ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 43 



witli only sucb slight clianges as the new conditions required, it being 

 my policy to accustom them to rely on themselves in all matters that 

 concern only themselves. Such incidents as seem worthy of note fol- 

 low in their regular sequence. On the departure of the steamer Alex- 

 ander for San Francisco, September 9, 1872, 3 f\imilies and 7 unmarried 

 parties, 17 persons in all, availed themselves of the privilege accorded 

 them by the Alaska Commercial Company of a free passage on their 

 vessels to and from the islands, to remove temporarily for the winter 

 to Unalaska, intending to return to St. Paul agaiu iu the spring. 



With the departure of the steamer ended the sealing, and daring the 

 months of October, November, and December the natives were employed 

 in work of grading and building the house erected for the use of Treas- 

 ury agents and six other houses that were erected for the use of the 

 natives by the Alaska Commercial Company. In November, the weather 

 being suflflciently cold for the purpose, the necessary supply of seal 

 flesh and blubber for winter use of the natives was secured and pre- 

 served by either salting or freezing. 



December 20, 1872, iu accordance with a regulation adopted by them- 

 selves, the natives made their annual division of the fund derived Irom 

 the labor of taking the fur-seal and sea-lion skins, which amounted to 

 130,037.07. The same rules are observed as under the former Kussian 

 company, they arranging themselves into four classes. Those who are 

 most expert in skinning seals and otherwise good citizens constitute 

 th first class, which contained 34 men ; those who failed to come quite 

 up to this standard constitute the second class, 23 men; those more idle 

 and lazy, the third class, 4 men; while those sick and working irregu- 

 larly, together with boys just learning to take seals, constitute a fourth 

 class, numbering 10 men. It is always i)racticable to rise by merit 

 from the lower to the higher classes. In this division the second class 

 get 90 per cent of the first, the third class 80 per cent, and the fourth 

 70 per cent. To these is added one first class share for the acting- 

 priest and two first-class shares set aside to create a fund to pay for a 

 new church; iu all, 74 shares. This gives as a first-class share, $451.22 ; 

 second class share, $405.09; third class share, $360.97; fourth class 

 share, $315.85. 



The same rules are observed ou St. George Island in classification, 

 but a given number of* skins are set apart according to classes for 

 which each man is paid for taking: First class, 17 men, 971 skins, at 

 40 cents, $388.40; second class, 2 men, 935 skins, at 40 cents, $374; 

 third class, 7 men, 821 skins, at 40 cents, $328.40; fourth class, 3 men, 

 400 skins, at 40 cents, $160. 



It will be seen by comparing the amount of the shares on both 

 islands that St. George Island has already a larger population in pro- 

 portion to the amount of skins taken and money received for tliem 

 than St. Paul, therefore it will be necessary on diminishing the present 

 quota of St. George to provide tor the removal of a part of the popu- 

 lation to St. Paul. 



The census taken January 1, 1873, ou St. Paul Island gives the num- 

 ber of the native inhabitants on the island 218. To these should be 

 added the 17 now absent and properly to be reckoned as belonging to 

 the island, making in all 235, showing a decrease since 1870 of 12 per- 

 sons. These are divided as follows: Males, 114; females, 121. The 

 oldest person was a female aged fifty-eight years; shehas since deceased, 

 leaving the oldest native now living fifty six. There were during the 

 year previous 4 marriages, 10 births, and 12 deaths, the mortality being 

 greatest among young children, the average life of deceased being 7 



