April 20th.-Eight miles through rough hills of soft mud, which some members of the party facetiously called "self-rising earth," from its resemblance to the crust of a loaf, brought us to Furnace Creek, and to camp at Hadley Springs, in which it has its source. The low hills on the west of Death Valley almost defy description, being so utterly unlike anything with which most persons are familiar. They consist of gravel banks, conglomerates, soft mud deposits, etc., of almost every conceivable color, except green, and are so cut up by deep, precipitous gulches as to be almost impassable anywhere, except when they begin to die out on the flat. Anything more desolate can hardly be conceived. Here and there among them small springs are found, which are traceable by the growth of inferior grass along their banks. Furnace Creek, although containing probably one hundred inches of water, is dissipated after running little more than four miles. The "wash" of gravel at the mouth of the cañon is of vast extent and thickness, consisting of débris from the mountains, which must have been carried down during the prevalence of tremendous storms. These "washes" are the peculiar feature of this southern country, and must be made by the bursting of water spouts, such as are of frequent occurrence in Nevada; no other agency could produce such results. When we first arrived here, the weather was intensely hot, the thermometer probably standing at 110° Fahrenheit. The mountains, entirely destitute of timber, acted as reflectors, and made the name of the locality perfectly appropriate-for it was indeed a furnace.

May 7th.-We have been in camp most of the time up to this date. During this time, we made an unsuccessful attempt to find a pass out to the eastward. Death Valley proper is about thirty miles long and ten wide, the greater portion of its area being covered with incrustations of salt. It is exceedingly destitute of vegetation, and surrounded by mountains of great height, though the fact of their not reaching the snow line attests the great depression of the valley below the surrounding country. This morning we broke camp. Our road lay through rough mountains for over twenty miles, the higher portions of the range being similar to those near Bonner Springs. The low, broken hills on each side of the cañon are made up of sandstone, shales, conglomerates, gravel beds, and mud banks on the western side of the summits, capped with basalt on the eastern slope. The color of the formation ranges from dirty white, through yellow, yellowish brown, dark brown to black, as it recedes from. the center of the cañon, imparting to the country a very peculiar appearance. The gravel beds must be many hundred feet in thickness, and have sometimes been tilted in common with the shales on which they rest, while in other places they are unconformable. The conglomerates are often seamed with veins filled with compact limestone, and cutting the formation at an obtuse angle. We came to camp on the eastern side of the valley; water and grass abundant. Amargosa Valley must be two thousand feet higher than Death Valley, and extends northward as far as Silver Peak, but its water-shed is to Death Valley, with which it is connected, along the northern margin of the great Mohave Desert. It is about twelve or fifteen miles wide, thinly covered with sage brush, and large portions of it are covered with salt grass. Water is abundant a few feet below the surface, but often poor in quality.

May 10th.-Six miles across meadow and sand flats, with some small white ash timber and grape vines, brought us to a range of low coralline limestone hills, with a fine spring on the summit, in a cave thirty feet long and ten wide. Crossed Ash Creek about three miles from camp. Camped on dry flat, with water three feet below surface.

May 11th.-Ten miles across desert flats to foothills; then eight miles to hard table land, with broken mountains to the summit. Shrubby cacti abundant, tak

ing the place of the globular varieties, hitherto predominant. Mountains, limestone. On the top of a high tabular hill Mr. White found a profusion of fossil shells,. chiefly large conical univalves. It is to be regretted that the specimens collected have been lost on their way to Carson. Indian tracks abundant on the summit, which, to the south, rises into the lofty snow range known as the Spring Mountains. Still following the general easterly course which we have maintained since leaving Death Valley, thirteen miles brought us to Indian Springs. Water and grass scarce. Few small mesquite bushes; no other timber seen to-day.

May 12th.-Five miles to Indian Creek, over hard flat, with sage brush. Found large Indian ranch, (apparently abandoned) with remains of maize, broom corn, and squash. Mountains still limestone. Grass scarce; some small mesquite bushes and willows. Las Vegas, on the San Bernardino Road, lies forty miles down the valley to the south.

May 13th.-Thirty miles up the valley, which runs nearly north, brought us to Quartz Spring. Water, far from abundant. Indians troublesome. Road up the valley good, over hard mud flats, often destitute even of sage brush. Quartz Spring lies on the east side of the valley, in mountains made up of limestone and quartzite. Plenty of fine bunch grass.

May 14th.-Traveled ten miles up wash and through low rolling conglomerate hills, in a northwesterly direction. Some small cedar trees near the summit. Then eight miles north, across open, sandy valley, with a large alkali flat to the west, and four miles through low hills to a small spring. Water very scarce, but grass abundant. Indians troublesome. Colonel Buel's last camp, when endeavoring to reach the Colorado River, was probably about five miles from this place.

May 15th.-About four miles through low hills, and twenty-eight N.N.E.N. across a wide level valley, brought us to Hadfield's Ranch in the Pahranagat Mountains. (See Pahranagat, in Synopsis of Mining Districts.)

It will be noticed that the chief features of the country through which we passed are:

1st. The parallelism of the mountain ranges, which, having a direction nearly northwest and southeast near the California line, gradually swing round nearly to north and south, going eastward.

2d. The alternation with these mountains of wide valleys, sometimes covered with sage brush, but often containing wide mud flats as completely destitute of vegetation as the floor of a room.

3d. The uniform structure of the mountains, and the presence of volcanic rocks in the foothills.

4th. The complete absence of timber, the only wood being the small mesquite bushes near the springs.

5th. The scarcity of water, almost all the localities where it occurs having been noted, the omissions being such as were close to our camping grounds.

6th. The prevalence of wide gravel washes at the mouths of the cañons, suggesting, by the remains of vegetation which have been brought down, the occurrence of tremendous rain storms.

7th. The absence of mineral-bearing veinstone in the débris.

8th. The peculiarity of the vegetation in Death Valley, and the long valley leading to it from the north. This is dissimilar from anything else seen in the

country, and disappears on crossing the mountains which bound the valley on the

east.

9th. The scarcity of Indians throughout the district.

FROM PAHRANAGAT TO INDIAN SPRINGS.

May 24th.-Started with a company of nine; five and a half miles from Springer's Ranch brought us into Coal Valley, so called from supposed discoveries of that article, which, however, proved to be nothing but black volcanic rocks; and five more to the mouth of a wash in the mountains on the western side of the valley. The mountains are made up chiefly of crystalline, igneous rocks. Following up the wash through the mountains for two miles, we turned north along their western slope, and reached Pahwahcumbah Spring, about twenty miles from Springer's. Rocks near the spring principally of eruptive origin. Leaving the spring we struck out eastward across the valley, crossing the low northern extremity of the mountain in which the Worthington District is located, and reached a fine stream, after traveling twenty miles across good, though in some places sandy roads. Many of the veins in Worthington District contain copper and magnetic iron; others have more the appearance of auriferous lodes.

May 26th.-The creek on which we are camped runs about five hundred inches of water, another a few miles to the north runs an almost equal quantity, and yet another is reported in the same direction. These all rise in the Shonigodit or Grass Mountains, which are most appropriately named. The bunch grass grows thick enough to mow, and covers the mountains from base to summit. This range in many places attains an elevation of nine thousand feet, and at present is covered with snow many hundred feet down from the loftiest peaks. The boulders in the cañon show the range at this point to consist chiefly of volcanic rocks, porphyries, etc., with but few indications of quartz. Piñon timber of large size is abundant, with mountain mahogany of heavy growth on the higher mountains.

May 27th. Following up the bed of the stream, we reached the summit in six miles, making an elevation of probably two thousand five hundred feet above the valley. There is a lower and broader pass some few miles to the southward. The whole cañon is exceedingly fertile, having in many places a broad level bottom, sometimes choked up with small cottonwood and elder trees. Camped on the summit with good feed and water. Rocks crystalline, eruptive.

May 28th.-Night exceedingly cold and windy. Six miles down a rather rough cañon brought us to Shewadzee Springs, at the western base of the mountains, which are well timbered down to the valley. Springs, three in number; water good and tolerably abundant. Indians came to camp, one of them going ahead with us. We were the first white men they had seen.

May 29th.-Five miles through the foothills brought us to a wide, sandy and gravelly valley, ten miles across which we found a small stream of only inferior water. This stream rises somewhere in the valley on the east of the Soong-up Mountains, and flowing southward, finds its way into the present valley through a wide gorge in a range of low mountains, made up at this point to a great extent of crystalline rocks. Crossing these, fifteen miles across another valley

brought us to the base of the Soong-up or Rough Mountains. Good road all day, and bunch grass in abundance.

May 30th.-Three miles to Milky Springs; water muddy, but of fair quality. In five miles, over broken spurs of the mountain, we reached the summit, and three more brought us to White Rock Spring, at the western base of the mountains. This spring dries up during the summer months. It derives its name from the prevalence of intensely white rocks in the neighborhood. This range of mountains is fairly supplied with timber; the lower range passed yesterday, furnishing but little, if any.

May 31st.-Drove ten miles to Duck Springs Crossing, a low ridge about half way. Duck Springs lies just under a rough ridge which we crossed, ascending into a valley about twelve miles wide. After climbing another steep slope, and following down a ravine about a mile and a half, we came to Innyobah Springs, in wide meadows of wire grass. Rocks red, crystalline, eruptive. Wood abundant.

June 1st.-Passed several springs soon after leaving camp, and reached Indian Springs in about twenty-five miles, or somewhere about one hundred and fifty miles from Pahranagat; since this date it has often been made in four or five days. It will be seen that the whole of this section of the State is tolerably well supplied with wood and water. Grass of the finest quality is every

where abundant.

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