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Show TO GREEN RIVER. 49 I find that I have digressed widely, and much of the space allowed for this week's letter I have filled in writing about things, though not entirely irrelevant, certainly not descriptive of my journey. In passing through the Rocky Mountains, I observed at various places thick strata of coal cropping out along the declivities, and here and there I found small mines, worked by the Overland Stage Company, for supplying a cheap fuel for the stations in the vicinity. The coal obtained is of a bituminous nature, and resembles much the celebrated cannel coal of England. In the same section of country,, exuding from the crevices in the rocks, was a dark, semi-liquid substance, having the appearance and physical prop erties of petroleum, and I have no doubt was such in real-ity. This very much excited a brother officer, who might be said to have " petroleum on the brain." He indulged in many visionary schemes of making great wealth from oil-wells in the Rocky Mountains. When the great Pacific Railroad shall have been completed to these mountains, the materials for running the road will be conveniently at hand, and at the same time the immense mineral resources of this region will be developed. Had I the hidden wealth contained in the mountains I had passed thus far on my journey in an Eastern market, I think I might afford ta pay one- half of the national debt, and retire from the army to a life of affluence. After passing beyond the mountains, we came upon an extensive barren plain abounding in wild- sage bushes, which grew to a height of three or four feet. There were hun dreds of thousands of acres of this land with no other vege table growth upon it, and because of its peculiar production it is known as the Artemesian Plain Artemesia being the botanical name of the sage which covers it everywhere. So large were the bushes that it afforded a very convenient firewood ( all to be had), and was objectionable as such only because of the unpleasant smell about the camp oc casioned by its combustion. A few days' march over this country brought us to a trib- |