Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-02-26

ABOUT with turn alter turn of cotton cloth
and strings, that not muscle can be moved
and then, to complete the work, strapped to 6
board. In this way they are kept for three
or four weeks. After being liberated from
this position, the tender mother takes them
every morning to the beach and dips them
two or three times in the ice cold water. L
they cry from cold after this operation, she
reverses the process, and takes the beech to
them. and they soon graw warm again.
or course about twc-thirds of them die in
getting used to this kind of treatment. As
the breed, however unlike Jersey stock, is
not very valuable one it makes little diff
ference to the world On the third, that sur
wives, the result of this kind of breeding may
be seen in the ability to endure cold and ex-
winter weather about the streets of Sltka
with no clothing on except a single blanket
over tn shoulders and coming down to the
knees. When be tier weather succeeds they
appear in their fancy mocassins and leggings,
seeming as anxious as a village belle to show
their good clothes and be admired Both
men and women paint their faces in he rr-
bly, fantastic manner, with red and black
paint. You can imagine the effect of put
ting bright streak Of vermillion around one
eye, and, by way of contrast, ofa coal black
one around the other. The young ladies
paint their cheeks, too, quite as artistically,
to the minds, as do our fashionable bellies
the favorite color being black, lighted up and
oecomIngy set off by touches of vermillion
about the edges of the black and around the
eyes. They resemble our ladies also in tax
ing great pleasure in their jewelry, their f
vorite ornament being a small wing or silver
pin thrust through the under lip from the in
side and projecting downward on the chin.
This pun is inserted when the girl is quite
young and as she grows older, a still larger
one takes Its place, the size being constantly
increased, until in old age the head of the pin
is SO large that it rolls the lip downward and
outward, presenting most disgusting ap-
pearance.
The Russians attempted to convert these
people to their faith, but were not very sue
cessful. A few were caught and baptized.
but no amount OF water would suffice to wash
tn @ evil out of them. Perhaps the result
might have been different had the Russian
priest possessed the zeal of the old Spanish
missionaries of California wh1 it is said
used to lasso the Indians, as they would wild
horses, and bring them up for baptism
The scenery at Sltka is picturesque and
beautiful. The capacious harbor is studded
with small islands covered with evergreen
trees. Directly back OF the town the noun
talns rise to height of over 5000 feet, on the
tops OF which, not more than five miles dis
tant, perpetual snow keeps the temperature
OF midsummer down to about 500 or 60s
below zero.
| think We have stopped long enough at
Sltka. 1t is a dull old town rains three
fourths of the time, and is very uncertain the
other fourth for any thing except pleasant
weather-whlch as quite certain not to come
As we pass along the coast from Sitka, we
shall do well to go little out of the course,
IN order that we may see Mount st. Elias
the highest peak in the " estern Hemisphere
and which rises 1000 feet above the sea.
When we reflect that Mt Mansfield, the
highest point in Vermont, is only about 400
feet. some idea may be gained of Mt. st,
Elias by piling up, in imag gination, three
such mountains as Mansfield, one upon the
other.
The next place of any note is the small
settlement on Kodiak Island, where the vice
governor of the Territory formerly lived.
Here, ii any where in the territory agricul-
tural pursuits will be possible, though up to
the present time nothing but unrealIzed ex-
pectatiOns have been raieed-a most unproft-
able crop | will quote again from my re-
port to the Treasury n 1869 1--WE are
told that the esculent vegetables may be
raised in Alaska, which is true but our in
formants generally omit to mention that their
production IN any given season is a matter
of serious uncertainty that the attempt to
raise them is made in no other than the
warmest southern exposure, where the north
winds are not directly felt and that even
II Ddar tho faup bla = no
production is limited to a few varieties, and
of these very scanty supply. During the
last summer, although traversed the most
desirable and most fertile portion of the Ter
rit0ry, and was entertained by the most hos
pltable residents, my total supply Of fresh
vegetables up to the time of my leaving the
country in the latter part of August, COM
prsed two small radlshes and an onion OBJ
tanned at Kodiak and of these, it should be
added, that the growth was forced in hot
houses in the early spring, and that without
such special care the supply would have been
even less than it was
We have now left the Indian country, and
come upon that part inhabited by the AIeu;s,
race resem bling the EsquImau1-an en-
tirely different race of men from those already
described. The Aleuts are half-civilized, and
quiet and orderly in their conduct. Lite and
property are perfectly sale at their hands.
Ii is with these people that nearly all our
Alaska business is transacted In stature
they are considerably below the medium
height of Americans color of yellowlsh
copper hue hair straight and black, and
cast of cou ntenance somewhat resembling
that of the japanese, from whom there is
considerable proof that they descended
On Kodiak Island there is an abundance of
timber, and the houses are built of logs.
This is point worth noting, as We shall not
see even so much as a shrub after proceeding
to the westward
At all points among the Aleuts, who num-
ber about 4 900 or 5000 persons, the Greek
church of Russia prevails, and the people are
very devout, especially in the observance OF
holidays these number, including Sun
day, something more than 200 in 365 days,
their religion is exercised rather oftener than
is said to be the case with some of our good
people who follow Christian principles only
on that day in the week when no business is
transacted. But more may be said in praise
of the quantity of this religion than of its
quality. Its nature is So elastic as to allow
them to get drunk and gamble at pleasure,
after morning hour or two spent in church.
| The more sacred the day the drunker they
are supposed to get,
One o. the religious rites of parents, seems
| to be that of giving all their children whip
ping on certain day in the year, regardless
of hat.offenses they may have been guilty.
This, like the punishment of a certain class
of rogues in England, arises probably from
the theory of original sin, which, when ap-
piled in practice, makes all about equally de-
serving Of a yearly whipping. 1t may be
asked how they are able to get drunk when
the government allows no liquor to be carried
to Alaska? The answer is very simple-they
take their rations of -four and sugar, mix
them with dried apple, berries, of the juice
of some fruit, if it can be obtained, place the
mixture in a warm corner where, in two or
three days, alcoholic fermentation sets in and
produces kind OF strong beer called ''quass.'
i have never drunk the stuff, but judge