The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-05-31

| WI ' 'ra#Hr.f. .. IhAhbLEt
! I, r. SIMONToN,
| ,HIigiiloH O. ELIAS MILLIkEN, %
| JAMES b. DASCORlB,
| -EDnJ r. 'rs. JOHN ENSON.
| n. X. SAWYER s
CHAS. Is. PAINE,
| ,Tt.l Z. aaf5lt LLEWELLYN POWERS,
uLion State Committee
Facts from sumnsr's speech ON Russian
| fi.iuou34fl e4i America. i-.-
| This very long and elaborate speech is full
of historical facts in relation to the discovery
Of this far-off territory and the claims to it
which different nationalities have set UP at va
| rious periods That Russia had good title
| to the premises there can be no doubt This
| title dates back as far at least as 1741. The
| coast of British Columbia, next below, was
| discovered by Vancouver in 1890, and that Of
! Oregon, further down, by Gray, who sailed
| from Boston in $780, and entered the Colum-
! bia river the following year; so that the title
Of Russia is the earliest ON the Northwest
| coast. The people on the Pacific coast were
the first to move in this enterprise, and for the
| very good reason that they knew more about
| the value of this territory than those who live
on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains,
| and for still stronger reason because they
were aware that they would be the first to
reap any advantage from it. "-
Mr.. Sumner argues every phase of the sub
| ject and enters into its minute details even to
| the extent of being almost tedious. But as
the question was new and our information in
relation to the geography of that country was
very limited he was no doubt justified in be-
ing thus particular in his researches and in
giving their results to the people of the United
States whose money is to be taken for the pur-
chase. The present population of that coun-
try he divides into four races, the Esquimaux,
the Aleutians, the Kenians and the Koloschi-
ans. The Esquimaux number about seven
teen thousand, and stretch along the indented
coast from its eastern limit in the Frozen
Ocean to the mouth of the Copper river, 60
| deg. north latitude, excluding the peninsula of
| Alaska occupied by the Aleutians, and the pc
| ninsula of Kenay, occupied by the Kenaians.
The more powerful tribes of Indians, following
| the course of the great rivers northward and
| westward, have crowded the Esquimaux from
| the interior to the coast. Their various dia-
| lects are traced to common root and betray
| an affinity with the Esquimaux of Greenland.
| The best known Of the Russian EsquimauI is
| a small tribe now remaining ON the island of
Kodiak, which is quite center of trade. By
intermixture they already approach the In
| dians on the coast, losing the Asiatic type
| But their speech remains as a distinctive sign
Of their race. The men are tall copper-color-
ed, with fiat faces and teeth of dazzling
whiteness." The women pierce their nostrils
for ornaments. The food OF this people is
principally from the sea. The flesh and oil of
| the whale are special luxury. A strong
| drink made from the strawberry and myrtle
and producing the effect Of opium, has yielded
| to brandy. Their canoes are very beautiful in
| finish and form. They are made of seal-skins
| stretched over a framework. ...
The Aleutians number about three thou
| sand. Their home is the archipelago of vol
canic islands. They are fishermen and hunt-
ers, but they seem to excel as artifcers. Their
bestdtiftf::' aney are egrade mgner IN cl1ihza-
ton than their neighbors. The Kenaians num-
Der twenty-five thousand, more numerous
than any other family in Russian America,
and belonging to widespread and teeming
Indian race which occupies all the northern
| interior of the continent The last Of the four
races are the KOloschians, numbering about
four thousand, occupy the coast and islands
from the mouth of the Copper river to the
| southern bound OF Russian America. In ad-
dition to the above population, there are some
| two or three thousand Russians and others,
| and it would be strange if their were not some
Yankees among then-at any rate there will
soon be some of the most adventurous New
Englanders in that region, who will give it
thorough exploration. -f s.1 .-Y.
Mr.. Sumner had much to say upon the eli
mate of the country. And this is a subject
upon various opinions have been formed-some
of them wild and erroneous. 1t has been gen.
orally supposed that it is a cold, frozen region,
| far up in the North and quite beyond where
| there is anything like vegetation. But such is
net she fact. The climate is much more mild
| on the Pacific coast than on the Atlantic in
the same latitude; and it is even warmer than
| on the Asiatic coast; for vessels on the latter
| coast will be covered with ice, and when they
| cross over TO the Pacific coast they will "thaw
out" and that in the same latitude.
| There is thermal current in the Pacific
ocean--sometimes called the Japanese cur
rent" which takes it 8 rise somewhere near tn
equator, and, after washing the ancient empire
of Japan, passes northward until forming tw,
branches, one moving onward to Behring
Straits and the ether bends eastward along the
Aleutian Islands and thence southwark along
the coast of Sitka, Oregon and California This
Japanese curr ent" produces the same effects
upon the atmosphere in the regions of the Pa
| cific as the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic. Ir
fact it is much warmer current and greater
''heater" than the Gulf Stream. There is al
other climatic incident which is now easily ex
planned. Early navigators record the prevail
ing moisture. All are enveloped in fog, ant
Behring named an island Foggy. All thes
early explorers speak of fog. This is occasion
ed by the warm air from the ocean encounter
ing the snow-capped mountains. Fog is wa
ter still held in solution in the atmosphere, bu
so far condensed as to be visible. When NOR
condensed it falls in drops on the e.Tth.
l 1t is found that the winters of Siika are rel
atiyely warm, not differing much from those o
Washington, and several degrees warmer thar
those of New York. 1t is much milder thar
that of many European capitals. According t.
observations at Sitka in 1881, it froze for only
two days in December and seven days in jan
uary. In February, the longest frost lasted
five days. In March it did not freeze at all
during the day, and rarely in the night. AT
Sitka the mean annual fall of rain is eighty
nine inches. In England it is forty inches, al
thoughin the mountain districts of Cumber.
land and Westmoreland the fall amounts tc
ninety inches and some years much more. In
Washington it is forty inches Two large riy.
ers, the Kiwichpak and the Youkon, which
flows into it as the Missouri into the Missssip-
pi, and navigable four or five months in the
| year. tr .ssH.I- T. {st.. .r .
| The vegetable products are trees, grass, flow
| ers and some roots which are excellent for
| food. Pine and spruce trees grow large and
| some of our Maine boys will have the handling
| of them one of these days. There are trees of
i various kinds, and some of the forests are
/ Grand. Berries are also abundant, and plants
| far food. There is an abundance of ginseng
| and some snakeroot. The former article the
| Chinese are very fond of and use great quanti-
ties of it as panacea. Wheat and orchard fruits
| probably cannot be raised there. The north
| ern limit of wheat is several degrees below the
southern limit of these possessions. Rye will
flourish farther north and so do oats Barley,
| it is probable, may be cultivated successfully
| very far to the north. 1t has ripened at Kodi-
ak about 81 deg. north. Gardenyegetables have
| also become domesticated, Even as far north