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Show UTAH SUPERINTEFDENCY. 157 conveniont to water and timber. I visited the place in the latter part of March, and procured as many specimens of the ore as I conveniently could, some of which I send yon. These specimens, I am told, are not to be con-sidered fair samples of tlleledges from which they were.taken, because they were takenfrom the surface; but I have had them exammed by good judges, who concur in pronouncing them very rich. I procnred a test to be made by a chemist ; the specimen used was ?hoot an average one in appearance; and the results showed 7agrains pure s~lver, and 1% grain gold, from three ounces of ore, which IS pronounced exceed-ingly rich for top rock. The ledges are wide and well defined, varying from one to five feet in width : many of them can be traced without any difficulty fur half a mile ; tbeiarc il; what the millers call slate rock. 1 have very little doubt but that this is the far.famed " silver mouorain,"to find which so mahv exoediti,~nsh ave been fitted out since 1852. l am iuformed that some time :n the year 1853 a train of California emigrants passed through Salt Lake City, taking the sonthern ronte as far as the mountain meadows, when they took a west conrse,leaving the n~na l lytr avelled road. They passed through Meadow valley and crossed a range of mountains, here known aa the "West mountains." It was a considerable train, and the trail it left is still plainly visible for miles, leading in a west and northwest direction. I t is said they travelled in that direction about 150 miles from Meadow valley, when they came to a wide desert, destitute of water and vegetation, when dissension taking place among them, they divided into three companies, all of which took different directions. One party is said to have perished at or near a place called Death Valley. One, I believe, was never heard of afterwards ; at any rate, there were very few survived. The statement further is, that some one of the company discovered in this region of country exceedingly rich mines of silver. The discmever is said tp have perished, but specimens from which were carried by a lady, who survived, to Califorma, and upon examination were found to contain nearly pure silver. Many expeditious, I am informed, have been fitted out to find the place, none of which have been nuccessfnl, owing, perhaps, to the fact, that the attempts have been made from the west to follow the trail back, and the parties were nnable to crossthe desert. The party which ma~leth is discovery started from Meadow valley. The Indians told me thatmany years ago white people with wagons passed through their onntry north of Pahranagat valley, and perished on the desert, and that the remains of the wagous and bones of cattle are still to be found. From the summit of the mountains west of the valley can be seen a wide sterile desert, apparently d e s t i t~t eof water and vegetation,; it is very wide. The -Indians say it is five days' travel across it, (which is about one hundred and fifty miles,) and that it was on this desert that the whites and their stock perished for want of water. All these facts seem to me to warrant the belief that Silver mountain i$ found at last. At any rate, sumething worthy of attention is discovered. I have the honor to be very respeotfnlly, &c., THOMAS C. W. SALE, Sped Indian Agent. Hon. 0. H. IRISH, Sup't Ind. Affairs, Great Salt Lake City, Utah T e ~ ~ . |