Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1856-07-12

| warded to ono of our merchants the following
article. from the Philadelphia Ledger. lie, with
others, rightly infers that it was written for a
antidote to counteract the poison. We publish
the article with only such remarks we deem
necessary to stamp the writer bogus coin
| .Silcer-ed over with meanness and choked up with
falsehood. Read it.
| St. Paul's, Minncsota
| This village is situated on a bluff on the east
bank Of the Missouri, 400 miles above Dubuque
| Iowa. 1t is rough pace, with extensive
| collection of rude wooden shops huddled together
chiefly in one thoroughfare, though they exte I'd
two blocks in another, forming an l..
! At the foot of the town extends wide swamp.
] which at high water forms what they call sloo
of the main river. The ascent from the river is
! precipitous. Navigation is troublesome in the
usual dry season for thirty miles below, and
often for much greater distance; in late years
| this evil increases.
st. Paul's has some houses of brick lately fin
inshed, and few stone warehouses. he bluff
is full of springs. There are two good hotels,
| considering the rudencss of tfe place and the
scantiness of the market.
A great deal Of Phiadel phia capital has been
sent there by persons who never saw the place.
4
to six per cent. Il month, and in specializing in
lots at Chestnut street prices. These investments
will bear looking after while they may yet be
visible. great city there is talked of as some
day sure, in all the papers. But we were unable
| to see the base OF such hope. Nor could We
find any one to give US one idea to justify it
The only reply is, ''We are at the head of nuvi-
| CATION, and the Falls of st. Anthony must ALWAYS
keep US so." But the Falls are cheaply canalled
around through a fiat prairie. with steamboat
locks; and triHing expense will make the navi-
| CATION to the Falls as good DIS 1t now is TO st.
pauPs, ten miles below.
| AT the Falls is water-power of great pros
| pectve value in that fat country and the river
Is navigable for ninety miles above, to fine tim.
Der country. If town of any manufacturing
and commercial Importance is to be sustained, il
will not be at st. Paul's, where there is not one
thing to justify it, but at the Falls of St. Antho-
ny. There is quite a town at this latter place,
and the people cOnfde in the future. Their pri-
ces for lots show a fifteen years anticipation of
bills to mature ahead, while at St. pauFs it
struck us that sixty days after dOomsdav would
not honor the bills they discount upon futuri,y.
We looked in at every shop there, on fine sum
ny Saturday afternoon in May, and we found no
| business doing. We inquired of Philadelpbian,
who had been year there, with stock of mer-
chandize. His story is one Of sorrow and disi.,,-
pontment. Great fuss and no sales. For rude
she'll OF shop he pays $1,000 per annum, and
| has not realized any such sum since he has been
there. lie offers to sell out ut heavy discount;
but every one else wants to do likewise.
| st. Pau's is subject to irightful storms, with
wicked looking lightning. The wind always is
| fresh. The shops being of very tiimsy frame
work. fire would almost certainly sweep the
whole away. This would make consumption of
merchandise. wnIch else will be sufficient fer ma
nv Years wants OF the small settIeuant com.
| mandS.
| 1t is unfortunate for a place Ike St. Pau's to
be so 5epulfed, that writer is necessarily great
| ly disappointed.
| But reliance seems to be placed in people of
capital. who will not endure The long VOYAGE TO
look for themselves: hut who get excited by iorid
representations, and who constitu!onally think
| luck and happiness, like heaven, must be away
| Off somewhere, any place but at home. a deal
of money has been there by such people, and
deal of merchandise, aud vel hope they are good
/ at whisting.
| The whole country, for ten miles, out to the
| fails OF st. Anthony, has been laid out in city
lots, and out lots of FIVE acres. The few farms
| are neglected, and 5000 per acre is the asking
/ figure. The general feature is dead fiat. The
soil Is s black sandy loan, like the whole west
| ern prairie lands. Timber is scarce, and before
you get a piece Of land fenced and fit for "A home,
| you will find It's cost to exceed what would pur-
| chase. out and out. a ready-uade farm home in
| Pennsyiyania, where you would make double the
money, with less tell and AN immeasurale deal
more of comfort and happiness.
1t is true that the soil of the Minnesota praries
| needs manure for MANY years but simply an
| UNDERMINING OF clover every few wears. THIS
may seem TO make great saving of labor and
expense; hut there are drawbacks more than
| equivalent. Labor is not to be had for hire,
which ..eniuns f,r a,. :
| to work. Sickness is also certain element of
calculation. In these fat. undralncd lands every
rain spell must have extra time to fit the
| ground Tor agricultural dressing. Early and
late fro>ts make destruction. and winter grain
cannot be raised. Spring wheat only is raised,
which is inferior. Insects of every kind are in
Vulnerable and nothing Is SO scarce as insective-
rOus birds.
Winter is long and drca.y season, and fuel
so dear and houses so leaky, that the suIf ring,
which cannot be eseaped, leaves its mark upon
| the constitution. Add to this the vast distance
| from market, and tn our view the counserbalance
is vastly against St. Paul's aud its surroundings
liz Minnesota Territory. ANTHRAX. s
|. This village" &c. St. Paul is . city OF
| Ten THOU SAND inhabitants. A recent census
shows population in one wari, of 3: :S6l. Their.
are three wards in the city with IN equal number
vi iHtpilHHtS, tue lOtil OtST lU,OCo.
we are willing to let il 20 at that figure. We
have Mayor, eight or nine Aldermen, !. City
Marshal, one or two night watches, four or FIVE
day-polcemen, "a city Charter, and regulations
for city government.
=. ST. Paul is situated on plateau some so
feet above the Mississippi, and half iaile in cir
cumference. Back Of this there are bluffs thirty
foo in ha;,, -;tL C..
residences, some Of which cost 81 600 and ;o 900
''This village" is about fifteen hundred miles
from the Missouri river, and not IS on the east
bank" of that river, set forth by che bogus
coin writer in the Ledger. Ills ignorance is
equal to his audacity. ST. Paul is on the cas-,
side of the Mississippi, not Missouri. 1t is about
800 miles from Dubuque, oy land, not 400. Its
name is st. Paul, not s. st. PauI's.o
3. There is no 8 wide swamp at the foot Of the
town." When the river is high the levee is
sometimes covered with water, as was the case
this spring. Thirty thousand dollars have been
appropriated to improve the levee, and another
season it will be as dry there in the middle Of
the city. The ascent from the river is not :: pre-
cipitous," but gradual. There is some li:ile
difficulty about navigation when the river is
extremely low, but not to thas extent rae writer
in the Ledger would have the public believe.
| 4. St. Paul has upwards OF one hundred bricA
buildings, well built and well finished, besides a
large number of stone buildings. There are
seven large and commodious warehouses.
! 5. The cramped-up and narrow brain of SAN.
thrsx" would not permit him to see the basi.
for great city at St. Paul, but his Interests a
St. Anthony pointed out 70 him clearly hat tha,