ms 
Perna »-day consists principally. of the compact mig 
od granite, at an inclination of 45°; the bef 
59 f 1744 
or rather scran , our Vv vay up the narrow valley for several hours. 
and. abeiler were the character of this scenery. The river had 
Wildness 
been swollen by the late rains, and came rushing through with an impetuous 
current, three or four feet deep, and generally twenty yards broad. The 
valley was sometimes the breadth of the stream, and sometimes opened 
into little green meadows, sixty yards wide, with open groves of aspen. 
The stream was bordered throughout with aspen, beech, and willow; and 
tall pines grew on the sides and summits of the crags. On both sides, the 
granite rocks rose. precipitously to the height of three hundred and five 
hundred feet, terminating in jagged: and broken pointed peaks ; and frag- 
ments of fallen roe ke lay | piled up at the foot of the precipices. Gneiss, 
mica slate, and a white granite, were among the varieties I noticed. Here 
which were | ying trees, which they had cut down, one and two feet in 
diameter. The hills entirely shut up the river’at the end of about five 
miles, and we turned up a ravine that led toa high prairie, which seemed to 
be the general level of the co untry.. Hence, ‘to the summit of the ridge, 
there is a regular and very Sadoid ys Blocks of : Kgs were bata le 
mica slate ; 
at the heads of the ravines, and small bare knolls of 
quartz protruded at frequent aaa “f T iife prairie, whieh was white 
in occasional spots with small salt lakes, where the water had. evaporated, 
and left the bed covered with a shining ‘incrustation of salt. The evening 
was very cold, a northwest wind driving a fine rain in our faces ; and at 
nightfall we descended to a little stream, on which we encamped, about 
two miles from the Sweet Water. Here had recently been a very large 
camp of Snake and Crow Indians; and some large poles lying about af- 
forded the means of pitching a tent, and:‘making other places of shelter. 
Our fires to-night were made principally of the dry branches of the arte- 
misia, which covered the slopes. It burns quickly, ‘ot h a yey Po oily ae 7 
and 1 : ‘ 
; The hills here are. coulpoted: ha ompaet mica 
sate, with veins of quartz. 
st 7.—We left our encampment with the rising sun. As we rose 
feo the bed of the ereek, the snow line of the mountains stretched grandly 
before us, the white peaks glittering in the stn. They bad been hidden 
oe, 
in the. dark weather of the last few days, and it had been snowing on them, — 
while it rained in the plains. We crossed a ridge, and again struck the 
Sweet Water—here a beautiful, swift stream, with a more open Vv valley, 
timbered with beech and cottonwood. It now began to lose-itself in the 
many small forks which make its head; and we continued up the main 
str until near noon} when we left ita ‘few miles, to make our noon halt 
ona ‘Srna creek among the hills, from which the stream issues by a small 
ning. Within was a beautiful grassy spot, covered with an open grovg 
pied scan among which i ound several plants that I hag, 
reviously séen. 
j Phaaiewecas was cloudy, with aioli of rain; but the 
came fine at sunset, when we again encampe w 
ina few miles of the Sovrn Pass. The country overs 
on.all the ridges, making the uplands very roc 
s which border the creeks, it is seen ay 
from two or three feet to six or eight huadred. 
