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Show I [ 174 J 60 0 of irrerrnl:.u lumps of clay, hardened by exfrequently has t_he aprra~at:~ may no~ be nnmbered;:omong the chara.ctcr-pnsnrc. A vanety 0 as ~1 :' c<ont'ttltl"' ~ in fnll gl ory; bnt cacti have be- . · 1 t H.l the nrtem1s1a ~ 0 "" 1st1c p an s, at ' < b, . to dispnte the hills with them. The e ve nin~r come rare, aud mos;rs cft\he thermomet er at l 0 o'clock, being at 36o, "a damp and unp ~~sal\ ~avy dew Our ast~·onomica1 observations placeu and the grass wet owllt1 a _lt <cle 109o ~l' 31)" and latitude 42o 27' 15" . , tl u.s encat.n ]Jtmeut 111 OtJO'L n - ... ' 1 'l\ 1 d 1 . · :::> e resnmed our J·onmey, the weat tcr stt con y, 0E arly 111 t 1e monung w I 1 d 01 . · d · 1 . · Our rreneral conrse was we ~ t, as 1a uotermme wtth occashtonado J ~dl~1. ··dcreoby a bridle path among the broken country to eros t e tVl tng tl :--, L • .1 . 1 tl, · d' 1 t tltc r00t o[ tile monntams, a11u rettH 11 )y 1e wagon more 1111llle mte y a L' • 1 . tl t ... ·1 · ..J . \ ]f 'I s to the sonllt of the p<)lllt W 1e1e 1C l(.d CIOSSC~. road, two ann n 1a llll e. l , " . · Tl · -1 f 0 1r encam1)ment bronght n to t w snmmlt. 1e A bout SIX m1 cs rom t 0 • • • , k l drr 1 d b "dtlnl tln t w1th all the 111ttm.1tu now e 0 e pos- a:-.ct•nt 1a een so gr,, ' ' ' ' . 1 r .. ~ ' c1 b c . ho had made this conn try hts 1ome 10r sc ventc~n scsse y [l!.sonb, l~v d to' watch very clo~ely to .fi.m.l t!Je pbce at which year we we1 e o tge , . , . 1 1 ·11 · \ve h~d reached the culminating pomt. fhts was between t W<~ _ow 11 , · · · 1 1 d fifty or sixty feet. \Vhen I looked back at them, If'l mg hon f~lt 1erf 1than . meclto"te slope on thr we ·tern plain, their summits rom t e oat o e tm <• · F. 1 · . d t be abont one hnndred and twenty feet above. 1om t 1c tm-nnpepse:: m;ioon on0 my mind at this time, and sn b · eqn~nt 1Y Ol~ our 1· ct urn I should ' ~omparc the elevation which we surmonntcd unmcdmt_e ly at the ~as~? ~o the ascent of the Capitol hill from the avcm~e, ~t \Vashw~~on. It lS.otfficnlr for me to fix positively the breadth of tilt~ _pass: lqon~ the b1o~en around where it commence , at tho foot of the vVmd nver cham,_the v1ew ro the southeast is over a champaign C?Uiltry '· broken, at tl~e dt tancc. of m·n e te en mt' \e', by tile 'ra' ble 1·ock.' wh1ch ' .w 1th t0h e ot, h, er. tsol0a ted htll. 1 d in its vicinity, ,eoms to stand on a ~omparattve p!a1_n: li_Hs _I JlH ge t~ be it, terrnination, the ridge recovcnng Its mggccl. cbcnact e t with tho Ta?le rock. lt will be seen that it in no manner resc:>mbles tl:e places to wluch the term is commonly appl ied- uothillg of the ~orge-hke_ character and winding a~cents of the Al~egheny )~asses in Amenca: noth_tug ~f ~~:e Great St. Bernard and Simp1on passes 111 Europe. Approaclnng 1t 11 om _the mouth of the Sweet Water, a sandy plain, one hundred and twet!ty mtle lono· condncts by a crradual and regular ascent, to til ' sumrmt,. about sev~~l thonsllud feet above the sea; and the tra ve1l(•r, with?nt hemg remind eLl of any chatJO'e by toilsome ascents, snddenly fwds h11n elf on the waters which flow tg the Pacific ocean. By the route we ha~ travell~d, the di, tetnce from Fort Laramie is three hundred and twenty mtles, or mnc hundred and fifty from the month of tl~ e K_n.nsas .. Continuing onr march~ we reached, m e1ght rrnles from tho. Pass, the Little Sandy, one of the tribnta.ries of the Colorado, ?r Green nv~r of.the Gnlf of California. The weather had growu f111e <lun11g tl1e rnorn1ng, and we remained here the rest of the day, to dry our baggage ~nd t:.t~ce some a tronomical observatious. The siren m was about forty feet w1de, and two or three deep with clear water and a full swif't cnrrellt. over a "'andy bed. It was timbered with a ~rowth of low bl tshy anu den.'e willows, among which were little verd t~nt spots, which gave onr animals .fill~ grass, and where I fonnd a number of interesting plants. Among the nCighbo~ing hills 1 lloticed fragments of grauitc containing maguetic iron. Longt· tude of the camp w::ts 109° 37' 5SI", and 1atitndc 42° 27' 34 " . .flugust 9.-We made our noon halt to day on llig Sandy, another 61 trihutary of Green river. Thr (ace of ll tc COtlilfl y traver eu was of a hrown c;an<l of grauite materiaL, the rf,·t r ilus ot the neighboring mouutaius. ~trata of the mi lky quartz croppcJ. out, nnd blocks of' granite wt re ~cat tercel about, containillg m a~ ll l'tit; imn. On Sa11dy er<'ek t lte foP11atio,1 w.t: of parti-co]ored sa nd, cxhi bi1cJ in l'S<'arp ltll'IJI.-; Iifly to eighty fct t high. 11 the aftemoon we lwd a Sl'Yerc , tOJ tn of II: il , a ud euc.nnped <d !'.llli~Cl on the fir t Jew F orie \Vitil lll the space of a kw milc.s, llw \Yind lliOllt, taills ·npply a tlllltlb(' l' of tri huta1 i t~ to (~rc<'ll rivt r, wl:ieh a re :-'Jl calll'd the New Forks. Ncar ou r c::uup were two J'('tP[Ir\, ;tbll' i::;olatecl lJtiL. one uf thr.m w11icieutly la rge to merit the lla i1Jt... of' uw ulttain. Tiley ate en.ll<'d the Two Bnltcs, am.l wi ll ::H.' rve to idcn t1fy tlte !,lace of Clllr ( w.:ampnwn , wltich the observati on::. or tile evcuing pl.trecl ill lougitude 10!1° 5ti' l l,' and l<.ltitmle 42° 4!2' 4 1)". On t l\1~ ri~ht IMtJJ... or tile ~!rea m, opposilL' to tlh .. !arge bill, the Strattt wiJic lt Ule Jj-.;pJ; yeo COII-.,ist of deenmpo,illg !.:l'i.t l lii•~, which supplies lite brow11 ~.'t lld O{ wlticlJ tlW li1ce of the COllllt ry 1::, CtJllJ posrd to a cnltsideral Jie depth. .llugusl 10.-Titc <\ir at 'U ill'i ~" is clear and pure, n11d thr mor11ing extr mely ~.:olc.l , but lwn.u ti(n l. A lo fty SIIOW pl'ak of the mnuttl:tin i~ ~litterl l lg iu the first r<lYS of tbc nn, which llao not ~ ct r ·•tcltcd tt-. The long mountain wall to the en.-t, risi ng: two thntJ~<llld feet ~tl1 t 11ptly fwm the plain, be hiud which we see 1he pea ks, is !\till da1k, ai!d c nt::; ck•ar ag. lillst the glowiug sky. A fo!:{, just. ri cu fron1 tlw 1 i Vt't, liL'S ;llollg th b.l!:iO nf the monnta iu. A Jittl <~ be!'on· su n1 is·~, lite rilel'llJOtne tN wn~ at ~35°, :-nc.l at suurise 3 ~3°. \Vater l'roze l:.t•;t ni ~ht, and fir C'~J aw ve ry ('Ol l llO I'l tble. Tlte ~ccnf>ry l.H~co me':) l10nrly more iuteresLillg a 11d gr:t11tl, ,;nd th~> view Jpro IS truly 1113 ~ll ificc ut ; but. indeed, it need~ s'' lJL'thillg to ll'pay the luwr prairie jnmuey o [ a thou:::.<llld JtJilcs. TilL' Still I ·t:, ju~ t J1ot ;tl>o\ L! tl1t> wall, and makrs a mag icnl clw1 Jge. The '~hole v.tll,,y i:~ ~ILH\ i.1.g tllld bright, and a ll the monll tain p eak~ ~lre ~\c'11tlitl!~-like ~.ih<or. 'll!ougl1 tit ~c ·110w mouutai11 .. ;u e uo t tl1c A Ips, they !J uVt} thei~ own L:ilnr, ct' r of ·!!randen· .tlld magnificence, ~ t 1tl will do ubtles:::: fllld J'!'ll · aw i pc11c:hi to 11 t!Jcm justice. In tlw sec H' be l'on' Its , we fc• I I tow ll ltlC. :1 wnocl inq1r(H t•s a \·iew. Tile pill ·sou tlw HlO llltt:tilJ "t:l' IU<'J to give it mltclt nc.ldlfimwl bf'<.lllt\ . J Wa l1 Q_"I'CeU.lJ\y di~;n p pOill t<' d i ll t!JC e ll H~ldt'l' uf t \ lt~ ~.li'LltnlS Oil iltt: ~!de O( the ridge. Justead uf t i H~ creeks. wl1ieiJ d •-,uiplion l1ad led lllC w c pcct, I find boiJ , bro:ul st n'Hnts, with tbrt>e ur fonr {,'et w<ttf'l', a11d a ruptd <'I ll' · re nt. The fork on wl1icll we nr • ellC.ltllJ>td is tliJ v~w!~ of a hundred ~~~N wide, timbered wi th ~l'OVt'S or thid(•r-.: of the low willow. \ \ <' wen' now· npproachillg thl.! lo!i iest part of the vVllld r:v.•r chaill . Hllll J IL'f't the; \:.t 1• ley a f( •w 1uiles front our eiJCU llJ]ll lH'IJt, iut ·udi11g lo peneu atc: t!Je 'llOlllltain a. l'ar as J>OS:::-. ible with the wlloll' p~nty. \tV,J were SOO!l lll\·oJy, d l1l very b1okcn gronlllL among long 1 idgcs covernd witl1 (i'ag t t t t'llt~ of r-{~'·' ti l·~. \Vinding our way up a lnng r<t vine, we <:Gme utw xpectedly in view 0 1° :l.. 1nost beoutiinl lukt, ~et lilw a gem i11 tl1e nJouu tatlJS. The t->ltcef of w·ll•·r lay trnn, ver:-wly tu·ro~~ tlw directio11 \lt' ll ,Hll>c~en J•lli'S ttillg; aud, d<'M' llt.lllg tbe st ep, rocl y 11dge, wlwtc it w a~ ll ·cc .... :-.ary 10 le:tJ our lwr~t'~ , we fol lowed it. btt uk" to the so<t tlw rn extrem1ry. l l<·re n v iPw of the l lllltl'it magnificence· a11d g r<llld ·nr h11r t upo11 our •'Y('s. vVith uotlling b('~ \\'( .. m us aud llleir feet to lr ·~e ll the etl'ect or ti le \'/hole l tei~l ll , a. ~nnd ll"d of Ml?W-ca ppeJ ruont1taius 1 o o Lef()rc us, pile n pnu ptiP , g l11w ing 111 tll'.~ bnght ligltt of an Augll!'.t d,ty. Im twd ia.lt·ly IH.~l ow d! l'llt lay tite i ,;\•3, betw een two ridge. , covacd with dark pines, which ·wept dow1. fJOm |
