68 ^ Ex. Doc. No. 41. 



I 



Red cedar posts were found in many places, which seemed to 

 detract from their antiquity, but for the peculiarity of this climate, 

 -where vegetable matter seems never to decay. In vain did we 

 search for some remnant which would enable us to connect the in- 

 habitants of these long deserted buildings with other races. i<o 

 mark of an edge tool could be found, and no remnant of any house- 

 hold or family utensils, except the fragments of pottery which 

 were every where stre^^ed on the plain, and the* rude corn grinder 

 still used by the Indians. So great was the quantity of this pot- 

 tery, and the extent of ground covered by it, that I have forced 

 the idea it must have been used for pipes to convey water. There 

 were aboiit the ruins quantities of the fragments of agate and obsi- 

 dian, the stone described by Prescott as that used by the Aztecs to 

 cut out the hearts of their victims. This valley was evidently 

 once the abode of busy, hard-working, people. Who were they. 

 And where have they gone? Tradition among the Indians and 



Spaniards does not reach them. -, i f 



I do not think it improbable that these ruins maybe those ol 

 comparatively modern Indians,* for Venegas says: "The father 

 Jacob Sedelmayer, in October, 1744, set out from his mission, l,*ii- 

 butuma,) and, after travelling SO leagues, reached the Gila, where 

 he found six thousand PapagOs,and near the same number of Fimos 

 and Coco Maricopasj" and the map which he gives of this country, 

 although very incorrect, represents many Indian settlements ana 

 missions on this river. His observations, however, were conhnefl 

 to that part of the Gila river near its inouth. 



Great quantities of green-barked acacia on the table lands, and 

 also the chamiza, wild sage and mezquitej close to the^ river, cot- 

 ton wood and willow. W 



the eriodictyon Californicum, several new grasses, and a seagcr 



Tery few of which have been seen on our journey.. , + f 



We saw the trail of cannon up the valley very distinctj that oi 



an expedition from Sonora against the Indians, which was made » 



few years since, without achieving any results. 



Wherever the river made incisions, was discoverable a me.a- 



morphic, close grained, laminated sandstone, and in many places 



were seen buttes of vitrified quartz, (semi-opal.) 



Octoher 29.— The dust was knee deep in the rear of our trail, 

 the soil appeared good, but, for whole acres, not the sign of vege^ 

 tation was to be seen. Grass was at long intervals, and, wbeD 

 found-, burned to cinder. A subterraneous stream flowed at tn 

 foot of Mount Graham, and fringed its base with evergreen. Every 

 where there were marks of flowing water, yet vegetation was s 

 scarce and crisp that it would be difficult to imagine a drop of wate 

 had fallen since last winter. The whole plain, from 3 to 6 mije 

 wide, is within the level of the waters of the Gila, and might easUJ 

 be irrigated, as it no doubt was by the former tenants* of thes 

 Tuined bouses. 



written, a very interestiB2 letter was received from tae j*^" _ 



OiUVV? tll^-J^ *ftWl.W» VTX^L V TT X»^ %,-^^f — ' J • — Q *^ *^ w- - 



We Mr. Gallatin connected with the history of these ruins. The letter, ^ith my repij; 



be 



