The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-01-06

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facts which dispense with speculation
! and assertion That region was three
times trasersed, and on different routes,
by Messrs. Beale aud Heap, in the SUM-
mer of 1853. 1t happened thus: when
they reached the east fork of the, Great
Colorado of the West, and were crossing
it, they lost, BY accident of an overiurn-
ed canoe, their supply of munitions, both
for the qua aud the mouth, and we're
forced to send back 10 the nearest settle
ment fora further supply. That nearest
settlement Was Taos, in New Mexico,
distant tfFee hundred and thirty mikes
| and that distance to be made upon mules,
finding their own food, which had already
travelled, on the same condition, one
thousand miles from the frontier of Mis-
souri, and these mules, (thus already
Travelled long and hard, without other
food than the grass afforded, now made
the double distance at the rate of forty
miles a day-stil finding their own food
and, on the return, bringing packs ON
their backs. This performance must
stand for a proof that tie whole noun
tain region between the Upper Colorado
and the valley of the Upper Del Norte
is well adapted to travelling and that in
state of nature and also well supplied
with nutritious grass; and this clears US
of the Rocky Mountains, from which to
the Little Salt Lake it is all an open pr;ic-
ticable way, not limited to a track, but
trlverSable on any line. Loaded wagons
travel it in state of nature. The valley
of the Colorado is either level or rolling !;
the Wahsatch and Anserria ranges are
perforated by incessant valleys; and
from the Little Salt Lake to the great ST.
ezra Nevada, as explored by Fremont
last winter, the way is nearly leyel-il
succession of valleys between the noun
tains-and terminated by superb pass,
debouching into the valley of San Joa-
quin. Fremont, referring to previous
Indian information, says of it:
"When the Point was reached found
the Indian information fully verified: the
mountain suddenly terminated, and broke
down into lower grounds, barely above
the level of the country, and making nri-
merous openings into the valley of the
San Joaquin. | entered into the firs
which offered, (taking no time to search
as we were entirely out of provisions ant
living upon horses, which led us by al
open and almost level hollow thirteel
miles long to an upland, not steep enough
to be called hill, over into the valley o
u small aff1uent to Kern river; the hollow
, and the valley making together a wa,
where wagon would hot find any ob
struction for forty miles" ~igl<aE iys
Aid this completes all that is necessa
~ TO be shown in favor of the smoothnes
of the way-its equality of surface
throughout the whole line; although j
attains great clevatioIr-and lands yot
in California, in the rich and unsettled
valley of Sun Joaquin, proximate to tht
southern end of the gold mines. Not q
tunnel to be made-a mountain 10 be
Iclin,bed-a hill to bccrossed-a swamp b
be seen--or desert, or movable sand t.
be encountered, in the whole distance
and all this equality of surface baromet-
rically determined by Fremont as well
as visibly seen by his eve: SO that this
line for road, the longest and straight
est irf the world, is also over the smooth
est and most equal surface. For, al
though, a great elevation is attained, it is
on long line, and gradually and impcr-
eeptibly-the mere rise of an inclined
plane.
Rivers to be passed are obstruciiolls TO
roads, to be overcome by large applica-
tions of skill and means I; and here again
the central route is most favorable. The
entire line is only crossed in its course BY
the streams in the valley of the Upper
Colorado, and those Of inconsidclaiblc
width, with solid banks and stone for
bridges. On this side of the Rocky
Mountains the course of the rivers is par
allcl to that of the road-thc Kansas, the
Arkansas, and the Huerano, being all in
its line. Beyond the valley of the Colo
RADIO, no river at all-only small streams.
lu this description of the country,
have relied chiefly on Fremont, whose
explol-i:ion, directed by no authority,
connected with no company, swaycd by
no interest--wholly guided BY himself,
and solely directed 10 the public. good,
would b. entitled TO credit upon his own
report, unsupported by subsidiary evil
dence but he has not left the credit Of
his report to his word alone. , He has
done, besides, what no other explorer has
done. lie has made the country reporf
itself. D.sides determining cieya ions
barome:IicalIy, anI fixing POSITIONS as-
Economically, and measuring objects with
IA pi1lc.iced cye.-besi1cs nil that, he has
ZAP, ,Jliel the dagucrTco.ype art 10 the face
OF the wild country, and made j. speak
for it.elf. Three hundred of these views
illustrate the path Of his exploration, and
compcls every object 10 staud forth and
show iiselfas it j.. or was moui:aiIi---a,aT
= plain = rock forrest = grass-snow,
where there is any. aud naked GROUND
where there Is io:--ali exhibit thensclyc.
as they are For Da2uerTe has no power
to coi,csaI what is visible, or to cxbibi
what is non-cxs,cnt. He uses no pencil
% substitute fiction for Eact, or fancy fol
! memory. lie Is machine thu. works q
a pattern, aud that pattern theobject bcforC
him; aud iH this way has Fremont repro
duced the country from theMississippi &
the Pacific. and made il become the re-
: fex of It's own features, viewable Ia ever,
! behoider; and that no.bing may BE- want
. in. 70 complete the infosna;ion OF, . sub
. jject OF such magnitude, he has now gen,
back to give the flushing examination
r and survey Of the line, which fhirt,
thousand miles Of wilderness exploration
i in the last twelve years. (aIl at bis owr
, suggestion. and the last half at his owr
) cost, authorize him to believe is the true
land good, route for the road which Is d
mite the Atlantic and the Pacific. and q
give q new channel 70 the commerce o
Asia. q -. szfsT - -
All the ether requisites or the con
| struetion and mainienaIae Of a road, anf
a f,<..