236 ALASKA INDUSTKIES. 



number of seals Idlled this season by lessees will imdonbtedly leave 

 the majority of the natives in absolute want, and their condition will 

 appeal to the Department for aid. 



The amount distributed to the natives upon the islands of St. Paul 

 and St. George was $6,783.30 and $1,044.80, respectively. This will not 

 be sufficient to provide them with the necessaries of life until the steamers 

 return in the spring, especially so with the natives of the St. George 

 Island. With this fact in view, I made the following arrangements 

 with the North American Commercial Company, through their man- 

 ager, Mr. George 11. Tingle; the North American Commercial Com- 

 pany's resident agent, together with the Treasury agent in charge, are 

 to adjudge what supplies are positively needed for the support and 

 maintenance of the natives, the company receiving from the Treasury 

 agent a certificate that such supplies have been furnished, but said cer- 

 tificate to be merely accepted as a voucher of correctness ; the matter 

 to be adjusted in the future with the Department by the Nortli Ameri- 

 can Commercial Company. 



The Department will have to make some provision for the support 

 and maintenance of these people, as their mode of making a living hiis 

 been destroyed for the present, and the future is only what the charity 

 of the Government will make it. There is utterly nothing here upon 

 which they can depend for a livelihood until the much wished-for return 

 of seals takes place, an event too far in the future to give even a prom- 

 ise of better times to these unfortunate people. 

 Respectfully, yours, 



Charles J. Goff, 

 Treasury Agent, in Charge of the Seal Islands. 



Hon. William Windom, 



Secretary of the Treasury. 



B.—TvclosHre with Goff's Annual Report for 1890; report of Assistant Agent Joseph 



Murray. 



Office of Special Agent Treasury Department, 



St. George Island, Alasla, July 31, 1890. 



Sir: I have the honor to report that the health of the natives here 

 has been unusually good during the past year, and is at present far 

 better than any other time in many years. There is not a case of sick- 

 ness on the island, excepting those of long standing due to scrofula and 

 other chronic diseases. 



With one single exception all the workmen are well and hearty. 



We had a full term of school from September until May, aud under 

 the care of the teacher. Dr. L. A. Noyes, it was as well conducted as 

 any public school of its size in the country; but, after all, I find the 

 children made next to no i)rogress in acquiring the simplest rudiments 

 of our language. It seems incredible, but it is true, that young men 

 aud women who have been to school here for seven years do not know 

 how to speak or read a sentence of the English language, l.ooking 

 over their shoulders as they write in their copy books, and observing 

 the ease with which they follow the headlines, one would think they 

 were making rapid progress, but ask any one of them to read what he 

 or she has been writing and they can not do it. 



It was long susi^ected that the older people secretly infiuenced the 

 children against American schools and encouraged them to learn the 



