98 ALASKA. 



living upon the Aleutian Islands and the mainland. The in- 

 quirer will learn that these people, now so well and comfort- 

 ably clad, fed, and housed, were at the time of the transfer of 

 the Territory so poor and ill-provided for that they could not 

 in many instances cover their nakedness ; that they existed in 

 absolute squalor; whereas they are now living in snug houses, 

 such as our laboring classes occupy in the United States ; that 

 they earn and receive in coin, in less than two working-months 

 eveiy year, more than the same number of our common work- 

 ingmen receive on an average for a whole year's service ; and 

 also that for all extra work other than of seal-skinning, such 

 as loading and unloading the company's vessels, building, grad- 

 ing, &c., these people are paid by the day from fifty cents to 

 one dollar, according to the character of service rendered. 



The agents of the company here do not pay the least atten- 

 tion to or interfere with the private life and personal relations 

 of the people among themselves ; and let me here state, to the 

 credit of these people, that the peaceful and harmonious man- 

 ner in which they live together as a rule, during nine idle 

 months at least every year, would contrast most favorably with 

 the lives of an equal number of our own working classes were 

 they suddenly brought to these islands and put on the same 

 footing. I will only hint at the insubordination and utter 

 worthlessness of such a community after six or eight mouths 

 of torpidity and isolation. 



It is true that the natives here have an inordinate fondness 

 for liquor, and would destroy themselves were they not restrained 

 in this propensity by the difficulty of obtaining this demoraliz- 

 ing beverage, and hence the importance of the liquor prohibi- 

 tion, which should be rigorously enforced. 



Only a small proportion of the present population are de- 

 scendants of the pioneers who were brought by the several 

 Russian companies in 17S7-'88 — a colony of 137 souls — recruited 

 principally from the Aleuts at Ounalashka and Atka. Their 

 early life here was one of much hardship, and on several occa- 

 sions they were in actual need. They lived in a co-operative 

 manner at first, in large barracoous or barrabkies, partly under- 

 ground, economizing in this way their limited supply of fire- 

 wood, being dependent upon the sea for such drift-timber as 

 might chance to lodge as the currents, deflected from the Yau- 

 kou and elsewhere, sweep arouud the islands; but during the 



