No part of the island is cultivated, except a garden or two near the town, and a little barley at the village of Superscoff. It contains, however, a great deal of fine timber, chiefly larches, spruces, and other kinds of pine. Many of the trees are large enough to make spars of considerable dimensions. Alexandria,[15] the principal town on the island, and the residence of the governor, is situated on the eastern side of an extensive bay. It possesses an excellent harbour, being well sheltered by several small islands that lie to the southwest. The eastern entrance, which is the safest, is not above a mile wide, and is defended by a battery or small fort. There is also an entrance to the west; but it is narrow and intricate, and requires a leading wind to pass through. [15] This place is named St. Paul by Captain Lisianski. We must suppose that since his visit in 1803, the name has been changed in honour of the present Emperor. Dr. Langsdorf merely calls it the new harbour of Kodiak. The town consists of about fifty houses, built of logs, the seams of which are calked with moss, and the roofs thatched with grass; they are, in general, divided into three apartments below, and as many on the upper story. They are heated by stoves or ovens; when the wood is reduced to ashes, the vent is closed by means of a slide fitted for the purpose, and the heated air then diffusing itself through the room, renders it extremely comfortable. The windows, instead of being glazed, are covered with pieces of the gut of the seal, split up and sewed together; this, after being well oiled, is stretched on a frame, and defended from the wind by cross-bars on each side. Talc is also used for the same purpose. This substance is found in flakes about the size of the palm of the hand, and several of these are puttied together to form a pane. About sixty Indians reside at this place; they live in a large circular building or barrack, called the Cazerne Aleuskoi. The town also possesses a church, a barrack for the Russian convicts, a school, and several storehouses belonging to the N. W. Company. At the school the children of the natives are taught the Russian language, writing, and arithmetic; there were about fifty scholars, and as far as I could judge, from the few under my charge, there is no difficulty in teaching them these acquirements. Here, as at Kamschatka, most of the Russians are married to native women. This is the principal depot of the American Company;[16] the furs collected at the different settlements on the coast are sent here, and lodged in the Company’s stores till ships arrive to carry them to Kamschatka, whence they are sent to China, or overland to St Petersburgh.