Ex. Doc. No. 41. . 613 



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"woul'] have p^one furtherj but was alone and ex1iarisfec!j a fog ovej- 

 hung the west range, so that my view was cut OiT- else, in one cli- 

 rectionj I think I might hare seen the Pacific ocean; the mountain 

 was covered with loose masses of granite, round; but whether by 

 water or not, I could not tell; some of them, evidently fragments 

 of the same piece, lay side by side. 



December 1. — The first day of winter; we left camp at the usual 

 hour, and found the air cold and chilly^ The mountain peaks on 

 the coast range are covered with snow slightly; the whole of yes- 

 terday, these peaks were covered with clouds which drifted otf in 

 loose masses over the desert. This morning, most of the clouds 

 had disappeared, and a strong wind blew from the west. Our 

 route for the day was devious through narrow passes, without any 

 great elevation; a bad road for our little howitzers, and impa^sable^ 

 without work, for wagons. We marched 18 miles, and encamped 

 at the vegus San Phillippe, near the deserted Indian village; th^ 

 rocks were mostly of mica slate and granite; the water of the vegus 

 is apparently fresh, but the adjacent swamp is salty, and the grass 

 bad for animals, especially at this season. The grass, the long 

 salty grass of the Del Norte, and the soda grass. 



December 2- — Marche4 at the usual hour, our animals having 

 spent a bad night from the cold and bad grass; the few remaining 

 horses, except one, gave out to-day, having been purged by the 

 grass, and very much w^cakened. Our route was now over a rolling 

 country. About six miles, we met some Mexicans escaping out of 

 the country, with v*'omen and children; we allowed them to pass 

 free; they informed us of the existence of war still in this country^ 

 so that we count now upon meeting the enemy- It appears that 

 there are no armed forces opposed to each other in the field, but 

 that, generally, parties of California rancheros can be found in 

 every quarter. We will probably have a long time with an unseen 

 enemy, with no pitched battles. Arrived at Warner^s ranch very 

 unexpectedly to them. This point is ab^ut 60 miles from San Diego, 

 and perhaps 80 from the Pueblo. It is occupied by an American, 

 from Connecticut, who settled in this country, and became natural- 

 ',t ized, married, &c. He is now on the main route leading to Sonora, 

 ^ and of course is very much exposed to both parties. He is now 

 said to be a prisoner in the hands of the Americans. Our approach 

 to California improves to-day, and wc came part of the day under 

 the shade of fine live-oak trees, and on the mountain tops, clumps 

 of lofty pines; as we came to Warner's, we got upon the western 

 •lope of mountains, and here nature had made pretty successful ef- 

 forts to clothe her nakedness; the shrubs and trees almost hid the 

 rocks of the mountains, and the hills had grass in abundance, but 

 still nothing like the luxuriant growth of the prairies of Missouri, 

 but doubtless a most enchanting sight, when it is green, to one who 

 has just crossed the desert. We found Waruer^s a place which 

 "Would be considered a poor location in the United States, with a 



of spring and a cold one on his place; a good place for stock, but 

 «d for grain, one would think. We are told wheat jields thirty- 

 fold. -Tiie labor is performed by California Indians, who ars stimu- 



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