S52 Geology and Meteorology west of Rocky Mountains. 



bricks which surround the flues in a kiln. The basah (greenstone 

 trap) has the appearance of scoriae or smith's slag, at and near the 

 base of basaltic columns. These columns are mostly regular poly- 

 hedra, often as perfectly pentahadral as those brought from the Giant's 

 Causeway in Ireland. 



The red sandstone often rises in peaks, like those on Connec- 

 ticut River, between Northampton and Greenfield, several hundred 

 feet in height; while channels of rivers open the rocks at their bases 

 to a great depth. The grey p'uddingstone, which often caps the high- 

 est peaks, seems to defend it from the rapid disintegration to which 

 the sandstone is subject. Many of these prominences are covered 

 with eternal snow, never melting in the greatest heat of summer. 



Near the west side of the Rocky Mountains, and along the upper 

 branches of the Colorado, which falls into the Gulf of California, and the 

 Lewis river, which unites with the Oregon, Mr. Ball found first gray- 

 wacke and sparry lime rock. But he soon entered upon the red sand- 

 stone region ; which continues, as the basis rock to the Pacific. After 

 travelling about one hundred miles from the Rocky Mountains, the 

 primitive boulders disappeared. The country is often very mountain- 

 ous along the route to the Pacific ; but the mountains are red sand- 

 stone, grey puddingstone, or basalt. Such is the simplicity and uni- 

 formity of the geology of the vast region west of the Rocky Mountains, 

 that it can all be told in one sentence of six lines. 



The most astonishing facts, communicated by Mr. Ball, relate to 

 the Meteorology of that country. From the first of June 1832, to 

 the first of November, (5 months) less than one inch of rain fell be- 

 tween the Rocky Mountains, and a strip of land from one hundred and 

 fifty to two hundred miles in width bordering on the Pacific. Veg- 

 etation is exceedingly scanty thus far ; and profuse beyond descrip- 

 tion as far as rains extend. For many hundred miles, the sky is al- 

 ways serene by night; and scarcely a cloud is seen by day. While 

 crossing the barren plains, Mr. B. observed, that the flowers of plants 

 greatly exceeded the herbage in size and brilliancy. All parts of the 

 plants were much stinted in growth excepting the fructification. It 

 seemed to him as if nature had manifested more solicitude for the re- 

 production of species there, than for their luxuriance.. 



The growth of all vegetables, along the two hundred mile border 

 of the Pacific, is astonishingly profuse. The Deputy Governor of 

 the English Fur Company, (Mc Laughlin) raised twelve hundred 

 bushels of wheat, a great quantity of barley, peas, potatoes, &c., last 

 summer, (1832). He had purchased in California a considerable 



