sions, though summarizing his observations of a wider area than the one under consideration, apply with great force to that section, and are worthy of reproduction at this point: "First, that the soil, particularly that resulting from decomposition of the volcanic and sedimentary rocks, possesses the elements requisite for vegetable growth, and will produce crops when water sufficient for irrigating purposes can be had; second, that almost all points accessible to water enough for herds can be utilized as grazing ground; third, that the forests, though localized, contain timber enough for the wants of these regions for many years; fourth, that large areas, now abandond for want of water, can be cultivated by a system of tanks which, during times of plenty, shall store the surplus water for future use during the critical growing times of the crops; fifth, that under the conjoined influence of agriculture and forest culture the excessive waste of water in surface drainage and in rapid evaporation will be lessened, thus procuring from the same rain-fall more lasting benefit; sixth, that the prevailing diseases are of less than usual fatality, and can, in many cases, be absolutely prevented or readily cured, and that these diseases will diminish in frequency and severity as the country is brought under cultivation. "The immigrant must not anticipate seeing an immense stretch of country everywhere alternating in beauty between greenswards, heavy forests, and abundance of water, like the familiar spots of the East. He must expect at present to find sterility and aridity impressing their hard lines on every feature of the landscape; but he must also remember that Utah, so large a portion of which is now covered with fertile farms, with vineyards and orchards laden with fruit, was only a few years ago almost as unpromising as Arizona now is; that it is still within the memory of man that prophets of ill-omen predicted that California, now one of the granaries of the Union, could never furnish flour enough for her own use. We may fairly expect, under the demands of our increasing population, that these waste places will be redeemed and made tributary to our civilization. Labor, here as elsewhere, will bring its reward; but acres of waving, maturing crops will not come unearned." Besides the material results, the strangeness of forms and the marvelous atmospheric effects of the climate hold the senses of all whose imagination is alive to natural beauty. Among the most attractive results of the rarefied atmosphere, the deep, clear sky, and the rich, strange colors which are seen and felt on every hand, is that witnessed at A FIELD FOR THE ARTIST. 217 midnight; it will not soon be forgotten, even by the most unimpressive and matter-of-fact of observers. The nights grow cool, no matter how heated the day has been; and, sleeping out of doors, the unaccustomed traveler will seek fresh covering in the high noon of night. He will indeed be very dull and very tired if he turns to sleep at once. Above, the deep arch glows, intensely blue and clear, as deep and azure-hued as the fairest of Italian skies. The stars look marvellously large and bright, and present a far more countless host, it would seem, than is observed in other låtitudes. Lying on the rude earth and looking up to the wide dome above, it appears as if the glittering planets were coming down to crush and destroy. The feeling evoked is one of awe, intense and hushed. The deep interstices grow deeper and grander as the eyes are strained in solemn wonder. There is above the horizon-edge a warm, gray tint, plainly fretted where it fades out and is absorbed by the intense azure above. The horizon is aglow with a rich hue of faint rose, shooting up libidinous prongs,' (as Walt. Whitman says) and fading and passing, as the early dawn comes apace, into a pale golden tinge. These skies are translucent in depth; wondrously varied in tone; a constant delight to the imagination, and continually playing fantastic tricks with the observer. No poet or artist need ask a finer inspiration than the marvellous glory of an early sunrise on the slopes of the Santa Rita, watching the bold brow of Mount Wrightson, as it is unveiled by the rising sun from the pale gray mists that have gathered around the peak during the night. The great bars of crimson, the brilliant masses of gold, the deep purple hues that rest on the ridges and wrap the abrupt gorges of the range in wondrous beauty, with the rich tints of amber and aqua-marine dying out in the dazzling blue of the atmosphere-these tend to make a picture that, once seen, will long be remembered, enhanced as it is by the striking features of the physical formation, and the strange aspects of the vegetation that rises all about one. Gray grass, weird-looking cacti, brown mountain sides, rocks painted in dazzling colors by the erosion of wind and rain; a broad stretch of landscape; strangeshaped peaks, all combine with the spur to adventure which follows the presence of unworked mineral wealth, to make this region one of the most attractive within the borders of the Union. 10 CHAPTER VIII. THE SANTA CRUZ WEST TO PAPAGUERIA. SAN XAVIER DEL BAC; REVANTON; SOPORI; THE CERRO COLORADO ; Starting from Tucson, the country forming the western portion of the upper Santa Cruz valley, and the strange, wild region known as the Papagueria, is among the most interesting portion of Arizona. The first object of interest is the Papago Mission and Reservation, with the remarkable and well preserved church buildings of San Xavier del Bac. The Indians number about 5,000, and are among the very best inhabitants of the territory-brave, industrious, sober, and chaste. Their farming illustrates what may be done with land when water is applied. The site is well chosen, with a broad sweep of plain and valley, bounded in by the purple-shadowed mountains. Our business is with the church, which is most certainly a remarkable object to find in such a wild country. The present building was commenced in 1768, on the site of one of the same name which had gone to decay. It was completed in 1798, with the exception of one of the towers, which is yet in an unfinished state. Its dimensions are 115X70 feet. The style of architecture is a rude mingling of the Moorish and the Byzantine. The building is surmounted by one dome and two minarets, and the foundation walls are of brick, with a fine coating of cement. The outside walls are of brick, also cemented. The inside walls are of stone and cement, plastered and stuccoed, and the interior has the form of the Latin cross. The church fronts to the south, and the front center is covered with scroll work, having also the coat of arms of the Franciscan monks, which is a cross, with a rope coil above, and two arms below, one of which represents that of Christ, and is naked; the other one that of St. Francis de Assisi, and is partially clothed, St. Francis de Assisi being the patron of the church. A life-sized bust of St. Francis Xavier adorned and surmounted SAN XAVIER DEL BAC. 219 the front, but the head and part of the bust have been broken. The roof is surrounded by a brick balustrade, cemented, and at each angle and corner are griffins worked in cement, fortyeight in all. On the outside of the church to the west is an open niche where the Papago Indians were formerly congre gated for morning prayers, and adjoining this was the burial ground and dead chapel. To the south of the church the old convent buildings have been renovated and occupied. For several years past four sisters have lived here, teaching and caring for the Indian sick. The inside of the church has the form of the Latin cross, the foot being to the south, and extending thence to the north end, where the main altar is. The walls and ceilings are tastefully decorated and frescoed. The main altar is dedicated to St. Francis Xavier, and one of the central chapels to St. Francis de Assisi. Four large fresco paintings represent the Annunciation, the Visitation of the Virgin to Elizabeth, the Nativity of Christ, and the Visitation of the Magi. The altar work and all the cornices are done in cement, as are also the six arched ceilings overhead, the main one of which is fifty feet high, and the others about thirty feet high. The ceilings were all frescoed, but much of this has been defaced by time and the elements. The Four Evangelists, in sculpture, adorn the main altar, and the scroll work was formerly covered with gold leaf, now dimmed and defaced. In the lateral chapel of the Virgin there is a cross of small pieces of ironwood, imbedded in cement, on which there was formerly a sculptured figure of Christ. In two of the angles of the main arch there are two statues, representing angels, which tradition states are portraits of the two daughters of the artist who decorated the church. The main aisle is adorned by two large fresco paintings representing the Last Supper and the Pentecost. East of the altar a door leads into the vestry, where the valuables of the church are still kept. On the door leading to the vestry is the name of its builder, Pedro Bojorques, 1797. The masonry work of the church was executed by two brothers named Gauna, who evinced great skill and genius in their work. From the south end of the main aisle a doorway leads to the west, into the baptismal chapel, and from there a flight of winding stairs, consisting of twenty-seven, twenty-one, and twenty-one steps, leads to the upper floor of the west minaret or tower. At the rise of twenty-seven steps a doorway leads to the right into the choir gallery, which is arched and frescoed. A further rise of twenty-one steps leads to the second floor of this tower, where there is a chim of four fine bells, one bearing the date of 1804, and the three others so defaced by time that their date is obliterated. A doorway leads to the roof of the main building, and on going across the visitor enters the east tower, where but one bell remains of the fo~ formerly there. The date of this one is also obliterated by time. Returning to the west tower, the visitor rises the last flight of twenty-one steps to the upper floor of the tower, from whence a fine view is obtained of the beautiful valley of the Santa Cruz, of distant mountains and peaks, with many evidences of upheavals and eruptions. The steps leading to the upper floor, sixty-nine in all, have a rise of ten inches each, making the whole rise fifty-seven and one-half feet. Taking the edifice for all in all, it is a fine structure, and presents a fine illustration of the energy and sagacity of the Catholic mission by whom it was erected. But their best monument is found in the tribe they civilized, and the enduring character their teachings have so steadfastly impressed upon them, |