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Ex. Doc. No. 41. - 577 



the peaksof mountains standing around In the distance like the frame 

 of the picture. It is evident, at a glance, that the lower part of New 

 Mexico is by far the most valuable* Mountains near camp are 

 composed of blueish basalt and amygdaloid; these rocky masses 

 were seamed with other material, the courses'of which could easily 

 ^e seen from the difference of the vegetation upon them. A roo*t 

 like a carrot was found near camp, with a reddish ji?fce, but noxious 

 to the femellj live oak, walnut^ three kinds of acacia, ash, (new 

 variety,) willow, cotton-wood, grape vine, canissa, and Spanisti 

 bayonet* several new shrubs and sensitive plants. On the whole, 

 the country looked more like the temperate zone than that of yes- 

 terday. Distance 17 miUs; 7 southwest. 



October 17. — Marched at 8, and entered still deeper the moun- 

 tains; the hills, as yesterday, were covered with grass, and occa- 

 sionally patches of dwarf trees; the streams small mountain rivu- 

 lets, with a fringe of trees along them of oak, walnut, and little 

 cotton- wood; saw various new plants, among whiqli is a mountain 

 flax, with tall stem and large seed, some of which I saved; passed 

 masses of amygdaloid; at one place, a whitish^ amygdaloid had a dip 

 of 20 degrees to the south; we then crossed i chain of mountain of 

 .darker volcanic rooks; then an immense deposite of conglomerate, 

 composed of the fragments of the adjacent vojcanic rocks, partly 

 rounded by attr - - -- . 



it, and encampe„ — , ^ . 



some of them capped with trap; near camp, a mass of volcanic 

 glass; camp on little creek, among cedar trees and little water; 

 plenty of grass; bad road for wagons, but a good one could 



be made. ~ , 



October 18.— Marched at 8, making smokes on the hills to let the 

 'Apaches know we were coming, and to invite them in; the iao^«- 

 tain peaks on the left of the road were capped with trap, and the 

 ' 'trees more numerous and lofty; we are approaching the ^lining re- 

 gion of the copper mines, and abundance of fuel is provided; east 

 of the copper mines, is a high cap of trap rock, of blueish ^rey 



tinge, and irregular columnal structure. This same 



descends, and crosses the valley north of the 



itiorr*; we then came to the Rio Mimbres, and crossed 

 id three miles from it, among hills of volcanic rocks, 



seam 



copper mines; east of tljis is a dark scam of platonic 

 rock, resembling in appearance Quincy granite, but of 

 different nraterials; and ia the valley west of the hill of trap, a 

 whitish rock, seamed like marble veins, with the ore of copper, fur- 

 'tiishes the great cobre or copper mine. It once was worked exten- 

 sively, and the metal was so rich in gold, that it^-bore transporta- 

 4ion to the city of Mexico for the fining furnace; the remains of the 

 "establishment consist of a quantity of adobe houses, and piles ot 



charcoal, and ashes and drifts. • , .t «tj o^ 



. October 19.— Visited the copper mines, and examined ^^^l^ffuh 

 -cavations: the veins of sulphuret of copperTun through a wb^ ^ ^^ 

 silicious rock, like the blue veins running through white f^^rble 

 Ihey vary ir^ their hues, but traverse the whole ^^^^tance; th^e rock 

 breaks easily, and the pick appears to be the only ool ^^^^^^^ 



mrly. Occasional veins of pure copper, very yellow from tlie 



^u« 



