TRAVELS IN THE CALIFORNIA S. 
333 
mountains, lying on the track of our description, deserves espe¬ 
cial notice. 
A spar of rugged hills puts off here from it, and runs down 
southwardly between these principal branches of the Sacra¬ 
mento to its forks. These heights are manifestly of volcanic 
origin ; and Mr. Kelly suggests “ that as they abound in 
basaltic and vitrified stones, scoriae, &c., they be called the 
volcanic range.” Along their base stretches a beautiful 
chain of prairies for seventy or eighty miles, watered by nume¬ 
rous rivulets. In this volcanic ridge I found a stratum of earth 
* which the Mexicans call tepetate, and which forms a cement, 
when covered by water, or buried so far below the earth as 
to retain moisture. It is so soft as to be easily penetrated by 
an iron bar; but it becomes as solid and impenetrable as a 
rock, on being exposed to the sun or wind. The general as¬ 
pect of this range is rude and black. The minor hills are 
covered with dark-colored iron-stones of all shapes, with 
sharp edges resembling clinkers in the arches of a brick-kiln; 
and with reddish clay and gravel, appearing like pulverised 
brick. It is the work of volcanic fires, and may properly bear 
the name which our worthy countryman has given it. 
The western main branch of the Sacramento is nearly equal 
in size to the eastern. It discharges nearly as much water, 
but gathers it from less space. It rises among a lofty cluster 
of the Snowy Mountains about thirty miles from the sea, and 
running in a south by easterly direction about two hundred 
miles, meets the other branch at the forks, with a generous 
flood of beautiful waters. The tributaries of this are not so 
large or numerous as those of the eastern branch; and the 
same may be said of the prairies that border it; but they are 
quite as charming. They stretch along by the rushing waters 
among the heights, loaded with evergreen forests, like fairy 
paths of olden tales; rich, rich, glorious to behold; beauty 
reposing in the lap of the giant mountains; to whom the 
sounding streams give music; to whom the mountain dews 
give jewels, and the wild flowers incense. Were I to be ex- 
