The New York herald., 1869-12-16
THE COURSE or EMPIRE.


The Grcnt Trans-lIissouri Cour,ry--t1inatc
Of the West--Its Characteristic Dryness--
Western Wintcrs-Unicrmity of TempcrR-
turc--Giimatic Influence OF the Wnrm Cur
rent in ths Pacific Oceng-Comparativs
Mean Temperature OF the Seasons und OF
the year East and West of the Missouri
NIcGeroiosical Results in the AiicKhnny
and Rocky Mountain Regions.
DENVER, Colorado Territory, Dec G, 1850.
The extent Of the Trans Missouri country Is auout
loo miles north ana south, by 500 ana west
It embraces in round numbers 1,65ooJo square
miles OF territory, or l,o56,9Joo00 acres--aD area
greater than tRat OF all the Statss OF the MIS-
slssipp river. This vass extent OF country Is bi-
sected By the Pacific railroad. Although many
thousands OF people have passed over the great
Continental highway during the present year very
few Of them have taken opportunities Of forming an
ad eguatc idea OF the immense mineral, agricultural
and pastoral resources OF tni5 truly wondrous West
The eternal SHOWS the mountain crests, the wlld
winds tina. howl tbrodgh tie rugged CANYONS or
sweep over the savaanas, the scarcity or trees Ia
many places, the ubiquity OF sage brush, the mil.
hons OF acres OF alkaline eartns-so uncondironally
condemned by so many persons-and the seemingly
dead and worthless condition OF the grasses that
cover thousands OF miles OF valley bottom, upland
plain aud mountain siope, have each and'all led
many men to draw the most Incorrect conclusions.
said member OF Congress to me on his return from
o flying trip "Well, Sir you will pass over some OF
the most God-forsaken country on earth. You viii
ride over hundreds Of miles where no green thing
VIII ever grow and no animal, not even q carrion
crow, has life.n The fact is that among the noun.
tans 0o0o feet above the sea, you can SIT on the
velvet ground, touch the eternal snow with
hand and with the other PICK uelicous strawberries
fiom the native vines This sounds ike fsure OF
t.
myself" SAID Westernized Eastern man who
was once sceptica on tue point. ''rne srit season
came here,n he continued, I'VE were loonng II over
the country We asked man whom we met how
long ne HAD been il the West, ana he said seven
years. We asked him how the weather was IN win-
ter over the range and he sad-'Eyery year ! have
worked out Of doors N my shirt sleeves ana my cat
Ito have grazed in winter ID summer, Oh nothing
bnl the native grasses OF course we thought he
was casing us arll nay companions proposed to
duck MIN IN the creek. But subsequent experience
has SHOWN me tnat the man was rtgntn
A lrnuul soufCe OF mingled astOBisnnent aud de-
lignt To tue stranger Is the climate OF tue West IL
differs most materaliy ftom tnat OF tue Atlantic
States Alter sou pass 200 miles westward from the
Missouri river me climate - essentially Ike that oi the
interior OF othef continents neneraIy speaking ~
is very dry. Ihe amount u ram lnat las varies
little, simply owing 10 local causes; but, ~ colu
pared with tue Atlantic STATES Tie States IN
tue Mississippi vaiey, ths average rain Ia is very
ught nave heretofore alluded 10 TIE lovely ctt-
Iaaie OF Colorado But hJ us now take WIDER
range, aud booking beyond q single state
or Territory See what II the general cDarac.
ter OF the climate inroughou. tne west.
Tue weather mere IN Denver anu Iurthec soathWard
Is generally more genial Ia winter than at places
further north and west On the line oi tie Pacific
Railroad. AS central spot take the Laramie
palns-one OF the great yalleysof the Sierra Madre
over wuich the railroad passes. During all last
spring aud summer tne tota ram fall was about
eight inches The fan Of snow IA proportienately
limited. During all last winter the snow fail on the
Laramie plans, over 7,OJO feet ABOVE the sea,
amounted IA tue aggregate 10 zA0l inches Ana
during other wlaters, Iar back oDscrvatlons
| have Deen taken, thal wonid be about average
Il Is seldom tDht any single snow 1all exceeds la
| depth lew licues The snow ltSef u iRHt ana
Dry and wonderfully beautiful, the crystal particles
ssten IN tue sunlight like 80 many million dla.
| mond5 aud tncy soon pass away from many places
Interruption 10 the passage or TalrOad tfaiis arises
not from the amount o snow thab lli5 Dut from the
budies that are piowh by tue winus over
| the treelcss, uu0Dstracte1 pans INTO Inc rah-
road GUS the recent storm blow down many
OF the snow FENCES on the line OF the
Pacific Railroad, aud now snow sheds which may be
| termed WOODEN tunnels, are being substituted Ia
the exceeding dryness aud lack OF ram IN inc interior
Oh Anetlca Is fouad III the Interior OF ASIA and oI
Africa. Dr.. Livingstone's explorations whl uouDt-
lees 1urnlsn additional deLaiis On ta subject. Tue
general explanation OF che dryness IN each is
tue same. 1t ~ tue uterpostOn OF high ranges OF
in0untaias between large bodies ol water~-as tie
Abantlc and Pacific Oceane--Dy which the moisture
Ia the atmosphere ~ condensed, ana sis III either
rain snow before It reaches Tue central portions
OF the Continent. Tie prevailing winds IN THIS
country are from the West, and although the cur
| rents OF air on leaving the Pacific Ocean arc laden
/ with moisture, when IN their eastward Cou they
to Coast range, sierra Neyadas, and ave
forced up the refty Sierra slopes 10 an altitude where
i the temperature 10 below tue dew point c0ndcnsa-
considerable portion of Its moisture. Aud thus II