28 I- Gustav Eisen: 



was realized that the Islands were iimnensely rieb in fur-bearing 

 animais, the seaotter being one of the most val nable in the world. 

 It is almost certain that white hunters of these animais played great 

 havock with the Indians. In 1838 we are told that a vessel from the 

 north landed 30 Indians from Kodiak on San Nicolas, and that these 

 northern Indians, armed with firearms. all but exterminated the na- 

 tives. Many similar aecounts have been recorded. 



The white settlers also found that the islands were especially 

 adapted to raising cattle and sheep. At one time there were thus 

 60.000 sheep on the island of San Miguel, and as many or many 

 more on the other islands. It is perfectly certain that these early 

 white cattle men and sheep-owners would not permit the Indians to 

 dwell among their stock, and it was probably through their influence 

 that the indians were gradually forbidden the islands. Many were no 

 doubt killed outright while others were removed and made to join 

 the missions on the mainland. But even before this final évacuation 

 took place it is quite probable that the Indians on the islands had 

 diminished in number. The gathering together of the mainland Indians 

 in the missions must have revolutionized the whole life of the Indians. 

 The Indians on the mainland were forced to cultivate maiz, and other 

 vegetables and naturally their former trade with the islands feil off. 

 This in itself would probably cause the Indians of the islands to e- 

 migrate and settle on the mainland. However as there are no records 

 left these suggestions are mère spéculations of little if any scientific 

 value. The main factors in the extermination of the island Indians 

 were undoubtedly, murders by otter hunters, murders by cattle and 

 sheep -men, and to which may be added diseases introduced by the 

 whites, and to which the Indians were in no way immune. 



As regards diseases there are records of the havock played 

 among the Indians of the mainland of smallpox, choiera, typhoid, 

 dysentery etc., probably all diseases introduced by the Spaniards. We 

 are told that duriog some yearsmore than two thousand Indians died 

 on the mainland in the vicinfcy of Santa Barbara. To account for this 

 susceptibility to disease we must consider two things. The Indians in 

 their native haunts had not formerly asociated with white man and 

 there could thus never have been a natural sélection of those more 

 immune to diseases of the white man than others. There had in other 

 words been no antitoxines developed in the Systems of the Indians, 

 at least not to the diseases of white man. We know with considér- 

 able certainty that the diseases which carried off the most Indians 



