[7]
20
mence ; and the road, for three or four miles, is just passable for a wagon ; many of the train were broken in the passage. A few thousand dollars judiciously expended here, would be an immense saving to the government if the Santa Fe country is to be permanently occupied, and Bent's Fort road adopted. A few miles from the summit we reached a wide valley where the mountains open out, and the inhospitable looking hills recede to a respectable distance to the right and left. Sixteen miles from camp 36 brought us to the main branch of the Canadian, a slow running stream, discharging a volume of water the thickness of a man's waist. We found here Bent's camp. I dismounted under the shade of a cotton-wood, near an ant-hill, and saw something black which had been thrown out by the busy little insects; and, on examination, found it to be bituminous coal, lumps of which were afterwards found thickly scattered over the plain. After crossing the river, and proceeding about a mile and a quarter, I found the party from which I had become separated encamped on the river, with a plentiful supply of grass, wood, and water; and here we saw, for the first time, a few sprigs of the famous grama, Atheropogon oligos-taclyum.
The growth on to-day's march was pifion in small quantities, scrub oak, scrub pine, a few lamita bushes, and, on the Canadian, a few cotton-wood trees; except at the camp, there was little or no grass. The evening threatened rain, but the clouds passed away, and we had a good night for observations. We have had no rain since we left Cow creeks, thirty days ago.
We are now in what may be called the paradise of that part of the country between Bent's Fort and San .Miguel ; and yet he who leaves the edge of the Canadian or its tributaries must make a good day's march to find wood, water, or grass.
There may be mineral wealth in these mountains, but its discovery must be left to some explorer not attached to the staff of an army making forced marches into an enemy's country.
To-day commenced our half-rations of bread; though not suffering for meat, we are anxious to seize on Santa Fe anil its stock of provisions as soon as possible.
August 8.—We remained in camp all day to allow Colonel Doniphan's regiment and the artillery to come up. During the day, we had gusts of wind, and clouds discharging rain to the west. Captain Sumner drilled his three squadrons of dragoons, and made quite an imposing show.
The latitude of the camp is 36° 47' 34"; the longitude 6A. 56m. 59.7s.
On the 7th, I measured 8 altitudes of arcturus in the west, and S of alpha aquilte in the east ; and, on the 8th, 10 of arcturus and 8 of alpha aquilffi—showing the rate of chronometer 783 to be losing 3s. per day.
The height determined approximately, is 6,112 feet above the sea.
August 9.—We broke up camp at 2| o'clock, and marched with the colonel's staff and  the first dragoons 10£ miles, and encamped