, 1877-07-14

poHderous train. Ii may he well to note
just here, that we dwellers on the beauti-
| lul shores Of Puget Sound have an en-
| tirely erroneous idea OF the climate of
that great valley between the Cascades
and the Rocky mountains. In our mind,
it has winter almost rs cold rs Mime.
sofa and a summer like that nfthe sahara
desert. In actual fact, its winters are in
some parts almost as mild and not nearly
so moist as those OF Puget Sound. In
other parts it has from two weeks to two
months of real winter with snow and
some frost. Cattle should be iel during
this period though they are generally al e.
lowed to take care of themselves, and do
it very well as a rule. Sometimes the
winter is only such in name. The grass
was green and the flowers blooming all
asst season in Walla Wala. The summers
are not quito so dry rs those OF Sahara,
or even some parts Of California. But
they are generally not very moist, though
occasional showers do fall and the spurs
and ranges of mountains with their per-
petual SHOWS form nevcr-failing reser-
voirs, from which numerous springs and
creeks and rivers draw their supplies
These are largely utilized for irrigating
purposes, where the requisite necessity
and enterprise exists And the winter
SHOWS and showers are always more than
sufficient to make fall snwn wheat sure
and abundant crop. The tide Of mmi-
grafton has Just now set in strongly to.
wards the Snake river and PalOusc val.
leys which though farther away from
the ocean have some advantages over the
Walla Walla valley, in being more moist
during sammer and having, think, a
somewhat more fertile soil, though the
winters are little cooler. During Il
ride from Cofax to Walh Walla | met
about forty wagons nearly all of which
seemed to be immigrants, and about II
dozen of whom, on being questioned re-
garding their destination, answered
"Snake river or Palousc.' | assumed
that most of the others would have given
the same answer. 1t reminded me of one
of those old world pilgrims of which we
sometimes read-only the pilgrims were
a little scattered-a natural thing in a
sparsely settled country. Horace Gree.
| ly's advice, "go west young man" seemed
to he little regarded by the numbers
whom met gong in the opposite direc.
ton. This tide of immigration will
doubtless be somewhat checked by the
present Indian war in western Idaho;
andps part ofmy misunderstanding after
the interests of the Presbyterian church,
led me to visit the Nez Perce Reservation.
pass over the scene of the first battle in
the campaign and,have several interviews
with The renegade chiefs Joseph, White
Bird aud Hush h.hush- chute, feel compe--
tent to say something to your readers
about this war and its causes, as well as the
christian work among the powerful Nez
Perce tribe. Reserving a portion of this
for future letter, will here briefly say,
that Joseph, the leader of this rebellion,
is the son of an old head chiefotth tribe
that he aud bis followers as well as
his allies in this war have never assented
to the treaty by which the tribe ceded 10
government the beautiful valleys in
which they have their homes and agreed
to go upon the Reservation. They have
all along since that treaty stood apart
from the tribe, preserving their headquar.
ters in the valleys OF Wallows and White
Bird, and on the branches of the Snake
river. Their numbers have never been
great and in the battle in which two
bands of them committed such havoc,
killing about thirty soldiers in as many
minutes, there were probably not more
than seventy.fve Indians engaged.
These chiefs are simply rebels against the
authority of their tribe who are deter
mined not to part with their old homes
and immigrate to other locations.
Last spring on account Of the complaints
of the settlers who have lately began to
lake up ranches in those valleys, orders
were issued from the Indian department
tn the Nez Perce Agent, Hon. j. B.
Chouteith to bring all those scattering
little bands of rebels upon the Lapwai
Reservation, and simultaneously, General
Howard received orders from the War
Department to assist the agent in the
performance Of this duty With all the
United States soldiers necessary in the
| -. T.,o,,L ,,l ,bn nthnr chiafa Yrnro