The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-08-26

Among the instructions which he received
showing the liberality and sense of justice of
the empress, were the following: -"Such
coasts and islands as you shall discover, and
which cannot be disputed by and are not sub
ject to any European power, you are. with
the consent of the inhabitants (if any), to take
possession of in the name of her imperial
majesty" And still again: - "When you
bring under Russian subsection newly dis
covered and independent nations or people,
you are to observe the following directions:-
As such people have most probably never
been insulted by any Europeans, your first
care must be to give them a good opinion of
the Russians" This voyage of Billings ac-
complshed little; but in 1890 we find him at
the Aleutian Islands, protesting, in the name
of his Government against the injustice and
cruelty practised against the natives by the
Promyschlenies who had subugated them.
The natives were held in the most abiect
slavery, and treated with the greatest bar
barity by these traders, so that it was
calculated that, in the short space of fifteen
years, in consequence of compulsory labor,
exhausting efforts in hunting, the violation
of all rights, instructions, and the per-
petual anguish attending such evils, more
than two-thirds of the inhabitants had perished.
Captain Billings, in his protest, says:-'There
is no name so dreadful to the natives as the
leader of gang of hunters. Immediately on
their arrival they send the natives out on the
chase, and then take by force the youngest
and most handsome of the women for their
companions" The journal of another officer
says:-"When two different parties of hunters
meet, they sometimes fight for the possession
of the natives, and sometimes Join in one com
Iany. The barbarity of these subduers to the
crown of Russia is not to be described" Cap
tain Burney wrtes:-" Russian fur-hunter5,
trained in ferocious habits of robbing and de-
stroying at their pleasure and with impunity,
having the ready pretense, if pretense is ever
thought necessary, of collecting tribute for
their sovereign; men careless of justice or the
welfare of others, yet esteeming themselves
pious, and making lowly reverence at every
turn to images OF to crosses; these are the men
who share the gains made by such barbarous
usurpatiOn, while the Government of Russia,
by permitting continuance of this progress of
depopulation, not blindly, but with the evil
dence of its iniquity in their possession,
are losers. What might palliate or be a
reasonable motive for cOnquering the
Americans is wholly wanting, the posses
sion of one acre of American territory being
no way necessary to the security of the
Russian empire. The plain and efficient
remedy for the evil in its present state is for
the Russian Government to restore the re-
manning Aleutian Islanders and the conquered
Americans to their independence, and to admit
the subjects of Russia to have intercourse
with them in future only on footing of
equality and friendship"
In 1897 this evil had become so great, and
the Overbearipg of these. free-traders so noto-
rious, that the Emperor Paul of Russia inter-
fered, and ordered the formation of trading
company to be called the 'Russian-American
Company" which was to supersede all the in
dependent companies who had so long preyed
upon the inhabitants. To this company was
given the exclusive privilege of carrying on
trade and forming settlements. Two directors
appointed to administer its affairs were to re-
side at st. Petersburg, and be responsible to
the Government and under its control.
Through the energy of this company
trade soon began to increase, until at last
the sea, otter, the great object of their
trade, had almost disappeared. The Com
pany, therefore, were compelled to extend
their settlements further south, and in 1904
they established a colony upon the Island of
Sitka. This island Cor rather these three
islands) is separated from the mainland by
narrow channel. The coast is lntersected by
many deep creeks, and the neighboring waters
thickly shielded with little rocky islands,
which are protection against the storms, and
present strong wall of defense against the
waves. The natives of Sitka were called by
the Russians Kalushes.
bold, enterprsing man named Baronof
was appointed superintendent of the Com
| pany's establishment. He Immediately set to
| WOTk 10 Dullu uW6llluB-uOuS6SJ Iudh6 liz
trenchments, and propitiate the inhabitants.
! Having accomplished this, he left the colony,
| having confded the government to a few
| Russians and Aleutians. For time things
went on swimmingly; but suddenly, the garri-
| son. believing itself to be in perfect safety,
was attacked and murdered, with the excep-
| ton of few Aleutans, who were out in their
| boats. Baronof, hearing of the disaster, re-
! turned with three vessels, accompanied by the
Russian man-of-war Neva, which happened to
be in those waters, and the revolters, after a
sharp conflict, were subdued. Baronof imme-
diately commenced rebuilding and repairs,
and gave as a name to the town New Arch
angel, which became the capital of the Russian
Possessions in America.
The climate of Sitka is not 81 severe as
might be expected from its latitude. In the
middle of winter the cold is not excessive, and
never lasts long. Agriculture, however, is
not successful here. There is not, perhaps, in
| the world spot where so much rain falls;
dry day is rare; and this itself would account
| Tor the failure of grain. The nature OF the
ground is, however, equally inimical to it.
There are no plains of any extent, the small
| valleys being everywhere surrounded by high,
| steep rocks of granite, and consequently over
| shadowed the greater part of the day. Some
| vegetables, such as cabbages, turnips, and
potatoes, grow very WE'LL the latter are raised
| even by the Kalushes, who have learned from
| the Russians the manner of cultivatng them,
and consider them great delicacy. Upon
| the mainland the climate under the same
| latitude is said to be incomparably better