New-York daily tribune., 1858-07-12

waterfall In TIE world: but /, does not make in
presson upon you st all comparable to that of Nisg,ra
The latter sublime overwhelming your aoul with the
idea Of power the former is beautiful roman.c butt
does Lot stun you. The tremendous precipices here
as throughout the valley, gTester more iEpress-
i've than the csfcsdes watch nave cot enough water
10 oorfouId you Besides, you cannot approach these
falls from those points whence tiey igh De seen 20
tie greatest Advantage; AID looked az from di1uce
The Yosemite somewhat resembles great sheet of
white sstin hanging over tbe cliff. But inisIior as
ths one cascade is il grandeur when compared with
NsgaTs consider this valley teking ell it, scenery To-
getheT for superior not ony in variety and romantic
besuiy hut also in grandeur. A day or Os Nisgi-
ra is eroueh while lover Of nature might stay here
for moths, and always find delights in the study
of the scenery. have given the total hight Of the
three falls Of the Yosemiie all of which very near
together at 063 feet, which is tho hight given by
the courty surveyor Of this county, though others
have given the hight at 1850 and ., 800 feet
ross from The Yosemite fall, on the southern side
OF tho valley is the Pyramid Rock-so named from
the shepe witch bears when from some points
of view. 1t lie 8 900 feet h.gb Three mles further
up at the head OF the valley came to : Lake Mir
ror," beautiful body Of water covering about eight
sores From the northern brink Of this lake rises the
North Dome, huge rock mountain covered with
DOME like knob $3.50 feet high; and near the south
EN- edge Of the lake is the perpendicular face Of the
South Done tlbgher mountain which rise up 4Sl
feet towering above oil the peaks in the vicinity Inis
peak is sublime sight with its perpendicular side,
which, as you look up at it, as though would
keep going up forever. It's abruptness is almost ir-
conceivable, and its grandeur lndescrbsble.
Winding back row along the southern side of the
valley We soon TO the southern fork of toe Mer-
Ger, which comes down through gorge. We ascend
this gorge foot climbing with great labor over rocks
and through the brush wood and a. distance Of mile
and half come to the VernAl or Canopsh Falls, where
the stream about 100 feet wide falls 80 feet into ba
sin surrounded by large evergreen trees This fall po'
esses one great advantage all tie ether the
Yosemite Valley, and that is, it can be approached
from above, where we look down upon it from the
top Of granite cliff, leaning on very convenient
natural parapet of rock, which seems to have been
made expressly for the accommodation Of picturesque
tourists The fail is a beautiful one, and more i'm
pressiye than the Rainbow and Yosemite Cascades.
About half mile above the Vernsl Falls the river
takes another leap called the Nevada or Awanee
Falls. but il cost us mile and half Of round about
iourneyng and climbing to reach it. The fall is about
200 feet high half Of which distance the water shoots
plumb down through the air, and then strikes the
steep cliff and breaks into snowy spray, as it leaps
along About two miles west of the Nevada Falls is
another cascade called the Falls Of Tusayac, about
COO feet high but it is extremely difficult Of access,
anI bad to go without seeing il. We now return to
the valley, where for one am glad to arrive, and
throw myself upon my blankets, glad to take little
rest.
No description convey clear idea of the great
variety of scenery in the valley. There are thou
ssrd hooks and corners and woody des, every one OF
which is full of enchanting picturesqueness. The
rocky cliffs take all manner of queer forms, sometimes
resembling pyramids and cones again Resembling
castles and domes, and sometimes Ike chimDeys ana
spires and in place there is narrow cleft several
hundred feet deep in of the rocks as though some
giant had commenced to splt of part OF the mountain
and had left his work unfinished.
The river as it meanders through the valley, is
great addition to the beauty Of the place; and it's wa
ter. as also that of the lake, is exceedingly clear in
the Summer though now turbd. Mountain trout are
abundant in all these streams. The valley is warm,
and must be very hot at midday in mid. Summer be.
cause it go deep net to be reached by any breez
es and it's wasreAect the ground all the solar rays
which strike them but the nights are always cool.
Just row the days very pleasant, but up on the
mountains above us there is much snow, and the tenn
perature is altogether too cold for comfort There is
a great difference now between the temperature and
vegetation of the two sides of the valley the northern
side where the sunshine is felt during the whole day
being much warmer than the shadows Of the southern
c1s Shrubs ard flowers which are in blossom along
the northern wall are in the bud on the other side;
bu, tire more delicate annual shrubs the south Of
the stream are generally healthier than those north OF
IT, because the latter are stimulated by the heat to
come ont 50 early tha. they are badly npped by the
FROST
There is no person living n the valley, and visitors
have to bring their provisions, cooking utensils, ard
blankets with their. There is little shaDty under
the shadow of Pyramid Rock, which We have gone
into and il served US well. Our party is the first or
one OF the first which has entered tne valley this year.
the road being impossible on account OF the snow
during the Winter. Wagons do not come near the
valley the forty miles from Coultervile being always
made on mules. Trout found in the river and
lake; but there is very little game 10 the valley and
no Indiars 1t was inhabited by warlike tribe of
red men six years ago, but they undertook to fight
with the whites and have all been cut of and scarce
y sign of their existence remains, except here and
there the dim vestige of g trail.
The valley was fret entered by white man IN lSiS
ard afterward at various times from 1880 10 1852; but
its worders attracted notice from the press antil
1854 and il cid no. become place of resort until
1856 understand that several persons intend to set
tie here this Summer, take up preemption ciaims
build houses for ertetsirng travellers provide horses
and do everything TO make Welt to the valley agree
able If natural wonders are to be the measure of at
traction this should be the grestest watering place in
the world.
The name Of the valley is spelled Yosemite fo-se-
mite, Yo HGmity ana Yohsmits buttae first appears
h.,. tho hesi anthnritifs In It's favor Tna