New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-02-07

more thousand feet, and forming the surface OF
,hose SINGULAR tabular mountain masses, which
are called "a ,ae1as," and form so striking fig
ure In the physiognomy Of New Mexican land
scapes. On the abrupt sides of these table
mountains he at last viii find the petrifcatio1s
determining the real geological character Of the
strata over which be had been travelling 80 long
IN the plaiss-yegetable remains in the sand
stone, shells in the limestone. Those singular
strata Of scOriaciOus masses which former trav-
elers have been astOnished to see near the Lit
tie AIksnsas on the Pawnee Rock, at the Paw
nee Fork, &c, covering the strata Of that same
sandstone and limestone, or Of congiomerste
Of sand and pebbles in a limestone eement;-he
viii find beyond the CimarrOn, al the Rabbit
Ears, at Round Mound, at Wagon Mound, n
the Patton Mountains, near the Rio VermeJo
and the Ocate. Theyare strata OF sandstone
half scorifed By the contact of basalt or basal
tic lava, which over1Owedit; they were left on
the surface BIZ the decomposition of these vOl-
canic masses From the want OF alkaline sill
Gates in the composition, this soOrI1ed sand
stone ia better able to resist the influence OF al
mospheric agencies, and protecting byits super
position. the lower strata Of sandstone or lime
stone Thus il causes the existence OF those
few rocky hills, which, though Of very small ele-
walton, yet form very conspicuous objects IN
plain OF thousands OF miles in extent The peb-
bles, TOO, which you may collect at the Paynee
Rock or On the Caches Of the Arkansas, form :
the chief material of coarse conglOmerate,
YOU will find 10 be of the same basalts, trachyte.
porphyry, granite or sienite, which form the
rocks in str Of mountains situated halt thou
sand miles further 10 the west.
And as the rocks of Northern Mexico begin
as far east as the Little Arkansas. 80 the plains
of the Missouri, on the other side, surrounding
isolated groups and ridges Of mountains, extend
ING in narrOWs, like the straits and sounds OF an
ocean, between them, and which fill, with a
slight depression, the valley of the Rio Gran1e,
continue west of h, in the plains of the CHA,
which again sink down gradually in the direc-
ton of the Pacific.
The same gradual transition as in the geOlog-
zeal formation is TO be observed in the character
Of the vegetation. Just at the Little Arkansas,
where you observe the first masses of scOrihed
sandstone, with pebbles OF different volcanic
rocks, you will see. at the very same small rocky
hills, the first CacfUs and the first yucca, and
these plants, so Characteristic Of Mexican vege-
tatiOn, gradually increase in number and size as
YOU proceed 20 the west or southwest.
Coming from the east, you gradually see some
plants-luxuriant in the prairies of Missouri
becoming smaller and smaller in size, changing
even their whole physiomomy, till they give
way at last TO the influence OF a soil aud climate
uufavOrabc tOtkeir charlottesville new plants
appear. at first in small number and size, and
Just as gradually augment and improve till you
will find them in their fall perfection on the Rio
Crande, or on the high plains in its neighbour
hood. The high prairies between the mountain
cbains of Northern Mexico, the Tornado del
L., e arHs. -vt
side Of the Rio Grande, the plains of Carisal
and Enciuillas covered with the richest carpet
of the finest grass, appear just like tracts Ofland
cut out Of the eastern pIairieS an transplanted
here between the mountains and rocks which
contain the silver of Mexico.
When the traveller from the east arives at
Las Vegas the first Mexican town, he at length
sees himself at the foot of that mountain chain
to which he had long been gradually approach
ing in an oblique direction, and at length il ap-
pears as if he could no longer avoid climbing
these rocks of sandstone whose ST "a, steepy
inclined 10 the east and bearing thin forest of
scattered pine trees, form the very surface of
the mountain sides. But following theroad mile
or two beyond the town, he soon finds himself at
the entrance Of narrow gap passing through
the chain. On level ground between nearly per
pendicular rocks he passes through into a sys.
TEN of valleys, in which by different ways, he
may reach the Rio Grande without surmount-
ing any Of the mountain chains which surround
him on all sides. Continuing then his voyage
down the valley of the Rio Grande as far as the
last towns above the Tornado del Muerte, he
may pass through wide depression between
the mountains west of the Rio Grande, and ar
rive at the ella, on the verge of the Pacific,
without having climbed chain of mountains.
Through this wide gap, the eastern plains CON-
municate with those OF the western verge OF
the Continent and thus it is beyond doubt that
the ,ohoie ertent Of country from the shores Of
The Me1ieaR to those cfhe Californian Gaif may
Be passed tciihOut sUrm0unting any chain Of
moRntGiHs. JULIUS FRGBEL.