Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1849-05-03
Ftem he National Iatslliesncss 81 The llth.
COLONEL FREMONT A>D HIS PARTY

COLONEL FREMONf Avn MS PARTY.
.duthenfic Particulars. Letters have
been received from Col. Fremont cover-
ing the two months (from the last Of Mo-
vember 10 The "a Of February that he
was not heard Of, and giving terrible events
Of thst time. They are written from Taos
and SAINTS Fe. New Mexico, and address,
ed to Mrs Fremont, at Washington; and,
in her absence, (for II was deemed proba-
Bile that she might have set off TO Califor.
MIA by sea before they arrived, TO Senator
Benton, and in his absence, to William
Carey Jones, Esq. The letters came from
ST Louis last night, having been brought
10 that place by Mr. st Vrsin.. Mrs FREE
mont, Fortunately, was gone; Senator Ben
ton had delayed his departure for Missou-
RI, confident that letters were on the way ;
and in his hands we have seen the origi-
mails, and We propose TO give extracts in
the order Of their dates. The FIRST isdated-
.TAos, Nsw Msx,co. Jaasary "a, ls49
II write 10 you from the house Of our
good friend Carson. This morning cup
Of chocolate was brought to me while in
bed. To an overworn, overworked, fa-
tigued, and starving traveller, these little
lnxnriss Of thu world offer an interest
which in your comfortable home, It Is not
possible for you TO conceive. .
II have now the unpleasant task Of tell
ing you how | came here. | had much
rather speak Of the future, with plans
for which am already occupied for the
mind turns from the scenes have witness
ed and the sufferings we have endured |;
bat rs clear information Is due TO you, and
10 your father still more, ] will give yon
the story now. instead Of waiting TO tell il
to yon in California; but write in the
great hope that you will not receive this
letter. When i reaches Washington you
may be on your way to California.
Former letters will have made you ac-
qnainted with our progress as far az Bent =
Fort, and, from report, you will have
heard the circumstance Of our departure
from the Upper Puebla, near the head Of
the Arkansas. We left that place on the
18th Of November with upward Of one
hundred good mules and one hundred and
thirty bushels Of shelled corn, intended to
support our animals in the deep SHOWS Of
| the high mountains and down TO the loves
parts Of the Grand rivers tributaries,
where usually the snow forms no obstacle
to winter travelling. At Puebia had en-
gagged a. guide an old trapper, well
known ~ :. Bill Williams" and who he'd
spent some twenty five years ofhis life in
trapping in various parts Of the Rocky
Mountains. A
sThe error Of our expedition was COM
mitted in engaging this man. He proved
never TO have known, or entirely TO have
forgotten, the whole country through
which we were TO pass. We occupied
| (sfier passing the mountain) more than
half month in making the progress Of :
few days, laundering along . tortuous
course, through deep snow, which already
began to choke up the passes, and wasting
our time in searching the way. The 18th
Of December we found ourselves at the
mouth Of the Rio del Norte canon. where
that river Issues from the Sierrs San jun.
-one of the highest, most rugged, and
.impracticable Of all the Rocky Mountain
ranges, inaccessible to trsppers and hum
tiers. even in summer. Across the point
Of this elevated range our guide conducted
~ and, having still great confidence in
this mans knowledge, we pressed on
wards with fatal resolution. Even along
the river bottoms the snow was already
breast deep for the mules, and falling FREE
qnently in the valley and almost constants
" on the mountains. The cold was ex-
| iraordinary. At the warmest hours Of
tho day (befween one and two) the Their
momeier Fahrenheit stood, in the shade
Of = tree trunk, ut zero; and that was q
favorable day. the sun shining and mode
crate breeze. Judge Of the nights and
1.-THE storms e s.t
1--WE pressed up towards the summit,
the snow deepening as we rose. and in
four or Ave days Of this struggling and
climbing, oil on foot, we reached the nsk-
Cd ridges which lie above the line Of the
timbered region, and which form the di-
viding heights between the waters Of the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Along these
naked heights il storms al winter, snd the
raging winds sweep across them with re-
moraeless fury. On eur first attempt to
cross we encountered 4 poudkrie--( dry
snow driven thick through the air By vio-
| lent wind. aDd1in which objects are visible
only Il short distance )--aDd wers dris-
-. $3.50 80. s.ae - r.na.r.A.