INTRODUCTION. 



of tlie republic, lies a field possessing mineral and agricul- 

 tural resources sufficient, were they more fully known and 

 explored, for the sustenance of a population equal to that 

 of the original thirteen states of the Union. Constituting, 

 as it does, a sort of neutral ground between widely sepa- 

 rated portions of this vast country, what can be more 

 obviously desirable than that its character should be more 

 fully known, its hidden sources of wealth developed, and 

 rendered available to the enterprise of our ever advancing 

 population ? 



In conclusion, I take much pleasure in acknowledging 

 the efficient and faithful services of my friend and assist- 

 ant, Lieut. J. W. Gunnison, of the Corps of Topographical 

 Engineers. To high professional skill, he added energy, 

 judgment, and an untiring devotion to the interests of the 

 expedition, which very materially contributed to its success. 

 Whilst confined to winter quarters in Salt Lake City, 

 he paid particular attention to the religious doctrines and 

 practices of the Mormon Church, the results of which, as I 

 understand, he is about publishing to the world. The 

 subject will doubtless prove of great interest to the theo- 

 logian, and, indeed, to all who have watched, with any 

 attention, the progress, in this country, of the various ex- 

 travagant theories, civil and religious, which form so 

 marked a characteristic of the present age. 



