Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-02-04
NEW SERIES, NO. ITO.
WEDMN 1880 strictly in advance.
L GICN1O, $500 at the years. eud.
Natural Curiosities of the Western Wilds.

NdbuIdl OuTlOSlIloS Oh Lne WeSttTn WlluS.
In an outline narrative of Col, Beale's wag-
on road expedition from Fort Defiance, in New
Mexico, to the Colorado river, the eastern bound
ary of California, we find mention made of some
OF the remarkable natural features of the coun-
try through which the eexpedition passed. Among
other note, worthy objects was Ell Moro, Or the
Inscription Rock:
"This remarkable natural formation merits @
particular description. Emerging from the for
est which skirts the bases Of the backbone of the
Western Continent, without any previous ind-
cation of its existence, and in the midst of an
almost exclusively volcanic conntry, smooth
wall Of white sandstone rises from the grassy
plain which spreads away from its base, to an
altitude of q thousand feet, At its southeastern
base is the spring known as Ell Moro 1t is
wedged-shaped, and its summit is crowned by
an ancient aboriginal fortress, evidently the
work of the same artisans, whose tumuil are
visible from Peru to Wisconsin. Sloping from
the southwest is an artificial plateau, leading to
to the western entrance of the mountain, which
forms natural corral, capable Of holding at
least five thousand heads of animals and entire
ly impregnable except by a very narrow passage,
easily defended and partially fortified. In this
corral grows the loftiest pine trees, whose heads
are far below the crest of the rock which towers
above them
In one of its lateral explorations, while on the
parallel Of IS degrees the expedition came up
on what was believed to be the celebrated canon
OF Aubrey, described by him in his notes. An
idea may be gathered of the stupendous depth Of
this great chasm, from the fact that standing on
its precipitous brink, musket ball discharged,
occupied nearly half minute in reaching the
bottom at itashalowest point. This was proved
by frequent experiments. Its width was SO
great that musket ball discharged horizontal
ly, fell about quarter of the way across. The
chasm appears to be a vast sink in the general
level of the country, the result of some ancient
volcanic convulsion.
Some other peculiar features in this section Of
country are thus delinerated
The road extending over the mess resembled
more workof art, like theroads constructed by
the Roman General Nepoleon, than natural
formations, The palisade formations, on all
hands, looned up like gigantic fortifcations.
Singular to say, the volcanic rock was carpeted
with the most luxuriant blue gramma grass, af
fording food for the animals, as nutricious as
oats. Only thin stream of soil laid between
this and the rock. Specimens eff petrifactions
of the most wonderful description presented
themselves. And there on the western banks of
the Rio de la Kara, they found rock about
twenty-five feet square, in the heart of the
which was large petrefedtree. This fragment
was detached from the main body, IN which the
boughs were distinctly visible. They also fonnd
in the beginning of their new route, inscrip-
tions on the rocks, evincing the progression of
the writers from Ideagrapic to the Phonetic
character. The argues very high degree of
cultivation among the ancient inhabitants of
these regions, as do their fortifcations."