Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-10-09
NIVETT UTIT1,T - ITT1
1Wbm sStatfl.s|nralr
~ fR,ouss - y. J. PhMil.dslphi.5 n Lede.r.l
AIaaI<n, Ous, New Territory.

Il. 4
% 5HaH fRronbths Philsdslphia, Ledesr.l 9ss ; "a.
,.,,Alnsl<n. 0us. New sTerrifory.
When it was first anIiounced, in Marcel
issts that the Executive Of the United
States had made q treaty with Russia fol
for the purchase OF her american posses
sions, and had sent it to the Senate forcon
.sidefation, the first impulse with almos
every one was that of establishment thai
any desire should be manifested to acquire
4pRlon believed 70 consist merely. of rug
months, II net Ter she, whole of every year
with ice and snow, the home of the icebers
and the Polar bear. Subsequent iavestiga.
tieus however, put a different face on. ths
matten and we propose to present. in as
brief afofm asipossible, some Of the facts
The southern coast aud the island portion
of Russian-America, is rich IN harbors 6l
the first cliaracter, Accessible at al. seasons
of1the year. The Importance Of this Cir
,cumstanoe will be appreciated. when we
remember that the only harborI of any
value, FROM Pahana o'sPuget Sound, Is
that Of San Francisco, Puget Sound itsel1
British harbor of EsQuimalt In the Straits
of FQca. Ina voyage between California
and China, the distance, by way OF the
Aleutian IslAnds, Is a Thousand miles less
than aby. way of the usual route of the
Sandwich Islands, and the accessibility and
belonging to the United States, is, a. matter
Of thegreatest imp portance TO the American
navigator. S4b-fedsi
Contrary 20 the prevailing impression,
theelimafeyft ftheeo odthern portionpf Alaska
Is characterized by It's mildness in winter.
The hafb0fs are never obstrueted by ice
sometimes alnest none, forms during the
QaQs0n Gn0w oaldor1 Hos IN fha rvrnup n
more than few hours. The mean annual
8efnpefatute OF Sitfa, the centre of Russian
power inl Alaska. isgabous a degrees; that
of winter about 32deRfees, or very nearly
that of Washington City, The mean sum-
mer temperature,1 on the other. hand, is
about % degrees, that OF Washington z3
degrees; the summers as COOL therefore,
as the winters are mild. The great differ
tence in temperature between the east and
west coast of America is produced by the
pecan currents from the southwest, which
strike the northwest coast Of Amer
lea. and ameliorate its temperature,
as the Mexican gulf stream does that of
-of fog and rain is produced the
egfeatests drawback TO the value of Alaska.
AT Sitka the sun issseen on not more than
eAfty or sixty days Id the year; more fre-
quedtiy, however, elsewhere. In the north
ern portion of the Territory, and especially
IAA4St1t9AloIt euS tcilhdtc Uecomcs more
serene in winter, and much warmer In
SUMMER; but the cold Is much less intense
than in Labrador and Greenland, as even
on Norton Sound it is possible to work
outdoors all winter. On the headwaters
of The Yukon the winter Temperature Is
sometimes50 50 degrees below zero, the sum-
mer9eE degrees above it, as;a aiO s'aolssgyT
The whole country. with the exception
of the Aleutian and adjacent islands, and a
strip Of coast land north of the peninsula
of Alaska, ahpiihds I'm timbercof excellent
squality for ship building and other pur-I
poses. The interior of the Island of Sitka
Is impenetrahle on account of its forests,
which sustained BY the excessive mois-
ture, contain fir or pine trees over two
HUNDRED feet high and six feet and more in
diameter. Grass of excellent quality is
found on many of the islands, such as Ka-
diak and Aonalaska. Root crops can be
raised to good advantage, but the grains do
not n0urish ats ALL with the exception, per-
.kaps, of BARLEY, and occasionally rye, In
some portions Of the interior. r7od 'irl'sk
-isF0f many years past Russian America
h6s 4urnisfed the finest ana best of the
eAmerican fgFs. th0seof Labrador scarcely
excepted. The pine martens, Or Hudsonss
Bay sables OF the Upper Yukon, the black
and cross foxes, and the minks have been
4nsereat demand. The sea offers of the
coast bring enormous profits, while of fur
Ten.on = sincIe island fSt. .fewrencsS 10. sa
It is In the abounding fisheries, however
and in th;s rsnsct r. nav Il ss3aIy T
nSil thar M sri,,fS Sefsst ~ tis1 .crld ~
e6uai extent will, tl1st f R1ss;a n 4 4 S,Srics
sofh IF a ~ 81 ~ Il Z
for these narnoses Tba -
p- n s,,or1'. d ~, niSy
III y g ~, ,l;a tf auu s,S
~ Z !. ~. "
Soees ~ s.,e IlsgLs Az pays py Gneir NUM-
and great variety of other fish, are takenin
Abundance, while the cod fisheries, hid fair
ts-rizal, if not surpass, theseof Newfoand-
land and Northern Europe.- IT. Is necessa-
nv to.aivert to the fact that it il in Beh-
rings Sea, north of the Aleutians. and in the
Arctic Ocean, adjacent now to our own
shores, that the chief seat OF the fishery OF
the right whale has its place, and that the
same regions abound in porpoises. black
nemleal importmce., w heteyer, therefore,
s.c noIssco!tillSn y. M, oi,sAiaska rs an
a,o,sul ,s ,ai - Lcs ion' ~ win Always SUPPORT
= iaIsS yoPuiaIon py means 3i its sea
AoifOebo, WHICH oiC iucAudusLiUic 10 any