The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-09-09

taken wrong course, and siIuck anothe
arm or bay of the Great Salt lake" Wild
deep concern we were looking around sur
veying the face of the country to ascertain
what remedy there might be Far this lormi
dable obstruction to our progress, when The
remainder Of our party came up. The diff
Guilty was presented TO them; busoon upon
more calm and scrulinising Inspection, W,
discovered that what representeiso perfect,
The crushing waters" was mDtionless ant
made no sound. The illusionispon become
manifest to all of US, and heavy laugh al
those who were the first to be deceived wa.
the consequence; denying lo.thsm the merit
OF being good pilots or pioneer. &c.
Descending the PERCEPTIONS elevation up
on which We had stood, we entered upon
the bard, smooth plain we b. Just been
surveying with so much doubt md interest,
composed Of BLUSH clay. incrlsted, in wavy
lines, with white saline Substance, the
first representing the body Of ne water, and
the last the crests aud lroih of the mimic
waves and sufyes. Beyond Ais we crossed
What Appeared V have tzea she beds oI
several small lakSs,the walas OF which have
evaporated, thickly encrustel with salt, and
separated from each other by mail mound.
shaped elevations OF a white, sandy, or ashy
earth, so imponderous that it has been
driven by the action Of the winds into these
heaps, which are constantly changing their
position and shapes. Our mules waded
through these ashy undulalon,, sometimes
sinking to their knees, at olhersto their bel
lies. creating dust that rose above and
hung over US like dense og.
From this point, on oui RICH, and left,
diagonally in our front, at an apparent dis
lance or thirty or forty miles, hiah isolated
mountains rise abruptly from the surface Of
the plain. Those from car left we're as
white as the snowlike face Il the desert, and
may be Of the same composition, bat am
inclined 10 the belief that they are composed
OF white clay, or clay and sand intemngled.
The mirage, beautiful phenomenon
have frequently mentioned as exhibiting
itself upon our journey, here displayed its
wonderful illusions in perfection and with
a magnihcence surprising any presentation
Of the kind had previously seen. Lakes
dotted with islands and bordered by groves
OF gently waving timber, whose tranquil sad
limpid waves reflected their sloping banks
and the shady islets in their bosoms, lay
spread out before us, inviting Us, by their
illusory temptations. to stray from our path
and enjoy their cooling shades and refresh.
ing waters. These fading away as we ad.
vanced. beautiful villas, adorned with edit
ces, decorated with all the ornaments of su.
burban architecture, and surrounded by gar.
dens. shaded walks. parks and stately ave.
nues. would succeed them, renewing the
allrning invitation TO repose by enticing
the vision with more than Calypsan enjoy
ments or Elysian pleasures. These melt.
ing from our view as tho;e before, in
another place vast city, with countless
columed edifres OF marble whiteness, and
studded with dones, spires and nrreted tow
ers, would rise upon the horizon OF the
plain, astonishing us with lis stupendous
grandeur and sublime magpifcence. But
it IS in vain to attemp, a description OF
these singular and extraordinary phenomena.
Neither prose nor poetry, nor pencil Of the
artist, can adequately portra, their beauties.
The whole distant view around at this point
seemed like the creation of sublime and
gorgeous dream, or the effect Of enchant-
ment. observed that where these appear
ances were presented in their most varied
forms, and with the most vivid dstinctness,
the surface Of the plain was broken, either
by chasms followed out from the action OF
tho winds, or by undulations formed of the
drifting sands.
About eleven O'Clock We struck a vast
white plain, uniformly Level, and utterly
destitute of vegetation or any sign that shrub
or plant had ever existed sbove its snow.
like surface. Pausing lew moments to
rest our mules and moisten our mouths and
thoats from the scanty supply of beverage
in our powder-keg, we entered upon this
appalling field Of sullen and hoary desOla.
ton. Ii was a scene 50 entirely new TO Us,
so frightfully forbidding and unearthly in its
aspects, that all Of US, believe, though inn
pressed with its subGmity, felt slight shud-
der Of apprehension. Our mules seemed to
sympaihise with us in the pevading senti-
ment, and moved forward with reluctance,
several Of them stabbotnly setting their
faces for countermarch,
For fifteen miles the surface OF the plain
is so compact that the feet Of our animals,
as We hurried them along over it, left bul
little if any impression for the guidance of
the future traveller. Il is covered with hard
crust OF saline and alkaline substances com.
bined, beneath which is stratum Of damp
whitish sand and clay inttfmingled. Small
fragments Of white shellyrock, of an inch
and half in thickness, which appear as il
they once composed crust, but had been
broken by the action Of the atmosphere OIL
the pressure Of water rising from beneath,
are strewn over the entire plain and imbed-
ded in the salt and sand.
As we moved onward member Of oul
party in the rear called our attention to a q
gantic moving object on our left, at an ap
parent distance Of six or eight miles. 1t i
very difficult to determine distances accurate
ly on these plains. Your estimate is based
upon the probable dimensions Of the object
and unless you know what the object is
and its probable size, you are liable to grea
deception. The atmosphere seems frequent
ly to act as a magnifer; so much so, that
have often seen raven perched on Low
shrub or an undulation Of the plain, answer
ing TO the outlines OF man on horseback.
But this object was so enormously large