199 [oes J 
volcanic plain, around which lofty hills.sweep in a regular form. It i ia cut 
up, by gu ies of f basaltic r ock, escarpments of w appear every W in 
hills. This plain is called the Taih prairies and is sprinkled with Brine 
eaeet pines. The country is now far more interesting 0. a. traveller 
@ than the route along the Snake and Columbia rivers. To our right we 
had always the mountains, from the midst of whose dark pine ay the 
i tenia emo owy peaks were looking out like giants. They : served us for 
-.grand beacons +e show the rate at which we advanced in ourjourney. Mount 
ood was already becoming an old acquaintance, and, when we ascend 
the prairie, we obtained a bearing to Mount Jefferson, ’S. 23° W. a n 
_ dian superstition has peopled these lofty peaks with evil spirits, and they 
_ have never yet known the tread of a human foot. _Sternly drawn against 
the sky, they look so high and steep, so snowy and rocky, that it would 
_ appear almost impossible to climb them; but still a trial would have its 
attractions | for the adv€nturous traveller.. A small trail takes off through 
__the prairie, towards a low point in the feuges and perhaps there is here a 
~ pass into the Walahmette valley. Crossing the plain, we descended, the a 
rocky hill into the bed of a tributary of Fall river, and made an early en 
campmenta . The water was in holes, and frozen over, and we were obli 
_ to igh the ice for the animals to drink. An ox, which was 1a 
_ trou meine e to drive, was killed’here for food. 
~The evening was fine, the sky Rene very clear, and I obtained an im- 
" mersion of the third satellite, with a good observation of an emersion of 
the first; the latter of which gives for the longitude, 121° 02' 43"; the 
latitude, by observation, being 45° 06'45"'. The night was cold—the ther- 
mometer aap the observations fs StADOS at 9°, 
_... November 28.—The sky was clear in the morning, but suigealy clouded 
over, and at ate se began to ae with the thermometer at | 
' e traversed a broken high country, partly timbered ith pine, and » 
_ about noon cots a. mountainous ridge, in which, from the —occa- 
iona vy ey the formation consists of compact lava. 
kw ere visible i ani e snow. ; our right, in the a 
ally with Pine, extended ¢ abe 
eee 
ening oar we encamped in a basin narro wly sarroncded. mae, hills, 
ra Se s "journ ey of 21 1 miles. “The Siroinding rocks are either vol- 
i ee products, or highly altered ‘by volcanic action, consisting of quartz 
and reddish-colored siliceous m : 
November 29.—We emerged fi from. ‘ie basin, by a narrow bag sae a 
mya ERA ES mh of Fall river, running to the eastward thr tgh a 
row re fA trail, someon ak i is brought us to a eality 0 af 
on either “Those on the left, which were 
ie nee “been delightful baths, if 
a oe... 
ing, ‘seas greater distance to.the southward, were three other 
