SOUTHERN OREGON. 
241 
tain range toward the south, in a place where they found food for 
their horses and water in abundance. The air was delightful; the 
forest protected them from the rays of the sun, and besides this the 
game was plentiful. Near the encampment, in a northwest direction, 
was a mountain ridge shooting up in sharp conical points and needle- 
shaped peaks, having a precipitous front. One of these peaks almost 
overhangs the valley, presenting a gray surface of naked rock two 
thousand feet high. The valley which adjoins is strewn over with 
boulders of white granite, similar to that already described. From 
this, there is little doubt that the ridge is formed of the same material. 
At meridian they reached a small valley bordering on the Destruction 
river, where they found a chalybeate spring. The water oozes out 
from the rocks, bubbling up freely, and is highly charged with car¬ 
bonic acid gas. In taste it was found agreeable to both the riders and 
the animals. Its temperature was 50°, that of the air being 75°; 
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 occa¬ 
sionally 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 abundant 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 
vol. v. V 31 
