26 
IN FORBIDDEN SEAS 
brought from America. At this village there was 
in 1878 a storehouse built of wood. It contained 
several rooms, and was heated by a Russian brick 
oven built in the middle of the house. There was 
an upper story with a veranda in front, on which 
a flagstaff was set up, the building in the prosper¬ 
ous days of the place evidently being the official 
residence. 
The most important settlements on the northern 
Kurils were at Port Tavano, Urup ; Uratman, in 
Broughton Bay, Simushir ; and the above-mentioned 
Mairuppo, on Shumshir. At each of these, besides 
the score or so of half-underground dwellings, were 
a church and a substantial wooden building, used 
in former years as a store and residence by the 
agents of the fur company. Nearly all traces of 
these buildings have now disappeared. 
For some years previous to 1878 the natives 
depended on the visit of the Russian steamer under 
contract with the Russian Government, carrying 
mails and stores to the Kamchatka settlements, for 
their scanty supplies of luxuries and necessities. 
This vessel called once a year at some of the islands, 
and traded off guns, powder, lead, guncaps, tobacco, 
tea, sugar, knives, etc., for the peltries (sea-otter 
skins and foxskins) secured during the year. The 
catches became so small, however, that it no longer 
paid the steamer to call at any other place than 
Mairuppo on Shumshir, in Little Kuril Strait, that 
place being on the direct route to Kamchatka, and 
not taking her out of her way. 
These poor natives were very hard pushed at 
times for food, particularly in the winter, and when 
they had used up all their ammunition. A visit 
