Litchfield enquirer., 1833-09-26

 sissiDpi iO the Colombia River, iS writing home to his friends in Troy series of letters descriptive Ofthe country. climate, SEc. The following is one of his letters, copied from the Troy Press :-
 This week have returned from an excur- sion up the River MultuOmah or Wallameth. It is far from the stream laid down On your maps, for it's most distant source is not prob ably more than goo miles in a direct course from its mouth. Its general course is South and is fed by number of branches frOm the Snow Mountains, and ridge running not tar from the coast on the West. The river at one point approaches within fifty or sixty miles of the sea. The MnltuoniNh or Wal iameth, empties into the COluln|a on tHND. or left, about 100 miles from ftS cuth.
 The valley of the MultuOmah nay he two hundred miles in length and fifty in breadth. and beautiful valley it appears from what | have seen oft. Extensive plains well clothed with grass, interspersed throughout with oaks crowned with missletoe and lofty furs and pines altogether presenting great facilities for settlers. The soil is generally fertile, though perhaps not equal tO some on the Mississippi and Ohio. Its quality however. should ] think. though the whole of it, will average with respect to fertility and the aspect of it's 1 surface, the lands of New England.
 Wherein then do you ask consist its advan- tages? l answer in climate. For here the ] farmer has not to labor f.alf the summer and ] all the winter to provide for his animals---he l is not compelled to fence and plough and SOW 1 his seed in one or two shoat months--he ] ploaghs, and his cattle graze the whole year The settlers in this valley have already raised one crop; which succeed well. They hate Eo,y Ia, nd 0II A n good order. without any feeding through the
 winter. Although we are in the latitude of Montreal, the farmers have been ploughDg since January, the vegetables m the garden l have remained unininred throughthe winter. In favorable situations the grass IS already springing up. On the Wallameth saw two weeks ago, aIders and illOws in bloom and leaving out. Strawberries and brier bushes had continued green through the winter.-- Crops that are put in the ground late as July, yield plentiful! harvest. There is vast difference in the temperature on the two sides of the Continent. Here the summers are long and fine, and every thing can be raised, that can be raised with you or even in- Virginia. I have already spoken of the vine and the peach-tobacco has already been tri- ed, and with success.
 During November Fahrenheit ranged at
 
 month was as bright weather as any ever saw during that time there was usually a white frost every night. atm informed there fell during that month l-2 inches of rain.- In December 9 inches; frost but two or three times; thermometer in the morning at 48 deg, at noon from 40 to 50 deg.-rain from the s. and s. East and North winds al: ways bring fair weather. Half of the month of January the weather was as cold as has been known in this region there being constant frost. At one time the iherm0me- ter ranged as low as l7 deg.-at noon from 80 to 40 deg. The Colombia river froze O. yer; hut the Waameth did not. During the rest of January the weather was as usual; there fell but one inch rain. This month lFehruaRy) has heen cloudy part of the time. There have been what you would call April showers, but the amount of rain that has fall en is not great. We have had frost few times, though in the morning the thermome- ter has usually stood at 40 deg. and at noon at 50 deg.-nigh the ocean, it is said, it never freezes.
 Upon the condition of the country. gener- ally so favorable, there is one draw back---the fever and ague, though never known before, has prevailed here for three years; the whites applied the usual remedies with effect; but with the natives it proved fatal. sweeping off whole villages. Their habit was, when the fever came on. to plunge themselves into the water, which proved fatal to them. People, however. have generally had it but one sea :
 son. and some not at all.
 ] As to society, there is little that would be deemed such by you in the civilized world.
 The gentlemen of the Hudson's Bay Compa- l ny. have said. generally are intellgent.-- ] Some of them, as also the farmers, have In. dian women and halt breeds as they are call
 ed for wives. They are well pleased with
 their situations and make it is said very good
 ones--learning to perform their domestic au. ! ties---t0 sew, cook, wash, Stc. as good house
 wives. very well. They appear very fond of l their children. take good care of them, and l provide for their education. When arrived
 here, as yon may well suppose, was nigh I destitute of clothing. hut was soon furnish
 ed with a good suit, made by the ladies of the post. ! The natives of this part of the country are
 yety peaceabie, seldom making war on each
 other or the whites. They manifest very
 different character from the Indians on the
 east side of the mountains. The native re- Sl males as well as males wear bus little cloth- I ing. generally kind of apron and robe, ol { dressed skin, or blanket thrown loosely about them. They wear nothing on their feet any part of the year; but those who live with whites adopt the European dress. So also many others do in part.
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