PROMONTORY RANGE — VIEW OF THE LAKE. 101 



promontory, the limestones disappeared, and the surface rock was 

 formed of conglomerate composed chiefly of the older sedimentary 

 rocks, and some boulders of serpentine and porphyry. Upon ex- 

 amining several isolated masses of this, it was found that each stone 

 (principally rounded pebbles of quartz) was surrounded by a crystal- 

 line layer of satin spar, as if it had formed a nucleus around which 

 the lime had crystallized. In about ten miles we reached the south- 

 ern extremity of this high rocky range, where it juts into the lake. 

 Within this distance we passed five or six springs, some of them 

 with very good water, bursting from the foot of the mountain. 

 Innumerable salt and sulphur springs break out of the bank all 

 along, but are soon lost in the broad sand and mud flat which 

 lies between the banks and the water. This flat is about two 

 miles broad, entirely without vegetation, and has, I think, been 

 slightly covered by the lake in the spring and summer. Both 

 yesterday and to-day, considerable quantities of small drift-wood 

 was seen lying on the sands — a fact which favours this opinion. 



The mirage along the lake shore, and above the moist, oozy 

 plains, has been, for the last two days, very great, giving rise to 

 optical illusions the most grotesque and fantastic, and rendering all 

 estimate of the distance or form of objects vague and uncertain. 

 Two miles farther we reached a small rill of brackish, indifi"erent 

 water, upon which we bivouacked, fearing to go on, lest we should 

 be left without any. 



The evening was mild and bland, and the scene around us 

 one of exciting interest. At our feet and on each side lay the 

 waters of the Great Salt Lake, which we had so long and so ar- 

 dently desired to see. They were clear and calm, and stretched 

 far to the south and west. Directly before us, and distant only 

 a few miles, an island rose from eight hundred to one thousand 

 feet in height, while in the distance other and larger ones shot up 

 from the bosom of the waters, their summits appearing to reach 

 the clouds. On the west appeared several dark spots, resembling 

 other islands, but the dreamy haze hovering over this still and 

 solitary sea threw its dim, uncertain veil over the more distant fea- 

 tures of the landscape, preventing the eye from discerning any one 

 object with distinctness, while it half revealed the whole, leaving 

 ample scope for the imagination of the beholder. The stillness of 

 the grave seemed to pervade both air and water; and, excepting 

 here and there a solitary wild-duck floating motionless on the 

 bosom of the lake, not a living thing was to be seen. The night 



