The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-02-22

s.g wtssf aisrnoe vas compelled 10 seek refuge
oia ihs approach q winter ,no~ the middle Of Noyem-
iSfi at bintDnioa hou1e. the Upper Saskatchewan
Flsat this ai,ciiet b. titus wuta Ia soncral
e easife eeioa Ia te sinity ~ rho eastern chain
a tlts ia.Al aoatss sFging their base for thirty
ksy ilss sksregaeiy rttiic shoundlng iu ioest
,lass pfag,ls I.l. arnln asi n1ierrai sptings Tho
tsefs sod aiasus Afa innpfacmbis and GA every eide
oles sitatoaa far,sab&e ~ the construction OF mills
Tue tsaftetu and eaihain haacles ~ the ssskaiche
SISTER ssss astt hava tfateacd for distance OF
aait tiiss Aunissd ssiiss. fsless IL pane, cypress
tisla. ptan snd aspen tres. weli others Of df
lrest h'ad @eapy iA'rs pertion q a. covering The
dsiisita u sie nsaDtsiisa sid banbs II the Iiyvm
ghess ofginsilY as taer Fiss ln te hghost chains
whenoo they s@ns IN every dseston lke msny veins
re teh and eiea ~ thcse sivc,s icbhy. aad their
c'are rAit sis a. ttes ssesis ths lacantaiss thsy
Wtien And the elont is eweefhlng 81 thea1 inilctn
a@y fheS watsss uauallY yriy cesf. lhc ooaniEy
woai ~ eiIahie ~ sapgcss.nx iatte population, and
ths s b Esyssalas iH ths pgeiactloa a barley corr,
po'ai'-a Aaa hs~ns, which go~ hee aswsii a. 10 the
Afe these and lnnumerals Adds q hay forever
destined 10 Dc nEausd ~ nFe IeFsh in thc autsn-
ual -,oes hos hong sha hess superb forests be tbs
hsasts y wli. txssls AaA thssa nexhsastbie gaal-
rie tier sbunlaut tnincl nf c-sl lsad salphar iron,
qpAs AMI saltteige ~ that they doomed o.
remain fofcyer lnaci.ys Not Tho day viii come
when ,one isieng hsnd via give tlcm value asirong,
active aud entepfsng people destined O. al this
spacious void The Will beasts will before bong give
place aur aomsstlc animsls no,ks and herds viii
graHs Ia ts beautiful mcaiws that border hc uu'nlcr
less 'noahtns h valleys 'nd plains - tis extensive
| egOn"
iife At Edmonton during ,he siuier ssason l. thns
skstehcd
.sThe nuuber of servants lnclwllng eblren Is about
eighty Besides large garden, hcid oa olaiocs and
wva, hioging 4, tlo establishments, thr iakss forests,
| aud plains oi she neighlufhood iRnish proyislon Ia
ahuidalco On my arrival az she ort the ia heae o'-
ainel thirty th0nsard white .fsl each weighing four
pounds and Ave hundsed hniios the ordinary aaount
of the winter prossio snc Is The quantity q aquatic
birds ID the that sporsmen olien sud 10 the iolt
carts full ol fowls t4gs rckca 10 ny thousands ~
tho straw aud weesiS et the marshes visited lako nt
Annie "a missionary station iiy milss nnrthwcsi tfan
Elmani,ai Tho sufface 0f this region is hat Cor the
most part unniating in places diversified wiih
forests and meadows aud iakcs tecfang with hslt La
Lake St Annie alone caught last autumn more than
seventy thousand wheish the most delicious oi tie
kind they taken With lne "A every season oi ihe
year.
Notwithstanding the gor and duration of the winter
in the n,rtietn rgiou the earth IN general api~ars fer
tile vegetation is forward n tha spring ani snnnri,
that potatoes wheat and barley tnsetf with other
Vegetables of Canada, c,'ne 10 maturity
On the 18th Of March, Father Dc smei started on his
return trip proceeding with siciges drawn hy dogs over
the Fort Jasper situated northwest fEoln Emnn-
ton The Atislasca river half degree north al 9i
Here occurred the following hunting adventure
Provisions becoming az the tort, al the mo
nent when We had with considerable number o ~.
roqus from the surrounding coslniiy who seIe resolved
to remain until my departure Ia orin 70 assist ~ te "a
strctions should have found ourselves VA an einlaF
RAISING situation had not Mr. Frazer some 10 eur eilf
by proposing that should lcaye the tort and aeoni-
pary himself and family to the lake 81 islands, wirre
could sulsist partly ON lGh A. The hsiAnrc was not
great accepted the invitation and ss eht 70 the nu
Der uf City four persons aud twenty dogs cnnnt te
latter because much obliged to provide oT
them ior ourselves Iiisle note 81 the game klied
by our hunters daring the twctYslk days y oAf alale
at this plaeo will pprhaia atnrd yoa aome sscres ~
least IL will make you acquainted With tho animals q the
country and prove that the mountainous Of ths Atha
basc9 blessed with good appctiics Animals kca
a tA..4r
sheep or biz horn two poTcuncs, two hnndrsi and Ten
hans one beaver, ten mtskrats twenty-iow brtaFds
one hunircd and fifteen ducks twenty phcassnts,
one snipc one eagle owl add To this irom thirty
10 iifty five white .h aud twenty trout every day"
Father Dc sme afterwards returned 10 the west
slope of the Rocky lnountansi whi,hc we VIII mot
/ follow him.
We have thus exhibited the natural features of the
great central district soon c brought iuto cse com
neciai relation with Minnesota by the navigation q
these important rivers OF the Northwest We have tcsls
our observations Hitherto latitude 55. bat The sag
gestons already uttered Ia the British Parliament Of as
extension by canal 20 the nayigahe tributaries q The
Mackenzie win warrant The consdegatiun oi ietnt0rAl
! dissipIi bayoad tlAt HINT
AmAnAscA.
The valleys of The Peace aud Athahasca rivers, easl-
ward of the Rocky mountains from latitude 552 to as2,
| share the Pacific climate In remarkable degpe,
| The Rocky mountains greatly reduced Ia breadth
and mean elevation and through the numerous passes
between their lofty peaks the winds Of the Pacific rearh
the dctrict in question Hence II Is thai Sr AiexaeT
Mackenzie under tho date Of May 10th, mentions the
exubeant verdue Of the whole county trccs about 10
| blossom and buffalo attended by thcir young During
ihe gte parliamentary Investigations similar STATEMENTS
| we're ecteI Dr. Richard King, who accompinlel An
expedition in search Of Sir John Ross, as surgeon ald
naturalist" asked what portion o the country yis
tied 10y him valuable FOR hpupcao Of settlement In
reply he described Gas a very fertile valley, square
piece of country bounded on the south iy Cumberland
House and by the Atlaiasca lake on the north tiis
words arc as follows Ihe Of The Athabasca and
the sources of the Saskatchewan include
of country 1t Is, in fact vast piscc of land fuIfaand
bg wa,ar Whom heard Dr iyingsone's description Of
that country which he found III the iherin OF Aica
Within the equator it appeared u 60 he precisely thc
| kind OF country which am now describing . .
s'It is rich SOIL ntespersed with well wooded county
there being growth of every kind, and the whole yegcA
/ BILE kingdom alive" When asked concerning ul..sa
poduetions, his reply Z" DO not know ~ ANY other
directions" o o "1he birch, the beech, and tbs
maple abundance and there is every SOFT of butt
When questioned further to The growth 81 trees Dc
King replied by comparison with the NagHioent tItca
| Folld Eenslngton park, i,i London Tie described
larh hea Cumberland House. under very aucccssul cul
tivation wheat potatoes, barley and domestic
animals.
The committee will not EXTEND by any generalization
of their own these geographical statements They pre-
fer conclusion to dispose OF the subjects Of climate
and population in the impressive language Of writer m
| the KuickerboOker magazine Tor October, ies9
Here is the great fact Of the northwestern ot
this continent An not inferior in size Ia the whole
United States cast of The Mississippi which is perfectly
adapted to the fullest occupation by cultivated nations,
yet is almost wholly nnoccuped lies west of the 9St
/ .l.N tl,o hat al The