YOUM A NS YOUNG. 



797 



A steep path, whose difficult portions have been 

 made easy of ascent by a stairway, lead to the 

 summit of this ledge, from which a tiue view down 

 the canon can be had. For a mile beyond this 

 point the river Hows in a series of cascades and 

 rapids of striking character, the water rushing with 

 a force approaching that of the rapids at Niagara, 

 while on the north side of the cation appears a huge 

 isolaU-d, and nearly perpendicular mass, known as 

 the Cap of Liberty, 2000 feet high, and little inferior 

 to the Half Dome in grandeur. Beyond tins is seen 

 the second fall of the Merced, Nevada Fall, which 

 in height, volume, and impressive character of the 

 surrounding scenery, ranks with the grandest water- 

 falls of the" world. The height is about BOO feet, 

 but the descent is not quite vertical, there being a 

 rocky ledge near the summit which throws a part 

 of the water aside with a peculiar twist which gives 

 the fall a character of its own and adds greatly to 

 nic effect. 



Such are the principal features of this remarkable 

 valley, which, taken as a whole, with its great 

 variety and profusion of grand and beautiful scenery, 

 is matchless among the valleys of the world. In 

 the vicinity of the Yosemite are waterfalls which 

 elsewhere would be considered as marvels of scenery, 

 but which are left unnoticed by travellers in conse- 

 quence of the much greater attractiveness of those 

 of the valley. The caaon of the Tuolumne River, 

 parallel with and a few miles north of the Merced, 

 is full of attractive scenery, the stream descending 

 4i>.">iJ feet in a flow of 22 miles, and presenting at 

 short intervals cascades of '.'real beauty and variety. 

 At its mouth the gorge opens into a valley resem- 

 bling the Yosemite in its general features, yet in- 

 ferior to it in grandeur, and lo>t sight of" in the 

 superior charm of its neighboring rival. 



Of the several localities from which a general view 

 of the valley may be had, three deserve special men- 

 tion. One of these, well named Inspiration Point, 

 i< situated at the entrance of the valley. Here the 

 Merced (lows through a deep and narrow gorge, and 

 e i trance can be effected only by a climb over the lofty 

 c.iff-* at one side or other of the river. In this climb the 

 tourist suddenly finds himself on Inspiration Point, 

 and the whole valley laid out before him in one 

 grand bird's-eye view, in which its looming clills and 

 gleaming falls are all visible up to the point where 

 the Merced ilnws out from its caiion to the broad 

 level of the valley. The tir.-t view but adds zest to 

 the delight with which the marvels revealed are 

 afterwards to l>e seen near at band. Up the valley 

 nearly opposite the mouth of Teneya Canon is an- 

 other outlook, known as Moran's Point, being the 

 p->int of view from which the artist, Thomas Moran, 

 sketched his celebrated picture of the Yosemite 

 Valley. This point of view is 2000 feet high, and 

 brings under the eye most of the scenic effects of 

 the valley. A yet more embracing view can be had 

 fr >ni Glacier Point, just east of Moran's Point, and 

 aUnit :iOiX> feet high. From this height the tourist 

 can look over the obstructions to view at lower alti- 

 tudes, and take in almost the entire valley at a 

 glance. 



As to the formative agencies of this noble pro- 

 duct ion of nature scientists somewhat disagree, 

 tliounh the balance of evidence seems in favor of 

 the active agency of glaciers in scooping out the 

 valley. Abundant traces of glacial action can yet 

 be seen, some of the cliff sides beins polished to a 

 slippery smoothness by the action of the ice. Earth- 

 q lakes also seem to ha've had their share in the work, 

 and huge fragments of rock now lie on the valley level, 

 which have evidently been lorn from the summits of 

 the el ill's a bo vi'. Probably still other agencies were sit 

 work, for nature seldom performs such ini-ihty labors 

 with a single tool. The whole snrroiiiidin^ seen, ry 

 is full of evidence of titanic forces, and from the 



1 summit level above the valley the Sierras present a 

 magnificent panorama of mountain and valley 

 scenery, unsurpassed even in Switzerland. (C. M.) 



YOUMANS, EDWARD LIVINGSTON, editor of 

 scientific publications, was born of poor parents, 

 : June 3, 1821, in Albany co., N. Y. Assisting his 

 father in the work of the farm, the want of means, 

 and also an affection of the eyes, that adhered to him 

 throughout life, prevented him from entering col- 

 lege. Later he studied medicine, and devoted him- 

 self to popularizing the sciences, in which he dis- 

 | covered a remarkable aptitude, both as a lecturer 

 and as a compiler. He avoided technicalities, and 

 his style was distinguished by a clearness of phrase 

 and elegance of diction little known till then in the 

 scientific domain. It was doubtless owing to the 

 reputation he had acquired, in these respects, ns 

 well as to his powers of broad, though strictly 

 scientific generalization, that he was named, though 

 himself a non-collegian, for the presidency of 

 Antioch College, which he declined. However, he 

 ! accepted there, in 1800, the chair of chemistry, ns 

 non-resident professor, and delivered a course of 

 lectures. In 1850 the writings of Herbert Spencer 

 attracted his attention, and thereupon a corres- 

 pondence ensued which led to a life-long friendship, 

 which brought about the publication of Spencer's 

 mirks in America. In 1872 Prof Youmans induced 

 Mosrs. Applcton & Co., of New York, to start the 

 Fopulnr Scientific Mimtltli/, which, under his editor- 

 ship, attained deservedly high position among the 

 scientific periodicals of the world. He also planned 

 the "International Scientific Series," comprising 

 works by the ablest European and American autho- 

 rities, and went to Europe to perfect the scheme 

 by which the simultaneous publication in London, 

 Paris, New York, Leipsic, Milan, nnd St. Peters- 

 burg was inaugurated. Besides Ins contributions 

 to the two works, Oarrtlation and Ormterrertton of 

 Fnrt-i* ;(1S(J4) and the Cull lire dcniandtd by Modem 

 Life (]S07i, Youmans prepared the " Class-book of 

 Clxmiftry" (1851), the "Hand-bunk of Household 

 Scfatet" (1857), and other manuals. In his editorial 

 labors lie was constantly' nnd ably assisted by his 

 si.-lcr. Miss Elizabeth L. Youmans. He died at 

 New York, Jan. 18, 1887. (j. w. W.) 



YOUNG, CHARLES AUGUSTUS, astronomer, was 

 born at Hanover, N. H., Dec. 15, 1834. He gradu- 

 ated at head of his class at Dartmouth College, in 

 1853, then taught classics at Phillips Academy, 

 Andover, Mass., until 185C, when he accepted chair 

 of mathematics, natural philosophy, and astronomy 

 in Western Reserve College, nt Hudson, Ohio. He 

 was called thence in 1805 to Dartmouth College to 

 assume the same chair, in which he had been pre- 

 ceded by his father and grandfather. In 1877 he 

 removed to Princeton College, N. J., to take the 

 chair of astronomy. He was entrusted with an 

 expedition to Denver, Col., to observe the eclipse of 

 the sun on July 20, 1878. As member of the observing 

 party at Burlington, Iowa, of another eclipse, Aug. 

 7, 1809, he discovered the green line of the corona/ 

 spectrum, and identified it with line 1,474 of the solaf 

 spectrum. As member of the Coast Survey observing 

 party, on Dec. 22, 1870, at Jerez, Spain, he disc-oven d 

 what is called the " reversing layer" of solar atmos- 

 phere, giving a bright-line spectrum correlative to the 

 ordinary dark-line spectrum of sunlight. As mem- 

 ber of the Coast Survey party at Sherman, Wyoming 

 Territory (summit of the Pacific Railroad), he made 

 solar s|)cctroscopic observations. In 1874 he was 

 assistant astronomer in Prof. Watson's party to 

 Peking, to observe the transit of Venus. He de- 

 vised a form of automatic spectroscopic ; establishid 

 what is known nsDoppler's principle applied to light 

 experimentally, and measured the sun's rotation by 

 the displacement of the lines in the spectrum. Prof. 

 Young is a member of the National Academy of 



