42 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION OP THE COUNTEY. 



country east of that river until we reacli the great plains lying hetween the base of those 

 mountains and the valley of the Mississippi. The axis of maximum elevation preserves a 

 general parallelism to the Sierra Nevada range. Its principal chain, after passing the 36th 

 parallel of latitude, becomes less elevated, and finally terminates in the Organ mountains near 

 El Paso, re-appearing again to the south and east, and becoming at last merged in the great 

 mountain masses in Mexico. « 



Another branch of these mountains diverges about tne neaci or ine recos, anu luuiuug buun 

 with unequal elevation, crosses the Kio Bravo between the 102d and 106th meridian of long! 

 tude, forming the great bend in that river, and producing one of the most remarkable featurei 

 on the face of the globe— that of a river traversing at an oblique angle a chain of lofty mount 

 ains, and making through these, on a gigantic scale, what is called in Spanish America i 

 caiion — that is, a river hemmed in by vertical walls. 



-i' 



7 





Entrance to Ca2on of Sierra Carmel, Rio Bravo del Norte. 



moun 



-■ J 



ains to the south of the river expand in width and height, attaining a great 

 elevation in the neighborhood of Monterey, Saltillo, and Buena Vista, and forming one side of the 

 Bolson Mapimi, and it is my impression that these mountains are identical with what is called 

 in Nuevo Leon the Sierra Madre. 



1 



om the mam 



- m 



tliat last described^ and terminates in the Llano Estkeado or the Staked Plains, from which issue 



the foot of the Llano Estacado the country 



the Bed river and other rivers of Texas. 



rom 



sometimes hv steDS, hut most 



Mex 



The view of the hed of Devil's river will give a very good idea of the 



of igneous rocks. 



-■ . > ■ 



manner in which the general level of the surface formin 

 hj the action of water. 



broken 



