Des Arc weekly citizen., 1867-06-15
Russian America as Seen by Travel
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CuA hNn lpoGNoSiOuS oi tiC tlWCot coast of America are not likely to be ex- tensively explored until the final ratfica- tion of the treaty by the Russian govern ment. Meanwhile, We lay before our readers some information concerning the country and its inhabitants, as conveyed in the narratives of trustworthy voyagers. Capt. Fredrick Luke, with single cor vette and corps of seamen and natural ists, visited Russian America in the year 1928.
 Capt. Luke informs us that the colony of New Archangel (of which Sitka is the hDbor) embraces 500 souls, Russians, Creoles and Aleutians. The Creoles are product of union of the former race with the latter, and are described as handsome and active race not numerous, but equal to most of the Russians in cul- ture and natural endowments. Of the whole number of inhabitants in this set clement, three hundred only are Russians.
 Ofthe climate, our voyagers says its chief characteristics is not so much the extreme cold as the extreme moisture which pre-. vails. In the very best seasoDs there is not more than one third of the year which is favored with clear sky, and in the worst years there are only from thirty to forty days of fine weather. The atmos- phere is always humid, dark and foggy. Tho winter is usually sufficiently mild Toward the middle of January there are sometimes fine days in which the ther- mometer rises to 55 deg. Fahrenheit; sometimes, also, it falls to 20 or 30 deg. below zero. Snow lasts, some times, as long as from November to February, but ordinarily it falls mingled with rain and quickly disappears. Spring commences early, and the entire year resembles the Russian autumn. The moisture of the air is pronounced to be rather disagreeable than injurious to the health.
 The greatest drawback suffered by the people, is described as the want of pro visions, and the difficulty of obtaining them continual watchfulness on the part ofthe Russian American company its little colony is seldom left actually destitute of bread; but, beside this universal staple of life, fish is said to form the chief article of subsistence "Fish, under all its forms" says Luke, appears only on every table, and serves as the almost exclusive food of the officials, as well IS the inferior classes The governor of the colony him. self very rarely tastes any meat. The impossbility of supporting cattle, the want of native grass, the humidity of the eli mate, which destroys the greater part of the hay actually mown, does not permit the colony to keep more than eight or ten horned animals, whose keeping costs annu- ally more than hundred roublcs (S75) per head, and sometimes double that sum, when the scarcity of hay obliges them to te fed on grain, Meat is, in fact, given tothe employees only on the grand holidays, and then in driblets of only half a pound to each person.
 Lutke goes on to tell us why hogs and poultry costs as much, and are us 'unat- ...;,ll. ,, looP IT, du,a1I, ,,uob upnn the rich abundance of fish, which are caught the year round. Potatoes, he says, grow well, and everybody has an abundant supply, the company raising not less than l50 barrels for its own use
 Two or three vessels year, at the time Lutke wrote, which was before our acqui- sition of California, came from it's ports to Sitka. These brought chiefly grain, the great necessaries of life, with ardent spirits, tobacco, woolen cloth, and some other articles. They were loaded in re- turn with furs, fish, and sometimes with timber.
 The character of the creole population of Russian America, as given by Luke, is on the whole favorable one. This portion of the inhabitants are those born 1 of Russian fathers and Aleutian mothers, and numbered about ,000 souls, in lS60 They justify the remark frequently made concerning mulattoes and other creoles among the nations of America; they con stitute race handsome, active and capable Their education is cared for by the Russian American company, and they enjoy the same privileges as the inhabitants of pure Russian blood,
 The ereoles, as well as the natives, or Aleutians spend much time in hunting the otter and other fur-bearing animals Sometimes they are trapped, sometimes shot with arrows from boats, and some. times killed with fire arms as they lie asleep. The customary price paid for the otter by the company is from fifteen to twenty-five roubles (S1l to Sl9) for old ones, and six to fifteen roubles for young ones. whose fur is far less valuable The Aleutian fox is also largely hunted, the island furnishing an almost exhaustless abundance of this animal. There are black foxes, silver foxes, and red foxes the latter are distinguished by the su- perior softness of their fur On some of the islands of the Aleutan group, no land animals whatever are found-not even mice; and it is said here that tho walrus,