drains part of the valley between the Sierra Morena and Coast Mountains; both empty into the Pacific. The principal lakes are Tulare Lake, about 60 miles long, in the south, which has an outlet into the San Joaquin River, and Clear Lake, in Mendocino County, Owen Mountain and Mono Lakes, in the eastern part of the State, are all small.

OBJECTS OF INTEREST TO TOURISTS.-Not to repeat what has been already said of the magnificent mountain ranges, with their summits clad with everlasting snow, we may notice a few natural curiosities of quite a different character. Among the most remarkable of these are the hot sulphur springs, the Geysers of America, in Napa County, about 70 miles north of the city of this name. They are from 1 to 9 feet in diameter, and constantly in a boiling state, ejecting water to heights of 10 or 15 feet. Hundreds of fissures in the sides of the mountains emi} strong currents of heated gas, with a noise resembling that of vapor escaping from ocean steamers. We condense the following from Silliman's Journal of November, 1851, by Professor Sheppard: "From a high peak we saw on the west the Pacific, on the south Mount Diablo and San Francisco Bay, on the east the Sierra Nevada, and on the north opened at our feet an immense chasm, from which, at the distance of from 4 to 5 miles, we distinctly saw dense columns of steam rising. Descending, we discovered within half a mile square from 100 to 200 openings, whence issued dense columns of vapor to the height of from 150 to 200 feet, accompanied by a roar which could be heard for a mile or more. Many acted spasmodically, throwing up jets of hot, scalding water to the height of 20 to 30 feet. Beneath your footsteps you hear the lashing and foaming gyrations; and on cutting through the surface, are disclosed streams of angry, boiling water. The Three Buttes,' says Lieutenant Derby, 'have been erroneously represented, since they are in reality a range of about 12 miles in width by 6 in breadth, and contain, perhaps, 20 peaks; the highest of which, and the most interesting, is that on the north, which is a very steep cone, surmounted by a turret-shaped rock, 56 feet high, and has an elevation of 2,483 feet.' (Capron says 4,000 feet.) This commands an extensive view from the Coast Range to the Sierra Nevada, and for perhaps 80 miles up and down the Sacramento Valley, and will doubtless one day be one of the fashionable resorts of the San Franciscans." Among the mountains not named in the general survey, are Mount Prospect, 5,000 feet high, and Salmon Mountain, covered with snow nine months in the year, both in Klamath County; Mount St. Helen's, 3,500 feet, in Napa; Saddle Peak, 7,200 feet; Table Mountain, 8,000 feet; and Butte, at the head of South Fork, 9,000 feet in height, all in the Sierra Nevada Mountains; two double peaks, conspicuous landmarks, in Solano; and Oregon Hill, 2,800 feet high, in Yuba County. Near Vallecita, on Chyote Creek, in Calaveras County, is a striking display of volcanic action in the shape of what are called the natural bridges; two immense arches, thrown over the above-named creek, and covered with imitations of clusters of fruits and flowers, doubtless formed when the mass was first upheaved in a molten state. In the same vicinity is "Chyote Cave," a deep semicircular chasm, entered by a perpendicular descent of 100 feet, and then proceeding by a

gradual slope till it reaches a depth of nearly 200 feet below the sur face, where you come to a chamber called "The Cathedral," from its containing two stones, resembling bells, which, when struck, produce a chiming sound. Proceeding 100 feet further, always on the descent, a lake is reached of great depth, and apparently covering many acres; but the exploration has not yet been carried beyond this point. The roof of the cave is studded with stalactites, assuming various fantastic forms.

THE YOSEMITE VALLEY.-One of the greatest and most popular objects of interest in California is the Yosemite Valley. We make the following extracts from a description of this remarkable valley, in the second volume of Professor J. D. Whitney's Geological Report:

"The Yosemite Valley is situated on the Merced River. It is about one hundred and forty miles in a direction a little south of east from San Francisco. It is nearly in the center of the State, north and south, and exactly midway between the east and west bases of the Sierra, here about seventy miles wide.

"The valley is nearly a level area, about eight miles in length and varying from a half to a mile in width. For the lower six miles its course is from north-east to south-west; the upper two miles are nearly at right angles to this, the angle of the bend being at the spot where the Yosemite Fall comes over the precipice on the north side. Below the expanded portion of the valley, the Merced enters a terribly deep and narrow canon, which is said to be inaccessible.

"The peculiar features of the Yosemite are, first, the near approach to verticality of its walls; next, their great height, not only absolutely, but as compared with the width of the valley itself; and, finally, the very small amount of debris, or talus, at the bottom of these gigantic cliffs. These are the great characteristics of the valley throughout its entire length; but beside these, there are many other striking peculiarities and features, both of sublimity and beauty, which can hardly be surpassed, if equaled, by those of any mountain scenery in the world.

"Tutucanula, (Great Jehovah,) or El Capitan, is an almost vertical cliff of naked, smooth granite. From its edge down to the valley below is about three thousand three hundred feet; it is usually called three thousand six hundred feet, which may be the extreme height of its slightly-rounded summit. It is undoubtedly one of the grandest objects in the Yosemite, and it would be difficult to find anywhere in the world a mass of rock presenting a perpendicular face so imposing and elevated. The pile of debris, at its base, is so insignificant in its dimensions, compared with the cliff itself, that it is hardly noticed at all from some points, in a general view of the valley, and this is one of the most striking and unique features of the scene, for it is a condition of things of the rarest possible occurrence. We know of notning like it in any other part of the world.

"The Bridal Veil Fall, of which the Indian name is 'Pohono,' is about one thousand feet in height, and, during the season when the stream is fed by the melting snow on the mountains above, it is a wonderfully beautiful object. The body of water is not large, but is suffi

cient to produce the most picturesque effect. As it is swayed backward and forward by the varying force of the wind, it is continually altering its form, so that it seems, especially as seen from a distance, to flutter like a white veil; hence the name, which is both appropriate and poetical.

Proceeding up the valley, we find, a little above the Bridal Veil Fall, and on the same side, the prominent and massively sculptured pile to which the name of Cathedral Rock is given. It appears to be about three thousand feet in height. Behind this are the Cathedral Spires,' two slender and beautiful columns of granite, on the same gigantic scale as every thing else in this region, and which here are passed almost unnoticed, although, by themselves, in other parts of the world, they would be considered objects of the greatest interest.

"A couple of miles further up the valley, and on the other side, is the next cluster of peaks, a triple row of summits rising in steps one above the other; these are called the Three Brothers.' From the highest of these, nearly four thousand feet above the valley, there is the finest view which can be had of the Yosemite itself, and the whole surrounding region up to the crest of the Sierra.

"Opposite the Three Brothers is a prominent point which stands out near the angle where the valley makes its most distinct turn, and which, from its fancied likeness to a gigantic watch-tower, is called 'Sentinel Rock.' As seen from the south-west, it is a group of cliffs, of which the outside one has quite the form of an obelisk, very regular and beautiful, for at least a thousand feet down. The entire height of the Sentinel above its base is a little over three thousand feet.

"Three-quarters of a mile south-east of the Sentinel is the dome of the same name, four thousand one hundred and fifty feet high, and one of the most perfect of the dome-shaped masses of granite so peculiar to the Sierra Nevada. Its horizontal section is nearly circular, and its slope very regular and uniform on all sides. From its summit the view is, of course, extremely grand; it is especially fine in the direction of the Obelisk Groupe of mountains, and it commands the canon of the south fork of the Merced-'Illilonette,' as it is called by the Indians. From this point the glacial phenomena, and especially the regular and extensive moraines of that valley, are finely displayed. The profile of the Half Dome is best seen from the Sentinel Dome.

"From near the foot of the Sentinel Rock, looking directly across the valley, we have before us, if not the most stupendous feature of the Yosemite, at least the most attractive one, namely, the Yosemite Fall. About the time of the full moon, and in the month of May, June, or July, according to the dryness or forwardness of the season, is the time to visit the Yosemite, and to enjoy in their full perfection the glories of its numerous waterfalls. Those who go later, after the snow has nearly gone from the mountains, see the streams diminished to mere rivulets and threads of water; they feel satisfied with the other attractions of the valley, its stupendous cliffs, domes, and canons, and think that the waterfalls are of secondary importance, and that they