rin$. Two IptAUs'per annum in advance.
. riemeit iiUefted at l per square for the first,"
' Vns .nta (ot ebcJi subsequent insertion. . Court Or-
J ,dertu thf year. - j fXJ .v."-: ,
1 r
The Spnngfield (Massachusetts) ;je
publican skjjrj:f, " . j ; ; vVf -Y rfr,
Chapter tn the Slave .Case.
Lindsay, the servant trirl of Mr.
I iALUW W - , . j- -w
Hodgson, of Savannah, Ga., who was ar
rested and fan pefoj-ej Judge Dewey, at
Northampton!, on fa. writ of habeas corpus,
-.'through the latency of, Dr. Hudson of West
Springfield,has"su,ed said Hudson (or false
taprisonmcnf, Iayj ng he r damages at $1
000. rhc ibt Is brought iri the Common
Fleas vuuj pfuuuuv, wuivu meets ai .
BostorX-. in'i vfCtoper" is 11 uuson ' rel uscdrl
to give the j necessary j bail,- ($1,500.) lie
vas comraitiu iu jaii in. mis . iown on
3londay last. . n his arrest and commit
tant he; plapd thejprt of a good non
resistant ahc v ,'ftsi about as helpless as a
tag of cottdn 1 j j ; iv V ? j -tv -"
This is the 'girl, it will be recollected,
whom the jabolitibnist Dr.' Hudson, and
others, attcjnptcdl
to force to Jeiye her master but in open
court she spurned j their offers, preferring
to remain yiEh heir maktcr. ; I Forj this im
pertinent iutcrrrjcddling, she has Itaken a
capital plah to subdtieJthc "philanthro
phy" of hrfr. prossiri fciends.4 A few
days in jaiL will cool the ardor of 4e fanatic,-
;Vv l.'ir .
, Morcovc r, Mr: Hodgson has presented
four indivk u ilsjof the mob, who. came to
the hotel Ait i t(ipstierlF, to the grand ju
ry, and they will; probably be indicted for
a r)ot(2 A jciviLkiiit will also be instituted
for the loss; of seryicesfconsequeht on the
babeas corpt s. -fl-.CivA :
: Admirable result 1 This is the most tho
rough defeat of in abolition movement,
which we have tcard of. It returns the
chalice" to their own b'ps. , they called
io the law to aid i them: in their, infamous
designs. Let them have enough of it to
the full 6xtbrtt of the Wx."llich. Enq.
4 ) -
ir :GREATr RAILROADS.
I The cities of New jYork , and Boston
have each jji great railroad project in hand,
bothiof r which have the same object in
view me auracuon oi me great lake
trade of th: ye$t.!;' It Would seem from
the annexed rjarag j-apt s that both projects
wiU b4 spepdjly unden kken and prosecu
ted vigorously tq completion :
, i Froth the Mew York
The subscriptions to the Erie Road reach
f tow two milliohl of dollars, and, with the
feeling now existing in relation to the par
amount importance of this road, there carf
he no doubt ihat the 'remaining million
will be speedily taken, j The directors are
devoting thcirj wole time to the work of
ohtaifiing toscjipiions, andmeet with
such H liberal response from those whom
they approJicH that; they anticipate no dif
ficulty in filing up the wantea amount.
Respecting the, Boston scheme, we have
the Ibiwwihg information : i4L ;
iiu uiv iiiiupiiifu uiaii ecvciai iji ill;
rsums have jbecn ubscrujed to the stock of
the Ogdensburc and Cham plain Railroad
caring the -last week at Boston.' Tbe o
"ris;inal subscription of 825,000 of the Hon.
Abbot Lawrence has been increased by
the firm ofiA. Ac A. Laivrence to $40,000.
The 6150,000 guarantied by the Bostoni
anvwith jthe ,0000jnn thel principal
part of which has. already been subscrib
ed in the counties of St. Lawrence, Frank
lin, and Clinton,. making 2,000,0Q0, the es-,
timated coit of construction, and putting
the road inj operation, will, beyond all rea
sonable doubt, bp subscribed in the course
wafew Weeks.1
SUPERIOR 0OURT.
At the late September term, of Orange
Superior . Court, j Judge Dick presiding,
tthcre was an unusual amount of business
on the crirrjinal docket j to be disposed of.
Jk jv'cr th'rep convictions fbr Grand
lArceryf; two Svhite men, and a frcc ne
Sfo, v1ibscitHal Was removed from Grah-
TVlet6thii
couiuy.- -
Hoplinst (ali as Thomas Jones,
dozen other aliases,) a white
Virginia was convicted - for
Iorsei and having prayed for
W a half
from
baling a .
benefit
of clersrv. vas sentenced bv
we Court
; to recfiivft thirtv-nine lashes im-
yeliately,to f-cain in prison until Tucs
Jay of November, court! when he is again
w receive jthirtyfnine, jkndVthen be dis
Jharged aqcordingto law. He has also
indicted for Bigamj, and is a noto
oaenaeitlJi f x .
.Green Morrow, a whjite man convicted
stealing j m )ney,; wa$ sentenced tcj re
lve thirty-n jnej lashcsL and be discharg
cYccordit,g b Jaw. - : :
-fcha Mitchell a, free negro, convieted
offealing!a Uorse, was sentenced to pay
fine of sixtyj dollars, and to be sold for
n. V1 ruci "liV v-- 1
f 'vuiauiucr Ul IUC uii'U viv
. as is rrrnll vitK rasp, in intemi
ceJiiiistotf llicorder.
:., ev',v"vj i -- i i
,Wtne tecimTUG Kenneb4c Jour
J ?as returns
qre State 6f Mainef in 288 tqwns, las
C 'W XWhigJ ,23,43 An
J fym.) 27,770 1 scattering! 5379.;
nWagamsr Aridelrson :;:ig043J Iast
lS ajprify in tbJe same tonsWas
VII Diti lT?ovrto frnm Woilinfrnn
thatj (r. Buchanan wilt soon be
sferred! from the State Department to
seat on the Sunreme (Bench, in the nlaee
V late! Judge Baldwin ;?and that Mr
ti1r(0fti Secretary of the Navy, is to have
S Mission tolBerlim in .place. of Mr,
eaton,
& JAMES,
Editors 4 Proprietors; t
S
r ruin uie iaiinnni nr vnnA..
W?-L. A.T-. " ...
CAPTAIN (FREMONT'S SECOND
EXPLORING EXPEDITION: '
CONTINUED.
mr ' r, i . , . ' - '
C nyVu.
000 miles from the; Dalles of the Colum
pia. 1 he descent from the mountain was
one pfxtcnieifficul tand danger! and
accomplished under great privations and
uflerinjQnth
tbe naratiye-
4.
was imnosinr in
the masnificence of tho
trees ; spme f jthe pines, bearing larire cones.
to - . v-
were 10 feet id diameter: cedars also abounH.
edand we fneapured one 28$ feet in circumfer
ence four feet from tho ground. This noblo
tree seemed sro to bo in4 its proper soil and
climate. Wc found it on both sides of the Sier
ra, but mbs db indant on tho west." ;
On the j 27 h, and several succeeding
days, ve have the following particulars
of the deplorable condition of these har
dy ail venturers ;' '. ! ;
. Wehajd vfith us a " largo keftlon and a
mule beingikilleQ here, hi3 head ; was boiled in
it for several hpun, and made af passable soup
for famished people. -
0- ?J5elowJprccipices on the river forced us to
the heights, - which we ascended by a steep
spur 2,000 jreetpigh. My favorite horse, Pro
veau, had bjecome very, weak, and was scarce
ly able to brin J himself to the top. Travelling
here.was good,ecept in crossing the ravines,
which were narrow, steep, and frequent. XV&
caught a glimpse of a deer, the first animal
we had seen ; but did not succeed in approach
ing him. Proeau could not keep up, and I
left Jacob to bring him on, being obliged to
press forwardith the party, as there was no
iaas in iuo luresi. e grew svery anxious as
in jusisucn a condition mat crass se repose
for the night enabled them to get on the next day.
Every houfwejhad been expecting to see open
out before us the valley, which, from the moun
tain above, seenSed almost at our feet. A new
and singular shrub, which had made its appear
ance sincej crossing the mountain, was . very
frequent tb-dajf. It branched out near the
ground, forming! a clump ight to ten feet high
with pale green leaves of an oval form, and the
body and branc eshad a naked appearance, as
if stripped; of t le bark,' which is very, smooth
and thin, of a c locolate color, contrasting well
with the pale green of tho leaves. The day
was nearly gpn ; ; we had made a hard day's
march, and found no grass. Towns became
light headed, wandering 'off; into ithe woods
without knowing where he was going, and Ja
cob brought hirh back. '' '
Near liightlfall we descended into the steep
ravine of a handsome creek thirty feet wide,
and Ivas I engaged in getting the horses up
the opposiie hill, whenI heard a shout from
Capon,-yho had gone ahead a few hundred
yards--" Life' yet," said he, as he came up,
M life yet ; I hare found a hill side sprinkled
wit$i grass1 enough for the night." ' We drove
along our horses, and encamped at the place
about dark, and there was just room enough
to inake a place
stream. Three
On the Is
for shelter on the edge of the
horses were lost to-day."
March, one of the men,
named florosier, who had volunteered the
day beforei to return and bring updapt. Fre
mont's favorite horse Provcau, had not
come back to jthe camp and uneasiness
was felt M his absence, fearing he might
ha vebedn bewildered in the woods ; he,
hdwever madt his appearance in the eve:
rung
,rHe came in, and, sitting down by the fire,
becan to tcllms
vhere he had been. He im-
alined be . had
peen gone several days, and
thoujjht xve were!
-still at the.camp where he
we were pained to see that
had left us ; and
his mind Kvas de
ranced; It appeared that he
had been, lost in
the mountain, and hunger and
fatigue, joined to
weakness of body and fear
of perishing in the, mountains, had crazed him.
The times wer severe when stout men lost
their .mines' from extremity of suffering wheu
horses did arid when mules and horses, rea
dy to die of staivation, were killed for food.
Yet there; Was no murmuring or hesitation."
The fate of ! poor Dcrosier was a mel-
ancboly lone. On the 23d of 4March he ;
wanderjd aw ly from the camp, and nev
er returned to it again ; nor has he since
been heard o Capt. Fremont calls him
one of ' his best men, whose steady, good
conduct ihad won his regard.
It was not until the 4th of March that
the travellers could be said to have sur
mounted' the difficulties of their descent.
We continued says the narrative, "
" Rapidly along; on a broad plainly-beaten
trail, the rne re -travelling and breathing the de
lightful air being" a positive enjoyment. Our
road led along a ridge inclining to the river, and
the air and the open grounds were fragrant
with flowering shrubs ; and in the course of
themornihg wc issued on an open spur, by
which wet descended directly to the stream.
Here the river issues suddenly from the moun
tains, which hit lerto had hemmed it closely in ;
these now bocome , softer, and change sensi.
bly their eharac er : and at this peint commen
ces the "most beautiful valley in which we had
ever travellecL;
; Continuing jthe next day down the river,
we-discoVered three 1 squaws in a little bottom,
ind surrounded 'jtheni before they ;could make
their eseaipe. ThJ oa large conical baskets,
whjch they werl engaged in filling with a small
leafy plant (eradium cictUariitm) just now be.
ginning lo bloom, and covering the ground like
a sward of grab.rThese did ;not make any
lamentations, but appeared very much impress,
ed with our appearance, speaking to usonly in
smaller baskets oft
'l a Ml IV 1. k J W . ! 1 . 1 . . . - m . -' '. A La " - Hr iHB - W .
it.
the day advanced and tp grass appeared, for the
lives of our animals depended on it to-night. They;
were in just such a condition that crass & re nose
it-
check rros ixx. tock
ALISBURY, - NJ
the plant, which they signified to lis
to eat, "making signs also that
was good
was to oe
cooked by the fire. We drew out a
little Wold
horse meat, and the snuaws made sikms to u
that the men had gone out after deeri and lhat
we could have some' by waiting till; they came
in.;. We observed that the horses ate ivitb gfeat
avidity the herb which they, had been gathering;
and hero also, for the first lime, we saw Indiana
.et the common grass--one of the squaws pull
ing several tufts, and eating it with apparent rel
ish. . Seeing our surprise, she pointed to the
horses ; but we;could hot well understand wlhat
she meant, except, perhaps, .that what was good
for one was good for tho other. : ; ;
v" We encamped in the-evening on the shore
of the river, at a place where tho associated beau
ties of scenery made so strong an ijnpression
on us that we have given it the name of the
Beautiful Camp. The undulating river shore j
was shaded, with the live oaks, which formed a
continuous grove-over the count ry, and the samo
grassy s ward extended to the edge of the water ;
and we made our fires near some laijge granite
masses which were lying among the rces."
-' March Gth, we continued on our foad, thro
the same surpassingly beautiful country, entire
ly uuequalled for the pasturage of stock by any
thing we have ever seen. Our horses had now
become so strong that they were able lo carry
us, and wo travelled rapidly, over four mileal an
hour." j ! j ! I j .
In the afternoon, " gradually entering broad
valley, we came unexpectedly into a lajrgejn
dian village, where the people looked'deW and
wore cotton shirts and various other 'articles of
dress. They immediately crowded around us,
and, we had the inexpressible delight to find
one who spoke a little indifferent Spanish, but
who at first confounded us by saying there were
no whites in the country ; but just then a well
dressed Indian came up, and made his saluta
tions in very well spoken Spanish, tn answer
to-our inquiries, he informed us that) we were
upon the Rio de los Americanos, (the river of
the Americans,) and that it joined the Sacra
mento river about ten miles below. Neverdid
a name sound' more sweetly I We felf oorsejves
among our countrymen ; for the name of Ante
rican in these distant parts is applied to the cit
izens of tbe United States. To our) eager in
quiries he answered, I am a vaqdera (cow
herd) in. the service of Capt. Sutter, and the
people of this rancheria work for bim.' iOur
evident satisfaction made him communicative ;
and lie went on to say that Cant. Sutter was a
very rich man, and always glad to see his coun
try people. We asked for his house. He an
swered that it was just over the hill before us ;
and offered, if we would wait a moment, to take
his horse and cenduct us to it. We readily ac
cepted his civil offer. In a short distance we
came in sight of the fort, and, passing on the
way the house of a settler on the opposite Jside,
(a Mr. Sinclair,) we forded the river, and jin a
few miles were met a short distance frornj the
fort by Capt. Sutter himself! He gave jus a
most frank and cordial reception, conducted us
immediately to his residence, and under his hos
pitable roof we had a night of rest, enjoyment,
and refreshment, which none but ourselves
could appreciate." j j
IVJany of our horses and mules had fallen
over precipices and were killed on our descent
of the mountain ; and some were lost with the
packs they carried. Among these was a mule
with the plants which we had collected since
leaving Fort Hall, along a line of two thousand
miles' travel. Out of sixty-seven horses! and
mules with which we commenced crossing tbe
Sierra, only thirty-three reached the valley of
the, Sacramento, and they only in a condition to
ft lea alonr
i
6
A very interesting account is given of
Capt. Sutter and the settlement at jVeto
Helvetia. That gentleman has succeeded
in converting the Indians in his heighbor
hood into a peaceable and industrious peo
ple, lie employs a, number of; tlicrn in
agricultural operations, and there were a
number of girls at the fort in training for
a future woollen factory. "Very encourag
ing accounts are .given of the beauty ; of
the settlement and fertility of the sojil.
Captain Sutter trades with the (Jolumbia
settlements by means of the Sacramento,
and Capt; FRoioxfTsaw a schooner ajt the
landing, which.. was shortly to proceed to
Fort Vancouver for a cargo of goods.
Several other persons, principal y Ameri
cans, have established themselves in the
valley. Strong inducements were offered
here for the settlement of mechanics, and
Capt. F.'s blacksmith desired to regain,
tempted by the guaranty of two dollars
and a, half wages per day, and of five dol
lars, if he proved as good a wo
Kman as
incnve-
had been represented. It was
nient to Capt. F. to spare so faithf
jul 4" use
ful a man as this blacksmith hajd proved,
but he consented to his remaining, irj con
sideration of his good conduct. New, Hel
vetia is situated in lat. 38 degv 34 min. 42
sec and in long, (about) 121 and a fcalf.
The expedition resumed its journey on
the24th March, with an ample stock of
provisions, and a large cavalcade of ani
mals, consisting of one hundred and-thirty
horses and mules, and about thirty head
of cattle, five of which were mileh bws. V
- Our direct course," says Capt., was east;
but the Sierra would force us south, jaUve five
hundred miles of travelling, to a ptj at the
head of the San Joaquin riTer.": This pass, re
ported to be; good; the Captain ; very, properly
proposes to name after its ' discovered Ir., Jo
seph 'WalkeK J From the pass s we were to
move southeast wardly, having the Sierra , then
on the right, and "reach; the 5pMwAml,l de
viously traced from one watering place' to ano
ther, which constiuites the route oi the , cara-
vans from Pucbla de los Angeles, near thecosst
Do THIS.'AJTD LlBEKTT
Gen'l. Harrison. 1
OCTOBER 11, 1845.
of the Pacific, to Santa Fe of N ew Mexico.
From the pass to this trail was one hundred and
fifty miles, j Following that trail through a de
sert, relieve 1. by . some, fertile plains indicated
by the recu rrence rof the . term vegas until it
turned to the right to cross . the Colorado,
our course would be northeast until we. re
gained the latitude we had lost in arriving at
the Eutah i.ke, and thence to the Rocky Moun
tains, at the head bf the Arkansas. This course
of travelling, forced upon us by the structure of
the count ry,jw6ud ocenpy a computed distance
of two thousand iniles beforo we reached thq
head of the! Arkansas : not a settlement to be
seen upon it ; and the nameTof places along it,
all being Spanish or Indian,-indicated that it
had been but litllo trod by American feet.
Though long, and not free frorn hardships, this
route presented 'some points of attraction, in
tracing the Sierra Nevada -turning the Great
Basin, perhaps crossing its rim on the South,
completely solving the problem of any river, ex
cept tho Colorado from the Rocky Mountains
on that partjof oijr continent -and seeing the
southern extremity of, the Great Salt lake, of
which the northern part had been examined tho
year before, j t
On the S7th March they had advanced
through the beautiful valley of the Sac
ramentos and it tributaries, a distance of
ninety-seven mijes from New Helvetia.
"About 1 o'clock," 'says Captain F., "we
came again among innumerable flowers ; and
a few miles further, fields of the beautiful blue
flowering lupine, which seems to love the neigh
borhood of water, indicated that we were ap
proaching a stream. We here found this beau
tful shrub in thickets, some of them being 12
feet in height Occasionally three or four
plants were 'clustered together, forming a grand
bouquet about ninety-feet in circumference and
ten feet high ; the whole summit covered with
spikes of flowers, the perfume of which is very
sweet and grateful; A lover of natural beauty
can imagine; with what pleasure we rode among
these flowering groves, which filled the air with
a light and delicate fragrance. We continued
our road for about half a mile, interspersed
through an open grove of live-oaks, which, in
form, were the most symmetrical and beautiful
we had yet seen iri this country. The ends-of
their branches rested on the ground, forming
somewhat more than half a sphere of very full
and regular figure, with leaves apparently small,
er than usual. S
"The Californian poppy, of a 'rich orange
color, was numerous to-day. Elk and several
bands of antelope made their appearance.
"Our road was j now one continued enjoy
ment ; and it was pleasant, riding among this
assemblage bf green pastures with varied flow
ers and scattered grovesand out of the warm
green spring, to look at the rocky and snowy
peaks where lately we had suffered so much."
On the 1st of j April the party met with
bands of elk, one of which numbered a
bout two hundred. On the 4th they were
still on the banks of the San Joaquin.
" Here the country appears very flat ; oak
trees have entirely disappeared, and are re
placed by a large willow nearly equal to it in
size. The river is about one hundred yards in
breadth, branching into sloughs, and interspers
cd with islands. At this time it appears suffi
ciently deep for a small steamer, but its naviga
tion would be broken by shallows at low water."
" I he prairies along the left bank are alive with
immense droves of wild hordes, and they have
been seen during the day at every opening
through the woods which afforded us a view
AQ C(Vt lnrrlt.wU 1 OfiO A ?V OO "
00", longitude 120
rJ iviiciiuuv jl v -xv
x
The route of jthe expedition led through
a tolerably fertile and pleasant country
until the 12th April, when the soil became
sandy and vegetationmeager.
"Towards1 the close of the afternoon we
reached a to era&ly large river, which empties
into a small Hake! at the head of the valley ; it
is about thirl y-five yards wide, with a stoney
and gravelly bed, and the swiftest stream we
have crossed since leaving the bay. lho bot
toms produced grass, though well limbered
with willow Jind Cottonwood ; and, after ascend,
ing it for seveial miles, we made a late encamp
ment on a lii tie bottom, with scanty grass. In
greater part the vegetation along our road con
sisted now of rare and unusual plants, among
which were many entirely new."
On the IS th, f we reached the bottom of a
creek without water, over which the sandy beds
were dispersed inj many branches. Immediate
ly where we struck it the timber terminated,
and below, t the; right, it was a broad bed of
dry and bari sands. There were many tracks
of Indians and hbrse s imprinted in the sand,
which, witbJ other indications, informed us was
the creek iss uing from the pass, and which on
the map we have, called Pass creek. We as
cended a trail for a few miles along the creek,
and suddenly found a stream of water five feet
wide, running with a lively current, but losing
itself almost immediately. This little stream
showed plainly the manner iri which the moun
tain waters jose themselves in sand at the east
ern foot of the Sierra, leaving only a parched
desert and arid plains beyond. The stream en
larged rapid v, and the timber became -abund
ant as we ascended. A new species of pine
made its-appearance, with several kinds of
oaks. and a rariety of trees; and the country
changing its appearance suddenly and entirely,
we found ou -selves again travelling among the
old orchard-like j places. . Here , we selected a
delightful er carppment in a handsorioo green
oakhollow, where, among the open bolls of the
trees, was an abundant sward of grass and pea
vines. In the evening a Christian Indian rode
into the camp; well dressed, with long spurs,
and a sombrfo,nd speaking Spanish fluently
It . was an unexpected apparition, and a strange
and pleasant sight in this desolate gorge - of a
mountain an Indian face, Spanish costume,
jingling, spurs, and , horse equipped afler.the
Srniah manner. I He informed me that he be-
inn-t tn am rr i!i Soanish missions to the
idc, and that
ooutn, uistani iwo or iuicujf nuv-
,NEW-SERIES, ;,
V . Stii
- NXJJ
NUMBER 24, OF VOLUME II;
'.A
he had obtained from the priests leave to spend
a few days with his relations in the. Sierra.
Haying, seen us enter Ahetpass, ho, had come
down to visit us. Jle appeared familiarly ac
quainted with the country, and gave me definite
arid clear information in regard to e desert
region cast of the mountains I had entered
the pass with a strong disposition to vary my
route, and to travel directly across towards the
Great Salt Lakcfin the view of obtaining some
acquaintance witn the interior of the Great Ba
sin, while pursuing dfrect ccmrse for tho fron-
f tier; but his representation, which described it
as an arid and barren aesert, that had repulsed
by its sterility all theattempts of the Indians to
penetrate it, determined i me for the present to
relinquish tho plan ; and, agreeably to his ad
vice, after crossing the Sierra, continue our in
tended route along its eastern base to the Span
ish trail. , By this route a party of six Indians,
who had come from agreat rivei in the eastern
part of the desert to trade with his people, had
just started on their return. lip would himself
return the next day to San Fernando, and, as
our roads would be the same for two days, he
offered his services to conduct us so far on our
way. His offer was gladly accepted-9'
" April 14. Our guide joined us this morn
ing on the trail ; and, arriving in a short dis
tance at an open bottom where the creek fork
ed, we continued up the right-hat branch,
which was enriched by a profusion of flowers,
and handsomely woodcdwiihssycamibre, oaks,
Cottonwood and willow, with other trees, and
some shrubby plants. , In its long strings
of balls this sycamore, differs from that of the
United States, and is the platanus accidentalis
of Hooker a new species, recently described
among tho plants collected in tbe voyage of the
Sulphur. The cotton wood varied its foliage
with white tufts, and the feathery seeds were
flying plentifully through the air. Gooseber
ries, nearly ripe, were very abundaet on the
mountain ; and as we passed the dividing
grounds, which were notvery easy to ascertain,
the air was filled with perfiune, as if ;wewere
entering a highly cultivated garden ; and, in
stead of green, our pathway and the mountain
sides were covered with fields of yellow flow,
ers, which here was the prevailing color. Our
journey to-day was in the midst of an advanced
spring, whose green and floral beauty offered a
delightful contrast to the sandy valley we had
just left. All tho day, snow was in sightJbn
the butt of the mountain, which frowned down
upon us on the right ; but we beheld it now with
feelings of pleasant security, as we rode along
between green trees and on flowers, with hum
ming birds and other feathered friends of the
traveller enlivening the serene spring air. As
we reached the summit of this beautiful pass,
and obtained a view into the eastern country,
we sa w. at once that Fere was the place to take
leave cf all such pleasant scenes as those around
us. The distant mountains were now 'bald
rocks again ; . and below the land had any color
but green. Taking into consideration the na
ture of the Sierra Nevada, we found this pass
an excellent one for horses ; and with a little
labor, or perhaps with a more perfect exami
nation of ithe localities, it might be made suffi
ciently practicable for wagons. Its latitude and
longitude may be considered that of our last en
campment, only a few miles distant. The ele
vation was not taken our half-wild cavalcade
making it too troublesome to halt before night
when once started.
We here left the waters ojjtho bay of San
Francisco, and, though forced ypon them con
trary to my intentions, I cannot regret tho ne.
cessity which occasioned the elevation. It made
me well acquainted with the great range of the
Sierra Nevada of the Alta California, and show
ed that this broad and elevated snowy ridge
was a continuation of the Cascade Range of
Oregon, between which and the ocean "there is
still another and a lower range, parallel to the
former and to the coast, and which may be call
ed the Coast Range.-- It also made me well ac
quainted with tho basin of the San Francisco
bay, and with the two pretty rivers and their
vaileys, (tho Sacramento and San Joaquin,)
which are tributary to that bay ; and cleared
up some points in geography on which error had
long prevailed. It had been constantly repreT
scnted, as I have already stated, that the bay of
San Francisco opened far into tho interior, by
some river coming down from the base of the
Rocky Mountains, and upon which supposed
stream the namo of Rio Buenaventura had been
bestowed. Our observations of the Sierra Ne
vada, in tho long distance from the head ofjhe
: Sacramento to the head of the San Joaquin, and
of the valley below it, which collects, all' the
waters of the San Francisco bay, sliow that this
neither is nor can bo the case. No river from
the interior does or can cross the Sierra Neva
da itself more lofty than the Rocky Mountains;
and as to the Buenaventura, the mouth of which
seed on the coast gave the idea and the name
of tpo reputed great river, it is, in fact, a small
stream of no consequence, not only below the
Sierra Nevada, but actually below the Coast
Range-Making its rise within half a degree of
the ocean, running parallel to it for about two
degrees, arid then fallinglnto the Pacific , near
MonWeyvi, There is no opening from the, bay
San Francfsco into the interior of the continent.
The two rivers which flowinto it are compara
tively short, and not perpendicular to the coast,
but lateral to it, and having their heads towards
Oregon and Southern California.1 The open
lines of communication north and south, and
not eastwardly ; and thus this want of interior
communication from the San Francisco bay,
now fully ascertained, gives greats additional
value to theColumbia, which stands alone as
the only great river on the Pacific slope of bur
continent which leads trom me ocean-to tbe
Rocky Mountains, and opens a line of comiriu-,
nication trom tbe sea to tne valley ot me miss
issippi." -.i;-.'?r". Jir;;
u Our cavalcade made astrange arid gro
tesque appearance,' 'and it was impossible; to
avoid reflecting upon our position and composi
tion in this remote solitude. Within twodegrees
of the Pacific, ocean, already far south-of the
latitude of Monterey, arid still forced on south
by a desert on one hand and, a mountain range
on the other ; guided by a civilized Indianat-
tended by two wild ones trom me cerra, a
I nook, from the Columbia; and bur own mixture
of American, French, German all armed; :.
four or five languages heard at once ; above a -hundred
horses and mules, half wild ; Ameri-
can, Spanish, and Indian dresses, and equip- '
ments intermingled such was our composition.
Our march was, a sort of procession. Scouts
ahead on the flanks ; a front and rear division ;
the pack animals, baggage, and horned cattle in
the centre ; and the whole stretching a quarter
of a mile along our dreary path. ; In this form
'we journeyed, looking more as if we belonged to T r
Asia than to the United States of America, i . ' t:
. We continued in a southerly; direction s"
cross the plain, to which, as well as to all ithe '
country so far as we could see, the yucca trees
gave a strange and singular character." I -
We rode rapidly during the day, and in the -afternoon
emerged from the yucca forest at the ; t
foot of an outlier ' of the" Sierra before i us, and;
came among the fields of. flowers wenad sfen"
in the morning, which consisted priricijiallyj of
tho rich orange colored Californian poppy, rain
gled with other, flowers of , brighter, tiuts, -' ;
Reaching tho top of jhe spu?i which was cbv-V 1
ejed with fine bunch grass, and where the bills,,
were very green,-our guide pointed Mo. "U small
hollow in tho .f mountain before jus saying, j "
esle piedra hay aguaSAle appeared to know.'
every nook Jri thecountry. Ve continued pur
beautiful road, arid reached a pririg in the 4l6po"
at the foot of the ridge,'running" In a green rav-
ine among granite boulders hero'nigktsh'ido I'
and borders of buckwheat, Jwith their wKito' "
blossoms around tho granite rocks, attracted bur
notice as familiar plants. Several laatelopes
were seen among the. hills,-and .some large J
hares. Ien wore 6erit bacfethis evening! inT
search of a wild mulo 'Avith ! valuable . napk .
which had managed (lis they frequently do) to
hide itself along the road:. Jly observation ho
latitude of the camp is 34 40t 42', and Jorigi
tude 118 20'. The next dav the men returned
wun the mu e. - ; - . - -
The Indian guide left the party on the 17th ;
u l. i .u . ? -.lL
lie LHIID' UU IH1U1II. BnU III H : I1XV M mill I WfUll I
arrive at San Fernando, one'oftseveral missipn 1
in thb part of, California, .where the country is
so beautiful that it is considered a paradise; and -,(
the name of its pxmcipal towri(?u6ra cZcfoi - '
Angeles) ; would make lit arigelib. We continuw ... ''
ed on through a succession of valleys, and camo '
into a most beautiforspbtj of flqwer-fie kls jj iin-.- P
stead of green, the hills were purple and orange. ..i
wun unoroKeu was, inio wnicn eacn coior was
separately gathered. A pale straw color, with ' . .
a briirht vellow. the rich redoranire of the nbn. '
py mingled with fields of purjde,4 covered ho'
nnt u'itlv n flnrnt lwaiitv. nnrt nn tfiA : KntvtA f i .
the sandy deserts seemed to invite the traveller ' - -
to go no turtber. Itiding along t through- the - .
perfumed air, we soon after entered a defile over t : .
grown with the ominous artemesia 'tridentala.
which conducted us into a sandy plain covered '
more or less densely with forests of yucca
" Our road (on. the 19th) was still in an east
erly direction along the ridge ver very bad ra .
veiling ground, broken and confounded with '
crippled trees and shrubs ; and, after a difficult
march of 18 miles, a general shout announced "
that we had struck the greatobject efeur searcbl -
the Spanish trail which here was rim
ning directly north The road itselfj and jits'
coursa, were equally happy discoveries to usl
Since the middle of December we had contiriu
ally been forced south by. the mountains and; by.
deserts, and now would nave to make, six de- -grees
of northing to regain the latitude on which
we wished to cross the Rocky Mountains. fJTher '
course of tbe road, therefore,; was what Iwe'
wanted; and, once "more,', we." felt" like7 goingf ,
homewards." A road lo travelbri, and the rlghtf , '"(
course to go, were Joy ful consolations .to us ;
and our animals enjoyed the beaten ' track like "
ourselves. Relieved from the rocks "and brush , ;
our wild mules started off at a rapid ratej and;
in 15 miles we reached a considerable-river, v
timbered with cottonwood And willow, whero
we found a bottom of tolerable grass, -As the:
animals had suffered a great deal in the last few t
days, I remained here all next, day, tp. allow, "
them the necessary repose ; and it was nbw;
necessary, at every favorable place to make a i
little halt. Between its and the Colorado river -we
were aware that thecountry was extremely -poor
in grass and scarce for water, there being .
mnnyjournadas, (days journey) or lorigsfreUh.;
es of 40 to 60 miles, without water; where the;'
road was marked by bones of: animals. ! 5
" Although in California we had met with peo-1
pie who had parsed over this trail,' We had been ' -
able to obtain no correct information about, it ; '
and tho greater part of what he had heard was T 1
found to be only a tissue of falsehoods, The . f
rivers that we found on it were never. rtcnu'onV j
ed, and others, particularly described filename I
and localityj were subsequently seen in another ,
part of the country. It ;was described as a tot- j
erably good sandy road, with so'littibfbck las v J
scarceljrto reouire the animals to 1e shod ;"and -!
we found it the roughest and rock iestlroad we1, . -had
ever seen in the-country, and, vyhicb nearly . :j
destroyed our band of fine mules and horses.
Alany animals areldestroyed on it every year by '
a disease called thb foot evil ; and a, traveller r
snouid never venture on u wnnoufnaringiiis
animals well shod, and also carrying cxtra f
snoes..", .; . ; i v SnK' " j
In the afternoon of the 24th, we wereisur-' ..
prised by the sudden appearance in the camp of V ;
two Mexicans a man and a' bbvT UThe ; name A
of the man was Andreas Fuentesi And that of'j. J
the boy, (a handsome lad, 11 years; old,) J'aJo f - -- i
Hernandez. 1 ney nejongeq 10 a nany consisi- i
ing of six persons, lhe remaining four being tho ' i
wife of Fuentes, the father and mother of Pablo,
and Santiago Giacome, a resident of New Mex-
ico. With a cavalcade of about thirty .horses, f !
theyhad come out frorn Puebla de los Angeles, '
near the coast, under the guidance of G iacome, ,f
in advance of the great caravan in order to tra-' ' ,
vel more at leisure, arid obtain '-.better grassl-"
Having advanced as falpfbto the desert as was
considered consistent with their safety, they hal- r
ted at the Archilcllc, one of the customary cam-
ping grounds, about 80miles from ourencarop. i
ment, where there Is a spring of goodwater,
with sufficient grass,dt cbncludcdtb await there t
the arrival of. the great caravan. Several In.
dians vere soon discovered lurking about the ,
camp, who, in a day or two after, came in, and,
after behaving in a very friendly manner, took
their leave, without awakening anyuspicibns. 1
Their deportment begat a security which prov
ed iataL In a fej? days afterwards, suddenly a
party of about one hundred Indians appeared in 7
sirrhu advancing towards lEei?amp. ; It was too
late, or they seemed not to have presence of
mind to take proper measures of safety ; -and -the
Indians charged down bito their camp, shout- X
ing as they advanced, and discharging flights of ,
arrows. - Pablo and Fuentes were on , horse-,
guard at the time, and mounted accoring to the
custom of the country; One of the principal b- .
jects of the Indians was to get possession of tho '
horses, and part of them immediately surround--edthe
band f but, in obedience to the shouts of )
Giacorne. Fuentes drove the animals over, and
j through the saj
through the assailants, in spite ol tbeir arrows j -
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