, 1873-01-24
ALASKA.
Twelve Months Residence in
the Territory.
What an Attac1,o Of the Coast
Survey Has to Say Of 1t.
A Fair, Showing for Its Future..-Its Re-
sources, Residents, Climate,
&C., SC. r

/ 0Ah* AE0PA0 k1A04A4AJ 1o* AosA!eA sAAo %oo1'
taught by our old school-gcographies, tha
Alaska is a country only Of ice and Polar bears
They forget that it has tho latitude and tho sit
nation with reference to tho Continent Of Grea
Britain and tho Scandinavian Poninsuela, AMI
TINT it's south coast ia bathed by warm current
corresponding to tho Gulf Stream. This idea O.
tho Egor Of the Alaskan climate bus, indeed,
grain Of truth in it, for considerable portion O.
the territory lies within the Arctic Circle. Be-
| sides, it was for the interest OF the Russo
American Company to exclude imnigrat
| ton, and it therefore took care tt
magnify the bad features Of the eli
mate, and represent the whole Territory
as dreary und inhospitable. We expected, con
sequently, on our arrival among tho Alentian
Islands, year ago last September, to find
them covered with snow and surrounded with
floating ico.> Our inaaginations had painted the
! horrors of IN Arctic winter before un, and our
| friends, recalling tho fate Of Franklin, had
taken afrectionate leaye Of us, assuring us by
their manner, though not in words, that they
expected the parting to be T. final ono. Our sur-
prise and pleasure caa bo imagined when we
found the steep, rocky hills, and the bases Of
the mountains. clothed in bright green grass,
and
|. We had left California in the middle OF the
summor-seaaon, dry md brown, duaty inland
and foggy On the coast, and here, in fdgid Alas
ka, we're the brightest grass and the prettiest
flowers We had ever seon. The same feeling Of
pleasant surprise followed us during our year's
stny in tho Territory.
For month OF moro after our arrival among
tho Islands, the weather Was warm, moderately
11v 1rtot ha faer yrt,ita
ers On tho Islands Wed with each other in ae-
commodating US, End tho AIeuts proved them
selves the good-natured and hospitable people
thoy hare always had the reputation OF being.
Snow remains all tho year round on tho noun
Unalashla until October, and flowers could be
found as late ~ December. In October, tho
natives dug their potatoes.
THE WINTER WAS MILD,
not being colder, though much longer, than it is
in Virginia or Maryland. It showed ut intervals
until May, but the anow WAS usually accompa-
The halt-dozen sheep and cattle kept
grass for themselves during the most
OF the winter. The temperature was
never very low The thermometer at Unalashka
las marked zero very rarely, and \ has not been
years. Tie winters, though not cold, are very
stormy, wet, and disayrecable: Tho sun is gen
orally obscured. D1i&zte, aleet, fog, aud Scotch
mist last nearly all tho time. 4 good smart
winds ara frequent usually s4ually, though
sometimes blowing from tho same quarter for d
week or two, and with great eteadiness and vio-
lence. In May, vegetation fairly Bta1ts, and,
from that time, grows with such 1apidity that a
single day
a1AEEs A MARRIED DIFFERENCE
in the appearance Of the country. By the 1st Of
June, many flowers aro out, and the grass
in warm places is two or three feet high. |
npdn 1 hS t 5 q ba4 }ba9 tbs Ssra eoor 10 are e
landscape, and their fragrance loads the
air. At This time last summer, among the !
shumagin Islands, the air was heavy with fra
grance, even whore VIC lay at anchor, half mile |
wet and stormy. The grass is now higher than |
one's head, md travelling through It is very ]
laborious.
Tho above ia description Of tho climate for
south coast oi Alaska In tho Alexander Archipol-
ago,-on one island Of which 6itka is situated |
the winters are moro severe. AS you advance |
towards the north, OF towards the mountain
ranges Of the interior, the climate becomes more
rigorous.
are generally inorensive. Indeed, tho Alouts !
are too submissive for their own interest," They
allow themselves to bo oyer-tidden and abused |
without complaint. They are moderately civilized,
md live in comfortable houses. Two or three
:locks,-each keeping its own gate, Independent
II the others and OF the sun,-and a haDd-organ !
or accordion, are Indispensable to an Aleut Of
good social position. Like au other people in
heir state Of civilization, they are lazy, alift-
css, and far from clean Yet they arc bright
md Intelligent, and arc always Trustworthy.
Several have been educated in st. Peternburg,
Ind have mnde prominent men in tho old Russo
American Company. Father SAayesnikod, the
priest at Unalashka. an Aleut, born and educated
u the Territory, and never out Of it until after
he transfer, is polite and well-infoEmed gen.
lcman, whom tits pleasure to meet. Ono boy
8 now at Ann Arbor, Michigan, being educated,
md IS making himself general fayoEite BY hia
brightness and great good-naturo. The Aleuts
belong to the Russian Eationn. Or Greek Church,
zens.
ESQU1MAUx AND INDIANS.
Tho Esquimaux occupy tho coast from the
Peninsula OF Alaska northvard, aud tho Indians
he whole interior. They are not go civilized as |
the Aleuts, md are warliko enough to take caro-
II their own interests. They are disposed to be
riendy toward the whites, but will resent abuse.
they generally are nominal Greek Christians,
having been baptized for the considora-
ion Of e. shirt or plug OF
on each about once q year, and the
lumber Of new converts reported by the mis-
considerably. Immigrants to Alaska will haro
0 contend with no such forco tribes as those OF
ur Rocky Mountains.
The business OF Alaska is at present mainly in
he handa OF the
ALASKA COMMERCIAL COMPANY, f.