ALASKA. 25 



in better houses, with greater facilities for hunting, a.nd receive 

 better pay than they ever realized before for their skius. Of 

 this I am confldeut, by personal observation of the present, and 

 from a knowledge of the past derived from the archives of the 

 Russian company, and the history, meager but true, of the 

 early traders in the country. The enlightened and true business 

 policy adopted by the agents of the Alaska Commercial Com- 

 pany with regard to the improvement of the condition of the 

 hunters of the Aleutian Islands has already begun to bear its 

 golden fruit in an immensely-increased yield of sea-otters every 

 year. This statement is fully corroborated by a person of all 

 men in the whole country best qualified to pass an independent 

 and correct opinion, Father Innocent Shiesnekov, an intelli- 

 gent and pious Greek Catholic priest, in charge of the Aleu- 

 tians, who was born and raised on the ground, and with whom 

 I have had several interviews bearing upon the subject of this 

 chapter. 



There is one general evil, not confined to this section of the 

 Territory, but more injurious to the people here than elsewhere, 

 and that is the curse of beer-drinking and the disorders which 

 arise constantly from its effects. These people have an inordi- 

 nate fondness for spirituous liquors, and as this is not permitted 

 to be made, vended, or brought into the Territory, the traders 

 among these natives keep such a sharp lookout for whisky- 

 schooners, that the traffic is thoroughly suppressed among the 

 Aleutians ; and the people, therefore, determined to have some 

 means of ministering to their craving appetites for strong drink, 

 brew a thick, sour, alcoholic beer, by fermenting sugar, hops, 

 flour, dried apples, &c., together, in certain ijroportions, with 

 water, and many of them manage to keep intoxicated and stu- 

 pefied for weeks, and even mouths, at a time ; beating their 

 wives and children, destroying their houses, and recently, on 

 several occasions, committing murder. This practice makes 

 every one of the settlements at frequent intervals, and always 

 after the return of a successful hunting-party, a scene of la- 

 mentable debauchery, which can only be stopped either by pro- 

 hibiting the sale or importation of sugar into the Territory, or 

 by empowering Government agents to inflict summary punish- 

 ment for the least criminal offenses growing out of intoxication. 

 No great severity in the punishment would be required, for it 

 must be said, to their credit, that they are naturally a law-abiding 



