ALASKA. 217 



looms up from the water like a row of vast cedar-trunks; tlie 

 scaling* off of the basaltic pori)liyry and growth of 3'cllowisli- 

 grecn and red mossy lichens made the cilect most real, while 

 a dense bank of fog lying just overhead seemed to shut out 

 from our vision the foliage and branches that belonged above. 

 The north cape of Hall's Island changes like a chameleon when 

 approached, presenting with every mile's distance a new and 

 characteristic feature. 



At our anchorage in the straits (20 fathoms) we (taught a gcjod 

 supply of cod and halibut of fair quality. Great liocks of 

 murres (L. arra) came otf from the cliffs, where they were breed- 

 ing, aud settled iu the water around the ship, as we had 

 anchored on a feeding-ground. ]\rany walrus ap[)eared around 

 the "Keliance," amusing us greatly by the stui)id alertness dis- 

 placed wheu they rose head and shoulders out of the water and 

 discovered us; a short look and a snort, then, stern foremost, 

 they dropped iuto the sea out of sight, as though a trap-door 

 had been suddenly sprung beneath them. 



The grass on Hall's Island^ like Saint Matthew's, is confined 

 mostly to the swale, which runs from the valleys up to the very 

 highest ridges; patches of deep, rich green contrasting quite 

 pleasantly with the dull russet aud ocher which covers every- 

 thing else. 



Our visit at the west end of this island of Saint Matthew's was 

 most interesting ; the rich, elegant coloring of the rocks aud 

 fantastic arrangement of the basalt and porphyry at Statue 

 Point caused an old sailor in our boat to cry out, " That reminds 

 meof Constiintinople, a regular Turk's house!" aud it certainly 

 did resemble Ottoman architecture. 



AYe found the ruins of the huts built b}' a party of five Itus- 

 sians and seven Aleuts who passed the winter of ISlO-'ll on 

 the island, but were stricken down with scurvy, so that all the 

 Eussians died save one; the rest recovered and left the follow- 

 ing year. 



The result of a careful examination of this island shows coji- 

 clusively that the character of the gravel spits and necks is 

 such as not to be tit for the reception of breediug-seals, as it 

 would be speedily converted by a rookery into a sheet of mud 

 aud slime, and there is no other landing aflibrded save at the 

 base of cliffs rising abruptly from the sea. Seals also, if landing 

 here, would, independent of bear warfare, find a climatic disad- 

 vantage, for snow and ice do noi" leave the landings until late 



