," English being spoken by few at that time
in the capital of Russian America.

Princess Maksoutoff, the wife of the last chief manager of the colonies,
came from St. Petersburg, but died soon after her arrival, and the stone
which marks her grave may be seen on the hill between the two
cemeteries, near the site of the upper Blockhouse. Her successor, the
second Princess Maksoutoff, young and beautiful, presided with grace and
tact over the mansion until the transfer of the territory to the United
States. She was one of six Russian ladies present at the ceremonies and
is said to have wept when the Russian flag was lowered.

There is a legend of a beautiful princess whose ghost haunted the Castle
for many years. The story has been told by many at different times and
is one of the romantic tales that cluster around the old metropolis of
the fur trading days. Her lover was sent away or killed through the
influence of an _ober offitzer_ who sought her hand in marriage.
Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, who wrote so delightfully of Sitka in her
journeys in Alaska in 1883, says that, "By tradition the Lady in Black
was the daughter of one of the old governors. On her wedding night she
disappeared from the ballroom in the midst of the festivities, and after
a long search was found dead in one of the small drawing rooms."[14]

[Illustration: The Grave of the Princess Maksoutoff.]

The chief managers entertained lavishly, and the dinners in the Castle
were events long to be remembered. They were well worthy the
representatives of a rich and powerful company, a corporation with a
domain that was greater than the realm of many a royal ruler. Into the
sumptuously furnished and richly decorated dining-room came the bishop
and priests, resplendent in the official robes, the naval officers
glittering in their gold laced uniforms, the secretaries, accountants,
storekeepers, all in the uniform of the Ministry of Finance, the masters
and mates of the ships in the harbor; the guests in their best apparel;
all gathered around the hospitable board of the chief manager. At times
a hundred sat at the table and back of them dined the cadets of the
naval school. After the dinner came dancing and until morning the gayety
went merrily on, for Russian cheer is proverbial, and their hospitality
is lavish.

Usually the Captain of the port, the secretaries, three public and two
private, two masters in the navy, the commercial agent, two doctors, and
the L