ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 101 



interest and appreciation by the pareiits of the children. Those who 

 attended regularly made very good progress, but owing to their hav- 

 ing no practical use of the English language outside of the schoolroom, 

 there is very little exhibition of its knowledge unless they are ques- 

 tioned directly for the purpose of drawing them out. 



The Alaska Commercial Company's steamer /St. Paul, from San Fran- 

 cisco, arrived at the island the evening of May 14, by which I received 

 Department letter dated March 3, 1877, marked " G. N. L." in the 

 upper left-hand corner, informing me that my letter of September 24, 

 1876, asking permission to return to Washington at the end of the seal- 

 ing season of 1877, with a view to resigning my position, had been 

 received; and by the same letter I am instructed to jn'oceed at my ear- 

 liest convenience to San Francisco, Cal., reporting my arrival there by 

 telegraph. My resignation was accepted to take effect on my arrival 

 at that port. I -also received Department letter dated March 13, also 

 marked '' G. N. L." in upper left-hand corner, .amending the letter of 

 March 3, so as to accept my resignation on the arrival at the island of 

 John M. Morton, appointed as my successor. In pursuance of these 

 instructions, on the 15th of May I delivered to John M. Morton the 

 charge of the island's Treasury agent's house, furniture, and all prop- 

 erty belonging to the Treasury agent's office, including records of the 

 island, taking passage on the steamer St._ Paul for Port Townsend, 

 thence by steamer to San Francisco; arriving there, liroceeded by rail 

 to Fairhaven, Mass., June 30. 



I would most respectfully represent that when I made application for 

 leave of absence to return at the end of the sealing season of 1877, with 

 a view to resigning ray position after filing my report, it was with the 

 understanding that by the letter of my appointment, dated September 

 11, 1875, marked " L. G. M.," my time and expenses in traveling were 

 to be paid from the date of my departure to my arrival at home from the 

 seal islands. Now, I would most respectfully represent, that the making 

 of my resignation take effect on the arrival of the Jiotification at the 

 island subjects me to a loss of time not contemplated in my letter of 

 appointment. I would further represent that in the settlement of my 

 account (July 21) the account of the expenses of travel from St. Paul 

 Island to Washington on leave of absence in September of 1875 and my 

 return to the seal islands in May, 1870, both falling in the fiscal year 

 from July 1, 1876, to June 30,'l877, the allowiince being but $000 

 and my expenses for those two passages being $715.28, exceeded the 

 appropriation by $115.28, that sum was disallowed in the settlement, 

 thereby subjecting me to the direct loss, I having been obliged to incur 

 and pay that in the discharge of my duty to the Department. In 

 view of the foregoing statements, I have inclosed herewith vouchers 

 for the amounts claimed by me, and would most respectfully request 

 your favorable consideration and approval of the same, and that the 

 amounts thus called for be included in a deficiency bill and Congress 

 asked to make the necessary approju-iation, as was done in the cases 

 of Assistant Agents Samuel Falconer and William J. Mclntyre, who 

 were discharged under somewhat similar circumstances in October, 

 1876. 



I herewith transmit the certificate giving the authorit}^ under which 

 I have acted while in charge of the seal islands in accordance with 

 instructions contained therein. 



I would further state that, in closing my official connection with the 

 Department and retiring to private life, should any of the information 

 I have obtained while in the discharge of my duty or the results of 



