The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-12-12
ROUND THE WORLD.
Letter from " Carleton. +"
YosElIIrE. Cal, Sept. Is. 186e


To The Editor of the Boston J0ttrzdT.
Ciark's House is on the south fork
Of the Rio de los Merced-the River
of Mercy-and the trail to the Yose-
mite Valley, after crossing it, winds
I'D the side of mountain till we gain
IN altitude Of eight thousand feet. II
IS glorious ride; no underbrush to
impede our way; pines eight feet in
diameter, two thousand feet high,
waving their green plumas above US !;
ceders as grand as those of Lebanon
balsams, tall and tapering, with silver
tipped leaves filling the air with
health giving od0rs. We pass green
patches of meadow, the haunt OF deer.
Occasionally we see the broad foot
steps of bears along the trail, but
the solitude is profound. No house,
no human being, no sights or sounds
of civilization during the ride of
twenty six miles.
There are but three families in the
Yosemite Valley, aud their nearest
neighbor is Mr.. Clark. About three
hundred visitors have passed over
this trail the present season, which is
now nearly ended; the snow will soon
lie upon these mountain ridges, aud
the three families will be shut in till
April. For five months they will
have no communication with the out.
side world.
SITUATION OF THE VALLEY.
The valley lies on the west side of
the Sierra Nevada range, about two
hundred and fifty miles southeast of
San Francisco. The Hottest noun
tains of the range are in the immedi-
ate vicinity. The architecture of this
region IS peculiar and wonderful.
The White Mountains and the Allie
ghanies have rugged outlines, but
here there is regularity of form. The
SUBMITS are gray granite domes.
bieached by storm, and whitened by
SHOWS. Here and there tall and slen-
der columns Of rock rise like minarets
and spires between the domes. b.:
holding the range from a distance is
like looking at Damascus, Jerusalem
or Constantinople. 1t is a panorama
far more beautiful than the view of
St. Sophia and Suleiman from the
BosDhorus, or of Omar and Ell Aska
from the Mount of Olives. The com
bination of dome, minaret, tower and
spire, with intervening valleys, dark
gorges with forests aud fields of snow,
as seen through the hazy Autumn
light, gives a striking Oriental char
acter to the architecture of this group
of mountains.
Descending into the great ehasm
we behold architecture of different
order-outline of nave and transept;
of buttressed walls and lofty towers
of arch and alcove and overhanging
gallery; with adornment of sculpture
and mural painting of sunlight and
shade-the work of hand Divine.
The valley is about eight miles in
length and from one-half a mile to
mile in width, lying nearly east and
west.
The Merced River winds through
the valley, fed by melting SHOWS and
ever flowing springs. Toward the
eastern end of the stream divides one
branch, pouring down through wild
gorge from the south. The outline of
the valley may be compared to the
nave and transept of a cathedral,
which we enter from the west. At
present there is no road up the canon
of the MERGED to the valley, and we
are compelled to work our way by
Zig-zag path down the mountain side,
from our altitude of eight thousand
feet, to the floor of this cathedral,
which is about four thousand feet
above the sea.
FIRST VIEW.
We have been riding through the
forest since early morning, aud it is
mid afternoon when we approach the
valley. We have had no view of the
chasm, but suddenly we come to clear
space and find ourselves upon its
brink. Ooe mad leap of our steed
and horse and rider would fly half a
mile downward into the yawning gulf.
The heart ceases for a moment to
beat. We hold our breath. No word
OF exclamation from those who ac-
company Us. The soul stands in awe
before this unex pected reve alton of
Omnipotence. TBis is Gods work.
Eternal Might cleft these solid rocks
and reared yonder domes. Eternal
Goodness carpeted the floor of this
cathedral with vernal beauty. So
vast, grand, majestic and overpower-
ing the view that ali tongues are mute.
The Angel of Silence has hushed our
babbling.
BEST GENERAL VIEW.
a little farther down and we reach
the point from which we obtain the
best general view of the valley. Lean
against this block of white granite
and gaze upon the scene over the
cliff, If your brains are steady enough,
and behold the beauty.
Those little green points, seemingly
not larger Nhan young onions just
thrusting their spires from a garden
bed. are pines six feet in diameter
AID two hundred feet high! That
idiiage of brighter green, to the sight
not larger than tufts of gil just
sDringing from the ground, are oaks
which have braved the storms of cen
turtles! The foliage of the trees is
changing with the advancing year.
Upon the stubble fields there is a
sunset hue, and upon the meadows
golden light.
Beyond the valley rises hack
ground of mountains - hight above
hight. dome above dome, with inter-
yening valleys ever vernal, and fields
of light shining as the sun. We think
of that Holy City which Christian
saw beyond the dark river from the
Detachable Mountains. The sublim-
est imagery of the Revelation of st.
John, portraying the granduer and
transcsndent glory of the New Jeru-
salem-its foundations of Jasper, and
emerald, and amethyst, its gates OF
pearl, its golden streets illumed with
the light OF the Lamb, alone is
adequate to describe it. CLOUDS
rest above it as the heavenly
host once lowered over the hills of
Bethlehem. Upon the hushed air is
the music of falling waters, and we
ttink of the song of the Redeemed,