The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-11 00:00:00

•••••••
ALASKA AND ITS FUR SEALS.

The Report of General George H. Thomas has
been published, and in it the truth about Alaska is
plainly told. It is dated San Francisco, Sept, 27.
He left Portland for Alaska July 6, and arrived at
Sitka July 22. After describing the causes of the
Indian discontent, and the acts to which it led, he
goes on to speak of his travels to Kenay, a hundred
miles up Cook's Inlet, Chogatchio Bay, Englert,
Kadiak, and the islands of St. Paul and St. George,
and thus he summarises the result :—" I see no im-
mediate prospect of the country being settled tiP.
I The climate is too rigid ; there is too much rain and
too little sun for agricultural purposes. At most of
the posts there are gardens, in which are raised ra-
dishes, turnips, lettuce, and other watery vegetables,
and fair potatoes, though they will not keep any
time. The moisture of the climate is so great that
these vegetables continue togrow, but do not ripen.
The same difficulty has attended all attempts to
raise barley, oats, or wheat ; the stalk grows are, n
and rank, but the seed does not come to maturity
or ripen. There is comparatively little land suit-
able for agriculture; the largest tract and best
climate known is the plateau on the east side of
Cook's Inlet, extending from Kenay to Chogot-
shaik Bay. The soil is an alluvial sandy loam, very
rich and deep, but the summer, though pleasant
while it lasts, is not long enough for suco.ssfel
farming. Though the timber is of the finest quality,
and in many places conveniently located, still the
supply in Oregon, 1% ashington Territory, and &l-
ash Columbia, is equally good and abundant, and
much better located for a market. The fishing
banks along the north-eastern coast of the Aleu-
tian Peninsula and islands are very extensive and
bountiful, and salmon abounds in all the streams.
In addition to the coal mentioned as being
at Chogotshaik, there are many other known
localities of coal ;. Kootsnou Harbour, on Ad-
miralty Island ; Camden Harbour, on Kou Island ;
Kaggaan, on Prince of Wales Island, and. Kat-
may, on the Peninsula of Alaska ; but the
remarks as to the supply of timber around the
Puget Sound country will also apply to coal."
The General's account of the fur-bearing seal is
curious :—" About the last of April or early part
of May the old male seals arrive at the islands of
St. Paul and St. George, and go on shore at the
places regularly frequented by them, called rooker-
ies; they make a thorough examination of the
ground, which occupies some days; then the great
body begin to arrive, and in a short time all have
come and occupied their several positions. The fe-
males come up on shore, and are collected together
in communities or families by each one of the old
seals, who possesses sufficient powers to maintain
his ground and guard his family ; the young males
and superannuated old ones are forced to take
their place outside of the area occupied by
the families, and if they attempt to interfere
with the domestic arrangements described they
are suminarily driven off by the heads of families.
In these troubles many terrible affrays occur.. 'this
,arrangement of the animals on and around the
rookeries make it very simple and easy for the na-
tive hunters to place themselves between the fami-
lies•and the young males, from whom only the skins
are taken, which, when they want to kill, they do
in parties of 40 to 50, all armed with clubs. They
get between the families and the young males, then
drive them inland some two or three miles distant,
letting all not wanted for slaughter drop out by the
way; these return to the rookeries. After getting
only as many as they Cua skin and salt in one day
to the proper places, they are killed by striking the
noses of the animals with the clubs. The next
day is devoted to packing for shipment. By this
means the families are not disturbed, and remain to
breed and rear their young. As far as I can
judge, the business of the old males is to compel
the females to take care of their young until they
have grown sufficiently to take care of them-
selves ; they then appear to give up all control
over the females, who are permitted to leave their
young and go into the water, the old male still
guarding and overlooking the young. in Sept.
all are permitted to go into the water, where they
swim and sport during the day, coming up on the
shore iu the evening to rest during the night. At
this period all • move further inland and mingle
together indiscriminately. If the autumn con-
tinues mild they remain on the islands till the
latter part of October, when they disappear very
suddenly within a day or two, and have been
seen going through the passes between the Aleu-
tian Islands, travelling in a southerly direction-
Nothing more of them is seen until next spring,
neither is it known where they pass the winter. The
number of seals on the island can only be estimated.
In the height of the season, after the young are
born, they are estimated all the way from 5 to 15
millions ; but they are countless, lying in the
rookeries, covering hundreds of acres, like sheep
in a pen. The habits of these animal's are sucb
that if permitted to be hunted by everybody at
random they would be very soon driven from the
islands: This has been proved by the Russians,
who totally destroyed some rookeries before they
learned by experience how to treat them. If it 10
desirable to protect and perpetuate the fur-bearitig
seal, one or two plans should be adopted. One is,
to confine the killing to the natives, permitting
none others but authorised agents of the Govern-
ment to live on the islands, and permit traders to
visit them to purchase only after the skins have
been prepared and the seals have left for the south.
This course would necessitate the stationing of au
agent on each of the islands, to guard the interests
of the Government and prevent the demoralisation
of the natives by such unscrupulous traders as
would not hesitate to furnish them with liquor for
the purpose of cheating them. The other plan IS
to sell to the highest bidder the privilege of pur-
chasing the furs taken and prepared by the natives,
requiring the successful bidder to keep On the islands
a good supply of food and clothing, and furnish
them to the natives at fair rates."

* The Times of yesterday asserts "that this Governor Hoff-
man is the personage to whom, as the executive power of
the State of New York, Messrs. Gould, Fisk, and Lane are
to attribute their permanent control over the Erie Railway,
and the bondholders of that concern the consequent loss of
some millions sterling." A fair specimen of that journal
on American affairs! In the first place, Governor Hoff-
man was nat the executive power when the Erie clique
obtained control ; in the next, what control can he exer-
cise ? Does the Times suppose that the Governor Can
march a platoon of soldiers to the Opera House and turn
Fisk, Gould, and the rest out of the Erie office ? He might
veto objectionable bills passed by the Legislature affecting
Erie, but we know of no other power whatever held by
the Governor to interfere, the appeal in America, as in tng-
land, being to the regular courts of law.

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