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Show 170 miles appearing smooth and rather low ; but at intervals higher peaks look out r/om beyond, and in~icatc that th~ main ridge, which we arc leaving with the course of the nver, and whtrh forms the northern boundary of the Great Basin, still maintains its elevation. About 2 o'clock we arrived at the ford where tl1e road eros es to the ri~ht bank of Snake river. An Indian was hired to conduct us through the ford, which proved impracticable for us, the water sweepi11g away the howitzer and nearly drowning the muJes, which we were oblig ~d to extricate by cutting them out of the l1arncss. The river here is expanded into a little bay, in which there are two islands, across which is the road of the ford ; and the emigrants had passed by placing two of their heavy wagons abreast of each other so as to oppose a considerable mass against the body of water. The I~dians informed us that one of the men, in attempting to turn some cattle which had taken a wrong direction, was carried off by the current and drowned. Since their passa(Te, the water had risen considerably; but, fortt1nately, we had a resource in a boat, which was filled with air and launched; and at seven o'clock we were safely encamped on the opposite bank, the animals swimming across, and the carriage, howitzer, and baggage of the camp being carried over in tbe boat. At the place where we crossed, above th~ islands, the 1 iver had narrowed to a breadth of 1,049 feet by measurement, the. greater portion of which was from six to eight feet deep. We were obl~ged to mak? .our camp where we landed, among the Indian lodges, whtch are semicircular huts made of willow, thatched over with straw, and open to tl~e sunny south. By observation, the latitude of our encamp· ment ·on the nght bank of the rivor was 42° 55' !J8"; chronometric longi· tude 115° 04' 46", and the travelled distance from Fort Hall 208 miles. October 4.-Calm pleasant day, with the thermometer at sunrise at 47°. Leaving the river at a considerable distance to the left and followinrr up the bed of a rocky creek, with occasional boles of water: in about six ~iles ~e ascended, ~y a long and rather steep hill, to a plain 600 feet abo\'e the l'JVPr, over whtch we continued to travel durino- the day having a broken n 'd ge 2 ,000 or. 3,000 feet high on the right. Thh e plain t' erminates, where we ascended, m an escarpment of vesicular tn\p rock, which supplies the fragments of the creek below. The sky clouded over with a stroncrwind fro.m the northwest, with a few drops of rain and occasi~nal sunlight, threat· en1ng a change. Artemisia still covers the plain, but Pursltia tridentata mah:es its appear· a~ce here on the hill sides and on bottoms of the creeks-quite a tree in 8.1ze, and larger than the artemisia. We crossed several hollows. with a httle wa.ter in .them, and improved grass; and, turning ofl' from t e road in ~he.~ftetnoon m search of water, travelled about three miles up the bed.of a \\ lllow creek, towards the mountain and found a good encampment, with wood and grass, and little ponds of ~ater in the bed of the creek; which must be of more importance at other seasons as we found there several old . fixture s J"O r f1i s h m· g. There were many h' oles on the creek prat·n ·e , wh~~ ha.d been made b~ the diggers in search of roots. Ind .Increased to a VIolent <ralc from the NW with a temperature at sunset of 57°, ~ ., Octobe1• 5.-The morning was calm and clear an<.l at sunrise the ther· m·o rhn eter was at .3 2°· 'f"L le road to-day was occa's ionally extreme 1Y roc.k y ' w~~ h~d volcanic frag111ents, and onr travcllino· very slow. In aboutnJne ml es t e road brought us to a group of smoki~g hot springs, with a telll· 171 [ 174 J peratnre of' 1 G1o. There were a few helianthi in bloom, wirh some other low J~lants, and th~ place was green round about; the ground warm, and the ~1r pleasant, w1th a ~umm?r atrn~sph e t c that was v.ery gr:ltcful in a day of !ugh and cold searchll)g wllld. fhe rocks were covered with a white and red incrustation ; and the water has on the tougue the same unpleasant effect as that of the Basin sprin~ on Bear river. They form several branches, and bubble up with force enough to raise the small pebbles several inches. The following 1s an analysis of the deposite with which the rocks arc incrusted : Silica Carbonate of lime Carbonate of magnesia Oxide of iron - Alumina Analysis. Chloride of sodium, &c. ~ Sulphate of soda Sulphate of lime, &c. Organic vegetable matter l Water and loss 72.55 - 14.GO 1.20 4.G5 0.70 - . 1.10 5.20 100.00 Thes.e spt:ings a.re near the foot of the ridge, (a dark and rugged looking moun tam,) tn wh1~h some of the nearer rocks have a red<.lish appearance, and probably constst of a reddish~hrown trap fracrmcnts of which were , b scattered alon~ the road after leaving the sprint.,, The road was now about to cross t~e point of this mountain, which we .fud~e<.l to be a spur from the almon nver range. \Ve crossed a small creek, and encamped about sunset on a st!·eam, which is probably Lake river. This is a small stream, so.me five or SIX feet broad, with a swift current, timbered principally with wtllows and some few cottonwoods. Along the banks were canes, rose ~ushes, and clematis, with Purshia tridentata and .artemisias on t~e upp~r ott~m. The sombre appearance of the country 1s somewhat relieved 1n comtng unexpectedly from the dark rocks upon these green and wooded watercourses, sunk in chasms; and, in the spring, the contrasted effect mu~t m~ke them beautiful. 1 he th~r~nometer at sunset 4 7o, and the night threatening snow. ?ctober 6.- 'fhe morning warm, the thermometer 46° at sunrise, and sky enttrely clouded. After travelling about three rn i les over an extremely rocky ~~1:~ d, the volc~nic fragn.ents began to disappear; and, entering among the 8 at the pomt of the mountain, we found ourselves suddenly in a granite t c,ountry · Here, the character of the vegetation was very much changed· thl e artc ' . 1' ' 1 lniSJa c tsappeared almost entirely, bowing only at interval towards she cb ose of the day, and was replaced by Purshia tridentata, with flowering to ~he8l1~~~ 81,n,all helds of diele'l'ia divaricala, whi.ch gave bloom and gayety . r' s. J hcsc were every where covered w1th a fresh anti green short gd'·?~ds, Ike that of the early SJ)rin~. This is the fall or second fTrowth the ne gr·H•s I . l I:"' ' h· l ' lavmg Jeen burnt oJf by the Indians; and where\-·er thf' fire as passctl, the bri~ht-green color is universal. The soil among the hills , |