Drawn by a rat-tailed, ewe-necked bay. 12. What do you think the parson found, O. W. HOLMES. THE 166. ASCENT OF POPOCATAPETL. HE ascent had now become very difficult, and was not entirely free from danger; for the steep plain or valley was partially covered with fields of snow, which, after having been softened by the heat of the previous day, was now hard frozen, and afforded a very insecure hold. Supporting ourselve on the snow by means of our pointed poles, and assisting ou footing in other places by the sharp stones, which were frozen in the sand, and protruded themselves above its surface, we continued to ascend gradually, but constantly. As the lines which bounded the irregular inclined plain we were ascending converged to a point, the inclination became greater, and the increasing rarefaction of the atmosphere added much to our difficulty and fatigue. 1 2 2. Before reaching the upper termination of this plain, the distant mountain-chains and deep valleys were indistinctly visible in the west, clothed in the illusive charms of the early dawn. But it was when we were clambering up the steep acclivity which terminates this valley, a little below the Pico del Fraile, that the full glow of morning burst upon our view in its brightest effulgence. 3. The sun, as it rose unclouded in the east, lighted up in all the splendor of a morning in spring, the varying scenes which were spread around us. Nothing could be more beautiful or impressive than the changing tints which came successively over the brightening landscape, as the lofty mountain cast its conical shadow across the valley, and on the distant hills, and on the clouds which curled around them, and for a long time, obscured the country and villages at its base in the uncertain gloom of early morning, while all beyond the clearly defined line of shadow was glistening in the bright beams of the sun. 4. Passing over the rugged termination of the valley along which we had ascended, the Pico del Fraile, a porphyritic* mass shooting up like a needle to the height of perhaps eighty feet, was in plain view and but a short distance above us. We reached this singular rock about twenty minutes past seven o'clock, A. M. It is situated about fifteen hundred feet, in vertical' height, from the peak of the mountain, on a bold and rocky ridge, once, apparently, a stream of lava, and which extends in a southwestern direction from the summit, and divides into the two ridges between which we had ascended. On a clear morning 1 Răr`e făc' tion, the act or process of making rare, or of expanding a body; the distending or enlarging of a body by separating its parts. "Il lu' sive, deceiving by false show; deceitful; false. 3 Cŏn' ic al, having the form of, or resembling a cone; round and decreasing to a point. resembling, or consisting of, porphyry, a rock of a compact or close base, through which crystals of feldspar are scattered. These crystals are of a lighter tint than the base, and often white. There are red, purple, and green varieties, which are highly esteemed as marbles. Ver tic al, directly overhead; • Porphy rit' ic, pertaining to, plumb; upright. this remarkable feature may be distinctly seen from the city of Mexico, on the western profile' of the mountain. 5. My attention, upon reaching this point, was directed by one of the party to the appearance, at short intervals, of light clouds of smoke which were rising above the snow, considerably to the right of the summit. This served to indicate the position of the crater, and sufficiently explained the cause of the strong sulphurous odor we had encountered far down the mountain. 6. On the southeastern side of the ridge on which the Pico del Fraile is situated, extending from near the crater to the forests about the waist of the mountain, is a deep valley whose bottom is covered with sand and ice. In order to reach the point indicated by the smoke, it was first necessary, on account of the many precipices which break in upon the unity of the ridge, to descend into this valley, which forms a practicable way through the rocky barriers. Having passed around the southern side of the base of the Pico del Fraile, we continued, for some time, to move in a horizontal direction, along the steep slope of the ridge which forms the western limit of the valley in question, until, having reached the bottom, we resumed the painful ascent' towards the crater. 7. The effort was difficult and laborious in the extreme to pass in safety over the smooth fields of ice, and amongst the wild crags which obstructed our path; and it required much caution to avoid a false step, which might have precipitated us far into the valley below. About six or eight hundred feet above the Pico, we clambered up a steep natural wall of rocks which was at the head of the valley, and entered at once upon an extensive glacier, which filled an indentation in the conical part of the mountain, and extended almost to the summit. 2 8. The passage of this glacier was by far the most fatiguing portion of the ascent. The surface of the snow, which had now become věry deep, was so much softened by the warmth of the sun as to be incapable of sustaining our weight, as we moved over the glacier to a solitary rock which, with the occasional puffs of smoke, directed us to the edge of the crater. The air, too, had become so much rarefied at this immense elevation, as 1 Profile, (pro fèl), the side face or half face; the outline of a figure or object. * Glǎc'i er, a moving field of ice and snow, formed in the valleys and slopes of lofty mountains. scarcely to afford enough oxygen to sustain life. The slightest exertion was attended with great fatigue. 9. We found it necessary, as we advanced, forcing our way through the snow which covered the ice to the depth of more than three feet, to pause, for a few moments, after having taken three or four steps, in order to recover from our exhaustion. A sensation of dizziness, attended with a great oppression about the head, gradually came over us as we ascended; and we were much incommoded by inhaling the noxious gases which were ejected from the crater and dissipated in the surrounding atmosphere. 10. At ten o'clock A. M., the advance of the party reached the edge of the crater. The contrast presented by the bright glare of the snow which had so dazzled our sight during the ascent, and the dark abyss, which, upon climbing the last few feet, yawned suddenly before us, was striking in the highest degree. In the clear atmosphere of these elevated regions, it is difficult to form by the eye alone, an accurate estimate of the distances and apparent dimensions of objects which are at all remote from us. It is not strange, therefore, that the impressions made on the minds of the different individuals composing the party, should in some respects differ. For this reason, I will give only my own opinion of the dimensions of the crater-remarking that my estimates are as small as any which were made by the rest of the party. 11. Its diameter, I think, does not exceed the third of an English mile in length. The depth varies from perhaps four or five hundred to six or eight hundred feet;—the difference of depth in different places being caused by the slope of the mountain. The center of the crater is nearly southeast of the summit, which is so slightly removed from the highest part of the circumference that it may be regarded as forming one point of the lip. At the time we reached the edge of the crater, the smoke was issuing in a constant stream from a crevice near the eastern side of the bottom, nearly opposite the point where we stood, as well as occasionally from other parts of the interior. Considerable quantities of sublimated sulphur had been deposited on the bottom and interior conical surfaces; and the quantity of sulphuretted hydrogen gas evolved from the crater, was highly offensive and injurious. 12. Following along the lip of the crater, the first of the party succeeded in attaining the summit of the volcano, the highest point of land, with perhaps a single exception, in North Amĕrica, at ten minutes past ten o'clock a. M., on the 11th of April, 1848. At twenty minutes past ten o'clock, having attached a small flag to one of the poles which had been used in making the ascent, we took formal possession of the subjacent country, and planted the "stars and stripes" firmly on the highest peak of the Popocatapetl, overlooking the dark crater which was smoking below. S. B. BUCKNER. THE II. 167. DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. HE discovery itself of the American continent may, I think, fairly be considered the most extraordinary event in the history of the world. In this, as in other cases, familiarity blunts the edge of our perceptions; but much as I have meditated, and often as I have treated this theme, its magnitude grows upon me with each successive contemplation. 2. That a continent nearly as large as Europe and Africa united, spread out on both sides of the equator, lying between the western shores of Europe and Africa and the eastern shore of Asia,' with groups of islands in either ocean, as it were stopping-places on the march of discovery,—a continent, not inhabited indeed by civilized races, but still occupied by one of the families of rational man,-that this great hemisphere, I say, should have lain undiscovered for five thousand years upon the bosom of the deep,-a mystery so vast, within so short a distance, and yet not found out,—is indeed a marvel. 3. Mute nature, if I may so express myself, had made the discovery to the philosopher, for the preponderance of land in the eastern hemisphere demanded a counterpoise' in the west. Dark-wooded trees, unknown to the Europe'an naturalists, had from age to age drifted over the sea and told of the tropical forests where they grew. Stupendous ocean currents, driven westward by the ever-breathing trade-winds, had wheeled their 1 Asia, (à' shỉ a). 1 Trāde ́-wind, a wind in or near Preponderance,greaterweight. the tropical countries, which con'Coun' ter poise, a weight to balance another; a force or power sufficient to balance another. 2 4 stantly blows in the same direction. Trading vessels avail themselves of these winds, and hence their name. |