Mr. Benjamin McIntyre, the efficient general agent of the Alaska Commercial Company, furnished a school-room free of rent and in many ways gave important help to the teacher. Valuable assistance was also received from Mr. Ivan Petroff, deputy collector of customs.

Opposite Kadiak is Wood Island, with 50 bright children. The patriarch of the village gathered them into a room and then made a touching appeal for a school. It was with a heavy heart that I said to them, as subsequently I was compelled to say to many others, "I would be glad to give you a school, but I cannot." The meagre appropriation by Congress of $15,000 for the education of the ten or twelve thousand children of Alaska necessarily deprives the majority of them of any school.

To the north of Wood Island is Spruce Island, where a Russian monk, at his own expense, kept up a school for thirty consecutive years. He died, and his school was discontinued. To their entreaties for a school we had to turn a deaf ear. They are a well-to-do people, with humble but pleasant homes. They have a number of cows, make butter and cheese, and raise potatoes. The men are mostly hunters of the seaotter.

Still further north is Afognak Island, with 146 school children. A school was established among them, with Prof. James A. Wirth in charge. While superintending the unloading of the school supplies through the breakers we were invited by one of the villagers to a lunch of rice, fried chicken, potatoes, eggs, bread, and sweet, fresh butter, cakes, home-made preserves, and Russian tea served in glass tumblers.

From Afognak we visited Karluk, with its 118 children; Akhiok, 48; Ayakhabalik, . 72; and Kagniak, 45. All of these groups of bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked, and healthy children had to be refused schools for want of funds. At some of these villages the ladies of our party were the first white women ever seen.

From the Kadiak group of islands nine days' battling with the waves brought us to Unalashka, in Behring Sea. This is the commercial port of Western Alaska, and contains a population of 340, 132 of whom are minors under twenty-one years of age. Mr. S. Mack, agent of the Alaska Commercial Company, Dr. Call, the company physician, Collector Barry, and Commissioner Johnston did all in their power to make our visit pleasant. At this village a school of 24 pupils was in operation under the control of the Russian-Greek Church. The teacher, Tsikoores, was born in Greece and partly educated in San Francisco.

The Greek Church has during the year 16 general holidays and 200 minor ones, which are celebrated more or less by the Alaska churches. One of the holidays ob served while we were at Unalashka was in commemoration of the Virgin Mary appearing to the Greek army one thousand years ago and leading them to victory. American citizens who have never heard a prayer for the President of the United States, or of the Fourth of July, or the name of the capital of the nation are taught to pray for the Emperor of Russia, celebrate his birthday, and commemorate the victories of ancient Greece. Upon one occasion, trying to inform them that we had come from the seat of Government at Washington to open the way for the establishment of schools, we found that the only American city they had ever heard of was San Francisco. After laboring with them one man was found who had somehow heard of Chicago. Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington were unknown regions.

In the mountains back of Unalashka a volcano was in active eruption.

From Unalashka we sailed to Unga, the centre of the cod fisheries of the North Pacific. Unga has 174 children. At this point we left Mr. and Mrs John H. Carr to establish a school. On this trip a complete census was taken of the population from Kadiak, westward, to Attu, and in a total population of 3,840 I numbered 1,649 children. These are children of a civilized people who, by the terms of article 3 of the treaty of 1867, between Russia and the United States, are declared to be citizens, and are guaranteed all the "rights, advantages, and immunities of citizens of the United States;" and yet, after nineteen years of total neglect, the United States Government only gives them three teachers.

YUKON VALLEY.

On June 29, 1886, Rev. Octavius Parker, who had been appointed teacher for the Yukon Valley, with his family, reached St. Michael, Alaska.

The original contract between the Commissioner of Education and the Protestant Episcopal Board of Missions called for the establishment and maintenance of a good school in the Yukon Valley.

On account of the difficulty of perfecting arrangements and transporting supplies in time the secretary of the mission society requested permission for the teacher to locate the first year at St. Michael, on the seaboard. In order to secure a commencement of school work in that distant section the Commissioner consented to the change, although it was known that there were but few children at the place.

This past winter the Episcopal Board of Missions has commissioned Rev. John W. Chapman to establish a school at some suitable village in the Yukon Valley. Mr. Chapman is now en route to that northernmost school in the United States.

BETHEL.

The Moravian party, who were sent in the spring of 1885 from Pennsylvania to establish a school in the valley of the Kuskokwim River, sailed from San Francisco on the 18th of May and reached their destination on the 13th of July. The materials for their dwelling were not all received until about the 12th of August.

A small frame building, 12 by 14 feet, was begun, and so far completed that they were able to move into it on the 10th of October, at which time the arctic winter of In January that region had set in with its usual severity. On December 29 the thermometer This was the coldest of the season. registered 50.6 degrees below zero. the thermometer registered 40 degrees above zero. Failing to secure a school room, they were unable to hold regular sessions of school. However, they were visited by hundreds of Eskimo, who remained with them a longer or a shorter time, according to circumstances. These received, as far as possible, special instructions, the livingroom of the house being used as a school-room.

During the summer of 1886 a school-house was erected, and regular instruction is being given.

NUSHAGAK.

In the spring of 1886 Mr. Frank E. Wolff was sent to Behring Sea to erect a schoolhouse and residence at Nushagak. He reached there August 21, erected and enclosed a frame building, 24 by 38 feet, with an addition of 12 feet, and returned to Pennsylvania for the winter.

Last month (April, 1887) Mr. and Mrs. Wolff and two children and Miss Mary Huber left for Nushagak to open the school.

KLAWACK.

About midway between the north and south ends of Prince of Wales Island, on the west coast, is an important fishery at Klawack. The fishery and a saw-mill connected with it have drawn around them a large native population. For several years past their leading men have asked for a school. This place was supplied with a school last fall, and Prof. L. W. Currie, of North Carolina, who has had many years' experience in teaching among Indians, was placed in charge. The progress of the school has been greatly retarded by the want of a suitable and comfortable schoolLast fall, when it became time to open the school, the teacher at Haiues announced her resignation, and it was January before I was able to secure another teacher. At that time Mr. Salmon Ripinsky, who taught last year at Unalashka, was appointed teacher.

room.

The schools at Juneau, Hoonah, Killisnoo, Sitka, Wrangell, and Jackson were continued under the former teachers, and have been doing a good work. They all lack suitable school buildings.

In September last Prof. Asa Saxman, an experienced teacher from Pennsylvania, was sent to Loring. At this point a fishery had been established, and it was hoped that the opening industry would at once attract and concentrate at that point the scattered natives of Southeastern Alaska. This expectation not being realized, Professor Saxman was removed in November to Port Tongass.

In December last, in company with Mr. Louis Paul, a native missionary, he took a canoe and started out to find a better location for the school. Failing to return in due time, two search parties were sent out, who found the canoe wrecked. No trace was found of the bodies. In the drowning of Professor Saxman the schools in Alaska lost one of their ablest teachers.

The following statistics for the school year 1886-'87 are compiled from the monthly reports of the schools as far as they have been received:

As near as I can gather from the reports now in and my knowledge of the schools from which reports are not yet received, there are at least 1,250 childreu in the Alaska schools.

The great need of the schools is suitable school-houses. These will require a larger appropriation. Fifty thousand dollars for education in Alaska is the smallest amount that should be asked of Congress for the year 1887-88.

Thanking you for the interest you have taken in the work, I remain, with great respect, Yours truly,

ED 86-48

SHELDON JACKSON,
General Agent.

INDEX.