1844.] 
again lay one of the dry tasine: After | wi 
rch, we discovered a high-water 
oititlet, whieh brought us in a few miles, and 
a descent of several hundred won! ‘into 
another long broad basin, in i we found 
ned sufficient 
poeta d the year 1843, and 
our new vents e was rather a gloomy 
one. The result of ¢ our journey poe 0 be 
singularly 
rn and cut by the rocks, that many o 
aon. were ‘tated and could scarcely be got 
New Year's day, 1844.—We continued 
down the valley, between a dry-looking 
CAPT. FREMONT’S NARRATIVE. 
@ were consequent 
til fe in the day. 
er the 
to the best maps in my possession, 
have found Mary’s lake or river. 
rey Seasheck vn the verge 
ich had bee 
cates e of ee 
the sout 
ong the rere in the full expee- 
ta tign “of reaching the Buenaventura river. 
This geen I yea every man in the camp 
on ny self, of course, among the rest 
— a thie —— lightene ed 
tion the -teadlio es 
seven or eight ‘ie es = along 
in ing the a. and en 
black Bey sae ine at * ~ Sy re waoney . There 
and high o road was large artemisias; but the princi 
bad along the "Botton. 1 ein brokéh by gul- site are chenopodiaceous shrubs. T 
lies and impeded by sage, and sandy on the | rock composing th tains is here 
as where there 7 not a blade of grass, | changed suddenly into white te. The 
or does a any appea a the mountains. The | fog showed the tops of the hills at sunset, 
sit in n many Hache sbisinth of a fine pow-|and stars enough for observations in the 
ery sand, cove line efflores- | early evening, and th losed over us as be- 
cence; and the general vaochage sd of the | fore nr by ey eg 40° 48’ 15”. 
country is gener? During th fore) we aa Janua _ fo tio’ to- was. still 
eop. ; 
rected our course towards a its: 
the foot of erorede 
cated so spate 
Jan 
k cape, a 
column of smoke sedi 
were on the road early, 
y 
y> h 
velling being very 
apith; rendered tena- 
s by a mix sptete of cla he weather 
Meared up a little at noon, and we seuction on 
hw 
the hot ara ¢. whic ling seen the 
a large 
fl the Ther a | 
of dns asta talk grass heh "pecaliar to 
Th 
ty ign ute ct grass, 
only plants being warf Fremontias. 
We passed the rocky cape a jagged broken 
point, bare an he are vol 
ic, hills here pit a burnt ap-| su 
pearance—cinders asta ap- 
-| surprise 
in| Janu 
and, with Mr. Pre 
. | features of the cou 
ure 
, apne bewildered and lost; and 
9 
more dense, ats the 
mrs no Wi 
coming into own 
| ae We moved to a place where there 
e better grass, about two miles 
Taplin, one of our best men, wh 
had gone out on a scouting excursion, as- 
cended a mou ntain near by, a ae 
emerged into a region of bright 
sunshine, in which the upper pre of ee 
hile below alt 
| mountain were glowing, while 
e| obscured in 
the darkest fog 
nuary 6. tag a fog continued the same, 
niry, as some indication 
route, while Mr. Fi badiibeick 
0 
explored the country below. In a very 
rt distance we had nded above the 
but the view ed was not very 
: fog had partially cleared 
off from below when we reached the sum- 
mit ; the southwest corner of @ ba- 
sin communicating with which 
