Ex. Doc. No. 41. 93 



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with the motion of the mules grazing, anJ^ my observations were, 

 therefore, not very satisfactory. 



11 circum-meridian altitudes of procyon, and 12 altitudes of po- 

 laris, give the latitude of the camp, 32° 43' 38". 

 kJYovemhcr 20.— The table lands were of sand, and the bottom of 

 • the river constantly received deposites from them, which changed its - 

 bed frequently, as might be seen from, the different growths of cot- ' 

 ton wood marking the old land. Oar road, about five miles from 

 last night's camp, was traversed by a spur of coarse grairied granite 

 underlaid by old red sandstone dipping some 80= to the south and 

 west. The direction of the spur was nearly parallel to those before 

 noted, northwest and southeast, which is the direction of the axis 

 of the maximum elevation of most of the mountains traversing- the 

 course of the Gila. 



Our camp was pitched on a little patch of grass two miles from 

 the river, night came on before the horses reached it, and they were 

 Without water for twenty-four hoursj there was a pond near the 

 camp, but so salt that the horses could not drink it. 

 ' ^At noon, the thermometer was 74°, at 6, p. m., 52°, and at 6 

 clock the next morning, 19°, which has been about the average 

 range of temperatur.e for the last two weeks. 



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J^ovemher 21. — To-day we marched only eight and a half miles, 

 and halted for a patch of grama, which was an agreeable and bene- 

 ficial change to our mules, that had been living on cane and wil- 

 low for some days past. 



The plains are now almost entirely of sand, and composed of 

 sandy and calcareous loam with iron pyrites and common salt, cov- 

 ered sparsely with chamiza, larrea " " 

 of sage, (salvia.) 



I observed at night for latitude and time, and there being two 

 occultations of Jupiter's satellites, I was tempted to observe them 

 With our inferior telescope, which only gave us another proof of its 

 uselessness for the purpose. 

 ^ J^ovemher 22.— Mr. Warner and I started before the advance 



unded, and climbed the sharp spur of a continuous comb of moun- 

 tains coming from the southeast, to try if we could seethe Colorado 

 ne West. The mountains rose abruptly from the plains as they 



ostly tlo in this region, resembling in appearance large dykes ter- 

 st^'^^ n ° ^* ^op in a sharp ridge which a man could, at any part, 



ale. They were of hard granite, pepper and salt colored, 

 duT^^^^^ ^y seams of white quartz. This spur gives the river Gila 

 We r ^ \t *° ^^^ north, and from that point to its mouth, which 

 but '•f^^ ** J^igbt, the river is straight in its general direction j 

 g: ! course is crooked and dotted with sandbars, by incur- 

 is K T ^^^ sandhills which now flank both its sides. The sand 

 Its v°?^ ^°wn by the winds from the valley of the Colorado. 

 ty%\°J^^^« seemed, I think, a little diminished, probably absorbed 



two ^ '} ^^ ^^^ warm, the dust oppressive, and the march, twenty- 

 ral'« K ' ^^^y ^°^S for our jaded and ill-fed brutes. The gene^ 

 s norse gave out, and he was obliged to mount his mule. 



