The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1868-08-06


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| Correspondence Of the Alta California, June Is.
TuE hARIPosA BIO TREES.
These magnificent grovths, known
to the learned as the Sequoiu Gigaa
tea, are about six miles up the noun
tains, on the right of tue Mariposa
trail, and can only be reached by
taking the branch trail at Ciarks.-
They are we'll worth seeing, and are
generally visited by the Yosemite
travellers. The grove is scattered
along over an extent of six miles or
woro, and comprises about six hun
dr,Nd trees. Ol these the largest is
the "frizzly Giant" which is 1902
feet in circumference, and stands
quite aicne in its .grizzled aud savage
dignity. OtSers stand in groups of
twos and thre,"s, over rolling slopes
aud sharp mountain spurs, bearing,
for the most part, fpch absurd and
maladroit names as tic vanity or
shallowuess of casual visitors appear
to have suggested. E1 Gu@e Gwln
aud other political celebrities baye
left their naues here, only to BE- sue
ceeded by other and later stars. Or
the names bestowed for those who
are yet living, the most appropriate
was that of a sturdy, shapely, reso-
lutte looking tree, nearly one hundred
feet around, called "Graut." OF
course, Washington and Lafayette
aud all the carly worthless of Amcri-
can history, are represented in the
nomenclature of the grove, but"Gra-
ces, Brothers, Sisters" aud the
like; are profusely scattered around
the ephemerai titles of politicians
The average heighth of the Maripo.
sa trees is about $50 feet, and there
arc three or four which exceed 100
feet in circumference. Scattered
amongst these giants are numerous
ordinary pines, large enough to at
tract attention anywhere else, but
ludicrously dwarfed by comparison
with the vast columns Of wood and
bark which seem to support the sky.
One seems to be in some grand old
cathedral, arched and fretted with
Yernal tracery overhead and aisled in
long vistas of mighty columns which
lead away in every direction. TAX
ing one Of these giants separately, il
does not appear overwhelming id size
because one looses the idea that II is
| n T.
tastic enormity OF unknown origin
The trunk, velvety with brown bark
or Scared with fires and storms, ii .ei
massive aud compact as an Egyptian
monolith, while above the rugged and
angular branches struggle wildly out
against the sky. So have they
struggled for thousand years, de.
flying tempest, hail and snow. Sc
will they still braudish their arm:
above the mountain tops, when the
men whose feeble names they bear
for the brief moment, shall have beer
forgotten IN the dust of ages. The
Mariposa Grove is included in the
grant made to this State by tho Ma
tiousl Congress with the Yosemite
Valley, though the trees and valley
are not included in the same tract
The trees are not now in the county
whose name they bear, but are il
Fresno, that portion Of Mdriposi
having been set off from the origina
county, some years since Galei
. Clark, Of the homelike rancho where
we stop, is guardian Of the trees anC
| valley.
IN THE VALLEY.
The scenery of Yosepils is savag
rather than sylvan, sublime rathe
than pleasing. The emotions whicI
one experiences arc chiefly those o
awe. There is almost nothing dul
Get, pastoral or soothing about th
= sights or sounds Of the valley. Th
, awful roar Of the cataracts, the furi
: Gus rush of the torrents, tho fear
some heights of the precipices, an,
{ the bold, awful fronts of the noun
f tain peaks-all these inspire th
mind with sensations of sublimit
rather than of beauty. There ar
t some exceptions to this general state
j, ment, as, for Instance, the placi
beauty of Mirror Lake, surrounde
by fringe Of poplars and willows
: is pleasing picture, though tn
G savage grandeur Of the mountain
p reflected in the deep bosom of tn
lake, Is obtruded on the spectator,
$ This sight, however, we missed; 0
# two separate occasions the lake res
3 olutely refused to show its famou
q mirror to us, but was ruff ed an
q tumbled with an aggrayating breeze
Then there are many, glimpses {
u river scenery on the Merced, whlc
d are rural aud simple enough for an
! tastej but for the most part the mai
J. characteristics Of the "show places
Z are grandly sublime.
# At this present writing the fall
are 6usr than at any other season .