Weekly national intelligencer., 1857-10-17


Ganges and Danube in sze and FIVE great ranges of pr
mary mountains You will see it exactly defined upon
the Hydrogaphic map of l845, as the immense
dnal region encased within the Cordlleras and extend
ing from Tehuantepec to the Northern Sea- Ii would
exhaust large volume recite in detail the interesting
| features of this region, all worthy to be known.
The PLATEAU OF THE TABLE LANDS is succession OF
basins in number, and ranging sue
cessvey from south to north. The solid mass of the
Andes debouches of the Isthmus of Tehuanepec and
forks Immediately into the two Cordieras Advancing
along the Western Cordlera into the State of Jasco
mountain chain issues from its inner flank and travers
ing the table lands plunges into the Sierra Madre the
State OF San Luis Potos This cuts off to the south the
Basin Of the City Of Mexico which is the first the
smallest and most southern of the mountain basins
further north, second mountain chain crosses from
Durango to Coahuila, and cuts off Ae aBasin Of the
Balson di Mapimi" This is the second mountain basin
The Cordieras which flank these two and fence them
from the sea have great altitude that the
vapors never surmoun their crests any clouds
pass outward over them These basins therefore, have
no outward drainage, any rivers running the
Stagnant lakes alternately receive the drainage from
their surrounding mountains and yield it them again
by evaporation. This last chain known the Noun
tain Of the Rio Florida " the former the Mountain
of Queretaro."
Pursuing still the Western Cordllera through the
State of Sinaloa, third mountain chain dividing off
traverses the Table Lands due north and punges into
the Sierra Madre between the plain of St. Louis and the
Middle Park. This is immense and remarkable
mountain thirteen hundred miles in length and di
vdes asunder the of the Del Norte Colorado
1t is the famous Sierra Mmbres The area thus cut off
betweent and the Mountain of the Rio Florida drained
by the rivers Del Norte Pecos and Conchos which, uni
ting at the base of the Sierra Madre perforate it by
caon and escaping into the external maratme region
form the Rio Grande of Texas This is only the water
which perorates the Sierra Madre between Cape
Horn and the Arctic 1t is here that profound and
distressing pervades all the existing charts and
deneations of continental geography These omit
ting the Great Sierra Madre for six seven hundred
miles of its length and assigning its nameo the Sierra
Al
the system of Atlantic rivers Yet the Sierra Mmbres
abounds in pedrgas of lava craters and volcanic pheno
mena, and the geological altitude confguraton, and
thousand papabe characteristic features of the basin of
the Del Norte locate them upon the Plateau of the Table
Lands This blunder of transportation is foolish
than to construct map of Europe and forget the Alps
or to draw for the people pine tree growing erect in
the middle of the ocean, whilst dolphins Craze upon
mountain slope The vast basin of the Del Norte is
then the third in order of the mountain basins of the
Plateau
The Western Cordlera continues to traverse Sonora
and, passing round the Gulf of California reappears in
sight of the in the State of California Opposite
San Bernardo another mountain chain branches from
its eastern flank the Table Lands northern
course dividing the waters of the Colorado and Great
Salt Lake, and punges into the Sierra Madre between
the sources of Green river and Snake river This is
the fourth great mountain chain of the Table Lands; is
one thousand miles in length and is the SIERRA Wa
sATCH. Between it and the Sierra Mimbres is included
the immense MOUNTAIN BASIN OF THE COLORADO, which
the fourth subdivision of the of the Table Lands
This basin has Immense area great altitude, in
finite perpexy of mountains and is redundant in strik
ing and wonderful novelties The Rio Verde Rio Grande
of the West, the Rio San Juan, collect its upper waters
and uniting against the inner flank of the Cordlera of
the Snowy Andes, gorge it diagonally through and
through and escape into the Gulf of California This
sublime gorge is four hundred miles in length and is
known the "Canon of the Colorado" 1t is through
out mountain chasm, traversng, without inter-
rupon the very bowels of the Andes, having perpen
dicuar mural Sides often many thousand feet in ati
of he he
Mohabe the Little Colorado, and the Gila force their
way into it by infinite labyrinth of gorges similarly
scooped through the bowels of the mountain mass
These two remarkable basins, then-he Del Norte and
Colorado-le against the Sierra Mimbres, back
bone The waters of the first gorge the Sierra Madre
to the Gulf of Mexico those of the second the Andes
to the Gulf of California; but gorge unites them
through the Sierra Mimbres, which is unperforated |
These basins are both longitudinal in shape and position
they overlap one another and thereby multiply the
Der and complexty of mountain barriers. Among the
physical phenomena of the globe, this Canon of the
Colorado is isolated fact, unique and sublime
terest. These two basins are, par excellence the metal
merous department of the world and infused through
out with mountains of the precious and precious and
base metals-of lava obsidan and marble of salt COAL
and with rivers of thermal and medicinal waters
Let hasten to other subdivisions of equal interest
Near the aaaand dearee Of titude the Western
Table Lands. This has serpentne course, mainly |
east and west is twelve hundred miles long, and forms
the divide between the basin of the Salt Lake and the
sierra
and Immediately at the point of junction punges with it
into the Sierra Madre The great basin, containing in
of its depressons the Salt Lake. is the counterpart
continent of the Caspian of Asia 1t is like the
first and second basins, encased all around with
perforated mountain wall and neither sends receives
water from any Nearly opposite Pugets Sound
sixth chain of mountains breaking off from the eastern
flank of the Western Cordilera traverses the Table
Lands by due northern course and sinks into the Sierra
Madre closely enVeoping the of the Columbia
river This is called the OKENNAeAN MOUNTAINS and
divides the waters of the Columbia from those of FRAzER
river
The BASIN COLUMBIA the sixth in order of the
basins of the Table Lands 1t is the admirable of them
ALA splendid circular fguration and two primary riv
ers Its size position, and confguraon relatively the
Mississippi Valley and the Pacific Ocean, make it the
Elite of them ALL 1t extends all across the Table Lands
frem rim to rim do both its great rivers, the Snake
river and the Columbia which uniting gorge the Andes
at the Cascades penetrating through them the Pacific
in 46o 49, Thty from east west, and connect ex
acty by convenient and single passes the Sierra
Madre with the great rivers flowing down to the Allan
tic 1t partak of all the cardinal characteristics of the
other basins hiving in addition, mighty forests nav
cation, larger share of arabic qualities and superior
economy in its tstopographical surfsc and position
Such are thesix primary basins and mountain chains
which cheauer and arrange themselves into the Grand
Plateau of the fable Lands as have seen them and he
come familiar With them. There is seventh the basin
of Frazer riveb with which acquainted only from
the reports of others who have reconnoitered it, 1t has
the general features though smaller longitudinal
in direction, and narrow.
We may now then, return to the third elementary di
vision of the mountain formation of North America
namely: THE PLATEAU OF THE TABLE LANDS. Wemayun- !
derstand its variety and yasness yet handle it as unit
The lowest sedme1tary points, which the waters accu
nuating from he lakes of Mexico, Mappimi Gusman ]
and Salt Lake. have average altitude of 600 feet
above the The whole Plateau has, then the eleya
ion of primary mountain. 1t is every where fertile
being pastoral r tie most part but arabic where rri
CATION is adopted Every geological formation exists
IN Titanic scaefolcanoes columnar basalt and ped
gais of crystazet lava porphyritc granite and sand
one, and secondary basins of the sui phate and carbo
late of lime. 1t universally rainess region, and !;
lowhere is arabic gricuture possible without artificial
irrigation Pastoa culture is the prominent feature
Fherei. il rivalt2 IsISs t,,,;o ,,I | a
sunshine by day and with stars by night. The climate
intensely dry and the temperature variant and deli
,ous Habitatons essential in this salubrous
and varna cna the ahor rinas disnense with them.