SOUTHERN OREGON. 257 



about a gallon per minute is discharged. Around it there is a thick 

 deposit of iron rust, and a few yards distant a small pond, the bottom 

 of which was also coated with a ferruginous deposit. The rocks in 

 the vicinity of the spring were of the trachytic and slightly cellular 

 lava, which is speckled with grains of feldspar. The hunters said 

 that the spring was in all respects similar to that on the Bear creek, 

 which empties into the Youta Lake, known in the Rocky Mountains 

 as the Soda Spring. Mr. Dana found some difficulty in accounting 

 for this emission of carbonic acid, as no limestone was found or 

 known to exist in the neighbourhood ; yet he is inclined to believe, 

 that it may be owing to the decomposition of sulphuret of iron. For 

 further information upon this subject, I would refer to his Geological 

 Report. 



On this night they had a severe storm from the westward, and 

 occasionally heard the crash produced by the falling of large pines. 



The character of the country had now changed, and afforded a 

 new and more extended botanical field, as well as new geological 

 features. The general tendency of the ridges is north and south, 

 but the whole may be classed as a series of valleys and hills thrown 

 in all positions. The hills are, for the greater part, covered with soil, 

 when it can find any place of deposit ; and all are richly clothed with 

 vegetation. The principal timber consists of pines and oaks ; and 

 there are many smaller plants, of which the flowers must be abun- 

 dant in the proper season. As it was, our botanists reaped something 

 of a harvest; for information respecting which, the Botanical Report 

 is referred to. 



They continued to follow Destruction river until the 9th, when it 

 was joined by a stream from the northward and eastward, which was 

 taken to be the northeast branch of Pitt river : it was larger than 

 the stream they had been following for the last few days, and is sup- 

 posed by some to take its rise in Pitt Lake ; but this I very much 

 doubt, as it lies on the other side of the Cascade or Californian 

 Range, and the two united form the Sacramento. 



Though I have dignified these two streams with the name of river, 

 it must not be supposed that they are really such, in our acceptation 

 of the word. The party are generally of the opinion that they should 

 be called creeks. 



They encamped late in the evening near a small rivulet, to the 

 westward of the Sacramento. They had much difficulty with their 

 horses, which had now become tired out. For this reason it became 



vol.. v. 65 



