Year: 1859

The Colorado correspondent of the Alta,
connected with the expedition under Col
Hoffman, writes on the 18th of April, iu re
lation to the hardships already encountered.
1t seems that the company has had a hard
road to travel. After leaving Bill Williams
Fork, their way was over SUBMITS of noun
tains and down steep ravines, where fifty
resolute men could have destroyed the whole
command by rolling down rocks from the
heights above In crossing out OF steep
and lengthy canon, several of the pack mules
lost their footing and tumbled heels over
head until they struck bottom. The writer
says


Many of them were badly sprained, and
ton mules were abandoned, though the most
of them we're afterwards driven into camp
bnt are unfit for further service. At grand
mountain that evening, three men fell faint
ing from the ranks, making some ten or
twelve who had broken down from the fa-
tigues of that and the two preceding days.
Fortunately a cool wind prevailed during
most of the time, otherwise scarcely a man
or mule could have made the camp. An.
other days travel on the foot hills and fine
light dusty soil bottom of the river brought
us to camp from which my last was dated,
near which, for the first time since leaving
Fort Yuma, grass was found in sufficient
quantities to feed the animals, twenty four
hours. which after being CLEANED out' we
came on to this place, which is the valley
proper of the Moiaves, and where we have
been encamped up to this time three days
with grass sufficient for all the animals for at
least three days more.


Altogether, it is the best camping ground
we have yet met with, and in its vicinity are
several rancherias, the natives of which on
our approach had deserted and swan to the
opposite side of the river The bucks re-
turned in large numbers, some 200, on the
second day after our arrival, but it Is easily
seen bv their manners, that if their crop
of wheat were gathered they would be on
the alert to harass the expedition.


As it is they have opened trade with the
men and packers, sold shirts and traded for
small white beans and pumpkins, OF which
they seem to have plenty.


These are quite acceptable, as the entire
command are now on half ratlons ana VIII
probably remain so until the stearmers Jesup
and Colorado arrive with fresh supplies
for Notwithstanding the large number of
mules employed, they are insufficient for so
large a command, and the time consumed
in travelling from Fort Yuma to this valley.


The Jesup left Fort Yuma on the oath ult,
and although we have been in company
thrice, it was by halting the command and
awaiting her arrival. At present she is be-
low us, and it is the intention of the comman
der to take from her at this place, the how
itzers and detachment of men under Lieut..
Upton, Sd Artillery, which event l shall
probably chronicle in closing this.


The writer after giving few reasons why
he does not think the establishment of post
in the Mohave Valley practicable, says:


So far many of the mules, and even many
Of the beef cattle, have died on the march
from fatigue alone, and it is almost miracu-
lous that the officers and men have been able
to travel without being broken down, from the
fact that the oldest campaigners of the "sixth,"
from Florida, Mexico, or the cold of Mime
sofa, have never in all those places encoun-
tered greater extremes of heat and cold wind
and dust, mountain and desert roads, than
that experienced by them in the Colorado
expedition. However, all this is cheerfully
borne but the end is looked for with no little
anxiety