The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-07-28
MAP OF THE UNITED STATES TERRITORIES BE.
TWEEN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND THE PA
orr

We are indebted TO the poltencss of Lieut.. ii. L,
Abbot. of the Typographical engineers, for copy Of
map Of the Territories OF the United States from
the Mississippi river to tho Pacific ocean. 1t was
compiled in the Office Of the Paciic-rairoad surveys,
and though as yet unfinished in the engraving It
still contains so much new and important information
that the War Department has deemed it best to give
the public the advantages Of it in its present condi
ton, without awaiting its completion The map con
tans all the authentic explorations that have as yet
been made in the extensive region spoken OF, having
a breadth east and west of nineteen hundred miles,
and north and south of sixteen hundred miles.
The map is one three -miontf part of the size othe
country represented, ON scale of about Al miles
to the inch. which, thqtgn too small to represent
every feature and locality is still large enough fol
all general purposes, and makes sheet of 81 feet
by feet.
On this map trails M the exploring parties are all
represented with the name of the explorer, and the
date of the exploration, that those interested in
any one particular section have the proper auhori.
ties pointed out to them from which to seek for more
extended details, making it as far possible in;
dex map
Such portions have not yet been explored are
left blank on this compilation or such rivers, lakes
and mountains as are known TO exist therein are but
family ndicaNed The whole, therefore, presents
quite skeleton appearance, and shows how much
| is yet to be learned. 1t must be remembered,
however, that this appearance is increased by
the unfinished state of the map; large
areas in California and Oregon and the trail
from Great Salt Lake to southern California
although reduced upon the manuscript map, have
not yet been engraved No general map Of the
country yet published contains one-third as much
general information; and where the portions left
blank on this compilation, with the exceptions just
indicated, have been filed mp on others, it has been
done only vague and uncertain information, or is
merely the expression Of the theories surmses Of
the compiler.
The topography Of the mountains has been copied
as nearly as possible from the original maps, and the
assemblage thus presented, SO different from any
thing before published, goes far to overthrow many
of the prevailing ideas concerning the mountain
ranges and systems into which theorizers have sep
arated this great mountainous region. Though tho
ranges in general in directions parallel to each
other within certain limits, yet the direction is
not continued throughout the mass, is any range
continuous from Mexico to the British possessions;
they for the most part separated from each other
by valleys or pateaus or linked together in such
way to defy at present to say, in many cases
what range is the continuation of another The d.
vides between the waters of the Atlantic and Pa
cihc are not always mountain ridges, nor do the
mountain ranges always form divides, many OF
them arc broken through by rivers.
The map shows that, having once entered the
mountain region, the traveller is constantly surround
cd by them, and there seems necessity for consid-
cring all the mountains from the western border of
the plains to the Pacific but great system
A brief memoir will accompany the map when fin
ishcd giving an account of the routes pursued by
the different explorers, the various methods Of OBJ
servation employed, &c. The map gives the names
and locations of the Indian tribes, represents all the
mountains that have been explored and gives in
every part the elevation of the country above the
level of the sea. IT has served the War Department
greatly already in pointing out the routes for new
explorations, and copies of it have also been fur
nshed to the officers in the other departments, and it
was much used in determining the location for tho
now wagon roads for the construction OF which the
last Congress made provision under the Department
of the Interior.
The work of compilation has been one of no little
labor, and has been in progress nearly three years.
1t is the design of the War Department TO continue
to add to it all authentic information, and to make it
in every respect complete record Of the progress
of explorations in the country which separates the
settlements in the Mississippi valley from those near
the Pacific coast
TIL
The Portsmouth (yirginia) Transcript closes aua