New-York tribune., 1874-08-17

beautiful or desirable we tnougnt, nau oceh eie uh
Inspected But STILL for all this, nature took us com
pletely by surprise. We had expected everything
but bounteous floral welcome We were almost
startled by the uulooked-or array which met us rs
we descended into the valley Such briliancy, such
beauty such variety such profusion. All the glorcs
Of color form and fragrance which Flora could COM
mand had been woven into carpet for our feet
The whole valley was garden teeming with the
gladneSs and joy of new creation. Yes, an Edeh in
the sky without the forbidden fruit. How we
reveled in this ncw-found beauty. No one
'fIom the commanding general down to the
humbleSt private the most profane teahster'
could withstand the effect The greed Tor goid was
forgotten We ceased to look for the nuggets which
would make us suddenly rich. Beauty for the tme
seemed the only wealth, and men who had never
picked flower since their childhood DAYS bent and
mid the lopg-negleoted homage. Cavalrymen and
teamsters decorated their horses and mules; infant
rymen pumed their hats; officers gathered nose
cays; pocket-bOoks and notebooks were brought
into requsion press and preserve the free gait OF
the valley. There was something almost affecting
in seeing rough coarse men softened and rehned py
the sweetness of the flowers, taking out worn. TO-
bacco-scented nocket-books and putting IN a noWer
or two last T. send to the old woman
TIE MOST EXUBERANT FLORA THIS SIDE OF CALI
TORNIA.
were hushed by their confession. l know no
more powerful testimony to the charm of the valley
than tins general acquescence, silent or expressed
If would be amusing indeed and an original con-
trbutOn 10 criticism, to record the prOlahe ell
c5minms which iliteral enthusiasts bestowed on
tbisnev Tl,Iida The same inadmiSSble adjectiyes
which were used as prefxes to the most blasphe-
nous curses against the barren wastes of Dakota
were now transferred TO the dialect of praise. But
IL. Il caratfp npnf
This side of California have never such
variety and abundance in floral display. Lilies,
roses blue bells, asters, suniowers, geraniums flow
cring pea monks hood. lupen, flax. primroses and
many flowers that l cannot name were mingled
and repeated in artleSs and eXuberant profusion.
Scarcely moving from his seat on the ground, Gen.
FORSYTH collected seventeen different species OF
flowers. One of the commonest and most admired
in the whole pasture is beautiful white lily with
headed throat, first noticed by Dr. Williams, which
is not described In the botany books, and which
none Of us have met in the East a bright pink and
a white gcranium. the former present in great
abundance. seem to be undescrbcd varieties of the
0cranHm macIllam. number of other flowers
found will have to be reserved until return for
exact classification. Nor had nature forgotten her
function AS caterer. GOoseberries raspberres, june
berries ameguckOr cGRadeasisl, large and sweet, and
occasionally few strawberries were found on the
hillSideS and freely eaten
Our camp last night was. by common consent the
ioveliest of the Trip indeed the only which, up TO
that time deserved the title. Our tents were
pitched on each side of the valley at the basis of
the including hills embowcred in a grove of Young
aspens. This morning camp was moved at the
usual hour. The thermometer nearly down TO
freezing point when sat down to breakfast at
$50 o'clock. Thin ice was actually found on some
Of our rubber blankets But still the flowers never
seemed to droop or chill They better used than
We to this mountain air. Huge camp-fres at night
and in the morning before sunrise. not only COM
forts but necessaries. We find too. in this Tarifcd
that any little exerton or climbing hill makes
us pulf and blow like many asthmatlcS.
MARCHING THROUGH THE VALLEY.
Our march of twelve miles up the valley to-day
was simply delightful. The hills, which at the en-
trance of the valley almost shut it in, leaving but
narrow passage 70 100 yards wide, receded
slightly from each other but still greatly exceed in
hight the width of the valley The flora seemed
even to increase in richness and abundance. The
little rill scarcely two feet wide at our camp last
night and which little further down was lost 1.-THE
soil and only marked by greener growth of grass,
began 20 increase III size and volume we assembled
the valley. 1t seemed strange indeed that the
stream should grow deeper, broader and more
voluminOus as we ascended than it was below.
1t was one of the enChantmentS of the
valley. PrOsaic observation broke the spell by
noting that the sandy, porous stream bed of the
lower valley gave place gradually TO hard, con-
stant smooth rock bed which the water
flowed clear cold and colorless, perfect as water
could be- About six miles up the stream we found
a clear beautiful spring with a temperature of Az
degrees. Six miles further up the stream suddenly
disappeared. but the disappearance was only tempo
rary-a little game of hide and go TO seek for
we found it higher up dividing into several
tributary rills, fed by messy springs, the
water a half a degree lower in temper
ature than the spring six miles below. As we as
oepded the valley one band which favOrs us every
morning with variety of selections played How
SO fair and The Mocking Bird We forgot the
mocking bird in listening to the mOcking hills which
played an echo fuge with the band. The effect was
beautiful indeed. Never before had the echoes sung
TO Hoffman, or Flotow, but they never missed note
in their response. During march a large male
crane was seen on rocky ledge. Presently 1t flew
down into the valley. The column was halted and
Gen. Custer with his rifle advanced under cover of
the bushes and read the poor bird his death war
rant. His wings measured from tip to tip were
nearly seven feet long Soon after one of our
Indians caught young crane alive, which was
added to our Central Park collection.
CAMPED WITHIN THE CLOUDS.
Camp was made by the advance at II o'clock The
train having to bridge the stream many times, did
not arrive till some four hours later. Meanwhile
the turgid clouds above came down to visit us and
bathed the hills in heavy mist We were really
canned within the clouds. The barometer marks
e317 Wemust now be nearly 1000 feet above THE
TRIBUNE counting-room. The clouds have gone
l.l,, Ss,ir prin on the hi-tOn |