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BY SIR GEORGE SIMJPSON, GOVERNOR-IN-CHIEF OF THE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY'S TEBRIT0K2ZS. ¥ # PHILADELPHIA: LEA AND BLANCHARD, 1847. * % # U-4?0 * .r • • ^1 '} 2967X3 . ^ « ^ 1» S. FHILADELFBIA : T. K. AND F. O. COLLINS, PRINTERS. # • • // / TO THE HONORABLE COMMITTEE or THE HUDSON^S BAY COMPANY, SIR JOHN HENRY PFXLY. Bart., Gwermr, ANDREW COL VILE, EsariUE. Deputy Governor. BENJAMIN HARRISON, EsaiiRi:, JOHN HALKETT, EsaciHE, HENRY HULSE BERENS, EsauiiiE, AARON CHAPMAN, Esjicihe, M. P., EDWARD ELLIS, EsftciRK, M. P, THE EARL OF SELKIRK, RICHARD WEYNTON, EsatiRE, THESE PAGES ARE RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED ^ THEIR OBLIGED AND FAITIIFLL SERVANT, . THE AUTHOR. ii' % » J i^-* tt^ V # ^ « PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION. Ledyard and Cochrane, to the best of the author's knowledge and belief, were the only travelers that ever attempted before him- self to accomplish an overland journey round the world ; they both followed an easterly direction; and they both returned, the former from Irkutsk and the latter from Kamschatka, without having even seen the American Continent. In offering this remark, the author wishes merely to state the fact, for he has much pleasure in ad- mitting, that, if either of those enterprizing individuals had enjoyed his peculiar advantages, the task would not have been left for him to achieve. In one respect, however, he has performed more than either Cochrane or Ledyard contemplated, for, in addition to the Russian Empire and British America, he has erribraced within his range Upper California and the Sandwich Islands If the lapse of four years since the author's return may seem to require some explanation or apology, he can only plead that he has been engaged in constant and arduous occupations of the same description as his journey round the world ; that he has, in fact, nearly doubled the extent of travel which forms the subject of the following pages. But this very delay he has endeavored to turn to good account by occasionally drawing illustrations from subsequent events. ^ :S%^ VI , PREPACK. The author has, to a certain extent, retained the form of a jour- nal, as furnishing one of the best guarantees for a traveler's fidelity. He has, in almost every case, confined himself to what he saw and heard, sparing no pains to separate truth from error; and, wherever he has introduced any extraneous matter, he has done so with the view of throwing light on the essential points of his own experience. As the American edition is printed from the author's manu- script, without the advantage of his corrections and emendations, the publishers state the fact as an apology for errors, should any be found. Philadelphia^ jipril^ 1847. jf' m^ ^ TABLE OF CONTENTS. PART I. CHAPTER I. FROM LONDON TO RED RIVER SETTLEMENT. Departure from London— Voyage across tho Ationtic — Halifax — Boston — Route to Montreal — Montreal — Dcparturo from Lnchinc — Ottawas — Matnwu — Hi'ij;ht i>t lanil — Lake Nipissing, ice — French River — Lake Huron — Sault St. Mario— Liikt' Stiperior, a week in tho ice — Chippowny Indians — KuminiatJuiutiiii, Kakiibckkii Fall — Height of land — Route to Lac la Plui»! — Fort Frances, Chippewiiy Iiidiatis — Riviere la Pluie — Lake of the Wootls — River Winipe^ — Luke Wiiiipe^ — Red River — Lower Fort — Departure of Lorda Culcdou uiul Muigravo Ibr bulliilo hunt - - - - - - - - -17 CHAPTER H. FROM RED RIVER SETTLEMENT TO EDMONTON. ^, Rftd River Settlement, position, origin, condition' — Departure from Red River Settle- ment — Face of country — Salt Lake — Fort Ellice — Quappclle River, crank canoes — Wolverine Knoll, native legend — Native lodges — Rain and swamps — Dog Knoll — Salt Lakes — Native lodge. Hieroglyphics — Halt in heavy rain — Wanderings of Tom Taylor — Bow River — Indian story — War in tho plains — Carlton — The Sas- katchewan — Picturesque country— Crees- —Scarcity of water — Ret! River emi- grants, love of native spot — Buffalo hunt — Turtle River — Scarcity of water— Fort Pitt — Miseries of a native lodge — Alarm of Blackfeet — Effects of hail — Extreme vicissitude — Oddity of native names — Edmonton — Native tribes — Visitors of quaUty -..-.....42 CHAPTER HI. FROM EDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VANCOUVER. Departure from Edmonton — Rev. Mr. Rundle — Gull Lake — Native gossips — Duck hunt — Red Deer's River — Unexpected meeting — March through wet bush-— Al- tered character of vegetation— State of conunissariat — Difficulties of march — Rugged scene — Peechee's home — Perpendicular Rocks — Indian skirmish, courage of a woman — The spout— Bow River Traverse — Porcupine — Natural gateway — Height of land — Reminiscence of Scotland — Improvement in climate — Kootonais River — Adventures of two of our men — Scarcity of water — Bad road — G>lumbia River— Search for horses— Gloomy ravine — Hierogl}rpblca — Tenacity of mosqui- toes — Fresh horses — Scenery now softer — Fiatbow Intlians-— Hot Springs— Puming *fl VIU CONTENTS. foTOM — Pdrk-likr pmirio — Knotonnin Itulinns, rhiff's son — (irnnil Qii»'le Ijiki*, iiu!t!4iii}{ i'i»mj)niiiiiri — Gniiul Qiiutu Uivrr — Iinpnivi'mriit in vi'x«'tnli(>ii — Plimnf of two l(l lior«'f« — Use of ii luirsti— Smrviition lunotiK nativ(>»— Fcrimli! Iiorjto- ilrnlcr — Kxtr-nsivo ninl intorestitig view — Mardi tliriiii^h wet liu»h — K(M»umai4 Rivor Triivt'rxc — I'fculiar raiUM' — Kodtoiiais villnK<' — Fmxl (if iiativ«'» — Mr. ami Mrs. Cliarl') — Natural pit — HurniiiK wiKHJt* — Kiillr.-ipnlm Lnkc — l*«Ti(i' d'Oroille UiviT — IV-iitl' liOrrilJr Iri(liaii»» — ('ar(l-i)layinK — Ui'.tiilts of nliirtition — Native ilrP98 — Frcuh horwtt— Supper or No siippur 7 — Mr. Mi-Dorinld from ColviU* — Kxrcilont hri'akfast — LiuliiruiH acciilciit — Fort C'olvili' — Firii' farm — Cliau?nn — Munlrr of Mr. Hiack — .Scarcity of wooil — Isles dcs I'lcrrcs Rapjdc-^ Siiidt (111 I'rOtrc — Kattlosiiakc.'' — Snako River — Wallawalla — Rev. Mr. Manner — McKeii/ie'rt and Ross's Heads — Prairie lowl — Snake Indians— lla.saltic rinks — Cayuse chief in love — Les Cluites, jiast and present — Petites Dalles — Loan Nar- rows — Hair Seal.s — Mission of Wliaspieum — A(piatic forest — Ca.scados— Pillar Rock — Arrival at Vuncouver • - - • - • I'i CHAPTER IV. FROM VANCOUVER TO 8ITKA. Dcpnrttiro from Vancxmvcr — The Willamette — Wni>ptttoo Island — The rowliiz— Variety of races in l)att(Mui — Cowlitz farm — F.norinons tre(>s — The Checaylis — Natural mounds — Fort Nisqually — Kiidxirkation on Beaver Steamer — Frazer s River — Fcvoda, superior fuel — Wooding and watering — Comouc Heet — Quakeolth chief — Johnston's Straits — Dense fog — Quakeolth Heel — Trading — F(kk1, &c., oi Quakcolths — Native pronunciation of English — Manners of native.- [renomlly — Dishonesty and treachery of natives — Shushady Harbor — Trading "./ith Newettees — Hiaquay shells — Hnnuning-birds — Canoeing alone witli a nativ- > hiof — Native blankets, canoes, &c. — Indignant harangues of a chief — •Dense fog, danger of ship- wreck — Shark — Calvert's Island — 'Sir Alexander McKenzie — Fort McLaughlin — Ballabolla Indians — Largo canoo — Lip-i)iocc — Power of chiefs — Foit Simpson — Ingenuity of natives. Northwest Arrowsmith — Small-pox — Fort Stikino — The Seeat(iuouays — Humanity of female chief — Condition of slaves — Messrs. Shakes and Quatkay — Huncgo Joe — Stephens' Pas.sage — Fort Taco — Abundance of deer — Big horn sheej) and mountain goat — Taco River— Lynn's Canal — Anake Indians — Arrival ut Sitka .--•..- 106 CHAPTER V. FROM SITKA TO VANCOUVER. Sitka — Trade — Fur seals, &c. — Count Bjiranotl^ — Northern discovery — ^Departure from Sitka — Glaciers and lloating ice — Fort Stikine — Fort Simpson — Indian fight about potatoes — Sebassamen — Fort McLaughlin — Gigantic sea-weed — Newettees, names of chiefs — Quakeolth fleet — Native jealousy — Johnston's Straits — Dense fog — Catalogue of dangers and disasters — Abundance of herring spawn — Influence of white fist on savages — Nisqually — Captain Berkeley, Juan de Fuca and Ad- miral Fonte — Steam, its physical and moral power — Condition of slaves — Rev. Mr. Demers — Arrival at Vancouver — A stranger — ^Vancouver — Willamette Settle- ment, position and condition — Civilization of natives ... 129 f 4 ■"^ CONTENTS. IX mil — PliiTini- ■iiihIc liiiriM'- — Koiiiii.'< i»»— Mr. mill nd' dOrpJUo ion — Nntivf! II OilviU' — — Cliimdinrt; 1(1 Coulee — «'s Riipiilo— r. Miinuer — ilti(! riM'ks — — LonK Nar ade.-f — Pillar • li c Cowlitz — Chccaylis— or — FraziT :* — QunkeoUh '(kkI, &«•., of gi'upmlly — 1 Newettees »i<'f — Native iictoi' shiji- Lauglilin — Simpson — tikino — Tho ssrs. Slmkea undance of nal — Anake - 106 —Departure ndian fight -Newettees, lits — Dense — Iniiuence a and Ad- avcs — Rev. letto Settle- . 129 f'lIAPTKR VI. FROM VANCOrVKR TO HAN FRANCISCO, ETC. Departure from Vani'oiivcr — lioatiii^ down tlie Cnhiiiilua — Knilxirkatinn on fwifir I of tlir Cowlitz, the jrrand ('po«li of my jourm-y — naiiuiui« I'rom li^'htniny — lliir of tin- Coliiinhia — DiscdVt'ry of Culiuiiltin, conipiiriiiivr ni'rii.'*o| lli-ci ta, .Mfar<"4 .iiicl Gray — DLxpiitcd territory, elainiH of Tniled States — Cliri^tina.H day, lioine and ahroail— Whales — Cape Mendwino— New Allilon and Calitornia — Hodepi and Ross, Ruji-'ian American Company, RiihMian soveri-mnty — Rii^Man di.>«eoverie«« — Russia an — Unsophisticated cockney — Culifortiian ignorance — Mr. Ermatingur's journey jiorn Vancouver to Monterey — Murderous desecration of baptism — Sellislint^ss and indifference of pubbc authorities — Compromise with custom-house— Schooner California, untried convicts— Revenue laws, impolitic and oppressive— Spanish America in general, its fiscal and political condition — Contrast between Spanish and English colonies —Fruits of Spanish American independence— Pueblo of Branciforto— Mission of Santa Cruz — Mission of San Carlos, past and present - - - ISU CHAPTER IX. SANTA BARBARA. Voyage from Monterey — Mrs. Wilson — Von Resanoff and Donna Conception — Town, situation and buildings, &c. — Lihabitants, manners and dress and customs, &c. — f CONTENTS. Resemblance of Spanish Colonist to Old Spaniard — Califomian happiness and ease — Compadra and Commadrea — Californian hospitality — Bishop of Santa Bar- Ijara— Episcopal pomp— Roman see, its estimate of distant dependencies— Home-made wine and brandy — Church — Santa GuadaJoupe and the miraculous blanket — Organist — Candlemas Day, gunpowder— Valley of Santa Barbara — Aqueducts and cisterns— Grist-mill — Garden— Indian village, remarkably old woman — Ball with Scotch reel — Embarkation — Carcass of right whale— Perfect paradise for fish — Bishop's present of wine — San Pedro, Pueblo of Nuestra Senora with its bulls and its bears — Mission of San Gabriel — Valley of the Tulares, bands of horses — "Police" of California — San Diego— Concluding remarks on California — Gradual spread of English race in new world — Ultimate destiny of California — British claims, financial and territorial— Arrival in region of trade-winds 204 * CHAPTER X. 4.-' VISIT TO HONOLULU, ETC. Course and distance — Appropriate name of Pacific Ocean — Gradual increase of tem- perature — Bottle-nosed porpoise and fiying-fish— Albatross and tropic bird — Am- phibious voyage, its literary advantages — Volcanic mountains of Hawaii — Early iliscovery of Sandwich Islands by Spaniards — Cook's discovery accidental — Mutual relations of the islands of the group — Volcanic origin of group — Volcanic agency, its general directum — Lahaina, residence of king — Communication between islands in days of barban^hi — Peopling of Polynesia — Brig Joseph Peabody — Ruggedness of Woedioo^First impression of torrid zone — ^Distant view of Honolulu — Harbor, Its discovery — English pilots — Coral reefs — Everything to remind us of England, contrast between us and early navigators—Harbor, general description — Towing through channel — Governor Kekuanaoa and others — Our residence— Honolulu, popidation and buildings and climate, &c. — Valley of Nuanau, scene of important battle ......... 224 CHAPTER XI. SANDWICH ISLANDS. Origin of the Hawaiian Nation — Amoimt of Population — Language — Food— Houses —Dress— Appearance and Disposition— Customs and Amusements • 238 ppiness and f Santa Bar- endencies— miraculous I Barbara — arkably old ale— Perfect estra Senora ilarea, bends >n California if California vinds 204 case of tem- ! bird — Am- vaii — Early al — Mutual mic agency, /een islands Ruggedness u — Harbor, >f England, a — Towing —Honolulu, r important • 224 «1— Houses • 238 TABLE OF CONTENTS. PART II. • CHAPTER XII. SANDWICH ISLANDS. Na\'y — Army — Revenue — Government — Religion — Education — Productions and Manufactures — Trade. -- - • • • -17 CHAPTER XIII. SANDWICH ISLANDS, ETC. Troubles with Sailors — Visit to Nuanau — Kamehameha's Great Victory — Wells iu Honolulu — Subterranean brook — Idolatrous temple — Cannibalism — Suicide of a Chinese — Chinese and Japanese — Power of false religion to resist truth — Cliiiiesc residents — Death of heir apparent— Governor Kekuanao's a^^vity— Sitting on hams a mark of respect — Ro)ral Mausoleum — Distribution of Kamehameha's bones — Causes of scarcity of children of chiefs — Bickerings of all sorts among foreign residents — More troubles with sailors — Voyage to Mowee — Arrival at La- haina — Rekeke's Hotel — Mr. Baldwin's Chapel — Rev. Mr. Richards — King, Ha;i- lilio, and John Young— Royal Mausoleum — Kekauluohi the Premier — Excellent quarters with maids of honor as bed-makers — Visit from Messrs. Richards and Baldwin — Queen Kaluma — Visit to the Premier along with Mr. Richards — ^Jatk of Clubs — Native dance — Swimming of natives and aversion of foreign residents to loathing — Lahaina, its population and situation — High schools — Arrangements for sending a deputation to England, France, and the United States — Haalilio's character and death — King and suite dining on board — Kaluma again, the silent eloquence of her female attendants — Policy of government in managing tlie aris- tocracy — Paying farewell visits — Accompanied on board bj king and suite — Voy- age to Sitka, change of temperature — Mount Edgecombe — Retrospect of journey, the English race having been dominant everywhere — Common origin and com- mon destiny of English and Russians ..... 55 '%. CHAPTER XIV. ii* * SITKA. Landing — ^DifTerencc of day of week — Bishop of Sitka — Departure for Taoo and Stikine-^Tragical end of Mr. John McLoughlin — Critical position of establish- ment and consequent proceedings — Abundance of pine and cypress — Voyage back to Sitka — Arrival on Easter Simday — Peculiar customs of this festival — ^Divine xii CONTENTS. 1 1 .=!: 'M sprvicf — OflTicors of Russian American Company — Mochnnios and laborers — Mar- ried women — Hopi)ital — Bisliop's farewell sermon — Strictness of clergy in general and also of laity — Ecclesiastical zeal of Russian Government, united with spirit of toleration— M(Hlic'inaI springs, favorable influence on vegetation as well as health — Perseverance of natives in bathing — Water impregnated with sulphur — Capital mistake of a recent visitor— Redoubt — Miserable weather at Sitka — List of ship- pinrr — Sailing of Constantine with M. Rotsclioti'and family— Sailing of Ochotsk — Tciniktilii of Siberia — Fair of Ostrovnoye — Tchuktclii chief's notion of perfect liaj)piness — Beering's Straits — Climate, British Isles, and Kamscliatka — Indian figlit — Immediate stop to the issue of liquor among Indians — ^The evil in question tiie inevitjd)le result of competition — Political relation IxHween Indians and Rus- sians — Yassack, its origin and progress — Kaluscian funeral — Wedding at Sitka — Bridesmen and bridesmaids — Embiirkation on board of the Alexander, and de- l)arture from New Archangel - - - - - -47 CHAPTER XV. VOYAGE TO OCHOTSK. Li^ihtness and variableness of winds — Ship's discipline, &c. — Drunken priest — The Parachute of New Bedford— Whales rapidly diminishing m number — Unknown island — Hunting of sea otters — Danger of sinking in the small baidarska, and alfecting mode of meeting death — Russian surveys of the northern shores of Asia anticipated by England at either extremity of line — Voyages of Cook and Billings — Aleutian Archipelago probably the original channel of communication between the two continents — Beering's Straits perhaps a passage from America to Asia, rather than I'rom Asia to Americii — Aleutian Islanders, tlieir ethnographic cha- racteristics — Probable course of emigrants from Aleutian Islands on landing in America — Increasing dilllculty of tracing the migrations of tribes — Productions of Aleutian Islands — Russians fust to plant civilization on northwest coast, statements of Shelekofi" — Signs of land — Kamscliatka, its corrupt government — Popular delu- sion with respect to despotism^Passage between Kurile Islands into Sea of Ochotsk — Dense fogs, contrivances to neutralize them — Sleeping whale — Story of Mr. Erasmus and the fogs — Kuriles apparently continuation of Kamscliatka — Im- mediate influence of Russia from Sweden to Japan — Sea of Ochotsk — River Amoor, its physical value neutralized by politics— -Collision of Russia and China on the Amoor — Sight of land and preparations for going ashore — Impenetrable bar- rier of ice — Hair seals — Sleeping whale — Keel-hauled whale — Arrival at Ochotsk — Optical illusion — Record of disasters in these seas - - - 92 CHAPTER XVI. FROM OCHOTSK TO YAKUTSK. Ochotsk — Madame Zavoika's horticulture — Food, health, &c. of inhabitants — Ship- building establishment- —Courts and lawyers — Salt — Governor Golovin — Russians and Ostrogs, and Cossacks — Shipwrecked Japanese — Disciple of Origen — Brick tea — Mr. Atlasofl"'s snow-shoes — Promiscuous bathing — Bargaining for horses with Jacob — Departure from Ochotsk — Forests of pine, &c., with swamp tea — Jacob's poli l)oai teen as a Cars — T kuts sack nigh Perji liorsi mid( St. I CONTENTS. XIU borers — Mar- Sy in gcneml with spirit of roll as health ihiir — Caj)ital -List of ship- of Ochotsk — )n of perfect atka — Indian i^il in question ans and Rus- ng at Sitka — nder, and de- 47 priest — The r — Unknown lidarska, and liores of Asia and Billings ion between rica to Asia, graphic cha- n landing in reductions of statements opular delu- into Sea of de — Story of ehatka — Im» otsk — River nd China on letrable bar- d at Ochotsk 92 policy — Mr. Shiloff's caravan — Fidelity and skill of Yakuti — Cossack's zenl and Ijoastfulncst — Spirit of the Forest — Jacobs care < if horses — Notes of cuckoo — Four- teen lijrds on horseback — Lord Bynm and Captain Cochrane — Industry of Vakiiti, as also iiospitality — Dropping in of three friends to dinner — Cossack's disciiiliiie — Caravan — Motle of feeding lutrscs in the niglit — Real hell of horses — Iniuidations — Threatened attack on the part of a bear — Country more fertih — Mail I'roia Ya- kutsk, (lisai>poiiiUnent — Plant that iiitoxi<'ates and disables horses — Mistakeof Cos- sack — Imiiidations — Herds of cattle and cniravans — Suinnier by day and winter by night — Superstition of Yakuti — Height of land with a lake feeding l)<)ih seas — Perpetual snow and ice— Caravans without end— Udonia Crossing — Hardly any liorsesof a dark color— Danger in past times from runaway c-onvicts— New ice in middle of July— ^Valley of the Nalivnoi — Diifieulty in ascertiiining names — Wet St. Nicholas day — Yakut's mode of estimating distances — Allaek Younii — Mosquitoes — Moor fowl — Delays of traveling — Reindeer — OolcKinaeh Ferry — Scenery now softer — Swamp bridged with corduroy — The Aldan — Horses of Ya- kuti well trained— Kumyss — The Amga — Capercailzia and snipe, and plover — Orelach — Travi'ler's l)Ook — Tshcxtropsa- Porotoffskaya — Visit from son of a Ya- kut chief — Tshetshiguiskaya — Temooloya — Lcxjusts — Toolgyachtaeh — Lena and other rivers once mucli higher — Arrival at Lena — Arrival at Yakutsk - lU'J CHAPTER XVII. YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE UP THE LENA. Revemie and population— Temperature — Agriculture — Site of town— Fur trade and ivory trade — Governor RudikofF — Mr. Shagin, native working in metsils — Glut- tony of Yakuti — Social factions — Hospiud — Buildings — Curiosities — Departure from Yakutsk— Bestach — Passenger boats — Stolby^St. Julias — Condition of pea- sants — Marchinskaya — Mr. Atlasoff — Reindeer — Stranded iii a sfjuall — Solian- skaya — Olekminsk— Mr. Atlasoffs hospitality — Siberian contjuests of Cossacks — Horticulture — Sables of the Olekma — Berdinskaya — Chase and capture of Ya- kuti — Cossack's discipline — Wild fruits — Condition of peasants — Hurrah Rocks — Heavy batteau — Water-sails — Kamenskaya — Condition of peasants — Yerbinsky — PooloodofTskaya — Treatment of critninals — Vittimsk, sables and talc — Tungusi — Aborigines in general — Boat upset — Character of women — Doobroffskaya — Echo — Cheeks of the Lena — Echo^Wild fruits— Routine of existence — Our Saviours name-day — Grand ball — Return of English letters from Ochotsk — Condition of peasants — Goitres — Alexyeffskaya — Cossack's irresponsible cruelty — Kirensk — Sleepy-headed officials— Adventure ashore — Solx^rskaya — Nettle kail — Oolkan- skaya — Beasts of prey— Character of peasants — Inundations— Condition of pea- sants — Snuff — Kosarki — Oostooskaya — Progress of Cossack conquerors — Oostii- ginskaya — Figolotfskaya - - - - - - -134 '.*' V ^ ants — Ship- -Russians 1 — Brick tea horses with ca — ^Jacob's CHAPTER XVIH. FROM FIGOLOFFSKAYA TO IRKUTSK. Tyoomenzora— Vercholensk — Katschooga — Bratsky Steppe — Burat settlements- Village of exiles — Koodinskaya — Irkutsk — Governor Patncffsky — Governor Gene- fi^ r^\ il XIT CONTENTS. ml Ruport — Archbiahop of Eastern Siberia — Chinese jealousy — Lake Baikal com- pared with Lake Superior— Mines of Nertshinsk — Trade of Kiachta— Steam on Lake Baikal — Mission of Sclen^nsk — Mines and washcries — Irkutsk, its hos- pitalities — Departure from Irkutsk ..... 164 CHAPTER XIX. FROM IRKUTSK TO TOBOLSK. Accidents — Mode of foraging — Convicts — Nishney Udinsk — Discomforts of travel- ing — Alzamoos — Peasant's house — Colonization of Siberia — The Barassa — Kansk — An exile's establishment — Krasnoyarsk, delays — Mines and washeries — Cliief of the Burats — Ostrogs for convict — Kosulskaya, quarrelsome postmaster — Atchinsk ^The Tchulim — Dilapidated tombs — Inquisitive hostess — The Kia — Kyskal— Tomsk — Crawley an albino— False information — Vagaries of a recent traveler — The Tom — Tartars — Barabinsky Steppe — Gypsies — ^Ubinskoi — Kainsk — Condition of peasants — Omsk — ^The Irtish — Tobolsk - - - - 183 l< !l CHAPTER XX. FROM TOBOLSK TO LONDON. Retrospect of Russian history — Yermac, his victories and death — -Establishment of Russian power in Siberia — -Tobolsk — Exiles — Tiiunen, mayor's dinner — Pro- vince of Perm — Kamishloff, doctors differ — Fair of Irbit — Condition of peasants — Ekaterineburg, mines — Value of Siberia to Russia, fur trade, Chinese trade, ivory trade, mines and washeries, geographical position, moral and political ame- lioration — Height of land — Kama — Countess Strogonoff— Churlish and obsequious postmaster — Kungur — Russians not Asiatics — Perm — Inland navigation — Count- ess Strogonoff — Courtesy and honesty^Province of Viatka — Armed footpads — Mookikikea — Merchants from Fair of Nishney Novgorod — Borlacki — Kazan, past and present — ^Volga — Forests of oak — ^Disturbances among peasants — Delays at posthouses and artifices of postmasters — Nishney Novgorod — Troubles of a pair of dancers — Sheremetieff's estates and peasants — Vladimir — Uses of a pipe stem — Symptoms of vicinity of metropolis — Moscow — Vishney Volotchok — Val- dai — Novgorod the Great — Military settlers — St. Petersburg — Voyage to Lon- don ......... 204 If I i, ko Baikal oom- ita— Steam on cutsk, its hos- - 164 3rts of travel- rassa — Kansk heriea — Chief ter — Atchinsk ia — Kyskal — snt traveler — ik — Condition - 183 AN Establishment dinner— Pro- 1 of peasants hinesc trade, )olitical ame- d obsequious ition — Count- 1 footpads — -Kazan, past s — Delays at les of a pair I of a pipe Jtchok — Val- age to Lon- - 204 OVERLAND JOURNEY. PART I. ;' ti 'V AN OVERLAND JOURNEY, \i ETC. CHAPTER I. FROM LONDON TO RKD RIVER SETTLEMENT. On the morning of the 3d of March, 1841, I started from Euston Square, by railway, for Liverpool, at a (juarter past nine o'elock. In addition to my secretary, Mr. Hopkins, 1 was accompanied by four or five gendemen connected with The Hudson's Hay Conipany's service, and also by a gendenian in the service of tlie Uussian American Com- pany,'on his route from Petersburg to Sitka, whose superiors were thus preferring for him, as shorter by thirty degrees of longitude, the breadth of all the rest of the world to diat of his native empire. In less than ten hours we reached our port of embarkation, taking up our quarters for the night at the Grecian Hotel in Dale Street. Next day, after an early dinner, we were conveyed, in a small steamer, from the Egremont Pier, to the Caledonia, Captain M'Kellar. a vessel of 1300 tons, and 450 horse power. At half-past five, the last of the passengers, amounting to forty-four in all, having arrived, together with the mail bags, the melancholy signal of Uie farewell bell was immediately followed by a rush of "friends" for the shore; and in ten minutes more, at the sound of the bugle, tlie good ship's pad- dles were plashing in the waters of the Mersey. The first incident that varied the usual monotony of sickness and discomfort was the glimpse of a whale in the morning of our sixth day. In fact, we nearly ran foul of the monster while he was loung- ing on the surface within a few feet of the paddles ; but, not liking the look of us, he immediately dived, so that we saw nothing more of him. Next day furnished us with a still richer theme for discussion. While we ourselves had so little wind that all our light canvas was set, we met, at some distance, a ship under close reefed topsails, pronounced, by the by, by some of our "blue noses," to be the Andover, bound from New Brunswick for Liverpool. Though some of us took the responsibility of ridiculing the timidity of the unknown skipper, yet our weatlier-wise friends concluded that he must have just escapetl from a gale, of which we were very likely to have our turn. Within PART I. 2 h IS FROM LONDON TO RED RIVER SETTLEMENT. * ri<:lii and forty hours ihoir proiriio.sticiilioiis wcro vorificil with a vcn- On the morninjr of our ninth day Captain .M'Kcllar discovered that tho baroruj'HT had fallen lielween two and tliree ineh(!S duriticf the tiifilit, having dtse(>n(h'(l to liCJ.iJ, th«' h)\vesl point which, in his expe- rience, it had ev(!r reached. The wind i,n'athially incroasiul in violence, lill.hy three in tho afternoon, it hlew a perfect hurricane, during which, so far from heiniif ai)le to mount the riiririiif the coni- \ to E., S. if the tem- le evening, d she was, tvith a foul oom ; and, weather of :s more, a the Banks 1 the short ility, have somewhat and" sent proved to of its sur- arance of path, we nd so ex- . While le cry of •ror. As ibles, the Seeing, rely puz- zl'^ ' as to the cause of the pheiintucnon, did yet clearly dislin^rnisli a iii;i::.iificcnt revolver. 'I'lie |)addlcs were accor(lini,d}' slopped lo have a east of the lead, while every glass on hoard was ga/iur sunset. Almost immediately afterwards, the IJrilan- nia, beloniiiug to the same line as the Caledonia, canu" into port, on her homeward voyage I'rom Hoslon to J'iUgland, in firder to receive the mail. Tlu! simultaneous arrival of two large steamers naturally threw the town into a state of great animation and bustle, more particularly as <'ach of them woidd transact all her business with the least jxjssible delay, or rather with the greatest possible exjx'dition. To the establislnuent of this communication between the two conti- nents Halifax owes much both on commercial and on j)olitical ijrouuils. Still, however, the work is only half done, lu summer, to Ix; sure, the mails are conveyed so rapidly to (iuebec by steam, that the first lu'ws from England is received throughout Canada by tliat route ; but, during the winter, tlu; bags are dragged over such wretched roads, that they everywhere meet, as stale news, tin; letters and journals, which have accompanied themselves from England and preferred the circuit- ous route through the United States to the straight cut through Hriiisli America. Of this flourishing city and its celebrated haven I could not y)resumc to oiler any opinion after a nocturnal visit of only live hours. We started again for Boston soon alter eleven in the eveninc several of our ' passengers having left us, but many more having joined us. On the forenoon of the twentieth, we entered IJoston Hay. The upper end of the inlet presented many small islands, on wliich were tortilications, not yet finished, of considerable strenirth. The naviga- tion appeared to be intricate; but, by half-past eleven, we were safely moored, having accomplished a distance of three hundred and ninety miles from Halifax in thirty-six hours. As the ollicers of the customs allowed our baggage to pass without examination, we soon found our- selves in the heart of the city, which was full of life and busde. There was here far more to remind me of home than anything I had ever seen m New York. Even before landing, the gently undulating shores of the hay, highly cultivated as they were, and partially covered with snow, had recalled to my memory the white clitrs ami green hills of England ; and within the town, the oldest and finest iu the Union, H^ '\ .* M 20 FROM LONDON TO RED RIVKR SETTLEMENT. iA both tlio Ijuildinu?' and ihr iiiluhitiiiits had a pncnliarly Enijlisli air :il)()iil them. Moreover, in many respects, that do not strike the oyc, IJostoii r<'seriilih's her lalher-land. S\w is the centre and soul of those rehffions eslahlishnients, which have phiced the United States next to (ireat Britain in the divine task of shechhnir on the nations the li^ht of the (iospel; she is the nursery and home «)!' most of those commercial adventurers, wlio have elevated the inlhience ol'Ameri(;a aliove that of Knirhmd in more than one of those regions which lie within the con- templated rauL^e of my wanihMinu^s. Hut IJoston has more of Amcriea about her, — as well as mor(? of lOnifland, — than any one of her repub- lican rivals. It was in her town-hall that the revolution was planned; it was from her quays that the imports, which the old country taxed, were thrown into the tide ; it was by her citizens that freedom's first battle was I'oujflit on Bunker's Hill. Both of these apparently contra- dictory characteristi(;s of Boston are maiidy owing to one and the same cause. 'I'he pilj^rim fathers were republicans in feeling, while their ilescendanis continued to be so under a practically republican constitu- tion ; and the close resend)lance to England in everything but the government of the Church and the State was the natural result of the fact, that the (rolony, of which Boston was the caj)ital, virtually began her career as a portion of the old country, by receiving into her bosom Jill the various grades and classes of society at once. Alter dining at the Tremont, an excellent hotel, we left the city at five in the afternoon by railway for Lowell, the Manchester of New England ; and, proceeding thence by a similar mode of conveyance, we reached Nashua, distant thirty-five miles from Boston, about nine o'j'lock. lu 1819 Lowell was a mere village of some nineteen houses in all ; but now it contained, in connection with its manufactories, nine- teen thousand inhabitants, with the usual concomitants of churches, hotels, prisons, banks, &;c. 'I'he country was industriously cultivated and densely peopled. As our party, by the addition of some of our fellow passengers in the Caledonia, was now increased to fourteen, we formed ourselves, on starting from Nashua in the morning, into two detachments, which pursued different roads in order to lessen the chances of famine and detention. One band dashed oil' in a sleigh with six horses ; and the other, to which I belonged, ratUed along in a coach and four. We soon passed into New Hampshire, which was hilly and well settled; but whether or not it was skillfully cultivated, the snow prevented us from judging. We reached Concord, the capital of the State, in time for a rather late breakfast, for which a drive of thirty-five miles had thoroughly appetised us. Here, as bad luck would have it, we ex- changed our coach for a sleigh. For the first few miles we congratu- lated ourselves on the improvement; but the sun, as the day advanced, kept thawing the snow, till at last, on coming to a deep drift, we were repeatedly obliged to get out, sometimes walking up to our knees and sometimes helping to lift the vehicle with levers out of the snow. About three o'clock, however, we fairly stuck fast in spite of all our hoisting and hauling and pushing. The horses struggled and plunged to no tackle our h severa lia slcigl kept with till! S was from reaclu more good Out of abi villasjc .'ii; FROM LONDON TO RKD RIVKR SKTTLKMKNT. SI I'liiijIiHli nir ko ilio oyc, Dill of those iitos next to tlio li^ljt ol coimuorcial >ovi; tliat ol lin the con- ol" Amcrira her rcpuh- is planned ; ntry taxed, (h)m's first lily contra- d the same while their in constitu- n^ but the !sult of the I ally began her bosom the city at er of New )nveyance, about nine en houses )ries, nine- churches, cultivated sengers in selves, on ts, which mine and ; and the 3ur. We II settled ; vented us e, in time niles had t, we ex- congratu- idvanced, we were ur knees he snow. )f all our I plunged to no purpose, rxceptiui! that ilu* Iciulcrf, after Itreaking part of the tackle, jralloped oil' "over the hills and far away," leaving us to kick r heels in the .slush, till tliev were brouirht hack after a chase; of oil several miles. I Ilaviiiif extricated ourselves by placing our bacuage on another sleigh, which was condesceiidiiiL'ly ilriveii by "Captain" Siniili, w«! kept rolliiiir and pilchiiiL', till, al)oiil eleven at niifhi, we broke down with a crash in a deej) drift. Assistance beinj: procured, the body of the sleigh was mounteaching tlu; village of Royalion at sunrise, we again exchanged our vehicle for the equipage, in which our competitors in the race to Motitreal had per- formed the last stage ; and, while we were drawing odious comj)ari- sons to the prejudice of our new outfit, we were soon put in better humor by lituling in the bottom of the sleigh a writing desk containing the money and papers of one of my own oriirinal companions, who had joined the other detachment. We were now traveling through Ver- mont, the State of green mountains. The country appeared to be well worthy of its name ; and one part of the road was peculiarly beautiful, l)assing through a narrow valley, known as the gorire, between steep hills on cither side. Montpelier, where we breakfasted, was perhajis the sweetest spot that I saw on my travels, looking rather like the resi- dence of hereditary ease and luxury than the capital of a young republic, of thrifty graziers. It was, in fact, an asseml)lagc of villas. The wide streets ran between rows of trees ; and the houses, each in its own little garden, were shaded by verandahs. IJy eleven at night we overtook our friends at the American Hotel in Burlington, on Lake Chainplain. After supper, at which each party recounted to the other its various perils by "Hood and field," we retired about one o'clock to obtain a little repose after forty-two hours of hard jolting, leaving orders to call us at five in the morning. Foi • hours being very scanty allowance of sleep for two whole days, I was not surprised at being nearly as drowsy as ever when I was roused by a peal of blows at uiy door. In spite, however, of laziness, and a cold morning to boot, I had com- pleted the operations of washing and dressing by candle light, having even donned hat and gloves to join my companions, when tin; waiter entered my room with a grin. "I guess," said the rascal, "I've put my foot in it; are you the man that wanted to be called at two f "No," was my reply. "Then," said he, "I calculate I've fixed the wrong man, so you had better go to bed again." Ilaviiiir delivered himself of this friendly advice, he went to awaken my neighbor, who had all this time been quietly enjoying the sleep that properly belonged to me. Instead of following the fellow's recommendation, I sat up for u >■ 22 FROM LONDON TO UEf) RIVKU SETTLKMklNT. tlio rest of ilic iiitrlit, think inn :>n hour's nnonz*' hardly worth the; trouhlr of rultliiiiii my «\vcs ;i second liinr. In the altcrnoon, an hour or mo alter pasNini; the town of IIi^h|;atr, the oiitpohtN ol one of our ni^inicnts, that were stationed in a dark forrst, ^'ho\ved ns that we h:id i[<»t ln'yond the iVontier. At three in the niornini: we «*rossed the Uirheheii, — whieh empties Lake Chani- plain nito tlu; St. I. iiwrenee, liv a wooden hndije thn e-(|iiarlers ol a iniii! in lentith, a yood deal the worse of the wear. Heini; now in the villaire ol St. .loiin's, one or two of ns went ahead to the principal inn ; and, as our knockintr and shontinir elicited no answer, we enforced onr noisy salutations hy addinif, that there were fourteen more c<)niini,' with a wlnde host of drivers. When at JiMiirih we elfj-cted an entraner, cairerly demandini; fires and suppers, the landlord was not to he found. On r-xaniiniuL' the premises, his lair was warm, and his clothes, down cvi'n to the indispcMisahh; irarnuMit, were all waitinir their owner's ap- pearanco more patiently than \\v were. The estahlisliment was searched upstairs and downstairs, inside and outside, while the luckless man's i)rother wantlered ahout the very jihost of despair: and we were in- clined to reproach ourselv doomed innkeeper had accordinnrly considered us, mon; |)arlicularly after the aimounceuMMit of our num- bers, as the hearers of ids death-warrant, hrimfidl, of course, of wrath and whisky; aiul, as the fiercest lirc-ealer would hav(! done in his place, he snni}£i,ded himself away for dear life into some unmentionable and inscrutable corner or other. This litde adventure and our keen appetites tofirother, made us forijet our fatijTiies over a substantial meal, supper and l)reakfast in one ; and, finding all the beds engaged, we continue*! our journey to ],:\ Prairie, and thence across the ice of the St. Ijuwrence to Montreal. In travers- ing the noble river, wc enjoyed, jjcrhaps, the best view of the metro- polis of the Canadas, rising from the water's edge up the iinincdiale bank of the stream, and then stretching away along the face of the higher ground behind. If the aspect of the city be grander from the mountain, as it is called, in the rear at any given point, the sight from that i)art of the St. Lawrence, which we passed, is superior in this rcs|)ect, that, besides being nearly as complete, at every instant it rapidly evolves an endless variety during a race of aI)out seven miles. On ibis flourishing emporium 1 shall oiler only this single remark, that it contrasts, as if in a nut-shell, the characteristic qualities of the two races that inhabit it. The French were the original possessors of the city, while the English at lirst found themselves to be houseless strang- ers in a strange land. IJut the latter have I'orced their way by inches from tlu^ water's c(.\(tc into nearly all that constituted Montreal, in the days ol' Wolfe and Amherst ; and the former have been driven from lucrcil Onl navigl Law there charnl don. were loin i| In nectr(| nchM pariy FROM LONDON TO RKD RIVKR 8ETTLKMKNT. 23 I llu! trouble I Miijliirritr, I ill a (l:irk At tlirt'i' in I'll*!' Cliarii- larlcrs of a "•»w ill tho M('i|)al inn ; ilMrrcd (Mir MIliMir with 1 ( niranco, » 1)0 ((Mind, iln's, down wikm's ap- i>^ M'arrlieil I'ss man's ' wrro in- ; ilonicstic II III will) a w (|ni«rkly 'ompanird I tlu! cause ris of ven- rcordinfrly our num- , of wrath UK! in his Mitiouable ; us forjrpt i>iio ; and, a i'rairie, II travors- ic motro- iiuncdiafe '0 of the from the i^^ht ii-om »r in this instant it on miles, lark, that the two rs of the IS stran«T- y inches )1, in the I'cn I'rotn their ancient neatu into the newer Heclions of the city, hcinu ur;nlually joHiled uiit, even there, from everything like a ihorou^difarc of com- merce On the first of May, ll le H<'asnn hemi; Jiutr* hack ward than iiei7'.' levc' hveT^ In five minutes, woe to the inmates that were slow in dressing, the tents were tumbling about our ears; and within half an hour the camp would be raised, the canoes laden, and the paddles keeping time to some merry old song. About eiirlit o'clock, a convenient place would be selected for break- fast, about tliree-cpiarters of an hour being allotted for the multifarious operations of unpacking and repacking the eiiuipaixe, laying and remov- ing the cloth, boiling and frying, eating ami drinking; and, while the preliminaries were arranging, the hardier amouL"" us would wash and shave, euch person carrying soaj) and towel in his pocket, and finding a mirror in the same sandy or rocky basin that held the water. About two in the afternoon we usually put ashore for dinner; and as this meal needeil no lire, or at least got none, it was not allowed to occupy 'lan twenty miiuites or half an hour. Such was the routine of rney, the day, generally speaking, being divided into six hours and eighteen of labor. This almost incredible toil the voy- 1^1 ■■ * ■,*'..-i I* 28 FROM LONDON TO RED RIVER SETTLEMENT. affeiirs boro ^vithout a miirmur, and, almost invariably, with surh an hilarity of spirit, as few othor inon could sustain for a sinjjle I'ortMioon. IJut the quality of the work, even more decidedly than the quantity, requires operatives of iron mould. In smooth water the paddle is plied with twice the rapidity of the oar, taxing both arms and luncs to the utmost extent; amid shallows, the canoe is literally drajmed by the men wadinji to their knees or to their loins, while each poor fellow, after replacing his drier half in his seat, laughinjrly shakes the heaviest of the wet from his legs over the gunwale, before he again gives them an inside berth ; in rapids, the towing line has to be hauled along over rocks and stumps, through swamps and thickets, excepting that when the ground is utterly impracticable, poles are substituted, and occasion- ally, also, the bushes on the shore. Again on the portages, where the breaks are of all imaginable kinds and degrees of badness, the canoes and their cargoes are never carried across in less than two or three trips, the litUc vessels alone monopolizin< l»('!ia i\ with ice. I'^irly in tlu^ lorctioon wo. n'acJH'd the M<> ittuin I'd , litTc takiiifi; a .sudden turn, leaps iiiln a deep an tlic top of tlu; hill, It'll the impress t>l* their lijriircs hchiiid tluin; :im(I ccrtaiii il is, th:it such lli^Mircs havr hctMi marked on tlie turf in the samp manner as tlu; wlute liorso near Hath. On Monday, heins? the last day oi' May, ue crossed the lieiti;ht ol land hetween Canada and The Hudson's May Conipany's Terriiorics. consisting; of three considerahle portad with a tripli! row of round rails placed end to eml. \V'her<' this hridjjo hapjiens to h(! entire, the traveler {fcls al(jnt hoth his le^jjs take* their chance of reach- in-<'ll with a pretty suro )r no stick (' of rcach- a crutch : VL'S ill this river Km- r across its oils, soiuo- iki! swing- (hinis tliat tiful liuke ino river, ajrc, gcne- couiitry. while the wood and the iinen- oiihh's ill orass and it fatiijacd Sturgeon and siiort le Macan, apids and lis, which they fix s as pos- PHI and u'ill '" '''•' l>ank ; and this in«>dc dl' cMiihncnu'nt, at h-ast fi»r a week or two, allrcts neither the weight nor the flavor of the; prisoners. On the morrow, towards noon, we ina(h> a short p(»rtagn from tho Macau to a muddy sfreain, falling into l.ac la IMuie. As we were passing tlowu this muddy and shallow creek, fire suddenly hurst fortli ill the woods near us. 'I'he llanies, ctickliiig and clamhering U|) each tri'c, (piickly rose ahove the forest ; within a few minutes more tin* drv irrass on the very margin of the waters was in a running hiaze ; and, hel'ore ue were well clear of the ilaiiL'cr, we were almost j-nve- h)pcd in clouds of smoko and ashes. These conllagraiions, often caused f)y a wanderer's (Ire or even hy his pipe, desolate large iraelH of <*cMiMlr\. Icaviutr nothing hut hiack and hare trunks, :ind even these someiiines miililateil into stiiiii|)s, — one of the most dismal scenes on which the eye and heart can look. When onei; the consuming ele- ment gets into tlu! thick turf of the |)rinieval wilderness, it sets every tiling at defiance ; ami it has heeii known to snuMilder for a whole winter, under the deep snow. After traversing liac la IMiiic! and live or six miles of the river of the same name, wo reached our jiost helweeii ten and ehn'en in the eveninu, heing saluted hy aiiout a liun- dreil Saulteaux, the warriors of a hand of alioiit five hundred souls ; ami tlii'se savages, after aceompanying us to the fort with ime of their wild sontTH, presented me with a letter written hy one of their own nation, who had heen educated in Canada, anil was now acting as inter[)reler for the Wesleyan missionary of the cstahlishnient. 'J'he document ran thus : " FATirKii : " V\'e, the undersigned chiefs and principal men of the Indians, whom you now see encani|)e(l around this fort, ilo herehy picsent our good wishes on your safe arrival. " It is not known hy any of us that you ever was so reiinested hy any of the trihes inhahiting this country, as that which we now huinl»ly request, which is that you will he pleased to hear the words of our children, who are now awaitinjr to address vou on things that concern the welfare of themselves and their children. " And now, Father, we know that you are the CJovernor of this our common country, and we know that your ears are o])en to the worda of all therein. " We Immhly liopc that it may he so to us-ward. " Signed on helialf of our people, " NAWAVAlINAtiUAir, " Matwayatii, " Kk(HK NKtSAIITKUN, " Mashonoya, it " Wa NA Mli." In accordance with this request, I invited my "children" to attend me at four in the morning; a-i.l, instead of pitching our tents among so many needy friends, we made our beds within Fort Frances. IJut, while I was napping, the enemy were pelting away at me with their ST/f P 38 FROM LONDON TO RED RIVER SETTLEMENT. ■■I;'l incantations. In the centre of a conjuring tent, — a strncture of branches and barks of forty feet in length hy ten in width, — they kindled a fire ; round the blaze stood the chiefs and medicine men, while as many of the others, as could find room, were squatted against the walls ; then, to enlighten and convert me, charms were muttered, rattles were shaken and offerings were committed to the flames. After all these operations were supposed to have done their best, the hitherto silent spectators, at a signal given, started from their hams to their feet and marched round the magic circle, singing, whooping and drumming in horrible discord. AVith occasional intervals, which were spent by the performers in taking the fresh air, this exhibition was repeated during the whole night ; so that, when the appointed hour arrived, the poor creatures were still engaged in their superstitious observances. True to their time, two processions, one from cither side of the esta- blishment, met in the open square of the fort, waving their banners and firing their guns. They had all dressed, or rather decorated, themselves for the occasion, their costumes being various enough to show that fashion, as it is called, had not yet got so far to the westward. Their glossy locks were plaited all round the head into tails, varying in num- ber according to the thickness of the bush or the taste of tl:e owner; at the ends of the different ties were suspended such valuable ornaments as thimbles, coins, buttons, and clippings of tin ; their heads were adorned with feathers of all sorts and sizes ; and their necks were en- circled with rows of beads at discretion, and large collars of brass rod. As to clothing, properly so called, every one had leggings and a rag round the loins, while some of the chiefs, with the addition of scarlet coats and plenty of gold lace, had very much the cut of parish beadles. The staple commodities, however, appeared to be paint and chalk. The naked bodies of the commoners displayed an inexhaustible variety of combinations of red and white, often surpassing in brilliancy, as well as in tightness of fit, the dashing uniforms of the grandees ; and every face, whether noble or ignoble, was smeared entirely out of sight, the prevailing distribution appearing to be forehead white, nose and cheeks red, mouth and chin black. Meanwhile we had been striving, to the utmost of our ability, not to be outdone in magnificence. Lords Caledon and Mulgrave had donned their regimentals; and we civilians had equipped ourselves like so many mandarins in our dressing gowns, which luckily happened to be of rather showy patterns and Inies. After much shaking of hands, about sixty of the Indians squeezed themselves into the apartment, while the others, with the women and children, remained outside. When all were seated, each chief in turn sent round his calumet among us, in tue costliness of which they appeared to emulate each other. All these preliminaries being concluded, the spokesman of the par^y stepped forward; and, first ostentatiously displaying a valuable present of sundry packs of furs, he commenced his harangue, in a bold and manly voice, with great fiucncy and animation. After a tedious prelude, Nvhich I was obliged to cut short, about the creation, the flood, &c., — the object probably being to show how and why, and when the Great 'Of Spii fron com our flo\i casl to t us, pror lllXll I tol won anot ■* FROM LONDON TO RED RIVER SETTLEMENT. 39 ■M triicture of dtli, — they icine men, ted against ! muttered, ics. After he hitherto their feet drumming c spent by s repeated irrived, the vances. of the esta- annersand .liemselves show that rd. Their ig in num- owner; at ornaments leads were s were en- brass rod. and a rag of scarlet h beadles, md chalk. )le variety liancy, as dees ; and It of sight, nose and ity, not to ad donned s like so ned to be of hands, ipartment, le. When unong us, 3r. the party e present bold and s prelude, J, &c., — the Great m I 'A Spirit had made one race red, and another white — he plunged at once from litis transcendental height into the practical vulgarities of rum, complaining that we had stopped their liquor, though we, or at least our predecessors, had promised to furnish it "as long as the waters flowed down tlie rapids." "\ow," said he in allusion to our empty casks, " if I crack a nut, will water run from it ?" In reply, 1 explained to the Indians, that spirits had been withdrawn, not to save expense to us, but to benelit them. I then pointed out the advantages of temperance, promising them, however, a small gift of rum every autumn, not as a luxury, but as a medicine. In thanking ihem for their present of furs, I told them tliat, besides receiving a suitable present in return, they would be paid the usual price of every skin. In conclusion, there was anotlier shaking of hands ; and then this grand council between the English and the Chippeways broke up about six o'clock, to the satisfac- tion of both nations. The Saulteaux, a branch of the Chippeways, were formerly one of the most powerful tribes in this country. IJy repeated visitations, however, of measles and small-pox, they have dwindled down to three or four thousand souls ; and even this inconsiderable number, though scattered over a vast extent of territory, can scarcely keep body and soul together. As the fur trade, unless under systematic and judicious nianageinent, naturally tends to exhaust itself, the hunting grounds of the Saulteaux, as being nearer to a market than those of any other tribe, have been proportionally drained of their natural wealth; and though the soil k fertile, producing wild rice in great abundance, yet the sa- vages in (question are at once too indolent and too proud to become, as they loftily express themselves, troublers of the earth. This their love of a wandering life is more deeply to be regretted, inasmuch as, till they settle down as agriculturists, they can derive little or no advantage from the proffered labors of the missionaries, whom The Hudson's IJay (Company has introduced among them. 'I'lie follov ing incident, which occurred during our short stay at Lac la Phiie, may serve to illustrate, in some important particulars, the character of these Indians. IJel'ore coining to take his seat in council. Lord Mulgrave left a dirk in his bed-room near the open window; but, on his returning to his apartment, the weapon was nowhere to be lound. As the Indians, excepting the conscript fathers, had been hanginfr about all the morning, they were immediately suspected ; and, when tiic chiefs were upbraided with this treacherous dishonesty, one ot them addressed the people, urging them, Ibr the honor of the tribe, to give up the oilender. But, as neither the thief nor the booty was iorthconiing, we started, somewhat chagrined at the occurrence. VVhile preparing for breakfast about ten miles below the fort, we were over- Uiken by a small canoe, from which three youths joyously rushed towards us with the missing dirk. 'J'he article having been discovered in the store after our departure, the chiefs dispatched their myrmidons after us with orders to follow us, if necessary, all the way to Red River. Having been rewarded with a hearty meal and some tobacco, the three lads retraced their steps in excellent humor. m ,'Tv^ 40 FROM LONDON TO RED RIVER SETTLEMENT, # The river which empties Lac la Pluie into the Lake of the Woods, is decidedly the finest stream on the whole route in more than one respect. From Fort Frances downwards, a stretch of nearly a hundred miles, it is not interrupted by a sint^le impediment; while yet the cur- rent is not stron/r enough materially to retard an ascending traveler. Nor are the banks less favorable to agriculture than the waters them- selves to navigation, resembling, in some measure, those of the Thames near Richmond. From the very brink of the river there rises a gentle slope of green sward, crowned in many places with a plentiful growth of birch, poplar, beech, elm and oak. Is it too much for the eye of philanthropy to discern, through the vista of futurity, this noble stream, connecting, as it does, the fertile shores of two spacious lakes, with crowded steamboats on its bosom, and populous towns on its borders ? In spite of a contrary wind, we next day got within fifteen miles of the farther end of the Lake of the Woods. Though the shores of this sheet of water are more rocky than those of Lac la Pluie, yet they are very fertile, producing the rice already mentioned in abundance, and bringing maize to perfection. The lake is also literally studded with woody islands, from which it has doubtless derived its name ; and these islands being exempted from nocturnal frosts which exist chiefly in the neighborhood of swamps, are better adapted than the mainland for cultivation. Before sunrise in the morning we reached our establishment of Rat Portage, situated at the head of the magnificent stream which empties the Lake of the Woods into Lake Winipeg. This river, which takes the same name as the inland sea that receives it, forms, along its rocky channel, so many falls and rapids, that its length of three hundred miles is broken by no fewer than seven-and-thirty portages. After an amphibious course of two days and a half, we reached Fort Alexander, distant about a mile and a half from Lake Winipeg, about noon on Tuesday, the eighth of the month. Starting again after a halt of a few hours, our progress was much impeded by a southerly wind, which had also had the usual effect of driving off the waters from this end of the lake to such an extent, that we were obliged to make a portage in a channel, which I had usually passed under full paddle. '* Next morning we entered on the grand traverse, leading to the mouth of the Red River. The adjacent shores are so low, that there is gene- rally some difliculty in striking the entrance of the stream ; but on this occasion we were assisted by a column of smoke, which, as we were informed, would guide us to our destined haven. About seven in the evening, we arrived at the Lower Fort of Red River settlement, having Jjfcpreviously passed a large village of Indians, settled as agriculturists ^Upinder the charge of the Rev. Mr. Smithurst of the Church Missionary Society. So far as mosquitoes, sand-flies and bull-dogs were concerned, 'tkds was the worst encampment of the whole route. Next afternoon we reached Fort Garry, twenty-three miles higher up the river, where we were kindly welcomed by my relatives, Mr. 'and Mrs. Finlayson. Thus had we accomplished in safety our long voyage of about two thousand miles. On the whole, we had been FROM LONDON TO RED RIVER SETTLEMENT. 41 le Woods, than one a hundred t the cur- l traveler, ers them- e Thames IS a gentle 111 growth he eye of le stream, ikes, with I borders ? n miles of res of this t they are lance, and Ided with ame ; and ist chiefly mainland fortunate with regard to the weather. During our tliirty-cight days, rain liad i'allcn only on parts of six ; and, thouirli, immediately on leav- ing Montreal, we had encountered piercing winds and chilly nights, vet we soon had, in general, as delightful a temperature as wc could wish. About ten days after my arrival, I dispatclied liOrds Caledon and Mul^rave to the plains under the escort of .Mr. Cuthbert Grant, an influential native of mixed origin, and a party of hunters. Being desir- ous of encountering as many of the adventures of the wilderness as possible, these young noblemen had determined on passing through the country of the Sioux to St. Peter's on tlie Mississippi ; and for this purpose they had provided themselves with guides, &c. Lord Caledon succeeded in carrying his intentions into effect, gaining golden opinions among the hunters by his courage, skill and afl'ability ; but Lord Mul- grave, from indisposition, retraced his steps flrst to Fort Carry and thence to the Sault St. Marie, that connecting link between the canoo and the steamboat. mt of Rat h empties ich takes its rocky hundred After an lexander, noon on ; of a few id, which lis end of ortage in le mouth is gene- It on this we were en in the t, having :^ulturists issionary (ncerned, 4: ?s higher ves, Mr. our long lad been ' t-..* wr'i 42 CHAPTER II. FROM RED RIVER SETTLEMENT TO EDMONTON. V" In 1811 Tho Hudson's IJay Company ceded to the late Lord Selkirk, fatlier of the present earl, nearly all that portion of its territories which was deemed capahlc of cultivation. The tract which was thus set apart for the purposes of aoriculture and civilization extended in longi- tude from the sources of the Winipcg to the plains of the Saskatche- wan, and in latitude from tlie sources of the Assiniboinc to the inter- national boundary. I'^rom the last-mentioned river it took the name of the District of Assiniboia, while the colony, that was actually esla- hlished, borrowed its appellation from the larger stream into which the Assiniboine discharged its waters. But the relative position of Rod Ifiver Settlement is a far more interesting feature in the case than its absolute place on the map. The nearest names of civilization are the village of Sault St. Marie, which itself has a reasonable share of elbow-room, St. Peter's, at the Falls of the Mississippi, which is merely the single ialand in a vast ocean of wilderness, and lastly York Factory, on Hudson's Hay, where an an- nual ship anchors after a voyage of nearly two months, even from the Ultima Thule of Stromness. To each of these solitary outposts the shortest journey, according to the state of the weather and the means of conveyance, ranges between three weeks and a month, so that, in point of time, this isolated home is farther from any kindred dwelling than Liverpool is from Montreal, and nearly as far as London is from Bombay. It is, however, rather by the difliculties, than by the tedious- ness, of the various channels of communication, that the remoteness of Red River Settlement is to be estimated. On each route the obstacles, though they change with the season, are yet all but insurmountable, in their every variety, to ordinary travelers. The hardships and priva- tions, •which are inevitable under the most favorable circumstances, are multiplied and aggravated, during the greater part of the year, by the snows of winter, the freshets of spring and the rains of autumn ; and, though traveling is comparatively easy and expeditious beyond St. Peter's and Sault St. Marie, yet beyond York Factory the sea is hermetically sealed against shipping for nearly ten months out of the twelve^ To mould this secluded spot into the nucleus of a vast civilization was the arduous and honorable task which Lord Selkirk imposed on himself. That nobleman was horn a century and a half behind his time. Had he lived in the days of the first three Stuarts, when Britain, FROM RED RIVER SETTLEMENT TO EDMONTON. 43 as tlic (Ipstinctl mollior of western nations, bprran to pour fortli in licr f jiraccl'iil llc'cts a northern hivo that loved not the swonl less hut the i >r(l Selkirk, >rics which LS thus set !(1 in longi- Saskatche- > the inter- le name of ually esta- which the far more maj). The irie, which le Falls of 5t ocean of ere an an- 1 from tlie tposts the tlie means that, in 1 dwelling )n is from e tedious- Dteness of obstacles, in table, in Hid priva- nistanccs, year, by autumn ; s beyond he sea is lut of the vilization posed on ^hind his 1 Britain, iloujrhshare more, he would most probably have rendered the name of DoufTJass as illustrious for enterprising bemnolence on some fair coast of the new world as it had already i)eeonie for chivalrous valor in the annals of his own rugged land. His was a j)uro sj)irit of coloniza- tion, lie courted not for himself the virgin secrets of S(«.iie golden sierra; he needed no outlet for a starving tenantry; lie sought no asylum for a |)ersecuted faith: the object, for which he longcnl, was to make the wilderness glad and to see the desert blossom as the rose. llavinir, therefore, a single eye to tlit^ pros[)erity of his little world. Lord Selkirk selected, as his earliest colonists, the iiardy mountaineers of Scotland, with a few Swedes and Norwegians, because he believed them to be peculiarly iitted to encounter and overcome the diUlculiies of an untamed soil and an inhospitable climate. For the lirst ten years, however, the settlement advanced but slowly, sullering repeatedly and severely from the violent comp(;tition in tradt^ between the chartered possessors of the country and the Northwest C-ompany of Montreal. During that period of outrage and anarchy, the colony was broken up twice ; and, on the second occasion, its governor, Mr. Semple, and upwards of twenty of his people, lost their lives. lied Itiver Settlement, therefore, ought really to date its origin from 1821, the year in which the coalition of the rival associations left only physical impediments to be surmounted or removed. But the termination of t'le troubles in question was positively, as well as nega- tively, advantageous to the cause of civilization. The same competi- tion, which had harassed the young colony, had extended to nearly all the posts in the interior and even to some posts on the bay, so that almost every eligible station was occupied by two bodies of men, of wiiich either was too numerous for the ordinary demands of a peaceful commerce. Most of the supernumeraries were gradually drafted info the settlement; and subsequently, from time to time, many of the com- pany's retired servan s of various grades made this oasis in the wilder- ness the haven of their rest. Meanwhile many of the Scotch, becoming tired of doing well and hoping to do better, began from year to year to migrate to the United States by the southerly route already mentioned. The population, therefore, was speedily moulded into its present composition, consisting, in addition to Lord Selkirk's remaining High- landers, of the veterans of the fur trade, chielly Canadians, Orkneymen and Scotchmen, and their mixed descendants. The half-breeds of every stock generally derive their aboriginal blood from the Swampy Crees, who are allowed to be the most comely of all the native tribes, and who have, during the lapse of two or three ages, picked up some- thing of civilization at the company's oldest posts. If one may judge from the large immber of words common to the two languages, the Chippeways and the Crees are branches of one and the same original trunk. The census, which is carefully taken at intervals, numbers about five thousand souls; and, m spite of occasional emigrations to V 7 '^ .^ i I I 'i y II III;;" Ill: I i{ 111' I I illi: 44 FROM RED RIVER SETTLEMENT TO EDMONTON. the Mississippi and to the (.'ohimhia, a romparison of results sliows that the population cktuhhis in a!)out twonty years. (Jcnerally speaking, tlie Canadians occupy the Assinihoine and the upper section of the Rod River, whih; the (irkneynien and the Scotch- men, more or less intcrminj,ded, occupy the h)\vor section of the hitter stream ; and as the Canadians are ahiiost universally Catholics, aiul all the rest, includiuij settled Indians, generally Protestants, the local dis- tribution of creeds and lanjruaires prevents those embarrassments with respect to education and relitfion, which perplex many other commu- nities, and that, too, to the serious detriment of the important interests at stake. Ainonir the Catholics are a bisliop and two or three priests, who, in addition to an allowance from The Hudson's iJay Company, receive tithes amounting, as in TiOwer Canada, to the twenty-sixth bushel of all kinds of grain. Besides seminaries for elementary instruction, the bishop superintends a school of industry, where tiie youni^ womcu of his lordship's persuasion are taught, one after another, to turn their wool into cloth. The Protestants have two clergymen of the Church of England, who do duty in four places of worship, three of them in the main settlement, and one among the aboriginal proselytes ; and there are six principal schools for the ordinary branches of a plain education, two of them among the Indians and four amouff the others. The charges of reli- gion are defrayed partly by The Hudson's Bay Company, and partly by the Church Missionary Society, — the flocks neither paying their tithes nor wholly maintaining the sacred fabrics. As to the charges of education, four-fifths of them fall on the pious and charitable associa- tion just mentioned, while the remaining fifth is borne by such indi- vidual parents as are both able and willing to spare fifteen shillings a year for the moral and intellectual culture of a child. Fort Garry, the principal establishment in the place, stands in long. 97° W. and in lat. 50° G' 20" N. It is situated at the forks of the Red River and the Assinihoine, being about fifty miles from Lake Winipeg, and about seventy-five from the frontier; and it occupies, as nearly as possible, the centre of the settlement. This, which is the official residence of the governor of the colony, is a regularly built for- tification with walls and bastions of stone. Nearly opposite, on the right bank of the united streams, is the Catholic Cathedral, while the principal Protestant church is about two miles farther down on the left bank. In the immediate neighborhood of this last mentioned place of worship stands the Red River Academy, a large and flourishing school kept by Mr. and Mrs. Macullum, for the sons and daughters of gentlemen in the service. Below Fort Garry many respectable dwell- ings, most of them two stories, belong to the wealthier class of inhabit- ants, who generally live, so far as circumstances permit, in the same style ^as people of five or six hundred a year in England. The lower fort, which is about four times the size of the upper establishment, is in process of being enclosed by loop-holed walls and bastions. This N. FROM RED RIVKR SETTLEME.NT TO EDMONTON. 45 im IS in^ V o^vn bond quarters when I visit tlir sctilcrncnt ; aiul here al tl h -o ine and tlio the Scotc'h- )f the latter 'lies, and all e local dis- ments with or comnni- nt interests Its, who, in riy, receive 1 bushel of ruction, the women of turn their gland, who settlement, X principal 'o of them Lfes of reli- and partly lying their charges of e associa- such indi- shillinffs a s in long. rks of the *om Lake cupies, as ich is the built for- te, on the while the >n the left led place ourishing resides Mr. Tlioni, the Recordir of Kiiperl's I, and. On entering Jicd Uiver from I/ikc Winipi^uf, the shores for the first *| ten miles are low and swampy, aljonndini,^ in wild fowl of every de- scription; but fartlicr up they rise to a bciirht varying from thirty to sixty ft'ct. On the eastern or right baidi there is ahundance of poplar, Iiirch, cliii, oak, &LC., |)incs also being j)li'ntiful a i'ew niih^s !)aek ; while the we?itern side, generally speaking, is out; ^ast |)rairie, with scarcely ? any timber. Nearly as far up as the forks, the houses and farms of the settlers are almost exclusively on the lelt bank, wliile each occupier generally owns, within a convenient distance, part of the opposite bush as a wood-lot/ The soil oi' lied River Settlement is a black mould of considerable depth, which, when first wrought, produces extraordinary crops, as 'H nuuli, on sonu; occasions, as forty returns of wheat; and, even after • I twenty successive years of cultivation without the relief of manure, or 'i of lallow or of green crop, it still yields from lifteen to twenty-five • l)usjiels an acre. The wheat produced is ])lumij and heavy; there arc ' also large quantities of grain of all kinds, besides beef, mutton, pork, ^ butter, cheese and wool in abundance. Agriculture, however, has not ■^ been without its misfortunes. In the year 1 820, in consequence of the heavy snows and steady severity of the preceding winter, the thaws of the spring flooded tlie whole country, not only lilling the channels of the two rivers, but also cov(!ring \hc adjacent plains to a great depth. ^ [Overy stream from mouth to source was a torrent, and every swamp a ;j lake, till at last swamp and stream, as they rose and rose, united to M drown nearly all the labors of preceding years. Fence alter lence, ■'^ and house after house, floated away on the bosom of the deluge, while I the helpless owners were huddled together on spots, which the for- ,i«: bearance alone of the surging sea showed to be higher than the rest; ■yv and the receding waters lelt, and that at a period too late for successful w cultivation, little but the site of Red River Settlement. But the tem- j:, porary evil, as is generally the case with the devastations of nature, g brougi\t with it a j)ermanent benefit. The ruined hovels, for the ori- ginal setders had been glad of any shelter, were gradually replaced by dwellings of more convenient dimensions and more comfortable finish; and the submerged lands were irrigated and manured into more than their natural fertility. For the next three seasons, however, frogs were, if possil)lc, more numerous than ever they were in Egypt; and, in a subscquetpp year, the crops were almost entirely devoured by caterpillars, l^eviouslj' to the great flood, whole armies of locusts most seriously damaged the crops for three successive years. The summers, though not quite so long as in Canada, arc yet pretty much the same in other respects. The winters are not only more tedious, but also more severe. For weeks on end the thermometer shows, at some hour or other of the four-and-twenty, upwards of thirty degrees below zero; and Uierc is hardly a winter, in which the mercury escapes being solidly frozen. During the hardest weather, however, horses may be left out of doors to find provender for them- 46 FROM RED RIVER SETTLEMENT TO EDMONTON. $i i ! ) selves under tlic snow, provided they have been hardened l)y constant rxposiire to llic advanciiiij^ cold. IJiit catth', though heariiiif so much of a jreneral rcscml)hince to tlie hufl'ah), cannot lorajrc for thenisclves in tliis way, hcinu unahh; to scrape away the snow from the jifrass. In the winter of 18yH— I, I placed five hundred liead in tlu; most favorable spots to i)ass the winter in the open air. 'J'wo liundred ol' them died in the experiment, most of them in a very sinjiular way. In order to ^uard ajjjainst the wolves, the cattle were confined at nijLflit within a narrow enclosure, where, to say nothin loose to iii;ik(! tlic iiio.sl of llicir time. II;iviiiif (;()ni|)l('l(Hi tli(! c[r;iii( l)usiii('ss of inlcrnjil improvcnu'iit :U our leisure, we killed the riMnaiii- injr interval, crch man aeeordiiijr to his taste, in dressiiiif, or halhini;. or sleepiiijr, or readini,s or writinir, or doinif notliin<^. As tlu; axle oi our cart had hrokcin at tiie very outset, it was here repaired l)v the neijrhljorinj^ hlaeksniilli ; and, in order to provide ajjainst the re- eurrence of such a ealaniity under less fav()ral)lc circumstances, a second vehicle was eniiaired to accompany us. About two in tin; afternoon, the Messrs. Finlayson, after many farewells, returned to Fort (Jarry, while we entered on our second stage. We had hardly started, when, by a coincidence equally unex- pected and unpleasant, our cart upset over, perhaps, the only stone within twenty miles of us, the country heinj^ nearly as free of sucli impediments as the tidiest '' Iriiek, we resolved, :is liir ;is pr;ictiiMlde, to lollow tlieir trail. Ill liie lirsi instance, however, we had to itii out ol their jialli in order to keep our appoinlinent aloresnid ■\\ the Uiitte aii.v Chieiis. 'I'o arrive more ijuiekly al this reiide/vous o|' our relay of horses, we here (Mii:aued, as a special jjiiide, an (dd lilldW of an Indian, w ho talked larirely of kiiowinir a short cut across the i-oiiniry to the Do;; Knoll. Hel'ore siartinir we exchaiiijed some of our cattle and vehicles for Ireslier and hetter artiides of the same descriptions, rccruitini; and reuovatinj; our little hriirade to the utmost ufoiir ahilily. I'assiiiir throuirh a swamp/ \V(»od, we crossed ilie liiTappelle or Callinj; Uiver. Our horses am carts forded the .'»treatn ; ami we (»ur- Helv(!S trav»:rse{l it in a canoe oi ilariniii:,dy simple consiruclion, heini; neither more nor less than a few l»ranches covered with Inillalo rolx's. This make-shift l)ar( ly served the purpose of takiii;; us over l>efi»re it pot altojrelher filled with water. On surmountiiiij the steep liiil, which laced us, we found ourselves on a level meadow of several thousand acres in extent; and here, heiiiir informed hy our new <»iiide dial wi- could iu)t possibly reach any other water that iiiulit, w».' rehu-tantly encamj)cd at the early hour of six in the eveninif. 'I'o make up for tlu; early halt of yesterday, wc were au;:iin in tim saddle hy half-past three in tlu^ mornin^r, trottiiiir away w itli our tresh chargers through some extensive prairies studded wilh clumps of trees. We soon .slumhled on some lotlges of Saulteaiix, one very talkaiivo fellow accompanying us for a few miles. His (rrandesl piece of m-ws was, that wc win- likely to overtake a lar- Illjl'l I 58 FROM RED RIVER SETTLEMENT TO EDMONTON. besides Messrs. M'Kenzie and Rowand, the pentlemcn in charge, con- sisted of eight or ton subordinate officers, and a hundred men. After ascending to the utmost hmits of the navigation, surveying detachments were dispatched in every direct ion, meeting many natives who had never seen a European before. 'I'hese unsopliisticated savages, how- ever, liad tlieir curiosity most strongly excited by a negro of the name of Pierre Hungo. Tiiis man they inspected in every possible way, twisting him ai)out and pulling his hair, which was so different from their own flowing locks ; and at length they came to tlie conclusion that Pierre Bungo was the oddest specimen of a white man that they had ever seen. These negroes, of whom there were formerly several in the company's service, were universal favorites with the fair sex of the red race ; and, at the present day, Ave saw many an Indian that appeared to have a dash of the gentleman in black about him. Finding that the.resources of the country had been overrated, our people retired the following year with the loss of a considerable part of the original outlay of £10,000, carrying with them an enormous quantity of leather, but very few furs. They had lived in the midst of plenty, having con- sumed during the winter, fifteen hundred bufl'aloes, besides great quan- tities of venison of every description. About twenty years ago, a large encampment of Gros Ventres and Blackfeet had been formed in this neighborhood for the purpose ot hunting during the summer. Growing tired, however, of so peaceful and ignoble an occupation, the younger warriors of the allied tribes determined to make an incursion into the territories of the Assiniboines. Having gone through all the requisite enchantments, they left behind them only the old men with the women and children. After a successful campaign they turned their steps homeward in triumph, loaded with scalps and other spoils ; and on reaching the top of the ridge that overlooked the camp of the infirm and defenceless of their band, they notified their approach in the proudly swelling tones of their song of victory. Every lodge, however, was as still and silent as the grave ; and at length, singing more loudly, as they advanced, in order to conceal their emotions, they found the full tale of the mangled corpses of their parents and sisters, of their wives and children. In a word, the Assiniboines had been there to take their revenge. Such is a true picture of savage warfare, and perhaps too often of civilized warfare also ; calamity to both sides, and advantage to neither. On beholding the dismal scene, the bereaved conquerors cast away their spoils, arms, and clothes ; and then, putting on robes of leather and smearing their heads with mud, they betook themselves to the hills, for three days and nights, to howl, and mourn, and cut their flesh. This mode of expressing grief bears a very close resemblance to the corresponding custom among the Jews in almost every particular. At our crossing place the Bow River was about a third of a mile in width with a strong current. About twenty miles farther down, it falls into the Saskatchewan ; and the united streams then flow towards Lake Winipeg, forming at their mouth the Grand Rapid of about three miles in length, the finest thing of the kind for running in the whole m FROM RED RIVER SETTLEMENT TO EDMONTON. 59 jonntry. We passed the river without difficulty in a batteau, which iiad been left there for our accommodation and that of the emif^rants, [while our horses swam over without any accident. After a rest of [four hours, of which our catde stood much in need, we had just mounted fto resume our march, when Pierre Dunomais, who had puided the lemii^rants to Carlton, came up to us on his way back to the Red River iBcttiement. Not to miss so favourable an opportunity of sending let- [ters, we detained our new friend for a day. Pierre brought news of a war, whicii had just begun to rage between [the Crees and the Blackfeet in the very country which we were about [to traverse. This unwelcome business, in which several lives had al- [ready been lost, arose from a very trivial cause. Peace having been hnade, perhaps fur the hundredth time, between the two tribes, the [Crees visited the Blackfeet, who were then c.> .' ped near Fort Pitt, for the purpose of buying horses ; and in returu .or the nags they gave all that they possessed, even their guns and ammunition. In order to celebrate their friendly meeting, according to custom, by a race, — Ian amusement as keenly enjoyed by these savages as by the eidight- ened jockeys of Newmarket and Ascot, — the two tribes laid down their united stakes in a heap. The Blackfeet, inasmuch as they had taken care not to sell their best chargers, were of course victorious. On pro- ceeding, however, to appropriate the prize of victory, they were anti- cipated by a Cree, who rescued a tattered capot, doubtless an old friend of his own, from the pile of booty ; and the Blackfeet, viewing this as a violation of the peace, betook themselves to their tents. On their way they met a celebrated chief of the Crees, known as the Crow's tShoes, with two of his men, all unarmed ; and, after a little conversa- tion, they slaughtered all three on the spot. In order to revenge the death of their friends, the Crees, first seizing arms from the Blackfeet, slew nine of them, till finding themselves outnumbered, they fled. Such was Pierre's story ; and, however improbable or inaccurate some of the details might be, the essential fact, that we had to pass through a scene of military operations, was established beyond a doubt. lu fact, I give all such narratives chiefly as a picture of manners, for, whether true or false in themselves, they are always sufficiently correct for that purpose. A smart ride of four or five hours from the Bow River, through a country very much resembling an English park, brought us to Fort Carlton, on the Saskatchewan, where we found every soul in the esta- blishment enjoying a siesta with open gates, — a conclusive proof either of the carelessness of our people, or of the peaceable disposition of the neighboring savages. Our day's work had been remarkable, almost to a ludicrous degree, from the number of falls that we encountered, for each of us had a roll or two on the turf, so harmless, however, as i.ot to leave even a single bruise to boast of. Besides the exhausted state of our horses, the ground was drilled into a honeycomb by badger- holes, which, being pretty well screened by grass at this season of the year, could seldom be discerned soon enough to be avoided. At Carlton we took up our quarters for a couple of nights. We had "K GO FROM llKl) lUVER SKTTLEMENT TO EDMONTON. i fill, f Ml accompliHlu'd about six hundrod inilos in thirlcu (lay.— n very fair rato of iravclini;, ctJnMitU^rinj? that many o( o»ir Iioihch had coino the whoh' distance hfavily laden. ThiH tort wtands in hil. fi.M'' N.; it is in the I'orin of a hj^'t'nijft!, lnMiifj surronnih'd hy \voo(U'n slockailrH of ron- siderabU' h('ii<;ht with l)aslion.s at each an}>;h> and ov(T the {ra((!way. In the ininu'diato vicinity there are huj];e jranh'iis and lields, whicli pro- duce al)undanee of potatoes and other ve^elal)h's ; but wheat, thou^;h it has sonu'linies sureeeih'd, has been far more fr('(|uenlly (U'Htroyed by the early frosts of autumn, which, r tlu! (;v('iiiii<(, our Iwo iiirii willi tin- six iKtrscs ()v«!r- took iiH, wlitio ciicainpod for iIm; iii^lil at a iliMlaiicc of thirty iiiih:H I'roiii th(! I'ort. W«! wcr(! now in thn htmtintj proiinds of thn OrocH, probably iho lart,n'st tribn in thi; .„5 . ^ Ur 1' 5 • * ■^ 1^ i*fl ',• 4 62 FROM RED RIVER SETTLEMENT TO EDMONTON. ■ 'Vl|i ll^ : '' morr partinilarly as its stagnant surfaro was by no means attrartivp; hut w(< Hoon rcjrrrttod our i'astidiousiics.s, for, when the evening hegaii to darken, we had seen neither hike nor hrook, though searching for the hixury on hoth Hides of our traek. Having sent some men ahead to look for water, wo were at length delighted, about nine in the even- ing, to learn, that they had diseovered a large lake at some distanee from our road. Huge lires were immediately lighted to serve as biMcons to those who were behind; but it was not till eleven that Uio whole cavalcade reached the camp. The fatigues and discomforts of the day being speedily drowned in oceans of tea, served only to make us .elish our suppers and beds the more. Since we had fallen upon the trail of the emigrants, wc could ob- serve, by the number of their encampments, that we were marching at three or four times their pace ; so that, though diey had started twenty- eight days before us, they were overtaken by us next morning after wc had been out exactly sixteen in all. From the information of In- dians we were looking out for these people ; and accordingly, about two hours after starting, we gained a view of their lengthened caval- cade, winding its course over the plains. These emigrants consisted of agriculturists and others, principally natives of Red River Settlement. There were twenty-three families, the heads being generally young and active, though a few of them were advanced in life, more particularly one poor woman, npwards of seventy-five years of age, who was tottering after her son to his new home. This venerable wanderer was a native of the Saskatchewan, of which, in fact, she bore tiie name. She had been absent from this, the land of her birth, for eighteen years ; and, on catching the first glimpse of the river from the hill near Carlton, she burst, under the in- fluence of old recollections, into a violent flood of tears. During the two days that the party spent at the fort, she scarcely ever left the bank of the stream, appearing to regard it with as much veneration as the Hindoo regards the Ganges. As a contrast to this superannuated daughter of the Saskatchewan, the band contained several very young travelers, who had, in fact, made their appearance in this world since the commencement of the journey. Beyond the inevitable detention which seldom exceeded a few hours, these interesting events had never interfered with the progress of the brigade ; and both mother and child used to jog on, as if jogging on were the condition of human existence. Each family had two or three carts, together with bands of horses, catUe, and dogs. The men and lads traveled in the saddle, while the vehicles, which were covered with awnings against the sun and rain, carried the women and the young children. As they marched in single file, their cavalcade extended above a mile in length; and we increased the length of the column by marching in company. The emigrants, were all healthy and happy, living in the greatest abundance, and en- Joying the journey with the highest relish. Before coming up to these people, we had seen evidence of the com- fortable state of their commissariat in the shape of two or three sliil warm buffaloes, from which only the tongues and a few other choice FROM RED niVF.R SETTLKMENT TO KDMONTON. G3 bits had horn taken. Tliis Hpfctaclo jravc iiH hopes of soon scriiifj the animal oiirfrlvos ; and aceonlinjfly it was not Iouq before wc Haw our jjatne on either .si(h^ of the road, j:razinvitli nearly an o(jiial weight of molted fat. Thci bulfaloes arc inrnulibly innncrouH. In tho yoar 1820, for in- stance, I saw as many as ton thouHand of thoir j)iitrid carcases lyinij intred in a sinp^lo ford of the Saskatchewan, and contaniinatiiifr the air for many miles round. They mak(! yearly mitfrations from one pan o. the country to another, reversintf, in this respect, th{; ordinary coursi; of birds of passafro. During the winter they j;o north in order to oli- tain the rdudter of the woods ajijainst the severity of the weather, while, on tho approach of summer, they proceed to the open plains of the south with tho view of oludinf? tho attacks of tho moscpiitoes. At this tinii; of tho year they had deserted the country through which we had l)e('ii travelinfj of late ; and tho wolves, thus deprived of their staple food, were so wretchedly thin, that we could have easily counted their ribs with tho eye alone. Durinij the autumn tho bulValoes resort in larLfc numbers to tho salt lakes, led thither by instinct to purjrc themselves. ^Vhile the htintinj^ parties wore eaj^crly pursuing their game, the rest of the cavalcade moved slowly forward till about noon, when we halted for breakfast at the Turtle River, the emigrants still being in company. In order to do honor to the day, — the first occasion per- liaps, on which two large bands of civilized men had met as friends on these vast prairies — I put tho men in high spirits with a dram, while a donation of wine, tea and sugar, rendered the women the merriest and happics* gossips in the world. The elders of this little congregation sat in council with Mr. Rowand and myself, on the subject of their route and various inci- dental matters. On leaving Red River, the emigrants had intended lo perform the whole distance by land. Hitherto, however, they had been so slow in their movements, having taken forty-three days to one-third of their journey, that, in this way, they could hardly reach their destination before the commencement of the winter. We, thcrr- fore, proposed, that they should proceed by the Athabasca Portage ol the Rocky Mountains to the Boat Encampment, and thence descend the Columbia tc Vancouver. The people agreed to this change of their plan ; but they subsequently, in accordance with the original arrangement, followed our track all the way to the westward. Our breakfast was a complete specimen of a hunter's meal, consist- ing of enormous piles of roasted ribs, with marrow and tripe at discre- tion, — the spoils of the morning's chase. About three in the afternoon, we took leave of our fellow travelers with mutual wishes for a prns- perous journey, soon falling again upon the Turtle River. Of this stream the tortuous windings are very remarkable, sometimes flowiiiij east, then north, next west, and finally south, and returning again after all within a few paces of its original point of departure. As we were now on the verge of an immense prairie, where no water eouhl be obtained, we filled every pot and kettle for our supper. During the whole day, comprising a march of fifty miles, we saw no other 'Ir ' FROM RED RIVER SETTLEMENT TO EDMONTON. 65 water than that of the Turtle River ; nor waa there any for moro than half that distance beyond our night's encampment. Notwithstanding]; the scarcity of this necessary of life, animals of various kinds were abundant. In addition to the buffaloes, wc saw wolves, badgers, foxes, beaver and antelopes. Of the last-mentioned species, one of our men succeeded in bringing down a tine buck ; but, as it was at some distance from the road, we were contented, in the present state of our larder, with the tongue alone. Soon after going to bed, we were startled by the cry of " Indians are coming." With our imaginations full of horse-stealers, every man shook off his sleep, cocked his gun, and prepared himself for the worst. Indians did come ; but they proved to bo Crees, who, as their tribe had no reputation in this way, were allowed to remain with us all night. It was the noon of next day before we found water, the grass along our route being completely withered; and, as a general rule, any neigh- borhood, that refused drink to our horses, yielded them very litth; food. By five in the afternoon we again entered the immediate valley of the Saskatchewan, for the first time sin e leaving Carh in, and at this spot we came upon the only pines that we had pccn after our departure frrm Red River. We reached Tort I'llt about dark ; and, before passing through the gates, we were salu'< J b) a volley from eleven lodges of Crees, — an honor which our i-ags by o mean appii • ciated, for, tired as they were, they evinced their terror by 'ickinjj and plunging. These Crees, like all those that we had previouslv met, were keep ing out of the way of the Blackfect. We visiicd ii, of the lodgtjb, where a favorite warrior, who had been severely wr mdtJ at the battle of the race course, was lying. On betaking himsi f'to flight with his companions, this poor fellow had leant forward on his horse's neek, receiving, in that position, a wound of the most singular character. A ball hit him below the right shoulder, passed in a curved direction across the spine and finally lodged near the joint of llie left shoulder. After an interval of thirty-three days, we found his left arm dreadfully inflamed and swollen, while the rest of his body was a mere skeleton. With the view of extracting the bullet, the Indians, who profess sur- gery as well as physic, in their own way, had made several punctures to no purpose; and all that any of us could do for the unfortunate sufferer, was to administer a little medic if for temporary relief. The whole scene in this lodge was u< . most melancholy descrip- tion. On one side lay the dying warrior, his glassy eye and h;iggard looks revealing the agony which neither voice nor gesture deigned to tell ; near him was a child about tluee years old, with its shriveled flesh barely concealing its bon -s whose ceaseless moaning formed a striking contrast with the stubborn endurance of its father ; and per- haps the most pitiable object in the tent was the hapless wife and mother, sinking under anxiety and fatigue, and blending, as it were, in her silent dejection, at once the apathy of her husband and the sen- sibility of her boy. But this physical misery excited more of our PART I. — 5 66 FROM RED RIVER SETTLEMENT TO EDMONTON. i i !l 1 1 1i! hi ■ ' I, If -.i! II |||!J1 m- syinpatliy on account ol' its superstitions nccompanimcnts. Durin||r the niii[lit the motlicine man was plyini; his mystic arts to restore liealtli to the sick, wliilc, to provide aiifaiust the worst, drums were beatinj^ to drive away all evil spirits. What a picture of the fruits of barbarism and heathenism united ! Fort l*itt is prettily situated on the north or left bank of the river. It is freciuented by the Crees, Assiniboiiuis and IJlackfeet, having been planted amonj? them only about ten years before our visit; and, as it is thus <-omparatively new amonj; these danircrotus tribes, it still keeps up, both by day and by nijrht, the system of watcli and ward, which has been discontinued at our older establislnnents on the Saskatchewan, Kdmonton, (Jarlton and Jtocky Mountain House. At this place wc exchanged all our horses, with the exception of two or three of the nu)re hardy of the band ; most of them had been rendered useless for any present purpose by soreness of backs, weakness of joints, &lc. &,c. Soon after our arrival, several mounted men were observed crossing from the opposite shore, who proved to be the commissariat of the fort returning home perfectly light. In the course of the morning, these hunters, while watching for moose in the neighborhood of a wood and a lake, had discovered two Blackfeet crawling towards their horses. 'I'hey lired at the thieves, learning immediately from a groan that they had not missed their aim ; but, not knowing how many more of the enemy might be at hand, they lied without taking time even to saddle their animals. However disagreeable this intelligence might be, we consoled ourselves by rellecting, that, if travelers were to be influenced by wars and rumors of wars, they would never pass through these plains at all. Though we were now on the safer side of the Saskatchewan, in the I'ountry of the (^rees, yet in order to save a day's march on the dis- tance between Fort Pitt and Edmonton, we resolved to cross the river into the territory of the Blackfeet, merely taking care to move in some- what closer order than usual. Starting accordingly from the establisli- ment about eleven in the morning, we had hardly gained the opposite shore, when an Indian dog on the track, whose master could not be lar oil", excited our vigilance, if not our fears. On passing the spot where the hunters had seen the Blackfeet, we halted to make a search, hut discovered no trace of an enemy whether living or dead. We traveled about thirty miles through bolder scenery than that which we had previously traversed, breaking the axle of one of our carts, and replacing it by a rough kind of make-shift at the encampment. As unremitting caution was now indispensable, our horses were hobbled, :ind a guard mounted, for the night. Next morning, being the twenty-second of July, we had a sharp frost before sunrise and afterwards a heavy dew. The whole country was so parched up, that no water could be found for breakfast till- eleven o'clock, and again, in the afternoon, we passed over a perfectly arid plain of about twenty-five miles in length, encamping for the night at the commencement of the Chaine des Lacs, a succession of .small lakes, stretching over a distance of twenty or thirty miles. :m FROM RED RIVER SETTLEMENT TO EDMONTON. G7 Duriiijr the afternoon wo saw our lirst raspherrirs ; they proved to he of large size and fine Havor. Two days |)nnioiisly, we had feasted on the service berry or mis-as-quitoniina, — a sort of a cross hetweeu the (•ranl)erry and tlic black currant; and, before leavinjr Red Kiver, we had found wild strawl)erries ripe. The iiiis-as-(|uitotnina, by tlu; by, is jrcnerally an in^redi :,. « ■'' rfi:- ■ ■i'.h- f... # "*»■*'" \Wi i: 11 1 iiUt! 72 CHAPTER III. FROM EDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VANCOUVER. About five in the morning of the twenty-eighth of July, we started from Edmonton in high spirits with a fresh band of forty-five fine horses, and struck into the adjacent woods, before the Indians made their appearance on the opposite side of the river. Crossing the Sas- katchewan at the place where we found our boats, we breakfasted in a secluded spot ; and thence we pursued our course, during the whole day, through a land of marshes and thickets, forming a remarkable contrast with the rolling prairies which we had recently traversed. As the forests had been almost entirely destroyed by fire, the fallen timber, often concealed alike from horse and rider by the high grass, occasioned a good deal both of delay and of danger. In spite, how- ever, of all our difficulties, we contrived, with our new stud, to accom- plish sixty miles by eight in the evening. In the afternoon we had met Mr. Rundle, the Wesleyan Missionary of Edmonton, who had been visiting a camp of Crees on the borders of Gull Lake ; and, as that gentleman was anxious to have some com- munication with me, he returned with us to our encampment, which we made near the Atchakapesequa Seepee or Smoking-weed River. This stream flowed in a deep and shady valley; and its clear water afforded us an exquisite treat after our long and hot ride. In the morning Mr. Rundle accompanied us as far as the Battle River, which falls into the Saskatdiewan near Fort Pitt. We were now beyond the level prairie with its badger-holes, which have obtained for the people of the Saskatchewan the name of Les Gens des Brai- reaux ; but we had woods instead, which, if they were less perilous, were fully more embarrassing. The scenery, as we approached the mountains, was becoming bolder every hour. The plains were re- placed by ranges of lofty hills; and we were straining our eyes to catch the first glimpse of the perpetual snows of the mighty barrier that lay in our path. The weather continued to be exceedingly warm, the thermometer showing 83° in the shade ; and the flies of every species, from the bull-dog, which takes out the bit from man and beast, to the diminutive moustique, annoyed, to an almost insupportable degree, both ourselves and our cattle. To make matters worse, we were this morn- ing attacked, for the first time, by wasps, which every now and then made our poor animals dance and bolt and roll on the ground, and so much did the horses dread the insects in question, that not one in the band would approach the spot where any other had been stung, — the .^■^■^ .r. FROM EDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VANCOUVER. 73 ■'v; whole of them sometimes dashing off, in all possible directions, at full gallop. After passing two or three very beautiful lagoons, we encamped for the night on the banks of the Gull Lake, a fine sheet of transparent waters of about twenty miles in length by five or six in width, sur- rounded by high hills, of which the remotest summits to the westward command a view of the Rocky Mountains. Though we saw no traces of Mr. Rundle's Crees, yet the report of a musket, booming like that of a cannon along the lake, indicated their vicinity ; and, on our an- swering what was probably meant as a signal, we were visited by a few of them, who proved to be relatives of some of our men. Our object in desiring an interview was to obtain, if possible, a supply of fresh meat, inasmuch as the small stock which we had brought from Edmonton, was already exhausted. The Indians, who were almost as badly off as ourselves, had nothing to spare but the remains, the inferior joints of course, of a red deer; but these, such as they were, they promised to bring us in the morning. On decamping, a heavy fog threatened us with a wet day. Gradu- ally, however, the sun dispersed the vapors ; and, as there was no wind, the heat became excessive, while our work grew harder in consequence of the steady rise of the country. After fording the Paskap Seepee or Blind River, we reached Reedy Lake ; and thence, crossing a range of high hills, we breakfasted on an extensive prairie beyond them. Our friends of Gull Lake had brought us a little meat, and that not very tempting in its appearance; but, such as it was, it saved our pemmican fo. one day longer. They remained with us two or three hours, smoking and chatting ; and, our guide Peechee being a great man among them, they formed a circle round him, whiffing and talking and listening, for, notwithstanding the taciturnity of savages among whites, they are, when by themselves, the most loquacious of mortals, apparently re- garding idle gossip as one of the grand objects of life. In addition to the venison, which we got from the Indians, our breakfast was enriched by the presence of a few ducklings without green peas. We had caught a sight of a colony of ducks in a small swamp; and, after scrambling in the high grass and shallow water with a most zealous combination of all our lalents and appetites, we succeeded in bagging seven of the rising brood. The excitement of such a hunt cannot possibly be appreciated by your civilized sportsman, inasmuch as his larder is not materially interested in the question of failure or success. Soon after the commencement of our afternoon's march, we had to cross the Red Deer's River, a large and beautiful stream flowing be- tween well wooded banks of considerable height ; and, while we were riding three or four miles down the current in quest of a ford, we found on the bank perfecUy fresh tracks of bear, red deer, moose, antelopes, and wolves. Had we been on a hunting excursion instead of traveling against time, we might here have enjoyed a (ew days of excellent sport. While the horses were fording the river, we had a pleasant bath, after which we continued our march across a prairie almost covered with dwarf willows. While quietly forcing our way through the bushes ■' »«j h •** Ill 1 : 74 FROM EDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VANCOUVER. 1; .1 ^ ■with our party very nnioh scattered, wo suddenly encountered a small l)and of Sarcces, the boldest of all the tribes that inhabit the plains. The savages appeared to be taken as much by surprise as ourselves ; and, in a moment, the guns were uncovered on both sides, a halt, of course, was made ; and a jiarley ensued, the subject of discussion be- ing the j)respnt war between the Crees and Blackfeet. The Sarcees, as allies of the latter tribe, naturally blamed the former ; and we took credit vo the whites for having kept their common enemy comparatively quiet. With the aid of a little tobacco and ammunition, we prolonged the conversation for a suflicient length of time to allow all our people to get fairly out of sight ; and we then parted from our fickle customers on the most friendly terms. We came almost immediately to a small river, whose banks of two hundred feet in height were so steep, that our horses slid down sideways the greater part of the distance to the water's edge ; and, however troublesome the operation was in itself, we were not sorry to place so formidable a barrier between the Sarcecs and our- selves. In order to give our somewhat doubtful friends as wide a berth as possible, we inarched more briskly than usual till the evening, selecting lor our night's encampment a rising ground which commanded the view to a considerable distance ; and, to make assurance doubly sure, every gun was loaded, while four men mounted guard. Still remembering the Sarcees, we made an early move and marched vigorously for about seven liours. Before breakfast, however, we met a new object of alarm in the fresh trail of a large party of horsemen, who must have passed as late as last evening ; but, on se- cond thoughts, we were glad to observe, that the band in question had kept a good deal to the westward of our track. In this same neigh- borhood, we got up an amusing scene in the shape of a hunt of some young geese. Some of the men, without taking time to strip, jumped into the water, splashing and tumbling about after their prey, while the others from the bank kept up a constant fire on the birds ; and thus, between killed and wounded and taken, the whole flock fell into the hands of our cooks. ' In the course of the afternoon we descended into a glen between ranges of steep and lofty hills, through which flowed the river L;i Biche, at one place contracted into a mere rivulet, and at another spread over a channel of two hundred feet in width. In forcing our way through the tangled underwood of this valley, we were almost as tho- roughly drenched by the deposits of a recent shower on the leaves, as if we had been actually exposed to the rain itself; and this thicket again led us into a dense forest of pines, through which the track, besides being obstructed by fallen timber, was so narrow as seriously to impede the pack-horses. We encamped for the night in an open space amid an amphitheatre of twenty hills, which were covered with dark forests. Every hour of this day's march had marked our ascent to a higher level. At Fort Pitt, as already mentioned, we had seen our first pines ; since then we had passed few trees of the kind, till they began, this morning, to in- crease rapidly in number, while, in the* same proportion, every other FROM EDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VANCOUVER. 75 sppcios cjradunlly disapponrcd. Tlio willow and poplar were iho last to dispute the sway oi" this evcrirrccn child of the inouiitains, thotisjli, tx'fo'.p iPat'hiiiiT our tMicamprucnt, oven thry had yiven up the contest; and nothinji was to ho seen hiit the Idack, straiy were voimjf and by no means pitiful, ihey had an additional motive for pre- venting their hearts from becoming small. 'J'hen, suiting the action to the word, the heroine brought the foremost warrior to the earth with a bullet, while the husband, animated by a mixtureof shame and hope, disposed of two more of the enemy with his arrows. The fourth, who had by this time come to pretty close quarters, was ready to take ven- geance on the courageous woman witli uplifted tomahawk, when he stumbled and fell; and, in the twinkling of an eye, the dagger of his intended victim was buried in his heart. Dismayed at the death of his four companions, the sole survivor of the assailing party saved himself by flight, after wounding his male opponent by a ball in the arm. It was six o'clock next morning before our people returned with the missing horses, which they had found about fifteen miles behind. On starting we proceeded up a bold pass in the mountains, in which we crossed two branches of the Bow River, the south branch, as already mentioned, of the Saskatchewan. From the top of a peak, that rose perpendicularly at least two thousand feet, there fell a stream of water, which, though of very considerable volume, looked like a thread of ., silver on the gray rock. It was said to be known as the spout, and to serve as a landmark in this wilderness of clill's. About two in the afternoon we reached, as Peechce assured us, the Bow River Traverse, the spot at which a fresh guide from the west side of the mountains, of the name of Berland, was to meet us with a relay of horses. But, whether this was the Bow River Traverse or not, no Berland was here to be found. Thinking that the two guides might have diiferent notions as to the precise place of rendezvous, M'e dispatched two men to another crossing place about twenty miles farther up the stream, instructing them, according to circumstances, either to return to this point and pursue our track, or else to cut across the country in order to join us. The river, the same as that which we crossed before reaching Carlton, was here about a hundred and fifty yards in width with a strong and deep current. We conveyed baggage and horses and everything else on a raft covered with willows ; and as we finished the operation only at sunset, we encamped for the night on the south or right bank of the stream. As we were always glad to make our guns save our pemmican, we had to-day knocked down a porcupine, which, being desperately hungry, we pronounced to be very good fare. We had also tried, but in vain, to get within shot of some of the goats and sheep that were clambering and leaping on the peaks : the flesh of the latter is reckoned a great delicacy ; but that of the former is not much esteemed. The water of the river was cold, being formed chiefly of melted r\ 78 FROM EDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VANCOUVER. li '" mi Jinow ; nnd the trm|»frntnrp of a 8m:ill trihiilnry in tho lU'ijr'ihorljoofl of our (Miup |)r()v(Ml i(» hv only 12'', while, in ihc conrHc of llu* alUTnooij, \\w niiTciiry h:ul stood :it 70 ' in the Hh:i(h\ We enjoyed the eoohiess l)oth for ih'inkini^r atnl l):tlhinu:, ihouifh the water, lik<' that of the Alps, uaH known to uive tlie jjoitres, rveii as far (h)W ; d : ■• tor's ol' the two urand hranehes of the Saskalr-hewan, to such as :ii 'h' h'il>ifiially and permanently tiHc it. Our men, poor fellows, had . *i juilo enonjrh oi the luxury in the swiininintr way, for, in inanajiinfr the raft, ihey had lieen three or four hours in the current. Nt'Xt niorninj( w(! hciran to ascend the mountains in riirht earnest, ri(lin}( where we cotdd and walkinjr where the horses found the road too steep to earry us, while i)y our side there rushed downwards one of tho sources oi' the liow Uiver. We were surrounded hy j)eaks am! enijrs, on whose summits lay perpetual snow ; and tlie oidy sounds that disturbed the solittule, were the eraeklinjr of prostrate branches under the tread of our horses, ami the roarinj; of tlu; stream as it leaj)t down its rocky course. One peak presented a very peculiar leature in an openinjf of about eijrhty feet by lifiy, which, at a distance, mi;,dit have been taken for a spot of snow, but which, as wo advanced nearer, assumed the appearance of the j^'ateway of a jriant's fortress. About seven hours of hard work broujfht us to the hcifrjit of land, the hinfj^e, as it were, between tlu; eastern and tho western waters. We breakfasted on the level isthmus, which ilid not exceed fourteen paces in width, tiliinir our kettles for this our lonely meal at once from the crystal sources of tlie (Columbia and the Saskatchewan, while these welling feeders of two opposite oceans, murmurini^ over their beds of mossy stones as if to bid each other a lonjr farewell, could hardly fail to attune our minds to the sublimity of the scene*. But between these kindred fountains, the common progeny of the satiie snow-wreaths, there was this remarkable difl'erence of temperature, that the source of the Columbia showed 40°, while that of the Saskatchewan raised the mercury to 53.^°, the thermometer meanwhile standing as high as 71" in the shade. , From the vicinity of perpetual snow, we estimated the elevation of the height of land to be seven or eight thousand i'eet above the level of the sea, while the surrounding peaks appeared to rise nearly half of that altitude over our heads. Still this pass was inferior in grandeur to that of the Athabasca Portage. There the road, little better than a succession of glaciers, runs through a region of perpetual snow, where nothing that can be called a tree, presents itself to enliven and cheer the eye. There, too, the relative position of the opposite waters is such as to have hardly a parallel on the earth's surface, for a small lake, appropriately enough known as the Committee's Punch-bowl, sends its tribute from one end to the Columbia and from the other to the McKenzie. In addition to the physical magnificence of the scene, I here met an unexpected reminiscence of my own native hills in the shape of a plant, which appeared to me to be the very heather of the Highlands of Scotland ; and I might well regard the reminiscence as unexpected, 'it FROM EDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VANCOUVER. 79 inaHinuch ax, in all my wandfriuirH of more than twiMity years, I had never fouiul aiiylliintr of tfic kind in i\(»rtli America. As I tnolv :i eoiiHiderable dc^rret; of interest in tliu <|iu snoii of tin; siipnosid identity, 1 carried away two specimens, wliicli, however, |>roved md a miniito comparison, to diU'er from tin* irenuiiie staple of tlu> hrown heaths of the "land o' cakes." We made also another discovery, alxnit which there could be no miutake, in a trunhlosome and venomous species of wini;ed insects, which, in size and anpearance, mitrht have been taken for a cross between the bull-doi? ami the house-lly. On resuminijf our march, we had not descended half a mile before we felt a dillerence in the climate, a chanife noticed hv all travelers in these regions; and the trees were also of finer growth. Whatever may be the reason of the sudden alteration, the same clouds have been known to clothe tin; eastern side* with hail and snow, and to refresh the western with gentle rain. With reference, however, to the state of llu! atmosphere, the temperature of the water is somewhat anomalous, for, after a lapse of two or three; days, the stream which we followed was subsequently found to be still half a dcigree cooler than the source of the Bow River on the height of land. In the progress of our descent we took some interest in tracing, as it were, nature's manufacture of a river, as every rill that trickled down the rocks, with its thread of melt- ed snow, contributed its mite to the main current of various nanu;s, the Kootonais, or the McGilliway, or the Tlatbow. Rven at our first encampment, after only next half-day's march, tlu; flood had already gathered a breadth of Afty feet. Next morning we forded the river twenty-three times, eaidi attempt becoming, of course, more diflicult than tlie preceding one ; and we crossed it once more, immediately before breakfast, near its conduenee with another stream of about eciual magnitude. During this singh; march the fifty feet of yesterday evening had swollen out into a hun- dred yards; and the channel was so deep that the packs got soaked on the backs of the horses. Here we made a meal of our third porcupine, the only fresh meat that we could get; for though our track bore the recent marks of the bear, the buftalo, the antelope, the sheep, the moose, red deer, and the wolf, yet the noise of our cavalcade seemed to scare all these animals themselves into the woods. Our two men who had been sent to the upper traverse of the Bow lliver in quest of Berland, wers here to rejoin us; and, accordingly, just as we were mounting for our afternoon's march, they arrived with the unwelcome news that they had seen no traces either of horses or of guide. If Berland had kept his appointment at all, our only re- maining chance was to look for him at a crossing place on the Bow River, about a day's march below our own traverse; and, accordingly, as La Graisse, one of the men who had just returned, gallantly volun- teered, along with an Iroquois of the name of Jose Tyantas, to under- take this forlorn hope of an expedition, we forthwith dispatched the hardy fellows with a little pemmican and a few pairs of moccasons, leaving them to supply all other wants with their guns. In fact, they were not so liable to starve as ourselves ; for, being on foot, they were ■■u Kl 'li/ h '■ PROM EDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VANCOUVER. less likely to frighten the game of the country to a distance ; and, in proof of this, La Graisse had brought us part of a red deer that he had shot, which, though tough and hard, we relished as a great luxury. Our afternoon's work was exceedingly slow and laborious, as we had to pass through an intricate forest along the banks of the river. Having crossed a very steep hill with the view of encamping, by Pee- chee's advice, on the borders of a small lake, we were disappointed to find nothing but its dried bed, without a single drop of water in it; and being alike unable to advance, and unwilling to return, we sent back our men for water with the whole of our surviving stock of pots and kettles. As an evidence of the difficulties of our route, our whole day's march did not exceed twenty miles. Next morning, however, our bad roads surpassed themselves. Be- sides being mountainous, the ground was rugged and boggy ; the forests were thick and tangled; and prostrate trees, of large dimensions, piled and interlaced together, barricaded our track. Leading our horses, we forced our way along by winding about in every direction, by hewing or removing fallen trunks, and by making the animals, according to circumstances, leap, or scramble, or crouch. At the end of about four hours we had not accomplished more than two miles. Emerging from this labyrinth on a clear plain, where a good road lay along the precipitous banks of the river, of about a hundred and fifty feet in height, one of the horses, which fortunately had neither rider nor pack, missed its footing, but was caught by the trees on its way Hown. We breakfasted near a lofty mountain, which was to forui our afternoon's work. Its base was washed not only by the Kootonais, but also by the Columbia, properly so called, the former sweeping far to the south, and the latter still farther to the north, in order to unite their waters a little above Fort Colvile. After marching about an hour we reached the nearer side of the mountain, where, in consequence of Peechee's representations as to the impossibility alike of crossing it before dark, and of encamping on it for the night, we reluctantly halted at the early houj; of five o'clock. Three wearied and disabled horses were here abandoned, with a faint hope of their being subsequently recovered, if, in their present helpless condition, they could only protect themselves from the wolves. Soon after midnight ♦he people began to search for the horses, some of which were found in the woods at a distance of five or six miles; and the mere fact that the animals could be caught at all amid thick forests in the dark, spoke volumes for the patience and steadiness, the carefulness and sagacity, the skill and tact of our half-breed attendants. Perhaps all the grooms in an English county could not have done that morning's work. After all the delay, we were still able to start by five. The ascent of the mountain was rugged and difficult. Though the forests were more practicable than those of yesterday, yet our track lay generally on the steep and stony edge of a glen, down which gushed the sources of the Columbia. At one very remarkable spot, known as the Red Rock, our path climbed the dry part of the bed of a boiling FROM EDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VANCOUVER. 81 torrent, while the narrow ravine was literally darkened by almost per- pendicular walls of a thousand or fifteen hundred feet in height; and, to render the chasm still more gloomy, the opposite crngs threw forward each its own forest of sombre pines into the intervening space. The rays of the sun could barely find their way to the depths of this dreary vale so as to render the darkness visible ; and the hoarse murmur of the angry stream, as it bounded to escape from the dismal jaws of its prison, only served to make the place appear more lonely and deso- late. We were glad to emerge from this horrid gorge, which depressed our spirits even more than it overawed our feelings. Our road then lay over some high hills of parciied clay, where the reflection of the heat from below and a scorching sun above almost roasted us alive; every shrub,, and every blade of grass, was brown and sapless, just as if newly swept by the blast of a sirocco. During the hottest part of the day, our thermometer was stowed away in one of our packages; but, when obtained in the evening, it still stood at 81° in the shade. From these hills an abrupt descent brought us into a large prairie, through which our river wound a serpentine course ; and, as the loaded horses did not arrive till five o'clock, we here encamped for the night, making one hearty meal for the day after a fast of twenty-four hours. Our day's work of twenty miles had fatigued us all to excess, for, by reason of the steepness and ruggedness of the road, we had been obliged to walk, or rather to climb and slide, a great portion of the way. On one of the trees, however, we found something that made us forget our toils, a hieroglyphic epistle, sketched thus with a picv. : of burnt wood : lU We speedily interpreted this welcome letter to mean, that Edward Berland was waiting us with a band of twenty-seven horses at the point where our river received a tributary before expanding itself into two consecutive lakes. As the spot in question was supposed to be within a few miles of us, Peechee was dispatched to secure our phan- tom guide ; and two men were also sent in the opposite direction to bring up a missing pack-horse. This prairie had perhaps been selected by our correspondent as his pest-office, from its being the place, at which the only two routes, by whloh we could have crossed the height of land in this part of the country, happened to converge. The/emigrants, having been treache- rously deserted, at Bow River, by their guide, a half-breed of some PART I. 6 ■^'"m 82 FROM EDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VANCOUVER. M; Af mi education, providentially met an Indian of the name of Bras Crochc, who, being better acquainted with the mountains than Peechee, carried them througli a little to the southward by a pass infinitely superior to ours; and they fell upon our track again near our present encampment. The valley, for the prairie was surrounded by mountains, swarmed with mosquitoes to a greater degree than any place that we had hitherto seen. These insects were as formidable as they were numerous, for they found our horses and ourselves such a treat in this their lonely haunt, that they kept coolly and steadily sucking our blood, after the whole of us, both men and beasts, were nearly suflbcated by the smoke that had been raised in order to drive them away. We could neither eat, nor write, nor read, our hands being constantly employed in repell- ing or slaughtering our small but powerful enemies. The Canadians vented their curses on the old maid, who had the credit of having brought this scounge upon earth by praying' for sompthing to fill up the hopeless leisure of her single-blessedness; and, if the tiny tormentors would but confine themselves to nunneries and monasteries, the world might see something more like the fitness of things in the matter. Wherever the soil was composed of clay, we had noticed large holes at the roots of trees, which had literally been eaten out by the wild .• i the occasion oi' s^juding our tired cattle to Edmonton, we had provid* d ii he suiie way for the safety and comfort of our courageou? eiiiii'inrips. On decamping, we marched three hours i.iraiigl '> .rning forests, in which our track was blocked up by ill' ii riles of uU smoking timber. After crossing a small river, we t.itpred a prait.c- lying along the Kootonais, which bore a considerable le^t'Tibla-ice to » fine park. Here arid there were thick clumps, w'; '.• yielded an inviihig shade ; in other places the trees, standing apart formed themselves into grand avenues ; and the open sward was vr.iied with gentle slopes and mounds. We here encamped for break last, a temperature of 85° in the shade imparting an exquisite zest to the cold and clear water of the Kootonais; and the stream afforded us a highly rgv ;eable addition to our meal, in the shape of some fine trout. However dexterous our people were in collecting onr horses from the pasture for each of our two daily starts, Uiey wev^ rither reckless and cruel in their treatment of the poor animals. We had an example of this to-day, when one of our best horses had its skull wantonly fractured by a blow. Continuing our march along the prairie, we 1 1 ajg. -'• I 7it i. 4 !'! :■! lit 84 FROM EDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VANCOUVER. reached, towards sunset, a camp of six or eight lodges of Kootonais Indians. The whole premises appeared to be in a state of great con- sternation, till we were ascertained to be only whites ; and then all the inhabitants, men, women and children, rushed forth, to the num- ber of sixty or seventy, to shake hands with us. They were a misera- ble set of beings, small, decrepit and dirty. Though of the men there were two that might be called handsome, yet of the women there were none ; and, in fact, tlic more venerable members of the fair sex, more particularly, when they shut their eyes and scratched their heads, liardly bore the semblance of human beings. The camp was under the command of an old chief, who, in virtue of a long pigtail, had for- merly got the name of Grande Queue. Many years ago, when select- ing some boys to be sent from the Columbia to Red River for their education, I had taken a son of this chief as one of them, naming him Kootonais Pelly, after his own tribe, and the Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company. The youngster, a fine, clever, docile lad, died, — a blow from which tlie father never recovered; and though the mention of the deceased would have been utterly repugnant to savage etiquette, yet I was pretty sure that the Grande Queue, as well as myself, was thinking rather of the poor boy than of anything else. Being in great want of provisions, we ofiered a liberal reward to sucli as would follow us to our next encampment with either meat or fish ; and, though we traveled ten or twelve miles farther, till we reached McDonald's River near its confluence with the Kootonais, yet almost all our friends, young and old, male and female, were there as soon as ourselves, bringing with them some raspberries and a con- siderable quantity of dried moose. Hungry as we were, this meat was CO dry and tough as to be scarcely eataole. These people remained with us the whole night, squatting tiiemselves in a double ring, the men in the inner circle and the women and children in the outer one ; and in this position they did both their smoking and sleeping. While we were drinking our wine, they looked very wistfully at the flagon ; and, to humor their silent solicitations' we gave a glass to two or three of the leaders, who diank it, with all becoming gravity, as "Great Chiefs Rum," though they were evidently disappointed by the v/ant of pun- gency in the draught. They were all very dirty, dressed in skins ; but, squalid and poor as they were, they possessed a band of about two hundred fine horses. The hair of the oldest among them was as long, and dark, and luxuriant as that of the young people, — a peculiarity observable among Indians in general, arising probably from their knowing neither care nor thoug' t, or perhaps from their always going bareheaded. After passing slowly through some woods in the morning, we crossed a hill of considerable height ; and, on reaching the valley be- low, where we intended to breakfast, we were surprised to find it pre- occupied by a party of whites and their horses. Our new friends proved to be a guide and two men, Avhom Mr. McDonald, of Fort Col- vile, immediately on hearing of Berlaid's illness, had sent to take his place. They, of course, brought no horses, expecting to have to take ^ ^* FROM P:DM0NT0N house to fort VANCOUVER. 85 charge of the sick man's band. This was unfortunate, for, at tliis par- ticuhir time, we had far greatiT need of cattle than of guides. The tiiree men, however, did bring us letters from the Columbia, which gave sat- isfactory intelligence of both friends and business in that quarter. In the afternoon we skirted along the shore of the Grand Quetc Lake, of abotit twenty miles in length and four in width. From the bonlers of this sheet of water there rose abruptly, on all sides, lofty mountains of black rock, covered from base to summit with cheerless forests of pine, while tlie fathomless depths of the mirror that reflected them, might have been taken for a lake of ink, in which the very fishes might have been expected to perish. Through the woods on the east- ern side lay our path, if path it could be called where fragments of ironstone, with edges like scythes, were cutting the feet of our poor horses at every step. On encamping for the night at the southern end of the lake, one of the party was found to be missing, — a circumstance which, considering the perils that we had encountered even with the help of daylight, — excited a good deal of alarm. Signals were fired ; and people were sent to scout for him. At length about eleven o'clock, the night being as dark as pitch, we were planning a closer and more extensive explo- ration of the scene of our afternoon's march, when, to our infinite relief, our missing companion was brought to the camp safe and sound. Having lingered behind the party, he had lost his way, which he succeeded in finding again onljTby the last glimmer of the twilight, and had not his good fortune thus come to his aid, his night's lodging would have been on the cold ground with no other covering than what he had been wear- ing during the heat of the day. This little event reminded us more forci- bly than ever of the long absence of our two men v/ho had gone back to Bow River; and we could only hope ;md truct for the best. Nor was this adventure the only misfortune of the day, for one of our horses had strayed with a box of valuable p ipers, and had been again caught after an anxious hunt of several hours. Mext morning our new guide, a half-breed of the name of Pion. was installed in office, while Berland wns sent ahead as far as the Koote- nai? r'iver Traverse with a leiJer, which he was thence to dispatch to Fori Colvile by some of the neighboring Indians. Our path led us along the Grand Quete River, a stream which, in depth and blackness, appeared to retain the characteristics of its reservoir. The trees and underwood, however, befet us so closely, that we could catch only occasional glimpses of anything beyond»them. We were now getting down into a region of varied vegeta*H)n. In addition to the pine, of which one of our party counted no fewer than sixteen sorts, there were the poplar, the birch, the cedar, &c., and the underwood, which gave us a vast deal of trouble, consisted of willow, alder, thorn, rose, and poire. Of wild fruits we found a large choice, raspberry, service- berrv', gooseberry, currant, bearplantberry, grain de chapeaux, grain d'orignal, atehakapescquas, hips and haws, &(f., with two almost un- known berries, a red one, that was deemed poisonous, and a white ■m •i M ■'* **■ I !■; \'i 86 FROM EDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VANCOUVER. one, that was said to be eaten by the natives. The bUiebcrry, usually growing here in great abundance, had this season entirely failed. The banks of the river showed good signs of beaver, that animal having been carefully protected against desiructive waste by the com- paratively thrifty and provident Kootonais ; and there were also many fresh tracks of deer and big horn, which, as they crossed our line of march in every direction, and at every angle, were sometimes apt to be confounded with our own road, — our nags, in such cases, being gene- rally better pilots than ourselves. Some of our party, having got bewildered to-day among the numerous paths, determined to follow a couple of pack-horses, that were trotting along before them, when both the animals, probably thinking rather of allaying their thirst than of prosecuting their journey, suddenly dropped into the current through its scirecn of brushwood. The foremost of those, who were following these faithless guides, had barely time to rein up his steed within a sin- gle step of the shelving bank, while the apparendy lost horses were seen swimming away as if nothing had happened. With considerable difficulty the animals were extricated from the deep water, though, as ill-luck would have it, one of them had soaked part of our clothing, and the other our lighter provisions, snch as biscuit, tea, sugar, salt and the like. The accident might have been more serious, for, if the two nags had not been followed in their aberrations, they would have made a total loss of it. Next morning we met a few miserable Kootonais with some horses, which they appeared to t.irn to profiUible account. Each of the ani- mals might well be styled a family liorse, being led by the father and loaded with the mother and younger children along witii pots, kettles, mats, &c. &c. On asking one of them, who was more destitute than the rest, how he came to be so wretchedly poor, we were told by him with a boastfulness of tone and manner, that he had lost his all by gam- bling, the grand amusement of Indians in general, but more particularly of those on the west side of the mountains. Where we halted for breakfast, we were gradually joined by thirty or forty more of these miserable savages, all wending their way after their friends to the lake. These unfortunate creatures were very grateful for some victuals and a little tobacco, which we bestowed on them out of our own rather mea- ger stores. They declared that they were starving, while, even if their ' Migues had been silent, their haggard faces and emaciated bodies would have told the same melancholy tale. Before leavirs; thes-^ Indians we had a specimen of their ingenuity at a bargain. Fiou, a lemale chief we had bought a line mare, with her colt of two years of age, givhsg in exchange one of our own horses, a blanket, twealy rounds of ammunition, and a fathom of tobacco. AVhen we were all ready, however, for starling on our afternoon'? march, the lady, who had doubtless come to the conclusion that she had sold her favorite too cheap, tried to jockey us into paying for the foal which the mflre was to produce next spring. This demand, though most seriously meant, we treated as an excellent jest, settiuir 'K-\ FROM EDMONTON HOUSK TO FORT VANCOUVER. 87 setting out lorthwith in order to avoid any further extension of so fertile a principle of extortion. In the afternoon, while traversinjj some thick forests, we met :th'"ut fifty o- sixty more of the same tribe, all starving like those th i? gone ijefore them, whilst the red paint, with which their faces were smeared, did not at all tend to improve their appearance. With hut two or three exceptions, the women were diminntive in size, and ab- solutely uf^ly. One female, who was tolerably comely, was riding a M beautiful liorse, cross-legged, of course, with a pet dog in her arms ; and when we shook hands with herself, we drew forth her blandest smiles, by patting lier little favorite also. After several hours of execrable traveling, we obtained, from the top of a high hill, a very extraordinary view. At our feet lay a valley of about thirty miles in length and six in width, bounded on the western side by lofty mountains, and on the eastern by a lower range of the same kind, while the verdant bottom, unbroken by a single mound or hillock, was threaded by a meandering stream, and studded on either side with lakes, diminishing in the distance to mere specks or stars. As a recent fire had cleared tlie eminence on which we stood, except- ing that, towards the fort, the more abundant moisture had preserved a rich belt of timber from the flames, there was not a single tree or shrul) to obstruct our jjrospect. To heighten the interest of the scene, the sun's rays jjikied one part of the valley, while the rain was falling in another; and as the clouds flitted athwart the sky, the rajjid succession of liplem(.'nts having i)een su|)plied iVom I'ort Colvile. We next crossed the river to a camp of about the same size on the other side, where the men were lounging and the women laboring pretty much in the same way as those that we had just left. In one tent a sight |)resenti(l itself, which was eipially novcd and unnatural. Sur- rounded by a crowd of spectators, a party of fellows were playing at cards, obtained in the Snake country from some American trappers; and a more melancholy exemplification of the inlliUMice of civilization on barbarism could hardly be imagined than the apparently scientilie eagerness with which these naked and hiiiijjry savag(!s thumlx'd and Uirned the black and greasy pasteboard, 'riiouj^di the men, who sold the cards, might have taught the use of them, yet I could not help trac- ing the wretched exhibition to a more remote source — a source with whi( h I was myself, in some me.isure, (connected. In this same hell of the wilderness I found Spokan (Jirry, one of the lads already men- tioned as having been sent to Hcd cr for their education; and there was little reason to doubt, that, . iiis superior knowledge, he was ihe master-spirit, if not tlie prime-mover of the scene. On his riJturn to his countrymen, he had, for a time, endeavored to teach them to read and write; but he had gradually abandoned the attemj)t, assigning as liis reason, or his pretext, that the others "jawed him so about it." lie forthwitli relapsed into his original barbarism, taking to himself as many wives as he could ijet; and then, becoming a gambler, he lost both all that he had of his own and all that he could beg or borrow from others. He was evidently ashamed of his proceedings, for he would not come out of the tent to shake hands even with an old friend. Some of the Indians were almost destitute of clothing; some had blankets, and others had shirts. The prevailing dress, however, was the native costume, which, when clean, might be deemed classical. It consists of a tunic reaching to the knees, leggings of dressed skin and moccasons, the whole being fringed and garnished according to the taste or means of the wearer; and the head-gear is nothing more than the indigenous crop of black locks, streaming over their shoulders, 'i'he ap- parel of both sexes is pretty much the same, excepting that the tunics of the ladies are longer and gayer than those of the gentlemen. Several individuals of both sexes were comely enough, and in par- ticular one girl of fourteen or fifteen, the newly-married wife of a young chief, might have passed for a beauty even in the civilized world. On the whole, the Pend' d'Oreilles possessed more regular features and bet- ter figures than any savages that we had hitherto seen, excepting the tribes of the plains. But how they had become so superior 1 could not imagine, for the naked urchins of both sexes, that were swarming in the camp like so many fleas, afforded very little promise of passable men and women, tottering as they were, on their spindle-shanks, under the weight of enormous heads and bellies. During our visit the Indians showed us every attention. They ex- o/'A'S*'. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ||Jj_ 11.25 |4J u m ^ us |2.0 1^ U^ |22 1.4 IIIM 16 Photographic Sdences Corporation f\ ^. V 4 '^ o 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 (716)S72-4S03 6^ 92 FROM EDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VANCOUVER. If ' ■■ 4 ? t' eH plained all that we saw; but, as our knowledfrc of their lanpuaiare was limited to kammns and palac, we prolitcd very little by their communi- cativeness. 'J'hinking that we might like a ride, they cautrht horses for us; and, at tin; same time, they made a still greater sacrifice in ofl'ering us a share of their scanty stock of food. Hut the most agreeal)le evi- dence of their politeness was, the fact that many of them washed them- selves, but more especially their iiands, before they came to salute us. After rewarding them for their civility, with presents of tobacco, am- munition, provisions, 6n'., we parted with mutual expressions of friend- ship. The Pend' d'Oreilles are generally called the Flat Heads, the two clans, in fact, being united. 'I'hey do not muster, in all, more than a hundred and lifty families. Like their neighbors, the Kootonais, they are noted for the iiravery with which they defend themselves, and also for their attachment to the whites. Still the two races are entirely dis- tinct, their languages being fundamentally dillerent. The variety of tongues on the west side of the mountains is almost infinite, so thai scarcely any two tribes understand each other perfectly. They have all, however, the common character of being very guttural ; and, in fact, the sentences often appear to be mere jumbles of grunts and croaks, such as no alphabet could express in writing. Early in the afternoon our people arrived from the KuUespelm Lake, bringing us such a report of the roads as made us doubly thank- ful for the accommodation of the boat. Leaving our old band of horses under the charge of the Indians, wj immediately started with thirty-two fresh steeds. After crossing a prairie of two or three miles in length, we spent two hours in ascending a steep mountain, from whose summit we gained an extensive view of ranges of rocky hills: and, while the shadows of evening had already fallen on the valley at our feet, the rays of the setting sun were still tinging the highest peaks with a golden hue. We encamped at the foot of the mountain with wolfish appetites, for, though we had had a good deal of exercise during the day, yet we had eaten nothing since seven in the morning; but what was our disappoint- ment to find that six horses, — one of them, as a matter of course, being the commissariat's steed, — were missing. Having exhausted our patience, we went suppcrless to bed about midnight; but hardly had we turned in, when a distant shout made ns turn out again in better spirits. The horses quickly arrived; and, before an hour had elapsed, we had dispatched a very tolerable allowance of venison and buftalo tongues. This had been a very hot day, the thermometer standing at 85° in the shade. The nights, however, were chilly, while iv exposed situa- tions there was even a little frost. The power of the sun was very strikingly evinced by the gradual rise of the temperature during this forenoon. At eight the mercury was still down at 45° ; by ten it had mounted to 67° ; and in two hours more it stood, as already mentioned, at 18° higher. In consequence of these rapid changes, we felt the FROM EDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VANCOUVER. 93 ■ffc hetii so much moro oppressive, that mo were obliged to throw off nearly all our clothing. Next morning, as Fort Colvilo was only fifty miles distant from our encampment, we resolved, in reliance on fresh horses :ind tolerable roads, to wind np with a gallop. We accordingly raced along, raising from the parciied j)rairie such a cloud of dust as concealed everything from our view. In about five hours we reached a small stream, on the banks of which four or five hundred of the company's horses were grazinff. Not to lose so fine an opportunity of changing our sweating steeds, we allowed our cavalcade to ])rocee(l, while each of us caught the animal that pleased him best; and then, dashing off at full speed, we quickly overtook our party at a distance of six miles. lieing again united, we here halted for breakfast. Meanwhile Mr. McDonald, who had received my letter at Fort Col vile on the preceding evening, had met our people, before we came up with them, but, by mistaking the road, had missed us. Sending a messenger after him, we had him with us in half an hour, and along with him such materials for a feast as we had not seen since leaving Red River. Just fancy, at the base of the Rocky Mountains, a roasted turkey, a sucking pig, new bread, fresh butter, eggs, ale, &c.; and then contrast all these dainties with short allowance of pemmican and water. No wonder that some of our party ate more tlian what was good for them. While breakfast was preparing, we went, according to our custom, to bathe; but, after our hard and dusty ride, we were so much more impatient than usual, that Mr. Rowand, after plashing about for some time and descanting on the pleasures of swimming, struck against his watch. Handing ashore the luckless chronometer, he cast off his inexpressibles on the bank ; but, as misfortunes never come alone, he tbund, on attempting to dress, that the soaked garment had drifted away of its own accord to complete its bath. In order to supply Mr. Rowand's indispensable wants, a quarter of an hour elapsed in search-'^>-«#^ ing for a superfluous pair of trowsers, the enthusiastic swimmer enjoy- ing all this additional time in the water. i^ As soon as we had finished our morning's meal, we set out for the fort, having an hour's good ride before us. On reaching the summit of a hill, we obtained a fine view of the pretty little valley in which (^olvile is situated. In a prairie of three or four miles in length, with the Columbia River at one end, and a small lake in the centre, we de- * scried the now novel scene of a large farm, — barns, stables, &c., fields of wheat under the hands of the reaper, maize, potatoes, &c. &c., and herds of cattle grazing at will beyond the fences. By the time that we reached the establishment, we found about eighty men, whites and savages, all ready in their Sunday's best, to receive us at the gate. Here then terminated a long and laborious journey of nearly two thou- sand miles on horseback, across plains, mountains, rivers and forests. For six weeks and five days we had been constandy riding, or at least as constanUy as the strength of our horses would allow, from early dawn to sunset; and we had on an average been in the saddle about eleven hours and a half a day. From Red River to Edmonton, one day's 1 * :>ij FROM KDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VANCOUVER. miles for Aiol, anil, altor all, wc had to make our fires of driftwood. }So srarrc, ijidord, was timber here, that the pickets around graves, generally deemed saercd, appeared to have been pillaged in order to bo burned. At our night's cneampment we were visited by a chief from the Isles des Pierres, and about a dozen followers, who remained the greater part of the night smoking round our lire, without giving us any trouble. Shortly after starting in tin; morning, wc ran down the Isles des Pierres Kapids. For alxnit two miles the river rushed between lofty rocks of basalt, while the channel was obstructed by rocky islets, against which the jMhlying waters foamed in their fury. The descent, of course, required all the skill and coohnjss of the bowsman and steersman ; the vessel was tossed on the surging waters with the surf and spray continually dasiiing over her bows; and all at once, as if by magic, we were gliding silently along without even a ripple on the sur- face. Soon afterwards we came to the Sault du Pretre, where the river was wide and shallow. Some few years ago a boat struck on a rock in this rapid, five men being drowned, and most of the valuable cargo being destroyed. The accident must have arisen entirely from the fault of the bowsman, inasnmch as the fatal stone was at some distance from the proper channel. For the first twenty or thirty miles of our day's work, the banks of the river were bold and rocky, all the rest being sandy, ilat, and most uninteresting, excepting that for several miles the southern shore was a sandy clifl", known as the White Banks, of two or three hundred feet perpendicular. We encamped a few miles above the mouth of the Snake River, experiencing much difliculty in obtaining firewood ; and, indeed, with the exception of a dozen stunted cedars, wc saw no vege- tation to-day. Though this sandy district was believed to swarm with rattlesnakes, yet we had the good fortune to see but a single specimen. One of our men, while collecting driftwood on the heach, had been warned off in time by the rattle ; and then, giving notice of his dis- covery, he held the reptile by the throat with a stick, till we exam- ined it. It was from four to five feet in length, with a beautifully variegated skin; and nine joints in its ratde indicated its age to be nine years. These creatures are decreasing in number near the company's posts, being eaten, according to general belief, by the pigs. This was decidedly our hottest period of twenty-four hours, the thermometer showing 89° in the shade at noon, and 83*^ near midnight. We saw a few Indians, who, if we might judge from their unusual state of perfect nudity, felt the weather as severely as ourselves. Their canoes were merely hollowed trunks of about thirty feet in length by two or three in width, and the same in depth, only just large enough to enable them to paddle on their hams. The wonder was, how they prevented these shells from capsizing, more especially in the whirling eddies of a rapid; and yet, wliile racing with us this morning in the Sault du Pretre, they left us far behind. In the long run, however. ♦ liHtM FROM KDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VAN'COUVKR. 09 snvajTos slaml no chance against wliitcs, hcinc; inferior, alike in stcndi- ncfs, and perseverance, and strenijtli. A few miles of our next day's work hroMirht iis to the Snake lliver. known also as the South IJranch, Lewis and (.'larke's, &c. tV:c. 'l'hou>:h at the point of conlluenee, it was equal in size to the Oolumhia, yrt the stream Ix'low did not appear to he lari^er than either of the united floods. Ai)out <'i;,'ht or ten miles farther down, the Wallawalla poured its tribute into th(> Colunihia; and here wc haltcil for hrcakt'ast at the company's estahlishment. A more dismal situation than that of this post, can hardly he imair- ined. The fort is surroumleil hy a sandy desert, which product's nothinf^ hut wormwood, cxceptinji that the horses and cattle liud a liille pasturage on the hills. As not a single tree j^rows within several miles in any direction, the I)uildini][s are constructed entirely of drifi- wood, about which many a skirmish has taken place with tin; Indian^, just as anxious, perhaps, to secure the treason? as ourselves. 'I'liis district of country is subject to very hi:iHt tlieni. A nhort Hpace «)(' ttniootli waUir, like the ealm that preeedes the »torm, broiiirjit lis to livs Dalles or the l.onir ISarrows. — a spot which, with its treaehertuM «avaires of lornier (lays anil its whirlini; torrents, niiL'lit once have l)e<'n eonsitlereil as enihodyinij tin? Seylla and the Charylidi!* of thj'se reirions. At the entrance of tht; L'ort'e, the river is suddenly contracted tt» one-third of its width i>y perpendicular walls, while the surires, there dainnH'tl up, slruL'i,de with each other t«» dash alonjr thnniijh its narrow hed. Our yuide, havini; surveyed the state of the rapiil, determined to run it, recomniendinir to us, however, to walk across the po/iajfe in order to liyhten our craft. At tin; landiiiir place- we found ahout thirty women and children, all the men heintr ahscnt tishiuL'. Thesi! ffooil fidks, ircnerally speakintr, were nearly as niked as when they were l)(»rn, — a remark which woidd apply with |)eculiar force to tin; natives between this and the 8(!U an«l alonir the coast. With such a disrejrard of external decency, chastity, of course, is a mere name, or rather it has not a naiuc to express it in any one of the nativ(! laniiuaires. We found the portajje to consist of a heap of volcanic rocks, the hollows and levels, as on that of Les Chutes, being covered with saiul. After shippintj '^ flood deal of water, our little vessel reached the place of (!ml)arkation, opposite to a small rocky island, where a melan- choly accident happened a few years back. At a season when the water was very hitrh, one of the company's boats was descendimi the river, and throutrh the rashness of an American who happened to be on board, the crew were incbiced to run this rapid, while the j^onthMuan in charge more prudently resolved to prefer the portage. Hurled madly along by the boiling waters, the boat was just emerging into a place of safety, when, in the immediate vicinity of the island just men- tioned, she was sucked stern foremost into a whirlpool; and, in a single instant, a tide that told no tales, was foaming over the spot, where eleven men, a woman and a child had found a watery grave. Below the Long Narrows, we saw numbers of hair seals, as many as seventeen in one group; and we succeeded in shooting tineof them, which, however, was lost to us, — the creature sinking, if killed at once, but floating, if dying afterwanls of its wound. These animals ascend the Columbia in quest of the salmon; and certainly that lish is some- times taken with a hair seal's mouthful out of its side. At a distance of two or three miles below the rapids, we reached the American Mission of Whaspicum, remarkable to us as the place where we saw growing timber for the tirst time since leaving Ukanagan. On visiting the establishment, we were much pleased with the progress that had been made in three years. Two comfortable houses, in which five families resided, had been erected; a field of wheat had this year yielded about ten returns ; and the gardens had produced abund- ance of melons, potatoes and other vegetables, while the dairy gave an tf 104 FROM EDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VANCOUVER. adequate supply of milk and butter. The missionaries said that they were as happy in their new home as they could expect to be in such a wilderness, admitting at the same time that they had not found the land of promise which they came to seek. The climate, however, was, at least in point of temperature, rather favorable than otherwise, the greatest heat in the shade, during the past summer, having been 101°, and the most intense cold of the preceding winter having been 14° above zero. But the soil was not good; nor could it possibly be so, where twenty-one rattlesnakes, reptiles delighting in sands and rocks, had been killed within the last three months. Mr. Lee, the head of the mission, accompanied us to our encamp- men. to supper ; and while that meal was preparing, we enjoyed a deliciv^us bath by moonlight In the stream that now glittered so placidly before us. As we expected to reach Vancouver next day, we raised camp immediately after satisfying our hunger, and, by eleven o'clock, were once more pursuing our way towards the Pacific. Wrappi:ng our cloaks around us to keep off the mists, we laid ourselves down on the bottom of our craft to sleep. In the morning, the banks of the river, no longer sublime, were merely picturesque, being covered with forests to the water's edge or even farther, for there were stumps or remains of large trees growing in the very stream. This aquatic forest was there, when the country was first visited by Europeans ; and the Indians then stated that the appearance had always been the same as far back as their memory could carry them. Doctors differ as to the probable cause of the phe- nomenon. Some think that the bed of the river must have subsided, while others are of opinion that the thing has drifted bodily, by what is called a land-slip, from above. We breakfasted on the lowest of the three portages of the Cascades, the highest point, by the by, reached by the tide. At this succession of small cataracts, the river falls about fifty or sixty feet in a distance of about half a mile. We here saw some of the company's men cur- ing salmon for exportation to the Sandwich Islands and California. We also met here several Chinook, canoes, large and small, very ele- gantly formed, with an elevated prow, out of a single log. The rocks along the shore were bold and lofty ; and, in the bed of the river, one detached mass, about a hundred feet perpendicular on all sides, bore the appropriate name of Pillar Rock. This part of the river was about a mile and a half wide, receiving several cascades, — an index of a moister climate, — from the cliffs on its banks. About two in the afternoon we met, in the neighborhood of a waterfall of some hundred feet in height, a boat proceeding from Vancouver to Wallawalla with letters, taking out of her such as belonged to our- selves. About sunset we called at the company's saw and grist mills, distant six miles from the fort, while the company's schooner Cadboro, that was lying there, honored us with a salute, which served also as a sig- nal of our arrival to the good folks of Vancouver. Being anxious to tf FROM EDMONTON HOUSE TO FORT VANCOUVER. 105 approach head quarters in proper style, our men here exchanged the oar for the paddle, which, hesides being more orthodox in itself, was better adapted to the quick notes of the voyageurs' song. In less than an hour afterwards, we landed on the beach, having thus crossed the continent of North America at its widest part, by a route of :ibout five thousand miles, in the space of twelve weeks of actual traveling. We were received by Mr. Douglas, as Mr. McLaughlin, the gentleman in diarge, was absent at Puget Sound. ■■'^; p '*• ^ard, and to visit tlie Russians at Sitka. . On the IsT of September, my party, now strengthened by the acces- sion of Mr. Douglas, took leave, on the beach, of Commodore Wilkes and his officers, with mutual wishes for safety and success; and, by eleven in the forenoon we were under way in a large and heavy bat- teau, with a crew of ten men. On reaching the mouth of the Wil- lamette, on the left side of the Columbia, we ascended the stream till, after rounding Multonomah, or Wappatoo Island, we were retracing our steps to the main river by the lower channel of its tributary. Our object in thus deviating from our proper course, was to call at the Company's dairy; and, accordingly, after following the current of the west branch of the Willamette for aliout five miles, we landed on the delta in question in the nelirhborhood of our establishment. * This beautiful island is fifteen miles in length by seven at its greatest breadth, covered with abundance of timber and the richest pasturage; and it doubUess owes much of its fertility to the fact, that it is regu- larly overflowed in spring, with the exception of its higher ridges, on one of which our dairies stand. It consists entirely of alluvial soil, formed, most probably, by the accumulation of mud and driftwood against a rock at its lower extremity. At the dairy we found about a hundred milch cows, which were said to yield, on an average, not more than sixty pounds of butter each in a year; and there were also two or three hundred cattle that were left, merely with a view to their breeding, to roam about at will. The whole were under the charge of three or four families that resided on the spot. In addition to the rock already mentioned, — the back-bone, so to speak, of all the alluvial accretions, — the island contains, in its inte- rior, a block of black basalt, rudely chiseled by the Indians of ancient days into a column of four feet in height and three feet in diameter. Around such a curiosity superstition has, of course, thrown her mantle. FROM VANCOUVER TO SITKA. "tr 107 The savages, and indeed the dairymen also, religriously believe, that any person who may touch the lonely pillar, .vill bring down on him- self the vengeance of its tutelary deity. Though we had not time at present to enter the lists against this jealous spirit, yet Mr. Douglas, a year or two ago, had been rash enough to try to move his mysterious shrine from its place. On returning to the dairy to sleep, he got into bad bread with the Canadian who was in charge, for having thus dared the demon of the stone to do his worst; and, after a good deal of argu- ment, they parted for the night, the master as skeptical, and the man as credulous as ever. The darkness, however, decided this drawn battle in the Canadian's favor, for a fearful storm, the work, of course, of the indignant goblin, almost pulled down tiie house over the impious head of Mr. Douglas. About sunset we again entered the Columbia, endeavoring to reach Deer's Island for supper. Failing in this attempt, we snapped up a hasty meal on the left bank of the river; and then, after wrapping our- selves in a blanket each, we lay down to sleep in the boat while she should be drifting down the stream all night. In the morning we were toiling up the Cowlitz, a northerly feeder of the Columbia, its lofty banks being crowned with beautiful forests, whose leafy bowers, unencum- bered by brushwood, realized the poet's "boundless contiguity of shade." As a proof of the occasional height of the waters of this narrow and rapid river, driftwood and other aqueous deposits were hanging, high and dry, on the overshadowing branches, at an altitude of thirty or forty feet above the present level of the stream. When the Cowlitz thus fills its bed, it ceases to be navigable, at least for upward crafts, by reason of the violence of the current; and perhaps the same circumstance may explain the otherwise inexplicable fact, that, though the salmon enter this river in autumn on their way from the sea, yet in spring, when the waters are, of course, at their highest, they never do so by any chance. Even at present, the current was so powerful, that our rate of pro- gress never exceeded two miles an hour. When I descended the Cow- litz in 1828, there was a large population along its banks ; but since then the intermittent fever, which commenced its ravages in the following year, had left but few to mourn for those that fell. During the whole of our day's course, till we came upon a small camp in the evening, the shores were silent and solitary, the deserted villages forming me- lancholy monuments of the generation that had passed away. Along the river large quantities of an imperfect coal are found on the surface. Our batleau carried as curious a muster of races arid languages as perhaps had ever been congregated within the same compass in any part of the world. Our crew of ten men contained Iroquois, who spoke their own tongue; a Cree half-bred, of French origin, who ap- peared to have borrowed his dialect from both his parents; a North Briton, who understood only the Gaelic of his native hills; Canadi- ans, who, of course, knew French; and Sandwich Islanders, who jabbered a medley of Chinook, English, and their own vernacular jargon. Add to all this that the passengers were natives of England, » -; ■ A '4i 108 FROM VANCOUVER TO SITKA. ■^h ■!!' ,./M Scotland, Russia, Canada, and The Hudson's Bay Company's territo- ries ; and you have the prettiest congress of nations, the nicest con- fusion of tongues, that has ever taken place since the days of the Tower of Babel. At the native camp, near which we halted for the night, we enriched our many clans with one variety more by hiring a canoe, and its complement of Chinooks, to accompany us. Next morning Mr. Douglas, in company with our Chinook allies, started a little before us, in order to get horses, &c., ready for us at the landing place ; .ind by noon, when we reached the spot in question, we found that, in his lighter craft, he had gained four hours on us, having thus had time to bring our steeds from the Cowlitz Farm, about ten miles distant. Right glad were we to leave our clumsy batteau after an imprisonment of eight and forty hours. Between the Cowlitz River and Puget Sound, — a distance of about sixty miles, — the country, which is watered by many streams and lakes, consists of an alternation of plains and belts of wood. It is well adapted both for tillage and for pasturage, possessing a genial climate, good soil, excellent timber, water power, natural clearjpgs, and a seaport, and that, too, within reach of more than one advantage- ous market. When this tract was explored a few years ago, the com- pany established two farms upon it, which were subsequently trans- ferred to the Puget Sound Agricultural Association, formed under the company's auspices, with the view of producing wheat, wool, hides, and tallow, for exportation. On the Cowlitz farm there were already about a thousand acres of land under the plough, besides a large dairy, an extensive park for horses, &c. ; and the crops this season had amounted to eight or nine thousand bushels of wheat, four thousand of oats, with due proportions of barley, potatoes, &c. The other farm was on the shores of Puget Sound; and as its soil was found to be better fitted for pasturage than tillage, it had been appropriated almost exclusively to the flocks and herds, so that now, with only two hundred acres of cultivated land, it possessed six thousand sheep, twelve hundred cattle, besides horses, pigs, &c. In addition to these two farms, there was a Catholic mission, with about a hundred and sixty acres under the plough. There were also a few Canadian settlers, retired servants of The Hudson's Bay Com- pany ; and it was to this same neighborhood that the emigrants from Red River were wending their way. The climate is propitious, while the seasons are remarkably regular. Between the beginning of April and the end of September there is a continuance of dry weather, generally warm, and often hot, the mer- cury having this year risen at Nisqually to 107° in the shade; March and October are unsettled and showery; and during the four months of winter there is almost constant rain, wliile the temperature is so mild that the cattle and sheep not only remain out of doors, but even find fresh grass for themselves from day to day. Of the aborigines there are but three small tribes in the neighbor- hood, the Cowlitz, the Checaylis and the 'Squally, now all quiet, in- FROM VANCOUVER TO SITKA. 109 offensive and industrious people; and, as aproof of this tlieir character, ihey do very well as a^ricult Tal servants, thereby forming an import- ant element in estimating the advantages of the district for settlement and cultivation. Having halted five miles beyond the Cowlitz farm, we raised camp next morning at four. The belts of wood which separated the plains from each other were composed of stately cedars and pines, many of them rising without a branch or a bend to a height of a hundred and fifty feet. Some of these primeval children of the soil were three or four hundred feet high, while they measured thirty in girth at a dis- tance of five feet from the ground ; and, by actual measurement, one fallen trunk, by no means the largest that could have been selected, was found to be two hundred and fifty feet long, and to be twenty-five round at eight feet from the root. Like the Multonomah Island, these plains have their mysterious stone. This rudely carved block, the only thing of the kind in the neighborhood, was carried to its present position from a considerable distance by a mighty man of old times, who could lift a horse by stooping under its belly, and carry about the brute, all alive and kick- ing, for a whole day. It is perhaps a blessing that the human race in these parts has degenerated, for otherwise horses would have been as likely to bridle and spur men as men to bridle and spur horses. The stone, which weighs about a ton, still remains where the Skookoom, to use the native term, dropped it, a monument of the degeneracy of all succeeding sojourners in the country, whether red or white. We breakfasted at the Checaylis, a navigable stream falling into Gray's Harbor, about forty miles to the north of Cape Disappoint- ment. Near this river was a narrow belt of wood, which divided the stronger soil, that we had passed, from the lighter soil that lay before us, no clay being found to the northward as far as Puget Sound, and no sand to the southward as far as the Cowlitz River. Beyond the Checaylis the plains became more extensive, with fewer belts of wood, though there was still more than a sufficiency of timber for every purpose. Towards the 'Squally, or, as the whites term it by way of elegance, the Nisqually River, we passed over a space of ten or twelve miles in length, covered with thousands of mounds, or hammocks, all of a perfectly round shape, but of different sizes. They are from twelve to twenty feet in diameter, and from five to fifteen in height; and they all touch, but barely touch, each other. They must have been the work of nature; for, if they were the work of man, there would have been pits adjacent whence the earth was taken; but, M'hatever has been their origin, they must be very ancient, inasmuch as many of them bear large trees. After crossing the 'Squally River we arrived at Fort Nisqually on the evening of our fourth day from Fort Vancouver. Being unwilling to commence our voyage on a Sunday, we remained here for six and thirty iiours inspecting the farm and dairy and visiting Dr. Richmond, an American missionary stationed in the neighborhood. The surrounding scenery is very beautiful. On the borders of an arm of the sea of about ^ •I 110 FROM VANCOUVER TO SITKA. two miles in width, arc undulnting plains of excellent pasturnffc present- in}^ a pretty variety of copses of oak and placid lakes, and abounding in chevreuil and other game. The sound yields plenty of fish, such as salmon, rock, cod, halibut, flounders, (fee. The dog-fish and the shark are also numerous, some of the latter having been caught here, this summer, of five or six feet in length. Near tlie fort there was a small camp of 'Squallies under the command of Luckalett, a good friend of the traders. The establishment is frequent- ed also by the (.'hillams, the Paaylaps, the Scatchetts, tiie Checaylis, and other tribes, amounting in all, the 'Squallies included, to nearly four thousand souls. At noon on Monday, the 6th of September, we embarked on board of the lieaver steamer. Captain McXcill, leaving Mr. Hopkins in tem- porary charge of Nisqually along with Mr. Heath. Starting under a salute of seven guns, we pushed along against a strong breeze, till we anchored, about five in the afternoon, to enable the engineer to repair some damage which the m.achinery had sustained; but, the job being completed by nine, we then steamed on all night. About seven in the morning we passed along the inner end of Fuca's Straits, the first of the numberless inlets of this coast that was ever dis- covered by civilized man. The neighboring country, comprising the southern end of Vancouver's Island, is well adapted for colonization, for, in addition to a tolerable soil and a moderate climate, it possesses excellent harbors and abundance of timber. It will doubtless become, in time, the most valuable section of the whole coast above California. As a foul wind and a heavy sea prevented us from making more than two miles and a half an hour, we resolved to wood and water behind Point Roberts, near the mouth of Frazer's River, a stream which, after traversing New Caledonia, on its way from the Rocky Mountains, falls into the Gulf of Georgia, in lat. 49°. If this parallel, as proposed by the Americans, should become the international boundary on the west side of the height of land, Britain would not only be surrendering all the territory of any agricultural value, but would also virtually cut oflf the interior and the coast of her own share from each other. Frazer's River had never been wholly descended by whites previously to 1828, when, in order to explore the navigation all the way to the sea, I started from Stuart's Lake with three canoes. I found the stream hardly prac- ticable even for any craft excepting that, for the first twenty-five miles from its mouth, it might receive large vessels. This river, therefore, is of little or no use to England, as a channel of communication with the interior; and, in fact, the trade of New Caledonia, the very country which it drains, is carried on over land to Okanagan and thence down the Columbia. Behind Point Roberts there was a large camp of about a thousand savages, inhabitants of Vancouver's Island, who periodically cross the gulf to Frazer's River for the purpose of fishing. A great number of canoes assisted us in bringing over wood and water from the shore, some of them paddled entirely by young girls of remarkably interesting c^ FROM VANCOUVER TO SITKA. ill and comnly nppearanre. These people oflered us salmon, potatoes, berries and shell-fish for sale. The wind havinj? moderated, wo weijilird atiehor about one in the morninjj and continued our course between Vancouver's Island and the main land till three in the afternoon. The channel rarely exceeded six miles in width; and the shores, on Ijoth sides, were so mountainous that the peaks, thouirh situated only in 50^ of latitude, were covered with perpetual snow. In the course of the forenoon we crossed the parallel of the once famoiis Nootka Sound, breastinjf the open ocean on the other side of Vancouver's Island, an inlet wliich, after nearly in- volving Spain and England in war, was reduced into insiirnificance by the discovery of the very path which we were traversing. So long as the port in question was supposed to be on the old continent, it pro- mised to be a channel of communication with the interior, the more valuable on account of the absence of any rival, while, with the help of the imagination, it was magnified into the mouth of the great river of the west. We anchored in the snug little harbor of the Island of Feveda to take in wood and water. Captain McNeill generally preferred halting here on account of the superiority of the fuel, which was both close in the grain and resinous; and he stated that a cord of it was almost as dura- ble as two cords of any other growth. For this singular fact there must be a reason, which may be expected to lurk rather in the soil than in the climate; and, whether or not the two peculiarities be respectively cause and effect, the isle in question is almost entirely composed of limestone, which, if it exist elsewhere on the coast, is found only in very small quantities. Rather with the view of beguiling the time than in the hope of en- riching our larder, we went ashore to shoot deer, which were said to be here very numerous; and we certainly did see several chevreuil, which took care, however, to keep at a safe distance from us. But we found one object of interest in an old beaver-dam of great extent; none of us had ever seen signs of the beaver in a similar situation or ever suspected any predilection on the part of the animal for salt water. Perhaps, with so mountainous a coast and so narrow a sea, nature may have formed a congenial path over the briny depths by means of the fresh- ets of spring, just as every rapid river overlays an extent of ocean pro- portioned to the strength of its current. Failing in our attempts on the deer, I resolved to angle away the hours without caring much what I might hook, and I succeeded to ad- miration in hauling up several dog-fish — the presence of those sharks in miniature sufficiently accounting for the absence of more delicate prey. So far as utility was concerned, our failures in the sporting way were remedied by an Indian, who, with his pretty wife and a child, brought us off a brace of deer ; and then the industrious fellow, for some trifling consideration or other, assisted us in wooding and watering, — a kind of help which, in order to save time, Captain McNeill was always glad to accept. I m 112 FROM VANCOUVER TO SITKA. ¥ II "We were detained the whole of the next day by the same indis- priisable business of supplying the steamer with fuel. In fact, as the ' ^ssel carries only one day's stock, about forty cords, and takes about the same time to cut the wood as to burn it, she is at least as much at anchor as she is under way, a good deal of her delay, however, being rendered necessary, without reference to the demands of her furnace, by wind and weather, and also for the purpose of dealing with the natives. Still, on the whole, the paddle is far preferable to canvas in these inland waters, which extend from Puget iSound to Cross Sound, by reason of the strength of the currents, the variableness of the winds, the narrowness of the channc.'ls and the intricacy and ruggedness of the line of coast. We found Vancouver's charts so minute and accurate, that, amid all our difFiculties, we never had to struggle with such as mere science could be expected to overcome, and, in justice both to our own navigator and to one of his successors in the same path, I ought to mention, that Commodore Wilkes, after a comparatively tedious survey from the mouth of the Columbia to that of Frazer's River, admitted, that he had required to make but few and inconsider- able corrections. Leaving Feveda early on the morning of the tenth, we steamed against a strong wind, till at dusk we got into the safe harbor of Port Neville. In the course of the forenoon, three villages of Comouc?, that were opposite to Point Mudge, sent off forty or fifty canoes to us, whose inmates, amounting perhaps to eight hundred of all ages and both sexes, made all sorts of noises to induce us to stop. They appeared to be a well made race, the women in particular having a soft and pleasing expression of countenance. The ladies, who obviously appreciated their own beauty, attempted, by a liberal dis- play of their charms, and by every winning way that they could devise, to obtain permission to come on board. We did allow a chief of the Quakeolths to embark along with his wife and child, as he was desir- ous of obtaining a passage to his village, about seventy miles distant, while his canoe, a pretty little craft of about twelve paddles, was taken in tow. This was not this grandee's first trip in the Beaver. On a former occasion he had made love to the captain's wife, who was accompanying her husband ; and, when he found her obdurate, he transferred his attentions to Mrs. Manson, who happened to be on board along with Mr. Manson himself, till, on being sent by her to negotiate with her husband, he gravely backed his application by offering him a large bundle of furs. On the present occasion, also, this ardent admirer of the fair sex was true to his system, for he took a great fancy to an English woman on board, while, at the same time, with more generosity than justice, he recommended his own princess, not to the woman's husband, but to myself. In the fleet, that swarmed around us, we observed two peculiarly neat canoes with fourteen paddles each, which savoured very strongly of honeymoon. Each carried a young couple, who, both in dress and demeanor, were evidently a newly married pair. The gentlemen, with their " arms around their dearies O," were lavishing their litde FROM VANCOUVER TO SITKA. 113 attentioiiH on the ladies to the obvious satisfaction of both parlies. The brides were young and pretty, tastefully decked out with beads, bracc- Itts, anklets and various ornaments in their hair, and above all, with blankets so sweet, and sound, and clean, that they could not be other- wise than new. The bridegrooms were smart, active, handsome fellows, all as fine as a holiday, and more particularly proud of their turbans of white calico. In the afternoon we passed another village near the narrowest point of Johnston's Straits. Here we were greatly impeded by deep whirl- pools and a short sea, which were said generally to mark tiie narrows, and to be caused by the collision of the tides or currents flowing round the opposite ends of Vancouver's Island from the open ocean. John- ston's Straits might be reckoned, as it were, the height of land in the Gulf of Georgia. Next morning a dense fog threatened to detain us all day, and might have detained us for weeks. In fact, Mr. Finlayson of Red River was, in the year 1837, held a prisoner for a fortnight, within a few miles of his home, by a fog worthy of keeping Christmas in London. Luckily, however, we got out of limbo about noon ; and, passing within an hour the home of our Quakeolth Lothario, we entered McNeill's Harbor for the purpose of trading, where we were soon visited by thirty or forty canoes, crowded with men, women and children. The standard of prices being fixed after two hours of hig- gling, the business then went on briskly. To avoid the inconvenience and danger of a crowd, half a dozen only of the savages were to be admitted on deck at once ; and, in order to enforce the regulation, five sentinels were stationed at the gangways, on the poop and on the paddle boxes, while the boarding netting, as amounting to a mystery or a medicine, formed a better protection than all the watchmen put together. Stationing himself at the steerage hatchway. Captain McNeill threw down each skin, as he examined it, with its price chalked on it, — the equivalents being handed up from below by the two or three men that were in charge of the store. The natives, now that they no longer dare to employ force against the whites, still occasionally resort to fraud, practising every trick and device to cheat their trader. One favorite artifice is to stretch the tails of land otters into those of sea otters. Again, when a skin is rejected as being deficient in size or defective in quality, it is immediately, according to circumstances, enlarged, or colored, or pressed to order, and is then submitted, as a virgin article, to the buyer's criticism by a different customer. In short, these artists of the northwest coast could dye a horse with any jockey in the civilized world, or " freshen up" a faded sole with the most ingenious and unscrupulous of fishmongers. As he has neither mayor nor alderman to invoke in such cases, Captain McNeill dis- penses summary justice on his own account, commissioning his boatswain to take the law, and the rope's end as its emblem, into his own hand. " PART I. — 8 '# ^ t J 114 FUOM VANCOUVKR TO SITKA. Hoth men antl women were wcU-prown, with reeular and plcasini; features. Inilei'tl the jjirls were exeeedingly pretty, and looked quite healthy. In fact, hcHidcs living well on the best of lish and the bent of venison, these people have comparatively few diseases among thcnj. They have kept pretty free of syphilis by having had little or no inter- course with foreign seamen, for sailing vessels never attempted, as a matter of business, the channel between Vancouver's Island and the mainland. Curiously enough, too, they have been exempted from the small-pox, though their brethren, both to the south of the Columbia and in llussian America, have sufl'ered severely from that terrible scourge. To secure to them a continuance of this happy immunity, we begged permission from the chiefs of the Quakcolths, to vaccinate the children of the tribe ; but as they neither did, nor could, appreciate the unknown blessing, we preferred leaving things as they were, know- ing well, from our experience of the native character, that our medicine would get the credit of any epidemic that might follow, or perhaps ol any failure of the hunt or the fishery. Instead of letting their hair flow loosely over the shoulders, as most of the aborigines of North America do, these people brush it up all round, tying it in a bunch at the crown of the head, or else hanging it down the back in the form of a thick pigtail. This mode of dress- ing the hair naturally gives the head something of a conical appear- ance ; and as custom more or less influences one's ideas of beauty, the Quakeolths deliberately cherish this peculiarity of aspect by the appli- cation of ligatures in infancy. Whether they are obliged to sleep with their eyes open, like the drummer-boy who escaped a flogging for doing so, by showing that his queue held back his eyelids, I cannot tell. This much, however, I did observe, that the denuding of the face pro- duced a good-humored semblance of candor and honesty which their whole history belied. Speaking of the dressing of hair, there was on board of one of the ships of the American Squadron, a captive chief of the Fejee Islands, who, when " forced from home and all its pleasures," had begged, al- most with tears in his eyes, that his friseur might be allowed to accom- pany him into exile. So careful are the grandees of that group said to be of their well curled locks, that, to prevent any derangement of the same, they sleep with their necks across a bamboo, and their heads; in free space. In addition to the mode of dressing the hair, the people of this coast have several other peculiarities which appear to indicate an Asiatic ori- gin. In taking a woman to wife, the husband buys her from her father for a price as his perpetual property ; so that, if she separates from him, whetheruhrough his fault or her own, she can never marry another during his life. Again, with respect to funerals, the corpse, after being kept for several days, is consumed by fire, while the widow, if any there be, rests her head on the body, till dragged from the flames, rather dead than alive, by her relatives. If the poor creature recovers from the efl'ects of this species of suttee, she collects the ashes of her deceased lord and master, which she carries about her person for three long years ; FROM VANCOUVKIl TO SITKA. 115 pleaHiiiir ed quite ihe best ig them, no intiT- led, as a and the from the JoluniMii terrible iimunity, vaccinate ppreciate re, know- in edici no erliaps ol ilders, as ush it up B hanging of drcss- il appear- eauly, the the appU- sleep vvitli gging for annot tell. face pro- lich their »ne of the |e Islands, legged, al- Ito accont- Toup said jemenl ol leir headti [this coast Isiatic ori- ler father ites from l:y another Ifter being Iw, if any )es, rather from the deceased ing years; and any levity on her part during this period, or even any dericiomy in grief, renders her an outeast for e\er. Though these tribes no longer dare to massacre or plunder whiio visitors, yet they are stil) as treacherous as ever to each other. About a hundred and fifty of the Quakeolths were recently proceeding by canoe to Nootka, partly for the purpose of trading, and partly with the view of paying off some old score or other to a hostile clan. On their way they found a party of armed Sebassamen, about thirty in number, on a small island, whom they coolly determined to destroy by strata- gem. Accordingly, making signs of peace and lying on their paddles, they explained that they were going to make war in the neisrhborhood of Nootka, adding, at the same time, that with ref(!ren<'e to this t)bject of their expedition, they would be glad to give the Sebassamen a capital bargain of sea otters in exchange for their guns and ammunition. Con- scious of their weakness, the Sebassamen accepted the insidious oiler, and that the more readily, inasmuch as the particular skins in (luestioii, the only equivalent received at our forts for arms, «S:c., might soon be made to double the stock that they were surrendering. Meanwhile the Quakeolths were landing one canoe after another, till at last, besides recovering their sea otters, they butchered four and twenty of their credulous customers. The six wretches, whom the villains spared for a bondage worse than death, we saw in the little fleet that was lying alongside of ourselves. Hut the Quakeolths, notwithstanding all their guile and ferocity, re- ligiously observe, even towards their foes, the laws of hospitality. If a stray enemy, who may find himself in the vicinity of one of their camps, can proceed, before he is recognized, to the chiefs lodge, he is safe, both in person and in property, on the easy condition of making a small present to his protector. The guest remains as long as he pleases, enjoying the festivities of the whole village ; .and when he wishes to depart, he carries away his property untouched, together with a present fully equal to what he himself may have given. More- over, the Quakeolths, more honorable and consistent tlian the Arabs, are so far from following their guest in order to plunder him, that they guarantee his safety to the utmost limits of their territory. To resume my narrative, our traffic continued till the following noon ; and meanwhile, such of our men as were not occupied in trading or watching, had been cutting wood, which the Indians conveyed on board in their canoes. The furs, amounting in value to about five hundred pounds sterling, consisted of martens, racoons, beaver, bears, lynxes, and both kinds of otters, while the equivalents were blankets, tobacco, vermilion, files, knives, a small quantity of cloth, and only two guns with a corresponding allowance of ammunition. Generally speaking, the natives were tiresome in their bargaining ; and they were ever ready to suspend business for a moment in order to enjoy any passing joke. They appeared, however, to understand the precise length to which they might go in teasing Captain M'Neill. They made sad work, by the by, of his name, for, whenever his head showed itself above the bulwarks, young and old, male and female, vociferated I m ti ■ V 116 FROM VANCOUVER TO SITKA. li/ •» from every cnnop, Ma-ta-hcll, Mn-ta-hcll, Ma-ta-hrll, a word which, witlj ihc coniparntivr iiKhHlinctiH'Hs of ilH first nyllable, Hounded very like a reqiicHl on their part that their trader mi^ht jfo a (freat way beyond the en>?ineer'H furnaee. Their organs ol'«|)eeeh are altojjethcr too feeble for the enunciation of KnpliNfi words ; and, as a proof of this, Macuhtih and liins^init are stated in "Astoria" to have been their cleverest iiaitations of Vancouver and Jirottirfiton. Alonpf the whole coast the savages generally live well. They have l)oth shell fish and other fish in great variety, with berries, seaweed and venison. Of the finny race, salmon is the best and most abundant, while, at certain seasons, the ullachan, very closely resembling the sardine in richness and delicacy, is taken with great care in some localities. This fish yields an extraordinary quantity of very fine oil, which, being highly prized by the natives, is a great article of trade M'ith the Indians of the interior, and also of such parts of the coast as do not furnish the luxury in question. This uil is used as a sauce at all their meals — if supping at any hour of the day or night can be called a meal — with fish, with seaweed, with berries, with roots, with venison, &c. Nor is it less available for the toilet than for culinary purposes ; it is made to supply the want of soap and water, smearing the face or any other part of the body that is deemed worthy of ablu- tion, which, when well scrubbed with a mop of sedge, looks as clean as possible. In addition to this essential business of purifying and polishing, the oil of the ullachan does duty as bear's grease for the luiir ; and some of the young damsels, when fresh from their unctuous labors, must be admitted to shine considerably in society. Still, however, the natives of both sexes and all ages cherish various peculiarities which are repugnant to our notions of taste and cleanli- ness. They eructate so industriously that they may almost be said to breathe by belching, while, if the truth must be told, the expectora- tion of atmosphere is by no means their only mode of creating an in- ternal vacuum. Then they pick vermin from their heads and garments, which, on a principle of strict justice, they invariably put into their mouths, excepting that a tender mother sometimes waives her own natural right to the delicacy in favor of her child. Lastly, they are perpetually spitting, not in solid globules, but in a curiously hissing spray of small shot. While our people were chopping wood, they got one of their axes stolen. They said nothing, however, about it, till they came on board ; and then a beaver was taken from a noisy fellow with a hint, that, if he wished to have his skin back, he had better find the missing article before the return of the steamer. Though these natives, when they are in our power, are perfectly good-humored, yet, when they have strength on their side, they are the very reverse. Some years ago, my late friend, Captain Simpson, was in this neighborhood with the Cadboro schooner, when the Indians, despising the smallness and weakness of that vessel, attacked a boat's crew, killing one man and wounding another ; and about the same time, a little to the southward near Nis- qually, the Clellams assassinated one of the company's officers and FROM VANCOUVER TO SITKA. 117 fivo mm, on U' ir way from Fort lian^loy to V'amrouvcr with Irttrrs. In llu! al)8oiMi' of any oilier means of obtainint^ rcdresH, our people had recournc to the \\w ol Mt»ne8. wliicli, after the Io8h of several liven on the Hide r)f llie n;iiiv'e», brou^iil ihe Hava^es to their .seiiHOM, while tin Hteainer'H »nv -ilerious auil rapid movements wpeedily completed their Hul)ju>ration. in fuet, whether in matters »)f lih* and death, or of petty theftH, the rule of retaliation is the only standard of equity which the tribes on this (toast ar(! rapable of appreciating. Leavinff the Quakeolths at one in the afternoon of the twelfth, and passintf through Qjiecn Charlotte's Sound, we reached, i)y five o'clock, the harbor of Nhushady Ncweitco at the nortlu^rn end of Vancouver's Island, in a heavy fog. Several of the Indians, as usual, came olF to us, the chief, a j{rave, pensive, handsome mau, and a j^arrulous old fel- low of the name of Shell Fish, bciuff admitted on boaril. The chief broujriii to the doctor a little boy of a son, who, by fallinj; on the point of a pair of scissors, had been stabbed in the abdomen about an inch and a half above the navel ; but, as the wound had bi;en received ten days previously and had not been followed by fever, we thought it better to let the thing alone. The young patient was accompanied by the native surgeon, who had the gratification to hear our praises of his dressing and bandaging — practice that would have done him no dis- credit in the civilized world. During the; night the fog increased to such a degree, that next morn- ing wc could not see a hundred yards from the ship. In spite, how- ever, of the impenetrable darkness, the Ncwettces returned to us in great numbers, and drove a high trade for an hour or two; and we thus got furs to the value of about two hundred pounds sterling, in exchange for which the blanket was the principal article in demand. During the preceding two years, the absence of competition in this quarter had enabled us to put the trade on a much better footing by the entire disuse of spirituous liquors, and by the qualified interdiction, as already men- tioned, of the sale of arms and ammunition. These changes, however unsatisfactory to the parties interested, may nevertheless be considered as a great blessing to the whole of the native population, as arresting the progress at once of the sword, and of the pestilence. We had a good deal of amusement to-day in endeavoring to teach our savage visitors a few words of English ; and wonderfully apt they were in acquiring our language. The letter r plagued them most, getting the better of them, in fact, after all their eflbrts in working about their lips and tongues in every manner of way ; and the nearest approach that they made, amid roars of laughter, to our fellow traveler's name, was Wowand. Among some of the tribes on the east side of the moun- tains, this same consonant, as also its kindred /, is disguised into n. Of their acquisitions, such as they were, our Newettee pupils were very proud, dragging them in by the head and shoulders, on all occasions. After our friends had disposed of their furs, they brought into the market a large number of hiaquays, white shells found only on the west side of Vancouver's Island. These articles, thus practically correspond- ing with the cowries of the East Indies, are used as small change all 118 FROM VANCOUVER TO SITKA. 1 . J* ."> '4 u mrM\M wRw A I |Hw^ ii ii ji^Hffl \i i jislH, " 181) '' Hil ,1 Uu,. alotiff the coast and in many parts of the interior; and they are also applied to more fanciful purposes ii: the shape of necklaces, ornaments for the hair and so forth, while occasionally a large hiaquay may be seen balancing itself through the cartilage of a pretty girl's nose. Our visitors also offered for sale some specimens, rather inferior in their way, of the humming bird. There were said to be no fewer than live varieties of that beautiful creature between the mouth of the Columbia and the head of Vancouver's Island, but, with the exception of the neighborhood of the hot springs of Sitka, the more northerly coast did not possess the curiosity. In the evening I went out to fish with one of the chiefs ; and, though we were quite alone, yet we contrived, partly by words of English and Chinook, and partly by signs, to carry on an animated conversation. The mode of proceeding was by dragging a line with a baited hook at the end, while the canoe was paddled through the water at the rate of two miles and a half an hour; and in this way we caught a salmon, a rock cod, much resembling a perch of about two pounds in weight, and a curious amimal, known among the sailors as the devil's fish. Some few years back, no white man would have gone out alone amidst twenty or thirty native canoes ; but, besides that the savages, even on general grounds, were now less likely to show the cloven foot, I had the mysterious prestige of the steamer and her guns in my favor, to say notliing of the comfortable consciousness of a brace of loaded pistols in my belt. I returned on board about dusk to the no small relief of my friends, who, having lost sight of the canoe, were afraid that the hope of a large ransom might tempt the savages, according to old use and wont, to run off with the great white chief. In former days, the Indians of the northwest coast, before their views on the subject of expediency Avere enlarged, frequently acted on the simple principle, that a skipper, who could command untold treasures of guns and ammunition, blankets and tobacco, was a more profitable, as well as an easier quarry than a bear or an otter. We observed among these people various ingenious manufactures. They make light blankets for summer from the hair of the dog, the wolf, the chamois goat and the big horn sheep, while they weave also mats of sedge as a very common wrapper for both men and women. They also mould and carve their canoes with great taste. These little vessels, which are all formed out of single trunks, present, of course, a greater variety of size in this land of colossal trees than crafts of a similar description present in any other country; but, whether large or small, they are all gracefully shaped, with slightly elevated prows and sterns. They fly through the water with the paddle, like so many wherries, while such of them, as are of any considerable size, are perfectly safe under sail. It was noon of the next day, the fourteenth of the month, before the weather cleared sufficiently for a start. Just while getting up the steam again. Captain McNeill discovered, that the capot of one of the wood-cutters had been stolen in the bush on the previous evening. After a great deal of fruitless clamor on both sides, the captain took an axe .mjt FROM VANCOUVER TO SITKA. 119 from the rhief, who, now that ho had a personal interest in the matter, instantaneously informed against another s^randee of the amiahle and innocent name of Nancy; but as, in Mr. Nancy's absence, we had no means of ascertain injr the truth, we still held on by the chief's axe. Our friend, who was by this time in his canoe, opened against Captain McNeill with the following harangue in Chinook: — "The white men are very pitiful, since they have stolen my axe. My axe must have been very good indeed, otherwise the ship would not have stolen it. If an Indian steals anything, he is ashamed and hides his face; but the great ship-chief Ma-ta-hell steals my axe and is not ashamed, but stands there scolding and laughing at me, whom he has robbed. It is good to be a white chief, because he can steal and at the same time show his face. If he was not strong with a large ship and long guns, he would not be so brave. I am weak now, but I maybe strong by and by, and then perhaps I will take payment for my axe. But it is very good to be a white chief in a large ship with big guns; he can steal from a poor Indian who is here alone in his canoe, with his wife and child, and no big guns to protect him." All this was said with provoking coolness, while a contemptous smile played on the speaker's manly countenance ; and his pretty little princess, to whom he ever and anon turned round for encouragement, was constantly freshening the inspiration, as it were, by her blandest looks. To detain the axe was impossible after so rich a treat; and we restored it the more readily, as we were convinced by the chief's tone and manner that he was guiltless with respect to the missing capot. About one in the afternoon we got under way. We were soon nearly abreast of Smith's Inlet, where we should have to encounter the un- broken swell of the open ocean for upwards of twenty-five miles, being, in fact, the only exposed part of the coast of any extent between Fuca's Straits and Cross Sound; and the passage would also be the more dangerous on account of the presence of the Pearl and Virgin rocks. Just at this point, to our great mortification, the fog again gathered so thickly around us, that we could not see to the distance of fifty yards; and we had, therefore, no other choice than that of en- deavoring to regain the safe ground that we had left. But we had hardly put about, when we heard the sound of breakers almost under our bows. "Stop her, and back!" was passed to the engineer; and it was well that a word could do the needful, for a sailing vessel would have been knocked to pieces in less time than we took to return stern foremost into fifteen fathoms. There we remained at anchor till five o'clock, when the dispersion of the mist showed us, that the current must have carried the steamer two miles to the westward of her reckoning. Now that we saw a clear route to carry us away from our imminent danger, we lost no time in getting up the anchor, though, from the defective state of the windlass, twenty-two minutes, an age in our estimation, were spent on thirty fathoms of chain. We proceeded to a secure anchorage under the northern end of Vancouver's Island, near Bull Harbor, embracing the opportunity of recruiting our stocks of wood and water. On going ashore, we saw two large sea lions, which, how- ^ .'Hr 120 FROM VANCOUVER TO SITKA. 1^.' y. h' y ever, were too far oft' to be shot ; we also found a great variety of zoophytes, numberless marine vegetables, and inexhaustible stores of the mussel and other shell fish. Next morning, as the weather had cleared and was promising well, we entered on our dangerous traverse at an early hour ; and, though the haze soon again came in our way, yet, as we saw the Pearl and Virgin rocks to seaward, we held our course, reaching, about half- past ten, the smooth water of Fitzhugh's Sound. During our run we saw a large shark, lying with merely one fin above the water to mark its situation. When thus basking in the sun, the monster is fre- quently killed by the Indians. Some time ago, one of my fellow travelers across the Atlantic, Mr. Manson, seeing a sharlf at his ease opposite to Fort McLaughlin, pushed off in a canoe ; and then, stand- ing on the gunwale, he struck his harpoon into the animal. Thus transfixed, the brute swam off with a whole fleet of canoes in tow, and was secured only after a dance of two or three hours. The carcase measured twenty-four feet in length ; and the liver yielded thirty-six gallons of oil. After passing Calvert's Island, our channel was formed by islands to seaward, and on the other side partly by islands and partly by pro- montories of the main land. Between these promontories there were generally deep inlets known as canals, one of them being deservedly sacred in the eyes of every Briton, as that arm of the Pacific Ocean, to which Sir Alexander McKenzie, with matchless prudence and forti- tude, forced his way across a continent never before trodden by civil- ized man. This spot, by the by, and the greater part of the track, by which it was reached, have been claimed by some Americans as the property of their republic. The force of imagination can no farther go. In scudding along, we were hailed by a strongly manned canoe with the usual salutation of Ma-ta-hell, Ma-ta-hell, Ma-ta-hell; but, as we were anxious to get to Fort McLaughlin before sunset, we had no time for parley. About six o'clock we came to anchor at the post just men- tioned, distant a few miles from Millbank Sound. . This very neat establishment was planned in 1837, by Mr. Finlay- son, of Red River, who left the place in an unfinished state to Mr. Manson, who, in his turn, had certainly made the most of the capabilities of the situation. The site must originally have been one of the most rugged spots imaginable, — a mere rock, in fact, as uneven as the adjacent waters in a tempest, while its soil, buried as it was, in its crevices, served only to encumber the surface with a heavy growth of timber. Besides blasting and leveling, Mr. Manson, without the aid of horse or ox, had introduced several thousand loads of gravel, while, by his judicious contrivances in the way of fortification, he had rendered the place capable of holding out, with a garrison of twenty men, against all the natives of the coast. Mr. Manson's successor, Mr. Charles Ross, had made considerable additions to the garden, which was now of about three acres in extent, with a soil principally formed of sea- weed, and produced cabbages, potatoes, turnips, carrots and other vege- tables. FROM VANCOUVER TO SITKA. 121 In the neighborhood of the fort was a village of about five hundred BallaboUas, who spoke a dialect of the Qualeolth language. At first these savages were exceedingly turbulent ; and one of our people of the name of Fran(;ois Richard having disappeared, the chief was seized as a hostage for the restitution of the white man. In a skirmish, which the retaliatory step occasioned, one of the garrison was taken prisoner and two were wounded, while of the Indians several were wounded and two killed. After much negotiation, the chief, who was detained by the whites, was exchanged for the man who had been captured by the natives. The fate of Richard, however, remained a mystery, till some women gradually blabbed the secret, that he had been murdered by a certain individual. The murderer having been pointed out to me, as he walked openly and boldly about the fort, I took measures for sending the fellow to a distance, as an example to his friends. The BallaboUas were all in mourning, the custom in such cases being to lay aside all ornaments and to blacken the face. The present cause of national distress was said to be as follows. Between the Hydas of Queen Charlotte's Island and the BallaboUas a deadly feud had long subsisted. About six weeks before our arrival, the latter, to the number of about three hundred, had attacked a village of the for- mer, butchering all the inhabitants but one man and one woman. These two the victorious chief was carrying away as living trophies of his triumph; but, alas for the instability of all human things, while standing in a boastful manner on the gunwale of his canoe and vowing all sorts of vengeance against his victims, he was shot down by a des- perate effort of his male prisoner. The BallaboUas, their joy being now turned into grief, cut the throats of the prisoners, threw the spoils overboard, and returned home rather as fugitives than as conquerors. They buried their leader in the garden of the fort, — the carcase of the old warrior being well worth its room, as a better safeguard against pilfering than pickets and watchmen. According to the custom of the BallaboUas, the widows of the deceased were transferred to his bro- ther's harem, — a more palatable arrangement for the poor women than the practice, as already mentioned with respect to another tribe, of carrying about their late lord's ashes during three long years of widow- hood and sorrow. Talking of wives, the wife of Mr. Ross of this fort, a Saulteau half- breed from Lac la Pluie, lately displayed great courage. Some In- dians, while trading, in her husband's absence, with her son in the shop of the establishment, drew their knives upon the boy. On hear- ing this, the lady, pike in hand, chased the cowardly rascals from post to pillar, till she had driven them out of the fort. "If such are the white women," said the discomfited savages, "what must the white men be ?" In the garden I found one of the larger canoes of the BallaboUas. It was sixty feet long, four and a half deep and six and a half broad, with elevated prow and stern. This vessel would carry a hundred men, fifty engaged in paddling and fifty stowed away ; and yet, notwithstand- 122 FROM VANCOUVER TO SITKA. I r;* w 1^ 1 ■ '1 ,fl^ 'A f «j In fl i '* iH Hi* !^H ing its enormous rapacity, it was formed, with the exception of the raised portions of the extremities, out of a single log. At Fort McLaughlin we first saw that disgusting ornament of the fair sex, the lip-piece. A bit of wood or ivory of an oval form, varying in size from the dimensions of a small button to three inches long anil an inch and a half wide, is introduced into a hole in the lower lip so as to draw it back and thereby expose the whole of the lower gum. This hideous fashion, however, is now wearing out, having been found to be disagreeable to the whites, to whose opinions and feelings the native ladies pay the highest possible respect. The chiefs possess great power, compelling their followers to do anything, however treacherous, and to suffer anything, however cruel, without any other reason than that such is their savage pleasure. The chief of the BallaboUas, when he was lately very ill, ordered one of his people to be shot; and he forthwith received both health and strength through the operation of this powerful medicine. They sometimes, too, call religion to their aid, consecrating their most horrible atrocities by pretending to be mad. In this state, they go into the woods to eat grass like Nebuchadnezzar, or prowl about gnawing at a dead man's ribs. Then, as the fit of inspiration grows stronger, they rush among their people, snapping and swallowing mouthfuls from the arms or legs of such as come in their way. The poor victims never resist this sharp practice, excepting by taking to their heels as fast as they can. One of these noble cannibals was lately playing off his inspiration at the gate of the fort, where a poor fellow, out of whose arm he had filched a com- fortable lunch, was impious enough to roar out lustily; and Mr. Ross' dog, suspecting foul play, seized the chief's leg and held it tight, in spite of his screams, till driven away by the well-known voice of his master. Nero, instead of being killed according to Mr. Ross' anticipa- tions, was thenceforward venerated by the BallaboUas, as having been influenced by the same inspiration as their chief. About ten in the morning, we left Foit McLaughlin, passing through Millbank Sound, Grenville Canal, Chatham Sound .and Pearl Harbor. About four in the afternoon, we reached Fort Simpson, under tho charge of Mr. Work. This establishment was originally formed at the mouth of Nass River, but had been removed to a peninsula, washed on three sides by Chatham Sound, Port Essington and Work's Canal. Fort Simpson is the resort of a vast number of Indians, amounting in all to about fourteen thousand, of various tribes. There are the Chim- seeans, who occupy the country from Douglas' Canal to Nass River, of whom about eight hundred are settled near the establishment, as home-guards, under the protection of our guns. Then there are the Sebassamen, from Bank's Island, and the inhabitants of Queen Char- lotte's Island. In addition to these, who live to the south of the inter- national boundary, many Russian Indians, such as the inhabitants of Kygarnie, Tomgass and the Isles des Clamelsettes, likewise frequent the fort. Many of these natives pay mei'ely passing visits on their way to Nass Straits to fish for the ullachan, whose oil has been already mentioned, not only as a luxury for the great, but also as a necessary of FROM VANCOUVER TO SITKA. 123 life to all classes. As this oil, by the by, was free from smell, it mijjlit l)P applied to many purposes in the civilized world; and I accordinjrly (irdered a few jars of it to be sent to liOndon, by way of sample. All these visitors of Fort Simpson are turbulent and fierre. Their broils, which are invariably attended with bloodshed, jrenerally arise from the most trivial causes, such, for instance, as gambling quarrels, or the neg- lect of points of etiquette. Here the lip-piece was more generally in use than at any other part of the coast: but it was clearly going out of vogue, for it was far more common among the ancient dames than among the young women. In other respects, the people were peculiarly comely, strong and well crown. Tiiey are remarkably clever and ingenious. They carve steamers, animals, &c., very neatly in stone, wood and ivory, imitating, in short, everything that they see either in reality or in drawings; and 1 saw in particular a head for a small vessel, that they were building, so well executed that I took it for the work of a white artificer. One man, known as the Arrowsmith of the Northwest Coast, had gone far beyond his compeers, having prepared very accurate charts of most parts of the adjacent shores. Next morning I visited the native village and found the lodges, both inside and outside, superior to any others that I had seen on the coast. I observed among the people traces of the small-pox, eight of them having lost an eye each. That destructive pestilence had got thus far south, but no farther, carrying off about one-third of the population. Since then the wolves have been very scarce; and the Indians main- tain that they caught the malady by eating the dead bodies. This vo- racity on the part of these ravenous beasts was likely enough, for the savages themselves, horrible and incredible to tell, frequently ate the corpses of their relatives that had died of the disease, even after they were putrid; and, in some instances, after they had been buried. Sy- philis, I was sorry to observe, was very prevalent, entailing scrofula and similar distempers on the rising generation. As Fort Simpson lay within the range of the competition of the Russians of Sitka, who used spirits in their trade, we had not been able here to abo- lish the sale of liquor; and, such was the influence of the simple fact, that several of our crew, though not a drop was either given or sold to them, yet continued to become tolerably drunk by " tapping the admiral." Leaving Fort Simpson about one in the afternoon of the eighteenth, we came to anchor for the night at the southern entrance of the Canal de Keveilla. BoUi mainland and islands became more and more rugged as we advanced, rising abruptly from the very shores, in the form of lofty mountains, with the ocean at their feet and the snow on their summits. In perfect keeping with the coast, the inland region consists of some of the wildest scenery in nature, of Alpine masses, in fact, thrown together in tumultuous confusion. So uneven, in short, is the whole country, that, within any reasonable distance of a stream or a lake, a level site for a fort can hardly be found. Moreover, this land of rocks is as difficult of access, excepting on the immediate margin of the sea, as it is impracticable in itself. Most of the streams to the norths |!1 I U.M I! »..; :t 124 FROM VANCOUVER TO SITKA. ward of Frazcr's River are mere torrents, which, being fed in summer by the melting of the snows, and in winter by the watering deluges of this dismal climate, plunge headlong in deep gullies between the con- tiguous bases of precipitous heights of every form and magnitude. Within the limits just mentioned, the Babine, the Nass and the Stikine are the only rivers that may be ascended to any distance, and even they with considerable difficulty and danger. Since we left Nisqually, Mr. Rowand had been suffering very severely from intermittent fever and sea-sickness. As he had been much worse last night, we wished to leave him at Fort Simpson; but he insisted on continuing the voyage along with us. Next day we passed through the Canal de Reveilla and Clarence Straits, respectively about thirty and fifty-four miles long. On the morning thereafter, having halted all night on account of the narrow- ness of the channel, we passed through Stikine Straits into the little harbor of Fort Stikine, where, about eight o'clock, we were welcomed on shore by Mr. M'Laughlin, Jun. This establishment, originally founded by the Russian American Company, had been recently trans- ferred to us on a lease of ten years, together with the right of hunting and trading in the continental territories of the association in question as far up as Cross Sound. Russia, as the reader is, of course, aware, possesses on the mainland, between lat. 54° 40' and lat. 60°, only a strip never exceeding thirty miles in depth ; and this strip, in the ab- sence of such an arrangement as has just been mentioned, renders the interior comparatively useless to England. The establishment, of which the site had not been well selected, wi situated on a peninsula hardly large enough for the necessary buildings, while the tide, by overflowing the isthmus at high water, rendered any artificial extension of the premises almost impracticable; and the slime, that was periodically deposited by the receding sea, was aided by the putridity and filth of the native villages in the neighborhood in oppress- ing the atmosphere with a most nauseous perfume. The harbor, moreover, was so narrow, that a vessel of a hundred tons, instead of swinging at anchor, was under the necessity of mooring stem and stern ; and the supply of fresh water was brought by a wooden aque- duct, which the savages might at any time destroy, from a stream about two hundred yards distant. The Stikine or Felly's River empties itself into the ocean by two channels, respectively four and ten miles distant from the fort. One of them is navigable for canoes, while the other, though only in the season of high water, can be ascended by the steamer about thirty miles. . The establishment is frequented by the Secatquouays, who occupy the mainland about the mouths of the river and also the neighboring islands ; and, in addition to these home guards, it is visited by the natives of three more distant villages, Hanego, Kooyon and Kayk. The Secatquouays may be estimated at six hundred men or three thousand souls ; and four or five thousand people in all are dependent l FRf M SITKA TO VANCOUVER. 135 was granted to all such as had the means of supporting a family. These matrimonial connexions are a heavy tax on a post in conse- quence of the increased demand for provisions, but form, at the same time, a useful link between the traders and the savages. We here experienced a singular instance of the pilfering disposition of the natives. Some of them had been employed to carry wood and water on board ; and one fellow, doubtless thinking that a thing for which lie had been paid must be worth stealing, paddled off after dusk with a load of fuel. Before starting in the morning, we nearly lost a man, through the apparent indifference of others. A Sandwich Islander fell overboard, but, being deemed amphibious, attracted hardly any notice. The poor fellow, however, proved not to be in swimming trim. Besides that, the temperature of the water was very different from that to which he had been accustomed; he was encumbered with boots, great coat, &c.; and in consequence he was saved only when he was at his last gasp. Having again taken Mr. Rowand on board, we reached Fort Simp- son at seven in the morning of the second day thereafter. Before landing we passed three canoes under sail, one of them containing fully twenty people ; and in another we recognized Quatkay of Stikine, M'ho had been searching, as already mentioned, for his runa- way slaves. Though the little squadron luffed, yet we had no time for giving or receiving news. On entering the establishment, we learned that a fight among the savages had occurred during our ab- sence. A Chimseean had purchased some potatoes from a Queen Charlotte Islander, who, on second thought, refused to fulfil his con- tract, being probably of opinion that the article would rise in the market. This breach of agreement provoked a blow from the disap- pointed purchaser, who immediately fell under the knives of the faith- less seller and his countrymen. The vulgar transaction thus became a point of honor to two nations ; and, after the belligerent powers had counted four killed and many more wounded, a peace was negotiated by Mr. Work, leaving, according to the civilized custom in the gene- rality of such cases, the grand question of potatoes bargained and sold precisely as it stood. Besides quarreling with each other, these wild men occasionally display towards us their fearfully low estimate of human life. One of them, having recently attempted to steal some- thing from the blacksmith's shop, was then and there chastised by the son of Vulcan ; and, though the chief, who had thus been affronted in the person of his vassal, did pot dare to attack the fort, yet he pro- posed that Mr. Work should kill the blacksmith, while he himself, as if to make up for the difference between the offence and the punish- ment, would sacrifice a slave to our man's manes. Starting at half past five next morning, we anchored for the night in a cove in Grcnviile Canal. This delay was entirely owing to the miserably thick weather, for, with a clear atmosphere, we could have run in tlie dark, inasmuch as the channel presented deep water and bold shores. In the vicinity of our anchorage was a village of Sebas- saraen, a numerous tribe which was said to consist, in a great measure, ', ci li'i ' i Bi u liiilUiltlill I ! i till mm illNi 136 FROM SITKA TO VANCOUVER. of runaway slaves, whom the chief, like another Romulus, always received with open arms ; and, if he should continue this policy, he would be not unlikely to render his village the Rome of the adjacent coasts. In passing next day, through Grenville Canal, we saw some beautiful waterfalls, which had been greatly increased by the late heavy rams, tumbling down the sides of the mountains, where they found so little soil that they carried their foam to the sea just as pure as they had received it from the clouds. We anchored within sight of Millbank Sound. About eight in the morning we reached Fort McLaughlin, where we remained during the rest of the day. The murderer of Francois Richard was still walking about as audaciously as ever. Like every other criminal of the same class, that I had seen among Indians, this fellow, Tsoquayou by name, was so smooth, placid and mild in his manner as almost to belie his guilt. He was, as already mentioned, soon to be removed for ever from his own people, as a commutation of the capital punishment which he so richly deserved. We were glad here to bid farewell to the odious lip-piece, which would render the most lovely face on earth an object of disgust; in one respect, too, this ornament is as inconvenient to the wearers as it is offensive to the spectators. When the ladies fair come to blows, as they always do when drunk, and sometimes when sober, each pounces on her antagonist's lower lip as at once being the most vulnerable region and furnishing the best hold ; and at the close of a fray, the whole col- lege of surgeons are sure to be busily engaged in doctoring lips and replacing lip-pieces. Leaving Fort McLaughlin next morning we were obliged, by four in the afternoon, to take refuge for the night in Safety Cove on Calvert's island by reason of our being unable to reach any other known shelter with daylight. After anchoring, I amused myself, as was my custom, by fishing, my ordinary prey being halibut, rockcod, flounders, &c. &c. In this neighborhood, I noticed what was to me a very remarkable phenomenon, a sea-weed growing to the surface from a depth of thirty or forty fathoms. Next day, after being once driven back to Calvert's Island, we suc- ceeded, on a second attempt, in crossing the grand traverse, already mentioned as the only exposed part of the coast, to Shushady Harbor in Vancouver's Island. As the swell of the ocean was here met by a high wind from the shore, no fewer than ten of our crew and passengers were laid up with sea sickness. During the squalls, the paddles made seventeen revolutions in a minute; but, during the lulls, they accom- plished twenty-two. The proportions of actual speed, however, were very different, two or three miles an hour in the one case and six or seven in the other. The northern end of Vancouver's Island would be an excellent posi- tion for the collecting and curing of salmon, which being incredibly numerous in these waters, might easily be rendered one of the most important articles of trade in this country. The neighboring Newettees, FROM SITKA TO VANCOUVER. 137 a brave and friendly tribe, would be valuable auxiliaries not only in aiding the essential operations of the establishment, but also in furnish- ing supplies of venison. As a proof of their industry, they brought to us in the evening some wood that they had themselves cut for us during our absence. By the by, it was the principal chief of this tribe, that made the long speech about his axe against the ship with the big guns. He himself has taken the fashionable name of liOoking Glass; his second in command is appropriately distinguished as Killum, and the third, an old fellow of sturdy form and facetious countenance, glories in being Shell Fish. In one respect, the last mentioned grandee resembles the wandering Jew, having, as I was told, undergone no change in appearance during the last twenty years. In spite of the deluge of rain that fell during the night and morning, our wooding and watering were completed, the ladies lending their assistance, while the gentlemen were engaged in trading. A little after sunset, we anchored in front of a village of Quakeolths. We were soon visited by twelve or fifteen canoes, in one of which we noticed the indiscriminate admirer of the fair sex, who had been our fellow passenger for a little distance on our upward voyage. The favor which was then granted to him, had since then involved him in a deal of trouble. After getting rid of the amorous old fellow, we had passed a village of Camoucs without stopping, and these people giving our Quakeolth friend the c.edit of having suggested this slight, took their revenge by murdering three of his slaves. As the insulted potentate could not let matters rest here, he had now a large party of his thralls prowling about for an opportunity of retaliation, assuring us that nothing less than the assasination of two slaves for one would satisfy him, unless indeed the aggressors should come forward with a handsome offer of sea otters in the way of expiation. At the request of the chief, we consented to remain till next day, for the purpose o» trading. Before the fleet left us, the female mari- ners, whether from inquisitiveness or acquisitiveness, or any other motive, expressed a strong desire to come on board, and were by no means pleased with Ma-ta-hell's unqualified rejection of their pro- posals. Before daybreak the vessel was surrounded by about fifty canoes, whose fair inmates were as affable as if they had not been affronted the night before. After a great deal of noise and negotiation, we procured a small quantity of inferior furs, blankets being, as usual, the grand equivalent. The Quakeohhs, as well as the Newettees, had long been anxious that we should form a permanent establishment among them. But the mysterious steamer, against which neither calms nor contrary winds were any security, possessed, in our estimation, this advantage over stationary forts, that, besides being as convenient for the purposes of trade, she was the terror, whether present or absent, of every tribe on the coast. Starting at two in the afternoon, we were soon obliged, in conse- quence of the distance of any other harbor, to anchor for the night in a small bay, into which a pretty stream emptitd itself. The wooding -i%*. •^M 138 FROM SITKA TO VANCOUVER. ! ' ■! and watering:, as usual, commenced, while, by way of varying the evening's amusements, we ourselves made an unsuccessful attack on ihe ducks and plovers. Next morning we passed two or three canoes without stopping, merely throwing them out some pieces of tobacco attached to billets of wood. About three in the afternoon we entered the whirlpools of Johnston's Straits, the water being tolerably smooth, and had got down nearly abreast of Point Mudge, when we became enveloped in a fog, which in density surpassed anything of the kind that I ever saw out of London. Under these circumstances, to advance along a channel of only two miles in width was impossible ; and accordingly, slacken- ing the speed of the engine, we endeavored to grope our way out of the strength of the current to an anchorage on the shore of Vancoi'ver's Island. After a few casts of the lead without finding bottom, we soon got into twelve, eleven, ten and eight fathoms; and, thinking that wo were now quite near enough, we backed out again and dropped the small bower in eighteen fathoms. We then dragged over a rocky bottom, paying out gradually seventy-five fathoms, while the tide was running up from twelve to fourteen knots an hour; and at last we dropped the best bower, which jerked over the ground to such a degree as to endanger the windlass. About half past six the best bower held with its chain as stiflT as a bar, whereas the small bower, of which the chain was slack, was supposed to be broken or parted. We now plucked up courage to take tea, supposing ourselves secure for the night; but about nine the vessel again began to drag for an hour or so, till the tide slackened. Immediately on stopping, we attempted to heave in the small bower without, however, being able to raise a single link. About eleven at night we repeated the effort; and, after fifty minutes of hard labor, we got hold of our small bower all dislocated and shattered. Next day, about noon, we dragged again over sand, running out into the gulf with the ebb tide. Soon afterwards our sand was succeeded by rock, when we felt a jerk, which made us all suppose that the ves- sel had struck. The cause of the shock was soon suspected. Down to this time the anchor, as it scraped and thumped against the bottom, had been very distinctly heard from the poop, as if it was astern in- stead of being five hundred feet ahead; but now we discerned nothing but the clanking of the chain, as it rattled along the inequalities of the ground. In a word, we had every reason to believe, that we had lost our best bower. About three in the afternoon, in consequence of our having drifted into deep water, the chain was no longer heard any more than the anchor. About four we caught a glimpse of land, supposed to be Point Mudge, while we were reeling wildly out into the gulf, the mere sport of the whirlpools. About six in the evening, the wind, shifting from northeast to southeast, dispersed the fog; and, after our pooft fellows had been toiling at the windlass for nearly an hour and a hall; they verified our fears by bringing up the chain without the anchor, leaving us in i '^ enviable condition at this boisterous season. Getting up the steam, we hoped to reach the anchorage between Sang- FROM SITKA TO VANCOUVER. 139 filer's and Foveda Islands, with the view of procurinjr a new stock for our small bower ; but our southeaster soon began to blow so hard as to make us bear away for Beware Harbor at the north end of Fevcda ; and there we rendered ourselves as snug as possible for the night by dropping our small bower with some temporary repairs and our stream and kedge lashed together. We had passed a most anxious time of it, driving helplessly, as we were, in the midst of impenetrable darkness with a current almost equaling the speed of a racer, with a bottom where no tackle could find holding ground, and with a coast where a touch would have knocked the stoutest ship to pieces. Nor was man likely to be more liospitable than nature. Even if we had survived the perils of ship- wreck, we should have had to enter on a fearful struggle for our lives with savages, whose cruelty had never yet acknowledged any check but that of power and force. To give an idea of the strength of the current, no bottom at times could be found with two deep-sea lead linos fastened together, even when the actual depth did not exceed thirty or forty fathoms. The bay, in which we were anchored, was said to be famous for the abundance of its herring spawn. The native mode of collecting it is to lay branches of pine on the beach at low water, where, after the next flood has retired, they are found to be covered with the substance in question to the thickness of an inch. When dry, the spawn is rubbed ofl' with the hand into large boxes for ruture use. Previously to being eaten, it is washed in fresh water in order to remove the taste of the pine ; and it is then eaten, in the form of cakes, with flesh, fish or fowl. Next day a chief and ten of his people were caught in the act of thieving from the wood-cutters and were forthwith thrashed by the sufferers. However expert the Indians may be at the knife or the spear or the gun, they are invariably taken aback by a white fist on their noses, or, as it is technically termed, by a muzzier. Even the Blackfoot, one of the most ferocious specimens of the race, is so much astonished at that homely and simple style of fighting, that, when struck, he places his hands on the part affected instead of pitching them into his assailant's carcase. On the second day thereafter, being Sunday the seventeenth of October, we had a beautiful run with smooth water and fine weather. We passed close along Whidbey's Island, being about forty miles long. It is well fitted for settlement and cultivation. The soil is good; the timber is excellent; and there are several open plains, which have been prepared by natives for the plough. We anchored for the evening about five miles to the south of this island; and, by making a very early move, we breakfasted ashore at Nisqually about five in the morning. Thus had I twice traversed the most extraordinary course of inland navigation in the world. The first, that opened its mysteries in more modern times, was Captain Berkeley, an Englishman sailing under the Portuguese flag. There is reason, however, for believing, that, in a J- . si '.''..■ 't> h--'l V ■'■ 140 FROM SITKA TO VANCOUVER. 11: I comparatively remote age, Berkeley had been anticipated by Spanish navigators. Juan de Fuca discovered the strait, which bears his name; and Admiral F'onte penetrated up some of the more northerly inlets. Though both these explorers mingled a vast deal of fable with the truth, pretending to have made their way right through to the Atlantic Ocean, yet they clearly ascertained the general character of the coast to the extent just stated. According to the whole tenor of my journal, this labyrinth of waters is peculiarly adapted for the powers of steam. In the case of a sailing vessel, our delays and dangers would have been tripled and quad- rupled, — a circumstance which raised my estimate of Vancouver's skill and perseverance at every step of my progress. But, independently of physical advantages, steam, as I have already mentioned, may be said to exert an almost superstitious influence over the savages; besides acting without intermission on their fears, it has, in a great measure, subdued their very love of robbery and violence. In a word, it has inspired the red man with a new opinion, — new not in degree but in kind, — of the superiority of his white brother. After the arrival of the emigrants from Red River, their guide, a Cree of the name of Bras Croche, took a short trip in the Beaver. When asked what he tJiought of her, " Don't ask me," was his reply; "I cannot speak; my friends will say that I tell lies when I let them know what I have seen; Indians are fools and know nothing; I can see that the iron machinery makes the ship to go, but I cannot see what makes the iron machinery itself to go." Bras Croche, though very intelligent, and, like all the Crees, partially civilized, was nevertheless so full of doubt and wonder, that he would not leave the vessel, till he got a certificate to the effect, that he had been on board of a ship which needed neither sails nor paddles. Though not one of his countrymen would understand a word of what was written, yet the most skeptical among them would not dare to question the truth of a story which had a document in its favor. A savage stands nearly as much in awe of paper, pen and ink as of steam itself; and, if he once puts his cross to any writing, he has rarely been known to violate the engagement which such writing is supposed to embody or to sanction. To him the very look of black and white is a powerful ''medicine." Before leaving Nisqually, let me still farther illustrate the character of the tribes of the northwest coast by a summary sketch of the condition of their slaves. These thralls are just as much the property of their masters as so many dogs, with this difference against them, that a man of cruelty and ferocity enjoys a more exquisite pleasure in tasking or starving, or torturing or killing a fellow creature than in treat- ing any one of the lower animals in a similar way. Even in the most inclement weather, a mat or a piece of deer skin is the slave's only clothing, whether by day or by night, whether under cover or in the open air. To eat without permission, in the very midst of an abund- ance which his toil has procured, is as much as his miserable life is worth ; and the only permission, which is ever vouchsafed to him, is to pick up the offal thrown out by his unfeeling and imperious lord. FROM SITKA TO VANCOUVER. 141 Whether in open war or in secret assassination, this cold and hungry wretch invariably occupies the post of danger. But all this in nothing, when compared with the purely wanton atrocities to which these most helpless and pitiable children of the human race are subjected. They are beaten, lacerated and maimed, — the mutilating of lingers or toes, the splitting of noses and the scooping out of eyes being ordinary occurrences. They are butchered, — without the excuse or the excitement of a gladiatorial combat, — to make holidays ; and, as if to carry persecution beyond the point at which the wicked are said to cease from troubling, their corpses are often cast into the sea to be washed out and in by the tide. To show how dia- bolically ingenious the masters are in the work of murder, six slaves, on the occasion of a late merry-making at Sitka, were placed in a row with their throats over a sharp ridge of rock, while a pole, loaded with a chuckling demon at either end, ground away at the hacks of their necks till life was extinct. What a proof of the degrading influ- ence of oppression, that men should submit in life to treatment, from which the black bondmen of Cuba or Brazil would be glad to escape by suicide. To return to my narrative, we almost immediately departed from Nisqually in the steamer for the Chutes River, about five miles farther up Puget Sound, having dispatched a band of horses to meet us there. At the Chutes, which gives name to the stream, the fall is about twenty feet, where grist and saw mills might be erected with great advantage. Next day we reached the Cowlitz Farm, where, on the following morning, the Rev. Mr. Demers of the Roman Catholic Church, break- fasted with us. He had just returned from visiting the country, situ- ated between Nisqually and Eraser's River. At Fort Langley he had seen upwards of three thousand inhabitants of Vancouver's Island, who had been fishing during the summer in the stream just mentioned. Everywhere the natives received him with the greatest respect. They had, however, been very much puzzled with regard to the sex of their visitor. From his dress they took him for a woman, but from his beard for a man ; but, feeling that such inconsistencies could not both be true, they pursued a middle course by referring him to a distinct species. About noon we embarked in a batteau on the Cowlitz, and encamped about eight in the evening at its mouth, where we met Mr. Steel, the principal shepherd of the Puget Sound Company, driving a flock of rams to Nisqually. By two in the morning we were again on the water, and, with the first dawn, descried The Hudson's Bay Company's Barque Columbia, which was returning, like ourselves, from the northwest coast, beating her way up the stream. Having overtaken her near the lower branch of the Willamette, we boarded her in time for breakfast, to the satis- faction of all parties ; and, as a specimen of the delays and diflSculties of this intricate river, we learned that, in addition to her usual share of detention at its mouth, she had already been a fortnight within the bar. After doing ample justice to the ship's good things, we again shot J I': I ( 5'i , ' Hj 142 FROM SITKA TO VANCOUVER. ahead as far .is tlie Cattlcpootle River ; and, liaviiifr tlicrc gladly ex- changed the batteau for horses, we enjoyed an exhilarating ride aeross a succession of luxuriant prairies, which, however, are belter adapted for pasturage than tillage, being periodically flooded by the high waters of the month of July. Ten or twelve miles of this beautiful country brought us by four in the afternoon to Fort Vancouver, where we found that the intermittent fever, which had been raging at our departure, had lost much of its virulence during our northern trip. Hardly had the Columbia reached Vancouver, when the Cowlitz, which had made a voyage to the Sandwhich Islands and California, was reported to be ofl" the bar ; and soon afterward, ler papers came up by boat from Fort George, along with a passenger of the name of de Mopas, who represented himself, for he had no credentials, as an attache of the French Embassy in Mexico. Though this gentleman professed to be collecting information for the purpose of making a book, yet, with the exception of accompanying us to the Willamette, lie scarcely went ten miles from the comfortable quarters of Fort Van- couver, while, in conversation, he was more ready to dilate on his own equestrian feats, than to hear what others might be able to tell him about the country or the people. Fort Vancouver, the company's grand depot, on the west side of the Rocky Mountains, is situated about ninety miles from the sea, the Columbia in front of it being about one mile in width. Within an oblong enclosure of upwards of six hundred feet by two hundred, which is surrounded by pickets, there are contained several houses, stores, magazines, granaries, workshops, &c., while the dwellings of the servants, the stables, the hospital, &;c., form a litde village on the outside of the walls. The people of the establishment, jesides officers and native laborers, vary in number, according to the season of the year, from one hundred and thirty to upwards of two hundred. They consist of Canai'ians, Sandwich Islanders, Europeans aid half breeds; and they contain among them agriculturists, voyageurs, blacksmiths, tinsmiths, car- penters, masons, tailors, shoemakers, &;c. &c. &c. Their weekly rations are usually twenty-one pounds of salted salmon, and one bushel of potatoes for each man ; and in addition to fish, there are also venison and wild fowl, with occasionally a little beef and pork. Most of the men are married to aboriginal or half-breed women ; amd the swarms of children in the little village already mentioned, pre- sent a strongly suggestive contrast with the scantiness of the rising generation, in almost every native village on the Lower Columbia. Amid so large a population, the surgeon of the establishment finds ample employment ; to the hospital already mentioned, the most seri- ous' cases are removed, seldom exceeding eight or ten in number, and generally consisting of fevers, fractures and neglected syphilis. There is an elementary school for the children of both sexes. Though at present there is no clergymen at Vancouver, yet divine service is regularly performed every Sunday, in English to the Pro- testants, and in French to the Catholics. The same chapel, a build- FROM SITKA TO VANCOUVER. 143 '*", ing, by the by, unworthy ol' the cstahlislimont, sorvod both purposes at the time of our visit; but scptirate places of worship W(;n! about to be erected for the two dv internal influences to guide them, art; pecu- liarly the creatures of external circumstances — so far at least as their constitutional indolence does not stand in the way. Thus the character of the gregarious horsemen of the plains is different from that of the solitary prowler of the woods; and that again is different from the character of those who exclusively or principally draw their living from the waters. So unerring is this principle, that, from external circum- stances alone, an intelligent man may generally ascertain, within cer- tain limits, the habits and dispositions of a tribe. But experience, by changing circumstances and character together, has placed the point beyond dispute. The Sarcees, now inhabiting the banks of Bow River, were originally Chipewayans from Athabasca; and they resemble rather the Blackfeet than their own original stock. Again, the Crees, on mi- grating from the bush into the plains, exchanged the characteristics of their race for those of the tribes among which their southerly advance had placed them. Lastly, the Chipewayans, as a body, having occupied much of the ground which the Crees had abandoned, form, as it were, an intermediate link between what they themselves have lately been, and what their descendants, the Sarcees, now are. ■., -^^' 4 > tn id PART I. 10 -4 146 FROM VANCOUVER TO SAN FRANCISCO, ETC. n|(.:' "¥ I I :? I"'i i^ I, > :ft* *4 CHAPTER VI. FROM VANCOUVER TO SAN FRANCISCO, ETC. ;. * Towards the close of November, the two barques dropped down the river, first the Cohimbia, bound for England, and then the Cowlitz, destined to convey me to California, the Sandwich Islands and Sitka. In the latter were Mr. Hale, of the American Exploring Squadron, Mr. de Mofras, and Mrs. Rae and family, all passengers for California, while my own immediate party remained behind at Vancouver, to make the most of our time while the vessel should be creeping along to the lowest point for safe embarkation. Accordingly, on the last day of the month, we left the fort about three In the afternoon with a boat and ten men. As the rain was pour- ing in torrents, we made very little progress, so that it was dark before we were abreast of the upper branch of the Willamette, opposite to which we encamped on the right bank of the Columbia, paying pretty well for very indifferent accommodation. This portion of the river presents nothing but swampy tracts in every direction, the ancient, and, most probably, the perpetual freehold of millions of wild fowl of every name ; and no sooner had they ascertained the presence of squatters from our watch-fires, than they set up a serenade of several miles in diameter, in which their treble appeared to become shriller by practice. Sleep was, of course, almost out of the question, our only consolation being, that each of us, for his own share, kept at least some myriads of the enemy out of bed; and, though the weather had not by any means improved during the night, yet we were glad enough by four in the morning, to give our tormentors the slip. After passing the Cowlitz River and the CoiTin Rock, we reached Oak Point about two in the afternoon. As a gale was now beginning to rise, besides that we were ourselves wet and chilly, we determined at once to make for an eligible encampment, which was known to be at no great distance below us ; but so much were we impeded by the rain and wind, that we were overtaken by the night before reaching the desired spot, and were about to return to the Indian village of Oak Point, when a heavy squall, in which hail and rain took the pelting of us by turns, suddenly burst upon us, nearly swamping our clumsy craft. In spite of the pitchy darkness, and of the probability of our being unable to land, we had no other choice than to run ashore from the storm, and to let the boat's head take its chance among the bushes. Fortunately we got footing, and, after literally groping our way, were delighted to discover room for one tent ; and when, after two hours, FROM VANCOUVER TO SAN FRANCISCO, ETC. 147 *" down the Cowlitz, ind Sitka. Squadron, Z!alifornia, f.ouver, to {\g along to fort about I was pour- lark before ipposite to y'mg pretty ' the river icient, and, 1 of every If squatters A miles in ly practice. onsolation yriads of iny means lur in the ^j the wet wood was coaxed into a tolerable blaze, we contrived to find space for the other also. We could now have slept well, more par- ticularly after the sleeplessness of the previous night ; but, besides worrying ourselves with the possibility that the tide might rise upon us, we were kept awake by a concert more horrible than that of the denizens of the bog, the crash of trees falling around us before the vio- lence of the storm. Moreover, the tempest, without abating its fury in any respect, embodied fresh elements of terror and mischief. For llie first time since we crossed the mountains, we were visited by thunder and lightning, which on this coast are in season only during winter ; and, to crown the climax, we felt, or fancied, a slight shock of an earthquake. In this state of aflfairs we durst not budge before daylight ; and, on starting about six in the morning, we were mortified to find that we had stopt short of McKenzie's encampment, the object of our yesterday's search, by only three or four hundred yards. The river was absolutely covered with swans, pelicans, geese, cranes, loons, ducks, cormorants, eagles, gulls, &c. &c. &c., the swans, in particular, presenting themselves in flights of a hundred or even two hundred at a time. These birds inhabit numerous bushy islands, which appear to have been originally formed by accumulations of driftwood, and which, being regularly flooded at high tide, are still almost as amphibious as most of their tenants. We breakfasted on the site of what had once been a native village, one of those sad monuments of a perishing race, which are of so fre- quent occurrence on the Lower Columbia, and thence made a traverse to Tongue Point on tlie left bank of the river, amid a succession of squalls, accompanied by rain and hail and sleet. This traverse occu- pied the whole remainder of this miserable day ; and it was as danger- ous as it was tedious and disagreeable, for the Columbia, now an estuary of five times its own proper width, exhibited sea enough to do full credit to the rudest gusts of the fitful storm. Tongue Point, where we encamped, being very few miles above Fort George, tlie intended place of our embarkation, we found that we had timed our departure from Vancouver to admiration, for, in the course of the afternoon, we saw ihe Cowlitz beating down against the same southwester that was dis- tressing and retarding ourselves. Next morning, being the third of December, we reached Fort George, formerly Astoria, about nine o'clock, wet, cold and comfortless, as, in fact, we had been, with little or no intermission, during the three days and nights of our downward passage. If we had enjoyed at Vancouver a week longer than our friends wiio had started in the Cowlitz, we had paid quite enough for our whistle. The Columbia had already arrived at Astoria; :md, as the Cowlitz joined her in the course of the after- noon, we immediately embarked, and, on comparing notes with her passengers, found that, on the whole, the balance, as we had antici- pated, was in their favor. To myself my embarkation on board of the Cowlitz formed the principal epoch of my journey. Hitherto I had, with few exceptions, traversed scenes, which, to say nothing of their comparative barrenness 148 FROM VANCOUVER TO SAN FRANCISCO, ETC. Ill .1: li. n of interest, were either in themselves familiar to me or differed only in degree from such as were so. But from Astoria my every step would impart the zest of novelty to objects essentially attractive and import- ant. In California I had before me a fragment of the grandest of colo- nial empires ; in the Sandwich Islands I was to contemplate the noblest of all triumphs, the slow but sure victory of the highest civilization over the lowest barbarism ; and to Russia I looked forward with the peculiar feelings of an Englishman, as the only possible rival of his country in the extent and variety of moral and political influence. Next morning we ran across to Baker's Bay with a fair wind, and were there obliged to drop anchor, for, though the breeze might have served us, yet the sea was breaking too heavily on the bar. During fourteen days, one southeaster followed another, each bringing its deluges of rain at mid-winter, while, to mark the difference of climate between the two sides of the continent, the good folks of Montreal, though occupying a lower parallel than ourselves, were sleighing it merrily through the clearest and driest of atmospheres. But, towards the close of the fortnight, the weather occasioned something much worse than mere detention. On the sixteenth of the month — the month, be it observed, of December — our mainmasts were simultaneously struck by lightning, that of the Cowlitz escaping with a slight scorching, but that of the Columbia being so severely shattered, as perhaps to require replacing at the Sandwich Islands, before she could safely proceed to England. About the eighteenth of the month, the wind veered to the northward, with frost and clear weather ; but it was not before the twenty-first, that the bar became sufficiently tranquil. There being now a favorable breeze from the northeast, as well as smooth water, we prepared to escape from the prison, which had held us in durance vile for seven- teen days ; and, accordingly, about two in the afternoon, both vessels got under way. We were all, even the most experienced among us, anxiously excited at the prospect of encountering a spot already pre- eminent, among congenial terrors of much older fame, for destruction of property and loss of life — its unenviable trophies consisting of three ships wrecked, and several others damaged, to say nothing of boats swamped with all their crews. Even under the conditions of fair wind and smooth water, we had reason for not feeling quite secure. On a depth of four or five fathoms the river and the ocean, even in their mildest moods, could hardly meet without raising a swell the more dangerous on account of its shallowness ; and the slightest caprice of the breeze, while we were entangled amid the intricate and narrow channels, might have left us to be driven by an impetuous tide on sands, where the stoutest ship, in the finest weather, would be knocked to pieces in very few hours. We contrived, however, to turn our consort to good account. The Columbia, having been anchored nearer to the bar, took the lead ; and the Cowlitz, of course, was careful to make something of a pilot out of her wake, professional pilots being clearly out of the question. On gaining the safe side of the passage, the Co- lumbia hoisted her colors and fired a salute for Old England — a signal FROM VANCOUVER TO SAN FRANCISCO, ETC. 149 )nly in would mport- )f colo- noblest iization irilh the I of his e. nd, and rht have During ging its climate lontreal, ghing it towards ch worse lonth, be ly struck hing, but o require roceed to [)rthward, .first, that favorable e pared to ■or seven- ih vessels of safety, which, in a few minutes, we had the happiness of returning. Here the vessels separated for their immediate destinations of Woahoo and California ; and, as our present breeze was a perfectly fair wind for both, they diverged so rapidly, that, before the day failed them, they had pretty nearly lost sight of each other. As the Cowlitz, though she had started from Vancouver five days later than the Columbia, had yet spent four weeks in coming about a hundred miles, our spanking pro- gress along the coast was quite delightful in spite of an occasionally intruding suspicion that such luck was too good to last, southeasters being as much the rule in winter as northwesters are during the rest of the year. The detention of our two ships had by no means exceeded the ave- rage delay, more particularly considering the season. During the win- ter, vessels often lie in Baker's Bay from three to seven weeks for the indispensable conjunction of fair wind and smooth water. The diffi- culties, too, of ingress, as compared with those of egress, are necessa- rily aggravated by the circumstance, that a vessel cannot so snugly watch her opportunity in the open ocean as in Baker's Bay ; and the danger of her position would be still greater, were she not exempted from the hazards of a lee shore by the openness of the adjacent coasts nd the directions of the prevailing gales. Jvi ; these obstructions, in proportion as they lessen the value of this 'i' ' i> enhance at the same time the merit of the man who first sur- mounted them, — a merit which cannot be denied to the judgment, and perseverance, and courage of Captain Gray, of Boston. Whether or not Captain Gray's achievement is entitled to rank as a discovery, the question is one which a bare sense of justice, without regard to poli- tical consequences, requires to be decided by facts alone. First, in 1775, Heceta, a Spaniard, discovered the opening between Cape Dis- appointment on the north and Point Adams on the south, — a disco- very the more worthy of notice, inasmuch as such opening can hardly be observed, excepting when approached from the westward ; and, being induced partly by the appearance of the land and partly by native tra- ditions as to a great river of the west, he filled the gap by a guess with his Rio de San Roque. Secondly, in 1788, Meares, an Englishman, sailing under Portuguese colors, approached the opening in question into seven fathoms of water, but pronounced the Rio de San Roque to be a fable, being neither able to enter it nor to discern any symptoms of its existence. Thirdly, in 1791, Gray, though after an effort of nine days, he failed to eflTect an entrance, was yet convinced of the exist- ence of a great river by the color and current of the water. Fourtlily, in April 1792, Vancouver, while he fell short of Gray's conviction, then, however, unknown to him, correctly decided, that the river, if it existed, was a very intricate one, and not a safe navigable harbor for vessels of the burden of his ship. Fifthly, in May 1792, Gray, return- ing expressly to complete his discovery of the previous year, entered the river, finding the channel very narrow and not navigable more than fifteen miles upwards, even for his Columbia of 220 tons. According to this summary statement of incontrovertible facts, the inquiry resolves ■,. ■ M ! i;l 150 FROM VANCOUVER TO SAN FRANCISCO, ETC. itself into three points, the discovery of the opening by Heeeta, the discovery of the river by Gray on his first visit, and the discovery of a practicable entrance by the same individual revisiting the spot for the avowed purpose of confirming and maturing his previous belief. Of the three points the most important two, — the two also which are least indebted to accident,— are in Gray's favor, while the value of Heceta's elementary and fortuitous step in the process is still farther diminished by the very inconsiderable light which it afforded to Meares. An Englishman is the less tempted to do injustice to Gray, inas- muc}i as his success, however creditable to himself as a bold and skill- ful mariner, cannot be made to support the territorial claim of his nation. He discovered one point in a country, which, as a whole, other na- tions had already discovered, so that the pretensions of America had been already forestalled by Spain and England. Supposing a Frenchman to have been the first to enter the harbor of Honolulu, would he have se- cured to France the whole of the Sandwich Islands, even on the ground, admitted on all hands to be correct, that the port in question was more valuable than all the rest of the group ? To take a still more apposite instance, supposing a Russian to have been the first to enter the har- bor of S?n Francisco, would he have secured to Russia the whole of California, even on the ground, admitted on all hands to be correct, that the port in question was more valuable than all that had previously been discovered on either side by England or Spain ? But Gray's suc- cess was as defective in form as it was impotent in substance. Disco- very confers merely a preferable right of taking possession within a reasonable time, requiring, even for this limited purpose, to be accom- panied by a claim, as expressive of an intention to maintain and en force such right. Now, neither Gray nor his government ever medi- tated any such claim till after the lapse of nearly twenty years, the journey of Lewis and Clarke in 1805 across the continent neither hav- ing reference to any previous discovery, nor being itself meant to be the foundation of any territorial pretension, nor could the coast of the Pacific, so long as it was separated from the republic by the foreign colony of Louisiana, have been possessed or claimed on any ground whatever without doing violence to the constitution of the United States. But the claim, even if validly made, would have been forfeited by subsequent proceedings. Though Astoria and some other posts were planted, not, however, by the government, but by individuals, yet they were all voluntarily abandoned during the war, so as to lend a positive sanction to the negative argument founded on lapse of time, — a sanction rendered only the more conclusive by the second volun- tary abandonment of Astoria when restored under the treaty of peace. Nor has the Willamette Settlement, in which Americans have now be- gun to plant themselves, about fifty years after the date of Gray's dis- covery, improved in this respect the position of the United States, for that colony was originally formed by British subjects acting under British authority, — its nationality being as little affected as that of Canada, in the eye of public law, by American immigration. In truth, the argument of discovery was never broached, till the acquisition of In V' ''i'\-\ FROM VANCOUVER TO SAN FRANCISCO, ETC. 151 Louisiana, which took place in 1803, had brought the republic to the height of land between the Missouri and the Columbia, — an acquisition which gradually nursed into life the marauder's plea of contiguity : in other words, when the Americans found the northwest coast within their reach, then, but not till then, did they try to find pretexts for grasping it. But the end was as impracticable as the means were un- justifiable. The United States will never possess more than a nominal jurisdiction, nor long possess even that, on the west side of the Rocky Mountains ; and supposing the country to be divided to-morrow to the entire satisfaction of the most unscrupulous patriot in the Union, I challenge conquest to bring my prediction and its own power to the test by imposing the Atlantic tariff on the ports of the Pacific. But the Americans profess to have fortified their own rights of dis- covery by those of Spain, having obtained, in 1819, a cession of all the claims of that power to that portion of the coast which lies to the north of the parallel of forty-two degrees. Now, as against England, America could hold such claims only on the same footing as that on which Spain herself held them, namely, under the stipulations of the treaty of 1790 between the two monarchies. According to the third article of that international compact, neither of the contracting parties was to disturb the other in the formation of settlements ; and according to its fifth article, the inherent sovereignty of such settlements was re- stricted only by the reciprocal right of access for the purposes of trade. As this treaty has not been affected by the temporary convention be- tween England and the United States, for the latter substantially re-echoes the provisions of the former, it necessarily renders British sovereignty co-extensive with British possession as existing at any point of time, whether present or future, a conclusion which, consider- ing the number of British posts and the range of their operations, cuts the knot with all its intricacies at a single blow. Clearly, therefore, America would rather weaken than strengthen her claim by tacking to it the rights of Spain. But, in point of fact, Spain was not competent to substitute a stranger for herself with respect to England. The inter- national relations, as just now quoted, were, so to speak, purely per- sonal; nor could anything be more certain than that, in 1790, neither Spain would have accepted America for England nor England have accepted America for Spain. But the relations in question, even if not in their own nature personal, were practically rendered incapable of being transferred to any third party by the correlative provisions, for the treaty of 1790 professed to ascertain and define the relative posi- tion of the two powers throughout the whole of the Pacific Ocean, and also along the eastern coast of South America. The northwest coast, therefore, was merely a part of a whole ; and the alleged transfer of 1819, even if admissible on other grounds, would have operated as a fraud against England, by forcing on her a substitute incompetent to discharge the obligations of the principal. As against England, how- ever, the treaty of 1819 did not contemplate the substitution of America for Spain. After drawing the boundary between Mexico and the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the third article con- -r ■' :■ ' - ii 152 FROM VANCOUVER TO SAN FRANCISCO, ETC. :!,il,| .Ih I 11 rU ... J jit: ^U liH: : -I eluded with a clause of nutual renunciation and cession, a clause which, if not expressed, would have been understood as a necessary corollary to the substantive adju«>tment of the line. At all events, the cession to America could not have force against England, unless the renuncia- tion on the part of Spaii. had force also in her favor; but so far was this from being the ca wn, on any unoccupied portions of the north- west coast, so that, in pledging herself to America, as she virtually did, not to form any such settlements, she made a cession, if not in favor of the United States, at least in favor of Great Britain under the guarantee of the republic. To conclude with one word, this assumption of Spanish rights, how- ever it may promote American interests, does little to establish Ameri- can candor in the premises, for, though it dated its origin only from 1819, yet America had, as far back as 1814, demanded, in reliance, for- sooth, on her own proper claims, fully as much as she would even now be glad to accept, the whole country to the south of the parallel of forty-nine degrees. In this digression, which has no pretensions to the character of a complete discussion, I have confined myself to the most prominent points of the American side of the question and to the most palpable defects of the same. On behalf of England direct arguments are superfluous, for, until some other power puts a good title on paper, actual possession must be held to be of itself conclusive in her favor. But to return to my narrative, which left us scudding down the coast before a fair wind, we again encountered, during the night, our old enemy the southeaster with its usual accompaniments of heavy sea and wet weather ; but, having now plenty of elbow room, we made the best of our bad fortune, and left the land behind us, keeping as much to the south of southwest as possible. For three days this state of things remained unchanged ; our only relief from the monotony of misery being that we were now and then able to amuse ourselves with the un- wieldy gambols of a few sperm whales. Fortunately on the twenty-tifth, the gale moderated sufficiently to let us enjoy, in comparative comfort, the national fare of roast beef and plum pudding, washed down, of course, with the ship's choicest bottles to the health and happiness of absent friends. On this day, sacred to the domestic ties, from how many spots of the land and water, do Englishmen indulge in one and the same train of homeward aspirations ? and from how many crowded hearths does England in return send forth yearnings of affectionate regret to all the corners of the earth? "What other empire ever did so much, on this or any other day, to bind the world into one with the mutually responsive emotions of its children? Next morning, the southeaster, as if it had suspended business merely to keep Christmas, returned to its vomit. On the twenty-seventh, how- ever, the sea became calm, the sun was bright, and the wind changed to the northwest, so that we were enabled to make for the land with studding-sails and sky-scrapers all set. Several whales favored us wiih FROM VANCOUVER TO SAN FRANCISCO, ETC. 153 their visits ; and, as there was now some pleasure in sauntering on deck, we made the most of their vagaries to beguile our idle hours. Though we had been driven out to sea at least one hundred and fifty miles, so as to pass unseen fully six or seven degrees of coast, yet we had not missed any other object of interest than C.npe Mendocino, the extremity of a snowy range, — a spur of the Rocky Mountains, — which forms the height of land between the Columbia on the one side and the Colorado and the Sacramento on the other. But it is not merely by dividing the waters that this promontory and the chain, which it termi- nates, constitute a natural boundary between the north and the south. In soil, the separated regions differ a° "••-•-^ly as the Shetland Islands and the Isle of Wight, while, in clii. i., they present as striking a contrast as the mountains of Scotland and the valleys of Spain. With daylight, on the twenty-eighth, we again came in sight of the coast between Cape Mendocino and Bodega Bay, our vessel being sur- rounded by land-birds, that fluttered and played about us as if to wel- come our arrival. Whatever may be the extent of New Albion, as the theatre of Drake's discoveries, the neighboring coast certainly forms part of it ; but as this name has practically become unimportant, in a political sense, since the date of the treaty already mentioned between England and Spain, it appears to have been gradually superseded by the Spanish term California as far to the northward as the parallel of forty-two degrees. This latter term, which was originally appropriated to the peninsula, situated on the gulf of the same name, and supposed, down to the beginning of the eighteenth century, to be an island, was gradually extended by the Spaniards to the whole of the northwest coast, being supplanted, however, in its turn by other names as far to the south as the forty-second parallel aforesaid. The peninsular and continental divisions of California are respectively known as Old and New or Lower and Upper, — the former distinction being somewhat out of place where all is new, and the latter being significant only in the mechanical sense of the mapmaker, without the usual reference to the course of any common stream. In the course of the morning we passed Bodega and Ross, respect- ively the harbor and the fort of the Russian American Company. That association, which assumed its present form towards the close of the last century under the patronage of the Emperor Paul, could not find any native supply of breadstuffs nearer than the central steppes of Asia, to be transported thence over about a hundred and twenty degrees of longitude and thirty of latitude, by barges from the head of the Lena to Yakutsk, on horses from Yakutsk to Ochotsk, and in ships from Ochotsk to Sitka. So expensive and tedious a route operating almost as a prohibition, the company's establishments were, of course, very inadequately supplied with that which to a Russian is peculiarly the staff of life, so that a design was naturally formed of planting an agri- cultural settlement on the adjacent coast of America. With this view, in March, 1806, — the very month, by tiie by, in which Lewis and Clarke left their winter's encampment of Clatsop Point to retrace their steps across the continent, — Von Resanofl", who was then the cora- . » '9 i i u 4v' , 154 FROM VANCOUVER TO SAN FRANCISCO, ETC. pany's principJ representative, attempted to enter the Columbia, but was bailled in the attempt by the same circumstances which had so long retarded the discovery of the river. Eiglit years afterwards, how- ever, the extensive and beautiful valley of Santa Rosa, which opens into Bodega Bay, was actually occupied, — Spain being too busy else- where with more serious evils to repel the intrusion. As compared with the Columbia, California, besides its greater fertility and its easier access, possessed the additional recommendation of literally teeming with sea-otters, thus securing to the company an incidental advantage, more important, perhaps, in a pecuniary sense, than the primary object of pursuit. Since 1814, the Russians have sent to market from Cali- fornia the enormous number of eighty thousand sea-otters besides a large supply of fur-seals, having thereby so far diminished the breeds as to throw nearly all the expense of their establishments on the agri- cultural branch of the business, — an expense far exceeding the mere cost of production with a reasonable freight. The Californian settle- ment required ships exclusively for itself; and, though the Russians had so far conciliated the local authorities as to be permitted to hunt both on the coast and in the interior, they were yet obliged, by the undisguised jealousy and dislike of their presence, constantly to main- tain a military attitude, with strong fortifications and considerable gar- risons. Under these circumstances the Russians lately entered into an arrangement with The Hudson's Bay Company for obtaining the requisite supply of grain and other provisions at a moderate price ; and they have accordingly, within these few weeks, transferred their stock to a Swiss adventurer of the name of Sutter, and are now engaged in withdrawing all their people from the country. That the Russians eyer actually intended to claim the sovereignty of this part of the coast, I do not believe. The term Ross was cer- tainly suspicious, as being the constant appellation of the ever vary- ing phases of Russia from the days of Rurie, the very name under which, nearly ten centuries ago, the red-bearded dwellers on the Borysthenes, who have since spread themselves with resistless per- tinacity over more than two hundred degrees of longitude, carried terror and desolation in their crazy boats to the gates of Constanti- nople, a city destined alike to be their earliest quarry and their latest prey. So expansive a monosyllable could hardly be a welcome neighbor to powers so feeble and jealous as Spain and Mexico. In justice, however, to Russia, I have no hesitation in saying that, under the recognized principles of colonization, she is fully entiUed to all that she holds in America. As early as 1741, Beering and Tschi- rikoff had visited the continent respectively in 59*^ and 56°, about a degree above Sitka and about a degree below it, the former, moreover, seeing many islands, and perhaps the peninsula of Alaska, on his ■ ciurn ; and, by the year 1763, private adventurers had explored. the whole width of the ocean, discovering the intermediate chain of islands from the scene of Beering's shipwreck in the vicinity of Kamschalka to Alaska, then erroneously supposed to be an island, and thence still farther eastward to Kodiak,— no other nation having previously pene- ;■*' ■1. ■ FROM VANCOUVER TO SAN FRANCISCO, ETC 155 trated, or even pretended to have penetrated, farther north than the piinillel of fifty-three dej^rees. Hut the Russian discoveries were dis- tins^uished by this favorable pecuharity, that they were, in a jrreat measure, achieved independently of the more southerly discoveries of Spain, being the result of rumors of a neighboring continent, which, in the beginning of the century, the Russian conquerors had found to be rife in Kamschatka. Moreover, in the case of the Russians, discovery and possession had advanced hand in hand. 'I'hc settlement of Kodiak was formed four years before Meares erected his solitary shed in Nootka Sound ; and Sitka was established fully ten or twelve years earlier than Astoria. According to this plain summary of unde- niable facts, Russia had clearly a better claim, at least down to the parallel of fifty-six, than any other power could possibly acquire; and this is, in truth, all that has been conceded to her, for the parallel of fifty-four degrees and forty minutes, which has been fixed by treaty as the international boundary on the coast, is necessary in order to include the whole of a certain island which the parallel of fifty-six intersects. In offering this defence of what a mistaken patriotism on the part of English writers is too apt to stigmatize as aggression and intrusion, I have in view no other object than to do what I believe to be right, for, considering that Russia and England meet each other and the world at large on far more points than any other two nations have ever done or are likely ever to do, I cannot but feel that policy and philanthropy alike demand on either side the habitual exercise of candor and moderation. Their continued harmony would be the surest guarantee of the general tranquillity and amelioration of man- kind, while a really national contest between them, such as would prompt each to put forth all her strength and to exert all her influence, would involve, mediately or immediately, almost every other power in Europe and Asia, Protestant or Catholic, Christian or Infidel, Moham- medan or Pagan. In a word, England and Russia, whether as friends or as foes, cannot fail to control the destiny of the human race, for good or for evil, to an extent which comparatively confines every other nation within the scanty limits of its own proper locality. In the afternoon we passed Drake's Bay, supposed by some to be the spot where the gallant discoverer of New Albion lay at anchor, in 1579, for a considerable time. What an instructive contrast between the past and the present. Hardly had Drake returned from the buca- neering expedition, which the restrictive policy and exclusive preten- sions of the Spanish crown exalted into a retribution, if not into a virtue, when Philip the Second, by adding the Portuguese monarchy to his paternal dominions, became sole arbiter of the commerce of the Old World from the Bay of Biscay to the Chinese Seas, and undisputed lord of the New from the Gulf of Mexico to the Strait of Magellan, not only holding in fact, but also claiming of right, the intermediate oceans as wholly his own. How completely has our little party turned His Majesty's flanks, and broken his line of battle to boot, invading his most private close by such routes as he least suspected, to say nothing of the aggravation of our being all descended from one or other of the :. ^'^ m 156 FROM VANCOUVER TO SAN FRANCISCO, ETC. 1^. ;ii, \r i 'liffli two races that Philip hated most. Some of us have crossed a hreadth of continent, to which the Isthmus of Darien is but a leap ; others have Railed from the Atlantic into the Pacific by a passage, to which Majr. f^ellan's Strait is but a ditch ; and one of us has penetrated through Mexico in a capacity, which recognizes Spain's richest colony as an independent republic. What a pregnant theme for a dialogue of the dead with the proud old don as one of the interlocutors! The southern point of Drake's Bay is formed by a projecting head- land, called Punto de los Reyes. About ten miles from this point, somewhat to the southward, are two groups of rocks known as the Fullerones, which, during thick weather, are dangerous to vessels ap- proaching San Francisco. On these rocks the Russians formerly took a large number of fur-seals. After doubling this point, the wind dropped, leaving us becalmed about ten miles from the harbor. We now began sensibly to feel the influence of a more genial climate ; and, as the night was clear as well as warm, we could enjoy a scene which forcibly struck the imagination as an emblem of the lazy grandeur of the Spanish character. The sails flapped listlessly against the masts ; the vessel heaved reluctantly on the sluggish waters ; and the long swell slowly rolled the weight of this giant ocean towards the whitened strand. During the whole of the twenty-ninth, we lay in this state of inac- tivity about five miles from the shore, which presented a level sward of about a mile in depth, backed by a high ridge of grassy slopes, — the whole pastured by numerous herds of cattle and horses, which, without a keeper and without a fold, were growing and fattening, whether their owners waked or slept, in the very middle of winter and in the coldest nook of the province. Here, on the very threshold of the country, was California in a nutshell, nature doing everything and man doing nothing, — a text on which our whole sojourn proved to be little but a running commentary. While we lay like a log in the sea, we were glad to be surrounded by large flights of birds, — ducks, peli- cans, cormorants, gulls, &c. ; and we experienced quite an excitement in boarding a tiny schooner, formerly the property of the Russian American Company, which was now stealing along the coast towards Bodega. The port of San Francisco, one of the finest harbors in the world, was singularly enough discovered by an inland expedition, and that, too, as late as about the year 1770. To recapitulate a few points, which, however, will be found to bear closely on much of the sequel, the career of northerly exploration, which had been set on foot by Cortez after his conquest of Mexico, terminated, in 1603, with Viz- caino's discovery of the ports of San Diego and Monterey. During the seventeenth century, the pearl-fishery at the mouth of the gulf and the silver mines at the foot of the peninsula, — the very objects to attract a Spanish American, — drew a good deal of attention to the country on the part both of the government and of the merchants, each party making many attempts to colonize it, but uniformly failing through the almost utter barrenness of its rocky surface. At length, in or about ■M FROM VANCOUVER TO SAN FRANCISCO, ETC. 167 1697, the country was handed over to the Jesuits, who hud earned their claim to this distinction by their spiritual conquest of Paraguay ; but so many and various were the difficulties to be encountered, that, notwithstanding the characteristic zeal and patience and talent of their order, the fathers, when expelled from the Spanish Dominions at the end of seventy years, had not advanced beyond the limits of the lower province. In 1767, the Jesuits were replaced by the Franciscans, to whom the Marquis de Croix, then Viceroy of Mexico, proposed the spiritual invasion of Upper California, — both His Excellency and the friars having their peculiar reasons for promoting this extension of the enterprise. In addition perhaps to better and purer motives, the friars had doubtless heard that the new land flowed with milk and honey, while the old might, on the contrary, be characterized, in the language also of Scripture, as being cursed M'ith an earth of iron and a heaven of brass; and they, moreover, longed to eclipse the renown of their hated predecessors, for the two orders had always been as bitterly opposed to each other ns the decencies of a united church permitted them to be. On the other hand. His Excellency knew that France and England, in the persons of Bougainville and Cook, were already taking a national interest in the isles of the Pacific Ocean, and that even Russia, — a power which, when California was discovered, had not yet emerged from Europe, — was silently continuing a progressive march of two centuries along the western shores of the new continent ; and in order to keep such intruders at as great a distance as possible from the vitals of Spanish America by a stronger right than an obsolete pretension, the viceroy really felt in the new expedition of the Fran- ciscans a degree of interest, such as his predecessors had never even professed in the original inroad of the Jesuits. Accordingly missions were forthwith planned for San Diego and Monterey, the only two ports then known to exist in the upper province; but, as the wind, on this coast, blows from the northwest during three-fourths of the year, and as the Spaniards had not yet learned to evade the difficulty by gaining an offing, the three vessels, that sailed from the gulf for San Diego, were eminently unfortunate,— one being lost, and the others spending respectively three and four months at sea. Under these circumstances, the remainder of the contemplated distance was under- taken by land; and, though the explorers did not succeed in finding Monterey, or rather in recognizing it when found, they yet made a far more valuable discovery in the miniature Mediterranean that lay to the north. To the reverend sharers in the expedition the discovery in question must have been as interesting as it was important. Before the vessels sailed from Loreto, the leading fathers had formally subdi- vided their new field of labor, so far as it was known to them, among such saints of the calendar as were in the highest odor with the Fran- ciscans ; ' and when the chief of the conclave was reminded that St. Francis himself had been overlooked, he was ready with an answer to the effect, that their patron must first earn the compliment by showing them a good port. Having thus put the saint to his mettle, the way- worn priests were in duty bound to acknowledge his guidance on hall- ■:.v.i: m ''^f: 158 FROM VANCOUVER TO SAN FRANCISCO, ETC. WlllliiH inff tho maj^nificpnt inlet; and thoy wore, in all probnhility, more highly dclifrhtod with their fuundcr's triumph than with the intrinsic qualitios of his harbor. On the mornin^^ of the thirtieth, a lie^ht hroezc enal)Ied us a^^nin to get under way and to work into the port. After crossinj^ a bar, on which, however, there is a suillcient (le|)th of water, we entered a strait of about two miles in wiiiit of natural capabilities for such a purpose, the Sand- wich Islands are, on the whole, inferior to San Francisco. If they ex- cel it in position, as lying more directly in the tract between the sum- mer fishing of the north and the winter fishing of the south, and also, as being more easy of access and departure by reason of the steadiness of the trade winds, they are, in turn, surpassed in all the elements for the refreshing and refitting of vessels by a place, where beef may be procured for little or nothing, where hemp grows spontaneously, where the pine offers an inexhaustible supply of resin, and where suitable timber for ship-building invites the axe within an easy distance. But, though nature may have done more for San Francisco than for the Sandwich Islands, yet man has certainly done less to promote her liberal intentions. The Sandwich Islands afford to the refitting whaler an ample supply of competent labor, both native and foreign, at reason- able wages, while San Francisco, turning the very bounty of Provi- dence into a curse, corrupts a naturally indolent population by the superabundance of cattle and horses, by the readiness, in short, with which idleness can find both subsistence and recreation. Moreover, even on the score of fiscal regulations, the savage community has as decidedly the advantage of the civilized as in point of industrious habits. In the Sandwich Islands, the whaler can enter at once into the port which is best adapted for his purposes, while in San Francisco he is l)y law forbidden to remain more than forty-eight hours, unless he has previously presented himself at Monterey, and paid duty on the whole of his cargo. What wonder, then, is it, that, with such a government and such a people, Whaler's Harbor is merely an empty name? Few vessels, therefore, visit the port, excepting such as are engaged in collecting hides or tallow; the tallow going chiefly to Peru, and the hides exclusively either to Great Britain or to the United States. It was in the latter branch of the business that most of the vessels which we had found at anchor were employed — the mode of conducting it being worthy of a more detailed description. To each ship there is attached a supercargo or clerk, who, in a decked launch, carries an assortment of goods from farm to farm, col- lecting such hides as he can at the time, and securing, by his advances, as many as possible against the next matanzas or slaughtering season, which generally coincides with the months of July and August. The current rate of a hide is two dollars in goods, generally delivered be- forehand, or a dollar and a half in specie, paid, as it were, across the counter; and the great difference arises from the circumstance that the goods are held at a price stifficient to cover the bad debts which the system of credit inevitably produces, the punctual debtor being thus obliged, in California as well as elsewhere, to pay for the defaulter. But even without this adventitious increase of their nominal value, the goods could not be sold for less than thrice their prime cost, so as to enable the vessels to meet a tariff of duties averaging about a hundred iiiiLi'fl It' .!'■• \ 'I 164 SAN FRANCISCO. ^iiill !Mi" IJ; 1^ per cent, in addition to very high tonnage-dues, and the accumulating expenses of two tedious voyages, with a i'ar more tedious detention on the coast. Thus, under the existing state of things, the farmer receives for his hide either about as many goods as may have been bought in London for half a crown or two shillings, or about as much hard cash as may here buy the same at ready-money rates. 'I'he detention on the coast, to which I have alluded as an element in the price of goods, is occasioned by various circumstances. In the first place, there are too many competitors in the trade. The provin- cial exports of hides do not exceed, at the utmost, the number of 60,000; and, though such a vessel as our neighbor, the Index, has room for two-thirds of the whole, yet there are at present, on the coast, fully sixteen ships of various sizes and denominations, all struggling and scrambling either for hides or for tallow. Supposing half of them to be engaged in the latter branch of business, there still remain eight vessels for such a number of hides as must take at least three years to fill them; and, in illustration of this, I may mention that our neighbor, the Alert, belonging to one of the oldest and most experienced houses in the trade, has already spent eighteen months on the coast, but is still about a third short of her full tale of 40,000. In the second place, the very nature of things necessarily involves considerable delay. As a vessel, whether large or small, cannot possibly load herself at any single point, she must keep paddling from post to pillar and from pillar to post, taking the chances of foul winds and bad anchorages through all the five ports of k^an Francisco, Monterey, Santa Barbara, San Pedro and San Diego. Hut, even if hides were more plentiful, the climate would, in a great measure, impose a similar necessity. As the hides are all green, or nearly so, for the skinning of the animal is pretty much the extent of Californian industry, each vessel must undertake the process of curing them for herself; and, as the upper half of the coast to a depth of about fifteen miles is peculiarly exposed, during the summer, which is, of course, the best time for the purpose, to the rains and fogs of the prevailing northwesters, the hides of each season, in order to be cured, must be carried to the drier climate of the southern ports, more particularly of San Diego. Moreover, the mere task of curing a cargo causes a great loss of time — a task too laborious to be undertaken by the sellers, and too nice to be entrusted to them. In a recent able publication* of a scholar who had gone to sea as a common sailor, for the benefit of a constitution impaired by study, I have read, with a good deal of interest, a graphic account of the process, drawn from his own experience; and I make no apology for submitting to the reader a sketch, which so advantageously contrasts the EngUsh race with the Spaniard, even on his own ground. " When the hide is taken from the bullock, holes are cut round it near the edges, by which it is staked out to dry. In this manner it dries without shrinking. After they are thus dried in the sun, they • "Two Years before the Mast, a Personal Narrative of Life at Sea. York. Harper and Brothers. 1 840. New SAN FRANCISCO. 165 are received hy the vessels, and bronjrht down to the depot. The ves- sels land tFiem, and leave them in larj^e piles near the houses. Then begins thf hide-curcr's (hity. The first thinj^ is to put them in soak. Tliis is done by carryinj^ them down at low tide, and makini^ them fast, in small piles, l)y ropes, and letting the tide come up an(l cover them. Every day we put in soak twenty-five for each man, which, with us, made a hundred and fifty. There they lie forty-eight hours, when they are taken out and rolled up, in wheelbarrows, and thrown into vats. Tlicse vats contain brine, made very strong, being sea-water with great quantities of salt thrown in. This pickles the hides, and in this tliey lie forty -eight hours ; the use of the sea-water, into which they are first put, heiig merely to soften and clean them. From these vats they are taken, and lie on a platform twenty-four hours, and then are spread upon the ground, and carefully stretched and staked out, so that they may dry smooth. After they were staked, and while yet wet and soft, we used to go upon them with our knives, and carefully cut off all the bad parts — the pieces of meat and fat, whicli would other- wise corrupt and affect the whole if stowed away in a vessel for months, the large dippers, the ears, and all other parts that prevent close stow- age. This was the most difficult part of our duty, as it required much skill to take everything necessary off, and not to cut or injure the hides. It was also a long process, as six of us had to clean one hundred and fifty, most of which required a great deal to be done to them, as the Spaniards are very careless in skinning their catde. 'J'hen, too, as we cleaned them while they were staked out, we were obliged to kneel down upon them, which always gives beginners the back-ache. The first day I was so slow and awkward, that I cleaned only eight ; at the end of a few days I doubled my number, and in a fortnight or three weeks could keep up with the others, and clean my proportion, twenty- five. This cleaning must be got through with before noon, for by that time they get too dry. After the sun has been upon them for a few hours, they are carefully gone over with scrapers, to get off all the grease which the sun brings out. This being done, the stakes are pulled up, and the hides carefully doubled, Avith the hair side out, and left to dry. About the middle of the afte-noon they are turned upon the other side, and at sundown piled up and covered over. The next day they are spread out and opened again, and at night, if fully dry, are thrown upon a long, horizontal pole, five at a time, and beat with flails. This takes all the dust from them. Thus being salted, scraped, cleaned, dried and beaten, they are stowed away in the house." But, to return to San Francisco, the trade of the bay, and, in fact, of the whole province, is entirely in the hands of foreigners, who are almost exclusively of the English race. Of that race, however, the Americans are considerably more numerous than the British, — the former naturally flocking in greater force to neutral ground, such as this country and the Sandwich Islands, while the latter find a variety of advantageous outlets in their own national colonies. At present the foreigners are to the Californians in number as one to ten, being about 600 out of about 7,000, while, by their monopoly of trade and their /p- 166 SAN FRANCISCO. r ■Hi' command of resources, to say nothing of their superior energy and intellinfeiice, they already possess vastly more than their numerical proportion of political influence; and their position in this respect excites the less jealousy, inasmuch as most of them have been induced, either by a desire of shaking ofT legal incapacities or by less interested motives, to profess the Catholic religion and to marry into provincial families. The Californians of San Francisco number between 2,000 and 2,500, about 700 belonging to the village or pueblo of San Jose de Guadalupe and the remainder occupying about thirty farms of various sizes, gene- rally subdivided among the families of the respective holders. On the score of industry, these good folks, as also their brethren of the other ports, are perhaps the least promising colonists of a new country in the world, being, in this respect, decidedly inferior to what the savages themselves had become under the training of the priests : so that the spoliation of the missions, excepting that it has opened the province to general enterprise, has directly tended to nip civiliza- tion in the bud. In the missions there were large flocks of sheep ; but now there are scarcely any left. The Hudson's Bay Company having, last spring, experienced great difliculty in collecting about four thousand for its northern settlements. In the missions the wool used to be manufactured into coarse cloth; and it is, in fact, because the Californians are too lazy to weave or spin, — too lazy, I suspect, even to clip and wash the raw material, — that the sheep have been literally destroyed to make more room for the horned cattle. In the missions soap and leather used to be made ; but in such vulgar processes the Californians advance no farther than nature herself has advanced before them, -.xcepting to put each animal's tallow in one place and its hide in another. In the missions the dairy formed a principal object of attention ; but now neither butter nor cheese nor any preparation of milk whatever is to be found in the province. In the missions there were annually produced about eighty thousand bushels of wheat and maize, the former, and perhaps part of the latter also, being converted into flour; but the present possessors of the soil do so little in the way of tilling the ground, that, when lying at Monterey, we sold to the government some barrels of flour at the famine-rate of twenty-eight dollars, or nearly six pounds sterling a sack, — a price which could not be considered as merely local, for t\w stuff was intended to victual the same schooner which, on our first arrival, we had seen at anchor in Whaler's Harbor. In the missions beef was occasionally cured for exportation ; but so miserably is the case now reversed, that, though meat enough to supply the fleets of England is annually either con- sumed by fire or left to the carrion-birds, yet the authorities purchased from us, along with the flour just mentioned, some salted salmon as indispensable sea-stores for the one paltry vessel, which dbnstituted the entire line-of-baitle of the Californian navy. In the missions a gr^t deal of wine was grown, good enough to be sent for sale to Mexico ; but, with the exception of what we got at the Mission of Santa Bai- ls V. I, SAN FRANCISCO. 167 bara, the native wine, that we tasted, was such trash as nothing but politeness could have induced us to swallow. Various circumstances have conspired to render these dons so very peculiarly indolent. Independently of innate diflerences of national tastes, the objects of colonization exert an influence over the character of the colonists. Thus the energy of our republican brethren and the prosperity of the contiguous dependencies of the empire are to be traced, in a great degree, to the original and permanent necessity of relying on the steady and laborious use of tlic axe and the plough ; and thus also the rival colonists of New France, — a name which compre- hended the valleys of the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi, — dwindled and pined on much of the same ground, partly because the golden dreams of the fur-trade carried them away from stationary pursuits to overrun half the breadth of the continent, and partly because tiie gigantic ambition of their government regarded them rather as soldiers than as settlers, rather as the instruments of political aggrandizement than as the germ of a kindred people. In like manner, Spanish America, with its sierras of silver, became the asylum and paradise of idlers, holding out to every adventurer, when leaving the shores of the old country, the prospect of earning his bread without the sweat of his brow. But the population of California in particular has been drawn from the most indolent variety of an indolent species, being composed of superannuated troop rs and retired oflice holders and their descendants. In connection with the establishment of the missions, at least of those of the upper province, there had been projected three villages or pue- blos, as places of refuge for such of the old soldiers as might obtain leave to settle in the country; but, as the priests were by no means friendly to the rise of a separate interest, they did all in their power to prevent the requisite licenses from being granted by the crown, so as to send to the villages as few denizens as possible, and to send them only when they were past labor as well in ability as in inclination. These villages were occasionally strengthened by congenial reinforce- ments of runaway sailors, and, in order to avoid such sinks of profli- gacy and riot, the better sort of functionaries, both civil and military, gradually established themselves elsewhere, but more particularly at Santa Barbara, while both classes were frequently coming into collision with the fathers, whose vexatious spirit of exclusiveness, even after the emancipation of the veterans, often prompted them nominally to pre-occupy lands which they did not require. Such settlers of either class were not likely to toil for much more than what the cheap bounty of nature afl^orded them, horses to ride and beef to eat, with hides and tallow to exchange for such other supplies as they wanted. In a word, they displayed more than the proverbial indolence of a pastoral people, for they did not even devote their idle hours to the tending of their herds. As one might have expected, the children improved on the example of the parents through the influence of a systematic education, — an education which gave them the lasso as a toy in infancy and the horse as a companion in boyhood, which, in short, trained them from the cradle to be mounted bullock-hunters and nothing else ; and, if . r '•a ■l'^ ] 1] I *>»'■ ■HI .■\ "■f'l ;r^ f I' I 168 SAN FRANCISCO. :::i;i ■I ^1 i' ^^ ^ • ' '111 il III 1 ;'',;,! "1 ■ ' ^i ! i:i i ii^: l!} ■■:'i;!: v 1 1 'II 1 ■' ■ i Ir . Ill 1 i '|; !•'' jl i f-^ ;■ i 4. .:■ iliiii*'' anything could aggravate their laziness, it was the circumstance that many of them dropped, as it were, into ready-made competency by sharing in the lands and cattle of the plundered missions. The only trouble which the Californians really take with their cat- tle, is to brand them, when young, with their respective marks ; and even this single task savors more of festivity than of labor. Once a year, the cows and calves of a neighborhood, which, by reason of the absence of fences, all feed in cnnimon, are driven into a pen or coralle, that every farmer may select iiis own stock for his own brand, at the same time keeping, if he is wise, a sharp eye on the proceedings of his associates ; and, after the catde are all branded and again turned out to their pastures, the owners and their friends wind up the exciting business of the day with singing and dancing and feasting. In addi- tion, however, to this, each farmer does occasionally collect his own cattle into his pen, partly to prevent them from becoming too wild, and partly to ascertain how far his neighbors have kept the eighth com- mandment before their eyes. On this latter point a man must be pretty vigilant in California; for a centaur of a fellow with a running noose in his hand is somewhat apt to disregard the distinctions between meum and Imim ; and so common, in fact, is this free and easy system, that even passably honest men, merely as a precautionary measure of self- defence, occasionally catch and slay a fat bullock which they have never branded. In order to break the scent in such cases, the fortu- nate finder, knowing that the hide alone of a dead animal can tell any tales, obliterates the owner's mark by means of a little gunpowder, and overlays it with his own in its stead. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, these brands are held to be a conclusive proof of property ; and, on this account, a transfer, in order to be valid and safe, requires a sale-brand to be placed over the seller's mark, so as to give the buy- er's mark all the force of an original brand. In ignorance of this cus- tom, Mr. Douglas, one of The Hudson's Bay Company's officers, lately committed a capital mistake. After collecting the sheep, whicli I have already mentioned, he bought some horses for his drivers, which were subsequently sold on the Columbia to Commodore Wilkes for the use of his party that went by land from the Willamette to San Francisco ; and no sooner did the animals make their appearance in their old haunts than they were claimed by the sellers, whose marks still remained, as stolen property ,to the no small astonishment of their real owners. The income of every farmer may be pretty accurately ascertained from the number of his cattle, excepting that the owners of small stocks, as is the case at present with many of the plunderers of the missions, do not venture to kill so large a proportion of the whole as their more wealthy neighbors. The value of a single animal, without regard to the merely nominal worth of its beef, may average about five dollars, the hide fetching, as already mentioned, two dollars, and two, or three arrobes of tallow of twenty-five pounds each, yielding a dollar and a half by the arrobe; and as the fourth part of a herd may generally be killed off every year without any improvidence, the farmer's revenue must yf SAN FRANCISCO. 169 be, as nearly as possible, a dollar and a quarter a head. Thus Gene- ral Vallego, who is said to possess 8000 cattle, must derive about 10,000 dollars a year from this souree alone; and the next larjrost holders, an old man of the name of Sanehos and his sons, must draw rather more than half of that amount from their stock of 4500 animals. On the same principles of calculation, the incomes of the missions must have been enormous; San Jose havini; possessed 30,000 head, and Santa Clara nearly half the nuuiber, and San (Jabriel to the south being said to have owned more cattle than both Santa C'lara and San Jose put together; and even now, after all the pillage that has taken plac^for the benefit of individuals, the secularized wrecks of the esta- blishments, if honestly administercid, as they are not, would yield large returns to the government, Santa (Mara alone, as an average instance, still mustering about 4000 cattle. In addition to the value of hides and tallow, such of the farmers as understand the breaking of horses, may turn their skill in this way to profitable account. A well trained steed sometimes brings a hundred and fifty dollars, the worth of thirty head of cattle, while the wild animal may be had, at no great distance, for the trouble of noosing him. In fact, horses had at one time become so numerous as to encroach on the pasturage of the cattle; and accordingly they were partly thinned by slaughter, and pardy driven eastward into the valley of the San Joachin. There are five missions in all at San Francisco; San Francisco de los Dolores towards the southwest, Santa Clara to the south, and San Jose de Guadalupe towards the southeast, while San Rafael and San Francisco Solano extend from Whaler's Harbor along the west and north of the Bay of San Pedro. Previously to the Mexican revolution, the missions of the upper province had regularly increased in number, San Francisco Solano, which was founded even after the establishment of independence, being the twenty-first in order of erection. Nor had their advance in wealth failed to keep pace with their increase in num- ber. In addition to their annual stipends of four hundred dollars each, the monks possessed in Mexico a considerable property in lands and money, composed of donations and bequests, and known as the *' Pious Fund of California," while, in tlieir twenty-one missions, they had acquired, to say nothing at present of cattle and crops, the cheap labor of about eighteen thousand converts. But, when Mexico established her nationality, the priests, partly from a feeling of loyalty and partly from a sense of interest, were by no means unanimous in swearing allegiance to the newly constituted authorities ; and this spirit of resistance, naturally strengthening the tendency of every revo- lution to make the church its first victim, provoked the Mexican Government not only to withdraw the stipends and confiscate the pious fund, but also to distribute part of the lands and cattle of the missions among such of Uie proselytes as had learned a trade and con- ducted themselves well. ' This happened in 1825 ; but the emanci- pated natives no sooner became their own masters, than they showed that their steadiness and industry had been the result of external con- trol rather than of internal principle. They wasted their time and ^- m fNj.' ■A! i \4l 170 BAN FRANCISCO. .4L«L' property in gambling with a recklessness proportioned to the duration of their previous restraint ; and, iiaving acquired at least the indi- vidual helplessness ofciviii/alion, they knew no other means of reliev- ing their hunger and nakeihiess than a mingled course of mendicancy and theft. In this way they became such a nuisance to the civilized population, that, after a year or two, the more innocent of them were sent back into the varnished servitude of the missions, while the more guilty were condemned, as pul)lic convicts, to do the most laborious drudgery in irons. This miserable failure, if not actually desired by the priests, must at least have been anticipated by them as the legiti- mate fruit of a discipline, which, whether necessarily or not, regarded the natives as children for life ; and, under cover of the reaction, they made up matters with the authorities, taking the oath of allegiance and being left unmolested in their missions. During the ensuing nine or ten years, the fathers contrived to maintain at least a precarious foot- ing with respect to Mexico, sometimes threatened and assailed, and sometimes patronized and protected ; and meanwhile, as they felt themselves to be only tenants at will, some of them made the most of their leases by licensing worldly skippers to flay and disembowel their herds without stint at so much a head. But at last the provincial population made short work with the establishments, all classes of tliis body, as I have already hinted, being fundamentally and permanently jealous of the fathers. What fanned the smouldering ashes into a flame, was an abortive attempt on the part of Mexico, to distribute a considerable share of the lands and cat- tle of the missions among a colony of strangers, and, now perceiving that they had no time to lose, the Californians, in 1836, rose against the general government, appointed provincial rulers, expelled the Mex- icans as intruders, and, as the phrase went, secularized the missions. After fuming a good deal in her own important way, Mexico ratified all that had been done on the single condition of the renunciation of separate independence; and thus the missions, perhaps as a retribution for having relied on aid that savored more of the Koran than of the Bible, were trodden under foot by the sons of the very men, or by the very men themselves, whom worldly wisdom had introduced into the province for their protection and assistance. The existing state of the establishments in question will be detaUed in the sequel, when we come to describe San Francisco Solano, San Francisco de los Dolores, San Carlos, and Santa Barbara. On the thirty-first of December, to resume the progress of my jour- nal, Mr. Hale, and Mr*/ide Mofras, took their departure for Monterey in the brig Bolivar, hoping there to find some vessel bound to San Bias, whence they would make their way by land to the city of Mexico ; and on the same day, notwithstanding this opportunity, we dispatched a courier across to Monterey, intimating to Governor Alvarado the ar- rival of the Cowlitz, and requesting special permission, as an exception to the general rule, to land some articles of merchandize in the port of San Francisco without first visiting the seat of government. In fact, the overland route is the main channel of communication between the 1-,; >f SAN FRANCISCO. 171 two placoH, for, to say notliii.T of tlio want of vessels, tne sea is almost iinpracticablo, wliori! time is of any iniport:iin'e, hy reason of the haf- llinjf winds and currents; and the same rtsuli, whether from the same or (iitlcrent eauses, has been exhibited aloiiif ti\e whoh- eoast since the days of Cortez and l*izarro, an unbroken ehain of posts having ex- ten(l«;d, in the times of Spanish supremacy, from San Francisco in Cahfornia, to Rahlivia in Ciiili. Ilavinjj eelel^raleil JN'ew Year's day to the best of our ability, we made preparations for starting on Monday, the third of the month, to pay our respects to (Jeneral \'alleent in jfeiu'ral aiul the character of V^il- lej^o in particular. As the bay of San Pedro is separated only by a ridge of frrv.vu hills from the valley of Santa Rosa, in which are situ- ated the settlements of llodcija and lloss, ^^ur[)hy and Qui, so tliat he had now very little left in reserve but his neck. 'J'here is, moreover, one peculiar danger to which the thrower of the hisso is exposed. The saddle of the country has an elevated pummel, round which the lasso, after noosing its vic- tim, is rapidly twisted ; and, in this operation, the captor not unfre- quently sees the first finger of his right hand torn oft" in an instant. These evils are, of course, often aggravated, by the want of proper assistance, — our host's present indisposition being a curious instance of this. While engaged with the lasso, the general had dislocated his iiip. The joint, however, was replaced, and he was doing tvoll, till he l)ruised it sligiitly. lie sent a messenger to the only pn otitioner at San Francisco, one Bail from Manchester, for a strengthening plaster; hut the doctor, who sometimes takes doses very diflerent from those which he prescribes, sent by mistake a blister of cantharides, which, being supposed to be salutary in proportion to the pain of its applica- tion, was allowed to work double tides on the poor general's bruise so as to turn it into a very pretty sore, which had confined him to his bed. During the day, we visited a village of (iencral Vallego's Indians, about three hundred in number, who were the most miserable of the race that I ever saw, excepting always the sh-.ves of the savagj^s )f the northwest coast. Though many of them a.* veil formed and well grown, yet every face bears the imprors of ,;;(.;' t^rty jlJ vvrctihedncss ; and they are, moreover, a prey to several ) a*i<;nan' disea^os, among which an hereditary syphilis ranks h-; t!it predon' iuiiit scourge alike of old and young. They are badly clothed, badly lodged and badly *'ed. As to clothing, they are pretty nviiilj ia a state of n ture; as to lodging, their hovels are made of boughs \;;,i 'jd with bulus-hes in the form of beehives, with a hole in the tc[' tcr a chimne\ and with two holes at the bottom towards the northwest and the southeast, so as to enable the poor creatures, by closing them in turns, to exclude both the prevailing winds : and as to food, ihey eat the worst bullock's worst joints, with bread of acorns and chestnuts, whif i are most labo- riously and carefully prepared by pounding and rii-c ;g and grinding. Though not so recognised by the law, yet they are thralls in all but the name ; while, borne to the earth by the toils of civilization super- added to the privations of savage life, they vegetate raiiier than live, without the wish to enjoy their former pastimes or the skill to resume their former avocations. This picture, which is a correct likeness not only of General Vallego's Indians, but of all the civilized aborigines of California, is the only remaining monument of the zeal of the church PART I. — 12 178 SAN FRANCISCO. j i; .[ ;'i ill ^"lii ■Mi'i^'iii 'p ml and the munificenoe of the state. Nor is the result very diflerent from what ought to have been expected. In a religious point of view, the priests were contented with merely external observances ; and even this semblance of Christianity tliey systematically purchased and re- warded with the good things of this life, their very first step in the formation of a mission having been to barter maize-pottage, by a kind of regular tarilT, for an unconscious attendance at church and the repe- tition of unintelligible catechisms. With regard, again, to temporal improvement, the priests, instead of establishing each proselyte on a farm of his own and thus gradually imbuing liim with knowledge and industry, penned tlie whole like cattle and watched them like children, at the very most making them eye-servants dirough their dread of pun- ishment and their reverence for a master. In truth, the Indians were then the same as now, excepting tiiat tliey shared more liberally in the fruits of their own labor, and possessed spirit enough to enjoy a holi- day in tlie songs and dances of their race. The true tendency of the monkish discipline was displayed by the partial emancipation, whicii took place, as alre;uiy mentioned, in 1825; and, when the missions were conhscaied in 1836, the proselytes, almost as naturally as the cattle, were divided among the spoilers, eitlier as menial drudges or as predial serfs, excepting that some of the more independent among them retired to the wilderness in order, as the sequel will show, to avenge their wrongs by a life of rapine. These sons and daughters of bond- age, — many of them too sadly broken in spirit even to marry, — are so rapidly diminishing in numbers that tliey must soon pass away from the land of their fathers, — a result which, as it seems uniformly to spring from all the conflicting varieties of civilized agency, is to be ulti- mately ascribed to the inscrutable wisdom of a mysterious providence. If anything could render such a state of things move melancholy, it would be the reflection that many of these victims of a hollow civiliza- tion must have been born in the missions, inasmuch as, even at San Francisco, those rsiablishments had taken root sixty years before the revolution ; and it was truly pitiable to hear Vallego's beasts of burden speaking the Spanish language, as an evidence that the system, wher- ever the fault lay, had not failed through want of time. Previously to dressing for dinner we took a closer survey of the buildings and premises. The general's plan seems to be to throw his principal edifices into the form of a square, or rather of three sides of a square. The centre is already filled up with the general's own house, flanked on one side by a barrack, and on the other by Don Salvador's residence; but as yet the wings contain respectively only a billiard-room and Mr. Leese's dwelling, opposite to eacli other. On the outside of this square are many detached buildings, such as the calabozo, the church, &c. The calabozo is most probably a part of the original establishment, for every mission had its cage for refractory converts : but the church, which even now is large, has been built by Vallego, to replace a still larger one, though no priest lives at Sonoma, and Father Quigas of San Rafael, after his experience of the dungeon, has but little stomach for officiating at head-quarters. m SAN FRANCISCO. 179 All the buildinfTs are of adobes, or unbaked bricks, which are ce- mented with mud instead of mortar ; and in order to protect such perish- able materials from the rain, besides keepinir off tlio rays of the sun, the houses are very neatly finished with verandalis and overhani;;in<]f eaves. If tolerably protected for a time, the walls, which are generally lour or five feet thick, become, in a measure, vitrified, and are nearly as durable as stone. To increase the expenditure of lahor and mate- rials, the partitions are nearly as thick as the outer walls, each room of anv size having its own separate roof — acircumstantu; which explained what at first surprised us, the great length and breadth of the apart- ments. At this season of the year, we found the houses very comfortless, in consequence of the want of fire-places, for the warmth of the day only rendered us more sensible of the chilliness of the night. 'J'lie Cali- ibrnians remedy or mitigate the evil by the ludicrous makeshift of wearing their cloaks; and, even among the foreigners, not more than two or three dwellings with chimneys will be found from one end of the province to the other. The garrison of Sonoma is certainly well ofl^iccred, for the general and the captain have only thirteen troopers imder their eomniaiul; this force and Prado's corps, if they could only get I)alsas enough to otlect a junction, forming a standing army of ahout twenty men for San Francisco alone. The absurdity of tlie thing consists not in the luimber of soldiers, for they are sixteen times more numerous in pro- portion than the army of the United States; the essential folly is this, that a scattered population of seven thousand men, women and children should ever think of an independence, which must either ruin them for the maintenance of an adequate force, or expose them at one and the same time to the horrors of popular anarchy, and of military insubor- dination. If one may judge fiom the variety of uniforms, each of the thirteen warriors constitutes Jiis own regiment, one being the "Blues," another the "Bufls,'" and so on; and as they are all mere boys, this r.. leus of a formidable cavalry iias at least the merit of being a grow- ing one. The only articles common to the whole of this baker's dozen ire an enormous sword, a pair of nascent moustachios, deerskin boots and that everlasting serape or blanket with a hole in the middle of it for the head. This troop the general turns to useful account, being clearly of opinion that idleness is the very rust of discipline; he makes them catch his catde, and, in short, discharge the duty of servants of all work — an example highly worthy of the imitation of all military auto- crats. The system, however, has led to two or three revolts. On one occasion, a regiment of native infantry, being an awkward squad of ffteen Indians, having conspired against the general, were shot for 'heir pains; and more recently the Californian soldiers, disdaining to drive bullocks, were caship''ed on the spot, and replaced by new levies. Hesid 's the garrison, th.^ general possesses several field-pieces and car- ronades, which, however, are, by reason of the low state of the ammu- nition, rather ornamental than useful. There is a small vineyard behind the house of about three hundred 'iff ':!t I'i '•,■ ■ h'fl! i^^' ! li' ' ■ ft 180 SAN FRANCISCO. leet square, which, in the days of the priests:, used to yield about one tliousand gallons of wine. The general, on couiing into possession, replanted tiie vines, wr.ich bore abundantly in the third season; and now, at the end of only five years, they have just yielded twenty bar- rels of wine and four of spirits, equal to sixteen more of wine, of fifteen gallons each, or about five hundred and forty gallons of wine in all. 'I'he peaches and pears also, though only three years old, were from fifteen to twenty feet high, and had borne fruit this season. In short, almost any plant might here be cultivated with success. During the rihort winter, snow is never seen, excepting occasionally on the sum- mits ol' the highest hills, while at noon the heat generally ranges from ()5° to 70° in tlie shade ; and, in summer, the average temperature of the day is seldom lower than 90°. As tlie northwest fogs do not ))enetrate into the interior more than fifteen miles, there are, in fact, two climates at San Francisco; and Gener:\l V^allego has chosen the better one for himself as also for his brotlicr, the adininistrador of San •lose de Guadalupe. At dinner, the general made his appearance, wrapped in a cloak ; and we had now also the pleasure of being introduced to the Dowager Senora, a:- agreeable dame of about sixty; and we could not help en- vying the old lady the very rare luxury of being immediately surround- eil, at her time of life, by ?>j many as five grown sons and daughters. This meal was merely a counterpart of the breakfast — the same Mr. Leese, the same stews, the same frixoles, and the same pepper and garlic, with the same dead and alive temperature in every morsel; and the only difference was that, as we were a little better appeUzed, we took more notice of the want of attendance, the only servant, besides my own, being a miserable Indian, dressed in a shirt, with bare legs and cropped hair. Immediately after dinner, the ladies retired, the gentlemen at the same time? going out for a stroll ; but soon afterwards the ladies again met us at tea, reinforced by one or two of the more juvenile donnas of the establishment. Dancing was now the order of the day. Don Salvador and one of his troopers played the guitar, while we were "toeing and heeling it" at ihe fandango, the cotillon, ai d the waltz. The scene was rather peculiar for a ball room, both gentlemen and ladies, when not on active service, smoking furiously with fully morey ii^ soi.u cases, than the usual accompaniments. Among the persons present \v as a very fierce, punchy little man, enveloped in an immense cloak. He proved to be no less a personage than Commandant Prado of the Presidio of San Francis'^o, successor, in fact, of Vallego, in the same office which forni'^d the stepping-stone to his present elevation. Besides having been engaged in many skir- inishes against both Californians and Indians, he has had several nar- row escapes with his life in private brawls. About two years ago a religious festival was celebrated at the mission of San Francisco de los Dolores, in honor of the patron saint, passing through ail the usual gradations of mass, bull-fight, supper, and ball. In the course of the rvening, Guerrero, die steward of the mission, stabbed Prado with the ever ready knife, for presuming to interpose in an altercjition between hi sc a( sa a 01 SAN FRANCISCO. 181 le man, rsonage ccessor, ig-stone y skir- ral nar- s ago a (le los e usual of the ^ith the etween him? ^f and his mistress; but the corpulent commandant was n^ vo je so easily run through, for, though breadth of beam is not generally an advantage to a soldier, yet, on this occasion, Prado's fat did succeed in saving his bacon. Such a termination of a religious festival is so much a matter of course, that at one, which took place a few months back, one of Prado's numerous enemies came up to him, and drawing his knife, said, " What ! here's daylight and no one yet stabbed!" and it re- quired all the influence of Vallego, who happened to be present, to nip so very promising a quarrel in the bud. On such occasions the cloak is often invaluable as a shield ; and in fact, when both parties are on their guard, there is commonly far more of noise than of mischief. Our evening, however, passed over most amicably and agreeably, winding up, after several other songs, with "Auld Lang Syne," in whicii the Californians joined the foreigners very heartily; so that, as next day was old Christmas, I could have almost fancied that I was welcoming "Auld Yule" in the North of Scotland. On the morning of the sixth we left the mission about seven o'clock, under a pretty heavy rain, to the great surprise of its amiable and hos- pitable inmates. We breakfasted at the landing-place on the site of our old camp, after which we made our way to the moutii of the creek with the ebb-tide; but as the wind was blowing hard from the south- east, w? could not face the bay, and were obliged to retrace our steps, encampirg for the lliird time at the landing-place, after nearly a whole day's exposure and toil. In all the course of my traveling, I never had occasion to go so far in search of an encampment as 1 did this day ; but between our encampment ami tlie bay, there really was not a single spot wliere, even in the direst necessity, we could have obtained a footing. The banks of the creek were a mere marsh, and we saw and heard thousands upon thousands of cranes, geese, ducks, curlew, snipe, plover, heron, &c. These birds enjoy a perpetual holiday. They, of course, are quite safe from the lasso; and so long as the Californians can get beef without gunpowder, they are not likely to expend it on any less profitable quarry. By next morning the wind had returned to tlie northwest. We ac- cordinojly got under way at six o'clock ; and, after a pleasant run down the creek, we stood across the bay of San Pedro, passed our old en- campment on Murphy's estate, and, at four in the afternoon, arrived in safety on board of the Cowlitz. It liad been our intoniioii,on this trip, to have visited Captain Sutter, the purchaser, as already mentioned, of the Russian American Com- pany's stock in Ross and Hodega, who had settled, under the sanction of the government, on the banks of the Sacramento; l^n.t, as this pro- longation of our excursion would have occupied us at leust eight or ten days, we were reluctantly obliged to return without beating up the Cap- tain's quarters. Besides having thus lest the opportiinity of seeing a litde of the interior, we had reasons of a less roni;u.,.i- character for regretting our disappointment, as Sutter, a man of a speculative turn and good address, had given to The Hudson's Bay Company, in com- mon with many others less able to pay ibr the compliment, particular 4;^ M\ 182 SAN FRANCISCO. ■I'ii' 'k\ 'm !) 'V {rronnds for takinfjf an interost in his welfare and prosprrily. He was imdcrstood to have served in the; hody-fjuard of Charles the T(!nth, and to have emigrated, after the three f^iorious days of ISIIO, to the United States — a country wliieh, by its acquisition of Louisiana, ofrcrs far more powerful inducements to French enterprise than any one of the ricketty colonies of the grand nation. He had successively tried his fortune in St. Louis, among the Shawnee Indians, in the Snake Coun- try, on the Columbia River, at the Sandwich Islands, at Sitka, and at San Francisco, uniformly illustrating the proverb of the rolling stone, but yet generally contriving to leave anxious and inquisitive friends behind him. He was now living on a grant of land about sixty miles long and twelve broad, trapping, larmi ng, trading, bullying the govern- ment, and letting out Indians on hire — being, in short, in a fairer way of figuring in the world as a territorial potentate than his royal patron's heir, the Duke of Bordeaux. If Sutter really has the talent and the courage to make the most of his position, he is not uidikcly to render California a second Texas. Even now, the Americans only want a rallyinff point for carrying into effect their theory, that the English race is destined by "right divine" to expel the Spaniards from their ancient seats — a theory which has already begun to develop itself in more ways than one. American adventurers have repeatedly stolen cattle and horses by wholesale, with as little compunction as if they had merely helped themselves to an instalment of their own property. American trappers have frequently stalked into the Californian towns with their long rides ready for all sorts of mischief, practically setting the govern- ment at defiance, and putting the inhabitants in liodily fear; and, in 18.36, the American residents, as also some of the American skippers on the coast, supported the revolution in the hope of its merely trans- ferring California from Mexico to the United States. Now, for foster- ing and maturing Brother Jonathan's ambitious views, Captain Sutter's establishment is admirably situated. Besides lying on the direct route between San Francis(!0 on the one hand, and the Missouri and the Wil- lamette on the other, it virtually excludes the (Jaliforniaiis from all tin- best parts of their own country, the valleys of the San Joachin. tiic Sacramento and the Colorado. Hitherto the Spaniards have contined themselves to the comparatively barren slip of laud, varying from ten to I'orty miles in width, which lies between the ocean and the first range of mountains ; and beyond this slip they will never penetrate with their present character and their present force, if Captain Sutter, or any other adventurer, can gather rouml him a score of such marksmen as won Texas on the field of San Jacinto. But this is not all, for the Ameri- cans, if masters of the interior, will soon discover that ihey have a natural right to a maritime outlet; so that, whatever may be the fate of Monterey, and the more southerly ports, San Fr.ui iseo will, lo a moral aertainty, sooner or later fall into the possession of Americans ; the only possible liiodo of preventing such a result, beiuii the previous occupa- tion of the port on the part of Great Britain. Eniilisli, in some sense or other of the word, the richest portions of California must become — either Great Britain will introduce her well regulated freedom of all SAN FRANCISCO. 183 ■tj classes ami rolors, or thn people of the United States will inundate the country with their own pocnliar mixture of helpless hondai;e ami lawU'ss insubordination. Uetween twosueh alternatives the Caliiornians them- selves have little room for choice; and, even if there were ifround for hesitation, they would, I am convinced, liiul in their actual experience sunici(!nt reason for decidini; in favor of th(> IJritish, for they especially and emphatically complain that the Americans, in their mercantile deal- iiil,'s, are too wideawake for such drowsy customers as would rather ho cheated at once than |>rotect themselves by any unusual expenditureof vigi- lance and caution. tSo much as to Captain Sutter's history and prospects. On our return to Verba IJuena, we made arransiements with Don Francisco (iuevrero, already mentioned in conn(!ction with command- ant Prado, for visitinjj him at the luission of San Francisco, the oldest establishment of the kind on the bay and the nearest to our anchorajre. This •rentleirian, who had been steward of the mission till the protrress of pilla de los An^elos carried before Go- vernor Alvarado some wret(!hcs, who ha! ronfesseil the murder of a (Jcrman, they received, and fidfilled as v.c!' is recei\ 'il, this unique commission of oyer and terminer : " I have not sutlicieni I'orce to carry the law into execution against them ; but, if you have evidence of their crime, do as you consider right." To return, in conclusion, to our friend (iuerrero, the reader must now understand jMotty clearly what sort of a magistrate an alcalde is in California. 'I'hc word is of orien- tal origin, being part of the legacy left by the Moors in Spain, while, true to his order, the Californian alcalde resembles the Turkish cadi as closely on most other points as in name. On the morning of Monday, the tenth of the month, Guerrero's horses were in attendance ; and a pleasant ride of three miles over some sandy hills, covered M'ith the dwarf oak and the strawberry tree, brought us to the mission of San Francisco. In the case of San Fran- cisco Solano, the remains of the original establishment had been replaced or eclipsed by the more ambitious buildings of General Val- lego; but here one wilderness of ruins presented nothing to blend the promise of tlie future with the story of the past. This scene of desolation had not even the charm of antiquity to grace it, for, as it was only in 1776 that the mission was founded, the oldest edifice, that now crumbled before us, had not equaled the span of human life, the age of three-?coie years and ten ; and yet, when compared with tiie stubborn piles wliich elsewhere perish so gradually as to exhibit no perceptible change iv, a single generation of men, these ruins had attained a state of decay which would have done credit to the wind and weather of centuries. Oddly enough the endemic laziness of the country had, in this instance, run ahead of Old Time with his jog-trot and his scythe, and had done his work for him at a smarter pace and with more formidable tools. In plain English, the indolent Californians had saved themselves a vast deal of woodsman's and carpenter's labor by carrying off doors and windows and roofs, leaving the unsheltered adobes, if one may name small things with great, to the fate of Nineveh and Babylon. But these good Catholics did set a limit, and that, too, a characteristic one, to their sacrilege. They could appropriate the cattle, and dismantle the dwellings of the missions, robbing both priests and proselytes of what they had earned in common by the sweat of their brows ; but they respected the churclies with a superstitious awe, even after they had degraded them into baubles by the expulsion at once of the pas- tors and their flocks. They left the mint and the anise and the cum- min untouched, but trampled on the weightier matters of the law ; they reverenced the altar but disclaimed the mercy of which it was the emblem. Of this hollow t^how, however, the friars should parUy bear the blame. It was an external religion that they had taught : they had sown the wind and were reaping the whirlwind. , , SAN FRANCISCO. 185 r justice. Prr- i! atleriipt of the f (M)n(l(!mned a in 1837, when ried before Go- lie murder of a ' d, this unique ii force to carry vidence of their itlusion, to our ty clearly what ^ord is of orien- in Spain, while, e Turkish cudi nth, Guerrero's liree miles over 5trawl)erry tree, se of San Fraii- inent had been )f General Val- in<;f to blend the This scene of it, for, as it was idifice, that now I life, the age of ith the stubborn no perceptible tained a state of ler of centuries. n this instance, and had done rmidable tools. mselves a vast ofT doors and one may name Babylon. But racteristic one, and dismantle proselytes of ir brows ; but ven after they ice of the pas- and the cum- the law ; they h it was the Id partly bear ght : they had In former days tliere resided here, besides the priests and Holdiers, about seven hundred doniesticated converts, of whom we «aw only three naked, dirty, miserable creatures. In i77(J, liie mjssion had com- Mienced operations with five cattle, the ancestors of the tliousaml herils that now crowd the shores of the bay; but, lowarils the close of its career, it had actjuired aI)out lifleen thousand descendants of the original stock for its own single share, bcsid('s coiisi(k'ral)!e (locks of sheep and large bands of horses. When times of trouble, however, arrived, the priests, as I have already stated in a general way, so suo cessfully forestalled the spoilers by killing oil their animals, that the first administrador of the mission of San Francisco came into possession ol not more than five thousand cuttle; and this number has been since reduced to about three hundred, that are now running wild on the hills. Priests, cattle, sav.ages ami dwellings had all vanished. Nor were llie spiritual results of the sysl< more conspicuous than its material fruits, consisting, as they did, > .ulhing but a negative ven(!ration for the ornaments and appendages of a deserted plac(! of worship. Hut the mission, though dead, still spake through its interesting associations. As I had perused, during our tedious voyage in the Cowlitz, Forbes's History of California, with its many curious details in the shape of the authentic records of the estal)lishments, every object in the present solitude, not even excepting the mouldering adobe, had its own tale to tell of the motley life of bygone days. In making the tour of the ruins, we lirst entered the apartment in which the priests took their meals and rec(Mved visits, — two branches of business which they understood to perfection. 'I'o say nothing of the grand staples of beef and frixoles, their tables groanerl under a profusion of mutton, fowls, vegetables, fruits, bread, pastry, milk, butter and cheese, of every- thing, in short, which a prolific soil and an almost tropical climate could be made to yield to industry and art; and as tlieir dining-room was connected with their kitchen l)y a small closet, which served merely to intercept the grosser peruimes, they had evidently known, contrary to modern use and wont, how to heighten the zest of these good things by attacking them hot and racy from the fire, and cooling them, if necessary, for tliemselves with the juice of their own grapes. These were the times for traveling in California. Besides its agreeable society and its hospital)le board, every mission was more ready than its neighbor to supply the stranger with guides, and horses and pro- visions, whether for visiting the immediate neighborhood, or for prose- cuting his journey through the province ; and, if one did not look too critically below the surface, tiie contrast between the untamed savages and the half-civilized converts could harcUy fail to complete, in the eyes of the hasty wayfarer, a kind of terrestrial paradise. Witness Langs- dorfTs artless picture, drawn from the life, in 18UG, of the placid exist- ence of the presidency and missions of the Harbor of San Francisco. Passing through the dining-room, we were conducted into a square surrounded with buildings, in which, to say nothing of less important avocations, the natives used to be employed in manufacturing the wool of the establishment into blankets and coarse cloths, their wheels and IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I ■u Uii 12.2 m 140 12.0 m I'-'^ir-^ij^ < 6" ► '7; %'^ '/ Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. UStO (716) 873-4503 o V fn 186 SAN FRANCISCO. ■"n^Br 1 1 r< Is looms haviiifr bopii made by tlicnisclvps tindor the dirrction of llirir zealous teachers, who had derived their know Mediae on th(! stdijeet Irdiii hooiis. It was, ill laet, ehiedy by means of hooks thai the mission- jiries had eontrived to ovoreome all th(! didieulties of their isolated posi- tion, from the preparinif of tin- adoltes to the deeoratinirof the churches, from the eonstriietinjf of the plough to the hakiiiif of the bread, frum the sheariiit: of the sheep to the iMliinif of the web. Hut, in addition to tludr iniiemiity in planninjr, they toiled more diliirently than any el their unwillinif assistants in the actual execution of their various labors, strivinir "Jt the same time to render their drudifC'rv morally available as an exam])le. Thus, for instance, did the astute and indefaliualilc fathers temper the mud with measured steps and merry ditties in onler to bejruilc, if possible, their indolent and simple ]»upils into useful labor by the attractions of the sonir and the danci'. 'J'he praise of all this, liowever, shoidd, in a great dejiree, be awarded to the Jestiits, who. before they were supplanted by the Franciscans, had covered the sterile rocks of Lower California with the monunu'nts, ai^ricultural and arclii- tectural, and economical, of their j)atience and aptitude, not only leaviiii: to their successors apposite models and tolerable workmen, but also l)cquealhin!i to them the invaluable lesson that nothing was impossiltic to eiKTiry and perseverance. Still the system, in spite of all the sacri- fices of the two foremost ord(!rs of the Romish ('hurch, was but a show, in which the puppets ceased to dance when the wire-j)idler8 were with- drawn; it was a body without a soul of its own, which could move only by the infusion of extraneous life; it was, in a word, tj'pified by its own adobe, which nq^liinir but constant care and attention eoulil prevent from returninjr to its elementary dust. From the factory we went to the church. This was a large edifice, almost as plain as a barn excepting in front, where it was prettily finished with small c(duinus, on which was hunen five an«l six leet thick. The church, as I have already said, remained in perleet preservation amidst the contrast of the surrounding ruins ; ami considering the solidity of the walls, which, to say nothing of their thickness, had become vitrified by time, it could hardly In; destroyed in any otiici" way than by the removal of its roof. This church is sometimes, Init not often, opened by Father Quigas of San Rafael, or by the priest of Santa Clara. Thus have the zeal and industry of the fathers becomi' useless alike to Californians and Indians. Hut, with respect to tlMso deserted places of worship, the mere erection of the sacred edifice formed a small part of th(> exertions of the missionaries. The harder task was to fill them with reverential listeners, more parlieidarly in SAN FRANCISCO. 187 rarlv timrs. TiVPii afirr conscntiui:, lor a coiisidrralinu. to swrll tlm iiMislrr-roll of llic llock, the savajrcs rrc(jiiriitly iii(luIne iiJL^autie seolUr, who was in iVont of th(^ liiijr desk, l>y the hair n|' his head, and swiiiirin!.' him to and fro i rcat n the sisrht of his astiiuishi'd coiiij) niinus. In the vicinity of the ehureii was formerly situated the u;arden, which, Ix'iiisr within the ordinary rauL'c of the northw«'st fof^s, had always lieen inferior to the L'^anlens of the more inland missions. It was now choked with weeds and hushes ; and tin; walls w(>re hroken down in many places, tlioUi.di, hy a eharacteristie oxerlion ol Californian indus- irv, piles of skulls had filled u|) some of the traps, remindinii; n\w of the pouiul of hull'alo-ljones, a huiulrey hIx ofiiccrs ol llu; ciisioms, who (locked down to our vessel like vultures to llieir prey. As lliey came up llie side ot tli(! ship, ihey j-xhihited :i superaltundaiiee ol' howinir und sinilin;: : and, alter the ordinary cerenionics were exhausled, iliey were eoii- ilueted into the eahiu in order to proceed to business. \\ hen t(dd that we had paid our tounajrc-dues at San I-'raneisco, ai\d had no earuo lo land at IVIonterey, they looked like a disappointed hatch ol' expeclam leirat(!es, leavinjr ihi; tahle on which the wine was already placed, with dry lij)s and lenjrtheiu'd faces. To ourselves, however, tin; visit was hy no moans unwelcoinc, as a necessary preliminary to our f,n)in'j; on shore, an operation which we eHeeted hy waitin^f on the outer edj£e of the surf, till a conil)cr, as it is technically distinj^uished, waited our boat into a little cove; at the toot of the eustoni-house ; and then one or two of the sailors, junipin<; out. draijired her up, so that when the wave retired, we were hijrh and iliv on the beach. 'J'hough infinitely inferior, as a port, to San Francisco aiul San Dieiro. yet Monterey, from its central position, has always hi'cn the seat oi government. It was, however, only after the revolution of IH'M\, th;ii it could be compared with the other settlements in p(»int of cominerci:'.! importance, liavinpf suddeidy expanded I'rom a few houses into a poj>u- lation of about 700 souls. 'JMie town occupies a very pretty plain, which slopes towards the north and terminates to the southward in a tolerably loftv ridiro. It is a ntere collection of buildings, scattered as loosely on the surface as if they were so many bullocks at pasture; so that the most expert sur- veyor could not possibly classify them even into crooked streets. AVIiat a curious dictionary of circumlocutions a Monterey Directory would be ! 'J'he dwellings, some of which attain the dignity of a second story, are all built of adobes ; being sheltered on every side from the sun by overhanging eaves, while, towards the rainy quarter of the southca.*t they enjoy the additional protection of boughs of trees, resting like so many ladders on the roof. In order to resist the action of the elements, the walls, as I have already mentioned with njspcct to the mission ol" San Francisco, are remarkably thick, though this peculiarity is hen^ pardy intended to guard agi.inst the shocks of eartluiiudves, which are so frequent that a hundred and twenty of them were felt during two suc- cessive months of the last summer. This average, however, of two eart!;- quakes a day is not so frightful as it looks, the shocks being seUloni severe, and often so slight, according to Basil Hall's experience in South America, as to escape the notice of the uninitiated stranger. Externally the habitations have a cheerless aspect in consetpicncc ol the paucity of windows, which are almost unattainable luxuries. Gla?s is rendered ruinously dear by the exorbitant duties, while parchment, surely a better substitute than a cubic yard of adobes, is clearly inad- missible in California on account of the trouble of its preparation ; and. to increase the expense, carpenters arc equally extravagant and saucy, MONTERKY, 191 I'lmrcinji llirco dollars for sucli ;i dny's work :is nun is likely to irct Irnin iV'liows that will ivtt l:il)or more tli:m tlucc days in the wrck. Altrr all, perhaps the Caliroriiiaiis do not led the privatimi of liuhl to he all evil. \\ hile it certainly makes tlu; rooms cooler, it eaimot hy any possihility iiiterl'erc! with the occnpaiions olthoso wlio do iu)thiiii»; ami, even lor the |)iir[)oses of ventilation, windows are hardly needed, inasmindi as the Iieddinir, the oidy thinizthat rei]nires fresh air, is daily (•xi)osed to the siiii ami wind. Auioiiir the ('alifornian housewives the 1)0(1 is quite a show, eiijoyintr, as it ijoes, the full hem lit ol" contrast. While the other furniture eonsisls ol" a deal tahle ami some* hadly made rliairs, with prol)al)ly a Dutch clock and an old lookin»r-i.dass, the hed (Ostentatiously challeiisies admiration with its snowy sheets friiifjed with lace, its j)ilo ol" soft pillows covered with the finest linen or the richest satin, and its well arran airinirs, this hed is hut a wiuted se|)ul(dire, eonccalini: in the interior a pestilential wool matlres.s, t!;(^ impre^riiahle stronyhold of millions n{' las jinf<(as. As to ptihlic huildinjrs, this cajjital of a province may, with a strrt(?h cf charity, he allowed to j)ossess four. First is the church, part of which is jfoini^ to decay, while another part is not yet finished : its iiidy j)eculiarity is that it is huilt, or rather half-htiilt, of stone. Next ii)iiies the castle, consistini: of a small house surrounded l)y a low Mall, all of adohcs. It commands the town and anchoraire, if a irarrison (»! live soldiers and a hattery of eiji^ht or ten rusty and honey-comhed L'Uiis can be said to command anythiuL^. 'J'hird in order is the puard- iioiisc, a paltry mud hut without windows, l-'ourth and last stands the custom-house, which is, or rather promises to ho, a small ranye of de- • cnt oflices, for, ihoui^h it has been buildini^ for live years, it is not yet finished. The noi(rhl)orliood of the town is j)loasinf^ly diversifie(l with hills, ;.:ul olfcrs abundance of timber. 'I'he soil, thoujrh liirht and sandy, is ' ikes too formidable for either man or beast to encounter. Monterey is badly supplied with water, which, in consequence of Hit' extraordinary drought fd' last year, lately broufjht a dollar a pipe. The small str(;am, which runs dir()Ui>li the town, is jrcnerally dry in >'unnier, the very season when its water is most wanted. On landing; we found that the wood f(dks were all ensrajTcd at mass ; n:'.d accordinck went to christen a hridj^e, which had heen hitely thrown over the HttU; river of the town, and was now fjaily decorated with hanners, ltit:ints;il ihrirnwn 1mhisi>s. Amonif others, u r visited an unsophisticated eoektu-v ol' the name oC Wat- son from " Hedriir," whose lather had ** heen in the pulilie line," and had kept "the Noah's Ilark, 'tween the ({h»l)e Stairs, and the *orse Ferry." Though he had heen eijjhteen years in ('alilornia, yet he was appa- rently uneonsei«)Us of ajiy lapse of time, for his notions of persons ami plaeea were pretty nnich the same as he had ind)il)ed under the pater- nal roof. Ho talked as if the ehurehyards had enjoyed a sineenre, and as if doeks and railways had (Muntnitied no trespasses ; and yet, while lie supposed all the rest of the world to he standiuLr still, he himself had contrived to serape together the largest fortune in the j)rovinee. Watson's simplicity did not greatly surprise us, for, «'ven if he had heen less deeply immersed in hides and tallow, and perhaps more delicate speculations, he would hardly have ohtained the nu'ans of regular aiitl continuous information. To take our own case, we had left the At- lantic nine months hefore, having tarried one month on Hed Hiver, and at least two months on the Columl)ia,l)esides making an ollset to Sitka, and yet, in all ('alilornia, we found no later news than our own front lireat Britain or the United States. The deniand for knowledjre is necessarily inconsiderahle. 'I'he only seminary of education in the province is a petty school at Monterey ; and thoutrh, uiuler the old sys- tem, parents were hy law obliged to send their children to the near(!st mission for instruction, yet very few individuals of any age can either write or read. While returning to our boat, wo wore saluted hv a horseman in Spanish costume, whom we at length recognized, through his disguise, to be Mr. Ermatingcr, one of The Hudson's Bay Company's olllcers, who had left Vancouver for California, about the time of our return from Sitka, in command of our annual party of trappers. Having heard at Sonoma, that he had arrived on the banks of the Sacramento, I requested him by letter to follow me, if necessary, to Monterey liat we might have an interview on matters of businc^ss ; and he had i.-j- cordingly hastened to Yerba Bucna, whence, finding that the Cowlitz had got the start of him by a few hours, he had pursued his journey by land to this place. After tracing the Willamette to its sources, Mr. Ermatingcr had crossed the height of land into the valley of the Clamet River, thence making his way to the snowy chain which terminates in Cape Mendo- cino. The latter portion of this route ran through the country which had been the scene of the cowardly atrocities of some Americans ; but, though the Indians did, for a time, make the Company's innocent serv- ants pay the penalty of the guilt of others, yet, through the inlluence of kindness and firmness combined, they have, within the last two years, permitted our people to pass unmolested. Mr. Ermatingcr then crossed the snowy chain aforesaid by the Pit mountain, so called from the number of pitfalls dug by the neighboring savages for the wild ani- mals ; and here, pardy in consequence of the lateness of the season, lie and his men had to m.irch, for three days, through snow, whicli, in some places, was two feet deep. In fact, this mountain was notorious PART I. — 13 ■"•Hi A m 1.;. , i 'ii .■.^.<. 5 194 MONTERKy. i 'jl^B mi' ■>«- '( li .'iH llio worst part of llicir journey, for, about ton yearH before, our trap- pers, bciiitf overtaken by a violent storm, had lost, on ibis very ground, tb(! u bole of ibeir furn and nearly tiirer biMidred horses. The partv now i-niered tin.' valb'y of tin; Saeramcnto, described by Mr. lOrnialin- ^er as prcscntinif in a b!nj,nh of eijrbty Icairucs, the riehcist anii most verdant district on the \v«'st(!rn side ol" the Koeky .Moiniiains. The country, however, is subject to inundations. On the 12tli of l)»'ccui- bcr, whib; we were experieiicini; such heavy weather in Uaker'n Hay, .Mr. I'lrinatin^er and his peoph* had encamped on a petty tributary of the Sacramento, when, in consecjueiice of torrents of rain, the stream ros(> nine feel duriii!* the nitrbt, swellinir into a tide that threatened to iiver(l(»w, or swee|) away, its banks. In tin; morninif they prtK'ccded towards situw rising ^rromid, ai)oul live miles distant. Hut the intervening plain had beeomo a perfect bor;, so that it was (deven o'clock at ni^ht l)efore iIm.' party assembled, with the (exception of one poor s(iuaw ami several horses; and, Itel'ore dayliijhl returned, tlndr urc'en knoll stood as an island in a coiisiderabh! lake. 'J'ho mdbrtunatt! woman was dis- covered to have died in the ni^jbt; ami the missin}^ animals wcrestand- inj,', still" and irhastly, upon their lejfs with tludr loads on their bai^ks. Hence Mr. J'irmatin^cr proceeded to another tributary of llie Sacra- mento, known a.s the Riviere la (^^lehe ; and here he dispat(died his hunters in difle-nuU directions, with orders to meet him at a certain spot, about two days distant from Sonoma, by the 25lh of April, the latest dati! at which tin; swarms of mosquitoes wotdd allow th(!m to carry on their trappini^ in the haunts of tlu; beaver and the otter, 'i'o the appoint(!d place, Mr. lOrmatinj^er immediately went in person, with two or three men and the wives and chililren of tin; partv; and havinir there met the messeuj^er with our letters, ho tirst announced his arrival to (ieneral Vallego, and then made his way to Yerl)a IUi(>na. Trom Yerba IJuena, Mr. Ermatinsrer's route lay alon<( the bay as far as the Pueblo of San Jose de (Juadalupe, thence advancing to the mis- sion of Santa Clara; and from this establishment, again, it carried him through a beautiful district uj)wards of a hundred miles long, varied with hills and plains, woods and streams, all in a state of nature. I had myself intended to travel by this road from Verba Uuena to Mon- terey ; and the more that 1 heard of it from Mr. Ermatinger, the more did I regret that 1 had permitted myself to be deterred from undertak- ing the journey, by exaggerated accounts of the danger and discomfort whiidi, at this season, the state of the waters was likely to occasion. What a contrast do(!s Mr. Ermatinger's brief narrative present to the position which the Spaniards occupy with respect to the Indians ? While a handful of strangers leaves women and children almost un- protected in the wildernciss, and sends forth solitary hunters in every directit)n, the permanent colonists of the country, many of them being themselves children of the soil, are the victims of a systematic course of savage depredation. In the palmy days of the missions, the prac- tice of sending out soldiers to bag fresh subjects for civilization, tended to embitter the naUirally unfriendly feeling of the red man, more par- ticularly as the aborigines of the interior were constitutionally more li^ I ' ;' MONTKRhY. 195 rrstk'88 and rnorirf'tic thiui tlw savajri's of tlir roast; and the n'vniiition n( IH'M\ auirravalcd llic evil liy tiiriniiir loitsc into the uomls a niiilli- tiidc ol" converts, uliosi' power ol' iloiini miscliier, Itesides Im lui; in- creased liv knowlediii' ami experience, was forced into lull plav l»v ;i sense of tin; injnsiic(! and inlitnnanity oi' tlu' local irovernnient. lint the Indians of all descriptions are, Iroiii day to day. remlered morj; niidacions by iinpiinity. 'I\)o iiiilolmt to be always on llie alert, tin; Californians overlook the constant pilt'eriiius of cattle and liorses, till ihev aro roused hevcnid the measure j-vcn of their patience hv somo ouiraire of more than ordinary mark ; ami then, instead of hiintinir down tlu' irnilly lor «-xemplary [xinishment. they destroy excrv native that falls in their way, wiihtmt distinction of sex or ai[<'. 'I'ho lilood-houmis, of course, find chietly women and children, for, in iiene- ral, the men are better aide to eseapc, biilcherinif their helpless and inollensive victims afier tlu! blas|)iieiiious m(»ckery (d' Itaptism. 'The sanctifyiiiir of murd(;r by the desecration of a Christian rite, however incredibh' it may seem, is a melancholy matter ui' fact, the performrr.s in the trairedy doubtless belii-vim^ that, if tln-re be any truth in the maxim that the «'nd justilies the means, surely the salvation of the soul is sullicient warrant for the (h'struction ol the body. I subjoin a more detailed description, on the authority of an eye-witness. When the incursions of the savages have appeared to remler a crusade necessary, the alcaUh; of the neijihljorhood summons frcuti twelve tit twenty ccdo- iiists t«) serve, either in person (U- by sul)stitut«', on horseback ; and one of the foreii.ni residents, when nominaied about three years before, preferred the alternative of joiniuLr the jiarty himself, in order to see soniethinij <>l tin; interior. After a ride of three days they reached .» village, whose inhabitants, for all that the crusaders knew to the con- trary, miifht have been as innocent in the matter as themselves. Hut, f.'ven without any consciousness of iiuilt, the tramp of the horses was a symptom not to be misunderstood by tin; savai:(;s ; and accordin<,dy all that could run, comprising, of course, all that could possibly be criminal, (led for their lives. Of those who remained, nim; persons, all females, were tied to trees, ehristoned, and shot. With jrreat didi- oulty and considerable danjrer, my informant saved one ohi woman by conducting her to a short distance from the aeeurseil scene ; and even there he had to shield the creature's miserable lile by (lrawinlc or Ity inspiraiioii, their lu^U'-horii hi-lirl' atiiul the loriiHMits ot' thi; lire and the kiiilc, while their (diief, who had received the name ot Peter, ruKheul Ironi the; wtake, alter his lii;utiires were consumed, and, with a hhizint; hillet in either hand, Hi'attered his circle of perseejitors like; a llock of sheep. It was to the tool-hardy valor of this chief', that the capture of himself and his ecMintrymen had heon owinir; ■md, with relerence to this fart, the Jesuit historian closes liis extraordinary narrative, which occupies four pa<;es of classical tliction, liy expn'ssiui.' his opinion that to the reckless couraj^e of their leader the prisoners were induhted for their salvation, an opinion which, if entertained also hy the attendant missionary, may suniciently account hoth lor what he did and for what he left undone, hr)th for his anxiety to christen the Irotjuois, and for his indiHerence ahout humanizing tlie llurons. In truth, cruelty, when thus vari'.ished, becomes mercy in its htveliest form, the butchers of California, as well as those of Canada, havinif adopted the best means of «loing the greatest good to those that hated them. Under thes(! circunisiances the two rac«'s live in a state of warfare, that knows no truc(\ 'l*he Indian makes a rctrular business of stcalini^ horses, that he may ride the tame ones and eat such as are wild. Sometimes, lH)wever, he raises his eyes to the younir br\inett(!s them- selves, one pirl having been actually carrieil olf from San Diego, and no less a person thaii Senora VallcLfo's sister having almost been the victim of a conspiracy, which the ireneral, with all his taste for foreign alliances, took care to defeat. In his turn, the Californian treats the savage, wherever he linds him, very much like a beast of prey, shootiiisr liim down, even in the absence of any specific charge, as a commuii pest and a public enemy, and still more decidedly disdaining, in a case of guilt, the aid of such law and justice as the country aflbrds. In the latter event he not merely punishes him on his own responsibility, but docs so, in some degree, according to judicial forms, Mr. Spence's brother, who has a farm at a little distance from Monterey, having hanged two horse-stcalers, who had confessed the crime, the very night before our arrival in the port. For such a state of things, however, the public authorities are far more to blame than private individuals. Contented with extorting the amount of their own salaries from the missions and the foreign trade, they care little for the general welfare and security, though a band of fifty resolute horsemen, provided they chastised only the actual ma- rauders, would hold at bay all the savages, with their wretched bows and arrows, between Sonoma and San Diego. In The Hudson's IJay Company's territories, it is no uncommon thing for twelve or fifteen men to maintain, with proper management, an isolated post in peace and safety against larger numbers of more formidable neighbors. After being joined by Mr. Ermatinger, we made our way through the surf with some difficulty, and found, on board of the Cowlitz, two MONTKKKY. 197 ('U»t(»m-h()U«o ofViccrH, otip of ilurii :i lirotlirr of (irru'r:il \ ;illruo. Tliev rcinitiiicd with lis ;ill iiiLrlit, ki'c|)iiit: :i cIunc watch uii our iiiovo* iiinits. Nrxt inoriiiiur wr ucro !iir:iiii hoanliMl hy the whoh- Kanjr; ami, altrr a (food (leal of chatrcritii; anil liiifi:liiiir< vvo fiitrrcd into a ('oiii|iri)iiiiNt! for traiis-sliippiiiir into ilic l';iiiia, wliicli was i)oiin.l lor San Francisco, sr)nic nccj'ssary supplies fur our csialiiishim'nt at Vcrlia Mucna, paving rxorl>itant duties on sdini' articles, and ol>taininaniards, who were the local rulers of every colony, were universally expelled, under the new order of things, by those who, besides envy- ing them as a privileged class, hated them as the instruments of an intolerable despotism. Thus, after the achievement of independence, the country found itself almost utterly destitute of political experience, MONTEREY. 199 wliile the entire remodolinj; of its institutions rendered such a qtialifica- tion necessary in its liijjhest possible deiTree. Hitherto ruh'd hy an oligarchy of strangers, who were themselves the slaves of tlie most arbitrary sovereiijn in Europe, the JSpanish Colonies, as if by a leap, emerged at once into the position of independent republics, with hardly any other definite principles to guide them in the selection of what was new than the indiscriminate hatred of all that was old. The result was inevitable, liberty defrenerated into licentiousness, while power was merely another name for tyranny ; and, thoueli the reality of govern- ment nowhere existed, yet tlu! form of the thing was multiplied beyond all former example, either by the constant succession of sectional strug- gles, or by the occasional disruption of a whole into its parts. As Spain is deeply responsible tor the miseries of her transatlantic children, so has Knjrland reason to claim much of the merit of the very dillerent career of her njvolted colonies. Founded chiefly by various sects, that left liimland to avoiil a persecution which, in Spain, would have been hailed as nicrcy, the revolted colonies were, from their very commencement, governed by themselves on principles which were republican in everytliinsj but the name, 'J'heir revolutionary war, therefore, afVected little or nothing of their laws and institutions but tlu; tie that conn(;cted them with the old country, leaving, on the whole, the sanu' men to keep the same machinery in motion ; and, to illustrate and establish this by an instance, Rhode Island retainetl, and, I believe, still retains, her royal charter without comment or alteration as her republican constitution. Now mark the result, as contrasted with the condition of Spanish America. In spite of the essential evils of pure democracy, — a government which can be eflicient only where the virtue and patriotism of the great mass of a people are such as to ren- der government almost su|)erlluous, — the citizens of every state in the confederation enjoy a degree of security for property, liberty and life, such as is utterly unknown in any portion of Sj)anish America ; again, instead of constantly fluctuating, at the expense of much blood and treasure, between centralism and federation, our transatlantic kindred have, for more than fifty years, exhibited a union of their own making, wliicii, without trenching on the rijjhts of its component parts with respect to internal proceedings, curiously blends in itself the principles of a consolidated dominion with those of a federal repid)lic ; and, last tliouffh not least, the United States, in all that constitutes the material prosj)erity of a nation, have surpassed every country but the one that trave them birth, standing before the world as the most formidable rival of England in the race that has made her what she is, — a position which accounts, more satisfactorily than anything else, for the undis- firiiised and incurable Jealousy on the part of the Americans of the land of their fathers. IJut, to return to the Spanish Colonies, there appears to be reasona- l)lc roouj for doubling, whether their independence has not cost them nu)re than it is worth in an anarchy, wliich, iidierent, as it seems to l>e, in every man's mind, threatens to be as durable as it is general. If Spain ruled her sons with a rod of iron, she secured to them, in a ■ " '*->| ■ ?;• P^ 200 MONTEREY. til W:. pre-eminent decree, tlie blcssinps of peaee and order; if she burdened and fettered tlieui, she guaranteed the undisturbed enjoyment of all the energy and freedom that slie left ; if she enhaneed the price of imported goods by taxes and restrictions, she took care that the resources, which were to buy them, should not l)e wasted by the locust-like marches and countermarches of alternately victorious factions. In truth, the eman- cipation of Spanish America has been an unmixed good to the English races alone, for on them it has conferred not only the monopoly of the trade, but also, through such monopoly, the virtual sovereignty of the country and of its adjacent oceans. To resume the thread of my journal, the Catilina arrived to-day, the seventeenth of the month, from San Francisco, swelling the number of vessels in port to six. The air was cool, with heavy rain from morn- ing till night ; and the tops of the distant mountains were covered with snow. It was quite the weather for a fire ; and as there was no pleasure in going ashore to be drenched, we took care to have our full allowance of the luxury of a blaze on board. Several whales were sporting near our vessel, the bay of Monterey being a favorite resort for that fish ; and we were told that the shark, the thresher, the cod and the sardine also abounded. The sardine, by the by, furnishes an admirable illustration of the industry of the good folks of this province. The Californians, as has been elsewhere stated, eat no fish because they have no boats to catch them ; but, when a westerly gale has driven millions of sardines on the strand, they do take the trouble of cooking what dame Nature has thus poured into their laps. The only places in the neighborhood, which are worthy of notice, are the Pueblo of Branciforte and the Missions of Santa Cruz and San Carlos, the first two lying on the Bay of Monterey and the last on the River Carmelo. Branciforte contains barely 150 inhabitants; and, as being the least populous, it is also, of course, the least profligate of the three pueblos of the upper province. But the deficiency of the pueblo in this respect is said to have been, in some measure, supplied by the uncanonical pro- ceedings of some of tlie fathers of the neighboring mission. In 1823, one Quintanes, then a priest of Santa Cruz, forgot one of his vows in the society of a certain squaw, who, through penitence or indignation, or vanity, or some other motive, let her husband into the secret of her conquest. After watching his opportunity, the man at last succeeded in mutilating the lover in the most brutal manner, leaving him insensi- ble, but was himself dragged to the calabozo, whence, according to common rumor, he was soon afterwards carried off by the devil for his impiety. Quintanes, on the contrary, died with the fame of a martyr, for a long time elapsed before the truth was known through the confessions of a woman who had been privy to the injured savage's fatal revenge. Treading in the footsteps of Quintanes, though with more caution and greater success, his present reverence of Santa Cruz, brother of the jovial priest of Monterey, finds pleasant relaxation, to say nothing of his bottle, in a seraglio of native beauties, which is said to be, in general, more numerously garrisoned than the Castle of Mo usu the a C nee i i 1 hi^ MONTEREY. 201 ■u'H Monterey. I need hardly add, that the mission in question is in tlie usual stale of decay and dilapidation; and in fact, being so close to the seat of trovernment, it was sure to be one of the first to sulfur, for a Californian is not likely to advance one step faster or farther than is necessary even in the pleasant and profitable path of spoliation. Orifjinally the Mission of San Carlos also stood on the bay, l)ein<5 the second that was established in the upper province. In a former passage I have noticed, that an expedition, which had been sent from San Diego by land to discover Monterey, had failed in its immeiliate object, though it succeeded in making the more valuable discovery of the Harbor of San Francisco. Next year, however, two expeditions, the one by land and the other by sea, reached the desired spot ; and a graphic letter, — whose second paragraph is a curiosity well worth pre- serving, — conveyed from Father Junipero Serra to Father Palou the fallowing account of their proceedings: "My Dearest Friend and Sir. On the 31st day of May, by the favor of God, after rather a painful voyage of a month and a half, this packet, San Antonio, commanded by Don Juan Perez, arrived and anchored in this horrible port of Monterey, which is unaltered in any degree from what it was when visited by the expedition of Don Sebas- tian Vizcaino in the year 1603. It gave me great consolation to find that the land expedition had arrived eight days before us, and that Father Crespi and all others were in good health. On the 3d June, being the holy day of Pentecost, the whole of the officers of sea and land, and all the people, assembled on a bank at the foot of an oak, where we caused an altar to be raised, and the bells to be rung: we then chaunted the Veni Creator, blessed the water, erected and blessed a grand cross, hoisted the royal standard, and chaunted the first mass that was ever perfotmed in this place; we afterwards sang the salve to Our Lady before an image of the most illustrious Virgin, which occupied the altar; and at the same time I preached a sermon, con- cluding the whole with a Te Deum. After this the officers took possession of the country in the name of the king our lord (whom God preserve). We then all dined together in a shady place on the beach ; the whole ceremony being accompanied by many volleys and salutes by the troops and vessels. " As in last May it is a whole year since I have received any letter from a Christian country, your reverence may suppose in what want we are of news; but for all that, I only ask you, when you can get an opportunity, to inform me what our most holy father, the reigning pope, is called, that I may put his name in the canon of the mass; also to say if the canonization of the beatified Joseph Cupertino and Serafino Asculi has taken place ; and if there is any other beatified one, or saint, in order that I may put them in the calendar, and pray to them ; we having, it would appear, taken our leave of all printed calendars. Tell me also if it is true, that the Indians have killed Joseph Soler in Sonora, and how it happened ; and if there are any other friends defunct, in order that I may commend them to God, with anything else that your reverence may think fit to communicate to a 202 MONTKREY. few poor licrmits scparatod from human sorioty. Wo proceed to-mor- row to cclehnitc the lb;ist, and make the procession of Corpus C'hristi, (allhoiifrh in a very poor miinner,) in order to scare away whatever little devils there possil)ly may be in this land. I kiss the hands, &;c. "Fr. JUNIPERO SeRRA." "Mi ■ h *:'i: i:>ni m .. i > ■ |?'i ■:' As all this happened, at the earliest, in the year 1770, some of the younirer witnesses of the solemn and ambitions pomp may have lived, and may still be alive, to mark the contrast. To say nothin)^ more ol the expulsion of the friars and the desecration of their labors, the Span- ish crown, which, by its recent acquisition of FVench liOuisiana, then possessed a colonial empire stretchinji in lengtli from the sources of the Missouri to the confluence of the Atlantic and the Pacific, and, in its breadth, generally embanking either ocean, was left, in about half a century, without a sintrle province or even a single partisan on the American Continent. Tliis revolution, more extensively influential than any other that the world had ever seen, was far too improbable t(t enter, at that time, into any human calculations of the future. The United States had not yet given life and form to the opinion, that dis- tant dependencies must sooner or later become independent ; the colonial rulers, whether civil or military, were, through the prejudices of birth and station, more deeply attached to Spain than to her pro- vinces, while the colonists themselves, sunk in ignorance and luxury, were contented to hug the muflled chains that checked their growth and impeded their movements ; and, though here and there liable lo be plundered by foreign assailants, yet Spanish America, as a whole, had proved herself to be more decidedly impregnable than perhaps any other country on the face of the globe. IJut, as if in mockery ot man's foresight, the axe was already laid to the root of the tree. In 17G3, the cession of Canada lo England and the transfer of Louisiana to Spain, by relieving the English Colonies from their hereditary terror of France, had broken the strongest tie that kept them to their allegiance ; and in 1765, M'ithin three short years, they had practically exhibited, in forcibly resisting the execution of an imperial statute, the rebellious tendency of their new-born ease and security, — a tendency which, in eleven years more, ripened into the declaration of inde- pendence. Again, the American war, partly by inspiring the French auxiliaries with an enthusiasm for liberty, and partly by embarrassing the French finances beyond the hope of remedy, was one main and immediate cause of that great European revolution, which, by placing Spain under the armed heels of a foreign dynasty, gave to Mexico and South America at once a favorable opportunity and a plausible pretext lor rebellion, thus sending back to the one-half of the New World the same impulse which it had itself originally received from the other. The heavy rain of Monday was on Tuesday sdcceeded by brii^ht and warm weather; and we gladly went ashore, though at the cost ot upsetting one of our boats in the surf. Such an accident is quite com- mon, particularly with men unaccustomed to the work, — our captain, .■in MONTEREY. 203 for iiistanro, and a whole party of rricnds. who had hpcw diiiiuir on hoard, haviii}; hcnn conifortahly cap-sizt'il into a c 'd hath, no further hack than last cvL-iiinir. Thoiifrh I was inys<'ir -1 r.. if; f 1 n u 204 CHAPTER IX. SANTA BARBARA. iM'! 1^ ; i On the nineteenth of the month, havinj^ completed onr business in Monterey, we prepared to take our leave. But, as there was not a breath of wind all day, it was ten in the evening before we got under way in company with the Fama and the Bolivar and the two schooners California and Julia Ann, leavinir the port and its twelve tax-gatherers deserted by every vessel except the Catilina. By next morning, the wind was right ahead with the southeaster's usual accompaniment of thick and rainy weather, — a state of things which continued with no other change than an increase of the gale, till, towards evening on the twenty-second, the sky began to clear and the wind hauled round to the westward. At this time, according to our dead reckoning, we were off' Point Conception, a remarkable promontory whence the coast, instead of continuing to run a little to the east of south, trends nearly due east for a very considerable distance. Besides this peculiarity, the headland in question possesses the more practical distinction of termi- nating the belt of coast, which, during nine months of the year, is affected, more particularly in the mornings, by the northwest fogs ; and, in fact, the sudden turn of the land places all, that is below Point Conception, in the same position as the interior with respect to the prevailing breezes of the summer. It is, moreover, probably with a precise reference to this cape, that San Francisco and Monterey on the one hand, and Santa Barbara, San Pedro and San Diego on the other, are respectively classified as the Windward and the Leeward Ports. About thirty miles to the eastward of Point Conception lies Santa Barbara, with four islands abreast of it in the distant offing; and, in reliance on our dead reckoning, we ran boldly before the wind, so as to make a straight course for our destined port. About eleven in the evening, the first of the islands, as we supposed, was seen on our star- board bow ; but, before midnight, the cry of "Land ahead," — land so near that we could discern the surf breaking on the beach, — came just in time to prevent us from running ashore in the Bay of San Luis Obispo, situated forty miles to the north of Point Conception. To us the error in our calculations appeared to be the more unaccountable at the time, inasmuch as we had been taking for granted that the current on the coast, uniformly set towards the south and was, therefore, always in our favor. But we soon came to the natural conclusion that the current must be alTected in its direction by the wind ; and, besides our own experience in corroboration of this view, we found from Langs- 1 SANTA BARBARA. 205 (lord' that Von Rcsanoff's vpssol, alroady mrntioncd, had been ropoat- edlv carried to the northward, in the month of March, bv the currents, having, on one occasion, drifted imperceptibly in a sinjjle nijrlit from the mouth of the Columbia to the entrance of Wliidbey's Harbor. In fict, where there do not happen to be any disturbing causes, this con- nection between winds and currents may be regarded as a physical law, whether it be that the air moves the wafer or the water the air. Thus the easterly trade-wind forces the Atlantic into the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico with a current accelerated by the comparative nar- rowness of the intermediate channels, while this same current, forced to the northeastward under the name of the Florida Stream by the op- posing continent, is doubtless assisted in cleaving its well defined way to the Banks of Newfoundland by the general prevalence of the south- westers on the adjacent waters. Havingescaped from the dangerof the baflling currents, almost theonly danger on this part of the coast, for, at least to the north of Point Concept tion, the terrors of a lee shore are iiardly known, — we next morning dou- bled Point Conception in real earnest; but, as the wind was light, it was dark before we could reach the roadstead. Seeing the Julia Ann stand- ing into the port, we fired a rocket and blue light for signals to guide us ; but, though the schooner took the hint, yet she was too far oil" for us to benefit by her answers. We, therefore, lay to for the night. In the morning we found ourselves distant about ten miles from the Mission of Santa Barbara, which, being situated on an eminence within a quarter of an hour's walk from the town, forms, with its whitewashed walls, an excellent landmark for steering into the harbor. Being al- most becalmed, with the prospect of not gaining our anchorage for seve- ral hours, we lowered the whaleboat and stowed away as many of our party as she could accommodate, boarding the Julia Ann on our way 10 thank her owner, Mr. Thompson, for his politeness of the previous evening. It was well that we did so, for, unless that gentleman had added to his kindness by accompanying us in his own boat to the pro- per landing-place, we should have had considerable difficulty in getting asliore. During the season of the southeasters, the surf is sometimes so heavy as to prevent boats from landing, to say nothing of their grounding on the sands, and being entangled in the sea-weed. In sum- mer, however, the surf is less dangerous, while the shallows are said to be deepened by the banking up of the sand on the beach in the ab- sence of the seaward gales. With the pilotage of Mr. Thompson and the assistance of his boat's crew, which luckily happened to consist ciiiefly of Sandwich Island- ers, perfect ducks of fellows, we surmounted all obstacles without any mishap ; and our guide, after conducting us to his residence and intro- ducing us to Mrs. Thompson, handed us over to Mr. Scott, a native of Perth, to whom we had letters of introduction from his partner. Cap- tain Wilson, of the Index. Mr. Scott, who is one of the most prosper- ous merchants in the country, received us in such a manner as to make us feel that we were among friends, — an impression which every face that we saw in Santa Barbara only tended to confirm. ■■."»' *.. 206 SANTA BARBARA. m ■■1 m. m ■ it ■:t .■ AVo iinmndiatcly sljirtcd to pay our respects to the principal inliatiif- iintH, aiii()ny all of whom we were received with {frcal cordiidily ; and then, r«:turnin'r to (Japtain Wilson's house, where Mr. iScott resided, w(! had the pl(;asure of heinjf introduced to Mrs. Wilson, whom wc; already knew hy name as a sister of 8enora V alleiro, and whom wc now louml to he one of tin; prettiest and most ajrreeahU' women that we had ever met either here or elstfwhere. He- lore she hecame Mrs. Wilson, she had heen the wife of ('aptain I*a- checo, one of the lew persons that have lost their lives in conseijuenco of the revolutionary trouhlcs of California, — a country in which, frotn various causes, intestine commotions have hitherto heen comparatively Jiarmless. llavinjr heen comrades in the same service, or being the sons of such as were so, the ('alifornians cherish, either hy hahit or hy inheritance, feelings of mutual regard, while their simplicity of cha- racter and contentedness of disposition lend to prevent them from heinir i^\y\\[ into petty cliques hy social vanities and commercial rivalrici^. Again, even when they are divided against ea(di other hy political ex- citement, tjiey possess but scanty means of doing mischief. Gunpow- der, as we have s(!en, is always a scarce article ; the sword is an awk- ward weapon to wield where there is so little of personal animosity; and as to the lasso, the ('alifornians have not yet elevated it, I believe, to the dignity of noosing men, however cleverly it can disable a fellow without either killing or wounding him. To return to Mrs. Wilson, she insisted <;n our making Uvs house our head-quarters, while Mr. Scott devoted the whole of his time to our service in the double capa- city of interpreter and guide. After dinner we were joined by the remainder of our party, the Cowlitz having by this time come to anchor; and we again sallied forth to see a few more of the lions. Among the persons, whom we met this afternoon, was a lady of some historical celebrity. Voii Kesanofl", having failed, as elsewhere stated, in his attempt to enter the Columbia, in 1800, continued his voyage as far as San Francisco, where, besides purchasing immediate supplies for Sitka, he endeavored, in negotiation with the commandant of the district and the governor of the province, to lay the foundation of a regular intercourse between Russian America and the Californian settlements. In order to cement the national union, he proposed uniting himself with Donna Concep- tion Arguello, one of the commandant's daughters, his patriotism clearly being its own reward, if half of Jjangsdorfl's description was correct. " She was lively and animated, had sparkling, love-inspiring eyes, beautiful teeth, pleasing and expressive features, a fine form, and a thousand other charms ; yet her manners were perfectly simple and artless." The chancellor, who was himself of the Greek church, regarded the difference of religion with the eyes of a lover and a poli- tician ; but, as his imperial master might take a less liberal view of the matter, he posted away to St. Petersburgh with the intention, if he should there be successful, of subsequently visiting Madrid for the requisite authority to carry his schemes into full effect. But the "*«^* SANTA BARBAUA. 207 latcs, with a voire ninrc; powerful tli:m that of emperors niul kiiijjs, t((rl)a(l(! the haiins; ;mil Von KeMiiioH' ditd, on his road to iMirope, al Krasiioyarsh in Siberia of a fall from liis horse, 'rims al oiici* be- reaved of her lover, and disappointed in her hope of hecominu; a pled<;e of friendship hctween Russia and Spain, Donna Coneeptiim assumed the hahit, hut not, I helievi', the I'ormal vows, ol" a nun, dediealini,' lier life to the instruction of the voun<' and the eimsojaiion of the siek. This little romance coidd not fail to interest us ; and, nolwiihstandini^ die niiirraeefulness of her eonventiial costume ami the ravaifes of an Hiterval of time, which had tripled her years, wi; could stdl discover in her face and fijruri!, in her manners and e, ' •'I Il < 208 SANTA BAIIHARA. 1 1 3|i-,M'" -, 1 ■« ■ '' ill 1 ' 1 1 1." f ;:f • .-^ '; (. 1 1 'i'*'" ' i'^-'^ iiii 1 gii. flic (lifTi^rcnco immrdintrly resolves itsrlT into llitit most oxponsivn of nil articles in this indolent eonntry, the time of hired l.ihorers and nn- ohanics. In sj)ite of the ahnndanee and eheapness of most of the materials, a eomforlahle dwellinir of two stories cannot he erected Ibr less than 5,000 or 0,000 dollars in hard cash, while to the interest ot' the capital, which is thus already sunk, must he added the annual expenditure in repairing the inroads n( wind and weather. Hut it is internally that the houses of Santa IJarhara are seen to the tjreatest advantaf^e. 'J'he rooms are, in (ifencral, handsomely furnished, many of them with carpets; and indeed the saloon of Don Antonio Ai,niirc quite struck us with surprise, set otF, as it was, hy the jirescnee of his young wife and her hlack-eyed heauty of a sister. In Santa Barhara as elsewhere, the heds appear to he the grand point of attraction, and to cmhody all the skill and taste of the females of the families, though, the farther that one advances to the south, the linen and the lace, and the damask and the satin, and the cfhihroidery serve only to enshrine more populous and lively colonics of Las Pulgas, — decidedly the hest lodged, and, as we found to our cost, not the worst fed, denizens of California. Nor is the superiority of the inhabitants less striking than that of their houses. Of the women with their witchery of manner it is not easy, or rather it is not possible, for u stranger to speak with impartiality, inasmuch as our self-love is naturally enlisted in favor of those, who, in every look, tone and gesture, have apparently no other end in view than the pleasure of pleasing us. With regard, however, to their physical charms, as distinguished from the adventitious accomplishments of education, it is difficult even for a willing pen to exaggerate. Inde- pendently of feeling or motion, their sparkling eyes and glossy hair are in themselves sufficient to negative the idea of tameness or in- sipidity ; while their sylph-like forms evolve fresh graces at every step, and their eloquent features eclipse their own inherent comeliness by the higher beauty of expression. Though doubtless fully conscious of their attractions, yet the women of California, to their credit be it spoken, do not "before their mirrors count the time," being, on the contrary, by far the more industrious half of the population. In Cali- fornia such a thing as a white servant is absolutely unknown, inasmuch as neither man nor woman will barter freedom in a country, where provisions are actually a drug and clothes almost a superfluity; and accordingly, in the absence of intelligent assistance, the first ladies of the province, more particularly when treated, as they too seldom are by native husbands, with kindness and consideration, discharge all the lighter duties of their households with cheerfulness and pride. Nor does their plain and simple dress savor much of the labor of the toilet. They wear a gown sufficiently short to display their neatly turned foot and ankle in their white stockings and black shoes, while perversely enough they bandage their heads in a handkerchief so as to conceal all their hair except a single loop on either cheek ; round their shoul- SANTA DARBAUA. 209 (lers, moreover, they twist or swathe a shawl, throwing over all, when they walk or ^o to mass, the "heautiful and mysterious mantilla.'* The men are generally tall and handsonn", while their dress is far more showy and elahorate than that ol' the woniun. Round a hroad- hrimmcd hat is tied a parti-eolorcd eord or handkerchief; a shirt, which is usually of the finest lint-n, displays on the breast a profusion of lace and embroidery ; and over the shirt is thrown a cotton or silk jacket of the gayest hues, with frogs on the bark, and a regiment of buttons on the breasts and eulfs. To come next to the nether man, the pantaloons are split on the outside from the hip to the foot, with a row of buttons on either edge of the opening, which is laced together nearly down to the knee; round the waist is a silken belt, which, to say nothing of its value as an ornament, serves the utilitarian purpose of bracing up the inexpressibles ; and underneath, through the gaps aforesaid, there peer out a |)air of full linen drawcirs and a boot of un- tanned deerskin, the boot on the right leg invariably forming tho scab- bard for that constant companion, the knife. Uut our dashing friend, to be appreciated by the reader, must be placed on horseback, the quadruped being generally as gay as his master. Tlie saddle, which is encumbered with trappings, rises both before and behind, while at either side there swings a wooden shovel by way of stirrup. Thus comfortably deposited on his easy chair and pair of foot-stools, the human half of the centaur propels the whole machine by means of enormous spurs with rowels to match, setting rain at defiance from head to heel, without the help of any of your patent waterproofs. To say nothing of the broad-brimmed hat, his legs are protected by a pair of goatskins, which are attached to the saddle-bow and tied round the waist, while his body is covered by a blanket of about eight feet by five, with a hole in the centre for the head. This blanket or scrape appears to be to the vanity of the men what the bed is to that of the women. It varies in price from five dollars to a hundred, sixty dollars being the ordinary rate for a fine one; it is made of cloth of the most showy colors, sometimes trimmed with velvet, and embroidered with gold. With such painted and gilded horsemen anything like industry is, of course, out of the question; and accordingly they spend their time from morning to night in billiard-playing and horse-racing, aggra- vating the evils of idleness by ruinously heavy bets. Implicit obedience and profound respect are shown by children, even after they are grown up, towards their parents. A son, though himself the head of a family, never presumes to sit or smoke or remain covered in presence of his father; nor does the daughter, whether married or unmarried, enter into too great familiarity with the mother. With this exception the Californians know little or nothing of the restraints of etiquette ; generally speaking, all classes associate together on a footing of equality; and, on particular occasions, such as the festival of the saint after whom one is named, or the day of one's marriage, those who can afibrd the expense, give a grand ball, generally in the open air, to the whole of the neighboring community. In such a country, singing and dancing may be expected to be as PART I. — 14 ■4.1 210 SANTA UAHnARA. cominon as ratinir and Hhrpinij. Thr liallu, in fact, look morn lik'* a iiiattrr of liuHiiicH.s than anytliiiit; v\hv tliat in done in ('alilbrnia. For wliolr dayn licfon-liand, HwrrtnieatM and Hitnilar (l«'lica«*i<'H, of wliicli tlir* lair Hcnora.s arc duatinirly lond, arc laborioiiNly prepared in thf greatest variety, tlii; litlli* llotir, that can he (rot, heinjr ahnoNt exeltii^ivcly devoted to the coinpoNitioii (d' Niich daintiet<; and from l)etrinnintr lo end of the I'estivitieH, which have heen known to h»Ht several conH<'iMi- tive nights, so as to iiiak«! the pcriornicrs, alter wearinir out their piitnpN, trip it in sea-hoots, hoth intMi and women display as inneh gravity as il atteiulintr the I'tineral ohseijtiics of their most intimate I'riends. A^aiti, with respect to music, no one can enter a house without lindini; ont; or more ol the lamily playing; on the (ruitar and sin^rini^. From the I'athir and mother down to the vtMintrest child, all are musicians, every one strumming; away in turn till relieved hy another; and, thoiijrh one may have loo much (!ven of a (rood thinjj, yet it must, in justice, he owned thai they jfenerally possess correctness of ear and aw»;etn('ss of voice. They play nothing; l)ut national music, l\\v fandangos, holeros, ami I)arcaroles of Old Spain, havinj;, in this respect as in almost every other, had little opportunity, and perhaps as little inclination, for deviating from the customH of their fathers. In all hut the place of their hirth the colonists of Spain have con- tinued to he (rcnuinc Spaniards, the same causes operatinjr to produco uniformity of character on either side of the water. Throughout Spanish Anterica the temperature does not, in general, materially difl'er from that of the old country, while something like the same alternation of mountain and valley tends still farther to make the one a physical counterpart of the other. Nor have moral iniluences led the two branches of the race in ditferent directions. Spain and Spanish Ame- rica, by the mildness of their climates and the abundance of their re- sources, have equally fostered indolence and improvidence; they have equally been the votaries of a church which practically, if not inten- tionally, checks mental culture and impedes material improvement; they have equally passed through the successive tyrannies of indi- vidual despotism and popular licentiousness. To bring all these points of resemblance to bear with greater weight on the uniformity of cha- racter, both Spain and Spanish America were studiously shut out from the rest of the world, almost as studiously as China or Japan, this policy of the government having been seconded by the prejudices of the people. In this respect, however, the new country has been induced, by the necessities of its situation, to relax the bigotry and pride of the old, for it is only by freely communicating with foreigners that Mexico and South America can realize commercial prosperity, the main object and principal fruit of all their sacrifices of property and life, of peace and order. In California this tendency of the grand revolution has been more peculiarly powerful, inasmuch as the pro- vince depends more exclusively than any other portion of Spanish America on extraneous supplies ; and here, accordingly, foreigners and natives cordially mingle together as members of one and the same liarmonious family. SANTA HARnARA. 211 In a word, the ('iUifornianx an* <\ li.'ippy propir, pos.icssinij ihr incanM (if pliysical pIcaHun* to the full, atui kiiowini; no liiirliiT kind of cMJoyincnt. Tlirir liap|)in('ss certainly i^ not snclt in an Mn^liMJitnan i-:in <'ov('t, tliouirli pcrliapM a ( 'alirortiiati iii:i) with rrason (liMparaifc innch of what passes nnder the iiaint ;i I'.n^land, llir -Minniatinir of wealth for its own sake, the Ininiorini; of the ea|)riers ot faMJiion. and ilie enihitteriny even of tin; luxuries (»f life hy lileiided feeliiiijs ol envy and pride. Hut whatever may he the nn'rits or the demerits of (':»li- fornian happiness, the (rood lolks thrive upon it. 'I'hey I've lonir, warding otf tho marks of a^re for a period unusual ovrn in sonre less tryinjT elimates ; and, with regard lo the women, this is the more re- inarkahle, inasn\ueh as they are suhjeeted t(» the wearing elleel of early wedlock, Hometim(!s marryint; at thirteen, and seldom remnininif single after sixte«'n. In the matter of good looks, hoth sexes merely give nature fair play, scouting as well the can^s as the toils of life. To make these toils and cares, if possihlc, sit more lightly upon them, men ami women have respectively their sworn allies under the names of compadrcn and coiiimatlrrs, — a custom which hases temporal friendship on a s|)iritual foundation. The name appears to he d(;rived from the circumstance, that the compudrcH are hound to stand godfa- thers, and the commadres godmothers, to the children of each other, so as to render the spiritually conne<'tetl ])air, fellow-fathers, or fellow- mothers, of one and the same infant, who in turn is hound to regard the adoptive parent and the natural one with equal veneration. As he- tween tlie parties themselves, the engagement is a most important and tnomentous one, each heing hound to assist the other under any cir- cumstances and at any inconvenience, troul)le, or expense. To men, particularly when traveling or when borne down hy misfortune, th(! custom in question is highly beneficial ; and as to the fair sex, one can easily imagine in how many ways a confidant, pledged to lidtdity hy this holy alliance, can become useful and agreeable. Perhaps nothing can give a better idea of the closeness of the connection, than that brothers and sisters often sink their natural relation in the conventional titles of compadrea and commadres. Among the light-hearted and easy tempered Californians, the virtue of hospitality knows no bounds ; they literally vie with each other in devoting their time, their homes, and their means, to the entertainment of a stranger. This we found to be more particularly the case in Santa Barbara, where accommodations were pressed on our acceptance in almost every house ; and as we were unwilling to lose an hour of the agreeable society of the place, to say nothing of the discomfort of embarking and disembarking through surf and shallows and sea- weed, we gladly distributed ourselves among our friends for the night. Next morning, the twenty-fifth of the month, we again met at Mrs. Wilson's breakfast-table ; and immediately afterwards, having been pro- vided with horses through the attention of Dr. Den, a true son of Erin, we started off for the mission of Santa Barbara, about a mile distant from the town, where the Bishop of the Californias, whose arrival in his diocese we had already honored with a salute, had taken up his re- •n ■V ■ 1 J i • 212 SANTA BARBARA. 1.1 '< i :■ i « m :■ i: sidencc. Independently of the central position of this establishment, Father Garcia Diego had reasons for his choice, which were peculiarly creditable to the neighboring community. Unlike the Vandals of San Francisco and Monterey, the inhabitants of Santa Barbara had evinced something of taste and feeling in sparing the buildings uf the mission, — a disposition which doubtless formed a stronger ground of the bishop's preference than even the ready-made home which it gave him. In fact, all but the better classes were unfriendly to the bishop; the provincial authorities regarded him with an eye of jealousy, as a crea- ture and partisan of the central government ; and the mass of the peo- ple dreaded any symptom of the revival of a system, which had, in their opinion, sacrificed the temporal interests of the colonists to the spiritual welfare of the aborigines. Even in this, his day of small things, the bishop received us with much pomp and ceremony, attended by two monks, three or four gradu- ates, and a train of servants. In addition to the episcopal costume, which, besides its intrinsic gorgeousness, doubtless looked all the belter for being new, he wore, to say nothing of more vulgar jewels, a dia- mond ring, which had been presented to him in the name of the pope, on the occasion of his consecration. The churches of the remote east and west have always been special pets of the Roman see. The dis- coveries of Portugal and Spain, the most zealous supporters of the Catholic faith, just came in time to console the pope for the loss of half of Europe, with a far more extensive dominion in India and America ; so that, by the earlier part of last century. His Holiness, who had just grasped California, and still held China, had made Rome the centre of a spiritual empire, which, in the largest sense of the expression, lite- rally stretched from sea to sea. If this dominion has, since that time, seen its limits contracted and its strength broken, the successor of St. Peter, of course, clings with the greater tenacity to all that remains of it, while through the instrumentality of France, he is striving to find compensation for this, his second loss, in the clustering isles of the Pa- cific ocean. It is thus that the erection of a transadantic bishopric is hailed at Rome as a peculiar triumph of the church ; and it is a curious fact, that the illustrious genius of Columbus has conferred a more dur- able authority in the New World on his own native Italy, than on the Castile and Leon of his royal mistress, Isabella. In fact, almost from t!ie very beginning, the papacy indirectly swayed the destinies of the New World ; and not only did Spain and Portugal vie with each other, but even France, with less reason for gratitude, rivaled their zeal, in establishing beyond the setting sun, a Roman empire that was to out- live their own. Compared with England, those powers certainly made far greater sacrifices for the conversion of the heathen, though, to place the comparison on juster grounds, we should remember the important facts, that England herself had no foreign influence at work to clothe her in the garb of piety, and that most of her continental colonies, at least as far as religion was concerned, were the very reverse of national establishments. From the gate, where we were received by the bishop, we were : ,''* U. # SANTA BARBARA. 213 V'lJ we were conducted into an apartment of ordinary size, liffhtcd by a small grated window. This room and its contents presented a contrast, which, be- sides being agreeable in itself, was interesting as an evidence at once of the simplicity of the old fathers, and of the ostentation of their epis- copal successor. The walls were white-washed, and the ceiling con- sisted of rafters, while articles of furniture that would not have dis- graced a nobleman's mansion, occupied the floor. The carpet was the work of the Indians of Mexico; the table was covered with crimson velvet, on which lay a pillow of the same material, adorned with gold ; and the sofa and chairs had seats of the same costly and showy de- scription. But the gem of the whole was a throne witli three steps in front of it. It was hung with crimson velvet, which was profusely trimmed with tissue of gold; and its back displayed an expensively framed miniature of the reigning pope, painted by a princess and sent by Gregory to the bishop, along with his diamond ring, as a gift. In this, his own chair of state, the good prelate insisted on placing me, though I am afraid that, in thus planting a heretic before his most highly valued memorial of his holiness, he must have sacrificed, in some degree, his orthodoxy to his politeness. Between the bishop and his two monks there was a contrast not less striking than that between the apartment and its furniture. While the former was overloaded with finery, the latter were arrayed in the coarse and simple habit of their own mendicant order, even to the sandals on their feet and the ropes round their waists. One of them, Father Narcisse Duran, was from Old Spain, a pious and laborious man, and prefect of the missions ; and the other, Father Antonio Ximenes, was a Mexican by birtii, who was more a man of the world than his companion, and endeavored to interest us in favor of the mis- sions against the spoliation of the local authorities. While we were engaged in an agreeable and amusing conversation, some of the attendants brought in a table, placing on it, among other refreshments, a pile of cakes, the work of Donna Conception. The wine was the produce of the vineyard of the mission, rather sweetish, but of excellent quality; the brandy, also home-made, was superior to the wine, being flavored with fruit into a perfectly colorless cordial; and the cigars, as the bishop assured us, had been selected by himself in Mexico. After our repast, which was seasoned and recommended by the hospitable pleasantries of the bishop and Fataer Antonio, we proceeded to take a view of the establishment. We first entered the vestry, a spacious room hung with pictures and crucifixes, where the good prelate took evident delight in showing the rich vestments and the massive plate, more particularly a pix of solid gold for the consecrated host. From the vestry we followed the bishop into the church, crossing ourselves and kneeling, according to his ex- ample, as we passed the altar. This edifice, which far outshone every- thing that we had previously seen in the country, was large but well proportioned. The altar-piece was at once simple and elegant. A pair of full curtains of spotless white, springing from a crown of glory over the communion-table, were held open by two well executed I ■■i V;: -m -t^tJ- m 214 SANTA BARBARA. i . t 1 i * ' i ■ i i statues of seraphs, so as to disclose a portrait of Santa Guadalupe, cased in a golden frame. Encouraged by the admiration, which wc could not refrain from expressing, the good bishop detailed to us such a liistory of the painting as convinced us that the New World had its miracles as well as the Old. Upwards of three hundred years ago, the Saint made her appearance in the spirit to a Mexican Indian, daguerreo- typing on his blanket a likeness of herself, of which the portrait before us was a copy. The blanket was forthwith surrounded with a border of cloth of gold, and enshrined in one of the principal churches of the city of Mexico ; and, though the border has often required to be re- newed, yet both the representation of the saint, and the fabrics that bears it, have hitherto triumphed over time with all its moths and damps. But the miraculous durability of the saint's work has been subjected to a peculiarly severe test, a botUe of vitriol having been lately broken by accident, so as to soak the inestimable blanket without doing any in- jury. The good father, during his recent visit to the capital, had him- .self seen this blanket, and told us with a kind of whispered awe that the impression, though it assumed, at a distance, the appearance of a finished painting, yet presented, on closer examination, a number of unmeaning stains. To the faith of our informant the proof of the pro- digy was completed by the fact, that the many artists who had critically examined the marks, had unanimously decided that they were not the work of human skill. To continue our survey of the church, the walls were covered with the usual assortment of pictures and images, while from the ceiling were suspended several bcuUiful chandeliers, by means of flags of silk of various colors, spangled with silver and gold. In the music-gallery there was a small, but well tuned organ, on which a native convert was executing several pieces of sacred music with considerable taste, and amongst them, to our great surprise, Martin Luther's hymn. This man was almost entirely self-taught, possessing, like most of his race, a fine ear and great aptitude ; and, though his countenance was intelli- gent enough, yet his dress was rather a singular one for an organist on active service, consisting of a handkerchief, that confined his black locks, and a shirt of rather scanty longitude belted round his waist. Besides the organ, the choir mustered several violins, violoncellos, triangles, drums, flutes, bells, &c., with a strong corps of vocalists ; and had we been able to wait to the second of February, we should have enjoyed a grand treat in the musical way, as the bishop was then to celebrate pontifical mass with the full force of voices and instruments. Immense preparations were making for this religious festival, some ol them being, according to our notions, of a very peculiar kind. Fire- works, for instance, were, if possible, to be exhibited; and, as gunpow- der could not be obtained for love or money, either for this purpose or for the giving of signals, we won the hearts of bishop, priests, graduates, servants and all by promising to present them with a barrel of the needful from our ship. When Roger Bacon invented gunpowder, ho little thought that he was providing future friars of his order with an engine for propagating the faith ; but whether the sublime or the ridi- SANTA BARBARA. 215 •m culous predominated in the bishop's contemplated show, he was at least making a more innocent use of thj deadly composition, than many zealots of orthodoxy had made before liim, in the cause of religion. From the body of the church we ascended into the belfry, which commanded a most extensive view of the valley in which the mission stood, running to the sea from a parallel range of rocky hills at the distance of five or six miles; while there rose immediately under our feet two elegant towers, containing a large peal of bells, the heaviest weighing about four tons and a half. The church with its appendages, as just described, is said to have cost the priests several years of toil with about two thousand native workmen, the fathers themselves discharging the multifarious duties, — self-taught in all, — of architects, masons, bricklayers, carpenters and laborers. To close the description of the buildings, the dwellings of ihe natives and the workshops were, here as well as elsewhere, hasten- ing to decay. The mission is plentifully supplied- with excellent water, brought down all the way from the rocky hills already mentioned, by the labor of the priests and their converts. About a quarter of a mile from the dwellings, the grand reservoir, which is sheltered from the sun by an edifice of stone, is fed by a single conduit, while again it sends forth two channels, the one open and the other covered. The open channel flows into a vast cistern, about sixteen feet deep and about one hundred feet square, which, as adobes cannot bear the wet, is, of course, built of solid masonry ; and as a crowd of natives, if left to their own notions of cleanliness, would have engendered a pestilence, this cistern was intended to afford them the greatest possible facilities for the washing of their clothes and their persons. The covered channel, which rests partly on an artificial aqueduct, terminates in front of the church with a classic urn throwing out a numl)er of graceful jets into a circular basin that surrounds it ; this basin empties itself into a second through the mouth of a grotesque figure of a man lying on his belly ; and the second again, through the jaws of a lion, pours its waters into a third, which, overflowing its brim, sends forth in every direction a number of rivulets to irrigate the gardens and fields. In addition to these works, which, whether in point of taste or of utility, misiht well be deemed wonderful, the fathers had brought from the hills another stream for the comparatively vulgar purpose of driving the grist-mill of th<^ mission. But now the water was stopped and the reservoir choked with weeds and bushes; while, to express in one word, the present state of agriculture, the best use, which the Californians had been able fo find for a ready-made grist-mill, was to unroof it. The ftithers themselves, loo, had, for a long time, discountenanced the introduction of such machinery, not because they had niPwheat to grind, but be- cause, even without the means of economizing lal)or, they often hardly knew how to employ their proselytes. This narrow policy, of course, tended to defeat its own object, for the mere drudgery of beasts of burden could not teach human beings to be spontaneously industrious. It, in fact, lost sight of one grand distinction between civilization and 'I •■■ ■kNL '■'■ ♦ m 216 SANTA BARBARA. ',;Mi!^:. ■n ;,: !l ,| » . l\ barbarism, the latter knowiriff no other expedient to lighten toil than the ibrced assistance of the slave, but the former enlisting in its service not only the creatures of the earth and air, but also the very elements themselves. The garden, which is walled all round, consists of five or six acres. Notwithstanding the neglect of several years, it contained figs, lemons, oranges, pears, apples, grapes, quinces, raspberries, strawberries, me- lons, pumpkins, plums, prickly pears and whole avenues of olives. In the days of the priests, fruits were to be obtained here at every season, more particularly raspberries and grapes, from the spring to the close of autumn, and strawberries all the year round. But, ever since 1836, not only had the branches been left unpruned, but even their very produce had been allowed to fall to the ground ; so that now most of the trees were in a deteriorated condition, and the figs in par- ticular had, on the recent revival of the mission, been cut down to their stumps. Of esculent vegetables there was an almost endless variety, potatoes, sweet and common, cabbage, tomata, garlic, onions. Chili- pepper, and, of course, the everlasting frixole, &c. Of plants and flowers, even in the depth of winter, we saw the following in bloom, the jonquille, the marigold, the lily, the wall-flower, the violet, the hollyhock, &c. The priests had just begun to turn their attention to the garden after having made the requisite preparations for accommo- dating the bishop; and they had accordingly repaired the water- trenches, cleared away weeds and underwood, and pruned the trees and vines. After bidding farewell to the bishop with mutual thanks and good wishes, we were presented by his priests with a curious pile, in the form of a bee-hive, made of the seeds of the pine, all baked and ready for eating, as a specimen of both the food and the ingenuity of the natives. With many apologies for making so poor an offering, they regretted that they could no longer do as they could once have done, and referred to the old times when they could have supplied us with pro- visions, fruit, wine, &c., for our voyage to the Sandwich Islands, "and perhaps," added Father Antonio, with a good-natured nod, "with more than you wanted." Before returning to the town, we extended our ride through the undulating and picturesque valley. It was carpeted with an unusually close sward, which had undoubtedly been owing to the constant pas- turing of the cattle; and it displayed a great profusion of clover. Both here and in the garden the soil was evidently excellent; and the priests had assured us that, on the farm of the mission, twenty-five returns of wheat were a poor crop, and eighty or a hundred by no means un- common. We visited a villag^lfef free Indians, situated in the valley. The inhabitants were the miserable remains of the two thousand natives that once swarmed here ; and they now found room in eight or ten hovels of bulrushes, similar in every respect to those which we had seen at Sonoma. They appeared, however, to be, on the whole, more comfortable than General Vallego's serfs, possessing enclosures of land SANTA BARBARA. 217 with a few cattle and horses ; and yet they were en^a^ed in the wretched expedient of makins'' bread of acorns. Amon^ them there was one woman so old that she must have been well advanced in life at the first settlement of the upper province, and must have seen the missions rise and ripen and decay before her. Her skin was shriveled so as to look, in the absence of other clothing, like a case of parch- ment; her eyes were dim and sunken; her body was bent double; but nevertheless, amid all these sij^ns of age, her head, the more hide- ous perhaps on that account, displayed a thick and tangled bush of black hair. We returned to Mrs. Wilson's in time for dinner, without having visited, as we had intended, the mineral springs, hot and cold, in the neighborhood. In the afternoon we were honored with a visit by the bishop. He was drawn by four mules in an antique carriage, and was attended by a band of outriders in the persons of Father Antonio and several graduates and servants. After half an hour's chat, during which he reiterated his professions of friendship, he again betook himself to his rickety conveyance and rattled off with all the pomp and circum- stance of episcopal dignity. In the evening we attended a ball given on the occasion of a wed- ding. We were highly amused with the serious looks of the dancers ; nor were we less highly gratified by their graceful movements, as they went through some of their mysterious figures, tying themselves into a knot, which they again untied without separating hands. Previously to our departure, the entertainments were, in compliment to us, varied by a Scotch reel, to which the solemn gravity of the Californians, who shared in it, gave additional zest in our eyes. After having been grati- fied at Sonoma with the national song of "Auld Lang Syne," we were the less surprised at receiving this mark of attention from the people of Santa Barbara, the head-quarters, as it were, of foreign influence in the province. In fact, on account of its central position, the superiority of its climate and the respectability of its population, this little town is the favorite resort of the supercargoes, captains, and owners on the coast, many of whom, as we have seen in the cases of Mr. Thompson and Captain Wilson, have selected it as the permanent home of their families. Next morning, being the twenty-sixth of the month, we paid fare- well visits to our hospitable and agreeable friends, and embarked on board of the Cowlitz with the intention of leaving the port immediately. In sleeping ashore, by the by, we had run some risk of being detained longer than we could well afford to stay. To the southerly winds, which prevail during the winter, every point of the bay, as I have else- where stated, is a lee shore ; so that when the push comes, the vessels in port have no other choice than that of maldflg the best of their way past Point Conception into the open ocean, and there remaining till the storm has blown over. Just as we embarked the wind failed us, so that we were unable to move ; and to turn our detention to the best account, we went to ex- amine the carcase of a right whale that was floating near. It had been '•.I 1 V: ' j' ' 1 1 ■'. ■ii i < ■'1 ' * 1' : ■ ^^'i Ihi^ Im 218 SANTA BARBARA. killed by threshers, which, small as they are, are more than a match for their unwieldy victims, their mode of operation being to burke the monster by pummeling his air-holes with their tails, while such ot them as prefer the anatomical department, effect a diversion by nib- hlinfT at his belly from below. The huge animal was weltering like a small island among the sea-weed, being large enough for five or six people to stand high and dry on him, for, though small of his kind, he yet measured from fifty to sixty feet in length. Had he been taken alive, he would have yielded about a hundred barrels of oil; but the best of his blubber had been carried oflf by the shark, the sword fish, &c., while the remainder of it was by no means in prime condition. Such, however, as he was, the crew of the Julia Ann had made prize of him, and expected to wring about forty barrels out of him. His body was puffed up with wind, which the stroke of a knife let out with a hissing noise and an insufferable smell ; and, indeed, the whale has been known to burst among his human persecutors with the report ol a cannon, and almost to sufl'ocate them with the stench. Of fish for the table there was an abundant variety in our neighbor- hood, though, for the reasons already mentioned, they were left undis- turbed in their native element. Even the approach of Lent made no difference to them, beef being orthodox for both laity and priesthood all the year round; but taking pity on the consciences of Mrs. Wilson and Mr. Scott, we sent each of them a tierce of salted salmon from our sea-stores. In the evening tlu' brig Catilina, which we had left alone at Mon- terey, came to anchor. I have been the more particular in recording the arrivals and departures of vessels, with the view of explaining more in detail the nature of the trade in which they are engaged. Early next morning we received on board, as a present from the bishop, ii. barrel of wine, the produce of the vineyard of the mission. Most of the stuff which we had tasted, we should have carried away without compunction, thinking that we were doing the owners a ser- vice ; but we were sorry to deprive the very reverend donor, in the present state of his cellar, of a really good article, which might have been at least as available as our gunpowder for the festivities of Can- dlemas day. It was afternoon before the wind suited us ; and then, under the in- fluence of a fine breeze, we rapidly made for the island of Santa Cruz, leaving the little town of Santa Barbara behind us with many recollec- tions of the kindness and hospitality of its inhabitants. As the inter- mediate channel, or rather, according to the nomenclature of the whf^!< coast, the intermediate canal, is only twenty-five miles wide, we sooii passed not only the island just mentioned, but also that of San Nicho- las, on which the Russiths formerly killed vast numbers of sea-otters. We were now steering our course for the Sandwich Islands, though, had we not been very much pressed for time, we should not have hur- ried away from a country, which had afforded us so much interest and ;unusement, without visiting the remaining ports of San Pedro and San Diego. SANTA BARBARA. 219 San Pedro is an open bay, wliich lias no better claim to the cliarar- ter of a harbor than ahnost any other point on the coast, beinw (exposed to both the prevailing winds, and beinjif dcstitnte of everythinj^ in the shape of a house or even of a shed. Its oidy recommendation is that it aifords access to the Pueblo of Nuestra Scnora, about eij^htcen miles distant, which contains a population of 1500 souls, and is the noted :•' ode of the lowest drunkards and sjamblcrs of the countrv. This den of thieves is situated, as one may expect from its being almost twice as populous as the two other pueblos taken together, in one of the loveli- est and most fertile districts of California ; and being, therefore, one of the best marts in the province for hides and tallow, it induces vessels to brave all the inconveniences and dangers of the open and exposed hay of San Pedro. In this village, the custom of making the bull and the bear bait each other, though common to the whole province, is pe- (Uliarly popular and fashionable, — a custom which, by excluding human combatants from the arena, banishes entirely that higher interest which arises from the introducingof "man and man's avenging arms" into the national entertainment of the old country. In Spain, the cruel specta- cle involves the display of dexterity and courage, while, in California, it possesses no redeeming quality to raise it above the dignity of a cock-fight. Between the two animals there is a natural antipathy, which often leads them, even in a state of nature, into deadly contests; and in these cases the bull is generally the assailant, for the bear, when let alone, is contented to carry on the war only against the calves. Ilavii - the advantage of choosing his time and place of attack, the bull often i isables the bear at once; but even when bruin is all but gored to death, he cunningly seizes his enemy, while exulting in his victory, by the tongue, or any other tender part, and destroys him. When the two animals, however, are pitted by their common enemy against each other, die bear, seeing no means of escape, encounters the bull with more determined front ; but even here the terms are not equal, for bruin, unless sufficiently reduced, as he almost always is, by fatigue and rage, is tied by the leg so as to reach his adversary only with his claws. The savage sport ends only with the death of one or other of the combatants, and perhaps of both. For the tortures, which, when at Sonoma, we saw inflicted by means of the lasso, we could find something of an excuse in the well founded pride of the performers ; but we could fancy no palliation for the delight with which the Californians, on the safe side of an impassable barrier, were said to gloat on the dying throes of at least one of two caged brutes. The best evidence of the fertility of the soil in the neighborhood of the village just named, is to be found in the once flourishing condition of the Mission of San Gabriel, distant about eight miles. That estab- lishment is said to have possessed, in the palmy days of its prosperity, the almost incredible number of eighty thousand catUe, and to have lorced at once into the market, on the approach of evil times, nearly fifty thousand head. After making due allowance for exaggeration, the district must be a splendid one to have yielded pasture for such multitudes over and above the hundreds of smaller herds belonging to ? ^:. m':i n Mi' \ T^ ; ,5 #•, -;;> ■i v^-' ~ '• i ■ri-' J 1 ■1 '*■' 1 ^^M 1 220 SANTA BARBARA. li m. the pueblo. The garden of this mission was justly celebrated for the excellence of its fruits and the flavor of its wine, producinjf, in th( greatest abundance, grapes, oranges, lemons, olives, tigs, bananas, plums, peaches, apples, pears, pomegranates, raspberries, strawberries, &c. &c. ; while at the Mission of Santa Buenaventura, not far distant, there were, in addition, tobacco, the plantain, the cocoa nut, the indigo plant and the sugar cane. In fact, there is hardly a vegetable or fruit, which cannot be produced in California. Such, to give a par- ticular instance, is the bounty of nature, that, amid the richest profu- sion of the ordinary elements of soap, she furnishes a ready-made sub- stitute in the bulbous root of a certain plant, called the amole ; and such is the laziness of the inhabitants that they almost universally use the free gift of mother earth in spite of its decided inferiority. To return to San Gabriel, this mission was founded under circumstances, which, if they do not involve a miracle, serve at least to explain why the Church of Rome is peculiarly successful with ignorant savages. I quote the words of Father Palou, the biographer of Father Junipero Serra. While Father Pedro Cambon and Father Angel Somera were selecting a site for the mission under the safeguard of ten soldiers, " :i multitude of Indians, all armed and headed by two captains, presented themselves, setting up horrid yells, and seeming determined to oppose the establishment of the mission. The fathers, fearing that war would ensue, took out a piece of cloth with the image of our Lady de los Dolores, and held it up to the view of the barbarians. This was no sooner done than the whole were quiet, being subdued by the sight ot this most precious image, and throwing on the ground their bows and arrows, the two captains came running with great haste to lay the beads which they brought about their necks at the feet of the sovereign queen, as a proof of their entire regard." In the neighborhood of the Mission of San Gabriel commences the valley which pours the San Joachin into Freshwater Bay, the recep- tacle also of the Sacramento. This region, by far the finest in the province, is distinguished as theTulares from the number of bulrushes, called tide by the natives, to be found in its waters. Though it has hardly been trodden by civilized man, yet it is capable of supporting millions of inhabitants. Its lakes and rivers all teem with fish, while most of them afford the means of communicating with the ocean. Its undulating surface is studded with forests, generally free from the incumbrance of underwood, of cedar, bastard maple, mulberry, ash, poplar, birch, sycamore, beech, plane, yellow and white pine, and mountain, live and scrub oak. The size of trees in California, as is also the case on the more northerly coast, is occasionally quite incredi- ble. One tree is mentioned by Humboldt as being one hundred and eighteen feet in girth ; but this is a walking stick to another tree at Bodega, described to me by Governor Etholine of Sitka as being thirty- six Russian fathoms of seven feet each in span, and seventy-five in length, so that, even if it tapered into a perfect cone, it must have con- tained nearly twenty-two thousand tons of bark and timber. In addi- tion to more than all the beasts of chase, which have already been m^ SANTA BARBARA. 221 enumerated under the head of Sonoma, the magnificent valley of the Tulares contains immense multitudes of wild horses, which are often seen in bands of several thousands each. Enveloped in clouds ol dust, these enormous troops indicate tlieir approach chiefly by makintf the ground tremble beneath their tramp ; and, as a proof of the extent of the tumultuary columns, one person has been known, while a band was galloping past him, to lasso and bind five horses in succession. Nor are the birds inferior in number and variety to the quadrupeds. In the Tulares there are the eagle, the turkey-buzzard, the falcon, the goshawk, the sparrow-hawk, the large horned owl, the partridge, the crane, the heron, the goose, the duck, the pelican, the cormorant, the water hen, the humming bird, the golden crested wren, the wood pigeon, the plover, the snipe, the goatsucker, the bee eater, the wood- pecker, the crested quail and the condor. Though most of these are seen in other portions of the province, yet the condbr'is said to be rarely observed beyond the limits of this teeming valley, where he has been found measuring twelve feet in breadth between the tips of his wings. The crested quail, which is said to be peculiar to California, is delicious eating. It appears in flocks of two or three hundred at a time. It is not unlike a small partridge, excepting that it has a beau- tifully spotted plumage and a tuft of feathers on its head, somewhat resembling a peacock's crest. Some of the larger birds are of incalcu- lable utility in devouring the myriads of carcases, which the farmers are too lazy even to burn, and which, being most numerous in the hottest months of the year, must otherwise generate a pestilence ; and the turkey-buzzard in particular, being so tame as to be knocked down with a stick at the very doors "of the houses, is familiarly distinguished as the " Police of California." To return to the coast, the last of the five ports, San Diego, is, next to San Francisco, the safest and best harbor in the province, being land-locked, with deep water and a good bottom. The soil of the neighborhood is sandy, while its climate is remarkably dry; two features which, as already stated, admirably fit it for the curing of hides. Thus, at its opposite extremities. Upper California possesses two of the best ports on the Pacific Ocean, while each of them is greatly enhanced in value by the distance of any other harbors worthy of the name, San Francisco being nearly a thousand miles from Port Dis- cov^ to the north, and San Diego being about six hundred miles from the my of Magdalena to the south. What a splendid country, whether we regard its internal resources or its commercial capabilities, to be thrown away on its present pos- sessors — on men who do not avail themselves of their natural advan- tages to a much higher degree than the savages, whom they have displaced, and who are likely to become less and less energetic from generation to generation, and from year to year! Sooner will the Ethiopian whiten his skin than the Californian lay aside his indolence ; and, in fact, without such a change of pursuits as he has at present no motive for attempting, he can find no employment for industry in the tt m \' ■ m * • ' M| i'. ■f:*l '■ % ^ '3 ■'"3 ' *M ■a 1 ^- 222 SANTA BARBARA. llfli m , :p m\W i possession of cattle, that need no care, and of horses, that involve no expense. The love of labor must be nursed, as well as acquired, by real or imaginary necessity. If Scotchmen are industrious, they have had to contend with a rugged soil and an unfrenial climate; and if Dutchmen are industrious, they have had to pay a rent to nature for their country, in the expense of embanking seas and rivers: but neither Dutchmen nor Scotchmen could retain their laborious habits, and still less could they communicate them to their children, in California, were it not that they would long continue to consider, as necessaries of life, many other things besides the daily supply of their physical wants. The English race, as I have already hinted, is doubtless destined to add this fair and fertile province to its possessioiis on this continent — possessions which, during the last eighty years, have grown with un- exampled rapidity. Previously to die capture of Quebec, Englishmen were confined to the comparatively narrow strip of land between the AUantic and the AUjghanies, being, in effect, surrounded by inveterate foes, by the Spaniards towards the south, and by the French towards the north and west. At the peace of 1763, they became undisputed masters of Florida, the eastern half of Louisiana, and the whole oi Canada, thus reaching, as if by a single leap, the Gulf of Mexico, th*- Mississippi, and the remotest sources of the St. Lawrence; and, in the first quarter of the present century, the younger branch of the race extended its dominion to the Rocky Mountains, while the elder, carry- ing its commerce across this formidable barrier, occupied with its trading posts a country of a thousand miles in length, as far as the shores of the Pacific Ocean. In this state of things, tho south alone remained to its ancient possessors ; and, as Texas has boeu wrested from Mexico on the one side of the continent, so will California be speedily lost to her on the other, either province, too, being only the first step in a march, of which the rate of progress appears to be merely a question of time. The only doubt is, whether California is to fall to the British or to the Americans. The latter, whether one looks at their seizure of Texas or at their pretensions to the Oregon, have clearly the advantage in an unscrupulous choice of weapons, being altogether too ready to forget that the fulfilment of even the most palpable decrees of Providence will not justify in man the employment of unrighteous means. But, though England cannot afford to acquire additional territory by such measures as would shake that reputation for integrity on whicj^her empire is founded, yet she has one road open to her by which sh^iay bring California under her sway without either force or fraud, without either the violence of marauders or the effrontery of diplomatists. Mexico owes to British subjects a public debt of more than fifty millions of dollars, which, though never formally repudiated by her, is a burden far too heavy for her to bear. By assuming a share of this debt, on consideration of being put in possession of California, Eng- land would at once relieve the republic and benefit the creditors, while the Californians themselves would eagerly prefer this course to the SANTA BARBARA. iivolvc no riiured, by they have tc; and it' nature for tut neither ), and still miia, were ics of life, wants, lestined to )ntinent — with un- nglishmen tween the inveterate h towards indisputcd whole ol exico, th'- e; and, in )f the race Jer, carry- 1 with its far as the >uth alone 1 wrested ifornia be y the first merely a only other possible alternative of seeing their country follow in the wake of Texas. In fact under the treaty of 1700, which has been already cited, Eng- land is even now entitled to colonize a considerable portion of the upper province. As America has renounced everything that lies below the parallel of forty-two degrees, England and INIexico, as the successors of Spain, are regulated in their reciprocal relations to the southward by the stipulations of the international compact aforesaid ; so that England, without being questioned by any one, may immediately occupy the coast from the forty-second parallel of latitude down to the due range of the settlement of San Francisco. Now the due range of a settlement varies in direction according to its position. If unconnected, like Monterey, with the interior, a settlement must be presumed to be likely to spread along the coast, while if situated, like San Francisco, at the outlet of many navigable waters, it will, in all probability, creep along the shores of its lakes and rivers. Neither on principle, therefore, nor in fact, does San Francisco extend many miles to the northward of the mouth of its harbor; so that, to take an instance, England may to-morrow justifiably occupy the valley of Santa Rosa, which opens into Bodega Bay. To return to my narrative, which left us on the twenty-seventh of the month making our way from Santa Barbara to the southward, we soon lost sight of California and its adjacent islands, while a fine breeze from the northwest carried us in three or four days into the region of the northeast trades. I itish or to of Texas age in an to forget rovidence ns. But, T by such hicjkher sh^^ay , without ists. than fifty by her, re of this aia, Eng- trs, while 56 to the ^v.^:^- ■*•% Tft^ %■:" i i. 1 t li • .» V. 1 I ■» : . » I: I ! • ■' mm if- ■ 224 .'V fv CHAPTER X. VISIT TO HONOLULU, KTC. Our course from Santa IJarbara had been ho nearly due south, that. on catching the trades in about Lat. 27°, we were only in about Ifulness ; but on tlu; deck of a vessel it is a mere waddler, besides that it becomes sea-sick and pumps up a most unromantic cascade of yellow oil. Hut this curious bird would not come to our relief any more than the flying-fish ; and, in fact, excepting within ten degrees of Cape Horn, where it has keen air and short commons, it is too dainty to be hooked by means of a bait. In such a state of afl'airs, books were our best auxiliaries in the grand business of killing time ; and, during these my wanderings, I have often felt that an amphibious voyage possesses this singular ad- vantage, that the leisure of the water, besides being itself beguiled by the task, prepares one, by means of reading, to profit by what one may see and hear on the land. On the evening of the ninth of February, wc felt tolerably certain that the next day's sun would find us within the visual range of Ha- waii, though, as nothing but the clearest atmosphere could serve our purpose, we were rather likely than otherwise to be prevented from actually seeing it. In the morning, however, this last anticipation was agreeably disappointed. At a distance of a hundred and ten miles, we descried the snowy summit of Mouna Kea, ihe nearer, as well as the loftier of the two volcanic mountains, whi*:i, with the table land be- tween them, occupy the entire centre of the island. Its height is variously estimated from about 14,000 to about 16,000 feet, a calcula- tion which, independently of other modes of measurement, tallies pretty accurately with the fact, that it has been distinctly seen from positions more remote than our own by a score of miles ; so that in the extent of visible horizon, Mouna Kea falls very little short of the stupendous St. Elias on the northwest coast, which Vancouver continued to see in PART I. — 15 ^i Wl 226 VISIT TO HONOLULU, ETC. 1^ Hi' . !" 1 J^ ll f his wake, still " like a lofty mountain," at a distance of fifty nautical leagues. For several hours we discerned no other symptom of land than Mouna Kea, swelling, as if a solitary iceberg, in breadth and height out of the blue ocean : not a single winged messenger came to salute us ; and our oidy companions on the borders of this archipelago were the albatrosses and tropic birds that had followed us all the way from California. Mouna Loa, the more distant of the two central mountains of Ha- waii, is very little inferior in height to Mouna Kea, being, according to most calculations on the subject, more tiian 13,000 feet above the level of theusea. Its visible horizon, therefore, must have reached, if it did not overleap, the track of the galleons running before the trade-wind from Acapulco to Manilla; and the chances of its being seen by the Spaniards in early times were considerably intrreased, if the crater on its summit, as was most probably the case, was then in a state of activity. Even if there were no direct evidence of the discovery, the contrary supposition would be all but incredible, for the mere silence of a jealous people with respect to islands, which, though useless to Spain, might yet have furnished an impregnable shelter to the plun- derers of her commerce, would not have even a negative bearing on the fact. To give an analogous example, Nootka Sound had, in all probability, been known to the Spaniards before it was discovered by Cook ; and it was perhaps the same nervous dislike of publicity that enabled Americus Vespucius, as the first person who detailed the won- ders of the New World to the Old, to usurp what would have been Columbus's richest reward. But there is ample proof of a general description, that the Sandwich Islands had been seen, and visited too, by the Spaniards in the six- teenth century or, at the latest, in the seventeenth. Among the natives there have been found to exist traditions of the occasional appearance among them of a race difl'erent from their own, too numerous and too circumstantial to be explained by anything but their essential truth ; and perhaps such traditions carry more of verisimilitude in them on this account, that they almost exclusively refer to Hawaii, the very island which, as being at once the largest and the loftiest and the most southerly of the group, was the most likely to attract the notice of the Spaniards. Again the Spanish charts, however carefully they were kept out of the hands of the enemy, contained still more positive, if not more interesting, proof of the hypothesis, one chart in particular, which was found by Anson on board of his great prize, having been the means of revealing for the first time to the world at large a cluster of islands in the latitude, and, considering the instruments and the science of the times, pretty correctly in the longitude, of the Hawaiian group ; and of this cluster, by the by, one island was distinguished as La Mesa or The Table, the most natural and appropriate of all names for the truncated summit of Mount Loa, the first, and for hours the only, landmark to a vessel approaching from the south. Moreover, besides such charts and traditions, circumstances, more conclusive in their nature, so far as their number goes, confirm the same view. The VISIT TO HONOLULU, ETC. 227 helmets and cloaks of the natives rcsrml)le those of the Spaniards; their military tactics, as compared witli those of the other savajres of Polynesia, bore the impress of civilized instruction; and perhaps in the Hawaiian language a careful investigation might delect many words of Spanish origin. Though Cook must have been acquainted with Anson's chart, yet he would appear to have discovered the Sandwich Islands without reference to its information. As the error in the longitude on the part of the Spaniards, which has been already mentioned, placed the group considerably too far to the east, our celebrated navigator, if he liad been looking for La Mesa, would have kept so mudi to the wiM(h>»ard of Hawaii as most prol)ably not to be within the visual range of ei'her of its landn irks, while, in reality, he had beat his course so far to the west, that he barely descried the island which terminates, in that direc- tion, a group occupying nearly three degrees and a half of latitude and fully five degrees and a half of longitude. In fact, though neither Cook nor the Spaniards had discovered the archipelago, some vessel or other must soon have stumbled on it. Each of the four principal islands, Hawaii, Mowee, Woahoo and Kauai, presents points high enough to prevent any seamen from passing, in clear weather, between any two without seeing at least one of them ; so that, generally speaking, tlie group, as a whole, was as little likely to remain hid as an ordinarily level country of the size of Great Hritain would have been to remain so in the same neighborhood. Next morning, the elevend) of the month, gave us a full view of Mowee with its rugged hills of about eleven thousand feet in height, this island ranking next to Hawaii as well in elevation as in extent and position,— a remark which may also be applied to Woahoo with respect to Mowee and to Kauai with respect to Woahoo. In fact, the whole group appears to have been thrown up from the deep by volcanic action advancing from the northwest to the southeast and increasing in force as it advanced ; so that, while island rose after island, each grew at once in height and in breadth according to the intensity of the [Ifcwer that heaved it upwards from the waters. Thus Bird Island, a barren rock taking its name from its only inhabitants, and lying about as far to the northwest of Kauai as Kauai lies of Woahoo, must be considered as the germ of the archipelago, as the nrst fruits of a submarine energy that was here only kindling its fires ; while the other main links in the chain, Kauai, Woahoo, Mowee and Hawaii, not only differ, as I have just mentioned, at once in extent and in elevation, but also present, as they proceed, less and less evidence of antiquity in their gradually diminishing proportions of land capable of cultivation, — a proof the more conclusive inasmuch as the soil of the whole group undeniably consists of the successive gifts of years and ages and centuries. More- over, the visible laboratories of the subterranean fire, which are scat- tered over the archipelago, confirm the same view : the craters are all extinct, excepting on Hawaii ; and, even on Hawaii, Mouna Loa, the most southeasterly of its three great safety-valves, alone bears living testimony to the creative impulse that has called the whole chain into -,. Iff 'ffi »■' f -■ 228 VISIT TO HONOLULU, ETC. li:f:C'' ' existence, and bears it, too, only throiiffh its lateral volcano of Kilauea, which, besides itself looking to the east, appears, by the gradual ad- vance of subsidiary outlets down its eastern declivities, to be rolling the hidden sources of its strength, — peradventure there to forge fresh islands, — under the bed of the ocean. But in whatever order or at whatever times the Sandwich Islands came into being, they must, in all probability, have sprung from the ocean. Coral and shells are said to have been found on some of the mountains of Kauai ; and the whole group is known, from a careful comparison of minute changes in dif- ferent localities, to be slowly but surely continuing to rise, to be still, as it were, in the throes of creation. It is a curious coincidence, which it would be unphilosophical to ascribe to chance, that the direction of volcanic agency, as just de- scribed, has, generally speaking, been one and the same in this archipe- lago, and on the neighboring continent. The general line of the western shore of America, from Beering's Straits to the equator, is, as nearly as possible, parallel with the chain of the Sandwich Islands — the opposite coast of Asia, by the by, running with a similar inclination to the southern extremity of Malacca, so as to complete an isosceles triangle with half the circumference of the earth as its base ; and, on the said western shore of America, volcanic agency appears to have traveled from the northwest to the southeast, for Mount Edgecombe, in the neighborhood of Sitka, and Saddle Hill, near the mouth of the Columbia, have exhausted themselves, and the craters of California are diminish- ing in activity, while the more southerly fires continue to blaze as fiercely as ever. In corroboration, or at least in illustration of the last two paragraphs, may be cited other physical phenomena from the history of the Sand- wich Islands. Inundations of the sea, as if the water periodically strug- gled to recover the land, annually escaping from its grasp, have often flooded the lower shores of the group, flowing and ebbing with a force that seemed to concentrate into a few minutes the tides of a week ; and, on one of those occasions, which caused a heavy loss of property and life, the great volcano of Kilauea — for great it confessedly is with what- ever other volcano on the earth's surface it may be compared — palpably exhibited a sympathy with the ocean in a fiery inundation of more than ordinary magnitude. Now, the very last instance of the kind happened just about nine months before our arrival; and we afterwards ascertained that an almost simultaneous flood had assailed the shores of Kamschatka, a country whose southern extremity is situated in a line with the general direction of the Hawaiian Archipelago and its volcanic agency. Here, again, it would be by no means philosophical to con- sider the coincidence as fortuitous. To return to Mowee, Lahaina, on the leeward side of its western extremity, has been, for a considerable time, the residence of the king. In the days of Cook, as all the world knows, each island, or at least each of the four principal islands, with its adjacent islets, had its own king, who would appear, however, rather to have been the lord para- mount of the chiefs, than the immediate sovereign of the people. After western le king, at least its own •d para- After VISIT TO HONOL LU, ETC. 229 a lapse of thirteen years, Vancouver found the political condition of the Archipelago to be pretty nearly the same, excepting that the King of Hawaii was obviously on the point of becoming the master of the whole group. His island was about twice as extensive, and, perhaps, also, twice as populous, as all the other islands, large and small, put together; he had the whole force of his little monarchy at his disposal, for he held Hawaii at once by inheritance and by conquest, having vanquished and slain, in self-defence, the rightful occupant of the throne, whose heir he was, and having subsequenUy crushed the rebellions of various chiefs, who envied his elevation ; and, though last not least, he had earned the sympathy and assistance of foreigners, by ihe humanity and integrity, which, in spite of the example of the other kings, and of the suggestions of his own chiefs, he had uniformly displayed in his intercourse with them. Accordingly, in 1795, the very year after Van- couver's final departure, Kamehameha acquired, by force of arms, per- manent possession of Mowee and Woahoo, while he soon after received the voluntary submissions of his royal brother of Kauai. But Hawaii, as has often happened elsewhere, gradually became a dependency o( its own conquests. Its victorious chief removed the seat of govern- ment to Honolulu in Woahoo, which, on account of the superiority of its harbor, was the favorite resort of foreign vessels ; and, though he did pass the last few years of his life in his native island, yet neither of his successors has imitated this his later example. Honolulu was, indeed, speedily found to be too troublesome a home for youths, who, being destitute of their father's commanding character, wished to escape from the importunities and assumptions of white residents and white visitors ; and at last Lahaina was selected as the ordinary abode of Hawaiian majesty, affording, perhaps, the most central position in the Archipelago, with Mowee and Hawaii to the east, and Woahoo and Kauai to the west. As we proceeded on our voyage, we had in sight, at one and the same time, the four islands of Mowee, Lanai, Molokoi and Woahoo, the first three on our left and the last on our right. We were, in fact, now sailing along one of the eight seas, as the native ditties designate the channels of various width, which separate the islands from each other, — a form of expression which, even if it stood alone, would in- dicate not merely that the islanders knew the extent of their secluded group, but also that they were habitually impressed with a sense of common nationality. In the case of this archipelago, mutual conunu- nication was doubdess facilitated by the circumstance, that the north- cast trades, falling pretty nearly at right angles to the general direction of the group, seldom presented to the voyager the obstacle of a head- wind, whether he was running to the northwest or to the southeast; and even in the case of such other archipelagos of the Pacific, as pos- sessed not the same advantage, mutual communication between island and island seems to have been maintained, if not with equal ease, at least to. such an extent as evinced considerable skill and boldness in navigation. In all probability, the gregarious disposition, if one may so speak, of the Polynesian isles, has been an instrument in the hands mi 1 "■"■ I 230 VISIT TO HONOLULU, ETC. •■\U ■ It, :'/ ■1 . •'■■; '■, in our own idiom, at the dis- tance of nearly half the globe from our native land. What a contrast between our own time and the days of the discoverers ol' this group! " Whilst we were at dinner," (says Captain King, the friend and com- panion of Cook,) " in this miserahle hut, on the banks of the Kiver Awatska, the guests of a people with whose existence we had before been scarce acquainted, and at the extremity of the habitable glol)e, a solitary, half-worn pewter spoon, whose shape was familiar to us, at- tracted our attention; and, on examination, we found it stamped oi' 'he back with the word London. I cannot pass over this circumstance in .silence, out of gratitude for tlie many pleasant thoughts, the anxious hopes, and tender remembrances, it excited in us. Those who have experienced the etFects that long absence and extreme distance from their native country produce on the mind, will readily conceive the l)leasure such a trilling incident can give." But the personal contrast, if 1 may presume so to speak, between us and our celebrated navigator himself, was still more striking. We had just anchored in front of a large and flourishing town, into which the enterprise of the English race had attracted upwards of eight thousand comparatively civilized na- tives; and, on the self-same day, the eleventh of February, in the year 1779, did Cook return to Kalaikeakua Bay, after what had appeared to be his final departure, to seal, ere half a week should have elapsed, his discovery with his blood. On the morning of the twelfth, we were all stirring betimes. While the vessel was preparing to enter the harl)or bel'ore a fair wind, we took a more careful look of the town, observing in particular a fort well provided, to all appearance, with guns, and admirably situated for commanding the narrow and intricate passage; and, in the event of hostilities, we could not help thinking that even the most formidable visitor would be wise, while on the safe side of the reef, to begin by smashing so ugly a customer into silence. But the harbor is said to have worse enemies to dread than shot and shells. In consequence of the gradual rising of the islands, to which I have already alluded, the opening in the reef is supposed to be diminishing in depth, a difference of three feet having been actually observed and ascertained about fifteen or sixteen years after Brown's exploration; while the very brook, to which, in all probability, the gap in the lithophyte's labor is owing, is generally believed to be, to a certain extent, neutralizing its own work Ijy washing down mud to elevate the bottom of the basin. To provide against the possible results of such causes, the basin might easily be dredged, and the reef might, by some means or other, be cut to a sufficient depth; and, at all events, there has been found, at a distance of a few miles to the westward, a harbor equal to that of Honolulu, though its shores are by no means so well fitted to be the site of a town. It seems hardly worth while to mention another candidate for future honors in a convenient basin with a beautiful country round it, situated - 1^ '^:i •■I.' . : .1 '♦•;} ; K -ui :<-• 234 VISIT TO HONOLULU, ETC. "1, ■ ■ ■ I' i^.U :iit. < y 1: ! ■ '-I ii** on the windward side of Woahoo, for its rcpf, which has only nine ni- ton fcot of water on tlio opcnini^, wouhl requirr far more cutting at the very outset than that of llonohihi woidd require for ai^es yet to come. On eiitcriui? tlie channel, whose breadth did not exceed twice the lenijth of the Cowlitz, we could almost have touched with an oar a crowd of natives, who were elhowinj? each other on the reef up to their middles in water, all the while jahherinjr, and shouting, and bel- lowing in their outlandish tongue, which, by reason of the numericsil superiority of its vowels, and the softness and indistinctness of its consonants, resembled rather a continuous howl than an articulate lan- guage. On our handing out a hawser to these fellows, who, if siitll- ciently numerous, could, I verily believe, tow a vessel swimming, we were speedily hauled close to the wharf; and, after mooring our ship and saluting the town, we prepared to go ashore. On landing we immediately proceeded to pay our respects to several of the inhabitants, begintiing, as in duty bound, with Governor Keku- anaoa, one of the natives who accompanied the late king and queen to England; we were much pleased with the shrewdness of this old gen- tleman, who, in fact has, by his official ability, raised himself from the rank of a subordinate chief to be one of the principal rulers of the archipelago. We next called in succession, for etiquette of that kind is requisite in Honolulu, on the British, French, and American con- suls, and some of the principal residents. Mr. Pelly, being aware beforehand of the probability of our arrivinff about this time, had procured a house for accommodating us durinir our visit, being nothing less than a royal palace. It had been originally built by the king, Kauikeaouli, or Kamehameha III. for his own use; and when his majesty, for the sake of retirement, removed his court from Honolulu to Lahaina, it was transferred to Haalilio, who, like Kekuanaoa, has risen in the world by his talents, till at last, after Haa- lilio, in his capacity of secretary, followed his master to Mowee, it was reserved as a kind of caravansera for receiving such of the prin- cipal chiefs as might visit Honolulu. The lower Hat, however, hatl been devoted to vulgar and utilitarian purposes, being occupied as a store; and the upper (lat, which, in addition, of course, to kitchen, outhouses, yard, &c., was our share of the palace, consisted of four apartments, two larger and two smaller. Having collected together furniture, &c. &c,, we established our- selves in our new domicile. The walls of the rooms were hung witli several good engravings of the American Declaration of Independence, a portrait of the King of Prussia, badly executed in oil, and various daubs of colored engravings. These paltry embellishments, however, were an evidence not of savage but of civilized taste, for they had been presented, always excepting, of course, the symbols of demo- cracy, by his Prussian majesty, who must have borrowed his idea of the Kamehamehas from the good old times when a gallon of beads would have bought up half the hogs of a whole valley. This gift from one king to another could not have damaged the donor much beyond five pounds sterling. ly nine or tinf^ at tin- to CO inc. twico the an oar a reef \ip tti r, and l)('l- nnmorical less of ils culate lan- lO, if .suHi- iunin the windward shores. If, at any point to tlie leeward, the temperature is materially higher than at the corresponding point to windward, the difference may be traced to the fact, that there the wall of mountains is at once so near and so continuous, as to screen from the trad>wind.s all that lies between it and the sea, with occasionally a belt of the sea itself into the bargain. This is more or less the case at Lahaina : whereas at Honolulu, on the contrary, the valley of Nuanau, which opens directly on the town, forms a natural funnel for the free and easy passage of the northeast gales. To return to the suburban villas, the diminution of heat has its .: • companying drawbacks, which make it cost fully as much perhaps as it is worth. The change is too sudden to be agreeable, for a walk ol three or four miles up the gentle ascent of the valleys makes one glad to substitute thick woollens lor the lightest and scantiest covering, merely jacket, and shirt, and trowsers of grass-cloth; and this change is en- tirely owing to the abruptness with which one rises above the level of the sea, for the city of Mexico, which is nearly in the latitude of Woahoo and almost twice as high as its loftiest peaks, enjoys on her inland table-land, at least the average temperature of the very shores ot that island. But the suddenness of the change in question is less ob- jectionable than the rains, which so frequently drench the valleys. Being intercepted at almost every point by the mountains, the clouds, which have been wafted hither on the wings of the trade-winds, exhaust themselves on the windward side and central region of each island, leaving little for the leeward coast, but a few flying drizzles, so that the inhabitants of Honolulu are frequently tantalized by the sight of showers advancing down Nuanau, but arresting their course on the very vergt of the parched plain of the town. It is chiefly dui ng the winter, the months of February, March, and April, when the trades are either in- terrupted by calms or supplanted by breezes from the south and west, that the southwestern shores receive their share of rain, while, in pro- portion as the leeward coast, thus becomes the windward, the wind- ward also becomes the leeward coast. But, disagreeable as is the drought of summer 'it Honolulu, the moisture of the winter is still more so; and, in fact, so much is the wet disliked, that throughout the whole group, even the native villages have always been more numerous to leeward than to windward, thus, for the sake of a pleasanter atmo- sphere, sacrificing productiveness of soil and submitting to the labor ol irrigation. The leeward side, it is true, possesses the advantage ol' more favorable shelter for its fishing grounds; and perhaps the cir- cumstance is worthy of notice, that this very advantage of Kameha- meha's District of Kona, by exciting the cupidity of some rival chiefs, led to the war in which that truly magnanimous savage laid the founda- tion of his supremacy. The name of this first and best monarch of the archipelago leads me, in concluding my general account of Honolulu, to notice, that the valley of Nuanau is classic, nay sacred, ground in the annahi of the Sandwich Islands, as having been the theatre of the decisive battle, in which civilization actually achieved its real triumph over barbarism. VISIT TO HONOLULU, KTC. 237 K;michanu:ha was here opposed l)y his own lieutenant Kiana, who haj policy, which, if successfid, wouhl have rendered the islands not a hlcssinjr but a curse to the trade of the world ; and the first shoton Kainehanieha's side,lired, too, by an Knj^lish tar in the person of the well-known John Younj?, laid Kiana prostrate with all his schemes of massacre ami spoliation. P'rom that day for- ward, the whole group, with one exception in Kauai, which, as that island was still independent, only confirmed the rule, aflbrded greater security to foreigners than most countries in C/hristendom; and Hono- lulu in particular is more deeply indebted for its wealth and prosperity to the victory, which protected its civilized visitors from treachery and violence, than to the discovery, which sheltered them from the perils of the ocean. If Young had not, under the auspices of the only sincere friend of the whites, rid the island of Kiana, Brown's Harbor would have continued to be rather a snare than a refuge to strangers. ^ I ** vi **1 !^' 238 rilAPTRR XI. IH SANDWICH ISLANDS. As our visit tool; ])laco in tlio dull «oa.soii, for tli(? wlinlcrs hail not begun to arrive on tluiir way from the winter fu'liinif of the Houtli to the summer lishin;; of the north, so small a town aM Honolulu (;oul(| hardly yield a suflicient number of incidents to vary the daily entrits of a month's residence ; and I, therefore, abandoned, during my stay, the form of a journal, merely reeording, from time to time, my irnpres*- sions of what I saw and heard. These impre.ssions I propose to ar- range in this and the next cinsuing chapter ; and, for this purpose, I shall separate, though without aiming at extreme accuracy of <'lassifi- cation, all that relates to the people in their individual capacities from all that distinguishes them, if I may so speak, as a body politic. 'J'o begin with the beginning, 1 shall in the first place consider tlir interesting, though purely speculative question, as to the original source of the native population. ORIGIN OF THE HAWAIIAN NATION. All the Polynesians, as I have already stated, have clearly had one and the same parentage. Though their general resemblance in man- ners and customs, in religion and government, in appearance and dress, might be made to fill volumes, yet they would, one and all of them, be less conclusive on the point than the fundamental correspondence both in the words and in the structure of their languages. With but little difficulty, and in some of the instances with none at all, Tahitians, Marquesans, Samoans, Tongans, New Zealanders, and Hawaiians, to say nothing of the less known groups, can render themselves intelligi- ble to each other; and of this similarity of dialects the strongest, as well as the most gratifying proof, is to be found in the fact, that native converts of one archipelago have sometimes gone forth as missionaries, to communicate the glad tidings of salvation to another. Thus, a chief, who accompanied Mr. Ellis from Tahiti to the Sandwich Islands, often addressed the natives with effect; and Sir Edward Belcher found a little colony of Samoan teachers laboring, or rather wishing to labor, among the savages of the New Hebrides. To offer more specific evi- dence of the fundamental correspondence in question, the subjoined table is quite decisive, at least with respect to words, for the identical meanings of six nearly identical sounds in three different dialects, can- not possibly be accidental. SANDWICH ISLANDS. 239 Tnhitinn. lliiwniinn. .MnniurKan. KnuliKh, Ovai (hvai Ovai Wli Evan I'iwahi Hvau KiKht Kiva I'iiNva Kiva Miu! Vahinr Waliiiic Valiino Woman Mailai Maitni IMaitai (iotul 'I'aum Tatou Tatcu Taloo Perhaps a rarct'ul rxamiiiation of diirrrci \ dialccfs miiflit wnmicst ^oinc hiiilH as lo their comparalivt' aiili()uity. As the ireneral leruhiicy (if hiiii^iia}f(! to hj'comc sol'ier hy chanyc; w.'.ild derive special I'orec Iroiu the leehle, and ahnost ehiUhsh, orfjans of tht; race under considera- lion, any dialeet nii^hl reasonably he deemed more reecnl in propor- tion as itH alphabet and pronuneiation uiii>'ht bo more niea^r*' and t'lleminate. JN'ow, tlie common huimia},'e of the Polynesian Isles iippears to have traveled from the west towards the oast, 'i'hus the llawaiians, and apparently the 'I'ahitians also, abhor a eoneoiirse of lonsonants, while the New llcbriiles have their I'lrromanga, the; Fec- jfcs their IJanj^a, and the Friendly Islands their 'I'oiif^a, or, to use the i)etter known nanu;, their 'l'onjj;ataboo. If an Hawaiian were desired to pronounce any one of these tliree words, he would either insert a vowel between the two consonants or omit the harsher consonant; and he would most probably adopt tin; latter course just as he would trans- form England into Englani. In all probability, Tonga and Tona or Kona, the name of a district already mentioned of Hawaii, art; one and the same word ; and, to give an instance of which there can be no doubt, tangata, the Samoan for man, has l)cen softened into the Ha- waiian tanala or Kanaka. Aj^ain the very name of Samoa, the chief of the Navigator Isles, involves the letter a', which the Hawaiians, as also, I believe, the Tahitians, altogether reject, as being too much for their powers of utterance. Thus they change /«." , 1^32 1836 88 by 73 4,000 45,792 39^64 48 by 30 620 35,062 2mM 17 by 9 100 1,600 1,200 40 by 7 190 6,000 6,000 11 by 8 60 80 80 46 .by 25 530 29,755 27,809 24 by 22 500 10,977 8,934 20 by 7 90 6,090 1,047 993 130,313 108,579 Names. Hawaii, - - - - TMowee, - - - - J Lanai, ... - j Molokoi, ... [_Kakoolawe, ... Woahoo, ... (Kauai, .... (Niihau, .... Whole group, . - - In or about 1840 a third census, I believe, was taken, which, though I have not seen the whole of the official returns, is yet generally con- sidered to have reduced the population to aboiTt 88,000, — a number which, from such partial information as I have been able to procure, I have no reason to regard as less than the truth. Kauai, the most level and productive l". nd in the group, is divided into four districts, in every one of wh*"' i- the following short table will show, the young of both sexes un <' .ghteen years of age complete amounted, accord- ing to the census in question, to something less than a fourth part of the whole population : Boys and Girls, All others, Totals, 706 309 2,229 1,043 372 685 1,178 2,134 2,935 1,352 1,550 2,819 Here was an average of one person under eighteen to rather more than three above it, — a state of things which would carry depopulation written on its very face, unless every creature without exception were to attain the good old age of seventy-five. But the disproportion be- tween progeny and parents would become still greater on taking into account the fact, that many of the "boys and girls" must have had "boys and girls" of their own, so as to leave perhaps hardly half a child to each couple of those who were classed as men and women in the census. One district in Woahoo afforded the only instance in which the disproportion in question was materially lessened, the inhabit- ants under eighteen and those above it respectively amounting to 809 and 1,983 ; but even there the fatal destiny of the people was rapidly accomplishing, the births for the year then last past having been 61 and the deaths 132, so that, if all the 61 infants had swelled the list of deaths as well as births, still 71 individuals more must have perished, — a deficiency about one-sixth greater than all the infants, if strong and healthy, could ever have supplied. To conclude this notice of the census of 1840 with one fact more, the most populous three districts i \- 'I f ■I I ■^il! I ipil m. :fu Jr-Hfj i ■}:,f 244 SANDWICH ISLANDS. f t ■ lit ;■ of Kauai, containing between them 5,541 adults, possessed only 68 men and 65 women, who had more than two children each, in the face, too, of the bribe offered to all such in the shape of an exemption from certain taxes. Of the only two modes in which depopulation can be doing its work, deficiency of births is shown by these details to be far more influential than excess of deaths; in other words, a nation is rapidly vanishing from the face of the earth, because its ordinary degree of tear and wear is not recruited from the ranks of a rising generation. Till lately, it is true, this was not so decidedly the case, temporary causes having operated for a long time after the date of the discovery, to carry off the old perhaps in a greater ratio than the young. Kamehameha's wars, conducted as they were on an unusually extensive scale, and rendered more fatal by the use of fire-arms, destroyed thousands in battle, while through the famine and pestilence which followed in their train, they indirectly more than doubled the slaughter. Again, these wars were almost immediately succeeded by a still heavier scourge, in the prose- cution of a trade, which, by a mysterious dispensation of Providence, virtually sacrificed to the idols of a foreign land a far greater number of human victims than had ever been actually consumed on the blood- stained altars of the group. Sandal wood, in which the islands abounded, was known to bring high prices in China, where it was burnt as a fragrant offering before the images of the gods ; and being, therefore, found to furnish the best means of supplying those artificial wants, which occasional glimpses of civilization had created, it was sold in such quantities as, in one particular year, to have yielded about 400,000 dollars. The procuring of this lucrative medium of exchange caused, in various ways, an enormous waste of life. As the sandal wood grew chiefly on rugged and almost inaccessible heights, the natives, accustomed as they were on the coasts to a temperature ap- proaching more nearly to perfection, both in degree and in steadiness, than perhaps any gdhj^r in the world, were doomed to endure the chTlly air of the mount^ns without shelter and without clothing, the cold of the night being aggravated by the toil of the day ; and when they had accomplished their tasks with bodies enfeebled by these constant pri- vations, and not uncommonly also by want of food, they were com- pelled to transport the whole on naked shoulders to the beach, by paths hardly practicable, in many places, to an unburdened passenger. As a matter of course, many of the poor wretches died in their harness, while many more of them prematurely sank under the corroding effects of exposure and exhaustion. During the reign of Kamehameha, who monopolized the trade in question, such evils were in a considerable degree checked by his comparatively enlightened policy; but no sooner was he succeeded, in 1819, by Liho Liho, than they were not only systematized in the most cruel manner, but accompanied by incidental evils fully as fatal as themselves. That thoughtless and dissipated youth surrendered his father's monopoly to individual chiefs, who knew as little of wisdom as they did of mercy, to hard-hearted oli- garchs, in whose eyes satins and velvets, china and plate, wines and ^-n ■% ,? SANDWICH ISLANDS. 245 only 68 h, in the cemption its work, ifluential vanishing md wear lately, it s having y off the a's wars, rendered tie, while ain, they ars were he prose- jvidence, umber of he blood- i islands •e it was id being, artificial d, it was led about exchange le sandal rhts, the ature ap- eadiness, he chTlly e cold of they had 5tant pri- 3re coin- by paths rer. As harness, ig effects ?ha, who iderablc o sooner lot only icidental issipated >rs, who rted oli- ines and sweWneats, M'ere infinitely more precious commodities than the lives of serfc. Under the new order of things, the men were driven like cattle tVj the nills, to every cleft in the rocks that contained a sapling of the sacred fuel, while, through the consequent neglect of agriculture and the fisheries, the women and children, without the controlling power either of social decencies or of domestic aflections, were left to snatch from each other, the strong from the weak and the weak from the helpless, such miserable pittances as rapacious tyrants and hungry thralls were likely to spare for idle mouths. Never was the force of the Psalmist's curse, "Set thou an ungodly man to be ruler over him," more clearly illustrated. Happily, however, the calamities which once so fearfully thinned the adult population, contained in themselves the seeds of their own cure. Kamehameha's wars established universal and perpetual peace ; and the almost utter extirpation of the sandal wood, divested the chiefs of their principal motive for withdrawing their vassals from the ordi- nary tasks of procuring and preparing the means of human subsistence. To return to the consideration of the present time, there are two causes which still continue, though in very unequal proportions, to poison the sources of national life — a spirit, or at least a practice, of emigration among the men, and the depravity of the women. With regard to the first point, about a thousand males in the very prime of life are estimated annually to leave the islands, some going to Califor- nia, others to the Columbia, and many on long and dangerous voyages, particularly in whaling vessels, while a considerable portion of them are said to be permanently lost to their country, either dying during their engagements, or settling in other parts of the world. Though this constant drain doubtless has, and, in fact, must have, an unfavorable influence on the annual increase of the people, yet, as it diminishes the number of adults at least as certainly, if not so extensively, as of chil- dren, it accounts, only in a very trifling degree, for the disproportion between the old and the young ; while, at the same time, the census of 1840 shows either that the cause is exaggerated, or that its effects are overrated, for, in the four districts aforesaid of Kauai, the taxable men, as distinguished from old men, and the taxable women, as similarly distinguished, were respectively 2784 and 2213, the former bearing to the latter a ratio somewhat higher than that of five to four. On the second, therefore, of the two causes mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph, the depravity of the women, must mainly rest the blame of poisoning the sources of national life; and unfortunately it is but too able to bear the burden. Speaking of the mass, the females of the Sand- wich Islands are w*orthy representatives of those of their sex, who, after Cook's death, witnessed with indifference, from the ships, the slaughter of their countrymen and friends, while, as if still more unequivocally to evince their want of feeling, they pronounced the conflagration of the neighboring village to be " a very fine sight." In fact, this com- parison, so far as the story has just been told, involves a libel on the dead, for, as they were not necessarily the mothers of any of those whose miseries they mocked, they might still have possessed, when I!' I' ■'■'•}, 1i >' .'■,'4i i. r.*i 4 >i »^ 246 SANDWICH ISLANDS. A" Mil J... m a.* ♦ occasion should draw it forth, that maternal love which palpably finds no home in the bosoms of their descendants. To say nothing of such things as infanticide, and that, too, in its most appalling form of living burial, or of artificial abortion, with its consequent sterility, the mothers of the Sandwich Islands indulge in the lesser abominations of ex- changing children, and of allowing pet puppies to share nature's food with the oiTspring of their own wombs — the latter habit strongly contrast- ing in motiv" with an incident of the kind mentioned by Baron Wrangell in the case of an aboriginal woman of Siberia, who, after a season of great mortality among the sledge-dogs, suckled two young ones, the sole remains of her husband's team, to be the germ of a new stock. So far from wondering at the numerical deficiency of the rising genera- tion, we ought rather to be surprised that there is a rising generation at all in a country where women regard their own infants and those of others with equal affection, and lavish on either far less of their fond- ness, than on the progeny of one of the lower animals. Previously to the discovery, it is true, the women (the fair reader must really pardon the expression), were the same devils in human shape; and yet the work of depopulation had not then begun. Down to that epoch, however, the disposition of the sex was controlled, sin- gularly enough, by a state of war, as it has, since that time, been de- veloped, at least as singularly, by the beginnings of civilization. As there were constant rivalries, not only between the different islands, but, also, between the different sections of each island, every chief had a direct interest in increasing the number of his dependents, and in maintaining them in a condition fit for service ; and he had, therefore, a motive, such as was level to the most untutored capacity, for generally acting as the father of his people. If his vassals were made to labor, they produced or collected the necessaries of life, the only wealth then known ; if he exacted from them a share of the fruits of their toil, he kept open hospitality for all comers. In a word, each little community had for its common object the supply of the common wants. This state of things, now so obsolete as to look like a romance, is shadowed forth in the following short specimen of the ancient songs, a funeral wail for a departed leader : Alas! alas! dead is my chief, Dead is my lord and my friend ; My friend in the season of famine, My friend in the time of drought, My friend in jjoverty, C' My friend in the rain and the wind. My friend in the heat and the sim, My friend in the cold from the mountains, ■ My friend in the storm. My friend in the calm, , , My frieud in the eight seas; Alas! alas! gone is my friend, And no more will return. In those times, the influence of the chief was, of course, powerfully directed towards the rearing of children, while the abundance of food i*fef> SANDWICH ISLANDS. 247 was such as seldom to bring the mother's personal convenience into collision with her feudal duty. Soon, however, peace and commerce, which casually came hand in hand, wrought a change somewhat analo- gous to that which similar causes gradually produced in the wilder parts of Scotland. The rank and safety of the chief no longer depended on the number and efficiency of his followers, while, in order to pur- chase the luxuries of civilization, he filched from them their necessaries of life, or, as in the case of the sandal wood, screwed out of them that labor which ought to have supplied the simple wants of themselves and their families. In the consequent struggle for food, women, if they had failed to stifle life in their wombs, regarded their infants as intrud- ers ; arid, without waiting for that extremity of famine whi' ^' "-^re than once made the daughters of the most enlightened city o. .iie times, devour their own offspring, they deliberately and systematically got rid of their unbidden guests, merely as a matter of general precaution, while, in the taxation of every head on the part of the merciless oligarchs, fathers as well as mothers, were furnished with a still more definite motive for regarding their little ones as natural enemies. But the result, as stated bv one of the missionaries, is far more conclusive than anv language of mine. In 1824, Mr. Stewart wrote thus: "We have the clearest proof, that in those parts cf the islands where the influence of the mission has not yet extended, two-thirds of the infants born, perish by the hands of their own parents, before attaining the first or second year of their affe." Since that time, it is true, the tyranny of the chiefs has been limited and mitigated by law, though, perhaps, more decidedly in theory than in practice; but still the taxation, which will be detailed hereafter, is high enough to leave parent and child at issue in the grand business of keeping body and soul together; and, even without refer- ence to any public exactions, the general difi'usion of a taste for foreign finery brings the infant into competition, too often, I fear, into hopeless competition, with such merely external symbols of civilization as shoes, and gowns, and bonnets. But, in addition to all this, civilization has an account of much longer standing to settle. The original discoverers introduced a certain malady, which, though prevented by the matchless salubrity of the climate from destroying adults, tends to poison the springs of life almost as effectually as the system of artificial abortion. If the latter permanently incapacitates a woman for becoming a mother, the former brings the infant into the world with its sentence of speedy death engraven in its very constitution. Viewed, therefore, by itself, civilization has been, and still continues to be, a canker-worm to prey on the population of the group. When a superior race, without fraud or violence, plants its thousands where an inferior race could hardly maintain its hundreds, nothing but the mere mawkishness of sentimentality could attempt to avert or retard the change ; but there is something truly deplorable in the reflection, that, in this archipelago, civilization is sweeping the aborigines from the land of their fathers without placing in their stead others better than themselves. If there be any truth in the preceding paragraphs, which the parapiount importance of the subject has induced me to ,^.fi. m W' 1 Is i 'i ■' f ^' .4 ^ 248 SANDWICH ISLANDS. mr *% extend far beyond my original inU ntion, the principal measure for pre- serving the native population, — indispensable even to the white colo- nist as the only means of supplying him with laborers, appears to be the elevation of the female character. Now there are only two instru- ments by which this elevation can possibly be effected, Christianity and public opinion, — the attempt, such as has been made, to enlist pecuniary penalties in so sacred a cause involving not merely a blun- der, but a crime. In a climate, which ripens girls of eight or nine into womanhood, how cruel, how preposterous, how futile to expect from the terrors of the law any other fruits than the engrafting of hypocrisy on licentiousne^, the stilling of evidence by such means as may almost be said to anticipate puberty by barrenness. But the penal regulations against that interclluf'se between the sexes, which has been so com- mon that chastity has no name in the language, are, in themselves, as repugnant to the spirit of Christianity as they are, in their conse- quences just mentioned, subversive of the influence of public opinion. Consideriifg the gross ««torance of the people, there can be but little doubt that the practice /f exacting money for offences, which Chris- tianity alone has, in their notions, created and defined, has the same practical tendency al that system of indulgences which Luther repro- bated ; in a word, ifie seventh commandment and its human sanctions are doubtless blj^nded together by the islanders into something very different from the peremptory simplicity aad conscious dignity of the divine command, " Thou shalt not commit adultery — at least without paying down so many pieces of silver," — a precept, which, whether viewed as a license or as a threat, degrades religion without even the poor pretext of rendering it popular. This desecration of the deca- logue, strange to say, was virtually the work of the earlier missionaries, however ingeniously they played the part of special pleaders in refut- ing the accusation. If they did not frame the absurd laws in question, they sanctioned them, when framed; if they did not dictate the words, they inculcated the principles ; if they did not mould the letter, they .sugijested the spirit. The sooner the missionaries get rid of such doubtful aids, so much the better for the cause, to which they are, I lirmly believe, most zealously devoted ; and, even without reference to religion, they ought, on the mere score of morality, to discountenance a penal system, in spite of which, or, as many assert, in consequence of which, infanticide, at least in the same proporUon. in wvliich it may itself have been diminished, has been succeeded by that surer mode of cheating the treasury which, in destroying the life of one child, pre- vents the birth of others by undermining the mother's constitution. If it be true, — and it appears to be undeniably so, — that Hhe depopu- lation of the group is mainly to be imputed to physical privations acting on moral depravity, the enforcing of the seventh commanilment by means of extortioii could hardly fail to aggravate the evil which it pre- tended to remedy. With respect to moral dep(avit)s the law, as we have seen, has rather altered its direction th an" i*s "essence; while, with regard to physical privations, it exposes, at a moderate computation, more than half the islanders of either sex to th%» chance. of paying, in a SANDWICH ISLANDS. 249 month, as many finns as may be Rqiiivalont in amount to the tnxes of a year. Instead of thus rmbitteriufr the mahidy, which is eatinjj its way into the very existence of the people, let the missionaries weary their zeal in kindling; the flame of pure and undcfiled religion in the female heart, in humaniziuj;, by means of the (Jospel, the tlispositions of those, who may be said, in a 8\il)ordinate sense, to control the issues of national life and death. If many of the transgressors are too youna^ to be permanendy affected by merely spiritual considerations, let the women of maturer ajre be taught to bring to bear on youthful females in general, and on their own daughters in particular, the influence of edu- cation and example. In a word, let the reign of terror pass away ; and let "persuasion do the work of fear." On this point, the past experience of the mission is full of hope for the future. Though the women, as being, of course, the grand agents in the systematic work of quenching infant lives, are naturally more callous and obdurate than the men, yet they have exhibited far brighter and more numerous proofs of that change of heart, which is the single end and aim of pure Christianity. To say nothing of such female chiefs as possessed political power, inasmuch as their religious zeal was more or less liable to the suspicion of being a political instrument, Kekupuohe, who, in Cook's days, was one of the wives of the King of Hawaii, and who was subsequently made captive by Kamehameha, evinced the sincerity of her conversion, which took place in 1828, by learning to read under the weight of more than fourscore years, and by inditing hymns in honor of the God of her old age. I subjoin a ver- sion of her ode on the creation : Gotl breathed into the empty space, And widely sjiread his power Ibrtli, The spirit flying hovered o'er ; Ilis power grasped the movable, it was f;ist, The earth Ix-eame embodied. The islands also rose. (fiKl made this wide extended heaven. He made the heavens long, long ago; He dwelt alone, Jehovah by himself. The Spirit with him. He fixed the sun his place, But tlie islands moved, moved the islands, With sudden, noiseless, silent speed ; We see not his skilful work, ^ God is the great support that holds the earth. "^ LANGUAGE. Perhaps as good a specimen of the native tongue, as I can produce, is to be found in the following effusion of the venerable poetess just mentioned : Ahiai no o ikea ka mea nani. He mea kupanaha, he hemolele wale no. He mohala ka nani, he mal ole ke ano ; He hao ke kumu, he milione, he hookuhi : *S. Huokahi no kumu naina maoli, O ka ha ku. ^""."^■^: 1 -M "'If '4 :f^, I 250 SANDWICH ISLANDS. •«■■ te'/v: 'f' ■s f O kn lain c pilinnn in iu, im him io, Uii liiiii hoi kn hiin, he maikui Nalnila ki- aix* c akaka ai, O ka lala e liookaniakaiiiaiii ana coki a ku, () laiilau licwa ]u: kniriii, O kaiiiiiaha hi^wu wale hoi in ia. Oiico only hath that appoarod which is glorious; It is woikIitIiiI, it is aitojiotiior lioly; It in a l)l(M)ininK glory; its nature is uinvithcriiig; Raro is its stock, most singular, unrivaled, One only true vine. It is the Lord. The hraiicli that adheres to it b(>ooinns fruitful, The fruit comes forth fruit; it is good fruit, Whence its (diaractcr is clearly made known. Let the branch merely making fair show bo rut off, Lest the stix'k should be injuriously encumbered. Lest it be also by it wrongfully burdened. The characteristic feature of these verses, and, in fact, of all the poe- try and prose in the lan«riiage, is a childish taste for the repeatinj^ of the same thought in nearly the same words, a taste which appears, moreover, to have exercised a powerful influence over the forms of very many individual words. Thus palapala, books ; lumeeltimee, to shampoo ; mukeemvkee, love ; loiilou, a trial of strength by hooking the fingers: Kulakulai, wresUing in the sea; honuhonu, swimming with the hands alone. Whether the halves of these double words are generally significant themselves, or whether, in such cases, the wholes generally derive their meaning from the parts, I cannot say, — my only elements of knowledge in the matter being, that while moku is an island, or a ship, or a canoe, mokiimoku is pugilism, that while la is the sun, lala is a branch, and that while kamehameha is the lonely one, KAMEHAMALU is the shade of the lonely one. Portions of words, too, often present similar repetitions: thus, Honolulu and several instances in the foregoing hymn. Perhaps this immediate recurrence of the same sounds may be pardy owing to the poverty of the alphabet, which contains only twelve letters, a, e, i, o, u, h, k, or t, 1, or r, m, n, p, w, the vowels being sounded not as in the English, but as in the Italian; while it may also be, in some measure, ascribed to the paucity of combinations arising from the inadmissibility of two consonants in succession, and from the necessity of terminating every word with a vowel. The various peculiarities of this last paragraph, some of which have been noticed under a former head, may be best illustrated by the na- tive forms of such European words as have been adopted into the language. Thus hymn, /«'mam ; Britzin, Beritane; pray, /)i//e; school, kula; in addition to others already mentioned, such as fashion, pakena, missionary, mikaneri, and consul, konakele. Though these examples are sufllicient to show how glibly the alleged prevalence, as formerly noticed, of consonants in much of the Malayan tongue may have been softened down, yet others of a more decisive character may be cited m- SANDWICH ISLANDS. 251 with more pjirtirular roforonco to that point. Thus riiigland has he- (•ome /Jnelani, lh(! proportion of consonants hoini; diininishrtl nioro than threefohl ; antl French has been disjjnisrd into l*uluniy the pro- portion of consonants being diminished precisely livefbld. If foreign words were largely incorporated, tlifrercnt originals wonld evidently produce confnsion by running into one and the same native version. Of this possibility, in fact, an amusing instance has already actually occurred. Brandy, as well as Fn-nch, has been leiritimately rendered into pulani, so that French brandy, by the by, would be cha- racteristically expressed, on the principle of repetition, by Pulani puliini. Now brandy, and Catholicism, known as the I'Vench reli- gion, or pule /'w/ani, happened to be forced on the islands by a ship of war on one and the same occasion; and the missionaries, who^ were as hostile to^the one as to the other, were not a little delighlcnl to find, that pojfbry and intentperanc? ^vere one and the same thing in the mouths of the people. Considering the harlequin-like transmutations of adopted words, and considering also the mutuaU-convertibility of k and t, and of / and r, an inexhaustible field is laid open for* the speculations of any curious linguist. Even without looking below the surface, several obvious resemblances between the Hawaiian on the one hand, and the Latin and the Greek q\\ the other, l^ve been suggested to me. Thus motina, a mountain, from mons ; pari, a wall-like precipice, from paries; hala, a house, from aula; pons, good, from bonus: and thus also mele, a. song, from juj^oj; urolia, love, from f^a«; arii, a war-chief, from A^rjii pili, close adhering as a friend, from t'"-*"; Pde, goddess of the great volcano, from nv^, precisely in the same way as konaKV.\.v. from consuL ; ua, rain, from vw; and rani, the heavens, from ov^ovoj. One of ,'rtiese eleveri\3xamjjlQS, namely, hula, n\ay, perhaps, i)e n^e directly cfiferiveeJTrtjm our vernacular hall, while to the saiire Ifcutomc origin may also f>e referred kai or tai, the sea, from sea, and m^hina, the moon, from moon, a term which, besides being traccjible eastward, in some of the oriei^al languages-, occurs^ also, with the correlative sig- nification of month, in the Greek ni^v, and the tjatfn mensis. To jeturn to the general characteristics of the language, tlie indis- tinctness imd confusyaa, which, arise from the scantiness of its elements and its consequent repetition of the same sounds, are considerably ag- gravated by. the copiousness of the vocabulary, — a copiousness which is said to have been, ih a.great measure, caused by the pride and policy of the chiefs, who habituaily invented new words for their own pecu- liar use, and constantly replaced them, as soon as they became familiar to the people, with other novelties of the same kind. Under all these circumstances, to say nathing of the intricacy and precision of the grammar, a foreigner can never hope entirely to masted the tongue ; and even the missionaries, in spite of all their industry and zeal, often find their ears at fiiult, more particularly when the natives, as is their cusfwri' in cracking their jokes at the expense o^ strang<||'s, clj^nt their barely articulate strings of vowels in a quick and monotonous strain*.' A^ to the mercantile residents, they are sometimes mortified to find ^Mf: I i-*:^! i^i^K' 252 RANDWICII ISLANDS. ImH'^' ^ttlM' Blf fl' P '"' Bj' ••• »: their most clcjfnnl Hawaiian rrccivnd by the natives as pure English. Even amon^ iheinselves, the natives, 1 apprehend, must experience an occasional (hnin. ty in iinderMtandin;; each other, for, to take, as an instance, a word containing both the ituiefitiitc consonants, one person may say kalo, another karo, a third Into and a fourth taro^ while a fifth and a sixth may straddle the fence, as Jonathan says, so nicely between k and / and between / and r as to set all civilized orthof^raphy at defi- ance. Hence tlw^ various forms of almost every native name, as put into shape by voyajjcrs and others, such as Titerce and Kahek'di, Timoree and Kaumnalii, Tcrenoui and Keuliihonui. The missiona- ries indeed have introduced ^methin^ tike a uniform standard into their printed books, preferring k io t and / to r; but most of the natives, if they can be supposed to aim at this standard at all, resemble, in their efforts, so many prattling children of two years of age. With respect to the formation of compounds, the Hawaiian appears to be nearly as flexible as the (ircek, — a property of which the names of^the chiefs furnish inaiiy ppifosite exampl6^ Thus h'eopuolani, the gathermg of t lie hetukni;^ AV//}fWlfti« the caf^{v^ of heaven ; Kuahu- mnnu, the feather mantle; Kalakua, the wai^ oflhc't^of^f Lealempka, the necklace of starn ; Kamehumalu,the shme of the lonely one^ Hy the by, Kamehameha, of which the IJ^ mentioned example is a com- pound, suggests a curious coincidencehretweem the ntm;i^nd the des- tiny of the great king of the islands. It may have been applied\o him on account of sorpe pc<:uliarity in his condition, such as his being an only clriidi-or jy^only survi-vin^ child, — a sense in which, unfortunately, at the present time, the^ouf contains many a " lonely one;" but, had not the name been recorded as far back as the days of Cook, it might have been supposed to have been assumed, in consequence of his con- quests, to embody the fact that he was monarch or sole ruler of all he surveyed, that ho had raised himself above all equality, that he stood alone in his own little world. In a better sense, too, than that of war- like renown or politicaf supremacy, K;lm(|hameha was "the lonely one" of his country, having, s^vwe have 4alrea(fy seen, been the single savage of the group, who, in his intercourse with strangers, abjured the falsehood, the treachery and the cruelty of his race. If any indi- vidual be disposed to charge me with too frequently dwelling on the merits of this gallant^and sagacious barbarian, let him first reflect how few members of civilized society overcome; or attempt to overcome, the prejudices, whether political or religious, of early education. To return to the language, it may, on the whole, be considered as pleasing and agreeable to the ear after a time, though at first it sounds childish, indistinct and insipid. It lacks, as a matter of course, every- thing like force or expression ; and though tlie natives, both men and women, are fond of "speechifying," and even of preaching, yet they are by no means to be compared, as orators, with the aborigines of North America. While the natives of the continent, more particularly on the east side of the mountains, pour forth their very hearts in im- petuous torrents of natural eloquence, the islanders may be said rather lb chatter with their lips ; and while the former are so famous for the SANDWICH ISLANDS. 253 boldncnfl of iheir mRtapliora, tho latter, evrn in their attempts at poetry, speak Hober prose, without knowing; it, from bi'iriiiriin^ to end. In iihort, tho liingiinire iH not (>:ip;il)l(> of rearhini; the lolly Htrain of the Hlaekfcet, the Crccs or tho Saulteaux, hut lh)WH on in a nitHilhiouH fcohhMiess, whicrh, though it never olfcntlii the car, alwayH leaves it unsatisfied. Hut the Hawaiian is no lonfjor the exehisive lanpuagc of the natives. English is daily beeoming more familiar to them, being partly aetiuired in conversation and partly taught in sehools. It is, in faet, destined ere long to bo tho vernacular tonifue of the group. It must advance as civilization advances ; and the more rapidly the better, for nothing elso is so likely to promote that amalgamation of tlu; Kuropcan and {Poly- nesian races, which can alone prevent the aborigines, if they are at all rescued from the decay that threatens them, from sinking into the con- dition of hewers of wood and drawers of water. At tirsf, lerh tps, tho missionaries could not avoid adopting the Hawaiian language ; hut, m their exclusive use of it, they have, in the ojjinion of most of the roreig*^! residents, done more harm than g»od. In the almost utter absence of native literature, the missionaries have operated on the national mmd only through the medium of laborious and expensive translations, — a system which has doubtless hajl this recommendation in their eyes, that it enabled them to exercise a censorship, such as neither pop' :">• emperor ever exercised, over the studies of their neophytes. Wf eihc;* they have ever abused this power, either in politics or in religiu , I at present offer no opinion; but its mere existence assimilates the Pro- testantism of the Sandwich Islands, at least in kind if not in degree, to that very Catholicism of California which the missionaries of the group are so ready to decry, — the proselytes in either ease being subject to a tutelage, which does not even j)rofcs;s to train them to think for themselves. But it is not the studies oidy of the islanders that have been placed under clerical censorship, — their food, their customs, their amusements, &c., having all shared the same fate. „ FOOD. Under the old heathenism of the islands, the la"' «'< eating was a most complex and important affair. To say nothing oi occasional and temporary prohibitions, it reserved the best of everything for the chiefs, as distinguished from the people, and for the m s'es, as distinguished from the females ; and it, moreover, extend'^t: the privileges of its favorites to the very places where they ate. Of the law in question every violation was a capital crime. It was death for a commoner to drink awa, or for a woman to taste ?» cocoa nut; it was death for a serf to intrude on the banquet of his lord, or for a wife to enter her hus- band's dining room. A system, which thus proscribed females in a country where they were as competent as males to be chiefs in their own right, could not long withstand the light of civilization. Accord- ingly, soon after the discovery, the taboos in question began to be re- laxed and slighted ; families gradually presumed to take their meals together ; and women plucked up courage to nibble at cocoa nuts. Still i :V' >' i *\\ 254 SANDWICH ISLANDS. if I ■ if- % ;;. the law remained in force, for Kamehameha could not think of deserting, in his old age, the gods who had crowned his youth with victory, and so late as 1819, the last year of his reign, a woman was c-tually put to death for invading the sanctity of her husband's eating house. In the very first year, however, after his death, the taboos on eating were abolished, chiefly through the instrumentality, as might have been ex- pected, of a female chief. Kaahumanu, the conqueror's favorite wife, having been left as a kind of guardian or co-regent of Liho Liho, gave the young king no peace, till he annulled the religion of his fathers by publicly eating with his queens ; the ricketty machines of the national idolatry falling to pieces on the removal of a single peg. Practically, however, the common people did not find that food was free, for, though superstition was no longer the pretext, yet they were still stinted and starved as before by the tyranny of their chiefs. In process of time, moreover, a new taboo was invented by the mission- aries, and that, too, on grounds almost as absurd and untenable as those on which the old taboo had rested. Laying down religious rules, of which the inspired volume knew as little as it knew of the traditions of Catholicism which they delighted to revile, the earlier missionaries denounced cofl'ee, put a stopper on tobacco, and carried on a holy war against cooking on Sunday, and against all the aiders and abettors of the same. Such arbitrary doctrines were, of course, set at nought by the foreign residents. But the police, who were not allowed, like the cooks and scuIHoiik., to enjoy a day of rest, were sometimes too vigi- lant for the white law breakers; and, on one occasion, the British consiU found, on his return from church, that the enemy had seized and con- fiscated everything that was guilty of being hot in his kitchen. Still public opinion and common sense triumphed at last in favor of folks of every color. The principal food of the lower class of the population, and, in fact, the favorite food of all classes, is poi, which deserves especial notice, as exacting from the natives, in its preparation, a degree of labor, atten- tion, and diligence which would alone entitle them to be reckoned as industrious. It is a sort of paste made from the root of the kalo (arum eaculentum), a water plant cultivated to a great extent throughout all the islands. The root in question much resembles the beet, excepting that it is not red but brown. It is reared in small inclosures, which, with great care and labor, are embanked all round and constantly covered with six or eight inches of water, for like rice, the kalo will not flourish on dry land. To insure a regular supply of the requisite element, streams are brought in aqueducts from the hills and subdivided into a variety of tiny canals, while each canal feeds a certain number of patches communicating with each other by means of sluices. On certain days, perhaps once or twice a week, the sluices are opened and the patches of the system are overflown, so that the water is prevented from becoming stagnant, a precaution which, besides its fertilizing eflfects, is necessary for warding ofl" fevers and other maladies in a cli- mate so warm and so free from storms. But not contented with mere utility, the natives after all the labor of a cultivation and irrigation, often SANDWICH ISLANDS. 255 In contrive to render the patches in question ornamental. In the neigh- borhood of Ilonoluki, where the kalo is grown to a great extent, the patches are surrounded by a low wall, wiiich is lined with various shrubs and trees, such as the sugar cane, the banana and the drooping pandanus, which thrive well in so cool and moist a situation, while the broad arrow-headed leaves^of the kalo are in themselves not unpleasing to the eye. The kalo is much used by the foreign residents as a substitute for potatoes, or rather for bread, being for this purpose either boiled or fried. But in this case, as in most cases of the kind, the native method of proceeding is the best. A hole dug in the ground receives first some red-hot stones, then a covering of leaves of the plant, thirdly the root in layers, fourthly another covering of leaves, and lasUy a sufficient quantity of earth to exclude the air and confine the steam. After a few hours your kalo is baked and may either be eaten whole, just as if fried or boiled, or elaborated into poi. The preparation of this dish exacts fully as much care and toil as the growth of the raw material. After being cooked in the way just described, the root is beaten into a paste with such an expenditure of labor, that the task is always assigned to the men. This paste, which is of a bluish color, is invariably put aside to ferment. When it has become sour, it is then fit for use ; and then to see the natives eat it, or to hear them speak of it, one cannot but conclude that, in their estimation, it is the greatest luxury in the world. The passion for poi pervades all classes from the king downwards ; and the chiefs make no secret of the fact, that, after dining with foreigners on the collected dainties of both hemispheres, they take a litde poi at home, by way, as they express it, of filling up the corners. Nor is the taste for this delicacy altoge- ther peculiar to the native. Though white papas and mammas rather frown upon it as something naughty and barbarous, yet white masters and misses are generally wayward enough to exhibit an extraordinary love for the forbidden fruit, wherever and whenever it falls in their way. At regular meals, however, poi is never eaten alone, at least when the party interested can afford any addition. Happy as an emperor is he who can flank his gourd of poi with a bone of pork. Squatting himself between the two candidates for his favor with as much glee as if the whole of the animal and vegetable kingdoms were his private property, he seizes the bone with one hand and makes ready the other for an attack on the gourd. With a dexterity which ought to put civilization, with all its clumsy equipage of knives and spoons, to the blush, our enviable friend bites oif the smallest possible flavor of the pork, and then, plunging two fingers into the /joi, juggles, as it were, into his mouth, by means of a knowing jerk of the wrist, as much sour paste as would make three or four spoonfuls «n'en lor the hungriest European. Another bite and another gulp; and "again, again, again, and the havoc does not slack," till tlie performor is con- strained by dire necessity to desist for want ol room, and to resign him- •'■'■', ' m ; LI- * f^ fr J 256 i/ SANDWICH ISLANDS. self, like the boa constrictor after dining on a bullock, into the arms of Morpheus. But poi and pork are not the only food of the natives. Of vegeta- bles and fruits there are yams, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, cocoa nuts, bananas, &c.; of these, the more palatable are devoured in great quantities by those who can get them between meals, and appear, in fact, to go for nothing in the grand business of cramming. Then of the creatures of the deep, there are the turtle, the dolphin, the flying fish, the mullet, the rock cod, the bonetta, the snapper, the cray-fish, the pearl oyster, the shark, &c. These the natives prefer in a raw state, on the ground that they lose their flavor in cooking, considerinif it as the richest possible treat, when on their aquatic excursions, m haul a fish from the water and literally eat it to death ; but as to our- selves, we profited to the utmost by M'Intyre's culinary talents, feasting almost constanUy on as much turtle as would have made a holiday for the whole court of aldermen. Like the cultivation and preparation ol the kalo, the procurinj^ of an adequate supply of fish has tended to train the people to haoits of industry, the smaller kinds being kept near the villages in ponds constructed and protected with great dili- gence and ingenuity. Like the kalo patches, these artificial inclosures are small, being separated from each other by embankments, and sup- plied with water from a running stream. Towards Waikiki the road winds for nearly a mile among the remains of fish ponds now neglected and dilapidated ; but though there abandoned, yet such works are still maintained at Honolulu, regularly furnishing its market with fresh- water mullet. In addition to vegetables, fruits and fish, there are goats' flesh, dog, hog, poultry and beef — the beef of Kauai, according to Sir Edward Belcher, being superior to anything of the kind that he had seen out of England. As Honolulu contains, of course, far more consumers than producers, its necessary wants are supplied from the neighborhood, in a way to be hereafter noticed. The ordinary prices may be quoted as follows : Beef, 3(1. to 4d. per lb. Fowls, Is. each. Mutton, 5(/. to Q(l. " Turkeys, 2s. to is. each. Pork, Id. to 2d, " Salted salmon, 50*. per bbl. Sugar, 2d. to 2hd. " Flour, 60s. per 200 lbs. Fish variable, but always moderate. Over and above what may Ic considered as necessaries for the table, the group in general, and Honolulu in particular, is supplied, in an eminent degree, with nearly all the luxuries of every clime. At the feasts of the foreign residents, champagne and claret flow with lavish hospitality, while the lighter and rarer viands of every name are brought direct from the richest countries on the globe, from England and France, from the United States and Mexico, from Peru and Chili, from India and China. In fact, such sumptuousness of living, as we experienced, day after day, from our numerous friends, is perhaps ni>t to be found anywhere out of London, and even there is seldom found in all its unadulterated genuineness. SANDWICH ISLANDS. 257 le arms of 3f vegeta- ocoa nuts, in great appear, in Then of the flying cray-fish, r in a raw )nsiderinir irsions, to Jis to our- s, feasting oliday for aration of tended to >eing kept ?reat dili- inclosures and sup- the road neglected s are still ith fresh- are goats' ing to Sir It he had roducers, a way to follows : h. bbl. the table, i(\, in an At the th lavish ame are England nd Chili, ig, as wo haps not 01 found Nor are the principal natives of Honolulu far behind the respectable foreigners in this matter. In proof of their advance in material civili- zation, let me contrast an instance of royal gastronomy, recorded by the Rev. Mr. Stewart twenty )< u s ago, with an evening in my own banqueting experience, spent ai Cioveriior Kekuanaoa's. Having visited Liho Liho along with Mrs. Stewart, the journalist thus proceeds: " Pauahi, the only one of his queens wlio had accom- panied him from Oahu, was seated, (i la Turc, on tlie ground, with a large wooden tray in her lap. Upon this, a monstrous cuttle-fish had just been placed fresh from the sea, and in all its life and vigor. 'J'he queen had taken it up with both hands, and brought its body to her mouth: and by a single application of her teeth, the black juices and blood, with which it was tilled, gushed over her face and nei;k, whilo the long sucking arms of the fish, in the convulsive paroxytini of tho operation, were twisting and writhing about her head like the snaky hairs of a Medusa. Occupied as both hands and mouth were, she could only give us tlie salutation of a nod. It was the first time either of us had ever seen her majesty ; and we soon took our departure, leaving her, as we found her, in the full enjoyment of the luxurious lun- cheon." Now for Kekuanaoa's supper. We were received by the Governor in his Hall of Justice, an apartment large enough for the church of a considerable parish, being sixty feet long, thirty broad, and about thirty-five or forty feet high to the ridge pole of the roof. We there found assembled to meet us^.Dr. Judd, surgeon of the missionary body, and three native chiefs, Paki, Kealiiahonui, and Kanaina, the first two of the three, as well as Ilis Excellency himself, being remarkably tall and h;'iidsome men. In his youth Kealiiahonui was, according to the Rev. Mr. Stewart, a perfect model of manly beauty. He is son of Kaumualii, the last king of Kauai, who was, in mind as well as body, one of the finest specimens of the race, and died in captivity at the court of Liho Liho. Kealiiahonui and his father, after the loss of their dominions, enjoyed the honor of being joint husbands of Queen Dowa- ger Kaahumanu, already mentioned as co-regent of the kingdom after her first lord's death, polygamy and incest powerfully aiding, in this case as in many other cases, the policy of engrafting every rival into the dominant family of Kamehameha. The remaining chief, Kanaina, was husband of the present co-regent, a sister of the king; but it was questionable how long he was to possess that high distinction, for he was said to have come to Honolulu to stand his trial for being a gallant, gay Lothario, with a view to his being divorced. But, as he was small, and, for a chief, utterly puny, there were not wanting charitable pouls who asserted that his roval consort did not much re^\ ' having been imported from California, — one of the best aulhentieated instances on record of the emigration of tiiese tiny tormentors of man and beast. From the foregoing description, the liouses arc in themselves evi- dently light and portable ; and as they have no more hold of the ground than a beehive, they arc, in point of fact, moved about from place to place, as we had saveral opportunities of observing, with very little trouble. To the end of a good hawser, which is tied round the lower part of the mansion, there hang on some twenty or thirty "Kanakas," who, with one of their wild, cheerful songs, whisk away the concern to its new home as easily as if they were towing a ship through the harbor to her moorings, — a most convenient and economi- cal receipt for the opening and widening of streets and squares. Some of the chiefs, as we have already seen in our account of Kckuanaoa's feast, have had houses built in the European fashion, the materials being, according to circumstances, wood, or adol)rs, or lime- stone, or coral. But, with their characteristic ingenuity in the finan- cial department, they have contrived to extract the cost of most of these more solid edifices out of the pockets of the public in general, and of their own dependents in particular. Elsewhere the expense of house-warming falls on the man who is to enjoy the edifice; but your Hawaiian house-warmer permits no one, on any pretext, to cross the threshold of his new smiggery for the first time, till his visitor has paid down a tax or gift, call it what you will, proportioned to his rank and means. Considering how convenient, or how agreeable, it is to be on visiting terms with a great man, the contributions in question have often run up to a respectable amount ; and perhaps, in places nearer home, a leader o. the fashionable world might build himself a residence for nt)thing and pocket money into the bargain, if only he could, or would, sell the entree, on the Hawaiian principle, to all comers. DRESS. In the days of heathenism, the ordinary apparel of the natives of all classes was as primitive as possible, being a malo of the scantiest con- ceivable dimensions for the men, and a puu or very, very shallow petticoat for the women ; and in this state of nudity the highest chiefs of either sex used to board the foreign vessels without ceremony or apology. Though the more wealthy members of the community possessed, long before the introduction of Christianity, plenty of fine clothes, yet they regarded them as merely ornamental, as something which was as little necessary on the score of modesty as in point of comfort, as a kind of taloo that could be put on or taken oIT at pleasure. The only other garment in general use, — and this did not m.ich mend the matter, — was the kapa, which v/as merely a square piece of native cloth, tied by the two upper corners in a large bow near the right shoulder, and hanging loosely behind half way down the legs, — SANDWICH ISLANDS. 261 di. facsimile in short, cxcoptincf us to the fubric, of the Spanish ch);ik, of the days of Charles the First. All those hal)iliments used to be made of the native eiolh, — tho kapa, in fact, derivinsf its name from the same; tlie process of manu- facliiriiifr, and eolorinjj it, I shall deseril)e hereafter. Amoni; the chiefs, however, feather cloaks of a more or less costly description were in hi and having sleeves loose and full like those of a clergyman's surplice, while the body and ■ ''V-'l m ■> •, 262 SANDWICH ISLANDS. a'4-: 'M': ra .Mkirl in one hnu^r frooly down to the ankles williout being confined at the waist. This wrapper, however, constitutes the whole of a woman's daily attire. The; feet and ankles are still left in a state of nature, ex- cepting that the tatoo, which, like the touching of noses, has hecome obsolete for other purposes, continues to be sometimes applied to the ankles in tlic idea of making the feet look smaller. The head, again, though not absolutely bare, yet presents, according to the ancient fashion of the Hawaiian beauties, nothing but wreaths of flowers, and leaves, and coronets of yellow ami red feathers — ornaments which are all elegant and becoming, and remind one of the convivial costume of classical antiquity. This description, however true it may be for six days in the week, is totally inapplicable to Sunday. Shoes and stockings, bonnets and parasols are now in vogue, while the sober chintz is perhaps thrown aside at home, and sees the flaunting silk sail away to church in its stead. Compared with the graceful simplicity of their ordinary cos- tume, all this finery on the part of these brown belles, forcibly reminds one of the sentiment, that "beauty, when unadorned, is adorned the most," — a sentiment, by the by, which they at one time carried to too literal an excess. Their badly made shoes make their feet look large and clumsy; their flashy bonnets, just fancy them of white satin trim- med with lace, give to their dark complexions a hideously sallow hue; and the attempt at fashion in the cut of their showy robes, joined to the awkward consciousness of being all very grand, completes the bur- lesque on the English and American ladies of the place. The men, however, have not proved to be so apt pupils as the women — the missionary civilizers perhaps having, for very obvious reasons, taken greater pains in the premises with the latter than with the former. Many of the men still swear by the wisdom of their an- cestors; and it is no uncommon thing to see a finely dressed female walking arm in arm with a husband, unencumbered in his person with any more of this world's possessions than a nialo of twelve inches by three. The only constant addition to this .scrap of an apology for clothes, is the wreath of flowers and leaves, which is worn by the one sex as well as by the other — a piece of effeminacy which is not with- out its use, for the ornament in question is generally so arranged as to shade the eyes from the sun. Nor must it be forgotten, that the grace- ful kapa, already described, still occasionally forms part of the costume of almost every individual of either sex. But even among the men there are some exquisites, being chiefly those who have at once enlarged their notions and saved a little money abroad. These'fellows, so long as their cash lasts, lounge and saunter all day in the sunshine, habited in military surtouts with frogs, &;c., all complete, in white trowsers which fit them like their skins, in fashion- able boots, in round hats and in kid gloves of some gay and delicate color, with their snowy wristbands turned btck over their cufls, the whole dandy being finished off" with cane and eyeglass. In process of time these bucks relapse, as a matter of course, through all the stages of worse-for-the-wearishness, shabbiness and dilapidation down SANDWICH ISLANDS. 263 to the 7nalo, with perhaps a garland on the head and a kapa on the shoulders. In fact, even among the higher classes, the abstract idea of clothes still involves far more of the ornamental than of the useful. Nor ought this to be a sul)ject of wonder. So far as the climate is con- cerned, raiment is rather a burden than a bcnelit to the natives; and as to moral motives, they have hardly any inlluence with the men, while they have probably less to do with tlie apparent decency of the women than a love of display. But, whatever may be the cause, the notions of the chiefs, even of the female chiefs, with regard to dress, are very far from being decidedly utilitarian. Witness the following ludicrous and inconvenient appropriation of a whole web of woollen cloth to the wants of a single lady, and that, too, in an atmosphere which would have made a salamander comfortable. At a festival celebrated in 18211 to commemorate the deatji of Kamehameha, one of tin* queens dowa- ger — the others, by the by, being pretty well packed also — sported seventy-two yards of kerseymere, one half of it being scarlet, and the other orange ; while, as the breadth was doubled on itself, the whole quantity was equivalent to one hundred atid forty-four yards of single; fold, something, I take it, like the height of St. PtUer's at Rome. Tlie only way, of course, in which her majesty could haul in the slack, was to have it wound, like thread on a reel, round her portly waist; and when this process had gone on till her arms were supported in a horizontal position, the remainder was borne, as a train, by her admir- ing attendants. This martyrdom was endured, within a month of a tropical midsummer, throughout the whole of a tedious and ceremoni- ous procession. Perhaps in more civilized countries, royalty, on occa- sions of state, is only a gilded weariness both of flesh and spirit. The inhabitants of a warm climate, as if in imitation of the birds, exhibit in their dress a greater variety of colors than the denizens of colder regions. What a dilference in this respect between the varie- gated dwellers in Honolulu and the dingy citizens of London. The women, presenting to the cloudless sun the countless hues of the flower garden, form a curiously suggestive contrast with the deep brown of the almost naked men, most of whom might be models for a sculp- tor; while a small sprinkling of many foreign costumes serves still farther to heighten the beauty and interest of the scene. APPEAUANCE AXD DISPOSITION. In complexion, the natives look like a connecting link between the red man and the negro, being darker than the former, though still removed many degrees from the sooty hue of the latter ; they exhibit perhaps about the same tint as the Moors of the North of Africa. In regard to hair also they occupy tlic same intermediate position : in all of them it is black, curling, or rather waving and undulatinjr, in most cases, and being long and straight, like the red man's, on some indi- viduals. In feature, they are rather Asiatic than otherwise, nose full without being flat, face broad, eye black and bright. In form, they are commonly handsome, strong and well limbed, while, in height, they -^1 f ''M i 2G4 SANDWICH ISLANDS. f-.: i^M'^, arc, in {rrneml, Homothinjr above the avemije standard of Eiiropeaii«. On the whoh' they are, as a race, considorahly above mediocrity both in fare and in person. The women in particnhir are (h;eidedly pretty. Thify have a most lively expression of eountenance, and are iilway.-i smiiinfj and attractive! ; and their fiunri.'s may even l)e :'.dmilted to b« beautiful and feminine, seldom inclininjr, when younj^, either to corpu- lency or to the opposite extreme, liinl)s and busts well formed, and hands, feet and ankles small and didicate, while their <^ail and carriage, ihouirh somewhat peculiar, are yet, on the whole, noble and com- manding. In th(! forewoiniif paragraph I have had chiefly the common people in my eye, ihough all that I have said, exceptinir in point of size, is equally applicable to the higher classes. Tlu; chiefs of either sex, as I have already had occasion to mention with regard to the males, are, with very few exceptions, remarkably tall and corpulent. For this striking peculiarity various reasons may be suL'gested. ('hiefs may originally have been of a superior race, — a suj)j)osition which, consi- dering the way in which Polynesia must have been peopled, is not improbable in itself; or they may have always selected the largest women as their wives ; or they may themselves have been elevated above their fellows from time to time on account of their gigantic pro- portions. Hut, in addition to any or all of these possibilities, one thing is certain, that the easy and luxurious life of a chief has had very considerable influence in the matter : he or she, as the case may be, fares sumptuously every day or rather every hour, and takes little or no exercise, while the constant habit of being sliampooed after every regular meal, and oftcner if desirable or expedient, promotes circulation and digestion without superinducing either exhaustion or fatigue. Under this treatment the grandees thrive regularly and certainly with- out sacrificing or endangering health ; and some of them, more particu- larly Kuakini, otherwise known as John Adams, CJovernor of Hawaii, and Kekauluohi, co-regent and wife of our friend Kanaina, have be- come so unwieldy, that, though otherwise in perfect health, they aro yet unable to walk. Whatever may be the cause or causes of the magnitude of the patri- cians, the elFect itself so seldom fails to be produced, that, beyond all doubt, bulk and rank are almost indissolubly connected together in the popular mind, tiu^ great in person being, without the help of a play upon words, great also in power. Hence probably the matrimonial difli^ulties of poor Kanaina; and hence also the missionaries have certainly not augmented their influence by eating little but vegetables and drinking nothing but tea, till most of them are so meagre, gaunt and sallow as to be immediately distinguished by their looks from fo- reign laymen, whose religion rarely deters them from enjoying good dinners. To pass from the appearance of the natives to their disposition. Of these domestic habits and feelings I have already said enough in an earlier subdivision of this chapter; and the less frequently it is repeated so much the better. SANDWICH ISLANDS. 265 patri- >nd all in the play noniiil have I tables The pr()p!(\ in hpite of all that tn.iy he inferred t(» tliutr:iires, which followed the diseovj'ry, havinj^ been either protn[)t(;(l hy rm'eiiiic; for |>a.st wroiins or eiijoiiied hy the eupidity of aiiihitious and im|)rinci|)led chiefs. Miit, e\eii if ihey had been wan- tonly and wilfully treacherous mimI cruel to stranir(>rH, the circumstances (tf their position woidd. to a irreat extent, have :iccounted for their atrocities; |i»r the inhabitants of inconsiderable ishinds, who were con- stantly exposed to invasion without tin* means (d" retreat, could not fail to rofrard the most jealous defence of the definite boundary ,»whicli nature had fjiven tliein, as a matter of self-preservation, — a principle which frocH far to ex|)lain the peculiar ferocity of tlu; Polynesians in partictdar, and of maritime savat^es in jreneral. In the hands of the chiefs, this prini'iple could at any time have excited the fury of the Ilawaiians airniiist the most friendly visitr)rs. In fact, the hal>il of obedience is so powerful in the i^reat mass of the population, that by their rulers it may be turned at will either to good or to evil ; and it is partly by reason of this submissive; t(Miiper, which always makes them stand by their master to the last, that they form a valuable addi- tion to the crews of whaliiifif vessels. Nor is their courajrc h.-ss conspicuous than their fidelity. It is, in truth, above all suspicion ; and of this there cannot perhaps be stroiii^i^r proof, however indirect it may be, than the tact, that, in their wars, they seldom or never had recourse to artifice or ambuscade. They are, without exception, the most valiant of the Polynesians, beinj^ perfect heroes, for instance, in comparison with the natives of the Society Islands ; so that from the lesson lately received at Tahiti, the French may be able to form some faint notion of what an ajjjrressor may expect from the Ilawaiians, more particularly when backed by the inaccessible fastnesses of their country. In short, with their fidelity and coura .fi;ardliness of nature. Till very recently, the commoners of this archipelaj^o, lik(! tho peasants of I'Vance heforc the revolution, or of Canada hcfore the conquest, were; tuillahlvs rt corvcablcs a miscricnrilr, or, to invent I'iUglish for the exotic ahomination, taxable and taskahlc at discreliun, while they were deterred alike from evasion and conjplaint hy a mixture of feudal servility and superstitious terror. IJut, within the last year or two, certain laws, for their share in which the missionaries des(!rve great credit, have so far remedied this evil as to subject the amounts and times of taskiuf^ and taxiuif to lixed rules; anil thouifh the ascertained burtlcns are still too heavy and too numerous, e()mj)risinj>f work for the immediate ehi(;f, work for the king, work for the public, rent for land and a poll tax on both sexes, yet the restriction in i|uestion, il fairly carried into actual ellecl, will engender in the serf the idea ol property and inspire him at once with the hope, and the desire, ol improving his pliysieal condition hy the application of his physical energies. Though, in many quarters of the group, an ade(]uati! motive for exertion may not at pn'sent be felt, yet, in tin; neighborhood ol Honolulu, the sustenance of several thousands, who are exclusively consumers, constitutes at once the proof, and the recompense, of the industry of the adjacent cidtivators. In fact, the demand of tho town affords an ample market for the natives of the surrounding country, while there is certainly no reason for the buyers to murmur as to tho amount or variety of the supply. In addition to the resources of a stationary market, which is usually well furnished with fish, meal, fruit, &c., the smaller dealers go from house to house to vend their wares, the whole scene, which is quite unique, savoring of anything l>ut indolence on the part of the rural population. Early in the morn- ing a crowd of natives may be seen flocking into Honolulu, all carrying fsomothing to sell. Most of them have large calabashes suspended in a netting at each end of a pole, which they carry across one shoulder, the contents being all sorts of small articles, kalo and poi, and fruits and vegetables, and milk and egvrs, and, what is the safest speculation of all, water fresh from the cold atmosphere of the mountains ; some of them are loaded with bundles of grass for the town-fed horses: others carry a sucking pig in their arms, while the more substantial hog merchants make the adult grunters, always there, as well as else- where, on the verge of insurrection, trudge along on their own petty toes; others again import ducks and fowls, and geese and turkeys, all alive, tied by the legs to long poles, which are carried like the poles with the calabashes; while, last though not least, a few individuals ol" more airy and delicate sentiments, hawk about various kinds of curi- osities, such as mats, shells, scorpions, &c., but, above all, wreaths ot SANDWICH ISLANDS, 267 hrijilit flowers inti^rluinod with ihcir kitulrud leaves for tlie heaiix uiul belles of the melropoli.s. 'J'luJ nUMplesH avariee whieli iiuro, as well as rlsewhcre, lias l)ceii one of the earliest reHiiltH of the contact of eivili/atioii, lends its aid, too, to Htrentrtlien and direct industry ; all clashes hein;;, as is natural and exc>isal)le, ardent worshipers of money, as thi' one ihintj needful, in their opinion, for |)roenrinir all that distin^ui^hrs ned counselor of tlu; comiueror, and hence surnamiul William I'ilt, would not lend his douhle cano(; for presenting to his country u {rift which was to enrich it, without pay. Ai;ain, wIumi one of the lioats of Wilkes' s(|uadron was upset in the surl', a native |»romplly rescued one poor lellow, who could not save himself; but, insieacl of striking out for the dry land, lu; shelved his drippinuf and shiv(>rini^ customer on the upturned hollom of the yawl, to take his ehitice be- tween promisinjr two ilollars for his lile, or forthwith rcturniiij,^ w hence he came. Jjasily, durin inspire; and now that the limi- tation of the chief's rights, ?id iho vassal's duties, 'has enabled the commoners to have somothinfr, which they may really call their own, ihey will frradually discover that the distinction between meum and tunm is a point of law and morals in which they have a personal interest. In addition to dishonesty, one might he led to infer, from the rigor with which the missionaries wage war against intemperance, that drunkenness was common among the Hawaiians. Now, so far as my experience has gone, the lower classes arc, with very few exceptions indeed, sober even beyond the standard of clerical self-denial, drinking little but water, and rarely indulging in the ^'earning beverage, " that cheers but not inebriates" their teachers. 'J'he chiefs, however, used not only to tnke wines to excess, but also to quafl', at a great rate, the liquor called ana, which nothing but aristocracy was allowed to taste. Tliis drink was made from the root of the tea tree, and was prepared in the following very peculiar method. In the cstabl- -hment of each chief were one or two men, whose duty it was to chew the root into a pulp, which they spat out into a water-tight vessel. On this lixivium of filth and poison the operators poured water enough to extract its virtues; and, when the work of absorption was complete, the lord of the ascendant greedily swallowed an infusion, which nothing but cus- tom could have induced even him to taste without loathing. The effects of the thing were quite worthy of the process of its manufac- ture. Its immediate result was a sujpefying intoxication, not unlike that caused by opium; while, in its ultimate consequences, it injured the sight, by rendering the eyes blood-shot, and produced on the skin a kind of lep.ius appearance. CUSTOMS AND AMUSEMENTS. The practice of shampooing, to which I have already alluded as a means of promoting circulation and digestion, is believed to be an infallible specific also for headache and rheumatism and other similar complaints, its medicinal inllueuce, at least with respect to the lords of the creation, being doubtless heightened by the fact, that the shampooers are almost invariably of the weaker sex. The panacea in question, as one may easily suppose, assumes a variety of forms, inasmuch as the fair dispenser of the dose not only knows exactly in what proportions to combine the ordinary ingredients of chafing, and squeezing, and kneading, but also, when the malady appears to be deeply seated, tries to get down to it by furrowing her customer's carcase pretty forcibly with her elbows. The native name of shampooing, according to the printed standard, is tumec-tumec ; but the foreign residents, chiefly in order to teaze the missionaries who disapprove of some of the modes of operation, generally express the objectionable branches of the system by changing the pronunciation of the word, as widely as possible, into rumec-riimee. The practice is undeniably benetlcial to the health and Jevelopment of the body. If nothing more, it is clearly an easy sub- » aANDWICn ISLANDS. 269 stitute for exercise, or rather n iiiifenious contrivance for shifiinfi the toil and trouble of that essenti'l life-preserver to another person's shoulders. 'J'he custom has doiiol'oss been derived from Asia, pre- vailing, as it does, in ditferent parts of that "ontinent, tho,ugh not always in the form just described. Cottrell, a late traveler in Siberia, men- tions his havinal in a friend's house in the vicinity of Oranienbaun, with our lamented friend Prince Butera, would have astonished us no little. A dozen soldiers placed themselves in two files close to each other, and took up each of the \n\ny in turn on their arms, and tossed them in the air, catching them again on their arms, and throwing them up again as cjuickly as possible, a considerable height. This operation is performed very expertly; the patient, who understands the business, keeps his arms close to his sides, and his legs stilily out, and feels no sort of inconvenience. It is exactly like being tossed in a blanket." Now as Omsk is the frontier town towards Thibet, it may well be supposed to have borrowed its exclusive dis- cipline in question from its southern neighbors, who again border on the countries, whence Polynesia has most probably derived its popula- tion. The diflerence l)etween tossing and shampooing, in itself imma- terial, affects chiefly the active instruments in the business, the one being easier than the other; and, in fact, we accordingly find, that, even on the continent of Asia, the athletic exhibition of the north, as one advances to the southward, has softened itself into something like the same practice that prevails among the Sandwich Islanders. Another remarkalde custom among the Ilawaiians, which, however, is not likely, I take it, to last long in these more enlightened times, is their mode, evidently Asiatic in its origin, of expressing grief for the death of a superior. The mode in (piestion is to knock out with u mallet as many front teeth as the rank of the deceased may demand or perhaps the mourner's remaining stock may warrant. To this most oppressive poll-tax, chiefs and commoners are all alike subject; and accordingly most of the chiefs of our acfpiaintanccs, including our friend Kekuanaoa herself, bore in their mouths negative marks of iiaving more or less extensively paid the penalty of fashion; most perhaps of the vacant lots, in the case of the older chief's, having been inleiuled to commemo- rate the death of Kamehameha. In the good old days of polygamy, the royal guardsmen had a hard tinu; of it in this res[)ect, for the deaths of queens, and princes, and princesses were so common as soon to disqualify the poor fellows for mourning any more, and to send them forth, as no longer fit for service, toothless into the world. Some time ago we had one of these mutilated veterans on the ik)lumbia, who, as if the honor felly atoned to him for the loss, used to boast of havMig sacrificed liis te'th in the service of so renowned a (;onqu"ror as Kame- hameha the(>;'eat. Sometimes, though not so often, very loyal people knoc-ked out their eyes as well as their teeth. This part of the busi- ness, however, was occasionlly managed in such a way as to compound . •';••.: ill ■ -m ('■I^'f'"' i' n^' *♦ ** 270 SANDWICH ISLANDS. matters between the mourner and the deceased on terms highly advan- tageous to the former. Kahiimoku, or William Pitt, for instance, ex- claimed on the death of his wife, that he had lost an eye, and was thenceforward distinguished as Once Blind; while, on the death of Kamehameha, this Hawaiian Ulysses, having discarded his other eye by means of a similar fiction, became Twice Blind for the rest of his life. Besides games of chance, some of which appear to be similar to those played by the aborigines of the American continent, the Hawaii- ans are peculiarly fond of such recreations iS require strength or dex- terity. Among the recreations in question may be cited, as strikingly illustrative of physical character, the following sharp contest between the muscles of one party and the eyes of another. A fellow, whose arm is bare, holds in his closed hand a round stone, which he is to drop and leave under some one or other of three or four small piles of shavings of wood or clippings of cloth, passing his fist from pile to pile with inconceivable quickness ; while his antagonist's business is to discover under which of all the piles the round stone has actually been hidden. Beyond the mere chance of guessing right, the latter of course has no other means of detecting the proceedings of the former than the movements of the muscles of the bare arm ; and hence the struggle be- tween the muscle and the eye, the muscle running through a whole " pea and thimble rig" of feints and stratagems, and the eye striving to distinguish the true action of depositing the stone from all the decep- tive varieties of motion and repose. As the man with the stone may move his hand from pile to pile as often as he likes, and actually does so with incredible ease and rapidity, he has, according to our estimate of 'hings, all the advantages in his favor; and yet the watchfulness of his enemy is often too much for him. But the grand recreation of the natives is the constant habit of swim- ming. In fact, the Sandwich Islanders are all but amphibious, and seem to be as much at home in the water as on the land; and, at all times of the day, men, women and children are sporting about in the harbor, or even beyond the reef, with shoals of sharks perhaps as their playfellows. These voracious creatures, liowever, are far less likely to meddle with the aborigines than with foreigners, not that they pre- fer white meat to brown, but because they have been taught by expe- rience that one Hawaiian has more of the Tirtar in him than a score of Europeans. There is scarcely an instance on record, in which a native has suflered any serious injury from -i shark. If, at any time, the latter take the preliminary step of tLirning over on his back to get a mouthful, the former is sure at least to elude the attack by diving be- low the monster, while, if he has a knife or riny similar weapon, he seldom fads to destroy the enemy by carrying the war hito his interior. To return to the swimming, it was part of our daily amusement to watch the rapid and elegant evolutions of the performers, more particu- larly of the ladies, who, in the great majority of cases, excelled their lords and masters in agility and science. Even in point of strength anti endurance, one woman, a short time before our arrival, had carried off SANDWICH ISLANDS. 271 the palm from her hnsband. Tho whole story is well worth tcllino^, as illustrative of something better th:in toughness of muscle or supi)l(;- ness of limb. A man and his wife, both Christians, were passengers in a schooner, which foundered at a considerable distance from the land. All the natives on board prompUy took rcl'nge in the sea; and the man in question, who had just celebrated divine service in the ill-fited vessel, called his fellows, some of them bein;Jii/':.';- so e.-actly with my general plan of presenting, when possibk , ♦^ the reader, the past and the piesent, the old and the new, the savage www ihe civ-lized, in one and the same view. In the skill and hardiliooi! tVv. recognize the children of nature and barbarism ; in the affectiou and piety, the disciples of civilization and Christianity. In Honolulu, and most probably in the other town^j and villages of the group, the taste for promenading, fostered, if not created, by the in- troduction of civilized finery, has, to a certain extent, thrown neaHv all other amusements into the shade. Every afternoon, for all vv,»rii ceases about three o'clock, the main street presents a gay and pretty f'cene with the varieties of costume and degrees of nudity sucli as J have already described, — a scene which, unique enough in itself, is rendered still more decidedly so by the circumstance, that many of the ladies, as I have elsewhere hinted, carry about adopted sucklings in the !>hape of pigs and puppies, which, however, arc destined tc pay their 7/ ml ■;,.:1 f *l n 1 1 fii 272 SANDWICH ISLANDS. 11 iki'i 1 "V ,IJ ■J •^1 b hJg x^ -t:j» l#l' little all for their board by being baked, when fat, into lioliday dinners for their adoptive mammas. In this grand business of promenading, certain days of the week take the shine out of the others. For in- stance, Tuesday, as everybody washes everything on Monday, brings out the belles like so many new pins, with gowns as clean, and smooth, and stiff as starch, and irons, and soap can make them, while the fair wearers, that all things may l)e of a piece, generally embrace the same occasion of mounting their fresh wreaths and garlands. For these rea- sons, Tuesday is a stranger's best opportunity for obtaining a full and complete view of the beauties of llonolulu, for, though never very prudish, yet they are now peculiarly ready to appreciate and return the compliment of being tht; observed of all observers. Saturday, again, has its own proper merit, inferior to Tuesday in show and cere- mony, but superior to it in variety and intensity of excitement. On this day little or no work is done ; and all those who can get horses, gallop about from morning till dusk in the town and neighborhood, to the danger of such as are poor enough or unfashionable enough to walk. Saturday, in fact, is a kind of carnival, wliose duty it is to atone by anti- cipation to the mass of the inhal)ita:its, for the pharisaical melhodisni of the missionary's sabbath. But the reader, to have a definite idea of all this walking and riding, ouglit to be told, that the Hawaiians, who must speak or die, never meet for any purpose, going to church, of cour&e, excepted, without indulging, perhaps all of then at once, in a perpetual din of gossip and banter. But the richest scene of amusement among the natives, which we witnessed, was one highly characteristic of those light-heartecl creatures. A bridge and road were to be made from the town in the direction of the valley of Nuanau. According to the law of the case, every male adult turned out to lend a hand, even domestic servants being liable either to work or to pay, — the very laborers themselves, to say nothing of others, making this unremunerated task the groundwork of all sorts of fun and frolic. The troops mustered, as if for a review ; bands of music paraded about from morning till night ; and the women, all decked out in their best, llitted about from spot to spot, jabbering and joking all the while in their inarticulate jargon. But the statutory labor itself was perhaps the most entertaining part of the business. The men were divided into gangs of forty, each set being sure to be constantly attended by its full complement of shouting and giggling women ; and one whole gang might be seen running and laughing with a log of wood on their shoulders, which four or live men might have conveyed with ease, evidently succeeding to their own perfect satisfac- tion in converting the toil into a pleasure. Every day used to close with quite enough of dancing and singing; but this day of hard duty ushered in an evening of more than ordinary festivity. I have taken no notice of the native dances, lor most, if not all, of them arc unfit to be noticed. They have undergone very little change for the belter since the days of the early 'sitors ; and, if l!iey have been rendered less public through missionary zeal, they are unfortun- ately so much the less likely to be influenced by the gradual formation SANDWICH ISLANDS. 273 of that popular opinion, by which alone they can be abolished or im- proved. The- last particular, which I shall mention under this head, is one in which, at least in Honolulu, every stranger, whether willing or unwil- ling, is obliged to take the principal share. On his first arrival, the visitor is followed through the streets by a crowd of men, women and children, who, without incommoding him by actual pressure, are al- ways ready to assist him in any and every possible way, to pick up, for instance, whatever he may drop, or to open gates, or to point out the lions, or to explain all that may require explanation. Meanwhile he cannot help suspecting, that his self-elected satellites are taking their hire out of him by quizzing any litUe peculiarities that he may possess, for he hears behind him volley after volley of laughter, each one evi- dently produced by some excellent joke that has preceded it. As nobody likes to be laughed at, especially when he cannot enjoy the jest himself, the victim resolves to escape from his tormentors by wear- ing out their patience the next time that he calls at any house ; but let him stay as long as he likes, or till he is ashamed to stay any longer, he finds his volunteers where he may have left them, wailing to fi;reet his retura with a cheerful welcome, and to repeat their kindly meant persecution. If he has a single drop of the milk of human kindness in his own composition, he now, of course, submits to the infliction with a good grace. Mr PART I. 18 A■^-/ i;- JTiSfv ' *fe*vr Wr T» ^* .*'^ \i -\ \ 4 ' ♦ <■ ^ ' 1 . 'i M k. *■ <• #•*- » ^ * if ** w \r 1^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // &^ 1.0 1.1 Sf lit 1^ ■ 2.2 IL25 Hliu 141 Ii4 <% V V Photograpliic Sciences Corporation iV k \ ■S} \ ;\ 4S O^ ■<^ 33 WIST MAIN STRIET WEBSTER, N.Y. )4SS0 (716) •73-4503 ) \ €■ ^ ^ 20 SANDWICH ISLANDS. l\ 'If^ it conios, will find them, T lake it, doing iheir duty, and doing it well too, in their brown skins and their maloft. These troops arc merely militia-men, who, in consideration of l»cin£r thus drilled two or three times a week, an; exempted from all other pnhlic labor; they are, 1 apprehend, part of a general corps of national defenders. But, in Honolulu, the government has at command a more regular and permanent force, organized and trained to discharce the dudes of a municipal police. 'I'o this body much credit is due for th« order and regularity preserved in the town. Its services in this matter are but seldom invoked during the day; but, in the night, its measures are of the most prompt and summary character, for every native, who is found in the streets, after one of the guns of the fort has told the lieges that it is half past eight, is clapped into durance vile without ceremony and fined next morning. IJut the force in question is not less valuable in maintaining the discipline of the vessels in the harbor than in securing the peace of Uie town. It cannot, indeed, prevent the temporary evils of drunkenness and dissipation; but it does effectually protect the ship against the worst misfortune, that can befall her in port, by such a vigilance in recovering deserters as is but seldoni evinced on more civilized stations. In Honolulu, the militia and the police, taken together, amount to about six hundred men. The fort, properly so called, is merely a large, quadrangular build- ing, surrounded by low stone walls. It mounts a considerable num- ber of guns ; and, when the salute, which I have already mentioned, was sold and delivered on Washington's birth-day, one of the guni-, which had been shotted for the purpose by order of the sagacious old governor, sent its ball beyond the reef, as a warning to all whom il might concern. In fact, the fort, as I have already mentioned, must be silenced by an enemy from the outer anchorage, for otherwise a hostile vessel, while towing, in a helpless condition, into the chops of the harbor, would expose lierself to a heavy fire which she could not return. Besides the fort in question, a battery, which has seen better days and still shows a few rusty cannons, commands the town from a hill immediately behind it. This battery is said to have under its immediate; protection one of those reserves of dollars, which the government is popularly supposed to keep en cache in various parts of the country. In my opinion, the battery is just as likely to be manned against an intruder by Kamehamcha's ghost; and probably the incredi- ble fable never had any other foundation than the jealous custom, given up, however, of late, of not allowing any person to visit the stronghold without being attended by a soldier. REVENUE. His Hawaiian Majesty's ways and means are drawn from various sources and in various shapes, from every possible source, in fact, and in every possible shape; and the details, however unimport- tant in their direct bearing on the resources of the government, arc SANDWICH ISLANDS. 21 ^- . 'M amount to peculiarly worthy of consideration, as illustrative of the condition of ihu people. A poll-tax is levied on all and Himdry, excepting old people and chil- dren under fourteen years of ajrc l)('in; ^ i HlfH^ /' V ,9 ^P ' '^ ' i W'K ' \ fen- . •^ i |*,'*'x . ,■ I ill o'- 11 22 SANDWICH ISLANDS. ordinary pardon, — the animal must moasure a fathom ; if it be small, he is let off for a yard ; and, if it he neither small nor lar^;e, he must hit the golden mean of three cubits. IJut as the lenj^th alone of a hog, to say nothing of the brute's trick of stretching himself to serve his friend, is as vague a criterion of merit as the length alone of a sermon : weight has been practically substituted for measurement at the rate of a thousand pounds to three fathoms ; and then, again, to provide for the possibility of there being no hog fat enough on the premises, the pork is valued at three cents a pound, so as to make ten, five and seven and a half dollars the respective equivalents of the three lengths or weights of grunter. Taking the cultivators, in round numbers, at twenty thousand, and supposing one and all of them to deal only in small patches and yard hogs, the treasury must receive either about twelve miles of pork, or precisely a lac of dollars, or something between the two. Of that portion of the royal revenue, or at least of the king's income, which arises from his majesty's lands, I am unable to ascertain, or even to guess the amount. The lands in question appear to be partly private property, and partly public domain, though the distinction, I dare say is, in practice, almost entirely nominal. In the public do- main, comprising all the lands that do not belong to individual owners, the king possesses a source of revenue, which is susceptible ol indefi- nite improvement and extension. Already he derives an income from the progeny of the cattle left by Vancouver, which, besides i)eing originally the property of Kamehameha, haye long since been driven to the mountains on account of their wildncss and ferocity; and as their numbers are constantly increasing, while the demand for them promises to increase in the same proportion, they will ultimately yield a very profitable return for the wilderness which they occupy. But it is by encouraging the immigration of foreign settlers, that Ilis Majesty must turn the best parts of his public domain to advantageous account ; and all that is required by way of such encouragement, is a liberal and judicious system of leasing the soil for the purposes of extensive culti- vation. But, unfortunately, such a system was long unpalatable alike to church and state. The chiefs looked with jealousy on the whites, as being likely at no distant day to supplant themselves; and the mis- sionaries, besides being secular enough in their aspirations to cherisii the supremacy of tlie chiefs as an indispensable aid in the work ol converting the natives, regarded white laymen in general, and with some reason, too, founded on t^xperienire, as scoOers of much of that which they themselves deem morality and religion. To return to the subject, we have seen that the written laws, in- tend(!d as they are, to mitigate the indefinite exactions of former times, deprived the native, to speak generally, of one-half of his time, and of at least six dollars a year in money, or in money's worth ; that they tax his existence; that they tax his labor; that they tax his property. But, as if all this was less than enough, the laws in question have taxed some of his actions, which are just as natural to him, and as in- nocent in his estimation as eating and sleeping. Any breach of tlic SANDWICH ISLANDS. 23 -J missionary's Sabbath, — a thing wliich is oprtainly not to l)e found at all in ihe untutored conscionee, and is, perhaps, as liitlo to be found in the New Testament as transubstantiatioii itself, or the supremacy of the Pope, — costs a dollar; and fornication, as such, is estimated at ten dollars a side, while the party who may have popped the question, has the screw put on him for ten dollars more, — a siinrle act, against which the great mass of the natives know no other reason whatever, being thus made to bear a burden equivalent to the land-tax of three large farms, to the value, in short, of three whole hogs of the first magnitude. The conduct of the king and chiefs in this matter, ought not much to surprise us, inasmuch as, under the old system of taboo, they used to impose all sorts of arbitrary and absurd prohibitions for the compara- tively unprofitable pleasure of sacrificing the olfenders to tiie gods. But the missionaries ought to have known better. They must have felt that the compulsory observance of the fourth and seventh com- mandments, more particularly where the comjiulsion has to operate as well on the understanding as on the will, forms no j)art of Protestant Christianity ; and they must have foreseen, that even if viewed with reference not to religion but to morality, such ct)mpulsory observance is sure to degenerate into time-serving and eye-pleasing hypocrisy. But to resume the tiscal view of the sui)jeci, this taxation of sins has tins bad ell'ect, that, in more ways than one, it l)riugs the administra- tion of justice into merited suspicion. As detection is a mere accident, where concealment is so easy, the punishment of offences, which no- body hesitates to commit for their own sake, liardly establislies any greater certainty of guilt than impurity itself; and as the treasury shares the proceeds with the informer, in the proportion of seventy-five and twenty-live per cent., prosecutors and judges are strongly suspected of a predisposition to make the i.iost of a case without any very scrupu- lous regard to law or justice, or common sense. In illustration of this determination to get money by some means or other, many anecdotes have found a place in my journal, which, however incredible in their details, serve to show what is in itself a great evil, the general want of (•onlidence in the working of this lucrative jurisprudence. A cobbler and his wife quarreled with a tailor and his wife; from looks they came to words, and from words to blows, an,()(>0 (h»llar«. 'i'o close this subdivision of the chapter, all these taxes, with the exception of such as art; levied on Ibreiixners, do not directly yield much cash to the jjoverninent. Where the sum stated is of the nature (if a penalty, it is taken out, in default of payment, in the shape of im- prisonment with hard labor; but when it is not of the natun; of a penalty, it is acceptetl in all sorts of produce, such as cloth, cotton, arrowroot, sujrar, A:c. — the whole, howevcT, lieinjj easily convertible cither into money or into imported (Munmodities. The kind's personal share;, or what may be styh^d the civil list, is 8aid to amount to about .l'U,00(l sterliiur. Before; anything ^ot his Icnj^th, many otltcrs, doubtless, helped themselves with unscrupulous liberality. Now, however, a better system prevails, Dr. .ludd, of the missionary body, having been appointed, since my de|)artur(! and in consequence, I may say, of my sugj^'estions, treasurer general with suf- ficient powers to regulate and control the proceedings of all the sub- ordinate receivers of the public money. OOVERNMENT. Previously to the conquests of Kamehameha, the government of each island was almost entirely aristocratic, the nominal monarch being litUe more than the first anjong eeiuals. Gradually, hown upon them to disclaim for all other states, all rijiht and intention of appropriatinir the jrroup, as if unoccupied terri- tory, under tho public law of the civilized world. In fact, under the guarantee of America, France, and Fnyland, the Sandwich Islands are secured ns clfei'tually as any other commimity ajjainst foreign interfer- ence, exceptinjr that, from their position and llu! inexperience of their rulers, they are pectdiarly liable to come into collision with the very powers that have ijuaranteed their independence. Their position alone with res[)ect to tlie trading interests of I^ngland and America, will ren- der neutrality extremely diUlcult, if not altoirether impossible, in the melancholy event of a war between those kindred states, while any infrinjfemenl of the law of nations in this respect will be sure to lead io the occupation of the group on the part of England, either as the avenger of her own wrongs, or as a protector against the vengeance of America. Hut, unlike this occasional danger, the inexpericnrfe of their rulers is a nx^k on which they may be dashed at any time with fatal eflect; and, within these few short years, the cause in question has placed the native government at the mercy both of France and of Eng- land. Hut, so far as this latter evil is concerned, territorial seizure, at least till all other means of redress have failed, appears to be prohibited by the spirit, if not the letter, of the guarantee of independence. The three powers gave up very dilferent claims. France surrendered no- thing but her thirst for all kinds and degrees of glory ; America had acquired something like an equitable title by her instrumentality in bringing the archipelago within the pale of civilization and Christianity; and England, to say nothing of an unvarying course of kindness and generosity, enjoyed all the legal rights, that could be based on a com- plete discovery, and on repeated cessions. The sacrifices having been so unequal, a territorial seizure, which could at all be avoided, would be a fraud on England and America, if perpetrated by France, while, if perpetrated by America, it would be a fraud on England. Even if France should ellect a justifiable seizure, a seizure rendered inevitable at the moment by the obstinacy or poverty of the native authorities, America and England would be entitled to make her relin- quish her prey, on giving security for adequate satisfaction. To hand over the Hawaiian Archipelago to a people of a diflerent spirit and a different tongue, would in them be treason against their kindred races, that have redeemed the islands from barbarism by the arts of peace, treason against their common language, that is training the natives to a bloodless fraternization, treason against the great causes of human im- SANDWICH ISLANDS. 99 provomPiit, uhirh is ovprywhrrr to find in llinf common Innffiiaifr l\u> clearest li);lit, ami in tlioHc kiiidri'il riiccH the best inxtructorM. Hut (tf Hiicli ru-u|H>ration tlir incidental rtl'iM't wonld he infinili-ly more valu« ttblc than tliu men; (Iclivcrancc of a few |*olvncsian IsIcn from tiin (•hitches of an nnscrii}nd()ns oppressor. It woidd recoirni/t* the fact, that (Jreal IJritain and the Tnilcd Slates arc still linked toijether hy every possihio tie, excepting oidy the hond of a common >:overn- iiicnt, while it would, at least on nentral jjround. mertr*' the |)olitical asperities of this sinule distinction in the consciousness, that, on the map of the worhl whiidi Providrnc«r is visihiy sketchinir, the American Ihiion aixl the British Dominions, arc only incomplete parts of that Knijlish Empire, which, already the irreatest on earth, is idtimately to embrace half the jflolx'. As I was myself a party to the nej^otiation, which resulted in Kng- hnd's recojrnition of the independence of the i^roup, 1 mi>rhl appear to liuve a personal interest in defendinjj the poliey of that measure, had not FiOrd I'almerston's previous disclaimer of Hritisli sovereif,'nty left little hut a matter of form to he settled hetwe<'n liOrd Aherdeen on the one hand, and the Hawaiian Ilnvoys and myself on the otiier. IJnt, even hefore liOrd Falmerston o/rered the disclaimer in (|uestion, what was the actual position of our country with respect to the native autho- rities, as dislinjjuished from the rival powers of the civilized world ? Thoujih against the latter the claim of England was conclusive and complete, yet in regard to the former it amounted to nothing more than the barren right of feudal superiority, ('onsidering that, in the days of Cook, the Sandwi«'h Islands were just about as popidous, in pro- portion to extent, as Wales or Scotland, they could not, on any prin- ciples of law or of reason, have been appropriated, as unoccupied territory, for the puri)Oses of colonization, more particularly as the ahorigines lived, at least as exclusively as either the Scotch or the Welsh, on what they extracted from the soil by the sweat of their brows. But the rights of discovery, whatever they were, were clearly abandoned with respect to the natives by Vancouver's acceptance of Kamehame- lia's cession of the sovereignty of Hawaii, — an acceptance which the IJritish Government of the day never disavowed ; while the new title, for which the old one was thus bartered, was itself inconsistent, as was also its subsequent confirmation on the part of Liho Liho, with any- thing like direct interference in the internal polity of the group. If England had taken the oilers of the conqueror and his son according to their well understood significations, she would have assumed only the protectorate of the archipelago, — an olFice which, at least according to French experience, and perhaps in the very nature of things, would have embroiled her, to say nothing of the jealousy of foreign rivals, with the very savages whom she professed to protect. If she had ac- tually established the indirect dominion in question, she would, in all probability, have soon been justified by some violation or other of her rights in grasping the immediate sovereignty ; but as she had not chosen to establish anything of the kind, she stood on the same footing as France, or America, or Holland, or Denmark, with respect to the na- t ; ;;:- . ■ s%i ,1/(1 Is 30 SANDWICH ISLANDS. i^ livpfl ill any attempt at aiiiirxiiii; the i(«]an(lH to lirr colonial cmpirr. Niicli atiiM'xalion, iiiiIi'mh ii r« ^tcd on tlic |il:iiii('Ht juNlice and the Htroni;- CHt neeeNMily, conhl not, on the whohs he advantatjeouH to the uiistreHH of su many widely Healtered (h[)en(h-neieH, iichl, lor the nioRt part, in chtsip and wiUin^^ Huhjcetion hy their laith in her moth-ration and inti'L'- rity. It miuht, indeed, promote the welfare of the ^reat maHM of the people, whde cveti to the dominant easte it eonld he rendered palatal)le by a comparatively trillimr atnonnt of unnnilien, which, in most caHPf*, woidd ht; limited hy nature herscir to the livcH of the timt recipients. It in only on thiii diHintercHted (froiind, and in this honorahle w ly, thai England can ever think of poHHCNsin)r tht; Hawaiian Archipcl!>^ro, how- ever ter.iptini; may he its a^ricidtnral, or commercial, or political attnic- tions. Knj^laml, however, has duties to discharfro towards her children, who have settled, or may luirenfier seiile, in the j(n)up, over and ahovc the ohviouH ohli^ation of watchiiifr over tin; interests of her shipping. Her cheapest and least otlensive, and perhaps also her most ctricient mode of doini; all, that she ou^ht to do in the premises, is to he par- ticularly careful ami cautious in the s(dection of her resident repre- sentative. The Hrilish consul, if he he unexceptional)le in manner and temper, in jud^Mnent and knowle(l|ro, if, in a word, he know how to unite the jfcnlle in toiu; with the lirm in action, cannot fail to he iu himself a host aji^ainst all the caprices and intrigues that are likely to challenj^e his interposition. Such a man, simply hy doin^ nothinjf to lower the diirniiy of his country, would, in general, he treated, as if he had her resistless power at his hack ; while, in order to keep up the national prtHll^e, the visits of ships of war, hitherto " few and far between," njijifht easily he so retrulated as always to hang over the heads of all whom it might concern, — surely as patriotic, if not as prolitahlc, an occupation for her majesty's squadron as the frcightini: of silver from !San lUas or Callao. The functions of the British con- sul, which have not always been judiciously discharged by iNlr. Charlton, are the more dillicult and delicate, inasmuch as tho native authorities, as already shown to exifense; but now that Mr. Kicord, as president of the cotirt, will have all the law to himself, he will, of course, be suspected, however innocent he may be, of ihrowiuff his weipht, as often as only one party is nn Ame- rican, into the scale of his compatriot. The extent and intensity of this cause of discord will he better appreciated by the reader, when 1 come to speak of the social and mercantile factions of Honolulu. RELIGION. The ancient superstition was as unmeanint; as it was blood-thirsty. Whatever was its origin, it had practically deifenerated into a mere instrument of the oppressive policy of the privile^e«l class. 'J'he absurd and arbitrary taboos, wliich were venerated as the oracles of the gods, had, in elFect, no other general end in view than that of schooling the bodies and souls of the people into an unfaltering course of passive obedience; while their particular object, in most cases, was to entrap obnoxious individuals as victims for the altar, by watching their minutest violations or evasions of impractical)le prohibitions. In all probability, however, the pretended organs of the Hawaiian Mo- lochs, at least down to the days of the discovery, were the dupes of their own imposture. But, subsequently to the discovery, the foundations of the sy.«tpm were gradually shaken. Whites were seen defying the taboos with impunity; the natives, who went abroad and were known to do at Rome as Rome did, returned, notwithstanding their impiety, rigged out in such a style as to have passed, in unsophisticated times, for divinities themselves; and many of all grades, even while they remained at home, began to find out, that, so long as the priests could be kept out of the secret, the gods took no interest whatever in what they said or in what they did. Under these circumstances, idolatry had no longer anything but custom to support it; but then this single prop rested on the shoulders of an Atlas. Kamehameha resolved to die in the faith in which he had lived, disdaining to desert in his old age the mythology that had crowned his youth with victory. For this feeling, whether it ^. kyS * I f P\ m I SANDWICH ISLANDS. wns pratitudc or prudence, he was doubtless peculiarly indebted to a reniaikablc incident, which he could not Tail to consider as a conclu- sive proof of divine protection. While he was still strugj^ling for the mastery of Hawaii, the enemy were advancing against him through the fiery domain of l*elc, whom more enlightened tribes might havf been excused for worshiping ; when, amid the shocks of an earthquake and the eruptions of the volcano, one whole division, mustering about four hundred souls, died in marching order, having been instantaneously suil'ocated by a current of vapor which left the other divisions unscathed. This catastrophe was, of course, followed by a defeat in the field ; and Pele became, in the opinion alike of friends and foes, the tutelary god- dess of Kamehameha. But the old conqueror and his idols perished together. In the very beginning of his reign, namely, in the year 1819, Liho Liho, with the sanction of the priesthood and to the great joy of the laity, abolished the faith of his ancestors in the manner already mentioned under a former head, king and people leaping in a day from the most abject superstition into a kind of passive atheism. In abjuring their own idolatry as false and useless, the Hawaiians neither adopted nor re- jected any other worship as a substitute. In the widest possible sense of the words, — a sense beyond that of the revolutionists of France, — they attempted to live without a religion. Thus were these solitary isles, to compare small things with great, swept and garnished for the reception of Christianity pretty nearly as the kingdoms of antiquity had been eighteen centuries before. In pro- found peace they obeyed one and the same master, while they had weighed their hereditary superstition in the balance and found it wanting. No war or bfittle's sound Wiis heard the world around, • • • • The oracles are dumb. • • • • And sullen Moloch fled Hath left in shadows dread His burninfi idul all of blackest hue. Meanwhile, even before Liho Liho had actually disowned the gods of his fathers, the teachers of a better faith were wending their way to- wards the Sandwich Islands, expecting, of course, to fight the same battle with prejudice and jealousy as their brethren had fought in Tahiti for nearly twenty years. On their arrival, however, they found, that, under Providence, the mere contact of an imperfect civilization had already decided the preliminary contest in their favor, while it had undoubtedly also facilitated the remainder of their task by leading the aborigines, according to the general principles of human nature, to consider Christianity as an element in the envied superiority of the strangers. As a curious contrast with all this, the missionaries had brought with them from Boston positive orders never to countenance the maxim, that civilization ought to precede Christianity. But the SANDWICH ISLANDS. 33 force of circunistanros was more than a match for tlicorics. Hosiilos ijladly availiiifT themselves of all that the maxim in question had already done for them, the missionaries were themselves constrained to adopt it as the principle of their own practice. It was not Christianity but civilization to make uninstructed women wear soinethinj( more seemly than the acdniy pan ; it v*as not Christianity i)ut civilization to make unconverted men Test on the first day of the W(!ek ; it was, in a word, not Christianity but civilization to enforce either moral or relij^ious observances by motives that could not possibly have any reference to the graces of faith, hope and charity. In fact, unless Christianity, as such, were to assume a meaning unknown to Protestantism, the reverse of the maxim in question would involve the most untenabU; absunlities. Supposing, for instance, the missionaries to have arrived while the indi- genous idolatry was still flourishing, would they have silently tolerated the immolation of human victims, till they had successfully inculcated the love of man, as springing from gratitude to God, till tliey had im- bued the ruling powers, to say nothing of the five points of Calvinism, with a practical belief in the fundamental doctrines of the Ciospel '. The impracticable theory of the new teachers was probably founded on the notion, — a notion not peculiar to the American lioard for Foreign Missions, — that the trading apostles of civilization, as such, were likely to do more harm than good to the cause of Christianity. Admitting, for the sake of argument, this to be true of the traders themselves, still the trade might be innocent and useful; and, in fact, commerce might safely be assumed, particularly by Britons and Americans, to be the modern instrument of Providence for the moral and religious ameliora- tion of mankind. But missionaries may bring their dogma to an easy test. Let them plant themselves as mere preachers of divine truth, where nobody else can find secular motives for cither preceding or following them, and then candidly enable the world to judge of the tree by its fruits. But the missionaries, on their arrival, experience something more than negative eacouragement. They were met, in fact, by ready-made evidence of a disposition in high places to regard the religion of the foreigners with favor. Kalaimoku and Boki, decidedly the most in- fluential men in the group after the death of Kamehameha, had accepted baptism at the hands of the chaplain of a French ship of war: and, as the initiatory rite in question constituted their sole and entire knowledge of Catholicism, the example of their docility was not likely to be neu- tralized by any bigoted opposition on their parts. Under all these favorable circumstances, the missionaries encountered comparatively few difficulties, too few perhaps for the genuine success of pure and simple Christianity. Having begun by securing the support of the chiefs in imitation rather of the fraternity that takes its name from Jesus than of Jesus himself, they permitted, if they did not encourage, the employment of secular means for the conversion of the people ; and this system, according to the acknowledgmentof the partisans of the mission, produced an incredible amount of hypocrisy among the immediate do- pendents of the government, making, even in this young country, PART II. — 3 ■ ^* II ■;i ' "nr, t;' 34 SANDWICH ISLANDS. ■/,!• The syml)fjls nf atoning prare An oUici'-Ufy, a picklcMk to a i)lnce. In spite of all ihe reasonable grounds of suspicion, the credulous missionaries eagerly represented this hypocrisy as true religion, shutting their eyes, of course, to the singular inconsistency on the part of citi- zens of their republic in establishing a palpable connection between church and state. Nor were the chiefs, generally speaking, really more sincere and devout than the followers whom they dragooned into con- formity, inasmuch as they entertained a hope, and realized it too, tliat Christianity, with a new code of taboos, might revive that spiritual cen- sorship of actions, and words, and thoughts, which the abolition of idolatry had destroyed. Considering the state of society in most of the Polynesian groups, missionaries perhaps cannot avoid addressing themselves in the tirst place rather to the chiefs than to the people; but if they do employ the inlluence of the dominant class as a means of general improvement, they ought carefully to distinguish in this respect between mere civilization and pure Christianity. If the Hawaiian mis- sionaries had not precluded themselves from adopting this course by pro- claiming that Christianity, as distinguished from civilization, was to be the exclusive object of their earlier efforts, their proceedings might have been more easily reconciled with their professions. But, as matters stand, they appear to have fallen into the snare of making the end justify the means; and perhaps the trite proverb, that extremes meet, has never been more forcibly illustrated than in the popish pre- dilections of these revilers of popery. But this system of aristrocratic coercion, besides failing to teach Christianity, prejudiced the mass of the people against the truth by aiming blow after blow, as we have already seen, at nearly all their social and domestic relations ; while, as if to aggravate negative in- juries by positive oppression, it compelled the poor creatures to devote lime, which would otherwise have been their own, to the erecting of spacious and lofty churches, as the shrines of a faith whose yoke was easy and whose burden was light. As one might have expected, the Gospel was anything but glad tidings to the worried and overworked serfs; the missionaries were regarded as the inventors of a servitude such as the islands had never known before ; and, even during our visit, some of our party who wore black, found themselves objects of sus- picion and fear, till they disclaimed all connection with " mikaneries." In addition to these special grounds of hostility to the truth, there still lurked in many breasts a yearning after the ancient idolatry. This I'eeling, whether it was love or fear, was peculiarly powerful in the central region of Hawaii, where Pele had established her usurpation amid the most awful displays of omnipotent energj', amid terrors which assailed every sense at once through the varied manifestations of the mightiest of all subterranean fires. Liho Liho and Kaahumanu would have been less ready to abolish paganism, if, in order to do so, they had been obliged to place themselves within Pele's territorial jurisdiction; and perhaps, few even of the converts would have had the courage to imitate Kapiolani, a female chief of amiable and pious SANDWICH ISLANDS. 35 disposition, who, in 1825, bearded the goddess in her den by descend- ing alone into the crater and there singing the praises of Jehovah, for the first time since the creation, within the greatest of his works. In process of time, the disartectcd of both chisses found an ally against the common enemy in a church, which did not persecute the people, inasmuch as it had not the support of the chiefs, and which, to a certain extent, conciliated the partisans of heathenism, inasmuch as it exhibited, at least to a savage's faculties of discrimination, many points in common with the exploded superstition. On the occasion of going to London in 1823, Liho Liho had in his suite a Frenchman of the name of Reves, who acted as a kind of secretary to the king, and iJoki, wiio, as already mentioned, had been baptized, along with his brother Kalai- moku, into the Catholic faith before the arrival of the missionaries. When leaving England for France, after his royal patron's death, Reves, according to the most probable version of the story, was re- quested, or perhaps only authorized, by Boki to send some priests of the Church of Rome to the Sandwich Islands. Accordingly in 1827, three reverend fathers, two of them French and one of them English, arrived at Honolulu, at the very time that Kaahumanu and Boki were engaged in a struggle for possessing the supreme power during the minority of Kauikeaouli or Kamehameha III. As Kaahumanu had by this time espoused the side of the Protestant missionaries, so Boki, as a matter of course, gladly redeemed his pledge to support the Catholic cause, securing thereby the sympathy and assistance of all the disaffected. For two years the parties appeared to be pretty equally balanced. The priests had crowded congregations ; and the mission- aries, besides forming a "committee to inquire into the plans and operations of the Jesuits," thundered their anathemas against papists and popery from the pulpit. In 1829, however, Boki, wiio had not half the firmness and talent of his deceased brother, was persuaded by the importunities of Kaahumanu to join in an order that the foreigners alone should be allowed to attend the ('atholic chapel. But the two dusky potentates soon experienced the truth of Napoleon's aphorism, that earthly dominion ends where the dominion of religion begins. For the first time in the annals of the Archipelago, the commands of the chiefs were set at defiance, for the Catholic converts still continued, at first secretly, but at last openly, to avail themselves of the public ministrations of their priests. Kaahumanu, that most imperious of (jueens, was, of course, equally astonished and incensed at the dis- obedience of her born vassals; but she prudently nursed her wrath to keep it warm, till Boki, good, easy, simple man, took himself out of the way by starting with two vessels to plunder, or conquer, or colo- nize the New Hebrides. Within a month after Boki had thus deprived the new faith of its only protection, Kaahumanu, after issuing a second order, which met the same contempt as the first, made the police carry the Catholics fronf their devotions to the proper tribunal; and, as the culprits still persisted in their contumacy, they were beaten with rods. Finding this external discipline ineffectual, her majesty, by way of testing a more searching mode of conversion, kept one of the recusants, m i . t- r 99 SANDWICH ISLANDS. i'. ' ' mtM V' WL^l"'.' t .'■ Hflt ^i^- , ';/ ' ^' ;!' HIi'jr.' U '• EBv >; *«: i Hl|^;;f t?. Im-'^^' ' ' i ■ Vt. ^'^ ' / b' ^^' ' ''■ '■•::|- R|''j' • 'l'^ Bl^' '"' ,; , Br»^v ■■■•*■ ^-r ^ 1 ^f '*" ',"('' ill ^'^••iii^ ^t*>- .-• •r'fl K '^' ■''■; ^■" ifc \^c- '^ .. .Mt", Iw ' '^^'^^ :-M K'iii k:-' ' I-'-' H^^ -ji- *f-;T r f r':. '.-if ■'■ ' ^ y-k-. ::\^ "^t^hi V:m4 ■■,:'h' '■"^M a female in her train, without food for seven days; but here again Na- poleon's aphorism was made good, for the woman, as the only alterna- tive short of famishing her to death, was dismissed as incurable. During the remainder of the year 1830, this extraordinary contest con- tinued to rage; but, though conscience, often without having a creed to sustain it, generally vanquished power as to the grand point in dis- pute, yet the queen, by adopting punishments more profitable than starving and scourging, managed to screw out of her victims a great deal of useful labor in the making of mats, the building of walls, the opening of roads, &c. &.c. &c. Meanwhile, as Boki was, on good grounds, given up for lost, Kaahumanu ventured to take a step, which, in her rival's presence, even she might have deemed too bold. From persecuting the flock, she resolved to smite the shepherds also ; and, accordingly, on the 2d of April, 1831, the reverend fathers were pe- remptorily ordered to leave the islands. Messrs. Bachelot and Short, for M. Armand had previously taken his departure, professed a wil- lingness to obey ; but, having been privately encouraged to remain by some chiefs who dreaded the rampant austerity of the victorious Cal- vinists, they contrived, with an occasional sacrifice of candor, to spin out the remaining nine months of the year, on the pretext that no ship would give them a passage. In December, therefore, Kaahumanu resolved to send away the two priests in a vessel belonging to the government; and the Waverley, an old brig of about one hundred and forty tons, was equipped for this work of purification, with a yellow flag at the fore. In addition to the petty insult of this practical joke — a joke which clearly did not originate with the queen — the festival of Christmas, as if to impart a peculiar zest to the triumph of puritanism over popery, had been selected for the embarkation ; and, accordingly, in spite of their entreaties for a day's respite, Messrs. Bachelot and Short were interrupted in their devotions by the police, and conducted on board of the Waverley, while, partly to check any disturbance, and partly to make a holiday of the occasion, all the troops in Honolulu were mustered with veritable muskets and bayonets. The brig forth- with made sail, under a salute from the fort, of which the sincerity was not to be doubted; and, after a voyage of about five weeks, she left her passengers on the beach at San Pedro in California, a secluded and uninhabited spot, which has been already mentioned, with two bottles of water and a few biscuits, thence to find their way, as they best could, to the nearest professors of their own creed. In the year 1832, the queen died, and was succeeded by Kinau, one of Liho Liho's dowagers, and now wife of Kekuanaoa, under the title of Kaahumanu II. In perfect keeping with her assumed name, the new regent pursued the persecuting policy of her predecessor. But as all the commonplace plans had failed, she improved on the original practice under the light of experience ; and, accordingly, two or three old people, who had been convicted of popery, wercdoomed to remove with their bare hands the accumulated filth of a certain part of the fort, which had long been devoted to the private convenience of the soldiers and prisoners. This unique discipline might make hypocrites, but SANDWICH ISLANDS. 37 could not maiv Protestants; and, if its victims were really pagans at heart, they most probably drew odious comparisons between the dejrra- dation of this Calvinistic purgatory, and the dignity of being sacrificed to the gods. Down to 1836, the Revd. Mr. IJingham and his associates had every- diing their own way. Toward the close of that year, however, an Irish priest, of the name of Walsh, arrived from Valparaiso, who, on the intervention of the captain of a French sloop of war, as also of Lord Edward Russell, of the Acteon, was allowed to remain under the pro- mise of not acting in his professional capacity. Within a few months, moreover, the plot thickened in consequence of the return of Messrs. Bachelot and tShort from California. After having enjoyed snug quar- ters in the Mission of San Gabriel for about five years, the two gentle- men in question had been again cast adrift by the revolution of 1830, and, hearing of the visits of friendly men of war, determined once more to try their fortune at the Sandwich Islands, in the iiope of being now received with more favor. In April, 1837, they reached Honolulu, and, immediately on landing, reported themselves to the authorities. They were instantly ordered to re-embark on board of the vessel that had brought them. This they refused to do; and, at last, after a month of pretty stormy negotiation, they were rowed out to the Clementine by the police, and pushed up the brig's side on deck, in defiance of the captain's remonstrances, while two of the guns of the fort were all ready, with the slow matches burning, to prevent or punish any actual resistance. In this emergency, Mr. Dudoit, after hauling down the English ensign, abandoned the vessel with his ship's company, leaving the two priests, and an infirm creature of an old servant who would not desert them in the hour of trial. In this floating prison, which Mr. Walsh alone was permitted to visit, the three victims of intolerance were broiled under the sun of a tropical summer, from the 20th of May to the 8th of July. On the day last mentioned, the Sulphur, Captain Belcher, and, two days afterwards, the Venus, Captain du Petit Thouars, anchored off Honolulu ; and thus Messrs. Bachelot and Short had the opportunity of simultaneously appealing to the officers of their respective nations. After an interview with the king, which was obtained with difficulty, and at which the Revd. Mr. Bingham had the bad taste to appear as interpreter, the two captains succeeded in releasing the priests from confinement, on condition of their leaving the islands by the first favorable opportunity. In pursuance of this arrange- ment, Mr. Short sailed for Valparaiso on the 30th of October. But, before Mr. Bachelot could take his departure, M. Maigret, another priest of the same nation, arrived in the Europe from Tahiti ; and, as he was forbidden to land, he found himself in the same predicament as that from which M. Bachelot had been so lately rescued. In this state of affiairs, the two priests purchased the Honolulu, a vessel of about forty tons; and M. Maigret, without being allowed to place his foot on shore, was shifted, like a bale of goods, from the Europe into his own little craft. Meanwhile, M. Bachelot, whose health had suffered from persecution and mortification, begged for a brief respite in order to 4 ■,t: m 38 SANDWICH ISLANDS. '^¥ m !&■ ^', regain siiflicient strenjrtli for a long and comfortless voyage; but, as orthodox mercy could lend no ear to the cry of a papist, the invalid was compelled to embark, borne down, as he was, at once by sickness and by sorrow. When the vessel reached the Island of Ascension, poor Dachclot had been for several days a corpse ; and there were his remains deposited, while a wooden tomb, in addition to the cross as an emblem of his faith, recorded merely his name. The persecution now raged more fiercely than ever, while new varie- ties of torture were invented. A party of sixty or seventy Catholics having been brought before the governor, they all recanted but thirteen ; and these recusants also were induced to see the error of their ways, and to exchange the Pule Pulani for the Pule Mr. Bingham, by being suspended in pairs by the wrists across the top of a wall seven feet high with their ankles in irons. On another occasion, two women, respectively thirty and fifty years of age, were similarly treated, ex- cepting that they were not tied together ; and after the miserable wretches had been hanging about eighteen hours, all night in the rain, and all the forenoon in the sun, some of the foreign residents applied in their behalf to Mr. Dingham, who refused, however, to interfere, alleging that the sufferers must have been condemned for some offence against the laws. Of course they were, as the judge very clearly ex- plained to the aforesaid party of sixty or seventy. They were not, he told them, to be punished or reproved for repeating Catholic prayers or believing Catholic doctrines, but because, in so believing and so re- peating, they had disobeyed the orders of the king. The casuist must have borrowed this notion from Jonathan Oldbuck, when proving to Hector Mclntyre that, in Scotland, debtors were imprisoned not for leaving their debts unpaid, but slighting his majesty's command to pay them. But another party was now to appear on the stage, while some of the original performers were glad to withdraw behind the scene. As the revolution of " the three glorious days" had been the means of placing the church of Rome and the Protestant sects on one and the same footing with respect to the state, Louis Philippe, in order to ap- pease and conciliate his holiness, and the national priesthood, undertook still to discharge the duties of "most Christian king" beyond the limits of France, still to be the champion of the faith against all the world but the French Chambers. In consequence of this engagement, his majesty had taken the Romish bishop of the Pacific Ocean under his direct and immediate protection. Accordingly, on the 9th of July, 1839, the Ar- temise, Captain I^a Place, arrived at Woahoo, for the ostensible purpose of obtaining redress for the persecution and expulsion of Messrs. Mai- gret and Bachelot; but the real object of the visit was to coerce the native government into an unlimited and unqualified toleration of Ca- tholicism. Strictly speaking, France had no right to interfere by force in the matter. With regard to the internal policy of the Hawaiian government, this was abundantly clear, notwithstanding Captain La Place's curious assertion, that, amongst civilized, nations, there was " not one" which did " not permit in its territory the free toleration of SANDWICH ISLANDS. 39 casuist must all religions." Again, as to the special ease of Messrs. Baelielot and Maijjret, those gentlemen were attempting to violate or evade a law, which, whether politic or impolitic, the chid's were competent to make, namely, the law against propagating Catholicism among the natives. They were expelled not as pa|)ists or as priests, for Mr. Walsh, who was allowed to remain, was as mnch of a priest and a papist as either of them, but as apostles of popery; for, though M. Maigret had not, like his associate, actually tried to proselytize the people, yet he pos- sessed, in common with M. Bachelot, a title which arrogated a kind of territorial jurisdiction, which involved the Mork of propagandism as part of his official duty. Still the two priests had been treated with great harshness ; and, if France had not made their suHerings a cloak for her ulterior views, she might justitiahly have extorted some satis- faction for any excessive infliction of injury or insult. France was, in fact, making her piety the instrument of her ambition. All her de- mands, including her paltry exaction of twenty thousand dollars, were intended to bring al)0ut such a crisis as would appear to justify the seizure of the islands. But Captain La Place had not been commissioned to argue the point. He had been sent to tell the Ilawaiians as a thing not to be disputed, that *' to persecute the (Catholic religion," which was no more the esta- blished creed of the grand nation than Calvinism itself, "was to ofler an insult to France and to her sovereign ;" and he had been author- ized, a la Joinville, to enforce this doubtful axiom by the equally doubtful boast, that there was " not in the world a power capable of pre- venting" France from punishing her enemies. But, with the batteries and bayonets of the Artemise at his back, the captain carried all before him. He got Catholicism placed on the same footing as Protestantism throughout the group, and then, landing with about one hundred and fifty men under arms, he attended a military mass, military enough in all conscience, celebrated in the palace by the Rev. Mr. Walsh. The French, of course, were not slow to reap the fruits of their vic- tory. During our visit, there were three priests in Honolulu, besides two or three in other parts of the Archipelago; and the Bishop of Ni- lopolis was shortly expected on a tour of visitation. In addition to being engaged in building a large cathedral, the reverend fathers kept two schools, which were attended by about nine hundred young people of both sexes, natives and half breeds ; and many of the pupils had made great progress in various branches of education, while a icw of them spoke French with considerable fluency. The new faith was daily extending its influence among the natives through the untiring zeal of its teachers ; but, though it was no longer exposed to legal per- secution, yet it was still subjected to the rude anathemas, spoken and written, of the Protestant missionaries. We had a good deal of inter- course with the priests, visiting their schools, and 0(*casionally attend- ing their chapel, and were, on the whole, strongly prepossessed in their favor; and, however much their presence is to be regretted, even on the single ground that it has produced a schism, as it were, in language as well as in sentiment, in civilization as well as in Christianity, 1 sin- t. ] II 'r. I i Pi T t 1. ^)y- '■' I'^J:' 40 SANDWICH ISLANDS. I corely trust, that rronch (yathnlicism may honrcforward encounter no other antagonist than truth tt-nipered hy conrteHy. For the deplorable details of the last lew pafrcs, some of the Protest- ant missionarioM are, beyond all doubt, chielly responsible. It was they, who, by disingenuously confoundint; thin^js which they knew to be diflerent, taiij^ht the chiefs to inisap])|y the law against the ancient idolatry to the prejudice of Catholicism; it was they who inspired the jrovernment with a vague and mysterious dread of papal power and pretensions; in a word, it was they, who, by their suggestions, intro- duced secular authority as an instrument of conversion, and, by their connivance, sanctioned its niercUess abuse. 'I'o put the charge into a shape, which embodies its spirit without leaving room for evasion, the persecution would never h.ive been begun, if the missionaries had zeal- ously united to prevent it; and the persecution would never have been continued, if the missionaries had zealously united to check it. Even if the motive of the individuals in question had been a pure and simple abhorrence of the religious corruptions of die church of Rome, tlieir conduct would be indefensible. But there is strong reason for suspecting that their real motives were, in a great measure, secular. They were doubtless imbued with the political prejudices of their country against Catholicism ; and they could not fail to dread a reli- gious rivalry, which might tend to break the ties that connected them- selves with the state. In short, they were most probably actuated rather by a spirit of republicanism and the aspirations of ambition, than by the disinterested love of the genuine truths of the Gospel. But the missionaries are nearly as responsible for the schism, which has suc- ceeded the persecution, as for the persecution itself. It is chiefly their indexible austerity, as brought to bear on the natives, through the ter- rors of the law, that has filled the Catholic ranks ; it is chiefly their unrelenting code of manners and morals, as enforced by pecuniary penalties, that has driven the people to embrace a new faith in the hope of being delivered from the yoke of the old. If the Calvinists had had a single eye to the Bible without straining it on the one hand into fanaticism, or tainting it on the other with worldliness, the Catholics would never have provoked such a degree of hostility as could in any way have justified the intervention of France with all its attendant evils. After all that I have said, I have much pleasure in acknowledging, that, in their own proper sphere, the missionaries have done a great deal of good. Their mistaken conduct is the more deeply to be re- gretted, inasmuch as die success, which has crowned their purely pro- fessional labors, shows how much more their zeal and patience might have eflTected under a better system. Worldliness and fanaticism, be- sides leading to the misapplication of their time and talent, have, we are bound to believe, deprived them of much of that aid without which all human eflbrts are unavailing, for God, though he often employs bad men as his unconscious tools, has never, since the world was made, prospered the schemes of his professing servants for usurping, as the reward of earthly policy, the glory due to himself alone. SANDWICH ISLANDS. ncounter no 41 So far as Catholic rivalry is concornnd, lot them simply do their own (Uny, Iravinjr *he issue in the hands of one who is more deeply inte- rested in thf rontest than themselves. \,vt them teaeh what they believe to be the truth without either exaggerating, or iliminishing, its worldly incidents and results. Thev have, it is said, been fond of pointing to ('alifornia and the Sandwich Islands, as practical illustra- tions, respectively, of Popery and Protestantism. Now the diflercnce between the Spanish race and tin; English, — allecting, as it does, nearly all the relations of life, social, and commercial, and political, — has had more to do in the matter than anything else, while, even with reference to religion alone, llie cases are not at all parallel, for the civilization of California began with Catholicism, before trade was known, and that of the Sandwich Islands, ere Calvinism was introduced, had taken root under the fostering influence of commerce. EDUCATION. It is chiefly through education, as such, that the missionaries have made progress in the work of conversion ; and here again has their theory been at fault, that Christianity ought to be taught independently of civilization. In fact, the palapula, or learning, was confessedly more attractive and influential in the earlier days of the mission, than the pule or religion ; nor could there be a stronger proof of this, than the circumstance, that the chiefs, after permitting the pule to be com- municated to the people, still wished to monopolize the palapala for tliemselves. In the elementary schools, which are established throughout the group under a general law, about 18,000 children are said to be in- structed in reading and writing by native teachers. The specified num- ber I suspect to be an exaggeration, inasmuch as, out of a population of 88,000, the young of both sexes under eighteen, according to the computations under a former head, can hardly be estimated at more than 22,000 in all ; so that, to say nothing of actual attendance, whether regular or occasional, there cannot well be so many as 18,000 names on the books, more particularly, as at least a thousand children are trained in other institutions. Already have these humble seminaries become a subject of contention between Protestantism and Catholicism, for, wherever Catholics and Protestants are mingled together, one party or other is sure to make a grievance of the religion of the teacher. Hitherto, the Catholics have, in practice, had the better ground for com- plaining, while the government has, plausibly enough, alleged in its de- fence, the difficulty of finding sufficiently well qualified members of the more recently established persuasion. This inequality between the two denominations, though it was clearly unavoidable for a time, was construed into a violation of Captain La Place's treaty ; and about four or five months after my departure, the Embuscade, Captain Mallet, visited Honolulu to remedy or avenge this additional " persecution of the Catholic religion," this supplementary " insult to France and her sovereign." Captain Mallet got an explanation, which silenced him, if it did not satisfy him, and departed in high dudgeon, without ex- '■^•1^ n ^■fir; 42 SANDWICH ISLANDS. Ml chan{rinp[ salntcB, to report the circumstances to his superiors. If thf fjrit'vaiico in (luestion i\n\ not violate Captain \,:\ IMace's treaty, then Captain Mallet was, of his own accord, inedilling with a point of purely internal policy ; and, if tlu! grievance in question diti violate Captain La Place's treaty, then had Franco placed herself in a position, incon- sistent with the independence of the group. In either case, Enijland and America oiiyht to take care, that the French guarantee of native sovereignly, is neither evaded nor nullified by the treaty aforesaid, or by any similar treaty whatever. In Mowee, two superior schocds, one for a hundred boys and the other for as many girls, are conducted under the exclusive control of the Protestant missionaries. Besides reading and writing, the pupiU arc instructed in singing, drawing, painting, engraving, mathematics, geography, history, &c. ; and recently the useful has been added to the elegant, by the introduction of such arts as spinning, knitting, weavinsr, &c. As it is the native tongue that is taught in these institutions, the mission, as a matter of course, comprises an establishn.ent, or perhaps more than one establishment, for printing; and so far as Honolulu was concerned, we visited, with much interest, an ofFice with four presscf^ and twenty hands, in which, with the exception of an American super- intendent, all the workmen, compositors as well as pressmen, were natives. In Honolulu there are two schools, in which English is taught. The larger of the two institutions is a free school for all children, but is attended chiefly by half-breeds, the progeny of native mothers by fathers of various races, English, French, Spanish, Chinese, &c. It is supported, in a great measure, by the voluntary contributions of the foreign residents, Ilungtai, the leading Chinaman, being one of its main pillars. Again, the smaller of the two institPtions has not, as to its general object, its parallel in the world. It is a seminary for train- ing, apart from the rest of mankind, the future rulers of the archipe- lago ; an exclusive nursery of kings and queens, governors and coun- sellors, an improved edition, in miniature, of the happy valley of Ras- selas. The high school, as it is called, we visited at the request of Governor Kekuanaoa, the personage most extensively interested in the establishment. The pupils we found to be twelve in number, six boys and six girls, whde a full third of the stock belonged to our good friend who accompanied us, namely, Moses, future governor of Kauai, Lot, future governor of Mowee, Liho Liho, heir presumptive to the throne, and Victoria, destined to contract some grand alliance. ThouLrli the school had been established only about two years, and most of the pupils were, at the time of its establishment, entirely ignorant of our language, yet many of the children now read English with a correct accent, and spoke it with considerable fluency, thereby increasing our regret that the missionaries had clung so long and so obstinately to the Hawaiian. In writing, arithmetic, drawing, geography, &c., some progress had been made. In their geography, however, the younsr ones were disposed to be skeptical, unanimously declaring, that the man who made the map had committed a great mistake, in represent- SANDWICH ISLANDS. itij; their iHliinds as so very snisiH in coniparisori with the rest of lh<» worUI. Even to tn;itiir«'r luiiuls amoiiir the natives, the map of the worhl must, at first, have hwu a sonrce of astonislnnent, for seeinir around lliem only small specks in the occaji, and knowing; of nolhini^ cine by tradition, the ahorij^ines would naturally consider the earth as a boundless expanse of water, studded -.viih isles, as a kiiul of counter- part of the starry sky. lie this as it may, the remark of the children was far more rational than Liho Ijiho's lojrie, when he was told by some of the earlier missionaries that the earth went round. " Don't tell me that," said his majesty, " so lon^ as I see Lanai," pointing; from Lahaina to that island, "lyin<; on the same side of me every morning." Hut much of thi; absurdity of the kinjj's notion of cosmo- ifraphy migbi be explained by the fact, that in this respect, as in every other, the solitary despot naturally regarded himself as the eentn* of :'very moveuient, thinking that the earth, if it really went round at all, could only go round him. To return to the pupils, their behavior was, on the whole, very becoming, though some of the young ladies did occasionally raise the skirts of their frocks in order to scratch their ankles, or, perhaps, the ealves of their legs. 'J'he t«*aehers were Mr. and Mrs. Cook, members, I beli(!ve, of the missionary body ; and, after what I have said as to the appearance and prolicieney of those under their charge, 1 need hardly add, that we left them with the most luvorable impressions as to their moral and intellectual (jualifjcations. This was, perhaps, the most interesting hour that we spent in Honolulu. PROnrCTION AND MANUFACTURES. Having incidentally mentioned various productions of the groups under former heads, I shall here confine myself to such articles as appear to bear on the subject of extraneous commerce, beginning with a few preliminary observations as to the state of agriculture and the nature of the soil. In the days of barbarism, the earth was cultivated by means of sticks, or bones, or stones, of anything in short, that could scratch the surface or dig a hole; while, in bringing home the crops, the serfs, male and female, acted as cattle, and calabashes and gourds served all the purposes of wagons. Now, however, spades, and hoes, and ploughs, and in fact, all the means and appliances in ordinary use among white agricul- turists, have got a footing among the aborigines, and arc speedily be- coming popular as well with the ignorant as the intelligent, as well with the indolent as the industrious. It is quite level to the most savage capa- city, that a gentleman farmer enjoys a much pleasanter time of it than a beast of burden. In the valleys, the soil consists of vegetable mould, which, besides its intrinsic productiveness, is constanUy fertilized and refreshed not only by its own share of the rains, that deluge the mountainous region, but also by the cascades, that rush down from the hills. With the exception of the valleys, nearly all the arable surface of the group needs, in a greater or less degree, the aid of irrigation, inasmuch as the ground containing as it does, large proportions of such thirsty ingredients as sand and m t 44 SANnWICII ISLANDS. *.-,} ^1 tm uhIicb, rapidly absorbs ovrn the Iipavirnt tilinwpri. But, n« 1 liavr alrrady iiiriitioti(!(l, far more (liaii the half uf llu< whole area is incapable ot' any and (!vcry kind of cultivation, bcini; litlicr peakH in which nature hir> BC'lf haM never " moored" a tree, or procipice» which nourish, or li:iv« nourished, the primeval forest in their elefls, or slopes of v«)lcanic rc'liixi' M hich deny, in the season uf drou{|rht, even their coarHc pasture to the \vanderin|( catth;. Hut the jrood soil, to be far within the mark, may be estimated as one- Kixth part of the entire surface, or in round numl)ers, as l,tK)0 square miles, or 010,0()U acres; and, in order to jrive at least a vajfue idea oi the possible value of this breadth of land in tropical agricidiure, I may mention, that Messrs. liadd and (.'o. of Honolulu have produced an average of a ton and a half of su^ar /;rr acre, a rate at which 1,(100 Hiiuare miles would yield nearly l,(U)(t,(H)() tons, or at least four tinir!< the total supply of the United Kingdom. The extent of cultivation in question is, I apprehend, fidly e(|ual to the extent of cultivatiun. whether actual or probable, in Jamaica. Hut the arable land, whatever may be its quantity, is availablo. almost without deduction, for mercantile enterprise — always, of course, assuminjr that the objections of church and state can be removed. TIk scantiness of the population, which does not average fifteen souls to the square mile, must manifestly leave, under any circumstances, most of the soil free for the operations of the capitalist, while the facility with which food can be produced, must as manifestly require a very small share of the cultivator's time for the growing of the necessaries of life. These remarks will derive additional force from a more par- ticular consideration of the chief article of subsistence. I quote from the Hawaiian Spectator: "In regard to cheapness of food for tlu natives, it is proper to state, that forty feet square of land, planted with kulo, aflbrded subsistence for one person for a year. A tract of land one mile square in fields will occupy and feed one hundred and fifty- three persons; the same extent in vineyards will occupy and feed two hundred and eighty-nine persons; while the same extent of land in kalo will (ccd 15,151, and probably not more than one-twenty-fifth part of that number would be required in its cultivation. The above estimate of the number of persons that can be supported from one square mile of land cultivated in Jcalo, is made by allowing paths three feet wide between each patch of forty feet square." According to diis estimate, which, so far as the kalo is concerned, appears to contain no flaw, six square miles might maintain the whole population in health and vigor; but, supposing every person, without distinction of sex or age, to require half an acre, there would still remain even on that liberal and extravagant supposition, about 600,000 acres for objects not imme- diately connected with the maintenance of the natives. Among the more important productions of the islands, sugar deserves to occupy the first place, if it were only that His Majesty, Kameha- meha HI., has turned his attention to the manufacture of the article. The yellow cane, which is indigenous, is alone cultivated. Thougli its juice is acknowledged to be of excellent quality, yet hitherto the sugar has been of an inferior description through the want of skill and SANDWICH ISLANDS. 46 cxp<*ric»nrr. Thcr<» i« litilr dotiht, liownvrr, that, in time, nrt will do jusli«'<' to nnttirc, wlini oium- ilir hii.siiH'.HM h.iM yot into the liaiuN of capilalintH. The ifrowrrH ar«> alrrady iiunu'ron^, if not wraltliy, as llio followinjf oxtract I'rotn a IrtUT, which I rrcrivrd from McBsrx. l.mUl Sc Co., nuttinnwW f howH : "Thi" qiiantiiy of hiiul imuUt ndiivatioii hy nativrH, and otlirrH, in lUv vicinity ol ur null is so (irrat, tlni latterly wo have al)antlonrd its oiiltiirc and allow our work?* to In- rnipjuycd in nianufactnrinij Mutrar for ndtivators, rctnrnint^ to thorn unr>ha!r .'." tho prodiuMs. Wo regret to Hay that our wiiJ >< are cnlinly inade(|uate to the wants of tho planters, and nuu li c:»ne wdl, unavoidably, he lost tho present and eoniini^ season." IJui i ' u[rand ihlfMiilty in tho way is ilie want of a market, more particidarly as the jjroup is tlfeetually cut oil", both physieally and politically, from the rest of tho world. Slill the diHicidty does not amount to a ground of despair. ('Onsidering that the article is retailed at five cents, or two ponce halfpcimy, a pound, about U0,0()() natives might Hiircly consume, at least with tho help of foreign rosidc^nts and foreign visitors, something like a ship-load amoii}; llicin in a yoar, while, with a liltio management and negotiation, tho islands might supply with sugar nearly all the coasts of both continents above their own latitude, California, the Oregon, the Russian settle- ments both in Asia and America, and ultimately Japan. If the Archi- pelago could once secure this foreign trade, it coidd hardly ever bo dislodged from it by any rival, so long as it enjoyed the nautical advantages of being the great house of call, both in the length and in the breadth of the Pacific ocean. Silk appears to have fewer obstacles to surmount than stigar. Tho mulberry yields six crops in the year; and females, who can reel half a pound a day, are contented, in addition to their food, with six cents and a (juartor, or a fraction more than threepence, paid in goods at an advance of cent per cent, on the prime cost. Under these advantageous circumstances, an article of superior quality can be sold for a dollar and a half a pound, so that it can command, freight and duty notwithstand' insr, a renninerating price either in England or in America. Silk, how- ever, cannot be produced so extensively as sugar, inasmuch as the mulberry thrives only in such places, few and far between, as are com- pletely sheltered from the trade-winds. The principal establishment, which is in Kauai, is under the management of Mr. Titcombe, an American of industry and enterprise. He is expected to succeed in his speculation, though his countrymen, who were the original pro- jectors, failed in it, partly because they had everything, that was pecu- liar to the soil and climate, to learn, and parUy because some of them had good reason for placing very little confidence in the others. If the business in general should prosper, it might be worth while to import skillful and experienced laborers from China, at least for the purpose of superintending the more delicate processes. Tobacco, cotton, coffee, arrowroot, indigo, rice and ginger, thrive luxuriantly throughout the group. Tobacco was, at one time, pro- hibited ; and, in order to prevent exportation as well as consumption, the " denounced" weed was torn up by the roots as a public enemy. 46 SANDWICH ISLANDS. ^fi-. ^lii^ i^f /' 1- f The absur'l system has, I believe, been abrogated ; and, at all events, tobacco grows in the face of day without caring for church or state. Coffee, an innocent enough beverage in most countries, also fell under the ban of the earlier missionaries, probably as being a boon companion of tobacco, but more probably because, in furnishing an article of ox- port, it tended to inundate the islands with the aciursed thing in the shape of commercial civilization. Whatever was the cause, the cofl'cc shared the same fate as the tobacco, being first destroyed by fanaticism and then replaced by common sense. As I have already mentioned, it is, in my opinion, equal to mocha ; and, when grown in sufficient abundance, it may, I doubt not, be exported with advantage to almost any part of the world. Indigo, though it thrives well, is yet not likely to be extensively cultivated by reason of the breadth of land which it requires, — at least so long as other crops, less precarious and more profitable, can advantageously occupy the soil. Cotton has only ot late become an object of attention to foreign residents ; the article, as prepared by the natives, was, of course, not lit to be sent to market. Oi arrowroot the same may be said. Intrinsically it is of fine quahty; but so negligent are the manufacturers in washing and drying the arti- cle, that a small parcel, lately sent to England by The Hudson's Bay Company, did not cover cost and charges. Ginger grows spontaneously in lavish abundance throughout the group ; but as yet it has not attracted any notice. Rice is but little cultivated, chiefly because the most favor- able situations for the purpose, which, on account of the scarcity of water, are not numerous, arc already occupied by that grand stalf of life, the kalo. The kukiii oil is an article of rising importance. It is extracted from the nuts of the kukiii or light-tree, which are so unctuous, that, when strung on a twig, they serve the natives as candles, each nut igniting the one below it before it is itself consumed. Taking the hint, one of the foreign residents has lately erected a mill for breaking and pressing them so as to separate the juice from the husks. The oil, though inferior to linseed, is yet so much cheaper that it finds a market at Lima to the annual amount of upwards of a thousand barrels ; and a little of it has also been sent with a profit to the United States. The attention of many of the residents is now directed to the article ; and, as the trees are very plentiful, and may be seen in groves of miles in length, the manufacture may be increased to almost any extent. Among the valuable productions of the islands must also be reckon- ed salt, pearl shells and sandal-wood. Salt is gathered, in a crystal- lized form, from the surface of a small lake about four miles to the west of Honolulu, situated within an old crater, about a mile from the sea. This lake is very shallow, hardly coming above a man's knees, except- ing that a hole in the middle, long supposed to be bottomless, has been recently ascertained to be thirtj or forty fathoms deep. By this hole it is generally imagined to be 'Connected with the ocean, though doctors differ, as to whether or not it is aflected by the tides. This uncertainty as to the tidal intluence conclusively shows that the subterranean pas- sage, if it exist at all, is far from being free and open, while a similar SANDWICH ISLANDS. 47 i{], at all events, church or state. , also fell under )oon companion m article of ex- cel thing in the :ause, the cofl'ee ;d by fanaticism sady mentioned, vn in sufficient ntage to almost is yet not likely if land which it rious and more on has only ol ; the article, as sent to market, of fine quahty ; drying the arli- Hudson's Bay s spontaneously las not attracted the most favor- the scarcity of it grand stalf of It is extracted unctuous, that, ndies, each nut Taking the hint. >r breaking and sks. The oil, finds a market d barrels ; and d States. The le article ; and, es of miles in extent. dso be reckoii- J, in a crystal- iles to the wcsi from tiie sea. knees, except- nless, has been By this hole though doctors his uncertainty terranean pas- vhile a similar inference may be drawn from the fact, that the rains of the brief winter of this leeward coast freshen the lake to the ext(!iit of making the salt entirely disappear. In tiie dry season, the more that is taken away, the more still seems to be left; and, in the course of one year, as much as 30,000 barrels have been procured from the spot. Pearl shells are numerous; and they may be said to cost nothing, inasmuch as they are caught for the sake of the oysters that they contain. These Hsh are found not only in the sea, but also in a small lake, near to that just described, though there they are so inferior in size and quality as not to be disturbed by man. Sandal ivood, as we have elsewhere shown, has been nearly exhausted, excepting that, in the forests of Hawaii, a few trees may still be found. Young plants, however, are said to be springing up throughout the group, though meanwliile tlie ('liinesc, it is to be hoped, may put an end to the demand for the arti- cle by discarding the gods that are its principal consumers. If com- merce alone achieved the good work in the Sandwich Islands, surely commerce and Christianity together may be expected to make some impression on China. But the group contains timber of intrinsic and permanent value. Good materials for ship-building exist, which, though not easily acces- sible in the present state of the communications, may ultimately be worth looking after, if they really be, as people say, proof against the attacks of worms and insects. Woods, well adapted for cabinet work, are also various and abundant; such as koa, ko, kamanu, ebony, &c. &c. With the exception of the ebony, which is of inferior quality, most of these woods, of which there are fifteen or twenty kinds, pos- sess a beautiful grain, and are nearly as hard as mahogany. In appear- ance, some of them resemble mahogany, others maple, others elm, and so on. We had many opportunities of seeing these woods, as most of the furniture in Honolulu is made from them. The prickly pear, also, may, like the mulberry, become indirectly usetul, as the means of in- troducing the cochineal insect. The climate may be considered as pe- culiarly propitious to any attempt of the kind, while the tree, besides lieing already common, is propagated with wonderful facility; and, as the attention of some of the residents has been drawn to the subject, cochineal may soon have to be enumerated among the productions of the Sandwich Islands. On the uplands of Mowee, which present a kind of temperate zone within the tropics, wheat and })otatoes grow with great luxuriance. The potatoes are of uncommon size ; and the wheat is said to be cut down, harvest after harvest, from the same ground, just like so much hay. To say nothing of domestic consumption, or of the supply of shipping, these articles, particularly the wheat, might find a ready and profitable sale in foreign countries. The price of flour, as we have i^een, is very high in California; and it is still higher on all the Russian roasts of the Pacific, more especially in Kamschatka and the Sea of Ochotsk, while, so far as the rivalry of the Oregon is concerned, the •Sandwich Islands, from their central position, will always have the advantage in lowness of freight and opportunities of transport. ■ it » '' 4$ SANDWICH ISLANDS. ■^■ l"i'V, 111 gj-iifi m/.^ In closing this part of my subject, I need merely enumerate tlio skins of wild goats, and the hides, and tallow, and beef of the herds, that wander at will among the mountains, as productions that have an important bearing on the commerce of the group. To pass from productions to manufactures, the most showy speci- mens of native art are the military banners of the chiefs. The ka/ii/e, as the banner is called, consists of a pole elaborately inlaid with ivory, tortoise shell and human bone, at the upper end of which are fixed plumes of feathers, similar to those that are used at funerals in Ensr- land, excepting that the colors, instead of being black, are the brightest possible, green, yellow, red, &c. These kahiles, as I have elsewhere stated, are more or less splendid according to the rank of the owner?. The great banner of the Kamehamehas, M'hich, now that they don't go to war, is displayed only in the funeral processions of the members of the royal family, is thirty or forty feet high, and requires several men to support it. A humbler, but more useful, article of native manufac- ture, is rope for rigging the double canoes or for any other purpose to which rope can be applied. Some of it is made from the cocoa nut, some of reeds, and some of grass; but all is strong and well laid. But the principal manufacture of the group is the kapa or cloth. It is made of the inner bark of the wouty tree {morus papyrifera), which, after being reduced to a pulp, is beaten out to such degree of thickness as may be desired, while the face of the fabric is susceptible of infi- nite variety, according as the face of the mallet is smooth, or grooved, checked, or marKed with diamonds or any other figures whatever. In itself the article is of a light color, while, by bleaching, it may be ren- dered perfectly white. But to the simplicity of nature the aborigines of both sexes generally prefer a gayer hue ; and for this purpose they stain the cloth with a number of indigenous dyes, comprising all the possible shades of brown, yellow, green and red, several colors being frequently contrasted in a kind of mosaic on one and the same piece or web. Of all the native manufactures perhaps this alone enters into general commerce. It is used for the sheathing of ships, for which purpose it is, in the north Pacific, preferred to felt; it has certainly the recommendation of cheapness, as five or six sheets of twelve feet square may be had for a dollar. In this article the king is the princi- pal dealer, for, in the shape of taxes, his majesty is glutted with cloth, and is glad to part with it at a reasonable rate. TRADE. Under the preceding head I have been the more minute in detailing the internal resources of the country, sensible, as I am, of the expe- diency of finding some balance against the heavy imports. At present the merchants have little but specie to remit in return for foreign commodities; and, in consequence of this, the exchange is, as a matter of course, so much against the islands, that the dollar, which in London seldom brings more than four shillings one and a half pence sterling, varies in Honolulu from four shillings six pence to four shillings ten pence of the same standard. Thus are the trader's nominal receipts SANDWICH ISLANDS. 49 shillings ten iiinal receipts reduced, by a single blow, from eight to fifteen per cent.: and, taking his selling price to be the double of the prime cost, his nominal profits are diminished from sixteen to thirty per cent. In other words, an apparent addition of one hundred per cent, turns out to be a real addi- tion, which never exceeds eighty-four and sometimes does not exceed seventy. If, however, remittances could be made in native produc- tions, the merchant would have at least a choice as to his mode of operation ; and, if articles of export should prove to be more advan- tageous in the premises than dollars or bills of exchange, the specie would, in the same proportion, permanently lose pari of its local Value. But, after all, it is not to their internal resources that these islands, as a whole, must look for prosperity. Their position alone has, in a great measure, made their fortune, a position which is equally admira- ble, whether viewed in connection with the length or with the breadth of the surrounding ocean. For all practical purposes, the Sandwich Islands are on the direct route from Cape Horn to all the coasts of the Northern Pacific. With respect to Kamschatka and the Sea of Ochotsk, this is evident at a glance ; with respect to Japan, when its ports shall be opened, vessels will find their advantage, even without regard to refuge or refreshment, in deviating to the right of their straight course, in order to make the northeast trades above the equator as fair a wind as possible ; and with respect to California and the northwest coast, the apparently inconve- nient deviation to the left is rendered not only expedient but almost necessary, by the prevailing breezes which have just been mentioned. On this last point. Cook's accidental discovery of the Archipelago, while he was making his way to New Albion, was tolerably conclu- sive. In addition to finding the islands, he marked out the best track for his successors, just as the Portuguese, on their second voyage to India, were driven to Brazil by a necessity to which modern navigat- ors voluntarily yield, thus, by the by, stumbling on the New World by chance, within eight years after its premeditated discovery, and showing that a few more seasons of disappointment and delay would have prevented the human mind from winning one of its proudest tro- phies, in the sagaciously planned and resolutely executed enterprise of Columbus. But the group as naturally connects the east and the west as the south and the north. Lying in the very latitude of San Bias and Ma- cao, with an open sea in either direction, it crosses the shortest road from Mexico to China, while, considering its great distance to the west- ward of the new continent, but more particularly of its southern divi- sion, it may, without involving any inadequate sacrifice, be regarded as a stepping-stone from the whole of the American coast to the Celes- tial empire. With respect, in fact, to the remoter points of departure, the deviation is far less than it seems, inasmuch as the westerly winds which prevail within a few degrees of each side of the tropics, and thereby embarrass any direct passage to the westward above or below the limits of the trades, bring California and all to the north of it into PART II. 4 Jit. 50 SANDWICH ISLANDS. ;(■:'.,, ' *%; * the track of Mexico, and place Chili pretty nearly in the situation of Peru. Again, with reference to each of the last two paragraphs, the islands lie but little out of the way of the returning voyagers. Situated as they are, within little more than a day's sail of the westerly winds that sweep the Northern Pacific, they are just as accessible to China and Japan as China and Japan are to them, while any visitor to whom the winds in question may still be requisite for the ;>rosecution of his east- erly course, may again escape from the influence of the trades without having lost a week. In effect, the group is a kind of station-house^ where two railroads cross one another, each with parallel lines for opposite trains. The position of the Archipelago, as just described, is the more valu- able on this account, that it neither is nor ever can be, shared by any rival. If one makes no account of the comparative vicinity of mere islets, which are worthless alike for refuge and for refreshment, the Sandwich Islands form, perhaps, the most secluded spot on earth, being at least twice as far from the nearest land as the lonely rock of St. Helena. But it is not merely for the purposes of refuge and refreshment that the position in question promises to be avaUable. Already have the Sandwich Islands begun to be a common centre of traffic for some of the countries, which they serve to link together. Even now their exports comprise a larger proportion of foreign commodities than of native productions, such as hides and sea-otters from California, silver from Mexico, teas and manufactures from China. Though the system of entrepots, which, in a great measure, nursed Holland and Belgium into wealth and populousness, has gone by in Europe, yet it seems to be well fitted to regulate, for many years to come, the intercourse be- tween the ports of the Pacific Ocean, inasmuch as many of them must long be unable to consume whole cargoes, in unbroken bulk, of articles of the growth or manufacture of any single country. In this respect, the tendencies of nature have, to some extent, been strengthened by the capricious administration of the impolitic laws of Mexico. In that republic, the duties, which are always high in the terms of the tariff, are collected, according to whim or necessity, with greater or less strictness, each port, as well as each week, having its own peculiar mode of reducing the theory to practice; so that, when a vessel finds the authorities in a troublesome or extortionate humor, she runs for it to Honolulu, there disposing of her cargo at better prices, or at least depositing it for better times. As an instance of this, the " Joseph Peabody," that entered the harbor along with us, was indeed from Mazadan, as I then mentioned, but had actually brought most of her goods by that circuitous route from China. When the ports of Japan are opened, and the two oceans are con- nected by means of a navigable canal, so as to place the group in the direct route between Europe and the United States on one hand, and the whole of Eastern Asia on the other, then will the trade in question expand in amount and variety, till it has rendered Woahoo •v.. he situation of SANDWICH ISLANDS. 51 the emporium of at least the Pacific Ocean, for the products, natural and artificial, of every corner of the globe. Then will Honolulu be one of the marts of the world, one of those exchanges to which nature herself grants in perpetuity a more than royal charter. If these anticipations — and even now they are not dreams — be ever realized, the internal resources of the islands will find the readiest and amplest development in the increase of domestic consumption, and the demands of foreign commerce. In some direction or other every native production will follow its appropriate outlet; and, in a word, the Sand- wich Islands will become the West Indies of all the less favored climes from California to Japan. As I have already remarked of one or two articles in particular, the greater part of the exports will most probably meet their best market in the Russian settlements. In them, the ne- cessaries, as well as the luxuries, of life are pearls of inestimable value; and, if expediency could justify aggression, the czar might more excusably have seized this Archipelago than ever any one else appro- priated a foot of land that did not belong to him. Even now France and America and England might be more willing to let the Sandwich Islands fall into the hands of Russia, than to see them continue liable to be seized, on some pretext or other, by any one of themselves. In all this mighty work, whether it be wholly or partly accomplish- ed, our own race will furnish the principal actors. The commerce of this ocean will be ruled and conducted by England, aided and rivaled only by her own republican oflTspring of America; and the merchants of these two nations, the most enterprising merchants and the most powerful nations that the world has ever seen, must decide, with a sway greater than that of princes, the destinies of this sea of seas, with its boundless shores and its countless isles. In this respect the past and the present, as they must strike the most superficial observer, are sufficient guarantees for the future. But the position of the Sandwich Islands, which I have hitherto con- sidered in its bearings, or international intercourse, is not less command- ing with respect to fisheries than to commerce. In the upper half of the Pacific, there are three principal whaling-grounds, one on the Equator, another near Japan, and the third towards the Russian settle- ments, while, generally speaking, the same vessels pass, according to the season, from one scene of operations to another. Now this Archi- pelago, as the hastiest glance at the map must show, could not have been better placed, if it had been exclusively intended by Providence to be a common centre for the whaling-grounds in question ; and if, on the intermediate ocean, there be specks superior in mere situation, cer- tainly not one of nature's other caravanseras, within the assigned limits, has been either so conveniently fitted, or so bountifully supplied. In consequence of these unrivaled advantages, the ports of the group — particularly Honolulu, in a far higher proportion than all the other ports put together — have long been visited by all the whalers of the North Pacific for refuge and refreshment, while they have gradually come to be frequented for ordinary repairs, and, also, for stores and equipments of every description. It is chiefly with reference to the supply of these •y'' I I- -i .,1 52 SANDWICH ISLANDS. Ijllt! 'ill civilized wants, that foreign merchants and foreign mechanics liave established themselves in the group, thus forming such a nucleus of local enterprise as is likely to eflect a material change, equally bene- ficial to all parties, in the system of prosecuting the fisheries. As has already begun to be the case with the adjacent coasts, so has it been with the adjacent waters; in the one instance, as well as in the other, the Sandwich Islands, from being the tavern of the traders, promise to become the entrepot of the trade. Even now, several small whalers are owned in Honolulu ; and there can be little doubt, that, from year to year, the port in question, like Sydney in the South Pacific, will engross a larger share of the business, storing the oil to be freighted to its ultimate destination. With such an example before them, the whalers in general will be led to separate the two naturally distinct departments of the work, the fishing and the carrying — a division of labor, which will be profitable in more ways than one. At present, the vessel loses at least ten or twelve months in going and coming; and thus a year's interest on the heavy expense of her special outfit, is almost literally thrown into the sea. At present, the oil, instead of being sent, fresh and fresh, to market, lies, on an average, half the time of the cruize in the hold ; and thus are two capitals hazarded to earn the returns of one, while, in order to aggravate the evil, the dead stock is stowed away in the most costly warehouse in the world. At present, the officers and crew are selected with almost exclusive reference to their skill and boldness in pursuing and capturing the whale ; and thus, during a period of perhaps three years, of which, at least, a half is not spent in fishing, the owners are obliged to leave their property at the mercy of men, who, to say nothing of the general absence of the higher qualities of a mariner, have undertaken the management, rather of the ship's boats than of the ship herself. Surely, the remedying of these defects would be worth a month or so of warehouse rent, and the charges of transshipment. To conclude this chapter with a brief view of the actual state of trade, there arrived in Honolulu alone, from 1836 to 1839, inclusive, three hundred and sixty-nine vessels. Of these, the whalers amounted to two hundred and fifty-five, all but five being either American or British. As many of the whalers, particularly when they require nothing but such refreshment as the islands themselves yield, call at other ports, perhaps the annual number of this class of arrivals cannot be estimated at less than a hundred. During the same period, the imports of Hono- lulu — equivalent, I take it, to the imports of the group — averaged, one year with another, nearly 340,000 dollars at prime cost ; and, what is to my mind far more worthy of notice than their mere value, they had been brought from the United States, England, Prussia, Chili, Mexico, California, Northwest Coast, Tahiti, with other southern islands, China and Manilla. Again, during the same period, the exports avorage.', one year with another, about 78,000 dollars, of local value, consisting of sandal wood, hides, goat-skins, salt, tobacco, sugar, molasses, kukui oil, sperm oil, the produce of a vessel fitted out from Woahoo, arrowroot, and sundries. All these articles, as may be seen from the qualified SANDWICH ISLANDS. 53 :s avoragli^.1, one description of the sperm oil, were native productions. But of exports, properly so called, the true amount differed considerahly from the fore- going statement. Under the head of sundries was included little or nothing but supplies of meat and vegetables for the shipping; and, as the head in question amounted, as nearly as possible, to a half of the whole, the exports, in the technical meaning of the word, would be not 78,000, but 39,000 dollars. The exports proper, however, were ra- pidly increasing. In 1840, down to the middle of August, as compared with the whole of the preceding year, hides, at two dollars each, had risen from 6,000 to 18,500 dollars, goat-skins, at twenty-five cents each, had risen from 1,000 to 10,000 dollars; sugar had risen from 6,000 dollars, at six cents a pound, to 18,000 dollars, at five cents; molasses had risen froui 3,000 dollars, at twenty-five cents a gallon, to 7,300 dollars, at twenty-three cents ; and arrowroot had risen from nothing, in 1839, the average of the preceding three years having been less than 300 dollars, to 1,700 dollars in the part aforesaid, of 1840. To add one particular more to this statement of arrivals, and imports and exports, there were owned in Honolulu, in 1840, ten vessels by foreign residents, seven by American citizens, and three by British sub- jects ; and besides these more considerable craft, which averaged one hundred and thirty tons, there were five small schooners owned by natives. Of the imports a considerable proportion, as I have elsewhere stated, is again exported — a feature, by the by, in the trade, which is a more characteristic omen of the future than any amount of internal demand. Of such imports as are actually consumed in the islands, a con- siderable share, of course, goes, directly or indirectly, to pay for the native articles of export. Perhaps about the same amount is absorbed by cans of the expenditure of resident foreigners: the missionaries, nun.bering about forty families in the group, are said, whether they be ministers, or schoolmasters, or surgeons, or secular agents, to receive six hundred dollars a year each, of which every cent must find its way to the shop to supply either their own wants or the wants of those natives with whom they deal ; and all others of extraneous origin, mustering about six hundred souls in Honolulu and elsewhere, cannot be estimated, as many of them are wealthy, to contribute, either through themselves or their dependents, less than fifty dollars a year each to the coffers of the merchants. Of the latter class, too, there are many individuals, who, in addition to their regular outlay, circulate large sums of money through the instrumentality of native women, who are sure faithfully to squander all that they earn ; and, to give a single instance, a young Chinaman, who committed suicide during our visit, was ascertained to have kept up his harem, during the last year of his life, at a cost of 5,000 dollars. Again the whaling trade accounts, in various ways, for nearly half of all the local consumption. The vessels themselves cannot spend less than 1,000 dollars each on equipments, repairs and provisions; each crew must add about a fourth to this amount in dissipation of every possible description ; and the natives, who have served abroad chiefly in the fisheries, must, in one way or ■'» ^1 t-. f >l < .' I! • .11 ! i- 54 SANDWICH ISLANDS. Other, get rid of savings nearly equivalent to the sums wasted by all the actual crews. Over and above all this is to be reckoned part of the consumption among the natives. So far as the common people are concerned, the greater part of their expenditure has already been in- cluded under the foregoing heads; but the king and chiefs, viewed partly as individuals, and partly as the government, cannot derive from sources independent of anything that has been stated, less than 30,000 dollars a year, converting the whole into imports either for their own gratification or for the maintenance of the public establish- ments. tl, -^' t^. CHAPTER XIII. SANDWICH ISLANDS, ETC. The very day after oiir own arrival, the Vancouver, one of The Hudson's Bay Company's vessels, touched at Honolulu on her way to the Columbia, and after remaining about a month, she resumed her voyage in the middle of March, carrying with her nearly the whole of my immediate party, Mr. McLaughlin, and Mr. Rowand for their respect- ive posts, and Mr. Hopkins for England. Mr. Hopkins' departure I felt as a serious loss with respect to the keeping of my journal, more particularly .is my own eyes were by no means strong; and in conse- quence of this, my subsequent notes were generally rougher and scantier than I could have wished. When the Vancouver was ready for starting, a scene occurred on board of her, which forcibly illurtrated, at least in the case of long and distant voyages, the impolicy of the laws for regulating nautical dis- cipline. The boatswain, whose conduct had previously been good, had got intoxicated immediately on entering the port, and after being absent for some time, without leave, had been brought on board by the police; but, refusing to do his duty, he was again sent on shore and confined in the fort. When the vessel was ready for sea, he was brought out to her in irons under the immediate charge of the British consul. While he was yet in the boat, he attempted to strike down Mr. Charlton with his manacles ; and when he reached the deck, he threatened, to say nothing of his disgusting obscenity, that, if carried away, he would excite a mutiny. His violence, which, in fact, amounted to temporary insanity, elicited a murmur of applause from the crew ; and, as it was out of the question to admit such a fellow among such comrades, without the power of inflicting adequate punishment, he was remanded to the fort, to be dealt with as the consul might deem necessary or expedient. As might have been expected, this example, however inevitable, of yielding to the demands of one man led to sub- sequent acts of insubordination on the part of the others. In the pre- sent state of the law, tlie master, particularly with all the chances of misrepresentation against him, is never safe in proceeding summarily against an ofTender. The men act accordingly, unless they know that they are within easy reach of a ship of war or of a court of justice ; and thus the very statute, which is intended to prevent mutiny, not unfre- quently encourages it. All these defects of the law are aggravated by the notorious fact, that British seamen are the most unmanageable in the world. S'i K? • > 'A? t .1 m 66 SANDWICH ISLANDS, ETC. After tho dcpiirturo of the Vancouver, I accompanied my friend Mr. Pelly to his rural retreat in the valley of Nuanau. The change of temperature within a distance of four miles of gentle ascent was very remarkahle, so that, at our journey's end, we found a change from light grass clothing to warm pea-jackets highly acceptable. Mr. Pelly's residence was a snug little cottage, surrounded by a great variety of tropical plants, particularly by beds of pine-apples and miniature planta- tions of cofl'ee. In Aict, the gardens of the residents generally contain rich displays of almost every (lower and shrub under the sun, orange, lemon, citron, lime, pomegranate, fig, olive, gooseberry, strawberry, squash, melon, grape, guava, tomata, batata or love apple, yams, sweet potatoes, with many other fruits and all sorts of esculent vegetables. To notice one or two of the rarer specimens, a very large variety of melon produces a most gorgeous (lower, far more beautiful and elaborate than even the passiHora in Europe, and the papia causes so rapid a decomposition in meats, that the toughest beef or the most venerable of old cocks, if steeped in an infusion of the fruit or the stem of the plant, becomes, in a few hours, perfectly tender. In addition to all that I have just enumerated, may be mentioned, the prickly pear, the oriental lilac, the date palm, the camphor tree, in short nearly all the plants of all the groups of Polynesia ; and, in order, if possible, to extend the catalogue, Mr. Hopkins left in the hands of one of the most persevering horticulturists some seeds of the cherry and apple, which he had brought from England. At the head of the valley, distant but a few miles from the house, a pali of 1,100 feet in height overhangs the windward side of the island. I had intended to ride to this precipice in the course of the afternoon, but was prevented by the heavy rain ; our time, however, was spent very agreeably in receiving visits from many of the neighboring na- tives. Next morning, though the rain continued to fii>U as heavily as ever, and the clouds and mist were driving down tlu ,L,'orge before the trade-wind, I was trotting away at dawn in the very teeth of the storm. The scenery of Nuanau is strikingly picturesque and romantic. On looking downwards, the placid ocean breaking on the coral reefs that gird the island, the white houses of the town glancing in the sun, the ships lying at anchor in the harbor, while canoes and boats are ditting, as if in play, among them, form together a view which, in addition to its physical beauty, overwhelms one who looks back to the past, with a flood of moral associations. In the opposite direction you discover a rugged glen, with blackened and broken mountains on either side, which are partially covered with low trees, while from crag to crag there leaps and bubbles many a stream, as if glad and eager to drop its fatness through its dependent aqueducts, on the parched plain below. Nor is the view in this direction destitute, any more than the view in the other, of historical interest. It was up this very pass that Kame- hameha, after gaining, as already mentioned, his last and greatest bat- tle, chased with " his red pursuing spear" the forces of Woahoo, and his own recreant followers who had joined them, till he drove them headlong, to the number of three hundred, "death in their front, de- wd SANDWICH ISLANDS, ETC. 57 ^.-'^'J struction in their rear," down the ahnost perpendicular wall that . nni- iiatos the valley. On arrivinjr at the pali, I saw, as it were, at my feet a chami^ ime country, prettily dotted with villatrcs, frroves and plantations, wh in the distance there lay, screened, however, by a curtain of vapors, the same ocean which I had so lately left behind nic. Though the wind, as it entered the gorge, blew in such gusts as ahnost prevented me from standing, yet I resolved to attempt the tlescent, which was known to he practicable for those who had not Kainehameha to hurry them. I accordingly scrambled down, having, of course, dismounted, for some distance ; but as the path was slippery from the wet, I was fain to re- trace my steps before reaching the bottom. In all weathers, however, the natives, when they arc coming to market with pigs, vegetables, ,'hhor, (leplorc! any of his h'ssor iniNfortnrn'H ? To nturii to iho suhjrct of iho dccoasL'd spendthrift, hJH (>xnni|)lr Honnrd to lir ronini^iotin in his harem, for, within a few days, hin favorite inistreMS followed him hy (Irinkinj^ a deeoction of some pieees of old copper. Of the Chinese then; are altojrether ahotit forty in this Archipelajjo, as they are, in fact, 8catt«Ted wherever they can earn a livelihood, over a hinidrcd degrees of loni^itude, from W()aln)o to Sincapore. Ah dis- tinguished from iheir Tartar mastern, the people of (Jhina arc not tho bigoted enemies of foreign intercourse that tliey are siipposrd to he: they are, on the contrary, ready to go ahroad either as resiilents or as wanderers, combining t'lc laborious habits of the Irish with the ped- dling disposition of the .lews. In this respect they ar»; remarkably dif- ferent from the Japanese, who, even when they find themselves from home, with hardly tlie hope of returning, can think of nothing but their native land. This was eminently the case with the two little bands, that were driven, as elsewhere slated, to the shores of this group. Notwithstanding all the kindness that they experienced, particularly from the missionaries, they pined for their own islanils, the young as well as the old, the single as well as tho married. One of their remarks, by the by, forcibly shows how beneficial the previous abolition of the idolatry of the group must have been to the teachers of Christianity. When pressed on tho subject of religion, the poor exiles replied with equal pathos and firmness: "The gods of America may be good for Americans, but the gods of our country are good for us." Though, in their case, the desire of revisiting the place of their birth may have rendered them less willing to abjure the faith of their fathers, yet a similar feeling cannot, to the same extent, aflect the Chinese residents; and yet every one of them says every day of his life, if not in words at least in effect, that his own creed is the best for him. Most of the Chinese residents have originally come to the island under engage- ments of some kind or other, gradually establishing themselves in busi- ness as opportunities might occur, — two industrious fellows, in parti- cular, of the name of Sam and Mow, having recently opened shop as bakers, with a poetical advertisement worthy of " Hunt's Matchless" or " Warren's I31acking." Generally speaking, they are found to be a great acquisition in the factories and the stores, and moreover make very excellent servants. They are satisfied with moderate wages, and, living, as they do, principally on rice and vegetables, are maintained at little cost ; and, what is better than all, they are honest, patient and cleanly. Those who are employed as shopmeil, keep their accounts with a wonderful degree of exactness, making all their calculations by means of an abacus. Nearly all their valuable qualities are confirmed and illustrated by the following instance. Some years back, my in- formant had sent two Chinese from Honolulu to Mowee, in charge of a cargo to be sold by retail. On closing the transaction at the end of several months, they handed to their employer an accurate accotint of every cent that had passed through their iiands ; and though the amount of sales exceeded 45,000 dollars, yet the expenses of both the men had t V .: t ■■ im 60 SANDWICH ISLANDS, ETC. ;:^/;# ♦ averaged something less than half a dollar a day between them. Their good conduct of course did not go unrewarded. One of them remained in the islands with every prospect of doing well, while the other was sent back, a rich man, to his own country, where doubtless his wealth would operate as a premium on emigration. Another death of a person of greater consequence than the young spendthrift occurred also during our visit. A vessel, with her colors half-mast high, arrived from Mowee ; and soon afterwards the great flag of the fort was displayed in the same ominous manner, betokening, for the information of the lieges, the death of some member of the royal family; and rumor, with her thousand tongues, forthwith ran about whispering, that the heir apparent, just as his elder brother had been before him, had been summarily put out of the way of the more favorite line of the late Kinau, daughter of Kamehameha and wife of Kekuanaoa. However this might be, the national ensign drooped for three days ; young Liho Liho again became heir presumptive to the throne ; and Kekuanaoa himself walked about as if nothing particular had happened. The old governor, by the by, is always on the move, and that, too, to some purpose, for he is really as intelligent as he is active. From morning to night he pays visits on board ships, or attends his hall of justice, always accompanied, as I have elsewhere hinted, by his body- guard of amazons. In the proceedings of his court, one peculiarity struck me, as indicative of the consistency with which the customs even of savages must have been observed. In the presence of Excel- lency all the natives used to evince their respect not by standing on their feet but by squatting on their hams, — a practice which may be easily and satisfactorily explained. As the chiefs were almost uni- formly taller than the people, it was the most natural thing in the world for servility on the one hand or for pride on the other to esta- blish a sitting posture as the proper attitude of an inferior ; and, in fact, so rigorous was the etiquette on the subject of corporeal eminence, that, while Kamehameha was in the cabin of any ship, his very chiefs, even the second ruler in his kingdom, did not dare to tread any part of the deck that could possibly be over his royal head. Speaking of Kinau, I had the honor of entering the royal mausoleum on the occasion of my visiting the high school, which is not inappro- priately situated within the same enclosure. This last home of the great of these islands is a small edifice of stone, already containing five coffins, those of Liho Liho and Kamehamalu, brought from England with their contents, and three others, equally rich and elaborate, manu- factured on the spot. The coffin of Kinau or Kaahumanu II. was elevated on a frame and screened by silk curtains ; and Kekuanaoa drew back the elegant hangings, which veiled the remains of his wife and one of iiis children, with all the coolness of a professional show- man. The bodies, besides being embalmed, are enclosed in lead which again is carefully soldered; but, notwithstanding these precautions, the lid of Liho Liho's coffin has been warped by the gases escaping from within. The remains of the founder of the family are not to be seen in this building. Though his body was not eaten raw, according to r»' SANDWICH ISLANDS, ETC. 61 the suggestion of one of his admirers, yet it was boiled till the flesii fell from the bones; and then the bones were distributed among the chiefs with a due regard to the mutual jealousies of the aristocracy, the skull going to one, a rib to another, and perhaps the tip of a finger to a third. Of all the chiefs of the first rank Kekuanaoa alone has a tolerable number of children. Women so enormous in size, as most of the female grandees are, cannot possibly be prolific ; and even when they become mothers, they take nearly as little care of their oflspring, with- out the excuse of poverty to palliate their want of afiection, as the humblest females on the islands. As an instance of this, Kamehameha and Keopuolani, both as healthy as horses, had thirteen children, of whom only three, Liho Liho and the present king with his late wife, survived their father. The women of the Sandwich Islands can bear childr .n, if they will ; and the children will live, if they can. During my visit, there was living on Woahoo a woman of twelve years of age, who had already presented to an English husband three thriving pledges of connubial love. Before concluding this record of our proceedings at Honolulu, I can- not but acknowledge the kindness .ind courtesy that we experienced from all the foreign residents of respectability, missionaries as well as merchants, during the whole of our sojourn. Our pleasure, however, was sadly marred by an undisguised want of cordiality among those who were so hos]^ 'ableto ourselves. The merchants and the missionaries are, generally speaking, on barely decent terms with each other. The missionaries live in a part of the town by themselves, a Goshen in the midst of Egypt, seldom associat- ing with the laymen, and never visiting them, while the merchants have not yet forgotten certain clerical proceedings directed against their amusements. In justice, however, I ought to state, that the feud had begun before the parties ever met. In 1820, all the foreign residents, with the single exception of John Young, endeavored to persuade the chiefs to prevent the missionaries from landing ; and the missionaries, if the truth were known, had, doubtless, been imbued with much unchari- table prejudice against the mercantile pioneers of civilization, by their exclusive views of religion. Unfortunately, the relation of pastor and flock was perverted to the widening of the breach, for some of the more violent among the reverend brethren, sometimes so far forgot themselves as to rail against individual whites from the pulpit in terms not to be misunderstood. Partly in consequence of this indiscretion, and partly from a preference of English to Hawaiian, nearly all the Protestant residents attend the Seaman's chapel, which is distinct from the other churches and has a minister of its own. During our stay, however, the missionaries did officiate there, inasmuch as Mr. Deill, the late chaplain, was dead, and Mr. Demon, his successor, had not yet arrived. Again, between the government and the merchants there is, generally, some ground of difl'erence or other, over and above the general fact, that the authorities are always more or less identified with the mis- sionaries. The government has not only to maintain its own cause ^f>.^ ■ '•■>■ • . ■ ' ■ hi I ^1 ' i; SANDWICH ISLANDS, ETC. I'' ' <^ mm iiiiliil! 'ill' :i,' ' ' ■-• y- against every white who may imagine his interest to be injured, or his dignity to be insulted by any legislative, or executive, or judicial mea- sures ; but it is worried to interfere in every squabble that takes place between sections or individuals of the mercantile community, being sure to be abused at least by one party for its interposition, or, perhaps, by both for its neutrality. Then, again, among the merchants themselves there is no imaginable limitation of the sources of discord. The Americans and the British pit themselves against each other as desperately, as if the dignity and power of their respective countries could be enhanced or diminished by the rancor of a few traders in the midst of the North Pacific, while the French and the Mexicans, and all the second-rate factions throw their weight sometimes into the scale of one of the first-rates, and sometimes into that of the other. For some years back, moreover, religion has been nearly as formidable a wedge in society as politics ; but, in the controversy between Catholicism and Calvinism, the French and Mexicans are the principals on the side of the former, while, through hatred of the latter, or rather of its organs, individual Britons and Americans have espoused the same cause in the character of aux- iliaries. In many cases, however, politics and religion are merely a cloak thrown over more sordid and unworthy motives. Rivalry in trade often lurks at the root of the evil ; and, in a small community, this jealousy in business, instead of being frowned down and borne away, as is the case in larger societies, by public opinion, is caught up and imitated by the interested individual's partisans and retainers, thus ripening into the badge of a clique or coterie. The social result of the whole is this, that the one half of all the strangers in this strange land are not on speaking terms with the other, while every now and then there springs up some unforeseen trouble to make the friends of to-day the enemies of to-morrow, or the enemies of to-day the friends of to- morrow, eithei' as principals or as auxiliaries. In this universal war of partisanship, a house is not unfrequently divided against itself, for the wives do not always choose to veer about with the husbands in all the little matters of familiar intercourse. Mr. A. and Mr. B., from having been on doubtful terms, are now great allies, though Mrs. A. and Mrs. B. still adhere to the old system of non-intercourse. Mr. C. is the sworn friend of Mr. D., but won't speak to Mrs. D., while Mrs. A.'s mother visits Mrs. D., but won't notice Mr. D. In this manner the whole place is cut up into such minute subdivisions, that a visitor is perfectly at a loss how to act, being almost afraid to mention where he has been or whither he is going. How inferior, in this single respect, is Honolulu to California in general, and to Santa Barbara in particular. This belligerent spirit often leads to serious litigation, forcing into court cases which, in a different state of feeling, would be settled ami- cably by the parties themselves. During my short stay I was, I be- lieve, useful in adjusting some of these differences. In an action, which involved claims to the amount of about 15,000 dollars, I had the honor to be foreman of the jury ; and I subsequently had the high satisfaction of terminating, as arbitrator, a dispute of nearly equal im- ' m-PA SANDWICH ISLANDS, ETC. 63 portance, which, for a whole year, had been a grand bone of conten- tion between the claimants and their espective parties. Though all these divisions of the whites are indirectly a safeguard to the government, yet, when they assume the form of litigation, they seldom fail to place it in a very unpleasant predicament, for, while one party may be forcing a question on the consideration of the local au- thorities, the other party, perhaps, denies their jurisdiction, and swag- gers and threatens away about appealing to his own country for re- dress. My prayer is, that the residents of all classes and denominations may strive to heal all their petty divisions, remembering that not only to their own real interests, but also to that great cause of civilization and Christianity which Providence has committed to their charge, " Union is strength, discord ruin." To resume my journal, I returned to town immediately after visit- ing the pali^ intending to take my departure for Mowee on the following day. The Cowlitz, however, proved to be as hard to move as the Vancouver. Many of the sailors, with the second mate to countenance them, were so intoxicated as to be unfit to proceed to sea ; four fellows were confined in the fort for various oflTences, and one had absconded. Such conduct is, unfortunately, too common, on the part not only of the men, but also of some of the officers, of foreign ships in general. Being the grand source of disturbance in the otherwise quiet town of Honolulu, it sets a bad example to the natives, and lowers the whites in their estimation, besides giving rise to such profligacy, as tends powerfully to neutralize the labors of the missionaries. Meanwhile I occupied my time by conferring with Kekuanaoa and Dr. Judd, on afl^airs of state, more particularly on the subject of tax- ation. The doctor, as I have already mentioned, was to be appointed treasurer, and would probably have to act as chancellor of the ex- chequer. The crew of the Cowlitz having been at length mustered and sobered, we left Honolulu, accompanied by Mr. Charlton and Mr. Pelly, on Thursday, the 17th of March, under a salute from the fort, an honor never before paid to any but vessels of war. During our voyage, which occupied three days, the weather was close, damp, and disagreeable, without anything to vary the monotony, excepting the squeamishness of some of our passengers. We did, however, see a kw whales, both sperm and right, besides many young sharks ; but young as the sharks were, none of them were such greenhorns as to take the bait, though they followed the ship for several hours at a time. The channel between Molokoi on the left, and Lanai on the right, through which we had to pass, is narrow, being at some points only seven or eight miles in width, with a current of three knots. It re- quires all the attention of navigators ; but, on the present occasion, our captain was much distracted and annoyed by some amateurs of our party, who, cloaking a great deal of nervousness under an appearance of public spirit, remained on deck in order to give him their valuable advice. On the evening of the 19th, we came in sight of the roadstead IN-'* ^i^ * '•'; -'ys{ :>i 64 SANDWICH ISLANDS, ETC. t of Lahaina; but, as both wind and tide were against us, wc could not fetch the anchorage that night. Next morning, however, we were all snug by six o'clock, and found ourselves in company with nine Ame- rican whalers and our old friend Captain Cooper, who had just arrived from Acapulco in his cranky schooner, but brought no news. As soon as convenient after breakfast, we went ashore. The first house that we entered, was that of Rekeke, commandant of the king's body-guard, who had, in imitation probably of the majors, and colonels, and gene- rals of the United States, opened his mansion as a tavern, for the ac- commodation of the public; but here we could not stop, for, besides hosts of flies and vermin, we found several whaling skippers and mates carousing in a style which did not exactly suit our fancy. On proceeding from Rekeke's to the "Bethel," I was glad to see that most of the whaling folks had preferred the church to the hotel, for there were present in the chapel twelve or fourteen ofllicers and about twenty sailors. The preacher was gesticulating with consider- able vehemence, while beneath him sat the Rev. Mr. Richards, who, with that ardent zeal and primitive simplicity which characterize him, did not disdain to act as clerk to his former colleague, to be " a door- keeper," as it were, " in the house of God." If the reverend orator had got hold of Rekeke's guests at their orgies, instead of the decent men that had come voluntarily to a place of worship, he could not have pelted away more unmercifully at his hearers, setting them down as the greatest sinners under the sun, and then, with a hit at smooth- tongued preachers, triumphantly adding that his system was to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. He was doubtless zealous, and meant well ; but his exhibition seemed to me to be pecn- liarly worthy of record, as furnishing a clue to much of the dislike entertained by the traders towards the missionaries. At the conclusion of the service I was introduced to the Rev. Mr. Richards, and found him to be as shrewd and intelligent as he was pious and humble. From the chapel we went to the palace, which, like some other residences of royalty, is badly situated, occupying a low spot among stagnant patches of the kalo. The sentinels on duty, who were neatly dressed in white uniforms, saluted us as we passed ; in point of stature and carriage, they would have borne a comparison any day with our finest grenadiers. At the entrance we were met by the king, accom- panied by Haalilio, his secretary, and Keoni Ana, chamberlain of the establishment, and governor of the island, all three wearing the Wind- sor uniform, and appearing to be much about the same age, probably under thirty. Kauikeaouli is very dark ; he is, however, good-humor- ed and well formed, and speaks very tolerable English. Haalilio, who is since dead, had a countenance of considerable intelligence, and, to my personal knowledge, did not belie his looks in that respect. Keoni Ana, according to the principles of enunciation as developed under a ff rmer head, is the Hawaiian disguise for John Young, the present bearer of the appellation being son and namesake of the common sailor whom Kamehameha elevated, as a monument of the immeasurable SANDWICH ISLANDS, ETC. 65 superiority of the rudest civilization over every form of savage life, to be governor of his native island, and viceroy of all his chief's. If in- ferior to his father in mental qualities, Keoni Ana possesses a good face and handsome figure. The three companions welcomed us with a cordial shake of the hand, and expressed their gratification at seeing us; they were fluent in their elocution, and easy and graceful in their manners. His majesty offered us everything which he deemed conducive to our comfort, horses, servants, boats, p-' 7 'y • ''1 68 SANDWICH ISLANDS, ETC. t 111: comfortable, I passed another restless night in her house, havincf been well nigh eaten up with tleas and other vermin ; and I anxiously watched the approach of daylight, that I might be able to bathe my coundess wounds in the sea. A stranger can scarcely form an adequate idea of the luxury of a bath in these warm regions, where both air and water arc of nearly the same temperature ; and yet, curiously enough, foreigners, who have resided any time, seldom or never bathe, appearing to entertain even an aversion to the sea, through a dread of catching cold and so on, and thus neglecting, through groundless fears, a practice which is the best antidote to the enervating influences of a tropical climate. As to the natives, they may almost be said to be born swimmers, for they actually take to the water before they leave the breast. At Lahaina, in particu- lar, I was highly amused with the early development of this innate ta- lent. Through the town there runs, or rather creeps, a sluggish streamlet, into which urchins, that were hardly able to stand, used to crawl on all fours ; but no sooner did they gain the congenial element, than they struck out like young fish, diving, and ducking, and performing a va- riety of feats, with confidence and ease. After breakfast I took a ride round liahaina, where tliere is a popu- lation of about 5,000 souls, a little more, perhaps, than half the popu- lation of Honolulu. Though the place has nothing of a harbor, ex- cepting an open roadstead lying on the outside of the reef, yet it is a good deal frequented by those who desire refreshment alone, in conse- quence of provisions being cheaper here than in the commercial metro- polis. The situation of the town is by no means agreeable, being low and flat, while the neighborhood is beset by marshes and stagnant pools, which send forth a very oflensive perfume. Still the locality is considered healthy. I was glad, however, to learn from the king, that he intended to drain the marshes and pools, and to remove his own residence from its present dull, low, damp situation, to a more airy and conspicuous position overlooking the roadstead. The houses at Lahaina are neither so well built nor so comfortably furnished as those of Honolulu ; and both men and women seem to have been more con- taminated here by their intercourse with the whites, many of both sexes speaking our vulgar tongue, in its grossest and most offensive terms, with great fluency. The people of Lahaina are, moreover, evidently addicted to liquor, whereas, at Honolulu I did not, during the whole of my stay, observe a single instance of intoxication among the natives. Li the course of my ride I visited the high school, a substantial building well situated on the face of a hill, above the town. At this establishment, which I have already mentioned as being entirely under the management of the missionaries, there are about a hundred youths, varying in age from eight to twenty years ; and a large printing office, attached to the seminary, is constantly employed in publishing peri- odicals and books, partly written by natives, besides engravings and lithographs made by the pupils. The boys are comfortably lodged, two in a room, are well fed on their favorite poi, with a small season- SANDWICH ISLANDS, ETC. inj? of fish and moat, and are clothed, qnitc sufficiently in so warm a climate, in a shirt and the inaln. The younfjsters contribute, in a small de<^rec, to their own maintenance, hy devotin;? about two hours a day to agricultural and other labor ; but their condition, contentment, and conduct, evidently show, that so far from bein^ over-worked, they are kindly and liberally treated. Hitherto. as I have elsewhere mentioned, no other language than their own is spoken or studied; English, how- ever, is intended in due time to be introduced, now that the intercourse with Great liritain and the United States has become so extensive. Such of the young men as may evince a religious turn of mind, are to be sent forth as missionaries ; if moral, but not religious, they are to be employed as schoolmasters ; and if neither religious nor moral, they are taught trades and allowed to go free whenever they are so inclined. The teachers appeared to be steady, intelligent, and respectable per- sons, and to be well qualified for their arduous and important tasks. The hour for the entertainment of royalty now approached ; but his majesty proved to be indisposed. The big-mouthed queen, of course, did not come, any more than the mountain came to Mahomet ; but still our table mustered Haalilio, Keoni Ana, Kewini, Mr. Richards, Mr. Charlton, Mr. Pelly, and my own immediate party. After din- ner, which was a highly creditable affair, we all returned on shore ; and at night, Mr. Richards and myself again repaired, by special ap- pointment, to the premier, to have another conference of three or four hours on politics, while Mr. Charlton, partly from curiosity and partly from a suspicion of treason, was rendered quite restless and unhappy by being excluded from our confidence. Next morning I called on Mr. Richards, to peruse some papers pre- paring for England, which were to be put under my charge. At noon the papers in question were submitted to the king and premier, who then decided that, agreeably to a suggestion of mine, Mr. Richards should proceed to England as envoy, being for this purpose associated with the Governor and Deputy Governor of The Hudson's Bay Com- pany and myself; and that we should have authority to make arrange- ments, on behalf of the Hawaiian Government, not merely with Eng- land, but also with France, and the United States. Haalilio, according to a subsequent arrangement, accompanied Mr. Richards. This native chief attracted much attention in London, on account of his gentlemanly bearing and amiable disposition. But in his ease, as in that of Liho Liho and Kamehamalu, an ungenial climate soon did its work. Though he made his escape from England without having sensibly impaired his constitution, yet in the winter of 1843-4, this enlightened son of a bar- barous race died, on his homeward voyage, a few days after leaving New York, the commercial metropolis of the country, which had been mainly instrumental in rendering him what he was. He had caught cold, as there was reason to believe, while visiting me at Lachine in the previous autumn; and, within a few days before his embarkation, I had the melancholy satisfaction of seeing him with his doom written on his manly countenance. ( V 1 t .: ! ^i 70 SANDWICH ISLANDS, ETC. I spent the greater part of llie afternoon in company with the king. His majesty and suite dined with us on board of the ('owiitz, when we liad a very convivial party of about twelve. In the evening I visited Kahima, for whom I felt a lively concern ; she is said to possess strong afTections, and many amiable qualities, while the suspicion with respect to her infants, more particularly as it is cherished by herself as well as by the world, could not fail to render her an object of interest and commiseration. She was attended by several female chiefs of high blood, among whom was the wife of the gigantic Paki. Of these women there arc but few that speak English ; nor indeed are tongues essential to render those agreeable, who are such perfect mistresses of the Linguage of the eyes. Even among themselves I have watchod the native belles, I might almost say by the hour, while they were carry- ing on an animated conversation in dumb show; and, whether it was that the teachers were apt, or the task easy, or the pupil docile, I ^"und that even a perfect stranger might be made to understand and pract; e the art, after a single lesson. From all that 1 have observed, I cannot help thinking that a good deal of profound policy is displayed by the executive in the manage- ment of the chiefs. Kamehameha, as is well known, kept his grandees as much as possible under his own inspection, more particularly if they were disposed to be disaffected; and Kekauluohi and Kekuanaoa, the parties most deeply interested in the succession of Kinau's line, have contrived to improve on the great conquerer's plan by means of a divi- sion of labor, the latter holding fast the husbands, anrl the former monopolising the wives. After dark the king, the premier, Mr. Richards, and myself, met at the premier's ; and, on this occasion, the papers already mentioned, were delivered to me. About eleven o'clock, the king accompanied me to my quarters, where we spent the evening in great sociability and cordiality ; and, after we had got among the small hours, I returned with his majesty to the palace, where we found Haalilio engaged in study with a large volume before him. The forenoon of Thursday, the twenty-fourth of March, I employed in paying farewell visits. The premier was waiting my arrival, showily dressed for the occasion and surrounded by all the peeresses of her court. She thanked me kindly for the interest that I had taken in the affairs of her country, expressed an earnest wish to see me back among them, and desired her warmest regards to my wife, presenting to her, through me, a very handsome feather mantle, such as is worn only by royalty itself. Queen Kaluma, whom I next visited, likewise charged me with presents and good wishes for all the members of my family, obviously remembering her own bereavements when she spoke of my children. At noon the king, the secretary, Keoni Ana, Mr. Richards and others accompanied me to the ship; and, on our dmost immediately getting under way, I shook hands with my very kind friends of the Sandwich Islands, exchanged salutes with the fort, and returned the ^w ^A^ SANDWICir ISLANDS, ETC. 71 three hearty cheers which the king and his party gave us from t\\o boats. The change of temperature, as we proceeded to the northward, was very rapid, being ol)serval)h;, at least to our sensations, not only from day to day, but almost from hour to hour. First of all, (lies, mosqui- toes and insects began to disappear ; then wc found great coats, M'hilc we were on deck, anything but a burden ; and lastly wc reinforced our beds with a large increase of blankets. On the; fourth day after leaving Mowee, our recollections of the temperate zone were still more vividly refreshed by a storm of snow and sh^ct. This sudden transi- tion from a sunny sky and a balmy atmosphere to cold, damp and searching winds, seriously alFected tlie health of all on board, espe- cially of the poor Sandwich Islanders. Nor did the lower animals suffer less than the human beings. The catUe fell off from day to day, till they were mere skin and bone; and the goats remained close by the galley fire from morning to night, turning themselves round and round, as if roasting, in order to do equal justice to all parts of their bodies. On the morning of the twenty-second day from Lahaina, we were roused from our lethargy by the cheerful cry of " Land," and again came in sight of the rugged coast at the entrance of Norfolk Sound, witli Mount Edgecombe on the north, and Point Woodhousc on the south of the opening. Mount Edgecombe, so named by Captain Cook, is an excellent landmark for making the harbor of Sitka, rising from the water in the form of an almost perfect cone, and wearing a " diadem of snow" nearly all the year round. Though at present it exhibits no traces of internal fires, yet it has been an active volcano during the resi 'ence of some of the present inhabitants of New Arch- angel; and many indications in the neighboring country, such as earth- quakes, hot springs and occasional eruptions of smoke and ashes, tend to prove that the subterranean energy is not yet wholly extinct. A heavy squall of snow, which came on while we were entering the sound, rendered it impossible to see a quarter of a mile from the ves- sel, so that we were obliged to haul our wind and stand off for the night. Next morning, Saturday the IGth of April, we entered the sound, firing two guns, at the early hour of five, as a signal for a pilot. We soon received an answer in the shape of an old fellow, who, after doing honor to the indispensable dram, took charge of the Cowlitz. The channel appeared to be very intricate, winding among low islands covered with pines, which at present were almost buried in snow ; and it was not till we were close upon it, that the establishment of New Archangel suddenly burst on our view, with some ten or twelve vessels lying at anchor under its batteries. Before plunging into that colossal empire, whose length is to occupy an almost uninterrupted flight, for journey I cannot call it, of about five months, let me indulge in a brief retrospect of such portion of my wan- derings as I have happily accomplished. I have threaded my way round nearly half the globe, traversing about two hundred and twenty degrees of longitude and upwards of a hundred of latitude ; and in this :■'§ "t\ I '.«[ :}f^ SANDWICH ISLANDS, ETC. cirfuilous course I linvo spent more tlinn a year, I'ully three-fourths on the hiiul iiiul barely oite-t'ourth on tho ocean. NotwitliHtandingall thia, I huvu unirorinly felt more at hoiius with the exception of my first Hojourn at Sitka, than 1 should have hilt in Calais. 'J*u say nothing of having always found kindred society, I have everywhere seen our race, under a great variety of circumstances, either actually or virtually in- vested with tho attributes of sovereignty. I have seen the English citizens of a young republic, which has already doubled its original territory, without any visible or conceivable obstacle in the way of its indefinite extension; I have seen the English colonists of a conquered province, while the descendants of the first possessors, however infe- rior in wealth and influence, have every reason to rejoice in the defeat of their fathers; I have seen the English posts, that stud the wilderness from the Canadian Lakes to the Pacific Ocean; I have seen English adventurers, with that innate power which makes every individual, whether Briton or American, a real representative of his country, monopolizing the trade and infiucncing the destinies of Spanish Cali- fornia; and lastly I have seen the Engli.sh merchants and English missionaries of a Barbarian Archipelago, which promises, under their care and guidance, to become the centre of the traffic of the east and the west, of the New World and the Old. In seeing all this, I have seen less than the half of the grandeur of the English race. How insignificant in comparison are all the other nations of the earth, one nation alone excepted. With the paltry reservation of the Swedish Peninsula, Kussia and Great Britain literally gird the globe where either continent has the greatest breadth,— a fact which, when taken in connection with their early annals, can scarcely fail to be regarded as the work of a special providence. Hardly was the west- ern empire trodden under foot by the tribes that were commissioned for the task from the Rhine to the Amoor, when He, who systematically vindicates his own glory by the employment of the feeblest instruments, found in the unknown wilds of Scandinavia the germ of a northern hive of wider range and loftier aim. At once, as if by a miracle, a scanty and obscure people burst on the west and the east as the dominant race of the times; one swarm of Normans was finding its way through France to England, while another was establishing its supremacy over the Sclavonians of the Borysthenes, the two being to meet in opposite directions at the end of a thousand years. It is in this view of the matter that I have, in these pages, preferred the epithet English, as comprising both British and American, to the more sonorous form of Anglo-Saxon. The latter not only excludes the true objects of divine preference; but also, in excluding the Nor- mans, it loses sight of the co-operation of Russia as the appointed auxiliary of England in promoting, perhaps by different means, the grand cause of commerce and civilization, of truth and peace. Reflect- ing on the common origin and common destiny of Russians and Eng- lishmen, I ought to feel that I am still to be among friends and kinsmen. Even the very difference of language, while practically it makes me a rS-~if' SANDWICH ISLANDS, ETC. 73 stranger, Hcrvos to confirm my (U'diictions. In addition to tlir perma- nent conriucsts already mentioned, the Normans, an a mere epinodo in their liiHtory, rivaled (irecian and Italian lame on the soil of Italy and (Jrcecc; and yet, tlioujrii iinilormly victorious in all the climcvs ol Kiirope, they were never mimeroiis (Miouirh to enjfraft their own speech on that of those whont they suhdned. This un[)arall('led and incredi- ble success cannot he otherwise explained than hy lielieviny:, that the Normans were everywhere strenjjthened by The Almighty to accom- plish the universal purposed of his omniscience. HI ^■n ■va ji 74 .-.v I 4 J CHAPTER XIV. «f p : 1^1 1 fii&i' ?* ^ ^ ' 't M yi ft ff: ) ;?-i & ill' '^ SITKA. After receiving a hearty welcome from Governor Etholine, we pro- ceeded to the house assigned for our use, which was so near the sea that it might litemlly have been described, at high tide, as " surf- beaten." As we passed through the village, we appeared to be objects of much curiosity to the inhabitants, especially to the fair sex ; and out of every door and window there peeped forth faces of all possible degrees of unwashed dinginess, to take a survey of the strangers. The day of our arrival, which was Saturday with us, was, of course. Sunday at Sitka. Consequently no progress was made in the dis- charging of our vessel; and next morning both the officers and the men, whether through scruples of conscience or a spirit of patriotism. or the love of a holiday, strongly remonstrated against turning an English Sabbath into a Russian Monday. This, however, was too much ; so that, after assuring them, on the faith of the proverb, that at Rome they ought to do as the Romans did, I sent them to work, though very much against their own inclination. On the Friday after our landing, the Bishop of Sitka returned from Kodiak, distant about six hundred miles, after a run of five days. His outward voyage, ^lowever, had occupied precisely four weeks, this un- usual detention having led to a good deal of privation, more particu- larly as the vessel was crowded with passengers : the daily allowance of water had been gradually reduced to one pint for each person ; and, on anchoring at Kodiack, the whole of the remaining stock consisted of a single bottle. This prelate's diocese is, perhaps, the most exten- sive in existence, comprising, as it does, not only the whole of Rus- sian America, but also the Sea of Ochotsk, Kamschatka, and the Aleu- tian Archipelagos. He looks as if intended by nature for the bishopric of two worlds, being a man of Herculean frame ; and the specimen of his travels which I have just mentioned, shows that he is likely to need all his constitution for an episcopal visitation. Finding that the vessel in which I was to proceed to Ochotsk, would not sail till two or three weeks later than I had been led to expect, 1 was anxious to employ the intermediate month as usefully as possible; and as Governor Etholine kindly afforded me the use of the Russian steamer to tow the Cowlitz on her way to the Columbia, though the more intricate and dangerous portion of the inland navigation, I deter- mined to embrace the opportunity which this arrangement gave me, ot visiting our establishments of Tako and Stikine, , . SITKA. 75 ■i-^M Leaving New Archangel on the day after that of the hishop's arrival, we passed through Peril Straits into Chatham Sound, and, without having halted in the night, anchored at Tako next evening about seven. After shipping furs and getting a supply of fuel, we again started at noon of the following day. By daybreak on Monday, the twenty-fifth of April, we were in Wrangell's Straits; and towards evening, as we approached Stikine, my apprehensions were awakened 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 McLaughlin, junr., the gentle- man recently in charge. On the night of the twentieth 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 were fired, by one of which Mr. McLaughlin fell. My arrival with two vessels at this criti- cal juncture, was 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, deprived, as it was, of its head, and gar- risoned by men in a state of complete insubordination; and, if the fort had fallen, not only would the whites, twenty-two in number, have been destroyed, but the stock of ammunition and stores would have made the captors dangerous to the other establishments on the coast. In fact, it was to the treacherous ferocity of the neighboring tribes that the recent catastrophe was indirectly to be imputed, inasmuch as the disposition in question rendered necessary such a strictness of disci- pline as would, in a great measure, account for Mr. McLaughlin's pre- mature death. From the depositions of the men, I ascertained beyond a doubt, that a Canadian of the name of Urbain Heroux had discharged the fatal shot. How to bring the fellow to justice, that was the question. In my opinion, the jurisdiction of Canada, as established by 43 Geo. 3, ch. 138, and 1 &; 2 Geo. 4, ch. 06, did not extend to Russian Ame- rica; and, on the other hand, I knew that the Russians had no court of criminal jurisdiction in America, while, at the same time, I was i)y no means certain, that even if they had such a tribunal, they would take any cogni/aiice of a crime that did not concern them. Under these cir- cumstances, I dotermined to take Heroux with me to Sitka, a step whicli, besides being, at all events, a lesser evil than letting him go free, appeared to oifer the only chance of making the man atone, in some degree, for his ofl^ence. Having so far settled this matter, I demanded from four of the neighboring chiefs, with whom I had an interview, some explanation with respect to their designs on the establishir.ent; and they, while re- pudiating any imputation of the kind for themselves, admitted that an attack on the fort had been recommended by some rash youths, but had been opposed by the wiser and older heads. I congratulated them on not having ccnimitted any overt act of hostility, assuring them that, in that case, they would have been most severely punished both by the Russians and by ourselves. The chiefs replied, that in future they :?.;:ril "}■-,, i •■/.' : 76 SITKA. » would so conduct themselves as to merit our entire approbation, and Avould be security against any attacks on the part of any of the neigh- boring tribes. I farther took this opportunity uf preparing the natives for a measure, which The Hudson's Bay Company was most anxious to introduce in this quarter, and which it had already introduced else- where with the happiest results, namely, the discontinuance of the use of spirituous liquor in the trade. I placed the establishment under the charge of Mr. Dodd, chief mate of the Cowlitz, a young man in whom I had much confidence, giving him, as assistant, one Blenkinsop, who, though merely a common sailor, was of regular habits, and possessed a good education. On the northwest coast dense forests of pine reach the water's edge, both on the continent and on the islands, whence might be drawn masts and spars of the finest timber and largest dimensions; and such wood is peculiarly abundant about Stikine, where there is also a species of cypress, which, from its durability and lightness, is almost unequaled for boat-building. Little or no attention has hitherto been bestowed on the subject of turning this natural wealth to useful account ; but I now gave orders that a number of logs and spars, both of cypress and pine, should be prepared for shipment, so as to be always in readiness to be conveyed by any of our vessels, as opportu- nities might occur, to our depot at Vancouver. Every arrangement having been completed, we weighed anchor at dawn on Thursday, the twenty-eighth ; and after both vessels had ex- changed salutes with the fort, the steamer towed the Cowlitz out from the anchorage, and, on casting her off, we returned straightway to Sitka without touching again at Tako. We anchored the first night at Point Fanshaw in Prince Frederick's Sound, and the second in Peril Straits, deriving their name from their dangerous shoals, and also from the circumstance that a great many Aleutian hunters and their families were here poisoned by eating muscles. During our voyage % good deal of snow fell ; and the weather was altogether very disagreeable, with a heavy sea on. But, notwithstanding this, the steamer, when she had the wind in her favor, performed six or seven knots an hour — very fair work, considering that, like the river-boats of the Uriied States, she had her cabin and a great part of her machinery on deck. She was commanded by a very active and intelligent man. Captain Lindenberg, with an American engineer of the name of Moore, an ex- cellent pilot, who acted also as first mate, a purser or supercargo, and a crew, including the assistant engineer and the stokers, of twenty-two, making in all the number of twenty-six men. Having now taken farewell of the new style for some months, 1 shall hereafter adopt the Russian calendar, while the English reader can, of course, rectify any date merely by adding twelve days. We reached Sitka about nine in the morning on Sunday, the eighteenth of April, being, according to the reckoning of the Cowlitz, Saturday, the thirtieth. All the people were decked out in their best clothes ; and many of them, even at that early hour, were quite tipsy. In short, it was Easter Sunday, a festival celebrated with extraordinary solemnity SITKA. 77 in the Greek Church, wherever its celebration is not absolutely impos- sible. A striking instance of this, and that, too, of a somewhat aflecting character, occurs in the account of my friend Baron Wrangell's north- ern voyages. I quote the very words of the translation, premising that the worshipers were out of sight of land, beset by fissures in the ice, impassable hummocks and open water, with the additional discom- forts of wearied dogs and broken sledges : " The tenth was Easter-day, kept as a festival throughout the whole Christian world, but especially so in Russia. "We joined in the prayers of our far distant friends by the prescribed service, which was read by M. Bereshnoi, and the hymns were sung by our Cossacks and sledge-drivers. A block of ice was carved to represent an altar, and the only wax-light we pos- sessed was burnt in front of it. The day was one of rest and refresh- ment to all; our festive fare was frugal enough; we had reserved for it a few reindeers' tongues, and a little brandy ; a much greater treat was a small fire, kept up during great part of the day." From midnight till four in the morning a grand service had been performed by the bishop and his priests, at the conclusion of which the revels had begun in good earnest. On reaching Governor Etho- line's residence, I was ushered into the banqueting room, where a large party was just rising from the remains of a substantial breakfast. There were present the bishop and priests, the Lutheran clergyman, the naval uiT ers, the secretaries, accountants, store keepers, clerks, masters an;' •:■ >• of vessels, to the number of about seventy, while on the outsid (. < le circle there were ranged about fifty boys belong- ing to the naval school. Every person was arrayed either in uniform or at least in his Sunday's best ; and altogether such a display was hardly to have been expected on the northwest coast of America. The only drawback to the hilarity, which a hearty meal was sure to inspire after a fast of six weeks, was the absence of Madam Etholine, who had been confined to her bed for several days. At the usual hour of one o'clock, about fifty of the guests again assembled to dinner, which went oflf with great eclat; and the rest of the day was passed with the assistance of coffee, smoking, chatting and billiards, while the good folks of the village, in the very best of humors, made quite a business of dancing, singing, and carousing. From morning till night we had to run a gauntlet of kisses. When two persons met, one said "Christ has risen," while the other replied yes, surely " he has risen;" and then came the salutations, some of them certainly pleasant enough, but many of them, even when the per- formers were of the fair sex, perhaps too highly flavored for perfect comfort. In plain truth, most of the dames of the village had been more liberal of some other liquids than of clean water. Another custom of the Greek church, at this season, reminded me of a similar practice in some parts of Scotland. People carry about with them a number of eggs boiled into stones, either dyed, or gilded, or painted, for the purpose of presenting them to their friends ; and the party, who receives one of them as a gift, either makes an immediate return in kind or gives the donor a trifling acknowledgment on some I'- ' Ju I l--^ ' ^ul ^. • >v n - 1' « "Ir t '■^? 'i ,\: ni ^ A .i'.p 78 SITKA. '■ SITKA. 86 with the prospect before her of a danfrerous voynsfc to Oohotsk, and an equally dangerous ride of seven thousand miles to St. Petersburjf. I sincerely trust that for all these hardships she may be rewarded by a reconciliation with her friends, who, notwithstandinjj their high blood and high titles, have no reason to be ashamed of this fallen member of their stock. The Constantino was commanded by Mr. Kashiooaroff, a lieutenant of the second class in the imperial navy, with a crew of two mates and eighteen seamen. By the regulations of the Russian American Company, every nautical ofTicer has an allowance for the table, a cap- tain receiving fifty roubles a month, and a mate twenty-five. This system might, I think, be introduced with very great advantage into the commercial marine generally. At present, a skipper is hospitable at his owner's cost, giving dinners, balls, &c., very mucii on the principle of the man. Will), out of his gront ]x)unty, Built a bridgo ut tho expoiiso of the county. But if the host had to supply everything himself, out of a limited sum, he would waste less of the ship's time in convivial entertainments. On the fourth of the montii, the Ochotsk sailed for Oonalashka, and some other neighboring stations. She had the good bishop as a pas- senger for her first-mentioned destination, whence the Bichal was to convey him to Kamschatka. She was also carrying Lieutenant Zago- iskin to Norton Sound, who was thence to explore the interior as far as Bristol Bay on the one side, and on the other to examine the Quah- pak, a large river falling into Beering's Straits. The object of this ex- pedition, was to occupy the country by posts, in order to protect the trade from theSchuktchi of Siberia, who cross the straits every summer to traffic with the American Indians, carrying their furs, ivory, &c., to the fair of Ostrovnoye, and there receiving in exchange, various articles, but more particularly, tobacco, as the means of prosecuting the next season's trip. The fair in question is held on the Lesser Aniuy, which falls through the Greater Aniuy into the Kolyma ; and it is described, in a very lively manner, in the Journal of Captain Cochrane, who had attended it with the view, in which, however, he failed, of penetrating to Beering's Straits, through the country of the Schuktchi. These mercantile savages are certainly very clever fellows, being equal, if not superior, to the Russian dealers, according to the gallant traveler just named. They are first-rate judges of tobacco ; and, what is almost incredible, they can weigh a pood of it in their hands, without artificial aid, accurately enough to detect any attempt whatever at imposition. In their eyes, tobacco is peculiarly valuable, as the grand instrument, at once of pleasure and of business ; and, in Baron Wrangell's Travels, one chief is mentioned, who declared, that the emperor, in return for some information that he had given, could not possibly make him so happy, with anything else, as with a sack of the precious weed, and an iron kettle. At some points, Beering's Straits are only forty-five miles 19 width, ■•1 Vjf >1 f ■■-Si III 1 U:l» 86 SITKA. iii ^ mmmtmt^ with a nhnin of islanda, like so m;my Htepping stonoH, cxtcruling from Hliure to Hhoro, the loii^cHt travorMo not being more tliun hcvvii inilcH; 80 that the navigation is praciieahle, even for small canoes. In the general appeiaranco of the two coasts, there is a marked difrerence, the western side being low, flat, and sterile, while the eastern is well wood- »?d, and in every respect better adapted than the other, for the susten- ance both f man and beast. Moreover, the soil and climate improve rapidly on the American shore, as one descends ; and at (Jook's Inlet, potatoes may be raised with ease, though they hardly ripen in any pari of Kamschatka, which extends nearly ten degrees farther to the south. As, in addition to the advantages of cultivation, deer, fish, game, and hay, are abundant. The Company contemplates the forming of a settle- ment here, for the reception of its old servants. In the neighborhood, on an island near Kodiak, there is plenty of good coal, used both for the hearth, and for the forge, though it is objectionable for the latter purpose, as producing too great a quantity of ashes. In point of climate in general, there is nearly the same difTnrcnro between the western shore of America and the eastern shore of Asia, as there is between the western shore of Europe and the eastern shore of America. In both cases the same cause exists to produce the same effect. In the temperate latitudes, the prevailing wind is from the west, being a kind of counter-current to the easterly trades of the tropics ; and, with reference to this physical fact, the leeward coast of either continent must be colder, at least in winter, than the windward one, inasmuch as the former receives its atmosphere across an enor- mous zone of frozen soil, and the latter across a considerable brcadtli of open water. But, in addition to this common ground of superiority, a great part of Russian America possesses an advantage peculiar to itself in being shelleree' from the northerly gales. Reckoning upward;; from Mount St. Elias or even from Cross Sound, the more southerly half of the coast, comprising, of course. Cook's Inlet already men- tioned, runs pretty nearly east and west, screened towards the interior, within a very short distance from the sea, by a wall of mountains. To place in the most striking light, the contrast in point of climate between the opposite shoies of each continent, Kamschatka and the British Isles may be said, with sufficient accuracy for this purpose, to lie in the same latitudes and to present the same area, and even to occupy the same position with respect to the proximity of water; and yet, while the British Isles, from their own agricultural resources, feed at least twenty-five millions of their inhabitants, Kamschatka, with the help of extraneous supplies, can barely prevent its popula- tion of four thousand souls from starving. How difTerent the history of man would have been, if Providence had made these two extremi- ties of the Old World exchange climates, merely by causing the tropical trades to blow from the west, and the counter-currents of the tempe- rate zones to blow from the east, or, to express the same thing, I ap- prehend, in other words, merely by reversing the direction of the earth's daily revolution. Soon after my return from the baths, I witnessed an Indian scene, ^"I'l- SITKA. 87 » ■,- Indian scene, which surpaflflod in wiUhiOHs anythiiiir of tht; kind that I had ovtT seen. In th(! native* villa^o, whirh lii>» under thc^uiiN of th*' fort, two flava^oH, the on(! a hi^h chief .md tlie other a man of t'onit; c'ont*e(|uence but still inferior in rank to Win companion, had (|uarreled over their eups; and, in the .scullle that ennued, the former had rihiin thi! hitter by Blab- bing him through the lungs with his dagger. 'Vlui party of the de- ccaHcd, to the number of about a thouHand men, immediately turned out witli horrible yells to revenge his death, painted in the most liide- ous manner and armed with all sorts of weapons, such as spears, bludgeons, dirks and firearms, while the women, more ferocious, if possible, than the warriors theiniiclvcs, w(!re exciting the tumultuary band to actual violence by the most fiendish screams and gestures. From the battery, where v i' had all taken our stand to watch the pro- ceedings, (fovernor E'lioliiie endeavored, but in vain, to appease the fury of the mob; happily, however, the approach of night jirevented the immediate commencement of the civil war. IJy six in the morn- ing I was roused from my l»ed by information, that, with a new day before them, the friends of the deceased were determined to carry their threats of the preceding afternoon into execution. The scene, when we were all again collected on the battery, wou d beggar descrijC tion, — several thousands of all ages and both sexes, unac'ustor.ed at any time to put the slightest restraint on their passions, and now mad- dened into demons, most of them with arms, parUy by tlieir own vin- dictivcness and partly by the exhortations of their schamans oi priests. The chief's life was demanded as an atonement, i)ut refused by hii party as being of more value than that of the person slain. At iiifi point the Governor and the Bishop interposed on behalf of b** chief, as being a baptized member of the church, while, by way jf u eking the remonstrance, the guns of the battery, already pointed i the right direction, were made ready for action. This strong hint in favor of a compromise was not lost. The parties met with a loud wur-whoop; for a minute or two a clashing of arms was heard ; and, when both sides simultaneously receded from the spot, we beheld the bodies of two slaves that had been sacrificed in lieu of the chief. The ig- noble blood of the unfortunate substitutes, — quantity making up for quality, — was accepted as a satisfactory adjustment of the feud; and the village again resumed its wonted appearance. By the by, the combatants wore, as defensive armor, leathern jerkins and wooden cuirasses, which protected the body down to th^ knees against spears but not against bullets. This scene of violence, and the recent tragedy ai iStikine, both events being clearly the result of drinking to intoxication, determined Go- vernor Etholine and myself, on behalf of oi'* respective companies, to discontinue the use of spirituous liquors ir trading with the natives of this coast; and we immediately enteieJ into an agreement to that effect, which was to come into operation at Sitka from the date of signature, and at every other post from the day on which it might be- come known. The practice of selling spirits to Indians, was adopted at Sitka by the Russians, in the year 1832, in order to protect them- ■.' 1 r ■'m -i ;t :, 3 88 SITKA. H:f selves against some American adventurers, who had introduced the liquid fire; and it was in consequence of a similar necessity, that The Hudson's Bay Company was induced to countenance the pernicious system. Everywhere, in fact, competition and rum go hand in hand, in trafficking with aboriginal tribes, while an exclusive privilege gives its possessor a palpable interest in preventing intemperate habits, as the unfailing source of the savage's moral and physical deterioration. At the more northerly posts on the continent, and generally through- out the islands, the Russians did not use spirituous liquors. Even at Sitka, they were intending gradually to withhold the means of intoxi- cation from their own servants. Such a measure would have been impracticable previously to the arrangement, which had just been com- pleted, inasmuch as many of the thirstier souls, when stinted in the shop, often purchased the needful from the savages, at a ruinous ad- vance, of course, on what the sellers had themselves paid. Even now an immediate abolition would be by no means advisable, as most o*" the best artisans, if condemned to be sober, would as soon as possible quit so dry a service, and thus involve the company in a considerable amount of expense and inconvenience. Some reformation certainly was wanted in this respect, for 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 particular, of which, Sundays included, there are one hundred and sixty-five in the year, men, women, and even children, were to be seen staggering about in all directions. The treaiy between Governor Etholine and myself was speedily put to the test. In order to drown all remains of former animosity in an- other debauch, the savages made application, as a matter of course, for a sufficient quantity of rum. Judge the astonishment of the poor crea- tures on learning, that without their own consent, we had been making them take ♦he pledge of total and perpetual abstinence. They retired in sullen silence ; and we had no doubt that many a grave council would be held on the northwest coast, to devise means of removing the obnoxious restriction. , The aborigines of America, as the reader must have gathered from these details, are not subjects of Russia in tlio same sense as the abo- rigines of Siberia and the intervening islands. They do not exhibit that badge of servitude which, having been introduced by the earliest con- querors, has traveled eastward from the Gulf of Finland to Beering's Straits. A tribute in skins was exacted by Rurick and his Normans, from the Sclavonians on Lak^s Ilmen and Ladoga ; a similar Yassack formed the temptation, and the reward of the Cossacks, who, with un- daunted courage and unwearied patience, subdued tribe after tribe to the eastward, following every river in Siberia to its own sea ; and even the same acknowledgment of vassalage is annually rendered at the fair of Ostrovnoye by the Schuktchi, through whose territory not a single servant of the government has ever penetrated by force. Thus, curi- ously enough, the fur trade has been, for ten centuries, the pervad- ing thread of Russian politics, as well as of Russian commerce, from the Baltic to the Sea of Kamschatka, from the Altai Mountains to the Frozen Ocean. SITKA. 89 While I was at New Archangel, a funeral took place among the Kaluscians, the name of the tribe inhabiting the native village. Tiie body, arrayed in the gayest apparel of the deceased, lay in state for two or three days, which were spent by the relatives in fasUngs and lamentations. At the end of this period it was placed on a funeral pile, round which the mourners ranged themselves, their faces painted black, their hair clipped short and their heads covered with eagles' down. The pipe was next passed round two or three times ; and then, at some secret signal, the lire was kindled in several places, while a dis- cord of drumming and wailing deafened one till the pile was con- sumed. Lastly, the ashes were collected into an ornamented box, which was ultimately to be elevated on a scalfold or on the top of a pole. On the side of a neighboring hill, we saw a vast number of these monuments, which presented a very curious appearance. The Kaluscians are a numerous tribe, their language being spoken all the way to the northward from Stikine as far as Admiralty Bay, near Mount St. Elias ; thence to Prince William's Sound is another language ; and four or five more languages divide between them the coast up to Icy Cape. New Archangel, notwithstanding its isolated position, is a very gay place. Much of the time of its inhabitants is devoted to festivity ; din- ners and balls run a perpetual round, and are managed in a style which, in this part of the world, may be deemed extravagant. Amongst other gayeties, that took place during my visit, was a wedding between one PaufofF, mate of a vessel, and a rather good-looking creole girl, about twenty years old and named Archimanditoffra. Attended by their friends, and the principal inhabitants of the establishment, the happy couple proceeded about six in the evening to church, where a tedious service of an hour and a half, was solemnized by the monk. At the close of the ceremony, which comprised lully the usual proportion of dumb-show, the bridegroom led off his bride to the ball-room. I was foing to say that he was followed by his guests; but the expression would have been incorrect, for the guests were not his. The sufferer in these cases, according to the rule made and provided in Russia, is the individual, who has enjoyed the honor of giving away the lady — an honor which, however unpleasant in itself or in its incidents, no man is expected to decline. Archimanditoffra's father, for the occa- sion, was Lieutenant Bertram, one of the company's principal officers. On entering the ball-room, the bride and bridegroom took their station at the upper end, where Lieutenant Bertram described a variety of mystic signs on their breasts with the bridal cake, which, being thus consecrated, was sent off as fit for use. The newly married pair sat side by side, while every gentlemar, in his turn, drank to their health and happiness in a glass of champagne. On this occasion were assembled nearly all the beauty and fashion of Sitka, the latter quality, if I may presume to offer an opinion, being perhaps more conspicuous than the fornier. The ladies were showily attired in clear muslin dresses, w'aite satin shoes, silk stockings, kid gloves, fans and all other necessary or unnecessary appendages ; aa-X T ;j|^j]| ■i ■'■ *.^ffl ' ' Ml » k'-sIS; "•iVf 'U. ••l! * ■ "■'•■■' . -. vi • '. >'," . irt. ^ : V 'CM .: il { ' « :*' ■ ' '■'':. ;j ■ ■f i---^\ J .•'!". 90 SITKA. ■V 'ih^; these fair ones enjoyed the advantage of being at a high premium, in- asmuch as the gentlemen, who amounted to about fifty, outnumbered them in the proportion of nearly two to one. The ball was opened by the bride and the highest officer present ; quadrilles and waltzes followed in quick succession ; and the business was kept up with great spirit till three o'clock in the morning. The band was of a superior description, some of the clerks and servants being fine performers, who exerted themselves to the utmost. The master and paymaster of the ceremonies did his duty like a prince. Tea, coffee, chocolate, and champagne were handed about in profusion, varied, at proper intervals, with sandwiches and liqueurs, while a smoking room, besides being a necessary of life to many, afforded a place of retreat to all such as did not wish to take part in the dancing. On these matrimonial occasions, the father of the bride, however hard his lot, gets off much more cheaply than some of the other aux- iliaries in the drama. According to a law of the church, the brides- maids and bridesmen are prohibited from marrying each other; but as, in the limited society of New Archangel where the lottery consists of so few tickets, youths and maidens would never officiate together on such forbidding terms, the church has indulged Sitka with a special dispensation in this respect. At length the day arrived, Sunday the ninth, on which I was to bid adieu to the New World. Governor Etholine, being punctual in all his engagements, had, according to appointment, completed everything in time for the vessel to sail this afternoon. At eleven in the forenoon, I accompanied him on board of the Alexander, on his usual visit of inspection previously to her taking her departure ; and on this grand occasion, all the men and officers were dressed in full uniform, while the vessel and all her appurtenances were in complete order. We were formally received at the gangway, under a salute, by Captain Kadnikoff, and found on deck a monk and two assistants waiting to bless the ship for her long voyage. When prayers had been read below, the monk returned on deck, and, after pronouncing the custom- ary form of words, sprinkled the flag, which was lowered for the pur- pose, with holy water, as also the mainmast and crew, using in the ceremony a silver-handled brush of elaborate workmanship. The peo- ple having been inspected by Governor Etholine, a basin of thl?hien's soup was brought for him to taste, which, though to my eye rather washy and transparent, he pronounced to be excellent. The ship's company amounted a all to thirty-six, consisting of the captain, two mates, a pilot, boatswain and boatswain's mate, gunner and gunner's mate, and twenty-eight seamen, all man-of-war's-men, and decidedly the stoutest body of fellows that I ever saw. In addition to the crew there were four supernumerary boys belonging to the naval school of Sitka, who had been placed on board to acquire some practical know- ledge of their future profession. A very elegant cold collation had been provided by the captain, of which about twenty of us partook, washing it down with abundance of champagne ; and, when we re- turned to the establishment, I was much pleased again to see Madame Etholine for the first time since I started in the Cowlitz for Stikine. SITKA. 91 The farewell dinner to which about thirty of us sat down, exceeded in sumptuousness anything that I had yet seen even at the same hospitable board. The glass, the plate, and the appointments, in general, wore very costly ; the viands were excellent ; and (Jovernor Etholinc played the part of host to perfection. After dinner I took, for the last time, my accustomed walk with the governor by the only path, which, owing to tiie swampy character of the neighborhood, is at all practicable, wind- ing on the beach round a small bay till intercepted by what is called the Little River. During this walk I took leave of several of my old friends, particularly of Kathrine, the acknowledged belle of the place, who, though the tailor's daughter, has a host of suitors of all ranks. A dense fog, which came on after dinner, prevented our immediate departure ; but, as all my baggage had been sent on board during the day, I went off to the vessel to sleep. The passengers by the Alex- ander were my own party, and an officer of the Russian American Company, besides the clerks who had charge of the valuable cargo of furs. Next forenoon the continuance of the thick weather afforded an opportunity to our friends to pay us farewell visits ; and I had the pleasure of receiving in ray new quarters, the governor and his con- fidential secretary Mr. Teil, the two doctors, Lieutenant Villachkoffsky, and several others. The fog soon dispersing, the anchor was weighed ; and with deep regret I bade adieu, probably for the last time in life, to the kind-hearted denizens of Sitka, and more especially to their cour- teous and hospitable chief. The unremitting attentions of all had made me regard them rather as brothers than as strangers ; and I felt that I should long cherish the recollection of the many happy hours that I had enjoyed among them. We were towed out of the harbor by the Nicholas steamer, while the Moore tug accompanied us for a short distance with Governor Edioline and several of our other visitors on board, who, before putting d^t, gave us nine hearty cheers, which we returned with interest. Inpassing we saluted the fort with seven guns ; and about one in the afternoon the steamer cast us off, and, cheering us as she departed, left us to perform a voyage of eighty-two degrees of longitude and nearly twenty of latitude. Having now fairly lost sight of New Archangel, let me once more record thy thanks to Governor Etholine and his staff of highly enlight- ened officers for all the civility and politeness, which they lavished on me even at this the busiest season of their year; and, if circumstances had permitted me to prolong my stay among them till the busde was all over, they would doubtless, as their kindness evidently came from the heart, have surpassed themselves in hospitality and friendship. Speaking, by the by, of the season, the pressure of work in spring has reference rather to Ochotsk, which is seldom accessible before the end of June according to the old style, than to Sitka itself, which is one of the very few harbors in the empire that are open all the year round. As the wind was free, an hour brought us abreast of Mount Edge- combe, which, independently of a grandeur peculiarly its own, we continued to watch with considerable interest, as being the last land ia our wake. » If: .V >! m ■«,? %, i-m fim 92 CHAPTER XV. ii' VOYAGE TO OCHOTSK. Throughout the voyage the winds, as is almost constantly the case here in summer, were remarkably variable, seldom holding longer than twenty-four hours in one direction ; and the weather was so calm and the swell so gentle, that, between the middle of May and the end of August, an open boat might traverse these seas in safety. The greatest order and quiet prevailed on board, all the duties beins performed with the regularity of clock-work. Our mess was small, consisting of Captain Kadnikofr,my own party, and the officer already mentioned, while Mr. Bagenot, the supercargo, had a general invitation to join us; and on Sundays our circle was increased by the addition of the first and second mates, the ship's clerk, and the purser. Having an abundant supply of provisions, and a cook who was a master of his art, we fared sumptuously on board of the Alexander. On the sixteenth of the month, being our first Sunday at sea, the people were all mustered for inspection; and Captain Kadnikoff in full uniform, after exchanging something like "good morning" witii the men, reminded them in a few words, that, though they were in the employment of the company, they yet also served the Emperor, the great master of all. Divine service was then performed in the 'tween decks, illuminated for the occasion by wax candles, and embellished with some image or other, while the congregation, which consisted of all and sundry, kept crossing and bowing with little or no intermission from first to last. Though the Alexander did not carry a chaplain of her own, yet she happened to have a priest on board, who had been degraded at Sitka for drunkenness. Having been kept sober on pur- pose, our reverend friend went through the duty in the most impressive manner, being a man of commanding appearance, with a voice of sur- passing mellowness and strength. By noon on the following Wednesday, we had reached the longi- tude of Kodiak, the first of the chain of isles that connects the two continents, and the latitude of Cape Lopatka, the most southerly point of Kamschatka, having run about a hundred and eighty miles before a southeaster in the preceding twenty-four hours. To put us in still bet- ter spirits, we perceived, in the course of the afternoon, a large ship looming through the fog within a few hundred yards of us. On our nearer approach we distinguished the stars and stripes, while her stock of boats told her business as plainly as her flag indicated her nation; and, on passing close under her stern, we read her name, " Parachute VOYAGE TO OCHOTSK. 93^ , * ,v.?! mstantly the case Iding longer than was so cahn and ' and the end of ;ty. 1 the duties beins mess was small, le officer already general invitation by the addition purser. Having is a master of his inday at sea, the iin Kadnikoff in morning" with they were in the le Emperor, the led in the 'tween and embellished ich consisted of rno intermission ry a chaplain of , who had been pt sober on pur- most impressive h a voice of sur- ached the longi- onnects the two t southerly point y miles before a )ut us in still bet- on, a large ship of us. On our while her stock ated her nation; me, " Parachute of New Bedford." On our firing a gun, both vessels backed their maintopsails for a parley. A boat was lowered by the American, and a man, whom we had no reason to consider as a skipper, scrambled up annong us. According to his account, the Parachute had been out nineteen months, and had got 2200 barrels of oil, 1500 of them the produce of thirteen right whales, taken last summer between lats. 49° and 56° and longs. 140° and 152°; at the close of the season she had been within thirty miles of the southeastern corner of Kodiak, having thence proceeded by way of California, fishing as she went with very little success, to the Equator, where she caught four sperm whales; she had again, within these few days, reached her old ground, described by our informant as the best at present known, expecting to have about two hundred competitors this year instead of the fifty that she had had last; she had twenty-seven men on board, all engaged on lays or shares, and had lost two i;r. the preceding summer from the stroke of a whale; finally, she had a captain of the name of Wilcox, who gloried in being a real " teetotaller." Singularly enough, we were able to ofTer to the good ship Parachute more than an equivalent in kind for her bit of autobiography. In con- versation with my servant one of her mates discovered that, in travel- ing from Boston to Montreal, we had changed horses at his father's house, at Richmond in Vermont, thus bringing the poor fellow intelli- gence of his relatives later by eight or nine months than what he him- self possessed. Under the circumstances, the recognition, if I may so speak, was as agreeahle as it was unexpected. Captain Kadnikoflf having asked our communicative visitor whether he would drink, Jonathan promptly replied, " I guess I don't care if I do;" but, when presented accordingly witii half a tumbler of rum on deck, he appeared to have changed his mind, saying, "I guess I don't care if I don't." Suspecting the cause of his refusal, I suggested to Captain Kadnikofl* to ask him below ; and our shaggy friend, after half an hour's chat, returned to the Parachute, to say nothing of a few bundles of Manillas in his pocket, with a tumbler or two of port in his stomach — pretty well for Captain Wilcox, the real "teetotaller," in his own proper person. From Captain Kadnikoff and other persons acquainted with these waters, I have learnt that whales of huge size, some of them a hundred and twenty feet in length, are extremely numerous in the Sea of Kam- schatka, ati.l about the Aleutian Islands; and that they are frequently killed by the natives by means of spears and arrows shod with stone. As these whales are by far too large to be dragged to land by the savages, the plan is merely to wound the monster as seriously as pos- sible, and then to trust to the winds to strand him in a few days. On or before the third day he generally dies, for, however powerful to resist his persecutors at the moment of attack, the whale, when wound- ed, is by no means tenacious of life, in proportion to his size and strength. To return to Captain Wilcox's story, it is surprising that the RuiSfeian Government allows its coasts to be scoured, in the way described, by M ^ F-- h^^ IN' Ik 94 VOYAGE TO OCHOTSK. 'W fleets of foreign vessels. Every state is surely entitled to the fisheries of her own shores ; and moreover, with respect to the particular fish- ery in question, all the whales in the ocean must soon be exterminated, if those, who have no permanent interest in preserving them, to control their temporary interest in destroying them, are permitted to pursue, into its most secret haunts, an animal, which, besides being too large to hide itself, multiplies so slowly. Next morning, the wind fell oflT to a dead calm, which continued all day, with a good deal of sea-weed, some gulls, and two whales around the ship. In consequence of the presence of the sea-weed, a cast of the lead was taken ; but no bottom was found with a hundred fathoms. We were here told of an unknown island, supposed to exist about a hundred miles to the north of our position, and I give the story, as I got it, not on account of the island itself, but on account of the circum- stance that is said to have led to the alleged discovery. Though the aborigines of the islands between Asia and America, were found to live, according to their own expression, as the otters and seals lived, yet they were, through the influence of Russian Missionaries, gradually so far weaned from this habit of promiscuous intercourse, as to see it in its true light. In this improved state of public feeling, an Aleutian and his daughter, who had committed incest together about two years ago, found themselves to be outcasts among their own people, and, pushing off" in a baidarka from Kodiak, they paddled steadily to the southward for four days, till they came to an island which was previously un- known. After a year's sojourn, they returned to Kodiak ; and, in con- sequence of their report, a vessel was dispatched to search, but in vain, for this terra australis incognita. It is not uncommon for the Aleutians, to make long voyages in their small baidarkas, often going fifty or sixty miles from land, to hunt the sea otter. For this purpose, they keep together in fleets of perhaps a hundred baidL.rkas each. Proceeding in calm weather to some spot, known to be a favorite haunt of the animal, they form their little ves- sels, end to end, in a line ; and, as soon as any symptoms of the game are perceived, a single canoe approaches, while, if all is right, one of its two inmates holds up his paddle, as a signal for the others to range themselves in a circle, round the spot. Meanwhile the creature must rise to breathe ; and no sooner does he show his nose, than oflT fly the arrows of the nearest hunters. If he escapes, as is generally the case, from the first attack, another ring is formed round the place where he may be expected again to appear; and so the process is continued, till the victim is exhausted and destroyed. All these movements are executed with an incredible degree of silence, the hunters being so skilful, as to prevent even the dip of the paddles, from being heard by the object of their pursuit. These distant expeditions are not unattended with danger. The bai- darka, being merely a frame of bones, with a covering of skins, cannot withstand the action of the^ water for many days on end ; and if it springs a leak, or is otherwise injured, its tenants have hothing but cer- tain and immediate death before them, for no other vessel can take to the fislicrics 1 particular fish- »e exterminated, tlieiii, to control itted to pursue, being too large ih continued all I whales around -weed, a cast of mdrcd fathoms. exist about a the story, as I It of the circum- r. Though the ire found to live, seals lived, yet ies, gradually so IS to see it in it3 an Aleutian and ; two years ago, lie, and, pushing o the southward 3 previously un- ak ; and, in con- rch, but in vain, voyages in their md, to hunt the ts of perhaps a to some spot, their little ves- >ms of the game is right, one of others to range B creature must than off fly the lerally the case, place where he s continued, till nts are executed so skilful, as to )y the object of nger. The bai- o{ skins, cannot end ; and if it lOthing but cer- vessel can take VOYAGE TO OCHOTSK. more than its own complement on board ; and, calling their comrades around their sinking craft, they send kind messages to their wives and families, and then lie down to die, without a single cifort at self-pre- servation. During the last few days, I have occupied myself in reading Wran- gell's Siberian Voyages, a work which, interesting as it must be, even to the general reader, is peculiarly so to myself under my present cir- cumstances. But, with all my respect for the noble author, I must do battle with the very first sentence of his introduction : "The whole of the immense extent of country, from the White Sea to Beering's Straits, embracing 145° of longitude along the coast of Asia and Europe, has been discovered, surveyed and described by Rus- sians. All the attempts of other maritime nations to find a passage by the Polar Sea from Europe to China, or from the Pacific into the At- lantic, have been limited, in the West by the Karskoie Sea, and in the East by the meridian of the Cape North. The impediments which stopped the progress of others, have been conquered by Russians, accus- tomed to the severity of the climate, and to the privations inseparable from it." The third sentence, when taken in connection with the second, clearly implies that the Russians have found that " passage by the Polar Sea from Europe to China," which "other maritime nations" have failed to find. Now, what are the facts as recorded by my friend himaelf ? Rather more than a hundred years ago, expeditions were simultaneously undertaken from different points on the coast, at the public expense, in order to ascertain how far the route in question was practicable, or otherwise. In passing from the White Sea to the Gulf of Oby, four seasons were consumed; from the Gulf of Oby to the River Yenisei, four seasons ; from the Yenisei to the Lena, season after season was spent in both directions, without success. Cape Taimura having not only never been doubled by water, but never even been visited by land ; from the Lena to the Kolyma, six seasons were occupied ; from the Kolyma to the Pacific, every effort was fruitless, though, about the middle of the seventeenth century, Simon Deshneff, a Cossack, had sailed, in a single summer, from the Kolyma through Beering's Straits as far as the Anadyr. To sum up all in one word, fourteen years were required for accomplishing the easiest three of the five grand divisions of the coast; while of the two other divisions the more easterly has never been accomplished within these hundred and ninety years and upwards ; and the more westerly always has defied, and probably always will defy, every human effort. But these achievements, how- ever much they fall short of " a passage by the Polar Sea from Europe to China," do certainly speak volumes, as every reader of the baron's details must admit, in favor of the skill, hardihood, and patience of the various explorers who have uniformly done all that men could do. Still, however, the Russians, in contrasting their success with the failure of "other maritime nations," should reflect that, besides having by far the most direct interest in the result, they were immeasurably nearer to their resources, an advantage which, as my brief summary must have - . .i. -i. 7!!: ^ [f Vi'l .>. A.M VOYAGE TO 0CHOT8K. ll \^ shown, alone enabled them to perform what, to any other people what- ever, would have been utterly and absolutely impossible. In this view of the case, even if the Russians had been completely successful, there was really no room for comparison. All that could be said with respect to the result, as distinguished from the merits of the afifents, would be that the Russians, issuing from their own rivers, surveyed their own shores. But even this limited honor of attending to her own work, Russia must share with England ; or rather, wher- ever distant resources were at all available, England has done nearly everything and left Russia almost nothing to do. The Russians have been anticipated by English navigators and travelers on every foot of the northern coast of their share of America; Cook was the first, with- out ever being followed by a second, to penetrate as far as Cape North, on the corresponding coast of Asia ; and the same illustrious voyager was the true and only discoverer of Beering's Straits, for the mariner, after whom he generously named them, passed through them withort having ascertained the proximity of the two continents, or even their separation, Avhile the Cossack Deshneff, already mentioned as having sailed from the Kolyma to the Anadyr, perliaps ascertained their sepa- ration, but certainly not their proximity. But, at the opposite ex- tremity of her boundless coast, Russia has been far more deeply in- debted to England. When Richard Chancellor, about the middle of the sixteenth century, anchored in the White Sea, he not only dis- covered a considerable portion of the coast for Russia, but also rescued her by means of commerce from that state of isolation into which reli- gion had thrown her ; and in the enterprise of this gallant sailor, the Czar, who was then exulting in the final conquest of the Tartars, had the sagacity to take nearly as much interest as in the capture of Kazan and Astracan. For the service of connecting the White Sea with the German Ocean, Russia, I admit, paid handsomely in allowing England to enjoy, for nearly a century, the monopoly of the newly opened trade ; and, as a curious proof of the value of Archangel at a much later period, to both the powers in question, I cannot refrain from quoting part of a speech of the late Lord Sydenham, delivered in 1829: " He, whose armies successively occupied every capital in Europe, who made and unmade kings with a breath, was set at naught by the lowest of his subjects. The smuggler bearded him in the streets of his capital, and set his power at defiance in his own ports and cities. The goods which he refused to admit, found their way through the Frozen Ocean into the heart of France. I speak from personal know- ledge when I say, that an uninterrupted line of communication was established between Archangel and Paris; and goods, even the bulky articles of sugar, coffee, and manufactures, were conveyed with as much ease and safety, though at a proportionally increased cost, as from London to Havre." To return to my original quotation, I ought, in justice, to add, that, with the exception of the general compliment already discussed, Baron Wrangell by no means displays any undue partiality in favor of his >^1 VOYAGE TO OCnOTSK. 97 countrymen, for, on the contrary, he admits that, in point of geography and hydrography, the voyages of (Jook and Billings, the lalier an English oliicer of Cook's training, employed in the imperial service, alone " afforded any really satisfactory result." Had time and opportunity permitted, I should have liked mucli to visit the Aleutian Archipelago, in which one cannot help taking an interest, as being probably the main route by which the Old Continent must have peopled the New. Beering's Straits, though, as already stated, they were doubtless one channel of communication just as cer- tainly as if their place had been occupied by solid land, were yet, in all likelihood, only of subordinate utility in the premises, when com- pared with the more .accessible and more commodious bridge towards the south. Looking merely at these two highways between the two worlds, and putting all others, as irrelevant to the present purpose, out of the question, there were only three roads by winch the destined colonists of America, or rather their forefathers, could stumble either on Beering's Straits, or on the Aleutian Archipelago. If they came up the coast along the Japanese and Kurile Islands, they would, more particularly with their maritime habits and their insular notions, if one may so speak, of the geography of the globe, they would, I say, be almost certain, before sojourning many years in Kamschatka, to dis- cover and occupy the more westerly of the adjacent isles; if again they followed the rivers that flow eastward into the Sea of Ochotsk, they would, in all probability, strike the path of the wanderers under the preceding supposition; and, even if they proceeded from the Lower Lena across the valleys of the Gana, the Indigirka, the Alasei and the Kolyma, they would still be more likely to climb the height of land between the easterly tributaries of the last-named river and tlie Anadyr, than to plunge, without a single one of nature's tracks to tempt them, into the perpetually bleak and barren country of the Schuktchi, while from the valley of the Anadyr they would clearly have a stronger mo- tive for diverging to the south with its milder climate than for returning to the north which they had already shunned. These are not such theories as look well merely on paper, for the most questionable one, and perhaps the only questionable one of the three, namely, the last, has literally been reduced to practice in modern experience. In their progress down the valley of the Amoor, the Russians were arrested by the Chinese towards the close of the seventeenth century, so as to be prevented from reaching the Kurile Islands in that direction ; and, though they penetrated to the Sea of Ochotsk in a higher latitude, yet they were deterred, partly by the want of local resources, and partly by the belief that they had penetrated to the open ocean, from prosecuting their easterly course till after Kamschatka had been discovered from another quarter. Starting from Yakutsk on the Lower Lena, the Cossacks passed in succession all the more easterly feeders of the Polar Sea, ascended the Greater Aniny, an auxiliary of the Kolyma, to the height of land, descended the Anadyr to the Eastern Ocean, and subsequently overran Kam- schatka, spending on this long and circuitous journey, as if to show that the necessities of nature had more to do in the matter than the PART II. 7 . » vr;: . I 08 VOYAGE TO OCHOTSK. m caprices of man, the lives of two ^generations. In another period of nearly llie same Uinglh, they jrrasped link after link of the int(!rmcMlialo chain, ferrying themselves, as it were, across the Pa(Mfic, merely by making a long arm, till at last, in 178.'i, they moored their fortunes to the farthest end of the line, by phuiting a settlement on the Island of Kodiak. Might not the elfcct which was produced by the force of physical circumstances in the seveiiicenth and eighteenth centuries, have been produced by the same cause two or thr( e thousand years before ? From this detail of facts, — a detail entirely independent of any and every hypothesis, — one may reasonably doubt, whether Bearing's Straits, as a channel of communication between the two continents, have not rather carried the tide of population from America to Asia than from Asia to America. In other words, the Schuktchi of Siberia are more likely to have come from the east than from the west. When human beings first reached the Kolyma, not only would the inland routes of nature's making lead tiuMu, as already mentioned, to the waters of the Anadyr, but the inhospitable character of the coast, which, for ten degrees to the eastward of the Kolyma, does not contain one living inhabitant, would also help to force them to the same con- clusion. But the American origin of the Schuktchi appears to be susceptible of something like direct proof. Another branch of the same tribe actually occupies the opposite shores, while the fact already mentioned, that the western division regularly visit their eastern kin- dred without being revisited in turn, appears, in a great measure, to imply, that the former are the children and the latter the parents, that the Old World has here been colonized from the New ; and still more positive evidence, though less direct in its character, is furnished by Captain Cochrane in the apparently insignificant fact, that, while ail the other aborigines within his remarkably extensive experience, Kam- schadales included, were passionately fond of chess, the Schuktchi alone ridiculed the game as a mere waste of time. In support of these views may be cited the ethnographic character- istics of the Aleutian islanders. According to Governor Etholine, the savages in question resemble the Japanese in various respects, while, according to the concurring testimony of all visitors, they form, in many other particulars, a connecting link between the aborigines of Siberia and those of the northwest coast. Their language, — the most decisive test of a community of origin, — is said to have many words in common with that of the Esquimaux. Nor is this fact repugnant to any of the foregoing opinions. In the Aleutian Archipelago, the grand staple of human subsistence, even with all the aids of a comparative degree of civilization, is the blubber of the whale and the flesh of the walrus ; and those primeval voyagers, who had been accustomed to such food, would, on reaching America, be more likely at first to go to the north in quest of their peculiar staff of life than to turn to the south in search of such unknown luxuries as a fertile soil and a sunny sky. In all probability, however, the islanders would reach the con- tinent at some point of that section of the coast, where they would a VOYAGE TO OCII0T8K. 99 liavc to choose not between south and north hut between east and west; and the chances, therefore, wouUl be in favor of their spreading, even on their immediate arrival, in both directions. Such speculations, to which, howevcT useless in themselves, one feels hiniHolf drawn as if by a .-liariu, are daily becoming more dilfi- cul'. through the gradual diffusion of civilization and Christiatiity among the aborif^inal tribes, to say notlun|i[ of their rapiil depopulation. My acquiring new ideas and feelings, and adopting n(;w habits and customs, savages are naturally led to corrupt, or even to neglect, their ancient traditions, to varnish, or peradventure to wash, their original features, in short to overlay the past with the present. 'I'hc Aleutian Islands arc now far less valuable than they once were. The human inhabitants hardly muster one to ten of their early numbers, having been thinned, and thinned, and thinned again, for here there is no mystery in the case, by hardships and oppression. They were ground down through the instrumentality of ihc natural wealth of their country ; they experienced the same curse in their fur seal and their sea otter, as the Ilawaiians in iheir sandal wood and the Indians of Spanish America in their mines of silver. To hunt was their task; to be drowned, or starved, or exhausted was tiieir reward. Even now, under belter auspices and more humane management, the Aleuthins are, in evt ry respect, servants of the Russian American Company, acting as laborers at the establishments and as hunters throughout the whole country from Ileering's Straits to California, while they almost entirely feed and clothe themselves without obtain- ing supplies. The lower animals of the Archipelago have diiuinished in fully as high a proportion as its human inhabitants. Oonalashka, and Atcha, and Kodiak produce nearly all the sea otters that are now collected, the whole stock not exceeding one thousand in a year. 'I'he fur seal is principally found on St. Paul and St. (ieorge, which lie a little to the north of the main line of the islands, the annual booty amounting to not more than ten thousand or twelve thousand skins. The walrus or sea horse is still very abundant, while the natives turn every part of his carcase to account. Thus the teeth, besides being valuable in commerce as ivory, servo to barb spears and arrows; the flesh affords food ; the oil warms the huts and cooks the victuals ; the bones and skin form the materials of the baidarka. But the skin of the animal is converted to more than one useful purpose by civilized men. First it covers the packages of furs that are sent to Kiachta, then the chests of tea that are carried to Moscow ; and having, by this time, been coined, as it were, with a great variety of stamps on its travels, it again visits its native seas, cut up into a circulating medium of small change for the company's posts. The soil and climate of some of the more easterly islands of the Aleutian Archipelagos are sufHciently good for the production of pota- toes and the maintenance of domestic catUe, while at Kodiak there are also gardens for vegetables. On this last mentioned island, which possesses a tolerable surface of pulverized lava and vegetable mould, there exists a village of about four hundred inhabitants, the oldest 'kI 100 VOYAGE TO OCflOTSK. V It i.> ''I t scttlcmml, as nlrrmly niontionnd, to the north of (/alifornin. The KussianH arc certainly cntitlfMl to tlir rrcdit of liavin^ Ixicn the firHt to plant rivili/ation on tlu; northwest coast; und, in fact, they liave ^(mic- rally been more aHsiduous than any other people in attemj^'in^ to iiii> {)rove the economical condition of ahorijjfinal trihes. *. mrt, tluy lad been led, l)y the example of Peter the (Jrcat, to re^ k i .-iv■■ IV\ :^v m^ 104 VOYAGE TO OCHOTSK. :0.'n^ Peter the Great; and this most ambitions of the Czars was doubtless the more ready to ratify the dishonorable and disadvantageous com- pact, inasmuch as one of its collateral stipulations provided for the opening of a regular trade by land between the two empires. Though, at first, the Russians were doubtless gainers by the com- promise, yet they were gradually led to feel, that a fair at Kiachta or a factory in Pekin was a poor exchange for the only direct channel of communication with the Pacific. Through the loss of the Amoor, the discovery of Kamschatka, and the consequent discoveries of the islands and continent beyond, were reduced to half their value, even without relerence to anything rise th?n the mere expense of a more circuitous and less commodious route. But it was not only as a means of transit, that the Amoor would have been serviceable to the more easterly adventurers. The grain, and the sails, and the cordage, and generally all such necessaries as any part of the empire could produce, ^and the iron too from the mines of Nertshinsk, — could have been found on the banks of the very stream which was to waft them to the oceari, thus not only supplying the sterile settlements to the eastward at a vastly cheaper rate, but also planting an agricultural population within reach of the sea. But, even if neither America nor Kamschatka, nor the intervening isles had over been discovered, or ever existed, the Amoor would have been invaluable to Russia, both on commercial and political grounds. It would have been the means of conducting a trade with China and the other countries of the east, more extensive and more advantageous than any overland commerce, furnishing not only a receptacle for ves- sels, but also materials for building them. Again, by its position, as already mentioned, with respect to the Sea of Japan, it might have been made the station of such a navy as would have brought Russia, even as a maritime power, into influential contact with both her opu- lent neighbors ; and it was probably to keep her within her own pro- per sphere, as a military colossus, and to prevent her from encroach- ing on the peculiar province of her destined associate, that Providence so unexpectedly gave her the only check that she ever sustained in her career of eastern conquest. If this be certain, as every thinking man must admit, that England and Russir. are to be the grand instruments of a higher power in regulating the future fortunes of the world, then tiiis also is at least as certain, that the sea and the land are to be, generally speaking, the respective theatres r'' their glory. During the first four days after entering the Sea of Ochotsk, wo kept running from four to ten knots an hour, so that we were now rapidly advancing to the termination of our long and tedious voyage. Everything betokened our near approach to our port. Cables were clearcl; the work of holystoning the decks was diligently pursued; and, in short, all sorts of appurtenances and operations, that could be either useful or ornamental, were put in training against the moment ol our arrival. Of all the vessels of my acquaintance, recommend me to the Alexander, just as she was then commanded and manned. Her captain was thoroughly conversant with his profession, and remarkahly VOYAGE TO OCHOTSK. 105 was doubtless ntageous com- Dvidod for the )ires. s by the com- it Kiachta or a ect channel of )f the Amoor, joveries of the 3ir value, even nse of a more uly as a means 3 to the more e cordage, and could produce, uld have been ift them to the the eastward iral population he intervening or would have itical grounds, ith China and ! advantageous ptacle for ves- Is position, as it might have ought Russia, both her opu- her own pro- om encroach- at Providence stained in her thinking man instruments of orld, then this be, generally Ochotsk, we ve were now dious voyage. Cables were itly pursued; that couUl be he moment of nimend me to lanned. Her d remarkably attentive to his passengers; the officers appeared to be each more skillful and vigilant than another; and the men were fine, steady, active fellows, whose voices were never heard. The sailors in the Russian navy are quite conspicuous for their good conduct; and, as an eminent proof of this, tiiey are rarely guilty of desertion, though they have more liberty than those in any other service, and are never watched, being considered to be upon honor. At length on the seventeenth, about nine in the morning, our Aleu- tian friend, who had for several hours been looking out from the mast- head, raised the joyful shout of "land." In about an hour and a half the outline of a range of hills became visible even lo unpractised eyes; and though the prospe(;t was dismal enough in the distance, I yet hailed with joy and thankfulness this first glimpse of Asia, which was, by comparison, to me the threshold of my home, after all my doubling and turning on the Pacific to the extent of fully half the circumference of the globe. As soon as we were certain that there was no mistake, all hands in the cabin proceeded with nervous haste to pack up clothes, books, and papers, and all kinds of odds and ends, to shave, dress, and civilize, and so forth, when we had the inexpressible mortilication to find that the coast was still cased in its wintry barrier. About one in the afternoon, we entered the broken ice, forcing our way so boldly among the floating masses, as to strike heavily and injure the copper; but when we were within twenty miles of Cape Mariean, we were obliged, to our great chagrin, to beat a retreat, and to await in patience the removal of the insuperable obstacle. This consummation, so de- voutly to be wished, could only be effected, within any reasonable time, by a strong wind, for very little good could be expected from the ordinary process of thawing, in an atmosphere which had just com- pelled us to mount cloaks and great-coats. What a tantalizing situation was ours ! If we could not get across the continent bc*''^re the close of summer, we ?'hculd ])e doomed to spend die broken weather of the fall at Irkutsk, r>y perhaps some far worse place, till the snow should again render the joucs pasra^le; nnd we, of course, did our best to persuade oji'seiv; s. That ov.c present delay was sure to make all the difference. ?f wt had ben Jvancing at any pace, we should not have uespaired; ju' ic lie like a log in the water, ".nd to feel that we might continue to do ^o till the tt-ra^ierature, that made ourselves shiver, should melt the enenr^y that \, as " tlio ua- kindest cut of all.'" We became, I am afra' J, very bad company to each other; and, as if to overdraw our patience entirely, we were, at this unfortunate crisis, reduced from fresh provisions to salt junk. To gain a more genial climate, besides varyiri;^ the scene, we some- times took a run out to the south, though ihe greatest heat, that we ever attained, did not rise to 40" of Fah>-enheit, and th?.', oo, in the beginning of our English July. The cheerlessiiess, hovever, of our position was, in some measure, counterbalanced by the shortness of the night. In fact, the two twilights, each almost rivaling t! 3 day, met each other ; and I actually read a newspaper — an old enough one in all conscience — with great ease at twelve o'clock. ■>'' i 106 VOYAGE TO OCHOTSK. f^ f-M' The sea was singularly calm, seldom rising to a dangerous height even for open craft in any state of the winds. On the floating ice, that passed our vessel, we saw great numbers of hair seals doing their best to bask in the sun, which, when close to us, waddled into the water and disappeared. In general, however, these creatures are so fearless, that they have been known to get on the decks of vessels lying at anclior in the roadstead of Ochotsk ; and here, as well as elsewhere, they allow one to approach near enough to kill them with a club. Once we came within a hundred yards ot a sleeping whale. We fired a cannon at him — not a very sportsman-like proceeding perhaps — but the shot, which was about a foot too high, merely aroused the mon- ster, when he instantaneously dived. On one occasion, one of the company's vessels is said to have struck one of these napping whales with so violent a concussion as to irake every one suppose that the ship had run foul of a sand-bank, while the brute, after being tlius keel- hauled, was impotently lashing the water astern, apparently disabled for diving by his wound. In our anxiety and distress we thought of landing. But to the south of Ochotsk, where we might iiave found open water, the country was too rugged for traveling, besides that the one solitary setdement of Woskoi was not likely to furnish either horses or guides ; while to the north, where there was something of a practicable track — being, in fact, part of the Kamschatka road that runs round the gulf — the ice was still more hopelessly impervious than in front of Ochotsk itself.' The arrival of Sunday, as a variety in our existence, was quite a relief. Previously to the commencement of 'he service. Captain Kad- nikoft'read a paper, exhorting the crew to cleanliness, loyally, moral- ity and religion ; and, after this address was delivered, our Friar Tuck, having been made sober, or kept sober, to order, discharged his duties most admirably. On the 23d of the month, after we had been imprisoned nearly a week, we stood in, according to daily custom, towards the anchorage. As we advanced, we were delighted to meet a much greater quantity of floating ice than usual ; and, by availing ourselves of every lane of open water, we succeeded, by half past eight in the evening, in reach- ing our port, having gradually reduced our soundings, till for some distance our keel was ploughing up the mud from the bottom. , Ochotsk, now that we had reached it, appeared to have but litde to recommend it to our favor, standing on a shingly beach, so low and flat as not to be distinguishable at our distance from the adjacent waters. We saw nothing but a number of wretched buildings, which seemed to be in the sea just as much as ourselves, while, Irom their irregularity, they looked as if actually afloat ; and, even of this misera- ble prospect one of the characteristic fogs of this part of the world begndged us fully the half. As soon as we were in sight, we were boarded by a pilot, while a boat from the Russian American Company's establishment came ofl*, bringing the latest news, both indigenous and exotic. As to local in- telligence, one of the transports for Kamschatka, with her share of tiic VOYAGE TO 0CH0T8K. unf annual supplies, had been wrecked ; and 4000 or 5000 loaded horses had arrived from Yakutsk, while 5000 more were expected. Then as to more distant matters, the Queen of England, as I had previously learned in the roadstead of Honolulu, had presented the nation with a Prince of Wales ; and my friend Baron Wrans^ell had been appointed principal director of the Russian American (company. I was sadly disappointed, however, to learn, that the mail, which was to brinj^ me letters from home, had not yet arrived. As the hour was late, and as the anchorage was three miles from the town, we remained on board to sleep, and next morning, before daylight, Lieutenant Zavoika, the gentleman in charge of the Rufjsian American Company's, establishment, came olf to our vessel, in order to convey us ashore in his own boat. We took leave of our kind friend, Captain Kadnikoff, with sincere regret ; and, after making a present to the crew, we left behind us the good ship Alexander under a salute of seven guns, receiving, in about an hour, a similar mark of respect from the Company's post on placing our feet on the continent of Asia. At the establishment, I had the pleasure of again meeting Madame Zavoika, a niece of Baron Wrangell, whom I had seen along with lier husband, two years before, at the house of her noble relative in St. Petersburg ; and we had thus an opportunity of renewing at one end of the Russian empire an acquaintance which we had commenced at the other. As a point connected with our voyage, I ought here to mention, that, on the occasion of our first reaching the ice ofl' the town, the Alexander had been seen from the shore, apparently standing on the frozen sur- fiice of the gulf; and to verify the story, our informants had at the same time heard a shot, naming the very hour, at which Captain KadnikoiF had fired a gun as a signal, without, howevur, much expectation of its heing noticed at a distance of thirty miles. Our voyage of forty-four days had been soiocwhat longer than the average, for of late years the runs had generally ranged between five weeks and six weeks and a hall. In enrlier times, people used to deem thenipolves fortunate, if they accomplished tlie distance from Sitka to Ochotf- in three months. 33ut, ii> those days, the mere delay was only a part of the mischief. As the fine season, in these northern latitudes, begins with May and ends with August, the vessel, in order to accomplish both divisions of her trip, was constrained to take her chance of the heavy gales of the spring and fall, while the same causes that led to the delay, namely, craziness of build and incompleteness of equipments, and unskillfulness of mariners, rendered her less able to lace the tempest. Many ships used to be lost, some of them on the very bar of Ochotsk, on which a prodigious tide, practicable only in certain states during the finest weather, becomes doubly dilTicult and dangerous u.^der the influence of any seaward gale. On one or two occasions, the whole of the valuable returns of the trade were sacrificed ; and, on one of the outward voynges, the first i*eligious mission for Rus- sian America, consisting of bislio.), priest, deacons, and various subor- 108 VOYAGE TO OCHOTSK. Ij ) ' i li.'-!' i •:■» ' t '^ * ' 7 # [& t t dinate retainers, perished to a man. The latest loss occurred in 1838. when a vessel, making for Norfolk Sound, after the stormy weather had commenced, was supposed, as some fragrments of her were found in that direction, to have been wrecked near Mount Edgecombe. But all these losses were nothing, when comparerl with the disasters that befell the original explorers of the Aleutian Archipelago. The his- tory of these hardy adventurers is an almost continuous narrative ol strandings and founderings. Nor ought this to be a matter of wonder, for, by reason of the extreme scarcity and exorbitant cost of all tijc requisite materials, but more particularly of canvas, and cordage, and iron, the ordinary craft, besides often taking their timbers from old wrecks, were lied together with tiiongs of skin, and rigged out with ropes and sails of the same unmanageable texture to match. I cannot close this record of disasters, more appropriately or more mournfully, than by mentioning the premature fate of the manly and generous Captain Kadnikoff. Immediately on his return from Ochotsk to Sitka, in the autumn of 1842, he was sent with his good ship to California: and, on his homeward voyage, while lying to in a tremen- dous hurricane within an inconsiderable distance of New Archangel, lie and all his crew, except the watch on deck, were literally drowned in their beds by a heavy sea, which broke over the vessel ivithout causing her to founder. 109 CHAPTER XVI. FROM OCHOTSK TO YAKUTSK. The Company's post stands near the end of a tongue of land, about three-quarters of a mile in length and one-quarter of a mile in width, so little elevated above the level of the sea, that, when the southerly wind blows hard or continues long, the whole is almost sure to be inundated. The town lies about half a mile distant, situated on the left bank of the Kuchtui. It has stood on this site only for a few years, having formerly occupied a low point between the sea and the Ochota; and it appears to have been removed just in time, for the river has, since then, formed the tip of the point into an island, sending the main body of its waters through this new channel of its own cutting. Even now the town is not secure, being subject, as well as the Com- pany's post, to inundations in southerly gales. The population of Ochotsk is about eight hundred souls, though, forty years ago, it amounted, according to Langsdorff's estimate, to about two thousand. The diminution is ascribed, and with great ap- pearance of truth, to the circumstance that the town has, since then, been supplanted, as a penal colony, by the mines — a change which the neighborhood has had no reason to regret, for the convicts, always the worst of their class, were continually escaping, to prey on the public like so many wild beasts. Nor can the criminals themselves look back to Ochotsk with regret, from any other place of punishment whatever. A mr?re dreary scene can scarcely be conceived. Not a tree, and hardly even a green blade is to be seen within miles of the town ; and in the midst of the disorderly collection of huts is a stagnant nifirsh, which, unless when frozen, must be a nursery of all sorts of malaria ;ind pestilence. The climate is at lest on a par with the soil. Sum- mer consists of three months of damp and chilly weather, during great part of which the snow still covers the hills, and the ice chokes the harbor; and this is succeeded by nine months of dreary winter, in which the cold, unlike that of more inland spots, is as raw as it is intense. In such a climate spontaneous vegetation is hardly to be expected. I was equally surprised and pleasedi at the manner in which Madame Zavoika contrived to combat circumstances so adverse to hortic* liural operations. Towards the close of the winter she had reared in hot- houses a number of hardy vegetables, which, as the season advanced, she was gradually transplanting into the open air, thus produnnir for f MM 'V^^^^^ 110 FROM OCII0T8K TO YAKUTSK. ?■% 4- domestic use, besides a few flowers, a small stock of potatoes, cabbage, lettuce and barley. In so short a summer, for dog-sleighing continues till the first of June, everything must, as it were, run a race to come to maturity ; and, in reality, the growth of some plants is said to be so rapid under assiduous culture and in a genial situation, that their pro- gress, to the high gratification of course of the party interested, may be traced from hour to hour. The principal food of the inhabitants is fish. The Sea of Ochotsk yields as many as fi)urteen varieties of the salmon alone, one of them, the nerk I, being the finest thing of the kind that I ever tasted. All the parts of a fish are turned to profitable account; the head is eaten raw, the belly smoked, the back salted, and the bones and oflal are given to the dogs. Fish is the staple food also of catde and poultry, as neither hay nor grain can be procured for their use in sufficient quantities. All supplies for the table, fish alone excepted, are ruinously extrava- gant. Flour, brought from the Upper Lena by way of Yakutsk, costs twenty-eight roubles a pood, of forty Russian or thirty-six English pounds; beef, supplied by the neighboring Yakuti, is so dear and so scarce as to be regarded merely as a treat; and as to wines and gro- ceries, most of them tell their own story, in the fact of their beinjj burdened with the expense of an inland carriage of more than seven thousand miles. On such fare and in such a climate no people could be healthy. Scurvy in particular rages here every winter. This is, in fact, thi- scourge of all these hyperborean regions, the absence, or Uie feeble- ness, of the sun in December and .January being apparently sufficient to generate it under the most favorable circumstance of food, shelter and exercise. It affects even sucking infants, while the very cattlo suffer equally with human beings. It often proves fatal; but, if tho sufferer, wiiether man or beast, survive the winter, both quadrupeds and bipeds find a remedy of nature's own providing in a wild sort of onion or garlick. Under all these disadvantages, however, the good folks of Ochotsk look brisk with something of a military swagger in their air. They are evidently alive to the dignity of their situation, as being denizens of the only town within the compass of two or three European king- doms. Nor are they likely to be soon deprived of this exclusive honor, for their harbor, bad as it is, is still believed to be the best on the whole of the Sea of Ochotsk. Captain Kadnikoff, however, in- tends this very season to survey what is called Jan Harbor, lying some distance to the southwest of Ochotsk; and if his report of the anchorage be favorable, the Russian American Company will remove its establishment thither on account of the collateral advantages of the locality. The situation is said to be much more healthy than thai ot this town; the interior country is believed to be rich in sables and foxes, being well wooded and tolerably fertile; and, what is most important of all, the route to Yakutsk and back may. in a great measure, he accomplished by water. The buildings are of wood, being most of them in a state of decay ; I" ■,'. FROM OnrOTSK TO YAKUTSK. Ill state of decay ; oven the principal edifices, the admiralty, the hospital and the jjovcrn- ment house, are scarc(!ly habitabU-. As to business, the town is a mere place of transit between Yakutsk on the one hand, and Kains- chatka and Russian America on tlie oUicr, the grandest epochs in its year being the arrivals and departures of vessels and caravans. With the trade, liowever, of Russian America, the town, properly so called, has little or nothing to do, for the Company's own post, with a gentle- man in charge, three clerks, a storekeeper, a pilot, and thirty-five laborers, is, in my opinion, far more than adequate to perform all the Company's work. It is chiefly in regard to its connection with Kamschatka, that Ochotsk possesses a ship-building yard. Considering how often the transports are lost, this establishment can have no sinecure of it; and there is now a vessel of about seventy tons on the stocks as a caiulidatc! for the next vacancy, if the recent disaster has not already made room for it. The pine is close in the grain and tough, and the carpenters do their duty well, so that the frequent losses must be imputed chielly to the incompetency of the oflTicers and crews. Whatever be the cause, the inhabitants of Kamschatka are the sufferers, being forced to sub- mit, as I have elsewhere stated, to the exactions of foreign adventurers for absolute necessaries ; and one cannot but regret that the imperial government does not at once conclude the reported arrangement with the Russian American Company, for conducting this branch of the ser- vice. Justice and humanity, however, have many vested interests to encounter. The functionaries in Kamschatka are, as a matter of course, instinctively hostile to the proposed meastire; the Yakuti who enjoy the monopoly, such as it is, of the inland transport between Yakutsk and Ochotsk, are represented as being lik(!ly to lose at least a part of their carrying trade; and, though last not least, the authorities of Ochotsk see that, in letting go their hold of Kamschatka, they will drift from their sheet anchor. So far as the Yakuti are con- cerned, their case is little better than a bugbear to serve the purposes of the other two parties, for, besides being nearly independent of ex- traneous aid through the instrumentality of their herds of catde, they sacrifice vast numbers of their horses in consequence of famine and fatigue so as gready to diminish the clear proceeds of their earnings. The depth and thickness, however, of the official stake in the matter are certainly great, exceeding, in fact, all honest calculation. To cite an instance, the freight from Ochotsk to Kamschatka, as fixed at head quarters, is not to be more than half a rouble a pood, while, as exacted on the spot, it amounts to fifteen roubles. Thus in defiance of what is called the pervading will, the servant's peculation adds 2,900 per lent. to the master's claim. Of the machinery of justice Ochotsk has fully more than enough. For the eight hundred souls in the town, and a remarkably scanty population in the adjacent country, there are, including judges and clerks of court, no fewer than forty limbs of the law. After making due allowance for the litigious disposition of the Yakuti, the place has evidendy still too much of a good thing, even if only half of all that is said as to the extortion and corruption of the harpies be correct. I I 112 FROM OCHOTSK TO YAKUTSK. mi I,; v.; v- t • - f' " mi fihall mcrf'ly nionlion one instiincc resting on undoubted authority with respect to judicial misconduct, premising lliat l\w bar can hardly bt: expected to i)e mor(! punctilioui than tin; bench. \ worn 'n of Sitka, charged, on the clearest evidence, with having poisoned her husband, was sent to Ocholsk for trial. She was committed to prison; but the judge, struck with her charms, removed her from her cell to his own Jiousc, postponing the cognizance of the alTair from time to time on one pretext after anodier. At last, when urged i)y the Russian Ameri- can Company, he promised to proceed in the business, without, how- ever, naming any day. Accordingly one forenoon the (/Oinpany's agent was summoned to attend the woman's trial by mid-day at a ):la('o about three miles distant from the town; but, before tlic prosecitor could reach the court house, the judge, true to his time, had dismissed the case for want of evidence aiul remanded the lady to his own hos- pitable domicil. In process of time she has become the molhcr ol half a dozen or so of incipient judges and embryo ladies of quality. Formerly salt used to be manufactured near Ochotsk. IJut the works were soon abandoned, as the article could be procured, throuLdi the Russian American Company, from California at a much cheaper rate. By the by, when Captain Cochrane was at Petropaulosk in Kamschatka, he found there a vessel belonging to Liho Liho, loaded with salt as a present from his Hawaiian majesty to the i'jmpcror ol Russia. The governor of Ochotsk, Captain Golovin, of the imperial navy, has spent twenty years of his life in Siberia and Kamschatka, and bears a very excellent character. At the moment of my arrival ho was too busy at home to let his thoughts wander elsewhere, for his lady had just presented him with a little girl, who was ushered into the world under the same salute that greeted my landing in Asia. When this affair was made snug, Captain Golovin showed me much courtesy and attenUon, readily rendering me every assistance in his power. His jurisdiction extends from the Chinese frontier to the Bay of Anad/r, containing, in addition to the aboriginal population, about three thousand families of Russians. This peaceful district contains numerous ostrogs or forts, garrisoned by a few Cossacks, who, by virtue of their descent from the original conquerors of Siberia, are at once the military and the police of the country. In their public capa- city these soldiers collect the yassack from the natives, being equiva- lent to six roubles a year for every male of twenty and upwards, while, on their own private account, they exact a much heavier tribute from the poor creatures by dabbling in furs at their own prices. At Ochotsk we saw the Japanese, of whom I had previously heard at the Sandwich Islands. They were maintained at the expense ot the government and were waiting an opportunity to return home. Whatever the chapter of accidents might ultimately disclose, there was then no definite prospect that the unhappy exiles would ever reach the shores of Japan, or that, even if they should get that length, they would be allowed to land. On a former occasion of the same kind, the sailors, whom ihe Russians were restoring to their country, were ac... FROM 0CH0T8K TO YAKUTSK. 113 driven ofT by llicir jcalouH government, — an example wliich is not very likely to cnofHiragc Russia to repeat the attempt. Tiie Japanese ia question, wretched as their lot must have been in a strange land and under an inhospitable elimate, contrived to make themselves more miserable by disagreeing with each other; and, on a recent occasion, four of them had conspired to destroy the lU'lh, whom the authorities were obliged to send to prison in order to preserve his life. Another person, whom I saw here, also excited in me a good deal of curiosity. Tliis man was a member of a certain sect of fanatics, who, by literally reducing the Scripture to pracrtice as Origen had done before them, emasculated themselves from religious scruples. IJeing detected through the alteration in his voice and appearance, he had been sent to Siberia, there to digest the knotty question between j)osi- tive law and the rights of conscience. In the Russian AuKJrican Conipany's stores I observed what is known as brick tea, being made up into cakes like cavendish tobacco. This article is brought from Kiachta. Though coarse, strong and ill-llavored, it is consumed in great (juantitii's by the lower orders in Siberia, being made into a thick soup with tin addition of butter and salt. Of the habits of the good people of Or^ , save of their hospi- tality, 1 know but little. On the day of our arrival there was scarcely a soul to be seen about die place, all business being at a stand in honor of the anniversary of the emperor's birth; but the proper festivities were unavoidably postponed, as the anticipated supplies had not arrived from Yakutsk. In summer, in fact, nol)ody goes out of the house without necessity. If the weather be line, then the noxious vapors of the stagnant marsh are to be dreaded; and, if the weather be not fine, then the rain and wind are to be avoided. In winter, again, the cold is too severe for much exposure, being of that raw, damp, disagreeable kind, which no clothes can keep out. Walking on snow- shoes, however, is a favorite pastime among the gentlemen ; and one of the Company's clerks, Mr. AdasofT, — a descendant, I believe, of tJie conqueror of Kamschatka, — thinks nothing at all of trudging eighty or ninety miles a day, having one winter gone from Ochotsk to Irkutsk on foot, a distance of nearly four thousand versts or two thousand seven hundred miles, in order to visit his friends. This performance quite beats that of a genUeman in the Hudson's Bay Company's service, who walked from Moose Factory to Red River Settlement, to request my leave to marry a young lady, whose inclinations on the subject he had never taken the precaution to discover. Having ob- tained the required permission, he retraced his steps, and, with his authority all cut and dried for immediate use, made his formal pro- posal ; but, to his infinite astonishment and dismay, the hard-hearted and ungrateful woman rejected his suit, while he could only console himself with the old song, "surely she's daft to refuse the Laird O'Cockpen." The snow, particularly on a long journey, proves very injurious to the eyes, almost always producing temporary, and sometimes permanent blindness ; and, besides various other suficrers PART II.— 8 »■■ i IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) k A .•^ Photographic ^Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14SM (716) S72-4S03 ^v ^ \ 4 N? N> > '-ur versts in one It inhabitants of aracter than the be in a frozen the heat of the to dissipate the feet. The ex- The thermo- ' of Fahrenheit, 83° of Fahren- heit, the diflference being 189° of the latter standard, or nine degrees more than the whole distance between the freezing and the boiling points of water. Some years ago, an experiment was made, under the direction of Baron Wrangell, by the agent of the Russian American Company, in order to ascertain the depth to which the ground is frozen. A well was dug to the depth of three hundred and eighty feet; and still the earth was found to be as hard as iron. This result, however, would appear to be by no means satisfactory, inasmuch as the pit, being worked only in winter on account of the foul air of summer, was necessarily exposed, season after season, to the renewed action of the frost. To test the state of the atmosphere in the well, we let down a small bundle of blazing straw, which, after gradually waning, was wholly extinguished at the depth of thirty or forty feet, but we were told that, at night, the flame would live twenty or thirty feet lower. As the temperature, in winter, was said to rise rapidly on descending from the mouth, till, at the bottom, it was only two or three degrees below the freezing point of water, the excavation, if continued, would probably soon lead to soft ground; but even then the experiment would be unsatisfactory with respect to the state of the adjacent earth, for it would merely find a thaw of its own making. There is, on the whole, little reason for doubting, that the ground is frozen to an immense depth, for, under the uppermost yard, the frost never loses in summer what it has gained in winter. Even the ice of the sea, subjected, as it is, every summer to the action of the sun and the water, grows thicker from year to year, the first winter producing about ten feet, the second about five, and so on. AVith such a climate and such a soil, agriculture, of course, is out of the question. In two spots, indeed, rye is said to have ripened, though it is admitted to be altogether a precarious crop; so that, taking the bad seasons with the good, the curiosity costs more than it is worth. For supplies of agricultural produce the inhabitants are de- pendent on the Upper Lena and the country still farther to the south, great quantities of flour being brought even from Irkutsk and sold, after all, at the very moderate price of four roubles a pood, or a mere fraction more than an English penny for an English pound. But of all these disadvantages the Cossacks, who selected the site of Yakutsk, took no account. To those hardy adventurers the far east was as much an object of ambition as ever the far west was to the pioneers of America; and it was doubtless under the influence of this aspiration, that they founded this metropolis of the desert at the point where the Lena, after giving them twenty-five degrees of longitude for ten of latitude, began to return to the west of north. If they had had a map to guide them with ease and accuracy, they could not have made a more definite choice ; and in fact, from the Ural to the Pacific, the Cossacks uniformly evinced a singular degree of judgment in seiz- ing the best positions, whether for conquest or for traflUc. To this situation Yakutsk was indebted for many elements of pros- perity. The town lay in the direct route between the Yenissei and the Sea of Ochotsk, while it secured, after the loss of the Amoor, the f ■1 . It III If H ii in J, I f 136 YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE UP THE LENA, exclusive and perpetual benefits of the intermediate transport: and it, moreover, formed the connecting link between the Lena and other rivers of the first class on the west, and the Yana and other streams of secondary magnitude on Uic east. Through each of those two directions, Yakutsk became, in process of time, a place of transit to still more remote regions. By means of the Sea of Ochotsk, it was brought into contact with Kamschatka, the Aleutian Islands and the Nortliwest Coast; and, by crossing the subordinate tributaries of the Arctic Ocean, it met the spoils of the New World from the farther side of Becring's Straits at the Fair of Osbrovnogc. But, independently of the advantages of being a place of transit, Yakutsk, in consequence of its position, was from the beginning a principal emporium of two valuable branches of commerce, the trade in ivory and the trade in furs. At one time Yakutsk engrossed nearly all the fur-trade eastward from the Lena to the farthest bounds of Russian enterprise ; thus drain- ing a territory certainly more extensive, and perhaps not less pro- ductive, than all the wildernesses of British America; and, even when, through the instrumentality of a wealthy and powerful association, Kiachta and Moscow directly attracted the riches of the New Continent and of all the islands from the Kuriles to Kodiack, this town still held possession of a country of sixty degrees in longitude by twenty in latitude, which contained hardly any other tenants than the hunter and his game. With respect again to the other branch of commerce, Providence had seen fit, in some distant age, to deposit in the very coldest region on the face of the globe an inexhaustible supply of an organic substance, which all previous experience would have expected to discover only in tropical climes. The bones of the mammoth were found, in the greatest abundance, throughout all the north-western parts of Eastern Siberia. Spring after spring, the alluvial banks of the lakes and rivers, crumbling under the thaw, gave up, as it were, their dead; and, beyond the very verge of the inhabited world, the islands, lying opposite to the mouth of the Yana, and, as there was reason for believing, even the bed of the ocean itself, literally teemed with these most mysterious memorials of antiquity. How did these bones come to be there? On this interesting subject the following views have been suggested to me by one who, confessedly ignorant of geology and comparative anatomy, looks at the thing, as he imagines, with an eye of common sense. According to some opinions, the mammoth must have lived and died on the spot in a climate different from the present one, the remains of horses, buffaloes, oxen and sheep having also been found in great quantities on the surface of one of the islands in question. But unless the earth revolved, at the time of the milder temperature, on a different axis, similar evidence of a more genial slate of things should exist, at least to some extent, in the same latitudes all round the globe. The entire absence, therefore, of all such evidence could be reconciled with this theory only by referring the whole of the phenomena to the flood, which could alone have affected, or rather have been the occasion of YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE IP TIIK LENA. nsporl; and it, icna and other other streams I of those two c of transit to )chotsk, it was ilands and the ihutarics of the om the farther lace of transit, ic beginning a lerce, the trade trade eastward ise; thus drain- i not less pro- nd, even when, ful association. New Continent town still held e by twenty in the hunter and Providence had ddest region on anic substance, discover only e found, in the arts of Eastern ikes and rivers, d ; and, beyond opposite to the ving, even the ost mysterious be there ? On uggested to me alive anatomy, ommon sense. lived and died the remains of found in great n. But unless , on a different should exist, at globe. The •econciled with la to the flood, 16 occasion of 137 alVfcling, the earth's axis of rotation. On tho sound principle, how- ever, of not setting too niany causes to work, this view of the case would appear to be fatal to the hypothesis of a riiange of climatr, inas- much as the direct operation of the flood might, of itself, l)e sufficient to produce all the result. The deposits undi^r the sea could not be explained at all without the aid of some inundation or other, while, with respect to the deposits, in general, the universal inundation must have taken its last sweep over the earth's surface towards the north. Nothing else could so satisfactorily account for the geographical facts, that almost every peninsula points to tlu; south, and that all the largest peninsulas arc so many tongues of land running into the Southern Ocean. If one were to hazard a conjecture as to the precise course of the retreating deluge, perhaps the direction of the very meridians might be preferred from this circimi.stance, that the highest and the lowest latitudes of most of the great divisions of the land, such as ('ape Taymoor and the southern extremity of Malacca, would be found to lie respectively in pretty nearly one and the same longitude. Hut, if this were the true cause, why shouhl not the bones in question be found in other sections of the north ? Even of this difficultv the face of the globe might afford something like a solution. That part of Tar- tary, which lies to the south of the grand burying ground of the mam- moth, is the loftiest level in the world of any great extent, while the intermediate chain of mountains is said to be lower here than it is either to the east or to the west. Under these circumstances, the retiring torrent, which had had force enough to scoop out the southern hemi- sphere into a sierra of promontori(!S, would meet no obstacle in the way of wafting the skeletons of its victims from the boundless steppes of Gobi, to be preserved in the eternal frosts of north-eastern Siberia; whereas, farther to the west, the physical impediments of less con: tinuous plains and loftier ridges, would not only lend to prevent any considerable accumulation of organic substances, but also to retain any partial deposits within the influence of a climate likely to occasion their decay. To return to Yakutsk, nearly all the furs and ivory are sold in the annual fair, which is attended by troops of itinerant dealers from other parts of Siberia, and also from Moscow. Even at this distance from their ultimate destination, the finer furs command an exorbitant price, some sables, by no means of the first quality, having cost me fifty roubles a piece. Throughout Russia, in fact, the skins of animals, from the sheep to the ermine, have always been rather necessaries of life than articles of luxury. During the greater part of the year, they must be worn by every person, not for ornament but for use ; and, as the more delicate varieties yield but a scanty supply, they are rendered far more costly in proportion than the coarser kinds, by the competi- tion of those who regard them as badges of opulence and rank. The ivory again fetches from forty to seventy roubles a pood, or from one shilling to one shilling and nine pence a pound, according to its state of preservation. The tusks are found to be fresher as one advances to the northward— -a circumstance which seems to corroborate the notion i-M 1 •1 I.-', n n I ''"I 138 YAKUTSK AND VOYAOK UP THK LKNA. tlial []w olimatc has had soinrtliiinj to do with th(Mr continiHMl exiHlciico ill an orf^aiiic t'oriii. Towards the Haiiic ({iiartcr, inorjovuriu>r of Yakutsk hel'ori' him. Next day, ah iny reasonalijc reader nii^ht expect, 1 dined at home, iliHcusHinjr wiih the j/overnor, who paid nio a friendly visit in the after- noon, my last bottle ot |)ort. l)eNC(!tulin keep the saddle firm, which, from the uncongenial shape of the brute's back, has always a tendency to slip about in every possible direction, sometimes to the right and sometimes to the left, sometimes backwards and sometimes forwards. In summer, the reindeer's principal food is moss ; but, in winter, it thrives well on frozen fish. At the station, where we met Mr. Atlasoff, we got the titemay, a sort of salmon trout, and the stirlitz, a kind of sturgeon, both very good in m YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE UP THE LENA. 147 rround up toge- le poor people, o fare sumptu- hat looked very melted together id almost exclu- V feet were en- , would make a f some other re- :h a correspoiul- cr march to-day were met, at tlir Lminsk, who had plain Roodikoff, ing arrangements Pole was now to nt of *he gallant tock, . jout eight ppreciate the gift cntly of its being ind was perhaps ehotsk. He met gloves. Be had le whole of that appeared to be as with snow-shoes, day for three or le creatures for a sntioned. If the 3 rider or driver for ten or fifteen , it is pretty sure iddle firm, which, ways a tendency to the light and etimes forwards, but, in winter, it le titemay, a sort loth very good in their way. The yelma,or white salmon, reckoned the best fish in the river, I did not consider to be by any means of fine flavor. The banks, which had hitherto been generally steep and rocky, were now considerably changed in appearance, sloping, in most places, down to the water's edge. The stream itself had improved, too, for St. Elias had done his duty so well as to allow us to approach the shore near enough for being conveniently towed. We met several canoes of birch bark, similar in form to those that we had seen on the Aldan and the Pend' d'Oreille, with the long double paddle of the Esqui- maux. In the forenoon, a heavy squall drove our boat on tlie beach, setting our little tender adrift; the wind was very fresh for a short time, raising a jabble of a sea and uprooting the trees around us. For a wonder, we got ashore five minutes to-day and had a bath, — quite an event to us, after having been huddled together nearly four days and nights, without space to stretch our legs or even to enjoy tlie full swing of a comfortable yawn. Our stations were : Marchimskaya 41 versts Chalik Toomool 22 " 63 versts. In the early part of the night a quantity of rain fell, so that the various streams, whose mouths we passed next day, were consider- ably swollen. St. Elias, in fact, was sustaining his reputation admi- rably, improving, at the same time, our navigation in spite of our heretical skepticism. As a piece of great luck, we got a walk on shore of three or four versts thfs forenoon ; and much we needed some exercise, eating and sleeping, varied only by sleeping and eating, having rendered us stiff* and puffy, quite unfit, in short, for the work that we should have to perform after quitting the lazy Lena. Though the scenery was becoming softer, with an occasional symptom of agriculture, yet we could hardly bring ourselves to take any interest in anything but our rate of progress. The only feature in the day's work, that roused our attention, was an assemblage of bluff" rocks, standing out from the general line of the shore in the form of pillars, chimneys, turrets, &c. We had been five days from Bestach without having accomplished the fifth part of our voyage. Our stations were : Charabalskaya 22 versts Mamaniuskaya 45 " Solianskaya 44 " 111 versts. The station of Solianskaya, which we passed in the night, was said to derive its name from some saline springs in its neighborhood. At four in the morning, being our sixth from Bestach, we reached Olek- minsk, where we were received with the utmost kindness and atten- tion by Mr. AtlasoflT, who had stopped here in order to dispense to us the hospitalities of his own home. Though the landing place was not ' i Ik f 148 YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE UP THE LENA. ,m above five hundred yards from his house, yet a drosky, drawn by a spirited pair of black horses, was waiting to carry us, with some ten or twelve Cossacks, to dance attendance on all sides. The residence was comfortable and commodious, the floor actually looking as clean and white as if it had been holy-stoned for half a century, — as it might have been, for the building, though only of wood, was yet nearly a hundred years old. We were introduced to Madame AtlasofT and her son, who did the honors of our reception with a good grace. These Atlasoffs, as I have already mentioned with respect to the gentleman of the name at Ochotsk, were justly proud of being descended from the original conqueror of Kamschalka. Perhaps, as a whole, the Siberian conquests of the Cossacks were more marvelous than any other series of similar exploits, for, from the days of Yermac, to be hereafter noticed, to those of our host's ancestor, they subjugated one populous tribe after another in bands so small, — often in twenties, and twelves, and tens, — as to throw into the shade the hardihood of the first invaders of Mexico and Peru. According to custom, we began the day, even at this early hour, by taking a glass of tea, with cream and rusk ; and then, after visiting the church and whatever else was to be seen in the towif, we returned, about half-past six, to a substantial breakfast, at which our host insisted on my occupying the chair. Before proceeding to real business, we had a relish, which, to us, would have been a splendid meal, in the shape of caviar, radishes, salted fish, bread, gin, and rum, with a glass of nalifky, a native spirit extracted from rye, and flavored with berries and sweetmeats. Having appetized ourselves in this pleasant way, we did the amplest justice to a genuine feast of fresh patties, beef- steaks, sweet-bread, soup and bouillon, stewed prunes, cream, &c. &c. The neatness of the whole premises bore testimony to the taste and ingenuity of this agreeable family. In the windows were tubs of flowers, which were then all in blossom; and the Siberian rose in particular was very pretty, with its semi-transparent stem and leaves. In the garden were cucumbers, peas, and various other vegetables. Like all the other settlements that we had seen, Olekminsk stood on the west or left bank of the river, which thus appeared to form a kind of definite boundary between civilization and barbarism. It derives its name from the Olekma, which falls into the Lena immediately oppo- site to the town. In spring, the lower parts of Olekminsk are subject to inundations; but the climate, notwithstanding the periodical visits of intermittent fever, is considered healthy. The town contained about fifty houses, with a population of about four hundred souls; and the whole district, according to Mr. AtlasofT's statement, numbered four thousand seven hundred and eighty-three males, being three thousand six hundred and thirty Yakuti, five hundred and twenty Tungusi, and six hundred and thirty-three Rus- sians, or about ten thousand of both sexes in all. The climate is sufficiently good for potatoes, rye, oats, and even wheat, at least of the Himalayan variety. Still, however, the seasons are so uncertain, more particularly with respect to the early frosts, that the rye varies from a YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE UP THE LENA. 149 * " . ,ij ,J»*. maximum of forty returns to a minimum of five, while wheaten flour ranges between twelve and thirty-six roubles a pood. Mr. Atlasofl* and three merchants were tht rincipal inhabitants. These good people, contrary to the standing rule in small communities, contrived to live together on terms of perfect harmony; and, as the village boasted a resident fiddler, their social meetings generally ended in a dance. The leading trader is an experimental farmer, dividing his attention between agriculture and commerce; and, in his well regulated establishment, I saw a small flock of sheep, an old billy goat, several cows and calves, a number of tame geese, and lastly, two pairs of cranes from the Vittim, stepping about in a very lady-like manner. On the very day before our arrival, one of the other two merchants had gone mad. The first symptom of his derangement had been his demanding from Mr. Atlasofl" a passport to St. Petersburgh, to enable him to organize a mercantile association, "of which," said the worthy magistrate, crossing himself devoutly, " the Almighty was to be presi- dent, and the emperor vice president." At Olekminsk there is an annual fair, which is attended by the itinerant dealers as they descend the Lena, on their way to Yakutsk. The prin- cipal articles of native production are the far-famed sables of the Olekma, universally admitted to be the finest in the world. They are found on the river just named, which rises in the Yablonnoi chain, forming the northeastern portions of the boundary between Russia and China ; and the annual returns usually amount to five or six hundred skins. These sables are extravaganfly high even at Olekminsk, having this year fetched fifteen hundred roubles for forty, as they rose from the pile, and having last year brought a thousand roubles more, so that the mere diffierence between two successive seasons, has been upwards of a pound sterling on the price of every single skin. In addition to the sables, many squirrels of a very valuable description, and also a few bears, wolves, and foxes, are exposed at the annual fair. As the trap- pers trace the Olekma to its very sources, distant, by the crow's flight, about four hundred miles, hunting all the way wherever there is pro- fitable ground, they are about ten months absent from the Lena, start- ing in August and returning in June. It is, in fact, towards the head of the river that the best skins are found, for ihe animals appear to get sleeker, as well as more numerous, in proportion to the remoteness of the haunts of men. Of this principle the opposite shores of the Lena, separated from each other, at most, by a breadth of five or six versts, furnish a remarkable exemplification, the furs on the west bank being comparatively coarse and scarce, and those on the east bank fine and abundant. Having obtained a good supply of vegetables and fresh provisions, we left Olekminsk, Mr. Atlasoff preceding us as before ; and about five in the afternoon we reached the station of Berdinskaya, whence we were tracked twenty versts by men. Whilst proceeding in this way, we passed an island peopled by Yakuti ; and our steersman, seeiny; seven or eight fellows sleeping on the bank without any thought of a I* ■:»' .'111 » m U: ^P 150 YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE UP THE LENA. V, : 1 towinp lino, pointed out tho providential reiiiforcemont to his wearied companions. The Yakiiti awoke just in time to make a good race ol' it ; but, after a sharp hunt among the willows, they were all forced to lend a hand at the rope. Such a chase is sometimes carried into effect even in joke, for the timid Yakuti sul)mit to this species of impress- ment with characteristic pusillanimity. The settlements were more numerous to-day ; and the extent of cul- tivated land regularly increased. Our stations were : , Olekminsk 25 vcrsts Berdinskaya 30 Tsherciiduskaya 33 i:f*. »*i\ 88 vcrsts. During the night the wind was fresh ; and we had an alarm of ship- wreck, though happily we escaped that calamity. Next day, being our seventh from Bestac'i our Cossack gave us a specimen of his summary discipline. As the progress of the boat was not equal to the irascibility of his temper, the man of office went ashore in a small canoe to quicken the pace ; and, having made six of the miserable drivers, Russians and Yakuti, dismount at the word of command, he belabored them in turn with a thick stick, apparently distributing his favors with the utmost impartiality. The unresisting wretches seemed to feel the wanton outrage far less than ourselves ; they took the whole thing as a matter of course. They were, perhaps, conscious of having, in some uf j»;ree, deserved what they got ; and I certainly found, as Captain Cochrane had found before me, that, under the system of corporeal chastisement, the people had become so de- graded as hardly to appreciate, at least within the limits of a traveler's patience, the force of any other motive. The country still continued to improve as we ascended. The popu- lation was less scanty ; the presence of several flocks of sheep bore evidence of the amelioration of the climate ; and the scenery was less juonotonous, for the banks showed many well wooded hills, while numberless streams, large and small, flowed into the Lena through the intermediate valleys. Our stations were : • ^■■if Nelinskaya 40 versts Delgiskaya 28 " Berdoffski Ostrog 35 " 103 versts. Next day we walked some ten versts along shore, killing time plea- santly enough by gathering blue berries and excellent currants. The settlers seemed to be comfortably lodged and well clad, while for their maintenance they had abundance of cattle, sheep, poultry, grain, pota- toes and vegetables. In spite of the want of schools, all the Russians YAKUTSK AND VOYAf.E E LKNA 151 ! '■■ extent of cul- of every apjc, and many of tlio Yakuti, could read and writp, ed i«Mn hc'ing hanihnl down, vitry nnicli to the credit of the people, :t» : heir- loom from father to son. This we understood to i)e more or s the case all over ICastern Siheria. In the evcnini^ wo passed some very remarkable roeks, partly on the mainland and partly on islands, known as the "hurrah" roeks from their being sainted with loud shouts by the boatmen descending the river in loaded craft. This custom most probably originated in the resemblance borne by the rocks in question to human habitations. They were said to have the appearance of chimneys, battlements, pil- lars, gables, and the like; but most of this we were obliged to take on trust, for, as we passed the spot towards the close of twilight, we saw but little of the curiosities. Speaking of the downward craft, we had met a heavily laden tub to-day, carrying to Yakutsk supplies of grain, stores and provisions. It was a large batteau made of round logs, which were covered with boards, while rough planks were nailed on the tops of the sides by way of gunwales. It was, in truth, nothing more than a raft, drifting down tlic current with some six or seven people on board to keep it out of mischief. Such crazy and unman- ageable barges are so slow in their movements, that, after wasting the whole season of open water, they are sometimes overtaken by winter before they reach the remoter stations to the north of Yakutsk, causing a great deal of expense and loss to the government, and not a little of inconvenience and misery to the settlers. Even without the aid of steam, the evil might be remedied by the introduction of a faster class of vessels. One should, however, remember, that, as the upward freight is much less bulky than the downward, the rafts in question are employed only for the one single voyage, being broken up, at their place of destination, for fencing, &.c. To get the vessels along, such as they are, every artifice is adopted. When the winds are favorable, sails are hoisted ; and when there is no propelling force but that of the water, trees, attached to the bows, are sunk with their branches fore- most so as to take a deeper hold of the current. This was our last day of Mr. Atlasoff, for Kamenskaya, taking its name, by the by, from the rocks just mentioned, which were a little below it, was the most southerly place in the Yakutsk district; but, before leaving us, he sent forward a light boat to intimate to the dif- ferent postmasters on the route, that persons of distinction, under the immediate care and protection of government, would require to find horses and drivers ready at every station. We parted from this very worthy man with such a sense of his services as made us regret that he did not hold some appointment more appropriate to his deserts ; and we liked him all the better for the honest pride with which he traced his descent in a direct line from the Atlasoff of Kamschatka. From Olekminsk, where it was five versts wide, the Lena had gradu- ally diminished in breadth, till now it resembled in size the Sas- katchewan at Carlton, with only about half a mile from shore to shore, while its surface was still farther contracted by its being studded with islands of pine, birch, and willow. Our stations were: I* 162 YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE UP THE LENA. Tilahelnaya Nocktooflkaya FidayHkaya KainciiHkaya 30 verstt 20 " 85 " 83 " « 114 versts. Next day, being our ninth from nestarh, carried us through a coun- try 80 sterile and poor, that the inhabitants, to all appearance, contrived to support themselves only by dint of the most miserable expedients. The cone of the stone pine, when roasted, formed a part of their food, being far inferior in flavor to the same kind of thing that we had re- ceived from the worthy monks of Santa Barbara. Among the utensiN of the peasants, I noticed a quoirn, such as was once commonly used in the Highlands of Scotland for grinding oats and barley ; and I also observed shoes of birch bark, very indifferent wear, I should imagine, for rough or wet roads. These poor people might be regarded as vic- tims for the public good, for they might mend their position even by goiner down the r'ver, if they were not obliged to remain, in order to presci .? ♦^' continuity of the line of conveyance. Yerlinsky, our first station of this morning, lay within the limits of the Irkutsk government. At this place, under the orthography of Djeibensky or Jerbat, Captain Cochrane found a remarkable cave, of which, however, the unphilosophical denizens appeared to be entirely ignorant. Our stations were : Yerbinskaya 35 versts Ninskaya 36 " Sildikooskaya 30 " Boogroogrinskaya (halQ , 22 i( 123 versts. Next day, the sole incident in our monotonous life was the purchase of our first sheep. Our stations were : ' - Boogroogrinskaya (half) 22 versts Moochtinskaya 25 " Kintiskaya 49 " Chamra 28 " ' '* ('• I 124 versts. Next day being our eleventh from Bestach, we passed, in the after- noon, the station of Kristoffskaya, said to be half-way biiween Yakutsk and Irkutsk. In the evening we went ashore at Pooloodoffskaya, where there were about a hundred inhabitants, with many fields of potatoes, barlisy, rye and oats. While we were exploring one of their houses, prying, perhaps, too curiously into everything, we were furiously attcicked by a woman, who took us for petty robbers ; but to make amends for the lady's churlishness, the elder of the village, a fine, good- humored, old man, oflered us cream, berries, and nuts, with the evident Kti YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE l/P THE LENA. 153 irough a coun- mcc, contrived lie expedients. : of their food, hat we had re- ng the ntensiliii ommonly used 3y ; and I also ^ould imagine, ;garded as vic- sition even by tin, in order to n the limits of irthography of rkable cave, of to be entirely its )ts. IS the purchase 3tS StS. d, in the after- ween Yakutsk ffskaya, where 8 of potatoes, their houses, ere furiously ; but to make 3, a fine, good- th the evident inlcntion of removing any bad imprcHMion from our minds. The nmuii* ing fierceness of the virago in question, as ilio solitary exception to the l^encral rule, only tended to make us appreciate more highly the hos- pitality and kindness of all classes of the poptdution of Kastcrn Siberia. 'I'o-day we overtook six fellows, four Kussians and two Yakuti, who were going to Irkutsk on a charge of murder, and who were beguiling i ic time, as they went, with desperate quarrels and fights amnng them- selves. As already mentioned with respect to Ileroux, whom I saw moving about at large on the northwest coast, tlujse wnitches were not in irons. Throughout Russia, in fact, there would appear to bo a singular disposition to run into opposite extremes on the subject of punishment. Though we had seen the whip and the ciulgel applied lor any otTence or no offence, yet we were told that death, as such, could hardly be inllicted, even on the most atro(Mous criminals. Our stations of to-day were : Etokfa KristofTskaya Pooloodoll'skaya ftS versts 21) " •J 8 '* 112 versts. Next day, being the thirtieth of the month, our first station was Vit- timsk, a large village with a population of two or three hundred souls. It takes its name from the Viltim, which empties iiself by three mouths into the Lena immediately opposite to the station. This stream, which, at the point of confluence, is nearly ecjual to the main river, rises in the Vittim Steppe not far from the Chinese frontier. Its sables, which have a high character, are inferior only to those of the Olekma, the difference probably arising from the circumstance, that the sources of the latter are more immediately in contact with the inaccessible fast- nesses of the Yablonnoi chain than those of the former. The Vittim is remarkable also for a talc mine, which is said to produce the largest and clearest sheets of the substance in the world, some of them being quite pure to the extent of two feet and a half square. Vittimsk may be considered as the limit between the Yakuti and the Tungusi, as practically fixed by the Cossacks, when they came to mediate, with the strong hand, between the native tribes. Previously to the European invasion of Siberia, the tide of population flowed from the south. The Yakuti, as universal tradition testified, had descended from the Lake Baikal and the River Amoor, driving before them into the remotest north and east, the miserable remnants of the Omoki, the Yukahiri, and the i'chuwanzi ; while the Tungusi, if their superior courage and energy had had full play for another century, would most probably have sent the victors after the vanquished, to the unhospita- ble borders of the land of the Tchuktchi. In fact, this tide of popu- lation could have hardly ever ebbed to the southward, for the tribes of the extreme north, if they had attempted to return to a richer soil and a warmer climate, would have had to encounter the hordes of the !■' i l» .li '■ M ■ii VllJ y ^ 154 YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE UP THE LENA. ■!•♦; ■u:t. % -i i.-^^ I ■> ■■■? -b ^ central steppes, far more populous, and not a whit less hardy, than themselves. This set of the current of migration would explain some of the peculiarities of the aborigines of Northern Asia, as distinguished from those of the New World. It would, in a great measure, account for the fact, that most of the dialects of Tartary and Siberia bore the plainest traces of affinity, even when the dilferent tribes were not con- nected together by the paramount influence of the neighboring powers, while the languages of the New World, except'ng, of course, the branches of the same stem, were fundamentally and irreconcilably dis- tinct. It would also, in a great measure, account for the fact, that Si- beria was never so wholly lost to civilization as America had been. Its most secluded corner was linked with the rest of the world t th by war and by commerce, those grand bonds of union by which Provi- dence constantly counteracted the isolating tendency of the confusion of tongues ; and it was doubtless through the want of such bonds, a want occasioned parUy by the immeasurable distance, and pardy by the impassable ocean, that the natives of the New Continent sank into a barbarism unknown and unsuspected before the days of Columbut!. Even in the Old World, entire seclusion of one race from all others would appear to have been unfavorable to national improvement. In diametrically opposite climates, the Laplander and the Hottentot re- sembled each other in being the lowest specimens of humanity in their respective quarters of the globe, while the Kamschadales, in spite of the vast superiority of their soil and climate, were inferior, in almost every respect, to the Tchuktchi, who enjoyed no other advantage than that of being more immediately in contact with other tribes. Spain, too, on the one hand, and China and Japan on the other, would tend to establish the principle in question, for, though they were, in point of fact, highly civilized, yet they alone of all the communities on earth that were so, continued at best to be stationary in their civilization. If, in some of these instances, the state of things is at present different, the change only tends to confirm the rule ; and, to offer one example, the Chinese, by being brought, for two or three campaigns, into invo- luntary intercourse with the British, have confessedly learned more, not merely of the science of war, but also of the arts of peace, than any people before them ever learned in so short a time. To resume my narrative, while we were passing some steep rocks to-day, the little boat in tow, in which were our servants and the Cossack, was upset; and all the baggage got thoroughly soaked, though fortunately nothing of value was lost. If this accident had happened at night, some of the persons in the boat, and perhaps all of them, would have been drowned, for even good swimmers, in the absence of assistance, would have been unable to extricate themseves from the covering of the capsized vessel. • ' ^ At our last station, we were obliged to wait about three- quarters of an hour for horses. Our visit at this season, when the people were collecting their hay, was certainly most inconvenient; nevertheless any excuse for the detention of travelers would have been wholly Bss hardy, than n some of the [inguished from jre, account for iberia bore the 3 were not con- iboring powers, of course, the econcilably dis- he fact, that Si- 2rica had been. 5 world I' th by f which Provi- f the confusion ' such bonds, a nd partly by the ent sank into u 3 of Columbus, from all others provement. In B Hottentot re- imanity in their ales, in spite of erior, in almost advantage than tribes. Spain, ler, would tend vere, in point of unities on earth eir civilization, resent different, one example, igns, into invo- learned more, peace, than any me steep rocks rvants and the )ughly soaked, s accident had 1 perhaps all of immers, in the cate themseves ireequarters of le people were ;; nevertheless e been wholly YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE UP THE LENA. 155 29 versts 22 it 24 (( 24 (( 20 (( [19 versts. inadmissible. In the present case, we bullied the elder of the village, ;i sort of rural mayor; he, in his turn, bullied all others; and, after much uproar, we could get only women and boys as drivers, one of the former having to leave her suckling infant to proceed on this noc- turnal duty. The women on this river were the most active and laborious of their sex that I ever saw, while, in common with the men, they were remarkably civil and obliging. Every person, too, was of a pious turn of mind, at least so far as external observances went. To-day, for instance, on looking into the house of one of the drivers, we were followed by the man himself; and no sooner was the door of the best room opened, than our host fell into a fit of bow- ing and crossing in honor of an image that occupied one corner of the apartment. Our stations were: Vittimsk Tshoriskaya Resinskaya Parshinskaya Kooraskaya (half) Next day, being the last of July, we reached Doobroffskaya at ten in the morning. This was the neatest settlement that I had yet seen. The dwellings were large and commodious, with a bath-house attached to each ; and everything bespoke a more than ordinary share of clean- liness and industry. At our preceding stations there had been gene- rally but one bath-house for several families, into which young and old of both sexes used to enter indiscriminately at least once a week. In addition to the clamor of the elder of the village, the cries of the pos- tillions, the scolding of our Cossack, the barking of dogs, and all other sounds incidental to a change of horses, I heard a precisely similar uproar from the opposite bank as if other travelers had been getting fresh nags at a rival establishment. The whole proved to be the effect of one of the most correct echoes that I had ever heard, whole sentences being repeated distinctly. At our bidding the echo spoke English to admiration, for the first time, perhaps, in its existence. We passed some perpendicular rocks, known as the " Cheeks of the Lena," which contracted the stream to about a quarter of a verst in width, with a current of four knots ; here also was an echo, which I tested by firing a pistol several times ; and, in each case, at least six successive reports were reverberated in the most extraordinary manner. In my rambles of to-day I found currants of various kinds, cranber- ries, raspberries, service-berries, strawberries, and choke cherries. As to provisions, we were now well off, having a regular supply of mutton, fish, potatoes, eggs, honey, cream, butter, &c., with excellent tea, black only, three times a day, but neither wine, nor spirits, nor beer. The indolent routine of our life was generally as follows. We rose at ten ; we bathed ; we breakfasted ; if practicable, we walked from ■•iii f i *fti 'h^^ ■li"! ' i'>G ^■f „ ■ -i.-fl 156 YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE UP THE LENA. 20 versts 29 i( 87 u 96 U 111 versts. three to ten versts; we then returned to bed for an hour or two in order to cool ourselves ; after a second bath, we dined about four, stretching our legs perhaps for a few minutes, as a digester, at some station or other ; we took supper at nine, going to bed as soon thereafter as might be agreeable. In justice, however, I should add, that we did occasion- ally read and write and talk. Our stations were : Kooraskaya (half) Doobroffskaya Tshastinskaya Franerskova Last evening we had noticed that all the bath-houses were lighted for active service, — a circumstance which proved that the people were sweating themselves into a state of purification in order to do honor to some festival or other. This was the invariable custom on Satur- day night or on the eve of any grand holiday. Accordingly this turned out to be our Saviour's name-day. All the inhabitants were decked in their best clothes, enjoying a little respite from labor. Wherever we put ashore, the heads of families hastened down to us with little presents of eggs, cream, green peas, &c., uni- formly refusing payment, and saying that, on such an occasion, it was not right that we should be allowed to pass their dwellings without partaking of what they had to bestow. Notwithstanding this liberality, we learned that the poor people were really laboring under a consider- able scarcity of food, inasmuch as St. Elias, with his high waters, however friendly he had been to us, had, in a great measure, cut off their principal source of subsistence. This state of things was well expressed in the comprehensive phrase, that their nets were too small and their breeches too large. At Fliimskaya, which we reached about ten in the evening, the in- habitants were keeping up the festivities with great spirit. The whole of them, to the number of eighty or a hundred, had met in two houses, where, besides dancing, they were moistening their clay with plentiful potations of a vile description of beer, which, weak as it was, had made them half muzzy. The music was the screeching of some half dozen old women ; and the floor was occupied by only one man and one woman at a time. First the lady would endeavor to escape from her lover with an amusing display of coyness and coquetry ; and then the gentleman, in his turn, would draw oflT, while his mistress would strive by every winning way to coax the truant back again. At the conclu- sion of each dance, the fair performer gave me three kisses, conferring the same favor on each of the other strangers, excepting that our Cos- sack appeared to me to get, or perhaps to take, a double dose. All the people, whether drunk or sober, carried their civility to excess, kissinij my hand frequently, and even the ground on which I had been stand- ing and showering on me their perpetual benediction of " May you Y.AKUTSK AND VOYAGE UP THE LENA. 157 or two in order four, stretching some station or reafter as might 76 (lid occasioQ- ;s. les were lighted the people were ler to do honor jstom on Satur- le-day. All the V a little respite imilies hastened peas, &c., uni- occasion, it was veilings without g this liberality, (ider a consider- is high waters, measure, cut off things was well were too small evening, the in- rit. The whole in two houses, y with plentiful was, had made ome half dozen 5 man and one scape from her ; and then the iss would strive At the conclu- sses, conferring g that our Cos- I dose. All the excess, kissinir had been stand- of " May you never want bread and salt." Speaking, by the by, of these festivities, 1 saw hops to-day on some of the farms. To myself, as well as to these poor people, this was a day of joy and gladness. Just as we were sitting down to dinner, a Cossack ar- rived from Yakutsk, bringing me the English letters that I had passed on the road near Ochotsk. Having been sent back, they had reached Yakutsk on the fourth day after my departure ; and, on the same even- ing, they were sent after me by the worthy governor, in charge of an active man, who was, with all speed, to travel on horseback by day, and by night in a light boat. In this manner, the courier had followed MS for fifteen hundred versts, accomplishing in ten days, what had oc- cupied us for fourteen ; and I had, therefore, every reason to be satis- fied with his zeal and diligence. The attendant expense of two hun- dred and sev iity roubles, I by no means grudged, for the intelligence from my family was honey to my soul. We passed several large settlements, in two of which there were churches, and met a priest in a canoe, going to perform duty in one of the places of worship. In this part of Siberia, there would appear to be very few ministers, there being, in fact, a lamentable dearth of reli- gious and moral education ; and the sole teachers of the people, in most neighborhoods, seem to be the Cossacks and the magistrates. We were now in the country of the Tungusi ; and at Fsherskaya, we saw a few of the tribe. Both physically and morally, they were su- perior to the Yakuti, active, well-made, and independent in their man- ners and sentiments. Our stations were : Mooshinskaya 27 versts ' Fsherskaya 2.3 " Darenskaya 31 " - Fliinskaya 20 " ' ''. ' ' 101 versts. . Next day, being the second of August, the banks of the river were hilly, and well wooded ; and at all the spots fit for cultivation, gene- rally distant from each other eight or ten versts, were small settlements of fifteen or twenty families a piece. At every place were collected large heaps of the cones of the stone pine, intended partly for food, and partly for being crushed into an oil, which, being used by the Rus- sians in salads and cookery, brings as much as ninety roubles a pood. Among other manufactures of the peasantry of the neighborhood, we observed a thick felt of sheep's wool, used for bedding, saddles, &e., and we were told that the Mongols and other southern tribes, made a similar article of camel's hair, of which they sold considerable quan- tities, chiefly for tents, to the Burats of Lake Baikal. As we advanced on our voyage, that very disagreeable complaint, the goitres, became more and more prevalent. Other maladies, also of the blood, or of the general system, were very common. Noses, in par- ticular, appeared to have been almost decimated ; and certainly, in no part of the world, did I ever see nearly so many faces, divested of their ornament and protection. ♦ ,t . ;■ 'n I I* 11 ■ si'' 158 YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE UP THE LENA. ■'.i.s :.*. At Alexeyeffskaya, the poor people had not got their horses quite ready, — an ofTence which "his worship," the popular designation of a Cossack, resented with much more zeal than ceremony, suiting his style to his subject and his actions to his words. This wretched sys- tem of irresponsible cruelty should undoubtedly be reformed. But, for the reasons already mentioned, a traveler would only waste his time in attempting such a thing in his own case, while even the govern- ment, however good and resolute its intentions might be on the subject, could not immediately remedy the evil. The law might prohibit the use of the cudgel, supplying its place, as a matter of necessity, with ;i better motive in the shape of a higher rate of remuneration ; but in the latter branch of the business nine out of every ten travelers would fim! an additional reason for kicking and cuffing the inofl'ensive creatures, relying on the proverbial consolation of official knaves, that the empe- ror was far off, and calculating on the interested sympathy of nearly all those who might be occupying the long ladder of communication between his majesty and themselves. Even if the victim of a wanton assault could sue for damages or some other satisfaction in the local courts, he could, in general, obtain justice only by outbidding his oppressor, who would most probably be far abler to buy the venal com- modity in question than himself. In fact, the head of an extensive despotism is peculiarly liable to be deceived by his subordinate func- tionaries ; and, as a remarkable instance, the brother of the sun and moon is said to have been the last man in Pekin to hear of the capture of Canton. How can truth, distorted, as she proverbially is, in passing from one street to another, fight her way, unadulterated and unsullied, over thousands of miles, where every tenth individual that she meets, has an interest in moulding her to serve his own ends or those of his friend or his party ? Moreover, there would, in my opinion, be a good deal of difficulty in bringing the ignorant people to believe, that nobody had a right to beat them, for the same middlemen, who would prevent the emperor from hearing their complaints, could still more easily prevent them from knowing the emperor's benevolence. The simplicity and credu- lity of the great mass of the population of Siberia, with respect to everything that does not fall within their own daily routine, are quite incredible. When an astronomical party, for instance, was traveling the country, astonishing the natives night after night with their tele- scopes and sextants, a wag of a fellow set the curiosity of the good folks quite at rest, by telling them that his majesty had missed one of his stars, and had sent out his wise men to find it. Our stations were : ' Spoloshinskaya ..%0 Vistinyakaya . Gorboffskaya ... Alexeyeff*skaya 25 versts 20 (« 27 28 (( 100 versts. .V^ \. YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE UP THE LENA. 159 eir horses quite r designation of lony, suiting liis is wretched sys- reformed. But. only w.iste his even the govern- 3 on the subject, ajht prohibit the lecessity, with ;i tion ; but in the elcrs would find nsive creatures, , that the einpe- ipathy of nearly communication tim of a wanton tion in the local outbidding h'\^ y the venal coni- of an extensive ibordinate func- of the sun and ir of the capture Uy is, in passing I and unsullied, that she meets, or those of his eal of difficulty y had a right to nt the emperor prevent them icity and credu- with respect to mtine, are quite was traveling with their tele- ity of the good missed one of Next morning, by six o'clock, we reached Kirensk, being, in point of size and importance, the second town on the Lena; by reason, liow- ever, of a thick fog, we could see nothing more than the looming of a number of houses through the vapor. It was said to contain about lifteen hundred inhabitants, principally Russians, and to be regularly laid out, with one school, five churches and several substantial houses. We were visited by the mayor, who was also head of the police, the commissary and the postmaster, all equipped in their best uniform for the occasion. At this place our Cossack would really have had some excuse for inflicting his summary justice, inasmuch as we were detained two hours for want of horses — a delay such as we had never experienced, even at the meanest station on the route. Unfortunately, however, the offender in the present case was a peg or two above the jurisdiction of " his worship." Our Cossack had gone to rouse the postmaster, whose maid of all work, hearing the terrible voice of our disciplinarian, speedily brought a message from her master that the applicant should first take his podorashnoya to the head of the police. With considera- ble difficulty the magistrate in question was got out of bed; and at last the postmaster and himself presented themselves to us in their grandest outfit, having evidently made us wait longer than was necessary, that they might show themselves off to the best advantage. The postmaster apologized by saying that he was a hard sleeper, so much so that his maid of all work had positive orders to keep stirring him till he rose, and even then not to leave him till he was half dressed ; but that the damsel, in her eagerness to satisfy our Cossack, had not sufficiently shaken him that morning. To prove the truth of his statement and the sincerity of his regret, he offered to trounce the girl on the spot; and, though we then and there denied him that pleasure, yet he most probably paid the fair delinquent with interest after our departure. The ob'Mous truth was, that the two gentlemen, having heard that strangers, .vho were very great men, were coming up the Lena, had conspired to manage matters in such a way as to enable each of them- selves to see and be seen. The Lena, from its seven versts at Yakutsk, was now reduced to three hundred yards in width, while its shallow stream was overgrown at the bottom with grass and reeds, which greatly impeded our progress. Getting tired of the delays experienced by the boat, one of my fellow travelers and myself resolved to amuse ourselves by walking along the bank. Coming to a track, which struck through the woods, apparently as a short cut from one side of a deep point to another, we followed it for seven or eight versts, till we again came out upon the Lena. Seeing nothing of our little squadron, we sauntered up the towing path for five or six versts farther, expecting every moment to be overtaken ; but towards sunset, being certain that we were ahead of our friends, we retraced our steps, fortunately reaching, when it was now nearly dark, the station of Soberskaya. At this settlement, which appeared to con- sist of a single hut, we found twelve or thirteen men and lads, who gave us a hearty reception. In fact, our appearance and condition P ■f r '^!i . t Ft 160 YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE UP THE LENA. •' -i •: would have excited the compassion of less hospitable people. To say nothing of hunger, we were suffering from cold, and were almost crippled, for we had started in the heat of the day, without shoes, and with no other clothes, in fact, than our shirts and trowsers. The peasants, taking pity on our forlorn state, made a grand fire for us, and offered us a share of their own supper, which consisted of black bread, a litde salt, and a dish of cold water, which, that it might look as like soup as possible, was taken with a spoon. Immense piles of the un- savory cakes rapidly disappeared ; and each person, as he finished his meal, bowed to some images that stood against the wall of the best room, of which the door was open. Perceiving that we enjoyed the heat much more than the victuals, the peasants, after explaining that this was a fast-day with them, boiled some potatoes, which, with the salt and a few spoonfuls of the cold water, were very acceptable. Speaking, by the by, of the water and the salt, and of the ceremony, with which they were used, the two articles in question hold a high place throughout Russia, as being the sacred emblems of hospitality. Even in the poorest hovel, they are at the service of the stranger, while the partaker receives a benediction as well as a welcome. A story is told that, during the French invasion, the inmates of a house, who had hid themselves on the approach of a few soldiers, could not refrain from pronouncing the customary blessing while the marauders were helping themselves to water under their roof. Thus lar the anecdote is quite in keeping with the national character; nor is the sequel, in my opinion, altogether improbable. The hospitable and pious ejaculation was the death-warrant of the family; and they were one and all butchered by their ruffianly guests. Soon after midnight we were much relieved, both in mind and body, by the arrival of my servant and our Cossack, who had walked ahead of the party to meet us, or to search for us, bringing our coats with them. They informed us, that the detention of the boats had been caused partly by the shal- lowness of the stream, and partly by the fact that the bend of the ri^r was five or six times as long as the neck of land that we ourselves had crossed. Embarking in a canoe to meet our people, we got on board again by two in the morning; and, in the course of an hour, we made amends in the shape of a hearty supper for the day's misfor- tunes. In the course of the rambles just mentioned, I saw a good deal of land under cultivation with tolerable crops of wheat, barley, oats, rye, potatoes, hops, flax, &c. Here I saw also something that I had never seen before. I had often heard of " nettle kail" in Scotland, and per- haps had eaten it; but never, till I visited the banks of the Lena, had I found nettles artificially grown as greens. At Sitka I had partaken of them, dried and preserved; and, to my taste, they were an excellent vegetable. Our stations were: Kirensk Soberskaya 24 versts 60 " 84 versts. YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE UP THE LENA. 161 e people. To id were almost liout shoes, and rowsers. The fire for us, and of black bread, rht look as like )iles of the un- he finished his all of the best ve enjoyed the explaining that vhich, with the ery acceptable. ' the ceremony, on hold a high of hospitality, jf the stranger, a welcome. A ites of a house, diers, could not 3 the marauders Thus iar the Iter; nor is the hospitable and and they were 1 after midnight e arrival of my e party to meet They informed tly by the shal- end of the ri^r t we ourselves iple, we got on of an hour, we 3 day's misfor- ' a good deal of arley, oats, rye, hat I had never otland, and per- the Lena, had I had partaken ere an excellent On rising unusually late next forenoon, I found that we were pass- ing through a highly interesting country. The banks of the river were undulating and well wooded, while every spot, that was capable of cultivation, was occupied by an agricultural setllenient. In the course of the afternoon, we were obliged to remain a short time at Oolk^nskaya in order to stop a leak. The village at this station was divided into two parts by a small stream, from which it was said to derive its name; and, while strolling about, I observed in the brook a number of baskets and weirs for taking fish, such as 1 had seen on the Columbia and in New Caledonia. At this same place, to its credit be it spoken, I noticed an indispensable building, which was the only ex- ample of its species that I had seen in Asia, excepting one apology for the convenience at Ochotsk and another at Yakutsk. The settlers told me that their crops were better this year than usual, but that sometimes they had been so unproductive as to render neces- sary the purchase of grain. They also complained, that the wolves and bears, which were numerous, frequently carried off their cattle, pigs, horses and sheep. From all accounts, these beasts of prey would appear to be much fiercer here than in America. The more' that I saw of the peasants, the better, generally speaking, did I like them. In two or three instances, however, I was induced to suspect, that they must have inherited from their ancestors, who had been chiefly convicts, a few prejudices on the important subject of private property. The loss of a bridle, and of two or three other small articles proved, that pilfering was not altogether unknown on the Lena. Our stations were : Makaroffskaya Potapoffskaya Oolkanskaya ^ Markoofskaya Next day, being the fifth of the month, the water was deeper and the footing for the horses better, so that this was by far the longest march that we made. The banks of the river continued to improve in fertility and populousness. AH the settlements on the Lena usually stand at the outlets of rivers or creeks, or on low points of alluvial formation. Such situations, though advantageous in regard to soil, are yet very undesirable in this respect, that they are liable to be deluged as often as the waters are high. During such inundations, the inhabitants are frequently obliged to take refuge in the upper stories of some of the loftier houses, while, in almost every season, several dwellings and families are swept away from some neighborhood or other by the current. Besides the crops already mentioned, the inhabitants of the Upper Lena raise tobacco sufficient for their own consumption. In short, without being dependent on any market, they produc for themselves PART II. 11 (\ m 18 versts 25 (( 30 (t 24 (t 97 versts. •'1/ 162 YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE UP THE LENA. in an abundance of food, make their own clothing, build their own houses, grind their own corn either in water-mills of simple construction or by jneans of quoirns, and, though last not least, prepare their own snuff. It is chiefly in the form of snuff that tobacco is used throughout this country, whether among whites or among natives. This mode of con- suming the weed prevails among the Mongols, the Burats, the Tun- gusi, the Yakuti, the Tchuktchi, the Aleutians, and all the aborigines of Russian America, from Beering's Straits downwards. Hence one might reasonably infer, that the use of tobacco traveled, at least into the northern parts of the New World, from Asia; and if so, the thing more probably took place before the commencement of Russian domi- nation than after it, inasmuch as the Cossacks, who, however fond of tobacco in other shapes, did not take snuff themselves, were not likely to teach others to take it. At Kosarki I found that the people were suffering from dysentery in its worst form, a complaint previously unknown in this quarter. The malady first made its appearance in some salt works, situated at the mouth of the Kuta about fifty versts further up the river, where it had carried off forty or fifty persons. Unfortunately there were no medi- cal men in the neighborhood at the time, who might have arrested the progress of the disease. In a country so poor and so thinly peopled, resident physicians are, of course, out of the question ; but the govern- ment everywhere employs competent individuals to make circuits, and to report on the health of the inhabitants. .. * . At this same station of Kosarki all goods are transhipped, those going down being conveyed thus far on rafts in order to be put on board of the large barges already described, and those coming up being transferred into small boats. Our last station of to-day, Oostooskaya, lay at the entrance of the Kuta, occupying, I apprehend, the very site of the first building that was ever erected by Europeans on the Lena. Its very name would imply this much. Signifying, as it does, the city, or town, or station, or post of the mouth of the stream, it could, with propriety, be applied only by those who had reached the spot not by the Lena, but by the Kuta. lu fact, this settlement, which was commenced in or about 1630, formed the grand centre of operations for the conquest of all Siberia to the eastward. On the one hand the founders of Oostooskaya built Yakutsk as the first grand stage on the road to the Pacific Ocean; and on the other they established Irkutsk as the stepping stone to Lake Baikal, and the vast regions beyond it. It was from the Tonguska, the nearest feeder of the Yenissei, that the Cossacks made their way to the Lena, being more anxious, as already mentioned, to penetrate to the east than to the south; and it is a curious fact, that, by ascending the Lena and crossing the height of land to the site of Irkutsk, they were, in a manner, only retracing their steps to the principal auxiliary of the Tonguska. But, even if they had known that the Angara, rising far up in the fork between the Vittim and the Lena, would itself have carried them ten degrees more to the eastward, they would, per- I. eir own houses, iistruction or by leir own snuff. throughout this lis mode of con- Jurats, the Tun- l the aborigines Is. Hence one ed, at least into if so, the thing r Russian domi- [lowever fond of were not likely om dysentery in s quarter. The s, situated at the er, where it had ! were no medi- lave arrested the thinly peopled, ; but the govern- ake circuits, and unshipped, those er to be put on coming up being entrance of the •st building that ery name would town, or station, riety, be applied icna, but by the ced in or about conquest of all of Oostooskaya e Pacific Ocean ; ig stone to Lake the Tonguska, made their way , to penetrate to at, by ascending of Irkutsk, they incipal auxiliary hat the Angara, ena, would itself hey would, per- YAKUTSK AND VOYAGE UP THE LENA. 163 haps, have considered the rapidity of its current as a sufficient reason lor trying their fortunes on another stream. Our stations were : .' — Nasaroffskaya Siochoffskaya Kookoosk Kosarki Yakoorina Oostooskaya 28 versts 28 " 24 " 22 " 28 " 18 " 148 versts. Next forenoon wc obtained at one of the settlements, a rather nau- seous substitute for milk. It was water, in which the cones of the stone pine, after being crushed for oil, had been steeped. It had a reddish and whitish color, something like a mixture of milk and brick- dust, excepting that it was liardly so palatable. This was part of a fast of two weeks, very religiously observed in the Greek Church, though really I could not see why our milk should be stopped, inas- much as most of us had no interest in the matter. Our stations were : Toorootskaya 16 versts Rushskaya OsmolofTskaya . • Bosgarskaya Skokmenskaya 36 " 18 " , 24 " 20 " Tarasoffskaya 24 " 138 versts [ ' Next day, the seventh of the month, we were all in high spirits at the prospect of leaving our prison, and proceeding by land to Irkutsk. Our stations were : Oremskaya Basoffskaya Dodinskaya Galaffskaya On the eighth of August our long voyage on the lazy Lena, lazy upwards from the shallowness of its waters, as well as downwards from the slowness of its current, came to an end. At Oostuginskaya, near the mouth of the Ilga, we were delighted to learn that carriages were waiting at the next station to convey us to Irkutsk ; and accord- ingly at Figoloffskaya we exchanged our inexpressibly indolent mode of traveling for one, perhaps, unrivaled in point of whirling, and jolt- ing, and thumping. We took our seats in a tarantasse drawn by five horses, and a telege with three, while three vehicles, that had eight horses between them, followed with our baggage. 17 versts 21 " 21 " V pa.',.-.' 32 " f ■ . * ■ 91 versts. ■;1 ll hn ■ M 164 CHAPTER XVIII. FROM FIGOLOFFSKAYA TO : ij'UTSK. The carriages, in which we were now traveling, had been sent to meet us by the Governor of Irkutsk, under the charge of a magistrate of police, who, after having waited for us a whole week, had been obliged, almost immediately before our arrival, to retrace his steps in person to the capital. Being no longer exposed to the impediments which had retarded us on the water, we pushed on sharply all night, stopping merely to change horses, and to view some of tfse more important settlements on the route. At Tzoomenzord, we breakfasted on eggs, cream, and strawberries, adding to these delicacies of the season in the centre of Asia, a little of our pemmican from the heart of North America, — such a pic-nic between the two continents, as neither of them had ever seen before. Thus far, the road had been bad, and, at some places, even dangerous, first looking down on the Lena from the edge of cliffs seve- ral hundred feet high, and then descending, as if to renew our aquatic troubles, into the very stream itself. After breakfast our trac^ lay along the base of some precipices of limestone. Soon, however, we entered a fertile valley.; with our old friend, the peaceful Lena, still by our side, in which wsis prettily em- bosomed, the ancient town of Vercholensk. The level b; nks, and the slopi ig hills on either hand, were closely cultivated, excepting where clumps of trees had been left by way of ornament ; so that, in plant- ing this, their original post as the name would imply, towards the head of the stream, the Cossacks displayed as much taste and judgment in the selection of a site, as ever the Jesuits displayed in Canada, or the Franciscans in California. Speaking of the signification of the name in question, Verchney and Neshnez, respectively equivalent to Upper and Lower, would appear to be derived from the simpler forms of Verch, as in Vercholensk and Verchozansk, and Nish, as in Nishego- rod, the abbreviated edition of Nishnez Novgorod; and, if one utterly ignorant of the language, might still farther presume to offer another suggestion, which, if correct, might be the groundwork of extensive and important investigations, I should be inclined to trace some resem- blance and connection, between Nish and Verch respectively, and our vernacular Beneath and Over. At this town I was received with great attention. The whole popu- lation flocked to see the expected travelers, of whose importance they had received very exaggerated accounts ; and amongst the crowd of our -*/ PROM FIGOLOFFSKAYA TO IRKUTSK. 165 \ been sent to )f a magistrate eek, had been ce his steps in ad retarded us )ing merely to settlements on rs, cream, and in the centre of America, — such 1 had ever seen [le places, even re of cliffs seve- ew our aquatic e precipices of ■, with our old irjvs prettily em- bi nks, and the Kcepting where that, in plant- wards the head d judgment in Canada, or the m of the name alent to Upper npler forms of as in Nishego- , if one utterly o offer another k of extensive 36 some resem- tively, and our 18 whole popu- nportance they e crowd of our admirers, wc found a rlork of the Russian American Company, who had brought a close carriage for my use, all the way from Irkutsk. We called on a wealthy peasant, the occupier and proprietor of a beautiful mansion, where an old lady of eighty received us, performed the office of hostess to perfection, aiul was even a little otTended at our refusing to partake of refreshment under her roof. This man was, of course, a peasant merely in name. Throughout Siberia, the descendants of exiles, generally speaking, are classed as serfs of the crown, being practically, neither more nor loss, than unprivileged subjects ; and such of them as may have risen above the rank of laborers, are as little liable to be dragged down from their actual position, as any nobleman in the land. In the whole length and breadth of this portion of the empire, slavery, properly so called, — the submission of one subject to the irresponsible caprices of another, — is entirely unknown. In fact, there is not in the country, to the best of my knowledge, a single germ of a territorial nobility ; and perhaps this peculiarity in the constitution of society, has its bad side as well as its good, inasmuch as it exempts the great mass of the public functionaries from any local check in the shape of an influence unconnected with themselves. But the very exiles them- selves, to say nothing of their descendants, are virtually left to carve out their own fortunes. A well-dressed man, who spoke with a strong German accent, introduced himself to us. He proved to be a Gallician, who had been banished twenty-six years before for smuggling, but had raised himself, by his steadiness and talent, to be one of the most re- spectable inhabitants of the town. He had an excellent house with a very neat little wife in it ; and, as a proof of the extent of his busi- ness and resources, he supplied all the horses for five successive stages. According to the statement of my smuggling friend, the place con- tained a population of two hundred and forty souls ; and though, from the number of the houses, I was inclined to prefer a higher estimate, yet my informant referred me to the unanswerable authority of the checkered post, which, according to the custom of the country, served as a standing record of a state of things perhaps twenty years old. Meanwhile the Vercholenskians had undeniably multiplied; but the worthy Gallician, having come so far to learn experience, had appa- rently made up his mind to take on trust everything that had a legal look. These official values, as it were, of each settlement are intended, to a certain extent, to regulate taxation in the gross for considerable periods. Hitherto I had had but five horses, three wheelers and two leaders ; but from Vercholensk, as the road would be hilly, my wheelers were increased to five. Before reaching the next' station, we overtook the magistrate of police, who had waited so long for us at Figoloffskaya ; and, after the ceremony of introduction was over, he joined our caval- cade, which thus consisted in all of seven vehicles and thirty-five or forty horses. We flew over the ground, the roads, the cattle and the weather being as fine as heart could wish. A stranger, however, would require a considerable amount of moral courage to permit him- self to be driven along at the rate of twelve or fourteen versts an hour, :ut 166 FROM Fir.OLOFFSKAYA TO IRKUTSK. ' '?■*• # t' ■■ '-■ 1) ■ . with so niiiny utirontrollahlo hoofs and wIutIh hchind him. Any arci- dont, it' it did not h(>(riii with a broken nrck, wouhl bo Hurn to dnd with sonuUhinif Hiill worse. At Katschoo^a 1 was mot by the hoad of the pohce and tho principal inhabitants, and stopped to hineh with a rich nierehant. I was here intro(Uiecd to a ehiel or taeshow of the HiiratH. havinjr tlie eonnnand and snpervision of about five thousand of his tribe; he was a hand- some man, wearin{r unift)rin and [lossessinsr soinelbinj; of aihlress and education. Thouj^h liis authority was of the same subordinate kind as that of a princeling among lh»! Yakufi, yet, in airtual position, he was infinitely higher than our old friend .facnb. His subjects were as superior to our first spf cimens of the aborigines in civilization as they were in number, — a fact easily «'xplained by their more southerly situation. I had also the pleasure of being introduced to the wife of the head of the police, the prettiest woman that I had hitherto seen in Asia. She made a thousand apologies for her husband's neglect in not having gone some three hundred v«?rsts down the Ijcna to meet me at the limit of his district; and, if the honest man had been guilty of a great deal more than what she was polite enough to impute to him, he would have been quite safe with such advocates on his behalf as her black eyes, glossy inair, pouting lips and dimpling cheeks. Katschooga appeared to be a thriving place, as one might expect from its being the entrepot of the whole of the trade between Irkutsk and the settlements on the Lena. Some of the most influential among the inhabitants were exiles to whom, so far as we could judge, no stigma was attached ; and, in fact, considering the numbers sent to Siberia for political oflences or even for not being able to give a satis- factory account of themselves, the mere idea of banishment could hardly be supposed to involve the same moral and social incidents among the Russians as among ourselves. A German, in relating his history td us without any apparent hesitation or reserve, playfully said that he had come on a visit to Siberia, but had not yet made up his mind as to the time of his return ; and an old man with a flowing beard and altogether of very remarkable appearance, thougli this happened, by the by, at our next station, told us that, upwards of thirty years before, he had had the misfortune to commit a small mistake in Moscow. At Katschooga we took our last swim in the Lena, an embrace, as it were, at parting. How diflerent was the scene, when first we viewed the river on our approach to Yakutsk. To look at the stream itself, a breadth of seven versts had shrunk into two or three hundred yards; while its shores, instead of being a sterile flat in an inhospitable climate, were varied by hill and dale, wood and m ater, pasture and cultivation, skill and labor having done their utmost to heighten the charms which nature had bestowed with a liberal hand. After crossing the Lena, we left it to pursue its way up a valley to the right, while we ourselves struck into a beautiful })rairie to the left, through which flowed the small stream Issel, with mnny Russian and Burat farms on its banks. Thence a rise of about fifty feet took us into another plain of much greater extent, bounded by hills which were FROM Fir.OLOFFSKAYA TO IRKUTSK. 167 im. Any firci- urc to dnd witli 1(1 the priniMp:il it. I was here the command he was ii haiul- of address and d)ordinate kind lal position, he uhjects were as lization as they nore southerly d to the wife of hitherto seen in 's ne \v, of tlu; sfnilements, I was introduced to another tacshow, with whoui I had the honor of drinking kumyss and eating sour milk in his uwii yourte; aiul I afterwards visited his son's yoiirte, to whose princess, arrayed in a curious mixture of barliarisnt and civi- lization, a sheepskin with plenty of plated ware abotit it and an em- broidered <'ap, I was presented with all due c'eremony. 'I'hc old chief was said to send annually to market grain to the value of thirty or forty thousand roid>les, and to Ix; worth altogether about twenty thousand poumis sterling in cash. The deputy or assistant of the taeshow had received orders from the governor of Irkutsk to accompany me; and he accordingly here added one more to the nundier of my suite. At Manzurskaya, which we thus reached with a formidable line of eight carriages, all tlu; good people, young and old, rushed out of doors to see the English stranger, who, being only the second or third visitor of our nation in these parts, was, of course, a great curiosity. Soon after leaving Manzurskaya I began to be remiiuled, i)y sundry hints not to be mistaken, that I had not closed my eyes for msarly for- ty-eight hours. The world, both in its sights and in its sounds, seemed to be gettiitg into all the possible varieties of disorder and confusion ; and at length I fell into a profound slumber, which the bells of the horses, the jolting of the vehicles and the changing of our teams amid a discordant din of Russ and Bratsky, so little disturbed, that, when I awoke, I had no other evidence than the mere change of scene that I had been asleep at all. The drivers and horses had been succeeded by other bipeds and quadrupeds; the darkness had given place to broad day; and the landscape had expanded itself from the fertile valley of a murmuriuy brook into a sea of plains, which, but for the villages and the (locks and the herds, I might have taken to be part of the boundless prairies of the Assiniboine. We were still on the Bratsky Steppe. The soil, though it was light and, in some places, sandy, had yet been fertilized by pasturage; and white clover was abundant. In order to secure a sutlicient quantity of provender for the seven long months of winter, the borders of every stream, where the grass, of course, was more than ordinarily luxuriant, wereset apart by fences for hay, while, still farther to increase the sup- ply, large meadows were artificially irrigated. At Yerdoffskaya, after stretching along a line of a hundred and sixty versts, this grand plain of the Burats gradually narrowed itself into a small valley ; and thenceforward to Koodinskaya, the country strongly remiaded me of some parts of Scotland, particularly of Strathpeffer, A. I 168 FROM FIGOLOFFSKAYA TO IRKUTSK. 'M ,t s. short time before reaching the last mentioned station, we passed through a village of political exiles of distinction; and I saw peeping out of the windows many a face that betokened high birth, while the hearts of the owners doubtless thought rather of Moscow and Petersburg, to which we were flying, than of ourselves. At Koodinskaya, where we breakfasted, I experienced an instance of civility, which astonished me even in the peasants of this country. Intending to bathe, I questioned a man as to the depth and bottom of the river : and his only answer was, after stripping, to wade up to his chin, this giving me ocular demonstration of the quantity of water and the tirmness of the footing. Our swim did us a great deal of good, for, independently of the heat of the weather, our outside horses had done little or nothing but kick up clouds of dust in our faces. In fact, we had discovered that the grandeur of having five horses abreast was hardly worth the annoyance. Seven or eight versts beyond Koodinskaya brought us to the top of a hill, whence we gained our first view of the metropolis of Eastern Siberia, lying on three rivers, the Angara, the Irkut, and the Ousha- koffka. From this distance, Irkutsk presented a fine appearance with its fifteen churches and their spires, its convents, its hospitals, and its other public buildings. But this favorable impression vanished, as we approached ; and we were disappointed at seeing so little bustle in the wide streets, and so many edifices going to decay. We entered the city over a long wooden bridge, rattling along with no small commotion, till we reached an excellent house, which the governor had caused to be prepared for our reception. This mansion belonged to the great monopolist in the way of wines and spirits, already mentioned under the head of Yakutsk, as paying so large a sum for one exclusive license in his trade. The leviathan himself was residing at Krasnoyarsk ; but two of his agents introduced us into the handsomely furnished house, providing us at the same time with a dozen or so of attendants of all sorts, sizes, and countries. Having arrived about two in the afternoon, we were immediately visited by the principal magistrate of police with a complimentary message from the governor, who was followed by Mr. Didoff, the ager.i of the Russian American Company. After dinner, my Russian fellow traveler, who acted as our interpreter, left us in order to make some arrangements for our future proceedings. To beguile the time, my other fellow traveler and myself ventured to take a stroll through the town without a guide ; and, after we had wandered about among the churches and shops, till twilight came on, we turned our thoughts home- wards, soon discovering that we knew neither the name of our street nor its situation. In this predicament we strayed at random from place to place, in hopes of meeting some person acquainted with English or French ; and at length a gentleman in a drosky, who must have sus- pected the truth, conducted us to Mr. DidofTs. As that gentleman could not understand a word that we uttered, he was, of course, a good deal astonished at so unseasonable a visit. Like a true Russian, how- ever, he gave us a hearty welcome, and a bottle of champagne ; and, ■ if a FROM FIGOLOFFSKAYA TO IRKUTSK. 169 i: passed through peeping out of :hile the hearts 1 Petersburg, to ed an instance »f this country. L and bottom of wade up to his y of water and eal of good, for, orses had done s. In fact, we es abreast was us to the top of slis of Eastern ind the Ousha- ppearance with ospitals, and its vanished, as we tie bustle in the lling along with luse, which the This mansion les and spirits, ying so large a lan himself was ced us into the tie lime with a 2S. re immediately complimentary )idofr, the ageni Russian feliow • to make some ! the time, my •oil through the (Out among the houghts home- le of our street dom from place vith English or must have sus- that gendeman course, a good Russian, how- impagne ; and, when at length we explained the mystery to him by signs, he sent us home in his drosky, about midnight. Next morning being the eleventh of August, I received, in addition to several complimentary visits, a still more solid proof of politeness and attention. A handsome carriage with four magnificent grays, as also a smaller vehicle and pair, were placed at my disposal by the governor, with postillion, footman, and bearded coachman, all com- plete. I was now able to make a round of calls in princely style, be- ginning, as in all duty bound, with the governor. His excellency, M. Patneffsky, proved to be a civilian, the first person of his class whom I had yet seen holding an important office in Siberia ; he was a middle-aged, affable, intelligent man, and welcomed us very courteously. He made many inquiries with respect to my voyage, such as whether I had found police officers and postmasters civil, vehicles, horses, and provisions good, &c. &c. ; and he concluded by inviting us all to din- ner for the same day. I next proceeded to the country residence of General Rupert, the Governor General of Eastern Siberia, a gray- headed, handsome, soldierly man of sixty. He informed me that he had the emperor's commands to facilitate my movements in every pos- sible way, and was pleased to add that he should individually derive great satisfaction from the fulfilment of his instructions. I accordingly explained, that my own intentions then were to start next day for Lake Baikal nnd Kiachta, to return as quickly as possible, and lastly, to resume my homeward journey the day following that on which I might get back to Irkutsk. His excellency recommended that I should remain another day before entering on my southern trip, assuring me that this trifling delay would really occasion no loss of timve, as it would better enable him to dispatch orders as far as the western limits of his jurisdiction to have horses, &c., ready for us along the route. Such a recommendation would, of course, have been equivalent to a command, even if his excellency had not specially forestalled the morrow by in- viting us to dinner. T called again on my friend, Mr. Didoff ; and we were all very merry o-.er our adventures of the preceding night. This gentleman's house had been the Russian American Company's place of business ever since the association existed under any form ; and he himself had been in the service for more than forty years. Besides Mr. DidofT there were at this establishment three clerks and several servants, with hired laborers for particular occasions. All these agencies in Siberia, re- stricted, as they are, almost exclusively to the business of transport, must be i. heavy drag on the Company's resources. At the governor's, where we had, of course, an excellent dinner, the party was small, consisting only, besides his excellency and his lady, of a councilor and a doctor with their wives and ourselves. In fact, we had heard, as far down the Lena as Kirensk, something that ex- plained the circumstance. As Yakutsk had its feud between Governor Roodikoff and Mi. Shagin, so Irkutsk again, entirely eclipsing its northern rival in this respect, had its feud between General Rupert M' 'J 'm.' m i^ ,:1 i ''ft- .1 ■•S#-'?^ff' 170 FROM FIGOLOFFSKAYA TO IRKUTSK. and Governor Palneffsky ; and we had accordingly been prepared to find society in a divided and disjointed condition. After dinner, which was at two o'clock, Madam Patneffsky took us into her workroom, in which, to say nothing of a number of Chinese curiosities, was the lady's own loom with the most superb piece of embroidery in it that I ever saw. The governor afterwards showed us his valuable collection of minerals, comprising some splendid speci- mens of aqua marine, topaz, amethyst, gold ore, and various other metals and stones found in Siberia; and we understood, that one of the blocks of topaz in particular was the third largest in the world. His excellency informed us, that gold had recently been discovered in some marshes or toondii close to Irkutsk. On the following day I had the honor of receiving visits from the governor, the mayor, a councilor, and lastly the brother of one of the medical gentlemen of New Archangel. I afterwards paid my respects to the Archbishop of Eastern Siberia, who, in England, would have been reckoned very young, being not more than thirty-five or forty years of age, to fill so important an office. On my entering, he rose to receive me, and, taking me apparently for an obedient child of the Greek Church, held out his hand for me to kiss. Being ignorant of the custom, I gave him a hearty shake, for I really was prepossessed ? ' his favor at first sight; and, though I observed him withdraw his han(i awkwardly from my grasp, yet I did not precisely see the error of my ways, till one of the party went through the orthodox ceremony with all due devotion. The archbishop conversed readily on the subject ot the spiritual welfare of the vast country committed to his charge, telling us, that, besides his metropolitan jurisdiction over the Bishop of Sitka, his immediate diocese comprehended all Eastern Siberia, with the exception, of course, of Kamschatka and Ochotsk. The good prelate complained, that the prevalent mania for searching for the precious metals, which had of late been greatly aggravated by the productiveness and extension of the mines and washeries, was prejudicial to the pros- perity of agriculture, and, in a certain degree, to tlie diffusion also of Christianity ; nor did he appear to think, that an equitable return was made from the west side of the Uralian Mountains, for the vast quanti- ties of silver and gold which were annually sent across them from the east. The archbishop had nothing austere or repulsive in his manners. He was, on the contrary, most affable and courteous ; while his con- versation showed, that, without diminishing his interest in his own sacred vocation, he had acquired a large fund of general knowledge and had mixed much in the world. I spent with him one of the most interesting hours of my long and varied journey; and, in fact, I might truly say, that no other individual, of whom I saw so little in my travels, stood higher in my estimation than the primate of Eastern Siberia. If my former acquaintance of Sitka and this his immediate superior were to be considered as average samples of the prelates of the Greek Church, the whole of them, as a body, would certainly form a hierarchy inferior in dignity and respectability only to that of our country. ,i:l<| FROM FIGOLOFFSKAYA TO IRKUTSK. 171 n prepared to leffsky took us )er of Chinese uperb piece of wards showed splendid speci- various other )d, that one of it in the world. 1 discovered in visits from the r of one of the lid my respects id, would have ty-five or forty itering, he rose int child of the ling ignorant of prepossessed i ' hdraw his hanii the error of my ceremony with n the subject of 3 charge, telling lishop of Sitka, beria, with the he good prelate )r the precious 1 productiveness ;ial to the pros- ifTusion also o( ible return was the vast quanti- them from the in his manners. while his con- est in his own eral knowledge Due of the most in fact, I might 30 little in my ate of Eastern his immediate the prelates of 1 certainly form to that of our A trip to Kiachta and its Chinese neighbor, the village of Maimat- schin, I had always regarded as likely to be one of the most interesting portions of my voyage ; and what was my disappointment to receive, at the very moment of intending to start, a hurried note from Governor Patneffsky, stating that, according to information just obtained by his excellency, the Chinese, without assigning any reason, had suddenly interdicted all communication with foreigners of every nation. This was a death-blow to my cherished hopes of bringing *' the flowery people" within the range of my travels. Though the prohibition in question was general, yet I could not help being vain enough to infer that my own little party was the special object of celestial jealousy. The authorities at Maimatschin had had plenty of time to hear of the contemplated visit of English travelers; and they might either have suspected us of being spies, or have thought that, at that particular time, they had already too many of "the fierce barbarians" on the other side of " the central land." Butj as all the preparations for my journey had been completed, I determined to go at once as far as the Baikal Lake, distant about sixty versts from Irkutsk. The road was good, lying, for the most part, along the banks of the Angara, whose rapid current formed a striking contrast with the sluggish waters of the Lena ; and in a few hours we reached the point at which the river was gushing from its inexhaustible cistern. At the first glance of this the largest body of fresh water on the Old Continent, my thoughts flew back over my still recent foot- steps to that parent of many Baikals, the Lake Superior of the New World ; and I involuntarily reflected, with some degree of pride, that no preceding traveler of any age or nation had ever stood on the shores of the two greatest of the inland seas of the globe. Even if my pre- vious wanderings through the wildernesses of North America had not given me any personal interest in the matter, I could hardly have re- frained from indulging in a comparison between the Baikal on the one hand, and the Superior with its giant progeny on the other. In mere position they resemble each other in a very remarkable manner. Touching, though in opposite directions, one and the same parallel of latitude, tKey are intersected, at the outlet of the Ontario and at the western extremity of the lake before us, by one and the same circle of longitude — almost the very meridian, by the by, of the highest and lowest extremities both of Asia and of America, of the head of Baffin's Bay and of the western entrance of the Strait of Ma- gellan, of Cape Taymoor and of the southern point of the Peninsula of Malacca. With respect to the extent of country drained, the Baikal has certainly the advantage of all its American rivals put together, for, while the latter are pressed in every direction by the height of land, the former is fed by its two principal tributaries from sources distant from each other, in a straigiit line, at least a thousand miles. But, if from the adjacent regions we turn our attention to the ultimate destina- tion of the waters which are received, the reservoir of the St. Lawrence infinitely surpasses that of the Angara, for, while the latter stream loses itself in an always impracticable ocean, the former, annually bearing ■•-.tit ■■'■I :■ .^r:^ I i'A:.::! r * >'A 172 •V' FROM FIGOLOFFSKAYA TO IRKUTSK. upwards of a thousand sea-going ships on its bosom, forms the channel of communication between the most commercial country on earth and her most important colony. Moreover, the reservoirs themselves, in point of navigable utility, bear pretty much the same relation to each other as their outlets do. Though, with the exception of the Superior alone, every one of the connected lakes of North America, the Huron, the Michigan, the Erie, and the Ontario, is traversed, both in its length and in its breadth, by considerable numbers of sailing vessels and steam- boats, yet the Baikal is little better, in regard to traffic, than a barren waste. Surrounded by lofty mountains, whose precipitous sides sink at once into the bottomless waters, it possesses but few harbors or anchorages; formed with a length of ten times its breadth, it is subject at once to violent gales, which blow along it as through a funnel, and to sudden squalls, which sweep across it as they rush down from the defiles of its amphitheatre of hills; and situated in a bed, which looks like the work of the volcano and the earthquake, it is still liable to be dangerously agitated, without any visible cause, by subterranean ener- gies. To make matters still worse, the craft in use, apparently carrying from eighty to a hundred tons each, are the most awkward, clumsy, crazy tubs in the world. Under all these circumstances, nearly the whole of the vast traffic, which is carried on between Irkutsk and the boundless regions beyond the Baikal, either passes in sledges over the frozen lake, or is conveyed round its southern extremity by rugged and perilous roads. The traffic in question is connected partly with the mines of Nert- shinsk, but chiefly with the international emporium of Kiachta. Nertshinsk is famous for gold and silver, lead and iron ; and its various establishments are the ordinary destination of convicts of the worst class. So long as the Amoor remains closed against the Rus- sians, all the incidental transport must either cross or double the Bai- kal on its way to and from Irkutsk ; and even if the Amoor should follow the political fortunes of all the other great rivers of Northern Asia, the present line of communication between Nertshinsk and Ir- kutsk would gain far more than it could lose, by being extended all the way to the Pacific, sacrificing perhaps part of the business of the mines, but almost entirely superseding the route by Ochotsk and Yakutsk. Nertshinsk, by tlie by, stands on a tributary of the Amoor. It is the remotest place of any note in that quarter of Siberia ; and it is remark- able as the spot at which the Russians reluctantly consented to stop in their eastward progress, as, in fact, the only spot in the wide circuit of their empire at which they ever permanently halted in the career of conquest. With respect again to the trade of Kiachta, the Treaty of Nert- shinsk, to which I have just alluded, stipulated, in general terms, for a reciprocal liberty of trafficking between the Russians and the Chinese ; and accordingly, under its sanction, individuals on their own account and caravans on behalf of the government used to visit Peking. But the Muscovites constantly set so bad an example before the sedate folks of the imperial city, in the way of drinking and roystering, that FROM FIGOLOFFSKAYA TO IRKUTSK. 173 ms the channel ^ on earth and themselves, in elation to each of the Superior ica, the Huron, >th in its length ssels and steam- than a barren tons sides sink 'ew harbors or Ith, it is subject I a funnel, and lown from the d, which looks itill liable to be terranean ener- irently carrying kward, clumsy, ices, nearly the [rkutsk and the iledges over the mity by rugged mines of Nert- Kiachta. iron ; and its convicts of the gainst the Rus- double the Bai- Amoor should irs of Northern tshinsk and Ir- xtended all the ssof the mines, and Yakutsk. loor. It is the id it is remark- inted to stop in he wide circuit i in the career 'reaty of Nert- ral terms, for a d the Chinese; own account Peking. But ore the sedate roystering, that after exhausting the patience of the celestials during a period of three and thirty years, they were entirely deprived of their commercial pri- vileges in 1722. After all intercourse between the two nations had ceased for five years, the Russians, having first made some concessions and apologies, obtained a new treaty in 1728, by which, in order to prevent future misunderstanding, the international trade, so far at least as private individuals were concerned, was to be conducted on the international frontier; and on the very ground which the diplomatists occupied during the negotiation, Kiachta was soon afterwards built. Still, however, Kiachta found a rival in Peking, for public caravans were permitted by the new treaty to penetrate as before to the capital of the celestials ; and it was only in 1762 that Catherine the Second, by relinquishing the imperial monopoly in question, rendered this little town the grand, if not the sole emporium of the commerce between Russia and China. Kiachta stands on a brook of the same name, which, rising in Si- beria and crossing the line of boundary, washes also, at the distance of half a furlong, the Chinese village of Maimatschin. Taken by itself, the position has nothing to recommend it. It is beset on all sides by rugged mountains ; and the streamlet, which forms a bond of union between the two most extensive empires in Asia, or perhaps in the world, is so inconsiderable, that, even with the aid of damming, it often fails to afford an adequate supply of water to the dwellers on its banks. The two settlements are situated, as nearly as possible, on the fiftieth parallel of latitude, being about a thousand miles from Peking, and about four thousand from Moscow. Though the Chinese route to this secluded mart is vastly shorter than the Russian one, yet it is, at least in some slight degree, certainly less practicable. At the distance of about a week's march to the northward from Peking, the Chinese have still before them a journey of forty days and upwards, through a dis- mal desert of table-land, parched with heat during one half of the year, and covered with snow during the other. The Russians again, whether they come from the west with manufactures or from the north and east with the produce of the chase, enjoy the advantages of a peopled country and of navigable waters nearly all the way to Irkutsk ; and, when they have met at this the common centre of all the lines of com- munication, they may, and often do, prosecute the rest of their journey to the very neighborhood of Kiachta, by crossing Lake Baikal and ascending its principal feeder the Selenga. The Russians bring chiefly furs, woollens, cottons, linens, &;c., and the Chinese principally teas, silks, sugar-candy, «fec. But, in order to convey to the reader more definite and accurate notions on a subject so interesting to many classes of our own population, I shall subjoin the substance of an official statement of the trade of 1837, premising that the Russian goods are valued at their actual worth, but that the Chinese commodities are estimated at rates laid down by agreement in 1801. To begin with the Russian side of the market, the whole of the wares, the foreign as well as the native, amounted to 19,501,281 rou- a. M ' ■ ' I ■ •Hi ^I'-l: :it- 1*5! 174 FROM FIGOLOFFSKAYA TO IRKUTSK. m bles, the native being 16,792,082, and the foreign 2,709,199. Of the native wares the furs, embracing the incredible number of 2,931,347 squirrels, were 7,406,188 roubles, the woollens 5,156,296, the cottons 1,722,747, the linens 522,279, and the leather, entirely whole hides, 1,508,395, so that the furs alone were about 5,000 roubles more than the linens, and the cottons, and the woollens, taken together ; and of the less important articles, amounting in all to 476,177 roubles, the works in tin, iron, steel, brass, copper, and lead, were 76,595, mirrors 162,956, and grains of various descriptions 88,110, while a host of manufactures and productions were valued,under the head of sundries, at 148,516 roubles. In addition to glue, isinglass and talc, the sun- dries in question comprised many things, such as China, two or three ages ago, did not expect to import from Russia, 542 reams of writing paper, and about 4,000 pieces of crockery for the tea-table ; and this sending, as it were, of coals to Newcastle, however trifling the quan- tity, would appear to place in the most striking light the superiority of the material civilization of Europe over that of Asia. Again, of the foreign wares, the furs, very nearly half of the amount being the value of lamb skins from Bokhara, were 1,041,661 roubles, and the manu- factures of all kinds, nearly two-thirds of the whole being velveteens and camlets, were 1,667,538. To come to the Chinese side of the market, the total value of all manufactures and productions, according to the principle of valuation already laid down, was 7,697,357 roubles. But, as the trade is ex- clusively conducted by barter without the intervention of either coin or bullion, the actual worth must have been at least thrice this amount, consisting of the declared value aforesaid of the Russian goods, and of the duties on the exportation of the same. With respect to the differ- ent articles taken in detail, the official statement, from which I draw my information, does not specify any valuation whatever, limiting itself generally to number and weight. Of black tea there were about 77,000 packages, which weighed 133,274 poods; of green tea, all of the best quality, there were about 420 packages and 625 poods ; and of brick tea there were 9,320 packages and 654 pieces, weighing be- tween them about 28,000 poods. Of sugarcandy there were 3,546 poods; and of apples and other fruits there were rather more than 91. Of manufactured articles, silks and cottons, neither of them in any very great quantity, formed the staple, while of writing paper there were only 1,500 sheets, and of porcelain 4,154 cups, with 9,900 cups of wood. Besides all this wholesale trade, a retail traffic is conducted for the express purpose of supplying the Chinese with the agricultural pro- ductions of the country beyond the Baikal. On the Russian side, this retail traffic amounted to 719,531 roubles in all, the value of individual articles not being specified. As this branch of the international commerce throws considerable light on the economical condition of the two empires at this their principal point of contact) — showing fertility to the north of the line of boundary, and ,199. Of the of 2,931,347 16, the cottons whole hides, )le8 more than Tether ; and of '7 roubles, the 6,595, mirrors hile a host of ad of sundries, I talc, the sun- 1, two or three tms of writing able; and this [ling the quan- I superiority of Again, of the jeing the value ind the manu- eing velveteens al value of all le of valuation le trade is ex- f either coin or '.e this amount, 1 goods, and of ct to the differ- I which I draw itever, limiting ere were about reen tea, all of J5 poods ; and s, weighing he- re were 3,546 ler more than ler of them in writing paper ips, with 9,900 iducted for the Tricultural pro- 19,531 roubles ified. As this )le light on the incipal point of boundary, and FROM FIGOLOFFSKAYA TO IRKUTSK. 175 barrenness to the south of it, — I extract the entire table, just as I find it, from my official statement : Iron manufactured 150 poods Soap 269 ki Tallow candles 51 ' ( Hart's horns 386 i Wheat flour, fine 6010 It Wheat flour, common 36,637 ' « Rye do 112,848 ( Wheat 11«,386 ' i Rye 24,507 It Barley 12,759 i Peas 3,567 ( Oats, buckwheat meal and pea flour 398 li Beef and mutton 4,695 li Fat 1,711 » Butter 854 ' t Mushrooms dried S 618 u Bread 368 ( Fish 273d " Flax or hemp prepared for spinning 3.670 hanks Horn combs 5,510 pieces Eggs 117,845 " Geese, ducks and fowls 8,194 " Sheep 7,350 " Pigs 2,172 " Camels 137 " Horses 1,338 ' i In former times this business was still more extensive, as well as more profitable, till at last the Chinese induced the Mongols to culti- vate the banks of the Orkhon, a tributary of the Selenga, thereby exciting a competition against the Russian and Burat settlers on the lower waters of the latter stream. Again on the Chinese side, this retail traffic amounted, according to the principle of valuation already laid down, to 398,157 roubles, being fully one-third higher in proportion than the equivalent for the Russian commodities in the wholesale trade. This advantage, however, on the part of the Muscovite retailer is more likely to have been apparent than real, more likely to have arisen from a diffisrent selection of celes- tial articles than from a higher profit on native productions. In point of fact, the selection was as different as one could well have imagined. Of black and green teas there was little or nothing, barely 315 poods, while of most other things there was a proportional increase, and of some things even an actual preponderance. This will be made clear by the following comparison, keeping in view that the wholesale trade of 1837 on the side of the Russians, was twenty-seven times as valuable as the retail trade : ;,t'it ip'V^ ^4 1 1 ■ ii ; 1. 'ill ' - . ' I i m 176 FROM FIGOLOFFSKAYA TO IRKUTSK. Sugarcandy Cups of porcelain Do wood Brick tea Raw silk Cottons Nankeens Wholesale. 3,546 poods 4,154 pieces 9,900 " 28,000 poods 12 " 13,021 pieces 8,290 " Retail. 1,410 poods 562 pieces 17,971 " 29,136 poods 47 " 18,095 pieces 30,923 " With the single exception of the raw silk, every one of these results may be explained by the fact, that the retail dealer selects his equiva- lents with reference to the local demand of Siberia, while the whole- sale trader turns his attention to the more aristocratic markets of Nish- ney Novgorod and Moscow. The grand season for business is the winter. There is not, how- ever, any regulation to this effect, for the barter begins just as soon as the goods on both sides have reached the scene of operations. Though, in some of the immediately preceding years, the trade had commenced as early as November, yet, in 1837, it did not commence before the 20lh of January, or, according to our reckoning, before the 1st of February. In disposing of their commodities the Chinese have a considerable ad- vantage, inasmuch as their teas never remain unsold in Maimatschin, while the Russian goods, partly through a diminution of the demand, and partly through the artifices of the celestials, are often so depreciated in value as to wait to a second, or perhaps even a third, year for a market. The Chinese send their purchases on camels and in carts drawn by oxen to Kalgan, where the goods are, for the most part, again sold to other buyers ; and in this way they find immediate use for the beasts of burden received in the retail trade, for they have to carry to the south, including the agricultural produce, a far greater bulk than what they bring to the north. The Russians convey nearly the whole of the returns, at least of the wholesale trade, to Nishney Novgorod and Moscow, availing them- selves, in general, of the waters of the Yenissei and the Oby by descend- ing one branch and ascending another, and so on as far as Tiumen, on the Tobol, while one is lost in wonder to reflect, that, after all their windings and wanderings, the teas and silks of China visit the great fairs of European Russia only to commence, in many cases, a new series of distant travels. From Nishney Novgorod, for instance, a large quantity, even of so coarse an article as brick tea, is annually dispatched into the province of Astrukhan, for the use of the Calmucs. At our wages of labor, no goods, unless of the most costly description, could bear the expenses of such a transport, for even in Russia, with its remarkably low rates of remuneration for man and beast, the freight is startling in its amount, being about forty pounds sterling a ton be- tween Moscow and Kiachta. On this point my official statement aforesaid furnishes tolerably complete information. In 1837, the ave- FROM FIGOLOFFSKAYA TO IRKUTSK. 177 + ■■'..);' rage prices of carriage to Kiachta for a pood were, in roubles ami ko- pecks, as follows : From Moscow 15,47 " Nishney Novgorod 12,65 " Kazan 12,30 " Tinmen 0,57 " Tomsk 5,91 " Krasnozarsk 3,00 " Irkutsk 1,05 As the cost of transport of 105,000 poods from all places was 820,000 roubles, being an average of seven roubles and eighty kopecks, a very large proportion of the whole weight must have been brought from the Asiatic side of the Uralian Mountains, so as to reduce the carriage all overhead to something like three-fifths of the rate even from Kazan. In fact, a considerable quantity of the manufactures did come from Tiumen. But the gross freight to the westward was fully thrice the total amount just mentioned, having been 2,500,000 roubles. Besides being themselves heavier than their equivalents, the teas were secured, every chest of them, in raw hides against all damage ; and the pack- ages, over and above being thus increased in weight, were nearly all sent, paying, of course, the higher rates of transport, to Nishney Nov- gorod and Moscow. Enormous as all this expense is, when taken in the mass or stated by the ton, still the cost of fourpence a pound avoir- dupois, scarcely equal to a middleman's gain, is not a very alarming addition to the price of rich silks and fine teas. The inland freight from York Factory to Red River Settlement is about the half of that between Kiachta and Moscow ; and yet The Hudson's Bay Company sells everything but the very heaviest goods at considerably lower rates than any retailer in the Canadas, excepting, perhaps, and only perhaps, in the larger towns. The moral of tlie whole is this, that all the delays and obstacles of nature are as nothing, when compared with the artificial burdens of repeated transfers and of long credits, of inter- mediate profits and of bad debts. How far the trade of Kiachta will be affected by the opening of cer- tain ports in China to all nations, time alone can tell. Even if part of it, as is likely to be the case, be diverted to the coast, the deficiency will, in all probability, be more than supplied, by that growing taste lor foreign productions, which a more extensive intercourse with foreign visitors is sure to cherish. So far at least as experience goes, the Rus- sians have no great reason for apprehension, inasmuch as the abolition of the East India Company's monopoly, wliich might have been ex- pected vastly to enlarge the maritime commerce to the prejudice of the inland traffic, was actually followed by a considerable increase of the business done at Kiachta. But the truth is, that the Russians enjoy peculiar advantages, both local and political. The black teas of Mai- matschin, which are far superior to anything of the kind that is ever seen in England, are produced in the north of China, and may be more cheaply transported to Siberia than to Canton ; and again, Russia alone, PART II. 12 ,1. JK^^I '. 1 ' 178 FROM FIGOLOFFSKAYA TO IRKUTSK. ofall the States on the face of the earth, possesses a national establishment in Peking, for the education of her youth, and the ministrations of her religion, being probably more disposed to make tli«; re(iuisite submis- sions for soothing the pride of the Celestials, than if she were standing on the coast, in the presence of jealous rivals. To return to Lake Baikal, the transport between Irkutsk on the one hand, and Kiachta and Nertshinsk on the other, which must either cross that upland sea or double it, cannot be estimated at less than 400,000 poods a year, besides passengers. Now all that is wanted in order to en- able this large business to take the shortest route, and thereby economize both time and money, is ihe introduction of steam. I accordingly suggested this scheme to some of the inhabitants of Irkutsk ; and I mentioned to the governor in particular, that Moore, the engineer at Sitka, would next year be passing through Siberia, and might be useful to any advcntuiers willing to embark in the project. Though I was uniformly assured that the thing was impossible, inasmuch as no steamer could live during the windy seasons, I yet felt satisfied that the plan was not only practicable, but would be profitable. According to the public prints, the impossibility, — that beast of a word, as Napo- leon is said to have styled it, — has since then been achieved; so that goods cither now are, or soon will be, carried to and from Irkutsk, without breaking bulk, by the Angara, the Baikal, and the Selenga. But the mere economy of money and time will be the least part of the benefit. The settlement of the country will be promoted ; agriculture will be rewarded ;■ and commerce will be encouraged; while, last though not least, an invaluable impulse will be given to the general mind, for the effecting of public improvements. The Baikal is about seven or eight hundred ven^ts in length, and about seventy or eighty broad at its widest part. Its waters are as clear as crystal, everywhere deep and in many places unfathomable. Besides the numberless cascades that rush down its wall of mountains, it receives many rivers, more especially the Angara at its northern ex- tremity, and the Selenga on its eastern side towards the south ; and its single outlet, in spite of the superior claims of the Selenga on the double ground of position and magnitude, professes in its name to be a continuation of the remote and comparatively inconsiderable Angara. The two Angaras are sometimes distinguished from each other as Upper and Lower. The quantity of water, which issues from the lake, is believed to be vastly less than that which flows into it — the difTerence being, in all probability, too great to be explained by evapo- ration alone. In this view of the thing, a large portion," as a matter of course, must be absorbed — an operation which the volcanic origin of the huge hollow may be supposed likely to facilitate. In fact, the lake presents certain features which have induced individuals to infer, that it has a subterranean communication with the ocean. It is the only body of fresh water in the world that possesses seals ; and, when agi- tated, in the way already mentioned, by invisible causes, it throws up to its surface quantities of small fish, which are never seen at any other time. In illustration of the mysterious agencies of nature, which /«^ FROM FIGOLOFFSKAYA TO IRKUTSK. 179 produces the same ends by rontrary means, I subjoin two passages from Baron Wrangell's interesting work. "These flat valleys are occasionally filled with water, by the over- flowing of the rivers in spring, when they form lakes of various sizes, all very full offish. The intense frosts of winter cause large defis in the ground, by which the water drains ofl", sometimes in the course ot a single year, sometimes in several. "A curious phenomenon occurs in the lakes in the vicinity of the village of ALiseya. In the middle of winter the water sometimes sud- denly disappears without any side-channels being visible. In such cases a loud noise is heard at the time the water disappears, and when the bottom of the lake is laid bare, large clefts are visible, occasioned by the severity of the frost." The Baikal contains a vast variety of fish, no fewer than fourteen sorts of the salmon alone. Of the salmon the omul is but a little larger than the herring, which, in fact, it resembles so closely in flavor as to my taste not to be distinguishable; still, however, it has the scales and teeth of its own tribe. In this lake sturgeon al«o are taken, weighing as much as four hundred pounds. Most of the fish, as well as the seals, confine themselves to the Baikal, being never found in the waters of the Angara; and the omul in particular is said never to be seen any- where else, excepting in the Polar Ocean, the Sea of Kamschatka and a certain pool in Siberia that has no ouUet. Till very lately, the country beyond the Baikal presented another object besides Kiachta, which, of itself, might have induced me to cross the lake. About five-and-lwenty years ago, several English mission- aries of the Protestant faith were established, under the patronage, and partly also at the expense, of the Emperor Alexander, among the Bu- rats of the Selenga ; and this specimen of religious liberality, unmatched in any other country in Christendom, was still permitted to work its way under the auspices of the Emperor Nicholas. But these devoted exiles, less fortunate, in this respect, than their brethren of the Sand- wich Islands, found that a bad religion, whatever might be its counter- vailing merits, was a worse enemy of the pure and simple Christianity of the Bible than no religion at all. The Burats professed the Lama- ism of Thibet, with its dominant priesthood and its whole libraries of creeds and commentaries; and under the influence of their hereditary prejudices, local and national, social and political, literary and ec- clesiastical, they deliberately and obstinately preferred the flickering glare of their own idolatry to the genuine light of the Gospel. In a word, the missionaries, to the best of my knowledge, made not one real convert, while they were still more seriously discouraged by the fact, that every pretended proselyte openly relapsed as soon as he had gained the secular ends of his interested hypocrisy. About two years ago they retired from the barren field of their zealous labors. For this step, in addition to the mere despair of success, two immediate causes were assigned. From political motives the Russian government was said to be anxious to conciliate Lamaism; and the Greek Church had its jealousies roused by the suspicion, that the baffled Protestants were .!'n K ISO FROM FIG0L0FF8KAYA TO IRKUTSK. strivinjT to prevent the Biirnts from embracing any other form of Chria- tiaiiity than their own. About seven or eight verHts beyond the oiitlet of the Baikal, some- what ambitiously distinguished as *' The ]*ort," we passed the night ;it Lcstvcnnechnain, having reached this station by a road cut on the lace of a hill overhanging the lake, and protected by a parapet wall Jowards the water. At the distance of forty versts from Lestven- nechnain there was a gold washery, which I could not spare time to visit. In fact, a traveler would never get along through Siiieria, if he were to allow himself to be infected with its endemic mania, for the whole surface of the country, from the Uralian Mountains to the Yablonnoi chain, would appear to be one vast bed of the precious metals. The government reserves to itself all the mines, turning them to excellent account both as sources of revenue and as penal colonies. The washeries, however, are open to private enterprize on paying to the crown a tenth of the proceeds. When capitalists wish to embark in the business, they employ peasants of experience to make a survey of a certain district of country ; and, as soon as any favorable ground is discovered, application is made to the authorities for a license to com- mence operations. Volunteer laborers are easily found, on condition of being fed and clothed, and of participating in the profits; and there have been instances in which peasants have earned fifty roubles a day, during the two or three months of the working season. Having returned to Irkutsk on the following day, I learned that I might have gone to Kiachta aftrfr all without much risk of disappoint- ment. If General Rupert had been informed in time of the interdict which had deterred me from attempting the journey, he would have sent an officer with us for the express purpose of offering any neces- sary explanations, and of thereby gaining us admission into Maiinat- schin. On the whole, however, I thought that things had been ordered for the best, for the Chinese, after they had got me within the gates of their village, might have kept up the metaphor of the celestial cha- racter of their empire, by never letting me out again. The three days, which I spent in Irkutsk after my return, were passed in a constant succession of hospitality and festivity. I expe- rienced marked attention and kindness from all the principal inhabit- ants, particularly the governor-general, the governor, the mayor. Prince Gallitzen, M. Didoff, M. Sofronoff the distiller, and M. Chezolet, a leading merchant of the place. In the house of General Rupert, we were entertained with all the pomp and magnificence befitting the dig- nity of the governor of Eastern Siberia, and commander-in-chief of the Cossacks. The dinner was served in an oval hall of spacious pro- portions, which was thronged with servants ; a military band in the orchestra played at intervals ; and our host and all his male guests, excepting ourselves, were arrayed in glittering uniforms. There were present Madame Rupert, with her six highly accomplished and remarkably interesting daughters and two little boys, three aides-de- camp and a doctor. The viands, both solids and liquids, were in the greatest variety and of the choicest kinds. Before taking our leave, FROM FIG0L0FF8KAYA TO IRKUTSK. 181 >rm of Chria- we were conducted by hifl excelloncy into hin extcnsivo nuHeuni of curio8itiL'!4, nuneralM, , . '^ ' , , •* i-:. ■•^'4;- . " H'-:^ '^^ ■■ •W* ( ■ •>. I- «N- ml 183 -'^ -i'f '•,■*- ^J - ) ' CHAPTER XIX. FROM IRKUTSK TO TOBOLSK. On the fifteenth of August, at seven in the evening, we left Irkutsk, crossing in a ferry boat to the left bank of the Angara, and accom- plishing, before midnight, two stages of twenty-five versts each. The weather, which had been threatening us for some days past, now be- gan to be as good as its word ; and torrents of rain fell during the night. With roads which were bad at the best, this was rather an uncomfortable omen for people in a hurry ; and we, of course, made ourselves as miserable as possible. To be jolted through four thou- sand miles of quagmire was by no means a pleasant anticipation. Next day something like real trouble seemed to thicken upon us. In the morning my Russian companion's axle took fire, and occasioned some detention. In the evening his reins, through the driver's care- lessness in letting them go, got entangled round the wheel and brought up the horses with a jerk. One of the animals had his hind legs broken, while the other was choked to death. Had there been a knife at hand, the creature might have been saved from strangulation. But neither master nor man had such an article, while the post-boy could not legally carry about him any weapon of the kind; and our carriage was out of sight. Till the afternoon the weather was raw and wet. The country ap- peared to be almost exclusively appropriated to pasturage ; and it would have been uninteresting on account of its flatness, had it not been covered with flocks and herds. We passed many populous villages, as also some salt works and other manufactories. On the seventeenth we accomplished a hundred and twenty-five versts before breakfasting at Sharaboo. Talking of eating, we had only two meals a day, being indebted even for them to the exertions of my servant. The stations did not profess to supply us with food on any terms; and we had consequently to forage and cook for our- selves, getting very little for our pains but coarse bread and tough fowls. So far, however, as horses were concerned, we regularly derived great benefit from the proceedings of the police ofiicer, who was ahead of us. The roads were bad, while many streams were to be crossed, par- ticularly the La and the Iga, two feeders of the Angarsv,; and what was worse than half a score of such rivers, the Russian's axle was again at its mischief, giving way altogether and d'^talningus four hours. We were now in the midst of a population, whose habits and manners • v.- 1. ' 1' '' ■ I: i J- M 184 FROM IRKUTSK TO TOBOLSK. rendered any little delay far more disag^reeahle than we had ever found it to be ainon^ the honest and civil peasantry of the Lena. Many of the settlers, in fact, were themselves convicts, in whom a change of residence had not produced any essential change of character ; and, in spite of all our caution and vigilance, several things were last evening stolen from our very carriage at Zeminsky. On tlie contrary, the na- tive peasants, though generally the descendants of convicts, appeared to be remarkably steady and obliging. They were strong and com- pact ; and, throughout the district, they were, as a body, the largest race of men that I had ever seen. In one of the villages a handsome church of wood, the work of a self- taught native of the neighborhood, was nearly completed. Generally speaking, the places of worship were substantially built and neatly finished. Whether they were well fdled I had some reason to doubt, for every holiday, Sunday as well as Saturday, and Saturday as well as Sunday, seemed to be celebrated by drunkenness. St. Nicholas, I suspect, is the only name in the calendar that has a dry day ; and even St. Nicholas, as we have already seen, has the loss made up to him by having a wet festival to boot as well as his neighbors. Speaking of tippling, we last night met on the road that indispensable patron of patron saints, the wealthy distiller whose mansion we occupied in Irkutsk ; and I was grieved that I had not an opportunity of personally returning my thanks to him for the kindness that I had experienced at the hands of his agents. At noon on the eighteenth we reached the town of Nishney Udinsk, having traveled live hundred versts in sixty-five hours. Our friend ahead had provided quarters for us here, in case that we might feel disposed to remain a few hours ; and I was met by the poFimaster, the commissary, and the other authorities, all in full uniform, for, be- sides the verbal announcements of my importance, my passport gave me the title of "governor," the highest rank known in Siberia. If such honors and ceremonies could have resulted in a comfortable room and a good dinner, I might have liked them better ; but, as things were, I should have placed mor^ of a hungry man's reliance on the smile and nod of '• mine host" of the humblest alehouse — even of " The Pig and Whistle" itself — in Merry England. On several occasions I was dis- gusted with an obsequiousness which, in my opinion, a sovereign- could not accept without a feeling of degradation. I allude to the custom of bowing down and kissing the ground before people of distinction. One of those who thus saluted me was a Dutch beggar, who, as he did not appear to be really an object of charity, pocketed merely his labor for his pains. A similar slavishness of disposition was exhibited by a subordinate functionary in Irkutsk ; but among the serviles I did not reckon my Yakut eaters, for, though they did kiss the ground, yet they had not bowed down for the purpose. Nishney Udinsk was a straggling collection of wooden houses, con- taining a population of about eight hundred souls ; and the neighbor- liood was more hilly than anything that we had seen to the west of the Baikal. The principal inhabitant, the son of an exiled Jew of the name FROM IRKUTSK TO TOBOLSK. 185 . 1, !i; of Priceman, was said to be worth two millions of roubles, partly made by his father, as a distiller, and partly by himself, as a general trader. From t'i'r- merchant of the first guild, for such he was, we purchased some >iif(..r at three roubles a pound, and some fowls at three pence a piece. We had also the pleasure of seeing his daughter, celebrated not only as the great beauty, but as the rich prize, of the little world of which Nishney Udinsk was the centre. I witnessed, by the by, a scene in the street, which would induce one to hope that Mademoiselle Priceman's lovers might adjust their respective claims without fighting about her. Two fellows had quarreled about the wife of one of them- selves, and were doing all the damage to each other that they could. To say, that the combatants came to blows, would be an abuse of language, for they did nothing but pull and shake, push and jostle, scratch and tear ; and I would rather have taken all that passed between the hus- band and the paramour, than the scolding, which the lady fair, who was the subject of the controversy, addressed to her lord and master. In consequence of almost constant rains for some time past, the roads were so heavy that, next morning, we made only twenty-five versts before breakfast. This meal we took at Alzamoos, in the dwelling of a peasant, the station-house itself being under repair. Our host, however, did not remain to do the honors, having evacuated the premis',3, with his whole family, on our approach ; and this proceed- ing he doubtless intended as a signal mark of respect and hospitality. A guitar and some other articles of the kind proved him to be a man of some education and taste ; and he appeared to be in tolerable cir- cumstances, for we found, in his cupboard, a little of the best nalifky that we had ever seen. We, of course, made ourselves at home, as, in the absence of inns, every traveler must do in all parts of the coun- try. But still, in spite of the extremely hospitable disposition of the people, we could not, without a great sacrifice of time, have depended on them for food, being obliged, in this important department, to take care of ourselves, to pick up a fowl at one place, a loaf at another, and some eggs at a third, and to cook all at a fourth. Not only are the peasants of Siberia remarkable for their civility, but all grades of society are decidedly more intelligent than the cor- responding classes in any other part of the empire, and perhaps more so than in most parts of Europe. The system, on which Siberia has been, and continues to be, colonized, is admirable alike in theory and in practice. The perpetrators of heinous crimes are sent to the mines ; those who have been banished for minor delinquencies, are settled in villages or on farms; and political offenders, comprising soldiers, authors and statesmen, are generally established by themselves in little knots, communicating to all around them a degree of refinement un- known in other half-civilized countries. In the course of the afternoon, we crossed the Burassa, forming the boundary between the provinces of Irkutsk and Yenissei. Fortunately, however, we were still within General Rupert's jurisdiction, so that our police officer continued to go ahead in order to provide for our comforts; and yet, notwithstanding this advantage in our favor, we ':.f. ■i -fM !■ i^^ '11' 'm 186 FROM IRKUTSK TO TOBOLSK. soon discovered, that Ycnissei deserved its reputation of being the worst governed district in all Siberia. The country about the river is hilly and picturesque, and contains several gold washeries. Our Russian again detained us two hours by the breaking down of his vehicle, which, to tell the truth, was overloaded with all sorts and sizes of valuables. On the twentieth we reached Kansk, standing on a river of the same name, and containing a population of three thousand souls. At the ferry we were met by the mayor, the commissary, the hatman of Cossacks, and other officers. It was the most interesting place that we had seen to the west of Irkutsk, occupying a beautiful valley sur- rounded by green hills, and possessing a woollen manufactory besides some salt works. Still we remained only a couple of hours, being unwilling to lose time, more particularly as the improvement of the roads, in consequence of the undulating character of the surface, was enabling us to gallop over hill and dale at the rate of twelve versts. The villages were very numerous, not only on the road but as far back on either side as we could see; and the people all looked healthy, comfortable and happy. In any place, where the post house was out of repair, our police officer used to pounce on the best house for our use ; and as the owners would neither make any demand nor accept any remuneration, we were generally obliged to compromise the matter by forcing a small gift on the host's wife or daughter. The dwelling in which we breakfasted to-day, was that of a person who had been sent to Siberia against his will. Finding that there was only one way of mending his condition, he worked hard and behaved well. He had now a comfortably furnished house and a well cultivated farm, while a stout wife and plenty of servants bustled about the premises. His son had just arrived from Petersburg to visit his exiled father, and had the pleasure of seeing him amid all the comforts of life, reaping an abundant harvest, with one hundred and forty persons in his pay. In fact, for the reforming of the criminal, in addition to the punishment of the crime, Siberia is undoubtedly the best penitentiary in the world. When not bad enough for the mines, each exile is provided with a lot of ground, a house, a horse, two cows, and agricultural implements, and also, for the first year, with provisions. For three years he pays o taxes whatever — and for the next ten only half of the full amount. To bring fear as well as hope to operate in his favor, he clearly under- stands, that his very first slip will send him from his home and his family to toil, as an outcast, in the mines. Thus does the government bestow an almost parental care on all the less atrocious criminals. In the afternoon, after passing through a new settlement of exiles called Borodino, we came in sight of the Siansky Mountains, celebrated for their singularly rich mines of gold and silver. Next day we entered Krasnoyarsk, the capital of the province of Yenissei, already mentioned in these pages as the place at which the Chancelor Von ResanofiT, the lover of Donna Conception of Santa Barbara, met his premature fate. We were, as usual, received with great civility by the municipal authorities, who came to meet us at the ** FROM IRKUTSK TO TOBOLSK. 187 1/ { ferry on the Yenissei, and proviiled us with an excellent house. I called on the governor, a civilian of the name of KapilloiT, who very politely pressed me to dine with him the next day, being the anniver- sary of the emperor's accession to the throne. I declined the honor, however, through my anxiety to get forward, and begged for horses to continue our journey as soon as ever our carriages should have under- gone a few necessary repairs. I called also on the chief magistrate of police, who was very attentive, placing his carriage and four horses at my disposal: whilst with him, I happened to sneeze, when, accord- ing to etiqustte, he bowed to me and wished me good health. We strolled through the town, finding little to interest us excepting the tomb of Von Resanoff, erected in 1831 by the Russian American Company. There was the usual number of public buildings, all of wood, such as churches, hospitals and barracks. Among the exiles in the place there was ftne of high rank, Lieutenant General Davidofl", banished for participating in some attempt or other at revolution. He was very comfortably, nay happily, settled with his whole family about him, sons-in-law, brother-in-law, and so on, and appeared to enjoy all the luxuries and elegancies of polished life. So far as the eye could judge. General Davidoff was no more an exile than Governor Kapilloff himself. For our own immediate purpose of racing against time, we could hardly have come more inopportunely to Krasnoyarsk. Everybody was idler than his neighbor, on the occasion of the consecration of a new church by the Bishop of Tomsk, situated rather ornamentally, I thought, than usefully, on the face of a hill at the distance of a verst and a half from the nearest house. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the chairman of the building committee gave a grand entertainment to the bishop, the governor, and all the higher functionaries generally, the whole party, I understood, displaying as much zeal as if St. Nicho- las's wet day had brought them together ; and, in imitation of so good an example, the lower orders speedily filled the streets, and kept them filled, too, for the most of the night, with drunken males and females. I had heard that the men of Krasnoyarsk, on account of their size and strength, were frequendy drafted into the Imperial Guards ; but whether it was that I was out of humor by reason of the delay, or that they showed themselves under disadvantageous circumstances, I saw nothing particular to admire in them. The town stands on the Yenissei in a level plain, embosomed in hills, being said to derive its name from some neighboring cliffs of red earth. It may be considered as the centre of the district, where the mania for gold washing, which broke out about fifteen years ago, has been carried to its greatest height, a mania which has brought not only agriculture, but even commerce into comparative neglect and disrepute. Of the population, amounting to about six thousand, the great majorit/ are more or less infected with the malady. As an instance of the speculative character of this occupaUon, one individual, who embarked in the business about three years ago, obtained no returns at all till this season, when he has been richly repaid for his ouUay of a million and 'm m til ..1. 1 i,.^' ■r Ik- I I : ii I 188 FROM IRKUTSK TO TOBOLSK. a half of roubles, by one hundred and fifty poods of gold, worth thirty- seven thousand roubles each, or rather more than five millions and a half in all. Such a lucky hit as this serves, of course, to give a fresh impulse to the spirit of gambling, which animates both foreigners and natives alike. A Prussian botanist and physician, entirely wrapped up in the love of his favorite sciences, had actually started on a pilgrim- age to Karaschatka for the sole purpose of examining the vegetation. When, however, he got as far as the golden district of Yenissei, he paused and pondered for a time in the fair town of Krasnoyarsk, till at length, as the bad luck of physic and botany would have it, he was chained to the spot in the double capacity of husband and gold washer. Speaking of marriage, a young lady's charms are here estimated by the weight not of herself, but of her gold. A pood is a very good girl ; and, according to Cocker, who appears to get the better of Cupid here as well as elsewhere, two or three poods are elderly twice or thrice as good a wife. At present the mines and washeries are very unfavorable to the set- tlement and cultivation of Siberia, by calling away the laborers from more steady occupations to the precarious pursuit of the precious metals. Already has the effect been seriously felt in Krasnoyarsk, where a pood of meat has risen, in ten years, from a roiil)le and a half to twenty roubles, and where fowls, such as we bought at Nishney Udinsk for a quarter of a rouble a piece, cost three roubles a pair. When, however, these mining and washing operations shall have been reduced to a more regular system, they will afford an extensive market for the produce of the surrounding country, and thus, in the end, become the firmest support of the very agriculture which they now embarrass. The province of Yenissei alone has this year yielded five hundred poods of gold. The most valuable washeries are those on the Ton- guska, which falls into the river that gives name to the district, a con- siderable way to the north of Krasnoyarsk. The richest washing tract in Eastern Siberia is said to be the triangle bounded by the Angara to the east, the Yenissei to the west, and Chinese Tartary to the south. Expecting that we should start during the night, I laid myself down in the evening, as I had done ever since leaving Irkutsk, at the bottom of the carriage. In the morning, however, I found that I had slept without being rocked, for there we were still in Karsnoyarsk ; and, notwithstanding my reiterated applications for horses, we were detained till ten in the morning, in a place, of which hardly a single inhabitant, what between washeries and holidays, seemed capable of attending to any ordinary business. Almost everything, in fact, had gone wrong, since we entered the province of Yenissei ; and even our policeman was generally so far behind, that we had to wait for him at the stations. We passed through a beautiful country for pasturage, well wooded and well settled. Soon after leaving the town, we Overtook •''^ princi- pal chief of the Burats on his way to visit the Emperor Nicholas. In face and general appearance, he resembled an Indian of North America ; 'U PROM IRKUTSK TO TOBOLSK. 189 he was, however, a man of education and .iddress, and wore a hand- some uniform. This potentate was attended by an interpreter. In each town and village, by the by, along the great thoroughfare, there is an ostrog with a sentry at the door. These wooden forts are used for locking up the convicts, while passing onward to their respect- ive destinations. The convicts travel in parties of two or three hun- dred each, very lightly chained together, and escorted by soldiers ; and, in order still further to prevent escape, sentinels are stationed at every three or four miles on the road. Under all these circumstances, at- tempts at desertion are very rare and scarcely ever succeed. At Kesalskaya, which we reached at one next morning, we found the postmaster drunk and stupid. He not only would give us no horses himself, but endeavored also to deter others from giving us any, alleging that he had received private instructions not to render us any assist- ance. Not contented with negative churlisliness, the fellow insisted on removing the candle, which bylaw should be kept burning all night in every post-house. A scuffle ensued between my ever ready fellow- traveler and the worthy functionary, in which the former was likely to come off second best; but, feeling that, at least on this occasion, he had done nothing to merit a drubbing, I rescued him. candle and all, from the rascal's fury. In the course of an hour we obtained cattle from some of the villagers and took our departure. Sixty versts of very bad roads brought us, at two in the afternoon, to Atchinsk, where we were provided by the authorities with a house, in which we took breakfast and dinner in one. Our landlady was a jolly, good-humored, handsome dame, whose husband was washing away for gold at the distance of a hundred versts. Under this agree- able and communicative lady's tuition I should have picked up the Russ in no time. The population of this town is about two thousand, while that of the surrounding villages is fiv6 times the amount. All this is the work of the last twenty years; and the rapid growth of the neighborhood, almost rivaling the mushroom-like settlements of the United States, show how successfully the government is proceeding in the coloniza- tion of Siberia. Many of the inhabitants, and even some of the prin- cipal merchants, are Jews. Though the soil in the vicinity is said to be very rich, yet here, as well as at Krasnoyarsk, the monotonous la- bors of the husbandman have been, in a great measure, superseded by the more attractive occupation of hunting up the precious metals. Atchinsk stands on the Tchulim, a tributary of the Oby, which i here so tortuous in its course, that a circuit of six hundred versts, according to my information, may be avoided by a portage of twenty-five. It is the most westerly town, at least on this route, in this tiresome pro- vince; and, at the distance of seventeen versts beyond it, there stands a pillar to mark the boundary not only between Yenissei and Tomsk, but also between Eastern and Western Siberia. The traveler, however, -^ has but little reason for congratulating himself upon the change. The farther that one advances to the westward, the more rapidly do the roads, the post-houses and the horses degenerate. The same regula- m 1 :\ : ! 1 j M\ !:; :J I m 190 FROM IRKUTSK TO TOBOLSK. ^ tions, it is true, apply to the whole country, so that the entire difference lies not in the theory but in the practice. These regulations, drawn up by Catherine the Second in her own handwriting, are a lasting me- morial of the sagacity and vigilance of that illustrious sovereign. About a hundred versts from Atchinsk, there are said to be some re- mains, in the shape of dilapidated tombs, of a race that had apparently made greater advances in civilization than any of the modern aborigines of Siberia. There is also a steppe about two hundred versts f less than ppe, which he western in there are yesterday's Om; but of ourse, have town were ethren and IS usual, by iturday had ince of the Iso on pub- 3n any and i, while the leadly sins. — with one rom a bath- but, on in- ad made all blessing in would, pre- tained from t encounter , I began to IS one main population see us, the The secret ps for their vds an am- tlie simple stories, had he sun and rpreter and le Russians ed for us at lat had ever roads were >f twelve or ry betiveen depend on our Cossack alone. The farms of the villagers are not always near the villages, being sometimes as much as thirty versts distant. The peasants appear to be well off and really are a happy and contented race. With respect to the young women a custom was said to prevail, which would be more honored in the breach than in the observance. Such of them as remain single at their mother's deadi, are at the dis- posal of their nearest male relative, whether father, or brother, or uncle, or guardian, who may sell their first favors in marriage or otherwise for his own private emolument; and, in justice to all nearest male relatives, I ought to add, that the damsels don't seem to dislike the practice. At a house where we dined to-day on sour krout, an old man could not possibly conceive, how we, being English, could be cominir from the east, assuring me that all the Englishmen, who had ever visited Siberia, had not only come from the west but had no other way to come. Knowing someUiing of geography, our aged host explained to us, that, besides the Polar Sea on the north, arid the Chinese frontier on the south, there was on the east a great ocean which was certainly far from England, the western door alone, as it were, being left open to admit our countrymen. In the course of the afternoon we entered Omsk, the new metropolis pf Western Siberia. It stands at the confluence of the Om and the Irtish, in the midst of a sandy plain, which presents no tree of larger size than a dwarf wdlow. Over this barren flat, which extends on all sides as far as the eye can reach, the biting winds blow from every quarter of the compass without impediment, driving before them in winter drifts of snow, and in summer clouds of dust, both of them equally pernicious to the eyes. The town is still in its infancy, having but lately supplanted Tobolsk; but already the public buildings are handsome, while the fordficaUons, where the two rivers do not afford protection, are forinidable. It has been selected as the seat of the general government: i-hiefiy vvidi a view to the gradual subjugation of the Kirghiz, who occupy a vast breadth of country all die way from this to the Caspian Sea; and the advance of Russia in this direction, besides being peculiarly important boUi commercially and politically, is the more an object of ambition on this account, that, along all the rest of the southern frontier of Siberia, the jealousy, if not the power, of China, forbids the acquisition of new territory. Besides a population of five or six thousand, there is a garrison of four thousand men; and, in fact, die place may be considered merely as a military post, for nearly all the inhabitants derive their subsistence from the presence of the troops. As to civil government, Omsk still depends on the ancient city of Tobolsk, which continues to be the capital of the united pro- vinces of Tobolsk and Omsk. We were hospitably received into the house of Count Tobtoy, a clever, cheerlVi!. plain man. lie had recenUy returned from St. Peters- burg, whither he had escorted the Khan of Tashkand, lying in about 43° N. lat. antain from Strogonoff his second slock of supplies, more particularly as, from the very neces- sity of the case, it was to be considerably laiger and more costly than the first. Hesides an increased quantity of food, the Cossacks, on this occasion, were provided for the first time with muskets and ammuni- tion, while, to complete the appearance of regular troops, these lawless marauders received colors that were decorated with the images of saints. In June, 1579, Yermac started anew with an army now reduced to live thousand men. By reason, however, of the ruggedness of the roads and the difliculties of the navigation, he reached Tchingii on the Tura, only towards the close of 1580. By this time, through fatigue and sickness, and repeated skirmishes with the Tartars, his five tliousand had dwindled away to fifteen hundred ; and yet neither did leader nor follower hesitate a moment in advancing against Kutchum Khan. The march of this little band of heroes was one series of battles and vic- tories, so that only one-third of them lived to see their great enemy encamped, near the centre of his dominions, at the junction of the Irtish and the Tobol, with vasUy superior numbers. Undismayed, either by the loss of their comrades, or by the array of the thousands ihat waited to receive them, the Cossacks began and ended this one contest more between Europe and Asia, with a spirit wortliy of Mara- thon, After an obstinate struggle, die Tartars were routed with fearful carnage, while Kutchum Khan himself was almost taken prisoner. But the sequel showed more clearly than the past, that this illustrious robber was equal to his fortune. From the very field of victory, he dispatched part of his still more seriously diminished forces to storm, if necessary, the fortress of Sibir, the residence of the vanquished po- tentate. Biit this detachment found the place deserted ; and soon after- wards Yermac, entering in triumph, seated himself on the throne of the valleys of the Tobol and the Irtish. Through the influence of moral causes, his very weakness proved to be his strength. Struck with the matchless intrepidity and marvelous exploits of the handful of strangers, the neighboring Tartars flocked from all quarters to welcome their new sovereign, submitting to his authority without hesitation and acquiesc- ing in the payment of the usual tribute ; and even distant princes, as they heard in succession of his renown, came, as vassals, to claim his protection. But as many oi the Tartars still retained an aflfection for their exiled monarch, which they were too ready to display in turbulence and in- surrection, Yermac felt the precariousness of his present grandeur ; and h*? resolved to offer his new acquisitions to his former master, on con- r;;i FROM TOBOLSK TO LONDON. 207 i and, at the I provisions, liich merely lution, had a [it the enter- icing equally scribed frec- m Strogonoff c very neces- e costly than uicks, on this ind ammiini- ihese lawless 16 images ol w reduced to 3 of the roads on the Tura, hi fatigue and five tliousand lid leader nor Khan. The ittles and vic- • great enemy iction of the Undismayed, he thousands ded this one thy of Mara- d with fearful )risoner. lis illustrious f victory, he ces to storm, nquished po- id soon after- throne of the nee of moral uck with the of strangers, me their new ind acquiesc- it princes, as to claim his their exiled lence and in- randeur; and ister, on con- dition of receiving forgiveness and support. One of his most faithful followers was accordingly sent to Moscow, taking witfi him, as an «>8cort, fifty Cossacks wliom Yrrniac could hut ill spare. In addition to t\\v most plausible history of the past, and the purest promises for the future, the envoy carried to the czar a prcsout of the choicest and most valuable furs. This ambassador, after being treated at Moscow with the highest distinction, was sent back to Sibir, with a sum of money, and an assurance of speedy and elfectual assistance, carrying at the same time ample presents for all concerned, and for Yerma(; in par- ticular a fur robe, which the czar himself had worn. Meanwhile Yennac not only maintained his conquests, but even extended them ; he not only batllcd all Kutchum Khan's attempts m recover his crown, but even penetrated into the valley of the OL; al)ove its junction with the Ii'ish. Heinforced at length by five iiundred Kussians, he continued excursions on all sides with more activity than ei'er, crushing evi . , cliief that might be imprudent enough to as- sert his independence. In returning from one of these expeditions, he had encamped in the evening on a small island, formed by two branches of the Irtish. The night was dark and rainy, and the troops, who were fatigued with a long march, relied too implicitly for safety on the Mtate of the weather and the strength of their position. Apprised by his scouts of the circumstances, Kutchum Khan silently forded the river with a chosen band, coming so unexpectedly on his sleeping vic- tims as to preclude the use of their arms. The Russians, to the num- ber of three hundred, were cut to pieces almost without resistance ; and only one man escaped to carry the news of the catastrophe to the gar- rison of Sibir. Even in this awful hour of confusion and slaughter, Yermac's intrepidity never forsook him. .After many acts of heroism, he cut his way through the enemy to the water's edge ; and he would most probably have escaped from Kutchum Khan and all his Tartars, if he had not, while attempting to get into a boat, fallen into tiie river and sunk instantly to the bottom. By ordei: of Kutchum Khan, the hero's corpse was exposed to all the insults which revenge could suggest to that sullen barbarian. But, after the first transports of rage had sulisidcd, the khan's followers tes- tified the most pointed indignation at the ungenerous ferocity of their leader : and, suddenly passing from one extreme to another, they re- proached both him and themselves for having offered any indignity to such venerable remains. They proceeded even to consecrate Yermac's memory, interring his body with all the rites of their superstitions, and presenting sacrifices to his manes. In a word, they regarded their conqueror as a god, investing his body, his clothes, his arms, and his tomb with miraculous powers and properties. With Yermac expired for a time the Russian empire in Siberia, for, on the news of his death, the garrison of Sibir evacuated the country, feeling, however, tliot, at no distant day, the reputation of the dead warrior would be a more powerful instrument of conquest than ever his living energy had been. Though Kutchum Khan regained a small portion of his original dominions, yet his triumph, such as it was, was but brief. The "< iM. 1.1 I i[r IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ,.ing less than sixteen roubles a piece, while, even at Olekminsk, the average price, as already mentioned, of the sables of the Olekma, taking two successive years together, was 2,000 roubles for forty or precisely fifty roubles a skin. Again, not a single marten was oll'ered at Kiachta. while 14,794 paws proved, that at least 3,098 skins of the animal must luive been procured. Farther there were only 9,010 stoats, but 42,515 tails of the creature, leaving at least 33,505 skins for other destinations. Lastly, of foxes there were barely 20t),000 with about 600,0t)0 paws; so that, on the really natural and probable supposition that the skins, properly so called, had not been mutilated for the purpose, there would result at least 150,000 foxes more that must have been reserved for the more westerly markets. Of the enormous quantities of furs, which thus go to Russia and to China, a considerable portion doul)lless comes from the New World — a portion which, however, is by no means irrelevant to my argument, considering that, in the actual progress of discovery, Russian America is virtually a continuation of Siberia. Siberia itself is certainly less productive than it once was, partly be- . cause the fur trade necessarily disappears before an agricultural popu- ^ '- J ' .iti 214 FROM TOBOLSK TO LONDON. latioii, and partly hrr:iusr it Dnfnrjilly tends, ;it least under the inflnrnee of eoinpcfitioii, to exhaust itself. JiVeii now, however, furs are still an ohjeet of pursuit throuirhout tin; whoh* country in general, for in my oflieial returns of the (.'hinescf trade there appear the squirrels of the Yenissei, and the Obv with th(^ ermines of tin; River Ishim, and the IJaraliinsky Steppe. These ermines, hy the by, eontradiet the jjcneral rule that the furs to tlu^ east of ihe licna are superior in quality to such as arc found to the west of that river, for they arc valued at rather more than three limes the rate of tlu; ermines of the province of Ya- kutsk, liut, farther, the actual advantajre, which is derived by Russia from the fur trade of {Siberia, may be fairly estimated at a hijrher •standard than that of mere roubles, on the one s|)ecial jrround, that the branch of commerce in question must h:\\v formed the main induce- ment for th(! Chinese to open an inland Iratllck with their neighbors. I'jvcn in lS',i7, the native furs alone were nearly equal in value to five- sixths of all the other native productions that were bartered at Kiachta. The farther back we mi/^ht ijo, this proportion would indubitably be Ibund to increase on account of the comparative paucity and imperfec- tion of native manufactures, till at last, by the time that we should reach the date of the treaty of Nertshinsk, skins would come to be almost the only equivalent that the Russians could ofler or the Chinese covet. So far back, too, as the year 1G80, the iiilluencc of the fur trade of Siberia, as an inslnumcnt of negotiation, must have been en- hanced by the fact, that, down to that time, there still contiimcd to be no other ct)nsiderable fur trade in the world. The second most obvious advantage, and perhaps also the second in point of antiquity, is the international traftlck which has been so fre- quently mentioned in the preceding paragraph. The Chinese trade, independently of its direct benelils to individual merchants and indi- vidual manufacturers, gives to Russia a position and an influence in the commercial world, which, without her appendage of Siberia, she i'ould never have acquired. Hut it isby its aid in peopling and civil- izing Sib(!ria, that the Chinese trade has been maiidy serviceable to Russia. Of the 3,320,000 roubles, expended, as already mentioned, on the transport to and from Kiachta, Siberians must have earned the larger share, perhaps as much as two millions of roubles, — an enor- mous sum in a country where living is so cheap. But this is not all, for every considerable place on the route sends its contribution of manufactures to Maimatschin. I subjoin the tabic in full, as an equally authentic and interesting evidence of the fact: ., ,^; Rl'SSIA LEATHEK. Places. Pieces. Roubli^s. 3,019 23,409 Irkutsk 0,376 52,620 Krasnoyarsk 1,107 8,856 Kainsk 3,128 34,210 Ncrtshinsk 200 1,700 Tara 2,015 18,950 FROM TODOLSK TO LONDON. 215 Tomsk Tiiirnni 'J'obolsk Kiaciitu y2.iJ»r> 23».381 n).:n:t •^IM.tif)? (i7(> H,OI« Ji.WO »:<,(• 10 Touil ('» 1 M)',i tV.UMVZ The third advnntatro, whicli IJiiss-ia dcrivos from Sihorin, is (lie trade in ivory. 'J'houirh, in nu'ri; anionnt, this hranch of coniincrcc is of comparatively litlh' vahie, yel it is well worthy of lionorahh* men- tion, as havinj;, in a high degree, jiromoted the i)rogress of geographieal discovery. It was in the eairer pursuit of the hones of the mammoth, that most of the northern ishuids were visited and ex[)h)r('(l, — ishmds which, when taken in connection with thi'ir mysterious tniasures, in- vest the Asiatic Coast of the Arctic Ocean with an interest uidvuowa to the corresponding sliores of America. Moniover, as more skill and judgment, and perhaps also ampler means, are reciuired for disinter- ring or selecting tusks than for hunting or purchasing skins, a supc^rior class of men have generally devoted themselves to the former occu- pation ; and perhaps the tnost interesting feature in Haron Wrangell's interesting hook, consists of the occasional glinipses of the proceed- ings and disposition of a collector of ivory of the name of Heresli- noi, — the same, by the hy, who read the Easter service for the parly on the solid ocean, with a block of ice as an altar. In this enumeration of the advantages which Siberia confers on Russia, its mines and washerics may perhaps be considered as throw- ing all other merely economical advantages into the shade. Setting aside the temporary distraction and embarrassment, which a new and brilliant speculation must occasion to more steady pursuits, these establishments, as a whole, must be allowed to produce a vast demand for labor and to yield a profitable return for capita' IJut they are, in my opinion, destined to be of political importance r well as of com- mercial value. The great instruments of national aggrandizement in modern times, — I mean, of course, only the material instruments, — are coal and iron and the precious metals. Coal is limited almost exclusively to the broad territories of the English race ; iron is found chiefly in Sweden, and England, and Russia, respectively the stem and the branches of the Norman tree that already overshadows the whole of cither continent at its greatest width ; and the precious metals are' more abundant in Siberia than in all the rest of the Old World, the most precious of them being perhaps more plentiful than in all the rest of both hemispheres taken together. Thus have England and Russia, for Sweden is merely a dependency of the latter, been pre- pared by nature for the grand task, which Providencj has assigned them, of being the principal agents in controlling and regulating the destinies of the human family. It is in her own proper department, too, that each of those two powers has been prepared. With the iron in common between them, Russia, to whom coal would have been comparatively useless, has gold as the sinews of military enter- "i.-i 216 FROM TOBOLSK TO LONDON. prlxc, while Enj^lnnd, to wliosp ronunrn'ial spirit pvrry rountry is a mine of ^ol(i, liaH coal as the most powerful element, l)oth directly and indirectly, of naval superiority. l)ut Siberia, hesides supplying Russia with the means of prc8fling on towardH the south, has put her in position for doing so, bringing her into contact with all that portion of the Old Continent, which lies to the eastward of her own j)roper inlluence. Thus ihies Russia by land hang, like an avalanche, over the whole of Asia from the (irccian Archipelago to the sea of Ochotsk, while I'^ngland not only has every coast at her mercy, hut permanently |»osse8ses every point which cafi command cither the highways or the byways of the ocean, and all its inlets. Lastly, Russia has been indebted to Siberia for the amelioration, both moral and political, of her own condition. 'I'hrough her system of deportation she has made good citizens of myriads, who, in other countries, would have been indirectly condtMuned, on their lir^t con- viction, to a life of ignominy and shame; ami thus has she virtually achieved the miracle of reconciling the safety of the innocent, not merely with impunity, but even with the prosperity, of the guilty. Again, through the absence of an hereditary aristocracy, the cause of predial servitude may be said to l)e unknown in Siberia; and thus has grown up a numerous population of craven peasants, whose vassalage, as dis- tinguished from the ordinary condition of a subject, is merely nominal. This entire exclusion of oligarchical inlluence must, of course, strengthen the crown throughout the rest of the empire against those, whose pro- perty in the minds and bodies of half the population cannot fail, even under the most humane treatment, both to weaken the sovereign and to degrade the serf. Finally, as a mere incitement to a spirit of adven- ture, Siberia, ever since its discovery, must have had an important bear- ing on the formation and development of the Russian character. On the ninth of September, we left Ekaterineburg before daylight, and, at the distance of about fifty vcrsts from the town, crossed the lieight of land. We soon afterwards forded a small tributary of the Kama, being the first European stream that we had seen for nineteen months. In the neighborhood of this brook were some iron works of the Countess StrogonofT, a descendant of the StrogonoflTs of Yermac's days ; and as this was a portion of the princely fief, that had nourished and equipped the conquerors of Siberia, we felt that we were treading classic ground. The ascent and descent of the mountains were so gentle, that we were hardly conscious of climbing a ridge that divided two continents. The country, though tolerably populous, was yet poor and sterile. At the station at which we supped, the postmaster churlishly refused to render us any assistance. On looking, however, at our podorosh- noya, and seeing our titles and so forth, he suddenly lowered his tone, while, on the contrary, we raised ours ; and, after frightening the fellow thoroughly, we accepted the somewhat incongruous apologies of him- self and his wife, the lady ascribing her husband's sulks to his being disturbed at supper, and the gentleman throwing all the blame on his FROM TOIIOLSK TO LONDON. 217 «Ml(l(>, that had put him uut of ttMiipcr by n^ottiii^ the murrain among them. Next day wo met many travclrrs of various irrach's ami statioiiH. We p:isMeil several hands of eonvicfs; then thi-n- ui-re hirsje parties ol hd)()rers vohintarily trud^inir ah>n^ to seek emph>ynient in the mines; and hist, though not U;ast, eame a rehitive ot' the tfreat Deamond Dt^mi- doll', drivintj away in state with live wheelers and two leadi-rs. In the forenoon wo reached KiuJijar, a thrivintr plaeo dependent on the mines, with a population of six or ejirht thousand sotds. Here I saw two novelties, wliieh were ealculat«'d to |)rodu«'e, on the instant, very dillerent impressions. Some apples in the mark(!t place reminil- cd mo that 1 was drawing near home, while the first church, that I had seen with the domes and pinnarciis ol' tlu' national style of architecture, appeared to carry me hack from l"!urop(! into Asia. In many respeiMs, in fact, the greater part of Kiissia is rather Asiatic than Kiiropcan. On this ground iNapoleon said, that if you scratch a Russian, you will catch a Tartar beneath; an a})horisin which, when he himself bciran to med- dle with the customer in ({uestion, he found to be as true as it was pithy. Uut the Asiatic character is to be referred to causes wholly in- dependent of an Asiatic origin. It was mainly produced by the politi- cal superiority of the eastern khans; it was i)artly the result of the religious inlluence of the (ireek empin*; and it doubtless, in some measure, was created, as it has continued to be cherished, by the Asia- tie destination of the Volga, which drains the whole centre of the coun- try nearly as far to the westward as Petersburg, and fully as far to the northward as the very head of Lake Ladoga, forcing, as it were, into the heart of Europe a foreign wedge of sixteen degrees of latitude in breadth and twenty-eight degrees of longitude in de|)th. In addition, of course, to all these causes, is the fact, almost too obvious to be noticed, that a considerable proportion of the population is confessedly Asiatic, — a fact which, however, is tolerably conclusive in favor of the foregoing views, inasmuch as all the really oriental races are easily and constantly distinguished from the Russians themselves. About eleven at night we reached Perm, remaining only an hour to change horses. Up to this city, the Kama is navigable for the ordinary barges of the Volga, while ilat-bottomed boats may ascend much far- ther both on the river itself and on its tributary streams ; the Tchinsova, in particular, ennobled as Yermae's route, being practicable till within sixty versts of Ekaterineburg. In so advantageous a position Perm carries on an extensive trade of its own, besides being a place for the trans-shipment of all the transport between the opposite sides of the Uralian Mountains. The country is thickly settled, villages lining the road at every four or five versts ; and the scenery presents a beautiful alternation of hills and valleys, the former apparently as closely culti- vated as the latter. Soon after our visit, the iine old city of Perm w^as almost entirely burned down. During our next day's journey the country on either side, as far as the eye could reach, was studded with villages, and farms, and churches ; these lands, formerly one extensive forest of pine, were now all brought H til ^i\ 218 nU)M TOIMlLSK TO LONDON. midor rnliivalion. \Vr wore still on llio l»rc»:iil inliorilanrr of ilic CoimlrHs Siidjronoir, one oC llir riclicst N»il»it'cls of tlir niipiri' ; ami, us (Ik* ciii/.'-t) of :i siiitc itiilclitcil lor its sii|M'i'iiiai'y lo roinincrrc, I roiilil not hilt Ircl |iroii(l. oil r«'l1('(*tiiiLr. fliat tliJH iiolilc lady owed alikr licr stalioii and lirr wralili to llir rntrrprisini; Hpiril of the idd sall>inakcr of SolvylslH'jjodsixaya. On rillitr side (d" llir niail then' ran a doiilil(! row «)l' hirclics, intruded in snninicr to slicllnr trav(d<'rH I'rom tlio kiiii ; but already, on tin- Iwciity-iliird of our I'lnijlisli Scptoiiihrr, rvcry hranidi had Ikmmi siripjuMl oj" its IcavVs hy the* winils and I'rosis of an- tnnin. The lurr of the landscape was hilly, and the soil, like that ol Devonshire, red ; and vast (|natitities of llax, tallow, ami hristlos, were said to he «'Xported to I'eli'rshiirti. At Sosnovieh, where we Innehed, one of the party left hehind him a parcel containinir s(nne papers and medicines. Meeting two irentlemen at the next station, we entreated their ijood oflices in the matter with very faint Iiopt-s of the recovery of the property ; and, as a proof of the «'oiirtesy of the two {rentleiucn in (jiiestion, and of the honesty of the pood folks of Sosnovirh, the niissinj; :irlicles reached liondoii only a lew days later than ourselves. Soon aft<*r leavinj; Sosnovicli we entered the province of Viatka, takini; its name from a trihntary of the Kama. This district was said to he celeiirated, and, in oiir ex|)erience, dest'rvedly so, for had roads, had liorses, and hail drivers ; and, as one of the few instances of dishonesty that wo encountered in the whole ein|)ire, Viatka had also the credit of stealiiijj a sheepskin coat from our carriajjo. We soon found, however, that we had still more to learn aliont this province, for, early next mornintr, we met two nterchants on their way lo Perm, that had just been attacked hy armed footpads, who were said to he infestiiifj the road in consi(l(!ral)le numhers. The ruHinns had attempted to break or stop the wheels of the «-arriage, by throwing a piece of wood between the spokes ; but, fortunately, the log itself got smashed without damagiiiir the vehicle in any way. Heing in constant dread of a similar visit, we traveled very ra|)idly ; and at Mookikikea, where we sup|)ed, we had the good luck to find a civil old fellow of a postmaster, who had, many years before, picked up a little English at Portsmouth on boanl of a Russian ship of war. He told ns that the country through which we were passing, was principally occupied by crown peasants, most of them being of the aboriginal tribe of the Chiramises. Next morning we overtook an aid-de-camp of Prince Gortschakoll", (iovernor General of Western Siberia, who joined us for the benelit of mutual protection. We met a great number of merchants returning from the fair of Nishney Novgorod, and also some parties of the 13or- backi nation migrating from their native IJolgar, on the banks of the Volga, to Siberia. Tartar villages lined the road, in which, Sunday as it was, the more petty dealers, who were on their way from the grand emporium of the country, had erected stalls ; and, in fact, at the town of Arsk a regular market had been got up in this way. After FUOM TOBOLSK To LONDON. 219 (TOHHiMu ilio Vialka nrnl pMHHJiiir iliroiii;!! Malmisli, wr riitorrd the |)ro- \ liK'r (iC K;i/.:ili, nilil alioiit .siiiiMct arrivnl :tt tli*- city of the h.-imk* liatnr. I micr iiiiy )'iriMiiiist:iiicrs, (uic roiild iiol approacli tins aiii'iciit iiw tropolis willioiit (l saw luitliinLr hut the densi; smoke of sinonlderint; ruins. 'IMiis Ix-aiiiil'id city, at l(; conllau^ration had heen imputed to a INde, the head of lh(! police, who, as soon as hi' I'otiiul himself suspected of httinif lln^ incendiary, had added |)rohal)ilily to the surmise hy committin!; sui- cide. It had heiruii in .lidy and had continued ever since, leapin<:. day after day, and niyht after nii,dit, from street to stre(>t, and from scpiare to sipiarc. Peoples oil retirinj; to rest, were never sure that they would not ho dislodirod hefori; the nKU'iiinir ; and the unfortunate siii'- fcrcrs, as they were successively driven from their perishini,' homes, had hoen idiased hy the Hames from one refuirc; alUir another, till at last they planlrd themscdvcs, either in the open air or under the sludter of trmporary li()V(;ls, hisyond the rea(di of the devoiiriiMj (dement. The loss of property had heen enormous ; hut that had hci 'i entirely thrown into the shade hy the loss of life. The man who had sacrificed half of his suhstanco, considered himscdf fortunate, inasmuch as his neiifh- hor had seen his all disap|)ear hefore his eyes ; and he as^ain tIiout,dit himself happy, hecause a third had to hewail the untinudy fate of those who were nearest and dearest to his heart. 'JMie projfrcss of the fire had heen reinarkahly caj)ricious. One house would be destroyed, while the adjacent huildiuiis would escape ; and, in one street in particular, the eliureh alone had survived the general wreck. 'J'he evil was aj,'ijravated hy the prevalcnec of winds, which the heat alone was sullicient to raise ; and, as if to render any attempts at prevention utterly desperate, the wooden pavement was eonsumed at the same pace as the edifices that lined it. We got into one of the few decent houses that were still standing in Ka7.an, where, however, no heds were to be had ; but we were grati- tied instead by the receipt of letters from England and Petersburg. Next morning I was visited by the agent of the llussian American ('ompany, who, like his brother of Tinmen, had been burned out. Ho was accompanied by Captain Zarimbo, a very agreeable and straight- ' ■ i f 220 FROM TOBOLSK TO LONDON. lorwartl man, who was now on his way to Sitka to fill tlio oflico of lioutcnant jrovcriior. Wo spent the forenoon in drivinir ahont the rnins, which forcil)ly reminded one of (he vivid descriptions in the " Iiast Days of J'onipeii," rows of faulted houses, as cold and dead as if they had heen nnehanj^ed for centuries, heinjr interwoven with streets, in which the oozinjj vapor still spoke of the freshness of the calamity. Even in this desolation, the elasticity and versatility of the spirit of conimenre showed themselves, for the j^oods that had heen expelled from the shops, had taken possession of the vaults of the churches, in which were tiisplayed shawls, jewelry, watches, &c., — everything, in short, that emhodied consideral)le value in little compass. In mere rank Kazan stood next to Mosfow ; and it was particidarly famous as a seat of learniu};, poss.'ssinjr the finest oriental library in th^ empire. IJut now nothinjj^ remained to it but the blackened ruins of its former glory. The population was said to be, or to have; been, about sixty thousand. Tlu- site of the town oecripies some hills over- looking a plain, which separates llicm from the Volga. This plain is celebrated as the scene of one of the victories gained l)y the Muscovites over the Tartars; and it contains a large building erected i)y the con- querors at once as a monument of their triumph and as a tomb for their slain comrades. At ten in the evening we crossed the Volga, hero about a verst in breadth, glad to escape from the heated atmosphere of Kazan, more particularly as a heavy gale, which blew during the whole day, had almost blinded and sull'ocated us with dust and ashes. This storm, by the by, would have detained us all our time in Kazan, even if that city had had nothing to interest us, by rendering the passage of the river impracticable. For a little distance the road was so sandy, that we were obliged to walk in order to relieve the horses. Our route lay along the course of the Volga, afl'ording us occasional glimpses of the river with the cumbrous craft floating on its smooth waters. The barges that navigate the Volga have but one mast, some of them carry- ing as much as twelve hundred tons. Coming down the stream, they are laden with an infinite variety of supplies for Siberia, China, and the northwest coast, while their upward cargoes consist partly of goods from Kiachta, but chiefly of native productions, such as hides, tallow, wool, flax, furs, brisUes, and iron, and other metals. The landscape presented to the eye a sea of cornfields, for never had I seen such an expanse of cultivated ground as on this bank of the Volga. The har- vest, which was scarcely finished, appeared to have been abundant; the barn yards were filled with stacks, while the stubble was everywhere covered with busy gleaners in the shape of poultry, sheep, cattle, and pigs. The road occasionally passed through magnificent forests of oak, closely preserved for the use of the nation. In these lorests were some beautiful specimens, one tree in particular, of eighty or a hundred feet in height, being as straight as an arrow, and as clear of branches as a pine. No traveler could fixil to admire this proud oak, even if it had not been lately fenced, as a proof of the emperor's admiration, by his FUOM TOBOLSK TO LONDON. 221 majesty's ooinmaiul. His majesty, by the by, was soon expected apain to visit the neijrliborbood for the purpose of personally putting an end to some disorders that reiirned amoiifr the peasants. Most of these poor people were said to be crown serfs ; and, as some change, whether for the better or for the worse they (hd not know, was contemplated in their condition, lliey had got up something like an insurrection, in which two hundred of them were said to have lost their lives. The travelintjf was here worse by many degrees than in Siberia. The horses were bad, the roa rent partly in produce and partly in work. Under a very jiulicious and laudable re/rulation, onc-tenlli part of all the crops is deposited in a public granary, as a store laid up against days of famine. 'I'he serfs arc simple, frugal and industrious. Though they arc a strong and muscular race, yet neither males nor females can, in my opinion, boast much of their beauty. The women are generally red-faced, red-handed, red-heeled, sttong-featured wenches of substantial build, while the men, as is their prerogative, surpass them in all these masculine accomplishments, — neither sex attempting to improve nature by any very scrupulous regard to cleanliness or neatness. In all their houses the principal apartment is a large kitchen, in which are one or two stoves of brick or of earth; on these the people either bake or stew their food, the former process being per- formed in a sort of frying pan, and the latter in earthen jars. Near the stoves the floor is boarded, so as to form a sleeping place for the family. On this warm snuggery, and even on the very tops of the stoves, the inmates stow themselves away almost in a state of nudity, with nothing under them but a piece of felt; so that, on entering one of the cottages by night, I found two young women baking themselves above the lire in their very scanty shifts. The young men, however, are occasionally shelved against the wall for the sake of etiquette ; but, in spite of this very proper arrangement, the heat of the room some- times constrains the damsels to edge themselves, unconsciously, to- wards the sides of the apartment, while the bumpkins instinctively seek a cooler atmosphere by rolling from their benches on the floor. In such cases, all the consequences, whatever they may be, are, of course, considered as accidental. The fen)ales at least, whatever might be the taste of the males in the matter, appeared to be extremely sober. Some women spat out a little nalifky that we gave them, quafllng, however, the dregs of our tea-pot with great relish, and putting the leaves on tlie ever ready stove to dry for another occasion. Evcmi when not stinted by the rule and measure of the church, the ordinary diet of these peasants is coarse enough, while, on the frequent fasts, the staple lare is black bread with salt, and perhaps a cucumber, the whole washed down, as I have already mentioned under the head of the Lena, with water at discretion, taken like soup, with a spoon. We constantly met parties of women on their return from harvest, sing- ing their national airs, one of them giving out the stave and the others joining in chorus. On one occasion we saw about a dozen of the same sex cutting up cabbages for sourkrout, and lilting away to keep time with their choppers. Their melodies were almost all pleasing. Early in the morning of the nineteenth of September, we entered Vladimir, once the capital of a detached principality, and perhaps also at one time the metropolis of the whole country. It was still said to be the residence of many wealthy owners of the neighboring soil, pos- sessing on that account tolerably good society. We were ol)liged to wait here for our Russian fellow-traveler, who was detained at the last station for want of horses ; for, when we were all ready to start, tliat 224 FROM TOBOLSK TO LONDON. gentleman's driver, having caught a blow from the same pipe-stem which had done Cossack's duly before, untackled his cattle and left our disciplinarian in the lurch. Thus the stimulus, which, a» already stated, had raced horses to death in Siberia, procured them a holiday in Russia ; and, inconvenient as any detention was, we were not sorry lor the change. While we remained at "Vladimir, a courier arrived with an official order that we should everywhere be supplied with horses, as if travel- ing on public business. This document, which was dated as far back as the eighth of May, came too late to be of any service whatever, for I had already agreed with some peasants to convey us to Moscow at twice the regular rates. The route to Moscow was an almost unbroken chain of populous villages, in which scenes of debauchery presented themselves on all hands, resting on the double pretext of the conclusion of harvest and of a holiday of the church. The exorbitant demands on the road were a pretty sure indication of the vicinity of the capital; and at one place we were charged fifteen roubles for milk and mutton chops, cooking for ourselves and finding our own tea. On the morning of our second day from Vladimir, we reached Mos- cow, in which, Sunday as it was, the shops were open and the markets full. We drove first, as in duty bound, to the London Hotel; but, finding it a bumper, we proceeded to the Dresden, situated in the most fashionable part of the city, in the same square, in fact, as the residence of the governor. The weather was cold and boisterous ; the women in the streets looked chilly, with red noses, and the men looked rather worse. Of a place so well known as this ancient metropolis, so hurried a traveler as myself could not presume to ofler any account. In fact, what pen, with the amplest leisure and the highest talent, could ade- quately describe the novelties and beauties of The Holy City, with its gorgeous palaces and the thousand and one spires, domes, pinnarets and cupolas of its churches ? Who can give an idea of the ever-vary- ing diorama, both of Europe and of Asia, that exhibits itself in the streets and squares of this unique capital ? Here the natives of all countries jostle one another, each in his national costume, the flowing robes of the east and the prim garments of the west, the graceful attire of the Tartars and the clumsy coats and formal hats of the substantial burghers, the sombre garments of the jolly priests and the bright shawls and elegant turbans of the ladies fair, Turks and Arabs, Jews and Gipsies. But, however incompetent to say all that might be said, every traveler, as a duty sacred to the cause of humanity, should at least mention the Sheremetieflf Hospital, supported entirely at the cost of the munificent nobleman of the name, not for the benefit of his own serfs, but for the general good. Moscow stands on hilly ground, covering a vast area, inasmuch as all the public buildings and many private mansions have enclosures round them. I would that I could leave the reader to picture to him- self elegant shrubberies and ornamented gardens; but how different FROM TOBOLSK TO LONDON. 225 ame pipe-stem ttle and left our eh, a» already m a holiday in vera not sorry krith an official es, as if travel- ted as far back B whatever, for J to Moscow at in of populous mselves on all of harvest and I the road were id at one place chops, cooking ; reached Mos- nd the markets 3n Hotel; but, ted in the most IS the residence is; the women I looked rather • so hurried a mnt. In fact, 3nt, could ade- City, with its tnes, pinnarets the ever-vary- i itself in the natives of all e, the flowing graceful attire le substantial id the bright Arabs, Jews night be said, ty, should at y at the cost )enefit of his inasmuch as e enclosures cture to him- low different would such an imagination be from the vulgar reality, amounting to a perfect eye-sore, of rectangular beds of cabbage in all its tribes, carrots, turnips, onions, apd such like. In the palaces of Moscow the kitchens monopolize the grounds. Next to the Kremlin, among the divisions of the city, ranks the Kitai-Gorod, commonly rendered, according to the literal signification, into China Town. But, as the quarter in question of Moscow had its present name long before Russia had any intercourse with the celestial empire, one might perhaps suggest a dif- ferent version of the first half of the compound. In primitive times the Kitai-Gorod was distinguished from the rest of the city in this respect, that it was bounded by a wall — a feature which was peculiarly likely, particularly in the mouths of roving shepherds and hunters, to be embodied in the ordinary appellation of the enclosed space. Nor is independent proof altogether wanting of this interpretation of Kitai. Kitaia, the Russian term for China, as Cathay is our corresponding English one, was imported into Europe in the days of Zinghis Khan's immediate successors, the conquerors alike of Eastern Russia and of Northern China; and, as the great wall, which had been built to check the southern incursions of the Tartars, had long been in existence, it was more likely than anything else to give name to the country, which it protected, among the savages, whom it fettered. In a word, Kitaia was the walled country and Kitai-Gorod the walled town, in the lan- guage of those who simultaneously gave law both to the one and to the other. Though the point is purely speculative, yet it is nevertheless interesting ; and these suggestions may at least have the effect of draw- ing the attention of persons versed in the oriental tongues. However interesting the present may be in this singular city, the past is perhaps still more so. In its derivative Muscovy, Moscow was, for several centuries, identified with the whole of the territories of its dukes and its Czars, the derivative in question having been applied, in a spirit of jenlousy or of scorn, by the Poles, who, having torn away the original settlements of the Normans on the Borysthenes, arrogantly pretended, that to themselves belonged everything worthy of the name of Russia. Even after the erection of Petersburg had, in one sense, degraded Moscow to the rank of a provincial city, and after the progress of conquest had rendered Muscovy merely the nucleus:; of a far more extensive dominion, this ancient seat of the Czars and dukes still continued to be the true centre of Russian nationality. In this view Napoleon doubUess felt, that the capture of Moscow would deal a heavier blow than that of Petersburg. He did not, however, suffi- ciently consider, how often history had taught the people to sustain with fortitude, or even to contemplate with pride, the direst reverses of the Holy City. If Moscow had been four times burned, she had been four times avenged. If she suffered from the Lithuanians towards the close of the fourteenth century, she saw Lithuania at her feet before the close of the eighteenth; if she soon afterwards suffered from the companions of Tamerlane, she saw Yermac, in less than two hundred years, inflict ample retribution on a descendant of Zinghis Khan; if, in PART II. 15 226 FROM TOBOLSK TO LONDON. 1571, she suflered from the Tartars of the Crimea, she saw the arms of Catherine the Second carried in triumph alon^ the northern shore of the Black Sea; if, in 1611, she suffered from the Poles, she saw in Poland, at the time of Napoleon's invasion, an integral part of Russia, excepting only that comparatively petty duchy which Napoleon him- self was mocking with the name of independence. If any long-bearded seer, when the French standards were mingling, in the distance, with the flames of Moscow, had predicted the consequent prostration of ?Vance, he might have based his prophecy on the ground of uniform experience; but he could hardly have dared to hope, that, within nine- teen short months. Napoleon would be dethroned, and Paris saved from retaliation, by his own august sovereign. In this last case, the calamity of the Holy ('ity was not only the beginning, but also the cause, of that great revolution which so suddenly emancipated Europe ; and the inhabitants, by their heroic sacrifice of homes and hearths, invested their ancient metropolis with a claim to the veneration and gnUitude of every nation in the west. In a wonl, Moscow was thence- forward entitled to be considered as the Holy City not merely of Rus- sia, but of (.'hristendom. Moscow has extensive manufactories of cloth, of various descriptions, monopolizing in this respect nearly the whole of the trade of Kiachta. In 1837, the house of Alexandrofl" alone, according to the official state- ment so often quoted, sent to the celestials its own fabrics to the enor- mous value of one million and six hundred thousand roubles. In imports too, as well as exports, this city is one grand emporium of eastern traflick. So far at least as furs are concerned, it must drive a lucrative business in this way. Taking a fancy to a cloak of black fur, I was anxious to purchase it for my wife; but the demand of seven thousand roubles, fully three hundred pounds sterling for a use- less piece of finery, instantaneously put to flight all thoughts of my bet- ter halPs wardrobe. Sables were offered at two hundred and fifty or three hundred roubles, by no means equal to what I had purchased at Yakutsk for the fifth part of the money; and as the freight from the Lena would not amount to a rouble a skin, this exorbitant rate would alone be sufficient to show the comparatively trifling influence of even the heaviest cost of transport on the prices of expensive commodities. On Monday evening we left Moscow, having now between us and Petersburg, the goal of our overland journey, only about seven hundred versts of a macadamized road. At nearly equal distances from the two capitals stands Vishney Volotchok, the place at which the upward car- goes on the Volga, which, however, is still far from its sources, are transferred to the canal that unites that noble stream with the tributa- ries of the Gulf of Finland. Considering the ultimate destination of most of this bulky transport throughout the whole length and breadth of European Russia, an English traveler can hardly avoid reflecting, that every river and every canal is chiefly a highway to his country, that nearly everything which he sees around him, is homeward bound is well as himself; and, if he rises from personal feelings to political FROM TOBOLSK TO LONDON. 227 saw the arms northern shore es, she saw in lart of Russia, <^apoleun him- r long-bearded disUince, with prostration ol' id of uniform t, within nine- I Paris saved last case, the , hut also the »ated Europe ; and hearths, eneration and V was thenee- erely of Rus- i descriptions, le of Kiachta. otHcial state- s to the enor- roubles. In emporium of it must drive oak of black demand of ing for a use- ts of my bet- and fifty or )urchased at ght from the t rate would nee of even tmmodities. v^een us and ven hundred "rom the two upward car- sources, are the tributa- estination of and breadth d reflecting, lis country, ward bound to political contemplations, he cannot fail to infer, that Russia and England are peculiarly interested in each other's welfare and tranquillity. A little to the east of the middle point between Vishney Volotchok and Novgorod is situated Valdai, taking its name from the hills which divide the waters of the Volga from those of the Neva. In the neigh- borhood of this town is a small lake containing an island, on whicli stands a monastery thus shut out by the waters from the pollutions ol the world. Whether the inmaUis of this secluded establishment are wiser, or happier, or better, merely because th(!y live in the centre of a pool, one may be permitted to doubt. On the third morning after leaving Moscow, we breakfasted in Nov- gorod, one of the earliest seats of the Norman invaders of the jrountry. This town presents numberless proofs of former greatness, ruined churches, deserted mansions in the most magniticent style of ancient architecture, and also a bazaar whicli, like the hose «»f the slippered Pantaloon, is a world too big for its diminished contents. This great mart between the east and the west had become so powerful as not only to deter the Tartars from attacking it, but also virtually to renounce the supremacy of the Russians. It received its first blow when sub- dued by the first czar in 1471, and its second, when almost destroyed by the desolating cruelties of his grandson in 1570. Still, so intluen- tial was its position against mere force, that Novgorod would soon have regained, if not its power, at least its wealth, had not its own wea- pons been turned against itself. In 1584, the erection of Archangel inflicted the third blow, — a blow which, ever since the opening of the White Sea, had been impending for more than thirty years ; and, about a quarter of a century afterwards, the erection of Petersburg, by inter- cepting the trade which the more northerly post attempted only to divert, gave the finishing stroke to Novgorod the Great and all its glory. Novgorod is now little more than a mere place of passage between the Volga and the Neva, standing, as it does, on the Volkhov, which empties Lake Ilmen into Lake Ladoga, and also on the canal of the same name, which has been constructed to avoid certain difliculties in the navigation of one of the Volkhov's tributaries. How different the destinies of Moscow and Novgorod under the ungenial influences of a city, which was intended to absorb all that was valuable in both. Against the emporium of commerce, Petersburg was completely suc- cessful, because she had nature's facilities and man's interests in her favor ; against a metropolis consecrated in the hearts of the people alike by triumphs and by disasters, Petersburg was almost powerless, because she had to contend with the hereditary prejudices, both of patriotism and of religion. Beyond Novgorod we passed a great number of very neat cottages, with gardens, belonging to " military settlers," a gentle name for a body of eighty or a hundred thousand men, ready to be called into active service at a week's notice. About eight in the morning on the eighth of our English October, we drove into St. Petersburg, thus terminating our travels through the 228 FROM TOBOLSK TO LONDON. Russian Empire, about five>and-twenty weeks after our arrival at Sitlia from the Sandwich Islands. The distance from Ochotsk to Petersburg, including stoppages, had occupied ninety-one days, during which time we had traversed about seven thousand miles. From Irkutsk the journey had occupied forty-one days, the nights being passed as fol- lows: In the carriage, At Tomsk, on a sofa. At Ekaterineburg, on the floor. At Kazan, on a sofa. At Moscow, in a bed. 36 nights, 1 " 2 " 1 " 1 " 41 Mrs. Wilson^s excellent house being full, we fixed our abode at Miss Dee's, where I at once took to my bed in consequence of a most severe and obstinate cold ; so that, to my great regret, I was unable to partake of the proffered hospitalities of any of my friends. Of St. Petersburg, of course, I saw nothing ; nor did I particularly regret this, inasmuch as I had seen the city before. The uppermost thought, I believe, in the mind of every person who visits this magnificent creation, is admiration of the genius, energy and perseverance of its founder. This admiration, moreover, is vastly en- hanced by recollecting that the site for the new capital of the monarchy was selected within the recently conquered dominions of a rival, who had hitherto defeated every enemy, Russian, or Saxon, or Dane, or Pole, in every field. If the Romans have commanded the applause of posterity by selling and buying at full value the very ground, on which Hannibal, within sight of their walls, had pitched his camp after the battle of Cannse, how much more is Peter the Great worthy of renown for having confidently committed both the honor and the wealth of his empire to the territories of the irresistible hero of Narva. But, in the estimation of this the greatest of the czars, the case was the same with Russia, as with Moscow. She was to draw victory from defeat, and triumph from humiliation. She was to be taught by the Swedes to beat Sweden. The Normans of Russia were to shake off the rust, which they had gathered through the admixture of inferior races, under the discipline of the unadulterated Normans of Scandinavia. In illus- tration of the often repeated view, to which I have just alluded, may be stated the admitted fact, that the three branches of the northern line of modern times, the English, the Swedes, and the Russians, excel all other nations in the grand element of military efficiency, a patient and stable infantry. After having so frequently referred to the providential mission of the Norman race, I ought, perhaps, to mention that I altogether disclaim any and every idea of wanton aggression. The genius and bene- volence of the present emperor will find congenial and profitable occupation in prosecuting his enlightened views for ameliorating the FROM TOBOLSK TO LONDON. 229 ival at Sitka > Petersburg, ; which time Irkutsk the tassed as (o\- is, )ocle at Miss most severe e to partake Petersburg, s, inasmuch person who energy and is vastly en- e monarchy a rival, who or Dane, or applause of j, on which np after the of renown ealth of his But, in the same with defeat, and Swedes to the rust, aces, under In illus- ed, may be lern line of excel all >atient and ision of the ;r disclaim and bene- profi table >rating the institutions of his country, and the cin.'umstances of his people, in consolidating what he already possesses, or may hereafter be con- strained to acquire, rather than in coveting an extension of dominion, merely for its own sake. Such, in fact, was the task delegated to the house of Romanoff, when elevated to the throne of Russia, in 1613, as the task delegated, after the lapse of a century, to the house of Bruns- wick in England, was the protecting of civil and religious liberty. For fifteen years after the extinction of the line of Ruric, in 1598, Muscovy was torn to pieces by the intestine dissensions of numberless pretend- ers, till at last, by the free choice of the nobles, Michael Fedrovitz Romanoff received the sceptre of the czars, in order to prevent the monarchy from falling to pieces. As such a duty was incompatible with a state of foreign war, this illustrious man preferred the unity of his dominions to their extent, sacrificing, for tlie sake of peace, Ingria and Carelia to the Swedes, and Smolensk, Tschernigore and Novgorod to the Poles, while, by devoting his undisturbed attention to internal ameliorations, he laid deep and broad the foundations of that strength, which ultimately led to the recovery of far more than what he had surrendered. It was in this same peaceful path, though happily with- out similar sacrifices, that Peter the Great — and, in fact, almost every Russian sovereign from Michael to Nicholas, has really won his bright- est laurels. The absence of the emperor, who had gone, as was supposed, to put an end to the disturbances already mentioned as existing in the govern- ment of Kazan, prevented my friend Baron Wrangell from introducing me, as he was most desirous of doing, to his majesty. In my peculiar circumstances I deeply regretted this disappointment. Even if I had never set foot on the partrimony of Nicholas, I could not fail to regard, in common with every man of knowledge or reflection, the autocrat of three continents, the master of the most extensive dominion of ancient or modern times, as an object not merely of philanthropic interest, but of mysterious awe. But, after seeing more of this colossal empire than any other foreigner, living or dead, I was naturally anxious, as an appro- priate termination of my wanderings, to enter, as it were, into com- munion with the spirit that animated it. Independently of these general considerations, the present czar's personal qualities, physical, and in- tellectual, and moral, must induce every man's judgment to acquiesce in the homage which his feelings are constrained to pay. Nicholas is universally allowed to present the noblest mould of form and feature, to be the ablest and most laborious sovereign of the age, and, what is higher praise than all in an individual of his exalted station, to set before his people the brightest example of all the domestic virtues. Of the conclusion of my wanderings, little remains to be said. After being confined, for eight days, to my room in St. Petersburg, I embarked on the steamer Nicolai for Lahie, halting for coal at Stitichaun on the Island of Gothland, where we were received into the house of a mer- chant of the name of Enequest, whose daughter was decidedly the prettiest girl that I saw in the whole course of my travels. On the ;M- *r' 4 . g30 FROM TOBOLSK TO LONDON. •ighth day from Peternliury I reached Hamburg, lying Kazan, from the eflects ol' the recent conflagration. In five days more I reached London, having accomplia of my contemplated journey, excepting the trip to Kiac worla, as it came in tiie northern hemisphere, witiiin in ruins, like lied the whole lita, round the the space of nineteen months and twenty-six days. - I- •« ' 'I! - • ^ * Hf * T HE K N D . ... ' ■• 1 ■ . -J i :-i, -*. ^ in ruins, like ■r led the whole ta, round the the space of #-^ ¥ yr «W3