32 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA 



FORTS. 



The Russians have posts at the head of Bristol Bay ; at Xulato, St. Michael's, 

 AndreafS-ky, and the Mission ; also one at Unalakleet, and a solitary house at 

 the mouth of the river. There are no more in the Youkon Territory. The 

 Hudson Bay Company has one post at the mouth of the Porcupine River, 

 some fifty miles west of the boundary, which is called Fort Youkon. 



MOUNTAINS AND TOPOGRAPHY. 



There are no high mountains north of the backbone of the Peninsula — the 

 range which almost skirts the southern coast — except a short, isolated chain, 

 containing some seven peaks, which is visible in a northwesterly direction from 

 Fort Youkon, trending in the saifte general direction. These are the only 

 mountains in Youkon Territory ihat have snow upon them throughout the 

 summer. 



There are two isolated mountains noted as landmarks on the Youkon River ; 

 one of them is just above Nulato, and is called by the Russians Koyoukuk 

 Sopka, or " YoIcano-likQ Mountains ;" it is not very high — about 5,000 feet — 

 but a marked feature nevertheless in going up the river; and the other is as 

 great a landmark for the Lower Youkon as that just named is for the Upper, 

 being situated at the lower bend and called the Kusillvak " Gora," or Moun- 

 tain ; it is about 6,.500 feet in height. The rest of the mountains are mere 

 hills that cannot be distinguished from one another. 



The country in general cannot be called either marshy or mountainous ; it is 

 a mixture of marsh and low, rolling, rocky hills, covered with moss and with 

 very little earth, except in the valleys, which are always very wet in summer ; 

 and it is wet then even on the tops of the mountains. Leading characteristics 

 of the country are, that it is wet and foggy. 



VEGETATION. 



On the coasts there is scarcely any trace of vegetation whatever. As the 

 traveler advances inland, particularly along the small rivers and up the valley 

 of the Youkon, he soon comes to a very densely wooded country. The trees 

 are of medium size, and are white spruce, willow, poplar, and birch, preponder- 

 ating in the order named ; the diameter ranging from eight inches to two and a 

 half feet, a very common average being one and a half feet. A strip of about 

 one hundred miles only, along the coast is bare. Grasses grow in the interior 

 in great profusion and to a luxuriant height.- Vegetables cannot be raised, 

 except turnips, radishes and lettuce. Potatoes grow to about the size of a pea. 

 At Fort Youkon they live on moose meat, chiefly. Flowers are not abundant, 

 and are quite scentless. This is the land of berries, for here in profusion grow 

 the cranberry, raspberry, heathberry, salmonberry, currant, etc., and a species of 

 wild cherry is found, but it is simply a seed without a pulp. 



ANIMALS. 



Along the coast the principal animal is the reindeer, which frequents the 

 hilly country, but at certain seasons descends into the plains. The moose fre- 

 quent the low country in the interior, and are never found in the mountains. 



