XV.] THE INHABITANTS OF BEHRING ISLAND. 593 



by volcanic action, which bounds the Beliring Sea on the south 

 between 51° and 5G° N.L. Together with the neighbouring 

 Copper Island and some small islands and rocks lying round 

 about, it forms a peculiar group of islands separated from the 

 Aleutian Islands proper, named, after the rank of the great sea- 

 farer who perished here. Commander's or Commandirski Islands. 

 They belong not to America but to Asia, and are Russian 

 territory. Notwithstanding this the American Alaska Company 

 has acquired the right of hunting there,^ and maintains on the 

 main islands two not inconsiderable commercial stations, which 

 supply the inhabitants, several hundreds in number, with pro- 

 visions and manufactured goods, the company buying from them 

 instead furs, principally the skin of an eared seal (the sea-cat or 

 sea-bear), of which from 20,000 to 50,000 ^ are killed yearly in 

 the region. Some Russian authorities are also settled on the 

 island to guard the rights of the Russian state and maintain 

 order. Half a dozen serviceable wooden houses have been built 

 here as dwellings for the officials of the Russian Government and 

 the American Company, for storehouses, shops, &c. The natives 

 live partly in very roomy and in the inside not uncomfortable 

 turf houses, partly in small wooden houses which the company 

 endeavours gradually to substitute for the former, by yearly 

 ordering some wooden buildings and presenting them to the most 

 deserving of the population. Every family has its own house. 

 There is also a Greek-Catholic church and a spacious schoolhouse. 

 The latter is intended for Aleutian children. The school was 

 unfortunately closed at the time of our visit, -but, to judge by the 

 writing books which lay about in the schoolroom, the education 

 here is not to be despised. The specimens of writing at least 

 were distinguished by their cleanness, and by an even and 

 beautiful style. At " the colony " the houses were collected at 

 one place into a village, situated near the sea-shore at a suitable 

 distance from the fishing ground in a valley overgrown in summer 

 by a rich vegetation, but treeless and surrounded by treeless 

 rounded heio-hts. From the sea this villas^e has the look of a 



1 In February 1871 the right of hunting on these islands was granted 

 by the Russian government to Hutchinson, Kohl, Philippeus & Co., who 

 have made over their rights to the Alaska Commercial Company of San 

 Francisco. 



2 According to a communication made to me by Mr. Henry W. Elliot, 

 who, in order to study the fur-bearing seals in the North Behring Sea, lived 

 a considerable time at the Seal Islands (Pribylov's Islands, &c.) on the 

 American side, and has given an exceedingly interesting account of the 

 animal life there in his work : A Report upon the Condition of Affairs in the 

 Territory of Alaska, Washington, 1875 : the statement in my report to 

 Dr. Dickson, founded on oral communications of Europeans whom I met 

 with at Behring Island, that from 50,000 to 100,000 animals are killed 

 yearly at Behring and Copper Island, is thus probably somewhat ex- 

 aggerated. 



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