-1859] WRITINGS OF JOSEPH HENRY. 69 



as consisting of a series of mountain ridges, with a general 

 direction north and south inclining to the west, and broken 

 in many places by deep cracks, as it were, across the ridge, 

 denominated canons, which afford in some cases the only 

 means of traversing the country, except with great labor 

 and difficulty. The district inhabited by the Navajo Indians 

 has had the reputation of being a good grazing country, 

 and its fame has reached the eastern portions of the United 

 States; but taking the region at large, it will be found that 

 with regard to abundance of natural pasturage, it has been 

 vastly over- rated, " and we have no hesitation in stating," says 

 the same authority, " that were the flocks and herds now be- 

 longing to the Indians doubled, they could not be sustained. 

 There is required for grazing and procuring hay for the con- 

 sumption of animals at Fort Defiance, (garrisoned by two 

 companies, one of which is partly mounted,) fifty square 

 miles; and this is barely sufficient for the purpose." The 

 barrenness and desolation so inseparably connected with 

 immense masses of rocks and hills scantily supplied with 

 water are here seen and felt in their fullest extent. Dr. 

 Antisell, geologist to one of the exploring expeditions, de- 

 scribes the country along the parallels of 32° and 33° as 

 equally deficient in the essentials of support for an ordinary 

 civilized community. On the west, within these parallels, 

 occurs the Great Colorado desert, extending to the river of 

 the same name, which empties into the Gulf of Califor- 

 nia. From the southern portion of the Colorado river, which 

 is generally regarded as the eastern edge of the Colorado 

 basin, the land rises eastward by a series of easy grades 

 until the summit of the main ridge of the mountain system 

 is gained, at a point about 500 miles east of that river. For 

 the first 250 miles the ascent is across a series of erupted 

 hills of comparatively recent date, and similar in constitu- 

 tion to the line hills and ridges which are dotted over the 

 various levels of the basin country. The entire district is 

 bare of soil and vegetation, except a few varieties of cactus. 

 Over the greater portion of the northern part of Sonora and 

 the southern part of New Mexico sterility reigns supreme. 



