Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1863-03-19
MisttlIanp.
From the Cleveland Daily Herald.
A Modern Linn1us.

..f. A Modern Linn@us.
On the 18th day of May, 1882, Lin
naus at the age of 25 years, set on
alone, from Upsal, to visit the inhos
pital regions of Lapland, for the pur
pose OF investigating their natura
history. He returned on the 10th o
October of the same year, rich in his
collection OF facts and specimens
with a fame for zeal. energy, and per
severance which has extended dowr
to the present age. ~-.. ..
At the opening Of navigation fou
years since, an Illinoisan Linnaus
still younger in years, left this cit,
without any associate, to investigat,
the natural history of the northwest
ern arctic regions Of America. He re
turned few weeks since, still richer
both in facts and collections than his
great prototype, having spent the in
terval of time between this city and
Fort Youcan in Russian North Ameri
ca. BY steamboats, he reached For,
William, on the north shore of Lake
Superior, where he met the late Geo
Simpson, then Governor of the Fur
Company, whose assistance and kind.
~ aid he secured by letters of the
British Minister at Washington. The
remainder Of his travels and soiourn.
ings were with the members or EN-
ployees of that company.
From Fort William he proceeded by
their conveyanccs to Fort Charlotte
Rainy Lake, Lake Winnepeg, Slave
River, Great Slave Lake. Fort Provi
dence, Horn Lake, Fort Simpson, Nc
kenzies River, to Point Separation
about 100 miles from the Artic Ocean
from thence up Peels river to Fort
Mcpherson, Big Fish Lake, and down
Porcnpine River to it's junction with
the River Yoncan, situated some 25C
miles due east Of Behring Straits
This Fort was the terminus of his
tour, though he often made extensive
detours from the main line. On re
turning he pursued the same tract ex.
cept at the south end Of Lake Whine.
peg he diverged to the Red River,
and came home by way of st. Paul
in Minnesota. ..... ...r
The summers he spent in watching
the habits and movements of the nu-
merons migratory birds which resort
to those remote regions to rear their
young, and in collecting skins, eggs
and nests. Mammals, from the Moose,
Reindeer and Musk Ok, down to the
little Lemming, Fishes, Insects, Shells,
Reptiles and Plants, equally engaged
his attention. The habits, history and
languages Of the Slave Lake, Esqui
'maux and Youcan tribes of Indians
We're also investigated. .... ..a
The winters were not spent in mac.
tivity. With his well.trained dogs
and sledge, and gun, he would frc-
quently depart from the Company's
posts on extended expeditions, trap
ping for the valuable fur animals,
such as the black and silver Foxes,
Martins, Ermines, &c. On one occa-
sion he Travelled at least one hundred
miles, and was absent from the post
seven days without seeing human
being. At night he wonld excavate a
cell in the snow, wrap himself in his
robe, with his dogs about him, and
rest comfortably with the Thermometer
forty degrees below zero.
His rich and extensive collections
are on their way to the Smithsonian
Institute at Washington. where they
will form an important addition to re-
sources of natural science. He is
about to unpack and describe them,
and the public may expect from his
pen an interesting narrative Of his
journey. To illustrate what energy
in young person may accomplish,
we will state that ten years since this
young man was engaged in studying
the Elements of Natural History with
a gentleman in this vicinity. Since
that time he has passed course of
medical studies i'm one of the Chicago
schools has been extensively engag,
cd in working up the collections of
the Smithsonian Institute has col
lected and described the Natural His
tory of the line of the Central Rail
road of Illinois and made a scien-
tific exploration of the Red River
down to Lake Winnepeg. The pages
of several Patent Office reports. and
the articles on Natural History in sew
eral volumes of the Pacific Railroad
Surveys. were enriched by his labors
and from his pen. All these. inclu-
ding his four years Northwestern
Tour, were accomplished in seven
years time. He was twenty-three
years oftage when he engaged in the
last enterprise. His constitution and
physical development would have
been deemed unequal to the perform
ance of such an undertaking by most
persons.
The individual is Robert Kennicott
son Of John A. Kennicott, NJ. D., q
Cooke Co., Illinois. formerly Secretar,
of the Agricultural Board of Illinois.