108 



a half hour more found us safe under the hospi- 

 table roof of Messrs. Smith & Brill." 



Thus ended a hurried trip to a most inter- 

 esting spot in the midst of a no less interesting 

 district. The shells obtained were submitted to 

 Dr. Trask and were found to consist of two spe- 

 cies of Amnicola (A. protea and A. longinqua 

 — Gould) and the Physa (P. humerosa — Gould) 

 before named. A large bivalve was observed, 

 but so thin and fragile that the specimens broke 

 to small pieces for the want of safe means of 

 transporting them. 



The water from the volcano has the specific 

 gravity of 1.075, and holds in solution free bo- 

 racic acid, with borates and a large quantity of 

 chloride of sodium, and other salts. These mat- 

 ters would indicate the true volcanic origin of 

 the Salse, and but little doubt rests on my mind 

 of its being so. The evidences of former volcanic 

 action in the neighborhood and the testimony 

 of the boracic acid, establish its true character. 

 The acid and its compounds exist only in small 

 quantities, but sufficient to be unequivocally 

 determined. Similar Salses exist some thirty 

 or forty miles further south. One made its ap- 

 pearance during the earthquake of November 

 29, 1852. a few miles below the line of the State. 

 Two others exist in the same district, as I was 

 informed by a person who professed to have vis- 

 ited them. One is represented as a single jet of 

 steam and water from an opening a yard in di- 

 ameter, situated in a plain of hardened clay. 

 The other consists of several pools of warm water, 

 through which hot gas is continually escaping. 

 Another is again spoken of in the adjacent 

 mountain, partaking of the true volcanic char- 

 acter, emitting fire and smoke. I hope some 

 one may soon have occasion to examine these 

 and other interesting localities, at a season when 

 it will be practicable to pass a few days on the 

 desert without danger of perishing with thirst. 



The real character of this desert has not been 

 generally understood. In its present condition 

 it is truly a desert. But only a portion, how- 

 ever, of its immense area is condemned to irre- 

 trievable barrenness — viz: the partjeovered with 

 drifting sands. The greater part, from the con- 

 stituents of its soil, must be fertile in the ex- 

 treme, and only wanting moisture to produce a 

 wilderness of vegetation. This is proven in the 

 case of New River, while i~ continued to run. 

 This arm of the Colorado might be made per- 

 manent, but a far more convenient supply could 

 be furnished by artesian wells, or better still, by 

 wind mills raising water from common wells, as 

 is now so successfully practiced throughout the 

 fertile valley of San Jose. As stated before, 

 there is every reason to believe water can be had 

 any where at a depth not exceeding thirty or 

 forty feet." 



As the great Southern Railway must pass 

 through this district, it is interesting to know 

 that the now dreaded desert can easily be 

 changed into the happy homes of a thriving 

 people. Repulsive as are the features of the 

 country at present, the pre ;ence of a rail- way 

 will convert it into the g irden of the Pacific 

 slope, and it is destined to become the cotton and 

 sugar growing district for Arizona, Utah, Cali- 

 fornia and Oregon. 



Since writing the above I have had the pleas- 

 ure of seeing a letter from Dr. Newbury, Ge- 

 ologist of the Colorado Exploring Expedition, 

 being now fitted out by the U. S. Government, 

 to Dr. VV. O. Ayers, of San Francisco, from 

 which I am kindly permitted to make an ex- 

 tract. Speaking of the desert, he says : »'I find 

 it not a bad country — having, most of it, a bet- 

 ter soil than the mountain districts west of it. 

 If water could be supplied regularly to the New 

 River country it would be a perfect garden." 



San Francisco, Jan. 11, 1858. 

 Dr. Trask read the following paper on the 

 occurrence of earthquakes during 1857 : 



EARTHQUAKES IN CALIFORNIA DURING THE 

 YEAR 1857. 



During the past year there has been rather a 

 frequency in the occurrence of the phenomena 

 of earthquakes, and, with the exception of two, 

 there have been none that were particularly re- 

 markable either for extent of surface affected or 

 severity of action. In one, that of the 9th of 

 January, the greatest extent of surface, and 

 greatest intensity of action was manifest. Its 

 principal force seems to have been expended in 

 the more southerly portions of our State, and in 

 the immediate vicinity of those volcanic vents 

 found at different localities upon the Colorado 

 Desert. It is manifest, however, that this shock 

 and those which preceded it on the night of the 

 8 th, had their origin to the west of our coast, as 

 the times of occurrence of the shock at differ- 

 ent localities most fully prove. This matter 

 was fully discussed in my previous paper, " On 

 the direction and velocity of the Earthquake of 

 January 9th, 1857," read before this Society 

 March 30th, which will be found on page 98 of 

 their proceedings. 



The other shock of greatest extent, on the 

 2d of September, extended over an area of about 

 200 miles, but was marked by no particular se- 

 verity or injury except that of fright to those 

 who experienced it. 



The whole number that can be authenticated 

 as occurring during 1857, amounts to seventeen, 

 being greater than the number recorded in 1853 

 and 1856, audit would seem probable from our 

 records that this number is the maximum 

 to which we shall probabty be subjected in this 

 State. 



From the Sandwich Islands we have no news 

 of earthquakes save one, which is here inserted : 

 "A very severe shock of earthquake was felt at 

 Kawaihae, Hawaii, on the 24th of February, 

 the most severe that the residents there have 

 had for many years." 



The arrival of the whaling fleet from the 

 Northern seas brings no intelligence of the oc- 

 currence of these phenomena, as was the case of 

 the preceeding year, hence, the presumption is. 

 that subterranean action has not been violent 

 in those distant regions during the year just 

 passed. 



On the coast of Mexico, and inclusive be- 

 tween the 25th and 32d parallels, we have re- 

 ceived intelligence of the occurrence of one 

 earthquake, which appears to have been felt on 

 both shores of the gulf of California for a dit»- 





