ice, is practi- 
 cally the limit. 
 
 i f 
 
C04 
 
 FISHERIES. 
 
 tlio Shuinnr'in Islands heini^ considered tl>e best, or 
 at least the most available.'- East and west it may 
 bo said that they reach for 20 or 2') niles from tlu' 
 shores of Asia and America, the area of the Alaskan 
 banks alieady known bein<^ })robably more than 
 100,000 square miles. They are nmch more shallow 
 tl)an those of Xewfoundland, the depth of the former 
 being usually 20 or 30 fathoms, though the best fish 
 are taken in 70 or 80 fathoms," while the latter aver- 
 age from (JO to 120 fathoms. 
 
 In 1807, 23 vessels were employed at the cod-banks, 
 the catch for that year exceeding 2,500 tons when 
 salted, and its value being about §350,000, against 
 k;ss than 1,500 tons, worth almost the same amount, 
 in 180(5. The catch of 1807, which w.as then consid- 
 ered enormous, completely glutted the market, and 
 caused a fall in price t)f about 40 per cent. It is 
 worthy of note, however, that in 1809 nearly 3,700 
 tons offish were salted, and in 1870 over 5,300 tons, 
 the catch for each vear sellini; at better rates than 
 were obtained in 1807." After 1870 the take aver- 
 aged about 500,000 fish per ^•ear,*'' the industry usu- 
 ally giving employment to a dozen or fifteen schoon- 
 ers, some of which were engaged for a portion of the 
 year in the salmon fisheries. Meanwhile the price 
 gradually fell in San Francisco to about five cents per 
 
 '■^ One advantiigo is that fishing vessels can always lie under the lee of one 
 of the islanda, and thir; lie protocted from the swell of the ocean; another id 
 llio proximity of the Shnina'-'in Islands to Kndiak, where, as Davidson suj^- 
 f.fsls, a curing establislnuent nu;^':it he 0()eiied with advantiige. Coccit Pilot-, 
 .lUiKlrt, 40. 
 
 '^('njtluiii ]Vh!tc,ii\ Jfori-h'-i /?«■//^, 112. The captain states that at a point 
 70'> miles north-west of Sitka his erew eau(;lit '2.M) lish with 20 lines in two 
 hi.i'.rs, and that the natives li.sh in shallow water, where tliey catch cod 
 vei^^hing .") to !.") llis, hccause deep-water lisliing is too hard work. Williani 
 S. Dodge, in /(/., 1 lU, ridates that two Kadiak fishermen caught i!2,00() cod in 
 tiiN months; and Sheldon .Taekson, that in 1871) three San Francisco tirnis sc- 
 ct'.red 3,000 tons off the Shuniagin Islands. Alaska, 4~>. The existence of 
 these cod-banks was well known to the Russians. See DaciusoH'n Cuavt I'i- 
 liJ, AIn.thi, 44-0, and Siimm r''' ('<.<.■*. Ii'iiss. A>»i'r., 42 H. 
 
 '•Each year'a catch, between 1804 and 1870, together with its value, is 
 t.ivenin IT.'S. A'lric. l!ej>t., 1870, :»80. 
 
 " PeJmirs Pop. Al(ii<ka. ~ 1 . At the Shuniagin Islands, in 187.1, five veusel.i 
 I' lU'^lit 'J.'{r),000 lisli. Ala.ibi Ih rnkl, Oct. 24, 1873. lu 187d seven vessels took 
 •iiO.OOOnsh. /(/., Oct. 1, 187."). 
 
HALinUT-IIERRING-MACKKREL. 
 
 pound at the close of 1883/" and to still lower rates 
 during the early months of 1884.'' Small quantities 
 of cod are also shipped to the Sandwich Islands and 
 elsewhere/^ but the demand is practically limited to 
 the Pacific coast from California northward, and, as 
 its entire ])opulation does not yet exceed 1,500,000, it 
 is not probable that this immense source of future 
 wealth will, at present, be much further utilized. 
 
 Although it is conceded that the flavor of the 
 Alaskan cod is not inferior to that of fish caught on 
 the banks of Newfoundland, the former always isells 
 at lower prices in the market, the difference being 
 sometimes as nmch as three cents per pound. Tiiis 
 is probably due to defect in curing,*^ and perhaps in 
 part to the fact that Atlantic cod has always been in 
 favor on the Pacific coast. 
 
 Among the other food-fishes with which the waters 
 of Alaska abound, I shall mention only the halibut, 
 herring, mackerel, and culachon."" Tiie range of the 
 halibut extends from Capo Flattery northward to the 
 Aleutian Islands. The true halibut is smaller in size 
 than that of the Atlantic coast, but specimens of the 
 bastard halibut arc not unfrequently taken weighing 
 from 300 to 500 pounds. As yet, neither has been 
 much in demand, except for local use, but the flavor, 
 ev(;n of the bastard halibut, when salted and smoked, 
 is j)referred by many to that of salmon, while its napes 
 and fins are a standard article of commerce. 
 
 llerrin;^ arrive in vast shoals at the Aleutian Isl- 
 ands, the Alexander Archipelago, and Norton Sound 
 during the month of J une. Those caught at Unalaska 
 
 '*Tlio price on V>cc. ,10th, according to t', ". F. Chronicle, was four 
 cents for cod in l)iinillcs .and six cents for l)on' I .I 
 
 ''"'J'o tiiree and li\e cents for the two desoriptions. .9. /'. Ihdldiu, 
 March 19. 18S4. 
 
 '■' In ISdS a cargo was sent to Australia, and realized eight cents per 11>. 
 
 ''•• I'etroff tiiinks it n>;iy bo caused by the inferior c|iia!ity of tlie Kiilt used 
 in the process. I'oji. Alaikn, 71. It it more prolwbly owing ti> tlio tisli Ixing 
 kept in salt for several niontlis, until the return of the vc33Ci to Saa l-'rancisco. 
 
 *" Spelled also oolikou, ulikon, and otherwise. 
 
6C6 
 
 FISHERIES. 
 
 arc considered the best, but in the n ^borliood of 
 Sitka they are perhaps most abundant At the hitter 
 point a canoe h)ad can easily be secured within half an 
 hour. Thou«^h a lew barrels may occasionally find 
 their way to San Francisco, the Alaska herrinjj; has 
 as yet no commercial value except for its oil, for the 
 production of which an establishment was in operation 
 at Prince Frederick Sound in 1883, about 20,000 gal- 
 lons being obtained in that year." It is admitted tliat, 
 in bulk and Havor, those taken at Unalaska and else- 
 where are quite equal to imported herring, and tluie 
 appears no good reason why they should not, if pr<j[)- 
 erly cured, find a profitable market on this coast. 
 
 Mackerel, equal in size and flavor to those captured 
 in Atlantic waters, are found in the bays and straits 
 of the Aleutian and Shumagin islands, and when 
 shi])ped to San Francisco have met with ready sale, 
 sometimes realizing as nmch as $^24 per barrel. It is 
 probable that, when the range and distribution of this 
 favorite food-fish is better ascertained, a thrivinir in- 
 dustry may be established in conr ion with other 
 branches of fishery. 
 
 The eulachon, or candle-fish, as it is often termed, a 
 small silvery fish, seldom exceeding fifteen inches in 
 length, and in appearance resembling a smelt, abounds 
 in river and stream as far south as latitude 40°. It is 
 most abundant in Alaskan ^^aters, where for the tliree 
 or four weeks during which the season lasts, the niu 
 is more marvellous even than that of salmon. The 
 eulachon is the fattest of known fish, and the oil tried 
 out from it is sold to the Indians on the Nass liiver 
 near the Alaskan border"^ at profitable rates.^' When 
 dried, it serves as a torch, burning with a clear bright 
 flame. Hence its name of candle-fish. When smoked 
 
 '•Besidos 3,000 gals of whale oil and 12,000 of dog-fish oil. This industry 
 •was established by the North-west Trading Company of Portland. Tlie com- 
 pany has another station at IJordova Biiy, where it was proposed to conuneiico 
 work in 1882. IlUtdCs Com. and Ind. Pac. Coa-il, 3')7. 
 
 '■''^ Tlie eulachon is also plentiful in the Eraser and Columbia rivers. 
 
 ^ About .SI per gal. in 1881. Id., 355. Hittell states that the oil possesses 
 valuable medicinal qualities. 
 
THE CANDLE-FISII. 
 
 667 
 
 anfl propnrod for tal)lo by broiliiifr or stoaniiiig, it is 
 equal in flavor to tlio finest (jiuilit}' of eastern inaek- 
 erel, and when pickled and 8hi[)ped to San Francisco, 
 finds a ready market. 
 
 On the Nass River, eulachon are usually caught in 
 wicker baskets, and after beinj^ dried or smoked are 
 stored up for future use. The fishing commences about 
 the end of March ; and in connection with it is a curious 
 custom which prevails elsewhere among, the natives 
 and in other branches of fishery. The first eulachon 
 caught is addressed as a chief, and the notives gath- 
 ering round him, tender profuse apologies that they 
 should be compelled to destroy his kindred in order to 
 supply their wants. Then follows a feast, with spee(;hes, 
 sor.gs, dancing, and of course drinking, after which fish- 
 ing commences in earnest and continues until all have 
 procured a sufficient stock, 
 
 I have mentioned only the varieties that, with 
 the exception perh ps of the white fish, have or are 
 likely to have any commercial value, but in few 
 parts of the world are other kinds more abundant. 
 Among them may be mentioned the tom-cod, smelt, 
 salmon-trout, and grayling,'* all of which are found in 
 Alaskan waters, the first three being of excellent qual- 
 ity. 
 
 The value of all the Alaskan fisheries, in which 
 phrase is included the seal-hunting grounds, was esti- 
 mated in the '^cnsus of 1880 at $"J,GG1,G40, of which 
 sum fur-seal skins and other pelagic peltry were 
 valued at $2, 09(5, .500, and the fisheries j)roper at 
 6505,140. What will be the commercial value of 
 these fisheries, when, as will probably be the case at 
 no very distant day, the Pacific states and teri'itories 
 are peopled with 15,000,000 instead of 1,500,000 peo- 
 ple, and are threaded with railroads almost as com- 
 
 '* The tom-cod resembles the eastern fish of that name, bat is much Itctter 
 flavored. Smelt arc plentiful near Sitka ami elsewhere. Salnion-trout of ex- 
 cellent flavor are taken in the smaller rivers and strocms. The grayling is of 
 poor quality. Pike are taken in the lakes and ponds of northern Alaska, )>ut 
 are of little value as a table-flsh, and arc mainly used for dot;-fced. 
 
 ! 
 
1 
 
 1 
 
 . I 
 
 66S 
 
 FISHERIES. 
 
 plctely as are now the western states of America? 
 But when this shall happen, there will doubtless be 
 more frequent communication with ^[exico and Central 
 and South America; for already Pacific coast manu- 
 factures have found a foothold in all these countries, 
 and it is predicted by political economists that the 
 manufactures of this coast will exceed both miniuij; 
 and atrriculture in asfijrefjate wealth. The fur-seal 
 industry is the only one at present utuizetl to any 
 considerable extent, but it is not improbable that, 
 even before the close of this century, the fisheries may 
 become more valuable than are now the fur-seal 
 grounds. 
 
 Of whaling enterprise in the neighborhood of tlic 
 Alaskan coast, mention has already been made; but a 
 few statements that will serve to explain the enor- 
 mous decrease that has occurred in the catch within 
 the last tliree decades may not be out of place. 
 
 Of the six or seven hundred American whalers that 
 wore fitted out for the season of 1857, at least one 
 half, including mo.st of the larger vessels, were en- 
 gaged in the north Pacific."' The presence of so vast a 
 lleet tended of course to exhaust the whalinij-i^roumls 
 or to drive the fish into other waters, for no permanent 
 whaling-grounds exist on any portions of the globe 
 except in those encircled by ice for about ten months 
 in the year. In the seas of Greenland, not many 
 years ago, whales were rarely to be seen ; in 1870 they 
 v;ere fairly plentiful. The sea of Okhotsk and the 
 waters in the neighborhood of the Aleutian Islands 
 were a few decades ago favorite hunting-grounds,-" 
 but are now almost depleted, while in 1870 the coast 
 of New Siberia was swarming with whales. Schools 
 
 ■"Incliiiliuf^ of course the Bering Sea. Zahriskk'x Ln»d f.airs. S8'2. 
 
 '■"' Davidson says tliiit in ISliS whales wore as plentiful near the Aleutian 
 gronp as in the Arctic, hnt that the shoal waters of tlie latter greatly facili- 
 tateil their pursuit. Srient. Kxpid., 470, It would aeem th.at, if tlicy wero 
 ns plentifid olT the Aleutian Islands *is the professor woulil have us believe, 
 tliey V ould iiave heen taken in greater number. The Aleuts found no ditfi' 
 culty iu catching tlicni. 
 
WHALES. 
 
 669 
 
 of sperm-whale are occasionally seen between the 
 Alaska Peninsula and Prince William Sound, and the 
 hump-back sometimes makes its appearance as far 
 north as Baranof Island. Between Bristol Bay and 
 Bering Strait a fair catch is sometimes taken, but 
 most of the vessels forming what is termed the 
 nortli Pacific whaling fleet, now pass into the Arctic 
 Ocean in quest of their prey.**' Probably not more 
 than eight or ten of them are employed on the 
 whaling jjrounds of the Ala '^kan coast. 
 
 In 1881 the whaling fleet of the north Pacific 
 mustered only thirty, and in the following year forty 
 craft, of which four were steamers.-^ The catch for 
 1881 was one of the most profitable that has occurred 
 since the date of the transfer, being valued at .$1,130,- 
 000, or an average of about $57,000 for each vessel,"'" 
 some of them returning with cargoes worth $75,000, 
 and few with cargoes worth less than $30,000. In 
 1883 the catch was inconsiderable, several of the whal- 
 ers returning 'clean/ and few making a profit for 
 their owners. 
 
 The threatened destruction of these fisheries is a 
 matter that seems to deserve some attention. In 1850, 
 as will be remembered, it was estimated that 300 whal- 
 hn^ vessel; visited Alaskan waters, and the Okhotsk antl 
 Bering seas.** Two years later the value of the catch 
 of the north Pacific fleet was more than $14,000,000."'^ 
 After 1852 it gradually decreased, until in 18G2 it 
 w&s less than $800,000; for 18G7 the amount was about 
 $3,200,000; in 1881 it had again fallen to $1,13D,000; 
 
 " Sen. Ex. Doc, 4:?d C<m,j. SdSess., 34, p. 2-3. It is there statr.l that of 
 28 right whales caught near the coast of Alaska during one season eleven were 
 lost. 
 
 ■* A steam M'haler was despatched from San Francisco for the first time in 
 1880. HilMt's Com. and Ind. Pur. Coant, .347. 
 
 ""Including 3:)4,0(H) Iba of whalebone xvortli §2 to $-2.oO per lb., 21,000 
 Lbls of oil «<•■ about 35 cents per gallon, and l.'),000 lbs of ivory at 00 cents 
 per lb. /(/., 34.S. 
 
 '"!'. 584, tlrs vol. They were not of coiirse all American V( jsels. 
 
 " The fleet .'or that year consisted of 278 ships. .Sen. AV. Ac, -/.'(/ Conij. 
 2d Stss., 34, p. i 
 
670 
 
 FISHERIES. 
 
 and for tlie season of 1883 there was a still lurther 
 reduction.^^ 
 
 The whalinof-OTounds of the north Pacific, thoiioli 
 of course open to all nations, are now in the hands of 
 Americans, and were so practically before the pur- 
 chase.^ It is probable that the United States will 
 continue to enjoy a virtual monopoly of this industry, 
 for under present conditions it will erelong cease to 
 be profitable. 
 
 ''In Id., 4-5, the value is stated of each year's catch between 1845 and 
 1807. 
 
 "In l.S(i4 there were only 14 whaler?, in 1805, 18, and iu 18GC, 9 vesscla 
 Bailing under other flags. /(/., 5. 
 
CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 SETTLEMENTS, AGRICULTURE, SHIPBUILDING, AND MINING. 
 
 1794-1884. 
 
 Sitka dt'imno the Russian Occupation — The Town Half Deserted — 
 Social Life at the Caimtal — The Sitka Library— Xewspapehs — 
 Fort Wranc.kll — Tonisass — Harrisbituo — Settlements on Cook In- 
 let— Kadiak — Wood Island— Spruce Island— Three Saints— Afog- 
 NAK — The Aleutian Islands — Volcanic Eruptions and Earth- 
 quakes — Saint Michael — Fort Yukon — Auriculture— Stock-r^\is- 
 iNu — Timber — Suip-BniLoiNO — Coal-mininu — Petroleum, Copper, 
 Quicksilver, Lead, and Sulphur— Silver and Gold. 
 
 In May, 1794, Vancouver visiitcd a settlement 
 at Cook Inlet, which ho thus describes: "Wo met 
 some Russians, who came to welcome and conduct 
 us to their dwelling hy a very inditlerent path, which 
 was rendered more disagree, ble by a most intolerable 
 stench, the worst excepting that of the skunk I had 
 ever the inconvenienc-' ofcxperiencing; occasioned, I 
 believe, by a deposit made (hiring the winter of an 
 immense collection of all kinds of tilth, offal, etc., that 
 had now become a fluid mass of putrid matter, just 
 without the rails of the Russian factory, over which 
 these noxious exhalations s[)read, and seemed to be- 
 come a greater nuisance by their combination with 
 the efiluvia arising from their houses." 
 
 Cleanliness and comfort were little regarded by the 
 early settlers in Alaska. It will be remenil)ert'd that 
 Rezanof, calling on the chief manager in ISO,), found 
 him occupying a hut at Sitka, in which the bed was 
 often afloat, and a leak in the roof was consideretl too 
 triviiil a matter to need attention. As late as 1841, 
 
 (071) 
 
 
 
■i; 
 
 iri 
 
 1:1 
 
 \i 
 
 .\ 
 
 I 
 
 !'.'ll 
 
 Hi 
 
 i 
 
 i 
 
 672 
 
 AGRICULTURE, SHIP-BUILDING, AND MINING. 
 
 Simpson, wlio visited the settlement tlurin<:f liis voy- 
 age round tlie world, declared it, as the reader mIU 
 remember, the dirtiest and most wretched })lace that 
 he had ever seen.* Nevertheless, it continued to in- 
 crcaso rapidly. On the site where the first coloni.^ts 
 pitched their tents and lived in constant fear of the 
 Kolosh, there stood, in 1845, besides other buildings, 
 a spacious residence for the governor, a well furnished 
 club-house for the lower officials, barracks for labor- 
 ers and soldiers, an arsenal, a library, an observatory,' 
 and the churches, schools, aiid hospital of which men- 
 tion will be made later. A wharf, with a stone 
 foundation, and on which were several storehouses, 
 led out into deep water, and the fort, from whicli 
 floated the flag of the liussian American Company, 
 was mounted with two rows of cannon, which com- 
 manded all portions of the town.* 
 
 ' Tlicrc was, however, a considerable improvement in the cou<lition of tho 
 Bottlemcnt l)cforc this date. IJclcher gives a detailed description of Sitka at 
 tlie time of liis visit, in 1837, in which he notes tho solidity of its buihiiiigs 
 and fortifications, and its excellent Khip-yard and arsenal, ^'(iri; To//, run. id 
 Wi'Hil, i. !).">-!). On the evening before Helcher's departure, Kouprianof, «lio 
 was then chief manager, gave u liall at which the former remarks tliat tlio 
 women, thouu'h almost self-taught, danced with as nmch e;ise and grace as 
 those who had l)eei. trained in Kuroptan capitals. Ho speaks very favorably 
 of Madame Kouprianof, ami st^itcs that tho wife of Baron Wrangell was the lirst 
 Russian woman who came to Alu'fka. /'/.,i. lOH-O. Davis, whonrrivcd at Sitka 
 onlKjard theZ/OM(>iin 1831 (the lirat year of Wrangell's administration), speaks 
 of the wives and daughters of the Russian oliicials as bjing exceedingly 
 beautiful, liliniimcs of l/if. /'n^t in Ciil., MS., i, 2; but ho was a mere boy 
 at the time, ami probably exaggerates, for in the Sitka Archivis, M.S., of tlii.-i 
 date but two women are mentioned as living at Sitka. 
 
 '■' Tiio observatory was built at tlie company's exp 'use, and its reports were 
 published by the acajlemy of sciences at St I'etcrsburg. JJok: Koin. /'ii.-m. 
 Anil"-. A'"/., i. OH. Jt was erected on one of the islands in .Sitka Biiy. U'ltrd'j 
 Thrre WirLs vi S!H.a, MS., '28. 
 
 ' Mnrhdf, J'lixskif va I'osfolrhnnm Okeana, 54-0(81. Petersburg, 18."»0, '2d 
 cd.) Tiklimi'uef states tiiat the ninnber of guns in position was (it), and tli;it 
 there were S7 others in the arsi'iial and elsewhere, of all sizes, from 8()-j)ovind 
 mortars down to one-pound falconets, /.■^^>r. Ohon., ii. ,1'JS. Ward, who was 
 at Sitlia in IS.'i.'t, says that the chief manager's residence was a very largo 
 two-story building, the lower ]iart of whicli was used for his private apart- 
 ments, olliees, etc., while the upper lloor was used for public receptions, l>alls, 
 and diiiuer-piirties. On tlie -Ith of .luly, 18.">3, at winch date an Ameiicau 
 baik was lying in the harbor, and several Americans were on a vi^iit to 
 the .settlement, a salute of 1.3 guns was fired, anil in the evening there wui 
 a diniu'r-]iarly, at whifh champagne flowed freely and complimentary spocchcs 
 Were iiia<le. '/'/irix' ICrr/.-.s ('/( <S'.//.r<, .M>'., l.".-M, 17-18. .Many of tiio oUiccra 
 liu I oUicials ill the company a service could spcitk Kuglish. 
 
SITKA. 
 
 C73 
 
 Such was Sitka about tlie middle of tlic present 
 century, when its inluibitants mustered about one 
 thousand souls; and there are to-day on the Pacific 
 coast few more busj'^ communities than that which 
 peopled the capital of Alaska toward the close of the 
 Russian occupation. After the withdrawal of the 
 Kussian employes who departed for their native land, 
 and of American speculators who departed with 
 
 
 V. 
 
 
 
 hV^r 
 
 
 (-' 
 
 r> 
 
 *<■ 
 
 
 y' 
 
 V 
 
 
 Baranof and Kki'Zok Isl.vmis. 
 
 empty pockets, the settlement gradually fell into do- 
 cay, and soon was but the ghost of its former S(,'lf. lu 
 1875 the population had deci'eased to one half; in IHH;} 
 it was little more;* many of the dwellings were tenant- 
 less; the harbor was almost deserted, and the arrival 
 
 i ! 
 
 ♦In the S. F. BuUdin of Oct. 3, 1882, it is given at SfK), of whom 2."iO 
 were white ])(!oplo and 410 Inrli.ins. Most of the latter were proljahly <,ri'olt's. 
 In I HCOtlie Indian viUagoailjoiuing Sitka contained 50 houses, with about 1,200 
 inmates. 
 
 HiiT. Alaska, 43 
 
674 
 
 AGRICULTURE, SHIP-BUILDING, AND MINING. 
 
 or departure of tlie mail steamer was the sole incident 
 that roused from their lethargy the people of the 
 once thrivinjTf town of Novo Arkhanjjelsk. 
 
 With the exception of the fort, or castle, which 
 crowns a rock about a hundnxl feet in hci!j|:]it, and is 
 reached by a steep flii^htof steps, the buildinj^s occupy 
 a low and narrow stri[) of land at tlie base of Mount 
 Vcrstovoi. On Kruzof Island, at the entrance of the 
 bay, is INtount Edjjfecumbe, the prominent landmaik 
 (}f this portion of the coast. In the bay are S'-veral 
 islets, whicji partly screen from view the portion of 
 Baranof Island on which Sitka is built, until the ves- 
 sel arrives within a few caiiles' len^i^th. On landini^, 
 one notices unmistakable sig-ns of decay, !^^any (»f 
 the houses are falling into ruins; and some of them, 
 being built of logs and their h^wer portion continually 
 water-soaked, are settling down on their foundations. 
 After passing the fort we come to a better class of 
 buildings, prominent among which is the Greek church,'^ 
 with its dome and roof painted an emerald green. 
 Beyond this are the club-hou!»e, the principal school- 
 house, and the hospital; then come a score or two of 
 huts, and then the forest, through which is cut for a 
 short distance a path, the second road made in Alaska 
 before the purchase." 
 
 Of social life at Sitka, before the transfer, some in- 
 teresting records have been handed down to us by 
 travellers, and by the annalists of the Russian Amer- 
 ican Company, among whom were several of the com- 
 pany's servants, Olficers and officials had cast in 
 their lot in this the Ultima Thule of the known world, 
 far removed from all centres of civilization, and from 
 all civilizing influences. Some were of noble birth, 
 and had iKissed thoir vouth nnd eai'lv manhood among 
 the cultured circles of St Petersburg; but here, amidst 
 
 ^Adjacent to this building is the Lutlicran chapel, wliicii in 1877 ^vil.^ 
 vacant. 
 
 * WhiiinjM'r'n Alftskft, 07 -S. Otlior roads have hccn huilt since that d.ite. 
 Until 1SG7 Sitka had no reL;ular oDnnnunicatiou witii uiiy point outside of 
 Alaska. In the following year it was made a port of entry. 
 
SOCIAL LIFE. 
 
 c:; 
 
 this waste, there was for iiianv years no sooletv, no 
 home circle, no topic even tor conversation. How 
 best shouUl thev beLfuile the loni; years of their l)an- 
 ishnient, the tedium of barrack Hfe, the drear monot- 
 ony of tlieir voluntary servitude? Xo wonder tliat 
 many fell victims to i(and)linjjf and stronj^ drink, sank 
 even to yet lower depths, andgi-adually debased them- 
 selves oftentimes below the level of the savage. 
 
 To remedy this state of affairs, and especially to pro- 
 vide condortablc accommodation for unmarried otHcers 
 and otiicials of the hiy^her rank,'' Etholen, durinij the 
 first year of his administration,'* established at Sitku 
 a social club, furnished with reading, billiard, card, 
 and suj)[)er rooms. ILere the mendjers entertained 
 visitors, when the hospitalities tendered by the gov- 
 ernor were intermitted. Until the transfer, this in- 
 stit-'ution was conducted on tlie system adopted at its 
 foundation, and wrought much l)enefit in the colony, 
 save, i)er]iaj)s, in the cause of temperance— a virtue 
 which the Kussians were loath to practise. "Rus- 
 sian hos[)itality is proverbial," remarks Why m per, "and 
 we all somewhat suffered therefrom. The first [ihrase 
 of theii' language ac(iuired by us was 'petnatchit cop- 
 la'^ — fifteen drops. Xow this (juantity — in words so 
 modest — usually meant a good hall'-tunil»ler of some 
 unmitiLjated si)irit, ranging from cognac to raw vodli- 
 ka, and which was pressed upon us on evc.ry availai)lo 
 occasion. To refuse was simiilv to insult your host. 
 Then memory refuses to retain the nund)er of times 
 \ve had to drink tea, which was served sometimes in 
 tund)lers, sometimes iji cu[)s. I need not say tht^ oft- 
 described samovar was in every Imusehold. {Several 
 entertainments — balls, su[)]ters, and a fete in the elub- 
 gardi'iis — were organi/eil for our benefit, and a number 
 of visitors came off daily to our fleet of fbiu' \ 
 
 esse IS, 
 
 ■'9 
 
 'Tho distinction of 'li'-Mdraltle'nnd 'very linnnrMblc' — poti'lietnui imd |)nl- 
 upotoiictnui — was \u;uU- lu'coi'ding ti) riiiiii. 'J'lif very lumorahlis w c ri' naval 
 oliiLTfs and tiic lii'iln'r otiicials; tliu lionorablcs, petty olliccr.s, clciks, liook- 
 keepiTs, and the like. 
 
 "On the otii of NoviMubcr, 1S40. Tikhmnw/, Is/,,,-. o/,n.-t., ii. lM4. 
 
 'Almka, lOl-'J. Tliia occuncd in 1605, dining Muksntui's iuimiiiiati"a- 
 
071 
 
 AORICULTURE, SHIP-BUILDING, AND MINING. 
 
 l!-: 
 
 
 At all sensons of the year the tables of the social 
 <-lul) and of the higher class of oin|)loyes were sup- 
 ]>lictl with venison or other game, with chickens, pork, 
 vegetables, berries, and of course with fish. A simi- 
 lar diet was provided for the lower officials, while the 
 sta]ile food of the laborers was for abcjut nine months 
 in the year fresh fish, and for the remaining three, 
 salt Ml.'' 
 
 There was little variation in the routine of life at 
 Sitka. Employes, other than the higher officials, 
 WLie required to rise at 5 A. M., anil to work iu 
 t^ummer for about twelve hours a day; at reveille and 
 at 8 P. M. the drunis beat; at 9 liufhts Mere extin- 
 ijuislied, and at half-hour intervals during the niylit 
 Ix'Us were tolled, the sentries resjxMuling at each 
 stroke.^^ For the hiijher officials there were card- 
 
 tidii. Simpson, who took leave of Etholin in 184'2, remarks: 'Tiie farcuell 
 (liiniLT, to wliiuli alwiit tliirtyof us sat down, exceeded in suniptuousnessany- 
 tliin:.' that I hud j'et seen, even at the Kinie hospitable Itoard. The glass, the 
 plau-, and tlie appointments in general were very costly; the viands were cx- 
 ctllent; and (lovomor Etholine played the part of host to perfection.' Xnrr. 
 Juin: round Wor/il, ii. '21'2. On festive occasions, as on tlie emperor's liirtli- 
 day, etc., the otticials ami native chiefs dined with the governor, after divine 
 service. All wore full dress and decorations. Wanl's Thret ]\'<:ck:i hi Si/ka, 
 MS., -jyet se(|. 
 
 '"The Kolosli supplied the market with deer, fish, clams, and berries. 
 Wrriiiiull, Stuti<t. niitl Kthiimi., \'l-\',\. IJeef and mutton were rarely .seen, ercn 
 c^u the tables of the higher otlicials, and as late as 1870 could not be had a:; 
 the one restaurant then open at Sitka, though according to the Alunkd T'nms 
 of Oct. .'{1, lS(i8, the market price of beef was 1,1 to 30 cents peril). At 
 the latter ilate eggs were selling at §1.50 per doz., and scarce at that. 
 Milk was SI to .SI.'K* per gal.; coft'ee 18 to .'W cents; ham and fi'e.sii jvirk 
 'Jl cents; and lish cents per lb. In this year speculation was rite at 
 >itka. town lots being held, says Whymper, at .S10,000. In .May 187S the 
 Rev. John G. IJradj-, writing from Sitka to the Kev. Siicldon Jackson, says: 
 'This part of Alaska abounds in food. Yesterday 1 bought four codfish for 
 ten cents, and a string of black Iwiss for five cents. A silver salmon, weigliiiig 
 thirty-eight to forty pounds, is sold for fifteen or twenty cents. Lust week 
 I bought fifteen dozen fresh clams for ten cents, and about twenty ivjunds of 
 halibut for the same price. Ducks, geese, grou.se, ami snipe are abundant and 
 ilieap. A good luun of venison will bring fifty cents.' Jucksoii'a Alaska, 'JOO- 
 10. 
 
 " Wnn/'x Three Weik^ in Sitka, M.S., 41. This pi'ccaution was needed to 
 provide against surprise from the Kolosh. Even after the pui'chasc they 
 Were admittcil oidy at 1) a. .M. in order to exchange their peltry for other 
 wareit, and at ',i P. M. were driven out at the point of the Iwiyonet if neces- 
 sary. About I ■) versts to the south-east of 8itka was the Ozerskoi redoubt, 
 built as a protection against the Kolosh at the outlet of a lake seven miles in 
 length. In l8.')3 there were six or eight houses, and a dam with fish-traps 
 had been constructed at the mouth of the lake, the catch being marketed at 
 Sitka. /(/.; T'Uiimik/, lolor, OLod., ii. 332-3. 
 
LIBRARY AND NEWSPAl'KR. 
 
 g:: 
 
 parties, Jance-partit's, or (lrinkiii<^-i)arties at tlio cliil)- 
 rooiiis, varied occasionally witli an amateur theatrical 
 entertainment, and when there was no other recour^se 
 the evening hours were passed at the library. 
 
 The Sitka library, which, it will be remembered, 
 Rezanot' founded in 180."), contained in 18;35 about 
 1,700 volumes in the Russian and other langua;^es, 
 in addition to 400 periodicals and pam|)hlets, and a 
 valuable collection of charts.'- Of any printed local 
 literature before the purchase we have no records. 
 
 On the 1st of March, 18G8, the first newspaper con- 
 cerning Alaska, styled the Alaska Iloxild, was pub- 
 lished in San Francisco by a Pole named Agapius 
 Honcharenko,'^ and contained the first part of a Rus- 
 sian translation of the United States constitution. 
 It was issued semi-monthly, ])rinted in Russian and 
 English, and about twelve months after its first a[)- 
 p arance, claimed a circulation of fifteen hundred 
 copies." During the same year the Alaska Coast Flint 
 was published by the United States Coast Survey, 
 and also the Sitka Times, which was at first issued in 
 manuscript, and had but an e[)hemeral existence.^' 
 
 Near the mainland, a little more than a hundred 
 miles to the south-east of Sitka, is Fort Wrangell, 
 
 '■^ Wminifll, Sfaflsf. inul Ethm;/., 17. Of the Looks, (UK) were Russian, .^OO 
 Freiicli, l.SO Gcrinim, 3r> English, .'iO I^tin, ami the rest Swedish, Dutoli, 
 S))iiiiish, und Italian. Khkhiiihoj, Znjii^ki, in Mutcnnhii, lUi. 
 
 '* Who gives his autobiogrnpiiy as follows- ' I was Ijoni in the Lrovernnicnt 
 of KielF Aug. 10, IS.'l'J, and educated ';i K.ii il'. In IS.jT I left Russia and was 
 npiiointed to service with the Rr.soian end. assy to <ireeec. On the "Jd of Fell. 
 RS(iO, I was arrested in Atiieiis for advocating the lihoratioii of serfs, liut suc- 
 ceeded in esc4i|)ing to England and sul)8ei|uently to America, where 1 was em- 
 ployed by tho American IJihle Society. I came to San Francisco in ls(i7. I 
 was much persecuted l>y the representatives of Russia abroad. ' .1 buhi 11' ndd, 
 Dec. 1"), 18G8. 
 
 "On May 2, 1808, the lirst nuinljcr of Free Prem nwl Ahvbi IltrdhI vai 
 first issued, and Honchurenko's name does not appea" on the sliei't. ( hi .Iiuie 
 Ist of the same year tho Jlmitil again appeared unde; its old name, with Hon- 
 charenko as proprietor, and in ^lay 1S7"2 passed into tho hands of A. A. 
 Stickney. Tho Russian articles were frequently repeated througii three or 
 four numbers. 
 
 '^It was issued weekly in M.S. by T. G. Murphy, and contiined advertise- 
 ments and unimportant local items. Tiie first ]ninted number was published 
 ou April 2<J, 180l>, and the lost on September 13, 1670. 
 
C7S 
 
 AGRICULTURE, SHIPBUILDING, AND MINING. 
 
 built OH an island of the sarao name, and situated 
 al)()ut a hundred and thirty miles north of the lx)uii- 
 dary line of British Columbia, at the head of ship 
 navii^ation on the route to the Cassiar raininij district. 
 While the mines were prosperous, this was, durini^ a 
 fow months in the year, the busiest town in Alaska, 
 tlie miners who ascended the Stikeen^" each spring to 
 the nund)er of about four thousand, and returned in 
 the autumn, averaging in good seasons as much as 
 fifteen hundred dollars per capita, and leaving most 
 of their earnings among the store and saloon keei)ers. 
 The fort is now deserted, and the town nearly so, ex- 
 cept by Indians. The government buildings, which 
 cost the United States a hundred and fifty thousand 
 dollars, were sold in 1877 for a few hundreds. The 
 main street is choked with decaying logs and stuni])s, 
 and is passable only by a narrow jilank sidewalk. 
 Most of the habitations contain but one room, with 
 sleeping-berths arranged round the walls and a stove 
 in the centre, and many of them have neither windows 
 nor openings, except for the chinniey and a single 
 door. Nevertheless, in these comfortless abodes sev- 
 eral hundreds <jf white men were content to pass the 
 long winter months in former years, and a few scoio 
 still remain, who have not yet lost their faith in the 
 mines. 
 
 "Fort Wrangell," writes one who visited that set- 
 tlement in 1883, "is a fit introduction to Alaska. It 
 is most weird and wild of aspect. It is the key-note 
 to the sublime and lonely scenery of the north. It is 
 situated at the foot of conical hills, at the head of a 
 gloomy harbor filled with gloomy islands. Frowning 
 cliffs, beetling crags stretch away on all sides sur- 
 rounding it. Lofty promontories guard it, backed by 
 range after range of sharp volcanic peaks, which in 
 turn are lost against lines of snowy mountains. It is 
 
 '"As far as Telegraph Point, a distance of about 130 miles. Tlienco aland 
 journey awaited thcni of ahout ISO miles to the lower and 240 miles to tho 
 upper gold-lields. This was usually made on foot. 
 
FORT T0NGAS8 AND IIARRISBURO. 
 
 879 
 
 the homo of storms. You sue tluit in the hrokou 
 j)inos on the chft* sides, in the nerce, wuve-swcpt nx-ks, 
 ill the lowering mountains, and in the sullen skies. 
 There is not a bri<'ht touch in it — not in its straii-'^liiiif 
 lines of native huts, each with its demon-like totem 
 beside its threshold; nor in the fort, for that is dilap- 
 idated and fast sinking into decay; not even in the 
 flag, for the blue is a nondescript tint, and the glory 
 of the stars has long since departed." ''' 
 
 On a small island at the mouth of the Portland 
 Canal, and close to the southern boundary of Alaska, 
 is Fort Tongass, the first military post established by 
 the United States government after the purchase. 
 The site was well chosen, containing a plentiful supply 
 of timber and [lasture, while fish and game abound in 
 the neighborhood. 
 
 At the foot of a perpendicular bluff fifteen hundred 
 feet in height, and about two hundred miles north of 
 Sitka, is the town of Harrisburg, or Juneau, the lat- 
 ter name, and the name now commonly in use, being 
 that of one of the discoverers of a mining district,^^ of 
 which nvention will be made later. In 1883 this was 
 l)n>bablythe most thriving settlement in Alaska, con- 
 taining in winter about a thousand inhabitants, and 
 before that date the mail service between Port Towns- 
 end, Wrangell, and Sitka had been extended to Har- 
 risburg, the last being the most northerly point from 
 which the United States mails wore distributed. 
 
 Parsing from the Alexander Archipelago westward 
 to Cook Inlet and Kadiak, we find at the former point 
 few remaininij: traces of Russian civilization. A short 
 distance from Port Chatham is the settlement of Sel- 
 dovia/*^ with about seventy native and creole hunters, 
 
 1 i 
 
 If 
 
 ^'' Ovrrlaml MonthUi, M.arcli, 1S84. 
 
 '8 In tlie .S'. /: Jj'nlleHii, Fcl). 1, 1S8.1, it is stated that Juno (Juneau) 
 was one of tlii> liscoverciM of the ilistrict, and that it was also called Rock- 
 well, the name of tlio actin.; otiicer of the Jame,<loini. 
 
 '* lletwocn Tort Chatha.n and Seldovia is Alexandrovsk, a settlement with 
 about 40 hunters. 
 
 i 
 
cso 
 
 AORICULTURE, SITIP-BUILDINf!, AND MINING. 
 
 w 
 
 1 f ' 
 
 and a fuw loaij^uos nortli of it tlio village of Ninilcliik, 
 Avlicii; (Iwoll thirty Russian and eroolo descendants of 
 the colonial citizens, who subsist mainly by ajjfriculturo 
 and sto<'U-raisin<^. Close to it is the mouth of a small 
 livci', tlu> waters of which discharsjfe, or am rather 
 flltc'ied into the sea throuii^h the bar that chokes its 
 outlet. In former years this was a favorite spawninijf- 
 ground for salmon, which still attempt to leap the bar 
 in vast numbers, many of them failinj^ to gain the 
 stream beyond, and being gathered up by the settlers, 
 who select only the choicest.'^ 
 
 20 
 
 i \ 
 
 Map of Kapiak and Adjacent Islands. 
 
 The islands of Kadiak and Afognak, 'the garden 
 spots of Alaska,' as they are termed, enjoy more sun- 
 shine and fair weatl.er than any i)ortion of the terri- 
 tory, with the exception, perhaps, of some favored 
 localities on Cook Inlet. Here are found, in })arts, 
 rich }>astures dotted with woodlands,-^ and covered, 
 during sununer, with a carpet of wild Howers. When 
 the Russians were compelled to remove their capital 
 fi'om Saint Paul to Sitka, they did so with extreme re- 
 
 *^ Petroff^s Pop. Alaikd, 37, wlicre is a duscriptioii of other settlements iu 
 Cook Inlet. 
 
 ^' 'I'lio tiniher is nuu'Ii inferior to that iu the neighborhood of JSitlia. 
 DavhUoiin Sci. Exptd., 473. 
 
ST PAUL. 
 
 6fll 
 
 luctanco, for tlic former, us Dall remarks, "deserves 
 far more than Sitku the lienor of heiniL; th(.' capital. '"•' 
 
 The villa<jfe of Saint Paul, or Kadiak, eontaine*! in 
 1880 al»« ut four luuulred inhal)itants,-''a larjj^e propor- 
 tion of whom were Creoles. Here were huilt the 
 stores and warehouses of the Alaska ('onimercitd 
 Company, the Western Fur and Tradinj^ ( 'onipany,'" 
 and the harracks formerly occupied hy the liiiti'd 
 States troo[)s. While a garrison was stationed at this 
 point, l)ridi,''es were built across the rivulets that inter- 
 sect the villaoe, and culverts to drain the neiLj:hl)orin<_r 
 lakes and marshes; but so little enterprise had the in- 
 habitants that after the withdrawal of the soldii-rs no 
 attempt was made to keep them in repair. T\ni cul- 
 verts were washed away, and the bridges allowed to 
 rot, excc})t those which were used for fire-wood. The 
 houses are built of Ioljs, the crevices beiuLf filled with 
 moss, but are clean and comfortable. The j)eople arc 
 probably better circumstanced than those of their own 
 status in other portions of America. Labor is in 
 demand and fairly jiaiil; foo<l is chea[) and abundant; 
 there are no paupers in their miilst, no lawyers or 
 tax collectors; and all are at liberty to make use t)f 
 unoccupied land. 
 
 At Wood Island, opposite to Saint Paul, is a thriv- 
 ing settlement, the inhabitants of which sui)[H)rt them- 
 selves in summer by hunting, and in winter by cutting 
 
 '•'In 1S74 tlio Icelandic Society in Milwaukee sent a petition to the presi- 
 dent of the United Stiites, Ji.skiii>; that lacilitios be atlortlod for cxiiliiring por- 
 tiona of Ahwka, with a view to colonization. Tiiree coinniis.sioncrs wcro 
 appointed hy the society, and a sloon of war placed at their disposal, in whiili 
 the party was conveyed to Cook Inlet. Fiiidinj; there no suitahle location, 
 they were taken to St I'aul. Here they fomid plenty of pa-sture and tillalilo 
 land, an<l were so well jilea-Hcd that they made no further search. Two of 
 them remained until the t)llowing sunnncr to make preparations for the recep- 
 tion of their countrymen, Imt a winter's resilience in their adopti^d country 
 appears to have disgusted them. The winter of ISTJ-."" was excci)tionally 
 severe, nn<l nn outhreak of measles spread havoc among the natives. The 
 commissioners returned in July, and nothing came of the matter. Jlniirrn/t 
 Library ScrujM, '21V2. See also Sec. U. S. ^'ari/ liept., 4'kl Com/. Jd .V(.s.s'., p. 
 14-l.->. 
 
 ^' IVtroff gives the population at only '288, but his estimate was made 
 Bomewhat earlier. 
 
 " Afterward removed to St Paul Island. 
 
c^e 
 
 AOPJCULTUUE, SIIIP-BUILDINn, AND MIXING. 
 
 
 and storiiiL'' iee. In order to develop the latter indus- 
 try was built the first road eonstruoted in Alaska, 
 c()inj)i'isi!i<^ the circuit of the island, a distance of 
 about thirteen miles. 
 
 A lew vcrsts farther to the north-west is Spruce 
 Island, on which is a villaj^e containin_sj^ about eiglity 
 Creoles. " Hero," says Tikhmenef, "died the last nieiii- 
 ber of the first clerical mission, the uionk llerman, 
 and was buried side by side with the Jlieromonakh 
 Joassaf. DuriniL^ his lile-tinie Father Herman built 
 near his dwelliny^ a school for the dauy;hters of the 
 natives, and also cultivated potatoes' 
 
 t 
 
 The villai^e of Three Saints, wher j, it will l)e reniein- 
 
 1 of that nauic in 
 
 a vess( 
 )necr colony in 
 
 R 
 
 ussiaii 
 
 bcred, Shelikof landed from 
 1784, and founded the pi( 
 Amei-ica, now contains about three hundred iidialt- 
 itants. There were in Shelikof's days the finest sea- 
 otter Li^rounds, and are now perhaps the finest halibut 
 
 L^'ounds m 
 
 Alask 
 
 The villa'jfe of Afoijnak, on the island of the same 
 name, separated by a narrow channel from the northern 
 thorc! of Kadiak, is one of the ni«)st tliriving settlements 
 in Alaska. Though mountainous, and in sonu^ i)arts 
 tiiicklv wooded, the cuttin<^ of timber and fire-W(jod 
 being one of the chief industries, it contains many spots 
 suital)le for ]iasture and agriculture. Boat-building 
 is also a profitable occupation. Many of the inhab- 
 itants, who now nnister about three hundi-ed and <ifty, 
 live in substantial frame houses, this i)ein<jf one of the 
 few ])laces in the territt.iy where any consideralilii 
 immlx-r of dwelliuirs other than loir huts are to be 
 
 oun( 
 
 23 
 
 The piinci[>al ])ort in the Ali'utian group is llliuliuk, 
 oi", as it is sometimes called, Unalaska,*" on the island 
 
 •" l'"ui- .•>, short (Icaenption uf tli« rrniainiiii; scttlcmt'iits in tlio Kadiak and 
 itlicr ilistrii'ts as tliry were at tlii' time of tin- last cciisiis, se«^ Pilr(\{l"n I'dji. 
 Alitsl'd, itassiiii. Want of s|)aco t'oiiiids my mentioning' any I'Ut tiiu more 
 ]ii'oiiiiiii'nt auttluinonts, and tliose nlMXit which there is Huincthing uf iutcru'^t 
 
 to relate. 
 
 '"Sjielt also Oonula.slika, and otherwiso. 
 
UN ALASKA. 
 
 GS3 
 
 of the latter name. Its main reconinicndation is tliat 
 it possesses (mo of tlic best harbors in Alaska, and it is 
 probable that it will always remain, as it is to-<l;iy, 
 the ehief eentro of trade for this district. Nevertheless, 
 the po})ulatioii of llhuliuk is little more than four hun- 
 dred, and of the i.sland from six to seven hundred, 
 3.Iost of them are hunters i)y occujiation, for so ruij^Ljrd 
 is the coast and so deeply indented that there is little 
 I'ooni for other pursuits.'*'' Brought frequently into 
 contact with foreigners, and especially with Amer- 
 icans, they are perhaps among the most eidightened 
 
 x,^-:^ 
 
 
 ,-Vx 
 
 
 ^, 'AMUKMTA t. , vuHASK* ' 
 
 I'T 'a T<. .S .''4 N '■ -. '*»Ui 
 
 Alkctian' Ihlanus. 
 
 of tlieir race. More than half of them can read and 
 Nvi'ite, and it is said that <>n festive occasions, ;is on 
 the 4th of July, their exploits in wresthng, (huiciiig, 
 and foot-racirg surjtass anything that can be witnessed 
 elsexvln.'re in the territory. 
 
 Under the volcano of Makushin, in a small settle- 
 ment (tf the same name on the western coast of Una- 
 laska, lived, in 1880, a man named Peter Kostromitin, 
 
 »■ /'/., mill Til:?:. Ill' III'/, iMtoi: 0/»oy., ii. 303. 
 its vicinity is tiicir ftivoritc liuutiiig ground. 
 
 Tliu islaud of Saunuklt and 
 
684 
 
 AGRICULTURE, SHIPBUILDING, AND MINING. 
 
 I 
 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 who witnessed, about sixty years before that date, a 
 volcanic eruption, duriui^ which a new island made its 
 appearancu to the north of Ounniak.'""* On the lOtli 
 of ^larch, 18'Jo, a violent disturbance occurred at 
 Ooniniak, which is thus described by Venianiinof: 
 "After a proloni^ed subterraneous noise, resembling a 
 cannonade, which lasted almost an entire dav, and was 
 beard at Unalaska, the north-eastern mountain chain 
 of Ooniniak opened in the middle of the day, in five 
 or more places, for a considerable distance, accomj.i- 
 iiied with eruptions of tlame and great quantities of 
 black ashes, which covered the whole extent of 
 Alaska-''' to the de{)th of several inches. In the 
 neigiil»<jring localities on the peninsula it was dark for 
 tlnvc or four hours. On this occasion the icg and 
 snow lying oi\ the top of the chain melted, and a con- 
 siderable stream flowed from it for several days, the 
 width of which was five to ten versts. These waters 
 ran down the eastern side of the island in such volume 
 that the sea in the vicinity was of a mud color until 
 late in the autumn."** Some of the islands on the 
 coast of Alaska are unmistakably of volcanic origin, 
 and it is the received opinion of geologists that the 
 greater portion of tho Alaskan peninsula is being 
 gradually raised by Plutonic action. Nevertheless, 
 though between 1700 and 18G7 many earthquakes 
 antl violent eruptions are reported,^* none of them 
 have proved very destructive, the last severe earth- 
 •juake shock having occurred in 1880, and being se- 
 verely felt at Sitka, though causing no damage worthy 
 of mention. 
 
 **i have nn account of this phenomenon aa related by Kostromitin in lu3 
 Enrhj Tlium, MS., (i-IO, but it will not bear (juot ig. There is no ilouljt, 
 however, tliat iio witnessed it. 
 
 ''"The ]X'>niii8ula, of couthc. 
 
 *^ Zniiifkl vh <M. Oiniiila.ifik, i. .35-6. In Id., i. .37-0, 20.')-7, nro accounts 
 of other eruption!) and cartliquakes. See also TikhmeiieJ', tutor. Ohon., ii. 'J95, 
 31-2, Xm, unit Whiintpir'a Aluxka, 105. 
 
 •' .\ lint of tiieiu iH given in J)airn Ahdn, 400-470. Grcwink, the Rua- 
 Biitii goigi-iipher, laid down l>etween Cook Inlet and tho island of Attoo, 48 
 at!tive volcuuoca. JJiividHUH'n Sci. Lxjicd., 475. 
 
ST MICHAEL. 
 
 6S5 
 
 Of tlic Innuit races that people the neighborhood 
 of Bristol Bay and the Kuskovkini Valley, no men- 
 tion is required in this chapter. Sailinj^ in a north- 
 easterly direction from the Pryhilof Islands we find, 
 close to the southern shore of Norton Sound, tlie 
 old port and trading post of Mikhaielovsk, or as it is 
 now termed St ^lichacl,^^ founded, as will be remem- 
 bered, by Tebenkof, during Wrangell's administration. 
 Here was the chief mart of trade in the district of 
 the Yukon, for no sea-going vessel can enter the 
 mouth of this vast river, the volume of whose waters 
 is said to be greater than that of the Mississippi. Of 
 St Michael, Whymper remarks: "It is not merely 
 the best point for a vessel to touch at in order to land 
 goods for tlie interior, including that great tract of 
 countrv watered bv the Yukon, but it lias been and 
 is, to a great extent, a central port for Indian trade, 
 and for the collection of furs from distant and interior 
 posts. The inhabitants of the fort — all servants of 
 the company — were a very mixed crowd, including 
 pure Russians and Finlanders, Yakutz from Eastern 
 Siberia, Aleuts from the islands, and Creoles from 
 all parts. They were not a very satisfactory body of 
 men; in point of fact, it is said that some of them 
 had been criminals, who had been convicted at St 
 Petersburj;, and offered the alternative of iioino* to 
 ]»rison or into the service of the Russian American 
 Company! We found them — as did Zagoskin years 
 before — nuich given to laziness and drunkenness. 
 Fortunately their «)pportunity for this latter indul- 
 gence was limited, usually to one bout a year, (»n the 
 arrival of the Russian ship from Sitka with their 
 su[H)lies; while the '])rovalishik/ j\Ir Stej)lianofF, the 
 connnander of this fort, who had charge of the wliole 
 district, stood no nonsense with them, and was ever 
 ready to make them yield assistance. His arguments 
 were of a forcible character. I believe the knout 
 
 " F(.i n (lescrintion of tliis j)ost as it now exists, see S, F. Chronicle, 
 June 'JO, 1S8I, nuJ S. /'. liuUctbi, Aug. lU, 18S1. 
 
 
CS6 
 
 AGRICULTURE, SHIPBUILDING, AND MIXING. 
 
 formed no part of his establishment, but he used his 
 fists with groat effect!"^ 
 
 Since the purchase little attention has been given 
 to the Yukon district, or to the territory of the In- 
 galiks.^ At St Michael and an adjoining Innuit vil- 
 lage, at Nulato, and at Fort Yukon, the total popula- 
 tion mustered, in 1879, only three hundred and eighty 
 souls, of whom all but eleven were natives. The site 
 of Fort Yukon on the verge of the Arctic zone, 
 where the thermometer sometimes rises above 100' 
 of Fahrenheit in summer and sinks occasionally'^ to 
 55" below zero in winter,'^ was in 18G7 one of the 
 cleanliest of the Russian settlements. At this, the 
 northernmost point in Alaska inhabited by white muu, 
 the Russians a[)))ear to have established friendly rela- 
 tions with the natives. "Each male," sa3's Whym- 
 per, "on arrival at the fort, received a present of a 
 small cake of tobacco and a clay pipe; and those wlio 
 were out of provisions drew a daily ration of moose- 
 meat from the connnander, which rather taxed the 
 resources of the establishment." Game and fish were 
 the principal diet of both Russians and natives, for 
 during the greater j)ortion of the 3'ear, bread and veg- 
 etables were seldom to be had, though it has fre- 
 quently been stated that vegetables can be raised 
 in abundance during the brief hot sununer of the 
 Yukon valley. 
 
 " J/((.iAvi, 152-4. Dall, who passed throug'i this settlement about the same 
 tinii', siiy.f: ' Sti']):in()(i' has hcen in ollice al)()ut four years. He is a miiUUo- 
 ii;^<'4 iimii of great energy and iron will, witii the llusxiiin fondiioHs for strong 
 li(|Uor, iiml with ungovcrnahle [uissioiLS in certain direetions. Ho liaa a smI- 
 dier'M I'onti'nipt for making money liy small wiiys, a certain code of honor of hi^^ 
 own, isgencniu.s in his own way, and seldom does a mean tiling wlien ho is solar, 
 hut nevertheless is a good deal of a 'i)ruto. He will gamlile and drink in tlio 
 most deiuiicratic wiiy witii his workmen, and hears no malice for a hiack eyo 
 w lull received in a drnnhen hrawl; hut woe to the unfortunate who infringes 
 discipline while he is soher, for he shall certainly receive his reward, and 
 Stepanoll' often says of ids men, when speaking to an American, "You can 
 expect nothing good of this rahhle: they left Russia hecauso they wore not 
 wanted there. 
 
 "The natives that inhabit the far interior. 
 
 •*l>aira ligurus are 112^+ and OU"- as extremes. Alaska, i05. 
 
PRODUCTS OF THE SOIL. 
 
 687 
 
 A vast amount of nonsense, as Whympor remarks, 
 has been published and republished in the United 
 States on the agricultural resources of Alaska. Dall, 
 for instance, assures us that potatoes, turnips, lettuce, 
 and other garden vegetables were raised at Fort 
 Yukon,*** but his statement lacks confirmation. 
 
 Berries and the hardier class of vegetables are the 
 only produce of which the soil is capable, even in 
 favored localities, and though numberless and patient 
 atteni[)ts were made to raise cereals, during and after 
 tlie Russian occupation, nearly all proved a failure. 
 A scant crop of barley may mature in a few localities 
 in exceptional seasons, and both wheat and barley will 
 grow in many portions of the territory, but barley 
 seldom kernels, and wheat never.^" Potatoes, cab- 
 bages, turnips, lettuce, radishes, and horse-radish are 
 produced in many parts of the territory, but cabbages 
 often fail to head. On Kadiak, Afognak, and Princo 
 of Wales islands, at Fort Wrangell and Bristol Bay, 
 potatoes of fair quality can be raised in favorable sea- 
 sons, but are often a partial or total failure, and when 
 they mature are, in common with other vegetables, 
 for the most part watery,^^ 
 
 A fair crop of hay is often secured at Kadiak'" and 
 at some other points, where cattle and sheep are raised. 
 Live-stock were sujiplied to some of the Aleuts free 
 of charge early during the company's regime, but most 
 
 I ; 
 
 " Oats were raised near Ninilchik Bay (between the re Joubt St Nikolai anil 
 Kafliokmak 15ay) in \8m. Tikhm<n<J\ htor. Obox. , ii. S-J-J-.'J. I'otroll' says tliut 
 ill 1S80 potatoes and turnips, the latter of excellent quality, were raised 
 there. J'oi>. Alu/ika,3i'i. 
 
 '"Khlcbnikof, ZapiiU, in Mntcrialn!, 1-0-7, claims that mealy and ^ixA- 
 flavored potatoes were raise<l at Sitka on ground manured witli sca-weeil, tlio 
 crop being in some places \'2 or 14 to one, but there is no contirmation of this 
 statement. Wrangell states that in lS.'{i, 2,4'24 ptmds were raised at Sitka. 
 Stnii^t. initl JClhiiiiij., rj-i:i; but says notliing as to their <iuality. According 
 to I'ffrojrx Po/i. Akmhi, 7(>, nearly IIK) acres of potatoes and turnips were 
 raised at Afognak in 18S(). Tikhmenef wiys that attempts to raise vegetibleu 
 on the I'rybilof islands usually failed. Islur. Olios., ii, ,310; but in KUiott'sSnil' 
 IxI^niiU, Alusk-ii, \'l, it is mentioned that lettuce, tuniips, and radishes were 
 raised at St I'aul Island in 1880. 
 
 *'''(iolo\'nin, in Materialiii, 54, says that tho Aleuts wore too lazy to turu 
 the hay ur place it under shelter. 
 
638 
 
 AGRICULTURE, SHIP-BUILDIXO, AND MINING. 
 
 of them perished from want of care. The Aleuts, be- 
 ing accustomed to a diet of fish, did not reUsh milk or 
 flesh, and regarded animals as a nuisance. The cows 
 were kept in corners used for storing salmon, and 
 knocked down with their horns the poles on which the 
 fish W(!re suspended, trampling them under foot;*" while 
 pigs undermined the natives' huts by scratching out 
 the earth in search of refuse, and goats climbed on the 
 roofs and tore away the thatch. 
 
 The cattle sent to Alaska during the Russian occu- 
 pation were of the hardiest Siberian stock, but even in 
 1883 the herds seldom mustered more than twenty 
 head; though beef-cattle are often sent from San 
 Francisco to fatten at Kadiak or the Aleutian Islands, 
 and are slaughtered in October. Horses and mules 
 are of course little valued in a territory where there 
 are few roads, and where, as in Venice, travel is al- 
 most entirely by water. Slieep thri\'e well during the 
 short, hot summer, especially on the nutritious grasses 
 of the Kadiak pastures, and at this season their nmt- 
 ton is of choice quality ; but in winter they are crowded 
 together in dark, sheltered corners, whence they crawl 
 out, in early spring, weak and emaciated.'^ 
 
 Among the resources of the territory, timber will 
 probably bj an important factor in the future, though 
 of course in the distant future; for, so long as the im- 
 mense forests of Oregon, Washington Territory, and 
 British Columbia are available, those of Alaska can 
 
 ^'Aa cnrly as 1793 there was a small supply of live-stock in Alaska, and in 
 tliat year ccnvs were sent from Kadiuk to L uulaska. No butter was made in 
 tUe Russian colonics until 1831, when 20 pouds were produced. Vfitinmiiiof, 
 Xniiinki, (»st. (tu)ial(uhk, 71. In 1833 the Russian American Company had 'i'iO 
 head of liorned cattle, apart from those at tiie Ross colony. H raiitjell, Strit- 
 inf. miilEthiioij., 18. In 1823 .^ pair of pigs was landed at Chemolmra Island 
 (lictwecn Sannakh and Deer islands); in I82G they had increased to more 
 than a hundred. Chickens were kept by many Russians and Aleuts, but in 
 small numlier. Two pairs of ducks were landed at Unalaska in 1833, and in 
 the following year had increased to 100. 
 
 "A few years ago Falkncr, Bell & Co. of San Francisco sent about 150 
 sheep of the tiardiest breed, in charge of a Scotch shepherd, toColma, Kadiak, 
 a spot formerly selected by the Russians for farming purposes. The flock 
 thrived remarliably in sunmier, but most of them perished during winter. 
 
LUMBER. 
 
 CSd 
 
 have littlo comnicrciiil vahio. There arc at present no 
 exports of lumber, or none; worthy of mention, while 
 several cargoes are shipped yearly to the Aleutian 
 Islands from Puget Sound, and even from San Fran- 
 cisco. ^ 
 
 Forests clothe the valleys and mountain sides of the 
 Alexander Archipelago and the mainland adjacent, 
 and are found at intervals throughout the territory 
 between Cross Sound and the Kenai Peninsula. 
 Thence the timlxT belt extends westward and north- 
 ward at a distance of fifty to more than one hundred 
 miles from the coast, as far as the valley of the Yukon. 
 A little beyond this point the timber line practically 
 ceases, though clumps of stunted trees are met with 
 aloiiir the banks of rivers that discharge into Kotzebue 
 Sound and even into the Arctic. 
 
 Spruce is the most abundant timber in Alaska, and 
 attains its laru^est ijrowth in the islands of the Alex- 
 ander Archipelago. On account of the slow growth 
 of the trees, the boards, after being put through the 
 saw-mill, are found to be full of knots, and when sub- 
 jected to heat, exude gum or resin. Hence they are 
 not in demantl for cabinet or other woik where paint 
 or varnish is applied. The hendock-s[)ruce is j)len- 
 tiful, and its baik may be in denjand for tanneries, 
 when, as is already threatened, the supplies of Cali- 
 fornia oak l)ark become exhausted. The white spruce 
 abounds in the Yukon district, and for spars has no 
 superior, though for masts most (»f it is too slender. 
 Houses built of this material will last, when the loijfs 
 arc .seasoned, for more than tweiitv years, and when 
 green for about fifteen years. 
 
 The most valuable timber is yellow cedar, which 
 IS found on some of the isljinds in the Alexan- 
 der Archipelago and in the neigldtorhood of Sitka, 
 and fre(|Uently attains a height of one hundred feet, 
 with a diameter of five or six feet.''' This wood is in 
 
 " Davidson, Sci. Kximl., 471, Siaya that trues Imvo l^eeii fuuud uuar Sitka 
 17.") Ic'i't in lii'iglit. 
 
 Hlsr. AL.M1KA. ik 
 
 ■ ^ I 
 
 ' n 
 
800 
 
 AORicuLTUR!:, siiirnuiLDixr;, and mixing. 
 
 (IoihuikI byship-lmildiTs jind caLiiiet-niakor.s on account 
 of its fint' texture, tluraMe (juality, and aromatic odto-. 
 The clumps of hirch, poplar, maple, willow, and alder 
 fouml in some parts (►!' the territory have littU; valui-, 
 tliou<,di the imier Jxirk of the willow is used for mak- 
 iuu: twine for fishintjf-nets, and both willow and alder 
 bark are used for colorini' deer-skins." 
 
 There were, in 1880, only three saw-mills in opera- 
 tion throughout the territca'y — one at Sitka, one near 
 the northern point of Prince of Wales Island, an«l one 
 at Wood Island. All of them were cl«)scd during a 
 portion of the year. The first two were established 
 mainly to sup[»ly the liniited demand for kunber at 
 Fort Wrangell and Sitka, and the last {)rinci[)a]ly for 
 the making of sawdust for use in packing ice. In this 
 and other branches of industry, as in the nianufactun; 
 of bricks, flour, leather, machinery, an<l especially in 
 ship-buihling, there is less activity in Alaska at the 
 present day than there was during the Russian occu- 
 patiiui." 
 
 During the company's second term shii)-building 
 was a prominent industry. In 1821, the company's 
 fleet, a[)art I'rom a few small craft, consisted only « 1' 
 ten sea-going vessels, whose total measuremerit wa;j 
 
 " For further particulars ns to tlio tiinlKjr rt'sources of Aluskn, sco (loh.r- 
 tiiii, in MaUriiilui, 110; Murns'ti Ilvyt. AUuka, lOD-lll; J'elrojfK I'op. Alnd-'i, 
 5, T.1'4. 
 
 *' In 1S33 a saw-mill was ostalilislicd at tlio Ozerskoi redoubt— the hocoihI 
 that was built on the I'acitic couMt — the first having l)con erected by the llud- 
 Boirs liny l'<mi]mnyon the Columbia. Wrauijrll, Stali.it. uiidElhnoij., II. Dur- 
 ing VoievtHlsky's administmtioii it was worked by steam power. Tikhim iifj, 
 Isfor. OhoH., ii. '2'}i'>. In lS.'>.'i there was a saw-mill at Sitka, bnt it was mi 
 Itiidly mana;;e<l that lundx.-r cost the comiiany $'J.'t to $H0 per M, though tlw 
 fori'Mt wa.i I'loBc at hand. Wunt'H Thri-e nwks in Sitka, MH., \'2. A saw-miil 
 was also erected on tho Kirenskoy River near .Sitka. Goloviiiu, in Afuft rialni, 
 72. At Karluck, Sitka, and Ooyak liay, on tho went coast of Kadiak, were 
 small tanneries. /</., "4; Tikhmewf, I»tor. Ofion., ii. '_M(i; J)aritl/iou'/< S. i. 
 AV/M'(/., 473. There was also a llouring-mill at Sitka, and sevend brick-yanlM 
 and uuicliine-sh(i|iH in various parts of the colonies. With the exception of 
 hnnber, few of tliese branches of nianufacturo arc now carried on. At .\tkha 
 uratiH cloth and other articles manufactured of grass are produced, as iuat:<, 
 baskets, and cigar-holders, of sujK'rior workmanship. A nuinlier of Iiiiliau 
 carvings and manufactures were collected for the centennial exhibition by 
 Mr J. C. Swan, special commissioner for Indian aifuira. A description of 
 them is published in his Alanka Iml. Mamif., 7-8. 
 
SHIP-BUILDINO. 
 
 C91 
 
 1,370 tons.'" Betwocn tliat <liito iiiul 1 820, tlio l'ru^>, 
 ji fnur-huiulrcd-ton shi{), ami Httvrral siiKillcr craft W( ro 
 built.*" 1m 18;{4 Wraii^i'Il onlisrod the (rolonial ship- 
 yards to I/O abandoned, with tho <jxct!|>tion of tlu; oiio 
 at Sitka, where all the conveniences coid* I bt> obtained, 
 and good mechanics were employed,*' Al»out tlie 
 year 1839 the lirij^ Promissil, and between that date 
 and 1842 the steain«T A7/tV»Aa" /., of sixty horse-j towel', 
 and the steani-tu<^ Mnir, ol" eij^ht hors(!-j»(»wer, the lirst 
 vessels of the kin<l ever launched on colonial waters, 
 were constructed at the port/" T\\c machinery lor 
 tlui Nikolai I. was imiiortiul iVom Boston, but every- 
 thing^ needed for the iuj^ was nianui'jictured at Novo 
 Arkhanjjfelsk, under the sui)erintendenc(! of the ma- 
 chinist Muir, aft(!r whom the craft was named/'' 
 
 Althoujjch other sea-i;oin<' craft wi-re built in tiie 
 colonies between 1821 and 1842, while at least four 
 were constructed for the comjtany elsewhere, and se\ - 
 oral purchased, theri; werv^ at the latter tlate only 
 fifteen vessels belonging to Alaskan waters:*' manv 
 
 ''^llctwecn 17!M) and IS'Jl five vrsscls were imrLlmseil l»y the company'H 
 ngrIl^!i at Kronsidndt, ci^ht in the coloiiicM, niid tiftccn woro Imill at tli<^ tn!')- 
 niul dock at Okhotsk, louring tlio wiine [n-riod Kixlicii M'tTo wrcukrd, ti\i' 
 were conduniiicd, and three were sold. Tikhnifnij', iMor. OIiuk. , i . 'j;t."i. In 1 s 1 7 - 
 I!) the schooners Plato/ ami Itarnuof were hiiiltiit Novo Arkliiiiigelik, luid 
 tlie brigantino Homamof amX brig lliihldkof at l$<«h'ga. 
 
 ** Lutkf, in Maleriatiii, iMor. Rhhh., part iv. I.'!.'); Tikhmriiel', iMnr. Oho*., 
 i. !):)(). The latter Ht'ites that the Urii/> was a ^IIMt-ton nliip, and tliat tiir n 
 other vessels, the fsciiooner Akkin, .OO tons, the lirig Potn/rm, IS(( tons, iti'il 
 the sloop Sitka, 'J.'iO tons, were huilt for the company at Okhotsk, Itotwetu 
 l.S-J<Jan<I 1S:{2. 
 
 ♦'The work was carrieil on under the Huperint<-ndence of a native of St 
 I'aul, the Creole Netzveton", who had learned his business in St I'etcrsbnri,'. 
 l''or the ribs, a kind of ey]n<'ss was nscd, wliich was called diiKhiinif iffrim, 
 fragrant W(Mh1, and was mil adapteil for the ])iiriiose on a(;<'onnt of its iK'n- 
 sity, dryness, and remarkable lightness. 'i"he outsiiif |ilau!;iii;i was i.f larih, 
 and the upper works of hend<H;k; the latter, however, is not vi'ry durable, ,'n 
 it grows ill damp soil. W raniji II, Slutint. nnil L'fhiinij,, '20, 
 
 '"Simpson, who saded in the yikntai I. to Fort Stikeen and back, stati s 
 that she made six to seven knots an hour, and hail most of her ma<!hinery i>)i 
 deck. Nnrr. Voy. roitinl W'orhl, ii. ISt. liesides the alHive-nanied vessels, 
 the company caused to be built at Abu the .siiilin.i,' whips Xiko/ni /., lOO t'ljii, 
 and t'roini Prinrc Al< ittndir, .'{(K) tons. 
 
 ♦*A considerable business was also done at Novo Arkhangelsk in re- 
 pairing vessels. During Wrangell's administration an Anierieaii vliip \mii 
 retimbercd at the wharf, and for some years later there was no other dock ia 
 which vessels sailing in neighlMriiig waters could be repaired. 
 
 '"A list of i:t vessels lying at Sitka in .April, IS4'J, is given in SimpHou'i 
 Jour, round World, ii. HM-'J, Most of tlieni lieloiiged to the company. 
 
ro ** 
 
 ACRirULTrr.K, SniPBUlLDINO, AXP MTXTNO. 
 
 losses liavinjj^ ocriirrcd from shipwreck,'' and sonic after 
 a f'ow veyaj^es provinnj worthless t'xeept for store- 
 ships. Tt was found that vessels could he purchased 
 from foreiji^nerH, and csj)ecially from Americans, to 
 lu'tter advantai^e tluin they coidd he ')uilt in the col- 
 enies, an<l it is prohahle that the manai^ers would 
 have saved money if no attempt at ship-huiMiuiif had 
 Iteeii made in Russian .Vmerica, except perhaps for in- 
 tercolonial tratHc. ])urinjjf the last term little was 
 att(>mpted in this dir(>cti(»n. In ISTtO the ccnnpany's 
 jleet consisted of only three steamers, f(»ur sailiii;^- 
 ships, two harks, tw(» hrij^s, and one schooner,"'^ or 
 1 wilve vessels in all. of whieh hut two were constructed 
 in the colonies. The schooner was huilt at Sitka in 
 1^4S, at a cost of more than thnv thousand rouhles 
 ]ter ton; while one of the harks, purchased in the> Saiid- 
 wieli Islands duriiiL;' the same year, and huilt at Salem, 
 ]\rassa«'husetts, in 1845, cost only about eighteen hun- 
 dred rouhles a t<»n, and the other sailin-' craft were 
 jiiu'chased at ahout the same rate. 
 
 Since the time of the purchase, (Hily a few snuill 
 coastinj^ vessels have heen huilt, ^^ though attempts 
 have been made to obtain from congress grants of 
 land and the ri<rht of cuttin»r timber in certain locali- 
 
 •" The navigation of some portions of the Alabkan const is cxcoodinL'Tv" 
 tlanLrtTous, anil the danger i' inereascil liy the want of ^elia1)lecilal't^4. At the 
 time of the purchase the charts then in existence were nu'rely Hcctional, iii- 
 chiilin^ tiio^se of I^i IVrousc, Vancouver, Telienkof, Liitke, Kasiievninf, 
 Tikhn)en<rf, and otliera. Tehcnkof'M were prolialily tlie hest, thoii^'li far fniiii 
 bein^ complete, ami several others are of conNiiltrahle value. Since the pur- 
 ehasr, l)ctter proi^ress lias heen inaile in this tlirection, Imt the work hasliccn 
 of the same fmgnientary natuie. We may hope, however, that at no distant 
 day we Mhall have some appmach to accurate charts of the entire Ala.skaii 
 coast. Tlie coast-survey chait of |S(»S is almost worthless so far as inlau4 
 iiax'i^'ation is eoncerncd. for few of the shoals and rocks appear on it. In 
 Mori i-'i Hr/il., Al'tsbi, M, is a |iartial list of the wrecks that have occurrnl 
 in soutli-eaatern Alaska during recent years. 'J" wo V. S. ships of war havi' 
 also lieenlost in .Alaskan waters. In \S~H there was not a hingle lij,'ht-lioti.se 
 in the territory. In /•/. , '21, several [loints are mentione(l where light-hou-cs 
 should Ih) erected, and further mention of this matter is maile in U. S, J'i- 
 KCtiiir /!c/>t., y.SV;.s', ;i!ll— I, ami Sm. Kr. Jluc, ^nih ('uiiij. ,t<l Si/m., "nJ. 
 
 •'-' .\ls() n steam-tu;,' completed at Sitka in iSfiO. The list is ;;iven in (luhir- 
 tihi, in .1/"^ rin/iii, app. , 1 .">■_'-.'>, where the armament and cost of each are sUited. 
 
 ''^.Vnd a ismall stem- wheel steamer for trade on the Yukon and otlier riv- 
 cr.i, built in liJtiU. 
 
COALMIMX 
 
 CO,i 
 
 tii's,'^' ostt'iislhly for slii])-l)uil(liM_iL( p<ir|)('S('s. T(t |)rn- 
 (•invat a Mdiiiiiial prifi' a l"i w tli<»usaii<lacri's<)l' tin.- Iti>t 
 tiiiiln'i-laiulrt ill Alaska, on comlition nf ImiUliiii,^ a \rs- 
 sul or two, would (loiihtlcss ho a profitaMe .sj)o(.-ulation, 
 l»ut tliiis far DO salt' or lease ot" timln'r-laiuls has l)L't'U 
 made. It is not iiujtroliaitK', liowovur, that at no ve»v 
 distant day ship l)i;ildin<^ may a^jain rank anionic the 
 i'orcniost industries in Alaska, loreoal, iion, an«.l suit- 
 able tind)er are found in scveial portions of the terri- 
 tory, within easy aecoss t)f navigahlo water. 
 
 Li;jfniti(', hituniinous, and anthraeite coal/'" hut es- 
 pecially lii,niite, are found in many portions of Alaska, 
 iVom Priiiee of Wales Island to the hanks of the 
 Yukon, and even on the shore of the Aietie Ocean, '^ 
 the best veins heiui^ found in southern and western 
 Alaska and the adjacent islands. 
 
 Coal-miniiiLf in Alaska was (ii'st heyun about the 
 middh' of the j)resent century near thi' mouth of Co<»k 
 Inlet, or Kenai l>ay, at a point that still ht^ars the name 
 of Coal Ilaibor."'' Machineiy was erected and ru!i 
 by steam power; a force of laborers was obtained iii 
 JSiberia; scvei'al experienced ..liners were brought Iroiu 
 
 *' In 1S7I, Si'iiivt"!' IlajiiT pri'sciitfil a prtitiim, si„'iUMl I'V Tliom.iM l!ii!'liri_r. 
 W. I'". l>:il»'cic'lv, .loliii I'iiirotl, 1111(1 "tilers, asliiii;^ fir tin ivilc^r <pf i.-uttiu 4 
 tiiiiliiT fi)r slii|)-liiiil(1in<.' 011 gDViTiiiiii'iit laiiils in tin- ncinliiMU'liixHl nt I'liiRo 
 Ivlwanl Islaiiil, wlieri; [liiic an<l yilluw ci'ilar ari' ]iliiitilul Tln'y (itl'i'ii d ut 
 \K%y tor thu rrivilc^L', uiul tn imrcliaso i\:v laml a.-* it was deari'il. |)iiiiii;,' tlnj 
 .siiiiiu your, lli'invst'iittttivu I'ipcr iiitniilucrtl a lull, yrantiii].; ti> wTtaiii pailifM 
 till; right ttj piirchaso, ati?l.-."i pur aiii'. tlic i.slainl of Kon, imrtli ui ( 'larrmti 
 strait, for Hliip-hiiiliiing purpo^tcs, ami llit> priviU:),'e of tukiiii; up ua iiiiii.'li 
 inuiv laiul na might lie riMpiircil. 'I'liis nioilist ili'iiiaixl, umlcr \«lii('ii all tlio 
 licst tiiiilM'r-lamls in tlio tfi'iitoi y iiiii.'ht lin>«' ticcn appropriatiHl, was alttr- 
 wanl limitoil to 100,(K)() acri's. .\n ai'cinint of the siicoinl Itill iiilrodiiLcil liy 
 I'lptT, on Dec. 20, rs7<i, i.s given in Mnrri-'.t Hi/'t. Alnnkti, l(>7-!*. 
 
 •'•'Iron is found in many porlion.iot .Vlask.'i, Imt no defHwit has yet 1h'i:» 
 diseovereil that will pay for workiiij,', under present eonditions. 
 
 ^"Dall remarks that the speeimeiis of anthracite coal found in Alaska may 
 owe their ipiality to local iii(taiiior|)liisiii of the rocks liy hcut, rather than to 
 the general character of any lari;e deposit. AhiMhi, 4~.'t. 
 
 ■'' In IS7H II vein was oiHiu'd liey 1 Cape l^ishiirn by Ca|)t;iin lloo|)cr "f 
 
 the ri'Viiiue marine, who ciaim.s that the coal mined easily anil was lit Im- tlio 
 use of steamers. /'.7/v)//"s /'../). AUuLii, 74. In iNHi l)all inspected a cnul 
 dcp isit near Niilato, hut found it to l>e of inconsideralile extent. .|/'(>7.'(, 
 o(J-7. In /'/., 47H-4, is a list of the principal coul diatrictd known in INTO. 
 
 ^°0u the iiurth uidu uf Kngliuh Ijiiy. 
 
liO* 
 
 AOniCULTURE, .SlIIPBUILDINO, AXD MIXIN'O. 
 
 Ot'i'iiirtiiy, niul ovory availuhle iium ifi the Sil)oriaii 
 lino imttalioii, then Htationccl at Sitka, was sent to aid 
 in tlie work. The proHpect of turni.shin«^ the com- 
 pany's steamers with coal obtained in the colonies, and 
 of selling the surplus at hi«(h prices in San Francisco 
 and elsewhere, acted as a powerful incentive. In ISf)? 
 shafts had been suiik and adrift run into the vein for 
 ii ilistance of nearly 1,700 feet, nearly all of which 
 was in coal. Durinj^ this and the three following!; 
 years, over 2,700 tons were mined, the value of which 
 was estimated at nearly 40,000 roubles, but the residt 
 was a net loss. The thickness of the vein was found 
 to vary from nine to twelve feet, carryinij 70 per cent 
 of mineral, and its extent was practically uidimited; 
 but the coal was found to be entirely untit for the use 
 of steamers, and a shipment of 500 tons forwarded to 
 San Francisco realized only twelve and a half roubles 
 per ton, or considerably less than cost.** 
 
 It was hoped that as greater depth was attained 
 the vein at Coal Harbor would iinj^rove in strength 
 u\u\ (piality, but there is no sufficient evidence th;. , 
 in this or other portions of Alaska, any consideral)le 
 (juantity of marketable coal has yet been produced 
 except for local consumption. Nevertheless, there is 
 little doubt that it exists,*' though whether in deposits 
 larL'e enough to be of connnercial value is a matter 
 
 ^* Tikhmriff, hfor. OhoM., ii. 2.")0; Knstlirlzof, Hcporl, 29-30; Dok. h'vin. 
 I^i'uM. A liter. Kot., i. J)4. Goloniiii, in MnUrinlui, 108-0. Acconliiiy to tlic 
 lust of thcHO inithoritit"), it was iilroady known that cfwl-vcins existed on tho 
 Alaska iHininaula, at Katliak, the Huialier islands adjoining', and elsewhere. 
 In /■'').'/f>-<, Lrtti'i-", .MS., ii., wc find the following, under date .June '20, ]iS."m: 
 ' Liitkc says: "On dit qn'il y a tlans Tile d'Akoun dos couches de charl>on ilo 
 terro. " ' tn the Sitkn .1 /•cA/iv.«, MS., 18.")7, ii- 278, it is stated that the work of 
 j^cttin^' out coal was very diHiuult on account of local ciruunistances. 
 
 "" ( 'aptain White, in Morr'm'g }tept. Aliska, 103, stiitcs that C<xjk Inlet coal 
 'w well suited for the use of steamers, that it leaves a clear, white H.sh, ami 
 iliM'.s not coke. In Dall'n Alfinkn, -IT."*, are analyses of coal from Cook Inlet, 
 Nanaimo, ltellii,;^hnm IJny, and C(x).so IJay. The analysis of Alaskan coul 
 was niaile liy I'rol'essJOi .^ S. Xewlmrry of the school of mines, Colundiia Col- 
 li'gp, Xew York. It was tonnd to contain 40.89 per cent of fixed carlMHi, SO.fS? 
 «>f volatile conlmstiltle mutter, 1.25 of moisture, 1.20 of sulphur, and 7.VJ of 
 ash. Its character was li<{nitic. The professor remarks: ' This coal is fully 
 eijual to any found on the west coast, not excepting those of Vancouver 
 I.ilund and Itclliu^liain lUiy.' For a description of the Nauuimo mines (Vauc. 
 Isl. ), see my IJint. lirit. C'olumth, 5G9 et scii. 
 
COALMIXIX 
 
 60o 
 
 tlmt lias yt't to be tlotonnined. l^Fost of tlio ooal so 
 far (liscovirod in the territory belon«(H to the tertiary 
 system, and is defieient in thiekness of seam. North 
 of Coal Harbor, deposits are found almost as far as 
 Cape Ninilehik, but hero as elsewhere they sildom 
 exceed seven feet of soliti coal in thickness, and are 
 more frequently less than three feet. It is wi-ll known 
 that a vein of the latter kind, when situated at a 
 distance from market, is almost worthless. 
 
 At Oonga and several other points persistent at- 
 tempts have been made to work the mines at a profit, 
 but as yet without success. The coal was not in 
 demand except for local consumption. When used 
 by steamers, it was found to buin so rapidly as to eat 
 into the iron and endaui^er the boilers, so that many 
 vessels sailing; for Alaska brinjjf with them their own 
 fuel, or are supplied from tenders laden in Hritish 
 Columbia."* 
 
 It must be admitted, however, tin; miniuLf pros- 
 pect in Alaska is far fiom discouraj^iiiLf. Petroleum 
 of good quality has been found Hoatim^ on the surl'acc 
 of a lake near Katmai in the Alaska Peninsula."^ 
 Ijong before the purchase native copjier was obtained 
 from the Indians on the Atna or Copper River, be- 
 ini^ found occasionally in masses weighing more than 
 thirty pounds. At Karta Pay, on l*riiice of Wales 
 Island, there is a valuable C(»pj)er mine, which was 
 sold a few years ago to a San Prancisco company.*^ 
 
 "' In a dospiitch from Santa Iliirbiini, i)ul>lisli<'d in tlio San Ff<nifiHro linllitin 
 of June S, liS77, it is statiil that tint'i' niik's from t\w. ()<>nj,'a mine' is one known 
 lis tliu \\\<i llonanza with a vein :{() fcot thick, of whicli !.'> art; solid ooul; 
 that .^iO per ton liad 1k'«u oircrvd fur tho coal dt'livenil in San Fraiiiiso; tiial 
 it was c-onsideiod ('L|nal to the best Kn^'lish and Si:oteli eoul; and tiiat tlie en- 
 tire eoal-tields of this district comprised l.'JSd acres, and woidd sullice to sup- 
 ply Caiifoniia for pnierations. This may serve as a specimen of tiie nfinscnse 
 wliicii lias lieen published in some uf the newspapers of this coast as to Alaskan 
 industries, though iiiaiiy valuable items have a])|icared in them ut intervals 
 since the purchase. There appears to be little probability tliat either Alaskan 
 eoal or Alaskan timber will lind a more general market on thu i'acitic coiist so 
 long as there remain nearer and better sources of supply. 
 
 "^ In Miirris'i Hejit. Al<i,iku, IO.S, it is stated that largo deposits of petroleum 
 have been fountl on Copper River. 
 
 **/'/., 102. Morris stites that he saw sacks of the ore and found it exceed- 
 ingly rich. Metallic copper is found ou Oonga mid thu north end of Adnii- 
 
 1 
 
606 
 
 AGRICULTURE, SIIIP-IIUILDIXG, AND MINING. 
 
 Ciunaluir is known to exist in tlio islands of the Alex- 
 nndor Arcliipulaj^o, but the exact locality is as yet a 
 Hccret. Load has been found on Baranof, Wrangell, 
 an<l Kadiak islands, but not in large deposits. Native 
 sulphur is very [)lentiful, and this metal is nearly al- 
 ways found in solution at the mineral sprin<,^s with 
 which the territory abounds. 
 
 Amonjjf the lead and coj)per deposits is sonictiiuos 
 found a snuiU percentaj^e of silver,"* but if tlu^n.' be 
 atiy valuable silver mines in the territory they are 
 not yet discovered. 
 
 From (lolovnin Sound it was reported, in 1H81, that 
 silver ore, assayinjif a hundred and fifty «lollars a t(»n, 
 and easily worked, had been discovered so nciar to tide- 
 water, and in such abundance, that vessels could be 
 loaded with it as readily as with ballast. On May 
 5th of that year a schooner was desj)atched to the 
 sound by way of St Michael, and on her return it was 
 reiioi'ted that the value of the mine had been not a 
 whit exaggerated, but that it was thirty miles fi-oin 
 ti<le- water."" Of the 'mountain of silver' that was 
 supposed to exist in this neighborhood nothing fur- 
 ther has yet been heard. 
 
 (lold-mining has been a little more successful. Tii 
 1880, a former state i;eolo<;ist <^f California remarked 
 that "the gold of Aiaskawas still in the ground, all save 
 a few thousand »)unces tjathered here and there from 
 the more accessible veins and gravel-betls of the islaii(U 
 and the mountains alony: the c(Kist.""" In 188;} there 
 wer«' in operation several »|uartz and placer mines, 
 which gave fair returns, and in south-eastern Alaska 
 
 I'iilty IhIuikIh. Tlic hliio curhonntu nccnra on tlio KiiMkovkiin niul near Capo 
 IlotniiiiKof, uM(l Hulpliunitii on the north cotiHtuf thu jicniimuln. JMITh AIiimLk, 
 477. 
 
 "' A pii'cc of (ii'c tiikcn from li niiiio ni'iir For Wraugi'll, in IH~',\, a«Miiyt.'il 
 'Jt') per cL'Ut ill ('((ppiT, '_M( \wr ooiit in loiul, and (il»out !J7 Jht tini in hilvcr. 
 Thi^ wiiM of coiif.it? II i:liou'D Mpt^L'iiiKtn. 
 
 "^v. /■'. /Iiilli-liii, Oi-t. ;U, IHNl. The truth npjifars to \w thiit near tho 
 «oiiiiil wtM'u \mm- iiK't.'il iiiiiu'H <'iiiit;tiiiiin{, in Hpotx, a fair pviventap^ of Milvcr. 
 
 "*' l.titti'r of .lohn Mnir, in lil., .Ian. 10, lH>SO. Tho letter contninn an in- 
 terentiug unil pruliuhly ruliuhle account of the niinuit iu Aluukit ut tinkt dale. 
 
GOLD AND SILVER. 
 
 097 
 
 a trace of gokl cmld bo obtuinod from the sands of 
 ahnost ovory stream that discharges into the Pacific. 
 
 ( )f tlie Stikeen River, or Cassiar, mines brief men- 
 tion will be made in the volume on British Columbia, 
 to which territory they l)eloni«^. 
 
 Harrisburj^ was, in 188J3, the minini^ centre of 
 Alaska. On r)oUi,das Island, s(;|>arated from the t(»\vn 
 by a channel two miles in width, are several promisin^^ 
 (|uartz and surface mines. Amo'ig the former, the 
 Treailwell claim, owned by San Francisco capitalists, 
 was the only one thoroughly developed. Four tun- 
 nels had been run into the ledge, and a large body 
 of low-grade ore exposed. A Hve-stamp mill was in 
 operation, and several bullion shipments were made 
 during the year. 
 
 ( )f the Takoo di.strict, on the Takoo River, a few 
 miles from Uarrisburg, great expectations were hekl, 
 but as yet they have not boon realized."' 
 
 On the imh of January, 1877, the Alaska Gold 
 and Silver Mining Company"^ was incorporatid, the 
 location beinjj: about fourteen miles to the south-east 
 of Sitka. In I 880 rock was extracted from the Icjjge 
 on tlirt-e levels, averaging about $1*J per ton, and at 
 that date » considerable body of oie had been exposed. 
 "The ledge is well <lelined," writes Walter, a practi- 
 cal mining engineer, In 1878, "runs east and west, 
 and is alK»ut IT) I'eet wide, with a fissurt; vein from 
 .'{A to 4 feet in width. The rock is bluish uold-bcar- 
 
 ih'r "piartz. and lies m a s 
 
 date t 
 
 oi'ination. 
 
 A t 
 
 e'U- 
 
 stainp water-[)oW('r mill was e: "cted,"''and the returns 
 re for a time satislaetory, but tlu; expense of oper- 
 
 Wl 
 
 atnig a (|uartz nnne undii- such conditions as jit pres- 
 ent exist in the ti'rritory forbids the working of 
 
 1871. 
 
 Mi-iition of tliitt tliHti'ict in umiU- in Iil., .Iiiiiu '20, July 7, and Aug. II, 
 
 Their oluiiii is UHUiilly callnl tlio Stcwnrt tniiiivl. 
 '■* Morrii'ii h'r/if. Aliisk'i, Wi. \hmujs, ii ciiiivci'siitioii ln'M at my Lilnii-.y 
 on Ki'l). 3, IS7i), M. r. lU'iry Htnlnl tliiit tiui mill iIhI not iln iiiui;li iii tliu 
 a)4;<iH';^iitc. 'Tiify liavi! pltiity of roi-k,' lin rttnuirked, 'ami what uiilliutj 
 thvy "iitl HhoWfd pretty well. Hut thu wlu-ol ilid nut carry thi- wutor u<»r iho 
 water tho wheel.' JJi nlojuniitlH in Aliuku, M.S., 11 -I'J, 
 
 Si 
 
 E. 
 
AGRICULTURB, SHIP-BUILDING, AND MINING. 
 
 veins that in more favored localities would be fairly 
 jTofitable. That valuable gold deposits exist is not 
 disputed; but in a mountainous and densely wooded 
 territory such as is Alaska, and especially southern 
 Alaska, where the richest veins have been found, 
 mines are neglected which elsewhere on this coast 
 would not lack capital for their development."" 
 
 " Ainoiin other points gold has Iwen iliscovered near the junction of the 
 Yukon and IVlly rivei-s. Some of it was luistiycd in IHS',\ ]>y II. (i. Hanks, 
 ptjito mineralogist of California, who rejxirted that aljout one tenth of its 
 \\ > i;;lit consisted of a coating of rust, which niadu it ulmout iuditl'eruut to thu 
 action of quicksilver. 
 
CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 CHUltCHES, SCHOOLS. AND HOSPITALS. 
 
 1795-1884. 
 
 TuE First CiirRciiKs in Rcssian Amekica— A Diockse IIsTAnusnED — 
 Veniaminof— The Sitka (1\tiiei)ual — (.'"nvi-.i^skin ok tiik Indians 
 — The Ci-ergy Heli) in Contempt— IMiotestant Missions— Scii<)oi„s 
 — The Sitka Seminary — The (Jenekal Colonial Institite— .ME- 
 TEouoLCKiifAL— l)isEAst»s— lIosriTAUs— Tue Co.mi'any's I'en.sioneus — 
 
 CkKOLES — BlULIOGKAI'lIlCAL. 
 
 Glottof, it is claimed, one of the discovenrs of 
 the Aleutian Islands, Ijaptized at Onnuiak in 1751) 
 the first native admitted into the fold (if the Creek 
 church. He was a chieftain's son, and a lai-i^e cross 
 was erected on the s|)ot where the cert nn my was 
 performed; but timber was scarce in those treeless 
 regions, and soon after the Russian occupation the 
 wood was u.sod for makinj,' slei<j;hs.* Until ntiaily 
 half a century after Glottof's visit neitlur Alt'uts nor 
 KoniaiLjas received any rei^ular religious instruction, 
 though Shelikof, as will be remembered, atliinicd 
 that he converted forty heathen soon ai'ter the con- 
 quest of Kadiak. 
 
 The labors of the first missionariis sent forth to 
 Alaska have already I >ccn ivlated. In 17'.)."), or per- 
 haps a ytuir or two lati-r, a chapel was built at Saint 
 Paul — the first in Russian .Vmnica. At Sitka no 
 church was built until 18 17, n.'ligious ceremonies be- 
 ing usually performed by one of the otHiials of the 
 
 ' Vi iiUimhid/, XdjiiMki, l.'il-'J. Tlio l)ny was taken to I'lti-oivivlov.tk, 
 vhi'i-e hu luiirni'il tliu Iviiasiau lun^uugo, iiixl rotiuiicJ with tliu dignity uf 
 toyon uvcr nil the iiiluudd uiitlor llie jurUdictiua uf KumcliuJiu. 
 
 !li 
 
700 
 
 CHURCHES, SCnOOLS. AND HOSPITALS. 
 
 llussiuii Aiiicricim ('oiujKUiy, tlnm^h iiR'anwliilf a 
 })ric'st occiisioMally visil,f«l this st'ttleinont, and l>aj»- 
 tisiiis wvvi' Mot iiilVt'iim-nt.''' In this year an (Mtoli'^i- 
 ustii- nauifd Sokoldf anivi'd, and a teniporaiy huiid- 
 iiii;' was at tuicc crccti'd, the altar hoiiijjf Imilt of tini- 
 hcis cast Jishoit.' alter the wrt'ck of tlio AV/v(, "ainoii'^ 
 whiih, ' wrote IJaranol', "slione thu iina,^i! of Saint 
 
 Al 
 
 Kiiat' 
 
 'Phi' Vfssi'ls an(l utensils wei'e of silvi 
 
 I'a.^hi.tnid hy colonial eral'tsMien, and the rolx's and 
 diaju-ries 
 
 .r (*1 
 
 iniesc siiK 
 
 Ik 
 
 In ISP.) a chnrch named Saint Peters was Iniilfc 
 at Saint Paid Island, and one at Saint (jleor^e nannul 
 after Saint (ieorLje {lie Victor, in 18.'5:); at the villatf'; 
 <»r I'nalaska a church was dedicated in IH'Jd," and in 
 the same year a c1ia|iel, nanuMJ Saint Nikolai, was 
 huilt at Ounuiak, wln-re, as VenianiinoC would have 
 
 us 
 
 he] 
 
 leVe 
 
 iicknes.s attacke<l the Kussians, who mad. 
 
 sacn!t!Uious use <> 
 
 r ti 
 
 le ci'oss, V 
 
 hih 
 
 lor many year.s 
 
 lati'r, the Aleuts did not dare to j^ather sticks or 
 boards in tlu' nciLfhhorhood of:' this .sanctuary. 
 
 A clause in the cliartur <.rranted to the Russian 
 American Company in 1821 providtjd that church 
 e;^Lal>li.dunents should he supported tln'ou^i^diout tht! 
 colonies," and by o;der of the holy synod, in 1840, 
 
 -' III till' Alitukn A rdiiiyn, MS,, 1-1,3, in a lint ol' all th<i haptisDiA iK-i-fonm- 1 
 lit Sitkii liiLVi'tii IM!."» .>!«(( 1M'.(. 
 
 ' III I Mils u !<ii; ('!m|'<1 wtin liiiilt ut I nulHiku athi turn ilown in I.S'J'i. 
 
 ' As all illiiatratiiiii wl tliti mii'litioii (if tlio (iili>ni.il i'!i'rj,'y ut tlio I'ln! cf 
 ("liiHiiiikiif H iM!iiiiiii-tratii)ii, tii.'iy lio iiiciiiinncd ili ■ liiul t:ii won'iiy of l'\,'iicl(,r 
 
 liii 
 
 ikof. 
 
 u mTvitiif II 
 
 t N 
 
 ((••I) 
 
 VrUI 
 
 UM)>i 
 
 \sk ill iS'Ji.l. Ill,, ciiaiv 
 
 waH liic- 
 
 <'iri-.ll liv ""u IViulit) l/'htiiiKiit' to till) »''IV(!t tli;;t IViHliiiiakiif, a. iiati.i) 
 KnlMnh. iiapti/T'l at Ndi-o A!liliaiigi'l,-.k iu N.ivi'niliiT ISO"), fdncatcil at tlui 
 ivtrihli iiul|i>ijl, ami (iihtiitt(«l to t\w. Hiiliorililiiito [iricHUiuiiii in .luiiuary \>*'2~, 
 liiiii Imh II iiii.t.T\"<l Ity cmiPiwt'i-t witiifMm'H in lii" lu^t <(f iis-'i,stiiig at rt.Ttuin 
 |iii);.in i'it»'>« iiiti'ii.li'fl to ctlin't till! I'lri' of a sick ii'itivc, anil liail luni umi 
 ' lo JkM tljro'iv'li till! inotimw uii'l Htt,'|t.i of clianiaiiM or Moifoiin^ in tlie Hcrviio 
 <if Siiiaii,' mill .lino of iiiiviiij^ at varioiii* tiiii;;!* il'-scvi'iiti'il un oithoilox BJiriuo 
 l>y tul<iiii; I'livii'i I'liariii.'i info tli<> lupjy water lih's.x'd liy fin; licMi'ilii'tioii of 
 tliu ji.ii'Ht, aii<l of >ci;fiviii;.^ (layint'iit in fiirn forHiM'li HacriliTiimw action. In 
 tiio (i|<iiiton of V'cnia.iiiiiof, wjiicii wavi iiftfiwai'il aiiinovcil jiy tlio liol 
 
 sj'i 
 
 il, ISiHliiiiakof Htniiril iiioi'i' from i^noi'ani'O than tioin iiialio 
 
 W.l.'i ili.-ti'iiar; 
 
 <l 
 
 Willi u Ki-vcro ri'iiinna 
 
 iiil. 'I'lioni^ii iiil'oi'iiiL'il v,.\t I 
 
 I ih! 
 
 in W.IS 
 
 fn<; to i"tuiti to No\o .Aikliaii.iji'lsk, iinsliniukof Mil'inbirily iiilricil tiio 
 ooiivii'tof till! Ascension at Ni riiiiiink. Tlio |iroi'i'ciliii;;o in tlii.s uisc ili,s. 
 jiliiy u ri'iiimkaltlo ilu^cce o;' leuicufy oil tlui ii.ut of tliu iiiyluir RiiHsi.i.t 
 
lUSHOP VKNIAMIXOF. 
 
 701 
 
 at which daio tlioro woro four clnirdios and cij^ht 
 cl»;i|H'l.s ill Russian America, they '.vore toinn-d into 
 fi (liooosc, wliicli inckided the Okhotsk and Ivani- 
 c'hatka precincts, the first bishof), al'ttn'waid nn't- 
 ropoiitan of ^Moscow, Ijcinij Fatlicr Veniaininof, 
 Avlioni Sir Edward liclcher, writinif in 1 H;{7, <l<'scril)t's 
 as "a very fonnidaljlc, athletic man, ahoiit forty-livo 
 years of ai^e, and standiiiLj in his hoots ahout six fi'et 
 three inches; qnite iierculean, and very cleaver."" 
 '•When lie preached the word of (jrod," says Kostro- 
 mitin, who was haptized hy Father .loassaf in I SOI, 
 "all the peopi',' Hstened.and listeiM'd without nioviniif, 
 until he stopped. Nohody thought of lisliiu"^' oi' 
 liuntiniif while he sj)oke, and nohiHly felt hun'j;Ty n' 
 lliirslv as lonrr as In.' was speakinj^ — not even little 
 chil.h-en."» ^ • 
 
 clcrfiy, and jiiv in rcinarltaMn eont:":iRt witli tho tfiluiiiiilpi nf tlio Hoinan 
 
 {\'.th 
 
 Awirh 
 
 nilar imsch. it is iluiihttiil, liow 
 
 CVlM 
 
 MilltluM- 
 
 i: 
 
 iiiiiUiif's fi'fii'i'uit'iit tit (iia' <»f tlie must tK\i(il itc I'Diiviiits iu 
 t:ilii"'.!ly <'i V( limit, uj' act. li'ii>hiivik<ij\ Sinrerj Tiiitl, M.S. 
 
 .Si I 
 
 tuna WiU 
 
 * Surr. Voir nt'inl Wmltl, '.>S. 
 
 l.v tl 
 
 ' A'<i-!;i TiiiKM i.i Alcnl. Itlan'ln, MS., C\. Miracles wort! iiscrilicil tn liiii: 
 
 ic .sii|iiT8li lion's, ninon;' whuni Wiis 
 
 Koht 
 
 I'llUlltlll. 
 
 '11 
 
 nvn: IS nil ilnilif, 
 
 liiiu'c-vir, that tlm lii>\li<i|) hvu.4 a true ami tulLlitiil I'a.stor, tliiiti;.;lt his wri.jngH 
 
 aliiiv.' thi; 
 
 \K^ h 
 
 If »li 
 
 lari'il (ho Kuiicrnition c mimoii 
 
 t<i his I'hmch. In his 
 
 /f((/)i /.( iih Otlmrnkh < niii'iliuhkiunh'iro iHilinln Sniltir/eiiiiiiiH, <ir l.iHfis rmi- 
 ciriiiiiij Ihf I^/diidi 'tf tfii' I'liu/itnLn Di'^tri't, iinlilishnl at thi' ».'.\|>cnso ol' t!io 
 lOis.siiDi AnuTJcini <.'oin|)aii.y, .St I'l'tiTslnu:.;, ."I vols., ISK), N'mianiinof sh'.wu 
 t'.iiifc he hail licemiiu tlionm.Jtly .-U'liuainli'd \v;tii tliu Aleuts, their lau^^iaicc, 
 cu-i'iiini^, and liistoiy, and his witrk is tiiu ni'iMt reliahle Ixiuk mi the Hulije't. 
 lii iluhidcs luHtmy, iiu;t.e(i|(il()j,'y, ^;e(>f,'rinihy, natural liistory. and elhnul.i'y; 
 but histiirieul tiiaf.rial M'eins to have Ihmji s'.'arce, or was jierliaiis Hli;,'ht('i', 
 liy tliu nutliiir. Ihu Hei'mid voliinn^ is devoted pi iiieipally to llio nianni'' i i::id 
 ciiNtoms of the .'ineieiit and iiio.lern Aleuts, to h%'eiids and tales jir>'->( r. <■ I 
 jiniDim them liy tradition, and lo their rel.it.ions with tins I'MSMi.'.n Anieiieim 
 Coniiiany.aiid enntaiima nunilieruf nii'teorohi>.'ical and stati.slie.il tallies, 'i \w 
 
 urd \oluiiKi IS ennliiH 
 .o! is!i, am 
 
 .1 l^ 
 
 I a, review o 
 
 f the Ahiitsof the .Vthha l>istiiet, t!.. 
 
 It! 
 
 ir fe.-'iiioti 
 
 i.'ileets. The work on the Aleutian Jslaiids w.is 
 
 j^ariinliy rejtr.xliie d in < ieinian, in hrvii 
 
 Anh'ir I't 
 
 rfi/lt'tlii-fif I.: 
 
 lliisn'fiiiil, ii. 4."i!l, \^A1. His ()i>iiil HfiiniiliLi Ah :ihki>- l,ixnn r>l,iir i )'it- 
 Attimiit lit II. (I r'l III mil r of tin' l/n<mi r-Aliiiti<iit J.iiii'iiiiuir, St {'eterc- 
 
 titiki 
 
 liaiL. ISKi, is etiMlilled t( 
 
 dialeit of l!ie Aleutian lanj,'ii;i-:e, spukei) on 
 
 t!ie Lissiev >,'rf>up. eoniprisiu;^ tho is'amis lietwieii l."i!)' nml Kill 
 
 vitli a populatiii;i of alioiit •J.OiM) kouIs. i'he work is elalmriite. thou;.'h ii 
 
 Bohje ca.-.es tlio au'.iior seeiiiM to have iii.ide more of the laiu'U.ijii; than tlnii 
 
 d 
 
 ivally 
 
 WHS, uni! iiiiiile inlht.tions of whivhthe Ahnts liad pfv ioiisly kiinw n 
 
 Jiothing. To indii'a'i- the proninu ia'.ion, llu- eharaiters of the t'iryllie alpha- 
 hot are ll ed. The \im almiiry ann.'Xed to the volume is eouip'c te 'mt not 
 conveiiuiitiv at r;iii,u'ed. as the !{iissi(iu wovds refer onlv in iiuinliei t to tho 
 
 other iiortioii. Tiie Oiiki 
 
 .'(' Puti i> T:.'.ii:ilrir Srhc- 
 
 /'. 
 
 'o-oiii'-hi .lie wt 
 
 ^UnitsUi-'Liiiiiiiiuluin i'lr.iiikit H.'okh'uivnnok Scvtchvunikuin luaiiiii'in I'otium- 
 
 ' r * 
 
 ■\ ! 
 
702 
 
 ciiuRcnEs, SCHOOLS, and hospitals. 
 
 Durin<( Voniaminors adinini.stratioii a LuUuraii 
 ok'i''vmaii was wuIooiirmI at Sitka," and tho saiiui 
 spirit of toleration was oxtontlef'i later to tho Jesuits, 
 several Poles of that onliT heinif transferred from 
 Cannda. On the l.^th of October, 1807, the first 
 st;rvi(e at which an American oHiciated* was held 
 at Sitka, tho consj^reLjatioti being composed of Kus- 
 .sians, Finns, and Kolosh. 
 
 In iHOI there were in tho Russian Atncrican col- 
 onies seven churches anul thirty-five chapels, several 
 of tht>ni, inchidin^jj the cathedral, beinjjf built anil kept 
 iii repair by the Russian American Company. All 
 Were maintaiiied by the contrilujtions of parishioners 
 and the sale of candles and tapers." About this vlato 
 rei^ate capital of the churches exceedi'd two 
 
 le a<'''' 
 
 tl 
 
 hundred and fifty ••fi\e thousand roubles, the furuls In- 
 in<jf held by the com[>iUiy's treasurer and interc'st 
 allmved at live jK.'rcent.'" 
 
 The Sitka catlndral contained three altars, whicli 
 were separati'd iVom the body of the church by a par- 
 tition, the doors of which were oilt, and the j)ilastei'.s 
 mounted with gold capitals. There were eight silver 
 candlesticks more than four feet in heiixht, and a sil- 
 vor chandelier hanLrinL; from the centre of the dome 
 
 xniivaim^ or (iunlc on Ihf lininl to the Uritvrnh/ l\iii')ih»»,j'(/r inntnirlinii in llie. 
 l/ixs'ievAlvut Ldiiijuitiit', < '•iiniilinl In/ llif I'rint, l.iitiiii i'niidmhioj', was |>nl)- 
 lislied l)y tim holy MyniMi of ItiiNHiu, and was a tntiislutitxi fi-oiu tho UnMwiuii 
 into Aleut liy N'cnianiiiiof, nniliiriiitid in ('liurt'li-ShiviccliuracUTii, which aru 
 iiftt4;i' ihlitptt'il tofxpri'sa Aicutiai) Vinnls. 
 
 "' SiwuH'ii'H A'«;T. Jourin'ii roiiiitl H'orld, ii. 193. In IHoV Mr Wintci', 
 fKMtor (it the Ltitiierau I'liiiivli at Sitka, ruccivi'd a fift of l.'.JO<) nmhlcjj iVoin 
 till' UiixKiaii AiiK'fii'an ruinpaiiy, iiiid "hiiiny; tlic naino year wan n'<'ii;;u!.'f"l 
 at u Hillary of •.',()()() roublen u j-car. Silbi AfhiirH, IS.>7, i. ;U(t, .T.»t. lii 
 iS/i.'J iiiH lliK-k iimntxTcil I'JO to l.->0 hi>u1h. Wanl'ii Thm- Wa'i.i in Hilka, 
 MS., 70. 
 
 * Mr llayiHT, nii army clinplain. 
 
 '" troll, mill, m Md'- niiliii, 7">. In />()il'. A'<»)m. Riifif. Anifr. Kol., 7^, and in 
 Tikhniriiij\ Inior, t>h( h., ii. '.^70, nine thurolu-K arc nu'ntioiu'd. 
 
 '"'I'lii' i;iintiil)tilriinH wciv niado luirtly in n»ui;cy uiul j.aftj^ in fiirx, tlio 
 C(iin|>any allowing tlu' ■■Imn'li " ronlifru, 1 1 ki)|u-kH, to 14 i<nil>l<"i, .'!» kopi'k.-^, 
 for Hi'a-ottiT nkinH. 'I'hr revcniui troni ojindlcs ainon:tl<'d to .'»,."><)() 'ouMi's .i 
 yt'iir. 'i'lio rutiipany ini'urrcii an cxpfnK.i! of .'i'J.DHS ronljlcs a yi-'ai" or chiiri li 
 acL-oiuit. St I' Uolovii'f. 7'>, ivln'ro urn i^ivcn tin; HaJariesi of th<' M^'liop and 
 oliiuiuU. 'I'iu' r''Hiil«'ii. I' of the hinhup was bnilt by tho coniiMiny ut iiu fxiK'!i*> 
 of ;iO,l)00 rouMuH. TikkiHeni f, /.^tor. ObM.,u. 266, 
 
CONVERSION OF NATIVES. 
 
 703 
 
 ^vl^K•h was supported by a Jiiiinhcr of eolmnns of tlio 
 Uyzaiitine order. On the altur was a miuiaturo tomh 
 of tlio saviour in gold and silver. The vestments and 
 implements were also rieh in gold and jewels. The 
 l)ooks were hound in gold and crimson velvet, and 
 adorned with miniatures of the evanm^lists set in dia- 
 monds. The communion cup was of gold, and similarly 
 end)ellished; the mitre was covered with pearls, rubies, 
 emeralds, and dianu)nds. The building was dedicateel 
 to Saint Michail." 
 
 Veniaminof, after acquiring the Aleutian language, 
 translated into it a number of books touching on the 
 doctrines of his church; but with this exception few of 
 the ecclesiastics understood the native dialects, while 
 the interpreters had little knowledge of Russian. 
 ]iet\veen ISil and 1800, 4,700 Indians were ba})- 
 ti/e<l,''^ and if sve can lu'lieve Veniaminof, some of 
 them Were converted. " I <lo not mean," he writes, 
 "that they knew how to make the sign of the cross, 
 and to bow, and nmttersome j)rayer. No! Some of 
 them can jnay from tluiir soul, not exhibiting them- 
 st.'lves in the chui-ch and before the people, but ol'tcii 
 in the seclusion nf their cliiimber, with dose'd d(tors." '"' 
 The l>ishn[), who on his appointnuiut adopted the title 
 of Imiokentv, acc<trding to the (!Ustom of his church, 
 lad)ored with markc'd success ainonj; the Kolosh. JJe- 
 foi't' his arj'ival they had resisted all efforts nt (^)n- 
 version, tliost; who wen; baptiztnl submitting to tlio 
 cerenndiy only because they received presents of moro 
 or loss value.'* 
 
 >' Wurd\ Thrre Wnh i„ Silka, MS., 'Jft-.'U, 35-37. Tlio catlicdral wi.s 
 roofnl with iron, nml tlir Ixlfry mi'l <liiiin's I'ust .s,riiH) roiihlcH in sil\<T. TiUt- 
 iiiriuf, htiir. itlion., ii. 'JOS. 'JIid cliiiich at St rinil, Kiulsak, is built of lu^wii 
 tinil)iT, tli<! inttT8tii'i'n licinif tillril «itli uiohh. Tlio interior is well but 
 |il;iinly funiislird. (Itiili/i'ii'.^ Triii tit AUiKka, MS., I,'{. 
 
 '^A li-.t i<l t'ai ci)nv('rtH i;. },'iven in (•oliiniiii, in Mnlfrinlu'i, 147-l.'i<'. 
 rik!iin<Mief claim! tlmt in IS'J7 tin ;■" v.cri: i". t!:" colonii.'H ^,WA'l CliiistiuuH, nf 
 whom more tiian 7,0(M) wen) liicliann. ittnr. OIhm., i. 2!M5. 
 
 '•• Ah n j^roof Jin j tho tciicliinj^ of tlio priests ■wiw not without cflpct, it is 
 Ktatcil in 111., .'Ui;*, „hut in ISL'7 tlio niunlicr of illcgitiniatu births anion;,' tlio 
 Ak'iits was 81'vcn, wliilo fi. i that yoar till 18.TO it nvoragcil only one. 
 
 '•In tho rr<'or(l of baptisiim at Sitku, in tho AlnuLa Anhiim, .M.S., l-|,'t, 
 tnuibluted fixiin original clouuinuutii in thu Hitka Vhiinh Archicts, M8,, niou- 
 
 iS 
 
704 
 
 cnuRciiEs, srnooLs, and iiosimtal'5». 
 
 It must be adiiiittt'd that the riritok clmrcli was a 
 failure tlirouirliout llussiaii Anu-nca. We have Hceii 
 ill what disrespeet th(i priests WiTe held hy their own 
 eouiitrynien in the tiuie of IJaranof, and it is nowhere 
 reeordetl, except hy tlie priests thcnuselves, that, with 
 the single exception of Venianiinof, the teachiiii^ «ti' 
 the ecclesiastics made much impression on Ww natives. 
 They s(juatte<l and smoked (hirin<; service, hstenel, 
 howed, crossed themselves, and lauj^hed so uproariously 
 tiiat the ofliciatinjj; priest was ol'tiju intiTrupti-d in liis 
 soK'um duty. They care<l xuti for relij^ion, <»r at least 
 
 not tor tile doctrines of the (Jreek <'ler<_rv 
 
 If. 
 
 writes (Jolovnin, "the ohject of a missionai'v he only 
 the haptizinj^ of a few natives yearly, to show tli" 
 eountrv that tlu; mnnher of conversions increases, and 
 
 in visit inLf so 
 
 manv times a vear such of the vilhi'^es 
 
 as aie situated in <'l(»se |)ro\imlty to ndouhts and 
 tradin!L( posts, then the colonial missionai'ies perloiin 
 
 th 
 
 leir duiv with mori; or less zeal; hut if the mission- 
 
 ary's duty is to spread anions^ the paj^ans tlu; teachin'^s 
 of an evani^elist, and to strive hy word and examp! ' 
 to soften their hearts, to helj) tlnMii in their ncM^H, to 
 administer to theii* physical and moral diseases, to 
 p(,'rsuade them ni-adually to lead a settled and indn- 
 trious life, and ahove all to labor for the education (.f 
 the children, and at last make the savaiLjes themselves 
 wish for convj'i'sion, then not one of our former or 
 present missionaries has I'ullilled his duty."'' 
 
 In IS(SOthe llussian clmreh claimed 10, '.)")() mem- 
 luirs, hut, this numher is pi-ohahly at least 'J,r)(M) in ex- 
 cess of the actual lij^au'es. The hishop of the diocese 
 
 tion is made nf tlitvc prcsi'iits, wliii'h roiiHistcil iisimUy "f tolmcco, calii-n, 
 kiiivcM, cutlasscH, mill lilitiiUctM. Suini'tiiiifs a rilli.' wan jiivcii. C.iro w.n 
 taki'ii that llii' ('(invert iliil nut prcHcnt liiiiiHt'lf a hciiiiiiI tiinr l<>r liaptisiii. 
 
 ■'If wo can lu'licvf Siiii|iM()ii, Dali, and (itliciH vlut IniM'llnl in Ala.skii, 
 ncj;li^;i'ni'o wiih not tliu only taiiltof wliirli tlin inisMinnarifM wrio (jiiilty. Tlio 
 l.ittcr ivuiarks that all wliuiM ho mot in Alaxk;i woio i'lvotorato t-'piTH, aii'l 
 nii'iitioui tlio CMS!) of ono w ln> had liooii on}^afj;fd for hovi a yca.s m ii nii.s>(ioii- 
 nry on the Viduui, and wiio liiankod (■ )4l that lio tiioii had an opnortunity of 
 r> tnrnini; to JtiisHia, w horo a uki!4h< o:' mm oonid ho hud for '^'i kopoKH. AliixLa, 
 
MODERN' KFFORTS. 
 
 705 
 
 iiHuallv rt'sides in 8an Francisco, whence he controls 
 iiH'uirH and supplies the lundn needed l>y the various 
 parishcH.'" Service is at present conducted in Alaska 
 both in the Russian and Aleutian languages, but the 
 nioM' distant settlements are visited only once a year 
 hy a regularly ordained priest, l>y wiioni baptisms and 
 marriages are celebrated and the sacrament adminis- 
 tered to those who desire it. 
 
 When Alaska wjis transferred to the lTnite<l States, 
 it was expected that the religions training of the Ind- 
 ians would not be neglected, but ten years passed by 
 and little was done. In I H77, however, a pre.sbyte- 
 rian mission was established at Sitka. Two years 
 later a catholic mission was established at Forfc 
 Wrangell,'' but met with little success. Credit is also 
 due to the Church Missionary Society of London and 
 to the methodist church of Canada, both of which 
 have their representatives ()n the borders of Alaska.** 
 . For several years protestant missio!iaries of several 
 denominations, and especially the presbyterians, have, 
 amid great discouragement, labored earne.stly, and not 
 in vain, to introduce their faith among the natives of 
 Alaska. Meanwhile their efibrts in the cause of edu- 
 cation have been no less persistent. 
 
 "On the I'Jtli of July, IHH'J, tlic biHhop (tf tl»o Greek church was drowned 
 within twelve miles of Fort .St Michael, either by accident or while under 
 temporary aherrutioii. The Ixxly was found. S. r. Chronklf, Auj{. 15, Oct. 
 30, l88l>. 
 
 ^^JarUxoii'/i Alduku, 'J*J7. 'The catholicH lire invading our ^'rouiid,' writes 
 Mr MeFiirlund from Fort Wrungell in Muy I87tl. ' Anionjjtiio paNHeugei-N on 
 the (>h/iiii>i(i a week ago wan ii i*<imiMh liishop and j)rieHt. They at onco en- 
 tahliMhed a miHsinn. The liisjioii uimIv an attaek on Mr ^'oung the follnw ing 
 Nalihath morning, lie was trying to gi't tiic peoplr to make the HJgn (»f the 
 croHH, lint none Would ienj>on(l save .Shustak!*, the wicked ciiicf. 'i'liis made 
 the bishop angry, and liu broke out n» follows: " Why don't you do ns I tcild 
 you? .Arc you afrai<l of Mr Voung? \<<n arc not Mr VoungV Hlaves. He 
 i.s not a true minister, anyway. No man can be a true minister and havif :■. 
 wife. Look at me; 1 am a true minister; I am till tiie sanu' as .lesUH ( 'In'iKt, 
 ami r don't have any wife." ' Id. Tiie rcadci- u ill lind m.iuy instances of hUih 
 uUHeemly HijuabbleH in my ffinti)n/<t//lriii^h ('nhntiliid, passim. 
 
 '" ^^'illiam hunean, of IheChuich Missionary Society of London, of whose 
 complicity in Kuniggling opemtions mention lias been made, iiiiilt up thn 
 Indian \ illage of NJetiaiiKatlali. .\bont IS77 it contained l,(i«N) inhabitants. 
 The Ifcv. Thonni.s Crosby laliorcd princiiially at Fort Simpson. I'liurches 
 
 iKith ^luintH. Jarii>uii''< Alankii, 'M4, 
 
 ami HoliiHils were of course' established ut 
 
 •IllT. Ak4IKA. 48 
 
 :(()•.', <;t seq. 
 
706 
 
 CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, AND HOSl'ITALS. 
 
 Of the moinbers of the Greek church only a siiuill 
 proportion anionjj the natives can read and write, 
 thouffh in villa«(es where parish cliurches liave heeii 
 establisheil, perlians thirty per cent of the inhal)i- 
 tants have acquired the rudiments of an education. It 
 was ehrnned bv Veniaininof tliat in some htcahties all 
 the Aleuts except young chihh'en couKl read Huently, 
 but there is no evidence to support thisstatenient. It 
 was not until 1848 that printed books wen? issued in 
 theKadiak lani^uaj^e, and for several years later none 
 were circulated amon<; the Kolosh. Those which 
 afterward made their appearance contained oidy trans- 
 lations of prayers, hymns, anthems, of two of the i^os- 
 pols, the decalo«jfue, and a small collection «>f words 
 and conversational phrases." 
 
 For half a century after the Russian occupation, 
 educational nmtters were little more advanced than in 
 the days of Shelikof, who established at Three Saints, 
 in 1785, the lirst school in Russian America, and him- 
 self instructed the pupils, in his own lantjurt<je, in arith- 
 metic and the precepts ot Christianity. The labors 
 of Fathers Juvenal and (ierman in this comiectitui 
 have already been mentioned. In 1817, and probably 
 for some yi'ars later, the latter was still in charj^e of a 
 mission school at Yclovoi Island. In 1805 Rezanof 
 established a sdiool for boys at Saint Raul, and dui- 
 iiig his visit a gills' school was opened at this scttle- 
 ment,""" but both fell into decay after the envoy's ile- 
 parture, and were linally clo.sed. 
 
 A lew years later a school was opened at Sitka by 
 Rarannf, but the instruction wa„s very inefticient until 
 1H;^;{, when Etholin took charge of it and somewhat 
 improved its <-ondition. At the end of tlieir course, 
 the pupils served the company in various capacities. ' 
 
 '•On till- l.'iOi of April, 1H,')7, Voicvo(l»ky promises tu huihI vcR'iilmliirii's 
 frnin nil tlio sUitiuiiH of tliu liusMiun Aiiicricun CoiniNiny. Sitlu Airhirn, 
 MS.. 18.-.7, i. IN. 
 
 '"In churgt; of Mrs Itiiniicr. It oiM^nod with 10 creolo fiMn, four of wlioiii 
 were Bcnt to St ri-tiTHliui'j,' for furtlii-r iiiHtnii'tiun. Tikhimuif, lulnr. o/i«.., 
 
 i. no. 
 
 -'Of those wlio loft ill IS,17, four Itconnm •uitlors, four clorks, (Ivo nuichitti- 
 ii'H, tt'iil thrci! iipprfiitiiTs on luiunl sthip. Uohrnhi, in MiUi rialiii, S<)-). 
 
EDUCATIDM. 
 
 707 
 
 III I s;]0 nil iiistituli'Hi was I'staldislii'd at Sitka at 
 Nvliicli tilt! nrpliaii (laiiLjIitcrs ttf" tlii^ (••iiii|»i»iiy'.s l-iii- 
 plovrs wt'ii! »'(!ncatt'(l at the coinpaiiy's ('\|K'nsc. In 
 18(i() tluTc wove 'J*J imiiatiTH, and (lio oxju'uso for that 
 yoar was (»,;j(»4 rouMcs.-" Alutiit tiKisainc dato a simi- 
 laf iiisfituti«»ii was opened lor hoys, to which wiic 
 a(hiiiltfd orjiliaiis, aii<l the ciiildreii of lahoreis and <>{' 
 iiileiiur ollifials. All wer" taUL;ht to I'l-ail and writt-. 
 and there was a small elass in arithineti<" and iLjrani- 
 inar. 'I'lieir traininn" ol" coiirse inchuled n-lii^ious in 
 st met ion. in I SCO there were '27 pniiils, most ol" 
 whom uci-e intende(| joi- mccjiaiiical pursuits."'^ 
 
 It was not until is.|| that any atteni|>t was made, 
 even at Sitka, to pi'ovide the means lor a higher class 
 of edni'ation. Jn that year a ehnreh school was 
 opened, which, in is t."), was raised to the rank of a 
 si.niinary. "'I'his institution was kept in <,''o(hI order," 
 
 w 
 
 riles Ward in I.S.).i, "tin; dormitories aiitl cla.- 
 
 rooins hein;^ plainly hut neatly furnished. One i i:i 
 
 contained y;ood philosophical apparatus, iiichidinLf air- 
 ei'ies, pulleys, li'Vi'i's, etc., and another a 
 
 SI 
 
 iiirai'v ol riia\onic and liussian itoou.s 
 
 I IJ 
 
 ■■.'I 
 
 ])Uinps, h:;tt 
 eood-.sj/ed 1 
 
 The course included the Itussiaii and lOnurliNh lan- 
 j^nia'ies, tli(! ('kiineiits of th(3 pure mathematics, me- 
 chanics and astronomy, naviu^ation, liistory, i^eo^ra- 
 
 I'l'.V 
 
 and 
 
 l)00 
 
 k-k 
 
 ei 
 
 pint,'. 
 
 In IS.')M, Nvlu'ti the seat of the hishopric of Kain- 
 <hatka was transtV'i-ri'd to Vakoutsk.a vicariate heiii'.r 
 
 es 
 
 tahlishe<l foi- the coloni(.'s, tin; seininarv was als(> r( 
 
 moved to Yakoutsk. Soon after 
 
 wan 
 
 a sc 
 
 hool 
 
 was 
 
 ".\|iai't fi'iiiii fiicl iiiid li;.'Iits, wliii'ii wi'i'i! fiiniiHlii;il in kiiiil. T!i'' iiisti- 
 tutii'it hail a spi'i'lal tiiiiil i)l>:.'iliiri| tioiii tlu'sulcuf tlio |in|>il'<' liiiiiiiiuin !;, 
 IVdiu w liii'ii ciu'Ii oiiu i°«'(.'(.'iv('<l (III iiiiirriiigu l.'K) to .ilHI rtmhlcs ior licr troua- 
 hi'llll. /'/., ,sl. 
 
 ■^ Oil till- Istiif Mav, ls."i;t, iliirt Hcliool liail ;i.'l jiiipilM, and a yonr luttT'Jd. 
 Sitka .\rr/,i,;-, MS.. rs.Vl, li. III. 
 
 ■^' '/'A/-..' U'm/.-. in .S('/(. MS,, •_'-). On t!i.- •J!lt!i <.f O.'tr.lHM-, 1S.-|7. Voicvo.!- 
 Bky a('kii(>\vliMlj;i':< tlm i-fci'lpt I'imiii tlic <'.|ii> alioiial l(iii''aii mi' tlin Imly MViiinl 
 of 7, "7 1 luiililcH, ."ill koiH'ks, Ml silviT, t'l III' iiiYoMtfil furtlir iiiamU'Uaiici' III tlm 
 BL'iniiu ry. S.t.'n Arclii-' ^, .MS., l,S,"t7, i. ;M-. 
 
 '•' W.inl alsi) statr.4 til it tlii' lii;;licr cl.'i.sscs Htmlicil Litiii aiuH Jrork, Imt 
 tltui'u in iiu itit'Utiuit uf tliis ill tlio iltiatiiaii uu.ituiiiic:). 
 
^h 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 «45 
 
 m 
 
 IM mil 2.5 
 
 lltt Hill 2.2 
 
 I.I 
 
 2.0 
 
 1.8 
 
 
 1.25 
 
 1.4 1.6 
 
 
 ■* 6" 
 
 ► 
 
 V] 
 
 <? 
 
 w 
 
 
 
 / 
 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 V/EBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-45 j3 
 
 \ 
 
 (V 
 
 •^ 
 
 V" 
 
 \\ 
 
 % 
 
 V 
 
 
 cS\ 
 
 Tip 
 
 <-.^ 
 
 ^^L 
 
^. 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 cS\ 
 
708 
 
 cnunciiEs, schools, axd hospitals. 
 
 estal^lished under the name of the General Colonial 
 Institute, for tlie sons of ot!icia]s who liad rendered 
 faithful service to the company, all who could rend 
 and write tlie Russian languaoe and understood the 
 tirst four rules of arithmetic beinix admitted free to 
 lectures on the governor's reconnnendation. The 
 course of instruction was almost identical with that 
 of the three-class graduating schools in Siberia, and 
 differed little I'rom the curriculum of the academy.'-'^ 
 Navigation, commercial branches, and the English 
 lanti'uao'e were tauLjlit bv naval officers and others se- 
 locted from the company's emj)lo3'es. The children 
 of officials were usually supported at the company's 
 expense, in which case the}'^ were required, after grad- 
 uating, to enter its service for a term of ten years, 
 receiving a small salary,-" 500 roubles for outfit, and 
 honorable rank at the end of six years' service. In- 
 struction in theology and the Church-Slavic language 
 was also given to those destined for the church, their 
 expenses being paid from the church funds. Though 
 the sum disbursed by the company for the support of 
 this school exceeded 24,000 roubles a year,-^ in addi- 
 tion to 3,750 roubles contributed by the holy synod, 
 there were at its opening but 12 pupils, and in 18G2 
 the number was only 27. It would ap[)ear indeed to 
 have been lounded mainlv for the benefit of the 
 teachers, who received 1 3,450 roubles out of the funds 
 furnished by the com[)any, the sum expended for all 
 other pur[)oses being less that 11,000 roubles. 
 
 The most successiul school in other portions of the 
 colonies was the one founded at Unalasha, by Veni- 
 aminof In 18(J0, after it had been in existence for 
 
 ^* A pl.in of tlio studies for each of the three classes is given in KoatUr/znf, 
 lioport, IH()(), iiiip., ;W. 
 
 '■"Only ]()<» in Xt() rouMcs (scri])) a year acconling to Drill, Alusk-a, '.i.)'2; 
 but as I liuve liL'forc niuntioiicil, iJall's historical summary ianot very reliabli'. 
 He states, for instance, that the compulsory term of service was 1.} year.s, 
 while lOai'o meutioueil by Golovmn, in Matertulin, 81, and Tikhmencf, Intor. 
 OboK., ii. 27"i. 
 
 ^"Tho exact amount, according to Golovnin, was 24,.S77 roubles and 77 
 kopeks. Tiklimcuof, whonc work was publisijicd in the same year, gives 
 it ut 7,000 roubles silver, which would be 'J(j,230 roubles in scrip. 
 
EDUCATION. 
 
 To;> 
 
 
 35 years, there were 03 pupils <if both sexes. x\t the 
 same date one of the Kadiak schools was re-opencd, 
 and there were prinuuT schools on the island of Auila, 
 in tlie Atkha district, at the Nushau'ak and Kvikh- 
 pak missions, and at l^orino- Island, but all with a 
 meagre attendance. There was also a school-house on 
 the lower Yukon, but with no i)upils.^'^ 
 
 After the purchase, even the few traces of enlight- 
 enment which the Russians had left i)e]iind wej-e in 
 danger of being obliterated, for the Russian schools 
 were closed, and for years there were none to talvc 
 their place. In 1809, Vincent Col3'or, secretary of 
 the board of Indian commissioners, visited Alaska, and 
 mainly through his exertions the sum of .^50,000 was 
 appropriated by congress for school purposes; but 
 there was no one to administer the fund, and it re- 
 mained intact. According to the terms of the contract, 
 two schools were maintained among the Aleuts, but 
 they existed tmly in name, and no further ])r<jvision 
 was made by the United States government. It is 
 somewhat remarkable that a nation which i-anlss 
 among the foremost in wealth, culture, an<l chai-ity, a 
 nation whose boast it is that education is free to all 
 her children, should have left the inhabitants of this 
 territory for more than half a generation in outer 
 dai-kness. To quote the words of the liev. Shel- 
 don Jackson, superintendent of presbyterian missions 
 in the territories, "Russia gave tliem government, 
 schools, and the Greek religion, but when the country 
 passed i'rom their possession they withdrew their rul- 
 ers, [)riests, and teachers, while the United States did 
 not send any others to take their places. Alaska, to- 
 
 ^'Astotlio (lisciplino and hours of study enforced in these scliools, we 
 linvc few records, it is jirohalile, liowever, tlint in tlie institute they were 
 iihout the siune us in the naval school at I'etrojiavlovsk, wheii- tlie ])ui)ils rose 
 at .").H() and retired at I). At (l..'>>) there was iiispeetioii, after which eanie 
 breakfast and preparation for eiasses, which histed from H to 11. 'J'hen <lrill 
 anil play till noon — the <linner hour, which was followed hy two more hours 
 of play, and three of lectures or recitations. .At "» a meal of hreail and milk 
 was starved, and at H supper, the interval being t,iken up with lessons and 
 drill. Mor-^koi Slioriiil; xxi. 44, lo'J-04, In the colonies the principal food of 
 the Btudeuta was salt lisli. 
 
 \ 
 
 i : 
 
no 
 
 CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, AND HOSPITALS. 
 
 day, lias neither courts, rulers, ministers, nor teachers. 
 The only thiiiiiftlie United States have done for them 
 has been to introduce whiskey." ^^ 
 
 Under the auspices of the presbytcrian mission, a 
 school Avas established at Fort Wranijjel], which iu 
 1877 had about 30 pupils, and a home for the rescue 
 of younof girls who would else have been sold into 
 prostitution by their parents; while at Sitka a school 
 was opened on the 17th of April, 1878, 50 scholars 
 being present the first day, and GO the following year."^ 
 All this was accomplished with very slender 1'unds. 
 About tlie same date there were twenty-two cliildreii 
 in attendance at the two schools which the United 
 States government promised to support, but which 
 are in fact supported at the expense of the Alaska 
 Commercial Company.^^ 
 
 During infanc}^, the natives of Alaska receive little 
 care or supervision from their parents. Until seven 
 or eight years of age the}' are more frequently naked 
 tlian clad at all seasons of the year, often sleeping 
 almost without shelter and with insufficient covering. 
 Under these conditions, living, as they do, in a coun- 
 try where snow is perpetually in sight, and where rain, 
 sleet, and fog are almost incessant, they grow up for 
 the most part a weakly and puny race. Even where 
 the skies are less inclement, this is still the case. The 
 climate of the Aleutian Islands does not differ essen- 
 tially from that of some portions of northern Scot- 
 land,^^ and ^''ot there are few more effeminate speci- 
 
 '" U. S. Ediir. Rept., 1S77, p. xxxii. The above ia an extract from a let- 
 ter publishutl ia t!io repoi't. 
 
 2' JacLmx'.^ A/a.sLa, -JlKi, 2\ri, 217, 228, 251. In this work will bo fouml ;i 
 full and interesting necount of tlic operations of the presbytcrian misaion. 
 The homo liiiil at first a sore struggle for existence. 
 
 ^- There were also seliools at Unalaska and Uelkovsky, bnt the attendance 
 was less tlian tea of both sexes. There were no schools at tlic missions of tho 
 Yukon, Nusliagak, and Ivcnni. In a village snrrounding tho first of tiieao 
 KL'ttleincnts, I'etrofT states tliat, apart from t!io attadies of tjiu cliureli, lie 
 found but one man wlio conhl [ipeak the Russian language. J'op. Ahuka, 70. 
 
 •"' '{'lie mean annual temiieraturo of northern Scotland varies from 42' to 
 48, and of tiie Aleutian district from HO' to 40^. Tho average rainfall ia 
 Unalaska is probably little more tlii.a 40 inches, while ia Stirlingshire it ia 
 
POPULATION". 
 
 m 
 
 mens of humanitv tlian the Aleut, and none more 
 hardy than the Scotch highlander. 
 
 At Sitka, though the rains are excessive, averaging 
 nearly 83 inches in the year,''* the days on which snow 
 falls are seldom more than thirty; and, remarks Dall, 
 "the average of many years' observations places the 
 mean winter temperature about 33 Fahrenheit, which 
 is nearly that of Mannheim on the lihiiie, and 
 warmer than Munich, Vienna, or Berlin. It is about 
 the same as that of Washington, 1,0'J5 miles farther 
 south, and warmer than New York, Philadelphia, or 
 Ijaltimorc. At Nulato the mean winter temperature 
 is 14 below zero, at Fort Yukon about 17, while at 
 both points the thermometer reaches 100 in sununer." 
 
 The census of 1880 gives the population of Alaska 
 at 33,420,^"' and this is probably little more than half 
 the number of inhabitants living during the early period 
 of the Russian occupation. Many causes were at work 
 to produce this result. Slavery in its worst form ex- 
 isted among the Alaskans. "A full third of the large 
 population of tliis coast," writes Simjison, "are slaves 
 of tlie most helpless and abject description. Some of 
 tlieni are prisoners taken in war, but the majority 
 have been born in bcmdage. These wretches are the 
 constant victims of cruelty, and often the instruments 
 of malice or revenge. If ordered to kill a man, they 
 must do it or lose their own life."^" The earth huts 
 oi" the Aleuts were without ovens. There was always 
 a scarcity of wood and often of food. Sometimes 
 
 411 inches, in Bute about 40, and in tlic town of Invemeaa, in the same lati- 
 tiiilu as Kadiak, it was 4!t.'J in lS:il and 47.59 in IS'2'2. Dal('a Alaska, 
 44,")-(;. 
 
 ^' The average of twelve years, as piven in Davidson's Sci. Expcd., 481-2. 
 The {greatest rainfall during this period was ().").H inciics in ISGl, and the least 
 5S.0U ill 18."»3. During August, Septeniher, and October, 1807, there were 52 
 inohos. 
 
 '■'Of whom 24,1G1 lived west of Prince William Sound, SOO near the 
 sound, and oJAI in scmth-oastern Alaska. Petrqir.i Pop. Alaska, S."). 
 
 '•"'Shiip'ioii'.i Xarr. Jour, round World, i. 211. The custom of killing slavoa 
 at the <lcath of a chief provaila among the Kulosh, and in late years the llus- 
 tiuns hail bfc:t in tlie habit of ]iurehasing the victims selected for sacrilico. 
 Lloodijood, ill Uvcrlaiid Jlouthli/, I'eb. ISiJi). 
 
 \ 
 
m 
 
 CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, AND HOSPITALS. 
 
 their only diet was rotten fisli, but tlioso employ ed by 
 the coniijan}' were well fed, housed, and clad. 
 
 Amonir the most fatal diseases were consumption, 
 f^astric, bilious, typhus, and other fevers, syj)hilis, and 
 scrofula.^' For the sick there were hospitals at Sitka 
 and Saint Paul. In 18G0 the forn^er acconnnodated 
 1,400 patients, and was maintained at an expense of 
 about 45,000 roubles; the latter had 550 patients, and 
 the outlay was in a _i>Teater ratio. ^^ There was also a 
 hospital for the treatment of skin diseases at the sul- 
 phur springs near Sitka.^'' The steam bath was the 
 
 ^" 'In former times syphilitic diseases were very general among the Aleuts, 
 l)ut now tiiey hardly exist on tlio iiilauds. Now and then the <lisciisc ia 
 brought to Kadiak by crews of tlio company's vessels which winter theie, Imt 
 it is met witli more and more rarely, beeauso now tlie commanders of vessels 
 are strictlj' enjoined to inspect their crew on arrival in port. At Novo Arkh- 
 angelsk, on the contrary, this disease is yet very connnon in spite of all yav- 
 ventive measures taken by the colonial government. It is conmiunicated 
 to the Rnssians by the Kolosh, wlio in their turn are infected by their coun- 
 trymen who live ahmg the sounds, wlicre it is carried by foreign sliips \\ hi< li 
 carry on a. contiaband trade with the Kolosh. The Kolosh look at tliis dis- 
 ease with great indifFerence; they l)elievc it to be an unavoi(hd)le evil, and 
 take no measiu'es whatever for its cure. Nearly all tlie women wlio jjiactisu 
 prostitution in secret arotnul the environs of Novo Arkhaiigel.sk are atl'ected 
 by this disease. At one time tlie syphilitic disease prevailed to such an ex- 
 tent among the soldiers and hiborers at Novo Arkhangelsk, that for its possi- 
 ble prevention the then newly arrived administrator general (governoi') elt 
 compelled to resoi't to the strongest measures. He caused to ))e torn down 
 at once all huts erected near the harbor, on the beach as well as in tiie woods, 
 where tlie trailicof prostitution was secretly carried on.' Guloriiiii, h\ Malirhi- 
 liii, 87. 'After consumption, perhaps the largest list of death causes will l:o 
 laid at the door of scrofulous diseases, taking the form of malignant ulcers, 
 which eat into the vitals and destroy them. It renders whole settlenu'uts 
 sometimes lepers in tlie eyes of the civilized visitor; and it is hard to liiul a 
 settlement in the whole country where at least one or more of the families 
 therein have not got tiic singularly prominent scars peculiar to tiie disease.' 
 /V/ro//'',s /'()j>. Aloxka, K\. In lSl.'{-4, there was anotiier ontbreak of small- 
 pox among the Aleuts, but as most of them had been vaccinated, it was not 
 very destructive. Simpson states that ha;moptysis was a common complaint. 
 Jouv. round World, ii- IIX). 
 
 ^^ JJoh: Koin. I'nxn. Amer. Koh, ii. 1,30; Konllivfzof, in Mntfrialiii,t\i)\\, 
 41-2. 'In its wards,' writes Simpson, 'and, in short, in all the requisite ap- 
 pointments, the Sitka hospital would bo no disgrace to England.' It had 10 
 beds. Near each was a table on which glasses and medicines were placed. 
 The diet was usually sjJt beef or fish, the soup made from tliem, musli of 
 rice or groats, bread, and tea. Of 1,400 patients admitted into the Sitka 
 hospitiil in 1800, only '2'2 died. 
 
 •'•There were three large springs cJv/aO to each other. The tempi raturo 
 was between oO and 52' of l!(''anmer. Gilovnhi, in Mati rhdui, J)2-.'t. 1 )all gives 
 it at 122" of Fahrenheit, which would bo only 40 of ]{i''auiiiui\ AInsbi, '.]y,i. 
 The waters were impregnated with sulpiiur. iron, manganese, and chli>niie, 
 07 per cent of the imneral matter being sulphur. During u visit to Atklm in 
 
CARI-: OF THE SICi: AND POOR. 
 
 ri.'{ 
 
 grcjit panacea of the natives, wlio before tlie Russian 
 occupation had no uietHcine, nor even knew ot any 
 niethcinal herb. 
 
 Sick, aged, and disabled servants were provided for 
 by the company, one half per cent of its iiroiits being 
 appropriated i'or this j)urposc after 1 802. In later years 
 a tax of ten roubles was levied on each keg of li(juor, 
 and of one rouble on each ])ound of tea sold by the 
 company. From the funds thus raised the deserving 
 poor were pensioned by the government, and in IHIJO 
 there were 375 persons in the receipt of pensions, the 
 aggregate amount of which was '50,000 roubles a year. 
 The pensioners were lodgetl at the company's ex[)ense, 
 and the needy were also supplied with food from the 
 public kitchen. Those who wished it were made colo- 
 nial citizens, a class composed mainly of Russians and 
 Creoles. They were exempt from taxation, and had 
 the privilege of rei3ntering the company's service at 
 will.'^ 
 
 Creoles — Iw w'hich term is always meant the off- 
 spring of Russians or Siberians and native Momen, 
 none beiiig the children of natives and of Russian 
 women — had all the rights of Russian subjects, and 
 were exempt from taxation or enforced service. ^lany 
 were educated at the company's expense, and were 
 afterward eni})loyed in various capacities, somc^ of 
 them, among whom was Veniaminof, being trained for 
 the ])riesthood." 
 
 The churches, schools, and hospitals of Alaska under 
 the Russian regime were supported mainly at the ex- 
 pense of the Russian American Company. At j)res- 
 ent they exist on charity — charity so cold, that when 
 
 1873, Dall ohscrvod spriiiirs thore the; tcinpiTiitiiro of which was 1!)'2\ Xcar 
 them were tlic ruins of ik'sci'tcfl ))atii-iioiis«'s. Hijif. <'iiii'<l Siirrr;/ (IST-'!), I It. 
 
 ^''Tlicrc were no hcgiiars ill Alasiiiii until after the i)urcha.sc. 'l'h(? Aleuts 
 supported their own poor. On returuiui,' from tlieir expeditious, the hiiutera 
 always gave a part of theirspoils to tlie younj,', sick, and ai^ed, who wciu told 
 to go and help themselves from tlie hidarka, the owner of whieli was content 
 with what remained. It was a rare thinjf among "hem for any one to iisk as- 
 sistjinee. Ho received it as his right. (Iidovniii, in Mittcriabii, 1)3-4. 
 
 ■" Tik/iwi lie/, Istor. olion., app. part i. 5."); iJo':. Koiii. linns. Avier. KoL, 
 i. lOS-U; YernwldJ', L'Ameriijiic JtiMac, 1)5. 
 
714 
 
 CHURcnEs, scnooLF;, aot) hospitals. 
 
 the sum of fifty thousand dollars was voted by congress 
 for educational jMirposes, there were found none to ad- 
 minister it. What shall we do with the people of 
 Alaska now that they are manumitted? Let them sit 
 and oaze sea^^'ard with a steadfast stare, awaiting the 
 arrival of the steamer which, bearing; the United States 
 Hag, brings to them month by month their supply of 
 hootchenoo! 
 
 "Thirteen governments," wrote John Adams, in 
 178G, "founded on the natural authority of the people 
 alone, without a pretence of miracle or mystery, and 
 which are destined to spread over the northern part of 
 that whole quarter of the globe, are a great point gained 
 in favor of the rights of mankind." "Your best work 
 and most important endowment," said Charles Sum- 
 ner, addressing the United States senate in 18(j7, 
 "will be the republican government, which, looking to 
 a long future, you will organize with schools free to all, 
 and with equal laws, before which every citizen will 
 stand erect in the consciousness of manhood. Here 
 will be a motive power, without which coal itself will 
 be insufficient. Here will be a source of wealth more 
 inexhaustible than any fisheries. Bestow such a gov- 
 ernment, and you will bestow what is better than all 
 you can receive, whether quintals of fish, sands of 
 gold, choicest fur, or most beautiful ivory."*" 
 
 *- 'If,' remarks J. Ross Browne, ' Mr Secretary Seward had accomplished 
 nothing more in the course of his oflici;d carcor than the acqui.sition of 
 Ahiaka, he woiihl for that act alone be entitled not only to the thanks of 
 every citizen of the Pacillc coast, already awarded him, but to the gratitude 
 of millions yet iniborn, by whom the boundless domain of the west is 
 destined to bo peopled.' Report on the Mint nil J'eKoui-ce>i of I he Siati-i end 
 Territories \Ve.<t of the lloekij Mountains, 't'JS. It would bo diliicult, at thij 
 juncture, to fnnl out in what respect the millions born, or to be born, have 
 tliut! far been .so greatly benefited by the transfer. 
 
 Elsewhere I have given a brief bibliography of Alaska up to the year 
 1 807. After the purchase there are no complete records. The United Stales 
 govennnent documents and a number of publications have been ( o.i'iull ed for 
 the closing chapters of this volume. Among the newsp.ipers, th-^ San Fran- 
 f/.fro Bulletin, Call, Chronicle, and AII(T, the Portland Wext Shr.-e, Bee, Her- 
 ald, Oreijoiiiaii, and JJeutehe Zdtumj, and the Alaska IIer<dd may lie specially 
 mentioned. Among the government documents that fumiali ii formation 
 is the report of William Gonvcrneur Morrin, late collector at Siika. The 
 report is somevvdiat biased, and contains many errors, of whieii I w ill quote 
 cue. 'The llussiaus c.\ercised over the inhabitants of Alaska despotic 
 
BIBLIOGRAPHY. 
 
 715 
 
 sway, and lu'ld them in alisoluto subjectiou. They treated them as Unites, 
 and Hogged then) unmercifully for tJicft and petty misdemeanors. They 
 jv.mi.-ihfd crime promptly ■with severe corp<jral chastisement or imprison- 
 mi'iit, and regarded the Indians as not moie than one degree removed from 
 dumi) hcasts. They held the povcr of life and death over their Bid>jeets. 
 'J hey had over two thmsand soldiers, employes, and retainers ready to do 
 the liidding of the local supremo authority. Ships of war were idways at 
 hand to hombard the villages into submission.' p. lUl'i. The reader v.ill re- 
 member that no Russian vessel of war appeareil in Alaskan waters until the 
 year 1S.")0. p. 584, this vol. Motwithstanding error.;, the report is very able 
 and many were sorry to hear that the decease of William Gouvcnicur ilorris 
 occurred early in 1884. The report of Vinaxt L'(,lij(:r on the Indian Tribes 
 and thcii' Stirroiuidimis ia Ala-<ka Tfrritar;/ furnishes valuable information, 
 aa do tliose of J.. A. Uiarddce on the. Condition of Ajf'uirn in Alunhi, in Sen. 
 Ex. JJdc, .y/lhConij. iJd Sri^s., 105, and of Bryant and McLtt'jre, in >>«. Kx. 
 Doc., .'iUt Cun<j. L'd ScsH., ',i2. Ihnry IT. EiliolCn Hip'irt oh the Svul J-land-t ot 
 Alu.-il.ii in the Tenth t'ensus of the United Sitiha iii probably the most relLible 
 publicatiiin on the Pribylof Islands, notwithstanding the abuse that has l.iceu 
 freely bestowed on that gentleman. From JJai-idnun'x L'oust PUot of Ala.-:ha, 
 Shehlon Jachon'n Alaska, and Missions on the North J'acijic (Joaxt, and JJii- 
 tell's Commerce and Industries of the Paeijlc Count, items of interest have also 
 been gathered. Among the most valuable works publi-shed on Alaska during 
 recent years are those of Alphouso L. Pinart, incluiling the Voyujeti d !;i 
 Cute Nord-Ouetit de VAmirique; Voyaye (I la COte Nord-Ouent d'Ami!ri'jue 
 d'Oiinulanhhi a Kadiak; and Notes stir les Kolochca. As their contents 
 are of a scientific nature, no use has Ijcen made of them in this volume. 
 
 For further references to authorities consulted for the last live chapters, 
 see J/o?v(<' ncpt. Alaska, 4-7, 10-19, '21-30, 30-41, uo-O, nO-G.H, 83-4, <M-i, 
 103-3-2; Colyera llept. Ind. Aff., 537-9, 54-2. 5.")4, 550, 503-9, 572, ."/JO; 
 lln/unt and Me/nti/re's liept. Alaska, 2-41; Elliott\-< Seal Islawls, Alaska, 
 '2[)--2, 24-7, 105-8; '(I. S. Sen. Doc., 40th Cony., Jd S-ss., Nos. 42, 53; 41si 
 Cony., „'!', .S'cs.t., 07, OS; 4--'i Cony., 1st Sess. ^ 12; //.ph <'ony., ht Si-.ss., 12, ,'i3, 
 48; '.yjh Com/., 2(1 Sess., 14; Jlome Ex. Doc., .',iJth Con'/., 'Jd Se.fs., 80, 105; 
 4ht<on^l., L'd Sess., 30; 41st Comj., 3d Sess., 108, 122; '4Jd Con<i., J.-t Scsi., 
 5; 4:.'d Cony., M Sess., 20, 197: 44th Cony., 1st Sess., 43, 83; 4j'th Cony., 2d 
 Scxs., 155, 217; 4^^^ Cony., Sd Sess., 140; Senate Jour., 4')th Com/., 2d Sess., 
 pp. 1007, 1221 ; Jfid Cony., 2d Sess., 1224; 4JdCony., Isf Sess., 9:i3: 44lh Cony., 
 1.4 >(.'.>•.<., 1047; Jfoitse Jour., 4lst Con'/., 2d S<ss., 13.'{4-5; 42d, Cony., ,.'d 
 Srss., 1100: 43d Cony., 1st Sess., 1302, 1427; 441 h Cony., Isl Sess., irXA; 451 h 
 Cony., 2d Sess., 1508-9; Sen. liepts.,4lst Cony., 2d Sess., No. 47, pp. 228-:i0; 
 Utilise Comm. liept-i., 40th Cony., 2d S':is., a\o. 37; 40th Cony., 3d .SV.«., 3"; 
 44lh Con;/., 1st Se.'is., 023; JJouse Misc. Doc., 40th Cony., 2d Sess., Nos. 1.10-1, 
 101; 4,.'il Com/., 1st Sess., 5; J/ess. and Doc, 1807, i. pp. 47.J-S8; i;>0S-9 
 (abridgmcnt),'8.V2-8; Coast Survey I!ept., 1807-8, pp. 41, 187, 204; 1872, 49; 
 ie73, 59-00, 122; 1874, 42; 1875,5-0,04-0,78; Ayr. n<j>t., 1808, pp. 172-89; 
 Fin. l>e])t., ISOS, pp. 391— f; Sec. Int. lt<j>t.,44ih Cony., Isl Srss., i. ] p. 701-7; 
 Post. J.'ept. ,44th Com/., 2d Srss., p. 41; Land Oy. Ue/.t., 1S09, pp. 201-7; 
 Peyt. on Ind. Aff., 1808, jip. 308-17; 1800, 41-2, 105-9; Educ. P.e/.t., 41st 
 Cony., 3d SesK., pp. S3G-7. 345; 43d Cony., IstSe^s., 424; 4.Hh Cony., 1.4 Siss., 
 403-0; Cony. Clobe, 1807-8, app., pp. 507-8; 1S08-9, i. 100, .340-^:!; 1S09-70, 
 app. 558-9, 075; 1871-2, app. 005; 1872-.3, app. 274; Hansard's Purl. Ihh., 
 c-.'xv. 1487-8, ecxvi. 1157; Sumner'.f Ciks. L'n:;s. Avier.,H-]", 28-48; Srirard's 
 Onr N. Pac. States, 3-10; Zahriskie, Land l.an-s, 874-84, 887; /'(^q/z'-v /^o/>. 
 Alaska, 15-80; Davidson Scient. Ex/trd., 471-7, 481-2; Smithmtian Ile/il., 
 18()7, 43-4; Whym/ter's Alaska, 80-8, 103-0; 2.53, 258, 274-5; J. ickson's Alaska, 
 15-24,41-0,49-50, 129-30, 140-327; PatCs Alaska, 50-7; 102-.'), 1n1-2, 102-3, 
 201. 220,251; llittell's Com. and Ind. Pac. Co'i>t, .330-0, 375-0; Drome's 
 Mineral Ilea., ,')97-004; Uouhaud, Les J'/yion-i Nouvfllis, 0; Erorblt's Our 
 Western Empire, 1271-5, 1277, 1270, P-Si; M'-tJaU's (Jnr Country and Its 
 Jtes., 1081-2; PierrcponCs Fifth Avenue to Alaska, 149-217; NitOauiii's State- 
 
 'i 
 
718 
 
 CnURClIKS, SCHOOLS, AND HOSPITALS. 
 
 mnil, MS., 3-18, i;?--., 44-C.l; /iVw/V D'rcl. in Ahibt, MS., '2-13. 1(1-17; 
 J^uiirro/t's l.iln-dni Sinipi-, l!t--2l, 'J,')-!), .Si>-7, .J.Vli:i, (i.Vli, 7--3, 80, rj.'i. I-S, 
 i;!4-4:>, l'.)l-'J, I'.Hi, li)8, -Jll. •_'■_''.(, 'IWl, 'J«)(i-V: Ilr,i<-!,iu;nLo, Sr rap- hod; i. 
 10, 14, 2(i, ;i4, 43, 45, 47, r>l-4, W», 74-(i, 80-1, 8(^-8, )»!»-10l, 14.">; ii. -J, 8, 
 10-14, '2:\ 4, :;_' 7, ll'-'-i:J, lir>; Armi/ <nid Aan/ Ji^i/nmf, Muy I, l8(J!t; l/,i,: 
 ].<i-'n Mil, I., .hilv, 1807, 170-85; X. Y. Fonul ami Slvoim, .]\\\yl\, Aul'. H, 
 1>('U. 18, I87!», Mill-. 4, IS, Aiir. '-"J, May 13, June -24, July 8, Aug. •_>;), ISHO, 
 Jim. 0, L'O, Ti, 1881- A/iida Ihralil, June I, 15, Aug. 1, 15, Sept. 1. X(.v. 1, 
 I'eir. I, '."„ 1808, i'tl). l,Miir. l,June 15, July 1, 15, Sept. l,Oit. 1,'JJ, Nov. 
 20, 180!», IVl). 1, Oct. 1, 1870, Jnly 15. Aug. IS, Oct. '20, Nov. 1, 1871, Fel.. 15, 
 July24, 187-2, Oct. '24, Nov. '25, 1873, Mar. 1, May '28, 1874, Jan. 15, Mar. 
 15, Apr. 1, Oct. 1, 1875; Sitka Thnrn, Ai)r. 30, May 14, June 4, July 30, Aug. 
 13, Sept. I, 11, 25, Oct, -23, Nov. 13, Dec. 4, 1809, Jan. 13, ^lar. 5, A\>\: 10, 
 June 11. 1870; S. F. Overland Moiithli/ (ISO!)), ii. 175-80, (1870) v. •2!»7-3()l; 
 ('.;,,/. //,,-,(/(/, Apr. 14, 1808, Jan. 30, Apr. .30, 1800, Apr. '22, •20, 1870, Nov. 
 5, 1874; Minimi and ,Sci. Pnux, Ajir. '20, 1872, .Jan. IS, June "28, Aug. '2, 
 Sept. -20, '27, 1873, July '27, 1878; Al/a, Juno 1, 27. July '2, 14, '20, AuL'. 1, 
 Get. 18, Nov. 3, 14, 10, 2:>, '20, 1807, Jan. 14, Mar. 27, Aug. 9, Oet. '20, Dec. 
 18, 1808, I'll). '25, 27, Mar. 1!», Sept. 1, Nov. 17, 1800, Mar. '22, '24, Oet. 0, 
 1870. July 3, 1871, Aug. 0, Sept. 5, 1873; Fob. '2, 1874, June 21, 1875; /j/z/.V- 
 tiii, July 1.3, 18(i7, May '2, 18, Aug. 1, '27, 1808, Jan. 30, Feb. '2, Apr. 13, 
 Dec. 10, 21. 18(iil, Jan. 0, 1870, .Ian. '20, Feb. '20, June 15, Oct. 5, 12, 1871, 
 Aug. I, 1872, Nov. 'A, 1873, Feb. 10, 1875, June *22. 1877, Sept. 5, 1878, Mar. 
 18, A],x: 10, Oct. 30, 1870, Jan. 10, Feb. '2, Mar. 23, 1880, July 13, 21. '2.5, 
 Aug. 11, 10, '20, Sept. '23. '20, '27, Oct. 1, '2.5, '27, 31, Nov. '20, Dee. 21, 1881, 
 ]\lay 11, 23, '24, 27, 1882, Apr. '20, May 3, Aug. 1, 2. Oct. 0, Nov. 'IS, Dee. '20, 
 1883; Call, Nov. 14, 1807, Mar. 10, Aug. 17, Sept. '2.5, Oet. 17, 1809, Feb. 10, 
 1870, Mar. 2,5, 1871, June 0, Sept. "25, 1877; f-'AroM/Wc, Sept. '2, Nov. '2.5. ISOS, 
 Aus,'. 0, 1872, July 21. 1873, Nov. 10, 1874, Seiit. 15, 1875, Sept. 28, Dec. 14, 
 1877, Jan. 20, 1878, Dec. 31, 187!», Nov. 17, Dee. 21, 1880, June 20, 1881, Oct. 
 30, 1882; J'o-<l, yUiv. 13, 1872, May 2, 0, '24, 28, July 1, 1873, Jan. 2, Sept. 
 24, Nov. 18. 1874, Feb. 20, Apr. 22, 1876, Feb. 14, Oet. 31, 1877; Sa<-rani,'ulo 
 Union, May 0, Nov. '25, 1807, July 17, 1808, Mar. '27, Apr. 14, Oct. 18, ISOO, 
 JulyO, I>s70, Sept. 0, Oct. 5, '24, 1871, Apr. 11, 1870; Sacramento IW, Feb. 
 2, 1874, Kb. '22, 1870, Aug. 21, 1880; Portland WeM Shore, May, June, 187ti, 
 June. 1878, Oct., Nov., 1870, Jan., 1880; Ih titche Zeitumi, Feb. 0, 1875, IVb. 
 22, Mar. 1, 1870; <)n'<jonian, Sept. '28, 1877, Feb. '22, Mar. '22, Apr. 10, .Inly 
 10, Aug. '23, 1870. Dec. 3. 1883; Tdeqruin, Feb. C, :Mar. 17, 20, May 5, .luiy 
 0, 10, If), 1870; Olynipia Courier, M.ir. '24, M.iy 20, Aug. 11, 18, 1882; Sf'm'l- 
 ard, .Ian. 0, Nov. '24, 1877; Seattle Intelliijeneer, Feb. 7, Apr. '24, Dec. 4, 1880; 
 Port Towiisend AnfiiK, Mar. 13, May '22, July 31, Sept. 4, 1879; Victoria 
 Uritiah Coluiiist, Jan. 8, 29, Feb. 12, 1879. 
 
CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 ALASKA AS A CIVIL AND JUDICIAL DISTRICT. 
 
 1883-1885. 
 The OnnAxic Act— A Pii.vniom of Civil Govkrn-mf.nt— Proposed Indiaw 
 
 ItKSKKVATlONS — KnrCATIONAL MaTTEKS — AlTOINTMENT OF U.NITED 
 
 States Officials — Uki-okt of (Joveuxob Kinkkau — IIis Siicc?:ssor 
 Ai'i'itiN'TKi) — Sciiwatka's VoYA(iK ON A Kaft — I'Ivkueite's Exvlora- 
 
 TION— STONEY'S KXI'EDITION — MlNlNO ON THE VlKON AND ITS ThTCUTA- 
 
 RiEs — The Takoo Mines — The Tkeadwell Lode— Fisiiekies — Com- 
 
 MERCK AND NAVIGATION. 
 
 The little that is to be said as to the action of con- 
 gress conceriiin<»' Alaska during the opening years of 
 the present decade, and for several previous years, 
 may be summed up almost in ten v ords. Appropria- 
 tions were made for the salaries and ox[)enscs of agents 
 at the fur-seal grounds,^ and, as will presently appear, 
 these salaries and expenses were voted with no nig- 
 gar<l hand. Yet, during the long period that had 
 now elapsed since the purchase of Russian America, 
 petitions without number had been presented to con- 
 gress, asking for some form of civil government. At 
 one time the few Russian residents still remainino- in 
 Alaska were al)out to petition the tzar to secure for 
 them the privileges and immunities of citizens of the 
 United States, as guaranteed by the treaty. On 
 another occasion the connnander of a Russian man-of- 
 
 'On the 3d of March, 1881, the snin of $8,000 was appropriated for the 
 repair and preservation of public buildings. U. S. Stat., 4^ilh Coiiij. il<l Sesn., 
 430. In 1882 a few postal routes were established, as will bo nioutioncd 
 presently. With tliesu exceptions, nothing was done in congress concerning 
 Alaska, the salaries of the agents jiassing among the ai^ropriations for tlio 
 miscellaneous civil expenses of each year. 
 
 ( 717 ) 
 
m 
 
 ALASKA AS A CIVIL AND JUDICIAL DI.STIcICT. 
 
 war, r.tati()nctl on tlio Pacific coast, had dctcrniiiit'd 
 to visit Sitka in order to inquire into the condition of 
 liis countrymen, to wliom had been granted neither 
 })roteotion nor civil rights of any description. Each 
 year the president of the United States called atten- 
 tion to the n)atter, and almost every year resolutions 
 and bills were introduced in the senate for this pur- 
 pose, but without result. Most of them were tabled; 
 a few were |)assed to committee, and all were rejected. 
 It was admitted that, as an abstract proposition, the 
 Ilussiansand Creoles of this Ultima Thule were entitled 
 to protection; but abstract justice was now somewhat 
 out of date in congressional circles. jMoreover, there 
 were manv conilictinsj interests to be considered, sonu; 
 parties desiringf that settlement should be encoura<>'ed, 
 and others wishing to retain as much of themainlaiul 
 as possible for a stock-farm, and being therefore op- 
 posed to any legislation that would cause an inilux of 
 settlers, as was the case some thirt}' years ago witli 
 the Hudson's Bay Company in Vancouver Island and 
 Xew Caledonia. Meanwhile the outside world knew 
 nothing of Alaska. During this interregnum, if we may 
 believe IMajor Morris, dozens of letters were addressed 
 to the " United States Consul at Sitka," and many gov- 
 ernors of states and territories sent copies of their 
 thanksgiving proclamations to the "Governor of 
 Alaska Territory," ye? .s before that country enjoyed 
 the presence of any such official.^ 
 
 At length, on the 4th of December, 1883, Senator 
 Harrison introduced a bill to provide a civil govern- 
 ment for Alaska, which, with some amendments, 
 passed both houses, receiving the president's signa- 
 ture on the 17th of May, 1884. Thus, after many 
 years of waiting, this long-mooted measure took eifect. 
 
 By the provisions of what we will call the organic 
 act, Alaska was organized as a civil and judicial dis- 
 trict, its seat being temporarily established at Sitka. 
 A governor \vas to be appointed, who should perform 
 
 ^Scidmore's Alaska, 22Z. 
 
CIVIL GOVERNMENT. 
 
 719 
 
 generally such duties as belonged to the chief magis- 
 trate of a territory', and make an annual report to the 
 prcHideut of his official acts, of the condition of the 
 district with reference to its resources, industries, and 
 population, and of the administration of civil govern- 
 ment therein, the president having the power to con- 
 firm or annul any of his proceedings.* A district 
 court was to be established, with the civil and crimi- 
 nal jurisdiction of United States district and circuit 
 courts, the judge to hold at least two terms in each 
 year — one «at Sitka, beginning the first Monday in 
 May, and the other at Wrangell, beginning the first 
 Monday in November — together witli special sessions 
 as they might be required for the do, Match of busi- 
 ness, at such times and places as were deemed neces- 
 sary. The clerk of the court ". is U> be ox officio 
 secretary and treasurer of the district, recorder of 
 dt jds, mortgages, certificates of mini"^ claims, and 
 contracts relating to real estate, and also registrar 
 of wills.* A marshal wa?. to be appointed, having the 
 general authority and powers of United State mar- 
 shals, with the right of appointing four deputies, who 
 wero to reside respectively in the towns of Sitka, 
 Wrangell, Unalaska, and Juneau, and to perform the 
 duties of constables under the laws of Oregon. 
 
 There were also to be appointed four commission- 
 ers, one to reside in each of the four towns above 
 mentioned, and having the jurisdiction and powers of 
 
 ' It was also a part of the governor's duties to inquire from time to time into 
 the operations of the Alaska Commercial Co., reporting tliereon to congress, 
 and mentioning all violations of the contract existing between the company 
 and the United States. How tlie governor was to inquire from time to time 
 is not explained in the text of the act, but on this matter he remarks in his 
 report to the president: 'The fur-seal islands are 1,500 miles to the westward 
 of Sitka. To reach them the government must furnish transportation to 
 enable the governor to make such inquiries. . i. . The United States ship 
 now at this station might be detailed for the purpose, carrying such officers 
 of the civil government as might be necessary to gain the required informa- 
 tion.' S. F. Bulletin, Dec. 18, 1884. 
 
 * He must establish offices at Sitka and Wrangell for the safekeeping of 
 all ofScial records. Separate offices might also be established, at the discre- 
 tion of the court, at M'rangell, Unalaska, and Juneau, for the recording of 
 such instruments ascertained to the °veral natural divisions of the districts 
 their limits to be defined by the court. 
 
720 
 
 ALASKA AS A CIVIL AND JUDICIAL DISTRICT. 
 
 commissioners of United States circuit courts, to- 
 gether With those conferred on justices of the peace 
 under the laws of Oregon. They were also to have 
 jurisdiction, subject to the supervision of the district 
 judge, in all testamentary and probate matters, and 
 for this purpose their courts were to be opened at stated 
 terms as courts of record."^ The general laws of Ore- 
 gon, as they were then in force, were to be the law of 
 the district, so far as they were applicable, and did 
 not conflict with the provisions of the act or with the 
 laws of the United States. But the district court 
 was to have exclusive jurisdiction in all equity suits, 
 in all capital criminal cases, and in those involving 
 questions of title to land or mining rights. In civil 
 cases, issues of fact might be determined by a jury at 
 the request of either party, and appeal lay from the 
 decision of the commissioners to the district court, 
 in cases where the amount involved was $200 or 
 more, and in criminal cases where the sentence was 
 imprisonment,^ or a fine exceeding $100. 
 
 Alaska was created a land district, with a United 
 States land-office, to be located at Sitka. The com- 
 missioner residing at that point, the clerk, and the 
 marshal were to hold office respectively as registrar, 
 receiver of public moneys, and surveyor-general of the 
 district. The laws of the United States relating to 
 mining claims, and the rights incident thereto, were to 
 be in full force, subject to such regulations as might 
 be made by the secretar}'^ for the interior." Nothing 
 
 *Thcy had power to grant writs of habeas corpus, the writs being return- 
 able before the district judge, and like proceedings could be taken thereon u 
 though they had been granted by said judge. They had, moreover, the 
 powers of notaries public, and must keep a record of all deeds and other in- 
 struments acknowledged before them, relating to the title to or transfer of 
 property within their district, this record to oe open to public inspection. 
 They must also keep a list of all fines and forfeitures received by them, paying 
 over the amount quarterly to die clerk of the district court. 
 
 *Thc jail in the town of Sitka was to be repaired and made suitable for a 
 penitentiary. For this purpose $1,000 was appropriated. U, S. Stat., 4^th 
 Cong. lstSe,^s., 179. 
 
 ^ Provided that person ) then in possession should not be disturbed in the 
 use or occupation of their lands, though the terms under which they mighi 
 acquire title were reserved for future legislation. Persons who had located 
 
TROVISIOXS OF Till:: ORGANIC ACT. 
 
 721 
 
 ■J. 
 
 containod in the act, however, was to be so consti 
 
 ucne 
 
 uccl 
 
 as ti) })ut in for(;e witliin the district the general hind 
 laws of the United States. 
 
 The governor, judge, district attorney, clerk, mar- 
 shal, and commissioners were to be appointed by the 
 })re:sident, and to hold office for four years, or until 
 their successors were appointed. The salaries of the 
 governor and judge were to be each 83,000 a year, ami 
 of the district attorney, clerk, and marshal each .^2,500 
 a 3'ear. The commissioners were to receive the fees 
 usually pertaining totlieir office, and tojusticcsof the 
 ])eace in Oregon, together with such fees for record- 
 ing instruments as ai'e allowed by that state, and, in 
 adiiilion, a fixed salary of 81 ,000 a year.*^ The dejaity 
 marshals were to receive salai'ies of 8750 a year, be- 
 sides the usual fees of constables in Oreo-on. 
 
 The attorney-general was directed at once to com- 
 ])ile and cause to be ])riuted, in itamphlet Ibrm, so 
 much of the laws of the United States as was a[)pli- 
 cable to the duties of the several officials.'^ The secre- 
 tary for the interior was ordered to select two of the 
 officials to be a])pointed under the act, who, with the 
 governor, should constitute a connnission "to examine 
 into and report u]ion the condition of the Indians re- 
 siding in said territory, what lands, if any, should l)e 
 reserved for their use, what provision shall be made 
 ibr their education, what rights of occupation by set- 
 tlers should be recognized," and other matters that 
 might enable congress to detei'mine the limitations and 
 coudilions to be imposed when the land laws of the 
 United States should be extended to the district, lie 
 was also recjuired t(j make temporary provision for the 
 
 mines (II- iniiioral privileges uink'r tlio liiM.s of the U. S., or wliohad occujiied, 
 iiiipriiviil, ur oxercisc'il ligiits oi dwin r.-liip uvir siicli liiiids, were to be ul- 
 1 iwed to [K^rfeot their tilles. J.Minls (.(•■.upicd as missionary stations, not 
 e\eeoilin;4 li4() acres to each station, witli tlic imiiroxenunts tliereon, were also 
 to lie C' ntinuiil in tlic occupancy of the societies lioldini,' them. 
 
 ■" Kach of tile commissioners was re(|uired to lile a hond in the penal sum 
 of 8:S,()i!0, r.nd liie clerk in tlie sum of l:<iO.WO. 
 
 "the sum if .■?,")()!) was afterward appropriated for the purpose of jirinting 
 'JUO copies of t)ie compiled laws, to be diatribuled among tlie oUicials. U, S, 
 :Slat., .',-;ih Cniii). IM Svxx., 'l'1'.i. 
 
 1 p 
 
 I J 
 I 
 
722 
 
 ALASKA AS A CIVIL AND JUDICIAL DISTRICT. 
 
 education of all cliildrcii of school ago without ic';.;'ar<l 
 to race, until a pernianont school system should ho 
 established, and ibr this jiurpose the sum of .$25,000 
 was appropriated. Finally the manufacture, impor- 
 tation, and sale of intoxicating liquors, except for 
 nic'licinal, mechanical, and scientific purposes, were 
 lbrl)idden, under the penalties provided in the revised 
 statutes of the United States.^'^' 
 
 As a land jnirchase, Alaska had thus far proved a paj-- 
 ing iiivestmeut,'^ tliough still undeveloped; and yet it 
 was but a phantom of a government which congress now 
 somewhat reluctantly i)Cstowed upon it, a government 
 without representative institutions, or the privilege 
 of sending a delegate to congress. Meanwhile ]^us- 
 sians, Creoles, and Americans, who, year by yeai-, had 
 l)e('onu> more dissatistied with the shadow of repub- 
 lican administration, expressed their contempt in no 
 measured phrase Wn- the dilatory action of the national 
 legislature. Thaidcful for small mercies, however, tlu'V 
 still waited and hoped, believing that south-eastern 
 Alaska would, even in their generation, contain set- 
 tlers enough to warrant the erection f)f a territory', 
 though jihantom rule might yet prevail in the unj>eo- 
 pled solitudes of the north. At least one step was 
 iJCained. now that the drear interregnum of militarv 
 occupation or revenue-cutter rule, in the land Mliicli 
 the attorney-general declared to be Indian terrilorv, 
 had giv^en place to the semblance of civil law. 
 
 As to the condition, training, and pro[)osed reserva- 
 tions foi" Indians mentioned somewhat neatly in the 
 text of the act, it is probable that the natives would 
 be only too glad to be left alone as severely in the i"u- 
 turc as they have been in the past. Considering that 
 they received no portion of the purchase money of tlieir 
 native soil, and, as yet, have reaped no benefit from that 
 
 '"Section 19")"). For text of the act proviiling a civil government for 
 •laskii, si'o (I. S. Stat., 4Sfh Coiuf. Ist Sr.'.s.. '24-8; Scidmnir\t Ahinhi,'A2:\-:i]. 
 
 " Tlie interest on .??, 21)0,00:) invested in U. S. fonr-pcr-cent bonduat SLi'.'J 
 would 1)0 nbont S-n"),00!). Tiie Alaska Commercial Company paya for ita 
 lea.ic and royalty r.bout i~!317iOOO a year. 
 
IXDIAN AFFAIRS. 
 
 723 
 
 purchase, save the art of manufacturing' liootcliciioo, 
 it would appear tiiat this favor mi^ht at least l)o cuii- 
 cedecl. After the close of the military occupati'iu, 
 Indian outbreaks were of rare occurrence, as J. have 
 already mentioned, and in almost every instance we; e 
 ])r(»voked by the misconduct of the white population. '"' 
 What will be the result should they be placed uu 
 resei'vations, and under such treatment as seems i,i 
 store for them, is a question that the future may soIvl". 
 At present they are the most contented of all the 
 native tribes under iVmerican domination.*^ 
 
 '■-Soc pp. ClS-24, this vol. Tlic latest instniicp of iuiy soriaiis tronlile with 
 the natives occuireil in Ootol)or lS^i•J. On the '-'IM of tli;it niontli tiic Miipui- 
 iiiU'iidcut of .1 flsliing station at Killisiioo, Ijulonging to thi; Nort!i\vc:st Tni 1- 
 ing (Company, anivud at Sitka and requested protection from ('apt. iloni- 
 nian, the. commander of the U. S. steamer Adtinifi. ]fo rei)orted that oa t!ij 
 previou.s night, while the company's whaling-l>oat was li.-;iiing at ilootsnoo 
 (Kootzenoo) lagoon, .i bomb, shot from the boat at a wliale, aec;i(lental!y Icillo I 
 one of the native crew, who happened to l)e a shaman. Fur this the Indiana 
 demanded L'OO blankets, and at tlic same time .seized the brat, nets, wiiali:ig 
 gear, and Ktoain-launch belonging to tiie eomiiany, ovcrpiiV/ering the t\'.o 
 white men in the boat, whom they held as prisoners. 'J'he trilie of llood.d- 
 no<j.s, to which the Bhaman belon;;cd, then threatened, if iiayment was n ■•; 
 made, to burn the company's store and buildings, destroy all tiieii' boats, !i;i I 
 put to death their captives. As the Adams was too large for such servie..', 
 tile ('orwiii was despatched to tiie scene of the disturbance with Meiriman on 
 board; whereupon the prisoners and property were at once sun eiidered aa I 
 some of tiie ringleaders captured. iJut in addition, Merriman deuianiled 
 4U0 blankets as a punishment, and al.io as a guarantee for future good I e- 
 havior. This being refused, their canoes were destroyed; and tiie trilie bei:ig 
 wtill I'efractory, their sui'inier camp at Killisiioo was burned. Tiie cutter tii-ii 
 steamed out of the Kootzenoo lagoon, and a fi.'W hours later sliellnl tlieir mai.i 
 vill.ige, a party of marines landing under cover of the guns and setting iire to 
 the liouses, e.'cce]iling tiiosu of frii'iidly Indians. I'ep u't.i of Lieut M. A. 
 Ib-aly, coiinnaiiding the Conriii, and Collector Win (.'. Morris, in ll'mxc J.'.r. 
 JjO(\, !), parts 'J-4, 4''lh t'onij. Jif Sin>:., (I. Witii tliis exception, I lind no men- 
 tion of any si'riouM Indian (.listui-laiii.'e during recent years. In the s;iiirii.' of 
 I'SS,") a partyof HO milling juMispectors. bound forsome pointon the Yukon, was 
 stopped by tiie ( 'liiikals, \\ ho deniamled toll for admission into their eonntiy. 
 >S'. ./■', < '/iroiiir/t\ .^^ay '.V), ]'<•,'>. 11. it no troubu; aro-e out of tiiis nntter. 
 
 '^'Tliey arc very cluierfnl and fond of daiicing,' remarkrt .1. C (iliilden, win 
 in the winter of lfi70-l was in charge of a vessel bouiicl f.ir Kadiak a:: I 
 Afuguak, 'esjieeially when tliey have plenty of kvass. More than hall a 
 century has elapsed without a murder being comuiit'.ed on these islands, and 
 wlieii tPiie was coinmitted, the inhabitanls were iKirrilied r.t the died. A vi it 
 to Some of our cities would cause tiieiii to regard sueii deeds with the e.ji.a- 
 niinity of civilized communities.' 
 
 Jna TrijitoA'iid-n, by.l. C. (Hidden, MS., I have been supplied with a very 
 interesting manuscript, though one wiiieli I cannot use to advantage in tliis 
 volume, as the subject-matter refi rs mainly to topics of w liieli I have treated 
 in iiiv Xdfirr li'iC'H. l)uriiig his visit liie author atteiideil divine service at 
 
 hapel at Si, I'aiil, Kadiak. built, as tile reader will reni?nib,'r, abouij tl 
 
 year 
 
 II.!, an 
 
 I the first ill ilussiaii Aiii-'ricv. His olj.:'erv.itionj arc worthy of 
 
7-n ALASKA AS A CIVIL AXD JUDICIAL DISTRICT. 
 
 Ill consiilorlufT th(^ other jiroA-isioiis of the Plarrison 
 hill, it must he admitted that in oiu; j-espeet they were 
 most liheral. For the .salaries of the ^overnineiit offi- 
 cials of Alaska, with its liaiulful of white i^diahitants, 
 there was ajipropriatcd, in 1884, the sum of 820,500, 
 while for eaeli of the territories of Washington, Wy- 
 omiiiL>-, Idaho, ^tontana, and New jNIexieo the ap[)ro- 
 ])riation for the same purpose was less than 814,000.'^ 
 ]Moreover, there were appointed, ostensibly for the |)r(^- 
 tection of the seal fisheries of Alaska, four government 
 agents, whose joint salaries and expenses amounted 
 for this year to 613,;?50, the chief agent receiving a 
 larger sti}>end than fell to the share of the governor;''^ 
 nud to enable the socretarv of the treasurv to use 
 revenue steamers "for the protection of the interests 
 of gDvernment," was voti'd a further sum of .$15,000. 
 ]]ut outside of the seal islands the government had 
 no interests to protect, for, as we have seen, a})art fi'oui 
 the rent and rovaltv l^aid for these islands, the inconu^ 
 dei'ived from the entire district was altogether ina[)- 
 precial)le. 
 
 Thus we have, as the expenses of the so-called 
 govermnent of this district, an appropriation foi- the 
 vear of 1884 of about 850,000, or nearlv four times 
 the amount voted for anv territorv in the union, and 
 this tn' tlie salaries and allowances of less than a 
 score v"^: otiicials, four of whom receivt^ the licMi's share 
 for keepiii<»: watch over the Prvl)ilof Islands, and 
 whose opiM'ations have as yet resulted merely in the 
 
 iintf. 'It is linilt of licwii tiinl) 
 
 IIKISS. Tl 
 
 K' snv^ 
 
 'the iiitLM-stioes boiii'' (illoil \\ itii 
 
 K! iiitciior was well Imt ])lainly linislu'il. Tlicro witc im M'ats, all 
 lilt' aiulicnco standing during; tlii! stM'vicos, which wire cor.ductod in Jlussiau 
 l>y a inirst wlinni wo tcnied "tlio i^econd mate df the cluirch." Tho utmost 
 n iii<vailoil. Kacli individual, upon L'nteiing, wont down on the hands 
 
 an 
 
 1 l.nros, |)ulting the top of the head on the tin 
 
 This was ii'peated a 
 
 mimin r ol' tiiius. Upon rising' ant 
 
 I dm 
 
 tl 
 
 ley iTDS.sei 
 
 Itl 
 
 pe; 
 
 I'.'niM'lvcs 
 
 fre(nu'ntl,v. AU were <lr('ssed in their lust apparel, tluitof the yoiin^jehildrei 
 lieiiij,' elaborately ornamented with glass Ijtacls. Near the elose of tin; serviee 
 
 the I'l'iest 1 
 metallic eross. 
 
 t placed !i la 
 
 All th 
 
 rsl 
 
 ik upon a desk, on the 
 
 cover o 
 
 10 worshippers reveroi 
 
 itly k 
 
 d th 
 
 f vl; 
 1 
 
 icU was a 
 
 I' saereil svi 
 
 mhol 
 
 they llled past it in line; those wlio were not tall enough to reach it beii 
 lifted to the requisite height by their ]ian.'nts or friends.' 
 
 /'. .v. .s'^r^, ,;.s7/( Vow\. /.if Si 
 
 ITS ;i. 
 
 Thr 
 
 ee llioilsand six hundred and lii'iv dollars. /'/., '?00. 
 
OFFICIALS AND SCHOOLS. 
 
 findiiij^ of one fc-Iight discrepancy in the tulo of skins, 
 and that due to the mistake ot" one of the aj^ents."^ 
 After all, it is a far-away country, and government 
 could Weil enough alford to be liberal. Nevertheless, 
 Nvhy it is that the services of four highly paid agents 
 and of a revenue-cutter should be at all needed in 
 counting the tale of skins has never yet been explained. 
 It Would ap[)ear that such surveillance is wasted on 
 a conn)any which has paid within the past tifteuu 
 years about the sum of i?."), 000, 000 into the United 
 States treasury, and that, too, when it is directly 
 against the interests of the company to slaugiiter 
 more than the prescribed nund)er of fur-seals. Con- 
 cerning the duties of these agents, however, the 
 statute is singularly reticent. Alaska has been usu- 
 ally regarded by government servants as a jilacc in 
 which to save money, wear out old clothes, and as there 
 were no anmsements, no news[)apers, and but a, slngL^ 
 monthly mail/'^ to study fortitude in the endurance of 
 their high lienors, and to si,. .w themselves indeed 
 patriots on small pay. 
 
 The a])pro})riativ)n of $'25,000 for educational pur- 
 poses has thus far been of no practical benefit, for, as 
 with the one of double that amount made some years 
 before, it seemed no one's business to administer it. 
 Xo ])ublic schools were established as contemplated 
 by the provisions of the act, and up to the close of 
 1 88 i neither rep(»rts nor suggestions had been made 
 as to the disj)osition of the fund. In July IHS-l a 
 further sum of .Si5;000 was ai)[)ropriated by congre.-^s 
 
 ""'Si'o p. G.")l, tlii.s vol. 
 
 '' In ;iii act mill- Ml; ;i|)i>r()priiitioii3 for tlio postal service, .approved ■Tvi'y 
 ,i, ISSl, it is pro\iik'il that fur tlin llsoal yi'ar ciuliii:^' .fune liO. KSM."!, tin' pn^t- 
 ina.stiTguneral may contract iiinlcr a niiscrliaiKMiiisadvertisoiiK'nt for tlic mail 
 service of Alaska, as no newspapers arc pul)Uslicil in that territory. /'. S. S'">., 
 ^■■^Ih. ('oiiij. Jxl Sin.-:., \'u. Iiy act of Aug. 7, ISS'J, jiostal rontes were estah- 
 lisheil fi'oiii Wilhinl to ■luneau, from Uomyah to .Inneaii, from .laclisun to 
 Wrangell, from Haines to .luneau, from U'ly-l to .Juneau, ai»il from .iacksi.n 
 via Jvoberls to Wiangell. /'/., 47th ' o;/;/. l.<l .V'si., iiol. In I8Si there wero 
 only tlircc post-oflices in .\hiska, ami those of the fourth class. In l?i"ii) tho 
 total iimnlier of letters mniieil was (i,,sr_', ami tho total numlierof )iii'eesiif 
 mail mutter of all descriptions 7. •"•'.'-. I'lin'inn.^ft r-<M luraCs Ii( pt., in JJoa.se 
 Ex. Doi\, 1, pt 4, -i^Ui L'oiiij. ldlit..is., pp. 60-1, SS. 
 
 I 
 
7'2G 
 
 ALASKA AS A CIVIL AND JUDICIAL DISTRICT. 
 
 for tlio support and c(lucati(Mi of Indian childron of 
 botli sexes at industrial schools. In tlii.s inattLT ac- 
 tion was at loiiLiith taken, thoufjli of a somewhat necr- 
 alive character. Through Mr Kendall, the presby- 
 terian board of missions at Sitka aj)[)lied for a portion 
 of tlie fund. On the reconnuendation of the com- 
 missioner for Indian affairs, the application was 
 j^i-anted,^'^ and a conti'act was made with the society 
 tit jirovide for and educate one hundred cliildrcn at 
 the rate of $120 a year per capita, such contract to 
 be aniHilled at two nionths' notice.'" 
 
 Within less than a decade more has been done by 
 this society to advance the cause of education in 
 Alaska than was otherwise accomplished during all 
 the years of American domination.^* Were it not 
 
 ''In his letter, the commissioner states that iu consequence of the tnt;>l 
 iicglect of government to provide for tlic education of tiie Alaska Indians, 
 tliey have Ijeen solely iiulebted for such schools as exist to relij;ious societies, 
 i.ud f.ir most of them to the society represented l)y Mr Kendall. For tlic 
 talilishment and support of its schools, that society had expended duiinc; 
 t'::e past year over g2U,000, and for mission work J.5,000. It Jiad, therefore, 
 tae liist claim to assistance from the appropriation. SrJdinore\i Atn^kn, 'Z'.W. 
 
 ''••/(/.,'_';!."). It was the original intention to estalilish a goverunieut in- 
 dustrial school after the model of the institution at Carlisle, I'a. 
 
 '•'" la his letter to the c</mmissioner, dated New York, Dec. ',\\, 1SS2, Shel- 
 don Jacki^on states tliat there were seven good En^dish schools in the Akx- 
 r.uiler Arcliipela'^'o, six of v.-jiicli were maintained at the expense of the l)oard, 
 tiiree of them having Iwarding and industrial departments. At llaincs, iu 
 t'u; C'liilkat country, near the head of the Lynn canal, a sciiool was e.-itab- 
 lislied iu I860, a boarding department being added two ycai-s later, when the 
 tiit;il attendance was about To. At Willard, 30 miles up the Chilkat llivcr, 
 V brancii school was opened with native teachers, and an average atien<lance 
 of 00. Amouff the lloonid tribe, a school was o[)enod iu IbSi, at a station 
 i.auied Jjoyd, 100 miles south of llaincs. Among the Auks, at tlie uoriheru 
 portion of Admiralty Island, and at 'i'sekuuksanky, on tlu' maiidaud nearliy, 
 .sehools were opened Ijctween I8S0 and 1SS"2. At .Jackson, in the southern 
 ]i,i! t of Prince of ^Vales Island, a school was opened 'n the spring of ISSiJ, 
 w ilh an attendance of GO to 90. The institution established at Fort Wrangell 
 in lti77, as already mcncioned, had in 18S2 from 73 to 90 pupils, of whom oO 
 v.ere you:ig girls i)roviilc(l for at the expense of tlio mission, and thus res- 
 cued from a life of prostitution, into which they would otherwise have been 
 sold by their parenis. The Sitka school, opened in 1878, had, in 1880, 1,'iO 
 ])Upils. In July of this year the school Mas moved to the old huspital build- 
 ing. In Xovembor some of the jjupils ai'plied to the teacher for permission 
 to live at the school-house, for at home, they said, there was so mucli carous- 
 ing and disturliance that vhey could not studj'. The teacher answered t'.iat 
 tlicre was neither footl, indding, nor accomiiiodatiou for them. Still they 
 pcrsioteil, and leave being granted, seven Indian boys, about l.'i or 14 years 
 cf age, bringing each his b'anket, look up their (piarter.-i in a vacant roonr 
 
 i)roviiied I'^r them. Tlii'i was the origin of the boarding-school at .Sitka, Ju 
 .'Vbruary 1881 Capt. Glass tstablL-jhed a rule making' uticadauce at the day- 
 
GOVERNOR KIXIvI:AD. 
 
 727 
 
 for tlio efforts of the board of missions, there would 
 l)robab]y have boon no efficient school, and jjcrhaps 
 no school of an}' kind, in the territory, apart from 
 those maintained by the Alaska Commercial Company. 
 It is claimed that the natives are quick to learn and 
 ca^er to be taught, not from any moral sense, for, cx- 
 ceijting perhaps the Chinese, there is no living nation 
 in which the moral idea is so utterly dormant, but 
 because they ap))reciate the ])ractical benetit of an 
 education. At the school maintained by the Alaska 
 Commercial Company at St Paul Island,"^ one of the 
 })Upils displayed such zeal and ability that he was sent 
 at the expense of the company to complete Ids educa- 
 tion at the state normal academy in ^Massachusetts, 
 and after completing his five years' course with credit, 
 was placed in charge of the schools at the Seal Islands. 
 
 Ill the autunm of 1884 the officials who had been 
 appointed by the president reached their several sta- 
 tions. Jolin II. Kinkcad, ex-governor of Nevada, 
 v.lio liad formerly resided at Sitka as mercliant and 
 postmaster, was cluef magistrate;-^ Ward McAllis- 
 
 bi'!i(iol compulsory. Foivinc,' the natives to cleanse, drain, whitewash, and 
 n;iiiil»Lr the duollin','s in their villaije, ho took an accurate ccnHus of the in- 
 liiates. lie then caused a tin label to lie tied rt)uiid the neck of each child, 
 on which were two lUiniljcr.s, one of the house where he lived, and the otiier 
 of tlie child. If a pupil was fouml on the street-i during school hours, the 
 luunliers on liis tug were re))orti;d to the teaclier hy a native policeman, ap- 
 pointed for the purpose; anil uules.s his absence was satisfactoiily explained, 
 tlie parent, or chief Indian of that house, was fined. In a few weeks the 
 utteai-lanco ran up to "JoO. 
 
 '•'' In 1881, 4') pu[>ils wore cnrollc 1 at tliis school, with an average ntteiid- 
 nnce of 4'2. Schools were also maintained by the company at Unalaska and 
 Kadiak. Jlousa Ex. Dor., 1, pt ."), /fUh( '<(»;/. Jil ."sV.ss., pp. '_'78, "isJ. 
 
 '^-.John Henry Kinkead, a native of l''ayctte co., I'enn., where ho was 
 horn in 18"JG. crossed the jiiiins from St Louis to Salt Lake> City in IS lit, and 
 tliere 'Mijiaged in business for several years, proceeding to California in 18.'i4, 
 aftc.- Avliich date he had oceasinn to travel extensively over the I'acilic coast. 
 In ISbO we lind him in ( 'ai'son City, on the eve of the admission of Nevada 
 as a territory. Of tliu part that he playe I in connection witii tlu; political 
 annals of that state, mention ii made in its place. In I8(i7 Kinkeail was a 
 member of the expedition wiiich sailed for Sitka on board the Jo/iii L. 
 S/ii'li(:iis a few weeks after the purchase. My description of the transfer, 
 afi;er tlie arrival of tlie f/v.'*/;/((', though written ])revious to my interview 
 with (tov. Kinkcad, coincides witii the account he i.'ave me. In l!s7l ho 
 rciurned to Nevada, residing at Unionville, Hnmboldc co., until 1878, when 
 he w;is elected governor of tlui s'.atc. 
 
 in Kiidectd'/i Xccada and Alcuk i, ilS. , the author has furnished mc with 
 
 I : ■ 
 
 .MM 
 
7-2S 
 
 ALASKA AS A CIVIL AND JUDICIAL DISTRICT. 
 
 teiy'' district judL;-e; E. W. Haskell, district attorney; 
 Andrew T. Lewis, clerk of court; M. C. Ilillyer,-' 
 marshal; and as coniniissioners, John G. Brady at 
 Sitka, Henry States at Juneau, George P. Ihrie at 
 Wrangell, and Chester Seeber at Unalaska. 
 
 On the 1st of October, 1884, some three weeks 
 after liis arrival, Governor Kiiikead made his report 
 to the ])resident."^ On the 15th of Sej)tember the 
 commander of the United States naval forces-*' relin- 
 
 a tiumuscript which, when compared with other sources of informiitioii, 
 vniii.'S so little tliiit his statement.-! eauiiot but be aeeepted as true. Ani')rig 
 olhor to]iies, he touches on eilucatioii, iiiiuiug, ai^riculture, ami tlic present 
 conilitiou ()f the native tribes in Alaska. 'The Indians a]ipeared to have a 
 very j^'ood idea of business,' he rcmaiks. 'The women were in a better con- 
 dition and better treated than those of r),ny otlicr tribes of the United States 
 that I ha\ e seen, the men j^enerally carrying tiie cliihlrcu and otiicr Ininlens, 
 luid appai'ently aireetionate to their wives and children, tin; women mostly 
 doin;,' the tra'i-ng with the whites.' As to the future of Alaska, ho is 'if 
 opinion that the south-eastern portion of the territory is 1 letter adapted to tlie 
 supjiort of a modciate white popul.ition than X(ir\vay or Sv/eilen. 
 
 i)urin,!,' the ]ieriod of the occupation of Sitka by U. S. troops, all the wood 
 snp|)lied the garri.son was cut and delivered by Indian labor. 
 
 '^ Formerly assistiint U. S. attorney, a resident of San Francisco, and a 
 relative of Hall McAllister, one of tlie most promiaent and highly respected 
 attorneys in that city. 
 
 ^' Munson C. Ilillyer, a native of Granville, Ohio, was brother of Curtis 
 J. Hillyer and Edgar W. Ilillyer, the former an eminent lawyer, and the 
 latter, at the time of his death, U. S. judi,'e in Nevada. ^lun.son caino to 
 Cal. in early times and became a (lour merchant, and later a nnning superin- 
 tendent — a man of broad experience, warm heart, and having many friends. 
 
 '■'^The report was presented at Washington on the 17th of Dec. S. I'. Hal- 
 Iftin, Dec. IS, 1S84. 
 
 '•"'Lieut 11. E. Nichols, commanding the U. S. steamer Piiifn, her comple- 
 ment consisting of 7 odlcers, 40 seamen, ami .'lO marines for shore duty at 
 Sitka. Nichols had for several years done good service in the southern part 
 of the Alexander Archipelago, while in command of the IIa«dir, his surveys 
 having been made the basis for several of the new charts publislied in tlij 
 Alnsku Coiisl I'ilot of 18SU, and compiled l)y William II. Dall. The P'uit'i i3 
 somewhat famous in the annals of the U. S. navy, tliough her fau'.c is a little 
 unsavory. One of fifteen despatch-boats liuilt during the 'war, she was sta- 
 tioned for several years at the IJrooklyn navy yard. In ISS'2, after an uncon- 
 .scional)le sum had l)een si)ent in repairing her at Norfolk, a board of olliceis 
 eondemne<l tlie work, and pronounced the boat unseaworthy. A second sur- 
 vey was then called, and a trial trip being ordered, it was found that she 
 coidil make but four knots an hour. Soon afterward the I'iiifd was sent to 
 Uoston, where she distinguisiied herself by runiung tlown the brig TfiUii-IL^, 
 her otlicers licing in conse(juenee brought before a board of incpliry. Finally 
 a man was fonn<l daring enough to peril his life by taking her round Cape 
 Horn, her armanu-nt l)eing sent ashoi'c until slu! readied California. Airiv- 
 iag at the .Mare Island navy-yard after a six montiis' voyage, she was again 
 I'cpaired, and her guns lieing mountetl, this mueli-tinkered vessel w.\s ordered 
 to Sitka. Among the naval oliicers in command at Sitka before the Jipp.oint- 
 meut of Nichols may be mentioned Captain lieardsh e, who, in cliaige of t!ie 
 Jaiiusiuivii, cruised in all parts of the Alexander Archipelago, kept the ludiaus 
 
THE GOVERNOR'S SUG(;ESTIOXS, 
 
 7S0 
 
 qnislicd to him nil civil authority, liis duties in that 
 direction beinij now at an end. The complete orijan- 
 ization of the civil <(overnment was delayed tor a time 
 b}' the absence of the district judi^e and the cninmi.s- 
 sioiier for Sitka, the former beinij detained at San 
 Francisco through illness. Meanwhile the board of 
 Indian commissioners assumed judicial authoritv, set- 
 tlin-^- disi)utes to the satisfaction of the parties inter- 
 ested.'^' The governor expressed the opinitm that 
 mining bade fair to rank foremost amoni; the resources 
 
 • • • » 
 
 of the territory, and that within the next decade the 
 output of precious metals in Alaska would foi'in no 
 unimportant factor in the finances of the geiu'i-al gov- 
 ernment. This industry has languished, he says, 
 maiidy for tlie reason that n<j title to uiining lands, 
 other than that of force, has thus far been recognized. 
 For the same reason the grazinsr and agricultural ca- 
 pabilities of the territory, which he considered full 
 of promise, were yet undevelo[)ed. He urged that 
 timber tracts, building-lots, agricultural areas, and 
 mining lands be made sul)ject to legal titles, for, with- 
 out such titles, the progress of settlement must be 
 slow and uncertain. 
 
 He recommended, also, that mail facilitie?' be 
 increased. There should be at least semi-monthly 
 
 in subjection, and afterward made a valual)lc official report, which has already 
 been (|Uotod iu these jiages. To liiin succeeded Cajitaiii (ila.ss, an olLcer of 
 marked ability, who l)y liis iirnmcss and humanity won the resjirct of tlio 
 natives, and made .several treaties of peace between liostile Indian tribes, 
 maintaining a protectorate over the various settlements until relieved, in 
 1881, l;y C(jniniander Lull in the steamer Wm-hundi. In the autuuni of 18S2 
 Captain ^lerriman, in cli;u<,'e of the Adams, was detjiiled for the Alaska sta- 
 tion, and dischai'ged his manifold duties as umpire, judge, leferee, and pre- 
 server of the peace, with considerable tact and discretion. Not inlrecjuently 
 he Mas called upon to save the lives of persons doomed to death for witcii- 
 craft, and to prevent the slaughter of slave* at funerals and |K)tlatciies. Mcr- 
 rinian was superf^cilcd in command of the Ailaiii" In' C'apt. .J. 15. Coghlan, 
 wlio, finding the Indians peaceable, devoted his leisure to a survey of tlie 
 most freipiented channels uf the inside p;iss;ige, marking off with b.uoj-s tlio 
 channel through Wrangell Nairows and I'eril Straits, and designating un- 
 known rocks in Saginaw ('hannel and Neva Strait. In August I.ssl tlie 
 Adnma was I'eplaceil by the Pin/a. Sci<lmon'» Alcmku, '2l'.)-'2'.i; Sivramenlo 
 Union, May -JO, 18S1. 
 
 '^' The governor also reinstated the Indian police, di.seharged by Captain 
 Nichols, after being carried for some ye.irs on the pay-rolls of the navy, aa 
 he considered them necessary to inspire due respect lor the civil auihonty. 
 
730 
 
 ALASKA AS A CIVIL AND JUDICLVL DLSTRICT. 
 
 commuulcatioii with Port Towiisond, and a inonthly 
 inail-steaincr should run between Sitka and Unalaska, 
 toucliini; at several intervening ports. The distance 
 Ix'tween these j)orts is twelve hundred miles, hut a^ 
 tliere is no direct communication, persons wisliinjjf to 
 avail tliemselves of the district court tiibunal estab- 
 lished at the ca[)ital must travel by way of San Fran- 
 cisco, and return by tlic same nnite, the entire 
 journey being nearly eight thousand miles. The dis- 
 tricts of Kadiak and Kenai, which were altog«-tl)er 
 ignored in the organic act, should be [ilaced undi r the 
 protection of the civil authority; for in those districts 
 Were several hundred Russians and Creoles, who were 
 ])oaceable, industrious, and eager to shai'e in tlie 
 benelits of Americ n progress. 
 
 The customs service could not bo efficiently carried 
 on with the means then at command. For this puiposc 
 it was necessary that at least one revenue-cutter should 
 be constantly employed in cruising among the chan- 
 nels and inlets of the coast. At this time illicit tralHc 
 ])rcvailed in many portions of the teri'itory. The 
 bouiuhuy line between tlie Portland canal and ?.I(»unt 
 St Julias sliould be sj)ee(Hly and definitely settled by 
 a joint survey of the British and American govern- 
 ments, for several of the hiufhwavs leadinLr into Brit- 
 i.^h C(;lumbia lie partly within the limits of Alaska, 
 amoni>- them bein!*- the one leading to the Stikeen 
 lliver mines. 
 
 On the subject of education the governor remarked 
 tliat Alaska was entirely without schools for white 
 cliildren, the missionary schools being attended only 
 by natives. The former were growing up in total 
 ignorance, though their parents were most anxious to 
 give them education, and would gladly pay for the 
 services of teachers. 
 
 Finally, with regard to traffic in spirituous liquor, 
 lie stated that the military connnander of the division 
 of the Paciiic had the right to grant permits for its 
 introduction into the territory. Whether, or to what 
 
SALE OF LIQUORS. 
 
 731 
 
 extent, tlio commander oxerci.sed tliat |)o\vcr,he wa.s not 
 aware; but, with or without jjormission, a very large 
 quantity of hquor found its way into AUiska. Tliu law 
 foil);ule its introduction, except for certain purj)oses, 
 hut (hd not forbid its sale after it was introduced, and 
 liijuor was openly sold in all the princij)al settlements; 
 tIiou!^'h, on account of the severe penalties enforced by 
 the naval and customs authorities, little of it was dis- 
 posctl of amoriLj the natives,^"* The utmost vigilance 
 on the part of oilicials could not entirel}' [)revent this 
 traffic, for countless devices were practised whereby the 
 law was evaded; but in order to regulate it, the gov- 
 ernor suggested the appointn)ent of an exei.'utivt! c(»un- 
 cil, with full power to act in the matter. He also 
 reconnnended that saloon-keepers, tradesmen, and 
 others should contribute, by a license, tax, or other- 
 wise, to the su])port of government, paying at least 
 enough to maintain the police and to keep the streets 
 and sidewalks in repair.^ 
 
 It will be observed that, while the governor made 
 some excellent suggestions as to what congress ought 
 to do, he said nothincT about what he Iiimself intended 
 to do. A, ruler of a country so vast in extent, and 
 containing such varied and conflicting interests, he was 
 necessarily intrusted with discretionary j)owers. lie 
 appears to have fully understi)od the needs of the 
 country, and had he continued in power, it is not im- 
 probable that he might have made some effort to sup- 
 j.'ly them. He did not remain long enough in the terri- 
 tv)ry, however, to frame any important measures, or 
 at least to carry them into elfect, altliough it was })ro- 
 vided in the organic act that lie should reside within 
 the district durini:!: his term of office. 
 
 xV few weeks after the inauguration of President 
 Cleveland, Kinkead was requested to send in his resig- 
 
 "^Thc governor stated that, through the efforts of the same aiithoriiii's, the 
 niamifticturo of hootchciioo had bcoii ahiiost iiitirely broken up iu the uuigh- 
 borlio;)d oi Sitka and other parts of the arehipelago. 
 
 ^''I'iio text of the gov('riior's report, with tioiuu slight omissious, will bo 
 found in the ,S. F. Dulkiin, Dee. 18, 1884. 
 
 J 
 
7r.2 ALA-SKA AS A CIVIL AND JUDICIAL DISTIUCT. 
 
 nation, A. P. Swincford of Mii-hiu-mj buin^ a[)i)()IntLj 
 ill hi.s stciid on tlio Olli of Muv, I88j. 
 
 III the exploration of the interior of Alaska and 
 tlio survey of its coasts, bays, and I'ivors, considerable 
 proLjress has been made during' recent years, coiisider- 
 iii,H' tile iinnieiise area to be exjilored. Xuiuenjiis 
 expeditions have been undertaken in addition to those 
 ineiitioned in a previous chapter,""' and many charts 
 have been published, some of them valuable, and 
 (jthei'S so utterly Nvorthlcss that the ca[)taiii who 
 should follow them would run his vessel at various 
 points into the mountains of the mainland. Reports 
 without number have been made by navigatitrs as to 
 the difficulties encountered anioiii,^ these intricate 
 channels and dangerous harbors,"* but no nlial^le 
 charts of the entire coast have as yet been made. 
 
 In the summer of 1883 Lieutenant Schwatka and 
 •six others ^^ traversed the up})er Yukon Ijy raft from 
 its source to Fort Selkirk, a distance of about five 
 hundred miles, their object being to gather inlnrma- 
 tion as to the Indian tribes of that region, and for 
 geographical exploration. The middle Yukon, as far 
 as the junction of that river witli the Porcupine, and 
 the lower Yukon, extending from this point to the 
 delta, had already been explored, as we have seen, by 
 the servants of the Ilussian American Company, who 
 occasionally ascended the stream from the direction 
 of St ]\[ichael sometimes possibly as far as the present 
 site of Fort Ilel lance, and thence made their way 
 ]xirtly overland to the Lynn canal. In the suninier 
 of 1883 the lieutenant set fi^rtli to explore the river 
 
 soRecpp. ( S-0, this vol. 
 
 '* Among t. era may Ijo mentioned the case of .J. C. GliiUltu, who, in the 
 summer of IS', was in command of a vcsscd voya{,'!,ig to tlio gulf of ><'usha- 
 gak, between \ parallels of oS" 'I'i and oU' 2' N. and tiio meridians of 1,"')S^ 
 5' and l.'iS^ 4;V ', according to Itussian surveys. He rejiorts its entrance oh- 
 strncted by ban nd quicksands, which rendered its na\ igatiou difiicult and 
 dangerous, thou i a pilot could usually be obtained at Cape Konstantin. 
 Ti-ip It) Ala-iha, /S,, 1,(5-7. 
 
 '''n>r Wilson, .'opographical assistant Homan, Sergeant Oloster, Corporal 
 Shircliir, Private Iloth, and a Mr iiciiitosh. L'cnluiy 21wj., IStiJ, "L^'J, !j1'J. 
 
SniWATKA'S FATFDITIOX. 
 
 m 
 
 from its source to its nioutli, tlu' Itasin of the njipor 
 Yukon lu'iiin^, lis lie tlioui^lit, a tfira iiu-ogiiita. 
 
 LtMviii'L;- diilkat on the 7tli «»t' Juiu! with thirto(ni 
 Cannes towed hy a steam-launch helonj^inn" tn tlie 
 Northwest Tradini"' Company, ho pass/d throULi^h the 
 ]jynn canal and the Chilk(»<)t Inlet, arriviuL;' at tho 
 mouth <»f a swit't-rumiinL,' stream, some ninety feet 
 in wi(Uli, eall(;d bv tht; Indians the Davav. Here ho 
 took leave of the launch, and at this ]»(»int, as he 
 claims, his ex|)loration conuncnced, tlioUL''Ii in fact ho 
 Avas on rffound perfectly familiar to tlie Ivussians, wen 
 in the days of ilaranof. Reachinjx the head of navi- 
 pition on the lOth, the cano(.'s wore unloaded and 
 their three or four tons of I'rei^ht packed on th<>l)acl 
 
 vS 
 
 of seventy luuians, the parts' reaching, the sauiu 
 uiyht, the head waters of the stream, under banks (»f 
 snow, and at the foot of a pass about three thousand 
 feet in heiLfht, which the lieuttMiant named Perrier 
 where, he savs, "lon<^ lin<j-er-like elaciers 
 of clear blue ice extended down the j>Tanite •••ulches to 
 our very level." 
 
 The ascent was a difficult one and not unattended 
 with danger. In places the mountain side ai)])eared 
 almost perpendicular, and a lew stmited jimi[)er roots 
 ■protruding thi-ough a thin covering of snow allbrded 
 the only support. The footsteps of the guides were 
 turned inward and planted deep, thus giving a tinu 
 liold, and the remainder followed in their tracks, ,s(»me 
 of them using rough alpcn-stocks, lor the least slip 
 ^vould have dashed them down the precij)itous slope 
 hundreds of feet into the vallev lu>lo\v. ArriviuLj at 
 
 *-■ ij 
 
 the summit without mishap, the party found them- 
 selves in a driiring log, such as many of mv readers 
 inav liave observed hanging in sunnner for davs at a 
 time (jver Snowdon or Jjvw Xevis, both of which 
 mountains are but three or f )ur degrees south of the 
 
 ^■' \Vliy he so called it he does not state. I do not find tho pass named or 
 even iimrkcd ill any of the maps imblish.^d before ISt,;!, Uiongh it i.s ocrtaiii 
 that the lieutenant nas not the lirst white man who made the ascent of tho 
 Dayay ilivor or iiortt-ge. 
 

 ALASKA AS A CIVIL AND JUDICIAL DISTRICT. 
 
 \)()\ut where they now stood. Doscciidinrr the yv>:<, 
 the lieutenant afterward came in sight of two lar^j 
 hikes connected by a channel about a mile in lengt'i, 
 and v.liiih ho named lakes Lindermaim and Bennett.-'* 
 
 On the shore of the latter he built his raft, sonio 
 fifteen by forty feet, witli decks fore and aft, space 
 being left for oars at the bow, stern, and sides, so that 
 when laden it could be pulled in still water at a rate 
 of nioie than half a mile an hour. Behind tlic for- 
 ward deck was lioisted a nine-foot mast, a wall-tent 
 serving for a sail, and for a yard its ridge-pole, while 
 the projecting logs that supported the deck were used 
 as belaying-[)ins. In tliis strange cral't, built in tlie 
 ice-cold water of the lake, the Heutenant launclied 
 forth on tlie n)orning of the 19th of Juno on liis ex- 
 pl()r'<'.ion of tlio ui)[)er Yukon. 
 
 liie outset of the vo3'ago was by no means propi- 
 tious. The wind at first blew gently from the south, 
 and hoisting sail, he made from two to three miles an 
 hour; but the wind freshened into a gale and the gale 
 increased to a cyclone, threatening to carr3' awaj' the 
 mast, while the waves swept the frail bark fore and 
 aft, deluging all on Ixxxrd, so tliat rowing became im- 
 possible. 
 
 On the following afternoon the party reached the 
 northern end of Lake Bennett, and thence, without 
 special ailventuro, made their wa}', by the route known 
 as the Indian portage, to a point which Schwatka 
 terms the grand caiion of the Yukon, where arc 
 raoids some five miles in length, in })laces shoal 
 and dangerous even for the navigation of a canoe. 
 At first the watei's pour in troubletl foam between 
 basaltic pillars, about seventy feet apart, then widei 
 into a basin filled with eddies and whirl})ools, and 
 again pass through a second cafion, almost the coun- 
 terpart of the first. Thus the river llows onward for 
 scv^eral miles, after which it narrows almost into a 
 
 '* Bota of these lakes, which form a part of the Iiidiaii portage, arc luarkcl 
 on tlio U. S. Coast Survey ur.tp of IbviU. 
 
DOWN THE YUKOX, 
 
 735 
 
 cascade', less than thirty foot M'ido, and wltli waves 
 runniiiu: five feet liigh. So swift and turbulent is the 
 stream at this point, that, as tlie lieutenant relates, 
 its waters dash up the banks on either side, fallini^ 
 back in solid sheets into tho seething caldron bt;lov,'. 
 
 Stationincr a few men below the cascade to render 
 assistance, as the raft shot past them, Schwatka 
 turned its head toward the outlet of the grand canon 
 of the Yukon, through which he passed.^^ 
 
 The party had now overcome their greatest difii'^ul- 
 ties. llepairing the raft, on the 5th of 'July they 
 passed the mouth of tho Tahkeena Riv^er,^"and thence, 
 without further incident wortliy of note, vovan'cd 
 down the stream to Fort Selkirk, completing tho 
 journey mainly by raft down the middle and lower 
 Yukon, and thence proceeded to St Michael, where 
 they were met by the revenue-cutter Cunrln.^' 
 
 In 1884 and 1885 several expeditions were under- 
 taken by order of General Miles, then in charge of 
 the department of the Coluinl)ia, which includes 
 Alaska. In February of the former year Doctor 
 Everette set forth from Vancouver Barracks for the 
 purpose of ex[)loring a portion of the Yukon, and tho 
 section of territory near the head of Copper River. 
 Procuring Indian guides at Juneau, he proceeded to 
 Chilkat, and tliere remained for three montlis, stutly- 
 ing tlie language of the tribe. Thence, reacliing tho 
 head waters oi' the Yukon by wa}'^ of the Lynn canal 
 and tlie Dayay River, following about the same I'outo 
 as wa taken by Schwatka's party in 1883, h(^ voyagcMl 
 down the stream, in a boat of his own construction, 
 as far as tho first fur-tradin<x station. Here ho 
 awaited the arrival of the steamer fron) the B(.'ring 
 Sea, and being abandoned b}' his pack Lidians, aiul 
 unable to obtain a su})ply of provisions for winter use, 
 he had no alternative but to complete his journey on 
 board that vessel, arriving at St Michael during the 
 
 '■'Tho lieut christened his crnft the Ihxolute, 
 
 •"Now usually o;ill(.!il tho Tahk. 
 
 « CudiuijM'i., Supt. Oct.lbSJ, 739-51, 819-29; Sc'uhmre's Alaskn, \\ I'JO. 
 
ALASKA AS A CIVIL AND JUDICIAL DISTRICT. 
 
 aiitnimi, and reaching San Francisco on the 29tli of 
 Auo-ust, 1885. 
 
 Tlius, as ho claims, I>octor Evorctto made a running 
 survey of tlie entire stream, from which, and from the 
 information furnislied b}^ fur-traders, he prepared 
 charts of the river, of his route, extending over 
 twenty-six liundred miles, of the Yukoi" Lake system, 
 of the greater portion of the Tcnnanah River, of the 
 entire Kuskolivim River, and t)f many smaller streams 
 in a region which had not yet been explored exce])t by 
 fur-trad(M's, toL^'ether with itineraries on a tabulated 
 scale, accompanying the charts and showing every 
 ]M)int of interest between Chilkat and St Michael. 
 The doctor also states that he collected statistics 
 ct)ncerning all the exj)lorations made on the Yukon 
 sin(;e the year 18G5, tosrether with a mass of in- 
 formation setting forth the name, occupation, date of 
 arrival and de[)arture of every missionary, miner, and 
 trader who had been on the Yukon since the date of 
 the transfer. Finally, he collected the dialects of all 
 the leading tribes in Alaska, from Chilkat throuuli 
 the Ulterior to St jMichael, thence north to Kotzebue 
 Sound, and from that point southward to the Aleutian 
 Archipelago.'^'^ 
 
 In the sununer of 1885 the Corwiii was again em- 
 ployed in explorations on the Alaskan coast, and it 
 was pro})osed that her trip should extend as far north- 
 ward as Kotzebue Sound. At Chatham Inlet Lieu- 
 tenant Caldwell was sent to ex])lore the Kowak River 
 as far, if i)0ssible, as its head waters, and a second 
 expedititm, in charge of Engineer Lonegan, was or- 
 dered to explore the Noyataz. In the spring of 1885 
 Lieutenant Stoney, Ensign Purcell, Engineer Zane, 
 Surgeon Nash, and some ten others, set forth to 
 explore the Putnam River on board the schooner 
 Vlkiiig, a steam-launch, having been built for that 
 purpose at Mare Island. Procuring Indian guitU's 
 
 '■'^S. F. Chrmnch, Aug. 30, 1885. The fitatement published in this issue 
 \va:i iiniiiDUiiced to be coiTcct by Dr E\'erctti', wlio called at my Library a lew 
 days later. 
 
LATE EXPLORATIONS. 
 
 737 
 
 and dogs at St Michael, whore they arrived after a 
 tedious voyage caused by light and contrary winds, 
 they proceeded to St Lawrence Bay, and there ob- 
 tained a supply of furs and warm clothing. The 
 season was an open one, St Michael being clear of ice 
 at the end of May, and it was hoped that at least two 
 hundred and fifty miles of the stream could be ex- 
 plored before the expedition went into winter quarters 
 about the 1st of October, after which the work of 
 exploration was to be carried on by means of sledges. 
 When the launch could proceed no farther she was to 
 bo employed in conveying j)rovisi()ns for the winter 
 c;amp, and lier engines and b(jilers were afterward to 
 be used in running a saw-mill, by which timber could 
 be cut lor the construction of frame houses. In May 
 188G Captain Stoncy proposed to descend the river, 
 returninir to San Francisco in the autumn of that 
 year 
 
 39 
 
 During recent years frequent explorations of the 
 interior liave been made by mining [)ro,spectors, espe- 
 cially in the direction of tlie Yukon Kiver and its 
 tributaries. In 1878 and 1880 ])arties left for tlie 
 head waters of that stream, and through the influence 
 brought to bear by Captain ]]ear(lsloe of the James- 
 town were kindly received by tlie Cliilkats, wlio, being 
 assured that they would not interfere with their fur 
 trade, guided them through their territory, indica- 
 tions of gold and large gravel deposits being dis- 
 covered. In 188:2 a band of forty-five prosi)ectors 
 from Arizona left Juneau for the same point, and 
 returning in the autumn, reported discoveries of gold, 
 silver, nickel, copper, and coal in the district be- 
 tween the Lewis and Copper rivers, louring this 
 year three ])r(jsi)ect()rs jn'oceeded to the mouth of 
 Stewart Kiver, which they ascended in canoes for 
 two hundred miles. They i'ound navigation somewhat 
 
 »».9. /'. Vhronirle, Fi»). .'), LSS.'); S. /•'. Call, Aug. 20, 1885. Nows of the 
 
 firngrosM of tliin cxpoditiDu wjis bnm^'lit by l^iciit Piirci'll, who rutunied co 
 km Fnuicisco Au;:,'. 'l'.\, 188,), being dioubk'il thruugli sickucss. 
 Ulsi. Alakea. il 
 
m 
 
 ALASKA AS A CIVIL AND JLT)ICIAL DISTRICT. 
 
 easy, there being stretches of 100 miles where no 
 portaj^e was needed, and none of tlie portages exceed- 
 ing half a mile. During their trip they examimid 
 more than a hundred streams, in all of which gold 
 was discovered, though the ground and even the bo. Is 
 of streams where was running water were frozen. 
 Hence, they said, it was impossible to work the 
 deposits; but the fact that one of the party proceeded 
 to San Francisco to purchase a schooner and load it 
 with miners' su])[)lios ibr that quarter would seem to 
 indicate that this was not the case. Between 18bO 
 and 1883 more than two hundred prospectors visited 
 the Yukon district, the Chilkats kee])ing control of 
 the travel, and charging six to ten dollars for each 
 hundred pounds of baggage conveyed over the port- 
 age between the river and the lakes.*" 
 
 The maps of the upper Yukon district made since 
 the purchase have not changed materially the charts 
 made by the Russians. Among them is one prepared 
 by a native named Kloh-Kutz*' for Professor David- 
 son, which has been made the basis for an official 
 chart. From the maps and publications of two doc- 
 tors of the names of Krause, belonixing to the geo- 
 graphical society of Bremen, who recently explored 
 the neighborhood of the Yukon portages, the coast 
 survey lias gathered information of considerable value. 
 
 The Takoo mir'os, and especially those in the neigh- 
 borhood of Harrisburg, or Juneau," and the quartz 
 
 *° Dr Evercttc's opinion as to the mining outlook in the Yukon district 
 was unfiivorablo. First, he believed that no mother vein exists in that rcL'ion, 
 while tlic jilaeei' di,i.';,'ings eontain only iino Hour t;o!d wiiieh it is very dillicult 
 to .save. One Jiarty inmi Juneau obtained about S-.^OO from a bar on the 
 upper Yukon in KSS4, but they exhausted tlie dig^'iiigs, and wore hiter pros- 
 peciing on the \Vhit(! and Stewart Rivers. Seeond, tiie ground only partially 
 tliawH during the brief suunnerof interior Alaska, the ieo opening in May and 
 closing in again during Oetober. Tliird, it is impossible to procure provisions 
 sulUcient for the winter at the fur-trading post.s, wliilc freight via Chilkat t(j 
 tlie head of the Yukon is §l*0 per hundred pounds. »S'. F. Chronicle, Aug. IV), 
 188'). The doetor elainis to be versed in mineralogy, and to liavo had praoii- 
 cal (experience iu tiio placer mines of tlio Black Hills and the quartz mines ot 
 New .Mexico. 
 
 " 'i'iie fatlier of Klohkutz, a chief fur-trader, was among the band of 
 Chilkals who burned J'\)rt Selkirk in IS.'il, iu eonseiiuence of the intorfeienee 
 of the IIiulsou's Hay t'omi)any with tlieir trade. Sciil/nore's Alaska, I'-'l. 
 
 *^ The name J uueuu was formally adopted at u meetiug of miners held iu 
 
ALASKA GOLD MINES. 
 
 739 
 
 veins on Dou!Tla8 Island, have attracted tlic most at- 
 tention within recent years, and are the only districts 
 that require further mention. The bars and shores 
 of Takoo River have been searched for miles beyond 
 the Takoo Inlet, and in most of the adjacent streams 
 fine gold has been discovered, carried down by the 
 glaciers that now lie amid the ravines and fiords of 
 this region. 
 
 In 1879 Professor Muir expressed h's belief that 
 valuable quartz leads would be found on the mainland 
 east of Bai'anof Island, and that the true mineral belt 
 would follow the trend of the shore. His })rediction 
 was soon vei'ifit'd. In the following autunm a pros- 
 pecting party ]v\'t Sitka in charge of Joseph Juneau 
 and Ilichard lian-is, and encamping on the present 
 site of the town of Juneau, followed up a large creek 
 which discharges into the channel near that point. 
 Here they found rich placers and several |)romisin'4- 
 ledges. On their return to Sitka, with sacks full of 
 specimens, a rush was made for this district, and dur- 
 ing the winter a camp was established, which after- 
 ward developed into a town, among its inhabitants 
 being a iuunl)er of minors from Arizona and l)riti>li 
 Columbia. From the placers in this neighborhood it 
 is estimated that about §300,000 had been obtaiiieil 
 up to the close of 1883.*^ The correct iigures, how- 
 ever, cannot be ascertained even approximately, foi-, 
 on account of the heavy express charges, many of the 
 miners, proceeding to Wi'ang'll, Victoria, San Fran- 
 cisco, or wherever the}'' pass the winter, carry with 
 
 Way ISS'J, tlioiicjli hotli arc still nsod. In 18S1 tlio town contained nljout .').) 
 lioiiscs, ami Hilic was an Indian villa!,'uon both sides of it. Scidmorc's AUt.i/.'i, 
 
 8-2-:^. 
 
 *'As an instance of tlic little that is known in Wasliiiigton cnneernin!,' tlie 
 rcsomccs of Alaska, it may lie nientinnud that for the tiscal year rn(iin.;.)i:ni' 
 3U, ItSSi), the ti)t;'.l Imllion proihiet of Alaska, was estimated by the director cl 
 the mint ut .S(J,0<)0, and for the onsning year at .S7,(X)(). Jloiim' Er. l>or., ,;;^'^ 
 CoiKj. l^t Si'ss., xiv., p. '2(i0. In Sriihnoir'.^ Ahirtkd, S."*, the produet of the 
 placer mines in the Takoo district alone is given for 1S81 at.Sl;i."),0()0, for IS^-J 
 lit S-'.")0,OUO, and for I8S:{ at .S4(K),0(M). These figures are dOuhtlcsa too hi-h. 
 Duiiiig the seasons of lS)Sl-;t tlicrc were probalily some 'JOO miners at work 
 in this district, and estimating their aver.'ige earnings iitSsOOeaeh per season, 
 we have a totiil of about $500,000 for the three years. 
 
740 
 
 ALASKA AS A CIVIL AND JUDICIAL DISTRICT. 
 
 them their own gokl-dust. In 1884 the surface 
 tle})osits .showed signs of exhaustion, and many of 
 the claims were aban -.oned, though some that were 
 still partially worked yielded fair returns. !Mean- 
 while prospecting was continued, and tunnels, run 
 a short distance into several quartz ledges, disclosed 
 a moderate amount of low-grade gold ore, but noth- 
 ing that, under existing conditions, would pay for 
 working. 
 
 In 1885 the most prominent mine in Alaska, and 
 one of the most prominent on the Pacific coast, was 
 the Treadwell, or as it is now usually termed, the 
 Paris lode, at Douglas Island, discovered''* and re- 
 corded in May 1881, and deeded in November of 
 that 3^ear to Mr John Treadwell. The pro[)ert.y was 
 afterward transferred to an incorporation styled the 
 Alaska ]\[ill and Mining Company, of which, in 1885, 
 Mr Treadwell was superintendent,*' and under whoso 
 direction $400,000 had been expended on the develop- 
 ment of the projjerty.*® The results, however, fully 
 justified the outlay.*' 
 
 A short time alter the company took possession of 
 its pro})erty two tunnels were run into the ledge, and 
 thence and from the surface ore was extracted and 
 worked in a five-stamj) mill, for th . purpose of thor- 
 oughly testing the mine. The returns being satisfac- 
 tory, a third tunnel was run, at a vertical de})th of 2;}0 
 feet. An uprise of 275 feet at the foot-wall, having 
 been made to the surface, is now used for an ore chute. 
 The width of the ledge was found to be 450 feet, the 
 
 **By Pierre Joseph Ernsara. FireJiora'n AlcicLa Mill and Minhxi Co., 
 MS. 
 
 ''Receiving this appointment under the first organization, whun James 
 Freeborn was chosen president, the directors being J. J). Fry, K. SI. Fry. II. 
 L. Hill, and ][. H. Shinn. In October ISS.j the proprietoi's M'cre Senator J. 
 P. Jones, Messrs Freeboni, Treadwell, Hill, Shinn, ,]. 1). Fry, and 1"! M. 
 Fry, all of these gentlemen, with tiic exception of the lirst, w ho held a sixth 
 interest in tlio property, being still oUicers of the company. /'/. 
 
 ^^ By the company. Id. In Kinkead's Nrvitda and Alaxka, MS., 1.1, the 
 total outlay, including what was expended before the transfer of the property 
 by Mr Treadwell, is given at §.")00,000. 
 
 " In the S. F. Chroiiklc, Nov. 17, 1884, it is stated that there was at this 
 date §12,000,000 in sight. I give the statement for what it is worth. 
 
GOLD YIELD. 
 
 7*1 
 
 oro-body averaging 88.50 per ton in free gold and ilvc 
 per cent of sul[)liurets, with an assay value of $100 ])er 
 ton. Thereupon the company decided to erect a 120- 
 stanip mill, with a capacity of 300 tons per day, and 
 ^vith 48 True concentrators and 24 Challenge ore- 
 feeders, the mill being coni[)leted in the summer of 
 1885. Between June 19th and Septen)ber 19th of 
 that year the aggregate yield amounted to $150,000,*^ 
 though for various reasons, the principal one being an 
 unusually dry season, and the fact that during the sum- 
 mer the snow and ice disappeared altogether from the 
 neighboring mountains, the mill stood idle for one third 
 of this period.'*'' About the close of 1885, or early in 
 the following year, the superintendent proposed to 
 erect two additional furnaces, and to j>laee electric 
 lights in the mine, inill, and surrounding works.^' 
 
 Adjoining the Paris ledge, and a continuation of 
 the same vein, was the Bear ledge,^^ believed to be 
 
 ••'For tlic month ending July 19th, .?")o,000, .and for the otlicr two montlis 
 $1)0, 000 mill !?tl,000 I'cspcctivoly, the yield lioing ciitiiely from fVio gold and 
 apart from siilplniicts. Fniborn'tt Ahixka Mill anil Miniii'/ Co., MS. 
 
 ''■'Sodii afterward a dcspatcli was received from tiiu siiperintendcnt, stat- 
 ing that tlie.'i; was a plentiful suiiply of water, that the works were all iii 
 running onier, ami that the next bullion shipment would probably Ijo ilie 
 largest yet made from the mine. /tl. 
 
 ^"Tlic frame-work of the mill was built of lundxT cut by the compallv';^ 
 Baw-mill, which, up to Septemlier hSSo, had turned out sonic 'J,'2.')0,0(K) feet, 
 the I'emaiuder being used for chloriuatii.n-works and the usual buildings 
 nccde<l for a mine of this description, amt'Ug them being boarding-houses for 
 the men, of whom nearly ."iOO were employed at good wages, the Indians 
 receiving §00 per month, and M'hito men in proportion. A tramway had 
 been constructed for hauling ore from the chute to the mill, and hydraulic 
 lunchiucry has been forwarded for that jiurpose, which has greatly reihiccd 
 the cost of transporting the ore. The mine, some 1(10 miles north-east from 
 Sitka, is H,"iO yards from the .shore of (Jastiiu'aux (Jhaiuiel, ai'd the mill SiiO 
 feet from the foot of the chute. The ]iresident states tiiat chiring two s"asi>ns 
 tiie company was robbed at least to the ■•unount nf .^1 -i),(KfO by Hurfaee-mincis, 
 who waalied oil" the top of tlie ledge, and as there were no laws, or none in 
 force, did very nuicii as they pleased. 
 
 In Frriborn'n Ala^hi Mill (tnil Miiiiii;/ Co., MS., I have been furnish<:»l 
 by the president of tiic company with a terse and reliable statement as to the 
 condition and working oi this mine, from which the above facts and figures 
 are tfdvcn. 
 
 In tins connection may 1)C mentioned recent ad vice.s from Kadiak, 'indcr 
 date Sept. 22, 188,"), according to which this section of Alaska had been 
 totally neglected by the Unite<l States and district authorities. Fiom the 
 civil goverunicut at Sitka nothing had been lieai'd, and the people were still 
 without oilicial notification of its existence IS months after the passage of the 
 act creating Alaska a civil au<l judicial district. S. F, Bulklin, Oct. 5, 1885. 
 
 '•Owned iii 1884 by Carroll and lii,s partners. 
 
742 
 
 ALASKA AS A CIVIL AXD JUDICIAL DISTRICT. 
 
 also a valuable property, though as yet the latter 
 has been but little dovcloiiecl. Elsewhere anionsjf 
 the mountains that ridge Douglas Island from end 
 to end are quartz lodes innumerable, some of which 
 seem promising enough to warrant the investment 
 of capital. That the most permanent mines so far 
 discovered in Alaska should be found on an island 
 — the island surveyed by Vancouver more than 
 ninety years ago — is somewliat of an anomaly in min- 
 ing annals; but Alaska, with her inland seas, her 
 glaciers, her midnight suns in midsummer, her phantom 
 auroras in midwinter, and her phantom government 
 at all seasons of the year, is the land of anomalies. 
 
 At present it maybe said tliat the mining interests 
 of Alaska are mainly centred in Douglas Island. 
 Elsewhere there may be large deposits of ore, but none 
 of them have yet been extensively worked. Those in 
 northern and central Alaska are too remote to be made 
 available, and the lodes discovered near Sitka have 
 proved of little value, the gold-bearing ore being of low 
 grade and the veins broken in formation. In a country 
 \\here travel is difficult and the cost of transportation 
 excessive, only those mines can be made to pay which 
 are situated near the coast, nnless they be exception- 
 ally rich. Moreover, on account of the forests and 
 the dense growth of moss which hide the surface, 
 Alaska is a very difficult country to prospect. As a 
 rule, outcroppings are rarely Ibund, and leads are 
 usuallv discovered bv following float ore and tracing it 
 up stream to the main body. That the territory will, 
 however, at some future date, contain a not inconsider- 
 able mining population, is almost beyond a peradven- 
 ture. Provisions are much cheaper than in most of 
 the raining districts of British Columbia, and fish and 
 game can be had for nothing. The main drawback 
 appears to be that in Alaska miners are not content 
 with such earnings as would elsewhere be considered 
 a reasonable return for their labor. 
 
FISIIERirs. 
 
 r43 
 
 Conccrniiiiif the fisheries ol' Al:isl<a, a few items re- 
 main to be acL.ed to those whit-Ii have heen alroatly 
 mentioned. The cannery established by Cuttinj^ and 
 Company, at Kasih)ft' liiver, on Cook Inlet, in 1882, 
 has been fairly successful, consitlerin;;" the difTiculty in 
 establishing a new enterprise «)f this descrij)tion, the 
 jtack, after the first year, averai^ini,^ some 20, 000 cases. 
 The vitrieties packed are the k'uii; salmon, the silver 
 sahnon, and what is known as the reil fish, the last 
 l.eiiiijf similar to the red salmon of the Fraser ]liver. 
 The Kasiloffis not a navii^able stream, its source beinjjf 
 a lake about twenty miles Irom its outlet. A'essels 
 freij^hted with ^'oods for the cannery, or waiting for 
 the season's pack, arc compelled to lie in an o[)en road- 
 stead, where there is a heavy fall and lisr of the tide. 
 Notwithstanding this drawback, however, the firm is 
 satisfied with results so far, considering the depressed 
 condition of the market. The Alaska Sahnon l*ack- 
 iiiLi- and Fur Companv, at Nah.a I'av, has also been 
 measurably successful, though in 1885 the pack was 
 only of salt salmon. At' that date there were two 
 other canneries in operation, one at Jiristol Bay, nanuid 
 the Arctic Packini; Comiianv, and tlu; other at Karluk 
 
 O It/' 
 
 on Kadiak Island, the pack of the latter for 1885 being 
 about 30,000 cases. 
 
 The total pack of Alaska salmon was estimated for 
 the year 1885 at about 05,000 cases, and the iact 
 that, in the face of extremely low juices, this in<lustry 
 has not only held its own, but increased considerably, 
 while on the Cohnnbia there has been a considerable 
 decrease in the output, is significant of its future suc- 
 cess. Thus far, however, profits have been very light. 
 The amount of capital needed to establish and con- 
 duct the business is disproportionately large. l*ay- 
 ments for material must be made at least four or five 
 months before the ])roduct is laid down in San Fran- 
 cisco or in other markets, and it is I'ound necessary to 
 carry a large surplus stock of stores. The cost of tlie 
 passage of employes is paid at all the Alaska canneries, 
 
fU 
 
 ALASKA AS A CIVIL AND JUDICIAL DISTRICT. 
 
 tog(!tlicr witli their wajj^os wliile jounieylnL,' to ami fro; 
 and tlio roj)air of iiiacliincry is an unusually «.'Xj)eii.s- 
 ivo item. Tho prospects of the business ticpeiul, ot' 
 course, mainly on tlio continuance of heavy runs of lish 
 on the Columbia Kiver, and it is stated that the enor- 
 mous catch year by year has already begun to ttll 
 very seriously on the run.''" Tho supply of sahnon in 
 th(.> waters of Alaska is practically unlimited, and it 
 is [)robable that the take is more than offset l»y tho 
 destruction of fur-seals, which devour the food-fish 
 that frequent her shores, as salmon, smelt, and mack- 
 erel, eaeh one consuming, it is said, no less than sixty 
 jxninds a day. 
 
 At Kiliisnoo, on the island of Kcnashoo, oriujinally 
 a whaling-station, the Northwfst 'J'rading Com[);my 
 had, in 1885, a large establishment where codfish 
 Avere (hied, and herrinuf antl doii-iish oil, and fish i»uano 
 manufactured. J^arge warehouses anil works were 
 built, near which was a vilhige of Indians emjtloyed 
 as fishermen, and receiving two cents apiece for the 
 catch of codfish, boats being provided by the com- 
 ]iany. About .$100,000 was invested in this enter- 
 prise, the oil-works alone having cost $70,000. The 
 cod in these waters average about four pounds in 
 weight, and as many as eight thousand are sometimes 
 taken in a single day, producing about fifteen hun- 
 dred boxes of the dried fish. Of herring, as many 
 as five hundred barrels are occasionally caught at a 
 single haul of tho seine, each barrel yielding about 
 three sjfallons of oil. 
 
 Thus it would appear that the fisheries of Alaska 
 alone might furnish the basis of a considerable com- 
 merce; but under such conditions as now exist in that 
 district, there is little field for commercial or in- 
 dustrial enterprise, and it may be said that com- 
 merce, in its legitimate sense, does not exist. Im- 
 ports of duty-paying goods, which, as I have said, 
 
 ^'^Ciittinrj and Co.'s Alasl-a Salmon FishcHi's. MS. In this manuscript I 
 have been furnislieil with a brief and impartial account of the couditiou auJ 
 pi'ospccta of the Alaska canneries. 
 
COMMERCE. 
 
 743 
 
 for tho twelve inoiitlis I'lidinL,' ^[arcli 1, 1878, were 
 $.'5,1'!);), amounted, tor tlie tiseul year eiidiiifj^ Jiiiit* ;}0, 
 1882, to $8,484; juid nieanwliile domestic ex|)orts 
 showed a slight inci'ease."'^ For the latter year, it'A\e 
 can Ix'lieve otlieial reports, tho entire foreiiifii trath" 
 was with British Cohnubia, thon,<;]i, durinjjf tliat yeai', 
 liiteeii American vessels, with an a^j^iH^oate measun^- 
 ment of 9,4(51 tons, and twenty-nin(3 foreii,'n vessels 
 of 8,073 tons, entered Alaskan ]K)rts, while tho clear- 
 ances were twelve American vessels of 8,9!)3 tons, 
 and twenty-nine foreij^n vessels of 8,150 tons." 
 JNleanwhile tho ship-huilding industry had fallen some- 
 Avhat into decadence. In 1882 there was huilt a 
 .single vessel, probably a iishing-smack, with a meas- 
 uri'ment of (».4;5 tons — somewhat of a contrast, com- 
 pared with the days of the ]lussian American Com- 
 pany, when, as we have seen, a tleet of sea-going 
 {ships was launched in Alaskan waters. 
 
 A country where there is no commei'ce, where there 
 are few industries, where there are no scliools (;xcept 
 those supjiorted by charity, where no title can be had 
 to land, where there are no representative institutions 
 and no settled administration, and where the rainfall 
 is from five to eight feet a year, does not, of course, hold 
 out any very strong inducements to settlers. Of (Jl)O 
 persons who arrived at Alaskan ports during tho year 
 ending June 30, 1880, 533 were merely passengers, the 
 remaining 107 being miners from l^ritish Columbia. 
 For tho year ending Juno 30, 1882, matters were 
 still worse, the total arrivals mustering only 27, of 
 "whom 17 were miners, while the departures for that 
 year wore 387.''" These, however, are merely the re- 
 turns forwanled from the customs di.stricts, and I give 
 them for what they are worth. 
 
 "In tho report on commerce and navigation, in Home. Ex. Doc, 7, ^7<A 
 Conq. "il SesK., 24, doniostio exports for tho year ending June .'{0, 1882, are 
 Bt-itiTi at $38,520; and in Id., 7, 4'^th (Jomj. 3d Sess., xvi. 24, for tiie year end- 
 ing June 30, 1880, at §:n.r)43. 
 
 ^*Id., 7, 47th Con;/, u'd .SVss., 7.30, 739. 
 
 *^lleporton connneiee and navigation, in Home Ex. Doc, 7, .^<A Cong. 
 SdSesa., 088, 703; 47th Cowj. 2d Sesis., Id., 7, 078, 000, 730. 
 
740 
 
 ALASKA AS A CIVIL AXD JUDICIAL DISTniCT, 
 
 While Alnska remains, as it is to-day, littlo more 
 tlian a custoiiis dis^trict, thoui^h in naiiio a civil ami 
 judicial district, no better results need he alitici[)ated. 
 J f it should happen that in the year 181)0, when the 
 lease of the Alaska Connnercial Company e.\])ires, its 
 l)rivileges be divided, then there would doubtless be a 
 considerable inilux of population; but wliether such 
 inliux would, under present conditions, be of benelit 
 to the territory or to the United States is a somewhat 
 doubtful question. Layin<{ aside, however, the com- 
 ments of the press, and of disappointed political adven- 
 turers, it would seem to an impartial observer that the 
 claims of the company are not altogether unwortliy of 
 recognition. Leasing a few leagues of rock, hanging 
 almost midwaybetween thecontinents,they have,while 
 making larger returns to stockholders year by year 
 than were made by the Russian American Conij)any 
 in a decade, paid over to the United States almost the 
 face of the })urchase mono}', and by their forethought 
 and business tact furnished, though perhaps incident- 
 ally, means for wasteful extravagance in other sections 
 of the territory. It is [jrobablc that the lessees of 
 the Prybilof Islands were at first no less sorely dis- 
 appointed with tlieir bargain than were the purchasers 
 of tlie Treadwcll lode, and it is almost certain that in 
 neither instance did the parties foresee the difficulties 
 that la}' before them. The fact that they have con- 
 fronted and overcome those difficulties, and while 
 doing so have laid bare some of the resources of 
 Alaska, is one that needs not be pleaded against them. 
 
 What there is to bo nleaded against them, save 
 perhaps their success as a business association — the 
 fact that in 1885 they gathered nine tenths of the 
 world's supply of sea-otter skins and three fourths of 
 its supply of fur-seal skins, their chain of posts ex- 
 tending from Kamchatka^* far inland to the wilder- 
 ness on the i)urchase of which the secretary of state 
 
 ^^ Where they collect a few sea-otter skins, a large number of sables, and 
 from 1,500 to 3,000 blue fox skins, tlic fur or the last, though of a dingy 
 slate color, being considered almost as valuable as that of the white fox. 
 
A OOOD r.ARflAIX. 
 
 W 
 
 was nccuscd of wastinjjf 67,200,000; tliat when tliey 
 t'nt(M'(;(l upon this husiiiuss .scal-wkins wero Itai'cly sula- 
 blu at a dollar, and have shico tbuiul a ready market 
 at from twelve to twenty dollars — the reader will 
 JLid^a; for himself from the statements that 1 have 
 laid before him." 
 
 Exee[)ting, perhaps, Mr Seward, none whoso namos 
 are known in Alaskan annals provoked ahout the 
 year 1870 so mueh of cheap ridicule as did the iirm 
 that now controls the seal islands. "What, ^Fr 
 Seward," asked a friend, "do you consider the most 
 imjioi'tant measure of your political career?" "The 
 purchase of Alaska," he re[)lied; " hut it will take tho 
 peojile a generation to find it out.""* 
 
 " Of land peltry tho bulk was still gathered in 1 885 by tho Hudson's 
 Miiy (Jo., which collected 'J.W.OOU to .'100,000 iiiiiik Hkins, aj^aiiist inrliapa 
 l.i.OiW or "iO.OOO imrelirtscd by tlio Ala'ika Commercial Co., tlio latter also 
 gr.th'ring '-,000 or 10,000 beaver, ,3,000 or 4,000 marten, 2,000 bear, and "),0U0 
 or 0,000 lox skins. 
 
 ■'''Presenting to the reader tho facts now laid before him anil tlin con- 
 clusions at vliich I have arrived, it remains only to be 8aid tl'at botli liavu 
 been stated not without researeli ami liesitiition. Wlictlier tliest; tacts ami 
 conclusions are such as lie will indorse is a matter now submitted to liis coii- 
 sidcration. Concerning the iinnals of Alaska after the transfer, there are m:uiy 
 conllicting opinions, and even as to the military occupation there is some lit- 
 tle conflict of opinion. Sriys Capt. .1. W. Wliito of tiie revenue ser'ico, who 
 was ordered to Alaska in 1807, in conunand of tlio cutter Liurolii, lieariu.; 
 Professor Davidson, senior coast survey odicer, and in charge of the party: 
 'As I understood at the time from my own observations, and fi'oin intercourse 
 with tiie Russians wlio could speak luiglish and understood tho language, 
 the trouble there was caused by the fact that I'rince Maksntof did not hap- 
 pen to be vcrseil in tho English language, and there being no trustwortliy 
 interpreter present, did not knov/ what he transferred to the United States 
 authorities. His people would go to hiui and say: "Tins was my house; tlie 
 llussiau American Cumi)anj' donated it to me. I am informed it Ixlougs to 
 the American government, and am ordered out olhiially."' lie would icply: 
 "Go out officially, then." Who tho parties wore that took possession of the 
 houses I don't know. They might have lieen goverinnent oliicials, (jr per- 
 haps mere adventurers; many were renegades from all parts of the world.' 
 Wliih'H Sfatnnnit, MS., o-G. 
 
 Captain J. W. White, a native of old Virginia, and by profession a sea-f.ir- 
 hig man, though hrst emidoyed as a surveyiji- on the uorthcru boundaiy com- 
 mission, entered the governiMeut service in IS.'r>, being then in his "iiiili year. 
 During the civil war his vessel was stationed at tlu^ mouth of the rotomac, 
 and, as he relates, 'would drop inside the cnemy'.i lines at night and juck up 
 the mail-bags.' In connnand of the U. S. stoamer Lincoln ho voyaged rmuid 
 the Horn in 1805, and rctuniing to California, superintended the l)uild- 
 iug of all the life-boat stations on the Pacific coast, . !so the construction of 
 nine steamers for the government. Ordered to Alaska in 1SG7, it reuiains 
 only to bo said of this well-known ofliccr that, arriving at the Prybilof Islands 
 at a somewhat critical juncture, he interfered very reluctantly, tiioagh at 
 length decisively, to 8to|> all sealing then and there, only granting the natives 
 
748 
 
 ALASKA AS A CIVIL AN"D JUDICIAL DISTRICT. 
 
 t'le privilege of killing what they neeiic;! for f(jO(l, and rccrnnnicndeil tliat St 
 (icorgc and St I'uul bo nuule a gos'ernnieut reserve, whieli was aeeurdingly 
 done. 
 
 As with the five preceding chapters, I have been coinpelled to rely mainly 
 on the reports of congress, magazines, newspapers, and in tliis instance tlie 
 United States statute relating to Alaska, in presenting to the reader the re- 
 cent annals of the tc.Titory 
 
 With the exception of Alaska, Its Southern Coast awl the Sitkan Archipel- 
 ar,'o, Inj E. Ititliavah Scidmore, I am not aware of any work, apiirt from those of 
 a scientific nature, published witliin the last t'.voor three years, that contributes 
 anything worthy of note to the small stock of information which the Ameri- 
 can public now possess concerning their possessions in the far north-west, 
 ^lost of th'j above work was first ])ublislied in serial form in the columns of 
 the St Louis Globe- D(»wcrat and the Kew York Tawx, during the ye:irs 
 lSS;)-4; to which are added the author's notes of a trip made to the Sitkan 
 Archipelago during the summer of the latter year, with brief paragraphs 
 containing information to a later date. 
 
 Subjoined I give a more complete list of the authorities consulted in tlie 
 closing chapter: //. E.v. Doc., 7, .'fith Cong. 3d Sesx., pt 1, 1-25, 8u-llU), 
 .3--'0-4'l, GSS-OO. T0:J, 710, 713, 8:?4, 842; lit., 1, pt 2, 47th Confj. lit Se.ss., 
 l!l()-:{, rm, 7(iS-Si); id., 7, pt 4, 8O-I, SS; /(/., 1, ptn, 278, .SOl; Id., 2, 2(i!t; 
 /'/., 1, pt ;-), //7lh Coii'j. i?d Ses.i., 84, 212; Id., pt 5, 27S-S2; Id , 7, pt 4, 4-2f, 
 OO-i;}.-), 222-77, GSO, '(;01-G, 7:;0, 84(5, 888; //. Misc. Doc., 42, 47th Cow/. .:d 
 -S'.'.vs., 1-80, 9;!-f), 124-77; I/. Cow. l!<plx, 41th Coii'j. 1st Sess., ZU], IKKI; 
 //. Jour., 4S/h Co»;i. 1st Scsx., 1282; S. E.v. Doc, 4i;ih Coii'j. 3d .SV.m., no. 12, 
 p. 45, ()7; Id., 4sih Cow/. 1st .SV.vs., .SO; U. S. Slut, at Lar<ie, 1882-3, C12; 
 Id., 188;?-4, 24. 20, 01, io7, 170, 200, 22.'^; U. S. lOlh Census, i. 095-9; Clr- 
 cidar Bureau Educ., no. 2, ISS2, 01-75; Kinkead'.-t Nevada and Alaska, 
 IMS., 5, 15; Bnrehnrd, Iteport, etc., 1881, 100-71; /'/., 1882, 184; Id., 1SS3, 
 17-35; licpnrt Direc. of the Mint, 1881, 10; /(/., 1SS2, 14; Contemporaneous 
 L'ioii., ii. 3;i3-5; ScUbn'ore, Alaska, 81 .tse<|., O^etscq., 104-5, 240-7, 200, 
 307; The Minco, Minns, etc., 507; Elliott <(• Co. Hist. Ariz., 1, 200; N. M.v. 
 I,\r!sila Cat., 1883, 270; Twson, Fronterizo, Jan. 27, 1882; Salt Lake Tribune, 
 Juno ,5, 1883; San Frannseo Al!a, Mar. 24, ISSl, Sept. 25, Nov. 12, 1882; 
 lUdU'iin, 1881, Mar. 12, 30. May 11, 21, June 2, 13, 17; 1882, Apr. 24; 1S8I, 
 June 3, July 20. Aug. 19, Dec. l"8; Cfdl, 1884, ^lay 14, July 30, Oct. 28; Post, 
 May 5, 1885; Chronicle. 1882, Jan. 17; 1884, June .30, Oct. 28, 29, Nov. 5. 10, 
 17, 2:!; 188.5, .Tan. 22, 20, Feb. 5, May 8, 30; Sacramento Uei-ord- Union, 1831, 
 Way 20, 21, Aug. 2G; 18S3, Dec. 31; 1884, Feb. IS, June 28, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Ab", whaling established at, 584. 
 
 "Abram," sliip, 114. 
 
 Acapulco, Malaspina at, 274. 
 
 Acbakoo Island, Isniailof at, '2C8. 
 
 Adakli Island, natives of, 72; Tolstykh 
 at, iL'S; expedt. at, 131. 
 
 "Adams," U. 8. steamer, 723. 
 
 Ali'anassic, missionary, 300. 
 
 AUleck Canal, 277. 
 
 Atoi^nak, settlement, 208, 228, 229, 
 GS2; Ageio at, (j!37, ()S8. 
 
 Afognak Island, settlement at, 230, 
 287; trees on, 32!l; eliief of, 34<J; 
 fort on, 414; loeality favored, G80. 
 
 Agaton, Ininting exiiedt. at, 102; na- 
 tives attaeked, 103. 
 
 Aglegnutes, natives, 144, 320; fight 
 Willi, 320, 34(). 
 
 Agiienlturc, soil, 3; experiments, 300, 
 3oo; settlements for, 352, 333, 300; 
 at lioss Colony, 48.3-"). 
 
 Aguirre, Juan Bautibla, in Spanish 
 expedt., 218. 
 
 Aiakhtalik, villa'_'.', 113, 308. 
 
 Ai;dihtalik Island, expetit. at, 140; vil- 
 lage at, 230. 
 
 Akamok Island, 278. 
 
 Aknn, 200. 
 
 Akiui Island, villa.;-s on, 502 
 
 Akutan, expedt. at, l.)4; attaek on, 
 10"). 
 
 Aluitan Pass, :?J3. 
 
 Alaska, geiig. (iiv'.sioii, 1, 2; elimate, 
 2-5; diseoMied J7I0 I, 03-74; 
 Spanish at, lOV 202; old e.\]iloia- 
 tions, 203-20; eul-niis, 2Li4-;!2, 
 350-01, 400-.",01t; fur tradr, 232- 
 54; misfion wchk, 300-71; as a U. 
 S. eolony, 500-020; eoiiimcree, 030- 
 50; lisiieries, 000-70; settlements, 
 071 Mi; a-rie. resourees, GvS7-0; 
 mining, 003 8; as a eivil and jn 
 dieial distiiet, 717 4S; j)rolits of 
 pnrcliase, 722; intei'ior ex[)lored, 
 /32-0. 
 
 Alaska Commercial Co., actions of, 
 1800-84, 030-50; charges against, 
 incjuiry into, 043-51 ; lease granted 
 to, 044; stores of, 081; payments to 
 govmt, 722; claims of, 740, 747. 
 
 Alaska Mill and Mining Co., opera- 
 tions of, 740-1. 
 
 Alaska Salmon Packing and Fur Co., 
 743. 
 
 Alaskan Mts, doscrip., 2, 3. 
 
 Alaska Traders' Protective Assoctn, 
 actions of, 040. 
 
 Alava Point, origin of name, 277. 
 
 "All;atross," voy. of, 480. 
 
 "Alert," ship, at Sitka. 400. 
 
 Aleut, origin of word, 100. 
 
 Alieutian Islands, vegetation of. 4; 
 visitors at. 111; cx])edts at, 130, 
 137; shipments fioiii, 242; ma), 
 297, 083; discovered, 375: industries 
 of, 027; surveyed, 029; vhaliiig- 
 ground, 008. 
 
 Aleuts, hunting cxpcdls, 235, 236, 
 280; desjiondeney of, 2s0; treat- 
 ment of, 291. 310, 313, 003; trilnito 
 ])aitl, 297, 039-41; character of, 
 042. 
 
 Alexander I., visits Kruscnstern. 423. 
 
 Alexander Archipelago, foreign traders 
 in, .321, 32.-. 
 
 "Ahxandr," ship, 420, 414; wrecked, 
 494. 
 
 "Alexandr\evski,'"ship, 18.->, 187. 
 
 Alexandrovsk. tradin;,' p ist. 202. 321, 
 079; .Shelikuf ("j. at. 334,:;;!5; liar- 
 aiiof at, 395; Pussians at, 5J2. 
 
 Alexaiiiirovsk Fort, named, 522. 
 
 Alexeief, I'etlot, expedt., tlualii of, 
 22-4. 
 
 Alexeief, Ivan, at I'lialask.i, 291. 
 
 Alin, Luka, partnership with .^iiili- 
 ktif, 182. 
 
 A liseia region, Cossacks subdue, 1040, 
 21. 
 
 Aliseia River, .10. 
 
 Alit.ik 15ay, 145. 
 
 AliuiiL Ca[M', 114, 145. 
 
 ( 719 ) 
 
760 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Allegretti, Peter, in Billings' expedt., 
 '288, 291, *2!)4. 
 
 Alinirantc, Boca del, named, '21 S. 
 
 Altliorj), Port, Vaiioouvfr, at, •27'J. 
 
 Ainchitka Island, 181, '2815. 
 
 American Russ. Coiiiiner. Co. with- 
 draws bid, G4-1. 
 
 Americana in Alexander Archipelago, 
 3'2I; forestall Baranof, 384; en- 
 croachments of, 398, 399. 
 
 "Amethyst," voy. of, 481. 
 
 Amik Island, 191. 
 
 AminaU, Arsenti, deposition of, 144-7. 
 
 Amla Island, sciionl on, 709. 
 
 Andag Island, 1'28. 
 
 Amli.-i Island, 1'22, 128, 200. 
 
 Amoor Iliver, silver mines on, 20. 
 
 Ainossof, expodt. of 1723-4. .'JO, 31. 
 
 Amukhta Island, expedt. at, 1(14. 
 
 Anadir River, expedt. at, 1048, 1728, 
 22-4, 37; Spanherg at, 41; Cos- 
 sacks of, 292; Haranof at, 314; trad- 
 ing post on, 310. 
 
 Anadirsli, expedt. from 1G09, 24. 
 
 Anadirskoi, Pavhitzki at, 1730, 41. 
 
 Aiianli, trilje, 23. 
 
 Anchor Point, Cook names, '208. 
 
 Anchiigof, exjjedt. of, 90. 
 
 "Andreiiin i Natdia," ship, wreck of, 
 117, 127-9. 
 
 "Andreian i Natalia," new shin, 140; 
 voy. of, KiS. 
 
 Aiidreianof Island, r)7G. 
 
 Aiidreianovski Islands, ori^'in of name, 
 129, 181, r)30. 
 
 Andreiet' station destroyed, 57.'). 
 
 Andreief, Vassili, in cxiie.U., 93. 
 
 Angarka river, Billings at, '29.1. 
 
 Ankudinof, (ierassini, expedt., death 
 of, 1808, 22-4. 
 
 Aiili-moMopoly Assoctn of Pac. Coast, 
 actions of, 049. 
 
 Anvik river, expeilt. at, DO. 
 
 "Apollon." ,><loo|nif wai', Ti^O. 
 
 Apraxiii, Count, iniructious to, 30. 
 
 "Arali," voy. of, ri3S. 
 
 "Aranzazu,"' shiii. 27.'). 
 
 Arhusof, Lieut, attack on Kolosh, 
 429-30. 
 
 Arguello, Alf., Ross Colony olFcred 
 to, 4.<>S. 
 
 Argiiello, Concepcion de, (juarrcl with 
 Rezanuf, 4.">7. 
 
 "Arkhangel Mikhail," ship, 00, 97; 
 voy. of, 170, 171. 
 
 Armenus, Moritz, in exp ilt.. 94. 
 
 Art'agi, Ign.icio, expedt. nf, 1770, 
 217 21 ; takes possession of latitude 
 .-|9 de,'. 8 niin., •220. 
 
 "Arthur," ship, '2S0. 
 
 Ashley, .Tamos M., introduces bill to 
 
 organize ter., 020. 
 Asiak Islam!, 548. 
 
 .kolkof, Afanassiy, in hunting ex- 
 pedt., 17.')9, 123. 
 Astolahe, ship, "255. 
 Astor, sends expedt. to Alaska, 468- 
 
 71. 
 Astrakhan, English at, 1.573, 0. 
 Asuncion, puerto dc la, named, 218. 
 Atach Island, 1'28. 
 
 "Atahnalpa," Baranof purchases, 472. 
 Atchu Island, 128. 
 Atklia Island discovered, 1 12. 
 Atkha, manufacture at, 090. 
 Atkha Island, expedt. at, 121, 123; 
 
 outbreak of natives, 122; Slielikof 
 
 at, 223; agent's crutdty, 448. 
 Atlassof, cou(iuest of Kamchatka, 
 
 1700, '24-0. 
 Atnah Iliver. See Co[iper River. 
 "Atrevid.i," shiji, 274. 
 Attoo Island, 73, 9.3, IIG, 1'27, 131. 
 
 170, 173; fight at, 102, 104, 105. 
 "Aurora," frigate, 571. 
 Avataiiok Island, village on, 50'2. 
 Avatclia Bay, expedts at, 04, G5, 67, 
 
 74, 93, 131, 290, 205; coast ex- 
 
 jilored, 95. 
 Ayres t!eo., expedt. to Cal,, 470-80; 
 
 purchases from, 529. 
 
 B 
 
 Bahcock, petition of, 1874, G93. 
 I'.alUr i^iy, '203,210, 3.")4. 
 Bagial, puerto del, named, 21S. 
 r>aginei Alexei. in hunting expedt, 112. 
 Bnkal Lake, llussiana at, '20. 
 Braiiibridge, Port, named, 278. 
 I>akcr Point, 277. 
 Bakof, Aianassi, in expedts, 109, 283, 
 
 2.14, '290. 
 r.idadin, in expedt, 294. 290. 
 r>:i'uitun, native chief, 12S. 
 r>iUac!i(f, Ivan, in expedf., 549. 
 Uidlcman, Cmint, at St Hrlc:ia, 502. 
 B.ilin, \'a.ssili, liU'iting expedt., 108, 
 
 117. 
 ll.-dtimore, Benyovski, at, 182. 
 i],.lushin, Amos, in expidt., 330; 
 
 ti-eatmrnt of natives, .'ilO; in con- 
 
 til)!, .'142; eominu., ".45. 
 B.uieas, la.^, Bav, named, 274. 
 Banks, I'dint. 'ioO, '2i)S. 
 Iliiiks, I'oit, named, 259, '205. 
 iJaiiner, Ivan Ivanovieh. biog. of, 410; 
 
 at .'^t Paul, 425, 448; liaranof'a 
 
 treatment of, 515. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 751 
 
 Riinner, Mrs, in charge of school, TOG. 
 
 "Baranof," ship, voy. of, 540. 
 
 Uarunof, AlexaiK'-^r, Aleuts in pcrvice 
 of, '238,-2;i9: conHdcncoof,'2'jn; treat- 
 ment of, .S02; on the Anadir, 314; 
 career and tvaita of, .Sl.VIW; paoitio 
 attitude, 337, 338: policv, 340-4; 
 olll acts of, 30-2-74, 413-20, 4."!;;- 
 7, 401-3, 504-9; troubles with mis- 
 sionaries, 300-74; founds Sitka, 
 384—100; sicknes:j, 384; desires re- 
 lief. 394, 493; tour of colonies, 304- 
 8; instructions to, 414; promoted, 
 410, 402; narrow escape, 420, 427; 
 defeat of, 4130; conspiracy against, 
 403-5; contracts fjr C'al. furs, 477- 
 80; founds lloss Colony, 4S1; dis- 
 pute with Lozarcf, 504; close of ad- 
 ministration, 510-29; deatii, 514; 
 ciiaracter, 514-20. 
 
 Baranof Island, map of, 070; lead 
 found on, 090. 
 
 Barher, Cai)t., at I'ort Althorp, 2S0. 
 
 Barclay, Capt., visit of, 244, 295, 2!)(!. 
 
 Iku'i'ntz, Willom, in cxpedt., death, 
 11-13. 
 
 Baranovich, Charles V., smuggling by, 
 035. 
 
 Barber, Capt., conduct at Kadiak, 413; 
 at St Paul, 401; wrecked, 402. 
 
 " llarfolomei i Varnabas," ship, voy- 
 agt! of, is;<. 
 
 Barnabas, Caiie, 208. 
 
 Barnard, Lieut, fate of, 572— J. 
 
 Baniaslief, in e.vpcdt., 130; deatii of, 
 148. 
 
 Barren Island, 208, 287. 
 
 Barton, Anier. whaler at Novo 
 hangelsk, 583. 
 
 Baslimakof, Feodor, trial of, 
 701. 
 
 Bashnakof, Petr, in hunting expedt., 
 115; wrecked, 110. 
 
 Baskakof, I)i;iitri, in cxjicdt., 04. 
 
 IJa'JSof, voyage ot, 1743,99, 102; death 
 of, 101. 
 
 Ilatako., in expe.lts, 23:!, 293. 
 
 Batavia, llagemeister at, 527. 
 
 Baturin, Col, m cons[iirai'y, 175, 178; 
 escapes, 405. 
 
 Baylio Hazan, harbor named, 275. 
 
 Beach Cape, 2(55. 
 
 Beardslec, Capt., cruise of, 728; cliarts 
 of, 029. 
 
 Bear ledge, acet of, 741. 
 
 Bears, bhuk, scarcity of, 254. 
 
 Beaton Island. 277. 
 
 "I{c:ivcr,"bliip, 472. 
 
 Beaver Bay, Mcarca at, 260; Rczanof 
 ut, 445. 
 
 Ark- 
 700, 
 
 Ik-avers, on Cook Inlet, 254; ship- 
 ment (il furs, 059. 
 
 Bcchevin, expedt. of, 122, 105. 
 
 Ik'de, Point, Cook names, 208. 
 
 lieeciiey Cape, 553. 
 
 ik'cchev, Capt., visit of, 547, 572. 
 
 llelim Canal, 270. 277. 
 
 Beiim, ^lagnus Carl von, comdt of 
 Kamchatka 1772, 118, 182; Cook's 
 visit, 21.3. 
 
 Beketof, Ostrog built, 1().32, 18. 
 
 Beliaief, Alexe'i, exi>loris Attoo, 101; 
 attacks natives, 105, 100. 
 
 Beliaief, Larion, in hunting expedt,, 
 102. 
 
 Belkovisky, school at, 10. 
 
 Belui', Ivan in expe<)t., 93. 
 
 P.ennet, Capt., expedt. of, 50.3, 504. 
 
 Bennett Lake named, 734. 
 
 Benijovski, Count, conspiracy of, 153, 
 175-182, 3!S; fate of, 182. 
 
 l>crensen, William, in expedt, 93. 
 
 Bcrczof, natives of, tribute from, 2.')2. 
 
 Brrezovsky reveals conspiracy, 404. 
 
 Bergman, Isaac, councilman of Sitka, 
 001. 
 
 Berg, Vnssili, authority, 99. 
 
 Bciing Bay, 2Ul, 2."i0, 548. 
 
 Bering, Lt C, in expedt., 2S.3, 29t. 
 
 Bering Island, named, 92; expedt< at, 
 109, 114, no, 120, 121, 127, 13;1, 
 140, 104, lOS, 173, 181, l;n), 223; 
 wreck at, 114. 
 
 Bering Sea, pass into, 209; survey of, 
 547. 
 
 Bering Strait, 157, 210, 292, 47:!, 5,32, 
 5;i0, .51 S, 553, .">70. 
 
 Bering, Vitus, vov. and expeiU.-scf, 1.3. 
 .30-02,01, 75-98; <locs of, 43; char- 
 acter, 40, 4S, 07; family of, IS; r'lar 
 acterinvestii,'ated. 59; separates from 
 Cherikof. 08; dcatli, S!». 
 
 Bcrklnm, Joliaim, in expedt., 94. 
 
 Berrer's Bay named, 279. 
 
 IJcrrv, -Major, recpiest for U. S. ship, 
 Olil. 
 
 Bctge, Matthias, incxpi'dt., 01, 90, 94. 
 
 ili.it/iiiin, Andni, in conspiracy, 179. 
 
 liielski, Kasimir, in con piracy, 179. 
 
 Ihllinu's, Capt., voy., and expcdts (jf, 
 13, 42. 190,27.3, 2S2-.304; iirornotion, 
 2^S, 291 ; result of ex]i<dt,, 290-299. 
 
 Biref, Ivan, in expedt, 93, 
 
 Blake, survey of, ,"i70. 
 
 Blaiii'liard, hunting cxpedt. to Cal. 
 iSli, 4S1. 
 
 Blas-idie. Dr, medical sirvicei/f 501-2. 
 
 Bli-iliic Idand, in .Aikli.a district, 530. 
 
 Blishni, Island group, 192. 
 
 " Blossom, "ship, 547. 
 
r 
 
 752 
 
 ITfDEX. 
 
 Bobrovoi Bay, Billings' expedt. at, 
 
 280. 
 Bocas de Quadra, 277. 
 Bocliarof, oxplor. cxpedts, 230, 20(5- 
 
 70, 318-20, 324, 340, 385. 
 Bodega Bay, Ayres at, 480; Kuskof 
 
 at, 482. 
 BoLsherctsk, ships wrecked at, Gl, 102; 
 
 school at, 02; expcdts at, 04, 103, 
 
 170, 230, 290; coast explored, 95; 
 
 conspirators at, 177, 181. 
 "Bolshcrct.sk,".ship, 07. 
 Bolsiitretsk, Ivan, iu trading co., ISO. 
 "Bordclais," French ship, voy. of, 
 
 Bord''. Boutervilliers do la, death of, 
 
 Bor('' ' ' ' ■'nville dc la, death of. 
 
 "ship, 112, 114. 
 Counsellor, drowning 
 
 ' ' Boris I 
 Bornovoloiv 
 
 of, 493. 
 Borrowc, Lt, actions at Fort Wran- 
 
 gell, 014, 015. 
 " Boston," sliip, voy. of, 478, 502. 
 Boston, tnulc with, 440, 454. 
 "B')nssole," .shi|), 255. 
 Boutwell, Geo. S., testimony of, C43, 
 
 045. 
 ]5owIos, Capt., in N. \V. trade, 400. 
 Bradlield (anal, 277. 
 Brady, John G., Connnr at Sitka, 
 
 7-28. 
 Brau'in, in expedt., 131-5; map of, 
 
 Bnuidorp, Jiilien, in conspiracy, 179. 
 Brant, .Mikliail, inexi>edt., 114. 
 Brauner, I'eter, in oxjieilt., 93. 
 Brest, La I'erouse leaves, 255. 
 Bristol Bay, 2li;», 2S7, 521, 530, 502, 
 
 085; .surveyed, 540; agric. at, 087; 
 
 cainiei'v at, 743. 
 Bristow, B. II., exaniinutiou of, 043; 
 
 testimony of, 047, 0.")(;. 
 "Brutus," .Anier. ship. .)25. 
 Bnuiuikof, Sergei, in liillings'expedt., 
 
 283; (h'ath of, 290. 
 Brook Cove, 20.3, 207. 
 Brougliton, \V. K., Lieut, in Vancou- 
 ver's expedt., 270. 
 Brown, Capt., expedt. of, 2.39, 277, 
 
 ;27'.l, 34S, 319. 
 lUiaclie, defence of Mahlonado, 274. 
 BuliMof, Hhii)l)nilder, L")0. ' 
 
 Bucareli Sound, 201, 217. 
 I'.iieureli Tort, 250, 2."p!I, 275, 277. 
 Budishelief, Peter, in trading eo., ISO. 
 Buuor. \assill, at the Lena, 1028, 18. 
 Bulilakof, Mikliail, dirt'clor Buss. 
 
 Auier. Co., 410. 
 
 Bulkley, C. S., Capt., expedt. of, 
 
 1805, 577. 
 Bulldir Island, 128. 
 Bullion, production, 739. 
 Burakof, Spiridon, iu trading co., 
 
 180. 
 Burcnin, owned ship, 171. 
 Burling Thomas, petition of, 093. 
 Burrougli Bay, 277. 
 Busa, at the Vania 1038, 19. 
 Busii, voyjigo to Kamchatka, 1710, 31. 
 Butzovski, William, iu expedt., 93. 
 
 Caaniano Cape, explored, 277. 
 
 Caamauo, Jacinto, voyage of, 1792, 
 275. 
 
 Caldcra, pncrto de la, namerl, 2 18. 
 
 Caldwell, Lt, explor. expedt. of, 730. 
 
 California, explor. of coast, 44; coast 
 N.W. of explored, 195; Vancouver 
 at, 277; trade with, 453, 587; 
 "Ji no" sent to, 450. 
 
 Calif( rnia, fur-hunting iu, 478-88; 
 crc (1 failure, 18J9, 537-8; trado 
 wi\n .Siberia, 0.30. 
 
 Calhio, Loz^ircf at, 505. 
 
 Camacho Island, named, 273. 
 
 Caniacho, Jose, in Spanish expedt., 
 218. 
 
 Camacho, Teniente, expedt. pre- 
 vented, 270. 
 
 Canulen, I'ort, named, 280. 
 
 Cunipheli, Capt., exiiedt. of, 410, 4li2, 
 •'• , 490-L'. 
 
 Canada, furs from, 242. 
 
 C/mdlo-lish, description of, Olii;-7. 
 
 Canning-Stratford, Lord, at conven- 
 tion, 1825, 513. 
 
 Canton, Lisiansky at, 439. 
 
 ('aiitaiu Bay surveyed, 290. 
 
 Captain llarhor, exiVMlt, at, lli4-5, 
 190; Ledyard at, 212. 
 
 "Captain Cook,"siiip, voyage of , 243, 
 20O. 
 
 Carmen Island named, 219. 
 
 "(laroline," ship, 388. 
 
 Caspian, rol)hers infesting, 9. 
 
 "Catherine," voy. of, 4SI. 
 
 Catlicriue I., tsar's instruetious to, 
 30. 
 
 Catiierinc II., ord ■;•" of. 252-3; peti- 
 tion to, 352; <'..ath, 377. 
 
 Catherinelii.ig arsenal, 37. 
 
 Cedar, yellu\v, valuer of, 089 90. 
 
 Cenotapiie, L'lsle dii, named, 250. 
 
 (Census 188!), 7n. 
 
 (,'hageluk Iviver, natives troni, .'yM. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 753 
 
 Chaglokof, in cxpcdt., 1740, 04. 
 
 Clialincrs, I'ort, 27H. 
 
 C'liaiuistio, iiciuutist with Kotzebuc, 
 494. 
 
 Cliainisso Island iliscovereil, 495. 
 
 C'lianctillor, Kiciiard, iu Hiissia, 8. 
 
 Chapliu at Okliotsk, 97. ' 
 
 "Ciiaron," voy. of, 4S1. 
 
 Chart, Uvozdef'sland, 39. 
 
 "Chatham." siiip, -270, 348. 
 
 Cliatiiani, Tort, G79. 
 
 ( 'iuithani Strait, 279. ^^OQ, 437. 
 
 Chfbaievskoi, Afanussi, permit to, 
 101. 
 
 Cliebaievski, Tercntiy, at Attoo Isl- 
 and, rJ8; liuntiiig expedt., 1700, 
 1.30; built sliip, 140. 
 
 dicbykin, Ssava, in trading co., 180. 
 
 Checherir. Dennis Ivauovich, ciu- 
 pri'ss' ()r>i>>r to, 130. 
 
 Chekin, Xikii, •. in expedt., 94. 
 
 Chehii.sken, Semen, iu exi)edt., 93. 
 
 Cheredof, Capt., iu eommd of Kam- 
 cliatka, 111. 
 
 Clierepanof, Stepan, hunting expedt., 
 17.VJ, 1-23. 
 
 "Ciieruni Orel." shi^i, 29.3, 29.1. 
 
 Cheruuf, expedt. of, TmS. 
 
 CiiernolF, Ivan, Kolosh liost.igc, 438. 
 
 Clieri'ysbcf, Count, examines furtrade, 
 308. 
 
 " Ciiichagof," voy. of, .547-8. 
 
 Chicliagof Island, 200, 279. 
 
 (Jl)icli:ig()f, Lieut, expedt. of, ICO, 194. 
 
 Chieherin, Gov., expedt. arranged liy, 
 158. 
 
 Cliikiiachef, Ivan, iu expedt., 1740, 04, 
 93; lUatli, 73. 
 
 Cliile, fur. I'roui, 245. 
 
 CliiHiat mds., liostility of, 1809, 012. 
 
 CIdlkut Hiver, exploration of, 0:^!9. 
 
 Cliinii, trade with, 241-3, 409; trade 
 with Okhot.sk, 422. 
 
 Cliiui'.se, sea-otter trade, 88. 
 
 CiiiiKiioi, iu expedt., 100. 
 
 Ciiiniuk. tiiidiug post at, 230 
 
 Cliiiiiat.sk Capo, 208. 
 
 Chiiiiatz, native from, 404. 
 
 Ciiirik(jf, Alexi'i, cxpedts of, 30, 48, 
 4!), .".',), 01, 08, 74, 79, 93, 94; dis- 
 covers Alaska. 07-74; character, 07; 
 sick, 73; ia Siberia, 90: mishap to, 
 190. 
 
 Chirikof I?ay, 258. 
 
 Cliirikipf Cape, 259. 
 
 Chirikof Island named, 278. 
 
 Chistiakof, l.ieiit, voy. of, 537; ap- 
 pointed gfiveruor, 539; rule of, 539- 
 4.S, 5,V.' 3. 
 
 Choglokof, Agafou, in expedt, 93. 
 
 UlST. .\LASliA. -la 
 
 Cholchek.t, trouble with, 600-11. 
 
 Cholmondeley Sound, 277. 
 
 Clioris, artist with Kotzeliuo, 494. 
 
 Christian Sound nam('<l, 2.")9. 
 
 Chugachuik Gulf, 300; Barauof on, 
 325. 
 
 ChuLTatsebes, attack of, 187; natives, 
 228, 3i;!; station in cnuutry "f, 
 2.'K); in hunting (.'XpediliDii'^, 230 7; 
 treachery of, 208; dread of Itiissiaii-^, 
 325; feud with, 343; in Vakiitat e\- 
 jtedt, 345; trailing with Leljeiluf 
 Co., .340; submission of, 3.">7; forts 
 in territory of, 414; with Haranol, 
 438. 
 
 (Jhugatach Mts, 3.")0. 
 
 Chugatz Gulf, .345, 570; decrease of 
 fur yield, 528; in Kadiak district, 
 530. 
 
 Chukchi, land of, described, 21; fight 
 with, 1048, 23; refuse to jiay trili- 
 ute, 1711, 27; lights of, 17.30-1, 
 41-2. 
 
 Chukchi, country of, 283, 291; treach- 
 ery of, 29,')-7, 315. 
 
 Chukotcha lliver, 30. 
 
 Chukotsk C'ape surveyed, 547. 
 
 Chukotskoi Noss, capo, 27; battle at, 
 1730, 42. 
 
 Chuprof, Nikolai, in hunting expeilt., 
 174.5, 102-5; iu expedition, 175b, 
 119. 
 
 Chujirof, Yakof, iu hunting expedt., 
 101-5; (juliages on natives, 119. 
 
 Churches, liist liuilt. (!99, diocese es- 
 tablished, 701; cathedral, 702-3. 
 
 Churin, I van, iu conspiracy, 179. 
 
 Cinnabar, 090. 
 
 Civil government, phantom of, 71S- 
 20. 
 
 Clarke, ("apt., journey, death, 21-1-10. 
 
 Clark l>ay, Dixon at, 2i!5. 
 
 Clark Island, Cook names, 211. 
 
 Clear Cape, 207. 
 
 (^leivy, condition of, 700-1. 
 
 Cleveland, Capt., at Norfolk Sound, 
 3S8. 
 
 Climate, rainfall, 711. 
 
 ('.lal fdiiiid in ter., 093-.5. 
 
 Coal JIailior iiaiiieil, 202; Kidalgo 
 •visits, 273; mining at, (i93-4. 
 
 Codtiaiiks, extent of, 003, 004. 
 
 Cod-fi.'ihery, 003-5. 
 
 Coglilan, (Japt. , I. ]?., services of, 729. 
 
 Cole, Senator, ell'oits of, .")9.3. 
 
 Collins, .Major, project nf, ,')70. 
 
 Colonization, 1783-7, 222-31; 1794-0, 
 351 -OO. 
 
 Columbia lUver, 277; Alitor abandons 
 post, 472. 
 
784 
 
 l^TDEX. 
 
 Colyer, Vincent, visit of, 700. 
 Coiiimiindur Island, expcdt. at, 1740, 
 
 lOS; cxpcdt. at, I'Jl; in Atklia 
 
 district, 5;{0. 
 CKiiiiianies, strife between, 1791-4, 
 
 Comptroller Bay, 204; Thlinkecta of, 
 'J.'W; adai)ted to agriculture, 390. 
 
 Conclusion Island, 277. 
 
 Conclusion Port, Vancouver at, 280. 
 
 Conde Island, 273. 
 
 Congress, measures of, 603-4. 
 
 Coihitantino and Helen, fort, 414. 
 
 Cook, interpreter at riandwicli Island, 
 4'.I8. 
 
 Cook, Capt., voyage of, 1778-9, 190, 
 202-14, 219, 2t7, 498; speculations, 
 240; opinions, 2.")]; at Unalaska, 
 2S(J; at .Montague Island, 288; sur- 
 veys of, 2i)0. 
 
 Cook Inlet, 206, 230, 240, 262-3, 273, 
 27S, 2'll. 301, 31"), 5.30, 562; attack 
 ol natives, 137; station established, 
 228; fort abandoned, 229; Meares 
 at, 260; settlement at, 271 ; Spanish 
 s'lip :vt, 2^7; sea-otters in, .■!I4; ex- 
 pod t. to, ,,21, 681 ; permanent estab- 
 lislnnt in, 334; hostilities in, 336-9; 
 Eussians at, .")22; leading industry 
 of, 627; cannery remo%'cd to, 662; 
 settlement at, 671. 
 
 Cook river, 256. 
 
 Copenliageu, Krusenstern's cxpedt. 
 at, 424^ 
 
 Cojiper, (;95-6. 
 
 Copper Island, 128; abundance of fur, 
 100; exjieJ tion at, 108; (ilottofat, 
 140; visits to forbidden, 141; hunt- 
 ers nt, 168; expediti(m at, 170; 
 Shelikof at, 22.3. 
 
 Copi)er Uiver, 187, 191,208, 210, 278, 
 .326, 315, 346, 384, 451, 525, 576; 
 copper obtained on, 695. 
 
 Coronation Island, 277. 
 
 "Corwin,"' U. fs. ship, voy. of, 610, 
 736, 737. 
 
 Cossacks, attack of, 1573, 9; century- 
 march, 1578-1724, 14-34; character, 
 16-17. 
 
 Cowan. Lt, shooting of, 017. 
 
 Coxe, Cai)t., at -Vleutian Islands, 285; 
 with Trybiiof, 298, 299. 
 
 Cross, Cape. 2(14, 279. 
 
 Cross Sound. 204, 220, 230, 259, 204, 
 26.5, 274, 279. 
 
 Croyore, Use de la, named, 2")9. 
 
 Croy6re, Louis, in expedts, 52-61, 04- 
 0, 94; m.ips of, 65, 76; death, 74; 
 widow miirries, 90. 
 
 "Cruiser, " frigate, 539, 
 
 Cruzof Island, 570. 
 
 Cryniakoo, visit to Hagemeister, 491. 
 
 Cu.-idiay IJodega, expedt. of, 197-202, 
 
 204, 217-21; map of voy., 198. 
 Cuadra Island, nauiol, 273. 
 Currency among Inds, 635. 
 Custom service, gov. report, 730. 
 Cutting & Co., canneries, 662, 743. 
 
 D 
 
 Dall, W. H., Alaska, 574 ct seq.; ap- 
 pointment of, 577; survey of, 629; 
 statement, 687. 
 
 Daslikof, advice to Astor, 468. 
 
 liauerkin, in cxpedt., 292, 293. 
 
 Davidof, Lt, in lluss. Amer. Co., 303; 
 instructions to, 450; fate of, 458, 
 459. 
 
 Davidson, Geo., report of, 629. 
 
 Davidson, I'rofessor, survey of, C12, 
 61.3. 
 
 D.ivis, expedt. of, 481, 529. 
 
 Davis, Gen., comd of troops, 009; 
 trouble with Inds, 009-12. 
 
 Dealarof, Eustrate, director lluss. 
 Amer. Co., 416. 
 
 De Fonte, diseovi ries of, 277. 
 
 Do Fuea, discoveries of, 277. 
 
 De Lauj^le, in La I'erouie's expedt., 
 2.55. 
 
 Delarof, Eustrate, exjicdt. of, 185, 
 187-90, 228; ontertaiuii .Meare?, 
 260; interview with Spanish, 271- 
 3; comd of colony, 2.S6; couti- 
 dcnce of, 299; character of, 320, 
 321; biog., 314. 315. 
 
 Delnrof, Port, fort at, 414. 
 
 De Le.sseps, with La IVrouse, 312. 
 
 "Delphin,"ship, .3.3.3, .3.-)5, 
 
 Delusive Island, search for, 102. 
 
 Demcutief, in expeilts, 64, 93; capture 
 of, 69-71. 
 
 Demianenkof, disaster of, 455, 450, 
 515. 
 
 De Montarnal, death of, 259. 
 
 De Monti Hay, named, 2.50. 
 
 Denbigh, Cape, Cook names, 210. 
 
 Dennis, I. C, deputy collector, 020, 
 025. 
 
 Denniaon, W. H., Col., narrow escape 
 of. 617. 
 
 De Pierrevcrt, death of, 259. 
 
 Derby. Cape, Cook names, 210. 
 
 Deriabin, fate of, 572-4. 
 
 Dershabin, Vassili, in cxpedt., 549. 
 
 '■Deficubierta," ship, 274. 
 
 D'Escures, de.ith of, 259. 
 
 Deseugauo, Port, named, 274. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 $55 
 
 Dealmef, Simeon, expcilt. of 1G4S-50, 
 
 12, '2-2-4. 
 I)c.sliuriu!ikoi, Grigor, iii trading co., 
 
 ISO. 
 Despotism, benefits of, 113. 
 Destruction,Strait, origin of name, 390. 
 Desty, Ilobert, charges against Alaska 
 
 Cummer. Co., 048-".t; retracts, GoU. 
 Deviere, comJr at Olchotsk, 1741, 
 
 61-2; biog., 61. 
 Diakonof, Vassily, in Billings' cx- 
 
 l.edt., 283. 
 "Diana," Rus.sloopof war, 400-9,571. 
 Diomede Islands, 38, 41. 
 " Discovery," tiliip, 202, 270. 
 Dixon, Capt., voy. of 17iS.V0, 210, 2.'jl, 
 
 201-5; furs collected by, 214. 
 Dixon .Sound, 190, 5.S0. 
 Dixon Strait, 275. 
 
 "Dobraia Namareuia," tliip, 285, 520. 
 Dodge, first mayor of Sitka, (iOl ; ncct 
 
 of mil. occupation, 000, 007. 
 Dokliturof, Lieut, seut from Batavia 
 
 to colonies, 527. 
 Dolores, puerto do los, named, 218. 
 Donskoi, Vivssili, in exiiedt., 549. 
 Douglas, Cape, 200, 208. 
 Douglas, Capt., mistake of, 248; at 
 
 Spring Corner Cove, 207. 
 Douglas Island, named, 280; mining 
 
 at, 097, 740-2. 
 Douglas, Sir J.ames, actions of, 5.57-8. 
 Drake, landing of, at I'oint Bcycs, 
 
 1589, 481. 
 Drunkard's Bay, Lisiansky's visit to, 
 
 434. 
 Drushinniu Alexci, voy. and expedt., 
 
 114, 121, 131-3; death, I.Tl. 
 Dudin (1st), in expedt., 100. 
 Dudiu (2d), in expedt., 100. 
 Duko of Clarence Strait, 270, 277. 
 Duke of York Island, 277. 
 Duncan Canal, 277. 
 Duncan, Rev. Wm, smuggling by, 
 
 035. 
 Duriief, Radion, hunting expedt. 1757, 
 
 114. 
 Durygin, in trading co., ISO. 
 Dusliakof, Mikhail, in trading co., 180. 
 
 E 
 
 East, Cape, 210. 
 
 East India Co., ship of, 230; privi- 
 leges to, 245. 
 
 Ebbcts, Capt., voy. of, 408-171. 
 
 " Kilipsc,"' ship, 478; wrecked, 470. 
 
 Edu.combe, Cape, 204, 259, 274, 275, 
 350, 570. 
 
 Edgecombe, Mount, 265, 437, 49.1, 
 
 074. 
 Education, advance of, 700-10; ap- 
 propriation for, 725; iiiiss. work, 
 
 720, 727; gov. rept on, 730. 
 K'_;ooclishac Bay, Cook na;iii's, 211. 
 " Ekaterina," sliip, 3.j2, ,3.50, 404, 
 
 420. 
 " Elena," ship, voy. of, 537, 530. 
 Kleonof, Major, conult at Nishne- 
 
 kamtchatsk, .312. 
 Eliot, voy. toCal., 493.497; captivity, 
 
 494; at .Sandwieh Isls, 499. 
 "Eliza," ship, 389. 
 I'^lizabeth, Cape, 200, 208, 220, 271, 
 ^ 273, 278. ^ 
 I'^Iizabetli, Empress, iiisti'tu'tions to, 
 
 30; orders oi, 107; ri-yort to, 127. 
 "Elizaveta," ship. 97. I'si, 3S5, 414, 
 
 44,3; voy. of, 530, 5.'>7; wreck iif, 
 
 455, 515. 
 Elliott, 11. W., statement of, 052, 
 
 0.53. 
 Endogarof, Lieut, in expedt.. 52, 1)3. 
 Kiigano, Cabo de, 1911, 204, 2.59. 
 Kiigland, Ivotzcbuo's re jcption in, iWi; 
 
 war with Russia, 570-2. 
 English, cxpodtH of, 8-10, 259-05, 
 
 321, .348. .349; in Russ. employ, 31 !, 
 
 342; aggres-ivene!<s of, 247, 248, 
 
 384, 3!Ki; claims of, 40v). 
 " Enterprise," sliii>, 3S9, 409, 572. 
 Hrling, left at lllii'iliuk liay, 21)4. 
 Esehscholtz Bay, named, 190. 
 Esc'hscholtz, Dr, with Kotzeliuc, 494; 
 
 discovery of, 43(). 
 Esoll)erg, Andreian, in expedt,, 
 
 93. 
 
 Eskimos, hostility of, 553. 
 Esipuvel, lialiia de, named, 21S. 
 I'lstrclla, jiuerto ile !a, named, 213. 
 Etclies, I'ort. named. 203; Rortlocknt, 
 
 201; station at, .339. 
 Etolin, Lieut, voy. of, 538, ,540-8; 
 
 apptd gov., .559; ofll .acts of, 502- 
 
 5, 583. 
 Ivulokia Island, discovered, 82. 
 I'^verette, Dr, explor. of, 735, 736; on 
 
 mining outlook, 738. 
 " Experiment, ' ship, 243, 200. 
 Explorations, olllcial, 1773-9, 194-221. 
 
 Fairwcather, Cape, 2.56. 
 Fairweath.'r, .Mt, 204, 204. 
 Falkland Islanils, furs from, 215. 
 Fahiiouth, Krusensteru'a expedt. at, 
 424. 
 
 C4, 
 
 J 
 
756 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 F;\rallones, hunting-post established, 
 487-8. 
 
 raniuin, Rnst^cl, journey of, 47'2-;{. 
 
 Fedor, attncic on KuHsians, 451. 
 
 Fedoiof, Ivan, in exiu'dt., 17-7-30,37 
 -40; liioj^., 40; cx])lor. of, 44. 
 
 Feich, (Jiispar, in expcdt., 1740, G4-03. 
 
 " Fcnika," ship, .'{(Jo; wrecked, 394, 
 3!ir). 
 
 Fidalij'o Volcano, 273. 
 
 FkLiIj^o Inlet named, 278. 
 
 Fididgo, Salvador, explor. expedt. of, 
 273-4. 
 
 Figil. coast explored 1742, 95. 
 
 Figucrna, Gov., demands of, 554. 
 
 Filevski, missionary, 58. 
 
 " Finland," Anicr. sldp, .■j25. 
 
 Fischer, Johann, in expedt., 94. 
 
 Fish, aliuudance of, 4; salmon, 228. 
 
 Fisher, in expedt.. ">2. 
 
 Fisheries lS(i7-84, 0(50-70; canneries, 
 744; salmon siipjilv, 745. 
 
 Flassan. dtiath of, 2.V.). 
 
 Florcs, Viceroy, comnm. to king, 272, 
 273. 
 
 Florcs, Canal de, named, 271. 
 
 Florcs, I'ticrto d(!, named, 271. 
 
 Fhjrida Klanca named, 271. 
 
 FoL"-'y Island discovered, 82; Cook at, 
 20S. 
 
 Fomin, at Bristol Hay, 5(12. 
 
 Forrester Island, l!)U, 201. 
 
 " Fortuna," ship, 30, 38, 97; wrecked, 
 GO. 
 
 Fox, blank, catch of, f).")0. 
 
 Fox, blue, catch of, (I.")!). 
 
 Fox Island, 115, 145, 101. 
 
 Fox. ailver-graj-, catch of, C50, 
 
 FramN-us, I'ort des, 243, 250, 257, 270. 
 
 IVaiiklin, .Sir ,Iolin, search for, 572. 
 
 Frederick, I'ort, named, 270. 
 
 Freelnirn, James, presdt of mining 
 c()., 740; statement of, 740-1. 
 
 French, int. in N. W., 255, 275, 270; 
 at I'etropavlovsk, 200; in Alcxan- 
 aniler Archipelago, 321; visit Nor- 
 folk Sound, 522; conduct of, 1854, 
 571. 
 
 Frv, K. M., director of mining co., 
 740. 
 
 Fry, J. 1)., director of mining eo., 
 740. 
 
 Fuclis, st.ate counsellor, picture of, 
 440. 
 
 Fugitive, village, 434. 
 
 Fuller, I. A., couucilmiin, GOl; sur- 
 veyor. 00 1. 
 
 Furj, Kuss. trade, 7-10; yield, 581, 
 
 Fur Seal Islands, discovery, 185, 101. 
 
 Fur-trade, skins collected, 100, lOG- 
 12, 115-25; ut Copper Isl., 100; on 
 Olutorsk Uiver, 100; first monopoly, 
 110; shares (f crew, 114; first liiack 
 fox skins, 120; statement of Push- 
 karef, 121; end of private cxpedts, 
 15(J; sea-otter prices, 210; 1783-7, 
 231-.54; exam, into, 308; expedt. of 
 Lukhainin, 314; prices paid U. S., 
 638; in London, 051; skins collected 
 1885, 747. 
 
 Furuhelm elected gov.. 585. 
 
 
 
 Gagarin, Prince Matvei Petrovich, 
 
 governor of Yakutsk, 27. 
 Cagariii, Vassili ivanovich, at Yakutsk, 
 
 27. 
 (lalaktianof, party of attacked, 340. 
 CJali, Francisco, discovery claimed, 79. 
 Gania, land of, (iO. 
 
 Garcia, .Tuan, in Spanish expedt., 21S. 
 Gardebol, Simon, inexiKjdt., 94. 
 Garliehl, Dele-ate, bill of, 020. 
 (iaatou Island, named, 273. 
 "(lavril," ship, voy. of, 37, 33,00, 
 
 122, 123, 102. 
 Geographical result of liillings' ex- 
 pedt., 2;»(i-8. 
 (iennan. Father, at Pavlovsk, 3'.;0,."G7. 
 Gibson, Lieut, exploration of, 570. 
 Gideon, Fathci', .SOO. 
 Gideon, native, fate of, 402. 
 (ji.t,'edo, Kevilla, viceroy of ilex., 105. 
 (lileicf, iidaiid expedt., 293. 
 Glacier Hay, 279. 
 
 Glass, Caj)!. , ticiitmcnt of Iiids, 72?. 
 Glass factory at Irkutsk, 310, 394. 
 (iiazachcf establishes iron-wurk-*, 1 IS. 
 Glazanof, Audrei, expedt. of, 549-52. 
 (ila/.of, O.ssip, in < xpedt., 93. 
 Glidden, J. C, Trip to Alnska, 723; 
 
 report of, 732. 
 (}lostcr,Sergt,inSeh\vatkaexpedt,732. 
 Glottof, Ivan, Aleut interpreter, 141, 
 
 iiiex[iedt., 149. 
 Glottof, Stepan, hunting expedt., 
 
 1758-02, 120; voy. of, 1702-5, 131, 
 
 140-9. 
 Gmelin, .lohann, in expedt., 52-5, 94; 
 
 biog., 53. 
 Gold discoveries, 09G-8, 737-10. 
 Goldstone, Louis, exam, of, 043; bi'I 
 
 of, 044-0; letter of, 047. 
 ({olikof, Ivan L., collector at Irkutsk, 
 
 184; fits out expedt., IS4. 185, 2J3; 
 
 at court, 300, .307; rewards to, 309; 
 
 request for missionaries, 352. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 w 
 
 Goloilof, Xikofor, in linnliug expeilt., 
 
 IT.V.t, !•->;!; fate of, 1-J4. 
 (loloni Buy. 'JIO. 
 (Joliivin, MiiiLo, in expedt., 03. 
 Goloviu, C^ount.of Admiralty College, 
 
 45. 
 "(Jolovnin," ship, 540. 
 Oolovnia, Capt., inspects cnlonies 
 
 IS 18, 30(); report of, X,H, Xi'J, XM. 
 
 5.'!'J; advice to Biiranof, 51."i, 514; 
 
 invcatigationa (jf, 578, 579. 
 Golovniu Soiuul, silver found, C'JO. 
 Goose Islands, 145. 
 Goro, Capt., takes Cook's exiwdt. 
 
 home, 'JHJ. 
 Goro Island, Cook names, 211. 
 Gorlanof, in expedt., 1740, 04. 
 Gorlonof, Alexui, in expedt., 04. 
 Gortsciiakof, Prince, despatch of, 59'2. 
 (ioviatskoi. Cape, icnanied, 300. 
 (iialiani liay, named, "2(52. 
 "(id Duke Konstantin," voy. of, 5.59. 
 Gravina Hay, named, '273. 
 Gravina Island, '277. 
 Gray Harbor, "Nikolai" wrecked, 
 
 4S1. 
 Gray, Thomas, acct of Famum's jour- 
 ney, 473. 
 (Jrekof Island, Yakntat expedt. at, 345. 
 (!ren, Sim, in expedt., 03. 
 Grindall, Port, 277. 
 Ground-squirrel. See Fur-trade. 
 Gieville, Cape, '208, 300. 
 Guadalupe Buy, discovered, 109. 
 Guise, Capt., vovage of, 2()0. 
 Guibett, 1 ort, '259. 
 (iiintlier, Flias, in expedt., 04. 
 (tvozdcf Mikiiail, in cxpedts, 37-40, 
 
 44, 70,94; chart, .30; l)iog.,40. 
 Gwin, Senator, interviews with Kuss. 
 
 miu., 592. 
 
 H 
 
 Ilaenke Island, named, 271. 
 llageuieister, at Novo -Vrkhancrcl'^k. 
 
 402; at Sandwich Inlands, 4'i()-2, 
 
 408; receives Rnqueleud, 523-5; 
 
 sails for llu.ssia, 52(>-27; succeeds 
 
 Baranof, 510-12. .■)34; exiiedt. of, 
 
 5i7; praise of, ."(31. 
 IIai,'cnieister Islaml. named, 547. 
 Ilaitir, Senator, petition presented by, 
 
 003. 
 Ilaidcn, Port, named, 547. 
 " Halcyon," ship, '20.'). 
 Haliiiut, range of lisiiery. 005. 
 Haliljut Island, natives of, '209. 
 Hall, Lieut, in Billings' expe It., 28-2- ! 
 
 9; etforta agaiuat scurvy, '298. | 
 
 '. Hamond, rajK!. named, 279. 
 i Manna, Cajit., txpidt. of, 242-3. 
 liunsc, tlie, in Ikiitif. 8. 
 Har^). Gonz:iio l»ptz <le, vovage of, 
 
 1788, 270-2. 
 Harris, liich, prospecting i>arty of, 
 
 739. 
 Harrisburg. descript. of, 070; mining 
 
 centre, 007. 
 Ifjiskell. K \V.. <li^tatty, 728. 
 Hawaiian I.-lamls. ('(K>k at, 214; Port- 
 lock at, '2(i:>-2li4: N'ancouver at, 277; 
 
 Krnsenstern at, 424; O'Caiu at, 478; 
 
 Kotzelnie at. 407. 
 Hawkins Islaml. named, 278. 
 Havward, with I'oitlock, 2(^4. 
 Hazy Islands, 259. 
 IleU'l, H'-nrich. in expedt., 94. 
 Heeeta, Bruno, expedt. oi, 107. 
 Hector, <aiK', •2.50. 
 Hoeinskerk, in exjM-dt., 1595. 11. 
 He<r, Andreas, in expedt., 94. 
 Helsteilt, J., counciliuan of Sitk.i, 
 
 001. 
 Hens, .Jacob, in expedt., 17'27-.30, 37, 
 
 40. 44. 
 " Hcral.l," ship. .572. 
 Herdebal, in expe.lt., 1727-30, 37. 
 Herm.in, monk, ileath of, OS'2. 
 Hern)Ogen, i'apc. nanu>d, 300. 
 Herring lisherv, 0(i5-(i. 
 Hill. II. L., director of mining CO., 
 
 740. 
 Hillyer, M. C, niarslial, biog., 728. 
 Hineiiinbrf>ok Island, natives from, 
 
 187. 
 Hindi inbriKtk, Cape, named, 205. 
 Hiuchinbnx.k Island, 210, '207, 27S; 
 
 cross on. '281. 
 HotTman, \)v, in conspiracy, 175; fate 
 
 of. 170. 
 Ilolkiiam Bay named, 2S0. 
 Holland, exiK-.lt. of. 1504 7, !<V1'2. 
 Holndterg, researciies of, 144. 
 Homan, in .Schwatka ex)>eilt., 732. 
 Hoiicliarenko, A., ajitation of, ()02; 
 
 |iul>lishes iiews])aper, 077. 
 Houtslinofj, villai'e, 437. 
 H<^«1 Ikiy. named, 270. 
 Hooper, Capt.. visit of, 5'2G, 019; opens 
 
 coal mine, 003. 
 HfK»tchen.x>. village. 019, 024. 
 Hiirticnlturt at Ross Colony, 48.5-0. 
 Honfihton, Port, naniecl, '2S0, 
 Hvvins, Heinricli, in expedt.. 03. 
 Howard, Gen., recomuiendation of, 
 
 020. 
 Hudson, voyage of. 1008-9. 12. 
 Hudson Bay, jia.ssage into, '203; fur 
 shipments, 242. 
 
'•18 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Hudsfiii'a Hay Co., post of, 190; Ross 
 (Ji)lipiiyolicreilto,4bt>; (ii.spu tea with, 
 rio.V-dO; contract witii, Tid,"); leiiso 
 P'antc'd, !'t'X\; surrcnilcr i)osse8sioii, 
 G,"!;!; fur sliiimeiits, (>j1». 
 
 Hunt, Wilson H., at Novo Ai-ldian- 
 f,'cKk, 47-; on liaranof 's cliar:\cter, 
 517. 
 
 Hunting, iiictli-)dofcon(liictiiig,232-0. 
 
 lliitchins, ('apt., at Spring Corner 
 Cove, '_'()7. 
 
 Ilutuhinson, at Sitka, 0:?fi. 
 
 lliitcliinsiin, Kohl, & Co., linssian 
 lirotiorty sold to, GMt); interest sold 
 Alaska Commer. Co. , G37, GG-t. 
 
 Icy Bay, Yakutat cxpedt. at, 347. 
 
 I-y Cape, -JIO, -JIG. 
 
 I:,'ak, l^isiunsky visit to, 4:>3. 
 
 ]L,'natii'f, l.sju, ivory .search of, 21. 
 
 liiri<,', (ioo. P., coinnir at Wrangell, 
 7ii8. 
 
 Ili.imna Lake, 228. 
 
 liianma, volcano, 20S, 220. 
 
 Liihak. Thliiikeet chief. 2(59. 
 
 liliiiliiik, Ledyard at, 212; IJezanof at, 
 44.-.. 
 
 Illiiiliuk ]5ay, cxpodt. at, 1G."(. 
 
 lilinliiik, har!)or, ISilHuu.s' cxpedt. at, 
 2!»l. •_".»:!: snrvevcd. 2i)G. 
 
 llliiiliiik, I'ort, GS2, G8:!. 
 
 '•Union," ship, 4'Xi, oOO. 
 
 Ilyainna, village, IJJO; natives of, .SG9; 
 massacre at, 392-4; cxpedt. at, 
 .521. 
 
 Iniporiiil elforts and failures, 1704-79, 
 l.;.7-74. 
 
 Indian reservation, proposed, 722-3. 
 
 Indigirkaltiver, 19; Cossacks at, 1G40, 
 20-1; island on, 30. 
 
 Innuit, natives, 207. 
 
 " Intrepid," ship, 182. 
 
 "Investigator," at Kotzebuo Sound, 
 572. 
 
 " I.>a Krestitel," packet-boat, 97. 
 
 " Iphiirenia," ship, 207. 
 
 Irbit, fair at, 242. 
 
 Irkutsk, founded, 17; native educa- 
 tion, 230; Shelikof at. 231, 310, 377; 
 shipments to, 242; Billings at, 283, 
 285, 298; glass factory, 310, 394. 
 
 Iron, works, 118; attempt to extract, 
 330. 
 
 Irtish River, ship Vmilt on, 56. 
 
 Irving, Washington, on liaranof's char- 
 acter, 517, 518. 
 
 " Isabella," voy. of, 481, COG. 
 
 Ishig, Baranof's brother at, 51.1. 
 
 Isliinik, native warrior, 145, 14G. 
 
 Islands, Bay c>f. named, 204. 
 
 Isniailof, GerrassiniC, orders to, I'li'-, 
 at Kurile lil., lS2; expedt. of, 183, 
 200-70, 278, .•(25; visits Capt. C.'ok, 
 213, 214; in Shelikof's voy., 2-23; at 
 Trckh Sviatitcli, 2SG. 
 
 Tssaiuf, Mikhail, in trailing coy, ISG. 
 
 Issanakii Strait, liaranof at, 'S'2i). 
 
 Itcha River. 32. 
 
 Ivanof, Sotnik, at source of the Yaina, 
 19. 
 
 Ivanof, A., in expedt., G4, 94; pro- 
 moted, 90. 
 
 Ivanof, Ignatiy, fur-trade monopoly, 
 110. 
 
 Ivanof, Luka, in expedt., 94. 
 
 Ivashcning, .Stepan, in expedt., 93. 
 
 Ivory, deposits of, 21, 
 
 ".Jaekall," ship, 279, 348-9. 
 
 lacobi, Ivan B., report of, 252; in- 
 structions, 200; medal sent by, ^208; 
 ap[)rovc3 Shelikof's scheme, 303-8. 
 
 "Jamestown," siiip, G^20. 
 
 .Jansen, Niels, in expedt., G4, 93. 
 
 Japan, OCain'a voy. to, 478, 479; re- 
 ception of embassy, 444, 445. 
 
 Japan current, elFcct on climate, 4. 
 
 Jaiianeso in Kamchatka, '^o. 
 
 .lapanovsky, settlement, 450. 
 
 "Jenny," shi]), at Norfolk Sound, 40S. 
 
 " loann Oustioushki," ship. I.VJ. 
 
 "loann Predtech.a," ship, 1.50. 
 
 loassaf, Bishop, snptd. of missions, 
 301; mediations of, 3i:{; olil acts, 
 300-5; fato of, 305, 414; in Buss. - 
 Amer. Co., 459. 
 
 Johnstone, ]\laster, at Prince Freder- 
 ick Sound, 280. 
 
 .Jones, J. P., mine-owner, 740. 
 
 Judicial dists, to be estiljlisiied, 719. 
 
 Juneau, Josepli, prospecting party of, 
 (7.39. 
 
 "Juno," ship, 443, 454, 45G; wrecked, 
 473-5. 
 
 Juvenal, missionary, 300; career and 
 death, 305-74. 
 
 Kabanof, death of, 403-5. 
 
 Kaboi'of, Lieut, conidt at Petropav- 
 
 lovsk, 3P2. 
 Kachikof, in expedt., 1740, 04; death, 
 
 73. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 7o9 
 
 "Ka(liak,"^!iip, ^0,2. IRl, -IS-^, .W-i. 
 
 Kudiiik Islaml, I'JS, •.•()!), -JJS, •J;U1, -271, 
 l{0(i, oTiJ; as a t;razing ciiiiiitry, l{, 
 4; iliscoviTV of, 111; cxpcdts at, 
 
 lai, 171, i«i. -Ji:!, -JiiO, i;7.<, 'J7.s. 
 :!i I, .'ijo, .sM-_\ :{;;4, ;{;{7, 37(1, 4j:., 
 
 4:i-_', V.)-2. r)-2-2, 547; conllict witli 
 iialivc'.-t, JS7, 142, 14.S; on CooU'a 
 ihi'.rt, '.'OS; settkineiit at, 224, 28(i, 
 2!).'., :!0.'), as.'); climate. .SOO; natives 
 of, .'{02, 31.'t,34o; trees on, .'i2'J;agric. 
 at, a.")!, GS7, OSS; exiles at, 'X)'>; jxip- 
 tilation, liM; nia.ssacrc at, 3!r2; ice 
 trade, ,")S7; sea-otter catch, iio'J; map 
 of, GSO; le.id found. 00(j. 
 
 Kaillikfjf, Capt, report of, .IS.S. 
 
 M.4iln, native witli Kotzebuc, 501. 
 
 KiiKuiak Uay, 208. 
 
 J'^ali;an, Capo, 259. 
 
 Kaigans, treacliery of, 52.1-!^. 
 
 lv;di<! Imlians, trouliles M'itli, (511-12. 
 
 Kaknu Kiver, ;i35, 342, 305. 
 
 Kalatclicva I>ay, expedt. at, 125. 
 
 Kulekhtaii ]5ay, 211. 
 
 Kalekhtali, expedt. at, 1.34. 
 
 Kal;_;iii I.sland, seal hunt on, 3f!8. 
 
 Kalinin, pilot of tlic "Neva," 
 drowned, 403. 
 
 Kalistrat, native, fate of, 402. 
 
 Kaljiislies, native hunters, 101, 238, 
 .'"!i7; intercourse with traders, 240, 
 211; trouble with, 320, 327, 34'J-t, 
 340. 
 
 Kamchatka, occupation of, 1700, 24- 
 20; oxpedts at, 31-2. 3.')-02, 01, 
 0.">, 112, 114, 127, 100, 303, 402; 
 Aleut baptized at, 142; small-pox 
 ravages, l(i4; siiipinents from, 242; 
 tradiuj,' post, 310; coast of, 377; 
 conspirators at, 405. 
 
 Kanich.'inieha, native king, 401, 402, 
 407-0. 
 
 Kamuishak Bay, trading post at, 230; 
 sliip driven into, 3.">7. 
 
 K.uiaga Island, 128, 120. 
 
 Kaniak Island, expedt. at, MQ. 
 
 Kaniat Bay, 145. 
 
 Ivanislichef, Fedor, in expedt., 03. 
 
 Kapitan Bay, expedt. at, 135, 154. 
 
 '■Kapiton."\ship, 118. 
 
 Karabelnikof, I'avel, in hunting ex- 
 pedt., 102. 
 
 Karnghinski, hunting expedt. at, 100. 
 
 Karagin Island, 157. 
 
 Karluk, tr.iding post, 230, 3.")7; tan- 
 nery at, 090. 
 
 Karniauof, Lazar, in hunting expedt. 
 102. 
 
 Karpof, Feodor, in Billings' expedt. 
 283. 
 
 Karta Bay, copper mine at, 005. 
 
 KuHheli f, Ivan, iu expedt., 03. 
 
 Kaslii'vaiof, Alixan.liT, on lii'luvnin'.s 
 report, 531; ex])edt. of 530. X>'2, 
 553; exposes abuses, 570; chartn of, 
 092. 
 
 Ka.<hinia, meaning of, 145. 
 
 Kasliniak, inter[)reter, 1!;S. 
 
 Kashiinok, moii'.ii of ^'uklln, .Vil. 
 
 Kassilof liiver, establishment on, 334, 
 3.35; cannery on, 743. 
 
 Kataief Krcst, cross erected, 29. 
 
 Katlean. .See Katleut. 
 
 Katletit, Sitkan chief. .387-8. 
 
 Katlewah, native, 3(i'.l; bapti/od, 372. 
 
 Katniai, Kus-i.ins at, .')22; potroloum 
 found at,, 0!15. 
 
 Katinak, trading jiost at, 230. 
 
 Katiiiala Hay, trading j.ost, 230. 
 
 Kanai Island, king ot, oOiJ. 
 
 Kayak, I'oast of, ;{80. 
 
 Kayo Island, 187, 204, 210, 288. 2S9. 
 
 Kixinieriif, Lev, in ex(ieclt., 03. 
 
 Kenai, natives of, 207, 228, .300, 345; 
 station ill, 230; attaciv on, M04. 
 
 Kenai l>,iy, 3!)4, 414, 570; coal-niiu- 
 iag at. 003. 
 
 Kenai, Ca)ic, fort at, 414. 
 
 Kenai Gulf, 3.:1. .328, :i34, .3.3S, 307, 
 5.30; trouble with native.^ .305; Kn ;- 
 lisli claim to, 400; decrease of fur 
 yield, .52'i. 
 
 Kenai Mtn, 350. 
 
 Kenai I'.iver, .Invenal at. 3';S. 
 
 Kcnidcott, journey of, .'170. 
 
 Khah/,of, .Masti.'r, at Novo Arkhan- 
 gelsk, 5.30. 
 
 Khaiinzoi)!;a lliver, 32. 
 
 Kharinzdf liiver, expedt. at, 157. 
 
 Kliitrof, in expedt. , 1740,04,80; jour- 
 nal, 07; in expedt., 1741-2. 02, 03. 
 
 Khlebnikol', version of massacre, 410- 
 12; with Barauof, 420; ranclio at 
 Bodega, 480; of Hnss. Atner. Co., 
 512; oiiinion of Baninof, 514, 515. 
 
 KInnetevski, Vassili, in expedt., 03; 
 wrecked, 07. 
 
 Khok-lievnikof, Ivan, in hunting ex- 
 pel t., 102. 
 
 Kholodilof, Feodor, expedt., 1740, 108; 
 17.5.3-4, 11.5-110. 
 
 Khotiaintzof, ni-tte. ' r.*;!!, 00. 
 
 Khotiaintzof, Nik' .. ; ex[)edt., 04, 
 03. 
 
 Khotumzevskoi, baptizes native of 
 Attoo, 105. 
 
 Khramchemka, mate with Kotzebuo, 
 494. 
 
 Khramchcnko, expedt. of, 540 
 
 Khronia 1U\ er, 20. • 
 
7G0 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Klita-nluk Island. SecNiichck Island. 
 Kiiu'li.iUof, c'xpc'dt. of, i;i'_'-4. 
 Kiiv{jaii>f, Iviuut, ill iiiiHH. Amor. Co., 
 
 :{(i;i, 414; faU', 4r)S, 4Ji). 
 KiiiUlila, Shelikof luavos, 18"J; over- 
 
 IukI tiatli^ to, '^42, aOC; trade with 
 
 ( liiiia, 4J2. 
 Kii;iltlit<>wik, expe<lt. at, .'>49. 
 \\ I 111", a l!ay, llijpat, l.V.)7, 12. 
 ICi'iiula, native fiMiii, 404. 
 r.iiliidii liiiy. l^lsianHky"a visit to, 4.14. 
 ;Ii::iia.s, iialivca, l!(l. 
 Kinkaid, C A., cuuiiuiliuan of 8itka, 
 
 i;;)i. 
 
 ]CiiiUe:id,.J. lf.,.ipptdgov., l)iog.,727; 
 
 report of, 72S-.T2. 
 Kiudiarof, Ivan, in t'xpcdt., 94. 
 Kin;,', <'aiit.,\vith Cook, 20S; cxain- 
 
 iius NorLoii Hay, 211. 
 " i\iii,; Ccjorj^u," sliii), 244, 2(i2— 4. 
 Kin;,' Ciorge Island, 27'.>. 
 King (Jeorge Sourd, furs colk'Cted at, 
 
 242. 24;{. 
 King Island, discovered, 210. 
 Kiiuk liivcr, Cook at, 207. 
 Kirl^y, journey of, r)7li. 
 Kinn-k(iy Itiver, saw-mill on, (190. 
 Kiriiof, supports expedt., 17;»l, -io. 
 ivi^;iel('f, at Aleutian Isles, ;}21; at 
 
 Pi-inco William Sound, .■)44. 
 Kislika Island, S.'i. 
 Kiiwlakovsky, acting master, voy. of, 
 
 '>;MJ-1. 
 Kitlitz, \^on, report of, 547. 
 " Kliinent," ship, voyage of, 184; at 
 
 Kadiak, 221. 
 Kllinolisky, Andrei, Kolosh hostage, 
 
 4:!S. 
 Kloli, Kutz, native map-maker, "i'.iS. 
 Klokachef .Sound, entrance to, 200, 
 
 ;W4. 
 Kiotchof, Master, voy. of, 530-7. 
 Klov.ak, cannery built at, 002. 
 Khiehevskaia, eruption of volcano, 
 
 101. 
 Ki:;'.g.','e, .Tacol), in expedt., 549. 
 Kol)e!el, ill IJillings' expedt., 292, 293. 
 Koch, death of, hiog., 492-3. 
 Kodichef, wrecked, 01. 
 Koiyehak river, 325. 
 Kokovin, in expedt., 1.3.3-5; with So- 
 lo vief, 151. 
 Koliina,. Cossack subdue, 1040, 21; 
 
 expedts from, ISOS, 1711, 22-4, 
 
 28 29. 
 Koiima River, 19, 2S.3. 
 Kolniakof, ,\lexaii<ler, in expedt., 547. 
 Koloniin, I'eredovehik, at Kadiak, 
 
 314; ex])edt. of, 334-8; conitnn to 
 ■ Purtof, 345. 
 
 Koloshcs, natives, 144; attack expcf' 
 380, 387; friendly, 400; revolt 
 401; ma.-isaere their children, 4.. , 
 treaty with, 438, 4.39; tn.ublo with, 
 40."!, 47.3, 574; trade with, 528; re- 
 moval of, 535; li(|Uor trallic among, 
 559, 500; sma!l-pox among, 500; 
 education of, 70(i. 
 
 Kolyehef, Fedor, in expedt., 93. 
 
 Koinjwkooa Kiver, 32. 
 
 Koiidakof, Geraasin, Kolosh hostage. 
 
 _ 4:;8. 
 
 Koniagas, natives, 191; attack Rus- 
 sians, 225, 220. 
 
 Kunnygiii, Ivan, statement, 574. 
 
 Konovalof, (i rigor, hunting expedt., 
 c Jiiduct of, 335-42. 
 
 " K<uistantin," sloop, at Kadiak, 380. 
 
 Konstautiiie, Fort, .357, 522. 
 
 K(jn;;tatilinov:;k, redoubt built, 
 Koloshes attack, 451, 452. 
 
 Kooskoir, with Lisiansky, 42S. 
 
 K()[p;ii, p.'.y trilnite, 1724, 30, 31. 
 
 Kopilof, Andrei', at Pacific, lOIV.t, 
 
 Koiasakov.^ky, expedt. of, 521-2. 
 
 K.or',iin, Stc|ian, rescue of, 131; 
 expedt., 132-13."). 
 
 Korenef, in expedt., 150. 
 
 Kariaka, treatment of expedt 
 
 Koro.stlcf, Dmitri, in expedt. 
 
 Korotaief, Ivan, in trading eo. 
 
 KoiMvin, expedt. of, 131. '' 
 
 320; 
 
 0. 
 
 100. 
 04, 9.3. 
 'SO. 
 ). 
 
 148-9; with Solovief, 151; 
 
 132. 
 Korzakof, Alexander, Prince, con- 
 duets inquiry against Pechevin, IJfi. 
 Koshigin Hay, Haranof wrecked, 318. 
 Koshigin, Yelini, in expedt., 1.32. 
 lv(jstroinitin, Peter, statement of, G03, 
 
 083-4. 
 Kotclnikof, party o^ captured, 340. 
 Kotovchikof, death of, 328. 
 Kotzebue, Otto von, expedt. of, 494- 
 
 ■")02; rcturn.s to Russia, 502; family 
 
 of, 503; sf.coud expedt., 1823-0, 540, 
 
 541. 
 Kotzebue Sound, 553, 572; map of, 
 
 495. 
 Kou Island, Gen. Davis expedt. to, 
 
 012. 
 Kovinia River, 283, 284, 292, 295, 
 
 290. 
 Koj'ukans. outbreak of, 572-4. 
 Koyukuk River, explored, 5.J3. 
 Kozantzof, accusations of, 58, 59. 
 Kozlof, Feodor, ship-builder, 47; in 
 
 expedt., 9.3. 
 Kozlof, Kiril, in hunting expedt., 102. 
 Kozlof- Ugrcuin, Grigor, coindt of 
 
 Okhotsk, orders of, 310-12. 
 
INDi:X. 
 
 m 
 
 Knzmii), sliip-hiiildpr, 07. 
 Ki'Z.niuj^. Andrei, in cxpedt, 93. 
 Kinslieiir.iUuf, Htudeiit, (Jl ; in uxpcdt., 
 
 (M, 100. 
 KnisMoyarsk, Kfianof's death at, 4G0. 
 Ki'ii.siiiliiikof, Ahdifi, in cxpi-dt., 114, 
 
 J»4. 
 KniHsilnikof, S., in liunting cxpedts, 
 
 I !.')-! 7, 1 •-'(), i-j:j. lo.J. 
 
 Ivicnitzin, IVtr Kuniich, exyiedt. of, 
 
 1704-71, l.')U-(J7; duatb of, 1(17. 
 KiH'stovsky Hay, expi'ilt. at, 4l'S. 
 Ki'iijsio l»lanii, in .\tUiia district, 'liW. 
 Ki'ivishin, Vassili, in tiadinj,' cci., 180. 
 Krivorotdf, lits out oxjiodt., lb.). 
 Kronotzkoi, Cape, coast explored, 
 
 ]74->, 'J-->. 
 Kronstadt, return of cxpedt. to, 440; 
 
 Kotzohiie li^aTus, 4!)4; suppliua seut 
 
 from, u.'jO; oxpedta from, 1821-40, 
 
 50."). 
 " Krotky," voy. of, .•)17. 
 KniiUot, orders to, !jOi. 
 Krusoustern, Cape, iK'.med, 490. 
 Knisenstern, Lieut, ex|)edt. and pro- 
 ject of, 4'_'i-r); return to .St I'eters- 
 
 burj,', 440--_'. 
 Krustief, in conspiracy, 178. 
 Krutogorova Kiver, .'J2. 
 Kriizot laluud, "JOO, 4:57, 074; map of, 
 
 070. 
 Kucliekinak Bay, trading post at, 340. 
 Kuicliak River, Koraaakov.sky expedt. 
 
 on, .j^l. 
 Kuikhtak Island, discovery of, 300. 
 Kulikatof, in expedt., 344; punish- 
 
 niciit of, 448. 
 Kulkof, hunting expedt., 17">9, 123; 
 
 ship-owner, l.'il; rewarded, loo; in 
 
 trading co. , 180. 
 Kunien, Afanassiy,in conspiracy, 179. 
 Kuprianof, Gov., appt. govr, u.)4. 
 Kuprianof Island, 280. 
 Kurile, district, Si'M. 
 Kurile Islands, 'M, 44, 97, 181, 223, 
 
 307, 310, 35.-), 377, 410, 445, 494, 
 
 532, 545; map, 545. 
 Kurile Straits, 570. 
 Kuskof, at Kadiak, hiog., .3.50; ex- 
 
 pedts, .387, 481, 483: eonul at ,St 
 
 Konstautin, 395;slii[i-building, 4JJ; 
 
 comd at Novo Arklian ,'clsk, 401; 
 
 promoted, 402; I'ouuds Ross Colony, 
 
 482. 
 Kuskokvim, expedt. at, 522. 
 Kuskokvini Kiver, 5, 209, 211, 530, 
 
 540, 547, 553. 
 Kuskovkim Valley, 085. 
 Kiistatan, (Jook at, 207. 
 "Kutusof," ship, 504, 510, 511, 514. 
 
 Ktizuetzof, Ar.senins, expedt. of, 1S4; 
 
 in trailing eo., 180. 
 Ku/iietzof, Dniitri, in conspiracy, 17'.). 
 Knznetzof, Yeluii, with IJa-soi, 101. 
 Kvaas, descpt. of, 233. 
 Kviclmk River, in Mikailnf district, 
 
 530. 
 Kvigin River, 547. 
 Kviklipak, school at, 709. 
 Kvigym I'ainiigiiinte, exju'dt. at. HoQ. 
 Kvo.sdof, Lt, iiistruotion.s to, 4."(). 
 Kvosdiif, Rczanof's instructions to, 
 
 450. 
 Kyak Island, 78, 208; map, 21i/. 
 Kyginik, native, 152. 
 
 L,ickn).an, partner of Baranof, 394. 
 
 "Ladoga," .'doop of war, 53'.). 
 
 I^diiigidn, .Steiiau, trader, 303. 
 
 " Lady," ship, -172. 
 
 "La Flavia,"ship, 209. 
 
 Laguiiof, in (■x[)udt., 1740, 04. 
 
 Lakhaniit, natives, 191. 
 
 Land (list created, 720. 
 
 LangsdorfT, (J. H. von, in expedt., 
 
 41 ;, 424, 443; voyages and travels, 
 
 4 a -2. 
 La I'erousc, meets Pryhilof, lO;*; 
 
 voyage of, 1785-0, 213,211, 2,55- 
 
 9, 282, 312; instructions to, 2.50; 
 
 charts of, 092. 
 Lapin, Ivan, statement of, 121 ; oukaz 
 
 issued to, 120', expedt. of, 1702, 130; 
 
 forms CO., 153, 180; lits out exijeclt., 
 
 109; at St Petersburg, 174. 
 I^aptief, Lt Dmitri, in expedt., 52, 93. 
 Laptief, Lt Ilariton, in expedt., 52, 
 
 93. 
 Lariou, attack ou Nulato, 573-4. 
 Lai'ionof, Ivan, petition of, 302; 
 
 troubles of, 390; agent at Uiuilaska, 
 
 417, 447, 448. 
 "Lark," shii), wrecked, 231, 472. 
 Lassonius, Lt, in expedt., .")1, 93; a;)- 
 
 pointment of, 52; on Lena Uiver, 5 i. 
 La.ssef, Anton Ivanovich, at Irkusk, 
 
 1770, 120. 
 Lau, Joiianu, in expedt., 04, 94. 
 Lavaslief, expeilt. ot, 194. 
 L;iw and protection, country without, 
 
 004-0. 
 Lazaref, Maxim, in expedt., 115, 127, 
 F-icad discovered, 090. 
 Lebedef, Capt., voy. of, 174.5, 101. 
 
 conidr of Kamchatka, 1 10. 
 Lel)cdcf, Ekateriua, testimony of, 
 
 407-10. 
 
7C2 
 
 IXPEX. 
 
 Lfbcdef, Lastoohkin, fits out cxpedt., 
 IS.-). 
 
 LeIiciUf Co., .>r<;nnizwl, 180; transac- 
 tions of, 'Jiio. fill, :«4-:h:5'.>, :«.■>, :i.".7: 
 
 troulilifs witli .Sliflikoir Co., 339- 
 
 4-2, 37<>, :!:).■>; fall of, 343. 
 Lf (Ha IK if Si Ml ml, 420. 
 l.iiilyiiid, ('(ivj)!, oxjiedt. of, 18.1. 
 Lijdy.ird, .lnlni, joiiini-y of, il'^- 1,}. 
 li'inan, in land rxpedt., 'jy.'l, 
 1,(! Mt'siuiur I'oiiit, 277. 
 l.oiia Itivcr, Cossack's rottcdi, 1G28, IS. 
 J^i'oiitiff, killrd liy conspiiators, 17'.'. 
 1-r.slioliiut.ky, revtals consijiracy, 404- 
 
 Leskin, Agapius, in cx['cdt., 1)4. 
 
 Lo.stiiikof, 'IVrt'uty, charge prffenvd 
 by, 700. 
 
 Lcvasluf, Cajit., expcdt. of, l.-)4, 1.59- 
 07; siitlcriijL,3 of, 294. 
 
 Luwisi, Andrew T., clerk of court, 
 728. 
 
 Library at Sitka, 077. 
 
 Lima, llaLjfiut'ister at, 511; Roque- 
 foi.d at,V)22 
 
 " Lincoln,"' ship, 028. 
 
 Lindorniiain Lake named, 734. 
 
 J^in.sclioU'n, in cxpedt., I.j',)4 ■"), 10, 11. 
 
 Liipuir tratlic, gov. report. 730, 7."tl. 
 
 Litjljurnc, L'ajic, 210. 
 
 ]^isian.^ky, Capt., cxpedt. of, 422-42; 
 Inog., 441. 
 
 L'isli!, Jo.seph de, compiles map. Til. 
 
 JiiKsiev It<land, in Uiialaska district, 
 oDO. 
 
 Live-stock, 088. 
 
 Lliaum I Lake, 287, .Tr>. 
 
 lioliaskliet', I'rokop, in hunting ex- 
 ludt, 17.')!), 123; fate of, 121. 
 
 Lolichof, (irii^or, in eonspnacy. 170. 
 
 liondon, 11. 1). Co. furs at, 242; lie- 
 zatiof, 4.'i2; fur-dyeing industry, 
 0.-)S. 
 
 Loiic'.'an, cxplor. expedt. of, 7.'J0. 
 
 Li)|ialka, Cape, 04. 
 
 L.iroli'u, Dmitri, in trading co. . 180. 
 
 Los Itemed ios, I'oi't, 2.-)0. 
 
 Losscf, in Konovalof ex[iedt. 337. 
 
 Lo'.ieks, Lt, actions at t'ort Wran- 
 gejl, 013. 
 
 Loutlian, Frank K., experiences of, 
 012. 
 
 l^owcr Volga, robbers infesting, 9. 
 
 ]/)\viy, Capt., voyage of, 200. 
 
 Lozilref, Cant., voy. of, 504-5; dis- 
 putes with Ikranof, 504. 
 
 Ltua, natives fi'om, 230, 348. 
 
 Ltua liay, Li I'erou.se .at, 'M3; de- 
 scribed, 2.-)0, 2.")7; sea-otter hunting 
 at, 3.")7; Knyiisli claim to, 400. 
 
 Lukanin, orders io, 126; with Ismai- 
 Iwf, 183; tr.-atnu'nt of natnes, 201. 
 
 Lukin, in oxpedt., 551-2. 
 
 Liinsenino, Joliann, in expedt., 04, 
 
 JiUNliin, Fedor, mission of, 1710-21, 
 32, 44. 
 
 Liitke, Capt. von, cxpedt. of, 1820, 
 5U;-7; chart of, 002. 
 
 Lynn Canal, explored, 270. 
 
 Lynx. See Fur-trade. 
 
 M 
 
 Maagor, fate of, 1800, 011-12. 
 .Macao, conspirators arrive at, 182; 
 
 sale of fui'.-i, 244; Marcliuud at, 215. 
 Miukercl fishery, 000. 
 Madagascar, Ucnyovski at, 182. 
 .Madrc de Dios, named, 2IS. 
 Mahoiiey, Frank, councilman of Sitka 
 
 1807, 001. 
 -Mails, gov. report on, 720. 
 Main, John, in expedts, 283, 29.3. 
 Makar, ■Icmmouakli, mis.sionary, .300; 
 
 acts in Unalaska, .304-5. 
 ^Ldvaria, furs sent to, 242. 
 .Maksheicf, Alexei, in expcdt., 04. 
 M.-iksutof, Prince, in charge of ali'airs, 
 
 57l'-80; ne5^)tiations with, O.Ui. 
 M;i'ivusliin, expedt. at, 135; village, 
 
 l.VJ. 
 .Makushin, volcano, 083. 
 Malacca, Meares sails from, 2('0. 
 .Malakhof, cxpedt. of. .">2,">-0, 553. 
 Malakliof, Vassdi, agent, ',\X>. 
 Malaspin.'i, Alejandro, voyage 
 
 1701, 
 
 of, 
 
 Malilonado, passage explored, 274. 
 Malevinskoi, Yakof, expedt. and 
 
 death, 140. 
 Malmesl)ury, I'ort, named, 280. 
 Maltzof, I'etr, fur-trado inonopoly, 
 
 no. 
 
 -Malygin, Stepan, Lieut, in expedt. ,93. 
 
 Maps, Fasterii .Siberia. 10; ( rvozdi f's 
 Land, 39; Kyak Island, 78; sci'iie of 
 conllict, 1.37; of IJraL'ins, 172; Cua- 
 .Iri's voy., 108; Cook's voy., 21.'), 
 210; Yakutat set'himeiit, 3ill; Kot- 
 zebue Sound, 405; Koi'asako\s!iy 
 cxpedt., 521; Kurilc Islnnl, 545; 
 (ilazanof'sexiiedt., 551 ; Nidato, 572; 
 Baranof Island, 073; Kadiak Isl- 
 ands, 080; Aleutian Islands. 083. 
 
 Marclianil, Kticnnc, voy. of, 1701, 245, 
 275, 270. 
 
 "Maria," ship, 443, 492; wrecked, 
 505. 
 
 Markof, cxperieuces of, 509, 570. 
 
IXDEX. 
 
 768 
 
 Marmot Island, 206. 
 
 Marsiillus, Marchuiid leaves, 27;"). 
 
 Miirtiiu'Z, E. Josi5, voyage of, 17S8, 
 
 270-2. 
 Mashin, Lt, coniluct of, 4ii8; at Novo 
 
 Arkhangelsk, ;":«). 
 JIaurollo, Alf., expedt, prevented, 270. 
 Maurelle, Antonio, in 'Xjiudt., 107. 
 Maurc'llo, Francisco, in Spanish ex- 
 
 pcdt., 218. 
 Mazarredo 15a,v, named, 273. 
 :McAllister, W'anl, district judge, 727, 
 
 728. 
 Jlcliitosii, trader, 313. 
 Mcintosh, in Schwatka expedt., 732. 
 Melvniglit, G. K., coiincilnian, 001. 
 McLoughlui, I., conid atlStikeun, 557; 
 
 fate of, 558. 
 Mearos, Capt., expedt. of, 190; collects 
 
 furs, 211; iiustnictions to, 217; treat- 
 ment of natives, 248; voyage of, 
 
 200-2. 
 Mecliauios arrive at I'avlovsk, 3.">2. 
 Meder, .Magnus, in consiiiracy, 170. 
 ^Medvedef, expeclt., I'M, \'M; letters 
 
 from, 1:12; searcl" for, ll!',) 1-10; fate 
 
 of, 140; remains of party discovered, 
 
 147. 
 ^ledvedef, Z.ikar, in expedt., 04. 
 Mcdvednikof, Vassili, late of, 402-3, 
 
 407-11. 
 Meek, hunting expedt. to ("al., 1811, 
 
 481. 
 jMeklar, missionary, ,'^oO. 
 Mendocino, Cape, Arteaga sails for, 
 
 2::0. 
 Menendez liay named, 273. 
 Merek, iJr, in expcdts. 2s:t, 2!);i. 
 '■ Mercury," slop, 285, 2!W, 470, 480. 
 iMcrtcn.s, report of, 547. 
 Merriiiuin,Capt.,ex;>edt. of, 1882, 010; 
 
 attack on natives, 723. 
 !Metlahkatlali, papulation, 705. 
 ^Icygin, Lieut, uppointment of, 52. 
 !Miatlef, ^ov.of Siiniia, 1751, 43. 
 !Micliael, fort erected, 300. 
 Middleton Island, 208. 
 MikaiehiVsk, trading jtost, 551, 085. 
 Mikhaielovsk Island n.imeil, ,548. 
 Mdiailof distiict, 5 iU. 
 Miles, (.Jen., orders expedts, 7.">5. 
 Military occupation, evil ell'cets of, 
 
 000-0. 
 Miller, (icn. John F., presilt Alaska 
 
 Com. Co., examined, 043; testi- 
 mony, 015, Otii, 050. 
 Minin, Fedor, in expedt., 52, 0.?. 
 Mining Co., incorporateil IS77. 007. 
 Mintoiiii Lake, munlcr of party ;-.t, 
 
 572. 
 
 Minukhin, Ivan, hunting expedt 
 
 l7.')0-2. 112. 
 Miranda, vidcano, 220, 271. 
 Missionaries, fur Kamchatka, 57, 58; 
 
 efforts of, .303, 304; at Tavlov-.k, 
 
 3.)2; re|>ort on, 4.50. 
 Miteliell, Senator, hill of, 1H75, ()20. 
 Moira Sound, 277. 
 
 Molef, Alexander, attack on, 318-10, 
 '•Moller," voy. of, 547. 
 MoUer, portn.inied, 547 
 Molvec, supercargo vi;Ii I.ozaref, .504. 
 Monoply, inception of, 2ii!l; organized, 
 
 1797-95, 305 -:!.•{. 
 Montague Lsland. ISO. lOO. 2(12, 207, 
 
 271, 278, 288, .320, VA:,. :;'.t|. 
 Montagu Soun I named, 2(!5. 
 Monterey, Martinez at, 272; trade 
 
 witii, o40. 
 Moore, Capt., meets I'.araii.if, 325, 
 
 32(i. 
 Moore, Joseph .S,, t"stiniooy <if, 047. 
 Morai, sanctuary, 400. 
 M<H'dviiiof, .Vdniiral. aL-'itatiui of, 544. 
 .Morolief. Ser Von.l.ief. I I.'. 
 .Morosko, Luka, left AikuIidIi, llKiO, 
 
 24. 
 Morris, Will C, rei|uest for U. S. ship, 
 
 010; death of, 715. 
 riloscow, furs sent to, 242. 
 .Moss, .Mora. I., contract of, 587, nego- 
 tiations of, 030. 
 .Motora, on the Anadir, 185,), 23. 
 Moukliin, Ndiolai, sent ;.s IJaianof'a 
 
 suliiitilute, .300. 
 Muihiikof, entiTjiri.se of, 377. 
 "Muir," Hteam-tiiL', Ouilt, I8i2, 091. 
 .Mulgrave, Cape, 210. 
 .Mulgrave, I'ort, 250, 21)5, 274. 
 Midler, (ierliaril, in ixpedt. . ,'2 5. 05, 
 
 Of; l.iog. .53; at SI. I'etersl.iux', OS. 
 .Mulov^-ki, Ca[it. proposeil ex|>edt. of. 
 
 3:)7. 
 Muravief, \. N., gov. -general E. 
 
 SOxM-ia, 43. 
 .Muravief, .Stepan, Lieut, in exp.'dt., 
 
 52, 03. 
 Mni'iiliy, T. (J., newspaper of, (;77. 
 .Minva, ISotelia, er ated prince, 231. 
 " Myi'tl.," shi[>, 4l)l. 
 
 w 
 
 Xaeaa, Lisiansky joins Kiusenstern 
 at, UO. 
 
 " Nadeslida," shiii, vovai;e ol. 00, !l7, 
 422 4,443-5,4.1. 
 
 Nag.-iief, .\diniral, chart of, 101; dis- 
 covers Copper lli\ir, l>i7-8. 
 
764 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Nagaief, Leontiy, 312. 
 
 Nalia Harlwr, camieiy at, CG2. 
 
 Is'akvjis.siii, death of, 403. 
 
 NuiKiiino, coal at, G94. 
 
 Jsaiiyusiiki, llezanof at, 444. 
 
 Nuoiuii'if, wrecked, !(7. 
 
 Naj)l:ivkof, conspiracy of, 463-5. 
 
 NurisJikiii, Capt., of navul ttcat.emy, 
 \lS,i, 45. 
 
 Nush, hurgeou, in cxpedt, 736. 
 
 Natch ik IJtiy, native name, 347. 
 
 Native!*, tniiute paid by, 11'2; im- 
 perial oukoz on treatment, 1-6; of 
 Niithek Bay, '205; abuse of, 'J47-51. 
 
 Nauinof, Stepau, buried at East Cape, 
 520. 
 
 "Navariu," corvette, 571. 
 
 Nay, Cornclis, expedt. of, 1504, 10, 11. 
 
 Nazigak Island, '208. 
 
 Neiker, Port, '259. 
 
 Nerodof, survivor from "Neva" wreck, 
 404. 
 
 Nerstof, Koania, hunting expedt., 108. 
 
 NetzvetolF, native ship-builder, OUl. 
 
 Neuo Nachrichten, 131. 
 
 " Neva," ship, leaves Kronstadt, 4'2'2- 
 4; ^■(>yage8 of, 46'2, 4'JO, 510; wreck 
 of, 4!i;{. 
 
 Neviashin, Vassili, in trading co. , 
 ISO. 
 
 Nevodchikof, Mikliail, in hunting ex- 
 pedt., 102, 104; appoiutmeutof, 107; 
 visits Aleutian Islands, 111. 
 
 Nevodchikof, I'avul, baptism of Tem- 
 nak, 105. 
 
 New Albion, trade with, 453; aigniti 
 canoe of term, 481; Kaskof on coast, 
 481-3. 
 
 New Itedford, ship purchased at, 537. 
 
 New Columbia Island, named, 1881, 
 CIO. 
 
 New Cornwall, '277. 
 
 Now Ktldystuno Uook, '277. 
 
 Newouliam, Capi-, •200, ."i22, 546. 
 
 Now (Juorgia, furs from, '245, 
 
 Now llonover, '277. 
 
 Nowspiijier, 077. 
 
 Now Vo;ir Islaiul namod, 409. 
 
 •Niasuikh, in oxpodt., I31-'2. 
 
 Niohols, Lt H. E., services of, 7'28, 
 720. 
 
 " Nieinen," transport, .">71. 
 
 Nikihnicli, .Mikliail, liunting expedt., 
 108. 
 
 Nikita boy baptized, 309. 
 
 Nikoloiof, liuntingoxpodt., 1'20; ves- 
 sel of, at Uninak, 123; rowarda to, 
 155. 
 
 Nikolai, Russians at, 5'2'2. 
 
 "Nikolai," wreck of, 481. 
 
 "Nikolai I.," voy. of, 559; steamer 
 
 built, 1842, 001. 
 Nikolaievsk, expedt. from, 5"25. 
 Nikolai, I'avlovitoh, (irandduke, Kot- 
 
 zebuo rood by, 502. 
 Nikuliuakoi, i'eodor, in trading co., 
 
 180. 
 Nilof, Afanassia, betrothed to lieu- 
 
 yovski, ISO. 
 Niluf, Capt., C(jmdt of Okliot.-ik, IllJ, 
 
 153; conidt of Kanicliaika, 177; 
 
 treatment of conspirators, 177-8J; 
 
 fate of, ISO. 
 Ninilchik, village, 080. 
 Ninilchik, Cape, coal at, G'.)."). 
 Nishnekamscliatak, 40, 07, 105, 108, 
 
 111, 11(1, 118, 120, 15S, 103, 171, 
 
 183, 101, •2;J5, 200, .St -2. 
 Nisluiekovima, liilliugs' expedt. at, 
 
 •284. 
 Nizovtzof, (irigor, huntingexpcdt, 111. 
 "Nootka," sliip, "201. 
 Nootka, stiition at, 271; Spanisli 
 
 occupy, 273; Malaspiua at, 274; 
 
 '"aamafia leaves, 275; Vancouvor 
 
 at, 277, '281 ; ceded to Engli-^h, 400. 
 Nootka Sound, Portlock at, "203; Uiia- 
 
 siau claim to, 414; sea-ottor plenti- 
 ful, 5-28. 
 Nordenskjiild, voyage of, 1870, 13. 
 NordivinolF, Admin'l, minister of 
 
 marine, 422, 
 Norfolk Sound, 240, '250, '201-5, 275, 
 
 .•1.-.8, ;!85-y0, 408, 437, 4.55, 522. 
 Norsiievoi, settlement of, 124. 
 North American (.'o., 354. 
 Nortli, (."ape. C(jck names. 210. 
 Nortli Pacific, Htorm in, .500, 501. 
 Nortliundjcriand, Cape, 277. 
 Northwest 1 railing Co., establishment 
 
 of, 704. 
 Norton Day, 570. 
 Ni.Tton Sound, dosorpt. of, 41; Cook 
 
 at, 210; in .Miklui'ilof district, 530; 
 
 explored, 54i>-8. 
 Noshkof, explor. of, 07. 
 Nouravief, M. N., elected chief man- 
 ager 1S2I, 534; actions of, 534-11. 
 Novgorod, decline of, 8. 
 Novikof, Ivan, hunting expedt., 
 
 1747 9, 100; exnedt. of, 1772, 171. 
 Novo Arkhangelsk, 4.32, 4.'i7. 443, 
 
 4,V2, 4.54-0, 401, 403, 400 8. 478, 
 
 402-3, 504, 511-2, 5'22-3, 52S, 5.34, 
 
 537, 539, 54'J, 500-1, 507, 571, 575, 
 
 .587, 509, 601. 
 Nuchek Itev, Panof Co. at, 188; Cook 
 
 at, '205; I'ortlock at, 203. 
 Nuohek Island, 187, '205. '207, 3'20-7, 
 
 339, 342, 357, 380, 3U5, 414, 451. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 765 
 
 
 Nulato, fort built at, 5.13; map of, 
 iu'2i massacre at, IS")!, r>7--4; pop- 
 ulation of, G8(J; mean temptTature, 
 711. 
 
 Nuniv.ik Wand, 211. 
 
 Is'ii.sliagiik, village of, .340; liusaians 
 at, u'J'J; school at, 709. 
 
 Kushagak Kiver, fort built on, 521; 
 in Kadiak district, H'M; expedt. to, 
 547. 
 
 Nye, Capt., trouble with Kolosh, 525. 
 
 
 
 Oahu, Kotzcbue at, .")02. 
 
 01) Hi vor, Cossacks at, 1578, 15; ships 
 
 built on, 5G. 
 Obiukhof, Venedict, in expedt. 175G- 
 
 8, 117. 
 Observatory Inlet, 277. 
 O'C'ain, expudt. to C'al. and .Japan, 
 
 477-D. 
 "O'Ciiin," ship, 471; voyage of, 480. 
 Ocliek Island, 208. 
 Ocheredin, Afauassiy, expedt. of. 
 
 154. 
 Ocheredin, Boris, fate of, 1,")4. 
 Ocliotskoi, exjicdt. from, I5S. 
 Odintzof, Dmitri, in exix'dt.. 94. 
 Otter, sea, catch of, and value, G5S, 
 
 g:.!). 
 
 Okliotin, Cupt., meets Benyovski, 
 ISI. 
 
 Okhotsk, founded 1S39, 17, 20; ex- 
 podta and visitors .it, 3ii, ;}->, 5li, 
 .07, \'M, 1.".7, Kill, IG!). I7G, ISJ, 
 2;{l. 2G(i, 28:i, 2S8, 205, ;!:5:i, 4.V.t, 
 5(17; troulih;s at, G5; imprtus t's 
 Itil; ship-budding at, Oii, !»7, 2.'{.'), 
 3.V2; gnviiit of, I5.'i; education at, 
 2.'t0, ;il;i; prisoners . it, .■>()!, .S."!.'!; in- 
 surrci^tion at, 1771, IH.S; tiial of 
 K<JUovidof, ."{12; CliiiH'se tracie, 4'.!_'; 
 value 1)1 furs <'Xp(jrteil, 477; c! sed 
 as naval .station, 571, whauug- 
 ^1 .:'"(1m. ()(i,S. 
 
 "Okhotsk," gdiot, !)7, IIG. 
 
 Okiiotsk iSoa, new route, 5.'i; rocou- 
 noissani't; in 1740, ',)5. 
 
 Okosliinikof, owiu.l f-hip, IGD. 
 
 "Oktruitie," ship, .")0G. 
 
 Ola, river, 32. 
 
 Olosaof .lcp<ised. 229. 
 
 "Olga,".ship, 333, 3.-)G, 417. 
 
 Olutorskoi Islands, I2.H. 
 
 Olutorsk {{iver, Deshu'f .it, 1048, 23; 
 trdie on, lOG, 107; ;'ur-trade, lOti. 
 
 Olutorski, the, attack Russians, 1727, 
 lOG, 107. 
 
 Ommanoy Capo named, 259, 57G. 
 
 Onslow I'oint, 277. 
 
 Ontok Kiver, Krenitzen wrecked, 
 
 1G2. 
 Oojak Hay, 171. 
 Ookamok Islands, Hussiaus at, 522; 
 
 in Kadiak district, 530. 
 Ookivok Island, 548. 
 Ooniniak, volcanic di»turb;i.iico at, 
 
 084. 
 Oonga, coal at, G05. 
 Ooj-ak Day, tannery at, GOO. 
 Orekhof, oukaz issued to, 120; forms 
 
 CO., 153; rewards to, 155; de- 
 spatches expedition, l(!9; at St 
 
 Petersburg, 174; on AltMitian Isl- 
 
 amls, 321. 
 Orekhof Co., at Prince William 
 
 .Sound, .339, 344. 
 "Orel,"sInp, 32S, .341. 
 Organic Act, jirovisions of, 718, 719. 
 Orlof at Bristol Hay, ."»(J2. 
 Orlova, settlement, 171. 
 "Osprey," Eng. man-of-war at .Sitka, 
 
 G20. 
 Ostrogin, Feodor, bravery of, 328; 
 
 agent at Alexandroflsk, '.','Xk 
 '• Otlirytie,".s!iip, budt, 4t!l. 
 Otter-hunting in Cal., 478 S4. 
 Otter iJay, 8e;i-otter plentiful, 
 Oiida Kiver, wreck at, 1G9. 
 (Jildsk, siiip.s biult at, 97. 
 Ouka Kiver, exf) .dt. at, 1.57. 
 Oidedovski, expc' of, 149. 
 Ounniak, vule.iuic eruption, 
 
 tkS4; native liapti/cd at, IT 
 
 chaj-el built at, 1S20, 70!>. 
 "Oiin.i!!. ■• lv_'!), sinp built, G9I. 
 Oiirun.ii ir 1, land, Ueiiyn', .via at, 181. 
 (hu'uiia, M<ttienient bontbarde I, 571. 
 " Oiirui'a," vuy. of, .')4">. 
 Onruiia Island, 532, ,'i45. .">7(i. 
 Oiisliakif, Moisaei, explorations 
 
 9t ,">. 
 Ouvarof, actii>ns of, 451 2. 
 Ovsiannikiif, Stepan, in expedt. 
 Ovtzin, blent, 52, ."lO, 01, 92-3, 
 Ouhyee, l»e Sehetl'e:- at, 499. 
 Ozerskoi, atUick of Koln.-ih, ."i71-5. 
 O/.orskoi redoubt, saw-mill ut, 0>J0, 
 
 528. 
 
 182.5, 
 
 .'.9, 099; 
 
 of, 
 
 94. 
 IMi. 
 
 P.xikf)f, Dnutri, hunting expedt., 17.58, 
 
 120-4. 
 " Pallas," ship, 284. 
 Palliscr, II., 20.3. 
 Panldof, Creole interpreter, 14i. 
 I'unkuf, reward from einpcrur, 44S. 
 
786 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 ranof, IT).-), 175, ITS, 321. 
 
 I'aiK.t liros, tit out t'Xiieilt., 18.V5. 
 
 I'auot (.'(I., liglit Willi iiativi's, ISS, 9; 
 sliw]! owned I'V, '221; AUnits search 
 fur, 'JMi; on I'rince William .Sound, 
 •Ml. 
 
 rantojii, .Juan, in Spanish expedt., 
 •J IS. 
 
 I'araiic'liin, put nsliore on Kurile Isl- 
 ands, l>H2. 
 
 J'ans ludgts aect of, 740, 741. 
 
 Tark.-r, .lanus t'., iSiiJJ. trial of, 617. 
 
 I'arrott, .lohn. |>etiti()n of, (W3. 
 
 J'arnjtt& Co., of Alaska Couiuicr. Co., 
 
 r,u\. 
 
 I'.i.«pt-!()f, death of, :<'2.S. 
 
 ras.->a,i;c Canal iiameil, '_'78. 
 
 I'aul 1., character, grants oi.kaz to 
 
 J-Iuss. Amer. Co., .'{7>S-^; orders to 
 
 naval otiici'rs, ,'{!)•_'. 
 I'avlof, Mikliai, Lieut in expedt., 
 
 .'r.'-II.J. 
 I'avlovsk, settlement at, ;VJ4, 414; 
 
 llaranof at, .T_\S, :iS4; .luvenjil at, 
 
 ;j(j7; J^isian.sky at, 4J.'>. 
 Paviiii.ski, Dmitri, in expedt., 37-S; 
 
 death of, 41-2. 
 I'axin, Ivan, in expedt., !(4. 
 I'a/.niakof, I'eter, in expedt., !).'l. ' 
 I'ekin;,', Russian inlliieneeat, 24.'». 
 IVUy Kiver, golil discovered, (i!)S. 
 ]^•naslli^'ak, adventures of, 14r>-(!. 
 I'eredovchiki, regulations of, 2;<.'{. 
 IVreiiiigo, Vaasili, in e.vpeilt., !•;{. 
 I'orez, Juan, expedts. of, 1774-i», I'.Cj- 
 
 202. 
 Perez Strait named, 27.">. 
 I'l.'pil .Strait. See Destruction Strait, 
 
 ;;iK). 
 Permakof, Yakov, discovers island, 
 
 1710, -J.S; death of, •_".». 
 I'ei'rier I'a.-^s named, 7;!:{. 
 Persia, Itussian Irudi! with, 10. 
 J'eslcliourot, Alexei, Capt. , l!us. com- 
 
 niis. iit Siika, .V.W. 
 Peter tlio GrtJat, purposes of. .V>; ex- 
 pedt. to Kamchatka, :{ti; death of, 
 
 .-'.ri. 
 Peters, capt. of Knglish ship, 2.30. 
 Pecrie Sound nauKil, 2t)0. 
 I'etrof, .Vfauiissi, liuildsostrog, killed, 
 
 100. 
 Petrof. Matvei, in expedt, O.'J. 
 Petrof, Ivan, descript. of climate, 
 
 ISSO, 5; chart compiled. ~\); vi-tit 
 
 to Simghanood.i IJ.iy, 1S7H, 211; 
 
 statement of, .'{.')H. 
 Petrof, mate with Kotzehue, 404. 
 Petrof, master of the " .Maria," 405. 
 Petroleum, tiUo. 
 
 I'hilip, agricultural experiments of, 
 
 Phili|ipine Islands, trade with, 4.>:i. 
 
 '• PhuMiix," shiis H2j, ii.il-li. 
 
 Pinart, Alphonse, attempt ascent of 
 
 Mt ."^hishaldin. 02!). 
 "Pinta," U. S. steamer, 728. 
 Pisaref, Stormakof, comdr Okhot.-ik 
 17.'M, 4."), 8, 57; l»iog., 4."); accusa- 
 tions of, M; relieved, 01. 
 Pitt Archipelago, 277. 
 Plenisner, Col., 64, 1)0, 126, 15.3, IGl, 
 
 170 7. 
 Plioo, native of Unalaska, 14.")-0. 
 Plotnikof, Alirossim, testimony of, 
 
 402-7. 
 Plotnitzki, Kiril, builds ship, 07. 
 " Plover'" at Kotzehui; Sound, .")72. 
 Pluiiting, Mikhail, 48, :)2, .VJ, 04, 73, 
 
 0.3. 
 Podushkin, Lieut, conidr of tho 
 
 ••Neva,' 403; comdr of the " Ot- 
 
 krytie," 500. 
 Pogihsliie .strait, see Destruction 
 
 Mniil, ;V.I0. 
 Point Keyt's, l.'uuling fif Diako 15S9, 
 
 4SI. 
 P<ilevoi, Alexc'i, in trading co., ISO. 
 Polevoi, .Simeon, in hunting expedt. 
 
 1750, 121-2. 
 Polomoshnoi, actions and death of, 
 
 300 1; troul.les at Vakutat, .31)0. 
 Poloponissof, expedt. sent hy, 150. 
 
 KiO. 
 Polo! kof, expedt. of, 154. 
 Polossof, Lt, in IJiUings' expedt., 283. 
 Polutof, Dmitri, expedt. of, 170 -I; 
 
 fate of, ls7-'.)0; Nisit to Kadiak, 
 
 1770, 213; treatment of natives, 
 
 2SS. 
 '•Polyfcm," voy. of, .V.3. 
 I'onididin, Lieut, txpedt. of, 5"27. 
 Ponoitasew, expe'(t. of, I'.U. 
 Ponomaref, Sav.i, map liy, P20; in 
 
 ininting expedition, 17.'»8-62, P20; 
 
 collects trihute, I. '10. 
 Popof, in eonsjiiracy, 404-5. 
 Popof, Alexander, liaptized, 1 ^•2. 
 Popof, .\lexeief, attat.'ked liy native*, 
 
 11)0. 
 Popoir, .\ndrei. ailmitted to citizen 
 
 ship IsOS, 002. 
 Popof, Kedor, in expedt., 04. 
 Popof, Ivan, huilt ship, 140; expedt. 
 
 of, l,")0. 
 Popof, Leonti, in eonspiiacy, 170. 
 Popof, Peter I'ilianovicli, deposition 
 
 of, •27. 
 Po|>of, Vassili, liuutiit;; expedt., 1700, 
 
 130, 14U. 
 
IXDCX. 
 
 7C7 
 
 Popof, Ycflm, in trading co., 186. 
 
 r<irtiil(>, Cuiiul (If, iianicil, 'Ji8. 
 
 Portland Canal, 277. 
 
 Portland Inlet, \aucoiiver at, 276. 
 
 PortloL'Iv, liiinting exiiedt., '2'M; furs 
 collected liy, -44; trade with na- 
 tives, 'Jl'.t; HtCook Inltt, 1780, 201; 
 voyaj^u of 17fci,>-0, 202-4, 
 
 Port -Mary Day, 1!«». 
 
 Poshaikof, Vassili, exploration of, 
 104:!-0, 20. 
 
 Possession, Point, Cook names, 208. 
 
 Postal routes establislied, 72.5. 
 
 Po.itels, rejjort of, 517. 
 
 Postnikof, Imnting expedt., 17r)9, IC.*?; 
 at Attoo I>land, 128. 
 
 Povalisliin, Lieut, fate of, 430. 
 
 " i'redpriatie," voyage of, 1823-0, 
 .'•)40. 
 
 Prcdtetcim Co. on Prybilof Island, 
 .S.M. 
 
 Prianislinikof, Fedor, in expedt., U4. 
 
 Pru'e, Admiral, suiciile of, f)71. 
 
 Prince Jill ward Island, tind)eron, Ci'Xi. 
 
 Prince Ernest Sound, 277. 
 
 Prince Prcdcriek Sound, 188.'1, herring- 
 oil eslal). at, 000. 
 
 "Prince of Walc;:.," ship, 207. 
 
 Prince of Wales l.--land, refwencea to, 
 P.)0, 201, 218, 230, 277, o23-4, 002, 
 087. OUU, IrX). 
 
 "Plincesa," bhip left Nucliek, 207, 
 270-2. 
 
 Prince William Sound, 187, 100-1, 
 200. 20'.>, 220, 22fi, 230. 230-40, 213, 
 240, 250, 200, 271. 274, 287, 3(»i, 
 .321, 325, 320, 330-40, 343, 385-7, 
 300, 400, 530. 
 
 Prokofief, statement of, 541. 
 
 "Prnkop i Zand," sliip, 100. 
 
 Promchisliciief, Vassil, in expedt., 93. 
 
 "I'romissel." 1830, 8hi[. liuilt, 001. 
 
 Promysldciiiki, CoHS,ack advanoo 
 f^nard, 18; swarming of, 174.3-07, 
 tiO-150; system of, 235 7; treat- 
 ment ef natives, 280, 205; end of 
 rule, 207-8; priests among, 352. 
 
 I'riincliislichcf, Lieut, appointment of, 
 52; on Lena Piver. 1735, 50. 
 
 Pruta.ssof, Viikof, 1.30, 131), 184, 180. 
 
 Protection, I'ovt, 277. 
 
 Protestant eler).'j at Sitka, 702; mis- 
 sion estalilisliecl, 1877, 705. 
 
 Pnitodiakunof, owned ship, 100; fitted 
 out cNp ■dition, 174. 
 
 lVolo|iof, Alexei, in conspiracy, 170. 
 
 Pryliilof discovers Fur Seal I.sjands, 
 185; left at lllinlink lJay.204; rejiort 
 of, 208; discoveries of, 321; death of, 
 350. 
 
 Pryliilof, Ocrasaim. expedt. of, 102-3; 
 
 ill lii dings' expedt., 2',KJ. 
 Pryldlof lslan<ls, reicreiices to, 211, 
 
 202, 472, 505, 5.30, 547, 5(i2, 582, 
 
 508, 0.38, 041, 040-7, 052. 
 Puget, Lieut, at Vakutat Pay, 23:), 
 
 348. 
 Purcell, Ensign, in e.xpedt., 73(!. 
 I'm chase money paid for territory, 
 
 597-8. 
 Purtof assisted hy Puget and Urowii, 
 
 239; hunting party of, 270. 
 I'ushkaref, (.iavril, with Hering, 121; 
 
 in hunting expedt., 1750, 12;;; 
 
 cruelties of, 125; expedt. of, 105. 
 Pustozersk, traders of, 232. 
 Putiiiun Uiver, (explored, 730, 737. 
 I'utof, expedt. to Yakutat LJay, 344-50; 
 
 resolute conduct of, 345. 
 
 Q 
 
 "Qiieen Cliarlotte," ship, 244, 201, 
 
 202-5. 
 Queen Charlotte Island, 100. 2.50, 205; 
 
 explored, 275, 27ti; native attack 
 
 on Kuskof, 482; sea-otter alx)und, 
 
 52S. 
 
 B 
 
 Rada, Cabo do, settlement at, 271. 
 ILulionof, at Kadiak, 357. 
 llavniond, Charles W., expedt. of, 
 
 iNiO, 02! ». 
 Pioiil, Marina, puerto dc la, named, 
 
 218. 
 Refugio, puerto del, named. 2 IS. 
 Itegla, Isla ile la, Arleaga takes po.i- 
 
 session of, 220. 
 Hemcdios, Spanish laud at, 200. 
 Uepin, of Lebedef C.., .".10. 
 Ke|iiii, Ivan, news sent bv, 451. 
 "liesolution," sliij) of Cajit. Cook, 
 
 202. 
 Revenue, custom receipts, 18110-78, 
 
 020: 1808 73, 0:)l-2. 
 Revilla CJigedo Lxland, 270. 
 Hevilla (Jigedo Pay naiie d, 273. 
 Rezaiiof supports Shell kof's jietitioii, 
 
 377-0; anibiiHsador to .lapan, 42.'!; 
 
 vi.-its Alaska, 440, 443-00; visits 
 
 Cal., 457; complaints of naval ollj- 
 
 cers, 457-8; death of. 400. 
 Ricord, Lieut, with tJolovnin, 470. 
 Rij|), Cornells, exijedt. of, 1505-0, 11, 
 
 12. 
 Kobeck, surgeon, 283; at Illiiiliuk 
 
 Buy, 294; ut Putropavlovsk, 296. 
 
768 
 
 INDEX, 
 
 " RoWrt and Ann," ship, 182. 
 ] lock well . See llarri.iljiir^. 
 Kodiaiilit', agent iit Nuclick, 300. 
 Uodicliuf, Kniilia, in cxpvdt., 93. 
 Ivmliiey, Cupo, 2!)2. 
 lli);.'ac'lii f, sliip-liuilder, 97. 
 };(i(liu'fcuil, Caimilc, voyage of , r)'22-.'). 
 K'>nituiiif, Count, e(jui|)8 vuasel for 
 
 noitli-i'ast passage, 494. 
 KosL'iilmrg, Lieut, temporary gov., 
 
 .")S(i; contract of, r)87. 
 ];. ^s, witli Ciipt. Meares, 202. 
 Uoss Colony founded, result and fail- 
 ure, 4S.'{-9; conference at, 497; llus- 
 
 .siiiUH lit, o22. 
 liorsilius, in expcdts, 1740-2, 04, 
 
 90. 
 lios.sysky, mate with Lozaref, 504. 
 " llosiib'.af," ship built at Yukutat, 
 
 420. 
 Rousseau, L. II., Oenl, U. S. eonimis. 
 
 at Sitka, 1807, 599; orders of, 18GU, 
 
 o:i(j. 
 
 liotli, private in Schwatka ex^jcdt., 
 7:;2. 
 
 Itowan, Capt., at Kadiak, .389. 
 
 lUishchif, in cxpodts, 1740, G4,93; de- 
 tained in .Siljeria, 9(J; superseded, 
 IGl. 
 
 ]\ud;ikof, temporary gov., ."iSO. 
 
 Hiuhicf, (lavril, in expedt., 9.11. 
 
 Kuiniaiitzof, Count, meeting at office 
 .;f, 41(1. 
 
 lluiiiiiuitzof ll;»y named, 482. 
 
 "Kurik," voy. of, IS I (}, 494-501 ; voy. 
 .if, IvJl, oM-~. 
 
 Rus.sia, claim to N. W. Auicr. , 98; 
 supremacy in N. W., 194. 
 
 ltii.'?»iun American Co., Aleuts in ser- 
 \icu of, 2;!7; prices pail for furs, 
 241; organized 1790-9, .'(75-84; 
 iH'W cii:irter, 410; losses, 4S7, 509; 
 cai)!tal and earnings, 527, 528; sec- 
 ond jieriod, 1821-42, 5,'iO-07; last 
 jitriod, 1842-GO, 508-509; revenue 
 ISU-OJ, .WJ. 
 
 Itut-si.ui I'inland Whaling Co. estub- 
 lihhcd, 5St, 585. 
 
 Ifuw.sian River, Russian eolony on, 
 485. 
 
 Russians in XVI. century, .'>-8; fur 
 trade of, 7 10; commu. with Cook, 
 20S, 20! I, 212. 
 
 Rvan, I'. 1>., constable for Sitka 1807, 
 001. 
 
 R\bc!iskoi, Andrti, hunting expeilt., 
 "ITIO, 107-S. 
 
 Ryliinskoi, Ivan, hunting expcilts, 
 ■|7 17-49, lOi), 112; builds siup, 
 12.J. 
 
 S 
 
 Saghalin Lslands, Hezanof at, 445. 
 ".^aginaw,'' U. .S. ship, 012. 
 Sainionof, IJov., at Tobolk. 1759, 43; 
 
 prokuror of senate, 1723,45; orders 
 
 cxpcdt., 15(. 
 St Augustine, Mt, Cook names, 208. 
 St Constantine Cove named, 207. 
 8t I^ionys Fort named, 5.'j(>; salutes 
 
 Kng. lliig, 557. 
 St Elias Cape, fort at, 229, 414; lo- 
 cated, 288; ship-building at, 300; 
 
 colony at, ,3.")2, 353, 350, 400. 
 St Elias Mtn, 78, 219, .5:;0; sighted 
 
 by Co<jk, 204; by La IVrouse, 255. 
 " St (Jeorge," ship, XX). 
 St (ieorge, ccmdition of, 041-2. 
 St (jeorge Island named, 192; dis- 
 covered, 290; settlement at, 3.'i4; 
 
 fortat, 414; seal catcli, 038; church 
 
 budt, 700. 
 St Helena, Kotzebue at, 502. 
 St [Ielen.1, Cove named, 207. 
 St Ilermogi'U lslun<l, 128. 
 .St llerniogenes. Cape, 200. 
 St .John -Mtn named, 85. 
 St Konstautin, fort established at, 
 
 :t95. 
 St I^iwrence Bay, 210, 291, 292, 29;]. 
 St Lawrence Island, 37, 211, 501, 
 
 548. 
 St Makrius, land named, 85. 
 St Matthew Island, 211, 292, 547. 
 St Michael, descript. of, 085. 
 St Nicholas, Fort, 33,">, 414; warnings 
 
 sent to, .337-8; Konovalov at, 342. 
 St I'aul, settlement, 3b5; fort at, 411; 
 
 visitors at, 437, 445, 448, 401, 47^1; 
 
 hospital, 408; popidation, 401, 40J; 
 
 removal froui, OsO, 081; church 
 
 built, 099; school at, 700. 
 St I'aul Harbor, Li.siansky at, 425. 
 St I'aul Island, discovery of, 19.3, 
 
 290; licnuetat, 503; fur-seal catch, 
 
 038, 040. 
 St Petersburg, |)olitical changes at, 
 
 175; II. \i. Co. furs at, .342; acts of 
 
 authorities, 370; shares in Russ. 
 
 Amer. Co., 381. 
 "Sv Alexci,'Hhip, 185, 187. 
 "Sv Aoxius," ship, 190. 
 "Sv Andrei." ship, voyage of, 109. 
 "Sv Andrii l*ervosvannui,"ship, voy- 
 age of, 109, 184. 
 " Sv I'^katerina," siiip, voyage of, 157, 
 
 102, 10.3. 
 ! "Sv(;avril," ship. 97. 
 
 " Sv deorgiy," ship, voyage of, 185, 
 I 191-3. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 768 
 
 «Sv loann," at NiBhekamchatak, 
 
 1764, 111. 
 *'St loann Predtecha," ahip, voyage 
 
 of, 185. 
 "Sv loann Rylskoi," ahip, voyage of, 
 
 185. 
 **Sv Ivan," reinforcement by, 341. 
 •«Sv Mikhail," ahip, 187, 223, 324. 
 Sv Mikh^l, Fort, attack on, 402-13; 
 
 cannery at, 662. 
 "Sv Nikolai," ship, voyage of, 114, 
 
 169 184 
 ••Sv Pavel," ship, voy. of, 64, 67, 
 
 07, 162, 153, 154, 157, 183, 314, 334, 
 " Sv Petr," ship, 64, 66-8, 97, 153. 
 "Sv Petr i Sv Pavel," ship, 123, 131, 
 
 156; aeoured by conapiratora, 180, 
 
 181. 
 "Sv Prokop," ship, voyage of, 169, 
 
 185. 
 "Sv Simeon," ship, 223, 325. 
 " Sv Simeon i Anna," ship, 112. 
 "Sv Tro'itska," shipi voyage of, 131, 
 
 135-8. 
 "Sv Vladimir," ship, voyage of, 
 
 170-4. 
 " Sv Yevpl," ahip, voyage of, 171-3, 
 
 185. 
 Salmon Packing, 1880-3, 660-1. 
 Samghanooda Bay, Cook at, 209, 211. 
 Samoilof, instructions to, 22^9-30, 
 
 312-13; in Lebedef Co., 350. 
 Samsonof, cadet with Lozaref, 504. 
 San Alberto, bahia do, named, 218. 
 San Antonio, Arteaga's expedt. at, 219. 
 San Antonio, puerto de, named, 218. 
 San Bias, Santiago sails kom, 195, 
 
 197; Martinez at, 270; Caamafioat, 
 
 275; Wrangell at, 654. 
 San Bias Island named, 201. 
 "San Carlos," ship, 270. 
 San CriatiSbal, canal de, named, 218. 
 Sanderson, contract of, 687. 
 San Diego, O'Cainat, 478; Ayreaat, 
 
 480. 
 Sandwich, Lord, 203. 
 Sandwich Islands, Hagemeister at, 
 
 490-2; Kotzebue at, 497-500; trade 
 
 with, 538. 
 San Fernando Islands named 218. 
 San Francisco, Ayroa at, 480; Kotze- 
 bue at, 497; Lazaref at, 505; trade 
 
 with, 1817-25, 540; expedt. from, 
 
 62S-9; sheep from, 688. 
 San Ignacio Island, named, 218. 
 San Jacinto, Mt, 199, 204, 259. 
 San Juan Bautista Island named, 218. 
 San Juan de Fuoa, Spanish claim to, 
 
 488. 
 San LuisObispo, Eliotcaptured at, 494, 
 Hut. Alaska. 49 
 
 Sannakh Island, 128, 286, 479, 683; 
 
 hostilities at, 141 ; natives of, 209. 
 San Nicolds, puerto de, named, 218. 
 Santa Barbara, Eliot taken to, 494. 
 Santa Catharina, Krusenstem'a ex< 
 
 pedt. at, 424. 
 Santa Cristina Island, 201. 
 Santa Cruz, trade with, 1817-25, 540. 
 Santa Cruz Bay, Arteaga names, 217. 
 Santa Magdalena Point named, 195. 
 Santa Margarita Point named, 105. 
 Santa Rita Island named, 218. 
 "Santiago," Spanish ship, 195-7. 
 Santiago, Port, 219, 273. 
 Sapochnikof, Y. I., expedt. of, 183; 
 
 at Unga, 214. 
 Sarambo, Dionya, lieat, expedt, of, 
 
 556-7. 
 Sarana, liquor from, 67. 
 Sarychef, Admiral, mistake of, 79. 
 Sarychef, Lieut, in Billings' expedt., 
 
 282-96; efforts against scurvy, 298; 
 
 charts of, 297. 
 Saner, Martin, at Prince William 
 
 Sound, 190; prediction of, 252; in 
 
 expedt., 283-303; at Illiuliuk Bay, 
 
 294; report of, 301. 
 Savelief, Sido, in expedt, 1740, 64-03; 
 
 captured, 70-1. 
 Saw-mills in operation, 1880, 690. 
 Schaffer, Heinrich, in expedt, 94. 
 Schehl, Elias, in expedt.. 04. 
 Schelting, AlexeiC, in expedt., 40, 61, 
 
 52, 93. 
 Scheffer, Dr, actions of, 498-9, 503-9. 
 Scherbinin, Mikhail, in expedt., 03. 
 Schischmaref, Lieut, with Kotzebue, 
 
 494, 
 School in Kamchatka 1741, 62; first 
 
 started, 227; established by Shell- 
 
 kof, 313. 
 Schveikovsky, Lieut, with Lozaref ,504. 
 Schwatka, Lt, voyage of, 732-5. 
 Scurvy, sufferings from, 261, 294, 298, 
 
 302 357. 
 Scutdoo, outrage by, 1869, 614-15. 
 Seals, wholesale slaughter, 445, 446, 
 
 646; in Cal., 487, 488; habito, driv- 
 ing, and slaughtering, 654-8; 
 
 slaughtered, 1868, 658. 
 Seal fisheries, th reatcned exhaustion of, 
 
 376; act to prevent destruction, 638. 
 Seal Islands, Russians at, 6'22. 
 Seal oil, yield and value, 639. 
 "Sea Otter," ship, 260. 
 Sea-otter, abundance of, 4, 73, 314; 
 
 Chinese trade, 88, 216; expedts for, 
 
 90-100, 350; at Gore Island, 211; 
 
 at Ltua Bay, 357; at Norfolk Sound, 
 
 358. 
 
770 
 
 index;, 
 
 Secbcr, Chester, commr at Unalaska, 
 728. 
 
 Sclawik, river, 5. 
 
 SeUlen, Capfc., report of, 620. 
 
 Seldovia, Bcttlement, 679-80. 
 
 .Sclifontof, Vassili, in expedt., 94. 
 
 Semiclii Island, 85. 
 
 Semidi Islands, in Kadiok district, 
 5,SG. 
 
 Seniavin, recommendations of, 47-9. 
 
 "Seniavin," voy. of, 647. 
 
 Seniavin, Cape, named, 547. 
 
 Surcbrennikof, Andrei, of Moscow, 
 100; expedt. of, 1735, 115-23. 
 
 Serebrennikof, N., owned ship, 169; in 
 conspiracy, 179. 
 
 Seward, Mr, visit, 598, 599; opinion 
 of Alaska, 747. 
 
 Seyraor Canal named, 280. 
 
 Sluidovski quarrels with Pisaref, 57. 
 
 Sliakmut, chief of Ilyamnas, 3G9, 370. 
 
 Shalaiirof, voyage of, 13; death of, 
 284. 
 
 Shantar Islands, expedt. to, 1742, 40; 
 explored, 97. 
 
 Shapkin, Vassili, in trading co., ISO. 
 
 Sharipof, Yakof, in hunting expedt., 
 1759, 123. 
 
 Rhashin, fate of, 411. 
 
 Shavrigin, Ivan, in expedt., 94. 
 
 Slidanof, Andrei, in hunting expedt., 
 1759, 12.3. 
 
 Shebanof, in expedt., 160. 
 
 ShefiFer, Dr, with Lozaref, 504; biog., 
 507. 
 
 Sheliorbakof, Matvei", fur-trade mo- 
 nopoly, 110. 
 
 Shckhurdin, in hunting expedt., 103, 
 105. 
 
 Shekalcf, Petr, in expedt., death of, 
 1.32, 13.3. 
 
 Shelagcs, tribe, 31. 
 
 Sliclikof, Grigor Ivanovich, first men- 
 tioned, 182-85; fits out expedt., 
 184; voy. of, 222-31; character of, 
 241, 299-300; plans and projects of, 
 2G(i, 295, 297, 305-9, 352-4; es- 
 tablishment of, 286, 295; at court, 
 307; rewards to, 309; Baranof with, 
 315, 317; organizes central oflice, 
 354, 355; death, 305, 377; settle- 
 ments made by, 335; petition for 
 grant, 370. 
 
 Shelikof, Madame, maracfer of Russ. 
 Amcr. Co., 359, 300, 377, 382. 
 
 Shelikof Bay, 199. 
 
 Shelikof Co., Bai-anof at head, 320; 
 quarrels with Lcbedef Co., 339-42, 
 357, 376; Golovin's report, 358, 359; 
 opera 'iions of, 527. 
 
 Shelikof Sound, 260. 
 Sliolikof Strait, 271,287..^ 
 Shomchushuykof, Kiril, in expedt., 
 
 94. 
 Shestakof, Afanassiy, at St Peters- 
 burg, 37; expedt of, 37-40; result 
 
 of, 44. 
 Shestakof, Ivan, expedt. of 1729, 38. 
 Shetilof, Vassili, in expedt., 94. 
 Shovyrin, in hunting expedt., 103, 
 
 104, 114, 120-4. 
 Shields, ship-builder, 279, 323-33; 
 
 expedts of, 331, 358; treatment of, 
 
 415, 416. 
 Shinganof, Andre, in expedt., 1740, 
 
 64, 93. 
 Shilkin, Ivan, hunting expedta, 109, 
 
 112, 118-19. 
 Shilof, oukaz issued to, 126; forms 
 
 CO., 153; at St Petersburg, 155; 
 
 reed by empress, 168; fits out ex- 
 pedt., 169. 
 Shilof & Lapin Co., Zaikof in services 
 
 of, 170. 
 Shinn, H. H., director of mining co., 
 
 740. , 
 Ship-building, difficulties of Baranof, 
 
 328-31; at Ross Colony, 484. 
 Shirclitr, Corp., in Schwatka expedt., 
 
 732. 
 Sliishaldin Mtn, 629. 
 Shishkiu, Peter, map by, 120. 
 Shitikas, dcscript., 100. 
 Shnialef, Capt., on Cook's expedt., 
 
 213; commu. with Billings, 283, 284; 
 
 coind at Pctropavlovsk, 296, 312. 
 Shoalncss, point, 211. 
 Shoetzof, expedt. to Cal., 477-8, 480. 
 Shoshin, in expedt., 170. 
 Shuiak Island, on Cook's chart, 208; 
 
 expedt. to, 228; trading post at, 2.30. 
 Shukof, Feodor, hunting expedt., 108, 
 
 117. 
 Shuluk Sound, 205. 
 Shumagin, death of, 83 
 Shumagin Island, 256, 286, 314, 536, 
 
 576; explored, 214; surveyed 1871- 
 
 2, 629; cod banks at, 664. 
 Shuralef, fits out expedt., 185. 
 Siba'ief, Ivan, in conspiracy, 179. 
 Siberia, descript., 16; map of, 19; 
 
 famine 1743, 96-9; merchants of, 
 
 107; special privileges, 376; trade 
 
 with Cal. 1883, 630. 
 Sibiriaks, fear of Spanberg, 50. 
 Sidorof reveals conspiracy, 464. 
 Sievers, recommendations of, 47-9. 
 Signam Island, expedt. at, 164. 
 Silver mines on the Amoor, 20. 
 "Simeon," shiD, 183. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 7Vl 
 
 Simeon, Father, agricultural experi- 
 ments of, 355. 
 Simpson, Sir George, actions of, 558- 
 
 60; Narrative of, 1841-2, 567. 
 Simnsir Island, colony formed, 545-6. 
 Sisson, Wallace, & Co., cannery of, 
 
 6()2. 
 Sitka, founding of, 170S-1801, 384- 
 400; massacre at, 1S02, 401-20; 
 recaptured 1803-5, 421-42; U. S. 
 in possession 18G7, 559-COO; offi- 
 cials, 601; riot at, 609-11; out- 
 rages on natives, 617-18; mail ser- 
 vice to, 628; settlement, 072-7; 
 social life at, 074-7; saw-mill, 
 690; church services at, 699-700; 
 echool at, 700. 
 
 "Sitka," ship, 401; wrecked, 462. 
 
 Sitka Bay, 230, 029. 
 
 Sitkans, treaty with, 387-3. 
 
 Sitkhalidak Island, 208, 434, 435. 
 
 Sitkliin Island, Drushinniu stationed 
 at, 121. 
 
 Sitkhinak Island, 208. 
 
 Siwau, 18G9, actions and fate of, 613. 
 
 Skaonshleoot, treachery of, 412. 
 
 Skilakh, lake, discontent of tribes at, 
 343. 
 
 Rhipunskoi, Cape, wreck at, 15,3. 
 
 Skobeltzin, Pctor, in expcdt. , 94. 
 
 Skuratof, Alexei', Lieut, in cxpedt., 
 rr2, 93. 
 
 " Shiva Rossie," ship, 285-95. 
 
 Slaviankn River. See Russian River. 
 
 Slcdgo Island, Cook names, 210. 
 
 Sloljoilchikof, Pavel, expedt. to Cal., 
 471. 
 
 Small-pox among natives, 350; epi- 
 demic, 5G0-3. 
 
 Smith, Leon, fate of, 614. 
 
 Smuggling, 6.33-5. 
 
 Snettisham, Port, named, 280. 
 
 Snug Corner CoTe, Cook at, 205; dis- 
 covered, 260. 
 
 Soil, desoript., 3. 
 
 Sokolof, Kosma, at Okhotsk 1714, 31. 
 
 Solmanof, Stepanof, in conspiracy, 178. 
 
 Solovicf, Feodor, monopoly of, 110; 
 impressions, 129; expcdt., I49-5.S, 
 109; infamies of, 150-1; fate, 154. 
 
 Somof, Vassili, in expedt, 04. 
 
 "Sonora,"8hip in .Spanish cxpedt, 197. 
 
 Sookin, Lieut, conduct of, 457. 
 
 Sopohnikof, expedt. of, 155. 
 
 Sopronof, in conspiracy, 175. 
 
 South Siictland, furs from, 245. 
 
 Spain, explor. expedts, 1773-9, 194- 
 202, 217-21; expedt. to N. W., 
 270-5; frigate at Cook Inlet, 287; 
 claims of, 444. 
 
 Span1)€rg, <^apt. M., expedts. of, .TO, 
 41-59, 93, 9fi; biog., 50; rccou- 
 noissance of, 95. 
 Spencer, Cape, 203, 2(M, 279, 556. 
 "Sphanef," ship built, 97. 
 Spiridof, Sergei, in expt^dt., 93., 
 Spring Corner Cove, 207. 
 Spruce, abundance of, Ua9. 
 Spruce Island, village at, 682. 
 .Sralef, in ex|)cdt., IGO. 
 Stadukbiu, Mikhail, expedt. of 1G50, 
 
 23. 
 Stadukhin, Vassili, expedt. of 1711,29. 
 Sta;hlin, iiups of, 12S, 211. 
 Stael, Frederich, i;i expedt., 53. 
 Stakihn River, 402. 
 Staniukovich, Capt., expedt. of 1823, 
 
 547. 
 States, Ily., commr at Jnnean, 72S. 
 Stcllcr, G. W., in expedts, 1740-1, 
 52-4, 61, 64, 6G, 88-9, 92, 204; 
 biog., 53; joins Bering, C5; at Kyak, 
 80-1. 
 Stepanof, in expedt, 160; in conspir- 
 acy, 175. 
 StephanoiT, comdr at St' Michael, 
 
 085. 
 Stephens, Ph.. 203. 
 Steriegof, l>mitri, in expedt., 93. 
 Stevau, Jero«luikon, missionary, 3G0. 
 Stewart, Port, 277. 
 Stewart River, mining on, 7.37-8.' 
 Stikeen F(»rt, attack on, 55S-9 ' 
 
 Stikeen River, English tradiiig post 
 
 on, 555-6; surveyed, 570. 
 Stook-r.iisini» at Itoss colony, 4SG-7. 
 Strfbykhin, Maivei, 1711 commander 
 
 of Anadirsh, 27. 
 Stroganof, Anika, salt-works of, 1'). 
 Stoncy Lt, explor. exix)dt. of, 7oG, 
 
 737. 
 Stuart Island, 546, 538, .170. 
 .Stuilentzof, attack by n-.Uvcs, 119. 
 Stuugcl, Baron, coLiO'd. at Petropav- 
 
 lovsk, 2'.!'J I. 
 Stupin, Ivan, in exjKjdt., 03. 
 Sturcis, st.'itemcnt of, 40S-9.' 
 Suckling Cape, named, 204; nuutcn 
 
 lost at, 3S0. 
 Sukhotm, Ivan, Lieut, in expedt., 1).!. 
 Sukli Island, .■»7t;. 
 
 Sunda .Straits, burial of llaranof, .'il I. 
 SunLof, Sergei, in cxix.-dt., ii.i. 
 Sushctno River, explored 1. ••;.■{, ^i~ '). 
 Sutkhumokoi, Iiuseians at, 522. 
 Sutter, .lohn A., purchases Ross 
 
 colony, 4S9. 
 " Suvarof," fhip, 504; vov. of, 510, 
 
 511. 
 .Sviaiauuf. Ivan, in expedt., 94.. 
 
772 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Sweden, war with Russia, 285.' 
 Swineford, A. P., apptd govr, ^S2, 
 Sykes Point, 277. 
 Sylva, Dr, with Lozaref, 004. 
 Synd, Joann, in expedt., 64, 93; pro- 
 moted, 96; ezpedta of, 163, 167, 168. 
 
 Tabomkin, in expedt., 164. 
 Tasalak Island, 128. 
 Takoo Mines, 738, 739; 
 Takoo River, fort built on, 657; min- 
 ing on, 697. 
 Talin, behavior to Baranof, 391.''. 
 Tamary, King, troubles with, 499, 
 
 506-9. 
 Tamena, visit to Hagemeister, 491. 
 Tanaga Island, Billings' expedt. at, 
 
 290. 
 Tanisky ostrog, 32. 
 Tatikhlek, village of, 260. 
 Tatitliatzk, Russians at, 345. 
 Tayatoot, natives, 145. 
 Taylor, Thomas, suit against Alaska 
 
 Commer. Co., 650. 
 Tchechina Island, 128. 
 Tchinkit&nd Sound, Indian i name, 
 
 275. 
 Tchitchinoff, Zakahai, sufierings on 
 
 Farallones, 487; Adventures of, 
 
 MS., 520. 
 Tebenkof, Lieut, expedt. of, 548; gov. 
 
 1852, ofla acts, 576, 684; founds 
 
 port, 685; charts of, 692. 
 Tegalda Island, village on, 562. 
 Tehnkotsk, Cape, 354. 
 Temnak taken from Attoo, 105. 
 Tcnerifife, Krusenstem's expedt. of, 
 
 424. 
 Tereshkin, Yukagir Ivan Vassiliovioh, 
 
 deposition of, 1711, 27. 
 Terpigoref, survivor from. "Neva" 
 
 wreck, 494. 
 Terra del Fnego, furs from, 245. 
 Thlinkeets, fierceness, 239; inter- 
 course with Russ., 268-9; sack 
 
 Yakutat, 300; promises of, 350; 
 
 surprise hunters, 384. 
 Three Saints, settlement, 320, 324, 
 
 414; first church at, 362; storehouses 
 
 at, 389; school at, 706. 
 Three Saints Bay, 228, 230, 434, 435. 
 Tigil River, 31, 157. 
 Tikhmenef, character of Rezanof, 460, 
 Timber, resources of, 688-90. 
 Timofeief, journey to Pacific, 9. 
 Tinnchs, natives, 207. 
 Tnaianas, natives, 144. 
 
 Tobolsk, Fort, 17; expedti at, 38, 66, 
 
 160. 
 Togiak River, Koraaakoviky expedt. 
 
 at, 521. 
 Tolbukhin, investigation by, 1739, 
 
 69. 
 Toldin, Yegor Vaarilievich, 1711, de- 
 
 poeition of, 27. 
 Tolstykh, Ajndrel, hunting expedt., 
 
 1749, 108, 111, 116; expedt, 1760- 
 
 4, 127-30. 153, 168. 
 Tomari, King, domain of, 606. 
 Tomsk, founded, 17; Siberian contin- 
 gent at, 96. 
 Tongass, sufferine at settlement, 660. 
 Tongaas Fort, U. S. military poet, 
 
 679. 
 Torckler, trade of at Petropaolovsk, 
 
 296. 
 Toyunok, outrage on party from, 336. 
 Trading Bay, Portlock at, 262. 
 Traitor Cove, origin of name, 277.' 
 Trapezuikof, Aruip, permit to, 101; 
 
 monopoly, 110. 
 Trapeznikof, Nikofor, partner with 
 
 Bassof, 100; hunting expedts, 1746, 
 
 1752-«, 62. 108, 111. 112. 114, 117, 
 
 120, 130. 131; voy. of, 112; enter-. 
 
 prise, 135. 
 Trauemicht, sends expedt.. 1711, 28. 
 Treadwell, mine owner, 740. 
 Tredwell mine, account of, 740-2. 
 Treaty, signed and ratified 1867, 594. 
 "Trekh Sviatitch," ship, 183. 223, 
 
 266, 352, 355-7; wrecked, 318. . 
 Tretitikof, Alexei, in expedt., 94. « 
 Treveuen, Lieut, with Cook, 307. 
 Tribute, collecting of. 130, 168. 231- 
 
 7; from Aleuts, 294; end of system, 
 
 297-8. 
 Trinidad, Cape, 145. 
 Trinity Island, 208, 271. 
 Trocadero, Cafios de la, named, 218. 
 Tmpischef, Tryfon, orders to, 1730, 
 
 3a 
 Tschemich. rancho at Bodegl^ 489. 
 Tubinskoi, MikhaYl, in trading co., 
 
 186. 
 Tugidak Island, natives from, 366. 
 Tumakaif, fate of, 407-11. 
 Tumannoi Island, discovered, 82; Cook 
 
 at, 208. 
 Tunguse, order preserved among, 232. 
 Tunulgasan, native chief, 118, 128. 
 Turn-again River, Cook names, 208. 
 Tuyurskoi, in expedt, 184. 
 Two-headed Cane, 208. 
 Tyrin, Stephen, huntingexpedt, 1747-^ 
 
 9. 109, 112. 
 Tzaklie Island, 288. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 m 
 
 Uganak, trading post at, 230. 
 XJgak Bay, trading post at, 230. 
 tJIga Island, village on, 662. 
 Umnak Island, expedts at, 123, 131, 
 
 136, 147. 1S4, 164, 168; Korovin 
 
 vrecked, 138; coast surveyed, 148; 
 
 Zaiikof at, 173. 
 UnkoTsky, Lieut, with Loearef, 804. 
 Unalaska, trade with natives, 120; 
 
 ezpedt. and visitors at, 132, 164-5, 
 
 168, 171, 182, 183, 233, 260, 272, 295. 
 
 600, 547; massacre at, 133-40, 145, 
 
 154; natives submit, 162; church, 
 
 700; school, 708-0; rainfall, 710. 
 Unalaska Island, 72, 128, 296, 676; 
 
 expedts at, 137, 285, 291; black 
 
 foxes, 141; village, 662. 
 Unalakleet, villaee of, 674. 
 Unalga, attack of natives, 165. 
 Unalga Island, village on, 662. 
 Unalga Strait, 209. 
 Unga Idand, 300; Molef escapes to, 
 
 319. 
 "UDicom," ship, at Sitka, 406. 
 Unimak, expedt. 165; village, 662. 
 Unimak Strait, Za'ikof residence at, 
 
 213. 
 Unimak, volcano, 209, 272. 
 Unimaks, the chief of. at Amik, 191. 
 United American Co., coufimicd 
 
 by imperial decree, 378-83; name 
 
 changed, 379. 
 United States, treaty with, 542. 
 United States officials, appointment 
 
 of, 727, 728. 
 Unmak, villages at. 562. 
 Ust-Yana, commanders of, 1710, 28. 
 Ust-Yanskoie Simovie, expedt. from, 
 
 1712, 29. 
 
 Vagin, Merkuri, expedt., death of, 
 1711-12, 28-9. 
 
 Valde's Bay, named, 273. 
 
 Vallenar Point. 277. 
 
 Vancouver. Geo., voyage of, 1791-4, 
 276-81, 348. 498; observations, 79; 
 hunting parties, 239; ou competi- 
 tion, 249-50; on Kaknu river, 335; 
 charts of, 692. 
 
 Vancouver Island, 244, 532. 
 
 Varonin, Luka, in expedts, 283, 293. 
 
 Vassilaief, expedt. of, 1829, 546, 547. 
 
 Vassili, in conspiracy, 178. 
 
 Vassili 3vich, Ivan, Tartar yoke, 6. 
 
 Vassiuiinaki, Petr, in expedt., 127, 
 129, IbO. 
 
 Velikopolskl, Andrei, in expedt, 03. 
 Veniaminof, missionary career. 364-5; 
 
 statement, 684; bishop, 701-4. 
 Vereshchagin, Ivan, in expedt. 02. 
 Verkhneikamchatsk, 312. 
 Verkhnoi Kovima, Billings at, 284. 
 Verstovoi, expedt at, 388. 
 Verstovoi, Mt, 674. 
 Vilegin, visits Kopaf, 1724. 31. 
 Viliuya River, "Juno" wrecked on, 
 
 474. 
 Vinzent Thomas, in expedt., 93. 
 "Vladimir," ship, 120, 155. 
 Voievodsky, Capt, elected gov. 1850, 
 
 685. 
 Volkof, Ivan, in conspiracy, 179. 
 Vou Verd, mate to Bering. 47. 
 Vorobief, AlexeiC, in hunting expedt, 
 
 112. 
 Vosikof, Mikhail, in expedt., 93. 
 Voskressenski. "The Orel" at, 331; 
 
 ship-building at 341. 351, 355. 
 Voskressenski Bay, Yakutat expedt. 
 
 at, 345; Baranof at 357. 395. 
 Vosnessensky Island, Pinart at, 629. 
 "Vostochnui Gavril,"shii), 97. 
 Vsevidof, Andre]£, hunting expedt., 
 
 108. 
 Vtoruikh, death of. 108. 
 Vtroushin, Luka. expedt of, 144. 
 Vuikhodzef, Mikhail, in expedt, 04. 
 
 Walker, fate of, 1869, 611-12. 
 
 Walker Cove, 277. 
 
 Walton, William, lieut in expedt., 61, 
 
 52. 93. 
 Warren Island, 277. 
 Waxel, Lt in expedts, 1740-2, 52,64, 
 
 79 96; ioumal, 67; cart 79. 
 Wedge Island, 277. 
 Weidel, Friedrich, in expedt., 94. 
 Wells. Port, Kamed. 278. 
 Westdahl, Ferdinand, statement of. 
 
 577-8. 
 Western Fur and Trading Co., stores 
 
 of, 681, 
 Western Union Telegraph Co., opera- 
 tions of, 576-8. 
 Whale Bay, 259, 265. 
 Whale, humpback, 669. 
 Whale, sperm. 669. 
 Whaling, descript and value, 582- 
 
 3, 668-670. 
 Whidbcy, Lieut passed up Stephens' 
 
 Passage, 280. 
 White, Capt. J. W.. acct of natives, 
 
 610; actions, 637; statement, 747. 
 
774 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Whito Point, named, 265. 
 
 WJiitsunday, Cape, 208, 
 
 Whvmper, at St Michael, 685. 
 
 Williams, Haven, k Co., of Alaska 
 Commer. Co., 646. 
 
 Williunison, Lieut, at Cape Newen- 
 ham, 209. 
 
 Willougbby, Sir Hugh, voyage, 1553, 
 8. 
 
 Wilfion, Dr, in Schwatka expedt., 
 732. 
 
 Windblath, Major, in conspiracy, 175, 
 178. 
 
 Winsbic, John, hunting expedt. to 
 Cal., 1809, 480. 
 
 Winship, Nathan, hunting expedt. to 
 Cal., 1810, 480-1. 
 
 Winter, Luthi:ran pastor at Sitka, 
 702. 
 
 Wittemore, hunting expedt. to Cal., 
 1812, 481. 
 
 Woahoo, Dr ScheflFer at, 499. 
 
 •• Wolcott," ship, 620. 
 
 Wolf, Capt., supplies purchased of, 
 529. 
 
 Wood, voyage of, 1676, 13. 
 
 Wood, W. H., mayor of Sitka, 1867, 
 601. 
 
 Wood Island, ice trade, 587; settle- 
 ment, 681, 682; saw-mill, 690. 
 
 Wormakloid, scientist with Kotzebue, 
 494. 
 
 Wosdwith, Capt., joins adversaries of 
 Scheffer, 508. 
 
 Wolves. See Fur-trade. 
 
 Wra;igoll, Baron, travels of, 22; rec- 
 ommend, of, 403; ia Cal., 485; mis- 
 sion to Mex., 1838, 438; apptd govr, 
 548; off! acts of, 548-56, 691. 
 
 Wrangell, Fort, troubles at, 613-16, 
 623-4; description, 577-9; agric. 
 at, 687; school, 710. 
 
 Wrangell Island renamed, 619; lead 
 found, 096. 
 
 Wymea, fort erected at, 508. 
 
 Yago, Dmitri, fur-trade monopoly, 
 110. 
 
 Yakhoutof, nia, in expedt., 94. 
 
 Yakovlef, Petr, investigations of, 
 141. 
 
 Yakoutsk, school at, 707. 
 
 Yakutat, disasters at, 252, 300, 451, 
 455, 515; agric. at, 300; convict col- 
 ony, 358; settlement at, 396. 401; 
 ship-building at, 420. 
 
 Yakutat Bay, expedts at, 204, 26.1, 
 344, 350; "Threkh Sviatiteli " at, 
 268; colony, 352; Baranof at, 3r>(J; 
 sufferings on, 357, map, 390; furts 
 on, 414. 
 
 Yakutat tribe, 239; engagements with, 
 326-7. 
 
 Yakutsk founded, 17, 18; expedts at, 
 56, 57, 160, 284, 298; conspiracy at, 
 178. 
 
 Yana, expedt. from, 23-9. 
 
 Yana River, 19; island on, 30. 
 
 Yanovsky, Lieut, Hagemeiater's repre- 
 sentative, 511; report of, 522; acting 
 chief manager, 534. 
 
 " Yosatchnoi,^' ship, 284. 
 
 Yatof, Katlion, in buntingcxpedt., 102. 
 
 Yeames, Lamb, sliip-builder, 283. 
 
 Yelagin, in expedt., 1740, 04, Go, 74, 
 93; explorations, 1739, 95; pro- 
 moted, 96. 
 
 Yelovoi Island, school at, 706. 
 
 Yenissei River information of, 1595, 
 11; ship built on, 56. 
 
 Yenisseisk, founded, 17; contingent 
 at, 96. 
 
 "Yeremy,»ship, 112. 
 
 "Yermak," ship built at Yakutat, 420. 
 
 Yermak, Timofeief, visits Stroganof, 
 1578. 15. 
 
 Yermola, baptized, 122. 
 
 Yevdokia, shitika built, 102. 
 
 Yt -einof, Ivan, expedt. 1719-21, 32, 
 3J, 44. 
 
 Young, Capt., cruising for Russ, 
 Amer. Co., 525. 
 
 Yugof, Emilian, traffic monopoly, 
 death, 110, 111. 
 
 Yukon, Fort, population of, 686; tern- 
 
 Yukon River, 211, 530, 550, 553, 576, 
 629; source of, 4, 5; shoals, 41; 
 salmon run, 66l, 662; mining on, 
 698, 737, 738; Schwatka explors, 
 732-5; Everett explors, 735-6. 
 
 "Yulian.,"8hip, 120. 
 
 Yullits, natives, 191. 
 
 Yuuaska Island, 128. 
 
 Yurlof, death of, 108. 
 
 Yurlof, Andreian, in expedt., 93 
 
 Yurlof, Moissei, in expedt, 93. 
 
 Yushin, Kharlam, 64, 93. 
 
 Zadskoi, Hcraclius, in conspiracy, 179. 
 Zagoskin, Lieut, expedt. of, IS'12, 
 653-4. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 776 
 
 Zaikof, Potop, expedts of, 1772-5. 
 1783. 170, 173, 186, 191, 219; report 
 of, 141; in trading cc, 186; at Un- 
 aloska, 214, 272; meets Vancouver. 
 278; map, 214. 
 
 Zaikof, Stepan, expedt. of, JP5; chief 
 at St Nicolaa, 312; character of, 
 
 " Zakhar ! Elizaveta," voyage of, 123; 
 
 Zakhmilln, bravery of, 328. 
 
 Zand, in expedt., 1741-2, 90. 
 Zane, engineer, in expedt., 736. 
 Zasheiverak, Banner inspector at, 41C 
 Zavailof, Elias, in trading co., 180 
 Zokharin, Lieut, with Kotzebue, 494. 
 "Zossima i Savatia," ship, voyage of, 
 
 184. 
 Zubof, Count, settlers sent by, 399. 
 Zubof, Sava, Capt.-lieut, signs oukaz, 
 
 Zybin, Capt, comdt at Okhotsk, 153.