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This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film6 au taux de reduction indiqu6 ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X y 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X Th« copy filmsd her* has bean raproducad thank* to tha ganarotity of: Library Division Provincial Archives of British Columbia L'axamplaira film* fut raproduit grAca 6 la g*n6rosit* da: Library Division Provincial Archives of British Columbia Tha imagas appaaring hara ara tha batt quality posalbia conaidarlrq tha condition and lagibillty -)f tha original copy and in kaaping with tha filming contract apacifications. Original copias in printad papar covers ara filmad beginning with tha front covar and ending on tha last page with a printed or illustrated innpres- sion. or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. 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Tous les autres exemplairas originaux sont filmAs en commen^ant par la premiAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la derniAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la darniAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — ^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmAs A des taux de reduction diffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clichA, il est film* A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Las diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 U] ] LETTER 1 w. ■n GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR r UPON UPPER CALIFOENIA. BY JOHN CHARLES FREMONT. AODBESSBD TO TBB SEHATE Of TBS OmTEO STATES IN 1848. TO WHICH ABI HOW &DDID, IXTBAOTS ISOH HAKmYrS COLLECTION OF VOYAGES, LA PEYBOUSE'S VOYAGE, VENEGA'S HISTORY OF C^gJFOBNI^ HABEIS'S COLLECTION OF VOYAGES, VON LANGDORPP'S TRAVELS, ALCEDO'S GEOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL DICTIONARY, HASTINGS'S GUIDE TO OREGON AND CALIFORNIA, PARNHAM'S LIFE AND ADVENTURES Dl CALIPORNU, THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE TO CONGRESS, DECEMBER 6, 1848, COL. MASON'S REPORT TO THE SECRETARY AT WAR, LETTER OP THE REV. WALTER COLTON, AUGUST 29, 1848, CERTIFICATE OP THE MINT, LETTER OF THOMAS 0. LARKEN, LATE CONSUL AT MONTEREY, LETTER PROM COM. JONES TO THE SECRETARY OF THE N IVY, OCT. 25, 1848. EDITOR OF THE OREGON SPECTATOR-HIS ACCOUNT OF OREGON. BY WILLIAM M^'CARTY. / Ml Mi PHILADELPHIA: PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM MoCARTY, ASD rOB 8AUI BT BQOKSBLLkM OUWRAUiT. ttiot, tnm(-rm atan. ""■^"^.■■" 1849. 1 / \f ^ UP HAK HARR THE L] LET' LETTER FR( EDIT( T GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR UPON UPPER CALIFORNIA. BY JOHN CHARLES FREMONT. ADDRESSED TO THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES IN 1848. TO WUICII ARE NOW ABDED, EXTRACTS FROM HAKLUYT'S COLLECTION OF VOYAGES, LA PEYROUSE'S VOYAGE, VENEGA'S HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA, HARRIS'S COLLECTION OF VOYAGES, VON LANGDORFF'S TRAVELS, ALCEDO'S GEOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL DICTIONARY, HASTINGS'S GUIDE TO OREGON AND CALIFORNIA, FARNHAM'S LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN CALIFORNIA, THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE TO CONGRESS, DECEMBER o, 1848, COL. MASON'S REPORT TO THE SECRETARY AT AVAR, LETTER OF THE REV. WALTER COLTON, AUGUST 29, 1848, CERTIFICATE OF THE MINT, LETTER OP THOMAS 0. LARKIN, LATE CONSUL AT MONTEREY, LETTER FROM COM. JONES TO THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY, OCT. 25, EDITOR OF THE OREGON SPECTATOR— HIS ACCOUNT OF OREGON. 1848. BY WILLIAM MCCARTY. PHILADELPHIA: PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM McCAIlTY, AND FOR SALE BV BOOKSELLERS GENERALLY. FlUCZ, TWBNTT-nVE CENTS. 1849. mm i > \/ Entered accordi ig to Act of Congress, in the year 18-19, by VILLI AM Mccarty, the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Tennsylvania. SIEREOIIPED BY L. JOHKSOJt AKD CO. PHILADELPHIA. In put upoa Calii other sour the numen too conflic and some country u gather go! the precic a number its numb enough fj schoolmas together 1 well — livii and barn farm ; an( mon purs* sickness, and dome of a gooc of this p my room, and faith eluded. adventurei The i tery, Cal: on, as giv o PREFACE. In putting to press a new edition of Colonel Fremont's Geographical Memoir upon California, I have added much information, of a reliable character, from other sources. In this compilation I have entirely avoided any selection from the numerous anonymous letters published in the newspapers. Their accounts were too conflicting to be relied onj some making the country a perfect Paradise^ and some a Pandemonium; and, probably, many of the emigrants will find the- country uncomfortable enough^ if they go there for no other purpose than to gather gold. It has appeared to me possible to obtain all the advantages of the precious metals, with the comforts and conveniences of home, by forming a number of associations based on a proper division of labour, to contain among its numbers one or more persons of every useftil mechanical art, and also enough farmers, not neglecting the religious teacher, the physician, and the schoolmaster. Let them all take their families; let the associations be bound together by contract for five or more years, whether the members are sick or well — living or dead. Let them take up land; let the mechanic build houses and barns; let part of them fish; part raise cattle, sheep, and hogs; part farm; and the remainder only dig gold — having a common treasury and a com- mon purse ! The gold-diggers would then always have a home in winter and in sickness, and all could then enjoy a fair share of the profits, and society, and domestic comforts at the same time. From this hasty sketch, the details of a good working plan may be made out. I might have extended the size of this pamphlet by further extracts from other writers, but I am limited in my room, and think enough already ^iven to satisfy all such as desire a fair and faithful description of the country. Mere personal adventure has been ex- cluded. To those who desire that, I would recommend the full accounts of their adventures, as given by Farnham and Hastings. The following letter from the Rev. Walter Colton, chief alcalde of Mon- tery, California, and who has recently arrived in Philadelphia, may be relied on, as giving a true state of affairs in that country at this time : — ^1 ^1' \f r 4 PREFACE. To the Editors of the North American mul United States Gazette : — Oentlemkn, — The loiters recoivod by tli(3 ("lydo, jnirporting to ho written from Califoruia, and wlii<(Ii reproMtsnt that country in a state of the utmost anarehy and con- fusion, were evidently penned for some .sinister or mischievous purpose. These hitters state tliat General Smith had heon forced by a mol) to tal GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR. r ) f ocroBs the continent, reached the Pacific Ocean on tiie northern shore of the Bay of Mon- terey. In my published map, of the year 1845, the line of the western coast \)aa laid down accord- ing to Vancouver. When the newly esta- lilisiiod positions were placed on the map now laid before the Senate, it was found that they carn'ed the lino of the coast about fourteen miles west, and the valleys of the Siicr.imento and San Joiii|uin about twenty miles east; making an increase of more than thirty miles in the breadth of the coimtry below the Sierra Nevada. Upon examination, it was found that these positions agreed, nearly, with the observations of Captain Reechey, at Monterey. The corrections recjuired by the new positions were then accordingly made; the basin of the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys was re- moved to the eiistward, and the line of the coast projected farther west, conformably to my observations, retaining the configuration given to it by the surveys of Vancouver. The error in the position of the San Joaquin, Sacramento, and Wahlahmath valleys still exists upon the most authentic maps extant; and it appears that, upon the charts in general use, a greatly erroneous position is still given to the coast. By the return ofthe United States sloop-cf-war Portsmouth, Commander Montgomery, from the Pacific Ocean, it is learned that two British ships of war are now engaged in making a new survey of the gulf and coast of California. It is also known that an American whale ship was recently lost on the coast of California in consequence of the errors in the charts now in general use, locating the coast and islands. From Monterey south, too far east.* The astronomical observations made by me across the continent, in this my third expedi- tion, were calculated by Professor Hubbard, of the National Observatory, (Wabhington City,) during the present winter; and a note from liim on the subject of these observations is added as an appendix to this memoir.f My attention having been recently called to this subject, (the true position of the Gulf of Cali- fornia,) I find it worthy of remark that the position given to this coast on the charts of the old Spanish navigators agrees nearly with that which would be assigned to it by the obser- vations of the most eminent naval surveyors of the present day. The position adopted for Monterey and the adjacent coast, on the map now laid before the Senate, agrees nearly with that in which it had been placed by the obser- vations of Malaspina,:^: in 1791. In constructing this map, it became neces- sary to adopt the coast line of the Pacific, as • Naval.— The United States sloop-of-war Portsmouth, CommBndcr John B. Montgomery, arrived at Boston on Friday, from the Pacific Ocean, last from Valparaiso, Feb. 23. Commander Mont|;omery states that the British frigate " Herald" and the brig "Pandora" are engaged in mailing a new survey of the gulf and coast of California. The whale ship " Hope," of Providence, was recently lost na the coast, in consequence of an error in the charts now in general use, which locate the coast and islands from Monterey to Cape St. Lucas from fifteen to forty miles too far to the eastward.— JVotumaJ IrUMigemxr. I The note and tables here referred to are omitted iu thlB found in maps in general use, to give it com- pleteness. It was no part of my design to make a chart of the coast. Finding nn error when I came to lay down the Bay of Monte- rey, I altered my map to suit it. I knew nothing then of any errors in the coast. It is satisfactory now to find that my itstronomical observations correspond with those previously made by Beechey and Belcher, and very prali- fying to bo able to i"^d some testimonial to the correctness of those made by Malaspina long before either of them. Vancouver re- moved the coast line as fixed by Malaspina, and the subse(|uent observations carry it back. In laying this map before the Senate, and in anticipation ofthe full work which my explora- tions (with some further examinations) may enable me to draw up hereafter, I deem it a proper accompaniment to the map to present some brief notices of California, with a view to show the character of the country, and its capability or otherwise to sustain a consider- able population. In doing this, no general remarks applicable to the whole of California can be used. The diversity in diflTerent parts is too great to admit of generalization in the descriL,;ion. Separate views of different parts must be taken; and in this brief sketch, the design is to limit the view to the two great divisions of the country which lie on the oppo- site sides of the Sierra Nevada, and to the character of that mountain itself, so prominent in the structure of the country, and exercising so great an influence ov- he climate, soil, and productions of its two uivisions. SIERR.\ NEVADA. Tliis Sierra is part of the great mountain range, which, under different names and with different elevations, but with much uniformity of direction and general proximity to the coast, extends from the peninsula of California to Russian America ; and without a gap in the distance through which the water ofthe Rocky Mountains could reach the Pacific Ocean, ex- cept at the two places where the Columbia and Frazer's river respectively find their pas- sage. This great range is remarkable for its length, its proximity and parallelism to the sea-coast, its great elevation, often more lofty than the Rocky Mountains, and its many grand volcanic peaks, reaching high into the region of perpetual snow. Rising singly, like pyra- mids, from heavily timbered plaieaux, to the height of fourteen and seventeen thousand feet above the sea, these snowy peaks constitute the characterizing fc/iture of the range, and distinguish it from the Rocky Mountains and all others on our part of the continent. edition, a» of little or no interest to the general reader. Those who are curious in mere scientific matters, are referred to the edition pablished by order of the Senate of the United States. X Of this skilful, intrepid, and unfortunate navigator, Humboldt (Essay on New Spain) says :— "The peculiar merit of bU expedition consists not only in the number of astronomical observations, but pTincI- pally in the judicious method which was employed to arrive at certain results. The longitude and latitude of four points on the coast (Cape San Lucas, Monterey, Noo^ ka, and Fort Mulgrave) were fixed in an absolute manner." 1 ■«ESS;3S GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR, ^fivo it com- ny design to ling nn error ;iy of Monto- il. I knew conflt. It is astronomical HI' prrviously nd very grali- stimoniiil to >j Miiliispina iinconver re- y MalaBpina, arry it liack. cnate, and in 1 my explora- riations) may I deem it a ip to present , with a view intry, and its n a consider- , no general of CaTifornia iflfprent parts nation in the itferont parts f sketch, the he two great on the oppo- ., and to the so prominent id exercisinff late, soil, ana !at mountain les and with h uniformity to the coast, 'alifornia to I gap in the of the Rocky e Ocean, ex- le Columbia d their pas- kable for its jlism to the I more lofty many grand the region f, like pyra- eaux, to the bousand feet s constitute range, and untains and ent. ;«noral reader. : mattcrfi, are r the Senate of ato navigator, igifits not only ns, but prinot 1 employed to nd latitude of onterey, Noot ilute manner." That part of this range which traverses the AvTk California is called the Siimi Xevada, (Snowy Mountain) — a nann; in itself implying a great elevation, as it is only anpliiMl, in Spanish geography, to the mountains whose Bummitfi penetrato the region of perpetual snow. It is a grand feature of Calil'orniii, and a dominating one, and must bo wc^ll understood before the structure of the country and the chanictpr of its dilTcrent divisions can be com- prehended. It divides (California into two parts, and exercises a decided iufluenct; on tin climate, soil, ami productions of eacli. Strci.-li- ing along the coasf, and at the general dis- tance of one hundred and fifty miles from it, this great mountain wall recei' es the warm winds, charged with vapour, which sweep across the Pacific Ocean, precipitates their accumulated moisture in fertili/.ing rains and snows upon its western flank, and leaves cold and dry winds to pass on to tlio east. Hence the characteristic differences of the two re- gions — mildness, fertility, and a superb vege- table kingdom on one side, comparative bar- renness and cold on the other. The two sides of the Sierra exhibit two dis- tinct climates. The state of vegetation, in connection with some thermometrical observa- tions made during the recent exploring expe- dition to California, will establish and illus- trate this difference. In the beginning of December, 1845, we crossed this Sierra, at latitude 39° 17' 12", at the present usual emi- grant pass, at the head of the Salmon Trout Kiver, 40 miles north of New Helvetia, and made observations at each base, and in the same latitude, to determine the respective tem- peratures; the two bases bcinj, respectively, the weilern about 500, and the eastern about 4000 feet above the " ivel of the sea; and the Pass, 7200 feet. The mean results of the ob- servations were, on the eastern side, at sunrise, 9° ; at noon, 44° ; at sunset, 30° ; the state of vegetation and the appearance of the country being at the same time (second week of De- cember) that of confirmed winter; the rivers frozen over, snow on the ridges, annual plants dead, grass dry, and deciduous trees stripped of their foliage. At the western base, the mean temperature during a corresponding week was, at sunrise, 29°, and at sunset, 52° ; the state of the atmosphere and of vegetation that of advancing spring; grass fresh and green, four to eight inches high, vernal plants in bloom, the air soft, and all the streams free from ice. Thus December, on one side of the mountain, was winter: nn the other it was spring. THE GREAT BASIN. East of the Sierra Nevada, and between it and the Rocky Mountains, is that anomalous feature in our continent, the Great Basin, the existence of which was advanced as a theory after the second expedition, and is now esta- blished af " ^geographical fact. It is a singular feature : a oasin of some five hundred miles diameter every way, between four and five thousand feet above the level of the sea, shut in all nround by mountains, with its own sys- tem of lakes and rivers, and having no con- nection whatever with the sea. Partly arid and sparHoly inhabited, the general character of the Great Basin is that of desert, but with great exceptions, there being many parts of it very lit for the residence of a civilized people; and of these parts, the Mormons have lately established themselves in one of the largest and best. Mountain is the predominating structure of the interior of the Basin, with plains between — the mountains wooded and watered, the plains arid and sterile. The inte- rior mountains conform to the law which governs the course of tlio Rocky Mountains and of the Si(>rra Nevada, ranging nearly north and south, and present a very uniform charac- ter of abruptness, rising suddenly from a nar- row base often to twenty miles, and attaininij an elevation of two to five thousand feet above the level of the country. They are grassy and wooded, showing snow on their summit peaks during the greater part of the year, and afford- ing small streams of water from five to fifty feet wide, which lose themselves, some in lakes, some in the dry plains, and some in the belt of alluvial soil at the base ; for these mountains have very uniformly this belt of alluvion, the wash and abrasion of their sides, rich in excellent grass, fertile, and lin[ht and loose enough to absorb small strear'" Between these mountains arc the arid plains w^Mch re- ceive and deserve the name of deseii. Such is the general structure of the in*f rior of the Great Basin, niore Asiatic thnn American in its character, and much resem'iling the eievated region between the Caspian Sea and noiihorn Persia. The rim of this Basin is majsive ranges of mountains, of which the Sierra Nevada on the west, and the Wah-satch and Timpanogos chains on the east, aru the most conspicuous. On the north, it is separated from the waters of the Columbia by a branch of the Rocky Mountains, and from the Gulf of California, on the south, by a bed of moun- tainous ranges, of which the existence has been only recently determined. Snow abounds on them all ; on some, in their loftier parts, the whole year; with wood and grass; with copious streams of water, sometimes amount- ing to considerable rivers, flowing inwards, and forming lakes or sinking in the sands. Belts or benches of good alluvion are usually found at their base. Lakes in the Great Basin. — ^The Great Salt Lake and the Utah Lake are in this Basin, towards its eastern rim, and constitute its most interesting feature — one, a saturated solution of common salt — the other, fresh — the Utah about one hundred feet above the level of the Salt Lake, which is itself four thousand two hundred above the level of the sea, and connected by a strait, or river, thirty- five miles long. These lakes drain an area of ten or twelve thousand square miles, and have, on the east, along the base of the mountain, the usual bench of alluvion, which extends to a distance of three hundred miles, with wood and water. H>i -^ mm 8 GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR. '■^- : and abundant grass. The Mormons have es- tablished themselves on the strait between these two lakes, and will find sufficient arable land for a lar^e settlement — important from its position as intermediate between the Mis- sissippi valley and the Pacific Onean, and on the line of communication to California and Oregon. The rtah is about thirty-five miles long, and is remariiable for the numerous and bold streams which it receives, coming down from the mountains on the south-east, all fresli water, although a large formr^aon of rock salt, imbedded in red clay, is founu within the area on the south-east, which it drains. The lake and its afBuents afford large trout and other fish in great numbers, which constitute the food of the Utah Indians during the fishing season. The Great Salt Lake has a very irregular out- line, greatly extended at time of melting snows. It is about seventy miles in length ; both lakes ranging nearly north and south, in conformity to the range of the mountains, and is remark- able for its predominance of salt. The whole lake waters seem thoroughly saturated with it, and every evaporation of the water leaves salt behind. The rocky shores of the islands are whitened by the spray, which leaves salt en every thing it touches, and a covering like ice forms over the water, which the waves throw among the rocks. The shores of the lake in tl)e dry season, when the waters recede, and especially on the south side, are whitened witli incrustations of fine white salt ; the shallow arms of the lake, at the same time, under a sliglit covering of briny water, present beds of salt for miles, resembling softened ice, into which the horses' feet sink to the fetlock. Plants and bushes, blown by the wind upon these fields, are entirely incrusted with crys- tallized salt, more than an inch in thickness. Upon this lake of salt the fresh water received, though great in quantity, has no perceptible effect. No fish, or animal life of any kind, is found in it; the /ar»a on the shore being found to belong to winged insects. A geological examination of the bed and shores of this lake is of the highest interest. Five gallons of water taken from this lake in the month of September, and roughly evaporated over a fire, gave fourteen pints of salt, a part ofwhich being subjected to analysis, gave the following proportions: — Chloride of podlum (common eolt) 97.80 parts, Cliloride of calcium o.Cl Chloricle of maKnci• 100.00 Southward from the Utah is another lake of which little more is now known than when Humboldt published his general map of Mex- ico. It is the reservoir of a handsome river, about two hundred miles long, rising in the \yah-satch mountains, and discharging a con- siderable volume of water. The river and lake were called by the Spaniards, Scvero, cor- rupted by the hunters into Secier. On the map, they are called Nicollet, in honour of J. N. Nicollet, whose premature death inter- rupted the publication of the learned work on the physical geography of the basin of the Upper Mississippi, which five years of labour in the field had prepared him to give. On the western side of the basin, and im- mediately within the first range of the Sierra Nevada, is the Pyramid Lake, receiving the water of Salmon Trout River. It is thirty-five miles long, between four and five thousand feet above the sea, surrounded by mountains, is remarkably deep and clear, and abounds with uncommonly large salmon trout. Southward, along the base of the Sierra Nevada, is a range of considerable lakes, formed by many large streams from the Sierra. Lake Walker, the largest among these, affords great numbers of trout, similar to those of the Pyramid Lake, and is a place of resort for Indians in the fish- ing season. There are probably other collections of water not yet known. The number of small lakes is very great, many of them more or less salty, and all, like the rivers which feed them, changing their appearance and extent under the influence of the season, rising with the melting of the snows, sinking in the dry weather, and distinctly presenting their high and low water-mark. These generally afford some fertile and well-watered land, capable of settlement. Rivers of the Great Basin, — The most con- siderable river in the interior of the Great Basin is the one called on the map Humboldt River, as the mountains at its head are called Iliiiiibuldt River Mountains — so called as a small mark of respect to the '^ Ntalor of scieu- t!f,c travellers,''^ who has done so much to illus- trate North American geography, without leaving his name upon any one of its remark- able features. It is a river long known to hunters, and sometimes sketched on maps under the name of Mary's or Ogden's, but now for the first time laid down with any precision. It is a very peculiar stream, and has many characteristics of an Asiatic river — the .Fordan, for example, though twice as long — rising in mountains and losing itself in a lake of its own, after a long and solitary course. It rises in two streams in mountains west of the Great Salt Lake, which unite, after some fifty miles, and bears westwardly along tiie northern side of the basin towards the Great Sierra Nevada, which it is destined never to reach, much less to pass. The moun- tains in which it rises are round and hand- some in their outline, capped with snow the greater part of the year, well clothed with grass and wood, and abundant in water. The stream is a narrow line, without affluents, losing by aosorplion and evaporation as it goes, and terminating in a marshy lake, with low shores, fringed with bulrushes, and whitened with saline incrustations. It has a moderate current, is from two to six |-eet decj) in tlie dry season, and probably not iordable anywhere below the junction of the forks during the time of melting snows, when botli lake and river are conaideruhly enlarged. 'J'hu y Bountrjr th immediate ut grass, 700 feet (i above the broken ran a few mill immediate ■ covered w jand other ^jis marked *|low and c .jTi.e Indiat •• destroy all i the water. f This rive I progress of .; fame. It 1 nia and \ known thrc j travelled V cast and w I It furnish i nearly thre .* supply of ' % wood, and ^ Great Salt I the Mormo ,| point in tl \ and the lo within fift Nevada, an Siass — a pa; eet above half that i leading in some forty These prof ive value i Pacific Oc north of th present tra from the st to the Bay Theothe are found o waters fron roimd it, ar rising in th Mountains Lake, after and pictun long. 2. ' or Timpani the Utah I their copioi the Wall-Si .'<. NiCOUjE r;mge of th( into a lake arable and in length, 1. Salmon tiing down into Pyraiu hundred mi third of its country, ar through vei GEOGRAPHICAL MEIIOIR. 9 death inter- :ned work on basin of the ars of labour rive. ^ isin, ami ini- of the Sierra •pceiving the ; is thirty-live ivc thousand y mountains, abounds with Southward, 'Nevada, is a led by many iske Walker, reat numbers yrnmid Lake, IS in the fish- )llections of iber of small more or less ill feed them, extent under ing with the in the dry ig tiieir high nerally afford and, capable e most con- of the Great ip Humboldt ad are called called as a nlor of scieu- uucb to illus- hy, without ;' its remark- ; known to d on maps )gden's, but n with any stream, and iiatic river — wice as long T itself in a and solitary n mountains h unite, after vardly along towards the is destined The moun- und hand- h snow the lothed with vater. The It afllueuts, •ation as it f lake, witii uahes, and i. It has a ix feet deep not I'ordable the forks when botli liined. The ountry through which it passes (except its mmediate valley) is a dry sandy plain, with- ut grass, wood, or arable soil ; from about [4700 feet (at the forks) to 4200 feet (at the lake) above the level of the sea, winding among \ broken ranges of mountains, and varying from a few miles to twenty in breadth. Its own .immediate valley is a rich alluvion, beautifully [.covered with blue grass, herd grass, clover, land other nutritious grasses; and its course ^ijis marked through the plain by a line of wil- ^jflow and cotton-wood trees, servingr for fuel- f Ti»e Indians in the fall set fire to the grass and !• destroy all trees except in low grounds near y the water. I This river possesses qualities which, in the I progress of events, may give it both value and : fame. It lies on the line of travel to Califor- nia and Oregon, and is the best route now '\ known through the Great Basin, and the one I travelled by emigrants. Its direction, nearly V cast and west, is the right route for that travel. I It furnishes a level unobstructed way for I nearly three hundred miles, and a continuous ;»! supply of the indispensable articles of water, 1i wood, and grass. Its head is towards the I Great Salt Lake, and consequently towards I the Mormon settlement, which must become a I point in the line of emigration to California and the lower Columbia. Its termination is within fifty miles of the base of the Sierra I Nevada, and opposite the Salmon Trout River | pass — a pass only seven thousand two hundred feet above the level of the sea, and less than half that above the level of the Basin, and leading into the valley of the Sacramento, some forty miles north of Nueva Helvetia. These properties give to this river . prospect- ive value in future communications with the Pacific Ocean, and the profile view on the north of the map shows the elevations of the present travelling route, of which it is a part, from the south pass in the Rocky Mour'tains to the Bay of San Francisco. The other principal rivers of the Great Basin are found on its circumference, collecting their waters from the Snowy Mountains, which sur- round it, and are, 1. Bear River, on the east, rising in the massive range of theTimpanogos Mountains and falling into the Great Salt Lake, after a doubling course through a fertile and picturesque valley, two hundred miles long. 2. The Utah River, and Timpanaozu or TiMPANOGOs, discharging themselves into the Utah Lake on the east, after gathering their copious streams in the adjoining parts of the Wah-satch and Timpanogos Mountains. .'<. Nicollet River, rising south in the long r.inge of the Wah-satch IWountaMis, and falling into a lake of its own name, af';r making an iirable and grassy valley, two hundred miles ill length, through mountainous country. 1. Salmon Trout River, on the west, run- ning down from the Sierra Nevada, and falling into Pyramid Lake, after a course of about one liundred miles. From its source, about one- third of its valley is through a pine timbered country, and for the remainder of the way through very rocky, naked ridges. It is re- 2 markable for the abundance and excellence of its salmon trout, and presents some ground for cultivation. 5. Carson and Walker Ri- vers, both handsome clear-water streams, nearly one hundred miles long, coming, like the preceding, down the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada, and forming lakes of their own name at its base. They contain salmon trout and other fish, and form some large bottoms of good land. 6. Owens River, issuing from the Sierra Nevada on the south, is a large bold stream, about one hundred and twenty miles long, gathering its waters in the Sierta Nevada, flowing to the southward, and form- ing a lake about fifteen miles long at the base of the mountain. At a medium stage it is generally four or five feet deep, in places fifteen ; wooded with willow and cotton-wood, and makes continuous bottoms of fertile land, at intervals rendered marshy by springs and small affluents from the mountain. The water of the lake in which it terminates has an un- pleasant smell and bad taste, but around its shores are found small streams of pure water, with good grass. On the map this has been called Owens River. Besides these principal rivers issuing from the mountains on tlie circumference of the Great Basin, there are many others, all around, all obeying the general law of losing them- selves in sands, or lakes, or belts of alluvion, and almost all of them an index to some arable land, W'ith grass and wood. Interior of the Great Basin. — The interior of the Great Basin, so far as explored, is found to be a succession of sharp mountain ranges and naked plains, such as have been described. These ranges are isolated, presenting summit lines broken into many peaks, of which the highest are between ten and eleven thousand feet above the sea. They are thinly wooded with some varieties of pine, {pinus monophyllus characteristic,) cedar, aspen, and a few other trees; and affora an excellent quality of bunch grass, equal to any found in the Rocky Moun- tains. Black-tailed deer and mountain sheep are frequent in these mountains ; which, in consideration of their grass, water and wood, and the alluvion at their base, may be called fertile, in the radical sense of the word, as signifying a capacity to produce, or bciir, and in contradistinction to sterility. In this sense these interior mountains may be called fertile. Sterility, on the contrary, is the absolute characteristic of the valleys between the moun- tains — no wood, no watp'. no grass; the gloomy artemisia the pr iiling shrub — no animals, except the hares, which shelter in these shrubs, and fleet and timid antelope, always on the watch for danger, and finding no place too dry and barren which gives it a wicle horizon for its view and a clear field for its flight. No birds are seen in the plains, and few on the mountains. But few Indians are found, and those in the lowest state of human existence ; living not even in commu- nities, but in the elementary state of families, and sometimes a single individual to himself — except about the lakes stocked wiiu fish, ■K si.:' f 10 GEOGRAPHICAL MFMOIR which become the property and resort of a small tribe. The abundance and excellence of the fish, in most of these lakes, is a charac- teristic ; and the fishing season is to the In- dians the happy season of the year. Climate of the Great Basin. — The climate of the Great Basin does not present the rigorous winter due to its elevation and mountainous structure. Observations made during the last expedition, show that around the southern shores of the Salt Lake, latitude 40° SC, to 41°, for two weeks of the month of October, 1845, from the 13th to the 27th, the mean temperature was 40° at sunrise, 70° at noon, and 54° at sunset; ranging at sunrise, from 28° to 57° ; at noon, from 02° to 76° ; at four in the afternoon, from 58° to 69° ; and at sun- set, from 47° to 57°. tfntil the middle of the month the weather remained fair and very pleasant. On the 15th, it began to rain in occasional showers, which whitened with snow the tops of the mountains on the south-east side of the lake valley. Flowers were in bloom during all the month. About the 18th, on one of the large islands in the south of the lake, helianthus, several species of aster, erodium cicutarium, and several other plants, were in fresh and full bloom; the grass of the second growth was coming up finely, and vegetation, generally, betokened the lengthened summer of the climate. The 16th, 17th, and 18th, stormy with rain; heavy at night; peaks of the Bear River range and tops of the mountains covered with snow. On the 18th, cleared with weather like that of late spring, and continued mild and clear until the end of the month, when the fine weather was again interrupted by a day or two of rain. No snow within 2000 feet above the level of the valley. Across the interior, between latitudes 41° and 38°, during the month of November, (5th to 25th,) the mean temperature was 29° at sunrise, and 40° at sunset; ranging at noon (by detached observations) between 41° and 60°. There was a snow-storm between the 4th and 7th, the snow falling principally at night, and sun occasionally breaking out in the day. The lower hills and valleys were covered a few inches deep with snow, which the sun carried off in a few hours after the storm was over. The weather then continued uninterruptedly open until the close of the year, without rain or snow ; and during the remainder of Novem- ber, generally clear and beautiful ; nights and mornings calm, a light breeze during the day, and strong winds of very rare occurrence. Snow remained only on the peaks of the mountains. On the western side of the basin, along the base of the Sierra Nevada, during two weeks, from the 25th November to the 11th Decem- ber, the mean temperature at sunrise was 1 1°, and at sunset 34° ; ranging at sunrise from zero to 21°, and at sunset from 23° to 44°. For ten consecutive days of the same period, the mean temperature at noon was 45°, rang- ing from 33° to 56°. The weather remained open, nsually very clear, and the rivers were frozen. The winter of l&43-'44, within the basin, was remarkable for the same open, pleasant weather, rarely interrupted by rain or snow. In fact, there is nothing in the climate of this great interior region, elevated as it is, and sur- rounded and traversed by snowy mountains, to Erevent civilized man from making it his ome, and finding in its arable parts the means of a comfortable subsistence ; and this the Mormons will probably soon prove in the parts about the Great Salt Lake. The pro- gress of their settlement is already great. On the first of April, 1848, they had 3000 acres in wheat, seven saw and grist mills, seven hundred houses in a fortified enclosure of sixty acres, stock, and other accompaniments of a flourishing settlement. Such is the Great Basin, heretofore character- ized as a desert, and in some respects merit- ing that appellation ; but already demanding the qualification of great exceptions, and de- serving the full examination of a thorough exploration MARITIME RFGION WEST OF THE SIERRA NEVADA. West of the Sierra Nevada, and betwec?n that mountain and the sea, is the second grand division of California, and the only part to which the name applies in the current lan- guage of the country. It is the occupied and J inhabited part, and so different in character — so divided by the mountain wall of the Sierra from the Great Basin above — as to constitute a region to itself, with a structure and con- figuration, a soil, climate, and productions, of its own ; and as northern Persia may be refer- red to as some type of the former, so may Italy be referred to as some point of compari- son for the latter. North and south, this region embraces about ten degrees of latitude — from 32°, where it touches the peninsula of California, to 42°, where it bounds on Ore- gon. East and west, from the Sierra Nevada^ to the sea, it will average, in the middle parts, 150 miles; in the northern parts, 200 — giving an area of about 100,000 square miles. Looking westward from the summit of the Sierra, the main feature presented is the long, low, broad valley of the Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers — the two valleys forming one — five hundred miles long and fifty broad, lying along the base of the Sierra, and bounded to the west by the low coast range of mountains, which separates it from the sea. Long dark lines of timber indicate the streams, and bright spots mark the intervening plains. Lateral ranges, parallel to the Sierra Nevada and the coast, th a gen< s of onlj the sea- all of the I assumed he inhabi e Atlantic ifficulty c( reductions laritime r ingular be louth of th oldt as a r ealize the i The pres ut slight d he agricul oil. Vane uenaventu ears, plum nd pomegr lantain, b: ndigo, all f excellent live oil of alusia, and stands. A igh and vr ttained at t aternal adi ocile chai vailable foi loyed in i ineyards. ler cultiva re overgro' nd olive or( mong the laces do w ountry is ci 'ound the ( nder the w ission of I till disting ives, consi if the Medit The produ fthenortha ndian corn, ssimilated leen recentl luramer hea ind is unintf outhern cc Vheat is th« always coi the miss :rain-growin oisture of t the potatc the Unite( } make the structure of the country and break idinary size it into a surface of valleys and mountains— the valleys a few hundred, and the mountains two to four thousand feet above tne sea These form greater masses, and become more elevated in the north, where some peaks, as the Shastl, enter the regions of perpetual snow. Stretched along the mUd coast of the Pacific, ■"•^-f '1^t*«4SMlMM n Perhaps fe such perf nd grains at losing the I y its waters at region a: Ag the entin GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR. II nsually very lin the basin, •pen, pleasant^ ain or snow, ilimate of this it is, and sur- mountains, to laking it his arts the means and this the prove in the :e. The pro- dy great. On td 3000 acres mills, seven losure of sixty liniments of a fore character- espects merit- ly demanding tions, and de- )f a thorough IT OF THE A. and between e second grand ; only part to e current Ian- ) occupied and in character — 1 of the Sierra s to constitute ture and con- roductions, of may be refer- )rmer, so may nt of compari- south, this s of latitude — peninsula of lunds on Ore- Sierra Nevada 3 middle parts, 1, 200 — giving iles. Looking ;he Sierra, the ng, low, broad imento Rivers —five hundred ing along the to the west intains, which dark lines of 1 bright spots ateral ranges, ind the coast, itry and break mountains— the mountains ove the sea. become more sme peaks, as erpetual snow, of the Pacific, ith a general elevation in its plains and val- BTS of only a few hundred feet above the level if the sea — and backed by the long and lofty fd\\ of the Sierra — mildness and geniality may le assumed as the characteristic of its climate, 'he inhabitant of corresponding latitudes on ;he Atlantic side of this continent can with ifficulty conceive of the soft air and southern reductions under the same latitudes in the laritimo region of Upper California. The ingular beauty and purity of the sky in the outh of this region is characterized by Hum- oldt as a rare phenomenon, and all travellers ealize the truth of his description. :/:■ The present condition of the country affords ut slight data for forming correct opinions of he agricultural capacity and fertility of the oil. Vancouver found, at the mission of San uenaventura, in 1' 92, latitude 34° 16', apples, ears, plums, figs, oranges, grapes, peaches, nd pomegranates growing together with the lantain, banana, cocoa-nut, sugar-cane, and ndigo, all yielding fruit in abundance, and f excellent quality. Humboldt mentions the live oil of California as equal to that of An- alusia, and the wine like that of the Canary slands. At present, but little remains of the igh and various cultivation which had been ttained at the missions. Under the mild and aternal administration of the " Fathers" the ocile character of the Indians was made vailable for labour, and thousands were em- loyed in the fields, the orchards, and the ineyards. At present, but little of this for- ler cultivation is seen. The fertile valleys re overgrown with wild mustard ; vineyards nd olive orchards, decayed and neglected, are mong the remaining vestiges ; only in some laces do we see the evidences of what the ountry is capable. At San Buenaventura we bund the olive trees, in January, bending nder the weight of neglected fruit ; and the ission of San Luis Obispo (latitude 35°) is till distinguished for the excellence of its lives, considered finer and larger than those f the Mediterranean. The productions of the south differ from those f the north and of the middle. Grapes, olives, ndian corn, have been its staples, with many ssimilated fruits and grains. Tobacco has een recently introduced ; and the uniform lummer heat which follows the wet season, nd is uninterrupted by rain, would make the louthem country well adapted to cotton, heat is the first product of the north, where t always constituted the principal cultivation the missions. This promises to be the rain-growing region of California. The loisture of the coast seems particularly suited 9 the potato and to the vegetables common a the United States, which grow to an extra- rdinary size. Perhaps few parts of the world can produce s such perfection so great a variety of fruits nd grains as the large and various region en- losing the Bay of ^n Francisco and drained y its waters. A view of the map will show lat region and its great extent, comprehend- )g the entire valleys of the Sucramento and San Joaquin, and the whole western slope of the Sierra Nevada. General phrases fail to give precise ideasj and I have recourse to the notes in my journal to show its climate and productions by the test of the thermometer and the state of the vegetable kingdom. VALLEYS OF THE SACRAMENTO AND SAN JOAQUIN. These valleys are one, discriminated only by the names of the rivers which traverse it. It is a single valley — a single geographical formation — near 500 miles long. Tying at the western base of the Sierra Nevada, and be- tween it and the coast range of mountains, and stretching across the head of the Bay of San Francisco, with which a delta of twenty- five miles connects it. The two rivers, San Joaquin and Sacramento, rise at opposite ends of this long valley, receive numerous streams, many of them bold rivers, from the Sierra Nevada, become themselves navigable rivers, flow toward each other, meet halfway, and enter the Bay of San Francisco together, in the region of tide-water, making a continuous water line from one end to the other. The valley of the San Joaquin is about 300 miles long and CO broad, between the slopes of the coast mountain and the Sierra Nevada, with a general elevation of only a few hun- dred feet above the level of the sea. It pre- sents a variety of soil, from dry and unpro- ductive to well watered and luxuriantly fertile. The eastern (which is the fertile) side of the valley is intersected with numerous streams, forming large and very beautiful bottoms of fertile land, wooded principally with white oaks {quercua longiglanda, Torr. and Frem.) in open groves of handsome trees, often five or six feet in diameter, and sixty to eighty feet high. Only the larger streams, wnich are fifty to one hundred and fifty yards wide, and drain the upper parts of the mountains, pass entirely across the valley, forming the Tulare Lakes and the San Joaquin River, which, in the rainy season, make a continuous stream from the head of the valley to the bay. The foot kills of the Sierra Nevada, which limit the valley, make a woodland country, diver- sified with undulating grounds and pretty val- leys, and watered with numerous small streams, which reach only a few miles beyond the hills, the springs which supply them not being copious enough to carry them across the plains. These afford many advantageous spots for farms, making sometimes large bot- toms of rich moist '.and. The rolling surface of the hills presents sunny exposures, shel- tered from the winds, and having a highly favourable climate and suitable soil, are con- sidered to be well adapted to the cultivation of the grape, and will probably become the principal vine-growing region of California. The uplands bordering the valleys of the large streams are usually wooded with ever- gre'en oaks, and the intervening plains are timbered with groves or belts of evergreen and white oaks among prairie and open land. The ^a mm IS GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR. i'.i i a surface of the valley consists of level plains along the Tulare Lakes and San Joaquin River, changing into undulating and rolling ground nearer the foot hills of the moun- tains. A condensed notice from observations, made during several journeys titrough tho valley, will serve to give some definite ideas of its climate and character. We left the upper settlements of New Hel vetia on the 14th December, and, passing through the groves of oak which border the Rio de los Americanos, directed our course in a south-eas'erly direction across a plain toward the Rio de los Cos-um-nes, a hand- some, well wooded stream, about thirty yards ■wide. The Cos-um-ne Indians, who give name to this river, have been driven away from it within a few years, and dispersed among other tribes; and several forms, of some leagues in extent, have already been established on the lower part of the stream. We encamped at one of these, about eight miles above the junction of the C6s-uni-ne River with the Mo-kel-um-ne, which, a few miles below, enters a deep slough in the tide- water of the San Joaquin deUa. At this place the temperature at sunset was 55°, and at sunrise -27°. Oar road on the lotli was over the plain between the Cos-um-ne and Mo-kci-um-ne Rivers, inclining toward the mouutains. We crossed several wooded sloughs, with ponds of deep water, which, nearer ti\e foot hills, are running streams, with large bottoms of fertile land ; the greater part of our way being through open woods of evergreen and other oakb. The rainy season, which commonly begins with November, had not yet com- menced, and the Mo-kel-um-ne River was at tb , low stage usual to the dry season, and easily forded. This stream is about sixty yards wide, and the immediate valley some thirty or forty feet below the upland plain. It has broad alluvial bottoms of very fertile soil — sometimes five hundred yards wide, bounded by a low upland, wooded with evergreen oaks. The weather in the evening was calm, the sky mottled with clouds, and the temperature at sunset 52'-'. Leaving the Mo-kel-um-ne, (December 16,) we travelled about twenty miles through open woods of white oak, crossing in the way several stream beds — among them the Cala- veras creek. These have abundant water, with good land above; and the Calaveras makes some remarkably handsome bottoms. Issuing from the woods, we rode about sixteen miles over an open prairie, partly covered with bunch grass, the timber reappearing on the rolling .'ills of the river Stanislaus in the usual belt of evergreen oaks. The river valley was about forty feet below the upland, and the stream seventy yards broad, making the usual fertile bottoms, which here were covered with green grass among large oaks. We encamped ill one of these bottoms, in a grove of the large while oaks previously mentioned as quercus longiglanda, (Torr. aud Frem. ) This oak is a San Jo es up the , the hea Lake Fo e encai where a narrc s a low, I r which i 8 slowly iding as tl December ar and ph a south-i d hilly CO new species, belonging to the division of wHlte oaks, distinguished by the length of its acorn, which is commonly an inch and a half^ undi sometimes two inches. This long aco characterizes the tree, which has according been specified by Dr. Torrey l^s quercus /oh^ glanda — (long-acorn oak.*) The tree attains; frequently a diameter of six feet, and a height of eighty feet, with a wide-spreading head The many varieties of deciduous aud evergreer, oaks, which predominate throughout the val- leys and lower hills of the mountains, afTord large quantities of acorns, which constitute! the principal food of the Indians of that re- gion. Their great abundance, in the mids: of fine pasture lands, must make thrm an im- portant element in the agricultural economj^g only sea of the country. , e occasion The day had been very warm, and at sunsef de we reac the temperature was 55°, and the weathe:< ig upland, clear and calm. ipally eve At sunrise next morning, the thermometerr Ireaius. V was at 22°, with a light wind from the Sierra,! f Indians, N. 75° E., and a clear pure sky, in which the eived us in blue line of the mountain showed distinctly! busy nigli The way, for about three miles, was through ext mornin open woods of evergreen and other oaks, witk' >wer hills. some shrubbery intermingled. Among tiiisi f sixteen m was a lujnnus of extraordinary size, not yet inline were dri bloom. Emerging from the woods, we travel led in a south-easterly direction, over a prairi of rolling land, the ground becoming som what more broken as we approached the T vval-um-ne River, one of the finest tributariei of the San Joaquin. The hills were general! covered with a species of geranium, {erodiu cicutarium,) a valuable plant for stock, co sidered very nutritious. With this was fn quently interspersed good and green bund grass, and a plant commonly called bur clovetl This plant, which in some places is veri abundant, bears a spirally-twisted pod, fill with seeds, which remains on the grouni vind, and a during the dry season, well preserved, an ably rende affords good food for cattle until the sprini rom the ir rains bring out new grass. We started a baa renerally a of wild horses on approaching the river, an 'alley. El the Indians ran oif from a village on the bani naking, or — the men lurking round to observe us leveral mih About their huts were the usual acorn crih On the 2 containing each some twenty or thirty bushels 12°. 6; the Wo found here excellent grass, and broad hot !0urse of toms of alluvial land, open-wooded, with larg leavy in tl white oaks of the new species. The thernio i south-eas meter, at sunset, was at 51°. 5, with a calm loaquin, cr( clear atmosphere. Multitudes of geese anfttream and other wild fowl made the night noisy. BUie main i In the morning, the sky was clear, with a^lreams, as air from S. 55° E., and a hoar-frost coveri the ground like a light fall of snow. At su the thermometer was at 24°.5. if the expei ard from \ e eastern 1 hich a vail ake Fork, eeting. In the evt f 1000 feet till among g to the I ad been ir eather ; a ght clouvls rise, course now inclined more towards the foot o| the mountain, and led over a broken countr In about seventeen miles we reached th River Aux-um-ne, another large affluent * Tho names of plants mentioned in this memoir reatd tlie authority of Dr. Xorrey, by whom th« specimens Iuii| betjn cxamiuud. •msis, Ab he Upper liere about eep to be lucceeded ed of rod he river at bllowed iies, and erge of tl legan to fa irly comn •I ii m ivision of wHtte| glh of its acornJ and a half^ : lis long acor has accordingi; s qucrcus /o/i^'f The tree attains: !et, and a height^ spreading head" lis and evcrgreerl ugliout the Vdl-' lountains, afrorill liich constitute ans of that re- e, in the mids; ke thrm an im- GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR. ^ San Joaquin, and co^.tinupd about six B up the stream, intending to reach, gradu- the heart of the mountains at the head of ,ake Fork of the Tulare. e encamped on the southern side of the •er, where broken hills made a steep bluflF, th a narrow bottom. On the northern side 3 a low, undulating wood and prairie land, r which a band of about three hundred elk i slowly coming to water where we h; :*ed, ling as they approached. December I9th. — The weather continued ar and pleasant. We continued our journey a south-easterly direction, over a broken d hilly country, without timber, and show- iltural economji ig only scattered clumps of trees, from which e occasionally started deer. In a few hours' m, and at sunset de we reached a beautiful country of undulat nd the \vcathe:< ig upland, openly timbered with oaks, prin- ipally evergreen, and watered with small he thermometen ireams. We came here among some villages from the Sierra,! f Indians, of the horse-thief tribes, who re- y, in which the eived us in an unfriendly manner; and, after nved distinctly. busy night among them, we retreated the es, was througt* ext morning to the more open country of the other oaks, with' Jwer hills. Our party was then a small one I. Among rills f sixteen men, encumbered with cattle, which J size, not yet in 'e were driving to the relief of the main body foods, we travel- f the expedition, which had been sent south- )n, over a prairie rard from Walker's Lak in the basin, along becoming some le eastern base of the Sierra Nevada, and to roaclicd the To fhich a valley in the mountain, on the Tulare finest tributarie: iake Fork, had been appointed as a place of s were generallj aeeting. anium, {erodiun In the evening, we encamped at an elevation for stock, con f 1000 feet above the sea, latitude 37° 07' 47", th this was fre till among the hills, on a spring hollow, lead- id green buncl ng to the Upper Joaquin River. The day called bur clover lad been mild, with a faint sun and cloudy places is ven reather; and, at sunset, there were some fisted pod, fiUei ight clouvis in the sky, with a north-easterly on the grouni vind, and a sunset temperature of 45° ; pro- l preserved, aw >ably rendered lower than usual by the air until the sprini rom the mountains, as the foot hills have ^e started a ban! renerally a warmer temperature than the open Ig the river, am ralley. Elk were numerous during the day, lage on the bani naking, on one occasion, a broken bind to observe us leveral miles in length. sual acorn cribi On the 21st, the thermometer at sunrise was or thirty bushels i2°.6; the sky slightly clouded, and in the IS, and broad hot ;ourse of the morning, the clouds gjitliered 3oded, with larg >eavy in the south-west. Our route lay in s. The therinn i south-easterly direction, toward the Upper ^.5, with a calm loaquin, crossing, among rolling hills, a large es of geese an ilreain and several sandy beds of affluents to ht noisy. 'he main river. On the trees along these as clear, with a streams, as well as on the hills, 1 notice! ar-frost coverin nosses. About 2, .. le afternoon, we reached ' snow. At sill he Upper San Joaquin. The stream was at 24°. 5. Ot lere about seventy yards wide, and much too vards the foot o ieep to be forded. A little way below, we I broken countrj succeeded in crossing, at a rapid made by a we reached th Jed of rock, below which, for several miles, large affluent! the river appeared deep and not fordab I e. We . followed down the stream for six or eight miles, and encamped on its banks, on the "t^J^BSlLt! «'ge of the valley plain. At evening, rain began to fall, and, with this, the spring pro- perly commenced. There had been a little rain in November, but not sufficient to revive vegetation. December 22 — The temperature at sunrise was 39°. There had been heavy rain during the night, with high wind, and this morning there was a thick fog, which began to go off at 8 o'clock, when the sun broke through. We crossed an open plain, still in a south- easterly direction, reaching, in about twenty miles, the Tulare Lake River. This is one of the largest and handsomest streams in the valley, being about one hundred yards broad, and having, perhaps, a larger body of fertile land than any other. The broad alluvial bot- toms are well wooded with several species of oaks. This is the principal affluent to the Tulard Lake, (the bulrush lake,) a strip of water about seventy miles long, surrounded by lowlands, rankiy overgrown with bulrushes, and receiving all the rivers in the southern end of the valley. In times of high water, the lake discharges into the Joaquin, making a continuous water-line through the whole ex- tent of the valley. We ascended this river to its sources in the Sierra Nevada, about fifty miles from the edge of the valley, which we reached again on the 7th of January, in the neighbourhood of the Tulare lake. We found the temperature much the same as in December. Fogs, which rose from the lake in the morning, were 'dense, cold, and penetrating, but, after a few hours, gave place to a fine day. The face of the country had been much improved by the rains which had fallen while we remained in the mountains. Several humble plants, among them the golden-flowered violet {viola crysan- tha) and erodium cicularium, the first valley flowers of the spring, which courted a sunny exposure and warm sandy soil, were already in bloom on the south-western hill slopes. In the foot hills of the mountains the bloom of the flowers was earlier. We travelled among multitudinous herds of elk, antelope, and wild horses. Several of the latter, which we killed for food, were found to be very fat. By the middle of January, when we had reached the lower San Joaquin, the new green grass covered the ground among the open timber on the rich river bottoms, and the spring vegeta- tion had taken a vigorous start. The mean temperature in the .Toaquin valley, during the journey, from the middle of Decem- ber to the middle of January, was, at sunrise, 29°, and at sunset, 52°, with generally a faint breeze from the Snowy Mountains in the morning, and calm weather in the evening. This was a lower temperature than we had found in the oak region of the mountains bor- dering the valley, between 1000 and 5000 feet above the level of the sea, where, throughout California, I have remarked the spring to be more forward than in the open vaPeys below. During a journey through the valley, be- tween the head of the Tulare Lake and the mouth of the San Joaquin, ft-om the 19th January to the 12th February, the mean tem- perature was 38° at sunrise, and 53° at sunset, witli frequent rains. At the end of January, B u GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR. the river bottonas, in many places, were thickly covered with luxuriant grass, more than half a foot hiffh. The California poppy, {Etchtcholt- zia Californiea,) the characteristic plant of the Califorr.ia spring ; memophila imignii, one of the earliest flowers, growing ir beautiful fields, of a delicate blue, and erodium eieutarium, were beginning to show a scattered bloom. Wild horses were fat, and a grisly bear, killed on the 2d February, had four inches thickness of fat on his back and belly, and was estimated to weigh a thousand pounds. Salmon was first ob- tained on the 4 th February, in the To-wal-um- ne River, which, according to the Indians, is the most southerly stream in the valley in which this fish is found. By the middle of March, the whole valley of the San Joaquin was in the full glory of spring ; the evergreen oaks were in flower, geranium eieutarium was generally in.bloom, occupying the place of the grass, and making on all the uplands a close sward. The higher prairies between the rivers presented unbroken fields of yellow and orange coloured flowers, varieties of Layia and Each- schoUzia Californiea, and large bouquets of the blue flowering memophila nearer the streams. These made the prevailing bloom, and the sunny hill slopes to the river bottoms showed a varied growth of luxuriant flowers. The white oaks were not yet in bloom. Observations made in the valley, from the bend of the Joaquin to the Cos-um-ne River, give, for the mean temperature, from the 10th to the 22d March, 38° at sunrise, and 56° at sunset, the dew-point being 35°. 7 at sunrise, and 47°.6 at sunset, and the quantity of mois- ture contained in a cubic foot of air being 2.712 grains, and 4.072 grains, respectively. A sudden change in the temperature was remarked in passing from the To-wal-um-ne to the Stanislaus River, there being no change in the weather, and the wind continuing from the north-west, to which we were more di- rectly exposed on reaching the Stanislaus River, where we opened on the bay. In travelling down to the Stanislaus, the mean temperature for five days (from the 11th to the 16th) was 40°.3 at sunrise, 73° at 4, p. m., and 63° at sunset ; and detached observations [oming, 63* irnoon, 61 lintatcorre 10.6, 49°.4 moisture ins, 4.235 484 grains We left th, ten mi tie east o lear River s nt Pass. (Ver ground .88 intern lometer at ' eather clea At sunrise i6°, with an bout thirty ched the iver; ana gave 66° at 9, a. m., 77° at noon, and 87° at 2, p. M. The dew-point was 38°.0, 55°.5, 54°.3, at sunrise, at 4 in the afternoon, and at sunset ; and the moisture contained in a cubic foot of air, 2.878 grains, 5.209 grains, and 4.927 grains, respectively. North of the Stanislaus for five days (from 16th to the 2l8t) the mean was 36°.6 at sun rise, 57° at 4, p. m., and 49° at sunset, dew-point was 34°. 9 at sunrise, 37°. 1 p. M., and 40°.9 at sunset, and the quantity of moisture in a cubic foot of air, 2.671 grains, 2.983 grains, and 3.216 grains at the correspond- ing times. At sunrise of the 16th, on the To-wal-um-ne, the thermometer was at 43°, and at sunrise of the next morning, on the Stanislaus, at 35°. The temperature was lowest on the night of tlie 17tb. At sunrise of the morning fol- lowing, thp thermometer was at 27°, and t. was remarked that the frost affected 8eveni| varieties of plants. On the 20th and Shi there v.ere some showers of rain, the firs since the end of February. These were prt^ ceded by south-westerly winds. During December and the first part of Jani> ary, which was still at the season of loi waters, we were easily able to ford all thi Joaquin tributaries. Triese begin to rise will the rains, and are kept up by the meltin; snows in the summer. At the end of January ■ the Joaquin requires boating throughout thi valley, and the tributaries were forded wit) difficulty. In the latter part of March, of a dry season (1844,) we were obliged to boat the Stanislaus To-wal-um-ne, and Aux-um-ne, and the Sai Joaquin was nowhere fordable below thr; bend where it is joined by the slough of tht. Tulare Lake. On the 13th of March, 184«ftributary of we were obliged to boat the San Joaquin, the t>ver an unc river being nowhere fordable below the junc: Bourse broi tion of the slough, and the Indians guidal Uf wooded wit! to some diflficult fords of the large tributaries; with small where we succeeded to cross with damage bj were in flow our equipage. In July of the same year, m poppy, unus boated the San Joaquin below the Aux-um-nei teristic bloo it being nowhere fordable below the bend. the Bear R In June, 1847, the Joaquin was nowhen covered wit fordable, being several hundred yards broad streams, anc as high up as the Aux-um-ne River, even wilb recent raine its banks, and scattered in sloughs over all h afternoon w lower bottoms. All the large tributaries, the easterly wir Aux-um-ne, To-wal-um-ne, Stanislaus, aroj The mor Mo-kel-um-ne, required to be boated, and were* warmer tha and the tem the valley \ reached Fe from itsjun mouth of th Indians wh banks — tw« one hundre gable stre^ the river i tending alo was a i..Tipr high, parti Indians' st of huts, s Indians su these aeon en Indian There is stocked w cultivated other grail by means Francisco. who is pr that his a' twenty-fiv supposed wheat Ian labour on performed The tei pouring down a deep volume of water from the mountains, one to two hundred yards wide. The high waters came from the melv ing snows, which, during the past winter, had accumulated to a great depth in the mountains and, at the end of June, lay in the approaches to the Bear River pass, on a breadth of ten oi fifteen miles, and this below the level of 7200 feet. In rainy seasons, when the rains begin with November, and the s=nows lie on the mountains till July, this river is navigable for eight months of the year — the length of tim^ depending on the season. The Cos-um-ne was the last tributary of the San Joaquin, and the last river of its valley coming down from the Sierra Nevada. The Rio de los Americanos was the first tributary of the valley of the Sacramento, also coming down, like all the respectable tributaries of both rivers from the snowy summit and rainy sides of tiie great Sierra. The two valleys are one, only discriminated in description or refer The ence by the name of the river which traverses at 4, ' the reppective halves, as seen in the map. We entered the part of the valley which takes the name of its river, Sacramento, on the 21st day of March, going nortl ^nd continued our observations on that valley. Wo remained several days on the Rio de los Americanos, to recruit our animals on the abundant range between the Sacramento and the hills. During this time the thermometer was at 36° at sunrise, 54° at 9 o'clock in the m^■„tm^■^■' li i|*»e^ t^ rt* ; i > i i GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR. 15 rning, 63° at noon, 63° at -2 o'clock in the srnoon, 61° at 4, and 53° at sunset ; the dew> lint at corresponding times being 34°.0, 49°.9, 0.6, 49°.4, 51°.6,43°.7; and the quantity moisture in a cubic foot of air being 2.519 ins, 4.235 grains, 3.808 grains, 4.161 grains, 484 grains, 3.469 grains. We left the Rio de los Americaros on the th, ten miles above the mouth, tr veiling a tie east of north, in the direction of the ear River settlements, at the foot of the Emi- nt Pass. The road led among oak timber, er ground slightly undulating, covered with iss intermingled with flowers. The ther- lometer at 4 was 76°, and at sunset 60° ; the eather clear. At sunrise of the 25th, the temperature was 16°, with an easterly wind and clear sky. In bout thirty miles travel to the north, we lached the rancho of Mr. Keyser, on Bear iver ; an affluent to Feather River, the largest ;ributary of the Sacramento. The route lay iver an undulating country — more so as our ourse brought us nearer the mountains — ooded with oaks and shrubbery in blossom, ith small prairies intervening. Many plants ere in flower, and among them the California oppy, unusually magnificent. It is the charac- ?ristic bloom of California at this season, and the Bear River bottoms, near the hills, were covered with it. We crossed several small streams, and found the ground miry from the iver, even witflrecent rains. The temperature at 4 in the glis over all it^afternoon was 70°, and at sunset 58°, with an easterly wind, and the night bright and clear. The morning of the 25th was clear, and warmer than usual ; the wind south-easterly. at 27°, and i ifiected several 20th and 21$ rain, the flrs 'hese were pre St part of Jantt season of lot to ford all thi rin to rise will )y the meltinj end of January throughout thi re forded will )f a dry season t the Stanislaus , and the Sai )le below thi slough of tht. March, 1846 an Joaquin, thr below the junc iians guide*] ui crge tributaries with damage tt same year, w(i the Aux-um-ne! w the bend. was nowhen d yards broai tributaries, tii Stanislaus, anr, oated, and wen of water fron and the temperature 40°. We travelled across hundred yardi the valley plain, and in about sixteen miles from the melt reached Feather River at twenty-six miles )ast winter, hat from its junction with the Sacramento, near the mouth of the Yuva, so called from a village of Indians who live on it. The river has high banks — twenty or thirty feet — and was here one hundred and fifty yards wide, a deep navi- gable stream. The Indians aided us across the river with canoes and small rafts. Ex- tending along the bank in front of the village, was a iv.!ipre of wicker cribs, about twelve feet high, parti/ filled with what is there the Indians' statT of life — acorns. A collection of huts, shaped like bee-hives, with naked Indians sunning themselves on the tops, and these acorn cribs, are the prominent objects in an Indian village. There is a fine farm, or rancho, on the Yuva, stocked with about 3000 head of cattle, and cultivated principally in wheat, with some other grains and vegetables, which are carried, by means of the river, to a market at San Francisco. Mr. Cordua, a native of Germany, who is proprietor of the place, informed me that his average harvest of wheat was about twenty-five bushels to the acre, which he supposed would be about the product of the wheat lands in the Sacramento valley. The labour on this and other farms in the valley is performed by Indians. The temperature here was 74° at 2 in the I the mountains the approaches ■eadth of ten oi e level of 720C the rains begin ws lie on the s navigable for length of time tributary of the ir of its valley Nevada, The i first tributary !>, also coming I tributaries of umit and rainy two valleys are iption or refer vhich traverses I the map. We ^hich takes the ), on the 21st continued om the Rio de los limals on the acramento and e thermometer o'clock in the afternoon, 71° at 4, and 69° at. sunset, with a north-easterly wind and clear shy. At sunrise of the 27ih the temperature was 42°, clear, with a north-easterly wind. We travelled northwardly, up the right bank of the river, which was wooded with large white and evergreen oaks, interspereed with thickets of shrubbery in full bloom. We made a pleasant journey of twenty-seven miles, and encamped at the bend of the river, where it turns from the course across the valley to run southerly to its junction with the Sacramento. The thermometer at sunset was ac 67°, sky partially clouded, with southerly wind. The thermometer at sunrise on the 28th was at 46°.5, with a north-easterly wind. The road was over an open plain, with a few small sloughs or creeks that do not reach the river. After travelling about fifteen miles we en- camped on Butte Creek, a beautiful stream of clear water about fifty yards wide, with a bold current running all the year. It has large fer- tile bottoms, wooded with open groves, and having a luxuriant growth of pea vine among the grass. The oaks here were getting into general bloom. Fine ranches have been selected on both sides the stream, and stocked with cattle, some of which were now very fat. A rancho here is owned by Neal, who for- merly belonged to my exploring party. There is a ranchertn (Indian village) near by, and some of the Indians gladly ran races for the head and oflfals of a fat cow which had been presented to us. They were entirely naked. The thermometer at 2 in the afternoon was at 70°, two hours later at 74°, and 65° at sun- set; the wind east, and sky clear only in the west. The temperature at sunrise the next day was 50°, with cumuli in the south and west, which left a clear sky at 9, with a north-west wind, and temperature of 64°. We travelled twenty miles, and encamped on Pine Creek, another fine stream, with bottoms of fertile land, wooded with groves of large and handsome oaks, some attaining to six feet in diameter, and forty to seventy feet in height. At 4 in the afternoon the thermometer showed 74°, and G4° at sunset; and the sky clear, except in the horizon. March 30. — The sun rose in masses of clouds over the eastern mountains. A pleasant morn- ing, with a sunrise temperature of 46°.5, and some mosquitoes — never seen, as is said, in the CO, St country ; but at seasons of high water, ab ndant and venomous in the bottoms of the Joaquin and Sacramento. On the tribu- taries nearer the mountain but few are seen, and those go with the sun. Continuing up the valley, we crossed in a short distance a large wooded creek, having now about thirty- five feet breadth of water. Our road was over an upland prairie of the Sacramento, having a yellowish, gravelly soil, generally two or three miles from the river, and twelve or fifteen from the foot of the eastern moun- tains. On the west it was twenty-five or thirty miles to the foot of the mountains, which here make a bed of high and broken ranges. -3 ■ i. I. 16 GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR, 'i iV: In the afternoon, about half a mile above its mouth, we encamped on Deer Creek, another of thoae beautiful tributaries to the Sacra- mento. It has the usual broad and fertile bottom-lands common to these streams, wooded with groves of oak and a large syca- more, {platanus occidentalin,) distinfjuished by bearing its balls in strings of three to five, and peculiar to California. Mr. Lassen, a native of Germany, has established a rancho here, which he has stocked, and is gradually bring- ing into cultivation. Wheat, as generally throughout the north country, gives large re- turns" cotton, planted in the way of experi- ment, was not injured by frost, and succeeded well; and he has lately planted a vineyard, for which the Sacramento valley is considered to be singularly well adapted. The seasons are not yet sufficiently understood, and too little has been done in agriculture, to afford certain knowledge of the capacities of the country. This farm is in the fortieth degree of latitude ; our position on the river being in 30° 57' 00", and longitude 121° 50' 44", west Irom Greenwich, and elevation above the sea five hundred and sixty feet. About three miles above the mouth of this stream are the first rapids — the present head of navigation — in the Sacramento River, which, from tlie rapids to its mouth in the bay, is more than two hundred miles long, and increasing in breadth from one hundred and fifty yards to six hundred yards in the lower part of its course. During six days that we remained here, from the 30th March to the 5tli April, the mean temperature was 40° at sunrise, 52°.5 at 9 in the morning, 57°. 2 at noon, 59°. 4 at 2 in the afternoon, 58°.8 at 4, and 52° at sunset ; at the corresponding times the dew-point was at 37°.0, 41°.0, 38°.l, 39°.6, 44°.!), 40°.5; and the moisture in n cubic foot of air 2.838 grains, 3.179 grains, 2.!»35 grains, 3.034 grains, 3.766 grains, 3.150 grains, respectively. Much cloudy weather and some showers of rain, during this interval, considerably reduced the temperature, which rose with fine weather on the 5th. Salmon was now abundant in the Sacramento. Those which we obtained were generally between three and four feet in length, and appeared to be of two distinct kinds. It is said that as many as four differ- ent kinds ascend the river at different periods. The great abundance in which this fish is found gives it an important place among the resources of the country. The salmon crowd in immense numbers up the Umpqua, TIamath, and Trinity Rivers, and into every little river and creek on the coast north of the Bay of San Francisco, ascending the river TIamath to the lake near its source, which is upwards of 4000 feet above the sea, and distant from it only about 200 miles. In the evening of the 5th we resumed our journey northward, and encamped on a little creek, near the Sacramento, where an emigrant from "the States" was establishing himself, and had already built a house. It is a hand- some place, wooded with groves of oak, and along the creek are sycamore, ash, cotton- wood, and willow. The day was fine, with a north-west wind. The temperature at sunrise the next day, (April 6th,) was 42°, with a north-easterly wind. We continued up the Sacramento, which we crossed in canoes at a farm on the right bank of the river. The Sacramento was here about one hundred and forty yards wide, and with the actual stiigo of water, which I was informed continued several montiis, navi- gable for a steamboat. We encamped a few miles above, on a creek wooded principally with large oaks. Grass was good and abun- dant, with wild oats and pea vine in the bot- toms. The day was fine, with a cool north- westerly breeze, which had in it the air of the high mountains. The wild oats here were not yet headed. The snowy peak of Shastl bore directly north, showing out high above the other moun- tains. Temperature at sunset 57°, with a west wind and sky partly clouded. ^pril 7. — The temperature at sunrise was 37°, with a moist air ; and a faintly-clouded sky indicated that the wind was southerly along the coast. We travelled toward the Shastl peak, the mountain ranges, on both sides of the valleys, being high and rugged, and snow-covered. Some remarkable peaks in the Sierra, to the eastward, are called the Sisters, and, nearly opposite, the coast range shows a prominent peak, which we have called Mount Linn. Leaving the Sacramento, at a stream called Red Bank Creek, and continuing to the head of one of its forks, we entered on a iiigh and somewhat broken upland, timbered with at least four varieties of oaks, with mansaniia, {arbutus Me7iziesii,)?ii\d other shrubbery inter- spersed. A remarkable species of pine, hav- ing leaves in threes, (sometimes six to nine inches long,) with bluish foliage, and a spread- ing, oak-shaped top, was scattered through the timber. I have remarked that this tree grows lower down the mountains than the other pines, being found familiarly associated with the oaks, the first met after leaving the open val- leys, and seeming to like a warm climate. Flowers were, as usual, abundant. The splen- did California poppy characterized all the route along the valley. A species of clover was in bloom, and the berries of the mansanita were beginning to redden on some trees, while on others they were still in bloom. We en- camped, at an elevation of about 1000 feet above the sea, on a large stream called Cotton- wood Creek, wooded on the bottoms with oaks, and with cotton-woods along the bed, which is sandy and gravelly. The water was at this time about twenty yards wide, but is frequently fifty. The face of the country tra- versed during the day was gravelly, and the bottoms of the creek where we encamped have a sandy soil. There are six or seven raneheriaa of Indians on the Sacramento River between the farm where we had crossed the Sacramento and the mouth of this creek, and many others •*..«**.•<• .4I.I- the mou ms. The ".ext n, but th ise, and a^ est, which [ear weathe We conti d encanipt e afternoor ick, and in e valley ar ere now nc d the face legan sensib d mountaii The valley ipper and loi ng, the up tter not me ipper,asbcii having a i nds of feet nd geograpl lands at the )rks of the i 000 feet, ou scends like 4,000 feci, ( le summit g om favoura f one hundr sy. The m pper valley, tiling 2000 1 illey is one Bred, the cli B altitude, it roximity an lountains cc illeys of an settlement akes the v ree hundrec dpril 9.— I enced the p e clouds cl( id continue e foot of tl ms here are il of a sand] ry handsor ks, minglec e oak-shape ere bouquets undant whi vered with ! valley he ny small ids, with a about six r twenty-fiv ther descen ift stream )w Creek, i lall band of rty on their sly wild, ai 9BR JBius-L-.y,. ash, cotton- B fine, with a GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR about the heads of these the mountains ma. The ".ext morning was cloudy, threatening "n, but the sicy grew brighter as the sun pse, and a. southerly wind changed to north- ■est, which brouglit, as it never fails to bring, ear weather. We continued sixteen miles up the valley, d encamped on the Sacramento River. In le afternoon (April 8) the weather again grew lick, and in the fvening rain began to lull in d princil)alllv '^ valley and snow on the mountains. We od and abun- *™ "°^ ^^^^^ ''"^ ^^ "* ^^'^ lower valley, ne in the bot- "^ '''® ^''^^ '^^ *''® country and the weather a cool north-, egan sensibly to show the influence of the rug- the air of the ^ ^" mountains which surround and terminate it. .o Ko™ M7/»,o Thevalley of the Sacramento is divided into pper and lower — the lower two hundred miles 10 next day, lorth-easterly Sacramento, I farm on the craniento was y yards wide, ater, which I months, navi- Ecimped a few lis here were es bore directly *"S' *^® upper about one hundred ; and the e other moun- '^^""^ "°' merely entitled to the distinction of c-o yfn\Y a pper, as being higher up on the river, but also J ' ' Is having a superior elevation of some thou- t sunrise was mds of feet above it. The division is strongly aintly-clouded nd geographically marked. The Shastl peak vas soMtherlv ^ " valley, in the d' toward the *^^^ °^ '^® river, rising from a base of about ~ = „„ K^iK 000 feet, out of a forest of heavy timber. It nges, on ootn i I'l • i ' i r A rii her, and five or six deer came darting through the woods. An antelope and several deer were killed. There appears to be two species of these deer — both of the kind generally called black-tailed ; one, a larger species, fre- quenting the prairies and lower grounds ; the other, much smaller, and found in the moun- tains only. The mountains in the north-east were black with clouds when we reached the creek, and very soon a fierce hail-storm burst down on us, scattering our animals and cover- ing the "ground an inch in depth with hail- stones about t!ie size of wild cherries. The face of the country appeared as whitened by a fall of snow, and the weather became unplea- santly cold. The evening closed in withrain, and thunder rolling around the hills. Our ele- vation here was between 1000 and 1100 feet. At sunrise the next morning the thermometer was at 33°. The surrounding mountains showed a continuous line of snow, and the high peaks looked wintry. Turning to the southward, we retraced our steps down the valley, and reached Mr. Lassen's, on Deer River, on the evening of the lltii. The Sa- cramento bottoms between Antelope and Deer River were covered with oats, which had attained their full height, growing as in sown fields. The country here exhibited the matu- rity of spring. The California poppy was everywhere forming seed pods, and many plants were in flower and seed together. Some varieties of clover were just beginning to bloom. By the middle of the month the seed-vessels of the California poppy, which, from its charac- teristic abundance, is a prominent feature in the vegetation, had attained their full size; but the seeds of this and many other plants, although fully formed, were still green- coloured, and not entirely ripe. At this time, I obtained from the San Joaquin valley seeds of the poppy, and other plants, black and fully ripe, while they still remained green in this part of the Sacramento — the effect of a warmer climate in the valley of the San Joaquin. The mean temperature for fourteen days, from the 10th to the 24th of April, was 43° at sun- rise, 58° at nine in the morning, 64° at noon, 66° at 2 in the afternoon, 69° at 4, and 58° at sunset, (latitude 40°.) The thermometer ranged at sunrise from 38° to 51°, at 4 (which is the hottest of those hours of the day when the temperature was noted) from 53° to 88°, and at sunset from 49° to 65°. The dew-point was 40°.3 at sunrise, 47°. 3 at 9 in the morning, 46°. I at noon, 49°. 2 at 3 in the afternoon, 49°. 2 at 4, and 46°.6 at sunset; and the quantity of moisture in a cubic foot hi air at corresponding times was 3.104 grains, 3.882 grains, 3.807 grains, 4.213 grains, 4.217 grains, 3.884 grains, respectively. The winds fluctuated between north-west and south-east, the temperature dependir-r more upon the state of the sky than the v.;.ection of winds — a clouded sky always lowering the thermometer fifteen or twenty degrees in a short time. For the greater number of the days above given the b2 wmn IB GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR. V. •ky was covered, and the atmosphere fre- qu«mtiy thick, with rain at intervals from the 19th to the 23d. 'Jn the 25lh May we returned to this place (Lassen's) from an excursion to the Upper Sacramento. The plants we had left in bloom were now generally in seed ; and many, includ- ing the characteristic plants, perfectly ripe. The mean temperature of a few days ending May was 5l°.7 at sunrise, 70°. at noon, and 67°. 3 at sunset. Travelling south, into the more open and wider part of the valley, whero the bordering mountains are lower, ana showed less snow, the temperature increased rapidly. At the Buttes — an isolated mountain ridge about six miles long, and about 2()90 feet abovd the sea — the mornings wore pleasantly cool for a few hours, but before ten the heat of the sun became very great, though iisually tempered by a refreshing breeze. 'J'ho heat was usually greatest about four in the after- noon. The mean temperature from May 27th to June 6th, was 64° at sunrise, 79° at 9 in the morning, 86° at noon, 90° at 2 in the after- noon, 91° at 4, and 80° at sunset, ranging from 53° to 79° at sunrise— from 85° to 98° at 4 in the afternoon — and from 73° to 89° at sunset. The place of observatioh was at the eastern base of the Buttes, about 800 feet above the sea, latitude 39° IS', and one of the warmest situations in the Sacramento valley. At cor- responding times the dew-point was at 56°.5, 62^4, 66°.5, 68°.2, 66°.6, 66°.9, and the quan- tity of moisture in a cubic foot of air, 5.253 grains, 6.318 grains, 7.1 SI grains, 7.495 grains, 7.164 grains, and 7.269 grains, respectively. We felt the heat here mofe sensibly than at any other place where our journeying brought us in Calil'ornia. The hunters always left the camp before daylight, and were in by 9 o'clock, after which the sun grew hot. Game was very fat and abundant; upwards of eighty deer, elk, and bear were killed in one morn- ing. The range consisted of excellent grasses, wild oats in fields, red and other varieties of clover, some of which were now in mature seed, and others beginning to flower. Oats were now drying in level places where ex- posed to the full influence of the sun, remain- ing green in moister places and on the hill slopes. The mean temperature of the open valley between the Buttes and the American Fork, from the 8th to the 21 st June, was 57° at sun- rise, 74° at 9 in tlie morning, 85° at noon, 87° at 2 in the afternoon, 88° at 4, and 77° at sun- set; ranging at sunrise from 51° to 61^ ; at 4 from 81" to 97°; and at sunset from 71° to 85°. The dew-point at corresponding times was52°.8, 58°.8, 62°.l, 6C°.8, 62°.5, 60°.7, and the quantity of moisture in a cubic foot of air being 4.685 grains, 5.709 grains, 6.320 grains, 7.217 grains, 6.377 grains, 5.973 grains, respectively. Western Slope of the Sierra Nevada.— The western flank of this Sierra belongs to the maritime region of California, and is capable of adding greatly to its value. It is a long, wide slope, timbered and grassy, with intervals of arable land, oopiously watered with numerouiJ and bold streams, and without the cold whictil its name and altitude might imply. In lengtl< 1 it is the whole extent of the long valley at iu base, five hundred miles. In breadth, it ii from forty to seventy miles from the summi of the mountain to the teitnination of the foe;, hills in the edge of the valleys below, anu almost the whole of it available for some us^ ful purpose — timber, pasturage, some arabl; land, mills, quarries — and so situated as to bu convenient for use, the wide slope of thtl mountain being of easy and praelicablo de^ i scent. Timber holds the first place in thi, advantages of this slope, the whole bein'j heavily wooded, first with oaks, which preJ dominate to about half the elevation of thtl mountain ; and then with pines, cypress, arif cedars, the pines predominating ; and henci| called the pine region, as that below is called the oak region, though mixed with other trees , The highest summits of the Sierra are nakoJj massive granite rock, covered with snow, ii sheltered places, all the year round. Tl oaks are 8e\eral varieties of white and blaci| oak, and evergreens, some of them resembling live oak. Of the white oak there are somj new species, attaining a handsome elevation| upon a stem six feet in diameter. Acorns i uncommon size, and not bad taste, used regu j larly for food by the Indians, abound on thest'l trees, and will be of great value for stocky The cypress, pine, and cedar are between on hundred and two hundred and fifty feet higl^ and five to twelve feet in diameter, with cleaj solid stems. Grass abounds on almost al parts of the slope, except towards the highei summits, and is fresh and green all the yeal round, being neither killed by cold in tli| winter, nor dried by want of rain in the sun mer. The foot hills of the slope are sufi ciently fertile and gentle to admit of good sell tlements ; while valleys, coves, beaches, ani meadows of arable land are found throughoul Many of the numerous streams, some of the™ amounting to considerable rivers, which floJ down the mountain side, make handsome] fertile valleys. All these streams furnish goa water power. The climate in the lower _ of the slope is that of constant spring, whill above the cold is not in proportion to the elef vation. Such is the general view of thi western slope of the great Sierra ; but deem ing that all general views should rest upoi positive data, I add some notes taken froJ actual observations made in different ascenl| and descents in the winter and spring l845-'46, and in different degrees of latituA from 33° to 41°. December 4, 1845. — Descent from the pas at the head of Salmon Trout River, latitudj 39° 1 7', elevation 7200 feet. At .^ in the aft« noon the temperature at 46", at sunset 34°, a sunrise next morning 22° ; the sky perfectll clear ; no snow in the pass, but much on tbf mountain tops. Here the present emig road now crosses. A fork of Bear River ( considerable stream tributary to Feather Riveil which falls into the Sacramento) leads froJ GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR, pau, and the road follows it; but finding Is a ruffged way, we turned to the south, and oampea in a mountain meadow of food een grass. A yellow moss very abundant the north sides of the pines. \j)ecember 6. — The route was over good palling ground, through open pine forest on )road,ledding ridge, atfording an excellent id. A species of cedar {Thuya f^ifrantta) jurred, often of extraordinary linifrht and ic. Pinus Inmhertiani was one of the most equent trees, distinguished amonif cone- iring tribes by the leni^th of its conos, some- les sixteen or eighteen inches long. The kdians eat the inner part of the burr, ami rge heaps of them were seen where they had |en collected. Leaving the higher ridges, id gaining the smoother spurs, and descend- tg about 4000 feet, the face of the country Ranged rapidly. The country buamo low, tiling, ana pretty ; the pines began to disap- par, and varieties of oak, and principally an rergreen resembling live oak, became the pdominating forest growth. Thesfi oaks ar great quantities of large acorns, the prin- pal food of all the wild Indians. At a village : a few huts which we came upon, there was llarge supply of these acorns — eight or ten ribs of wicker work, containing about twenty iishels each. The best acorns arc obtained sm a large tree belonging to the division of khite oaks, which is very abundant, and enerally forms the groves on the bottom lands the streams— standing apart, with a clean ndergrowth of grass, giving them the appear- |ice of cultivated parks. It is a noble forest ee, already mentioned as a new species, Ixty to eighty feet high, with a tufted sum- lit of spreading branches, and frequently Mains a diameter of six feet. The largest le measured reached eleven feet. The ever- reen oaks generally have a low growth, with kng branches and spreading tops. Some of kem are suitable for ship-timber, and have Iready been used for that purpose. At our evening encampment of the 8th, ^hich was at an elevation of five hundred let above the sea, latitude 38° 53', and dis- knt from the seacoest about one hundred iiles, the temperature at sunset was 48", the ly clear and calm, weather delightful, and ke vegetation that of early spring. We were ill upon the foot hills of the mountain, where le soil is sheltered by woods, and where rain Ills much more frequently than in the open Vramonto valley, near the edge of which I then were. 1 have been in copious, con- nuous rains of eighteen or twenty hours' iiration, in the oak region of the mountain, Ihen not a drop fell in the valley below. Inumerable small streams have their rise and kurse through these foot hills, which never ch the river of the valley, but are absorbed its light soil. The Iprge streams coming Bm the upper parts of the mountain make klleys of their own, of fertile soil, covered (ith luxuriant grass and interspersed with roves. This is the general character of the ot hills throughout the entire length c- le Sacramento and San Joaquin valleyB— a broad belt of country, and probably destined to be* come a vine-growing, as well as a grain and pastoral country. Ihccmber 9. — Entered the valley of the Sa- cmmento. Fresh, green gmss, fur eight or ten miles into the valley, cattle feeding upon it, or lying under the shade of trees — the shade lioing pleasant to our own feelings. Further in, towards the middle of the valley, where tlip spring rains had not yet commenced, the I'ountry looked pareiied and dry, the grass oaten down by the cattle, which were quite fat and fine beef. Ascent, December and January, 1845-'46, latitude 37"^. Entering the mountain by the Rio Reyes of Tulare Lake, (December 24,) wo found its general character very similar to what it was in the more northern part, (lati- tude 39°,) the timber perhaps less heavy and more open, and the mountain generally more rough, extremely rocky in the upper parts, but wooded up to the granite ridges which compose its rocky eminences. At the eleva- tion of 3500 feet, the ridges were covered with oaks and pines intermixed, and the bottom lands with oaks, cotton-wood, and sycamores. Small varieties of evergreen oaks reached the observed height of 9480 feet, at which eleva- tion pinus lambcrtiani, and other varieties of pine, fir, and cypress, were large and lofly trees. During the latter part of December and first days of January the average tempera- ture of the oak region, going to about 5000 feet above the sea, was, at sunrise, 34°.6, and at sunset 50°.5. In the piney region, between this height and 1100 feet, the average at sun- rise was 28°.7, and at sunset 30°.4. The lowest observed temperature was at sunset of January 1, when the sky had entirely cleared after a severe snow-storm. The thermometer then stood at 8°.5, the elevation above the sea being 9400 feet. Descending to the oak region, spring weather, rain and sunshine, prevailed. At an elevation of 4500 feet, the temperature, at the night encampment of the 3d day of January, was 38° at sunset, and the same at sunrise, the grass green, and growing freshly under the oaks. The snow-line was then at about 6000 feet above the level of the sea. Rain had begun to fall in the valley of the San Joaquin in this latitude (37°) on the 20th of December, and enow at the same time upon the summit of the mountain. The mean temperature of the mountain during this ascent and descent (December 24 to January 8) was 3l°.G at sunrise, 40°.4 at sunset. Descent by Mr. Kern's party, latitude 35° 30', December and January. Mr. Kern, with a detached party, had crossed the Sierra about one hundred miles further south, nearly oppo- site the head of the Tulare Lakes, and re- mained encamped in a valley or cove, near the summit of the Sierra, at the head of Kern's River, from December 27 to January 17; the cove well wooded with evergreen oaks, some varieties of pine, firs, and cedars, main- taining the usual majestic growth which cha- racterizes the cone-bearing trees of the Sierra. so GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR. Until the I'jth of January the weather almost that of summer, when the rains commenced, which was almost three weeks lutitr than in latitude 37°. The I7th there was a fall of snow, washed off in the cove by a rain in tlit! afternoon, the hiffh ridj^cs remaining covered a foot deep. The mean temperature in the cove from December 27 to January 17 was, at sunrise, 20° — at noon, 60°— at sunHct, 52°. Afltr that, snow and rain, alternated with sunshine, snow remainin|j on thti ridjjes, and winter set in fairly on all the upper half of the mountain. JlHceul about latitude 11°, (Ai)ril and May,) April 26, 1846 — head of the lower Sacramento valley. Left the river Sacramento, ifoinir up one of the many pretty little streams that flow into the river around the head ofthe lower valley. On either side, low steep ridges were covered alonir their sunmiits with pine, and oaks occupied the somewhat broad bottoms of the creek. Snowy peaks made the horizon on tbe right, and the temperature at noon was 71°, but the day was still and hot. The small streams are numerous here, and have much bottom land ; {Trass and acorns abundant, and both of excel- lent (juality. Encamped in the evening in latitude 40° 38' 58", elevation above the sea 1080 feet, temperature at sunset 56°, weather pleasant. Grisly bears numerous, four being killed by the hunters after we !iad encamped. JiprH 27. — Found a good way along a flat ridge, a pretty, open mountain stream on the right, the country beginning to assume a mountainous character, wooded with mingled oak and long-leaved pine, and having a sur- face of scattered rocks, with grass and flowers. At noon, crossing a high ridge, the thermo- meter showed 61 . At night, at an elevation of 2460 feet, we encamped on a creek that went roaring into the valley ; temperature at sunset 52°. 28th, continued up the stream on which we had encamped, the country rising rapidly, clothed with heavy timber. On crossing one of the high ridges, snow and pinua lambertiani appeared together. An hour before noon, reached the pass in tbe main ridge, in an open pine forest, elevation 4600 feet, thermometer at 50°, latitude near 41°. Snow in patches, and deciduous oaks mixed with the pines. Returning upon a different line, towards the lower valley of the Sacramento, near its head, we found in the descent a truly magnificent forest. It was composed mainly of a cypress and a lofty white cedar {Thuya ^iu:aniea) one hundred and twenty to one hundred and forty feet high, common in the mountiiins of Cali- fornia. All were massive trees; but the cy- press was distinguished by its uniformly great bulk. None were seen so large as are to be found in tlie coast mountains near Santa Cruz, but there was a greater number of large trees —seven feet being a common diameter — carry- ing the bulk eighty or a hundred feet without a limb. At an elevation of 4600 feet the tempera- ture at sunset was 48°, and at sunrise 37°. Oaks already appeared among the pines, but did not yet show a leaf. In the meadow marshes of the loreit gross was green, but not yet abundant, and the deer were poor. Do* scemling the flanks of the mountain, which fell gradually towards the plain, the way was through the same deep forest. At the olova- tion of about 3000 feet the timber had become more open, the hills rolling, and many streams made pretty bottoms of rich grass ; the black oaks in full and beautiful leaf were thickly studded among the open pines, which had become much smaller and fewer in variety, and wlien we halted near midday, at an eleva- tion of 2200 feel, we were in one of the most pleasant days of late spring ; cool and sunny, with a pleasant breeze, amidst a profusion of various (lowers; many trees in dark summer foliage, and some still in bloom. Amonjf these tbe white spikes of the horse-chestnut, connnon through all the oak region, were con- spicuous. We had again reached summer weather, and the temperature at noon was 70°. In the afternoon we descended to the open valley of the Sacramento, 1000 feet lower, where the thermometer was 68° at sunset, and 54° at sunrise. This was the best timbered region that I had seen, and the more valuable from its position near the head of the lower valley of the Sacramento, and accessible from its waters. J)ny of San Francisco and dependent country, — The Bay of San Francisco has been cele- brated, from the time of its first discovery, as one of the finest in the world, and is justly entitled to that character even under the sea- man's view of a mere harbour. But when all the accessory advantiiges which belong to it — fertile and picturesque dependent country; mildness and salubrity of climate ; connection with the great interior valley of the Sacra- mento and San Joaquin ; its vast resources for ship-timber, grain and cattle — when these ad- vantages are taken into the account, with its geographical position on the line of communi- cation with Asia, it rises into an importance far above that of a mere harbour, and deserves a particular notice in any account of maritime California. Its latitudinal position is that of Lisbon ; its climate is that of southern Italy ; settlements upon it for more than half a cen- tury attest its healthiness; bold shores and mountains give it grandeur ; the extent and fertility of its dependent country give it great resources for agriculture, commerce, and popu- lation. The Bay of San Francisco is separated from the sea by low mountain ranges. Looking from the peaks of the Sierra Ne-'ada, the coast mountains present an apparency continuous line, with only a single gap, resembling a mountain pass. This is the entrance to the ^reat bay, and is the only water communica- tion from the coast to the interior country. Approaching i'rora the sea, ti 3 coast presents a bold outline. On the south, the bordering mountains come down in a narrow ridge of broken hills, terminatinf in a precipitous point, against which the sea breaks heavily. On the northern side, the mountain presents a tion it for long smal of tl the is be four higl wilt in a roads moui grass prot€ nortl •Ci same nople Thef (and I GEOGRAPHICAL M£M01R. A bold promontory, risinff in a few mileii to a height of two or three thousand feet. Between these points is thu stmit — about uno mile broad in tlie narrowest part, and five miles lon(( from the sou to the bay. Passing through this gate,* the bay onens to tlie right and left, extending in each ilireotion about thirty-five miloa, having a total length of more than seventy, and a coast of about two hundred and seventy-five miles. It is divided, by straits and projecting j)oint8, into three separate bays, of which the northern two are called San Pa- blo and Suisoon bays. Within, the view pre- sented is of a mountainous country, the bay resembling an interior lake of deep water, lying between parallel ranges of mountains. Islands, which have the bold character of the shores — Bome mere masses of rock, and others grass- covered, rising to the height of three and eight hundred foot — break its surface, and add to its pictures(iue appearance. Directly fronting the entrance, mountains a few miles from the shore rise about 3000 feet above the water, crowned by a forest of the lofty cypress, which is visible trom the sea, and makes a conspicu- ous landmark for vessels entering the bay. Behind, the rugged peak of Mount Diavolo, nearly 1000 feet high, (3770,) overlooks the surrounding country of the bay and San Joa- ?[uin. The immediate shore of the bay derives, rom its proximate and opposite relation to the sea, the name of contra coda, (counter-coast, or opposite coast.) It presents a varied cha- racter of rugged and broken hills, rolling and undulating land, and rich alluvial shores backed by fertile and wooded ranges, suitable for towns, villages, and farms, with which it is beginning to be dotted. A low alluvial bottom land, several miles in breadth, with occasional open woods of oak, borders the foot of the mountains around the southern arm of the bay, terminating on a breadth of twenty miles in the fertile valley of St. Joseph, a narrow plain of rich soil, lying between ranges from two to three thousand feet high. The valley is openly wooded with groves of oak, free irom underbrush, and, after the spring rains, covered will] grass. Taken in connec- tion with the valley of San Juan, with which it forms a continuous plain, it is fifty-iive miles long and one to twenty broad, opening into smaller valleys among the hills. At the head of the bay it is twenty miles broad, and about the same at the southern end, where the soil is beautifully fertile, covered in summer with four or five varieties of wild clover several feet high. In many places it is overgrown with wild mustard, growing ten or twelve feet high, in almost impenetrable fields, through which roads are made like lanes. On both sides the mountains are fertile, wooded, or covered with grasses and scattered trees. On the west it is protected from the chilling influence of the north-west winds by the cuesta de los gatos, • Called Chrysopylie (gotaon gate) on the map, on the same principle that the harbour of Byzaiitium (Constanti- nople aftorwards) was called CItrysoceras (golden horn.) The form of the harbour, and its advantages for commerce, (and that before it became an entrepot of eastern com- (wild-cat rid|fe,) which lepnmteB it from the coast. This is a grassy and timbered moun- tiiin, watercil with small streams, and wooded on both sides with many varieties of trees and shrubbery, the heavier forests of pine and cypress occupying the western slope. Timber and shingles are now ohtiiined from this monn< tain ; and one of tlw! recently discovered ipiick- si'ver mines is on the eastern side of the mountain, near the Pueblo of San Jose. Thi« range terminates on the south in the Anno Nuevo |)oint of Monterey Uay, and on the north declines into a ridge of broken hills about five miles wide, between the bay and the sea, and having the town of San Fran- cisco on the bay shore, hear its northern extre- mity. Sheltered from the col 1 winds and fogs of the sea, and having a soil of remarkable fer- tility, the valley of St. Joseph (San Jose) is capable of producing in great perfection many fruits and grains wTiich do not thrive on the coast in its immediate vicinity. Without taking into consideration the extraordinary yields which have sometimes occurred, the fair average product of wheat is estimated at fifty fold, or fifty for one sown. The mission establishments of Sana Clara and San Jose, in the north end of the valley, were formerly, in the prosperous days of the missions, distin- guished for the superiority of their wheat crops. The slope of alluvial land continues entirely around the eastern shore of the bay, intersected by small streams, and oflering some points which good landing and deep water, with ad- vantageous positions between the sea and interior country, indicate for future settle- ment. The strait of Carquines, about one mile wide and eight or ten fathoms deep, connects the San Pablo and Suisoon bays. Around these bays smaller valleys open into the bor- dering country, and some of the streams have a short launch navigation, which serves to convey produce to the bay. Missions and large farms were established at the head of navigation on these streams, which are favour- able sites for towns or villages. The country around the Suisoon bay presents smooth low ridges and rounded hills, clothed with wild oats, and more or less openly wooded on their sum- mits. Approaching its northern shores from Sonoma, it assumes, though in a state of na- ture, a cultivated and beautiful appearance. Wild oats cover it in continuous fields, and^ herds of cattle and bands of horses are scat- tered over low hills and partly isolated ridges, where blue mists and openings among the abruptly terminating hills indicate the neigh- bourhood of the bay. The Suisoon is connected with an expan- sion of the river formed by the junction of the Sacramento and San Joaquin, which enter the merce,) suggested the name b ' the Oreek founders of *By- cantium. The form of the entrance into the Bay of 8mi Francisco, and its advantages for commerce, (Asistlo inclusive,) suggest the name which is siven to this en- trance. ,^_ ,; , . „ GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR. ill i , ''} Frftnoiaco Bav in the same latitude, nearly, as the mouth of the Tagus at Lisbon. A delta of twenty-five milee in length, divided into islands by deep channels, connects the bay with the valley of the San Joaquin and Sacra- mento, into the mouths of which the tide flows, and which enter the bay together as one river. Such is the bay, and the proximate country and shores of the Bay of San Francisco. It is not a mere indentation of the coast, but a little sea to itself, coh^ected with the ocean by a defensible ^a^c, opening out between seventy and eighty miles to the right and left, upon a breadth of ten to fifteen, deep enough for the largest ships, with bold shores suitable for towns and settlements, and fertile adjacent country for cultivation. The head of the bay is about forty miles from the sea, and there commences its connection with the noble val- leys of the San Joaquin and Sacramento. Coast Country north of the Bay of San Fran- CISCO, — Between the Sacramento valley and the coast, nort'i of the Bay of San Francisco, the country is broken into mountain ridges and rolling hills, with many very fertile valleys, made by lakes and small streams. In the interior it is wooded, generally with oak, and immediately along the coast presents open prairie lands, among heavily timbered forests, having a greater variety of trees, and occa- sionally a larger growth tlian the timbered region of the Sierra Nevada. In some parts it is entirely covered, in areas of many miles, with a close growth of wild oats, to the exclu- sion of almost every other plant. In the lat- ter part of June and beginning of July, we found here a climate sensibly different from that of the Sacramento valley, a few miles east, being much cooler and moistcr. In clear weather, the mornings were like those of the Rocky Mountains in August, pleasant and cool, following cold clear nights. In that part lying nearer the coast, we found the mornings sometimes cold, accompanied with chilling winds ; and fogs frequently came rolling up over the lidgesfrom the sea. These sometimes rose at evening, and continued until noon of the next day. They are not dry, but wet mists, leaving the face of the country covered as by a drizzling ruin. This sometimes causes rust in wheat grov/n within its influence, but vegetables flourish and attain extraordinary size. I learned from Captain Smith, a resident at Bodega, that the winter months m;ike a de- .lightful season— rainy days (generally of warm showers) alternating with mild and calm, pleasant weather, and pure bright skies— much preferable to the summer, when the fogs and strong north-west winds, which prevail dur- ing the greater part of the year, make the morning part of the day disagreeably cold. Owing probably to the fogs, spring is earlier along the coast than in the interior, where, during the interval between the rains, the ground beer nes very dry. PMowers bloom in December, and by the beginning of February grass acquires a strong and luxuriant growth, and fruit trees (peach, pear, apple, &c.) are covered with blossoms. In situations imme- diately open to the sea the fruit ripens late, general'-' at the end of August, being retarded by the chilling influence of the north-west winds: a short distance inland, where inter- vening ridges obstruct these winds and shelter the face of the country, there is a different climate and a remarkable difference in the time of ripening fruits ; the heat of the sun has full influence on the soil, and vegetation goes rapidiy to perfection. The country in July began to present the dry appearance common to all California as the summer advances, except along the north- ern coast within the influence of the fogs, or where the land is sheltered by forests, and in the moist valleys of streams an 1 coves of the hills. In some of these was an uncommonly luxuriant growth of oats, still partially green, while elsewhere they were dried up ; the face of the country presenti ig generally a mellow and ripened appearance, and the small streams beginning to lose their volume, and draw up into the hills. This northern part of the coast country is heavily timbered, more so as it goes north to the Oregon boundary, (42°,) with many bold streams falling directly into the sea. The Country between the Bays of San Fran- cisco and Monterey. — In the latter part of Jan'i- ary, 1846, a few shrubs and' flowers were already in bloom on the sandy shore of Mon- terey Bay, (latitude 30° 40'.) Among these were the California poppy, and nemophila in- sigtiis. On the 5th February, I found many shrubs and plants in bloom in the coast mountains bordering St. Joseph's valley, between Mon- terey and the Bay of San Francisco ; and vegetation appeared much more green and spring-like, and further advanced, than in the plains. About the middle of February I noticed the geranium in flower in the valley ; and from that time vegetation began generally to bloom. Cattle were obtained in February, from ranches among the neighbouring hills, extremely fat, selected from the herds in the range. During the months of .January and February rainy days alternated with longer intervals at fair and pleasant weather, which is the charac- ter of the rainy season in California. The mean temperature in the valley of St. Joseph — open to the Bay of San Francisco — from the LSth to the 2-2d of February, was 50° at sun- rise, and 61° at sunset. The oaks in this val- ley, especially along the foot of tlie hills, are partly covered with long hanging moss— an indication of much humidity in the climate. We remained several days, in the latter part of February, in the upper portion of the coast mountain between St. Joseph and Sai.ia Cruz. The place of our encampment was 2000 feet above the sea, and was covered with a luxu- riant growth of grass, a foot high in many places. At sunrise the temperature was 40°; at^ noon 60° ; at 4 in the afternoon 65° ; and 63' at sunset ; with very pleasant weather. The mountains were wooded with many varie- wmmmtm wmmm GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR. » oms. In situations imme- e sea the fruit ripens late, d of August, being retarded ifluence of the north-west stance inland, where inter- uct these winds and shelter untry, there is a different narkable difference in the uits ; the heat of the sun on the soil, and vegetation 'ection. July began to present the mmon to all California as es, except along the north- e influence of the fogs, or sheltered by forests, and in f streams an I coves of the these was an uncommonly f oats, still partially green, ey were dried up ; the face sent! ig generally a mellow ancc, and the small streams their volume, and draw up art of the coast country is nore so as it goes north to iry, (42°,) with many bold ictly into the sea. vcen the Bays of San Fran- —In the latter part of Jan-i- shrubs and flowers were in the sandy shore of Mon- e 3G° 40'.) Among those 1 poppy, and nemophila in- uary, I found many shrubs Im in the coast nicuntains ph's valley, between Mon- y of San Francisco; ami id much more green and •ther advanced, than in the ie middle of February I m in flower in the valley ; vegetation began generally ivere obtained in February, ng the neighbouring hills, ted from the herds in the bs of .lanuary and February id with longer intervals a( jather, which is the charac- 5ason in California. The in the valley of St. Joseph )f San Francisco — from the February, was 50° at sun- set. The oaks in this val- g the foot of twe hills, are 1 long hanging moss — an humidity in the climate, eral days, in the latter part upper portion of the coast it. .loseph and Sai.ta Cruz, ncampment was 2000 feet was covered with a luxu- >ss, a foot high in many the temperature was 40"; n the afternoon 65° ; and h very pleasant weather, i wooded with many varie- ties of trees, and in some parts with heavy forests. These forests are characterized by a cypress (tuxodium) of extraordinary dimen- sions, already mentioned among the trees of the Sierra Nevada, which is distinguished among the forest trees of America by its supe- rior si7,e and height. Among many which we measured in tliis part of the mountain, nine ara "m feet diameter was frequent — eleven sometimes; but going beyond eleven only in a single tree, which reached fourteen feet in diameter. Above ( . 'o hundred feet was a frequent height. In this locality the bark was very deeply furrowed, and unusually thick, being fully sixteen inches in some of the trees. The tree was now in bloom, flowering near the summit, and the flowers consequently diffi- cult to procure. This is the staple timber-tree of the country, being cut into both boards and shingles, and is the principal timber sawed at the mills. It is soft, and easily worked, wear- ing away too quickly to be used for floors. It seems to have all the durability which anciently gave the cypress so much celebrity. Posts which I'ave been exposed to the weather for three quarters of a century (since the founda- tion of the missions) show no marks of decay in the wood, and are now converted into beams and posts for private buildings. In California this tree is called the palo Colorado. It is the king of trees. Among the oaks is a handsome lofty ever- green species, specifically diiferent from those of the lower grounds, and in its general appear- ance much restmbling hickory. The bark is smooth, of a white colour, and the wood hard and close-grained. It seems to prefer the north hill-sides, were some were nearly four feet in diameter and a hundred feet high. Another remarkable tree of these woods is called in the language of the country madrono. It is a beautiful evergreen, with large, thick, and glossy digitate leaves, the trunk and brancnes reddish coloured, and having a smooth and singularly naked appearance, as if the bark had been stripped ou. In its green state the wood is brittle, very heavy, hard, and , close-grained ; it is said to assume a red colour when dry, sometimes variegated, and suscep- tible of a high polish. This tree was found by us only in the mountains. Some measured nearly four feet in diameter, and wetc about sixty feet high. A few scattered flowers were now showing throughout the forests, and on the open ridges shrubs were flowering ; but the bloom was not yet general. On the aSth February, we descended to the coast near the north-western point of Monterey bay, losing our fine weather, which in the evening changed into a coid south-easterly storm, continuing with heavy and constant rains for several days. During this time the mean temperature was 53° at sunrise, 5*5". 5 at 9 a. m., 57". 5 at noon, 54°. 5 at 2 in the afternoon, 53^.4 at 4, and 62°.7 at sunset. On the 28th, a thick fog was over the bay and on the mountains at sunrise, and the thermometer was at 38" — 15'^ below the ordinary temperati're— rising at 9 o'clock to 59°. These fogs prevail along the coast during a great part of the summer and autumn, b'lt do not cross the ridges into the interior. This locality is celebrated for the excellence and great size of its vegetables, (especially the Irish potato and onions,) with which, for this reason, it has for many years supplied the ship- ping which visits Monterey. A forest of pala Colorado at the foot of the mountains in this Vicinity, is noted for tiie great size and height of the trees. I measured one which was 275 feet in height, and fifteen feet in diameter, three feet above the base. Though this was distinguished by the greatest girth, other sur- rounding trees were but little inferior in size and still taller. Their colossal height and massive bulk give an air of grandeur to the forest. These trees grow tallest in the bottom lands, and prefer moist soils and north hill-sides. In situations where they are protected from the prevailing north-west winds, they shoot up to a great height; but wherever their heads are exposed, these winds appear to chill them and stop their growth. They then assume a spread- ing shape, with larger branches, and an appa- rently broken summit. The rain storm closed with February, and the weatlier becoming fine, on the 1st of March we resumed our progress along the coast. Over the face of the country between Santa Cruz and Montorey, and around the plains of St. John, the grass, which had been eaten down by the large herds of cattle, was now everywhere springing up ; flowers began to show their bloom, and in the valleys of the mountains bordering the Salinas plains, (a plain of some fifty miles in length, made by the Salinas River,) wild oats wore three feet high, and well headed, by the Gth of March. During three days that we remained on one of these mountains, at an elevation of 2200 feet above the sea, and in sight of Monterey, the mean temperature was 44° at sunrise, 55° at 9 in the morning, 60° at noon, 62° at 2 in the afternoon, 57° at 4, and 53° at sunset. At the same hours, the dew-point was at 42°.0, 48°. 1, 52°.8, 54°.9, 52°.9, 51°.6, and the quan- tity of moisture in a cubic foot of air, 3.283 grains, 3.982 grains, 4.72G grains, 4.97i; grains, 4.682 grains, and 4.558 grai'.\3, respectively. The weather remained bright and pleasant ; fogs sometimes covering the mountains at sun- rise, but going oflF in a fuw hours. These are open mountains, untimbered; but fertile in oats and other grasses, aflbrding fine range for cattle. Oaks and pines are scattered thinly over then upper parts, and in the higher and more exposed situations the evergreen caks show the course and influence of the north- west winds, stunted and blighted by their chillness, bent to the ground by their force, and growing in that form. Descending into the valley of the San Joa- quin, (March 11th,) we found almost a sum- mer temperature, and the country clothed in the floral beauty of advancing spring. Southern Co'..iiry and Rainy Season^ {lati- Si GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR. ^t( I; 1 tudes 32°— 35 .)— South of Point Ooncepcion, the climate and general appearance of the coun- try exhibit a marked change. The coast from that cape Vends almc^t directly east, the face of the country has a more southern exposure, and is sheltered by ranges of low mountains from the violence and chilling effect of the north-west winds ; hence the climate is still more mild and genial, fostering a richer variety of productions, differing in kind from those of the northern coast. The face of the country along the coast is generally naked, the lower hills and plains de- void of trees, during the summer heats parched and bare, and water sparsely distributed. The higher ridges and the cou,.-y in their imme- diate vicinity are always more or less, and sometimes prettily, wooded. These usually afford water and good green grass throughout the year. When the plains have become dry, parched and bare of grass, the cattle go up into these ridges, where, %viih cooler weather and shade, they find water and good pasture. In the dryest part of the year we found sheep and cattle fat, and saw flowers blooming in all the months of the year. Alonsf the foot of the main ridges the soil is rich and comparatively moist, wooded, with grass and water abund- ant ; and many localities would afford beauti- ful and productive farms. The ranges of the Sierra Nevada (here approaching its termina- tion) still remain high — some peaks always retaining snow — and afford copious streams, which run all the year. Jlany of these streams are absorbed in the light soil of the larger plains before they reach the sea. Pro- perly directed, the water of these riv?rs is sufficient to spread cultivation over the plains. Throughout the country e* ery farm or rancho has its own springs or running stream suffi- cient for the support of stock, which hitherto has made the chief object of industry in Cali- fornia. The soil is generally good, of a sandy or light character, easily cultivated, and in many places of extrairdinary fertility. Cultivation has always been by irrigation, ar.d the soil seems to require only water to produce vigor- ously. Among the arid brush-covert^ hills south of San Diego, we found little valleys converted by a single spring into crowded gar- dens, w;Jiere pears, peaches, quinces, pome- granates, grapes, olives, and other fruits grew luxuriantly together, the little stream acting upon them like a principle of life. The south- ern frontier of this portion of Ct/iifornia seems eminently adapted to the cultivation of the vine and the olive. A single vine has been known to yield a barrel of wine ; and the olive trees are burdened with the weight of fruit. During the month of August the days are bright and hot, the sky pure and entirely cloud- less, and the nights cool and beautifully se ene. In this month Iruits generally ripen — melons, pears, peaches, prickly fig, {cactus tuna,) &c. — and large bunche.=i of ripe grapes aie scat- tered numerously through the vineyards, but do not reach maturity until the following month. After the vintage, grapes are hung up in the houses, and so kept for use throughout the winter. The mornings in September are cool and generally delightful — we sometimes found them almost cold enough to freeze — the mid- day hours bright and hot, but a breeze usually made the shade pleasant; the evenings calm, and nights cool and clear when unobscured by fogs. We reached the southern country at the end of July; and the first clouds we saw appeared on the 6th September at sunset, gradu- ally spreading over the sky, and the morning was cloudy, but clear again before noon. Light- ning at this time was visible in the direction of Sonora, where the rainy season had already commenced, and the cloudy weather was per- haps indicative of its approach here. On some nights the dews were remarked to be heavy ; and as we were journeying along the coast be- tween San Diego and Santa Barbara, fogs occa- sionally obscured the sunset over the ocean, and ros6 next morning with the sun. On the wooded plain, at the foot of the San Gabriel mountain, in the neighbourhood of Santa Barbara, and frequently along the way, the trees were found to be partly covered with moss. Country between the Santa Barbara Moun- tain and Monterey, {latitude 34° SCC to 30° 30'.^ — About the middle of September we encamped near the summit of the Cucsla de Santa Lies, (Santa Barbara Mountain,) on a little creek with cold water, good fresh grass, and much timber; and thenceforward north along the miuniain behind the Santa Ines mission, the country assumed a better appearance, generally well wooded and tolerably well covered with grass of good quality — very different from the dry, naked, and parched appearance of the coun- try below Santa Barbara. The neighbouring mountain exhibited large timber, redwood or pine, probably the latter. Water was frequent in small running streams. Crossing the fer- tile plain of San Luis Obispo, (lat. 35 ,) a shel- tered valley noted for the superiorit' of its olives, we entered the Santi Lucia range, which lies between the coast and the Salinas, or Buenaventura River (of the Bay of Monterey.) We found this a beautiful mountain, covered thickly with wild oats, prettily wooded, and having on the side we ascended (which is the water shed) in every little hollow a running stream of cool water, which the weatlier made delightful. The days were hot, at evening cool, and the morning weather clear and ex- hilarating. Descending into the valley, we found it opea and handsome, making a pleas- ing country, well wooded, and everywhere covered with grass of a good quality. The coast range is wooded on both sides and to the summit with varieties of oaks and pines. The upper part of the Salinas valley, where we are now travelling, would afford excellent stock farms, and is particularly well suited to sheep. The country never becomes miry in the rainy season, and none are lost by cold in the mild winter. The good vange, grass and acorns, made game abundant, and deer and grisly bear were ■ W»l|lil. ' ,i«<-t" • t.i^.4J^ GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR. 9» numerous. Twelve of the latter were killed by the party in one thicket. Lower down, in the neighbourhood of San Miguel, the country changed its appearance, losing its timbered and grassy character, and showing much sand. The past year had been one of unusual drought, and the river had almost entirely disappeared, leaving a bare sandy bed with a few pools of water. About fifteen miles below San Miguel it enters a gorge of the hills, making broad thickly- wooded bottoms, and affording gor)d range and abundance of water, the bed bein^ alieltered by the thick timber. The lower hills and spurs from the ranges, bordering the river, are very dry and bare, affording little or no grass. Ap- proaching the mission of Soledad, the river valley widens, making fertile bottoms anu plains of arable land, some fifteen to twenty miles broad, extending to Monterey Bay, and bordered by ranges of mountain from two to three thousand feet high. These ranges have the character of fertile mountains, their hills being covered with grass and scattered trees, and their valleys producing fields of wild oats, and wooded with oak groves. Being unshel- tered by woods, water is not abundant in the dry season, but at the end of September we found springs among the hills, and water re- mained in the creek beds. On the evening of the 25th September, cu- mull made their appearance in the sky, and the next morning was cloudy with a warm southerly wind and a few drops of rain — the first of tile rainy season. The weather then continued uninterruptedly dry through all Octo- ber — fair and bright during the first part, but cloudy during the latter half. At the end of the month the r.any season set in fully, con- sisting generally of rain squalls with bright weather intervening, and occasional south- easterly storms continuing several days. The previous seasons had been very short and light for several years, and the country had suffered from the consequent drought. The present season commenced early, and was very favour- able. Much rain fell in the low country, and snow accumulated to a great depth in the high mountains. The first rains changed the face of the country. Grass immediately began to shoot up rapidly, and by the end of the first week of November the dead hue of the hills around Monterey had already given place to green. A brief sketch of the weather during a jour- ney in this year from the mission of San Juan Bauptista (latitude 37°) to Los Angeles will exhibit the ordinaiy character of the season. In tile valley of San Juan, during the latter half of November, there was no rain ; the weatiier, generally, pleasant and bright, with occasional clouds. The nigiit clear and cool, occasionally cold; the mornings clear and sharp with hoar frost sometimes covering the ground. The days were warm and pleasant, and the evenings mild and calm. On some mornings a thick fog settled down immediately after sunrise, but in a few hours cleared off into a pleasant day. The falling weather recommenced on the 30th, with a stormy day of spring ; blue sky in spots, rapidly f^cceeded by masses of dark clouds and pouring raiq, which fell heavily during greater part of the night. The morning of the 1st December was par- tially clear, but rain recommenced in a few hours, with sky entirely clouded. The weather brightened at noon, and from a high point of the hills bordering the San Juan Uiver valley, up which we were travelling, snow was visi- ble on summits of tiie dividing range between the San Joaquin valley and the coast. It rained heavily and incessantly during the night, and continued all the next day. fn the night the sky cleared off bright with a north wind, but clouded up at morning, with rain and a broken sky. There were showers of rain during the day. with intervals of bright and hot sun ; and the sky at sunset was without a cloud. During tiie day and night of the 4th, there were occasional showers. The sky was toler- ably clear on th( morning of the 5th, with a prospect of fair weather. The tents were frozen, and snow appeared on the near ridges. We were then in a small interior valley of the mountains, bordering the Sali las River, and about 1000 feet above the sea. December the 6th was a beautiful day, fol- lowed by a cold frosty night. The next day we descended to the valley of the Salinas River, the weather continuing clear and pleasant during the day. Snow appeared on the mountains on both sides of the valley, and a cloud from some of them gave a slight shower during the night. Several successive days were clear with hot sun ; the niglits cold, starry, and frosty. The new grass on the hills was coming out vigorously. The morning of the 10th was keen and clear, with fcattered clouds, and a southerly wind, which brought up showers of rain at night, followed by fog in the morning. On the 12th, at the mission of Santa Marga- rita, in the head of the Salinas valley, rain be- gan in the afternoon, with a cold wind, and soon increased to a south-easterly storm, with heavy rain during all the night. The 13th was cloudy, with occasional showers. During the night the weather became very bad, and by morning had increased to a violent and cold south-easterly rain storm. In the afternoon the storm subsided, and was followed by several days of variable weather. By the 19th, the country where we were travelling between San Luis Obispo and the Cuesta of Santa Ines, showed a handsome covering of grass, which required two weeks more to become excellent. There were seve- ral days of warm weather, with occasional showers and hot sun, and cattle began to seek the shade. The 23d was a day of hard rain, followed by fine weather on the 24th, and a cold south easterly rain storm on the 25th. During the remainder of the year, the weathei continued fiiir and cool. No rain fell during the first half of .January, which we passed betweeen Santa Barbara and C ' I 1 i'l a GEOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR. f ' Jm- \ St ^ lJ f ' ' , I'l ll if \\\ ,f: ; li Los Angeles : tlie days were bright and very pleaoant, with warm sun ; and the nights, ^ne- of San Francisco and the coast between Point Concepcion and Cape Mendocino. Of these rally, cold. In the neglected orcha"nls of the three divisions the rainy season is longeiU and San Buenaventura and Fernando missions, the j heaviest in the north and lightest in the south, olive trees remained loaded with tlie abundant Vegetation is governed accordingly— coming fruit, which continued in perfectly good con- with the rains— decaying where they fail. J>um- jitjQ„ mer and winter, m our sense of the terms, are About the 14lh, a day of rain succeeded by not applicable to this part of the country. It an interval of fine weather, again interrupted is not heat and cold, but wet and dry, which by a rainy, disa "^tt-: HAKLUYT'S YOYAGES. Selected from Richard HaklvyCa Collection of the Voyages, Navigations, Traffiques and Discoueries of the English Nation. Imprinted at London by Oeorge Bishop, Ralfe Newberie and Robert Barker. Anno Dom. 1600. The course which Sir Francis Drake held from the hauen of Guatulco in the South Sea on the backe side of Nueua Espanna, to ths Northwest of California as far as fourtie three degrees : and his returne back along the said Coast to thirtie eight degrees : where finding a faire and goodly hauen, he landed, and stay- ing there many weekes, and discouoring many excellent things in the country and great shewe of rich minerall matter, and being offered the dominion of the countrey by the Lord of the same, hee tooke possession thereof in the hehalfe of her Maiestie and named it Nona Albion. The fift day of June being in fortie three degrees towardes the pole Articke being speedih' pome out of the extreame heate, we found the ayre so colde, that our men being pinclicd with the same, complayned of the ex- tremitie thereof, and the further we went, the more the colde increased upon us, whereupon we Uir.ught it best for that time to seeke land, and did so, finding it not mountainous, but low plaine iJind & we drew backe againe with- out landing, til we came within thirtie eight degrees towardes the line. In which height it pleased God to send us into a faire and good 13ay, with a good winde to enter the same. In this Bay Wv. tinkered the seventeenth of June, and the people of the countery, hauing their houses close by the waters side, shewed themselves unto us, and sent a present to our Generall. When they came unto us, they greatly won- dred at the things which we brought, but our Generall (according to his naturall and accus- tomed humanitie) curteously intreated them, and liberally bestowed on them necessarie things to couer their nakednesse, whereupon they supposed us to be gods, and would not be perswaded to the contrary; the presenles wliicii they sent unto our Generall were feathers, and cals of net worke. Their houses are digged round about with earth, and liaue from the uttermost brimmes of the circle clefts of wood set \ipon them ioyning close together at thetoppe like a spire steeple, wliich by reason of that closenesse are very warme. Their bed is the ground with rushes strawed on it, and lying about the house, they bauethe fire in the middest. The men goe naked, the women take bulrushes and kembe them after the maner of hempe, and thereof make tticnr loose garments, which being knit about their middles, hang downe about their hippes, hau> ing also about their shoulders a skinne of Deere, with the haire upon it. These women are very obedient and seruiceable to their hus- bands. After they were departed from us, they came and visited us the second time, and brought with them feathers and bags of Tobacco for presents : And when they came to the toppe of the hil (at the bottome whereof wee had pitched our tents) they stayed themselues, where one appointed for speaker, wearied him- selfe with making a long oration, which done, they left their howes upon the iiill and came downe with their presents. In the meantime the women remaining on the hill, tormented themselves lamentably, tearing their flesh from their cheekes, where- by we perceived that they were about a sacri- fice. In the meane time our Generall, with his companie, went to prayer, and to reading of the Scriptures, at which exercise they were attentiue and seemed greatly to be affected with it; but when they were come unto us they restored againe unto us those things which be- fore we had bestowed upon them. The newcs of our being there being spread through the countrey, the people that inhabited round about came downe, and amongst them the King himself, a man of goodly stature, and comely personage, and many other tall and warlike men; before whose comming were sent two Ambassadoursto our Generall, to sig- nifie that their King was comming, in doing of which message, their speech was continued about halfe an houre. This ended, they by signes requested our Generall to send some- thing by their hand to their king, as a token that his comming might bee in peace : wherein our Generall hauing satisfied them, they re- turned with glad tidings to their King, who marched to us with a princely Maiestie, the people crying continually after their maner, a-d as they drewe neere unto us, so did they strive to behaue themselves in their actions with comelinesse. In the fore front was a man of a goodly personage, who bore the Gcopter, a mace before the King, whereupon hanged two crownes, a lesse and a bigger, with three chaines of a mar- ueilous length : the crownes were made of knit work wrought artificially with feathers of di- ners colours : the chaines were made of a bony substance and few be the persons among them that are admitted to wears them : and of that 27 ■1 il ■•'m mtm 28 MP HAKLUYT'S VOYAGE TO CALIFORNIA. H I I number also the persons are stinted, as some ten, some twelve, &c. Next unto him which bare the scepter was the King himselfe, with his Guarde about his person, clad with Conie skinnes, and other skinnes : after them fol- lowed the naked common sort of people, euery one hauing his face painted with white, some with blacks, and other colours, and hauing in their hands one thing or other for a present, not so much as their children, but they also brought their presents. In the mean time, our Generall gathered his men together, and marched within his fenced place, making against their approching, a very warlike shewe. They being trooped to- gether in their order, and a general salutation being made, there was presently a generall silence. Then he that bare the scepter before the King, being informed by another, whome they assigned to that office, with a manleyand loftie voice, proclaimed that which the other spake to him in secret, continuing halfe an houre ; which ended, and a general! Amen as it were giuen, the King with the whole number ofmen,and women (thechildren excepted^ came downe without any weapon, who descending to the foote of the hill, set themselves in order. In coming towards our bulwarks and tents, the scepter bearer began a song, obseruing his measures in a dance, and that with a stately countenance, when tiie King with his Garde, and tniery degree of persons following, did in like manner sing and dance, sauing onely the women which dauneed and kept silence. The generall permitted them to enter within our bulwark, where they continued their song and daunce a reasonable time. When they had satisfied themselves, they made signes to our Generall to sit downe, to whom the King, and divers others made seueral orations, or rather supplication, that he would take their prouince and kingdom into his hand, and become their King, making signes that they would resigne unto him their right and title of the whole land, and become his subiects. In which to perswade us the V ,.jr, the King and the rest, with one consent and with great reuerence, joyfully singing a song, did let the crowne upon his head, inriched his necke with all llieir chaines, and offered unto him many other things, honouring him by the name of Hioh, adding thereunto as it seemed a signe of tri- umph : which thing our Generall thought not meete to reiect, because hee knewe not what honour and profite it might be to our countrey. Wherefore in the name, and to the use of Ma- iestic he tooke the scepter, crowne and digni- tie of the said countrey in his hands, wishing that the riches and treasure thereof might so conueniently be transported to the inriching of her kingdome at home as it aboundeth in the same. The common sort of the people leaning the Kin? and his Guarde with our Generall, scat- tf themselves together with their sacrifices I Lig our people, taking a diligent viewe of euery person ; and such as pleased their fancio (which were the yongest) they inclosing them about oft'red their sacrifices unto them with lamentable weeping, scratching and tearing the flesh from their faces with their nayles : whereof issued abundance of blood. But wee hied signes to them of disliking this, and stayed their hands from force, and directed them upwardes to the living God, whome onely they ought to worshippe. They shewed unto us their wounds, and craned heipe of them at our handes, whereupon wee gaue them lotions, plaisters, and ointments agreeing to the state of their griefes, beseeching God to cure their deseases. Euery thirde day they brought their sacrifices unto us, untill they understoode our meaning, that we had no plea- sure in them : yet they could not be long ab- sent from us, but daily frequented our com- pany to the houre of our departure, which de- parture seemed so grieuous unto them, that their ioy was turned into sorrow. They in- treated us, that being absent wee would remem- ber them, and by stelth provided a sacrifice, which we misliked. Our necessarie businesse being ended, our Generall with his companie traueiled up into the countrey to their villages, where we found heardes of Deere by a thousand in a compa- nie, being most large and fat of body. We found the whole countrey to bee a war- ren of a strange kinde of Conies, their bodyes in bignes as be the Barbary Conies, their heads as tlie heades of ours, the feet of a Maut, and the taile of a Rat being of great length : under her chinne on either side a bagge into the which shee gathereth her meate when she hath filled her belly abroad. The people eate their bodies, and make great account of their skinnes, for their King's coate was made of them. Our Generall called this countrey, Nona Albion, and that for two causes, the one in respect of the white bankes and clifTes which ly towardes the sea ; and the other, because it might haue some affinitie with our countrey in name, which sometime was so called. There is no part of earth here to bee taken up, wherein there is not some speciall likeli- hood of gold or silver. At our departure hence our Generall set up a monument of our being there ; as also of her Maiesties right and title to the same, namely a plate nailed upon a faire great poste, where- upon was ingrauen her Maiesties name, the day and yeere of our arriuall there, with the free giuing up of the Prouince and people into her Maiestie's hands, together with her high- res' picture and armes, in a piece of sixe pence of current English money under the plate, where under was also written the name of our Generall. It seemeth that the Spaniards hitherto had neuer bene in this part of the countrey, neither did euer diseouer the land by many degrees to the Southwards of this place. /■t^ t^' '.)<- ». ' . ^ mmoBBwmgt ised their fancio f inclosing them anto them with ng and tearing h their nayles : blood. nin of disliking from force, and the living God, orshippe. They andcraued helps eupon wee gaue itments agreeing iseeching God to thirde day they I us, untill they t we had no plea- not be long ab- uented our com- irture, which de- imto them, that )rrow. They in- ee would remem- irided a sacrifice, being ended, our traueiled up into , where we found sand in a compa- of body. trey to bee a war- nies, their bodye8 ary Conies, their he feet of a Maut, ; of great length : dde a bagge into r meate when she The people eate t account of their ate was made of countrey, Noua auses, the one in and cliffea which 3 other, because it th our countrey in so called, lere to bee taken le speciall likeli- T Generall set up gre; as also of her the same, namely real poste, where- liesties name, the ill there, with the ,ce and people into er with her high- 1 a piece of sixe money under the written the name iards hitherto had e countrey, neither ly many degrees to e. •; .<:• I. " • ■ ■ 1 . . ■ . V , ,.. »- ; { :ole-cats, viverra ptiloriw, are very common lere ; the latter is called by the Spaniards, Horillo. The urine which tliis animal spurts from him to defend liimsolf against his ene- mies, exceeds in stench every thing that can be conceived; the missionaries told me that in the night it is exceeding phosphoric, and if put into a glass retains the phosphoric appearance for a very long time. Among the feathered species, I observed the vtillus aura. The feet of this bird are very different from those of any other ; the claws are thin and small, and the three foremost are united by a sort of half web, so that to judge by the feet, it seems to belong to the class of marsh-birds, but according to the bill, it should belong to birds of prey. I was told that a soup made of the flesh of this bird is extremely wholesome, and that by taking it freely, all diseases of the body have a tendency to throw themselves out upon the skin. Perhaps the flesh itself has rather a propensity to creatin{|^ eruptions of the skin, as it is well known that in some persons strawberries will have that effect, though others eat them in abundance without an^ effect whatever. These vultures are gregarious ; they are slow of flight, and feed upon carrion, which, in company with the ravens, with whom they live upon very friendly terms, they devour in great quan- tities. The oriohis phncnicua flies about the houses here like sparrows in Europe. The oriolua icterus, nlanda cnlandra, pictis auraltis, tetrix cristalus, irochilus mosquiltis, and others of this species, are also very abundant. Of the coli- bris there are a great number in summer, but not one is to be seen in winter. It is univer- sally said here that they remain in a torpid state all the winter, whence they have the name of saxaro resuscilado, resurrection birds. Of water and marsh birds there are a great variety, particularly of the arcdea, tringa, scolo- pax, peiicanus, lartis, colymbua, mer^as, and anus species. In winter, the number of wild geese in the boggy plain to the southeast of the bay is so great that they are a positive nuisance — they do great injury to the young corn, which stands the winter, and are so im- pudent that they are scarcely to be frightened away by firing among them. Itaya aquila, and a species of acipcnser, were the only fish that fell under my observation.— -P. 480— 4Si. Hi I NEW CALIFORNIA. V-f '\ I i ^i -^t ,1 Extraeli from "The ClfPfiraphifal and IliMnrhil Diclionnry nf Amrrica. and the lIV.v/ Tndirt, rnn- Ittinimi an Kntire Transhition nf the f^panhh Work of Cnlmtd Don Antonio l)e Alrn/o, Captain of th« Itoiial Spanixh (iiianh, timl Memlic" of the Royal Acadm;/ of Ilinlor!/. Jiy 0. A. Thompson, Enq. ^ London, 1812." The part of v'm roast of tlie proat ocean which extends from the Istlimiis of old Cali- fornia, or from tlii> Hay of Todos los Santos (south from the port of San Diejro) to Capo Mendocino, hears on the Spanish maps the name of New California. No villajre or farm is to be found north of the port of St. Francis, which is more than 78 leagues distant from Cape Mendocino. The province of New Cali- fornia in its present stato is only 197 leagues in length, and from ninn to ten in breadth. The city of Mexico is the t.anio distance in a straight lino from Philadelphia as from Mon- terey, which is the chief place of the missions of New California, and of which the latitude is the same within a few minutes with that of Cadiz. At the lime of the expedition of M. Galvez, military detachments came from IjO- reto to the port of San Diet;o. The letter-post still goes from this port aion,107 buslu'ls, Tlic cultivation diMibhid in 1802; for the ([uaiitily of wheat sfiwn was 2089 bushels, and the har- vest ;<.'!, ."iTti husht'ls. Tlif I'ojlowing table contains the nuinbnrof live stock in 1H02. Uxin. MiiM'p. llfiKH. HiTHJ. Miller. ()7,7S2 107,172 1,010 2.IH7 877 In 1791, there were only 2l,!».'jS hcnil of black cattle {i^nmiiht mat/or) in tlio whole of the Indian villages. The north part of Cali- fornia is inhabited by the two nations of the Huinsen and Kscelen. They sprak languages totally different from one another, and they form the ponnlation of the prrsidio and the village of Monterey. In the hay of San Francisco, the languages of the different tribe.s of the Mitalaim, Salsen, and Quirotcs, are derived from a common root. Father Lasuen observed, that on an extent of 180 leagues of the coast of California, from San Diego to San Francisco, no fewer than seventeen languages are spoken, which can hardly be considered as dialects of a small number of mother lan- guages. The population of New California would have augmented still more rapidly if the laws by which the Spanish prenidios have been governed for ages were not directly op- posite to the true interests of both mother country and colonies. By these laws the sol- diers sUttioned at Monterey are not permitted to live out of their barracKs and to settle as colonists. The Indians who inhabit the vil- lages of New California have been for some years employed in spinning coarse woollen stuffs, called /rfSrtf/fls ,• but their principal occu- pation, of which the produce might become a very considerable branch in commerce, is the dressing of stag-skins. In the cordillera of small elevation which runs along the coast, as well as in the neighbouring snonnnas, there are neither buffaloes nor elks ; and on the west of the mountains, which arc covered with snow in the month of November, the berrendo», with small chamois horns, feed by themselves. But all the forest and all the plains covered with gritminse, are filled with flocks of stags of a most gigantic size, the horns of which are round and extremely large. Forty or fifty of them are frequently seen at a time : they are of a brown colour, smooth, and without spot. Their horns, which are not palmafed, are nearly 15 decimeters (4i feet) in length. It is affirmed by every traveller, that t.iis groat stag of New California is one of the most beautiful animals of Spanish America. It probably differs from the tvewaktsh of M. Hearne, or the elk of the United States, of which naturalists have very improperly made the two species of Cervus Canadenns and cervrnt stronixyhceros. The horns of these stags are said to be nine feet long, and the animal, when running, throws np its head, to rest them on its back. The Spanish and Russian establishments being hitherto the only om s which exist on the north-west coast of America, it may not be ii«ii'lt'KS here to enumerate all the niisHions of New ('alilorriia which havi' liceri founded up to 1K03. 'I'his (It'tiiil is MKirn ititiiresting at this prriod than ever, as tlw- United States have shown a dpsiru to advance towards the west, towards the shores of the great ocean, whioli, op[)()hit(> to (Miiim, abounds with beau- til'til furs of s(';>-( liters, Tiie missions of !Vew ('alilornia run from soutli to nurtli in the order here indicated; S;iii Diego, a village fonnded in 17()9, 15 leagues distant from the most north mission of Old California. Population in 1802, I .-ifiO. Sin Luis Rey de Francia, a village founded in 1798, GOO. San Juan Capistrano, a village founded in 1776, 1000. San Gabriel, a village founded in 1771, 1050. San Fernando, a village founded in 1797, 600. San Buenaventun, a village founded irt 1782, 950. Santa Barbara, a village founded in 1786, 1100. La Purissima Concepcion, a village founded in 1781, 1000. San Luis Obispo, a village founded in 1772, TOO. San Miguel, a village founded in 1797, 600. Roledad, a village founded in 1791, 570. San Antonio de Padua, a village founded in 1771, 1050. San Carlos de Monterey, capital of Ne^ California, founded in 1770. San Juan Bautista, a village founded in 1797, 960. Santa Cruz, a village founded in 1794,440. Santa Clara, a village founded in 1777, 1300. San Jose, a village founded in 1797, 630. San Francisco, a village founded in 1776, with a fine port. This port is frequently con- founded by geographers with the port of Drake, further north, under the 38° Iv of lati- tude, called by the Spaniards the Puerto de Bodega. Population of San Francisco, 820. The number of whites, muntees^ and mu- lattoes, who live in New California, either in the presidios, or in the service of the monks of St. Francis, may be about 1300 ; for in the two years 1801 and 1802, there were in the east of whites and mixed blood 35 marriages, 182 baptisms, and 82 deaths. It is only on this partof the population that the government can reckon for the defence of the coast, in case of any militaiy attack by the maritime powers of Europe. The population of the intendancy of New California was, in 1803, 15,600. The extent of surface in square leagues, 2125; the inhabitants being seven to each league. — Pp. 21G— 248. I \ -♦.. .. • ••,..• .-■ ., . ' . . ' •;,> • ' :" '. , .; "'■■A 'U ■ .'..-■ '■ V" HASTINGS ON CALIFORNIA. H ■M til . Extracts from Lansford IP. Hastings' Guide to Orejon and CaUfurnia. Cincinnati, 1845. Having ffiven this brief description of the | to that extent. Many portions of this river, its mountains, I will next notice the various ; entire extent, will be found to be imvigal.le for rivers, the nioit iniportiint of which is the short disUmces, and although it will require re- Colorado of the west, or Hed Hiver. This ! peated, and in many places, extensive porUiges, great river is to Cal-fornia what the Colum- , yet it will he found serviceable, for purposes bia is to Oregon, tlie Mississippi to the United j of navigation, in all the dilTerent porUons of Uie States, or the Amazon to South America rises near latitude '13° north, its head waters interlocking with those of the Platte ; its general course is about south-soutii-west, to its etnboguing, at the Gulf of California, near latitude 32° north. Following its meanders, its length is about twelve luindred miles, about two-thirds of which distance its course is very serpentine, and much interrupted by innume- rable rapids, cascades, and deep chasms or channels. Its vast torrents of water, rushing and lashing over the former, foaming and dash- ing through the latter, make the very welkin ring, sending their misty sjjray in volumes to the clouds. As might be expected, these re- peated interruptions almost entirely destroy its navigiition forahouteiglit hundred miles. The remainder of its distance is much less inter- rupted, but its navigation is also here serious It ' country through which it passes.--l'. 7"J, 73. The bays and harb^airs next claim our atten- tion, and that deserving of the first and prin- cipal notice, is the Bay of St. Francisco, which is situated at latitude 38° north, and extends about forty miles into the interior, in a direc- tion about north-north-east from its entrance. Its waters are securely confined within its bed, by an iron-bound coast, whicli is generally composed i.f solid basaltic rock. The country adjacent to this bay is a very broken and hilly region, but very fertile, producing oat9, clover, and the like, with much profusion. The entrance of this bay, from the Pacific, is about one mile wide, upon each side of which is a high ledge of basaltic rock, about two hundred tcet above the surftice of the water. rrom llii'se points, on eacii side of the en- traiK-e, the bay gradually expands, to eight or ly'interrupted,with the exception of about one I ten miles in extent, from north to south, and hundred miles from itsmoulh, which are with- j almut twelve miles from east to west. At the out interruption, .I'ld which are navigiiblc for , extreme eastern portion of this bay, thus vessels of two iin.idred tons burden. The i formed, its hilly and rocky banks gradually f;reater portion of tliis river, from its source, ! contract, so as to leave a space, only of libout ies through a very broken, mountainous coun- j two miles, betwoen the rocky, hilly shores, try, breaking through lofty mountains, piiurirg I which thus terms a second entrance into an- over high cliff's, down vast perpendicular cata- i other bay, of greater extent than that just de- racts, and into deep chasiTi with perpendicu- j scrilied. At this entrance, the high, rolling, lar basaltic walls, five hundred feet in height, j basaltic banks agiiin gradually diverge, about The latter part of its distance, for four or five hundred miles, is through alternate rolling hills, undulating plains, and beautiful valleys and prairies. All the dillVrent tributaries of the northern portion of this river water an ex- tremely mountainous, sterile, and entirely worthless region, with tlh exception of the ien miles, when they again contract, leaving a space of about one mile between them, which is about eight miles froiM the entrance last mentioned, and thus anotiier spacious bay is fonned. A third and more extensive bay is formed in a similar manner, the eastern (ex- tremity of which is about forty miles east- limited, though numerous valleys, which are ' ward from the enn=t, where it receives the Sa^ interspersed among the mountains. But tlu various tributaries of the southern portion of this river water many extensive plains, heau- tif'.l prairies, and fertile valleys. Its triimta- ries Iroiu the north, in tiie southern part, inter- lock with those of the Sacramento, and they water much the most extensive and fertile re- gions. The Colorado and its tributaries water mud; of the northern portion, most of the southern, and all the eastern jiortion of Unper California. Tiie tide sets u]) this 'iver about one hundred ndh s, the extent to which it is navigable, and m ry mueh aids its navigation 36 cramento. The bay last alluded to, is twelve miles in extent, from east to west, ami about fifiei 11 from north to south, and, like the o>ers descrilicil, it alfords thi> most extensive and s > cureauehoragc\ From this description of the great Day of St. Fnmcisco, it is seen, that in- stead of one bay, there arc three vastly exten- sive bays, which, however, are al! connected, forming tin; Bay of St. Fniucisco. There are several small islands in tliis bay, the la.M.'St of which is situated on the north side oi the first hay, witiiin full view of the entr luc, from t!ie ocean. It is about five miles long, and \1 rv«immm''9fmr HASTINGS ON CALIFORNIA. 37 <, >T iti, 1845. this river, its navinr;i!)Ie lor ill require re- vive portages, for purposes ortions of the im oiiratfen- rst and prin- icisco, which and extends , in a dircc- its entrance, ithin its bed, is generally The country broken and ducing oats, h profiisioH. le Pacific, is ide of which , about two of the water. !e of the en- 3, to eight or .0 south, and vest. At the is bay, thus ks gradually mly of iibout hilly shores, inco into an- tliat just de- high, rolling, ivergo, about ;ict, leaving a them, which entrance last icioiis bay is ensive bay is e eastern cx- y miles cast- reives the Sa- to, is twelve ■it, and about ike the o>er8 Misive and s > ription of the seen, that in- vastly exten- il! connected. 0, Tiiero are y, the, la.M.'St li side oi the nUrino', fron\ les long, anil three in width, and has a very rough and broken surface, >^hich is covered here and there with timber, of a small growth, and an abundance of vegetation. It is admirably suited to the purposes of grazing, as it not only produces the various grasses, and oats and clover, in great profusion, but also a great abundance of good fresh water. Large herds <:f fine cattle are now kept u,;on it, by a Spaniard, who resides in the lower part of the country. The next large island alluded to, is located on tlie south side of the same bay, fronting the town of Yerba Buena. It i? also depas- tured, but by herds of wild goats, which have been placed upon it by a foreigner who resides at Yerba Buena. Besides these islands, there are several others in this bay, which appear to be composed entirely of basaltic rock, and hence produce no kind of vegetation, but are places of resort for the innumerable fowls of prey, which abound in that region. One of these rocky islands is situated directly in front of the entrance, from the ocean, a id is about one-fourth of a mile in diameter. The contiguity of this island to the entrance, and its immediate opposition to that point, render it very important, as a few guns planted upon it, and well in.iniicd, would, with all ease, per- fectly command the entrance. Ihit facilities for commanding this entrance arc not wantintr, /or a few guns upon either side o>" it would sink a whole fleet that should attempt a hos- tile ingrcssion. Outside of this bay, also, and within a few miles of the entnnce, is anoilier vast rocky island, rearing its ancient am! ma- jestic head, several hundred feet above the lashing surf and roaring billows below, as if i!eslgncd by nature to point out the entrance, inJo that great bay of bays. A more admirable and .'dvantageous position for a light-house can scarcely be CMiceived of, and there is but little doubt, that those who visit St. Fran- cisco, two years hence, instead of seeing a massive,darkrock,lookiugout upon the mighty deep, at the mouth of that bay, will there behold a brilliant luminary of the ocean. From what has already been said, it must be appa- rent to all that there are few bays, if any, in any part of the world which surpass this, for security of harbour and extent of anchorage. It has been well said, that "in tiiis bay all the fleets and naviesof the whole world could ride in perfect safety." This bay alone would an- swer all lhecomnierci;>l jxirposesof C'aiifipruia in all time to come. 'I'here is ample water at the entnmce for vessels of the largest clas.s, whether during the ehb or flow of the tide, which in this bay rises about cightren feet perpendicular. All things being considered, I am of the opinion that a harbour cannot be found equal in all respects to that of tlie Hay of St. Francisco. It is of the greatc-i impor- tance, not only to California, but also to all commercial governments of the world whose ships of war, mercnant ships, or whalers, cruise in the Pacific, as it affords them the most ex- tensive anchorage and secure harbour, which are surrounded by one of the most fertile coun- tries in the known world, where all necessary ship supplies may be obtained, in any abun- dance, and upon the most favourable terms. The Bay of .Monterey is the next in import- ance, but its chief importance is derived from its central and otherwise peculiarly advan- tageous position, and not from its extent of anchorage or security of harbour. It is situ- ated at latitude 37° north, and is about twenty miles in extent, and semicircular in form, af- fording tolt>rably extensive anchorage and se- cure harbour against all winds, excepting those from the west and north-east, which drive almost directly into the bay, rendering the harbour very insecure as against those winds. As an evidence of this fact, a vessel was stranded there a few years since, and the wreck now lies upon the beach, within a few hundred yards of the ordinary anchorage. I was informed that the captiiin of this vessel, finding a wreck inevitable, beaded directly upon the beach, under full sail, which, of jurse, had a tendency to decide the matter as to a wreck, as well as to produce some rather unpleasant concussions. In this bay, as in St. Francisco, the tide rises about eighteen feet, and there is also ample water at the en- trance of this bay, as at that, for the reception of vessels of any class, either during the ebb or flow of the tide. The entrance is also very easily commanded, but it is by no means as advantageously situated in that respect as that of the Bay of St. Francisco. It is the opinion, however, of many that the entrance of this hay can be asetfectually fortified as that of any otiicr, with the appropriate expense. The chief imjiortance attached to this bay is de- rived from the fact of its being contiguous to the seat of government, which will undoubt- edly be the case until there shall be some en- largement of the state, either upon the north or the south. The Bay of St. Diego is also a bay of very considerable extent, which is situated near latitude 33° north, affording very commodious and safe anchorage. It is about twenty miles in extent, from its entrance toils extreme eastern portion, and it aflTords exten- sive anchorage and safe harbour against all winds, excepting those blowing from the south and the south-west. This bay is also vastly iuiportant, from its local position, be- ing in the extreme southern portion of the country ; for without it, all that part of the country would be entirol} exeluded from all commercial a ' ntages- Besides toe princi- pal bays here described, there are several others, wb.ieh, however, are of much less im- portanc(s though periuijis of sufficient import- ance to re(|uire a brief notice. Of these there are but two which I shall notice, the one of which is situated in the extreme northern, and the other in the extreme southern portion aftlie country ; the former is called Boaaga, and the latter Colomdo. Bodag;i is near latitude 40° north, and is about twelve miles in extent, but the entrance is rather difl^icult, and the anchor- 'age unsafe, and at times dangerous in the ex- treme. This bay, however, together with the harbour formed at the mouth of the Klainet D fi ■ *:•■ HASriNGS ON CALIFORNIA. \n River, before described, will afford ample com- iaercial facilities for the extreme northern portion. The Colorado is situated at the mouth of the Colorado of the west, near lati- tude 32° north ; it is very spacious, affording extensive and secure anchorage for ships of any class, sheltering them perlectiy against all winds excepting those which blow directly from the south. This gives a brief view of the facilities for extensive commerce in Upper California, wliich are seldom if ever sur- passed.— Pp. 78—80. The soil is extremely varied, not only in the two sections, but also in the different por- tions of each section; the hills and mountains being entirely sterile, and valleys and plains extremely fertile. That of the valleys is vastly rich and productive ; so much so, in fact, that I think 1 venture nothing when I say that it is ! not only unsurpassed, but that it is not even equalled. The deep, rich, alluvial soil of the Nile, in figypt, does not afford a parallel. Remarks like these, I am aware, are apt to be considered ac mere gratuitous assumptions; but to ascertain how lar they are sustained by fact, the reader is referred to the sequel, espe- cially that part of it which treats of the pro- ductions, which it is believed will not only convince him of their truth, but may perhaps induce him to indulge in assumptions a-id speculations even more enlarged. The soil of tiie various valleys of the western section va- ries from a rich alluviul to a deep black vege- table loam, upon strata of s:ind, gravel, clay or trap rock. That of the pi.iins is i)riiicipally a deep brown vcgtUable loam, or decomposed basalt, with a substratum of stiff cbiy or gravel and sand. And tliat of the hills is chielly a brown sandy loam, or a loose gravelly soil. The mountains and most of the more elevated hills are generally entirely barren, and consist principally of primitive rocks, such as talcose shte, and other argillaceous stone, with horn- bi^.id and granite. The less elevated hills consist chiefly of basalt, slate and marble. Gypsum and a kind of white clay are also found in many places; the latter of which is very abundant, and which is used extensively by the inhabitants for the purpose of white- washing their dwelling-houses, both extornal- 'y and internally. It is also used for the pur- pose of cleansing, as a substitute for soap, and for this purpose it is found to be rnosi adniin'.- bly adapted. It may be estimated that about two-thirds of all the western section iire culti- vable ■ ruds, and tiiat three-fourths of it, in- cluding tlie arable lands, are pasturable lands, to each of whicli purposes the who'e section, to the extent and in the proportions stilted, is peculiarly suited. The remaining jiart of this section, whicii is the extremely mountainous portion, is notec' for its extraordinary barren- ness and sterility. The soil of the valleys of the easteiu section is in all re!-:pect8 similar to that of the valleys of the western section ; that of the plains is a deep brov.n loam, witii y sub- soil of sand or clay, and that of the hills is usually a light brnwn vegetable earth, having u substratum of gravel, sand, or clay. Tlie mountains and hills, like those of the western section, are for the most part entirely sterile, yet, as before remarked, there are many por- tions of the hills and mountains even f'^at are tolerably productive. There is a much greater variety of soi' in this than in the western sec- tion; in one day's ride you may pass over every possible variety of soil, from the most fertile to the most bairen and unproducti- e. The mountains are generally composed jf tal- cose slate, granite, hornblend, and other primi- tive rock, and the hills are principally com- posed of marble, limestone, basalt and slate. The wh.ie clay before spoken of is also found in this section in great abundance. The pro- portion of barren land is much greater in this ilian in the western section. As nearly as I could ascertain, about one-third of the whole rsction is susceptible of cultivation, while about two-thirds, including the arable lands, are well suited to grazing purposes, and the remaining third, for extraordinary unfruitful- ness and entire destitution of all fecundity, can be surpassed only by some portions of Oregon, which are seldom if ever surpassed in worth- lessness. The information which I was able to acquire does not afford me sufficient data upon which to predicate any very accurate conclusions in reference to the mineral resources of Cali- fornia; but sufficient investigations have been made to detennino that many portions of the mountainous regions abound with several kinds of minerals, such us ^old, silver, iron, lead and coal ; but to whp.t e: tent, the extreme new- ness and unexplored state of the country utter- ly preclude all accirate determination. It is, liowever. reported ;n the city of Mexico thut some Mexicans Ivive recently discovered a sec- tion of country in the eMreme interior of Cali- fornia, which affords ample evidences of the existence of both gold and silver ore, in greater or less quantities, for thirty leagues in extent. Since this report is so very extraordinary, and since it originated as above stilted, the safest course would be to believe but about half of it, and then, perhaps, we should believe too much. Dr. Sandels, a very able mineralogist, who had lor some time been employed in his profession by the government of Mexico, spent four or five months in mineralogical in- vestigation in Upper California. It was from this gentleman that the above information was derived ; hence it is entitled to implicit re- liance. The climate of the western section is that of pi rpetuiil spring; hiiving no excess of iieat or cold, it is the most uniform and delightful. The mean lemporature, during the year, is id)out Gl" Fahrenheit; that of the spring is OG ; that of the summer 70°; that of the iuitumn t)7^ ; and of the winter is Gl" Fahrenheit. The mean temperature of the Wiirmest month is 7-1°, and that of the coldest month is 4b^ Fahrenheit. This statr'xient is not designed to ap|)ly to the entire western section, for in tiie extreme norlln^rn portion it is rather colder than would appear Irom this, while in the extreme southern portion it is \^ rathe to th diffe tiom the nortl very alwa but nor than porti . ,^J.^. !. iMiiMMi^^Milifif ■ ■II V. ..irm^rmimtm^tmmmmiifmmmifiin the western itirely sterile, re many por- !ven f'at are much greater western sec- y pass over >m the most nproducti- e. posed jftal- other primi- cipally coni- t and slate. s also found The prn. >ater in this nearly as I f the whole tion, while rable lands, es, and the unfruitful, 'undity, can i of Oregon, d in worth- e to acquire ipon which elusions in JS of Cali- 5 have been ions of the ivenil kinds iron, lead tremenew- intry utter- ion. It is, lexico th^t k'cred a sec- iorof Call- ices of tiie i, in greater in extent, linary, and the safest lut half of lelieve too neralogist, ^ed in his Mexico, ogical in- was from lation was iplicit re- )n is that 3S of heat elightful. year, is e spring that of er is CI" B of tlie t; coldest ••'nent is western ortion it oni this, iun it is HASTINGS ON CALIFORNIA. 39 \l « rather warmer. It is applicable particularly to the latitude of 37° north, though very little difference will be found in all the various por- tions of this section, which will be seen from the following statement. In the extreme northern portion snow sometimes falls, but it very seldom lies more than two or three houis, always disappearing at the rising of the sun ; but even here running water never freezes, nor docs standing water ever freeze thicker than common window gluss. In the southern portion, and even as fai- north as latitude 38^ north, snow, frost and ice are unknown. An " equability of temperature is found in all por- tions of this section which very few portions of the world afford; none, perhaps, unless it be some portions of Italy. In many portions of this section, immediately upon the coast, it is warmer in the winter season than in the sum- mer. Tliis is attributable to the fact of the winds blowing regularly from the north or north-west durmg the summer, and from the south-south-west or south-east during the win- ter, which also accounts for the extraordinary mildness of the climate during all seasons of the year. Compared with the climate in the same latitude on the east side of the Rocky Mountains, the difference is almost in- cedible. It is milder on the Pacific coast, in latitude 42° north, than it is in 32° north on the Atlantic coast, being a difference of more than leu dtirrees of temperature in the same '.at'""ie. 'x 1 fires are required at any season of tic yea 1 ,.' jinrlours, offices, or shops, hence fnei -.- n. -.c: inquired for any other than -^iili- nary purpjses- Many kinds of vegetables are planted and t-athered at any and every season of the year, and cf several kinds of grain two crops are grown annually. Even in the months of December and January vegetation is in full bloom, and all nature wears a most cheering and enlivening aspect. It may be truly said of this country, that "December is as pleasant as May." The remarks here made, in reference to the mildness and uniformity of the climate, are applicable only to the valleys and plains, for the mountains present but one eternal winter. Hence it is seen, that you may here enjoy perennial spring, or perpetual winter, at your option, x ^u may in a very few days, at any season gions of eternal ve- I ice and snow, inJ, i;> almost every pu-^f-. ■.< that of the tempt. A' The rainy season i't!i? year, pass from rc- a-^ K. those of perpetual "'lii' a you pass through ' 'i'lJv of climate, from ' ir vf the frigid zone. it- f" neijlly confined to the winter months, durii.^; .nich time rains fall very frequently, though not incessantly. During '•'l this season the weather is alter- nately •• iy ,ind clear; one-third, perhaps, of the whv-. son is rainy, and ii ii'sidue is clear and delightful weather. The rainy sea- son here, although it is confi^'J to a portion of the same season of the year as that in Ore- gon, yet it differs in many respects from the rainy season ; i tb .. country. There, the ruins ure aln:?: ,. ..'j^essant, but slight, while here they arc r_.-H less frequent, but pour down in torrenb i'.f oni v rain which fulls in this country is during the rainy season ; dur- ing the residue of the year scarcely a drop of rain ever falls, but there have been a few in- stances of its falling as late as April and May, though this is very seldom. In addition to the moisture accumulated by the earth, during the winter season, the vegetation always re- ceives additional moisture from the dews dur- ing the summer. It would seem that the in- habitants of a country watered only by the rains of three months and the dews of the resi- due of the year must suffer intensely from the effects of such continued drought, but such is not the case in this country. The extraordi- nary mildness of the climate, together with the falling of the rains, causes the vegetation to put forth early in the month of December, and to mature in the spring, or very early in the summer. So it is c f wheat and other grains; being sown in November or December, they -'Te matured in the spring or early in the sum- mer, and before they are affected by the drought. In many portions of the country the vegetation, so far from being injuriously affect- ed by the drought, is seen in full bloom dur- ing every month of the year. This remark, however, only applies to a certain species of vegetation, which, perhaps, derives a sufficien- cy of moisture from the dews. It is true that crops of wheat, corn, and the like, are much affected by the drought whenever there has been a deficiency of rain during tiie previous rainy season. When rains fall in abundance during the winter, it is held as a sure prelude, and in fact ^.i assurance ofan abundant crop the ensuing summer; but if there is an insuffi- ciency of rain, crops are less abundant. Sea- sons which are preceded by a rainy season, which produces a deficiency of rain, are called dry seasons. These are said to occur gene- rally once in four or five years, yet latterly two dry seasons have occurred in succession. Although the crops of the dry seasons a.e much less abundinl than tl'ose of theordip* ry seasons, yet, as will more fully appear upon a subsequent page, the crops even of a dry sea- son are much better here than they are at any time in Oregon, or even in most of the States. —Pp. 81—84. From what has been said in reference to the clinii-te, very correct conclusions may be readily drawn in reference to the adaptation of this country to the promotion oi iiealtii. There are few portions ot the world, if any, which are so entirely exempt from all febrifacient causes. There being no low, larshy regions, the noxious miasmatic effluvia so common in such regions is here nowhere found. The purity of the atmospher'? is most extraordinary, and almost incred'ble. So pure is it, in fact, that flesh of any kind may be hung for weeks together in the onen air, and that too in the summer season, without undergoing putrefac- tion. The C..';:fornians prepare their meat for food, as a general thing, in this manner, in doing which no salt is required, yet it is some- times used as a matter of preference. The best evidence, however, that can be adduced in reterence to the superior health of this coun- 40 HASTINGS ON CALIFORNIA. ri try, is the fact that disease of any kind is very seldom known in any portion of tlie country. Cases of fever, of any kind, have seldom been known anywhere on the coast, but bilious in- termittent fevers prevail to a very small extent in some portions of the interior ; yet they are of so extremely mild a type that it is very sel- dom found necessary to resort to medical aid. Persons attacked with these fevers seldom adopt any other remedy than that of abstain- ing a short time from food, or going to the coast. The latter remedy is said to be infal- lible, and 1 am innlined to that opinion, from and live oak, ash, poplar, cherry and willow. It consists chiefly, however, of the diflerent varieties of oak and ash. The timhor of the mountains consists of pine, fir, arbor vitac, cedar, and spruce. Besides the varieties of timber here mentioned, in many portions of the country there is a dense underrrrowtli of thorns, hazels, briers, roses, and grape vines, both upon the coast and in the interior. Tiio timber of the eastern section is much the same as tiiat of the ivestern section. Here, as in that sec- tion, it is chiefly confined to the mountains and rivers, but it is generally of a much the fact that fevers are so seldom known any- 1 smaller growth than the same species found in where on the coast, and from one or two cases that section. It consists principally of pine, that came under my own observation. The fir, spruce, cedar, ash, poplar, cherry, and wil- extraordinary health upon the coast is perhaps | low. The oak, ash, cherry, poplar and wil attributable in a great measure to the efiect of the exhilarating and refreshing sea-breezes which at all times prevail in that vicinity. All foreigners with whom 1 conversed upon this subject, and who reside in that country, are unanimous and confident in the expression of the belief that it is one of the most healthy portions of the world. From my own expe- rience and knowledge of the country, espe- cially of its entire exemption from all the or- dinary causes of disease, and the extraordinary purity of its atmosphere, I am clearly of tbe opinion that there are very i'eM- portions of tl- > world which are superior or even equal to ih in point of healthfulness and salubrityof cli- mate. While all this region, espccialiy on the j j<. coast, is entirely exempt from all febrific causes, it is also entirely liee from all sudden changes and extreme variableness of climate, or other causes of catarrhal, or consun ^ilive affections ; hence I cannot but ihink that it is among the most favourable resorts m the known world for invalids. The productions v*ill next engage our atten- tion; and here such facts will be adduced as will, to some extent at least, sustain the view taken upon another page, in reference to the extraordinary fertility of the soil, 'i'he pro- ductions of the western section will be found to differ very materially from those of the eastern. I shall first notice those of the western section at some length. The timber of this section is generally confined to the coast, the rivers and mountains, hut there are many portions of the different valleys, off the rivers, which are well supplied with good tim- ber. The largest and most valuable timber is found upon the coast, where dense forests in many places are found, consisting of fir, pine, low are generally found upon and in the vi- cinity of thfc streams, while the fir, pine, spruce and cedar are found mostly upon and in tho neighbourhood of the mountains and the more elevated regions. The undergrowth of this section also consists principally of hazels, thorns, briers, and grape vines. As before re- marked, there are some portions of this sec- tion which produce scarcely any vegetation besides the wormwood, or, properly, artemi- sia, and the prickly pear. It is frequently asserted that there is a very great deficiency of timber in this country, but such truly is not t/'^ca^e; there is ample timber in both sec- ad in all the various portions of each, isef'ul purposes. It is true that there IS u .he same quantities of timber here as are found in some portions of Oregon, or in some parts of the States, yet the same quan- tity is not required in a climate of such extra- ordinary mildness and uniformity. Both the climate and tho soil are admirably adapted to the growing of wheat, rye, oats, barley, beans and peas, hemp, flax, tobacco, cotton, rice, coffee, corn, and cane, as well as all kinds of vegetables, nnd especially such as potitoes, turnips, beets, carrots, onions, and the like. And both the soil and climate are no less adapted to the growing of the greatest variety of fruits, among which are apples, pears, peaches, plums; cherries, and grapes, as well as most of the tropical fruits, particularly auch as oranges, lemons, citrons, dates, figs, and pomegranates. It is nilher surprising that almost all of the tropical and northern grains and fruits should he produced here in conjunction, in the same latitude ; hut it is no more surprising than it is to find a southern climate in a northern latitude, as is the case cedar, " red wood," (a species of cedar,) spruce, j everywhere upon the Pacific coast, and v;hich oak, ash, and poplar. Much of this timber j is clearly attributable to tlie causes stated upon grows to an enormous size, especially iheja previous page. There are other mediate " red wood," fir, and pine, which are tVequeut- ' causes which might be assigned, but the above ly seen two hundred and even two hundred is manifestly the proximate cause; yet, ac- and fifty feet in height, and fifteen or twenty | counting for a northern latitude's possessing a feet in diameter, 'f his timber makes excel- j southern climate is, after all, much like ac- lent lumber, hut its vast size renders it tx- 1 counting for a northern man's possessing tremely diflicult either to chop or saw it with \ .southern principles ; many circumstances, in any degree of facility. The timber in the in- i ither case, must betaken into the account, terior, both on the rivers and in the valleys re- ' Without attempting to assign any further rea- mote from the rivers, consists chiefly of oak ' sons, however, I will proceed ; for perhaps it of almost every variety, including rod, white is suflicient for the present purpose to show HASTINGS ON CALIFORNIA. ti that such 18 the fact, for which each can ac- count at his leisure, and in his own way. Many kinds of the grains and fruits above enunieniled are indigenous ; for instance, the oats, wheat, and ryo, many of the tropical fruits, and a great variety of gnii)C9 ; flax, a kind of lieinp, and red and white clover are also indigenous productions. The oats here alluded to have precisely the external appear- ance of our common oats, but upon examina- tion it will be seen that the grain differs slightly from that of ours. It is rather smaller, ana is covered with a kind of furzy integu- ment; otherwise it is precisely similar to that of our common oats. They generally grow much higher than ours, and the stalk is much larger, but this is attributable to the superior fertility of tlie soil and the greater generative influence of the climate, and not to the differ- ence of the species. Their usual height is about two or three feet, and the stalk is com- monly about the size of that of our ordinary oats ; but they are frequently found even eiglit feet high, having a stalk half an inch in dia- meter. Several of the farmers here informed me that they had often seen many thousands of acres in a body, which were higher than they could roach when on horseback. They only grow to this enormous height during those seasons which have been preceded by the falling of an abundance of rain during the rainy season. The season which I^ spent in this region was a dry season, that is, compara- tively little rain fell during the previous rainy season ; but upon several occasions I mea- sured the stalks of oats, which were six feet lon.nd even seventy bushels to the acre is frequently re- ceived. Several very respoctnhle and cr"d;l)le gentlemen informed nie that there had been an instance within their own kn(»wledge, of a farmer's having received one hundred and twenty bushels to the acre ; and that the next -• j>, from a spontaneous growth, upon the sanid ground, he received sixty-one bushels to the ;\ere. To many it will appear im- possi!)ie tiiat one acre of ground sliould pro- duce tl'.at quantity of wheat, and hence to them the above statement will appear incre- dible; but I have not the least doubt of its entire correctness. This is no more extraor- dinary than it would be to see oats growing siiontaiH'ously four, or even five or six feet high, over thousands of acres; nor is it farther removed from the common order of things than it would bo to see spontaneous growths of llax and clover of tliree or four feet in height, covering vast plains and valleys as far as vision extends — yet these things are true. Wheat is generally sown from the first of No- vember to the first of March, and is harvested ill May or June, depending upon the time of its being sown, which is usually deferred until the commencement of the rainy season. This course is pursued because of the greater ease with which the lands are ploughed after the falling of the rains. Rye, barley, the culti- V i jJ oats, hemp, and flax, have not as yet been tried, but they will all undoubtedly pro- duce extremely well, judging from what has been previously said in reference to their spon- taneous productions. Corn is not grown to much extent, but wherever it is grown it yields extremely well, giving an average crop of about fifty or sixty bushels to the acre. It is proper, howev( r, here to remark, that the corn grown here at this time is what is called the Spanish corn, which is a much smaller kind than our common Indian corn, and pro- duces much less abundantly, and that after it is planted, no further attention is paid to it until it is matured. With ordinary cultivation even this kind would undoubtedly give a much more plentiful return. It is commonly planted in February and March, and is harvested any time after the last of June, by which time it always matures. The climate and the soil are both peculiarly adapted to the growing of to- bacco, cotton, rice, and cane. Tobacco has already been tested with eminent success — it is said to grow with as much luxuriance, and to yield as plentifully as it does in Cuba, and the quality is thought not to be inferior to that grown in Cuba or elsewhere. Rice, cotton, and cane, have not as yet been tested, but the jirobabiliiy is that they will succeed admira- bly. It is said by some that cotton cannot be grown even with ordinary success where there is no rain daring the summer; butexpe- rience controverts this view, for it is grown witii eminent success in other portions of Mexico which have a similar climate, and which have not a drop of rain during the entire summer. All kinds of garden vegetables are grown here with extraordinary success, many kinds of which are planted and gathered at any ane every seascn of the year. Melons of all kinds produce jxtremely well in all portions of this sectioii, much better in fact than they do in uny portion of the States. The various fruits which are here produced have been enumerated upon a former page, in- cluding both those which are indigenous and those which are cultivated, as well as all of the northern and the tropical fruits. The lat- ter are chiefly confined to the southern por- tions of this section, while the northern fruits abound in all the different portions, both in the north and the south. The same variety of the ordinary cultivated fruits of the North is not found here, as exists in many of the States, but several varieties have been introduced, and they have been found to yield most plentifully. Kven in the most northern part of this section, ihe peach trees and various other fruit trees bloom in January and February, and in the southern part as early as December. The cul- tivated grape grows most luxuriantly, and pro- duces very abundantly, and when ripe it is among tlie most delicious and grateful fruits that ever grace the festival board. There are V? first! mucl riorl fror HASTINGS ON CAILFORNIA. deferred until season. 'J'his ? greater ease fhed after tlie 3y. the culti- e not aa yet oubtedly pro- om what haa to their spon- lot grown to is grown it average crop he acre. It irk, that the hat is called uch smaller rn, and pro- that after it s paid to it y^ cultivation give a much )nly planted rvested any >ich time it the soil are mng of to- 'obacco has success — it iriance, and Cuba, and prior to tliat ice, cotton, ted, but the led admira- I cannot be !ess where ; butexpe- ■ is grown lortioiis of imate, and ? the entire etables are iess, many ered at any Ions of ail II portions t than they r page, in- enous and I as all of Tiie lat- thern por- lern fruits )oth in the iety of the •rth is not he States, iuced, and lentifully. is section, fruit trees nd in the The cul- ^and pro- ripe it is ^ful fruits There are ■"?■' many vineyards here of ten or fifteen acres in extent, where the grape is grown in large quantities, and prepared and preserved in all the various manners known elsewhere. At these vineyards raisins are made in sufficient (luantities for home consumption, and may un- doubtedly be made in large quantities for ex- !)ortation. They are usually prepared, either )y partially cutting the stalks of the branches before the grapes are entirely ripe, and allow- ing them to remain upon the vine until they are perfectly dried, or by gathering them in their matured state and steeping them for a short time in an alkaline lye previous to their being dried. Those which are cured by the first method are the most delicious, and are much preferred, and they are perhaps not infe- rior to the Malaga raisins which are imported from Spain. Besides the delicious fruits which they afford for the table, they also afford a most generous wine, which always consti- tutes one of the grand essentials of a Califor- nia dinner. Here I must confess that my tem- perance pledge, although formerly including all alcoholic, intoxicating, and vinous liquors, did not extend to the latter in California, and I am inclined to believe that old Father Mat- thew himself, however far he might be from doing so in the north, would drink wine in Calitornia — I know old Bacchus would. A great variety of wild fruits also abound in all the different portionsof this section, among which are crab-apples, thorn-apples, plums, grapes, strawberries, cranberries, whortleber- ries, and a variety of cherries. The strawber- ries are extremely abundant, and they are the largest and most delicious that I have ever seen ; much larger than the largest which we see in the various States. They bloom in January and ripen in March, when they are gathered and dried in large quantities by the settlers and the Indians. The grapes are also unusually plentiful, especially m the vicinity of the rivers, creeks, and lakes, where the greatest variety are found. They are gathered in great quantities by the various tribes of In- dians, not only for their own consumption, but for that of the white settlers. I have not un- frequently seen the Indians arrive at Capt. Sutler's Fort, with thirty or forty bushels at a time, which being measured, the captain would pay them some trivial compensation, when they would depart for their villages, with the view of returning the next and every succeed- ing daj' while the grapes wore to be obtained. 'J'he grapes thus obtained by the captain were designed either for the table, sauce, or distilla- tion. The mast of this section is also ex- tremely plentiful in all tiie different valleys and otlier timbered lands, especially the acorns, which I have observed here in much greater abundance than I iiave ever seen them else- where. All the common varieties found in the States are also found here, and in quantities sufficient for the swine, and all the other animals, which subsist upon mast, as well as the various tribes of Indians, many of whom subsist almost entirely upon them the greater part of the year. Large spreading white oaks are often seen, which produce thirty or forty bushels to the tree, under many of which the ground is literally covered with them several inches in thickness. The grain and fruits of the eastern section differ somewhat from those of the western sec- tion, which is attributable to the great differ- ence of the soil and climate. Many of the spontaneous productions, are, however, the same in many portions of this section; for in- stance, the oats, clover, flax and hemp, many of the wild fruits, and various grapes, all of which grow here also with the greatest luxu- riance and in the largest quantities. The cul- tivated productions will, from the peculiarity of the soil and climate, be confined to wheat, rye, oats, flax, hemp, tobacco, corn, rice, beans, peas, the various vegetables, apples, pears, peaches, plums, grapes, and cherries. Cotton and corn cannot, perhaps, be grown with any degree of success in any portion of this section, nor can many, if any, cf the tro- pical fruits. Nothing can be said with cer- tainty in relation to the yield of the various cultivatea grains and fruits which may be pro- duced in this section, as all agricultural ex])e- riments have thus far been confined entirely to the western section ; but judging from the peculiar adaptation nf the soil and climate to their production, there is no doubt but that many of the various productions above enume- rated may be produced here, with tlio same cultivation, equally as abundantly as they can be in tho western section, 'i'his view is strengthened when we reflect that all tho va- rious indigenous grains and fruits grnwf;(|ual- ly as luxuriantly, and produce with equal pro- fusion here as in that section. — Pp. 85 — 91. The cattle are much more numerous than the horses ; herds of countless numbers are everywhere seen upon all the ditTereni valleys and plains throughout this entire section. It is said that many of the farmers have from twenty to thirty thousand head. In whatever district you travel, you see many thousands of large fine cattle, which, in herds innumera- ble, are tmversing those unbounded plains of oats, clover, and flax, of unpamlleled growth. These cattle are undoubtedly superior to ours, especially for the yoke, as they are much larger, and they are equally as valuable for their milk, and much more valuable for their beef, which is always much fatter and more tender than that of our cattle. When domes- ticated, they are equally as gentle and as tract- able as ours, but before they are domesticated they are as wild as the deer or elk. Each farmer, however, usually has as many of both oxen and cows as are required upon his farm, which are fully domesticated ; but as a general thing they are not only as wild as the deer and elk, but they are as ferocious as tigers. Such is their ferocity that it is extremely un- safe to venture among them otherwise than on horseback, in which manner persons not only go among them with perfect safety, but a few persons may thus drive and herd them w ith the same facility that they could our cattle. Should a person venture among them on foot, i 1 I 44 HASTINGS ON CAi.iJ'ORNIA. •i; • I ijl } when they are collected in largo herds, he would hn instantly attacked and slain, unless lie should find refuge in some position which would prove inaccessible by them. As a general tiling, the farmers herd them regular- ly, and occasionally drive them into a "caral," o; enclosure, when their timidity is so in- creased and their ferocity is so diminished thtit they are caught and branded with much facility. They are taken, when driven into these "carals,'' in a manner similar to that in which the horses are taken, as before described, but with a slight difference, which I will hero notice. The "lasso," instead of being thrown upon tiieir necks, is thrown upon their hind- most legs, when the other end of the " lasso," being firmly atttlieir improvp- iinfr twice an- bavp two dis- )rns, two upon Poilinjr ropeat- Jrdinary sheep, lany as ten or which various cets are manu- ven to Oreffon, all the differ- iay (^mpany country, with ettlements are by the Mexi- nents, but not )r, from some ?r scruple, or t his kind, a gs are, there- he purpose of by, they re- extraordinary the hoirs are no feeding at s the various Itere are also roots, upon , clover, and ) the falling ther aniriials unpamlleled, rs, yet they ally from one Herdsmen rent farmers, ds of horses, logs. These in the imme- rds, driving rcumstances poting ihem ; idians, and iployed are f Mexicans, icular busi- tive, and in ; infinite de- tell adapted . tliough, fis ly siiitfd to Thai this irdinfiry dc- reiidil}' col- on the for- .le and pro- have been esaid with vever, has is owncon- ctness. }n consists , for the most part of elk, deer, antelope, bear, wolves, goats, foxes, squirrels, raccoons, mar- tens, muskrats, beavers, otters, and seals. The most numerous of thi'se are the elk and antelope, which are found in immense num- bers in all the various plains and valleys, and upon the hills and mountains. It is very com- mon to see herds of I've or six hundred elk ranging from valu to vale, amid the oats, clo- ver, and flax, with which the plains and val- leys everywhere abound. I rnmember to have been riding through these plains with a coun- tryniiin of ours, when, just as we passed a point of timbered country, near the river, about four or five hundred elk emerged from the woods. As they were passing, score after score in (|uick succession, I suggested to my companion the propriety of shooting one of them ; to which he rcplii'd tliat he " intended to do so," but made no other arrangements than to dismount. Now, fearing that he would not shoot until they had all passed, I inquired why he did not shoot. He replied that ho "would in a moment," but he per- mitted them all to pass excepting the very last, which he shot as soon as it came oppo- site to him, when it ran a short distance, but soon fell. We were instantly at the spot, when the Calif urnia hunter commenced to di- vest our victim of its outer garment. During this process 1 intiuired of him why he did not shoot before, when they were much nearer him, and the opportunity was so much more favourable. He replied that he saw I was no hunter. " The one behind," said he, " I se- lected because it was tlie fattest; and I knew it was the laltest because it was behind, for the fit ones cannot run as fast as the lean ones." This view I found to be correct — for a fatter animal I never saw, in California or elsewhere. In every part of the country through whieh I passed, I found them equally abundant. M;iny of the farmers, instead of killing their calt.l.?, go or send their servants out whenever they wish to secure a supply of meat, and kill as many as they may require for their families and the Indians in their ser- vice. Several of these gentlemen informed me that lliey had very frequently killed seven or eighteaelimorning,and in less time than one hour. The elk here are always very fat, and they make thi! very best of beef, which is, in fact, much tenderer and sweeter than that of our common cattle. They are much larger than those which are found on this side of the mouiitriins, weighing usually from three to six hundred pounds. They can bo as certainly relied upon for their meat as the conniion cat- tle, for they are very nearly as domestic. They are very easily domesticated, in which state they are even now found in various por- tions of this section, and are seen intermingling with other domestic animals upon the farms. The antelope are equally as numerous as the elk, and are much more domestic. In whatever direction you travel, you will see many hundreds of them, either gmzing upon the plains or collecting in large flocks in the shades of the scattering pines throughout the plains. They are beautiful animals, but neither their skin nor flesh is as valuable as that of the elk. Their skins are much less valuable, because of their thinness, and hence inadaptation to the making of leather. In this respect they very much resemble the skin of the deer, as which thev are equally as thick and valuable. Their flesh is much tenderer than that of either the elk or deer, but it is also much leaner, and consequently much less nu- tritious. These animals have many peculiari- ties, some of which are perhaps worthy of a partial notice. They are extremely domestic, so much so that they will at times remain in the shades of the trees until you approach within a very few rods of them, when they will bound olf slowly, occasionally stopping and turning towards you, then again leaping slowly away. Large numbers of them will very often trot directly towards you, and gaz- ing intensely at you, they will thus approach within eight or ten rods of you, when they will leap frightfully away, a distance of several rods, then turning towards you again, they will with a fast pace approach very near to you as before, then standing and looking eagerly at you, they remain until their timidity is again aroused, when they again bound swiftly away. Thus they approach, and ro-approach, very frequently and until their curiosity is satisfied, or their fears arc aroused, when they leap and bound away with the relocity of light, and are soon lost in the sUilworth vege- taticm of the vast valleys. Their curiosity is evidently excited, which is the cause of their |thus ai)proachingand re-approaching. Those who are acquainicd with their jieculiarity in ! this respect, are frequently able to kill many ! of them merely by distending a red handker- I chief, or any red cloth, which will so attract tliiir attenliun that they will immediately ad- vani;e within a few rods of them, wliere they will stand gazing upon the clotli until they are fired upon, when those which are not affect- ed by the (ire gallop slowly away a few rods, when they again advance as before. This is frequently repeated until dozens of t!iem have fallen victims to their inherentcuriosity. The deer are much less numerous than either the elk or antelope, but they are much more plen- tiful than they are in the States. There are various kinds of the deer found in this sec- tion ; such, for instance, as the white-tailed, the black-tailed, and the moose-deer. All of these abound in every jiart of this section, but because of their comparative wildness, and the great abundance of preferable game, they are very seldom hunted. — Pp. 91 — 97. The feathered animals of the western sec- tion consist chiefly of geese, ducks, brants, cranes, gulls, pelicans, plovers, eagles, hawks, ravens, wood-peckers, pheasants, j)artridges, grouse, snow-birds, blue-birds, black-birds, and robins, witli a great variety of other birds common in the States. The former of these, and especially the water-fowls, are vastly nu- merous, particularly upon the coast, and in the vicinity of the rivers, bays, and harbours. During the winter and spring seasons all the I< HASTINGS ON CALIFORNIA. i: f I !l ,. ,5 ! fH I. 'i1- varioua lakes, bays, nnd rivers, as well ns the lowlands, and wlr ii-ftelds, throughout thfi whole country, are literally covered with the various water-fowls, which appear to have convened here from all the northern world. In many portions of the country, during those seasons, they congregate in such immense numbers that their unceasing confusion proves noisome in the extreme to the settlers. The wheat-fields and the lowlands are their usual haunts, during the winter, when hundreds of them may be killed in a few liours. I waa informed that one man could at any time dur- ing tlie winter obtain feathers sufficient for a feather-bed from those which he could kill in a very few hours. When passing down the Sacramento River, and crossing the Bay of St. Francisco, 1 have frc(]uently been greatly annoyed by the almost deafening, tumultuous, and confused noises of the innumerable flocks of geese and ducks which were continually flying to and fro, and at times blackening the very heavens with their increasing numbers, and making the aerial region ring with their tumultuous croaking and vehement squeaking. —P. 99. The principal settlements, which are discon- nected with the forts, missions, and towns, are chiefly within ten or twelve leagues of the coast, with the exception of those upon and in the immediate vicinity of the Sacramento, which are from ten to fifty leagues from the coast, and which are the most extensive of all the interior settlements of California. These settlements are made up almost entirely of foreigners, and chiefly of^ Americans, consist* ing of about two hundred persons, thirty-three of whom arrived with me in that country in the autumn of 1813, but the greater portion of them had resided there for several years previous. They all have fine herds of cattle and horses, with farms, under a good state of cultivation, upon which they grow a great abundance of wheat, corn, oats, and flax, as well as a great variety and superabundance of vege- tables, and that too with very little labour or expense. Many of these settlers are in very prosperous circumstances, and they are all doing extremely well, considering the very short period of their resi^'encfe in that country. They usually sow annually several hundred acres of wheat, from which they are not only able to supply themselves, but also to supply all the emigrants who are annually arriving, as well s"* to furnish much for exportation. All the farmers, throughout the different por- tions of the country, are succeeding extremely well ; they all grow considerable grain, and especially wheat, but they devote their chief attention to the rearing of cattle, horses, and sheep. As has been before stated, many of them have as many as fifteen or twenty thou- sand head of cattle, and as many horses, and from five to fifteen hundred sheep. The foreigners here conduct their agricultural la- bours very much as they do in the States, but their improvements are materially different; they very seldom construct rail fences, as they find it is less expensive to enclose their lands by ditches, or to employ a few Indians to guard their crops tintil they are matured and arvested. Crops are thus very easily nro- tected, as the country is but sparsely settled, and as the plains and valleys everywhere abound with oats, nnd clover, so that there is very little inducement for the various lu^rds to intrude upon the cultivated lands. In the pre- sent thinly settled state of the country, an In- dian will effectually guard a hundrecf acres — hence cropn are protected in this manner witli much less expense than they could l«o hy fencing. Fencing, by ditching, is attended with much less expense than fencing in tlio ordinary manner — not because timber cannot be obtained, but because the Indians perform all labour of that kind with much expertness, and because they are entirely unacquainted with the business of making rails. The buildings upon the various farms here, and throughout all the interior, like those in the towns, are chiefly of " adobies," which are found by experience to make much the best buildings. These buildings are preferred for various reasons. They are much less expen- sive, and they are much cooler, and more plea- sant in the summer, and warmer in winter, than either those made of stone, the ordi- nary brick, or of wood. But the chief circum- stance which gives them the preference is, that the Indians are able to perform all the labour in their construction. The roofs are either of tiles or shingles, and the first floors are generally of " adobies," of the same size and Kind as those of which the walls are con- structed. The farmers find all the materia!^ for this kind of buildings wherever they wisli to build, and, by calling a few Indians to their aid, they are able at any time to complete a very comfortable building of this kind in a very few days. This species of buildinor js thought to be equally as permanent nnd duni- b!e as either those constructed of brick nr stone, especially in a climate of so very little rain, and of such extraordinary dryness nnd aridity. The same kinds of buildings, I find, are used in all the southern portion of Mexieo, where they are much preferred, and for tin. same reason that they are here preferred. All of these settlements, as well as those connected with the forts, missions, and towns, are supplied with all the means of subsistence within themselves; they not only rear their own herds, grow their own grain, and vegetn- bles, but they also make their own cloth, and they are all supplied with flouring-mills, which answer all the j)urposes of eacii settle- ment. These mills are either horse-mills or wind-mills, yet they are found to answer all useful purposes of all the different settle- ments, forts, missions, and towns. These are the only kinds of flouring-mills in the country as yet, but a steam flouring-mill was in con- templation; and, in truth, it was commenced and in a forward state of progression when 1 lefl that country. Lumber is generally sawed by hand, as there are but few saw-mills as yet in the country. There were but two saw- mills in operation in the autumn of 1843, one .A„^ ^:ms&f^... rjota m iif f ■- ■ mur-m im M i *« HASTINGS ON CALIFORNIA. few Tndihna to re matured and ery easily pro- iparsely settled, ys cverywherp 90 that there is •ariniis herds to Is. In the pre- joiintry, an In- indred acres — 18 manner with ' could l>0 l)y (,', is attended fencintr in tho timber cannot idians perform eh expertness, unacquainted r rails. The rms here, and 6 those in the B," which are nuch the best El preferred for !h less expen- ind more plea- ner in winter, )ne, the ordi- > chief circum- preference is, erform all the rhe roofs are the first floors ;he same size walls are con- the materials vcr they wish idians to their o complete a is kind in :i f buildinir is ent and diin- of brick or so very littlo dryni^sa nini dinirs, I find, )n of Mexico, and for tin referred, veil as those s, and towns, if subsistence ily re-.ir their and V('. t i • 1 raw-hido ropes to a pole, which is plnced hori- zonUilly on each side of Uio wallit thus con- structeu, and about six or neven (w.t from the ground. 'I'lio four walU being thus erected, poles are then placed trnnsverseiy from one wall to llu) other, which are covered either witli hay, ttaffa, or cornstulkii, conHtitutingtho roof, when tiie hut is completed, bavinpr neither floor nor chimney. Tiio stcond aiid hiKJier orders occupy such hiiiidinjjs as have been described upon a tbrnifr |)n((i', most of which lire also without eiliier ciiiiiiniys or floors. No furniture is f{»'>"'nilly found in or about the bouses of the lower orders, except- ing here aiid there a raw bullock's hide spread upon the ground, which, tog('tln!r with a blanket or two, constitutes their beds and bed- ding. Their clothing generally consists of nothing more than a shirt and a pair of panUi- louns, yet some of them also have a kind of rude, primitive hat, and sandals. Thu chase, and servitude to the higher orders, furnish them a livelihood ; they subsist almost entire- ly upon meat, fish, oats, and edible roots. Those of the second and higher orders, who reside in the interior, although they have "adobio" houses, yet they generally have neither beds, chairs, tables, nor any other fur- riture, excepting such beds as those before described, and a raw hide spread upon the ground, which constitutes a table, with a few 8t(iols or inillocks' heads, whicii answer as chairs. Their apparel consists of a shirt, a pair of pantaloons, some kind of a hat, and shoes, or sandals, in addition to which some have a pair of breeches, and a blanket, with a perforation in tiit; middle, through wiiieh they put their heads, and thus form, as they think, a very convenient coat or cloak. Meat, fish, beans, bread, and fruit, constitute their food. 15ut llu^y subsist ehielly upon the foiiner, as a matter of prelereiux'. Should you call at the residence of oiiu of thesH Mexicans, even of the hii;liest class residing in the interior, you would not only be received very kindly, but you would also be annoyed witii continued jjrollers of all tlie luxuries which they possess. And siiould you remain until noon, a large (juantity of beef will be roasted before the fire, which, when done, will be attached to a few sticks which are driven into the ground for that j)urpose, in the middle of the room, when you are invited to sit down with them and j)artake of the rich repast; at the same time you are ofl'ered a stool or beef's head as a substi- tute for a chair, if there happens to be one convenient; if not, you are expected to sit upon ibo ground. Ucing thus located, you now commence the dissection and mastication of the half or quarter of a beef, as tlie case may be, with which you are now conlVonted ; but in this operation you labour under the disad- vantage of having none of the ordinary instru- ments used upon such occasions — hence you are under the necessity of using your pocket- knife, or such other knife as you may chance to have in your possession. Among some of these people, in addition to the roasted beef, you would also be furnished with a little bean soup, and perhaps some broad — but they all view plates, knives, and forks, and thu like, B8 mere useless appendages. Should you call upon those of the lower order, with the view of obtaining a dinner, the presumption is that the whole affair would result in a disgusting failure, if not on their part in an attumpt to |)rocuro something for you to eat, at least upon your part in your attempt to eat what tiiey have succeeded in procuring — but whatever they have they will readily oiler you, witti much apparent anxiety to acconimoJati). The higher order of tlioso who reside in the differ- ent towns, and at the missions, generally live very well — much, in fact, as the foreigners do who are ei|ually as abundantly supplied with all the necessaries and luxuries of life as citi- zens of our own country, or those of any other. All classes of the Mexicans are unusually kind and hospitiible to foreigners, as far as it relates to their recejUion and trctatment as guests. Whatever attention and kindness you may re- ceive at their hands while guests, and how- ever long you may remain with them, they will receive no compensation, but to your pro- position to remunerate them, tluiy invariably reply, " God will pay." Labour of all kinds is performed by the In- dians and the lower order of the \lexican3, but those who are not bound in servitude to others labour very little, as a competency of food and raiment is readily acquired with very little exc^rtion. Among all classes oxen are principally used for the draught, dniwing by their horns, instead of their necks, as in the ordinary manner; a strong piece of timber, about as large as an ordinary yoke, is placed upon the necks of the oxen, just back of the horns, to which it is permanently attached by means of a raw-bide rope. To the middle of this new-fasiliioned yoke, a strong raw-hide rope is alTixed, to which the cart, plough, or whatever else is to be drawn, is attiiched, when all is in readiness for actual service. Those oxen, yoked in this manner, draw most extremely large draughts, but by no means as large draughts as they could draw if yoked in the ordinary manner. The plough which is in use among the Mexicans is certainly among the most simply constructed and cheapest of farmini.; utensils, being generally a mere forked stick, one prong of which, being pointed, answers as the share, and the other, having a notch cut at the end, to which a rope may bo attached, constitutes the beam, while the main stalk, extending back a few feet from the union of the two prongs, consti- tutes the handle. This is the California plough, which is in general use throughout the entire country ; but, as an improvement upon this plough, someof the Mexicans constructoneina din'erent manner, though with the same regard I to clieapness, being two sticks of timber so I attached as to form a plough, very much like j that just described, and designed only as a substitute for that when a natural fork cannot be conveniently found. Horses are seldom used otherwise than as saddle-horses, but we frequently see large draughts drawn by them, ■is. HI j Mrntm i K^ WS»i>ii r:T^i HASTINGS ON CALIFORNIA. broad— but tlioy all forki, hnd tliu like, a. iShoiiid you call rder, with tho view pnmuinption in that lult in )i diHi;rustini; rt in an nttumpt ti) to oat, iit ItniHtiipnn t to eat what tlity rin{( — but whatiivfT ily oflVr you, with iceoniuiodato. Tht' rcsidi! ill U\n dilftir- lions, jrciiornlly iivo ns liie Ibrciirnt-rs do uilly supplied Willi iirios of I ill) as citi- r those of any other, saroiiiiufiualiy kind s, as far as it relates i!atnient as guests, ndness you may ro- gueslM, and liow- n with them, they on, hut to your pro- fO), they invariably Rrformed by the In- ■ of the ^Iexican^, ind in servitude to I a competency of acquired with very II classes oxen are aught, drawing by r necks, as in the 2; piece of timber, ry yoke, is placed 1, just back of the nently attached by 'i'o the middle cV a strong raw-hide e cart, plough, or awn, is atUiched, for actual service, nanner, draw most ut by no means as 1 draw if yoked in plough which is iscert;iiiilyamon|{ 1 and cheapest of jeiierally a mere of which, bcin;; are, and the other, end, to which a stitutes tlio beam, iidiiig back a few wo prongs, consti- California plough, ughout tho entire veinent upon this 8 construct one inn h the same regard ;lcks of timber so 1, very much likt ^signed only as a atural fork cannot lorses are seldom le-horses, but we s drawn by them, which, instead of being hnrnessod in the ordi- nary maniu^r, aro put under the saddle, the girth of which is lirawn extremely tight, when one end of the strong raw-hido rope is at- tached ti) the stone, wood, or •■batever else is to bo dniwn, while the nt' I is (irmly at- tiirlied to the poiiiiiiel of .(Idle, hvery thing being tiius arranged, the Mexican, vvitn his heels loaded down with ponderrius gin- gliiig spiirw, now mounts bis steed, to whose Bides he jilies liis lieels willi such ijninlcd ex- BctiHiss, siicli forc(! and coiifuse(f gingling, that, as the only alternative, he leaps and darts Hway Willi his iinmcnse load, notwithstanding its very great ponderosity. VVilh horses har- nessed ill this manner, it is ((uito common to •ee Mexicans on their way to market, their Tehicles being a dry bullock's hide, to which ane end of a long raw-hide rope is alUiched, tne other end of which is attached to the pom- mel of the saddle of their riding-horses. Upon this hide, thus dragging upon the ground, are hea|)ed vegt tables, fowls, and whatever else they may have in readiness for tho market, as Well as two or three women and children, which, from all appearances are not designed for the market, or, at all events, it would seem that they would not sell to a very good advan- tage without the preparatory expense of a thorough scouring. Upon arriving in market, I have frequently seen these inventive geniuses, with their strange omnibuses and omnifarious loading, passing about from place to place until they disposed of all their load, excepting that part of it which partook somewhat of hu- manity, when they alho disposed of theirextraor- dinary vehicles, and returned to their homes as they best could, some on horseback, some on foot, and others, I know not how, unless by " steam," to raist^ which they appeared to be making sr etlbrts, which I thought would most hk cceed. These are the vehicles in comtii tmong the Mexicans, but many of the foreigners as well as some of the higher order of the Mexicans have carts, wagons, and even carriages ; but these are very seldom seen, and especially the latter, as travelling is as yet almost entirely on horseback and by water, the former of which methods is, however, much the more generally adopted both by the Mexi- cans and foreigners. — Pp. 124 — IW. The market, trade, and commerce will now lie briefly noticed, when I shall have done with (/alifnrnia. There is at this time an ample market in all the various portions of this country for all the surplus products of what- ever kind ; and this market is certain and uni- form, being subject to none of those fluctu- ations to which our market in all portions of the States is subject. Wheat has uniform- ly sold in all portions of this country for about one dollar per bushel, which it is row worth ; corn is worth fifty cents per bushel ; beans one dollar per bushel ; and potatoes fifty cents per bushel ; cattle are worth from one to five dollars per head ; horses, from three to fLMi dollars; sheep , from one to two dollars; :ii;d hogs from one to three dollars ; hides are :U: Y, i.Mih from one to two dollars each ; tallow ,1 from two to five centi per pound ; beef from one to three cents per pound; butter from five to twenty cents per pound ; and (lour from five to eight dollars per barrel , which prices, with very lew exceptions, have remained the s.iine for successive years. The Hudson's Hay ('ompaiiy, and the Hussians, at present alTord an ample market for all tho wheat which is as yet grown in this country; and they, as well as the American merchants, alFord an exten- sive market for the furs, hides, and tallow, as well as much of the beef, butter, and vegeta- bles ; yet for the latter, especially the beef, but- ter, and vegetables, tho shi|is of war and the whale ships afford the most extensive and valuable market. Tho increasing emigration, however, will afford an extensive market for most of tho surplus grain, as well as for nmny cattle, and horses, sheep, and hogs, for many years to come ; yet the market for all the pro- ducts of the country will be ultimately found in the iSouth American States, the various islands of the Pacific, the Russian settlements, ('hina, and Kngland. The very great variety of tho productions will require a variety of markets; producing the tropical productions, it requires a northern market; and as it pro- duces the northern productions, it requires a southern market. '1 be staples will eventually be beef, pork, fish, various kinds of grain, (lour, wool, bides, tallow, furs, lumber, cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar, and cofl"ee, as well as coal, iron, and various other minerals. This very greatvaricty 'if productions will alford the peo- |)le of this region all the means of subsistence within their jwn country, will vastly enhance its wealth, aid add in an eminent degree to the prosperity and happiness of the peojile. The trade of this country is chiefly ^ irried on at the different towns, where, con lering tlie extreme newness and unsettled stale of the country, it is already very extensive. At each of the towns before enumerated, there are several stores, at which an extensive business is daily transacted, which is found to bo very lucrative. All kinds of dry goods, groceries, hardware, and cutlery, are much dean^r here than they are either in Oregon or the Slates, being sold hero at prices about five hundred per cent, higher than they are in either of those countries, which is owing to the imposition of excessive and unparalleled duties upon im- ports. The enormous amount of dutii's that IS annually received by the ffnverninent,*or rather the prodigal oflicers of the goveriiuient, notwithstanding the innumerable hv.iks, is es- timated at two hundred thousand dollars. Wages of labour, both for mechanics and or- dinary hands, is very high — those of the for- mer being from two to five dollars per day, and those of the latter from one to three dol- lars per day. The cause of wages being so very high, is attributable to the fact of there being so very few mechanics in the country, and the great aversion to industrial p'irsuils which has heretofore existed in that country. This aversion to industry evidently ar(>se from the fact of there being no apparent necessity to labour; or, in other words, from tlu' unpa- 5 t 1 1 i I 90 HASTINGS ON CALIFORNIA u r ralleled facilities which here exist for acquir- ing a competcrcy, and even a superfluity, by the easy process J doing nothing. Indians are readily employed, and in any numbers, at the triflinjr expense of merely fiirnishingthem such clothing ?« a coarse tow siiirt, and a pair of pantaloons of similar cloth, and with such food as m«at alone, or whatever else yo". may feel disposed to furnish for them — fo' any tiling wiiich you might feel disposed *j provide for them would l>e preferable to the crickets and grasshoppers upon whicli tliey have forinfrly subsist. J. There are several foreigners who have ft im one to four hundred of them ei»- ploycd upon these terms; and, when thus em- ployed, should they leave their employer with- out just cause, he is autliorized to reUike thtm wherever he may find them, in whosesoever service they may be engaged. It is usually understood that slavery does not exist, in any form, in any portion of the Mexican dominions; yH the natives, botii in California, and several other port'ons of that country, and in ' uth in all portiom of it, are in a state of absolute vassalage, even more degrading and more op- pressive than that of our slaves in the South. Whether sl'.very will eventually be ioleraled in this country, in any form, I do not pretend to say, but it is quite certain that the labour of Indians will for many years be as little ex- tiensive to the farmers of that country as slave abour, being procured foramere nominal con- sideration. Considering the very i-.hort space of lime which has elai)se(l since the dilVercnt govern- ments have turned theirattcntion tothiscoim- try, and the very little which is as yet known in reference to it, its present commerce is scarcely paralleled ; some conception of which may be drawn from what has been said upon a former page, in reterenco to its extensive im- ports and duties. Fifteen or twenty vessels aro not unfrequently seen in many of the va- rious ports at the same time, displaying the national Hags of all the principal powers of the world. Merchant vessels of the (nited States, England, Fnnce, Russia, and Mexico, as well as the ship? war and the wluile ships of ibe four former governments, are to he seen at al- most any time in the different ports of this country, and of all of which there are frequent arrivals and departures. The ships of war whi^h cruise in the Pacific touch very fre- (|«A>ntly at the various ports of this country, lor the purpose of obi ining fresh supplies of water and provisions, and maintJiining the righu of their resjieclive governments, as well as for the purpose of capturing now and tiien a soiall town, or seizing liere and there upon an island of the Pacific. The merchant ves- sels are much the more numerous, and arc chiefly those of the United States, which ar- rive in that country each spring, and depart for the States every autumn or winter. Ar- riving in the spring, they are engaged in the coa.^ting trade until the latter part of the fall or the early ^art of the winter, when they depart for thf States with cargoes of hides, fciliow, or fi fs, which have been collected during the previous year. About one-half of the mer- chant vessels engaged in this trade always re- main in the country, engaged in the coastinrr trade, while the residue return to the States. Knglanrl, or France, for the purpose of renew- ing their stock of goods. Sever! of thes" vessels usually belong to the same houses, either of Boston or New York; which always kee|) a number in the country, while they em- ploy others 'onstantly in exporting the pro- d\icts of Ci'lifornia, ai.d importing goods i'ui that trade, which they dispose of at most; ex- traordinary j)rices. 'riic whale ships touch fl the various ports lor the purpose of o''tiiininir supplies of provisif-ns and water, and also for the purpose of tniile with the inhabitants. Be- sides the ships and vessels above enumerated, there are numerous others, as well as various barques and brigs, which annually touch at the various ports of this country, not only from the States, Kngland, France, and Russia, but also from the Sandwich Islands, the Russian settlements, and China. The foregoing will enable uc to form very correct conclusions in reference to the present and future commerce of this infant country— the former of which, considering the newness of tiie country, and the sparsencss of the popu- lation, is scarcely Kjualled ; and, if the pre- sent may be considered as a prelude to the future, the latter is destined, in a very few years, to exceed by far tjiat of any other coun- try of the same extent and population in any portion of the known world. We are neces- sarily driven to this conclusion, when we consider the vast extent of its plains and val- leys, of unequalled fertility ami exuberance— the extraordinary variety and abundance of its productions — its unheard of uniformity an! salubrity of climate — in fint, its unexhaustui and inexhaustible resources, as well as its in- creasing emigration, which is annually swell- ing its population, from hundreds to thou- sands, andjifhich is destined at no distant day to revol utilize the whole commercial, politi- cal, and moral aspect of all that highly im- portant anil delightful country. In a word, 1 will remark thi.t, in my opinion, there is no country in the known world possessing a soi! so fertile and productive, with such varied ami inexhaustible resources, and a climate of sucli mildness, uniformity, and salubrity ; nor i' there a country, in my opinion, now known, whiv;h is so eminently calculated, by nature herself, in all respects, to promote the un- bounded happiness and prosperity of civilized and enlightened man. — Pp. 131 — 133. B ■^ # winter. Ar- gngfid in the t of the fall or n tlicy depart hides, tallow, cd diirini^ tlip of the nicr- ide always re- ) the coasliiij to the States. )oso of renew- vcr 1 of these same houses, which always vhile they em- rting tl)o pro- ,ing goods fui )f at moat, ox- ships touch It ie of o''tiiininir •r, and also for ihabitantd. 15ft- ve enumerated, well as various lually touch at y, not only from lul Hussia, but 18, the Russian c to form vfry e to the present infant eountry— ing the newness less of the popu- and, if the pre- i prelutead, called the Canal de Santa Barbara. These islands lave much high land, composed of dark, shin- ing rocks, a;.pan'ntly of volcanic origin. They ire partially covered with trees, but a greater Kjrtion of Uieir surface is barren sands and rocks. They are densely populated with goats. —P. 107. 'I'he coast from Monterey to the Canal de Santa Harhar.i is broken into elevated hills, fringed with forests of pine and oak, and covered with the wild grasses. From these flow many valuable little streams, which gur- gle and plash down deep and verdant ravines, j to the sea. It is a beautiful wilderness; a I 'iountry for the wild horse, the mighty grisly j liear, the undomesticated cattle of a thousand (hills; a blithe domain for the human race, I when true and valiant men shall govern it. — j P. 108. I There is an old Catholic mission one mile I and *hree-(iuarters above the town, called El j Mission de Santa Barbara. The church itself ; is a stone edifice, with two towers on the end towards the town, and a high gable between them. The friars complimented Father Time, I by painting on the latter something in the i shape of a clock dial. In the towers are hung a number of rich-toned bells, brought from old Spain nearly a hundred years ago. The roof ; is covered with burnt clay tiles, laid in cement. The residence of the Padres, also built of \ stone, forms a wing with the church, towards ! t''e sea. The prisons form another, towards j the highlands. Hard by are clusters of Indian I huts, constructed of adobiesand tile, standing in rows, with streets between tliem. The old Padres seem to have united with their missionary zeal a strong sense of com- fort and taste. They laid off a beautiful gar- den, a few rods from the church, surrounded it with a high substantial fence of stone laid in Roman cement, and planted it with limes, almonds, apricots, peaches, apples, pears, (iuince3,&c., which are now annually yielding their several fruits in abundance. Before the church they erected a series of concentric urn fountains, um feet in height, from the top of which the pure liquid bursts, and falls from one to another, till it reaches a large i ' il at the base, from this it is led off a shou dis- tance to tiie uatue of a grisly bear, frc . whose mouth it is elected into a reservoii of solid masonry, six feet wide and seventy long. From the ))uol at the base of the urn fountains water is t;iken for drinking and household use. The long reservoir is the theatre of the bat- tling, plashing, laughing, and scolding, of the washing-day. Around these fountains are 8oliresents tho appearance of a vast series of plains of every conceivable area and shape, from the little wood-bound planta- tion, to the township, the county, and the state. Over this immense plain rove innu- merable hands of wild horses, mules, elk, deer, grisly bears, and other animals, 'i'he portion of the valley within twenty miles of the river is wholly uninhabited. The Indians do not feel disposed to live there, and the whites have plenty of room on the coast. There are large tracts of excellent tillage lands on the banks of the San Joaqnim, and in the valleys of several beautiful tributaries coming into It from the eastern mountains; particu- larly in that of the Merced. But, generally, the valley of the San Joaquim will be found unsuitable for cultivation. Its soil is mani- festly of volcanic formation, and filled with elements unfriendly to vegetation. On many extensive tracts the muriate of soda covers the ground like frost, and destroys, with equal certainty, every green thing; while other tracts, larger still, abound in asphaltum, which renders the soil too compact for tillage. These peculiarities, however, attach only to the plains. The uneven lands of the great valley, and of the smaller ones of the tributaries, and. indeed, all the swells, hills, and vales, that lie about the two ranges which bound the val- ley on the east and west, are sufficiently freeil from these destructive ingredients by the win- try rains, which wash them down to the plaiii> hi l"\v. The face of the country among thesi '.■gill Hi's is very beautiful, the soil rich ami iuu»\i!y timberi'd, and above them rise tht niouiit;iins hearing on their sides forests of rcil cedar trees, from one to twelve feet in diaini ter, and of proportional height. These grov to the northward of the latitude of San An tonio. Thence southward flourishes a specie^ of wliite pine, of larger girth, loftier, and ei finer grain, than can be found in the Slater But of the central and flat portions of the val ley 1 cannot upeak so well. It contains, in- deed, every variety of soil — as tracts of loosi sand, hard-pan, gravel, rich loam, and pond- I of salt, bitter, and fresh water. Most of th' [ lakes, however, belong to the latter class, am the larger part of the soil furnishes pasturagt There are very many swamps or marshes hen- I filled with /://r>i, a large rush, ten or twelv' , tiMl high, and fmm one to two inches in
  • nttilliige lands im, and in the utaries coming itains; particu- 3ut, generally, will be found 9 soil is mani- md filled with on. On many soda covers the FARNHAM ON CALIFORNIA. it >^8, with diameter. Willows, bushes, and a few shrubs of different species, grow over the plains. The cotton-wood is the only large tree found in the vicinity of the river. The climate of this valley is its greatest misfortune. The wet season extends from Nu- vember to March — five months of the year. During this period it rains without cessation for many days, and even weeks, and the low country being very flat, becomes a vast assem- blage of lakes. In the month of April the dry season begins, and, save the heavy dews, there is nothing to moistiin tlie earth for seven long, burning months. Mr. Kelly, an Ameriean gentleman, of great intelligence and enterprise, who travelled over this country at an early day, remarks, that -' ir crossing the prairies in latitude 38° 3U' north, during the month of August, I found that for several successive days the mercury ranged at 110° (Fahrenheit) in the shade, and sealing-wax, deposited in pne of my boxes, was converted into an almost jMmi-fluid state." This intense heat, poured down so many months upon the submerged prairies, evaporates the water as the time ad- vances, and converts the lakes formed in the wet season into stagnant pools of putrid water, which send out most pestilential exhalations, converting this immense valley into a field of death. But this evil can be remedied. The San Joaijuim lies so low as to allow these lakes to be drained into it. When, therefore, the coun- try shall be properly ditched, the waters will not only flow off, but will bear with them much of those destructive salts which are now deposited upon the soil. And thus, I believe, the valley of the San Joaquiin will become the abode of a dense population, the |)roducts of whose industry will float down the placid cur- rent of that river, to the great commercial marts of that and other lands. This valley is now the great hunting-ground of the C'alifornians. Vast herds of wild horses and elk are met with in all parts of it. 'i'he latter animal, the noble elk, is hunted by the Spaniards for his hide and tallow. These peo- ple go out in large companies, with fleet horses, and lasso them as they do the bullocks near the coast. The deer also, and anteloiie, are found here in great numbers, and are killed for the sami' purpose. The grisly bear inhabits the iiiiiuiitiin sides and upper vales. These are so numerous, fat, and large, that a common- sized merchant-ship might be laden with oil from the hunt of a single season. On the western side of the mouth of the San Joaquiin, there is a vast tract of marshy land, and some hundreds of low islands in the Up- per Bay, which are saturated by the tides. riie usual ebb and flow at this place is about four leet— consequently this low surface is en- riched every year by the sediment of the ver- nal freshets, and yields an immense growth of rushes. These grounds would probably make the best rice-fields in North America. The water of the tides is either entirely fresh or very slightly brackish — it may easily be let in upon tlie field at flood, and drawn olT at ebb. These Tuleras, as the Californians call them, those thousand isles, and those great rush wastes, will, it is believed, be the only rice- fields of any value on the Pacific coast of the continent. A noble and valuable vale is that of the San .loaquim — six hundred miles of prairies covered with grass and wild oats, cut by streams, shaded vvitli lofty forests! Prai- ries, some ten, some twenty, others one hun- dred miles in extent, oveihung by jutting pro- montories, crowned .vith gigantic forests, the wild grains, grasses, cattle, horses, leaping djttr, the grisly bear, and the sUitely elk, toss- in|f his aiith rs to the breezes, are ele 'Cnts of its present stUe. And we may expt.it when the ox treads the furrow, and the axe and th t flail awaken their music on the plains, that the arable portions will be reclaimed and ren- dered fruitful, while the prairies will givd sustenance to immense herds of domestic ani- mals. The Rio Sacramento is much larger than the San Joaquim, and its valley contains a much greater quantity of fertile land. The mouth of this river is a little north of that of the San Joaquim. Indeed, these two streams mingle their waters around a considerable island which lies before the mouth of each. They both enter the eastern extremity of the Bay of San Francisco, about seventy miles from the Pacific It is two days' hard rowing from the mouth of this river to the junction of its two principal branches, called "the forks." At tlie mouth the soil is peaty, and overflowed by tlie spring tides. As you advance higher, where tlie tide has P' influence, Uie soil be- comes subsUintial, producing roses, arbutus, and other shrubs, most luxuriantly, as well as the wild oats and rye. These grains, resow* iiig themselves from year to year, produce per- p( tual food for the wild animals and Indians. Tliese plains are burned over every year by the Indians, and the consequence is, that the young trees, which would otherwise have grown into forests, are destroyed, an.l the large trees often killed. Nev< rtheless, the oak, the plane tree, of immens i\ the ash, of an excellen. 'juality, covered .vuii the wild grape vines, fringe the stream every.-, iier'-, and divide the country into beautiful glades and savannas, which, when the leaves are fadin;/, when the grajie hangs in the greatest profusion on the limbs, and the deep red flowers of au- tumn dot the grassy fields, and birds sing their melancholy hymns to the dying year, give the finest picture that the mind can con- ceive, of a beautiful wilderness. The water of the Sacramento is very pure. Its banks, from the mouth to the forks, are entirely allu- vial, a deposit of sand and clay. The bottom varies from a very loose mud, and quicksand, to a stiff red clay. The forks lie in latitude 38° 46' 47" north, and longitude 0° 47' 31" east of Yerba Buena, near the entrance of the Bay of San Francisco. The stream is navigable for small craft to the forks in the dry season; in the rainy season, and during the early part of the summer, steam vessels of three hundred tons measurement can ■ 3 I; u :. I ^«> ■ 11 In* 1.^ — «»« FARNHAM ON CALIFORNIA. u ascend its eastern branch several hundred miles farther. It is difficult to convey, by means of words, the exceeding beauty and excell"'*ce of this portion of the valley of the Sacnimenio. To one who has seen it, all attempts to do so must appear tame and uninteresting. I may say that the linear distance from the mouth to the forks is about sixty miles, and that the river, in making that progress, meanders one hun- dred and fifty ; that for the most part of this distance, within the verge of the valley, grows a belt of oak trees, about three hundred yanls wide, crowded with flowering vines and wdU fruits, and interspersed with the lofty plane and other beautiful trees, variegating the scene; ihat beyond this belt, on either side of the river, stand clumps of forests, over the endless seas of irrass, that reach away to the distant mountains; ur/J that there are many mounds of earth on these great savannas, built unknown ages ago, by the Indians, from which to gaze over these surpassing regions, and to view in safety the rush of the spring-floods, covering the country far and near. And should I continue the attempt to lead the reader on, despite the certainty tliat he will not gain thereby the conception of it which I desire to convey to him, 1 might state that it is an open champain coimry, cut on the east side of the river by numerous beautiful tributaries, skirted with timber, and on tbe west dotted and striped with groves and lakes, and that tins is one of the richest grazing and agricultural districts of the Californias. During the rainy season, the river rises from eighteen to twenty-four feet, and, overflowing immense tracts of prai- ries, produces a succession of beautiful lakes, through which its floods rush towards the Gulf l''rom the upper country are thus brought down great quantities of rich loam, which are deposited upon the lower plains, rendering them as productive and beautiful as the banks of the Nile. From ten »" thirty miles dis- tance from the river, me land begins to rise rapidly, the open vales creep up into the heights among brooks and forests, till lost in the wilderness of white, red, and yellow pine, and live and white oak, whose gigantic trunks stud the mountains to the regions of perpetual frost. These branches of the Sacramento are strong dashing mountain streams. The eastern one rises among the Sierras Nevadas, or snowy mountain range, about thrae hundred miles east of Cape Mendocino, and has a south- westerly, tortuous eourse of nearly seven hun- dred miles to the forks. This is the largest branch of the Sacramento. It is navigable for small craft, as before obser^•ed, several hundred miles during the wet season, and will be very useful in floating down the valuable timber of its vales, and of the mountain sides, to less woody regions around the bay. A beautiful chain of open plains, with a rich soil, watered by numerous streams and rivulets, and skirted by the finest forests, extends the distance of seventy or eighty miles np this branch. At this point, in latitude 3'J^ 35' north, are the first rapida. Here the traveller to and from Oregon fords the river in the dry season. The stream is here about one hundred and twenty yards wide, with four feet of water in the channel, and a swift current. In the winter and spring, the depth of water at this ford is ten or fifteen feet. At this place commences the southerly slope of the Snowy Mountains, and the whole as- pect and character of the country becomes still more beautiful and valuable. The soil on the hills is admirably adapted to the growth of forest trees, and the prairies wind among the wooded elevations, and along the banks of delightful streams, clothed with the richest and most varied abundance of vegetable pro- ductions, crowned with countless blossoms, and sending out on the air the most grateful perfumes. And these plains and wooded hills reach to the Snowy Mountains, where, in lati- tude 40°, there is an easy passage to the val- ley of Smith River. This portion of these mountains, lying on the track of our descrip- tion, df iprves especial notice. A ' ;-jr of rugged hills puts off here from it, and runs down southwardly between these principal branches of the Sacramento to its forks. These heights are manifestly of vol- canic origin, and Sir. Kelly suggests, " that, as they abound in basaltic and vitrified stones, scoria', &c., they he called the volcanic range." Along their base stretches a beautiful chain of prairies, tor seventy or eighty miles, watered by numerous rivulets. In this volcanic ridge, 1 found a stratum of earth which the Mexicans call tepelate, and which forms a cement, when covered by water, or buried so far below the earth as to retain moisture. It is so soft as to be easily penetrated by an iron bar, but it bo- comes as solid and impenetrable as a rock, on being exposed to the sun or wind. The ge- neral aspect of this range is rude and black. The minor hills are covered with dark-coloured iron-stones of all shapes, with sharp edges resembling clinkers in the arches of a brick- kiln, and with reddish clay and gravel, appear- ing like pulverized brick. It is the work of volcanic fires, and may properly bear the name which our worthy countryman has given it. The western main branch of the Sacramento is nearly equal in size to the eastern. It dis- charges nearly as much water, but gathers it from less spare. It rises among a lofty cluster of the Snowy Mountains, about thirty miles from the sea, and running in a south-by-east- erly direetion iiliout two hundred miles, meets the other branrh at the t rks, with a generous flood of beautitiil waters. The tributaries of this are not so large or mnuerous as those of the eastern branch, and the same may be said of the prairies that border it, but they are quite as charming. They stretch alonir by tlic rushing waters, among the heights, loaded with evergreen forests, like fairy paths of olden files — rich, rich, glorious to behold — beauty reposing in the lap of the giant mountains, to whom the soundmg streams give music, to whom the aiountain-dews give jewels, id tin wild-flowers incense. \Vere 1 to be exiled t , A i^-y. FARNHAM ON CALIFORNIA. tt^ r to and from season. The id and twenty water in the In the winter at this ford is outherly slope the whole as- ntry becomes The soil on the growth wind among ng the banks ith the richest vegetable pro- ess blossoms, most grateful 1 wooded hills where, in lati- ge to the val- tion of these ' our descrip- fhere from it, etween these imento to its ifestly of vol- [gests, "that, trifled stones, canic range." itiful chain uf liles, watered olcanic ridge, the Mexicans ;ement, when far below the i so soft as to lar, but it bo- as a rock, on id. The ge- e and black. Jark-coloured sharp edges s of a brick- ravel, appear- the work of lear the name IS given it. e Sacramento •em. It dis- lut gathers it I lofty cluster thirty miles outh-by-east- miles, meets :h a generous tributaries of I as those of may be said l)ut they are alonff by the I, loaded with llis of olden )old — beauty iiountains, to ve nmsic, to kvels, ud til'' to be exiled -f i from human kind — ^and cast off from the sight of wc man, wife, and child — and deprived of the deep pulsations of joy which cluster around the holy altar uf home, that old Saxon citadel of the virtues, 1 would pray for a cave in these heights, and among those streamy Tales. The timber trees on this part of the southern slope, as fir northward as 40'', are worthy of notice. The white pine is very abundant, and of a largo gruwlh. Several kinds of oak are also plentiful, the niosjt common of which is the encina b.'ancn, white oak. Its average height is forty feet, its trunk six or eiglit feet in girth, with a profusion of branches, which grow together with the compactness of a Hedge, and in perfect symmetry of form, like the rounded tops of an apple orchard. The live oak — quercus virtm — is very abundant, and grows only on the highlands. Its diame- ter is usually from three to four feet — its alti- tude sixty or seventy. This timber is equal to any of the kind in the world, in solidity, strength, and durability. But the noblest specimen of this tree found in the territory of the Sacramento, is the white oak proper, the qmrcus navalis. It grows on the river banks, and the low hills of the prai- ritd. A fine tree it is, not only on account of its excellent qualities as timber, but for its lordly trunk, which one might almost say pre- served a uniform diameter its whole length. And the actual fact is, that it notunfrequently attains a girth of fil'tecn feet at ten or fifteen feet from the root, and the branches possess corresponding dimensions, and extend a pro- digious disUtnco horizontally from the stem.* The Jesus iMaria River is a small stream which rises at the distance of twenty miles from the ocean, among that part of the Snowy Mountains immediately south-west of Cape Mendocino. Its head-springs are among the perpetual snows of those highlands, and, flow- ing about three hundred miles, over precipices, and througii prairies, it falls into the north- west part of the Bay of San Francisco. This stream, in its upper course, runs among barren rocks till its rivulets gather into a current of some magnitude, when it enters a forest re- gion of pines, cedars, and other terebinthine trees, and lower down is bordered by oaks of variius species, chestnut, hickory, walnut, oak, and plane trees. This region, embracing the wide tract be- tween the Sacramento alley and the sea, and between the Bay of oan Francisco and the Snowy Mountains, is not less desirable than tlie country on the Sacramento. It is, how- ever, very diflerent. Instead of six or seven hundred miles of continuous plains and forests, with mighty streams coursing down to a com- mon outlet, it is a country of hills and plains, rising one above another, norihwanlly, from the sweet prairies at the bay to the bare and lofty mountains in latitude 40° north. The portion in the vicinity of the hay, forty miles square, is chiefly prairie, broken by lines of forest and woody ridges ; the next forty miles northward, and of a like width, consists prin« cipally of extensive plains covered with va- rious kinds of timber, and high precipitous hills, clad with forests of white pines, whose trunks vary from nine to fifty feet in circum- ference, and from one to nearly three hundred feet in height, hanging over little flowering prairies, among the groves on the low lands; noble columns of nature's architecture, sup- porting cone-formed capiuils of growing, liv- ing green ! A land of the wildest enchant- ment ! The hooting owl and the cuckoo are tkfffe. at midnight, and the little birds twitter to the babbling rivulets of the vales. Far reaching away to the north are piled the naked cold summits of the Snowy rdge. This is a vast slope of excellent land, w licli will, when subdued, equal any other in the world. The great Day of San Francisco on the south, and the Bay of Bodega and the ocean on the west, give it a position as a farming and commer- cial district, which is scarcely surpassed by the valley of the Klamet, or of the San Joa- quim and Sacramento. Stretching across the north of these splendid regions are the Snowy Mountains. This range of highlands I'orms a natural boundary between the Californias and Oregon. But the ignorance of our negotiators with Spain, or their criminal negl.ect of duty, gave us the parallel of 4'2^ north, instead of this noble bar- rier of crairgy ice and snow. Consequently, the CaiiCurnias extend beyond these moun- tains, and embrace the valley wliicli lies be- tween the Snowy raiiije and a spur of the President's range, which puts out westward from Mount J. Q. Adams, in latitude 42° IC. The average height of these hills is about 2700 feet above the sea. This vale is about fifty miles wide, and one hundred in length. The Klamet River waters it. This stream has two principal sources — the one among the snows of Mount Monroe, in latitude 43° 20', and about one Itundred miles from the sea; the other in a beautiful mountain-lake, with a sur- face of about two hundred square miles, lying further south. Both these branches are furj- ous mountain torrents, tumbling down lofty acclivities, into little valleys, where they run a few miles with a comparatively peaceful current, and then dash and roar again over an- other precipice, and so continue till they reach their confluence. Thence the Klamet moves on with a heavy, whirling flood, until withia thirty miles of the sea, where it breaks tumul- tuously through a range of high hills, and meets tide-water, and thence jjroceeds in a north-westerly direction to the ocean. The aspect of the country lying on this stream is singularly charming. The mountain sides on the south rise gradually, and on one-third of their elevation are clothed with forests of pine, cedar, and otlier evergreens. The overtopping peaks shine with drifting snows. The high- lands on the north are generally covered by trees, with rugged crags beetling out over their tops ; and, at intervals, conical peaks arise, in some instancu^ in clusters, and in ii 56 FARNHAM ON CALIFORNIA. J" ' ■ k I ; : '' ( I! 1- t. • .V t 5/^ 'I 9 V 1 1 -T J 11 I others in solitary magnificence, over the lower hills. These peaks are frequently very beau- tiful. Their term is that of the frustum of a cone ; around their bases are green forests ; on their sides hang the dwarf cedar tree, pendant in the air ; on their very top, in the cold sea- son, is a cap of snow; and down their steep sides murmur little brooks. Tho largest of these peaks lie, however, to t'le eastward, in the President's range. The .nost conspicuous of these is Mount Jackson, in latitude 41° 40' north. This is the iiighest elevation in the range to which it belongs, rising nearly J 7,000 feet above the ocean, in great abriiptnew, grandeur, and beauty of outline, lis base rests among deep, evergreen woods, and it is girdled higher up with shrubs and hardy plants, to the region of frosts, and there com- mence the sheeting snows which spread wide and high its vast head with the desolation of eternal cold. The pathway between Oregon and the Californias passes near it. The valley itself is a rolling, irregular, in- clined plane, broken by forests and isolated hills. The latter spring oftentimes in the midst of the prairies, like immense haystacks, several hundred feet high, some in clusters, and others solitary. These sometimes occur in the forests, and, in such cases, they are often castellated with basaltic rocks, present- ing the appearance of ruined castles. The trees of the Klamet Valley consist principally of the same various species of the oak which grow on the other side of the Snowy ridge. There is one tree here also in great abundance, which does not prevail rn any other part of the north-west coast, a species of mi/rius, the largest of which measure twelve ftet in girth and one hundred feet in height. All its leaves, wood, and fruit, are strongly aromatic, yield- ing an odor like myrtus pimenln," and pro- ducing sneezing, like pepper. The I'ruit is large, globular, and covered with a fine green skin, enveloping a small nut with an insipid kernel, which the squirrel eatstvith a great relish. So fragrant is this tree, that when the groves are moved by the wind, a delicious per- fume fillo all the surrounding air. The soil on the open plains of this delight- ful vale is very rich ; and, since the climate is most salubrious, as well as most favourable to vegetation, this valley will hereafter become one of the most enchanting abodes of man. Indeed, it would be difficult to decide whether to prefer this or the vales on the south side of the Snowy Mountains, were it not for that un- rivalled Bay of San Francisco, which con- nects the land, whose streams flow into it, with the commerce of the world, more largely and intimately than the Klamet can do. In fact, this river is both too rapid and too small for ship navigation, and the depth of tho water on the bar at its mouth being only two and a half fathoms, it will, of course, never furnish a harbour suitiiblo for extensive maritime trade. But it is a sweet valley for the growth of a happy and enlightened population; a lovely • Dou^loi. spot, where the farm-house, that temple of the virtues, may lift its rude chimney among the myrrh trees; where the wife, fnitblul in her love to her husband, and true to all the holy instincts of the mother, shall o(\\;t her pure heart's undivided devotii>n at the altar of Home ! Home ! that only rt luge of man from i the toils and pains of the outer world; that ' sanctuary, the desecration of wiiieh turns his I heart to flint, and his afTeetions into fountiiins of gall. The valley of the Klamet will be lighted I from the hearths of happy homes ere long, and t will be densely peopled. Sixty miles square '. of productive soil, surroundecl with every beauty of mountjiin and forest, sprinkled with sweet groves, and threaded with streams of I pure water, all under a genial clininte, render , It a magnilicent site for the dwellings of man. , As we pass southward in our geographical ' view of the Californias, we find remaining to j be described, that belt of country extending I from the Bay of San Francisco, in latitude I 37° north, to the port of San Diego, in latitude 32° north, and hounded east by the marine j range of mountains, and west by the ocean. ! It is three hundred and fifty miles long, and I from fifteen to forty miles wide. The general aspect of this region is that of : an open country, varied by patches of trees of I noble growth, and with lines of the same along tho streams. The northern half of it consists of rolling, alluvial plains, without rock or stone, traversed by low mountains of porphyry, basalt, and jasper, partially covered with pine, cedar, and oak forests. The plains between these highlands are well watered, and of a rich, onduriug soil. The southern half ; of the region is somewhat more broken by the • mountains, and is not so well supplied with I trees and streams. Hut there are many very i large tracts of rich plains, covered by forests ' of live oak and other valuable trees, and nu- merous broad prairies, with a pliable and in- exhaustible soil. Perhaps I ought to say that this is, indeed, the most valuable part of the Californias; and true it is, that this belt of country, lying between the latitudes thus named, is the crowning glory of Upper Cali- fornia, as will appear on coming pages. For the space of seventy-five miles north- ward from the Cape of San Lucas; the air is moistened by the vapours of tiie sea, and the exhalations from many parts of the ground. The earth is watered by numerous little cur- rents running among the hills, and clothed with tropical vegetation. From this point, seventy-nvc miles north of the Capo, to the latitude of Loretto, are high, craggy moun- tains, and a barren soil, the mere cinders of volcanic action. On account of the increased I distance of the interior from tho sea and the gulf, and the absence of streams of water, the ; heat is excessive — as great' as in Arabia, or i Sahara. A few sunken vales, separated from one another and tho world by vii^t tracts of ' burnt heights, enjoy the cooling infiuonces of shady trees and s|)rings of water. And along ] the coast, the sea-breezes, and some small pif FARNHAM ON CALIFORNIA. 57 fit temple of the npy among the fiiilhl'iil in her tu all the holy cffur her pure t the allar of je of mini from ter world ; thnt I'liich turns his I into fountains ^ill be lighted '8 ere hng, and ty niilt's square if with every sprinkled with ith streams of clininte, render ellingsof man. ir geographical d remaining to ntry extending CO, in latitude lego, in latitude by the marine ; by the ocean, lilea long, and !gion is that of Jlies of trees of I of the same lern half of it )1ains, without r mountains of irtially covered 8. The plains II watered, and southern half ! broken by the supplied with are many very ?red by forests trees, and nu- )liable and in- ght to say that )le part of the It this belt of latitudes thus f Upper Cali- pages. 3 miles north- icasj the air is H sea, and the if the ground, ous little cur- j, and clothed im this point, ; Cap'.;, to the craggy moun- ere cinders of f the increased 10 sea and the i of water, the in Arabia, or separated from v.iHt tracts of r itifliicnccs of And along J some small streams, bursting from the barren mountains, give some humidity to the atmosphere in several jilaces, and scent it with vegetiition. But these are only unimportant qualifying cir- cumstances to the general fact, that the sun heats that lofty belt so fiercely that vegetation refuses to grow, and water to run, it in so soon Bwallowed by the thirsty earth or evaporated by the purrlK li air. From the latitude of Lo- retto to the latitude of San Diego, 33° north, the air hfcomi's milder. In the mountains, although llicy are not so high and rugged as those farther south, the temperature is some- times 80 low 111 winter as to produce frost; and on the co;ist there is an increase of hu- midity, notwwi) the mouth of the Colorado and the Piicific, there is a region of very de- lightful cliiiiiite. The mountiins increase in height, and among them are many beautiful Elains, watered with abundant springs and rooks, and interspersed with many pleasant woodlands, which together render the air charmingly temperate. In the country between the Gila and the Colorado, there is a great variety of tempera- ture. From the junction of the two rivers, for the distance of two hundred miles up the Colorado, and about one hundred up the Gila, the climate is exceedingly hot in summer, and in winter r.ither frosty. The generally sandy and barren soil, and a vertical sun, produce the one, arid the contiguity of frozen moun- tains the other. The valley of the great Salt Lake is very hot and dry. Some few small streams, and the partially fertile tracts lying on their banks, and the neighbourhood ot the Snowy Mountains, and the vegetjition at their bases in tb(; south-west, modify this descrip- tion somewhat; but, generally, this great ba- sin of former volcanic fires has a dry and sul- try climate. The vall.'y of the San Joaquim and its ex- tension toward the head of the Gulf of Cali- fornia is exceedingly hot and sultry. The marine range on the west effectually prevents the sia-breezes from reaching it ; ana if any other winds are active, the monotonous level of the northern portion, the short, sharp sand- hills of the southern, and the long lines of wood which encircle the prairies, and fringe the streams, prevent their circulation, and pro- duce there, in a high northern latitude, all the heat and consequent discomforts of the torrid zone. The climate of the valley of the Sacramento is exceedingly various. Near the mouth of that stream, and northward eighty miles, to the forks, the heat of the summer sun is in- tense, but is much modified f)y occasional showers, and the humid breezes from the Bay of San Francisco. Higher up, among the narrow prairies, along the banks of both forks and their tributaries, the dashing of cascades, the shading influences of lof\y and wooded mountjiins, and the rich carpeting of a luxuriant vegeUUion, produce a temperature, than which B more desirable cannot be found in any coun- try. An incomnarably fine soil, nestled in long and delicately curved lines among sccne- H ry of the wildest mountain cast, with water from the overlooking snows and glaciers, and fanned by air which can claim kindred with that of Italy, or Greece, is a collection of ex- cellences which are found, I believe, on that spot alone in North America. The climate of the territory lying between that just de- scribed and the sea, and for forty miles around the Bay of San Francisco, is equally fine, witii the exception that heavy fogs press up from the Hay and the Pacific, during a portion of the summer months. But this is to be deemed rather a good than an evil — for moist- ure is thereby distilled over the lliirsty ground, during the dry season, and the breezes which bear it over the land come freighted with the cooler atmosphere of the sea, to temper the air, and render it more healthful and agree- able. The climate of that portion of the Califor- nias which lies between the marine range and the sea, has called forth expressions of admi- ration from every traveller in the country since it was discovered. But in order to give a clear idea of it, we will speak of it in detail. The intense heat of summer begins in the month of .lune, when every leaf of herbage south of Mi..;?erey is dried to a cinder. The fogs generally moisten the coast to the north, and keep it green. On the coast south of Monterey, the ther- mometer sometimes rises to 108° or 110° Fahrenheit, in still summer weath(;r; .but usually the sea-breezes keep it down to 70° and 75°. North of Monterey, the fogs al- ways accompany the hottest weather, and modify its temperature. Some faw points on this coasi are "isited oy disagreeable sea-winds. IJut these places are small and few in number. .\nd yet this is doubtless as fine a climate as can be found. No causes of disease exist here. The agriculture of Upper California is as yet confined to the region lying between the marine range and the sea, and is chiefly car- ried on by the converted Indians at the Mis- sions. And when we inform the reader that the mode of cultivation has not changed since the first settlement of the country, its rude and unskilful character will be easily understood. A few statements, however, may make it more manifest. When a field is brought under the plough, it is planted with the same crop, as oats, or wheat, &c., until it is exhausted, and then permitted to lie waste, until it acquires the power to produce the same crop again. Alternation of crops is deemed a heresy al- ways to be avoided. "i he grains raised in the Califomias are, mtize, (Indian corn,) oats, wheat, and bar- 1( y. Peas, and a small bean called frixole, ere also cultivated. Maize is the staple bread corn of the country. It is cultivated in drills, and, even with the little skill used in raising it, produces abundantly. Wheat is sown broadcast, as with us; and, strange to tell, such is the loose a'vJ rich quality of ihe soil, that the seed which falls at the hai vesting of the first ciop, yields, without the aid of plough ' I il FARNHAM ON CALIFORNIA. is Pi' hi ■n or Harrow, two-thirds of a crop tlin second sea- son, and half a crop the third. My friend Dr. Marsh, a resident on the banks of the Hio Sacramento, and intimately acquainted with the ("alifornias for the last fifteen ye^rs, writes the author thus : "The southern parts of Up- per California are generally too dry and warm for the successful cultivation of wheat ; tole- rable crops, however, are raised. Hut from Monterey northward, and particularly in the vicinity of San I'r.incisco's Hay, most extraor- dinary crops are raised with very negligent cultivation. It is not uncommon to make two, three, and oven five crops from only once sowing. The average annual yield is from thirty to fifty bushels from one of seed sown. In one particular instance, in which sometliing more than ordinary care was used, and of wliicii I was an eye-witness, from ten bushels sown, three thousand six hundred anil fifty- two bushels were harvested." Barley and oats, the latter more especially, since their in- troduction, have spread very widely over the plains, and are now seen everywhere growing without culture most luxuriantly, and in im- mense tracts. Maize returns about one hun- dred and fifty fold. In Lower California, these grains can l)e raised only in lociiiities which can be irrigated. In 18.3!>, the harvested crops of grains in I'pper California amounted to Gii,000 busiiels of wiienl, 'J-J,000 of maize, 3.000 offruvlcs, 15,000 of barley, 700 of peas. When ai) intellectual and industrious race shall plouiiii that Sdii, and iiarvest its generous crops, tlie Calilornias will become the granary of Western America. The Irish and the sweet poUito have been introduced by Amerioan settlers, and thrive remarkably well. Cabbages, turmps, and otiier g-arden vegetables, have not yet been tested. IJu' no doubt can be entertiined that these would grow as well as any other |)lants. Hemp and llax have been tried, and prove congenial to the climate and soil. Hut tiie grape will undoubtedly be the great staple product of the Califurnias. It is now considerably cultivated. On this subject, my intelligent Iriend, Ur. Marsh, writes thus : " N^'irly the whole of the (-alifornias is well adai-icd to the cultivation of tlw> vine. I have been assured by Mons. Louis Vignes, a native of Uordeaux, Fnince, that the soil and climate of California are superiortci any part of France for this kind of eultnre. The competency of this gentleman to decide on the sul)jecf is most satislai'torily proven by the large fortune he has made at this same business here in the short period of six years, although his vine- yard has not yet come to maturity. The olive tree also lleurishes ext odingly well. Figs, lemons, and oranges, .tre common south of Monterey, and produce abundantly all the year. North of that jxiint, figs are very pro- ductive and excellent, but we get only one croj) a year. Cotton and tobacco also thrive finely." Kice may be raised in untold quantities about the waters of tht; .San Joaquim and Sa- cramento. The immense fresh water marshes about the mouths of these streams are capable of being turned into fields for the production of this grain, at a very trifling expense. In- deed, it may be confidently asserted, that no country in the world possesses so fine a cli- mate, coupled with so productive a soil, as the seaboard portion of the Califomias, including the territory on the Bay of San Francisco and the Hivers San Joaquim and Sacnimento. But its misemble people live unconscious of these things. In their gardens grow the apple, the pear, the olive, fig, and orange, the Irish and sweet potiito, tlie yam and plantain, most luxuriantly, side by side; and yet they sleep, and smoke, and hum some tune of Castilian laziness, while surrounding nature is thus in- viting them to the noblest and richest rewards of Inmourable toil. But, this idleness notwithstnnding, the Californians are rich — rich in the most luxu- riant wild pastures, and the cattle, mules, horses, and wild animals that feed upon them. The immense number of these animals, in the time of prosperity among the Missions, may be gathered from another extract from Dr. Marsh's letter: "Some of the Missions were formerly possessed of great wealth. For several years during the civil wars of the Mexican Uevolulion, no vessels of any kind visited this coast, and both the Missions and private families were obliged to rely entirely on tlieir own resources fir supplies of every kind. And when the ships ot Boston, after the wars bad ceased, began to visit these shores ao-ain, for hiiles and tiillow, such quan- tities of these articles had accumulated, that the single Mission of San (iabriel purchased several successive cargoes of cloths and gro- ceries, at about one hundred thousand dollars each, and paid for them in hides and tillow. This Mission at that time possessed over one hundred thousand head of neat cattle, and great nuinber.-! of horses and sheep. The vineyards produced between two and three hundred barrels of brandy annually, and wine enough for the consumption of the Mission, and for the purposes of the unbounded hospi- uilily which then pervaded those establish- ments. "The Indian population of the Mission at that period was three or four thousand. At present it is f-oin one to two hundred, and the ilocks and herds are hardly sufficient to sup- port them. The same remark will apply, with little variation, to all the Missions ol the Califoriiias. They are mere skeletons of what they formerly were. San Josef is the only exception. This still has a population of about fourteen hundred souls, twenty-five ihousand black cattle, nearly the same num- ber of sheep, and considerable bands of horses, mules, &c."— I'p. 32G— 345. The seaward coast of the Californias, ex- tending through twenty degrees of latitude, has only two good harbours. There are, in- deed, very many roadsteads and bays, where vessels anchor with considerable safety, and take in and discharge cargoes, but they are all exposed to some of the prevailing winds. The p y ^ FARNHAM ON CALftORNIA. [19 are capable he production expense. In> srted, that no ao fine a nli- R a soil, as the ias, including ''raiicisco mid niinonto. But •ions of these ho apple, the the Irish and Inntain, most et they sleep, • of Castilian ire is thus in- chc&t rewards tindinrr, the e most luxu- attie, mules, id upon them, limals, in the lissions, may ict from Dr. lissions were veallh. For wars of the I of any kind Missions and rely entirely lies of every Boston, after ) visit these V, such quan* nulatcd, that el purcliased Ihs and gro- isand dollars I and tallow, sed over one cattle, and iheep. The o and three ly, and wine he Mission, unded huspi- le establish- ) Mission at ousand. At Ired, and the lent to eup- will apply, ssions ol the tons of what is the only ipulation of twenty-five same num- Js of horses, ifornias, ex- of latitude, here are, in- lays, where safety, and t they are all winds. The only well protected harbour is San Diego, ly- ing in latitude 33° 17' north. This is land- locked — without surf, with a smooth, hard sand beach, and free from rocks and stones. But it is much less in extent, and far less valuable to commerce, than the Bay of San Francisco. The Bay of San Francisco is ihe ;jlory of the Western World. Its mouth lies in latitude 37° 58'. The water on the i -ir is eiyht fathoms at low tide. The mountains on either hand rise several hundred feet above the sea, and form fine landmarks in fogijy weather, io Eoint out the bar, and the channel into the arbour. The capes at the ocean's edge are about two miles apart, always verdant and refreshing to the eye ; and, as you go up the passage, the little streams tumbling from the rocks among the greenwood, ana the wild game, standing out on the cliffs, or frolicking among the brush, and the seal barking in the water, give promise of pleasure and rest from the toils of the sea. This passage is about five miles in length. Four and a half miles from the capes it nar- rows considerably, and presents a bold point north and south. On the southern one stands the Presidio, or fort, on which this mighty harbour condescends to depend for protection. 'I'he fort is in ruins. A dozen old rusty guns, ill the CHH! of thirty or forty half-clad, half- breed soldiers, usually foracn vilrllina. Common Hair Seal, is abun- dant, and fnllows the track of the salmon. Vufliir fiber, the Beaver, and Fiber zHiethi' cus, the Musk Rat, are common in some parts of the country ; and the former is nume- rous at the mouths of the Sacramento and San Joaquim Rivers. The beaver is well known to naturalists, for tlie remarkable skill and in- dustry which it exhibits in the construction of its habitation, and the general sagacity and intelligence of its character. For this reason, as well as on account of the value of its skin, as an article of commerce, and the employ- ment which its capture affords to many enter- prising and bold men, some account of its haunts, and of the means used in obtaining it for purposes of trade, may not be uninterest- ing. Near and about the mouth of tlie Sacra- FARMIAM ON CALIFORNIA. 61 mtfMl and ter- •'licioiis meal phspI, and nf. id ill vnrioiis "I, the Mink, .f Jiinn'cana, of this conn- ttliolc Anieri. ry numerous, 'f whicli the If, is pcrhiips nrp, L. (rri. )mV\- Wolf, iHr varieties, is also found prable, dirfy ie about half fit-stock, the pt to devour Fox, and the x, are com- ined species ■obably a va- )i'd by Don- ltnoni!ik,and tho habit of one specien ribed liy na- olumbi;i and xpresscd by 3if9 lire the ('CuiTiir or inhabitants, d fi)rniidable (o the deep of thenioun- lor animals. ; Felisfasci- Felh riifa, bed varieties terisatimid «'d with the St any other [uini Hivers, 3 coast, the !al, is abun- salmon. iber zihethi- m in some ler is nume- nto and San well known kill and in- •oiistruclion Miracity and this reason, of its skin, he employ- inany enter- ;ount of its )btaining it uninterest- f tlie Sacm- mnnto, as before observed, lies a wide extent of lowland overflowed by the tide, and ini'iud- injj some hundreds of small islands, covered with an enormous ijrowth of rushes. There is |ircibalily no spot of equal extent on the whole eoiitinent of America, whieh contains 80 many of these niiieli souirlit tor animals. For the last titteen years the lliidson's Hay Company liave annually sent hither a coin. pany of from lifty to one huiidrel tnippers, who have each year tiiken from this spot alone from five lo ten thousand of these valuable skins. It is said by hunters well aci|uaiuted with the whole Rocky Mountain re^fion, that they have never seen anywhere else such larjre and fat beavers. On account of the scarcity of the timber of which their huts are generally constructed, the beavers, like true philosophers, have here accommodated them- selves to circumstances, and build their ha- bitations of rushes, curiously and skilfully interwoven. Notwithstandiiicj the immense con8cri()tiMn drawn from their familiis by th(^ hunters, their numbers as yet do not sensibly diminish. The very larjre size of the skins obtained from this place, causes their value to be irriatly enhanced. The probable worth of each skin, alter it is jirepared by ilie huiiteir, for exportation, is about three dollars ; and reckuriiriir the average number at eiiilil tliou- sand, we may arrive at an approximation to the i^Tcat importance of this siiijilc! locality to the llndsnirs Hay Company. 'I'he quality of till' Cur, however, is hardly so fine as that which is taken in a more northerly rey;ion. Cerru.i aires, the Moose, is found in all the woody and mountainous regions on the Co- lumbia, and is abundant farther southward, near 'An' coast. This noble animal, the iarn«mlly ahundant, though in some locali tif.s it may he found in consideralile numbers. Its extreme shyness renders its rapture a mat- ter of great difficulty. It presents a very graceful appeamncc when hounding "P the sides of almost inaccessible rocks, and the hun- gry travclier is often tTntalized with bi'tiolding It standing in perfect safety on a far-oif clilf, while his utmoHt endeavours to get it within rarige of liis rifle are perfectly futile. Uri» munlana, the Mountain Sheep, or Ar- ■nili, is another peculiar animal. Its hahitii- tion is on tlm loftiest ai\d coldest mountiiins, among tj\e most tremendous and impassable Iirecipices. In geiieml figure it much resem- iles a large sheep of the domestic kind, hut its horns seem out of all proportion to its body. These are from two to nearly three feet in length, are deeply ribbed, and curve backwards. Their weight on the male is sometimes thirty pounds. The covering of the body can scarcely he called wool, being a kind of coarse, short hair, of a dingy brown colour. It is called, by the voyageurs, "il/ow- ton tTM," and the ilesh, though rather dry, is very good. The mountain sheep appears to have early attracted the attention of travellers, and is described by Padres Piccolo and Sal- vatierra under the Californian name of Taye. The horns of this species are manufactured into spoons, and various other useful articles. Bus Jmericanus, the Dison, so well known to the western hunters, and so numerous on the prairies between the Rocky ^lountains and the United States, can hardly be consi- dered a Californian animal. That it once in- habited the country, there can he no doubt, hut probably in conse(|uence of the great and sin- gular change which has converted the interior trom a rich and fertile plain into a desolate waste, the bison has receded, and is now only to be found, and that in small numbers, on the extreme eastern and northern border. Luira mnrinn, the .*0 to i»UW each. The shores of California would furnish from 'J(),(iOU to .'iO.OUO an- nually. Of rats, mice, marmots, and squirrels, there are numerous species, only one or two of which sei'm worthy of notice. The common rat, the black rat, and two or three dilferent kinds of mice, are found in great numbers in many places, and their depredations are some- times very disagreeable. J'teudoxUimn Imrta- rium{?) the Pouched Rat, and the Jlrclomy* lircrheyi. Small Marmot, are curious Utile creatures. The latter is excceilingly plenti- ful in the plains near San Francisco and Mon- terey. It is a very sprightly animal, some- what larger than the common rat, of a fine brown colour, and constructs its burrows with much skill, carrying in its capacious cheek- pouches a store of nuts, corn, and acorns, for Its winter's food. The species of ^rclomt/a are numerous, and some ot them probably uii- describcd. Of ascertained species may he mentioned, .j. luHorieianut, llie well-known and very pretty Prairie Marmot, sometimes called (Jopher, which, howev(!r, is not found far to the west, and .7. monax, the woodcbuck. Of squirrels, there may be observed, Murm cinerttit, the gray, S. uiger, the black, .V. iiia- croureus, the great-tailed, besides Pirntniyt alpinua (.-) the flying s(|uirrel, and a species of Tiimiat, Striped Squirrel, or Dormouse. Of bares there are several fine species, one weighing from eight to twelve i)ounds, proba- bly /<«7)im jlf/nffn/i.i ,• another isX. rirainianus, th(^ Prairie Hare, and also L. /jrince/m (?) the Little Hare, which is only about six inches in length. UiRDS. — Worthy of mention among the first of the feathered family in California, is the Great Vulture, peculiar, probably, to this country. Let his name he given in full — a lofty and sonorous one, and well fitting its owner — Sareoramphot Californianuif ! Second only to the huge Condor of South America in size, and closely allied to him in many re- spects, this remarkable bird deserves particu- lar notice. The great vulture is met with along the whole Pacific coast, from Lower California to the most northern boundaries of Oregon and the Russian possessions. Soli- tary in its habits, rapacious in its appetite, enormous in size, and singular in conformation and appearance, it seems to hold the same position in the scenery of this country as its' TARNHA M ON CALIFORNIA. celebrntpd European congenpr, »ho liiiminer- gcypr, in that of the Alps. It buililM its jutttt among the woqdy liistrlcta of Californh., on the tops of thii highest trees, in the most in- accPHHibIt) Pdrta of the mountain valleys. It is v«!ry wary and difficult of approach, except M'hile on its nest, or after a meal, when its whole nature seems to he chanKed, and it is so overcome by the inordinati; indul;;nnce of its appetite, that it may be knocked on the head with a Hiick. Their food is carrion, and, ill cominon with others of thn vultureM, th< tore it is devoured entirely out of sight. So far as the observa- tioiiH of the author have extended, it is in Cali- funiia a bird of passage, being only found tliere in the autumn and winter. I'alharleB alralut, the Hlack Vulture, is quite common in almost uvery part of the country west of the Kocky Mountains'. Its habits and general appearance are quite similar to those of the last-mentioned species. Jlquila Chrytaetoa, the (>olden Eagle, is a noble bird, and is considt'id, by the Indians as well as the civilized at distance. The yo.ing are gi'nerally from two to foui in number, and they remain a long time in the nest. (Jreat confu- sion has been produced in nomenclature by the frequent mistakes arisi g from the variety of colour in this bird, a variety which seems to depend solely u|)on age. The first plumage is of a brownish black colour, which in the ensuing summer becomes a dark and speckled gray, and it is not till the third year that it assumes the pure and brilliant white of tho head and neck, which has given it tho epithet of " Bald," and the deep black of the rest ot the body. The bald eagle is about three feet in length, and seven in extent. The wing8 and claws are extremely vigorous and power- ful. Jlquila llulixta, the Osprey or Fish Hawk, inhabits the coast, and many of tho interior waters of this country. This bold and active fisher has been so well described by natural ists as to make any extended notice here su- perfluous, though his admirable traits of cha meter, his perseverance, patience, and skill in his occupation as an angler, forbid us to en- tirely omit speaking of him. Almost every one who has vistedthe Atlantic coast, from Maine to Cieorgia, is acquainted with this bird, and has observed his well-contested quarrels with the bald eagle. Falco pere^intu, the Black Hawk, or Pero- frrine Falcon, is found in some parts, partici. arly tho northern, where he is probably only a summer visitor. This hawk, as well as many other species, is called " little eagle' by the Indians. Fafco IslandicuB, the Jer-Falcon, is an elo gant and bold bird, probably t)io most beauti- ful of the tribe. He inhabits the northern coast, and is properly confined to tho frozen regions, though individuals arc by no means mro in Upper California. The colour of this bird is nearly white, with small brown spots on the back and rump. Some specimens are met with whose colour is purely and entirely white. It preys on plover, geese, and ducks, which it strikes while on the wing with great vigour. It is an exceedingly v'rong-wingnd and powerful bird, and measures about thirty inches in length by four foct six inches in ex- tent. Several other of the Falcons of lesser note are found here. Among these may be men- tinned the Faleo tparvcriu; Sparrow Hawk, well known all over North Arnerica ; the /ViAro columbarim, Pigeon Hawk ; ind the beantiful 1 1 '( ■mR mm u FARNHAM ON CALIFORNIA. <4 h III PI I-; •I r I Jeeipiter phmbariui, Gos Hnwk, identical with the Kuropean species, so celebrated (or its use in the noblo sport of falconry. Of the Owls there are several species. The Sirii yirinninua. Great Horned Owl, often alarms the benighted traveller with its dis- cordant hootinys. It is somewhat ditrcnul from its brethren of the same sju'cies in tiie States, the colour beiny; a deeper and bri ' h(d(>s on the sandy plains. Ijuuiux hiirmli>, *be Northern Nhrikr ; s^ve- tiii u,;.-cie8 of 'J'i/riniiiu» and Tyrnnr.uia, Kly- Catchers ; Morula mii:riiloria, the K'liiii; Orpheus felivox, the Pat- Bird ; Orji/ieua nifiis, the Brown Thrush ; several Sy/vicu'te ; .■iliiu- da, the I.ark, one or two species ; Emhrriza nii'(i/i.',i\w Snow Iiuntin<(. Ir/irux j /mnicius, the Itedwinir, are f')unil in various parts of the Califoriiias, as well as in the I'nited Stales. I^iriii /ci;cii/ttcra, the Crossbill, is founil all over tilt" country <<\ the |'ine forests, and liis- phiys (.Teat dexti rity in |'ickiiiir mitwiih its curiously cinstrucli'd liill llie srcds of llir pioi' cones, wjiicii arc its principal fnod. Ciirr'is riirn.r, tlif Uavrn. is nuinerons in many parts of the (^alilornias. and dillVrs not at all ill pluinatrc and habits fmni its brctlircti in the I'liiti'il States, <'iirniiiciiniiii:,lh(' i'mw, is nlso fiinnd in irreat iiiiiuliers, ( ,lrl•f/^ yi/iv;, the Mairpic. inin-h rt'seinble.s in gen.rd appeannce tiic Kuropean speeies, from wli,"h it ilillers ii. si/.i , bei-iir coiisidera- bly larger, "iid its cidours are nitlier deeper, and III"". !irii!i<, \lie only woodpecker which the untbur has ob- served, except a species at Monterey, xshich 18 probably not yet dcserib«'d. In Honie parts of California, particularly in the south, the be lutiful ilnmining llird is rcourse, in search of bis scaly prey, and seems to be a com|ioni nt feature in liie scenery of every rapid and walerfall. There is probably no country in the world which produces so many varieties of the (iroiise.. It in so great numbers. The heart of a ^'ankee s|)orl.sinan would alniosl hurst Willi delight at the success of a day's shooting ill some parts of the i..ierior of California. Ttlriiii tiroj hii-ifiiiuH, the (ireat (^ock of ttie I'lains, second only in size and beauty to the ci'lebrated cock of the woods of the .North of Kurojie, is very plentiful in North California, as well as in the ngions watered by the Co- liiiiiliia Itiver. This noble bird generally makes bis residence in the barren plain, among low bu»lies and brushwood, under uhieh it runs and lurks, and is (lushed with some diilicully, generally taking wir;if near enough to the shooter to atTord him a fair inarK. The cock of the jdaiiis is about thirty inches in length, and marly four feet in ex- tent, and Weighs t'roin seven to ten pounds. 'I'lie llesh is very fine and delicat«'. The colour is a bright gray, varied with small lirown spots on the back and wings. Another fine species is the 'I', nhfcunm, Dusky Grouse, ;> very handsome bird, though much less in size than the preeedin, Kock (iroiise, inhabits the mountainous regions of the norih, 7'. iiinl'f'tu.i, the R titled (irouse, or Pheasant of the Soiitliern .States, and the 7'. l'ururu.i. While Tailed Grouse are coinni' n in differen' plaei's i have never met with < ither the 7 libit iitmlluii. Pintail (irouse, or the '/'. Friir/>- III,.', which are probably confined to the mon reni'tii regions of tiU' north. '•'he ii.ys, inlets, and rivers, are well siocKfd with dillerint spe<'iea of water birds, and t.ie lowlands near lli utlets of some of the streams ;)n the Pacilic coast actually swarm with geese, ducks, widgeon, teal, cranes, curlews, snipes, and various other w.iders and swimmers. Of this class el lords, the infinite variety forbids . lention but of a few imiividuals. 'I'ho Trhif^a, Sand Pi per ; llic i'huradriut. Plover ; the Aunitrinut, FARNHAM ON CALIFORNIA. 63 Curlew; llie Tnlanua, Tatler; the Limo$a, (lOilwit; tl>P Sculopnx, Snipe; the Phiilarojiet the Ldi'ix, Uiill ; of each several species, and in ininirnsn numbers, throng the shores. ('i/i:n^"i l-uccinitor, the Swan, is the brg«?st bird of tb" country, and seems to differ in nothing trom the Hiiino species elsewhere. Its colour is jiurri white, except th;it of the bill and legs, wliicii are black, anil of the fore- heaJ, which is a fine orange. This is a splen- did a. belly, and he stat(.>s thill this' colour is "preserved in all stajjes of its f;r' will." This is probably a mistake. Tliiu inilividii!'.! ■ an8werin<>; this descriptioti are found, there is no doubt, but they seem to be the youu'j' of the first ipontioned species. (•eese are abundant in siui'lar pla;liin rivers an- densely |>opulati'd with several valuable species. The ralifornia tinlf produces also great numbers of edible shell-fish. The Oyster, the Pearl-sludl,lhe Muscle, several siieeies of Ha- liotis, all afforil either food or articles of trade and ornament to the inhabitants. In I'ppcr California fish are generally little s((Ui.fbi after, the i)roduetioiis of the earth being so luiinerous and plentitiil ; but in the colder regions of the north, they afford tin* common, and sometimes the sole subt istence of tho natives. In the Columbia, as well as in the San Joaqnim and Sacramento rivers, and in almost every water- course having its outlet in the sea, tlie num- bers i){' Sti.'mii, {Srfiiiuhii,) .Salmon, ;ir<' almost incri.'dible. On some of tliese rivers iVom two to llirec thousand are soui'-limes taken in a single day. The Indians someiimes e.ipture them witli a kind of wicker basket, Kimiliir to that used by .he fishermen on the Ailantic const tor taking lobsteis. 'I'his is done in the spring, w Inn the lisli are on their passaire up the stream. Tiny are also taken with the spear, which consists of a sharp piece of uonc fusU-ned to the end of a shaft of wood twelve or fifteen feet in length, and which the Indians use with great dexterity, freiiuently securing salmon ot from twenty to liiirty nounds in weight. The fish are dried or saltefl.and pre- served for Allure use. They are also some* times t;iki>n with only a Hinall s(*ooi) net, fas- tened U) the emi of a pule. Douglas speitks of an individual measured by him, which was three feet five inches lung, and ten inches r2 / •*,»-' M FARNHAM ON CAUFORNIA. lit i i ^-1 I ri. rl broad, t. dighiitff thirty-five pounds. The author can vouch for tho fact that this aize is not exaggerated, having often seen specimens nearly or quite as large. Some of the streams also abound with very fine salmon trout, and with a small trout nearly resembling the one which affords so much sport to the anglers of the United States. Jtdptmer trantmonlanui, the Sturccon, sometimes attains great size in tho large rivers, bring from eight to ten feet in length, and weighing nearly five hundred pounds. In general, however, this fish is of much smaller dimensions. It is principally found not fur from the months of the rivers. In the Bay of Monterey is a specifs of Mackerel, Seutn'ier coliai, in great plenty, and easily taken. H'-re, as well as in most other parts of the coast, also swim schools of a small fish resemhling, if not identical with, the Sardine of Italy, familiar to epicures. These are sometimes seen in such immense numbers that the surface of tVe water for a great distance around, resembles a living mass, being kept in constant commotion by their fins. Porpoises are verj' numerous in almost every bay on the whole coast, and in foul weather may always be seen playing their pranks on the waves ; while far in the ofling appears the spouting of the huge whale. The Halibut, Pilchard, Skate.Turbot, Bonito, and many other species, are found in >'arious parts of the sea-coast. The shell-fish are nume- rous and valuable, particularly in the gulf. Of these may be mentioned, Oysters, which are often of large size and excellent tiavonr. Mus- cles, several specits of Haliotis, Patella, Car- dium, r id Turbo, besides Mi/n marnnriliftra, the Pea Oyster, the product of which, as an artielo o' commerce, is well known. Tho pearls produced by these shell-fish are, in this exuinlry, of very fine ivatcr, though rather irre- gular in figure. Plamts.— The Cnlifornias offer n very inte- resting and but partially explored field of re- search to the botanist. Almost every variety of vegetation, from the luxuriant pruductions of the tropics to the stinted and scanty growth of the frozen regions, mav be found in this country. The labours if bouglas and others have made known to the world many of the most valuable and remarkable species. Of these it is possible here to mention only a few. Of Uie Pine and Oak there an- several noble and useful varieties, in differcrt parts of the country. One of these, I'imn Ihu- gloiii, first described by Douglas, is probably ihe grandest of the whole vegetable kingdom. It .» fou'.id on the mountains about the Bay of San Francisco, on the highlands near the upper branchea of the Colorado River, and in some other sections of Upper California, generally on elevated localities. My readers must not tliink of Baron Munchausen, when I offer to vouch for the fact that specimens of this tree occur of the height of two hundivd and forty feet, the base of whose tninki have ■ circum- ference of nearly sixty feet. The trunk is Quite destitute of branches, until above more than half the altitude, when they grow oniJ ward and upward In such a manner as to girJ the top the form of an Inverted pyramid.l From the ends of the branches hang the confti or seed-vessels, from twelve to fifteen inehnl in length, and egg-shaped. The seeds are ai| large as a good-sized bean, and furnish a con mon article of food to the Indians, whocollrrj large quantities of them in the autumn, an4 Cound them into a kind of cake, which ii^ aked on heateil stones. The wood is verrs fine-grained, and contains a great quantity oi| resin. The Pinus Sabinit, J'. Lamherliana, P. n*^ ii7i», and P. rextnota, are also fine spccipi. though less in size than their gigantic relative The former is, however, a large tree, bein; often found one hundred and ten feet liigh,ani: from ten to twelve in diameter. Among tlx elevated plains of Upper California it growii quite plentifully, as also on the low hilki near the coast, where it attains a larger sivT The natives frequently build their fires againtil these trees to save tne trouble of eollectinjj fuel. By this means, also, a sweet gum iJ made to exude from the trunk, which serreil them for sugar. The White Oak grows on the low and levfil parts of the country. It is not generally il arge tree, being from forty to fifty feet higk.J and from two to three feet in diameter at thJ base. The top is extremely thick and leafj.l forming an almost impenetrablo mass (il| boughs. It is in some places very abundant^ I'he QurrciM navalin occupies the prairiH| river banks, and lower hills, and is four five feet in diameter, with branches of corn ponding dimensions, extending horizontalltl from the trunk. The Live Oak, Q, virtn\ grows only on the highlands. It i^^ from twi| to five feet in thickness, and from sixty i seventy in height. The Maple, the Ash, tlni Beech, the Chestnut, in several varieties, cob pose large portions of the forests. It is impossible to give a full description rJ the flowering shrubs and plants of Upper CalJ fornia, so great is their variety and bcauijJ We have only space to notice a few of iti«| most conspicuous. A species of Raspbt-rnl Hibtt »peeioium, is one of the most ele^iJ flowering shrubs of the country. It is exceffrj ingly abundant in 8i)me localities, atid,'wi!!| its long crimson itamens, and its deep gntii leaves, presents a.; appearance truly IovpIm The flowers bloom early in spring. The fni:| I have not seen In many places are foiinij several species of Mimuhu, one of which from three to four feet in height, and is a vml showy plant. This country also has niin»>l rous species of Phlox and Heuehera, and innn^j merabie quantities of EpUobium^ JSnothera, ol Primrose, Pentttemon, Paptivrr, or Poprjf Jitlpkinium, and SaMa. A species of l.ii^ also grows here, the roots of which are eai*;! by the natives. The &t7Ai eetulenta gro»il along the whole eoaat of Upper Cali^mnf This is called, by the mtivet, " Quam(ul'\ and the root forms a very eoromon article *| also fine specie*, 'ir gigantic rclatitf, a large tree, bein; id tun feet liigh,anii ncter. Among ih* California it growi ; on the low hilk| tains a larger siw.J Id their fires againitl "ouhle of coUectiD!! 10, a sweet gum \\ trunk, which serTHi '. made in the ground, and a number of stones E laced in it, on which a fire is kindled and ept burning until they are made hot, when the fire is extinguished, and the roots, wrapped in straw, leaves, and moss, are placed upon them. They are well roasted in a few hours, and are then taken oflf and hung up to dry. This root is also sometimes pounded and mudo into cakes, which are preserved for future usn. Tiie taste is sweet, and rather agreeable, but if eaten too freely they are apt to produce diar- rhoea. This plant is most abundant on tlio banks of rivers and on lowlands by the mar- irins of forests, in which localities an; also ound several species of Pt/rola, Caprifulium, [and Lupinui, which sometimes cover an im- [mense extent of land. The Jrbuttu is also [abundant in similar situations. The large [species, J. yrorera, is a fine shrub, frequently [attaining a growth which entitles it to be Icalled a tree. The J. uvit urti is found in lalmost every part of the colder sections of the country, and its berries are fremiently eaten by the natives, and even by travellers. A very useful plant to the natives is the llthmitu Unax, |lhe fibres of which are stronger than any hemp, yords made of this are used by the Indians for he purpose of snaring deer, and other ani- nals; and one the thickness of the little fin- der is so strong as not to be broken by the irgest elk. The Gooseberry grows in Upper California, nd bears plentifully. The sand-hills and Boors are covered with a great variety of Syn- enesious plants, and on the more fertile and lumid soil grows a gaudy-flowered Currant- lush, and a pretty species of Honeysuckle, ferhapsthe most remarkable shrub here is the fedra, a poisonous plant, which, however, af- cts some particular constitutions only. By gntact with the skin, it produces tumours and lolent inflammation. It is a slender shrub, eferring cool and shady places, and bearing [trefoil crenated leaf. Two roots — the jplantu f which I have not seen— «re used by the na- res for soap; these are called Jnutle and lima/c. On the rocky coast south of Monte- are immense collections of sea-weed, Fu- ipyri/orm$, which arc said to have gatliered tre in such abundance as to have saved several vessels from splitting on the rocks, when driven on them by the tempest. MiNKRALs. — ^The mineral wealth of the Californias has not been examined by persons capable of forming a correct idea of its nature and extent. The imperfect observations of travellers, embe'>lished by the eager love of the precious mttxlB, are not to be relied on. Some facts, however, exist, which having been well and of\en observed, may be mentioned. A very fine article of bituminous coal has been discovered in the neighbourhood of San Francisco ; and indications of its existence in other parts of the country are numerous and well marked. A quicksilver mine is said to exist near the mountains east of Monterey, which, if we may believe jeport, is the richest in the world. A silver mine has been discovered a short distance from Monterey. This affords a very rich ore, and easily wrought. The author saw spoons and other articles made of the products of this mine. There is a gold mine situate near the Pueblo de los Angelos, which is very rich. The ore was tested by mv friend Doctor Lyman, and was found to yield more than ninety per ce.it. The inhabitants have observed very extensive veins of gold in the vicinity of the Bay of San Francisco, and, indeed, in many other parts of this beautiful land. In Lower California there are several mines, which the people are working in a rude way, but with considerable profit Virgin silver and gold are o(\en found in consideraule Quantities. No doubt is enter* tained by those best acouainted with the Call* fornias, that they will become, when science shall be applied in the development of their wealth, one of the richest mineral provinces of America This belief is much strengthened by the fact, that the Indians, whenever they choose, can bring into the settlements large quantities of these ores, which they either find on the surface, or prv from the crevices of the rocks with sharpened sticks, bones, or hunting knives. They cannot be induced to show the whites where they obtain these, on account of an old traditional superstition, that if they should do so, they would immediately die.— Pp. 380—403. ^ I EXTRACT FROM THE TRESIDENT'S MESSAGE To (he Senate and House nf Rrprestntativrs, in Congreaa assembled, Dec. 6, \HA%. Ilk !. It waa known tliat mines of the precious metals existed to u considt-rablo extent in California at the time of its uoiiuisition. Re- cent (liscoverii's rt'iuler it jirohable that these mines are more extensivi? uii without a large increase of pay. Desertions in his command have be- come frequiMit, and he recoinnifrnds that tlioso who shall withstand the strong tempt;itionK, ami remain faithful, ''hould be rewarded. This aliundance of gold, and the all-engross- ing pursuit of it, have already caused in Cali- fornia an unprecedented rise in the jirice ol the necessaries of life. That we may tlie more speedily and fullr j avail ourselves of the undeveloped wealth oi ! these mines, it is deemed of vast important that a bmnch of the mint of the United States, be authorized to be est»;| I em .Mexico and Peru, to an amount in vali^ i of many millions of dollars, are now anmial'l ; diverted and carried by the ships of Gri;] ; Uritain to her own ports, to bo ret-iined ! u^irAHTl:RB. IOtTI MlI.ITAIlV Pvp'T. ) ! Moutcrej, CikllfnrniR, Ang. 17, 1R4«. J I Sir — 1 have the honour to inform you that, accomi>aniod hy Lieut. W. T. Sherman, 3d Artillery, A. A. A. General, I started on the I'Jth of Jime last t'> make a tour through the ' northern part of California. My principal ' purpose, iiowever, was to visit the newly dis- , covered gold " placer," in the valley of tho Sacramento. I had proceeded about forty miles, wlien I was overtaken hy an express, bringing me intelligence of the arrival at Mon- terey of the United Suites ship Southampton, with important letters from (Commodore Shu- brick, and Lieut, ('ol. Harton. I returned at once to Monterey, and despatched what busi- ness was most important, and on tho ITtli re- sumed my journey. We reached San Fran- cisco on the 'JOth, and found tliat all, or nearly all, its male inhahitiints had gone to the mines. The town, which a few months befort- Wiis so busy and thriving, was then almost deserted. On the evening of the 24tli, the horses of the eseort were crossed to Sousoleto in a launch, and oil the following day we resuiiied the I journey, by way of Hodeg;), and Senoina, to Sutter's Fort, where we arrived on the iiioni- ing (if the 3d of July. Along the whole route, mills were lying idle, lields of wheat were open to cattle ana horses, houses vacant, and laniis going to waste. At Sutter's there WHS iiuire life and business. Launches were disiharging their cargoes at the river, and were hiiuliiig goods to the fort, where already w,-»ro established several stores, a hotel, &c. Cijifain Sutter had only two mechanics in his einjiloy, u wagon-maker and a blacksmith, wli( m he *v;is then paying #10 a day. Mer- chu'its pay him a monthly rent of ijtIOl) pir room : and, whilst I was there, a two story h'-iise in the lort was rented as a hotel, tor ^jtHl a month. At the urgent solicitation of many gentle- men, 1 delayed there to participate in the first pnlilic celebration of our national anniversary at that fort, but on the .'itii resumed tlit^ jour- ney, and proceeded twenty-five miles up the American t'ork, to a point on it now known as the Lower Mines, or Mormon Diggin.". The hill sides .vere thickly strewn wit!- anvp" tents and bush arbours; a store wn . .iied, and several boarding shanties in c ration. The day was intensely hot, yet jut two hundred men were at work in the full glare of the sun, washing for gold — some with tin pans, some with close woven Indian baskets, but the greater part had a rude machine, known as the cradle. This is on rockers, six or eight feet long, open at the foot, and at its head has a coarse grate or sievr ; the bottom is rounded, with small elects iiiiled across. Four men are re- <|uired to work this machine; one digs the ground in the bank close by the stream ; an- other carries it to the cradle mid empties it on the grate ; a third gives a violent rocking mo- tion to the machine ; whilst a fourth dashes on water from the stream itself. 'I'he sieve keeps the coarse stones from entering tho cra- dle, the current of water washes off the earthy matter, and the gmvel is gmdiially carried out at the foot of the machine, leaving the gold mixed with a heavy fine black sand above the first elects. The s and and gold mixed togetlier arc then drawn off through augur holes into a pan be- low, are dried in the sun, and afterwards sepa- rated by blowing off the san parties at work, all of whom were doing very : well ; a great many specimens were shown me, some as heavy as four or five ounces in weight, and I send three pieces, labelled No. | 5, presented by a Mr. Spence. j You will perceive that some of the speci- mens accompanying this, hold mechanically j pieces of quartz ; that the surface is rough, I and evidently moulded in the crevice of a rock. This gold cannot have been carried far by water, but must have remained! near where it was first deposited from the rock that once bound it. 1 inmiired of many people if they , hid encountered the metal in its matrix, but in every instance they Haid they had not, but that the gold was invariably mixed with washed gravel, or lodged in the crevices of other : rocks. All bore testimony that they had , found gold in greater or lesH i|UHntitii's in the numerous small gullies or mvines that occur in that luountaincus region. On the 7th of July I left the mill, and crossed to a small stream euiptying into tlie American fork, three or four miles below the saw-niill. I stmck this stream (now known as Weber's creek) at the washings of Sunol & Co. They had about thirty Indiansemployed, whom they pay in merchandise. They were getting gold of a character siiuihir to that found on the main fork, and doubtless in sullicient mianiilies to •atist'y them. I send you a sniail specimen, f resented by this company, of their gold, 'rom this point we proceeded up the str««iii about eight miles, where we found a great many people and Indians — some engtiged in the bed of the stream, and others in the small side valley that put into it. These latter are exceedingly rich, and two ounces were con- sidered an ordinary yield for a day's work. A small gutte), not more than a hundred yards long, by four feet wide, and two or three feet deep, was pointed out to me as the one where tWv' men, William Daly and Perry Mc- Coon, had v siiort time before obtained 917,000 worth of g'lld. Capt. Weber informed mo that he knew tha< tliese two men had em- itloyed four white men and about a hundred ndians, and that, at the end of one week's work, they paid oflf their party, and had lef\ $10,000 worth of this gold. Another small ravine was shown me, from which had been taken upwards of 912,000 worth of gold. Hundreds of similar ravines), to all appearances, are as yet untouched. I could not have credited these reports, had I not seen, in the abundance of the precious metal, evidence of their truth. Mr. Neligh, an agent of Commodore Stockton, had been at work about three weeks in the neighbour- hood, and showed me, in bags and bottles, over 92000 worth of gold ; and Mr. Lyman, a gentleman- of education, and worthy of every credit, said he had been engaged with four others, with a machine, on the American fork, just below Sutter's mill ; that they worked eight days, and that his share was at the rate or 950 a day ; but hearing that others were doing better at Weber's place, they had re- moved there, and were then on the point of resumin<{ operations. I might tell of hundreds of similar instances ; but, to illustrate how plentiful the gold was in the pockets of com- mon labourers, I will mention a simple occur- rence, which took place in my presence, when I was at Weber's store. This store was nothing but an arbour of bushes, under which he had exposed for sale goods and groceries suited to his customers. A man came in, picked up a box of Seid litz powders, and asked its price. Capt. We- ber told him it was not for sale. The man offered an ounce of gold, but Capt. Weber told him it only cost fifty cents, and he did not wish to sell it. The man then offered un ounce and a half, when CLpt. Weber had to take it. The prices of all things are high, and yet Indians, who before hardly knew what a breech cloth was, can now aflbrd to buy the most gaudy dresses. The country on either side of Weber's creek is much broken up by hills, and is inlersecteii in every direction by small streams nr ravines, which contain more or less gold. Those that have been worked are barely scratched, and { although thousands of ounces have been car- ried away, I do not consider that a serious im- Itression has been made upon the whole. '!very day was developing new and riehei { deposits, and the only impression seemed to be, that the metal would be found in such ' abundance as seriously to depreciate in valuo. Un the 8th of July I returned to the lowrr mines, and on the foll'iwing day to Sutter's, where, on the lUtli, I was making preparatiuni CAUFORNIA AND HER GOLD. 71 for a visit to the Feather, Yubah, and Bear rivers, when I received a letter from Com- mander A. R. Lonff, United States Navy, who had just arrived^ at San Francisco, from Mazatian, with a crew for the sloop-of-war Warren, with orders to take that vessel to the squadron at La Paz. Capt. Long wrote to mo that the Mexican Congress had adjourned without ratifying the treaty of peace, that he had lettprs for me from Commodore Jones, and that his orders were to sail with the War- ren on or before the 20th of July. In conse- quence of these, I determined to return to Monterey, and accordingly arrived here on the 17th of July. Before leaving Sutter's, I satis- fied mysi'lf that gold existed in the bed of the Feather Kiver, in the Yubah, and Bear, and in many of the small streams that lie between the latter and the American fork ; also, that it had been found in the Cosummea, to tlie south of the American fork. In each of these strean^s the gold is found in small scales, whereas in the intervening mountains it occurs in coarser lumps. Mr. Sinclair, whos.*^ rancho is three miles above Sutter's, on the north side of the Ame- rican, employs about fifty Indians on the north fork, not far from its jinction with the main stream. He had been engaged about five weeks when I saw him, and up to that time his Indians had used fiimply closely woven willow baskets. His not proceeds (which I saw) were about iiH 6,000 worth of gold — 14 pounds avoirdupois of clean-washed gold. The principal store at Sutter's Fort, that of Dlanman ti Cn., had received in payment of goods, $36,000 worth of this gold, from the Istof Mav to the 10th of July. Other mer- chants hadf also made extensive sales. Large nuantilies of goods were daily sent forward to the mines, as tl^e Indians, heretofore so poor and degraded, h<>ve suddenly become consum- ers of the luxuries of life. I before mentioned that the greater part of the farmers and ran- cheros had abandoned their fields to go to the mines. This is not the case with Captain Sutter, who was carefully gathering his wheat, estimated at 40,000 bushels. Flour is already worth, at Sutter's, #.36 a barrel, and soon will be 950. Unless large quantities of breadstuff reach the country, much suffering will occur ; but, as each man is now able to pay a large price, it is believed the merchants will bring, from Chili and Oregon, a plentiful supply for the coming wint«>r. I he most moderate estimate I could obtain from men acquainted with the subject, was, tliat upwards of four thousand men were work- ing in the gold district, of whom more than one-half were Indians; and that from #30,000 to #50,000 worth of gold, if not morn, was daily obtained. The entire gold district, with very few exceptions, of grants made some years ago by ih«. Mexican authorities, is on land beloniring to the United States. It was a matter of serious reflection with me, how I oould secure to the government oerttiin rents or fecir for the privilege of procuring this gold ; but, upon considering the large extent of coun- try, the character of the people engaged, and the small, scattered force at my command, I resolved not to interfere, but to permit all to work freely, unless broils and crime should call for interference. I was surprised to learn that crime of any kind was very unfrequent, and that no thefts or robberies had been com- mitted in the gold district. All live in tents, in bush-arbours, or in the open air ; and men have frequently about their persons thousands of dollars worth of this gold ; and it was to me a matter of surprise that so peaceful and quiet a state of things should continue to exist. Conflicting claims to particular spots of ground may cause col- lisions, but they will be rare, as the extent of country is so great, and the gold so abundant, that for the present there is room and enough for all. Still, the governni it is entitled to rents for this land, and immediate steps should be devised to collect them, for the longer it is delayed the more difficult it will become. One tian 1 would suggest is, to send out from the fnited Statt?s surveyors, with high salaries, bound to serve a specified period. A Superintendent, to be appointed at Sut- ter's Fort, with power to grant licenses to work a lot of ground, say one hundred square yards, for one year, at a rent of frcm #100 to #1000, at his discretion; the surveyors to measure the ground, and place the renter in possession. A better plan, however, will be to have dis- tricts surveyed and sold at public auction, to the highest bidder, in small parcels, say from twenty to forty acres. In either case, there will he many intruders, whom, for years, it will be almost impossible to exclude. The discovery of these vast deposits of gold has entirely changed the character of Upper California. Its people, before engaged in cultivating their small patches of ground, and guarding their herds of cattle andliorses, have all gone to the mines, or are on their way thither. Labourers, of every trade, have left their work-benches, and tradesmen their shops. Sailors desert their ships as fast as they arrive on the coast, and several vessels have gone lo sen with hardly enough hund>} to spread a sail. Two or three are now at anchor in San Francisco, with no crew on board. Many desertions, too, have taken place from the gar- risons within the influence of these mines ; twenty-six soldiers lure deserted from the I lost of Sonoma, twenty-four from that of San ''rancisco, and twtMity-four from Monterey. For a few days the evil appeared so threaten- ing, that great danger existed that the garri- sons would leave in a body ; and I refer you to my orders of the *•'» ' If 'i ;ii El i; than double a soldier's pay and allowances for a month, and even the pay of a lieutenant or captain cannot hire a servant. A carpenter or mechanic would not listen to an ofler of less than fifteen or twenty dollars a day. Could any combination of affairs try a man's fidelity more than this? and I really think some ex- traordinary mark of favour should be (jiven to those soldiers who remain faithful to their fla^ throughout this tempting crisis. No officer can now live in (/aiifornia on his pay — money has so little value. The jjrices of necessary iirtiirh's of clutliiiifr and subsist- ence an- HO oxorbitiuit, and bthour so hi.<;h« that to hire a cook or a servant has ln'conie an impossibility, save to those wlio are earnin part of offi- cers, their pay must bo increased very material- ly. Soldiers, both of the volunteers and regular Hervi(;e, discharged in this country, should be permitted at once to locale their land »var- ranis in the gold district. Many private let- ters have gone to tiie United Suites, giving accounts of iho vast (|uantity of gidd recently discovered, and it may ln^ a matter of stir|)rise why I have made no report on this subject at an e-arlier date. The reason is, that 1 could not bring myself to Ixlieve the reports that I heard of the wealth of the gold disiriet, until I visiii'd it myself. 1 have no hesitation now in saying that there is more gold in the coun- try dniini'd by tho Sacrauit nto and Sun Joa- quin rivers than will pay llio cost of the pre- sent war with Mexico a huniireii limes dver. No eapiuil is reiiuired to obliiin this gold, as the labouring man wants nothing i)ut IiIn pick, shovel, and a tin pan, with which to dig and wash the gnivel, and many frecpienlly pick gold out of the cn^vices of rocks, wiili their butcher knives, in jiieces from one to six ounces. Mr. Dye, a gentleman residing in Monterey, and worthy of every credit, has just returned from Feather Hiver. lie tells ine that the company to wiiicli he belonged worked seven weeks and two days, with an avenge of fifty Indians, (washers,) and that their gross pro- duct was 'wo hundred and seventy-three jiounds of gold. His share, (nne-seventli,) aft