IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 k 
 
 /. 
 
 // 
 
 
 /- 
 
 v.. 
 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 1.25 
 
 '- ilM 
 
 |50 ""'^= 
 
 1^ 
 
 2.5 
 
 Z2 
 M 
 
 1.6 
 
 6" 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, NY. 14580 
 
 (716)873-4503 
 
 ^ 
 
 ■^ 
 
 \ 
 
 iV 
 
 :\ 
 
 \ 
 
 
 iS^ 
 
 
d 
 
 ». ^ 
 
 u 
 
 
 CIHM/ICMH 
 
 Microfiche 
 
 Series. 
 
 CIHM/ICMH 
 Collection de 
 microfiches. 
 
 Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 
 
Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques 
 
 The Institute has attempted to obtain the best 
 original copy available for filming. Features of this 
 copy which may be bib!iographically unique, 
 which may alter any of the images in the 
 reproduction, or which may significantly change 
 the usual method of filming, are checlied below. 
 
 D 
 
 Coloured covers/ 
 Couverture de couleur 
 
 I I Covers damaged/ 
 
 D 
 
 Couverture endommag6e 
 
 Covers restored and/or laminated/ 
 Couverture restaurde et/ou pellicul6e 
 
 □ Cover title missing/ 
 Le titre de couverture manque 
 
 r~y Coloured maps/ 
 
 D 
 D 
 D 
 
 Cartes gdographiques en couleur 
 
 Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ 
 Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) 
 
 Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ 
 Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur 
 
 n 
 
 n 
 
 Bound with other material/ 
 Reli6 avec d'autres documents 
 
 Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion 
 along interior margin/ 
 
 La reliure serrde peut causer de I'ombre ou de la 
 distortion le long de la marge intirieure 
 
 Blank leaves added during restoration may 
 appear within the text. Whenever possible, these 
 ha^'e been omitted from filming/ 
 II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajout^es 
 lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, 
 mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont 
 pas 6t6 filmdes. 
 
 Additional comments:/ 
 Commentaires suppidmentaires: 
 
 L'Institut a microfiimd le meilleur exemplaire 
 qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details 
 de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-§tre uniques du 
 point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier 
 une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une 
 modification dans la mithode normale de filmage 
 sont indiqu^s ci-dessous. 
 
 I I Coloured pages/ 
 
 D 
 
 Pages de couleur 
 
 Pages damaged/ 
 Pages endommag6es 
 
 Pages restored and/or laminated/ 
 Pages restaur^es et/ou pellicul6es 
 
 Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ 
 Pages ddcoiordes, tachetdes ou piqudes 
 
 Pages detached/ 
 Pages d6tach6es 
 
 r^ Showthrough/ 
 
 Transparence 
 
 □ Quality of print varies/ 
 Qualit^ indgale de I'impression 
 
 I I Includes supplementary material/ 
 
 Comprend du materiel supplementaire 
 
 Only edition available/ 
 Seule Edition disponible 
 
 Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata 
 slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to 
 ensure the best possible image/ 
 Les pages totalement ou partiellement 
 obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, 
 etc., ont 6t6 film6es d nouveau de faqon d 
 obtenir la meilleure image possible. 
 
 □ This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ 
 Ce document est filmd au taux de reduction indiquA ci-dessous. 
 
 10X 
 
 
 
 
 14X 
 
 
 
 
 18X 
 
 
 
 
 22X 
 
 
 
 
 26X 
 
 
 
 
 30X 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1/ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12X 
 
 
 
 
 16X 
 
 
 
 
 20X 
 
 
 
 
 24X 
 
 
 
 
 28X 
 
 
 
 
 32X 
 
 1 
 
 The copy fil 
 to the gene 
 
 Metn 
 Histo 
 
 The images 
 possible CO 
 of the origii 
 filming con 
 
 Original co| 
 beginning v 
 the last pa( 
 sion, or the 
 other origin 
 first page ^ 
 sion, and ei 
 or illustrate 
 
 The last rec 
 shall contai 
 TINUED"), 
 whichever ) 
 
 Maps, plate 
 different rei 
 entirely inc 
 beginning i 
 right and tc 
 required. T 
 method: 
 
emplaire 
 r. Les details 
 uniques du 
 uvent modifier 
 It exiger une 
 ale de filmage 
 
 The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks 
 to the generosity of: 
 
 Metropolitan Toronto Library 
 History Department 
 
 The images appearing here are the best quality 
 possible considering the condition and legibility 
 of the original copy and in keeping with the 
 filming contract specifications. 
 
 L'exemplaire filmA fut reproduit grAce A la 
 ginirositA de: 
 
 Metropolitan Toronto Library 
 History Department 
 
 Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le 
 plus grand soin. compte tenu de la condition et 
 de la nettetA de l'exemplaire film*, et en 
 conformity avec les conditions du contrat de 
 filmage. 
 
 ed/ 
 I6es 
 
 foxed/ 
 u piqu6es 
 
 rial/ 
 mentaire 
 
 iured by errata 
 
 refilmed to 
 
 e/ 
 
 ellement 
 
 rata, une pelure, 
 
 u de fapon d 
 
 tsible. 
 
 30X 
 
 32X 
 
 Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed 
 beginning with the front cover and ending on 
 the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All 
 other original copies are filmed beginning on the 
 first page with a printed or illustrated impres- 
 sion, and ending on the last page with a printed 
 or illustrated impression. 
 
 The last recorded frame on each microfiche 
 shall contain the symbol -^ (meaning "CON- 
 TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), 
 whichever applies. 
 
 Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at 
 different reduction ratios. Those too large to be 
 entirely included in one exposure are filmed 
 beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to 
 right and top to bottom, as many frames as 
 required. The following diagrams illustrate the 
 method: 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 Les exemplaires origlnaux dont la couverture en 
 papier est imprimte sont filmAa en commenpant 
 par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la 
 derniire page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second 
 plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires 
 originaux sont fiimfo en commenpant par la 
 premiere page qui comporte une empreinte 
 d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par 
 la dernidre page qui comporte une telle 
 empreinte. 
 
 Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la 
 derniire image de cheque microfiche, selon le 
 cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE ", le 
 symbole V signifie "FIN". 
 
 Les cartes, planches, tsbieaux, etc., peuvent Atre 
 filmte A des taux de reduction diffArents. 
 Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre 
 reproduit en un seul clich6, 11 est film* A partir 
 de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche h drolte, 
 et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre 
 d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants 
 illustrent la mAthode. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
C' 
 
 \ 
 
 X, 
 
-1K- 
 
 '■mm 
 
 M 
 
 •/ 
 
 \ 
 
 \, 
 

 L'>«l U: 
 
 no iiK 
 
 
 
 C^ • • t?r i? 1/ \. >•- 
 
 CKK<i^ I 
 
 
 ii HKH'ffru 
 
 
 
 4s^ 
 
 (fu&n 
 
 ^ 
 
 2j 
 
 i:'^. 
 
m 
 
 ttAHTIA 
 
 -4- 
 
 _L 
 
 liii 
 
 ftu 
 
 10 
 
 lu 
 
 xu 
 
 so 30 
 
 ho 
 
 K) 
 
 SO 
 
 70 
 
 HO 
 
 TUI 
 
 IXOllu^'llltlt ZfH 
 l.ttttln ftlUll ^IXj 
 
 HaJIntiy Liiir.s 
 J. n.bipphifi 
 
 itf«> 
 
lOU 
 
 Ilf> I;.')) 
 
 lAO 11'" 
 
 rrAr/nyiW 
 
 
 a c= "■ 
 
 
 
 T 
 
 N.^ I 
 
 
 
 hu):ksj 
 
 
 riiiiHifii 
 1. 
 
 IV llarrtw 
 
 ¥ ■ '■■*<v.k 
 
 
 jt ■XM.y ru 
 
 ^w»iJ4'. ; 
 
 <(.- . — i- — ^» 1 
 
 :3Bi 
 
 ail 
 
 IKI 
 
 UIO 
 
 1H> 
 
 ItftI 
 
 litO 
 
 KtO 
 
 LW 
 
 IKO 
 
 "O 
 
 
 / / 
 
■f. 
 
 ■w\ 
 
 V 
 
 u 
 
 I ' 
 
 ) f^^ 
 
 MISSION 
 
 OV TIIK 
 
 NORTH AMERICAN PEOPLE, 
 
 GEOGRAPHICAL, SOCIAL, AND POLITICAL. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY SIX (HARTS 
 
 DELINEATING THE TIIYSICAL ARCIIITECTURE AND THERMAL LAWS 
 OF ALL THE CONTINENTS. 
 
 BY 
 
 WILLIAM GILPIN, 
 
 I.ATK GOVKItXOIl OP COLOH.VDO. 
 
 P H I L A D E li P n I A : 
 
 J. B. LIPPIXCOTT & CO. 
 1873. 
 
J.//,S-^"2' 
 
 Entered, aceorilinj; to Act of Coii(;i'eci<, in the year ISTJ!, by 
 
 WILLIAM (ill-l'IX, 
 In the Office of tlie Liliniiiiin of I^Jii^^rc.'s at \Vii>hiii;;l()n. 
 
 DeN'VEB, Juill 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 This voluiiu! is tlic nprodiittion nf its i)reclcceHHor, which nppcareil 
 in IHIIO. Tiiis short interval, aitliinij;h olieciicred by war, is ilhmiinated 
 by stupendous achievements in the direction wliithcr the encrj^ies of the 
 people were invited. 
 
 The vivacity with which hdor, intcUij^encc, and n'oderation, in concert 
 and ulliance, march and expand in force and volume, is amazinj; and 
 <;;lorious. Nothinjr in sijrht jiredicts any serious check to this fufal flood, 
 on which is borne every department and detail of I'ltodUESS. 
 
 The aim hcj'e is to {?rasp facts as they arc ; to reject delusions which 
 have grown senile. No special chapter is here assigned I :> the Wcstmi 
 Cvr<h7f<T(t (the Sierra Nevada), because its general profile, its (Jwrmal 
 features, and its continuity are everywhere referred to and described. 
 
 Much that luis been jtroposed and asked from the people in tlic former 
 volume is now fully completed and has gone into history. J^verything 
 else is coming w^ith assured certainty and celerity. 
 
 In the former preface I have given expression fully to my faith and 
 hopes. These I retain and repeat with fortified confidence and con- 
 viction. 
 
 Denver, .luiie 1, 187.3. 
 
CE 
 
 SOME N 
 
THE 
 
 CENTRAL GOLD REGION. 
 
 THE 
 
 GRAIN, PASTORAL, AND GOLD REGIONS 
 
 OF 
 
 NOETH AMERICA. 
 
 SOME NEW VIEWS OF ITS PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, AND OBSERVATIONS 
 ON THE PACIFIC RAILROAD. 
 
 BY 
 
 WILLIAM GILPIN, 
 
 LATE OP THE VNITED STATES ARMY. 
 
 B'lUST FTJ BlilSHEX) I 3Sr I860. 
 
 %^ 
 
Every 
 
 Their con 
 voluntarily 
 half centu 
 and policy 
 Kcstrict 
 as belongs 
 energies, c 
 of the Pa 
 Asia. 
 
 This nic 
 its advanc 
 l)rogress j) 
 effect to t 
 lilieral un 
 expansion 
 energies n 
 
 I have 
 suggested 
 midst of t 
 clear open 
 I distinj 
 interval w 
 This defin( 
 The ma 
 gress assei 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 EvERYBoiiY is acquainted with the history of the American people. 
 Their comuionweakh, commenced at first by a few republican families 
 voluntarily exiled from the Old World, is now, at the end of two and a 
 half centuries, a republican empire of established continental dimensions 
 and policy. 
 
 Restricted heretofore in its development to so much of our continent 
 as belongs to the Atlantic, a point of progress is reached, whence our 
 energies, overflowing towards the west, expand to embrace the regions 
 of the Pacific Ocean and establish direct and familiar relations with 
 Asia. 
 
 This movement, long in preparation, now engages so large a force that 
 its advance daily acquires volume and celerity. Federal lejidation, to 
 progress i^ari passu with the people, is demanded upon a basis to give 
 effect to the great central movement resulting from their energies. A 
 liberal understanding of the mission of our people, counsels a genial 
 expansion of the federal system to the grandest dimensions which their 
 energies may reach. 
 
 I have condensed into a small volume, the memoranda and reflections 
 suggested by a residence of twenty years in the wilderness : and in the 
 midst of the pioneer people who occupy the foreground of progress, and 
 clear open the track of empire. 
 
 I distinguish, as the most essential present ground of development, tho 
 interval which separates the ^Mississippi Basin from the Pacific Ocean. 
 This defines itself as the "Mountain Si/steni" of our geography. 
 
 The magnitude of the obstacles which it ojiposes to the forces of pro- 
 gress assembled on its two fronts, sanctions an appeal to every form of 
 
 7 
 
8 
 
 PliEFACE. 
 
 lu'lp clisfeniiblc to the patriotic licart. This uoedcd help is, in short, the 
 construction of tlie Continental Jiailwud. 
 
 Two auspicious elements in human civilization, by their rapid j!;rowth 
 in power and importance, fix our attention, — the indefinite multiplication 
 of gold coin, and international jtuhlic works. 
 
 These tivu elements, so operating as to mutually stimulate and sustain 
 each other, iinmiise to enthrone im/'K^frial vr<j<iu!:.<it!on as the ruling 
 princijile of nations. 
 
 America leads the host of nations as they ascend to this new order of 
 civilization. 
 
 Her intermediate geographical position between Asia and Europe and 
 their populations, invests lier with the powers and duties of arbiter 
 between them. Our continent is at once a barrier which separates the 
 other two, yet fuses and harmonizes their intercourse in all the relations 
 from which yi^rce is absent. 
 
 Human society is, then, upon the brink of a new order of arrangement, 
 inspired by the uuiversal instincts of peace, and is about to assume the 
 grandest dimensions. 
 
 Fascinated by this vision, which I have seen appear and assume the 
 solid form of a reality in le.xs than half a generation, I discern in it 
 a new power, the People occupied in f/ie u-i/dmiess, engaged at once in 
 extracting from its recesses the omnipotent element of ffold coin, and 
 disbursing it immediately for the indnsfricd con(juest of the world. 
 
 William Gilpix. 
 
 Indepknde.nce, April 7, ISGO. 
 
p is, ill short, the 
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CIIArTER I. 
 
 this new order of 
 
 THE MOUNTAIN FORMATION OK NORTH AMF.RICA — TIIK (DR DIl.I.KR AS^TIIK I'l.A- 
 
 TF.AU — THE NORTH AMERICAN ANDES. 
 
 l\r,y. 
 Urc'iultli— Lt-iigtli— ninck Hills— ('(HiUllcni of ilu' Sifira Mailri — (iiil,l-|iioiliuiiit; 
 (Jninitp — Pares — I'hilcau (ilTaMo I,aiiils— Xot (.Miin|M('li('ii(U'il liy tlio Aiiiciicaii 
 I'l'oiile — IJasiii of City iif Mi'xit'o — Molson ili Ma|piiiii — Xn iJniinago — Siona 
 Mimbrt's — liiisin ol' llic \>v\ Nditc — lia.^in uftlio Culdiacld— Canon of the Colo- 
 rado — liasiii of the Salt Lake — l>asin of tlio Coliiiiiliia — llasiii of !•' razor's Hivi'r 
 — DeliciiHis Cliinatc of the I'laloau — ^Its Ki'riility — Coiilillcra of tlu' Aiiili's — 
 Pacific .Maritiiiio Kroiit 1.') 
 
 CIIArTKK II. 
 
 THE CORDILLERA OF THE SIERRA MADRE — THE EASTERN CORDILLERA. 
 
 LLiAM Gilpin. 
 
 M'Uiitain S_\ ritom of tin- (lloln — Tlu' Andes — Tlu'ir Icnjrth. aKitmle. unci aiirilVrous 
 vealtli — Chain of the Mollicr .Monntain — Its Uivcrs — Caiions — Mesas — liules — 
 jlanos — liiiyoiis or Pares — Klcvation — lireadth — Wiml lUver Moiintiiin — South 
 )ass — Tlic Alps and their ])ass — Lava IMain of Snake Kiver — liowl of the Yel- 
 Iwstone — Plain of tlie South Pass — Sweetwater lliver — Tahle iMouutain — Pla- 
 ors of jjolcl and |ireeious stones^Xortlu'ru Pare or Bull-iien — Favorite winter 
 liuue of tra)i|iers — Streams, meadows, flowers, i;roves, ete. — .Middle Pare — 
 M)uutain simrs. rocky streams, cloudy atinos|ihere, snow-clail summits — liOUfj's 
 Puk — Southern Pare — Pike's Peak — Mountain harrier — Xo transit — liayou 
 Pm Luis — Suhlinie scenery, luxuriant fertility, ajjricultural seasons — Valley 
 of Cashmere — Secondary mesas, or '• LIiiuiih" — Levid surface, jioor soil, rainless 
 atiiivsidiere — -Perjdexity of [uililic mind — Llano Kslacado and Llano of the lial- 
 sifcta — A continual terrace — Kansas Basin 21 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE PLATEAU OF NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 rts area nd chnrnetorislies — The column of central iiro<,'ress — Plateaux of tlie OM 
 AVorld-PIateau of American Talile Lands not underst(vod — Its basins — Climaf." 
 uniforlly vernal— Fertility of soil— (Jrasses nnike natural hay — Immense 
 herds f cattle — Auriferous f,'ranite and }rold placers — Irrijration — I'repared 
 for an mmediate dense population — Its physical characteristics — (U'olojrical 
 formatiii— Mineralogical resources— Zone id' civilization — Lino (d' progress 
 
10 TABLE OF COX TEXTS. 
 
 CIIArTKR IV. 
 
 THE SilEKRA SAX JUA.V. 
 
 VKQT. 
 
 Till' gdlil mill silver ]ini(hicliiiii of tlio wmlil — AiirifciMiis or i;i)lil-l)caring forinn- 
 tinii — ChIi'iiiciius I'liiiiiiitioii — Iniii, ciiiiiicr, Icml — KimmI I'liliiiiiiiitinns of thi; 
 Sii'iia Mailn — Pike's I'lak — Tlu- Sirna Miinlni's — Miinn;; in thi" AinlfS — 
 Slii|icMilcins ffl'futs iif till' inti'iiial vult-aiiir iiuwcr.-' of llii' j^lolii' — Aljiiiiilanci' of 
 tliu ]irci.'ii)iis iiii'lals — (.'afmii of the ColinaiUi — (iorgcous variety of seenery — 
 I'liiloiiuiiliy of inetiilliferiius ileiiosits — "tireut Xorth Amprieiin iJcHert" does 
 not exist — Itiinibolilt's views — The (iieat IMateau tlie peat of cmjiire of the 
 ancient Jlexieans — Heniaikalile foeal eiilniinatiun of the Siena Minilires in tho 
 Biena San Ji mi — The colunin of jiioneers npon its tliiesliuiil 4-' 
 
 CIIArTKR V. 
 
 THE SOITII PASS OF AMKHIfA. 
 
 Rontc from Paris to Pekin — Distance ami time reiliueil — Tlic Plateau and two Por- 
 ililleras the only im|i"iliments — liasin of the .Mciliserranean and liasin of the 
 JIississi]i|ii — The former .salt water — The hitter rich, calcareou)', iinil iiralilo 
 8iiil — The former sii]i|iorteil a |io|inhitionof one liniiilreil anil thirty-one millions — 
 The latter cajiahlc- of twelve hnnilreil millions — l!olh the .«eats of cmiiire in their 
 r(s|ieetivc continents — liotli traverseil hy the zmliac of civilization — The South 
 Pass — Its slia]ie, size, ami surface — Distance from Astoria ami St. Louis — The 
 only jiass throu;;li the Mountain Formation hence to Tehuantcjiec — The j^rcnt 
 trail of the butValo |iasse.s throu;;li it — Uiiiiiterrn)itc(l ]iassa}fe hy the bed of great 
 rivers both to the Atlantic and Pacific — I'niforniity of climate from sea to sea 
 — The great Continental line of empire here — The Pillars of Washington 54 
 
 CHAPTER YI. 
 
 THE GHEAT ItASlX ol' THE JllSSISSiri'I. 
 
 It3 great river — It? surface n r-ch and deep sediment — Its climate — Line of tinibr 
 — Line of grasses — Capacity for ]ioiiulatioi. iJcographical centre of the ]!aui 
 and North American Continent at same point — Hetwcen and e(|nidistinf 
 from the l.'.V.l,Om).non iio|)uhitioii of Kurope and the O.'id.OdO.fKIO population of 
 Asia and Polynesia — Surfaeo of Europe descends outwards trom its cent)! — 
 Also of .\sia — Surface of Xorth America like a bowl, gathering and cenral- 
 izing whatever enters within its rim — The Basin of the Mississijiju the aiuihi- 
 theatre of the world C4 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 I'ASTORAT, A.MEKIfA. 
 
 Great Plains of America md deserts — The I'astoral Ciardcn of the woid — Tts 
 surface a gentle slope to the east — Abounds in rivers — Covered witi thick 
 
TABLE OF COX TENTS. 
 
 11 
 
 PAOC. 
 
 Iicaring forinn- 
 latidiis of tliL' 
 1 the Andes — 
 -Abmidanee of 
 y of si'i'ner.v — 
 n llcsert" 'Iocs 
 ciniiiri' of tlie 
 Miiii))re» in the 
 
 nutritious grasses and swarming with animal life — Soil not sandy, hut a flno 
 calcareous mould — Convenient to navigation — (.'limato dry, and temperature 
 even — Herbage perennial, edible, and nutritious throughout the year, and cured 
 into natural hay upon the ground — Sujipnila one huiulicd iiiilUuna of iiild catlle 
 — Xo tires as in j)rairies— Turkeys, chickens, water-fowl, fish, and game in great 
 variety, abundant — Ample proportion of arable land for farms, fuel, building 
 materials, etc.— t'linnite favorable to health an<l longevity — Animal food three- 
 Jifths of that of tlie human family — How jiroduced spontaneously — Very little 
 labor necessary for support — Pastoral agriculture on a large scale eomjiara- 
 tively a new order of industry to our people — Destined to be of immense im- 
 portance 71 
 
 CHAPTP]Il VIII. 
 
 ■an and two f'or- 
 
 iiil liasin of the 
 
 us, and arable 
 
 y-oni' iiiilliniis — 
 
 empire in their 
 
 ion — The So\ith 
 
 St. Louis — The 
 
 epec — The great 
 
 • the bed of great 
 
 ■ from sea to sea 
 
 asliington OJ 
 
 ' — Line of timl.?r 
 litre of the Bain 
 and e(niidistiiit 
 11(1 population of 
 rom it? cente — 
 ing and eenval- 
 fiijilii the aiu)hi- 
 
 64 
 
 if the woid— Tts 
 vered wifc thick 
 
 THE SYSTEM OF THE TARCS. 
 
 The Definition of Pare — Their Beauty and Grandeur — The Pares of Colorado — 
 San Luis Pare — Ease of Entrance and De]iarture — Mountains — Rivers — Extent 
 — Climate — Valley of the City of Mexico — Pasturage of San Luis Pare — Alpine 
 Vegetation — The Precious Jletals — Normal Structure of the Cordillera — Of the 
 Sierra Mimbres — Craters of Extinct Volcanoes — Peilrigals — Cerritos — Walls of 
 Lava — Productions of the Pares — ^Medicinal Waters — Hot Springs — Irrigation 
 — Accessibility — Health — Mexican Population 77 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THERMAL AMERICA. 
 
 Magnitude of the New Powers and Fresh Forces — Thermal Science — Belt of Pro- 
 duction — Aqueous Atmosphere — Aerial Atmosphere — Ethereal Atmosphere — 
 Maritime Climate — Continental C'imate — Kegion of the Piedmont — InBuenoo 
 of Vapors — Unfavorable Influence of Thermal Laws in Europe — The Gold 
 Fever — The Land Question — Government Credits — The Financial Problem — 
 Jlistaken Legislation — Pastoral Agriculture — Industrial Organization — The Cos- 
 mopolitan llailway 91 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE NORTH AMERICAN MISSION. 
 
 The Pioneer Army — The Continental Mission — The Southern Andes — The North- 
 ern Andes — Eastern and Western Cordilleras — Profile of the Andes — Sim- 
 plicity of Structure — Longitudinal Position — The Calcareous Plain — Plateau — 
 System of the Pares — Enumeration — San Luis Pare — Alps of Europe — Convex 
 Surface of Eurojie— Concave Surface of North America — Climate of Colorado — 
 Isothermal Belt — Climate and Civilization 
 
12 
 
 TAULt; OF CUSl'ENTS. 
 
 C II APT Ell XL 
 
 TUE NORTU AMEKKAN MISSION — COXTIXLED. 
 
 rAQI. 
 
 The Oriuntiil Slujif ul' Asia — China — lis Iiujicil't'ct Iisollii'iuml Zimo — The Isotlicr- 
 
 uiiil Zone of Ndi'lli AiiK'ricii — Liiii^^iliidiiiiil Muuntiiiiis — l'()|jiihiliiiiin of Asia 
 
 aud Eurojif — Ainciic-ii liilunin'iliali — Wii.v-Tiavfl of Ihe Iliiiiiiiii llaoi — (joo- 
 
 grajihical Progress — Soc.ul Progress — (JoM l)iseoveries — City of Iteiiver — .March 
 
 of the Pioneers — Overland (Jourjuests — System of Naliiral Porees — Pastoral 
 
 Agriculture 1U7 
 
 C II APT Ell XII. 
 
 THE NORTH AMERICAN MISSION — CONTINUED. 
 
 Geological poriiiatiou of Ihe Anierieiin Amies — Alinospheres — Maritime Climate — 
 Contineiilal Climate — Uiehness of Almosjiheric Color — Vernal Teiu[)eraturo — 
 JJcuver Cosiiiojiolilau — ■Trans|iortiitioii liy Kaihvays — Tidal ^March of Pojiula- 
 tiou — lionilou and the Oriental Commerce — Prosiiective Oriental Commerce of 
 >' rtli America — Traufactcd and I'niransactcd Mission of the North American 
 People — Conclusion 117 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 MEXICAN WAR. 
 
 Remarks of Slajor AVilliam Giljjin, at the Barbecue given the Cole Infantrj', at 
 Jefferson City, Thursday, August 10,1847 125 
 
 II. 
 
 SFEECII OF COLONEL WILLIAM CIILI'IX ON THE SUBJECT OF THE PACIFIC 
 
 RAILWAY. 
 
 First S]ioken at the Canij) ol' Fin: Thnnmind California Kmigrants at WnhcruHa 
 (now the City of Kawrenee . Kansas, l{e]ieiited at Indejiendence, Missouri, at a 
 Mass Meeting of Ihe Citizens of Jackson County, held November 6, 18411 136 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 13 
 
 III. 
 
 PROCEEDIN(iS OF A MASS MEETING OF THE CITIZENS OF JACKSON COUNTT, 
 
 PAOE. 
 
 At Indcpeiidi'iu^o, iin llic .'ith of November, IS 11), to ri'ijioiid to the Action of 
 the Great N'litioniil Hiiilroiid Convention, held in St. Louis on tho V.A\\ day 
 of October, Is 19 165 
 
 IV. 
 
 pike's I'EAK and THE SIERRA SAN JUAN', 
 
 Extracts fro;i un Address l)y Colonel William (iilpin, delivered at Kansas City, 
 November 15, 1858; on the Gold I'rodnetion of America and the Sierra San 
 Juan 168 
 
 V. 
 
 OEOGRAMIICAL MEMORANDA ON THE PACIFIC RAILROAD. 
 Reproduced from the Pamphlet of 1S50 178 
 
 VI. 
 
 THE nEMP-GROWING REGION. 
 Reproduced from tho Pamphlet of 1856 202 
 
 VII. 
 
 AN ORATION. 
 
 Spoken by Honorable William Gilpin, to tho Quests of tho Fenian Brotherhood, 
 at Denver, Colorado, July 4, 1868 209 
 
 olc Infantry, at 
 
 OF THE PACIFIC 
 
LIST OF MAPS. 
 
 MAT OF NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 Hilinpiitinj,' Iho " Momitniii Sy.^tciii" and its d'-tnih, Tlio "Great Calcareous Plain' 
 as a unit, auJ tLu euutiiiuous eiiciiulirij; " Maritime yelvage." 
 
 II. 
 
 MAP OF XORTU AMERICA. 
 
 In which are delineated the "Mountain System" as a unit, The "Great Calcareous 
 Plain" and its dttaiix, and the continuous encircling " Maritime Selvage." 
 
 III. 
 
 THERMAL MAP OF NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 Delineating the Isothermal Zodiac, the Isothermal Axis of Intensity, and its ex- 
 pansions uji and down the " Plateau." 
 
 IV. 
 
 MAP ILLUSTRATING THE SYSTEM OF THE PARCS 
 
 And the domestic relations of the "Great Plains," the " North American Andes," 
 and the Pacific " Maritime Front." 
 
 Y. 
 
 MAP OF THE WORLD. 
 
 Pclineatint; the Contrasted LonijiUnIiiKil and Lntiluiliiial Forms of the Continents, 
 thi Isothermal Zodiac and Axis of Intensity, round the World, and the Line of the 
 Cosmopolitan Railway and its Longitudinal Feeders. 
 
 YI. 
 
 MAP OF THE SYSTEM OF THE PARCS OF COLORADO. 
 
 14 
 
P s. 
 
 eat Calcareous Plain" 
 
 bo "Groat Calcareous 
 Sclvago." 
 
 ntensity, and its cs- 
 
 ARCS 
 
 rth American Andes," 
 
 ms of the Continent?, 
 , and the Line of the 
 
 )RADO. 
 
 * r ^^..J~l~^ — ' .« 
 
K.I I U 
 
 \M> II". III! I ,."> l;ii IJ." I.'(» ll.l no III.*. IttO l»,-| !Mt ll.l (lO 7.'> 70 ll.'. (.o .V. .Hi l.-| hi .1.. 
 
 C L L r S V C R A^f.^"^ ^ - u u - r . . N u 
 
 .III 
 
 ^.^' ,^.,J '• 
 
 
 (/"•I ii.i»iU 
 
 
 / N H r M f V o N 1 >.•!»' 
 
 1 J » .. I r ' 
 
 Pis 
 
XJ^'--^ 
 
•*VJ »rV- '■^Vir*.^— .*■ 
 
 ft 
 
 ■"^■*WWBKIJfJ!«5SiS£i« 
 
 
 ■aill—illiiii ii'iik^. 
 
 of our 
 sl'oteh w 
 This IS 
 
 I appi 
 degree 
 
 occupy, 
 and syiii 
 3Iorcovei 
 tlieni to 
 graphic 
 recur wli 
 of count! 
 condeiisii 
 guarded 
 TIio ni 
 of its an 
 I'acific 
 
THE MISSION 
 
 'Si 
 
 OP T II K 
 
 NORTH AMERICAN PEOPLE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE iMOUNTAIN FORMATION OF NORTH A.MKUICA — TlIK CORDILLERAS — 
 THE PLATEAU — THE NORTH AMERICAN AXUES. 
 
 I HAVE elsewhere given a sketch of one of the cardinal subdivisions 
 of our continent and country, the Great Plains. I now proceed to 
 s'.ri'tch what is beyond them, and fills the sjiace out to the Pacific f^ea. 
 This is the immense Mountain Formation of North A.mkrica. 
 
 I approach the attempt to classify and set down this region with a 
 degree of trepidation which I find it difficult to master. During the 
 years of war and exploration which I have passed among them, every 
 hour has kept alive the awe inspire' by the immensity of the space tlu y 
 occup3', the grandeur of their bidk and altitude, and the sublime order 
 and symmetry which pervade them as a .system, and in the detail.'^. 
 3Ioreover, no one, not even IIuMnoLDT, has ever attempted to reduce 
 them to a classic system, or assented to what I have done in the hydro- 
 graphic map of 1845. These indelibly-graved impre.ss'ons perpetually 
 recur whenever my memory reverts to that time, and warn me to s| cak 
 of countries so novel to a public little curious and uninformed, only after 
 condensing their portrait with the maturest meditation and with nicely- 
 guarded caution. 
 
 The mountain formation of Xorth America is that distinct subdivision 
 of its area which occupies the whole space from the Great Plains to the 
 Pacific Sea, and covers two-sevenths of the continent. In its superficial 
 
16 
 
 MOVKTAIN FORMATION OF XORTII AMLltlCA, FTC. 
 
 contents, bulk, nunibor und variety of the niimntaiu niaf<s<es, it e(iuals she 
 aggregated mountains of all the other eontinents. It has peculiar char- 
 acteristics, which render it more interesting than them all. Travelling 
 transversely across from east to west along tht! thirty-ninth degree, the 
 breadth is l(i(l(l miles ; the length, continuous from Tehuanteiiec to the 
 Arctic Sea, is \7)M) miles ; the direction is regular from south-south-east 
 til n(irth-north-west. From east to west the traveller enters and crosses 
 live jthysical divisions, as distinct in order and succession as are the pris- 
 matic streaks of the rainbdw to the eye. These are : 1st. The Black 
 Hills, or Eastern I'iedmunt ; 2d. The Cordillera of the Sierra Madre 
 (Rocky Mountain ) ; Ikl. The I'lateau of the Table Lands, with its moun- 
 tain chains; ^th. The Cordillera of the Sudwy Andes (the Sierra 
 Nevada) ; oth. The Maritime Piedmont of the Pacitic Shore. These 
 divisions are parallel to one another like the .streaks of the rainbow, and, 
 like them, run throughout from end to end of the iitoinifdiii/oniuitioii, in 
 which they are blended together in one endjodied mass. 
 
 Beyond the longitudinal centre of the (Jreat Plains, the undulations of the 
 surface begin to swell \i\), imtil tiiey become elevated into secondary moun- 
 tains, with tinilier, and crowned with rocky escarpments. These are the 
 Black Hills. They :ire the outliers of the Sierra 3Iadre, are in the 
 Basin of the Mississippi, and, masking the mountain crest, break and 
 graduate its descent. They are 300 miles in breadth, are perforated by all 
 the great rivers, and are washed away and tortured into fragments by 
 their channels. They have rocks of ])orphyritie granite and sandstone, 
 but are for the most jjart formed of the sulphat eof lime, as gypsum or 
 plaster of Paris. 
 
 Snme of them are paved with petrifactions, and ollicrs, being composed 
 of light mould, form the suspended matter of the rivers, wliich goes 
 down to make the alluvial bottoms and delta of the Mississippi Basin. 
 They have but little snow or rain, a scattered growth of dwarfed timber, 
 and a pictures(iue and fantastic scenery. They are an importnat part 
 of the j)astoral region, are clothed in perennial grasses, and abound in 
 aboriginal cattle. Perjjetual sunshine, fertility, perfect liealth, pure and 
 abundant water, ever-varying scenery, and infinite animal life, will, in time, 
 attract and fix here the densest po[)ulation. 
 
 Over the Black Hills rises the CouDiLLKKA or tiik Sikkra Madre. 
 This supreme Cordillera may be defined as the backbone of the world ; 
 it is the " divortlii (Kjiionnti' of the American continent, From the 
 snows of its immense crest and flank,s descend the rivers that irrigate 
 either face of the continent out to all the oceans. From it also branch 
 off all the other mountain chains. Where the irrigation from the snows 
 
:ilJCA, ETC. 
 
 MOUNTAIN FORMATIOX OF NORTH AMERICA, ETC. 
 
 17 
 
 is sufficient, immense forests exist ; elscwliere the mountains arc naked. 
 The core or basis of the Sierra Madre is red porjdiyritic granite, from the 
 innnense naked masses of which comes tlie popular sol)ri(iuet of '• llocky 
 Mountains." This is the gold-producing quartz. The Sierra Madre has 
 precipitous mural flanks, which protrude outward as promontories, or 
 recede to encase the courses of rivers and valleys. It has peaks, conical 
 in shape and culminating by a sharp apex. 
 
 To those who view it in the horizon from below, this is its general 
 appearance ; but to those who ascend its ragged front and surmount its 
 highest crest, this is found to be a Mesa or indefinite table land as level as 
 a water surface. This Sierra Madre has its own cliaracteristics, which are 
 all of the grandest order. I am unable to illustrate it by comparison, 
 because it stands supreme and alone, the standard to which all other moun- 
 tain masses nnist be submitted. It is of the original mass of the globe, 
 and has neither lava, nor craters, nor active volcanoes, nor traces of the 
 igneous foi'ce within. It is par excellence primeval. Scooped out of its 
 main mass are valleys of great size and beauty, which have received from 
 the trappers the name of Pcircs. These occur at regular intervals, alter- 
 nately upon either flank, and mark the sources of the great rivers. 
 
 Those which I have seen are the Plain of the South Pa.ss, surrounding 
 the sources of the llio Verde : — the North Pare, upon the Northern Platte 
 or Nebraska Kiver: — the Middle Pare, upon the liio Grande of the 
 West : — the South Pare, upon the Southern Platte : — the Pare of San 
 Luis, upon the Rio del Norte. These remarkable valleys are all secluded 
 within the main dorsal mass of the Cordillera, and are of great size, fer- 
 tility, and beauty. They resemble those reservoire of the Alpine torrents 
 of Switzerland (Geneva and Constance), out of which issue the rivers 
 Rhone and Rhine : and the valley of Kashmere, through which the Indus 
 flows ; though they contain no lakes. 
 
 They are the paradise of the aboriginal hc-ls, with which they swarm 
 at all seasons, and are the favorite retreats of the Indians. To define the 
 exact width of the primary Cordillera, and mark the line where it fades 
 into the Black Hills upon the jast, and into the Plateau of the Table 
 Lands upon the west, is not ea.sy ; but it varies from 100 to 250 miles, 
 according as it expands into salient promontories, or recedes to give 
 passage to the rivers. 
 
 We next descend on to the third division, which is the Plateau op 
 THE Table Lands. This expands onward to the Cordillera of the Snowy 
 Andes. I speak again with great difllidencc, but of all the departments 
 into which science has arranged the physical geography of the globe, this 
 appears to me the most interesting, the most crowded with various and 
 
18 
 
 MOUXTALS FOIIMATIOS OF NORTH AMERICA, ETC. 
 
 attractive foatuivw, and the most certainly destined eventually to contain 
 the most enlightened and powerful empire of the world. 
 
 At present it is no more known or eouiprchended, as it is, by the Ameri- 
 can peo[)le than was America itself to the poet Homer, and is to them as 
 much a myth as the continent of Atalanta. Nevertheless, it is of such 
 great urea as to contain within itself three rivers which rank with the 
 Ganges and Danube in size, and five great ranges of primary mountains. 
 This will be seen exactly defined upon the hydrograpliic map of IS-l.'), as 
 the immense longitudinal region encased within the Cordilleras and 
 extending from Tehuautepec to the Northern Sea. It would exhaust a 
 large volume to recite in detail the interesting features of this region, all 
 worthy to be known. 
 
 The Plateau ok the Table L.inds is a succes.sion of intramontune 
 basins, seven in number, and ranging successively from south to north. 
 The .solid mass of the Andes debouches out of the Isthmus of Teluian- 
 tepce, and forks immediately into the two Cordilleras. Advancing along 
 the Western Cordillera into the state of Jalisco, a mountain chain issues 
 from its inner flank, and, traversing the Table Lands, plunges into the 
 Sierra Madre, in the state of San Luis I'otosi. This .'uts off" to the 
 south the " Basin of the Cifi/ of Jfc.vici," which is the Jirst, the smallest, 
 and the mo.st .southern of the mountain basins. 
 
 Further north, a .second mountain chain crosses from Durango to 
 Coahuila, and cuts oif the " Basin of the Jiolson di Mapimi.'' This is 
 the second mountain basin. The Cordilleras, which flank the.sc two and 
 fence them from the seas, have so great an altitude that the ocean vapors 
 never surmount their crests, nor do any clouds pass outward over them. 
 These basins, therefore, have no outward drainage, nor any rivers run- 
 ning to the sea. Stagnant lakes alternately receive the drainage from 
 their surrounding mountains, and yield it to them again by evaporation. 
 This last chain is known as the "Mountain of the Kio Florida;" the 
 former as the " Mountain of Qucretaro." 
 
 Pursuing still the Western Cordillera through the state of Sinaloa, a 
 third mountain chain, dividing ofl^, traverses the Table Lands due north, 
 and plunges into the Sierra 3Iadrc, between the Pare of San Luis and the 
 Middle Pare. This is an immense and remarkable mountain, is 1300 
 miles in length, and divides the waters of the Del Norte and Colorado. 
 It is the fmiioiis Sierra Jlimhres. 
 
 The area thus cut oft' between it and the mountain of the Rio Florida 
 is drained by the rivers Del Norte, Pecos, and Conchos, which, uniting at 
 the western base of the Sierra 3Iadre. perforate it by a aiiiion, and, escap- 
 ing into the external maritime region, form the llio Grande of Texas. 
 
ERICA, ETC. 
 
 eventually to contain 
 i-hl. 
 
 <s it ix, by the Anieri- 
 er, and i.s to tlieni as 
 theless, it is of such 
 ,'hich rank with the 
 ' primary niountains. 
 )hic map of 1845, as 
 the Cordilleras and 
 It -would exhaust a 
 •es of this region, all 
 
 sion of iiitnonoHtane 
 I'roni south to north. 
 Isthmus of Tehuan- 
 s. Advancing along 
 nountain chain issues 
 lids, plunges into the 
 This .'uts off to the 
 the Jirst, the smallest, 
 
 3S from Durango to 
 7 Mapimi.'' This is 
 I flank these two and 
 that the ocean vapors 
 ! outward over them. 
 I, nor any rivers run- 
 \-e the drainage from 
 again by evaporation, 
 he Kio Florida ;" the 
 
 he state of Sinaloa, a 
 ible Lands due north, 
 •c of San Luis and the 
 )le mountain, is 1300 
 Norte and Colorado. 
 
 lin of the Rio Florida 
 ;hos, which, uniting at 
 y a ainan, and, escap- 
 j Grande of Texas. 
 
 ■^ 
 
 MOCyTALV FOIiMATtOX OF NOIiTIl AMERICA, ETC. 
 
 19 
 
 This is tlie only wator-course which perforates the Sierra >Iadro between 
 Cape Horn and the Arctic Sea. It is lierc that a profound and distressing 
 error pervades all the existing charts and delineations of our continental 
 geography. These, omitting the great Sierra .Madre for (iOO or 700 miles 
 of its Icngtli, and assigning its name to the Sierra Minibres, locate the 
 Rio del Xorte and its vast basin with the .system of Atlantic rivers. Yet 
 the Sierra Mimhres abounds in pedrigals of lava, craters, and volcanic 
 phenomena, and the geological altitude, configuration, and a thousand pal- 
 pal)le characteristic features of the ba.sin of tlie Del Norte, locate thi'm 
 upon the Plateau of the Table Lands. This blunder of transposition is 
 more foolish than to construct a map of Europe and forget the Alps, or to 
 draw for the people a ])ine-trce growing erect in the middle of the ocean, 
 whilst doli)hins graze upon a mountain slope ! The vast basin of the 
 0el Norte is then tlie third in order of the mountain basins of the 
 Plateau. 
 
 The Western Cordillera continues to traverse Sonora, and, passing 
 round the Gulf of California, rea])pears in sight of the ocean in the State 
 of California. Opposite San Bernardo another numntain chain branches 
 from its eastern flank, traverses the Table Lands by a northern cour.se, 
 dividing the waters of the Colorado and Great Salt Lake, and plunges into 
 the Sierra Madre between the .sources of Green River and Snake River. 
 This is theyoHr^/t great moiuitain chain of the Table Lands, is 1000 miles 
 in length, and is the Sieura Wasatch. 
 
 Between it and the Sierra Mimbres is included tlie immense Mountain 
 Basin of tiik Colokado, which is tho fourth subdivisicm of the area of 
 the Table Lands. This basin has an immense area, great altitude, an 
 infinite perplexity of mountains, and is redundant in striking and wonder- 
 ful novelties. The Rio Verde, Rio Grande of the West, and Rio San 
 Juan, collect its upper waters, and, uniting against the inner flank of the 
 Cordillera of the Snowy Andes, gorge it diagonally through and through, 
 and escape into the Gulf of California. This sublime gorge is 557 miles 
 in length, and is known as the " Canon of the Colonido.'' It is through- 
 out a narrow mountain chasm, traversing, without interruption, the very 
 bowels of the Andes, having perpendicular mural .sides, often many thou- 
 sand feet in altitude. 
 
 Other important aflluents of the Cohn-ado (the Mohabe, the Little Colo- 
 rado, and the Gila) force their way into it by an infinite labyrinth of 
 gorges, similarly scooped through the bowels of the mountain mass. 
 These two remarkable basins, then, — the Del Norte and Colorado, — lie 
 
 linst the Sierra Mimbres, as a back!) 
 
 )ne. The waters of tlie first uortre 
 
 the Eastern Cordillera to the Gulf of Mexico; those of the second the 
 
20 
 
 MOfSTMN FOllMAl'lOy OF SOHTIl AMh'ltlVA, ETC. 
 
 
 Wt'storii Cortlillora to the Gulf of California ; but no yorjr'e unites them 
 tliiouj,^! the .Siona Miuibn s, wliiuli is uniierfoiatoil. 
 
 Tlu'si- lia.sin.s arc both lonjiitutlinal in shajic and jiosition ; thoy overlap 
 one another, an<l thereby multiply the luiniber and complexity of moun- 
 tain barrier-s. Amoiiji the jihysieal jihenomena of the ^'loiu', this '■' Cunou 
 iif tlif Colorado" is an isolated fact, unicpie and sublime in interest. 
 
 These two basins are, /mr i.mi/t iht, the metalliferous dei)artment of 
 the world, and are in/nsiil thro\ijihout with utoinitdiiis of the precious 
 stones, and precious and base metals — of lava, obsidian, and marble — of 
 salt, coal, and with rivers of thermal and medicinal waters. 
 
 Let me hasten to other subdivisions of e(puil interest. Near the forty- 
 second dejiree of latitude, the Western Cordillera throws oflf the Ji/th 
 mountain chain of the Table Lands. This has a serjjentine course, mainly 
 east and west, is 12(H( miles lonjr, and forms the division bi'tween the hasin 
 of the Stilt Ltiht; iunX the htis'ni of tlif. Coliiiiil/fd. It joins with the Sierra 
 Wasatch, and immediately at the point of junction, plunges with it into 
 the Eastern Cordillera. 
 
 This great basin, containing in one of its depressions the Salt Lake, is 
 the counterpart, on our continent, of the Caspian of Asia. It is, like the 
 first and second basins, encased all around with an unperforated mountain 
 wall, and neither sends nor receives water from any sea. 
 
 Nearly oj)posite to I'ugctt's Sound, a >ii\vth chain of mountains, break- 
 ing oft" from the eastern flank of the Western Cordillera, traverses tlie 
 Table Lands by a due northern course, and sinks into the Eastern Cor- 
 dillera, closely enveloj)ing the sources of the Columbia Iiiver. This is 
 called the Uk?;n.\aua\ ^Iolntains, and divides the waters of the 
 Colnndjia from those of Frazer's Kiver. 
 
 The Basin of the CoLUiiiUA is the sixth in order of the basins of 
 the Table Lands. It is the most admirable ol" them all. A splendid 
 circular configuration and two primary rivers. Its size, position, and con- 
 figuration, relatively to the Mississijipi Valley and the Pacific Ocean, 
 make it the elite of them all. It extends all across the Table Lands from 
 rim to rim, as do both its great rivers — the Snake Iiiver and the Colum- 
 bia — which, uniting, gorge the Western Cordillera at the Cascades, j)cnc- 
 trating through them to the Pacific in 4(5^ l\)'. They run from east to 
 west, and connect exactly by convenient and single pa.s.ses across tlie East- 
 ern Cordillera, with the great rivers flowing down to tlie Atlantic. It 
 partakes of all the cardinal characteristics of the other basins, liaving, in 
 addition, mighty forests, navigation, a larger share of arable qualities, and 
 a superior economy in its topographical siuface and position. 
 
 Such are the six primary basins and mountain chains v;hieh checker 
 
 i 
 
IL'/tlt'A, ETC. 
 
 MOUSTAIN FOliMATION OF XOIITII AMERICA, ETC. 
 
 'A 
 
 IK) j;(H<j.'l' uiiiti'S tliciu 
 
 Misition; they overliip 
 
 cdiiipk'xity of luoiin- 
 
 lu' <.'!obi', tl\is ^'C'tiiiou 
 
 ime in interest. 
 
 t'erous (li'imitiuent of 
 
 il((iiis of the jjiveioiis 
 
 diaii, and marble — of 
 
 waters. 
 
 rest. Near the forty- 
 i tlirowB t)flf the fifth 
 jicntine eour.se, mainly 
 isiun In'tween the hanin 
 t joins with the Sierra 
 1, plunges with it into 
 
 isions tlic Salt Lake, is 
 f Asia. It is, like the 
 unperforuted mountain 
 f .sea. 
 
 n of mountains, break- 
 Tordillera, traverses the 
 i into the Eastern Cor- 
 unibia River. This is 
 des the waters of the 
 
 order of the basins of 
 tliem all. A splendid 
 I size, position, and eon- 
 ind till! Paeilie Oeean, 
 s the Table Lands from 
 L' River and the Coluni- 
 a at the Ca.xcades, j)ene- 
 They run from east to 
 J passes across the East- 
 VII to the Atlantic. It 
 other basins, having, in 
 I of arable qualities, and 
 id position. 
 I chains which checker 
 
 and arrange them.selves into the Grand Platk.M' of tiik Tablk Lands, 
 as I have seen them and become familiar with them. There is a scn-iith, 
 the ba.sin of Frazer's River, with which I am acquainted only from the 
 reports of others who have reconnoitered it. It has the same general 
 features, though .smaller, longitudinal in direction, and narrow. 
 
 We may now, then, return to the third elementary division of the 
 mountain formation of North America, namely : TiiK Platkak ok Till; 
 Taulk L.vxds. We may understand its variety and vastne.><s, yet handle 
 it as a unit. The lowest sedimentary points, where the waters accumulate 
 into the lakes of Mexico, jNIapimi, Gasman, and Salt Lake, have an 
 average altitude of G(HK) feet above the seas. Tlie ir/m/f P/iifiaii /kis tlim 
 the clictitiim of a prlnutry iiiituiitnlu. It is (iverywheri! fertile, being jtas- 
 toral for the most part, but arable where irrigation is adopted. 
 
 JIvery geological forniiition exists on a Titanic scale: volcanoes, colum- 
 niu- basalt, and pedrigals of crystallized lava; porjdiyritie granite and 
 .sandstone, and secondary basins of tin; sulphate and carbonate of lime. It 
 is universally a rainless region, and nctwhere is arable agriculture po.ssible 
 without artiKcial irrigation. Pa.storal culture is the prominent feature, 
 wherein it rivals the Great I'lains. The air is tonic and exhilarating — 
 the atmosphere resplendent with perpetual sunshine by day and with stars 
 by night. The climate is inteusely dry, and the temperature variant and 
 delicious. 
 
 Habitations are not essential in this salubrious and vernal clime; the 
 aborigines dispense with them. During six years that I have ]ia.ssed ujion 
 the Plateau, I have rarely slept within a house or beneath any canoj)}' but 
 the sky, infinitely spangled with stars. Upon this Plateau has existed, 
 within our memory, the populous and civilized empire of the Aztecs, and 
 in South America that of the Incas. Timber grows upon the rivers and 
 upon the irrigated mountain flanks. To arrange the arable lands for irri- 
 gation is not more co.stly than our system of fencing, which it supersodej?. 
 No piu'tion of tlu' globe can maintain so dense a population. 
 
 But the fourth subdivision of the " ^lountain Formation of North 
 America" is the SxowY Cordillkra of the Ande.s. Everybody is 
 familiar, from childhood, with the South American Andes. This of ours 
 is the same, unchanged in any characteristic, except an increased and 
 superior grandeur. Let us restore to it its ancient and illustrious name! 
 Let us iiupiire how it has come temporarily to be lost. 
 
 The Andes traverse the American continent, in one unbroken and 
 uniform mass, from Cape Horn to Behring's Strait. Towards the ocean, 
 to who.se indented .shore they are parallel, and from which they are every- 
 where visible, they present a precipitous front and immense altitude ; they 
 
•to 
 
 MOi'XTAl.y FOItMATIOX OF NOHTU AMEltWA, ETC. 
 
 uverywhure suniiouiit tlii; line; of jit'ipotual Miiow. I'imhi this front, wliidi 
 ruct'ives tlie perpetual wimls f'roiu tlio (ictaii anil is liatlu'il witli its va]ior.s, 
 KiiuWH and iori'St.s ari-uinulatc as u|i(in the Alii.s. But on tlu'ir suinniit of 
 |»'r|K'tual eongclation, tlii'se vajiors, (•oiiilrnsed to iee, are as solid, as |it'r- 
 jK'tiiai, as tlie granite rocks. No vajiors jiass over to the hiittr rejiinn, 
 whiih is naked of snow, tiniher, or irrijiation. Heme has ;-oni(! this dis- 
 tinetive Spanish sobriipiet of this sulilinie sea-wall — Cordillera Xniii/n de 
 los Andes (the siiuiri/ ehain of the Andes) — to define it s|)ecilieaily from 
 the naked masses within! Thus, sinee this aneient and familiar Anuks 
 has come to he domesticated in our repuhliean empire, within the States 
 of California and (►re^on, has it been thoughtlessly jiluiidered of its 
 name, defineil only hy an expletive, snoin/, and incontinently ii;nored of 
 its supreme, coronat ■d rank in the mountain system of the world. 
 
 U\ then, you rt^juire from me a description of this /mnf/i subdivision 
 of our mountain foimation, I bid you to ]ierusea^ain the tiiscinatin^r pa<res 
 of I'llK.snrn' and his predecessors ; the nmiautic historians of CditrKZ, 
 Al.V.VH.VlK), and I'lZAUlKi ; and, above all, ihi' oracular inspiration with 
 which tile illustrious lIt:.Mi«)LUT lias analyzed the };i'oi:raphical wonders 
 of this Cordillera of the Snowy Andes, and tinted tiiem with divine 
 elo(|Uence ! 
 
 Finally, I am bewildered how to speak of {hv ji/fli subdivision, which 
 is the Pacific Mahiti.MK KiuiNT. 'I'his brinjis us out to meet the ocean, 
 to blend tojrether the varieties of sea and land, and where, auion<; tho 
 assembled climates and countries of the ^lobe, Cornucopia jiermaiiently 
 dwells with her ever-redundant and overtlowiny horn of ripening beauty 
 and plenty. 
 
 This Pacific Maritime Front is the c/unterpart of that outside of tho 
 Allejihany and upon the Atlantic. ' is the tide-water rejiion. Tho 
 Atlantic Front has an area of 271,00(1 ,s(piare miles, this of 420,0(10 ; it 
 is not mucli broader from the mountains to the sea, but has a greater lon- 
 gitude. In every detail of climate, vegetation, soil, and physical forma- 
 tion, there is between the.se two seaboards the complete.st contnist. 
 
 On the Pacific are blended, beneath the vyv., and swejit in at one sight, 
 the sublime, castellated masses of the Andes — their bases are .set in tho 
 emerald verdure of the jtlaiii, rising gently al)ove the sea-level — their 
 middle flanks are clothed with the arborescent grandeur of pine and cedar 
 forests. Naked above, and towering into the upper air, their columnar 
 form of structure resembles an edifice designed to enclose the whole globe 
 itself; but from this foundation, and rearing their snow-covered crests 
 another mile into the firmament, shoot u]i volcanic peaks at intervals of 
 one hundred miles, encasing the throats of the inner world of fire, and 
 
MKItK^A, ETC. 
 
 MOrSTMX FOIIXATWX OF SOUTH A3!EliICA, ETC. 
 
 23 
 
 coruscatuil in ]n'ri)etiial snow, bL'uwith contnutH uf vulcanic smoke and 
 flames. 
 
 Tlie siililimest of tlie oceans; majestic rivers more worthy to bo deified 
 tlian tlie (lan,i:es or K;:y|itian Nile; the j^randcst and most eU'vated of 
 eartli's mountains ; sn|)erlative forest everj^rcen ; an emerald verilnre and 
 cxniierant fertility; a mellow and delicions atmosjdiere, imbued with 
 jiur]ile lints reflected from the ocean and the mountains ; a soft vernal 
 tempcratup' the ytar round. Whatsoever can be cond)ined of massive 
 and rnuiicd mountains, |)ietnn'S(|U(! land.scape, and a verdant face to nature 
 shininji under the richest sunii;;ht : a climate soft and serene; whatsoever 
 of idl tlicse, blended and enjoyed in combination, will acc()m|ilish to j;ive 
 grace, elevation, and refinement to the .social world, are here united to woo 
 and develop the {renius of our ccmntry and our people. 
 
 In all these natural favoi"s our ins/irn seaboard front i.s supremely more 
 gifted than the classic shores of the ^lediterranean and the Asian Seas, 
 for fifty ci^nturitjs the favorite tlunne of history, inietry, and song. The 
 emliellishmcnts which old society and the accunmlating contributions of a 
 hundred .successive generations add to nature, are not yet there; but these 
 iri/f v(iiiii\ and to us who fan the career of our great country whilst we 
 live, the future, which jwsterity will po.sscss and enjoy, is full of the radi- 
 ance of trui' glory. 
 
 Such is a honu'spun and laconic di^tail of a few e.s.sential fact.s neccssjiry 
 to com])rchend tlu; ^'Mountain FaniKitlnn of JVorfh America" and to 
 know where anil what it is. The subji^ct is above the reach of imagina- 
 tion or ornament, and of a higher level. Intelligent research and candid 
 judgment mu.st supply the rest and fill up the portrait. 
 
CTIAl'TEli II. 
 
 THE CORDILf.KIlA OF THE SIEKHA MADUE — THE EASTERN COHDIM.EUA. 
 
 This is an iinineiiso department of our icmntry, of primary Hif,niificanco 
 and interest. Vaj^uely dennminated the '• Stony or lloeky jMountains," 
 oeeupyinjr an inlio.'fjiitalilu wa.stc l)eyond the enerj^ien of soeial adviMitnre, 
 manivind lias lieretofore heard the name with indifierence, and ail minute 
 detaiL with dogmatic aversion. To establisii it.s title to esteem in the 
 poi)ular oj)ini()n of the world, the complete reverse of this, is my object. 
 
 Prominent in the " Mountain Sy.sti^m of the (!lobe" is an immen.sc 
 girdle of mountains, {granitic in Ibrmation, crested with snow, having vol- 
 canoca on its flanks, and auri/eroiiH thrt)Ughout. This commences at Capo 
 Horn, travcTses the whole length of America to IJehring's Strait, tra- 
 verses Asia and Eurojie to the Pillars of Hercules, traverses Africa and 
 appears in the islands of Madagascar, Australasia, and New Zealand. If 
 the single strait of Hercules were closed, and Suez opened, this continu- 
 ou.s mountain crest woidd exactly contain all the .salt and frt'sh waters of 
 the JJasiii of the Pacific Ocean in a closed circle, and divide them from 
 those of the Basin of tlie Atlantic. 
 
 This continuous girdle becomes, in some localities, very much conden.sed 
 in breadth and altitude, as at the Istlimus of Central America, and in 
 France. Elsewhere it a.ssumes immense expansion in area and altitude, 
 spreading out and elevating itself into the continental plateau, which occu- 
 pies the whole of Central Asia, and the still grander " I'lateau of the 
 Table Lands" of our North America. 
 
 The " M'iKiilni'n Formutian of North America" is, then, an important 
 section of this innuensc girdle, which bisects all the continents. 
 
 It has an area, a massiveness and altitude, a position an • climate, a fer- 
 tility, a variety which blends all the peculiarities of all other sections : a 
 simplicity of configuration, aud a sublimity of profile ',hich transcends all 
 the rest. 
 
 Thus, in tlie " Cordillera Nevada dc los Andes" is found the full equiv- 
 alent of the South American mountains, volcanoes, active and extinct, 
 crowned with glaciers and of immense altitude, battlements of columnar 
 basalt, pedrigals of lava, subterranean and thermal streams. The plateau 
 24 
 
 ''€4 
 
 and its prim 
 and Asia c( 
 Finally, 
 
 Belvi's surpii 
 the inniicn^ 
 cloud-conipi 
 
 '• The ("1 
 award*- ••: •! 
 of the oceu 
 the sujircm 
 th(! Uio (in 
 the Norlhc 
 the Amazo 
 slope. Is I 
 
 The IVcsl 
 by evaporal 
 Sirini Mix 
 the atui isp! 
 flanks. 
 
 i?ut let 1 
 our own CO 
 to my eye, 
 westwanl ti 
 
 It is wh 
 Tehuantcpi 
 continue to 
 gives its fo 
 Pass of M 
 serves a ve 
 
 At the I 
 canon of t 
 through ail 
 rowing a c 
 maritime r 
 This gorge 
 which the 
 of the con 
 that of tin 
 and only w 
 the .seas. 
 
 The Cor 
 
rilE coinHLLKUA OF rilK SIEItUA MADItE. 
 
 25 
 
 ASTKRN COUDIM.KUA. 
 
 and its primary cliuiiw outrival in area and interest those of South Anieriea 
 and Asia conihincd. 
 
 iMnaliv. the stern and stniicndous masses of the Himalaya fnid them- 
 selves surpassed liy the primeval hulk, the prodijiious leii^iih and hreadth 
 tlie innnense mesas, the romantic pares, tlio far protruding' llanos, and the 
 eloutl-eomiiellinf^ iey peaks of the Cordillera of the Sierra Madre. 
 
 'The Chain of the Mother Mountain" is the <:enerie iianiewliieh piety 
 award'. ••' Mils eoutinuous crest, down whose flanks descend all iIk? feeders 
 of the oceans. Let me name them : tin- Athahasea, the Saskatchewan, 
 the supreme Missouri and Mississip[ii, the St. Lawrence, the Texan rivers, 
 the llio (irande del Nurte, the Frazer, the (,'oluml)ia, and tlie Colorado, in 
 the Northern continent. In the Snulhern, the Ma^dalena, the Orinoco, 
 the Amazon, the La Plata, the I'atajronia rivei-s, and those of the Pacific 
 sloiK'. Is not this Cordillera then ri;;htly called the Mother ol' ilivors? 
 
 The fresh waters of the earth come from the clouds; the clou<ls come 
 by evaporation from the expanses of the oceans. We shall know that the 
 Siei-ru Mmlre divides and ndes the meteoric powers and aerial fluids of 
 the atm isphere, equally as the waters which we sec descending; down the 
 flanks. 
 
 But let me at present restrict myself to the Cordillera as it runs athwart 
 our own country, and define its varied features as they display themselves 
 to my eye, looking out as I now am from the area of the Great Plains 
 westward to the l*acific. 
 
 It is where the mountain mass debouches north from the Isthmus of 
 Tehuantej)ec, that it bii'urcates into tbe two primary Cordilleras, which 
 continue to expand from one another. The .Mother Mountain, on the east, 
 givt'S its form to tlie (iulf of Mexico, who.se shore it pursues nearly to the 
 Pa-ss of Monterey and Saltillo. Hence to tlie Arctic Sea the crest pre- 
 serves a very regular line to the north-northwe.st. 
 
 At the point of entrance into our present territory, it is gorged by the 
 cafion of the Rio Grande del Norte. This caiion is a gorge cut obliijuely 
 through and through the bowels of the Cordillera, where the river, bur- 
 rowing a cha.sm l!ir> miles in length, accomplishes at once its exit into the 
 maritime region and its descent from the '^Plateau of thr. Tabh: Lands." 
 This gorge, impracticable for common uses, is the only water curnnit by 
 which the Sierra Madre is perforated anywhere between the extremities 
 of the continent. I have elsewhere .spokcM of this canon, together with 
 that of the Colorado and that of the Columbia, as the three remarkable 
 and only water-gaps whereby the plateau discharges its surplus waters to 
 the seas. 
 
 The Cordilleva of the Sierra Madre enters our territory in latitude 29°, 
 
■ju 
 
 !.■>! 
 
 ID 
 
 MAP OF 
 
 NORTH xVMERICA 
 
 ill which ar(MU'liiu'aU>cl IIk' 
 
 MOUNTAIN SYSTEM ASA UNIl 
 WuiAWAl ( AL( AllKOrSlMAlN and ils DETAILS, 
 
 f//n/ Ihc t on /inor.s nirirri i n fi 
 
 MAR VV i .V( i'", v^ b\ i, \\\ I> l-'. . 
 
 1 
 
 t 
 
 no 
 
 10.-. 
 
26 
 
 THE CORDILLERA OF THE SIERRA MADRE. 
 
 
 longitude 103°, antl passes beyond the 49th degree, in longitude 114°. Its 
 length, then, witliin these linnts, exceeds IGOO miles. It nuiintain.s an 
 avenige distance from tlie Mississijipi Kiver exceeding 10(10 miles, and 
 has the same distance from the beach of the Pacific Ocean ; it forms, 
 therefore, a continuous sunmiit crest parallel to and midway between them. 
 
 All the varieties of formation which distinguish the mountain chains 
 of tlie continents here follow one another, or are blended in groups, and 
 exist on a Titanic .scale of magnitude. 
 
 Mrs(i>i exist, being mountains of immen.se base and perpendicular walls, 
 whose summits have the level surface and smoothness of a table : Bntis, 
 which are conical peaks wrought into perfect .symmetry of contour by the 
 corroding power of the atmosphere: JJ<iH<»i, being mesas of inferior ele- 
 vation prolonged outward as promontories protruding from the mountain 
 flanks, and separating from one another the descending rivers : Ciinniin, 
 chasms walled in on either side with mural jirecipices of mountain alti- 
 tude ; 7)'(n/o(/.s, or jxnr.s, valleys scooped out of the main dorsal mass of the 
 Conllllcni, within which they are encased, each as an amphitheatre. 
 
 This mountain crest, exhibiting all these varieties of profile, has, when 
 seen against the horizon, the resemblance of a saw or cock.s-comb, whence 
 the sobri((uet Sirrrn ; the continuous ma.ss on which they rest resembles 
 a chain of links or cord with knots, whence the name ('ordilknt. Thus 
 is seen the expressive definition wherein thefir.st jMrmneans, the Sjmniards, 
 our predecessors, have comj)ressed this supreme mountain feature of our 
 continent, CunUlkra dc hi Sierra Mmhr .' 
 
 To bring the mind to an easy and familiar understanding of this sub- 
 ject, embracing so many details, it is necessary to ascend to the s>immit 
 crest at the forty-ninth degree, from hence to follow its sinuous 'jdge to 
 the south, to skim from point to point of the .serrated jmitile, and, from 
 this elevation, to extend the vision outward on either flank to where it 
 subsides into the general foundation of the continent. 
 
 From such a position the eye continually overlooks the " Pfatcau of 
 the Tabic Lands" on the west, the '' Bas'n of (lie Misumijijir on the 
 east. 
 
 The average elevation of the crest is 12,000 feet above the sea ; that of 
 the broad pediment, from whose longitudinal axis it rises, 0000 feet ; the 
 breadth across is 300 miles; so stupendous in area, bulk, and solidity, is 
 the mass of the Sierra Madre ! 
 
 Every one has built card houses in childhood, having a second story 
 over the centre ; such a structure illustrates a cross section of the Sierra 
 Madre in its primeval form. 
 
 This regularity of form has disappeared under the corroding influences 
 
'iA MADIiE. 
 
 THE CORDILLERA OF TI/E SIERRA MADRE. 
 
 27 
 
 r the corrodiim' iiifluencca 
 
 of the atmosphere, operating durinjj; countless ages, and the abrading 
 powers of a tliou.sand rivers, carrying down their attritions to the sea. 
 What is left presents an immense labyrinth of mountain summits, under- 
 mined and channeled to a profound depth by the yawning gorges of the 
 streams. 
 
 Advancing then along the Mother crest in the direction indicated, the 
 whole eastern flank to the 4;}d° of latitude, and lOOth" of longitude {the 
 Sutitli Push), is striped with the rivers which converge to form the Mis- 
 souri proper and the Yellowstone. These are the 3[ilk Kiver, the Mis- 
 souri, the Wisdom, Jefferson, IMadison, and Gallatin forks, all converging 
 into the Mis.souri ; the Yellowstone proper, the Wind, I'okeagie, and 
 Powder Rivers, all converging into the Yellowstone. 
 
 These rivers, each having its complement of aflluents, are all of great 
 length, and pour down an immense volume of waters. A very small pro- 
 portion reaches the sea, for where they debouch from the mountains at 
 the lowe.st altitude, these waters are consumed by evaporation, rising to 
 qu'"i'h che thirst of the arid atmosphere and surface of the great prairie 
 ocean. But down the western flank, within the same limits, descend 
 rivers of equal number and magnitude, going to traverse the elevated 
 " liasin of the Cohimhid ;" these are the Columbia proper, the Cottonais, 
 the Fliitbow, Pcnd-oreilles, Spokan, Salmon, and Snake Rivers. 
 
 These rivers have a more immediate descent to the sea than those upon 
 the east ; the mountain spurs between them are, therefore, more numer- 
 ous, abrupt, and of greater altitude. 
 
 It is easily discernible that over this serrated crest, whence so many 
 rivers radiate as from u single knife-edge, there are many depressions or 
 passes, liaving every variety of altitude and accessibility. The gorges 
 which lead outward from these passes, all eventually converge to the Mis- 
 souri and to the Columbia. 
 
 The more southern portion of this mountain crest, where it divides the 
 waters of the Yellowstone and Snake Rivers, and is seen from the great 
 road of the Soutli Pass traveled by our people, has the local name of 
 "Wind River Mountain." Tlie mountain crest, curving to the east, and 
 describing a semicircle, envelops the whole basin of the Yellowstone as in 
 a ciit-(Ir-s(u; and, subsiding gradually in altitude, disappears upon the 
 bank of the Mis.souri. 
 
 It is by this jteculiar configuration that the mountain crest here practi- 
 cally disajipears, and leaves the open depression of die South Phhh, into 
 which we gain access by the Sweetwater on the east, and by Snake River 
 on the west, pa.ssing, by this means, coun)letely around the arc described 
 by the Wind River Mountain crest. 
 
28 
 
 THE CORDILLERA OF THE SIERRA MADRE. 
 
 A similar configuration to this exists, on a small scale, in the Alps 
 dividing France fifim Italy, which may be mentioned here on account of 
 the aptness of the illustration and the familiarity with which history has 
 for twenty centuries invested it. 
 
 It is where the Alpine crest, under the successive names of Savoy Alps, 
 IMount Ccnis, and Maritime Alps, sweeps round in a regular arc from 
 Geneva to Genoa, and thence subsiding into the Apennines, bisects Italy 
 lengthwise to the sea. 
 
 Within this arc is embraced the basin of the Po, oalled once Liguria, 
 but now Piedmont. Around this arc marched the armies of Brennus and 
 Hannibal ; those of the Romans passing into Gaul by the plain of the 
 Rhone ; and here also still pass the armies and people of France and the 
 modern J]uropeans. 
 
 Upon Snake River is developed the most northern of the pares. As 
 thi;. river descends from the Sierra Mndre, it debouches into and bisects 
 an immense plain of the most novel and remarkable features. This is the 
 Lara Plain. It is an elliptical bowl, embraced between the Salmon River 
 and Snake River Mountains, 325 miles in length and 95 in breadth. It 
 is a uniform pedrigal or flat surface of vitrified basalt, melted by volcanic 
 fires, and congealed as into a lake of cast iron. 
 
 Along its longitudinal axis stand isolated peaks, known as the '• Three 
 Butes " which erect themselves to the snow line, like volcanic cones pro- 
 truding above the sea. Cracks of profound depth traverse this plain, 
 whose blasted surface is without vegetation or water. It is traversed 
 beneath by subterranean streams, which issue from natural tunnels in the 
 wall of Snake River, plunging into its bed by magnificent cascades. 
 
 Bald nakedness, rather than sterility, is the extreme characteristic of 
 this \Tonderful plain, which has around i\s rim a fringe of little " oases" 
 upon the streams bubbling from the mountain base, of exquisite fertility 
 and of the most perfect romantic beauty. 
 
 When we call to memory the interest attracted in every age to the 
 diminutive formations of crystalline basalt upon the north of Ireland, near 
 the city of jMcxico, and in Southern Italy, we are struck with awe at the 
 repetition here of these same phenomena, on a scale of stupendous grandeur. 
 
 Upon the alternate flank of the Sierra Madrc, the bowl of the Yellow- 
 stone properly classifies itself as the second in order of the pares, having 
 its oval ft)rm streaked longitudinally with many parallel and narrow moun- 
 tain ridges gorged by parallel rivers. This pare is very fertile, of the 
 grandest scenery, and a delightful climate. 
 
 Such is a partial sketch of the Cordillera of the Sierra Madre, from the 
 49th° to the 4i{d° of latitude. .V few denominating features only are 
 
I A MA DUE. 
 
 THE CORDILLERA OF THE SIERRA MADRE. 
 
 29 
 
 pointed out ; the serrateJ crests, altenuitoly rising into peaks and mesas 
 above the snows, and depressed by passes ; tlie flanks gorged by descend- 
 ing rivers or branching out into mountain spurs between them — the pares; 
 the general direction is south-southeast. 
 
 I omit to speak of the regions around the liigher sources of the Mis- 
 souri and Columbia, and still onward to the noi-th, not because they are 
 less interesting and attractive, but because I have not myself seen them, 
 and because they are of identical features, and are as yet remote from the 
 coUunn of progressing empire. 
 
 The third Jim c is the plain of the South Pass. Although adjacent to 
 the other two, it is in perfect contrast to them in all its characteristic 
 features. Its surface of clay has the perfect smoothness of a water plain, 
 over which tlie eye ranges without interruption, llain is rare, and the 
 vegetation of grass and artcmisia .scanty and uniform. 
 
 Upon its south front rises again the Cordillera, under the local name of 
 Table Mountain. This forms an immense arc, similar to the Wind Kiver 
 Mountain, but in the opposite direction, for, turning to the southwest, it 
 subsides to the Rio Verde, which is the great Colorado. These two arcs 
 approach one another within thirty miles, forming a double corner over 
 the gorge through which the Sweetwater escapes. To mark the conti- 
 nuity of the mothei crest, a gentle crown traverses the plain from one 
 mountain corner to the other, only traceable by tb-^ perfect division which 
 it makes between the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. 
 
 In the Table Mountiiin the ConU/leni rises agiiin. It resumes its direc- 
 tion, configuration, and altitude, which it preserves with uninterrupted 
 uniformity clear through the continent to Tehuantepec. As far as the 38th 
 degree of latitude it sheds the waters of the greo.t Colorado from its western 
 flank ; those of the Platte and Arkansas Rivers from its eastern flank. 
 
 I am admonished here to pause and fix attention on the number, gran- 
 deur, and variety of the physical elements combined around this culmi- 
 nating ] oint of the mountains and the rivers of our continent. 
 
 Nature liere, more perfectly than at any other point upon the globe, 
 unites into one grand coup-iVml all her grandest features, which, liaimo- 
 niously grouped, present to the mind a combination of superlative sub- 
 limity. 
 
 These contrasted pares, so different, yet so close together ! the intense 
 massiveness of the Cordillera ! the number and proximity of great rivers ! 
 the brilliancy and .serenity of the atmosphere in which they shine ! the 
 awful storms whicli at long intervals brew among and shatter the iced 
 mountain tops ! the graphic conviction ever present to the mind of the 
 immediate presence and presiding omnipotence of the Creator ! 
 
30 
 
 THE COnniLLERA OF THE SIEItliA MADUE. 
 
 The impression left with mo, ami made by the peculiar irrit and appear- 
 ance of the soil which overlays the plain of the South l*ass. is of a 
 '• placer of kaoline," resembling- the biscuit from which porcelain is burned. 
 This is disintegrated, and washed down from the bald mountain flanks of 
 porj)hyritic jxranite. Whether there may be also here concealed immense 
 placers of jrold an<l precious stones, cominjj; from the same source, is imt 
 yet tested ; but such ought to be the fact, from the pure auriferous mate- 
 rial of the mountains. 
 
 To resume again the pursuit of the mountain crest. This continues to 
 recover its altitude. Soon upon the eastern flank the Northern Pare, or 
 Bull-pen, reveals it.sclf ; along whoso centre meanders the great Platte 
 River, here running to the north in a direction contrary to the mountain 
 crest. This is the fourth in number of the pares, but has been the tir.-<t 
 and best known in popular reputation. 
 
 Being very large, very central, and easily accessible to us going out from 
 the lower ]Missouri, it became the first favorite winter home of the early 
 trappers and explorers. It is an amphit'ieatre of large area, whose moun- 
 tain walls, covered with soil, vegetation, and scattered forests of evergreens, 
 slope gradually up on every side. Its level plain is laced with streams 
 and checkered with meadows, sparkling with flowers and romantic grovi's. 
 in perfectly graceful alternations ; its atmosphere is genial and exhilara- 
 ting, and the temperature mild throughout the year. 
 
 Innnediately beyond the highest extremity of thejoiirfh, but upon the 
 west or alternate flank of the mountain crest, the eye drops into the bowl 
 of the f/fh or Middle Pure, expanding to contain the confluent streams 
 which form the grand river of the Colorado. 
 
 This pare is larger in area than t\\Q fourth^ but is vexed with far-pro- 
 truding mountain spurs, narrow streams rattling over rocky beds, and a 
 cloudy atmosphere, made fitful by the altitude and close jn-oximity of snow- 
 dad mountain backs. This pare has its mouth towards the Pacific. 
 Towering up from the mountain crest, where it divides these two pares, 
 rises the snowy head of Long's Peak, who.ic eastern front beetles over the 
 Great I'lains. from which it is seen for fifty leagues by tho.se who travel 
 up the Basin of the Kansas. 
 
 Still immediately follows on the eastern flanks the Bai/ou Sahtdo, or South- 
 ern Pore, which is the sixth. This is the mountain's bowl, scooped out 
 for it.self Vjy the Southern Platte, as it desceiuls from the snowy cap of 
 Lincoln's Peak. This pare has the same general characteristics as the 
 fourth, but is greatly inferior to it in size, fertility, and climate, being 
 closely heilged in by great mountains. I'rom whose snows descend ince.'^sant 
 storms, and a i'ebrile dampness infesting the atmosj)here. From the same 
 
I- AM MADRE. 
 
 THE conniLi.EiiA of the sierka ma due. 
 
 31 
 
 pcfuliar grit and appoar- 
 tlie South Pass, is of a 
 ivhieh jtnroolain is buriii'd. 
 ! l)ald iiiduntain flanl<s of 
 licrc cfiiicoaU'd iimiu'iise 
 11 the saino source, is imt 
 the pure auriferous mate- 
 
 glacier which surmounts Lincohi's Peak descends the Arkansas River upon 
 the reverse sk)pe. The river has no pare ; it defiles into the plains throuj-h 
 a canon. 
 
 Here is discernible in the mountain crest tlie .same eurviliuear sweep as 
 in the Wind lliver mass. Here occurs a similar concentric knot of moun- 
 tain crests, rivers, and pares. But here the mountain crest, having curved 
 outwaid to accompli.>h the separation of the Platte and Arkansas, con- 
 denses into the snowy promontory of Pike's Peak, and terminates in an 
 abrupt precipice to the Great Plains. 
 
 At both of these remarkable focal points, nature seems to have insti- 
 tuted a primeval conflict between the abrading power of the rivers and 
 the stubborn resistance of the porphyritic durability of the mountain 
 barrier. At the northern focus, the triumph of the rivers presents a com- 
 plete harmony of the pas.ses, which enter at all points upon the plain 
 of the South Pass, and connect across it. At the southern focus, the 
 unscathed impenetrability of the mountain porphyry presents on every 
 front its mural precipice of undiminished altitude ; here, then, the aus- 
 tere rigidity of the mountain mass triumphs and admits no transit direct 
 through. 
 
 To complete the perfect counterpart resemblance between these foci, 
 opens from the western flank of the mother crest, the Bayou San Luis, 
 which is the seventh pare. 
 
 This is, in physical formation and in every detail, the exact twin 
 counterpart of the pare of the " Plain of the South Pass.' The Sierra 
 Mimbres bounds its western edge, along whose base flows the Ilio Bravo 
 del Norte. 
 
 Elliptical in shape, level as the sea, equal to the third pare in area, 
 encoinpas.sed by the sublimest scenery, abundantly irrigated by streams, 
 6500 feet in altitude, it has an alluvial soil of luxuriant fertility, and 
 seasons eminently propitious to agriculture. It is in this delicious " Bai/ 
 of the Sirrrns' that the current flow of time will find renewed, identified, 
 and developec' all the charms with which Oriental narrative and .song 
 have invested the lovely Valley of Kashmere ! 
 
 The Spanish Peaks outflank the mountain crest under the 158th degree of 
 latitude. From hence to the 2'Jth degree it .sheds the waters of the Rio 
 Bravo del Norte from its western flank ; from the eastern flank descend the 
 Arkansas and the Red River, flowing to the Mississippi, and the rivers of 
 Texas, flowing directly to the Gulf. 
 
 The whole front is masked towards the east with a screen of secondary 
 7H(',sv(s (tables) termed distinctively Unnos. These are immense triangular 
 terraces, of half the altitude of the Sierra, resting against its flank, pro- 
 
32 
 
 THE CORDILLERA OF THE SIERRA MADRE. 
 
 truditi}^ uutward many hundred miles, gradually dwarfing in breadth until 
 they terminate in an acute angle. 
 
 They have an uninterrupted level surface of calcareous soil, a scanty 
 herbage, and rainless atmosphere, an imperceptible dip towards their ter- 
 minations, where they present an abrupt wall of many thousand leet in 
 altitude, suspended above the Great Plains. 
 
 All al(jng these mural flanks come out innumerable streams, which go 
 to form the Arkansas, the Red Kivcr, and all tiic rivers which traverse 
 Texa.«. Thus is explained the coui'usion which perplexes the public mind, 
 struggling to arrange the physictd configuration of this immense region, 
 as yet only partially explored. 
 
 To the Mexican people who inhabit the higher mountain region, this is 
 known as the lower plain ; by the people of the maritime region, who see 
 from below its ragged front, it is designated as the Guadaloupe .Moun- 
 tains, and by other names. 
 
 But this system of llanos, seen most distinctly in Texas as the LImio 
 Eatiicudo and the Lhtno of the liaki/ata, has an extent and magnitude 
 on a scale commensurate with all the other distinctive formations. It is 
 the coiitinu(jus screen or Piedmont which graduates the immen.se declina- 
 tion in altitude from the summit crest of the Cordillera to the smooth 
 expanse of the Great Plains. It ajipears from above as a depressed mesa ; 
 from below as a series of ragged mountain chains. Geologically it is, as 
 it were, a continental terrace or steppe, or bench of the sulphate of lime 
 (plaster of Paris), elevated iibove the Great Plains, which are carbonate 
 of lime ; deprc.s.sed below the Curdllkra, which is porphyritic granite. 
 
 I may with propriety pause here to speak of the Basin of the Kansas, 
 both on account of the fitness of the opportunity, and because this delicious 
 country, surrounding the very navel of our continent and embracing its 
 geographical centre, has from that fact a perpetual and paramount interest. 
 
 The Kansas River has its extreme sources beneath the roots of Pike's 
 Peak, where they have ceased to interrupt the plains. The Platte and 
 Arkansas envelop it; and form a line of drainage between it and the Cor- 
 dillera. But in front of the Kansas Basin the screen of the Piedmont is 
 interrupted and disappears, so that the Great Plains stretch up to the base 
 of the naked Cordillera, which reveals at one sight the towering masses 
 of Pike's and Longs Peaks, and the curtain of snowy mountains which 
 connects them. 
 
 A similar coup-iToeil is seen, as presents itself to an Italian standing 
 upon the Po above Milan, whose eye sweeps the Plain of Lombardy, and 
 ascends to the snowy summits of the highest Alps, without any interven- 
 ing objects to interrupt the vision. A similar resemblance to the Alpine 
 
THE CORDILLERA OF THE SIERRA MADRE. 
 
 33 
 
 formation which characterizes the parti.'.lly-explored masses immediately to 
 the west, has acquired for them the local name of " TIelvetiaii Mountains." 
 
 From these two peaks, — Loiijr's Peak to the nortli. and Tike's Peak to 
 the south, — as from twin radiating points, the riedniont expands from the 
 eastern flank of the Cordillera, like a half-ojien fan. Towards the north 
 are the Medieine-Pow 3Iountain and the Laramie Plain ; towards the south, 
 the U.itono Mountain, the Llano Balsiffeta. and the Llano Estaeado. 
 
 Such is an effurt to delineate and ela.ssify the ]>roniinent physieid features 
 of the Miilhir (^>r(/iflrrn of our country; the .serrated axis which forms 
 its core; the system of pares; the system of river.s and mountain spurs; 
 the jieaks and mc.sas ; the system of llanos. Its m.'iterial mass is primeval 
 granite. Volcanoes, active or extinct, craters and their i,<iiieousdi.schar<;es, 
 are not found. (The.sc exist upon the Pldtcnn and in the Andcn beyond.) 
 
 This Cordlllfra is auriferous throughout. It contains all forms of 
 minerals, metals, 'H.;nes, ,«alts, and earths ; in short, every useful .'^hape in 
 which matter is elsewhere found to arrange itself, and in all the geological 
 gradations. 
 
 The prominent agricultural feature of the Cordillera is fertility — pastoral 
 fertility. Stupendous peaks and battlements exist, extreme in bald and 
 sterile nakedness ; plains there are blasted with perpetual aridity and con- 
 gealed by perjjctual frosts. 
 
 The space thus occupied is small ; indigenous gra.sses, fruits, !'nd vege- 
 tables abound ; it swarms with animal life and aboriginal cattle ; food of 
 grazing and carnivorous animals, fowls and fi.sh, is everywhere found ; the 
 forests and flora arc superlative ; the immense dimensions of nature render 
 accessibility universal. An atmosphere of intense brilliancy and tonic 
 tout! overflows and embalms all nature; health and longevity are the lot 
 of man. 
 
 It is necessary to be condensed and brief. A million of interesting 
 facts are left unraentioned. Then the Cordillera of the Sierra Madre is 
 but a third part in area of our " moiiufain formafion." If the inquiring 
 spirit and jiatriarchal fire of Jeff'erson and of Astor .still burn in the jiop- 
 ular lu'art, the continental mission of 1770 will revive and reanimate our 
 generation. Counterfeit geography, promulgated with official dogmatism, 
 will cease to be fashionable, or to defeat the divine instinct of the people. 
 Patriotism, pioneered by truth and genuine science, will reveal and com- 
 prehend our fOH^('«^)j^r? geography as if is. huge in dimensions, sublime in 
 order and .symmetry, a unity in plan. Our political and social enqiire, 
 expanded to the same dimensions, harmonized to the same checkered 
 variety, will assume a similar order, a like ,«ymmetry, and crown hope with 
 a similar solid and enduring perpetuity. 
 

 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE PLATEAU OF NORTH AMEUICA. 
 
 It is now twenty-sevon years, nearly a full generation, since I suliniitted 
 to the scrutiny of science and the public "^t Ilyilrographlc Map of 
 Xoiih America,'' exhibiting in daguerreotype the cardinal physical archi- 
 tecture of our continent. Upon this is exactly defined the Moinifuin 
 Formation, inclosing the Plateau of the TaJ)le Lands. This subdivision 
 of our country, amounting to one-third of the whole area, conies now in 
 the bounding march of empire, to have a necessary, an intense, a pre-emi- 
 nent interest to our people. 
 
 Undoubtedly the scheme of Independence, inaugurated in 177t), sus- 
 tained through the fortitude of the Revolution, and consummated in the 
 Union of 1787, contemplated and conimeiieed a Continental Republic! 
 In the ripening of time, we are now called upon to receive into this con- 
 tinental Union the indc.-pcndcnt ai.d equal States of the Plateau, and to 
 construct across it a complete system of co)itinental railwai/. 
 
 How it is that immense facts, dormant since creation, and noticed only 
 to be unanimously rejected by human society, flash suddenly out of mid- 
 night obscurity, and by a single step plant themselves upon the very 
 throne itself of public attention, may be thus illustrated : Columbus, 
 intent upon discovering a direct route by sea to Oriental Asia, died with- 
 out any thought of the new continent, or knowledge that he had seen It. 
 Amerigo Vespucci, a younger navigator, identified the new continent, 
 established its existence in the popular mind, and gave to it his own name, 
 America. 
 
 Thus, in 18-42, commenced to agitate itself throughout America, the 
 energetic geographical movement, to reorganize the column of central pro- 
 gress artificially stagnated in Missouri since 1820. 
 
 Exploration, conquest, the conversion of the wilderness, have since 
 advanced with intense celerity. 
 
 As is the case with all normal instincts: war, peace, domestic and 
 foreign schemes of opposition, have each contributed to precipitate its 
 advance and fire its activity. 
 
 The American people are, then, now advancing, victoriously to plant 
 34 
 
 
MERICA. 
 
 nenitioii, since I submitted 
 A Ilydrngraphic Mop of 
 lie eanlinal jiliyf^ieiil iirclii- 
 tly defined tlic Moinifnin 
 Lands. This subdivisiuu 
 whole area, comes now in 
 sary, an intense, a pre-emi- 
 
 inaugurated in 1770), sus- 
 1, and consummated in the 
 I a Continental Republic! 
 jn to receive into this con- 
 ites of the Plateau, and to 
 ental raihcay. 
 B creation, and noticed only 
 flash suddenly out of mid- 
 themselvcs upon the very 
 ms illustrated : Columbus, 
 Oriental Asia, died with- 
 (vledge that he had seen it. 
 intified the new continent, 
 nd gave to it his own name. 
 
 f throughout America, the 
 
 3 the column of central pro- 
 
 ?20. 
 
 the wilderness, have since 
 
 war, peace, domestic and 
 ntributed to precipitate its 
 
 ncing, victoriously to plant 
 
 ™^'^'''«if!^m'f<''m^msmmm^^^^rf?9^''^ 
 
17.". 
 
 Itio U*< Ml ll.'i II 
 
 ^t'" 
 
 •'^ 
 
 at' 
 
 / 
 
 / 
 
 
 H 
 
 rr» 
 
 ■f) 
 
 E 5 
 
 ..l'^ 
 
 *U 
 
 \t 
 
 ty«n 
 
 f.' 
 
 \'t 
 
 HI 
 
 / 
 
 /:■ 
 
 / 
 
 . <- / 
 
 /nOHTm DtvO N^. 
 
 rOCV^BURN 
 
 »//■ 
 
 »B<M'. 
 
 Z' 
 
 /- 
 
 ■\<** 
 
 ''jH» 
 
 /" 
 
 / 
 
 /; 
 
 ■'■:■'. i' 
 
 '^^ 
 
 / * 
 
 '^A- 
 
 \A 
 
 t^ 
 
 -:r^^ 
 
 /- 
 
 / 
 
 ; 
 
 r \ - 
 
 li xt"v"W 
 
 ■.\\Vcn-. ■,■??/ .M 
 
 , fi^ 
 
 '^riy** 
 
 '■Malta 
 
 Ifl 
 
 e 
 
 '?^, 
 
 ',V^" 
 
 
 '"1(4,., 
 
 *•*:. '"»f 
 
 .Ymk 
 
 5S^v 
 
 y. 
 
 "'4- 
 
 > 
 
 H 
 
 ■'f'n<-ir^u 
 
 ..I'l'' 
 
 ^#* 
 
 :%' 
 
 Un,l,l,l> 
 
 M f E 
 
 ^/, 
 
 
 •^vv 
 
 *»ll 
 
 •Vr. 
 
 "■U- 
 
 T''^ 
 
 H-. 
 
 
 "'/'•</ 
 
 t 
 
 U-*. 
 
 »v: 
 
 
 
 ».J»' 
 
 «47? 
 
 lf»/(/ Hit kfitt 
 
 \ •'<- 
 
 ufV 
 
 
 ■' U^JHTfr 
 
 y^T- 
 
 Snjx 
 
 "•^' 
 
 P'".«i!i'4 
 
 '> 
 
 m 
 
 /J 
 
 f/ 
 
 
 
 >, 
 
 ^ 
 
 — -v->^-- 
 
 f N C. 
 
 'iSte. 
 
 ;i^, 
 
 
 Oak 
 
 f'l-/rlf/. ft .ii 
 
 jijL./.' 
 
 \ *. 
 
 brAXJCTMN 
 
 0> 
 
 o 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 iiTVAri. 
 
 
 r 
 
 
 r WIS 
 
 .>. 
 
 111 
 
 an('liu'i» 
 
 <u^- 
 
 nfv' 
 
 
 ubmiiK* 
 
 SKA 
 
 I O \ W. W 
 
 ■f 
 
 / -V, 
 
 •pi" 
 
 ■.V'CV 
 
 .L^ 
 
 Iji'THH «IT(l- 
 
 >pTT?nu"''"''^ 
 
 1 nusfl 
 
 A 
 
 iu«\; 
 
 ,lw,v-.iii i»;. 
 
 K, 
 
 H — ._. 
 
 i.Kci 
 
 '^.7^^^' 
 
)^,v-»^V's" 
 
ilcinocrnf 
 
 IKIVclty V 
 
 I'latoan, : 
 Messes elm 
 
 fii tliO 
 
 tii'y thi.s ; 
 iiri'l (Icino 
 jiowcr in t 
 
 A sill (;oi 
 
 Kurojp,. Jill 
 The inn 
 
 ♦iiicnf. exfi 
 is iiK^loscfJ 
 liraeini.' flii 
 Ciisfiian ,Se; 
 
 flow ill to til 
 This t,'rcii 
 
 Jiiiineval in 
 
 I.ifituiie.s ;J5 
 
 niilcs. 
 
 Such is tj 
 filjre is inijJ 
 fill. WekJ 
 hiirharians |J 
 to the seas, 
 These cojivj 
 of Europe, 
 
 Sueh is a I 
 
 for the higj 
 
 I'ojiiWations.l 
 
 The Pf,A 
 
 Seas : the ij 
 
 large rivers,] 
 
 ranean. It 
 
 Here is 
 
 inspired civ| 
 
 systems of 
 
 'vligion, trii^ 
 
 Porpetuate el 
 
 the earth anl 
 
THE i'i..\TF..\r OF yoirrif amkukw. 
 
 35 
 
 ili'tnocrntlc einjiirc co-ctiual with tho area of tlu> CDntiiiciit. Tl..- utiiihI 
 iKiVflty wliii'li rises in t'nmt. is tlic /'/ufimi nf flir Tulilr Luiulx. Tliis 
 I'latiMU, iiiL'losi'd widiiii tlu- ('unlilli'ras nf tlio Muiiiitaiii Foniiatinii, pns- 
 HosHtw eliaraftcristics now to niankiiid, and about to arre;*t the attention and 
 sway the mental enerjiieH of Anieriea. 
 
 Ill tli(! first jilacc, it is necessary, l>y reference and coniiiarison, to ideji- 
 tity tiiis Pliilidii ; to discover wnat and whiTC it is; and tlience to tro un 
 and demonstrate its area, its climate, itH capacity, and its ^'eofrrajihical 
 jiower in the world. 
 
 Asia contains two jilateaux ; Smith America, one; Noiih A»nerica. one. 
 Europe and Africa have jixeat mountain chains, ])ut no jilateau. 
 
 Tiie immense I'lnfpnii of Asni oecupies the central rejrion of that con- 
 tinent, cxtendin}; ea.st and west from the I'ontic Sea to Middle Chiiin. It 
 is iiurloscd hetween the Himalaya IMountains and those of Siheria, em- 
 hracinii the uiiper and lower jilains of Thihet anil the prcat lakes, the 
 Casjiian Sea, the Sea of Aral, and the IJalkash Sea, witli the rivers that 
 flow iiito them. 
 
 This !j;rcat space is fenced im])erviously from the oceans by a circuit of 
 ]irimi'val mountains: it extends cast and west 4S(I() miles, between the 
 latitudes ;{5° and r)0°. Its average breadth, north and south, is 1200 
 miles. 
 
 Such is the immense cimtinental plateau of Asia, of which our knowl- 
 edge is imperfect, as to its po]iulation and the grade of civilization they 
 fill. We know that from jirimcval time, periodical swarms of conquering 
 barbarians have descended down its flanks and delngcd all the continents 
 to the seas, convulsing cmjiires and disjilacing all organized societies. 
 These convidsions have extended to the extremities of China, of India, 
 of Kurope, and into Africa. 
 
 Such is a short and significant memorandum of this plateau, remarkable 
 for the high antiquity, the numbers, and the uniform barbarism of its 
 populations. It is entirely north of tlu' isothermal temperate zone. 
 
 The Phifcait of Syria occupies the .space between the Vcrsian and Keil 
 Seas : the Dead Sea is within it and the peninsula of Araliia : it has no 
 large rivers, but is flanked by the Euphrates, the Nile, and the Mediter- 
 ranean. It lies across the Isothermal temperate zone from edge to edge. 
 
 Here is the original birthplace and cradle of human history ami 
 inspired civilization. Down its flanks have descended all the ethereal 
 systems of the world, which enter the heart of men and inspire true 
 religion, true knowledge, political liberty, and which erect, enlarge, and 
 perjietuate civilized .society. Hence have gone forth to the extremities of 
 the earth and to the human i-ace throughout all time, the genuine oracles 
 
36 
 
 Tin: PLATEAU OF XOllTIf AMKIUCA. 
 
 (){' < 111(1 ri'vcaliiif: rclipmi and lihcrty. to acliiovo tho eonqufst uf iJolatry 
 anil Ijaiharism, and disjilace tlu'ni from tlie luiman heart. 
 
 IJcncath tho e((iiator, upon the summit of the Peruvian mountains, is 
 the I'/iifidii (if thr Aii(ff- ilcrc was tlic delicate empire and system of 
 the Incas, wlneh w'''.iered before I'izarro and tlie Spaniards as a vine 
 before the tropical siroc. It contains ilie Laki, of Titicaca, ami is witliout 
 larjre rivers. Of excessive elevation and aridity, small in area, arduous 
 of access, and approachable only thnui^h torrid lieats which .surround its 
 base and flanks, this Plateau is entirely vithoiif the belt of the isothermal 
 temjierate zone. 
 
 Such are the three other I*lateaux. We now approach the fourth — our 
 own — the P/oterin of Xorth America. 
 
 I have heretofore written of this Plateau : " I speak witli preat diffi- 
 dence : but of all the departments into which science has arranged the 
 physical geography of the globe, this appears to me the most interesting, 
 the most crowded with various and attractive features, and the most cer- 
 taiidy destined eventually 'o contain the most powerful and enlightened 
 empire of the world. 
 
 •' ^\t present it is no more known or comprehended, ns it is, by the Ameri- 
 can peojile, than was America it.self by the poet ITomcr. It is to them 
 as much a myth as was then the continent of Atalanta. Nevertheless, it 
 is of such great area as to contain within itself three great rivers which 
 rank with the Nile, the (Janges, and the Danube in length, and five great 
 ranges of primary mountains." 
 
 The A ndes. where it issues from the Isthmus of Tehuantepee, divides 
 into tlie two Cordilleras of the north. The one pursues the shores of the 
 Mexican Gulf; the other, the .shores of the Pacific Ocean. The Cordil- 
 leras, .ontinuing to open from one another, run, with gre^it uniformity of 
 I'v.!!: :!n;l altitude, through to the Polar Sea. At the 48d degree of lati- 
 tnile they are 1 400 miles a.«under, which is here the breadth of the Plateau. 
 
 'i'he riiafirii CanUVcra is the Sierra JIadre (the ^lother Mountain); 
 the in.tfmi CordilJvra is the Sierra Nevada de los Andes (the Snowy 
 Andes \ 
 
 T' i ;. ili(>n. the whole immense area encased within the Cordilleras from 
 Tehuaritepee to tlie Polar Sea, is the I'lateau of Nfirth America ! The 
 Cordiiloras have a general altitude of 12,000 feet ; the Plateau, of (JOOO. 
 The I'la'oau is 4000 miles in lengili. having its direction from .southeast 
 to nortliN^e.st ; its superficial area is 2,000.000 sfpuire miles. The portion 
 within our territories is one-third of the whole country. 
 
 Such. then, are the geographical position, the t.rea, and the altitude of 
 the I'/dtuni. Its lo)iffitv(h'nnl position is remarkable, having its extremi- 
 
THE PLATEAU OF XOHTJf AMERICA. 
 
 'M 
 
 y^^{ of idolatry 
 
 n mountains, is 
 ami system of 
 liarils as a vine 
 , aii'l is without 
 in area, arduous 
 Icii surround its 
 1" the isotlicrmal 
 
 the fourth— our 
 
 with ?rrcat difli- 
 has arranged the 
 most interesting, 
 ind the most cer- 
 and enlightened 
 
 t ,\ by the Ameri- 
 cr. It is to them 
 Nevertheless, it 
 rreat rivers whith 
 gth, and five great 
 
 huantepec, divides 
 the shores of the 
 can. The Covdil- 
 re-it uniformity of 
 43(1 degree of lati- 
 
 idth of the Plateau. 
 
 Mother Mountain); 
 \ndes (the Snowy 
 
 ,c Cordilleras from 
 th America! The 
 , Plateau, of (3000. 
 tion from southeast 
 miles. The portion 
 
 •y. 
 
 •in<l the altitude of 
 having its extremi- 
 
 ties within the equatorial and the polar zones ; but its groate.st breadth 
 and area is across tlui Isothermal tempei'atc zone. Its whole western front 
 is closely flanked by the Paeifio Ocean; its ca.stern front by the (iiilf of 
 Mexico and the Calcareous Plain. It erects it.self continuously along 
 between these, and either connects them together or separates them 
 asunder. 
 
 The I'latiMu has a general configuration, simple as a unit in the physi- 
 cal geography of the globe ; the details are infinite and eomplicated, all 
 marked by a grandeur in harmony with its va.stue.ss. In the elements 
 which attract and perpetuate the social bust of civilized men. no other 
 region can assert or hold communion with it. It denominates as a stand- 
 ard, which can have no ecpial. 
 
 It is subdivided into seven great basins, which succeed one another in 
 order from the south towards the north. The basin of the city of Mexico 
 is x\\ii first and niosi ...lown. A central lake collects the waters of the 
 basin, which has no drainage to the sea. 
 
 The secuiiif liMsin is the Bolson de Mapinii. The Laguna d(! Majiimi 
 collects its waters, and is also unconnecti'd with the sea. Thesi! basins 
 are divided asunder by the Sierra of Queretaro, which connects the Cor- 
 dilleras acro.ss. 
 
 The flihd is the basin of the Rio Bravo del Norte, which is divided 
 from the second by the tran.sver.^e mountain chain of the Ilio Florida. 
 Tills innn(Uise basin is drained by the rivers ])A X(jrte, Pecos, and Conchos, 
 which, uniting against the Sierra 3Iadre, gorge it by a canon and form 
 below the Rio Grande of the Mexican Gulf 
 
 The_/o(';'^/( is the basin of the Colorado. The great Sierra Mimbres 
 divides these two basins asunder after the manner of a backbone, from 
 which their waters dt-scend down the reverse slopes. They are longitu- 
 dinal, ])arallel, and overlap one another. Distinguished by stupenilous vol- 
 canic phenomena, they ])re-eminently constitute the inrtolJifrroiii^ rf't/inii 
 of the world. The cijnfluent rivers of this basin, where they unite to form 
 the Colorado, gorge the Andes by the wonderful canon of that name, and 
 debouch into the California Gulf. 
 
 Tile ///!'/' is the basin of the Salt Lake, divided from the itist by the 
 great Sierra Wasatch. Within the vast circuit of its mountain rims are 
 contained many stagnant lakes receiving rivers of fresh water. This basin 
 hius no outlet to the sea. 
 
 The si.rfh is the Itasin of the Columbia. The transverse chain of the 
 Snake River Mountai'.is parts these two last busins. Here is .seen a n;.»st 
 wonderful display of natural phenomena. Tiie Snake and Columijia Rivera, 
 coming from opposite directions and penetrating immense mountains, unite 
 
38 
 
 THE PLATEAU OF NORTH AMEfllCA. 
 
 together, gorge the Audos at the C'liseades, and debjuch into the North 
 Pacific lUeean. 
 
 Th<! HiiTiifh is the basin (jf Frazcr River. The 01ynij)ian chain divides 
 it from the Cohinibia. From henco the Phitear. continues its direction 
 through a region as yet but little known, and opens out upon the I'olar 
 Sea. 
 
 If a thread be drawn longitudinally through the Plateau, e(|uidistant 
 from the Cordilleras, it will bisect a line oi' sedimentary lakes resting as 
 in the bottom of a trough. These are the Lake of jMexico, the Laguna, 
 Gusman's Lake, the Great Salt Lake, the Pend-oreilles and Okanagan 
 lakes. These waters have an average elevation of (JU(((( feet above the 
 sea. The whole bulk of the Plateau has then the altitude of a primary 
 mountaiii. 
 
 If the stupendous features of nature are allowed their solenniity of 
 impression, atid the ni.ijestie length and bulk of the {\)rdillera! be 
 admitted, we may now understand what is the immense subdivision of our 
 iiintinent enca,«ed within then. We may receive and handle it as a unit, 
 assign to it a name, '• The Plateau," and identify its extent, its distinct- 
 ive profile and position. 
 
 The climate of the Plateau is local and pectdiar, but very uniform. The 
 Cordilleras, by their altitude and remoteness from the sea. exclude the 
 ocean vajiors fmin the Plateau. A rainless atmosphere, ])erpetually dry, 
 tonic, and transparent, is the normal condition throughout the year. Alti- 
 tude and aridity united, teni])er the heat towards the e(|uatorial zont ; the 
 same causes temper the cold towards the polar zoiic. The extiemes of 
 tenij)erature for the day and for the night arc great ; lor the .seasotis of 
 the year, scarcely ])erceptible. In one word, the tempeniiure is uniforndy 
 vtriial. Thus the genial and propitious climate of the isothermal tem- 
 penite zone extends up and down the sunnnit of the Plateau, and is felt 
 to both extremities! 
 
 The soils of the Plateau are of the highest order of fertility, alike upon 
 the mountains, the valleys, and the mesas or extensive i)lains. The dry 
 anil serene atmosjihere converts the gras.ses into hay, and, preserving them 
 without decay, perpetuates the food of grazing animals around he year. 
 This gives to pasforai agriculture an infinite capacity for production and 
 superlative excellence. Meat food, leather, wool, fowls, fi.sh, and dairy 
 food are of spontaneous ])roduction. 
 
 The soils, accuniulat<:d from the attrition and decay of lava and of 
 carboniferous and sidphurous limestones, possess an exuberant fertility. 
 Spots of arid sands are K'W and insignificant ; such as exist are from the 
 uuril'erous granite, and contain jilacfv- «ii' gold. Thes^e soils, then, com- 
 
TnE PLATEAU OF NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 39 
 
 into the North 
 
 lie of a primary 
 
 posed of the essential elements of fertility and production, and warmed 
 by an uiuluuded sun, need only irrigation to ferment their activity. For 
 this, nature has i)rovided in the configuration of the surface and the infinite 
 abunchince of snowy mountains, of streams and of rivers descending from 
 their glaciers or bursting from their flanks. 
 
 The descent from the longitudinal crests of the mountain ranges to the 
 lowe.st levels, is everyAvhere by terraces or steppes arranged agiiin.st the 
 mouutain mass. Across these are channeled the gorges of the descend- 
 ing waters, coming from the gradually melting snows above. To guide 
 these waters out upon these terraces and distribute them over the surface, 
 involves neither excessive labor nor intelligence. It is understood and 
 practiced by the aboriginal people. 
 
 The laborious systems of culture to provoke germination, the uncertain 
 yield common to our people of the maritime region of timber and uncer- 
 tain seasons, are here unknown and unnecessary. 
 
 A perpetual sun and systematic irrigation (im in Egj-pt) dispense with 
 laborious manual tillage ; the use of the plow is not indispensable : the 
 waters for irrigation descend Irom a higher level and are constant. The 
 laborious extenuination of the primeval forest ; fuel and refuge from the 
 inclement seasons of heat and cold ; periodical and uncertain inflictions of 
 drought and saturatii)n ; dependence upon an atmosphere ever changing 
 and forever fickle and treacherous ; none of these vicissitudes are seen or 
 known upon the Plateau. 
 
 The adobe brick, of unburned clay, constructs fences and houses, iidiabited 
 more for domestic .-leelusion and convenience than from necessity. 
 
 Upon the high mountain flanks, within the influence of constant spovt, 
 exist abundant forests with the rank summer grasses and vegetation ; the 
 proportion of these is ample and harmoniously distributed. The Plateau 
 presents itself, therefore, prepared and ecpiipped by nature in all depart- 
 ments at eviry ])oint, and throughout its whole lengtli, for the immediate 
 entrance and occupation of organized society, and the densest population. 
 Of this we hav,' an absolute illustration. 
 
 It is where, upon the terraces surrounding the Oreat Salt Lake, three dec- 
 ades of years have de^'eloped in the wilderness a powerful people, possessing 
 in practice all the elements of mature and sta'ile society ; moreover, in the 
 ease with which a numerous army has transported and sustiiined itself, 
 without disaster or calamity, at the same remote destination. 
 
 Accessibility on to the Platiau is wonderfully facile and unobstnicted 
 over a tranquil ocean on the one hand, by the Great Plains on the other. 
 
 Amidst the checkered variety which distinguishes the surface of the 
 Plateau, the most systematic order is discernible. The tran-sverse moun- 
 
40 
 
 THE PLATEAU OF NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 tain chains are parallol to one another. They, as well as the great rivera, 
 have tlieir eourses due north and south, and are longitudinal in direction. 
 
 The only excej)tion is Snake Kiver, and the Snake Kiver chain of 
 mountains. They exhibit a stupendous display of volcanic convulsions, 
 extending over the basin of the Salt Lake. This is such as to excite the 
 conviction that in primeval times the Blue Mountains of Oregon were 
 unperforated, and between them and the Sierra Wasatch flowed a great 
 river, discharging into the maritime basin of C^difornia. 
 
 If this were so, the harmonious contiguration of the Plateau, from end 
 to end, would be undeviating. 
 
 The great mountain chains, six, in number, enumerated as the Sierra of 
 Queretaro, of the Kio Florida, the Sierra Mimbres, the Sierra AVasatch, 
 the Snake Eiver Mountains, and the 01yn\jiian chain, all I'orm continuous 
 divides across from one Cordillera to the other. They are unperibrated 
 by any running waters, and block ofl" the area of the Plateau into the 
 seven isolated basins above named. 
 
 Other mountain masses, branching from these sienus, protrude far out 
 into the basins, are caj)ped with snow, and rival them in bulk and altitude. 
 Such are the Sierra La Plata, the Humboldt Mountains, a!id tlie Blue 
 Mountains of Oregon. Spurs and minor mountain chains appear every- 
 where. 
 
 The central regions of the basins are occupied by great plains, surround- 
 ing the sedlnicntavy lakes, or forming the inmiense troughs of the rivers; 
 \\c purcH are amphitheatres secluded within the sierras, around the sources 
 of the great rivers. The most remarkable are the Pare of San Luis, the 
 Middle Pare, the South Pass, and the Lava Plain of Snake lliver. 
 
 Elsewhere the great rivers assault the flanks of the sierras and gorge 
 them athwart, traversing them by profound chasms, and foam for liun- 
 dreds of miles between jjcrpendicular walls of rock. Such caiions are 
 seen upon the llio del Norte, the Colorado, the Snake Kiver, and the 
 Columbia, especially where they gorge the CordiHeras to reach the seas. 
 
 Such is the infinite assemblage of mountains, plains, great rivers, in 
 every variety and nuignitude, that unite themselves to form the immense 
 area of the Plateau of America ! 
 
 The features of its geology arc equally various, vast, and wonderful ; 
 both mountains and plains promiscuously ajipcar, of carboniferous and 
 sulphurous limestones, lava, porphyritic granite, columnar basalt, obsidian, 
 sandstone, accompanied by their appropriate contents of precious and 
 base metals, jirecious stones, coal, marbles, earth, thermal and medicinal 
 streams and fountains ; and all of these adorned by scenery forever vary- 
 ing, fascinating, and sublime. 
 
THE PLATEAU OF XOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 41 
 
 For agriculture, both jiiistoral and araljlo, no n'i:ion of tlie world is 
 niort' iiroj)iti()us, not even the Basin of the Mi.ssi.ssii)i)i, whiuli is by its 
 side. One remarkable charactcvistie pervades idl the rivers: their waters 
 are supplied (as are tliose of the Nile) from the high mountains whence 
 they descend. Such rivulets as abound in maritime countries are not 
 known, but subterranean streams burst forth and again disajjpear. This 
 systematic feature at once demonstrates the porous nature of the soils and 
 the fertilizing character of the waters. 
 
 To revert again to the characteristic climate of the Plateau. It is con- 
 tinental as contrasted with the nmvithiie climate's of regions open to the 
 iufluenc's of the oceans and overflowed by their clouds and vapors. 
 
 The Plateau is secluded from the presence of these clouds and vapors 
 by the uninterrupted envelope of the CV)rdilleras, surmounting the line of 
 pcriictual snow. These clouds and vajiors lodge themselves upon the sum- 
 mits of the Cordilleras, and of such of the Sierras as have suflQcient alti- 
 tude. From these the rivers are fed and descend to traverse the lower 
 altitudes, and upon their summit are observable the atmospheric changes 
 of maritime countries. 
 
 Out upon the Plateau these changes do not reach. Here tlie constant 
 alternations arising from rain-clouds are not felt. The atmosphere has a 
 perpetual vernal temperature, unvarying, rainless, transparent, splendid, 
 and serene. 
 
 It is along the axis of the isotherinal temperate zone of the northern 
 hemisphere that revealed civilization makes the circuit of the globe. 
 Here, the continents expand ; the oceans contract ; this zone contains the 
 zodiac of empires : along its axis, at distances scarcely varying from one 
 hundred leagues, appear the great cities of the world, from Pekin, in 
 China, to St. Louis, in America. 
 
 During antiquity this zodiac was narrow ; it never expanded beyond 
 the North African shore, nor beyond the Pontic Sea, the Danube, and 
 the llhine. Along this narrow belt, civilization planted its system from 
 Oriental Asia to the western extremity of Europe, with a more or less 
 pel feet development. 3Iodern times have recently seen it widen, to embrace, 
 with an imperfect fire, the region of the Baltic Sea. 
 
 In America, it st:irts with the broad front from Cuba to Hudson's 
 Bay. As in all previous time, it advances along a line central between 
 these extremes, in the densest form and with the greatest celerity. Here 
 lire tlie chief cities of intelligcTicc and power, and the greatest intensity 
 of energy and of progre.«s. 
 
 In 1S20, this middle column of the centre had reached tiic western 
 frontier of Missouri, and ojiened trails along to the Pacific Sea; the 
 
42 
 
 THE PLATEAU OF NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 flanks were then behind, in New York, Lower Canada, and in Gcnrpia. 
 In the uverwhohninj: revulsion of all previous political jtreeedcnts, which 
 pervaded our Federal councils I'roni 181(i to 182S, atitniJ ]>rojiress was 
 forcibly interdicted. Abruptly stopped by an Indian barrier and Draconic 
 code, and forced to recoil for forty years, the flanks have come up to an 
 even front upon the rijjrht and upon the left. 
 
 Science has recently very ])erfectly established, by observation, this axh 
 of the isothermal temperate zone. It reveals to the world this .>^hining 
 fact, that alonjr it civilization has traveled, as by an inevitable instinct of 
 nature, since creation's dawn. Finm this line has radiated intellijience of 
 mind to the north and to the ■<oTith. and tmairds it all people have strug- 
 gled to converge. Thus, in harmony with the supreme order of nature, 
 is the mind of man instinctively adjusted to the revolutions of the sun 
 and tempered by his heat. 
 
 Behold, then, in the geographical position and features of the J'fufcnu 
 of America, a crowning mercy and a miraculous liglit disjtiayed by God 
 in our front, to illuminate for us the safe line of march and the whole area 
 of expanding empire ! 
 
 The central column of progress has already ascended on to the Plateau by 
 the entrance of the South Pa.ss, and established itself on the fertile terraces 
 that surround the Great Salt LaVe ; it is established in New ]Mexico, upon 
 the Upper Del Norte ; it prepares to enter by tli. passes of Pike's Peak 
 and the Arkaasjia into the delicious pares that surround the gold region 
 of the San Juan ; it is upon the Columbia and Frazer Rivers ; it has al,«o 
 passed over the Cordillera of the Andes, and it presents itself fronting to 
 the east and entering from California. 
 
 Such is the Pluteau q/*^l?H^r/r<;, transcendent in jiosition, immense in 
 area, superlative in climate, fertility, and variety of configuration. 
 
 Here are blended all the elements which distinguish the other plateaux 
 of the world. Its longitudinal form ; the rainless character and ])ereiinial 
 brilliancy of atmosphere ; its perpetual vernal temperature ; its alternate 
 basins, ])arcs, and snowy sierras ; its great rivers ; its indefinite and pro- 
 pitious capacity to produce and to sustain population ; its gold, metals, 
 and gems ; finally, its dimiinant position, beetling over the Asiatic ocean 
 on the one hand, over the Calcareous Plains on the other hand, continu- 
 ously from the Polar Sea to the equatorial belt. These all arise succes- 
 sively and together to announce to the American people their accession to 
 the most attractive, the most wonderful, and the mo.st powerful de]iartment 
 of their continent, of their country, and of the whole area of the globe. 
 
 But the Plateau has the prestige of antitpiity to commend it to favor. 
 It was liere that Cortez and the conquerors found the gorgeous empire of 
 
THE PLATEAU OF NORTH AMERICA. 
 
 43 
 
 tlie jMuntczuHiiis ! a polished people, highly cultivated, numbering many 
 niilliiinM, and martyrs to their lieroic devotion to the arts of peace ! The 
 .siuie marked characteristics still show themselves undiminished in the 
 existing aboriginal people, thinly scattered to the extreme north ; curious, 
 intelligent, and credulous, heroic and timid, vibrating quickly from super- 
 stitious veneratio:> to despair. 
 
 They invite and receive the white man as a new divinity, and then 
 recoil, to shun him with hate implacable till death. 
 
 This is my understanding of the Plateau of America, condensed to a 
 general but a compact view. At my first entrance upon it in 1843, my 
 impressions were far otherwise. Everywhere appeared novel phenomena ; 
 nature wore an impenetrable complexity of features alternately fantastic, 
 sublime, bizarre, and incomprehensible. 
 
 Time, reiterated exploration, study, and meditation, have revealed it to 
 me as it is, — in architecture transcendent, in an:itoiny symmetrical and con- 
 sistent in every detail. It is necessary to ponder long before we may pene- 
 trate the deep designs of Providence, or be permitted to comprehend the 
 austere and perfect order with which natuvc is everywhere replete. 
 
hi 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE SIERRA SAN JUAN. 
 
 i 
 
 To command the gold and silver production of the world, and combine 
 this with an intelligent policy, is to rule the world. The present ability 
 of the American people to do this, will become manifest so soon as the 
 geography of the North American continent shall become correctly under- 
 stood by tliem, ar.d its economical development made a systematic policy. 
 A few standard facts in physical geography and geology being currently 
 grafted in to guide the popular mind, the ease with which the people of 
 America will rise to the pinnacle of power and empire, and the necessity 
 inc'imbent upon them to do so, become both simple and luminous of 
 comprehension. 
 
 I have in a former chapter defined to itself the " Great Plateau of the 
 Table Lands," and enumerated the primary mountain chains, the rivers, 
 and the elevated basins (seven in number) which checker its immense area. 
 This whole aroa, together with the great flanking Cordilleras, is of the 
 primeval, auiiferous formation. Although immense sa-idstone and cal- 
 careous formations are frequent, and elsewhere igneous rocks have over- 
 flowed thousands of square miles, these overlay a luiiform pediment of 
 porphyritic granite, as uniformly yielding gold. 
 
 The primeval gold-bearing formation, therefore, very equally divides the 
 area of the continent, half and half, with the calcareous formation, which 
 latter abounds with the base metals. Thus, within the present tfritorics 
 of the American people, the precious stones and precious metals, pla.inum, 
 gold, silver, quicksilver, exist in tl:e im yet partially deveit (i^l aalf, with 
 the same abundance and universality ofdistrilution as do tl . ^'ate metals, 
 minend fuel, and calcareous rocks, within the States. 
 
 Investigation within " the great calcareous plain" has so far progressed, 
 that we trace along its diagontd axis a metallif 'lous band traversing con- 
 tinuously from the neighborlniod of Mior, en the Kio Bravo del Norte, to 
 the junction of Coppermine IJivcr with the Arctic Sea. 
 
 This band, reseuibliiig a .-word-belt suspended from the shoulder and 
 knotted upon the hip, faver.^cs Texas in a direction ni'rth-nortlicast ; 
 crosses Arkansas .-'.ud iSuuthcrn MiH:«ouri diagonally ; Noitliern Illinois, 
 44 
 
THE SIERRA SAX JUAN. 
 
 45 
 
 rid, and combine 
 le present ability 
 3t so soon tis the 
 > correctly under- 
 jystenuitic policy. 
 ^ being currently 
 ich tb.e people of 
 and the necessity 
 and luminous of 
 
 at Plateau of the 
 ha ins, the rivers, 
 it^ immense area, 
 ddleras, is of the 
 idstone and cal- 
 rocks have over- 
 inn pediment of 
 
 quilly divides the 
 formaUon, which 
 
 present tcritories 
 melals, plaanum, 
 
 ,xu [" 'I half, with 
 
 lo tl : 'xii-e metals, 
 
 ;o far progressed, 
 
 id traversing con- 
 
 avo del Norte, to 
 
 the shoulder and 
 
 1 iKirth-iiortheiuit ; 
 Xdrtlieni lUiiiois, 
 
 Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and, brusliiiig the extreme shores of Lake 
 Superior and Hudson's Bay, sinks into the Arctic Sea near the Magnetic 
 Pole. 
 
 Everywhere within this band the calcareous rocks and soils are )iemie- 
 iiteJ with veins and native masses of the base metals, existing in a pleni- 
 tudi' and purity . ufficient to snjiply the world forever. AVhat is seen and 
 known upon the .'iiirface, indicates a sy.stcmatic order throughout in the 
 relative jto.sitions of the dift'crent metals and their accompanying rocks and 
 earths, as also in the localities where each exists in excess and may be 
 said to culminate. 
 
 Thus in the State of Misi^ouri iron appears protruding above the general 
 level, over an immense area, attracting extlu&ive attention and the appella- 
 tion of Iron Mountains, by reason of the immense formation of this metal, 
 which displays itself for many hundred sfjuarc miles above and below the 
 surface, la mass miu In ponltion. '"Jojiiier may likewise be said to cul.ni- 
 nate, where it displays itself around the extreme waters of the St. Law- 
 rence, in mam and in position. Thus likewise of lead, where it appears 
 in indefinite abundainte by itself, in Wisconsin, Misi^ouri, and Arkansas. 
 
 Tbe existence nf tiu- base nu'tals of native jmrity in ?«a.s.< mid in pnsifion, 
 on an imnu'n.^i! scale and within the calcareous fovnuition of the basins of 
 the Mississippi and St. Lawrence, is now become established. Tbe ques- 
 tion arises, tberi.forc, whether there exists within the primeval formation 
 any jarallel phenomenon, or any possibility of the existence, accessible to 
 hu Man research, of tiie precious stones, of gold, silver, and tlie kindred 
 j.rccious rif^tals, in mass and in position. 
 
 Tiie po.ssibility, and, even more, the prohability of .such a develojimcnt 
 resulting from persevering exploration among the sieiras of the Plateau 
 of the Table Lands, becomes distinct as their geological configuration is 
 ' evealed, 
 
 We have seen, in a former chapter, that the Cordillera of the Sierra 
 Madre presents within our territory tW(.> ri'inarkable foca) culminations, — 
 the one grouped around the Wind River ^lountain, the other surrounding 
 Pike's Peak. These are about four hundred miles apart; th^y are con- 
 nected by the continuous chain of the Cordillera, as by a curtain. 
 
 Either one, contenijdated by itself, fills the same significant place upon 
 our contiuent, as does the Alpine gror;- surrounded by tin; kingdoms of 
 Europe, in the topography of that continent. A parallel altitude, grander 
 bulk, larger rivers, the sublimest scenery, a rainless atmosphere, and a 
 foundation of bro.'ub'r and more •iriHddini'iisions, distinguish our 'ontinent. 
 
 T<i all who a..LH>nd tlie gre:'.t phans in the iwighborhood of the 39th 
 degree of latitude, tbe snow-crested mu.-s of Pike's Peak, 15,000 feet in 
 
 'li! 
 
 1 
 
 1? 
 
,'M 
 
 r^' N c. ■'- - - *, 
 
 
 ''^ 
 
 •>*, 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 y 
 \*.. 
 
 0>^V y /, 
 
 k/ 
 
 ijTA.virt'd.v l»niiij»il"'<l"'"'VjS(>'f*<»''' ""T" 
 ^ '- S ft, A S K A J I O ' W. *;v.. y^V ^-0 .<V.M 
 
 
 If. 
 
 
 \ \ i .^ 1 •V ^ T,^'^ 
 
 h t N\ 
 
 R R I T R Y l''Ul'""'-»n^- ViJ 
 aJjx'hiiliiiro " '^"^ "'"f^QA '-i*' 
 
 % 
 
 + %x 
 
 fc' -dt'HTIX I'l^ 
 
 
 
 v. > O V^.J'"'* 
 
 V 
 
 •^-A 
 
 Sau^lWviuo 
 
 *^W. 
 
 >.l*jA', J SEW <mi.KAN*; 
 
 «^ 
 
 ^'^Svf 
 
 ii,\f;«TOW 
 
 
 
 UTOJKV - 
 
 
 
 ^31.^J 
 
 
 i" ^ 
 
 if' "3 ^ 
 
 Ik r 
 
 JKki: -■ 
 
 ^ " J 
 
 
 ]^K>.9 
 
 ^||UkyJ 
 
 KT'" 1 ^ 
 
 [--^Wm. 
 
 BPR 
 
 fcfcSi^^. 
 
 *c^ 
 
 
 
 .-I- 
 
 >:mM 
 
 Kir 
 
 .%:(Ai" 01'' 
 N OUT 11 AMKllU A 
 
 ih^liiM^aliiKk ilii* 
 
 MOryiMX SrSTIJM xynnsniTArLS, 
 
 WW (»1U:AT ( AL( AUKOl S plain as a IMT, 
 
 <////'/ //ff fffiihii/Ktiis c/ffi rr/ Nit/ 
 MARITIME SELVAGE. 
 
 II. 
 

40 
 
 THE SIERIiA SAX JVAN. 
 
 altiludo, and seen at a (listaiiec of 10(» miles from its base, is a prominent 
 object. Tliis iKiik beetles over the jilains, jirotrutlinfiout as a promontory 
 froni (lie Ciinlillera. with whieh it in fiijrnif'ted by an elevateil ri(l^:e. 
 
 Krimi tlie nnrthirn flank nl' this ridjru det^cend the waters of tlie t^outh 
 I'latte. which, first forniinj: the Pun; of the liaynu Sntddo, flow out into 
 the plains to the northeast ; from the southern flank descends the Arkan- 
 sas, which defiles by a cailon and issues forth into the plains towards the 
 siiuthcast, The Cordillera, from whoso eastern flanks both of these rivers 
 descend, curving towards the east, divides asunder the waters of tlie two 
 great rivers, the Arkansas and the Kio Bravo del Norte. From the west- 
 ern bank (jf the Curdillera, opposite to Pike's Peak, j)rotrudcs similarly 
 aninimcn.se mountain iiru-nontory toward the .south ; this is the SlEKKA 
 San JlAN, the local name jjiven to the northern culmination of the Sierra 
 Minibres. 
 
 The Sierra Mimbres, departing from the Cordillera under the 39th 
 degree of latitude, traverses diagonally athwart the Taltle Lands, having a 
 due southern courae. It joins the western Cordillera in the Mexican State 
 of Durango, in latitude 23° 30'. Its course coincides with the 109th 
 meridian. It is 1200 miles in length. It is a continuous mountain mass, 
 dividing the Kio Bravo del Norte from the great Rio Colorado. The 
 immense basins of these rivers rest against it as a backbone. 
 
 The Sierra Mimbres is a mountain chain of the first order in length, 
 massiveness, and altitude. It is entirely within the area of the Platea uf 
 the Table Lands. It abounds in volcanic phenomena and pedrigals of 
 lava. Its eastern bank is scored by canons descending to the Del Norte ; 
 its western flank, by the affluents of the Colorado. The variety and gran- 
 deur of iN geological features and metalliferous qualities surpass all other 
 mountains. It produces the precious stones. 
 
 Within the States of Chihuahua and Durango its flanks are mined for 
 silver, and contain twenty-one known deposits of that metal, which for 
 three cetituriet; have supplied the silver and silver coin to the world. But 
 the labors of the Spaniards have not penetrated beyond the Gila River. 
 It is the poraon north of this river and within our territories which is 
 most interesting. 
 
 Throughout the whole system of the Andes, it is upon the plateaux 
 and high mountain flanks that mining is profitably pursued. Such is the 
 fact in Chili, Peru, Brazil, and Mexico. It is upon the Plateau of the 
 Table Lands within our territories that the metallic resources chiefly 
 abound. 
 
 The whole system, then, of primeval mountains, occupying the western 
 half of the New World, is uniformly auriferous. It is where the mountain 
 
THE SIERRA SAX JVAS. 
 
 47 
 
 siuiiniit ftprendH out to cnibruce the jiro(lij.'iu\i» oxpnnso of the three con« 
 tiiruiius imtuiitaiii bawiiis of the Del Norte, C'dloriulo, and SaU Ijiike, that 
 till' iiitcriiiil Vdli-aiiie powers of the globe exhibit their effects upon the 
 iiKWt stupoiiilou.s scale, 
 
 Friiiii this pediment, haviiifr an altitude of 70()() feet, rise the two bisect- 
 ing: mountain chains of the plateau, the Sierra Mimbrcs and the Sierra 
 Wasatch, by which it is subdivided into these three specified elevated 
 liasins. This immense expanse of continent, presenting; a unilurm mass 
 of the elevated auriferous rocks, places the equally prand abumlance of 
 the precious metals beyond conjecture and above doubt. 
 
 Hut the Rio Colorado gathers into its one channel the larfre rivers 
 within its basin, namely, the Ilio Verde, the Rio Grande of the West, the 
 Eagle, Dolores, and San Juan Rivers. It launches its whole force against 
 the interior flank of the western Cordillera, perforates this Cordillera by a 
 ciinon, tunnelled diagonally for 557 miles through the very roots of tho 
 mountain mass, and reaches the ocean at the head of the Gulf of California. 
 
 It is this solitary fact in physical geograpliy, new to human research, and 
 of transcendent interest, that here arrests and fixes the attention of every 
 mind. The dorsal mass of the Andes, thus perforated through from base 
 to base, and athwart its course, by a river of the first magnitude, is formed, 
 to its snowy summit, of the upheaved auriferous and igneous rocks f 
 
 Nowhere else throughout tho globe has nature waged so stern a conflict, 
 nor are similar phenomena elsewhere seen. Upon the other continents, 
 great rivers are seen descending from the flanks of primeval mountains, 
 and gorging their outflanking spurs ; here only is this universal law of 
 nature defied, and the arcana of the inn.'^r world revealed, surrounded by 
 details of the austerest sublimity. 
 
 Such is one of the stupendous novelties of our own mountain forma- 
 tion, which arrests tho attention and summons the enthusiasm of science 
 and the energetic ambition of our people. Nature here abounds in a 
 vast variety of formatioP3, '^ajh upon the same miraculous scale, and all 
 sublime. 
 
 Volcanoes, whose flames and eruptions appear to have ceased but yes- 
 terday; immense plains of aelem'te, fringed with fantastic mountains, 
 called cristones (pendent cockscombs) ; mesas, surmounted by prairie 
 plains of wonderful fertility ; vast regions of forest upon the irrigated 
 mountain flanks ; crests of perennial snows ; pares of secluded and 
 romantic beauty, having a perpetual verdure, and the temperature of per- 
 petual spring; canons, incagcd by perpendicular mountain walls of roseate 
 sandstone, wrought by corrosion into every form of sculpture ; mountains 
 permeated with broad veins of gold and silver ; others having emeralds 
 
48 
 
 THE SI Ell HA S.\X J VAX. 
 
 and tho riibv ; f|uicksilvcr is known to giisli forth and deposit its globul(« 
 in t'lc r(uif:li meadows, ealled '■'• s'.cmirkas." 
 
 Tliennal streams of all varieties of sanatory waters burst, as subterra- 
 nean rivers, from Ixiicath the ovcrhanginfj: peaks and mcsfis ; niduntains 
 of porphjTV and of rock salt an numerous ; vast niouiitain ehains (tf car- 
 liniiifernus limestone, ehaniiiuir tbroufrh all variefi".. of the richest marbles ; 
 iron is I'ound in moimtain ma.sses ; copper is scarcely less abundant. 
 
 Petrifii-tions, obsidian, <-arnelians, agates, and chalcedony pave immen.9e 
 regions. Fuel of coal develops itself in beds of unrivalled extent, depth, 
 and conipactiiess ; caves sparkling with transparent frescoes of crystallized 
 selenite. 
 
 An abundant flora of the most delicate forms, colors, and fragrance ; a 
 perennial pasturage, overrunning the mountain flanks and sunnnits, on 
 whicli millions of aboriginal cattle subsi.st round the year, as tisb wilhin 
 the sea; a i'at fert.lity in the soil, at once uniform and universal; rivers, 
 streams, and fountains, absolutely inhnite in number and of miraculous 
 convenience and distribution. 
 
 Over all this nether world, so checkered with a gorgeous variety of 
 forms and jiroductions, both upon the surface and beneath, floats the aerial 
 atmosphere, shining with a perpettial .'ipicii lor unknown in regioIl^= of less 
 altitude and less remoteness from the sea. ])ry, tonic, and exhilarating 
 to the taste, infused with the direct solar warmtli, filtered through the 
 ether that surmounts the atmo.'siilierie vapors, the embalming atmosjibere 
 t'v t" :dl nature with a silvery splendor, constantly shining, and constantly 
 » ene. 
 
 The night.T have an opposite, jienetrating coolness when th" solar rays 
 are withdrawn and his direct beams are (juenched ; the canopy of resplen- 
 dent stars has a parallel sublimity with the day ; the transparency of the 
 utinosphereand its serenity are the same. 
 
 Klectrif storms, short in duration and at long intervals, periodically 
 renew the irrig.iting snows upon the niountains, refresh the air, temper its 
 dryness, and restore the rivers. 
 
 Why those busim and sierras of the Plateau should be especially metal- 
 liferous, becomes evident ])y reference to a few radical principles of geo- 
 logical research. If ((uicksilver. water, oil, and alcohol be poured into a 
 hollow pil!ar of gla.ss, these licpiids will subside, according to their specific 
 gravities, into iayei-s in the ..bove order. If gold, iron, wood, and feathers 
 be thrown in, ihey will similarly sink, the gold to the bottom, the iron to 
 the (|ui(ksilver. the wood to the water, the leathers to the oil. 
 
 If this eobinip becomes solid by congelation, the .same arrangement will 
 remain, the gold being sedimentary to all, the iron beneath the stratum 
 
THE SIEIillA SAX JUA.X. 
 
 49 
 
 t its <ilobul(« 
 
 of frozen water, the wood beneath the oil. Everybody is familiar with 
 tlie manufacture of shot ; each globule of liquid lead precipitated through 
 the air is formed, by gravity, into a sphere. 
 
 The globe of the earth, 8000 miles in diameter, is similarly formed, the 
 congealing substances arranging them-selves, as the shells of an onion, from 
 the centre outward, according to their several specific gravities. 
 
 I have often boiled rice in an open camp-kettle, when traversing the 
 mountains and my daily march was done ; the rice finally subsides in 
 mass to the bottom, but the water remains of a milky whiteness. This 
 whiteness is caused by minute, buoyant particles of rice, of altered specific 
 gravity, suspended throughout the water ; congelation into ice fixes in 
 solid form both the mass beneath and the suspended particles. 
 
 This homespun illustration makes clear the cause of the diffusion of 
 grain-gold throughout the auriferous rocks. To be found in nuigx and in 
 position, it must be sought sedimentary, beneath these rocks. All that 
 we have as yet found is granular, in scales or minute lumps, set free froir. 
 the upper rocks by disintegration or corrosion, and descending the moun- 
 tain flanks with the sands abraded by the torrents. 
 
 But we have seen that the Cordilleras and the Sierras of the Plateau 
 are formed of the auriferous rocks broken from their horizontal beds and 
 the edges vertically upheaved some two or three miles in altitude ; more- 
 over, the Cordillera of the Andes is gorged athwart its roots by the cafion 
 of the Rio Colorado. Is it not, then, possible — even probable — that 
 sufficient exploration may here reveal to the miner the precious metals 
 in mass and in jyositiori ? 
 
 The scientific writers of our country adhere with unanimity to the dog- 
 matic location somewhere of ^^ a great North American desert.' Trav- 
 el lers, under their promptings, especially search for it. It has been located 
 sei-iatim in advance of the settlements, in Kentucky, in the Northwest, 
 ill ^Fi.ssouri, upon the Plains, in California. No explorer or witness who 
 hat failed to find a desert is allowed credence or fame. 
 
 Yet there is none, either in North or South America ; nor is the exist- 
 ence of one possible. On the contrary, the least fertile portion of our con- 
 tinent is the silicions maritime slope of the Atlantic States, whose climate 
 is .' iso the most inhospitable. Yet here is no desert, and none anywhere 
 else exists. This dogmatic mirnffe has lately receded from the basin of 
 the Salt Lake ; it is about to be expelled from its last resting-place, the 
 basin of the Colorado. 
 
 The anatomy of a dwarf or an infant is identical with the anatomy of a 
 giani. The details and relative proportions are the same. Habituated to 
 a common medium standard, it is the size which is marvellous to us. 
 
 li 
 
50 
 
 rilF SIEIillA SAN JUAX. 
 
 Our senses are bewildered by tlie novelty ; our judf^inents wander — ^but 
 the object seen is a reality. 
 
 To antiquity — even to t'.e modern day of Columbus — the Atlantic 
 Ocean was a mysterious abyss, an impenetrable Tartarus. By degrees the 
 field of the eye expands, the mind dilates, fact by fact is .surmounted, as 
 an acclivity is made ea.sy by a stairway. The miraye is dissolved, the 
 higher standard is reached, grows familiar, is approved, and is firmly 
 embraced. 
 
 It is to European minds that we owe the as yet elementary sciences of 
 physical gcogra]>hy and geology. The founders of these sciences have 
 reared them by hiving the slowly-developed details of nature, collected by 
 exhausting patience within the small basins surrounding the cities of their 
 residences. 
 
 Thu within the small basins of the Thames, the Seine, the Arno ; 
 upon the flanks of the Alps, the Apennines ; in Calabria, and around 
 Fingals Cave, have heretofore been found the most popular illustrations 
 to nurse the infancy of these sciences. 
 
 More than si.xty yeare of intense meditation has inspired the cosmo- 
 politan genius of IIi'.AiiJOLDT to scan the terrestrial globe with an expanded 
 vision. He only has s])oken worthily of America to her own peojjle. In 
 him we recognize the intrepid pioneer who invites us to understand the 
 gigantic proportions of our own great country, its order, its s^ynimctry, and 
 itx grand simidicity of configuration. 
 
 As Columbus led forth navigation and commerce, from its lengthened 
 tutelage in the Mediterranean Sea, to expand itself over all the oceans and 
 to every continental and every island shore; so now, this venerable pioneer 
 of phj-sical science and the arts, marshals us on to penetrate the arcatin 
 of the land, to fit .society to the broad foundation of the continents, and 
 rear a comity ol" civilization coe([ual with the globe. 
 
 It is in Europe that CoLUMnus and IIu.mbo'.dt have had their nativity 
 and their residence. It is for America that t.i^y have lived ; to us they 
 belong ; apostolic citizens of our destiny ! 
 
 The area of the department of the Platrnti of the Tahh Land, embracing 
 the three elevated basins of the Salt Ijake, the Colorado, and the Rio Bravo 
 del Norte, is ef|uivalent to France. Austria, Switzerland, and Cisalpine 
 Italy combined ; its rivers are equal to the Danube, Rhine. Rhono, and 
 Po : its metalliferous mountains are pre-eminent in bulk, number, and 
 granileur. 
 
 In rcadiiivss to receive and ability to sustain in perpetuity a dense 
 |io])ulation. it is more favored than Kurope. Fertility of soil of the high- 
 est order is the dominant and unil'orm characteristic of this immense 
 
THE iilEUHA SAX JViN. 
 
 51 
 
 wander — ^but 
 
 region. The mouni-iins are rarely abrupt or rugged. Tliov are sur- 
 mounted by mesas, descending by giijantic terraces called tiwuMiK. The 
 densely crystalline primeval rock'* yield but slightly to atmospheric corro- 
 sion in the regnlarity of a continental climate and seclusion from the sea. 
 It is the decay of lava, selcnite, and carboniferou.xlinu stone ilmt forms the 
 soil. 
 
 The pastoral fertility is developed by nature, which sustain* its aborigi- 
 nal herds as fish in the rivers and in the sea. The arable fertility needs 
 the care of man, and awaits the economical development of artificial irri- 
 gation. For the reception of this system, the whole structure and contour 
 of the surface is fitted, and the natural waters abundant. 
 
 Reflection will recfdl to memory the magnificent empires of peopie. 
 possessing a highly-advanced, but imperfectly-organized, civilization, 
 found established along the .summit of this Plateau, con(|nered by Ct)RTEZ. 
 .•Vlvau.vdo, and 1'izarro. On the summit of the Southern Andes, in 
 Chili. Peru, and around Quito, on the Northern Andt's. in Central 
 America, and Mexico, dwelt twenty millions of popnlati,)n in the aggreg-ate. 
 
 Three centuries of subjugation have dwarfed this aboriginal people to 
 one-half of their original numbers, and radically altered their religion, 
 their lancruasje. and traditional manners. Tliev have touched the lowe.«'t 
 point of decadence, from which they will again slowly ascend. 
 
 This peojile had no fixed science in physics, religion, or politics, to prop 
 and protect their system from the shocks of time; no na'igation. no prin- 
 ciple of perpetuity. Tlu..«e have now come to them with the EiirojH'at! 
 column, bringing with it the ark of regeneration. The peciUiar agricul- 
 tural and social sy.stem of the Mexicans under the Montezunias, extended 
 up the basin of the Rio Bravo dci \ort«' to the ba.se of the Sierra San 
 Juan. Our people are marching to the same | oint fnnn an opposite diiec- 
 tion, bringing with them the social habits of the isothermal zone and a 
 maritime climate. 
 
 I have spoken of this remarkable focal culmination of f lie Eastern Cor- 
 dillera, fronnvhich two snowy promontories protrude, back to back ; Pikes 
 Peak to the northeast beetles over and subsides into the Plains; the 
 Sierra San Juan, to the south, beetles over the Plateau, and subsides into 
 the Sierra Mimbres. 
 
 Radiant mountains and streams diverge from this point in every direc- 
 tion, and form abundant pas.ses, direct and practicable, to and fro, betwet-n 
 the basin of the Missisisipjii and the Plateau. The three reniarkable purrs 
 — the Middle Pare, the Rayou Salado. and the Mayou San T.uis — all 
 approach close together the dividing crest of the Easti'rn Cordillera, over 
 whoso summit they imujedialely communicate. 
 
 i 
 
52 
 
 THE SIERRA SA\ JVAS. 
 
 I know not hew adequaU;ly to delineate this knotted group of all the 
 colossal elements of nature. To subujit the unenibellislied facts is all that 
 is necessary, were this possible, where the elements in "ompact contiguity 
 are so many, so varied, and each of such colossal granuour. To exag- 
 gerate is far from my intention ; to enumerate the detiiiis t)f nature, as I 
 have seen them, with austere simplicity, is my aim. 
 
 Heboid, then, to the right, the Mississippi Basin; to the left, the Plateau 
 of the Table Lands ; beneath, the family of Pares ; around, the radiating 
 backs of the primeval mountains ; the primary rivers, starting to the seas; 
 a uniform elevation of 8(MI() feet; a translucent atmosphere, a thousand 
 miles removed from the ocean and its influences ; a checkered landscape, 
 in which no clcnunt of sublimity is left oat , fertility and food upon the 
 surface ; metals beneath ; uninterrupted facility of transit ! 
 
 Behold the sublime panorama which crowns the middie region of our 
 Union, fans the fire of patriotism, and beckons on the energetic host of 
 our people. The American j>eople number fifty millions in strength. Two 
 millions change annually tb.eir place of residence. The oracular instinct 
 of conquest burns in every heart ; this is the continental mission of '7ti, 
 proclaimed from the traditions of Jamestown and of Plymouth Rock, and 
 thence becjueathed to posterity ! 
 
 The column of pioneers (engaged during several years in planting the 
 St^ite of the Kansjis basin) has pas.sed over the rim of the Calcareous I'lain, 
 and debouched upon the base of the primeval mountains. Gold has been 
 found at the fii-st trial and upon the threshold at Cherry Creek, upon the 
 eastern flank of Pike's Peak, and elsewhere. A few seasons have sufticed for 
 them to ascend, by the Arkansas and the Bayou Solodo, to the mother 
 crest of the Cordillera, whence the basins and sierras of the Plateau 
 expand beyond : 
 
 " The I'loHils nl'Pve us to the whifo Alps fond, 
 
 And wo must j ieroo them, and survey whate'er 
 Mny be permitto i . ns our steps we bend 
 
 Ti) that most great nud growing region, where 
 
 Tho earth to her embrace compels the powers of air." 
 
 Let us here pause to reflect whether the traditional history of our race 
 does not, on its very front, ilhistrate what ])roniinence awaits this Imiffi- 
 tv(h'u<i( Pfafrnn of our continent, descending thus by terraces into the 
 Mississip])i Basin on the east, to the I'acific Ocean on the west ! 
 
 The exi.stence of the em])ire8 of Montezuma and the Incas exhibits 
 upon these Table Lands the only examples where our aboriginal people 
 rose above tin absolute btirbarism el.'cwhere, upon the lowlands, as universal 
 and as level as the waters of the seu. 
 
THE SIEIiRA SAX JUAX. 
 
 53 
 
 mp of all the 
 acts is all that 
 act continuity 
 IT. To cxaji- 
 )f uaturu, as 1 
 
 ■ft, the Plateau 
 , the radiating 
 iig tt) the seas; 
 sre, a thousand 
 jred landscape, 
 food upon the 
 
 I region of our 
 crgetic host of 
 strength. Two 
 racular instinct 
 mission of 'TU, 
 iiuth Rock, and 
 
 in planting the 
 dcareous IMain, 
 
 Gold has been 
 
 >eck, upon the 
 
 ave sufficed for 
 
 to the mother 
 i)f the Plateau 
 
 oiy of our race 
 aits this longi- 
 rraees into the 
 
 AVOSt ! 
 
 Incas exhibits 
 joriginal people 
 ids, as universal 
 
 All around the head of the Mediterranean Sea, where it penetrates the 
 Asiatic continent, its basin is encircled by a j)latca\i. or amphitheatre of 
 elevated plains extending round from Suez, ((tntiiiuously through Syria, 
 Asia Minor, and into Greece. This descends by terraces to the sea-sl<ore. 
 Upon this I'lateau have been, among others, the cities of Babylon, J*al- . 
 niyra, and Dama.scus ; upon the sloi)es to the sea, Alexandria, Tyre, Jeru- 
 .silem. Tarsus, Byzantium, and Athens! 
 
 What cardinal element have we, in the immense ment^il systvui of our 
 civilization, which has not come to us and with us from thence? Hence 
 (^from this I'luteau of Syria) have resounded through all time and into 
 every heart, the direct oral teachings of Jehovah and of Jesus ; hence 
 have issued forth the miraculous alphabet and the numerals : hence have 
 come the cereals and animals of our ayjriculture, wine, and fruits : hence 
 our religion, law, social manners, history, music, i)oetry, anil arts: from 
 hence, as from tiie cradle of nativity, iiavo issued forth for our inheritance, 
 to abide with us forever, " the unconquerable mind and freedom's holy 
 flame !' 
 
 Everybody is acquainted with the Gulf Stream of the Atlantic Ocean. 
 This colossal strciun, recoiling round the circular sea of the troj)ics, and 
 receiving the oozy sediment of the Amazon, the Orinoco, the Magdaleua, 
 and the Mississijipi, launches out into the middle ocean. Its silent current 
 roils the tepid waters and sandy delin'.s of two continents a thousjind 
 leagues ahuig the bottom of am ocean : it banks them up upon the margin 
 of the Northern Sea, to form the submerged continent of Newfouudlaud, 
 and the tvbyraphtc pluteau. 
 
 Similarly has flowed, for fifty centuries, a'iong the isothermal axis, the 
 human current, wliich bears with it the immortsvl tire of civilization 
 r-vealed to man. This central current has reached the Plateau of America, 
 vp which it will ascend to plant the sacred fives over its expanse and 
 shine upon the world with renewed elfulgence. Such is the res])lendent 
 era and the gorgeous jiromi.se unveiled to huntanity. The arrival of this 
 is nmr announced by the indefinite gold i)r('Juction and jiastoral power of 
 the interior, domestic region of our continent and country. 
 
 M 
 
 i 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE SOUTH PASS OP AMERICA. 
 
 From the previous chapters, it will })e perceived that one who travels 
 from Paris to Pekin, by the direct route of New York, Kansas City, and 
 San Francisco, traverses these physical divisions : 1st. The Atlantic Ocean. 
 2d. The Atlantic 3Iaritime Slope. M. The AUc^rhany Mountains. 4th. 
 The Basin of the Mississippi, 'jth. The Cordillera of the Sierra Madre. 
 r>th. The Plateau of the Tahle Lands. 7th. The Cordillera of the Snowy 
 Andes. 8th. The Pacific Maritime Slope, ilth. The Pacific Ocean. 
 
 This route brinjrs into immediate juxtajxtsition, ii/i>ii</ t/w fuDf/imiKil 
 nxi.s. the great permanent reservoirs of human poiiulatiou and activity — 
 Wegleni Kurojte, America, and Oriental Asia, 
 
 If it be practicable to accommodate all tlie international transjtortation 
 of the three continents by tliis route, a prodigious conden.sation of economy 
 in the interchanges of the products and jieople oi' the world Avill be accom- 
 plished at a blow. 
 
 The distance of transit will be reduced from the circumference of the 
 glol)e to the length of its diameter — the time to oiie-teufh. Steam by sea and 
 land will form an uninterrujited trip by two ocean ferries, connected by a 
 transit niilway. Thus will be solved the geographical problem which has 
 agitated the world Itefore and since CoLfMHlTS. 
 
 Practical experiment has long since exhausted all discussion as to the 
 pa,«sage of the two oceans by .steamers, and of the American continent by 
 railway, so far as tlie Atlantic Maritime Slope, the Alleghany, tlie Basin 
 of the Mi.s.si.'^sippi, uj) to the wall of the Cordillera of the Sieira .Aladrc, 
 and the Pacific Maritime Slo])e, are concerned. Serious arguments of any 
 difficulties within the.se divisions of the whole distance have been long 
 .settled and have ceased. 
 
 All that remained i-nigmatical to the public mind, and unresdlved, when 
 the.xe notes were lir.>*t ])enned, was the interval occupied by the C )rdillera 
 of the Sierra Madre, the Plateau of the Table Lands, and the Cordillera 
 of tlu' Sierra Nevada, which conjointly form the •' tuinmtnin fonnathtn oj 
 North America," extending continuously from Tchuantepec to the Arctic 
 Sea. 
 
 54 
 
 How this cc 
 breadth, is to i 
 lislinieiit of the 
 them. It is b 
 people and the 
 that of exit oi 
 now and in all 
 
 There exists 
 sixsijipi, a perf( 
 prestige, and hi 
 furnish a lumii 
 •iVmerican peop 
 
 The area in 
 of the surface i 
 Pontic, Propon 
 Danube, the Ni 
 imperfect navi<j 
 sulas of Asia 3 
 full with moiin 
 
 The sea surf) 
 short and detici 
 where harbors 
 rugged and isol 
 
 Yet, from th 
 to the Pillars w 
 has existed a t 
 and commercia 
 
 The vestal 
 has sore^ul out 
 tem of the Bon 
 It has overrun 
 who are the di 
 
 The " /iasin 
 The ctuinterpar 
 everywhere cli; 
 is cverywlu're ; 
 shore is in lei 
 arable, of inexl 
 no mountain, n 
 uniform ]irodu( 
 the universal n 
 
THE SOUTH PASS OF AMERICA. 
 
 55 
 
 t one who travels 
 Kansas City, and 
 10 Atlantic Ocean. 
 Mountains. 4th. 
 the Siena Madre. 
 lera of the Snowy 
 'aeific Ocean. 
 Kj tfiv isothermal 
 on and activity — 
 
 nal transportation 
 sation of economy 
 irld will be accoiu- 
 
 ctnnference of the 
 
 Steam by sea and 
 
 es. connected by a 
 
 •robleni which has 
 
 iscnssion as to the 
 vican continent liy 
 ejfhany, the Basin 
 the Sierra Ma<lre, 
 I arfjunients of any 
 CO have been long 
 
 1 unresolved, when 
 1 by the (' .rdillera 
 and the Cordiileni 
 iitiiinformati'itii oj 
 U'pec to the Arctic 
 
 How this complicated barrier of immense mountai.is, 1000 miles in 
 breadth, is to bcf surmounted, has obtained its illustration by the estab- 
 lislinieiit of the Mormons in Utah, and the military expedition sent against 
 them. It is by tlie iiouth Pans, which ia the gateway of the American 
 people and their commerce to Asia, as has been the Strait of Gibraltar 
 tliat i)f exit out into the Atlantic, to the nations of the Mediterranean, 
 now and in all ages past. 
 
 There exists between the Basins of the Mediterranetin and of the Mis- 
 sixiiijipi, a perfect identity in position, physical characteristics, historical 
 j)restige, and social concord. A comparison of the one with the other will 
 furnish a luminous illustration, to explain the present generation of the 
 .American j)eopIe to itself, and to guide all future generations. 
 
 The area in s(|uare miles of tliese two basins is the same. Four-fifths 
 of the surface of thu /on)irr is occupied by the salt-water expaii.se of the 
 Pontic, Propontic, Adriatic, and Mediterranean Seas, into which flow the 
 Danube, tlie Nile, the Po, and the Rhone, rivers having narrow valleys and 
 imperfect navigation. Protruding out between these seas are the penin- 
 sulas of Asia Minor, (jlreece, Italy, Spain, and the Afri(^in coast, all filled 
 full with mountain vertebne, rugged and ])oorly adapted to agriculture. 
 
 The seu surface is stormy and dangerous to navigation : the rivers are 
 short and deficient in channel : the shores arc imjiraeticable to land except 
 where harbors are constructed ; and the inhabitable lands arninged in 
 rugged and isolated masses. 
 
 Yet, from the first jtioneer voyage of Hercules down the Mediterranean, 
 to the Pillars wliicli still immortalize his energies, to the present age, there 
 has existed a certain imperfect compact in the political, social, religious, 
 and commercial relations oi' the people of the Mediterranean. 
 
 The vestal fire of civilization has never been entirely (|uenched. It 
 has s'ii(>ad out to illuminate the whole area, both under the political sys- 
 tem of the lloinaii J'jnpire and the religious system of tlie l{<>i»ii!! Church. 
 It has overrun the brim, and is inherited by the mod-jin European nations 
 who are the dispeisi'd progeny of Home. 
 
 The " Basin of tlu; Mississippi" fills more perfectly the temperate zone. 
 The counterpart of the salt water surface is a delicious, undulating plane, 
 everywhere channelled by rivers navigaliU; to their very sources: navi!',:<tion 
 is every wliere as safe and constant as iij)on a canal ; the line of accessible 
 shore is in length absolutely infinite; the soil is uniformly cali^nreous. 
 arable, of inexhaastible fertility, and suflliciently irrigated from the clouds; 
 no mountain, no sheet of water, no swamp is anywhere found to bre.tk tlie 
 uniform productiveness of this ininiiin.se expanse; no rapids to interrupt 
 the univei"sal navigation of the rivers. 
 
 I 
 
56 
 
 THE S'jf'TH /\! «• 6 ^ AMERICA. 
 
 Europe is bisfctedhy h Ij.i^u! fi;;iri!:;iiii ciuiii traversing it continuously, 
 ecut and wtM, from (Jiln.iltar ( - ,^i)K!rit!, imderthe names of the Pyrenees, 
 Al|ii-, ('iirpatliiau!*, and called Ity the !'<■ 'riH "-^ dliditia aqiKinnit" (the 
 divide of waters). What, therefore, u outt<iJe of the Basin of the Medi- 
 terranean is, for the most jiart, in the iidionpitable " Basin of the Baltic," 
 its climate and general features not unlike Labrador. 
 
 All alon;.' thii iiort/t(i)i front i)( tha '' Mississij)j)i Basin," expand beyond 
 an impen(|itible barrier, the • Basins of the St. Lawrence and Sas- 
 katchewan," similarly calcareous, similarly alioundinj; in navijjation, and 
 only moderately inferior to it in fertility, in geniality of climate, and in 
 area. 
 
 The surface, then, of the Knropeati Basin is salt-water and mountains. 
 That of the Aincrivmi Basin a plain of calcareous, arable soil. The former 
 has 8 maritime climate, the latter a continental climate, superior in dryness 
 and ssilubrity. The former has a restricted and dangerous, the latter an 
 abundant and safe, navigation. In land-transportation the eontrast is still 
 more strikingly diverse and favorable to the American Baain. 
 
 The Basin of the iMediterranean, under the rule oi'the Roman Emperor 
 Tka.ian. attained a po]>ulation of one hvndrea <nui thirty-'me miUions. 
 This was then chiefly ccngregated in the eastern half; it is now in the 
 western half, in which direction t\\c prest^ure always preponderates. 
 
 xVt present the Basin of the Mississippi contains fir/htecn millions of 
 inhabitants. Itwi;. conveniently su.stain cii/lttcen /(«/m//'«^ millions. This 
 ?',■« now an imminsc empire. Comparisons drawn I'rom hi.story or existing 
 empires, are very feeble illustrations of what is to grow uj) on this already 
 radicated foundation. 
 
 All the features of nature, all the principles of progress, social and 
 political, are here original. This undulating plain, uniformly and nni- 
 versally calcareous; this circular configuration, running flush out to the 
 repelling lines of the Arctic and Torrid Zones; this miraculously-bal- 
 anced variety of temperature, climate, prairie, forest, land, rivers, rain, 
 and sun.«hine. minerals and contiguous expanses — now nvdile and now 
 pastond — all these constitute an original order of physical facts, simple 
 and symmetrical, but sublime. 
 
 The rising of consecutive States out of the wilderness, erected by spon- 
 taneous industry ; the unabating deluge of men daily pouring forth and 
 daily jmshed onward by the hand of God; the rushing march of empire; 
 the profound internal order and systematic economy which [Krvad<'s and 
 guides this mass, more numerous than many armies ; the instinct of dis- 
 (ipline and .<elf-govcrnment everv where felt and always obeyed ; no cen- 
 tral military or religious jiower aiiywhcn; seen — all these array themselves 
 
 
 to announce tli 
 int<'ns( ly poten 
 
 JS'i'mory will 
 has bei'U the c( 
 wlioK' African 
 has been so ui 
 its jierniaM' nee 
 
 Contrast tlu 
 Europe from ( 
 Iludsons Bay, 
 ing natio':alitie 
 liarniiiny. no u 
 the latter is a < 
 in civic concoi 
 having one (jlo 
 
 Such are tlu 
 the other. Tli 
 In the niytholo 
 of that struggl( 
 ing its element 
 terrujited act.s. 
 
 In this dran 
 Alexandria, B^ 
 among a thous 
 Actium, licpai 
 
 From histor 
 ye^ii-s, is appar 
 in the niajorit; 
 the minority, 
 martyrdom. 
 
 It has been 
 first colonial o 
 administration 
 the whole sclu 
 its arrogimce, 
 hypocrisy and 
 tice. which sli 
 divine code of 
 of the stable 
 
 This missio 
 characteristics 
 
T/IE SOVTir PASS OF AMRHICA. 
 
 m 
 
 to aniiouiu'c the presence of principles and power intensely wr»y/;io/ and 
 inti-nsi ly potential in social ami jiolitical inHnences. 
 
 I^iL'niory will su<rj;est how slow and narrow, until (|uite modern times, 
 has been the coiumn of or<;auized civilization on the old continent. The 
 whole Aliican coast of the Mediterranean is s«tcially seuii-barliarous, and 
 has been so uniformly since the delu<.'e. Ujion and beyond the Daindie 
 its jiernian' iice is tjuite recent and its lij^ht still crepuscular. 
 
 Contrast the elements of society and their history, tillinj: the face of 
 Europe from Gibraltar to Norway, with that of Amei! 'a from Cuba to 
 Ilud.^ons Bay, both fronting t(» the west ! In the former ajipear distract- 
 int: natio -.alities, dome.stic fonie and fraud, no systematic union, no moral 
 Iiarmony. no uniformity of races, no intelligt'ut concord in religions. In 
 the latter is a compact front, where all the?e elements rnvermd are Ijlended 
 in civic concord, fired by a common hope, inspired by one destiny, and 
 having one (iod, one httart, one aim, and one supreme ambition. 
 
 Such are the characteristics ol' the two basins, contrasted the one with 
 the otlier. They both slope to the Atlantic Ocean, and are face to face. 
 In the mythological liistory of Hercules we reed the first intelligent record 
 of that struggle for dominance over the Mediterranean, and a xi/xtem hold- 
 ing its elements in harmony, which has been ever since a drama of unin- 
 terrupted acts. 
 
 In this drama appear tlie tragic sieges of Troy, Tyre, Atliens, Carthage, 
 Alex.indria, Byzantium, Rome, Hhodes. (Jibraltar, Malta, and Sebastop*»l ; 
 among a thousand combats by .sea and land the naval victories of Salamis, 
 Acttum, Lepanto, Aboukir, and Trafalgar. 
 
 From history, which is the narrative of this struggle of four thousand 
 ye4ii"s, is apparent tlie perpetual incubation of military brute force always 
 in the majority ; civic virtue and nmnicipal independence as uniformly in 
 the minority, checkered by heroic resi .aucc and jjcrpet ;all_j -recurring 
 martyrdom. 
 
 It lias been the design of the American continental republic, from its 
 first colonial origin, to rever«<! this doom ; to elevate civic concord to the 
 administration of political power ; to su.stain it there ; to dispense with 
 the whole scheme of military despotism without respect to its antiquity, 
 its arrogiince, or the heretofore universal success of its subtle union of 
 hypocrisy and force ; to inaugurate for mankind a code of j)olitical pnic- 
 tice. which shall l«ring the science of government into accord with the 
 divine code of morals and religion, cradhid 1S7I^ years ago in the manger 
 of the stable r)f Bethlehem ! 
 
 This mission of cine empire has for its oraetUar principle the physical 
 characteristics and configuration of our continent, wherein the liimn of 
 
 I 
 
 t 
 
 . i 
 
58 
 
 THE SOUTH PASS OF AMEHICA. 
 
 
 f 
 
 tJie MtMninsipjii |(it'(li)iijiuatoH tm supreiucly ius tlio huh iiiminj: the 
 plaiu'ts.* 
 
 'I'lif Ua.^iii fil" till' .Mcdit.tTiiiieiiii is, tht'ii, a surface of Imnrii sen, witli 
 iiiouiitaiii nia.sM's, iiiij'iTlV'ctly HiU'tl for pojtulutiiui, jinitrudiiijf almvo it ; 
 that of lln' Mis-sissijipi is a tah-arcous ]>hiiii t)f hiiul, every wliero iiiterhuetl 
 and raiiiitied with iiaviu'ahle arteries, lioiu i.re traversed centrally by the 
 r.i)(/t'(ic (if ( injiircM within which the current of civilizatiun has fluwcd in 
 all a;;c!< /'/■"/;( t(i:<l tit irist. 
 
 This current, descenJing the Mediterranean, and drawn in hy the con- 
 verjiin;.' continents of Kurope and Africa, pours forth its whole concentrated 
 Volume thnMiLih the su]irenie ]iass known now and in all a<res as the 
 " J'i/dtrs of III rni/cs." 
 
 What is acconiiilished hy this eonverj^encc of the conti.'ients of the Old 
 World, in reducinji all the outlets of navigation, and con>ei|uently of all 
 coumn ice, to the !<ingle Pass of Hercules, is aceouijilished lor our conti- 
 nent by the " Mountain Formation." This is the .South l*a.-<s of North 
 America, the exact etjuivaleut giiifflc pass, in uur continent of /(//((/-l(i(sins, 
 to the iffi/f/-pa.s» of (.libraltjir among the water-basins of the Eastern 
 hemisphere. The latitude is iu'^ 2V. the longitude 10!)^ I'O'. This is 
 the .same latitude as Jki.ston, Bayonnj, and 3Iarseilles, in France, and of 
 Trieste and Constantinople. 
 
 To delineate the features of the tSoulh Push, so that the topograjdiy of 
 tli(^ plain, the prodigious sierra.s whicli surround it, the jivers radiating 
 out of it, and the gorges by which they coninieiice ibeiv gentle declina- 
 tions to the seas, may all be grouped in oiw <jliinci',iis a jiortrait in daguer- 
 rcotyjic, is not easy to be done. 
 
 The pl.-iin is elevated 7501) feet above the sea ; it is beyond or mst of 
 the ("urdillera; its .suriace of clay is so ab.solutely smooth as to admit 
 of iinintcirui)ted vision, as over water ; it is in .shape a triangle, having 
 very acute angles at the northern and southern jioints, and one very obtuse 
 at the .source of Sweetwater, which is the eastern point. 
 
 The western side, li(M( miles in length, corresponds with the bed of the 
 Kio Verde (Green River), running directly from north to south, to which 
 the whole plain slants. Immediately along its western bank rises the 
 Sin-ni ]\'(iscitvli, forming a continuous mountain barrier towards the west; 
 opjMisile the centr<' of this hypothenuse is the gorge of Sweetwater, envel- 
 oping the eastern jxiint of the triangle ; the remaining sides extend lience, 
 the one to the northwest, the <(tlier to the southwest. 
 
 • Tlio North .Aiiicricnn rontinciit ic in rorm a fuhliinc niii]ihitb)'iitro, buiiig voncava 
 in oonfigunitioii. All the other uoiiliui'Uts iiro vunnj:. 
 
THK SOUTH PASS OF A ME It IV A. 
 
 M 
 
 in iiinoii'' 
 
 I lias tluwi'il ill 
 
 litre, l)ciiij; coiicufa 
 
 Alon^ the foniit!!', in longtli \y)*d miles, risos tlio .stnponJous luass of 
 the CiiiililliTii, known lion; iontl/i/ us tho " Wiml Uivi-r Mi)nntain." Almig 
 the lattiT u tiiiuilur mash (if tin; Cuidillera, but of inl't'iiur uititnilc, known 
 IdciiUjj aa the; '• Table Mountain." 
 
 The area of the Plain of the South Pu«s is about e(|uivaleiit to that of 
 New Jei^sey. Its surface is of clay, resembling kaolino. of whieh jioree- 
 lain is made, ami has the absolute smoothness of that material tiltered 
 through water and eomjiacted by pressure. 
 
 From the three angles of its rim issue the Sweetwater, flowing iii^t into 
 the I'latte and to the Atlantie; the Snake Kiver, flnwing nortliiciitt to 
 Walla-Walla, and thence with the Columbia to the North I'acitic ; and 
 the Ilio ^'erde, south into the Bay of California ; by whose westera 
 ufllucut also. Black Fork, exists the eii^iest ogress into the Basin of the 
 (jrreat Salt Lake. 
 
 JMost probably no spot on the globe has groujicd into one view so mach 
 of intense grandeur in the variety and number of its physical wonders. 
 From a single ice-crowned summit of the Wine/ River Mtiuntain are seen 
 the gorges of the Missouri, Yellowstone, Platte, Colorado, and Snake 
 Kivers, all radiating from its base, and each the equal of the Danube in 
 length and the volume of its waters. 
 
 Five primary chains of snowy mountains here culminate together to 
 this central ujiex, from which they radiate out between the rivers ; the 
 dorsal mass of the Cordillera reaching towards the north to the Arctic Sea, 
 and towards the .south to the Antarctic ; the Sierra Wa.satch, the Snake 
 River chain, the Salmon River Mountains, all crested with snow, and each 
 having an unbroken length of 1()(K) miles. 
 
 The South Pass is 1400 miles from Astoria. It is the same distance 
 i'rom St. Louis. It is, then, in the middle region of the continent. It is 
 the o/i/y ,s("«yfc p«.s.s through the '' Mountain Formation" from hence as far 
 as the Isthmus of Tehuantejiee. From this comes the name South Fans, 
 as being the most southern jkiss to which you may a.scend by an aflluent 
 of the Atlantic, and step immediately on to a stream descending uninter- 
 ruptedly out to the Pacific. 
 
 This name is as ancient as the Pass itself Into it concentrate the great 
 trails of tlu; bufl'alo — geographei-s and road-makers Ixtfori' the coming of 
 man. The Indian, the Mexican, and the American, successoi-s to one 
 another, have not deflocted from th*" instincts of the buffalo, nor will they, 
 whilst the primeval mountains last in their present unshattered bulk. 
 
 This is the continental highway of the ]ieo])le, through whieh millions 
 have already poured to and fro with their children, their frei; principles, 
 their cattle — assembled in caravans, on foot, and mounted — with wagons, 
 
60 
 
 THE SOUTH PASS OF AMEKICA. 
 
 Imiid-curtB, kiiupsuelct, iiixl lirinfiiiijj with tlu-in tlifir huuHt'lmlil god«, iind 
 the tuhiTiiucIc of civil mid ri;lij{i(ius iilu-rty. 
 
 Tlio South Puns is par fjxellince th»! continnital puM. The outlet tit 
 the ea.stttrii aii^'le is known as the fjorge of the Sweetwater lliver, whieh 
 dcHcends til tile IMatte; tliat ut the nortliern angle as the gorge of (Iros- 
 vcntro Uiver, which descends to the Snake River. These are both short 
 and slender mountain streams, ucerim|)lishing their descent in lieds uf the 
 extremest sinuosity, hut without abrupt waterfalls. They l>otli flow fnuii 
 chasms in the flanks of the iniineii.se mass of the Wind Uiver Mountain, 
 which here forma au urc fronting to the west, und issue out upon the 
 plain. 
 
 But the plain ia traversed by a gentle d!clil<\ [lanillel with the iiioiintain 
 base, und no more distinguishable than the bevel given by eiigineeis to 
 any ordinary street. Against this these two streams are deflected into 
 opposite courses, the former to burrow its way around the urc of tiie moun- 
 tain to the southeast, the other towards the no it Invest. 
 
 To one who observes this from the plain, there is presented a similar 
 miraculous configuration of the land, such us displays itself to oik^ who, 
 naviguting the Propontic Seu, beholds the Dardanelles upon his right 
 hand and the Bosphorus on his left. Moreover, the sky is vithout clouds 
 and rainless, the atmosphere intensely brilliunt, temperate, .I'.id screiu-, 
 encompussed round by scenery of the austerest sublimity. 
 
 But we have seen that the elevation of the South I'ass is 75(10 feet, 
 and that Snake River runs continuously out of it by the most direct and 
 favorable course, of 1400 miles, to the Pacific Sea, tuiinelliiig consecu- 
 tively the Blue or Salmon lliver range of mountains, the western Cordil- 
 lera, and all other transverse ranges and obstructions. 
 
 Here is, then, an uninterrupted water declination through and across the 
 whole ^'^ mountain formatiou" descending by a plane dijiping Jicv J\tA to 
 the mile ! 
 
 From the adjacent eastern rim of the Plain uf tlic Sonth I'ajss runs out 
 Sweetwater into the Platte, ȴhich, tunnelling consecutively all the out- 
 lying ranges of the eastern Cordillera, forms a similar uninterrupted water 
 declination, in a very straight line of 1400 miles to St. Louis, descending 
 by thti simie average dip i>i five feet per mile. 
 
 Everybody is familiar with the existing railways, which, radiating from 
 St. Jjouis and pursuing continuously the plains of the Ohio and St. Law- 
 rence, outflank the Alleghanies between Syracuse and Home, and descend 
 by the Ilud.son lliver to New York. 
 
 The .Mieiiees which delineate ami explain to the human understanding 
 the details of matter, i»s it fits itself in myriads of millions of variegated 
 
 forms to fill oil 
 intt^resting to t 
 physical geogra 
 
 This line of 
 our I^iiion fron 
 :tt;oil miles in I 
 ri'os.sing one ri 
 It ]ire>eiits to II 
 nieiicing at the 
 and debouehiii) 
 
 From the Si 
 out. Tllcy, to; 
 tudinal, ]iariilli 
 a])proa(-li the .hi 
 Hanks, which n 
 barriers. 
 
 Nowhere, wi 
 dividing barrie; 
 pa.ss. Nowlier 
 crest, and a cor 
 east and to the 
 
 The South I 
 some l.'iOO )n 
 atmosphere is 
 Hence an Intm 
 tonic and .saliil 
 
 Along the n 
 time climate a 
 .scale as the sin 
 so nearly ap]iri 
 ]ilenitude. 
 
 Human socii 
 periods of barl 
 feet. Manner! 
 opposite, as tli- 
 this harmony 
 buleiit force di 
 is lo.st ; as we 
 empire ri.se. 
 
 Nature here 
 of configuratio 
 
THE sorrn r.iss or amkiiha. 
 
 « 
 
 forms til till ant tln! Niipromi' onlt-r nf tlio univereo, develop nothing so 
 iiit(;rc.stiii^ to tlitt lit'iirt of civilixcii niaii un tlii.s xiii^lf Hul)liiiie t'uet of 
 pliysital ;;('<i;iiiipliv in tlic sujiri'iii'' rii^iiu'trinj: i>f tliu Creator. 
 
 Tliif* iiiif of gentiy-iinduiuliiig river-gradet* fiirdles tin- iiiiddif zone of 
 our Union from sen to sea, in one sniooth, continuous and unliri>ken cord, 
 ■'{(idd miles in iengtii. It fits t/i> Imtthtrnuil f/.r/jt of the temperate climates, 
 crossing one river only at St. liouis, and outflanking all tin- nmuntains. 
 It |irc.-cnts to us the counterpart of that water-line of the Old World, com- 
 mencing at the extremity of the Kuxiiie, passing down the Mediterraiieau, 
 and dehonching out into the ocean. 
 
 From the South l'a.ss to Mexico the primary mountain ehaiim spread 
 out. They, together with the great rivers wliich divide them, are longi- 
 tudinal, parallel, and uiiperforated. The rivers grow deeper as they 
 ap|iroach the .sea. increasing the altitudi and ahruptness of the niounlain 
 flanks, which overlaji one another, and incrcjise and c(»niplicatc the mural 
 harriers. 
 
 Nowhere, within this interval, uro the mountains reduced to a single 
 dividing harrier, nor are there jiresented anywhere the essentials of a single 
 pa,ss. Nowhere is to he found a sufficient depression in the mountain 
 crest, and a continuous gradation from the summit-crest, prolonged to the 
 east and to the west, down both (h'clinations to the seas. 
 
 The South Pass is elevattid 7')'MI fet^t above the seas, from whieh it ia 
 some 1 '>(•(» miles remote. It has, then, a rontiiundil clliiuitf, whose 
 atnio-sphere is tempered by tin? altitude and by tin; absence of moisture. 
 Ileiiee an interne screuiti/ is the |*rominent feature, jierpetual sunshine, u 
 tonic and .salubrious air, a vernal ». iiiperature. 
 
 Along the roiitiiinittil //«rthe chHi,_'es from the continental to the mari- 
 time climate and tire rvriid, gradual themselves with the Siime delicate 
 scale as the surface slopes. Untfonnity u/ climate, from seu to 8e4J, is then 
 so nearly apjiroaehed, that it actually exists ull along this line in absidute 
 plenitude. 
 
 Human society, in the current course of ages, vibrates to and fro through 
 periods of barbarism. God and Nature endure con.stantly eternal and per- 
 fect. Manners, religions, policies, change and becom<! barlarous or the 
 opposite, as tluiy harmonize with fiod and Nature. Sciein-e devcK.ps how 
 this harmony may be known and practised. As we recede iVom it. tur- 
 bulent force dominates, lunnbers are dwarfed, civilization withei"s. liberty 
 is lost ; as we approach it, civilization expands, charity snnles, order and 
 empire ri.se. 
 
 Nature here for us. upon our Omiinrtit. amidst a stupendous vastness 
 of configuration, preserves an austere simplicity, which guides the instinct- 
 
 
 I 
 
(\': 
 
 THE sorrii PASS of AMKltirA. 
 
 'wo glinicf (if ('injtiit' witli uncrriiiff certainty. Hen! is tlmt continental 
 lin", tlu' (liMCovcry nC wliidi mankind lian awaited with tlie keenest 
 curiosity. 
 
 In tlie n|ieness of time the liope of humanity is realized ; it is liy this 
 that our jieople are idtout to construct tlie (oiiti'iinitdf liiiihniij. Jiike the 
 re*':"lMent L'irdle with which anti((uity hound, in one chorus, the sister- 
 hood of the Ura<;;-;, we will hehold united, hy one zone, the three sister 
 Continents, Eurojie, Anicrica, and Asia. 
 
 Hero, tl'.roufrh the heart of our u^rritory, our jiopulation, our Stat««, our 
 citie>, our farms and habitations, will traverse the hroad current of com- 
 merce, where [la.ssenjrers and carjioes may at any tinu- or jilace emhark 
 ujion or leave the vehicles of transiiortation. 
 
 Down with the parricidal trea.son which will hani.sh it fnun the /<»;«/, 
 from amontr they"V(y//»', to forc'c it into the /«»/•;•<•« ovcun. outside of society, 
 thiouirh i'orei^n nations, into the torrid heats, along solitary « in nitons 
 routes, im|irisoned for months in great sliij)s ! 
 
 This i'mttnuntitl liaihrni/ is an es.sential domestic institution, more 
 powerful and more jterniaiient than law. or popular consent or jiolitieal 
 cnnstituiions. to thorouirhly comj)lete the great system of fluvial arteries 
 wiiich I'raternize us into on(> people ; to hind the tim sra-lxmrdH to this one 
 continental I'nion, like ears to the human head; to radicate the founda- 
 tions of the I'nion so liroa<l and deep, and estahlish its struetrire so solid, 
 that 111 jiossihle force or stratagem can shake its |iermaneiice ; to secure 
 such si'ope and sjtace to progress, that erpiidily and jnosperity shall never 
 be imjiaired or chafe for want of room. 
 
 The ]iions veneration sjiontaneoiisly awarded by the human heart to 
 men. whose lives exhibit exalted devotion and exalted success, iiispii-jng 
 and jierpetnating in society the '' priiiriji/r of virtur (ihmyn in t.rnn'xr," 
 has placed Hercules, the pioneer ol" the system of the ModiterraiK-aii, in 
 the number of the immortal gods of anticpiity : a ((mstcllation in the 
 ethereal caiio] dinrnally rciiev/s his mr>mory, his name, and his actions. 
 
 Modern linn s. accepting the tradition, behold it stamped upon the coin 
 of .S|)ain and the Indies, to obtuin a circulation as universal and i'amiliar 
 as the human ra<'0. 
 
 The American people pursue the planting of empire, advancing with 
 intense celerity ; moving to the front according to a system understood and 
 self-disciplined ; marching with the eudenco of an army of innumerable 
 legions, uniting in one homogeneous order, with the same energies, a 
 single aim. and rrshing to eonsuinmate a cnmmon ilestiny. .^'hining in 
 the front of this marching hast, the pioneei and excni]il;ir. •'///-.</ in nnr. 
 JirsI in judcr, anil Jirxl in ifiiliinifn uf his i<iHntrijimn." a|ip<'ai°s the t'orm 
 
THE suvru pass of ameiiiva. 
 
 63 
 
 of WasiiinOTOn, whose (inicular wisdimi and intrejiid (;onsfancy inspired 
 tlie noniial ciiuiuils \vlu'»-o its iiioultl was cast, its strategy lixod, and its 
 uiialtcnililc niissiiin first iiiau^uratod. Let tliis name, tlun, find a nxmu- 
 nietil around whose base the condensed column of jirogress shall tile to 
 and ' ' t'uring all future ages ! 
 
 N\ here the summit-crest of our continent is found ; the focal source of 
 its rivers and its sierras ; where the cloud-conijiellin'i Cordillera culmi- 
 nates over the "Gateway of emjiires ;" let these commemorate this iudhc 
 iiniiHirtally, while the <j;rass shall grow ami the waters run. as lirm and 
 enduring as the loftiest mountain. Let the chililren of the world be 
 taught to say : Bihold the Pass and the Pillars of WASUIN'dTON ! 
 
 The history of the human race arranges and gauges itself by genera- 
 tions. Tliirfy-t/irii years are estimated to be tin; pi.-riod of ccuitrol exer- 
 cised iiv t'aeh generation over the long lil'e of a nation. As each sueceids 
 its preileces.ior, ihe wcnk of i)rogre8s is reinvigorated, and fresh jiower and 
 new coiKjUe.Ht.s accumulate. The present is the fi(jhlif-»l.rtli year of the 
 Federal Constitution, and inaugurates the thinl generation of our united 
 |)eo|ile. 
 
 '\'\w Ju->il gave to us this sacred Union and foundeil our continental 
 Ke|iul)lie. The xnoml has filled u]i the Atlantic half of the continent 
 vith States, secured the maritime connections with that ocean and with 
 Kuro|ie, and has bla/.ed for ns the way atio.ss tlie continent to the I'acitic 
 an 1 to Asia. We, the /Am/ generation, receive I'rom them the jiious task 
 to plant State's onward to that ocean ; to complete the zodiac of fraternal 
 nations round the globe, and to set deep and firm to their outward dimen- 
 sions the foundations they have laid. 
 
 As we a.-^sume our task, illuminated by the example of their wisdom, 
 energy, and glory, intent to equal them in the first and surpass them in 
 liir rest, may we not repeat this invocation to the luminary of the universe, 
 i.s he depiirts to usher in another day : — 
 
 I ■ 
 
 '■ 1 ho wcnry sun halh iiiinlc n hoMpd «<•?. 
 AnJ, by tliu brij;lit truck itf liis fiery car, 
 Qivos token of a gomlly ilay to-morrow !" 
 
Th 
 
 h'I 
 
 ,1 
 
 m 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE GREAT HASIN OF THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 TllK most olividiisly roniiirkanlo pliysiral feature of America and of the 
 iiiliabitt'tl j:l(il)e, is the Jinsiii of tin- MkmMlppi. Ah yet tlio pojmlar luiml 
 doe.s not clearly comprehend its diinen.-^ion.s, and tlie underHtandinj; of it.- 
 phy.sical characteristics is indistinct and vague. It is bi.sected througli its 
 eemrc hy a supreme artery, which above St. Louis has received the uuuie 
 of tlie Minsoiiri, and below, the MissigHipjii River. 
 
 This is r»(l()() miles in length, and its surface is a continuous inclined 
 plane, descending .seven inches in the mile. Into this central artery, as 
 into a common tioiiffh, descend innumerable rivers couiing from the great 
 mountain chains of the continent. 
 
 All of the immense area thus drained, forms a single Ixisln^ of which 
 the circuniferent mountains form the rim. It may also be called an (imphl- 
 tlii litre, embracing 1,1215,100 sfpiare miles of surface. This has been, 
 during the antediluvian ages, the bed of a great ocean, such as is now the 
 Gulf of Mexico or the Mediterranean, above the surface of which the 
 mountains jirotruded thenLsclves as islands. 
 
 (Jradiially filled up by the filtration of the waters during countless iiges, 
 it has reached its jtresent altitude above the other basins, oV(^r which the 
 oceans now still roll, and into which the waters have retired. 
 
 The " Jidxiit of the Af{itsliisi'j>pt" is, then, a j)avemcnt of calcareous rock 
 many thousand feet in depth, formed by the .sediment of the superincum- 
 bent water, deposited stratum upon stratum, compressed by its weight and 
 crystallized into rock by its chenncal fermentation and ]iressiire. Jt is in 
 exact imitation of this sublime process of the natural world, tl at every 
 housewife ( > 'ipres-ses th(> milk of her dairy into solid cheese and butter. 
 
 It is, therefore, a homogeneous, tindulating plain of the g/onii/iin/ or 
 sedimentary formation, surmounted by a covering of soil from which 
 springs the vegetation, as hair fnmi the external skin of an animal. 
 Through this coating of soil, and into the soft surface strata of rock, the 
 de.'^cending fresh waters burrow their channels, converging everywhere from 
 the circumfi'rent rim to the lowest level and pa.ss out to the sea. 
 
 In this sy.stem, which is the sanu> as the circulation of the blood in 
 64 
 
 animal life, the 
 garden fountain, 
 correspontling oi 
 of contour in th( 
 
 Such is this vi 
 simph>, homogen 
 The vegetation i 
 and are mon; vai 
 oceans, and with 
 
 The in.sular si 
 feet el(!vat*!d abo 
 coming from the 
 
 The plain of 
 T.OOO feet above 
 raiidess and witli 
 
 Such are the ( 
 
 Through the i 
 one to the other, 
 sensilile to a tni\ 
 who does .so, the.> 
 the diurnal alti>i 
 the grasses indie 
 palpably as tin 
 
 All that porti 
 River and th(' .' 
 Indiana, IlliiioiH 
 Arkan.sas, and S 
 
 An irreguliir 
 south and west i 
 this iiue and tin 
 ened liy .sliowers 
 
 I'eyond this 
 nourish tim!>er. 
 narrow lines of 
 and in thi. is!nn( 
 and soft, arablt; 
 of vegetation. 
 
 The tcrminati 
 the first, where 
 about l.'iU mile 
 tised, nor ncec.^s 
 
THE OIIKAT DASFX OF THE MISSJSS/PPr. 
 
 65 
 
 iiniiniil life, the MiKsoiiri Ilivor and the mimitoHt rill that flows from a 
 gjirdeii roiuitaiii, lias each it.*« siieiific and c•(lns|)ieuou^ place. Heme the 
 correspond in}^ order In the unijjiilations, the variety, and the complexity 
 of contour in the surface and in its vej^etation. 
 
 Such is this vast Basin, whose transverse diameter is 25(tO miles, and so 
 sinipli!, homogeneous, and clear is the system of its <reolo<ry and its waters. 
 The v»'<j;(!tation and climate have a like consistent order of arninfrenient. 
 and are more varied. These vary with the latitude, the distance from the 
 oceans, and with the altitude. 
 
 The insular site of New York (Mty is upon the hank of the sea, is iti.rti/ 
 feet elevat»!d ahove the .sea, and is constantly irrijrated hy the evaiMtralion 
 coming from the .sea; it is in latitude 41° IW north, 
 
 The plain of the .South I'ass is 2(100 miles from the sea ; is elevate*! 
 7500 feet above the sea; has no va|ior from the sea; hut an atmosjdiere 
 rainless and without d(!W ; it is in latitude 42° ."50' north. 
 
 Such are the contrasts in the elements ufieeting climate and vegetation. 
 
 Through the interval between thest; two cxtrenu's Nature changes, from 
 one to the other, by a graduation .so delicate and uniform as to be scarcely 
 .si'nsible to a traveller who goes /rsx than the whole distance. Yet, to oni? 
 who does .so, the.se changes are as pal])al)le upon the face of Nature, as an* 
 the diurnal alternations of light and darkness. The timber, the floni. and 
 the grasses indicate tint prese?iee and abs<'nce of atmospluric irrigation. a< 
 palpably a,s the sun indicates the day. and the stars the night. 
 
 All that portii^n of the Mississippi Hasin lying between the .Mi.«ssissippi 
 River and th(! Atlantic, is densely timbered, excepting only u |M»rtion of 
 Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin ; so also are the States of Louisiana, 
 Arkan.sas, and South Mis.souri. 
 
 An irregular line irom the head of Lake Erie, running towards the 
 south and west into Texas, dtifines the cesiSiition of the timber. BetWtM-n 
 this iiue and the sea exi.st« a continuous forest region, perpetually moist- 
 ened by .showers from the ocean. 
 
 I'ey.ind this line, and deeper into the eonlineii*. the upland cea.ses \o 
 nourish timber, which is replaced by luxuriant aenual grasses, though 
 narrow lines of forest continue upon the .saturated bottoms of the rivers 
 and in &.i islands. This i.s the I'lairie r. ^;iti;; '.'.', luxuriant annual gn.'^ses. 
 and soft, arable .soil, over which the fires iuinmdly sweep after the decay 
 of vegetation. 
 
 The termination of this belt is marked by an irregular line [Nirallel u> 
 the first, when^ t!ie rains eea.se. and the t'lnber entirely di.sapiH'ars, It is 
 about I'lO miles in width, and witliin it artifii iai iriigatioi\ ,> not pnu - 
 tisod, nor necessary, it being everywiiere .soft, arable, and fertile. 
 
 J 
 
m 
 
 Tin: tiith'AT //.1.S7.V OF riii: Mississirri. 
 
 El 'l 
 
 To th 
 
 IS HUecci'ds till- Mil 
 
 init'iisi! rin'tiffSH wh'mu onwiird to tlio niouniaiiis, 
 
 cxclusivfly JiiiKtiiriil, (il'a coinjuut noil, eoiitod with the iJ\vart'ltuft"iiiojj;rii88, 
 witliout trt'cs, aii<l tlic alioiic of thcahori^rinal CMttlc. That no tK'S<'rt docs 
 or ran exist witliiri this liasiii. is inanit'cst t'roiii tlic ahiindaiicc and nia<;- 
 nitndr nC tlic rivirs: the iinilidin (idcaicous t'orniatii)n ; the alisontt' of u 
 
 tro|ii(Ml sun 
 
 its li 
 
 in<ritudinal position across 
 
 thi^ t« 
 
 ni|it'rat(; zono ; an 
 
 d the 
 
 ^^n-atncss and altitude of the imiuntaiiis on its western ri 
 
 ni. 
 
 'I'iie river system of the .I/Z.vx/.'.d//*/)/ /{iisiii resernldes a fan oi' [tahndeaf. 
 Tile stem in the State i(f hnuisiana rests in the (iiilf; almve, the aftluiMit 
 rivers euiivertie til it fitini all parts of the compass. Krom tin; tasl come 
 
 in 
 
 the II. 
 
 ihitto. the Ymzim). the Ohiii. the llliiinis, and the I'luier Mis- 
 
 sissi|ipi. 
 
 I- 
 
 rmn the ms/. the Ked 
 
 It 
 
 IVel 
 
 pp, 
 the Washita, the Arkansas, tht 
 
 White. St. Francis, jnid Osaire Kivers. the Kinsas, the Triple IMatte, thi! 
 Jilviu ipii Ciinrs. and the Vcllowstnne, all naVifiahln rivers of great length 
 and importance. 
 
 These rivers present a continimns navigalile channel of 22,5(10 miles, 
 having t.*>.<M)ll miles of slmre, an anmnni of navigation and coast eiiual to 
 
 th<' Atlaiilii- Ocean. 
 
 The area nf the Mississippi Basin classifies itself into oiu'-and-a hali- 
 fifths III' compactly-growing forest, the same nf prairie, and twndiftlis of 
 great plains. Throngh ail of these the river .system is ramilieil as minutely 
 com|ilc.\ as are the veins ami arti'ries of the human .system. 
 
 The population is -M present I S.(l(l(l,(l(Ml, The capacity for population 
 is indclinite. Comparison will illustrate this interesting fact. 
 
 Society erects itself into o//y(//v.s- in order loarrixc at strength, civilization, 
 and pcrmam-ncc. The most periect examjilc is the cm|iire of the /'unnnis, 
 whose history we familiarly po.s.sess complete, of its risi'. culmination, and 
 
 slow d 
 
 ('(■line 
 
 This 
 
 s emiiire oc( 
 
 u|>ied and fused into one political and social 
 
 i-ysicm the /(usin nf lln Mn/ih irniititii, whose ari-a is l,l(i((,(> () sijuart 
 
 n iloH. 
 
 i •olli 
 
 '.( o*' this they ne\('r passed, except into the corner of (Janl and 
 
 Urita: 
 
 lit !( 
 
 •ted llicinsclvcs to the .NIe(literranean and I'oiitic Seas, 
 
 to the .Vile, to the Manuhe, and (<> the Ithone. 'i'his em|iire, emiiraeing 
 '.\ V ;i!mi\i, arc; . coi t. lined under 'I'r. .in and the Aiitoiiiues l!!! .(MMI.(IO(( of 
 jMtpiiMi inn, .Miii lli.ii.e i.self, it; tiie gi'ograpliical centre, had a diameter (d' 
 ;"jtl oiiie:* and !■; till. (Mill of iiiMaliilanlsI 
 
 l»ii >h< Hrea oi'this Uasiii is. for the iiKisi r.irt, a salt water waste, into 
 Avhici pHt'.riwi 'i.e |" linsiilas of Asia Minor, (ireece. Italy, and S[iaiii, 
 
 tl 
 
 U"ll> 
 
 '1 with 
 
 I mountain vertehriv, .ind al.so a i\'W islands. Spaeo 
 
 for hal'/a i' i .■■ and ilie iirodiiciion of fooil is. therefc 
 
 irce 
 
 Th 
 
 le e(piivaleiit, with us, ol' this salt surface and rugged mouiitaiusj is 
 
 overywherc, an 
 productive, Th 
 and the front o 
 amount and acci 
 easily contain at 
 inhaliitaiits ! 
 
 If the eaicarec 
 fronts, and the n 
 Europe arid Asia. 
 the existing hum 
 This I'asin is 
 ihe (Sulf, at the I 
 produced. On th 
 /one. Between 
 we descend from 
 ill posiliiiii it i 
 the West bank o( 
 and fertile prairii 
 hy their confluent 
 once of the N'ortli 
 The circle de.^c 
 pns,H throuirh Vd 
 Hudson's ISay, t 
 Cni.j. and the ci( 
 will pa.ss throiigl 
 therefore, thci/.-o 
 tlie Basin of the 
 It is also e(|u 
 hlocked out into 
 sites in (he iiow-e 
 exactly in the mi 
 tiiictly concentrat 
 to the nnniher i 
 occupying On'riif 
 Europe has al 
 wrsf dehouchinir 
 
 AJii 
 
tlio niouiiiaiiis, 
 irf buffalo ^rass, 
 t no di'scrt (looa 
 (lance ami niaj;- 
 lic alisoni't' of a 
 ; zone ; and the 
 1. 
 
 iin ol' pahii-lcaf. 
 ivo, till- artlut'nt 
 n till! fist foino 
 the rpiii'V MIh- 
 (' Arkansas, the 
 ri|ilc IMatto, the 
 ' of jnrat lenj^th 
 
 •f 2-2jm\ iniUvH, 
 nl I'oast (Miual to 
 
 ) oiu'-and-a-half- 
 
 nil two-liftlis of 
 
 ili<'(las niiniitoly 
 
 m. 
 
 y for ]iopiilation 
 
 act. 
 
 i;tli, civilization, 
 
 of the lioiiiiiiis. 
 
 iilniinatioii. and 
 
 lilical and s'H'ial 
 
 .!(i(»,<l (<.iuarc 
 
 ncr of (iaul and 
 ind Pontic Seas, 
 ii|iirc, cniliracin;; 
 ; llil.lMMI.OlMI of 
 ad a diameter of 
 
 water waste, into 
 taiy, and Spain, 
 islands. S|iaei! 
 •ii'nrcc. 
 I A mountains, is, 
 
 THE OliEAT liAS'X OF THE MfSSfSSfPlf. 
 
 07 
 
 pverywhore, an undulatinjr. ralcarr im plain, unifonnly inhabital)li> and 
 productive. The rivvji-s surpass the .sea i\ir the frei</hta<^(! of conunerce, 
 and the front of land upon them exceeds the coasts of tin; oceans in 
 amount and aece.ssiliility. The JinKi'ii of the Afissixxiiipi will then more 
 easily contain ami feed ten timcH the pf>pulation, or l,;ilO,()00,000 of 
 iidiahitants ! 
 
 If th(! calcareous ])lain extendin/ Ut *ho .\rt^\f ^^a. the two niiirl'linc 
 fronts, and the mountain formation, Im> •I'l/i^d. »ti4 tin- whoh' compared '/> 
 Europe and Asia, 2,tM)U.()(M),(MM) will easily Am^ rf/Kfitt n ^.^btion d<*uW« 
 the existin<r human race ! 
 
 This Hasin is all within »he T,mfufate 7/,,*^ , %¥ «ym dx* 4MMW4f 
 ihe (iulf, at the level of the sea. tropi<id fruitM. dow'er' }t*ii4 Si'0itlikmWK 
 produced. On the hii;h mountain sIo|M's //'>»*< the V'e/<vf>^i/<« <^ ^t^ fitt^ 
 Zone. Ihftween the.se arc 'ourid every kin4 <»f ii>rric,«|kur.il ^<A*it^vm, urn 
 wi' descend from the extremes to fin- central Hi<''liuin. 
 
 In position it is (•^■»ii<tiy iiiitr'ilx>> the continent. ,\'ot ft*r n^iw/^ (I'ttt 
 the West bank of the Missouri Hiver, in the Imisohi of romarnfie '-ttt^y 
 and fertile prairie, ia a H[K»t where the Smokyhill and I{<'publicii« Kiv«'«K. 
 by their confluence, form (he Kan.sas. Thi* is Mu' <:eo;iraphieal centre at 
 omc of the N'orth American continent, and of tin Hasin of the Mississippi. 
 
 The circle described from this centre with a radii»^ to San Francisco ^vill 
 pass throutrh Vimi'iinir tm the Cohnnbia, the |«>rt of Srvr/it Jliver on 
 nud.>;on's I'ay, throujih (/n'lin-. through UtiKton, throuprh lliir'nm. Vera 
 Cni::. and the city of Mv.rico. With a radius to flie A'M\t <J/-,'ree, a circle 
 will pa.ss throULdi Afo/n'/r, Xcto Oilraiis, ,ind M>ilifj,.rilii This spot i«. 
 therefore, thi' </i oyni/i/iunl critfn of tha North Aineriean Contiiienf and (tf 
 the Hasin of the Mississijipi, both at once. 
 
 It is also «'((ually the centre of th(> American Union, ;m it is now 
 lilocked out into exi.stin^ States and into prospective States, to oceujiy 
 sites in the now-existing TiTritories ! .Moreover, it is e(|uidi.stant from, and 
 exactly in the middle between, the two halves of the huunin family, dis- 
 tinctly eoneentrated ; the one half (Miristians, occnpyinir Western Kurope, 
 to the luimber of :i ">!>,( MM),0(»( I of population; the other half Papins, 
 occupying Oriental :Uia and Poh/nvsia, to the number of t!r)<l,(IO(l,(IO(> ! 
 
 Kuro]ie ha.s all the outlets of its iidand seas and rivers towards the 
 vent, debotwhing on to our Atlanlic front, towards which its whole surl'ace 
 slopes. Asia similarly jire.sents to our I'acilic front an On'mtd/ s,'nj,i. 
 containing her great rivers, the densest mas.xes of her poimlation, and 
 detached i.slands of great area, den.se population, and intinite pro<luction. 
 
 The distance IVom the Knropean to »he A.-ian shores (from Paris t( 
 I'ekinj, travelling .strai<:ht by the continuous river liiv of the i'olomac. 
 
68 
 
 THE (iUK.KT IIASIS OF THE MISSISSII'l'l. 
 
 Ohio, ML-i-sduri, IMiitlc. aixl Snake lliverH, and uitohh the two rci'ans, m 
 only 10,000 ^'(•(•<:ni|iliic inilus. 
 
 This Htnii^'ht line is tlie iltU of that temperate zone of the Northern 
 Hcniis|ihLTe of the ^.'lolie, thirty-three deforces in witUli, which contains 
 four-tifths of tlic hind, ninc-tciiths of \\w {icople, and all tin; white races, 
 coninicrciid activity, and iiidnstry of the civilized world. 
 
 When, therefore, this interval o*' North America shall he filled up, the 
 affili.ition of mankind will V.; accomplished, proximity recof>;nizcd, tii< dis- 
 tniction of intcrvciiin<r oceans an<I eipjutorial licats cease, the remotest 
 nations grouped top>ther and fu.si'd into one universtJ uud convenient 
 system of immediate relationship. 
 
 Such are ,s(ime of t! •niordinary attractions presented to mankind, as 
 a social nia.-'s. hy tlu; {xisition and conli;niralion ol' the MixHt'iisi/ijii linnni. 
 There is anuther and superlative prospective view. This jircsciits it.self 
 in contrastinj; the physical conlif^uration of North America with the 
 otiier continents. 
 
 Europe, tlu' smallest in area of the continents, culminates in its centre 
 info the icy ma.sses <if the Alps. From the {glaciers, where all the jireat 
 rivers have their sources, they descend the declivities and radiate iv the 
 difl'crent seas. 
 
 The Danube flows dinntly ea.st to the Pontic Sea ; the l*o, to the 
 Adriatic; the Khone, to the Sea of Lyons; the Uhiiie, north to the 
 German Sea. Walled off" hy the I'yrcncan and ('ar-,uithian .Mountains, 
 diverfreut and isolated, are the Tajius, the Klbc, and other Hingle rivers, 
 affluents of the Baltic, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the I'imtie 
 Sea. 
 
 Descend in}r./V«m common nidinnt jHiints wnd ilivc^iu^ every way from 
 one another, no intercommunii;. nm exists ay, ,y^ the river» of Kun>|M' 
 towards their ."ourct's ; nitWuation is) \,\ lUulfwlie. Art mid ommi tvc 
 have never, durinu thiii> t-cnturii!* \itiiu-d so many suihII vulluyti. uimotvly 
 isolat«'d hv im|K<netralile harrii^rw. 
 
 Hem-* .iponeach river dw-lls a disiimt people, difft uiij; IVnm«li ih«*n>»l 
 in n«>« lanjruac*', reli-jion, iiitor^'sts, ami hahits Thou>;h oIUmi fx-hh^^iNi/ 
 amalpiuiatrd )>> cuit<|ue(«t. tli' apiiu rclapM' into frnpuentx. IV^iii iiMMiu 
 i;eo^niphii ' iiicohiTeX'' u'< /iy/oti« crvi dn und tnjjifmiir^ foriu no iu«4\i 
 enduriiit; ' ^ 
 
 Thi t.ii t i «)»«•»*' nation- ' .1 ^tatjf of pei^'tual war, of mutual 
 exu-rib itm an ip|«iilliug di»MHuti< cMUihtpie of a tew splendid xyttw 
 iii*« er.-lun^ uiuliiiudin<>us aiitlioiivoi Hubmissive and unchronidcd H(>it«. 
 
 KudH Hiniilar to Kiiidjm. though grander iu hik and {Ktpulatiou, a 
 
THE uhkat hasis of the MlSSISSiri'l. 
 
 *;:« 
 
 e two rof'uns, is 
 
 From tli»( Htu|wiid(>UH cciifnil Imriior of the llinialiiyaM run tin- lour 
 great rivvrs of China, duo caM, to ili.schar<;o tlu-nisclvt's umlcr tlic ri«in}r 
 hum: towards tlie smith run tlie rivori* of Coeliin Cliina, X\w (Janp-s, anil 
 tile Indus: towards tlu; inut, the rivers of tlie Casjiian: and hmf/i, 
 throujrh Silu ria t« the Arctic Sea, many rivi-rs of the first ma^rnitude. 
 
 I>uriiii,' fifty centuries, as now, the Alps and Himalaya Mountains have 
 |iroved insu|)erahl(^ barriitrs to the amal;;aniation of tlu> nations around 
 their ))at<eH and dwelling; in the vaUeys that radiate from tlieir slopes. 
 
 The continents of Africa and South America, as far u« we are familiar 
 with the details of their surfuces, uru evuu more tlian theue perplexed into 
 dislocateil frafiiiients. 
 
 In contruHt, the interior of North America presents towards lieuven an 
 cxpandeil, roHcnvi: bowl, to receive and fuse into Inirmony whatsoever 
 enters within it« rim. So, each of tJu- other continents prcsentin;; tlie 
 cDiiri.r surface of a howl reversed, scatter everytliinn from u central apex 
 into radiant distraction. 
 
 political societies and (-mpires havi; in all aj;eH conformed themselv(!s t(» 
 emphatic p'ojjraphical facts. This lh-m<irriit!r /i'ljnili/inni fiii/ii'rf of 
 North America is, tlmn, /nn/isfiini/ to expand and fit itself to the coi.ti- 
 ncnt ; to control the oceans on cither hand, and eventually the contitient.<! 
 beyond them. Much is uncertain, yet through all the vicissitudes of the 
 future, this much of ett-rnal truth is discernilile. 
 
 In p'ograpby th(! unfit/iisix of the old world, in society we an; and will 
 be tlu' reverse. Our North America will rapidly accumulate a population 
 cc|ual!ing that of the rest of tlu! world combined : a people nno and indi- 
 vi.sibh', identical in nninners, lanpiagi;, customs, and impulses: ])reserv- 
 ing the same civilization, the same religion ; imbued with the same 
 opinions, and having tlu! same political liberties. 
 
 Of this we have two illu.st rat ions n<tw under our eye, the one passing 
 away, tlic other advancing. The uliunijliitil Indian nice, amongst whom, 
 from Darieii to the Ks(|uimaux, and from Florida to \'ancouver's Islaiul, 
 cxinfc II |M'rfcct identity in hair, complexion, features, religion, st^iture, and 
 huiguage : and, woNf/, in the instinctive fusion into one language and into 
 <jne new race of immigrant (icrmans, Knglish, Norwegians, Celts, and 
 Italians, whose individindities an- olditerati-d in a single generation. 
 
 Thus, the perpetuily and ilestiny of our sacred I'liio!) find their con- 
 clusive proof and illustration in the bosom of nature. The ])olitical storms 
 that periodically rage are but the clouds and sunshine that give variety to 
 the atmosphere anil checker our history as we miireh. 
 
 The |Misheshion of the linnlii i>f t/ii' Misnissi'ii/ii, thus held in inn'fi/ by 
 the American people, is a s<ipreme, u crowning mercy. Viewed ulone In 
 
I ! 
 
 tP 
 
 77/ A' lilt EAT IIASIX OF THE MISSIfiSIN'l, 
 
 itn woiKlcrfiil jKisitioii tiiiii cuiiacity iiiiion^ the eoiitinentH nnd (lie natittnH; 
 Ti«-Wf<l. aliso, aH tlic (IciiiiiiKitiii^ |i:it°t (if tlic gnat ciilcarrdiiH |ilaiii i'Dniicd 
 of till (•oiifrriiiiiiiiiis Ma.siiis nf tlif iMis'^is-'iiiipi, f>t. liawiriicc, Ilinlsdn'a 
 Bay, ami Atlialiasia. tlu; aiii]>liilli(>ati'f of the wuilil — licir i,s Hii|ir<'incly, 
 iiitli!i'(], the uioKt uiagiiifii-cnt (l\V('lliii<r-]jla(r> niarkiil nut fiy (jod for man's 
 aliodc. 
 
 Bcholil, tlicii, ri.>-iiin now and in the ftitnic. tlir iinjui' which imhi-ilry 
 and !-<lf-goV(rnMicnt crcat*;. The growth ol' half a imlnry, hewed nut if 
 the wihh-nu'tw — itw weapons, the axe and jihiw ; its taetii-, hdior and 
 energy; its sohliers, free and eipial eitizeiiH. 
 
 Ueliold tlie oraeular goal to which our eiigles march, and whither the 
 thalan.N of our States and |ieo|ile moves harmoniously on, to ]ilant u nun- 
 (fffil Slultn and consummate their drit; greatnewM. 
 
 i ■ 
 
. .MditoBBawi— . . . 
 
 U'Vl. 
 
 t8 nnd the natioiiN ; 
 I-IMIII8 |iliiiii i'lriiicil 
 iwniifc, Iluilsdn's 
 here i.H Hujiriincly, 
 t by (iiid iiir man's 
 
 ire wliiili iiiilii-ilry 
 liiry, licwcd (lilt if 
 
 til('tir>, lillldl' illlil 
 
 li, iiiid wiiillicr iliu 
 jii, tu |)liiiil u hiin- 
 

 ^% 
 
 .^.^. ^.^ ^\.V% 
 
 IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-3) 
 
 1.0 
 
 I.I 
 
 2.5 
 
 '- IP'S 
 1^ IM IIIII2 2 
 Ao nil 2.0 
 
 us 
 
 1.8 
 
 
 1-25 1.4 1.6 
 
 
 ■m 6" 
 
 ► 
 
 Photographic 
 
 Sciences 
 Corporation 
 
 L17 
 
 V 
 
 s 
 
 y 
 
 O 
 
 
 "<^ 
 
 V 
 
 <«> 
 
 
 6^ 
 
 ■<> 
 
 ^ 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
 '^^ 
 

 ,.'< 
 
 ■V ..%^ 
 
 
 ^^^ 47* ^- 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 :J 
 
 ^ 
 
 <j>' 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 
 » 
 
 'S) 
 
 ri? 
 
 pt^ 
 
nMiij»rj»#» 
 
iX -k. nAK'>S 
 
 i 
 
 ■i < 
 
 II 
 I 
 
 ill"" 
 
 
 (.' 
 
 I'lltoxa 
 
 I 
 
 iT 
 
 i^r 
 
 ? 
 
 N 
 
 -4-* 
 
 K 
 
 X5.. 
 
 O 
 
 n.fc>""'«TT 
 
 
 / P 
 
 
 M.„l. 
 
 
 s 
 
 \Li«f?r...">-'i ^-V *f^ 
 
 
 i*",'){'5^'"'^ 
 
 / — 
 
 
 *^ 
 
 
 I I N O V A /< 
 
 , CHOCTAW 
 r[ 1H.ATI0 N I '^ 
 
 ,..»«" 
 
 t 
 
 /I: 
 
 IB"'""'' fcfr^ \ • 
 
I 
 
 There lias 
 
 the true char; 
 
 which pcrvud 
 
 historic pcrio 
 
 the (ipi)osite, 
 
 and industry 
 
 They are ( 
 
 Tiu'ir positii 
 
 whieh terniii 
 
 on the west, 
 
 tcesfern limit 
 
 of!;rain of les? 
 
 Arctic coasts 
 
 There is ii 
 
 a gentle slo)i 
 
 clad thick w 
 
 is not silicioii 
 
 out to the n 
 
 and to the T 
 
 The niou 
 
 between thei 
 
 No portir 
 
 from the mt 
 
 lating and 
 
 Storms are i 
 
 the Rocky 1 
 
 The climi 
 
 to irrigate r 
 
 onts. They 
 
 the basins t 
 
 of the "Gi 
 
 States betw( 
 
ffHf 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 PASTORAL AJiERICA. 
 
 There has been a radical niisiipprelienslon in the poimlar mind as to 
 the true character of the " Great Pldiiis of Aiiim'cn,'' as complete as that 
 wliich pervaded Europe resjiecting the Atlantic (Jeean durinjj; the whole 
 historic period jirior to CoLLMHUS. These J^LAINS a"e not th'scrls, but 
 the opposite, and are the cardinal basis of the future empire of conmierce 
 and industry now erecting itself upon the North American Continent. 
 
 They arc calcareous, and form the Pastoral (Jarden of the world. 
 Their position and area may be easily understood. The meridian line 
 which terminates the States of Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, and Iowa 
 on the west, forms their eastern limit, and the llocky Mountain crest their 
 icesfern limit. Between these limits they occupy a loniritudinal parallel- 
 ogram of less than 1(M)() miles in width, extending fnmi the Texan to the 
 Arctic coasts. 
 
 There is no timber upon them, and single trees are scarce. They have 
 a gentle slope from the icvsf to the east, and abound in rivers. They are 
 clad thick with nutritious grasses, and swarm with animal life. The soil 
 is not silicious or sandy, but is a fine calcareous mould. They run smoothly 
 out to the navigable rivers, the 3Iissouri, Mississippi, and St. Lawrence, 
 and to the Texan coast. 
 
 The mountain masses towards the Pacific form no serious barrier 
 between them and that ocean. 
 
 No portion of their whole sweep of surface is more thari lOOO miles 
 from the most facile navigation. The prospect is everywhere gently undu- 
 lating and graceful, being bounded, as on the ocean, by the horizon. 
 Storms are rare, except during the melting of the snows upon the crest of 
 the Rocky Mountains. 
 
 The climate is comparatively rainiest; the rivers serve, like the Nile, 
 to irrigate rather than drain the neighboring surface, and have few afflu- 
 ents. They all run from iccst to east, having beds shallow and broad, a!id 
 the basins through which they flow are flat, hmg, and narrow. The area 
 of the " Great Plains" is e(|uivalent to the surface of the twenty-four 
 States between the Mississippi and the Atlantic Sea. They are one homo- 
 
 71 
 
i 
 
 m 
 
 :ti^; 
 
 •li'i 
 
 72 PASTOIiAL AMERICA. 
 
 gcncous formation, smooth, uniform, and continuous, without a single 
 abrui)t mountain, timl)cred space, desert, or hike. 
 
 From their ample dimensions and position they define themselves to he 
 the pdntiirr-jit/ffs (if thf world. Upon them I'ASTOHAl, AOUlCLLTLllE will 
 become :i separate grand department of continental industry. 
 
 The ])astonil characteristic, being novel to our people, needs a miimte 
 explanation. In traversing the continent from the Atlantic hcch to the 
 South Pass, the point of greatest altitude and remoteness from the sea, we 
 cross successively the timbered region, the prairie region of .soft soil and 
 long annual gras.scs, and finally the Great Plains. The two first are irri- 
 gated by the rains coming from the sea, and are araUe. 
 
 The last is rainless, of a compact soil resisting the plow, and is, there- 
 fore, 2>o-'<toral. The herbage is peculiarly adaj)ted to the climate and the 
 dryness of the soil and atmosphere, and is perenni(d. It is edible and 
 nutritious throughout the year. This is the " gramvia,' or " buffalo grass." 
 It covers the ground one inch in height, has the appearance of a delicate 
 moss, and its leaf has the fineness and .spiral texture of a negro's hair. 
 
 During the melting of the snows in the immense mountain nuusses on 
 the western frontier of the Great Plains, the rivers swell like the Nile, 
 and yield a copious evaporation in their long sinuous courses across the 
 Plains : storm-clouds gather on the summits, roll down the mountain 
 flanks, and discharge them.selves in vernal showers. During this tempo- 
 rary prevalence of moist atmosphere these delicate gras.ses grow, seed in 
 the root, and are cured into hay iqyon the ground by the gradually return- 
 ing drouth. 
 
 It is this longitudinal belt of perennial pa.sture upon which the buffalo 
 finds his vinter food, dwelling upon it without regard to latitude, and here 
 are the infinite herds of aboriginal cattle peculiar to North America — 
 buffalo, wild horses, elk, antelope, white and black-tailed deer, mountain 
 .sheep, the gri.sly bear, wolves, the hare, badger, porcupine, and smaller 
 animals innumerable. 
 
 The aggregate number of this cattle, by calculation from .sound data, 
 exceeds one hundred million. No annual fires ever sweep over the Great 
 Plains ; the.se are confined to the Prairie region. 
 
 The Great Plains also swarm with poultry — the turkey, the mountain 
 cock, the prairie cock, sage chickens, the sand-hill crane, the curlew. 
 Water-fowl of every variety, the swan, goose, brant, diicks. Marmots, the 
 armadillo, the peccary, reptiles, the horned frog. Birds of prey, eagles, 
 vultures, the raven, and the small birds of gjuue and song. The streams 
 abound in fish. Dogs and demi-wolves abouiul. 
 
 The immense population of nomadic Indians, lately a million in num- 
 
PASTORAL AMERICA. 
 
 73 
 
 ly a million in num- 
 
 ber, have, from inimeniorial antiquity, subsisted exclusively upon those 
 aborijiinal herds. They are unacijuainted with any kind of agriculture or 
 the habitual use of vegetable food or fruits. 
 
 From this source the Indian draws exclusively his food, his lodge, hia 
 fuel, harness, clothing, bed, his ornaments, weapons, and utensils. line 
 Is hi.i aohi dcpeuilena; from the heginning to the end of his exisfeiwe. 
 The innumerable carnivorous animals also subsist upon them. The buft'alo 
 alone have appeared to me as numerous as the American people, and to 
 inhabit as uniformly as large u space of country. The buflalo robe at once 
 suggests his adaptability to a winter climate. 
 
 The Great Plains embrace a very ample proportion of arahk soil for 
 farms. 'Y\\Q ^^ bottoms' of the rivers are very broad and level, having 
 only a few inches of elevation above the waters, which descend by a rapid 
 and even current. They may be easily and cheaply saturated by all the 
 various systems of artificial irrigation, azequias, artesian wells, or floo !- 
 iiig by machinery. 
 
 Under this treatment the soils, being alluvial and calcareous, both from 
 the sulphate and carbonate formations, return a prodigious yield, and are 
 independent of the seasons. Kvery variety of grain, grass, vegetable, the 
 grape and fruits, flax, hemp, cotton, and the flora, under a perpetual 
 sun, and irrigated at the root, attain extraordinary vigor, flavor, and 
 beauty. 
 
 The Great Plains abound in fuel, and the materials for dwellings and 
 fencing. Bituminous coal is everywhere intcrstratitied with the calcareous 
 and sandstone formation ; it is also abundant in the flanks of the moun- 
 tains, and is everywhere conveniently accessible. The dung of the buffalo 
 is scattered everywhere. 
 
 The order of vegetable growth being reversed bv the ar'dity of the 
 atmosphere, what show above as the merest bushes, radiate themselves 
 deep into the eartli, and form below an immense arborescent growth. 
 Fuel of wood is found by digging. 
 
 Plaster and lime, limestone, freestone, clay, and sand, exist within the 
 area of almost every acre. The large and economical adobe brick, hard- 
 ened in the sun and without fire, supersedes other materials for walls and 
 fences in this dry atmosphere, and, as in Syia and Egj'pt, resists decay 
 for centuries. The dwellings thus constructed are most healthy, being 
 impervious to heat, cold, damp, and wind. 
 
 The climate of the Great Plains is favorable to health, longevity, intel- 
 lectual and physical development, and stinmlative of an exalted tone of 
 .'ocial civilization and refinement. 
 
 The American people and their ancestral European people have dwelt 
 
74 
 
 PASTORAL AMERICA. 
 
 Ill 
 
 for many thousand years oxclusivcly in countries of tinihcr and within 
 the regio'i of tlio mtiritlmc atniospliere : when; winter ai.nihihites all ve<re- 
 tatidu annually for half the year: where all animal food must lie sustained, 
 fed, and fattened hy tillajre with the ]p1ow : where the tsa'tial neeessities 
 of existence, food, clothinji, fuel, and dwellings, are secured oidy hy con- 
 stant and intense uuuiual toil. , 
 
 To this peoj)le /irrrfi>/ore, the immense empire of pasforaf (trpicn/finr. 
 ut the threshold of which we have arrived, has been as completely a hlank. 
 as was the present condition of social development on the Atlantic Ocean 
 and the American Continent, to the ordinary thoughts of the antiipie 
 Greeks and Romans. 
 
 Hence this immense world of plains and mountains ; occupying three- 
 fifths of our continent ; so novel to them and so exactly contradictory in 
 every feature to the existing prejudices, routine, and economy of society, 
 is unanimously pronounced an vnlnhahltahle desert. 
 
 To any reversal of such a judgment, the unanimous public opinion, the 
 rich and poor, the wise and ignorant, the famous and obscure, agree to 
 oppose unanimously a dogmatic and universal deafness. To them, the 
 delineations of travellers, elsewhere intelligent, are here tinged with 
 lunacy ; the science of geography is befogged; the sublime order of Crea- 
 tion no longer holds, and the supreme engineering of God is at i'.tult and 
 a chaos of blunders ! 
 
 The P. .STORAL Region is longitudinal. The bulk of it is under the 
 Tempera' J Zone, out of which it runs into the Arctic Zone on the north, 
 and Into the Tropical Zone on the south. The parallel Atlantic andde 
 aiA maritime region flanks it on the east ; that of the Pacific on the west. 
 The Great Plains, then, at once separate and bind together these flanks, 
 rounding o-it both the variety and compactness of arrangement in the ele- 
 mentary details of society, ttJiich enables a continent to govern itself with 
 the same ease as a single city.* 
 
 *■ Such an internal adjustment of society, expanding itself uniformly over the 
 whole area of the continent, accompanies incidentally and of necessity its grand 
 architecture. 
 
 The physical anatomy, auspicious and consistent in all its details, the intense range 
 of variety, the neighborhood and compactne.»s of these elements so various in configu- 
 ration, warmth, altitude, and production, all conspire to dictate fusion and order. 
 They correct and render impossible what is hostile and opposite to them. 
 
 The contciiliuiialitica which anticipate tumult will assert, establish, and perpetuate 
 themselves. 
 
 The experiences of history arm us with precedents for our guidance, and instruct 
 our judgments. They predict for us a wholesome employment of our energies, accom- 
 panied by a subtle and zealous dii-ciplinc competent to anticipate and to restrain 
 disorder. 
 
rrangcmont in the ele- 
 t to govern itself with 
 
 PASTORAL AMEIlfCA. 75 
 
 Assiuninfr, then, that tlie advaiiciiijiuohiinn of progress, having roaohcil 
 nnilt'stalilisliL'd itsolf'in force all along the easte'-n froiitof the frnnf I'/niiis, 
 from Jjonisianu to Minnesota : having, also, junijied over and flanked them 
 to oeeujiy California and Oregon : — 
 
 Assuming that this eolnmn is ahont to dehoiich to the front and ocenpy 
 them with tlie embodied inipulse of our y(/i'_y millions of population : liere- 
 tufore seattere<l uj)on the flanks, but now converging into jihalanx upon 
 the centre : some reflections, legitimately made, may cheer the tiiniil, and 
 confirm those who hesitate from old opinion and the prejudices of adverse 
 education. 
 
 It is well established that six-tenths of the food of the human family ia, 
 or ought to be, animal food, the result of jMistoral agriculture. The cattle 
 of the world consume eight times the food per head, as compared with 
 the human family. Meat, milk, butter, cheese, poultry, eggs, wool, leather, 
 honey, are the productions of pastoral agriculture. Fish is the sponta- 
 neous production of the water. 
 
 Nine-tenths of the labor of arahle culture is expended to produce the 
 grain and gra.sses that sustain the present supplies to the world of the 
 above enumerated articles of the pustornl order. If, then, a country can 
 be found where pustoral jjroduce is sponttnieomly sustained by nature, as 
 fish in the ocean, it is manifest that arable labor, being reduced to the pro- 
 duction of bread food oidy, nniy condense itself to a very small percent- 
 age of its present volume, and the cultivated ground devoted to grain and 
 grass be greatly reduced in acres. 
 
 By the census of 1850, tlic pastoral cnltnre of the American people 
 resulting exclusively from the plow, exhibits the following aggregate : — ■ 
 
 Cattle of all kinds 18,378,907 
 
 Horses and mules 4,80r),0,'>0 
 
 Sheep 21,722,220 
 
 Swine 30,334,213 
 
 Value $655,883,658 
 
 It is probable that the aggregate ahoriginal stock of the Great Plains 
 still exceeds in amount the above table. It is all spontaneously supported 
 by nature, as is the fish of the sea. 
 
 Every kind of our domestic animals flourishes upon the Greai Plains 
 equally Avell with the wild ones. Three tame animals may be substituted 
 for every wild one, and vast territories re-occupied, from which the wild 
 
 The ancient discordances between urban and rural populations, manners, and tem- 
 per, will find their asperities mutually modified. Society, rectified by reflection from 
 the propitious powers of Nature, will insensibly ascend to an exalted level, illustrating 
 the perpetual dominance and activity of peace, industri/, and concord. 
 
 I 
 
76 
 
 PASTORAL AMRKICA. 
 
 Illl 
 
 stock lias been cxfenninatcd by indiseriininatc sliiuglitcr and the inc^aso 
 of tlic Wolves. 
 
 The American peo[ile are about, then, to inaugurate a novel and immense 
 order of industrial jnoductioii : Pastoral AauiciLTUUE. — Its fields will 
 be the (IikU /Va(';M intermediate between the oceans. Once commenced, 
 \t will di'Veloj) very rajiidly. 
 
 We trace in their history the successive inauguration and sy.stematic 
 growth of several of these distinct orders : The tohaccn culture, the rlcn 
 culture, the cottou culture, the innnense provision culture of cereals and 
 VKiifs, friil/irr and uoiifj thc'/oA/ culture, ((((c/y^//'^/; external and internal, 
 cotiiitieire ^'xternal and internal, tmnspuftdtion by land and water, the hemj) 
 culture, t\ic Jis/teri'es, munHfuctum. 
 
 Each of these has arisen as time has ripened tbe necessity for each, and 
 noiselessly taken and fillud its appropriate place in the general economy 
 of our iiii/imtriiil empire. 
 
 This fuiHtoral property transports itself on the hoof, and finds its food 
 ready furni.shed by nature. In these elevated countries fresh meats becoyie 
 the preferable food for man, to the exclusion of bread, vegetables, and 
 salted articles. 
 
 The atmosjdiere of the Great Ploiiin is perpetually brilliant with sun- 
 shine, tonic, healthy, pungent, and inspiring to the temper. It corrcsjxmds 
 with and surpasses the historic climate of Syria and Arabia, from whence 
 we inherit all that is ethereal and refined in our .system of civilization, our 
 religion, our sciences, our alphabet, our numerals, our written languages, 
 our articles of food, our learning, and our system of social manners. 
 
 As the site for a great central metropolitan city of the " Basin of the 
 Mississippi" to arise prospectively upon the developments now maturing, 
 Kansas City, at the mouth of the Kansas Kiver, has the start, the geo- 
 gi'aphical position, and the existing elements with which any rival will 
 contend in vain. 
 
 It is the focal point where three developments, now near ripeness, will 
 &nd t\w\T river jwrt. 1. The pastoral development. 2. The gold, silver, 
 and salt production of the Sierra San Juan. 3. The continental railroad 
 from the Pacific. 
 
 These great fields of enterprise will all be recognized and understood by 
 the popular mind, and will be under vigorous headway within the mature 
 life of the existing generation. 
 
 There must be a great city here, such as antiquity built at the head of 
 the IMediterranean and named Jerusalem, Tyre, Alexandria, and Constan- 
 tinople ; such as our own people name New York, New Orlean3, San Fran- 
 cisco, St. Louis. 
 
 nil i 
 
 ': M^m.mmtm<mm ^ 
 
alitor and the inc^aso 
 
 a uovcl and ininicnso 
 t.TiKK. — It.s fields will 
 Once coniineneed, 
 
 iratldii and systematic 
 'kiccd enltiire, the /•/(•'' 
 culture (if virrnk and 
 ■xternal and internal, 
 id and water, the hemp 
 
 necessity for each, and 
 1 the general economy 
 
 oof, and finds its food 
 •ies fresh meats hecoijio 
 bread, vegetables, and 
 
 dly brilliant with sun- 
 semper. It corresponds 
 1 Arabia, from whence 
 tem of civilization, our 
 our written languages, 
 f social manners, 
 of the " HiikIii of the 
 ftments now maturing, 
 has the start, tlie geo- 
 I which any rival will 
 
 low near ripeness, will 
 . 2. The gold, silver, 
 lie continental railroad 
 
 zed and understood by 
 vay within the mature 
 
 y built at the head of 
 xandria, and Constan- 
 ew Orlean3, San Fran- 
 
I 
 
 :i«^ 
 
 , ''TJ. iiii It '" ■_ 
 
 
 
 '•^t^ ijjs j:^a»6"f)?i iM 
 
 ••^' 
 
 ^^fi 
 
 r 'Ht,i''<' 1 1 
 
 •^ Ik-aill'taili 
 
 
 :>-/! 
 
 V*v/j. I 
 
 ■Tr-'f"- 
 
 
 
 i..->- 
 
 ^'^^ 
 
 ■'■i! 
 
 
 . ( 
 
 I 
 
 
 ir^. ,.4-^- 
 
 /f.i '..1 I «■« 
 
 I 
 
 >l^ 
 
 
 i.^" •'«».**a*.^J*«f»-''""^sj;''?5i!,v 
 
 
 f';^ 
 
 lanif^*- ? t. t ..3Wfe,- li^^' 
 
/•.^ c- I r I •r 
 
 /_ >K* i/' '•■IT'' 'i ' 
 
 -r-' 
 
 if 
 
 4^ 
 ■ir 
 
 ^^rj-vu... 
 
 i->As.i 
 
 \ ■ - ■ . • 
 
 ■ f'"i r 
 
 'TIlllJ.IlM I » '" 
 
 .r4iib'ijty 
 
 .i<: 
 
 IM<i>iiiiuik.|'T. ..■•>l-'<'- >--. . 
 
 K 
 
 A -' 
 
 •ji«l.-tl •" U I 
 
 >|.VP^Of 
 
 andnorthern portion of 
 THE SYSTEM or PA RCS. 
 
 y: 
 
 • ^ 
 
 /" 
 
 AJ^iAi^AlJiD'i: ^D. 
 
 
 
 
 'j - . •-•^; ^/i- .lb 
 
 
 >^^^ 
 
 
 
 
 ^_ j.ff_ 
 
 
 
 X 
 
 
 ^.-.l }.». 
 
 £i). 
 
 ^\>»rjf^ 
 
 UnMk. 
 
 
 /•■•■ >- 
 
 J. 
 
 V- 
 
 ^. llaiiiiTiik' 
 
 
 \»\ lllMllH-lll) 
 
 ■'^'^i:. 
 
 H 
 
 v^-^ 
 
 r%^-,/' 
 
 /f 
 
 ^^-•-^ 
 
 ^--■<Z_:\ . j^ 
 
 -4 iri 
 
I 
 
 In propoi 
 tiress now ca 
 researches ii 
 awed by the 
 grace and c( 
 
 The Moi 
 the most stii 
 innumerabk 
 nificance. 
 
 These arc 
 their s(jurc( 
 battlements 
 
 Each is I 
 rectitude o: 
 mountains, 
 generous w 
 
 In the h 
 tinents, the 
 wanting, or 
 in Asia: C 
 These bowl 
 tion. 
 
 The Tai 
 of superlat 
 
 KADO. 
 
 This Sys 
 Mortised c 
 tcned cone 
 surround t 
 radiate to i 
 
 Here is 
 America ! 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE SYSTEM OF THE PARCS. 
 
 In proportion as curiosity, warmed by the expanding energy of pro- 
 gress now every wliere palpitating with activity and fresh fire, extends our 
 researches into every detail of our entire country, we are astonished and 
 awed by the splendid magnitude of its architecture, and by the I'aultlesa 
 grace and consistency of its anatomy. 
 
 The Mountain System sparkles everywhere, and is checkered with 
 the most startling beauties. The special recurrence of Parcs, which are 
 innumerable, and are lavishly scattered over its area, has pre-eminent sij^- 
 nificance. 
 
 These are charming valleys, accompanying the rivers. They surround 
 their s(jurces, or expand from their channels, between the mountain 
 battlements, among which they flow. 
 
 Each is an amphitheatre. They maintain everywhere an undeviating 
 rectitude of pn^portion, fitted in size to the volume of the rivers and 
 mountains. Fertility and enchandng scenery mark them all. The most 
 generous woalth of streams and vegetation are unfailing. 
 
 In the latitudinal courses of the mountain structures of the other con- 
 tinents, the favorable sunshine being absent, this form of valleys is either 
 wanting, or they are unattractive. Those known to fame, are Kashmere 
 in Asia : Constance and Geneva, encased within the Alps of Europe. 
 These bowls are occupied by water surfaces, :md are unfitted for habita- 
 tion. 
 
 The Parcs of the North American Andes find their culmination 
 of superlative gi-andeur in the System of the Four Parcs of Colo- 
 rado. 
 
 This System towers over and crowns the whole Continental structure. 
 Mortised down, many thousand feet, into the ample expanse of the flat- 
 tened cone, encircled by all the other North American mountains, they 
 surround the sources and shed out all the grand arterial rivers, which 
 radiate to all the seas. 
 
 Here is the supreme dome, which surmounts the heart of North 
 America ! 
 
 77 
 
. '■""•■iiliil 
 
 ^»nHml 
 
 
 l'a«„ 
 
 --^ ' 
 
 :\ :^. 
 
 \ 
 
 1 1 ...1" '■'jiiii''. 
 
 "piid 
 
 ' f'lr* (r 
 
 '''«,„ i 
 
 ' ""■"■'••"-A j 
 
 Vi.t 
 
 ' Ol.DHAI),, 
 
 ^'UDrCiaiici'. 
 
 - ^^ ' z p X A t; 
 
 v^,.,; //vol'* 
 
 
 KI.MWIowWU 
 
 4 
 
 
 A P A C HE 
 
 r ■' ^^v 
 
 \^ 
 
 ?'i\V'WA\\ 
 
 \!ilf''4 
 
 *^Hi 
 
 »'* .S.B»i l„la^; 
 
 
 MAP 
 
 1 11 II si I'M lino II u»' >^ 
 
 S rSTEM OF i»Aau\s 
 
 I 
 
 //if 
 
 BmESM RELATIONS Of TmQmT PLAm, 
 IHK XOin 11 AMKUICAi ANDES, 
 
 UIhI lli(> 
 
 PACIFIC MARATmE rtRONT. 
 
 >'■ : K 
 
 
 
 J B L:pp,ncoti S Co Phi 
 
,:., II 
 
 *,- 
 
 1 
 
 i Ij '- -. 
 
 f» i. 
 
 I 
 
 ^^ n " 
 
 ARAPAHOESi 
 
 I .»«■; 
 
 I 
 
 i^: 
 
 .-i 
 
 :^~ 
 
 '"'■., 
 
 
 •^\.v^" 
 
 w 
 
 r«»»'i 
 
 F.n> 
 
 A 
 
 l,«wr»"' 
 
 s \) 
 
 
 
 . ^ 
 
 
 
 n feC E C 
 
 \ 
 
 .1^, 
 
 
 
 «7.i..*»""'""* 
 
 * l,,«rt>>"H ,, 
 
 L^ AX8 E rV'Ji.V;,,!.,. i</-^ Y 
 
 CHOCTAW 
 
 - V ~C-\*!iiUi!i-«.-,.. ) / \ «„■• NATION 
 
 ^^^ ^VtrO^* T R Y^-n.AT ION, 
 
 ,,...»««« 
 
 if 
 
 t 
 
 ■SB" 
 
78 
 
 THE SYSTEM OF THE PAllCS. 
 
 Favored by tlioir immense dimensions, rad screened by an uninhr- 
 rupted envelopo of primary mountain edifices ; the climatic elements 
 happily balanccjd ; j^ive to their atmosphere a i)eri>etual venial temperature ; 
 intense serenity and the most gorgeous splendor. 
 
 They are bisrctcil successively, through and through, by tlie o«e Iiun- 
 drcil and sixth meridian. 
 
 Each one siiii/fy is of marvellous size, excellence of form, and eminent 
 beauty. 
 
 Th(! group, as they are blended into one system, '? miraculous! This 
 springs from its dominating continental position: from the juxtaposition: 
 from the immediate contact : from the intense variety and supreme grace 
 illustrating every detail and i)ervading the entire structure. 
 
 Kestricted especially to the System of the Fouk Paucs of Colo- 
 rado, the S<iit Luis Pare is readily entered at the extreme north 
 through the Puncho Pa.ss, penetrating the Cordillera from the Arkansiis 
 Kiver. This pare, of ellii)tical form, and immense dimensions, is envel- 
 oped between the Cordillera and Sierra Mind)res. 
 
 It has its extreme northern point between these two Sierras, where they 
 separate l)y a sharp angle and diverge ; the former to the southeast, and 
 the latter to the southwest. 
 
 The latitude of the Puncho Pass is 38° 30', the longitude 100°. It is 
 one hundred and twenty-five miles saiithccst from Denver, and thirty- 
 seven miles due icest from Caiion City. 
 
 Emerging from the Puncho Pass, tlic waters begin to gather and form 
 the Sun Luis Jiivo: This flows to the south, through a valley of great 
 beauty, which rajiidly widens to the right and left. 
 
 On the east flank, the Cordillera ascends abruptly and continuously, 
 without any foot-hills, to a sharp, snowy summit. On the west, foot- 
 hills and secondary mountains, rising one above the other, entangle the 
 whole space of the Sierra Mimbres. 
 
 The Sawatch River has its source on the inner (eastcni) fhmk of the 
 Sierra Mimbres, about sixty miles south of its angle of divergence from 
 the Cordillera, and, by a course nearly east, converges toward the lower 
 San Luis Eiver. It enters upon the pare by a similar valley. 
 
 These two valleys expand into one another around this mass of foot- 
 hills, fusing into the open pare, whose centre is here occupied by the *S'"/( 
 Luis lAthc, into which the two rivers converge and discharge their waters. 
 
 The San Luis Lake, extending south from the point of the foot-hills, 
 occupies the centre of the pare for sixty miles. It forms a boid without 
 any outlet to its waters. It is encircled by immense saturated savannas 
 of luxuriant grass. 
 
THE SYSTEM OF THE PAllCS. 
 
 (9 
 
 Its water surface expands over this sncnnna during the season of tlie 
 multiiin' snows upon the Sierras, and shrinks when the season of evapora- 
 tion returns. From the flaiilvs of the Cordillera on the east, at intervals 
 ijf six or eiu'ht miles asunder, and at very e((ual distauw^, /uitrtecn streams 
 other than the San Luis, descend and converge into the San Luis Luke. 
 
 The belt of the sloping plain between the mountains and the lake, trav- 
 ersed by so many parallel streams, bordered by meadows and groves of 
 cottduwood-trees, has from this feature the name of " Los Alamos," It 
 is sixty miles in length and twenty wide. 
 
 On the opposite (^western) side from the flank of the Sierra ^Mimbres, 
 similar streams descend from the west into the lake, known as the Sa- 
 Kutcli, the Oinicro, and the (rarcfa. 
 
 Tiio confluent streams thus converging into the San Luis Lake are iiine- 
 (ei'ii ill luunbor. The area thus occupii;d by this isolated lake and drained into 
 it by its converging affluents, forming distinctly one-tliird of the whole 
 surface of the pare, is classified under the general name of '' lUncon." 
 
 Advancing onward to the south along the west edge of the plain, ten 
 miles, from the Gareta, the Eio del Norte Iliver issues from its mountain 
 gorge. Its .source is in the perpetual snows of the peaks of the San Juan., 
 the local name given to this stupendous culmination of the Sierra 
 Miiiibres. 
 
 The Del Norte flows from its extreme source due east one hundred and 
 fifty miles, and having reached the longitudinal middle o'.' \.\\c pare, turns 
 abruptly south, and, bisecting the pare for perhaps one hundred and fifty 
 mi/if, pas.ses beyond its rim in its course to the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 All the streams descending from the enveloping Sierras (other than tlie 
 Alamos) converge into it their tributary waters. On the west come in 
 successively the Pi'ntada, the Bio del G.cfa, the liio de la Gam, the 
 CoiKJos, the San Antonio and Piedra. 
 
 These streams, six or eight miles asunder, parallel, equidistant, fed 
 by the snows of the Sierra MimLres, have abundant waters, very fertile 
 areas of land, and are all of the very highest order of beauty. 
 
 Advancing again from the Rineon, at the eastern edge of the plain 
 along the base of the Cordillera, the prodigious conical mass of the Sierra 
 Blniica protrudes like a. vast hemisphere into the plain and blocks the 
 vision to the direct south. The road describes the arc of a semicircle 
 ai'oiiiid its ba.se for thirty miles and reaches Fort Garland. 
 
 In the immediate vicinity of Fcn-t Garland, the three large streams, the 
 Yuta, the Sangre de Cristo, and the Triuchera, descend from the Cor- 
 dillera, converge, unite a few miles west, and, bleiiding themselves in the 
 Triuchera, flow west twenty-four miles into the llio del Norte. 
 
 ^^i 
 
80 
 
 THE SYSTEM OF THE PAIICS. 
 
 The lino of the snowy Cordillera, hidden behind the bulk of the S!<rni 
 Blanca, here again reveals itself pursuing its regular sunthcast course and 
 direction. Fourteen miles south is reached the town of San Lni\s, upon 
 the Ciilehrti River ; seventeen miles farther is the town of Coitilfa, upon 
 Costilla River. 
 
 Fifteen miles farther the town of Bit o Colorado is reached : elylitxn miles 
 farther onward the Arroyo Hondo (between these is the San Cristoval ) ; 
 from the Arroyo Hondo to Taos is fourteen miles; twenty miles beyond 
 Taos is the mountain chain whose circle towards the west forms the 
 southern mountain barrier which encloses the San Luis Pare in that 
 direction. 
 
 The San Litis Pare is then an immense elliptical bowl, the bed of a 
 primeval sea which has been drained : its bottom, smooth as a water sur- 
 face, and concave, is 9400 square miles in area. It is watered by thirtj- 
 five mountain streams, which, descending from the encircling crest of 
 snow, converge nineteen into the San Luis Lake, the rest into the Rio del 
 Norte. 
 
 An extraordinary symmetry of configuration is its prominent feature. 
 The scenery, everywhere sublime, has the ever-changing variety of the 
 kaleidoscope. Entirely around the edge of the plain, and closing the 
 junction of the plain with the mountain's foot, runs a smooth glacis, 
 exactly resembling the sea-beach which accompanies the conjunction of 
 the land with the ocean. 
 
 From this heacli rise continuously, all around the horizon, the great 
 mountains, elevating their heads above the line of perpetual snow. On 
 the eastern side the escarpment of the Cordillera rises rapidly, and is 
 abrupt ; on the ivestern side the crest of the Sierra Mimhres is more re- 
 mote, having the interval filled with ridges, lessening in altitude as they 
 descend to the plain of the pare. 
 
 This continuous shelving flank of the Sierras, completing a perfect 
 amphitheatre, has a superficial area equal to that of the level plain which 
 ii envelopes, and gives to the whole enclosure within the encircling band 
 of snow an area of 18,000 square miles. 
 
 At an elevation of five or six thousand feet above the plain, a level line 
 upon the mountain wall marks the cessation of arborescence, above which 
 naked granite and snow alone are .seen. 
 
 To one who ascends to this elevation at any point, the whole interior 
 of this prodigious amphitheatre, displaying an elliptical area of 1 1 ,520,000 
 acres, is scanned by the eye and swept in at a single glance. Aided by a 
 glass, the smallest objects scattered over the immense elliptical area beneath 
 are discernible through the limpid, brilliant, and translucent atmosphere. 
 
THE SYSTEM OF THE PARCS. 
 
 81 
 
 bulk of the Sierra 
 iiif/iatsf course und 
 of S(tn Luis, upon 
 n of Costilla, upon 
 
 hed : eighteen iiiilofj 
 he San Cristoval ) ; 
 enty miles beyond 
 le west forms the 
 Luis Pare ill that 
 
 30wl, the bed of a 
 oth as a water sur- 
 watered by thirly- 
 ncircling crest of 
 3t into the Rio del 
 
 prominent feature. 
 ;ing variety of the 
 1, and closing the 
 a smooth glacis, 
 he conjunction of 
 
 horizon, the great 
 petual snow. On 
 es rapidly, and is 
 imbres is more re- 
 in altitude as they 
 
 iipleting a perfect 
 
 level plain which 
 
 le encircling band 
 
 1 plain, a level line 
 snce, above which 
 
 he whole interior 
 rea of 11,520,000 
 nee. Aided by a 
 )tical area beneath 
 icent atmosphere. 
 
 Two facts impress themselves upon tlie senses : the perfect symmetry 
 of configuration in nature, and the intense variety in the form and sjjlen- 
 d(ir of the landscape. The colors of the sky and atniosjihere are intensely 
 vivid and gorgeous ; the dissolving tints of light and shade are forever 
 intorcliaiiging ; they are as infinite as are the altering angles of the solar 
 ravs in his diurnal circuit. 
 
 Tlie average elevation of the plain above the sea-level is G-lOO feet. 
 Tlic highest peaks have an altitude of 1(5,000 feet above the sea. In the 
 serrated rim of the pare, as seen from the plain, jtrojected against the 
 canopy, are discernible seventeen peaks, at very equal distances from one 
 anotlier. Each one differs from all the rest in some j)eculiarity of shape 
 and position. Each one identifies it.self by some striking beauty. From 
 the snows of each one descends .some considerable river, as well within the 
 pare, as outward down the external mountain back. 
 
 We recognize, therefore, in the San Luis Pare an immense elliptical 
 basin, envelojiing the .sources of the Kio Bravo del Norte. It is isolated 
 in the heart of the continent, 1200 miles from any sea. It is mortised, 
 as it were, in the midst of the vast mountain bulk, where, rising gradu- 
 ally from the oceans, the highest altitude and amplitude of the continent 
 is attained. 
 
 This pare spreads its plain from 3G° to 38° 30', cand is bisected by the 
 lOGth meridian. Its greatest length is 210 miles; its greatest width is 
 10(1 miles ; its aggregate approximate area is 18,000 .square miles. 
 
 Such being the gcoyrapliical position, altitude, and peculiar unique eon- 
 figuration, these features suggest the inquiry into parallel peculiarities of 
 meteiirolorjfj, geology, physical structure, agriculture, mineralogy, and the 
 economy of labor. 
 
 The Anieri< an people have heretofore developed their social system exclu- 
 .sively on the borders of the two oceans, and within the maritime valleys 
 of moderate altitude, having navigation and an atmosphere influenced by 
 the sea. To them, then, the contrast is complete in every teature, in these 
 high and remote altitudes, beyond all influence of the ocean, and specially 
 continental. 
 
 There is an identity between the " Valley or Pare of the City of 
 Mexico" and the San Luis Pare which ought to be here mentioned. They 
 are similar ticin basins of the great Plateau, classifying together in the 
 physical structure of the continent. Mexico is in latitude 20°, longitude 
 99°, and has an altitude of 7500 feet. 
 
 The width of the continent is here 575 miles from ocean to ocean, and 
 the divergence of the Cordilleras is 275 miles, which here is the width of 
 the Plateau. 
 
 6 
 
82 
 
 THE SYSTEM OF THE PAIiCS. 
 
 At the yOtli ck'jireo, the continent expands to a width of U^OO miles 
 between the oceans ; the Cordilleras have diverj^ed 12U0 miles asnnder, 
 and the Platkau has widened to tlie same dimensions. In liannony with 
 tlie great expansion of tlie continent are all the details of its interiur 
 structure. 
 
 The •' J'aic of the Q'ti/ of Mexico" is but one-tenth in size and ;^r;in- 
 deur as compared and contrasted witli the 8an Luis Pare. It has an area, 
 including tlie water surface of five lakes, of 1,278,720 acres. Of identical 
 anatomy, the former is a pigmy ; the latter a giant. The similitude as coni- 
 ]) 'uent parts of the mountain anatomy is in all respects absolute, as is also 
 tiiie of the other pares, which occupy longitudinally the centre of the 
 State of Colorado. 
 
 In .METKOKOLOGY the atmo.«i)herie condition of the San Luis ])are, like 
 its scenery, is one of constant brilliancy, both by day and nigiit ; obey- 
 ing steady laws, yet alternating with a playful methodical fickleness. 
 
 There are no prolonged vernal or autumnal seasons. Summer and win- 
 ter divide the year. Both are characterized by mildness of temperature, 
 A-fter the (iiittininal c([uinox, the snows begin to accumulate on the moun- 
 tains. After the vernal equinox they dis.solve. The formation of light 
 clouds upon the crest of the Sierras is incessant. 
 
 The meridian sun retains its vitalizing heat around the year ; at mid- 
 night prevails a corresponding tonie coolness. The clouds are wafted away 
 by steady atmospheric currents coming from the west. They rarely inter- 
 rupt the sunshine, but, refracting his rays, imbue the canopy with a sliining 
 silver light, at once intense and brilliant. The atmospliere and climate 
 arc essentially cuntinental, being uninterruptedly salubrious, brilliant, and 
 tonie. 
 
 The flanks of the great mountains, bathed by the embrace of these irri- 
 gating clouds, are clad with great forests of pine, fir, spruce, hemlock, 
 aspen, oak, cedar, pifion, and a variety of smaller fruiL-trees and shrubs, 
 which protect the sources of the springs and rivulets. 
 
 Among the forests, alternate mountain meadows of luxuriant and 
 nutritious grass. The ascending clouds, rarely condensed, furnish little 
 irrigation at the depressed elevation of the plains, which are destitute 
 of timber but clothed in grass. These delicate grasses, growing rapidly 
 during the annual melting of the snows, cure into hay as the aridity 
 of the atmosphere returns. They form perennial pastures, and supply 
 the winter food of the aboriginal cattle, everywhere indigenous and abun- 
 
 lant. 
 
 An infinite variety in temper and temperature is suggested as flowing 
 from the juxtaposition of extreme altitudes and depressions ; permanent 
 
 snows, runnii 
 rivers. Nat i 
 is propitious 
 
 The foiifji/ 
 anil of the e\ 
 suiinuits; tin 
 
 Within th 
 when the sun 
 mlder atmos 
 atmospheres 
 each one tem 
 
 The snows 
 accumulation 
 tion, as in a 
 manner temp 
 •stantly main 
 maturity. 
 
 Storms of 
 uiiiforndy d 
 soothing sen 
 ually exposec 
 seen. Moder 
 tact of elem( 
 
 The critic 
 scrutinizing 
 variety of na 
 healthy aetit 
 
 There is 
 health and 
 compelling ] 
 inhaled, and 
 the atmosph 
 rupted, stim 
 All of thes( 
 salubrity of 
 tonic taste s 
 petual activi 
 As to its 
 degree inter 
 and in ordei 
 science and 
 
THE SYSTEM OF THE PAliCS. 
 
 8:5 
 
 ndth of 9500 iiiilea 
 1200 niilus asunder, 
 In harmony with 
 
 jtails of itH inti'iinr 
 
 til in size and uran- 
 'arc. It has an area, 
 acres. Of idi'ntiual 
 ic similitude' as com- 
 ts absolute, as is also 
 y the centre of tlie 
 
 ; San Luis pare, like 
 y and nijjiit ; obey- 
 lieal fickleness. 
 
 Summer and wiu- 
 uess of temperature, 
 nulate on the moun- 
 3 formation of light 
 
 \ the year ; at mid- 
 uds are wafted away 
 . They rarely inter- 
 anopy with a shining 
 losphere and climate 
 brious, brilliant, and 
 
 mbrace of these irri- 
 [ir, spruce, hemlock, 
 iiiL-trees and shrubs, 
 
 s of luxuriant and 
 lensed, furnish little 
 which are destitute 
 ses, growing rapidly 
 hay as the aridity 
 )astures, and supply 
 adigenous and abun- 
 
 mggested as flowing 
 ressions ; permanent 
 
 gnows, running rivers, and the coneentrie courses of the mountains and 
 rivers. Nature is benignant a. graceful throughout her wliole plan, and 
 is pro)iitious in the working of all her laws and in every element. 
 
 The /oiii/itiiifiiKif Sierras receive and absorb the glory of the morning 
 and of the evening sun upijii their fl:.iiks, the noontide beams upon their 
 summits ; they cast no chilling shadow. 
 
 Within the bowl of the pare, the heat of the shining sun accumulates; 
 when the sun has .set, this heatud atmosphere ascends ; simultaneously the 
 colder atmosphere descends from the engirdling rim of snow. These 
 atmospheres permeate broadcast the one the other, through and through ; 
 each one tempers the other by this play of natural transition. 
 
 The snows of the altitudes are constantly attacked and their excessive 
 accumulation defeated : no glaciers form to enclose the rf)cks and vegeta- 
 tion, as in a perpetual tomb. The heat of the concave jilaiii is in a 1 e 
 manner tempered to a genial standard ; irrigation and the streams are con- 
 stantly maintained; vegetation con.stantly and as unitbrmly nuraired d 
 maturity. 
 
 Storms of rain and wind are neither fro(|uent nor lasting. The air is 
 uniforndy dry, having a racy freshness and an exhilarating taste. A 
 soothing serenity is the prevailing impression upon those who live perpet- 
 ually exposed to the seasons. Mud is never anywhere or at any time 
 seen. 3Ioderation and concord appear to result from the presence and con- 
 tact of elements so various. 
 
 The critical coiu;lusions to which a rigid study of nature brings the 
 scrutinizing mind are the reverse of first impressions. The multitudinous 
 variety of nature adjusts it.self with a delicate harmony wMch brings into 
 healthy action the imhixfriid energies. 
 
 There is no use for the practice of jirofessional pharmacy. Chronic 
 health and longevity characterize animal life. The envelope of cloud- 
 compelling peaks: the seclusion from the oceans: the rarity of the air 
 inhaled, and tlie absence of humidity: disinfect the earth, tlie water, and 
 the atmosphere of exhalations and niidswas. Health, .ound and uninter- 
 rupted, stinudates and sustains a high state of mental and physical energy. 
 All of these are burnished, as it were, by the perpetual brilliancy and 
 salubrity of the atmosphere and landscaj)e ; whose unfailing beauty and 
 tonic taste stimulate and invite the physical and mental energies to per- 
 petual activity. 
 
 As to its GEOLOGY and minerals, the San Luis Pare is in the highest 
 degree interesting and remarkable. It is found to contain, intermingled 
 and in order, a complete epitome of all the elements of which geological 
 science and research take note. Its intramural locality between the jiri- 
 
84 
 
 rUK SYSTEM Of THE I'AKCS. 
 
 iiii'Viil crests (if tlu! ('(irdillora, on tlic cKsf, and tlic Sierra .Miinlircs 
 (In re (Mtlk'tl tlu^ •• Suit Juan' ), on tlie u:<nt, iuiiUi|iliL'S tliU variety iiiilel- 
 initely. 
 
 'I'lies(> iin'nnin/ Sierras, se)ianite(l by tlit; ]iare, face (iiir amttlier in full 
 si^iit, as tliey rear their flanivs Irmii tlie (ipiidsite edjjies of the concave 
 phiiu. The successive |)o. iods a?id stiijiendoiis forces whicli liave cxiicndcd 
 themselves to jirodiiee what is in siuht, and then subsided to an ttcrnal 
 rest.eacli jiarlicularly nianifiwts itself • 
 
 'J'lie ciiiitl) <>/ t/ir Si'crni jiresents the j)rodijj:ious jilates of jirluirnd 
 jiorphyry driven u]), as the sul)S()il of a furrow, from the lowest teiTestrial 
 crust and protrudinj;' their vertical edp's toward the sky. 
 
 Till' summit, yielding to tins corrodintr forces. ])res«'nts a wedj^o toward 
 the canopy; is arranged in lu'aks resemlilini: the teeth of a .siw, is above 
 all arborescence, and is either c'ud in jierjietual snow, or is bald rock. 
 
 Again-st this is lapped perpendicularly the s«wond stratum, less by many 
 thousand feet in altitude, its top forming a liinn or bench. This IkikIi 
 being the rended edge of tlm erupt<'d stratum, softer than the first and 
 receiving the debris from above, has a deep, fertile soil, a luxuriant (///////<■ 
 vegetation, forests of tir and aspen, and is the /ily/iist region of arborescence 
 and vegetable growth. 
 
 This is the region (if rocks, when^ thci metals, rsjK'violli/ ijolil tiiul sifnr, 
 ab(»und in crevices charged and infused with the richest ort-s. It is from 
 hence that the gold of the gulches is disintegnitcd and descends. Here 
 are springs of water and the sources of rivei-s. The timber is excellent 
 and the pastures of various grassi>s luxuriant and inexhaustible. Swept 
 by a.scending currents of vapor, irrigation is constant. 
 
 This elevated (tench is a permanent characteristic of the mountain 
 flank, continuous as the continent Itmlf ; a colo.s.sal stairca.se, whose step.s 
 are themselves of mountain magnitude. It is here, at these surfaces of 
 contact of the erupted jilates of the lowest terrestrial crust, that the 
 thread of the ^^ gold belt' is revealed and found. From this thread, as 
 friiuj a core outward, the precious metals taper in quantity and become 
 diluted in the immensity of the rocks, as a hill of rock salt di.sapjiears 
 to the eye, dissolved in the immensity of the ocean. 
 
 The top of this continuous bench is undulating, broad, and occasionally 
 crossed by transverse ridges and the chasms f)f water-courses descending 
 from above. The front flank of this bench forms the stujiendous esca.p- 
 meiit of the mountains, everywhere lofty and precipitous. It is cut through 
 by imuuuerable streams, up whose g*" i ?es access to the upper regions is 
 attained, and the internal contents, the intestines, as it were, of the rocks 
 arc revealed to sight and search. 
 
THE SYSTEM Of THE rA/lCS. 
 
 85 
 
 lit' Sicrni Miiiilircs 
 s tliirt variety inild'- 
 
 oiii iinofhcr ill lull 
 }X('ti of tlu' cinicavo 
 
 I it'll have oxficiiditl 
 ).>*i(lftl tti an i'tt'i'iial 
 
 Jilatos of ]in'itirnil 
 it> lowest torTL'-Htrial 
 
 vV. 
 
 iits a wt'ilgt^ ttivard 
 I tif a siw, is aliove 
 or is V)ald rock, 
 ratuin, less l)y many 
 ln'iiih. Tliis /itiiili 
 than tlu' first and 
 a luxuriant ii//iiiii- 
 fiitui of urbttrcsft'ia't) 
 
 nfli/ f/»/(/ fiinf si/rrr, 
 ?.st ores. It is from 
 ntl descends. Here 
 tiinl)er is excellent 
 'xhauHtil)le. Swept 
 
 c of the mountain 
 airease, wliose steps 
 it these surfaces of 
 rial crust, that the 
 •om this thread, as 
 lantity aiitl become 
 t)ck sidt disajjiiears 
 
 id, and occasitmally 
 -courses descend i n^ 
 
 stujtendtius esca.p- 
 ^. It iscut throufrh 
 he upper regions is 
 
 were, of the rocks 
 
 Forming the pediment tif this stupentjoiis mural escarjiment i* the 
 ficDinl liinii or /i)iic/i (being the lowest) in the general mountain descent. 
 Here the approailiing elevation ttf tlie plain: the iinrease in >ize of tlie 
 streams: thi; aeeuinulatiiig di'-biis fntm above, ami the iiierea.'M-d atmo<- 
 iiheiic aln-asitin ; all unite to til)literite the an^'ularitv of the rocks, and 
 
 impair the striking distinctness of forunition. 
 
 l-'oi'ests of pine anti tlecitlutiiis trees prevail. The flora ami vegt-t.-itioii 
 is aliiintlant and varit)us. The atnitisjiheric irrigation becomes uneertain. 
 anil tlu? rocks are covereil with soil or tht! fragments of their own siiper- 
 ticial ilestniction. Immetliately following is the hni'd space occupietl by 
 the fusion t)f the mountain ba.se and the plain gen ..scemling to meet 
 it. Here is a profile infinitely imU'iitetl ami broken : alternately tlie slop- 
 ing ritlge.s ]irtitrutle their ribs into the ]>lain, aiitl the plain a<lvanees its 
 valleys between them, to receive the streams. This is the region of the 
 j)(iiri'rs. wliere is cheekeil in its tlescent ami lotlgetl beneath the alluvial 
 soil the free goltl washetl down by torrents from the overlianging >iimmit.-. 
 
 This skett'ii of tl 
 
 le iniiiiK 
 
 //structure ami eonfiiruration of the Conlillera 
 
 is illustratetl by a checkered list t)f tletails in its minute element>. The 
 jirimrral rocks, K.atetl to ineamlescence. rest in their vertical jMisitimis un- 
 alteretl frtuu their oriiiinal form ; thev have been roasted but not li<iuefi)'<l. 
 
 isuni, ui> 
 
 |U. 
 
 liftetl on lii^'h but imt tit 
 
 Original strata of limestone ami gyj 
 strtiyed, re.st ujioii the summits as a tt)rii hat. (lypsum. limestone, .slates, 
 
 clavs. sluue, ear 
 
 ths 
 
 an 
 
 d salts are thus found near the hiirhest summit.s 
 
 The ilecay of the secomlary rocks gives extraortlinary fertility to the 
 niiiuntain flanks, ami tt) the alluvial btittoms below. Hence the luxuriance 
 of the arboreseenee, the pastures, and the flora. 
 
 The altituile of the summits gathei-s ami retains the snows, whos«^ gla- 
 ciers give birth tt) innumerable rivers. These gash the jirecipitous flanks 
 with chasms, up which mails ascend. The ct)m{)osition of the rotk.-* i> 
 here revealetl ; the mysteries of their interior contents are unravelletl. ami 
 the set^retion.s of nature subjected tti the human eye and hand. 
 
 Thus, then, erects itself the prlutfrnl C't>rdillera. constructed of hori- 
 zontal plate.s, vertically thrown uj) by stupendt)us volcanic forc»»s. parvially 
 altered and rt)asted by incandescent heat, but neither destroyed nor recjLst 
 ill form. The secondary rocks are tos.sed and scattered high in the up|>«T 
 regions, but are ni)t calcinetl by flame. 
 
 The metallic ores are as various as the variety of the rocks, fnrtflud by 
 heat and exposed by upheaval and corrosit)n. Xo lava, no pumice, no 
 obsidian, nothing of melted matter from the Plutonic region is seen. This 
 furrowing of the terrestrial crust has alone occuiiied and exhaustetl the 
 stupendous volcanic throes of the subterranean world of fire. 
 
 ~ 
 
1^ 
 
 % 
 
 |j|d 
 
 t ■ 
 
 
 s ^B^^^H 
 
 >i- 
 
 
 , ^■•r(SP 
 
 t. 
 
 
 ^ ;mi^3* 
 
 
 
 •'"ffi 
 
 •f' 
 
 Ual^ 
 
 J^^AiwIw 
 
 
 . 
 
 wlilKi 
 
 %t 
 
 L' .. . 
 
 /yP^ 
 
 
 ;lsi 
 
 
 
 r4#K --'i 
 
86 
 
 THE SYSTEM OF THE PA II OS. 
 
 
 The Sierra Mimbhes, forming the western envelope of the Pare, is 
 not dissimilar to the thnllUcrd in its origin, composition, and configura- 
 tion. Rising from the level of the great Plateau, it is of inferior bulk 
 and rank. It forms the backbone from whose contrasted flanks descend 
 the waters of the Rio del Norte, on the cast, and the Rio Colorado, on 
 the tcvst. 
 
 Craters of extinct volcanoes are nunun'ous ; streams of lava, once ]i((uid, 
 abound , pedriijah of semi-crystalline basalt submerge and cover the val- 
 ley into which they have flowed, and over which they have liardened. 
 
 This Sierra, then, has a general direction from north to south, corre- 
 sponding with the lO'Jth meridian. It has all the characteristics in minld- 
 tiirc of the Cordillera, but is checkered and interrupted by the escape of 
 subterranean fires, having areas overflowed and buried beneath the erupted 
 current. Where the nascent springs of the Rio del \orte have their birth, 
 the Sierra Mimbres culminates to stupendous peaks of perennial snow, 
 local/// named Sierra San Juan. 
 
 The concave plain of the San Luis Pare, begirt by this clUpttcal zone of the 
 Sierras, thus capped with a ragged fringe of snow projcicted ujiward against 
 the canopy, is the receptacle of their converging waters. It is a bowl 
 of va.st amplitude. It has for countless ages re(;eived and kept the sedi- 
 mentary settlings of so prodigious a circuit of the Sierras. It is builded 
 up with every variety of form, structure, and geological elements elsewhere 
 found to enter into the architecture of nature. 
 
 Hither descend the currents of water, of the atmo.sphere, of lava. The 
 rocks rent from the naked pinnacles, tortured by the intense vicissitudes 
 which assail them ; the fragments rolled by the j)erpetnal ])re.S!<ure of 
 gravitj' upon the descending sloj)es ; the sands and .soils from the founda- 
 tions of rocks and clays of every gradation of hardness; the liumm of 
 expired forests and annual vegetation ; elements carbonized by transient 
 tires ; organic decay ; all these elements descend, intermingle, and accu- 
 mulate. 
 
 This roiicavc plain is, then, a bowl filled with sedimentary drift, covered 
 with soil, and varnished over, as it were, with vegetation. The northern 
 dej)artment of Rincon, closely embraced by the Sierras, and occupied by 
 the San Luis Lake, is a va.st savanna deposited frouj the filtration of the 
 waters, highly imj)regnated with the mountain <li'lnis. Beneath this soil 
 is a continuous pavement of peat, which maintains the saturation of the 
 super-soil, and is admirable for fuel. 
 
 The middle region of the j)lain, longitudinally, displays a crater of the 
 most perfect form. The intericn- pit has a diameter of twenty miles, from 
 the centre of which is seen the circumferent wall forming an exact circle, 
 
 and in height fiv 
 lava, pumice, calc: 
 obsidian. 
 
 This circumfen 
 
 departure of the 1 
 
 traverse the nortl 
 
 ]iy this and ot 
 
 into isi)latcd hill 
 
 dinary beauty of 
 
 filled up with tlu 
 
 introduced by tl 
 
 bevelled by thesi 
 
 drained through 
 
 Fivm this cri 
 
 Pare exjiands ov 
 
 volcanic activity 
 
 Rio del Norte, \ 
 
 or caiion of per] 
 
 feet, where it di 
 
 the village of L 
 
 Such are thi 
 
 which nature hj 
 
 pansion of the 1: 
 
 Toward the no 
 
 defeated eflPort t 
 
 Such is an in 
 
 ras. Its physii 
 
 of nature piled 
 
 mony ; its eloi 
 
 portions ; its c 
 
 brilliancy, tonit 
 
 excellence, grai 
 
 mines and miu 
 
 salts, and fuel ; 
 
 fruits, meat, \ 
 
 ment which bit 
 
 voke, stimulate 
 
 Entrance ar 
 
 convenient pa: 
 
 pass and ever 
 
 structed at an 
 
THE SYSTEM OF THE PARCS. 
 
 87 
 
 and in height five hundred ft'ct. This wall is a barranca, composed of 
 lava, luunice, calcined lime, metamorphosed sandsftone, vitrified roi ks, and 
 obsidian. 
 
 Tliis circuniferent barranca is perforated through by the entrance and 
 departure of the Rio del Norte, the Culebra, and the Costilla liivers, which 
 tra.crso the northern, western, and southern edges of the interior. 
 
 ]{y this and other forces of corrosion this barranca is on three sides cut 
 into isolated hills, called cerritos, of every fantastic form and of extraor- 
 dinary beauty of shape and tints. The bottom of the crater has been 
 filled up with the .soils resulting from tlie decay of this variety of material, 
 iiitroducefl by the currents of the water and of the atmosjdiere. It is 
 bevelled by tliese forces to a perfect level ; is of the fattest fertility, and 
 drained through the porous formation which underlies it. 
 
 Fr(j))i this crater to its southern rim, a distance of sixty-five miles, the 
 Pare expands over a prodigious jjt(//vV/(//, formed from it in the period of 
 volcanic activity. This pedrigal retains its level, and is perforated by the 
 llio del Norte, whose longitudinal course is confined in a profound chasm 
 or caiiou of perpendicular walls of lava, increasing to the depth of 1200 
 feet, where it debouches froui the jaws of this gigantic flood of lava, near 
 the village of La Joya, in New Mexico. 
 
 Such are the extraordinary forms and stupendous dimensions with 
 which nature hjre salutes the eye and astoni.shes the imagination. The ex- 
 jiansion of the lava is all to the .-outh, following the descent toward the sea. 
 Toward the north, repelled by the ascent, are waves demonstrating the 
 defeated efl'ort to climb the mountain base. 
 
 Such is an imperfect sketch of this wonderful amphitheatre of the Sier- 
 ras. Its physical structure, infinitely complex, exhibiting all the elements 
 of nature piled in contact, yet .set together in order and arranged in har- 
 mony ; its cloud-v_.upelling Sierras, of stern primeval matter and pro- 
 portions; its concave basin of fat fertility; its atmosphere of dazzling 
 brilliancy, tonic temperature, and gorgeous tints ; its arable and ixmtoral 
 excellence, grand forests, and multitude of streams ; its infinite variety of 
 mines and minerals, embracing the whole catalogue of metals, rocks, clays, 
 salts, and fuel ; its capacity to produce grain, flax, wool, hides, vegetables, 
 fruits, uieat, poultry, and dairy food ; the compact economy of arrange- 
 ment which blends and interfuses all these varieties ; these combine to pro- 
 voke, stimulate, and reward the taste for pliysical and mental labor. 
 
 Entrance and exit over the rim of the pare is everywhere made easy by 
 convenient passes. Roads re-enter upon it from all points of the com- 
 pass and every portion of the surrounding continent. These are not ob- 
 structed at any season. 
 
88 
 
 THE SYSTEM OF THE PARCS. 
 
 On the north is the Puneho Pass, leadiuji' to the Upper Arkansas River, 
 and into the South Pare, On the enat, the Moscha and Sanjiio di Ciisto 
 Passes debouch iuiniediately ujm)ii the Gnat PlaiiDi. On the sniith is the 
 channel of tlie Rio del Norte. On tlie west, easy roads diverjic to the 
 rivers Chanias, San Juun, and toward Arizona. In the nurt/iircxt tlie 
 Coclia-to-pee opens to the Great Salt Lake and the Pacific. Convenient 
 thoroughfares and excellent roads converge from all points, and diverge 
 with the same facility. 
 
 T/ie si/sfem of the four pares, extending to the north, indefinitely anijdi- 
 fies and repeats all that characterizes the San Luis Pare. Smaller in size 
 and less illustrated by variety, each one of 'lie three by itself lingers be- 
 hind the San Luis, but is an e(jual ornament in the same liimily. Their 
 graceful forms, their happy harmony of contact and position, make their 
 aggregated attractions the fascinating charm and glory of the American 
 continent. 
 
 The abundance and variety of hot springK, of every modulation of tem- 
 perature, is very great. These are abo equalled by waters of medicinal 
 virtues. It has been the paradise of the aboriginal stock, elsewhere so 
 abundant and various. Fish, water-fowl, and birds of game and song and 
 brilliant plumage frequent the streams and groves. Animal life is infi- 
 nite in (juantity and abundantly various. 
 
 The Atmosi'HERic curre.nts, which sweep away every exhalation and 
 all traces of malaria and miasma, have an undeviating rotation. These 
 currents are necessarily vertical in direction and equable in force, alter- 
 nating smoothly- as land and sea currents of the tropical islands of the 
 ocean. The sileuee and serenity of the atniosj)here are not ruffled ; the 
 changing temperature alone indicates tlie n:otion of nature. 
 
 All around the cWy>^((Y*/ circumference of the plain, following, as it were, 
 its shore, and bending with the indented base of the mountains, is an un- 
 interrupted road of unparalleled excellence. This circuit is five hundred 
 miles in lengtli, and is graced with a landscape of uninterrupted grandeur, 
 variety, and beauty. 
 
 On the one hand the mountains, on the other hand the conatvc plain 
 diversified with groves of alamos and volcanic cerritos. At short inter- 
 vals of five or ten miles asunder, are cro.ssed the swift running currents 
 and fertile meadows of the converging mountain streams. Ifot spriii(/s 
 mingle their warm water with all ihese streams, which swarm with delicate 
 fish and water-fowl. 
 
 The works of the beaver and otter are everywhere encountered, and 
 water-power for machinery is of singularly universal distribution. Agri- 
 culture classifies itself into j'untimii iu\d (iriM-j the former subsisting on 
 
THE SYSTEM OF THE PAIICS. 
 
 89 
 
 the iierennial grasses ; the latter upon irrigation everywhere attiiined by 
 the streams and artificial aze<(uias. 
 
 Tliis concarc eonfiguration and symmetry of structure is remarkably 
 projiitious to economy of labor and jiroduetion, favored by the juxtaposi- 
 tion :uid variety of material, by the short and easy transport, and by tlie 
 benignant atmosphere. 
 
 The supreme excellence of position, structure, and productions thus 
 grouped within the system of the Paucs of Colcirado, occujiying the 
 heart of the continental home of the American people, is conclusively dis- 
 cernilile. Here is the focus of the mountains, of the great rivers, and 
 of the metals of the continent. 
 
 The great rivers have here their extreme sources, which interlock and 
 form innumerable and convenient passes from sea to sea. From these they 
 descend smoothly to both oceans by continuous gradations. The jtarcs 
 occupy the for fifth ilct/nc, and offer the facilities for a lodgment in force, 
 at the highest altitude. JJcie the .supreme divide of the continent exists, 
 half-way between the trough of the Mississijipi and the Pacific shore. 
 Being immediately approachable over the Great Plains, their m'nes of 
 precious metals are the nearest in the wt)rld to the social mas.ses of the 
 American people and to their great commercial cit'.es. Their accessibility 
 is perfect. 
 
 All the elements of a perfect economy, food, health, geographical posi- 
 tion, innumerable mines of the richest ores and every variety, erect, assist, 
 and fortify one another. Within and around this parr, so grand in dimen- 
 sions and harmonious in structure and locality, is preparing itself the 
 mining laboratory of the world. 
 
 The rare economy in architecture, climate, inter-oceanic convenience, 
 prolific food, miscellaneous materials and metals, constitute and locate here 
 the pi I riit/oti iiufeed of all geographical positions. 
 
 The San Luis Pare has tivintij-four thousaml population. These j)eople 
 are fif the ^lexican-Anunican race. Since the conquest of Cortez, a.d. 
 1520, the JA',»/<v/H peoj)Ie have acquired and adopted the language, and in 
 modified forms, *he ])olitical and social systems of their European rulers. 
 A taste for seclusion has always characterized the aburiyinal masses, height- 
 ened by the geographical configuration of their peculiar territory. 
 
 Upon the Pl.ATKAi:, elevated 7000 feet above the oceans, and encased 
 within an uninterrupted barrier of snow, reside 9,000,000 of homogeneous 
 people. An instinctive terror of the ocean, of the torrid heats aiul mala- 
 rious atmosphere of the narrow coast on either sea, perpetually haunts the 
 natives of the Pi.ATKAir. 
 
 To them navigation is unknown, and maritime life is abhorrent. The 
 
90 
 
 THE SYSTEM OF THE PARCS. 
 
 industrial enorjiles of the people, always active and elastic, and always 
 recoiling' from the sea, have expanded to the north, following the longi- 
 tudinal direction of the great rivere. T]t!s column of 2)ro(jri:.ss advances 
 from xDiitli to north ; it ascends the Rio Bravo del Norte ; it has reached 
 and permanently occupies the soutlwrn half of the San Luis Pare. 
 
 At the same moment the column of the American people, advancing in 
 forc(! across the middle belt of the continent, from cast to iccsf, is solidly 
 lodged upon the eastern flank of the Cordillera, and is everywhere enter- 
 ing the pares through its passes. 
 
 These two American populations, all of the Christian faith, here meet 
 front to front, harmonize, intermarry, and reinvigorate the blended mass 
 with the peculiar domestic accomplishments of each other. 
 
 The Mexican contributes his primitive skill, inherited for centuries 
 without change, in the manij)ulations o^ jiastoral and 7/(/;(//(^ industry, 
 and in the tillage of the soil by artificial irrigation. The American adds 
 to these machinery and the intelligence of expansive progress. The grafted 
 stock has the sap of both. 
 
 As the coming continental railways hasten to bind together our people 
 isolated on the .seas, A LONGITUDINAL RAILWAY of 2000 miles will unite 
 with these in their middle course, bisecting the Territory, States, and cities 
 of 10,(100,000 of affiliated people. This will fuse and harmonize the iso- 
 lated populations of our continent into one people, in all the relations of 
 commerce, affinity, and concord. 
 
tic, and always 
 iviiig the loiiyi- 
 yress advances 
 
 it has reached 
 is Pare. 
 e, advancing in 
 
 west, is solidly 
 erywhcre cnter- 
 
 lith, here meet 
 10 blended mass 
 
 d for centuries 
 iiiiin(/ industry, 
 A)iii:ricaii, adds 
 ss. The grafted 
 
 !ther our people 
 miles will unite 
 tates, and cities 
 nionize the iso- 
 10 relations of 
 
I.">0 ll.'i ltd Li.". L!" l-'i l.'l' ll.'> 111* In:, 11)11 !).•. Ml) Jl.'. iU> 
 
 )im^ 
 
 <aSmSy. 
 
iio 
 
 it> 
 
 
 ^P*.syif ^ 
 
 
 
 4-' 
 
 H 
 
 Ol 
 
 ■j5~-;v 
 
 
 \ 
 
 ..,v<' 
 
 rfV"^ 
 
 i^wfV' 
 
 
To the Aniei 
 our I'litirc c(juii 
 stood, ii vision 
 
 Tlu'ie is rev( 
 jiiissed, an iiscci 
 
 It is here tlii 
 CAN 1'KC»1'LE I 
 heart a j)ious p 
 
 Here are uni 
 fnrcca. All of 
 turo of a poll I 
 attainable hy o 
 
 P^niinent am 
 
 Tf a navipit 
 v>rtlcnJ})j into 
 one, de<jrre of 
 altitude of 2; 
 
 At or about 
 perpetual zero 
 
 Tf he shall 
 north pole, it 
 miles, to expc 
 has been encoi 
 
 AVe will 
 changes pecul 
 
 One who ti 
 citrcoim plain, 
 the sugar belt 
 cattle, and s\v 
 At length, the 
 consequently 
 
t? 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 TIIKKMAL AMEKICA. 
 
 To tlie Anicriciiii who onnniihfrs in'f/iiii his minful yhuicr cvory detail of 
 our entire country, from a position correetly seleeteil and riulitly under- 
 stood, a vision of unjiaralleled splendor is unveiled. 
 
 There i.s revealed to him a nasseent supremacy over all iliin<rs that arc 
 pa.'^sed, an ascendency to which futurity can evolve no hojieful rival. 
 
 It is htre that the ])re-eminently divine jiifts, vcmchsafed to the Ameri- 
 can People hy God throvgh Xatiirr, speak out and enforce from every 
 heart a i)ious prayer of thanksjrivintr. 
 
 Here are united, in sjieeial majiiiitude, a variety of iinr ponrrs and fWsh 
 forces. All of these combine to dictate, and are auspicious to, the struc- 
 ture of a political society of vast dimensions, upon the hij^hest level 
 attainahlc hy energetic intelligence, — order and mental culture. 
 
 Kminent among these gifts is TiiEii.M.\L Sciknte. 
 
 If a navigator, in the mid-oeean and beneath the ecpiator, .shall ascend 
 rerticn/hy into the atmosphere, as in a balloon, he will experience a fall of 
 one degree of annual menu lieat, as evidenced by the thermometer, at the 
 altitude of 259 feet. 
 
 At or about an altitude of 20,000 feet, he will find the temperature of 
 perpetual zr.rn., where animal life and vegetation cease. 
 
 If he shall then weigh anchor and sail along a ineruh'an line to the 
 north pole, it will be necessary to traverse a full degree of hitltiitle. GOV 
 miles, to experience along the sea-surface the same reduction of heat as 
 has been encountered at 259 feet of ?c?Vw// altitude. 
 
 We will learn from these facts the special combinations of climatic 
 changes peculiar to and peculiarly favorable to North America. 
 
 One who travels by a mcriduin line along the cinieave of the great cal- 
 cnreoMs platn, from Cuba to the Arctic Sea, crosses in regular succession 
 the sug-ar belt, the cotton belt, the belt of Indian corn, hemp, tobacco, 
 cattle, and swine, tlic wheat belt, oats, rye, roots, the gra.sses, and barley. 
 At length, the j perpetual Arctic fro.sts stop all vegetation, all culture, and 
 coiLsequently all habitation. Such are the palpable changes ascribable to 
 
 01 
 
 4- 
 
 
 If U 
 
 
 I : I 
 
92 
 
 Til EH MM AMEIttCA. 
 
 I(il!tii.<li . ii|iiiii tlic niiitiiii'iitiil area i>(' small altitiuK' alxivo tlic Hoa, and 
 within the iiinn'tiiiif fliinatcs. 
 
 If the same traveller, f'acin.i:' to tlic left at the l(»th de-rree uf latitude, 
 adherini;- tu this line, elinilis tlie ;:ra(liial ascent \\\' tlir (Imit l'!n!tis. snr- 
 niounts the S.Nuwv XdltrilKKN A.NDKS, and reaches the l'acili<' ( ►ceaii. 
 he ciicmmters a similar «utTes.sl(in of heltw of ve^'etation and animal life, 
 fireatly foiniiressed in arrangement, and a.serihahli! to increasinii' niilinl 
 altitude. 
 
 TiiKiiMAL Science, iishiistcd by its haiidmaid mitioi-ohnji/, explains for 
 us tlie iitiin>sj>/i(jrix which successively envelop the j^lobe of the earth 
 outside, handles them, and fi.xes them witliout ohscurity. 
 
 The filolie is closely enveloped by a shell of water, a.s the jiulp of an 
 oranjre by its rind, throujrh which the continents and islands elevate and 
 protrude them.selves. This is the AQCKOfs (ititinsjihrrr. ^'isillle to the 
 eye, dense and viscid, the ranpe of its elasticity is measured by the sur- 
 face undulations, liy the disturbances caused by winds and cyclones, and 
 by the ri.se and fall of the tides against its sliores. 
 
 Enveloping; tliis, aiul e.rfrnmf to it, is the AEHIAI. (ifnioHji/n'iY. This is 
 invisible to the e^e, and highly elastic. Into it ascend tlie vapors ex- 
 haled from the .surface of the sea and the land. These vajiors, variously 
 condensed, float through this atmosphere in the form of clouds, and thus 
 reveal themselves to vision. 
 
 At an aliitude of 4(t0(l feet tliis AERIAL atmosphere terminates, being 
 as the siToiid rind of an orange enveloping and external to the ^firsf. It 
 ceases fun- as absolutely as does the iiquimis atmosjdiere under our feet. 
 
 External to the «»'r(Vf/', and similarly enveloping it, is the ETIIKKEAL 
 afmoxplicrr. This has the position and similitude of a third rind to an 
 orange. Here the region of space is approached, where animal life, vege- 
 tation, and clouds cease to exist. 
 
 Physical geography defines those portions of the earth's surface within 
 the <u'r!(d atuKtsphere, to possess a ji.vriti.me climate; those jiortions 
 within the vtlwinil atmosphere to possess a CONTlXEXTAli climate. 
 
 It is in the neighborhood of the l(l2d meridian, the eastern boundary 
 of Colorado, where the altitude of 400(1 feet is attained and the region of 
 the c'liifiiuiifii/ climate is apj)roaehed and entered. It is clear, then, that 
 the whole prodigious .system of the North American Andes is within 
 the eflirri'ii/ atmosphere, and in the region of the conti.N'ENTAL climate. 
 
 Upon the region of the plohnout which extends casdrun/ from the 
 abrupt base of the Cordilleras, are discernible counterpart phenomena as 
 occur upon the shores of the oceans and illustrated by their tides. 
 
 The highly clastic aerlnl atmosphere is .sometimes, by external pressure, 
 
HI; 
 
 "ivo the sea, and 
 
 TIIKItMAL .\MEIU('.\. 
 
 93 
 
 (1,mmI(i1 up til the very ha.-e of the Cunlillcia. This eausfj* the coni-ave 
 siiitiiie i>t' tlie etliei'eal atiiKisphiTe. also liiirlily fla.-tic to asicinl. AIt«T- 
 iiatcly, the (ti rinl atinusjilicre t'lihs liaek to its iKinnal h-vul. Thus is 
 exiieileiieed, within this inarj:in. einliiaeiiif; the eonjuiieti<in of these two 
 atinos|pheivs, an alternate play, as in (le|tri'ssed hinds wliieh are overflowi-d 
 an>l then h'ft (h'y liy tlie tiiU-s ol'the sea. 
 
 We have seen tiiat tlie ^Vo///i Aim icon Amliswxv lun;iitudinal in thtir 
 direetion, reeeivinjr favorahly the hutting power of tiie sun uii all tlair 
 flunks and evtTy siinnnit. Tht? outll.inkinjj; Oinlillini* fxalt their su- 
 jiri'inc heads aljnve the line of ]K'r|i('tual frost. They winimw fniui tlie 
 air all the vajiurs of the iiiiin'tiiiir world, and totally e.veludf tin-ir entraiiee 
 witliiii. on to the Plntvnu. Carhonic aeid, liydrojren, nitroiit-n, are h-ft 
 hclmv. Pun^ient, tonie, iiealth- and life-hei-towing oxygen remains to 
 jKi.'^scss unadulterated and su]irenie dominion. ' 
 
 These favorahle luoditieations of the tin rni<il laws, aetinir hx-itUij. hut 
 over a stujieiidou.s area, f^ive and eoinhine warmth, dryness, u diminution 
 of atniospherie pressure, a sun never elouded, serenity, and profase arljo- 
 reseenee and vegetation. 
 
 These influenc-es are expanded up and down the pntlirtni Plateau : tlu-y 
 oviileaj) the narrow limits whieh elsewhere restriet tlie inDf/nrin'if Z'xli'u- : 
 tlity push the favoral)le conditions of the isotiiermal axis, to the north 
 and to the soutli, up and down the Plateau, in both directions, to its ex- 
 treme limits. 
 
 A sublime arcliiteeture acts through the vi.-ion. It exalts the heart 
 and refines the taste of man. \ittinv is graceful, winning, and uninter- 
 ruptedly friendly in every feature. Xow the vfitlvnl tin nnul Ix-lts. side 
 by .--ide with the lion'::niitiil belts, comjire.ssed as a rainbow, are join.-)!, and 
 the two thermal scales blend their areas. They expand from one another, 
 augmenting manifold the auspicious thermal varieties. 
 
 The stupendous mountain mass is elevated above the maritime and 
 into the ctlunul atmosphere. The battU'iiieiits and summits pres<-nt con- 
 secutively every front to the luorning. to the meridian, and to the de- 
 scending sun. The fire of tht? sun perpetually pours down his heat through 
 the pungent air and unclouded canopy. This warmth condeuses and 
 exerts a favorable power round the year. 
 
 The area of most auspicious isothermal unrmth is here expanded to the 
 most immense dimensions and comj)rehe'.isive variety. The surfac-e is 
 most favorably undulating. It v^ burnished with diss<jlving colors of the 
 richest hues, and checkered with bewitching .scenery. 
 
 The latitude is most favorable. The lomjitude is equally so. From 
 this centre all the <,rand rivers radiate and descend uninterruptedly to all 
 
 I 
 
 
 3 m 
 
 IE ^i: 
 
•u 
 
 TIIKIiMAL AMKHH'A. 
 
 
 the eiiciiiiidiiciit iMciiiis, fvorywlu-n! coiiffaliul fnmi >ii:lit licvund ilir 
 ciicirdiiru iKirizini. 
 
 All iiiliiiliiliilili jiltiliidcs Huccct'd (iiic iiiHitlici'. 'I'licy arc jiniccl'iiilv 
 McikIciI Mini cciiiiliiiinl, iis lire llio .stiviiks of the riiiiilMiw. Tlicv iimiir- 
 (iiatcly tiiiicli and rest ii|i<iii ihk; aiiutlicr. All altitudoH arc ('i|ually upcii 
 fill- individual clcctinii. 
 
 This s|il('iidid ^Inictiirc anil tlirsc ](ruli(i(' jiil'ls arc jpnipliciic nCa mi- 
 cicty inspired liy incnlal energies of the highest standard and reinliireed 
 with iniiirejiiialile jiuwer. 
 
 Here is diswrnilili! a treiiehant contrast and deficiency in architectural 
 cconoiny. The Kuroiiean basins of the Mediterranean, the Haltic, the 
 I'ontic and I'mjiontic have their calcareous Imttoins liuried, as in a 
 tiiinli. Iiciicatli a sterile salt cxjianse. The interveninir ami ruiijicd nmnii- 
 tliiii lands only are left dry and inhahitalile. This lullhuliiutl ex|iaii-c 
 of sea, pniloiittcd fmni (iiliraltar to tlie Caucasus, incorrijiilily isolated 
 Kurope from tropical Africa. This latter and ncighhoring continent liasi 
 remained thus cut of}', unused and undcvelojicd. 
 
 Tin; people of the iinrt/imi shore circumnavigato the glohe to liriii.; 
 their jrrocerics from the Ornnfu I Wistirii Indii's. 
 
 The llii iiiiiil liiiis have here operated since the liirth of time with un- 
 releiitiiig hostility, and superadded their blasting power to the unfriendly 
 anatomy of the land and water. 
 
 In America, the jirolonged /V'^^r//^ surrounds .and envelops the Mex- 
 ican an<l Carilibeaii Seas. It carries the isothermal warmth and railways 
 into the very lu'st of tropical productions. Thus the widest extremes 
 are iiropitiously combined in a single neighborhood and united in one 
 domestic home. 
 
 A special feature of this vast expanse within the rontinrii/iif climate is 
 prntoral ogriciiltuie. Here the dryness and the unfaili'ig sunshine curl 
 the grasses into hay upon the ground where they grow. Preserved thus 
 from dt\cay, thi'y furnish tn'iifrr food, dispensing with the labor (if harvest. 
 
 For (iniUf culfiu-f, which has the highest grade of excellence and the 
 widest range in quality, variety, and f|uantity, a corresfionding economy 
 is discernible in the univer.sal necessity and use of artificial irrigation. The 
 waters, coming from the snows, descend from above. LnJinr is not liar- 
 assed by mud or by the Injstile interruptions incidental to a fickle canopy. 
 The .sloi)ing surfaces of land and water arc neighborly and friendly to each 
 other: this relation is continuous from the highest altitude to the .seas. 
 
 All civilized po]iulatioiis have been intensely sensitive to cl!m<it!c 
 power, and iustiuctivcly oblicjue from excessive heat, cold, and damp. 
 
 The latituJln d backboue which bisects the Asiatic-European continent 
 
 from '•""' '" " 
 upon its !tinilli> 
 The iKiillii I' 
 iiUy. without ni 
 which in concei 
 North Amcrici 
 The ouniiiiotcn 
 nr.'ativc, chilli 
 The mental 
 cliisivcly restri 
 force has uiiiti 
 nicnts. A SOU) 
 ii febrile llnri 
 tiociety univcr- 
 the absence ot 
 without elastii 
 
 rnlill'rilf (I 
 
 To the Ameri 
 
 )/■(,/■/(/ are ilec( 
 
 nii.ssive multit 
 
 established it 
 
 without cmer; 
 
 There is di 
 
 who are now i 
 
 strife, an idol 
 
 tion and to d 
 
 people. To 
 
 and curb it t 
 
 it to this f/e 
 
 with them. 
 
 The grand 
 
 Ocean, have 
 
 poned in J( 
 
 frt<ii<lli/ sile 
 
 Tl!KR.MAl 
 
 cepted, offer 
 
 iuforce the c 
 
 having solii 
 
 of our nati 
 
 cuncaitvlc i 
 
 verge on tli 
 
 i«r'-r-tiii 
 
Til El! MM. .WIKItir.K. 
 
 95 
 
 >i,:;Iit l.cvdii.l tl„. 
 
 t! K'*''"' U\ \)y\\\<' 
 
 from niKt III inst ri'ccivi'S tllc llfiltin^ ]«i\Vfr nl" tlic >llll. nml nil iif it, 
 uiKiii its Kiiulhirii i Ii>|H' iiliiiir. 
 
 TIk' iiDif/irrii sl(i|u'. asf^i^riicd to |Hr|iftUitl xliudc. receives us |ier|ietii- 
 ally, witliniit iiiitipitiiiii, tlu; liyiM-rliDreaii lijinr. Tlie iininiatiii;: siiii-Iieiit, 
 wliieli is ('DiicOiitratc'*! itiid eonileiisid witluiut t\\v rtmaivf atiipliillieatre of 
 N'liifli Aiiieiiea, is here seatteri'd and dis>i]iate(I liy a liii<*tile nnin.r ro<il'. 
 The iiiinii|Miteiit jMiwer nl'tlie l)eni;riiaiit flu rimtl Junrs is liere iiuivi'rsally 
 iie^'ative, eliilliii;:, and linstile. 
 
 Tlie mental liirccs and Hpcciilatiniis of the <iii/ii/iir wdiIiI Iiave heen ex- 
 (lusively restriete(l to the eonte.ii|ilatiiiii of y</V/;«// states. The anareiiy of 
 I'urce has uniforndy aeeoiii|ianied a convex j:eoi;rii|>liy of incoluTcnt fraji- 
 iiicnts. A sour, saturated soil ; a dismal atmosphere exdusivtsly ninn'/iiiir ; 
 a felirile llirnnnl condition; monotony: all these have ineuhated over 
 Niciety universally and witli unrelieved jierpctuity. Society, dwarfed liy 
 tile ahsenci^ of any jjjenerous inspirations, has been Hhiirfiish and vi'^etated 
 without elasticity. 
 
 I'li/i/iciif (1)1(1 social science liave found it inipo.wsihle to have hirth. 
 To the American, experiences .sought for and derived from the nnlii/ne 
 vorlil are deceptive, sombre, and di.scourajiinir. War, monarchy, and suh- 
 niL-^sive multitudes oidy are seen. I'Icll lllicrtij has never permanently 
 cstalilished itself. Societies luive firown to be polished and enervated 
 without emerj;inf^ from senn-savajre barbarism. 
 
 There is discernible in the temper of the p'neration of our statesmen 
 who are now jias.sed away, and who have; seen our country saddened by civil 
 strife, un idolatroua adulation ol' Europe; a proclivity to view with trepida- 
 tion and to dwarf tin; aspirinir };enuis and elastic energies of tlie pioneer 
 jieopht. To bridle the continental mission of the North American pcojile 
 and curb it to the sway and dimensions of the Atlantic nhore, to restrict 
 it to this geographical selvage, has not ceased to be a cherished policy 
 with them. 
 
 The jirand North American Andis, and the noio to us doniestir Pacific 
 Ocean, have roceived oidy faint appreciation and acknowledgement ; post- 
 poned in development from insufficient and stingy lej^islation or Ity un- 
 friiiiillij silence. 
 
 Tdku.mal Science, coming to be rightly understood and to be ac- 
 cepted, offers itself to correct the general judgment and to rectify and re- 
 inforce the cotKjuering forces of wund progress. The grand pioneer urmij, 
 having solidly established its lodgments around tlic whole encircling rim 
 of our national territory, gathers its columns faces inwards, a.>isumes a 
 concentric movement, departs from the seas and from river-lines to con- 
 verge on the centre. These columns unite by their flanks. They per- 
 
 i 
 
 m 
 
 
 'Hi 
 
 m 
 
 w m 
 
9G 
 
 TIlEltMM AMF/nCA. 
 
 petuiillv iiKToaso in nuniliers. prossuro, and activity. The iiistinc/ nf 
 gravitation, onliiilitonod liy TIIEH.mal SCIKXCK, jiains vohicity, .stciidi- 
 ness. anil victory without tumult. 
 
 The traces of frcop'aiiliical rniaiThij abate rajiitlly. They are aliout 
 finally to be extiniiuislied forever, by the riiieninjr niovenTent which will 
 soon re-annex to us the area of the Mexican Kepublic, on the one flank; 
 the whole area of the Canailas. on the other flank. 
 
 All that is necessary for this achievement, lonjj in preparation, ap- 
 proaches its accomplishment. To fold to us these <lfn. csfic winp:s, too lonj^; 
 stretched out and setrreuated from us, will fill out to the ocean bounds, 
 and occupy tliroui;h all its solid dimensions, as well the stuiiendous 
 architecture of our country as the perfectly graceful anatomy of it.s 
 comjiact I'xpan.'ic. 
 
 It is the discovery of inexhaustible precious metals within a projntinns 
 thirmal 7M\\c that gives perjietual success to the (ioLl) Fkvkr. This 
 defines itself as " the indefinite supply of koiiikI money for the peo]»le. 
 by their own individual and voluntary labor." This is the discovery of 
 the profound want and necessity of human society. It is the final and 
 exhausting .solution of the heretofore enigmatical question, " What is 
 the function and what i.s the power of finance in human organized .socie- 
 ties ?" The FIX> NCIAL PROBLEAI, cs.sential to the healthy growth of every 
 other problem in the scheme of civilization, is revealed, identified, and 
 solved. 
 
 The land area of the Territory of Colorado is 75,rOO,<:nO of acres. To 
 reduce this area to use and private possession requires §100,000,000 to 
 be paid by the penp^r to the Federal government. This immense sum is 
 wrung from the meritorious and self-sacrificing labor of the pioneers — it 
 is all carried forth and disbursed elsewhere. This is a ffahcl tax ; uncon- 
 stitutional, aecumnlative over all other taxes, crippling, and atrocious. If 
 this sum may be retained among those who pay it, the gain will lie to 
 them 8200,000,000. It may be retained to reinforce and enhance the 
 creative power of the pioneer army. 
 
 If the State of Colorado, and other similar Territories, be sanctioned and 
 self-government established, this may with ease be achieved. Let the 
 sy.stem of land surveys and the price be untouched, but the payments 
 enter the Sinte treasury. The disbursements shall be restricted to the 
 construction of a complete net-work of railways ; to universal and per- 
 petual education ; and to fit the lands for the production of food, by 
 canals of irrigation and drainage. 
 
 Within the State, integrity will be sternly enforced. These generous 
 public benefits will be paid for and constructed by the people tliemselves. 
 
 They will be per 
 the will u'hI «"!» 
 Tims }tnin'r!iii 
 cultivated. Tr;i 
 Civilization and 
 blc and erects it.- 
 eiiiiit'ihly i-itlm il 
 dethroned. 
 
 This public 
 mutually emplo} 
 It may be transj 
 of the seas. 
 
 Militari/ orgn 
 embraces or enij 
 Lidiiatfial 01 
 continually, wil 
 Behold, then, 
 America, unite( 
 birth of *('('-■ an 
 The existenc( 
 possible or untl 
 forces suddenly 
 reverse their fr 
 overwhelming s 
 By the Lan( 
 urcvl off' in the 
 and tijipres.ied 
 of them to use 
 The Gold I 
 indiviiJiKd and 
 mull ipUcat ion 
 in form, abund 
 Government 
 plified universi 
 elements. 
 
 The Cali/oi 
 has in a decad 
 Peak. It ha 
 regenerate, to 
 impregnable \ 
 Its inspirii 
 
 ■K«lirl 
 
THERMAL AMERICA. 
 
 97 
 
 They will be perpetually owned by, and used and guarded for and under 
 tlic will and supervision of, the peojile. 
 
 Thus viiinrsdl railways come into existence. The lands are idiivfrsul/i/ 
 cultivated. Ti'an.s])ortation and travel /iiki; nations and populaiions. 
 Civilization and c/r/'f order and civic discipline, for all, beconie.s po.ssi- 
 blc iind erects itself. It maintains universal authority and power. Litlor 
 iqiillithlij fiihn itself, and tlir political mid Jinancitil roltx'r is pcnnnncntli/ 
 dtlhi'onid. 
 
 This public policy will combine idle populations and idle lands, to 
 mutually employ each other and to lire up the stajinant torpidity of both. 
 It may be transi)lanted into Siberia and into all the coutinents and islands 
 of the seas. 
 
 Mi/itari/ organization, essentially monarchical and which but partially 
 embraces or employs a whole j)opulation, will go out of existence. 
 
 hidiistriid oryanization, which employs ALL LABOR, uniformly and 
 eoiitiiiually, will displace and supersede it. 
 
 Behold, then, in the novel and ausjiicious THERMAL splendor of Xorth 
 Antiric-a, united with its physical confku'RATION and position, the 
 birth {){' ncir and overwhelming powers and //v.s7( forces! 
 
 The existence of thcsi,, or their comliination, has heretofure been ini- 
 pcssible or unthought of in human experience. These fresh jwwcrs and 
 forces suddenly unveil themselves, ferment and modify all societies and 
 reverse their fronts. They dictate a cosmopolitan comity and assume an 
 overwhelming sway. 
 
 By the Land System, the idle lands throughout the world are me.as- 
 ured off in the small. They are made attainal)lo for starving multitudes 
 and (ippres.'.ril lab(*rers. An avarice for the possession and e(uiversion 
 of them U> use in this form is kindled throughout all population.^. 
 
 The Gold Fever is the indefinite production of sound money by the 
 individual and voluntary labor of the people. This is fret tnouei/ ; tlie 
 nuiltiplication of money capitals in the small, independent and indicidnnl 
 in form, abundant in quantity, and prospectively indefinite. 
 
 Government credit, rightly understood, reduced to discipline and am- 
 plified universally, becomes available to combine and utilize these popular 
 elements. 
 
 The California Gold Fever had its invention and birth in 18-18. It 
 has in a decade of years trans])lanted itself to Australasia and to Pike's 
 Peak, It has permeated mankind as an electric fluid, to animate, to 
 regenerate, to exalt humanity. It permanently fortifies pkouress with 
 impregiuible power and activity. 
 
 Its inspiring democratic genius has, within a quarter of a century. 
 
 iff 
 
 • %t 
 
 i 
 
 ■« 
 
98 
 
 TIfEIiMAL AMERICA. 
 
 covered the continents with railways and with telegraphs. It economizes 
 navigation by its reduction to steam ferries upon the oceans and tele- 
 graphic cables upon its profound bed. 
 
 Immortal railways extend ♦'temselves, to become a universal sy.stem. nver 
 all the land of the globe! The dwarfing power, the waste, the piratical 
 temper, the monopoly of sea navigation is at an end. Its despotism and 
 arrogance over the rural populations is absorbed and reversed. 
 
 We have seen the energies of the American people, bringing into line 
 and into use thc^c new powers, span their continent with the Pacific 
 Railicai/, as with the rapidity of lightning from a mountain cloud. 
 
 Availing themselves of the favorable thermal warmth upon the Phitrau, 
 and ujion the inmiediate sea-coasts, bathed by the Asiatic Gulf Stream 
 (the Suro-Siwo), they will continue to expand their work to Behring's 
 Straits, where all the continents are united. 
 
 This will prolong itself along the similarly propitious thermal selvage 
 of the Oriental Kussian coasts, into China. 
 
 To prolong this unbroken line of Cosmopolitan Railavays along 
 the latitmlinal Plateau of Asia, to Moscow, to Berlin, to Paris, to 
 Madrid, and to London, will not have long delay. 
 
 The less significant and isolated continents of the Southern Hemi- 
 sphere — South America, Africa, and Australasia — will be reached by 
 feeders through Panama, Suez, and the chain of Oriental peninsulas 
 and islands. The whole area and all the populations of the globe will be 
 thus united and fused by land travel and by railicays. 
 
 Behold what a short quarter of a century in time has sufficed to 
 originate and accomplish, in an age awakened and armed with the subtle 
 democratic power of free and abundant gold ! 
 
 "What celerity of motion ! What vivacity of progress ! What victo- 
 rious, what triumphant, what sublime energies ! What works of magni- 
 tude ! How benignant to mankind ! How prophetic of the future ! 
 How charitable to universal humanity 1 
 
 wmmm 
 
us thermal selvafre 
 
 Railways alou<' 
 rlin, to Paris, to 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE NORTH AMERICAN MISSION. 
 
 Ix the current of ages, mysteries become sciences. Vafruc speculation, 
 long f'crnientintr, and jierjilexod by obscure doubts, produces facts. These 
 crystallize into precious truth. From the blind conjectures of Astrol- 
 oay has dawned the science of Astronomy ; from Alchemy has come 
 Chemistry. 
 
 The American jyeojyJe now reach and cross the threshold, where they 
 cnuTse from the twilijiht of the futile world of thought behind. They 
 enter into the full and perpetual light and promise ofpolllical and socia/ 
 science. 
 
 A glance of the eye, thrown across the Xortli Americnn continent, 
 accompanying the course of the sun from ocean to occaji. reveals an 
 extraordinary landscape. It displays iuunense forces, characterized by 
 order, iictivity, and progress. 
 
 The structure of nature — the marching of ? vast population — the crea- 
 tions of the people, individually and combined — are seen in infinite vavieties 
 of form and gigantic dimensions. Farms, cities, States, public works, 
 define themselves, flash into form, accumulate, combine, and harmonize. 
 
 The pioneer army perpetually advances, reconnoitres, strikes to the front. 
 Empire plants itself upon the trails. Agitation, creative energy, industry, 
 throb throughout and animate this crowding deluge. Conclusive occupa- 
 tion, solidity, pemianence, and a stern discipline, attend every movement 
 and illustrate every camp. 
 
 The American realizes that " Progress is God." He clearly recognizes 
 and accepts the continental mission of his country and his people. His 
 faith is impregnably fortified by this vision of power, unity, and forward 
 motion. 
 
 As es.sential to all clearness of illustration, familiarity with the geoy- 
 rapJii/ and physical structure of the American continent seems to me 
 indispensable. 
 
 Assuming the division of the Northern and Southern Continents to be 
 at Pantima. from the same point depart the northern and southern systems 
 of the Andes. These two systems of mountains assume special forms of 
 
 99 
 
 •ill 
 
; t 
 
 II 
 
 
 \ 
 
 n 
 
 I 
 
 1 
 
 t 
 
 
 1 
 
 i. 
 
 I 
 
 100 
 
 TI/E KOHTH AM ERIC AX M/i\SIOX. 
 
 ondi 
 
 ith the 
 
 of 
 
 structure, each one cor 
 
 Tliey form the biickboiie of the skeletons upon which the continents are 
 
 several y constructed. 
 
 c Southern Atide . risiiijr out of the ocean at Cape Horn, traverse 
 withotit interruption from south to north the whole length of the conti- 
 nent. They form a continuous escarpment not remote from the shore of 
 the Pacific Ocean, and curving with its indentations. 
 
 Approaching the eipuitor, an expansion to the east forms the Peruvian 
 Plateau, and is prolonged into the triangle of Brazil. The prolongations 
 in this direction extend to the Atlantic, and separate asunder the radiant 
 basins of the La Plata* Amazon, Orinoco, and Magdalcna Kivers. The 
 shape of the continent, enveloped all round by the sea, and that of the 
 mountain system, are reciprocally fitted to each other. 
 
 The Xorthcrn Amlin, departing from J'uikiiiih and contracted by the 
 seas, traverse Central America to Tehuantepec. From hence, an inmiense 
 expansion in width of the Northern Continent is accompanied by a cor- 
 responding increase i:. the magnitude and altitude of the mountain 
 system. 
 
 An immense I'hitaiv, flanked by the Cordilleras, expands from sea to 
 sea. On the cant the Cordillera of the Eocky IMountains rises flush from 
 tile shores of the Mexican Gulf On the iveat th., Cordillera Nevada 
 rises from the shores of the ocean and the California Gulf 
 
 The Sierra Nevada, the Western Cordillera, like the Southern Andes, 
 erects itself eontiiuunisly from the Pacific Ocean, whose indented shore 
 it accompanies to Behring Strait. 
 
 The Eastern Cordillera obliques from the IMexican Gulf, where the 
 latter is curved to the east by the immense increasing amplitude of the 
 Northern Continent. This Cordillera is flanked lienceforward along its 
 biise liy the ^lissi.ssippi basin, whose indented shore and plain it con- 
 tinuously overlooks. 
 
 In tlie neighborhood of the 40th degree of latitude, the maximum width 
 of the Northern Continent is reached. This continent differs from the 
 Southern in the intense magnitude of its anatomy. Its whole area, alike 
 with each of its composing details, is thus magnified. The radiant basins 
 of the Mississipjti, the St. Lawrence, the Hudson's Bay and Athabasca, 
 depart from it. The Northern Aiules here attain a breadth of 1200 miles, 
 and assume their most stupend<u>s dimensions. They include many snowy 
 sierras and a multitude of peaks. 
 
 From this latitude of greatest expansion, the nuiuntain system contracts 
 towards the north : the Cordilleras converge at Behring's Strait as at 
 Tehuantepec : tluy are again condensed into one. The system of the 
 
 Northern An 
 
 area of Nort 
 
 Defined Ijj 
 
 on all point> 
 
 lengtli, and 
 
 north-northw 
 
 identifies the 
 
 This simil 
 
 systems. Tl 
 
 and Chili t 
 
 diverge with 
 
 ruvian Plate 
 
 New Granad 
 
 and the exte 
 
 If, then, t 
 
 be arranged 
 
 five years, tl 
 
 America in i 
 
 This simp 
 
 the mind, it 
 
 the stupendt 
 
 all the radia 
 
 radiate or d 
 
 condense tlu 
 
 This stuj 
 
 into two he 
 
 Atlantic, tow 
 
 Here is the i 
 
 To this ci 
 
 basins, is at 
 
 march to m 
 
 We have 
 
 plete dimen.' 
 
 of north hit 
 
 characterize 
 
 on either ot 
 
 confluent ri 
 
 protrudes it 
 
 focal region 
 
 the confine 
 
 outflanking 
 
THE NORTH AMERICAN MISSION. 
 
 101 
 
 Northern Andes thus occupies and elevates itself aljove one-third of the 
 area of North America. 
 
 Detiiied by itself, it is a prolonged diamond-shaped parallelogram, faced 
 on all points by the Cordilleras, lonyltudliiid in position, IKMIO miles in 
 len"'th, and 1200 in width. It has a direction from south-.southeast to 
 north-northwest. Similitude in anatomical structure therefore perfectly 
 identifies the two continents. 
 
 This similitude of profile holds eqiuilly between the two mountain 
 systems. The Suntherii Andes exhibit in their cour.se through Patagonia 
 and Chili two summit ridges parallel and in close proximity. These 
 diverge with the increasing width of the continent, and enclo.xe the Pe- 
 ruvian Plateau and its extensions into Bolivia and the elevated plains of 
 New Granada. The same peculiarity is seen in narrow Central America 
 and the extension to the north. 
 
 If, then, the imperfectly developed anatomy of a youth of five years 
 be arranged side by side with that of his maturity at the age of thirty- 
 five years, the relative resemblances and contrasts of South and North 
 America in their whole anatomy will be familiarly illustrated. 
 
 This simplicity of structure pervading the whole .system, being held in 
 the mind, it is nianifest that the On-dillcra of the lioclij Muunfjiins is 
 the stupendous dor.sal foundation upon whose prodigious mass and solidity 
 all the radiant limbs rest. From this, including the Alleghanies, they all 
 radiate or depend as outliers. Into this they all ultimately group and 
 condense themselves. 
 
 This stupendous longitudinal Cordillera segregates the physical globe 
 into two hemispheres. These two hemispheres present the basin of the 
 Atlnitfic towards the rising sun, thatof tiie Paeijic towards the setting sun. 
 Here is the supreme meridian altitude up to which the whole globe slopes ! 
 
 To this crowning ridge human society, emerging from the two ocean 
 basins, is at present climbing; the two halves i»3nt face to face; they 
 march to meet — to unite and harmonize over this summit ! 
 
 We have seen that the American continent expands to its most com- 
 plete dimensions and amplitude where it is traversed by \\\q fortieth degree 
 of north latitude. A symmetrical harmony, perfect in every detail, here 
 characterizes all the departments of nature — an ample depth of seaboard 
 on either ocean — the sujireme expanse of the Mississippi Basin — its great 
 confluent rivers — the grand width of the mountain Plateau, which here 
 protrudes its extreme salient corners to the east and to the west — to this 
 focal region it rises in altitude, nni.ss, and dimensions, from every point of 
 the continental horizon. It here displays over its area, and in the 
 outflanking Cordilleras, a hundred snow-crowned peaks. 
 
 i-i 
 
/ 
 
 / 
 
 L'<>! 
 
 I.'H 
 
 fc-^/.v 
 
 
 
 ' 1^ c 
 
 .^r 
 
 •>\> 
 
 
 'W,, 
 
 =•'«., 
 
 "H 
 
 />/ 
 
 t^^' 
 
 'n 1. 
 
 
 'lit 
 
 *•» 
 
 "i^-w 
 
 ,ii'w<. 
 
 BtNl 
 
 \ S K A 
 
 - l^J^l 
 
 iV-iYl^'m L^PiiunW<l"''l'"''r' 
 
 
 '%'ft>IM'«€>'~N\ '^^jibiiiiiu* 
 
 Wll >A ',, 1 1 
 
 , -J 1 o\w\"^^s>5^ 
 
 VltT'^I^Aj 
 
 '•yJ'tiiini-UBml'ls j |ii>5-E 
 
 ISS^' ^^--fejiiil 
 
 ir5?ntP*"**'* **'*^'6>^ y 
 
 r~\ -jf/^ 
 
 s _j. r^^ 
 
 IKlil / Logn 
 ^y O LuTi 
 
 t'^';\*_ Jvt -Z- 
 
 :^.%i'-W 
 
 Lsf-foi 
 
 jj^- 
 
 J !__.-<: 
 
 •«■«« 
 
 ^-ti. 
 
 10 
 
 X 
 
 %fin C, 
 
 vp' 
 
 t: 
 
 RR I TO 
 
 oJlii<'l«*bCTrtj 
 
 -+ 
 
 X I 
 
 V^ ft 
 
 -ft: 
 
 ^g);.!!,-. 
 
 ^ 
 
 fiuKeKo 
 
 f S'v- 
 
 E N 
 
 i 
 
 > 
 
 r"?t- 
 
 2^-.- 
 
 
 .vS^^.- 
 
 V 
 
 ^«trli. 
 
 jU-STI.VCIT 
 
 oHfHiiiix'iit 
 
 iiTf.iult 
 
 # 
 
 U 
 
 r' 
 
 
 NK«- 0R1.K.\NS 
 
 ■V 
 
 AlVKSTOT* 
 
 /'/ 
 
 ^y<^' 
 
 /■.A 
 
 -^ 
 
 \' 
 
 'V; 
 
 .# 
 
 ■\ ^ -A 
 
 '"'<.. 
 
 ''-S, 
 
 '■'<<-/,-. 
 
 -'4-- 
 
 lo (nviiiill 
 
 Ki: 
 
 s.-,iani 
 
 r; 
 
 f' 
 
 v-*^'' 
 
 'i^'P o/' (• 
 
 -/^J 
 
 '^.U-'ffl 
 
 '^''■'l.;,^ 
 
 S'oM.; 
 
 "r, 
 
 
 i%. 
 
 Uisfdf. 
 
 M E 
 
 X 
 
 -t.: 
 
 tei 
 
 /• 
 
 "/m 
 
 ..i,. 
 
 ::'" ■ 
 
 ^^ 
 
 rvK A r If r 
 
 jj A r 
 
 TIIKUMAL MAI* <»K 
 
 Noin II ami^:ric'a 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 jjjrf-fi 
 
 >■ 
 
 4-C, 
 
 m 
 
 Icl 
 
 (UMmciiiiu) iiu 
 
 II 
 
 :-^ 
 
 TJ5HCU\rKPSt 
 
 nVAlM 
 
 \i 
 
 I zoni 
 
 ///A' /SYV TIIi:iL\L \L . WIS oi IXTEXSITY 
 
 and lis (wpjmsioiis nn nud down Ihc 
 \ IM.A i KAF S-s 
 
 ii.iifi" 
 
 :iC^- 
 
 ll.-> 
 
 110 
 
 1(1.-. 
 
 lOO 
 
 J B.Lippincott S Co.Pltitt. 
 
102 
 
 THE NORTH AMERICAN MISSION 
 
 If 
 
 Here arise in cloud-coiiijiolling majesty the continental jiillars, Long's 
 Peak and Pike's Peak. 15(1 miles apart; through the intermediate sijuce 
 traverses the fo it it f/i liii/neot' north latitude. From their summits depart 
 the waters to seek the Asiatie and Euroj)ean seas. Hither the eontiiiental 
 slopea mounting upwards intni all the oceans converge and culminate: 
 from hence all the descending waters radiate. 
 
 Here, in the midst of the grand works of nature — multitudinous in 
 variety, suhlime in vastness, in order, and in beauty — are assemliled all 
 the natural gilts whicli human society needs, or may demand for the most 
 complete development. Here the supreme Cordillera envelo])s in its fnlils 
 a group of gigantic valleys known as the " S>/>ifini nf the J'liirf of Col,, 
 railu." 
 
 Of all the gems displayed here and there in the physical varieties 
 which checker the earths surface, this group is the most gigantic in 
 dimensions ; the most transcendently excellent in hitnUty ; the mo.-*t 
 wonderful, curious, and attractive. 
 
 The Pakcs hf.stiude the line of wav-tuavel of mankind at 
 a point of i'akamocnt control. 
 
 Here meet and mingle mountains, plains, valleys, rivers, in confluent 
 affluence, in immensity of proj)ortions, order, and graceful fori.is. The 
 pungent and tonic atmo.sphere preserves the highest standard of modera- 
 tion and excellence round the year. The oceans are not far off", and are 
 easily accessible over uniformly descending slopes. 
 
 Pastoral agriculture, mining, arable agriculture, manufactures, com- 
 merce — each of these has the essential elements of a couijuering power ; 
 — they are here all blended, each self-supporting, and each stimulating all 
 the rest. The affluence of nature and the prolific generosity of her pro- 
 portions are miraculous. 
 
 The Parcs occupy, longitudinall}'. the centre of Colarado, passing 
 through and through, from south to north. The whole area of Colorado, 
 lOT.OllO s(|uare miles (70,000,000 acres), is so folded around them as to 
 con.stitutc their frame and envelope, incapable of being segregated from 
 them. 
 
 These Parcs, thus mounting from south to north, one upon the other, 
 are of very nearly equal area. They are the San Lui" the South, the 
 INIiddle, and the *, -rth Parcs. 
 
 The elliptical area of the San Luis Pare is 18,000 square miles 
 (11,520,000 acres). Their similarity one to another, as members of one 
 family, is perfect. The internal details of structure, form, and scenery 
 are infinitely variegated. Kach one, examined by itself, seems to surj)ass 
 the rest in eminent convenience and beauty. The climatic geniality of 
 
 "mmmsmtmmm 
 
THE NORTH AMEIllCAN MISSIOS. 
 
 103 
 
 L OF MANKIND AT 
 
 10 upon the other, 
 
 toniporaturc and salubrity have not a sinjrle blemish. They perpetually 
 pruiiiiit and .stimulate mental enerjry and j)hysical activity. 
 
 I am .struj.'f:ling to narrate faithtully the homespun facts of nature : to 
 exiiiiixerate is far from my intention. The .splendid ma;_'nitude of the 
 anliitccture — the faultless proportions everywhere discernible — the '.rrace- 
 fiil u'riiiipini^ of propitious and beni;^nant element.s — the far-searehiiij;; 
 vi>i(iii and re.sj)lendent panorama — all these unite to reveal to the judg- 
 ment that omnipotent nature here culminates her work, and has planted 
 the life-'rivin<^ heart of the terrestrial .scheme. 
 
 To illustrate this wonderful eontiguration, as with a model of dl- 
 mi'iiiifi've size, the Alps of Europe j)resent an example. A spectator, 
 from the .supreme summit of the Helvetian Peaks, beholds radiating 
 from his feet the diverging chainiels of the Po, the Rhine, the Rhone, 
 ami the Danube. As they depart, the small lake basin.s or pmcs of 
 Geneva and Constance gather the drippings of the glaciers ; and the 
 river basins open out to share between them the widening expanse of 
 the cciitinent. 
 
 The waters of the Mediterranean Sea are visible towards Genoa — those 
 of the Adriatic towards Venice. Biscay, and the German and Pontic 
 Seas, are more remote. Within a horizon whose diameter is 300 miles, 
 are, at present, congregated 45,0(10,000 of population, who occupy the 
 river basins and the rugged ground. 
 
 Since the wars of Julius Cte.sar, the progress of the people within this 
 area '>.is been sluggish and jiainful ; civilization yet continues crepuscular, 
 and its languid tire is maintained with difficulty. A hostile climatologj-, 
 forever incubating upon nature and man, saddens labor, chills its elas- 
 ticity, and .stagmites hope. The evil passions of force and despair rule ; 
 the energies of labor and virtue are crushed out by a perj)etually cor- 
 roding pressure. 
 
 The incessant vapors from the neighboring seas, brought in by every 
 wind, bathe perpetually the mountain altitudes : these are thus enciused 
 to their very roots with unfathonnible depths of ice, which never melts. 
 The soil of Europe, saturated by chilling tugs, and veiled by them and 
 by forests from the sun, is cold and sour — the atmosphere febrile and 
 inimical to life. 
 
 Seamed with mountain bones from west to east — pinched in and trenched 
 upon around its margin by the salt wastes of Biscay and the German 
 Ocean — by the Baltic, the Mediterranean, and the Portic Se;is — Europe 
 is a promontory pendent from the solid dimensions of Asia, having only 
 one-sixth of its area. 
 
 Its convex surface and ragged shores — its humid atmosphere — its large 
 
 1 I'J 
 
 ! 
 
 m 
 
 i^ 
 
 1 1 
 
 ly 
 
104 
 
 THE NORTH AMKUICAy MISSION. 
 
 area, oxpaiuliiig from an I'djic nf \.\w tiiniiorate into the friijid zone of 
 wainitli ; — tlii'.so ilwaif an well the hnhistiy an the niiiul of ii>an. 
 
 Asia and JMir(i|ic iircscnt a (•(intiniiniis snow-crt'stoil wall,»(f.v^ nud n-fKf^ 
 fmni China to (iilnaitar, risinjj; alimiitly and not liir ivinovcd from the 
 southern seas. From this coiiitx crest, to the nortli, descends as eon- 
 tinuously a hyperhoreaii slojje, withdrawn from tlie sun, and resting only 
 within tile oliliijue and ehillint: shadow of his rays. 
 
 In contrast, the li>ii<j!ti((lln<il direction and douhle structure of the 
 North American And<s opens them to the d'rectly seurehintr and om- 
 nijiotent jxiwer of the meridian sun : tlu'ir outward flanks receive the 
 temperinji glories of his morning and his evening heams. 
 
 TItnir oltl cdiitiiiriitH arc, in tlmir abstract j'urm (jj' struct it rr, convex a$ 
 the camil's hack-. 
 
 The Cordilleras of North America and tlieir outliers, from north to 
 south in direction and ranging round near the oceans, give to the con- 
 tinent a vast ami sjifiii</i<i concave structure. This incessantly receives 
 and ahsorhs the direct solar rays. 
 
 North America is a sublinu! anqilu'l/icatre, of gorgeous fertility and 
 transcendent proportions. The vast surface of concentric ba.iins is uni- 
 formly c<ilcar<ous — it is scarcely less in expanse; of area, or more undu- 
 lating, than the oceans. This comprehensive area, mellow and .salubrious, 
 is fattened everywhere, and refreshed l)y the soils abraded from the moun- 
 tains. It may receive by innnigration, and sustain witliout surfeit, the 
 existing populations of tlie globe. 
 
 Cumulative with this is the ausjticious structure of the longitudinal 
 Sierras. Where Colorado embraces and arches over the extreme salient 
 corner of the Cordillera, is found the stupendous culmination in bulk and 
 altitude of the mountains, of the valleys, of the running waters, and of 
 the climatology of the whole continent. 
 
 To this supreme apex the whole continent ascends, by easy gradations, 
 from the trough of the Mississippi on the one liand, from the shores of 
 tlie Pacific on the other hand. Here is the summit altitude of a stuj)en- 
 dous cone of elevation, who.se diameter has a foundation of 20(tt> miles. 
 
 Into the summit area of this truncated cone of elevation are niorti.sed 
 to a profound depth the valleys which make up the " System of tltc Pares."* 
 These collect and send forth the fresh waters, like the arterial blood gath- 
 ered and distributed from the human heart. 
 
 From lience dei)art ten rivers : the North Plattti, to the north ; the 
 South Platte, to the northeast ; the Kansas, to the enst ; the Arkan.sas 
 and Canadian, to the southeast ; the Rio Bravo del Norte, due so h into 
 the Mexican (julf ; the !San Juan, Fiagle, and Grand Colorado Kivers, to 
 
THE SOItTII AMEmr.W MI.SSIOX. 
 
 105 
 
 nicfiiir, cunvrx as 
 
 tlie nuKl/iiint, ii'to till! Uulf of ('alifuniiaj the CJret'ii IliviT, t»i the 
 Viirtiiiri'sf. 
 
 Tlic Ninth I'latto dcsiriuls, witlmiit ilcflrctiiiii. to the direct mirth for 
 .VMI miles to rcirivi- the Sweetwater. Kiniii this jtoint the \TatiT-«haniicls 
 (if tlii^ Vellowstiiiie, tlie Missnuri, ami the Saskatchewan li>riii a ruiitiiiii- 
 oiis iiiiil ea«y <:vadati(iii to JIiiiLioii's /{<ij/. 1'a.ssiiij: hy the (in-t'ii and 
 Siiiikc Uiveis, where their extreme sourees intersjeet, a similar cinitiniioiis 
 griidiilioii is tuiind out to llu' Xoilli I'mljlr. 
 
 Tims, upon this tiioiiiilnin xidiiiiiit uf CiAnntiln. the aseendin:: valleys 
 L'diivei'^e \\» HO many enormous wedges, ten in numln-r, arnin^ed with their 
 jKiints fiTouiH'd in (umtaet. 
 
 The passes over the Sierras, at the prolonired extremities of the:<u 
 valleys, re-enteriiit; thus upon one another, are numerous and easy. They 
 iiinipUte the throuj;h lines of jia.ssa};e ai-ross the continent. These make a 
 converiiciae here, from the two fronts of the continent, resemhlim; the 
 glolies of an hour-gla.ss communicating through the stem which unites 
 tlieiii. 
 
 The niiraclo of the.se hroadly exjianded altitudes is their cUnutt<Ji>gy. 
 Altituiie ahovc the seas; latitude and longitude ; seclusion from the .s-as; 
 coiuliine to perfi-ct the moderation in temjieiature. the drYnt>ss. the salu- 
 brity, and the splendor of the atmosphere. 
 
 The light and fire of the sun rule the day and night, the .seasons, the 
 tides, the vtigetatioii of nature, life and death uiMin the hind and in the 
 soa. IxittlicritHil urinivc thus explains how the mind of man, in harmony 
 with the supreme order of nature, intuitively adju ts it.si'lf to the revolu- 
 tions of the sun and is temjiered hy 1 s heat. 
 
 The iiortlwrn liemisphere of the globe ha.s around it all the continents 
 of tli(! land, holding the dimini.shed .seas in the intervals )x-tween them. 
 The races white in color inhabit and restrict themselves to a narrow K-lt 
 or zodiac, girdling this hemispliere of the continents round and ri>und. 
 
 This belt straddles an axis of Intvnulti/ whose annual mean tem|ierature 
 is 52 degrees of Fahrenheit : it has thirty degrees of hreadth. being 
 fifteen degrees to the south and fifteen degrees to the north of the axi.s. 
 Incorrectly delineated on the luiniature globes, this n.cis o/intfiisifi/ would 
 correspond with the 40th degree of north latitude, and the zone of tem- 
 perate warmth will embrace the belt of the globe fenced within the 25th 
 and i'l'ith degrees. 
 
 lint profound modifications of temperature are wrought by tlie alter- 
 nating presence and special configurations of oceans and eontinent.s: by 
 the power of atmospheric and of ocean currents ; hy the subtle forces of 
 electricity, gravitation, and the iiurcurial gestations of nature. 
 
 ** 
 
 5! 
 
 ■H-'j 
 
 
 
lOG 
 
 THE NORTH AMERICAN MISSION. 
 
 This iixIk nf iii/tiiHi'ty is, tluTcforc, an timlulatiiiy lino. It iiiclics 
 towards the (M|ual(ir, whcri! it travcrsoH the ileptlis of the contim-nt. It 
 arclics tdwards tlic luirtli iiolc over i\w ('X|)ans<'s of tlio nccaiis. Witliiii 
 tills isdtlicrinai licit, and rt'strictcd to it. tlu> cdlunni nl'tlic liuinaii iainily, 
 with whipiii aliidcs the .saciril and iiis|)iri'il tiro of civilization, indniijiuiii/- 
 1111/ t/ir sun, has marched from ca.st to wcwt, since the birth of titnc. 
 
 I'lion this ii.cin "/ iiifiiisifi/ htwL' been coiistrnctcd the jrrcat jiriniary 
 cities, which hiivc liei'n from a^e to a;re the /oc/ from which have nn/in/nl 
 intellectual activity and jiower. Jiiininls, and ctinverjiing uiion this axis, 
 have always ])reHsed the periodical mif^ratory and military movements of 
 the human masses. 
 
 These, recoiliiii.' alike from northern cold and from southern heats, .seek 
 instinctively a temperate and coniienial warmth. 
 
 Of this hiirhly artificial and disciplined .system of civilization wo 
 Americans form a part. It is transniittt;d from the very dawn of anticpiity, 
 and is inherited. History is the diary of its jreojrrapliical progress, of its 
 periods of hrijrhtness and obscurity, of its stru^jilcs and of its encr^iies. 
 
 When society lias attained its larfjest numeri(;al stronjith, accomiilisli- 
 in^ the hij.die.-t level of intellipMice and the lon>>;e.st duration, it is defined 
 to be an ritijn'rr. History occupies its»;lf with the biofrraphy of this{' 
 empires — their rise, culmination, and docadenci!. They form a xuccissioii 
 n\o\;'^ tin undulating zone of the n< *hern hemispliere of the ulobe, 
 within the isothermal belt. They for. wi .n it a continuous zodiac from 
 east to west. 
 
 These niijiins are the Chine.se, the Indian, the Persian, the Grecian, the 
 Koman, the Spanish, the IJritish, finally, the rcpnUlcnn rnijiirt: of the 
 peojile of North America. 
 
 These are tlu^ essential orjianizations which have received ; hold intelli- 
 jrontly for a few centuries each, the vestal tordi of civilization ; porjictu- 
 atcd and transmitted it with more or less fidelity. / rr/xitt nffulii tin- 
 fiK't, that this zone bolts the globe around where the continents expand 
 and the oceans contract: i* un<lulatos witli the axis of warm tomiioraturo 
 (52 degrees of mean heal) : it contains ninety-five one-hundrodths of the 
 white peojilc of the globe, and all its civilizaticui ! 
 
 As a perj)etual and instinctive pressure tends to condense population on 
 to the i.srtt/irninif twis, so it thins out and attenuates in vitality and num- 
 bers — roj)ellod by ho.stile heats on the one hand, and by cold on the other 
 — until the edge is reached beyond which the white races make no perma- 
 nent lodgment in either direction. 
 
 On th( 
 vast niuui 
 where the 
 tion. 
 
 This fa% 
 
 exhibit a 
 
 Never seri 
 
 municipal 
 
 (doulile tin 
 
 in concord 
 
 Hut the 
 
 mountain s 
 
 crn I'iUropi 
 
 inclement ii 
 
 Houthcrn bi 
 
 Here th( 
 
 left unocci 
 
 dwarfed in 
 
 telligont ai 
 
 Everyw 
 
 (//r.s.s lii'iin 
 
 tiuns from 
 
 the Persia 
 
 the SDUthi;, 
 
 or the wat 
 
 and small 
 
 If, then 
 
 htistile i/ri 
 
 society ha 
 
 rassed, an 
 
 Tlu! sni 
 
 form, sho 
 
I 
 
 uutliern lieatH, stjok 
 
 CilAPTKR XI. 
 
 THE NORTH AMKUIl'AN MISSION — CONTINUED. 
 
 ().\ tilt! Orii 11/11/ Hlofv if AhIii, bctwi'un the ulirujit ti-niiiiiatidii (if the 
 \i\xt iniiiiiitaiii hulk iiiid tliu KuHtitrii Uceaii, in I'oiind an aiii|il(' ri-<;i<iii 
 whviv the wlujle width of the tcinp'-rtttr ;o/(c invites and I'liscs jHijiula- 
 tiiiii. 
 
 Thi.s favored nrwi is occupied hy tlic Chinese, who.sc institutidiis 
 e.Nliildl a fiiowtii of dcvclopuicut exti'iidiiij; over five tiiousaiid years. 
 Never seriously iiiterru]itt'd, jirojrress has .sn jierfeeted a h()iiin|.:ciie(ius 
 niuiiieipal system of laws and edueatiiei, that l.")((,(K)l>, ()()() of jwipulatioii 
 (doulile that of all Kurope) are united in one harmonious political .sy.stem 
 in concord and trani|uillity. 
 
 Hut the western frontier of f'lllNA is hloekaded hy the inhospitahle 
 mountain .system which prolonjrs it.scll" continunusly from In ncf to West- 
 ern Euntpe. The column of progress has recoiled abrujitly from their 
 incl(,'ni(!nt altitudes, aiid restricts it.self to the narrow niarjrin between their 
 southern base aiid the raji<redly indented sea-coast. 
 
 Hen; the northern half, or .srH(('-zone, of the isaf/irniKif luff, has been 
 left uniiccu])ied ; society is cut in half, crippled in territory, and fatally 
 dwarfed in variety and numbers. It hius vej^etated without elasticity ; iinin- 
 tellij:ent and .slugf^i.sh. 
 
 Hverywhere pinclu^d in or r- pelled by inland seas, tlif oiiii-iird pm- 
 (/n'Ks hiiivc to the in.stfni s/iorrs <>/- Kiimpr, exhibits only transient exemp- 
 tions from demoralization and disorder. Absorbed by the sterile areas of 
 the I'ersian Gulf, the Pontic, Projiontie and Meditern.aeaii Seas, land in 
 the muthurn half of the isothermal zone is here eitlier totally wanting, 
 or the water surface is only freckled by a stingy succession of peninsulas 
 and small islands, inhabited in broken links. 
 
 If, then, the area occupied l)y CiiiXA be alone excepted, the narrow and 
 hostile (jiogmithlail structure of the uiargin along which the column of 
 society has struggled through Asia and Eliiope, ex{)lains its slow, embar- 
 ra.s.sed, and fitl'ul advance. 
 
 The small empires which have partially ripened have been distorted in 
 form, sliort-lived ; disordered by anarchy ; heterogeneous and coiifust'd in 
 
 107 
 
 I ;•] 
 
108 
 
 THE SOUTH AMERICAN MISSION. 
 
 eleuiciits. In Asia they appear emasculated by the loss of the nortlurn 
 temperate semi-zone; in Elroi'K, ly a counterpart deficiency of the 
 southtrii semi-zone. 
 
 As the great ocean chafes perpetually, and tortures itself anionfi the 
 narrow seas, only to become crij)pled in powci and turbid in color and 
 temper : so, a similar acrid turbulence, and loss of the inspiring instincts 
 of power and of moderation, have characterized the mutilated society 
 cramped in along the line of march through Southern Asia and the aotith 
 and west of Europe. 
 
 The sanguinary incubation of military despotisms over multitudinous 
 millions of passive and up chronicled serfs, presents a sombre canopy, 
 through whose darkness the lightning of intelligence has scarcely flashed. 
 Sanguinary monarchies and submis.«'ve subjects alone are seen. 
 
 The instinct of the American people has located and erected the grand 
 maritime cities of Philadelphia, New York, and Baltimore, where our 
 continent receives the axis of the isothermal zone. Entering here from 
 the east, and favored by the auspicious architecture of our continent, this 
 axis of intensity traverses it athwart to the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 It deviates little from the fortieth degree of lat^ude, arching from it 
 slightly in the middle range towards the south. Here au.spicious nature 
 unveils every propitious gift. The energy of progress, always salient upon 
 this line, has located along it all the first selected and cliiof cities — Pitts- 
 burg, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Leavenworth and Kansas, Denver, Salt Lake 
 City, Virginia, San Francisco. Here the intrepid energies of the pioneer 
 population have first and chiefly condensed themselves in force. 
 
 But we have seen that North America is a vast amphitheatre, and is 
 concave in configur."'tion. Its valleys, its mountain chains, its rivers, its 
 Cordilleras, its ocean boundaries; are all and all alike longitudinal. 
 
 The whole breadth of continent, beneath the isotherm (d zone from Cuba 
 to Hudson's Bay, presents an undeviating harmony. This longitudinal 
 expansion runs flush into the arctic zone, and into the equatorial zone, 
 absolutely without any barrier or obstruction to its undulating smoothness 
 of surface. 
 
 Nature is benignant and graceful throughout her wl ole scheme, and is 
 propitious in the working of all lier laws, and in every clement. The 
 longitudincj mountains receive the glory of the morning and evening sun 
 upon their flanks, the noontide beams upon their summits — they cast no 
 chilling shadow. 
 
 The sun's immortal flame is never withheld, hut perpetually instils his 
 meridian tire through all living nature, and into the hearts of men, of 
 women, and of growing children. Humanity, nurtured in this afllucmc 
 
 of divine wan 
 
 and immortal 
 
 The contr 
 
 (lisfcrnible. 
 
 perennial dis( 
 
 and condense 
 
 In Asia r 
 
 eordiint natii 
 
 by 1:57 indei 
 
 this vast arci 
 
 ism have bee 
 
 viduiil liberti 
 
 few, traii.'^ien 
 
 XouTii A 
 
 lilierties, sel 
 
 been normal 
 
 military desj 
 
 tinent. 
 
 The Indes 
 one by one, 
 suflicient nu: 
 advance fron 
 ignorance, ai 
 ileniorratic-r 
 perpetuated 
 As the col 
 in a closed c 
 oceiins and 
 being eipiid 
 HlKOl'K 
 vest, deboui 
 slopes. 
 
 Asia sin 
 contains hi 
 di'tached is' 
 I'ul of activ 
 The disti 
 the sun, is 
 These ar 
 these contr 
 America. 
 
THE NORTH AMERICAS MISSION. 
 
 109 
 
 'qiiiitoriuf zone, 
 iiic sniootliness 
 
 of divine waniith, instinetively receives iinJ eultivatcs discipline, eliistieity, 
 and immortal pr0j.7e.ss. 
 
 The contra.sted structure of the continents is therefore familiarly 
 discernible. The one couvrx — its surface se<rregated — and afflicted with 
 jiercnnial di.^cord. The other coucnir — formed to concentrate all things, 
 and condense them into everlasting unity, order, and concord. 
 
 In Asia resides a pojiulation of 84(),()()0,(IOtl, distributed into ofiO di.s- 
 ciirdant nationalities. In Ei:rope 2r)9,(MKI,1»0U of population, distracted 
 by 1I>7 indeiiendcnt morarchies. Among these immense hosts, and over 
 this vast area, since the dawn of history, monarchy and military despot- 
 ism have been invariable and universal. The struggles to achieve the indi- 
 vidual liberties, self-government, and civilization of the people have been 
 few, trau.><ient, and abortive. 
 
 NdHTii A.MKRicA has a population of r><),0()(),(KIO. With them the 
 liberties, self-government, and civilization of the people are and have 
 been ncrmal and universal in principle and practice. Monarchy and 
 military di'spotism have been always unknown and absent from our con- 
 tinent. 
 
 The Indestructible jirinciple.s of social and political science are rescued, 
 one by one, from the chaos and rubbish of Europe. Tiiey are known in 
 sufficient nund)ers to perjietuate. to combine am; xbrtify themselves — to 
 advance from discovery to discover}' — from victory to victory, over force, 
 ignorance, and blind error. Rescued f'\iui the (piicksands of the past, 
 ihin<jcratlc-r".puhUcnupi)wcr, rightly un lerstanding itself, has here set and 
 pcrjK'tuated in the world its own indestroctible foundations. 
 
 As the continent.s and oceans of the n(jrth"rn hemisphere wrap the globe 
 in a clo.sed circle, Amfilcn /.s an islnnil. She is intermediate between the 
 oceans and the outward jjrotruding extremities of the other continent, 
 being c(|uidistant from them. 
 
 Ki'Kul'K opens all the outlets of its inland seas and rivers towards the 
 nrs/, debouching on to our Atlantic front, towards which its whole surface 
 slopes. 
 
 Asia similarly piv'sents to our Pacific front an Oiuiitiif slope. This 
 contains her great rivers, the densest masses of lier i>oi)ulation, and 
 ilctached i.slands of great area. Tb'" >: gorgeous archipelagoes arc brim- 
 ful of active populations, and of infinite production. 
 
 The distance from the KiimpcdH to the Asinn shores, as we accompany 
 the sun, is l((,(((l() geographical miles! 
 
 These ancient masses of population, (lien, fxivk to hack, and descending 
 these contra.sted slopes, both IVont America — they face one am)ther iicro.ss 
 America. The short line of mutual approach is the axis ol" isothermal 
 
 I 
 
 m 
 
110 
 
 THE NORTH AMERICAN MISSION. 
 
 warmth, pcnotrating four-fifths of the land, and nine-tenths of the popu- 
 'ition of the {."■lobe ! 
 
 lliia In tJie line of way-trawl of all the white races, of the coniwercia. 
 uctivity and industry of the zodiac of cicilization ! 
 
 As, then, tliis interval of North America is filled up, the afliliation of 
 all niankird will be aceoniplished : proximity recognized : the distractions 
 of intervfiiiiig oceans and equatorial heats cease : the remotest nations be 
 grouped together and fused into one universal and hamionittus system of 
 fratenud relations. 
 
 Here, then, at this moment, by the arrival of the American people on 
 the summit of the Cordillera, ascending and conquering both its flanks 
 simultaneously, tlie most stariling fact of all time reveals itself — aus- 
 picious to the whole human race, and pregnant with tlie most portentousi 
 and immediate consequences. 
 
 Suddenly the mysteries of geograi)hica) progress are resolved — light and 
 victory substitute them.selves for '.arkness and distrust. Why the halves 
 of the human race, marching the one half towards the setting sun, and 
 the other half towards the rising sun, and ])erpetually departing a.sunder — 
 separated in the reai by insuperable physical barriers — broken apart by 
 hostile forces and ob.?tacles — have maintained feebly, and often entirely 
 lo.st, their mutual relations, is clearly revealed ! 
 
 Now, at thix hour, this progress of mutual departure is complete, and 
 completely reversed. Upon the auspicious arena of the American conti- 
 nent and the I'acifie Ocean, these columns surprise one another in over- 
 wheh >ing force and numbers. They encounter, face to face, and front to 
 front. The mission of each and both manifests itself That peace and 
 charity are possible in the world is recognized — chronic war unnecessary, 
 and a consuming blunder. 
 
 The.se multitudes behold one another — the weapons of mutual .slaughter 
 are hurled away — the sanguinary pa.ssions of a consuming rapacity find a 
 check — a majority of the human family is found to accept and protect the 
 es-sential teachings of Christianity in practice. 
 
 Koom is discovered for industrial virtue and industrial power. The 
 civilized masses of the world meet — they mutually explain and under- 
 stand one another — they are m itually enlightened, and fraternize to re- 
 con.stitute human relations and institutions in harmony with nature and 
 with God. 
 
 The world may cease to be a unanimous military camp, incubated only 
 by the malignant principles of arbitrary force an<l altject submission. 
 
 A new and grand order in human iiffairs inaugurates itself out of these 
 immense concurrent discoveries and events. 
 
THE NORTH AMERICAN MISSION. 
 
 Ill 
 
 The groat heart of American society palpitates with new fire.«, i ipelled 
 by a univei-sal instinct, inspiring discipline in action and rectitude of 
 purpose. Science illuminates their work ; circumstances favor and dictate 
 success to their energies. 
 
 A divine light, issuing out of the obscurity of the past, shines upon 
 our country and upon our people. It speaks out in the never-silent oracles 
 of Nature, in response to which each inilicidiial heart is free to re-echo and 
 reflect. A finite goal is unveiled to them, and distinctly seen — its pos- 
 ses.sion and fruition arc intelligibly revealed. 
 
 The (fratdr, from 1840 to 1850, has become forever memorable by a 
 crowning discovery made and victory won by the genius of the pioneers. 
 I mean the " OOLD FEVKR." Hie Imlffinite production tiiid inidtipli- 
 catioti of sound money hi/ the individual and voluntary labor of the 
 jieoplc. 
 
 Lnhor and industry construct their own empire and assume the adminis- 
 tration of governments. Steam upon the ocean and upon the land : more 
 potent than armies : conden.ses labor, and magnifies indefinitely its power 
 and its results. The ameliorating graces of commerce are rescued from 
 the despotic monopoly of riparian cities, isolated on the fringe of the sea. 
 
 They transport themselves in generous profusion to the homes of the 
 people, where they live in the depths of the continents. They are dif- 
 fused to them as the renovating rain of summer distils its drops to every 
 forest tree, to every blade of grain, and to each individual flower. The 
 consuming voracity of government : administered only in the interests 
 of trade and the engulfing rapacity of maritime cities : is uprooted. 
 Equality and equity in the administration of power are brought within 
 the reach and practice of RURAL populations. 
 
 Whereas the energies and the conquests of the pioneer army of the 
 people ; during the last quarter of a century ; have caused the most 
 significant and profound perturbations of society throughout the world — 
 as to them also, the City of Denver owes her location and her future 
 — it is necessary to illustrate the causes of this extraordinary freshness 
 and activity. 
 
 On July -Ith, 18-19, speaking by their invitation to the California emi- 
 grants about to depart from the Missouri River, I used this language : — 
 
 "Up to the year 18-40, the progress whereby twenty-six States and 
 four Territories have been established and peopled, has amounted to a 
 solid strip, rescued from the wilderness, 24 miles in depth, added annually 
 along the western face of the Union, from Canada to the (>u!f of Mexico. 
 
 " This occupation of wild territory, accumulating outward like the annual 
 rings of our forest trees, proceeds with all the solemnity of a providential 
 
 v:m 
 
^y^ 
 
 112 
 
 THE XDRTH AMERfCAX MlSSfOX. 
 
 ordiiiMiico. It is at tliis inomeiit sweeping onward to tlio Pacific with 
 accelerated activity and force, like a dchijie of men, risinj^ unalmtcdly, 
 and daily pushed onward liy the hand of (lod. 
 
 " Fronting tlie Union, on every side, is a vast arnii/ of ji!(mrvrs. This 
 active host, innnliering 50(1,0(10 at least, has the movements mid ohcys 
 the discipline of a jierfectly organized military force. It is momentarily 
 recruited hy single individuals, liy families: and in some instances hy 
 whole communities: from every village, county, city, and State oi' the 
 Union, and ])y immigrants from other nations. 
 
 " Eacli ))iitn in the moving throng is in force a platoon. lie makes a 
 farm on the outer edge of the settlements, whicli lie oceui)ies for a year. 
 He then sells to the leading files jiressing uj> to liim from heiiind. Ho 
 again advances 24 miles, renews his farm, is again overtaken iind again 
 sells. As hulivUlnah fall out from the front ranks, or fix themst^lvcs 
 permanently, others ru.sh from hehind, pass to the front, and assail the 
 wilderness in their turn. 
 
 " Pncloim to the recently concluded war with jMexico, this energetic 
 throng was cngaf:,od at one point in occupying the Peninsula of Florida 
 and lands vacated hy emigrant Indian tribes. At another point in reach- 
 ing the cojiper region of Lake Superior: in ab.sorhing Iowa and Wis- 
 consin. From this very spot had gone forth a forlorn hope to o((U])y 
 Oregon and California. Texas was tlius amiexed — the Indian cmnitry 
 presseil upon its flank.'^ — spy companies reconnoitred New and Old Mexico. 
 
 " Even then : obeying the my.sterious and inscrutable impulse which 
 drives our nation to its goal : a body of the liardiest race that ever faced 
 varied and unnumbered dangers and privations, embarked upon the trail 
 to the Pacific coast. They forced their way to the end : encountering 
 and defying difficulties unjiaralleled ; with a courage and success the like 
 to which the world has not heretofore seen. 
 
 " Thus, then, overland sweeps this tidal wave of population, a))Sorbing 
 in its thundering march tlie glebe, the savages, and the wild bea.sts of 
 the wilderness : scaling the mountains, and debouching down upon the 
 seaboard. Upon the liigh Atlantic sea-coa,st. the pioneer force has thrown 
 itself into ships, and found in the ocean fisheries food for its creative 
 genius. The whaling fleet is the marine force of the pioneer army. 
 These two forces, by land and by sea, have both worked steadily onward 
 to the North Pacific. 
 
 " They now reunite in the harbors of California and Oregon, about to 
 bring into existence upon the Pacific a commercial grandeur identical with 
 that which has followed and gathered to them upon ihe Atlantic. 
 
THE NORTH AMERICAN MISSION. 
 
 113 
 
 " Hence have already come these new States : this other seaboard : and 
 the renewed vivacity of progress with which the general heart now pal- 
 pitates ! 
 
 " Will this cease or slacken ? Has the pouring forth of the stream 
 from Europe ever ceased since the day of Columbus? Has the grass 
 obliterated the trails down the Alleghanies, or across the Mississippi ? 
 RiitluT let him who doubts scat himself upon the bank of the supreme 
 3Ii.ss()uri River, and await the running dry of his yellow waters ! For 
 sooner shall he see this, than a cessation in the crowd now flowing loose to 
 the Western seaboard ! 
 
 '■ Gold is dug — lumber is manufiictiired — p.istoral and arable agriculture 
 irrow apace — a marine flashes into existence — commerce resounds — the fish- 
 eries are prosecuted — vessels arc built — steam pants through all the waters. 
 Each interest stimulating all the rest, and perpetually creating novelties, 
 a career is commenced, to which, as it glances across the Pacific, tlu' 
 human eye assigns no term !" . . . 
 
 It is to the infallible judgment and the intrepid valor of the pioneers 
 that the American people owe the selection of Colorado and the auspicious 
 cosmopolitan site of Denver. The one crowns and embraces the supreme 
 altitude of the continent, and majestically arches the Cordillera : the other 
 rests in the focus of the continental scheme of activity and fresh forces. 
 
 By the exalted energy and devotion of (he pioneer army, the imperiljed 
 Union has been saved from ob.sf'urc spcculatiims and blind theories. 
 
 We had beheld a period of repression ; during which our people had 
 been driven by malignant legi.slation in a maritime shell around the conti- 
 nent : its vast centre had been retained as a desert disc. 
 
 The patriotism and energies of the people, pent up and exasperated by 
 malignant politics, had become deformed and distorted by civil strife : our 
 .soil incarnadined with fraternal blood. 
 
 With the pioneer army rests the glory which has vindicated the mis- 
 sion of America : which preserves, enlarges, and perpetuates the con- 
 tinental union of the States; elsewhere rocked to its foundations, and 
 enervated by nepotism to the foolish fashions of Europe. 
 
 While European sentiment and its dismal political bigotry has every- 
 where fomented civil war and slaughter ; invaded Mexico ; bombarded the 
 West Indies and South America ; filled Canada with incendiaries, and 
 the ocean with pirates : ancient, bountiful, wise, prolific, and luxuriant 
 Asia, has cultivated and pressed upon us peace, friend.ship, sympathy, and 
 the affiliation of her redundant populations and productions. 
 
 Advancing to meet and embrace this fresh and splendid arena : march- 
 ing with the double puipose to a.ssiniilate with the Asiatic system and 
 
 8 
 
 m. 
 
114 
 
 77/ A' NO It Til AMKHICAX MI SSI OX. 
 
 activities, aiid to cinani-ipato ii.<c'If fnim the iiniioverisliiii}: and sterile 
 iiKiiKilKily of the Atlantic, iXxc pionar ttrni// selects Dkxvkii. 
 
 lleve the frcdif^rapliy and draiiia<j;e of the Atlantic conies to an cud ; 
 that of the I'acitic is reached. Infidlible instinct adheres to the tuotlifr- 
 mat axiit. 
 
 Here is the propitious point to receive the coluuin from Asia, de- 
 houchin^ from the ocean and the mountains to radiate and expand itscli' 
 tdsltcdn/ over the unobstructed area of the Mississippi basin ! We con- 
 sent to face about! The rear becomes the front! Asia in front; J-Aii-iqie 
 in the rear ! 
 
 Dknvkr is ST') miles from Sacramento: 1401 from ^fcxieo City: 
 11(»() from St. Louis: and 2li(l(» fnmi New York. 
 
 It is, therefore, by proximity identified with the Pacljic Oaan and 
 with Mr.rki). 
 
 It is the salient point to which Asia and Polynesia will coini', seckiii;; 
 a central base; from which to distribute themsi'lves (jver the cosfmi area 
 oi" America and to Kurope. Thir selection thus fir.-Jt made by the in.«ipirc(l 
 and infallible judjiuient of the piiiiHrm <>/ t/ic wi'U/rriiiHs will forever re- 
 main unanimously acceptable to the American iteoj)le. 
 
 The iti.sfiiivf, the whole end)odied I'orce and pr<'. .»ur of intere.st, judg- 
 ment, j)ower, and j)atriotism of the jieople of the Pacific, v.ill construct 
 the ('ciitrii/ Railroad of North America, from San Francisco to Denver ! 
 
 Why this onclusion dictates itself as eminently probable, is illustrated 
 by innumeraide shininj;; and concurrent facts of nature and experiences of 
 progress. 
 
 Dk.nvkk is in a focal point of impregnable power in the topof^raphical 
 configuration of the continent. It is a /wtil point for the great raiUnnt 
 riveis. six in nundjcr, whose channels form a multitude of uid)r;>ken gratles 
 descending to the Af/mifu: It is e(|ually so for tho.xe streams which, 
 scalping the escarpments of the Cordillera, prolong these gradients and 
 graft tluni. through and through, on the counterpart /<><'<i/ .system of the 
 rivers of the Pacific. 
 
 'I'lie symmi'trical propincjuity and ////i°r-radiation of the plains of the 
 Arkaii.sis and Platte liivers — enveloping and fusing into the jdain of the 
 Kansas — carry the Great J'/ains, like an undidating (K'can, sheer up to 
 the primeval (ord Hiiro. This is /urf Kiicin/iiirnissxl hi/ oiiffiiws. 
 
 The (!itK.\T Pl,.\iNs forma desceiuling slope to the longitudinal trough 
 of the Missi.s,sippi ]{iver, basking themselves in the ea.stern sun. liy their 
 intense fertility and immense area, they are about to give to our people 
 supremacy in the world. 
 
 The CJhkat Plains extend from tlie Mexican tiulf to the Arctic Sea. 
 
 , i 
 
THE SOUTH AMERICAS MISSIOS. 
 
 115 
 
 o tliu Arctic Sea. 
 
 They iiro of a iinifi)rm drift formation, alluvial and diluvial ; tlicy have a 
 width, from west to cast, of 1200 inilcH; a h)nj;itudinal longtli of I),')!)!). 
 
 The destruction of the mountains forms their soils, in whieh every 
 active element of fertility and jtroduction is minjrled. This hup- area 
 owes its eoiistruction and its smoothness to the vast net-work of rivers 
 whiih meamlerdown its slope; hut still more especially to the atmonj^thcrlc 
 currents flowin}^ perpetually from the last. 
 
 In this work Xitture employs the industry of multitudinous myriads 
 of minute aniuials. The zo>>j)/iijtcs rrect conil infiiiKls from tlir afn/sK of 
 the (icnin. Here the ants, the marmots, tlie badgers, the loxes, the 
 wolves, everywhere erect their multitudinous nests from the powder and 
 minute jiravel of the sul)s<iil. 
 
 Dried hy the ?un and fanned by the urst iriinf, from each separate 
 hillock rises, to thf heij^ht of thirty feet, a whirlpool of soil. This travels, 
 from iirKt to >■>'„', a few liundred feet, hursts and sows itself broadcast. 
 I'fn'u(/irii//>/ come sand-storms of force and violence, which, to a less dis- 
 tance and similarly, transport the fine frravel and small boulders. 
 
 Tins s>/sfi'))i of niitiir-il/onTx, acting through countless ages, has formed 
 hy the afmospherlc currents this prodigious sloping glacis. As large in ex- 
 panse as is the Atlantic Sea, th(i winds sweep over and mould its surface 
 as (•' mplctely us they ruffle the water surface and drive tlie waves of 
 the ocean. 
 
 This poroim drift material absor})s promptly and hides the water coming 
 from the cloutls. These watei-s permeate down and underflow upon the 
 bed-rock foundation, which has the same })erpetual .slope and is jiarallel 
 witli the top surface. Elevated for irrigation by artesian wells, n/hr use 
 it again sinks to its home beneath, and is protected from evaporation. 
 
 Of the fattest fertility ; drained beneath ; everywhere supplied with 
 artesian waters, there is no interrujjtion to this i)i'opitious structure and 
 uniform adajitability to arable culture. Every acre of this ocean prairie 
 thus ofl'crs itself for the productiou of the cereals. 
 
 In their inuUsturhed nature these plaii.s are jtastoral : they liave, within 
 the knowledge of our people — within my own knowledge — sustained 
 lUO,()0(t,000 of aboriginal grazing stock, feeding them,selves upon the 
 perennial grasses, asjish In the sea. 
 
 Animal life is as multitudinous, and as various in kinds, as is the coun- 
 terpart marine population of the ocean ! Mineral fuel, and material for 
 buihling and fencing, are abundant and universally distributed. The 
 atniosjthere is uniformly moderate in tem])erature, favorable to health, to 
 longevity, to intellectual and jdiysical develoj)ment, and stimulative of an 
 exalted tone of .sott'../ civilization and refinement. 
 
 m 
 
 « , '. 'ft 
 
116 
 
 THE SOUTH AMERICAS MISSIOS. 
 
 Such is the fi^ndeur which di: plays itself around us to the north, 
 to the 'mst. end co the south. Nature gioups her favors in endless 
 var'etipo, jp the most auspicious forms, and in tlic palmiest dimensions. 
 
 Towering above us on the west are the cloi:.d-compellin}» sunnnits of 
 the Eastern Cordillera. We have seen that the systt^m of the North 
 American Andes hero reaches its extreme departure from the oceans ; its 
 most salient anglo of expansion ; culminating also in supreme bulk and 
 altitude. 
 
 Enveloped vritl.in then arc the Pares : adjacent to and beyond these, 
 are the immense mountain basins of the Rio del Norte ; the Colorado ; 
 Salt Lake ; and Columbia : al' upon the expanse of the Plateau. 
 
 Ii. and around the Parcs is preparing itself the mining laboratory of 
 the world. The rare economy in structure, climate, inter-occanic con- 
 venience, prolific food, miscellaneous materials and metals, constitute 
 and locate here the paragon of all geographical positions. 
 
 1 
 
us to the north, 
 avors in oiidloss 
 ost dinicnsioiiH. 
 llin<? summits of 
 ni of the North 
 u the oceans ; its 
 ipremo bulk and 
 
 id beyond these, 
 i the Colorado; 
 Plateau. 
 ing laboratory of 
 nter-oceanic con- 
 nctals, constitute 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 THE NOPTII AMERICAN MISSION — CONTINUED. 
 
 The discoverie,s of exact scicucn teach us conclusively what is desirable 
 to be known. 
 
 Everybody is familiar with the manufacture of shot. This is aecom- 
 piished by pourinjj; liquid lead at a hijrh elevation throujrh perforated 
 i?i()ulds. Each pellet of lead de.seending throiii^h the air is formed into a 
 sphere, as it cools, by the invisible force of jrravity. 
 
 The f,'lobc of the earth hius bad a similar orifjin ; once a liquid mas.s ; 
 now a solid frravitatinj; sphere of' 8000 miles in diameter, such as we in- 
 habit it. Geolo<ry exj)lains how the material mass of this {rreat sphere 
 has arrangeil it.self into layers or .shells, enveloping one another like the 
 successive coalings of an onion, or rather as the pulp of an orange with 
 many succcHsive rinds. 
 
 .S/H'(//?V y/Y/iv'/y accounts for the relative positions of these layers one 
 upon the other : it explains to us where and how to penetrate to their 
 nietalliferous contents. It is in the primeval roek^ exchmtrJy that the 
 jrccious metals and gems are found. The bas^e metals are found in the 
 ai/cinroiiH rocks. 
 
 Sprcifir (jrdflty guides us to discover the rocks in which the metals are 
 found and when they arc totidly absent. If into n hollow ]»illar of gla.ss there 
 lie [loured a cfuart of quicksilver, one of water, one of oil, and one of 
 alcolcl, these liquids will rest one upon the other in this order. 
 
 It a j)iece of gold, of iron, of wood, and a feather, be thrown in. they 
 will sink — the gold to the bottom, the iron to the (juicksilver, the wood 
 to the water, the feather to the oil. [f this whole ma.ss be congealed to 
 ice. this arrangement will remain solid and permanent. The gold must 
 be sought f, millinentiiry to the <|uicksilver ; the iron above it, but smli- 
 infiitiin/ to the water ; the wood resting upiin the water, but sedimentary 
 to the oil. 
 
 In the stnpendotis proportions and exact order of nature, a similar 
 arrangi'ment holds in the rocks which envelop the globe of the earth in 
 a jrust, as the contents of im egg are held within its shell. This crust or 
 shell IS known to be 125 miles in thickness. 
 
 117 
 
 ^H 
 
I'll'! 
 
 118 
 
 THE sou" 11 AMEinCAN MISS 10 S. 
 
 Ill 
 
 Vi -il 
 
 These roflkH, onco nil 8oft or li((ui(l. are imw all iieriiian'.;nfly KoUd, in 
 the order of their relative speeifie j^ravitieM. 
 
 15ut, as the liottoiii eonteiits of a meadow-field are rijiped up hy the 
 (Irivinj^ force of* a siihsoil jilow, so the eoinpreitsed fires and chaotic 
 forces of the interior glohe, tearinjj throujih its crust, have thrown tiji the 
 ti'ltiiiir hiiiylliitUiiiil fiiriiiw which is now the eluvuted CoBDlLLKKA from 
 Cajte Horn to Behrinj^'s Htrait. 
 
 The lowest ro-ks, therefore, split asunder and driven up vertirnlly, 
 now form the summit of the ('iinli//n<i. The reiided facinjrs of tiu' 
 bottom jilates hecouu; tht; surmountiufi top of the Sierra. The warjied 
 sides, lient ujiwards, form the sloi)iiij; flanks of the Sierra. I'iled against 
 these, the superincumbent strata are lapped. 
 
 These appear as successive benches upon the flanks of the Cordi/lertt, 
 forming a rugged staircase, whose steps are each of coiifiiu iif<t/ magnitude 
 and dimensions. Such is tlie aboriginal j)rofile of the pnwcval Chr- 
 tiilUro, now rasped away and ragged by corrosion and the play of the 
 elements during countless millions of seasons. 
 
 IJut science, with efpial truth and simplicity, ascending upwards from 
 the earth's surface, explains the ATMosi'liERE!, which embrace the globe 
 outsiilc, and handles them without obscurity. 
 
 The globe is covered externallji with a liquid shell of water, through 
 which the contents protrude : this is the ocean, ntjveoiis atniospherc, being 
 dense and visible to the eye. 
 
 FcteninJ to this, and resting upon it, is the sliell of the mrrinl afntos- 
 pJinc. This atnu)sphorc is invisible to the eye ; but the vapors exhaled 
 from the land and the ocean ascend into it ; are condensed into mists and 
 rain-?louds, which float through it in visible mas.ses. 
 
 At an altitude of 4(100 feet, this dcrlal uhiioupJirre terminates as 
 abrujttly and completely as has the atpiemm ntmosphcn' at our feet. 
 Above its limit, or upper surface, the n«/H-clouds do noc ascend, but have 
 their termination and level similarly to the aqueous afmosphrre beneath. 
 
 /•J.rfrriKiI to ihc ncn'dl (If DiospJiere is the ETHKHKAh afniospliere, beyond 
 wliieh animal life, vegetation, and clouds cease to exi.st. 
 
 Physical geography defines those portions of the earth's surface within 
 the (ifirliij atmosphere to po.ssess a MARITIME climate; those within the 
 cfhirixif atmoi^phrre to possess a CONTINENTAL climate. The Plateaux 
 of North America, of Central Asia, and of South America enjoy a contt- 
 nental climate ; the rest of the earth's surface lies within the maritime 
 climate. 
 
 How perfectly the area of Colorado possesses a continmtal climate 
 and lies within the ithrcal atmosi)hcre, manifests itself to every observ- 
 
THE SOUTH AM Kit WAS MfSStOS. 
 
 119 
 
 niiin-ntly mViH, in 
 
 rippod up l)y the 
 fires iiml chaotic 
 ve Ihiown up the 
 (tKIilLLKHA from 
 
 ■II 'ij> vcrliciilly, 
 
 I faciii^r.s (if th^' 
 
 ■ra. Tile wariied 
 
 •a. 
 
 I'ilod 
 
 lieu a''aiiist 
 
 f tho (WdUlcra, 
 
 noital uiaguitudu 
 
 e jirinicviil Cor- 
 
 thi! phiy of the 
 
 iifr upwards from 
 luliraco tlio globe 
 
 f water, tliroufrh 
 tmosjiherc, being 
 
 he amnl atmoa- 
 e vapors exJialed 
 d into mists and 
 
 ? terminates as 
 '•«■ at our foot, 
 iseend, but liave 
 phrre beneath. 
 oitjihere, beyond 
 
 i surface witliin 
 hose witliin the 
 'he Pl^ATKAUX 
 
 II enjoy a contt- 
 1 the maritime 
 
 intntdl climate 
 • every observ- 
 
 iiij,' eyp. Tiie illustrations and proofs of this are i-oiuiuMve in t'V«'ry 
 dcimrtuient and niinuti; detail of nature — uiwin the surface nf thi- I'lains; 
 in the eauo|iy ov(;rhead ; in the mountains; in animal life; and in the 
 ve^rctatinn. 
 
 To the traveller who ascends from <<i.*i to wvjt/, at the |>;us>»a'.rt' of the 
 1(12(1 nieridiaii, tlut metamorphosis over the whole landM-:i|M- is ciiniplele. 
 Tlie surface of tlit; earth is uniforndy dry, compact, ami fm- fn.in mud; 
 the forest has dis:ip])eared even from the rivers ; where irri-.riti<>n. "tlier 
 than that supplicMl from the clouds, is absent, wormwtMMl. the eacta". and 
 dclicale perennial gras.ses only grow ; the air is intensely pungent, tonic 
 to the tast«!, dry, and translucent ; the atmos])herie pn-s-Mire dimini>lies, 
 and animal digesti(jn is modified. 
 
 Across the canoj)y, which is inten.><ely bine in color and brilliancy, nish 
 
 itly, like Ixtrsed 
 
 >f th 
 
 <ili riouils. bi 
 
 >he<l with 
 
 couriers 
 
 and radiating silver tire. This gorgeous /;(/yr'y/-/f display of eloiid* i- multi- 
 tudinous and inces.sant round the year: they contain neitluT rain nor 
 electricity ; and descend over us with my.sterious and incidculabic v«l<K*ity in 
 the iicriiil <itm<isplii'rr. 
 
 TIk; ottion^phtric riirrriifs pour incessantly from tlie irttf — the moun- 
 tains gather but little snow — they are naked and dr}' at mid.'-umnier. The 
 rivers are without affluents, an<l e.\j>end their waters by eva]Mtnition. The 
 incessant pjissago of clouds does not obscure the sun, but ri'fracts and 
 intensifies his insj»iring light. 
 
 There are neither moisture, mia.smas, nor perceptible exhalations of any 
 kind. DiiM is not frequent. Serenity, moderation, and purity reiim within 
 th(! complete circuit of the horizon. The mind of man is .SMithetl. tem- 
 pered, and modified by this immense benignity throughout nature, whii-h 
 infuses itself, and a.ssimilatos everything but human avarice and nij'.ifity. 
 
 The su[H!rb richness of color and of dis.^olving ."hadi-s are infinitely 
 variegated and delicate. The visimi, aided by the continually inerea-xiiig 
 elevation, is far peiu'trating and distinct in its recognitions. Within and 
 among the mountains and upon the Platf \v. the niinh-ss character. 
 serenity, and splendor of the atmosphere are the sjime. All tht-se g«'n«T- 
 ous attributes gather in force, and are enhan<ed l)y the .^uiHTlativc U-siuty 
 and sublimity of their marvellous stnicture. magnitude, and iiunibe- 
 
 'Y\n'. preci.st' flirts which fix the supreme climatic excellent «»f Cotonido 
 are these : the latitudt! — the elevation above the sea — the remote seclu- 
 sion from the sea. These all attain here their ninximiim^ and unite har- 
 moniou.sly. This results from the astimishing and au.spiciuun c«inconl 
 between the grand laws of nature ; the comprehensive scale of the anhi- 
 tecture ; and the favorable /oml configuration. 
 
 
120 
 
 riiK s-(ntrii amkuic.w mission. 
 
 I 
 
 Tlic Nmlh Aiiiiiivini A iii/m c\ cry vihcrv. prove tliciiixclvcs to liavc liccu 
 driven ii]i tliroii;;Ii the lied of it iiriiiu'val occiiii, of wliicli tint Mis.iis.sij,j,i 
 htisiii is llic still uiialti'riil liowl. Tlif Hodiiiicntiiry strata, liki' u nest of 
 Itowl.s iiiiiiij.' tlu' ahyss, are Imikoii off and tilted uj) along tlie indented 
 baHu of the iiioiintains. 
 
 A traveller wlio apjiroaelies t]w Aflmific sntf/minl, eouunj; from tlic 
 iiiiif, sees that ocean penetratinj; every hay, gulf, luirhor, and indentation 
 of the land, jireservinj^ an unalterahie li'vel. In the same way, wrajtiied 
 against the Cordillera, and meantlering its infinitely indented roots with 
 tiie same undeviating fidelity, are Keen the rended edges of the cii/ainiiiis 
 Htrata. 
 
 Kaeh stratnm iiaving its characteristic color, thin friinje of n (lipitrUd 
 ixiini is traceil without intermission lengthwise through the continent. 
 It is easily discernihle, as though a continuous rainbow were ]ilaited in to 
 mark the line of junction, where the sc'dimentary and primeval rocks join 
 together and depart in opposite directions, each to maintain exclusive 
 dominion. 
 
 Thus, ascending along the arc of the 4(lth degree of latitude, a dis- 
 tance of twenty miles from the I'/<iiiix, directly uj» to the summit of the 
 Cord if /nil, I'very elementary rock of the geological scale is crossed, 
 arranged in order and jilaced in jxisition. At the lower end appears 
 liiliiniil </ii/f, the top settlings of the sea ; at the other end t]\c priinvvul 
 2>"r/>/ii/ii/, upheaved from the lowest crust. 
 
 JIi II , in economical juxtajiositio and luxuriant profligacy, are found 
 every metal, every rock, every clay, every salt, every alkali, I'uel, arbores- 
 ceiiee, vegetation of gra.s.ses and flora — every and each element of the 
 g(Milogical .scale to which human industry ajjplies its .skill, or manufactures 
 and conv(!rts to social use. 
 
 I am awed by the.se marvellous facts <d" nature, which cannot esciipe 
 recognition. I liave not discovered that they exist, or cjin so exist, else- 
 where round tlu! earth's circumlerenci!, iu ..nysuch complete coudjination, 
 of such jiurity and magnitude, asliere — iiifrniiidi'nfr — upctn the condensed 
 track of way-travel of the populous and active zodiac of mai'cind. 
 
 A st4irtling and profound novelty here displays it.self and fixes our 
 attention. 
 
 All along the liinijltiiilliinl J'kifriin, altitude and the protection of tlie 
 Cordilleras temjter the hrnl towards the e(|uatorial zone ; the .same causes 
 temper the ciJil towards the polar zone. These extremes of teu)j)erature 
 for the day and for the night are great; for the seasons round the year 
 scarc(!ly jierceptible. In one word, the temperature is uiuforndy nriinl. 
 
 By this, the genial and propitious climate of the imtheimal zik/iuc is 
 
THK SOUTH AMKUIt'AS MISS/OX. 
 
 121 
 
 proloii^'cil outward upon its north flank, and itn soutli flank : it oxtomU 
 up and down the arou of the fiuhnii, and is f'olt to hoth its extremities. 
 
 Tlius is iHustrated the severe tniifnisf ani(iii<; the eontiiients, North 
 Anitiica heinj; in its eontij^uration iniicnrf — all the otlu-rs coiiiix. Klse- 
 where, hostile strueture, perpetuating ineorrigihlu distraetion, segregates 
 soiiety and dwarfs its energies. 
 
 In Xuit/i Aniiricii. a. homogeneous unity of language, population, and 
 manners is unavoidable. This is henignantly amplified hy an undulating 
 variety of contour, pervading eijually tlu! mountain sy.stem and the jilain.s. 
 This hap]iy eomhination provokes tlu; highest development and diseiplinu 
 of energy, and tlie most e.xalted civilization. 
 
 As for the nite upon which the CiTV <•!•' Dk.nver is founded, it is pre- 
 eminently coHmo/xjlitan. It pre-oecupies the auspicious focus into whidi 
 Nature groups all her colossul elements. We are at the ha.se of the Kiii>t- 
 irii Cori/i/lira, who.se summit, nowhere jjenetrated hy navigation for ten 
 thousand miles, forms the phi^mcal mvriilian which parts and unites the 
 two hemispheres of the ghthe. 
 
 Here the vast arena of the Pacific basin fits it.self to the basin of the 
 Atlantic, edge to edge. The goal is reached where the zodiac of nations 
 closes its circle. The gap between the hemispheres is bridged over forever. 
 
 We are upon the isot/niiiKil iixis, which is the trunk line (the t/id/iifif) 
 of intense and intelligent energy ; where eiviliziition has its largest field, 
 its highest development, its inspired form. 
 
 There is an intoxicating grandeur in the panorama which unveils it.self 
 to the .sjjectator looking out from the crest of the neighboring Cordillera. 
 In front, in rear, and on either flank. Nature ascends to her highest 
 standard of excellence. 
 
 Behold to the right the Mississippi Hasin : to the lefV the Plateau of 
 the Table Lands : beneath, the family of I'arcs : around, the radiating 
 backs of the primeval mountains: the primary rivers starting to the seas: 
 a uniform altitude of 8()()() feet : a translucent atniosjihere, a thousand miles 
 ' cuioved from the ocean and its influences : a checkered landscape, from 
 wliich no element of .sublimity is left out — fertility and food upon the 
 surface ; metals beneath ; uninterrupted facility of transit. 
 
 Behold here the pdnomiiKt which crowns the middle region of our 
 Union ; fans the immortal tire of patriotism ; and beckons on the ener- 
 getic host of our people ! 
 
 Here, through the heart of our territory, our population, our States, 
 our citit's, our niini!S, our farms and haltitations, will travei-se the con- 
 densed commerce of mankind — where ])a.ssengers and cargoes may,'*? any 
 lime or j>litei; embark upon or leave the vehicles of transjKjrtation. 
 
■* ■! 
 
 122 
 
 THE XOIlTIf AMKIifCAX }rfSSrOX. 
 
 ii ;'ii 
 
 Down with the parricidal policy which will banish it from the land — 
 from amoiif^ the broadcast dwclliiiirs of the pcojilo — t<i f jrco it on tci the 
 sterile ocean : outside of society, throu;ih foreifjjn nations — into the torrid 
 heats : alonfj; Holitary, circuitous routes : imprisoned for montlis and dwarli-d 
 in great ships ! 
 
 Railways, miltiplied and spanning the continent, are essential dnnicstic 
 institution.:; !:.ore powerful and more permanent than law, or popular (un- 
 sent, or political constitutions, to thoroughly complete the grand system 
 of fluvial arteries wliich fraternize us into one people — to bind tlie firo 
 SKil/oanh to this one continental vni'on, like ears to the human head — to 
 radicate the 7-nral foundations of the Union so broad and deej), and 
 establish its structures so solid, that no possible force or stratagem can 
 sliake its permanence — to secure such scope and space to j)rogress, that 
 equality and prosperity shall never be impaired, or chafe for want of room! 
 
 To Denver is secured a career into which all these favorable^ facts of 
 position and circumferent area are now united. The North American 
 people numl)cr Ji/ti/ 7Htllion.t in strength. Two millions annually shift 
 their houics. This force is, j^'ir cxci Hence, the pioneer army of tlui North 
 American ])eople. This movement causes an uninteirupted jire.ssure of 
 the people from aist to west, resembling the drift of the ocean which 
 aecompani. s the great tidal wave. 
 
 Diurnally is the surface of the sea lifted up in silence and poured upon 
 the coasts of the continents. Exactly similar to this is the movement, 
 annually gathering force, and seen to impel our people through and 
 through from the easternio the uestern limit of the land. 
 
 The inscrutable force of (/raiifi/, which with minute accuracy holds the 
 planets in their orbits, or Ci. ises each drop of rain to fall, sways the 
 instinet of society. This gravitation pres.ses from all directions upon the 
 axis, and to the focus of intensity. This regular in.stiiict of movement 
 lias been transiently interfered with by the artificial passions and demorali- 
 zation of civil strife. It rapidly assumes again its tempe'- and its 
 regularity. 
 
 Our neighbors from California work up to us with miraculous energy 
 and celerity. They bring with tlu-m the ojien aven)ie to us from Asia. 
 
 The Mexican colunni reaches us from the south. On the )(irtli the 
 activity is great, and in clo.se contact. The.se several columns s multane- 
 ously converge upon us. They increase evert/ moment in numbers, weight, 
 and celerity of motion. 
 
 We no longer march into the blind wilderness, di'penih'iit upon and 
 chained exehisinli/ to Europe in the rear. We open up in IV'int (ho 
 gorgeous arena of the Asiatic Ocean 
 
THE yOUTIl AMKIllCAX MISSIOX. 
 
 123 
 
 At ]>rt'si!iit, tlu! liuge city of Ldinlon iiunKtpolize.s the imports from the 
 Oriinfiit world. These arc stored tliere, and retiiihid to the people ro- 
 siiliiiL:' in tlie basin of the Atlantic. 
 
 Upon the labor of the American people, so far us thoy particij)atc in 
 the consumption of Orinifal witrra, is harnessed the frightfnl burden to 
 si'i'port the British peojile and the Britisli Empire, a id to be devoured 
 by their voraeiims despotism of trade. 
 
 The work of emancipation is accomplished by tlie intrepid enerj^ies 
 and (uniiuests of the pioneer army of North America. It only remains 
 to be appreciated and accepted by the people. 
 
 We are about to supply by direct export the food and precious and ba.se 
 metals to 8')0,()(K),000 of neighboring Asiatics ! To Japan : to (Jiiina : 
 to India. To the gorgeous islands of Borneo : Sumatra : Java. To tlie 
 Philippines: the Celebes. To the Archipelagoes of the Sooloo Sea and 
 Polynesia ! Tiiese are hirffer in aggregate area, and more populous, than 
 Euro|K' ; and arc nearer to tis. 
 
 Included witiiiri the eijiuitorial zone, but approached by us through the 
 kmp< i-iili zone, they ovei*flow witli mercliandises desirable to our people, 
 in multitudinous affluence. To us will belong the prodigious carrying 
 trade upon tlie seas for tlie.sc inlinite multitudes. The e((uatorial heats 
 arc outflanked and avoided. The conflict for dominion over the mul- 
 tiplied commerce of the world is fought, and the conclusive victory is 
 won tiir our country. 
 
 A large majority of tlie American [leople now reside within the Mi.s- 
 si.s.si|ipi Biusin, and in this Asiatic front of our continent, which is born 
 from us. 
 
 Na.scent powers, liereulcan from the hour of their birth, unv(!il their 
 forms and demand their rights. States for the pioneers ; self-govern- 
 ment for the picmeers ; untrammelled way for tlie imperial energies of the 
 forces of the Rocky .Alountuins and the Pacific Sea, may not long be 
 withheld by covetous, arbitrary, and arrogant jcalou.sy and injustice! 
 
 In the conflict for freedom, it is not numbers or cunning that conquers ; 
 but rather daring, di.>4tijiline, and judgment, combined and tempered by 
 the conden.sed fire of faith an<l intrepid valor. 
 
 As it is my hope, iti the.se notes, to contribute what may be valuable, 
 I adhere strictly to severe facts, and nject ab.solutely all theory and 
 .speculation. These facts are as indestructibly established as is the alpha- 
 bet, and arc as worthy of unijuestioning faith and credence. 
 
 That we may htok into the giitbering achievements of the near future, 
 without obscurity, and with an accurate prophetic vision, 1 may without 
 censure submit what is within my own personal experience. 
 
 m 
 
 \ M. 
 
 
 
 
 
124 
 
 THE NORTH AMEItlCAN MISSION. 
 
 i ■ w 
 
 It fell to my lot, during the years from 1840 to 1845, alone and lu 
 extreme youth, to seek and chalk out, in the immense solitudes filling 
 the space from 3Iissouri to China, the lines of this dazzling enijiire of 
 which we now hold the oracular crown — to have stood by its cradle — to 
 be the witness of its miraculous growth. 
 
 It is not for me, in this season of gathering splendor, to speak tnmcju 
 upon a subject of such intense and engrossing novelty and interest. I may 
 properly here quote the concluding sentences of a report which I was re- 
 quired to make on the 2d of March, 1840, to the Untied Stntex Srnatr, 
 at that time brimful of illustrious .statesmen. What I said then and 
 there, in the first dawning twilight of our glory, I will now repeat : 
 
 " The calm, wise man sets liimself to study aright and understand clearly 
 the deep designs of Providence — to scan the great volume of nature — to 
 fathom, if possible, the will of the Creator, and to receive with respect 
 what may be revealed to him. 
 
 " Two centuries have rolled over our race upon this continent. From 
 nothing we have become 20,000,000. From nothing we are grown to 
 be in agriculture, in commerce, in civilization, and in natural strength. 
 the first among nations existing or in hLsfory. So much is our ihntiny — 
 so far, up to this time — tninsuctcd, accomplished, certain, and not to be 
 disputed. From this threshold we read the future. 
 
 " The vntransactcd destiny of the American people is to subdue the 
 continent — to rush over this vast field to the Pacific Ocean — to iiiiiniate 
 the many hundred millions of its people, and to cheer them upward — to 
 set the principle of self-government at work — to agitate these herculeaa 
 ma.s.ses — to establish a new order in human affairs — to set free the en- 
 slaved — to regenerate superannuated nation.s — to change darkness into 
 light — to stir up the sleep of a hundred centuries — to teach old nations 
 a new civilization — to confirm tlio destiny of the human race — to carry 
 the career of mankind to its culminating point^ — to cause stagnant peojile 
 to be re-born — ■. perfect science — to emblazon history with the con(|uest 
 of peace — to shed a new and resplendent glory upon mankind — to unite 
 the world in one social family — to dissolve the spell of tyranny and exalt 
 charity — to absolve the curse that weighs down humanity, and to shed 
 blessings round the world ! 
 
 " Divine tmk ! immortal mixftion ! Let us trcjid fast and joyfully the 
 open trail before us ! Let every American heart open wide for patriotism 
 to glow undinnned, and confide with religious faith in the sublime and 
 prodigious destiny of his well-loved country." 
 
 REMARKS OF MAJ( 
 
1845, alone and iu 
 ise solitudes filling 
 dazzling enijijre of 
 
 »J by its cradle— to 
 
 or, to speak tnmcJy 
 lid interest. I may 
 •t which I was re- 
 ^ifrd Sfittrf, Sniolr, 
 t I said then and 
 now repeat : 
 understand clearly 
 uine of nature— to 
 :ceive with respect 
 
 continent. From 
 ; we are grown to 
 
 natural strength. 
 •h is our detitlny—. 
 aiu, and not to be 
 
 is to subdue the 
 )cean — to aiiiniute 
 them ujiward— to 
 e these herculean 
 » set five the en- 
 ige darkness into 
 teach old nations 
 111 race — U) carry 
 * stagnant iie()j)le 
 vith the con(|ucst 
 ankind — to unite 
 yranny and exalt 
 lity, and to shed 
 
 and joyfully the 
 de for patriotism 
 the sublime and 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 MEXICAN WAR. 
 
 REMARKS OF MAJOR OltPIN, AT THE BARBECUE GIVEN' THE COLE INFANTRY, AT 
 JEFFERSON CITY, THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 1847. 
 
 Happy are those who, after hopes long su.spended and hara.ssing 
 anxieties long and doubtingly endured, come to find their hopes con.sum- 
 mated by brilliant successes, their anxieties relieved by enthusiastic 
 praises and the shouts of triumph. 
 
 Such are the soldiers who, their trials ended and their long and ex- 
 hausting services at an end, are here assembled to receive the greetings 
 of the!- kindred, and listen to their flattering praises and their shouts of 
 victory and welcome. 
 
 During thirty-two years of peace, — a long period, which includes the 
 birth of nine-tenths of us, — our own State has joined the confederacy. 
 War came suddenly. With the same pen which signed the declaration 
 of hostilities between Mexico and the United States, the President di- 
 rected to Missouri the first requisition for the War! 
 
 It asked a slender force of 1 500 men, — all volunteers but 300 dragoons 
 — to cross the Great Plains and penetrate Mexico by the north. 
 
 Bounding forth at the sound of the war-bugle, in one month were as- 
 sembled at Fort Leavenworth, beyond the western verge of our Union, 
 the Ist Regiment of Missouri Cavalry, the battalion of Artillery fro > St. 
 Louis, the battalion of Cole Infantry, and the Laclede Rangers, 120o in 
 all, and forth they marched. 
 
 Wars had occupied mankind for one hundred centuries, but they had 
 been wars between adjacent nations — marches had been confined to inhab- 
 ited countries, where provisions abounded on the routes. 
 
 Here was a wilderness of u thousand miles to be traversed, and the enemy 
 to be encountered at home, in great strength, and abounding in resources. 
 A failure to transport with us complete supplies was certain disaster and 
 Starvation — a check received from the enemy at their threshold would 
 
 125 
 
126 
 
 APPEXDIX. 
 
 I i 
 
 eventuate the same. This enemy was the pfople of Mexico, a sister Re- 
 public. 
 
 Years had hecii i-Ahausted in ingenious devices on our part to avoid 
 this conflict. Our citizens had been nia.ssacred in Texas amidst the very 
 orgies of barbarism — our merchants had been plundered and imprisoned 
 — our flag insulted in their metropolis — our citizens murdered, malt rcated, 
 and scofftul for their religion — debts accumulating during thirty yeara 
 unpaid — treaties contemptuously violated — more than all, an attemiit to 
 imitate fnir republican system, productive only of anarchy, stood as a bur- 
 lesque beside us on our own continent, furnishing to the malev(jlent food 
 for satires upon popular freedom in the Xew World. 
 
 Forth, then, into the wilderness plunged the little army of Mi.<souri to 
 encounter these enemies of their country — their country to them a/trat^s 
 right. 
 
 The plains were passed, and the rugged mountains which, dividing 
 from the Rocky Mountains, encircle Now Mexico, were reached. Tlioir 
 rapid progress had outstrijiped the provision-trains. Amidst fatiguinji; 
 marches, dust, solstitial heats, and scanty water, subsisting on onc-ipiarter 
 of the ordinary ration, they rushed onward to Santa Fe. 
 
 The army of New Mexico, in numbers three to one of our force, occu- 
 pying the impregnable gorge of Gallisteo, which covers the j-pproach to 
 Santa Fe, dispersed in dismay. On the 18th of August, three months 
 from the proclamation of war, made at Wasliington City, 2!500 miles dis- 
 tant, the statt! of New Mexico lay concjuered, and the American flag 
 floated over the Capitol at Santa Fe. 
 
 Occupied until the middle of September in securing the subjugation if 
 the country, the 1st Regiment descended the Del Norte to the lower set- 
 tlements, receiving the submission of the towns and people, and returned 
 to Santa Fe. 
 
 New Mexico contains 100,000 inhabitants, vast resources, and by its 
 basin-like configuration is easily defensible, and difficult to be confjuered 
 cr long held in subjection. 
 
 New Mexico is surroimded by powerful tribes of military Indians : the 
 Con.anelies, towards Texas — the Yiitas and Navajos in the Rocky Moun- 
 tains, and on their slope towards the Pacific. 
 
 Issuii.g fnmi the surrounding mountains, the.se warlike Indians strike 
 down the people, devastate the banks of the Del Norte, and driv(> \\w{\\ 
 the stock. In years past they hav(; plundered from ^lexicans many mil- 
 lions of sheep and cattle. By the submission of New Mexico wo had 
 become the guardians of her people and territory. The pious duty re- 
 mained to tame her savage foes. 
 
 The infantry, J 
 fort was built to 
 made by the Coi 
 parted for the 
 one jienetrating t 
 the Vutas and 
 letta ; a third dei 
 bound eventually 
 The northern 
 tated villages, to 
 tion, and, reachii 
 the river Chamas 
 tjo Yutas, includ 
 With them w; 
 tliose Indians, 
 their farms and f 
 Supplies havii 
 prepared to pa.ss 
 up the Navajos, 
 On the 2d of 
 by tlie snows wJ 
 force, 300 stronjj 
 that led up to tl 
 which flows to t^ 
 With us were 
 visions. In se\ 
 altitude of 10,')( 
 of the " Grmt } 
 meiLsles scourgei 
 prey to its rava< 
 I'oUowing foi 
 with the sheep 
 the impractical 
 men), we descei 
 siou tif whicth a 
 Astounded i 
 trusted it couW 
 horees whl'h h 
 mission. 
 
 Taking with 
 ened toward tli 
 
M 
 
 MEXICAN WAR. 
 
 127 
 
 loxleo, a sister Re- 
 
 our part tf) avoid 
 as amidst tlio vorv 
 L'd and iiii]iris()iied 
 rdered, iiialtivated, 
 uriiig thirty yem-s 
 iill, ail attoiii].t to 
 ly, st(Mid as a bur- 
 le nialovolont food 
 
 ■my of Missouri to 
 ry to tlioiii uhniys 
 
 s which, dividing 
 
 n 
 
 e readied. Their 
 \niidst f-itiiiiiinj,' 
 ng on one-(jiiarter 
 
 four force, occu- 
 s tlie i'.pjiniacli to 
 list, three months 
 y, 2:}00 miles dis- 
 le American flasr 
 
 lie subjugation ,)f 
 to the iowor set- 
 pie, and returned 
 
 urces, and by its 
 to be conrjuered 
 
 iry Indians : the 
 lie Rocky .Aloun- 
 
 e Indians strike 
 and drive (i.ith 
 cicans many mil- 
 Mexico we had 
 e pious duty re- 
 
 Tho infantry, artillery, and dragoons remained to garrison Santa Fe — a 
 fort was built to command its approaches — a treaty was asked for and 
 made by the Conianches. The 1st llegimont, in three detaclnnciits, de- 
 parted for the recesses of the llocky ^lountains late in September : the 
 one j)enetratiiig towards the northwest by Canada and the Chamas against 
 tlie Yutas and Navajos ; another southwest by Albuquerque and Sabo- 
 lutta ; a tliird descended by the Del Norte, covering the American traders 
 bound eventually to Chihuahua. 
 
 The northern column passed out through a denuded country and devas- 
 tated villages, to which the fugitive Mexicans returned under its protec- 
 tion, and, reaching the recesses of the Rocky ^lountains by the sources of 
 the river Chamas, in one month delivered to the authorities in Santa Fe 
 Go Yutas, including their chiefs and chief warriors. 
 
 With them was formed a treaty of peace, since faithfully observed by 
 those Indians. This restored many thou.sand families of 3Iexicans to 
 their farms and firesides, and gave (piiet to the northern frontier. 
 
 Supplies liaving been with great difficulty collected, this same coluuui 
 prepared to pass the eternal barrier of the Rocky Mountains, and .scare 
 up the Navajos, reposing in security on their western slope. 
 
 On the 2d of November (in this climate the depth of winter, indicated 
 by tlie snows which enwrapped the surrounding mountains), this little 
 force, !J00 strong, abandoning their tents and wagons, entered the gorges 
 that led up to the " Pass of tlie San Juan,' the head of this great river 
 which flows to the Pacific. 
 
 With us were 7U Mexican allies and 100 pack-mules transporting pro- 
 visions. In seven days, contending again.st snow-storm* and ice at an 
 altitude of 10,'JOO feet in mid-winter, and unpalatable water, the i)assagc 
 of the "Gridt Mothi r Mountain" of the continent was accomplislied. The 
 mea.sles .scourged our camp. The brave boys, I'oster and Rryant, fell a 
 prey to its ravages. 
 
 Following for some days the great San Juan, leaving its banks swarming 
 with the sheep and horses of the Navajos, and crossing towards tlie south 
 the inipractii able mountain of Tunicha (never before trodden by white 
 men ), we de^icended into the cavernous region of Challa, amidst the seclu- 
 sion of which arc the forts and fastnesses of the Navajos. 
 
 Astounded at the appearance of an American force where they had 
 trusted it could never penetrate, the chiefs tendered presents, restored the 
 horses whl'-h had been stolen from New Mevico, and promised abject sub- 
 mission. 
 
 Taking with us nine chiefs commissioned to l)ind the nation, we hast- 
 ened toward the snowy jicaks which rose 200 miles to the east and barred 
 
r, 
 
 128 
 
 A rPEXDlX. 
 
 our return to Now Moxico. At the umtern ba3e of those, in the t-rritory 
 of the Zufii Tiidiaiis, wo awaited the arrival of tlie colonel coniniainiiii" 
 to whom the Xavajos' chiefs swore eternal friendship to the white jum. 
 
 Marching hence uiuhr the western edge of t\u) mountain crest, we 
 visited and smoked the jiipe in the city of the Zuni Indians. This 
 people, many of them albinos, one of the lost specks of the aiitii|iie 
 Aztec race, inhabit a solitary city in the centre of the immen.se plain 
 traversed by a northern branch of the Gila River. 
 
 Hence, reerossing the " Ciretit Mother Mountain" by the Zuni I'ass im 
 the four first days of December, we descended to the Del Norte. Jnyousiy 
 did we meet again our fellow-.soldiers, and soon the i.st Regiment found 
 it.self reunited at Valverde. 250 miles below Santa Fe, about to pass 
 onward to the conquest of El Paso and Chihuahua. 
 
 Thus, since our departure from Santa Fe. luid our little force under my 
 command reduced to peace the Yuta and Navajo nations, 40,(10(1 strong, 
 aecompli.shod a march of 750 miles, cro.ssed and recroseed the Sierra 
 Madre. pas.sed the Tunicha and Chiu.ska Mountains, and many rivers. 
 
 During many successive nights the cold descended to the freczing-jmint 
 of mercury : the streams were frozen solid : the pasture scanty : and of 
 fuel there was but a stingy handful of evergreen woods: — two bravo men 
 and many horses iiad perished : for the rest, their health was good, and 
 their spirits always gay and undaunted. 
 
 This is the first military force of our nation which, cromug the Rocky 
 Mountains and unfurling the national standard upon the uuiti r.^ <>/ the 
 Pacijic, has received for it the submission of u hostile people ; and this 
 was accomplished in the depth of winter. 
 
 A portion of our little army (the artillery and infantry) remained to 
 occupy New Mexico ; another, accompanying (leneral Keanioy, had gone 
 to secure the concjuest of California. The Indians having boon siVduod, 
 the Ist Regiment was now concentrated at \'alverde, on the lower edge 
 of New Mexico, meditating the conquest of the rich and populous state 
 of Chihuahua. 
 
 This was the 12th of December. Our regiment mustered 700 men. 
 The weather was intensely cold, the river ran with ice — we had no touts 
 — and our animals starved upon the harsh, dry gra.ss. In El Paso, 200 
 miles below, are comfort and plenty — wine and corn, and houses, and a 
 delicious climate; but there, too, are a regular force of 1500 Mexicans 
 and five pieces of artillery. Between the armies is the "Jornada, or 
 "Journey of the Dead," a dreary stretch of 100 miles, without wood or 
 water. 
 
 At the entrance of the "Jornada," awaiting our advance, were tiio 
 
MKXICAX W.ifl. 
 
 120 
 
 Ami'ii<"ni nu 
 
 ■itIhiiiIs. liaviiiu' lUtO wa-'ons. diariri'tl with 81.000.000 worth 
 
 tie force muhr my 
 >ns, 40.00(1 strmi"' 
 ?ro.>«c(l tlio Sierra 
 <1 many rivers, 
 the fretzins-jKiiiit 
 re scanty : and of 
 : — two brave men 
 ilth was good, and 
 
 •roxslnrf tile Kneky 
 the utit(/s iif ike 
 people ; and this 
 
 itry) remained to 
 [car'iey, had gone 
 ing been si Slued, 
 )n the lower edge 
 nd populous st^ite 
 
 ustercd 7(tO men. 
 -we had no tent.s 
 In El Paso, 1>(I0 
 tid houses, and a 
 r 1.J0O 3Ie.\i(an« 
 e '"Jornada," or 
 without wood ipr 
 
 Jvance, were the 
 
 of uieicliiiiidisf. One hundred men under Captain Hudson suliscijuently 
 canio to us from Santa Fe. called tiie • Chiliuaiiua Kangers" — tlu-y were 
 drawn from the lid llegiment (Colonel I'riee'.sl. An exjiress was sent 
 baek to Santa Fe for one company of artillery, eommamled by Captain 
 Waitinan. Tliis company overtook us afterward.-' in Kl I'aso — abcmt the 
 1st of I'ebruary. 
 
 On tiic llith, a forlorn hope of HOO pa.ssed onward to open the pa.>*sage 
 through the "Jornada" — witii this were Captains Parsons, Waldo, Keid, 
 and Hodgers. We expected to meet the enemy as we should pass onward 
 from its jaws. 
 
 The pa.s.sage was accomplished — no enemy obstructed our exit at the 
 farther end — we descended to the river and ijuenehcil our thirst, con- 
 tinued during three days and nights. IJobledo is the nanu' given to the 
 lower mouth of the Jornada. Twelve miles below is the little town of 
 Dona-Ana — it has j)lenty of corn and ti<lO people. 
 
 This is the only settlement abovi! Kl i'aso. which is SO miles distant. 
 On the morrow we entered Pona-Ana. and there learned Miat the Mexican 
 army would advaiue to ineet us as we should descend to Kl I'aso. 
 
 On the lilJd, our whole force, having successfully pas.sed the Jornada, 
 reunited at Dona-Ana. 
 
 On the 21th. our march was 18 miles. On the 2.')th. advancing rapidly 
 ahead of the wagon train, we encamped at Hrazito, 1!> miles, al)out one 
 o clock. The camp-guanl, (!0 strong, the wagon-guards, and many men 
 with jaded horses, were in the rear. 77/ /s inm ChriMnids il<i>/. 
 
 At two o'clock. th(! approa<-hing cloud (d' dust revealed the advance of 
 the Mexicans. The bugles sounding to arm.s. our fore(> was deployed in 
 a single line on foot upon the prairie in I'ront, and envclo}iing the wagons: — 
 we numbered 424. 
 
 T!ie Mexican.s deployed immediately in our front, in gallant style, and 
 rapidly :— they numbered IJ.'id. The veteran \'era Crn/ iMagoons were 
 on the right — the Ciiihuahua Cavalry on the left — in the centre, infantry. 
 Now it was that a black flag was flapjied in our eyes from the centre of 
 the .Mexican line. It was defied — the sbo>k of battle followed. 
 
 The Mexicans charged upon our line — 'heir cavalry converging to our 
 front, their infantry advancing. Our men, sitting down and receiving 
 many volleys from their artillery, nuisletry, and escopettes. decoyed them 
 clo.se — when suddenly rising and pouririg in a lurid sheet of lire, the enemy, 
 riddleu . 'erywhere. fleil liowlinL'. 
 
 Their artiliv'v was taken. (i;{ were killed, and a vast rpiantity ol' arms 
 taken from them. Those who escaped deserted from the Mexican army. 
 
 'J 
 
r.o 
 
 M'I'KSl'IX. 
 
 dicm h 
 
 M 
 
 ii- Clui.-tiiuix (lav, llic '.ttli aimivi'i-sar}' i»f Okciluilicc 
 issiiiiri viiiiiiitcci's i-oiitii'iii h|miii liim \\iv ymil llr uttcrcil aj:,i 
 
 lill.i 
 
 ■ v i-xiiiiiiaiiilcr on lliat tiiiiin'i' dav. 
 
 a til 
 
 ta: U'lu'il iiur iiiaiclu 
 
 On ll 
 
 u' iiiiiniiii<^ II 
 
 ft 
 
 lie -<lh, \Vi 
 
 •iili'icd 
 
 Kl I'iiMi. Awailin'' \\w ani\al nf aililliiv. wi' liiipiid >i.\ \vi'ik> in ll 
 
 (liliiioii.s M'ttlinicnt." nl" El I' 
 
 Aliinil 2(l.tMM( .Mcxiianw lui 
 
 It,' 
 
 f itlltl\;(lf 
 
 the jiiaiif. aiii! rnjuy innrii |piii>|u rit v ainl a driniuiis ilunatc. 
 
 On till' '.Mhiif Fi'luiiarv, we innvi'il i>n fi> Cliiliualiiia. Tin- intcival, Jxi 
 uiilt'>, it' M'cn iiy vmi whu inlialiil this nur vmlant laml, wnulil lie |ini- 
 iiuun(-i.'(l a liii\vlin<: (k'sert, >\\A\ is its aiistcn; aiul jiirliiililinii aiiilitv — 
 Saliai'a ilni's nut cxci'i'i 
 
 1 it- 
 
 illlS III' 
 
 i.» niiU's, williunt waliT, wiMic. or 
 
 ^rass — j:iavt'l. sanil. ami iink> jmpsm'.'^;. it uuTcl^ — hi'nuiiiliing lolii at nijilit, 
 at iniil-ilay hut and ilitstv. 
 
 Uii the liTtli, wi; ivai-hotl Siiiix. 4(1 niilra iVnni Chihtiahiia 
 
 miiUvav 
 
 ht't 
 
 wi'i'u r*iins 
 
 and Chihuahua is Saciaimntu : lure is the unlv watir in 
 
 that whiilc liistaurr. am 
 
 1 lii't 
 
 wt'i'n lis 
 
 d il 
 
 ic iiji|Mirtanit} to .»lakr our 
 
 lak. 
 
 thirst, 
 
 was cntrt'iii' 
 
 hed 
 
 •M 
 
 I'xuan anuY. 
 
 On the atUrnooii of the iJSih, was j^aimil //(» iinnnlluiin rutm-i/ nj 
 Sucninii iitii, in w'lich your soldiers cuViTcd llu'insi'l\i'> with iniju'rislr.ililc 
 filory. < hi the toUowiny and siieeeediny da} s our whole coluinu enteivd 
 I'liihuahua. 
 
 At Cliiliualiiui we heard with exultation uf the pillunt eondiiet of (1u: 
 CoK' Ini'aiitiy and I''islier s Aitillery. at Canada and 'i'aos — ol' llnir f:in>il 
 discijilin.! a'.id jiivUant hearing whilst in •garrison at Santa l''e. I'licse wirt' 
 soldiei's' o\' thr jiist itqiiisiti'iii. »\ul tried with us tin- ojH'iiinji i'ainjiaij;ii ot" 
 the |irairie.s. Jiet u.s lu>re. then, as at Chihuahua, emwu with the sniiii! 
 (■ha|ilet the sohliers ol' IJrazilo. Sairanieiito, Canada, Taos, iiml 101 I'asu — 
 sharin<:; alike the lioimrs won iiy all. 
 
 |)urin,ir two nionth.'^ did the Missouri eoluinn Imlil undistiirhed pus- 
 .'-i'>sion III' the nietrii|iolis ot' Chihuahua, and control its de|iendem'ies. 
 lii>uri'eeliiiiis jilanned Imth here and at Kl I'a.so weri' antiei|iate(l anil 
 iii|i|ieil ill the iienn. Anieriean traders and nmssenjii'rs lravii>eil the Slate 
 iinharnied. It had lieeii sjiid that so small a lone eoiild not liohl Chihiiu- 
 liua. /f iiiis i/i,iir, and tiiat with a linn :inil lram|uil ^ras]i. 
 
 Hut the jieriod of our serviie neared its elose. From our own <riiverii- 
 
 ment not a whisjier 
 
 had 
 
 reai 
 
 hed 
 
 I I'll 
 
 Ul til 
 
 e oiitstarl — no pay — no amiiiii 
 
 n lion (our eartridues were made of |iowilei taken at iJia/ilo i- im 
 reiiiloreemeiil.s — mi mmiey — no remini.seeiiee oi' mir own e.vistrm-e wai^ 
 
 iliseermiili 
 
 111. 
 
 General Woo! had delleeted from hi.-^ tiist iiitt iiti 
 
 oiis. ami III ll r tiitfinifiil 
 at Cliilni'tliiiii. On the liSth of Ajiril. Chihuahua was evaeualed, in oU;- 
 
ME X re AX WAR. 
 
 i.n 
 
 ( (kt'cllnlpff. 'J'llli.S 
 //> iittciv-l aj;.,iiisi 
 
 If 27tli, \w ciiicivd 
 ■d >i.\ Wrrk.s ill il,^. 
 
 • iii.s luic iiilti\iitc 
 
 iiiialc. 
 
 'I'lir iiit( rviil. L'SO 
 mil, Wdulil In. |,|y. 
 liiidtliii^ iiiiilitv—. 
 lilt water. wiPiM;, (ir 
 
 iiij; lolilat iii;;lit, 
 
 liliiialiiia: iiiidwav 
 
 llu' uiily watrr ill 
 
 mil} to .-lake „ur 
 
 III III, UK n'rtori/ i,f 
 
 Willi imj)(ii,s|Kilp|.- 
 
 •lo ttiluiiiii iiitiivd 
 
 tilt ((.iidint lit" the 
 Hi!* — (if tlicir piiiil 
 H I'V. Tli( •^«(. Will,' 
 'iiiii}; <imi|iaijiiiot' 
 VII with ilu' siiiK! 
 I*-*, and Kl I'a.-c, — 
 
 iiiKiistiiilicd \K\^- 
 
 ilf* dt|iciid(ii(i('.s. 
 
 f aiiticijiatt'd and 
 
 raV( r>c(l t|i,. Stale 
 
 iiiil liid<i Ciiiliiia- 
 
 ilS]). 
 
 mir own '.'■"Vcrii- 
 " l''''> — II" •iiiiiiiii- 
 ■il IJiazitd) — III) 
 VII «\i.-«iiii(f \\M 
 
 id //' II r iipfiiiiiiil 
 vacualj'd, in oU,'- 
 
 (litnic to ati order from rfciKTiil Taylor, that we *houhl join his column 
 at Hii<ii:i \'ista and Moiitcri'y. 
 
 Tilt' inaiili to .Moiitrrfv. I'>.')<> inilt'S. was a(<iim]i!i«hid in :.'ll ilay!*--i7 
 jiiccfs of aiiiilcry. witli their caissons, and a (tain of limt lii-.^ . v. ii/ons, 
 iii(iiiii|iaiiied lis. It was ii|ioii this descent from the tahje lilt Is • . he 
 iiiiiiilinie iciiion. that oi;rsiifl'eriii<fs. from hr.-ickish water. siiP- :iiiu ■!;. t, 
 iiiiilit iij.irches rendered necessary hy lonjr strelclies and li-' 
 
 r. LH-t 
 
 cxce.s-ive. 
 
 Here. too. at Kl Paso, lit "• the city of Parras. w: Vun irV ri >U!» 
 iictory ovcrtlu' ('amaiiche Indians. l>y a small hamlfiil i'' •"•^t'lant men. 
 icil liy Captain Heid : 17 Indiansl.it tlie dn-t. 
 
 From the oiit|iosts of the '•soiuhern arii»v." Iicvoiid liueiia \'ista we 
 reached ('ainarjro. on the Hio del Norte, in nine days — |ias.siiij: through 
 flic cities of Saltillo. .Monterey, and throii::h Ceralvo. 
 
 Since the de](artiirt' of the Missouri eoliimn from the (/(.</< r;i honler up 
 til iiiir return to oiir homes hy the I'ls/n-n honler of o'lr State, we havo 
 travciscil the full distance of 7.")1M( miles. 
 
 No jMisitioii of i'tjual imiHU'tance to that of ('hihuahua has over yet 
 hccii licM liy the I'niteil States in Mtxico. nor anywhere hy so small a 
 furcc. One thousand Mis.soiirians. oecu|iyiii>r ("hihuahu.i. cut off from 
 •Mexico, New .Mexico, ami the two Califoinias in their rear. 
 
 I'carin;.' j)er|ietiiiilly to he invaiietl. the States of |)nran<jro an<l Sonora 
 witlihcM iVoin the Mexican iroveriitiient all men. military sn|ijilies. or 
 fniaiii iai aiil. The amiile wealth, resources, mints, cannon, foumlries. and 
 mull rill i\\' Chihuahua were coiiverteil to mir uses. 
 
 Thus, ilicn. hy this nnfrul ]>osition, were held in check and .severctl from 
 the enemy three-tifths of the territorial soil of tin; rejuihlic id' Mexico, 
 ami ,')l)tl.tlilll ot' her |>o|iulation. 
 
 'I'lii.- |iii>iti.in. t commamls he pvat and maiL'nifieent road whicli leads 
 
 iliiwn the central tahli' lands, throuirh the c;i|iit.ils id' I>uraiip>, Zacateeas, 
 .\i:iia>('alientes, Leon, (iiianaxuato. and (^uerefaro. to the city of Mexico. 
 Tiiis route is unohstructed hy nnuintains. ami leads to Mexico thr<iU'^li an 
 idiuiiilant ami very healthy re;j:ion. If is the one hy which the trailers 
 fitim Missouri annually visit the great •' fair id" San Juan" ami the city of 
 Mexico. 
 
 Ill 
 
 It a|i|iears to me that the column of Mi>soiiri is the only one which has 
 ade war with eth'ct aiel olitainetl from it woitiiv rcMilts. To he sure, iiir 
 iveriiment lias tlirown them aw.iv, as uuworthv <d' notice, ami worthless; 
 
 hut th 
 
 IS does not k'.s.sen mir merits. 
 
 A;-l 
 
 In June. It), when the Mis>iouri c(dumii left Fort I.eavenwt.rth, (leii- 
 erai Taylor s column was at Camaigo, ready to march un Mexico hy the 
 
I i' 
 
 ^ 
 
 •!^3 
 
 il 
 
 
 1:52 
 
 A ri'KSDIX. 
 
 route 111' S.iii liiiis INiiiisi. In June, 17, tlii' Missouri I'olimin, rrturning 
 til/ till (liilf. liiiiinl (Iciicriil Taylor's adviint'o posts at Hufiia \'ista, only 
 -SINK DAVs' MAltcil in advance ol' that same ('ainarj:o. 
 
 T^) Jie sure, Taylor's eolunin hail won Lrreat vietories ; Imt so also Ijnd 
 
 tin- colii.Min ol' Missouri, a^^ainst a variety of i-nein 
 
 les. 
 
 Tho southern army lay licliilesH u]ion an uiiiinportuiit cd^re of Mex 
 
 ICII, 
 
 heninied in liy jiuerrillas— sueh as we found it, its ex|>enses .mioiinted tn 
 .?i.(imi.(l(M) |,er vvt<'k. 7'),0IM» Anieriean soldiers had he.'U sent in :iii<i 
 out ol' Mexico in a single year in this direction. 
 
 The nuinl)ers of soldiers had borne a Hijiall ratio to those t'in]iloye(| in 
 iiieii-of-wur, in fleets of transports and steamers, at tlie depots, and with 
 wa^on trains. Fit\i\- mouths had been consumed advaneini: from the I)cl 
 Norte to Monter«!y, 2S(I miles. /'/»>■ months from Monterey to Saltillo, 
 80 miles. Ihnw forward i 11 has been eomjdete sta;^natiori. 
 
 Tl 
 
 le pn.«;se."<sio 
 
 MS of the .s('iithern army are strictly conlined to the citic 
 
 of Monterey and Saltillo. A whole army is consumed in L'uardinir from 
 ma.x.sacre and ile>truetion thi trains pa.ssintr alonj: the road that connects 
 them with the J>ei Norte, only \W\ miles. 
 
 T}ie ro/iiiiiii It/ ^fissoltri iiiifijt'irtcd tlmlf /nnii the Mr.ri,'ini jnirsft. 
 After fulfilling its orders co'.npletely. by the con((nest of the States of 
 
 New 3lexicn. Chihuahua, the two ("aliforni:i 
 
 iiKl iiuni 
 
 sllIuL' 
 
 many 
 
 Ind 
 
 Ian 
 
 nations — clo-iinir its onward pro<xress at Chihuahua, we have inai'ched tilMl 
 miles from the hear' of tl'e .Mexican territory, n/miin/ out te (ienerals 
 
 Tavl 
 
 or uiul 
 
 Wool. 
 
 Filially, one irreat result is proved by these various campaiirus. /t is lii/ 
 till' riiUtr iij till iiliiliiy mill flir tilhh' IiIiiiIk nf Mr.riro <iM,Y. tlnil /lir Mfixi- 
 run iidtinii run In roiiifiirinl mill lirhl in nuhjrctltni hi/ the Aim rirmif. 
 
 The eonli^iiration of the country, the healtli, the fiupjilie.s upon the 
 route, its shortness, and tlu^ extraordinary results accomplished by the 
 .Mis.-oiiri column, di'iiionstrate this. The slender means and small cost of 
 our (jimpaiirii add more stronu' jiroofs of this. 
 
 /■r/littc-coiinfri/nicn a in/ Lmliix : The soldiers of the first rrijin'xiti'ou from 
 Missouri, exceptiiitr those who sleep forever beneath the shadows of th( 
 Sierra Madre, have returned to receive the frreetinirs of their friends and 
 kindred. We brinu with us the spoil of the enemy as trophies of our 
 victories. 
 
 Th 
 
 asseuililie.s 
 
 bli 
 
 -th 
 
 erowils of fair women a>id brave men — flu 
 
 •omplinient.iry festivals an<l flatterinir woi<ls resoundiiii: in our ears from 
 every \ illauc and from every cabin, are the trratifyinjr rewards of our 
 
 ■ft"ort,< 
 
 and our ( 
 
 hvils 
 
 'I'liiis are our loiij;-susjH;nded hopes and painful anxieties consummated 
 
 ii 
 
 & 
 
MExrrw wm. 
 
 188 
 
 ••I'lninii, rrt„r,,;„ff 
 {||<ll;i \'i.s(a, ()M,y 
 
 , Imu so nU„ lijij 
 
 It ('•L'-i' (.r Mr.xici, 
 
 ■IISC.1 .iiiioiiiitid to 
 
 Im'cii .s(..|it ii, ;„„| 
 
 liosc ciniildycil ill 
 
 ' <li'|M(ls. ;i||(| Willi 
 
 "■ii'.i: (V.iiii ill,. 1),,| 
 'iiti'ivy to Saltillo, 
 inn. 
 
 iliiicd til till, citi,,,.^ 
 
 in -iiaidiiiL,' iV.im 
 
 roiid tliat coniictts 
 
 <•*■ flic States of 
 
 lini: many Indinn 
 
 liavo niarchod (i(»(i 
 
 / "I'f (•• (lenorals 
 
 nipaiirns, // /,< /,y 
 i.V, //„!/ Ilir Mr.n- 
 "' Aiiiiriffiiis. 
 iil>l>lif.'< u|Hin till' 
 inij-lishcd l.y the 
 iiiid .iniall c().st (if 
 
 If ri'fpn'sififiii from 
 
 I' .sli.idows ot" fill 
 
 tlicir friends and 
 
 tro|ilii(.s (if our 
 
 •avi' nion — tlicsr 
 in our (>ar.s fmni 
 rewards of our 
 
 es coiisuumiafed 
 
 by a iliH>p and gratifying scn.sc of triiiin|ili. So bavu we in-rfunutil our 
 ta.'ik, and .>4Ui'li is our iiiunititvnt reward. 
 
 Suffer me to say, — as oiio elevated by their own suffnijri-s !<■ an iui|Mir- 
 tiuit loiuni.ind ;imoii;T tliem. — a.s well to my feliow-SKliJier' a.« t«> llur^- here 
 lircx'iit who have sons, or hrothi rs, or friends anions: theiii. that I r<>iin<l 
 at all times the numt adinirahlu di.sei|iline: the inorit {>r<iiii|>t and s|m)|i- 
 taneoiis oliediencc — at all tiujo.s a luode.st umussiiuiiti;; l>n«v«Ty, whieli met 
 thirst and eold and starvation and l .^haiistinL: niirht uiarehe;>. with .•Hin<r< 
 and ;-'iiyety and merriment. 
 
 I)is]ilayod on the tield and in the hour of battle hy a )|uiet anxiety for 
 the eliarge, and then |diin<rin<; down u|M(n the enemy with a fiery fury 
 which ovirwhelmeil them with defeat and stuie_' them witli di->|i:iir. 
 These (|uaiities they adorned with moderation after victory, and elemeuev 
 to the vaiH|nished. 
 
 But the eareer of your .soldiers, so hapjdiy he<nin. eloisii'S not heiv. 
 May they not yet devote their younir eiieiL'ies to a eountry whieh they 
 ;i!iiently love, and whieh thus j;eiieiously illustrates it.^Jove for them? 
 
 War has been to our j>n»gre.ssive nation the fruitful .■<-at)on of general in<; 
 new offspring to our eonle<l«'ratioii. 
 
 During the Revolution, little armies, i.ssuing from tlie Alleghanit's. fia.s.<<><l 
 os'cr Kentuei;y, the Northwest Territory, and Tennessee. The?*- new eiiun- 
 tries had heen reeonnoitred and admired. With hanly frimes. eonfinued 
 health, and reeruited by a year or two of peaee. these soldier* returned 
 to oecupy the choice sjiots whi(di hail been their bivouac and cauijiiiig- 
 giounds. l''rom the campaigns id" war grew the settlements of |iea«T. and 
 jiopulous States dis|)la(;ed the wilderness. Another war came with another 
 generation — armies jienetrated Miehigim, uy<\)eT Illinois, and into MLvsis- 
 sippi. The great Mi.ssi.ssippi, ero.s.><i'il at many |M>iiits. eea.s«il to Ik? a l>ar- 
 n'er, and the steamboat appeared, plowing its yellow flow. Five great 
 States and 2,(MMI,((0(> of |)eople embla/on its western bank. 
 
 Anil ii'iir, (if/ain, have come atuithrr i/eiienifioii uml «/H»*/A»*r icar. Your 
 little armies have sealed the et<!rnal barrii-rs of the •• Mother Mountain" 
 of the New World, and, buried for a time in the maz^-s of 11* manifold 
 peaks and ridges, liave ibljuHclud at many points upon the briny Ix^eh 
 of the Pacific. 
 
 P.issiiig round by the great oceans, a military innrinf simultanoouslj 
 strikes the shore and lends them aid. Thus is the wihlem«>S!? r«fon- 
 noitred in war, its geography illustnited, and its conquerors di.«4.-iprtucd. 
 Your soldiers, renting for a time at home, will s;dly forth apiin.. and, 
 wielding the weapons of hus})andry. give to you rtKids that will nurture 
 commerce and a sisterliood of maritime Stuttit on thf imr-founJ r^tan. 
 
I !| 
 
 i|! 
 
 
 134 
 
 AI'PK.MHX. 
 
 We return, tlu'ii, tu tin- liosoiii (il'tiiir lilnriMiiH State, to bury our liouiid- 
 iiig liearts iu tlie joys of responsive ^natulations. Coining tVoni arid 
 wastes and tlio unrelieved stttrility ol' mountains and plains, to sian a^iain 
 the verdant lields and niantliii'; forests of our niotlier-land, wliicli nt' us 
 ull tloes not apostrophize, with glowinj; hearts, our native scenes? — II nil to 
 Colundiia, land of our liirtli — hail to her niagnitieent domain — hail to 
 her generous peojik — huil to her matrons and her maidens — hail to her 
 victorious soldiers — <M hutlXa her im s/ir i".s — hail to the suhlime dc.xtiuy 
 which hears her on through |ieace and war, to make the limits of llm 
 uoutiuent her own, and to endure forever ! 
 
 i I 
 
IT. 
 SI'KKCK OF ('(M.. WIMJA.M (illJ'IN 
 
 (iS TIIK sriUK< T (iK TIIK I'.MIKH' IIAII.WAV KlItST SI'iikKN AT TlIK lAMI' tif 
 HVK TlliKSAMt ( AI.IKlillMA KM |i. II ANT.-', AT \VAKi:i(l-.\ SnW TIIK ITTY itK 
 I.AWUKM i;,. KANSAS. KKI'KATKli AT I N KKI'KNhKNiK. Ml»i'l Itl. AT A M \S.S 
 MKKTINtI iiK TIIK (TTI/KNS oK .lACKSK.N Idl NTY, IIKI.H NnVKMIIKIl ■., IM'.I. 
 
 It is willi |iriili)im(l |)li'jisur('. Mr. ('Iiiiiiiiiaii. lli.it I Mildnss my li'llnw- 
 titizi'iis lii'ic ii.ss«'iiil»l«>d to rt'M|Miii(I ii|i|in>viiij:l} to the Niitidiial ('niivcn- 
 
 tiiiii ii 
 
 t St. [ 
 
 idlllS. 
 
 Iliiviii}; sliiind witli the itiniiccrs rrmn Mis.-'imii in tin; iiri;;iii:il ('\|iliir:i- 
 timi iiiiil sctllt'iiicnt of On-jroii mihI Califiiriiiu — liaviiii; since hi'di iini- 
 iiiiiDii^ tiiMsc holdicrs wlm t-anitil, iliiriiii; war, mir national fla^ iicni.sH 
 the Siena Maiiie, ami jilantcd it ii|i<iii tin- waters tli'.sccmlini.' to tlie Paeific 
 (never tliemi! t(i recede) — I j:reet willi enllmsiaslic jny tliese civic iimve- 
 nu'iits dl" tlu! iieiijde to ((insmiimale, with the frreat work.s uf peace, what 
 war and e\|ili)rati(iii have ii|ieiied. 
 
 I>i|il(iniacy and war have hron^dit to ns the ciiin|iletion of our territory 
 and |ieac«'. From this we advance to the iiKsii.TS. These results are, 
 tiir tlie present, the imperial expan.sioii of our repuhlic to the other ocean: 
 frail lity with Asia : and tlu^ const met ion acio.ss the et^ntre of our ler- 
 
 ritorv. 'loin ocean to oe«'a 
 
 to us 
 
 n, of 
 
 I ^rreal iron ]iatiiway. specially national 
 iriternatioiial to llie northern eoiitinent.s of America, Asia, and 
 
 'iiiriip( 
 
 III approacliiii>.; a discussion of a " Xatiiuial Railroad from the Missis- 
 ippi to the I'acilie," intinite in numlier and variety are the matters \.Ui-h. 
 
 d t 
 
 swarm up and deinanu to array themselves in its advocacy 
 
 th 
 
 .. do I 
 
 feel emliarra»sed how to .say such thinjis only as are true and .-e.i.sille in 
 
 th< 
 
 leiiiselves, iis well as interestiii'i to mv hearers : let me, then. Lei-h what 
 
 my 
 
 I may say uiuler the followiiiir head" :- 
 
 1st. Th(> national character of this work, and it 
 
 s iiirisxi 
 
 '.'/■ 
 
 -d. Its pracli<al>ility. and the jiresent capacity of the nation. 
 
 • >d. Tlu^ time and manner of its eonstruetion. 
 
 I'ro^re.^s, political lilterty. eipiality. These, the most ancient iiiid car- 
 dinal rij^hls of human society. |ierple.\cd in the olt.scurily of military '\v»- 
 potisin, and almo.st lo.st for many centuries, are now struj:<;lin}X thioutrliout 
 
iiHi! 
 
 1^ 
 
 il 
 
 « 
 
 13G 
 
 Al'I'KXD/X. 
 
 tlio wt>rl(l t(» if-('.stalili>li tlicir jiic-ciiiiiuiicc In Aimrica they occiiipv 
 the vaiita<j;o-^n)iiii(l ; liu- MiviTci^nly icsitli^ in tin- .siitl'ia|ro, anil witli us 
 it is universal. 
 
 I'ln^rcss, lliiii, in Aint-iica lias tiic intcnsitx oC tlic wlmlc ixuplc, ^jniw- 
 in^ itsvll' in toinis as intinitc as tho tluiuulits nl' the human n ml. Itut 
 it is til liiat (l('|iartnii.'nt tif]ir(ijircss which t-rcati's fiir us new Slates in ihc 
 \vil(|( rntss, and cxiiainis the ana »it" nur I.Jciiulilic, that 1 licit' restrict 
 niyscir. Let us umlerstand //((>■ ; what it is at the jnesent Imur — wliat 
 
 simulate: 
 
 k'hat retards it. 
 
 Since 1(1(IS wi! have ^irown Irnm nuthini: to 22,(MI(I,(MI(( : Irmn a i;; 
 
 ir- 
 
 deii-liatch, tt» lie thirty States and many 'i'erritiiries ! This, with aj;riciil- 
 lure, manutaulures, cDmmerce. |Miwcr. and hapiiiness, is mir jimtiros sc» 
 fiir. 
 
 The annual yield in inuney of this ajrriculture and manufactures is nnw 
 Sl',(I(MI.(MM».(KM». This enmmeiTo vexes all the waters and penetrates to 
 all the nations ot the earth. This jiower, tranijuilly coni|ilele on our own 
 continent, com|icls |ieaccrnl dercrence aliroad. This happiness, se hcncli- 
 ceiilly felt at home, ret ruit,« us with the oppicssed ol" all nations. 
 
 litit the lite of a nation is loniz. I'nlike human life, hrielly exlin- 
 "uished in the i;rave. a iiation lireathcs evei- on with the viuor of "viicra- 
 
 tioiis of men daily arrivinir at maturity, and then de|iartin^ 
 
 nation 
 
 luiH then a iiiiniiiil law of 
 
 *th ; and il is this law which evcrv Aniericii 
 
 II 
 
 citi/en ou^ht familiarly to nnilersland. for iliedieiice to it is the first duly 
 of patriotism. 
 
 I'p to the year IS id, the proi;ress wherehy iwciity-si.N States and four 
 Territories had heeii estahlished ami peopled, had amounted to a solid 
 strip i)\' till III i/-/in mi/is in depth, added aiinmilly, alon^' the western face 
 
 )f the I'nion 
 
 I'liiii 
 
 Canada to the < iulf. 
 
 'J'liis occupation of wild territory, accumiilatini: outward like the 
 annual viiijrs of our forest trees, juoceedls with all the .solcinnily of a 
 
 I'rovidential ordinaiiet 
 
 II IS a 
 
 I th 
 
 IIS moment sweeping onward to tin 
 
 icilie will 
 
 ■leiated acti\itv and forei', like a delu';e of men, rising 
 
 tnaliatedly, and daily )iuslie(l oiiwanl hy the hand of (iod. 
 
 It is from tilt! uliilisf 
 
 irs acel 
 
 iiiiulated in the hureaux at Washini't 
 
 on 
 
 (tlu' decennial cciimis, sales of piililii' lands, a.sse.ssmeiils of Static and 
 
 i.diice with ceilaiiilv the law of this deluj'e of 
 
 national taxe: 
 
 ihal 
 
 lal We 1 
 
 human heiiiys. which iniihin^ iiilerrnpls mikI no power can stop. 
 
 I'r.intinj: the I'liion on every side is ;i vast (//■/*/// of pioneers. Thi- 
 va«t hody, iiuinlierinu .'(IMI.IIUII at least, has the iiioveinents and olieys the 
 discipline of a |ierfecily oiiiaiiized military force. It i.-« momentarily re- 
 cruited liy siiijih' individuals, families, and. in sonic inslaneex. eoniniiinititis, 
 
icrica tlicy (,(tu|,.,- 
 tlnip'. iiiiil Willi u> 
 
 Wllulc |M(.|||,., f.\u,\\- 
 
 nniiiiii II 11(1. ];„( 
 
 :.S 11, 'W SlMlcS ill (1„. 
 
 lal I licit, lohict 
 iv.sciit liDur — wjiat 
 
 •,0(1(1 : lioiii a u.,|.. 
 Tliis, with a;;ii(iil. 
 is iiiir jiru;^ri','«.s so 
 
 laiiuf'acturcs is now 
 
 ihd iH'iictratt's in 
 
 iiii]il('lc (III iiiir (nvn 
 
 a|(|iiiicss, .sc liciicli- 
 
 II nations. 
 
 life, iiiicfly cxtiii. 
 
 Ill' viiiiir (if j:ciici:i- 
 
 •arliiif;. A iiatinii 
 
 icli fVi'i V Aiiiciiciiii 
 
 it is the first duly 
 
 • IX Slates ami fimr 
 iiiiiinti'd t(i a snliil 
 
 If,' till' Wl-isttTII liliv 
 
 imlwanl like tlir 
 H' sdlciiiiiity til" a 
 n.u iinward to the 
 ip' III' nicn, rising' 
 od. 
 
 IX at Wa.sliiiii^rfdii 
 ■Ills (>r Stale and 
 of this (IcIiim;,. ,,| 
 ran slri|i. 
 
 f |pi<iiieer.s. This 
 iitM and olieys tlie 
 s iiioinentaiily re 
 lees, eonumiliiliiM. 
 
 77/ A" /M V/FIC It A IL WA Y. 
 
 137 
 
 from evei'V villafie. eounly, city, and State in the I'liioii, and by ouii- 
 
 raiit 
 
 Is fi'iiin other nations. 
 
 Eaili man in this moving,' thronj^ is in force a jilatoon. lie makes a 
 farm u|pon the outer cdjio of the settlements, which he occii|iies lor a year, 
 
 tin 
 
 i.m 
 
 1 tliiMi sells to the leading liles of the inasw inessing uji to him In 
 
 behind. 
 
 He aj;ain advances twenty-five miles, renews his farm, is again over- 
 taken, and again .sells. As individuals fall out from the front rank, or fix 
 lliemselviis |iermancntly, others rusli from ludiind, jiitss to tlm front, and 
 
 a.s8iiil tlie wilderness in tlieir turn 
 
 th 
 
 1 
 
 icvioiis to tlu! late war wi 
 
 th .M 
 
 ex ICO, 
 
 this I 
 
 HIS\ 
 
 til 
 
 roll'' was entra'jei 
 
 lat 
 
 (iiie |piiiiit ill oecii|iyiiig the jieninsula of Florida and lands vacated liy 
 ant Indian trihi's — at another in re.'cliing the cojijier region of liako 
 
 ciiiil:!' 
 
 iSuperior — III al)Sor)iing lowu u 
 
 uid W 
 
 iscoii.''in. 
 
 1- 
 
 I'liiii 
 
 tl 
 
 lis v<'ry s|io 
 
 t liad •'one forth a forlorn hoiie to 
 
 oee 
 
 "10' 
 
 o 
 
 rc"(iii 
 
 and ('alitiirnia : Texas was thus annexed: the? Indian eounlry pressed 
 u|ion its flanks; and s]iy conipanies reeoniioitring New and Old Mexico. 
 
 Kveii then, oheyiiig that mysterious and iineoiitrollaMe impulse wliicli 
 drives our nation to its goal, a body of the hardiest race that ever faced 
 varied and unnnmliered priv.-itioiis and dangers cmliarked iipcn tlie trail 
 to the Pacific coast, forced their way to the end, cneoiinteriiig and defy- 
 ing dangers and diflieulties uiijiaralleled, with a courage and siii'ce.ss iho 
 like to which the World has not heretofore seen. 
 
 'fliiis, then, iivcrhniil sweeps this tide-wave of pojiiilation, alisorhing in 
 its tliiindering march the glebe, the sa\agi's, and the wild beasts of the 
 wilderness, scaling the mountains and debouching down upon the sea- 
 board. 
 
 I poll tl'.e high Atliiiillf sea-coast, the pioneer Ibrci- has thrown itst'lf 
 into ships, and found in the ocean-fisheries food for its creative genius. 
 The whaling fleet is the iiimiiir force of the pioneer army. 
 
 These two forces, by land and sea, have both worked steailily onward 
 III the North Pacific. They now reunite in the harbors of Oregon and 
 raliliii'iiia, about to bring into existence u|miii the I'a'ifie a commercial 
 grandeur identical with that which has followed them upon the Atlaiitiu. 
 
 National wars stimulate progress, for tiny are the coii.scinience of indis- 
 creet op|iositioii and jealousy of its inarch — and becaii.se in these jieriods 
 of exciteinent the advciitii.-oiis brush thrnngh the cobweb laws spun by 
 the metaphysics of peace. Then it is that the yoNiig yxVy/iryr.s, cnleriiig 
 til" armies ol' the iVoiil nr, rush out and reconnoitre llu' unpruiied wilder- 
 iie.xs. 
 
 J.'uriii- ihc lii till K til III. \\n\i' armies, i.Hs.«ing down the Aili'ghanie.s, 
 
 in-.l 
 
 ■ii 
 
 
 ^,!'i i| 
 
 
i 
 
 ill 
 
 138 
 
 M't'i:.\hi.\. 
 
 jmssoil liver Kentucky, Tciincssir. aiiil tin- Ntirtliwest Territory. Tlicw 
 new ((luntries wen; rucdinmitred and ailuiired Witli hardy tVa 
 
 nies, I'dii- 
 
 iirined liealtii, and reeruited liv 
 
 year nr two of jieaee, tliese mi|(Ii<'i> 
 
 returned to oeeupy tlu- elioiee sjiots wliieli liad lieen ilieir liivuune iiiiil 
 eaniiiin^'-jrrouiid.s. 
 
 From the eani)iai<;nM ut' war grew the i^ettlenients ot'peaee, and |in|<nl<>ii.s 
 States diM|ilaeed the wiKh-rness. 
 
 Ahiitlier war eanie witli anoth<'r <;eia>r;ition. Annies ]ienetrated inin 
 Miiliij^an, u|)|ier lllinoi.x, and throu^li .Missis-^ipiii. Tlu' great .Mi»i»i|i|ii 
 IJiver, crossed at many |ioints, ceased to he a harrier, and the stcanilio:it 
 aj»iieared, jdowinjj; itHycHow flood, /'ar great Stales, yitv. Territories, ami 
 tlirir iiiiZ/iiiiis ol'|ief)jih' \u>w eml)hi/,on its western sidtt ! 
 
 An.l 
 
 now again have come another "eneration and anotlier wai 
 
 \ 
 
 our 
 
 armies liave scaled the icy harriers of tlie ".I/o/Ar/- Miiiiiif'iin' and llic 
 AiitltK. Hid tor a time in the mazes of their manitold |K>aks and ridges, 
 tliey have issued out at many points n|ioii the l>eacli of the hiue I'.icitic. 
 Passing round liy tlu' great oceans, a military tnarini- simultaneously strikes 
 th(( shore and lends them aid. Thus is the wilderne.vs reconnoitred in 
 war, itH geograpliy illuNtral<Ml, ami itts conquerors disciplined. 
 
 Your young soldiers, resting for a moment at home. rcMiming the civic 
 wreath and weapons of hushandry, have .sallied I'orlh again to give to vim 
 great roads lor commerce and a sisterhood ot" nuiritiiiir Stati's on tlu- new- 
 
 found 
 
 ocean. 
 
 Only four years ago, th(( nation, misled hy prejudic(-s artfully instillcil 
 into the general 'iiiud, regarded the great \V<'>lern wilds uninhahitalilc. ami 
 the lU'W ocean (Ut of reach. Why canu' : Itid.dlM) .soldiers, and as many 
 citi/,en8, went forth, penetrated everywhere, and returned to relate in every 
 <»p«'n ear the wonderful cxctdlence of tho climates and countries lliey had 
 
 8e(>n. 
 
 l/iiirr Inive oonu! already tliese new States, this other .seahoard, and the 
 renewed vivacity of progress with which the general heart now '.dpitates. 
 Will this cease or slacken ? lias the poiu'ing forth of tlw stream IVoin 
 Europ»iever ceased since the day < f Cohunhus? lias the grass uMiterated 
 
 the ti 
 
 rails down the Alleghanies or acro.ss the .>li,ssissip|ii 
 
 .Mi 
 
 Hath 
 
 ct I'iin 
 
 who douhts scat himself upon the hank of our magnitieenl river and await 
 
 th 
 
 running dry of its yellow waters; 
 
 for 
 
 soon 
 
 cr shall he see this, than a 
 
 cessation in the crowd now flowing loo.se to tlie iriftrrn seahoard ! 
 
 (ioldisdng: Inmher is manufactured: pastoral and arahle agrienllurc 
 grow apace ; a marine flushes into existence: commerce resounds : the fish- 
 eries arc prosecul<'d : vessels are huilt : steam pants (lirough all the waters. 
 
 Kaeh interest stimul.aing all the rest, and prrpelually creating novel- 
 
 li,..v ;i career is i 
 human eye assig 
 Till' distance 
 wluiv >"" 1^'"^'' 
 some l.'.iMI mil 
 riijiiiiu is very 
 (lie .-uurccs ot I 
 but more iniinei 
 Skilelnd li> 
 Aiidis, deliouc! 
 two primary ch; 
 (hi the /•/'//'' 
 can tiiiir, divid. 
 hrok.ii water-sli 
 the ii-a.-t of the 
 aldiigthe coast I 
 terminates also 
 The ininicns 
 niontaiie liasins 
 whole forms th 
 /•'/V.>7, is the 
 drainage of ho 
 ocean, are disjit 
 Sir, ,11, 1, the 
 streams drainii 
 without any oi 
 
 77-//./. the 
 
 del Norte, the 
 
 Giande del N. 
 
 hurst through 
 
 gcoloi^ieal <'hai 
 
 all as>igii it tli 
 
 their waters ti 
 
 Fiiiirlli, the 
 
 incuse !iasin e 
 
 who'.e conllui 
 
 athwart from 
 
 i'onii I Into 
 
 eye has lU^VU! 
 
 (lies Nature i 
 
 of such migli 
 
I'iifi'. and |in|,iil.>ii.s 
 
 i"» pciirtriitcil inii 
 
 md the .sIcjiiiilMut 
 ''•' Ti'iriliii-ic.*. iiriil 
 
 iiillii'i- war. V.iiir 
 li>iiiit<iln" anil ilif 
 jM-aks and ridiii's, 
 «' tin" l.luc I'acili... 
 iillancdusly .Htrikis 
 <•* rc('(inn<ii(icd in 
 
 •t'Miinini: tin' civic 
 
 '^taU'.s (in the n 
 
 ■< !irtrnlly instilld 
 iiiiidialiitalth'. ami 
 i<'rH, and as many 
 I til relate in evcrv 
 "nntiies tlu'v liad 
 
 W'lihoard, and tli 
 
 ^'i-a.s.s i.lijiieraled 
 ' liathe:' h't Mm 
 I' river and await 
 
 xonndfi: tlictisli 
 
 -di all the waters 
 
 creatinu' nn\e|. 
 
 THE I'M/FIC It Ml. 11. 1 )•. 
 
 i:5'j 
 
 tic,^. a career i.< cinuniiMiccd to wliicli, „.v it glances atTos.s tlio I'acilic, tlio 
 JiuniiMi eye as.«i^'ns nn term. 
 
 Tlic distance IVnm tile tup til' till- Sii iiii Miiiln ( Kdcky Mountain.s), 
 will I'c \ou leave lieliind the water.-* Huwinn to the Atlantic, is c\erywlu'ro 
 soMic l."iiH( miles. Tile t(ijioj;rai(liical cliaracler of this iillniii.oiitniw 
 rcfiii'ii is very f;rand and characteristic. It is identical with the reniun at 
 the .Hinrccs of the La I'lata, Ama/i)n, and Majidalena iil' Suulh Anieiica, 
 hut niiMc innnen.se. 
 
 Sketched hy its j;reat dutlincs, it is simply this: The chain ul' t!ie 
 Aixks, dehdiichin^' north from the Isthnuis, opetis like the letter V into 
 two primary chains (^0>nli//i nis). 
 
 On the /•/'//(/ the SiKKll.V .M.MiKK. trendinjr ahinjj: the coast of the .Mexi- 
 can (iidf, divides the northern continent almost centrally, formini; an un- 
 hrokcn Wiiter-,shed to {{••hrinj;'s Strait. On the //yl', the Anuks follows 
 the cna.-l of the I'acilic, warps aroiimi the (iiilf of California, and, passine 
 aloMu the coast of California and ( )re^on ( under the nameof Sjeiia Nevada) 
 terminates also near Hehrini^'s Strait. 
 
 The immciisi^ interval hetween these chains is a siu'ccssion of inlni- 
 inoiiiai:e liasins, sin n in nnndter, and ran^in^ from .south to north. Tliu 
 whole forms the (litK.vr I'l.vrK.vf mk tiik T.mu k L.vnds. 
 
 Firs/, is the " ISasin ol" the City of Mesico.' receiving' the interior 
 (Irainaiiv of hoth Cordilh'ias, which waters, havint; no outlet to either 
 
 ocean, are (Iisikthcm 
 
 d 
 
 rain 
 
 evaiioratmn 
 
 y eva] 
 
 lU 
 
 Siiiiiii/, the '• i{(ilson de Mapimi. (ollectin;!; into tlm Lajinna tl 
 strcims draining.'; many States, from San Luis I'ottssi to Coahuila, also 
 willeiut any outMoiv to either ocean. 
 
 Thiiil. the " Has'ti of the Del .Norte." who.se vast area feeds the Ilio 
 del .Norte, the Conchos ami Pecos. These, concentrated into the i{io 
 (ir.iiide del Norte liehind the Sierra .Madre, have, hy their united volume. 
 
 hinsi ihrou!j;h it." 
 
 mil found an ontlrl towards the .Vtianlic T 
 
 ^^'coloL'ical character of this liasin, its altitude, its ctuitli^uration and locality, 
 all as<.ii^ii it tliis pns.iiim, as distin<ji;uishine' it from all others conlrilnitin;^ 
 their w.iters to th" .\tlantie. 
 
 /•;/i///A, the >• |{asiii of the (ireat Colorado of the West." This im- 
 mense !iasin emitraees ulinr, , the u-reat rivers Hio \'cii!e and IJio tirande, 
 who-.e confluent waters, pein'tralinji the miuhly Cordillera of the Andes 
 ath«Mi( from hase to h.i.se, disch.iriie themselves into the dull' of Cali- 
 I'onii I Int.) this sulilime eor;;r ithe Ca m of the Colorado! tin human 
 eye li.is never ssvi'pt, for an int, rval of .'»7r» miles: so stern a chaiacter 
 does Nature a.ssume where such stupendous mountains resist the pa.ssa^e 
 of such miirhty rivei-s. 
 
140 
 
 APPfXDlX. 
 
 Fif'li- llif ■• 15ii-^iii "J" flic <«rt'ut Siilt Lako," like the Caspian of A 
 
 sia. 
 
 |!^lli'! 
 
 
 cuiitaiiiiii<^ many small basins within one ^neat rim, and losin<; its scattered 
 
 Walers liy cvaiporatimi. lias no outflow to either ocean. 
 
 Si.itli. the " Itasiti of the ('ohnnl)ia," lyini; across the northern ii;n,k» 
 1)1' the two last, and ;;rand ahove them all in position and eoiiliMnr:itiiiii. 
 Many great rivers, besides the tSnake and U]ijier Colnmbia, diMcml 
 from the i:reat an- of the Sierra Madre, where it circles towards the ikhiIi- 
 west from the j:{d to llu; Ttlid de;^ree, flowini; from east to west, and lon- 
 eentratinj; above the ('nsciiifrs into a single trunk. It here strikes the 
 mighty Cnrdillcra of lln^ Andes (narrowed to eiie ridge), and disgorges 
 
 il.-iclf thrnuyh this sid)li 
 
 me 
 
 lass at once ii 
 
 ltd th 
 
 l*aeili( 
 
 It is /«/•<, descending by the grade of this river t!ie whole distance 
 from the rim of the Valley of tin- .Missi.ssipjii and through the Andes te 
 the I'aciiic, that the great ilihuitvh of the American continent towards the 
 west is found. Ihn will be the pathway of future generations, a> the peoplt' 
 uf the Old World pa.ss down tin; Mediterranean and out by (iibraltjr. 
 
 Above, the "Basin of i''razer l{iver" Ibrms a srnnl/i of the T.nhi.K 
 Lands. This has burst a canon through the Andes, and like the fourth 
 and si.vth basins, sends its watt'is to the I'arilie. 
 
 W'nh the gi'igraphy of the mon; northern region we are imperlictly 
 ac(juainted, knowing, however, thai, from I'uget's Sound to I{eliriii.^(t 
 Strait, the wall of the Andes forms the beach itself of the I'acilic. whilst 
 the Sierra .Ma<lre forms the western rim of the basins oi' the Saskalduwaii 
 of Hudson Hay and the Athabasca of tin- Arctic Seas. 
 
 1'hus, ibeu, biielly wt! arrive at this great cardinal departnu'iit of the 
 geography of the emit inent, viz.: TllK T.\lil,K ii.v.VDs — being a longitudi- 
 nal section (alnuit two-sevenths of its whole area) — internicdiatt' between 
 the two oceans, but walled off from Imth, and having but three outlets fur 
 its waters, viz., the canons of the Hio (Jraiide, the Coloratlo, aii<l the 
 Columbia. 
 
 Columnar basalt forms the basement of this whole region, and volcanic 
 aeti(Ui is everywhere )iromiiient. Its general level, ascertained upon the 
 lakes oi' the different basins, is about WW) feet above the sea. llaiu 
 beldo'n falls, and timber is rure. 
 
 The ranges <if mountains which separate the Itasins are often rugged 
 
 hilst isolated masses of eri'jit hciiiht 
 
 and capped wit'' jierpetual snow, w 
 
 el.vate llieinselMs from the plains. This whole formation abounds in the 
 
 jirccloiis wrt(i/K. Such is the region of tlii' Tahi-K Laniks. 
 
 IJeyond these is the MAKlTi.MK region ; for the great wall of the Andes, 
 receding I'mm the beach of the Pacific, leaves belween itsilf and the sea 
 a hall- valley, as it were, forming the seaboard slope from San JJiego to the 
 
iIk! ('ii,s|,ian of Asia 
 "1 losing its .sciuUTcd 
 
 •lie iiciflicni fliii.ks 
 >ii and <(.iilij.riiiiili„ii. 
 
 Collllllliiii, (IrMcrid 
 
 ■M.pvviinls III,. ,„„.,i,. 
 •^t t.) West. jiihI ,.„„. 
 It iiciv .strikrs III,. 
 '.-'■), ;iii(l (li.sgdi'Nts 
 I'acili.'. 
 
 tllC wilolc (ii.st,||;ci. 
 
 ii<Mi-;li 111,. AiKlfs |„ 
 *'iitiii,.|it tdUiiids til,, 
 ratitiii.s, .•i>tli,.]„.,,|,|,. 
 "lit liy tiiliriilt.ir. 
 '■"illl (>(■ 111,. T.Mll.K 
 
 , ami like tli,. foiinli 
 
 I we arc iiii|),ifi.,tly 
 Smiiid to i{,.|irii: /,s 
 il" til,' l';i,i(ic. uj.il.st 
 of tile Sii.skiili II, w.iii 
 
 s. 
 
 I "Ii'iiiirliiiciii oC til,. 
 — I't'iii.u: a loiij;itii,li. 
 itcniicdiiit,. Iictvvifii 
 lilt till-,.,. oiiil,t,v t;,r 
 Ciilonitlo, and lli,. 
 
 •ff-'iiin. and volcanj,' 
 ■i<'<'rtain('d ii|)oii di,. 
 'Vc 111,, sea. lluiii 
 
 !* aro oftt.n ni<r<,'<M! 
 it'."* tif firi'at, height 
 ion aixiunds in tli,. 
 
 wall of 111,. Andes, 
 i it.Htlf and tin; M'a 
 1 San Diogo to the 
 
 77/ a; i'lr/Z/r It. Ml. Ill Y 
 
 141 
 
 StraitH if Juan di l''iica. This is 12<MI miles in Icii'.'th and "jrid Kmad. 
 Across it disci'iid to tiic Mca u wrii's of fin,. riv(.rs, laiiuin^ fniin south 
 t<) north, likr thf little streams desi'cndini: from the Allci^hanies lo iht; 
 Athintie. 
 
 These are thf Han (jahriel, ihe Buenaventura, th< ."^aii .loakiin and 
 SaeraifM'nto, fli« H<»«^ue, TIaiiieth, and rm(|Ua livers, tht Wallainette and 
 Columtiia the (V/wlJtz Thekalis, and V-i-ifiually of Pii;rei .'^..iind 
 
 This re.icirM** mA Mawes th< niaritfwy slop,, of tin' Atlantir >ii|,. ,if 
 till- loiitineiH \mt H w taiifly kirjfer swp<'»<^i»lly : of rtk». highest a;rri- 
 ctflturKl ♦'xeptttvtX!,' Imni^'v m i-ztvivjA'^t^x : yi^titmA beyond (th<' Jik-wiis ol' 
 deserijiifiof, »lie !'(i'.S»'v ymii* mA V<iA*"IW»<«s <X flw Afllles heio'. A .ivwheri- 
 visilile rV"<ii r|ie M'A, 'i^viitt 1^ .tHumtt* >* eufi>>!f>ly rx'-m}^ fr<Hi> the frosts 
 iif winter. 
 
 .*^u(li. and s.> '/r»n<\. \^ our *<'if»rUf*0 f»»#iw»|« A* fn^idv. f,«'t us turn 
 <i»r /laiiee towards the Artiwitie ani4 .Sr^^i^iif ( h-t^ittm' aiiel «',«n tlie ;jiiiM:ra|ihy 
 in our front, /''imr jjjreat vaililey.-* w^^M <»:«eh "it^ dr.iiif't liy w river of 
 tlie tir-t ni;ij.'iiinide. 
 
 FiitsT The Mississijijij VaUey, •ftwiXi-^ in mut'/uitwlf. and nihraeiii}^ 
 the lieart aij<l s|.l< ndor of fhi- eontinenf, ;.';ffhef>' <fc*> r/aters oi .'i(IO,(((Mt 
 stjiiare miles and i<h<-ds them into lli,. (iiilf uf Mt-x'i^'t 
 
 liil. Tlie St. F<awr< «ee, whose riv,'r flows into flw Vorth All lie. 
 
 .'M. The Xel,s<»ii »nd Severn Kivers, into iludsoii K-.^y 
 
 Mil The (,'reat valh y of th.e M'-Keiisi,' l{iv,.r, rusliin^ •' into the 
 llyjii cIkh'iih Sfil. 
 
 These valley*, evervwlief.* ^tthitrrnnti. have a iiniftiiui sini lei . f^eii'!\ 
 rolling, hut dcstituf'' of niouniaiim, niid |hi«m into ««*<' inoth« r ly ilivliliioj 
 rlihfa. which distriliute its own w<''jt* info eiu-h Nut wh»««H' superior' 
 elevation is only distinjruisliahle aiiioii^' the frenei.u w 'ihitioiis. hy rtt»«» 
 water-sheds which they form. 
 
 Around tlie whole eoiitinoist. foIlowin<r tli,' coasts of ili. .-.-lans. ■)»» « 
 rim of mountains, frivinj^ the id, 'a id' a rnul (inijtliltlinitri Throiii;li this 
 rim jier.etrate towards the s,uith, cast, and north, tlie alio\.' ;rreat rivers 
 mill/, formiii;^' at their delioiichcs the natural (Ai'(/'.s o/'///* Inti riur ; hut no 
 stream penetrates vrst ihrou^di the Sierra .^Iadre, which forms an iiii- 
 hrokeii water-shed from Majrellan's to Hehrinji's Strait. 
 
 Thus we find more than t/irn-jij'tlis of our continent • consist of a 
 limitless plain, intersected liy countless n.ivinalile streams, flowiiii; cvcry- 
 whvw /mill the eireumfereiiee towards eoinmon centres: u'roiiped in dose 
 proximity: and only ilivided l>y what connects them into one homoj^eiieous 
 plan. 
 
 To the American petj/le, then, bcloii^^s this va.st interior ."pace, covered 
 
 1 4 
 
 
 
iiiij 
 iiriij 
 
 fr 
 
 i'li! 
 
 Mi 
 
 .1 /•/'/;. \7> /.v. 
 
 iiViT it« niiit'nrin miiImi'i' i,\' L'..tlMI, 011(1 >i|n.'iri' iiiilrs. willi tlic lirlnixt 
 ciitciiitiiiiK Miil : liiiirliiiijr llic hiiiiWM tdWiirils llic lunili, mikI iIh' ii.irid 
 Ih'iits ti>wiii'il> llir stiiitli : IiiiiiimI to'.'rllit'r li_v iiii iiitiiiitt' inli'iii.il ii;i\i'_ra. 
 timi: <>!' ii ti'iii|ii'r;iii< iliniati- : mikI ('iiii>(itiitiii!.'. in tlic wlmlc. iln' iiin>t 
 iniiL'iiirK'cnt il\viHiii}r-|iliM-f niiiiki'il mil )iv (Soil tor iiiiin's iiImm|<'. 
 
 .\> llif <ii||i|ilrti- licMfliiriiic (if till' Alliii'.'lilv Ii;i> tlllls i;i\cli Im i|,i, 
 ciiiitiiiviil, tin- ^Tfiil ii:itiir;il .iiilli'l> 111" llic Mi»«i-«i|,|,i 
 
 III. 
 
 . iirl"> 
 
 III 
 
 re. II •.'I'l'iil .'irlilicial iiiiiiiunii'iil. an ii'im ji.tiji. 
 \\i sti rii >t'a. 
 
 1(1 llu- (iiill', iiiiil llic St. i,a\virncr *,,; tlir Ntiitli Aliaiilif, so is il li I'l t. 
 ]>inii« ai:<l ^iriililnl |mii|i|i-. a|>|>r('iialiiit: tlii^ uooilncss. to constriKl tliioiijli 
 tin- piiL'i' oi" tin' Sirna Mail 
 a N ATliiN Al, HaiUvav to tin- 
 
 liri'c \Vf |iri'('i'i\ I', in till- Inrnialiiiii nl' \hf Xnii'rican tMiitini'iil. a ~iili- 
 linic siinplitiiy. a i iini|ili'lc rrnnnniv of arrani:<'ini'iit, ^linLMilai' In ii«ilt', 
 mill till' nvt i>r (if wliat ilislin;rui.slir>^ tin' ainii nl wmlil, T.i iiinh r-i:iii.l 
 tlii^. lit ns t'i>ni|>ari' llnni. 
 
 I'll llMl'K. tlir >niallr>l of the Miami ili\i,«ii>n> nl' tlic /<///</, <-ontaiii» in in 
 ccntri'. tin- uy mitssfs of tin' Al)>s; tioni aroiiinl tln-ir ilcdivitii* ni'/iniii 
 llif Lrj<' ii\ri> of tlial (niilinriil : tin- l>.iniilit' ilin-rtly i-a.-l I" ilu- 
 I'liixini'. llir I'll ami Klmni'. soinli t" tin' Mi'ilitrrraiiciin ; tin' Itliiin' li. 
 
 tlir Noltllrni ( )ri'an. 
 
 Wallnl nil' liy llif Pyrcnci's ami ('ar|iatliiaiis, iliviTLTiit ami i^nlalcij. 
 iiri' llir 'ra'Mis, llif KMir, ami oilnr >in'_'lt' rivrr*. artlmnis of the Maltic. 
 
 I nil 
 
 till' Allaiilir. ibi' Mi'ili'iriamaii. ami llir KiixiMr. 
 
 IK'Miiiilini: /';i/)/) t.>niiiion imliant |'ointx. ami iliviT;_'iii'^ ivi-ry way fi 
 (ino aiioiln'i'. no intfi'i'iiniitinniialiciii exists iM'twrrn tlir rivrrs of l'!iini|i<': 
 imvipition i» l^tty iiml ft'«'lili' : mn- liavi' art ami roniiiiircf. ilnrinu' ni:iii\ 
 iTiilwti,* imrtMi' s<i iv,,h\ •mall vall<\- it innl'K i-diitfil liy ini|MiM nalili' 
 I 
 
 III 'Hers. 
 
 It'll- \^i«4l rat-h rivir •!». |In „ ili^ilu. i |N-«(k' )lifr('rin;r fV< .n all lli<' 
 nf4 VHt w«'('. lllll;J:l|j||^> Huliits. itn I iiiti'r\>M'> Tlioii^'li oHfii |»>lii1rally 
 MUkiiuaiiiiili'il \<\ <oui|ii«'«t till \ .'itfniii |^*Ia)m«- iiilti rrii^nii'lili>. from innate 
 If) iiiir<i/ifiiiiif iiiiii/ii II II X\\y hislniv >i| ihfse iiii*!oii< is a dnrv of 
 
 |>< r|M-ttiiil nar ami mniiial I'Meiiiiini^Uitit 
 
 Kxa. (ly '^iiiiilar lo Kmiii|n'. llioii^lt c*'«i"ii i in size ami |Mi|inhition, is 
 
 \siA jV'!!!! tlii> K.u|a>M<liiH* «vitlrui UtrriiT iif tin Himalayas inn ilie 
 
 lour 'jiti*! ♦ivcm of lliiiia .Itie •■mf. t- *^Iihiv< ihiin* Iv.^ ImimmiIi llir 
 
 ii«: ■ •«» <«i»aii|- He soulli inn tile y\^< i- 'f r<><|ii« fhiim. tlie llaiii.'i"' 
 
 ill! Im4i|o low. ml-- llii' i/>xMKv livorw ikf llic (\iN|iiaii ; ami north, 
 
 t)«i-<tiit/l "'iU lia to tile Arclir S<'a», liiitlix ii»fr»» of lit. Hr>t mapiinnlc 
 
 l>nrin^' fil>y 'i ninri.s, a> now. lli.- \l|»s tnnl Himalaya Mniiiilain^ 
 huve |irii\'f«i iu»u|>i'alili' lmrru'n< (n tho Mliktl^.uii:ittiiti of the nalioiis 
 
rUK I'M'iriC I! Ml. MM )', 
 
 143 
 
 ''''•-■ Willi tl„. li,.),,,,, 
 • ""i-tli. :iii<l ih,. |,,i,i,| 
 itiriir.' ihtrtn.il n.ivi.M. 
 
 •ll'' mIicpI,., lllr |||,..,t 
 
 ii.iii'r* iiImmIi-. 
 
 Il.l'« tlllls 'z'wvW I,, 11,4 
 l<l> nC ||„. .Mi,.i-,i|,|,j 
 l:mtir. so is it ll fl t,, ;, 
 
 '" r>ll|>|l||, t (l,|nl|_.|, 
 
 iiMiiirnt. :iii inui |.,it||. 
 "•■••in fMiitiiiiiii. M -nil. 
 
 Mf. -illL-llljll (c. ii«,i('. 
 »"rli|. Til llllc|rl-t:;||il 
 
 If /'(;/./. rii||t.iill> ih ilM 
 
 iiir (Icclivifits i;i.li,ii^ 
 
 'iiiiTlIy (.;,>( tu ilii- 
 
 lariiaii : tin- IMii„c t., 
 
 ivcrpiii iiiiil iMiliid'd. 
 
 ffllK'MiS i.f (1„. Mjiiti,., 
 
 •rL'iii-j i-vcrv \v,iv frmn 
 
 till' i-'MT- ipf Kiini|M' : 
 
 miiHTii'. i|iiiiii._r iii.'iiiv 
 
 ilaliij liv iiii|iiiii tialilc 
 
 ilifl'.liiiL' »V. ,11 all llir 
 
 "It'll unni |M.|il1,;|||y 
 
 'itjtuiuu. O'.in iiiiiali' 
 i(*.«tiii» ix a xinrv lit' 
 
 •• mill |Hi|iiilari<iii, is 
 
 IlillltllilV.-l.x Mill llii' 
 ■ •111-- Iv.'r* lirliralll tile 
 
 ill Chiiiii. till' (iaii<jri'.M 
 • 'a»|'iai( : ami imrtli. 
 In fir^t iiiaj:iiiiiii|iv 
 liiiialava Minintaiii* 
 fi'Mi III" the iiatiiiii'- 
 
 ariiuis tlifir liases, ami ilwi-lliiii: in llir \allrys wliiili raiiiatr iVotii llu'ir 
 
 .•<lii]i •>. 
 
 Till ('.iitiiifiit III" Afkica. as I'ar as wc kiiuw llir ilctails ui' its surt'afc, 
 i>. I'vrii imu'i' (liaii tlicsi', s|ilit into ilisjniiitnl tVaiiiiimts. 
 
 Tliii>^ ill"' '"mi""'"'"" "I '!'♦'' "'' ^V"|■1'1 rrsi'iiilili' a Imwl ]ilairil Imltimi 
 ii|i\\.iril-. wliiili srattcrs fVci'ylliiii.L' |»iiiii'i| n|iiiii il, whilst Niuriii KKN 
 Amkiiiia. ri'.;lit siilc iiji. ren-ives ami iralluTs tnwai'ils its i-i'iiirr wliatrNiT 
 falls witliiii its rim ! 
 
 IJi'linlil. llii'ii. llir ^'l ri UK 111' Aiiirrira, ;^ra\i'ii, in llu' iri''ii;'i'a|iliifal lini's 
 ami ailrrii's III' lirr sMiinnlriral. iiffaii-liuiinil i'.\|ianM'I IJi-lin'.il it fmi- 
 liilil in till' nrariilar ]irii|ilii'rii's nJ' past ainl [irrsriit |irii;ii'i'.ss. 
 
 In i;i'ii:;ia|ili_v llir niififli' sis iif ilii' Olil Wmlil, ill •:ii. V it will In- tin- 
 nvii-r. (fur Nmlli Aim'iifa will ia]iiilly attain li: .i . ilatinii iijiial- 
 liiij; llial i»r till- rest iif tin- wniM ciiiiiliiiH'il : tiiriniiiir a siiiji' |iiii|ilc, 
 iili'iiliral in nianiici-s, lanL'na;j;i'. rustmns. ami iin|Milsi-s : I'lTsi-rvin;^- lint 
 saiiir i'i\ ili/atiuii. tin' saim- rcliuinii : iinliiinl with llic saint' (i}iiniuns. and 
 liaun;/ llir same |iiilitical lilu'ilirs. 
 
 Of lliis wi' liavc twii illiislraliiiiis iiiiw nmlir niir eye : tlu' imi- ]iassin<j; 
 awav, till' iillicr ailvaiirin'_'. 'I'lif almri^inal Imlian rare, aimini: wlniiii. 
 ri'iiiii I'arii'ii III till' Ksi|iiiiiiai<\. ami rrnni I'luriila In Vam-niivi'i's Isiainl, 
 
 I'M 
 
 <ls a iii'irrct iili'iilily in llii'ir liair. niiii|il('.\iiiii, li 
 
 alniTs, staliiri'. an 
 
 1 
 
 laii;.Miai.'i'. Ami stii,ii<l. in tin- iiislim-livi' rnsiun intu mn' laii;iiia;.'i' ami 
 iiiir iii'W ''ari', lit' itiiini'.^rant tliTiiians. KiiL:lisli. j'ri'in-li, ami Spani^li. wlinsc 
 iiiili\ iiliialiiy is uliliirratril in a sinuli' L'l'ni'i'atiim ! 
 
 Ai llii- imiini'iil. \\w iiinriliiiii y »«//;'<//. |ilanm'il willi ilark ui'iiius. ami ]iur- 
 siiiil with scni|iulous scltislini'ss. |ialls nur nianli. Nntliin.: liiliiml iis in 
 liisiniy at all rixals in ra|iiility nl' urowtli. in wrallli. ]iuwrr. ami s|ili'iiiliir, 
 lliiisi' Stall's iiiaskiii;: llic sralmanl. ami ralli'il at liuini' •■ ///'■ Ohl Tliirli i it." 
 
 Jli'Tc all' cities (ami a ureal niiinlier nf tlnni snr|iassint;. at inie een- 
 tiiry iilil. lliuse III' a tliniisaml years u|hiii tlie nlij luntinent-- ! 
 
 Till' Slates have swelieil as t'ast. This ailniiial 
 
 ilr ;^^l'atnl■^s IS line In the 
 
 iiia>liry nt'the euniinenl wliieli ihey exeni^e Ky inajurities in the naliniial 
 eiiiineils, III the iiiiineiise imnine ni" leMiine which they thus iiilli<-t ami 
 Use. ami til their iminii|iiily ul' all I'nreii:!! inniiiierei'. 
 
 A new ami riv.il sealmanl — " '/ .V' /'• Tliirt'i n" — wniiM halve ami ilis- 
 
 Iriliiile all I 
 
 lli'l'iiS: 
 
 ll' these. It 
 
 was /((jv .>"•< // liinv |irii;jTi'ss, traveilin;.:' i< iilriilii/ 
 
 s lh<> ciintiiu'iit. was striiliiiir ]iiiint-lilank tu this ciiiisiiininatinn. To 
 rrtanl this, imletinitelv. arn-i' the nniii/iiii' jinfiri/. invenleil tiy suj'histry, 
 aiiil siistaineil tiy nieta|ihysiis. 
 
 .^ir. .letVersiin haviiiu. with i nnsnniin.ite |ireseieiice, ailileil In uiir ilmnain 
 the liiiiiisiaiia iiiiicluiM' : llieimist s]<l, mliil jHirtimi of the haliilalile uluher 
 
144 
 
 M'/'t:\itix. 
 
 liiiM«-iii'(| (o u'i^i' i( |iii|iiiliirniii ami a iiiiiriliini' witi^' lu ilic I'm itir. |-)x. 
 pldratioiiM iiii<icr ('Lirki- ami L'wiH, aii<l uIImts, rulliiuril liy Anior ^< i iiiir- 
 ]irlm\ »iHUiH\. fitrh/ j^iiirn »)in. Jhc jrr.at inriiiiu'rciiil iniitr liclwcni i|i<> 
 i»cfaii.«. >iiic" .iliiil ii|i li_v llic iiiiiriliiiii i>"/ii I/, lull iinw ri'i>|i<'iii'i|. 
 
 Tlii.-f Wfic t iiii l»ri| ami iivinlirnwii \i\ llir ixi^cmir- nf liini'iii war. 
 Tliat iivcr. flu- ili.«t'iiMii<i(i <i(' a mini' In A>ia wai* nvivtul li_v llir |iir*s anil 
 ill ('((ii^rirs.M : A>i(ir siiii;.'!ii tnnn, w |ii,« cnfciiiriwH, ami aid wa«* iji-iiiaiiilni 
 IViim tin- uiivci'Mimiil liv (III' |>(ii|ilc (if (III \Vi.«(. ami liy iiairintic imli. 
 \itliiaU ill tlif Ka.>t. Tlii- w.is ri'lum'tl \i\ t\\i- yu\'u\ i,\' i'roi.lciil Mdiuni* 
 ailiiiiiii.Hiratiiiii ii- wii.isi laltiiict w«Tt' coiiinimil Mr.x.Ts, .1. if Ailainv nf 
 Ma.x-'acliiisclt,-'. aii"l .1 (' ( 'alliniin. of Sciilli Carolina — kiiIiiIc slalom. h 
 III' ilic iiiii-t pi'iirlraliiiL' tiiirsii:lil ami llir !iil'iii>l aiiiliilinii 
 
 I'liwrr ('iniL'i°a(> ■< a.>« liim' mils dh TIh' jh'IiIc ami t'aM'iiialinii nl' itx 
 piissrssiiiii liii^t-r Mi|iri'iiii'ly |Hit)'i.t in tlir Imiiian lu.irt. I'mni tlii« prii 
 tiiuiiil wmrrp Iiiim spriiii^ tlm niin|iiitalili' iinnlliiiii i>i>ll< i/. ariaynl a-iiinM 
 the nianli nf pniLTi-fs ami 'lir wrsiwanl iiiiirraliuii nl' pnwrr. 
 
 Tile /'//■»« (■ Stall'. Ma."->a<liii>('lt>^. Iiaii |ii'ni'lainiri| a iialimial war iimiiii- 
 Hiitiitiiiiial, ami iiiilialnl a( If.irttiinl tlu' pn |iaraliii'y plans (<> sirtili' I'rniii 
 aiiil (lis.sulvf till' riiinii. Tlic /iitti r, Smilli Camliiia, Iian (lom- llir suni'. 
 pmiiiiiimiii;; till- ;ri'm'ral pnvirnt' taxatimi iimiiiisiitiitiniial in a parliriilai' 
 i'di'iii ; ami nnw apiiii appiar llie same ili-raiHul llinal.x nl' " rnni' ami 
 torrnr. pmiiniimin^ unmiiilihitiniiiil a xpi'i'ilii' Ic^fislalinii I'nr tin- 'I'rrri- 
 tnrifs. 
 
 Ifrliinil till."* p»rp>ii nf iJMrin ( Xuf/ifltiifinii I, ami iinpfrrrivcij liy tin' 
 p'tii-rai iiiiml. laslii'il intn ilisinay ami ilislrarlril liy " trrmr ami liirri, ' 
 tlirratcniii;; llic I nimi, llir siilillr iiinfillim /m/iri/ lia.s Ihtii rivrli'il i|ii»ii 
 Willlill the ynllllir Stales, llir pllMir L'li'lii' lias lii'i'li lii'lil liv till' II lillal 
 pivcrnimiit ami witlilnlil t'min laxalimi. Tims is Statr rrviiiiii' i lit nil 
 
 Tllt'.sc pulilii' laiuls al'r llrlil at a I \ raliliiral pi'ii r. t lir '-aii's inaili' ra>li 
 ilniiatiniis III' liniiii'.strail rights, pii'-i'iiiptinii. anil u'i'ailiiatinn itI'ii-i i| 
 Savages, cjii'ti'd I'rniii the nliirr States, lia' c lieeii liniiL'lil up ami plaiiinl 
 118 a wall alniii; the western t'lniilier ami aemss tlie line nl' pm^ress. TIiim' 
 are nietapliysieally ealleil 1'nreii.rii nalimis. 
 
 Heeelllly there lias lieell yiveli In the .snliliers nt'tlle liatinll a linlllilS nf 
 81UII ill niuiiey, nr 9-*HI in lami This is leuislative ileelariilimi that tin 
 Jiiiee is I (Ml per eeiit. alMive tlieir hij.'liest value. 
 
 The revt lis. i| frmn ihe iii.sinms is i nllieteil at the seapiirfs, where 
 
 the expenses nt' enlleillnli ai'e ilislilll'seil. Tin heav \ part nl' this I'eVelillr 
 is paid liy the a^ri' iiltiiristsnt'the West, wlm are theeniisiiliiers. ^.'t.tllKi mill 
 uniiiially ni'direet land revenue i> exiiii-ivris paid liy these latter. 
 
 Itiit where is this splendid imnim ..I >i in iiiiii nun. ihiis levied I'nr ili. 
 
Tin: I'Aiinr ii \ii ir.i )■. 
 
 11." 
 
 ' iIk' I';m ifi,. |.;,. 
 'I liv AMrm s ,(,(,.,. 
 r'"i(i' lii'tuiih i|„, 
 
 l'l'ri|M'lll'l|. 
 
 ''- "f ('ini.;!! \\,,f 
 
 'I f'V lllf fill «. ^iinl 
 
 I li'l Mils ■I.'||i:iim|,,| 
 
 I I'V I'ilUi.itii' iiiilj. 
 
 I'li'.-iili'Ml Mmiioi. .i 
 r". .1. iy Acliiiii- ..f 
 Mllillc st:ili«iii,.|| 
 liiiori. 
 
 kI til.siilllllillll nf i|« 
 
 "It I'lHlll lllj. |„,, 
 
 /'■','/, iirnivcd ii;:;iii|,| 
 |"i\vir. 
 
 riMliiiiiiil Will- iiiiK.ii. 
 pl;iiis rii >cc(i|c (Viiiii 
 
 llil"^ ilnlic (lie "iiliif, 
 
 ioiiiil ill a |iiii'tiriiliir 
 h'litM (iC " fiiriT mill 
 aliiiii I'm- ilir T.iri 
 
 iiii|ii'iiii\<i| |.\ ill,' 
 '• tfrnu- mill llnir, ' 
 1 Imtii riviii'il duuii 
 
 Inlil liy llii' ci-nrnil 
 \U' li'Vrlillc cut nil. 
 Im' wiIcm inailc iii.li 
 .'riKJiiiiliiiii nrii'-Ki 
 I'-'lil ii|> anil |ihiiiiM| 
 
 I'l' |priii.>-iT». TliiHi' 
 
 IIIKinll a liiiUlil\ i.r 
 
 lt'<-lariiliiiii thai iIm 
 til*' H'a|M<rts, will n 
 
 iirl 111 llli>. ITVrllllr 
 
 ■iiiiKTM. is:t,oii(i (Mill 
 
 In >!• latlii- 
 
 iliiiK U'vittl liir ill.' 
 
 niii-t |iarl fVi'iii Wi'.-'lcrii imliistry, ('X|icni|i'i| V To tin- imvy i« lirvnioil 
 ^Itiinit.iHM) (all ii|Miii tin- tiili'-watcrs nt' tin- firaltimnl ). Tn the civil lixt 
 g,*) iMiil.iliM) — all ihirr al.mi. To ninhnnril iiii|ii°iivi'iiiciit'<, viz.: ni»loiii- 
 liiiii-.*, iiiiiit.x, liirlioiw. Itrcal •'••itci^, roililiiatioii^, navy yanl.-*, Ii;:lil iioimci*, 
 nii>i <iirvcy. |ioMl oDicci, iirinori(!.H, etc., 92.ri(Ml,tM)i). .\|| this tiHi it ii|m>ii 
 
 till' //'/( //!//< I\ 
 
 To tlic army ?r»,(MMt,(»(HI — -tliJ!* i« rx|iiniliil mi ii inililary arailiiiiy, onl- 
 iiiiiiri' I'lMiinlri.M, I'oiir ariillcry regiment;*, cuijinccirs — nil ti]Hin \\\v >.i<ili<niril. 
 Tim it i-* ili:it a few Htiii^y ilrtail« nl' cavalry ami infantry arc ]M<-tci| in 
 Nhaiitii"4 ii|Miii tlic Western frniiticr, and a larp'.".'< of liall' a niillinii xiwid 
 
 fiiiinii': the 
 
 I ml 
 
 laiis. 
 
 lint llic Hiii'di' foitrcf.« III' (lid I'oini ('onilort 
 
 lia.x n»i more lliiin (!ie itiini total of Wcitci'ii military nlriictiirc^. 
 
 Tims do we collie at one cardiniii item of iiiniiiiiiii |io\ver^^lO,lHtl),<Mltl 
 niliiitid annnally from tliirly Staler*, of wliiili 8;i!).iMMi.tMlu i<. aiinmilly 
 liiiid out to ihirliiii null/! Such i> the inrniin which iii'iritiiiif fni/iri/ 
 sciiiris to if.-iclJ" liy taxation. 
 
 riirihcr, the forei<_'n cx|Htrtt4 and inijHirtM amount to 8:t>*><).IMM),iMl0 |mt 
 iiiiniiin — every |Miiiiid of tluM leaves mir Nhorcx or coiiic;* to u^ in tlieitlii|iM 
 iif these iiinritiiiir StnfiH, and in ^l^lrel| al their .•«ea|M)rls, To tlieiii. tlieii, 
 licli'iius the com|i|cte and |iriidi^'ioiis iii(piio|Hi|y of ilie carryiii.' trade of 
 Aiacrica ! 
 
 I« ii wonderful, then, that a jMiJicy should have liecii |iii.jci i.d with 
 liiroi^lit ami |iiirsuei| with olwtinale will, to preserve to Un |>ii>.s< >.«ont an 
 iiH'oine so s|ilendid, and a moiio|>oly of such infinite |irotit ? With thexc< 
 
 iiiiiriliiiii StatcH, loo, rests the |iolilical lii:i«tciy of lh< litiliclil liccuus*- 
 
 they have tw yet ulwayH had the inajorily of the Ijoiiscs of Conpri "s, nnd 
 still retain that in the lluiise of HepresentalivcM. in i«|iii(> of the acce.-sion 
 III' Ti vas, Iowa, and Wisconsin, which have changed tlie I^ciia'c. 
 
 Ii i- the decennial census of Js.'id which will >;ive in the thirty-third 
 ('iiuuresM a majority to this ;:reiit i:idi<.'enoiis Amerieaii |M-ople. residiii)< 
 within the mountains, in the ^reat haHiiiH of the euiitinetit. To them will 
 liclmc the glorious task lo u'ive to the piiMic doin.'iin its true, patriotic 
 
 ll-c 
 
 and root out the scorcliiii)^ tyraniiv. of which i; is imw the cn;.'i 
 
 lie 
 
 lo ma 
 HiiH'iit; the 
 
 ke taxation and the expenditures of revenue national and einial 
 
 Htat« 
 
 It and peop 
 
 le. T 
 
 II pay, not ^rind, tho pioiie< 
 
 (iial 
 i-n*. To revenw 
 
 till' u>c<< iif the national wilderness, so that it.t 'jlelic -hall he the lieiicficenf 
 Iniiiitaiii ot ^reat roads, iinliiiiiled ii^riciiltiirc population, eifiiiiiiivcc. and 
 
 ./. T 
 
 o rn-iili- 
 
 riili ."^lates. In ifii'f iiA niuntnni' nni/ri/, miil n iinr lUiiliimn 
 
 cilc the white man and the Indian, now kept l>y infainoii.H Iuwh in a si ite 
 
 of iiiiplaealile feiids and mutual piracy. 
 
 Il is Very vviekcil that our ^'ivcriimciit. Ii iiij: repultlican. hiw ravislied 
 
 I ) 
 
 II' 
 
lie 
 
 AflhXIUX. 
 
 ri'](iil)lit'iin lilicrly ami linlils iVnin the liulian, Mini ri'-ciiacttil iiir lii- race 
 all tlu' (xlimis iii('(|iialitu<s ami iiiiiircssioii," tA' /iio/n/ifi/. 
 
 'i'llf set |ilir|Mi.sf ul" ///(//vV/;/)/ y«(//Vy to crUMll pPi^'lTRS (IfVclopcil its<'lt' 
 
 with tlic ailini 
 
 II into till' I'liiiiii of Mi.-soiiri. a State licvmiil lln' Mi 
 
 >.sili|ii, ami Kiili) III ii|ion liic loiitcs ami riM-is towards tlic I'aiilic 
 A wall of liiiliaiis was |ilaiit('il aloii<; the IVoiiticr troin tin' .Mi»<.iui tn 
 
 till' Kcd lliviT. Thcsi! j'orftijn im/ii 
 
 Wt 
 
 I'c |ilaiili'il ii|ioii Soil wliii'h 
 
 tlicy foi 
 
 ilil Hot Sill. CoiiiiiKi'i 
 
 •<i was |> 
 
 iti'ii. 
 
 ami t ii<< 
 
 whit 
 
 t' III. Ill t'lir- 
 
 liiiliK;ii ciitram-i; iimlcr jiciiitiiiliary itii]irisoiiiiu-iit. Tin- army. it> ijutii'i 
 ifVcrscd, was withdrawn lioiii daiipr, and |ilaiit«!d on lliu linn to liayniu't 
 hack till! |ii(>niM'r». 
 
 |{y thcsi! nrl'arious so|ihi>tri<'S it was drsi;iiiiMl to fonrr mi-oss the 
 jtioiiiir iiniii/ ill J'lniil. lliish-inoni'y to tin- amount ol' !?>."», (MM(, ((oil was 
 jiaiil to p't ihi'sc Indians ont ol" tin- oldir 'latos for llu' use of tin- IVdii- 
 tiiT. Ill comliiiiation with this it was iii'n>sary to j:ain a ni'in'tiiin ix- 
 tttnsioii, and tin; national ]inrs(MVas opi-iu'd. A roiijili- of thoiisaml Indians 
 
 wci'i! ilisi-ovcri'd ;:i ilu' 
 
 irkct ol' I'last Florida — tlm Sfininoli's and .Nlirkii 
 
 iU 
 
 sukics. 
 
 Trti years of" Icrrihli- war, diiriiiir wliirh l(((t,tMM( military riiii;^iaiit,'< 
 and $ir),(M)(l.tl(MI had su]>|ilii'd the material of a State to halaiiee .Miilii- 
 |j:an, hnniuht ahoiit a treaty allowing:: iho.se trilies to remain ammiu tlii! 
 
 'iVer.laili 
 
 i>iiriii'j; this time Indian itiraeies swarmed over the (i 
 
 /'A, 
 
 iiiK and ii|ion the ciiniim 
 
 ri'ial roads In Mexieo ami the nioiinlai 
 
 llii. 
 
 Many hundred whiles and iiiniimerahle Indians tell heneath the Imiia- 
 liiiwk. I'roteetioii. military poliee, and reveiijre were denied at \\'a>irnit;- 
 ton Not a dollar was //(■/■<■ disjpo.sahle, lor the.se terrors ufthe wilderiii',>s 
 heljied the [loliey which kept it so. 
 
 Th 
 
 e rritiiiit.iiitiiiii ol' Texas was eoiisumnjated 
 
 Th 
 
 IS wa.s a mil nil mi' 
 
 Slate, extendiii'.c the shell of maritime inl'.uenee farther round the conti- 
 
 nent. 
 
 I exa.s o'red (U 
 
 ■l.t.s 
 
 -some 
 
 .tllMI.IKI. 
 
 Ill 
 
 er jiiihlii 
 
 lami 
 
 Were 
 
 s|iecious]y Idl to her to pay thoin — liOS,IMMI,U(MI of aenv*, hy valuatio 
 8li(;(l,(IO(l,OI(0, to.jiay 87,(1011,0011 of dehtw! 
 
 Is it. then, hy chaiiee or hy desi;.'n that the ^reat domain is t 
 
 O olll! 
 
 State the source of inijierial revenues and advancement, to another of 
 
 •t ]•:> 
 
 xjiress Jaws 
 
 of C 
 
 oujircsrt proi 
 
 luce these ex- 
 
 povorty and repression 
 trenies. 
 
 To understand this rijrlitly, let us exaniiiio it. The soil of Missouri is 
 held, until sold, at §1.;^.') per acre hy the central ;:^overnment. At present 
 .?(1(M(,000 iier annum is extracted in siieeic throu'di the land ofliei;s. Thii.s 
 
 are we in 
 
 ipoverished. Two-thirds of our soil is withheld from State taxa- 
 
 tion. 
 
 .\> real estate is the suhslaiitial source of Statt: revi 
 
 eiiue, no pu 
 
77/ a; iwr/yir umi.wa r. 
 
 147 
 
 »'-cnii(t( (I lor |,i, raee 
 
 n-ss (lcvclii|M.,| i(s(.|c 
 lie l)fViiiii| ill,' .^|j5. 
 'If* lllr Tarili,-. 
 
 ('mill i||(. .>|i»,,iiii to 
 
 I'll M|M.|| suil w||i,.|| 
 
 'i" white III. Ill i;,,.. 
 
 'I'll" ill-Ill^', its ,|„ti,,, 
 II tin- line lu lM\,,|„.t 
 
 In fflK-i- ;,i|(i>,s lli^ 
 
 I "I' J?>^.'»,()(Hl,()(»o was 
 
 ■ 111'' use (if the lioli- 
 pilll :i iiuiiifiiiii ex- 
 
 "t'lllClUS:||„i ||„||;„„ 
 
 Niiiiimli'waiKl .Mickii- 
 
 II niilitarv r>iiiL;r,iiils 
 
 tf In li.llillicc Mitlii- 
 
 '» rciiiiiiii iiiii.,i|M ill,. 
 
 rillcil riVcr till' (I'inif 
 
 anil till' iiiiiiiniMiii.'s. 
 I lii'iicatli tlic tiiiiiii- 
 • tlciiiwl at Wa.sliiiiir. 
 •i>rs 111' tile wildtTiicss 
 
 riiis wa.i a iiiiniilinr 
 
 liiT niiiiid till' niiiii- 
 
 ■ piililic lands wiiv 
 
 acii^s, liy vaiiialidii 
 
 t domain is ti^ t<\w 
 
 ipnt, to aiitiilirr .if 
 
 I'liidiicr llirsc (x- 
 
 e soil of .Missouri is 
 'iinicnt. At prcKi'nt 
 1' land (ifliccs. Thus 
 'Id I'roiii Slate taxa- 
 ! rovcnui', no imliliu 
 
 i'!iti'r|iris4's, 
 lii:;li\vavs am 
 
 nil 
 
 p'olo^rifal surveys, im internal iiii|iruvi>iiH-iil», not evi-n 
 
 I l.ri.k 
 
 res. are jmssilile in .'lissoiin 
 
 Mi 
 
 (liir insi;rnitieant State and eoiinty revenues fall with <tn«>n>us veiirht 
 uiHiM li'ss than one-third of the '_rlelie lands. ii|Hin |MTx>n:il [>n>|«Tlv. :iihI 
 lireiises. The ilisastMiis wreek siiH'eri'd !>} .Mi.'vi.s.-iiiiii, Illinui*. and <'tlur 
 new Stiiti's is jiroof enou^di of ilii.s. 
 
 jli.w is this n'verst'd in Tc.vxs? An immense domain fill.- her tn-si.Miry 
 — she ta.ves and sells for ta.xes at will — unlimited enilit and nr««iun-«-<» 
 
 ill' her to enlist riii't the i^i'eatest Works, witlmul daiiu'er. |{v r«-<iiteiii<,; 
 
 iiiv 
 am 
 
 1 u'raduatiii': the jirieeof luiids, she invites fortli tlii>:iurieiiliuri>t> oftiur 
 States, and Warps |)i'o;:re.ss towards llie(iulf. Un tlie |ile<lt:« ••(' her puMic 
 lands she may herself almie |iroeure means to eniiotruet a niilnad !<■ the 
 
 Paiilii 
 
 -Vero.ss the western frontier is uiii>l>siruete<l :iev»-^« to lh< 
 
 8,111)11,111(1) of Mexieans ! Il'.^/f //t enmiiieree. then, wallitl in :iiid nuidi 
 
 jiiraey 
 
 in Missouri, crushed and |iei-seeut«'d 
 
 mill 
 
 *t miirratc ht-iiiv to TfXsi 
 
 Airain, war with .Me.\i(ii ainse. This was a land war of aniii<-s. U- 
 tweeii nations haviiiir :i eunimitn frontier of many thousand niil<-s. A 
 siiij.de Ameriean army of ill), 1)01) eavalry uinl !lyin;r artillery. niari-hin<; hy 
 the iiiajrniKeeiit roiid from Fort Ij4>jiven worth, {ta-ssin;; Ky the ::7i>sit laldc* 
 laiiil- !' ''m . Iiy i.f .^Il•xieo. and sultsistinir tlu-ir animals of I"-*! and 
 transportation u|ioii the pa.stiires, would have eoni|Uen-<l and held all llie 
 .Me.xieaii St;ites in eijrhteeti months. 
 
 Flirty millions of expenditure would have hrou<:ht ii^-aei- on our <i«rn 
 ilii'tatioii — trre:rl roads fur eoiiinieree would have Ix-eii estalili«he«l fon*v«-r. 
 and the disliiirsemeiits returned to us in the ledetj territury. A war thus 
 tTiinomifiif/i/ eondiicted. liowever. would have o|k'IkiI the aveiiue and 
 jilaiiled eeliti..! States to the new seahoard. 
 
 Hut fleets of lmis|iorls must plow the (iiilf. and the niariliiiie ."^tatt-s 
 of ,/iiriiitii and Sirrrii Mmlri- extend to einliraee Tampim. < Mie huiidre*! 
 thousand soldiei-s were sent to the impnutiealile eiiinine«- hy Sahilhi and 
 Piitosi — one hundred millions exjiended upon this army, whieh. si.iiriialiii'.: 
 upiiii the wateix of the Hio (Jraiide. never pass*-)! iM-ynrwl them: for 
 Saltillo is upon an affluent <if the Itio (iraiide. and ••nly -■*** mih-s from 
 its main hank. Thus was pioflij^ately re-inaeted tlie •Irutua of the State 
 of Florida. 
 
 The niiirltinir pof in/ hhuth tlie doiiltle ohjeet of Mocking np the inte- 
 rior, and extendinir the sealmard in a shell around th«' ointinent. For 
 this the navy is enormously iiureased and the army enutseulate"!. F'nter- 
 jirisis in tlie mi/nil States Jire marred, hut thoe<€ of the ttahntnl siis- 
 tained directly from the National Treasury. Of this let us lake a retvnl 
 illustration. 
 
o^if 
 
IMAGE EVALUATION 
 TEST TARGET (MT-S) 
 
 1.0 
 
 m iiiiiM 
 
 1^' 
 
 2.2 
 
 I.I 
 
 Hi 
 
 u& 
 
 2.0 
 
 1.8 
 
 
 1.25 1.4 1.6 
 
 
 ■• 6" 
 
 ► 
 
 Hiotographic 
 
 Sciences 
 
 Corporation 
 
 23 WEST MAIN STREET 
 
 WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
* m M 
 
 ^^ ,%° MP.. 
 
 
 ,0 % 
 
 
 <? 
 
 # 
 
 &»/ 
 
 
 d 
 
\ 
 
 I'lr ii 
 
 ,,,;i| ^M■'■"' 
 l!' ill: I '! 1 
 
 i 
 
 148 
 
 M'PEXDIX. 
 
 A jirnpn,.iti(m was sulmiittcd to tlu: Twi'iity-iiiiitli Coiijrros.-, early in its 
 first session (1845— Kl) to carry omvanl to tlio coast of California and 
 Oregon, and to Santa Fo, iiioiitJili/, tlu; mail wliidi comes tri-woekly to 
 onr city of Indci^endcnco. 
 
 A law antliori/.in<i' the I'ostnnistcr-Genoral to let tlie contract for such 
 an extended mail-route to the lowest bidder, in the ordinary way, was 
 alone required. Contractors were ready to execute the whole undertakinj; 
 for S')<>,<MI(I jier annum, carryinir the mails in fiftctn d(i)js, making the 
 time from ocean to ocean tirriity-fn-f days. 
 
 This proposition, admirahle for its practicahility, its economy in time 
 and cost, was belabored by orators and supjjressed. To this hour all ovcr- 
 hind mails are prohibited b}' statute. 
 
 At this same session of this same Congress, and under tlie prom])tinus 
 of these orators, the government was, liy statute, made tlic partner with 
 ship-building companies of New York City. To construct four mail 
 steamers, the sum of 81,250,(100 was ndvniiccd to these companies, to 
 whom was also given the monojioly of future government transportation 
 for ten j-ears. 
 
 The transportation of oc?' mails through the Isthmus is confided to the 
 Spnninnh of New Granada ! All this enormous expenditure lias pro- 
 duced at the end of four years, an uncertain monthly mail, outs'ule of our 
 country : and exposed to the hostilities of tlie whole world : wliich trav- 
 erses 9000 miles of sterile ocean in fifty days ! In the interval the con- 
 ti'iicts have been doubled in amount by doubling the size and cost of the 
 ships. It is a condition of these contracts that these " mail steamers" 
 may Iie apjiraised and purclias(id by government fir tlie navy. Thus is 
 the navy ehindesthieli/ increased by eight or a dozen war steamers. 
 
 Thus, whilst we may transport the domestic mails between our distant 
 jieojile and seaiioards through the heart of our territories, every inch u|ioii 
 our own soil, and 1000 miles iroiii any I'oreign foe or frontier — whilst this 
 can be done and is offered to be done, li'y our citizens, for jirices at which 
 the mails will yield remunerating revenues — whilst this admits of an in- 
 crease to daily mails at any time, and a reduction of time to one-half — 
 wiiilst this allows of innumerable way mails, telegraphs, and the most 
 intimate dnniestic intercourse — involves neither increase of military force 
 nor expenditures }iy sea or land, and avoids the jxissibility of foreign inter- 
 ference or molestation — opening roads and crowding them with ]iopulation 
 and settlements — concentiating to the seaport where it ri'aches the Pacific, 
 the American shijipiiig an<l business on that ocean, at once creating a great 
 American em]ioriuni. 
 
 Instead of ail this, which is sensible .iiid natural, and understood by our 
 
THE PACIFIC RAIL WAY. 
 
 U9 
 
 til CV)ii<nvs>, ciirly ill its 
 c'Dii.st of t'alifiinii;! jinj 
 icli fonu's tri-wooklv tu 
 
 ct tlio coiitriict for such 
 tlio (ii'tliiiiiry w;iy. wiis 
 tlio wlidk' iiiHlcrtiikliiir 
 
 iftiin ddijs, iiiiikiiiy tliu 
 
 ity, its cc'OHoniy in time 
 To tliis hour till ovcr- 
 
 1 iiii(h'r the proni]itiiii;s 
 iiiiido the j)artn('r with 
 
 To construct four iiniil 
 to tlii'sc companies, to 
 
 rcrnnicnt tninsportatinn 
 
 thnius is confided to the 
 
 s expenditure lias pro- 
 thly mail, oiifsfur of our 
 hole world : wliicli trav- 
 In the interval tlie coii- 
 
 the size and cost of the 
 : these " mail steamers" 
 
 for tlie navy. Thus is 
 en war steamers, 
 laiis between our distant 
 ritories, every inch ujion 
 
 or frontier — whilst this 
 ;ens. f(*r jiriccs at which 
 st this admits of an iii- 
 II of time to one-halC — 
 Icjiraphs, and the most 
 icrease of Tiiilitary force 
 •sihility of ioreii:!) iiiter- 
 1,1: them with jiopuiatioii 
 •e it ri'aches the Pacific, 
 
 at once creating a great 
 
 , and understood by our 
 
 people, whoso cirnliiKif n'l/Iif it is to have the circulation of thi'ir domestic 
 thoughts and business tlirouuh home channels which are short, safe, and 
 
 cxpci 
 
 litioiis 
 
 Yes. instead of this, we are ta.xeil 
 
 mill 
 
 ions. 
 
 to hi 
 
 ive our 
 
 letters sent 'JOdU miles in fifty days, under the ecpiator, by sea, tliroiit;h 
 i'divimi nations: exposed to delay, dangers, and destruction in t'Very form, 
 ruffliiiii' the jealousies of rival nations, and exposed to their cannon — and 
 all this to fill the maws of maritime speculators and political ambition. 
 
 Such are a tew examples of a Jiolicy hourly influencinu our u'lorious 
 State for weal or woe, whoso efloct upon you, my fellow-citizens, fills mo 
 with the most puzzling' astonishment. You drop your own interests with 
 facility when fold they are difficult and inexjiedient, ami stand at ease, 
 whilst rival enterjirises, planned to destroy yuu, and a thousand times 
 more difficult, costly, and faiieifid, are finished comjiletely ! 
 
 Mr. Chairman, elo(|uenec is not nurtured in the depths of the silent 
 wikloriiess, and t/iirr have I jiassed my youth. J)id [ possess tho.sc graces 
 of language and ])olished elocution, which many youths, my cotem[)o- 
 raries, trained in the court.s and halls of legislation, ought to do, then 
 should my voice .sound, like the nipinl beat on .John do Zitzka's skin, 
 into every cabin of our glorious State; to call forth her citizens, and, 
 roused from their ignoble ajiathy, animate them to resume their stolen 
 rights and vindicate their crippled honor. l-'or this a))atliy is, towards 
 tliis our State and our nation, the crime of the sentinel slumbering on his 
 post. 
 
 The configuration of the Sierra Madre {the Mothir Mountdin of the 
 wofhl) is transceudently massive and sublime. Rising from a. base- 
 ment whose roots spread out two thousand miles and more ; its crest splits 
 almost centrally the Xorthorn continent, and divides its waters to the two 
 oceans. 
 
 Xovcl terms have been introduced to define its characteristics. Mrxn, 
 expresses the level plateaux of its summits, Cdnon, the gorges rent in 
 its slopes by the descending rivers. Bute, the conical mountains isolated 
 and trimmed into synunetrical ])eaks by atmospheric corrosion. 
 
 Everybody has seen the card-houses built by children in the nursery. 
 Suppose three of these in a row, having a seciuid sfiu'v over the ctMitn^: 
 this toy familiarly delineates a transverse section of the Sierra ^Fadre. 
 This upper story represents the central. ]irimary mesa of the Cordillera — 
 its .summit a great plain, descending on both flanks by a perpendicular 
 wall of 6000 feet to the level of the xeco)iil Diexn or stei>pe. 
 
 Towards the wext the second mesa fills the whole space to the Andes, 
 who.se farther side descends abrn])tly to the tide-level of the Pacific. This 
 is again what has been before described at length as the (^iHE.\T Tahle 
 
150 
 
 .■1 Pi'Kxnix. 
 
 ' I'll 
 I'll 
 
 3* ^'1 
 
 V' '! 
 
 Lands. But towarJ.s tlio Ktaf, tlio .second ?«ts« forms a piedmont, rent 
 into peaks by tlie tis.sures of innunievable streams. 
 
 Tliis piedmont, ealled \>y us the lilaek Ilills, masks the front of tlie 
 ■Sierra Madre, from end to end. So completely is it torn and rent by the 
 perplexity of water-eour.ses, that patches alone are left to define tlie orij;i- 
 nal idateau. These are the eastern envelope of the basin of the Yellow- 
 stiine, the Jiaramie plain (between the I'lattes), the llatone, and the Llaun 
 Estaeado of Texas. 
 
 Beneath this tlie fliinl nicsti (or t-tej)pe), is that superlative renion, tlic 
 Great rKAiuiK Plains, who.se gentle sIojh' forms a glacis to the Gulf 
 through Texas: and in front to the trough formed by the Mississippi 
 River I'rom Itasca Jiake to the IJalize. Neither are the other three basins 
 of the St. Lawrence, Hudson Bay, and Athaba.sca anything else but pro- 
 longations of this siima gliii IK, sloping towards the east and north. 
 
 It is this vastness of geographical configuration which leads the (/Iniire 
 of the engineer with unerring certainty to that line of natural grades from 
 ocean to ocean, the discovery of which mankind now awaits with the keen- 
 est curiosity, and along which the American nation is resolved to construct 
 the consummate work of art — fJie Asinfic mid Eiimpiiiii Rm'fiai//. 
 
 Advanciu"- north alonji' the comb of the Sierra ^ladre from below 
 31exico, you find at the sources of the Platte (Sweetwater) a wide gap, 
 where, tlie liigh me.sa suddenly giving out for the sjiace of forty miles, 
 the second mesa jtasses through from east to west, the continued water- 
 ridge being scarctdy perceptible among its gentle undulations. 
 
 This is the SoiTli Pas.s. It is so named as being the lufinf soiifJicni 
 pass to ivhich you mav ascend by an affluent of the Atlantic and step 
 immediately over on to a stream descending directly to the Pacific. This 
 name is as ancient as the pass itself 
 
 Into it concentrate the great trails of the buffalo, geographers and road 
 makers by instinct, before the coming of man. The Indian, the Mexican. 
 and the American, succcs.sors of one another, liave not improved or de- 
 fiected from the instincts of the buffalo, nor will they whilst the moun- 
 tains last in their j)resent inisliattered bulk. 
 
 The South Pass has a towering grandeur, in keeping with the rivers 
 between which it i.s the avenue (the Missouri, the Colorado, and the 
 Columbia), all of which, issuing from the wall of the "Wind Biver Moun- 
 tain, come out of it on to the second mesa, (if tlir xmiir /rrrl, and into 
 which they immediately commence burrowing their canons of descent to 
 the seas. 
 
 Ifin, thru, is the route, the Soiifhrni route, of the National Railroad, 
 ascending by the water-grade of the I'latte on to the top of the second 
 
|< forms a piedmont, rent 
 
 iiiii.sk.s tho fn.iit of tho 
 
 it t(ini and wm hy the 
 
 [' li'f't to define tin; origi- 
 
 the I)a.siii of tl„. Yell„w. 
 
 le llatone, and the Lhniu 
 
 It superlative r('ni„i,, d^, 
 liiis a glacis to tiu! (;„|f 
 Jined by the iMisf^isMj.],! 
 1-0 the other three basins 
 :i iinytliino- else but pro- 
 east and north, 
 wliieh leads the yA,,,,-, 
 •■ of natural lirades fr^m 
 >\v awa,its M'itli the keeii- 
 1 is resolved to construct 
 iropnin Rtiihaii/. 
 ii-ra 3Iadre frt)in below 
 f^wectwater) a wide jm]), 
 lie sjMce of forty miles, 
 ■'t, the continued water- 
 mdulations. 
 
 "■i"M' the mimt southern 
 
 the Atlantic and .^tcj. 
 
 ly to the Pacific. This 
 
 ». geofi-raphers and ro;ul 
 I! Indian, the lAIcxican, 
 L' not inij)rovcd or dc- 
 tliey whil.st the mouii- 
 
 'ci)in,u- with the rivers 
 he Colorado, and the 
 10 Wind Iliver ^foun- 
 '' •'"'»'<■ fn-ej, and into 
 !• canon.s of descent to 
 
 lie National Kailroad. 
 he toj) of the second 
 
 THE PACIFIC RAILWAY. 
 
 151 
 
 iiiesii. wliere it forms the summit, following the level of this mesa alonjj 
 tJic b;isi' of the hii:h mesa, to the Columbia (Snake lliver), anil descend- 
 ing its water-j:rade clear out to the Pacific. 
 
 Tlic distance from tlie Platte to the Columbia has not been accu- 
 rately ascertained, though by the present wauoii road, which crosses a 
 corner of the Salt IJasin, it is less than iJdO miles. Here is that double 
 inclined jilane, to find which has been the first essential l.i every work of 
 art existinn- in the Avorld. 
 
 There is none south of this, because everywhere the basins of tlie Talile 
 Lands oveilap and envelop one another, so that the jia.^ses h'ad merely 
 from one of the.se into another : nor are there any natural tunnels through 
 the jirecipitous walls of the Andes, and between the basins. 
 
 The Columbia, running across the Table Lands from east to west, dis- 
 tributes the descent of 8500 feet, equally alonj^' its course of 1200 miles, 
 and tunnels the ureal ranges of Blue ]M(mntains and the Andes. This 
 whole course of the river is a continuity of rapids having three falls — the 
 American Falls of iJO feet at Portneuf, the Salmon Palls of 45 feet, 200 
 miles below, and tho Chuttes of 12 feet, near the Dalles. 
 
 This rivi'r-jirade is then as rapiil as the descent to be accompli.slied will 
 admit of; for, distributed into loni; levt'ls and steep t;rades, it would im- 
 mensely impair the utility of the whole work, and I'atally impede trans- 
 portation. 
 
 The jiivat Colorado runs diagonally across the Taulk Lan'D.s, debouch- 
 ing into the Gulf of California ; but ha.s its course and those of its <;reat 
 affluents, parallel with the mountain ranges, which are scored with un- 
 fathonied canons, perjtiexing the traveller with an infinity of impassable 
 ridues, among which the water-courses are cmbowelled. 
 
 North of the South Pass, however, exist many single passes where the 
 higher brandies of the Missouri and Columbia interlock. These circui- 
 tous routes have all the same termini as that of the South Pa.ss, for tliey 
 also descend the same two rivers to the seas. Thus between the South 
 Pass and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec there exists no railroad route, owing 
 to the longitudinal eourees of the rivers, the comjilexity of the basins, and 
 the double barrier of prinutry mountain chains. 
 
 To the north, other passes exist, which future generations may develop, 
 anil ou which navitration may be used for four-fifths of the whole dis- 
 tance. True il is that i>otential fashion now exalts the little maritime 
 busiii of California, San Francisco Bay, into the haven of hope and fortune 
 of tho new seaboard, whilst the sublime basin of the Columbia, and its 
 magnificent ricer harbor, are banished from public favor. 
 
 The basin of Sau Francisco is small, tropical in climate, sterile, and tho 
 
 ,LLl.,Li ,, 
 
 ,..,,. 
 
fli 
 
 II :i 1 
 
 'i:«- 
 
 152 
 
 APPEXDIX. 
 
 most isolated spot, to ruiicli J'nmi tin; intiTior, on the whole eoust of the 
 Paeifie. No great river gives it access to the 3Iississijij)i Valley, I'rom 
 wliieli it is cut oft' by the basins nl' the Salt Lake, the Colorado, aiul the 
 Del Norte, overlapjiiiig each other. 
 
 The Columbia is larger than tlie Danube, and eijual to the Ganges. In 
 size, climate, agricultural excellence, capacity for ])opulatiou, and its wim- 
 derful circular configuration, the basin of the Columbia surpasses Imtii of 
 these others. 
 
 The mouth of the Columbia, a saliint point ui)on the open '-oast, more 
 thau any other central and convenient to the whole North Pacilic and 
 Asia, is in size, depth of water, safety and I'acility of ingress or egress, 
 equal to San Francisco. As the mouth of the greatest river descending 
 from our continent into tlie Pacific, it is iniinitely before it. It is eight 
 degrees south of Liverpool, having the climate of Bordeaux, Marseilles, 
 or Savannah. 
 
 Why is not the deep sea navigation concentrated at Norfolk or Uamp- 
 ton lloads, the finest harbor of the whole Atlantic? Why rather is it 
 found at New York and New Orleans, accessible only through every dan- 
 ger that can menace shijtping? Why, because the former is the outlet 
 of the basin of the St. Lawrence, the latter of the Mississippi. The ship- 
 ping of commerce goes to where cargoes can be found. 
 
 Loss than iiftyyearsago,/tM7</o;t pronounced the little ravines of James 
 River and the Connecticut the proud spots of America, and held tlie great 
 uninhabitable wastes of the Mississijipi and its uiuuicii/atvd streams as 
 worthy only to balance axljixh ! This same splenetic spirit o( /iin/iion 
 now manufactures a similarly ridiculous misdirection for the energy of the 
 pioneers, by setting up what the geologist would call a '' pot-hole of the 
 Andes," ;■ gainst the grand Columbia. 
 
 Commerce, provident like every other department of industry, makes 
 her.sclf harbo" with charts, pilots, buoys, and beacons. The shallowest 
 chauviel of the Columbia has thirty-five feet water — the deepest of New 
 York, twenty-nine. 
 
 Climate distinctly controls the migrations of the human race, which has 
 steadily adhered to an hothermnl lino around the world. The extremely 
 mild climate of our Western seaboard is only the conseciuenee of tlie same 
 great laws of nature which operate in Western Europe. These are the 
 regular and fixed ordinances of the code of nature, to which the migra- 
 tions of man, in common with the animal, yield an instinctive obedience. 
 Within the torrid zone and up to 30° of the Northern hemi.><phere, blow 
 the tr(nlr iciiKlx and viiriaUcs, constantly from the east and northeast all 
 around the world; but the upi)er halves of elliptical orbits followed by the 
 
Tin: PACfF/r n.ML mm y. 
 
 153 
 
 wiiiil.s lit' ill till- toinperato /(inc. i'nun l!.")^ tn (1(1°, witliin wiiicli tlic winds 
 fluw ((instantly tVoni the wost ani.! soiitliwost all arnuiul tliu world. 
 
 Tiii-.-c winds ivauli tlu' irrnti rii coasts of America and Eiiroiie alter trav- 
 ersing the expanse of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Warmed to the 
 same temiierature as tliese oceans, they imjiart again this same mild atmo^,- 
 iilicre to the maritime fronts of tlie continents wliicli receive them. These 
 ■suae winds, passiiiir onward over great extensions of continent of low tem- 
 perature, covered with snow, or Irozen dnring winter, often warped ujiward 
 bv ni'inntain ranges, becoming e.vhausted of tlieir warmth, liave ujxtn the 
 eastern portions of both hemisjiheres an exactly oi)posite efi'ect niion the 
 climate. 
 
 ll(.'nce the variant temperature of New York and Li.sbon, which face 
 on(! another on the opposite coa.sts of the Atlantic — of IVkin and San 
 Francisco, similarly ojjjxisite uj)on the Pacific. At San Franei.sco and 
 Lisbon the seasons are but modulations of one continuous summer. At 
 New York and Pekin, winter su.spends vegetation during seven months, 
 whilst ice and snow bridge the land and waters. The.se four cities are all 
 do.se njion the same parallel of latitude, the 4Uth degree. 
 
 It is here manifest how in Asia the masses of population lie? />rIow the 
 -lUth degree, in Europe alutvc, and again (so far) in America, curving 
 downward on the eastern face of our continent, to rise again to the north 
 upon the warm coast of the Pacific. 
 
 Thus has the zodiac of nations, our own nation similarly witli the rest, 
 pursued a serjnjntine line of hjikiI tiniprnifiiir, ret;iining all around the 
 world similar emj)loyments, similar industrial ]iursuits, similar food and 
 clothing, retjuiring similarity of climate, and recoiling alike from tlie torrid 
 and the arctic zones. 
 
 The scieiitijic vwii of the nation oppo.se the National Railroad — so 
 did those of Europe persecute (lalileo and Columbus. Science, like 
 the army and nav; , is fed from the national revenues, which HKtritline 
 ])olicy distributes to all that serve its ends. Science is rare ; the spurious 
 ((uackery of science redundant. It is not the scientific doctors of the 
 schools, the bureau.K and military wings of government, that have hewed 
 out tliis republiL'un empire from tlie wilderness. 
 
 This has been reared by the genuine lieroism and sublime instincts of 
 i\\ii ploiuev f/ /'Hi'/, unpaid, unbles.sed, nay, scoflfed and loaded with burdens 
 by government and its swarm of dependents. To bridle proures.s has 
 lieen the pelicy of thirty years. To keep the people out of the wilderness. 
 T(.( refuse Territorial governments, and prevent Territories from becoming 
 States. 
 
 At this moment acicntljic men are especially busy di.stracting us with 
 
il-iii 
 
 liiljilil{ 
 
 ii'lii^jiiiij 
 
 >i% i 
 
 lo4 
 
 APPEXDIX. 
 
 iimltitudiiious mutes niul invented dit^icultios : devised to perplex und 
 scatter the energies of the eitiz.ins : \vli(jse unanimous resolve it is to 
 jiluw open a <rreat eentral trail to the I'acifie. 
 
 SciiiKi cannot unmake the eternal ordinanees f)f nature, and reset the 
 univei-ie to suit local fancies and idle fashion. It la the humble dut}- of 
 science to investigate nature im she /,s, and promulgate the truths discuver- 
 al)l(! for ihe guidance o. governments and men. 
 
 The experience gained from the great works eonstrueted by the la.st 
 generation, in digging through the Alleghanies routes for commerce to 
 the Atlantic, .settles for us the rules that shall guide «s across the Sierra 
 Madre to the Pacific. 
 
 In 1S18 the State of New York cut through the low and narrow ridgo 
 between Home and Syracuse, the former on an affluent of tlie Iludson, 
 the latter of Lake Ontario. Thus the first exj)enditures, perforating 
 the dividing mountain, let through that infant commerce, which in thirty 
 years has urown to such a grandeur of (|uantity and j)rofit, tliat this great 
 thoroughfare is itself ((uadrupled in capacity and lengthened out to .Mon- 
 treal, to Bo.ston, to New York City, and into Peimsylvania, towards the 
 east. 
 
 WrsfwitriL it reaches through Ohio and Indiana to the Ohio River : and 
 by the Illinois and AV isconsin Rivers to the Missouri and ^Mississippi. 
 
 What the single State of New I'ork, of 1,2(1(1,(100 population, acconi- 
 plished by her own intrinsic braver and resources, undismayed l)y ridicule 
 and unappalled by the then expt^' nnental character of .such works in a 
 rc.piiltHc and upon our conl'ncnt: — just such a work now invites the 
 national bravery, power, a-.d wealth of this iiiiptritd irpiiUic : namely, 
 to lay, over the dividing barrier of the Sierra Madre, along the floor of 
 its natural tunnel at the South Pass, fin iron piithn:ii/y : whicli, descend- 
 ing the grades of the Platte and Columbia to the highest p(jints of navi- 
 gation, shall let through the first infant stream of that supreme Orinital 
 commerce, whose annually expanding flood will, during our generation, 
 elongatti its arms and fingers through all the States and to every harbor 
 of the two seaboards ! 
 
 Climate : the configuration of the continent : the location of our States 
 and people : the isothermal line of progress : the high latitudes of the ultra- 
 oceanic nations here locate the " National Railroad." The clinidte is here 
 most favorable : because the wliole region from the Missouri to the Colum- 
 bia, far removed from any ocean, is so dry as to be free from rains in 
 summer and snoics in winter. 
 
 Thus the snows within the South Pass itself are not so deep as upon 
 the St. Lawrence, or between J}o.stoii and Bufi'alo. Upou the Wind River 
 
 m^ 'i: 
 
THE PAP/FIC RAILWAY. 
 
 155 
 
 (loviseil to iicrplcx am] 
 inimous resolve it is to 
 
 t 
 
 of natuiv, iiiid reset the 
 is the humble duty of 
 ate tlie trutlis discover- 
 
 construeted l)y the last 
 
 routes for euunucrei! to 
 
 lide Its aeross the Sierra 
 
 he low and narrow riduo 
 affluent of the Hudson, 
 ijienditureH, perforating 
 ninieree, whieh in thirty 
 nd i)rofit, that this great 
 ■ngtliencd out to 3I()n- 
 nnsylvania, towards the 
 
 to theOliio River: and 
 Iniri and ^Fississipjii. 
 ,'M)0 ])opulation, aeeom- 
 , undismayed by ridicule 
 ter of sueh works in a 
 work now invites the 
 cn'id iTpiihlic : namely, 
 adre, along the floor of 
 hiriii/ : whieh, descend- 
 highest points of navi- 
 ' that supreme Orlnikd 
 during our generation, 
 tes and to every harbor 
 
 e location of our States 
 
 ;h latitudes of the ultra- 
 
 The climtite is liere 
 
 ^lissouri to the Colum- 
 
 be free from rains in 
 
 re not so deep as upon 
 Upou the AViud lliver 
 
 Mouutaiu tliere is no snow in summer, at an altitude where it is perpetual 
 oil the Andes beneath tlie eijuatur and near the ocean ! 
 
 On the Talile Lands rain and snow are so rare that they may be said 
 never to occur. This obstruction, then, stated on theory to be fatal, has no 
 cxiste'ice — whilst this route, pursuing great rivers: all the way, has abun- 
 dance of water. Mineral coal is abundant from end to end. Ijumber ami 
 ruck intinite in quantity and convenient in jiosition. 
 
 It is, then, I repeat, thmugli the heart of our Territories, our popula- 
 tion, our States, our farms and liabitations, that we need this broad current 
 of commerce. Where passengei-s and cargo may, at any time or place, 
 embark ujion or leave the vehicles of transportation. 
 
 It is foul treason to banish it from the land : from among the people : 
 to force it on to the barren ocean : outside of society : tlirough foreign 
 nations: into the torrid heats and along ;• litary circuitous routes, im- 
 prisoned for months in great ships. 
 
 This central railroad is an essential domestic institution: more power- 
 ful and permanent than law, or popidar con.sent: to thoroughly complete 
 the great systems of fluvial arteries which fraternize us into one people : 
 to bind the two seaboards to this one nation, like ears to the human head: 
 to radicate the foundations of the I'nion so broad and deep, and render 
 its structure so solid, tliat no possible force or stratagem can shake its 
 permanence : and to secure such scope and space to progress, that pros- 
 perity and equality shall never be impaired or chafe for want of room. 
 
 What, sirs, are these pojmlous empires of .iapan and China, now be- 
 come our neighboio? They are the most ancient, the most highly civil- 
 ized, the most polLshed of the earth. 
 
 It was from Sinim (China) that the Jiulean king Solomon imported 
 the architects, the mechanics, the furnit.ire of his gorgeous temple. 
 Ifi iirr. the Tyrians brought tapestry, carpets, shawls of wool, cotton and 
 silk fabrics, wares of jwrcelain and metals, dyes, gums, and spices, jewels 
 poli.shed and .set. 
 
 Jlciice, came the climax of all human inventions, lettei's <tnd Jiyiars, 
 which fix language and numbers, making them eternal : astronomy, arith- 
 metic, algebra, deeimiUs, chemistry, printing, navigation, agriculture, and 
 horticulture. 
 
 All the.se, erroneou.sly ascribed as the inventions of the Arabs or to the 
 exiles of Con.stantinople. who brought them into Western Europe, are the 
 creations of Oriental genius and study. 
 
 Tea. sugar: the peach produced I'nim the wild almond: the orange 
 from the sour lime : the apjile from the crab : the fruits : the flowers : the 
 vegetables of cur gardens, are the crtationn of Chinese horticiiUiiral !n:iciu:e. 
 
 ' ffl I 
 
 iWil 
 
li 
 
 15(i 
 
 M'I'h'XOIX. 
 
 The horse, cnttli', the swiiic iiiid jMiultry df our farms, conie to us fmiu 
 tlu'uci'. Tlic cultiiro III" till' ccrciil iiraiiis, wli^at, rice, liarlcy lircail. wvu' 
 the olive ami silk, liavf ronic to us IVoin the laithcst Orient. !/< im ulso 
 caiiio guiipowiler, the inaij;noti(.; needle, and (iiicmiel. Tht; jialnts, varnish, 
 and tools of the art have come, and the reniedius used in pliarinacy. 
 
 Oar liistorie records, ciininniiiuii/ with the arrival of ])roL;res^i\e civil- 
 ization at the extremity of the .Mediterranean, relate IVoni traditiim tin; 
 anti(juc emjiire of Bacchus and the relijrion of Zoroaster u]ion the (lanjjcs 
 and tlio Indus. The Chaldeans of Mu; Persian Sea followed. I'Ircts 
 came from the extreme Ortmt into the IJi ii'j;al Sea, the Pcirsian Gulf, and 
 the lied Sea ; and caravans ovcrlai. i hy the Uxus and tho Caspian lirouuiit 
 tlio camel, the horse, cuttle, manufactured wool, silks, cotton, and metals, 
 aj;riculture, commerce, and coin. 
 
 Enijii exjiandinj^ westward along the Ganges, the Kuiihrates. and 
 the Nile, reached to the Mediterranean and Kuxine. From Egypt, I'Ikc- 
 nicia, and Colchis (Trehisond), .si)rang European Greece. 
 
 Sudi as Progress is to-day, the same has it been for ten thousand years. 
 It is the stream of the luiman race flowing from the cost to tlw mxt. im- 
 pelled by the same divine instinct that pervades creation. 15y this track 
 comes tlie sun diurnally to cheer the world. Thus come the tides of men 
 and of the waters: learning: law: religion: the plague: the smallpox ■ 
 and the cholera. The sources of life and happiness — the pestilence that 
 saddens both. 
 
 These empires of which we have spoken have left upon the ground tluy 
 occupied their names, political society, their organized systems of gov- 
 ernment and religion. Does ncjt society, then, once founded beconu! 
 perennial ? It is within a belt of the earth straddling the -lOth degree 
 of north latitude that the greatest mass of land surrounds the world, and 
 where the continents most nearly aiijirouch. 
 
 Within this belt (from J](l° to 50°) four-fifths of the human race is 
 assembled, and here the civilized nations, of whom we ])osse.ss any history, 
 have succeeded one another, connnencing at the farthest extremity uf 
 Asia, and forming a zodiac towards the setting sun. 
 
 This succession has flowed onward in an even course, undulating along 
 an isothermal line, until in our time the ring is about to close around the 
 earth's circumference, by the arrival of the American nation on the coast 
 of the Pacific, which looks over on to Asia. 
 
 In this age and in this march of human race, as elsewhere: tin; bold, 
 energetic, and indomitable : the picked spirits of the world lead the van ; 
 and such is the piuuccr nrwij. 
 
 What means that expression in the Declaration of Independence, "life. 
 
 mtik 
 
'• flinns, coiiiL" to us fiiiin 
 I'icf, l.iulcy l.iviid. wi,,,,^ 
 ifst Oriciii. //,.„,., .||,y 
 Tlic jiaiiits, Vinnisli, 
 iiscfl ill ])liann.icv. 
 iviil of i.roi;rf.-*si\v civil- 
 ■liiti; iruiii traditiiiM ih,. 
 niiistcr ii|ioii tlic(;;iiiL:,..s 
 II Si';i fiillmvi'd. Klirts 
 1, tlio I'crsiiin CJiiir. iiinl 
 "III tho Casjiiaii lin.ii-lit 
 ilks, cotton, and nictals, 
 
 :»'«, tlu; Kiiitliratcs. and 
 ic. From Ku3]it, I'lia'- 
 ( i rci'co. 
 
 fur trn thousand years, 
 tllc rant to tin- vcat. m- 
 fivation. ]}y this truck 
 IS come the tides of men 
 
 Jihigue: the snialliiox- 
 less — the i)estilcuee that 
 
 ft upon the ground tlicy 
 ;:inized systems of uov- 
 onco founded become 
 Idling the 40tli degree 
 urrounds the workl, and 
 
 of tlie liuman race is 
 we possess any liistory. 
 ! fartliest extremity of 
 n. 
 
 ourse, undulating along 
 out to elose around tlie 
 can nation on the coast 
 
 IS elsewhere : tlie bold, 
 he world lead the van ; 
 
 :)f Independence, "life, 
 
 Tin: i:\rif ir iiMi. ir.i )', 
 
 157 
 
 lilicrty, ikI ihr pursuit <if /Kippinisa" .' What tuouulit tlie Civalii r> to 
 Viri;inia in 1(!0S? It was "the pursuit of lia|ipinc>s." Wiiat animated 
 the Pilgrims to endure the rigors of I'lyinoutli lloci; ? ^VIly, "tlie pur- 
 
 laillolis IiIuIIL:!!!'' il 
 
 Miit 111' liappiness." What sought Boone and liis coinp; 
 
 llii)ii-and miles into tlie wilderness? 1'his same ••pursuit of happiness. 
 
 Wliiit secret motives now brings foreigners to our shon 
 
 cs, ami imiieis our 
 
 ■iti/eiis onward to tlic I'acitie? Again, it is " the jmrsuii of liappi- 
 
 ness. 
 
 /'/•"i/i'isn, tlien, is one of the immortal KKillTS saiictilied in the Charter 
 
 liberty. AVliy, then, is advent into the wildc 
 
 -the field 
 
 lit human liner 
 
 for the diseontent4)d, the oppre.ssed, the needy, tlu; restless, the ambitious, 
 and tli(^ virtuous, thus closed by a )iolicy at once sinister, nefarious, and 
 uiiroiistifutional ? 
 
 I'lHpiiet for our sacred I'iiion is this present time, when political 
 ]Hiwer, about to cross the Alleglianies, sec-saws on their crests, counting 
 the d.ays that precede her eternal transit over them I 
 
 It is by the rapid propagation of new States: tlu' immediate occupation 
 (if the broad platform of the continent : tin; aggregation of the I'acitie 
 Ocean and Asiatic commerce : that impiiiitude will be swalloweil up. and 
 the murniurs of discontent lost in the onward siiiiinl of advancement. 
 Pisioiitcnt, distanced, will die out. 
 
 The immense wants of the Pacific will draw oil', over the Western out- 
 lets, the over-teeming crojw of the Mississippi \'alley. Thus will the 
 present seaboard States resume again their once ] rotitable monopoly 
 of the Kuropean market, relieved from the competition of the interior 
 Stat.'S. 
 
 The cotton and rice; culture of (leorgia and the Carolinas will revive. 
 The tobacco of Virginia ami .Maryland will again alone reach Europe. 
 Ships withdrawn from the Xorthern States to the Pacific, will regenerate 
 tile noble liiisiness of nautical construction in New Kngland and \ew 
 York. 
 
 The cstabli.xhed domestic manufactures of clothing ami metals will find, 
 in our great home (extension, that protection which they in vain seek to 
 create by uncipial legislation, nocuous and impracticable in our present 
 incomplete and unbalanced geographical finni. 
 
 Thus calmly weighed and liberally ajipreciated, does this great Central 
 Railroad mini,ster to the interests and invite the advocacy and co-opera- 
 tion of every section of our territory, and every citizen of our coinmou 
 
 countrv. 
 
 The exelu.sion of foreigners from Japan, China, and Cochin China 
 not then an institution of barbarism, but a domestic tariff of protection. 
 
 IS 
 
 i ; • ;i 
 
.♦■T 
 
 iH 
 
 168 
 
 AI'I'ESin.S. 
 
 ■1* 
 
 It is (lo-iuiicil. like tlic ('iiiiiliiiiiitiun of Cliristiim iiiidoiis ii'jainst 
 jiinicy, to ]iriit<'ct llii'ir nutiiiiijility ami riccdiuii iiuain^t tlin.si' licrcr inilitmy 
 nations (if Nuktiimkn, wlio for twenty (cntiirit's liavo rent Kuinj aim 
 Wcstoni Asia with jHTiK'tual inassai rr : wlio ransai k all tlic seas in ilnir 
 war-sliiji.s : stoic tlic rucks of tlic ocean witli niiinitions of war : cni>li tlic 
 millions of India witli cannon and tlic liavonct ; ]ilinulcr Africa of a niillinn 
 iiiinnall) of licr swarthy cdiihtrcn to rot in foreij;n slavery: and cmh 
 externiiiii.te one another in deadly strife when they meet anionu the ;iii- 
 ti]iodes. in the solitudes of the Southern Ocean. 
 
 When, however, utir di]ploinacy shall receive a wise direction — when 
 our fuolisli nepotism to Kurojit; sliall lie run out — when men ol' sense. 
 f<ueh as Franklin was of old, shall sail over from Astoria to I'ekin. ami 
 there converse, with tlii' Oiiiiilnl Cuiirt. of Re|iuli]ican America as she is 
 — when her civic jirowth and ]iacifie |policy shall he there understood — 
 when the central position . four continent slndl be known; formiiii: the 
 avenue for trade and harrier apiinst war with the Northmen of Kuropc — 
 tlien will mutual confidence hetween these, the oldest and youniicst of 
 the human fiimily, f/ic i.rtnrhits nut. show itself in the graces of a free 
 commerce, and the ties of an harmonious fraternity. 
 
 It is for you especially, jieople of Missouri, to .seek tlic.se new relations 
 with the Oriental peojile, with the zeal of faith and the fixed will oi' con- 
 viction. 
 
 It is arch mockery for us to he duped by the flijipatit caricatures of 
 these ancient and ]iolish(;d Asiatics: invented by British envy to mislead 
 us, and fed out to us by the British press to cloak sinister designs of suh' 
 jugation and world-wide plunder. 
 
 Rather let us take alarm at the tone and source of this monstrous flood of 
 calumny : and know that a direct inspection for ourselves will reveal to us. 
 in Asia, emjiires of people illustrious for their anti(jue civilization : ren- 
 dered enduring and perfect by political eijuality. and wi.se civic institutions, 
 winnowed and renovated during fifty centuries of uninterruiited exiieii- 
 dice — among whom the science and art of war. indt'cd, are decayed from 
 long disuse: but all iiseful sciences liighly perfected — with whom govern- 
 ment has reached the mildest form of patriarchal desjiotism, eliminatiiiir 
 political priestcraft and the disseminated tyrannj' of a patrician order — 
 "who have so admirably refined and perfected municipal government and 
 police that 4(1(1, 0(10, 0(H) of population (double that of all Europe) are 
 united under one harmonious political system in concord and trainiuillity. 
 
 It is among the.se swarming hives of ingenious people that we will find 
 markets on a s:ale commensurate with our own jirolific industry. 
 
 This is not now the case in Europe. The Europeans are in all tliini;.': 
 
 IS 
 
Tin: I'M'iiir UMi.WA y. 
 
 \Wd 
 
 lin>tl;ill IIMfM.llS ;|u,,|,„t 
 
 hin>t lll.,>r(i,,v,. „,ilit;,rv 
 Y 'i"vc ivht K„r,,j ,„„', 
 'SM'k all til.. s,,i.s in ,1,,,;,. 
 jiitiuiis ..Cwiir: cnoj, ,1,,, 
 JlMiHlcrAfi-i,„.,Ci, n,iili„„ 
 |i<'i-ii slavny: aii.l rv,,, 
 ]Il<'y meet ailKMl- tlir ,i,|. 
 
 a wis.. (lirocti..!!— wluii 
 lit— when nu'ii of s..ns.., 
 I" A.st..na fo I>,.ki„. ,„„| 
 ililiciin Anicri(.a as sli.. is 
 I ''<• lliiTt^ undcist,,,,.!— 
 bo kn.iwii: fiirmiiiir tin. 
 '■ Nortlmion ..f I-;iin,|„.__ 
 "Idi'st anil }-.,iiiin,.,.f „f 
 '' ill tlie graces of a free 
 
 ■'*i'ek these new r<.lati..iis 
 md til.; fixed will ofeon- 
 
 " flippant caricatures .if 
 : Britisli envy t.i misl. ad 
 k sinister designs ..f sul,. 
 
 )f this monstrous fl.iod.,f 
 irs..Ive.s will reveal to iis. 
 iiti.jue civilizati.in : reii- 
 d wise civic instituti.pns. 
 f uninterrupted exjieii- 
 id.'ed, are de..aje.| fnmi 
 'd — with whom govern- 
 despotism, eliminatinL' 
 of a patrician order — 
 licijial government and 
 l>at of all Eurojie) are 
 )ncord and tran.juillity. 
 'oojile that we will fiii.I 
 'liiie industry, 
 jieans are in all tliin-s 
 
 OP! rivals and conipetit.irs. Ar.. we ai;iicultur!' 's? So are th. y. and 
 wall oTour conipetiiion witli corn-law tariff*. Are miners an.l iiianii- 
 I'aeturcrs ? So arc they, and overtop us Ity abundance of labor and capi- 
 tul. Are we sliip-.iwn.'rs? So are thi.y. liaving an immense marine 
 cheaply navigated. They con. jUer and colonize foreign eountri.'s. . if whose 
 trade they make monop.ilies ! They are northern nations, whos.. clothing 
 is of wool and flax, consuming a very limited amount of cotton. 
 
 What they take fr.im us is to manufacture for exportation, Tobacco 
 is ]iiiiliiliit...l — h.;mp and metals tht.y exp.irt. The p.ipulatimi of Kurope 
 is l.'(ir),(MI(l.()(H)_of the Atlantic all roun.l, 2r):j,(i'MI,(M)(l. 
 
 On the Pacific, in front of us, are 4l)0,()0(),000 people of the tr.ipics — 
 Polynesians, South Americans, Soutli.Tn Asiatics — among wliom wli.'at 
 is not cultivated, and animal f.jo.l, other than fish and jmuliry, very 
 scarce. Their clotliing is exclusively cloth of cotton, grass, an.l silk. 
 Opium is excessively used among them. Rice, the plantain, lianana, and 
 fruits are their unsubstantial diet. 
 
 Here, then, will be the market for raw and manufactured c.itton. Ifere 
 our rank manufactured t.jbacco will substitute itself f.ir opium. Here 
 our substantial articles of food — flour, meats, and fish — will find purcha.sers 
 in all who eat. Lead and hemp will be .sold. 
 
 In return will come to us groceries, spices, teas, coffee, Ku.'iir — porce- 
 lain, Jaf)an ware, furniture, w.)rks in ivory — drugs, jiaints, dyes, medi- 
 cines — beautiful fabrics of silk, .satin, velvet, crapes; nankeens, tlie 
 delicate shawls of Cashmere, tlie carpets of Persia — jewelry, trinkets, and 
 toys — the hemp of Manilla — luscious fruits dried and preserved. 
 
 Tlie peojile of the Pacific have no marine adapted to cross the great 
 ocean — the carrying to and fro will be in our .ships, and a monopoly to us 
 — sliip-building and navigati.in will occupy our people of the new sea- 
 board, and the metals, lumber, and hemp of the interior find a -.rodigious 
 demand. The population of the Pacific all round exceeds ()45,n()O,(lu0 ! 
 
 Will not then our people find in this, that certain panacea of ail tlieir 
 wants and wishes, namely, an infinite market of consumption ? Surely 
 this people, which has submitted to the nostrums of political (|uackery: 
 tariffs of protection : banks to make money plenty : home manufactures 
 and systems of internal improvement: all invented to create markets at 
 home, by changing our producing agriculturists into consuming opera- 
 tives : but all of which little experiments have produced industrial 
 anarchy and commercial bankruptcy. 
 
 Surely this people will not hesitate to construct for themselves this great 
 " National Highway," at small comparative cost : and leading as level as 
 a cannon to its blank : to a new ocean, teeming with 045,000,000 of 
 
 1 
 
 m 
 
[GO 
 
 APPESDIX. 
 
 
 people, of WMiits unlimited, and having a genius aetive, intelligent, and cum- 
 mereial ! To efleet tliis, it is only necessary to untraniniel progress IVom 
 the snares and dead-falls of maritime policy. 
 
 To reopen the legitimate onward trail of the pioiirtr uritnj, and niu- 
 vigorate its march. The cause of the pioneers at this hour pre-eniinonily 
 ditnaii'ljt the undivided energies of Missouri. It is for us tliat the 
 jiiiinecr army is tiotc coiKjuering the vast wilderness that hems in our 
 Liiuiun'rce and blocks the frontier : for us it throws down the iierfiilinus 
 Indian wall: reopens the central trail of advancement so long insidiously 
 closed — and to us, for us, it re-establishes that crowning excellence of 
 position of which hostile policy has for thirty years bereft us. 
 
 It is not andjition that impels us, citizens of 3Iis.souri. to advance to 
 the advocacy of this great v.ork with our whole unshackled energies — it 
 is high religious duty. 
 
 Citilra/ to the continent, to its internal navigation, to its States, to its 
 commerce, and to its variety of agriculture : neutral to all .'^ectional antipa- 
 thies, and the converging heart of all interests: WE must occupy this 
 central position with power and dignity equal to its importance ; with a 
 strength of grasp and intensity of enterprise to cope with the tallest exi- 
 gencies. 
 
 Let us appreciate this, and stand up to the work with hearts of cmitru- 
 •cr.«y and sinews of endurance : that the fame of our glorious State, 
 sa. ing forth from her seat in the centre, may resound in and outward 
 all round from the centre to the circumfluent oceans ! 
 
 Observe the foreign commerce of America, and the splendid marine 
 which it sustains ! This has grown up in two hundred years. But com- 
 pare with it the eonmierce and navigation of the interior, grown up in 
 less 'han forty years, for such is the age of steam navigation on the rivers 
 and lakes. 
 
 The latter already equals the former, for it transports internally what 
 i;: consumed at home, as well as what is collected at the seaports for expor- 
 tation. Thus, St. Louis, in the amount of tonnage arriving and departing 
 annually, is the fourth city of the Union, ranking next to Boston. 
 
 Indefinitely grand is this domestic, internal commerce. Let us com- 
 pare the two. The commerce between New York and Liverpool, 8500 
 miles asunder, requires powerful vessels of great size and strength to carry 
 much, and resist the storms of the ocean. The intervening space is a 
 clu.scrf iiyistc of salt water. A vessel of 000 tons must be filled with cargo 
 before her departure, to make so long a voyage profitable. She goes to 
 Liverpool and back — sails 3500 miles, touches only two points of land, 
 and carries two loads — four months of time, at least, is consumed in 
 
THE PACIFIC IIMLWAY. 
 
 161 
 
 ■•'. intolli,!j.oiit.iiii(lc,,in. 
 tniiiinu'l i)r(i<:rf.s.s iVdm 
 
 nnrir (iniii/, and nin- 
 li.s hour prc-eiiiiiH'iitly 
 t is fur u.s tliat the 
 ■sf< that lu'iiis ill our 
 •■■s iluwu tlio iR'ilidiuus 
 ■nt so hiiijr insidi((ii-sly 
 )Wiiin<j: exeellc'iicc of 
 bereft u.s. 
 -lissouri. to advance to 
 nshackled enorjiics — it 
 
 on, to its States, to its 
 to all sectional anti|ia- 
 \VE must occupy this 
 ts importance; with a 
 »e with the talle.-t e\i- 
 
 with hearts of contro- 
 of our glorious State, 
 sound in and outward 
 
 s! 
 
 i the splendid marine 
 ired years. But com- 
 ; interior, grown up in 
 ivigatiou on the rivers 
 
 *ports internally what 
 ho seajjorts for e.\por- 
 rriving and dejiarting 
 ext to Boston, 
 mcrco. Let us com- 
 itnd Liverjpool, ;>')(»() 
 iind strength to carry 
 itervcniiig space is a 
 it be filled with cargo 
 jfitable. She goes to 
 y two points of laud, 
 ?ast, is consumed iu 
 
 tills. Such arc the voyages of ocean commerce — expensive, dilatory and 
 
 ti 
 
 (laniiors. 
 
 Coiniiarc with this the river voyage. From rittsl)urg ( nr New Or- 
 leans; to Fort Union, the distance is liodd miles, by the Uliiu ami Mis- 
 souri Kivcr.s — a steamer of (j((() tons, chea})ly constructed and navigated, 
 peitiirnis the voyage to and fro, with perfect safety, in two and a half 
 iiiiiiiilis. and alisolutely without danger, along a continuous river chaiiiu'l. 
 
 This eiiannel has a double bank, so that tliis vessel coasts along a shore 
 of 14,0(((t miles, at any square rod of which she may take in and discharge 
 passengers and cargo. Thus it is jiossible that no single pas.senger or 
 cargo remains on board over ItH) miles, and yet the vi'ssel is full through- 
 out the voyage. These same advantages belong to rtiHr<in<h traversing 
 populous countries. Siu-h is our internal navigation — cheap, expeditious, 
 and absolntciy without danger. 
 
 Now the circuitous seaboard surrounding the Atlantic may be estimateil 
 at (lit, 000 miles, with harbors indenting it — but small ves.sels caimot navi- 
 gate the broad sea, nor large vessels enter all the harbors. 
 
 On the other hand, within the united basins of the St. Lawrence and 
 AIi><issi[ipi. is a continuous river navigation for ir).()0(l niiles. having a 
 double bank or !)(l,0(KI miles of coast, the whole extent of which may be 
 visiteil by the same steamer, whicli can land anywhere I 
 
 Such is one illustration of the supremely lieneficent Ibrmation of this 
 great inti'rior basin, of which our own State occupies thecentr(> and focus. 
 Let a railroad from the Missouri elongate this to tlu^ Pacific : carrying 
 population clear up all the rivers to tlunr sources and down those beyond 
 the Sierris; and behold the greatiu>ss of an ///^r^'?/ comnu'rce ! 
 
 Everybody is acfpiaintt'd with the commercial intercourse between the 
 continents which fringe the Atlantic. Tlio life, the vivacity, the grand 
 energies which resound upon its buoyant waves. All this is the result of 
 the discovery of Anu'rica and its jiopulation with Euro]ieau stock — hiMice 
 all this has its growth ! 
 
 Antifjuity had for its field tlie ^lediterranean, and galleys sufficed. This 
 was comnu'rce in its infancy, confined to the nur.«ery and content with 
 toys. Sinci! Columbus, America has become greater than the Europe of 
 rolumbiis — and as this ])eriod has expandeil the field of human activity 
 I'l'oni the Mediterranean to the Atlantic and .Me(literranean. IVoin Western 
 l']uro]H' to America and Europe, blending all this vast space under one 
 internal i(inal relationship. 
 
 So now we advance to consummate the blending of the Pacific with 
 these other seas: — Asia with these other continents — and urg(> to its goal 
 that exjtandiiig progression, which marches ou to complete the zoilinc of 
 
 11 
 
I 
 
 -1:1 
 
 162 
 
 APPEXblX. 
 
 I II 
 
 the globe, iind lilonil into bonds of confrutoniity all the continents, all the 
 seas, and all the nations ! 
 
 In the vast region of Nortlnvcstern Texas, traversed by the rivei's 
 Brazos, Trinity, ilio Uoxo, Canadian, Arkansas, and Del Ncjrte. exists a 
 fertile region nuieh larger tliaii France, the dryness of wbost' eiinmtc;, 
 whose red soils, impregnated with the sulphate of lime (jilasterj, and 
 wliose altitude, present in perfect combination the qualities for the culti- 
 vation of the grape and the production of wines. 
 
 These rivers all have their sources in jirodigious mountains of plaster. 
 from which the red tinge and the fertility of their valleys below is derived. 
 Natural vineyards, covering n:illions of acres, and annually pruned down 
 by the nibbling herds of butfalo and anteloi>e, here now yearly waste an 
 infinite vintage. 
 
 This has already become known to the German pioneers of Texas, and 
 soon will be seen rising a vine culture, rivalling in national importance the 
 cotton culture, the tobacco eroji. and even the jiroduction of jirovisions. 
 Then too will be seen the universal consumption of mild and healthy wines 
 by our pcojile, and the gay and exhilarating sjiirits which generous wines 
 inspire, will transjiose the fell passions and fiery madness of alcohol. 
 
 Again, the region oi'gold and jirecious metals and stones is not limited, 
 liut is absolutely infinite. It is over the whole extent of that primary and 
 volcanic formation extending from the antarctic to the arctic I'xtremitics 
 of America, inchuling in its expanse the Andes of South and North 
 America, the Sierra Mailre and the Table Lands. 
 
 This abundance of the mati'rial of coin, wrought and develojied by 
 sober American industry, is to the human race the supreniest gift of 
 Divine Beneficence. 
 
 Has not the American cotton culture obliterated liarsli aristocratic dis- 
 tinctions in dress, and thus democratized the costume of society over the 
 world? What cotton has done for ecjuality in dress, the .same will gold 
 effect fiu' individual ecjuality in property and physical comforts. 
 
 I^tudy how the stiff, icy servitude of European feudal times has melted, 
 since the conipiests of Cortez and I'izarro opened the sources from whicii 
 portable personal property has exalted itself above fixed and immutable 
 glebe land ! 
 
 Beyond the Sierra IMadre, upon the Great Tal)le Lands, is a parallel vein 
 of thin mountains, whose masses consist of rock-.salt. As streams else- 
 where Ijring down gravei and soil, so here they liijuefy the rocks down 
 which they descend, and reaching the small inland seas and lakes, yield it 
 again in the cry.xtalline coverings which jiave their bowls. 
 
 In another parallel vein is a coniinm us line of jdaster mountains. 
 
 A 
 
the continents, nil the 
 
 "•f<i' fhniatc;, 
 >f lime (j.liister). and 
 "lualitios t'(.r the culti. 
 
 mountains oi' iilastur. 
 alleys below is ilciiveJ. 
 annually jirun.d duwn 
 •i now yearly waste au 
 
 pioneers of Texas, and 
 tational importance the 
 
 xluetion of iirovisiuiis. 
 mild and Iiealtliy wines 
 < wliieh generous wines 
 ^idness of aleoljol. 
 d stones is lu.t limited, 
 'lit of that ].riniary and 
 the arctic extremities 
 
 of J^outh and Xurth 
 
 harsh aristocratic dis- 
 me of .society over the 
 :'ss, tlie same will gold 
 •al comforts, 
 udal times has melted, 
 le sources from which 
 
 fixed and immutable 
 
 unds, is a parallel vein 
 
 lit. As streams elsc- 
 
 |uefy the rocks down 
 
 oas and lakes, yield it 
 
 owls. 
 
 aster mountains. 
 
 77/ a; PAf'irir n.MLWA v. 
 
 163 
 
 In another, a continuous line of tin 
 
 J 
 
 nf which are tlu? first ajipearani-e aiMive 
 
 having flowed hundreds ol' miles under plains of lav; 
 
 II riiiiii and mniirnini sjiruigs. snni< 
 
 / 
 
 d of snliterranea 
 
 n rivers. 
 
 tyccniiiiiii 
 
 III 
 
 h, 
 
 rre 
 
 It size abiiund. having' freestone, niarb 
 
 anil 
 
 eiial formations — iron. lead, and the metals of the arts. All forms, indeed, 
 into which geology classifies matter, hen; follow one another in ajppro- 
 
 jinate jiositions and proportions, wi 
 
 th tl 
 
 U' rciiularilv o 
 
 f tl 
 
 le stripes o 
 
 rainbow: the wlnde deriving proininenee and distiuctuess of detail from 
 the immensity of the general .scale. 
 
 Thus, instead of inl'criority in al)uiidauce and variety of things used }iy 
 and useful to man, it is here that they especially abound in variety, good 
 
 (juality. and vastne.ss. 
 
 A, 
 
 dl tl 
 
 lese must pa 
 
 an 
 
 y higl 
 
 iwav eonncctin^i 
 
 the two oceans, distributinu: outward the infinite natural resources of this 
 
 intra-montaue woi 
 
 Id. 
 
 Xo other i)ortion of tlu' W(n'ld will better accommodate a d 
 
 1 
 lation than these Table liam 
 
 eiise pojiu- 
 
 oii wine 
 
 faith 
 
 er south, is the ch 
 
 ief 
 
 P"l 
 
 lUla 
 
 tion of Mexico. In the dryness and salubrity of its climat(>. its extraor- 
 dinary pastoral oxcellence, and its mineral wealth, are the ei|uivalents of 
 the richer lands, but uncertain seasons and health of countries of h'ss 
 
 iltit 
 
 uile. 
 
 It,^ 
 
 s intermediate iiositiou will secure iieriietual eominuiiicatioi 
 
 perp( 
 
 with tlie seaboards. 
 
 An admirable economy of arrangement given by nature to the iiiilia<fii/ 
 of our jieople. points with great jiower to this central route, which also cor- 
 responds to the jMisitions and courses of the great navigable rivers. 
 
 In New Kngland and at tlie extreme north, where winter dwarfs agri- 
 culture, there are no planters, but sliijis are built, owned, and navigated. 
 Here are the marine of America, her sailors. 
 
 On the shores of the ( Julf, and where southern warmth invites men to 
 agriculture, no sliips are built, owned, or navigated — the people here j-lant 
 and produce cargoes i'ov the ships of the north — not a native sailor is 
 found in these countries. 
 
 Between these, occupying a broad central belt, are the farmers, pro- 
 ducers of food. Tlu'se latter eipial in number the other two combined. 
 The firmer recoils from a southern sun. where beat forbids labor, and 
 where the culture of wheat and swine languishes; in like manner, ho 
 recoils from the long winter of tlie north, where cattle ami Indian corn 
 cease to yield abundantly. 
 
 It is this CI iitriil Jiirniii'ij papiihili'iii which feed the commercial jieople 
 of the North and the planting people of the South, and support them- 
 selves and furnish for export. They jirecede all other occii] ants, and 
 liead the movement into the wilderness, where the first reipiisites are 
 
 I r 
 
 ■I 
 
 mm il 
 
 :l» ''f'l 
 

 :i t ^'i 
 
 '<% 
 
 1(14 
 
 A /•/•/■: \f)/.\'. 
 
 t'tiDil tiiiil tr;iiis|M)it;itinn. Vet it is iiinoiiu- tlio ('aniiin<; j)o|)ul;iti(iii that 
 (luiiu'stic cuniincivi! liiids it.s jiivat vijluiiic of ennpldyincnts— and aiunnir 
 tliciii arc re(|uire(i. first and cliicfiy, tlic 'j:\vi\t ehamiels of trade wliicii 
 find tlicir termini anmnt:- tiie titlier two. 
 
 It is tiiis mass, wiiieli. sto]i])ed liy the artilicial net-work ol' in<iri/iiiic 
 IKiliii). is now riisliin^' thron^h and tearing its meshes from their I'aslen- 
 ings. Jn resnminu' their ancient vigor, coneentrated hy hing restraint, 
 they now demand a National llidlway to the ocean wiiicli they seek. 
 
 What I have here stated, .Mr. (!iiairman and f'eliow-eiti/.cMis, of tji-n- 
 ijrapliirdl fiictsf. ai'e of my own knowledge: lor with the works of Jiewis 
 and Clarke. Frenionl, JOmory, and lluiidjoldt, I have during si>: toilsome 
 years of war and exploration, traversed the countries they descrihe, and 
 the vast intervals between, which //c-y have never visited. 
 
 In these wanderings, undertidven of my own will, I have descended the 
 Amies to the I'aeitie and returned; crossed and recrossed Ity many routes 
 all the liasins of tlu! Taui.K ii.VNDS, excejiting oidy that of the city of 
 -Me.vico, and coasted along tlie hase of the Sierra Madre from 4.")^ to 'I'y' . 
 
 This •• niotiier range ' 1 have crossed and recro.ssed at si.\ diH'erent jiasses 
 in this long interval, and its su]ireme grandeur is stamjied indelibly in my 
 memory. 
 
 What I have said ofyc/Z/cy is from tlu! mouths of those eminent states- 
 men who have contrived it, and those eijually eminent who have unsuc- 
 cessfully oppo.sed it. 
 
 T iiave exi)re.s.sed my convictions very positively, hut not immodestly: 
 for in the terrible vastness of tlu'se solitudes, Nature speaks her iron will 
 from summits of t'ternal ice, and wlu-re she frowns upon our advances, 
 our foolish efforts shrivel into ashes. It is, then, this stern and certain 
 language of Nature that I have sought to penetrate, and hero struggle to 
 repeat. 
 
 .Many routes for a National Highway, cunningly contrived and speciou.sly 
 reasone(l out. ar(> before the jieople — all these will vanish beneath exact 
 <l(<iijr(iiiliic(d scrutiny, for they violate nature at haj)-hazard, with whom 
 
 hum; 
 
 in s 
 
 kill nnist act in unison. This unison is happily attainable, and 
 
 discussion will reveal it. 
 
 JiCt us. tlu'ii. understand Nature riuhtlv — let us cease fr 
 
 fli 
 
 'om conn let, am 
 
 feather our onward inarch in uiiisini with her beneficent aid and guidaiict 
 
 Tl 
 
 us "reat W(nk ntaxl come, aii< 
 
 1 <(>i 
 
 ne iiDir 
 
 to t/i, 
 
 us ijiniriitlitti. 
 
 iSo ( 
 
 liffi- 
 
 culty lies in the enterprise itself — but such as will instantly vanish before 
 the coiiceiitrated will and energies of the peoi)le. 
 
iiii;- iHijiulaticiii timt 
 iiit'iits — and iiiuuiiL' 
 lU'ls (if tnnlc Avliicli 
 
 t-work of iiKtrlliiiii; 
 IVuni tlu'ir fistcn- 
 
 1 l>y IdiiiT ivstraiiit, 
 
 licli tlicy Hc'i'k. 
 
 (i\v-i-itiz(!ns, (if ifa- 
 
 tlif \V(jrks (»f Jicwi.s 
 
 diirinji' six toilsDiiio 
 s tlk'y (k!.serilju, and 
 itt'd. 
 
 Iiavi' dt'sc('n(k'd the 
 sscd liy many mutes 
 • that of tho city (jf 
 IV from 45= to 25". 
 t ,six diflorcnt jiassos 
 qii'd indclihly in my 
 
 hoso fniincnt states- 
 nt wlio iiavo unsiu;- 
 
 iiit not immoch'stly : 
 sjK'aks lier ircni will 
 upon our advances, 
 lis stiM'u and certain 
 and here struugie to 
 
 rived and speciously 
 misli l)eneath exact 
 -hazard, witli whom 
 ipily attainable, and 
 
 w from conflict, and 
 It aid and guidance. 
 ncrnfiwi. 2no diffi- 
 tuntly vanish befoiv 
 
 III. 
 rilOCEKDINGS OF A MASS MKKTlNd 
 
 OF TIU; CITI/.KNS (IF .lACKSON ((IINTV, AT INDKI'IAHKNCK, ON Till: .iTII (iF MlVF.M 
 liKlf, IM'.i, To liKSl'OMI TOTIIK ACTION OF Till: (lliKAl' NAI'K IN AI, ISAILUOAD t'(.lN 
 VKNTION, IIKI.n IN ST, I.OI IS, ON TIIK l.-.TII HAY oF oCToliFli, ls4:i. 
 
 0.\ motion of .Mr. J. W. .Modie. Colonel .Jamks ('iiii.Ks was appointed 
 Chairman, and on motion of 1{. (J. Smart. Ivscj.. .1. |{. I'al.MKR was ap- 
 po 
 
 in 
 
 intt'd Secretary. 
 
 Colonel Wll,l,l.\.\i (iii.pi.N was then called ii]miii to address the nieet- 
 <i. and explain its oli 
 
 jl'Ct. 
 
 II. 
 
 e resiiolKle. 
 
 I to th 
 
 i- call in a speech wliieli 
 
 an 
 
 terested and occuiiied the attention of tlie mectinj;' for alioiit one hour 
 d a half; in conclusion lie moved the a]i]i(iintmeiit of a. coiiimittce of 
 
 to the 
 
 lonsive 
 
 twelve to writ(,' and re]i(irt to the inet'tinu resolutions res] 
 action of the ^reat Convention at St. Jiouis. The motion having:' lieeii 
 adojited, the Cliairman ajipointed as the Committee: Colonel William (iil- 
 jiin, A. Hrookini;-. (Jeiieral S. D. Lucas. Samuel Kalstoii. .Major lioliert 
 Itickman, Colonel .James M. Cogswell. .James I'attoii. K.s(|.. Colonel Oliver 
 Caldwell. 11. (I. Smart, Ks.p, William 1{, Singleton, Alexander Collins, 
 
 an 
 
 d S. II. Woodson, Es(|. 
 
 The ( 
 
 omm 
 
 ittee, after consultation, reiiorted the followi 
 
 eport 
 
 in'i' res( 
 
 )lutions, 
 
 which were unanimously adojited : — 
 
 1. licnolnif, That we heartily and zealously approve of, and concur in, 
 the procecdinj;' of the '■ National Eailroad Convention." held at St Louis 
 on the L")tli ultimo. 
 
 2. lioiiilinl^ That in the great national work, that shall connect the 
 two si'alioards of our country, and the interior with the s(!aboards, wo 
 behold an enterprise as universal to tlu^ inhaliitants of our Ciiion as their 
 language, their politics, and their commerce — a lioiid of unanimous action, 
 and not a lione of contention and strili'. 
 
 ;>. Jirsttlnd, That to tho people of the "Valley of the Mississippi," 
 intimate and direct eiuineetion witli the seaboards and people of tlio Pacific, 
 
 IS as 
 
 essential and as interesti 
 
 ii"' as \vi 
 
 til those of the .\tlantic. 
 
 4. Rcsi'Iri'd, That, inasmuch 
 
 tl 
 
 IS our people in tlieir natural progressive 
 
 growth have extended their habitations across thetMjntinent, and along the 
 
 l«o 
 
lil'i 
 
 il:il 
 
 i 
 
 vi 
 
 IGG 
 
 A ri'J:.\Di\. 
 
 Wosterii si'alioanl. it i?; mir diitv, and tlie duty (if our uiivi'riiiiK'iit, to pivo 
 til tliifs new .si-a hoard, fleets, iortitications, and arms lor dctt'iic-i' — liarlmrs. 
 liulit-liouscs, and marine iiolii'c, for tlie iMicourajiemcnt and iirotoction of 
 coiiimfrci' and lii<;li\va}> — and a military jioiiw to conKrm and make siU' 
 tlie connection with the interior. 
 
 5. llisiilrid.fnrtlirr, That a NATIo.\At< K.VILHOAI) I'rom tiie Missis.siiijii 
 to the I'acitic is the most direct, economical, and constitutional means of 
 ett'ectin^' the above objects. 
 
 0. RiKiiInd, Tiiat. wliereas tlie Almiulity has placed the territories of 
 the American I'nioii in the cknthk, between Asia and Europe, and the 
 route of tlie '• Asiatic and Euroiiean Railway' through the lu'art of our 
 national domain, it is our duty U) the human family to jirosecute. vigor- 
 ously, through its iii'W channel, that sujireme commerce between the Ori- 
 ental nations and the nations of the Atlantic, which history proves to 
 have existed in all ages, and to be neces.siry to keep alive comity, science, 
 and civilization among mankind. 
 
 7. J?(S(Jrr(Jj That, whereas the people of China. Japan. Polynesia, and 
 Southern America now receive from Hritish India (i<j rlcult n nil prwhuc 
 (raw and manufactured cotton, indigo, opium, ric.', wool, etc.) to the 
 amount of §15(1,(1(1(1,(1(1(1, annually; we believe these same people will 
 take from the Americans, //( jirrfrrinci', more than twice this amount of 
 agricultural jiroducc (substituting toliacco for opium, and flour and meats 
 for rice), so soon a.s the barrier of the J{ocky Mountains be removed by a 
 National Kailway. 
 
 H. I?i's(ifi((/, That, apart from the great benefits which shall accrno to 
 lis and the other nations of the Atlantic from this National Kailwaj', we 
 regard it as a beneficent dimnsfic v;i>rk, to open to our ])enjile access to the 
 immense and glorious domain of the Plains, the Sierra Madre, the great 
 Table Lands, and the Andes, known to alxiund in metals, mountains and 
 lakes of salt, mountains if plaster and marble, thermal and medicinal 
 springs, wild cattle, salubrious climates, sulphur, coal, lumber, arable and 
 ])astoral lands of the finest (juality, and stajile productions uidimited in 
 variety and abundance. 
 
 1*. licxiihuii. That, whereas, during the last thirty years, the generation 
 of our fatlu'is has <;overed the eastei'u half of our continent with States, 
 and, commencing witli the; Xi'w York Canal in ISIS, lias everywlu're ren- 
 dered the connection betwei'ii the '• ^'alley of the Mississijijii" and the 
 Atlantic seaboard complete, and carried the comi'ierce of the Atlantic to 
 the grandest develoi)ment — it is the high and glorious mission and duty 
 of ii.s their sons and heirs, of the growing generation, //( l!lc<' iikiiiih r, to 
 cover the western half of the continent with States, to render complete 
 
Git EAT KATIOXAL RAILROAD CO.S'YEyTIOX. 
 
 lt!7 
 
 with pvat works the connection of the " Valley of tlie Mississi]i|ii" with 
 the I'aeilic .seaboard, and expand upon the Pacitie Ocean a siinihirly niai;- 
 nitiicnt commerce. 
 
 10. Jus(i/rr</. That we earnestly entreat our fellow-citizt'ns, in all .■sec- 
 tions of our Union, to unite with us in this cnitntl domeMiv work in pref- 
 erence to di.ssipatinji the national energies upon circuitous routes, runninj;' 
 iRsu'the ('(juator, throufih f'oreij;n countries beyond nur control, and certain 
 to involve us in the competitions, the jealousies, and the hostile interests 
 of foreigners and rivals. 
 
 n. /iV,st</(V'(/, That we invite our fellow-citizens throughout the State 
 to a.ssemble in their counties and cities, and join in a general aiid unani- 
 mous resjionse to the St. Louis Convention, and unite with us in respect- 
 fully instructing our Reju'csentatives and Senators in Congress to vote for 
 suth nii'asures as maybe introduced at the coming session of our National 
 Legislaturi' to carry out the views embodied in the foregoing resulutions. 
 
 lli. Risiihrd, That the Secretary of this Ma.ss Meeting forward to each 
 of iiur Representatives and Senators in Congress a copy of these resolutions. 
 
 Mr. George W. Khoades offered the tbllowing resolutions: — 
 
 1. Rtso/vid, That Colonel (lilpiu be recpu'sted to write out for publica- 
 tion the s]ieech made by him to this meeting on to-day. 
 
 2. Nisofrcil, That the '• Missouri Commonwealth," and all other papers 
 ill this State friendly to a jiroject of constructing a National Railroad to 
 the I'acitic from the '• Valley of the 3.lississipiii," be recjuested to publish 
 the proceedings of this meeting. 
 
 ! 1 
 
 mm 
 
'! i 
 
 i M 
 
 I"V. 
 
 PIKE'S PEAK AND THE SIERRA SAN JUAN. 
 
 EXTRACTS FltOM AN AlMIHK.vS I)Y COI.dXEL WILLIAM (JILI'IN, 1)KL1VF,I!I',I> AT 
 KANSAS CUY, NdVKMltKIl 15, 1858; ON TUK fidLU I'UODIXTIUN OF AJIKUIC'A 
 AND TllK SIKltltA SAN .IIAN. 
 
 I sruMiT to your inspection three iniqis. Tlie first is u " Ilydro- 
 liTiiiiliie Map of North America, " exhihitinj:- in dajiuerreotyjie the iihysical 
 divisions of our eontinent; the second is a niaji of tlie worhl, exhihiting 
 America in tlie centre, between Asia and Europe, and luiving delineated 
 upon it the Isothermal Zodiac of Nations, filling the north temperate zone 
 of tiie lilolie ; the third is a maj) of the '• Rasin of the 3Iississi]i])i." 
 
 Physical geojiraphy arranjics the suri'ace of the eontiiu'iits into basins 
 anil the mountain crests which divide them. Thus the basin of the Mis- 
 sissij)pi is that surface which, being drained by all the confluent branches 
 of this river, discharges its fresh waters into the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 This surface is an undulating, calcareous plain of 1,2()(M)00 S((uarc 
 miles of area : it is eud)raced entirely within the temperate zone : occu- 
 pies the heart and splendors of our continent : and is the most magnifi- 
 cent dwelling-place marked out by God for man's abode. 
 
 Three more similar r<i/<(iirciis basins, each drained by a single system of 
 rivers : the basin of the St. Lawrence : the basin of the Saskatchewan of 
 Hudson Ray ; and the arctic basin of the Athabasca, resting upon one 
 another and ujion the liasin of the ]Missi.«sippi, form together one continu- 
 ous exjianse, geologically uniform and identical. 
 
 This immen.se expanse defines itself as the Cnlcareovn Plain uf North 
 Awcri'cd. Limestone, horizontally stratified, underlies this whole expanse, 
 being formed, like cheese from milk, from the sediment and pressure of 
 the ocean which once rolled over it, but has now retired. 
 
 This adcuirniis plain, thus forming a unit in jihysical goograjjliy, em- 
 braces four-sevenths of the area of our continent. It is encompassed all 
 round by a circuit of primary mountains, within which it forms an amjilii- 
 theatre. 
 
 1G8 
 
 These mou 
 
 diUeras of tlu 
 
 mouths of the 
 
 oceans. 'I'hi- 
 
 towards the 
 
 covers t\vo-se\ 
 
 External t 
 
 by the mean 
 
 the third uni 
 
 the area of oi 
 
 Behold, tl 
 
 simple, comp 
 
 Mountain V< 
 
 The i/ruloi 
 
 magnitude o 
 
 ('itli'ii'iiii.i 1 
 
 tally dciiosit 
 
 presenting t 
 
 elevated vert 
 
 ba.se partly i 
 
 Everybod 
 
 plished by ] 
 
 moulds. K; 
 
 cools, into a 
 
 earth has h 
 
 tating spher 
 
 Geology ( 
 
 ranged itsel 
 
 successive c 
 
 Specijic ; 
 
 upon the t 
 
 metallit'eroi 
 
 precious mi 
 
 tained in tl 
 
 holds in th 
 
 tended dist 
 
 It is vol 
 
 production 
 
 Pikes Pci 
 
 Spicijic 
 
 metids ma 
 
SAN JUAN. 
 
 Plk'ES PEAK A.\l> Tin: Sir.l!l!.\ .SM.V J VAX. 
 
 ir.9 
 
 Those mountains are the AUejihaiiics, towards tlic Atlantic ; the Cor- 
 Jillcnis (if tile Sierra Madre and tin- Amh's, tnwanls t I'acitic. Tlie 
 mouths of tile jxreat rivei> form tlie iluurs or outlets thrnujih tliem to the 
 oceans. This eireumferent wall of niduntains is of immense breadth 
 towards the Paeitie. It is the seeoiid unit in iihysieal ^eoj;' aphy, and 
 covers two-sevenths of tiie area of our eontinent. 
 
 External to the Mountain Formation is the Muritiim: Slu^ic, washed 
 by the oeeans, and jienetrated Ity the tides. This external division is 
 tlie third unit in physical geograjdiy, and fornix all round one-scveiith of 
 the area of our eontinent. 
 
 Behold, then, the pliysieal arranjioment of our continent ; at onec 
 siiii]ile. coinijlete. an ' sublime: — the Calcareous IMain, four-sevenths; the 
 Mountain Formation, two-sevenths; the Maritime Slope, one-sevntli. 
 
 The ijKilmjlail .strueture of our continent has the same order, a like 
 iiiaunitude of dimensions and arraniremeiits, a jiarallel simplicity. The 
 i'liliiiiiDHK I'liiln is a uniform .ecoudary formation of limestone, horizon- 
 tally deposited and stnititied. The Mitunlida Fonimtion is of granite, 
 jireseiitiiig the primeval crust of the globe rent by volcanic forces and 
 elevated vertically. The Mmifi'inc S/',pr presents the external mountain 
 ba.se partly revealed, and partly covered l>y the washings of tin; sea. 
 
 J]verybody is familiar with the manufacture of shot. This Is aceom- 
 jilished iiy jiouring liquid lead, at a high elevation, through perforated 
 moulds. Each pellet of lead, descending through the air, is formed, as it 
 cools, into a sphere, by the invisible I'orce of gravity. The globe of the 
 earth has had a similar origin — once a liijuid mass, now a solid, gravi- 
 tating .sjihere, such as we inliabit it. 
 
 Geology explains how the material ma.ss of this great sphere has ar- 
 ranged itself, in cooling, into layers eiiveloiiing one another, like the 
 succissive coatings of an onion. 
 
 Sjiccijic ff runt ff awownts for the relative position of these layers, one 
 ujioii the other, and explains to us when and how to penetrate to their 
 metalliferous contents. It is in the ^(c/y/** /v^n-ocks exclusively that thj 
 lirecious metals and precious stones are found. The ba.se metals arc con- 
 tained in the calcanons or secondary rocks. The same stupendous scale 
 holds in the abundance of the metals, their purity, and their widely ex- 
 tended distribution. 
 
 It is your request that I speak, specially, on this evening, of the gold 
 production of our country, and specifically of the reg'on surrounding 
 I'ike s Peak and the Sii r a San Juan. 
 
 Ayi'(//fc ^)VH(Vy guides us to discover the rocks in which the precious 
 metiils may be found, and where they are totally absent. If into a hollow 
 
 vM 
 
' i 
 
 m 
 
 1 : 
 
 '!) 
 
 :i 
 
 170 
 
 APPESniS. 
 
 \)\\\-M 111' u;iit>s tluTi' 111' jiourcd ii ([uart nf (juicksilvcr, niio of wiitcr, diic df 
 oil, iiiiil one iit'iili'iiliiil, tli('S(! Iii|uiils will rest mic ii]i(iii tlic ntln r. in tliis 
 (inlcr : if w jiifcc dt" jiold. 'if inm, uf wuod. ami a feather, lie tlii'dwn in, 
 they will .»iiik : the jidld t(i the Lottoiii, the irciii t(i the (iuieksii\rr, the 
 
 w 
 
 • Kid ti) the water, the feather to the oil. 
 
 ifll 
 
 lis mass he emitie; 
 
 laled to iee, this iirrati"vment will remain sniiil 
 
 !II1>1 
 
 jierijiaiieiit : the ji'iild must lie .sdiiuht fur stiHiiicnturij to the <|uieksilver ; 
 the iiiiii aliuve it. but siilhin iiluri/ to the water; the wood sedimentary to 
 
 the oil. Ill the ureal oriler of nature, 
 
 u similar arraii^iemen 
 
 t hul 
 
 lis in till' 
 
 nicks whieli eomiin.su the ^lnlie of the earth, and in their cunteiits, ihru 
 all liiiuiil. lint now iiermaneiitly sulid in the order uf tlu'ir relative sjinijic 
 
 mil, 
 
 nd 
 
 lur 
 
 Miles 
 lu, 
 
 (/i(iri/iis. It is the piliiuvnl mass, then, of the Mountain Fnriiiat 
 wliieh alone i.s imrlfcrunx, and within it only eau the jireeimis metals, 
 csjieeially uold, he .souj;ht for with Hueeess. 
 
 The Mountain Formation, whieli oeenpies the western iinrtiuii uf i 
 continent to the extent of two-sevenths of its whole area, etnisi.'^ts of tin 
 Cordillera of the Sierra Mailre on the east, the ("urdillera of the .\ 
 on the west, and the Plateau of the Table Jiands embraced between tin 
 It ix uiiijoniili/ priimvdl niiil mrj/ic/urr (iiiri/'crnKs. 
 
 The JMateau of the Table Lands eomnu'iiees abovc^ Teluiantejiec. where 
 the Corililleras beiiin to mien I'rom one another. It runs tliiiiiiL;li the 
 continent to Behring's Strait, and is 1000 mile.s in width, in mir latitiulo 
 Q]\)°). 
 
 The general elevation of its surface is OUOd feet above the .sea; that of 
 the Cordilleras is 12,000 feet. The Plateau is traver.sed aeni.ss by ureat 
 mountain chains, which subdiviile it into basins. Thife of the.si' basins 
 contain, resjiectively, the jjreat rivers the Columbia, the Culoradu, and 
 tlu! Rio del Norte, whieli uor^v the Cordilleras and escape to the seas. 
 
 Th 
 
 ither basins contain the stagnant lakes, the (jreat Salt hake, th 
 
 Lajxuna, and the Lake of the City of Mexico; these have no outlets or 
 
 Ira inane 
 
 to th 
 
 e seas. 
 
 Of tl 
 
 lese moun 
 
 tain chains the most interestiiin ti 
 
 us 
 
 is the Sierra Mimbrcs. This divides asunder the basins of the Colo- 
 rado and the Del Norte, which rest against it as a baekbone. 
 
 It leaves the wcufern flank of the Cordillera of the Sierra Madre in 
 latitude o!*°, and, traversing' the Plateau by a due southern course for 
 1400 miles, joins the Cordillera of the Andes in the Mexican State of 
 
 D 
 
 uraiiirii. Ill latitude 
 
 Tl 
 
 us mmintain chain is volcanic, coiitaiiuiii; 
 
 craters and the overflow of lava. The Cordillera of the Andes is also 
 volcanic. 
 
 Th 
 
 e.sc mountain chains consis 
 
 t of the primeval rocks, broken fi 
 
 oni 
 
 tl 
 
 leir 
 
 original positions, heaved up edgewise by the exjiansive power of the in- 
 
■r, one of water, diic (,f 
 
 'il'oii the (.tiler, ill tlii., 
 
 feather, I.e tliniwn in. 
 
 til tlle (|llieksilver, thf 
 
 lit will remain snjiil jnni 
 '"•y t<i the i|iiiek>ilver; 
 
 the wiMid .sediiiieiitiirv tn 
 
 iaii;;-eiiieiit lu.id.s in th,,. 
 
 in their (•diiteiit.s. una' 
 
 if their relative K/mijic 
 
 3Iounfaiii Funnatinn, 
 
 the jireeidiis nielals, ;iiul 
 
 '■ we.stern ]i(irti(iii i,\' (mr 
 Kile area, (•(in.si.>ts ,,\' the 
 ('•irdillera (if the Amies 
 rniliraeed lietween them. 
 
 ove Toliiiantcpec. wiiere 
 . It runs throii-h the 
 in width, in onr latitude 
 
 t above the sea ; tliat of 
 raver.sed aern.><,s hv i;reat 
 TliiTo of these hasins 
 iliia. the Colorado, and 
 <l eseape to tin? seas. 
 he Great Salt l.ake, the 
 ie.se have no outlets or 
 the most inti'restint; to 
 the basins of the Colo- 
 liaekbone. 
 
 f the Sierra IVfadre in 
 
 Hi soutliern eoiir.se tor 
 
 the Mexieaii State of 
 
 is voleanie, eontainiiiir 
 
 of the Andes is al.so 
 
 )ek.s, broken from their 
 insive power of the in- 
 
 I'lKF/S PEAK A.\n rilK SI Kit It. \ .s'.l.V ./f'.l.V. 
 
 tcriial tires of the jihilie, and revealed tu siL:ht and search 
 
 M. 
 
 171 
 
 ih 
 
 CoWado River, in e.scajiinj; to the sea, pirii'es the Cordillera of tlie .\ndes 
 diagonally, liaving rent its way by a eliasin boreil throie/ii tlie very bowels 
 iif the Cordillera, iithwart from base to base. This eliasm. HH) miles in 
 Ici'utli, i-* known aw tiie Canon of tlii' Colorado. 
 
 This eanoii presents the uni(|Ue and novel fact to inaiikind, that a pii- 
 iiiaiy nioiiiitain ehaiii whose summit is of the iiiiii/rrniis /v/c/.s, is thus 
 Mciij;ed to its foundations, many thou.sand feet in depth ! It is here, upon 
 the I'lateaii, in the areaiia of the mountain formation, ami the activity of 
 the stupendous forjxcs of nature, that the precious nietuls may be sought 
 in mass and in ]Misitioii. 
 
 Moreover, the Sierra Mimbres, where its southern lialf bisects the 
 .Mexican Slates of Duranjio and Chihuahua, contains twenty-one mines 
 iif.-ilver, which, wrought for three centuries by the Spaniards, have fur- 
 iii-iiied the world with its silver coin and bullion. Moreover, where the 
 Sierra Mimbres, in its course to the north, approaches to its junction with 
 tli'j Sierra 3Iadre, it increases to a prodigious bulk. 
 
 It rises to tlie altitude of [lerpetual snow, and a,ssuines for 2(MI miles 
 the local name of »SV''/vv< <S''/*/ Jimn. lle.e it is that the dislocation of 
 nature by volcanic forces, and the coiise(pient metalliferous develo|inieiit, 
 attain their hij^hest culmination. 
 
 What is about to follow the arrival of our pioneer people within this 
 region, may be exactly illustrated by what is already done within the 
 rei;io:< of the great Colcdnons Phtln. 
 
 We have seen that the ailcnni/iis plain, being formed beneath a great 
 ocean, condensed from its filtration and by its pressure, eontains only the 
 base metals, copjier, iron, lead, zinc. A metalliferous band of these metals 
 is traceil diagonally aero.ss it, traversing from Southwestern Texas, through 
 that State, throiigli Arkansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, brushing the shores 
 of Lake Superior and of Hudson Hay, to the ocean shore opposite Green- 
 land. 
 
 Points of culmination of these various metals are found where they 
 reveal themselves above the general surface /// iiikss mid in jiositinn. Thus, 
 iron ajipears in 3Iiss luri in native jiurity, iirotruding in mountain masses 
 over many hundred sipiare miles of surface ; the .same is the form of 
 copjier adjacent to Jjake Superior ; so also with lead in Missouri and in 
 Wisconsin, 
 
 Now, the same arrangement characterizes the immen.se jirimeval forma- 
 tion which occupies our eontineiit from Cape Horn to IJehring's Strait, and 
 which is throughout im])regnated with the precious metals I As goKI is every- 
 where else found within it in the form of "rains or .scales, or minute 
 
u 
 
 ' 
 
 i 
 
 172 API'ESDIS. 
 
 Iiiiiilis : HO is it jHi.ssililc for it to culiiiinnfc in inas.-- mnl In iifisitinn. wluic 
 tlic aiirilrniiis nn-ks iirc uplu'tivcd to tiina tiic vcrticiil iiiiiss<'s ol' tiie 
 Sierra S.ni ilii.in ami tiic Andes, ami arc liifii gorj;t!d into tluir liiiwilsliy 
 tlu' eariiiii of tiie ('iilnrado. 
 
 'riic search fur udld lias lieretofore eoiitiiied itself to tlie cxtcnia! tlmiio 
 of tlu! jiriiiieval immiilains, wlicri' tliey fnnit the sea, and where the livcis 
 descend from (heir liack.s. Why it has Iiere hcen found onlv in ;zniiiis, 
 scales, and small lnni|)s may he thus illustrated; 1 (<ti|)|i()sc myself at iiiv 
 cainji-lire in the wilderness, enua.iicil in huilin^ rice: into a eam|i-kettli' df 
 boiliui: water I thmw a cu|i of rice. This rice, after a time. .M'ttlcs l.y its 
 siivctjlc i/ntn'fi/ into a .sedimentary mass heneath tho water — the water 
 above ri'tains a milky whiteness. This whiteness is due to the ineseiici' 
 of miniile jiarticles of rice; remaininjj; siisjiended throu.:h the Kody nf 
 the fluid. Being frozen into ice. this comlition remains ii.\ed in solid 
 form. 
 
 The |>resencc of the e-old in the auriferous rocks has had a similar mi- 
 gin, and iireseiits identical conditions. It is the attrition of the elements 
 ii]n)n the surface rocks and veins oidy that have as yet attracted at- 
 tention. It i.s hciititth tliatwe must search for tlie .sedimentary mass; the 
 possihility to do wliich now Hrst jir"sents itself as \\v advance within the 
 lal)yiinth of the volcanic masses and caMons (d'the Plateau. 
 
 My own ]iersonal exjierience, earned during three military cxiieilitioiis 
 made between the years 1844-49, rendered desperate from the then un- 
 known complication of the country added to the numerical strength and 
 savage character of the Indians, is not wit' uit value. 
 
 The facts then and since collected liy nn> are so numerous and so posi- 
 tive, that I entertain an. ah.soliite conviction, derived fl-om them, that 
 yuJil ill iiKtKs and ill posi/ion and infinite in ((uantity will, within the coming 
 three years, reveal itself to the I'liergy of our j)ioneers. All the jirecions 
 metals and precious stones will also reveal themselves in equal abiuulancc 
 in this region so propitious to their production. 
 
 Such a develonment has nothing in it speculative or theo-etieal. Tt 
 comes of necessity in tho order of time, ami as an intnitabh' se(|ucnce to 
 the planting of empire in Texas, in California, in Oregon, in Kansas, and 
 in Utah. 
 
 As these other develojunents have preced(Ml it in the order of time, and 
 encompa.ss it all round, this now comes to unite, to complete, to consinn- 
 mat(! the rest, and to give form and jiower and sjilendor to the whole. 
 
 Tlie inquiry which acqutiints us with the climate, the agricidtur(>, and 
 the domestic gefigrajiliy (d' this immense region, is still ei(ually interesting 
 and imjiortant as its metals. It was uiion the summit of this jilateau, 
 
 /'/ 
 
 ^vliiiv it trave 
 M(inti'/iima ai 
 every otlier p' 
 The distam- 
 l,y the :.:reat I 
 .,11,1 aMendin;. 
 
 iiiiiiiiiiiiin ''■'" 
 vise fiiiin belli 
 
 Pikes Pea 
 is the alirupi 
 |initniding c; 
 ; tlier the 
 
 Wlure thl 
 
 ,_,!■;, lid Jncil/ I 
 
 This /"">/ p 
 
 (;',!P>. is alio 
 
 'fh.'diivel 
 
 wesleni ilali 
 
 Peak, kiiowi 
 
 River of the 
 
 dl' their juii 
 
 fur 2IMI mile 
 
 waters of \')n 
 
 Tlie soiitl 
 
 Niirte IVoiii 
 
 Platte Hive 
 
 Miiiimit, i'roi 
 
 depart. 
 
 Upon tin 
 Cirande of 
 Uio del No 
 and Kagle 
 canons. 
 
 'flu! pan 
 riveis whic 
 (if singulai 
 one anotbi 
 of the rivi 
 Behold, 
 sunnounti. 
 variety of 
 
 :l 
 
' vcrticiil iii;,,ss,..H ,,r the 
 ';:<'<1 iiitu their Im.wcIs |,y 
 
 "■»«' Hi,. ..xtniKil fl„„ks 
 
 "•'fl, .-Mill Whciv til,. |.j^.,,fj 
 
 ■III Himid ,.iik ill -niiiis, 
 
 I SIljtJioM' lll_V>clf ;it iiiv 
 
 ' : iiitoii cjiiiiii-k.nl,. „(■ 
 't<'i' ;i time, settles |,v its 
 till! water— th,. «;ii,.,. 
 ■'N is due to tlu" preseiKr 
 I tlirnll-li tlie ImmIv ,,f 
 1 rcinains fixed in >„,|i,l 
 
 •ks liiis had !i siiiiii.ir eii- 
 attrilidii (,f til,, ,.1,.„„,|„^ 
 ave as yet attracted af- 
 10 sedimentary mass ; the 
 IS we advam-e within the 
 II' I'hiteau. 
 
 Iirce military oxi.editidiis 
 icrato Jroin the then im- 
 ' muiierieal streii-ih and 
 iiluo. 
 
 •'• nmnerouH and so \h\A- 
 I'rivi'd fVoiii tli.'iii, that 
 y will, within the eoniiiiir 
 loors. All tlio precious 
 'Ives in oijiial aliiindaiicc 
 
 itivc or theo'-otieah It 
 I inovitiiblo soqiicnce to 
 Orc^'on, in Kansas, and 
 
 I the order of time, and 
 to comidete. to consiiiii- 
 ^n(h)r to tho whole, 
 tc. tho aprictdture. and 
 still e<(iially interesting 
 iinnnit of thi.s plateau, 
 
 I'iKK's rt:.\K AMI nil: s/i:i;i;.\ s.\.\ ,/r.i.v. 17;', 
 
 wlnre it traverses Mexico aini I'clll. thai the sellli-civili/.cil enijiires of 
 Mniitr/iima ami the Ineas were found, wlien a sterile harliari^m peiNadccI 
 I'xcrv oilier portion of the coniincnl if .\nierica. 
 
 The distance hence to i'iki's I'eak is le>.-. than ViMI mile-.. It is readii'il 
 liV liii' great ro;id of ihc .\ikansas Itiver. traversing straight to llie west. 
 Mini ;i>cclidillg the inipeiceptilile grade of the (Ircal Plains clear to the 
 Miiiiiiii.'iiii liasr. liojil is here ili»co\ei'ed as soon as the primeval rocks 
 ri«c from heiicilli the calcareous plain. 
 
 J'ikcs I'e.ik. which rises to the ailitilde of I {..'illll feet aliove the sea, 
 i^ the alniipl lolossd termination of tiie nioiiniain proinoiitorv. which, 
 jii'iiti'iiding eastward from the Cordillera liHi miles, sunders from one 
 ;iii(illicr the sources of the South I'lalte and llie .\rkaiisas liiveis. 
 
 Where this proinontoiy connects with the Cordillera is a supremely 
 i;i;iiid I'liiiil point of primaiy inoiiiitain chains, j.riniary rivers, and pares. 
 Tiiis /<'((// point is in the same latitude as San l-'raiicisco and St. Louis 
 (li'.C I. is ahoiit llfiX) miles from each, and in the centre lietweeii them. 
 
 The direction of the Coi'ilillera is from umtlitrisl tit sonl/nuxf. l''rom its 
 in flank protrudes a pronioiit(U'V, lialancing and similar to I'ike's 
 
 Wcsle 
 
 I'c'ik. known as i']lk .Mountain : it sunders from one another the (iraiid 
 llivei' of the Colorado and the Kagle, terminal it ig aliruplly within the angle 
 el' tliiir jiiiictioii. Jladiatiiig due south is the Sii/fi .)//'//////'.<, known 
 liir lilill miles liy the snowy pe;iks ol" Smi Jnuii ; this chain sunders tlu; 
 waters of Kagle River from the iiio del Norte. 
 
 The southern arm of the Conlillera sunders the waters of the Hio del 
 Nolle from the Arkansas Itivcr: the iioilheiii arm. tl.i' waters of tho 
 I'latte Itiver from the Jlio (Jraiide of the Colorado. Such is this focal 
 Miiiiinit, from wliiili live primary mountains and live rivers simullaneously 
 ileparl. 
 
 Upon tho Platte is the pare known as the I5ayou Salado : upon the l!io 
 (irando of tho Colorado, the pare known as the Middle J'arc ; upon the 
 Hio del \orte. the pare called the l?ayou of San Luis. Tlie Arkansas 
 and Kagle Hivers have no pares: they delile outward through stupendous 
 canons. 
 
 The pares, scooped out of the main doisil mass of tho Cc dillera hy tho 
 rivers which liisect them. are. each oiieof them, an immense iini/i/ii/lniitri' 
 of singular heaiity. fertility, and temperate atmosphere; they approach 
 one another where they rest againsi the Cor<liilera at thi' extreme sources 
 ui' the rivers. 
 
 IJehold, then, the panorama which s , lutes the vision of one who ha.s 
 surmounted this supreme i'ocal suiiiiiiit of the Cordillera! Infinite in 
 variety of features; each feature intiiise in the magnitude and the gran- 
 
 H 
 
 h 
 
 f. 
 
 f: -1 
 
171 
 
 Ar/'EXDrx. 
 
 :i ' 
 
 lit} 
 
 dour of its mould; in front, in rear, and on citlicr hand. Xatur(> ascrndini' 
 in all licr ck'nicnts to tlic .xtandiird of superlative snliliniity ! 
 
 ]}eneatli, tlie family of Pares: around, the radiating- harks of the iiri- 
 meval mountains: the jirimary rivers startintr to the seas: aliuve. tlio 
 ethereal eanopy intcn.sely hhio, eflul<rent witli the unelouded sini liv dnv, 
 and stars liy niuht : to the east, the undidatini;- plains, expandin;^ nui' liim 
 dred leaLi'Ues. to di]i. like the ocean, heneath the eneirclinir horizon : to tin; 
 west, the sulilime I'lati'au, eheekeri'd hy voleanie peaks and nie.-as, eli;iii- 
 nclled as a lahyrinth hy the profound jrorgcs of tlie streams! 
 
 It is manifest with what ease the pioneers, alri'ady enpiL'ed in niiiiiii',' 
 at the entraneeof the I?ayou Salado. wdl in another si'ason asi-end throiiiih 
 it to the Cordillera, surmount its crests, and descend into the Hayou San 
 Luis. They will dovi'lop at every stop gold in new and increasini; 
 abundanec. 
 
 Besides, access is e((ually facile l>y the Huerfano, an affluent of tlio 
 Arkansas coming down from the Siianish Peak, KM) miles farther to tlu' 
 south. From New Mexico, the apjiroach is by ascending the IJio liravn 
 del Norte. The snowy battlements of the Sierra San Juan form tlie west- 
 ern wall of the Bayou San Luis. From its middle flank the Sierra San 
 Juan projects to the southwest a chain of remarkable volcanic mountains, 
 known as the Sierra La I'lata (silver mountain). This chain divides 
 a.sunder the waters of the (Ireat Colorado from the Rio San Juan, ami, 
 filling the angle of their junction, forms the perpendicular wail "f tlio 
 Groat Canon. 
 
 It is to this remarka})le mountain chain, and its surrounding region. 
 that I have desired to conduct you, and here stop, in the mid-t of tlie 
 veritable arcana of the ^lountain Formation anil its metalliferous elements. 
 
 The Sierra La Plata is -idO miles in length, having its course v r;<t-,s(iutli- 
 west. Along its dorsal crest are volcanic masses penetrating to perjietna! 
 snow ; its flanks descend by immense terraces of carboniferous and sul- 
 phurous limestone. All formations of the globe liere come together, 
 mingle with one another, ac(|uiro harmony, and arrange themselves >iiK' 
 by side in gigantic proj)ortions. 
 
 Lava, porphyritic granite, sandstone, limestone, the precious and h.iso 
 metals, precious stones, salt, marble, coal, thermal and medicinal streams, 
 fantastic mountains called cristonos, or abrupt peaks, level mesas of great 
 fertility, canons, delicious valleys, rivers, and great forests; all these, ami 
 a thousand other varieties, find room, appear in succession, in perfect order 
 and in perfectly graceful proportions. 
 
 Benioteness i'rom the sea. and altitude, secure to this region a tonic 
 iitniosphere, warm, cloudless, brilliant, and serene. The aboriginal people 
 
 arc numeroi 
 
 Indians. T 
 
 of horses, c 
 
 porary housi 
 
 lli're, als( 
 
 half a centu 
 
 Mountain). 
 
 to an altituc 
 
 A iiure stra 
 
 liver Dolor 
 
 its lower co 
 
 million stn 
 
 iilternates. 
 
 Such, m 
 
 selected fo 
 
 Peak and t 
 
 engaged tli 
 
 more than 
 
 Ovcrsha 
 
 ments, wli 
 
 pioneer pt 
 
 actor whit 
 
 Who, a 
 
 people of I 
 
 nor of the 
 
 the Centi 
 
 admonish 
 
 which as; 
 
 Look 
 zodiac oi 
 homos ai 
 c(intinen 
 right ha 
 slopes to 
 Behol 
 islands, 
 seaboari 
 Thes( 
 the wor 
 occupy 
 and o-or 
 
PIK'E-S Pi:.\K A\n THE SlEllHA SAX JTAX. 
 
 175 
 
 '■'■ '"""I- N'atiiro ns.rn.ling 
 • ' Mililiniity ! 
 
 f f" tl... soiis: iilinv,., tho 
 tlic nnddiidcd Mill l,v ,l,.,v^ 
 
 piiiiins, ox,, ;i„,ii„„. ,,„;,, ,1^;^' 
 
 •■"••ircliii.:- linn/,,ii : t„ tlif 
 
 till' .>;trciiiiis ! 
 [Ircjidy ciiiriio;,.,! j), „uu\n- 
 
 rlKTsoiisoiiascciidilirnii-li 
 ■M-cnil iiit(, til,. M;,v,,i, Siin 
 1 ill lu'W iiiid in,ivi,,si„^, 
 
 'I'fiiiK.. an iiffluciit ,,(■ tlR. 
 . !<»(» niilos fhrtluT t.Mhr 
 • iisiriidin- till. ]{,-,, H,..,v„ 
 
 i^ini Juan fiirin di,. ^cst- 
 '1<1I<' fl;mk til,. Sierra S;iii 
 kalile Vdlcaiiic iiK.iiiit.iiiis, 
 i"). This c-liain divides 
 >' tli<- Kio San Juan, and, 
 iMTiiondieuIar wall .f the 
 
 I its siirrrundiii- iv-i„ii. 
 •^t.i]). in flu- ,„i,l,t „<■ the 
 its nietallifcrous .dcnicnfs, 
 t'iiig its course \(cst-soutli. 
 
 Iioiietrating t„ pfrpetiiMJ 
 if earbdnifl'ivuis and sul- 
 '»' hero conio togotli<.r, 
 
 i'lrangc theuisclvos side 
 
 N the iirooinns and hase 
 I and medicinal streams, 
 'ks, level mesas of L'reat 
 It forests ; all tliese. and 
 -cession, in jiorfeet order 
 
 to this region a tonic 
 The ahorigiiial jirojiie 
 
 arc numerous, robust, and intelligent. They are *hv Navajos and Vuta 
 Indians. They have skill in agricultui'e and weaving, rear great herds 
 of horses, cattle, and .sheei), hut construct neitlu'r jiermanent nor tem- 
 porary houses, so dry and favorable is tho atmosphere. 
 
 Here, also, occurs a remarkable, isolated mountain, known to riinior for 
 half a century, but only now locally identified. This is Cerro di Sal (Salt 
 Mountain). This rises among tho western spurs of the Sierra La IMata, 
 to an altitude of 0(100 foot, ajipoaring as an irregular cone of great bulk. 
 A pure stratified mass of rock-salt, its flanks arc channelled l»y the little 
 river Dolores, whose waters, saturated with liijuid salt, yield it again in 
 its lower course, in granulated beds of snowy whiteness, tinted with Ver- 
 million streaks from tho beds of solenite with which tho salt formation 
 alternates. 
 
 Such, my fellow-citizens, arc the facts and reflections which I have 
 selected for your attention in speaking upon tho .u'old region of I'ike's 
 Peak and the Sierra Sun Juan. Tho superlative character of this region 
 engaged the enthusiastic pen and patriotic instincts of President Jefl'erson, 
 more than lialf a century ago. 
 
 Overshadowed during this long interval by jiolitical and military excite- 
 ments, which have deflected elsewhere tho jirogressivo columns of our 
 pioneer people, it now recurs to restore the jire-emineiit ccnllni nlnl char- 
 acter which insjiirod the generation who founded our republican Union. 
 
 Who, and what, are these people that I now address? We are not the 
 peopli! of the North ; we are not tlie peoi>le of the South ; nor of the Kast; 
 nor of tho West. AVe are emphatically, and /«o- r.rcillriirr, the peo])lo of 
 the Centre ! Inspirations, oracular by their source and their antiiiuitj-, 
 admonish us to resume our distributive position, and develop the energies 
 which assume and keep tho lead. 
 
 Look upcjii this map of the world, -pon which science delineates the 
 zodiac of empires and the isothermal axis of progress! We have our 
 homes around the crnfru of tliis our northern continent, the rnitir of our 
 continental Union, the «'?(0'cof the Mississipjii basin. Behold, upon the 
 right hand, tho European continent, with its 200,000,000 of people ; it 
 slopes towards our eastern seaboard and faces towards the west ! 
 
 Behold, upon the left hand, tho continent of Or'u'ntiil Add and its 
 islands, with its population of 050,000,000 ; it slopes towards our western 
 seaboard and faces to the cast! 
 
 These external continents, dividing between them the population of 
 the world, })oth face America and face one another across America. Wo 
 occupy tho middle space between them, and at once separate them asunder 
 and connect them together. From Paris to Pekin, travelling by our 
 
 I 
 
 !l 
 
h !::■! 
 
 176 
 
 AI'PEXVIX. 
 
 ! I'i: 
 
 .'til 
 
 threshold, is Imt a jounii'y of 1(1,0(10 miles. It liisccts tli(> teiiiiicnite 
 zone — it is the line of himl ami way travi'l of niaukiiid. 
 
 But a faet of jirol'ouiid siunifiiaiiee to us, revealed liy jihysical geng- 
 rajiliy. reuiaius to he eoiisidered. It is aloiiu' the axis of the isotln niinl 
 zoitc of the Xortheni Heuiis]ihere. that the i>rinei[iles of reveal"d civiliza- 
 tiou make the ciroiit of the j:lohe. This Isntlnrnud r.oiie defleets from the 
 jreofrraiihieal /one (which is a fiat section of the silohe), umhdatini; to the 
 north and to the south, to preserve a constant identity of tem|ieratiU('. 
 
 Undt'r the influence of the warm iiKin'fiiiir climates, it rises IuliIi mIidvo 
 the 40th dejiTce of latitude ; under the influence of the cnntinriitnl i-UkkiUs, 
 it is depressed to the soutli of the 40th dejiree. With what lie liistdrv 
 of six thousand years iiracticall}' demonstrates, the jiroofs of pliysica! 
 geography agree. 
 
 Along this axis have arisen successively the great cities of China and 
 of India, of Baliylon, Jerusalem, Athens, I?ome, Paris, London, in tlio 
 older continents— upon our continent, the seahoard cities. New York, 
 Philadi'l]ihia, and Baltimore; Pittsburg. Cincinnati, and St. Louis. The 
 channel ol' the Missoiiri is its onward track to us: whence it passes liy 
 the Kansas basins, the Sweetwater, Snake Biver, ami the Columliia, to 
 Vancouver's Island, upon the North Pacific shore. 
 
 We, then, the pcop/c of ihr centre, are upon the lines of intense and 
 intelligent energy, where civilization lias its largest field, its highest devel- 
 opments, its inspired form. Along tliis line have come, from the plateau 
 of Syria, our religion, our sciences, our civilization, our social manners, 
 our arts and agriculture, the horse, our articles of food and raiment ; and 
 here is the eteriud fire from which is rekindled, when it has exjiired, the 
 .spirit of the ■• unconcjuerable mind, and freedom's holy flame. " 
 
 We have seen depart a perverse generation, distinguidied by civic 
 discord. An unscrupulous senboanl power has aspired to found a repub- 
 lic of tlie No. lIi; a repuljlie of the South; a republic of the Pacific 
 shores. A nefarious federal policy, operating for forty years, has occluded 
 with savages and deserts the delicious central ri'gion of the ])rairies, the 
 great plains, the plateau, and the mountains. 
 
 The physical geography of our country has been ofhcially caricatured, 
 concealed, and maligned. The solid continental republic, founded in ITTd 
 and completed in 1787, has Ijeen nullified by interpolated monarchies. 
 
 The Ijditil si/strm has cru.'<hed and jilundercd the continental jieoi>le 
 with the brutalizing pressun; of nieditwal feudalism. 
 
 The IiiiJIiiH Hi/ateni has walled u]). as in a Bastile, the whole central 
 meridian of our continent. 
 
 Forced out artificially upon tlie flanks, we liavc seen our pioneer energies 
 
 ri 
 
 driv<'ii in fragi 
 into .Nliuue.'^ot: 
 States. i.-^olatiM 
 centre, an imn 
 Foreign \v:i 
 liaiisti'd. fcdcr 
 till' fctleral ct 
 niunarchical s 
 the continent. 
 yi,r tlie « 
 every form (j 
 suicidally ton 
 The found; 
 an invisible e 
 ju'tually m 'n: 
 and, lost to tl 
 the infuriatei 
 Our great 
 regenerating 
 It is to th 
 To exalt thei 
 Plateau to tl 
 heading the 
 With us a 
 ized by the ] 
 vindicated ai 
 Let us coi 
 mission of i 
 complete. 
 
tlt^ 
 
 I 
 
 )>isccts the t.'ini„.r;,te 
 ikiiid. 
 
 iilcd Iiy jiliysic-il -(.„g. 
 axis of the ixnthi rmnl 
 Ics of n«vciil"(l civiliza- 
 / ~.<>)ie doflccts fniiii tlie 
 '»(■), uiidiiliitiiii:- t(i tho 
 
 y (if tciii]icriitinv. 
 
 ti's, it riso.s liidi iil.iivo 
 
 ic continnititl tUnititrs 
 
 With wliiit lie Iiistdi-v 
 
 111" jirodfs (pf jjliysjivil 
 
 cat cities uf Cliina and 
 I'aris, London, in tho 
 11(1 cities, N(;w Yorlc, 
 i, and St. Lonis. TIio 
 : wlu'iicc it jiasscs by 
 , and tho Colunihia, tu 
 
 c lines of intense jmd 
 field, its liijiliest devel- 
 cunio, from the ]iiafeau 
 in, our social niaiuiers. 
 tb(jd and raiment ; and 
 licii it has cxjiired, tho 
 holy fianio."' 
 Jistinguished hy eivic 
 •ired to found a reimh- 
 'piiblie of the Pacific 
 rty years, has occhided 
 un of the prairies, the 
 
 riKE-S PEAK ASD THE SIEUHA SAX JUAX. 
 
 r 
 
 driven in frafiineiits into Florida, into Texas, into California, into Orejion. 
 intii Minnesota. We behold on the one hand a tier of artilici d seaboard 
 States, i.-iolatcd upon the maritime slope ; on the other hand, tiie eoi;tinental 
 
 centre, a 
 
 II immense disc of howling: wilder 
 
 iiess. 
 
 Foreii:!! wars have been waned, federal rev 
 
 enues and patnmaire ex- 
 
 hausted, federal law and power stretched out to every di'vice of tyranny, 
 th(t federal eonstitution violated in every .sacr(;d prineijile, to erect this 
 monarchical .^'aboard power, and estiibli.sh it in perpetual dominance over 
 the continent. 
 
 For llie autre, civil wars, civil discords, false jreouraphy, calunmies, 
 every form of meretricious and deceptive politieal iigitation, have been 
 suicidally fomented. 
 
 Tile foundations of the Union, lost in the c^entre and scattered around 
 an invisible circumference : the Union it.self, incessantly a.ssailed and per- 
 petually ni 'tiaced : has seemed to apjtroach the twiliuht of its existence, 
 and, lost to the u'uardian care of the people, Inis been hi suspense between 
 the infuriated pa.ssions of extreme sectional fanatics. 
 
 Our fireat country demands a period of stern virtue, of holy zeal, of 
 nweneratinu' jiatriotism, of dv!Voted citizens. 
 
 Tf is to the people of tlie i^reat central State of Missouri that I spca':. 
 To exalt their intrepid enthusiasm is my aim. Open the track acro.ss the 
 Plateau to the other sea, and we are absolutely the leaders of the world, 
 heading' the colunni to the Oriental shores. 
 
 With us are the continental (Uigles and the continental cause, immortal- 
 ized by the jmrity of Washington, illuminated by the wisdom of Jefferson, 
 vindicated and I'estored by the illustrious Jackson. 
 
 Let us condense around these caj:;les and advance. It is the predestined 
 
 mission of mankind, confided to America to fulfil, to our generation to 
 
 complete. 
 
 Night wnnes, the vaitors round tho mountn'-s curled 
 Burst into morn, and light awakes tho world ! 
 
 I ofllicially caricatured, 
 ihlic, founded in \'~{\ 
 (dated momirchies. 
 ho continental people 
 1, 
 
 ilc, the whole central 
 sn our pioneer energies 
 
 12 
 
GEOGRAPHICAL MEMORANDA ON THE PACIFIC 
 
 RAILROAD. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 m 
 
 Inas.mucu as tlio fit'iioral mind yecins willing; to entertain with favor 
 and jndj^e candidly what maybe truthfully said of a National Rail- 
 road TO THE Pacific, and everywhere is indicated a growing taste for 
 whatever may solidly enhance the j)rosj>erity of our cotitlncntnl system, I 
 liave condensed into these few chapters the general views resulting from 
 a long experience. 
 
 This subject touches profoundly all the existing relations of the human 
 family, connecting tlnrr continents, and unites together, by a short line 
 o^ ten tlioumiid vii/ex, the ffiousiiml millions of j)eople inhabiting Ht koi'k, 
 Amkuica, and Asia. This sliort line traverses the middle of tin; north 
 temperate zone, perforating nine-tenths of the land, the jjopulation, the 
 production, and the consumption of the world. 
 
 I say, it is neci'ssary lor one who will write with dignity upon such a 
 subject, so searching and omnipotent, to gras}) boldly its immonse scope 
 of matter; to rely upon 'solid statistics; to face and l)ravc old opinions; 
 to repudiate the rul)bisli into winch thousands of years of staggering ami 
 abortive efforts have submerged it ; and to condense it to the tangible 
 form of propositions, which may be pracliaillij handled for a final solu- 
 tion. 
 
 The shortest trail whereby the Incal works, now on hand and proposed, 
 may be understood, the public- judgment matured, and opinion instriicteil 
 and concentrated f(ir (itfion, is to condense by rigid analysis, and draw 
 into one view, the nudtitudinous facts of geography, commerce, politics, 
 and j)rogre,ss under which the American people arc so rapidly erecting a 
 i<yprt iiir (hmorrntlc rrpii/i/irav rmpirr, and fitting it to the surface of the 
 northern American continent and islands. 
 
 And fraf, must be emancipated from the dogmatic European writers 
 (who, with Procrustean desjiotism, r" , up all other portions of the globe 
 to fit their own pigmy theories) the synnnetrical and sublime gcorimph- 
 tcal iiliin of our continent. 
 178 
 
 1 "1 
 1 if 
 
JHEMOItASD.\ OX rilE IWCIFIC /{AlfJlOAP. 
 
 179 
 
 THE PACIFIC 
 
 Tliis, hcrotoforo veiled from the pul)lic mind l)y every furin of'eontdr- 
 tion, is rc'dueible to an exnet system, e:isily uiiderstdod and eternal. The 
 rftrw jreiifrraiihical form in wliieli onr enntinent is m()nld<'(l : tiie eontrast 
 of all the otliei-s : makes a new and orlijimil jrrandeiir of society, not oidy 
 possible, but compulsory upon us. 
 
 To disinfect ourselves of inane nepotism to Europe in other tliiiiL's as we 
 have done in jiolities : to ponder boldly on ourselves and our iiiimtimi. and 
 develop an indiL'eiious dignity — to appreciate Ai'in/ic science, civilization, 
 conunercc, and pojiulation — these are eHueii/inl preparatory steps to which 
 we must tone our minds. 
 
 This, then, is the simple jilan of North America: — The Ani)?;s, having' 
 traversed the whole lenj:th of S'ni/h America. i)assini:C out from the Istbnui.s 
 of Tehuantepee, continue to follow, luichaufrt'd in chai'acter, the ]'acific 
 shore of North America clear up to nehrin<r's Strait. Known successively 
 !is the Cordillera.s of Anabuac in .Mexico. Sfcrra Nevada in California, 
 and Ca.scade Mountains in Oreiron, it is all aloni; the .same mirlfi nms and 
 volcanic Andks. It lias a narrow base waslied on tlic west by the tide ; 
 immense altitude; sunnnits of perpetual snow; and is formed of the 
 columnar vulcan rock, or a molten mass of lava. 
 
 Between this continuous eseaqiment of rock and the sea, is the mm-i- 
 time rcjiion of the Pacific, which contains all the present American jiopu- 
 lation residin<r in California and Orejron. ujion the smaller rivers run- 
 niii2 directly into the sea, and j)arallel to one; another. 
 
 It resembles, and is the counterpart of, the inan'tiinr Atlantic declivity; 
 which contains the of<l thirtnn Stiifcs, ami which is shut off from tlie 
 valleys of the Mississii))ii and St. Lawrence by the AUcfrhanies. 
 
 But, at the Isthmus of Tehuantepee, the AxDKS bifurcates, throwing 
 alon<4 the coa.st of the Mexican (!ulf the great C(ir<l!Vtr<i of t/ic Sirrra 
 .]fii(l)p, which opens rapidly from the Andes, as the continent widens. 
 This a.ssumes in our territory the name of Jiocki/ Mmintinni^^ and traverses 
 north to the shores of the Arctic Sea. It is some 1400 miles a))art from, 
 and to the faxt of, the Andes, and forms the primary ih'rli/c, the '• i/iror- 
 tta nqvarvm' of Anu'rica. 
 
 The absolute scpardte existence of these tirn prodigious CoRDILLERAS, 
 must remain distinctly in the mind, if anyl)ody intends to understand 
 Ameriatn f)<'>>firitiiln/. 
 
 The interval between them, from end to end. is occupied by the Pl.\- 
 TE.vi: OF THE Table Lands, on which are alike the cities of Mexico, 
 Chihuahua, and the Mormon city of the Salt Lake. This Pi-ATEAU of the 
 Table L.vnds is two-sevenths of tlie surface of North America : is some 
 (JIJOO feet elevat4'd above the external oceans ; and gives as complete a 
 
•i i 
 
 <\'.k 
 
 180 
 
 Ai'i'i:sinx. 
 
 si'pa.ation betweon the Cohdilleras on tlio flanks, as iloes tlic Atlantic 
 wIkisc wators mil Lcitwccn the Alleuhanics and the Aljis. 
 
 Tims that side of the Anieiiean continent whieh may he defined to 
 front Asia, and sheds its waters in that direction, has these i'onr cli;n'ac- 
 teristie divisions: — th(< Duirifinir front; the A.NDKS ; the I'l.ATEAU op 
 TI!I;Taiu,K JiANDs; and the SlKUltA >Iai»RK, all extendinu' the wliolo 
 lengtli from kdhI/i to narth. jiarallel to one another, and covering in the 
 agiiregate twa-fifllix of its whole area. 
 
 These two continuous ^)/-/H«r/_yinonnta in chains define tliomselves as the 
 ^Vestkux and the Eastern CunHlli ms. 
 
 The remaining t/irci-ji/'t/i.t of the continent sheds its waters towards the 
 Atlantic. Hen; too the same siddime grandeur and simplicity of jilan 
 are discern ihle. From the Si(rr(i Mtnlic, the whole continent descends to 
 the seas hy immense planes, rest'mliling the glacis of a fortress, or a flat- 
 tened octagonal house-roof. 
 
 This plane, once the lied of immense oceans, (d' which the 8ierra Madrc 
 was the shore, and hevelled liy the action of the watery niass, now forms 
 the gentle slope down which descend, to rejilenish the oceans, the stnplus 
 waters of the Sirmt Mnlrc and the plane itself. Guttered everywhere 
 by these descending water-courses, seanung its surface as innumerably as 
 the veins which carry liack the blood to the human lu'art, these aipieous 
 channels flow down tlu! different faces of the great plane, proportiont'd in 
 length and size to the distances to be traversed. 
 
 Thus, down the snndler face, which fronts the 3Iexican Gulf, — at 
 jire.sent comjireheiided in Texas. — run the lowi'V Del Norte, the Nueces, 
 Cokirado, Trinity, and Brazos. 
 
 Down the (jrund edsfcrn front, called by us the " Great Prairie l^lains,' 
 descend the l\ed lUver of liouisiana, the Canadian, Arkan.sas, and Kan.sas, 
 tlu' Platte (with its three forks), and the siddime ^Missouri itself. All of 
 these, running due 'Y(,s7, parallel to one another, very straight and without 
 rapids, are received into the great cmtntl troiujli, the IMissi.ssipi'i, which 
 runs from nortli to south across their direction, and their aecumidated 
 waters are discharged into the Gulf. 
 
 From the Sixme foad point with the 3Iissouri, radiate two fronts. The 
 one is drained by the system of rivers tributary to the Saskatchewan, 
 (jpening to the imrt/icast, and widening to endjrace the immense inland 
 sea of Hudson Bay. The other is upon the Athabasca or ^IcKenzic 
 liiver, sloping due north, and occupying the vast hi/perlntrtan rtgmi 
 stretching to the Arctic Sea. 
 
 From an elevated swell ni the plane between the ^lissouri and Sas- 
 katchewan, protruding from the Si'-rra Mudrc eastwardly along the 4l)th 
 
MEMOIl.WPA OX THE PACinc HMI.KOM). 
 
 181 
 
 U'fiiio thi'iusi'lvL's iis tlie 
 
 its w:it('rs tiiwiirds iho 
 
 ami siiiijilicity nf jilmi 
 
 t- eiiiitiiK'iit (K'^cciidsto 
 
 t' a lurtre.ss, or a ilat- 
 
 vliicli the Sierra Madn- 
 vatcrv mass, ikiw loMuti 
 till' iKraiis, till' siir]ilii.s 
 Giitti'i-('(1 overvwliuro 
 I'fiice as iiiminicrahlv as 
 11 heart, these a(|iieiius 
 I'laiie, liroiiurtiiiiied in 
 
 ho 3Ie.\ieaii Gulf, — at 
 Del Norte, the Nueees, 
 
 Great Prairie Plains,' 
 Arkansas, and Kansas, 
 ilissouri itself. All of 
 y straij^iit and without 
 lie ^Iississippi, which 
 iiid their aeeuniulated 
 
 liate two fronts. The 
 to tlie Saskatchewan, 
 ■e the immense inland 
 thahasea or McKenzie 
 st Jii/pi.'rLortiiii r<(jivH 
 
 (he ^Missouri and Sas- 
 wardly along (lie 40th 
 
 degree, alioiit "(K) miles, issue the waters of the I'liftn- Mi.fsii<^ijq,i mnl 
 ,SV. LiiinijiiT. The first ji'oes directly south to scoiiroiit ihv /imu/li nf tlie 
 
 continent. TMie latter flows down tlie narmw hasin nf tlie l;ik( 
 
 d t' 
 
 leir 
 
 river St. liawreiiee, to where the glacis reaches the sea and f'orins the 
 
 short 
 
 (f the uulf of that nam 
 
 Tlius, from the dividini; wall of the Si' rni Mmlii . the continent de- 
 scends uninterruptedly to the Gulf: tlu' North Atlantic; and the Arctic 
 Seas. The jierfect ji'entlene.ss of this descent, scarcely distiiiiKiisliaMe 
 from a level, is iierce]itilile from the rivers, which are entirely free from 
 rajiids and everywlien^ naviuahle when water is sufficient in their lied-. 
 
 The sublimest exaiujile is the watery surface of the .Missoi ui. whose 
 li(|iiid jilane, di]niii:i;- liy iierhajis tJiirfrcH inches to the mile, has an nii- 
 nifHt'd uniformity of descent tlironyfi its whole course of oOOd miles to 
 the .sea. 
 
 jilete this izcii.iii'aiihical delineation, there rises all 
 
 But to rendei 
 
 C(..ll 
 
 along the Atlantic, and parallel with its shore, the dividing range of 
 the Alleghany, uiiintcrruiited from IJaton Kouge to the (jlulf of St. 
 Lawrence. 
 
 External to this is the narrow Kriilmiinl ilaUrilij whicli first received 
 the European settlements, and still holds the densest jiojudation : Imt 
 
 !lh 
 
 villi III. a 
 
 reverse ijhirtK descends to the Mississijtpi and St. Lawrence, 
 filled with States to the central trough of the continent. 
 
 Practieaily, the /lushis of these great rivers are narrowed to mere jiasses 
 at their mouths by the points of tlie mountain diains which fence them 
 from the sea, expanding to an immense breadth in the interior, and fading 
 into one another, where they touch, by prairie divides of imperceptible 
 elevation. They form together one vast bowl, whose waters flow from tlu; 
 circtunference near the seas, inwards, to centres which are near and 
 already connected by art as at Chicago. This bowl or jilain is everywhere 
 cidcKi'coiix, being paved beneath the soil with an undulating covering of 
 limestone, as is a frozen lake with one of ice. 
 
 To recajiitulate and grave it upon the mind : as witli the style where- 
 with t]u> artist cuts into steel the deeply shaded lines of a picture : the 
 whole .l^Anf^'c side of the continent la mie ('«/tv/*r'^(/,s' jilain of many fronts. 
 Each front has a mighty system of arteries, demonstrating its gradual 
 slope, and carrying its surplus waters to the sea. Yet by the rising of 
 the eastern halves of the basins against the Atlantic barriers it is also a 
 sublime bowl, into which the waters have first a concentrie direction, as 
 they accumulate into the /miii/lin that conduct them to the sea. 
 
 The superlative wonder about this is, that here, in Xoiih Aniiricn, is 
 rolled out in one uniform exjianse of 2,800,1)00 square miles, an area of 
 
 |! ;i 
 
 W ' 
 
:?? 
 
 182 
 
 APPEXDIX. 
 
 I ^ HI 
 
 arable land equivalent in siufaco to the aggroj^ate of the valleys of the 
 other continents, wliich are small, sinjilc, and isolated. 
 
 iYo/rorc/', the iiitorlafinjiof the rivers forms ovisry where a eomplcto sys- 
 tem of navijiation : blended into one by |inblie \V((rks of the easiest cdii- 
 struetion ; and forming;', by tliuir double banks, n ahon'-liiie eijiial in (.ittnt 
 to theciHisfs of (til the ovrdiis. 
 
 To master the yi'oi/rdp/iiml pnrtrnlt of our eontinent thus in its unity 
 of system, is mrrssdn/ to every American eitizen — as necessary, as it is to 
 understand the radical princiiiles of the Federal Government over it, and 
 of jiolitieal society. 
 
 Our country is immcnavlij grand, and to understand it in its simple 
 grandeur, it is not an extravagance, but is a homcs|iun matter-of-fact duty. 
 If we flinch from i\\\, duty, we recede from the divine mi.ssion chalked 
 out for us by the Creator's luuul, sink below the dignity of our ancestors, 
 and fall into the decrepitude of the voluntary, illiterate, and emasculate 
 siilnjects of Kurope. 
 
 To enforce these truths with yet greater stringency, ami to tempt or 
 la.sh the jwpular mind out of its cringing and criminal torpidity, .still 
 another illustratioi remains of the j)araniount sigidficanee to us of (jia- 
 yniji/u'cal facts. This is the cmttrast b tweeu our own and the other i'our 
 continents. 
 
 Euttoi'E, the smallest of the grand divisions of the land, contains in its 
 centre the icy masses of the Alps ; from round their declivities rddlntc 
 the large rivers of that continent ; the Danube directly east to tiie 
 Euxine ; the Po and Khone south to the Mediterranean ; the llhine to 
 the Nortliern Ocean. 
 
 Walled off by the Pyrenees and Carp-'lhians, divergent and isolated, 
 are the Tagus, the Elbe, and other sing' rivers, affluents of the Baltic, 
 the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Kuxine. 
 
 Descending y/'(<»i common radiant points, and diverging everyway from 
 one another, no {utercommHitication exists between the rivers of Europe: 
 navigation is petty and feeble: nor have art and couunerce, during many 
 centuries, united so many small valleys, remotely isolated by impenetrable 
 barriers. 
 
 Hence upon each river dwells a distinct people, differing from all the 
 rest in race, language, habits, and interests. Though often politically 
 amalgamated by eoncjuest, they again relapse into fragnujnts from iiniate 
 (/!'( )(/!■< I jt/u'c(tl incoherence. The history of these nations is a story of jier- 
 l)etual war ; of nmtual extermination ; and an ai)])idling dramatic cata- 
 logue of a few splendid tyrainiies, crushing multitudinous millions of 
 submissive and unchronicled serfs. 
 
.\fE.VO/{A\nA ox THE PACIFIC KAILROAD. 
 
 183 
 
 Exactly similar to Europe. thoUL'li ;.'nuulor in size and pupulatinn. is 
 Asia. Frmn the stuiKMulous central harrier of the Himalayas nm the 
 four pvat rivei-s of China, due »a,s7, to (lisehar;:e themselves hcueath the 
 risinir sun: towards the .•";»/// run the rivers of Cochin China, the dauires. 
 and the Indus: towards the »rr.N7. the rivers of the Caspian: and iimtli 
 tliroUL'h Si/iiii'ti to the Arctic Seas, many rivers of the first maj:nitude. 
 
 ])ariiii; tifty centuries, as now. the Aljis and Himalaya ^lountains have 
 proveil insuperable harriei-s to the anialiramation of the nations amund 
 their bases and dwellintr in the valleys which radiate from their slojies. 
 The continent of Akuica, as far as we know the details of its surface, is 
 even more tluin these split into di.xjointed frajrments. Such also, in a less 
 deuTce. is SiHTll A.MEltlCA. 
 
 Thus, whilst Xurthini Ann rica opens towards heaven in an expanded 
 bowl to receive and fu.se harmoniously whatever enters within its rim: so 
 each of the other continents, jiresentinir a bowl reversed, scatters every- 
 thinir from a central apex into radiant distraction. Political empires 
 and societies have in all ages conformed them.selves to these emphatic 
 gtiKjydphicitl fads. 
 
 The American Republic is then pmlisfini'il to e.^pand and fit itself to 
 the continent. Much is uncertain, yet throuuh all the vici.ssitudes of the 
 fiifinr, this much of eternal truth is discernible : In geoirraphy the aii- 
 titlii'gi's of the Old World, in .«ociety it is and will be the rcvrrnr. 
 
 Xorth Ainiricii will rajiidly attain to a pojjulation e((uallini^ that of 
 the rest of the world combined: forming a single people, identical in 
 manners, language, customs, and impulses: preserving the same civiliza- 
 tion, the same religion : imbued with the same opinions, and having the 
 same political liberties. 
 
 Of this we have two illustrations now under our eye : the one passing 
 away, the other advancing. The aboriginal Indian race, among whom, 
 from Darien to the Estjuimaux. and from Florida to Vancouver's Island, 
 exists a great identity in their hair, comj)Iexion, features, stature, and 
 language. And secmul. in the instinctive fusion into one language, and 
 one new race, of immigrant Oermans, English, French, and Spanish, whose 
 individuality is obliterated in a single generation ! 
 
 It is thus that tlie holy ipiestion of our Union lies in the bosom of 
 nnf.iire : its perj)etuity in the hearts of a great democratic people, iud)ued 
 with an understanding and austere reverence for her eternal pnmiptings 
 and ordinances. It lies not in the trivial temporalities of political taxation, 
 Afru'iin sldirri/. loctd power, or the nostrums of oratore however eminent. 
 It is the truth, established by sci'cnci'. and not the deductions of meta- 
 physics, with which the people must fortify themselves. 
 
184 
 
 APPEXDIX. 
 
 As |i()\vc'r loidfs in the indiilf and the siiffragr is its exercise, with 
 tlu'm al.N) must reside inteilijieiit and wise eounsel. To lie eertain that 
 the great iirin(i|iles nn wiiich they rely tn strengthen and jn iiictuatt' 
 linnian rigiits, are the trutlit'nl deiluetions nt' cxnit sci< iiri\, ntnl !ii Imninntij 
 vif/i iiiituir, is tlic individual duty of tlie citizen. To reject what is 
 otherwise, is the only safety I'roni usurjiafion and tyranny. 
 
 To assert that the mass ari! deficient in intelligence to e(ini]irelien(l and 
 use familiarly t/ic ti iif/i of »<■!< nee. is the language of tyrants and iitifictly 
 false. Behold an eternal exanijile of universal dissemination and faniiliur 
 use of acitiitijic ti'itthtt. 
 
 The aljihahet of tuciifi/six Irtttrn and the numerals of tai /!;/iiris are 
 the uiost jirofound, conden.sed, and sublime forms of abstract truth which 
 science lias or can give to the liuman race. How uiany ages and liuw 
 great a lass of intellectual analysis and research consumed it.self to reach 
 this alistract (y((//(/t'j>w.'/(tt' of truth, has not come to us with the inventions 
 themselves. 
 
 At sight of a volume printed, or a newspaper, the intelligent sa\age is 
 crushed with a sense of desjiair. not knowing that a few years of study 
 will render intelligihle to him this ma.ss of clniotic my.stery. The child of 
 civilized society, on the contrary, commencing with the aljilialjct which 
 science has discovered and be((ueathed, ocaj'ts it tltromjli faith, cuni- 
 bines letters into syllables, syllables into words, words into sentences, and 
 has opened to him, by an easy ascent, the knowledge which written lan- 
 guage has accumulated and perpetuated since its invention, some thousands 
 of years ago. 
 
 Believing tlnit abstract truth, wherever reached in other departments 
 of human afl'airs — ax fur instaitcc in gcoyraphy — may, in like maimer as 
 the alphabet, be universally received, trusted, and used by the iieo])le, I 
 have written these remarks and constructed the map which accompanies 
 them. They agree with the speculations of the ncientifc writers whom 
 I have been able to consult, especially Humboldt and Jefl'erson. 
 
 If this abstract of simjile <iri)gr<iplilc(d elements l)e trutli, then should 
 they stand the basis of political reason, as the Ten Comuiandmeiits stand 
 in the field of religion. Admitted to be true, the future of tlie A.mkhi- 
 CAN Bepl'HLIC, ex])anding to tit the continent, as the human foot within 
 a slioe, and brightening tlie world with its radiance, is familiarly dis- 
 cernible. 
 
 The general continental gcngvaphi/, filling up the details of its surface, 
 as the flcsli and muscles cover the human skeleton, will readily be con- 
 ceived ill the mind, and assume order and symmetry. 
 
 Variety of climates and of altitude : the consetjueut distribution of indus- 
 
 ' ) 
 
m/-:m()/i.\.\1'.\ i>\ Till: i-m/i ir u.mi.udmk 
 
 1S5 
 
 .'/' is its exorciso, with 
 I'l. To lie rcrtiiiii tlijit 
 ij;llu'ii 1111(1 ]M rpiitiiitu 
 
 To rcjtrl \vli;ii is 
 >raiiiiy. 
 
 ice to e(iiii]in]irii(l iiiid 
 r tyraiils iind |i(if,.,.tly 
 iiiiiiiiitidii :iii(i liiiiiilijir 
 
 Ills (if t( II jiijitri)!. iire 
 'f abstract tnitii wiiidi 
 )W many ajivs and how 
 onsuuicd itself to reach 
 us with the iiiveiitiuiis 
 
 le inteilijiciit stnage is 
 t a few years of study 
 mystery. The child of 
 :li tlie al]dial)et wliich 
 V tUrouijh faith, cdin- 
 rds into sentences, and 
 tlji,e wliieh written hiii- 
 ention, some tliousiinds 
 
 1 in other deiiartnieiits 
 iiiay, ill like manner as 
 used by the jieojile, I 
 a]» which aceompani(\s 
 -wntijic writers wliimi 
 iii Jefl'erson. 
 be truth, then should 
 Commandments stand 
 future of the A.mkki- 
 lio liumaii f(Hit. within 
 ice, is familiarly dis- 
 
 details of its surfiicc, 
 I, will readily he con- 
 
 try : the immense commerce which will adju.-t the interchanges nt' so vast 
 
 irk- 
 
 distributiou of 
 
 indus- 
 
 tli< 
 
 tl 
 
 II V ill 
 
 !i Mii'lacc, so Variously iicciijmiiI ; the uniiiii oy ]iulilic »vci 
 artcriis deneeiidiii;; o|iiMi.-ite sluiic- : the connections with the external 
 coiiliiieiits : and the forms of States, risiii" consecutively till they shall 
 imnilier (ink iir.NDRKl): All these successive events becoinc the ciiirciit 
 crcatiipiis nf a natural order :if |iroi;rtss, and will be the easy (Icdiicliniis 
 uf exact ealculatiou of tiuu^ from statistical data. 
 
 To com. fnally to solve the (juestion of the construction uf the I'dci/ic 
 Riiiliiitnl, it is necessary to aiialy/e the jireseiit condition of c<ininierce, 
 both of iiur own and external countries: liyw far it is friendly or hostile 
 to the imniense modificatimis such a new mute will engender: to probe 
 the temper and i'orce of political power and jealousies: to reason out and 
 balance the Irieiidly and hostile elements that bear upon it : and finally, 
 to subject to the most searching scrutiny thi; /Diifii/ni/iliicuf character of 
 the immense space of our continent interrupted by the •• Plateau of tlie 
 Table liiinds," the great mountain ranges of the Sit^rra Madre, and the 
 Andes, with their external slopes. To such a com])Ieto discussion, this is 
 prelimiiiiiry. 
 
 C II APT Eli IT. 
 
 I HAVE :nentioned in the j)recediiig chapter, in which I end(^avored to 
 delineate, in a condensed form, the ab.stract tjaiyraphical chiiniils of our 
 continent, that I had coiniiiled, with great labor, a map, exhibiting to the 
 eye, as it were in daguerreotyiie, what is so difticult to make comiu'ehensi- 
 blc in writing to the popular mind. 
 
 In truth, this simple classification has long ago suggested itself to mc, 
 resulting from observations made and facts collected during immense jour- 
 neys, which I liave made out to the rim of the continent, on all its coasts — 
 sometimes as a S(jlitary pioneer, and at others in the military service. 
 These wanderings have extended over thirty years of time, and more than 
 one hundred thousand miles ! 
 
 X'ncertiiin as to the accuracy of these facts, long rendered indistinct and 
 liazy by the vastuess of the details — findirg myself everywhere repelled 
 by the soi-dimutt learned in science and politics; and being, also, without 
 the iiecuniary means to reach f/ie jiroji/r. it is only now that I venture 
 to apjicar before them. Neither do I rely upon my own reflections 
 exclusively. 
 
183 
 
 AITEMilX. 
 
 The wiiiM 1ms Iiitcly received from tlic Icjinu'fl Tliiiiilioldt Ills tW" works, 
 " (ViMiiiw" and "Tile Aspeets of Nature." This ]ire-eniiiieiit vetenm in 
 Bcieiiee eoimneiicud isixty years aj;o to hive and condense the truths tinit 
 he now i:ives u.s in these small volumes. Nine years were then j:ivcii hy 
 him to c.\|iloration and .stmly anions the J/k/ci of Smtl/i Anuiini mid 
 Mi.iica, and sulisci|uently ten years ainon^' the Himalayas of Central 
 Asia. It is only now, ai the ap' of ilijhli/ years, that ho ventures to jrivu 
 to tin,' world the condensed ijiinitiMi'iia: uf ii wliole life of travel, intense 
 study, riuid analysis, and meditation. 
 
 Thou;;h not clearly known to liim (for he has not visited our country. 
 or been able to collect the material, to supply this deliciency, from others). 
 he luLs, in his delineations of I'eru and Mexico, exactly sketched our own 
 Andes in California and Oregon. 
 
 His descriptions of the jiTcat l>r,.\TK.\l X of Central Asia, the Caspian 
 kSea, and Thibet, with their snrroundin;; mountain chains, applied to our 
 continent, solve for us the enijinia of our own jieo}.'raphy. Indeed, if the 
 continent of Asia be turned at rii.dit anj,des, .so that Siberia should fiice 
 the ri.sin,L' sun, it would almost exactly resemble a ' "xplain all North 
 America included between the ti<iii<ih of the Mississipjii and tin- I'acifif. 
 In short, in these small volumes — ■• Notes on A'iruinia" and " Cosmos' 
 — of the brave apostles of truth, Jefferson and Humboldt, — in the.se wc 
 luive conden.sed facts enouf;h to iruiile us to the most distinct and perfect 
 solution of the whole scluane of our own confiiitiifd/ i/iui/niii/i//. 
 
 To resume, then, the discussion o\' giiiffraphmil J'<iil». and approach cau- 
 tiously, stej) by step, the location nuide by nature for the Conti.nkntal 
 Raim^oaii, we must have clearly in the mind the j;reat central crest of the 
 SiKititA ]Ma1)RK, and the two sides of the continent .sloping on either 
 hand to the oceans. Very many fjreat rivers, burstinjj; from the e:istern 
 mountain flank, descend, without rajiids, by the ^lissi.ssipjii to the (lulf; 
 by the St. Lawrence to tlie North Atlantic. Kven the Alle<;hanies. having 
 but 2(I0(( feet elevation, pri'sent but a secondary ol)stacle. 
 
 Abundant routes exist, therefore, whereby a railroad may pass up from 
 the cnsfcni coa.st line of the continent to the flanks of the SiKHRA Madkk. 
 "Whatever slijjht elevations may exist in the general surface, they are all 
 perforated successively by continuous rivers, whose banks offer water- 
 grades uninterrupted during the whole ascent. i\ o difficult)/ here presents 
 itself. 
 
 Bui " that side of the Anun'iean continent which may be defined to 
 front Asia, and sheds its waters in that direction, lias these four charac- 
 teristic divisions : the mo r it i me front, the Andks, the PLATEAU of THE 
 Table Lands, and the Sierra Madke; all extending the whole length, 
 
MEMOItAShA O.V TI'E IWriflf llMl.lloMt. 
 
 187 
 
 "iilMiIdt lii.s twi. \M,ik.M, 
 'iv-eiiiiiiciit vctcniti in 
 'i'l«''i-<«' llic iniths that 
 ■< Wfl-l- tlicii -ivrti l,v 
 Siiitlh Aiiuriiii I, lid 
 iiiialiip.s „f C,.,,!,.;,! 
 It lio venturer to uiv,. 
 if'o of fravi'I, iiitoiL^e 
 
 't vitiited our cdiiiitry, 
 liii<'iicy, (Vdin oflunin), 
 •tly .skctclicd (iiir dwn 
 
 trill Asia, the (".opja,, 
 
 cliains, iii.]i|i,.,l (,, ,„„. 
 
 '1'1'y- Intlird, if tl„. 
 
 K Siberia .should I'kv 
 ' "xplaiii all X,„(h 
 
 ^il'I'i and tlio Pauitic. 
 
 iiiia" and •' C.isuio.s" 
 inilidldt, — in (licsc wu 
 ■*t distinct and jicrlkt 
 •( >/t''ii/rii/i/i//. 
 '■/*■. and a]i|ir(iii(Ii cini- 
 or tlle C(».\TI.\K.\TAL 
 
 Jat central ercst i if the 
 'nt nlojiinji- (III cither 
 iii.u: from tli(> c.istcni 
 <si.s.si|i])i to the (lidf; 
 
 Alleghanies. luiviii"' 
 acle. 
 
 ad may pass nji from 
 tlu'SiKKUA 3Iai»ke. 
 surfaee, they are all 
 banks offer water- 
 'ifficulty here presents 
 
 1 n)ay be defined to 
 f' these four charae- 
 e PlATKAU (IF THE 
 ig tlie whole length, 
 
 from smith to north, ]iiirallel to one another, and eovering, in the ajrirre- 
 wate, two-lifths of it.s whole area." 
 
 Tile iiiiin'tiiiir front is narrow, has many small streams in which ilu^ 
 flowing tide reaches the lia.se of the An'UKS. and |iresents no obstacles of 
 any signiticaiice. Through the /('•/* Cordilleras, the .\m»ks. ami the 
 J^IKIiUA .M.MtHK, which H.jiik and elevate themselves above the level of 
 tlic TAiti.F. liA.NDS, are many ]ias.ses adniittiiig of the pa.ssiige of rail- 
 roads, but merely from tin? otitsidi! on to the Taiilc liands within. 
 
 The T.Mir.K li.VMis are. liowevcr, ribbed by latitudinal ranges of moun- 
 tains, of imnu'n.se bulk and iicight. The solutimi, therefore, condenses 
 itself to the discovery of a siii</le line, whereby the Sierra Madrc, the ribs 
 of the Tahi.k Lands, the lofty crest of the Andes, and its aiirupt western 
 wall, may all be continuously and eon.secutively overcome, surmounted, or 
 evaded. 
 
 1 ((uote from a memoir given to the public by myself, some years ago, 
 this description of the Table Lands ; — 
 
 The di.stanco to the I'acific from the top of the Sierra ^ladre (Rocky 
 Mountains), where you leave behind the waters flowing to the Atlantic, 
 is everywhere some lotIO miles. The ti>p<Kjr<ii>li!ttil characti'r of this 
 ultramDntiine region is very grand and characteristic. It is identical with 
 the region at the .sources of the J^a Plata, Amazon, and Magdaleiia, of South 
 America, but more immense. 
 
 Sketched by its great outlines it is simply this : The chain of the Andes, 
 debouching north from the /si7; *,/*.,•■, opens like the letter Y into two 
 primary chains (Cordilleras). On tlic right, the Sii'rra Madre, trending 
 along the coast of the Mexican (iulf, divides the Northern Continent 
 .ilmost centrally, forming an unbroken water-shed to Behrini^s Strait. On 
 the left, the Andes folhjws tlie coast of the I'acific, war|is around tlictJulf 
 of California, and, jiassing along the coast of California and Oregon (under 
 the name of Sitirra Nevada), txirminates also near Behring's Strait. 
 
 The immense interval between tlie.se chains is a succession of mtra- 
 montane liasins, srceii in number, and ranging from .south to north. The 
 whole forms the great Plateau of the Table Lands. 
 
 First, is the " Basin of the City of Jlexico," receiving the interior 
 drainage of both Cordilleras, which waters,, having no outlet to either 
 ocean, are dispersed again by evaporation. 
 
 Second, the " Bolson do Majiimi," collecting into the Laguna the 
 streams draining many States, from San Luis Potosi to Coahuila, also 
 without any outflow to either ocean. 
 
 Third, the " Basin of the Del Norte," who.se va.st a'-ea feeds the llio 
 
188 
 
 M>i'i:.\i)ix. 
 
 "\ 
 
 del Norte, the Coiu'lios, and IV'fus. Tlu'so, conecntratod iiitd tlic Rio 
 Graiulf di'l Nnrto, lieliiiid the Sierra Maiire, have, hy tlieir >iiiited vipIuiiic. 
 bur.-it tiinmgh it.s wall and round ati outlet towards the Atlanlic The 
 yco/o^/ca^ charaeter of tliis basin, its altitude, its eontijiuration and incaiity 
 all assign it this position, as distinguishing it from all others eontriliutiiiL' 
 their waters to the Atlantie. 
 
 Fourth, the '• Basin of the Great Colorado of the West." This im- 
 mense basin embraces above the great rivers Rio Verde and Rio (Jraiidi', 
 whose confluent waters, penetrating tlie mighty Cordillera of the Amies 
 athwart, from base to base, dischavge themselves into the (lulf of Califdr- 
 nia. Into this sublime gorge {the Oinon of th.c Colorado) the liuniau 
 eye has never swept for an interval of 575 miles. So stern a character 
 does Nature assume wliere such stupendous mountains resist the passage 
 of sucli mighty rivers. 
 
 Fifth, the '' B;isiu of the Great Salt Lake," like the Ca.sjiian of Asia, 
 containing many small basins within one great rim, and losing its scattered 
 waters by evaporation, has no outflow to citlier ocean. 
 
 Sixth, the "Basin of the Columbia," lying across the northern flanks 
 of the two last, and grand above them all in position and configuration. 
 Many great rivers, besides the Snake and Upper Columbia, descend from 
 the great arc of the Sierra Madre, where it circles towards the northwest 
 from 43° to 52°, flow from e<i)it to iccst and eoncentra'^j above the Cas- 
 cades into a single trunk. This here strikes the mighty Cordillera of the 
 Andes (narrowed to one ridge), and di.sgorges itself through this sublime 
 pass at once into the open Pacific. 
 
 It is licrc^ descending by the grade of this river the whole distance from 
 tlie rim of the Valley of the ^Mississippi, and through the Andes to the 
 Pacific, that the great debouch of the American Continent towards the 
 West is found; and here will be the pathway of fature generations of the 
 New World, as tlie people of the Old W^orld pass down the Mediterranean 
 and out by Gibraltar. 
 
 Above, the " Basin of Frazer River" forms a seventh of the Taiu.k 
 Lands. This has burst a cafion through the Andes, and, like the fourth 
 and sixth basins, sends its waters to the Pa^-ific. With the geography of 
 the more northern region we are imperfectly acquainted, knowing, how- 
 ever, that from I'uget Sound to Belu'ing's Strait the wall of the Andes 
 forms the beach itself of the Pacific, whilst the Sierra Madre forms the 
 western rim of tlie basins of the Saskatchewan of Hudson Bay, and the 
 Athabasca of the Arctic Seas. 
 
 Thus, then, briefly we arrive at this great cardinal department of the 
 geography of the continent, viz. ; the Tahi.k Lands, — being a longitudi- 
 
Ml'JM01!A.\J).\ 0.\ THE I'ACIFK; JiA ff.HO.i /). 
 
 189 
 
 Iio Wfst." This i,„. 
 '•'nlc and Ki,i (ii;,,i(i,., 
 |>nlillcra of tln' Andes 
 |to the fi!iilt'(d'(';dii;,i- 
 
 '•'/"i-aJo) tlio liiiiiian 
 So .steni a cliaractcr 
 aiiis resiist the passatre 
 
 the Cii.sjiiaii of Asia, 
 iiid losing its sc-attoivd 
 in. 
 
 ■s tlie nortlu'i-n flanks 
 Ion and confiiiuration. 
 ilundjja, descond from 
 towards tht; northwest 
 rurii'3 above the (hn- 
 iglity Cordillera of the 
 ' tlirougli this siihliuie 
 
 le whole distance from 
 igh the Anrles to the 
 'ontinent towards the 
 lire generations of the 
 iN'Ji the Mediterranean 
 
 '■mtfh of tlie Taiu.k 
 i, and. like the fourth 
 ith the geograjihy of 
 inted, knowing, liow- 
 ic wall of the Andes 
 ra Madre forms the 
 fudson liny, and the 
 
 1 department of the 
 — Iieing a lonuitndi- 
 
 iial section (^ahout two-sevenths of its whole ai'ea ), intermediate between 
 the two oeeans, but walled oft' fnmi both, and having but finrc outlets 
 for its waters, viz. : the eanons of the llio (irande, the Colorado, and the 
 Cdbimliia. ("olunmar biusalt iornis the basement of this whole region, 
 and viilianie action is everywhere i)r(jminent. 
 
 Its general level, a.seertained upon the lakes of the difl'erent basins, is 
 
 aiMii 
 
 IVUILICS ( 
 
 It (ilMIO feet above the sea. llain .seldom fi 
 
 an( 
 
 1 liml 
 
 ler IS rare. 
 
 Tl 
 
 ic 
 
 if mountiuns which separate the basins are often rugged, and capped 
 with perpetual snow, whilst i.solated masses of great height elevate them- 
 selves from the plains. This whole I'ormati'in alxjunds in the precious 
 metals. Such is the region of the Taiu.k Ji.WDs. 
 
 IJiyond these is the Pacific .M.MilTlMK region. The great wall of the 
 AXDKS, receding IVom the lieach ipf the I'acilic. leaves lu'twei'n it'clf and 
 the st'a a half valK'y, as it were, forming the seaboard slope from San 
 
 Dieiiii to thi! Straits of Juan de 1' 
 
 uc; 
 
 This is iL'dd mill 
 
 m length, am] 
 
 2(in bi'oad. Across it descend U> the sea a series of fine rivers, rai 
 fror 
 
 iL;in<j 
 
 //// to north, like the little streams desccndinu' from the Ailes^ha- 
 
 nies to the Atlantic. These are the San (Jabriel, the linenaveiitura, 
 
 th 
 
 .load 
 
 iim aiut 
 
 'acrainen 
 
 to, til 
 
 ixmue, 
 
 'Hametl 
 
 I, aiK 
 
 1 I 
 
 nniHii 
 
 W 
 
 ivers : 
 
 the Widlamette and Columbia, the Cowlit/, .'hekalis, and Xasijually, of 
 Puii'et Sound. 
 
 Tl 
 
 us resemtiles am 
 
 bl. 
 
 id balii 
 
 mces tlu' iiiiirifiiiii 
 
 Sl( 
 
 if the Atlantic side of 
 
 the continent ; but it is vastly larger superficially ; of the highest agricul- 
 
 tural I'.xcellence ; ba.saltic in forniatio 
 
 d 1 
 
 iirand tiev'int 
 
 ■y 
 
 ,d th 
 
 ] lowers o 
 
 f 
 
 description. The snowy jioints and voh'anocs of the Andes are every- 
 where visilde from the sea; whilst its climate is entirely exempt from the 
 
 frost 
 
 s of winter. 
 
 The configuration of the Gicrra jMadre (the ^lother ^Mountain of the 
 lentlv massive and sublime. IJising from a bas(>ment 
 
 world) IS transcen( 
 
 wlios(> roots spread out 200(1 miles and more, its crest splits almost cen- 
 trally the Xiiiihrrii Cohlhinil. and diviiles its waters to the two oceans. 
 
 Novel te 
 
 ms liavt! lieen i 
 
 ntroduced to define its characteristics. Misa, 
 
 e.Kprtsses tin; level jilateau.x of its sunnnits. dtnun. the gorges' rent in 
 its slopes by .he descemling rivers. Jhitc, the conical mountains isolated 
 and trimmed into symmetrical peaks by atmosiiheric corrosion. 
 
 Everylxidy has .seen the card-houses built by children in the nursery. 
 
 ^Ullll(lse thre(^ o 
 
 'I'l 
 
 th 
 
 )f tl 
 
 lese in a row. 
 
 liaviim a second storv over the centre 
 
 this toy I'amiliarly delineates a transver.so section of the Sierra Madre. 
 The top of this upper story rejiresents the centn.i primary mrsn of the 
 Cordillera — its summit a greiit plain. desciMiding on both flanks by a per- 
 pendicular wall of (JOOO feet to the level of the nfoitf/ iinsn. or steppe. 
 
 II 
 
 Iff 
 
 lili 
 
 
190 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 i|:'l 
 
 \ 
 
 Towards the west the second mesa fills the whole sjiaee to the Andes, 
 whoso farther side descends ahrujttly to the tide-level of the Pacific. This 
 is again wliat has been before described at lengtli -is the GrtEAT Table 
 Lands. 
 
 But toward.s the cast tlie siroHd mesa forms a piedmont, rent into jieaks 
 b}' the fissures of innumerable streams. This piedmont, called by us the 
 Black Hills, masks the front of the Sierra Madre from end to end. Sn 
 completely is it torn and rent by the perplexity of w<(ter-couri<es, that 
 patches alone arc left to define the original plateau. These ai'c the east- 
 ern envelope of the basin of the Yellowstone, the Laramie Plain (between 
 the Platte.s), the Ratone and the Llano Estacado of Texas. Beneath this 
 the third ))n'm (or steppe) is that superlative region, the Great Pkairik 
 Plains, whose gentle slope forms a </Iticisto the Gulf through Texas, ami 
 in front to the trough formed by the ^lississippi Biver from Itasca Lake 
 to the Balize. 
 
 It is this vastn&ss of geographical configuration wliich leads tlie glance 
 of the engineer with unerring certainty to that line of natural grades 
 from ocean to ocean, the discovery of which mankind now awaits with 
 the keenest interest, and along wliieh the American nation is resolved to 
 construct the consummate work of art — the Asiatic and P]rR()PEA.v 
 Railway. 
 
 Adva'" hm north along the comh of the Sierra Madre from belnw 
 Mexico, you find at the sources of the Platte (Sweetwater) a wide gaji. 
 where, the high mesa suddenly giving out for the space of forty miles, the 
 second mesa passes through from east to west, the continued water-ridge 
 being scarcely perceptible among its gentle undulations. Tin's I'tt the 
 " South Pass." 
 
 It is so named as being the most southini pa.«s to which you may ascend 
 by an affluent of the Atlantic, and .^tep immediately over, to a stnani de- 
 scending directly to the Pacific. This name is as ancient as the pass 
 itself Into it concentrate the great trails of the bufi'alo, geographers 
 and road-makers by wsti'ncf, before the coming of man. 
 
 The Indian, the Mexican, and the American, successors of one another, 
 have not improved or deflected from the instincts of the bufi'alo. nor will 
 they, whilst the mountains last in their present un.«hattered bulk. The 
 South Pass has a towering grandeur, in keei)ing with the rivers between 
 which it is the avenue (the Mi.«souri. the Colorado, and the Columbia), all 
 of which. i.s,suing from the wall of the Wind River Mountain, come out 
 of it upon the second mesa, at the saiiic hn/. and into which they imme- 
 diately coniD'cnce burrowing tlieir caf.ons of descent to the seas. 
 
 Here, then, is the route, the sonthrrn route, of the Nation,:! Railroad. 
 
 ascending b^ 
 
 where it for 
 
 of the high 
 
 water-grade 
 
 The dista 
 
 ascertained, 
 
 the Salt B 
 
 plane, to fit 
 
 tation exist 
 
 where the 
 
 so that the 
 
 there any i 
 
 between th 
 
 The Col 
 
 tributes th 
 
 and tunne 
 
 whole coui 
 
 American 
 
 feet, 200 
 
 This rivei 
 
 admit of; 
 
 immenselj 
 
 transporta 
 
 The gr( 
 
 ing into tl 
 
 affluents 
 
 fathomed 
 
 ridges, an 
 
 Here ii 
 
 great hei 
 
 explore o 
 
 1)1 a dire 
 
 Pacific, t 
 
 The ri 
 
 deep int' 
 
 sinific pa: 
 
 interlock 
 
 South F 
 
 Thus 
 
 exists n( 
 
 rivers, t^ 
 
MEMOIiAXDA OX THE PACIFIC RAILROAD. 
 
 191 
 
 sjiaco to the Aiidof;, 
 |1 of the Pacific. This 
 '.-* the GijKAT Table 
 
 liiiont, rent into peaks 
 [iKint. calk'd hy u.s the 
 Tom enil to end. ^n 
 if w«ter-cour,>Jes, tluit 
 These are the east- 
 ram ie Plain (between 
 Texas. Beneath tliis 
 • tiie GrtKAT i'HAIlilK 
 If throuuli Texas, and 
 ver from Ita.>^ea Lake 
 
 liieh Iead,s tlie rihuici: 
 ne of natural grades 
 ind now awaits with 
 I nation is resolved to 
 
 TIC AXD ElRdPKA.V 
 
 a Madro from belnw 
 setwater) a wide ^'aji, 
 ;ice of forty miles, the 
 I'ontinued water-ridue 
 ilations. Tim k the 
 
 hieh you may ascend 
 over, to a stream de- 
 aneient as tlie iia,«.s 
 buffalo, a'eorrrajiliei's 
 in. 
 
 .s.sors of one another. 
 the buffalo, nor will 
 lattered bulk. The 
 I the rivers Iti^tween 
 1 the Columbia), all 
 ^fountain. ennie out 
 3 which they imme- 
 <> the Seas. 
 Xatioii,! Piailroad. 
 
 ascending by the water-grade of the Platte to the top of the second nie.sa, 
 where it fijrms the summit, following the level of this mesa along the base 
 of the high mesa, to the Columbia (Snake Eiver), and descending its 
 water-grade clear to the Pacific. 
 
 The distance from the Platte to the Columbia has not been accurately 
 ascertained, though by the present wagon-road, which crosses a corner of 
 the Salt Basin, it is less than 300 miles. Here is that double-inclined 
 plane, to find which has been the first e.s.sential in every line of transpor- 
 tation existing iu the world. There is none south of this, because every- 
 where the basins of the Table Lands overlap and envelop one another, 
 so that the passes lead merely from one of these into another ; nor are 
 there any natural tunnels through the precipitous walls of the Andes, and 
 between the basins. 
 
 The Columbia, running across the Table Lands from ea.st to west, dis- 
 tributes the descent of 8500 feet efjually along its course of 1200 miles, 
 and tunnels the great ranges of Blue ^Mountains and the Andes. This 
 whole course of the river is a continuity of rapids, having three falls, the 
 American Falls of thirty feet at Portneuf, the Salmon Falls of forty-five 
 feet, 200 miles below, and the Chuttes of twelve feet, near the Dalles. 
 This river-grade is then as rapid as the descent to be accomplished will 
 admit of; for, distributed into long levels and steep grades, it would 
 immen.«ely impair the utility of the whole work, and fatally impede 
 transportation. 
 
 The great Colorado runs diagonally across the Table Lands, cirhouch- 
 ■incj into the Gulf of California ; but has its course and tho.se of its great 
 affluents parallel with the mountain ranges, which are scored with un- 
 fathomed caiions, perplexing the traveller with an infinity of impassable 
 ridges, among which the water-courses are embowclled. 
 
 Here is that immense and complex labyrinth of mountain ribs, whose 
 great height and arid character have heretofore defied every effort to 
 explore or penetrate. Its impenetrability cannot be made to yield to art, 
 in a direct line, owing to the whole space from the Sierra ]Madre to the 
 Pacific, bristling with parallel ribs of snowy mountains. 
 
 The rivers penetrate these diagonally, and are sunk in caiions, burrowed 
 deep into their roots. North of the South Pass, however, exist many 
 sinr/k passes, where the higher branches of the Missouri and Columbia 
 interlock. These circuitous routes have all the same termini as that of the 
 South Pass, for they also descend the same two rivers to the seas. 
 
 Thus between the South Pass and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec there 
 exists no straight railroad route, owing to the longitudinal courses of the 
 rivers, the complexity of the basins, and the double barrier of primary 
 
■i ! i< i 
 
 i. 
 
 192 
 
 A/'PK.XniX. 
 
 mountiiin diiiins. To the iinrtli, other passes exist, wliich future uiiicra- 
 tions may ilevelop, and ou which uavipition may he used for I'our-til'tlis ot 
 the whole distance. 
 
 True it is tliat potential fashion now exalts tlie nairitinii husiii nf Cali- 
 fornia. 8an Francisco Bay. into tlie haven of hope and fortune of the new 
 .«eahoard, whilst the suhlinie hasin of the Columhia and its ma^iiiticent 
 rinr /mr/xirs iwo, banished from j)uhlie favor. The hasin of San Fran- 
 cisco is small, and an isolated sjiot to reach from the interior. No ureal 
 river gives it access to the Mississippi Valley, from which it is cut off Ity 
 the basins of the Salt Lake, the Colorado, and the Del Xorte, overlapping 
 each other. 
 
 The Columbia is larger than the Danube, and equal to the Ganges. In 
 size, climate, agricultural excellence, capacity for population, and its won- 
 derful circular configuration, the ))asin of the Columbia surpasses liotli of 
 these others. The mouth of the Columbia, a salient point upon the npcn 
 eoast, more than any other central and convenient to tlie whole Xnrth 
 Pacific and Asia, is, in size, dej)th of water, sifety, and facility of ingress 
 or cgre.^s, ecpial to San Francisco. As the mouth of the greatest river 
 descending fmm our continent into the Pacific, it is perhajxs more valuable. 
 It is eight degrees south of Liverpool, having the climate of Bordeaux, 
 Marseilles, or Savannah. 
 
 Why is not the deep sea navigation concentrated at XnrfulJi-, on Hamp- 
 ton Beads, the finest liarbor of the wliole Atlantic ? Why, rather, is it 
 found at New York and New Orleans, accessible only through every dan- 
 ger that can menace shipping ? Why, because the former is the outlet 
 of the basin of the 'St. Lawrence, the latter of the Mississippi. Th<! ship- 
 ping of commerce goes to where cargoes can be found. 
 
 TiCss than fifty years ajxo./iis/u'on pronounced the little ravines of James 
 Biver and the Connecticut the proud spots of America, and held the great 
 uninhabitable wastes of the ^Ii.<si.ssippi and its uHnavlffatcd streams as 
 worthy only to balance ci>if/ish .' 
 
 This same splenetic spirit of /'rs/i/o)( now manufactures a similarly ridic- 
 ulous misdirection for the energy of the pioneers, by setting up what the 
 geologist would call a '' pot-hole of the Andes," against the grand Colum- 
 bia. Commerce, provident like every other de]iartinent of industry, makes 
 herself harbors with charts, pilots, buoys, and beacons. The shallowest 
 channel of the Columbia ha,s thirty-five feet of water — the deepest of New 
 York twenty-nine. 
 
 Thus doea Xatuhk, piously appealed to, and calmly consulted, exhaust, 
 bring to a close, and settle, by eternal facts, the various oj^'nious which 
 
wliich futuiv pvncra- 
 uscd fur iliiir-tirilis of 
 
 (irttltui Icisiii (it'Cali- 
 (1 f'nrtiine of tlio new 
 ami its nia<.niiK(('iit 
 Iiasin of ,<;m Fi-mh- 
 iiiti-rior. No o-roat 
 wliich it is lut of}' by 
 t'l Xorte, ovorlajiiiiug 
 
 al to tlu' Gaiiiics. In 
 
 lulatioii. and its won- 
 
 bia suvpasst's botli of 
 
 IRiiiit upon tlic ojH'n 
 
 to the whob> North 
 
 lind facility of ingvoss 
 
 if tlio iircatost river 
 
 ■rhajis more vahiabie. 
 
 climate of Bordeaux, 
 
 it Xnrfi,!],-. on ITanip- 
 ' Why, rather, is it 
 y through every dan- 
 fonner is the outlet 
 [ississippi. Thi; ship- 
 d. 
 
 ttlo ravines of James 
 ?a, and held the great 
 tavi'gntcd streams as 
 
 ires a similarly ridic- 
 setting up what the 
 ist the grand Colum- 
 t of industry, makes 
 ms. The shallowest 
 -the deepest of New 
 
 ,' consulted, exhaust, 
 ious opinions which 
 
 MEMOIIAXDA 0\ THE PACIFIC UMLItOAh. 
 
 VX 
 
 perplex the public mind in locating the continental railroad. The national 
 will must wisely listen to an<l oln'y her jiromptings. Postponement, defeat, 
 and failure will overwhelm every effort to depart from the water-grade, 
 or to penetrate, perforate, or surmount in any other way the Titanic rigidity 
 of the table lands. 
 
 The obstinate advocacy of any other route is insidious and hostile in 
 the bi'iip to the worl entirely. The irnfrr-i/riK/r of flu' continent is simply 
 this : — The road, leaving the west bank of the Mi.ssouri. pursues the IMatte 
 Kiver along the facile a.scent of its south bank to the South Pass; this 
 is some Tod miles: thence along the smooth /m-/ of the South Pass. 250 
 miles to Snake Kiver: thence down tlu; facili; descent of Snake River to 
 the Columbia, U(K) mile.s. This route is the xhitrti'nt and best acro.ss 
 America ; it is, in practical fact, a /iir/ from end to end ; the grading is 
 conipli'te throughout ; the mountains are all tunnelled ; the climate dry 
 and projiitious. 
 
 There remain to be described the peculiarities of climate, and the bear- 
 ing upon our subject of the immense interests of ocean commerce and 
 political power. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 In two former chapters I have endeavored to grasp the geographical 
 view of the t(»NTlXKXTAL RAILWAY — to wiiuiow its immense com- 
 plexity — to shake loo.se a few simple /J/cAs' engorged in obscurity — aud to 
 stand face to face aud in council with Nature. 
 
 We have seen that Xatiire, thus candidly appealed to, leads us point 
 blank to the supreme pass of the continent, the SolTH Pass, and then i 
 traces with her unerring finger to the right, and to the left, the double 
 water-grade to the seas — by the Platte to the Atlantic, by the Snake 
 Kiver to d Pacific. 
 
 But public opinion is perplexed by a systematic obscuration oi' /nets, 
 long and vehemently repeated, in other things besides geography. This 
 route is pronounced northern; the climate hostile; accunuilated snows 
 are insisted upon ; the Indians impracticable ; the work itself herculean ; 
 population, provisions, material to build, and work for the road, wanting ; 
 the length of the road is pronounced insuperable, and its cost enormous. 
 These objections all tall absolutely before a ^i:\\ facts of nature, here emi- 
 nently clear and emphatic. Let us appeal to them and decide ! 
 
 13 
 
 n 
 
194 
 
 A PI'EXlJlX. 
 
 Climate controls the nii<:ratioiis of the huniiin race, which liave 
 steadily adlu'reil to an '• ixuthi rtn<il r.ndinc" or hjlt of equal warmth, 
 around the world. The extremely mild temperature of our visfcni sea- 
 hoard is the consequence of the same great laws of nature which o]ur;ito 
 in WcMcrn Europe. These are the reuular and fixed ordinances nf the 
 code of nature, to which the mijrrations of man, in common with the 
 animals, yield an instinctive ohedience. 
 
 AVithin the fonid zone of the glohe, from the etjuator to the liStli 
 di'gree of north latitude, hlow the tnu/e iciiK/a and vnridUcs, always /'/v-//( 
 the east and northeast, all round the world. IJut in the sueceedinu' licit 
 from 28° to (10°, the winds have an opposite or compensating uirection, 
 /riiiii the west and southwest, all round the glohe. 
 
 These latter wind-currents reach the insfcni coasts of America v.m\ 
 Eurojje after traversinji' the expan.se of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. 
 Warmed to the temperature of these oceans, they iiiijidif again this same 
 mild atmosphere to the maritime fronts of the continents which receive 
 them. These same winds, passing onward over great extensions of con- 
 tinent of loAv temjierature, covered with snow or frozen during winter : 
 often warped upwards by mountain ranges, becoming exhausted of tlicir 
 warmth, have, upon the cusfirn expansions of the continents, an exactly 
 opjiosite effect upon the climate. 
 
 Hence the variant temperature of New York, and Li.shon, in P(n-tugal, 
 which face one another, on opposite sides of the Atlantic — of 8an Fran- 
 cisco, aud Pekin, in China, similarly opposite, upon the Pacific. 
 
 At San Francisco and at Lisbon, the sea.sons arc but modulations of one 
 contiimous summer. At New York and at IV-kin, winter annually sus- 
 jiends vegetation during seven months, whilst ice and snow bind up the 
 land and waters. These four citie.s arc all close upon the same parallel 
 of latitude, thojhrtirth degree north. 
 
 Thus is it manifest why in As'i the mass of population is congre- 
 gated on and south of theyo/'//(//i degree, and in Europe north of it. In 
 America it again curves to the south on the eastern face of our continent, 
 to rise northward again on the warm Pacific coast. Within this undu- 
 lating belt of the north fniiprrate zone, in breadth Jibout thirty-three de- 
 grees, are included four-fifths of all the laud and nine-tenths of the world's 
 population. 
 
 Hero has been the progressive march of the human race round the 
 world, eomineiicing in the farthest (Jrfnit,i\nd forming a zodiac of nations 
 towards the setting sun. In this have been retained similar tastes, simi- 
 lar industrial pursuits, similar food and clothing, requiring similarity of 
 climate, and recoiling alike fnnn the torrid and from the arctic zones. 
 
MEMOllAXDA OX THE PACIFIC IlAILIiOAI). 
 
 VX) 
 
 If. tlu'ii, the iniiid irtains the sinijdc facts, that all our pivscnt terri- 
 tory between the oeeans lies within this /.diic, where the wimls flow always 
 j'l-um the west, we arrive at the solution, as well of the different nioditica- 
 tions of climate along the same parallel of latitude, as of the variety in the 
 veiretahle cuverinu' of the surface: — irhi/ the tusfmi pi/r/ioii is clothed 
 with dense fevests, the cnttnil jxirtinu with prairie jrra.«ses only, and why 
 the great fertile plains of the liigh mountains and of the Tn/iii Lunds arc 
 yet of an arid hardnes.s and naked of all inliorcicnifr. 
 
 Tiie amount of irrigating rains falling u]ion the face of the land from 
 the clitiuh, regulates this. The oceans are the reservoirs which supply clouds 
 to the atmosphere. The vapors, rising from the whole surface of the 
 ocean into the higher regions of tin; atmosphere, form tliemselves. at a cold 
 elevation, into natural halloons, or clouds. 
 
 These, carried })y currents of air over the land, and rising still liigher. 
 become condensed and distil themselves upon the earth in the form cif 
 rain. Those holding vapor in the form least concentrated, spill it out in 
 the regions near the sea. Others attain to a high degree of concentra- 
 tion, retaining the form of clouds until they reach the central regio.ns of 
 the continents and a great elevation. 
 
 But we have seen that the great snoin/ Cordillera of the Andes lines 
 the whole n-rsfrrn seaboard of Xorth America, lu-ing in sight f)f vessels 
 sailing up the sea, from the Gulf of California to l^ehring's Strail. The 
 winds coming from the u-rxf and over tlie ocean, blow against this wall. 
 On this elevated summit of perpetual congelation, water becomes ice. as 
 solid and permanent as the cold lava-rock. The irrigating influence of 
 the Pnci'fic Orran is liere abruptly sto]iped and entirely ceases. 
 
 The great rnsfirii slo])e ofaiir continent, however, descending by gentle 
 inclined planes to all the seas, receives, without any geographical inter- 
 ruption, the irrigating winds and clouds of tlmse seas. Tlu^ barrier of the 
 Alleghanies (finiiiu'sJus. but does not sfap, the inflowing of vapors. Hut we 
 have seen that the winds blow perpetually //'o/u the icpsf. The inwai'd 
 progress, then, of the atmospheric vapors is by this continually repelled. 
 
 The vvgctatum of the continent reveals to us the result of this conflict 
 between winds and the gradual exhaustion of the atmosplu-ric vajiors. 
 with an exactness as comi)lete as that with which the thermometer indi- 
 cates temperature. 
 
 The VKU-Ithne ilrrlh-if//. the Alleghanies, and the countries between thi' 
 latter and the troiii/hn of the Mississip])i and St. Tiawrence. are densely clad 
 with timber. So are the States of Louisiana. Arkansas, and Smitli 3Iissouri ; 
 receiving clouds from the Gulf partly, and partly from the Atlantic. ll'<>/- 
 wanl and norttnciird the tindier gradually tapers away; still following in 
 
11»(5 
 
 Ari'KMUX. 
 
 \\ 
 
 i • 
 
 narrow lines alonj; tlio rivcrw, but Iwiviu}; tho uplands and riches (o the 
 luxuriant jirairic fiiassi's. Soon, liowfVt'r, the (iiii/wr abanddu.s its stiuf;- 
 jilc t(i firow, and ceases entirely. 
 
 Oiiuiinf, however, from tlie last fringe of tinilier, for some liinidicd 
 miles, the irrijiation continue.s to preserve the mellowness of the snil. 
 and a sward of tall, luxuriant j;rasses covers the wliole smooth expanse ol' 
 nature. Tiiis, in turn, gradually dwarfs under the decreasini: iniuatioii, 
 taperini; into the ileliwite curled gra.ss of the buffalo plains, which is scarce 
 half an inch in height, and resembles the wool of a lamb. 
 
 Fiii(i//i/, grass itself fails, and the general characteristic of the siwface 
 ol" the great Sierra Madre and the plateau of t\w Table Lands is total 
 
 nakedness of any nutritious vt'j 
 
 [■tabl 
 
 e coverini. 
 
 Tl 
 
 le soil is either com 
 
 I)actly hard, or resembles dry ashes. The surface is lu-re sparsely clothed 
 with dwarl'ed wormwood and the prickly pear, — funereal plants, whicli 
 seem as careless of moistiu'e ii.s is tiu' salamander of tire. 
 
 Such an; the great primary laws of Nature which decide the climate 
 and vegetation of our continent. !nt<'rruptions and modifications of tlie.'<e 
 laws are iniuimerable. Xa/iirr i< vrtn/irlurf in'xr. ('om]pi'iisations exist 
 in all the.s(; countries, so eccentrically novel to us, which will win iiir them 
 the densi'st populations. No de.scjrts of silicious .sand, like tho.se of Arabia 
 
 and 
 
 Al 
 
 rica, e.xist in America, nor are sm-h possil)le 
 
 Th 
 
 dyf 
 
 w. oidv iormation 
 
 )f silicious sand is the Atlantic declivity, whose .soil .soon wa.stes under 
 
 L-ult 
 
 ure 
 
 an 
 
 d the ocetin washes f/n'n 
 
 Th 
 
 ii'cat bowl made up of the basins of the interior is everywl 
 
 lero 
 
 cii/cdiriiiis. The soil which covers the two great Cordilleras, the I'.Mti.K 
 liA.XDS and the Pacific declivity, is the intrinsically fertile decay of ba.saltic 
 and lava formations. Tliirxt (i/did- causes it« nakedness aiul a]iparent 
 aridity. Win re this thirst is quenched with a frugal supply of wat"i'. it 
 slmws an abumlant and inexhaustible fi;rtility. (ireat rivers are every- 
 wiiere full and convenient. 
 
 Tl 
 
 HIS »\V. 
 
 dl tl 
 
 U' SUCC( 
 
 .ssive varieties of climate. ve<ietati( 
 
 )n, an( 
 
 1 soil 
 
 explained by the gradual atteiunition of the rains, as we recede 'rom tlu' 
 ocean. Vicr rriKii, these conditions of the atmosphere and land atte.-<t 
 the ab.sencc of vapor in the ibrmer. .\ll secondary jihenoniena, such as 
 
 tin; annual fires of the great jirair.. if long gra.ss, are conse(|uences of 
 the aridity of the autumnal and winter atmosjihere, and not caiiurs of the 
 absence of timber. 
 
 A</in'ii, the elevation of the plain of the Smilli /\iss is 7S()(I feet above 
 the sea. The streams which c<illect and carry off its waters — Swi-etwater 
 to the east and Sandy to the west— are only larg<' rini/rfa. though their 
 courses are long. The amount of rain in summtir and xnoic in iciiiler 
 
.i/a;.i/o/m.\7/.i o.v the pacjfiv nAiLiioin. 
 
 id: 
 
 irids and riches (o tlio 
 '(■/• iihamloiKs its stiuir. 
 
 r. for Sdiiii- liuiidnMl 
 Inwiicss oi' tlif soil. 
 )1(; siiiootli i'X|iaiist' df 
 Iccri'asiiiji' irriuatidii, 
 (laiiis, wliicli is scarue 
 mill. 
 
 tcri.stic of tli(! surliico 
 Tabic Lands is total 
 'lie soil is either ciini- 
 < here s)iars(Iy elolhcd 
 iinereal jilants. which 
 • Kre. 
 
 eh decide the climate 
 
 modifications of these 
 
 ('oni|iensations exist 
 
 lieli will win flir them 
 
 d. like tlntse of Araliia 
 
 1 Tin- oidy flmnation 
 
 oil soon wastes under 
 
 nterior is every wliere 
 'ordilleras, the T.MiKK 
 ertile decay of hasidtic 
 kedness and apnarent 
 al sninily of water, it 
 reat rivers are eveiy- 
 
 . V(i:;e(ation, and soil 
 lis wo recede <rom tlie 
 )here and land attest 
 ' |)li(!noinena. sucli as 
 are consefjuences of 
 and not nnisrs of the 
 
 /.V.S- is 7S(I(I feet ahove 
 
 ■< waters — Sweetwater 
 
 vinihia. thoiiiih their 
 
 and tiiKiu: lit tciii/er 
 
 upon tlu" wafer-irrade of the Platte and Snake Hivers. and in the South 
 I'ass lietween them, is so in.-iirnificant as to hear no com|(arison in amount 
 with those between Hi»t<in and Uufl'alo ! 
 
 Hut the .■ituiK-ndous ma.vies nf the Wind lliver .Mountains rise in the 
 northern hori/oii of the Soutli I'ass to an altitude of 14.0(1(1 feet. Their 
 
 ureal elevation draws down the va]iors lett in tlie atmos])liere. which 
 clothe their summit.'- with jierjx'tiial. and their flanks with winter snows. 
 The.se su|n>ly wators to tlie j:reat rivers, and cover the flanks and iroii^cs 
 of the ''reat mountains with immen.se forests. The same is the case 
 
 elsewhere w 
 
 ith the L'reat /niiinin/ mountain chains, siicli as the Ital 
 
 I or 
 
 Wa.sitch and tht 
 
 ilmon liiver 
 
 .Ml 
 
 iintains 
 
 lint th 
 
 ,/, 
 
 le siriiiiiiiiri/ ninun- 
 
 tainsand |ia.s.ses are entirely naked of timher, havini; uiion them neither 
 
 rams nor snows at anv season. 
 
 Hut 
 
 an e.xtraordiuarv /</ 
 
 ./ 1 
 
 lere ( 
 
 level. 
 
 it.self. If W 
 
 iim 
 
 th 
 
 ]ioint 
 
 kliere the junction of .-ievcral small streams forms the Kansas Kiver. I2tl 
 
 m 
 
 iles due west from the Mis.-iouri River, tis a rrnfrr, a cin 
 
 lie 1 
 
 )e lU'scri 
 
 l.e.1 
 
 touching the boundary line of 41l^ as a tangent, the ojijiosite side 
 of the circle will ]>ass tlirough the seaport of Matagorda in Texas, 
 
 tl 
 
 irouif 
 
 ii \ew Orleans and .MohiU 
 
 Th 
 
 ml 
 
 nt is. therefore, th 
 
 t' II iirri'. 
 
 n( 
 
 tith and south, of our countrv. If from the sm 
 
 end 
 
 rr a larirer circle 
 
 he described, it will pass through San Franci.sco. and through ^'ancouver 
 City, on the Columbia, exactly grazing the whole coast between them. 
 The .same circle will jia.ss through (.fiiebec and Boston on the Atlantic, 
 through /Iiiriiini on thetiu"'. and through the city of Mc.i'iro. The same 
 point is then tlie r/-«/re between the oceans. 
 
 Thus, at the forks of the Kansas Itiver a ])oint exists, in latitude ."JS" 
 
 -t.j', and loiiiritude DT 
 
 Wl' 
 
 ■it of (ireenwich. which is the Hva 
 
 KiK.Vl'IIKA!, 
 
 Ck.vtkk — north and .south, east ami west — at once of our whole national 
 territory, of the ba-sin of the Mississijipi, and of the continent of North 
 America ! 
 
 'Hw /luf.t. then, which concentrate thenis(.'lves to locate the ('niifiiKii/nf 
 Riiiliriii/ at the line of wator-grades from ocean to ocean, sum them.selves 
 up conclusively in its f;ivor and against all others. 
 
 From Baltimore and New York, through St. Louis to Kansas, this 
 road is now under contract and construction. For this distance the route 
 traverses a country guttered with rivers : interruptcMl by the narrow and 
 abrujit ribs of the Alleghany chain : covered with timber: having a fitful 
 climate vexed with immense niins and snows: the surface infinitelv chan- 
 
 nelled with water-»iuii-s*'s and 
 
 itl 
 
 ]u'rplexe(l witli innumerahle ravines, alter 
 
 blc 
 
 iiltc 
 
 nating with stwp am' narrow hills. 
 
 Yet this half of tho wliole road progresses over all the.sc difficulties 
 
198 
 
 Ari'EXDlX. 
 
 with sufh ease und celerity, tliat armimeiit of it.s iiii|iia( tieal)ility is imt 
 tolerated. But a^;aiiist the remaining half (if the mad, from KaiiNis to 
 Astoria, these armuiieiits are tolerated, though in truth thej have all ceasfil, 
 and sueh ohst ructions and inijiedinieiits have no existence in inihiri . 
 
 The reniaining hulf from Kansas to Astoria crosses no river of any 
 niaj.'nitude, yet |»ursue.s tlie hanks of great rivers continuously the wlinj,. 
 distance. The hanks of these rivijrs, risinj;- hut a few feet ahove tin' 
 water surface, are of iniini'Mse width, iierfeclly hard and dry, and snmoili 
 a.^ a water levi'l. Such is the general characteristic uf the I'latte and 
 (.'oluiuhia from end to end. 
 
 The jtlain of the Smitlt /'ass is almost as .smooth and hard as a niiulilc 
 pavement, and is of a general lireadth e.\c(,'eding thirty niili'S. Not a 
 single eminence cxi.sts in the whole distance hut is tunnelled hy these 
 rivers tlown to the general grade. On the track everywhere is material 
 in every variety ol" i'orm and in tlii^ suhliniest ahundaiici'. 
 
 Jiumher exists in ahundance in the high mountains to the right and 
 left. Iron can he sujiplied at the ends and ujion the navigalile rivers, 
 hrought from Eurojie if necessary, as it now comes for nearly all the rail- 
 roads in America. Mineral coal is abundant from end to end. ixock in 
 every variety — granite, basalt, lava, limestone, and gyjjsum. The I'latte 
 jieiforates a great range of mountains of (/i/psiiiii ; the .Snake River a 
 less one of nivlc-ault. 
 
 This route is not lunthi rn. liut r.nictfi/ antnil. The sublime order 
 and fitness ol' Nature seems here jire-eminently to vindicate and e.\i'm|iliiy 
 it.self. Upon the Kan.sas River it jilunibs the giutgraidiical centre of the 
 national territory. From hence it curves northward to Baltimore, the 
 most Kiiiit/irni Atlantic city of great commercial activity. It curves 
 gently to the northward to the mouth of the Columbia. This is in lati- 
 tude 4()° I'.y, being three degrees .south of Havre in France, and eight 
 degrees south of Liverpool and Amsterdam. 
 
 Vet the climate of Western America is milder than that of Western 
 HuroiPC. It is al.so upon the coasts extending fifteen <legrees north of the 
 Columbia that the murine of the Pacific will be constructed, as lu-re are 
 combined the conveniences of sea-harbors and forests. It is in the Raltic 
 and British I.sles that all the vinn'tir of Europe is built and owned. It is 
 likewi.se on the St. Lawri'iice and in New England that the murine of 
 America is constructed and owned. 
 
 To speak of the obstruction of ImUanx ujion the route is a monstrous 
 hnr/isijKc. The whole aggregate nundier of men, women, and children, 
 within several hundred miles along the flanks of this rout-e, does mil 
 amount to nine tlioasand, or one-fifth of the pojjulation of Washington 
 
 ill 
 
liiipriK ti(iil)ility is rmt 
 
 loilll, IVciIU K;i|isi.s t<i 
 
 111 till'} Iiiivcall ((ii.s,.,!^ 
 |it('iif(! ill iin/iin . 
 lisM'M III) river (,{' miy 
 |Mitiminiisly tlic wliiil,. 
 li'W i'cct iilmvc ill,, 
 and (Irv, ;iiiil .siiio<>t|| 
 fie ipf tlif I'liittc iiiid 
 
 and hard as a inailili. 
 
 tliiity miles. \,,t ., 
 is tunnelled liy these 
 verywhero is material 
 laiiee. 
 
 ins t(t tile ridit ami 
 the naviualde rivers, 
 (ir nearly all the lail- 
 nd to end. JIuek in 
 yi>siim. The I'hitte 
 
 the Siiako lliver a 
 
 The suliliiiie order 
 iidieato and o.\em|ilily 
 rajdiieal centre of tin- 
 rd to Iialtiiiiore, the 
 activity. It curves 
 I)ia. This is in lati- 
 iii France, and eitiht 
 
 hull that of Western 
 dcj!;rees north of tlu; 
 
 istiHicted, as liere are 
 It is in tlie Baltic 
 
 ilt and owned. It is 
 that the iiiiin'iie of 
 
 route is a monstrous 
 (imeii, and children. 
 ;his rout«, does not 
 atlon of Wasliinntdii 
 
 MKMOliAMlA OS' rilE I'Alll-'li' llM/Jt()M>. 
 
 109 
 
 City! The most moderate pay would make of tliem valuable herders of 
 stock, and hunters. The ](asturet< now maintain meat u|ion tlie hoof, or 
 liiilfalo, Ut tile amount of many millions. A Inun/ni/ ini/lidiis of tame 
 cattle will niaintaiii tliemselvcH in the i)utl°alo country, fat in conditioii 
 round the year. Jin/ is the approjiriute food of these dry and lii^Ii 
 altitudes. 
 
 The riisfini lialf of this route, from Baltimore to Kan.sas, traverses very 
 centrally the densest ]io|iulation, the lar;;-est |iroduction and consumption, 
 and consei|uently tlie line of <;reatcst travel and coinmerci!. The same 
 will lie the case with the irixtirii Inilf as soon as the Imr/csi/nr of"' Indian 
 occupation" is hruslied out of the way. The immense mass of pioneers 
 in all the elder States chafes to issue out and cover this delij^'htful cimu- 
 try with rej)iil)lics. 
 
 The country emhraciiiLr tin- sources of the Sweetwater, Colorado, and 
 Snake Jlivers is a j;oId country, eiiuallin^ California or Hrazil, hut iiiac- 
 eessihle to ocean navij:ation. The climate does not, (M(iial!y as in the.sc 
 latter countrii's, pulverize and disiiitejirate ihe rock. The <£'M is in a 
 matri.x of (jiiartz. The hard jporphyry and lava will descend in iniiiien.se 
 (piantities, anil thus economize the paviiij; of the cities of the Valley of 
 the Mi.ssissippi. 
 
 One natural production of Ihe eastern edj,'e of the Taiii.e Lands will 
 soon re]>ay the cost of the construction of this road. This is SAl/r. 
 
 There are mountains near the sources of Snake Jliver, composed of 
 stratified nias.ses of rmh-stilt — just as other river bluffs arc of limestone. 
 This, ipiarried with liirht tools, and <rrouiid to jiowder, as grain is re- 
 duced to flour, is tlui pure alum salt of commerce. J')very living soul of 
 America u.si's salt thrice per day. Every animal r(.'(|uires it as frei|ueiitly. 
 Every ounce of jtrovisions is preserved with it. It is mixed with hay, 
 and preserves timber. It is u.sed in the manufactures and tine art«. 
 IJrought licnce down to tlu; focal jioint of navigation in .Missouri, this 
 State will become liie distributing point of this most valuable, greatest, 
 and most indispensable article of commerce. 
 
 By the last national census, the annual jiroduction of our country 
 reaches the value of thnr t/ioiisinn/ iin'/Zioiin of dollars. Seventy-five jier 
 cent, of this is/ooif, which finds no market among the comparatively lim- 
 ited jiopulation of Europe, 1^(1'), (100,(1(10, v.-ho feed themselves. 
 
 Around the Pncljic, in front of Astoria, are 745,000,000 of hungry 
 Ahiath's and Poli/insidiis, who have groceries, clothing, spices, and por- 
 celain, to exchange for meat and grain. 
 
 But the icfsfvrn half of this road departs from the bank of the Mis- 
 souri, to which :dl America has ac os at this hour by the navigable 
 
I ! 
 
 u 
 
 
 i'.i 
 
 
 200 
 
 Ari'h\\/)/x. 
 
 rivers; and rmiii Aj^toria tlicsi- inilliniis of coiiMiiiicrs iiiay Ix^ niiclu'J 
 directly, over a tniii((iiil oifaii ami iiiidcr a /i nijn mti aliiiiis|ilu'ri'; tlie 
 e(|uatnrial Iieat.s are diily eiicounteretl la^t and at the jilacc ul' tinai de- 
 livery. 
 
 No doubt, in the ]io]iulous, central, f'ood-jirotlucinf; States of lnwa, Mis- 
 siiiiri, .Vrkan.sas, and Illinois, /Imr Innidinl iiilllinns of dollars' wurlli ul' 
 produce of industry tidl annually to find a market, and the jirotit tlicreon 
 jierislies, for want of this road art from the centre to the /("////western 
 coast ! 
 
 IJnl it is inijiortant that the jii'i/i/c receive with candor, and allow due 
 wcijilit to, the overwhelminjj,- and conclusive jiroofs in fuvor of this mute 
 of the water-^radi'S, which Nature, all recorded human ex|ierience. and tla; 
 solid sfiiiicc of civil enjiineerinj:', cons|iire to sulmiit to their judj:ineiit. 
 i\'</////v is the sujirenie engineer ; or/ is prosperous oidy whilst adhering 
 to her teachinjis. 
 
 We have seen in what a simple and suhlini" harmony the InrisHih I'nrco 
 of Nature eli'Vates vapors from the sea. forms tlu'Ui int ' clou<l halloons in 
 the upi cr atmosphere, an(W/////.>iy////7.s them on currents oi' air over the 
 continents; how these become condensed and distil themselves over the 
 face of the land in the form of irriuatinjj; rains. 
 
 This water havinji' jierfornu'd its renovating duty, by tilteiin.^' throuiih 
 the surface soil, be<:'ins a^ain to collect : first in remote hollows and un- 
 dulations : thewi unite into rivulets : rivulets into larj!,er streams: streams 
 into rivers : rivers into the great I're.sh-water //v/z/yZ/.s, which return this 
 drainajie from the land, to mix with the salt oi' the ocean, to be renovated 
 and perlitrm a<rain their jjart in the drriihitlnn of nature. 
 
 Now, the use of jtithlic irorhx to human society is the same as are her 
 works to Nature: to bring /'// and distribute clothing!; and groceries; to 
 collect and carry nut surplus food and jtroductions of every variety. 
 
 In the transferring to and fro of the waters of the univer.se, Nature 
 accom]>lishes a.s much heavy transportation in a few hours as will suffice 
 the social wants of Auuu-ica for a century. This, then, is all that is .sv////(/^ 
 ill evil engineering, and comprehends all tlie good that it ////.s and caii 
 do for human society: — to select those uyifi-r-qrftdcs whew, in further 
 imitation of Nature, humar energy may smooth tlie asperities and econom- 
 ically adajit to use tlie curves and grades witli which slie lias everywhere 
 furnished the face of the land. 
 
 Thus, then, to recapitulate and sum up the array of facts wliich con- 
 centrate themselves to decide the locnfian of the Continkntal IIail- 
 WAY. Xdtiiri' and all sound human experience unite to select tlu; imtcr- 
 griide of the Platte and Snake Kivers, and against any departure from i*. 
 
MKM(>ll.\Sh.\ nS Tin: r.MIFlc ItMI.UoMi. 
 
 .'01 
 
 ■rs may I.,, iv.iclu'il 
 ''' iiliii(isj,li,.|v: tlic 
 II' pliicc of liiiiil il,^ 
 
 states ol" l,,\va, Mis- 
 il' ilnllais" wmtli lit' 
 llic jniifit ill,. I- 
 
 tllC /*'/;7//\\, .,1,.||| 
 
 iiliir, ami alluw ilim 
 
 aviir (iC tliis iiiiiti' 
 
 <'.\|u'i'it'ni-c, ami tlic 
 
 ti) tlirii' jiiiluiiicnt. 
 
 Illy wliilsl adliciiiig 
 
 _V tllC I'lirisilili riirc(; 
 
 t" fldiid lialldiitis ill 
 iifs ol' air (ivcr tlic 
 lieuiselvt'S over tlio 
 
 y fiitcriiif'' tlir(iiif:h 
 iifo Jiolliiws ami 1111- 
 L'l" .sti'oaiii.s : «( reams 
 , whiih rcfiirii this 
 'an, to \tv rciHivatcd 
 ire. 
 lie samci as are licr 
 
 and frrofcrii's ; to 
 very variety, 
 le universe. Xatiire 
 iur.s as will suffice 
 is all that is >^niiii,l 
 lat it Ikix and cun 
 
 wliere, in i'lirtlier 
 jrities and eediiom- 
 \\c lias everywhere 
 
 f faets wliieli con- 
 
 S'TI.NK.NTAI, li.VIL- 
 
 I) seleet tlus im/cr- 
 dejiarture from i*. 
 
 Tl'tliis route defleets at all I'l'om aji exact n nlni/i/i/. it is to the suul/i. and 
 not Inwards the north, that il Iicai's. Its Iwo halve,-, d.'.ci'uim: tVoni the 
 iinln. ^ive the almitiM lines to ihe sea, lhioiii:h the countiie> and |hi|iii- 
 iations when' tiie work to he done is the ;:i'eatest, and the nece»iiy lor 
 it iiio>l iiniiiediate. pressimr. and lasting;, 
 
 (hiihalf is located and under eiiiislruetioii. Asa lliruinili road it is 
 the s/i'iifist line across Nmlh .\nierica. must conveniently connectiiiu .\sia 
 and I'll lidl'K //'/ '/" jii ijii fiiii/ /iiii iif inii/ Irnri I n/' nil iimjifr. 'l"hoUi:h 
 
 iiieandei'ini: inii'nii/ imiiK^n.se mountain chains, it |iasset< thei 
 iiels eiini|ilelely iiiade liy nature. 
 
 l.v t 
 
 un- 
 
 Neil 
 
 ler snow niu' ram, nor ^reat rivers, enioarrass either ils eiin>liue- 
 
 tiun or i's al'ter-u.<e : the climate is ]ii'e-eniinently jirojiitious : matciial to 
 
 construct IS coiiveiiien 
 
 tly at 
 
 hand, at easv intervals on the rit^ht and lel't 
 
 fuel and water aliundaiit forever. The inititfirnl excellence of the whoUi 
 rciiioii, comhined with a dry almos|ihere and liealth, su|i|ilyiii,i: meat-food 
 and ti'aiis|)ortation indefinitely, will render easy the imincdiale iiiHiix and 
 residence of an immense ]io(iulation. 
 
 The vicinity where the i;reat Si< rnt Mailrr is ]ieneti'ated, and where 
 J'wi great rivers have their sources together, is ]irodigiously [irolilic in salt, 
 hard rock lor architecture and ]iavinu', medicinal hot siiriiijis, all the 
 jirccious metals and jewels, furs, lumlier, and the hides of animals. 
 
 If 1 have delineated with any success, and exiilaiiu'd correctly the fea- 
 tures (if Sittiirf. in gcojii'aiihy, climate, and topoiiraiihy, there remains to 
 ex-miiu^ the liearinj;' uiion this Viork of the comhined hostili' influence of 
 
 (/// commerce allied with iiolidi 
 
 Why tl 
 
 us jireat central route, suc- 
 
 cessfully ojicned in the time of ,Jetl('i'soii and hy the eiieruy of Aslor, was 
 attacked, stoji]ied, and finally xhiit ii/>, under President .Monroe, Ami 
 why ils reojieiiing is still hamjiered and iiostjioned by the sauu! remorse- 
 less and unrelentinu; eiiemie.s. 
 
J t 
 
 
 ■VI. 
 
 THE HEMP-GROWING REGIOX. 
 
 Thkuk i.s a rcn-ion of Mi.ssonn' and Kini.san oi' rapidly rising fame and 
 importance, gaining f(jr it.seif a State and a national repntation, wliieh we 
 will define as the '' licgioii of the Hemp Cultured Specially favored by 
 nature in its geographical locality, climate, navigation, and superlative fer- 
 tility, this region has become the seat of a hemp culture which has a 
 stiong, organized, and national foundation. 
 
 The hemp culture receives special attention in twenty counties of West- 
 ern Missouri, bisected by the Missouri lliver, and all adjacent to its t^vo 
 shores. '^1 jy form a belt t)f land east and west, enclosed between die 
 38th and 40f h degrees of latitude. 
 
 Here is the production of these counties in hemp, in order as they lie 
 along the river — census of 1850 : 
 
 JackboD, 
 
 Cole, 
 
 riatte, 
 
 Howard, 
 
 LKt'nyt'tte, 
 
 Cass, 
 
 Clay, 
 
 liiioiie. 
 
 Siiliuc, 
 
 Johnson, 
 
 Ray, 
 
 Clinton, 
 
 Cooper, 
 
 Pettis, 
 
 Carroll, 
 
 Kandolph, 
 
 Monitenu, 
 
 Miller, 
 
 Chariton, 
 
 liui'hanan 
 
 The iiggregatc of annual production being 14,173 tons, or 28,340,000 
 pounds. 
 
 Since 1850, the hemp culture has increa.sed in vigor, both in the hmd 
 assigned to its culture and in the application of machineiT to i'.o produc- 
 tion and manufacture. The production of that year, within the aliove 
 region, was 28,346,000 pounds, estimtiting the ton at 2('U0 pounds; and 
 that of the whole State 10,110 tons, or 32,238,000 pounds. 
 
 The cour.«e of the Missouri Kiver through this region of superlative 
 fertility may be compared to the Nile flowing through Lower Egypt to the 
 Mcditorraneiin. It is in the ability of an abundant and bountedus pro- 
 duction that this comparison holds, but not in temperature, climate, or 
 physical features. 
 
 In Egypt, the arable and inhabitable district is limited to the ravine of 
 the Nile, which is overflowed and irrigated by its waters ; beyond this the 
 202 
 
 primeval de 
 
 characterize 
 
 fertilizing \ 
 
 ever-flowinj 
 
 which havt 
 
 But, on 
 
 ravine of t 
 
 gated cola 
 
 This uiidu 
 
 basins of t 
 
 So muc 
 
 exquisite i 
 
 the sea nu 
 
 Thecu 
 
 to south. 
 
 The M 
 
 lliver in 
 
 Missouri 
 
 length. 
 
 lines of 
 
 South 31 
 
 They 
 
 the Km 
 
 which tl 
 
 of Mex 
 
 This 
 
 thronge 
 
 Americ 
 
 Union. 
 
 nhich 
 
 progres 
 
 habitat 
 
 It is 
 
 that 111 
 
THE lIEMr-GKOWISG REGIOS. 
 
 203 
 
 1, ill order as they lie 
 
 i tons, or 28,340,000 
 
 primeval desert reigns everywhere supreme. With us, the same fertility 
 characterizes the borders of the stream, whieh has the same abundauue uf 
 fertilizing waters, the same splendid navigation, the same solemnity in it^ 
 ever-flowing channel, and the same redundancy of benignant attributes 
 which have deified the Nile. 
 
 But, on every side, from the gently elevated crest that bounds the 
 ravine of the Mi.ssouri, expands, with a radius of 1000 miles, that varie- 
 gated culcurcotis plain, which we define as the '^ Basin of the MinsisKijypi." 
 This undulating plain has an area erjual in capacity to all the other river 
 basins of tlie world, and conibines all their varieties. 
 
 So much does the mind revert to the ocean to explain by comparison its 
 exquisite romantic beauty, at once immense and regular, that this hymu to 
 the sea may with propriety describe it : 
 
 " Thou glorious mirror, where the Almighty's form 
 Glasses itself in tempests; in all time, 
 Calm or convulsed — iu breeze, or gale, or storm, 
 
 Dark heaving;- -Ijounilless, endless, and sublime — 
 The image oi" eternity — -the throne 
 Of the Invisible — . . . each zone 
 Obeys thee; thou goest forth, dread, fathomless, alone I" 
 
 The curreia course of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers is from north 
 to south. The latter is so tliroughout its whole length. 
 
 The Missuuri, after a southern cour.se of 3000 miles, receives the Kansas 
 River in latitude 39', turns abruptly to the eauf, penetrates Uie State of 
 Missouri, and bisects it from west to cast, with a channel -it miles iu 
 length. Into the eastern moutli of this chainiel, all the grei-t natural 
 lines of travel coming from the Atlantic by the St. Lawrence, Ohio, and 
 South Mississippi Rivers, concentrate as rays to a focal point. 
 
 They iire altogether carried forward to the central west at the mouth of 
 the Kansas, where the unbroken prairie formation meets the river, and to 
 which the radiant land routes over their expanse, coming from tlie (iulf 
 of Mexico and tlie Pacific Ocean, similarly conccntrato. 
 
 This channel is now, and is destined prospectively to remain, the most 
 thronged and wonderful in the world. It is central, east and nest, to the 
 Americi'u Continent, to the Basin of the ML-^sissippi, and to th<> American 
 Union. It lies along tlie axis of that isatliernial tern) rate zane, within 
 which is the zoJi(tc of nations, and is also the a.els of the poi)ulation, 
 jirogress, travel, production, consumption, commerce, transj}ortatii)n, and 
 liabitation of the human race. 
 
 It is the highway from Western l-lurope to Oriental .\si:!. It is under 
 that line of /(f^V(/f?(; where all things northern and southern meet and blend 
 
204 
 
 A PPESDIX. 
 
 I'^Wf 
 
 fl 
 
 togetluT — where tlie day and iiifilit. the seasons of tlie year, lahor. the 
 growth of nature, and all the elenicMts of human society and of the \ cue- 
 table and animal worl'l, liave the widest range, the greatest variety, and 
 the highest development. 
 
 Having a double shore, this '-hannel has 800 miles of eoast. Tt lias 
 tlie familiar accommodation imu safety of a canal, a ra'iriad, or a strcrl. 
 
 Its de]ith of water and ea>iaeity for toninieree will receivi- and cany 
 forward the freiglitage of al! the oceans and all the continents. Similar 
 ciiannels have been known and used in both ancient and modern times — 
 such are the Lower Nile, the IJosjihorus. and J)ar<lanelles, the Strait of 
 Hercules, the English Channel, the Baltic's mouth, the Hudson from New 
 York to Albany — onl}' this has greater length, divides more fertile shores, 
 and connects more numerous hosts of nations. 
 
 Such is the Jfcmj) Itryloii. It has an altitude 1000 feet above the si'a. 
 a salubrity e(|ual to the Table Lamls, a fertility superior to the Delta of 
 Louisiana, an unlimited area, a navigation better than the .sea, a climate 
 exactly congeniid to tlic white man, a rural beauty forever graceful, fresh, 
 and fascinating 
 
 It is, on a va.stly magnified scale, the counterpart of that delicious and 
 cla.ssic Italy, traversed by the Po, dotted with cities, Venice, A'erona, 
 Mantua, Milan, of which SllAKSl'EAKE lias written, ami where ViittiiL 
 ami Tasso sung. 
 
 If an eiri{)se be described extending from the Osage mouth to Fort 
 Kiley, ^ >me 500 miles, an<l in breadth !i<HI, it will contain that distiict of 
 fat, lustrous soil, exub(>rant vegetation, graceful beauty, an<l abundant 
 streams, where Nature has bomitifuUy blended all her choicest gifts to 
 locate the nirol qiu'iitessi'iice of America and of the wo.ld ! 
 
 Stimulated by the inspiring splendor of their natural position, the 
 vigorous pojiulation of this region have ])ursmMl agriculture, commerce, 
 and manufactures with an ambition and success which indicate a growing 
 empire in nothing unworthy of their prospective de.stiny. 
 
 Every department of production and industry has been tried, and all 
 thrive. Hemp, tobacco, flax, the grajie and wiiu;, silk, stigar, the cereals 
 and grasses ; cattle of the finest breeds ; agricultural nnichinery, flowers, 
 steam, and niining. Society exalts it,s tone by a taste for religious edifices 
 and elo<|uenc(! ; education receives great and universal care; mu>ic and re- 
 finement are zealously oiltivated. 
 
 Apart from these fascinating gifts i." Nature and the promise which 
 germinates lieneath their warmth, a jinsfii/r entwines it.self with and illu- 
 minates the history of this region. This runs back to the golden time of 
 thti jiii/n'iirc/iitl I'oiuiders of our cuiitiiuiifiif empire; it stretches over the 
 
 dark chasn 
 
 nous Auroi 
 
 of our null 
 
 We ha\ 
 
 l{(i(iKUS (. 
 
 Lot IS X\ 
 
 who li'd oi 
 
 twilight o 
 
 they have 
 
 To und 
 
 select out 
 
 which sta 
 
 niarkable 
 
 This s\ 
 
 very anci( 
 
 IllSTOl 
 
 struggles. 
 
 and attaii 
 
 defined t( 
 
 Histor 
 
 their risj 
 
 depart etl. 
 
 the nortl; 
 
 ZODIAC t 
 
 The a 
 
 latitude, 
 
 climates 
 
 the Pers 
 
 the /''/> 
 
 in the i 
 
 It is hei 
 
 imist ne 
 
 This 
 
 the glol 
 
 extendi 
 
 edge t( 
 
 Europi 
 
 It is 
 
 the lui 
 
 front in 
 
 intcrco 
 
Tin: iiEMP-anowi.Mi iiKdioy. 
 
 205 
 
 tJic year, lalmr. the 
 •ictj and of fl,,, vcn^. 
 greatest variety, niid 
 
 L's of coast. Tt li;,s 
 a'Ir)ail, or a strrcl. 
 
 I'fccivi' and cnnv 
 •""tiiicnts. Similar 
 
 nd modern times 
 
 iH'lli's, the Strait of 
 Hudson i'rom Xew 
 s more fertile sliores, 
 
 •• firt above tlie sea. 
 "or to tile ]),.Ita of 
 •1 tlio sea, a climate 
 i-ovor graceful, fresh, 
 
 f that delicious and 
 iof^, Venice, ^'erona, 
 , and where Vii{(iir, 
 
 'age mouth to Fort 
 tain that district of 
 '»ty, and aliundant 
 icr clioicest gifts to 
 p.ld ! 
 
 itural position, the 
 ii-ulture, commerce, 
 indicate a growing 
 'J- 
 
 Ijocii tried, and all 
 , «»gar, the cereals 
 machinery, flowers, 
 iir religions edifices 
 •are; music and re- 
 
 the promise which 
 f.«<'H'with and illu- 
 lu' golden time of 
 stretches over the 
 
 dark chasm of sealxiard monarchy, and lias its fountain in the lumi- 
 nous Aurora and among the immortal patriots who limned out the jirotile 
 of our finitiiKiital vn\\n\\', and inaugurated the march of our destinies. 
 
 We liave here among us the graves of D.VNIKL 15(M)NK. (iKhrue 
 ]{(MiKi{s Ci.AUKK, li.vrLKDK, and the names of .loiiN .lAtoH AsTttll, 
 ]i(»lis XVI. of France, ].i.\SAI,I,K. and Dk Soto, great and intrepid men 
 who li'd or befriended tlii' iiioiieers. those stars which shone in the first 
 twilight of em]iire. To Jkkkkusox and Jackson wc were known, and 
 they have been known to us as \mY frlinilx. 
 
 To unth-rstand this pnsfiijf and its strength, it is necessary briefly to 
 select out and .set apart to themselves a few facts in the history of progre.s.s, 
 which stand along its path, and, like pyramids in the solitude, fix its re- 
 markable epochs. 
 
 This sy.stem of civili/ed .society, of which we Americans form a part, is 
 very ancient, and is in/n rifid. 
 
 IIlsToilV is the journal of its geographical pri>gress. its vici.ssitudes, its 
 struggles, and its energies. Where society has a.ssuiiuMl its largest form 
 and attained tlie higliest level of civilization and longest endurance, it is 
 defined to be an ciii^iirr. 
 
 Hi.story chiefly occupies itself with the biography of tlie.se empires, 
 their rise, culmination, and decadence. They have appeared, lived, and 
 departed, like generations of men. They lie along a .serpentine zone of 
 the north hemisphere of the globe, within mt lnothfrmdl halt, and form a 
 ZODIAC thirty-five degrees in width. 
 
 The axis of this zodiac alternates abovi' and below the 4()lh degree of 
 latitude, as the neighborhood or remoteness of the oceans modifies the 
 climates of the continents. These empires are the (.'hiiu'.se. the Indian, 
 the Persian, tlie (irecian, the Ifoman, the S|iani.<h, the Briti.sh, and, last, 
 the /'ifiiifih'iiiii Kiiij>iii' of North America. These are the essential tines 
 in the regular ordi'r of time and uiion the hereditary line of progre.ss. 
 It is here that the mass of land is the greatest, and where the continents 
 i"ost nearl}' ajiproach one another. 
 
 This ZODIAC of nations contains iiinc-ldit/is of the white jiopulatiou of 
 the globe, and all its civilization. The territory of the American iieo]ile, 
 extending across this continent, exactly fills this i.sothermal zone from 
 edge to edge, occupying the whole connecting space between Western 
 Europe and (Jn'rufaf Asia. 
 
 It is on tlie.^e two fronts of the old continents that the two halves of 
 the humau race are .separately congregated, both fronting America and 
 fronting one anotlier. face to face, across America. The straight line of 
 intcreourse between them, only 1((,()00 miles in length, pursues the axis 
 
'Ij^- 
 
 206 
 
 APPEXTJrX. 
 
 of the isotliorniiil zone, out of wliieh it never deflects either into the torrid 
 heats or tht; frozen north. 
 
 Jlrrr. thi'ii. is the tenacious, the divine instinct of jiroirross and liherty, 
 whicli fired the .«oul of ConMHLS, of WAsmxfiTox. of Jkkfeuson. and 
 of Jackson. In this faith they lived; this faith they vindicated and 
 never betrayed ; and in this faith they died, to inherit among posterity a 
 supreme, untainted immortality. 
 
 T/iix fin'fli forms the inspiration of the Declaration of 177(». animated 
 the patriarchal generation, and was renewed and codified in the Constitu- 
 tion of '87. It .selected Jefferson in 1798, and Jackson* in 1828. Its 
 eagles are now erected among the pioneers out in the wilderness, in Kan- 
 sas, in Utah, in California, and in Oregon. Upon them are i'ml)o>si'd the 
 ancient rights of man, the continental union, the continental railroad, the 
 continental cause ! 
 
 During the administration of Jeffersox, central ertmsion, pursuing 
 the isothermal axis through the continent, was prosecuted with great vigor 
 as the favorite policy of the government. Lewis and Clarke recon- 
 noitred and made known the character of the rivers, the mountains, and 
 the connections of the Basins of the jMissi.-isippi and Cohnnbia by direct 
 passes. John Jacor Astor planted trading colonies and paths through 
 the wilderness, and upon the bank of the othei' sea opposite to China. 
 
 The rapid creation of the States of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, 
 and ^Ii.s,souri, carried forward the Union in a salient colunui, embracing 
 the water-line of the great rivers and reaching here to the r/ror/raphiral 
 centre in 1820 ! Up to that date the Jlanlcs had remained stationary in 
 New York and Georgia. 
 
 The design then was to go through with the parallelogram of central 
 States from sea to sea, and from this base to advance outward, planting 
 States simultaneously towards the south and towards the north. This 
 policy was criitpled during the time of Mr. Madison by the vicissitudes 
 t)f foreign war. It was abandoned and reversed by Messrs. ^Ionroe and 
 Adams. 
 
 Ill their time grew up the political divisions of North and South, and 
 a maritime policy inaugurated itself Since that date, central progress has 
 abruptly stopped, and great activity upon the flanks has brought them up 
 to an even front in Totca, and a greatly advanced position in Texas. 
 
 The central force has, howexcY, j'umjwd the continent straight to the 
 front, occupied the sea-coasts of Oregon and California, and founded the 
 new maritime power upon the Pacific and opposite to Asia. 
 
 Since the selection of the site of the city of Independence, in 1824, to 
 1854, a chasm in time of thirty years, central extension had rested as 
 
 stagnant as 
 and perpetu 
 tribes and f 
 tending froi 
 prairie foun 
 Hence is 
 formed of a 
 and surroui 
 Such are 
 legislates t 
 Mis.souri ai 
 The anti 
 out its hig 
 on the one 
 power to h 
 greatness t 
 In the J 
 had a woi 
 and has pi 
 spots. T 
 San Frani 
 tions by st 
 The fn 
 of the M 
 unrivallet 
 Region. 
 
 This 3 
 
 ^lissouri 
 
 beetles o 
 
 tar at th^ 
 
 It cov 
 
 the Stati 
 
 cago anc 
 
 ing the 
 
 to New 
 
 The 
 
 little fr( 
 
 passing 
 
 cisco, I 
 
 to all t 
 
 Her 
 
■Jj^ 
 
 I cither into the torrid 
 
 ']»ro.uross fiiRl lil.crty, 
 \. of JkKFEUSOX. iiiid 
 they vindicated nnd 
 p'it among posterity a 
 
 jii of 1770, animated 
 [ified in the Constitu- 
 ^OKso.v in \^2A. It.^ 
 k wildenie.ss, in Kan- 
 K'm are end)o,ssed the 
 fi'iKiKal raih-nad, the 
 
 ' ''■rf'im'oii, pursuing 
 uted with great vigor 
 1111(1 Cl.ARKK recon- 
 ', the mountains, and 
 Columbia by direct 
 !S and paths tlirough 
 ppo.site to China. " 
 k.y, Indiana, Illinois, 
 t column, embracing 
 to the r/roffnip/iicil 
 iiiained stationary in 
 
 Hologram of central 
 e outward, ])lantin," 
 s the north. This 
 f by the vieis.-itudes 
 lessrs. 3roxH(iE and 
 
 rth and South, and 
 
 y/ifriif progress has 
 
 s brought them up 
 
 on in 'jy.cas. 
 
 'lit straight to the 
 
 1- ■•Hid founded the 
 
 Vsia. 
 
 donee, in 1824, to 
 
 I'oit had rested as 
 
 r//i' HEMP-nnowixG reoiox. 
 
 207 
 
 stagnant as though our great river had been frozen at tliis point into solid 
 and perpetual ice. It had been stopjied by an artificial cimhni of Indian 
 tribes and federal law as effectually as by a continuous wall of brass ex- 
 tending from Loui iana to tho41Hh degree, and rising in altitude from the 
 prairie foundation to the clouds. 
 
 Hence is .seen the uni((ue and novel sight of a great continvutid rmplvr^ 
 formed of a circular shell of States traced round the circuniferent seaboard, 
 and surrounding a hollow and vacant disk of desert coniwwnt. 
 
 Such are at present the //<eore/ic«/ principles upon which maritime "^oWcy 
 legislates for the great region of our country connecting the StaiL's of 
 Mis,souri and California straight across. 
 
 The antagonistic struggle is between the instinct of progress plowing 
 out its highway through the continent, along the isothermal axis by land, 
 on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the external shell of maritime 
 power to hold the continent in a maritime Jioop, and subject its industrial 
 greatness to an arrogant sea-pulieij. 
 
 In the great city of New York the active instinct of progress has always 
 had a working Vnality. Like Home, she has pursued an elastic policy, 
 and has planted her commercial colonies at the right time, and in the right 
 spots. These colonies, of the first cla.ss, are New Orleans, Chicago, and 
 San Francisco. With all of these she maintains or needs direct connec- 
 tions by steamers, railroads, and telegraphs, as also with Europe in the rear. 
 
 The ti'ue is rife for another selection, Avhith offers itself in the centre 
 of the Mississippi IJasiti ! A key-point of centraiity and radiance, and of 
 unrivalled excellence. This is Kansas City, the metropolis of the Hemp 
 Region. 
 
 This young and vigorous city, crowning the southern bank of the 
 Missouri River at the point of the angle where it deflects to the east, 
 beetles over the avenues to the prairies of the south and west, like Gibral- 
 tar at the Strait of Hercules. 
 
 It covers the rear of St. Louis, and confines her to the narrow field of * 
 the State of Arkansas. By the thrmigh railroad, coming by way of Chi- 
 cago and Keokuk, crossing the Missouri River at Biunswick, and ascend- 
 ing the south bank, an air-line road exists of only fifty hours' time hence 
 to New York City. 
 
 The river line of the Missouri, Illinois, and St. Lawrence deflects but 
 little from an equal straightness and a similar distance in miles. Railroads 
 passing onwards to Galveston into Texas and New >Iexico, to San Fran- 
 cisco, Utah, and Astoria, will be the shortest lines from New York City 
 to all these extremities and various regions of our continent. 
 
 Here will be found the shortest diagonal line wherewith to bisect the 
 
 'w\ 
 
208 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 y% 
 
 protluctivo territory and pdpulittion of the rnioii t(i\*iir(ls the xniifjiirr^i^ 
 thr(iuji;li tile firuin, hemp, and j)a.storal rej^ioiis, to tlie suj-ar of 'JV'Xjis nnj 
 tlie f;iild and silver of Mexieo. 
 
 It is shitrter to (ralvestoii than any roiit(! traversinj:' the nKiri/iim At- 
 lantic States and heiidinjr with the sea-eoast. It traverses a line of the 
 greatest variety of production and largest distrilmtion of groceries, dry 
 goods, and manufactured metals. 
 
 This /iriii/) rri/iiiii is not more celehrated for hemp than it is lor tuli.Kco, 
 grain, hlooded cattle, and wool ; only this former production is not shared 
 with surrounding regions, where the latter engross exclusive attcnticm. 
 The popidation of the liiDip iryion, in 1850, was 202,413; the assosej 
 property Sl05.44;t.(jr)5. 
 
 Here, then, i.s an immense and solid foundation wherefrom to grasp 
 •and control the exjianding developments //( front, con.si'ipient ui)on the 
 ohliteratioM oi" the Indian harrier, and the bursting forth of the pent-up 
 flood of a iitrnl pni'/nss. oiif over the prairies which undulate to Texas, 
 ^lexico. and tiii! Moinifdins. The front wave of this flood-tide is already 
 in motion ; its s]iray s]M'iiikles the I'fdi'iin almost to the mountain foot. 
 
 The achievements of the coming dvciidf of yeare will differ from its 
 predecessor. It will exhibit a greater mass of energy, concentrated i". 
 one direction, occupied by a single object, and moving with immen,se 
 means over a very short line, which is perfectly straight and open. 
 
 Heretofore the active force of , rrign-ss has been operating round the 
 rim of our territory, on Lake Superior, in California, in Texas, in Florida: 
 in detached sfjuadrons separated from the base of (dd society, by the diam- 
 eter of the continent, or keeping up its communication round the cir- 
 cumference by sen. The opening (katde btholds a concentric ad\ancc, 
 flooding into the cenfrc and reducing all movements to the shortest radii ! 
 Its career opens with a general force of 50,000,000 of population, having 
 gold i\i hand, railroads, steamers, and rivers with prairies on their banks. 
 The difficulties of the icUderness are overcome, the temptations every way 
 increased, the means of motion enormou.sly accumulated. 
 
 Such is the prosperous future which shines over the central nri^t, and 
 fills the atmosphere to the remotest horizon. This prospective view is 
 not too sanguine, it is not exaggerated, it is only in moderate and ap})ro- 
 priate proportion to the materi'id long accumulating and now b-^ginning 
 to stir with activity through its whole reanimated bulk. 
 
 Sound health, complete preparation, fresh and mature vigor, judgment, 
 and a defined and finite object, all blend themselves with the immense and 
 successful movement which closes in to occupy the centre of our country, 
 to reunite its flanks, and to adjust its true slw^ geographical balances forever. 
 
•uanls (lie si,iif/,,rrsf 
 V suiiar ui' T.'Xm.s ,„J 
 
 iij:- the hKin'h'iiii \\. 
 •aviTw.s a Iiii(> .i|' tl„. 
 ion of ;^T<)c('rics, dpy 
 
 laii it is for fdli.icw,^ 
 
 uctidii is nut .sliiuvd 
 
 exclusive atti'iitidii. 
 
 '^,4i;i; tlio assessed 
 
 wherefriiiii to i;ra,sp 
 '>nse(jiu'iit u|ioii the 
 t'urtli of the iieiit-uj) 
 1 undulate to Texas, 
 < flood-tide is already 
 ^10 niduntain flxit. 
 1 will differ from its 
 i-jry, concentrated i-. 
 ovinj; with iuunense 
 ght and open, 
 operatino; round the 
 in Texas, in Fk.rida: 
 society, by the diani- 
 iitiou round the cir- 
 conccntric ad\anco. 
 o the shortest radii ! 
 f popuhttion, liaving 
 iries on their banks. 
 inptation.s every way 
 ted. 
 
 he central utk/, and 
 prospective view is 
 iioderate and appro- 
 and now b':'":inninff 
 L 
 
 re vigor, judirnicnt, 
 ;h the ininien.se and 
 ttre of our country, 
 :i(l balances forever. 
 
 ■VII. 
 AN ORATION. 
 
 SPOKEN BY noX. WII.T.I.VM OTI.IMX, To Til K OrK.<TS OF THK FEXI.W BUOTnER- 
 HOOD, AT DKXVER, COL0U.\DO, JUl-Y 4, M)S. 
 
 Ladies and Gentle.men, Fellow-citizens, each one and all : — 
 The return of Independence Day brings annually together, both at home 
 and in foreign lands, the unanimous American people. 
 
 They unite to express and to renew the fire of devotion ; to burnish 
 afresh the Iioly flame wliich illuminated our natal hour ; that hour when 
 our sacred country was born to a mission of unparalleled liberty, virtue, 
 happiness, and glory. 
 
 We everywhere invoke Heaven, as we surround the innumerable altars 
 of patriotism, co fortify evtiy heart and every will of our now multitudi- 
 nous people ; to tone and forever in.spire them to perpetuate the founda- 
 tions, the standard, and the work erected by the patriarchal fathers ; to 
 emulate their energetic works and virtues, plain in form, intense in forti- 
 tude, radiant with political charity and exalted wisdom. 
 
 The solemnity of this day instructs us to look abroad, with hearts soft- 
 ened by a great love, yet stern with resolution, over our vast country 
 now encircled by the seas. 
 
 The august Congress of 1776 is seen, filled with heroic men, the choice 
 of an heroic people. Wisdom, resolution, calmness, unanimity, sway and 
 moderate their deliberations and tlieir acts. 
 
 With unfaltering faith and self-reliance in the rectitude of their inten- 
 tions and their cause, they pronounce the will of the American people re- 
 solved for Liberty and for Independence. 
 
 In condensed sentences, perfect for logic, .simplicity, truth, and eloquence, 
 they face and expel from the American continent tyrants and oppression ; 
 they summon and appeal to the virtue and sympathy of mankind. 
 
 Their resolutions and their acts, free from doubt, are ecjually daring, 
 final, and complste. 
 
 In the rancoroua and prolonged v-'onflicts of war, essential to meet and 
 
 14 20C 
 
210 
 
 APPESinX. 
 
 quell the implHccble riige and avarice of power, war^ seen the same reso- 
 lute will a like impregnable ondui jiice, an equal faith, the same unfal- 
 tering fi<l"lity. 
 
 From tliis orJeal. sublime in all its aets and features, eamc forth a rctreu- 
 orated pen, .le. Regenerated ! Because unanimously born to liberty, the 
 menaces and blows of covetous power struck to dwarf its dimeiisioiis, to 
 blunt its freshness, to wring subjugation from inflicted tortures, had been 
 understood, resisted, and annihilated. 
 
 To LiBKUTY WAS APnET) Tnpjivendence. To liberty had accrued the 
 supreme power of self-discipline, self-protection, self-rule, self-perpetuation ! 
 
 But the Congress of 177(i, having its origin and its authority from the 
 unanimous will and power of the people, declared itself to be the " Con- 
 tinental Congres, of the American people." In their name were erected 
 and maintained a continental army ; a continental marine ; a continental 
 currency ; a continental cau-^e. 
 
 Animated by the loftiest sentiments, unsullied by the meretricious taste 
 for power, the profoundly wise and courageous charity which declared and 
 established the independent liberty of the individual man, decreed also 
 that the geographical area of the continent should be dedicated and sanc- 
 tified to the exercise of his freedom. 
 
 Hence, from these preliminary triumphs, in harmony with them and 
 spontaneou.sly, sprang with ease the Union op the United States of 
 Amehica. 
 
 Liberty, Independence, Union — these were the benignant fruits gath- 
 ered and perpetuated by the American Bevolution for the American 
 people, and for the example of the human race forever. 
 
 From July 4, 1776, to the second election of Washin-ton, fifteen years 
 in time., that stupendous and benignant work had matured itself during 
 the maturity of a single generation. 
 
 A continent cut loose and secured to a new society ! A new soci ty 
 erected on fresh ground, novel in all its element", even in tlie seed from 
 which the plant firsD gei.:iinates ! The oracvilar centre of political faith 
 and power rescued from the huq;e city of Lom'on and transported beyond 
 the ocean to the rural shores of the Potomac 1 
 
 A complete and radical adjustment in the geographical foundations of 
 human institutions wa.s consummated. 
 
 Thought and speech were unchained, and the elasticity of mind disen- 
 t^mgled ; the daring spirit of inquiry set free from restraint ; the rights 
 of man, in practice, proclaimed and perpetuated; monijrchy abolished; 
 universal citizttuship and self-government made perpetual ; the artificial 
 barriers erectei! by bigotry to restrict reason and progress, disappeared, and 
 
ORA TfOX. 
 
 211 
 
 hical foundations of 
 
 the horizun ull umund was iloareJ to their uiiobstructod expansion and free 
 vision. 
 
 From a whole po<iple. tluis Qisenthnilled and impelled b)- the lijrlit and 
 fire of univors;d ir<felliirenee, sprang the Constitution uf the United States 
 of Anieriei. 
 
 This constitution, in itself a sublime mental structure and edifice, marks 
 a point of culmination in the struggles and the conflicts of all preceding 
 time. 
 
 It registers a conclusive victory of the instinct of order, achieved and 
 recognized. It marks a point of departure into the future, new and fresh 
 as the continent which gives it birth. Condensed in size and form, it is 
 comprehensively complete in its details and e.xact in its dchnitious. 
 
 Consolidated wisdou; .>ihines from it, as light and lire from the sun in 
 nature. It provides for minute municipal goveriimcnts, and comniaiids 
 self-denial, euervn% c-oncession. uniformitv, und concord. 
 
 As in our holy ledgion we possess the Lords Prayev, the divine to.xt 
 from which flow all other fonns of supplication, and back into it, they are 
 agiiin condensed ; so from thr- profound principles fixed in the Constitu- 
 tion, !;overnments sound in form ma}' erect themselves, expand to diuicn- 
 sions ample jis the Iiuman family. They may be dwarfed or may decay, 
 but never can finally perish or be lost. 
 
 Such is the splendid vision which arrests our attention and fills full our 
 hearts with overpowering gratitude, when we devote this day to review 
 the immortal acts and ev.iitod wisdom of the people, of the statesmen, and 
 of the soldiers of our patriarchal generation. 
 
 Let us remember that the fourth day of July, 1 77(3, was a day of in- 
 tense daring, of unparalleled sternness and resolution in its declarations 
 and its acts. 
 
 By its antagonists it wa.« maligned as intended to unbridle the furies 
 and precipitate the world nto infinite and devouring discord. Yet we 
 cj'.nnot doubt, we who inherit and enjoy its benignant results and look 
 out over a world regencniicd by its oracles, that Divine Providence suffered 
 their heiirts to palpitate wi:h His essence and tempered their judgments 
 with His grace. 
 
 The life of a continental people, charged with an imperial mission, is 
 long. Unlike human life, a pigmy in force and swiftly rushing to the 
 grave, avast people ^.rows even on, aggregating and re-inv'goratcd by each 
 generation of men as it apwars, matures, and then departs. The life of a 
 nation has al o its extreme vicissitudes, its alternating periods of obscurity 
 and cf bright .ss. 
 
 The second <»eneration of American statesmen, >vhcthcr dazzled by the 
 
212 
 
 M'I'ESInX. 
 
 brilliancy <if tlu'ir fathers, or stajrireri'tl to coin[ir(']u'iiiI coiiiitk'tfly the 
 liroComid ehaiijii's, the rapidity, and the imnien.se volume and novelty of 
 their works; whether a certain aweof tiiu jiast and reeoil, dictated a time 
 of lassitude and rest : yet this period is dimmed liy the departure of the 
 government out of harmony with tlio Constitution and the exalted deeluru- 
 tions of "7<i. 
 
 The divinity of pro<;ivss seemed to sleep : African slavery was expanded : 
 territory was dwarfed l»y the loss of Orep)n and Texas : all things were 
 repressi'd under thi' monopoly of the Atlantic Sea. 
 
 The grand pioneer energies were itrliitrarily curbed and emasculated; a 
 meridian wall of Indians extended as a Hastile from the Hritish northern 
 to the Spanish southern frontier; the land-system crushed agricultural 
 labor; immigration from Kurope was discnuraged ; a bank dwarfed and 
 destroyed money ; immense deserts, stony mountains, an iron-bound sea, 
 and death, were declan^d to Itjrni a fourfold and impregnable barrier to 
 j)rogress to the West. 
 
 A necessity to resume again tlu' chains of semi-servitude and monarchy 
 was i)roclaimed. Our immemorial continental mission, coeijual wit' the 
 grand geographical area and structure between the oceans, was lost to 
 speech. 
 
 Adhesion to rancorous jiolitical parties of the North and of the South 
 wa.s alone jiermitted. Tyranny had re-entered among us. 
 
 What dismal years of vivil war ; what innumerable and heroic battles ; 
 what slaughter and unfatlumiable griefs; what saugtiinary passions, were 
 seen! How nearly was the jirecipice approached, whence tiie wliole pyra- 
 mid of our glories — Unioii, rndependence, I/iberty — should be precipitated 
 and shattered in irreparable ruin ! 
 
 It is heri', and upon this day, that we are admoni.^hed by pious patriotism 
 to reflect upon the consuming acrimony, rapine, and desolation of civil 
 war; what positive jiolicy or what lamentable neglect has subjected our 
 country to its dc-^tructive torch, and engendered anywhere among our 
 peo])le a chronic and inplaeable bitterness. 
 
 From hence, to ponder boMly. and to .see if to avoid it might have 
 been possible, and if its r<;currence may be forever averted. 
 
 As I am now here pennitted upon this anniversary to .speak to tlie 
 pioneers, s' rounded by their comjuests freshly won from the v.ilderness, 
 and advancing witli magic celerity ; so twice before it has been my for- 
 tune to be with them on significant oc'casions. 
 
 On the Fourth of July, ISilJ, I was /('(y ; on this present site of Deu- 
 ver : one of a small, but resolute and intrepid camp. Here were Carson, 
 Fremont, Fitzpatrick, Talbot. The American flag floatc>d over us. 
 
OIIA TIllX. 
 
 213 
 
 |ivi'ry was cxiiand,,! ; 
 <:as : all tliiiij;>s wito 
 
 Wo hat! ivaclu'd the wi'stcni limit of tlic Anu'ricaii torritory, which 
 tlu'ii ulosi'd hori' in a imckot. fiinued by the suuiiiiit of tliu .Sierra and tlio 
 current of tins Arkansas Kiver. 
 
 In front, beyond the settinj^ jsun, were unknown mountains, strange 
 rivers, mysterious lakes, eonth-uined hy the uniiistrueted opinion of the 
 world and prosi-rihed hy its laws, — an oliseiirc and a fi.reiirn land. 
 
 Heyond there was an immense, silent, and unfrei|uented ocean: on its 
 outward shore were hundreds of millions of Asiatic jkoji'c, secluded and 
 mysterious euipirus, barred from the world, and only known to ex'st. 
 
 This summer season, a wagon-road was ojiencd, and blazed throujih and 
 tlirough from the Atlantic to the Pacific Sea. Our flair was !)a]ptizc(l in 
 the s]iray of the I'acifie Ocean. The line of way travel round the world 
 was revealed and ])roclaimcd. 
 
 The truth of jicoirraiihy triumphed over the craft of jpolitics; the mind 
 of the laboring; and industrial world awoke, iialpitatcd witli conf|uerinj^ 
 fire, and struck for the emancijiation of labor, for its exaltation and its 
 power. 
 
 The cry <or Oivjron and Texas arose from the people. Durinjr the 
 years of war with Mexico, what enthusiasm animated the piom-er annit's, 
 what unparalleled marches, victories, and cxplomtions illustrated the anient 
 energies of our youiiir soldiers ! How complete the preparations made by 
 tliem for the advanciufr power and forces of the people! 
 
 Our continental area was doubled ; the American desert rolled aside ; 
 the vast .system of the lonfritudinal mountains revealed in sjjlendor and 
 benignity ; the prodigious arena of tin; Pacific thrown open, approjiriated 
 to America, and occupied in force and permanence! (hM fur the people 
 Willi (h'srot'ci'f'l (iiiif siciirctl ! 
 
 To secure results so pregnant with empire, voluntary forces of occupa- 
 tion gathered to the 3Ii.<souri River. Assembletl, to the number of fiv(( 
 thousand on the beautiful jmiirie where now stands the city of Lawrence, 
 on the Fourth of July, 184!), T was invited to address them. 
 
 Suffer me to repeat here now some sentiments then ^:poken : '• The 
 region of gold an<l precious metals and stones is net limited, but is alt- 
 solutely infinite. It is over the whole extent of that primary and volcanic 
 formation extentling from the Antarctic to the Arctic extremities of 
 America, including in its expanse the Andes of South and of North 
 America, the Sierra Madre and the IMateau. 
 
 " This abundance of the material of coin, wrought and du'elopcd by 
 sober American industry, is about to be to the liuinan race the supremest 
 gifl of divine beneficence. 
 
 " Has not tlie American cutton-culture obliterated harsh aristocratic dia- 
 
214 
 
 Ari'ESDIX. 
 
 
 tiuctioiKS in dross, ami thus ilcinooriitizeJ the costuiue of society over the 
 worltl '.'' Wiiat I'otloii lias iluiu' I'nr iMiuality in (iivss, the same will j^ulJ 
 effect for imlivitlual eijuality in property and jiliysieal mniforts ! 
 
 '• .Stmly liow the iey servitmh' of KurojHian I'emlal times has melted sime 
 the eoiii|Uests oCCiirtez and I'i/.arrn ojieried the snurces IVdm which ]"irt- 
 alile jierscinal jprtipeity has exalted itself ahove lixed and immutahle ylehu 
 lands !" And a^ain : 
 
 " I'mjuiet for thi . sacred Union is this present time, when jxilitical 
 jMiwer. alioiit to cross the Alle^hanies, si'c-saws on their crests, conntiiij^ 
 the days that j)recede her eternal transit over tiiiin ! It is hy the rapid 
 propagation of now States, the immediate oeeu|iation of the broad plat- 
 form of the continent, the ajrj^rej^ation of the Pacific (^cean and Asiatic 
 connueree, that imiuietudt' will he swallowed uj), and the murmurs of 
 discontent lost in the onward sound of advancement. 
 
 •' Discontent, distanced, will die out. The iinmen.se wants of the Pacific 
 will draw off, over Western outlets, the overteemiu}^ crops of tlie ^lissis- 
 sippi N'alley. The estahli.shed domestic manufactures of clothinjr and 
 metals will find, in our great domestic extension, tliat protection which 
 they in vain seek to create by uni'qual legislation, nocuous and impracti- 
 cable in our present incomplete and unbalanced geograidiical form. 
 
 '• Thus cahnly weiglied and liberally appreciated, does tliis Continental 
 Railway minister to the interests, and invite the advocacy and co-opera- 
 tion, of every section of our territory, and every citizen c' our common 
 country !" 
 
 Looking out at that day from this spot, the eye ranged round for a 
 thousand miles over a silent wilderness, unpeopled and unsought fur; 
 beyond were sluggish people and inert societies. To-day, behold around 
 us the magic creations of the pioneer energies ! Seventeen new States 
 and eight millions of new people surround us ; planted over the area of 
 that wilderness. 
 
 What an immense geography has been revealed ! what infinite hives 
 of population and laboratories of industry been electrified and set in mo- 
 tion I The great sea has rolled away its sombre veil. Asia is found and 
 has become our neighbor. Her swarming multitudes, two-thirds of the 
 population of the world, and absorbing four-fifths of the wealth and indus- 
 try of mankind, assume motion and advance to meet us. 
 
 The world has faced about, and has found its true front. 
 
 North America is known to our own peoj)le. Its concave form and 
 homogeneous structure are revealed. Our continental mission is set to its 
 pereiniial frame, and the perpetuity of the American Union planted sym- 
 metrically upon its impregnable foundation. 
 
 *i 
 
OliA TIOX. 
 
 215 
 
 (if society over tlii' 
 ^, till' siiim- will o(,|j 
 I'liiiiliutH ! 
 jiifs hiin incited .>.iiice 
 I'l's IVoiii whicli |i(ii't. 
 Mid iMiimitalilc j-lcliu 
 
 [time, when jioliticiil 
 icir crests, cduntiii-' 
 Tt is liy the nipid 
 III of tile hroiul pliit- 
 !■ Ocean and Asiatic 
 lid tlie niunnurs of 
 
 wants of tlio Pacific 
 irojKS of the Missis- 
 res of elotliing and 
 it protection which 
 •tuous and inipracti- 
 •aiiliical form, 
 hies this Continental 
 voeacy and co-operu- 
 izon c our comniou 
 
 ranp;od round for a 
 and uiisoujilit for- 
 -day, hehold around 
 venteen now States 
 ill over the area of 
 
 what infinite hives 
 ficd and set in nio- 
 Asia is found and 
 i, two-thirds of the 
 3 wealtli and iiidus- 
 i. 
 
 •ont. 
 
 concave form and 
 uission is set to its 
 '11 ion planted sym- 
 
 Loaviu}; beliind the dual political parties on the selvajro of the Atlantic 
 Sea, we expand to the universal powers and fraternal sentiments of a con- 
 tinental people. 
 
 ^'a^t j;c();iraphical and social diftcrcnces, ,strenj:tlienc(l lij- rivalry and 
 variety, are hh.'nded, balanced, and united liy permanent accord with the 
 older of nature. 
 
 Slavery is radically alioli.shed and e.viled forever from the confinejits of 
 America, Asia, and Kurope. Universal citizenship, education, and intelli- 
 gence create, expand, and perpetuate themselves. 
 
 The emancipated mind of the world, reinforced liy numbers and new 
 powers of self-;^()vernment, marches with majesty and moderation from 
 victory to victory. 
 
 Foreign con(juesfs on American soil are at an end. America beholds 
 a double human .sacrifice : Maximilian for the decadence of the Old World ; 
 Lincoln for the renascence of the New. 
 
 In the littleness of mortality we may yet recognize the divine miracle, 
 whicli clo.ses the cycle of conquest and slavery in the world, that human- 
 ity may enter upon a new departure, illuminated by universal freedom. 
 
 A new and grand order in human aftairs erects it.self upon these immen.«e 
 concurrent disclosures and events. New powers ajijiear, whilst old ones 
 are fondoiised and made active. 
 
 Our stupendous .system of longitudinal mountains and gold-licaring 
 sierras is a majestic power. Our broad plains, innnense valleys, and grand 
 rivers, all parallel, longitudinal, arranged in compact concord, and filling 
 full the temperate zone of warmth, are a power. 
 
 Our i.'<land form and intermediate position between the great oceans, 
 and between Western Europe am' Oriental Asia, are sujireme powers. Our 
 sister States and cities on the Pacific Ocean are a godlike power. 
 
 The American people, having their common home in the grand amphi- 
 theatre surrounded by the mountains and the external seas, will reach the 
 highest moral standard to which unity of language and manner, combined 
 with the genius of lilerty, intelligence, and propitious climate, can elevate 
 empires. 
 
 The moment is at hand when the traffic and travel of mankind — twelve 
 liundred millions in tbe aggregate — will condense itself to ferries on the 
 Northern seas and to transit roads. 
 
 These will be hugely multiplied in volume, and concentrated and devel- 
 oped here ; because they have heretofore been dwarfed to nothing by the 
 equatorial heats and the immense solitudes of the ocean circuit of the ghjbe. 
 
 To acc(jmplish this within a time reasonably rapid, the hoarded wealth 
 of friendly Asia will be lavLshly and generously bestowed. 
 
21G 
 
 APPEXDIX. 
 
 We see united with us here to-iiay, wliiit Eun.pe hiis most worthy to be 
 hdiiofLil iiiid renienibered : the sons and daugliters ol" tlie Emerald Isle ; 
 Teutonic men and women ; tlie representatives of lier other hundred 
 States and peoples : they who liave had the great faith and energy to 
 leave lier ,nd come liCre, to unite themselves to us, to our country and our 
 mission. 
 
 Free Europe flows to us and abides with uh as fresh waters gather 
 to the sea, whilst ujonarchy has returned to her wrapt in the mournful 
 shroud of Maximilian. 
 
 It is thus that the great powere and forces of the external world gravitate 
 to the 3Iissi.ssippi Basin and the mountains, with irresistible pressure and 
 celerity. 
 
 It is proper that I speak liere to-day and to this audience with unre- 
 served sincerity and candor. 
 
 An exact and careful scrutiny will authorize the assertion, without fear 
 to fail, that tvhen the approaching centennial day of 187G shall come, the 
 American and 3Iexican people will be mutually harmonized and fused iuto 
 one poople. 
 
 Governments, withdrawn from the political foci of Washington and 
 ^lexieo, will be condensed to tlie convenient and efjuit;;ble geographical 
 centre in the midst of the rural, the continental people, among the 
 grand prairies and on the rivers of Kansas, remote from and intermediate 
 between the oceans. 
 
 These events art-' 'c. V/e are in the midst of them. They surround us 
 as we march. They are the present secretions of the aggregate activities 
 and energies of the people. 
 
 You, the pioneei's of Colorado, have arched with this glorious State the 
 summit ridge and banner between two hemisplieres. You bring to a close 
 tlic unnumbered ages ^f their isolation and their hostility. You liave 
 opened .uid poss&ss the highway which alone connects, fuses, ami harmo- 
 nizes them together. Of this State you are the first owners and occupants. 
 
 You have di.sjjlayed to the vision and illustrated to mankind the sjilen- 
 did ciinciivr structure of our continent, and the infinite jjcwers of its 
 august dimensions, its fertility, its salubrious atmosphere and ever-re.splen- 
 dent beauty. 
 
 You have discovered the profound want and necessity of human society, 
 and your labor jirovides for its relief: (lold — I mean; "the indefinite 
 supply of sound money for the jnople, by their own individual and volun- 
 tary labor." 
 
 You occupy the front of tlu' pioneer army of the people; absolutely 
 tlie leadei's of mankind, heading the column to the Orieutal shores! 
 
01{A TIO\. 
 
 217 
 
 idienc'o witli unrc- 
 
 The mysterious crisis between tlie clashing continents and civilizations 
 of tlie world, lu'ld and decided, three thousand years ago, by the three 
 hundred Sjiartans at Thernioiiylitf, now rests with the geographical States 
 and peojile of Colorado and I'tah. 
 
 Geogra}ihical integrity is the oracle of salvation and safety. You are 
 in danger of being partitioned by the Punic ambition of avaricious mo- 
 nopolies, and the covetous cities of the Atlantic Sea. 
 
 No fragment of the peojile of the North Anii-rican Continent can thus 
 suffer their geographical harmonies to be lo.'st and perverted. 
 
 The mining pioneers of the liocky Mountains, in vice untaught, yet 
 skilled wiiere glory leads to arduous ent<'rprisi', are fit to confront this 
 crisis. 
 
 Often distinguished by your favor, a witnes.s of your constant fidelity 
 and courage, it is my duty to sound to you this alarm, to invoke and 
 summon you to confront this danger with Spartan, with American will, 
 unanimity, and victory. 
 
 Our great country has emerged from trials intt'iisely exhausting and 
 jieriious. The energy and devotion of the jieople liave nut faltevi'd either 
 in defeat or victory. A cry of j<iy and admiration soumls over all the seas 
 and all the continents and islands. The piust is impregnabiy jireserved — 
 future progress safe, brilliant, and assured : 
 
 " Nigllt waiii'S, the va|i(iis mmul the iiic)Ulitiiiii!< ourliil 
 liiiriit into iiiurn, ami lijrlit awakes llii' wurn!." 
 
 Yielding our hearts to the vivid jialpitations inspired by this day, and 
 by the gathering glories of our country, .so young and yet .so great, let u.« 
 ])ronounce to lier this ])arting salutation : 
 
 Hail to America, land of our birth ! Hail to her magnificent, her con- 
 tinental domain I Hail t(j her generous ]ieoplc! Hail to her victorious 
 soldiers! Hail to her matrons and her maidens I Hail to the sacred luiion 
 of her States ! All hail to her, </.< kIh' in! Hail to the sublime mission 
 which bears her on. through peace and war, to maki; the continent her 
 own, and to endure forever! 
 
 TIIK END.