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Show 102 Ex. Doc. No. 41. tlH e-qnarl r~ of a mil long and half a mil' wide. The water had r c r. (' d e d t o a p o o 1 , d i m i n is h <' d t o o n c · h a 1 f i t s R i z e , a n d t h e n p p r o a c h to it wa .... throucrh a thick soapy qnagmir . It was wholly unfit for man or brut<>, and w' studio usly kept th lattrr from it, thinking that th US<' of it would but <l{!;gravat' th eir thir. t. One or two of the nH·n cam• in lill te and, rushing to the lakr, th rcw t hl•msc I ves down and took many . wa I lows before dis(' overing t h e i I' m i s t fl k (' ; b ll t t h e c(f (' c t w as n 0 t i n j u r j 0 ll s c r {' c p t t h at i l increased their thirst. At the point where we left the sand, ketches were taken of the objects by which our pil~t wcnd_·d h~ · way; thesr may serve t_o guid future trav lien;. }t rom tins po1nt the trav(•ller may go chr •ctly to lh gap t'Xhibil<·d in the sketch, nearly mag netic west, through whid1 th e trail passes. A few mczquite tn•t•s aud a chrnopodiaceous shrub horclcrecl the lake, and on these our mules mun('hcd till they had sufTi ci ntly refr(' shed th em. elves, whrn th ' call to ~a ddl e wa~ sounded, and we gropccl silently our way in the dark. Th , tr'u test animals now began to stagger, and when day dawned, car cely a man was cen mounted. • With the sun rose a hravy fog from the .. outhwest, no doubt from the gulf, and swc<"ping towarcls m:;, enveloped us for two or three hours, W('tling our blankets and g iving relief to 1hc animals. lleforc it had disp ersed we came to a patch of sun -burned gra~s. When th' fog had rntir<.'ly di ~ )H' rs d we found ourselves entering a gap in the mountainf', whi<'h had been ucforc us for four days. Th > plain wa ·ro. ed, but w<· h<1d not yet found wat<'r. The fir t vall y we n•ach<·d was dry, and it was not till 12 o'c lock, m., that we st rn ek th e Caril'o (C'ane) creek, within half a mile of on of its sourc·cs, and although so close to th source, the ands had alre. ady ab orbrcl mueh of its w:!t<'r, and left but little running. A m t1 c or two bel o '~, the c n• e l~ c n t i r c 1 y d is a p p r a nL We halted, hav1ng mad(' f1fty -four mile in the two clny s, at the s~urc ' ·a magnifiecnt. ~pring, twt•nty or thirty fe tin diam et er, h1ghly tmpreg natcd w1th ulphur, and medicinal in its prop rlic . No vc .. sel eould be pro cured to bring home some of' th e w<1tcr for analys1., but I S<'rapecl a handful of th salt which had dTloresrccl to the , urfac of the adjaecnt ground, ancl Prof ssor F'r<1zer finds it to rontatn .sulphate .of lime, n,agnc. ia, and chlorid e of sod ium. Tl~e spnng cons1 ted of a series of ~mall r spring or veins, vary111g m t •mp('ra.tur from 68° to 75°. This variation, howev r, may hav been owmg to the different exposures ()[ th fountains in wht ch the thermometer was immersed. The growth was eanc, rush, and a coarse grass, such as is found on the mar hcs ncar the sea shore. The cles.ert o:rer whi ·h :ve had pas eel, ninety miles from. water to Wlltcr, 1 an Immen c tnangular plain, bounded on one . ule by the Colo~ado, on th west by the ordillcras of California, the coast chatn of mountains whi ·h now nrircles us ext nding from the acrnmento riv r to the . oulhern extremity of Low r California, and on the northeast by a chain of mountain , a continuation of • Ex. J)oc. No. 41. 103 ~ th<' S<lHH' ~pur nott·d on tht• 22cl as running southt•ast and northwest. ]lis ('hidly rovt•n•d with fl oati ng sand, tht• surfare of whirh in vHrious plttt·t·!', is ".hilt·. with cl1minuli\'!' spinelas, and every wh<'re 0 v (1 r t h (' w }I() I (. :- Ill f il (' (' I s f () \Ill d t h (' I a r g l ~Ill d :-,0 r t ll1 II s (' I (' s h l' II. l h;,l\'t' notc·d tht• only two patl'ht•s of grass fourHl during the "jornada . ' Tltc•rt• wt•rt· St'allt>l'ld, at widt• intervals, the palaf'oxia lir r<•;ll'i . , atriplt·x, enn·liil f'arino~a, dalt'<ls, t•uphorhias, aud a sim:ia d<·snibed hy nr. T orn·y as a Jll' W :-p<'ril'S without l'<l)S. ' The so u t h t'l' n t n 111 i n t1 t i o 11 o f I lr is d l' s < • r t is h o \Ill cl <' d by t l1 c T e cat c chain of m o 1111 1<1 i rr s a11 d t hI' Co I or ado; but its no rl h c r n and east I' r n boundaril' ' arc uncldinf·d, <lnd I should suppost• from lh • ac·c'Oitnls of trappl·rs, <llul otht'rs, who havc· altc•mptcd th!' passf.lgc• frorrt (;alifornia tn th<· Oila by a mnrc no rthern routl·, that it extends many dnys' tnncl lH•yond the rh,1in of barren mountains which bouncl the horizon in that din·c·tion. The portal to tht• mountains through whi ch w' passed, was formccl b y i m m <' n . (' h 11 t t <' s o f' y e II o w r 1 <I y a n d sa n d , w i t h I a r g e fl a k (' s o f mi('tt and ~e<nns of' gypsum. othing- C'ould he more forlorn antl desolate in npp<·<Ha nrc·. T he gypsum lrad g iv <•n some C()nsistency to the' sa nd bullc·s wl1il'h werL W<lsltt•d into fantastic figures. One ridge formed apparc·ntly a <'ornpll't<· circl<·, giving it lhe apJH'aranc ·of a na t<' r; nnd alllrough some• miles to the I ·ft, I should 1m v <' go n t o v i s i t t t , s 11 p p o ~ 1 11 g i t t o b • a n at t• r , b u t m y m u 1 <.' w a s sinking with thirst, and water wa:-;) '1 at som' distanc'<'. Many animn.ls wnc ld't on tiH' road to die of thirst and hungc>r, in ~pile of the g<·nc·rous t·fforts o l the mc·n to bring th<'m to the spring. More th an one was h r o 11 g h t 11 p, h y o 11 <.' Ill an t u g gin g at t h c h a Itt· r an cl another pushing up the• brutt·, by plac·ing his sllouldl'r ngainst its huttol'ks. Our rno~t sc·rinus lo~..,, p<'rlrilps, was that of OJH' or two fat mar<' ~ and rolls br011g ht with us for food; for befor' leaving cam p , M rt j o r S w n r cl s fo11 11 d i n a c · n n r c a I <' d p I a t' c o n ' o f t h c h l' s l pa<'k mulls sli1ughtt·r<·d, <lll d th(• cl10in· bits <'llt fromlliS"'shoulders and fl nrrks, st<•a ltbily clone by som!' IJH'~' l<.'ss )HOYident thnn otiH•rs. [ obsrrvrd at night f'nr timl' and latituck; lor longitude by m<'aslll'ing 18 di stances bl'twe<'n th e ({ and aldebar;lll, and the ([ an<.l foma:h~ttl. L ;.ttitude• 32° fi2' 3:3". Longitude 1JG0 OG' 09" . .November 29.-Tii<• grilss al tlH' spring- was anything but dcsira b 1 e for our h or. c s, and t lr t r e w ;1 s s 1· a r <' e I y :1. ration 1 l' ft for the men. Tl1i. la~t C'onsidc•ration would nol pr<.•vt•nt our f!iving the hors es a da y's I'<'St whl'n·vn grass co uld be found. We follow ·cl the clry sanely bt·d o f th <' 'ariso n<•arly all day, at a nail's JHl c~, an.d at len gt h rc·arhed tht• ''little pool!>" wh<'rc the grass w<1s lu. u r Ian t b u t v f' r y s a I t. T lr <' w a t <' r ~ t r o n g l y r t' s ' m b 1 c c l t h ;1 t a t t h e had of the Cari. ~ erc·c·k, and the <'arth, which was very tremulous for m.any ant's abou t th<· poo ls, was covert•cl with alt. T h r . v a II c y i s at n o p o i n t m or c t h n n h a I f a m i I e w i cl <', a~ <1. on each suit> arl~ mountains or grey granite and pure quartz, ns111g from 1,000 to 3,000 ft•<.'t above it. · A few miles from th • spring called Ojo Grancle, at the !wad of the creek, ·c,·cral ·catt •red object. were seen projected agawst the |