[174 J 60 
i has the appearance of irregular lumps of clay, hardened by ex- 
A. variety of asters may now be numbered amoug the character- 
istic laws and the artemisia continues: in. full glory; but cacti have be- 
come rare, and mosses begin to dispute the hills with them. The evening 
was damp and unpleasant; ss thermometer, at 10, 0 "clock, being at 36°, 
and the grass wet with a heavy dew. Our astronomicalobservatio placed 
this encamptmentin lonsitede 109°.21' $2", and latitude 42° 27' 15", 
Early in the morning we eee our journey, the weather still cloudy, 
with occasional rain. Our general course was west, as I had determine 
‘to cross, the dividing ridge by a bridle path among ae broken country 
more immediately at the foot of the mountains, and return by the wagon 
toad, two and a half miles to the south of the point where the trail crosses. 
About six miles from our encampment brought us to the sammit. The 
asc had been so gradual, that, with all the intimate knowledge pos- 
ssed by Carson, who had made this country ‘his home for seventeen 
Fag we were obliged to watch very closely to find the place at which 
we had reached the culminating point. This was between two low hills, 
rising on either hand fifty or sixty feet. When I looked back at them, 
from the foot of the immediate slope on the western plain, their summits 
appeared to be about one hundred and twenty feet above. From the im- 
_ pression on my mind at this time, and subsequently on our return, I should 
compare the elevation which we surmounted immediately at the Pass, to 
the ascent of the Capitol hill from the avenue, at Washington. It is diffi-. 
cult for me to. fix. positively the breadth of this pass.. From the broken 
where it commences; at the foot of the Wind river chain, the view 
to the southeast is over. a champaign country, broken, at the distance of 
nineteen mailes, by the Table rock; which, with the other ae, hills 
insits vicinity, seems to ) stand ona ‘comparative plain. This I judged to 
be its ing its rugged character with the Table 
rock. It will be-seen that it in no manner resembles the places to which © 
the term is commonly applied—nothing of the gorge-like character and 
winding ascents of the Allegheny passes in rice 2a nothing of the Great » 
St.. Bernard and Simplon- passes in Eur Approaching it from: the 
mouth of the Sweet Water, a sandy as one hundred and twenty miles 
long, conduets, by a gradual and regular ascent, to the summit, about 
seven thousat id feet abo e sea; and the traveller, without being re-: 
minded of any change by to ascents, suddenly. finds + a the 
waters which flow to the Pacific ocean, By the route we had 
the distance from Fort Laramie is three ernoes and tw dary wiles eonine 
hundred and fifty fois the mouth of the Kansas. 
Continuing our march, we reached, = eight miles from the ‘Poss, Gre 
Little Sandy, one of the ‘tributaries of th Colorado, or Green river of the 
ulf of California. The weather had a te during the morning, and 
emained here the rest of the day, to dry our baggage and take some 
“nical observations. The stream was shone forty feet wide, and 
deep, with clear water and a full swift current, over a sandy 
abered with a growth of low bushy and dense willows, 
~ little verdant spots, which gave our animals fine grass, 
“\gumber of interesting plants. _ Among the neighbor- 
“nents: of granite containing magnetic iron. Lane 
99° 37' 59", and latitude 42° 27' 34 * ‘ 
your” ew halt to- day on Big. Sandy, anothe: ; 
