The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1857-12-31
The Upper Mississipp,.

The Cleveland Herald has been privileged +,
make the following extract from priva'e let.
ter, the writsr of which is a very intelligent ant
scientific man:
have been collecting specimens of the Red
hi'et OF the North had Indifferent success
but trust have done some it'll, good. truy.
eled from st. Paul in boat. with one comnan
ION, to South Bend Of Red River Here Join.
ed traders train, which ! accompanied tr
SeIklrk settlement. crossing the Plains some &c
miles west of Red River, all the way down
Having gone within about 25 miles of Lake
Wlnnepeg' | returned, passing by Pembnc
where we crossed the Red River to the east side
ana thence up the east side of Red River and
across to Crow Wing and Fort Ripley on the
Upper Mississippi. | started the latter part OF
July, and got back in about three months Had
much fun; cdmped ont, of course | carried
no tent, and slept with only blanket and buC.
iaio ROB. lor my bel. We d. pended mainly on
our guns ior subsistence. On the Plains we shot
OuiiaI" Killed one old bull alone, in style
Snarp-talled grouse are abundant throughou,
Minnesota, and far to the North.
The Valley of the Red River is very fertile
out unfortunately subject to the innndation.
above Selkrk, aud below the mouth of the Boi,
des Sioux WV i''''
Selklrk settlement is place that astonished
me much. have found beautiful oasis ot
civilizatlon in what | had thought was yery
poor settlement. Indeed, many wealthy fami.
lies at SslkIrk live i'll fine style. Agricultural
PutsUi S are carried ON extensively aud lreH -
Lhey nave plenty of American reaping aud
thresilnS machines, steam saw and Touring
mill mum 'rous water and wind mills, &c. &c,
Inc wheat crops here are almost incredible; ffu
ousleIs to the acre is not very unusual crop
ihey count on harvesting from Is to 80 bushels
lor every onshel OF sOwn, and this often on land
that has ben cropped constantly for % wears
Other crops, such as potatoes, oats, barley, &c.
&C, are good potatoes Ucry good. The cattle
ahu horses are numerous, and OF excellent quail
ity Velily, the " terrible frozen North" is not
SO much OF bowling wilderness after all
S,lkrk kssttement contains an actual population
oi some 1000 inhabitants; nearly all half
breeds, or grades between half bloods and whites
was surprised at the intelligence of tn, En-
glish and Scotch half breedsSthe French are
Roman Catholics, ignorant, lazy and drunken.
Inc English and Scotch half breeds are more ia
teillgent, moral, and better educated. as class.
oy far, than the white population of many parts
OF Our Southern States where poor whites ars
plenty. And they are gool farm rs, industrious
and saving.
Pembina is nothing at all. / found there
but one American (the Collector OF Customs)
and he, think, the only full blood white man
Ihsre were also a few half breeds and Indians,
"hile lew more whites lived in the n.ighbor-
hood: the whole not exceeding hundred, per
haps' and all miserable French half breeds or
Canadians. By the way, at recent Minneso
ia election, Pembina returned larg. vote -
On! but are not the Democrats cool! am
positive there is not one legal voter in the cuun
ty east OF Rel River, and all the inhabitants Of
Pembina anil for tn miles around with white
blood, would not count up to the number of
votes returned from "St. Vincsnts," a town sun
posed TO exist opposite Pembnl on ID River,
but which really exists just nowhere. saw but
solitary Indian wigw,m of skins on the spot
where 81. Vhcents" is said to b., aud this is
annual covered with five, ten an even twenty
feet of water.