INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ALBATROSS. 



39 



in height rise immediately back of the settlement, from which exteud 

 rolling- table-lands afibrdiiig excellent pasture. A small stream passes 

 through the center of the village and empties into the bay ; just beyond 

 the settlement, in a northeasterly direction, a fine stream about 400 ieet 

 in width falls into the head of the bay. This stream forms the outlet 

 to a series of lakes and marshes which occupy the intei-ior of the north- 

 ern portion of the island, and affords a bountiful supply of salmon, 

 flounders, herring, trout, and other varieties of edible fish, which are 

 taken by means of a seine in the open season, and speared through 

 holes in the ice during winter. We witnessed the hauhng of a seme 

 and shared in the results, receiving a quantity of excellent salmon, 

 suflicient for a meal for the whole ship's company. 



The available men took the seine on their shoulders and carried it 

 to the stream; a footbridge a few hundred yards above its mouth 

 enabled them to carrv it across, and after adjusting it properly the 

 ropes were manned and the seine dragged down stream slowly against 

 a young flood tide until, by the weight of the net, it was ascertained 

 that a suificient number had been taken, when the men on the north 

 bank, who wore waterproof boots, waded the stream, carried the hues 

 across, and landed the catch on the bank nearest the settlement, where 

 the women were gathered to receive it. 



The government of the group is vested in a governor appointed 

 by the authorities in St. Petersburg, Col.N. A. Giebnitzky being the 

 present incumbent ; he has an assistant on Copper Island. The agents 

 of the lessees are intermediaries between governor and natives; the 

 priest of the Eussian church also wields great power. A native chief 

 and second chief are elected by the vote of the able-bodied men of the 

 island, subject to the governor and agent, the former having the power 

 to displace them at any time. They serve during good behavior. 



The chief must superintend personally all work undertaken by the 

 natives of whatever description, and is held in a measure responsible 

 for its execution. There are certain privileges and slight pecuniary 

 compensation attaching to the position. If two or more expeditions 

 are to start at the same time, he puts the second chief m charge of 

 one, and accompanies the most important himself. He has authority 

 to appoint as many deputies as the occasion demands, and all natives 

 are required to obey him explicitly. 



Every member of the community without reference to age or sex has 

 certain duties to perform, according to individual capacity. During 

 the sealing season, all the able-bodied men and larger boys are employed 

 on the rookeries; in the winter time they hunt the blue fox. The pay 

 of the natives for all work is turned into a common fund; the lessees 

 pay 1^ rubles for every fur-seal skin taken, 14 rubles for each first- 

 class blue-fox skin, and 7 rubles for second-class fox skins. The 

 fund is divided per capita, a certain amount being withheld for the 

 support of the church and for the additional compensation of the 



