The Evansville daily journal., 1858-11-16
Tne British Nor,hwest Territory.

TAe British Northwest Territory.
The attention of the British Government
and the people of Canada, appear to be
earnestly directed to the resources and set
tlement of the vast regions to the North Of
our boundary line, and between the head
waters of the Mississippi and Pugets Sound.
The Canadians have, says the Chicago
Tribune, sent out explorers to report upon
the character of the country they have ag
itated the matter in the Provincial press
( they have discussed it in Parliament; they
sent agents TO make proper representations
to the home government, and to solicit its
AID in giving final coup dc grace to that ha-
ted monopoly-the Hudson Bay Company
under whose policy the country in ques-
I ton has so long been kept in its wild state
and altogether terra i1eagnita to the rest of
the world. Within the last twelve months
some decided action has rewarded thcselong
continued efforts on the part of the Cana
dian people. The Hudson Bay Company
has been shorn of a great part of its power.
A portion of the domain heretofore subject
to its exclusive sway, has been placed under
the control of Provincial government
, That measure, the expediency of which has
long been demonstrated, was rendered in-
peratively necessary by reason of the gold
Z discoveries on Frazier river. The founding
Of British Columbia on the Pacific, is of it
self, matter Of inconsderable importance;
but when regarded as the initiation of a
movement which viii result in the organZa-
ton of chain of similar Provinces extcnl-
ing from Vancouver to Canada the whole to
he contederatcd along with the existing
British Provinces in North America, after
the plan OF our own federal Union-the
scheme assumes high degree Of grandeur
and Importance, opening up new and ex-
tended theatre for the display Of Anglo
Saxon energy, and for the working out OF
/ the destiny of that remarkable race
As regards the fertility of much of the
country in question, we have the most in
dubitable proof. Notwithstanding the poll
cy of the Hudson Bay Company k:s been to
decry it a. unfit for cupaI cy by a civilized
/ people-chance remarks of their agents, the
declarations OF many of theis servants who
have left their empty in consequence Of i'll
treatment, the report of commissions sent
out by the British government TO explore
! the coasts of the Arctic Sea-all unite in
ascribing to it the qualities of fertility of
/ SOIL purity Of air, abundance OF water, and
! picturesqueness of scenery rarely equdlled
/ in lower ATTITUDES. OF the laws of c!ina-
! u
! country lies north Of the 10Th parallel OF lat
itude, and yet, after progressing a few hum
/ drcd miles westward from Lake Superior,
the elm a.e becomes greatly amelit ted, Il
/ cereals flourish in great luxuriance, Indian
! corn IS sure crop and the whole country
presents the characteristics which we would
naturally look for some ten or fifteen de-
| grees nearer the Equator
| AuO; her UpculiarifV ,f tl,n pOur+r,- l.,
natural facilities for commerce. Red river
Of the North is navgabie FIR more th; 400
! miles. Lake Winnipeg affords 400 miles
! more of ayigation--making in all about
! 500 miles Of navigation on line. north and
! south. Then the SaSkato he van river, which
/ discharges into Lake Wilnepeg, is said to be
navigable almost to the loot Of the Rocky
! Mountains, a distance of nearly 700 miles.
| on line east and west. And this system
! OF naFigab!c courses les only. about 200
! miles west of the head of navigation OF the
Mississippi, the intervening distance being
mostly level prarc, well adapted to dense
/ settlement, and across which r;rilrCad track
! can be laid at n very small cost.
/ 1t Is by this route that the trade of nj!
that vast region, when it shall have been
! settled BY an enterprising population, will
be detected into our territory, to aid in
! swelling the commerce of St. Paul, Chicago
/ and other Northwestern cities Nature
| seems to have designed Lake Winninee as
/ the grand receptical and turning point to-
/ wards the south for the commerce OF those
! 10000 square miles of arabic territory
! which lies between it and the Rocky Noun
! tains. Here it will pass due south, over
! nearly eight degrees Of latitude, by the Red
/ river of the North, and thence across the
| Mississippi and Lakes Superior and Michi-
I gan by rail, whence it will seek the best
| and most easily accessible market. Canada
! cannot reach that region except through our
/ waters and over our railroads In the SUM
/ mer she may make the head of Lake Supe-
| rior her starting point, while in the winter
her only avenue will be 10y railway around
! the entire chain of Lakes
/ Westward from Red river of the North
| the topography OF the country as well as
/ the climate is cminently adapted to railroad
! purposes. If the government of Great
Britain shall properly carry into effect the
project cf organizing Il chain of Provinces
across the continent, thus driving out the
! Hudson Bay Company and opening the
whole country to settlement, we doubt not
a large portion of the first railroad to the
Pacific will lie in British territory. Al
ready we have railroad communication from
/ the Atlantic to La Crosse, and it viii not
! be long before the line will he continued to
! st. Paul. These roads combined will form
a line of nearly two thousand miles stretch
ing more than half way across the continent.
I'itCIrvS itI'>44i- tho Minn. Snfl and Northern
of $4,000 600 acres of land, viii III up the
gap to the Red river Of the North, whence
it must be carried over British territory,
through a continuous line OF settlement to