Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-02-04
Letter fro. Alaska.

Letter IEO. AA8bAes
We are permitted to publish the fol
lowing interesting letter written by Gen
John C. Tidball, who is now in Alaska
to his father, William Tidball, who re
sides in Kirkwood Township in thu
County:
KoDIAc Alaska Terry. 80
This place, as you will see by refer
ence to.tIe map, is almost the extreme q
the North American Continent. 1t il
TWENTY-FIVE hundred miles from San
Francisco. Ihave seen good portion
of Alaska, and cannot say that am
very favorably impressed with il
as country, 1t is all one mass
of upheaved, rough and jagged mount
aims of rock, the tops of which are con-
stantly covered with snow, which ex-
terds down the gulches to near their
! bases, even in midsummer! Among
these rocks, wherever they can find foot
! hold, dense grow Ii of trees-cedar and
spruce covers the country and the un-
| derbrush renders it almost impenetrabie.
The country is so rugged, that it may be
said to literally stand on edge. There is
no land capable of being made fit for til
lage. and if it were, scarcely anything
useful will grow in this climate. About
Sitka, here and there in patches of few
rods square, they have cultivated patches
to theextent of about ten acres, all putto-
g ther. There they raise potatoes as laree
~ heb'segg; but r. waiery and tasteless.
iurnips will grow to about the same
size, and are good, so are radishes; but
cabbages, although they grew luxuriantly
will not head. No grain whatever will
grow. Neither is their any fruit in the
territory such as apples, peaches, or
plums. Wild berries grow plentifully
in the woods, but for want Of sun are
either sour or insipid. Owing to the
cloudy nature of the climate, the sun
does not shine very much, and over two
hundred days in the year are rainy
The country about here at Kodiac-is
not so much wooded as other portions
of the territory to the east of it, and be-
yond this to the westward, both on the
main land and throughout the Alentianl
Islands, there is no wood whatever
The country just about here for few
miles is not so broken and mountainous
as in other parts of the country l have,
seen. In fact, little of it is smooth
. !: h Or farming or grazing purposes;
but the whole of it is covered with q
thick moss foot or two deep, which
holds water like sponge, and the whole
country, even steep hills and mountain
sides, is quagmire which nothing could
make fit for cultivation. Intermingled
with the moss, are tufts of frass, and in
places quite large patches which afford
pretty good pasturage. They raise here
some few cattle; short legged, small,
shaggy breed which, however, furnishes
most excellent beef. Goats also thrive
here but sheep will not breed. With
the exception of fur-bearing animals,
there is but little game in the country;
and what there is, owing 70 the extreme
roughness of the country, is almost i'm!
possible to obtain. even by Indians
These latter live al most extensively on
fish. They are large fine looking class
of Indians, and livein large. we'll con-
structed houses of hewn logs. They are
unlike other Indians. willing to, work,
and make very good laborers. At pres
ent. they are peaceable and good. This
is ewing to the just and correct policy of
the Russians; how long it will continue
with our people L. will not pretend to say
but Ipresume not very long. The whole
coast swarms with whiskey smuggIers.
Coal of good quality has been found
in several places and copper in one
Ia Q. ASIDE from this no minerals of
value are known to exist. Nothing has
yet been foupd to induce Americans to
TO come to it; except few who i'm small
vessels cruise along the coast among the
islands and carry on cOuntraband tarffic
with the Indians. in whiskey and amu-
milton, for furs. This whole country, as
you know, although belonging to Russia,
was under the control of the Russian
Fur Company.
q This Company had numerous trading
posts on the Bays and Islands of the
ca,ast, and the whole thing was an i'm
mense establishment. At every post
they constructed in the mOst.substantial |
manner; dwellings,, store-houses. and
always church, with its chime of bells.
and its priest OF the Russ Greek faith.
This religion, in all its forms, is very
similar to the Catholic; from which it in
fact differs only in not acknowledging
the Pope at the head of the church,
Instead, the Emperor of Russia Is the !
spiritual as well as the temporal head. !
Like the Catholics, they are very zeal
Gus, and have christianiZed large pro. |
portion of the Indian population. From |
kodiac westward, throughout the A Q
tian Islands. the aborigines are evident
ly of Asiatic origin, and resemble in |
features and characteristics the Chinese. |
They are docile, harmless, ,timid class, |
and make excellent laborers.s They are |
most expert watermeu, and as timber |
cannot be obtained for canoes, they !
make the latter of seal skins, which |
they stretch over light frame work.
These boats are covered entirely over, |
except a round hole in which the person |
sils to row. Sometimes one|boat will have |
three or four of these holes. They have
a waterproof shirt, made from the en-
trailsof fish, which resembles very much
oil silk. Thisthey puton in bad weather,
and fastening it tightly about the neck
and wrists, tie it closely around the rim
,f the hole in which they sit, and thus
equipped, 60 out to sea in the ruughest
weather. ''Hs ifa f'l oeF
Zodiac is one of the old Russian Fur !,
Company's posts. Besides store houses j.
and curch, it contains about forty L
iwelling houses, occupied mostly by I
Russian half-breeds, who are very civil
and orderly set of people. There are
,nly half dozen or SO of pure blood
Russians here. 7t
have very eomfor able house to
i've in and a very nice set of young
officers around me-. have plenty Of
books, and will manage to pass the long
ireary winter quite eontentedly. There
$ no regularly established mai, to this
Instant region, and,it will only be by
,hance if we hear from the States before
iext April or May. --e t-.-
s ua-s JOHN G. TIDBALL.
The Alabama Claims Treasy--General
z" Grant Opposed TO II.
The New York Tribune's Washington
iispatch has the following: "Gen. Grant
S strongly opposed to the pending Ala
'ama claims treaty. The following is
lis position towards it in his own words:
The treaty is unjust to the United States,
BECAUSE it assumes to measure the injury
inflicted upon this country by the money
'alue OF the ships actually destroyed,
the chief damage tn our COM