DISCOVERY, OCCUPATION, AND TRANSFER. 9 



obliged to furnish to the company's order certain quotas of sea- 

 otter hunters every season, all men between the ages of eighteen 

 and fifty being liable to this draft, though not more than one-half 

 of any number thus subject could be enlisted and called out at any 

 one time. 



The management of this great organization was vested in an ad- 

 ministrative council, composed of its stockholders in St. Petersburg, 

 with a head general office at Irkutsk, Siberia a chief manager, who 

 was to reside in Alaska, and was styled "The Governor," and whose 

 selection was ordered from the officers of the Imperial navy not 

 lower in rank than post-captain. That high official and Alaskan 

 autocrat had an assistant, also a naval officer, and each received pay 

 from the Russian Company, in addition to their regular govern- 

 mental salaries, which were continued to them by the Crown. 



In cases of mutiny or revolt the powers of the governor were ab- 

 solute. He had also the fullest jurisdiction at all times over offend- 

 ers and criminals, with the nominal exception of capital crimes. 

 Such culprits were supposed to have a preliminary trial, then were 

 to be forwarded to the nearest court of justice in Siberia. Some- 

 thing usually " happened " to save them the tedious journey, how- 

 ever. The Russian servants of the company its numerous retinue 

 of post-traders, factors, and traders, and laborers of every class 

 around the posts were engaged for a certain term of years, duly 

 indentured. When the time expired the company was bound to 

 furnish them free transportation back to their homes, unless the 

 unfortunate individuals were indebted to it ; then they could be re- 

 tained by the employer until the debt was paid. It is needless to 

 state in this connection that an incredibly small number of Russians 

 were ever homeward bound from Alaska during these long years of 

 Muscovitic control and operation. This provision of debtor vs. cred- 

 itor was one which enabled the creditor company to retain in its 

 service any and all men among the humbler classes whose services 

 were desirable, because the scanty remuneration, the wretched pit- 

 tance in lieu of wages, allowed them, made it a matter of utter im- 

 possibility to keep out of debt to the company's store. Even among 

 the higher officials it is surprising to scan the long list of those who, 

 after serving one period of seven years after another, never seemed 

 to succeed in clearing themselves from the iron grasp of indebted- 

 ness to the great corporation which employed them. 



As long as the Russian Company maintained a military or naval 



