Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1859-01-08
Highly Interesting from the Valley of
the SaskatcheVvan..-Prof Hinds'
Explorations.

Professor HINDS the Canadian Engineer,
who returned pia. st. Paul from the Red Giv-
er country at the same time the young British
Lords arrived here, has reached Toronto; and
the Gio6c of the 2Sth ult. furnishes us the fol
lowing interesting statement of the discover
les he has made, and his deductions from his
plorations:
"Mr. Hind returned from his last exploring
expedition to the Northwest territory about
ten days ago, accompanied by Mr. Dickenson,
engineer, Mr.. John Flemming. surveyor, and
Mr.. Iiime artist. Mr.. Hind and his party
thoroughly explored the neichborhood of the
A. inibone, and travcrsed the south branch
ot the saskatchewan some hundred of miles.
He used canoes going one way. and for the 9TH
cr took horses, by which he secured more
thorough knowledge of the country than the
fur traders who travel by water entirely. The
'cmpany'S people have always reported the
Saskatchewan as running through aandy
plain, utterly unfit for cultivation. Mr. Kinds
people admit the banks of the river to be
sandy, but say ihat five Eiles from it, the
land is even richer than on the Red River
The climate is much miller, and the vegetation
most luXuIiant. From the accounts of the
hunters, it would appear, however, that the
slope OF land at the eastern base of the Rocky
Mountains is the finest part of the Territory
The snow is said never to lie deep there, show
shoes being unknown to the Indians, and i. is
well hnbe"ed country. This is the locality,
also, in which the coal beds exist.
Mr.. Hind did not penetrate so far, but he
had undoubted proofs Of their existence At
Fort Edmonton, and other western posts of the
company, they use this coal for their forges.
1t would appear from Mr.. Kinds researches
that the hope OF finding good coal on the As
slmbolne has proved grOundless. Ignite is
found, but not in such quantities as to be prof
liable. There is, however, over the whole
country, sufficient wood for building and fuel
during the first settlement of the country, and
afterwards there are ample stores of timber
to the north, for which there are easy means
of transportation to the prarics.
In the way OF transportation it is believed
that Mr.. Kinds party made discovery
They found that an afiluent of the Assiniloine
approached within very short dirtance of the
Saskatchewan. If the two streams could he
joined, there would be a great saving in dis.
tance. The only route previously explored
was by the lake, to the mouth of the Sas.
katchewan, and thence past the barrier Of tbc
Falls up the river. The northing and south.
ing would be saved, by the newly discovered
route, since this branch of the Assiniboine
runs almost due west from Red river. At the
highest point at which Mr.. Hind saw the Sss-
katchewan, it was half mile broad and seven
feet deep.
Some of the Indians who had guided Capt.
PailiSser and his party over the Rocky Noun
tains, arrived at Red River just before Mr..
o,nd expedition left, Captain Pallisscr HIM
sell was to winter at Edmonton House, and
resume his explorations in the spring Two
companies of Americans were in the territory
on their way to Fraser River. They were or
alnary emlgrants' grant travelling with wagons drawn
by oxen. They were not very well provided
with food, and had suffered. some bardsbins
They would probably winter at Carlton
House. There is no doubt that they will be
followed b. numerous companies in the sprinc
the route being far superior to any other over,
land track yet discovered