FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 329 



OONALASKA. 



This village lias a populatiou of fourteen white men and tliree hundred and ninety- 

 two Aleuts and Creoles. They have a church, priest's residence, the stores, residences, 

 wareliouses, and wharves of the Alaska Commercial Company, eighteen frame resi- 

 dences, and lifty barrabaras. One-half the population can read the Aleutian language. 

 It is the most important settlement in western Alaska, and the commercial center of 

 all the trade now in that region or that shall develop in the future. It is the natural 

 outfitting station for vessels passing between the Pacilic and Arctic Oceans. 



MORAL TRAINING. 



The training of the schools should be extended to the heart as well as the mind and 

 hand. In sections of Alaska the uncivilized natives are accustomed to herd in large 

 houses, with several families occupying thosame room and cooking ai'ounda common 

 lire. Among some of these families polygamy prevails, and sometimes, not often, 

 a wonum is found with two or more husbands. The childreugrow up amid tilth and 

 uncleauliuess, accustomed to impure sights and conversation, and systematically 

 taught to lie and steal. To them there is no wrong or disgrace in it. It is only dis- 

 graceful in being caught, as that seems to be a rejection on their skill; they sliould 

 have been smarter. Nephews inherit their uncles' wives and his pro]>orty as well, so 

 that many a boy is married to a toothless old aunt. In these same houses are taught, 

 and sometinies even yet practiced, the horrible cruelties of witchcraft. 



EXTRACTS FROM DIARY OF REV. J. A. H. HARTMANN. 



May 2. — Through the Lord's mercy I was directed by Captain Healy to the Alaska 

 Commercial Company. I told Mr. JSloss, one of tbe partners, that the object of our 

 visit to Alaska is to prepare the way for i)reaching the Gospel to the Eskimos. He 

 seemed favorably impressed with the undertaking, and we felt his sympathy was with 

 us. The company gave us a letter of introduction to Mr. Newman, of Oonalaska, 

 asking him to assist us. 



May 113 to 30. — Our letter of introduction from the company at San Francisco 

 proved very useful. We were received kindly by the friendly aud polite agents of 

 the Alaska Commercial Company, with whom we had pleasant intercourse during our 

 whole stay in the island. Our baggage was put into one of the store-houses. The 

 quarters given us in the office of the defunct Western Fur Trading Company con- 

 sisted of two comfortable rooms warmed by a stove, and contained bedding, furniture, 

 and fuel. Thither we conveyed our most necessary articles, including the photo- 

 graphic apparatus. Wo called our lodgings "Providence;" they were only a few 

 minutes' walk from the company's boarding-house where we took our meals with the 

 agents and employes, but we little dreamed that we were being entertained gratis, 

 whilst wo had pleasant converse with those who hadvisitod and could tell us a good 

 deal about the places and people most interesting to us. 



INTOXICATING LIQUORS. 



The Eskimos of the Kuskovim River know nothing as yet of intoxicating liquors, 

 and as long as the Alaska Commercial Company maintains its supremacy in these 

 waters, we have a guaranty that they will not be introduced amongst them. Should 

 spirituous liquors once be imported into the country the destruction of the Eskimo 

 would speedily follow, and a serious hindrance would be opposed to the preaching of 

 the Gospel. 



By Mr. Jeffries : 



Q. Here is a letter of iiistructious of tbe company to au agent, Mr. 

 Loreuz. I wish you would examine it ami see if you are familiar with 

 it, aud whether that indicates the policy of the company on the subject 

 mentioned in it ? — A. Yes, sir. This letter was written by the president 

 of the Alaska Commercial Company, and I saw it on file in the com- 

 l)any's oflice. 



Q. Was that submitted to you by the president of the company "?— 

 A. Yes, sir ; before it was sent to Mr. Lorenz. 



San Francisco, May 7, 1886. 

 Dear Sir : We have been informed that a large number of miners have already 

 started to the Yukon an<l Stewart River Mines, aud it is probable that many others 



