THE CRATER OF CASTLE GEYSER, YELLOWSTONE PARK.—This photograph presents a splendid and accurate view of the crater of one of the most noted geysers of this celebrated locality. The light and conditions were particularly favorable when our party was there, and they thus succeeded in getting one of the finest negatives of their entire series. The formation of the cone appears as clear, distinct and beautiful as if it were standing before us in its natural condition. No painting or engraving can equal such a photograph, in the qualities that make an illustration perfect. ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Illustration: GIBBON FALLS, YELLOWSTONE PARK.] Descending from Mount Washington, we proceeded by the roadway through a deep forest of pines until presently we gained the brink of a frightful chasm nearly 2,000 feet deep, over which the river poured in tremendous force and had a sheer drop of 140 feet. This is the Upper Falls, and a grand nature-picture they compose. But the magnificence of the scene is mightily increased less than half a mile below, where the cañon walls rapidly contract and another greater precipice has been formed. Here the mad waters take a violent tumble of 350 feet, at Lower Falls, and are tossed up again in a mist that sometimes beclouds the valley. But recovering its force, the river plunges on with renewed energy, as the descent increases, until out of the gloomy depths it again emerges for one more final leap of 150 feet, at Tower Falls. While the falls are of extraordinary interest, they are not more than the worthy accessories of a cañon which, though not the greatest, is in some respects the most sublime of any on the American continent. Mr. Archibald Geikie, an English scientist, has given the following admirable description of Yellowstone Cañon, admirable not only for its graphic picturing, but also because it is an Englishman’s confession that there is something really grand in America: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Illustration: GRAND CAÑON OF THE YELLOWSTONE.—The Grand Cañon is immediately north of the lake, with Tower Falls at its north end and Yellowstone Falls at the south. The photograph presents a fine view from one of the most desirable points, but even a photograph, let it be ever so accurate, cannot give a true idea of the real grandeur of a scene like this. The width of the cañon varies from 200 to 500 yards, and the walls on either side rise to a height of 1200 to 1500 feet, the river winding its tortuous way and plunging over numerous waterfalls at the bottom of this tremendous crevice. The river is transparent as crystal, and reaches a depth of 300 feet at one point. ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Illustration: YELLOWSTONE RIVER, NEAR MUD GEYSER.]