had led victoriously against the enemies of Menelek in the region disputed by Great Britain. In 1900 King Menelek requested the co-operation of the British in suppressing a fanatical Mohammedan mollah who was disturbing the peace among the tribes on the borders of the British Somaliland protectorate and the Abyssinian dominions. A combined movement of British and Abyssinian troops was arranged. Haji Mohammed ben Abdullah, known as the Mad Mollah, an Ogaden Somali about thirty years old, educated as a wahad, or theologian, a disciple of the Sheik Mohammed Saleh, the head of the mystic order of Tarika Mohamalia at Mecca, persuaded many of the Somalis that he was the incarnation of the prophet, appointed by the divine will to regenerate the people of his race and establish an independent kingdom. Having acquired much influence among the Ogaden and Dolbohanti tribes as a holy man who had made several pilgrimages to Mecca, he organized a body of dervishes who plundered other tribes on both sides of the border. When the mollah began to subjugate the Somalis of Abyssinia, while maintaining a conciliatory and submissive attitude toward Great Britain, the British at Berbera looked with favor upon the movement, which the French and Russians accused them of fostering. The British authorities were inclined to encourage the new sect in their own territory so long as its leader was simply a religious teacher, enjoining regularity in prayers and other rites, and while his influence was exerted to allay feuds among the tribes and he himself delivered up malefactors for punishment. The people of Berbera would not listen to the strict teachings of the new sect, which interdicted the use of the leaf kat, the favorite intoxicant of the coast Somalis, but the tribes of the interior fell under the mollah's influence. At first he abstained from raiding antagonistic tribes in the British protectorate or interfering with the caravan trade, but after the Habba Unis joined him he sent a defiant message to Col. Hayes Sadler, the British consul-general at Berbera, and took up an attitude of hostility toward all those who had dealings with the British authorities, denouncing the British Government and all who acknowledged it as infidels. In the autumn of 1899 he advanced to Burao, 90 miles south of Berbera, with a force estimated at 2,000 horsemen and 3,000 spearmen, with 400 rifles among them. He burned the town of a section hostile to his religious teachings, and established himself in the plain, threatening Berbera itself, and gaining many adherents by his successes, which were attributed to miraculous power. The ignorant believed that he could turn bullets into water and hear all that was said about him in distant places. While the British were making preparations to crush his force with troops from India he retired in November, 1899, to the Dolbohanti. The British thereupon suspended their preparations. The local authorities urged immediate action, saying that the power of the mollah would grow rapidly if the expedition were deferred. The Imperial Government nevertheless deemed delay expedient in view of the state of affairs in other parts of the world. At Burao, Mohammed Abdullah proclaimed himself the true Mahdi, and announced that all Mohammedans who refused to join him were no true believers. He claimed to rule all central Somaliland, acknowledging no British authority excepting on the coast. His unchecked reprisals against tribes which were friendly to the English caused them to waver and to doubt the power of Great Britain to protect them. After looting far and

wide the tribes who still professed loyalty to Great Britain, and killing a powerful chief who warned him of the fate which awaited him at the hands of the British Government, he retreated to the country of the Ibrahim tribe of northern Ogaden, and from that base extended his influence among the tribes on the Abyssinian frontier, seizing the head men and cattle of the tribes that refused to join him. Ras Makonen, the Governor of Harar, sent an expedition of 1,500 men to put a stop to his depredations. Early in 1900 the mollah attacked the Abyssinians at their frontier post of Jig Jiga, but was repulsed with heavy loss. Then he returned to Ogaden and began to raid tribes friendly to the English and the nomadic Somalis who move with their herds back and forth between British and Abyssinian territory according to the state of the pasturage. The raids of his horsemen checked trade and peaceful industry and led to the joint AngloAbyssinian expedition, the plans for which were agreed upon in December, 1900. It was arranged that English officers should accompany the Abys sinian expedition and an Abyssinian officer be present with the British force, and that during the operations the frontier between Abyssinian and British territories should be regarded as nonexistent. Col. Hayes Sadler set about the organization of a force of Somalis, which was not ready for operations till the end of March, 1901. The Somali frontier force, trained and commanded by Col. Swayne, consisted of 1,000 infantry, 400 mounted spearmen, and 100 camel sowars. The Abyssinians had 10,000 men under Ras Makonen assembled at Jig Jiga a month before the British were ready to act. They marched southeastward, and after a series of skirmishes in the Harradiggit district, and the capture of the enemy's camp at Walwal, with great numbers of camels, sheep, and goats, they drove the mollah out of Ogaden, which they raided to avenge a defeat that they suffered five years before, when 6,000 Abyssinians fell in battle. They could not now remain long in this arid country, and fell back in order to reorganize their force in time for the combined movement with the British. They endured great privations, inasmuch as it was the dry season of the year, and the few wells had been closed by the mollah and were only reopened with difficulty. Many stragglers returned in a famished condition to Harar. The force encamped round the wells of Gerloguby, where they held their ground when attacked by the dervishes. They waited until the rains came to enable them to advance, with 8,000 troops accompanied by 25,000 followers and as many pack animals, across the desert 300 miles to the forest region of Dolbohanti in British territory where the mollah had taken refuge. The British force when able to take the field in May advanced from Burao in the direction of Dolbohanti. Ras Makonen had waited impatiently for the British, and was about to recall his troops from Ogaden, where they suffered greatly from disease and privation. When the British did move he organized a fresh force of picked Abyssinian warriors from Harar to relieve these exhausted troops, who were mostly Somalis led by the Gabri of Fi Taurari. The fresh Abyssinian expedition concentrated at Dagaha Mado, 150 miles south of Harar. It consisted of 10,000 men and horses, with a vast number of camp-followers and baggage animals, and was commanded by Abanabro, whose title was Kanyazmach, or commander of the right wing.

The British, when prepared to move from their advanced base, still delayed operations until they could obtain information as to the movements

of the Abyssinians. While the Somali field force was being organized and trained an Anglo-Indian expedition set out from Kismayu to punish the southern Ogaden Somalis for the murder of an English official (see EAST AFRICA). The influence of the Mad Mollah had penetrated to this remote quarter, and his complicity in this crime was suspected.

The Somalis are an intelligent, athletic, warlike race, supposed to be Gallas by descent, modified by a large admixture of Arab blood. Along the entire coast known as Somaliland they have pushed back the Gallas and gained the predominant position of controlling the outlets to the sea and possessing a monopoly of the trade from the interior. They are proud and conceited, and believe that if they were supplied with rifles as the Abyssinians have been they would become a powerful nation. Under European training they make excellent soldiers. The Mad Mollah professed friendship for the English until some of his adherents plundered a hunting expedition and captured many rifles which he was unwilling to restore. The Somali weapons are long-shafted spears with leaf-shaped heads, javelins which they throw with accuracy to a distance of 40 yards, and double-edged, sharp-pointed, curved swords. The army that Mohammed Abdullah had collected for the jehad or holy war that he proclaimed against Christianity was estimated at 40,000 men. He had obtained 3,000 rifles of various patterns, and was well supplied with ammunition. His cavalry numbered about 8,000, and were the most formidable part of the force, mounted as they were on the Somali horses, that can cover 75 miles without water.

When communication was established between the British and Abyssinian forces both advanced, the Abyssinians along the Fafan river after concentrating at Gabro, the British from Burao to Ber and El Dab, from which place the camel corps and mounted infantry made a rapid night march through the desert and on May 29 surprised the Madoba and Jama tribes, capturing 2,800 camels and 5,000 oxen and sheep that were intended as supplies for the mollah, whose scouts were encountered at Assura on June 2. The mollah meanwhile made a flank march and attempted to recapture the animals from the zareba at Somala, where he was repulsed by Capt. MacNeill, losing several hundred men. Col. Swayne, an officer possessing more knowledge of the Somalis and their ways than any other Englishman, and who had made an efficient force of his Somali recruits, equal in many respects to the best European soldiery, delivered an attack on the mollah's troops as they were returning to their camp at Yahel, taking them by surprise. When they turned, the camel corps and mounted troops pressed them and with hot rifle and mitrailleuse fire emptied many saddles. The mollah and his troops made good their escape, although pursued for 40 miles. On June 3 the Somalis made another attack on Capt. MacNeill's zareba with 3,000 cavalry and 2,000 spearmen, pressing on in close order and almost succeeding in their effort to penetrate the zareba in spite of the hail of rifle and Maxim balls that killed over 400 of their number, while on the British side only 10 men were killed and 9 wounded. The faith of the Somalis in the religious mission and supernatural powers of the mollah was broken by the result of these engagements. The Jamas, who had borne the brunt of the last fight, made their submission, and many of the Dolbohantis deserted to the British, who had trained men of their own kind to win victories when outnumbered a dozen to

one. The Abyssinian army arrived at Gerloguby on June 11 and aided in confining the mollah to the Dolbohanti country, whence he was driven into the country of the Mijertain Somalis, the last to join his standard. The Abyssinians were able to march 20 miles a day for any length of time, but when the food that they brought with them was exhausted they could not find subsistence for their great number in so poor a country. They attacked tribes that had submitted to the mollah, but in the end were compelled to return to their own country in a thoroughly exhausted condition. The force of Col. Swayne was capable of dealing with the mollah, whose prestige was destroyed, and whose army was reduced to about 2,000. Operating from Burao, the British force routed Abdullah on July 17 near Hassan Ughaz, and drove the remnant of his army into the Haud desert. The British force included a contingent of Indian troops, and the Somalis of Col. Swayne had been taught to shoot as well as European troops, whereas the rifles in the hands of the mollah's men were almost useless. Nevertheless they fought courageously and killed or wounded 2 British officers and 32 men, losing 70 killed and many wounded. The mollah's camp and live stock fell into the hands of the British, and he disappeared in the Mijertain country, his power and influence utterly destroyed.

AFGHANISTAN, a monarchy in central Asia, lying between Russian Turkestan and British India. The Ameer, Abdurrahman Khan, who was enthroned in 1880 by the British after they had occupied Cabul, the capital, and driven out Yakub Khan, son of Shere Ali, the preceding Ameer, died Oct. 3, 1901. Since 1880 the Indian Government has paid an annual subsidy first 1,200,000 rupees and in 1893 increased to 1,800,000 rupees to enable Abdurrahman to consolidate his kingdom and preserve a strong, united, and independent Afghanistan as a buffer state between India and the Russian dominions. The area is about 215,400 square miles, with 5,000,000 inhabitants. Every eighth man is drafted into the Ameer's army, which has a strength of over 60,000. The regular paid troops garrisoning Cabul, Herat, Candahar, and Afghan Turkestan numbers 37,000 infantry and 7.000 cavalry, with 360 pieces of artillery. Silks, sheepskin garments, carpets, fabrics of camels' and goats' hair, felts, and rosaries are manufactured. Fruits, including apples, pears, almonds, peaches, quinces, cherries, grapes, pomegranates, apricots, figs, and mulberries, are abundant and are exported in the preserved state. Asafetida, madder, and castoroil are exported. Rice, millet, maize, wheat, bar ley, and legumes are cultivated. Copper, lead, iron, and gold are mined in primitive fashion, and in Badakshan lapis lazuli and precious stones are obtained. The imports of Cabul from India were

HABIBULLAH KHAN, AMEER OF AFGHANISTAN.

valued at Rx 294.605, and exports Rx 217,236; imports of Candahar were Rx 329,917, and exports Rx 263,884. The trade of Bokhara with Afghanistan amounts to about 4,000,000 rubles for imports, and for exports the same. The Ameer gave his attention not only to the military or ganization of his people for defense against either Russian or British aggression, but also to the economical development of the country. Under the direction of an English engineer canals and other irrigation works

ABDURRAHMAN KHAN,

LATE AMEER.

have been constructed. Forts have been built along the Oxus, and heavy Krupp guns have been imported. The arsenal at Cabul turns out small arms in quantities, and smokeless powder.

ALABAMA. (See under UNITED STATES.) ALASKA, a Territory of the United States, in the extreme northwestern part of the North American continent. It was ceded by Russia to the United States in a treaty concluded March 30 and proclaimed June 20, 1867, in consideration of the payment of $7,200,000. Its gross area, according to the census of 1900, is 590,884 square miles. The main body of the Territory is bounded on the east by the one hundred and forty-first meridian west from Greenwich, on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the west by Bering Sea and Bering Strait, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. It includes also the Alaska peninsula and the Aleutian Islands, trending southwestward for more than 1,200 miles, and a strip, known as Southeast Alaska, 600 miles long, bounded on the south by Dixon Sound and Portland Channel, and on the east by the summit line of the mountains parallel to the coast; and where such a line is at a greater distance than 10 marine leagues (34 statute miles), by a line drawn parallel to the windings of the coast, which shall never exceed 10 marine leagues therefrom. The position of the boundary of this southeastern extension is now a matter of dispute between Great Britain and the United States.

Government.-Alaska was without civil government from the time of its purchase till May 17, 1884, when it was made a civil and judicial district." Although frequently designated as a Territory, it is not so legally. In the act referred to above it is expressly stated that "there shall be no legislative assembly in said district, nor shall any delegate be sent to Congress "; but in the same act it is referred to as the "Territory of Alaska." The original laws prohibited the importation, manufacture, and sale of intoxicating liquors, except for medical, mechanical, and scientific purposes; and although liquor was openly sold in Sitka, Juneau, Wrangel, and other cities, public sentiment was strongly against the sale of liquor to the Indians. In January, 1899, Congress passed an amendment providing for a high-license system in the Territory with a species of local option. Liquor dealers by its provisions are to pay a license of $1,000 a year, and the consent of

a majority of the white citizens residing within two miles of a liquor-dealer's establishment must be obtained before a license can issue. All license fees are to be devoted to educational purposes in Alaska. The former prohibition is continued against the sale to Indians, minors, and habitual drunkards.

The new code of criminal procedure went into effect on July 1, 1899, and it has been of the greatest advantage to the Territory. It gives the court much more liberty in obtaining juries; has enabled the enforcement of the liquor regulations; and has made smuggling an unprofitable occupation. The only sections that have met with serious complaint are those relating to the taxation of businesses and trades. A Territorial convention met in Juneau in October, 1899, and submitted a memorial to Congress petitioning for two additional judges of the district court; for a delegate to Congress; for probate judges having, in addition to the usual probate powers, jurisdiction in certain civil and criminal cases; for commissioners having the jurisdiction of the justices of the peace and magistrates with like powers for incorporated cities and towns; for education of the white children of the district; for a civil code and a code of civil procedure; for amendments to the criminal code; for a general municipal incorporation law; for the extension to the district of homestead, timber and stone and coal land laws, with provisions for special individual surveys, and for modifications in the mineral-land laws to stop the wholesale appropriation by a few individuals of the public mineral lands.

Gov. Brady in his annual reports has specially urged the extension of the land laws, the adoption of a code of civil procedure, and the necessity for roads, telegraphs, and the erection of lighthouses upon dangerous points of the coast. The temporary seat of government is at Sitka, formerly the Russian capital.

The following were the officials of the Territory in 1901: Governor, John G. Brady. United States Judges-Melville C. Brown, District No. 1, Juneau; Arthur H. Noyes, District No. 2, St. Michael; James Wickersham, District No. 3, Eagle City. United States Attorneys-Robert A. Friedrich, District No. 1; Joseph K. Wood; A. M. Post. Clerk, District No. 1, Joseph J. Rogers. United States Marshals-James M. Shoup, District No. 1; Cornelius L. Vawter, District No. 2; G. G. Perry, District No. 3. CommissionersEdward de Groff, Sitka; Hiram H. Folsom, Juneau; F. P. Tustin, Fort Wrangel; L. R. Woodward, Unalaska; Philip Gallaher, Kadiak; C. A. Shelbrede, Skagway: W. J. Jones, Circle City; Charles H. Isham, Unga; Lenox B. Shepard, St. Michael: Sol Rapinsky, Haines Mission; J. P. Smith, Kechikan; L. R. Gillette, Douglas. Officers of Marine Barracks, Sitka-Capt. Joseph H. Pendleton, commanding, Lieut. George H. Mather, Surgeon Henry B. Fitts. Customs Officers-J. W. Ivey, Collector; Walton D. McNair, Special Deputy, Sitka; Deputy Collectors-F. E. Bronson, Sitka; John M. Tenney, Juneau; J. H. Causten, Wrangel; John R. Beegle, Kechikan; Claude B. Cannon, Kadiak; Frederick Sargent, Karluk; J. F. Sinnot, Unga; William Gauntlet, Unalaska; E. T. Hatch, St. Michael; Charles Smith, Circle City; G. A. Waggoner, White Pass; John Goodell, Orca; C. L. Andrews, Skagway: S. T. Penberthy, Homer; Matthew Bridge, Wharfinger, Sitka. Department of Agriculture C. C. Georgeson, Special Agent: Superintendents: Fred E. Rader, Sitka; H. P. Nielson, Kenai; Isaac Jones.

reau

Bu

of Education-Sheldon Jackson, Agent; William Hamilton, Assistant Agent; W. A. Kelly,

Superintendent of Schools. Post-Office, SitkaMrs. A. M. Archangelsky, Postmaster. United States Land Office, Sitka-W. L. Dustin, Surveyor-General; John W. Dudley, Register; A. J. Apperson, Receiver; Clinton Gurnee, George W. Stowell, Clerks. Deputy Marshals-W. H. McNair (special), J. W. Snook, Sitka; W. A. Staley, Juneau; William D. Grant, Wrangel; John McElheny, Douglas island; Edward C. Hasey, Kadiak; Lewis L. Bowers, Unga; James C. Blaine, Unalaska; Josias M. Tanner, Skagway.

Population. The native population belongs to two great stocks, the Eskimo and the Indian. The former inhabit some of the Aleutian Islands and the shores of Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean; the latter occupy the interior and southeastern portion of the Territory. The greater part of the Russians emigrated at the time of the transfer of Alaska to the United States. The development of the gold-fields of the Yukon basin and the Cape Nome district has brought a large increase in the white population in recent years. Where the natives have come into contact with the whites there are many half-breeds. The total population of the Territory according to the census of 1880 was 33,426; in 1890 it was 32,052. The census of 1900 was taken under much more favorable conditions than had been possible before, owing to the greatly increased facilities for communication, and to the energy and special knowledge of the agents in charge of the work. The total population was 63,592, an increase of 31.540, or 98.4 per cent., over that of 1890. This was distributed according to sex, race, and nativity as follows:

* Includes 2,449 persons of mixed parentage.

sources, $21,823.24; total resources, $226,440.76. Liabilities: capital stock, $50,000; surplus and undivided profits, $3,069.79; individual deposits, $105,125.60; United States deposits, $36,726.97; deposits of United States disbursing officers, $26,668.40; other liabilities, $4,850; total liabilities, $226,440.76. At the corresponding date in 1900 the total liabilities were $169,840.85, distributed as follow: Capital stock, $50,000; surplus and profits, $1,964.88; individual deposits, $64,710.22; deposits of United States disbursing officers, $46,231.14; other liabilities, $6,934.61. The resources: loans and discounts, $53,457.21; United States bonds, $62,500; due from banks, $17,565.60; specie, $20,245.30; other resources, $16,072.

There are no official statistics for banks other than national. The American Bank Reporter for May, 1901, reports the following banks in operation in the Territory: Juneau: B. M. Behrends (private), capital $50,000. Nome: Bank of Cape Nome (incorporated), capital $200,000; Alaska Banking and Safe-Deposit Company (incorporated), capital $75,000; First Bank of Nome (organizing). Skagway: Bank of Alaska (private), deposits $20,000; Canadian Bank of Commerce (agency).

Commerce and Navigation.-Alaska forms a single customs district of the United States, with Sitka as its port of entry. The following are classed as subports of entry: Dyea, Eagle City, Wrangel, Mary Island, Juneau, Kadiak, Unalaska, Circle City, Cook Inlet (Homer), Orea, St. Michael Island, Skagway, Unga, Karluk, Kechikan. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1900, 26 sailing vessels, of 5,235 tons, and 390 steam-vessels, of 207,645 tons, were entered by the district of Alaska, of which 5 sailing vessels, of 3,037 tons, and 237 steam-vessels, of 143,082 tons, were American; during the same period 26 sailing vessels, of 3,511 tons, and 317 steam-vessels, of 151,893 tons, were cleared, of which 5 sailing vessels, of 2,012 tons, and 170 steam-vessels, of 94,388 tons, were American.

The total exports for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1900, were valued at $566,347, and the imports at $385,317. The exports for the nine months

the imports at $390,225. These figures are for the foreign commerce alone, and do not include the values of merchandise shipped to and from ports of the United States.

Mineral Resources.-Although coal, copper, silver, cinnabar, lead, tin, arsenic, antimony, manganese, corundum, petroleum, slate, clay, and many varieties of building stone are reported in paying quantities, gold is the only mineral that has received the serious attention of the miners. The gold is mined chiefly by placers; but several quartz-mills are building, and some in successful operation, notably the great three-hundred-stamp gold-mill, the largest in the world, at the Treadwell mines, near Juneau. The great centers of the placer gold-mining industry are the Yukon valley and Cape Nome. Some coal has been taken out at Tyonek, on Cook Inlet, for use on a small local steamer, and at the agency of the Alaska Commercial Company, and an English company is making an attempt toward the development of the surface indications of petroleum near Cape Yakutat, Cape Martin, and Kachewak Bay.

The output of precious metals from Alaska in 1899 was estimated by the Director of the Mint to be: Gold, 264,104 fine ounces, value $5,459,500; silver, 140,100 fine ounces, value $181,540; total value, $5.640.640. The value of the gold output in 1900, by the same estimate, was $8,171,000. These figures are for Alaskan territory alone, and

do not include the output of the rich Klondike mines in British Columbia. Alaska imported $9,137,608 of this Canadian gold in the nine months ending with September, 1901, against $13,115,389 in a similar period in 1900. The golddust receipts at the Seattle Assay Office for the year up to Sept. 30, 1901, from all Alaska and Klondike districts, amounted to more than $25,000,000, and the total receipts for the three years this office has been in operation exceed $50,000,000. The last steamers sailed from Nome on Oct. 24, 1901, bringing out more than $1,000,000 in treasure, and the lakes and the Yukon river were expected to keep open for traffic out of the Klondike till the middle of November.

While the mines of the Klondike have come up to the estimates made last spring of the probable output, Nome has been disappointing, although the yield is in excess of $6,000,000. The estimates for Nome made last spring were $10,000,000, but by reason of the late and unfavorable season, causing the ground to remain frozen until July 10, the output was cut nearly one-half. Interviews with many well-known miners who have returned to spend the winter confirm all the statements regarding the disadvantages and discouragements in nearly all the Nome districts and camps this season.

The year has been a prosperous one for Dawson, and the frontier mining-camp has rapidly blossomed into a handsome capital city, with all the modern conveniences, beautiful homes, and wellgraded thoroughfares. Many men who have dug fortunes out of the earth are staying in the city and spending money in building it up. While the placers have proved rich and predictions have been made that they will hold good for ten years more with extensive hydraulic plants to operate them, additional attention has been given this season to quartz-mining, and several hundred locations have been made in the Dawson district. These properties will be prospected and developed this winter, and the winter diggings that were neglected last season will also be made to contribute to the wealth of the country this winter. The first gold stamp-mill ever built on the Yukon is under construction near Dawson, and it will operate on ore that gives gold values of $20 a ton. There has been everything to encourage business men and miners in the Klondike region this year. Fisheries. Cod, halibut, and herring have long been the food of the natives, and are now being taken in paying quantities by vessels from San Francisco and Puget Sound; but while Alaska possesses what are probably the greatest cod-fishing banks in the world, estimated to be 125,000 square miles in extent, salmon canning is the only great fishing industry. The first canneries were erected in 1878, and the industry now has between $11,000,000 and $12,000,000 invested in buildings, machinery, tackle, boats, and steamvessels. The total pack in 1898 was 974,601 cases, 20,518 barrels, and 4.300 half-barrels; total value, $3.544.128. The estimated pack in 1899 1,000,000 cases and 15,000 barrels, and for 1900, 1.250,000 cases. Until 1899 there were no laws or rules regulating the location of these canneries or the manner in which the fish should be taken: each canning company built where it pleased, and the slaughter of fish went on without let or hindrance. On the best streams, as the Karluk, Kadiak island, many canneries have been built close together, and there is the sharpest rivalry as to which shall put up the largest pack. In consequence the rivers and inlets are being rapidly depleted, and an industry now yielding more than $3,000,000 annually is threatened with extinction.

was

66

A

The pack at Karluk river in 1894 was 229,284 cases, in 1896 226,428 cases, and in 1897 154,262 cases. In 1898 the pack had dropped to 60,000 cases, and in 1899 to 40,000 cases. hatchery has been for several years maintained by the Alaska Packers' Association, but so far there is little sign of replenishment. In speaking of the decline, Capt. Jefferson F. Moser, of the United States Fish Commission steamship Albatross, says: The output of salmon for a single year in 1897 was about 43,000,000 cans, SO one does not wonder that the streams of Alaska are becoming depleted. This depletion, already serious, is caused not by overfishing alone, but by barricading,' a process instituted before the acquisition of Alaska by the United States, a means whereby the fish are actually prevented from ascending the streams to spawn and are compelled to remain practically impounded in the lower waters, awaiting the pleasure of the packers. Although this practise is punishable by a heavy fine and imprisonment, the laws are not enforced." The new code of 1899 made it necessary for the packers to erect hatcheries after Jan. 1, 1901. This was strenuously opposed by the packers and fishermen, as were the following sections, placing restraints on illegal taking of the fish:

"It is forbidden to lay any seine, gill, or other net within 100 yards of the mouth, on either side, or immediately abreast of the mouth, of any river or stream, whereby, in the setting or hauling of said seine, gill, or other net, it may drift wholly or partially across and operate to close the mouth of said river or stream."

"Traps, whether fixed or stationary obstructions' (built on piles or webbing) or constructed of webbing and boats and susceptible of removal from place to place, are declared to be obstructions which impede the ascent of salmon to their spawning grounds,' and their use is hereby forbidden."

Sealing. Not including a few sealskins brought directly into San Francisco from the north, the total catch in the Arctic in 1901 was 24,127, most of the skins going to Victoria, the rendezvous of the sealing schooners. The Bering Sea catch was 10,314, the Copper island catch 3,838, the coast catch 8,985, and the approximate Indian catch 1,000 skins. The world's catch of fur sealskins for the year 1901 is approximately

54,000 skins.

Timber. The whole coast of Alaska, including the islands from 54° 40' to the eastern part of Kadiak island, is covered with timber to the snow-line of the mountains. Hemlock and spruce prevail, but in places there is the yellow or Sitka cedar, and upon Prince of Wales island the red cedar attains large size. Young timber springs up very rapidly, and the great amount of rain falling upon the ground carpeted with moss that holds the water like a sponge, preserves this great timber from destruction by fire. Forests of coniferæ exist along the rivers of the interior, the Yukon, Tanana, and Koyukuk, trees on the latter stream attaining a size of two feet in diameter. The Government has not put these lands on the salable lists, and every man who builds a fire to cook a meal or builds a house to cover his head is a trespasser on this great timber reserve. The early disposal of these timber tracts is a matter of great concern to the people, for they would at once enter into the lumbering business, and in the near future could build up a very profitable trade with Japan and China. The great facilities for water transportation will make the southeastern coast very desirable for lumber shipments.