Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-05-06

Russlan Amerlca-gFur InfSr-
y matiop ab64t the Reseurces SfI
me Gouhtry-1EIchN NEinerals and
Ores-Hnleresting Facts and Sta-
L fFrom the London Morning Post April Is. "
We have as yet had nothing like an ac-
curate description of Russian America, or
of its varied resources. With acoast upon
| the Pacific of some /, 300 miles in length,
indented by rntnerpu pus unds and eapac1ons
harbors, and studded with large islands of
leonsidefabfe resources, iE extends back for
about LOCO miles of that coast *, a distance
| of 900 miles. AID for the remaining 800
miles of coast to 80 miles. the latter being
| the portion, in front of British Columbia,
! which it cuts off from the Pacific;l while
| the peninsula of Alaska, about so miles in
| breadth, stretches out into the Pacific for
upwards of 800 miles; the whole territory
comprising an area of--not between 300 and
| 400, as stated in recent descriptfonsAbut
100000 miles. It is thus about sixteen
times the size ,ef England.IgIt 1t contains
many mountain ranges of f1great 4ength,
and fineivalleys magnificently watered and
fertiliZed by lakes and rivers; the noun
tain ranges in the upper and broader
portions of the territory having a traverse
direction, and, therefore, sheltering the
valleys from the n0rtherly winds, which in
that quarter are cold winds in summer,
while lin winter they cause rise in.
the therm0meters "A great portion of this
vast region is covered with forests Of the
largestand most valuable trees. In speak
| Sir John Richardson, in his work upon
.'.The asAFetic Z Searching +, Expedition.p
quotes Bopgard with regard to one portion
OF ii, who says that 'sthe hill of WesterwoI,,s
near Norfolk Sound, in lat 5S deg. which,
lis 5000 feet, French measure, in height, is
n
spruce and pines,l some of which acquire g.
lcIrcnmference of II feet and alength of 160
feet Sir John Richardson adds: g The
lclimates Off Sitka.n the name of the bay as
well as of the, island upon which is
situated New ArchSngel, the chief post of
the, Russian Company lying in 81 deg.
north lat., " Is very much milder than that
lIoi, Europe on the same parallel, the cold
of winter being neither severe nor of long
Icontinuance. The harbor of Sitka, and,
several other fine harbors in the neighbor-
hood, are open during the whole winter,
thus showing an extraordinary contrast to
the opposite coasts of Asia, which are Ice
bound for three parts the year" Sir Geo..
Simpson, In his Travels round the w World, y
REMARKS: v.sss Althoughsrat some SpOints
Behring's Straits is only forty-fiye miles
wide, in the general appearance Of the two
coasts there is marked difference, the
western side being low, flat and fertile,l
every respect better adapted than the other
for the sustenanee of both man and beast.
Moreover, the soil and climate improve
rapidly on the American shore as one de-
scends, and at Cooks Inlet Tin go degrees.
north latitude1 potatoes may be raised with
ease. though they hardly ripen in any part
Of KamSchatka, which extends nearly 10
degrees further south. .As.l in addition to
the advantages of cultivation, deer, fish,
game and hay are abundant, the Russian.
Fur Company contemplates the formation
I of a settlement there for the reception of
its own servants" Of the many large
rivers which flow through Russian Amer
lea, none,oi them have been explored to
their sources; but the Colville, the Stikine,
the Youkon or Kwichpack, and the Kus-
kokwin, are supposed. to run ascourse of
upwards Of / 200 miles, and to be naviga-
Bile for considerable distances. The Col
vile is two miles wide at its mouth in the
Arctic Sea- The Stikine enters the Pacific
| ia s56 deg. SO see. N. latitude, where it is
three miles wide, and at distance of thirty
miles from the sea has a width of one mile;
but its source is in the British territory. :.
The Yonkon or Kwiehpaek rises to the
west OF the Rocky N Mountains, not far from
the Uhionlof the Francis and Lewis, which:
form the Pelly ;fiows first to the north, and,
after receiving alaEge tributary called the
| POrcupine, to the westward, falls into Behr-
ing Seain sc deg. N. latitude and 14715 deg.
w. ongitpde, which is about one thousand
miles from its mouth; it is, According to Sir
u. Richardson, one mile and quarter wide.
Some idea of the value of the fur trade of
that the Russian, Fur Company maintain,
about go establish shments among the islands
along the coast, upon the mainland itself,
andinthe Fox, Aleutian and Knule Islands,
whiehistretch across to the coast of Japan,
and that the Tchukehe of Siberia cross,
Behring's Straits to trade with the Esqui-i
maux, and with the Russian posts recently
planted in that quarter, for furs and fossil
ivory. The trade of Sitsa, the capital, in
1912, was estimated at 10000 fur seals, 1000.
sea otters 1900 beavers, 800 land offers,
and 10000 sea-horse teeth, besides foxes
and martens, and the produce of the sal.
mon. sturgeOn, and turbot fisheries, and of
the neighboFing forests. Sable and ermine
are also obtained in the territory.
It is believed that Russian Amer
lea will ntos be ~ found hereafter to-
possess far greater riches in its minerals
and ores than, in its furssor fisheries. Sew
eral valuable minerals, such as fine Jasper,
porcelain clay, semi opal, plumbagO, gyp-.
sum, various colored ochres, amber, sui
phur, petroleum. galena, porphyry, ivarie-
gated marble, and also iron ore, have al
ready been. discovered in many parts of the
territory. Coal is found in abundance In
all parts of the immense region, which
Will pIOtcffOt fSECdG Vdtuc III 1dClliCdClDR
mining operations. jHA5 brief study of the
above facts in relation to Russian America,
which have been mainly obtained from a
work published In 1855 by the Literary and
Historic Society of Quebec, and which may
therefore be. deemed authentic, will tend to-
show that, independently of any POLITICAL
purposes which the Americans may have,
kept in view in acquiring the territory, the
development of its varied resources is an
object worthy of their skill and enterprise,
and likely in their hands to prove a new
and valuable source of national wealth. .ti-
The French ExhibitIOn-OPeni ming
of the Sale Evangelique.-s''
Speeches OF GIle Earl of Shaffes-!
bury, M. GnIzOt, and BishOP
Stevens, sOf Pennsylvania. JrsSs
[Paris lApril I'D Correspondence of tho London
Times.1
The opening of the .'Salle Evangelique''
in the English Garden of the French Exhi-
bition took place on Monday afternoon,