ON my return from the first exploration of the canyons of the
Colorado, I found that our journey had been the theme of
much newspaper writing. A story of disaster had been
circulated, with many particulars of hardship and tragedy, so that it
was currently believed throughout the United States that all the mem-
bers of the party were lost save one. A good friend of mine had
gathered a great number of obituary notices, and it was interesting
and rather flattering to me to discover the high esteem in which I
had been held by the people of the United States. In my supposed
death I had attained to a glory which I fear my continued life has not
fully vindicated.

The exploration was not made for adventure, but purely for scientific
purposes, geographic and geologic, and I had no intention of writing an
account of it, but only of recording the scientific results. Immediately
on my return I was interviewed a number of times, and these interviews
were published in the daily press; and here I supposed all interest
in the exploration ended. But in 1874 the editors of Scribner's
Monthly requested me to publish a popular account of the Colorado
exploration in that journal. To this I acceded and prepared four
short articles, which were elaborately illustrate fom from photographs
in my possession.

In the same year -- 1874 -- at the instance of professor Henry of
the Smithsonian Institution, I was called before an appropriations
committee of the House of Representatives to explain certain estimates
made by the. Professor for funds to continue scientific work which
had been in progress from the date of the original exploration. Mr.
Garfield was chairman of the committee, and after listening to my

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