Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1856-02-07

i"mer correspondent ia that region N pos., interest
Tor many OF our readers
10 H| Eit0rsefi ne NG,o,ai I.seil,geBcer
When upon my lat pi-catoria expedition t, Northern
~" 'n-"ick hpi the pleasure n tuoNing the ay Tor
~ '-,-, ~ company with highly intelligent geutr-
"-n iryu Ieff,HHaai.d Thwattcu A. 1 hal i.t h..,
iu uN pins f.. wit To- that Island and h.viu, fr,
.'ii''i rv"i looked upon It interesting region
hi1-i c1ni'> ht veil Nigh tel ia love with INV me-.
aePu.ntA"'' N,u .'oi taking about the -pended al
N"' Nc "''r no" i" t'ca capturing devoted niy, eli
10 asking '-stlon ni The ,,,tinc,. VI the rrpsI r..
eriN- t." thcr with ir~ Ai,toric iat'- prupO-. to
cm''oiy iu this .t-s. A,i uuW shat .h~ Itsh .p.nJ.
ecy has recently icuu' party te procty treaty
my statements will naiuai., i. .n-r iu.restius to tl.
pubic than they might other~i,. have o.. II.
Newfoundland discovered los sn and Sebastian
,Abo' III 1881 by them 1t va. 'anivi Fr.aaristl or
tTA4's''-ts'd aud hence it. present Augici-,d aAu,e-
~ va mt eo!"izSs-. nAster~ oi h-hing rc>.l- in
~ord The second attempt plant a colony there was
mad" 10y Sir 'Ieorse Calvert after Lord Baltimore
"i IO--' ana then he abandoned it tor a uosc genial
cline it contained three hIndrel and fifty families IL
s's ~ 1888 that Charles granted the French permis
-iun 10 cure and dry - in Newfoundland aud the British
h>hety Wa urst encouraged 10y all exemption from tax or
io, IN 1858. From that year until l7s when the first
"overnor appointed there was 10 such thing A. law
or order on the island owing the constant animo.itv
"Hi,ing between the settlers and the merchant adventu
n and IT. subsequent history only proves that il wa
looked upon 10y Eugaud merely a nursery tor har!,
'e"en and IT, manifold natural resources almost wholly
neglected
With regard To the physical aspect Of Newfoundland
II
and nifty miles and it, breadth hundred miles ALTHOUGH
Il one point 1t be three hundred miles wide it, area
terviore teing some~ha larger than that of Virginia
Although the interior OF the island has been scientifically
Explored only very limited extent and many of h,.
'nats, -ocaled, Indian ral- or paths worn ,
ihe Mid animals the following facts nave been establish
ed 1t abouuds IN rivers aud Lakes moderate size aud
'e surface oi the country about equally divided
gh bills or mountains aid low level land; some of th.
ioner attaining an elevation OF twelve hundred feet at
some points pushing boldly into the sea Will. the lo~
ID heat bflr- and -f,
covered with woods ia which boulder rocks are abundant
afious species o III" spruce, the mr. and the pine grow
ever! "hefe "" -,ldor attain gatcr height than thirty
' dil are very slender, Nhe ia the northern por-
uns they very low and their branch. 80 matted IT,
-riher that Oi the smaller animals have hr.u Lp,v,
o "a'ci considerable distance the tops OF the stunt
eel Trees The mu-t useful tree indigenous To the island
g. tie tnrac or llrch the timber which i employee.
900 building -ual ve-s.- The elm the inapIe aud tb,
Hreet ARE rare, and the oak unknown The birch l.
"uhd ahudatN ia ~omr -ituAtu- and j. said to have.
he'u Used 10y tie aburiginc. not ouly in maxine, tb
e'noe~ hut certain tender portion of IL A. food TL,
'Hlet! OF ruIubeut ami trailing evergreeu> i, immens..
anu all 'he berries peculiar northern ATTITUDES are so
abundant - To be- an article OF export; On leaving the,
wilderness aid approaching the hatalon. Of man At the
'ri season, 10 j. found that oats and POTATOES thrive,
"' a-n tue best Of grasses aud clover also IA. morn
common vegetables sucl beans peas ani c,bl,tg.s
iai corn viii uUt mature, and wheat only thri,,s in
'r interior ith regard 10 flowers both cultivated and
Wiz 'Ne varieties are very numerous, aud, though beau
"'I very L." % them have ans fragrance. t would an
pear therefore ON these iew particulars that the soil of
ir country l. sufficiently fertile make agriculture pro
table and when We told by the euloei-- that CO., in
'HiSr qlaIu,-, 80 Important ia cold country wler.
-ood J. not abundant, many other minerals ,r. ~
bc found cmbo-ouci under it, surface We cannot tt
ii-cefn the 6enchcrut hand Of Providence 4, 10 tie,
climate oi Newfoundland, IL only ,lin.r, from tia, -,
Canada aid New Brunswick in II, ,xtr.ri. vi..,itrs
II i not 80 very cold but unpleasant very iogry Dat not
| unhealthy. @7'' "''
Bu' the animal kingdom OF this hu ge island /. ey.,
more peculiar aud iutereTtns than the vegetable A
swedish naturisis, who spent two wears there
10 contain no less than five hundred species OF birds
ne "atetoirds are particularly numerous the interior
Ae- aiiorS secure breeding places Tor tile Wild geese
anu the rocky coasts afordg favorable situation. for
The elder ducks Tie vail OF tile loon l., heard ON ever,
'h'ct o water and white headed eagle has his watch
lower 900 every valley. Ptarmigan are abundant but
pArdgv> unknown The snowy oa hoot- tp his fellow b,
100" hgni oi the aurora, and midsummer the hunu,,
'H alrtafS io5 lew days 90 make the children Glad
>"p", V.ovcf>, aud cutlcs abundant o. the larger
4'Iupeis, the ciriioo>, American reindeer ar. the
most numerous, and tlc only animals the deer kind on tine
>"nd Their paths iutersect the entire country Ike
-i,,p walk. they not dumcscar, but hunted nm,
" o7' lhe black bear l. found Boz tie wilder part. al
Too" country, and au iceberg occasionally comes to,t,
low" from the Arctic bearing white bear passenger
'"' """ aid te "A tc hare, the martin, the h,ayef
sue "'eI -d iIc mu>hlai arr found throughout the in.
terror, aud tlis entire swauu Nitl varieties ,t ,
-'l, and thr morse sea horse j. sometimes found
''d"nr-tc animals, the horse sheep cattle and swine,
are AL reared Ia admitted extent but this island Is par.
ucuiaily famous Tor its dogs. They ara. OF two kind
l.'i""u ~ul-hur,d and Woih>h animal iui,ortri t,,
l1hrti"r. amt uie curly haired Newfoundland si.s -
Ihe t'st % them perfectly bLck and genun. .,.
'i"eu can always be- bnown toy the inside o ais mouth
''In- h"rN They are not large but powerfully huilt
'''l -i->i eni"cN upon hsh, aud particular s.
4" IriH'i s riN lltrd, putrj and have, a fashion
&" catching Their oNu tsh. They a.,touat, iu ,i
position, and are quite much home iu the water 49,
'" ''''- Ihcy are very numerous iu the island ami
"h'i removed i' warmer climate subject a. a clan
iula swelling iu the which often proves tt,l on,
specimen that vas sent 90 the Hon NJ C..,u,f:o, In
's'' hi,l suddenly as was supposed merely from the
elect uf hot weather
~ 90 rcpucs, not snake or lizard frog or a toad
ha> been iu the country As h, did I'm Ir,r
- Patrick or some other benevolent saint seems 10 have
huiShcd a the variniut from this region In regard
20 tie funny tribes. the species are not 80 abundant A.
might Zoe supposed but their immense numbers cannot b
computed ln the inland lakes aud rivers nothiu, but
salmon ai trout ar ever uund but with nets thry are
taken hy thr ton. Few aud fir between bov,v,- Ir.
tuc tyt,'ius streams which have vet been discovered
More uumcruu. by Ear the varieties of hsh found m t
surrounding such the whale aud po7,,oise the lo
pn Aui herring, the mIchcrc and capolin; but the cod
hsh outnumbcrs them al in local favor and co,n,.;,
mpurau,c This i,h is found Goo certain Localities I'm
around the island but the chief fishing ground. are ~
ihc southeast coast The Great Bank" 10 ths south
east OF tie island Is the most extensive situarn, l,
teau yet discovered. being about hundred mile. long
by two hundred wide, with depth OF water VARYING nom
twenty-five io uncty-hvc athoms Upon this wat,ry
plain do the hardy fishermen otat least i've n,t,,s 49,,
uuly meet U follow their abuiious and vcuturs,u, l
uess. ''S
The resident population Of New oundland /. now c.t
itd 40 more iihu one hundred thousand and Transient
NiTtorsa about The figure. Its governed by r.
preventative Assembly Of fifteen members with AN Eve
cnuve Council Of twelve members. appointed Fs, tl.
"o'cruor, s' thc Crown of England The colon, b,. ,
Gently been erected into Protestant see buf most f tt
inhabitants are Roman CathoIcs That every body i. ID,
one way other connected With the fishing or ,hunt
ug business, s matter Of course and thtre is sl.
great variety of uaoualtss represented by the p,pu,
ton Generally speaking the Inhabitants are simple i'm
their manners. aud h,vc hut few educational opp,5t,pi
ties They toll without ceasug aud are coutsted With
c n,ccs>Nrits OF uic and those who haHtuallv l.,,.
bomc ur business or pleasure have semi -nonthy opp-
tuncs of taking sa.lrg packets 90 England and st,r,
er plies regularly between the cities OF s. john aud hal,
fax ~
Afi now after a few remarks about the Ir4i,,s ct
Newiouulini. sill conclude my rambling d..sstt,f,,
The tsqumauS of Labrador occasionally visit the r,-tb
crn extremity of hc island. and few Micmlc bYr,.r.
aud iappers frequent Che interior sud southern r,rti
but thc ahoruues Of the island said 90 be- extinct
They called the B,pothc or Red Indian. ami en-
namci because they painted their faces with ,chr.
Their history IS most melancholy when first visited q,
t1opcaus three centuries ago they were mild and inot
cnsye hut they setny refused to hold any intercour
With thc invaders Of their hunting grounds and con.
qucutiy became The Victims Of hcattless revenge Tn
white men, aided by the Esqumsux aud Nicinscs bs,
ned fiIafrs ma frla a fh.