New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-11-03
FROM KANSAS.
F~a Cur Special Csnespsnasnt.

uas Ia roach the road from Westport ID Law
,e,ce and az left the mission on foot | hoped TO
intercept the mail stage which was to go up th't
day very sharp walk brought me into the ROAD
near where the new Methodist church stands. IL
ia ouite respectable building, and has small
steeple the top of which looks like an inverted
stool, with rather ornamental legs. AS there was
no mail stage in sight, | walked rapidly on AMI
oyertskipg q couple Of horse wagons, learned 20
INV NORTH cation that the N all carriage had passed
short time before AS there was no help Ter H.
tried 10 get the teamsters TO take me, but they
were MissOurisns, hauling produce to Lawrence
and lad as much as they could take besides they
were at least unwilling to take me. " You re from
- Boston. amt We ?" queried of them, eyens
NE rather Sharply Truth enabling me to deny
this dark in peAchhsnt, Ibid so, but the disclaimer
appeared to be received with reservation, as they
evidently seemed to think bad a Boston look.
tried to bribe them over, but not succeeding
slupg my carpet bag on my shoulder, ana stroue
Oh as must reach Lawrence. IL was forty long
miles. and | thought could get there that night,
but it was mistake.
There are two OF three roads, and the one took
skirted along the edge of the timber, and crossed
many small streams that take their rise III the
prairie and fall into the Kaw and Wakerusa. One
thing that struck me was that the timber 10 the
praires was all on the low grounds, the high
grounds being covered only with the yellow with
cred grass The timber gradually grew lighter
and more of a scrubby cast, and l even began TO
see that grOwth-so peculiar as iflugings To the
praiIies of the West-pOst-oak and blackjack
The prairie soil was as rich as the very richest
black soils of the Illinois praires. Wherever the
prairie ground breaks, AID along the lower part Oh
the prairie ridges the rock projects and as 1t Is
coarse brecciated limestone in Til and loose strata,
the fragments cover the hill-faces wherever it
comes out. Sometimes two or three OF those DC
cur on single face, with strips or slopes OF good
sell between them As these are broken in small
fragments they are eminently suitable for the pur'
nose of building stone fences. Some OF these
fences have seen, which were said to cost from
dollar TO dollar and half per rod. VI course
these fences would be tedious TO make, and would
suit better as renewal of the first fence.
For thirty niles in the direction OF Lawrence
! the lands form the Shawnee mission. These lands
will be brought into market next Spring bat for
ninety DAYS after they are brought into market no
white nan will be allowed to make entry, that
time being given to the indians to make selections ;
they being allowed two hundred acres apiece,
which they can locate where they please IN the
reserve At the Shawnee mission, and Indeed sew
eral other points on the Missouri frontier learned
that the whole of the lands in this reserve would
be taken up by the indians. AS / could see no in
dications of indians enough to locate more than a
sixth of the land the statement excited my suspi-
ciop, and took occasion to investigate the mat
ter and got considerable Information on the subject
| from some of the most intelligent of the Shawn
Indians These of course differed as to the amount
of lands in the that the indians would take,
and their estimates ranged from sixth to a
tenth; but most Of them added that white men,
mostly from Missouri, had already put their claim
on all the picked land of the remainder AS was
well aware that there was no legal mode of doing
this, inquired further, and found that the ap
proved mode of procedure was to drive down q
stake and put your card on it, or something OF the
kind. These claims We were told are " very much
respected; that is, the Kind of respect which
grows out of an apprehension of trouble from do
| Ing otherwise. also got some additional insight
into the basis of the large vote pOled here. Some
| those gentlemen who come over the Missouri from
tier TO vote have claims Of this kind and would
recommend this mode Of "actual settlement to
! persons with tender cOnseieRces, who have got
| land under the Graduation bill which it may be
difficult for them to cultivate otherwise.
The road gradually left the skirts Of timber, and
for miles traversed high rolling prairies, intersect
ed By streams and tmbered bellows. AS found
that the chance of conveyance was hopeless, left
the high road and struck out in other, and. as
supposed, shorter cuts, which at least promised 10
be more interesting. At noon came upon small
indian sbsnty, on Cedar creek. There were some
two or three "papooses' but the whole family
dressed after the fashion Of Western white people
| of the poorer class. / determined to have dinner
there, bat the squaw refused to cook one and said
in very bad English that she had nothing to which
| | responded that was very sorry, and knowing q
little Of indian character by this time, sat down
by her FIRE, which was built in front of the small
hut, as if to mediate On my misfortunes. In a
| few min utes she abandoned her other work with q
smile, and commenced making dinner. A good
appetite seasoned the meat and bread and after
paying her for her viands and her trouble, walked
on. There was no change in the scenery now
passed from that already described and as crossed
the ridges Of the prairie could see far ahead the
high peaks Of two hills that lowered above all
Others rising from the ridge that looked down 90
| U.La