eo 2 156 
hill, on which there is neither water nor trees. of any kind; although the 
Fremontia vermicularis, which was in great abundance, might easily be 
mistaken for timber at a distance. The plant seemed here to delight in a 
congenial air, growing in extraordinary luxurian@e seven to eight feet high, 
and was very abundant on the upper parts of the island, where it was ‘al 
most the only plant. This is eminently a saline shrub ; its leaves have a 
very salt taste ; and it luxuriates in saline soils, where it is usually a char- 
acteristic. It is widely diffused over all this country. A chenopodiaceous 
shrub, which is a new species of ontons, (QO. rigida, Torr. & Frem ,) was 
equally characteristic of the lower parts of the island. These two are the 
striking plants on the island, and belong to a class of plants which form a. 
prominent feature in the vegetation of this country. On the lower parts of 
the island, also, a prickly pear of very large size was frequent. On.the shore, 
near the water, was a woolly species of f phaca ; and a new species of um- 
belliferous plant (leptot@mia) was scattered about in very considerable 
. <a These constituted all the vegetation that now appeared pee 
e is 
I sctidentally left on the summit the brass cover to the object end of my 
glass ; and as it will probably remain there undisturbed by Indians, it 
will furnish matter of speculation to some future traveller. In our excur- 
sions about the island, we did not meet with any kind of animal; a mag- 
pie, and another larger bird, probably attracted by the smoke of our fire, 
paid us a visit from the shore, and were the only living things seen during 
Bed stay. The rock constituting the cliffs along the = re where we were 
encamped, is a talcous rock, or stealite, ashes brown sp: 
At sunset, the temperature was 70°. We had artived just in time to ob- 
tain a ineridian altitude of the sun, and other observations were obtained 
this evening, which place our camp in latitude 41° 10’ 42", and longitude 
112° 21' 05" from Greenwich. From a discussion of the barometrical ob- 
servations made during our stay on the shores of the lake, we have adopted 
4,200 feet for its elevation above the gulf of Mexico. ‘In the first disap- 
pointment we felt from the dissipation of our dream of the fertile islands, I 
called this Disappointment island 
Out of the drift wood, we made ourselves pleasant little lodges, open to 
the water, and, after having kindled large fires to excite the wonder of any 
straggling savage on the lake shores, lay down, for the first time in a long 
journey, in perfect security ; no one thinking about his arms. The even- 
ing was extremely bright and pleasant ; but the wind rose during the Dight, 
and the waves began to break heavily on the shore, makin 
tremble. {had not expected in our inland journey to bear roar eae an 
ocean surf; and the strangeness of our situation, and the excitement we 
felt in the associated interests of the place, made this one of the most in- 
ter nights | remember during our long expedition. 
In the morning, the surf was breaking heavily on the shore, and we 
were upearly. ‘The lake was dark and agitated, and we hurried throu 
our r seanty ries, and embarked—having first filled one of the buckets 
och boat’ 
xy from the ia and it sean ak the “effétte Of the’ ea 16 tak 
sad against the wind and sea; the gale rising with the sun, and there’ 
