The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-04-17
tho +r,do ami v,lo Ythis country one hundred fold

tho trade and vatlo OF this country one olu
in a few years; in fact the Kritchpek, with steam
upon it. would reveal new world to enterprise and
adventure. By this stream the whole OF q hther-
to unknown country is brought within the reach Of
steam communication from San Francisco, and
when tho Stars and Stripes shall haunt at Fort
Yukon we may look for mines of gold and silver
being discovered quito as rich as those further
south. The furs OF this country are wonderfully
plentiful, and form valuable and extensive COM
merce both to- the Russian and British traders.
port their merchandise and supplies overland from
Hudson Boy, or BY way Of st. Paul, and return
their furs over the same route, 5g:s startling eU-
dence Of the value Of the trade, because transpor
taton over this long route cannot cost less than 81
per pound. With the Knitchpek open to steam
co would pay enormously.
Upon the whole, Russian America, with its de-
pendencies the islands attached to it, is valuable
county in itself, viewed intrnsically It is not such
a country as Oregon or Washington in climate or
soil, but it has, nevertheless, many sources Oh
wealth. +,
In the southern part goh is known to exist. On
Copper Mine River, whence its name, there lsscop-
Doi. though, as q matter Of policy, the Russian
American Company have not encouraged mining,
because they feared mining, even it successful,
would soon break up their monopoly Of the fur
trade and open the country to the searching eyes
Of foreigners and the demorahzlng influence OF
cheaper goods and more lucrative employment Of
the ma ives. ,..s:.rs, .,-; =,
The lsheries along the coast and islands will
build up a population and commerce there which,
at no distant day. will rival Newfoundland and the
coast Of the Atlantic east Of Cape Cod The shoals
are the resort Of myriads of Goldfish, unsurpassed
for size and dehcacy. Once give us odgment,
these fishing towns will soon spring into ex!s-
tence, giving for our Pacific coast nursery 1or
frstcass seamen, which, IN the growing com COLI
there in the FUTURE in order to give us the supre-
macy of that ocean, The fisheries alone are worth
more to us thln the whole cost Of the country,
and will repay us in the future simply for tne IN
yestmont. The immense population of Asia and
The islands of the Pacific will be good customers
for our surplus fish, and will readily take all we
have to spare. Timber for building purposes ls
abundant and convenient; saW.mllls WILL soon
make the lumber trade source OF great proht, NOT
the more southern islands. Boat and shpbulld,,
ing can be carried on on proftably where gooo
timber is so abundant and easily procured
The acquisition is also valuable on account OF
several deposits Of coal along the coast and sanos
at Zodiac, the Russian American Company have
worked q coal vein for some years past, and have
used it in their forges and workshops, as well as IN
their steamers employed in carrying on their ccm-
merce with California and Asia.
Nor is this country to oe counted aB nothing IN
an agricultural point of view. Wheat, barley and
oats can be produced as far north as 6O degrees !;
pardens flourish along the coast in the RUSSIAN
settlements, producing all the vegetables requisite
for domestic use.
It must always be remembered that the Pacific
coast is much warmer than the Atlantic coast OF
equal degrees. The isothermal line OF Sitka, (NeW
Archangel,) is equal to Newfoundland or st.
Petersburg. That is, about 40 degrees to IS de-
grees of Fahrenheit, and the mean of the ther-
mometer is ascertaned to be As degrees four min
utes; winter, 81 degrees seven minutes summer,
Taking it then as a whole, the country Of Rus
sian America cannot be considered, as soma
would have it, dreary waste of glaciers icebergs
white bears, and walras, and only fit for the Es-
quimaux and drinkers of train oil.
One more article Of commerce must not be loss
sight Of that is ice On the islands there are many
frosh water lakes, which afford an ine1haustlble
supply Of very pure ice. The trade in ice, so far,
has been conducted either by the Russian Ameri-