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the town, on the west, the beautiful pine-clad foot-hills 
and the Snowy Range, the region of eternal snows; and 
to the southward. Pike’s Peak, seventy-six miles dis tant, 
towering fourteen thousand two hundred and sixteen 
feet above tide water, and eight thousand feet above the 
level — the whole forming a continuous view of over 
two hundred mile* of mountains. It may seem incredi- 
ble to those who have not witnessed the effects pro- 
duced by this extraordinar)’ atmosphere, that the beau- 
ties of a mountain could be discerned at from seventy 
to eighty mdes; but such is the case, and it may be 
easily imagined when it is stated that many persons on 
first arriving in Denver have started from their hotels 
to walk to the mountains before breakfast, thinking it 
to be a distance of about two miles, when in reality it 
18 twelve. The summit of Pike’s Peak is visible on a 
clear day, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles; 
and in crossing the Great Plains, after first coming in 
view of the mountains, they appear as if easily reached 
•’n a da3'’8 journey by wagon train. Sportsmen have 
been known to shoot at antelope over a mile off,and tour- 
ists have attempted to attain the summit of mountains 
in an hour or two, which, in reality, would take a day’s 
bard climbing. 
The first impressions of Denver are caught as we come 
wcstw’aid on the Kansas Pacific Railway, the traveler 
catches the 'irst glimpse of the wonderful Rocky Moun 
tain Range from First View, where the summit of 
Pike’s Peak, a hundred and fifty miles distant, is visible 
on a clear day. From this pomt onward the eye is con- 
stantly met by new views and new beauties, until arriv- 
ing at Denver, an unbroken panorama of nearly three 
hundred miles of mountains is spread before the de- 
lighted observer. 
This vast extent of Titanic elevations is crowned, 
summer and winter, with the eternal snows, which, 
melting with the heat of the sun, from June to October, 
swell the mounlain streams that furnish the farmer, 
when summer days are hottest and the earth most 
parched, with an unstinted supply of water foi irriga- 
tion. Here may be viewed in all its aspects the re- 
markable effects of water properly applied to an ap- 
parently barren soil, producing farm and garden pro- 
duce in quantity and quality well-nigh incredible. 
Arriving at Denver, the western terminus of the Kan- 
sas Pacific, the stranger from the States and Europe 
generally expresses astonishment at the throng of hack- 
msn, expressmen and hotel porters, who greet his ar- 
rival with earnest demands for patronage. This feel- 
ing is naturally excited after days and nights of travel 
over almost barren prairie, whose only inhabitants are 
buffalo, antelope, prairie dogs and an occasional herd 
of cattle ; it is palpable evidence of th« vicinity of a 
populous city, and an advanced eivilizalion, beyond the 
borders of 'he Great American Desert. 
Polite and attentive baggagemen attend to the transfer 
of the passenger's baggige from the cars to the elegant 
luggage vans, and equally courteous conductois act as 
escort to omnibusses and carriages, as fine as can bs 
found in the streets of New York, Boston or Chicago, 
drawn by magnificent matciied teams. Whirled swiftly 
through the streets that show on every hand the incom- 
parable enterprise of American citizens whether on the 
seaboard or in the heart of the continent, hotels are 
quickly renched that favorably compare with any. 
Here comfortable apartments are found, fitted with 
furniture, perhaj s from the same establishments that 
furnish the noted hotels of St. Louis, Cincinnati or 
Chicago; the cuisine is prepared by cooks educated in 
Paris, Berlin or the leading hotels of the East, dnd 
served by waiters who have learned Ih'iir business 
under the noted stewards of the day. Is it a matter of 
suprise when foreigners from any other clime or nation 
are answered in their own vernacular and in the midst 
of such surroundings express astonishment? 
If a capitalist, the visitor finds nine national and pri- 
vate banking establishments with an aggregate of nearly 
two millions capital, and double that amount in the 
hands of individuals and brokers, for all of which there 
is demand. If, investigating religious and educa- 
tional matters, ciiurchesof all denominations rear their 
spires heavenward, and five splendid Public School 
buildings, and four private academies and seminaries 
attest the spirit of the people. 
If a merchant, the splendid stores and shops filled 
with the goods and wares of all nations, call forth ex- 
pressions of surprise at the extent in which luxury is 
indulged. If an invalid, scores of the best physicians of 
the aee, of every specialty of practice known to the pro- 
fession, are ready to prescribe for those ills that bring 
here such a large proportion of the population. Medi- 
cal establishments, health resorts, and invalids’ homes 
supply everj' want and at every scale of price. If a 
manufacturer, the question is naturally asked why are 
the advantages of climate, water and fuel overlooked 
by capilalists seeking investment? The inquirer can be 
pointed to the suoerior quality of our flour, beer and 
precious metals, and the advantages ef other establish- 
ments enumerated. If a tourist, seeking pleasure, the 
finest horses and carriages that money can obtain, 
await orders at livery stables that vie successfully in 
appointments with those of the fashionable resorts of 
the day. If public improvement claims attention, the 
street railway system of Col. L. C. Ellsworth challenges 
admiration from all, for its regularity and 83'stem, and 
the improvement it has caused in sections of the city 
hitherto inaccessible for residence aud business. Pub- 
lic and private buildings and the streets are supplied 
with the most approved systems of gas and water works, 
established by the enterprise of Col. James Archer and 
his associates. 
The present year will witness the sixteenth anniversary 
of the se'tlemeni of the cit3', th.en a miner’s camp, now a 
metropolis, cosmopolitan in every respect. The first 
log cabin was built in the fall of IS-’iS; the first family 
arrived that winter; the first hotel was opened in 1859 . 
In that eventful year the first saw-mill was constructed 
in the pineries thirty miles away; the first newspaper 
was printed; the first overland coach arrived; the first 
marriage was celebrated; the first election held, and the 
first legislature convened. 
This brief description may seem overdrawn, but does 
scant justice to the grand views in the distance; neither 
is it in the power of man to pen a description that 
would clearly portra3' the magnificent grandeur of the 
scene. After taking a view of the m'^untain range we 
called on Mr. Chambers C. Davis, at the U. S. mint, 
who is secretary of the Denver shooting and fishing 
club. Mr. Davis informed us that their club was in a 
prosperous condition, and that included among their 
numbers were not only prominent citizens of Denver, 
but gentlemen from all parts of the Territory. In fact, 
it is more of a territorial organization than a local club, 
aud the members propose to act harmoniously in prose- 
cuting anyone who shoots game out of season in any 
portion of the Territory. We also visited Mr. Carlos 
Gove, the President of the club, and urged upon these 
gentlemen the necessity of sending delsgatei to the Na- 
tional Sportsmen’s Convention to be held in June next. 
W. F. P. 
Mr. Cleveland Rockwell of the U. S. Coast Sur- 
vey under date in ;amp at Point Sur, Cal., April 24 th, 
has written the following letter whieh has been kindly 
handed us for publication : “I have been, the last seven 
years, engaged in the surve3' of the Columbia river, and 
am familiar with all the fisheries, and the habits of 
the salmon. The second season I was at the mouth of 
the Columbia, a friend having presented me with a tv;o 
handed English salmon rod and tackle, I determined to 
tr3' the salmon, though I had often been told they would 
not take the fly. At the time I was anchored with my 
vessel at Cape Disappointment at the mouth of the river. 
I bad no difficulty in inducing them to take the fl3', 
either by cast from a boat or by trolling. I caught sal- 
mon weighing as much as 25 or 30 pounds. This was in 
September and October, and after the high waters of 
the June freshet had run off and the water was compar- 
atively clear. Being so near the sea it was also brack- 
ish. The salmon I caught were considered “fail sal- 
mon,” though many of them were not to be distin- 
guished from the spring run of fish. Some had the red 
color and hooked beaks of the fall fish, while man3' 
were silvery in color and had the sharp, fine nose of the 
spring salmon The latter fish, which is the fish of 
commerce, enters the Columbia in April, at about the 
time the summer rise of water commences. They run 
up the river in vast quantities, and continue until the 
middle of August; they undoubtedly run up after that 
date but they do not continue to fish for them after that 
date. It is of course impossible to catch them in that lo- 
cality with a fly, when the water is so thick that they 
could not see it, and I have not been up to the head wa- 
ters to learn their habits there. Nothing is popularly 
known of the return of the salmon down the river; there 
are no fisheries but the salmon fisheries, and the3’ cease 
to run up in paying numbers. Fishermen will pick you 
out several varieties of fish in the spring run. One 
kind the3’’ call the “steel head,” is very distinct in color 
and shape, the tail being quite different, and I think 
they enter small side streams. The Salmo Quinnat of 
the Columbia is like the fish of the Sacramento in many 
respects, but is much deeper. In this diivction I have 
frequently taken small fish, tom cods, etc., out of the 
crop of fall salmon w’hich I have caught. I have also 
had very fine sport in taking the fish peculiar to the 
small streams and lagoons on this coast. The3' enter 
the streams as soon as the lagoons are opened by the 
high water or freshet, and are found in the lagoon at the 
mouth or in holes up the stream. I have caught them 
weighing 12 10 15 pounds, and when they first come in 
from the sea the3'’ are silvery, fat, and a fine fish both 
tor the table and for sport. I have also taken quanti- 
ties of small fish, etc., from their crops or stomachs. 
After they have been long in the stream and have 
spawned they are of course worthless, but I have 
known them to take the fly in that condition. I might 
add that spring salmon continue ascending the Colum- 
bia till they reach its source nearly, while the fall sal- 
mon enter every side stream that is large enough to hold 
them. Accompanying the latter, or at least arriving 
about the same time, are the salmon trout; a true sal- 
mon ; and they enter the same stream and rob the beds 
of the fall salmon of their eggs. j 
XATI0>AL SPOKTMEX’S COXVEXTION 
t'LEVELAXD, 0., JCXE 8, 1875. 
■We propose to give a list of delegates from the 
various Slate Associations to the National Convention 
to be held at Cleveland in June next. To this end we re- 
quest the Secretary of each State Association to forward 
us names of delegates as, and when, they ma3' be ap- 
pointed. We have occasionally received letters disclos- 
ing mistaken views as to the nature and objects of the 
National organization. We are very sure that all intel- 
ligent sportsmen who take any pains to enquire into the 
subject will not have any hesitation in giving their 
hearty support to both the National and the State Asso- 
ciations, of which the National is composed. To re- 
move any doubts, however, we give the following ex- 
traet from the proceedings of the National at Niagara 
in September last: 
Resolved. That its precedent is, first, the protection of 
game and fish in all the Slates and Territories, by pro- 
curing the passage in each State, and in the Congress of 
the United States, of uniform co-operation and consis- 
tent laws, strictly prohibiting their destruction during 
the bree ling, nesting and spawning seasons, and rea- 
sonable time preceding and following the same. Pro- 
hibiting the capture and destruction of ceMain species 
of game birds in nets and traps during any and all sea- 
sons; prohibiting the catching and destruction of fish, 
in the now navigable lakes and streams, with nets or by 
means of chemicals; prohibiting the obstructing of the 
free passage of fish by nets across such streams, and by 
the creation of fish-dams and traps; and to procure the 
passage of such other aud further legislation as may be 
necessary and proper for the full accomplishment of our 
purpose; second, through subordinate organizations, to 
insure a rigid enforcement of all the game and fish pro- 
tection law's now or hereafter to be enacted; third, to 
secure by and through proper legislation the right of 
property in useful hunting dogs, making them, when 
stolen, the subject of larceny, or when wantonly killed 
or maimed the subject of a misdemeanor; fourth, to 
secure, through and by proper legislation, the passage 
of laws prohibiting at any time and season the killing 
or destruction of all song and non-game birds; to or- 
ganize and consolidate under our State jurisdiction, 
irame and fish protective clubs or associations in each 
State and Territory, to act under the jurisdiction of the 
National Association, in securing and enforcing proper 
protective legislation. 
Resolved, That all naturalists, fish culturists, and 
spoilsmen generally in those States having no associ 
ations be, and are hereby, earuestl3' requested without 
delay to organize local clubs therein, to form State As- 
sociations under the jurisdiction of the National Asso- 
ciation, and that all State organizations now existing and 
operating be and are solicited to become members of this As- 
sociation, so that by unity of action throughout the land 
we may accomplish and perpetuate the great reform 
designed and desired. 
LIST OF DELEGATES. 
A MEETING of influential gentlemen Interested in a 
good understanding between the United Slates and 
Canada is in session at the Cooper Institute, New York, 
as we are .going to press. It is too late to offer any re- 
port of their proceedings, but we are glad to know of 
such a meeting. All such outspoke^ expiession helps 
to form public opinion. We are confident that the 
National will endorse and adopt any reasonable plans 
for international action, even if they come from the 
outside. The more meetings the better The subject 
needs ventilation; it needs co-opgration, national and 
international. The question is what to do and how to 
do it. The man that can answer efficiently is the right 
man in the right place. By all means give him a hear- 
ing, and let the echo of words spoken in New York be 
heard in Cleveland. 
The Wat' rtown meeting, w e learn at the last moment, 
will be held on the 31 st instant. 
Connecticut. — H. J. Boughton, Waterbury; W. F 
Pa"ker, West Meriden ; A. C Hobbs, Bridgeport; Henry 
B. Harrison, New Haven; F. W. Ru.'-sell, Hartford. 
Illinois. — W. F. Milligan, Chicago; Hon. S. P 
Hopkins, Palatine; Abner Price, Chicago; Dr. W. A 
Pratt, Elgin; Jno. L. Pratt, Sycamore. 
Mass.vciiusetts. — John Boyden, Worcester; Luther 
Adams, Boston; Hon. E H. Lathrop, Springfield; Geo 
Delano, New Bedford; T. L. Sturievant, Framingham 
Wisconsin. — H. N. Sherman, Beloit; S. S. Wood 
ward, Watertown; A. F. Lund, Madison; F. W. Wood 
ward, Eau Claire; F. Pond, Jlontello. 
New IlAMi'sniiiE -y-John B. Clarke, Waterman 
Smith, Albert G. Dole, Geo. Bisco of Manchester; 
William Jarvis of Claremont. 
Michigan.— Robert P. Toms, Detroit; E. S. Holmes, 
Grand Rapids; D. H. Fitzhugh, Jr., Bay City; Edgar 
IVeeks, Mt. Clemens; Charles C. Cadman, Detroit. 
Alternates — A. M. Van Duzer, Detroit; W. L. Thayer, 
Grand Rapids; W. C. Colburu, Detroit; J. G. Winder, 
Saginaw; C. C. Fitzhugh, Jr., Bay City. 
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