The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1849-02-16

the reach Of all. The book i. got up IN tn
cheap two shilling form, andis accompanied
by map Of California. 1t co, itains the ful
lest, and indeed the only reliabl geological
neurological, Typographical, nd meteoro
logical description of Callor1 ia, and TN
overland route thi,her, now in print. Tn
book is for sale by the BURLEY 5, in Chica
60, and can he got from thence by mail.
We copy a few columns at r, ndom from
the book before us, believing ia at we cal
at this time lay nothing more intc resting be
fore our readers.
TIE SIERRA NEVADA.
"This Sierra is pant of the grea, noun
tain range, which, under different names
and with different elevations, but with mucI
uniformity Of direction and general pr kim
Unity 10 the coast, extends from the u, min
sula Of California to Russian America, snt
without gap in the distance through " tricl
the water Of the Hockey Mountains CO, i,
reach the Pacific ocean, except at the tw {
places where the Columbia aud Frazer
rivers find their passage. This great range
is remarkable for its length. its proximity
and parallelisn TO the sea.coast, its great
elevation, often more lofty than the Rocky
mountains, and lis many grand volcanic
peaks, reaching high into the regions of
perpetual snow. Rising sinGly, like pyra.
midS, from heavily timbered plateaux, 10
The height of fourteen and seventeen thou.
sand feet above the level Of the ,ea. tbes.
snowy peak, constitute the characterizinr
features of ,be rance. and di<,iuynish !, from
the Rocky mountains and all others m, on,
part of the continent.
That par, of this range which traverses
the ALTA CAIIroRsr. Gunner California,
is called the Sierra Nerada, (Suowey noun.
taifO-a name in itself imolyipc q Greo, cl.
ovation, as il is only applicd in Spoui,h c..
ocraphy, to the mountains whose SUBMITS
penetrate the region of perpetual snow. II
is grand feature of California, and n
dominating one, and must be we'll under
stood before the structure Of the country
and the character of its different divisions
can be compreheuded. Ii divides CaliEor.
MIA into two parts, and exercises a decided
influence on the climate. soil, and produc.
tons of each. Stretching along the coast.
aid ut the general distance Of lsOmiles from
it, this great mountain will receive ,he
warm winds, charged with yapor. which
sweap across the Pacific ocean, precipitates
their accumulated moisture in lertilizinc
rains and SHOWS upon its western flank. and
leaves cold and dry winds 10 PASS on 10 the
east. Hence the characteristic difference
Of the two recions-mildness, fertility. and
a superb vegetable kingdom ON one side,
comparative barenness and cold on the
other.
The two sides Of the Sierra exhibit two
distinct climates. The state of vegetation.
in come ction with some themomctrical oh.
servations wade during the recent exploring
expedition to California, will establish aud
'nus,rae 'n's u,ile.ehce' IN 'ne beginning
y. , neen ons, o'1, we .."'Ne" 'his sierra,
NJ 'a"'u"e 90 l al 'ne present uSua'
vn'eian' Pass, =, 'he heau "i Tue salmon
il1". WI fon'''es norm VI ne" iieNena,
a"" ,"a"e ",'o", ~ e"." o"Se' ana III
Wv 'a''e 'a,."'e, w ue'e'",'"e 'ne reSpec'
w.. .ni' we WV o"Sen oei'r' re-
sPe,".''i, we n no" "o'"' ou"' an" ,hr
.us'e," "'o"t i'Vo' ,'e' "us' ,"e '''ui VI
Wv ~" .'e ass ,,-oo 'ee'' ne
."se 49,. ,n no' ."''sr' d. Noon ~ AZ
.u"se' 'o '"o S'"'. VI 'n' >eSe'a''oh an"
"'e "pf." ""'' y, vi. ,'u"! oe''e al I'VE
sum ,..'e l,e'o"" "erN U, De'r""er) mat
VI ."'."' . "u,,ei 'ne ',r's frozen over
SNOW u" ''e '''SeS' ""'"a' pants "eau,
G'"ss "'y, anu uee'",o"S uees M'lPPe" Oh
'he'r ,o'aee. A' ,'e "eSfeFn oase' me
mean ,s.np.,a'".e u". ,"o '",iespo'.G mig
meen WIS. a., a. sua'''. - """ "'srhse'o. )
..'e s'"N. VI w. a"'osP"eit """ VI vtee'a'
no. u'"s VI a"'a"e,"S Slr,"s' grass llesn
an" s'oe"i io'I " e'sn '".".' nH'' r.'.,a'
P'"''s ~ o'o,"'' .'e al. so'', an" an we
M'e''', 'ec ,,o'n 'oe nus Deee''oei o''
w" :" ne " w. "." ';.' was "'"''i V"
Tue o'"e'' was SP''"S'
THE GREAT BASIN.
East of the Sierra Nevada, and between
il and the Rocky mountains, is that onoma.
lous feature in our continent, the Great Ba.
sin, the existence Of which was advanced
as theory after the second expedition, and
is now established as geographical fact.
1t is a singular feature basin of some
five hundred miles diameter every way, be-
tween four and five thousand fee, above the
level of the sea, shut in all around by
mountains, with its own system Of lakes
and rivers. and having no cOunpyiun ~ hat