Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-07-19
SHERMANS RETREAT.
Runored Negotiations for a SKINNER
Residence for Gen. sherman III
Prince Edward Island.

y u
this port. but now promoted to the
consulate at Valparaiso, announced
before he left that he had almost con-
cluded negotiations for the purchase
of the Beaconsfeld house from It's
owners. the Peakes, on behalf OF Gen.
Sherman. and that no doubt his sue
cessor would bring them to a successful
termination. This news has created
quite an excitement in Charlottetown,
and indeed throughout the island as
the advent of American tourists is
ardently desired, and as ii IS thought
the fact Of the great general living
here will attract great many. Bea-
consfeld house. in which the Princess
Louise staid while here two years ago,
belongs to one of the local aristocracy
in want probably of a sum OF
money, and is a fine-looking mansion
enough, though composed of wood
1t is the unriyaled situation, however,
which renders it desirable as sum
mer residence 1t stands on slight
enhance outside Charlottetown, slop-
ing down in the way of lawn to the
waters edge, that water being salt
belonging to the Gulf of st. Lawrence,
or, speaking with strict proprlety, the
broad Atlantic ocean. The house Is
surrounded with beautiful grounds,
pleasamce, clump of spruce trees,
cypress. and elms, yistas of glades,
the whole bounded by a hedge after
the English fashion. Indeed it
seemed to have been the object of the
generation of Peakes TO make the place
appear like the grounds of an English
country gentlemen, and they have
succeeded admirably The adjacent
country, too, is very sylvan and very
beautiful altogether.
1t is no WOnderGen. Sherman would
wish to live ON Prince Edward island
during the summer months for sum
mer residence these is no other place
in the world like it, absolutely; and |
prophesy that if his coming induces
other Americans to follow his example
the fame of the place, such IS its ex-
IRENE beauty and salubrious climate,
will cover the island with the villas of
rich Americans. not to speak of Cana
dams and Englishmen, who, make
bold to say, if not ignorant of its very
existence are merely aware that it lisa
small spot lying somewhere IN the
Gulf of st. Lawrence, inhabited by a
few fisherman and Micmac Indians.
This is, however not the case, and as,
If Gen. Sherman comes to live here,
Prince Edward island will become of
interest to Americans, something con
corning its history and general posi-
ton may be of interest to the readers
of The Times.
The island is situated in the south
ern portion of the Gulf of St Law
renee, where it widens into the Allan
tic ocean, between 46 and IL degrees
north latitude and 81 and g. degrees
30 minutes west longitude. 1t is sep
arated from the mainland by the
Straits of Northumberland It's near
est point to the continent is Cape Ira
verse, which is only nine miles from
Cape Tormentne, in New Brunswick.
1t is 1870 miles in length, but its aver
age breadth is not more than Is, and
its coasts are so indented that there is
no place on the island more than four
miles from the salt water, indeed if so
many. In area it is a tritle ovor 1,
600, 600 acres, and its population is
1O7, 600 Prince Edward island was
discovered by Cabot in l499-at least
SO they say-and called St, Johns IN
honor of the day 1t fell into posses 4
sion of the French soon after but was
coded to England by treaty after the
fall of Louisburg, alongwith the other
Canadian provinces, 1t was divided
into sixty-eight lots, owned by mem
bers of the British aristocracy, for the
most part at one time or the othercon-
nected with the British American col
onieS. who eXacted rents from the set
tiers until formidable agitation in
duced the Canadian government to
buy out the proprietofs ten years ago,
when the island entered the Dominion
confederation, and give the tenants
fee simple OF their farms, just as the
British government will have to do
ere long in Ireland.
One of the conditions of confedera-
ton with Canada was that the Ottawa
government should take steps to eS-
tablish winter communication with
the mainland, which is easier said than
done, as for two months of the year
January and February generally--the
unfortunate province is entirely fro
zen in and isolated The mails and
passengers are carried by boats, con
structed for the purpose, over the ice
during the period of isolation The
islanders demand that a tunnel be
bored under the straits, from Traverse
10 Tormeutine, but as that would cost
fifteen or twenty million of dollars,
the Dominion government will pause
to consider the matter, more especial
lv as the natives have not the audacl-
ty to threaten to annex themselves to
the United States every time they want
ANYTHING done. unlike the British Col
umbianS. who after each secesh
meeting found they obtained a section
of railroad, and after one particularly
disloyal and menacing one the whole
Canadian Pacific road itself, or almost
a mile of railway for every white man
on the Pacific coast If the islanders
want their tunnel they should hold