when Mr. J. H. Turner, of the United States Coast Survey, found it to be still twenty miles west of the boundary, and the following year it was moved up the river just far enough to place it within British territory. Thus the strip of territory lying between the 141st and 147th meridians, and extending over ten degrees of latitude, would appear not to have been taken into consideration when the computation of area as now generally stated and accepted without question was made. It is believed that a final careful and correct computation will show the total superficial area of Alaska to be nearly, if not quite, 800,000 square miles.

CHAPTER III.

Vitus Bering-Voyages of Discovery 1728-1741-Chirikoff's Disastrous Visit to Cross Sound-Wreck of the St. Peter and Death of Bering-First Russian Colony, 1784-Spanish Expeditions, 1775-9-Cook Explores Coast 1779-Alexander Baranoff, First Russian Governor 1790-First Ship Built in Prince William Sound, 1794-Agriculturists and Priests Sent Out Same Year -Russian-American Company Given Exclusive Control, 1779.

Though America was discovered in 1492, it was not till 1749 that Alaska was opened to settlement even to all the subjects of the government which claimed ownership thereof by right of discovery and subsequent conquest. Prior to the summer of 1741 no white man was ever known to have landed upon its coast, and then many years elapsed before the first permanent settlement was effected. For more than half a century after discovery no effort was made at colonization, nor indeed did Russia lay formal claim to the territory till about the year 1788, some forty years or more subsequent to the date of original discovery. In the meantime, however, the islands and mainland were visited by many lawless Russian adventurers, in search of valuable furs, by whom the at first peaceably in

clined natives were massacred and plundered to such an extent as to provoke at their hands many bloody, but justifiable, reprisals, when subsequently the permanent occupation of the country was begun under sanction of imperial authority.

In 1725, after the conquest of Kamtchatka, and while the effort to reduce the Tchukchees of northeastern Siberia was still in progress, Peter the Great, in his zeal for scientific exploration, and no doubt prompted by a desire to extend the dominion of the Empire which he had already created, planned a great expedition, the instructions for the carrying out of which he drew with his own hand. This expedition had for its object the exploration of the seas adjacent to his newly acquired Asiatic possessions; but before any preparation had been made to carry out his instructions, the great Czar died, leaving the execution of his plans to his widow, who succeeded him on the throne. The latter, imbued with the same spirit which had animated her illustrious husband and predecessor, ordered the immediate execution of the plans devised by him, and appointed the afterwards illustrious Captain Vitus Bering leader and commander of the expedition.

The party organized by Bering set out from St. Petersburg on the 5th of February, and by slow, tedious and laborious stages made its way

to Okhotsk, where they built two ships-the Fortuna and the Gabriel-in which they set sail on their unknown and adventurous voyage, July 20, 1728. The voyage was without special incident or adventure, and wholly barren of discovery, though the ships passed through Bering Strait into the Arctic Ocean. In truth, neither Bering nor his navigator was aware of having passed through waters across which the vision can unaided almost, if not quite, scan the shores of one continent from those of another; and the fact that they saw neither the American coast or even the Diomede Islands, is pretty conclusive proof that they did not venture far from the Asiatic coast in this their first voyage of discovery.

A second voyage made by the same party and under the same auspices, in 1729, was equally barren of results, and the next year Bering returned to St. Petersburg without having accomplished anything whatever in the way of discovery. Here, notwithstanding his failure, he was received with great honor by his Imperial mistress, and rewarded with a promotion he cannot be said to have fairly earned, and preparations were at once begun and pressed to a speedy conclusion for another expedition under his command.

It was not till 1741, however, that he em

barked on the voyage the results of which made his name immortal. For several years he had been engaged in exploring the coast of Siberia, making an occasional voyage to Japan, and had founded the town of Petropaulovsky, so named for his two vessels the St. Peter and the St. Paul, in which, June 4th of the year named, he sailed from Avatcha on his last voyage, which was scarcely more prolific in discoveries than were his former barren and unprofitable expeditions. . With him went Wilhelm Stetter and Louis de Lisle de la Croyere, the first a Franconian naturalist, and the latter a French astronomer, both eminent scientists of the age in which they lived.

On June 20th the vessels were parted by a storm, and never again sighted each other; in fact, their commanders never met again. The St. Paul, commanded by Chirikoff, reached the American coast on the 17th of July, and anchored in what is now known as Cross Sound. Here the commander sent his mate and ten men, all armed, ashore, for the purpose of obtaining a supply of fresh water, and when, on the 21st, they had not returned, the second mate with other armed men were sent to search for them in the only remaining boat. Neither did the second party return, but the next day two large canoes crowded with natives came out towards the ship, with every indication of hostile intent,