8 FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



Q. You do not know what companies are eugaged in fur trading along 

 the upper coast of the Bering Sea ! — A. No, sir. 



Q. AtOonalaska was there a lively competition in fur trade? — A. At 

 the time there was quite a competition. 



Q. Have you any knowledge as to whether the Alaska Commercial 

 Conipauy is able arbitrarily to fix the price of furs ; I mean other furs 

 than seal furs? — A. I do not know of any other means than by buying 

 out the competitor ; that is the only Avay. 



Q. And to confine competition '? — A. At that time there was compe- 

 tition. I have heard since, occasionally from parties not very friendly 

 disposed to the Alaska Commercial Company, that they had stamped 

 out competition ; parties had been compelled to retire, but 1 do not 

 know anything of my own knowledge. 



Q. That is mere rumor? — A. That ia mere rumor; I can not testify 

 about that. I want to state that it was the very begiuning of the es- 

 tablishment of the leasing system, and that no definite results could 

 have been ascertained at the time. It was all new, all fresh. The start 

 was satisfactory, and when I came back I had to report to Mr. Bout- 

 well that most of our iirejudices — and they were very strong — against 

 leasing to any company, not against the Alaska Company, but against 

 the policy of leasing, had to a great extent subsided ; and if they con- 

 tinued as they commenced I did not see that any barm was done, and I 

 was satisfied that the natives (whose interest I took very mucli to heart, 

 because they were in some respects countrymen of mine, and for whose 

 welfare my old country, Russia, was morally responsible) and their in- 

 terests would not be injured; on the contrary, there was an improve- 

 ment in their well-being. The cottages that were built certainly were 

 better dwellings than the old ones, and there was a promise (1 do not 

 know how farit was kept) that every family would be furnished with 

 a comfortable wooden cottage above-ground. 



Q. Were they better clothed, did you observe, and were the natives 

 personally improved? — A. They had all the clothing they wanted, ac- 

 cording to their tastes. They ordered such things as they wanted and 

 the agents of the company brought them, 



Q. What was the state of feeling among the natives on these fur seal 

 islands toward the company ; was it one of satisfaction ordiscontent? — 

 A. There was at the time some dissatisfaction, but it was mostly of 

 our own creation ; that is, Mr. Charles Bryant, of Fair Haven, who was 

 chief Government agent there, acting under the impression that the 

 plan of Mr. Boutwell would bo adopted by Congress, spoke through an 

 interpreter, employing me as an interpreter, to the natives, and made 

 promise of a very fine compensation and that sort of thing, and when 

 the lease came to their knowledge, and when they learned that they 

 would have to work for the company and be dependent on the company 

 and not upon the Great Father, of whom the agent spoke, there was 

 some dissatisfaction ; but at the end of the first season at St. Paul I 

 found that they had entirely reconciled themselves to the situation and 

 were cheerful, and were indulging in dancing. The only complaints 

 which appeared in my time were against the efforts made by both the 

 company and the Government agenl;s to suppress the brewing of intox- 

 icating and poisonous drinks, which was known by the name of quass. 

 That is a Eussian word, but by no means is it in Eu.ssia as bad as in 

 the Aleutian Islands. Quass is a sour beverage used all over Eussia, 

 and is made from grain without any sugar at all. It is made from brew- 

 ing rye to the point of oxydation, and is entirely a sour beverage. The 

 Aleutians adopted that name for something that is entirely different, 



