Through the Gold-Fields of Alaska to Bering Straits ... With a map and 33 illustrations

Preface

Had my original scheme succeeded, this work would have borne the alluring title of ' New York to Paris by Land ' : a journey which, so far as I know, has never yet been accomplished, though I do not, for one moment, suggest that it never will be. My cloud, however, has its silver lining, seeing that the first part of our voyage lay through a region then known by name to perhaps a dozen white men, but now a byword throughout the civilised world : Klon dike. I may add that Harding and I were the first Europeans to reside for any length of time alone and unprotected among the Tchuktchis of Siberia. But for these facts this book might well have been entitled ' The Eecord of a Failure.' HARRY de AVINDT. Paris : Christmas Day, CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. JUNEAU — DYEA 1 II. Sheep Camp — The Chilkoot Pass .... 19 III.

The Lakes 42 IV. The Rapids 63 V. Lake Le Barge — Five Fingers — Fort Selkirk . 76 YI. Klondike 98 VII. Forty-Mile City — Circle City — Koserefski — Fort St. Michael 139 VIII. Among the Eskimo — The ' Bear '—King's Island . 171 IX. Oumwaidjik 194 X. Oumwaidjik (ii) 215 XI. Oumwaidjik (hi) 235 XII. Our Rescue — The ' Belvedere ' — San Francisco . 267 APPENDICES A. Outfit foe One Man fob a Journey from Juneau to Dawson City 291 B. T.\ble of Distances from Dyea to Circle City . 292 C. Canadian Route to Klondike 293 D. Mr.. Joseph Ladue's Directions for Staking out a Mining Claim 294 E. The Murder of Lieutenant Barnard, B.N. . . 296 F. Meteorological Report, Fort St. Michael, Alaska, for May, June, July, and August, 1896 298 G. Prices of Furs in London exported from Alaska 298 H. Glossary of Tchuktchi Language spoken at Village of Oumwaidjik, Cape Tchaplin, N.E. Siberia, Bering Sea 299 I. The Icebound Whalers 302 Index 303 a ILLUSTRATIONS The Author in Tchuktchi Dress. . . .

Frontispiece Map of Alaska and the Yukon Gold-fields . To face p. 1 Juneau, Alaska — Looking North ... „ 4 A Fur Store, Alaska „ 14 Indian Totem Poles „ 16 Miners on the Road to Klondike, Chilkoot Pass „ 26 A Dog-team at Stonehouse, Chilkoot Pass, Alaska „ 34 The Gateway of Alaska — Nearing the Summit of the Chilkoot „ 38 The Grand Canon, or ' Miner's Grave,' Alaska „ 66 River Travel in Summer on the Yukon . . „ 96 The Yukon River and its Tributaries . . „ 106 The Alaska Commercial Company's Agency, Forty-mile City, N.W.T „ 140 ' Arctic Summer,' near Forty-mile City . . „ 142 Break-up of Ice on the Yukon River . . „ 144 The .Alaska Commercial Company's Steamer 'Alice' „ 148 ' Charley,' Indian Chief, Forty-mile City . „ 152 Circle City, Alaska — A Gold-mining Camp within the Arctic Circle .... ,, 158 Circle City, Alaska ,, 162 Fort St. Michael, Bering Sea, Alaska . . „ 172 King's Island, Bering Sea 190 Tchuktchis, East Cape, Bering Straits . .

THE GOLD-FIELDS OF ALASKA Oumwaidjik, Bering Straits, where the Author was kept by the Tchuktchis till rescued by the Whaler 'Belvedere' . To face p. 194 Tchuktchi Natives, Oumwaidjik, N.E. Siberia, Bering Straits „ 200 A Native Hut of Walrus-hide— Oumwaidjik . „ 204 A Herd of Reindeer, at East Cape, N.E. Siberia, Bering Straits „ 216 The ' Kamitok,' Oumwaidjik, Bering Straits, N.E. Siberia ,,224 The ' Shamans,' or ' Medicine-men,' stilling the Waves, Oumwaidjik, Bering Straits, N.E. Siberia „ 226 A Tchuktchi's Return from Seal-shooting — The Day's Bag ,,228 Tchuktchis Walrus-hunting in Bering Straits „ 232 ' baidaras ' off the siberian coast, bering Sea „ 240 Original Drawing of a Steam Whaler by a Tchuktchi Boy, aged 16 ... . „ 246 A Bear-hunt off Oumwaidjik .... ,, 254 ounalaska, and the revenue cutter ' bear '. „ 286 Plan of the Whaler ' Belvedere ' . . . „ London: Chatto .V- WiikIuk ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS

Chapter I Juneau Dyea

Southern Alaska is the Norway of America. Juneau, to-day, is thronged with gaily dressed tourists disgorged by the steamer that has brought us from Victoria : a two days' journey through fjords of indescribable beauty, past towering peaks of granite, densely wooded valleys, and glaciers of clear blue crystal washed by the waves of the sea. It is the tenth day of June, but although the sky is cloudless, and the little town bathed in sunshine, snow still lies deep on the hill-sides, and a keen breeze blows down from an amphitheatre of snowy mountains a short distance inland. Here, in the hotel B veranda, all is bustle and commotion. Parties are being organised to explore the town, an operation which the steep tortuous alleys and miry streets render somewhat difficult. The local photographer is driving a brisk trade, while a number of filthy Indians, in gaudy rags, are disposing of ' curios ' at prices that would startle Port Said or Colombo.

For time is short. In three or four hours, at most, the ' Queen ' will have weighed anchor; and her visits are few and far between. The tourists will return to civilisation vaguely satisfied that they have ' done Alaska,' and probably unmindful of the fact that their Alaska bears about as much relation to the entire country as the county of Kent to the rest of England. I left New York for Paris, by land (accompanied by my servant, George Harding, an old fellow-traveller), on May 26, 1896. Our proposed route lay from New York to Juneau via Victoria, B.C. ; from Juneau across the Chilkoot Pass to a chain of lakes at the head of the Great Yukon river, and down the Yukon to Fort St. Michael, on Bering Sea. The crossing of Bering Straits ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS was, if possible, to be accomplished over the ice.

Should this prove impracticable, the American revenue cutter ' Bear ' was placed at my disposal by the authorities at Washington to convey us from Fort St. Michael to the Asiatic coast. In Siberia our objective point was the remote settlement of Anadyrsk, where there is bi-yearly communication with St. Petersburg, about 6,000 miles distant. From Anadyrsk we hoped to gain the city of Irkoutsk (via Okhotsk and Yakoutsk), and proceed thence to Europe by road and railway. This journey was not undertaken on the spur of the moment. I was over a year making my preparations. The Great Sahara itself is not more sterile than the Arctic deserts we were to cross. Everything had to be thought of — provisions, arms and ammunition ; especially the first named, for Alaska produces absolutely nothing in the way of food.

A guide, too, was essential. We were, therefore, fortunate in securing the services of one Joe Cooper, an old-timer, who was returning to the Yukon gold-fields, and who agreed (for a consideration) 3 b2 to pilot us over the dreaded Chilkoot Pass, and down the lakes and rapids to Forty-Mile City. A few finishing touches to our outfit neces sitated a two days' delay at Juneau, a picturesque little town of Alpine appearance. Juneau con tains perhaps 3,000 inhabitants, and was founded in 1881. This so-called ' city ' consists of wooden houses laid out with regularity, but the streets are generally knee-deep in mud during the summer on account of the incessant rainfall. It is a busy place, with two hotels, good shops, innumerable drinking saloons, and electric light everywhere. Miners fit out here for the Yukon region, and it may be well to advise the in experienced contemplating a visit to Klondike to do likewise ; for there are storekeepers here who thoroughly understand the business, and who do nothing else.1 On Douglas Island near here is the famous Treadwell Mine, where the largest quartz mill in the world crushes 600 tons in the twenty-four hours.

This mine has already yielded more gold than was paid for the whole of Alaska ! For outfit for Alaska see Appendix A. JUNEAU, ALASKA — LOOKING NORTH The population of Juneau appeared to consist mainly of storeand saloon-keepers, miners on their way to the Yukon, and a few flashily dressed ladies of doubtful reputation. Many of the latter were attired in ' bloomers,' a garb that rendered them, if possible, more unattractive than nature had already done. Labour should be cheap in Juneau, for the streets are generally crowded with loafers from the Pacific slope, who land here almost penniless, with the vague intention of working their way to the gold-fields. Oddly enough, with such a riff-raff population, crime is rare. The majority of the gold-seekers are steady industrious men with sufficient capital to make a good start, and evil-doers are summarily dealt with.

Notwithstanding its immunity from rowdiness, the place has much in common with the old Californian mining camps, and there are plenty of sharks of both sexes to waylay and fleece the lucky digger on his way back to the Golden Gates. Sounds of revelry are heard on every side throughout the brief summer night, for Juneau is a blaze of electric light from dusk till dawn, and never seems to sleep. Joe Cooper arrived on the second day of our stay, and preparations were made for a start the same evening for Dyea, at the head of Lynn Canal — the end of salt-water navigation. The distance from Juneau to this point is about 100 miles, and could in a well-found vessel be accomplished with comfort in very few hours ; but I would not willingly cross the Serpentine in the crazy little craft upon which we embarked that night.

The ' Rustler ' was a revelation (even for Alaska) in dirt and discomfort. She measured perhaps forty-five feet in length and was covered from stem to stern by a kind of wooden shed entered by a doorway, which, when closed, entirely excluded light and air. The space below the filthy deck was reserved for baggage, so that the rickety plank structure afore-mentioned formed the sole accommodation. As it also contained the boiler and engines, the heat, stench, and noise may be better imagined than described, There was only one bunk, in a tiny wheelhouse forward, for the use of the Captain. The ' Rustler,' licensed to carry twenty-five persons, contained on this occasion sixty-seven, most of whom were intoxicated, which did not improve matters. Anticipations of a pleasant voyage completely vanished when, upon leaving harbour, a number of passengers (stationed on the roof) crossed to the port side to wave a last farewell, and the little tub heeled over till water came pouring in over the low gunwale.

The night was fine and still, however, which compensated for loss of sleep. By midnight men overcome by drink had fallen in all directions, and the place looked like a Texan saloon after a free fight. One could not step across the filthy den for human faces or turn without touching some prostrate form. Towards morning a breeze crept up from the southward and raised a ripple that necessi tated the closing" of the door. The heat and stench occasioned by the engines now becoming unbearable, I struggled forward to the wheel house, where Captain Donald Campbell cour teously offered me half his camp stool, and I managed to get a mouthful of fresh air. The morning was bright and pleasant, but a rapidly freshening wind somewhat detracted from my enjoyment of the glorious scenery. Lynn Canal is the grandest fjord on the coast, and its western shores present a magnificent panorama of snow-clad mountains fringed by dark pine forest to the water's edge.

Towards midday the Davidson Glacier was passed, and near enough to distinguish the strange and beautiful effects produced upon it by cloud and sunshine. The Davidson Glacier is fan-shaped and second only in size and grandeur to the Muir Glacier, which lies to the west of it. Both are visited by hundreds of tourists every summer, which perhaps accounts for the exist ence of the now famous ' Silent City.' The latter is simply a ' mirage ' over the Muir Glacier, but a mirage so perfect that the dis coverer (an enterprising American) returned to Juneau with a marvellous story. The city he had seen contained not only great public build ings, lofty spires, and well-defined streets, and parks, but even people walking about ! This occurred about four years ago ; but, although thousands have since visited the spot, the mysterious vision has obstinately refused to reappear.

The ' discovery ' of the city had some good results, for it swelled the receipts of the Tourist Steamship Company, while the ' dis coverer ' made hundreds of dollars by the sale of a photograph he had been fortunate enough to obtain of the phenomenon. A sceptical Eng lish tourist has since also made the ' discovery ' that his own house figures in the picture, which (he says) is simply a poor negative of his native city : Bristol, in England. But Englishmen are proverbially incredulous ! No food of any kind being provided for passengers on board the ' Rustler,' I gladly accepted Captain Campbell's invitation to share his mid-day meal, which was brought up by a grimy youth of uncertain age. ' Hootchinoo ' and 'Alaskan strawberries,' said the skipper jocosely, as we fell to, and I learnt, for the first time, the local vernacular for whisky and beans.

During this repast the grimy youth (who constituted the entire crew) took the helm. There was a light-hearted abandon about Donald Campbell's navigation that was any thing but reassuring, especially as parts of the Lynn Canal are notoriously dangerous. But this caused my friend little anxiety, and the boat was frequently left in my charge while he went aft to visit his friends and refresh himself. I learnt at Dyea that seamanship was a comparatively recent phase in his career, and that he had formerly driven a milk-cart in San Francisco. Towards 6 p.m. we entered Dyea Inlet, but the wind had gradually increased since morning and it was now blowing half a gale. We could luckily run before it, but great white rollers more than once threatened to poop the wretched little cockboat as she floundered helplessly about at the mercy of the waves.

A dull lower ing sky and rapidly falling barometer presaged a dirtier night, and even Donald Campbell looked uneasy. The ex-milkman finally resolved to run for Skagway Bay, where there is good anchorage, and proceed, if possible, to Dyea (which is merely an open roadstead) in the morning. It seemed, more than once, as though we should never reach Skagway, or indeed, any where else, for the launch was leaking badly. Eight o'clock, however, found us at anchor in fairly smooth water, and though our cable con sisted of a flimsy rope, and a rocky lee-shore would have made short work of the ' Rustler,' I slept soundly enough that night, undisturbed by the revels of our fellow-passengers, who were evidently bent on making another night of it. When I awoke the sun was shining brightly, the wind had fallen, and we had reached our destination.

Although there are at the present time several routes into Alaska under the consideration of the Canadian and United States Govern ments, there were in 1894 but two recognised means of reaching the Yukon Valley. One (which is still largely used) is by sea from San Francisco to Fort St. Michael, on Bering Sea, a distance of about 2,500 miles, which takes from eighteen to thirty days (according to weather) to accomplish. At St. Michael passengers and freight are trans shipped to flat-bottomed steamers, which carry them about 1,800 miles more up the Yukon river (past Circle City, in U. S. territory) to Forty-Mile City, in British territory. Klondike is situated only a short distance above this point. This route is only practicable from the end of June to the middle of September, as the Yukon is at other times blocked by ice, while St. Michael is, for the same reason, unapproachable by sea.

The other route, via Dyea and the Chilkoot, is, as the reader will see, considerably shorter, though much less easily accomplished.1 Other routes into the country which have attracted attention since the gold-rush are the ' White Pass,' the ' Taku Pass,' ' Jack Daulton's Trail,' and the ' Stickine route.' Recent events have not confirmed the favourable opinion I once formed of the first-named pass, which seems to be only second to the Chilkoot in impractica bility. There can be little doubt, however, that Daulton's Trail has much to recommend it, especially as over 800 head of cattle have been driven across it this year (1897) without the 1 Sea route via St. Michael . . 4,350 Eng. miles Land „ via Dyea . . . 1,650 Fare from San Francisco to Forty-Mile City by sea route ,5175. slightest difficulty.

But it would be premature to come to any conclusion until the spring of 1898, when the surveyors now at work on the coast will have sent in their reports, and a practicable road into Alaska will no doubt have been discovered.1 A foretaste of the pleasures of Alaskan travel awaits us at Dyea, where we are compelled, owing to the shelving beach, to wade ashore for over half a mile. The crowd splashing to land from the ' Rustler ' looks like an invading army. The water is scarcely knee-deep, but an oc casional hole lets one in over the waist, which adds to the general hilarity of the proceedings, but does not improve the temper or the pro visions we carry. Alaska is no place for the fastidious. If you want a thing done, you must do it yourself, or ' get left ! ' The name of Dyea is derived from an Indian word signifying ' a carrying place.' The village is picturesquely situated in a valley surrounded by thickly wooded hills.

One might be in Switzerland. Horses and cattle graze on the See Appendix C. lowlands, while, far away on the horizon, a succession of snowy peaks glitter against a cloudless blue sky. The settlement consists of a large wooden storehouse, and perhaps half a dozen log huts inhabited by Indians. These are generally surrounded by the white tents of diggers bound inland, or ' getting out ' of the country. A Yukon miner never talks of ' leaving ' Alaska. He ' gets out ' of this Arctic ice-trap, which has already entombed so many of those who have ventured within its treacherous gates. A delay of two or three days is generally unavoidable here, while Indians are procured to carry tents and baggage over the Chilkoot Pass to the lakes, twenty-four miles distant. Leaving Joe and Harding to pitch the tent, I strolled over to the store, where the proprietor, a brawny Scotchman, in gum-boots and shirt sleeves, was sunning himself at his doorway.

Mr. Heron was inclined to be taciturn, and as he has (or had) the monopoly of Indians, horses, and everything else one happened to want, considerable tact was necessary to bring him into a more genial frame of mind. This took A FUR STORE ALASKA ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS some time ; for Heron at Dyea is monarch of all he surveys. In justice, let me add that success was attained more by the fact that we were fellow-countrymen than by the aid of the almighty dollar. Also, my big friend's bark was worse than his bite. Indian packers and horses were promised for the morrow, and at mid-day my party were doing justice to an excellent meat pie and vegetables in the storekeeper's back parlour. This may seem an unnecessary detail. I mention it, as this happened to be the one decent meal we got between Juneau and Forty-Mile City, a distance of nearly 700 miles !

Towards evening I walked out with a gun, but saw nothing, with the exception of a couple of large eagles and some sea-gulls. There is very little sport to be had down the Yukon. Moose used to be plentiful, but the continual crack of the miner's rifle has scared them away from the riverside, and one must now go far inland to find them. At Fort St. Michael, on Bering Sea, I got plenty of duck and ptarmigan ; but, for all we saw elsewhere, both rifle and fowling-piece might, with advantage, have been left at home. THROUGH THE GOLD-FIELDS OF I returned to camp to find all made snug for the night. Joe Cooper and Harding had lost no time, for many of our ' Rustler ' friends had not even commenced to encamp or to sort the con fused mass of flour-bags, Yukon stoves and mining implements that had been thrown down anyhow, and that, even now, were still being dragged wearily ashore from the steamer.

Many of the parties had brought huge American ban ners that floated proudly where tents should have been, but the only visible symbol of far away England was the tiny Union Jack that fluttered over our heads. I don't think I met half a dozen Englishmen between Dyea and the shores of Bering Sea. The chief topic of conversation in camp that night was the condition of the Chilkoot Pass. No mother ever watched a sick child with greater care and anxiety than do the Indians the now famous peak that rears its ugly head midway between Dyea and the lakes. Every change of temperature, wind, or weather is carefully noted ; for even during the summer months snow flurries are frequent, and the summit is frequently veiled INDIAN TOTEM POLES c ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS in dense mist for days together. But the Indians who crowded our camp to-night prophesied good weather, at any rate for the morrow, although the actual ascent would not be made until the following day.

The Alaskan Indian is not prepossessing, judging from the specimens we met with at Dyea. Natives are very rarely seen in the interior, and from Lake Lindemann to the village of Thron-Diuck (Klondike) we came across less than a score. There are many tribes, however, ranging from the Thlinkits of the coast range to the Eskimo on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. The Thlinkits, who number about 7,000, are a fine muscular race, but the laziest and most im pudent scoundrels I have ever met with. Lying and theft may be said to be their chief charac teristics. Their once picturesque dress is now discarded for tweeds and trousers which render them even more unattractive than formerly. The Thlinkit women are under-sized, and, for the most part, repulsive, their appearance not being improved by a black, oily preparation which is smeared thickly over the face as a protection against mosquito bites.

Only tiny children are exempt from ' packing ' outfits over the Chilkoot. The women, and even the dogs, must do their share of the work. Some of the latter have been known to carry as much as twenty pounds to the lakes in canvas bags, slung, pannier-fashion, over their backs. There is no actual night in these regions at this season of the year, but the hewing of timber and hammering of tent pegs around kept us out of the blankets until twilight was merging into day, and it was almost time to light a fire for our morning meal. c 2 ALASKA TO BERING STRAITS

Chapter II Sheep Camp

— THE CHILKOOT PASS The name 'Alaska ' is a corruption of ' Al-ay-eksa,' a native name signifying ' A Great Country.' It is only natural that a region so wild and so remote should be comparatively unknown in England, but there are probably many Americans ignorant of the vast extent of their newly acquired territory, some even who are unaware that San Francisco is several hundred miles east of the eastern and western extremities of the United States. Alaska proper (which until 1867 was known as Russian America) has an area of about 600,000 square miles. The population consisted in 1895 of about 8,000 whites and 23,000 Indians in all. Since the gold-rush, however, the former have more than doubled their number. Alaska may be divided into two great divisions or districts : South-East and Western Alaska.

Mount St. Elias,1 18,000 feet high, marks the dividing line at 141 degrees West longitude, running north from this point to the Arctic Ocean. The diversity of climatic and other conditions existing throughout this huge territory, from its southern coasts to the shores of the Polar Sea, is naturally very great. On the North Pacific coast, fjords with densely wooded islands are so numerous that from Victoria in British Columbia to Dyea there are but a few miles of open sea. Inland, almost as far as the Arctic Circle, mountain ranges (many of great altitude) are everywhere visible. There are also many large lakes, often surrounded by the swamps and im penetrable forest that render Alaska so hard a nut for the explorer to crack. Only a few miles north of the coast range, fertile soil and luxuriant vegetation are replaced by the barrenness of an Arctic Sahara, so far as agriculture is concerned.

Here, for eight months of the year, vast plains and huge rivers are merged into one vast un- 1 The ascent of this mountain was recently made, for the first time, by H.H. the Duke of Abruzzi. trodden world of ice, which few dare to penetrate until the return of spring, or during the brief summer when roses bloom, and the coarse luxuriant grass is plentifully sprinkled with daisies and other wild flowers. In Central Alaska the ground is perpetually frozen a few inches below the surface, while in the north, wells have been sunk through forty feet of solid ice. For those who take care of themselves Alaska is fairly healthy, notwithstanding that the thermometer ranges from 98° Fahr. in the shade to 70° and even 80° below zero. May, June, and July are the best months for the interior, for the days are generally bright and pleasant, and the heat tempered by cool breezes.

On the coast rain and fog prevail. Occasionally, in June and July, the sun is visible for a few hours, but there are on an average only sixty-six fine days through out the year. In 1884 a rainfall of 155 inches was registered at Ounalaska. The rain seldom pours down, but falls in a kind of steady drizzle from a leaden sky, while the grey sodden landscape presents a picture of utter dreariness and desolation. But this damp cheerlessness has its advantages. The incessant humidity sheds a perpetual verdure over the coast districts, and the temperature rarely falls to zero. Winter only sets in with severity about the 1st of December, and snow has vanished, except on the mountains and hillsides, by the end of May. The heat in July rarely exceeds 75° Fahr. The soil is rich and root crops are prolific, while horses and cattle do well.

Above all, the ports of Juneau, Dyea, and Sitka are open to the world all the year round. Perhaps, taking all these facts into consideration, the coast settlements are preferable, as a permanent residence, to those of the interior. Alaska was discovered by a Russian expedition led by Bering in 1741, and settlements established along its coasts for the fish and fur trades. A charter granted to a Russo-American Fur Company by the Emperor Paul in 1799 was renewed in 1839, when Sitka became the principal settlement. Gold was then undreamt of, and I imagine that, even ten years ago, few people in England were aware of its existence west of the Caribou district. Alaska was suggestive of Eskimo skin-boats, wolves and walrus, but cer tainly not of the precious metal. Taking Sitka as a starting-point, the Russo- American Company established about twenty smaller stations, and an important trade was carried on in furs and walrus tusks.

About 30,000 skins of the seal and sea-otter were exported annually, besides a considerable quan tity of ivory. But the privileges of this company expired in 1863, and in 1867 the whole of Russian America was acquired by the United States for the sum of #7,200,000. Secretary Seward, who was chiefly responsible for the purchase, was blamed at the time for what was looked upon by many as a foolish blunder. No one then imagined that ' Seward's Ice Box ' would, in a very few years, repay its purchase price many times over ; for, indeed, time alone can reveal the boundless resources of this great country. During the first five years of American possession the new province made a return of eight per cent, on the investment. The gold mines (not including that taken out this year, 1897) have produced #8,000,000, and in six years the salmon industry yielded #7,500,000.

The commerce of Alaska was, in 1867, #2,500,000. It is now ten times as great. In seals, #35,000,000 have been exported in thirty years, and #53,000,000 in furs alone. The industries so far developed pertain mostly to the coast, but who can tell what riches the opening up of the Yukon Valley may not reveal ? Coal, copper, lead, and petroleum are known to exist in large quantities, while the timber supply is not only practically inexhaus tible, but of great value. It is sad to think that the much-maligned statesman who acquired this priceless territory did not live to see his golden dream realised. One of poor Seward's last speeches was prophetic. A few days before his death, the Secretary was asked by a friend what he considered the most important measure of his political career? ' The purchase of Alaska,' was the reply ; ' but it will take the people a generation to find it out!' Glorious weather favoured our departure from Dyea.