No. 16.

Letter from the Board of Administration of the Russian American Company to Captain of the Imperial Nary of the second rank Alexander Ilitch Rudakof, Acting Chief Manager. Written from St. Petersburg, March 20, 1853.

From the dispatches of the board of administration dated April 12 and November 16, 1851, and April 2, May 13, and September 23, 1852, your Excellency must have perceived that one of the principal objects on the part of the board of administration has been to make the best possible arrangements for regulating the navigation of the vessels belonging to our colonial fleet. During the last few years this part of our manifold duties has not always been attended to with due regard to the best interests of the Company, and consequently a few of the vessels have been detained in harbors for prolonged periods, while others have been constantly employed and intrusted with duties for which they were but ill-fitted, returning to New Archangel late in the season and at the most dangerous time of the year.

With a view to remedy this defect, the board of administration has now agreed upon a system of employment for our various vessels which is to be strictly followed in dispatching our colonial vessels upon their annual or semiannual voyages in the summer and winter season under normal circumstances. This system will be strictly adhered to by the chief managers of the Colonies, unless unforeseen circumstances arise which would make this observance inconsistent with the Company's interests.

For the season of 1853 the colonial fleet will consist of eight sailing vessels, of which number the larger ones are: The Czarevitch, the Nikolai I, the Kadiak, and the Shelikof; and the smaller ones: Menshikof, Konstantin, Okhotsk, and Tunguss; and since the Czarevitch, which is to leave the Colonies in the autumn of 1853 will be relieved by the Sitka, of 700 tons, now in course of construction, and which is to sail for New Archangel in 1853, the number of the Company's ships in colonial waters will remain the same. Consequently the summer season, comprising the months from April to October, will give employment to 8 ships, while in the winter season, from October to April, we can keep 7 vessels running, without counting the whale ships of our Company, the number of which will probably reach four.

For the summer season of 1854, the voyages of our vessels should be arranged in the following manner:

1. One of the smaller vessels, perhaps the brig Konstantin, should sail from Sitka about the middle of April with supplies for the islands of Atka and Attu, and for the Kurile district, taking the furs from these islands to the port of Ayan, where the brig should arrive not later than the middle of July. On this vessel there should be an official of the Company intrusted with the inspection of the Company's stations in the districts of Atka, the Kurile Islands, and Kamchatka. This agent must observe and keep a record of all foreign ships seen during the voyage, and of the position of the same when observed, for the information of commanders of our armed cruisers and of the colonial authorities in Sitka, Kamchatka, and Ayan. This vessel should set

By observing these rules the furs from the Atka and Kurile districts will always reach Ayan in time for transportation to Yakutsk, and will not have to be carried to New Archangel, as has been done in late years, for shipment to the port of Ayan in the following year. Under the old system the furs needlessly incur twice the risk of carriage by sea.

out upon the return voyage at the end of August or the beginning of September, following its previous course, and returning to New Archangel with the agent, who is to repeat the observations prescribed for the outward voyage.

2. One of the larger vessels should leave the port of New Archangel for Ayan not later than the 15th of May, to arrive at the latter port at the end of June. This ship, which must be armed, will carry passengers, stores, and supplies for our Asiatic stations. On the outward voyage the course of this vessel should be laid to the northward of the chain of the Aleutian Islands, in order to meet foreign ships entering Bering Sea, and to warn them against cruising in pursuit of whales in the vicinity of the seal islands of the Pribilof and Commander groups. At the beginning of August the ship should return to New Archangel, with cargo and passengers from Siberia, cruising in search of foreign vessels on the way. During the detention of this vessel in the port of Ayan, its commander will place himself under the orders of the local colonial authorities in all cases of emergency, or of infringement of the Company's rights and privileges, for which purpose the local commauders are furnished with special instructions.

3. A second small vessel, the swiftest of the fleet, probably the Menshikof, with a naval crew and commanded by a naval officer, must sail from Sitka at the end of April for the sole purpose of watching the foreign whale ships in the southern part of Bering Sea and along the chain of the Aleutian Islands. On this vessel supplies may be forwarded to Copper and Bering islands, and, perhaps, to Attu and Atka, in case this should not have been accomplished by the first vessel, referred to under No. 1 of this dispatch. On this vessel also should be placed one of the higher officials of the Company, with the powers of an inspector and general agent. This vessel must be kept cruising constantly over the waters mentioned above, and must not enter any of the harbors except for the purpose of obtaining water and wood, on which occasions the stay of the vessel must be limited to the briefest possible period. Each of the above-mentioned islands must be visited by this cruiser at least twice during the season. The first time for the purpose of landing supplies, mails, and the inspector; the second time to receive the furs obtained, reports, mail, and the inspector. The commander of this cruiser is strictly prohibited from remaining at anchor during the progress of inspection, as it would be better to call at the islands several times than to remain idle in port. The conclusion of this cruising voyage depends upon the time at which the foreign whale ships leave Bering Sea, which is probably at the end of August or the beginning of September.

4. The third and fourth of the smaller vessels, i. e., the Okhotsk and Tunguss, are assigned to carry supplies to the redoubts and islands of the Kadiak district and to Unga Island, and to bring back furs. In order to still further insure the Kadiak district against scarcity of supplies, one of the larger vessels sailing in the spring may also take a partial cargo for Pavlof Harbor.

5. The second large vessel must be employed to supply the islands of the Unalaska district, the Pribilof Islands, and St. Michael's redoubt, and also to carry on intercourse with the coast tribes of Bering Sea, on the Asiatic as well as on the American coasts. Being first loaded with the supplies for St. Michael's and the goods intended for traffic with savage tribes, this ship may take on subsequently an upper cargo of lumber and firewood for the Pribilof Islands and the Unalaska district, at which points mail and the most necessary supplies may be landed on the outward voyage and furs picked up on the

teturn trip. During the whole time of the presence of this ship in the northern part of Bering Sea and the vicinity of the Pribilof Islands the commander must be charged with the duty of cruising in search of foreign whale ships and of English vessels carrying on trade with our sayages. This ship, also, must make no prolonged stay at any anchorage, and must be placed under the command of a naval officer, with a crew consisting principally of sailors of the navy.1

7. The fourth large vessel of the fleet, which may be used for voyages to Kamchatka, must also be fitted out as an armed cruiser and kept in readiness to proceed to any point in Bering Sea or in Siberian waters, from which the presence of foreign ships may be reported by the smaller vessels in the course of the season.1

In transmitting to your Excellency the above outlined plan for the employment of the colonial fleet, the board of administration respectfully requests that in case the interests of the Company require a deviation from our plans your Excellency will never lose sight of the fact that the interests of the Company are centered at the present time in the district surrounding the seal islands of the Pribilof and Commander groups, and that consequently the colonial waters must be visited by the Company's cruisers constantly and in every part, in order to watch and warn the foreign whalers. For this purpose detailed instructions have been formulated for our cruisers, as well as for the commanders of the whale ships of the Company, which are obliged to serve in the capacity of cruisers when engaged in whaling in Bering Sea. In all cases, the command of a vessel under orders to cruise in colonial waters must be given to naval officers, who will thereby find an opportunity to make themselves acquainted with the routine of colonial transactions, while at the same time their rauk will give authority to our proceedings. V. POLITKOVSKY,

Letter from Captain of the first rank, and Knight Iran Vassilieritch Furuhelm, Chief Manager of the Russian American Colonies, to Master Benzeman, of the Imperial Navy. Written from the Colonies, June 20,

1861.

To Master Benzeman, of the Imperial Navy, commanding the steamer Alexander the Second:

When your steamer is ready for sea, you will leave this port and carry out the following instructions:

1. You will proceed to the "Kenai Coal Mining Enterprise;" on arrival there deliver the accompanying package to the commander, Mining-Engineer Furuhelm, and immediately begin to take on as much coal as you can in addition to the cargo on board.

The sixth and a portion of the seventh paragraphs, being immaterial, have not been translated. See fac-simile of original letter, end of this volume.

2. From English Bay, you will proceed to the island of St. Paul, where you will deliver your passengers, land the supplies, and take on local products for St. Michael's redoubt. You will then proceed to the redoubt to land supplies and take on whatever cargo Manager Vakhrameief may have on hand.

3. On leaving St. Michael's redoubt you will shape your course for the island of St. Paul, where you must take on without fail a full cargo of fur-seal skins and local products such as oil and seal meat, and proceeding to the island of St. George, take on in addition such products and furs as may have accumlated previous to your arrival there. Thence you will proceed to Unalaska, and furnish Manager Vlassof with such quantities of oil and seal meat as he may be in need of. You will then take on the furs on hand at Unalaska, and proceed to New Archangel. 4. During your visits to the above-mentioned points, you will receive all complaints submitted to you and, without making any decision whatever, submit them to me on your arrival at New Archangel.

5. At St. Michael's redoubt Manager Vakhrameief will present to you two servants of the Company, Koshevnikof and Makurin, for punishment for disobeying the orders of the authorities and for engaging in secret unlawful traffic with natives; and I would suggest to you to punish them with rods, giving them twenty-five strokes each in the presence of the whole garrison of the redoubt.

6. Among the passengers on your steamer will be the bishop of New Archangel, Peter, who goes to inspect the northern missions. You will show his Eminence due attention and respect, and carry out his wishes as far as practicable.

7. During your stay at St. Michael's redoubt you will cause to be collected a quantity of drift-wood and deliver the same on the island of St. Paul.

8. If the managers of the islands should present to you any employés who have served out their terms for transportion from the Colonies, you will take them on board. From the island of St. Paul the carpenter, Parfentyef, will require a passage to Sitka.

9. It has come to my knowledge that in the present year two whaling vessels have sailed from San Francisco for the purpose of trading on the Pribilof Islands or of hunting in their vicinity. Consequently I would suggest that during your presence in those waters you will exercise the duties of an armed cruiser, to prevent any unlawful acts on the part, not only of these two vessels, but of any others which you may find in Bering Sea.

I trust that all the various duties intrusted to you will be carried out to my satisfaction, and that you will return without unnecessary loss of time.

The crew and passenger lists of the steamer are hereby appended. The issue of rum to your crew will be made under existing regulations.

No. 18.

Letter from the Department of Commerce and Manufactures to the Board of Administration of the Russian American Company. Written from St. Petersburg, June 19, 1865.

The council of state, after an examination of the proposal submitted by me concerning the revision of the charter of the Russian American

Company and the organization of the Russian American Colonies, directs, by a resolution approved by the Emperor on June 14, that in the preparation of a new charter for the Russian American Company and of the regulations for the government of the Colonies, the following principles shall be adopted:

1. The term of the privileges, rights, and obligations of the company expires the 1st day of January, 1882.

2. The Company is authorized to issue, as heretofore, tickets for use in the Colonies in the place of coin, which tickets shall have a fixed value in commercial transactions within the Colonies. But, at the same time, it shall be the duty of the Company to establish at several points in the Colonies offices for the redemption of such tickets in coin or paper currency. At the same time, both the terms of redemption and the points at which redemption shall take place must be determined by the new charter of the Company.

3. It shall be, as heretofore, the duty of the Company to maintain in the Colonies churches and the clergy, schools and hospitals; to furnish supplies to all its employés, servants, and laborers; to organize at places remote from ports open to foreign commerce warehouses of provisions and other necessary articles of consumption for the use of the natives; to bear the expense of provisioning the garrison at New Archangel; and to authorize the chiefs of stations, managers, and other officials in the service of the Company, to exercise all local administrative functions.

4. In the preparation of the new charter, the question should be considered as to which of the rights granted by the last charter to the Company's employés should be preserved, and whether some distinction should be made between persons in the Company's service at St. Petersburg and those in the Colonies. At the same time, the Board of administration should be relieved from the political function now forming part of the scope of its operations.

5. The Company stands under the special protection of the Emperor, and short yearly reports of its operations are to be submitted through the proper ministry for the consideration of His Majesty.

6. The following rights of the Company are to be preserved: The right of flying the flag specially designated by His Majesty for the Company vessels, of using uniforms for their employés on the vessels; and a seal with the imperial escutcheon; all the privileges now enjoyed by the Company in regard to the recruiting of men in Russia and Siberia; in regard to the terms of their passports and the payment of taxes for them; in the preparation of the new charter, the terms should be fixed beyond which the hired men shall not be liable to detention in the Colonies for debts due the Company; also the period of time within which the men in the service of the Company may be returned to the places of their birth at the request of courts of justice and Government officials. The exemption of the Company from the duty of furnishing quarters to the military should be abolished, as also the exemption from the duty of procuring every year a trade certificate of the first guild, and proper licenses for the factories, warehouses, and stores of the Company in Russia and Siberia, except for those situated at the port of Ayan.

7. The charter shall contain the conditions for the transfer to the Government, after the cessation of the Company's existence, of all public buildings and works erected by the Company, designating those which shall be transferred without compensation, and those for which