The New York herald., 1874-12-21
ALASKAN IMMIGRATION.
Our New Territory the Future Home
Of lcelandic Settlers
Favorable Report or the Commission of
Their Countrymen Sent to Ex-
anime the Country.

The Commissioners who were deputed BY the
Icelandic settlers In Wisconsin to visit Alaska and
report on It's qualifications az q home lor such OF
their countrymen who may choose to migrate
tnitner. have completed their examination OF tho
Territory, and have sent the following communl.
cation to the President of the United States. They
are delighted with Alaska In every respect, and
strongly recommend 1t as the land intended by
Providence for the elanders who desire to leave
their native island and seek for fortune under
folds OF the American 1ag:-
REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS
To His Excellency ULYSSES GRANr President of the
sIs-lhe committee Of Icelanders who were deputed
view to a setement therein. beg to submit 70 Your
Excellency the following report:-
our hearts for the Kindness have shown Iceland
M ysar a ar nsy might Be
ton we offer you thanks IN behalf Of all the country
forget Your Exceliehcy' IS kindness -'~Au''' "'A
q Of o ,Ss OF 9s s
mountains were covered with last years snow and APP
siaIy the northern eastern coasts Of Iceland
% s ne e
sne hese mere we saw much less
Of the Further up, and approaching Fort Ncho-
a o The @ m @ Ss
caste IN than on the western side.
OF the government buildings. who also gave us
salmon plenty in rivers lakes and they are
amon OF Wsch the bses 81
weighed NINETY. .hye pounds but the average weight
the same ' One a day we vent p0una' ns'' '''a Is
which flows south Of Fort Nicholas to spot where the
river had last overfowed It's banks and there
haS II % As snS T !sps
s % s0 s " e
ofcers also say his Winter mere begins in the middle
sian who had lived in Alaska some twenty years told
VS. % M y s a s
said that one had riedto anything else He
stood as % Il s We sSeea the
forests The soil vas everywhere mossy with very 1T
trees are high from seventy to eighty ieet and two 1eet
the w ousS onx s We s.s 0 m
easily drained and they would then become good grass
Nicholas We found there va soil more grass and
grass breast high on tnat DAY we came across
e sd rom S1
70 one saa ana s ss9eah % @
slightly mixed with ne sand Next below this IS layer
the e
o. IRON ndsr this Layer is I sand and under the sand
observe these layers along the beach and the banks OF
branon ligniteD
70 %
% TO he %ere ds Ss Of ne @
Ave to six feet high. On the western side of
good believe thai the Iana drer and better
a @ ae IN any 9a IS there er was NO one on
think the that many pour ino the inlet
some OF them glacial torrents which carry with them
et 4
muddy, the water becomes turbid in stormy weather,
the psy
scarce the mme iate OF Fort Nicholas,
it IS said deal Of game in the mountains
mar,en 'sa Sable and The ike 'N' os'''
Cooks M inlet is that
sa H 20 s kaasx " e
s Se % aa n to tor e e e % s
salmon fishing the settler should be there in April
direct & rom Iceland For second reason Although
there s doubt ns ss s .S sd
needs previous prepara.on in order to SUPPORT large
warm ai2 degrees Fahrenheit have been reached
nd as - n % rain mas % b
ths. agricunre wili be profitable here The winter Is
below ero fafenhe and the snow falls six or
seven feet deep in the country and twelve four
settle Al Ksdias Island Dor exanple, to begin With we
nS Ss G II 70 az
from there, at Cooks Inlet,
is also not SO well kn own and needs 70 be explored in
order for 1 rs to come scq%ainsed With is natural
be settled with civilized people. ."...-~
The custom House oicer received US kindly and offered
main mali ali the thew Mner s St Paul "A0 "''s
We explored The peninsula which runs northeast from
round Devil's Bay where found the ground mostly
spruce and pine and wherever there was an open space
there " was an aoundance o. grass nigh and Of good quail
streams all full Of salmon and feren kinds Of trout
Of St PAUL and the country nor, OF the mountains,
about Ch,niak Bay and the mountains are re- mostly Ike
tans covered with birch trees and green grass to
We iraveed long way IN westerly direction on the
mountains and Jon Gafson went lar.9sr northwest
ry was there and exseen, but M the
and found them nearly ali % nDSSa6e Inc timber on
ing m & Of them s s Thss who m have t cattle iced
Gayle M at all being TOO lazy 70 cut hay for them
westwardly direction along the bay, but the two others
went across the peninsula, and aterward around in
an easteriy direcon large aud beautiful grass coun
try Was uiere e ana some forest Here we found some
East Of the ISd meridian Kadiak Island is covered
line Pasturage is said to be excellent all over the
ana @ %
pasturage for long from the coast in the many
valleys leading up from the bays. -
salmon fishing kadlak Is about as good at Cooks
Inlet. except that the salmon smaller. In little
while the sailors from the Portsmouth caught fifty
IN one OF the rivers, although was at time out Of
and they these by catching them their
hands or by striking them the head sticK or
by shooting them they leaDed up of the water
There Is an abundance oi Goldfish and halibut all the
year round and we caught any number OF them with
out boat, fishing from the wharf. We will mention
here that the Iceanders FISH better than
pie in Europe. Ana !, Jon Olasson, have In Norway
heard merchants who had traded in spain with Ice
landc aud Norwegian fish. that they could sell
the Norwegian article in the market until the Iceandc
fish had been sold out Many persons In Iceland also
well understand the art OF smoking salmon and pre-
serving IL In tin cans.
There is considerable game on Kadiak both birds and
other creatures Fur, seal and sea otter caught
Tar from the island.
There is no navigable river IN Kadiak by reason OF
rapids but many them have sufficient power 10 drive
machinery
PRODUCTS.
Az Woody Island the ice company raise oats,
but they use them in the same manner as fire.
quently is In Caiifornia-cutting off the tops
and feeding them To the cattle like hay. Not much
care is taken In raising them; but still they get almost
ripe Potatoes grow and DO well although the natives
have not the slightest idea of how they should be cult
vated, which show they would RI reel