The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-06-09
FIR tie Herald # Freedom.
An Eastern Letter.

my travels in Kansas. but pressing du.
ties occupied 50 much of the time while
travelings l was not able to comply with
your request. The receipt of the .'Her-
ald'' reminds me of the promise, and
brings to mind fond recollections of the
past, which with the many pleasing asso-
cations | formed, not only in Lawrence.
but elsewhere. during my sojourn in the
Territory. cannot be easily forgotten.
Kansas as whole, is the most beauti-
tul country ] ever saw-the soil almost
universally rich and extremely fertile,
susceptible. if rightly improved, of sup
porting a more dense population than any
other country in the United States. IL
is entirely void of all those vast swafnps,
ponds, and lakes, where the seeds Of
ague and fever grow so beautifully, thus
giving it superior advantage over the
other western lands, allowing them to be
equally fertile; to say nothing of the
waste consequent from those inimicable
marshes and ponds. / found the sur
face of the prairie invariably rolling
or undulating on an elevation from 80 to
600 feet, which must of necessity give a
salubrious and a healthy climate. The
bottoms are usually level, though the
banks of the streams are high, SO much
so, as generally to prevent those fire.
quent foundations to which TIE streams
OF the western country are SO often and
injuriously subjected. found the coun-
try far better watered than l had an
tieipated, yet the best water and the
most abundant is found in the vicinity of
Fort Riley; and the "Nemehaw country
inthe north part of the Territory. There
are good springs in every part Of the
eounry-in some sections not an over
supply-but TIE water is, in most eases,
excellent. In fact did not find spring
of poor unwholesome water in any place.
There is not an abundance of timber but
if rightly distributed, sufficient for all
the ordinary uses of its Inhabitants
There is no doubtof an inexhaustible sup
ply of coal dispersed throughout every
part of the Territory. Though Nature
may Withhold with one hand she is sure
to be lavish with the other.
When l look upon the fair soil of Kan
sas, viewing with a telescopiceye the ono
vast, eternal ocean of prairie, unsurpasS-
ed for fertility, so beautifully dotted with
belts and gorges of timber, supplied with
an inexhaustible amount of stone fol
building-coal for fuel, and mineral pro-
ductions unparalleled country fol-
stock growing that has no equal, and q
climate as delightful as can be found in
America, l am asionished to see people
emigrate with their families TO that lovely
domain, become discouraged, dishearten.
ed, stay a few days. and return home,
with an 'fevil report" of the goodly land
But am glad TO see so many Caleb's and
Joshua's, who are not afraid of the An
akins that say. Let US 50 up at once We
can possess the land"
Those emigrapts who expect to go t.
Kansas and find loaves of bread on the
ground. hams on the trees, and pound
cake and mince-pies floating on the wa.
ter, will be most egreSiously disappoint
ed. He must expect some hardship:
and priyations, for tie time being
The prairies must be broke-houses mus
| be built-schools houses erected-soci
cites formed, and the very time and mon
ey he spends to get back to his eastern
home and get settled, would procure the
necessaries, the absence of which he j,
complaining home established, ex-
ceeding his most sanguine hopes
farm under cultivation worth a hundred
times more, perhaps, than his 80 by 10C
feet village lot he has left behind. ]
know it is hard times-provisions high
and scarce, everything new-a scarcity
of buildings from a want of saw mills,
and a crowded emigration, all this is q
natural consequence, and the cost should
Lave been counted before they left their
rugged hills and rocky fields; and if they
did not feel willing to forego these priva-
tons, which any sagacious mind might
have foreseen, they should never have
started as pioneers to Kansas. How is il
at home? returned to Broome Co
N. Y. after an extensive excursion
through the Territory-amid all the
cries of scarcity of provisions, high pri-
ces, high pinds, and cold backward spring
on the e5;h of April. Flour in Broome
Co. is $500 per barrel. corn 81, rs pei
bushel, rye l.5O. potatoes 800, oat,
rs. pork 12k ets.Per pound, butter 81
cts, and everything else in proportion.
Hay worth from 16 to 81 dollars ton
and cannot be had at that-cattle poo
weather cold, and the same complain
of .'high winds" and the winter has beer
the severest ever known. Why, FRIEND
Brown, while l am writing, the hills are
white with snow, which has been falling
more or less for tie past two days, and j
is actually as tedious. as any wea.he
| experienced in Kansas in March. Ap
pie and pear trees just begin to bud-n'
corn planted. grass scarcely started
1t is pretty gloomy time here as vel
as with you. have no doubt many o
the returned emigrants ere this, wisl
/ themselves In a more congenial cline
Tat least do. Some say, ''can find NJ
claim, the land is all taken up" Wei
this would be discouraging if it wer
really so, but when we consider that Kan
sas Territory affords lands sufficient 70
nearly 100, 900 families, we ourselves d.
not apprehend any difficulty on thatscore
do not suppose they can all locate with
/ in gun shot of Lawrence, or Topeka. O
even Osawatomie but there is abundance
of lands as good as the sun ever shon.
upon that is not yet .'squatted" and 70
aught know may be as near some grea
city. My Judgment is, the best land ii
Kansas is. not Jet touched. If peopl
will go to Kansas and go to work. perse
we're and be diligen.-with the blessing
of kind Providence in giving US plenti
full crop-they viii soon be in possession
of a delightful farm and happy home
/ But the idler, who wishes not to obtain hi
bread by ''the sweat Of his brow . vii
find it far more eongenial to the prosper
lily of his profession to remain at hom
where his trade might be more needed
i Yours Respectfully, -
WILLIAM DO0IITT4.E