Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-08-06
Letter from St. Paul---Graphic Deserip-
-aaila tiOn Of the Country.
sr. Paul, MINI, July 80.

marked BY any peculiar and wonderful
mildness Of temperature or dTyness OF
air; at the same time, however, that
feel disappointed in this, / cannot help
owning that the climate generally, does
possess remarkably balmy and exhilera'
ting qualities. / deuounce the GOODNESS
that makes one shiver at nights, the occa'
sionally cloudy and humid mornings,and
a few hours afterwards am in raptures
with the dry, bracing air and warm sun.
shine. Sometimes, too, the nights are as
hot and oppressive as in New Orleans,
aud the next day as cool as October.
1t may be, indeed, that those who
describe the climate as so uniformly
delightful may be such lovers of exter-
nal nature as to lose sight of all the
faults cf the former in the admiration Of
the truly exquisite beauties of scenery
which the latter everywhere presents,
whether it be forests, or oak openings,
or prairies, or the thousand lakes inter-
spersed among these, fringed with the
choisest verdure and blossoms, and "rich
with tints, eaven-borrowed." On every
hand are flowers of the rarest beauty,
riyalling, in all that charms the senses,
those elsewhere, cultured with the ten
derest care. Here, on St. Authony's
Hill, can overlook, from my room, al
most the entire city of st. Paul, filing,
with its busy commerce, its splendid
structures and highly ornamented
grounds, the little valley formed by the
Mississippi and the circumjacent
heights. I see, too, the river, with
the bridge that crosses it a mile
below, from the bend beyond which the
| noble stream, with its rich riparian see
merry, is visible for many miles. Yonder,
on the opposite bank, is the Minnesota
Valley railroad, above and beyond which
loom up imposingly the lofty adjacent
hills, that seem from here, a verdant
wall hemming in from that side narrow
ledge OF the lower bluff on which the
road is built. Yonder, on that same
side, and seven miles above us we descry
the smiling village of Mendoza.
On the site commanding SO extensive
and magnificent view stands the Car
penter House, in the city, and affording
all the accommodations of the best
hotels, and yet delighting the mind with
all this luxurious feast of Nature, unsur-
passed in scenes remotest from the
haunts of men, which tourists and poets
undergo every privation and hardship p to
behold. Here we see at once the temples
built by man and those built by the Su-
preme Architect. Each has its charms,
but vietced an contrast, how insignificant
the former, let the pile be ever so costly
in material, ample in dimensions, or
noble in its adornments.
This elevation is one hundred and
sixty feet above the level of the river,
and is the border of fertile plateau,
reaching many miles into the interior.
The city Of ST. Paul is said to contain
about seventeen thousand inhabitants,
and seems to be rapidly improving.
l have met with many health seekers,
not only from the West, but from the
South = some from Memphis. They
generally, as / did, visit some country
resort, preferring one or other of FIVE
lakes in the vicinity. Como, two and a
half miles, White Bear, ten miles out,
aud both on this side of the river, Lake
Calhoun, Lake Harseet, or Lake Mime
tonka, that lie on the west and several
miles further. visited Bear Lake the
day after arriving here and remained
about a week. At the White Bear are
three public houses at the distance OF
about mile apart At one of these,
kept by Mr., Sieppe, | sojourned,
meeting with ample accommodations,
excellent fare, and the kiudest attention
from mine host and his family. The
invalid, the hunter, the angler, or the
mere pleasure seeker can there have all
the benefits they seek. One finds there
a pleasing combination of the hrst- class
city hotel and the good old fashioned
country tavern. The disciple Of Wal
ton find, too, all the appliances of his art
and a number of good boats that glide
either by oars or by sails, and to the
pleasure of voyage of seven miles
across the lake, he may add that oI
taking in with his line an abundance Of
6sh-pickerel, bass, and perch Of various
kinds, all Of which are Of excellent flavor
NY recollections Of the White Bear
will always be pleasant; and whenever
visitit l shall be sure to stop with Sieppe
who, by common report, supported by
my own experience, feeds as well and
treats his guests in every way as kindly
as, if not little better than-any coun
try inn in this region.
/ have delayed visiting the falls abov'
this, preferring to await the repairing o
1 the railroad bridge crossing from St
Anthony to Minneapolis, when ! MAJ
leave this delightful place for a hJinl
visit to those points, and to the lake
, near them "a -.. --..---
In viewing this leveiy country, on
, -. Ill th;,L;,o hovr dear II u.uF