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Show THE GREAT BASIN OF UTAH. J idea of reaching Monterey and return to Santa Fe by the way of the villages of the Moquis and of Zuni.* The next authentic record which shows that any portion of the Great Basin system was explored at an early date is to be found on the map entitled " Ap-pendiente al Diario que formo el P. F. Pedro Font del mage que hizo a Monterey y puerto de San Francisco, y del mage que hizo el P. Garces al Moqui. P. F. Pe-trus Font fecit, Tabutana, Anno 1777," which may be freely translated as follows: " A Supplement to the Diary made by Father F. Pedro Font of his journey to Monterey and San Francisco, and of Father Garces' to Moquis, platted by P. F. Petrus Font, at Tabu-tana, in the year 1777." A copy of this map was sent, several years since, to the Bureau of U. S. En-gineers, Washington City, by Captain now Brevet * Humboldt, in his " New Spain," translated by John Black, second edition, London, vol. i. chap, ii p. 22, says, " These re-gions," referring to those between the Colorado and Lake Tim-panogos ( Utah Lake), " abounding in rock salt, were examined in 1777 by two travelers full of zeal and intrepidity, monks of the Order of St. Francis, Father Escalante and Father Antonio Velez" According to the manuscript narrative of these travels by Father Escalante, referred to above, we find that Friar Francisco Atanacio Dominguez, and not Velez, was associated with Esca-lante in these explorations. It is something singular, however, that Escalante's name was Silvestre Velez Escalante. Can it be that Humboldt has fallen into the error of making two distinct persons out of this father's name, and of omitting that of Do-minguez altogether ? Or did a monk by name Antonio Yelez explore this region separately from the others and in the same year? We notice, also, that Humboldt dates Escalante's journey A. D. 1777. The manuscript shows that it was commenced July 29, 1776, and terminated in January, 1777. |