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Show 56 THE SHORTEST ROUTE TO CALIFORNIA. is a very conspicuous one, trending north and south, and stretching from the southern shore of Great Salt Lake well on toward the Sevier River. It lies about thirty- five miles west of the valley of the Jordan and of Lake Utah. The pass through it, which my routes to California from Camp Floyd take, is a fine one. and I have, with his permission, called it after General A. S. Johnston, the distinguished officer of the army who has recently been in the command of the forces in Utah. Its altitude above the sea is six thousand two hundred and twenty- seven feet. That of the highest peaks of the range is probably about two thousand feet higher. " My map, profiles, and report are nearly finished, but not sufficiently so to be presented to Congress for publication at its present session. " I inclose a paper read before the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, anticipatory of my more elaborate report, in reference to the palseonto-logical collections of my expedition. This may soon be followed up with a publication, by the same society, of some extracts from my report, which will be more particularly descriptive of the new species of fossils which were found. " My report, I think, among other things, will illus-trate in the low type of man to be found in the Indians of the ' Great Basin' of our continent, called ' Root Diggers/ how intimately connected with the contour, re-lief, and relative position of the crust of the earth, is the development of the human race; and will add one more to the many proofs which you have given, in your |