J.W. Norie/J.S. Hobbs. Three hundred and six illustrations of the maritime flags off all nations. London, 1848.
Thanks to the fact that nowadays more and more books are digitized we are able to read books that are some times for decades no longer available for the public for several reasons. That's quite a pity while these books contains useful information while the archives are destroyed, incomplete or nor accessible.
P. 61. “Renewal of the charter of the Imperial Russian American Company. Information has been received that the Emperor of Russia, in a late ukase, has renewed the privileges of the Imperial Russian American Company, which was originally chartered in 1797, and is vested with the administration of the Russian possessions on the northwest coast of America, Aleutian and Kurile Islands, Kamtschatka, &c. The governor of the company resides at New Archangel, island of Sitka, where its chief factory is established. In the renewed charter a clause is introduced expressly stipulating that the company shall establish factories in both Americas, to meet the wants of Russian commerce. It also imposes upon the company the establishment of a transatlantic line of steamers, towards which it has received from the imperial treasury a subvention of 4,000,000 roubles. The company carry to the annual fair, which is held at Kiakta, on the Mongolian frontier, the furs, peltries, sea-horse teeth, &c, collected at their trading establishments, on the northwest coast of America, Kamtschatka, the Aleutian and Kurile Islands. The returns of the company's fur trade at Sitka, in 1842, amounted, according to Sir George Simpson, as follows: 10,000 fur seals, 1,000 sea otters, 12,000 beavers, 2,500 land otters, -foxes, martins, &c. and 20,000 sea horse teeth. The sea horse produces only two tusks, which usually weigh about one pound each. Every part of the carcass is turned to account. Thus the teeth, besides being valuable in commerce as ivory, serves to barb spears and arrows of the native hunters; the flesh affords them food; the oil warms their huts, and cooks their victuals; the bones and skins form their baydars or boats. The skin is also used to cover the packages of furs that are sent to Kiakta, and the chests of tea that are forwarded thence to Moscow, &c. The shipping owned by the company in 1842 consisted of two ships, 7 brigs, 3 schooners, and 2 steamers, besides numerous smaller vessels.”
Source
Aaron Haight Palmer. Letter to the Hon. John M. Clayton, Secretary of State: enclosing a paper, Geographical, Political, and Commercial of the Independent oriental nations etc. Washington, 1849.
