trappean rocks, piled together in rugged heaps by the elevatory force of internal fires. By some of these less noted elevations and by spurs projecting from the two main ranges, the broad table lands above mentioned are divided into three distinct valleys, or rather basins; namely:

The Utah basin, centring at Great Salt lake, but having many undulations forming minor geographical centres, to which its rivers flow and disappear in the sandy plains, or discharge their currents into inland lakes. This basin has no outlet to the sea.

The Klamath basin, lying to the northwest of the Utah, and drained by the Klamath river, running to the Pacific ocean, and the river Des Chutes, emptying into the Columbia. The Columbia River basin extends over a vast area of country, including all that portion of Oregon lying east of the Cascade mountains, and known as eastern Oregon, except the small surface occupied by the Klamath, a part of which is in California, and an almost equally small portion of the Utah basin, which lies principally in Utah Territory.

Eastern Oregon, besides containing several large lakes, is traversed by numerous rivers, but none are navigable except the Columbia and the Snake or Lewis river; which two streams, however, afford facilities for steamboat travel from the ocean, across the whole extent of the State in its greater dimension, from west to east.

That portion of the State lying west of the Cascade mountains is divided into three principal valleys, the Willamette, the Umpqua, and Rogue river, drained by the rivers bearing these respective names. This country is quite different from eastern Oregon in respect to its physical geography, geology, and climate.

Although the general character of this region is indicative of its having had formerly a volcanic origin, still there is found here a large proportion of sedimentary rocks, especially sandstone and a sort of conglomerate of highly silicious composition, which often contains shells and other indications of its sedimentary formation. In the Willamette valley this feature is chiefly observed on the western side of the river; and in the Umpqua and Rogue River valleys it becomes more marked on approaching the sea-coast. Shales and a sort of argillaceous limestone, irreducable by the ordinary process of heating and slaking, also abound in many places. The country here is of a much less mineral character than that east of the Cascade mountains, or even than those mountains themselves. Notwithstanding the evidences of volcanic origin common to all the western coast of America, and of which this region presents many, the rocks here, and especially on the Coast mountains, are often found regularly stratified, and in some instances their parallelism remains undisturbed for considerable distances.

The geological basis of the Coast mountains is sandstone. Scoriaceous and trappean masses occur in the more volcanic localities. At the intersection of these mountains by the Umpqua river, sandstone prevails, and the strata remain uninterrupted, except at long intervals.

Numerous bays and estuaries of different magnitudes intersect the shore along the western border of the State, and several streams having their sources in the Coast mountains flow into the ocean through small valleys of great fertility and beauty.

CLIMATE.-Eastern Oregon possesses a climate much resembling that of the Upper Mississippi valley, but not so cold." It is dry and open; usually somewhat bleak, owing to the large proportion of prairie land, but seldom bitter cold, the mercury rarely falling below zero in the extreme of winter. Last winter, however, it was exceedingly cold in this region; but that was a winter unexampled in severity everywhere in the Pacific States.

Spring in eastern Oregon is fine, early, and open. Summer is hot and generally dry, with cool nights. Variations of temperature, corresponding with differences of altitude, are observed, sometimes amounting to several degrees at places only a few leagues apart. Autumn frosts begin some time in October, but it does not become wintry till very late. Litthe rain or snow falls except in the mountains. Eastern Oregon is exposed to an almost con tinuous breeze which sometimes swells into quite a gale, but storms never occur. The wind in summer is from the southwest.

Western Oregon has a moist, mild, and peculiarly uniform climate. Except in rare cases the winter is not cold nor the summer hot more than two or three days in succession, and extreme heat or cold never occurs.

It is rarely necessary to feed stock for more than a fortnight, and frequently not at all during the whole year.

The amount of rain which falls in this part of the State during the rainy season has been greatly exaggerated, as will be seen by reference to the annexed tables, which exhibit more specifically the climatical peculiarities of the State.

Observations taken in several other States are inserted in some of the tables for the purpose of making comparisons. The first table is compiled chiefly from the Smithsonian report; the rest are from various reliable sources.

The only point in eastern Oregon whose temperature is exhibited in this table is the Dalles, which, situated as it is, immediately at the base of the Cascade mountains, does not fairly represent the temperature of the extensive valleys further east, which constitute the agricultural region of that country. The summer, in most of those valleys as well as on the table lands, is much warmer than at the Dalles. The winter temperature, it will be observed, is much higher than that of other States in the same latitude, while that of the spring is nearly the same, and the summer not quite so high.

TABLE II.-Showing the number of rainy days during the winter, at Astoria, Oregon, Willamette valley, Oregon, and Peoria, Illinois, respectively.

This table includes all rainy days, without reference to whether it rained all day or only a part. It also includes snowy days, very few of which are seen in Oregon in an ordinary winter.

In 1846-47, Hugh Burns, esq., of the Willamette valley, kept a diary from which it appears there were four days of continuous rain in November, three in December, three in January, and two in February, making only 12 in the four months of the rainy season. During the same time there were 66 entirely clear days, viz: 12 in November, 17 in December, 16 in January, and 21 in February. From the first of November, 1845, to the first of March, 1846, there were 20 rainy and 40 clear days; the rest were variable.

TABLE III.-Showing the amount in inches, at Astoria, Oregon, and Peoria, Ill., respectively.

From this table it would appear that the amount of rain at Astoria is a little less than double that at Peoria; the one in a country where the only winter known is a rainy season, and the other in a country distinguished for its cold and dry winters.

SOIL AND EXTENT OF AGRICULTURAL LANDS.-The two natural divisions of Oregon differ in respect to the quality of their soil as well as in climate. The plateaux of eastern Oregon have a moderately rich soil whose chief component is silicia, and containing but a small amount of vegetable matter. Little effort has been made to test its capabilities for agricultural purpose until very recently. The experiment, so far as tried, has proved exceedingly gratifying, and many persons maintain that these uplands are destined to be the first grain lands in the State. But the natural adaptation of these immense tracts is to grazing, cattle herding, and bucalic pursuits. Rolling prairies and level pleins of almost illimitable extent stretch out from the foot of the Cascade mountains almost to the eastern border of the State, and are covered with luxuriant bunch grass, (festuca,) affording an inexhaustible pasture for any amount of stock. This grows in large tufts not joined together by their fibrous roots, as is the case with most other grasses. It grows to different heights, from six to 18 inches, according to the quality of the soil. In nutritive properties it is not excelled by any grass known. Attaining its full growth about, the time the dry season commences, it cures into a fine, flavorous hay, which, owing to the absence of dew in this region in the summer, remains excellent until the autumn rains come, when the whole country is again covered with green grass.

Mountain streams, having their sources in the mountain chains, intersect these table lands flowing through valleys and rondes of various dimensions and amazing fertility. The val leys of the Des Chutes and its tributaries are all that have been extensively tested with cereals, and they have yielded very large crops. Vegetables of nearly all varieties yield almost fabulous crops. Indian corn does as well in eastern Oregon as in any State in the Union, and will soon become a staple production. Fruit promises finely. This is thought to be as good a fruit country as that west of the Cascade mountains, so justly denominated the "fruit garden of America."

Its hot summers admirably adapt eastern Oregon to the culture of sorghum or Chinese sugar-cane; and sufficient trial has been made to warrant the assertion that this plant can be produced here as successfully as in any of the northwestern States. Judge Laughlin, of Wasco county, who has paid some attention to the cultivation of this plant, in a published letter of his dated January 12, 1861, says: "I have cultivated some (sorghum) the past two years, and find it grows remarkably well. It will produce double as much food as Mr. Phelps, of this county,

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anything (else) I can raise on the same amount of land. has made some very nice sirup, and intends cultivating a crop for that purpose next season." The cost of making this sirup will not exceed 50 cents per gallon. Its market value cannot be less than one dollar per gallon throughout the country, and two or three times as great in the mines. Planted in April the sugar-cane matures well, and yields a large per cent. of saccharine juice. A farmer, who would give his entire attention to cultivating sorghum and manufacturing sirup in eastern Oregon, could not fail of amassing a large amount of money in a very short space of time. The extent of these valley lands is not definitely known, as no official survey has ever been made of the region in which they lie, excepting compara tively small bodies in the vicinity of the Des Chutes. This stream, the largest affluent of the Columbia in Oregon east of the Cascade mountains, flows through a valley large enough to maintain a population of many thousand persons. It has already some considerable settlements, mostly composed of stock raisers.

John Day river waters a valley much larger than that of the Des Chutes, and of equal fertility. It is unsettled, and offers great inducements to farmers desiring homes near the mines,

where market will always be ready, and produce will command high prices. It is about 30 miles east of the Des Chutes and has the same general trend, both running north into the Columbia.

Powder river runs through the largest valley in eastern Oregon, and probably equal to any other in the excellent quality of its soil. Emigrants from the east are fast settling up this valley, and the prospect is that it will soon contain a large population. No settlements were made on Powder river previous to the discovery of the gold mines on its head waters but it is stated that a large number of the emigrants of this season have already selected their future homes there, and expect soon to be surrounded by an industrious and thriving community, and enjoying all the amenities of civilization.

Burnt river has its course through a broken region, very fertile, but better adapted to grazing than to agriculture. This stream is southeast from Powder river, and having the same general direction, flows northeast into Snake river.

East of Burnt river the country is exceedingly uninviting. What valleys there are are small and frequently unproductive. The land, impregnated with alkalies, has scarcely any vegetation growing upon it except artemesia, or sage. Grass is scarce and of poor quality, even along the streams. Of his entering the Burnt river country from this inhospitable waste, in his official explorations, General Frémont says he now came into "a mountainous region where the soil is good, and in which the face of the country is covered with nutritive grasses and dense forests; land embracing many varieties of trees peculiar to the country, and on which the timber exhibits a luxuriance of growth unknown to the eastern part of the continent and to Europe. This mountainous region," he continues, "connects itself in the southward and westward with the elevated country belonging to the Cascade or California range, and forms the eastern limit of the fertile and timbered lands along the desert and mountainous region included within the great (Utah) basin."

The Grande Ronde, lying a few leagues north of the Powder River valley, is a beautiful circular valley some 20 or 30 miles in diameter, watered by a stream bearing the same name. Surrounded by high hills or spurs of the Blue mountains, its amphitheatrical form, relieving its smooth, grassy surface, intersected by a bold stream fringed on either margin with small trees, renders it sufficiently charming, to say nothing of the fertility of its soil, which is unsurpassed. Settlements are being made in this valley, also, by the emigrants who have come over the plains, but it will not all be occupied this season.

The following analysis of the soil in Powder River and Grande Ronde valleys is reported by Frémont:

The Klamath basin, it is said, contains a large tract of good agricultural lands, but this may be questionable, as no experiments have yet been made to test its qualities for farming purposes. It is a fine grazing district; even in the midst of December it has been found covered with fresh and luxuriant grass. The Klamath is a magnificent lake, possessing one feature in particular, which lakes do not ordinarily have, viz: it has no water in it. It is a fact, though not generally known, that this lake is nothing more than a broad savannah, sometimes covered in places with a thin sheet of water for a brief period, but never entirely inundated, and capable of being easily drained and reduced to cultivation.

Goose lake, Lake Abert, and some others of considerable size, lie in the northern part of the Utah basin, and are said to be surrounded by large tracts of as fine agricultural land as can be found in the State. That there is some good country around these lakes, is certainly true; but enough is not known of this region to warrant a positive statement that they are very extensive.

Kogue River valley, occupying the extreme southern portion of western Oregon, and extending into California is a broken country, or series of valleys, separated by rolling highlands, covered in some places with dense forests of fir and cedar, and in others thinly timbered with oak, and finely set with grass. It is a very good country for farming, and a superior one for stock raising. Rogue river is not navigable on account of its numerous cascades. Like all the western portion of the State, this valley is well watered by numerous mountain streams, which are sufficiently large to afford motive power for running any amount of machinery. It is thinly populated, and would furnish homes for an indefinite number of immigrants. Jacksonville, its principal town, is a place of some importance as a mining

town.

The Umpqua valley is a beautiful country, drained by the Umpqua river, a stream of some magnitude, and navigable 25 miles from its month for ocean vessels. This fertile valley contains 1,000,000 of acres. It is principally rolling or hilly land, the face of the country in many places forcibly reminding one of the rugged districts of Vermont, or the charming stories he read when but a child of the mountain home of the Swiss.

Numerous tributaries of the Umpqua, some of them quite large, flow through the valley, affording excellent water privileges. Perhaps no country is more conveniently provided with good soil, good timber, aud good water than the Umpqua valley. Its population is about 4,500, leaving ample room for 20,000 more, allowing 160 acres to each family of four persons. Roseburg and Winchester, the most important places in this valley, are pleasant villages. But the most important agricultural district in western Oregon, and probably in the whole State, is the Willamette valley. It is separated from the Umpqua by the Calapooya mountains, a densely timbered belt, having an altitude of about 5,000 feet, and extending from the Cascade to the Coast range. This valley is drained by the Willamette river, flowing north into the Columbia, and which is navigable to the distance of 130 miles from its mouth, direct measure, with only a single obstruction, the falls at Oregon City.

No person can survey the Willamette valley with its alternations of rich meadow-like prairies, undulations, and beautiful streams, without feeling that he beholds the most delightful spot in America. The agricultural country lying along the banks of the Willamette, includes an area nearly equal to that of the entire State of Connecticut, with a combination of advantages inferior to no other section of the United States. Mr. William H. Knight describes this valley as “possessing a soil of unsurpassed fertility, a mild and genial climate, an abundant growth of timber, large natural pastures, where stock may range unsheltered the year round, an excellent commercial position, superior facilities for transportation, and a rapidly increasing population." This is stating the case in rather too strong a light, and requires some qualification in two of its particulars. The population of the Willamette valley has not increased very rapidly for some years past, owing to causes which will become manifest when the subject of commerce is discussed. And the other modification proposed is, that we sometimes have a "cold snap" of two or three weeks duration in the winter, and the last winter still longer, so that stock may not range unsheltered the year round" every year, and should not be forced to do so any year, as the continuous rains of the winter months are very injurious to all kinds of domestic animals. Aside from this slight inaccuracy, Mr. Knight's description is certainly a very correct one, and the impulse given to the State by the recent discovery of extensive gold fields on the eastern border of the State, cannot fail to make it become speedily true in respect to the increase of population.

This valley is mostly smooth prairie land, large bodies of it undulating, but not hilly, interspersed at intervals, never greater than a few miles, often much less, with streams of various sizes, flowing in across the valley from the mountains on either side. Ranges of low hills, covered with oak timber, are common throughout the valley.

Some of the largest affluents of the Willamette, as the Santiam, Yamhill, and Tualatin, are navigable to considerable distances into the interior; while there is scarcely one which does not afford an ample volume of water to drive any desired amount of machinery for milling and manufacturing purposes.

The Willamette, in common with all this region of the Pacific coast, belongs to the tertiary period. Shells and ligneous petrifactions are numerous, and mammal fossils have been found in various places, indicating a very recent formation.

The soil of western Oregon may be divided into four general classes, viz:

1st. A brown clay loam, of good quality, thinly timbered with oak, producing good grass, and affording fine stock range. It is found chiefly along the spurs of mountains or extended ranges of hills, never in the level prairie.

2d. A dark or black porous soil formed by the admixture of vegetable mold with the clay loam just described. This soil occurs only in the valleys close by or between the mountains, and is unrivalled in productive power. Both of these classes are thirsty, and suffer whenever the summer drought is of very long duration.

3d. A grayish calcareous sandy loam of exceedingly fine quality, covered with a thick turf of grass, and admirally adapted to the cultivation of cereals, especially wheat, oats, and barley. This class embraces five-sixths of the entire valley, including most of the prairie, and much of the oak-timbered land. It is little affected by drought, and though not naturally porous, is pulverized with great facility, and is exceedingly mellow.

4th. A strictly alluvial soil, lying along the immediate banks of the river, and composed of sand, vegetable matter, and various decomposed earths, washed by the current from above. Most of this class of soil is overflowed in extraordinary freshets, which, however, never occur in the growing season of the year, and it is unexcelled in fertility.

Many small and very rich valleys lie along the seacoast, and will doubtless yet become valuable. Among them are the Tillamook, situated on a bay of the same name, the Celets, the Yaquina on Yaquina bay and river, the Coquille on Coquille river. The Coquille and Tillamook already contain settlements of some magnitude.

HARBORS.-There are already opened four ports of entry in this State. The most important harbor is that of the Columbia river, but it is not the only one likely ever to assume much importance. Umpqua river, Port Orford, and the Coquille want nothing but the set