THE PANOEAMA PEOM POINT SUBLIME. 
145 
The length of canon revealed clearly and in detail at Point Sublime is 
about 25 miles in each direction. Towards the northwest the vista termi- 
nates behind the projecting mass of Powell’s Plateau. But again to the 
westward may be seen the crests of the upper walls reaching through the 
Kanab and Uinkaret Plateaus, and finally disappearing in the haze about 
75 miles away. 
The space under immediate view from our standpoint, 50 miles long 
and 10 to 12 wide, is thronged with a great multitude of objects so vast in 
size, so bold yet majestic in form, so infinite in their details, that as the truth 
gradually reveals itself to the perceptions it arouses the strongest emotions. 
Unquestionably the great, the overruling- feature is the wall on the opposite 
side of the gulf Can mortal fancy create a picture of a mural front a mile 
in height, 7 to 10 miles distant, and receding into space indefinitely in either 
direction? As the mind strives to realize its proportions its spirit is broken 
and its imagination completely crushed. If the wall were simple in its 
character, if it were only blank and sheer, some rest might be found in con- 
templating it ; but it is full of diversity and eloquent with grand suggestions. 
It is deeply recessed by alcoves and amphitheaters receding far into the 
plateau beyond, and usually disclosing only the portals by which they 
open into the main chasm. Between them the promontories jut out, end- 
ing in magnificent gables with sharp mitered angles. Thus the wall ram- 
bles in and out, turning numberless corners. Many of the angles are acute, 
and descend as sharp spurs like the forward edge of a plowshare. Only 
those alcoves which are directly opposite to us can be seen in their full 
length and depth. Yet so excessive, nay so prodigious, is the effect of fore- 
shortening, that it is impossible to realize their full extensions. We have 
already noted this effect in the Vermilion Cliffs, but here it is much more 
exaggerated. At many points the profile of the fa9ade is thrown into view 
by -the change of trend, and its complex character is fully revealed. Like 
that of the Vermilion Cliffs, it is a series of many ledges and slopes, like a 
molded plinth, in which every stratum is disclosed as a line or a course of 
masonry. The Red Wall limestone is the most conspicuous member, pre- 
senting its vertical face eight hundred to a thousand feet high, and every- 
where unbroken. The thinner beds more often appear in the slopes as a 
10 G c 
