INTRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC REINDEER INTO ALASKA. 11 



transmitted to the Senate by Hon. George Chandler, Acting Secretary 

 of the Interior. On the following day it was referred by the Senate to 

 the Committee on Education and Labor. 



On the 19th of December Hon. Louis E. McComas, of Maryland, 

 introduced into the House of Eepresentatives a joint resolution 

 (H. Kes. No. 258) providing that the act of Congress approved March 

 2, 1887, "An act to establish agricultural experiment stations in con- 

 nection with the colleges established in the several States," should be 

 extended by the Secretary of the Interior over Alaska, with the expec- 

 tation that the purchase, improvement, and management of domestic 

 reindeer should be made a part of the industrial education of the 

 proposed college. 



The resolution was referred to the Committee on Education, and on 

 the 9th of January, 1891, reported back to the House of Representa- 

 tives for passage. 



It was, however, so near the close of the short term of Congress that 

 the resolution was not reached. When it became apparent that it 

 would not be reached in the usual way, the Hon. Henry M. Teller, on 

 the 26th of February, moved an amendment to the bill (H. R. lSro.13462) 

 making appropriations for sundry civil expenses of the Government for 

 the year ending June 30, 1892, appropriating $15,000 for the introduc- 

 tion of domestic reindeer into Alaska, which was carried. The appro- 

 priation failed to receive the concurrence of the conference committee of 

 the House of Representatives. 



Upon the failure of the Fifty-first Congress to take action, and depre- 

 cating the delay of twelve months before another attemjit could be 

 made, I issued, with the approval of the Commissioner of Education, 

 an appeal in the Mail and Express of New York City, the Boston Tran- 

 script, the Philadelphia Ledger, the Chicago Inter-Ocean, and the 

 Washington Star, as well as in a number of the religious newspapers of 

 the country, for contributions to this object. The response was prompt 

 and generous; $2,146 were received. 



As the season had arrived for the usual visit of inspection and super- 

 vision of the schools in Alaska, in addition to my regular work for the 

 schools I was authorized to commence the work of introducing domestic 

 reindeer into Alaska. The natives of Siberia who own the reindeer, 

 knowing nothing of the use of money, an assortment of goods for the 

 purpose of barter for the reindeer was procured from the funds so gen- 

 erously contributed by benevolent people. 



The honorable Secretary of the Treasury issued instructions to Cap- 

 tain Healy to furnish me every possible facility for the purchase and 

 transportation of reindeer from Siberia to Alaska. The honorable 

 Secretary of State secured from the Russian Government instructions 

 to their officers on the Siberian coast also to render what assistance 

 they could, and on May 25, 1891, I again took passage on the revenue 

 cutter Bear^ Captain Healy in command, for the coast of Siberia. 



The proposition to introduce domestic reindeer into Alaska had ex- 



