ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 



145 



general health aud condition of the native people of the Aleutian Isles. 

 An epidemic, in the nature of jjueumonia and pleurisy combined, which 

 raged during last winter and s^jring in the Aleutian Isles, carrying oft" 

 many of the native inhabitants, spread to St. Paul Island early in June, 

 and attacked a large proportion of the people, but proved fatal in only 

 five cases. This comparatively slight mortality is attributable to the 

 fact that the people of the seal islands are better fed, clothed, and 

 housed, and have better medical attendanc6 than do the natives of the 

 neighboring islands. 



The last census of St. Paul Island, taken December 31, 1880, shows 

 a total native population of 279 souls. Two marriages, 21 births, and 

 20 deaths occurred during that year. St. George Island, by the census 

 of July, 1881 , had a total native population of 102 souls. Two marriages, 

 6 births, and 6 deaths occurred during the year on that island. 



Despite the improved physical condition of the seal islanders, there 

 is no natural increase of population; on the contrary, since 1872, the 

 deaths have exceeded the births by two. The following table shows 

 the total population aud the number of births and deaths in each year 

 during the past decade : 



a Not including increase from immigration. 



b No records. 



c Six months for St. Paul Island. 



The absolute increase since 1872 is all from that source. 



The resident i)hysician states the annual death rate on St. Paul 

 Island, per 1,000 of population, at 58, against 13 in the United States, 

 and the birth rate at 60, against 28 in the United States. The average 

 duration of human life on the seal islands is only about fourteen years, 

 against forty years in the United States. 



The physical wants of the seal islanders have been very fairly sup- 

 plied. On this island the native people were permitted, under the law, 

 to kill for food, during ten months of the year which this report covers, 

 medium-sized and small seals to the number of 9,432, yielding an esti- 

 mated net weight of 213,564 pounds of meat. No account is taken of 

 the seal meat appropriated for food during the sealing season i^roper, 

 but, estimating that in these two months a proportionate quantity was 

 consumed, the grand aggregate for the entire year reaches 256,276 

 liounds net, being nearly 3 pounds per day for every individual, old 

 and young, above the age of 1 year. The Alaska Commercial Com- 

 pany supplied for native use 44 barrels of salt fish, besides which the 

 people took some tons of fresh fish, killed several sea lions and large 

 numbers of birds, and consumed a few thousand eggs. On these vari- 

 ous supplies they have managed to get through the year without 

 H. Doc. 92^—10 



