The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-11-29
ALASKA.


SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE Of Tine HERALD
General Rossseau's Arrival as siska-Ths
voyase-Defention mt vanceuver's Island
Description Of that Piace-Ncw Archangel-
Interesting Particulars Obtained from Ono
Of the Russian Internationally Not Fitted
for Agricultural Operations-Far and Fisia-
cries Its Main Sources Of WeaIth-Its For.
mcr Monopoly by the observation-disclosures
Treaty Between the United States. Great
Britain and Russian Observation-Disclosures
Wealth OF the Russian America and Hndson
Bay Companies.
Nsw ARcHASoEL, sitka, Oct Q, 1857
On last Sunday, the 6th INST, the steamer James L.
Stephens, which had been chartered by the United
States government for the transportation Of General
Rousseau to his new command. safely 70 anchor in
this harbor With the exception Of most intense fog
accompanied by heavy gale which prevailed for four
days prior TO our arrival here, the voyage had been
one that was largely comminged with pIsasurabe
citsment Fourteen days after setting sail from San
Francisco our sianch and splerdidy sailing steamship
made the port Of Victoria, which Is situated on the
southeastern coast OF vancouvers Island and after
naming there five days for the purpose Of coang and
doing little necessary repairing TO Of the boilers
We got under way for ATTITUDES further north.
The uncertainty as TO how long would be detained
at Victoria prevented your correspondent from making
any extended explorations into the Interior and he 10
merely enabled to give his opinions about the country
In It's immediate neighborhood
The Hudson Bay Company have . station here, and
thcre Is also small fertilization. Victoria CANA
sack, as the Russians call It, is small town. and would
DO Of no importance whatever but for its maritime posi-
ton with reference to the fur and fishery transactions
Of the wealthy and renowned corporation BY which Il
was established The climate though not severe
at points Of the latitude tho continent
init AZ
employment and tho inhabitants depend for subsis-
tence upon food that brought BY vessels engaged In
the trade alluded to above.
Seventeen days after leaving Victoria arrived a
New Archangel The officers and their families flor
General Davis and others had their wives with thsm
and the men had made every preparation a. San Fran
cisco for the rgors OF this climate and with the excsp
tion Of nostalgia Inconsistencies, they all comfort
abio. In fine health and disposed make the best Of
their icy homo. 4aW
Stka Is the largest island OF the George Ill arch-
psago and Is situated on the west coast OF North Amer.
lea in latitude nfyseven degrees and three minutes
north, and longitude hundred and thirty de-
grees eighteen minutes west New Archangel, from
which point now write, 10 situated on its west coast
and has bcen up to this day. the seat Of OF
all the Russian possessions in America The town. al
though the seat or government Of such large territory
also contains fertilization. magazine and Governors
residence. constructed entirely Of wood, and there s
small squadron stationed AZ the entrance 70 the harbor
usually consisting Of two frigates and two corvsttea
4though your correspondent has not gotten sum-
GENTLY accustomed 70 his transposition from the tom
psrats TO the frgd 70 enable him 70 make any
tended into the country he has yet been able to
gather nom intelligent and polite ofcsr Of the Rus
sian army, Captain Demdor the following interesting
particulars
The Russian American Company was incorporated In
1884, for the purposes Of fishing, and hunting animals
Of the furbearng kind; and II has at least hfty
ships, Of all Sizes engaged in tho conveyance Of petry
The population Of the entire possessions Of Russia
this continent Is estimated at about five thou
sand, OF whom, perhaps, ninc thousand Russians.
Crcoes, Kodaks and Aecois, and the remainder,
thing over sixty thousand are Esqumaux, who enjoy
almost entire liberty. The Of these last Ia very
descriptive, Esqumau meaning sseatsu Of raw heshn
and they are people OF the greatest simplicity with
very marked ply sicaf characteristics or Aongelisn
attaining : greater height than nve feet they have
fiat noses, projecting cheek bones, obque eyes.
and brownisn yellow d o. I1s d res,
reaches to tho knees; and that OF the women differs 30
slightly that IL " NOT discernibs In summer they
live IN fonts covered with the hides OF the rein and a
snow that il may 30 said That sboy burrow under IL
and dshlng tho seal being almost tnoir sole reliance
For weapons they have bows and arrows, iances and
generally pointed with stones or bones and sometimes
with copper Their dialect worry peculiar one,
sisting q long compounded words IN which however
They net deficient IN intellect but learn with
pdity that is not little remarkable when we consider
indeed succeeded beyond their sanguine hopes in
impressing upon these eaters Of raw flesh the pre-
ceps Of Christianity proesps,s which , now dare say
70 the east Of the island or ska lies the long, marrow
peninsula, Alaska pronounced Alyaskn 1t IL three
hundred and fifty miles in length, and has an average
breadth OF not than twenty-five miles Al different
points along this strip Of land there several voca
noes at least two Of which are IN state OF constant
eruption
United states and Great Britain 10 1s242 comprehends
all the American coast Of the Pacific and tho adjacent
islands north OF the parallel Of laude thirty degrees
and forty minutes and The whole OF the mainland west
the meridian hundred forty onc which passes
through Mount st. Elias Behring'S Straits separate u
from The possessions Of ne same government men. 10 ASIA
capo being only thirtysix miles. With the exception
OF strip Of four hundred miles down the coast
and the remarkable peninsula OF Aaskn (Which
tin uatipn Of this srip the territory forms very
pact mass having average length and breadth Of six
b.aSsen ~, ms'e southern exsmsy or Hata ana Point
Barrow. projecting into the Polar Sea- and ~ about
eleven hundred miles ~ creates, breadth measured
Of Wales 70 us southern extremity, sixteen hundred
miles. .s
About the interior OF tho country very little Is know
but from several expeditions appears that throughout
It's portion IL elevated and uneven, while the
part extending along the Arctic Ocean IL invariably hat
and level The coasts OF the mainland and Islands have
all been carefully EMPLOYED The northern coast
nrst discovered during Me course Of tho present
tury Captain cook-aftsr whom Cooks Inlet " named
IN IT'S, while his last voyage, reached Icy Cape,
situated on the northwest in latitude seventy degrees
anu 81 in @ further
gress bee ano impossible. About 1fty years later In
1896 Captain Beechy proceeded far north a. North
same year tho much lan1entsd Sir John franklin, then
captain nadc his way, with great difficulty and after
overcoming Obstacles from the mouth Of the
Mckenzie river 70 Return Reef Ten pears after this
expedition Of Sir John franklin The intermediate ssr
tory explored by Nessrs Deano and Smcndson two
officers OF tue Hudson Bay Company.
The whole OF The northern coast, from Dernarcaton
Point west 70 Point Barrow 10 northcrnmost extremity,
stretches with olerabe regularity northwest
drsciiop and with the exception Of part in the east
dead nas often nearly On level with the - and