20 



ALASKA. 



ALASKA. The treaty with Eussia for the 

 transfer of this territory to the United States, 

 and the payment of $7,200,000, in coin, were 

 executed in full during 1867. The new north- 

 western boundary of the United States, estab- 

 lished by this treaty, may be described as com- 

 mencing at a point betwen the Diomede 

 Islands, nearly in the middle of Behring's 

 Straits, about one degree south of the Arctic 

 Circle, in latitude 66; it reaches from thence 

 on the meridional line of 168 50' W., toward 

 the North Pole of the earth ; thence south to 

 the shore of the Arctic Ocean, at about longi- 

 tude 143 west, and latitude 69 30', including 

 Kotzebue Sound, Cape Lisburne, Icy Cape, 

 Point Franklin, Point Barrow, Smith's Bay, 

 and other points which are regarded as histori- 

 cal in Arctic exploration, within the territory 

 of the United States. From the Diomede 

 Islands in a southwesterly direction, it extends 

 to latitude 50 in longitude about 168 east, be- 

 ing about 30 of longitude farther to the west 

 than the Sandwich Islands. 



So that, at the present time, the territory of 

 the United States extends in an east and west 

 direction from longitude 67 west (at Eastport, 

 Me.), to longitude 168 east, in the North Pa- 

 cific Ocean (beyond the most westerly island 

 of the Aleutian group), equal to 125 of longi- 

 tude, which, on a parallel of 45 north, would 

 be equal to about 5,303 geographical or 6,187 

 statute miles. 



The population of Alaska is reported by the 

 military commander to be 8,000 whites and 

 15,000 Indians. By an act of Congress the coun- 

 try is made a revenue district of the United 

 States, and Sitka established as the port of entry. 

 The military force of the United States in the 

 territory consists of two full regiments of in- 

 fantry and nine companies of cavalry. 



The representatives of the Federal Govern- 

 ment, when they went to Sitka to receive a 

 transfer of the territory, were accompanied by 

 scientific explorers, of whom Professor David- 

 son has made some interesting statements of his 

 investigations to the Academy of Natural Sci- 

 ence at San Francisco. 



After describing the geographical features of 

 the country visited by the Coast Survey party 

 under his charge, the marks of glacial action, 

 volcanoes, etc., he described the influence of 

 the great current of warm water which crosses 

 the Pacific Ocean from the coasts of Formosa 

 (in latitude 22, longitude 238 west) and the 

 easternmost point of Japan, and strikes upon 

 the coast 'of North America south of Sitka. It 

 is this great, warm river of the ocean which 

 gives the mild climate to Alaska, as the Atlan- 

 tic Gulf stream makes Great Britain and Nor- 

 way inhabitable. 



This great, warm stream leaves the coast of 

 Japan about latitude 35, and passes eastward 

 to the latitude of 48 and longitude 148, where 

 one branch turns sharply toward Sitka, and 

 the greater volume of water passes southward 

 along the coast of Queen Charlotte and Van- 



couver islands, and the coasts of Washington, 

 Oregon, and California. 



The warm stratum of air above this vast 

 mass of warm water is necessarily laden with 

 aqueous vapor, and, coming in contact with the 

 colder air from the continent, a condensation 

 of vapor and precipitation of rain is the con- 

 sequence. This humidity of the climate sus- 

 tains the immense growth of timber with 

 which the whole country along the seaboard 

 abounds. The largest trees climb the steepest 

 mountain-sides to elevations of two thousand 

 five hundred to three thousand feet. The Sitka 

 spruce was cut and measured four feet diame- 

 ter and one hundred and eighty feet long, and 

 others determined to be two hundred and fifty 

 feet high and six feet diameter. The yellow 

 cedar (Cupressus sitchensis) was found six feet 

 in diameter and estimated to be one hundred 

 and fifty feet high ; it commences about lati- 

 tude 54 34' and extends throughout the archi- 

 pelago from 54 40' to 59 15' how much 

 farther north was not examined. 



This is the best wood on the coast for ship- 

 building and cabinet-work. Specimens of this 

 wood from a wrecked vessel of the Russian- 

 American Company were shown. The vessel 

 had been built thirty-two years, and lying a 

 wreck for six years, yet the timbers and kel- 

 son were as sound as the day when the vessel 

 was built, and the iron and copper bolts were 

 unoxidized, and the wood around them well 

 preserved. Under ground its preservative 

 qualities are equally remarkable, as was illus- 

 trated by timber at Fort Simpson, that had 

 been under ground twenty years, and taken 

 out as sound as the day it was cut. 



When it is known that the shore line of the 

 islands, bays, inlets, and straits of the archi- 

 pelago amount to seven thousand eight hun- 

 dred and sixty statute miles, the inexhaustible 

 supply of this part only of the territory may 

 be readily comprehended. For comparison it 

 was stated that the shore line of Washing- 

 ton Territory, from Columbia Eiver to the 

 northern boundary, including Washington 

 Sound, Admiralty Inlet, Puget's Sound, and 

 Hood's Canal, amounted to only two thousand 

 and twenty-eight statute miles. 



Temperature and rainfall, etc.. at Sitka, from four- 

 teen years 1 observation at the Imperial Observatory at 

 New Archangel. 



Temperature Fahrenheit. 



March.... 35.5 ' 



April 41.2 



May 47.2 



June 47. 2 



Sept'r 51.2 



December. 31.7 



February 



r. 31.7 ) 010 

 ..3^1 [' wi nr 

 .32.9J Wmt 



83.1 for year. 



About the monthly average of Pennsylvania. 



