Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1848-09-30

Til, two si,i of the Sierra cxh bit two
distnc, climates The state of vegetation,
, in conuexion with some thcrmometrical OBJ
servaions made during the recent exploring
expedition to California, will establish and
illustrate this difference. In the beginning
Of December, lsl5, we crossed this Sierra,
at latitude 80 deg, II min. II sec, at the
present usual emigrant pass, AT the head of
the Salmon Trou, river, 40 Omilcs north Of New
Heleetia, and made observations at each base
and in the same latitude, to determine the
respective temperatures; the two bases being
respectively, the western about 500, and the
eastern about 1000 feet above the level Of
the sea and the Pass 100 ieet.-The mean
results of the observations were, OH the eastern
side, at sunrise, 9 deg at noon, a deg; at
sunse, 80 deg; the state Of vegetation and
the appearance of the country being at the
same time tsecond week of Dlcember) that
Of confirmed winter; the rivers frozen over.
snow on the ridges, annual plants dead, grass
dry. and dcciduous trees stripped OF their TO-.
iage. AT the ,rss'srn base, the mean tempe
rature during a corresponding week was, at
sunrise 90 deg and al sunset SO deg; the
state of the atmosphere and of vegetation that
of advancing spring grass fresh and green,
four 10 eight inches high; vernal plants in
bloom the air soft and all the streams free
from ice. Thus December, on one side Of
the mountain, was winter on the other it
was spring. a..-
.r THE GREAT BASIN.
East of the Sierra Nevada, and between it
aud the Rocky mountains, is that anomalous
feature in our continent, the GREAT BASIN,
the existence of which was advanced as a
theory after the second expedition, and is
now established as geographical fact.-lt
is a singular feature; basin ofsome five hun
dred miles diameter every way. between
four and five thousand feet above the level
of the sea, shu, in all around BY mountains,
with its own system of lakes and rivers, and
having no connexion whatever with the sea-
Partly arid and sparsely inhabited, the gene
raj character of the GREAT BASIN is that OF
desert, but with great exceptions, there being
many parts oft very fit for civilized peo-
pie and Of these parts the Mormons have
lately established themselves in one of the
largest and besi.--Moun,ain is the predomi.
Mating structure OF the interior OF the basin,
with plans between the mountains wooded
and watered, the plains arid and sterile. The
interior mountains conform TO the law which
governs the course of the Rocky moutains
and of the Sierra Nevada, ranging nearly
north and south, and presents very uniform
character Of abrupiness, rising suddenly from
a narrow base of ten to twenty miles, and at
tanning an elevation Of two to five thousand
feet above the level OF the country. They
are grassy and wooded, showing snow on
their summit peaks during the greater part
of the year, and afTording small streams of
water from five to fifty feet wide, which lose
themselves, some in lakes, some in the dry
plains, and some in the belt of alluvial soil
at the base; for these mountains have very
uniformly this belt Of alluvion, the wash and
abrasion OF their sides. rich in excellent grass,
fertile, and light and loose enough TO absorb
small streams. Between these mountains are
the arid plains which receive and deserve the
| name of desert. Such is the general struc.
ture of the interior OF the Great Basin, more
Asiaic than American in its character, and
much resembling the elevated region between
the Caspian sea and northern Persia. The
rim of this basin is massive ranges Of noun.
tains of which the Sierra Nevada on the ives,
and the Wae.satch and Timpanogos chains
on the east, are the most conspicuous. Or
the north, i, is separated from the waters ol
the Columbia by a branch of the Rocky noun
famous ranges, of which the existence has
been only recently determined, Snow a
bounds on them all on some, in their loftiel
parts, the whole year, with wood and grass
with copious streams of water, sometimes q
mounting 10 considerable rivers, flowing in
wards, and forming lakes or sinking in tn,
sands. Belts or benches of good alluvion ar,
usually found a, their base.