The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1852-06-26
FROM OREGON.

Mr.. James Day, of our town, has hand
ed us letter from brother of his who
has resided in Oregon for the past two
years. 1t is dated at Lafayette, some two
months since. One of the party who
went out from here by way of Red river,
last year, had visited Mr.. Day. He
says:
I" They were lost for some time. They
first found themselves in the Russian
Possessions, at one Of the Hudson's BAY
posts, where they obtained assistance to
reach another, and so on until they reach
ed Oregon. They lost their guns cross
ing river on raft; SO they had hard
time OF it. After their arrival, one of
them passed near where we live, stopped
all night with one of our neighbors, and
related the circumstances of their travels
across the plains. He was on his way to
the Shasta Mines
The writer then gives long descrip-
ton of the face Of the country, and con-
cludes as follows:
"The seasons in this country are divid
ed into wet and dry. For about six
months we have no rain of any account
from the first of May till the last of No
vember. Then it commences to rain in
showers, like in the States, which con-
tinues until February. 1t then rains al
most necessarily, for two months, when
it ceases off into regular spring showers.
Some seasons there are showers all sum-
mer. 1t seldom gets cold enough to
snow. We had about six inches snow
last winter, which remained on the ground
one week. We had some frosty nights,
cold enough to freeze ice half an inch
thick. believe this is the greatest
fruit country l ever saw. saw plums
on Rogue river as large as peaches, and
the best l ever tasted. There are air eadv
a considerable number of tame fruit trees
here, but they are of very poor quality.
There are good nurseries planted, though
inc trees are not yet large enough to bear.
Peach trees will bear the second YEAR
The French have some considerable or
chards. They bear very well, but the
trult is OF poor quality, though worth
four dollars bushel. This is as good a
country for vegetables as can be found
l saw a cabbage head which weighed
ttwenty-four pounds, when trimmed ready
Tor cooking; turnip that weighed thirty
pounds, and every thing else in proper.
ton. We cannot raise corn here: we
have no use for it, however. We scarce
" feed anything here. Hogs get fat upon
the mast, and horses and cattle keep fat
upon the range. We raise good oats
and when we work our horses, we feed
oats. When we feed hogs, we give them
wheat. This is the bes. wheat country
in the world. 1t grows spontaneously
ana natures to better crop than by Gull
tlvatlon in the States. Every thing
grows spontaneously here that YOU plant
that Is a second crop is produced with
out planting. We have the finest fish
salmon. They are salt
water fish, and come up the river in the
spring IN such quantities that you can
axe just as many as you please. The
1 II, subsist upon them entirely.
mere are plenty Of oysters on the coast.
:, we see letter published concerning
the gold mines on Queen Charlotte's Iseo
land. A ship sailed for that place last
November. They found gold in the
quartz rock. They put in a blast, but
he Indians ran them of, and they came
pack. Another vessel started out with a
company who attempted to work the
mines. They got off one blast, but the
indians compelled them to leave also.-
They brought back some pieces of quartz
'ontaining gold. They offered to trade
With the Indians, but the Hudson's Bay
company has so spoiled them that they
Isl. twice as much as the gold is worth
VI any KIND of barter. The gold appears
y !. .t ~ veins running through the rock,
# th;. a raas 70 It. There is large cliff
This island belongs to British Oraanu '
EDS. It only exist. =. a. OiISoh' .