320 APPENDIX TO CASE OF GREAT P.RITAIN. 



of the expedition allowed no rock or stone to escape observation, reports 

 oclire, scliist, mica, very pure quartz, granite, pyrites of copper, plum- 

 baj?o, and coal, and then adds that some things announce that the 

 mountains contain mines of iron and c()pi)er. He reports further tliat 

 the natives had daggers of iron and sometimes of red copper; that the 

 latter metal was common enough with them, serviug for ornaments and 

 for tlie points of their arrow^s; and he then states the very question of 

 Cook with regard to the way in which they acquired these metals. He 

 insists that " the natives know how to forge iron and work copper." 

 Spears and arrows "pointed with bone or iron," and also "an iron 

 dagger" for each man, appear in Vancouver's account of the natives on 

 the parallel of 54° 59', just within the southern limits of Russian 

 America. Lisiansky also saw at Sitka " a thin plate of virgin co])per," 

 found on Copper liiver, 3 feet in lengtli, and at one end 20 inches in 

 breadth, with figures painted on its sides, which had come from the pos- 

 session of the mitives. Meares reports " pure malleable lumps of coj)- 

 }>er in the possession of the natives," sometimes weighing as much 

 76 as a pound, also necklaces, all obtained in barter with other 

 natives further north. Portlock, while in Cook's Inlet, in latitude 

 59 26', at a place called Graham's Harbour, makes another discovery. 

 Walking round the bay he saw "two veins of Kennel coal just above 

 the beach, and with very little trouble several pieces were got out of the 

 bank nearly as large as a man's hand." If the good captain did not 

 report more than he saw, this would be most important, for from the 

 time when the amusing biographer of Lord Iveei)er North described 

 that clean flaky coal which he called " candle," because often used for 

 its light, but which is generally called " Kennel," no coal has been more 

 of a household favourite. He reports further that, " returning on board 

 in the evening he tried some of the coal, and found it to burn clear and 

 well." Add to these different reports the general testimony of Meares, 

 who, when dwelling on the resources of this country, boldly includes 

 " mines which are known to be between the latitudes of 40'^ and 60° 

 north, and ^vhich may hereafter prove a most valuable source of com- 

 merce between America and China." 



It is especially when we seek to estimate the mineral ])roducts that 

 we feel the want of careful explorations. We know more of the roving- 

 aborigines than of these stationary citizens of the soil. We know more 

 of the trees — a tree is cons])icuous. A mineral is hidden in the earth to 

 be found by chance or science. Thiis far it seems as if chance only 

 had ruled. The Russian Government handesl over -the country to a 

 trading Company, whose exclusive interest was furs. The Comi)any 

 only followed its business when it looked to wild beasts with rich skins 

 ratlier than to the soil. Its mines were above ground, and not below\ 

 There were also essential difficulties in the way of any explorations. 

 The interior was practically inaccessible. The thick forest, saturated 

 with rain and overgrown Avith wet mosses, presented obstacles which 

 nothing but enlightened enteri)rise could overcome. Even at a short 

 distance from the port of Sitka all effort had failed, and the inner 

 recesses of the island, only oO miles broad were never ])enetrated. 



The late Professor Henry J). Rogers, in his admiiable pa])er on the 

 "Physical Features of America," being a pait of his contribution to 

 Keith Johnston's Atlas, full of knowle«lge and of fine generalization, 

 says of this north-west belt of country that it is "little known in its 

 topography to any but the roving Indians and the thinly scattered tur- 

 trai)])ers." But there are certain general features Avhi(;h he proceeds to 

 designate. According to him it belongs to what is known as the Ter- 



