CEDISE OF THE STEAMEK COKWIN. 17 



that are left have become so wild that they can seldom be brought within range of the spear or 

 shotgun. 



Any one at all familiar with the use of arms knows how difficult it is to charge a muzzle-load- 

 ing guu in cold weather, yet these natives of a polar climate are obliged by law to depend upon 

 this weapon for their principal means of obtaining food and clothing where game has been largely 

 decreased by the very people who forbid them the use of modern arms. In the winter a muzzle- 

 loading guu, after being subjected to a temperature of sixty to seveuty degrees below zero, can not 

 be carried into a house or brought near a fire if loaded, as the frost in the barrel will dampen the 

 powder and render the charge worthless. , 



Occasionally breech-loadiug rifles of the latest patterns are seen in their boats, and the white 

 men coming in contact with the natives raise no objection whatever to their retaining these 

 improved arms. I have no doubt that they have quite a number of these rifles in their possession, 

 and to seize them would be an act of injustice, as the Indians have bought them in good faith and 

 can not be made to understand why they should not have them. 



For like reasons there should be no restrictions on the sale of cartridges. At present those 

 having rifles are obliged to pay a price for cartridges to fit their arm so high as to almost be equiv- 

 alent to the purchase of a new rifle. 



I believe that no good argument can be adduced for keeping these weapons out of their lawful 

 reach, while the dictates of reason and the promptings of human instincts would seem to demand 

 their unrestricted sale. In this opinion I am joined by all who are acquainted with the habits, 

 customs, and needs of these people, and quite a number of the whaling captains indulge in much 

 unfavorable criticism of the law. 



Until some action shall be taken on this subject, I would respectfully request that the Depart- 

 ment fix iq)ou some limit to the number of rifles and quantity of fixed ammunition to be used in 

 walrus hunting and for the purpose of sustaining life in case of disaster that should be allowed in 

 the outfits of vessels coming into these waters. 



WHISKY TRAFFIC. 



Owing to the continued and determined efforts of the Corwin, and notwithstanding the lax 

 enforcement of the law regarding liquor permits to vessels clearing for this Territory, I am happy 

 to state that the whisky traflBc in northern Alaska has almost entirely ceased. The beneficial 

 effects of our annual cruises are apparent in the changed condition of the Eskimos. Sickness has 

 decreased ; the people are better clothed ; more attention is paid to their boats ; food is plentiful ; 

 furs, bone, and ivory for trade are abundant, and the large number of healthy young children in 

 every village dissipates former fears that the race might become extinct. 



Satisfactory as is the present state of affairs, it can be continued only by constant and united 

 Tvork. If efforts to restrain the trade once cease the natural appetite of the natives for alcohol, 

 aided by the white man's greed for gain, will soon cause it to revert to its former terrible condition. 



Most of the whalemen desire to see its total suppression, as it places those men who, from 

 conscientious motives and a desire to comply with the law, will not sell it at a disadvantage with 

 the unscrupulous in competition for the trade in bone, ivory, and furs. 



The natives fully understand that we come to suppress this trade and that no liquor can be 

 got on board the Corwin, even if they beg for it on {heir knees, as they frequently have done. 

 When they see our flag they point to it and say, " Oomi-ak'-puck pe'chuck ton'i-ka" (no whisky 

 ship), and in describing us to others they generally use this expression. Naturally peaceful, of a 

 kindly and hospitable dispositicm, and seldom, if ever, quarrelsome when sober, under the influence 

 of a small quantity of liquor they become demoniac. The most brutal fights occur when they are 

 in this condition. Their long, sharp hunting-knives make frightful wounds, and their rifles are 

 used without stint and often with deadly effect. In former years our surgeon has often been called 

 upon to dress these wounds. On the bodies of several Indians I have seen marks of bullet wounds 

 received in these drunken brawls, and the omalik of the Diomedes, a comparatively young man, 

 bears three deep scars which he proudly told me he had received in fights, and as proudly boasted 

 of having killed two men while drunk, 

 H. Mis. 602 2 



