There was no appeal from his decision except to the Directory at St.Petersburg, which was about as accessible as the moon.

The natives were reduced to a condition of slavery; they were compelled to devote the best part of their time to the company's labor, and the accounts were so managed as to keep them always in debt.
Alexander Baranoff was the first governor, and continued more than twenty years in power.

He managed affairs to his own taste, paying little regard to the wishes of the Directory, or even of the Emperor, when they conflicted with his own.

The Russians in the company's employ were _Promushleniks_, or adventurers, enlisted in Siberia for a term of years.

They were soldiers, sailors, hunters, fishermen, or mechanics, according to the needs of the service.