are visable at once covered in eternal Ice and snow thier
ruged time worn sides softened by distance, your eye desend-
ing the region of bear Rocks and Nightly Frosts in a Broad
Belt around the Peaks attracts your attention with lower
peaks of the same attitude Still desending long ranges of
deep green Firr clad elivations of great veriety of shape and
apearance Extend themselves to the right and left far be
yond the stretch of vision. The Eye still desending your catch
the softly rounded grass clad hills with thier shrubby oak
groves and Prarie vallies with various shades of green drap
ery untill at last your (eye) rests on the broad vally Strich-
ing itself parallel withe mountain here too you have the
veriety of Timber and Prarie with all the meanderings of
the large and small streams that wind and intersect the vally
in all directions. Bring your eye closer and you Distinguish
farms and fields still closer and houses and herds appear and
last not least of all a few horsemen are seen going like the
wind over some smoothe Prarie and disappearing in an oak
grove pardon me sir those rapid coursiers ware gentlemen
and Ladies out on a ride of plesure.
Oct. 25, 1 844, Shores of the Willamett...
.
I soon found a stripe of open Prarie land overflown in
high water but now dry and pleasant walking with here and
there a pool of mud and water which has stood the drough
of summer.
These pools or ponds are now overgrown with several
kind of vegitation and litterly and completely covered over
with water fowl of various kinds from the nobl and majes-
tick swan down to the Teal & plover. For miles the air
seemed to be darkened with the emmenc flights that arose as
I proceeded up the vally The morning being still thier nois
was tumultuous and grand the hoarse shrieks of the Heron
intermingled with the Symphonic Swan the fine treble of the
Brant answered by the strong Bass of the goose with ennum-
erable shreeking and Quacking of the large and Smaller
duck tribe filled every evenue of Surrounding space with
nois and reminded one of Some aerial battle as discribed by
