ALABKA INDUSTRIES. 69 



rbarge of that islaud . This removal Avas rendered uecessary on accouii t 

 of the strong feeliug of dissatisfaction of the people against his (Will- 

 iiim J. Mclntyre's) former administration at that place, they all asking 

 either to have him removed or to be i)ermitted to remove themselves, 

 as they could not live with him on the island another winter. I was 

 not able to visit that island nntil my return on my way down, when 

 the steamer stopped there for six hours, and I availed myself of it to 

 inquire into the truth of the complaints by the party of sealers who 

 came over here to seal in May last, as stated in my report of May 28. 

 These charges were fully sustained by the chief and people remaining 

 on the island, the chief giving me a written statement in the liussian 

 language of the whole affair, with the desire to have it transmitted to 

 the Secretary of the Treasury. (This letter is inclosed herewith.) 



The chief also informed me that the copies of the regulations of the 

 company governing their employees in their relations with the natives, 

 together with their letters of instructions from myself, that I had caused 

 to be translated into Russian and filed with them for their use, that Mr. 

 Mclntyre took from them on his assuming charge of the island, he had 

 returned again on Mr. Falconer's resuming charge. There were also 

 many individual complaints made of meddlesome interference by Mr, 

 Mclntyre in their private affairs, and of frequently disturbing their 

 families by forcing tlieir doors and rushing into their houses with pistols 

 at unseasonable hours of the night, searching under their beds for beer, 

 and frightening their wives and children, and treating them generally 

 with a harshness they never experienced from the Eussians. From my 

 long experience of the natural timidity and docile obedience of these peo- 

 ple under all reasonable circumstances, I am led to believe there must 

 have been very strong provocation on his part to have made them prefer 

 removing from the island to remaining on it with him another winter. 



Under these circumstances I could not have confidence in his ability 

 or fitness to have charge of either island, and therefore ordered him to 

 St. Paul Island, and assigned him for duty as assistant to Col, George 

 Marston, assistant Treasury agent in charge of that island. 



I herewith append the letter of the chief and people of St. George 

 Island, and beg leave to recommend that it be referred for translation 

 to Stephen N. Buyuitzky, esq., a clerk of the Dej)artment, who was 

 detailed to assist me as interpreter in 1870, and who while so employed 

 resided four months on St. George Island as officer in charge, and who is 

 personally acquainted with the people signing the letter. 



[Translation.] 



St. George Island, June 17, 1875. 

 Hon. Captain Bryant: 



We, residents of the Island of St. George, notify you of our complaint and beg- 

 that you will submit our humble petition to your President, lor we feel aggrieved 

 since the fall of November 29, 1874, and namely on account of the following facts: 

 While one of our people, Aleute Ciprian Merkuliev, was absent on a hunting expe- 

 dition in the west end Captain Mclntyre took his son to the school and shut him in. 

 Toward dusk the boy escaped from the school and went to the west end to join his 

 father. In the morning of the next day Captain Mclntyre sent a native after him, 

 with orders that Ciprian Merkuliev, with his son, should return on that very day. 

 Ciprian Merkuliev came back with his son on that very da j^ and brought sonje wood 

 for his own use; then Captain Mclntyre grabbed him from behind and tore his over- 

 coat, and after that Captain Mclntyre said to Ciprian Merkuliev, "Wait for nie, I 

 am going to kill you," and ran after his j.istol; then Ciprian Merkuliev ran away 

 and concealed himself under a overhanging rock, having on only a shirt and a pair 

 of drawers and without boots. He remained there two nights and two days and was 

 found on the third day half dead, and was led back between two men. Captain 

 Mclntyre let him stay at home several days and as soon as he was getting better led 

 him to his (Mclntyre's) Iiouse, and after putting manacles on Ciprian Merkuliev's 



