The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-06-17

The Canadian. another q its branches, rises in the
Rocky Mountains, and 0ews through hroad valley
s D1 ss 3 e s s TS ne
Arkansas, FIVE hundred miles above its mouth. Two
hundred miles OF its lower portion dow through q
valley of unbounded fertility, shrowded in rich
ton is through arid deserts which for the greater
portion Of the year drinks up the whole OF its
waters. IS
The Red river rises east of Santa Fe, and flows
eastwardly towards its mouth in latitude IL. This
river is navigable about FIVE hundred miles to the
Great Raft. In very high water small boats pass
several hundred miles above the raft. Its name is
derived from the red arglaceous earth it holds in
solution.
The waters Of this southern region hold in solu-
ton proportion of common salt and sulphate Of
magnesa, which in many instances render them too
brackish and bitter for use and al of them are CO
lored with red earth during freshets.
have been informed BY Mr.. Andrew Drips, late
an Indian agent on the Upper Missouri, that he has
been repeatedly assured BY old trappers, at the pc
of Yellow Stone river, and the head stream Of the
Lewis fork of the Columbia, have their sources in
lake on the summit of the main chain Of the Rocky
Mountains. The account is that the lake is near
two miles in length from north to south, and very
narrow, and that there Ia current in it to its ex.
tremity, where an immense MAS of granite divides
ts waters nearly equally, one portion precipitating
itself from the eastern and the other from the Yves
s toleraby well atested) what theme for the poet!
Moore has given us sweet song upon "the meeting
of the waters" but who since the death Of Byron,
A fact nearly similar l. given by Ross Cox, Of the
Hudson's Bay Company. Eat l p H." says he,
1--WE arrived at two small lakes, between which we
encamped. They are only few hundred feet each
does not exceed twenty-five or thirty feet. From
them two rivers take their RISE which pursue differ
ent courses and fall into separate oceans-the first
into the North Pacific, while the other, branch Of
the Athabarea, unites finally with the Myrja and
Mackenzie, and flows into the Arctic Sea- Lewis
and Clark found the sources of the Missouri within
q mile of the waters Of the Columbia; Fremont
waters Of the Colorado; and the sources of the Ar.
kansas and Platte both interlock with branches Of
the Colorado.
Lakes, lagoons and bayous abound in the Delta
nation extending six or eight hundred miles up the
Arkansas and Red rivers, but we know of no lakes
south of the Missouri and west of the States in the
great Western Territory.
quence of relying too implicitly the representa-
tions Of the men of the mountains, who delight in
magnifyng the wonders of their wild home deserves
special correction, inasmuch as he was officially en-
gagged in the examination of the country, and conse-
quently has been looked to with greater confidence
for correct statements of fact, both in Europe and
America. This error is quoted so recently by M. de
Tocquevie, in his great work, that we are warrant
ed in concluding that il is yet the prevalent opinion
among men Of science. The statement is, "That
from a line drawn parallel with the twentieth de-
gree of longitude from the Red river in the south,
to the Platte, northward and from thence indefinite
ly north the whole country is unfit for cultivation
and of course uninhabitable by people depending
upon agriculture for their subsistence" 1t so hap
pened that Major Long, in following the line Of the
Platte river to its forks, and thence across and
along the south fork passed over the only remarka-
bly, sterile district in the whole territory The truth
u.s. that many considerable exceptions must be made
to this sweeping denunciation. From the forks Of
the Platte westward there is broad strip of mari
and earthly limestone, extending from the south fork
north to the Missouri. North of the Missouri the
whole country is fertile back to the mountains.
Along the eastern slope. of the mountains, as far
south as New Mexico, there is generally broad
bench of fine soil. Within the mountain chain
large and fertile valleys occur. The basin of the
Yellow Stone is very rich district. Large spots of
good soil are found between the Platte and the Mis-
souri,. The river bottoms are all fertile near their
sources, and become much more So as well as larger,
as they are descended. On these facts cannot be
mistaken. They are the fruit of personal OBJ
servaton and of inquiries directed to intelligent
and competent sources. Entire deserts occur,
save in few narrow strips along the Arkansas
and Canadian rivers south Of the Patteiand east of
its fork, cultivation will be confined to the river
bottom, west of the first district described herein;
while the highlands will afford pasturage for locks.
Sparsity Of timber constitutes the greatest barrier
to the settlement
Scattered throughout this territory, there are
They rise from six to eight hundred feet above the
common level, and are frequently surrounded by
rugged slopes and abrupt precpces, rendering their
SUBMITS nearly inaccessible. number of them
in this way perfectly insulated; but others SUBJ
side into the plains below by gentle declivies from
their SUBMITS to their bases on one other side Of
the eminence. These tracts are more numerous but
less extensive near the mountains. They have been
likened without reason to the steppes OF Asia They
are called mesas by the Mexicans. The largest Of
them is known as FL Dano Escatado which stretches
north to the Canadian east to the boundary Of Lou
isana including the heads of the false Wachita and
other streams, and expands southwark to the
of the Trinity, Brazos and Colorado, and westward
to the Bio embracing an area of about thirty
thousand square miles. In places where the brows
OF these mesas approach stream closely on both
sides, the deep caverns or ravnes there found are
called canores by the tMexicans, and this term has
been extended to include the narrow eorges in
streams frequently found rushing in volcanic re-
gions. Even in an open plain the small streams Of
ten cut chasms, which, although only few feet in
Width, may sometimes be seen from afty to one hun
dred feet in depth.
The stupendous chain Of the Rocky Mountains
which bound this vast territory on the west has
been distinguished by number Of appellations,
such as the shining mountains, the Mexican,
whole, the Mexican portion should be designated as
the Anahuac; that portion succeeding and extend
ing TO the forty ninth parallel the Rocky Mountains
and the portion north Of that line as the Chippe-
wayan THESE mountains are arranged in Q west
northwest and south-southeast direction and rise
abruptly from the plain, towering into ridges and
peaks Of great height, becoming visible at dis
lance of one hundred miles. James's peak is eight
Thousand ive hundred feet above the common level.
FREMONT peak, on Wind river is thirteen thousand
five hundred and seventy feet above the Mexican
Gulf and is undoubtedly the highest peak of the
whole chain. The more elevated portion of these
mountains are covered with perpetual snow, pre-
senting, at great distances very brilliant aspect.
Here nature has undergone her widest and deepest
throes, leaving enormous masses of rugged pr1mi-
tive rock clad in scattering growth OF scrubby
pines, oak, cedar, furze and artemisia.
Formerly this range was deemed impossible, but
Mackenzie succeeded in passing it in 1898, at the
head OF Peace river. Lewis and Clark, in 1906,
found the North Pass, near the head of the Missouri
other good road little south of it, The South Pass
has been known to trappers since 1909. There is o
difficult one at the head of the Saskatchewan river;
another followed by Fremont in returning from Cali