HISTORY, RESOURCES, AND PROSPECTS OF THE SAGINAW VALLEY. THE RAIL ROAD EXi~CSION. The Flint & Pere Marqtte Ral Road. Special Correspondence of the Detroit Daily Advertiser. EAST SoGINAw, Feb. 7, 1862. The completion of the section of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad from Saginaw to Mount Morris, a small village some six miles north of Flint, has already been noticed in our columns. The occasion was deemed a suitable one by the friends of the enterprise for some kind of commemoration, and the officers and directors of the road extended an invitation to several of the citizens of Detroit, Pontiac, Flint and otherpplces along the line of the route, to join in an excursion to-day, that they might have an opportunity of observing for themselves the vast resources of this section of the country, and the rapid improvements which are making to develope them. We left Detroit about 10 o'clock this morning, and proceeded by the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad as far as Holly-fifty miles-we took sleighs, passing through the thriving city of Flint, containing a population of some 8,500, to Mount Morris, the present terminus of the railroad, twenty-six and a half miles south of Saginaw. We do not exaggerateta saying that We haive never passed over the same distance upoi e road, Wrtt, teosstrfitted, anA seldot have we seen neater and better ara iaSe'.& i a *s ifa tile of trf- tac remain to W I ''S* 2 laid, to complete the road to Flint, and for this the company have on hand the necessary ties, and the work of grading is substantially done, so that it is expected that the road will be completed to Flint, early the ensuing summer. A brief history of the road may not be uninteresting to many of our readers. In 1856, when Congress adopted a general system of donations of the public lands in the Western States to aid in the construction of railroads, lands were granted to this State for a similar purpose. At the session of the Legislature in the winter of 1857, these lands were conferred upon the Pere and Marquette Railroad Company, which surveyed the route of its road from Flint to Pere Marquette, in the county of Mason, upon the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, a distance of 172 miles, and located the line of it in the summer of 1857. It will be recollected that in September of that year, the commercial world was fearfully convulsed, and owing to the constant disasters, the work of construction was not commenced until the fall of 1858. In the following year some thirteen miles of the road were graded, and five miles of track was laid with Michigan iron, manufactured at Wyandotte. The next year, 1858, the work of grading was continued, but the financial difficulties of the times were such as to preclude the company from ob taining their iron that season, so as to extend the track. In 1860 the time had expired wherein the company were to complete the first twenty miles of the road, so as to entitle it to the benefit of the law of the State conferring upon the com panies, the lands granted by Congress to aid in its construction. In this dilemma, with the apprehension of a possible forfeiture being declared by the State, the company received from the Governor and other influential officers and citizens of the State, such assurances of good will, that no advantage or exception would be taken if the company would prosecute the enterprise in good faith, that the contractors were induced to proceed and complete the first twenty-six and a half miles of the route, as we have before stated. The inception of the enterprise is mainly attributed to Mr. M. L. DRAXE, of Oakland county, and its execution to the good judgment and energetic enterprise of Ms. SAMUEL FARWELL, of Utica, New York. The cars arrived at East Saginaw about half past six, and our party was conveyed to the Bancroft House, where we met a large number of the citizens of Saginaw and vicinity, and among them a number of old acquaintances with which we were happy to exchange congratulations on such an interesting accasion. At 9 o'clock an excellent supper was provided, and about a hundi ed guests were seated at the table, who did ample justice to the delicacies that were before them. At the proper signal, given by Docr. POTTER, Superintendent of the road, several toasts and sentiments were drank and responded to in brief and appropriate speeches. The toasts were respectively responded to by Ex-Governor WISNER, HI. HI. CRAro, of Flint, JAs. A. ARMSTRONG, of Detroit, Mr. THAYER, of Flint, Capt. E. B. WARD, of Detroit, Judge BIRNEY, Mr. MOORE, Mr. LEwIs, editor of the Saginacw Courier, Mayor MoNT, M. L. DRAKE, and others. The remarks were generally patriotic, pertinent, and in some cases quite terse and facetious. Some good natured sparring and repartee between the representatives of the rival cities in the Saginaw Valley, caused much merriment. The party arose from the table about half past eleven, and we are happy to say that, unlike some similar occasions in our State, there were no excesses. Let us say, in connection with the supper, that we have seldom sat down to tables more bountifully spread, or with greater variety of luxuries, and we may add that no better hotel is to be found in Michigan, out of Detroit, than the Bancroft House. Mr. Hobbs, its proprietor, is a prince of landlords, as all will attest who have been guests at this house. The extension of the railroad from Flint to the Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad, a distance of some 18 miles, is a matter which should engage the earliest attention of the citizens of Detroit. Milwaukee and Chicago now receive much of the trade of the Valley, every dollar of which would go to Detroit if there was direct railroad communication through. Most of our party will remain over here to-morrow, too see more of the city, and we propose to appropriate our next letter to some description of the Saginaw Valley, its early history, its resources and prospects. THE SAGINAW VALLEY. Its History-Its Resources-Its Future. Special Correspondence Detroit Datly Advertiser, EAST SAGINAW, Feb. 8, 1862. There is perhaps no section of the country within this Peninsula, that presents so many attractions to the hardy adventurer, who seeks a home in the West, or for the enterprising business man or capitalist. as thet known as the "Saginaw Valley," and the region drained by the tributaries whichl empty into the river from which it derives its name. The river is formed by the confluence of the Tittibawassee, flowing from the North-west, the Cass from the East, some three miles above the city, and the Flint and Shiawassee from the South, some four miles further up, and running in a North-easterly direction, empties into the Saginaw Bay, some thirty miles from the mouth of the Flint, where it co mmences It is a sluggi-h stream and with the exception of a slight sard bar just below East Saginaw, and another in the bay into which it empties, and near its mouth, it is navigable for all descriptions of lake craft. The sand bars, it is said, can be removed at a trifling expense. The County of Saginaw, as at present organized, contains 1,048 square miles. The general surface of the country is level, varying from 3o to 50 feet above the surface of the river, and the soil consists of a rich loam, at intervals of a sandy nature, on a substratum of clay, and is extremely rich and productive. It abounds in heavy timber of every description, and its pine lands, in extent and accessibility for the purposes of the lumber trade, are perhaps unequaled by any in the State. The history of Saginaw dates back to 1819, during which year a treaty was made by Gov. Cass with the Chippeway nation, by which the Indian title was extinguished to all that section of the Peninsula, beginning at a point nearly west from Detroit, sixty miles, and running north on the line known as the principal Meridian, thence to the head of Thunder Bay River, and following the course of that River, to Lake Huron. Previous to this, the country was almost exclusively in possession of the Indians. There was a French trading post, under the charge, we believe, of one of the Campaus of Detroit, and subsequently, during the late war with Great Britain, a milizary Post was established on the site on which the City of Saginaw is now built; but until the country was rightfully open to immigration, there could be no extensive agricultural settlements. The subsequent survey of these lands by the U. S. Government, and their sale to settlers, may be said to be the beginning of the history of the Saginaw Valley. Yet as late as 1830, most of the territory around Saginaw Bay and west and north of it, was but little known, and was represented to be of a very uninviting character, the soil mostly interspered with sand ridges, the climate severe, and the country filled with wild beasts and savages. In 1831, the Territory of Michigan began to attract the attention of adventurers, and the Southern counties to the St. Joseph River, and Washtenaw and Oakland were rapidly filling up with hardy immigrants, and small villages began to form the centre of trade; but the Saginaw country was entirely overlooked. We cannot, perhaps, give our readers a more interesting illustration of the views which were taken of that country by intelligent citizens of Detroit, or by observing strangers in that day, than by quoting a passage or two from the " Memoirs, Letters, and Remains of M. de Tocqueville," the distinguished French traveler, and author of 'Democracy in America,' who visited this country in 1831, and whose observations and notes have just been translated and published in English. In a chapter on "A Fortnight in the Wilderness," he announces that one of the things he was most curious about, on arriving in America, was to visit the extreme limits of European civilization; and in order to gratify that laudable curiosity, he came to Detsoit, then on the frontier of civilization, thinking that information might be easily obtained to accomplish his purpose. But he met with an unexpected difficulty at the threshold. To cross almost impenetrable forests; to swim deep rivers; to encounter pestilential marshes; to sleep exposed to the damp air of the woods;-" These are efforts," he writes, " which an American "easily conceives, if a dollar is to be gained by them-that's the point. But that " a man should take such journeys from curiosity, he cannot understand. Besides "dwelling in a wilderness, he prizes only man's work. He sends you to visit a "road, a bridge, a pretty village; but that you should admire large treer., or wild "scenery, is to him incomprehensible. We could make no one understand us." At last he called upon Major John Biddle, the Register of the Land Office, and, with a friend, represented themselves as persons who had not quite made up their minds to establish themselves in the country, but were interested to know the price and situation of the Government lands. De Tocqueville adds: " Major Biddle understood perfectly what we wanted, and entered into a num" ber of details, to which we earnestly listened. ' This part,' he said (showing us " on the map the river St. Joseph,) ' seems to me to be best suited to your pur"pose. The land is good, and large villages are already founded there; the road " is so well kept up that public conveyances run every day?' Well, we said to " ourselves, now we know where not to go, unless we intend to ti'avel post over "the wilderness. We thanked Major Biddle for his advice, and asked him, with "an air of indifference, towards which side of the district the current of emigra"tion had, up to the present time, least tended. ' This way,' he said, without " attaching more importance to his answer than we had seemed to do to our " question, 'towards the North-west. About Pontiac and its neighborhood, "some pretty fair establishments have lately been commenced. But you must " not think of fixing yourselves further off; the country is covered by an almost "impenetrable forest, which extends uninterruptedly towards the North-west, full " of nothing but wild beasts and Indians. The United States propose to open "a way through it immediately, but the road is only just begun, and stops at "Pontiac. I repeat that there is nothing to be thought of in that quarter." The author adds, that after thanking Major Biddle for his advice, they determined to take it in a contrary sense. Had they understood the character of that gentleman, they would not have felt themselves compelled to practice such a ruse to have obtained the desired information There was no gentleman in the territory more honorable or high-minded, than Major Biddle: not one who would have been more gratified to have dispensed the hospitalities of his mansion, or who would have more cordially entered into the plans of the distinguished strangers, and given them the desired information, had they frankly disclosed their purposes. The next day they proceeded on horseback on their way, towards Saginaw, taking Pontiac on their route. The writer gives a graphic description of the wild scenery which he and his companion beheld for the first time on their ourney through the wilderness,-of their arrival after sun down at Pontiac, then containing " about twenty very neat and pretty houses," clustered within a clearing of about a square half mile; of their stay in Pontiac, and of the words of advice that were uttered by one of those oracles of wisdom, known as a village landlord. They left Pontiac the next morning, and called at Mr. Williams', some miles in the forest, to obtain information as to the route, the dangers from Indian, &o. Mr. Williams had long dealt with the Chippeways, and had a son then established at Saginaw, who gave them all needful information. They puiue ad their journey, occasionally meeting Indians and pioneer woodsmen, and!onC; after dark they reached the settlement at Flint river, then consisting of two or three huts. Upon their approach towards one of the huts, and as they were about to climb over a fence, they were saluted by a great black bear, that, standing on his hind legs and at the very extremity of his chain, showed as clearly as he could, his intention to give them a fraternal hug. No attempt to reason with such a porter would be observed, and hallooing at the top of their voices, they were relieved by the appearance of a man coming from one of the huts, who invited them to come in, where they rested over night, and the next morning, with Indian guides they proceeded through a wilderness of forty miles to Saginaw, having lost their way once or twice on their journey. Nightfall came, and thus the writer describes his impressions in the solemn woods. "The air under the trees " became damp and cold. In the dark, the forest assumed a new and terrible "aspect. Our eyes could distinguish nothing but confused masses without shape "or order: strange and disproportioned forms; the sort of image which haunt "the imagination in fever. The echo of our steps had never seemed so loud, nor " the silence of the forest so awful. The only signs of life in this sleeping world " was the humming of the mosquito." They arrived at the Saginaw River, rather late in the evening, and were conveyed across in a canoe, swimming their horses, and landed at the point now known as " Saginaw City." It was then a small, cultivated plain, with a few huts, the farthest point inhabited by Europeans to the North-west of the peninsula; an advanced post, a picket guard of white men placed in the midst of the Indian nations. It then contained thirty persons, men, women, old people and children. De Tocqueville remained at Saginaw for a few days, for the purpose of gratifying the passions which had led him there, and during his visit indulged in some philosophic reflections and predictions that turn out to have been true as prophesy itself. We copy: " We asked ourselves, by what singular fate it happened that we, to whom it "had been granted to look on the ruins of extinct empires, and tread the deserts " made by.human hands,-we, children of an ancient people, should be called on "to witness this scene of the primitive world, and to Acontemplate the, as yet, " unoccupied cradle of a great nation. These are not the more or less probable "speculations of philosophy. The facts are as certain as if they had already "taken place. In a few years these impenetrable forests will have failed: the "sons of civilization and industry will break the silence of the Saginaw; its ech"oes will cease; the banks will be imprisoned by quays; its current, which now "flows on unnoticed and tranquil through a nameless waste, will be stemmed by "the prows of vessels. More than 100 miles sever the solitude, from the great "Europeam settlements, and we were, perhaps, the last travelers allowed to see "its primitive grandeur." Such is the account given by an intelligent and observing foreigner of the early approaches by land to the Saginaw valley; the appearance which it presented in its primitive days; and his predictions of its future greatness. Thirty-one years ago the whole district of country between Pontiac and Saginaw was an unbroken forest, with no avenue through it except the Indian's trail: now it is accessible by railroad and stages, with two lines running each day-the whole country along the route under a fine state of cultivation, with neat villages, elegant villas and farm houses, and everything indicating the thrift and maturity of advanced civilization. Then Saginaw City was a mere post, with about thirty persons, depending chiefly on the Indian trade, hunting and fishing for their living: now it is a thriving city, with a population of some 2 50 inhabitants, several churches, a printing office, a number of stores, mills and manufacturing establishments, including salt works and the shire town of a rapidly growing county. Then it appeared to the inhabitants-if they gave any thought to the future at all-as only a promising post on the out. skirts of civilization, where for a number of years the trinkets and gewgaws of the Indian trade might be profitably exchanged for furs and peltries: now the nucleus of a valuable trade, an important link in the chain of commerce which opens the products of the rich surrounding country to the great marts of the civilized world. The first settlement on the east side of the Saginaw river was made on the 4th day of July, 1847, by Curtis Emerson, E-q, assisted by C. W. Grant, who celebrated the occasion by cutting down the first tree on that side of the river. Mr. Emerson is still living, and we had the pleasure of shaking hands with him on the occasion of a late visit there. Though slightly inclined to the shady side of 40, he is as active and as voluble as twenty-five years since, when we first formed his acquaintance; with an activity of the vocal organs and a free use of emphatic expletives, accompanied by appropriate gesticulations, he never fails to be clearly understood on any occasion. There is no man in the Saginaw valley who is more enterprising, or who carries a greater amount of executive power in his boots, than the founder of the " EHalls ot Montezuma." In the spring of 1848 the settlement was organized under the name of Buena Vista, and at the first town meeting, there where only five votes present, viz: Messrs. Emerson, Grant, Seth Willey, Thomas Willey, and Stephen Warner. From that date the village began to grow rapidly, and on the 13th of February, 1855, it was incorporated as the village of East Saginaw, and on the 15th of February, 1859, it was chartered as a city, under the name of the " City of East Saginaw." According to the census of 1850, when it was known as Buena Vists, it contained 251 inhabitant?. The census of 1860 shows 3,237, since which time there has been a rapid increase, and the population is now estimated to be over 4,000. It contains upwards of 800 dwelling houses, 35 stores, some of them large and elegant brick ones, 3 machine shops, 6 barrel factories, numerous steam sawmills, mechanic shops and salt works; 5 churches, to wit: 1 Congregational, 1 Methodist, 1 German Methodist, 1 Episcopalian, 1 Catholic, 1 Baptist; 1 large Union School, and 4 private schools, 1 extensive shipyard, 1 flouring will, 1 splendid first class hotel, costing about $75,000; 1 banking house, capital $100,000, 1 U. S. Land office, 2 newspaper printing offices, several stave and shingle manufactories, and the usual proportion of doctors, lawyers, &c., &c. We shall not undertake in this article to give the statistics we have gathered in relation to lumbpr, salt and other products, which constitute the elements of wealth of the Saginaw Valley. Under these appropriate head,, we shall endeavor to furnish such facts as we may have been enabled to collect from the most reliable sources, which will doubtless interest many of our readers. We know how difficult it is sometimes to procure accurate statistics, and we know also how incredulous some readers are in receiving the estimates that are oftentimes, as appears upon their face, carelessly made, or instigated by the cupidity of those who offer them. Making all allowance for these, and rejecting all doubtful authority, we think we shall be able to state such reliable facts concerning the resources of the Saginaw Valley, as will arrest the earnest attention of our readers. Salt-Its Manufacture on the Saginaw River. Special Correspondence of the Detroit Daily Advertiser. EasT SAGINAW, Feb. 10, 1862. Salt has been known and has been in common use as a seasoner and preserver of food from the earliest days of the worlds' history. It also furnishes muriatic acid and soda, and forms a glaze for coarse pottery by being thrown into the oven where it is baked; it improves the whiteness and clearness of glass; gives hardness to soap; in melting metals, it preserves their surface from calcination, by defending them from the air; and enters more or less into many other processes of the arts. In some situations of the soil, it is believed to be advantageous as a manure. Salt is found in a pure state, in immense masses, in this and many other countries, which requires only to be dug out and reduced to powder. In that state it is called rock salt. The mines in Poland are upon a very large scale, and have been wrought for 600 years. There are. also, extensive mines in Cheshire, England, which have been worked nearly two hundred years, and the quantity of salt obtained from them is, probably, greater than from any other salt mine in the world. In warm climates, salt is obtained from sea-water by solar evaporation, and it is believed that the crystals are more perfect and pure from the slow process. Hence salt by this method is held in high estimation. The salt springs in the United States are numerous, and nearly all the salt manufactured is made by boiling, excepting what is made in Massachusetts, Florida, and the solar works at Onondaga. The following table, carefully compiled by a merchant in New York city, who has been extensively engaged in the salt trade, will show the estimated quantity manufactured in the United States in 1860: Bushels In the State of Massachusetts (montly in vats built along the sea shore) 46,000 New York (Onondaga county).- -- - 6,000 000 Pennsylvania (Alleghany and Kirkiminetas river) - 900,000 Virginia (Kanawha and Cings' works).- -* -- 3,500,000 Ohio (Muskingum, Hocking river). - - 500,000' Ohio (Pomeroy and West Columbia).-- -- - 1,000,000 Illinois - ----. - - -. - - 50 000 Michigan.--------- - 10,000 Texas -. ----- -.- 20,000 Florida - - - - - -.. - -100,000 12,376,000 The annual consumption of foreign salt in the United States and Territories is estimated at 13,600,000 bushels, and about 60 pounds to every inhabitant is the estimated amount consumed. The wells in the Virginia salt springs are about 900 feet deep; those at Pomeroy and West Columbia are from 1000 to 1200 feet deep. The boiled salt weighs about 56 lbs. to the bushel, varying, however, according to the position of the kettles above and below. Solar salt weighs about 70 lbs. to the bushel (measure.) The average estimate of boiled salt, per bushel, is 56 lbs., or 5 bushels per bbl. of 280 lbs. Before the manufacture of salt was commenced in this State, it was estimated that some $450,000 worth was annually brought from the New York salt works. SALT IN MICHIGAN. It was known, from the earliest settlement of the country, that the Indians formerly supplied themselves with salt, from springs existing on the Peninsula, and numerous reservations of land, supposed to contain the springs, were made by the General Government; and it is a matter of record, that many years before Michigan was organized into a State Government, attempts were made by ndlividuals to manufacture the article. By the act of admission of this State inito the Union, in 1837, it will be recollected, the State authorities were permitted to select seventy-two sections of salt spring lands. A State Geologist-the lamented Dr. Douglass Houghton-was appointed at the first meeting of the Legislature thereafter-who, in his report to the Legislature in January, 1838, says, he regarded it important that the springs be selected for State purposes, at as early a day as possible, and most of his examinations, the season previous, were devoted to that end. Dr. Houghton's explorations resulted in finding many indications of saline springs, particularly on the Grand and Tittibawassee rivers, and he refers to similar springs near the mouth of the Flint and Cass rivers in Saginaw County, and also in Sanilac, St. Clair, Macomb, Wayne and Oakland counties, The Legislature passed an act for the improvement of the State salt. springs, in 1838, and by virtue of his appointment, Dr. Houghton was authorized to make examinations and to institute experiments, which he did on the Grand and Tittibawassee rivers, with partial success. But previous to 1859, the manufacture of salt as a staple article for home consumption and export trade, was unknown in Michigan. In the fall of 1858, Dr. Lathrop, of East Saginaw, called a meeting of the citizens of that place, for the purpose of bringing the subject of salt manufactures before them. He procured a geologist to lecture upon the subject, who awakened much interest, which resulted in drawing up a petition to the Legislature to pass an act to encourage the manufacture by allowing a bounty of five cents per bushel. The Legislature in 1859, had the subjectunder consideration and finally passed an act to allow a bounty of ten cents per bushel, and an exemption from taxation on real and personal property used in the manufacture-the bounty to be paid when at least 5,000 bushels of salt shall have been made by the parties applying for it. This gave an impulse to the business, and operations were commenced at Grand Rapids ad( at East Saginaw in April of that year. Little success has thus far attended the experiments at Grand Rapids. But on the Saginaw river numerous explorations have been made, and a basin of brine has been developed, which for extent, purity and strength, is scarcely excelled in the world. The law allowing a bounty was amended by the Legislature of 1860, greatly reducing the amount-providing that all companies which commenced manufacturing previous to the 1st of August, 1861, should be allowed five cents per barrel, until they received $1,000, and after that all bounties ceased-but the property is exempt from taxation for five years. All companies formed since then receive no bounty. The first Salt Company under this act, was organized in April, 1859, and is known as the " East Saginaw Salt Manufacturing Company," and commenced the manufacture in July, 1860, starting with a block of 50 kettles. Since then the following companies have been organized, (including the E. S. M. Co.,) viz: Leavitt & Co., of Cincinnati, Saginaw City. Saginaw City Salt Manufacturing Co., Saginaw City. Rust & Co., East Saginaw. Hess & Co., East Saginaw. East Saginaw Salt Manufacturing Co., East Saginaw. Hill, Gilbert & Co., East Saginaw. Carrolton Mill Salt Manufacturing Co., Carrolton. Carrolton Salt Manufacturing Company, Corrolton. Portsmouth Co., Bay City. W. Gilmore, do 9 Curtis, Williams & Hyde, Carrolton. Saginaw Valley Salt Co., do Orange Co., do Hyde & Co., Portsmouth. J. H. Hill & Co., Zilwaukie. There are now in operation in Saginaw, 4 blocks, with 180 kettles; East Saginaw 4 blocks, 200 kettles; Carrolton, 5 blocks, 300 kettles; Portsmouth 1 block, 50 kettles; Bay City, 1 block 50 kettles. It is believed that the new companies which have been recently formed, will have 18 new blocks in operation before the 1st of July, with 900 kettle. The supply of brine in the whole valley is very abundant, and its specific gravity is greater than that of Syracuse, N. Y., or Kanawha, Va. Pure, saturated brine has a specific gravity of 1,205; that of East Saginaw 1,165; Syracuse brine 1,142; Kanawha 1073. According to Professor Cook, of Rutger's College, New Jersey, who is regarded as excellent scientific authority, forty gallons of brine will yield a bushel (56 pounds) of salt. That prediction by the Professor, founded upon an analysis of the water, is now practically realized in the daily operations of the different works. The brine of Syracuse yields, on evaporation, 181 per cent. of dry saline matter; that of Kanawha 9 2-10 per cent., and the Saginaw 20 per cent. SALT AS AN ARTICLE OF TRADE. The average cost of manufacturing salt at Syracuse, for the five years preceding April, 1857, was $1 per bbl., and the price at the works is 1 25. There are now manufactured at the several works already in operation on the Saginaw, about 550 bbs. per dy, and it is believed that the amount will be doubled next year. The capital already invested in the works in operation, amounts to $102,500, and it is probable that the companies now organizing and preparing for the business 10 next year, will invest from $400,000 to $500,000. The purity and excellence of the article creates for it a steady demand in this city, and in the Upper Lake country. The east Saginaw company, previous to the close of navigation, manufactured about 20,000 barrels, about 7 0(O0 of which were sold in Detroit, where, as a merchantable articles, it ranks with the best Onondaga salt, and is preferred by some. As an article of trade, the salt of Michigan must hereafter become an important element and a source of vast wealth to the State. It can never fail to be a staple in demand; and, in the present condition of the country,--until this unfortunate rebellion is brought to a close, it must have an increased value. A large portion of the supply for the Western and South-western States has heretofore been furnished by the Kanawha works, and by foreign importations. The former have been partly closed by the civil war, and the blockade of New Orleans pretents its impornation from abroad. To show how the price of this article is effected by the war, we will present a few figures which we copy from the annual statement of the trade and commerce, exhibiting the condition of the salt trade in a single port on Lake Michigan-Milwaukee. The amount imported in 1860, was 61,o00o barrels. In 1861, 133,908 barrels, 100,000 barrels of which were from Syracuse, and on the 1st of January there were but 17,000 barrels on hand. Through the shipping season, common salt sold at from $1 50 to $1 60 per barrel. It is now selling at $2 00 and $2 25. At Chicago it is selling from 15 to 25 cents higher. ive region, and their united energies and industry contribute to ne coummuu on v,perity and wide spread renown of this rich and growing valley. Before going into the statistics of lumber, we invite the reader to ascend with us to the elevated observatory on the Bancroft house, where an extended view may be obtained of the country for many miles up and down the river. A more interesting panorama can scarcely be imagined, whether regarded as a spectacle for the admirer of nature, as she presents herself in her primitive form and richest profusion, or as a field for the ambition of the practical adventurer who dpaires 11 competency, or wealth, as the reward of his enterprise and industry. The Saginaw, bound in icy fetters, appears as, if it were released, it might be a gentle, beautiful, and useful stream, and its meandering course may be traced for miles below, through a vast prairie, and above, through dense forests. On either side of the river, nearer by, the grand old woods are seen in all their primeval strength and vigor, from their density and immense size, offering, it would almost seem, an impregnable barrier against the further encroachment of the woodman's axe. The intervening space, above and below, on both sides, is cleared at intervals from a few rods to a mile or two back, with cultivated fields and sparse settlements, villages, and embryo cities, the places of business and the peaceful abodes of intelligent, practical, and enterprising citizens. Just opposite is Saginaw City, and a little farther down are Carrolton, Zilwaukee, Portsmouth, and Bay City. Here you may count forty-two steam saw-mills, and numerous stacks of tall chim. neys belonging to the salt manufactories and o'her busy establishments distributed up and down the valley for miles; and the activity in the streets below, the passing of heavily loaded teams, and the hurried step of the citizens, indicate that here are men of earnest purpose, and that this is no place for the laggard, or the man of elegant leisure. Such is a bird's-eye view of the Saginaw Valley, and those who inhabit it, from a single point. LUMBER. Of the well wooded countries of the world, Russia, Sweden Norway and America are the most prominent,--the latter undoubtedly taking the lead. A discriminating writer, Volney, once described this country as " one vast forest, diversified occasionally by cultivated intervals." This remark cannot now apply with much truth to some of the older States at the East, nor to the vast prairies of the West But it very appropriately describes Northern Michigan, and particularly the Saginaw Valley. Lord Bacon once said that "a tree in full leaf is a nobler object than a King in coronation robes " Whilst our Saginaw neighbors, when looking upon those gigantic oaks that hold their heads so high and reign supreme in the forests, may agree with the English peer as to the abstract truth of his remarks, they also assume that such lofty monarchs must yield to the necessities of the times, and come down to the common level of Democratic institutions. There is a ruthless onward movement towards the forests in the vicinity of Saginaw, that knows no difference between those mighty oaks and pines, with wide, extended branches-and the common sappling and under-brush that grow beneath their overshadowing foliage. The plea of the American poet when he sung " Woodman, spare that tree," is little heeded. Everything in the form of shrubbery which the axe can reach is cut down; carcely a tree being left as an object of beauty, or as a Prateful screen against the scorching summer's sun. But let us take a utilitarian view of the subject. In face of the fact that it requires some thirty acres of good ship timber to build a common sized steamboat on our lakes, and the further fact that from all that now appears the wants of the single State of Illinois alone for the ensuing thirty years, will probably exhaust all the pine lands in our State, does it not show that it is none too early for the people of our lumber regions to exercise more economy in regard to the use of forests already existing, and in those waste regions that have been already despoiled, to promote the growth of others? Saginaw Valley is undoubtedly the heaviest lumber region in this cauntry. In 1846 but two cargoes of lumber were shipped from East Saginaw; last year over six hundred cargoes were shipped, carrying away about 75,000,000 feet of pine lumber, exclusive of staves and shirrgles, leaviing about 65,000,000 feet manufactured lumber on hand, one filth of which is of upper qualities; of that fifth, onehalf has been contracted for by dealers for the Eastern markets. The balance is held by the manufacturers. There are between forty and forty-five mills in the valley, capable of manufacturing from 120,000,000 to 130,000,000 per annum, the actual amount manufactured averaging 90,000,000 With low freights the tendency of lumber is to the Eastern market; when freights are high, with the exception of the highest grade, it is shipped to Milwaukee and CJicago. The 12 higher grades are generally sent East to Albany and New England, and thence to California, the Pacific islands and to England. The lower grades are sent to Milwaukee and Chicago, and to Ohio. The present selling rates, per qualities, are, for culled, $3 per 1,000; common, $5 50 to $6; select box, $8; fourth, from $10 to $12; clear from $15 to $17-prices depending upon the style of manufacture and quality of timber, as to hard and soft pine The average price of all grades is estimated at $8 per 1,000. Vessels have been loaded at the wharf at East Saginaw with cargoes direct for England and the Southern States Last summer two large rafts of heavy square timber were shipped to Montreal and. Quebec, and thence to England. Their aggregate value was estimated at $45,000. The unequal and unjust provisions of the Reciprocity bill are causes ot bitter complaint with the Saginaw lumber merchants, the discrimination on that staple being decidedly in favor of the Canadians. They very properly urge a modification that shall better protect them. The trade in oak timber has scarcely yet commenced, excepting in the form of staves. STAVES. The manufacture of staves is a heavy business in the Saginaw Valley, and next to lumber is a branch of trade that demands notice. We regret to say that our memoranda is not complete under this head. We have before us the amount of business done in East Saginaw alone, making an aggregate shipped, of $195,150 for the last three years. There is a large supply on hand. The staves are mostly shipped to the Eastern markets, and thence to the West Indies, and elsewhere. SHINGLES. The shingle trade in the Saginaw Valley is also an item of considerable value. The article is manufactured by various establishments and brought to East Saginaw from the surrounding country in wagons and sleighs from ten to fifty miles distance The annual value of the trade is estimated at some $60,000. The shingles are generally a superior article, and are sent to Albany, Lowell, Mass, Providence, R I., Ohio, and elsewhere. All shingles sent from this market are carefully inspected and branded, and the brand warranted. Shaved shingles shipped last year, 15,000,000, at $3 per 1,000; 7,000,000 sawed, at $2 50 per 1,000. About two-thirds of this branch of trade is carried on by Mr. J. S. Esterbrook. Shingles are a staple article, and there is a steady demand, and no fluctuations in the price of the several brands. We will here state a curious fact to illustrate the caprices of trade. Last year an ingenious manufacturer constructed a machine for the manufacture of hoehandles, and delivered to Ames & Co., of Massachusetts, several thousands of those articles, which were shipped to the manufactory in Massachusetts, there ironed, and many of them returned to this State and sold in our market. As important as is the lumber interest in the Saginaw Valley, it is destined to be of secondary consideration when compared with,he manufacture of salt, and the salt trade, which is now springing up along the Valley. We have some inter esting statistics under this head, which we propose to present to our readers to-morrow. 13 Its Public Lands, Agricultural Resources, Military and Naval Position. Special Correspondence of the Detroit Advertiser. EAST SAGTNAW, Feb. 14, 1862. In our previous notes upon the Saginaw Valley, we have confined oarselves to its history and its lumber and salt interests. But it is not upon these alone that it rests its claims to public attention. There is perhaps no part of Michigan where there is less real waste land than in Saginaw. Wherever it is cleared and properly cultivated, it proves to he of unsurpassed richness and fertility, and the crops raised are immense. And there is perhaps no district in the State that will better reward the settler for the toil and labor of clearing a farm than that along the course of the Saginaw and its tributaries. The immense oak and pine timber find a ready market, and the less valuable varieties, when cut up for fuel, are needed by the salt manufacturers, who pay renumerating prices. The demand for this purpose alone is very large, and must increase until the country is stripped of its forests. In 1850, the whole population of Saginaw county was 2,609. In 1860 it was 12,758 The territory o' country, which in 1856, embraced Midland, Tuscola, Ray, and Saginaw counties, contained a population of less than 3,000 It numbered in 1860, 21,595, and now probably contains 25,000. About one-third of the population are engaged directly and indirectly in the lumber and salt business, the residue in agriculture. We have betore us some valuable statistics concerning the sale of public lands at the United States Land Office at East Saginaw, furnished us by John F. Driggs, Esq., Register, which, with some facts connected with the sales, furnished from other sources, may interest some who read these notes. Since tha 1st of January, 1861, to December 31st, of he same year, inclusive, the following sales were made, viz: January ---------.--.----------1,075 16 July--.--------------------,-1,766 70 February ---...-..---.----.----1,216 70 August-....---- --.---------- 1,919 52 March...-----.-..---...----- 1,200 00 September -----....---------2,304 73 April.-------..--- ---------. 902 28 October ----...--------..-----2,953 11 i ----.- ----------- 640 00 November..--...---. -----...... 1 127 66 May...---------- ----------- 820 00 December.......--.....----... 1,821 51 " -.--.---.----.------ 1,705 34 June ------........---...----.-- 854 46 Total--...........---------20,647 17 Land warrants, as per act of 1855: January....---------440 00 September....---------. 160 00 April...----------160 00I November --...----..120 00 "..------------320 00 December....-------.. 967 72 2,566 86 June-------------288 64 - - Total..-----.2,566 36 23,213 53 The Paeinaw district extends from T. 6 N. to 28 N., and from 1 to 11 E., till it reaches 11 N., when it widens from 2 W. to 11 E., embracing a territory 132 miles North and South, and 76 miles East and West. But from this is to be deducted Saginaw Bay and that part of Lake Huron within the lines of the district. About 18 000 of the 23,000 acres sold last year were taken under the graduation act, for the purpose of homesteads and actual settlement The average amount taken by individuals being 80 acres, makes 225, which is the number of homesteads added to the district during the year. The district being traversed both in length and breadth, by the Flint and Pere Marquette, and Lansing, Amboy and Traverse Bay Rail Roads, and the odd sections of land within six miles limits of each Road being granted to the companies, and the even sections within the same 14 limits, in consequence of such grant, being held at $2 50 per acre by the Government,-has greatly diminished the sales in this district for the past year. But when these railroad lands are brought into market, and the roads completed through the same, they will doubtless all be taken up, and this rich portion of the State will rapidly become settled and cultivated. There are over 1,500 miles of water communication by the streams tributary to the Saginaw River and the Bay within the district, the banks of which, abound with pine, oak, black walnut, and many other kinds of valuable timber, with a soil unsurpassed for agricultural purposes. There are few questions more interesting to the people of Northern Michigan, and that are less understood, than the 1.ws relating to gradiated public lands. By the pre-emption act of September 4th, 1841, and the graduation act of August 4, 1854, it is provided that the price of all lands remaining unsold after having been in market ten years, shall be reduced to actual settlers to one dollars per acre; after 15 years to 75 cents; after 20 years to 50) cents; after 25 years to 25 cents; and after 30 years to one shilling. Under the graduation aco, it is required that those who wish to avail themselves of its benefits must be citizens of the United States, or have declared their intention to become such, and over twenty-one years of age; must pay the graduating price when locating, for which they will receive duplicate receipts, and before the expiration of a year from which time, they must qualify, under oath, that they located the land for the purpose of a homestead; that they have sowed, planted, or raised, some kind of crops; that they have erected fa dwelling house thereon, and make it their home; that they have made no contract or agreement, directly or indirectly, for the sale or transfer of the title to the land, and that, together with the present entry, they will not have acquired from the United States under the provisions of said act,, over 320 acres. Under the Pre-emption Act, the party cannot be the owner of any otner land when locating, nor can he acquire over 160 acrer. The locator is not required to pay the graduated price, until he makes his proof, which, under the Graduation Act, he pays when he enters the land. The pre-empter must continue the occupancy and improvement of the land from the day of entry, until proof is made; other. wise his right will be forfeited and the land re-pre-empted or sold when applied for. There is much apprehension in regard to the provisions of these laws, and it would be well for those proposing to settle in the Saginaw Valley to get well posted at the Land Office before taking any actual steps to settle. SAGINAW IN A MILITARY AND NAVAL POINT OF VIEW. As long ago as January, 1826, a Committee on Military Affairs was appointed by Congress, to whom was referred a resolution making inquiries what measures were necessary to be adopted for the secuiity and defense of the North-western frontier. Gen Cass, then Governor of the Territory of Michigan, in compliance with a request of the Comnmitree, submitted a long and very able memorial, setting forth the exposed condition of the Territory to British aggressions, and the nIcessity there was for adopting flicient mear.a of defense; among which he regarded certain military rods, especially one which should enable us to maiintain our intercourse with Green Bay, Mackinac, and Saut Ste. Marie, as of the first importance. Gen. Cass, in that memoir, refers to the fact t:iat the Northern shores of four of the great lakes and of the straits which unite them, are possessed by a foreign power with whom we have no right to expect a perpetual peace He adds: " The "most liberal principles of national comity, do not prohibit us from looking "at the probable course of events, nor providing for contingencies, which experi"ence has proved, may happen to all nations, and must happen to most There is "nothing in the character of the British nation, and but little in her history, which "would justify the conclusion, that her Canadian possessions will ever be easily "reliiquibhed." In view of the fact, that these internal seas and straits, must, for a series of years, remain frontiers, possessed by two powerful nations, he argued in favor of the road, as a military necessity. The proximity of Fort Gratiot to the English possessions, renders it insecure to approach by water, in case the enemy 15 were in considerable force on the opposite shore, in which contingency it would have to be abandoned, or intercourse must be preserved by land. He adds: " This intercourse is also essential to our command of Lake Huron, and to a " communication with the posts upon it and upon the Straits of St Mary, Sagi"naw Bay is a deep indention of Lake Huron, extending about sixty miles into " the peninsula. To the head of vessel navigation upon the Saginaw river, from " Detroit, is less than 100 miles This river affords a secure harbor, and may be "nimportant for a naval establishment. A road in thf direction would furnish the "4 means of reaching Lake Huron, at all times, without any hazard from an enemy," The project of a military road from Detroit to Mackinac via Saginaw, was discussed with much earnestness for several years, until a law was framed authorizing the construction of one to Saginaw, which we regard as the first ar;d most important link in the great chain. That this grand national highway must he continued and completed, admits of no question. The isolated position of the Upper Perinsula, demands that our Government should look to this at once. There is a large interest in the Lake Superior country, which claims the protection of the Government. It is now wholly defenseless, and in case of hostilities with Great Britain it would fall an easy prey to an invading army sent there by an overland route through Canada Besides, Mackinac as a key to Lake Michigan, is about to be strongly fortified as a military post, thus creating an additional necessity for access to its opposite shore by a military road. As a naval depot, the Saginaw River and Bay present claims which should not be overlooked. It affords a safe harbor, centrally situated on the great chain of Northern lakes, and is accessible to all descriptions of lake craft.* It is open two weeks earlier than the Straits of Mackinac, and with the bay southwest of the islands, which is never affected by heavy seas, it would afford room for an immense naval fleet to ride safely at anchor. The country adjacent affords the greatest quantity of the very best ship timber to be found in the Northwest, and by means of the tributary streams, the supply may be continued for an almost illimitable period. In a geographical point of view, the deep indentation of the bay and the navigable portion of the river, would permit the establishment of a depot almost in the centre of the Peninsula. In a few years, the rich lands west, north and south of the bay, will teem with a busy population, and Saginaw will then be nearer the centre of population of the Peninsula than any other lake port; at a point, too, where, in a sudden emergency, a larger force could be concentrated and brought to bear upon any given point on our widely extended frontier than any site which has yet been named. ;.:1 rV i~-;+ o d, ~ i ~ i: i i I 1 ir ''~ ii I:i i: u~