Year: 1877

Indian Country.


It is we'll known to the public that the
General Of the Army has been spending the
summer and autumn in an extensive tour
through the heart Of the Indian country.
The government could not have done
wiser thing than to send SO alert On observer
and SO competent o judge to ascertain the
real state OF things in that important region.
General Sherman's tour came near being
cut short in the middle by the extensive
railroad riots in July, when the Secre-
tary Of War telegraphed him to hold
himself in readiness for IN immediate
return if that crisis should not pass
within few days. Fortunately it did pass,
and General Sherman was permitted to pro-
ceed in accordance with the original scheme
of his journey. During its prosecution he
wrote, from time to time, copious semi
official letters to Secretary McCrary, giving
interesting descriptions of the things which
fell under his notice. These interesting
letters we are permitted to publish, and our
readers will find them in other columns
General Sherman has less starch in his COM
position than any eminent public character
Of his time, and these letters have all
the graphic freshness Of the rough notes
of an accomplished traveller writing
for the entertainment Of his friends
They have not trace Of official
or semi-oficial stiffness, and quite as
little of the tedious descriptive vein, long
drawn out, of ordinary travellers. Sherman
seixes at once the salient points Of things
hits them off with q few bold dashes and
hastens to the next topic never wearying the
reader or OBTAINING him long on the same
subject The letters which we publish
would be model for book of travels, both
in clearness OF description and rapid, care
less ease.


We suppose that the ripe fruits Of this
tour will appear in the recommendations
which General Sherman will make in his
annual report at the meeting Of the regular
session of Congress. But nothing Of this
is foreshadowed in the letters ex-
cept by incidental remarks casually
dropped in the course Of hasty
narrative, the staple OF the letters being
simple facts uncolored by theory. Among
their most interesting features are the no.
tices of natural scenery, of the productions
and capabilities Of the country, of the modes
of communication and facilities for travel
ling, of the size and appearance of settle
ments and of the industries and modes of
life of the inhabitants. There is in the
Territory of Montana a great afiuence of
natural scenery, the grandeur and mngnif-
cence OF which equals or surpasses any that
has ever been visited by man in any part Of
the world. General Sherman's brief de-
scription Of the wonderful sublimity of
the prospect from the towering summit
of Mount Washburn, and his more
detailed account Of the extraordinary
geysers which abound in that region, will
cause regret in the minds of many readers
that those grand spectacles are SO distant
and can be reached only by such toilsome
routes as must put them beyond the reach
of ordinary tourists tor long period to
come


The chief object of this tour was to study
the Indian question and its relations to the
army. The hints dropped by General
Sherman on this great subject are very
suggestive and would bear o great deal of
development. But there will be IN oppor-
tunity to discuss this important question in
connection with the matured views and
recommendations which will be submitted
in General Sherman's annual report.