Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1857-08-15
The Territory of Nebraska.

the 2Sth .ultimo:
The Territory Of Nebraska was once a
part of the cd province Of Louisiana, pur-
chased from the French during the admins
tration of Thomas Jefferson, and ceded to
the United States in 1903. A territorial
government vas organized in Nebraska in
1854, and Omaha selected as the seat of
government. The progress Of the 4errito-
ry since then has been gradual and it now
contains population of about fifteen thou
sand, and real estate amounting to two
millions, while Congress has provided for
opening four Land Offices in the Territory
The south line of Nebraska is the 10th par
allel, its north the 10Th. On one side is
Kansas, and on The other the British pos
sessions, boundary which will one day re-
quire fortresses and troops. On the east is
the Missouri River, and on the west the
| Rocky Mountains Its area is 335 $50
square miles, a larger extent of country
having government than any other on the
continent, and enough for several States
Physically it is divided into three large
portions; the first. triangle, having the
Kansas line for its base, with the Missouri
for its eastern, and its ninety-sixth line of
longitude fer its western side. The second
is between that meridian ard the Rocky
Mountains, running north from the Kansas
line to the Black Hills. The third is the
north wess. half Of the Territory lying be-
tween TIE Slack Hills and the Rocky Noun
tains. IN the Hrst division are bottom lands
of extraordinary fertility, being mixture
of sand and clay, carbo. AID large quanti-
ties of decomposed vegetable matter, form
ing porous, black mould. The soil is ca
~ of cultivation, ana very productive =
Two hundred and fifty bushels of potatoes,
Of one hundred and fifty of corn, are the
products Of single acre. There are nu-
nervous springs and streams of excellent
water, every quarter section of land being
we'll irrigated This region is well timber
ed with oak ard blaeh Walnut, ash. cotton
wool, willnw aud cedar Its rock forma-
tien is principally sand stone and lime stone
Il also possesses red pipe-elay, soft when
first worked, but, on exposure to the air,
becoming as bard as Il flint. There are
| limestone quarries possessing the same tea-
I iure, spd probably resembling the famous
+ Stone Caea, which is now being imported
n large quantities into the United States
! This circumstance will, at no distant day
have It's tie eject rpon the architecture OF
/ the Territory. and invite to elaborate work
manshp in the construction of public and
private buildings. IN addition to these
Z there are large quantities of white chalk
/ black baud i,on ore, aud coal and salt il
various sections OF the country
ibn -act,oI coctio,, 10 not so S,- n,-,nfi 20
large portion of it is represented as no
bette tha2 desert One of tie. most re-
nMrkable features of this section is that Of
the atapraiges te19es, or bad lands, u de-
pressed portion Of the surface, that seems
to have sunk down from the high prairies
several hundred feet, leorinr everywhere
standing prismatic aud columnar masses Of
the same height, resembling the ruins of
sIerculanean or Polnpeii, or an old Euro
rean town with narrow streets and lanes.
To the Imagination cf tie romantic traveller
seine Of them resemble cd castles in decay,
with actual turrets and b0ttfessoa, arches,
clustered shafts, and tapering spires. One
might imagine, says Mr.. Owen, the geolo-
gist, that he was approaching magnificent
city Of the dead. The third section lies be-
tween the Black Hills and the Rocky Noun
tains. having mild climate and success
ion of valleys, With the varieties of the soil
! like that ON the first section. that of the
Yellow Stone being the most fertile. with
here and there evidences Of strong volcanic
action, not yet entirely ccased.a..
Its rivers are important, Tic Yellow
Stone Is iiaYigable for steamboats, three hun
bred miles from its mouth, The Missouri
also flows along its frontier, and the Platte
or Nebraska and its tributary the Sweet
Water, so called from its delicious taste, are
also important Streams. the Platte being
navigablo By steamers between Cmsha and
its mouth, distance of fifty miles. The
/ river which runs rises in the bed lands,
and runs an eastcfly course for four hun
dred miles. On its south side the lands
, are fertile The winter is cold but short,
the summers are warm, but the air is tenn
pered by 'he cool air RON tie prairies. -
The climate is a Healthy one. The govern
Iuent has authorized an expenditure of
$3.50, GOO for various purposes within the
Territory such as the military road from
Omaha to Fort Keayrey, for the South Pass
wagon road, and for the public buildings"
A lHshey's Co34isel Forty years ago a
mother stood on the green hills of Vermont,
by the right hard Of son sixteen years old ,
mad with love of the sea- And, as she
stood BY the garden gate sunny morning,
she said, Edwin, they tel NE. for never
saw the oceanE.--that the great temptation of
the seaman's life, is drink. Promise me
before yoa quit your mothers hand, that
you will never drink" gave her the pro-
mise, and went the broad globe over
Calcutta the Mediterranean San Francis
co, the Cape of Good Hope, the North Pole
and the South saw them all in forty
years, and never saw a glass filed with
sparkling liquor that my mothers form BY
the garden gate or the green hillside of
! Vermont, did not rise before me, and to-
day, at sixty, my lips ere innocent eff the
taste of liquor.
The Memphis News gives the following
/ incident at a recent fire in that city -
Several warehouses destroyed were I'll
ed with whisky. As soon as two Banks
caught fire there was q. stream of whisky.
brandy, ale, rum and gin, that commenced
flowing through the broad cutters towards
Main street The liqnid currents caught
fire. The blue, lambent flames foated down
the Broad thoroughfares Of The CIV, and
W erp fannad eor nas IL. a. MI l. ~.