ALASKA. 



231 



fiiriiisliLMl to the natives wlieii actually eii-agcd in iieavy 

 iiiaiiual labor lor the (company, and then in very limited quan- 

 tities. Schools were oblii;ed to be maintained by the company, 

 iQ which the priests were usually the teachers, and though 

 these were of rather a poor character, yet the children who 

 manifested more than usual ability were able to enter a hi*;her 

 seminary at Sitka, and to obtain in this manner a tolerable 

 education, for which in return they were bound to the com- 

 l)any^s service at stated wa*;es for a term of years. A number 

 of individualsthusedncated(2) participated with creditto them- 

 selves in the exploration of the Territory, and commanded ves- 

 sels belonging to the comi)any, or otherwise held positions of 

 responsibility. The entire race became christianized, their re- 

 ligion being of a low type it is true, but unmistakably earnest 

 and devoted. 



So much for the past. Under this system of tc^telage the 

 Aleuts lost almost entirely the feeling of independence or the 

 capacity for independent action and self-guidance. 



In describing their present condition, I must premise that no 

 one who has studied them at all has ever placed them in a light 

 which would class them with our wild and unruly Indian tribes, 

 and that the care and endeavors wasted on some of these should 

 not be taken as factors in forming a judgment of what is desir- 

 able or practicable to be done for the Aleuts. The latter are a 

 mild, intelligent, and docile people, always ready to submit to 

 authority', even if groundless or self-constituted. 



1 have visited personally all the principal settlements in the 

 Pribiloff and Aleutian Islands, and with Ouualashka am especi- 

 ally familiar, having wintered here and been brought into tol- 

 erably close relations with the people during the last three 

 years. 



The settlements can be assigned to four principal groups, ex- 

 cluding that of Attu, which I am informed is about to be aban- 

 doned. These are Atka, Ounalashka, Belkofifsky, and the Shu- 

 magiu Islands. There are a number of very small outlying set- 

 tlements, but all of them are closely contiguous to one or the 

 other of these principal places. 



The people of Atka are more enterprising and intelligent ia 

 hunting, and have been less demoralized by contact with 

 traders ) the converse is true of Belkoffsky and the Shumagins ; 

 otherwise the uniformity of character and condition through- 

 out the Aleutian chain is remarkal)le. The people of the Pribi- 



