Missions under the Presbytery of Oregon. 71 



in the other missions, or by teachers sent out by the Board. He also visited 

 the new mining town of Harrisl)urg, locating and recording a site for a church 

 and school house, in case that proves to be a successful mining region. Thus 

 all the information necessary to intelligent action, in locating missions and 

 advancing the cause of education in that promising region, is already collected, 

 and the next step is to enter and occupy. 



CONCLUSION. 



The foregoing "Sketches" show what we are doing, and attempting, for 

 the enlightenment of Alaska. They .provide materials towards a complete 

 history, yet to be written, and they are accurate. There are other sources of 

 information, in manuscripts and occasional publications in newspapers, such 

 as letters written prior to 1877, the oiiginal overture to the General Assembly 

 of that year, the official statement of the origin of this work, issued by the 

 Presbytery of Oregon, together with some data contained in ofticial communi- 

 cations, made to the Government of the United States. 



In compliance with requests of persons cognizant with the facts, the "official 

 statement" above cited, is here inserted. In the order of time, it should have 

 been placed at the beginning. But the suggestions for its publication were not 

 made until the first Reports were passing through the press. It was printed in 

 the Record of Aug., 1878, and in the Official Report on Alaska, made by 

 Hon. Wm. Governeur Morris, Special Agent of United States Treasurery De- 

 partment, published by order of Congress. That Report abounds in valuably 

 information; but, unfortunately, it is out of print. 



Missions Under the Presbytery of Oregon. 



At the meeting of the Presbytery of Oregon, in session at Astoria, April 3, 

 1878, It was ordered that a committee of three be appointed to draw up a min- 

 ute embracing \.\i& facts in connection with the history of tbe development of 

 missions under the care of the presbytery, having special reference to the work 

 in Alaska ; and that the same be forwarded to the Secretaries of the Board of 

 Home Missions. Said minute, when approved by presbytery, to be engrossed 

 on the records. 



In accordance with the foregoing, the following is an official statement: 



In the year 1869, when Secretary Seward was returning from his visit to 

 Alaska, Rev. A. L. Lindsley, D. D., of the First Presbyterian Church of 

 Portland. Oreg., met him at Victoria, and by careful enquiry gained much in- 

 formation concerning the social, moral, and religious condition of the resident 

 Indian tribes. 



