The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-11-08

Another Letter FROM Col. Benton.
THE GENITAL ROUrx TEE PACIFIC.
0Dmnmx-I send you Letter just rsestved from Fort
Mssschuses in the valley Of San Luis bad Of the Rio
il il had fasn ths clouds and could not have been
ore acceptable it had been from any other spot ON
shs S ~ .as
Of party Of sngrant AL removing and taking With
them large herds Of sheep and some cattle for the Cali
forna market They travelled upon The line which Beals
and heap described and confirm all they said BY the
tua aes Of the travelling of their wagons and the
In the PhadelphiA Baltimore markets and that after
h0elling upwards of one thousand miles from Illinois,
md hundred Of it from the Missouri from
Tier. The country is rich and beautiful, and
the valley of San Luis and the mountain all that
Lsroux and Fremont described il 10 be- ooly think OF
that grass-thck as meadow TO the top Of the noun
tains and many good for four moved tons, ana
plenty all the winter to sustain stock without food Or
to get-a plain statement OF actually seen by
an emgrating company moving in q body without any
system theory establish and looking Tor the best
Wayto get to California
The pass which they mention through Wnch captain
Gunnson went in the Sierra Blanca leading
from the Arkansas plains into valley of San Luis
three of which excellent and one OF them higher up,
and FROM seventy eighty miles nearer than the other
two by being more the straight line to the Cooicha
tone in the Rocky untains the Camera which Is
near it, and nearly 40 good Instead Of no passes in
these mountains, there are q multiplicity Of them-so
many and good that the traveller has choce in the
tsristy and only puzzled to decide which is best
the spot where Fremont TUNED out Of the valley
his guide In the winter OF 1siS and lS9 and when he
found the pass almost without through which the
Utahs passed from the Del Norte TO the Arkansas and
which was so level that he could only by careful observa
Zion detect the point If the dividing waters.
In brief, Messrs Editors, feel emboldened to
peat what Fremont has often told me-that in the
part OF the Rocky Mountains covering the Three Pa
the headwateIs OF the South Platte the Arkansas and
Del Note and the headwaters of the East Fork of the
Great Colorado of the West exactly the line from St.
Louis TO San Francisco and about half between thsn
double size of all tho Swiss cantons put together and
presenting every thing grand beautiful be found
In Switzerland, without the drawback of glaciers and
avaAnchss and consequently without its cold He has
fully, gentlemen your Obliged fellow citizen,
THOMAS II. BENTON.
Foar MAssAcuuszurs IN. ny Aug. %, 1858
DEAR Sn-Kno wing tha you feel Interested IA the mid
die the great Pacific railroad and believing that
any information with regard it would be aces table
matter how humble the source from which comes,
have determined TO state what know about it. This
infor lion is from travelling the route just behind Capt
Gunnison left Virginia the first of April, went to
Missouri and Illinois purchase sheep for the California
market After purchasing started to take them by Old
Sa Lake, the Humboldt river &c. feeling assured that
S. s % ossn NJ Having SO s hn
in st. Louis met with Capt Gunnison and learned from
him that there better route BY way OF Utah Lake
and that he going open and that from what he
knew about it it would be much better or me to take it.
After thinking good deal over it, I determined to
stock the old route, and good prospect of gengto
California this read your address with great
about the could be relied on, left Missouri
Westport the 18th of June, with large number Of
sheep ana some cows1Mr CrocEett OF virginia part
Rosses Of Iowa. with their families going the old route
they also determined to accompany the new route
Burwells of Frarklin city, Virginia. with large number
of cattle, who also pers uaded to join We ira
yelled the Santa Fe road twenty 1--WE miles above Fort At
kinson keeping the we'll beaten track thirty miles
above Bent Old Fort and crossed the Arkansas river at
the mouth Opishka Creek the Huera-
no. up that about twenty miles, and crossed the
Sierra Blanca mountains through Captain Gunnisons
fort The distance given by Capt Gunnson 6e3 miles
from Westport, Missouri.
have travelled over the mountains of Virginia. Penn
and Tennessee several OF the OF the
Sierra Nevada, in California, and have never seen
better easy for carriages and wagons than
Ranca Just opposite Fort Massachusetts, and distant
from it 6fteen miles tf1veed the old route to Cali
fornia in ls49 and speak Of the two routes from
tual experience, having gone over both with wagons
look this route far SUPERIOR and feel confident
that it is known, it will and must be the great
thoroughfare from the Atlantic to the Pacific On this
route there abundance Of and water much
that stoc will travel and keep fat; tbs large majority
of sheep mutton in the Philadelphia
or Baltimore market and very large number Of Mr..
Burwelrs cattle fine beef and have seen any
stock after having travelled far look half VEIL Both
of Rosses have carriages and yet nothing has
In the least given way. can say, without fear oil con-
tEadcon, that this is one of the finest natural roads in
the world, 5inr everything necessary to sustain
took and am confident tina its advantages are fully
,ade known to Congress- that it Will be aafp ed for the
cute be settled all the land from Missouri to
nts Fort is rich and very fertile, equal to the best
Apds OF Missouri and Illinois, and land beat the
Eera Blanca for grass to the very summit it stands
.tthick the best meade many would at
least four per Then the large and
beautiful Valley ST. Louis said to BE- of the )st fer
tile in New Mexico Indeed, fine land is upon the whole
route and the climate such that stock live AL winter
upon the grass. will here sta e the route think best
for emgrants to travel Leave Westport Missouri take
the to Unontown then to Fort Centre then take
Captain Gun1isons trail, which leads from the Kansas
to the Arkansas the mouth Of Walnut Greek, up
the Arkansas above Bent's Old Fort thirtytwo miles
then the Huerfano through Capt Gunnst MS Pass to
Fort Massachusetts, then to Little Salt Lake. Walkers
Pass, Sierra Nevada then down The valley OF the San
joaquin 10 Stocb San Francco There settle
ments at dereat points all along this route where emf
grants get supplies, further apart than two
hundred miles After leaving Missouri you pass nrst
Council Grove the fort Walnut Creek ext Green
Horn next Fort Massachusetts,, Little Salt Lake, Santa
Clara Negas de Cezaiara each of these supplies
be had feel confident when Capt Gunnison makes out
his report that this route will be adopted The pass
through the Sierra Blanca Is low and gradual that
railroad be made it, and the grade will not
coed fifty feet to the mile Capt Gunnson is doing his
whole duty and well deserves the thanks of the whole
country the very well laid out road through this al
most UNEMPLOYED country will write you again after
getting through to California and describe the rest of
ths way Yours, respectfully,
CHAS W. McCI.ANAHAN
Brooklyn City Intelligence.
N THE RECENT STAINING AfFRAY-W. c. Moss and Thomas
H. hpnu ~hf hofaW Tndno Epoap