SOUTHERN OREGON, 24 1 



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 



