The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1880-04-23

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light work, and bartered for bread and
other food such articles, produced by their
ingenuity, as they thought were 10 demand
among the foreigners. In this way OBJ
tanned, besides the ordinary ethnographical
objects, a great many ink sketches and
sculptured articles in bone, as well as mod
els TO illustrate the state OF the pictorial
art and the advance in taste among people
which to-day must be referred proximately
to the civilization Of the Stone Age. Ia
deed, many stone implements are IN use
among the Tsch, and have especially fixed
my attention ON this fact on account Of the
desirablity to obtain a fixed point Of de-
parture In order to decide upon the paleo-
lithic drawings which have, in the last de-
cennium, caused 50 much sensation in the
scientific world. In the near future shall
present to our Elmo Geographical Society
an exhaustive account, accompanied with
drawings of the collections which I have
thus obtained, and also upon the manners
and customs of this remarkable Polar peo-
PIC WIN We IbthO III So''eaSes
USUAL CONDITION OF THE ICE.
Information about The usual condition Of
the ice :. derioed from resident Tsch.
Lieutenant Nordquist has collected infcr.
nation from passing Tsch travellers about
the usual staff Of the ice between Tschaun
Bay and Behring's Strait, taking IN view
the different seasons of the year. By rea-
son Of the great importance Of the subject,
even 10 purely practical point of view,
shall cite literally what is thus obtained.
/. One Tsck from Standardization
near cape Jakan said there 10 usually open
sea the whole summer. 2. The same was
said by Tsch from Rtnmdnkan which IS
west of cape Jakan. 8. A Tsch from ia
kan reported that the sea is clear Of ice
from the close Of May or beginning OF June.
On the other hand that 1t is never open
during the winter. 4. Tatdn, of Jakan,
said the sea is open from the close Of May
or beginning of June to the latter part of
September or first part of Oct ODER. when
the ice begins to drift towards shore. g..
Rikkion, from Vankdrenad, said the sea is
covered with ice in winter but clear In
summer. 6. Rotschetlen, a reindeer Tsch
who lives about 70 English miles from our
quarters, reported that KoJutschin Bay,
which, by the natives, is called Pidlin, is
clear of Ice throrg bout the summer. Z.
Urtridlin, of Koljutschin, Gan island) said
that neither the island nor bay have any ice
N the summer. 8. Ranau, of Jinretlsn,
made the same affirmation about Koljut-
schin Bay. 0. Ettuj, from the village OF
Nitkj, which is between Irgunnuk and
Behring's Strait, said the sea near Nitlej
and Behring's Strait is clear of ice during
the summer, independent of the wind; aud
during the winter only with southerly wind.
10. Vdnkatte, of Ntt!ej, said the sea is clear
of ice from the month of Tautin adliu, i. e.,
latter part of May and first part of June,
and resumes its icy coating again in the
month Kutschkan, i. C., like parts, respect
lively, of October and November. II. Ke-
pyepla, of the village of lrgunnuk, s Eng
lish miles east of our quarters and near
Pitlekaj, made the same statement, however
making an exception in the case of north
| erly wind. He informed us also that far
Their towards the west near Irkajpy ice can
always be sighted from shore. 10. Rapat.
ysn, from Kengitschkun, a village between
Behring's Straits and frgunnuk, reported
the 18th Of January that there was now
open sea near that village. He added that
Behring's Strait during the winter is full of
ice, the wind being south; the wind north,
clear. On the same day Tsch from Nitlei-
Kengitschkun, also between Irgunnuk and
Behring's Strait, reported that there was
ice there in the offing from that village.
He confirmed the report of Kapatljen in
regard to Behring's Strait. IS. Kuano
from Napyan, near Behring's Strait, said
that Strait was always clear of ice from
May to September, both inclusive.
THE TsoH-cHIEF MENKA.
1t was on the morning of the 9th of o.
tober we had the honor Of call from the
starost among the Tsch, Vasili Menka.
This was little swarthy man of some.
what haggard visage, attired in a beauti
ful white reindeer jacket, beneath which
flashed blue flannel shirt. In order 10 in
spire us with immediate respect by his visit
and perhaps, also, in order not TO expose
his precious person to the tricks of false
Dame Rumor, he travelled in a sleigh, drawn,
not by dogs, but by four Of his underlipgs
| (subordinates) 1t was in this way be
came on board, tempting the ice when
scarcely yet strong enough to be trusted
On his arrival he Immediately presen ted bis
diploma, in evidence of his authority and
rank and he produced, also, proofs Of
certain tax -settlements, which consisted oil
some few red fox skins, computed at 1S(
kops apiece, and some white ones at 40
kops. he can neither read nor write, and
his Russian was extremely faulty and diff
ficult to comprehend. On the other hand,
he was quick to understand q map shown
him, upon which he pointed out with ad.
mirable percision many noted cities In
Northeastern Siberia. OF the existence of
q Russian Emperor, this the principal rep
resentative of the Imperial Majesty and
power and the first public officer in the
province, had not the slightest knowledge
or conception, but he knew there was Q
man Of august power had his residence in
Irkutsk. He crossed himself with NANTES.
tation of great pisty and zeal before photo.
graphs and copper engravings in the gun
room, but desisted when he observed we
did not do so. Menka was attended by
two natives, very scantily provided in the
line Of clothing they were oblique-eyed to
. degree beyond the ordinary, and seemed
to stand in the relation OF serfs to Menka.
Immediately on arrival, these bounded for.
ward and presented with appropriate SO.
lemnity two reindeer roasts, Quarters, J
Msnka's welcome present. presented
him In return with WOODEN shirt and some
punches OF tobacco. Menka announced
that, on the morrow or within few days,
he was going on journey to Markova, a
Russian settlement on the river Aaadyr,
/ in the vicinity of the ancient AuQdUrsk