The Standard. (Clarksville, Tex.), Vol. 16, No. 5, Ed. 1 Saturday, February 19, 1859 Page: 1 of 4
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CHARLES De MORSE,
VOL 16,
CLiARKSVILLE, RID IIIfSR COUNTY, TEXAS, S A T URI)AY, februa RY
NO. 5.
pOLORADO EXPLORING EXPEDITION—PRE-
LIM IN AKV REPORT OP LIEUT; IVES.
Washington, November 1,1858.
Sir: I have (he honor to submit, for the in-
a#on of the department, the following
ef synopsis of a portion of the results of the
edition, organized under my command, for
exploration of the Rio Coloradoof the West,
sailed from San Francisco for the mouth of
Colorado river on the 1st of Aovember,1857,
e Quartermaster's schooner, used in trans-
ting stores to the head of the Gulf of Cali-
ia. On board were the property and sup-
belonging to the expedition, and also the
itcriat for constructing a small iron steamer
be employed in ascending the river. 1 was
ropauied by a steamboat engineer and a
ty of seven iuen. The other assistants aind
"loyA t<«Jk the steamer for San Diego, and
■led by laikl H> Fort Yuma, which is on the
enido," one hundred and sixty miles above its
1th.
tRIVAf. AT THE MOUTH OF THE COLORADO.
Che schooner arrived at the mouth of the
ir on the 2d of December,having been much
laved by calms and head-winds. The steam-
it was lini.shod aud launched on the 30th of
ante month, and the ascent of the river
•fuimcnccd on the day following. 1 con-
d up the river for five hundred miles,reach-
*u the 11th of March, in latitude 3(5 deg.
n.. the mouth of a stream supposed to be
Rio Yirgen, beyond which it was impracti-
le ro proceed in boats. 1 therefore sent
ck the strain boat and the hydrographic party
?ort Yuma, and taking advantagd of the
nissiori -ranted in the instructions from
department, left the liver on thei 23d of
•h, with a pack train, to examine, rts far as
sible. tl:o country through which the upper
*radu aud its tributaries flow
keeping as near .as possible to the river, I
rersed the region along the 3fith parallel,the
iter portion of which had been previously
explored. Most of the line of the 35th par-
wus also visited. Following various lines
[examination, gradually conducting towards
i-ast, I arrived, about the 1st of June, at
l>u«juer<|ue, on the Kio Grande; the distance
)inpli<ihed during the land explorations
muting w nearly nine hundred miles. At
ku<juer<|ue the expedition was broken up, a
members of the party, still retained, return-
home by the overland route to Fort Leav-
rorth.
)uring the progress of my work upon the
riirabk- portion «f the Colorado, the water
jpened to be, according to the evidence of
who had lived in that vicinity for many
rs. unprecedeiitedly low. An opportunity
therefore afforded of trying the experiment
[steam navigation at the worst stage of the
|er, aud at a trine when the difficulties ordi-
to be enwuntered would be considerably
Icnilkd.
sfknkky on the colorado.
lie rt-uri' >n at the mouth of the Colorado is a
expanse of mud. The lines of the shore
the channels that afford entrance to vessels
Blithe (iulfare shifting and changeable, and
sbnalf, and islands, composed of a semi-
id ma-*. are in constant progress of formation
removal. The navigation for thirty miles
rendered periodically dangerous by the
tngth and magnitude of the spring tides.—
est-haw a rise and fall of from twenty-five
lirty feet, and a flow ot extraordinary velo-
1 lie fl 1 is preceded by a "bore," or
ti- e wave, from four to seven feet high,
certain narrow bends it is very powerful and
&nt, but gradually loses its force as it as-
id, at a distance of thirty miles, is
pen eptible. Along wider portions of
river are curves of the shore in which its
is nut felt, and here boats may be safely
;d till this dangerous wave has rolled by.
the shoals are formed what are called
rips," where the sudden check given to
I rushing volume of water causes it to bound
jg in high successive waves. Steamboats
come to the month of the river during the
ing tides mist descend from above tide-water
ing the ebb, and start to return two or three
irs after the commencement of the flood.
riie neap tides have a rise and fall of only
feet, and a moderate velocity.
<«B. T!ti;CTH XS to navigation.
jtween tide-water :uid Fort Yrtma the prin-
jbstructioiis to navigation are the sand-
These become more frequent and diffi-
as the river is ascended. The channel is
eedingly circuitous and constantly changing,
tverage depth is about eight feet. Shoals
frequently encountered, however, where
Were scarcely two feet of water." Expe-
itiee alone" can afford the capability of navi-
this portion of the river sueoecifully.—
I knowledge of the locality of the channel can-
be imparted, as it has been knewr. to shift
►•none bank to the opposite ci>e In a single
rht. From the formation of the banks,from
appetirance of the- water, of tbr- eddies, of
pees of drift-wood, and other tioa&tg ^<J>atan-
and of the islands and bars visible above
surface, .i praetieed eye can do much to-
d.-> selecting the proper course; though boats
make a trip between tide w?tr r >i id Fort
mi. at tin- low stege of the river, rithout
funding many tinu;s a day. The bars, how-
er, are composed of soft and loose material,
may always be passed with more or less la-
, dependii>g, in a great measure, upon the
1 shown in the employment of the different
pthwis of extrication resorted to.
Below Fort Yuina there are no rocks. The
gs are numerous, but seldom dangerous.
During the months of April, 3/ay, and June,
the river is rising, aud before new bars
re had time to form, the navigation is most
ir. The average velocity of the current at
water \.i two and a half miles an hour—
ring the July freshet from five to six. The
• at this season is about ten feet higher than
ng the winter months.
'or three or tour years an enterprising com-
■' has been engaged in transporting Govern-
itsteres, in steamboats, from the mouth of
i ( olorado to Fort Yuma, and their persever-
' en erg) has s'o far succeeded in overcoming
natural difficulties of the navigation as to
^ble them now to perform their trips with
ire regularity and certainty.
one hundred and eighty miles above
\ tuna the navigation has a character sim-
to that already described. The river pass-
through several chains of hills and moun-
penee that would be incurred,! at the low stage
of water, In taking steamboat through the ca-
non] I am of opinion that its mouth should be
considered the practical head of navigation.—
Up to this point the Colorado, notwithstanding
the difficulties to be encountered, may be pro-
nounced navigable. The experiment was at-
tempted, as has been stated, at a time when
the river had experienced an unprecedented
fall. At most seasons of the year the naviga-
tion would be muoh easier and better, and a
boat of suitable model and dimensions, and
drawing, when loaded, but itwo feet, Would be
able to ascend the Colorado to the mouth of the
"Black Canon* with as much regularity and
certainty as the'steamboats now upon the river
ply between jthe head of the Gulf and Fort Yu-
ma. Although, during high water, the river
experiences a great rise, the whole channel is
not proportionably deepened. iVew btirs com-
mence at once to form, and; at all seasons shoals
are liable to be encountered. An iron stern-
wheel steamer, one huudred feet long, and of
tweuty-two fqet beam, built full and witjh a per-
fectly flat bottom, -having; a large boiler and
powerful high-pressure engine, and drawing,
when li^lit, but- twelve inches, would1 be the
description ot boat best adapted for the1 ~
portions of the faces that the; paint and mud
permitted to be visible, that the composition of
the successive throngs was, in aj great measure,
the same. The Jfojave tribe, which has been
least exposed to intercourse with the whites,
appeared to be considerably the most numerous.
Their symmetrical proportion^ and stalwart
frames have obtained for them the reputation,
among all that have been amoi^g them, of be-
ing the finest race, physically, apon the conti-
nent.
The region east of the Colorado, along both
the 36th and 35th parallels, is almost uninhab-
ited. Inconsiderable bands of Tonto Apaches
wander, at some seasons, over portions of it,and
are occasionally encountered. Two small tribes
were found, living in the plateau canons of the
Colorado, corresponding, in appearance, to des-
criptions given of stragglers that ihave boen met
by parties crossing tbe country farther south.
There are but a few hundred of them in all,
and they are a diminutive, wrdtc.hed race.—
Their rude huts of boughs and stones are perch-
ed, like bird's nests, in crevices on the sides of
the cliffs. Fish from the river, a scanty store
of corn, wrung from some comparatively sunny
spot in the dismal ravine, and what little game
they can secure, constitute the resources which
Wood of excellent quality, for the purpose j enable them to keep lile in their ; bodies. Bti-
of fuel, can be obtained in abundance! on the j "ed in the almost subterranean caverns where
bank, at short intervals, between the n^outh of | alone they can obtain a permanent supply of
the river and a point' fifteen miles below the
mouth of the Black Canon. It is principally
mezquite, willow, and cottouwood.
A reconnoissance, made from the foot of the
Black Canon towards the nearest point on the
Emigrant road to Utah, showed that a wagon-
road might be opened between the trail and the
head of navigation. For sixteen miles, while
pas-iog through the gravel hills and ravines
that cover the eastern slope of the intervening
range of mountains, the country is somewhat
rough, and a little work would be required to
make a good roadway, but, after reaching the
summit, there would be no further difficulty.—
The distance from the river to the emigrant
road is about forty miles.
The navigable portion of the Colorado runs
nearly north and south. Near the Gulf the
surface on either side is perfectly unbroken; the
view being limited towards the west by distant
spurs from the mountains of Ijower California,
and towards the east by the great Sonora des-
ert. Further north broad valleys alternate with
wild and rugged ranges of mountains of volca-
nic origin, that cross the river in almost paral-
lel northwest and southeast lines. The canons
formed by the passage of the river through
some of these mountain chains, are probably-
unequalled in beauty and grandeur by any sim-
ilar formations. In the Black Canon, the deep
and narrow current flows between massive walls
of rock that rise sheer from the water for over
a thousand feet, seeming almost to meet in the
dizzy height above. The tortuous course of
the river, as it winds through these sombre
depths, where the rays of the sun rarely pene-
trate, gives infinite variety to the majestic out-
lines ot the overhanging masses, forming com-
binations whose colossal proportions and fantas-
tic sublimity it would be impossible to figure or
describe.
Above the canon,in the vicinity of the mouth
of the Yirgen, is the most rugged and sterile
region that I have ever beheld. Barren piles
of rock, heaped together in chaotic disorder,
and exhibiting on their broad surfaces no trace
of vegetation extend for miles in almost every
direction. The volcanic upheavals,which have
here their northern limit, appear to have expe-
rienced also their most violent action. Beyond,
towards the north and east, the county is un-
disturbed, and a region entered upon that
presents totally new features and peculiarities.
a wild and sterilk region.
This is a vast table land, hundreds of miles
in breadth, extending eastward to the moun-
tains of the Sierra J/adre, and stretching far
north into Utah. To the extreme limit of vis-
ion immense plateaus rise, one above the other,
in successive steps; the floors of the most eleva-
ted being from seven to eight thousand feet
above the level of the sea. The Colorado and
its tributaries, seeking the level of the low re-
gion to the southwest, have, by ages of wear
and abrasion, cut their way through this huge
formation, making canons that are in some pla-
ces more than a mile in depth. The mighty
avenues of the main watercourses are the thor-
oughfares into which smaller but still giant
chasms debouche, and these in turn have then-
own subordinate tributaries, forming a maze of
wat?r, most of them live aud die, entirely isola
ted from the world above. Their lonely and
monotonous life seems to have deadened every
faculty and emotion. It might have beeu sup-
posed that the approach of the first party of
whites that had ever penetrated their retreats,
would li£.ve occasioned some sensation; but
though the train of men and animals must
have come down amongst them entirely unex-
pectedly, the novel spectacle excited no more
apparent interest in the individuals encounter-
ed, than in the toads that were hopping abont
among the rocks at their feet.
The Moquis Indians, whose residences bor-
der upon the country of the Navajoes,were ths
first large tribe seen after leaving the Colorado.
There are seven towns, dignified by the early
Spanish explorers with the titles of cities, and
ruins of others that are now deserted. The
tribe is much smaller than has been sometimes
stated. The number of the population has been
supposed to be about seven thousand, but 1
should consider one half of this an extravagant
estimate. The towns are situated within a few
miles of each other, aud on the tops of isola-
ted and prccipit us hills. They are inclosed;
by walls of stone, and tolerably well construc-
ted. The houses are built around an open court,
and the only mode of entrance is by ladders
that conduct to a small platform on the top of
the exterior wall, upo • which the doors and
windows of the habitations open. Springs,
near the summits of the hills, furnish a supply
of water, and to provide against seas ns of
drought there are large stone reservoirs, excee-
dingly well made, placed in the hollows along
the faces of the bluffs. Some of the towns are
approached by flights of stone steps, and the
steep ascent is laid out in neatly arranged ter-
raced gardens, the masonry of the revetments
being kept in excellent order and preservation.
Orchards of peach trees, bearing an indifferent
quality of fruit, grow on the hill sides. In the
broad valleys below are fields ot cotton, corn,
pumpkins aud melons, whose cultivation, under
great disadvantages of soil, climate, and agri-
cultural outfit, exhibits a degree of industry
that in an Indian is truly remarkable. Both
men and women lAbor in the field. They pos-
sess a considerable number of sheep—nearly
all of a jet black color—and some poultry.—
The women wear a long black gown of their
own weaving and the men variegated blankets,
also of home manufacture. They are a sham-
bin g, ill-made race, with pleasant though home-
ly faces, and are perfectly peaceable aud inoffen-
sive. They seem to suffer but little molesta-
tion from warlike tribes, which is due, less to
their own prowess,than to the natural defences
of their towns, whose commanding positir n
and difficult approach afford security against
both surprise and assault. The progress they
have made in agriculture and manufactures
helps to maint in their peaceful relations; In-
dians from all parts of Acw Mexico and from
Utah having recourse to them for blankets,and,
in times of scarcity, for provisions. Their un-
ruly and powerful neighbors, the Aravajoes,
sometimes commit depredations upon them,but
even with these an appearance of friendly in-
tercourse is preserved. A curious fact was no-
by one who has not witnessed them:
pnm^d through the country {n the
1854, while accompanying tbe ex
t
Lieut. Whipple for the location
along thi
■/
ECHOES.
aving
riftg of
tm of
a railroi
route along the 35th parallel, 1 had an oppor
tunity of observing the effects of this action,
which were so great as to justify the inference
that every portion of the cultivable bottom-
lands is liable to be, in turn, overrun by the
river. To the Indians,who lia^e a certain com-
munity of property and interest, and no valua-
ble improvements to lose, this is a matter of no
vital moment, but the white settler would be
much discouraged from putting up buildings
and fences, and digging the ditch#* necessary
for purposes of irrigation, by the knowledge
that the river might at any day direct its Course
through his premises.
Freshets occur at periodical intervals, which
subject large portions of the valley to innunda-
tion. For four or five months of the year the
rays of the sun are so intense and burning that
no vegetation can withstand their influence;
and, during the very early spring, sometimes^
when at midday there is an ordinary summer
temperature, ice will be formed at night. . 1 he
growing season is thus rendered exceedingly
short, and a single accident to a crop would,for
that year, be without remedy. Seasons have
occurred, within a few years, when the Majoves
have been subjected from this cause to great
privations, and lost considerable numbers from
actual starvation.
geological examination.
The composition of different portions of the
soil was carefully examined by Dr. iVewberry
the geologist of the expedition, and I am in-
formed by him that, though much of it is so
constituted as to be fertile, very large tracts in
the higher parts of the valleys are so impaired
by an excess of alkaline substances tis to bo com-
paratively valueless.
value of the region.
In forming an opinion of the value of tbe ululated for history. They will recall the im
region, some weight, too, should be attached to j ages of the great and the good, whose renown
the fact that the races upon the river do not is the common property of the Union; and
multiply: The records of the early Spanish j chiefly, perhaps, they will linger around the
explorers show a diminution rather than an in- ; seats once occupied by the Mi'jht}/ Three, whose
crease of population since that period, and for 1 1 " i"'1 ,'x"
titom " dickens' household wohds."
Still the angel stars are shining,
Still the rippling waters flow.
But. the angel voice is silent,
That I heard fiere long ago,
Hark! the echoes murmur low,
Long ago! .> :
Still the wood is dim and lonely,
Still the flashing fountains play.
But the past and all its beauty,
Whither has it tied away?
Hark ! the mournful echoes say.
Fled away'
Still the bird of night compliiineth,
Now indeed her song-is pain.
Vision of ray happy lioilrs.
Do 1 call, and call in vain?
llark! the echoes cry again.
All in vain !
Cease oh echoes, mournful echoes!
Otiee I loved your voices well!
Now my heart is sick and weary,
Days of old, a long farewell .v
Hark! the echoes sad and dreary-,
('ry farewell, farewell1.
The Three Great Senators.—Vice Pres-
ident Breckinridge, in his address to the Sen-
ate, on the 4th ult., upon the occasion of their
taking leave of the Old Senate Chamber, made
mention of the three great me a whose names,
in a pre-eminent degree, are associated with
the recollections of the place:
Hereafter the American aud tbe stranger, as
they wander through the Capitol, will turn
with instinctive reverence to view the spot on
which so many and great materials have accu-
NEW DISCOVERIES OF GOUX—LATER
FROM NEW MEXICO.
St. Loijtis, Dec. 27.—The Overland mail
has arrived, bringing tho Santa Fe mail of the
6th inst, The snow was three feet deep over
the mountains.
The Xegislature convened at Fort Defiance
on the 21st ult.
Par rait of the Indiana.
Col. J/iljes had pursued the Indians into the
mountain fastnesses.
Major Bach us returned to Fort Defiance on
the lHth ult. from an expedition, in which he
had engaged m- several skirmishes with the
Indians.
j Jfcich Gold Deposits.
The Overland mail officer at Fort Buchanan
reports, that there are rich deposites of gold
for a hundred and sixty miles along both sides
the Grila rive^. --
1 le also reports that there are at present
some 650 men at work in these mines, and at-
least 5U0 more' on the way thither from Cali-
fornia.
Discovery of Silver Mines.
There have also been discovered several
ver mines of greater richness than any in
j vicinity.
Some very rich specimens have been exhibi-
ted.
Oar Government Headed off ia Eonora.
The prices of Mexican titles to lands in
Sonora have considerably advanced.
Private parties have anticipated our Gov-
ernment, and obtained the right to construct a
railway from Guaymas, in Sonora, to the line
of Texas, through Chihuahua,
More Military Posts
St Louis, Dec. 27.—The overland mail re-
ports that Lieut. J/owry had petitioned our
government for the establishment of a mili
tary post at the Pimos villages, for the pur-
pose of protecting emigrants.
Judge Born had assumed the duties of the
district vacated by Judge Benedict.
sil-
the
this there is no assignable cause, unless it may
be the incapacity of the country to sustain a
large number of inhabitants. The Mojaves have
had no communication with the whites, except-
ing when a wandering trapper, or some explor-
ing party, has passed by their territory. A
names and fame—associated in life—death has
not been able to sever; illustrious men, who n
their generation, sometimes divided, sometimes
led, and sometimes resisted, public opinion—
for they were of that higher class of statesmen
who seek the right and follow their convictions.
There sat Calhoun, the Senator,—inflexible,
peaceful yet a powerful people, aud guarded on autere, oppressed, but not overwhelmed by his
all sides by difficult mountains, they have suf
fered little from wars with other tribes. Their
mode of life has conduced to the highest state
of physical development. The marriage rela-
tion, as has been noticed by all who have been
among them, is respected in more than an ordi-
nary degree among Indians, and there seems to
be no reason, except that above stated, why
tbe\' should not have become a numerous na-
tion.
The remarks made respecting this locality
will apply, and perhaps in a stronger manner,
to tbe rest of the country on the river, and also
to the - alley of the Little Colorado. The lat-
ter region abounds in ruins and vestiges of a
former population, but is now uninhabited.
The remainder of the great area of territory
examined, presents also its discouraging fea-
tures. The northern portion is much the worse.
Besides the deserts that have been alluded to,
in the timbered region itself are found broad
tracts where the vegetation has become extinct,
and theiwhite and withered trunks are scatter-
ed, like monuments, over a vast cemetery of
departed life. No indication of fire exists.—
The destruction has been gradual, and an im-
pression is conveyed of some detuily rot slowly
creeping over the surface of the country. Want
of rain is undoubtedly the great cause of tbe
evil. Near the abandoned ruins of several of
the MOtjtiis towns, no water can be found.—
This people, though exposed to no contact with
deep sense of importance of his public fune
tions—seeking the truth, then fearlessly follow-
ing it, a man whose unsparing intellect com-
pelled all his emotions to harmonise with tbe
deductions of his rigorous logic, and whose no-
ble countenance habitually wore the expression
of one engaged in the performance of high
public duties.
This was Webster's seat, He,too, was every
inch a Senator. Conscious of bis own vast
powers, he reposed with confidence on himself,
and scorning the contrivances of smaller men,
he stood among his peers all the greater for
the simple dignity of his senatorial demeanor.
Type of his Nort hern home, he rises before the
imagination in the grand and granite outline of
'his form and intellect, like a great New Eng-
land rock, repelling a New England wave. As
By the Southern Line,
Arrived brig Lizabel, from Hew Orleans;
Fort Scott Attacked by a mob—five or fix men
Killed.
St. Louis, Dec. 27.—The Jefferson City Ex-
aminer says thaton the night of the lath inst.,
Fort Scott was attacked bv the notorious Mont-
gomery at the head of two hundred men, who
took posession of the town, killing five or six
of the inhabitants.
It is presumed the object of the attack was
to release one of Montgomery's men from the
hands of justice.
It is feared the town will be entirely des-
troyed.
Montgomery's Depredations in Missouri—A Band Of
Thieves and Robbers—Plunder and Murder.
St Louis, Dec. 27.—The Harrisonville Dem-
ocrat says that on the 20th inst., a band of
thieves and robbers from the Territory of Kan-
sas entered Vernon county, in this State, and
after kitling David Cruz, stole a lot of cattle,
twenty horses and eleven negroes belonging to
him.
Simultaneously, two parties of the same
character, headed respectively by Montgomery
V«jax'
JfARRlAGE BY PROXY.
proooui
College, Suspension Bridge, the >
mony between parties who were not
time within six thousand miles of each other.
It was done py proxy, the lady's father acting
as proxy for the bridegroom The afiair took
place on the opening of the New Year, under
the following circumstances: The bride, for
seven years a resident of California, after the
death of her former husband, became engaged
to a gentleman residing in that State, but hav-
ing a large landed property in Mexico. By
some arrangement between the parties, the 1*-
dy returned to her paternal home at St. Ca-
therine's, Canada West, where her intended
was to meet her about this time, aud claim her
as his bride. The recent t-.oubles in Mexico,
however, being in the vicinity of his planta-
tion, demanded his immediate presence in that
country, and forbade his coming North to ful-
fill his engagement. He therefore frankly
wrote to her of the circumstances which de-
tained him, and inclosed a regularly-executed
power of attorney, which authorised the lady's
father to stand in the stead of the bridegroom,
and for him to enter into matrimonial vows.
The papers being executed in the United States
it was thought necessary to have the ceremony
performed on this side the Niagara; and father
and daughter came ever to the De Venx Col-
lege, aud the lady became the legal wife of her
California lord. She will sail for her Pacific
home about the 5th of February, and there
join her proxy husband, or seek biin in the
wilds of Mexico. This is an uncommon event
in this country, though it is some*inn's prac-
ticed in England. The lady is of English
birth, and highly educated.—Buifu/o Cour-
ier.
An Encounter with a Wilti Cat—A
coirespondent of the Kanawha Ilepubliean
gives the subjoined account of an eucounter
with a wild cat, which occurred in that c-juu
iy-
The circumstances are these: On Wednes-
day evening, Dec. 15th a youth named Wil-
liam Iluffner, son of Geo. Rufiner, Es^., of
this place, started out in pursuit of game, ac-
companied by his little brother. They ascen-
ded what is known as the Flag Pole mountain,
about a quarter of a mile belo^, Maiden. lie
had not proceeded far into the woods before
he heard a rustling in the branches of the
trees above him. He looked up and saw a
large wild cat in the act of springing 1::^
little brother, who was immediately behind i;im
At this moment his little brother perceived his
danger and screamed out at the top of h is voice,
It's a wild cat, Will, it's a wild cat!" The el-
der brother, seeing their danger, leveled his
gun and fired, just as the animal leaped at
them. It fell mortally wounded at their feet.
Will drew out his Barlow knife and despatched
the monster without receiving a scratch.
a writer, his productions will be cherished by j ^ Hrown, eilter(.,l MiSSOuri on the° Little
statesmen and scholars while the English tongue
is spoken. As a senatorial orator his great ef-
forts are historically associated with his cham-
ber, whose very air seems yet to vibrate beneath
the strokes of his deep tones and his weighty
words.
On the outer circle sat Henry Clay, with his
impetuous ajpd ardent nature untamed by age,
and exhibiting the same vehement patriotism
and passionate eloquence that, of vore, electrifi-
ed the House of Representatives and the coun-
try. His extraordinary personal endowments,
his courage—all his noble qualities; invested
I Osage, stole a number of negroes; and took a
man, named uirrie, whom they afterwards re-
leased.
whites, have partially dwindled away,and their him with an individuality ami a charm
yawning abysses, generally inaccessible, and j t-iced, and illustrative of certain peculiarities
whose intricacies it would be a hopeless task to j of the Indian race, that tbe whole tribe do not
attempt to unravel. Twice only^ after long and | speak the same language—the individuals in
difficult clambering down the sides ofprecipic- j some of the towns absolutely professing to be
es, and through walled approaches that seemed j unable to understand what Is said by the rosi-
ns forming gorges or canons, sometimes of
ksiderable size, and in these there is eeneral-
k hptt^r channel than in the valleys.
he next one hundred miles gravelly
i are of frequent occurrence, arid at some of
n the stream presents almost the appearance
rapid. In the interval hftween, in both
leys and canons, are stretches of good river
I, although the bad places kre worse, the
knncl generally is better than it is Mtnr.
ti or the succeeding fifty miles the riveetedj*
iposed, in a great measure, of ooarse gravel
stones, and many swift rapids w«re NMOun-
l pon several wertf found ndt oyer to
water. In this portion' of tte ri«
fcre are a.few sunken rock®, tfoit wpul^'
ugcrows ti# their position becaxc-e fcr-r-TTa.
THE BLACK CAMOH. .
he "Black Canon," whi^h is twentv-ftve
m is now reach*Lmid in it. tha
' -are pa^ermm^nd d^clg / . .. "
re tha canon the river atjrida 2nd *
assume* the ebaracte? jof a
; a distance as to render aay
to be leading into the bowels of the earth,were
the banks of tse streams below finally attained.
One place was on the Colorado itself, and the
other near the mouth of one of its larger tribu-
taries. Except at the place of descent, the ca-
non of the river, as far as it could be see ^show-
ed no place of practicable ingress or outlet, and
the appearance of tl)e torrent, foaming and sur-
ging abng its confined bed, left little room for
doubt as to what would bo the result of any at-
tempt, such as has been sometimes suggested,
to explore the river in boats from its sources
above.
So numerous and so closely interlaced are
the canons in some portions of this singular re
gion, that they have displaced all but scattered
remnants of the original plateau, leaving nar-
row walls, isolated ridges, and spires so slender
that they seem to totter upon their bases,shoot-
ing up to an enormous height from the vaults
below.
Tbe natural surface of the country opposes
insurmountable barriers to traveling in any
fixed direction, and the aridity of the accessi-
ble portions of the table lands rendered the ex-
plorations difficult. Though the season of the
year was the most favorable for finding water,
much inconvenience was experienced from its
scarcity, and it is daubtfftl whether, during the
dry months, the examinations could have been
prosecuted at all.
West of the Little Colorado, belts of cedar
and pine forests somewhat relieve the general
aspect of barrenness, but, traveling eastward,
between that river and tbe towns of the Moquis
Indians, the country becomes almost entirely
a desert. The immense stretches of sandy soil
are broken only by ridges of brilliant red and
yellow marls, that intensify the heat and glare
of the sun. The mirage, iordinarily existing
in speb localities, assumes, generally, the ap-
pearance ef water, and iis rendered peculiarly
unpleasant frpm the known absence of that ele-
ment over ihe whole regjion in qu#st)9P- Still
farther east the table lands begin td mingle with
spurs from the Sierra Madre; the country be-
comes mora broken and diversified, and the de-
sert gives ptaw to (ha frftMtabta N&vwo terri-
tory that borders the ^qiwfcains west .of the
Rio Grande.
TBE INDIANS OF jfH* COLORADO.
The Indians living al( ng the lower portions
of the Colorado, comprising the Cdeopa, Tama,,
Chetnehuevis, and Mojafa tribes, have become
tolerably well kaown from the narratives of
have been, X tl
inquisitive:
aodnear, i
walfy exists,
at thie
the
present coi
* ymh
Idlaand
larger
fcrof the banks
t of individuals, but
j had jbm& familiar the
lents of others.
A large portion of the iVavajoe territory was
traversed, but its inhabitants havp become so
well known, since the establishment of a mili-
tary post in their midst, as to require no par-
ticular description.
AOR1CULTUKAL VALUE OF THE REGION EX-
PLORED.
A discussion of the agricultural value of the
region explored, or its capability pf sustaining
a population, would involve many considera-
tions, soi^p pf an intricate character, a fair ex-
position of which would require 3- degree of
detail much beyond the limits of the present
communication. A few general facts and con-
clusions only can be stated.
During the explorations all of the lands upon
the Colorado, from its mouth to the 36th par-
allel, and the greater portion of the region
along both the 36th and 35th parallels, between
the Colorado and the Rio Grande, was travers-
ed. Much of the country had been previously
explored, and a considerable portion of it, par-
ticularly some of tbe open valleys of the Great
and 2/ittle Colorado rivers, and the Aavajoe
country, pronounced by excellent authorities a
good agricultural region, capable of a high de-
gree of cultivation, il/any facts were noticed
during the examinations that tended to confirm
this view, but certain unfavorable features were
also appurppt. Pf tl>e valleys upon the Color-
ado, that of the Mojav ts Indian*, sihich borders
the 35th parallel, is by far the finest, and is
perhaps the most promising looking region in
the portion of New Mexico west of the Rio
Grande. It was visited in the season of spring,
which, if) that plimate, is during the month of
February,
delightful atmosphere and beauty of
the valleys of the mojaves,
The atmosphere was indiscribably balmy and
delicious. A pale transparent hare of a pecu
liar delicate blue, which all mast have noticed
who have been in thisvalley, enveloped it with
a softened glow. In brilliant contrast to the
dark and frowning mountains oh either side
were groves of trees, with trcsh ajnd beautiful
foliage, dotting the whole expanse! of the fore-
ground.. Fipjf}!* of wheat, corn, beans, pump-
kips, and galops, promlshig a Mwlan* prop,
met $0 eve in every direction. Comfortable
houses and well built granaries,overflowing With
the last year's stores, testified to ijhe provident
affluence of the inhabitants, and the robust ap-
pearwice of the people tbetftseta*, *itb their
rail-developed frames and solid glossy limbs
ef life, the cotinjtry is an excellcpt one, there
can bb n& doafct.>:! Whethter if txrald'eveir be of
much value to whites adriiHir-ofa
The shifting of the bed of the Colorado would
be« source of great trouble in io narrow a
valley. The changes occur with a rapidity and
to an extent that can soaroely be appreciated
ultimate fate, if the same meteorological con-
dition continues, cau bo a question of little
doubt.
Mong the 35th parallel, within the limit of
the volcanic disturbances, much of the country
i3 better, and, at some seasons of the year, very
attractive. .Ifter the melting snows of spring,
and during the autumnal rains, a more smiling
picture of green forest glades,sparkling streams,
verdant hills, and wild flowers, the eye could
not desire to dwell upon; and, excepting that
the surftice of the soil is in most places closely
packed with lava rocks, there would seem to be
iromising field for the agriculturist. Evi-
dence, however, has been collected of seasons
of drought so excessive as to render it doubtful
whether mure than a small portion of the coun-
try could ever be inhabited,
ancient remains.
Over the whole of this r gion and that iu .
alluded to, remains of buildings and fragmcu
of pottery arc found, and the fact has beeii
duced as an argument to establish the pro.ii. :
capability qf the country to sustain a popula-
tion; but there is an analogy between theso
mouldering ruins and the dead forests near ry
suggestive of a different conclusion; giving r,r<~
to a doubt whether the decay of one race of
habitants might not have been induced by
fiuences that would be effectual to prevent the
introduction of another.
MINERAL RESOURCES.
The mineral resources of some parts of the
country explored are considerable The ranges
of mountains that cross the navigable portioh
of the Colorado,' which belong to the same sys-
tem as those of California and Sonora, are like
them the repositories of a large amount of min-
eral wealth. They were examined by Dr. dew-
berry with as great thoroughness aud care as
the character of the expedition would permit,
and found to be traversed by veins of such mag-
nitude ailtl richness as to give promise of a field
of extensive mining operations. The me als,
as far as observed, wore gqld and mercury, in
small quantity; silver, copper, and lead, in r>cb
and valuable deposites; and iron in the greatest
abundance. The c ose proximity of the trea-
sures of these mountains to water transporta-
tion, gfpatly ppl}at}cgs tbeij- yglge. A popper
mine, that promises to be highly successful, is
now being worked forty miles above Fort Yu-
ma.
In the country of the upper Colorado, the
useful minerals found were iron, coal, rock-salt
and ipapb}p. Ffftip tfyn* gefigyapfcjw} position
they have little \ ecqniary yalue, tfy ugh their
existence in that region is a f ctof great scien-
tific interest, On the sides of the canons were
splendid exposures of the gtreified rooks which
compose the great table lands of New J/exico,
xhibiting all of the formations from the base
of the series to the tertiary.
after,which, 111 any ag
a favorite of history,
countries. Illustrious
philanthropist*"* whose
ian, was seen and felt
! Wore French intervention—Franca and St. Domingo
—Dismissal cf the French minister.
i Washington, December 27.—The Chevalier
• Bayard, Charge de Affaires of the French gov-
i eminent at St. Domingo, has received his
! passports from the Dominican government.
1 The reason assigned tor this step on the part
| of St. Domingo, is, that the Chevalier Bayard
i had officially inarmed the Dominican govern-
har- * nient of the wishes of the Emperor Aapoleon
, would have made him ! that the Dominicans should surrender their
He loved liberty in all present form of government and submit to that
man !—orator, psttriot,! of I lay ti.
light, at
Arrksted for Robbery and Forgery
in Texas.— The J/ontgomerv (-ila.) Adver-
tiser, of the 1th inst.., says:
its menu- j
in the remotest parts j
of the ?ivilisted worl.;and whose declining sun, '
as it hastened down the|West, threw back its !
level beams in hues of mellowed splendor to il- !
luminate aud to cheer the land he loved and j
served so well.
A nothek Cali fo r nia C i" 1511 >s 1t v — fiornx
L'tfo-.—The largest borax lake,nearly two miles
in extent, is situated about half a njile north of
the north shore of Clear bake.
miles from its foot, in Congres
!•> N., and range 7 W. of the Mount Diabk
meridian, and N. 18 deg.. W. fifty-two miles
distant from Napa City, California. The water
:n this lake is so strongly saturated or impreg-
nateewith borax, that it cannot be held in no-
tion, and is consequently, deposited in crystal-
led particles, from very small to half a pound
a weight, in the mud below. From this I ke,
one and a quarter miles north,over a high ridge,
ia the noted sulphur b nk, from twenty to thir-
iv acres in extent, and supposed to be thirty feet
•thick, sufficiently pure it is said, for the use of!
t .it mint at San Francisco. The sulphur ap-
pears to be constantly forming from a damp
steam continually rising over the surface.—
Eighty rods west from the sulphur,a hot spring
arises in the edge of an arm01 Clear Lake; this
spring is strongly impregnated with boracic ac-
id. Five or six miles west of this, on the south
of Clear La e, is another borax lake.
Two men named Augustus and Alfred Mer-
chant, who a short time since established them
selves in the soap-boiling business in this city,
were arrested, day before yesterday, by offi-
cers xeGibbony, Hall and Keid. charged with
extensive robberies and forgeries in Texas,
along with their brother Albert. Since their
and about five | arrest tbev have made acknowledgments of the
ional township j truth of the charge. Officers Fuller and Shel-
ton, of Mobile, who were in pursuit of anoth-
er party belonging to the gang, gave informa-
tion as to who the Merchants were, and upon
their representation the arrests were made.
The Merchants, when in Texas, assumed the
name ot Wilson. They are now in jail.
Later from the cape of Good Hope.—
Advices from Cape Town to the 13th Novem-
ber have been received at Boston.
Tbe Cape Monitor says that the frontier pa-
pers are filled with terrible accounts of out-
rages committed by roaming Kaffirs. Tbey
murder and plunder indiscriminately every-
thing that comes in their way, regardless of
consequences. The losses already sustained
from these depredations are very serious.
Cotton seed had been received from India,
and was to be distributed among tho colon-
ists.
A Girl Frightened to Death—A Simj-
vfar Cane.—Two young men have been indict-
ed for manslaughter at Lancaster, Eng.. under
peculiar circumstances. It appears that « u a
certain evening six small girls left a fnctory to
go home. While proceeding along a turnpike,
near dark, they discovered aeoffiu lying a -r.
the footpath, and when they came within a fesv
feet of it, it moved, and a hollow sound came
from it. The girls all screamed ana tied.--
Shortly ofiter they saw the two young men with
the coffin on their shoulders, and from their
subsequent admissions it appeared that in order
to frighten the girls they had placed it in the
road, tied a string to one of the handles, and
concealing themselves in the bushes, ottered
mournful sounds and pulled the strings as they
approached. One of the girls became so fright-
ened that on the following morning -he was ta-
ken ill while at work, and fell dead in a few
minutes. A physician gave it a5? his opinion
that death ensued from a rupture of tbe gall
bladder, superinduced by the fright. The two
young men were immediately arrested, indicted
for manslaughter and committed for trial.
Jewish Disabilities in North Carolika.
—North Carolina is the only State iu the
Union that excludes Jews from boi ling offices
of profit or trust within its limits, ,1/aoy in-
effectual efirts have been made to remove this
prescriptive feature from the constitution ot'
the State, and a resolution to this effect hue en-
gaged the attention of the .Legislature row in
session, but has failed to receive its ft v cr~ble
action. 'The House Committee to u^e
subject was referred have made a siucular re-
port, which, admitting that the prop*«ad re-
form is desirable, and that the restriction mpon
the Jews is bigoted and unjust, and contrary
to the principles of a Republican Government,
nevertheless deem it inexpedient tc alter the
constitution by legislative enactment in any
particular whatever, because, as tthey say. the
people of the State have expressed no desire
for a change.
wtjmn:
The wm4 *re 8ig)ii g—sobbing,
bike Rummers round a bier.
And ftrota the hill* there cdraetb,
A T0f « thit soiindeth drear;
As tho trumpfcHsll to judgment,
, Pwpare, pvepfcr*!
Spread a'«r the rale a fieeoy p U,
And the old yew. there!"
Within are Bonndtt of gladnes*,
And fiffM jtfc&t brightly liurn,
Aud sturiea of the olden 1
Without, the cry of mi
And Want salute the ears,
And we look on hoary Winter !
Through miagled smiles and tears,
The Camels.—We visited Parson's Wlyu'f
on Thursday, to witness a feat of strength per-
formed by one of Mrs. Watson'scomels/if which
there were near a dozen on the wharf, of all
sizes and ages. The camel loaded was one of
the largest. Upon the Word of command being
given, the camel lay down, ready to receive his
load,which consisted t f five bales of hay, weigh-
ing in the aggregate oyer 1100 pounds, which
were firmly bound to the pannier placed upon
the animal's hump, j Upon the utterance of
command by the native keeper, the huge ani-
mal rose, without, a[| apparent extra effort, to
his foet, and walked off in a stately manner
along the wharf and through the city. We
were informed that the same camel had had
1600 pounds placed upon him, with which
enormous weight he easily rose,
The animals are all exceedingly tractable,
and seem to possess ipnch affection for any one
who treats them kindly, as an example of which
Mrs. W. informed us, that one of them, a pretty
white one. Vrhioh she had pcttod, would always
kiss her, when she went within kissing distance,
which fact we really (thought proved the animal
to possess an excellent taste, as well as an af-
fectionate disposition. In their native country
the average load for ji fnl) grown cnuu'l is some
eight hundred pounds,>ylth which they perform
long journeys qyer dpserts, with bi\t little food
or water.
We doubt not that with the abundant forage
found in all parts of Texas, and a full supply of
Water generally, the camel will improve in
strength and general appearance, and be able to
transport larger loads, at a more rapid pace,
How the Swedes say Grace.—The Swedes,
have a peculiar mode of saying grace. The
company stand round the table, and at some,
considerable distance from it, the gentleman
for the most part if not always, with their
hands c asped and held on their breasts. Pro-
found silence ensues perhaps for a minute,
or it may be two, when the ladies drop a curt-
sey and the gentleman make a bow, and then
the company take their seats. After dinner
there is sometimes an addition, one of the par-
ties striking up a verse of some well-known
hymn, when all join in singing it.
The "Vander-veer Cotton."—The Mont-
gomery Mail learns that Farley, Jury & Co.,
of New Orleans a few dap siiice sold tbe cot-
ton crop of Mr; W. P. Vaoderveer at 15|c.
per pound. The cotton was tbe produce of
Mr. V.'s plantation in Jfoni
This is the result purely
seed and care in propagation.
fontgomery county,
of tbe selection of
I'than in bis native otmntry
.Jer, 20.
'Grthtshm
A company of on4 thousand; Germans is be-,
ing organized on th<i Rhine and Moselle, with
• -fee iiiteotion of emyratrihg to' Mariposa.' Cali-
fornia, aud
; purpose of mining and farming. Each oi 1 the
! oae thousand members is tp furnish $1000, to
*4: te a capital stock, with the privilege of dis-
p .ding of $100 shares to other .Jjjpi
A New Branch of Barings' Banking
House —The New York Tribune learns that
the eminent house of Barings will form a
more intimate connection with the American
trade during the present year, a nephew _ of
Mr. Bates aud a nephew of Mr. Baring going
in as partners of a Wall street bonse already
established.
Cheap and abundant as money is in this
country tt is much cheaper in Europe. In
London the Bank of England's rate of dis-
count is only 2 1-2 per cook-. At Pans the
rate is 3 per oent, at Hamburg, 2; at Frankfort
4; at Amesterdam, 31; and at Brussels, 3 per
cent.
: Qp Thursday the 16th ultimo we
a singular snow-storm in ihe vicinity of FuL-
ton Oswego couotk The storm commenced
about 8, a. m., and continued for 24 hours, to
the depth of 2} to 3 feet. It covered a
Mr. John Antrobus, a poet, publishes a song
in the N. O. Delta, which commences as fol-
lows:
"I slept in the eye of the golden suu.''
which is, without question, a singular place
for a nap.
Again he says:
"I lay in the gray of the early spring."
Towards the conclusion he ventpjvs to pug-
guest—
"But you deem it strange to see me tie."
By no means. After reading yoU£,' produc-
tion, Mr. Antrobus, it doesn't seem Strange ait
a,U—011 the contrary you appear to lie very
naturally-—Camdm H, raid. , £
Working t'i- vvtdvst.—It £rii| interest
the proprietors of awnat)< and iu
general, to learn that, the ingenuity of /Fr-
isian cabinet-makers in the Fiuboiirg St. An-
toine, has found a use lor congou sawdust
which raises the value of that commodity far
above the worth of solid timber..*, By new
process, combining the hydrauBcf press and
the application of intense heat, these wooden
particles are made to reform themselves into a
solid mass capable of bein£ mooHed into any
shape, and presenting a brilliant surface, a du-
rability and a beauty, of appearance not found
in ebony, rosewood, or mabqgany.
Shocking Death.—A voung man. named
John Hart, was accidentally choked to death
the night of the 20th, in Washington, D. C;,
by a fall from* fence he was climbing. His
foot slipped, when be was caught by the neck
ia such a manner that he found it impossible
to leleaec himself. A faithful dog endeavored
hard to pull him down, and in doing act tan.
nearly all his clothes off lnsa. Whee £rj>d
in die morning he was cold and stiff.;
of land only six miles, wide, deepest m aef^nd aad&e new
centre, from Ontario to Oneida liM
The WtATHm.—While we write th
al rah is shining with the mildness of %
morning, and the joyous carrols of
birds ftre heard from the,
us. Were it not that
that we are still in mid-wipter,
believe out^voMUnid thel
sfr-y-. uml
wftioo of tho
tmd, ibe
lidtoafltitt* fimuKi
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De Morse, Charles. The Standard. (Clarksville, Tex.), Vol. 16, No. 5, Ed. 1 Saturday, February 19, 1859, newspaper, February 19, 1859; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth234202/m1/1/?q=tex-fron: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.