Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-06-02
MANITOBA.
The New British Province in the
Northwest--Orietn of TIA. name-
Character Of the Country-Charncter
ofthe settIers-The II aIf-Breeds, Etc.
From the New York Tribune.

Near the middle of one of the larger
lakes to the northwest of Lake Superior,
is a small island which the Indians shun as
haunted ground. On no condition will
they approach 1t, much less land on 1t, for
it is the home of HGRitobd-' the Speaking
God"-whose voice they hear nightly as
they camp by the lake or guide their fish
ing boats over its surface. The 'voice' is
no myth. 1t assails not the Indians ear
alone, but the white mans as well. Whence
comes it? The superstitious Oiibway
hears and keeps away, piously pronouncing
the name of God. The Englishman hears
and examines. Not the inquisitive in
vestigator, but the divinity of the
place perishes by the invasion. -
Touched by the wand of science, the
mystery of the place Is resolved INTO
simple natural phenomenon-the beating
of the waves on a peculiarly sonorous
single Along the northern shore of the
island runs low cliff of compact, fine
grained limestone, which clinks like steel
under the stroke of hammer When the
wind blows from the north, the waves,
beating at the foot of the cliff, dash the
fragments of stone against each other,
CAUSING them TO give forth sound which
resembles the ringing of distant church
bells SO strong is this resemblance that
the explorer Dawson, who spent several
DAYS and nights ON the island was more
than once awakened with the impression
that he was listening to chimes. When
the breeze subsidies and the waves play
gently on the shore, low wailing sounds
spirit voices to the awe-stricken Onbway-
come up from the beach. As the explorer
lay on his bed of moss.covered rock at
night aud experienced their peculiarly
impressive effect, he found it very easy,
he says, to understand why the credulous
natives should avoid the place.
Naturally this Island home Of Manitoba
became known by the whites as "Manitoba
Island" The island gave its name first to
the lake, then to the nearest trading post OF
the Hudsons Bay Company, and now
the Canadian Parliament proposes it as the
"euphonious appellation' of the combined
British settlements Immediately south and
east of the lake. Whether the name and
the government that is intended to 90 with
it will be accepted by the settlers, with or
without a war, remains to be seen. In any
case The American public is interested in
knowing the actual character and condition
of the country, and the people thus rising
into political importance IN our northern
frontier.
EXTENT OF THE PROVINCE.
Beginning at point on the boundary
line of the United States 95 deg. west from
Greenwich, the southern line of the Prov
ince follows our northern line, the 10th
parallel of latitude, to point SO deg. west.
The western boundary runs thence due
north to the line OF so deg 80 min north,
which line forms the northern boundary.
Toward the east of the Province will doubt
less extend as far as the western line of
Ontario, though as now proposed it extends
no further than the meridian of 80 deg.
west, leaving on the northern shore OF Lake
Superior an extensive norman STAND be-
tween the Provinces. AS it now stands,
Manitoba contains some IS, 00o square miles.
Itincludes all the settlements along the Red
River and up the Assiniboine as far
"A Portage la Prairie. At first the latter
settlement was not included in the pro-
posed Province, from the belief on the part
of the Government that the settlers We're
ave,s Sc to being connected with the people
of the Red River country. Two years ago
the settlers at the Portage set up little
republic of their own, calling it Manitoba.
They appointed Provisional Government
and refused to be connected in any way
with the authorities of Fort Garry, the
capital of the Red River settlement. The
disposition of the Canadian Government to
favor the people Of the Portage gave way
however to the opposition which was mani
tested byAhe Protestants of Canada against
the formation ola new Province preponder-
atingly Roman Catholic; so the boundary
line was carried one degree west, to bring
this Protestant settlement into the Prov
ince.
Though But of relatively small area, liam
itoba is destined soon to become very I'M
portant State, inasmuch as it commands
the navigation of rivers and the more i'm
portant lakes of the entire British posses
sions in the interior Of the great northwest.
The country to which this Province forms
the key is little understood, indeed is
grossly misunderstood by people generally.
On the most of our maps it is set down as
an unexplored If not impenetrable wilder
ness. a cheerless waste OF rivers and lakes,
it only for the home Of beavers and water
fowl. As for climate, men shiyer at its
name, believing the country little if any
more inhabitable than Greenland or Labra-
dor In reality, the country thus malipned
is. in respect to climate, fertility Of soil,
and other natural advantages, fully equal
TO some of the most densely popu-
lated portions OF Europe. The vast terri
tory. of which Lake Winnipeg may be re-
parded as the center, is comparable to the
Valley of the Mississippi both as regards
the fertility Of its soil and the great extent
and gentle slope of its plains. From the
Lake of the Woods the Fertile Belt stretch
es a thousand miles in a northeasterly d.
rection, comprising one of the richest and
most beautiful regions in the world, in
which there are sixty thousand square
miles of land OF the finest quality clear and
ready for the plow The climate does not
exceed in severity that of the greater por-
ton of our Eastern States, while the rich.
ness of the soil makes it far more suitable
for the home OF a numerous and prosperous
community. The chief river Of this belt,
tine Saskatchewan, Chords a nayigable