OUR ARCTIC PROVINCE. 



CHAPTER I. 



DISCOVERY, OCCUPATION, AND TRANSFER. 



The Legend of Bering's Voyage. — The Discovery of Russian America, or Alaska, 

 in July, 1741. — The Return Voyage and Shipwreck of the Discoverer. — 

 The Escape of the Survivors. — They Tell of the Furs and Ivory of Alaska. 

 — The Rush of Russian,Traders. — Their Hardy Exploration of the Aleutian 

 Chain, Kadiak, and the Mainland, 1760-80, inclusive. — Fierce Competi- 

 tion of the Promyshlineks finally Leads to the Organization and Domina- 

 tion of the Russian American Company over all Alaska, 1799. — Its Remark- 

 able Success under Baranov's Administration, 1800-18, inclusive. — Its 

 Rapid Decadence after Baranov's Removal. — Causes in 18G2-04 which 

 Led to the Refusal of the Russian Government to Renew the Charter of 

 the Russian American Company. — Steps which Led to the Negotiations of 

 Seward and Final Acquisition of Alaska by the U. S. Government, 1867. 



The stolid, calm intrepidity of the Russian is not even yet well 

 understood or recognized by Americans. No better presentation 

 of this character of those Slavic discoverers of Alaska can be made 

 than is the one descriptive of Veit Bering's voyage of Russian- 

 American fame, in which shipwreck and death robbed him of the 

 glory of his expedition. No legend of the sea, however fanciful or 

 horrid, surpasses the simple truth of the terror and privation which 

 went hand-in-hand with Bering and his crew. 



Flushed with the ovitsjDoken favor of his sovereign, Bering and 

 his lieutenant, Tschericov, sailed east from Petropaulovsky, Kam- 

 chatka, June 4, 1741 ; the expedition consisted of two small sail- 

 vessels, the St. Peter and the St. Paul. They set their course 

 S. S. E., as low as the 50th degree of north latitude, then they 

 decided to steer directly east for the reported American continent. 

 A few days later a violent storm arose, it separated the rude ships, 

 and the two commanders never met in life a<?ain. 



