Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1867-04-17
Russian America.

A K. Roche, OF Quebec. Inns pam phtSt
l'.Russian America and the present War } /
was written With view OF urging the Dflt-
ish Government to aid IN fitting out an ex-
petition for the conquest OF huSsian Amer /
lea. and It's annexation TO the British pos
sessions but the war with Russia came to a
close in the following year and the PROJECT; !
if ever seriously entertained IN England
was of course no longer thought OF. We
quote fr6fh the pamphlet description OF
some of the features Of the territory just
ceded to the United States
With coast upon the Pacific of some
fifteen hundred miles in length. lndented by
numerous sounds and capacious harbors, and
studded with many large Islsnds of consid
cradle resources, it extends back, for about
one thousand rules of that coast, to dis
lance 81 nine hundred miles, and for the
remaining five hundred miles OF the coast,
to thirty miles. the latter being the portion
in front of our possessions which 1t cuts OFT
| from the Pacific: while the Peninsula of
Alaska, about fifty miles in breadth, stretch
es out in the Pacific for upwards OF three
hundred miles, the whole territory comprls-
| ing surface of rlne hundred thousand
square miles. Il is thus about sixteen times
| the size of England. 1t contains many
mountain ranges Of great height, and flre
valleys, magniGcently watered and fertllIzed
| by LARGE lakes and rivers the mountain
ranges in the upper and broader portion OF
the territory, having transverse direction,
and therefore sheltering the valleys from
| northerlv winds. which in that quarter are
cold winds in summer, while, extraordinary
as it may appear TO many, in winter they
invariably cause rise in the thermometer.
At both these seasons southery winds pro-
'duce effects directly opposite to tie former,
being warm winds in summer and cold winds
in winter A great portion OF this vast re-
gion lin some places to within short dis
tance of the Arctic Circle, is covered with
forests of the largest and most valuable trees.
Even upon some of the islands of Prince
| Williams Sound, in 81 degrees north latl-
tude, where it might be expected that the
influence of the wind and sea would prevent
| or retard the growth of trees, Cook found
the Canadian and spruce pine of large
size; and of the country adjacent to Norton
Sound, lying in GA degrees and 55 minutes
north latitude, he saws From the elevated
spot on which Mr. King surveyed the sound
! he could distinguish many extensive valleys,
with rivers running through them, well
wooded, and bounded by hills Of gentle
ascent, and moderate height. One of these
rivers appeared to be Of considerable size.
Some Of the people, who penetrated beyond
this into the coutrv. found the trees larger
| the farther they advanced In speaking of
| the resources of Russian America, Sir John
Richardson, in his work upon the Arctic
searching expedition, quotes Bongard with
regard TO one portion of it. who says that
the 'hill of Westvoi, near Norfolk sound,
in north latitude 5S degrees, which is 5000
feet. French measure. in height, is clothed
to its summit by dense forest of pines and
spruces. some of which acquire circumfer-
ence of twenty-one feet and the prodigious
length of one hundred and sixty feet, and
! that the hollow trunk of one of these trees,
made into a canoe, Is able TO contain thirty
men with all their household effects. Sir
John Richard adds The climate Of Sitka'
(the name of the bay as well as the island
upon which is situated New Archangel, the
chief port of the Russian company, lying in
! 81 degrees north latitude, is very much
milder than that of Europe on the same
parallel, the cold OF winter being neither Sc
we're nor of long continuance. The humid
/ ity of the atmosphere gives astonishing Wig
! or to the vegetation, but although the forest
nourished by very moist atmosphere and
comparatively high mean temperature, is
equal to that Of the richest woodlands Of
the Northern United States vet corn does
not ripen there. This humidity of the at
mosphere, which is occasioned by the sur
rounding sea, is doubtless the cause of corn
not coming to perfection at Sitka; for some
distance in the interior of the continent, as
far east as the Mackenzie, in the territory
occupied by the Hudson Bav Company, the
! cereals are successfully cultivated up 70 so
degrees north latitude, and occasionally in
some spots situated degrees further north
In the neigh hborhood of the Mackenzie. Sir
John Richardson says that Fort Laird of
the sixtieth parallel, may be considered as
the northern limit of the economical of
wheat, as In the interior of Russian Amer
lea the climate must be of dryer nature
than upon the seaboard, and probably more
in the extreme, that is colder in winter and
warmer in summer much of the interior
may be well adapted for the growth of the
cereals although they cannot be successfully
cultivated at the Russian establishments
upon the coast. The harbor of Sitka, and
several other fne harbors are open during
the whole winter; thus showing an extraor-
binary contrast to the opposite coasts of
Asia, which are ice e-bound for three parts of
the year. Even as high up rs Behring's
| Straits great difference of climate exists be-
tween the coasts of the Asiatic and Ameri-
can continents.
'In his Travels Round the World, Sir
George Simpson remarks that, although
at some points Behring's Straits are only
forty-fve miles wide, in the general appear
ance of the two coasts there is marked diff
ference, the western side being low, fat, and
sterile, while the eastern is well wooded and
in every respect better adapted than the 9TH
er for the sustenance of both man and beast
Moreover, the soil and climate improve rap
idly on the American shore as one descends
and at Cook inlet, lin 90 degrees n lati-
tude,) potatoes may be raised with ease. al
though they hardly ripen in any mart of