48 ALASKA. 



(pleufcy,) marten, land-otter, (abundant,) bears, brown and 

 black. The people of this district keep traveling all the year 

 round. 



NUSHAGAK : 



About the same as at Koskoquim, but the quality of sable 

 or marten deteriorates very much and rapidly as the trader 

 goes south from this region. Thepeople are also great travelers, 

 always on the move. This section closes the Yukon district, 

 which forms the western boundary of that of the Peninsula 

 and Kodiiik, In this country, between Kotzebue and its so'Uth- 

 eru boundary back into the interior as far as a thousand miles, 

 furs are gathered as follows : 



Beaver are taken of the very best quality and in the greatest 

 quantity, and an immense number of musk-rat skins, for the 

 trader must buy everything, (these musk-rat skins are princi- 

 pally shipped to France and Germany, for poor people wear 

 them ;) of red foxes, quite a large number are taken. Black 

 foxes are seldom obtained, perhaps three or four on an average 

 during the year. Silver-gray foxes, a small number annually. 

 Mink and marten of very fine quality from Koskoquim to the 

 northward, but from this point to the southward this fur deteri- 

 orates rapidly. Land-otter, quite a large number of the best 

 quality. Black and brown bear, a few ; a small trade in swans'- 

 down. Eider-down, with profit, cannot be sold in San Francisco, 

 but it is valuable in Russia. (German goose-down is used by 

 our upholster^ rs in preference, as it is much cheaper and just 

 as good.) Reindeer -skins are dried ; quite a large number of 

 these which go east are tanned, and make a very superior 

 leather. 



Figures to show the number of skins taken out of the coun- 

 try might easily be obtained were it under the control of a sin- 

 gle corporation, as it was under the Russian rule, but as it is 

 now, with ten or a dozen independent traders, large and small, 

 all studiously concealing or purposely exaggerating their trans- 

 actions in order to draw or divert trade, the figures, were they 

 furnished, would be quite unreliable. The following table, how- 

 ever, showing the yield of this district during a period of 

 twenty years, between 1842 and 18C1, as given by Eussian au- 

 thority, may be deemed correct; and I was assured by Father 

 Shiesneekov, of Ounalashka, a Eussian priest, born and raised 

 in this country, that the present yield of furs is at least four 



