, 1859-09-24

pursucs this interesting subject with more intel
i.cot zeal than cur fellow. citizen Gen. r. +.
s*ifa, For yeara past lie has been correspond.
lug with fur traders and others ia Minnesota
and the British Possessions, and in this way be
Is been able to collect large amount Of ralu-
nile Information in regard 10 the soil, the eli
male and the resources of OUT great Northwest.
.Seycrul months since Gen. Swift prepared
series Of questions In the form Of acircular, and
forwarded it 10 d large number Of gentlemen
who are located north and west Of Lake Supe-
rior. We arc permitted to publish herewith IN
answer to one Of these circulars, from Mr. Don
aid Gum, q very intelligent farmer, dated Red
River Settlement, July I'LL, 1859. The infor-
nation contained in it embraces great many
particulars Which, VIC doubt not. will prove both
and valuable To large number Of
our renders. Mr., Gum says,
IL hare answered your queries, mp to the e0th,
to tie best Of my knowledge. Ihaye resided in
this settlement for the long time Of thirty.tive
years. l am intimately acquainted with the
origin mud progress of this colony, and with the
adverse and b|ighting influences which hare
oeen pfoasn' 10 oenr upon US ~ te1afa ou4 w.
rnncement and the improvement Of the country
oy III aesoe'a"o1 u H'esp'uo.''s AA0 @
pulous traders, whose sole object has been to
keep down every influence that might be sup-
posed in the least to be antagonistic to their
nAon'f'As W. WIG ~,
AA1
"ust nenee.''tn w eoaens - sua'' ~ 'Ds e''A
lungs " Vic 'a"u Will o'ne.s' 'A Ne''''"
ls'o u 'as1 o.a"'ns " e4'ss. ..-.,-
4ne se'efns "lsn "u'eA 'a'' w.. 0r
tue huoson Day eop'paos "a n'ost 1's'. ~ -
higa nme tn1s oo'o"s n'onopo'' Was our'ea 'u'
ot S'sht anons .ne oespo'1nS u n1 pas''
Gen. s"ilts qnesuons ase answered. as lo,io"s
LIST. "ha1 extent o' country a1o"oo s'a.
place is well adapted ior aef'calturaA pofsa'ts:
~ a"e"e ~ 5ou' ~ oes ~
'hat my P'aee u 'es'4eoee 20 4a. " =" ~, s1
~ess oah. u 'ue 1eo i'' =. " 'Ae "'. ~. Ids No.
loving 'he stream 10 'oe sou'n' up "
alssanee oi y m'es' nc .come F" upper
foft uaf1s 4. Tue conuoence VI 'ne "eu ~"
Assinn'bolne hiTers' "h1ch IS consIoefea Inc
centre ot the settlement rom upper rot1 ea1r5
down the stream towards Lake Winnipeg thf
border OF the stream IS occupied, q Distance G
from 30 to IS miles along the F'ger, and the lots
extend two miles within on each side. But
there is also much valuable land round the south
end Of the like which is still unappropriated.
Then upwards from Upper Fort Garry to the
international line. a distance Of 10 miles, there
are twenty miles Of settlement; the remaining
fifty is unoccuried. The soil is composed Of
aluvium. The river is f1uged With border Of
heasy timber, oak, elm, maple and poplar. To
the west, for some miles, open prairie. To the
east is an interminable forest Of cypress fir pine,
larch or tamatck, and great quantities Of poplar
and birch, with here and there some cedar. a
number of streams take their rise in this
forest. and flow yestwardlylinto the Red River,
all of which offer great facilities to the indus
tious Immigrant, Much Of the land now occu-
MED by the above mentioned fores. will in times
10 come be the abode of thousands of happy
md contented famslies, But there is no ncces-
stir vet. nor will there be anY for many years,
tn ancroach On the forest. for the prairie lands
,rc ;1l;mitable. The Assjnniboine flows from
thc nor.b.wcst. md its banks arc occupied d
distance of from twenty to twenty-five miles
md nil aboyc this. distance of from four to
s;r hundred miles. il without IN inhabitaut
c1cent t,,e wandering sayarc and the wild
ho,sto If 41a 1r;raerness Retwcen the Assip.
,,;o;no ,,,d tho ;,torno+;ona, linz n distance of
seventy ~ one hundred miles the country is
,,+crnota ,rooa md n,a;n intersectet1 by several
smal, strcoms which fall into the Assiuniboinc.
IN tho no,4h of 1bc Ass;nnibojne and to the
,1cet If tbe Red Rirer. there are boundless
t,ac.s of forest md plaiu. remarkably adnptcd
h +ta pnrnosex of ocr;cuttnre and of raising
sto.l- mi, d;s,r;c. o,uo conto;,e rerr exten.
s;ro 1,lcs re,1 snnn1ied with excellent fish.
likewise sone of thc hest brine SPRINGS in The
West. Welding n ner cent Of GOOD sail, These
SPRINGS IRE about 200 miles from this settle.
mcpt.
Cd. "Can emirrants secure good souatte1
claims. md prairie in your vicinity with OF
,x;thont nurchascs" 1do mt fully comprehcud
The scone of this question. Those WHO pay fo1
,ond re ao mt denominatc sauatters. The man
,.ho s;ts m land whore he n,c,scs v;thout nre.
,;,,,s,r cnns,1t;n,, and oh,n;n;nc the nermissiou
of tbe aoents of tbo.e fthc H.D. Co'y.> who
c,tled ,bemsetre. The lords Of the land. we
termed souattera. and there arc many Of this
cl,sx nnder c4;st;oc circunstanecs any Mt.
.or,nt IN da,,;ro them n their claim. wouid te
-. ,t, 1r:,1 4t II II,