History of the State of California Part 5

"Here I met with another of the volunteers, who proposing a walk, we went out together, and proceeded to the Plaza. I found a good many old acquaintances set up in business at this spot; one, who had been a captain, had recently turned money-broker, and now kept an office for the exchange of coin and gold-dust, having entered into partners.h.i.+p with a highly respectable and agreeable individual, of active business habits, who promised to prove a great acquisition to the concern.

"We soon reached a low, long, _adobe_ building, situated at the upper side of the square, and which my companion told me was the Custom House. To the right of the Plaza stood the Saint Charles's Hotel, a wooden edifice covered in with canvas, and the Peytona House, an establishment of a similar description, in both of which we did not fail to find the usual games carried on.

"The streets leading down to the water-side contain comparatively few hotels or eating-houses, they being chiefly wood and canvas trading-stores. I observed amongst them several newly opened auction and commission-rooms, where goods were being put up, recommended and knocked down in true Yankee style. An immense number of wooden frame-houses in course of erection met our view in every direction; and upon remarking that many of them appeared to have been purposely left incomplete, I ascertained that this arose from the extreme difficulty of procuring lumber, which, on account of its scarcity, occasionally fetched an incredibly high price. A good deal of it is brought from Oregon, and some from South America. Many of the larger houses, but far inferior, notwithstanding, to such of the same kind as could easily be procured in New York at a rental of from 300 to 400 dollars a-year, cost here at least 10,000 dollars to build them, the lots on which they were erected being valued at sums varying from 30,000 to 50,000 dollars, according to the locality. Many spots of ground, just large enough for a small trading-house or a tent to stand upon, let at from 1200 to 2000 dollars.

"Amongst the various emigrants who daily flocked into the city--for each day brought its fresh arrivals--were numerous Chinese, and a very considerable number of Frenchmen, from the Sandwich Islands and from South America. The former had been consigned, with houses and merchandise, to certain Americans in San Francisco, to whom they were bound by contract, as laborers, to work at a scale of wages very far below the average paid to mechanics and others generally. The houses they brought with them from China, and which they set up where they were wanted, were infinitely superior and more substantial than those erected by the Yankees, being built chiefly of logs of wood, or scantling, from six to eight inches in thickness, placed one on the top of the other, to form the front, rear, and sides; whilst the roofs were constructed on an equally simple and ingenious plan, and were remarkable for durability.

"These Chinese had all the air of men likely to prove good citizens, being quiet, inoffensive, and particularly industrious. I once went into an eating-house, kept by one of these people, and was astonished at the neat arrangement and cleanliness of the place, the excellence of the table, and moderate charges. It was styled the 'Canton Restaurant;' and so thoroughly Chinese was it in its appointments, and in the manner of service, that one might have easily fancied one's self in the heart of the Celestial Empire. The barkeeper--though he spoke excellent English--was a Chinese, as were also the attendants.

Every article that was sold, even of the most trifling kind, was set down, in Chinese characters, as it was disposed of; it being the duty of one of the waiters to attend to this department. This he did very cleverly and quickly, having a sheet of paper for the purpose, on which the article and the price were noted down in Chinese characters, by means of a long, thin brush, moistened in a solution of Indian or Chinese ink. As I had always been given to understand that these people were of dirty habits, I feel it only right to state that I was delighted with the cleanliness of this place, and am gratified to be able to bear testimony to the injustice of such a sweeping a.s.sertion.

"As for the French, they seemed entirely out of their element in this Yankee town; and this circ.u.mstance is not to be wondered at, when the climate and the habits of the people are taken into consideration, and also the strange deficiencies they must have observed in the ordinary intercourse of life between the citizens, so different from the polished address, common even amongst the peasantry in their rudest villages; to say nothing of the difficulty of carrying on business amongst a people whose language they did not understand. But their universal goal was the mines; and to the mines they went, with very few exceptions.

"Speaking of them reminds me of a '_Cafe Restaurant_,' in San Francisco, kept by a very civil Frenchman, and situated on the way to the Point. I mention it, because I one day made here the most uncomfortable repast it had ever been my lot to sit down to. Yet this was not owing to any lack of attention on the part of the proprietor, to any inferiority in the quality of his provisions, or to any deficiency of culinary skill in their preparation; but simply to the prevalence of the pest to which I have already alluded as invading my own tent, namely, the dust. The house was built chiefly of wood, and had a canvas roof, but this was insufficient to keep out the impalpable particles with which the air was charged, and which settled upon and insinuated themselves into every article in the place. There was dust on the counter, on the shelves, on the seats, on the decanters, and in them; on the tables, in the salt, on my beef-steak, and in my coffee. There was dust on the polite landlord's cheeks, and in his amiable wife's eyes, which she was wiping with the corner of a dusty ap.r.o.n. I hurried my meal, and was paying my score, when I caught sight of my own face in a dusty-looking and dust-covered gla.s.s near the bar, and saw that I too had become covered with it, my entire person being literally encrusted with a coat of powder, from which I experienced considerable difficulty in cleansing myself.

"Notwithstanding all I had seen of San Francisco, there yet existed here a world apart, that I should never have dreamed of, but for my being one day called upon to act upon a jury appointed to sit in inquest over a person who had died there. This place was called the 'Happy Valley.'

"Previously to our repairing thither, we attended at the court-house, to take the usual oath. Proceeding then through the lower part of the town, we reached the beach, along which, by the water-side, we walked for a distance of three miles--up to our ancles in mud and sand--until we came to a spot where there were innumerable tents pitched, of all sizes, forms, and descriptions, forming an irregular line stretching along the sh.o.r.e for about two miles.

"The ground was, of course, low, damp, and muddy; and the most unmistakeable evidences of discomfort, misery, and sickness, met our view on every side, for the locality was one of the unwholesomest in the vicinity of the town. Yet here, to avoid the payment of enormous ground-rents, and at the same time to combine the advantage of cheap living, were encamped the major portion of the most recently arrived emigrants, and, amongst the rest, those of the s.h.i.+p Brooklyn, on one of the pa.s.sengers of which the inquest was about to be held.

"This, then, was the 'Happy Valley;' a term no doubt applied to it in derision, taking into consideration the squalor, the discomfort, the filth, the misery, and the distress that were rife there.

"I am satisfied that much of the crime and lawlessness that is prevalent in California--particularly in towns like San Francisco, where the ruder s.e.x are congregated exclusively and in large mult.i.tudes--is attributable to the want of the humanizing presence of women. In San Francisco there were about ten thousand males, and scarcely a hundred females; for, although in many parts of California the latter outnumber the former, the national prejudice against color was too strong for legitimate amalgamation to take place."

Such was San Francisco soon after the discovery of the riches of the Sacramento region. From an insignificant settlement, sometimes the resort of whaling-vessels, and of a few traders, it was quickly transferred into a city, with an extensive and constantly increasing commerce. In its streets and squares, erected where, just before, was a desert plain, people of almost every nation were seen busily engaged in traffic, or preparing for departure to the gold region. It seemed the work of the enchanter.

Although, like San Francisco, _Monterey_ was almost deserted by its inhabitants upon the receipt of information of the gold discovery, it soon began to give signs of improvement. The bay, upon the sh.o.r.e of which the town is located, is more exposed to the swell of the sea, and to the north-west storms, than the Bay of San Francisco, and therefore the harbor is inferior. Yet Monterey received a considerable share of the tide of emigration. Those who stopped there were generally persons who intended to make a permanent settlement, and engage in mercantile pursuits; and, therefore, though the increase of the town was not so rapid as that of San Francisco, it carried with it more denotements of stability.

The town is situated on a short bend near the entrance of the bay, upon its southern side. The point of land which partly protects its harbor from the sea is called Point Pinos. A very neat and pretty appearance is presented by the houses of the native Californians, which are generally constructed of _adobes_ and white-plastered. Those of the Americans are easily distinguished by their being built of logs and planks, and presenting a more substantial, but rougher appearance.

The town is surrounded by hills, covered with lofty pine trees. Upon a height which overlooks the town and harbor, a fort was built by the Americans during the war with Mexico, and a military force continued there till after the treaty of peace.

The country in the neighborhood of Monterey is fertile, and yields ample reward to the agriculturist. There would, therefore, be no lack of supplies of provisions, but for the indolence of the Californians, owning the different _ranches_ in the surrounding country. From this cause, great scarcity of provisions of all kinds is often the result.

Notwithstanding the additions made by Yankee enterprise and innovation, the general manners and customs of the inhabitants of Monterey retain all their old Spanish character; and some of the customs of the natives, particularly their amus.e.m.e.nts, are heartily joined in by the more susceptible of the new-comers. The fandango and the serenade with the guitar, still hold their sway as freely and as undisturbed as in old Spain. The winters are severely felt here. The rain causes torrents of water to pour down from the hills in the rear of the town, deluging the princ.i.p.al streets, and rendering their pa.s.sage almost impossible. During this period, the only resort of the inhabitants for pa.s.sing away the time is the vice of gambling, in which they early become adepts. This gambling propensity, noticed among the Californians, induced a considerable number of the initiated to emigrate from the United States, and Monterey received a goodly proportion of them. Such an increase of the population, however, could not be considered desirable. Upon the whole, though in a less degree, the effect of the golden attractions of California could be seen at Monterey as at San Francisco. Though it did not spring at once from a small settlement to a large city, it was considerably improved, and in 1849, it numbered more than a thousand inhabitants.

A short distance south of Monterey, is the town of _Santa Barbara_.

Its situation is one of the most beautiful in California. It is built upon a plain ten miles in extent. In front is a broad bay, having a smooth beach of nearly thirty miles in extent. On the right, towards the water, is a lofty eminence rising nearly a thousand feet. Directly back of the town is a range of almost impa.s.sable hills, running in a diagonal direction. There is no harbor in the bay, and vessels are obliged to anchor in an open roadstead; and when the south-east winds prevail, they are in constant peril.

The progress of the town was not much affected by the gold mania. But though it offers no attractions for mercantile or gold digging purposes, it has others which will, no doubt, make it a favorite place of residence. In 1849, it contained about one hundred and fifty houses, built of _adobes_, and all one story in height. The town is celebrated for being the residence of the aristocracy of California, and for its beautiful women. Its inhabitants are princ.i.p.ally _rancheros_, who visit their _ranches_ two or three times in a year to see to the marking and killing of their cattle, and then spend the remainder of the year in the town, enjoying life as much as possible.

Indolence is the general vice. A horse to ride, plenty to eat, and _cigaros_ to smoke const.i.tute their _summum bonum_. Santa Barbara is more celebrated for its fandangos than any other town on the coast.

These are open to all comers, and const.i.tute the general pastime of an evening. The climate is mild and spring-like, and, independent of the attractions in the town, the surrounding country offers many of the most beautiful rides in California. About a mile in the rear of the town, at the top of a gentle slope, is the mission of Santa Barbara, with its old, white walls and cross-mounted spires. The presiding priest of California resides there, and a number of the converted Indians still remain and cultivate the surrounding soil. The mission is in a better condition than any other in the country.

_Ciudad de los Angeles_, or the City of the Angels, is situated a hundred and ten miles south of Santa Barbara, at the end of an immense plain, extending from the city twenty-five miles, to San Pedro, its port. This is the garden spot of California. Before the discovery of the gold mines, the City of the Angels was the largest town in the country. It contains about two thousand inhabitants, most of whom are wealthy _rancheros_, who dwell there to cultivate the grape. As in all the towns of California, the houses are constructed of _adobe_ and covered with asphaltum, which is found in great quant.i.ties near the town. The northern section is laid out in streets, and is occupied by the trading citizens; the southern section is made up of gardens, vinyards and orchards, which are made extremely productive by irrigating the soil with the water of a large stream running through them. Many acres of ground are covered with vines, which, being trimmed every year, are kept about six feet in height. In the fall of the year, these vines are burdened with rich cl.u.s.ters of grapes; and, in addition to these, great quant.i.ties of fruit of various kinds are raised. The surrounding country abounds with game of all kinds. In the rainy season, millions of ducks and geese cover the plains between Los Angeles and San Pedro, while the neighboring hills abound with quails, deer, elk, and antelope. The vineyards produce such quant.i.ties of grapes, that many thousand barrels of wine and _aguardiente_--the brandy of the country--are annually manufactured. The wine is of various kinds; some of it being equal to the best produced in Europe.

The inhabitants of the City of the Angels, being generally of the wealthy cla.s.s of Californians, have always strongly adhered to the inst.i.tutions of Mexico. They offered the most strenuous resistance to the American forces at the time of the conquest of California, but were vanquished in two battles, and the city taken. All the customs and amus.e.m.e.nts peculiar to the Spaniards and the countries which they colonized, are here in full vogue. Music, dancing, singing, slaughtering cattle, or gambling, are the usual pastimes of the inhabitants. Yet, with these trifling occupations, attachment to the Roman Catholic church and a careful observance of its ceremonies, is characteristic of all. Upon the tolling of the bell, gaming, swearing, dancing--every thing is stopped while the prescribed prayer is muttered, and then all go on as before.

Though Los Angeles did not experience any increase of population consequent upon the flood of emigration to California, its delightful climate and its fertile soil are gradually procuring it such consideration as will doubtless lead to the filling up of the surrounding country.

_San Diego_ is the most southern town of Upper California. It is situated on the coast, three miles north of the line separating Upper and Lower California. The harbor is inferior only to that of San Francisco. It is perfectly sheltered by land from the gales at all seasons of the year. Vessels can lie within a cable's length of the beach, there being no surf running upon it. The town is situated about three miles from the beach, and is about the same size as Santa Barbara. It is a place of far greater facilities and promise, however, than the last mentioned town. San Diego has always been the most important depot for hides, upon the coast; and there is no doubt that an extensive inland trade will be carried on between it and the towns in the interior, as the region of the Colorado and the Gila becomes settled. Since the conquest of Upper California and the discovery of the gold, the progress of the town has been rapid. From being an inconsiderable settlement sustained princ.i.p.ally by a mission, which had early been established there, it has become a town of great commercial promise. The climate being mild and pleasant, and the surrounding country abounding in game and adapted for grazing, thus making provisions abundant, San Diego is a very desirable place of residence.

The town of San Jose is situated in a fertile valley, near the most southern extremity of the Bay of San Francisco. On the south of the town runs a small stream, and the place is surrounded by plains, affording fine pasturage. Being situated on the direct route from the southern ports to the gold mines, San Jose received a considerable stimulus from their discovery. A profitable trade was soon established, and the town improved very rapidly. It is now a town of about four thousand inhabitants, and the increase still continues rapid. In a greater degree than any of the older towns of California, it has all the evidence of a thriving and progressive place. The greater part of the buildings are constructed in a style which shows the inroads of the taste of the people from the Atlantic States. A number of Mormons settled here at an early period, and built a great many neat wooden houses and cottages, which contrast favorably with the heavy old _adobes_ residences of the native inhabitants. Flour and saw-mills have been erected, but the scarcity of water is severely felt by their proprietors.

San Jose in respect to climate and general abundance of the necessaries and luxuries of life, is one of the most desirable places of residence in California. Though situated a short distance inland, and thus deprived of the facilities which contributed to the rapid growth of San Francisco, the fertile plain surrounding it, and the increase of the inland trade and travel will draw to the town and its neighborhood a thriving, business population. The old mission of San Jose is situated about ten miles from the town. The establishment and the grounds belonging to it are in a state of decay. The population there is about three hundred in number, most of whom are Indians, and all of them in a degraded condition.

The emigration to the gold region caused many towns to spring up, as if by magic, in its neighborhood, and on the route to it from San Francisco. These were princ.i.p.ally the stopping places of the gold-seekers, or the seat of a trade in provisions and articles manufactured in the States and transported thither. Some of these towns have become of a size sufficient to warrant the a.s.sertion that they will soon rival the cities of the Atlantic coast of the United States. The progress of these places is aided by the enormous price of real estate in San Francisco.

One of the most promising of the new towns is called Benicia. It is situated on the Strait of Carquinez, thirty-five miles north of San Francisco. The strait forms the entrance of Suisan into Pablo Bay.

The site of Benicia is a gentle slope, which, descending to the water, becomes almost a plain. Vessels of the first cla.s.s can lie at anchor at its bank, and discharge their cargoes, and the harbor is safe from violent winds. The town has been made the head-quarters of the Pacific division of the United States army, and a site for a navy-yard has been selected by Commodore Jones. The marks of governmental favor show in what estimation the position of Benicia is held. The town was laid out in 1848, by Robert Semple and Thomas O.

Larkin. Early in 1850, lots were selling at very high rates, and the population numbered more than a thousand persons.

Between Benicia and Sacramento city, several towns have been laid out, all in very favorable positions. The princ.i.p.al are--Martinez, on the southern sh.o.r.e of the strait of Carquinez, nearly opposite Benicia; New York of the Pacific, at the junction of the River San Joaquin with the Bay of Suisan; Suisan, on the west bank of the Sacramento, at a distance of eighty miles from San Francisco.

Next to San Francisco, Sacramento is the largest city in California.

It is situated on the eastern bank of the Sacramento River, one hundred miles from San Francisco, and sixty-five from Suisan Bay. It is located on a beautiful plain, which is not elevated more than ten or twelve feet above the river at low water. This being insufficient to protect it from the rise of the waters of the river, several disastrous floods have occurred during the existence of the city. Up to this point, the river is navigable for large cla.s.s steamers. s.h.i.+ps drawing not more than twelve feet of water may go up that far at all seasons; and, besides these commercial advantages, Sacramento is the natural trading depot for the richest portion of the mining regions.

Where the city of Sacramento now stands, at the time of the gold discovery, there stood, "solitary and alone," a small fort. This formed the nucleus, about which, at the commencement of the rush of emigration, the town soon sprang into existence. Its increase has been almost as rapid as that of San Francisco. During the rainy season of the early part of 1850, the population numbered somewhere between twenty and thirty thousand. But at that period, a considerable portion of the gold-diggers made Sacramento and the other towns in the neighborhood of the mines, their resort, to escape the severity of spending the season at the open and exposed valleys of the gold region. The city is regularly laid out, but its appearance evidences the rapidity of its erection. The greater number of the houses and stores in the neighborhood of the river are constructed of wood, while the outskirts, particularly upon the south, are occupied by the tents of the constantly-arriving overland emigrants. Before the commencement of the last rainy season, the number of these emigrants reached two or three thousand. They squatted upon the vacant lots which had been surveyed and sold to other persons. This caused a considerable agitation in the town, which continued till the disastrous flood swept both the parties off the ground, and thus left the field clear for another commencement. Sacramento is the grand receptacle of the overland emigration, and this, combined with its commercial facilities, will continue to give the city a superiority over the majority of the other places in California.

Adjoining Sacramento city, is the town of Sutter. It is situated on the highest and healthiest ground on the river. It is not, like Sacramento, subject to an annual overflow. The town was originally laid out by Captain Sutter and others; and is owned by Hon. John McDougall, Lieutenant-Governor of California, and Captain Sutter. It has a thriving business population, and its position, and the fertility of the neighboring country will soon make it a place of importance.

Stockton is to the southern portion of the gold region what Sacramento is to the northern. It is situated upon a slough, or a succession of sloughs, containing the back waters formed by the junction of the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers. It is about fifty miles from the mouth of the San Joaquin, and one hundred from San Francisco. The ground upon which it is situated is high and is not subject to overflow.

Vessels drawing nine feet water can ascend the San Joaquin as far as Stockton, and discharge their cargoes on the bank. In the latter part of 1848, the town was laid out and a frame building erected by Charles M. Weber. In eight months from that time, it contained a population of about two thousand permanent residents, and a large number of temporary residents, on their road to the mines. Communication is with San Francis...o...b.. means of steamboats and launches, and the commerce of the town is constantly increasing.

Other towns exist--on paper--in the neighborhood of San Francisco and the gold region, and, doubtless, they will, in the course of time, become settled by a thriving, go-ahead population from the Atlantic States. Land speculation in California is as profitable a business as gold-digging--and less toilsome. Many of the shrewd ones, who early took advantage of this "tide in the affairs of men," have already reached the goal of their hopes, an independent fortune. Those who saw how things would turn out, and purchased land in the neighborhood of the region which promised to receive the princ.i.p.al current of the emigration to California, found themselves wealthy in the short s.p.a.ce of a few months.

The great influx of emigrants to Upper California has brought the subject of the settlement of the peninsula into consideration. There is but little doubt that Lower California will, sooner or later, become the property of the United States, and then its settlement and progress will be rapid. The coast upon the gulf affords many excellent harbors, and the mountainous region of the interior gives abundant evidence of mineral wealth, as far as it has been explored. Several silver mines have been opened in different places, the princ.i.p.al of which are at San Antonio, between La Paz and Cape San Lucas. Near Loretto, the first settlement in California, extensive copper mines have been opened, and lead and iron abound in all directions. The pearl fishery of the gulf has already yielded an enormous wealth, having been prosecuted from the time of the discovery of the peninsula. The fis.h.i.+ng season lasts from May till November, and more than a hundred vessels are yearly engaged in the business. These resources, despite the general unfitness of the country for agricultural purposes, will soon attract their full share of consideration, and cause an influx of emigrants and adventurers from the United States and other countries. Some portions of the country are susceptible of irrigation, and might thus be rendered fit for cultivation.

The princ.i.p.al port of Lower California is La Paz, situated near the mouth of the gulf. The bay on the sh.o.r.e of which the town is located, is of great extent and beauty, and possesses a large number of rich pearl oyster-beds--the pearl fishery having at one time supplied the chief article of traffic on this part of the coast. The country around the bay is elevated and picturesque, though rugged; the soil being composed princ.i.p.ally of rock and sand, wildly and irregularly covered with the most p.r.i.c.kly species of stunted bushes and shrubs of sunburnt hue. The town of La Paz is neatly built and presents a pretty appearance. The streets are lined with willow trees, and these meeting overhead, form a delicious shade during the heat of the day. The houses are all constructed of _adobes_, plastered white, and thatched with the leaves of the palm tree. The beach is lined with palms, cocoa-nut, fig and tamarind trees. La Paz was taken by the American volunteers during the war with Mexico, and considerable destruction of the orchards, gardens and houses of the town was the consequence. The harbor offers great advantages for a naval station, and such, doubtless, it will become.

San Jose, the most southern town of Lower California, is situated about half-way between Cape San Lucas and Cape Palmo, on a sort of desert plain, extending from the beautiful valley of San Jose to the ocean. It is located about three miles from the beach, and is one of the strangest creations in the shape of a town imaginable.

The heavy rains and freshets which occur in the wet season, in this region, render every elevation invaluable as a preservative against the dangers of sudden inundations; hence all the houses are built upon steeps, rocks, and hillocks, necessarily irrespective of order; so that, even in the most densely populated districts, barren hills, as yet unoccupied by dwellings, are frequently to be met with, with deep hollows in every part, converting mere visits into positive enterprises, in most instances both tedious and disagreeable. To these great natural disadvantages, the indolence of the inhabitants has added others, their common practice being to dig for _adobe_ clay at the nearest convenient spot, namely, for the most part, opposite their own doors; thus, one would imagine that the site of the whole town had been visited and disturbed by a succession of miniature earthquakes, which, whilst they had left the houses themselves unshaken, had heaved and perched them up in the most uncomfortable positions, and in the most inaccessible places. In the very centre of the princ.i.p.al street, which appears to have once upon a time been level, are three or four immense clay-pits, serving as a receptacle for dead dogs, cats, bones, vegetable refuse, and, in a word, every description of rubbish and nuisance a very dirty population can convey to or discharge in them.

But a description of the town would be incomplete without adding that it is dotted about in these hollows, and in the sand-holes in the rocks, with patches of thorn, brush, and cacti, forming a singular yet refres.h.i.+ng contrast with the general barrenness of the region itself, the whole being surrounded by a bleak mountainous range, which increases in elevation until it blends with the clear sky, far in the distance.

The princ.i.p.al, indeed the only regular street in the town, is wide and long, the houses being constructed of _adobes_ and cane, thatched with palm leaves. It is blocked up at the remoter end by the fort, which stands upon a wide foundation of rock of considerable elevation; various portions of the _adobe_ walls connecting the crags having been pierced, so as to allow artillery to be trained through the embrasures, whilst, in other parts, there are numerous loop-holes for musketry. There are some very awkward cavities amongst these rocks, produced by digging for clay for the _adobe_ work. The fort is flat-roofed and parapetted, having portholes for cannon; and below, in the very centre of the building, occupying about a third of its entire length, runs a thick wall, forming a crescent, well mounted with heavy guns. At the end of this crescent, between it and the front wall, is the entrance to the fort--a mere aperture, barely wide enough to allow of one man's pa.s.sing in.

These defences proved to be of great advantage to a small party of Americans that landed at San Jose, during the war between the United States and Mexico, and were compelled to take shelter in the old quartel, or barracks. There they were surrounded by the Californians, and stood a siege of several weeks', suffering incredible hards.h.i.+ps.

The population of San Jose numbers about three thousand, the majority being semi-Indians, or the pure descendants of the Mexicans. There is little promise of any considerable increase in the size of the town, owing to the natural disadvantages of situation.

The other towns of Lower California are--San Antonio, in the neighborhood of an extensive silver mine, which has been worked for a long time with considerable profit; Loreto, on the gulf coast, about two hundred miles north of La Paz; San Domingo and Todos Santos, on the Pacific coast. The latter town is situated on the bay of the same name, and is the most northerly part of Lower California. The church and mission buildings at this place are the largest and most imposing structures of the kind in Lower California. The church has a handsome front and a lofty steeple. The mission is the residence of the head of the church in Lower California. There is every reason to believe, that, when the richer portions of Upper California begin to get a little crowded, the tide of emigration will be turned to the south, and the ports of the peninsula will become of great commercial importance. Then, if not before, the country will become the property of the United States, either by way of purchase, or after the manner of Texas.

CHAPTER IX.

THE FORMATION OF A STATE GOVERNMENT.