124 



LIEUTENANT MICHLEr'S REPORT. 



Dulce, Tule, and Tinajas Altas, to mark the boundary. The line runs a few feet south of the 



Q 



and Agiia Salada, and south of the Tinajas del 



Tule and Tinajas Altas, The sierras on which these two last are located were trouhlesome 



suffic 



upon which to stand or place an instrument. Those who visited these stations to determine them^ 

 had to console themselves by sitting up all night after their work was done, as there was not 

 sufficient space to stretch themselves out. 



The big horn mountain goats frequent this region^ and the noise of their horns as they butt 

 them together in fight is often heard amons the rocks. 



M 



. Schott has made a large and interesting collection of botanical plants and of natural 

 history, besides making careful examinations of the geology of the country ; he has also taken 



the views of the scenery along the line, wdiich accompany this report. 



It was a happy day that witnessed the termination of the field-work. On the 25th of August 

 both parties left Sonoyta for Altar, and thence via Santa Anna to Magdalena, in the State of 

 Sonora. The tracing and marking and triangulation of the line having been completed, Mr, 

 Jimenez and myself compared at this last place the data for fixing the respective distances 

 between stations, and the positions of the prominent topographical features of the country. 



The section marked ^^ B," (see Astronomical and Geodetical work,) shows the results of 

 calculations of the latitudes and longitudes of points in the triangulation made to determine the 

 '^azimuth line of twenty English miles/' together with tables showing the lengths of iron rods, 

 A and B, used for measuring the base line; tables for laying off the circumference of the circle 

 having its centre- at the junction of the Gila and Colorado, and radius of twenty miles ; tabula- 

 tion of results for the latitude of the initial point on the Colorado ; astronomical determinations 

 of positions on the azimuth line between the Colorado and 111th meridian; and distances be- 

 tween monuments. Tabulated distances along the routes in the neighborhood of the boundary 

 line from the Pacific ocean to the Gulf of Mexico also accompany this report. 



At Imuris, a few miles from Magdalena, we found Lieutenant Patterson, encamped with the 

 escort and train, having left Aribaca in August, and reached there via Tubac and Los Nogales. 

 When at this last place, the Apaches, splendidly mounted upon fine horses, made a descent 

 upon his animals and endeavored to stampede them. Although the Indians, in war-dress and 

 uttering uncartlily yells, dashed up within fifteen feet of the mules, then in excellent condition 

 and well-rested, still their eiforts were unsuccessful. 



At Imuris the parties of hoth commissions separated — the one to return to the city of Mexico, 

 the other to cross the continent to the Gulf of Mexico, and thence to Washington city. 



I take great pleasure in reporting to the commissioner the very agreeable relations,, hoth offi- 

 cial and social, which constantly existed during a difficult work, with those gentlemen of the 

 Mexican commission with whom we were so long and intimately associated. 



From Imuris we travelled the road up the San Ignacio river by Cocospera, a deserted mission, 

 to the rancho de San Lazaro, where w^e struck the main southern emigrant road. If space per- 

 mitted, I should like to dwell upon the rich valleys of the " Tierra Caliente" of Sonora^ the towns 

 of Altar, Santa Anna, Magdalena, Imuris, San Ignacio, and Cocospera, through which we jour- 

 neyed on our way home ; upon their highly cultivated fields of grain and sugar-cane, irrigated 

 hy miles of acenuias, and their gardens loaded with richly flavored fruit of the tropics as well as 

 of the more temperate zones. At Magdalena we saw in the same garden, apples, peaches, apri- 

 cots, pomegranates, figs, grapes, lemons and oranges. Leaving San Lazaro, we followed the 



