The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-08-22

Pitch valleys; thfee- fourths Of whom are natives
| Of our eastern, middle, and western States; a
small portion are from our southern States and
| the residue are emigrants from Europe The pre-
| sent population will no doubt largely increase by
straightforward less than from two to three thou
| sand being expected annually.
al am Of opinion that the inhabitable portions of
the Great Basin are capable of sustaining a popu.
| lation of from one hundred and fifty TO two hun
| dred thousand. The country at the sources of the
Colorado, as have already intimated is incapable
| OF supporting any population whatever. The Uin-
tab and Green River valleys, lying lower down on
| the tributaries OF the Colorado, are. however, not
/ 30 steril
| "Ycu ask me If Deseret can ever become the the
atre OF slave labors To this reply that, in my
Judgment, there is part of Deseret 30 far as Il
has beer explored in which slave labor can be pro-
htably employed.
"Thcre are other facts In relation to Deseret
hot embraced Within the scope of your inquiries,
winch may not be entirely unnteresting to you
among which may mention the following: Great
Salt Lake city is pleasantly situated on high de-
| chvity, near the base of a mountain, about two
miles east OF the Utah outlet, the river Jordan and
about twenty two southeast Of the lake whose name
\ 1t bears. There 10 beautiful brook of cool, mpd
! water running through the town, called City
creek. The city Is regularly laid out, on rather
extensive scales the streets croes each other right
| angles, and all of them are eight rols wide Each
! lot contains an acre anti quarter of ground, and
each square eight lots. There four public squares
IN the city The greater part of houses wbchhave
y,
most of them are small, but commodious, being, in
| general, constructed Of adobes,' or Gun dried
| brick Among the public buildings, house
| for public worship, council house, and bath
house at the warm spring; and it is in contem-
plation to erect another temple larger and more
| magnificent than that which was formerly built
at Nauvoo. The city is divided into nineteen
wards in of which school houses have
been erected, 1t being our intention to have school
| in each ward at the public expense Last winter
there were several fourishing schools in the city
| and valley; at some of which were taught besides
| the ordinary branches of an English educaton
| mathematics, the Latin, Greek French and Ger.
man languages, and the language of the Society
Islands. Here 1t may not be out of place to relate
an incident that occurred last summer. Walker,
| a distinguished chief of the Utah tribe residing
| about two hundred miles south of Salt Lake city,
requested our people to make settlement in his
valley. The reasons he assigned for making this
singular request were, that he and his people wish
ed to learn the arts Of civilized life and bring up
and educate their children were brought mp
and educated. After duly exploring the gion of
country in which he resided, his request was com
piled with.
"The number of acres under cultivation in Dee
eret am unable to state; but it is very large con
sdering the short time that has elapsed since the
first settlement was made. There is field which
contains SIX thousand one hundred and sixty ven
acres, and the fence around which is about fifteen
miles in length.
"There is printing press in the valley. There
are, moreover, four grst- mills and six mills in
paper mill, and also to manufacture linen apd wool
len cloths sufficient for home consumption
"a general impression exists that property is
held IN common in Deseret, but this is a very
great error. Every man holds his property in his
own right
'These settlements being the highway to Cal
ifornia, tens of thousands Of emigrants from the
United States find therein place to rest their wea-
ried limbs, as well as TO recruit their animals and
stores Of provisions previous entering the deserts
which they have to cross before reaching the goal
of their desires.
"With sentiments of great respect, | have the
''JOHN. M. BERNHIsEL.
"HoN. TRcSIAs SMITH"
Mr.. Erastus Snow, from the Salt Lake city, Wis
tied this city carly in the present year He the
first party who entered the Salt Lake valley, with
view TO settlement, about three years ago. and is
more intimately acquainted with the country than
any person with whom have conversed He has
addressed TO me an exposition, which | believe TO
be perfectly reliable, and which ] submit to the
Senate;
"WAsHIseToN CITY, March Is, 1850.
"SIR In compliance with your request 1 beg
leave respectfully toNubmit the following the
result OF three years experience and observation
in that portion of California known as Deserct in
Guiding large extent Of territory, the greater
part OF which Is, its name would seem TO indi-
cate, sterile and totally unfit for agricultural pur-
poscs and is unnhabited and uninhabtabe ex-
cept by few trappers and some roaming bands Of
Indians, who subsist chiefly game, fish. reptiles,
and mountain crickots.
"This whole country is almost entirely destitute
of timber The little which there is may be found
on the sides of some of the high rocky mountains,
and IN the 'canons,' or deep gorgcs Of the noun
talns, whence issue the mountain streams On the
table lands, the gently undulating plains, and the
isolated hills there are none. There are, however,
small groves of cotton wood and box elder on the
bottoms Of come Of the principal streams
"Ihe grass, which grows only on the bottoms Of
streams, and the table lands Of the wsrmcst and
most fertile valleys, is Of kind peculiar to cold
climates, and elevated countries aud lie exceeding
y nutritious. IL is light and scattering, particu-
arly upon the table lands, and, though II dries in
June, yet il retains all its nutritious qualities until
the following spring.
"A species OF artemsia, generally known by the
name Of wild sage, and bush called grease wood,
abound IN most parts OF the country where yegcta-
ton Of any kind exists, but particularly where
there is not warmth and moisture sufficient TO pro
duec grass.
1.-The general sterility Of this great interior coun.
try may be attributed TO two causes; the first and
principal one is, that il seldom rains between April
and October, except upon the high mountains,
where thundcr-sb showers are frequent during the
summer and snow storms in winter. These show
ers, OF course, produce numerous springs and
mountain streams, which generally either lose
themselves beneath the soil disappear during
the severe thoughts TO which this country is sub
Ject And even larger streams than these, within
az well as without the rim Of the Great Basin not
unfrcquently share the same fate The second
cause is the great altitude OF the northern and east
ern portions Of IT, varying they do from 900 feet
above the level OF the 10 the regions Of perpetual
snow. The Great Salt Lake, beng the reservoir
Of the BASIN IL probably tho lowest point in the
ritory north Of the 37th parallel Of north latitude
utah valley, which has, probably, mildcr and
more Uniform temperature than any other in this
region OF country except that Of the Colorado, IL
subject 70 frosts as late az the last Of May and a.
early as the fret Of September and slight onos dur
ing the intermediate months; therefore, Indian
corn and vines rather uncertain crops. IL az.
pears, from the observations Of the last three years
that the extremes Of temperature arc 100 degrees
above, and degrees below zero, according 20 Fab
renhcits thermometer. The variation in mid.
summer, in the temperature Of the day and night,
is from 20 10 40 degrees.
''ln every portion Of the Territory where aRri-
culture has been attempted artificial irrigation has
been found Indispensable; and IL is confidently be-
heved that no part Of IL, however fertile will ma
ture crops without il, except, perhaps, ON some
small patches on low bottoms.
But limited portions, therefore, even Of the most
fertile and varrnest valleys i'm this region can ever
be made available for agricultural purposes and
only such AZ are adjacent 10 streams, and arc well
located Tor irrigation. Small Valleys surrounded |
by high mountains, arc the most abundantly sup
Plies with water, the streams being fed by the melt
ing snow and summer showers. Broad extended |
plains, whether level broken arc generally arid