Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-11

San Francisco, as the steamers stop at a
great many little points along the coast"
Ibid you find the trip pleasant one?"
Every. 1t is one, too, that a great many
people are going to take in the coming
summers. 1t would be impossible to find
a more agreeable one. The sights and eS-
periences are wonderful. An English
gentleman and wife, who had travelled all
over the world, visited there last summer,
and assured me that they had never, in
their entire experience, found anything to
equal it."
The Governor is very earnest in recon-
mending improved facilities for the whites
there and the spread of civilization and
intelligence among the natives, who, he
says, are anxious tor an education as
well as "BostOn mans clothes and
houses"
1t is a rather singular and quite fortu-
nate circumstance that the report of Ivan
Petrotf, the special agent of the Census
Bureau, who made a pretty thorough
study of Alaska, should have been pub
lished just at this time. The eighth
volume of the census report, which is just
being distributed, contains his report in
full. He divides Alaska into six geo
graphical divisions, as follows:
l. The Arctic division. In this he in
cludes all of the extreme north of Alaska
above the section drained by the Yukon
river, or, in other words, nearly all of
Alaska that lies north of the Arctic circle.
This section is about the size Of the States
OF Ohio, Indiana and Illinois combined,
and embraces all tie section whose
streams run to the Arctic ocean. In this
region of almost eternal ice and snow
live about 5000 EsQumauX. who are grow
ing less in number and lower in the scale
of humanity each year from the effect OF
the visits of unprincIpled traders, who
barter them spirits for the whalebOne,
furs, walrus ivory and other articles of
this sort, until their sole ambition is to
obtain rum and indulge in debaucheries,
which are rapidly decimating their num-
bers. The interior of this vast section is
little inhabited save by moose, reindeer,
foxes and polar bears.
.. The Yukon division. This embraces
the country drained by the Yukon river,
which be describes as the greatest river
in North America. The division lies next
south of the Arctic division. 1t is IT.
habited nv a race Of Indians in the eastern
section Bp,,cg7n as the Athabaskans, and
by different race Of the 80 :guimauX va
riety, in the western or coast secrCu.
These races do not intermingle, and
none of tire one class ventures
into the country occupied by the
other except accompanied by whites.
The river is nayigated by an occasional
steamer with goods, which are traded to
the natives for the lurs which they gather,
amounting to about $4,000 per year.
They are bought by TWO California COM
p2nies. The country, which, along the
river is well wooded, seems to be com
paratively bare. swampy and valueIess in
the interior. The river swarms with
salmon at certain periods of the year, at
which time the native population swarm
II 10 fO N 10
them as food for the year, buying some
flour, tea and sugar from the traders.
This section is as large o 5 the States 0
Ohio, Indiana. Illinois and Kentucky.
The population is about 1000, among the
number being some % whites.
8. TIE Kuskovim division. This lies
next south of the Yukon, and is the valley
of another river, similar in its general
features and class of population to the
one just described. 1t is about the size
OF Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, and has
about 5000 population, the number Of
whites being less than in the Yukon.
4. The Aleutian division. This com
prises the long row Of islands stretching
out to the southwest from the mainland.
The people mere are of EsquimauX origin,
and support themselves by hunting the
sea otter, the fur Of which is very yali-
able. In some of the islands the hunters
make as much as $1,000 per year each.
They spend their money freely for cloth
ing, dressing in the latest fashion of "BOs-
ton ciOthing'' when not at work, support
ing churches and a few schools. They
are quite eXtravagant in their expendi-
lures In many cases. On the whole, how
ever, their condition is so much better
than those mentioned above as to appear
quite comfortable. They are much at
tached to their mode of life. Some of
these islands have volcanoes in constant
state of activity. The population Of this
that Of Maryland and Delaware.