ALASKA. 



ALEXANDER, WILLIAM O. 



ing the summer millions of these animals line 

 the shores for miles, and, notwithstanding that 

 thousands are killed each year, they continue 

 to multiply and increase. The demand for 

 this particular fur having increased very large- 

 ly in recent years, it is a matter of national 

 importance to preserve the race of fur-seals. 

 In 1868 parties from San Francisco, California, 

 and New London, Connecticut, visited the isl- 

 ands of St. George and St. Paul, and secured 

 large numbers of these skins. As the fur- 

 bearing seal had been nearly exterminated in 

 other parts of the world, the Congress of the 

 United States extended special jurisdiction 

 over the islands of St. Paul and St. George, 

 forbade any one to go there without authority, 

 and in due time passed a judicious law to gov- 

 ern the taking of the animals; sent proper 

 persons to enforce the same, leased the islands, 

 and laid a tax upon the skins taken, which is 

 producing an annual revenue to the Govern- 

 ment of over $300,000. The law wisely pro- 

 vides that none but male seals shall be killed. 

 The breeding females, the young, and old bulls, 

 are not molested. The proper season for kill- 

 ing is strictly observed, and thus the animals 

 are likely long to continue to supply their 

 beautiful fur; 



The seal-islands of Alaska are leased by the 

 United States Government to the Alaska Com- 

 mercial Company of San Francisco, a corpora- 

 tion organized under the laws of California. 

 The number of fur-seal skins which this com- 

 pany are allowed to take is now limited to 

 100,000 per annum; this entire product is 

 sent to London, and there sold at the great 

 semi - annual auctions. The company are 

 under heavy personal bonds to the Govern- 

 ment, faithfully to observe all laws of Con- 

 gress relative to the time and mode of killing 

 the animals, and the treatment of their na- 

 tive employes. They have the exclusive right 

 to capture the fur-seal at St. George and St. 

 Paul Islands, but all other kinds of fur-bearing 

 animals may be taken by any persons, and the 

 general fur-trade is open to free competition. 

 The company have from sixteen to twenty 

 trading-posts on the main-land and islands of 

 Alaska, at which are gathered every year 

 large numbers of furs and skins. They em- 

 ploy about a dozen vessels, and a corps of 

 traders or factors, and concentrate their gath- 

 erings annually at San Francisco, whence they 

 are forwarded to the best markets. The ex- 

 tent of the fur-trade of Alaska is indicated in 

 the following approximative statement of the 

 number of skins annually brought to San Fran- 

 cisco : 



Fur-seal, 100,000; hair-seal, 150; sea-ot- 

 ter, 3,700 ; land-otter, 1,500 ; silver fox, 475 ; 

 blue fox, 3,400 ; cross fox, 1,200 ; red fox, 

 6,400; white fox, 575 ; beaver, 17,600; mar- 

 ten, 10,700; sable, '600; mink, 6,700; bear, 

 425 ; musquash, 4,OCO ; lynx, 250 ; ermine, 

 1,350; squirrel, 100; bird -skins, 100; rein- 

 deer-skins, 100 ; moose-skins, 200. 



Under the provisions of the act of April 22, 

 1874, authorizing the Secretary of the Treas- 

 ury to appoint a person qualified by experi- 

 ence and education to visit the trading-sta- 

 tions and Indian villages in the Territory of 

 Alaska, Seal Islands, and the large islands in 

 Behring's Sea, to collect authentic information 

 relating to the varied interests of the Gov- 

 ernment in that Territory and the adjacent re- 

 gions, Mr. Henry "W. Elliott was designated as 

 a special agent for that purpose. The report 

 presented by him to the Treasury Department 

 as the result of his labors contains a compre- 

 hensive statement of the character of the 

 country, the condition of the natives, the pres- 

 ent state of the seal and other fisheries, and 

 the trade of the Territory, with minute de- 

 scriptions of the haunts and habits of the seal 

 and other fur-bearing animals, as also many 

 valuable suggestions in regard to the manage- 

 ment of the natives, the preservation of the 

 seal-fisheries, and the economical collection 

 of the revenue. No more satisfactory exhibit 

 of the condition of the Territory and of its 

 probable resources has hitherto been presented 

 to the Treasury Department. 



The Government has derived an income 

 from the tax on seal-skins and from the rent 

 of the fur-seal islands, since the acquisition of 

 the Territory, as follows : 



Tax on seal-skins $1,150,219 75 



Bent of fur-seal islands 170,480 75 



Sale of seal-skins taken by Government 



agents, under section 6, act July 1, 1870. . . 29,529 17 



Making a total income of $1,350,229 67 



ALEXANDER, WILLIAM COWPEE, LL. D., a 

 distinguished lawyer, scholar, and political 

 leader, of New Jersey, for fifteen years past 

 the President of the Equitable Assurance So- 

 ciety of New York, born in Virginia in 1806; 

 died in New York City August 23, 1874. He 

 was the second son of Rev. Archibald Alex- 

 ander, D. D., the celebrated pulpit orator and 

 theological professor, and a brother of James 

 W. Joseph Addison, Henry M., Samuel D., 

 and Archibald Alexander, Jr., all eminent in 

 their several professions. William 0. Alexan- 

 der graduated from Princeton College in 1824, 

 and was admitted to the bar in 1827, when 

 he soon attained' distinction both for his pro- 

 found legal attainments and his remarkable 

 and commanding eloquence as an advocate. 

 He early took an active part in political mat- 

 ters, never seeking, and often peremptorily 

 declining .office, but ever striving to maintain 

 principle, integrity, and honor. He was for 

 several years President of the State Senate of 

 New Jersey ; and, sorely against his will, was 

 the nearly successful candidate for the gov- 

 ernorship of the State. He would have been 

 chosen United States Senator from the State 

 by a large majority, but he prohibited the use 

 of his name. He was a delegate to the Peace 

 Congressin 1861. It was while thus esteemed 

 and honored that he withdrew almost entirely 

 from political life, to devote himself, as he has 



