EXPLANATORY NOTES AND COMMENTS UPON THE MAP OF ST. PAUL ISLAND. 



ST. PAUL. This name was given to the island because it was descried for the first time on St. Paul's Day, July 10, 1787, by the 

 Russian discoverers. [June 29, Justinian calendar.] 



DEFINITIONS FOR RUSSIAN NAMES OF THE ROOKERIES, ETC. The several titles on the map that radicate the several breeding-grounds, 

 owe their origin and have their meaning as follows : 



ZAPADNIE signifies " westward" and is so used by the people who live in the village. 

 ZOLTOI signifies "golden", so used to express the metallic shimmering of the sands there. 

 KETAVIE signifies "of a tchale", so used to designate that point where a large right whale was stranded in 1849 (T) ; from Russian " Jceet", 



OT "whale". 

 LUKAJTNON. So named after one Lukannon, a pioneer Russian, who distinguished himself, with one Kaiecov, a countryman, by capturing 



a large number of sea-otters at that point, and on Otter island, in 1787-'88. 

 TOXKIE MEES signifies "small (or "slender") cape" [tonkie, "thin"; mees, "cape"]. 

 POLAVINA literally signifies "halfway", so used by the natives because it is practically half way between the salt-houses at Northeast 



Point and the village. POLAVTSA SOPKA, or "half-way mountain'', gets its name in the same manner. 

 NOVASTOSHNAH, from the Russian " novaiie", or " of recent growth", so used because this locality in pioneer days was an island to itself; 



and it has been annexed recently to the main land of St. Paul. 



VESOLIA MISTA. or "jolly place", the site of one of the first settlements, and where much carousing was indulged. 

 MAROOXITCH, the site of a pioneer village, established by one Maroon. 

 NAHSAYVERNIA, or "on the north shore", from Russian "saytemie". 

 BOGA SLOV, or " word of God", indefinite in its application to the place, but is, .perhaps, due to the fact that the pious Russians, immediately 



after landing at Zapadnie, in 1787, ascended the hill and erected a huge cross thereon. 

 EINAHNUHTO, an Aleutian word, signifying the "three mamma". 

 TOLSTOI, a Russian name, signifying "thick"; it is given to at least a hundred different capes and headlands throughout Alaska, being 



applied as indiscriminately as we do the term "Bear creek" to little streams in the western states and territories. 



THE PROFILE OF ST. PAUL. That profile of the south shore, between the Village Hill and Southwest Point, taken from the steamer's 

 anchorage off the Village cove, shows the characteristic and remarkable alternation of rookery slope and low sea-level flats. This point 

 of viewing is .slightly more than half a mile true west of the Village hill, to a sight which brings Boga Slov summits and Tolstoi head 

 nearly in line. At Zapadnie is the place where the Russian discoverers first landed in 1787, July 10. With the exception of the bluffy 

 west end, Ein-ahnnh-to cliffs, the whole coast of St. Paul is accessible, and affords an easy landing, except at the short reach of "Seethah" 

 and the rookery points, as indicated. The great sand beach of this island extends from Lukaunon to Polavina, thence to Webster's house, 

 Xovastoshnah ; from there over, and sweeping back and along the north shore to Nahsayvernia headland, then between Zapadnie and 

 Tolstoi, together with the beautiful though short sand of Zoltoi. This extensive and slightly broken sandy coast is not described as 

 peculiar to any other island in Alaska, or of Siberian waters. 



FKESH- WATER LAKES. There are no running streams at any season of the year on St Paul ; but the abundance of fresh water is 

 plainly presented by the numerous lakes, all of which are "svayjoi", save the lagoon estuary. The four large reefs which I have located 

 are each awash in every storm that blows from seaward over them; they are all rough, rocky ledges. That little one indicated in English 

 bay caused the wrecking of a large British vessel in 1847, which was coming in to anchor just without Zapadnie; a number of the crew 

 were "maaslucken",* so my native informant averred. 



DRIFT-WOOD. Most of the small amount of drift-wood that is found on this island is procured at Northeast Point, and Polavina ; the 

 north shore from Maroonitch to Tsammanah has also been favored with sea- waif logs in exceptional seasons, to the exclusion of all other 

 sections of the coast. The natives say that the St. George people get much more drift-wood every year, as a rule, than they do on 

 St. Paul. From what I could see during my four seasons of inspection, they never have got much, under the best of circumstances, on 

 either island. They pay little attention to it now, and gather what they do during the winter season, going to Polavina and the north 

 shore with sleds, on which they hoist sails after loading there, and scud home before the strong northerly blasts. 



Captain Erskine informs me that the water is free and bold all aronnd the north shore, from-Cross hill to Southwest Point; no reefs or 

 shoals up to within a half a mile of land anywhere. English bay is very shallow, and no sea-going vessel should attempt to enter it, that 

 draws over 6 feet. 



AUTHORITIES FOR LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE. All the positions of latitude and longitude which I place upon this map are taken from 

 Captain Archimandritov's manuscript chart. During the whole month of July, 1874, while I was herewith the "Reliance", there was not a 

 single opportunity for a solar observation, although Captain Baker made several attempts to make some. Captain Erskine, however, has 

 verified Archimandritov's work, and says that it is very near the correct thing. I could have taken observations easily in the occasional 

 clear November days of 1872, but, unfortunately, the chronometer which I had, proved so defective that I abandoned the labor. 



How TO REACH WALRUS ISLET. To visit Walrus island in a boat, pleasantly and successfully, it is best to submit to the advice and 

 direction of the natives. They leave the village in the evening, and, taking advantage of the tide, proceed along the coast as far as the 

 bluffs of Polavina, where they rest on their oars, doze and smoke, until the dawning of daylight, or later, perhaps, until the fog lifts enough 

 for them to get a glimpse of the islet which they seek ; they row over then in about two hours with their bidarrah. They leave, however, 

 with perfect indifference as to daylight or fog; nothing but a southeaster can disturb their tranqnility when they succeed in landing on 

 Walrus island. They would find it as difficult to miss striking the extended reach of St. Paul on their return, as they found it well 

 nigh impossible to push off from Polavina and find "Morzovia" in a thick, windy fog and running sea. 



OTTER ISLET: SLIGHT CORRECTION. Otter island, or "Bobrovia", is easily reached in almost any weather that is not very stormy, for 

 it looms up high above the water. It takes the bidarrah about two hours to row over from the village, while I have gone across once in 

 a whale boat with less than one hour's expenditure of time, sail and oars, en route. A slight mistake of the engraver causes Crater point 

 to appear as a bifurcated tongue. It is not so; but there is a funnel-shaped cavity here plainly emarginated from the sea, and on that 

 extreme point, constituting and giving to it this name. 



Anything missing, or beyond human ken. in the Aleutian rernacnlar is "maaalncken". 



