8 OUR ARCTIC PROVINCE. 



at various points in the territory, ample magazines of provisions and 

 stores to be used by the Imperial Government for its naval vessels 

 or land troops whenever ordered. At a time when all such stores 

 had to be transported on land trails over the desolate wastes of Si- 

 beria from Kussia to the Okotsk, this clause in the franchise was 

 most burdensome, and really fatal to the financial success of the 

 company. 



The finesse of the Russian authorities is strikingly manifested in 

 that charter, which ostensibly granted to the Russian American Com- 

 pany all these rights of exclusive jurisdiction to a vast domain with- 

 out selfishly exacting a single tax for the home treasury ; but in 

 fact it did pay an immense sum annually into the royal coffers in 

 this wa} r . The entire fur trade in those days was with China, and 

 all the furs of Alaska were bartered by the Russians with the Mon- 

 gols for teas, which were sold in Russia and Europe. The records 

 of the Imperial treasury show that the duties paid into it by this 

 company upon these teas often exceeded two millions of silver 

 rubles annually.* 



The company was also obliged, by the terms of their charter, to 

 make experiments in the establishment of agricultural settlements 

 wherever the soil and climate of Alaska would permit. The natives 

 of Alaska were freed from all taxes in skins or money, but were 



*The Russian currency is always expressed in kopecks and in rubles. 

 Gold coinage there is seldom ever seen, and was never used in Alaska. The 

 following table explains itself : 



1 copper kopeck = 1 silver kopeck. 15 silver kopecks = 1 peteealtin. 



2 copper kopecks = 1 grosh. 20 silver kopecks = 1 dvoogreevenik. 



3 copper kopecks = 1 alteen. 25 silver kopecks = 1 chetvertak. 

 5 copper kopecks = 1 peetak. 50 silver kopecks = 1 polteenah. 

 5 silver kopecks 1 peetak. 100 silver kopecks = 1 ruble. 



10 silver kopecks = 1 greevnah. 



The silver ruble is nearly equal to seventy-five cents in our coin. The 

 paper ruble fluctuates in Russia from forty to fifty cents, specie value ; in 

 Alaska it was rated at twenty cents, silver. Much of the "paper" currency 

 in Alaska during Russian rule was stamped on little squares of walrus hide. 



A still smaller coin, called the 4i polooshka," worth i kopeck, has been used 

 in Russia. It takes its name from a hare-skin, " ooshka," or "little ears," 

 which, before the use of money by the Slavs, was one of the lowest articles 

 of exchange, pol signifying half, and pohoshka, half a hare's skin. From an- 

 other small coin, the "deinga" (equal to kopeck in value), is derived the 

 Russian word for money, deingah or deingie. 



