FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 399 



(2) It is farther charfted that the company has mutilated the coin of the United 

 States, and refuse to take any other from the natives in payment of goods sold them. 

 This charge I believe to be absolutely false and without the least foundation. Through- 

 out northwestern Alaska l»nt very little money is in circulation, and this is almost 

 exclusively contined to the company's agents and the few white people scattered 

 through the country. Between the traders and the natives there is but little coin 

 passed, the trading being for the most part in kind, the natives receiving only the 

 best grades of goods in exchange for their peltries. 



Of the money which is in circulation in Alaska, the writer passed various amounts 

 during his stay at San Francisco, and had it been mutilated this fact would have 

 been known by me without a doubt. I testify, therefore, that all the United States 

 coin which I saw or handled in Alaska was not in any way mutilated. 



(3) It is further charged that the Alaska Commercial Company has, by the beg- 

 garly prices paid for their peltries and by a system of constant oppression, reduced 

 the entire population of the Territory, both white and natives, to a condition of ab- • 

 solute slavery. 



No one having the least personal knowledge of the true condition of the natives of 

 northwestern Alaska, where most of the trading postsof the Alaska Conuuercial Com- 

 pany are established, could possibly make this charge, unless it be from pure malice. 

 The wild, uncivilized tribes of Alaska, who live by fishing and hunting, reduced to 

 slavery by a commercial company! As well speak of reducing the ocean to slavery. 

 These wild tribes are not in any way dependent on the company for the necessaries 

 of life, for they live on the products of the country, which are as free to the natives 

 as the air they breathe. 



But furthermore, having lived for two years within half a mile of one of the com- 

 pany's trading posts, and having gained a personal insight into the manner in which 

 the company deals with the natives, both at the three stations on the Koskokvim 

 River, and at other stations north and south from there, and besides this, having had 

 personal dealings with these natives, I testify that the company has treated the na- 

 tives fairly, paying reasonable prices for the peltries bought. Furthermore, they 

 have, in many ways, looked after the welfare of these. natives. In time of epidemics 

 or isolated cases of sickness, the physicians in the employ of the company have done 

 all in their power to relieve the suffering coming within their reach, and in times of 

 famine the agents of the company have fed as many of the natives as they could 

 procure food for. 



As regards the oppression of the white population at the hands of the company, 

 this can only refer to the employes of the company, for no other class of whites are 

 within their power. The fact tliat these employes retire from active service in the 

 Territory after terms of service of varying length, either with comfortable livings 

 or handsome fortunes, according to their individual thrift or the lack of it, proves 

 this charge false. 



I therefore testify that, to the best of my knowledge, these charges are not in any 

 way founded on the actual state of affairs throughout the entire northwestern part of 

 Alaska, where the most of the trading posts of the Alaska Commercial Company are 

 situated. Sitka is not Alaska any more than is New Orleans the United States. 



Rev. William H. Weinland. 



The Alaska Commercial Company. 



No. 13. 



statement of MK. GEORGE C. KING. 



I am a resident of Alameda, Cal., and have been a resident there and at Oakland 

 for ten years past. I am a miner by profession and have been since 1849, in various 

 States and Territories, though I have a part of the time been merchandising. 



In 1881, in company with nine others, I fitted out the schooner /T. F. Marcli for a 

 mining expedition in Alaska. We left San Francisco 5th May, 1881, and proceeded 

 directly to Golovin Bay, on Norton's Sound, without stopping, except for a few days 

 at Ooniuiak Island (one of the Aleutian Islands), for fishing and cxjiloring the islands. 

 We found it uninhabited and no signs of mineral. We arrived at Golovin Bay the 

 early part of June of that year. We went up Fish River in one of our small boats 

 about 100 miles. We found and located a mine called Oomielak. We remained on 

 the ground prospecting the mine for about a montii, and returned to Golovin Bay to 

 the schooner, leaving some miners on the ground. I then crossed Norton's Sound with 

 the schooner and crew to St. Michaels, remaining about a day to send off some letters. 

 Met there the agent of the Alaska Commercial Company. We then went to Good 

 News Bay, about 40 miles south of the mouth of Koskofcvim Bay. There I left the 



