greater part of the arable lands in the valleys of the streams of the Great Basin; also, considerable areas in the northeastern and southwestern sections, including those localities containing the largest number of settlers and most desirable agricultural tracts.

Since the opening of the district land office there have been taken up by actual settlers an aggregate area of 208,072.93 acres, of which 59,670.02 acres were disposed of since the close of the last fiscal year, and there are 48,749,957.45 acres yet to be disposed of, embracing extensive tracts of fine agricultural lands, scattered in almost every section of Utah, with hundreds of thousands of acres of excellent grazing tracts in the valleys and on the mountain slopes on both sides of the Wahsatch Range, where horses, sheep, and cattle can be maintained at small cost, and where they will thrive as well as in almost any other section of the United States.

THE STATES AND TERRITORIES OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE.

Our extreme occidental domain, whose shores are bathed by the Pacific Ocean, comprises the Territories of Alaska and Washington and the States of Oregon and California. The first-named, extending from the Frozen or Arctic Ocean on the north, in the seventy-first degree of latitude, to British Columbia on the south, in the parallel of 54° 40', has a sea-coast, exclusive of bays and islands, of 3,600 miles. Washington Territory and the two last-named States, extending from British Columbia on the north to the Republic of Mexico on the south, have a continuous shore line of 1,405 miles, making a total west and northwestern coast line within the borders of the republic of 5,005 miles. These States and Territories embrace an aggregate area of 931,639 square miles, which, being apportioned among their respective constituted boundaries, gives to Alaska 577,390; Washington, 69,994; Oregon, 95,274; and California, 188,981 square miles, a surface larger than the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, France, Austria, Prussia, and Spain combined, and greater in extent than the aggregate areas of the thirteen original States forming the republic.

The geographical position of the region lying between the forty-ninth and fifty-second parallels, in reference to the commercial world, is most advantageous. The mind can scarce grasp and comprehend the benefits to be derived by this nation from the possession of a territory so valuable, not only in respect to climate, agricultural resources, and mineral wealth, but also as regards commerce.

San Francisco, situated in direct line from the center of Europe to the center of Asia, and in view of the consummation of the grandest scheme of modern achievement, the completion of the Transcontinental Railway, the commerce of the world in direct line belting the center of the republic is secured.

A brief description of the resources of each of the above-named political divisions is now proposed to be given, beginning with

ALASKA.

This Territory is bounded by the Arctic Ocean on the north, the Pacific Ocean, Behring's Sea and Strait on the west and south, and the British Possessions on the east.

Until a very recent date all the known facts in regard to the climate and resources of Alaska, formerly known as the Russian American Possessions, were obtained from researches made by various exploring expedi

tions employed by Russian authorities, and from the expedition sent out by the government of Great Britain in 1848, in search of the missing vessels of Sir John Franklin, which inaugurated the most flourishing era of arctic exploration, and has added very greatly to our knowledge of the northern regions. By the recent investigations of scientific corps our information concerning this remote political member has been much increased, though a wide field still remains open for further investigation.

Although provision has been made by law for the collection of the national revenue in the Territory, no territorial organization has yet been perfected, nor has any provision been made for the disposal of the public lands to settlers or otherwise.

The North Pacific rivals its southern portion in the number and size of its islands. These embrace, off the coast of Alaska, a total area of 31,205 square miles. The magnificent group of 1,100 islands which guard the American coast from the southern boundary of the Territory to Cross Sound, in latitude 58° 25′, has received the cognomen of Alexander Archipelago, in honor of the Emperor of Russia. Those situated southeast of the Peninsula of Alaska, between longitude 151° and 158°, are known as the Kodiak Archipelago, from the name of the principal one of the group. The great extent of water lying between the latter group and the Alexander Archipelago has been named the Gulf of Alaska.

The great chain of islands between longitude 163° and 188 bears the general name of Aleutian Islands, from the term Aleuts, applied by the Russians to their original inhabitants.

Among the islands in Behring Sea are the Prebyloff Group, in latitude 570 and longitude 169° 30'. They comprise St. Paul, St. George, Walrus, and Beaver. These are the fur-seal islands.

The innumerable bays, channels, sounds, and straits penetrating into the interior of Alaska from the Pacific Ocean and Behring Sea afford many excellent harbors and anchorages. Among these in the southeast portion are Fayakhousite, Port Gardner, Etolin, Kygani, Parloff, Hamilton, and Sitka harbors. At Fayakhousite the United States military post of Fort Tongas was established in 1867. In clearing the timber for this post a magnificent growth of yellow cedar trees, eight feet in diameter and 150 feet in height, were found. The shores in the vicinity of all these harbors, which are generally low, are said to abound in timber and coal of excellent quality, and would be well adapted for agricultural purposes if cleared of wood.

Sitka Harbor, on which the town of Sitka is situated, is very contracted, and contains two anchorages, the eastern and western; numerous buoys have been laid down by the Russian American Company, to which vessels usually moor. The mean rise and fall of the tide is 7.8 feet. About nine miles south of Sitka are the rapids which connect the waters of Deep Lake with Lake Bay. At these rapids are extensive salmon fisheries. The surplus over the consumption amounts annually to 500 or 600 barrels. The town of New Archangel, on Baranoff Island, now called Sitka, from the Indian name of the bay on which it is situated, contained in 1867 about 1,000 inhabitants, of whom 350 were Russians, and the remainder Aleuts or Creoles. Since the Territory was ceded to the United States, but few of the former now remain; nearly all have returned to Siberia or Russia. Back of the town of Sitka are two mountains. The nearer one is rounded and covered with trees, and the sharp snowy peak of Vostosia, immediately behind it, gives the appearance of a single mountain when viewed from the town.

Vostosia is 3,200 feet in height. Sitka was the capital of the Russian colonies in America; it is in latitude 57° and longitude 135°. The distance by steamer from San Francisco to Sitka by the inner passage, between the Alexander Archipelago and the coast of British Columbia, and Alaska, is 1,647 miles. The town has about 120 buildings, constructed mostly of logs, and painted a dull yellow, with metal roofs painted red, and with the emerald green spire of the Greek church projected against the dark evergreens of the adjacent mountains, presents an extremely picturesque appearance. It is quite unlike any other town in America. The principal buildings are the late governor's house, the Greek church, hospital, and counting-house. The climate of Sitka is disagreeably moist, and much cloudy weather makes it gloomy. How. ever, there are many days, when the sky is clear and the sun is out, that are exceedingly pleasant. The islets with which the bay is studded are covered with timber to the water's edge, and many of the views in the harbor are very attractive.

Baranoff Island, on which the town is situated, is comparatively unexplored. The dense forest and moist soil, as well as the mountainous character of the country, render exploration both difficult and dangerous. The ocean coast north of Cross Sound, the end of the Alexander Archipelago, to Cape Fairweather, is steep and woody, terminating in mountains of 5,000 or 6,000 feet in height, densely clothed with forests. These forests are said to be full of berries, and bears, martins, and squirrels are plenty.

Continuing north from Alaska Peninsula to Cape King-egan, the most western land of the American continent, situated in latitude 65° 33′ and longitude 167° 59', many excellent harbors are found, affording safe anchorage for vessels during summer and winter. The whole northern coast is low, without good harbors, and fringed with numerous shoals. The watershed of Alaska bordering on the Pacific is much smaller than that of Behring Sea. In most places the mountains approach closely to the sea-shore, and the water discharged by the rivers is collected far inland, and forces its way to the sea through some narrow pass or perpendicular cañon. Much of the rain-fall is congealed on these lofty summits, and finally reaches the sea, by slow degrees, as a glacier torrent.

The principal rivers emptying into the Pacific are the Chilkaht, Alsekh, and Copper. The Kreskoguine River, the second largest in Alaska, and the longest whose watershed is confined to the Territory, empties into Behring Sea, and has a total length estimated at 500 miles. The Yukon River, rising in the Rocky Mountains of the British possessions, flows in a southwesterly course through Alaska, empties into Behring Sea in latitude 62° 30', through several mouths, forming a delta. This river is one of the largest in the world, being larger than the Ganges or the Orinoco, and about the size of the Danube. Its length is 2,000 miles, of which three-fourths are navigable.

To the great currents which exist in the North Pacific and Behring Sea is due the mild climate of the southern and middle portion of Alaska, as well as that of the whole northwest coast of the continent, as compared with the northeast coast.

The gulf stream of the Pacific is known to the Japanese as Kuro Seiro, or Black Stream, from its color as compared with the other waters of the Pacific. It divides on the western extremity of the Aleutian chain. One portion of it sweeps eastward, south of the Aleutians, and, striking the shores of the continent, is deflected southward. It brings a warm, moist atmosphere, which is condensed on the snowy peaks of

the Coast Ranges, and causes the remarkable rain-fall which characterizes the coast as far south as the southern boundary of Oregon.

The other and smaller portion passes between Commander's Island and the extremity of the Aleutians northward, through Behring Strait. Hence no ice floats southward through the strait from the Frozen Ocean. Large masses of ice may be seen steadily sailing northward through the strait, a knot and a half an hour against a very stiff breeze from the north.

The Coast or St. Elias Range of mountains in Alaska contains the highest peaks and most of the volcanoes. It extends along the whole northwest slope, from the Bay of San Francisco, California, to the Peninsula of Alaska. Among the highest of these are Mt. St. Elias, 16,000, Mt. Fairweather, 14,000, and Mt. Crillon, 13,500 feet; and on the Alaska Peninsula are Iliamna, 12,000, and Redoubt, 11,000 feet, both volcanoes, which, however, show but little symptoms of activity. The aborigines of the Territory comprise the Indians, of which there are numerous tribes, bearing distinct tribal names, and the Ovarian stocks, which embrace the Jennit or Eskimo Aleutians, and the Tuski. The former inhabit the interior of the country, whilst the latter, the Ovarian, occupy the coast. They number about 28,000.

Alaska may properly be divided into three distinct districts, materially differing from each other in climate, agricultural capacity, and physical characteristics, viz: The northern, termed the Yukon District, the middle, or Aleutian, and the southern, called the Sitkan District. The former is bounded on the north and west by the Arctic Ocean and Behring Sea, on the south by the Alaskan Mountains, and on the east by the British boundary line. The surface of this district, in the vicinity of the Yukon River, varies from low, rolling, and somewhat rocky hills, usually easy of ascent, to broad and rather marshy plains, extending for miles on either side of the river, especially near its mouth. There are at present no roads in this region, except an occasional trail. The Yukon and its tributaries form the great highways of the country. Over a large extent the soil is a rich alluvial, composed of very fine sand, mud, and vegetable matter, brought down by the rivers, and forming deposits of great depth. It is usually frozen at a depth of three or four feet in ordinary situations. On the shores of Escholtz Bay, Kotzebue Sound, are found continuous bluffs, or banks, 30 to 60 feet in height, of apparently solid ice. These banks, strange to say, are covered with a layer of soil and vegetable matter, where, it has been stated by a renowned botanist, "herbs and shrubs are flourishing with a luxuriance only equaled in more favored climes." Recent examinations of these bluffs have been made, and it has been found that at various points on the top of the bank, more or less removed from the shore, vegetable matter, mixed with the ice, exists below the surface. The lesson that the agriculturist may learn from this remarkable formation is, that a healthy and luxuriant vegetation may exist in the immediate vicinity of permanent ice, bearing its blossoms and maturing its seeds as readily as in situations apparently much more favored, and hence we may infer that a large extent of territory long considered valueless may yet furnish to the trader, fisherman, or settler, if not an abundant harvest, at least an acceptable addition to his fare of fish and game.

The climate of the Yukon district in the interior (as is the case on the whole Pacific slope) differs from that of the sea-coast. That of the coast is tempered by the vast body of water contained in Behring Sea, and the southern currents bringing warmer water from the Pacific, mak

ing the winter climate of the coast much milder than that of the interior. The summers, on the other hand, from the quantity of rain and cloudy weather, are cooler and less pleasant than those of the interior. The months of May, June, and part of July are delightful; sunny, warm, and clear. The growth of plants is rapid in the extreme. snow has hardly disappeared before a mass of herbage has sprung up, and the spots which a few days before presented nothing but a white sheet are teeming with active vegetation.

The

At Fort Yukon, 1,200 miles from the mouth of the river, in latitude 66° 34', the mean temperature in summer is 59°, and in winter 23°. At St. Michael's, on the coast of Norton Sound, in latitude 63° 28′, the mean temperature in summer is 53° and in winter 80. The mean annual temperature of the district is estimated at 25°. The real opportunity for agricultural enterprise cannot be deduced from annual mean temperature alone, but is dependent on the heat of the summer months and their duration. In the scorching sun of the arctic midsummer vegetation attains an almost tropical luxuriance. At Fort Yukon the mercury at noon, not in the direct rays of the sun, has indicated 1120.

Nearly the whole of the Yukon district is well supplied with timber; the largest and most valuable of which is the white spruce, birch, and Oregon pine. The willow and alder are abundant. On the coast of Norton and Kotzebue Sounds the Kentucky blue grass grows luxuriantly, averaging at least three feet in height. Grain has never been sown to any extent in the Yukon district. Barley has been found to mature in the southeastern portion of the district, through the straw was very short. Turnips and radishes flourish extremely well. Potatoes were successful in the interior. With proper protection in winter stock-raising should succeed well in a large portion of this region, fodder being abundant. There are no fruit trees in this district suitable for food. Small fruits, such as red and black currants, gooseberries, cranberries, and raspberries, are found in great abundance. The Aleutian, or middle district, comprises the Aleutian Islands and part of the peninsula of Alaska. The climate of this district is moist and warm. The snow line is 3,510 feet above the sea. The greatest cold recorded is zero of Fahrenheit, and the highest point reached by the mercury is 770. From October to April the prevalent winds are from the north and west, and from April to October from the south and west. The thermometer is lowest in January and March, and highest in July and August. The greater number of clear days occur in January, February, and June. The winters are for the most part mild and pleasant, but during the summer there is much rainy and gloomy weather. The temperature of this portion of Alaska is very similar to that of Northern Scotland, a country which has been for centuries under cultivation. The mean annual temperature of Northern Scotland varies from 42° to 48°, and that of the Aleutian district from 36 to 40°. At Drymen, in Sterlingshire, on the west coast of Scotland, 205 days during the year were found in an average of 14 years to be more or less rainy; the annual rain-fall being 43 inches. At Oonalaska, Alaska, the average of rainy days in 7 years was 150, and the average rain-fall, 40 inches.' From this it may be inferred that the productions of this country, which agrees nearly in temperature and rain-fall, will compare favorably with those of Scotland. The islands contain many lofty mountains, many of them volcanoes, some still evincing activity by smoking or emitting steam.

Between them and the sea are rolling and moderately inclined hills and meadows. The soil is much of it rich, consisting of vegetable mold