THE BIG TREES 251 



horseback with " Pike " (N.B. Phillyis) for the grove, 

 about 6 miles distant, and 6500 feet high. The first 

 ridge on which they (the big trees) are found is covered 

 with noble trees of P. larnbertiana, P. ponderosa, and 

 Picea grandis, and at last you come suddenly and with- 

 out warning on the great red columns of the mighty 

 trees. They are a race of glorious giants standing 

 monstrous amongst monster forests, and dwarfing all 

 around them. No words can describe the effect of 

 these trees ; they are too enormous to be realised. 

 The two things that struck me most were, the richness 

 of the colouring of their ruddy bark, and the depth of 

 their dark green foliage growing from branches as old 

 as the hills themselves. They have very few branches, 

 none, in fact, for at least I oo or 150 feet, and carry 

 their gigantic thickness up to near their summits. For 

 example, " Andrew Johnston," who now lies dead, 

 measures 30 feet in circumference 120 feet from the 

 ground, where he never measured more than 55 or 60 

 feet. From this, that greatest and most venerable of 

 trees, the Grizzly Giant, which measures 100 feet in 

 circumference at the ground, must measure 60 feet at 

 100 feet. This noble old tree is in the lower grove, 

 and he is literally gray from age. Rode back by 

 " Uncle Tom's Cabin," a sugar pine, the best we have 

 seen, 29 feet at 4 feet from the ground. Saw a skunk 

 wandering about on the way home but left him alone, 

 though he was very tame, and killed another rattlesnake. 

 Visited Mr. Hill's studio in the evening. 



To HIS WIFE. 



" SAN FRANCISCO, Tuesday, \stjuly. 

 We are back from the great valley and have enjoyed 

 ourselves beyond description. It is a very rough drive 



