The weekly Panola star. [volume] (Panola, Miss.) 1857-1881, 1867-04-13
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tN@ IAAtHe AHH HHA MdIHHHHf i#i4nlia
ngflh ~ fhs pamIlpl N "a degrees
W mlHuies north IatIinis aas lI,s
whole of he maInlaad wsal a lbs
mefIdlan n ~ degrees wsf lepsls
lndt, which pames Through Nlu.e.
~ EIlas. II " bounded north h.
the Arctic eeeah, ensl w British
America. svuth ~ lhe raeIhe. and
west by The Pacific aud Arfla wpahs.
and I'shfing's Strait, which mtafsts
hom tbe Russlan possessions In
hsla, The distance acf~s from fape
Prince of Wales 10 Fast Care I,elnv
only 10 miles. With the exception,
~ The narrow strip extending In aI
southeast direction along the eoasl
nearly 900 miles, and the remarkable
peninsula Of Alaska. II FORMS q ioI.
cfably compact nass, with an aver.
age length and breadth of about g0O
miles each. lts greatest length north
and sooth from The southern exttc,nl.
" Of ALASKA 10 Point barrow il
about 100 milesj greatest breadth
measured on the Arctic Circle, which
passes through Capc Prince Of Wales,
is about 500 miles, the longest line
that can be drawn across the country
Is from Cape Prince Of Wales to rs
southern extremity, latitude 81 de-
grecs 10 minutes, q distance Of about
1900 miles. Estimated area, 3o4 900
square miles. The part Of the main.
land south Of Mount 81. Elias con-
sists Of narrow belt, which Is con-
tinucd along mountain ride parallel
10 the coast, and has nowhere n
greater width than about 80 miles.
The interior Of the country Il very
little known; but from several expc-
ditons Il appears that throughout its
west part il is elevated and uneven,
while the part extending along the
Arctic ocean is invariably fiat, with
the exception Of small portion lying
between l4l and 1862 degrees west
longitude. The coasts of the main
land and the islands have almost all
been carefully explored. The north
coast was first discovered in the
course Of the present century. Cap
tain Cook, in 177S, during his last
voyage, reached Icy Cape, lat 20 de-
grees 20 minutes north and l6l de-
grees, 46 minutes west; and it was
supposed, from the large masses of
ice there met with, even in summer,
that farther progress was impossible.
In 1926, however, Captain Beechy
proceeded east as far as North Cape,
or Point Barrow, latitude II degrees,
% minutes, 81 seconds north, longi-
tude l56 degrees, 81 minutes, 80 sec
onds west; while at the same time
the lamented Sir John Franklin, then
Captain Franklin, traced the coast
west from the mouth of the Macken-
zie to Return Reef, latitude 10 de-
grees, 26 minutes north, longitude
l4S degrees, 81 minutes west. The
intervening space between Point
Barrow and Return Reef was first
explored in 1887, by Dease and
Simpson, officers Of the Hudson's
Bay Company.
The whole Of the north coast Of
Russian America, from Demarcation
Point w. to Point Barrow, its north
ermost extremity, stretches with
tolerable regularity in a west-north-
west direction, and is, with the
exception of small part in the east,
q dead fiat, often nearly on a level
with the sea, and never more than
from 10 to 20 feet above it. From
Point Barrow the coast takes uni
form direction from northeast to
southwest, rising gradually towards
Cape Lisburn, which is $50 feet
high. IL here turns south, forming,
between the two large inlets Of Kot-
zebue Sound and Norton Sound, the
remarkable peninsula of Prince Of
Wales, which projects into Behring's
Strait and terminates in an elevated
promontory, forming the most west
ern point Of North America. From
Norton Sound it turns first south
west, the south-southeast, becoming
indented by several large bays, in
cluding those Of Bristol Bay aud
Cooks Inlet, on the opposite side Of
; the long and narrow peninsula Of
Alaska; and is lined almost through
out by several groups Of large islands,
Of which the most important belong
10 the Aleutin, Kodiak, and King
Gecgc Ill Archipelagos. The great
er part Of the coast last described is
very bold, presenting succession Of
lofty volcanic peaks, two Of which,
on the west coast of Cooks Inlet,
have the respective nights Of 1910
! feet and 1906 feet. The climate
Of Russian America is not 80 cold rs
either the east parts Of the same con-
tinent, or the east part of the conti-
nent Of Asia, under the same lati-
tudes. II is, however, far too rigorous
to admit Of agricultural opera
tons; aud the whole value Of the ter
ritory b derived from the products Of
its fisheries or Of the chase.
The principal settlement is New
Arohangel, a small town with 1905
inhabitants, on the island of Sitka
the largest of the group Of Georg'
iii. by Vancouver. II Is the sea
Of the Governor Of all the establish
ments Of Russian America. and haI
fortifcations, magazines, and a gov
ernor's residence, all built of wood
The ordinary squadron stationed o.