Vol. 1.— No. 20. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



159 



rock of the geodlferous quality; primitive 

 formations being only observable at ttie Sauli 

 de Ste Marie, between Lakes Huron and 

 Superior. 



Those who have examined the old maps of 

 the " territory N. W of the Ohio" Rivet, 

 supposed the entire north part of this great 

 peninsula, to be swampy and sterile ; indeed, 

 most of the French population who occupied 

 for generations a narrow belt on the Detroit 

 river, imagined that the interior back from 

 that river was an interminable swamp ! But 

 the prying genius of the yaukees threaded the 

 intricate inazt's of those damp lands, and a 

 country fas been opened to the entei prize of 

 the sons of New England, as fertile, and per- 

 haps of easier clearing and tillage than that 

 of old Genesee: instead of swamps — 



" The elevation of the table lands, between 

 the iwo lakes is not accurately known. It 

 has been estimated at three hundred feet. It 

 is sufficient at any rate, to permit the streams 

 to pass off in lively and healthful channels. 

 And these channels present a sufficient de- 

 scent, in the piincipal streams, to permit the 

 erection of water mills. The aspect of the 

 country itself, is of a highly picturesque char- 

 acter, and the number of small lakes of pure 

 water, which abound upon the uplands, to 

 gether with the proportion which the forests 

 bear to what are called prairies, secure foi it 

 the principal advantages which are necessary 

 to the growth and prosperity of an agricultu- 

 ral population. There is one character in its 

 soil, which, if it has be^n observed in other 

 portions of the Mississippi and Ohio uplands, 

 has not been brought to our notice. Those 

 portions of its table lands which contain the 

 fewest forest trees, and present a yellowish or 

 reddish hue. impressing the traveller with the 

 idea of sterillity, undergo a chemical action, 

 on being turned up by the plough, which 

 changes the color of the soil to a qualified 

 black, and the soil itself is found to be highly 

 productive. 



"Our notices of the mineralogy of the coun- 

 try, must necessarily he b' ief. 



"The lead mines of Iowa and Galena 

 which have yielded upwards of forty millions 

 of pounds in seven years, and the strong indi- 

 cations of copper mmes, afforded by what is 

 known of the southern coast of Lake Superi 

 or, belong to the consideration of a region of 

 country, in itself of immense extent, which 

 has been but imperfectly explored, and which 

 presents geological, as well as mincralogical 

 feature*, in some respects peculiar, at least 

 distinct and separate from the agricultural 

 plains of the peninsula. 



"It has been stated that the geological 

 structure of the peninsula is deemed favorable 

 to the existence of salt-^of coal, and of gyp 

 sum — three products of value in the territory 

 at this time, but which will probably become 

 more in request, as the increase of population 

 produces an increase of consumption. Brine 

 springs are known to exist in Washtenaw 

 county ; on the head of the Cheboigan river, 

 and in some other places. It is now suppos 

 ed that saline waters proceed from the dilution 

 of rock salt in the lower strata, and that the 

 waters are more or less strongly impregnated 

 in proportion to the distance of these saline 

 repositories, and oth ■<■ circumstances. Gyp- 

 sum is found upon the cluster of St. Martin's 

 islands, in lake Huron ; upon the island called 

 by the natives, Neekiminis, and oo the sources 

 of Grand River. 



Carbon and bitumen, under the combina- 

 tions which these bodies assume in a bituminous 

 state, are found in the wilderness parts of the 

 counties of Sagana and Lapier, and slaty coal 



an i naphtha, along the borders ot Lake Mr 

 chigan." There have been '• picked up along 

 the margin of this lake, masses of mineral 

 coal, fretted into the shape of spheroidal peb- 

 bles, which on breaking, exhibited a slaty and 

 conchoidal structure, and were readily ignited, 

 with a bituminous odour and flame." "Amoig 

 the further objects of minerological interest, 

 are — the White Rock, a vast mass of " trans 

 lion" limestone, lying in, and reaching above 

 the waters of lake Huron ; not far from it, in 

 the margin of the lake, a mass of native silver 

 was discovered in 1824; (he alum slate and 

 the chalcedony of Sagana bay, tbe sulphate ol 

 strontian of Gross Isle, ihe calcareous spar of 

 the river Raisin, Ihe grains of sand and vege- 

 table substances invested with iron pyrites of 

 Grand River, aud the calcareous incrustations 

 o( the River S; Joseph." 



:i In Zoology, the following are tbe discove- 

 ries of the greatest impootance. The white 

 bear, which formerly inhabited this region, has 

 been driven northward ; the natives say he 

 had strength to tear the rib from the bison at 

 one stroke of the paw ; to kill him was a mark 

 of distiction, which followed a hunter to his 

 grave ; Ihe claws were worn around the neck 

 of ihe fortunate, and were regarded as en- 

 dowed with medicinal properties. 



"Tbe Carcajou, Black Bear, is an animal 

 of the same species, and the same region. 



" The Cariboo is the rein deer of North 

 America. This animal is confined to that 

 portion of our territory which embraces the 

 borders of Lake Superior. 



" The Buffalo, or what is more properly 

 called the Bison, is not now found to inhabit 

 east of the Mississippi, and in the extensive 

 plains west of this stream, is receding fast to- 

 wards the broken eminences of Ihe Rocky 

 mountains, where it will probably find a pro 

 lection, at least from the presence of an agric- 

 ultural population. All attempts to domesti- 

 cate Ihe bison, or to produce modifications of 

 it, from the slock of the European Cow, have 

 heretofore failed. 



•• The Moose is confined to the portions of 

 country north west of Lake Huron. 



" The arctic Fox is seen on the north shore 

 of Lake Superior ; a most beautiful animal, 

 possessing a coat of the most immaculate white- 

 ness; its nails are protected by a profusion of 

 wnoly substance. 



The Gopher, is a small burrowing anima], 

 which was not known to inhabit so far north, 

 until 1820. It was found in the prairies of the 

 Upper Mississippi, near St. Anthony's Falls. 

 This animal appeals to subsist on roots, and 

 to enable it to proceed to its subterranean 

 search, natuie has provided a duplicative of 

 the check, extending as a sack inwardly 

 This sack is filled with earth by the paws 

 and inverted, and the contents discharged at 

 the surface of the mound. 



" An animal of the mouse type has been 

 found on the southern shore of Lake Superior, 

 whose hinder legs are so much longer than 

 its fore legs, as to give it, in this respect, a cha 

 racter analagous to that singular Australasian 

 quadruped, the Kangaroo. And from its 

 power of leaping, it has been locally called 

 the Jumping Mouse. Very little is known o( 

 its habits. 



'.'A species of squirrel, having twelve or 

 thirteen stripes, inhabits the upper district of 

 the Territory." 



(To be concluded.) 



Louis Bonaparte, ex-king of Holland, died 

 at Forli on the 17lh of March last. 



The Representatives from the town of Bos- 

 ton, amount to only 60! 



MYSTERIOUS! 

 Yesterday, about six o'clock in the after~ 

 noon, a man was seen to jump from the Gene- 

 see fallB, off from the Island. He was only seen 

 by one or two persons from a distance. He 

 was a small sized man, and wore bine striped 

 pantaloons. He left behind him, on the bank, 

 a black surtout coat, considerably worn — an 

 old lur hat, a French watch, and a pair of shoes. 

 The watch has a hair chain, and a key made 

 of a five cent piece. There were no papers — 

 nor any name or trace by which he can be 

 identified. The coat and watch are at the of- 

 fice of William S. Bishop,Esq (Arcade) where 

 they can be seen. 



New- York, May 15. 4 P. M. 



The ship , Capt. King, arrived this 



afternoon, with London dates to the 8(h of A- 

 pril. Affairs in France, &c. remained as per 

 last dates. 



It was reported and believed, that Persia 

 and Turkey bad declared wai against Russia. 



Russia had obtained no success over the 

 Poles 



Wheat had advanced a little. Cotton stea- 

 dy at former rates. 



The steam boat Washington, on her way to 

 Providence, was sunk off New Haven, last 

 night, in 15 fathoms water. Two passengers 

 and (he 2d Engineer, were lost The Mail 

 was saved 



It is stated this morning, upon the authority 

 of Lang's Bulletin, that Mr. Van Buren has 

 been appointed Minister to England, and is 

 to sail on the 8th of June in company with 

 the Briiish Minister Mr. Vaughan, who re- 

 turns home (Alb, Eve. Jour. 



Port of New York — The Commercial pros- 

 peiily of this Port continues encreasing. The 

 amount of duties secured at tbe Custom House 

 in the month of January was about fourteen 

 hundred thousand dolls, being $600,000 more 

 than the amount secured in January ihe pre- 

 ceding year. From the first of January of the 

 present year until the 1st of May .nearly eight 

 millions of dollars have been secured, and the 

 bond and cash duties of last week amount to 

 $622,000. We have reason to feel proud at this 

 prosperous aspect of our commerce in this Port . 

 asit enables us with other collecting districts, 

 to swell the surplus after laying aside the annu- 

 al sinking fund for the payment of the national 

 debt — the entire expenses of Government, and 

 appropriations by Congress beyond five mil- 

 ions of the Treasury estimate of the current 

 year. Our country was never more prosperous, 

 manufactures have no reason to complain, the 

 importer is satisfied with his share of profits, 

 agricultural products find a ready sale-new 

 ports are open to us— new markets present a 

 field for enlerprize. There is nothing to mar 

 this prospect of national prosperity but our 

 own divisions acd dissatisfactions — the drssat- 

 isfaction of the outs against the inns and the 

 restless desire for change — A". Vork C our. 



KTThe Barometrical and Thermometrical observa- 

 tions are registered at 10 o'clock A M. and P, M., which 

 by along series of experiments made for the purpose, 

 show that time to give a nearer mean average of tht 

 relative heat of a day than any oU'izr time. 



