enought to supply to Mountain Meadow, intending that teams will meet me from Camp Douglas at or near that point. You will be advised fully of my plan of operation in time to meet me at mountain Meadow, should I so adopt. I epeat that the condition of my stock is not coused so much by the character of the road as it is from the fact that the team mules were old, worn out, and almost unserviceable at the start for a march of such magnitude. The delay of the teams also delay the troops, keeping it in poor range much longer that it would have been had the teams been servicceable. You will remember that at Camp Douglas I remarked thet not less than fifteen of my horses wee totally unfit for this expedition. I made the same remark to the general commanding, and was told that hetter for me. This I believe, and am satisfied I had as good an outfit as could be at entirely inadequate to the wants of the expedition. As a natural result the route proved severe upon both men and animals, and both frequently suffered intensely from want of water, and also from fatigue incident to misfortune of getting through with broken down teams. As soon as the teams commenced failing I issued private grain belonging to Mr. Contrad and self amounting to 800 pounds. As regards the route I have fully made up my mind as folows: While I will not yet say that road cannot be opened west of present travele route until learn result of line run from Muddy to Clover Valley, am decided that no nearer, better or more practicable route can be run than the present one from Camp Douglas to Las Vegas; and having traveled from Carson City to Salt Lake over the mail road, state without any hesitation that the route I have traveled to mouth of El Dorado Canon is superior in 450 miles. There is no occasion to run the southern terminus of road below El Dorado Canon. Steam-boats can navigate the river as easily to the canon or to a point eight miles above it, as they can and do to La Paz, 200 miles south of Mojave. I will locate the southern terminus of road eeither at mouth of El Dorado Canon or at a landing eight miles above, running from thence to Las Vegas to Muddy, Virgin River, Clara River, Mountain Meadow, Cedar, Beaver, Fillmore, west side of Utah Lake to Salt Lake City. Nature of road as follows: From El Dorado Canon forty-four miles desert to Las Vegas, where find most excellent water and grass; from Muddy to Virgin, twenty miles, good road; on virgin to Beaver down thirty-two miles sandy road, heavy hauling; from Beaver down to Clara River, good road; from Clara River to Mountain Meadow, heavy road; from Mountain Meadow to Salt Lake City, 302 1/4 miles, a turnpike road, supplied with wood, water, and grass; longest drive on it without water is twenty-seven miles. Best time to start freight trains from El Dorado Canon on or about 20th April, as follows: A train of 100 Government wagons, divided into five parts, each part two days in advance of rear, each twenty wagons to have two grain and water waagons along, and every wagon to have watter barrel holding twenty-five gallons. Feed grain to Mountain Meadow anyhow, haul water wagons from other teams, and the through trip can be made in twenty-six to twenty-eight days, easy. So well satisfied am I of this fact would be willing to take charge of such a train and stake my commission on bringing it through without loss of an animal, except from natural causes, provided that at the start the outfit was of a Numbers 1 quality. To start out