The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1854-03-01
What is Nebraska2

Alta time when the Nebraska question Is
before the country, it may be interesting to
know something Of the & ography OF the
territory. upon which the question of slavery
or freedom, may after all turn. and upon
which scarcely anything has been p ,blish.
el in the newspapers.
TIE information on Nebraska is meagre
at tbs most. Altogether the fullest and
most accurate accoant that has met my eye,
is that to be found in the large vIlmme Of
Col Fremont, coaLaining reports of his ex
peditions to Califoruia ,-nd Oregon in l842.
3 AMI 4. The volume coatains, in addition
TO Fremont's narrative, reports on the bota.
ny Of the country. by those having charge
of these departments; also astronomical OBJ
servations, etc. Horns Overland Guide
to California is thin book, and its inIor.
nation is conined TO the routes pursued by
emigrants. Ovens Geological Survey gives
information on the geology of Newbraska,
and Sohoolcraft's large work on Indians
gives qnite full statistics on the Indian tribes
Of the territory.
Nebraska is so named, from one Of its
three largest rivers, the Nebraska or Platte.
According to the retuans of the last cen,u',
it contains 136,70o square miles, or a ter
ntory as large rs New E,gland, New York
and South Carolina. II should be stated
however, taking the Southern line at 81
deg, as MIR. Douglass proposes, the terrific.
ry, as thus organized, will be much larger
than the portion that has usually been des-
Ignated as Nebraska; embracing large
portion of the Indian territory, and most Of
the Indian tribes, except the CLoctwas, the
Creeks, the Chickasaws, the Ssmino es,
and portion ol the Cherokees.
Nebraska as proposed to be organized
will be vast region, having the various
climates that lie ON its E .stera border; only
the climate, like the face of the country, il
more Asiatic. The eastern portion of 1t il
ch eay pararcie and rich alluviaL The mid
die is fnole sandy and barren, containing
The great American desert; AMI the western
is mounta nous, the highest mountains be
ins covered with almost perpetual snow.
the inhabi' ants of Nebraska may be
seven'y.tve thousand, mostly Indians. -
The whites are military men. Indian agents
and missionaries, Within week, para
graphs have appeared in the papers, an
nounclng that newspaper is about to b.
established at old Fort Kearney, called tn
Nebraska Democrat, and that post ofie
's to be established some forty miles from
for the accommodation of emigrants--tw
important elements to begin the work Q
civil zing the territory.
Nebraska is and must ever be mainly al
agricultural region. 1t is far from til
ocean, and has no great lakes. The Plat
river, though from one to three miles wide
is only Manageable for steamboats, forty miles
From what even the Indians have accom-
pShed in agriculture, the country seems +
hold out great hopes to the farmer Tn
I-dIsns there are mostly supported by az
riculture, and according to the returns be
fore me, four t,bes of Christaia Indians O.
the northern and southern tauks Of til
Kansas, cultivate four thousand acres
From these, they raised in q late year, 80
900 bushels OF corn, $3.50 bushels OF weat
and 900 bushels of oats, 1000 hogs
800, 900 melons of different kinds. The
keep 600 working oxen, and large mum
ber OF horses. The annual value Of thei
products Is PIT down at 1000. Th
number Of these Indians is placed at 2,7oi
The territory i. not we'll wooded PoF
lar, elm. birch, willow pines, white oak. M
Piles and other trees, are toanl there il
lnt derale numbers. The cotton wool tire
much abounds in the rivers. Wild an
mals, such as butf4io.s, deers, wild horses
mountain sheep. prairie dogs. wolves, e!a
and antelopes. abound in this country.