Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-04-20

here--snow in the mountains. This is 10 b
considered poor country, mountainous, wit
but little arabic land, and infested with hostil
Indians.
81 am anxiously waiting TO hear from m
party, and in much uneasiness as TO their fate
My presence kept them together and quiet-m
absence may have had bad effect When W
overlook Kings furnishing party, Bfackenridg
said 10 me, 'HE FELT HIMSELF sAPE.'n
So far he eXtfac:s from the first letter, an,
they are mourn(uI enough. The next, writer
after the return Of Cooley, with the survivor
Of The party, will be still more SO. Thoug
written with rapidly, and confined to events :
the mind recoliny from the description o
scenes and the details Of wo-it is still too nue.
for this nights paper, and must be deferred I'll
our next.
with view, among other great objects 10 I'll
Mississippi and Pacific highway.
From the Natiosai Iateligtnec,, ApyiL lGl
COL. FREMONT AND His PARTY
FURTHER AND FINAL ACCOUNTS.
We resume the extracts from Col Fremonp
LeltcTs pftidcins thrm wlth some bret deserip
ton oi the localities made memorable hy dIsas
ter, iuf the Information o. those who have not r.
cent maps al hand.
Ii is known that the great Rocky Mountain
chain, with a general direction Norih and Souil
sends out a branch towards The Sou heas, from
between the heads OF The Arkansas and the Ri
del Nofle; and This branch forms the disldin!
ridge between The upper valleys and these W.
rivers ami between The head-waefs u the Rec
river and The Del Nore; and having accomplish
I'd these purposes il subsidies ami disappears il
The plains Il Texas. TIE highest part Il ihi!
branch chain, and the governing object in il 4
travellers, are the Spanish Peaks, first mad,
known 10 American geography by he then yonns
Lieut. Pike. The Peaks are about in North la
Iilude 31t deg and West Longitude from Lon
don l05 de. aud about IN line iongiiuanally
with The Pueblos ni h Upper Arkansas, Gistan
trom them hall trefcc, am in sigh. They aft
seen al gical dia!auce, and are guiding objects
10 travellers. The road 10 Santa Fe passes b..
low these Peaks, and crosses The chain about We
degrees South: Col. Fremont passed above hem
aud sncrcd ,hr valley Of he Del None hish M
above The Mexican settlements, and above Pixies
suckaaa, aud in'end-i 10 follow The Del Nare ID
lis head, and cross me great Rocky Ncunlain
chain Though some pass there 10 be found. He
was therefore, 50 10 speak going inlo The forks oil
the noun lain-into the gorge Of two mountains
SlSdb CiCfdliOH, " tuC ldCt "
the great rivers which issue from the opposite
sides of The Rocky Mountains at that part-the
Arkansas and Del Norle on the East, the Grand
river fork of the Colorado Of the Gulf Of Cali
forna On the West. II was al this point-lhe
head Of the Del Norte-- where no traveller had
ever gone before, that Colonel Fremont intended
10 pass, TO survey his last line across the CONT
neDt, complete his knowledge of the country
between the Mississippi and the Pacific, and
crown the labors of long explorations, oy show
ing the country between the great river aud the
great sea to be inhabitable by civilized people,
and practicable for great road, and that on Sc
vera. lines, and which was the best. He had
been seven years engaged in this great labor,
and wished to complete il. II was the begin
ming of December that he crossed the chain
from The Arkansas valley into the valley of the
Del Norle; and, although late, with the full be.
lief of the old hunters and traders at the Pueb-
los, the guide inclusive, whom he there enga-
ged that he would 60 through He was proyi-
ded with every thing 10 carry the men to Cali
fornia, and with grain TO carry all the animals
across all the mountains into the valleys OF the
tributaries Of the Great Colorado of the West,
where the SHOWS would be light, wood and
grass sufficient, game abundant, and the hard
ships Of The expedition all surmounted and left
behind. In two weeks he expected TO be in
these mild valleys. Unhappily, the guide con-
sumed these two weeks in getting to the head OF
the Del Norte-a distance which only required
four or Ave days of travel, as Colonel Fremont
showed in coming back. This was the cause Of
the first calamity-the loss Of the horses and
mules. The same guide consumed twenty-five
gays MI uifh tha Tplipf in,
making the distance which Colonel Fremont,
with Cooley, Preuss, and seryant,) without
a guide, on foot, in colder weather, deeper
SHOWS, and half famished, made in six. That
was the cause Of the second and irreparabe ca
lamity-the death Of the men.
The immediate scene Of suffering in this great
disaster, where the ascent Of the great mountain
was forced and its summit scaled, must have
been about north latitude 1884 and west longitude
from London 1903, the elevation above twelve
thousand feet, and the time that Of dead winter
-Chiistmas From this point the noted OBJ
jecls, Pixies Peak aad the Three Peaks, would
bear about E. ~ E., and The Spanish Peaks
about Z. S. E
With this notice CT localities, 10 which =
mournful interest must long attach, We proceed
to give extracts from the remaining and final
letters from Col Fremont The first OF these Is
dated :
"TAo,, NV Mexico, February 3, lSi9
CATER long delay, which had wcariei me to
the point Of res living TO SET out again myself. IL
dln2s have at last reached me from my ill.fated
party.
"Mr Vincent Haler came in last night, hav
ing the night before reached the Little Cobra
do settlement, with three or four others. Inc.u-
ding Mr. King and MIR. Proulx,' we have iosi
eleven of our party.
OCCURRENCES, since | left them, are briefly
hese; 80 lar as they came within the knowledge
II Mr.. HaI.r: say briefly, because am now
unwilling 10 force my mind 10 dwell upon the
details OF what has been suffered | need re.
prirve from terrible contemplatIons. am aDso-
.utrly aslonishtd al tins persistence OF mstor-
succession oi caamilieS which no
care or vigilance Of mine could ioresee ar PIE
Icnt.
you will remember that had lett the camp
,tweGly.ihree m.u) when sci OF Win Cooley.
Preuss, and my servan, IN search II King and
succor with directions about the baggage, and
with occupation sufficient about ii 10 employ
them Tor three or four days; after which they
we're 10 follow me down the river, Within that
time | expected relief from King parry il il
came at all. Ihey remained seven days, and
then started, their scant provisions about exhars-
ted and The dead mules on the western side Of
the great Sierra buried under snow.
"Ianuel-lyou will remember MaDuel--a
Christian Indian Of The Costume tribe, in The
valley of The San Joaquinl-gav way TO feel
ing OF despair alter they had moved about lwo
miles, and begged Vincen. Haler whom had
lei, in command, 10 SHOOT him. Failing o find
death in That form, he turned and made his way
back 10 The camp, intending 10 die there; which
he doubtless soon did.
"The party moved on, and al len miles Wise
gave out-lhrew away his gun and blanke;-and
a few hundred YARDS further, Tell over into The
snow, and died Two Indian boys-coun.rymen
OF Manuel-were behind. They came upon
him, rolled bin up in his banker, and buried
him 10 the snow, on the bank OF the river.
mo othsr died that day. None The next.