IO 



posed to be as liberal to him as the powers intrusted to them would 

 permit. They therefore offered him a lease for ten years of 160 acres 

 of land, including the hotel and house, at a nominal rent. Hutch- 

 ings, however, believing that he has a legal claim to a fee simple of 

 the land occupied by himself, refused to accept a lease or to acknowl 

 edge the authority of the Commissioners, as did also Lamon. There 

 has been, therefore, no alternative for the Commissioners, and they 

 have commenced legal proceedings against both these gentlemen as 

 trespassers, with the view of having the question decided (about 

 which there seems to be no reasonable doubt) whether the State 

 really is the proprietor of the grant made by Congress, or, in short, 

 whether the United States have authority to dispose of the unsur- 

 veyed and unsold public land. It is not the desire of the Commis 

 sioners to put Lamon and Hutchings to any greater expense than is 

 absolutely necessary to establish the validity of the claim of the 

 State, and they regret that the necessity for legal action should have 

 arisen. 



The claim of Folsorh to the ferry and ladders will be noticed, after 

 speaking of the improvements made in the valley by the Commis 

 sioners, from the funds appropriated by the last Legislature. And 

 this leads us to consider next "the approaches to the Yosemite and 

 the Big Trees, the trails and roads leading to the grants, and the 

 facilities for visiting these places. 



The Yosemite Valley is situated nearly due east from San Fran 

 cisco, and distant in a direct line about 155 miles, but by the route 

 usually traveled via Stockton it is about 260 miles. The main 

 Merced River runs through the Valley, and access to it is therefore 

 possible from both sides of the river. Not, however, by following 

 up the river itself, as would naturally be supposed. This would be 

 extremely difficult, if not impossible, as the river runs, for many 

 miles below the Yosemite, through a narrow canon with precipitous 

 walls. To enter the Valley, therefore, it is necessary to rise fully 

 3,000 feet above it, and then to descend again, a practicable trail 

 having been constructed from the north and south down its precip 

 itous sides at the lower end. On the north side, the traveller may 

 start from Big Oak Flat, or Coulterville, the latter being of late 

 years the point usually selected. 



ness of the season, the snow not having left the trail until late in June ; sec 

 ond, the fact that nearly all the pleasure travel of the country has been attracted 

 to Paris by the Exposition ; and lastly, the general stagnation of business at the 

 East. 



