ALASKA. 229 



LETTER FItOM MK. DALL. 



"\Yliile iu the Territory last season, I had the .satisfactiou 

 of nieetiug this geiitleiiiau, an employe of the United States 

 Coast Survey, aud we Lad occasion to excbauge views iu 

 regard to the condition of the people. The opinions of Mr. 

 Dall were, in some instances, so different from mine that I 

 asiied him to embody his conclusions in the form of a letter 

 in order that I might publish them, to show the contrast. This 

 he has done, aud I take pleasure in maliing known tbe views 

 of Mr. Dall, aud in appending a criticism based upon my 

 knowledge aud judgment. I may say at the outset tbat, while 

 I concede for the sake of argument that Mr. Dall " has seen 

 more of the country than any other individual," I am not willing 

 to grant the plain inference that he has studied that which he 

 has seen more intelligently or patiently than others, who may 

 have seen less, but still enough to form a correct opinion.* 



OUNALASIIKA, ALASKA TERRITORY, 



U. S. Coast Survey Schooner Yukon, 



Awjnst 31, 1874. 



Gentlemen : At the instance of Mr. Elliott, I have addressed 

 to you the present letter, intended to embody the conclusions 

 to which I have been led during a long residence iu this Terri- 

 tory, bearing on the subject of your inquiry. 



For nearly ten years I have been constantly engaged either 

 in the study of the subject or in active investigation iu this re- 

 gion. Three winters and more than seven years of this period 

 I have been actually resident in the Territory, and the duties 

 assigned to me have carried me to nearly every point iu it 

 which is of any importance. I have consequently seen more of 

 the country than anj' other individual, and never having been 

 connected iu any way with any trading company, it may be 



* In making my comments upon this letter, I do not -wish to appear in the 

 light of 'laying down the law' iu every case, for it is a qnestion well open 

 to argument as to the ettect of any attempt to educate these peojilc. A long 

 interview with General Eatou, Commissioner of Education, upon this sub- 

 ject pleased me very much, for I found that he had a (piite ditierent idea 

 from the plan now followed of schools on our Indian reservations; indeed, 

 it was almost identical with the views of the Russian bishop iu San Fran- 

 cisco, who has charge of the Greek Catliolic church in this Territory. Tbe 

 system of General Eatou will nudoubtedly be found in his report for this 

 year. " II. W. E. 



