ALASKA. 23 



room is not large, seldom over ten feet square, and often not 

 more than seven or eight, with a hard earthen or wooden floor ; 

 the walls are neatly boarded upand sometimes papered and em- 

 bellished with pictures of church saints. la this room the Aleut 

 spends most of his time when not hunting; shuts himself up 

 in it with his family, builds a hot lire, lasting only a few 

 minutes, in the little stove or Eussiaa oven, and either drinlis 

 cup after cup of tea, or stupefies himself with "gwass" or 

 native beer, and lies for hours, and days even, in dull, stupid 

 enjoyment on his pallet. I have looked into a barrabkie where 

 there were twenty men, women, and childreu packed into a 

 living-room not more than ten feet square, all drinking tea, 

 with the perspiration rolling down in beady streams from 

 every face. Many of these huts are damp and exceedingly 

 filthy, while others are dry and cleanly ; but the temper and 

 disposition of the Aleuts is that of improvidence and shiftless- 

 ness, and all exist, with a few exceptions, as a matter of course, 

 in a state of ignorance, though a great many read and write, 

 in consequence of their relationship to the church, the services 

 of which are recited in the Eussian tongue, and as most of the 

 subpriests, deacons, &c., are recruited from the ranks of the 

 people themselves, (the boys only being educated for this i)ur- 

 pose.) a large proportion of them speak and read Eussian well 

 enough for all ordinary use. 



The manners and customs of these people, to-day, possess 

 in themselves nothing of a barbarous or remarkable character, 

 aside from that which belongs to a state of advanced semi- 

 civilization. They are exceedingly polite and civil, not only to 

 their trading agents, but among themselves, and visit one with 

 another freely and pleasantly^, the women being great gossips ; 

 but, on the whole, their intercourse is very quiet indeed, for the 

 topics of conversation are few, and, judging from their silent 

 but unconstrained meetings, they seem to have a mutual knowl- 

 edge, as if by sympathy, as to what may be occupying each 

 other's minds, rendering speech superfluous. It is only when 

 under the influence of beer or liquor that they lose their natu- 

 rally quiet and amiable disposition and fall into drunken 

 orgies. 



Having been so long under the control and influence of the 

 Eussians, they have adopted many of the customs of the latter, 

 in giving birth-day dinners, naming their children, &c. They 

 are great tea-drinkers, but seldom use coffee. On account 



