New-York daily tribune., 1858-12-17
COLORADO ExPLORIAG EXPEDITION.

Ituf Ives the cOmmHncant OF thc exposition Tor
tie expl, os tie Colcrai, THE West ha7 made
preliminary report. lie left San Francisco in No
yemher 1857 with mserio!s for building small iron
stesmer, which was rea'y on the 30th of December
following WHEN lis ascension e the river commenced.
By the lll of March he had got up 800 miles, beyond
Which IL St. could nvt 20. He then proceeded With
psckmuie trsn to explore the Upper Colaraio AMI its
tributaries visitrg the region Of the 35h aud 36th
parallels srrvng about the let # Jnne at Albu-
querq1e, or the Rio Gr4ude after travelling about 900
miles from where he left bis boat. Duripg bis ex
pcration the water urprecedeutedly l)w, that
lie tired the navigation of the river a. It's worst stage
Tie banks at tue mouth of the Colorado lat aud
muddy, and the bars and stosli chsrgesble. For
thirty lea uf, navigation is frequently ms abe DANCER
by .t- strength of the pirg tides which rise and
fall % to 80 feet. This rise is preceded by singular
t,de-Taves fr.m four to seven feet high, which
rush up tie river with tremendous velocity. The
nap tides fall only 10 feet. Between ide-water
AID For lums tie principal ob ,tioas are sand
bsrs VIII ca grow more frequent as you asce'd. TIE
chaune J., very crook, j. aod COZ srqutut,y chsngi'g
with q, ayorsge ieptn of about feet YET there fire.
qae shoals of less than ret. Thee b-rs au shoals
sre d osy Of soft mad loose materials Below For,
Yuma there ere no rocss, bat nun erou- snsgs. Tho
average velocity If the current i, y miles hoir.
end during the July froshet } to 9 miles, vaep the
river Is 10 feet tigicr than in Wlner. For s0 miles
above Fcrt Yuma the navg son il in ohacac.er very
sic liar to that oescrsed DoriDg the next 100 miles,
gravey bars freqTently but the clsna9l Is bet
ter titan below. For the next fifty miles, the river bed
is c6 ar1e gravel en- stones with swift rapids. Then
comes the Black Canon, % Mills long, with numerous
ard difficult ;ids. Ab we this gorge the rive, is
vide and shallow, that this may be con
sidered the head Of ravg gation. There i, plenty of
wool for fasl si,rg the banks. The animation from
tie Back Canon towa d the U.ah emigrant road
howe1 that wagon road might be- opsn-d between
thet trail and the head Of navigation. For Is mlei
the county i; rather rongh but aher that the
remaining - miles j. easy. The nsvgabe part of the
river rurs ready norh and south. Near the gulf the
country Hat and unbroken, but further north broken
iuto deep valleys Nth rugged mountains of volcanic
origin. The canons formed by the passage OF the
river, through the mountains are wonderfully wild
ard and. Above the Black Canon is a most sterile
and barren region, With no trace OF vegetation for
miles This il vast table lani hundreds Of miles IN
breadth extending eat to the Sierra Madre, and
north into Utah. rising in immense platesus like sue
ce.sye steps the most elevated being 400 to $500
feet above the level Of the sea. THIS sterile and
rocky surface cppr sed insurmourtable barriers to
travelling in any fixed dir ction aud the want Of water
rendered explorations difficult West cfthe Little C,lo.
RADIO some cedar and pine forests reieveihe barren
ness but eastward toward the towns oftle Moqus H.
dars the country is almost desert The Irdians along
the lower part of the river not very numerous, but
io.e and ilquisive. The Mohsve tnbe is the most na
meroua. Tney 60 synetric.l ani stalwsit that
they considered. physically tie finest race upon the
coI,irert. The couLtry east Of the Colorado along
ya.L III. Il. .s.1
few Indians wander over il, but they wretched
race living fish, AMI occasionally little corn grown
iu some dismal rsvne. They are exceedingly stupid
aud isnorant. The MSqas are about 5000 in number
ard 1--we In tolersby constructed towns. They have
to water, orchards o. peach trees aud
otter fut; fields of cotton, corn and melons, sheep
and poultry. Men aud women labor in the fields, clad
in garments Of home manufacture. They are an III
made, shambliog race; but perfectly pesceable and
inofensive. They are sometimes plundered by
their neghbors, tie warbe Nayejoes. But
iue can be said Of tits country "a al agricultural
district. In the Mohsve Valley the atmosphere was
balm and cecious. There fields of rain 10 the
Spiing season promising luxurious crops comfortable
houses and g1anali,s overtiowng with last years
;tCresi but whether the country will ever De- Of value
to ths white. is d. ubtfol, owiog TO the officially OF
RIVER navigation TIE sessons al.o very variable.
Crops frequertiy los' by frost: Geoogicaly the
so i bod, in belng upsiied by excess OF alkaline
sutstapee-. The tame remarks apply even stronger
to tie ,est OF the county the riv,r ard as) to Ihe
valley Of the Little Colorado. The after region
abcuucs in ruins ard ves.es f former populstIon,
but is nov ubinhtbited. Ahogetber, II appears tbs'
this great territory the population mas died out
and tie country Las for sgea been crossing more snd
more sterile aGd dticut for human hsbitstlon.
Along the 3jtn parallel there sse some bright spot';
yet these subject to o. drouth exessve
to render lab,ation doubtful. The mineral rs-
in some places conside able, pro ni'i
gcla, mercury, filye' copper, lead and ron' cop
par mine Is being worked 10 miles above Fort foums-
Coal rock-salt ard marble are also founc. In nat
urs history several species of fossils, mineral
plants ard animals elected. A careful survey
OF the nsvs alton Was uae, ard meteorological t'asi
ard typographical observations were maize.
The work of reducing the notes Of this report are
IL progress.
TIE amount of lsnd transportation saved by send
ipg supplies by the Colorado route would b., 70 SAT
Lake 7OO riles; TO Fort Defiance, 60 miles; and
to Fer. Buchanan, 100 miles; and Lieut. Ives sees
10 reaion why tie river should no. be used a. the
msdium of communication to tue greater poiton OF
New Mexico, east California and Utah.
The STABBED PoLIcExas Officer DAVIDSON, VINO
Il is alleged was stabbed by Joe Coourn snd Henry
Drake 90 Saturday evening Last, much o-,ss yes