PART I-GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 



PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COUNTRY. 



The character of the country in the vicinity of Saint Michael's is that of a vast moorland, much 

 diversified with low, rolling areas to higher levels on which are situated either high hills or short 

 chains of mountains of not great height, usually surrounded, especially near the coast, by great 

 marshy plains or tundras, on which are numerous lakes of greater or less size, and in most instances 

 connected with each other, or else having short, small outlets which run directly into some one of 

 the numerous coves or arms of the sea, or unite with a larger stream which leads its tortuous way 

 to the smaller tributaries of the great Yukon River. The size of these streams is variable accord- 

 ing to the soil through which they wind. In the vicinity of Saint Michael's there are none of suffi- 

 cient size to be worthy of mention. 



Along the eastern side of Norton Bay are several small streams (scarcely of size to be called 

 rivers) which empty into the bay and take their origin among the hills to the eastward and which 

 form the watershed between the Yukon River and Norton Sound. The streams on the eastern 

 side of those hills are tributary to the Yukon, and are of inferior size. The trend of the coast on 

 the eastern side of the sound is northeast and southwest. It contains but few, and those broad, 

 indentations, the general line being incurved and having but few islands on its margin; the 

 larger islands being Stuart and Saint Michael's, the former on the outside of Saint Michael's, and this 

 only separated by a narrow strait, while Saint Michael's Island is separated from the mainland by a 

 narrow gut of only a few rods in width, and of such slight depth that in October, when the lowest 

 tides occur, it is dry at low water. The coast on the northern side of the sound has an east and west 

 trend ; the extreme portions only being deeply indented to form Norton Bay and Golovin Sound 

 at the eastern end, and Clarence Sound on the western extremity. The only islands worthy of 

 mention on this stretch of coast are Aziak or Sledge Island^ and Okevtik or King's Island, the 

 latter situated at some distance from the mainland, the line of the coast being rather abrupt and 

 having but a narrow strip of low land before the foothills of the Kavyaytik Peninsula The region 

 embracing the Yukon Delta is very low, only occasional hills, and these rarely touching the sea, to 

 relieve the monotony of the area. Several streams of moderate size are to be found between Saint 

 Michael's and the Yukon. The delta itself comprises numerous streams of variable size, and these 

 constantly changing by the force of the ice brought down by the spring freshets, which plows away 

 entire islands, and blocks channels and forms others among the yielding alluvium, while back from 

 the sea-shore the flat land is infinitely intersected with sluggish streams, none of which contain 

 water only during the wet season. These streams and the land in that vicinity are frequently over, 

 flowed by the high tides of December. The ice frozen to the soil is lifted by the waters, and in rising 

 carry tons and tons of earth from the bottoms of the creeks and deposit it beyond the banks. When 

 the spring opens large-masses of fresh earth are often met with, carried out in this manner. I 

 observed a single deposit of this kind over 500 feet long, about 30 feet wide, and averaging 2 feet 

 deep, thrown out of the " canal " between Saint Michael's Island and the mainland, and this led me 

 to account for the numerous little knolls of earth in the neighborhood. They may be detected also 

 by the ranker growth of grasses which are found on them. 



Between the Yukon Delta and Cape Rumiantzof the coast line extends northeast and south, 

 west. It is indented by numerous, shallow bays and low, narrow capes. Many streams, some of 



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