'590 Ex. Doc. No. 41. 



with. In travelling over this region, as well as all prairie cdun- 

 triesj the most casuaT observer is struck with the gradations in the 

 classes of plantsj and will instinctivelyj almostj find himself making 

 inquiries of a botanical sort of his own; the cacti stand alone; but 

 they, in one extreme, approach a shrub; the other-, a fungus. The 

 agave stands at the head of its species, but follow it down, and it 

 will be found of different sorts, until one appears scarce distin- 

 guishable from grass. The acacia, from the thorny bush and -mes- 

 quite, to the sensitive plant, exhibits the same general characteris- 

 tics. Step a little further, and the infinite variety of the bean and 

 pea stripe show analagous characteristics. All the plants and 

 grasses of this country app^ear to have a thorny defenccp Why 

 they are so protected, I cannot yet discover. No doubt the wisdom 

 of Providence is shown therein. White and blue limestone* dip W. 

 Distance, six miles. 

 I November 3. — The sun rose as usual upon a clear morning quite 

 cool; after breakfast the Pinoleros came in with a few muleSj 

 which we bought, at the rate of a blanket, three yards of domestic, 

 a knife, and looking glass, for a mule. Animals are cheap to peo- 

 ple who steal all they have; and they have very little use Tor theiEBf, - 

 except to eat, as their country is too rocky to, need their animals 

 much to travel about. Tlfey brought with them a handsome Span- 



ish boy, taken from his home several years ago; beseemed content- 



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n 



led; his master said he -liked him too well to sell him, .upon the 

 general's otTering to buy him. They brought some of the cooked 

 muscal to the general; if tasted something like sweet pumpkin 

 baked, and looked very much like it. Our camp is situated in a 

 deep ravine, with a narrow bottom on the creek; the hills steep on 

 eacE side, composed of the diluvion of one hundred feet thick, which 

 is composed of the boulders pf the rocks which form the adjacent 

 mountains, cemented by silicious sand and lime. The blue and 

 white limestone are spec'imens of what we found yesterday, con- 

 taining enimity and other fossils. A squaw had some crystals of 

 inetal of yellowish color, but .fat^d them too high for purchase. 

 There is a fine silver mine, it is s'aid, on the San Pedro. The old 

 squaw came into camp arrayed in a light gingham dress, trimmed 

 with lace, no doubt the spoil of some Sonora damsel, who had put 

 all her industry upon this, her fandango dress. The x)\d woman 

 tad no pins to fasten it behind, so she soon stripped her arms afi3 

 breast of the encumbrance, and rode out of camp in a jed flannel 

 shirt, which she had got in trade front one of the soldiers. Our 

 howitzers got up this evening perfectly dismantled. Captain Moore 

 set to work and contrived a new coupling, so that we hope to get 

 along better; they have been a complete drag upon us so far. The 

 small wheels are good to prevent upsetting as far as may be, but 

 the smaller the wheels the greater the friction, and a small stone 



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* Part of this Ifmestone is a busira, containing gmall fragments of alftte and other rooks ia 

 smaU pieces, which would make a bsaatiful marble. The whole of tb» stone is very com- 



Eact. In a bc^t/Rler of^ the sandstone lying loose, I saw a central elbae, which appeared to 

 »ve accumulated siilcious sand aroead it before beooramg boorporated ia the bed of JMMatd- 

 Opposite to the points, the layers o[ accamulatiwi were tbrast. * 



