238 ALASKA. 



tlie spring- of 1872 llie Alaska Commercial Company sent a man 

 from San Francisco, on trial, to serve as assistant agent at 

 Ounalaslika : be was found wanting, and in less tbau six mouths 

 from the time of his engagement he was. dismissed from its 

 service as unfit and incompetent. Mr. Dall had given a letter 

 to the j)erson in question, while that person was acting for the 

 company as assistant trader at Ounalashka, for transmission to 

 the i)ostmaster at San Francisco. This letter contained a small 

 sum of money, (a twenty-dollar greenback, I believe,) and never 

 reached its destination. I am, of course, not prepared to say 

 whether the man robbed the letter or not ; but I should acquit 

 the company of collusion in so contemptible a matter, even if 

 this man did do so. Then, again, 'Mv. Dall writes this letter with 

 the ship of an opposition trader laying over ten days at anchor 

 in the same harbor with us — no other vessels than those of the 

 company to carry the mails ! 



(0) This is one of the reasons why 1 ask for a steam revenue- 

 vessel in this Territory: it is impossible for a sailingcutier to go 

 about from place to place, as she ought to do. 



(7) In this case I think I have shown, in a foregoing chap- 

 ter, that, contrary to Mr. DalFs statement, it is to the direct 

 interest of traders to do all i)i their power to improve and elevate 

 the natives, and that the natives are to-day living, at Ounalashka 

 and elsewhere in the Aleutian district, in better condition than 

 they have ever lived before. 



The traders, however, differ in their appreciation of this truth ; 

 but two very successful traders in the Territory, Capt. E. Hen- 

 nig and M. Mercier, have given me good reason for making 

 this statement — so emphatic : a trader who does the best by the 

 natives will be the better served by them. Father Shiesnekov 

 makes a deliberate statement which I print in this appendix 

 (page 226) that conflicts with Mr. Dall's decidedly-, and as this' 

 priest has spent over tweutj'-five mature years of active intelli- 

 g,eut labor among these people, his judgment is worth some- 

 thing, inasmuch as he " has seen more of the country than any 

 other individual," and no one can controvert the fact. 



(8) This policy of Mr. Ball's, of declaring- four or five Indian 

 reservations in the Aleutian district, with an Indian agent and 

 schoolmaster in each, would, in my best judgment, amount to 

 nothing- but discord and mischief. What security can the Gov- 

 ernment have for the disinterestedness and honesty of its Indian 

 agents ? Arc such agents to tell the traders in the country 



