he Needles' elevation above sea-level is only a
few hundreds. At Jacobabad, India, the greatest heat recorded is 126
degrees, and at Kashan, in Persia, a month--August--averaged 127
degrees, supposed to be the hottest place on earth.

Above the Needles begins or ends the very wonderful Grand Canon,
extending north for 270 miles, its depth in places being as much as 6000
feet, and that at certain points almost precipitously. The wonderful
colouring of the rocks, combined with the overpowering grandeur of it,
make it one of the most impressive and unique sights of the world.

Now, stop and think what that is--2000 yards! say a mile; and imagine
the effect on a stranger when he first approaches it, which he will
generally do without warning--nothing, absolutely nothing, to indicate
the presence of this wonderful gorge till he arrives at its very brink.
Its aspect is always changing according to the hour of day, the period
of the year, the atmospheric conditions. The air is dry and bracing at
all times; and as pure, clear and free from dust or germs as probably
can be found anywhere on earth. The panorama may be described as
"_wunderschoen_." Anyone of sensibility will sit on the rock-rim for
hours, possibly days, in dumb contemplation of the beauty and immensity.
No one has yet, not even the most eloquent writer, been quite able to
express his feelings and sentiments, though many have attempted to do so
in the hotel register; some of the greatest poets and thinkers admitting
in a few lines their utter inability. Our Colorado Chiquito in its lower
parts has an equally romantic aspect.

Close to our ranch was another of Nature's wonders, a petrified forest,
quite unique in that the exposed tree trunks are solid masses of agate,
chalcedony, jasper, opal and other silicate crystals, the variety of
whose colouring, with their natural brilliancy, makes a wonderfully
beautiful combination. These trees are supposed to have been the Norfolk
Island pine, a tree now extinct, are of large dimensions, all prostrate,
lying in no particular order, and all broken up into large or smaller
sections. Many carloads have been removed and shipped to Eastern
factories, where the sections are sawn through and polished, and the
most lovely table tops, etc., imaginable produced. One must beware of
rattlesnakes when prowling about these "ruins."

To complete the physical description of Arizona territory something must
be said of the pine-clad mou