ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 281 



to sliip tliis money until the matter conld be investigated and the facts 

 Liid before the Dei)artineut, This he consented to do, and the amount, 

 $3,325, is now in his safe on St. Paul Island. 



As the natives are without sufficient means of support for the ensu- 

 ing year, and the Government will be called upon to assist them, I 

 regard the taking of tliis money from them under the circumstances as 

 an outrage whicli should not be permitted. I am informed that it has 

 been the practice for the islands to be visited at stated periods by per- 

 sons claiming to have some religious authority, who demand from the 

 natives a part of their earnings. Not a dollar is ever returned to them, 

 but it is taken out of the country and said to be used in private specu- 

 lation. I understand that an elft)rt was made to have this so-called 

 bishop, above referred to, consent to a part of-the money being used in 

 the education and maintenance of some orphans, who are now being 

 supported by charity at the Unalaska school, but the greed and ava- 

 rice of this mau would be satisfied with nothing but iShylock measure. 



He should never have been i)ermitted to come upou the islands, and 

 tlie lessees and the revenue cutters should be made to understand that 

 they must land no one on the islands without the consent of the Secre- 

 tary of the Treasury or of the Government agent in charge. 



I also learned that there is about $1,500 in the hands of the North 

 American Commercial Company which was raised by the natives some 

 twelve years ago for the ])urpose of having their church services trans- 

 lated, but it has not been used for that purpose and probably uever 

 will be. I would suggest that I be authorized to redistribute this 

 money to the natives as well as the $3,325 before mentioned, and to 

 forward a copy of such division to the Department. 



Several hundred blue foxes were caught on the islands last year and 

 the hunting of them was carried to such an extent that to keep them 

 from being exterminated it was thought advisable to stop the killing 

 for at least one year, and I gave instructions to that effect, but my 

 right to do so or the right of the Secretary of the Treasury to make 

 any regulation protecting or regulating the capture of this valuable 

 fur-bearing animal is denied by the lessees' agent, and the claim is 

 made by him that the foxes on the islands belong to the North Ameri- 

 can Commercial Company. It is further claimed that said com])any 

 bought the right to own the foxes from the Alaska Commercial Com- 

 pany, who were the former lessees of the islands, and whom, it was also 

 claimed, put the foxes on the islands and were therefore the owners of 

 them. 



I made an investigation of the subject and found that foxes were 

 plentiful upon the islands at the time of purchase from the Eussian 

 Government, and in all probability they crossed on the ice from the 

 mainland long before the islands were discovered. The fur of this ani- 

 mal has become valuable, and if properly protected the ])roceeds from 

 the sale, at a fair valuation of the skins, would do much toward the 

 support of the people. I am clearly of the opinion that the catch of 

 foxes and sale of the skins should be controlled by the Department and 

 the proceeds be made a communitj^fund and divided among the natives 

 in the same manner as the proceeds from killing seals. I would respect- 

 fully call attention to section 1956, Eevised Statutes, relating to the 

 killing of fur-bearing animals within the limits of Alaska Territory. 



The census of June 30, 181)1, was as follows: 203 native inhabitants 

 on St. Paul and 88 on St. George, a total of 291. There were 18 births 

 and 26 deaths on St. Paul and 7 births and 11 deaths on St. George, a 



