Minnesota weekly times., 1855-02-27
COfrespondence OF thc' TIMES.
A Letter for Eastern People.
E4cElsloR, HENSEPN Co., MlSstsorA,}

your many inquiries, Will enueovor 70 give you
some idea Of things in general, and Of the coun-
try in this section of Minnesota.
, For ourselves, the prospects ahead are: good
health, long life and plenty to eat and little to
spare with which to comfort the poor. We feel
that the blessings Of plenty will continue to
flow to us, for We have . divine pronise, that
they who are good to the poor, who shaketh their
hands from the taking of bribes, shall dwell on
high !; the rocks shall be their fortress, bread
shall be given them and their waters shall be
sure. Aud through the blessing of good health,
by the sweat Of our brow, and the appreciation
Of a good conscience, we expect to obtain the
promise, with all the additions that a good cli-
mate and rich soil can be made to produce.
As for the country in which welive, it cannot
be surpassed by any country have ever seen or
read of since Eden was lost, and since the Swprd
of the Lord was placed at the gate to prevent
mans returning to it again. Perhaps the feet of
man have never trod a lovelier land than Minne-
sota. The atmosphere is one of the most pure
and renovating in the world. / have not the Ian
guage to describe it or to do it justice. A man
must breathe it to know it, and live in it and he
will enjoy it. We have our high lands and low !;
our hills and valleys, forests and plains, rivers,
lakes and swamps, but no stagnant ponds. The
atmosphere and water are too pure for that, and
many have been the hot fevers and cold chills in
Ohio and Illinois, for the want of these two bless
ings, with which We are SO abundantly supplied.
Plaques, feyers, coughs and colds, are almost
strangers here, unless brought from some other
parts of the world. Minnesota does not origin
ate such things. When invalids come here, it is
SO much like the spiritual spheres, that they gen
eYally recover, and grow healthy and strong, with
out the aid of calomel or quinine; for these are
drugs we can do without, and by so doing, save
health and impr oye it. The looks of the people
here are incontroyertable proof of what / say.
They do not remain here long before they lay off
or loose that sallow countenance which bespeaks
to every bchoder, that cold chlls and burning fe-
vers and medicine, have not been strangers to
them. And then that squirm of the face, which
is so common in parts where you and havespent
the most of our days; and which have SO often
seen by looking in the glass, that makes person
look as though he had little too much in the
stomach or that he was enjoying the taste, or had
just taken precious mouthful Of quinine, or
had been giving the same to q darling child, that
had been half consumed by disease, and its
tongue and teeth half eaten out by calomel.
These signs of disease quickly vanish, after ar
irving here, and in its stead, We see health, peace
and Joy.
AS for the climate, it is the most pleasant ever
enjoyed. The winters here are cold, it is true,
but we have none of those sudden and severe
changes that are so common in Ohio and Illinois,
and but little wind and no rain, and but few
cloudy days, but good sleighing all winter. 1t is
true, We have our cold and warm days, but it is
not so warm as to melt the snow, nor so cold as
to prevent person from working out in the air.
man can work out door here when the themom
ctcr is from 25 to IS degrees below zero, and not
suffer more with cold, than he would in Illinois.
Here he gets used to tie cold, and there he never
can; for there the atmosf here is so cold and
damp, and chilly, and changes so sudden and SO
often that the system of man can't keep pace
with it. The SHOWS, 81 far as have seen, (and
this is the second winter that l have been here)
are not so deep as had anticipated. The deep
est we had last winter, was IA inches on a level,
and it is thing for it to drift, although it
is very dry and loose. We have had more wind
this winter than last, and the snow not so loose
nor so much of it. There are about eight inches
at this time. .,.-t .......
Our springs are nearly as early as they are in
Ohio or Illinois. Last spring was quite early
Our first rain fell the night of the I'd of March,
and that time we had but little snow or cold, and
the morning of the 10th Of April the last frost
was to be seen, that is near the Lake, for it is
little earlier near the Lake than further off, for
the water appears to regulate the atmosphere
and prevent frost both in the spring and fall
Our first frost in the fall, was on the 14tt of Oc-
tober, and by the 18th of April cattle c,uld do
well and no one fed later to my knowledge; some
turned out as carly as the Goth. a.o3 III
When our vegetation starts thereis no frost
to put it b OK, and we can raise anything
here that you can raise in Ohio. We can AL
you in corn and beat you in everything else 30
far as has been tried. Fruit has not been sufi-
ciently tried to determine what the result will be-
but have no fears but / can raise any kind that
does we'll $50 miles south of here (and that is a.
bout your atitude) for the growing season without
frost is as long in Minnesota as where you live,
and vegetation comes forward here with as great
vigor as it does in Chicago, Illinois. In proof
that it will be a good fruit growing country, is
the fact, that We have all kinds of wild fruit that
is common in your part of the world. I'D
We have plenty of rain when needed, that is,
in the growing part of the season and the balance
of the year we have none. All kinds of live stock
thrive we'll here, and nc disease is common among
them. have no doubt but it will be one of the
greatest sheep growing States in the Union, for
the winters are so dry and regular that sheep will
live here where they will not in other places
Persons wishing to engage in the business would
do we'll to try Minnesota. No part of the world
can beat us for soil, and good timber, greatya-
riety of which can be found in all parts of the
territory. We have no pine on the Lake but
plenty of other kinds, and especially sugar trees
(or rock maple) from the sap of which we can
make our own sugar, and make it profitable if we
so at it in proper manner, for Ihave tried it
and know what can be done. 5
would be glad to continue my letter, but I
fear it will take up too much room. In my next.
will speak of the scenes on Lake Minnetonka, Of
Excelsior, &C., giving you such general items as I
trust will be of interest. a5i if.l O.. ar-cG.
e 'a6 I. Yours, PETER. NJ. GIDEON. %
A PRIsoN TExAS1Lxss.-The New Haven Advo-
cate says the ailer of the New Haven county pris-
on was in the Office of that paper on Tuesday ,and