Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1868-10-09
urAH AND rHE mokMoNs.

| OxAA AMI 4A1 ~NS&sSs
Tho lat. Chief Jo,,ie/ of Utah hs,
furnished US With sOpeE Interesting par
ticulars concerning fkh and the Nor
mons. That TerritoE, including much
of tho Great Basin, is an elevated valley
as large as New York and Illinois, and
is an object of great interest as a cari-
osity in physical geography. With an
average elevation Of 1920 feet above
the level of the ocean, its atmosphere
is naturally more rare than that OF the
land on or near the level of the sen.
The mountain masses on all sides Mt
tract the clouds from the valley, and
thus appropriate the rain, snow and
hail to themselves, so that tue natural
supply Of water on the lower parts Of
the Territory does not exceed eight or
ten vertical inches in the year. The
atmosphere has extraordinary erapora-
ting power. The light of the cloudless
skies is intensely beautiful, and tho pho
tographs taken there are remarkable for
their brilliant effects. The geology Of
this region shows that nature long ago
excrted some Of her mightiest forceH
there, and that FIRE and water struggled
in fierce conflict over large domains.
Vast masses of lava oyerlie and pene-
trate surfaces at one time saturated
with water, and exhibit the striated
lines of o once agitated but now extinct
inland sea, whose surface is in many
places bent and broken by volcanic
forces, once active, but now apparently
suspended.
A large mountain chamber recently
discovered in the northern part of Utah,
filled with perpetual ice, forms no bad
illustration Of the physical changes
which this Territory has undergone, and
the whole region presents many rare
phenomena, q knowledge of which 10
requisite to solve problems still remain
ing to enable US to understand the ear
lier history and development Of our
globe. The mineralogy of Utah is at
present comparatively UNEMPLOYED, but
there is reason to believe that the OPEN
ing OF the Pacific Railroad will demon
strate that it abounds in precious and
useful products to an extent possessed
by very few other sections of the
try. The great Salt Lake itself is an
inland sea, rs large even now as the
State of Rhode Island. Its waters are
more intensely salt than those OF the
ocean, in the proportion Of s to 3, and
seventy miles southwark there is q
mountain Of rock salt as transparent as
glass. There are four deposits Of coal
in quality between anthracite and btu
minous, which forms excellent fuel, and
interpreted between the layers are
abundant clays, capable Of standing the
most intense heat known to the arts,
and, therefore, inyulnerable for bricks
and furnaces. Iron, lead, copper, gold,
silver and anthony, are believed, from
surface indications, to exist in nbund-
ance, while numerous thermal, mineral
and sulphur springs are found in many
part, of the Territory. Many OF these
appear good for medical purposes. The
native trees are few ; two kinds Of pine.
the oak, and a few more, are the only
varieties, and but small portions of the
Territory can be cultivated without irri-
cation.
The moral manifestations in this III
try, through Mormonism, are still more
remarkable than its physical features.
The system appears to those who have
examined it, a singular compound Of
Jewish, Christian and Mohsmmedan ia
naticisn. But its followers hope TO
gain dominion over the United States
first, and the world eventually, regard
ing, it is said, all deeds, however villain
Gus in themselves, when done for the
benefit Of the Mormon system, as not
only pardonable, but merisorious. The
Mormon theory Of divinity and human
ity appears to favor their growth: De-
nying the spiritual M n separate entity,
:. .n.-. EaI 20 IN Enar nplv horanaa
on older combination of material organs.
Both are by it affirmed to he progress
sire, and every man is assured, if faith.
full, of progressive felicity in II future
state. But the woman only attains this
by marriage, and in proportion to tue
excellence Of her husband is herself
to be blest. Hence the great desire ex-
hibited by the women for marriage with
the leaders, and especially with Brig
ham Young. Such n system must inev-
itably lead to polygamy, and this is the
basis on which the Mormon is resolved
to stand or fall. This is the chief cause
of their hostility to the Federal Govern
ment, and for which, it is feared, they
are trying to increase their power into
revolutionary proportions. Their local
position gives them the key, as they
vaiuly believe, to open or close the way
from the Missouri to the Pacific. Their
power is more rapidly increasing than
is generally supposed. So far, the ma
tioual laws passed to restrain their
crimes have failed in effect, and it is
feared that the Government may yet