Year: 1869

The character, resources, and the capacity
for sustaining human life in that portion of the
United States lying along the 41st parallel. or
on the line of the railroad now nearly COM
pleted from Omaha to San Francisco, and for
perhaps a hundred miles on each side, is now,


after an occupancy of several years. only be-
| ginning to be understood. But of that region


along the 85th parallel, or on the line of the


proposed Southern Continental route. the pub


lie has only faint idea, while of large por-
ton of that vast region between Minnesota and


Oregon little more is known than in the days


of Lewis and Clark 1t may seem surprising


in this age that 30 long time is required to


ascertain the value of the new parts of our


country for agriculture and kindred purposes,


notwithstanding there is no lack of scientific


and other explorations; and we are told what


game, what minerals, and what natural curios-


tiles abound long before thought seems be-


slowed on the question as to whether the cOun-


try is or is not fitted for civilized abode This


want Of observation in q direction of general


use to mankind is due in part, to the limited


time that can be devoted to surveys of regions


which furnish neither shelter, food, nor protec-
ton. but much moro is due TO want of abil
ity in the explorer to sec and TO understand
that which is before his eyes. a miner, q
hunter, or a vagabond is, of course, incapable
of seeing what obvious or latent powers for
sustaining human life n country contains; the
military man is wholly intent upon other bust
ness, while the scientific man is blinded to all
objects except to such as specially relate to his
studes-to botany, geology, natural history, or
astronomy. Accordingly, we have the names of
flowers and plants. of rocks, the insects the
birds, and the latitude and longitude are given
of those wild regions as the only information
worthy of being impaired to the cultiyatOr of
the soil, who adventures forward, guided by
the bearsay of those more ignorant than him
self, to make trial by long labors, and perhaps
with the loss of his life, that facts of vast i'm
portance to the race may be ascertained. 1t is
but fair, also, to add that many men who are
called practical. but this only with reference to
limited localities. are little TO be depended upon
because when they visit regions where climate |
SOIL and the geological features differ from any
they are acquainted with, they give opinions
which may do immense harm for the reason |
that, being practical men, their judgment is |
supposed to be infallible. ,...-.


However great may be the scientific and lit |
erary knowledge of travellers, they seldom I'M
part valuable information with reference to |
common subjects which the mass of mankind |
so muck desire to learn, and this whether they
are Americans who visit the Old World, or
Europeans who visit the New. The same is TO
be said of those who successively have ex-
pl0red our new Territories and for the most
part they have agreed in making statements
which have been proved to be false. Thus. il
is within the memory of many now living
that the malaria made Michigan uninhabitable;
that the absence of timber condemned Iowa
md Central Illinois to eternal solitude, and
that beyond the Missouri lay the American
Desert equal in extent and sterility to the
great Sahara of Africa. On the contrary, those
regions which were most highly praised have
been found comparatively poor With such
statements before us for the past, we are in
lined to doubt whether the accounts we now
receive OF alkali and sage-bush plains, and of
ong Jorandas without water, are really des-
ined to everlasting barenness, and we ven
ure TO prophesy that by far the largest DOR.
ion of the vast interior will be found emf.
lently productive, and as capable of sustaining
3 enlightened population as those States
which formerly were considered unfit for other
ccupants than outcasts and vermn


Still, we do want facts, or if nothing !
etter can be had in the absence of expert I
rents, probabilities, from capable men--that
!, from travellers, who, having eyes, can see, l
ld "


= understanding. can understand We Gran, , f.,