THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY. 57 



No. 5. 



Lictter from the Board of Admlnii^t ration of the Bnssian Ameriean Com- 

 pany to Captain M.I. J\ruravi(f of the Imperial Navy^ Chief Manager of 

 the Russian American Colonies. Written from St. Petersburg, August 

 3, 1820. 



In order to euable you to issiie your instructions to tlie various 

 offices and to the manaj'ers of the ishiiids of St. Paul and St. George, 

 as well as for your own information, we inclose herewith a statement of 

 the views entertained by the General Government, as well as by the 

 management of the Comj^any. You will perceive from this statement 

 that we, as well as the Government, do not countenance any intercourse 

 with foreigners, or the admission of foreigners within the precincts of 

 our possessions, except in case of absolute necessity. Heretofore, all 

 such transactions have generally resulted in serious losses to us, and 

 the very presence of foreigners in our waters has become a vital ques- 

 tion, affecting the existence of the Company. The board of administra- 

 tion expects you to exercise the utmost vigilance on this subject, and 

 to warn all district commanders against any intercourse with foreigners. 

 To enable you to comply with tliese instructions more strictly, we shall 

 henceforth dispatch every year a ship with supplies for the Colonies. 



Venedict Kramer, 



Director. 

 Andrei Severin, 



Direetor. 



[Inclosnre in No. 5.] 

 Orders from tlte Biissian American Company io its Kadialc office, August 3, 1S20. 



The deceased Baranof was frequently instrufted to abstain as tar as 

 possible from all intercourse with the foreigners visiting our Colonics, 

 and also to inform the subordinate officers at Kadiak, Unalaska, and 

 the seal islands on this subject. Now it has been decided to dispatch 

 annually to the Colonies a ship loaded with all supplies needed for the 

 maintenance of the people, ships, etc. In the years 181 r» and 1819 the 

 ships Kutuzof and Borodino were dispatched with valuable cargoes, 

 and during the present year the Kutuzof will be again dispatched; 

 consequently there will be no necessity for dealing with foreigners 

 in the matter of supplies. It is the desire of His Majesty the Emperor, 

 which has been communicated to our Company, that all such inter- 

 course should cease, and that the benefits arising from the possessions 

 acquired by Russia on the coasts of Asia and America should accrue 

 wholly to the benefit of Russian subjects, and especially to our Company 

 under its Imperial charter. The Imperial Government has also issued 

 orders to expel from Okhotsk and Kamchatka all foreigners who come 

 there for the purpose of trade; as well as to abstain henceforth from all 

 intercourse with any foreigners who may hereafter visit those shores. 

 For the sake of preserving intact our valuable privileges in the waters 

 over which our trade and industry extends, we may well dispense with 

 such articles of luxury as tlie foreigners endeavor to make us purchase 

 from them. Consequently, each commmander of a station will be held 

 strictly resjjonsible for the slightest inlraction of these rules, or the 

 most trivial transactions between foreigners and the people in his 

 charge. In cases of necessity protection will be afforded by the com- 

 manders of New Archangel and of Okhotsk. 



No. 426. 



August 3, 1820. 



8 



